hVillagers evacuate over threat from volcano

hVillagers evacuateover threat from volcano
MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia -- More than 100 villagers evacuated areas closest to Indonesia's rumbling Mount Merapi on Friday and Saturday, relenting to days of pressure from officials who warned the volcano could erupt in the next one to two weeks. Most of those abandoning villages near the 9,700-foot peak -- women, children and the elderly -- said they were doing so reluctantly. Hundreds more refused, pledging to hold out a little longer. "I'm worried about what life will be like in a temporary shelter," said 44-year-old Sriyanti, as she headed with her young daughter to the town of Tanjung Muntilan, 12 miles from Merapi on Indonesia's Java island. Smoke and lava have been spewing from the volcano and sensors within the crater have detected a rise in seismic movement in recent weeks, leading scientists to say a major eruption is imminent. Merapi last erupted in 1994, sending out a searing cloud of gas that burned 60 people to death. About 1,300 people were killed when it erupted in 1930.
4 Canadians die in blast
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A roadside bomb killed four Canadian soldiers Saturday in the deadliest attack on that nation's troops since they deployed in Afghanistan four years ago, and commanders blamed loyalists of the former Taliban regime. The blast came as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said "foreigners" are fomenting his country's insurgency. He didn't name any countries or groups.Canadian officers said the bomb destroyed one of four armored vehicles in a convoy and killed its four occupants in Gomboth, a village about 25 miles north of the southern city of Kandahar, a former Taliban stronghold. A 2,200-soldier Canadian contingent moved into southern Afghanistan to relieve U.S. troops.
Threatening Iran isbad idea, diplomat says
MOSCOW -- A top Kremlin diplomat warned against threatening Iran with sanctions or the use of force, saying that would only aggravate the international standoff over Tehran's suspect nuclear program, Russian media reports said Saturday. Rather than getting Iran to stop uranium enrichment, a tougher stance could result in Tehran's total refusal to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, said Oleg Ozerov, deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's Middle East and North Africa Department, according to ITAR-Tass. The United States and European allies are pushing for sanctions because of Iran's refusal to suspend its enrichment program, as demanded by the U.N. Security Council. They suspect Iran is trying to develop atomic weapons in violation of its treaty commitments.
National anthem to getan update -- in Spanish
NEW YORK -- Mexican pop diva Gloria Trevi, Puerto Rican reggaeton Ivy Queen and Tito El Bambino and other Latino artists are recording a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem in a show of support for migrants in the United States. The Latino-oriented record label Urban Box Office said Saturday it plans to release the new version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to coincide with the U.S. Senate's debate on immigration legislation next week. "We chose to re-record 'The Star-Spangled Banner' to show our solidarity with the undocumented immigrants and their quest for basic civil rights," UBO President Adam Kidron said.
Remaking the IMF
WASHINGTON -- Economic powers gave the world's financial firefighter, the International Monetary Fund, the green light Saturday to remake the 61-year-old institution so it can better prevent and cope with crises. The strategy was embraced by the IMF's steering committee during the weekend meetings of the 184-nation IMF and World Bank. "We resolve to make the IMF more fit for purpose in a global economy and more able to address challenges that are quite different from those of 1945 when the IMF was created," said Gordon Brown, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer.
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