Dozens killed in New Year’s stampede in China

At least 35 people killed and dozens injured in a stampede during New Year’s celebrations in Shanghai

Source: aljazeera.com

At least 35 people have been killed and dozens injured after a stampede broke out during New Year’s celebrations in the Chinese city of Shanghai, state-run media has said.

Citing Sina News, CCTV America said the the cause of the stampede on the Bund, the financial hub of Shanghai’s popular waterfront area, was still unclear.

At least 42 people were also injured, the report said.

Pictures posted on social media showed huge crowds surrounding people lying on the ground in the middle of the street, but they could not be immediately verified.

Authorities had earlier cancelled a New Year’s countdown with a 3D laser display at the Bund due to crowd concerns, the Shanghai Daily reported last week.

The event had been growing in popularity for three years, but last year’s turnout of some 300,000 people far exceeded authorities’ expectations, the report said.

San Francisco earthquake injures dozens

Biggest quake in decades knocks out power to about 40,000 homes and businesses in northern San Francisco area.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake has rocked the northern San Francisco area, injuring dozens of people, damaging historic buildings, setting some homes on fire and causing power outages around the picturesque town of Napa.

Why dozens of Israeli reservists are refusing to serve

By: Yael Even Or

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Whenever the Israeli army drafts the reserves which are made up of ex-soldiers there are dissenters, resisters, and AWOLers among the troops called to war. Now that Israel has sent troops to Gaza again and reserves are being summoned to service, dozens are refusing to take part.

Dozens killed in Taiwan plane crash

More than 40 people reportedly killed after TransAsia Airlines flight crash-lands in typhoon-hit area of island.

Sources: http://www.aljazeera.com/, RT Youtube Channel

More than 40 people have been killed after a TransAsia Airways passenger plane crashed while trying to make an emergency landing in typhoon-hit Taiwan.

TransAsia Airways flight GE222 was carrying 58 people when it crashed into houses near Magong airport on the Penghu island chain after requesting a second attempt to land there, local media reported on Wednesday.

The ATR 72-500 twin turboprop was flying from the southwestern city of Kaohsiung to the islands off the west coast and had been delayed due to bad weather as Typhoon Matmo pounded Taiwan, according to authorities.

“We have found 42 bodies and some body parts so far,” an official surnamed Tsai at the Penghu county fire department told AFP news agency early on Thursday.

Television images showed firefighters working in heavy rain to douse the mangled plane and soldiers on the scene.

“There were 58 people on board including four crew members, four children and, so far, according to the information we have, 12 were injured and were sent to hospitals,” Transport Minister Yeh Kuang-shih told reporters.

Two French nationals were on board the plane and the de facto French embassy had been notified, Yeh said.

Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration director general Shen Chi earlier said 51 were feared dead in the crash, but later revised the figure to 47.

“The control tower lost contact with the aircraft soon after they requested a go-around,” Shen told reporters.

Local fire chief Hung Yung-peng told TVBS there were 11 survivors, with all others on board feared dead.

“The weather was bad and some witnesses said there were storms and lightning when the plane went down,” Hung said.

“We rushed 12 people to hospitals soon after our arrival. One died at the hospital.

“We kept searching for the other passengers from the wreckage but with more and more bodies pulled out, I’m afraid the rest of them might be dead.”

Breaking The Silence: Dozens of new video testimonies (Video)

 In 2011, for the first time ever in the history of the Occupation, IDF soldiers chose to reveal their identities to the public and provide testimony about their actions in the Occupied Territories. Immediately after the testimonies were published, the IDF spokesperson welcomed the move as an opportunity for the military to investigate our materials, but guess what was (never) done…
… Three years have passed and, to this day, no investigation has been opened regarding the cases described by Breaking the Silence members. None of the soldiers have been summoned or questioned about their actions.

Now we are publishing dozens of **new** video testimonies that depict the reality of military control over a civilian population, the reality of day-to-day human rights violations that we – as IDF soldiers – participated in and preserved. The Occupation turns all of us, every soldier, into a rotten apple. This is proven by the hundreds of soldier testimonies from dozens of military units serving all over the territories.

We know there will be no investigations opened this time either, because to investigate us is to investigate the system of occupation itself. Investigating one soldier or another will not transform the underlying policy requiring the systemic violation of human rights and rejection of Palestinian liberty into a moral one.
Watch the new video testimonies on our website: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos

UK: Muslims help the homeless in Ramadan (Video)

 Muslims across Wales are fasting for the holy month of Ramadan. And in Cardiff dozens of volunteers from the Muslim community have joined up with curry houses and takeaways to provide fresh meals for the city’s homeless.