Vatican beatifies 522 killed in Spain

THE Vatican has beatified 522 people - mostly priests and nuns - killed in the turmoil that led to Spain's civil war.

The beatification, the last step the Roman Catholic church takes before sainthood, was conducted on Sunday by Cardinal Angelo Amato in an outdoor ceremony attended by thousands in Spain's northeastern Tarragona region.

Among the congregation were almost 4000 relatives of those being beatified.

In the 1930s, Spain was engulfed in instability that saw the head of state, King Alfonso XIII, abandon the country and anti-clerical mobs attack clergy and burn churches.

The mayhem culminated in a 1936-1939 war, won by forces allied to Nazi Germany and fascist Italy and led by General Francisco Franco.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Flying doctors offer chance to buy the sky

THE Royal Flying Doctor Service is giving donors a chance to claim a patch of the Australian sky.

Demand for the flying doctor service has grown by more than a quarter in the past seven years as the mining boom sent more people into remote areas.

The famous flying doctors are now launching their biggest ever fundraiser on Monday in a bid to secure their long-term future.

A $50 donation gives people a chance to put their name on a piece of sky on the Royal Flying Doctor Service flight paths.

They can then choose to get weekly updates of the lifesaving doctors' activity in their patch.

While supported by the commonwealth and state governments, the service - which ensures no patient is more than two hours from medical help - relies heavily on the community.

"Buy the Sky" donations will be used to purchase and equip aircraft, and to finance major capital initiatives.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Attacks across Iraq kill at least 31

A STRING of bombings in mostly Shi'ite-majority cities across Iraq has killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but car bombs are frequently used by al-Qaeda's Iraq branch.

The Sunni militant group and other Sunni extremists often target Shi'ite civilians in an effort to undermine the country's Shi'ite-led government.

The deadliest Sunday's attacks, which targeted mainly commercial areas and bus stations, was in the southern city of Hillah, 95 kilometres south of Baghdad.

Back-to-back car bombings hit an outdoor market, killing eight people and wounding 22, a police officer said.

Two parked car bombs ripped through a commercial area of Suwayrah, 40 kilometres south of Baghdad, killing five people and wounding 14.

Two other car bombs that exploded simultaneously in Kut, 160 kilometres southeast of Baghdad, killed four and wounded 16.

In nearby Samawah, four other people were killed and 13 wounded when two car bombs exploded.

Two other car bombs killed three and wounded 13 in Diwaniyah, 130 kilometres south of the capital.

In northern Samarra, two people were killed and 15 were wounded when a bomb targeted a gathering of mourners for some of the 17 people who were killed in a car bombing there on Saturday.

Five other people were killed and 34 were wounded in other attacks in the southern city of Basra and the central towns of Mahmoudiyah and Madain.

More than 5000 people have been killed in Iraq since attacks began accelerating in April following a deadly crackdown against a Sunni protest camp in the northern town of Hawija.

More than 258 people have been so far killed in October.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iran to send another monkey into space

IRAN is reportedly planning to send another monkey into space.

Conservative daily Jomhuri Eslami quoted on Sunday the deputy head of Iran's space agency, Hamid Fazeli, as saying the planned launch, within a month, is part of the country's plans to send a human to space in 2018.

Earlier this year, Iran claimed it launched a monkey out of the earth's atmosphere and successfully had it return.

Fazeli was quoted in the article as saying animals with a similar weight as monkeys are under consideration as future space test subjects.

In September, Iran suggested it may start launching Persian cats into space.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel finds tunnel under Gaza border

THE Israeli military has discovered an underground tunnel dug out from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip into Israel.

It says it believes militants intended to use the passageway to attack or kidnap Israelis.

In response, officials have frozen the transfer of all construction materials to the Palestinian territory.

A Hamas military spokesman in Gaza, Abu Obeida, was defiant over the discovery, saying on his official Twitter account "thousands" more tunnels would be dug out.

Hamas has dug tunnels into Israel in the past.

In 2006, Hamas-allied militants sneaked into Israel through one, kidnapped a soldier, Gilad Schalit, and held him hostage in Gaza for five years.

According to the Israeli military, the latest tunnel is 2.5 kilometres long and appears to have been recently excavated and in use until its discovery last week.

A tunnel opening was found near a kibbutz along the Israel-Gaza border, and the military speculated that Hamas may have been planning an attack on a kindergarten there.

The military said it waited a week to publicise the discovery because a search for explosives was underway.

The army said an elite engineering corps was sent into the tunnel but would not say whether explosives were found.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the discovery and said Israel's resolute policy toward the Gaza Strip, including last year's military offensive, has led to the "quietest year in more than a decade" along the Israel-Gaza border.

Army spokesman Major Guy Inbar said the halt on all construction material to Gaza, announced on Sunday, was enacted due to security considerations and was not meant as a punishing measure.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boat capsizes on Amazon, 12 dead

A BOAT carrying Catholic pilgrims has capsized on Brazil's Amazon river, leaving at least 12 dead and six missing.

Authorities said on Sunday they didn't know what caused the tragedy, though they were investigating whether or not the boat was loaded beyond its 40-person limit.

State authorities said the search was continuing for the missing, who were part of a group travelling in Amapa state to take part in a festival commemorating Our Lady of Nazare.

The boat was among more than three dozen in a procession heading toward the state capital so Catholic faithful could take part in the festival.

Among the dead is the boat's captain, Reginaldo Reis Nobre.

23.53 | 0 komentar | Read More