Wakapolda Metro Jaya Brigjen. Suhardi Alius : Polda Metro Jaya Siaga Satu Amankan Jakarta

Dokumentasi Foto : Kepala Kepolisian Daerah (Kapolda) Metro Jaya Inspektur Jenderal Polisi Sutarman (kiri) memasang tanda jabatan kepada Wakil Kepala Kepolisian Daerah (Wakapolda) Metro Jaya yang baru Bigjen Pol Suhardi Alius (kanan) di Markas Polda Metro Jaya, Jakarta, Senin (21/2/2011).

 

WAWANCARA EKSKLUSIF 

 

Jakarta, 27 Agustus 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM) — Dengan kekuatan penuh yang mereka miliki, saat ini Polda Metro Jaya memerintahkan kepada seluruh jajarannya untuk tidak meninggalkan tugas mereka untuk pengamanan lebaran. Tingginya tingkat urgensi untuk mengamankan wilayah dalam suasana lebaran seperti ini, membuat aparat kepolisian menetapkan kebijakan siaga satu dalam tugas utama mereka.

Dan persis di hari Sabtu (27/8/2011) yang menjadi puncak arus mudik menjelang Hari Raya Idul Fitri 1432 H, sebuah insiden terjadi yaitu pembajakan Kereta Api Gajayana jurusan Malang – Jakarta.

Seorang oknum aparat TNI Angkatan Laut bernama Sertu Darso melakukan pembajakan lewat cara memasuki ruangan masinis dengan membawa senjata api mainan jenis AIRSOFT GUN dan senjata tajam.

Berkat kerjasama yang baik antara Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), Polda Jawa Barat dan Polda Metro Jaya, aksi pembajakan tersebut berhasil dilumpuhkan oleh aparat kepolisian dari jajaran Polda Metro Jaya.

Untuk membahas masalah pengamanan Jakarta, termasuk soal kasus pembajakan Kereta Api Gajayana, KATAKAMI.COM melakukan WAWANCARA EKSKLUSIF dengan Wakil Kepala Kepolisian Daerah (Wakapolda ) Metro Jaya Brigadir Jenderal Suhardi Alius di ruang kerjanya, di Markas Besar Polda Metro Jaya, Jalan Jenderal Sudiman Jakarta, Sabtu (27/8/2011) sore.

Inilah hasil WAWANCARA EKSKLUSIF KATAKAMI.COM dengan WAKAPOLDA METRO JAYA BRIGJEN. DRS. SUHARDI ALIUS, MH :

 

Dokumentasi Foto : Wakil Kepala Kepolisian Daerah (Wakapolda) Metro Jaya yang baru Bigjen Pol Suhardi Alius (kanan) berjabatan tangan dengan Wakapolda yang lama Brigjen Pol Putut Eko Bayuseno sesudah acara serah terima jabatan (Sertijab) di Polda Metro Jaya, Jakarta, Senin (21/2/2011).

 

KATAKAMI (K) :  Pak Wakapolda, persis disaat memasuki puncak arus mudik lebaran, hari ini terjadi insiden pembajakan Kereta Api Gajayana dari jurusan Malang ke Jakarta. Apa yang bisa disampaikan Polda Metro Jaya mengenai insiden ini, Pak ?

Suhardi Alius (SA) :  Kami mendapatkan laporan dari anggota kami sekitar jam 07.30 WIB bahwa ada kereta yang mencurigakan dari arah daerah Cirebon menuju Jakarta. Kereta ini sudah diikuti oleh anggota polisi setelah masinis secara diam-diam memberikan tanda bahaya.

Jadi, kalau dipesawat adalah tanda untuk meminta pertolongan Mayday Mayday.

Begitu tanda bahaya itu diberikan secara diam-diam oleh masinis, anggota polisi langsung mengikuti kereta ini. Sebab sepanjang jalur Pantura, Polri menempatkan pasukan Brimob untuk mengamankan arus mudik.

Nah, kronologis awalnya terjadi saat kereta ini berada di Stasiun Trisi yaitu enam stasiun setelah Cirebon, kereta ini berjalan sekitar 40 km / jam.

Ada orang yang tiba-tiba melompat mau naik ke tempat masinis dengan membawa tombak. Dia berhasil masuk ke ruang masinis dan langsung mengatakan , “Saya anggota”. Dia membawa senjata yang sangat mirip dengan senjata yang asli. Lalu dia juga membawa senjata pisau yang panjang. Terus dia bilang kepada masinis, “Saya minta semua rambu-rambu dan sinyal-sinyal ini dibuka, jangan berhenti. Bawa saya ke komandan saya”.

Berhubung masinis ini orang sipil, dia langsung ketakutan melihat pistol dan senjata tajam. Dia kirim sinyal ke Jakarta bahwa kereta 7101 dibajak arah Jakarta dengan permintaan semua sinyal dibuka untuk mendapat prioritas.

Begitu ada sinyal bahaya begitu, Jakarta langsung siap-siap. Polda Metro Jaya yang dikontak.

Dimana mau kita sikat ?

Nah, daerah yang paling kuat pengamanannya dalam situasi mudik begini adalah Stasiun Kereta Api Senen. Jadi di Stasiun Senen kami sergap dan kami lumpuhkan. Itupun dia tetap tidak mau menyerahkan diri pada saat anggota kami mengeluarkan tembakan peringatan. Terpaksa anggota kami melompat ke kereta api untuk mengamankan pembajak ini.

(K) : Sebenarnya ada berapa orang yang membajak kereta api ini ?

(SA) : Hanya sendirian.

 

Aparat Kepolisian dari satuan BRIMOB menangkap oknum pelaku pembajakan Kereta Eksekutif Gajayana Lebaran rute Malang-Gambir di Stasiun Senen, Sabtu (27/8/2011). Menurut Kepala Dinas Penerangan TNI Angkatan Laut Laksamana Pertama Untung Suropati, yang melakukan aksi pembajakan kereta api Gajayana memang benar anggota TNI AL atas nama Sertu Darso, anggota Yon Marinir Pertahanan Pangkalan Lantamal III Jakarta

 

(K) : Lalu, yang mengalihkan kereta api ini sehingga bisa digiring masuk ke Stasiun Kereta Api Senen, siapa ? Kan menurut informasi, harusnya kereta api ini tidak masuk ke arah Senen melainkan ke Stasiun Gambir. Kok bisa masuk ke Stasiun Senen ?

(SA) : Itu bukan permintaan dia (pembajak). Dia justru tidak tahu. Dia kan  tidak mengerti jalannya kereta api ini ke arah mana. Dari hasil koordinasi antara pihak Kereta Api yaitu Daerah Operasi II KAI dan Polda Metro Jaya maka diputuskan agar kereta ini digiring di jalur 4 saja agar bisa masuk ke Stasiun Senen.

(K) : Apakah masinis tahu bahwa setelah dia mengirimkan tanda bahaya, dia sudah dikawallah istilahnya oleh aparat kepolisian untuk membereskan masalah pembajakan ini?

(SA) : Masinis itu samasekali tidak tahu bahwa di belakangnya sudah ada pasukan Brimob yang lengkap dengan senjata mengikuti di jalur belakang mereka. Masinis tidak tahu, di stasiun mana pembajak ini akan disikat oleh aparat. Jadi dia tidak tahu bahwa kereta api itu akan digiring untuk masuk ke stasiun mana di Jakarta ini.

(K) : Maksud kami, apakah si Masinis ini tidak tahu bahwa dia sudah dalam posisi terkawal dengan baik oleh aparat kepolisian untuk memberikan bantuan ?

(SA) : Masinis merasa yakin bahwa bantuan akan segera didatangkan sebab dia tahu bahwa dia sudah mengirimkan sinyal tanda bahaya ke Jakarta. Jadi dia percaya bahwa sinyal tanda bahaya itu akan direspon. Tidak mungkin didiamkan.

(K) : Jadi, operasi penanganan pembajakan ini ditangani secara baik berkat kerjasama 2 Polda ya, Pak ?

(SA) : Ya betul, Polda Jawa Barat dan Polda Metro Jaya.

(K) : Bisa lebih diperjelas Pak, bagaimana dan dimana posisi anggota Brimob yang ditugaskan mengikuti kereta api Gajayana ini ?

(SA) :  Begitu ada tanda bahaya tadi, 15 orang anggota Brimob diperintahkan mengikuti kereta itu dengan menggunakan lokomotif sendiri di jalur lintasan kereta api yang sama yaitu di jalur 4. Jalur 4 memang sudah sengaja dikosongkan untuk bisa mengejar. Polisi kan harus punya beberapa pilihan. Oke, mau disikat di stasiun mana ? Kalau tidak berhasil dihentikan, maka akan disergap dari arah belakang. Tapi ternyata bisa dihentikan di Stasiun Senen. Begini, selama masa arus mudik ini, di setiap stasiun kereta api itu ada satuan tugas yang lengkap yaitu dari unsur TNI, Polri dan Dinas Perhubungan. Jadi semua aparat memang dalam kondisi yang siaga. Tapi harus kami akui bahwa kekuatan pengamanan yang paling full saat mudik ini adalah di Stasiun Senen yaitu menempatkan sekitar 183 anggota Kepolisian dari Polda Metro Jaya.

(K) : Jadi, walaupun kereta api ini belum tiba di Stasiun Senen, aparat kepolisian disana sudah diberitahu bahwa akan ada kereta api yang sedang dibajak masuk ke Stasiun Senen ?

(SA) : Sejak awal, anggota kepolisian yang bertugas disana sudah diberitahu. Tapi polisi tidak mau meresahkan masyarakat yang ada disana. Kami memutuskan agar situasi tetap normal dulu agar tidak menimbulkan kepanikan. Warga yang melihat keberadaan anggota Brimob bersenjata lengkap, pasti akan mengira bahwa itu adalah untuk pengamanan arus mudik saja. Padahal ada pasukan Brimob yang bersenjata lengkap disana sedang berkonsentrasi untuk menyergap pembajak itu.

Setelah pembajak itu berhasil ditangkap, saya ada disana bersama Kepala Staf Garnisun Jaya ( Brigjen. TNI. B. Hermanto).

Pelaku diinterogasi dan mengaku sebagai anggota TNI. Saat diinterogasi itu, dia memakai kalung pasukan.

Akhirnya setelah dilakukan pemeriksaan, dapat dipastikan bahwa pelaku adalah oknum aparat. Dari hasil pemeriksaan tes urine  ditemukan amphetamine dan morfin. 

(K) : Bagaimana Polda Metro Jaya mengevaluasi kejadian ini. Bayangkan kalau sampai terjadi kecelakaan kereta api karena insiden pembajakan ini. Ribuan pemudik bisa jadi korban. Bahaya sekali insiden semacam ini ya, Pak ?

(SA) : Ya betul. Itu sebabnya, kami sangat menghargai koordinasi yang sangat baik antara pihak Kereta Api dengan Jajaran Kepolisian. Sinergitas inilah yang membuat kasus ini dapat ditangani dengan baik. Kalau kereta ini tidak bisa ditangani dengan baik, mereka bisa masuk ke jalur yang sangat ramai. Operasi kali ini sangat baik karena bisa digiring ke jalur yang khusus untuk menghindarkan korban dari pihak masyarakat yang hendak mudik.

(K) :  Jadi, untuk mengamankan arus mudik ini, apa yang bisa dimaksimalkan dari pihak Kepolisian untuk memberikan pengamanan penuh kepada masyarakat yang akan mudik dari arah Jakarta ke berbagai daerah ?

(SA)  :  Anggota Kepolisian sudah ditempatkan di masing-masing stasiun. Bahkan ada polisi yang juga ditugaskan masuk ke dalam Kereta Api yaitu Polsuska atau Polisi Khusus Kereta Api. Kami memang bekerjasama penuh dengan Pihak Kereta Api. Kami tempatkan juga sniper-sniper (penembak jitu).

(K) : Lalu, bagaimana penilaian Polda Metro Jaya terhadap kasus pembajakan kereta api Gajayana ini ?

(SA) :  Ya, ini hanya kasuistik. Begitu dicek lewat tes urine di RSPAD Gatot Subroto, ternyata dia berada dibawah pengaruh narkotik. Kami kan harus benar-benar cek latar belakangnya. Saat di interogasi, dia mengaku melakukan hal ini karena harus secepatnya bertemu komandan. Begitu dia ngomong begitu, kami sudah langsung tahu bahwa anak ini ngawur. Ngelantur. Ternyata dia jadi ngawur begitu karena pengaruh amphetamine dan methamphetamine.

Itulah makanya dibutuhkan pengawasan yang sangat ketat kepada seluruh anggota agar terhindar dari penggunaan narkotika seperti ini.

Kalau dari hasil lab dicantumkan bahwa anak ini memakai dua jenis tadi yaitu amphetamine dan methamphetamine positif morfin. Ganja negatif. Hanya ada 2 jenis tadi.

Jadi, dia dikuasai halusinasi yang sangat tinggi. Dia juga membawa senjata Airsoft Gun. Banyak dijual di Mal Mal senjata mainan seperti ini. Tapi orang sipil kan tidak tahu apakah ini senjata betulan atau mainan.

 

Markas Polda Metro Jaya di Jalan Jenderal Sudirman Jakarta

 

(K) : Oke, kita bicara soal pengamanan arus mudik dan pengamanan lebaran secara keseluruhan di wilayah DKI Jakarta. Berapa jumlah anggota yang diturunkan oleh Polda Metro Jaya ?

(SA) :  Kami mengerahkan sekitar 18.440 anggota untuk pengamanan lebaran se-Jakarta. Diluar itu, ada 200 anggota Lantas Polda Metro Jaya diperbantukan di Jalur Pantura untuk membantu kelancaran disana. Jadi, kekuatan yang kami turunkan adalah kekuatan penuh untuk mengamankan sentra-sentra yang ada.

Lalu, satu hari sebelum lebaran, fokus utama kami adalah mengamankan pemukiman-pemukiman pendudukan yang kosong.

Saat ini, kerawanan itu terletak pada pergerakan warga dari satu tempat ke tempat lain dalam arus mudik. Tapi nanti, kerawanan itu akan bergeser menjelang satu hari menjelang Lebaran.

Itulah sebabnya kami akan mengamankan pemukiman penduduk, perkantoran, perbankan, kedutaan-kedutaan asing dan sentra lainnya.

(K) :  Ancaman terbesar disaat Jakarta sepi ditinggalkan oleh mayoritas warganya dalam suasana libur panjang begini apa saja, Pak ?

(SA) : Yang paling berbahaya adalah pemukiman penduduk yang kosong karena ditinggal mudik oleh para penghuninya. Ini yang jadi sasaran. Yang lainnya masih dalam batas toleransi kami untuk diamankan.

(K) : Pesan apa yang bisa disampaikan oleh Polda Metro Jaya kepada masyarakat yang hendak mudik meninggalkan Jakarta ?

(SA) :  Sebelum meninggalkan rumah, sebaiknya mereka berkoordinasi dulu dengan pihak lingkungan setempat. Titipkan rumahnya dalam keadaan terkunci. Listrik dimatikan supaya menghindari kebakaran. Dan kalau ada apa-apa, segera hubungi aparat kepolisian karena kami stand by untuk pengamanan Jakarta.

(K) : Jadi saat ini, tidak ada satupun anggota Polda Metro Jaya ini yang bisa cuti ya ?

(SA) : Oh tidak ada yang bisa cuti dalam situasi seperti ini ! Kalau misalnya ada yang minta cuti berarti dia tidak sanggup bertugas di Polda Metro Jaya. Semua harus masuk karena perintah dari Pak Kapolda, saat ini pengamannya siaga satu. Jadi sampai H plus 7 Lebaran, Polda Metro Jaya siaga satu mengamankan Jakarta.

Semua anggota wajib siaga satu dalam stiuasi begini sebab memang itulah perintah dari pimpinan kami yaitu perintah dari Bapak Kapolda Metro Jaya Irjen. Polisi Untung S. Rajab.

(K) Baik Pak Wakapolda, terimakasih untuk wawancara ini.

(selesai)

Singapore voters head to polls to choose president

In this photo taken on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011, presidential candidate and former ruling party member Dr. Tan Cheng Bok addresses supporters during a rally in Singapore. Singaporeans vote Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 among four candidates for the ceremonial presidency after an uncharacteristically feisty contest that could show further signs of erosion in support for the overwhelmingly dominant ruling party. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

 

SINGAPORE, August 27, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) — Voters in Singapore went to the polls Saturday in a presidential election seen as a referendum on the popularity of the Southeast Asian city-state’s ruling party, AP reported.

The presidency is largely a ceremonial position in Singapore’s parliamentary government, but the election attracted four candidates, the most since Singapore began choosing its president by popular vote in 1993.

Analysts will be closely watching the performance of former Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan, who is backed by most of the political establishment, as a barometer of voter discontent with the People’s Action Party, which has held power since 1959.

The PAP’s vote total in parliamentary elections in May fell to 60 percent — its lowest since Singapore split from Malaysia in 1965 — amid a backlash against soaring housing prices, a surge in foreign workers and rising income inequality.

Singapore’s constitution allows the president to veto the use of the country’s reserves and some public office appointments, but doesn’t give the post any executive authority.

Candidates Tan Cheng Bock, a former PAP member of parliament and a medical doctor, and Tan Kin Lian, a former insurance company executive, have said that if elected, they would take on a more active role in voicing the concerns of citizens. Tan Jee Say, an opposition politician, said he would seek to transform the presidency into a platform for challenging government policies.

Current President S.R. Nathan, who won two six-year terms unopposed, consulted with the prime minister and Cabinet in private but avoided public comment on government policy. Tony Tan and government spokesmen have sought in recent weeks to quell calls for an expanded role for the president.

Until last month, Tony Tan was executive director of sovereign wealth fund Government of Singapore Investment Corp. and chairman of media company Singapore Press Holdings.

Results were expected to be announced a few hours after the closing of polls Saturday evening.  (*)

SOURCE :  The Associated Press

Ghana to support Palestinian UN Bid

Ghana to support Palestinian UN Bid

Accra, Ghana, August 27, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / Pal Telegraph) – The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister is in west Africa this week to mobilize international support for the Ramallah leadership’s bid for recognition of statehood at the UN, The Palestine Telegraph reported on Saturday.

Riyad Al-Malki was met at the airport in Accra by deputy foreign minister Chris Kpodo and a group of Arab envoys in Ghana, said Rafiq Abu Dhalfeh, Palestine’s envoy to the country.

Al-Malki and Kpodo discussed the latest developments in Palestine including the siege on Gaza, Abu Dhalfeh said. The two also attended a news conference at the Palestinian embassy in Accra.

The official also met with Ghana’s vice president John Dramani Mahama and briefed him on the latest developments about what he termed Israel’s escalation on Gaza and the Palestinian arena at large.

He also delivered a letter from President Abbas to his Ghanaian counterpart John Evens Atta Mills.

Vice President Mahama stressed Ghana’s support for the Palestinian people and said that it was time for peace between Palestine and Israel.

He also stressed that Ghana would make every effort to support the UN bid.  (*)

SOURCE :  The Palestine Telegraph

Singapore set to vote for new president

This photo taken on August 24, shows presidential candidate Tony Tan talking to supporters during a lunchtime rally in Singapore. Singaporeans will elect a new president from four candidates on August 27

 

SINGAPORE, August 27, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AFP) — Singaporeans will cast votes Saturday in the city-state’s first contested presidential election in 18 years following a heated campaign marked by calls for stronger checks on the ruling party.

Three months after a parliamentary election eroded the dominance of the People’s Action Party (PAP), anti-government sentiment is still running high in online forums that now shape political debate in Singapore.

Polls will open at 8:00am (0000 GMT) and close at 8:00pm. The winner is expected to be known hours after voting centres close.

Four candidates are running, with about 2.35 million Singaporeans eligible to vote.

The job is non-partisan and the publication of pre-election survey results is banned in Singapore, but former deputy prime minister Tony Tan, 71, who quit the PAP in June, is seen as the man to beat.

Although it is a largely ceremonial post, interest in the presidency intensified after the PAP lost six parliamentary seats in May and saw its share of votes drop to an all-time low of 60 percent, from nearly 67 percent in the previous election.

Analysts said voters now see the presidency as an institution that can serve as a check on the PAP, which has been in power since 1959 and was widely criticised before the May polls for its socio-economic policies as well as the rising cost of living.

Voting is compulsory in Singapore, a former British colony where the president was handpicked by parliament until direct elections were introduced in 1993, when only two candidates ran.

Outgoing president SR Nathan, a former civil servant perceived to be close to the PAP, was elected unopposed in 1999 and 2005.

The nine-day campaign for Saturday’s vote was dominated by calls for an independent president who can serve as a balancing force against the PAP.

Singaporeans want an “independent fellow who is not beholden to anybody but who can speak on behalf of the people rather than a political party,” said veteran political watcher Seah Chiang Nee.

“A lot of people until now dare not speak against the PAP, so if you can come across someone who has the integrity and courage to speak out, people will vote for that candidate,” said Seah, who runs the independent website www.littlespeck.com.

The president has the power to act as a check and balance on the government, primarily as custodian of Singapore?s foreign reserves, which stood at close to $250 billion in July.

He has to sign appointments of senior government, civil service, military and judicial officials and can grant clemency to criminals awaiting execution.

Analysts say that even if Tan wins, his share of all votes cast will be closely watched as a measure of support for the PAP.

Three lesser-known figures, all of them formerly associated with the PAP, civil service or government-linked companies, are running against Tan and took strongly critical positions against the PAP?s record.

They are former legislator and ex-PAP member Tan Cheng Bock, former insurance cooperative chief executive Tan Kin Lian and former corporate executive Tan Jee Say, who also worked in the civil service.   (*)

 

 

SOURCE : AFP

New York City Under Hurricane Warning as Irene Approaches

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about Hurricane Irene while vacationing at Blue Heron Farm August 26, 2011 in Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Obama said during the address that Irene has all the makings of a historic storm. (Photo by Vincent DeWitt-Pool/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, August 27, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA)   —  A hurricane warning has been issued for New York City, as the U.S. Northeast braces for what President Barack Obama is calling “an extremely dangerous and costly” storm, VOA reported on Friday.

Forecasters say the storm, expected to make landfall in the United States on Saturday, could cause widespread flooding, power outages and billions of dollars in damage.

An estimated 65 million Americans live in Hurricane Irene’s projected path — many of whom have been evacuated.

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered the city’s first-ever mandatory evacuation. Roughly 250,000 people have been told to leave their homes in low-lying areas, including the Wall Street financial district. And in another first, New York City’s entire public transit system, including subway trains and buses, will shut down Saturday.

Mr. Obama said Friday that all indications point to Irene being a “historic” storm. He said the nation has to be “prepared for the worst.”

Irene is expected to hit first in North Carolina. Currently a Category Two storm on a five-point scale of hurricane intensity, Irene is expected to have an effect well inland — both from winds and flooding. The National Hurricane Center says the storm is now carrying maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers an hour, but it is expected to weaken somewhat as it travels up the U.S. coast.

The governors of states stretching from North Carolina all the way north to Maine have declared states of emergency.

President Obama cut short his vacation in Massachusetts to return to Washington. He has directed agencies to ensure all the needed resources are available. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that federal and local authorities are taking the storm “very seriously.”

Airlines have already canceled hundreds of flights, and train service in parts of the eastern region have been suspended.

The threat of the hurricane also led organizers in Washington to postpone Sunday’s dedication of a memorial to slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Irene is the first hurricane to seriously threaten the United States in three years. It has already killed at least one person in Puerto Rico and two in the Dominican Republic, and destroyed homes in The Bahamas.  (*)

SOURCE : VOA

Palestinian Foreign Minister in Ghana to rally Africa support for UN bid

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki. — Photo by Reuters

 

 

ACCRA, Ghana, August 27, 2011  (KATAKAMI.COM / Ma’an News Agency) — The Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister is in west Africa this week to mobilize international support for the Ramallah leadership’s bid for recognition of statehood at the UN, Ma’an News Agency reported on Saturday.

Riyad Al-Malki was met at the airport in Accra by deputy foreign minister Chris Kpodo and a group of Arab envoys in Ghana, said Rafiq Abu Dhalfeh, Palestine’s envoy to the country.

Al-Malki and Kpodo discussed the latest developments in Palestine including the siege on Gaza, Abu Dhalfeh said. The two also attended a news conference at the Palestinian embassy in Accra.

The official also met with Ghana’s vice president John Dramani Mahama and briefed him on the latest developments about what he termed Israel’s escalation on Gaza and the Palestinian arena at large.

He also delivered a letter from President Abbas to his Ghanaian counterpart John Evens Atta Mills. Vice President Mahama stressed Ghana’s support for the Palestinian people and said that it was time for peace between Palestine and Israel.

He also stressed that Ghana would make every effort to support the UN bid.  (*)

 

 

SOURCE : MA’AN NEWS AGENCY

Magnitude-5.4 quake shakes Afghanistan

Magnitude-5.4 quake shakes Afghanistan

NEW YORK, August 27, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / AP) — A magnitude-5.4 earthquake rattled the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan early Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the quake that hit at 1:02 a.m. Saturday (2032 Friday GMT). No tsunami alerts were issued.

The quake was deep, some 199.1 kilometers (123.72 miles) below the surface, the USGS said.

The USGS said the quake hit was about 74 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Faizabad, Afghanistan, and 254 kilometers (157 miles) northeast of Kabul.  (*)

SOURCE : The Associated Press

Russia to test launch Soyuz rockets before delivering ISS crews

Progress M cargo spacecraft ( Photo : RIA NOVOSTI )

 

Russia, August 27, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / RIA NOVOSTI) — Russia will carry out two unmanned test launches of Soyuz carrier rockets in the coming fall before using them to deliver crews to the International Space Station, a source in the Russian space industry said on Friday, RIA NOVOSTI reported.

One of the Soyuz rockets will be used to deliver a new Progress M-13M space freighter to the ISS, the source said.

Wednesday’s accident involving a Soyuz rocket, when a Progress M-12M space freighter was lost because of a rocket engine failure, raised questions about Russia’s ability to fulfill its obligations in delivering crews to and from the ISS.

A high-ranking source in the Russian space industry, as well as NASA officials, suggested that the next mission to the ISS due in September was likely to be delayed because of the accident.

After the retirement of the U.S. shuttle fleet earlier this summer, Russian Soyuz spacecraft became the only way for astronauts to reach the ISS until at least the middle of the decade. NASA is paying its Russian counterpart Roscosmos more than $1 billion for crew transport services over the next four years.

The accident, the second spacecraft loss for the Russian space industry in within a week, prompted an order by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to review and improve control procedures in the space industry. Russian space agency Roscosmos said it would set up a special commission for this purpose.   (*)

 

 

SOURCE : RIA NOVOSTI

Photostream : Mexican President Felipe Calderon declares 3 days of mourning in casino attack

Mexican President Felipe Calderon and First Lady Margarita Zavala walk in front of the Casino Royale, in Monterrey, Mexico, on August 26, 2011. Calderon condemned Friday the "abhorrent and barbaric" killing of 52 people by suspected drug cartel gunmen who ruthlessly set a casino ablaze. The particularly callous attack on Thursday evening shocked a nation routinely used to grim murders and high tolls in a drugs war that has claimed more than 41,000 lives since Calderon launched a military crackdown in 2006. AFP PHOTO/RONALDO SCHEMIDT

(From R to L) Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, first lady Margarita Zavala and Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora observe a minute of silence at the site where armed men torched a casino in Monterrey August 26, 2011. Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people. REUTERS/Victor Hugo Valdivia

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon addresses the media at the presidential palace Los Pinos in Mexico City August 26, 2011. Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people. REUTERS/Ariel Gutierrez/Mexico Presidential Palace/Handout

A soldier stands guard outside a casino after it was torched by armed men in Monterrey August 26, 2011. Masked gunmen killed at least 52 people at a casino in northern Mexico on Thursday, leaving it ablaze with patrons trapped inside in one of the worst attacks in a major Mexican city in years. President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States. REUTERS/Victor Hugo Valdivia

Plain clothes police officers cordon off the area near a casino after it was torched by armed men in Monterrey August 26, 2011. Masked gunmen killed at least 52 people at a casino in northern Mexico on Thursday, leaving it ablaze with patrons trapped inside in one of the worst attacks in a major Mexican city in years. President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States. REUTERS/Victor Hugo Valdivia

Mexico in Mourning After Dozens Killed in Casino Attack

Military vehicles are parked outside a casino after it was torched by armed men in Monterrey August 26, 2011. Masked gunmen killed at least 52 people at a casino in northern Mexico on Thursday, leaving it ablaze with patrons trapped inside in one of the worst attacks in a major Mexican city in years. President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States. REUTERS/Victor Hugo Valdivia

 

MEXICO, August 27, 2011 (KATAKAMI.COM / VOA) — Mexican President Felipe Calderon has declared three days of mourning after more than 50 people were killed when suspected drug cartel gunmen set fire to a casino in northern Mexico, VOA reported on Friday.

Mr. Calderon condemned the violence as barbaric and said it was the worst attack on innocent civilians in Mexico in a long time. He described the attackers as terrorists who know no limits to violence.

U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the attack as “barbaric and reprehensible.”

Gunmen entered the Casino Royale in Monterrey, the capital city of Nuevo Leon, on Thursday and doused it with gasoline before lighting it on fire. Many of the victims were found inside the casino’s bathrooms, where they fled to escape the gunmen but were instead trapped by smoke and fire.

President Obama on Friday pledged to continue cooperation with Mexico in the shared fight against drug trafficking. In a statement, he said the people of Mexico are engaged in a “brave fight” to disrupt violent transnational criminal organizations that threaten both the United States and Mexico.

Casinos and other businesses have been targeted by drug cartels demanding protection money.

Drug-related violence has been on the rise in Monterrey, a city of four million people once seen as a safe and prosperous. The city is about 200 kilometers south of the U.S. state of Texas.

More than 41,000 people have been killed since Mr. Calderon launched a crackdown against the country’s drug cartels in late 2006.   (*)

SOURCE : VOA

Photostream : Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits a church in Smolensk

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) lights a candle during his visit to the Cathedral of the Assumption in Smolensk August 26, 2011. REUTERS/Alexsey Druginyn/RIA Novosti/Pool

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (2nd L) walks with Orthodox priests during his visit to the Cathedral of the Assumption in Smolensk August 26, 2011. REUTERS/Alexsey Druginyn/RIA Novosti/Pool