Pray 4 Indonesia

Rescuers scoured the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano on Wednesday after it was rocked by an eruption that spewed clouds of searing ash, killing at least 25 villagers including an old man known as the mountain's spiritual gatekeeper.

The blast eased pressure that had been building up behind a lava dome perched on the volcano's crater, but experts said the worst may not be over. The lava dome could unleash deadly gases and debris if it collapses.

"It's a little calmer today," said Surono, the chief of Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation. "No hot clouds, no rumbling. But a lot of energy is pent up back there. There's no telling what's next."

Mount Merapi, which translates as "Fire Mountain," has erupted many times over the last 200 years, often with deadly results. In 1994, 60 people were killed, while in 1930, more than a dozen villages were incinerated, leaving up to 1,300 dead.

Bomb on crowded bus kills nine in Philippines

ine people were killed on Thursday when a bomb exploded aboard a packed passenger bus in the troubled southern Philippines, authorities said.

The military and police said Muslim militants or bandits who are known to operate on the southern island of Mindanao could have been behind the attack, with extortion a possible motive.

"The bus company has long been receiving extortion letters from armed groups operating in the region," regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang said.

The bomb was apparently hidden inside a bag placed in a luggage compartment at the back of the bus, and exploded just after a group of men who were suspected to have planted it got off the vehicle, Cabangdang said.

Bus driver Arlan Tadeo, 38, who was unharmed in the incident, said there were 60 passengers on board when the explosion occurred.
"I saw in the rear-view mirror shattered blood-stained windows," he said.

Tadeo said parked the bus at the roadside and looked in the mirror again, to see headless bodies and passengers raising their bloody arms as they screamed for help.

Tadeo said police and military forces arrived in about 10 minutes and organised local residents, to help take the victims to hospitals.

The bomb went off on a highway just outside Matalam town in a lightly populated farming area, largely planted with sugar cane.

"Eight people died on the spot," said Matalam police chief Inspector Donald Cabigas, adding another one passed away in the hospital.

Nine other people were injured, four of them critically, Cabangbang added.
Armed groups have previously targeted bus companies on Mindanao island in an effort to extort money, with terminals as well as vehicles bombed.

Cabigas said the last bus bombing in the vicinity of Matalam, in 2007, was blamed on the al-Khobar group, a gang of former Muslim insurgents that had taken to banditry.

The group carried out a series of bombings starting in 2006 to extort money from rural businesses, he said, but added that police were still to determine whether al-Khobar was still active in the area.

Provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas said that investigators were looking for a group of men who got off the bus shortly before the explosion.

Super typhoon Megi lashes Philippines amid flood alerts

Super Typhoon Megi became the strongest cyclone in years to buffet the Philippines on Monday, while flooding in Vietnam swept away a bus and left 20 people missing, including a girl pulled from her mother's grasp by the raging waters.

The huge storm striking the northern Philippines drowned at least one man and was expected to add to what already has been heavy rains striking much of the region, including in China where authorities evacuated 140,000 people from a coastal province ahead of the typhoon.

It could head later to Vietnam, where 30 deaths from flooding already have been reported in recent days, in addition to the bus passengers snatched by surging currents Monday and feared dead.

Megi packed sustained winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour and gusts of 162 mph (260 kph) as it made landfall midday Monday at Palanan Bay in Isabela province, felling trees and utility poles and cutting off power, phone and Internet services in many areas. It appeared to be losing some of its power while crossing the mountains of the Philippines' main northern island of Luzon.
With more than 3,600 Filipinos riding out the typhoon in sturdy school buildings, town halls, churches and relatives' homes, roads in and out of coastal Isabela province, about 320 kilometres (200 miles) northeast of Manila, were deserted and blocked by collapsed trees and power lines.

One man who had just rescued his water buffalo slipped and fell into a river and probably drowned, said Bonifacio Cuarteros, an official with the Cagayan provincial disaster agency.

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Amazon drought emergency widens

Brazil has adopted emergency measures to deal with one of the Amazon region's worst droughts in decades.

A state of emergency has been declared in 25 towns as key waterways and rivers are left completely parched, the Amazonas state government said on Saturday.

So far, the severe months-long drought has affected 40,000 people in communities who depend on the South American rainforest for sustenance.

In response, the government has airlifted six tonnes of food and 200 tonnes of donations to the stricken villages. However, according to officials, aid delivery has been slow due to the low water levels in rivers, which prevent large vessels from navigating them.

"The boats cannot navigate, and then the transportation can only be done by canoe. In some places, people were running out of food," Anisio Saturnino, a representative of one of the municipalities under emergency rule, said.

Besides the lack of food, many people are suffering intestinal problems caused by poor water quality.

Ane Alencar, a researcher with the Amazon Institute for Environmental Research (IPAM), said the drought affecting the Amazon is an extreme weather event resulting from El Nino, which occurred in late 2009 with its fallout being felt this year.

She said the drought in the state of Amazonas has been more frequent and more intense than before.

Severity 'unexpected'

Environmentalists say the severity of the drought was unexpected, but that dry weather like this will become more common due to climate change.

"There is already a climate change going on at some level. Greenpeace is tracking the impacts this can have on the Amazon, the impacts that the global warming - some two degrees - may bring to the Amazon, using as examples the years when those episodes are more severe. This year was out of the line," Rafael Cruz, a Greenpeace worker, said.

The river's shallow levels may affect trade along the Amazon River as transporters worry ships will run aground should the drought worsen.

Crops have also been damaged in the dry spell.

Scientists say the dry season will likely continue for another month, giving way to the rainy season at the end of November.

The dry weather is partly due to an intense hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean. The storms suck moisture from the Amazon region, which make for more powerful sea storms.

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China Coal Mine Explosion Kills 20, Traps More Than 30

Associated Press -- BEIJING -- An explosion in a Chinese coal mine killed 20 and trapped more than 30 workers underground Saturday in the country's central region, state media reported.

The China blast comes shortly after the world was riveted by the Chile's dramatic rescue of 33 trapped miners after they spent more than two months underground.

China Central Television said the blast happened Saturday morning in Henan province. An official surnamed Wu with the province's coal mine safety bureau confirmed accident but had no details.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency cited mine officials in Yuzhou city as saying Saturday's 6 a.m. blast happened in a pit owned by Pingyu Coal & Electric Co. Ltd.

A man answering phones at the mine said he had not heard anything an accident.

China's mining industry is the most dangerous in the world, and more than 2,600 people died in mining accidents last year.

The state-backed People's Daily newspaper reported Thursday that China has shut down more than 1,600 small, illegal coal mines this year as part of an effort to improve safety standards.

China mining fatalities have decreased in recent years as the government closed many illegal mines, but deaths jumped again in the first half of this year.

In October, the State Administration of Work Safety said mine managers and bosses who do not accompany workers down into mine shafts would be severely punished.

Tropical Storm Paula hits Cuban capital

Tropical Storm Paula brought winds and heavy rain to the Cuban capital on Thursday, turning some low lying streets into shallow rivers, bending palm trees and sending waves crashing against the city's famed Malecon sea wall, though there were no reports of serious damage.

With the storm losing steam by the hour, Cuban officials said they were optimistic it would not bring a repeat of the devastation wrought by three monster storms that hit in 2008.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Paula had maximum sustained winds of 55 mph (90 kph) and its core was about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Havana, on a course that would take it near the coastal resort area of Varadero.

The storm was moving east at about 14 mph (22 kph), and forecasters projected it to continue moving along Cuba's northern coast. Tropical storm force winds extended about 70 miles (110 kilometers) from the center, mostly north and east of the center.

A heavy rain poured down on the capital as dusk fell, and the sea, which had been as flat as a plate, quickly turned violent and frothy. Power was knocked out — or switched off — in most of the city, a normal precaution when winds are high. Waves crashed against the Malecon, and some streets were inundated with a foot or two of water.

The capital took its punishment after the storm passed over western Pinar del Rio, turning rutted country roads into red-brown, muddy quagmires, and lashing humble homes, rural schools and thatched tobacco-drying huts with wind.

A Category 2 hurricane the previous day, Paula lost strength as it crawled along the island's northwestern coast and was downgraded to a tropical storm in the morning.

The island's chief meteorologist, Jose Rubiera, said the storm would likely continue losing strength and become a tropical depression.

"The future of Paula is to keep moving eastward and weaken in the coming hours," he said.

In Pinar del Rio, most residents took the storm in stride.

"The rains have not been as intense as we had expected," Aliuska Banos, 28, told The Associated Press by telephone Thursday from the town of Sandino, along the extreme west of the island. "There were gusts of wind this morning, but they were not even strong enough to knock down my television antenna, which is pretty weak."

The government activated Cuba's crack Civil Defense forces and declared an alert for Pinar del Rio and the Isla de la Juventud. Ferry service to the outlying island was suspended, and residents of western Cuba were urged to board up windows, tie down loose items and stay vigilant. No evacuations were ordered.

Cuba's weak economy was devastated when Hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Paloma hit Pinar del Rio and other parts of the island in 2008, starting in late August. Fruit and vegetables disappeared off shelves, and shortages were exacerbated by widespread hoarding. Some 1,200 people were arrested for hurricane-related crimes, accused of stealing everything from gasoline and cement to rice and powdered milk.

The trio of storms did an estimated $10 billion in damage — or a quarter of Cuba's total GDP — a terrible blow for a country already reeling from the global economic downturn, a drop in tourism and fallen prices for nickel and other raw materials.

Pinar del Rio is known for its high-quality tobacco fields and is crucial for Cuba's famed cigar industry. Growers had planned to begin planting Tuesday for next year's harvest, though many likely held off due to the storm.

Paula brushed by Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula before arriving to Cuba, causing the only fatality associated with the storm so far.

Mickey Goodwin, 54, of Corpus Christi, Texas, drowned Tuesday while swimming off a Cancun beach despite red flags warning of dangerous waters, Mexican authorities said.

SAN JOSE MINE (Chile): To hugs, cheers and tears, rescuers using a missile-like escape capsule began pulling 33 men one by one to fresh air and freedom at last early Wednesday, 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground.

Six men were pulled out in the first six hours of the apparently problem-free operation in the Chile's Atacama desert a drama that saw the world captivated by the miners' endurance and unity as officials meticulously prepared their rescue.

First out was Florencio Avalos, who wore sunglasses to protect him from the glare of bright lights. He smiled broadly as he emerged and hugged his sobbing 7-year-old son, Bairon, and wife, then got a bearhug from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera shortly after midnight local time.

A second miner, Mario Sepulveda Espina, was pulled to the surface about an hour later his shouts heard even before the capsule surfaced. After hugging his wife, Elvira, he jubilantly handed souvenir rocks from his underground prison nearly 2,300 feet (700 meters) below to laughing rescuers.

Then he jumped up and down as if to prove his strength before the medical team took him to a triage unit.

"I think I had extraordinary luck. ... I was with God and with the devil and God took me," Sepulveda said later in a special interview room set up by the government.

He praised the rescue operation, saying: "It's incredible that they saved us from 700 meters below."

A third Chilean miner, Juan Illanes, was rescued after another hour. The lone Bolivian, Carlos Mamani, was pulled out fourth, the youngest miner, 19-year-old Jimmy Sanchez, was fifth, and Osman Isidro Araya came out sixth.

Mamani was greeted by his wife, Veronica, with a hug and kiss that knocked off her white hardhat as Chile's president and first lady held small Bolivian flags. Mamani also gestured with both forefingers at his T-shirt, which said "Thank You Lord" above a Chilean flag. He shouted "Gracias, Chile!" before a round of backslapping with rescuers.

Through the first five rescues, the operation brought up a miner roughly every hour holding to a schedule announced earlier to get all out in about 36 hours. Then, rescuers paused to lubricate the spring-loaded wheels that give the capsule a smooth ride through the hard-rock shaft before they brought up the sixth miner.

When the last man surfaces, it promises to end a national crisis that began when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed Aug. 5, sealing the men in the lower reaches of the mine.

After the first capsule came out of the manhole-sized opening, Avalos emerged as bystanders cheered, clapped and broke into a chant of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" the country's name.

Avalos gave a thumbs-up as he was led to an ambulance and medical tests following his more than two months deep in the gold and copper mine the longest anyone has ever been trapped underground and survived.

Avalos, the 31-year-old second-in-command of the miners, was chosen to be first because he was in the best condition.

Pinera later explained they had not planned for Avalos' family to join rescuers at the opening of the shaft, but that little Bairon insisted on being there.

"I told Florencio that few times have I ever seen a son show so much love for his father," the president said.

"This won't be over until all 33 are out," he added. "Hopefully this example of the miners will stay forever with us because these miners have demonstrated ... that when Chile unifies, and we always do it in the face of adversity, we are capable of great things," Pinera said.

After he emerged, Sepulveda criticized the mine's management, saying "in terms of labor, there has to be change."

Pinera promised there would be. "This mine has had a long history of accidents and that's why this mine will not reopen while it doesn't assure and guarantee the integrity, safety and life of those who work in it are clearly protected. And the same will occur with many other mines in our country," said Pinera, who ordered a review of safety regulations after the collapse.

Minutes earlier, rescue expert Manuel Gonzalez of the state copper company Codelco grinned and made the sign of the cross as he was lowered to the trapped men apparently without incident. He was followed by Roberto Rios, a paramedic with the Chilean navy's special forces.

The last miner out has been decided: Shift foreman Luis Urzua, whose leadership was credited for helping the men endure 17 days with no outside contact after the collapse. The men made 48 hours' worth of rations last before rescuers reached them with a narrow bore hole to send down more food.

Janette Marin, sister-in-law of miner Dario Segovia, said the order of rescue didn't matter.

"This won't be a success unless they all get out," she said, echoing the solidarity that the miners and people across Chile have expressed.

The paramedics can change the order of rescue based on a brief medical check once they're in the mine. First out will be those best able to handle any difficulties and tell their comrades what to expect. Then, the weakest and the ill in this case, about 10 suffer from hypertension, diabetes, dental and respiratory infections and skin lesions from the mine's oppressive humidity. The last should be people who are both physically fit and strong of character.

Chile has taken extensive precautions to ensure the miners' privacy, using a screen to block the top of the shaft from the more than 1,000 journalists at the scene.

The rescue was carried live on all-news channels from the U.S. to Europe and the Middle East. Iran's state English-language Press TV followed events live until President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad touched down in Beirut on his first state visit there. But the coverage was interrupted with every new miner rescued.

The miners were ushered through a tunnel built of metal containers to an ambulance for a trip of several hundred yards (meters) to a triage station for a medical check before being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Copiapo, a 10-minute ride away.

Two floors at the hospital were prepared for the miners to receive physical and psychological exams while being kept under observation in a ward as dark as a movie theater.

Relatives were urged to wait to greet the miners at home after a 48-hour hospital stay. Health Minister Jaime Manalich said no cameras or interviews will be allowed until the miners are released, unless the miners expressly desire it.

The only media allowed to record them coming out of the shaft are a government photographer and Chile's state TV channel, whose live broadcast was delayed by 30 seconds or more to prevent the release of anything unexpected. Photographers and camera operators were on a platform more than 300 feet (90 meters) away.

The worst technical problem that could happen, rescue coordinator Andre Sougarett told The Associated Press, is that "a rock could fall," potentially jamming the capsule in the shaft.

Panic attacks are the rescuers' biggest concern. The miners aren't being sedated they need to be alert in case something goes wrong. If a miner must get out more quickly, rescuers will accelerate the capsule to a maximum 3 meters per second, Manalich said.

The rescue is risky simply because no one else has ever tried to extract miners from such depths, said Davitt McAteer, who directed the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration in President Bill Clinton's administration.

"You can be good and you can be lucky. And they've been good and lucky," McAteer told the AP. "Knock on wood that this luck holds out for the next 33 hours."

Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, whose management of the crisis has made him a media star in Chile, said authorities had already thought of everything.

"There is no need to try to start guessing what could go wrong. We have done that job," Golborne said. "We have hundreds of different contingencies."

As for the miners, Manalich said "they're actually much more relaxed than we are."

Rescuers finished reinforcing the top of the 2,041-foot (622-meter) escape shaft Monday, and the 13-foot (four-meter) capsule descended flawlessly in tests. The capsule the biggest of three built by Chilean navy engineers was named Phoenix for the mythical bird that rises from ashes. It was painted in the white, blue and red of the Chilean flag.

The miners were monitored closely in the capsule. A video camera watched for panic attacks. They also had oxygen masks and two-way voice communication. Their pulse, skin temperature and respiration rate were measured by a monitor around their abdomens. To prevent blood clotting from the quick ascent, they took aspirin and wore compression socks.

They were given a high-calorie liquid diet donated by NASA, designed to keep them from vomiting as the capsule rotated 10 to 12 times through curves in the 28-inch-diameter (71-centimeter-diameter) escape hole.

The miners also had sweaters for the shift in climate from about 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) underground to near freezing on the surface after nightfall.

Engineers inserted steel piping at the top of the shaft, which is angled 11 degrees off vertical before plunging like a waterfall. Drillers had to curve the shaft to pass through "virgin" rock, avoiding collapsed areas and underground open spaces in the overexploited mine, which had operated since 1885.

Neighbors looked forward to barbecues and parties to replace the vigils held since their friends were trapped.

Urzua's neighbors told AP he probably insisted on being the last one up.

"He's a very good guy he keeps everybody's spirits up and is so responsible he's going to see this through to the end," said neighbor Angelica Vicencio, who has led a nightly vigil outside the Urzua home in Copiapo.

President Barack Obama praised rescuers, who include many Americans. "While that rescue is far from over and difficult work remains, we pray that by God's grace, the miners will be able to emerge safely and return to their families soon," he said.

Chile has promised that its care of the miners won't end for six months at least not until they can be sure that each one has readjusted.

Psychiatrists and other experts in surviving extreme situations predict their lives will be anything but normal.

Since Aug. 22, when a narrow bore hole broke through to their refuge and the miners stunned the world with a note, scrawled in red ink, disclosing their survival, their families have been exposed in ways they never imagined. Miners had to describe their physical and mental health in detail with teams of doctors and psychologists. In some cases, when both wives and lovers claimed the same man, everyone involved had to face the consequences.

Rioters target gay pride march

Belgrade - Riot police in Serbia clashed with hundreds of far-right supporters who tried to disrupt a gay pride march in downtown Belgrade on Sunday. More than a dozen people were injured, officials said.

Thousands of police officers sealed off the streets in the capital where the march took place, repeatedly clashing at several locations with rioters who were trying to burst through security cordons.

The protesters, chanting “death to homosexuals”, hurled bricks, stones, glass bottles and firecrackers at riot police. Several parked cars and shop windows were damaged and at least one police vehicle was set on fire.

Hospital officials said at least 18 people, about half of them police officers, were injured. Police said several rioters were arrested.

Sunday's march is viewed as a major test for Serbia's government, which has launched pro-Western reforms and pledged to protect human rights as it seeks European Union membership.

Right-wing groups broke up a pride march in 2001 and forced the cancellation of last year's event.

Vincent Degert, the head of the EU mission in Serbia, addressed around 1 000 gay activists and their supporters who gathered at a park in downtown Belgrade which was surrounded by riot police, including armoured vehicles.

“We are here to celebrate this very important day to celebrate the values of tolerance, freedom of expression and assembly,” Degert told the crowd waving rainbow flags.

The brief 15-minute march ended without violence, with the participants heading into a downtown hall for a party. Some chanted, “We have succeeded.”

Hospital officials said a group of young men attacked the headquarters of a women's human rights organisation early on Sunday, injuring one activist. The “Women in Black” organisation said the men were looking for gays.

The US Embassy in Belgrade said there was a high potential for violence before, during and after the march and strongly recommended that its personnel avoid the downtown area for the day. The same right-wing group set the embassy on fire during riots in 2008 to protest US support for Kosovo's independence.

Right-wing groups say the gay events are contrary to Serbian family and religious values. Most of the rioters on Sunday were young football fans whose groups have been infiltrated by neo-Nazi and other extremist organisations.

source:link

Woman Escapes With Only Minor Injuries After Being Hit By Speeding Car In Brazil

According to local media, the 44-year-old known as Rosalina de Jesus, had just finished work and was on her way home when the accident occurred.

The woman who was crossing the road was hit from her back and was flung several metres before crashing to the ground.

However the woman suffered minor injuries to her arm and collarbone and was admitted out of hospital soon after.

The driver of the car was seen getting out of the car to help the lady and was visibly shocked though some onlookers told local media that he had looked drunk.

Hungary toxic sludge spill reaches Danube

Water alkalinity, a measure of river contamination, was already above normal in the major waterway, the official said.

Samples taken at the confluence of the Raab river and the Danube showed "alkalinity slightly above nornal, around 8.96 per cent to 9.07 per cent'', against a normal tally of eight per cent, the source said.

A wave of toxic mud was unleashed on Monday from the reservoir of an aluminium plant at Ajka, 160km west of Budapest.

The red mud travelled down the Raab river and reached the Danube waters at around 0630 GMT (1730 AEDT) at Gyor.

The industrial accident triggered by the collapse of walls at the factory reservoir on Monday has been described as an ecological disaster and is now threatening the entire ecosystem of the Danube, Europe's second longest river.

The wave of toxic sludge that has poured into seven villages in Hungary could take up to 12 months and tens of millions of dollars to clean up, officials have warned.

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Daniel Radcliffe talks about suicide, homosexuality and The Trevor Project

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) spoke out in an MTV interview about how the recent suicides have affected him.

Daniel Radcliffe has dealt with the prejudice first hand being in the entertainment industry and being "accused" of being gay himself. Radcliffe is such a delight to listen to and quips that "People can say it if they want but I'm straight.....someone online even said I had a gay face?" he laughingly questioned what the process was for determining a "gay face".

"Learning about the suicide deaths of Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Walker, Billy Lucas and Justin Aaberg has been heartbreaking for me. These young people were bullied and tormented by people that should have been their friends. We have a responsibility to be better to each other, and accept each others' differences regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ability, or religion and stand up for someone when they're bullied."

"The Trevor Project" which is a 24-hour hot line for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning youth has gained his attention and he talks about it in the interview and he has done a commercial for them as well.

"When a friend is feeling depressed or says they're thinking of killing themselves, we must take it seriously and get them help. My deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of these excellent young people. And to all the young people who are being bullied right now, you are not alone. Call the Trevor Lifeline at 866 4-U-TREVOR, because there's always someone there who will listen and who can help." Dan Radcliffe.

In Colorado we know about these things first hand with the Columbine tragedy on April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton Colorado. Rachel Scott was the first person killed during the shootings and her family has started a national organization to fight bullying called "Rachel's Challenge".

The group goes directly into the high schools with speakers and then follows up with small group and leadership training. Rachel Scott had lived her life believing that she could make a difference by going out of her way to be kid to everyone. Rachel's Challenge challenges youth to do the same thing, reach out a hand to the new kid, the un-popular, the un-talented, the shy, awkward kid, just one act of kindness can change a life and why not be the one that makes that difference. Rachels family found taped to the back of her dresser her hand print with the words

NEW DELHI: In the end, it turned out like a perfect Indian wedding. Shrugging off all the heartburns, last-minute snafus and accompanying chaos, everything fell into place; and it left both the baraatis and the dulhanwaalahs, with huge smiles on their faces.

The next few days will tell us if the honeymoon too, if not the marriage itself, will be as successful.

A festive crowd of almost 60,000 packed the stadium and lustily cheered through the ceremony. They cheered former President A P J Abdul Kalam (who got the biggest hand), UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit and other luminaries. They cheered the performers. They gave a standing ovation to the Indian contingent. And, in a truly moving moment that warmed the hearts of even the most cynical, they reserved the second-biggest round of applause for the Pakistani contingent.

The only break in the bonhomie came when Organizing Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi was jeered as he began his speech. But the joy of the occasion took over, with Kalmadi concluding to cheers, though he referred to Kalam as Abdul Kalam Azad.

In three spellbinding hours, light, colour and technology merged to present a well-conceived and immaculate show. Yet, in the same space, India managed to showcase its rich history, culture and higher learning to the entire world.

Two complaints: It would have been nice to have had a greater Bollywood presence. The most popular symbol of Indian contemporary culture was clearly inadequately represented. And we could have done with fewer long-winded speeches.

On the positive side, the Nehru Stadium looked like a bride through the evening. It dazzled like a diamond, showing off its rubies and sapphires or emeralds and pearls intermittently. Up above, the aerostat hovered proudly like a giant spaceship, spewing colours and designs that would easily be at home in some other planet too.

The theme of the show was quite evidently, unity in diversity. It couldn't have been more appropriate, coming just a few days after the country peacefully accepted a court verdict on one of its bitterest disputes.

On Sunday night, the show-setters at the JN Stadium, almost prophetically, encapsulated the country's amazing commonality, lying just under the surface, by picking its most variegated strands and nuances and stitching them together into a single fabric.

Not surprisingly, the ceremony started with the segment called Rhythms of India: ingeniously though, it didn't assemble the entire array of sounds at the country's disposal. It simply brought together a family which has probably never met as one, and never will again: the drummers of India.

Expectedly, they were different in every aspect, right from the way they are played to the way they sound. Different timbres and different textures that make it virtually impossible to integrate into a symphony. Yet, here at the CWG, that's precisely what happened as they entwined into one powerful entity.

Dhols, dholaks and drums from 10 corners of the nation reverberated in the stadium, rising to a crescendo to capture the heartbeat of India.

Even before the buzz could dissipate, Hariharan sang Swagatam as a thousand students from Delhi's schools celebrated. Next, it was time to invite the athletes from 71 countries. As they marched in, the drums rolled and the lights twinkled. Australia, England, South Africa were given warm welcomes; but the loudest round was reserved for the Pakistani contingent, greeted like long-lost brothers.

Pretty soon, it was time for the real show-stoppers: India. It was back to ground reality, though, the very next instant. As Suresh Kalmadi was invited to give the welcome address, boos hissed out of angry hearts. Kalmadi, to his credit, braved through the moment and, vacillating between crinkled brows and tight smiles, carried out his job.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and CWG chairman Mike Fennell too were given their two minutes before, first, Prince Charles and then President Pratibha Patil declared the Games open.

Then, it was time to bring India together once again. They found it in the Tree of Knowledge, one of India's most alluring qualities through the ages.

As sheets descended from the spaceship and met the ground below, it transformed into a gigantic tree, reminiscent of the marvel in Cameron's Avatar.

Out of it emerged the various dance exponents of the country. Yet, once again, they managed to find a meeting point, doing bharatanatyam, kuchipidi, Manipuri to just one beat. Each choreographed by the master of their art, they blended into each other sweetly without losing their own purity and character too.

India's biggest contribution to the world, no doubt, is it's spirituality. In the segment called Yoga, its 5,000 years of learning was presented by school children even as mantras and sacred shlokas cast everybody in their trance-like spell.

The sombre mood, however, was promptly broken by the arrival of the Great Indian Journey, choreographed by Bansi Kaul. Heralded by the lilting number 'Chaiyya, Chaiyya,' the biggest unifier of the country for years, Indian Railways, won everybody's hearts. Accompanied by folk dancers from the heart of India, a million vignettes gave us a glimpse of our hinterland: doodhwalas, politicians in their ubiquitous Ambassadors, magicians, tongas.

The finale was reserved for India's one true international celebrity: A R Rahman. As the magician belted out the CWG theme song, the aerostat came alive in a bluster of colour and graphics. Fireworks shot out furiously, signalling that it was time for the spaceship to go. It was time for Jai

Ecuador's President Correa declares victory over rebels

Soldiers patrolled Ecuador's main cities, which gradually returned to calm. Quito's international airport and legislature were back to normal after being occupied briefly by rebel forces during the heavy gunfire and street clashes that killed eight people and left 274 wounded on Thursday.

"This was a great victory for the government," Mr Correa said in a nationally broadcast address from the presidential palace as he condemned Thursday's violence.

He insisted the rebellion was a coup attempt before his dramatic rescue by loyal military and police from a hospital in Quito, where the unrest kept him holed up for half a day.

Three police colonels now in custody are due to appear before an arraignment hearing for their role in what began as a protest in Quito against cuts to bonus payments linked to seniority, before spreading to police stations in at least five of the country's 24 provinces.

The head of the national police, General Freddy Martinez, resigned.

Mr Correa blamed supporters of Lucio Gutierrez - an ex-army colonel who was president from 2003 to 2005 - for the chaos on what he called "surely the saddest day of my entire government and one of the saddest of my life".

"Lives were lost, there were dozens of injured, Ecuadorans against Ecuadorans. How could it happen?" Mr Correa asked after ordering three days of mourning for the victims.

But he urged the public to support the police, saying the rebellion was the work of just "a few dozen bad elements".

"Continue to support the police, because they have 42,000 members and the vast majority of them are extraordinary human beings who risk their lives every day for us all," he said, vowing to pay "good salaries" that respects police officers' dignity.

Insurgents ambushed and shot his vehicle as it left the hospital, where he had been besieged for about 12 hours amid an intense shootout, according to Mr Correa.

The police sergeant protecting him was shot dead moments after soldiers and an elite police unit rushed into the hospital to rescue him, and the President said a second policeman, a soldier and a student died during the rescue operation.

Another officer was brain dead and another was left paraplegic, according to the President.

Only 600 police officers out of a force of about 40,000 took part in the uprising, according to Deputy Interior Minister Edwin Jarrin. But sources close to the revolt said at least 2300 officers had joined the protest.

Mr Correa, 47, a leftist ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who has been in office since 2007, was re-elected last year to a second term as president of the South American country of 14.5 million people.

Ecuador has a history riddled with violent political upheaval. Three of Mr Correa's predecessors from 1996 to 2006 - including Gutierrez - were ousted before completing their terms.

The US-educated economist has taken a tough stand with foreign investors and refused to repay some foreign debt, in moves welcomed by supporters who have blamed the effects of the economic crisis on foreign liberalism.

The United States and other regional allies rushed to voice support for the beleaguered president and urged a peaceful return to calm.

Mr Correa thanked neighbours Colombia and Peru for closing their borders during the tense standoff. The strong backing of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a conservative, for Mr Correa's leftist government signalled warming ties between the two countries.

Though a state of emergency remained in place, schools throughout Ecuador, closed due to the rebellion, were to reopen as normal on Monday, the education ministry said.

Officials did not name the three detained police colonels, but local media identified them as Manuel Rivadeneira, Julio Cesar Cueva and Marcelo Echeverria.