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MACTV NEWS: UPDATE 3-Airlines abandon Northeast, NY closes subways, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

August 28, 2011 2:32:07 AM

* Airlines cancel 10,000 flights, NY service halted
* New York subway closes, may not reopen Monday morning
* Maryland closes Bay Bridge due to high winds
* More than 1 mln evacuate NJ shore by road (Philadelphia airport closes)

By John Crawley

WASHINGTON, Aug 27 (Reuters) - U.S. airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights due to Hurricane Irene by late Saturday, while New York and other eastern cities initiated sweeping storm-related shutdowns of rail and mass transit systems.

Tens of millions of air travelers, train passengers and subway and bus riders scrambled to adjust their routines, work commutes and vacations as transportation networks gradually scaled back operations.

Coordinated transportation-related closures or slowdowns, often seen during winter storms in the Northeast, were mostly announced on Friday to try to give travelers enough time to adjust and ensure they stay away from Irene's fury.

They were left to contemplate transportation service cuts lasting into Monday and possibly longer, depending on how hard Irene hits the Northeast on Sunday.

New York's subway system, which carries 7 million riders daily and operates the largest fleet in the world, had never closed due to weather.

"There is no mass transit available," said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, advising New Yorkers in evacuation zones who had not yet left where they could board special buses headed for safer locations. "The airports are basically all closed."

He said it was unlikely that subway and other mass transit operations would be up and running by Monday morning's commute.

Airlines canceled more than 10,000 flights from Friday through Monday, according to the online flight tracking service Flightaware.com.

The Northeast is the most congested area of U.S. air space and the three New York-area airports -- John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark airport in New Jersey -- bore the brunt of East Coast cancellations.

The three facilities handle about 6,000 flights on an average weekend day, and nearly 100 million domestic and international passengers annually. Disruptions in the region were felt across the country and overseas.

The New York-area airports closed at noon EDT for arrivals and the last departures occurred in the early evening. Those airports were effectively closed and service would not resume until post-storm conditions were assessed, officials said.

The virtually empty rain- and wind-swept tarmac at Reagan National in Washington handled sparse Saturday traffic, usually the lightest day of the week. The nation's capital was not expecting a head-on hit from the storm.

Posted schedules showed flights only heading west to Detroit, Milwaukee and other cities. Reagan National, Washington Dulles, and Baltimore-Washington airports all planned to stay open through the storm even though airlines were halting service.

Philadelphia International Airport closed until late Sunday afternoon at the earliest, a spokeswoman said. Airlines pulled out of there as well.

Airports have backup generators that are usually reserved for maintaining power at air traffic towers and for public safety. But expectations were that Washington airports would be back in operation quickly.

"If it goes through and is all over by late (Sunday) morning or early afternoon, things should get back on track," said Tara Hamilton, spokeswoman for Reagan National and Washington Dulles.

As at New York airports, airlines moved jetliners to safer areas like Chicago and other Midwest airports.
"We are not keeping any aircraft in Irene's path," said Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.

Other carriers heavily affected include US Airways, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it worked to protect air traffic towers and other facilities and equipment from any storm damage. Despite the shutdown of regular service, some FAA controllers would remain at East Coast airports to handle any emergency, rescue or military flights.

LaGuardia airport recently christened a new control tower that replaced a 40-year-old one that leaked.
More than 1 million people evacuated the New Jersey shore areas via roads over a 24-hour period, the state's governor, Chris Christie, said.

Christie sharply urged those remaining at Jersey Shore resorts on Friday to "get the hell off the beach" and leave the region to avoid the storm.

A southbound stretch of nearly 100 miles (160 km) of the Garden State Parkway south of the Raritan River was closed, as was the Atlantic City Expressway, which heads to Philadelphia.

Maryland closed the 180-foot-high Bay Bridge, which spans the Chesapeake Bay and links the Maryland and Delaware shore with the Washington region on Saturday night with gusts reaching 80 mph.

Virginia had already closed the 20-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel further south.

Authorities also planned speed and lane restrictions on the Delaware Memorial Bridge, a major north-south span on Interstate 95, and could order it closed if conditions warranted. New York authorities said they could close the George Washington Bridge, depending on Irene's winds. Other New York City suspension bridges could also close.

New York harbor was emptied of ships.

Airline travelers had few alternatives with Amtrak also scaling back Northeast rail service on Saturday and planning to shut it down on Sunday.

Freight rail operator CSX curtailed local service in coastal North Carolina and Virginia and would resume operations "as conditions allow."

CSX was inspecting tracks along the mid-Atlantic region. Locomotives, rail cars and crossing gates were secured ahead of the storm.
(Additional reporting by Basil Katz and Edith Honan and David Warner; Editing by Philip Barbara)
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Get up to minutes to minutes of real-time weather reports on the Hurricanes around the globe. Now MACTV has provided you a link where you can access important whether news on the net. Click the link below and allow the will of meteorology to become your daily forecasts. By selecting this link you will be able to follow Hurricane Irene as you move across the Easton coasts of the United States.


http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-irene-2011

For more up to date News visit our website: http://www.myafricachannel.tv or follow us on tweeter @mactv_dc

MACTV NEWS: Heavy rain and high winds thrash coastal Maryland as Irene approaches, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

Historic waterfront town of Annapolis hit by heavy rain and high winds as Hurricane Irene creeps up the U.S. East Coast.

PLEASE NOTE: RESENDING WITH FULL SCRIPT AND SHOTLIST
SHOWS: ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 27, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

TREE DOWN ON STREET
HOUSES AND TREES ON BLUFF
LOCAL RESIDENT BEAU SIMMONS WALKING ON DOCKS TO SAILBOAT
SIMMONS SECURING SAILBOAT
BEAU SIMMONS, RESIDENT, SAYING:

"I'm just making the lines a little longer. We're expecting, you know, usually when there's a hurricane, there's a storm surge. Even if it doesn't even hit, if it's out in the ocean, it pushes all the water up in to the bay. And the tide could come up another six or seven feet. But I would get it's going to be three or four feet above normal, or at least a couple of feet, so I'm just going to give it some slack here."

HOUSE AND TALL TREES BEING BLOWN BY WIND
MARTY EICHELBERGER WALKING TO DOCK
SAILBOAT ADRIFT AND DRAGGING ANCHOR TOWARD ANCHORED TUGBOAT
MARTY EICHELBERGER, RESIDENT, SAYING:

"There's a lot of wind coming down the creek right now. This boat was dragging its anchor. It's probably moved 500 yards, which means the winds are significant and pushing it forward. It looks like it may run in to this other boat that you can see over here. And if you look over here on the right side, you can see the Naval Academy boats -- all their yachts secured to their buoys."

9. U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY TRAINING YACHTS IN THE PROTECTED CREEK
STORY: The historic Maryland waterfront town of Annapolis was thrashed by heavy rain and high winds late on Saturday (August 27) as Hurricane Irene crept up the U.S. East Coast.

Irene howled ashore in North Carolina early on Saturday on a path that threatened the densely populated U.S. East Coast with flooding and power outages.

The state of Maryland is under a state of emergency and residents have been evacuated from low-lying areas.
As boats bobbed around on their tethers and anchors, Beau Simmons braved the rain to check on his sailboat at a town harbor.

"I'm just making the lines a little longer. We're expecting, you know, usually when there's a hurricane, there's a storm surge. Even if it doesn't even hit, if it's out in the ocean, it pushes all the water up in to the bay. And the tide could come up another six or seven feet. But I would get it's going to be three or four feet above normal, or at least a couple of feet, so I'm just going to give it some slack here," he said.

Marty Eichelberger watched a boat drag its anchor 500 yards (450 meters).
"There's a lot of wind coming down the creek right now. This boat was dragging its anchor. It's probably moved 500 yards, which means the winds are significant and pushing it forward. It looks like it may run in to this other boat that you can see over here. And if you look over here on the right side, you can see the Naval Academy boats -- all their yachts secured to their buoys."

Irene was moving north-northeast along the coast and was expected to remain a hurricane as it hit the mid-Atlantic states on Saturday night and New England on Sunday.

Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen said public transportation would shut down at 9 p.m. and urged residents of the city on the Chesapeake Bay to stay off the roads.

Get up to minutes to minutes of real-time weather reports on the Hurricanes around the globe. Now MACTV has provided you a link where you can access important whether news on the net. Click the link below and allow the will of meteorology to become your daily forecasts. By selecting this link you will be able to follow Hurricane Irene as you move across the Easton coasts of the United States.

http://www.stormpulse.com/hurricane-irene-2011

For more up to date News visit our website: http://www.myafricachannel.tv or follow us on tweeter @mactv_dc

MACTV WORLD NEWS: China supports negotiation for Palestine-Israel “two-state” solution, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-27T04:32:00.000-04:00

China supports negotiation for Palestine-Israel “two-state” solution

Saturday, August 27, 2011

PLE / ISR China Meeting -- China supports negotiation for Palestine-Israel "two-state" solution

Jerusalem, Israel - Aug 26, 2011

1. Zoom in of Wu Sike, China's special envoy on Middle East, shaking hands with Dan Meridor, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence
2. Wide of Wu Sike sitting and talking with Dan Meridor
3. Zoom in of Wu Sike shaking hands with Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Foreign Minister
4. Mid of Wu Sike sitting with Chinese delegation members
5. Pan left of Avigdor Lieberman talking
6. Zoom out of meeting hall
7. Close of Wu Sike talking
8. Zoom out of Wu Sike sitting with Chinese delegation members
9. Zoom out of road sigh of State of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs building
10. Zoom out of outside of State of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs building
11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wu Sike, Chinese special envoy on Middle East:

"The Chinese side wants to convey a message that we support to solve the Palestine-Israel conflict through negotiations."

12. Wide of Wu Sike talking to reporters
Ramalla, Palestine - Aug 25, 2011
1. Pan right of building in which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meeting visiting Chinese special envoy on Mideast affairs Wu Sike
2. Mid of Wu's special car arriving
3. Mid of Wu shaking hands with representatives of Palestine at entrance of building
4. Mid of Wu entering into building
5. Mid of Wu talking to Abbas
6. Mid of Wu talking and laughing
7. Mid of Abbas listening
8. Mid of two Chinese officials
9. Pan left from Palestinian officials to Abbas and Wu
10. Mid of pictures of Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas
11. Close of picture of Yasser Arafat
12. Zoom out of Palestinian flag on top of building

Chinese special envoy on the Middle East, Wu Sike, said China supported negotiation for Palestine-Israel "two-state" solution during his official visit to Palestine and Israel from last Tuesday to Friday.

He also said China supported Palestine's bid to seek full membership in the United Nations next month. At a meeting with Palestinian leaders in Ramalla, Palestine on Thursday, Wu Sike told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that China supports all efforts that contribute to breaking the current deadlock in the peace process and realizing a Palestinian State based on the "two-state" solution.

Talks with Israel on the terms of Palestinian statehood are at a stalemate. Palestinians have decided to seek full UN membership and international recognition of an independent Palestinian state covering the areas Israel occupied in the 1967 war.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised China's support for Palestine's bid and also thanked China for its consistent support for Palestinians' legitimate rights as regards founding a state based on the border of 1967.

He said Palestinians' efforts in that regard don't contradict the Mideast peace process and resumption of negotiations with Israel.

Wu said China is highly concerned about the situation in the Middle East, with the Palestinian issue remaining a core issue.

Wu Sike also met with Dan Meridor, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence and Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Foreign Minister, during his visit to Israel.

Wu expressed that China appreciated that both Palestine and Israel support negotiation strategy and wished the two nations continue their previous negotiation so as to solve the "two-state" conflict.

"The Chinese side wants to convey a message that we support to solve the Palestine-Israel conflict through negotiations,"said Wu.

As Wu fulfills his trip in Palestine and Israel, he will visit Egypt and France to meet officials from the Arab League and the European Union.

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MACTV WORLD NEWS: Tens of thousands hold overnight prayers at al-Aqsa mosque for 'Laylat al Qadr',Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-27T03:45:00.000-04:00

Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers pray in Jerusalem to mark Laylat al Qadr, the 27th night of Ramadan.

JERUSALEM (AUGUST 27, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MUSLIM WORSHIPPERS PRAYING / DOME OF THE ROCK IN BACKGROUND
2. WORSHIPPERS PRAYING
3. MORE OF WORSHIPPERS PRAYING / DOME OF THE ROCK IN BACKGROUND
4. MORE OF PRAYER
5. MAN PRAYING
6. MEN PRAYING / DOME OF THE ROCK IN BACKGROUND
7. VARIOUS OF WORSHIPPERS PRAYING / DOME OF THE ROCK IN BACKGROUND
8. MAN CRYING WHILE PRAYING
9. MAN READING KORAN INSIDE MOSQUE
10. PRAYER INSIDE MOSQUE
11. MORE OF WORSHIPPERS PRAYING WITH DOME OF THE ROCK IN BACKGROUND

Tens of thousands of Muslims gathered at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque to celebrate 'Laylat al Qadr', holding prayers overnight from Friday and into Saturday (August 27).

The worshippers crowded the court near the mosque in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, home to the third holiest shrine to Muslims and Judaism's holiest site.

Laylat al Qadr commemorates the night that the prophet Mohammed is believed to have received the first verses of the Koran. Its exact timing is unknown, but it is believed to have most likely fallen on the 27th night of the Muslim month of Ramadan according to most Sunni Muslim historians.

The al-Aqsa mosque is holy to Muslims due to the belief that this is where Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. During that month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

MACTV NEWS: Hurricane Irene: ‘Don’t Ignore Evacuation Order’----FEMA, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-25T15:37:00.000-04:00

August 25, 2011: 11:30 A.M.

By Williams Ekanem, (MACTV NEWS)

As Hurricane Irene moves toward the East Coast of the United States, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate and NOAA's National Hurricane Center Director Bill today had a conference call advising people to heed evacuation order.

Bill said during the conference call which MACTV was on the line, that, “people should please heed to evacuation order or notice because of the intensity of the hurricane.”

According to him, although the exact intensity of the hurricane can hardly be predicted, but it is so critical that such notices or warnings are complied with.

The hurricane, they pointed out is currently moving North East towards North Carolina with high wind estimated at 150 miles per hour and FEMA is doing things to get ready for any consequential crisis.

Expatiating on the nature of preparation, Bill stated that pre-posting of food supplies to areas anticipated to be badly affected is going on.

The impact, according to them is not restricted to coastal areas as the inland areas could also be affected through heavy rainfall, flood, power cut etc.

A 5pm advisory, they disclosed would be given later today.

“In advance of the storm, our Incident Management Assistance Teams have been deployed to areas in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, in anticipation of further deployment to potential impact areas along the east coast of the U.S.”, the FEMA official said.

“We’re also pre-staging supplies and commodities along the East Coast to supplement state resources if needed - such as bottled water and meals-ready-to-eat. We’ve set up Incident Support Bases along the East Coast to proactively stage commodities closer to areas potentially affected by severe weather, allowing us to quickly move needed supplies throughout affected states, should they be needed and requested, “they added.

Hurricane Irene is currently making a turn along the East Coast, and forecasts from the National Hurricane Center project the storm could affect an area from Florida to Maine as it moves further north.

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MACTV WORLD NEWS: Shooting outside Mexican school kills one, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-25T00:27:00.000-04:00

Parents run for their lives outside a primary school in Mexico's most violent city Ciudad Juarez after gunmen execute a man at the school's gate.

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MACTV WORLD NEWS: India's political parties unite to urge Hazare to end fast, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-24T23:13:00.000-04:00

India's bickering political parties unite to urge ailing anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare to end his 9-day fast, which has garnered unprecedented support from millions of middle class Indians tired of rampant corruption in Asia's third largest economy.

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MACTV NEWS: Rare strong quake rattles U.S. East Coast, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-23T19:07:00.000-04:00

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MACTV NEWS: Strong earthquake rattles Washington, DC, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-23T17:49:00.000-04:00

Residents and office workers shaken as Washington, D.C. is rattled by magnitude 5.9 earthquake.
SHOWS: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 23, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. EMERGENCY VEHICLE DRIVING PAST WITH SIREN BLARING
2. PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE AFTER THEIR BUILDINGS WERE EVACUATED
3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANGELA KAMPSCHULT, WHO WORKS FOR A CONSULTANCY IN A DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, SAYING:
"We were just working on some Powerpoint slides and suddenly I felt it shaking. I first thought someone was just walking really deeply and then we realized it was an earthquake. So we got up, gathered some people around and we all just walked down the stairs. Still had shivers when we went down there."
4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KAREN DAVENPORT, WHO WORKS FOR THE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCE IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, SAYING:
"I was at lunch and we were sitting at the table and all of a sudden we felt this shaking under us. It was kind of mild at first and then the next one came and it was really intense. So everybody just got up and started rushing out. We're not sure exactly what's going on but we hope to hear soon. (REPORTER ASKING: Have you ever experienced anything like this before?) No. I'm a native of Washington, DC. We do have a co-worker that's from California and he thought it was nostalgic. It just felt like home. I'm like: I don't think so. We're on the eighth floor so there wasn't any work going on, so we knew something was up and everybody started rushing out."
5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EJAZ QURASHI, WHO WORKS AT AN AUSTRIAN RESTAURANT IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, SAYING:
"I was just inside the restaurant then I see (makes rattling sound), the Coke fell down, everything, you know, Coke, everything. So everybody said: go out, go out. So I just came out, you know. And I see a whole lot of people out. That's all."
6. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING AND STANDING OUTSIDE BUILDINGS
STORY: Office workers and residents were shaken as a magnitude 5.9 earthquake rattled the U.S. capital on Tuesday (August 23).
The quake, which struck the U.S. and Canadian east coast along a corridor stretching from Toronto to central Virginia, shook buildings and forced the evacuation of the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.
There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries from the quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said was centered in Mineral, Virginia, between Charlottesville and Richmond.
It was initially recorded at 5.8 magnitude. Washington office workers scurried into the streets after the quake, which lasted for about five seconds and sent items crashing to the floor from store and office shelves.
"Suddenly I felt it shaking," said Angela Kampschult, who works for a consultancy in downtown Washington.
"I first thought someone was just walking really deeply and then we realized it was an earthquake. So we got up, gathered some people around and we all just walked down the stairs. Still had shivers when we went down there," she said.
"All of a sudden we felt this shaking under us. It was kind of mild at first and then the next one came and it was really intense. So everybody just got up and started rushing out," said Karen Davenport, who works for the Institute Of International Finance in Washington.
Ejaz Qurashi was working at an Austrian restaurant when the quake hit.
"The Coke fell down, everything, you know, Coke, everything. So everybody said: go out, go out. So I just came out, you know. And I see a whole lot of people out," he said.
Tremors also shook New York City office buildings, prompting evacuations of courthouses, City Hall and halting work at the World Trade Center construction site, officials and witnesses said.
Buildings in Boston were evacuated and a Reuters witness said the quake was felt as far away as Toronto.

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MACTV BREAKING NEWS: UPDATE 2-Strong earthquake rattles U.S. East Coast, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-23T14:56:00.002-04:00

BREAKING NEWS:

August 23, 2011 6:25:06 PM
QUAKE-USA/ (UPDATE 2)

(Adds New York evacuations, no immediate reports of major damage)

WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck the U.S. East Coast and Canada from Virginia to Toronto on Tuesday, shaking buildings and forcing evacuation of the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries from the quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said was centered in Mineral, Virginia, between Charlottesville and Richmond. It was initially recorded at 5.8 magnitude.

Washington office workers scurried into the streets after the quake, which lasted for about five seconds and sent items crashing to the floor from store and office shelves.

Tremors shook New York City office buildings, prompting evacuations of courthouses, City Hall and halting work at the World Trade Center construction site, officials and witnesses said.

It was not immediately clear if there was any damage or injuries in New York, but fire department and police officials in Dutchess County, north of New York City, reported structural damage to some buildings.

A spokesman for the city transit agency said the quake was felt but declined immediate comment on whether the subway system was affected.

Control towers at John F. Kennedy airport and Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey were also evacuated.

Buildings in Boston were evacuated, while a Reuters witness said the quake was felt as far away as Toronto.

(Reporting by John Whitesides, the World Desk Americas; editing by Philip Barbara)

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UN News: U.N. chief says Gaddafi must give up fight, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-22T13:27:00.000-04:00

Informal comments to the media by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the situation in Libya.

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White House News: :Obama accuses Congress of holding back U.S. recovery, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-20T15:41:00.000-04:00

U.S. President Barack Obama accuses Congress of holding back the U.S. economic recovery by blocking "common sense" measures he said would create jobs and help growth.

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MACTV WORLD News: Biden calls for deeper economic ties with China, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-19T02:59:00.000-04:00

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping expresses confidence in China's economy, while United States Vice President Joe Biden calls for deeper economic ties between the two global heavyweights.

SHOWS:
BEIJING, CHINA (AUGUST 19, 2011) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. UNITED STATES VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN WALKING TOWARDS CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT XI JINPING AND SHAKING HIS HAND
2. BIDEN AND XI SHAKING HANDS AND SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER
3. BIDEN, XI AND OFFICIALS IN MEETING
4. BIDEN AND XI
5. CAMERA FILMING
6. (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE VICE PRESIDENT XI JINPING, SAYING:
"We will continue to implement a pro-active fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy. We will keep stability and consistency in macroeconomic policies. Meanwhile, we will also make the policies more targeted, flexible and forward-looking. We're going to strike a proper balance between fast and steady growth, adjustment of economic structure and managing inflation expectations. We are confident that we are able to keep steady and fast economic growth. There will never be a so-called hard landing for the Chinese economy."
7. OFFICIAL LOOKING THROUGH DOCUMENTS
8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, SAYING:
"Competition is healthy. It is good - it has awakened us. It has regenerated us. It is nothing but welcomed on the part of the United States. And one other point we'll get to discuss today, I hope we will discuss, is that we, President Obama and I, we welcome and encourage and see nothing but positive benefits flowing from direct investment in the United States from Chinese businesses and Chinese entities. It means jobs. It means American jobs."

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MACTV WORLD News: Eritrea: Ethiopia makes "frenzied" sanctions drive, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-18T00:18:00.001-04:00

August 17, 2011 9:36:45 PM

ERITREA-UN/SANCTIONS

* Eritrea says Ethiopia seeks regime change, sea access
* Proposed sanctions would hit mineral sector, remittances
* Ethiopia says Eritrea trying to divert attention

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Eritrea accused rival Ethiopia on Wednesday of a "frenzied campaign" to impose new U.N. Security Council sanctions on Asmara in a bid to topple the Eritrean government and secure access to the sea.

Ethiopia dismissed the Eritrean charge as an attempt to divert attention from Asmara's failure to abide by council resolutions.

Diplomats say Ethiopia is seeking council support for a request by an East African bloc to the United Nations and the African Union for sanctions on Eritrea's booming mining sector over its alleged aid to rebels fighting Somalia's government.

Eritrea has denied repeatedly that it funds and arms the Islamist al Shabaab, but the accusation prompted the Security Council in 2009 to impose an arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban on leaders and firms in the Horn of Africa nation.

Last month, the Inter Governmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, which groups seven East African states, asked for more sanctions to hit the Eritrean mining sector and remittances.

The nation is seen as being on the brink of a minerals boom that could revive its struggling economy.

Remittances that Eritrea receives from its large diaspora in the West and the Middle East are its biggest source of foreign exchange.

"Sadly, Ethiopia has been seeking, in a frenzied campaign, for more severe economic sanctions on Eritrea under the pretext that Eritrea is playing a destabilizing role in the Horn of Africa," said a statement issued by Eritrea's U.N. mission.

It added that Ethiopia's campaign was designed "to advance its objectives of regime change and get access to the Red Sea."

Ethiopia lost access to the sea when Eritrea, which it annexed in 1952, split away again in 1993. The two countries fought a border war from 1998-2000 and their dispute remains unresolved despite a 2002 delineation of the frontier by an international boundary commission.

MINERALS BOOM

Eritrea's statement said the measures sought by Addis Ababa, which would also call for U.N. member states not to give grants, financial assistance or loans to Eritrea, would "harm the economic wellbeing and security of the Eritrean people."

It repeated denials that Eritrea was trying to destabilize the region or that it was behind a plot to attack an AU summit in Ethiopia last January, as alleged in a recent report by a U.N. monitoring group on Eritrea and Somalia.

A spokesman for Ethiopia's U.N. mission, Daniel Yilma Workie, said the U.N. investigators had shown that Eritrea was still carrying out the actions for which it was previously sanctioned. "In our view, this is a deliberate move by Eritrea to change the narrative," he said.

Security Council diplomats said Ethiopia had so far failed to persuade the African members of the 15-nation body -- Gabon, Nigeria and South Africa -- to submit a draft resolution to the council that would incorporate the proposed new sanctions.

They said that was because IGAD -- to which none of the three countries belongs -- had not obtained broader African Union endorsement for the new measures, unlike in 2009, when the AU backed sanctions.

Eritrea rejoined IGAD last month, four years after suspending its membership in a dispute over Ethiopia sending troops into Somalia, and shortly after the bloc had called for sanctions against Asmara.

Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki also made an unusual visit this week to Kampala for talks on regional security with Uganda, which provides the bulk of AU peacekeepers fighting al Shabaab forces in Somalia.

According to the Eritrean statement, the proposed draft would prevent foreign companies from investing in Eritrea's mining sector and prohibit the import of gold from Eritrea.

Gold, whose price has risen recently as a safe haven amid global financial turmoil, is seen as a particularly promising mineral resource in Eritrea.

The country's most advanced mining project, Bisha, believed to contain gold, copper and zinc, is run by Canada's Nevsun Resources Ltd. Earlier this year, Eritrea granted Australia's Chalice Gold Mines two new exploration licenses in a nearby location. (Editing by Peter Cooney)

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MACTV WORLD News: Zimbabwe 'kingmaker' general dies in house fire, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-17T12:50:00.000-04:00

HARARE, ZIMBABWE,VARIOUS OF RETIRED ARMY GENERAL SOLOMON MUJURU SEATED WITH WIFE VICE PRESIDENT JOYCE MUJURU BEATRICE, DIES IN HOUSE FIRE.
ZIMBABWE (AUGUST 16, 2011) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL)

A retired Zimbabwean army general and key figure in internal battles over President Robert Mugabe's succession in his ZANU-PF party has died in a fire at his farmhouse, government officials said on Tuesday (August 16).

General Solomon Mujuru, 67, popularly known by his guerrilla name Rex Nhongo, was married to Vice-President Joice Mujuru, and was deputy head of Mugabe's liberation army ZANLA in the 1970s. Mujuru headed a ZANU-PF faction which wanted Joice Mujuru to eventually succeed Mugabe as party and state president, jostling against another faction headed by Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He died on Monday night at one of his commercial farms in Beatrice, 60 km (40 miles) south of the capital Harare, when his house caught fire, and the roof collapsed before he could escape. National State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi said Mujuru was burnt beyond recognition, and police were investigating the cause of the fire. "Unfortunately our celebrated Rex Nhongo is no more, and it is difficult for us all to accept this tragic fact and the tragic circumstances of his demise," he told Zimbabwe state television ZTV.

Television pictures showed a gutted home, and dozens of shocked ZANU-PF officials at the farm.
Mujuru's charred body was found in a small room in the farmhouse where he had probably sought refuge, Sekeramayi told state tv.

Officials said the general's vice president wife was not at the farmhouse, and was called to the scene early on Tuesday. There was no suggestion either by authorities, or Mujuru's family that the fire was anything but an accident.

Mujuru became Zimbabwe's first black military commander after independence in 1980, after serving for a few months under Rhodesia's last white general Peter Walls, retiring 1992 to take up a post in ZANU-PF's top organ, the politburo. Mujuru, who helped Mugabe consolidate power as leader of ZANU-PF in the 1970s, was a quiet backroom political player nicknamed "kingmaker" by his admirers - a reputation that was bolstered when he persuaded Mugabe to back his wife Joice as one of the party vice presidents at a 2004 ZANU-PF congress.

Political analysts say Mugabe, 87, is likely to have a big say on who succeeds him if and when he decides to step down and both factions publicly pledge allegiance to him. The veteran Zimbabwean leader, in power since 1980, is still officially ZANU-PF's candidate for presidential elections likely to be held in the next two years. Mugabe was forced to form a unity government with main rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) after disputed elections in 2008. The fragile ZANU-PF/MDC coalition is haggling over democratic reforms, including a new constitution, before the next elections.

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MACTV WORLD News: Sources of Inflation and Economic Growth in Ethiopia: Descriptive Analysis, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-17T02:03:00.000-04:00

By Teshome A. (PhD) August 10, 2011- Currently the objective of any developing country is to achieve sustainable economic development. Economic development refers to multidimensional process of reorientation and reorganization of the entire economic system in the country. To realize economic development the country must achieve continuous economic growth...

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MACTV WORLD News: China gives Ethiopia US$500 million, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-17T01:48:00.000-04:00

China has lent Ethiopia US$ 500 million that will be used to fund various development projects in the Horn of Africa country.

Map of Ethiopia

The loan agreement signed with the Chinese Export and Import Bank was part of the deals struck during Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s ongoing visit to China, which started last Thursday.

Ethiopian Finance and Economic Development Minister, Sofian Ahmed who signed the agreement with his Chinese counterpart said the loan will be used to implement 15 development projects.

“The projects to be implemented have already been finalised and will be discussed with the Chinese government,” Ahmed said.

Meles is visiting China to encourage Chinese investors to consider setting up businesses in his country and also to scout for loans to finance development projects.

Ethiopia recently launched a multi billion five year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) that will see the implementation of various development projects aimed at fighting poverty and reducing unemployment.

Under the five year GTP, the government, among other plans, seeks to invest billions of dollars on hydro electric plants, fertiliser factories, the development of universities and the construction of around 2,000 kilometer railway lines, as well as thousands of kilometres asphalt roads.

The government recently launched US$ 5 billion hydro electric projects, expected to generate around 5,250 MW of power by 2015, over the Nile River.

Ethiopia has already started power supply to Djibouti and is also planning to start exporting power to Sudan (North) before the end of the year.

The Horn of Africa nation plans to become Africa’s biggest power supplier.

China has given Ethiopia about US$4 billion in loans that have gone towards telecommunication infrastructure and road projects among others.

More than 20,000 Chinese area already working in various development projects around the country.

MACTV News: President Barack Obama to travel around Minnesoate, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-17T01:35:00.000-04:00

The bus used by U.S. President Barack Obama to travel around Minnesoate, Iowa and Illinois is pictured on the tarmac of Minneapolis-St Paul Airport in Minnesota August 15, 2011. Obama is traveling to the Midwest on a bus tour of Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. Picture taken August 15, 2011. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TRANSPORT)

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MACTV WORLD News: Africa Rising, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-15T13:52:00.000-04:00

Africa Rising: The extraordinary story of how a large rural area of Ethiopia is taking itself out of poverty.

MACTV News: BRITAIN-RIOTS/CAMERON, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-13T18:45:00.000-04:00

A bus heading for Tottenham, the first neighbourhood hit by riots one week ago, follows behind police officers escorting a demonstration by supporters of youth programs in Dalston, north east London August 13, 2011. More than half of Britons think Prime Minister David Cameron failed to provide leadership early enough to control riots that erupted in London and spread to other English cities, a survey showed on Friday. REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS)

White House News: REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT DURING IFTAR DINNER, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-10T21:38:00.001-04:00

The President hosts an Iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan in the State Dining Room.

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UN News: UN moves on two fronts to combat life-threatening famine in Horn of Africa, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-10T02:43:00.000-04:00

9 August 2011 – The United Nations is moving on two fronts to counter the worsening food crisis in the Horn of Africa, with an immediate infusion of food in an area where 640,000 children alone are threatened with acute malnutrition, and longer-term steps to spark an agricultural recovery.

“It is vital that we not only save lives today but also save the livelihoods on which people's lives depend tomorrow,” said Rod Charters, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) senior emergency and rehabilitation coordinator for the region.

UN agencies are calling on donor countries, the private sector and individuals to urgently close a funding gap of nearly $200 million for the crisis, which has hit war-torn Somalia particularly hard.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has provided aid to nearly 8 million people in the region in the past five weeks and is targeting 11.5 million out of more than 13 million people affected by the drought and famine, with governments and partners tending to the rest. Today it started a series of nine airlifts to Mombasa, Kenya, carrying a total of 800 tons of high-energy biscuits (HEBs), enough to feed 1.6 million people for a day.

The biscuits are being pre-positioned for onward delivery to vulnerable people throughout the region, where scores of thousands of Somalis are seeking relief in overcrowded refugee camps in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia, both of which have also been affected by the crisis.

WFP aims to deliver over the next two months 2,000 tons of fortified food to fight acute childhood malnutrition, 2,000 tons of HEBs, and 10,000 tons of fortified cereal by air and road to Somalia. This follows an initial airlift of 86 tons to Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, enough to feed more than 30,000 malnourished children under age five for a month.

Looking beyond the immediate crisis of saving the lives of the acutely malnourished, many of them children under five, the FAO will host a high-level meeting in Rome on 18 August to agree on steps to spark a short-term agricultural recovery, such as cash for work for agricultural and water harvesting, seed distribution, vaccination and animal feeding, irrigation and food storage.

These actions will transition into support to governments’ medium- to long-term plans, building resilience over the long haul. The agency has already asked for $161 million to save the lives and livelihoods of millions of farmers and pastoralists across the drought-struck region but has so far only received or had commitments for around $57 million, leaving a $103 million shortfall.

“When you see the sheer numbers of animal dead bodies along the road you know that this means that people have less capacity to buy their food today and tomorrow,” Cristina Amaral, Chief of Operations in FAO’s Emergency Operations and Rehabilitation Division said.

“FAO is concerned that support to incomes and safeguarding people’s assets has so far been largely overlooked and this will make recovery slower.”

The Rome meeting sets the scene for a pledging conference called by the African Union in Addis Ababa on 25 August. Of the funds being sought, $70 million is intended for Somalia.

Meanwhile the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) yesterday sent its first chartered plane in five years into beleaguered Mogadishu, with emergency aid for scores of thousands of displaced people, including 31 tons of shelter material such as plastic sheeting for shelter, sleeping mats and blankets, jerry cans and kitchen utensils. A second flight is scheduled to arrive on Thursday and a third to follow next week.

UNHCR has been shipping its relief items to Mogadishu by sea and by land but, due to the dramatic rise in the number of those uprooted by famine and conflict in recent weeks, it decided to airlift supplies to save time. An estimated 100,000 Somalis have fled to Mogadishu over the past two months, joining more than 370,000 displaced people already there.

Like FAO, the agency is also facing a shortfall. Of the $145 million it has sought to provide aid until the end of the year, it has received or has firm projections of only $65 million, covering less than 45 per cent of identified needs for Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

“We need the funding support to continue to enable us to replenish our emergency stocks inside Somalia as they are being rapidly depleted as we deliver much-needed aid across southern Somalia,” said UNHCR Representative to Somalia Bruno Geddo.

In Ethiopia, the agency has moved some 4,000 Somali refugees from the overcrowded Dollo Ado camp in the remote Ogaden region to a new site. More than 78,000 Somalis have arrived in Dollo Ado since January, overwhelming reception capacities.

The relocation comes amid efforts to control a recent outbreak of suspected measles in the Dollo Ado camps. UNHCR and its partners are conducting screening and measles vaccination for all children between the ages of six months and 15 years. More vaccines were airlifted in today with support from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ethiopian health ministry.

“One of the challenges in the response to the outbreak is that the refugees are not in the habit of seeking medical attention for the sick,” UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said in Geneva. But he added that the suspected outbreak still rates relatively low as a cause of mortality in the camps, behind diarrhoea, respiratory tract infections and acute malnutrition.

UNHCR, UNICEF and other agencies are also providing emergency assistance in the far larger Dadaab camp complex in Kenya, whose mainly Somali population has swelled to nearly 380,000 in recent months, including 40,000 arrivals in the past month alone.

In Geneva, UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarek Jasarevic warned of the high risk of disease due to the lack of potable water, the living conditions in overcrowded camps and malnutrition.

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UN News: Help us save lives in the Horn of Africa , Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-10T02:05:00.000-04:00

08 August 2011

As UN expands a declaration of famine in Somalia, the world must step up its response to the child-survival crisis.

Please help support UNICEF's efforts in the Horn of Africa by visiting: http://bit.ly/o55Nll

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UN News: SC President H.E. Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri (India) on the deadly attack on UNAMID Peacekeepers in Sudan – Security Council Media Stakeout , Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-09T23:17:00.000-04:00

08 August 2011

Press Statement on the attack on UNAMID Peacekeepers in Darfur on 5 August 2011.

Informal comments to the media by H.E. Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of August on Sudan and Syria.

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MACTV WORLD News: Libyan TV shows footage of Khamis Gaddafi, Posted by Menelik Zeleke

2011-08-09T22:46:00.000-04:00

Libya TV claims Muammar Gaddafi's son Khamis is still alive and shows video which it says proves the claim.

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