Six In The Morning

Powerful storm blows out windows at St. Louis airport

Some injuries reported from possible tornado; cars overturned, baseball fans evacuated

NBC, msnbc.com and news services

ST. LOUIS – A powerful storm packing heavy rain, hail and tornadoes pummeled the St. Louis area late Friday, blowing out glass at the airport and overturning cars in the garage, authorities said.

At least five people were treated for minor injuries at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, said airport spokesman Jerry Lea. Four were taken to the hospital.

Lea said the injuries were believed to be from shattered glass.

The storm lifted the roof and blew out glass on Concord C, airport officials said. Upper-level terminals were damaged and vehicles were reported overturned at the parking garage. An Air National Guard facility at the airport was also reportedly damaged.

Bloodiest day in Syrian uprising as Assad troops kill ‘at least 75’



By Khalid Ali in Moadamiyah Saturday, 23 April 2011

  Syrian security forces shot and killed 88 people yesterday on the bloodiest day so far of weeks of mounting protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Protesters flooded on to the streets across the country after Friday prayers to demand the overthrow of the regime in a clear sign that concessions by the leadership to quell the anger of the people had failed.

Witnesses said that the streets were cleared by security forces using teargas, water cannons and bullets after protesters ignored warnings that further displays of unrest would not be tolerated.

Libya crisis: Misrata tribes ‘may fight rebels

Tribes loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi have said that if the army cannot drive rebels from the besieged port city of Misrata, they will, a senior official says.

The BBC  23 April 2011

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said the army had tried to keep civilian casualties low but the tribes would not show the same restraint.

Col Gaddafi’s forces have been pounding Misrata for weeks.

Meanwhile, Nato forces carried out more air strikes on the capital, Tripoli.

The Libyan government says three people were killed by the strikes.

The BBC’s Jeremy Bowen has seen a concrete bunker near Col Gaddafi’s Bab al-Azizia compound which received two hits early on Saturday.

South African woman challenges belief that the violin is only for the wealthy

A South African music teacher is teaching children in three Cape Town townships the violin as an escape from their daily lives and a possible ticket to a better future.

By Ian Evans, Correspondent  

It’s an unlikely instrument in the fight against poverty and violence: the violin. But for some children in three Cape Town townships, it offers an escape from their tough, daily lives and the prospect of a career in music.

For the past two years, music teacher Maria Botha has been teaching the instrument to schoolchildren in three townships – Guguletu, Nyanga, and Langa. Backed by the city council and the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Ms. Botha has had to fight resistance from parents and social stereotypes that classical instruments are generally for wealthier white children.

Anger over Mswati’s plans for royal wedding

 

Apr 23 2011 06:07  

Next week, Mswati will be among VIP spectators at Westminster Abbey for a slightly more austere version hosted by the British royal family.

But his invitation has angered his countrymen, who accuse the UK of “legitimising” their autocratic monarch who rules over one of the poorest countries in the world.

When the king, who has a fortune of about $100-million, flies out he will leave behind a country in turmoil. Last week, his security forces launched a brutal crackdown against marchers seeking democratic reforms, and a possible Egyptian-style uprising.

Evacuation zone to be widened

Cumulative radiation levels feared to pose threat to residents: Edano

By KANAKO TAKAHARA

Staff writer  Saturday, April 23, 2011

Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s government on Friday instructed parts of Fukushima Prefecture outside the 20-km no-go zone around the crippled No. 1 nuclear plant to evacuate by the end of May, saying that cumulative radiation levels may pose a health risk to residents.

The announcement came a day after the government declared the area a legally binding no-go zone, where unauthorized entry is subject to fines of up to ¥100,000 or possible detention for up to 30 days under a special nuclear emergency law.