Brazil for the 2016 Olympics [ 441 ]

Rio de Janeiro to host 2016 Olympics

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CNN) -2/10/09 ,,1o min ego...-

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee announced Friday.

Confetti flies in Rio de Janeiro after the IOC announces the city will host the 2016 Games.

The announcement brought tears to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief several times in a news conference afterward.

"Our hour has arrived," he said. "It has arrived."

In Rio, jubilation erupted at the world-famous Copacabana beach, where thousands of people gathered to hear the announcement.

Rio organizers promised to start working immediately to make the Games a success.

"Maybe some of the people tomorrow can rest," said Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman. "I'm not [resting]."

Rio beat out Madrid, Spain, in the final round. Chicago, Illinois, and Tokyo, Japan, were eliminated in earlier rounds.

For Rio, a major appeal was bringing the Olympics to South America for the first time.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said in the news conference afterward that in addition to its excellent bid, Rio had the "extra-added value of going for the first time to a continent that's never had the Games."

He also noted that Brazil helped its chances this year when it did not get the 2012 Games awarded four years ago.

"Rio remained humble," he said. "They wanted to listen, to repair their shortcomings."

More than half of Rio's Olympic venues are built, including state-of-the-art facilities constructed for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games: the magnificent Joao Havelange Stadium (the proposed 2016 venue for athletics), the Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, the Rio Olympic Arena (which will host gymnastics and wheelchair basketball), the Rio Olympic Velodrome, the National Equestrian Center and its close neighbor, the National Shooting Center.

Rio will hold the Games from August 5-21 and its theme will "Live your passion." Watch Brazil delegation celebrate as Rio is announced as winner »

According to Rio's bid, the Games will be held in four zones with varying socio-economic characteristics:

• Barra, the heart of the Games, is an expanding area of Rio that will require "considerable infrastructure and accommodation development." It will house the Olympic and media villages and some venues.

• Copacabana, a world-famous beach and major tourist attraction, will host outdoor sports in temporary venues.

• Maracana, the most densely populated of the zones, will contain an athletic stadium and the Maracana Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. Major redevelopment is planned for the zone.

• Deodoro has little infrastructure but the highest proportion of young people. It will require construction of Olympic venues. The city's bid was helped by a strong economy and guaranteed funding. Brazil's economy is now the 10th largest in the world -- and predicted to be fifth by 2016.

Brazil told the IOC its commitment to the Olympics could be seen in the investment already under way in Rio. Maracana Stadium will close next year for two years of refurbishment.

The areas around it will be renovated, with improved access and transportation links. The entire neighborhood will reborn, the Rio committee said, to host the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Work is already under way on the ongoing development of the Olympic Training Center, which includes many of the state-of-the-art venues built for the 2007 Pan and Parapan American Games.

This was Madrid's third attempt at hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

Madrid presented a "very capable" bid, with good transportation infrastructure and a number of venues already in place, said Ed Hula, editor of the Olympics Web site Around the Rings. Watch Madrid celebrate making it to final round »

Madrid's chances might have been hampered, however, by a recent tradition that consecutive Summer Olympics aren't staged on the same continent. The London 2012 Olympics will have happened just four years before 2016.

"Although there's no rule against it, the IOC has yet to award consecutive Summer Games to the same continent since 1952 in Helsinki," Hula said.

Chicago was the first city to be eliminated. The announcement -- unexpected by many -- came just hours after President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, delivered personal pleas to the Olympic committee praising the virtues of their home city. Watch Obama makes his pitch to IOC »

"I'm totally stunned. I thought we had a great opportunity," former NBA great Michael Jordan told CNN. Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, said the city would have been "perfect for the world to explore." He said Chicago is "deserving of an event of that magnitude" and hopes it will try again.

U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, a Chicago Democrat, said the loss is "kind of heartbreaking. ... A tremendous amount of effort has been put into trying to win the bid."

The response around the city was not all negative, however. Many residents are "almost glad the distraction of the Olympics" won't be there, noted CNN's Ali Velshi, who was in downtown Chicago when the news was announced.

Many residents feel it will allow local political and business leaders to "focus attention back on what Chicago needs to do," Velshi said.

Obama, the first U.S. president to make an Olympic bid in person, was flying back to Washington when the announcement was made. He was disappointed with the outcome but not sorry he made the trip to Copenhagen, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

The heads of state for the other three finalists also made personal pitches.

Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia and Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero pushed the case for Madrid.

Recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama made a bid for Tokyo.

And Brazilian President Lula was joined by soccer legend and Brazilian native Pelé as they advertised the benefits of a Rio Games.

An animated Lula, surrounded by Rio supporters, said at a news conference after the announcement that Brazil was due to get the Olympics.

"Among the 10 major economies of the world, Brazil was the only country that had not received the Olympic and Paralympic Games," he said. "For us, it will hardly be our last Olympics. For us, it will be an opportunity to be equal. It will increase self-esteem for Brazilians, will consolidate recent conquests and stimulate new advances."

Indonesia quakes, UN official report[ 440 ]

At least 1,100 dead from Indonesia quakes, UN official says

October 1, 2009 -- Updated 2050 GMT (0450 HKT)

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- At least 1,100 people are dead in Indonesia as a result of two large earthquakes in as many days, United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes told reporters Thursday.

Family members mourn in front of a collapsed school in Padang on Thursday.

Hundreds more are believed to be injured, Holmes said. "These numbers, I fear, will rise as more information becomes available," he said. "It's still feared that thousands of people are trapped under damaged houses and many buildings."

Telecommunications are difficult into the region, roads are cut off and the hardest-hit area, including the city of Padang, lacks power and other services, Holmes said. Heavy rainfall also has hindered search and rescue efforts.

Corpses lay stacked outside hospitals in Padang as night fell Thursday, casting nearly the entire city in darkness.

The 6.6 magnitude quake Thursday hit South Sumatra (9:52 p.m. Wednesday ET), about 100 miles (160 km) from Bengkulu, the U.S. Geological Survey said. An earlier quake Wednesday had a magnitude of 7.6.

Worst hit was the West Sumatran capital of Padang, where officials estimate 376 people perished.

Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Ministry of Health's crisis center, said thousands of people may be trapped by collapsed buildings and houses.

Officials say casualties could surpass those of the massive Yogyakarta earthquake three years ago, given the intensity and the spread of the damage this week. The second set of tremors Thursday only magnified the scope of the disaster.

In May 2006, a 6.3 magnitude quake centered in the central Java city of Yogyakarta killed more than 5,000 people and triggered fears of an eruption of a nearby volcano.

On Thursday, many people were wandering the streets of Padang "stunned and dazed," said CNN's Mark Phillips. Some were searching the rubble for survivors, he said, but "there's also a feeling that there aren't that many survivors left."

Wednesday's quake reduced buildings to rubble in Padang, a city of nearly 1 million. People used hammers, chisels and bare hands to dig through debris. Staff at a local hospital treated the injured outside the semi-collapsed building as bodies lay in makeshift morgues.

The earthquakes caused widespread power and phone outages, making it difficult for authorities and aid organizations to evaluate damage.

Thursday evening, the only light came from generators at Padang's hospital and airport. Several of the hospital's buildings were severely damaged, said CNN's Dan Rivers. Damage in the town itself was spotty; some buildings remained intact near others in ruins.

In Padang, thousands of people slept outside Wednesday night for fear of more tremors, said Yenni Suryani of Catholic Relief Services. She said rain fell Wednesday night and people are in desperate need of adequate shelter.

Amelia Merrick, the operations director for World Vision Indonesia, described the situation as "quite devastating."

"Bridges have gone down, phone lines are in total disrepair," she said. "It's difficult for us to assess the situation."

Wayne Ulrich, the Red Cross disaster management coordinator in Indonesia, said hundreds of houses were damaged, the extent still unclear.

Padang

• Low-lying coastal city of 900,000 on Sumatra island
  
• Capital city of Western Sumatra province
  
• Known for distinctive cuisine
  
• An important port to trade raw materials such as coffee, copper, rubber and cement
  
• Runs along the fault line of the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates -- the same fault line that triggered 2004 tsunami of Aceh province
  
  Sources: Indonesian government, Lonely Planet and Reuters

"We have concerns that a hospital has been partially damaged; a market has caught on fire; the airport was closed down for inspection because of the fear if they landed any planes" it might cause problems, Ulrich said.

He said access to the impacted areas was obstructed in parts.

It's "blocked by all kinds of problems: frightened people out in the streets, cars and people trying to get out of the city." Watch Ulrich discuss rescue efforts »

Wednesday's quake was felt in nearby cities including Medan and Bengkulu, where people panicked and ran outside in search of higher ground, fearing a tsunami. But it was also felt as far away as Singapore and Malaysia.

"I did feel the tremor in the office today somewhere between 5 and 6 p.m.," said Ratna Osman, who works in a single-story office building in Petaling Jaya, just outside Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. "I asked [a co-worker] if there's an earthquake somewhere -- either that or I was hallucinating.

"At first, I thought the chair I was sitting on had a screw loose or something," Osman said.

The region is accustomed to earthquakes, and locals have been taught to identify safe places in case of a tsunami, according to Sean Granville-Ross, the Mercy Corps country director for Indonesia.

"We hope that preparation is now paying off," he said.

Earlier this month, an earthquake in West Java killed 57 people.

The Web site for one of Indonesia's main newspapers, The Jakarta Globe, crashed for a while, partly as a result of the heavy traffic from people trying to find out about the quake, the paper said in a Twitter post.

Aid agencies kicked into gear to help those in need.

"We had aid ready because this area of Indonesia is susceptible to this type of tragedy," said Jane Cocking, humanitarian director for Oxfam. "Communications with the quake-zone are difficult, and we are hoping for the best but having to plan for the worst."

CNN's Andy Saputra in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Tricia Escobedo in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report.

The Irish EU Vote..?....[ 439 ]

Irish hold crunch EU treaty vote

Blackrock, Dublin: The result is not expected until Saturday afternoon ( BBC ) - Friday, 2 October 2009 11:26 UK Irish voters are heading to the polls in a second referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty - a vote that may decide the future of long-delayed EU changes. They previously rejected the treaty in a June 2008 referendum, by a margin of almost 7%. This time opinion polls suggest the Yes camp will win. The Republic of Ireland is the only one of the EU's 27 member states to put the treaty to a referendum. Ireland's economy has been hit hard by recession since the last vote was held. The treaty, aimed at streamlining decision-making in the enlarged bloc, cannot take effect unless all the member states ratify it. LISBON TREATY Aimed at streamlining EU decision-making Ratified by all member states except Czech Republic, Ireland and Poland Only Ireland is holding referendum on it Took a decade of negotiations Was intended to take effect in January 2009 Q&A: Ireland's new Lisbon vote Irish viewpoints on Lisbon Treaty Around three million Irish citizens are eligible to vote on Friday. There will be no exit polling during the day, but turnout estimates will be known once polls close. Counting will begin on Saturday, with the referendum result not expected until early Saturday afternoon. Eurosceptics In the northwestern town of Letterkenny, Co Donegal, many people appear quite sceptical about giving the Lisbon Treaty the thumbs-up, the BBC's Chris Mason reports. A steady trickle of voters turned up to vote at Ballymaine National School. In the first referendum, Donegal registered one of the highest No votes in the country. The county has Ireland's highest unemployment rate - and some say that during Ireland's "Celtic Tiger" boom not even the tail of the tiger brushed Donegal. Apart from Ireland, the only other countries yet to ratify Lisbon are the Czech Republic and Poland. Despite opposition calls for a referendum in the UK, the treaty has been ratified there by parliament. Powerful Yes lobby All of Ireland's major parties campaigned for a Yes vote except the nationalist Sinn Fein. The Yes camp also had some lavish donations from big business. Dr Paul Duffy: A No vote would 'create a lot of uncertainty' The repeat referendum is about the same treaty text, but since last year EU leaders have given specific commitments on issues which made some Irish voters nervous last time. The country will not be forced to legalise abortion, to lose control over taxation, and will not have its neutrality threatened. Ireland's Social and Family Affairs Minister, Mary Hanafin, told the BBC that opponents of the treaty had "very good reasons" for voting No in 2008. But she said those concerns had now been addressed, and she expected a different outcome this time around. "They were concerned about issues that were raised about neutrality, about taxation, about the right to life, about losing our commissioner. "Our colleagues in Europe have given us legal guarantees on all of those issues, and because they have been addressed and because people are looking to the future, the economy of this country and our place in Europe. We believe it'll be a Yes vote." Institutional changes The chances of the treaty being rejected a second time appear pretty slim, says the BBC's Jonny Dymond, in Dublin. Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald on the Lisbon Treaty Ireland's economic situation is so grim, he adds, that many voters are unwilling to risk further turmoil with another No vote, and while many would dearly love to punish the hugely unpopular administration, most will hold off until the next election. However, opponents continue to maintain that Lisbon undermines national sovereignty and concentrates too much power in Brussels. Ratifying the treaty would bring in some major changes within the EU. It would expand the policy areas subject to qualified majority voting (QMV), rather than unanimity. It would also establish a new post of president of the European Council - the grouping of EU states' leaders - and a high representative for foreign affairs. Treaty supporters say that Lisbon would greatly increase the European Parliament's powers of "co-decision" with the European Council. Ireland would retain its commissioner under Lisbon, as the treaty would keep the European Commission team at 27. Without Lisbon, the Commission team would have to be reduced in size.

Russia & 4 other nations staging exercises[ 438 ]

Baku: 17:23 (GMT+05:00), Friday , 02 October , 2009

Azərbaycan | Русский | فارسی | العربية

Post-Russian rapid-reaction force starts exersisee

Thousands of troops from Russia and four other ex-Soviet nations are staging exercises as part of a newly formed NATO-style rapid-reaction force, AP

It's the first such drills for the Collective Security Treaty Organization's new miltary unit.

Kazakh defense officials say more than 7,000 troops gathered Friday in southern Kazakhstan for two weeks of exercises.

Russia and four other members - Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - earlier this year agreed to set up the unit.

Moscow hopes it will bolster the power of the seven-nation CSTO, seen largely as a talking shop established by Russia to counterbalance NATO.

Officials say the exercise will, among other things, train the force in responding to insurgencies in alliance member countries. reported.

Thw 18-meter-high monument of Tetsujin [ 437 ]

Japan: Giant Cigantor makes mark in Kobe

A gigantic monument of Tetsujin 28-go makes its first appearance at a park in Kobe's Nagata
Ward on Sept. 29.

(Mainichi Daily News ,Japan) October 2, 2009

An 18-meter-high monument of Tetsujin 28-go, or Gigantor, was unveiled at Wakamatsu Park in Kobe's Nagata Ward on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The completion ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 4.

Testujin 28-go is a famous cartoon character by late manga creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama, who hailed from the city. The area was devastated by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. Today, its population has declined to about 80 percent of prequake levels.

The project was planned and led by a nonprofit organization made up of local shop owners, who decided to build the monument as a symbol of the area's reconstruction. About 135 million yen in construction expenses was raised through donations and subsidies.

It took about three months for an Osaka-based metal processing company to complete putting up the robot in the park.

Shops in the local commercial street are planning to hold a commemorative sale and sell special lunch boxes.

"We hope that the statue will help boost the local economy and vitalize our community," said a representative of the shopping street association.