Blasts in Uganda rise killed at least to 64..[ 1431 ]

Twin blasts in Uganda capital Kampala kill at least 64

  This post Updates the post # 1429   

The blasts went off as people were watching the World Cup final

BBC.,Page last updated at 04:34 GMT, Monday, 12 July 2010 05:34 UK

At least 64 people, including an American, have been killed in twin blasts in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Another 65 people were injured by the blasts, which police said went off at a rugby club and a restaurant as football fans watched the World Cup final.

"These bombs were definitely targeting World Cup crowds," Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura said.

Somali militants have in the past threatened to attack Kampala; Ugandan troops are deployed in Mogadishu.

About 5,000 African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi are based in Mogadishu to protect the fragile interim government.

The Amisom force is engaged in frequent firefights with Islamist insurgents which control much of southern and central Somalia.

Obama 'deeply saddened'

Insp General Kayihura said he believed Somalia's militant group al-Shabab could be behind Sunday evening's attack. If true, it would be the first time the group has carried out attacks outside Somalia.

In Mogadishu, an al-Shabab commander said he was "happy" with the attacks in Uganda.

But Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible.

SHOCK IN UGANDA

Continue reading the main story

Joshua Mmali,
BBC News, Kampala

People are nervous and scared. They are running home and telling their relatives, and telling them to stay indoors.

In the rugby club, where the biggest crowd had gathered, the explosion occurred right in the middle of the crowd. People who were seated in the outer parts of the crowd were not affected as much as those seated in the middle.

The police are saying they tried to put in place as much security as they could, but it seems clear that the police had no clue about how the bombs got in those places.

Nobody expected this to happen in a World Cup final. One would have thought that whoever did this would have waited for another time. It is just a time when people are making merry and very excited about the World Cup final, then this happens. It is quite shocking.

He told AP news agency: "Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us."

Insp General Kayihura, speaking at the scene of one blast, said: "The information we have indicates the people who have attacked the Ethiopian Village were probably targeting expatriates."

US President Barack Obama said the explosions were "deplorable and cowardly".

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would work with the Ugandan government "to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice".

The US embassy in Kampala has confirmed that one American was among the dead.

"The nationalities of all the fatalities will be released later," said police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba.

'Screaming and running'

At least three Americans, members of a Church group from Pennsylvania, were wounded at the Ethiopian restaurant.

One, Kris Sledge, 18, said from his hospital bed: "I remember blacking out, hearing people screaming and running."

Mr Sledge, of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, who had a bandaged leg and burns on his face, told AP: "I love the place here, but I'm wondering why this happened and who did this. At this point we're just glad to be alive."

At the scenes of the two blasts chairs were overturned, and blood and pieces of flesh lay on the floor.

Japan Elections..[ 1430 ]

Japan elections a setback to new prime minister

Exit polls indicate a poor showing by the Democratic Party, which could further weaken Naoto Kan's hold on power. Kan, in office since June, is seen as a political flip-flopper, like his predecessor.

Sadakazu Tanigaki, who heads the rival Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters that the ballot results suggest that voters had given up on the Democrats. Tanigaki is shown placing a red rosette on the name of his party's candidate during ballot counting at the party headquarters in Tokyo. (Shizuo Kambayashi, Associated Press / July 11, 2010)

Cup final , Uganda bomb attacks..[ 1429 ]

Uganda bomb attacks during Cup final kill 9

 This post has been updated by the Post  # 1431

By the CNN Wire Staff

July 12, 2010 -- Updated 0443 GMT (1243 HKT)

Volunteers carry an injured person from one of the bombing sites Sunday night in Kampala, Uganda.

Kampala, Uganda (CNN) -- At least nine people were killed Sunday in a pair of bombings that struck a restaurant and a rugby ground in Uganda's capital as patrons gathered to watch the World Cup final, police said.

Nine people died and others were wounded at an Ethiopian restaurant in Kampala, police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said.

But there was an undetermined number of fatalities and injuries at a rugby field where other fans gathered to watch Sunday night's match between Spain and the Netherlands, Nabakooba said.

Some of the injured at the restaurant included six members of an American church mission working with a local congregation, according to the Rev. Kathleen Kind, pastor of Christ Community United Methodist Church in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

"All of our members are accounted for and all of the families have been contacted," Kind told CNN. She added that injuries ranged from broken bones and flesh wounds to temporary blindness and "hearing issues."

She said congregants are now "praying here in the church and in their homes for our members."

The bombs went off within 25 minutes of each other shortly after 10 p.m. (3 p.m. ET), as fans gathered in both locations. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for what Nabakooba called "definite acts of terrorism."

Islamic militants battling Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government have threatened attacks on Uganda and Burundi, which contribute troops to an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. But Nabakooba said the investigation is not yet focused on any specific group.

Journalist Samson Ntale contributed to this report for CNN.

Upside down patriotism...[ 1428 ]

Michigan Doctor Hangs American Flag Upside Down

Published July 10, 2010

| FoxNews.com

AP

Dr. Thomas Byrd recently flew the American flag upside down outside his Michigan office.

It's a sign of disrespect to veterans, service members and anyone who's patriotic -- an American flag flown upside-down. Why would someone fly Old Glory upside down, especially during the Fourth of July holiday? It's the work of a Downriver, Mich., eye doctor, MyFoxDetroit.com reported.

It certainly caught people's eyes. An American flag flying upside down in front of Dr. Thomas Byrd's office over the Fourth of July weekend. The eye doctor says he did it when he asked himself some questions.

"What's the state of our nation at this time? And I thought that she's in distress. So, I thought I would flip the flag in the long-standing sign of distress," said Byrd. "And by inverting the flag I would perhaps get a few people to ask themselves maybe the same question. How is the Constitution doing? How is my liberty? How is my freedom compared to a few years ago?"

Dr. Byrd says flying the flag upside down was never intended to be disrespectful. He simply wanted to get people's attention, MyFoxDetroit reported.

"A lot of people misunderstood and somehow thought I had some beef with the United States or that I... disrespected the flag or the country, and that couldn't be further from the truth," Byrd said.

The U.S. Flag code says the flag should only be flown upside down as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life and property.

"We are certainly in dire danger of property. There's a great deal of property being taken from people right now, but it's not the intent that we are in dire and immediate need that we're being overrun," said Byrd.

Dr. Bryd says he's a Conservative who respects the Constitution and he did find some of former President George W. Bush's approaches to Constitutional issues troubling. Some Conservative and Libertarian groups, such as the Cato Institute, found Bush's record sharply at odds with the text, history and structure of the Constitution. But those days did not inspire Dr. Byrd to flip the flag.

We asked Byrd who is a greater threat to the Constitution, George W. Bush or Barack Obama? He answered, "I think the Obama administration, by far."

Click here for more on this story from MyFoxDetroit.com.

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The t/v channel " SKY " every evening in the "ELLINOFRENIA"   
does the same thing with the Greek flag
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Controlling termite reproduction..[ 1427 ]

'Queen pheromone' controlling termite reproduction found, pest control uses expected

 A group of giant queen termitesl left a black striped king termite and smaller worker-termites. 

Eggs can be seen in top roght corner. (Photo courtesy of Kenji Matsuura )

(Mainichi Japan) July 11, 2010

Researchers have identified the fruit-scented components of the "queen pheromone" that queen termites give off to control the reproductive capacity of each colony.

Queen termites are apparently preventing other females from becoming new queens by giving off a fruit-like odor. Researchers expect that by artificially creating the same pheromone, termites can be controlled effectively.

A termite colony consists of king, queen and worker termites, with only queens producing eggs. When queens die or become sterile, several other females in the same colony become new queens to take over reproduction. However, as long as there are a sufficient number of eggs in the colony, queens will not increase.

What kind of chemicals were contributing to maintaining this biological mechanism had been a mystery for 50 years.

A research team led by Okayama University associate professor Kenji Matsuura collected 100 queens from each of two termite colonies in Okayama Prefecture and analyzed a small amount of a substance they produced.

As a result, the researchers identified that one secreted substance contained two aromatic components found in fruit -- one contained in fruits like apples and bananas, and the other found in grapes.

When researchers placed each of these chemicals close to the group of worker termites in the absence of a queen, the number of females transforming into new queens increased. However, when the chemicals were mixed together and placed near the colony, the number of new queens stopped increasing. Based on the results, the research team concluded that these two components form the "queen pheromone."

Matsuura says the number of queens in each colony varies depending on the size of nest, and is apparently controlled using the queen pheromone to avoid producing too many eggs for worker termites to look after.

The artificial queen pheromone will effectively prevent female termites from transforming into new queens and laying eggs to reform a colony, researchers said.

The findings were published in the online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on July 6.

Click here for the original Japanese story