Earthquake aid sent to Indonesia

Deliveries of aid are being sent to western Indonesia after a powerful earthquake which left at least 100 people dead.

The quake, with a magnitude of 7.6, triggered a landslide in Sumatra that blocked roads and cut power lines.

Hundreds of buildings, including hospitals, collapsed in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province.

Rescue workers say thousands of people could be buried under rubble and the number of dead is expected to rise.

Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman for Indonesia’s National Disaster Agency, said some 100 to 200 people had died in Padang and more than 500 houses and buildings had collapsed.
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‘Hitler skull’ revealed as female

A bone fragment believed to be part of Adolf Hitler’s skull has been revealed as being that of an unidentified woman, US scientists have said.

The section of bone – marked with a bullet hole – was used to support the theory that Hitler shot himself.

Russian scientists said the skull piece was found alongside Hitler’s jawbone and had put it on display in Moscow.

But US scientists said DNA tests revealed it actually belonged to a woman aged between 20 and 40.

An archaeologist from the University of Connecticut travelled to Moscow, where the fragment has been on show in the city’s federal archive since 2000, to take a sample.
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Deadly tsunami in Pacific islands

A tsunami triggered by a strong quake in the South Pacific has killed at least 65 people in Samoa and more than 20 in American Samoa, say reports.

The Samoan authorities say at least another 145 people have been injured and whole villages destroyed.

American Samoa’s delegate to the US Congress said thousands of people had been left homeless in the territory.

An 8.3-magnitude quake struck at 1748 GMT, generating 15ft (4.5m) waves in some areas of the islands.

The Samoa islands comprise two separate entities – the nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a US territory – with a total population of about 250,000 people.

A tsunami warning was initially issued for the wider region but cancelled a few hours later.

The general manager of Samoa’s National Health Service told the BBC that 65 people had died and 145 people were injured.
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A conversation with China’s young Communists

Emily Chang has been a CNN correspondent in Beijing since June 2008. Some of her work includes covering the Beijing Olympics, leading a lead poisoning investigation across China, going inside the country’s swine flu lab, reporting on prostitution and HIV, and a tainted milk scandal that sickened thousands of children.

BEIJING, China (CNN) — When we requested an interview with members of the Communist Youth League, I expected an army of suits with well-rehearsed answers. Instead, we met three students casually dressed in jeans, just 18 to 23 years old.

The interview was arranged by the State Council Information Office, in advance of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Unlike many government-sanctioned shoots, it was not carefully choreographed or closely monitored. The students did arrive with a “minder” of sorts, but he was no older than them and didn’t interrupt the conversation.
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Xerox launches $6.4bn takeover

Photocopier giant Xerox has unveiled a takeover deal which takes it into the fields of data management and technology outsourcing.

It is buying fellow US firm Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) in a cash and shares deal worth $6.4bn (£4bn).

Xerox is already the world’s biggest supplier of digital printer and document management services.

Shares in the company fell by 14.5% on Monday as investors appeared to question the deal. ACS gained 14%.

‘Game-changer’

Xerox said it would take on ACS’s debt, worth about $2bn, as part of the takeover.
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Schoolgirl dies after cancer jab

A 14-year-old girl has died after being given a cervical cancer jab as part of a national immunisation programme, but the exact cause of death is unknown.

The pupil was taken ill at Blue Coat CofE School in Coventry shortly after she received the Cervarix vaccine. She died in the town’s University Hospital.

The batch of the vaccine used has been quarantined by the local NHS.

The injection offers protection against a sexually transmitted disease, which is linked to most cervical cancers.

A routine programme of vaccinating 12- and 13-year-old girls started in September 2008 across the UK using the Cervarix vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline. A catch-up campaign is now under way for older girls.

The injection offers protection against the human papilloma virus (HPV), the most common cause of cervical cancer.
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West Ham & Millwall charged by FA

West Ham and Millwall have been hit with several Football Association charges after the crowd trouble which marred their Carling Cup match.

They are expected to contest the accusations of failing to control their fans at the match on 25 August.

Both clubs are alleged to have taken insufficient action to stop missile throwing and violent, threatening and racist behaviour at Upton Park.

The Hammers face four charges, while Millwall must answer three.

A Millwall supporter was stabbed as fans clashed outside the east London ground and pitch invasions by West Ham fans followed each of their side’s goals in the 3-1 extra-time win.

West Ham’s Carlton Cole and Millwall’s Jason Price also alleged they were racially abused by supporters.
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Philippines battles flood chaos

A massive rescue operation is under way in the Philippines, where at least 72 people are feared to have died following torrential rains.

Tropical Storm Ketsana triggered the worst flooding in decades in the capital Manila and nearby provinces.

Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said troops, police and civilian volunteers had rescued more than 4,000 people – many clinging to each other on roofs.

More than 250,000 have been driven from their homes, officials say.

Military chief Gen Victor Ibrado flew by helicopter over suburbs of Manila on Sunday to see for himself drenched survivors marooned on top of half-submerged buses and on rooftops.

TV footage showed some survivors clinging to high-voltage power lines.
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Blasts rock north-west Pakistan

At least 16 people have been killed in two suicide car bomb attacks in north-western Pakistan.

Ten people are reported to have been killed and scores injured in a bombing in the city of Peshawar.

Earlier, a suicide car bomb in the town of Bannu killed at least six people, police said.

The BBC’s Aleem Maqbool, in Islamabad, says the attacks show the Taliban appear to be reasserting themselves after a series of setbacks.

In Peshawar, police said the bomb had exploded in the car park of a bank in a commercial area. Witnesses said the blast was heard across the city.
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Renault suffer twin sponsor blow

Renault have been hit by the news that title sponsor ING will end its contract with the Formula 1 team immediately.

The Dutch-based financial group planned to pull out at the end of the season but will now leave four races early.

The move follows the race-fixing scandal that resulted in a suspended ban for the former world champions.

Renault had already lost the backing of Spanish insurance firm Mutua Madrilena, which asked for its name to be removed from Renault’s cars earlier in the day.

ING was the largest sponsor on Renault’s books, providing more than half their total sponsorship revenues according to some estimates.
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