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| Obama leads mourning of Arizona shooting victims Posted: 12 Jan 2011 05:58 PM PST
In an emotional address to thousands of people who packed a Tucson arena for a memorial service, Obama said no one knew what prompted a gunman to go on a rampage that killed six people and critically wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords. He warned against seeking "simple explanations." "The truth is that none of us can know exactly what triggered this vicious attack. None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped those shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man's mind," Obama said. Obama (picture), who as president has sometimes had difficulty making an emotional connection with Americans, faced the challenge of comforting Americans, helping the community heal and bringing people together. "We mourn with you for the fallen. We join you in your grief," he said. Obama leaped firmly into the political debate that broke out shortly after the gunfire ended last Saturday — whether harsh political rhetoric from last year's acrimonious congressional elections had anything to do with inspiring the gunman to open fire. "We should be willing to challenge old assumptions in order to lessen the prospects of violence in the future," he said. "But what we can't do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another." Obama began his visit to Arizona by stopping at University Medical Center to see Giffords, who survived a gunshot to the head that traveled the length of her brain on the left side. He also visited four other patients wounded in the attack. He brought roars of approval from the crowd by saying he had been told that, shortly after he and his wife, Michelle, saw her, Giffords opened her eyes for the first time since the shooting. "Gabby opened her eyes," Obama said. "So I can tell you she knows we are here, she knows we love her and she knows that we are rooting for her through what is undoubtedly going to be a difficult journey." — Reuters
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| Brisbane faces floods clear-up of post-war proportions Posted: 12 Jan 2011 05:26 PM PST  A truck sales yard is seen in a flooded industrial estate in the Brisbane suburb of Yeerongpily on January 13, 2011. — Reuters pic The floods have so far killed at least 17 people, left 43 missing and caused billions of dollars of damage in Queensland state. One central bank economist has warned that it could cut the GDP measure of national income by as much as 1 per cent. "The Brisbane river has now reached its peak," police said in a statement, as an official weather bureau flood gauge in the centre of the city of two million showed a depth of 4.45 metres. That was below earlier expected highs of above 5m and less than a peak in 1974 of 5.45m which caused massive damage and loss of life. The swollen river was moving rapidly and filled with debris, after bursting its banks and engulfing large districts of the city a day earlier. Power has been cut in 116,000 homes due to concerns the waters could cause electrocutions. "This is going to be a long recovery. This morning as I look across not only the capital city, but three-quarters of my state, we are facing a reconstruction effort of post-war proportions," state Premier Anna Bligh told Australian radio. Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said while many areas of the financial district were still inundated, the lower than expected peak would save around 8,000 properties. "We all now have to rally together to help these people clean up, the ones that have suffered impacts," Newman told Australian television. The revised flood figure, he said, indicated 11,900 properties would be fully flooded and another 14,700 partially affected. These included 2,500 businesses that would be completely inundated. And while drinking water supplies in the city were safe and secure, Newman there had been damage to sewage pumping plants on the city's outskirts, which posed a threat of infection. Power officials said they were planning to bring in large generators to restore power in the city centre as soon as the water cleared. "In the CBD (central business disctirct), we've got about 10 blocks without power. That will be probably about another 3-4 days," said Mike Swanston of power provider Energex. But devastated areas further west, hit by flash flooding on Monday described as an "inland tsunami", could be without power for weeks, he added. The city woke up to bright sunshine today and several hundred people had gathered on a vantage point above the river to take photographs of the floods at first light. Many factories and homes had only their rooflines visible. Authorities were also struggling to secure or break up three large objects or vessels on the Brisbane River. A rescue helicopter is due to fly in a 1.5 tonne anchor at first light to secure a ferry that had broken its guide lines and was seen as a potential hazard. TV footage also showed a tug boat trying to secure a huge concrete walkway that was ripped from the banks of the river during the floods. — Reuters
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TUCSON, — President Barack Obama mourned the victims of an Arizona shooting spree yesterday and urged Americans not to let the debate over the tragedy be used as "one more occasion to turn on one another."| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: World To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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