Five people escape from Sydney cafe in hostage crisis

Monday, December 15, 2014 | 8:13 AM    

SYDNEY (AP) — Five people escaped from a Sydney cafe where a gunman took an unknown number of hostages during Monday morning rush hour. Two people inside the cafe earlier held up a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith that has often been used by extremists, raising fears that a terrorist incident was playing out in the heart of Australia’s biggest city.

The first three people ran out of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in downtown Sydney six hours into the hostage crisis, and two women sprinted from a fire exit into the arms of waiting police shortly afterward. Both women were wearing aprons with the Lindt chocolate logo, indicating they were cafe employees.

As the siege entered its 12th hour Monday night, basic questions remained unanswered. Police refused to say how many hostages were inside the cafe, what they believed the gunman’s motives might be, whether he had made any demands or whether the hostages who fled the cafe escaped or were released.

“I would like to give you as much as I can but right now that is as much as I can,” New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said. “First and foremost, we have to make sure we do nothing that could in any way jeopardize those still in the building.”

Police were negotiating with the gunman and said they had no information to suggest anyone had been hurt. Scipione said they had not confirmed whether the siege was related to terrorism.

“Our only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely,” he said.

Channel 10 news said it received a video in which a hostage inside the cafe had relayed the gunman’s demands. The station said police requested they not broadcast it, and Scipione separately asked all media that might be contacted by the gunman to urge him instead to talk to police.

The drama began around 9:45 am in Martin Place, a plaza in the heart of the city’s financial and shopping district that is packed with holiday shoppers this time of year. Many of those inside the cafe would have been taken hostage as they stopped in for their morning coffees.

Television video shot through the cafe’s windows showed several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass, and two people holding up a black flag with the Shahada, or Islamic declaration of faith, written on it.

The Shahada translates as “There is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger.” It is considered the first of Islam’s five pillars of faith, and is similar to the Lord’s Prayer in Christianity. It is pervasive throughout Islamic culture, including the green flag of Saudi Arabia. Jihadis have used the Shahada in their own black flag.

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Five people escape from Sydney cafe in hostage crisis

VIDEO: How to report Ebola crisis safely

More than 4,000 people have died of Ebola, nearly all of them in West Africa.

BBC Global Health correspondent Tulip Mazumdar has been reporting on the crisis in Sierra Leone.

Here she explains the measures journalists and medics are taking to prevent themselves becoming ill, and from and spreading the virus.

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VIDEO: How to report Ebola crisis safely

Texas deputy tests negative for Ebola - ABLOW: Why Obama is letting Ebolaphobia spread - UN medic arrives in Germany for treatment - Plane cleaners strike - CDC chief: Why I don"t support a travel ban - OPINION: Time for Congress to address crisis

Texas deputy tests negative for Ebola - ABLOW: Why Obama is letting Ebolaphobia spread - UN medic arrives in Germany for treatment - Plane cleaners strike - CDC chief: Why I don"t support a travel ban - OPINION: Time for Congress to address crisis

Brazil hotel hostage crisis ends

29 September 2014 Last updated at 21:48 The man (C in shirt) who held a hotel employee hostage for hours was taken to a police station for interrogation. An armed man who held a hostage in a hotel in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, for nearly seven hours has surrendered.

About 300 people were in the Saint Peter Hotel when the man stepped on to a balcony on the 13th floor holding what looked like a gun to the head of a hotel employee.

The handcuffed hostage appeared to be wearing a vest stuffed with explosives.

The siege ended with the man raising his arms in the air. He was was taken to a police station for interrogation.

Media reports suggested that he was mentally unstable.

Guests at the hotel told local media the man had knocked on the doors of their rooms and told them to leave because he was about to perform a “terrorist act”.

Police said that during their negotiations the man appeared to be making “political statements”.

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Brazil hotel hostage crisis ends

Antonio Vigilante: Ebola crisis reversing development gains in Liberia

An Ebola victim is carried by health workers for burial on May 13, 2014. (Credit: ©EC/ECHO/Jean-Louis Mosser)

Antonio Vigilante

MONROVIA, Liberia, Tuesday September 16, 2014, IPS - As the Ebola crisis continues to take a toll on people’s lives and livelihoods in West Africa, the focus is increasingly not just on the health aspects of the crisis, but also on its social and economic consequences.

Sure, the human and medical aspects of the crisis are still on the front burner, as they should be. Losing a spouse, a child or another close relative is devastating. The health sector is under tremendous pressure to cope with the sick, and even to protect its own workers from contagion.

There are also health ramifications for those not affected by Ebola: access to regular health care is reduced due to closures of hospitals and clinics, loss of nurses and doctors and increased fees by private health care providers.

Vaccination coverage, for instance, had already declined by 50 percent by July. Women in labour struggle to obtain skilled maternity care — in some cases they are turned away from the few institutions still in operation.

People with HIV who are on antiretroviral drugs and people with chronic diseases on prolonged care have had their treatment interrupted as a result of the closure of health facilities. The public health care system has all but collapsed in parts of the areas hardest hit by Ebola.

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Before the current crisis, Liberia’s economy experienced impressive growth rates of up to 8.7 per cent (2013). GDP growth was already projected to decline to 5.9 per cent this year, as mining production levelled off temporarily, coupled with the fall in international prices for rubber and iron ore, before rising to 6.8 per cent in 2015 and 7.2 per cent in 2016. Future growth figures will now have to be revised, as economic activities have slowed down dramatically in most sectors.

But there is also an underlying issue at hand: The impressive recent growth in Liberia has not been equitable or inclusive. About 57 per cent of the country’s approximately four million inhabitants live below the poverty line and 48 per cent live in conditions of extreme poverty.

The lack of equitable, inclusive development means that more than half of the country’s population—especially women and children–is particularly vulnerable to shocks and crises, ultimately making the whole country less robust and less able to handle a crisis of any magnitude.

Part of the challenge in restoring livelihoods is psychological in nature. Fear and isolation can in the end take more lives than the Ebola virus itself if businesses are not operating, livelihoods disappear and public services are not delivered.

Reduced tax revenues go hand in hand with a decrease in the government’s ability to respond to the crisis. A decline in revenues is expected as Ebola continues to claim the lives of Liberians and the government continues to enforce travel restrictions as part of the state of emergency.

Soon, this is likely to impact salary payments for public employees and could paralyze the country further. Trust in the government is also on the line as it becomes increasingly unable to protect its citizens and deliver the services they desperately need.

At the same time, prices of locally grown and imported foods are increasing as the state of emergency, military road blocks and restricted travel slow down trade. The trend is amplified by a vicious cycle of falling consumer demand and shrinking levels of income.

In this scenario, it is crucial to put in place adequate social protection mechanisms, as the fall in disposable income make families unable to afford food and health services. This would not only contribute to improving social stability and security, but would also make Liberian society as a whole more robust and resilient.

Indeed, a large portion of the population is in need of public assistance. The latest data indicate that about 78 percent of the labour force is in a situation of vulnerable employment. By contrast, formally paid employees (about 195,000 people) make up only about 5 per cent of the population.

About 13 percent of households do not have access to sufficient food and 28 per cent are vulnerable to food insecurity. If the poorest segments of the population get access to some form of social protection mechanism, it will enable them to better withstand the current crisis, as well as future ones.

In the remote parts of the country, far from the hustle and bustle of its capital, Monrovia, it is also necessary to strengthen local authorities’ ability to handle the crisis, for instance by improving monitoring mechanisms and making protection equipment available for those who are in direct contact with Ebola patients and corpses.

The resurgence of the Ebola crisis since July and its gradual escalation into a national emergency in Liberia has diverted the focus and resources available to the authorities to the containment of the virus. In this phase of the crisis, it is necessary to act on all fronts to meet the devastating health, social and economic challenges before Liberia and other affected countries see all their hard-won development gains dwindle to nothing.

Antonio Vigilante is Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative in Liberia. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Caribbean360.

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Antonio Vigilante: Ebola crisis reversing development gains in Liberia

Water crisis: Corporate Area storage levels declining rapidly

Despite implementing a conservation programme, the National Water Commission (NWC) is reporting that levels at its two major catchment facilities continue to decline. In addition, inflows remain inadequate to keep up with demand. 
Charles Buchanan, NWC Corporate Public Relations Manager, told RJR News on Tuesday night that the Mona Reservoir is now at 28 per cent of its capacity while the Hermitage Dam is at 66 per cent.

Leaks

Meanwhile, Mr Buchanan confirmed that members of  the public have begun to use the hot-line to contact the NWC to report leaks. The measure was introduced to reduce water losses due to faulty pipes.
Mr Buchanan said this was encouraging, and he wants more persons to report leaks.

The prompt repair of leaks was one of the key measures reiterated by Water Minister Robert Pickersgill in a national broadcast on Sunday night, in response to the severe drought now affecting the island.

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Water crisis: Corporate Area storage levels declining rapidly

Beyonc� fuels rumours of marital crisis

Beyonc? Knowles has fuelled rumours her marriage is in crisis.

The 32-year-old singer, who is allegedly leading “separate lives” on tour with her husband Jay Z, sparked new speculation that their relationship is on the rocks by changing the lyrics of her 2006 song Resentment while performing their ‘On the Run’ show in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday night.

During the song, which is about a cheating scandal, she altered the track to reflect the current length of her romance with the rapper, singing: “Been ridin’ with you for 12 years. Why did I deserve to be treated this way by you? (sic)”

The original lyric should read: “Been ridin’ with you for six years. Why did I deserve to be treated this way by you? (sic)”

She also changed the line, “Like I couldn’t do it for you like your mistress could” to “Like I couldn’t do it for you like that wack bh could (sic).”

The couple, who has two-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, first started dating in 2002 before secretly tying the knot in New York City in 2008.

Beyonc? and Jay’s marriage has been under scrutiny since footage emerged of the singer’s sister, Solange Knowles, attacking him in an elevator at a Met Ball after-party in early May as the Pretty Hurts hitmaker looked on passively.

The trio later released a statement, insisting they had put the incident, which kicked off after Solange allegedly spotted Jay flirting with fashion designer Rachel Roy in front of her sister, behind them.

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Beyonc� fuels rumours of marital crisis

Beyonc� fuels rumours of marital crisis

Beyonc? Knowles has fuelled rumours her marriage is in crisis.

The 32-year-old singer, who is allegedly leading “separate lives” on tour with her husband Jay Z, sparked new speculation that their relationship is on the rocks by changing the lyrics of her 2006 song Resentment while performing their ‘On the Run’ show in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Saturday night.

During the song, which is about a cheating scandal, she altered the track to reflect the current length of her romance with the rapper, singing: “Been ridin’ with you for 12 years. Why did I deserve to be treated this way by you? (sic)”

The original lyric should read: “Been ridin’ with you for six years. Why did I deserve to be treated this way by you? (sic)”

She also changed the line, “Like I couldn’t do it for you like your mistress could” to “Like I couldn’t do it for you like that wack bh could (sic).”

The couple, who has two-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, first started dating in 2002 before secretly tying the knot in New York City in 2008.

Beyonc? and Jay’s marriage has been under scrutiny since footage emerged of the singer’s sister, Solange Knowles, attacking him in an elevator at a Met Ball after-party in early May as the Pretty Hurts hitmaker looked on passively.

The trio later released a statement, insisting they had put the incident, which kicked off after Solange allegedly spotted Jay flirting with fashion designer Rachel Roy in front of her sister, behind them.

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Beyonc� fuels rumours of marital crisis

Financial crisis drives up Greek suicide rate

ATHENS, Greece — SUICIDES increased by 45 per cent during the first four years of Greece’s financial crisis, a mental health aid group said yesterday, warning there are indications of a further “very large rise” over the past two years.

The Athens-based group Klimaka said officially reported suicides rose steadily, accounting for an annual jump in deaths from 328 in 2007 to 477 in 2011, according to data from the Greek Statistical Authority.The group said, based on its own research, the number of suicides has continued to rise through 2012 and 2013.Greece still has one of the lowest suicide rates in Europe, but a dramatic rise in poverty and unemployment since the debt-strapped nation began imposing harsh austerity measures has been blamed for the increase in deaths.Aris Violatzis, head psychiatrist at Klimaka, said the organisation gathered suicide data from families of victims, local churches, funeral homes, and other sources, as well as official statistics.“The official stats are generally lagging. Our data suggests a very large rise. We are talking about specific individuals whose names and circumstances have been recorded,” Violatzis said.Klimaka, which runs a suicide-prevention hotline, said men took their own lives more than four times as frequently as women, with males most commonly in their mid 50s and females in their late 30s. Some 43 per cent of suicide deaths in 2011 involved unemployed people, while 25.7 per cent of hotline callers with suicidal thoughts, last year, said they were experiencing serious financial difficulties.More than half of suicide deaths are by hanging, followed by shooting, jumping from heights and poisoning.The Greek aid group urged the Government to adopt plans to create a national strategy against the rise in suicides, with improved data gathering and training for police and health care workers.“For every suicide death, there are some 30 attempts by others,” Violatzis said. “So we are creating a growing bank of people who are potentially suicidal. That is a long-term problem.”Art teachers protest against government austerity measure that threaten their jobs outside the Greek parliament in central Athens. Suicides increased by 45 per cent during the first four years of Greece’s financial crisis. (PHOTO: AP)

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Financial crisis drives up Greek suicide rate