Indonesia mengawali perjuangannya di arena Piala AFF dengan hasil yang memuaskan. Pada laga perdana penyisihan Grup A turnamen antarnegara di Asia Tenggara tersebut, Rabu (1/12/2010) di Stadion Gelora Bung Karno, Senayan, Jakarta, pasukan "Merah Putih" mengganyang Malaysia dengan kemenangan 5-1.
Kemenangan mencolok atas negeri "Upin-Ipin" tersebut membuat Indonesia memimpin klasemen sementara Grup A. Firman Utina dan kawan-kawan mengungguli Thailand dan Laos, yang membuntutinya, setelah kedua tim bermain imbang 2-2. Adapun Malaysia kini menghuni dasar klasemen alias menjadi juru kunci.
Selanjutnya, Indonesia akan bertemu Laos dalam laga kedua penyisihan grup. Sementara itu, Thailand menghadapi Malaysia. Duel tersebut akan berlangsung di Gelora Bung Karno pada Minggu (5/12/2010).
Kesuksesan Indonesia ini juga menjadi panggung aksi bagi dua pemain naturalisasi, Christian "El Loco" Gonzales dan Irfan Haarys Bachdim. Pasalnya, dua pemain tersebut masing-masing menyumbang satu gol untuk melengkapi pesta gol pasukan besutan Alfred Riedl.
Meskipun akhirnya bisa pesta gol, kubu Indonesia sempat berada dalam ketegangan dan kekhawatiran. Saat pertandingan memasuki menit ke-18, Malaysia mengoyak jala Markus Horison lewat tendangan keras Norshahrul Idlan bin Talaha dari dalam kotak penalti. Pemain ini memanfaatkan kelengahan lini belakang Indonesia dalam mengantisipasi umpan silang dari sayap kiri. Oleh sebab itu, Idlan tak terkawal dan dengan mudah mencetak gol.
Namun, keunggulan Malaysia tersebut hanya bertahan tiga menit. Serangan yang dibangun dari sayap kiri berbuah gol bunuh diri karena bola umpan silang ke mulut gawang justru membentur kaki pemain belakang Malaysia, dan menggetarkan jala gawang yang dikawal Mohd Sharbinee Allawes Bin Ramli.
Gol tersebut memantik semangat pasukan Indonesia sehingga serangan yang dilakukan kian gencar. Alhasil, pada menit ke-33, Gonzales dapat giliran mengambil bagian dalam pesta kemenangan atas negeri jiran tersebut. Striker dengan julukan "El Loco" ini membuktikan kapasitasnya sebagai peraih tiga kali top scorer liga Indonesia karena dengan ketenangannya, dia menceploskan bola ke sisi kanan gawang, tanpa bisa dijangkau kiper. Skor 2-1 bertahan sampai jeda.
Memasuki paruh kedua, Indonesia tak menurunkan tempo permainan. Memegang kendali permainan, pasukan "Garuda" terus mengancam pertahanan Malaysia, sampai tercipta gol ketiga pada menit ke-52, lewat tendangan Muhammad Ridwan, yang lebih dulu melakukan kerja sama satu-dua dengan Ahmad Bustomi.
Pada menit ke-75, Arif Suyono menambah keunggulan Indonesia menjadi 4-1. Masuk sebagai pemain pengganti (gantikan M Ridwan), Arif tak butuh waktu lama untuk menyumbang gol karena dia hanya perlu tiga menit berada di dalam lapangan pertandingan sebelum mengoyak jala Malaysia.
Memasuki injury time, giliran Bachdim yang melengkapi pesta gol Indonesia. Pemain Persema Malang yang tampil cukup dominan sepanjang pertandingan ini memaksimalkan umpan silang dari sayap kiri, lewat sambaran ke mulut gawang yang tidak terkawal lagi. Skor akhir 5-1.
Rabu, 01 Desember 2010
North Korea 'likely to attack again'
South Korea's intelligence chief is reported to have said that North Korea is very likely to attack again, a week after an artillery strike on a South Korean island.
The revelation came hours after officials said Seoul was planning more military exercises with the US.
On 23 November North Korea shelled the island of Yeonpyeong, killing at least four South Koreans.
The disputed border area has been the scene of numerous clashes in the past.
Won Sei-hoon, director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, told a parliamentary committee behind closed doors that the recent attacks came amid "internal complaints" about Pyongyang's third generation succession and worsening economic situation, according to a ruling party official.
"There is a high possibility that the North will make another attack," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying, adding that the government was trying to burnish the credentials of the designated leader who was still very young and untested, and also win new concessions from the international community.
South Korea is building up defences on Yeonpyeong island, but some senior officials have told the BBC they hope Mr Won is wrong and the worst of the current crisis is over.
"There will be ongoing measures as you said to beef up our forces including the stationing of new weapons, upgrading our marines on Yeonpyeong island but I think on this particular crisis we are reaching the apex and we will see a gradual de-escalation," said Chung Min Lee, ambassador for international security affairs.
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Seoul says the South Koreans are anxious to avoid the impression that bad behaviour by the North will be rewarded with talks or offers of aid.
Naval exercises Continue reading the main story
North Korea: Timeline 2010
26 March: South Korean warship, Cheonan, sinks, killing 46 sailors
20 May: Panel says a North Korean torpedo sank the ship; Pyongyang denies involvement
July-September: South Korea and US hold military exercises; US places more sanctions on Pyongyang
29 September: North holds rare party congress seen as part of father-to-son succession move
29 October: Troops from North and South Korea exchange fire across the land border
12 November: North Korea shows US scientist new - undeclared - uranium enrichment facility
23 November: North shells island of Yeonpyeong, killing at least four South Koreans
A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff officer said that Seoul and Washington were planning new military drills off South Korea's west coast.
The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said talks were focused on whether these would take place this month or next.
Separately, South Korea is planning what it calls routine week-long naval live-fire exercises from 29 sites around the country.
These are due to start next week and continue for several weeks.
China, however, has expressed its anger at the joint US-South Korean military exercises - which were planned before North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyong island last week.
Beijing has also been pressing for a resumption of the six-nation talks on ending North Korea's nuclear programme.
The US has said these talks cannot resume until North Korea apologises for its torpedoing of a South Korean warship in March, and stops further nuclear enrichment plants from operating.
The six-party talks, involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia, have been stalled since April 2009.
Analysts say diplomacy has been further complicated by the recent release of diplomatic cables by the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks.
'Trillions' of Earths orbit red stars in older galaxies
Red sky at night: The view from a planet in our galaxy (left) but planets in older galaxies (right) are bathed in a rosy glow from the many red stars in the night sky (artist's impression) Astronomers say the Universe may contain three times the number of stars as is currently thought.
Their assessment is based on new observations showing other galaxies may have very different structures to our Milky Way galaxy.
The researchers tell the journal Nature that more stars probably means many more planets as well - perhaps "trillions" of Earth-like worlds.
The Yale University-led study used the Keck telescope in Hawaii.
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“Start Quote
End Quote Professor Pieter Van Dokkum Yale UniversityThere are possibly trillions of Earths orbiting these stars”
It found that galaxies older than ours contain 20 times more red dwarf stars than more recent ones.
Red dwarfs are smaller and dimmer than our own Sun; it is only recently that telescopes have been powerful enough to detect them.
According to Yale's Professor Pieter van Dokkum, who led the research, the discovery also increases the estimate for the number of planets in the Universe and therefore greatly increases the likelihood of life existing elsewhere in the cosmos.
"There are possibly trillions of Earths orbiting these stars," he said. "Red dwarfs are typically more than 10 billion years old and so have been around long enough for complex life to evolve on planets around them. It's one reason why people are interested in this type of star."
Two-thirds of the observable Universe consists of spiral galaxies (L) like our own Milky Way. The remainder is made up of older elliptical galaxies (R) The findings also help to account for what astronomers describe as the "missing mass" in the Universe.
The movement of galaxies suggests there is more material in the cosmos than can be observed, so scientists have suggested that some is invisible, referring to it as "dark matter".
Dr Marek Kukula of the Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG), UK, said: "the discovery of more stars in the Universe means that we might not need quite as much dark matter as we thought to explain how the Universe looks and behaves.
"It also tells us something about how the very first galaxies must have formed from the gas left over from the Big Bang."
And the ROG's Dr Robert Massey added: "Finding red dwarfs in other galaxies is quite something and shows how far we've come with the latest generation of large telescopes.
"If these stars are more common in elliptical galaxies than in our own, it's also consistent with the idea that they have a larger number of older stars than us. The lifespan of red dwarfs is many times longer than that of stars like our Sun."
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has few places to hide
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange had a reputation for being suspicious and paranoid even before everyone was out to get him.
Everyone, in this case, is the US - where government lawyers are hoping to prosecute on espionage charges - and the European Union, where he is wanted for questioning in connection with a Swedish rape investigation.
As of Tuesday, Mr Assange has also been liable to arrest in any of the 188 member countries of Interpol - from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe - and to be extradited from there to Sweden.
Last seen in London, he is widely assumed to be in the UK now, though remaining continuously on the move.
If he appeared in public, British police would be obliged to arrest him under a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Swedish authorities - though it's not clear that anyone is going to go out of their way to find him.
"If there is no indication that the accused is in a particular region, you won't expect a police force to investigate," said a spokesman for the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).
So, supposing Mr Assange is still in the UK, and he lies low, he may be able to avoid arrest. In spring, however, his six-month visa will run out, creating additional problems for him.
WhispersIt would not be safe for him to appear in person at a news conference, but he has shown this week that he can continue to communicate with journalists virtually - via video recorded on a mobile phone or via Skype.
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“Start Quote
End QuoteYou ask him a harmless question - and he looks at you as if to ask 'Why do you want to know?'”
According to New York Times reporter John F Burns, who interviewed Mr Assange in October, he changes mobile phones "the way other men change shirts", uses cash instead of credit cards and stays either with friends, or in hotels under false names.
When the two men met in a London Ethiopian restaurant, Mr Assange spoke in a whisper, for fear of eavesdropping by Western intelligence agencies.
A journalist who met Mr Assange earlier this year told the BBC his "over-suspicious" behaviour made the meeting unnecessarily awkward.
"You ask him a harmless question - and he looks at you as if to ask 'Why do you want to know?'" the journalist said.
At that point, Mr Assange was not a wanted man. It's only recently that has freedom of movement has been seriously curtailed.
In April he travelled to the National Press Club in Washington to show a video of a US military helicopter killing 12 people in Baghdad in 2007, including two Reuters journalists.
His position became more precarious in July, after Wikileaks made public 77,000 US military documents on the Afghan conflict in July, and even more so after the publication of nearly 400,000 secret papers on the Iraq war in October.
Espionage chargeHe was still able to unveil the Iraq documents to the media at a news conference in London, though US officials were already muttering then about a possible espionage prosecution.
A senior Pentagon official told the Associated Press this week that lawyers from the Justice, State and Defense departments were now actively discussing whether or not some kind of charge could be made to stick.
A possible obstacle to a prosecution under the Espionage Act could be the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees free speech and freedom of the press.
But experts quoted by the Associated Press also raised the possibility of other charges, such as theft of government property, receipt of stolen government property, mishandling of classified documents, or aiding and abetting illegal leaks of documents by government employees.
It has also been suggested that the First Amendment might not prevent Mr Assange being charged under the Espionage Act with wilfully withholding information in defiance of an official demand for its return. Just such a demand was made by the State Department on Saturday, before the latest release of US diplomatic cables.
Rape allegationAfter the Afghan document release, Mr Assange travelled to Sweden and applied for residence and a work permit.
The Ecuadorean president has slapped down the idea of offering Mr Assange residence With its strong traditions of press freedom, the country could have become a safe haven. However, he soon faced allegations of rape and sexual molestation from two Swedish women, which now represent the most immediate threat to his liberty.
He denies any wrongdoing, saying he had consensual sex with both women.
In November a warrant was issued for his arrest, to enable Swedish prosecutors to question him, followed by the European Arrest Warrant. One appeal against the Swedish warrant has failed; a second is pending.
Mr Assange's London lawyer, Mark Stephens, has argued that the European Arrest Warrant is invalid, because his client has not been charged. However, SOCA says no charge is necessary - it is sufficient that the individual is "facing prosecution".
In the midst of these legal proceedings, in October, Sweden rejected his request for residency.
Subsequently, Mr Assange is said to have raised the possibility of taking refuge in Switzerland or Iceland.
'Red notice'While both are members of Interpol and both have extradition treaties with the US, this does not automatically make them hostile territory for him.
A "red notice" issued by Interpol on Tuesday informing all of its 188 member countries that he is wanted in Sweden does not legally oblige any of them to hand Mr Assange over - though a spokesman said told the BBC that "usually they feel duty bound to do so".
Equally, while a country that has signed an extradition treaty with the US might usually be expected to give him up, it might not if the crime was regarded as a political one.
Ecuador briefly appeared a promising haven earlier this week, when deputy foreign minister Kintto Lucas said he would be welcome to take up residence there - but President Rafael Correa subsequently dismissed the idea.
Another possible destination might in theory have been Australia, as Mr Assange was born there and holds an Australian passport. However, this does not in practice look like a good choice for the Wikileaks founder.
Like Iceland and Switzerland, Australia is also a member of Interpol and has an extradition treaty with the US. In addition, Australia's Attorney General, Robert McClelland, said this week that police were investigating whether the latest round of Wikileaks disclosures had broken Australian law.
Furthermore, a senior Australian official once warned Mr Assange that since he played "outside the rules", he would be dealt with outside the rules - or so he told the New York Times.
Whichever country Mr Assange aims for next, his biggest problem could be getting there.
If he is currently in a European Union member state, he risks arrest as soon as he presents his passport at the border.
Wikileaks: UK allowed US to use cluster bomb 'loophole'
The UK kept quiet about a loophole allowing the US to continue storing cluster bombs on its territory despite an international ban on the weapons, a leaked US diplomatic cable suggests.
A senior Foreign Office official is quoted in the message sent in May 2009.
Dropped from the air or fired from the ground, cluster munitions release small bomblets over a wide area.
Critics say they have a devastating humanitarian impact - most victims are civilians; a third are children.
Britain was among more than 90 countries which signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) in December 2008. The treaty bans the use of cluster bombs and prohibits signatories from assisting other countries to use, stockpile or transfer them.
The then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, hailed the treaty as a "major breakthrough".
'Temporary exception'But the US - along with other major military powers such as Russia, China, India and Pakistan - was not a signatory. And that clearly put the UK in an awkward position with a key ally.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
End Quote Thomas Nash Cluster Munition CoalitionIf any 'authorisations' are contemplated by the secretary of state, they should be subject to strict parliamentary scrutiny”
Britain leases the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to the US, where the Americans have a major base in which cluster bombs are stored. Britain's public stance is that the US military has until 2013 to remove them.
In April this year, the then Minister for International Defence and Security, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, assured Parliament: "I can confirm that the US has identified its cluster munitions on UK territory as exceeding its worldwide operational planning requirements. Therefore, these cluster munitions will be removed from sites in the UK in 2010 and from all UK territories by 2013."
But one of the cables released by the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks, shows the Foreign Office suggested a loophole to allow the US to keep cluster bombs on British soil should be kept from Parliament.
The cable reveals that the UK offered the Americans "temporary storage exception for specific missions". No details are given, but it is clear that this was something the government was keen to keep quiet.
The cable quotes a senior Foreign Office official as noting: "It would be better for the USG [US government] and HMG [Her Majesty's Government] not to reach final agreement on this temporary agreement understanding until after the CCM ratification process is completed in Parliament, so that they can tell parliamentarians that they have requested the USG to remove its cluster munitions by 2013, without complicating/muddying the debate by having to indicate that this request is open to exceptions."
'Concern'The cable also reveals that most of the US cluster munitions are being stored on US vessels off Diego Garcia, apparently to circumvent the ban on the weapons remaining on British soil after 2013.
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“Start Quote
End Quote UK Foreign and Commonwealth OfficeWe reject any allegation that the FCO deliberately misled or failed in our obligation to inform Parliament”
It states that the head of the Foreign Office's Security Policy Group, Nicolas Pickard, "reconfirmed that off-shore storage on US ships would still be permitted".
Responding to the leaked cable, Thomas Nash from the campaign group, Cluster Munition Coalition, told the BBC: "The UK has banned cluster bombs entirely and is bound never to assist with use of cluster munitions by any country ever again. Along with 107 other countries, the UK condemned the use of cluster bombs in the final declaration of the first meeting of state parties to the cluster bomb ban in Lao PDR [People's Democratic Republic] last month.
"The cable also raises concern about respect for Parliament and for democratic practices on the part of the UK government. The so-called exceptions in the UK law should never be used and cluster bombs should never be anywhere near Diego Garcia again," he added.
"If any 'authorisations' are contemplated by the secretary of state, they should be subject to strict parliamentary scrutiny."
The Foreign Office responded to the publication of the cable by saying: "We reject any allegation that the FCO deliberately misled or failed in our obligation to inform Parliament."
Snow and ice causes disruption as cold spell continues
Temperatures are set to plunge again overnight after one of the coldest starts to December in more than 20 years has caused chaos across the UK.
Some 4,000 schools have been closed, and Edinburgh and Gatwick airports will be shut until at least Thursday.
Transport secretary Philip Hammond has called for an urgent review of how well the Highways Agency has coped.
The Met Office has issued heavy snow warnings for Scotland and north-east, eastern and south-east England.
Temperatures were at -16C (3F) in the Highlands on Wednesday, and the Forth Road Bridge was closed for the first time since it opened in 1964 but has now reopened.
Avalanche warningIn England, heavy snow warnings are in place for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East, and London and the South.
In Scotland the warnings apply to Grampian, Strathclyde, Central, Tayside and Fife, and South West, Lothian and Borders.
A Gatwick spokesman said: "Given the latest weather forecasts, Gatwick's runway will remain closed until at least 10am tomorrow [Thursday], which means no flights will depart or arrive during this time. There will also be significant disruption, delays and cancellations."
More than 250,000 Scottish children have had a day off - about 40% of all those of school age - many for the third consecutive day, with a third of councils closing all their schools.
Some local authorities have told parents that schools will remain closed for the rest of the week. In total, more than 1,500 of 2,722 schools were shut.
Continue reading the main story
WEATHER AND TRAVEL INFO
- Get the latest on school closures and travel problems via your local website
- Check if snow is forecast in your area at BBC Weather
- Details of motorway and local road closures and public transport disruption are available at BBC Travel News
- For advice on handling difficult driving conditions, see the Highways Agency website
- For information about severe weather warnings, see the Met Office website
- For information about staying healthy in the cold weather, see the NHS Winter Health website
An avalanche warning was issued in the Cairngorms, near Aviemore, a popular location for skiers.
Police were advising people not to travel unless absolutely necessary - especially in the worst-hit areas of Scotland, Yorkshire, Derbyshire and south-east England.
Supt Chris Moon, of Surrey Police, said the county's conditions were the worst he had ever seen and were likely to deteriorate further.
He added: "I have put out several severe weather warnings in my career, but this one I really must stress."
Police in Kent advised freight traffic not to enter the county unless absolutely necessary as gale force winds are forecast. Some roads in the west and north of the county were impassable due to snow and ice.
'People moving'Thousands of rail commuters faced severe disruption to their journeys in Scotland and northern England, particularly in the Sheffield area. London and the South East also suffered.
Southeastern trains, which runs out of London Victoria and Charing Cross, is operating an emergency timetable and services will finish early.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
End Quote Tracy Gell Bride-to-beI had a text from the photographer who couldn't get through, the wedding car couldn't get through, so I decided: I can't wear my dress without ruining it, so we'll postpone”
There were delays on the East Coast Main Line, with an hourly service between London and Edinburgh, and reduced services between London and both Leeds and Newcastle.
Half of Eurostar's services between London and Brussels on Thursday have been cancelled, as have seven out of 17 services each way between London and Paris.
National Rail Enquiries has set up a hotline for information about snow-related disruption on 08453 017 641, and also has updates at @nationalrailenq on Twitter.
About one third of all rail services were suffering delays or cancellations at Wednesday lunchtime.
Ashwin Kumar, of rail watchdog Passenger Focus, called on train companies to do all they could to make life easier for their customers.
He said: "We need better information systems so that we can cope when disruption does happen."
The Association of Train Operating Companies said rail operators and Network Rail were "doing all they can to keep trains moving and get people to where they need to be".
One of the worst affected areas of England is South Yorkshire, where snowfall of up to 30cm (12in) has brought parts of the county to a standstill.
About 300 schools were shut, bus services suspended in Sheffield, Rotherham, and Doncaster, and there were delays and cancellations on train services between Sheffield and Leeds, as well as flights being halted at Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster.
Hospitals in South Yorkshire asked patients not to attend unless urgent, and they asked off-duty medical staff to make their way into work if possible.
Sheffield City Council cancelled a full council meeting for the first time and the Halifax Courier newspaper did not make it out, also for the first time, because it was stuck at the printers in Sheffield.
The Lincolnshire village of Binbrook has been effectively cut off since Monday. Local shops have begun to run out of supplies.
About 100 motorists will spend the night at South Anston methodist chapel near Sheffield, after being stranded on the A57 since Tuesday evening.
Police say they are increasingly concerned about fell walker Gwenda Merriot, 60, from Wiltshire, who was last seen in Ambleside in the Lake District on Wednesday morning. Heavy snowfall was forecast for the area overnight.
Night journeyTemperatures hit a low of -20C (-4F) in Altnaharra in the Highlands overnight on Tuesday.
The early cold spell has taken everyone by surprise BBC weather forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker said there was 1m (3ft) of snow across parts of north-east England.
More heavy snow was expected on Wednesday afternoon and evening across southern England from Hampshire to southern Essex and possibly into London.
There could be up to 30cm of snow in southern England by the end of Thursday. There will also be more snow showers in north-east England.
On Thursday night, temperatures of up to -25C (-13F) to -30C (-22F) in some parts of Scotland are forecast.
The disruption on Wednesday included:
- Severe disruption for air passengers at Gatwick Airport where its runways are closed until 1000 GMT on Thursday. Edinburgh Airport is also closed until at least Thursday morning. Guernsey Airport, Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster and Durham Tees Valley Airport were also shut, while other airports were disrupted. Passengers are advised to check with their airline
- Hundreds of school closures in England, including nearly 1,000 full or partial closures in West, North and South Yorkshire, about 330 schools in Essex, about 550 in the South East and Surrey, more than 800 in the East Midlands and 195 across Tyneside, Wearside, County Durham and Northumberland. In Jersey, all the island's schools were closed
- The M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh was down to one lane in each direction
- In Kent, the M20 is closed eastbound between J11 and J12 due to the tailback of traffic and volume of HGVs wanting to use the Channel Tunnel
- In Derbyshire, one lane was closed on the M1 southbound, with delays between J29, A617 (Chesterfield) and J28, A38 (Alfreton), because of recovery work and a jack-knifed lorry
- In West Yorkshire, one lane was blocked on the M62 in both directions between J23, A640 (Huddersfield) and J26, M606 (Chain Bar), because of snow
In Sheffield, bride-to-be Tracy Gell had to call off her big day because it turned out to be too much of a white wedding.
She told the BBC: "I had a text from the photographer who couldn't get through, the wedding car couldn't get through, so I decided: I can't wear my dress without ruining it, so we'll postpone."
On Tuesday evening many drivers and rail passengers were stuck for hours as the weather worsened.
Tony Scott started his journey home from London to Tonbridge in Kent at 1730 GMT on Tuesday and had still not arrived home 10 hours later.
The AA had attended 11,300 breakdowns across the UK by 1500 GMT on Wednesday, with the busiest areas said to be London, especially the south of the capital, Yorkshire, Kent, north-east England and Aberdeen.
The motoring organisation said there had been a failure to deal with jams on motorways and major roads, and breakdown service Green Flag said local authorities had not spread enough grit on minor roads.
Mr Hammond said: "Decisions about closing the motorway would be decisions for the Highways Agency and enforcement of traffic regulations are of course, a matter for the police," he told the BBC.
"We will work together with all the agencies concerned to look at what has happened, to look at how best, and how most effectively, to tackle the problems that we have seen in order to get the motorways working, to get the railways working, and to get Britain back to normal as quickly as we possibly can."
Halfords said an additional 16,600 sledges were being shipped in to meet increased demands.
Snowfall disrupts northern Europe's airports and roads
Snow has shut Geneva airport, while eight homeless people have died in after the mercury dropped below -20C in Poland
Heavy snowfall has caused disruption across northern Europe, closing airports and bringing traffic to a standstill.
In Poland, eight homeless people died as temperatures fell below -20C (-4F).
Airports were closed in the UK, France and Switzerland. Dozens of flights were affected in Germany and Spain.
Prominent figures including Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero faced delays as they headed to Zurich for the Fifa World Cup vote.
In the Russian capital, Moscow, temperatures dropped to -23.6C (-10.5F), the lowest on record for 1 December since 1931.
In Poland it was even colder, with the eastern city of Bialystok registering temperatures of -26C (-14.8F).
Police in the country appealed to the public to get in touch if they found any homeless people living outdoors after eight homeless men were found frozen to death.
Winter warningsIn Britain, thousands of schools were closed and police in the southern county of Surrey described conditions as the worst they had ever seen.
The Met Office has issued heavy snow warnings for much of the eastern side of Britain and some central areas.
Passengers faced delays of up to an hour on Eurostar services linking London with Paris and Brussels.
One of Britain's busiest airports, Gatwick, was closed, as was Edinburgh airport. Geneva airport in Switzerland and Lyon-Bron airport in southern France were also closed as staff struggled to clear runways of snow.
There were severe flight delays reported in Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Prague.
In France, 12 regions in the frozen east and centre banned the use of lorries, forcing more than 7,000 of them to park overnight.
Thick snow across Germany blocked roads, and caused flight cancellations and school closures. Bild newspaper said it was the coldest start to December for centuries, with some areas reporting temperatures as low as -18C (-0.4F).
Increased demand for gas and electricity saw a rise in prices on Europe's energy markets.
Continue reading the main story
WEATHER AND TRAVEL INFO
"It's insane, there's a lot of panic," one gas market participant was quoted as telling Reuters news agency. "If we have the smallest supply issue it's going to be worrisome."
In northern Italy, where heavy rains have caused severe flooding in some areas this week, the Civil Protection Authority warned more downpours were expected.
Rome's Tiber river came close to overflowing in parts after water levels rose by more than a metre in one day.
In Albania, meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared due to widespread flooding along the Drini River delta north-west of the capital, Tirana.
Laura Tobin on the icy weather conditions across Europe
While the north of the continent shivered, though, it was a different picture in parts of southern Europe, with Cyprus enjoying an unseasonably warm start to December and clocking temperatures close to 30C (86F).
Wikileaks: Russia branded 'mafia state' in recent cable
A senior Spanish prosecutor told the US Embassy in Madrid that Russia, Belarus and Chechnya had become virtual "mafia states", new disclosures of classified material by Wikileaks show.
A cable also questions whether Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is implicated in the Russian mafia.
Another reveals that a powerful Ukrainian businessman told US officials he had ties to Russian organised crime.
The documents are among hundreds being released by the whistle-blower website.
On Wednesday the US online shopping giant Amazon reportedly blocked Wikileaks from its servers - a move welcomed by US officials.
Access to Wikileaks' homepage was sporadic on Wednesday. The website had been using Amazon servers since its Swedish-based servers came under cyber-attack twice earlier this week.
The cables, published by the Guardian newspaper, show that in January 2010, Spanish prosecutor Jose "Pepe" Grinda Gonzales claimed that in Russia, Belarus and Chechnya "one cannot differentiate between the activities of the Government and OC (organised crime) groups".
Judge Grinda led a long investigation into Russian organised crime in Spain, leading to more than 60 arrests.
A cable from the US Embassy in Madrid talks about the "unanswered question" of the extent to which Mr Putin is implicated in the mafia and whether he controls its actions.
Judge Grinda reportedly said that former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko thought Russian intelligence controlled organised crime in Russia. Mr Grinda reportedly stated that he believed this thesis was accurate.
In the cable, the judge is reported as saying he has information that certain political parties in Russia operate "hand in hand" with organised crime.
The leaked cables also show that Washington believed Mr Putin was likely to have known about the operation to murder Mr Litvinenko in London in 2006. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Wikileaks also released another cable, from the US Embassy in Kiev dated December 2008, which reveals that a Ukrainian businessman with links to the Russia state-run conglomerate Gazprom told the US ambassador he had ties to Russian organised crime.
Continue reading the main story
The Main Leaks So Far
* Fears that terrorists may acquire Pakistani nuclear material
* Several Arab leaders urged attack on Iran over nuclear issue
* US instructs spying on key UN officials
* China's changing relationship with North Korea
* Yemen approved US strikes on militants
* Personal and embarrassing comments on world leaders
* Fears over Pakistan's nuclear programme
* Afghan leader Hamid Karzai freed dangerous detainees
* Wikileaks cables: Key issues
He said he had needed the approval of a gangster called Semyon Mogilevich to get into business.
Mogilevich is believed by European and US law enforcement agencies to be the "boss of bosses" of most Russian Mafia syndicates in the world.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says that neither Moscow nor Washington will be happy at being exposed by the latest Wikileaks revelations.
She says the contents of the secret cables will place new strains on their relationship.
In other developments, Interpol has issued a notice asking for information on the whereabouts of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Interpol said the Australian was wanted for questioning in Sweden over an alleged sex offence, which he has denied.
On Wednesday the US appointed an anti-terrorism expert to lead efforts to tackle damage caused by the documents' release.
Russell Travers will try to find out how thousands of secret files were taken from government internet files. The White House said he had also been tasked with tightening security inside the US government's computer network.
Wikileaks has so far posted only 505 of the 251,287 messages it says it has obtained. However, all of the messages have been made available to five publications, including the New York Times and the Guardian.
The US has condemned the disclosures as an attack on the world community.
A cable also questions whether Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is implicated in the Russian mafia.
Another reveals that a powerful Ukrainian businessman told US officials he had ties to Russian organised crime.
The documents are among hundreds being released by the whistle-blower website.
On Wednesday the US online shopping giant Amazon reportedly blocked Wikileaks from its servers - a move welcomed by US officials.
Access to Wikileaks' homepage was sporadic on Wednesday. The website had been using Amazon servers since its Swedish-based servers came under cyber-attack twice earlier this week.
The cables, published by the Guardian newspaper, show that in January 2010, Spanish prosecutor Jose "Pepe" Grinda Gonzales claimed that in Russia, Belarus and Chechnya "one cannot differentiate between the activities of the Government and OC (organised crime) groups".
Judge Grinda led a long investigation into Russian organised crime in Spain, leading to more than 60 arrests.
A cable from the US Embassy in Madrid talks about the "unanswered question" of the extent to which Mr Putin is implicated in the mafia and whether he controls its actions.
Judge Grinda reportedly said that former Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko thought Russian intelligence controlled organised crime in Russia. Mr Grinda reportedly stated that he believed this thesis was accurate.
In the cable, the judge is reported as saying he has information that certain political parties in Russia operate "hand in hand" with organised crime.
The leaked cables also show that Washington believed Mr Putin was likely to have known about the operation to murder Mr Litvinenko in London in 2006. The Kremlin has denied any involvement.
Wikileaks also released another cable, from the US Embassy in Kiev dated December 2008, which reveals that a Ukrainian businessman with links to the Russia state-run conglomerate Gazprom told the US ambassador he had ties to Russian organised crime.
Continue reading the main story
The Main Leaks So Far
* Fears that terrorists may acquire Pakistani nuclear material
* Several Arab leaders urged attack on Iran over nuclear issue
* US instructs spying on key UN officials
* China's changing relationship with North Korea
* Yemen approved US strikes on militants
* Personal and embarrassing comments on world leaders
* Fears over Pakistan's nuclear programme
* Afghan leader Hamid Karzai freed dangerous detainees
* Wikileaks cables: Key issues
He said he had needed the approval of a gangster called Semyon Mogilevich to get into business.
Mogilevich is believed by European and US law enforcement agencies to be the "boss of bosses" of most Russian Mafia syndicates in the world.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says that neither Moscow nor Washington will be happy at being exposed by the latest Wikileaks revelations.
She says the contents of the secret cables will place new strains on their relationship.
In other developments, Interpol has issued a notice asking for information on the whereabouts of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Interpol said the Australian was wanted for questioning in Sweden over an alleged sex offence, which he has denied.
On Wednesday the US appointed an anti-terrorism expert to lead efforts to tackle damage caused by the documents' release.
Russell Travers will try to find out how thousands of secret files were taken from government internet files. The White House said he had also been tasked with tightening security inside the US government's computer network.
Wikileaks has so far posted only 505 of the 251,287 messages it says it has obtained. However, all of the messages have been made available to five publications, including the New York Times and the Guardian.
The US has condemned the disclosures as an attack on the world community.
Minggu, 28 November 2010
Masih Riset Pasar, Yamaha Tunda Buka Harga Jupiter MX
Motor
Yamaha New Jupiter MX akhirnya
resmi diperkenalkan kepada
masyarakat di Jakarta International
Expo Kemayoran. Meski sudah
dikenalkan resmi, pihak Yamaha
belum memastikan berapa harga
New
Jupiter MX ini.
New Jupiter MX ini akan resmi
dipasarkan kepada masyarakat
pada awal tahun 2011 atau pada
tanggal 1 Januari 2011.
"Karena kami masih melakukan
riset sensitivity atau riset daya tarik
masyarakat, tapi kemungkinan ini
akan lebih mahal sedikit karena
New Jupiter MX ini memiliki
teknologi yang lebih baik," ujar
Presdir PT Yamaha Motor Kencana
Indonesia Dyionisius Beti di Jakarta,
Minggu (28/11/2010).
Sebelumnya New Jupiter MX sudah
mulai dipamerkan beberapa waktu
lalu dalam Jakarta Motorcycle Show
2010.
Yamaha meyakni New Jupiter MX
yang memiliki 2 tipe yakni
AutoClutch dan Full Clutch ini akan
diterima masyarakat, apalagi
melihat penjualan Jupiter MX
selama 5 tahun belakangan ini.
"Dengan tambahan teknologi
dalam New Jupiter MX seperti pada
mesin yang memiliki lima
perputaran lebih cepat atau setara
dengan mesin Yamaha Vixion,
cakram 2 disk dan penambahan
lebar pada ban saya yakin New
Jupiter MX dapat diterima dengan
baik oleh masyarakat," ujarnya.
Pada kesempatan yang sama selain
memperkenalkan produk terbaru
mereka New Jupiter MX, Yamaha
juga mengadakan Final Yamaha
Cup Race di JI Expo Kemayoran.
Yamaha New Jupiter MX akhirnya
resmi diperkenalkan kepada
masyarakat di Jakarta International
Expo Kemayoran. Meski sudah
dikenalkan resmi, pihak Yamaha
belum memastikan berapa harga
New
Jupiter MX ini.
New Jupiter MX ini akan resmi
dipasarkan kepada masyarakat
pada awal tahun 2011 atau pada
tanggal 1 Januari 2011.
"Karena kami masih melakukan
riset sensitivity atau riset daya tarik
masyarakat, tapi kemungkinan ini
akan lebih mahal sedikit karena
New Jupiter MX ini memiliki
teknologi yang lebih baik," ujar
Presdir PT Yamaha Motor Kencana
Indonesia Dyionisius Beti di Jakarta,
Minggu (28/11/2010).
Sebelumnya New Jupiter MX sudah
mulai dipamerkan beberapa waktu
lalu dalam Jakarta Motorcycle Show
2010.
Yamaha meyakni New Jupiter MX
yang memiliki 2 tipe yakni
AutoClutch dan Full Clutch ini akan
diterima masyarakat, apalagi
melihat penjualan Jupiter MX
selama 5 tahun belakangan ini.
"Dengan tambahan teknologi
dalam New Jupiter MX seperti pada
mesin yang memiliki lima
perputaran lebih cepat atau setara
dengan mesin Yamaha Vixion,
cakram 2 disk dan penambahan
lebar pada ban saya yakin New
Jupiter MX dapat diterima dengan
baik oleh masyarakat," ujarnya.
Pada kesempatan yang sama selain
memperkenalkan produk terbaru
mereka New Jupiter MX, Yamaha
juga mengadakan Final Yamaha
Cup Race di JI Expo Kemayoran.
Indonesia Bisa Alami 8.000 Kali Gempa
Kondisi letak
geografis Indonesia yang berada
pada tiga lempeng yang bergerak
dinamis, mengakibatkan negara
ini sering terjadi gempa bumi dan
dalam setahun bisa mengalami
8.000 kali gempa bumi.
"Indonesia terletak di wilayah ring
of fire pertemuan tiga lempeng
bumi yang bergerak secara
dinamis," ungkap Utusan Khusus
Kepala Unit Kerja Presiden untuk
Pengendalian dan Pengawasan
Pembangunan (UKP4), William
Sabandar, di Makassar, Minggu
(28/11/2010).
Menurutnya, 8.000 gempa bumi
yang terjadi dalam setahun
tersebut memiliki kekuatan di atas
empat skala richter (SR).
Ia mengatakan, pergeseran
lempeng bumi inilah yang
menyebabkan terjadinya gempa
bumi di Indonesia dan juga
disertai dengan gelombang
tsunami seperti yang terjadi di
Aceh, Nias, Mentawai, dan
sejumlah daerah lainnya.
"Selain gempa bumi dengan
kekuatan di atas empat skala
richter, Indonesia juga masih
sering dilanda gempa bumi
dengan kekuatan yang lebih kecil
dengan tingkat intensitas yang
sama," imbuhnya.
"Kondisi geografis yang berada
pada wilayah ring of fire inilah
juga membuat Indonesia
memilikii 128 gunung berapi yang
masih aktif," tambahnya.
Pada bulan lalu, sudah terdapat
sebanyak 22 gunung berapi yang
aktif dan siap meletus kapan saja
serta memuntahkan lahar yang
dapat memicu bencana.
"Gesekan lempeng yang semakin
dinamis telah memicu kembali
aktifnya banyak gunung berapi di
Indonesia, dan bahkan yang telah
tertidur selama ratusan tahun,"
tuturnya.
Hal ini, kata dia, menunjukkan
bahwa masyarakat Indonesia
memang harus semakin
mengakrabkan diri dengan
bencana alam, mengingat kondisi
alam yang menuntutnya seperti
itu.
Hidup akrab dengan bencana ini
harus dimaknai sebagai kesiapan
dan kesiagaan masyarakat
Indonesia menghadapi bencana
yang bisa datang kapan saja.
geografis Indonesia yang berada
pada tiga lempeng yang bergerak
dinamis, mengakibatkan negara
ini sering terjadi gempa bumi dan
dalam setahun bisa mengalami
8.000 kali gempa bumi.
"Indonesia terletak di wilayah ring
of fire pertemuan tiga lempeng
bumi yang bergerak secara
dinamis," ungkap Utusan Khusus
Kepala Unit Kerja Presiden untuk
Pengendalian dan Pengawasan
Pembangunan (UKP4), William
Sabandar, di Makassar, Minggu
(28/11/2010).
Menurutnya, 8.000 gempa bumi
yang terjadi dalam setahun
tersebut memiliki kekuatan di atas
empat skala richter (SR).
Ia mengatakan, pergeseran
lempeng bumi inilah yang
menyebabkan terjadinya gempa
bumi di Indonesia dan juga
disertai dengan gelombang
tsunami seperti yang terjadi di
Aceh, Nias, Mentawai, dan
sejumlah daerah lainnya.
"Selain gempa bumi dengan
kekuatan di atas empat skala
richter, Indonesia juga masih
sering dilanda gempa bumi
dengan kekuatan yang lebih kecil
dengan tingkat intensitas yang
sama," imbuhnya.
"Kondisi geografis yang berada
pada wilayah ring of fire inilah
juga membuat Indonesia
memilikii 128 gunung berapi yang
masih aktif," tambahnya.
Pada bulan lalu, sudah terdapat
sebanyak 22 gunung berapi yang
aktif dan siap meletus kapan saja
serta memuntahkan lahar yang
dapat memicu bencana.
"Gesekan lempeng yang semakin
dinamis telah memicu kembali
aktifnya banyak gunung berapi di
Indonesia, dan bahkan yang telah
tertidur selama ratusan tahun,"
tuturnya.
Hal ini, kata dia, menunjukkan
bahwa masyarakat Indonesia
memang harus semakin
mengakrabkan diri dengan
bencana alam, mengingat kondisi
alam yang menuntutnya seperti
itu.
Hidup akrab dengan bencana ini
harus dimaknai sebagai kesiapan
dan kesiagaan masyarakat
Indonesia menghadapi bencana
yang bisa datang kapan saja.
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