Indonesia mine blast toll rises to 17: officials

JAKARTA (AFP) – The death toll from a massive explosion in an Indonesian coal mine rose to 17 with dozens still trapped and feared dead deep underground, officials said.

Rescuers working overnight pulled eight bodies from the mine in West Sumatra province, which collapsed after an explosion of methane gas on Tuesday, provincial disaster management chief Ade Edward said.



The accident left nine people injured in hospital, while 19 were believed to be trapped underground, Edward said. A figure from the health ministry's crisis centre put the number of missing at 23.

"There's a large chance that they're already dead because there's a lot of carbon dioxide there," he said.

The blast at the mine in Sawah Lunto district sent flames 50 metres (165 feet) into the air and left a huge crater on the surface, officials have said.

Miners were using traditional methods with few modern safety measures in place.

A disaster response official Adriyusman said a dangerous concentration of methane was hampering efforts by rescuers to get to the miners trapped around 100 metres below ground.

"If we look at those that have been taken out I don't think it's likely (the others survived). It's up to God's will," he said.

Indonesia has the largest coal reserves in the Asia-Pacific region behind Australia, India and China, according to the World Coal Institute.

It is the world's second largest coal exporter after Australia.


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BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AFP) – Superstar Kaka, buoyed by his recent high-profile move from AC Milan to Real Madrid, is ready to accept more responsibility as a senior player with Brazil.

The 27-year-old, who signed a six-year contract with the Spanish giants for a reported fee of 65 million euros earlier this month, recognises his growing stature as a senior player in Dunga's national team.



His willingness to step up was evident in Brazil's 4-3 victory over Egypt in the Confederations Cup here.

When the referee blew for a penalty in injury time with the scores tied 3-3, the Brazil No.10 showed no hesitation, immediately making his way to the spot before placing his strike past goalkeeper Essam El Hadary.

"Yes, I'm now a leader within the squad. Definitely not the only one, but one of several," he told Fifa.com.

"It is to be expected that more senior players such as myself, Gilberto Silva, Lucio or even Robinho should take on more responsibilities.

"It's a role that I take in my stride as it's a natural progression, it's not something that was forced upon me."

His decision to step forward for the penalty kick in a pressure situation was seen by many as a defining moment and one that he said he had learned to handle during his time at AC Milan.

"I think that my attitude is what people expect from me in the national team," said the midfielder, who will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real next season after the Portuguese forward's move from Manchester United.

"As for the crucial penalty against Egypt, for example, I'm used to those situations from my last few seasons at AC Milan, so it's only natural that I should perform a similar role for the national team."

Kaka was at AC Milan since arriving from Sao Paolo in 2003, scoring 70 goals in Serie A and 23 in the Champions League.

He won the 2007 Champions League with them, the 2004 league title, two European Super Cups and the world club championship in 2007.

His experience also stretches to World Cups.

He was part of the winning squad at Korea/Japan in 2002, though in a peripheral role, and was a starter at Germany 2006 in a team packed with household names like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Cafu and Ronaldinho.

Despite his high-profile summer transfer the Brasilia-born attacking midfielder, crowned FIFA World Player of the Year in 2007, was not at his best last season, spending time on the sidelines with injuries.

But he is now fit and gnashing at the bit, keen to see Brazil win the Confederations Cup and do well at the World Cup in South Africa next year.

"Playing in the Confederations Cup is a great opportunity ahead of the 2010 World Cup, and as long as we remain strong in adversity like against Egypt, I think we'll be on the right track," he said.


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Gerbang Belakang Brimob Ditutupi Police Line

Gerbang masuk di bagian belakang kompleks Brimob Kelapa Dua, Depok, ditutup dengan police line pasca-ledakan yang terjadi di Markas Komando (Mako) Brimob Kelapa Dua, Depok, Rabu (17/6), dini hari. Sejumlah petugas Brimob berjaga di depan gerbang. Tampak pula Mobile Security Barier yang diparkir di depan gerbang.


Sementara itu, warga sekitar yang tinggal berbatasan dengan kompleks Mako masih memenuhi ruas jalan Garuda, Kampung Rumbut, yang berbatasan langsung dengan kompleks TKP. Warga masih penasaran dengan kondisi di dalam TKP pasca-kejadian. Mereka memanjat sebuah tembok yang pendek untuk melihat ke dalam. Bahkan ada yang hanya lewat sengaja turun dari kendaraannya untuk mengintip sebentar.

Dini salah satunya. Dia mengaku penasaran melihat kondisi pasca-ledakan. Sayangnya, yang terlihat hanya petugas yang berjaga serta Kantor Sat I/Gegana Brimob Kelapa Dua yang kacanya pecah sebagian. Bangunan yang meledak berada di belakang kantor ini. Hingga saat ini, penyebab ledakan belum diketahui secara pasti. Puslabfor masih melakukan penyelidikan di TKP.

Sumber : Kompas.com

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Miskin, Lapar, Penyakitan, Bencana yang Mengintai Manusia hingga 2050

Pertemuan antarpemerintah yang membahas perubahan iklim memperkirakan pertambahan konsentrasi gas rumah kaca secara terus-menerus yang mengakibatkan meningkatnya temperatur bumi dua hingga tiga derajat celsius pada 2050.

"Meningkatnya temperatur itu akan diikuti dengan melelehnya es di kutub dan meningkatnya ketinggian laut," kata Penasihat Kesehatan Lingkungan Organisasi Kesehatan Dunia (WHO) perwakilan Indonesia, Sharad Adhikary, di Jakarta.


Menurut dia, kondisi tersebut akan terus berlanjut jika manusia terlambat mengadopsi tindakan efektif untuk mengontrol lebih dari 70 juta ton gas rumah kaca yang setiap tahun dibuang ke lapisan tipis atmosfer.

Keseimbangan atmosfer yang menopang kehidupan umat manusia saat ini telah luar biasa rapuh. Kerusakan akibat perbuatan manusia yang terus melepaskan gas rumah kaca akan mengakibatkan konsekuensi drastis yang melintasi batas ras, etnis, agama, ekonomi, dan politik.

"Akibatnya, bumi dan manusia di atasnya akan menjadi lebih miskin, lapar, berpenyakit, serta bencana banjir," katanya.

Menurut dia, tidak ada satu pun manusia atau negara yang dapat menghindar dari dampak perubahan iklim ini.

Ia menuturkan, diperlukan cara untuk beradaptasi dan membangun ketahanan akibat kerentanan dari perubahan iklim yang hingga saat ini masih menjadi pernyataan.

Sumber : Kompas.com
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Awas! Hacker Serang Facebook

HACKER dikabarkan telah melancarkan serangan terhadap 200 juta pengguna Facebook di seluruh dunia. Laporan tersebut disampaikan pada Kamis (14/5) kemarin. Dari laporan tersebut dikatakan bahwa hacker telah berhasil mengumpulkan password dari jutaan pengguna Facebook.



Barry Schnitt (juru bicara Facebook) mengatakan kalau pihaknya kini tengah membersihkan kerusakan dari serangan tersebut. Lagi, Schnitt menambahkan kalau Facebook kini telah mengambil langkah dengan melakukan pemblokiran terhadap alamat Facebook yang disinyalir sudah terkena serangan Hacker. Sayangnya, Schnitt menolak untuk menyebutkan jumlah alamat Facebook yang telah terinfeksi.

Lagi-lagi Phising yang menjadi andalan utama terjadinya penyerangan tersebut. Dengan teknik Phising-lah para hacker mampu menjebol beberapa akun Facebook, yang kemudian mengirim e-mail ke alamat si pemilik alamat Facebook untuk mengunjungi link sesat Facebook.

Pengguna yang berhasil terkena jebakan akan mendapati situs Facebook palsu yang memiliki desain mirip dengan Facebook asli. Yang membedakan adalah teknik login yang digunakan, yakni pengguna akan didorong untuk melakukan login kembali untuk dapat kembali masuk ke dalam situs tersebut. Namun yang terjadi sebenarnya adalah pengguna sedang dikontrol oleh si hacker yang akan mencuri password.

Schnitt menambahkan bahwa tim Facebook kini telah berhasil mengumpulkan sejumlah besar data rahasia pengguna, termasuk password. Tujuannya tak lain adalah agar suatu waktu para hacker tersebut dapat menggunakan akun tersebut untuk mengirim spam obat kimia atau perangkat lainnya kepada para member Facebook di seluruh dunia.

Adapun domain palsu yang digunakan adalah www.151.im, www.121.im dan www.123.im. Facebook mangaku kalau domain-domain tersebut kini sudah dihapus. Menurut Schnitt, serangan hacker tersebut lebih mengarah kepada pencurian dan spam. (INFOKOMPUTER)


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