Merkel proposes UN economic body
 Mrs Merkel leads one of the world's most important economies |
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proposed the creation of a United Nations Economic Council modelled on the UN Security Council.
In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, she called for the adoption of a post-crisis global economic charter.
The charter would be based on sustainable economics and the Economic Council would oversee markets.
It is an idea that Mrs Merkel has advocated previously.
"All of these issues... need to be enshrined in a charter for the global economic order," she said.
"This may even lead to a UN Economic Council, just as the Security Council was created after World War II."
The idea of creating a UN Economic Council was proposed by Mrs Merkel when she met French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris earlier this month.
Zimbabwe rival agrees unity plan
Zimbabwe rival agrees unity plan
 Morgan Tsvangirai would become prime minister under the deal |
Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said his party will join a unity government with President Robert Mugabe next month.
The deal, proposed by Southern African leaders, would see Mr Tsvangirai sworn in as prime minister on 11 February.
A power-sharing deal between his MDC party and Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF was signed last September, but got bogged down in increasingly bitter disputes.
The new timetable was proposed by the Southern African Development Community.
"We are unequivocal, we will go into this government," MrTsvangirai was quoted by French news agency AFP as saying.
"The SADC (Southern African Development Community) has decided and we are bound by that decision." The MDC had earlier said that the outcome of the latest SADC summit fell "far short" of its expectations.
The BBC's Southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says that agreeing to the deal requires a leap of faith for the MDC, which has no trust in Mr Mugabe.
But the decision to commit itself was the only realistic option short of abandoning plans for a unity government, he says.
Joint committee
The wrangling over power-sharing has paralysed Zimbabwe's government for months.
Zimbabwe is suffering from rampant inflation, an escalating food crisis and an outbreak of cholera.
 | SADC's POWER-SHARE TIMELINE 5 Feb: Zimbabwe to pass power-sharing constitutional amendment 11 Feb: PM-designate Tsvangirai and his deputies to be sworn in 13 Feb: Remaining ministers and their deputies to take office |
Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF and the MDC also agreed on Friday to set up a joint committee to monitor the power-sharing pact.
The body is the first structure to be formed as a result of political agreement, according to South African mediator Sydney Mufamadi.
The move appeared to be a further sign that the political rivals might be close to implementing their power-sharing agreement, which was signed in September.
The committee would deal with any breaches in the power-sharing deal and could also address concerns the MDC may have about the arrest of party members and activists.
South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, who chaired an emergency summit this week to get a deal, said the MDC was committed to a timeline agreed by the parties.
This would see MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai sworn in as prime minister on February 11.
Our correspondent says it is clear Mr Tsvangirai has come under a lot of pressure to agree to a deal that the MDC does not fully support.
Refinery strikes spread across UK
Refinery strikes spread across UK
 The walkouts began in Lincolnshire and have reached Wales and Scotland |
Strikes have been breaking out across the UK in support of a mass walkout by energy workers in Lincolnshire angry at the use of foreign workers.
Hundreds are gathered for the third day of the original strike at Lindsey Oil Refinery after owner Total gave a
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Blagojevich set to speak at trial
Blagojevich set to speak at trial
 Rod Blagojevich has previously refused to take part in the trial |
The scandal-hit governor of the US state of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is expected to make a closing statement at his impeachment trial on Thursday.
Mr Blagojevich is appearing before the Illinois state senate, charged with trying to sell the seat vacated by Barack Obama when he became president.
His request to speak shocked the Senate when it was announced on Wednesday.
Mr Blagojevich, who denies wrongdoing, had earlier said he would not take any part in the trial.
Since Mr Blagojevich was arrested last month, he has persistently denied the charges against him and has refused to resign.
He says he is the victim of a political vendetta.
If he is found guilty of abusing his power he will be forced from office.
FBI testimony
Mr Blagojevich, a Democrat, was arrested in December and charged with soliciting bribes.
| CHARGES AGAINST BLAGOJEVICH Federal agents say Mr Blagojevich Tried to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions Tried to use state funds for the private purpose of inducing the Tribune Company to fire Chicago Tribune editorial board members critical of him Tried to obtain personal financial benefits for himself in return for his appointment of a US senator  |
The vote to impeach him was passed by 114 votes to one, although only 60 votes were needed for the motion to pass.
The impeachment follows an investigation by a 21-member committee of Illinois legislators, which looked at testimony from FBI agents who wiretapped phone calls to and from the governor's office about who should fill President Obama's seat.
It is alleged the conversations show that Mr Blagojevich was trying to use the seat to get himself or his wife a job.
The panel said the evidence showed Mr Blagojevich was not fit to be governor, and voted unanimously to proceed to an impeachment vote.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Care home boss on murder charge
Care home boss on murder charge
 Parkfields was closed by inspectors in March 2007 |
Police investigating the suspicious deaths of 12 residents at a Somerset care home have charged its co-manager with three counts of murder.
Rachel Baker has been charged in connection with the deaths of Francis Hay, Marion Alder and Lucy Cox.
She is also facing 11 counts of possessing a controlled drug.
Mrs Baker and her husband Leigh, who managed the Parkfields Residential Home, were questioned in 2007 over the deaths of four women and a man.
In September 2008 the pair were questioned over seven other deaths but police refused to give any more details.
The couple had managed the care home for more than a decade.
The pair, from Glastonbury, were first arrested following the death of resident Lucy Cox, 97, on New Year's Day.
Both were originally questioned on suspicion of murdering four women and one man at the home and drug possession.
Subsequently police exhumed the bodies of Nellie "Mary" Pickford, 89, Marion Alder, 79, and 81-year-old Fred Green.
The identity of the fifth suspected victim has not been revealed.
The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate (CSCI) closed The Parkfield Care Home, at Butleigh near Glastonbury - in March 2007.
UN to back attack on Congo rebels
UN to back attack on Congo rebels
 Rwandan troops entered DR Congo last week |
The UN mission to DR Congo (Monuc) says it will provide support to the joint DR Congo-Rwanda operation against Hutu rebels in the east of the country.
The UN force said it would provide transport for troops and medical assistance, but would not participate directly in the operation.
Rwandan troops entered DR Congo last week and arrested Congolese Tutsi rebel leader Laurent Nkunda.
The joint operation is now advancing on the FDLR Hutu rebels.
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) presence in eastern DR Congo has been a key factor in more than a decade of instability in the region.
It is a largely ethnic Hutu militia, some of whose leaders are accused of involvement in Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
|   Our priority is to protect civilians and Monuc cannot stay on the sidelines of this operation  Lt Col Jean-Paul DietrichMonuc spokesman |
Gen Nkunda always said his own rebellion was necessary to protect his Congolese Tutsi community from the FDLR.
Members of Gen Nkunda's group, the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), are joining the Congolese army following a split.
Monuc said it would help integrate the former CNDP rebels into the Congolese army, so they can help with the offensive against the FDLR.
A ceremony is set to be held later on Wednesday at a military camp near Rutshuru in North Kivu province to begin the week-long integration process.
"Our priority is to protect civilians and Monuc cannot stay on the sidelines of this operation. We must be present," Monuc spokesman Lt Col Jean-Paul Dietrich said.
The BBC's Thomas Fessy in Rutshuru says more than 6,000 former CNDP members are joining the Congolese forces.
Both DR Congo and Rwanda have been accused in the past of fighting a proxy war through militias in the region - with Rwanda backing Gen Nkunda and DR Congo supporting the FDLR.
But in mid-November Rwanda shifted its position, saying it would work with the Congolese to destroy the Hutu rebels.
Correspondents say it seems intense diplomacy has led to a deal under which DR Congo lets Rwanda act against its FDLR enemies, in return for taking out Gen Nkunda.
If both groups are neutralised, peace in the region would become a realistic prospect, say analysts.
On-and-off fighting involving the CNDP, FDLR, the army and pro-government militias has forced more than one million people in North Kivu to flee their homes since late 2006.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
'Blast' on Israeli-Gazan border
'Blast' on Israeli-Gazan border
 |
There has been an explosion along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military had no immediate confirmation of any casualties, though one Arab news agency said an Israeli soldier had been killed.
There has also been a report of clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants near the border.
Israeli troops withdrew from Gaza last week after an offensive to stop militant rocket fire. More than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tamil Tiger leader 'has not fled'
Tamil Tiger leader 'has not fled'
 Velupillai Prabhakaran "is with our people", the rebels say |
The top leader of the Tamil Tigers has not left Sri Lanka and is still leading the "freedom struggle", the rebels' political leader has said.
B Nadesan told the BBC by telephone that reports Velupillai Prabhakaran had fled were "malicious propaganda". He promised the rebels would fight on.
Fears for civilians are growing - the UN says dozens are dead or injured.
Sri Lanka's army has pushed the rebels from their strongholds. Mullaitivu, their last major base, fell on Sunday.
There is no way of confirming claims from either side in the conflict zone as independent journalists are barred.
'Liberation war'
Speaking exclusively to the BBC Sinhala service, Mr Nadesan rejected claims Mr Prabhakaran had fled.
"It is malicious propaganda - our leader is still with us - our leader is giving leadership to our freedom struggle. He is with our people," he said.
| INSURGENCY TIMELINE 1976: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam form in the north-east 1987: India deploys peace-keepers to Tamil areas but they leave in 1990 1993: President Premadasa killed by Tiger bomb 2001: Attack on airport destroys half Sri Lankan Airlines fleet 2002: Government and rebels agree ceasefire 2005: Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes president 2006: Heavy fighting resumes 2009: Army takes main rebel bases of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu |
Mr Nadesan also said the Tigers would not lay down arms until the freedom and dignity of their people were guaranteed.
He shrugged off recent military setbacks which have seen the loss of the key bases of Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass and Mullaitivu.
He said: "In a liberation war it is normal for a force to lose territory and regain the same and achieve freedom. In the past we have withdrawn many times and bounced back to achieve big victories."
When asked why the rebels would not lay down their arms and talk to the government, Mr Nadesan said: "We took up arms to safeguard our people. We need a guarantee of living with freedom and dignity and sovereignty... until that, we will not come to that point."
Mr Nadesan also accused the army of shelling civilians in areas the government had designated safe zones.
Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC the army had no need to fire at civilian areas.
Brig Nanayakkara said the rebels were firing from the safe zone "but we don't engage them".
'Crisis'
The district director of health for Kilinochchi region, T Satyamurthy, also spoke to the BBC and said that between 1 and 25 January, 145 civilians had died due to the conflict in the region and more than 650 had been admitted to hospitals.
Government-released footage of the fighting around Mullaitivu
Dr Satyamurthy, the most senior government health official in the district, said that on Monday 27 civilians had been killed and 76 wounded when about 1,000 shells fell on the Udayarkatta and Nattangandal hospital complex in Mullaitivu district.
Dr Satyamurthy said the shelling came from the south "where the SLA [Sri Lankan army] is camping".
"We don't have any staff or medicine - security is a major problem, so we can't work properly," Dr Satyamurthy said.
Brig Nanayakkara insisted the army had "no connection whatsoever with these civilian deaths".
I wish the world knew more on the basics of the conflict, rather than knowing what happened yesterday or today
He said all government officials in the region were "making statements under the pressure from terrorists. I can clearly say that they are making these statements to save their lives".
The UN has also expressed concerns about civilian deaths, saying dozens had been killed.
Resident coordinator Neil Buhne told the Associated Press news agency the situation was desperate.
"There have been many civilians killed over the last two days. It's really a crisis now."
There are thought to be about 250,000 civilians in the area in which the rebels are still operating.
The army took Mullaitivu town - the last major Tiger base - on Sunday.
The military says it is now advancing into the 300 sq km (115 sq mile) triangle of land in which the Tamil Tigers are still operating.
Mr Nadesan said the rebels hold twice that area.
The government has vowed to crush the rebels, who have been fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils for 25 years. At least 70,000 people have been killed during the insurgency.
| MAP OF THE REGION  |
'Civilians die' in S Lanka battle
'Civilians die' in S Lanka battle
Government-released footage of the fighting around Mullaitivu
The UN in Sri Lanka says dozens of civilians have been killed or injured in fighting between troops and rebels in the north-east in the past few days.
Senior UN spokesman Gordon Weiss told the BBC shells exploded very close to civilian areas in Mullaitivu district.
The army took Mullaitivu town - the last major Tiger base - on Sunday.
The military says it is now advancing into the 300 sq km (115 sq mile) triangle of land in which the Tamil Tigers are still operating.
Mr Weiss said: "The shells landed on the A35 road inside the no-fire zone declared by the army. Some shells landed close to a local UN office.
"Many civilians have been killed or injured. Our staff members witnessed the death of civilians. But we cannot determine where the fire came from."
The pro-rebel website TamilNet has accused the Sri Lankan army of firing into the government-designated "safe zone" for civilians, with more than 100 feared dead.
| INSURGENCY TIMELINE 1976: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam form in the north-east 1987: India deploys peace-keepers to Tamil areas but they leave in 1990 1993: President Premadasa killed by Tiger bomb 2001: Attack on airport destroys half Sri Lankan Airlines fleet 2002: Government and rebels agree ceasefire 2005: Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes president 2006: Heavy fighting resumes 2009: Army takes main rebel bases of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu |
There is no way of confirming reports from the conflict zone as independent journalists are barred.
Military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara told the BBC the army had no need to fire at civilian areas.
He strongly denied allegations that the military was responsible for the attacks.
There has been no word from the Tamil Tigers.
The government has also accused the rebels of using civilians as human shields.
Another UN spokesman, the resident coordinator Neil Buhne, told the Associated Press news agency that the situation was desperate.
"There have been many civilians killed over the last two days. It's really a crisis now."
He said both sides had been trying to reduce civilian casualties but added: "In the current phase, with such a level of fighting and with so many people around, unless there is very, very close attention to it, it's almost inevitable."
Mr Buhne said there had "definitely been fighting" in the safe zone.
Navy deployment
Brig Nanayakkara said the rebels were firing from the safe zone "but we don't engage them".
I wish the world knew more on the basics of the conflict, rather than knowing what happened yesterday or today
There are thought to be about 250,000 civilians in the area in which the rebels are still operating.
After taking Mullaitivu, army commander Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka said the war was "95% over".
The defence ministry website's latest report says helicopter gunships had "successfully" targeted rebel positions north of Mullaitivu and that "troops of 57 Division are on the final phase of the offensive".
About 50,000 troops are involved in the offensive and navy vessels have been deployed to try to prevent escape by sea.
The government has vowed to crush the rebels, who have been fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils for 25 years. At least 70,000 people have been killed during the insurgency.
| MAP OF THE REGION |
South Africa seal one-day triumph
South Africa seal one-day triumph
 AB de Villiers made 82 off only 85 balls (Library photo) |
South Africa completed a magnificent Test and one-day double over Australia with an eight-wicket win in Adelaide.
AB de Villiers (82) and Hashim Amla (80) shared an unbroken stand of 144 as the tourists took a 3-1 lead in the one-day series, with one match to play.
After losing the toss in Adelaide, the tourists ripped through the Australia batting line-up with Makhaya Ntini (3-52) and Dale Steyn (3-49) on song.
Only Ricky Ponting (63) and James Hopes (42) provided home resistance.
The commanding victory, on Australia Day at the picturesque Adelaide Oval, will heap further problems on Ponting, who takes his beleaguered side to Perth for the final match of the five-game series on Friday.
Ponting won the toss and opted to utilise what looked like a flat batting surface to compile an intimidating total for his opponents.
But his plans were thrown into disarray within the first three overs when both openers needlessly gave their wickets away.
| 606: DEBATE Slowie |
Ponting and Mike Hussey rebuilt the innings with a 93-run stand, with the Australia captain looking particularly imperious through the covers and mid-wicket.
But Hussey's dismissal - trapped lbw by Proteas skipper Johan Botha on 28 - sparked a capitulation by the home side, losing their remaining eight wickets for just 110 runs.
Ponting fell soon after, while Cameron White (30) threatened a lower-order renaissance alongside Hopes before the hard-hitting Victorian edged Steyn to De Villiers, who was keeping wicket in place of the injured Mark Boucher.
Australia's prospects of building a defendable total ended when all-rounder Hopes drilled a lofted drive off Albie Morkel to Neil McKenzie at cover in the 47th over.
And the innings ended an over later when Ben Hilfenhaus was caught behind off Morne Morkel.
With a less than intimidating total to chase on an easy-paced wicket, South Africa made an emphatic start - courtesy of big hitting from Herschelle Gibbs.
The opener struck 38 from 29 balls, using his feet to shuffle down the wicket to the quicks, before guiding Hilfenhaus to Mike Hussey in the 10th over.
Jacques Kallis (13) fell soon after, but man-of-the-match De Villiers and Amla compiled a brilliant match-winning stand.
Amla in particular looked assured, caressing anything straight through mid-wicket while De Villiers used his feet intelligently to disrupt the rhythm of the Australian attack.
De Villiers' innings featured one six and six boundaries from 85 deliveries.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Ten killed in Turkish avalanche
Ten killed in Turkish avalanche
 |
An avalanche in north-east Turkey has killed 10 climbers, while seven others from the same group managed to survive.
Two of the climbers remain in hospital, after being rescued by search teams on Mount Zigana, in Gumushane province.
"Our pain is great. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims," said housing minister Faruk Nafiz Ozak, who visited the scene.
Officials said the avalanche may have been caused by unusually warm temperatures loosening snow.
The avalanche struck at about 1100 (0900 GMT) as the climbers were at a height of 7,260ft (2,200m), Turkish NTV television reported.
| I had no chance of getting out alone - [a fellow climber] forked out the snow and released first my left, then my right leg Rahmi KelesSurvivor |
Search teams and locals equipped with shovels, and accompanied by sniffer dogs, scoured the slopes for bodies and survivors.
One of the survivors, 60-year-old Rahmi Keles, said he saw the avalanche approaching but was pulled under it.
He told Turkish media he had managed to clear the snow from his face and shout to a fellow climber for help.
"I had no chance of getting out alone. She forked out the snow and released first my left, then my right leg. Without Yonca I would not have survived," he told the state-run Anatolian news agency.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Superb Bartoli dumps out Jankovic
Superb Bartoli dumps out Jankovic
 Jankovic struggled with her serve in the Melbourne sun |
Top seed Jelena Jankovic crashed out of the Australian Open after a stunning performance from French 16th seed Marion Bartoli, who won 6-1 6-4.
Bartoli took the first five games of the match to leave the Serbian reeling.
Jankovic looked dismally out of sorts despite a brief resurgence in the second set, and Bartoli reached the quarter-finals with surprising ease.
Dinara Safina plays Alize Cornet later in Sunday's fourth round, before Jelena Dokic meets Alisa Kleybanova.
Bartoli showed incredible movement and determination to destroy Jankovic's chances of a second appearance in the Australian Open's last eight.
The French 24-year-old has never previously made it past the second round of the tournament, but she feasted on Jankovic's uncertain second serve in a one-sided encounter on the Rod Laver Arena.
Bartoli broke five times as the Serbian, 23, battled both her own inconsistency and the glare of the Melbourne sun.
| I tried not to think about Jelena being the world number one for the whole match Marion Bartoli |
When Bartoli eventually broke again in a testing ninth game of the second set, the last vestiges of Jankovic's resistance crumbled.
"I tried not to think about Jelena being the world number one for the whole match," said Bartoli.
"I think I just played amazingly today and I'm so happy to put on a good performance.
"I knew Jelena would fight and the last game of the match was really tough for me, but I tried to play my game and I served so well in the last game."
Climbers 'serious' after rescue
Climbers 'serious' after rescue
Three climbers who were rescued following an avalanche on a mountain in the Highlands are said to be in a serious condition.
Two helicopters were scrambled to Buchaille Etive Mor in Glencoe after police were alerted at about 1200 GMT.
The three injured climbers were taken to the Belford Hospital in Fort William and one was due to be transferred to a hospital in Glasgow.
A number of other climbers were treated on the mountain.
Insp Pamela Ross from Northern Constabulary, confirmed at about 1500 GMT on Saturday that casualties had been airlifted to hospital.
| As far as I'm aware at the moment, we're not looking for anyone else Insp Pamela RossNorthern Constabulary |
"As far as I'm aware at the moment, we're not looking for anyone else."
First on the scene was the RAF rescue helicopter, Rescue 137, which had been diverted from an exercise in the area.
The second helicopter, Rescue 177, was scrambled from the Royal Navy station at HMS Gannet near Prestwick.
But one helicopter had to be grounded because of blizzard conditions.
 Mountain rescuers were involved with the operation |
It stated: "Snowpack stability will remain poor on all steep North-North-West through North to East aspects above 850m where avalanches are likely.
"Weak cornices will continue to grow over these locations and be prone to collapse."
Northern Constabulary Police has been co-ordinating the operation.
Indian PM 'stable' after heart op
Indian PM 'stable' after heart op
 Mr Singh's surgery comes just months before a general election in India |
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in a stable condition after undergoing a heart bypass operation in Delhi, Indian media report.
The 76-year-old was expected to be in intensive care for at least 48 hours.
The surgery was carried out after two blockages were found in his arteries. Mr Singh previously had bypass surgery in 1990 and an angioplasty in 2004.
The ruling Congress Party says he will still lead the party in the forthcoming general election which is due by May.
"The entire country is rejoicing because our prime minister has come out successfully from the operation," Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily was quoted by AFP as saying.
Mr Singh underwent tests earlier this week after he complained of chest pains.
The bypass was performed by doctors from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India's top state-run hospital, and the Asian Heart Institute.
Before the operation, doctors said there was "very little risk" to Mr Singh and that the prime minister should be fit to resume normal duties in three to four weeks.
Succession speculation
But the BBC's Jill McGivering says this is not a good time for the prime minister to be removed from the political fray, given the tense relations with Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
 Will Rahul Gandhi emerge as a successor to Mr Singh? |
Congress has so far dismissed concerns that Mr Singh's health would interfere with its current election campaign.
But there has been widespread speculation that party chief Sonia Gandhi has been lining up her son, Rahul Gandhi, heir to India's powerful Gandhi dynasty, as the country's next prime minister.
Mr Singh has largely been in good health since he was sworn in as prime minister in May 2004, but he recently underwent prostate surgery and has also had cataract treatment.
Mr Singh, who studied economics at Cambridge and Oxford, became India's finance minister in 1991 when the country was plunging towards bankruptcy, and is widely regarded as the architect of the country's economic reform programme.
The quietly spoken economist-politician is also seen as the cleanest politician in India, a subject dear to voters' hearts.
Government officials said that Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee will take charge of cabinet meetings during the prime minister's absence.
The childhoods blighted by war
The childhoods blighted by war
Half of the people of Gaza, who weathered a three-week Israeli offensive this month, are children. Natalia Anteleva, who grew up in the middle of a war, asks what scars the violence will have left on the young people who witnessed it.
 Lara's mother, sister and four brothers were killed by a rocket attack |
The interview was going badly wrong. Lara sat, serious and shy, on a tall chair in the centre of the living room and I simply could not bring myself to ask the right questions.
How do you talk to an eight-year-old about a rocket attack that killed her mother, her sister and her four brothers?
This was the first time I had met Lara, but I had seen her face before.
In 2006, when Israel and the militant group Hezbollah fought a devastating war here, Lara's picture made it to the pages of international newspapers.
Screaming child
It showed a howling six-year-old, her hair a mess of black curls. The shot was taken at the funeral of Lara's mother.
She was killed, along with 18 other family members, when Israeli rockets hit their pick-up truck, Lara was one of the three survivors.
Two-and-a-half years on, we tracked down what was left of Lara's family in the south of the country. As we sipped bitter black coffee, photographs of those family members who had died stared down from the wall.
Lara's aunt, Zeinab, wept as she told me how Lara emerged screaming from the rubble covered in her mother's blood.
"I will never forget what happened," Zeinab said. "But for Lara it is easier. She is a child, soon she will not remember."
Normality of war
But Dr Mirna Canagge, a child psychologist working in Beirut, says Lara will never forget.
 |
Dr Canagge has worked with hundreds of children who have been through similar experiences in southern Lebanon and says all of them need someone they can talk to about the experience, otherwise it may haunt them throughout their lives.
This is true for Rani, a 22-year-old Palestinian student in Beirut who still remembers vividly how his best friend was shot, in front of him, by an Israeli bullet in Ramallah.
For Rani, childhood and war are inseparable, but the help of a therapist is a luxury he associates with the West.
"When you are a kid and all you see are bombs and death you think of them as normal," Rani told me.
I knew what he meant, I myself grew up amid the chaos of a civil war in post-Soviet Georgia, but it was only much later in life that I digested my childhood experiences, realising the full horror of the situation we were sometimes in.
Back then, my friends and I simply got on with life.
Brave in adversity
Just like the adults, we hid from the bullets and saw loved ones die.
We were, just like the grown-ups, at times sad and at times scared. But unlike them, we did not have to worry.
| Frequently I have been moved, amazed and puzzled by how composed and brave children can be in the face of the worst adversity. |
We had our parents to protect us from the scary world outside, and that, I realise now, made the war much less stressful and often much less frightening.
Many psychologists believe that often the hardest thing for children to deal with is not the conflict itself but the anxiety it causes in their parents.
Death of a family member is, of course, harder still.
And yet, frequently I have been moved, amazed and puzzled by how composed and brave children can be in the face of the worst adversity.
Bloated corpses
Time and again, I tried to image what could be going through their minds as they learned how to face the world on their own.
Lara did talk in the end. Calmly she told me that straight away she knew that her mum and everyone else around her was dead.
And as she quietly described the carnage, I thought of Ziousu a 13-year-old I met in Burma.
 Children can find their parents' trauma harder to deal with than war |
He lost his entire family in a cyclone which hit the Irrawaddy delta last May.
Three days after everyone he loved had died he sat next to me on a boat, looking at the swollen bodies floating in the water.
He was calm and composed and when we arrived at our destination he jumped off first and stretched out his hand to help me off.
Mother's death
Back in Georgia last August there was Dito, a six-year-old boy whose house was shelled by the Russian forces.
I met him in a hospital where he showed me the stitches that covered his back and told me about the attack.
He smiled only once when he said he needed to get out of the hospital because his mum was about to give birth and he wanted to be home for when she returned with the baby.
He was sure, he said, it would be a boy. As I left, his aunt followed me into the corridor, where she broke down in tears. "He does not know yet," she said, "but his parents are dead."
Dito, Ziousu, Lara and now thousands of children in Gaza will each cope differently with experiences that will shape the rest of their lives, experiences that most of us cannot even begin to imagine.
From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday 24 January, 2009 at 1130 GMT on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Infants stabbed at Belgian creche
Infants stabbed at Belgian creche
Parents gather at the scene of the attack
Two infants and an adult have been killed and 10 other people wounded in a knife attack at a creche in north-western Belgium.
A man reportedly tricked his way into the nursery in Dendermonde where he ran amok inside before escaping. He was later captured at a local supermarket.
The suspect apparently had painted his face black and white.
Parents have begun the harrowing task of identifying children stabbed during the attack at local hospitals.
| There was blood everywhere, it was unbelievable, real carnage Theo Janssens deputy mayor |
Three children are reported to be in a serious condition in hospital.
One of those who died is believed to be a nursery employee and Dendermonde's deputy mayor, Theo Janssens, said several adults had been injured as they tried to put themselves between the attacker and the children.
"The guy just went crazy," Mr Janssens said. "There was blood everywhere, it was unbelievable, real carnage."
The creche has been evacuated and local authorities have put a disaster plan in place.
Town 'in shock'
Nursery staff told journalists that the attacker, believed to be in his thirties, was not known to them.
 The nursery cared for 18 infants |
Officials said he had rung the doorbell at the Fabeltjesland (English: Storyland) nursery at 1000 local time (0900 GMT) and told staff he needed some information.
When they opened the door, he ran in and began attacking three of the infants.
"He quickly pulled out a knife and started using it on the children," said local prosecutor Christian Du Four.
"He then went up to another floor and started doing the same thing again."
The prosecutor said the man's face had been smeared with a white colouring but his eyes had been blackened.
He escaped from the scene by bicycle but was arrested at a supermarket
Residents told the BBC that the town was stunned.
Damien Vernon, a 43-year-old from Ireland who has lived in Dendermonde for five years, said: "It's just a sad day here, we're a small town and the crime figures are low here, we're just in shock."
Photographs
The creche looks after 18 children under the age of three.
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Police have been showing parents digital photographs of the youngsters taken to hospital, asking them to identify their children.
Interior Minister Guido De Padt told a press conference he was "horrified by the events".
"Our thoughts go out to the families and staff of the creche," he said. "Many parents are in a state of shock."
The children and staff from the nursery who escaped without injury are now receiving counselling.
Flemish TV station VTM had initially reported three children and two adults had died but the interior ministry later gave the lower casualty figures.
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