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Tsunami victims need supplies; at least 28 dead

By TIMES WIRES
Published April 4, 2007

HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS

The first boatloads of international aid reached survivors of a devastating tsunami in the Solomon Islands on Tuesday, but officials warned of a dire food shortage if supplies don't quickly get to hundreds of people camped on remote hillsides. At least 28 people died in Monday's tsunami and magnitude 8.1 quake. The earthquake, which struck about 6 miles beneath the sea floor and 25 miles from Gizo, set off alarms from Tokyo to Hawaii, testing a new tsunami early-warning system. But because of Gizo's proximity to the epicenter, the destructive waves hit before an alarm could be sounded.

BEIJING

Couple strikes deal for their home

A Chinese couple who harnessed the media to fight a redevelopment project that would tear down their home and restaurant finally reached a deal, and on Monday night the building came down. Wu Ping and Yang Wu captivated China with their three-year fight in Chongqing for more compensation. Unlike 280 other households, they refused to make way for a shopping center. Eventually their home was the only one left, perched on a small island of land surrounded by the vast construction site. But the couple reportedly negotiated a deal with the real estate developer that gives them a new apartment and a sizable compensation package.

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Thousands rally for suspended judge

Some 4,000 opponents of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf rallied Tuesday in Islamabad in the capital's biggest street demonstration yet against his removal of Pakistan's chief justice. The demonstration was largely peaceful but was a sign of the mounting pressure on Musharraf to curtail eight years of military rule. Thousands more attended rallies in Lahore, Karachi and Quetta. Musharraf suspended independent-minded Chief Justice Ifitkhar Mohammed Chaudhry on March 9.

KIEV, UKRAINE

Leaders meet over political crisis

Thousands of flag-waving supporters of Ukraine's prime minister set up a camp near the Parliament building Tuesday to protest a decision by the pro-Western president to dissolve the legislative body and call for early elections. The two leaders, whose rivalry dates to the 2004 Orange Revolution that swept President Viktor Yushchenko to power, met to resolve the standoff - the most serious political crisis in Ukraine in years. They parted after four hours without a statement to the media. The crisis, which has been building for months, followed the breakdown of an awkward power-sharing agreement between the president and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who is supported by Russia.

[Last modified April 4, 2007, 00:15:38]