Wildfires in Texas destroy hundreds of homes

6 September 2011 Last updated at 00:58 GMT HelpFirefighters in the US state of Texas are struggling to contain a huge wildfire that has already destroyed nearly 500 homes.Forestry officials say the fire is moving so quickly that it can't be tackled from the ground and aircraft are being scrambled to drop water onto it.Texas Governor Rick Perry has urged people to heed evacuation orders and not to stay in their homes if they had lost pow...

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Haiti anger over alleged Uruguay UN rape

Haitian President Michel Martelly has condemned the alleged abuse of an 18-year-old man by Uruguayan peacekeepers, and demanded a full investigation.Mr Martelly said the Haitian man had been subjected to a "collective rape".Five Uruguayan marines were detained after a video clip of the alleged abuse appeared on the internet, and their commanding officer was sacked.The Uruguayan government has said it will open a criminal case against the marines in a Uruguayan court.The UN mission in Haiti (Minustah) and the Haitian authorities are also investigating.RevulsionThe case has provoked widespread public anger in Haiti, and there have been protests outside the UN base."The presidency vigorously condemns this act, which revolts the conscience...

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Al-Qaeda chief Younis al-Mauritani held, says Pakistan

Pakistan's army says it has arrested a man it describes as a senior al-Qaeda leader and two of his accomplices.Younis al-Mauritani planned and executed international operations for the global terror network, the military said in a statement.The White House praised the capture - reportedly the result of co-operation between US and Pakistani intelligence.The army said the men were seized in the suburbs of the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta.It did not say when the arrests were made."Mauritani was tasked personally by Osama Bin Laden to focus on hitting targets of economical importance in United States of America, Europe and Australia," said the Pakistani statement.The two other men arrested were named as Abdul Ghaffar al-Shami and...

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Texas fires: Bastrop blaze prompts Rick Perry warning

Dozens of other wildfires are burning in Texas, which has had its worst drought in half a centuryFirefighters in drought-stricken Texas are struggling to contain a 16-mile-wide (26-km) wildfire that has destroyed almost 500 homes.Officials said the fire had "grown considerably" on Monday and was now burning on 25,000 acres (10,000 ha).Texas Governor Rick Perry cut short presidential campaigning, and said the next 48 to 72 hours would be "crucial".Scores of fires are burning across Texas, which has been hit by high winds generated by Tropical Storm Lee.Recent fires across Texas have burned 3.5 million acres, Mr Perry said, adding: "That's roughly the size of Connecticut."He urged people to heed evacuation orders and not to stay in their...

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