Turkey unions join raging protests, launch strike

ISTANBUL: Public workers in Turkey launched a two-day strike Tuesday in support of raging anti-government protests as the United States appealed for restraint in the worst political crisis to confront the 10-year-old Islamic-rooted government.

Overnight, riot police in Istanbul and Ankara fired tear gas and water

cannon at protesters who set cars ablaze, hurled stones and bellowed angry slogans in a fifth day of demonstrations that have now cost the lives of two people.

While US Secretary of State John Kerry voiced concern about excessive

police force, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has remained defiant, lashing out at "extremists" he blames for the worst anti-government unrest since he first took office in 2002.

A second protester was killed in the southern city of Antakya on Monday,

local officials said, after a young man was killed in Istanbul when a car ploughed into a crowd of demonstrators in Turkey's largest city on Sunday.

The violence first erupted after police cracked down on a peaceful rally in Istanbul against plans to build over Gezi Park, a rare green spot adjoining the city's main Taksim Square, but quickly mushroomed into broader protests in dozens of other cities by Turks who accuse the government of pushing conservative Islamic reforms.

The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) launched a two-day

strike from Tuesday over alleged heavy-handed police action in almost a week of clashes that rights group say have left hundreds of people wounded.

"The state terror implemented against entirely peaceful protests is

continuing in a way that threatens civilians' life safety," the KESK said in a statement, saying the crackdown showed the Islamic-rooted government's "enmity to democracy".

The confederation counts about 240,000 members and the action will likely affect schools, universities and public offices across Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country of 75 million people sitting at the crossroads of east and west.

While Erdogan has largely dismissed the protests, insisting they did not

represent a "Turkish spring," his ally President Abdullah Gul has been more conciliatory, telling demonstrators that their concerns were being heard.

"The situation (in Turkey) is now calming down... On my return from this

visit, the problems will be solved," Erdogan said at a press conference in Rabat, where he kicked off a tour of north Africa despite the problems at home.

Erdogan, whose Justice and Development Party (AKP) first took power in 2002 and has won two further national votes, has accused "vandals" and opponents including the main opposition Republican People's Party of having a hand in the protests.

Opponents have accused Erdogan of repressing critics, including

journalists, Kurds and the military, and pushing conservative Islamic policies including religious education reforms and a law curbing the sale of alcohol.

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc also sought to ease the concerns of

protesters, saying Turkey's government "respects and is sensitive towards different lifestyles".

But the violence showed no signs of abating in the early hours of Tuesday, with thousands of protesters gathered on Taksim square, the heart of the demonstrations, as white fumes hung in the air in surrounding streets.

"Tayyip, resign!" they yelled, waving red flags and banners and whistling. AFP reporters saw many demonstrators being carried away by medics.

In Antakya, the local governor's office said Tuesday that a 22-year-old

man, Abdullah Comert, had died after being shot in the head by an unidentified person on Monday but the Anatolia news agency, citing the public prosecutor's office, said an autopsy revealed no gunshot wounds but that he had suffered a blow to the head.

Rights groups and doctors say more than 1,000 people had been wounded in

Istanbul and 700 in Ankara. The government had previously put the figure at 58 civilians and 115 security forces injured, but has not given an updated estimate since Sunday, when it said 1,700 people had been arrested and many since released.

Turkey's Western allies have voiced mounting alarm over the crisis in the country, which for years has been trying to join the European Union.

Kerry said Washington was "deeply concerned about the numbers of people

injured," urging all sides to "avoid any provocations or violence."

"We are concerned by the reports of excessive use of force by police,"

Kerry told reporters. "We obviously hope that there will be a full

investigation of those incidents and full restraint from the police force with respect to those kinds of incidents."

NATO-member Turkey is a key regional ally for the United States, and the

two countries have been working together closely, particularly over the brutal conflict in neighbouring Syria.

Erdogan told protesters they should wait to express their views in

elections next year, when observers expect him to make a run for president. "For me, democracy comes from the ballot box."

View the original article here

Bangladesh ''miracle survivor'' emerges from hospital

SAVAR: A Bangladeshi seamstress trapped in the rubble for 17 days after the country's garment factory disaster in April emerged from hospital on Thursday to tell reporters she had recovered "physically and mentally".

Reshma, 18, who became a national heroine after the tragedy, which claimed more than 1,100 lives, was in good spirits and looked healthy at a ceremony at the hospital organised to mark her release.

"I feel great now. I am recovered mentally and physically," she told reporters, smiling and dressed in a peacock green dress and head scarf.

"I never thought that I would get my life back again when I was trapped under the rubble," she added.

Major-General Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardy confirmed that she had been discharged from the military hospital after nearly a month of treatment following her spectacular rescue on May 10.

After declaring that she would never again work in the garment industry, she is set to take up a job at a luxury hotel in the capital Dhaka.

"We're proud to arrange a job for her at our hotel. We're sure this young girl will be exceptional in her new job," Azim Shah, general manager of the Hotel Westin, told reporters at the ceremony.

View the original article here

North, South Korea agree to official talks

SEOUL: North and South Korea agreed in principle Thursday to hold their first official talks for years, signaling a possible breakthrough in cross-border ties after months of escalated military tensions.

A surprise offer from Pyongyang proposed discussions on a range of commercial and humanitarian issues from reopening a joint industrial complex to resuming cross-border family reunions.

The South replied within hours, with the Unification Ministry saying it viewed the offer "positively" and would announce a date, venue and agenda later.

"We hope that South and North Korea can build trust through this opportunity," the ministry added.

Analysts welcomed the development but some advised caution, saying the precise nature and agenda of the dialogue might create insurmountable sticking points.

"I think this is an attempt by the North to seize the initiative, but it's premature to say whether the offer is likely to lead to a sincere dialogue," said Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

Official contacts between Seoul and Pyongyang have been essentially frozen since South Korea accused the North of torpedoing one of its warships in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives.

April and May this year saw tensions soar to worrying levels as the North, angered by joint South-US military drills and UN sanctions imposed after its nuclear test in February, threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes.

The situation has calmed in recent weeks, with both sides circling warily around the idea of opening some sort of dialogue.

The North's proposal, carried in a statement from the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), said the venue and date for talks "can be set to the convenience of the South side".

Initial subjects for discussion would be the Kaesong joint industrial zone, which was closed at the height of the recent tensions, and the resumption of cross-border tours to the North's Mount Kumgang resort, the CPRK said.

Humanitarian issues such as reuniting family members separated after the 1950-53 Korean War could also be discussed.

The CPRK said a positive response would see the North consider rolling back measures it took when relations went into a tailspin in April, including restoring a cross-border hotline.

South Korea had already offered working-level talks on Kaesong and Seoul is likely to be wary of agreeing to a much wider-ranging agenda.

While President Park Geun-Hye has spoken of the need for dialogue, she has made it clear -- with US backing -- that substantive talks would require the North to show commitment to abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.

Pyongyang has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear deterrent is not up for negotiation.

"There could be some trouble in setting the agenda, and it's natural to doubt North Korea's sincerity," said Paik Hak-Soon, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think-tank in Seoul.

"But this a typically strategic change of direction by the North, which puts the ball in the South's court and I think it presents a genuine opportunity," Paik said.

The Kaesong complex, established inside North Korea in 2004, was the most high-profile casualty of the recent tensions.

Born out of the "Sunshine Policy" of inter-Korean reconciliation initiated in the late 1990s by South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung, Kaesong was a crucial hard currency source for the impoverished North, through taxes and revenues and its cut of workers' wages.

Operations at the complex ground to a halt after the North pulled all its 53,000 workers out in early April. The South withdrew its managers and officials soon afterwards.

The Mount Kumgang resort, developed by the South's Hyundai Asan company, opened in 1998 as a symbol of reconciliation. It once earned the North tens of millions of dollars a year.

But Seoul suspended tours by its citizens after a North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean housewife there in July 2008. In response the North scrapped a deal with Hyundai Asan and seized its properties there.

Hundreds of thousands of family members were separated by the Korean War, and the last temporary reunions, arranged by the two Koreas' Red Cross authorities, took place in 2010.

Nearly 80,000 people in the South alone are on the waiting list for reunions should they be resumed.

View the original article here

Saudi Prince Fahd al-Saud spends $20m in 3 days at Disneyland

LONDON: A SAUDI prince has spent 15 million euros ($A20.41 million) for three days of fun at Disneyland near Paris to celebrate his degree, the group that runs the theme park says.

Prince Fahd al-Saud booked entire areas of the park between May 22 and 24 for his 60-odd guests. The festivities included tailor-made events involving "rare Disney characters", Euro Disney said.

Special security was put in place for the prince, one of the park's top customers, it added.

The theme park attracted 16 million visitors last year but Euro Disney has not made any profits since it was set up 20 years ago. In the six months to March, the group had a net loss of 89.1 million euros compared with a loss of 11.8 million euros in the same period last year.

View the original article here

Rally at KSE continues; Index hits new height at 22,080 points

KARACHI: The bull-run continued at the local bourse, as the benchmark KSE 100-share Index set a new record on Monday by closing at an unprecedented level of 22,080 points after gaining 258 points.

The new government’s apparent resolve to bring improvement on the economic front prompted the stock traders to inject more investment into the local equities.

The KSE witnessed a strong volume of 570 million shares of worth Rs11 billion. Not only the major players but the small investors were also seen taking interest in a variety of stocks.

View the original article here

Asian stocks mixed after upbeat US data

HONG KONG: Asian shares were mixed Wednesday after upbeat US economic data sent Wall Street soaring to a fresh all-time high and pushed the greenback to notch up strong gains against the yen.

Trading remained volatile in Tokyo, with the Nikkei swinging between positive and negative territory before edging up 0.10 percent by noon.

Japanese stocks have made sharp intraday movements since the index plunged 7.3 percent last Thursday as investors rushed to book profits after poor Chinese manufacturing data.

In other markets, Hong Kong was down 0.71 percent, Seoul was up 0.54 percent, Shanghai gained 0.18 percent while Sydney traded flat.

In post-holiday New York trading the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.69 percent at 15,409.39, a new all-time high on strong gains in US home prices and consumer confidence.

The widely watched S&P/Case-Shiller index of US home prices showed the price of a home in the 20 largest cities rose 10.9 percent in the year to March, the largest year-on-year increase since 2006.

Consumer confidence in the US -- a key barometer of the health of the world's largest economy -- surged to 76.2 in May, up from 69.0 in April, hitting the highest level since February 2008.

Stocks were also boosted by indications of continued monetary policy support, with some market watchers expressing confidence that the US Federal Reserve would maintain its bond-buying program.

View the original article here

Google coming out with two new Android phones

SAN FRANCISCO: Google revealed Thursday that it has two new sophisticated Android smartphones in the works, one of which will have the unprecedented distinction of being made in the United States.

An HTC One smartphone customized to be "Google's take on Android" will make its US debut on June 26 at a price of $599, the head of Android, Chrome and Google Apps said at an AllThingsD conference in California.

"It's a great device," Google executive Sundar Pichai said during an on-stage interview.

Google Edition handsets by Taiwan-based HTC will be compatible with carriers AT&T and T-Mobile.

Pichai made the disclosure a day after Motorola Mobility head Dennis Woodside said on the same stage that the company's was preparing to release its first smartphone since being bought by Google.

The smartphone would be called Moto X and be made in a facility near Fort Worth, Texas, Woodside said.

"It is the first smartphone that is going to be built in the United States," Woodside said, noting that the plant would employ about 2,000 people by August.

"We think that it is going to allow us to innovate and iterate that much faster."

Components for Motorola smartphones will come from Taiwan, South Korea, the United States and elsewhere with about 70 percent of the assembly done in Texas, Woodside said.

Moto X would set itself apart from other smartphones with advanced use of sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers to make devices adapt to the conditions or circumstances in which they are being used, Woodside said.

View the original article here

Floodwaters peak in Prague, head for Germany

PRAGUE: Floodwaters that have killed at least 10 people across Europe on Tuesday morning peaked in the Czech capital Prague and were heading toward Germany, officials said.

"It's peaking in Prague right now and by the evening the wave will get to Usti and Labem," about 30 kilometres (20 miles) up the Elbe river from the German border, Petr Dvorak, spokesman for the Czech Hydrometeorogical Institute, told AFP.

The floods have deluged Prague's historic centre, shuttering businesses and forcing a chaotic nighttime evacuation of the city's zoo.

The floods have killed seven people so far in the Czech Republic, police said Tuesday. Two people died in Austria and one in Switzerland. Germany has also been hit.

"The last victim (in the Czech Republic) was a lady who was walking her dog in a park on Monday evening and who died under an eroded tree that fell on her," police spokeswoman Pavla Kopecka told AFP.

Fire brigades evacuated 8,340 people as of 0400 GMT on Tuesday, said spokeswoman Nicole Zaoralova.

The heavy rainfall has triggered nightmarish memories of the 2002 floods that killed dozens in the region including 17 in the Czech Republic alone.

Dvorak said the waters would recede in the western part of the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

"There will be heavier rain in the east of the country and some rivers there will rise high, but the extent should be lower than here," he added.

View the original article here

Dollar under pressure in Asia after mixed data

TOKYO: The dollar was mixed in Asian trading on Monday as it faced pressure from data that showed US consumer spending was down in April although shoppers' confidence climbed.

The greenback gained on the yen as Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index pared back some of its early losses. The index is closely linked with the yen as the currency's value affects the profitability of Japanese exporters.

Credit Agricole said dollar strength was likely to continue.

"We expect USD/JPY downside to be increasingly limited and stick to the view that the pair will ultimately resume its uptrend," it said.

In Tokyo morning trade, the dollar bought 100.67 yen, gaining from 100.37 yen in New York late Friday, while the euro was also stronger against the Japanese currency at 130.89 yen from 130.44 yen last week.

Against the dollar, the European single currency was slightly stronger at $1.3004, from $1.2996 in US trading.

On Friday, the US Commerce Department reported that consumer spending dropped by 0.2 percent in April, the first monthly fall since May 2012 and a signal that growth slowed at the beginning of the second quarter.

View the original article here

Oil turns higher in Asian trade

SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose in Asian trade Thursday, boosted by stronger US demand but caution over a slowing Chinese economy limited gains, analysts said.

New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in July, added 30 cents to $94.04 a barrel in the afternoon and Brent North Sea crude for July delivery gained 17 cents to $103.21.

"Prices have bounced up in reaction to a drop in US inventories," Kelly Teoh, market strategist at IG Markets in Singapore, told.

"While the market has been very data-sensitive, the overall tone for commodities still remains soft."

The US Department of Energy on Wednesday said stockpiles in the United States plunged 6.3 million barrels in the week ended May 31, much more than analysts expected, with the average estimate pegged at a 400,000 drop.

A decline in stockpiles supports crude prices as it suggests a pick-up in demand, which traditionally rises during the US summer driving season when Americans take to the roads for their holidays.

View the original article here

Karachi Stock Exchange scales another peak on foreign buying

View the original article here

Egypt sentences five foreigners to death for drug trafficking

View the original article here

Oil down in Asia as OPEC leaves output unchanged

SINGAPORE: Oil prices were lower in Asian trade Monday after OPEC kept its output ceiling unchanged and voiced concerns over weak global economic growth dragging crude demand.

New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in July, was down 19 cents to $91.78 a barrel in the morning and Brent North Sea crude for July delivery shed 34 cents to $100.05.

"It is obvious that the OPEC announcement over the weekend has had a negative impact on oil prices," Jason Hughes, head of sales trading in CMC Markets, told.

"The OPEC decision will have a greater downside on Brent than on the WTI in the US because of the supply glut there," he added.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which pumps about 35 percent of global oil supplies, on Friday said it would leave the output ceiling at 30 million barrels per day (mbpd), where it has stood since late 2011, despite actual production exceeding the target.

The cartel, comprising nations from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, is aware that cutting production could raise oil prices and boost their incomes -- but that this could also hurt the fragile global recovery.

View the original article here

Oil prices down in Asia

SINGAPORE: Oil prices fell in Asian trade Tuesday as data showing weak manufacturing activity in China suggested growth in the world's second largest economy was slowing.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in July dropped 34

cents to $93.11 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for July delivery shed four cents to $102.02.

View the original article here

POL price revision notified

ISLAMABAD: A notification has been issued with regard to revision of prices of petroleum products in the country.

The notification was issued after ministry of petroleum approved a summary for the revision of the prices.

New price of petrol will be Rs99.77 per litre after increase of Rs2.18, while diesel price was cut by Rs1.46 per litre and its new price will be Rs104.60.

Similarly, kerosene price down by Paisa 38 will be available at Rs93.79, light diesel oil at Rs89.13, up by Paisa 7 per litre.

News prices will be applicable from 12:00 am June 1.

View the original article here

Building collapse in US leaves 12 hurt, two trapped

PHILADELPHIA: A four-story building being demolished collapsed Wednesday on the edge of downtown, injuring 12 people and trapping two others, the fire commissioner said.

Rescue crews were trying to extricate the two people who were trapped, city Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. The dozen people who were injured were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, he said.

The collapse involved a building that once housed a first-floor sandwich shop. It collapsed, sending debris onto a Salvation Army corner thrift store next door. The two are adjacent to an adult bookstore and theater that had been taken down earlier.

Rescuers were using buckets and their bare hands to move bricks and rubble to search for survivors.

Witnesses said they heard a loud rumbling sound immediately before the collapse.

Veronica Haynes was on the fifth floor of an apartment building across the street.

"I was standing there looking out my window, watching the men at work on the building, and the next thing I know I heard something go kaboom," she said. "Then you saw the whole side of the wall fall down ... onto the other building."

Roofers Patrick Glynn and Anthony Soli were working atop a nearby building when they heard what sounded like two loud bangs or explosions. They immediately ran down the scaffolding to look for victims, and helped pull out two women and a man.

Glynn said he had been watching workers take down the building next to the Salvation Army building over the past few weeks, and said he suspected a collapse was inevitable because of the methods the workers were using to tear it down.

"For weeks they've been standing on the edge, knocking bricks off," he said. "You could just see it was ready to go at any time. I knew it was going to happen."

Carlton Williams of the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections said there were no existing violations on the building and the demolition company had proper permits for the work they were doing.

Bernie DiTomo was driving past Salvation Army building in his white pickup truck, on his way to an appointment, when the accident happened.

"The next thing you know, I heard a rumble, and a building and a sign fell on my truck," he said.

He said he lay down in the seat of his cab. It was probably over in about 30 seconds, he said. There was a lot of dirt and dust that he breathed in, but he was able to open the door and get out, unhurt. His truck remained nearby, partially covered in debris, as DiTomo watched recovery efforts from across the street.

High school student Jordan McLaughlan said he saw several people on the ground being given oxygen by rescuers after the collapse.

"It was hard to breathe, there was a lot of dust everywhere," McLaughlan said.

The accident happened at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday on the western edge of downtown, between the city's business district and its main train station. (AP)

View the original article here

Dollar firms in Asia as stocks rebound

TOKYO: The dollar firmed against the yen in Asia Friday, shrugging off weak US growth figures as a rebound in Tokyo stocks boosted risk sentiment and pulled investors away from the safe-haven yen.

The greenback fetched 101.05 yen in Tokyo morning trade from 100.74 yen in New York late Thursday, while the euro also strengthened to 131.79 yen from 131.39 yen. The European single currency was flat at $1.3042.

"Previously the yen's weakening raised expectations for an improvement in corporate profits and pushed Japanese stocks higher, but these days gains in stocks are leading to a weaker yen," a senior dealer at a major Japanese trust bank told Dow Jones Newswires.

Yen trading and Japanese stocks are closely interlinked as the value of the unit affects the competitiveness of the country's exporters overseas.

Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index was up about two percent Friday morning on the back of buying on dips after tumbling more than five percent the previous day to a five-week low.

View the original article here

Oil prices up in Asian trade

SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose in Asia on Wednesday, with dealers buying cheaper crude ahead of key economic releases from the United States, analysts said.

New York's main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude

for delivery in July added 43 cents to $93.74 a barrel and Brent North Sea

crude for July increased 13 cents to $103.37.

View the original article here

Petrol price hiked by Rs2.18/litre

ISLAMABAD: The prices of petrol will go up effective June 1 by Rs2.18, while diesel will be cheaper by Rs1.46, as the ministry of petroleum has already approved summary for the revision of prices of petroleum products, Geo News reported Friday.

Sources said that after revision in petroleum products’ prices, petrol effective June 1 will be available at Rs99.77 per litre, up by Rs2.18, while diesel price down by Rs1.46 will be selling at Rs104.60.

Similarly, kerosene price down by Paisa 38 will be available at Rs93.79, light diesel oil at Rs89.13, up by Paisa 7 per litre.

Official notification in this regard would be issued sometime tonight, sources said.

View the original article here

Sandbags and raw nerves as flood peak hits Germany

BITTERFELD: Germany pushed on with frantic efforts to secure saturated river dykes with sandbags Thursday, bracing for a surge of the worst floods in over a decade that have claimed 12 lives and forced mass evacuations across central Europe.

Vast stretches along the Elbe river basin have turned into a sea of brown water in the Czech Republic and downstream in eastern Germany, with only red-tiled roofs sticking out of the muddy water in many abandoned villages and towns.

The picture of devastation was similar along the mighty Danube, which has jumped its banks in Germany's southern Bavaria state and Austria and sparked large-scale disaster preparations in Hungary, where the water was expected to peak in coming days.

In northeast Germany, thousands of volunteers, many organized through social media, firefighters, aid workers and troops have filled millions of sandbags to hold back the torrent, which has risen from two to above eight meters (six to above 26 feet).

Thousands worked through the night or kept a nervous watch on flood barriers while recalling dark memories of the 2002 floods that killed scores across central Europe and caused a clean-up bill running to billions of euros (dollars).

Fears were centered on Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt state where two lakes, one higher than the other, loom dangerously close to a city that during the communist East Germany era became notorious as a heavily polluted industrial centre.

Local officials have warned that a breach in the lake defences could spark a "mini-tsunami" that could engulf the city, and officials have twice attempted to blowholes in the lake dyke away from the city, with limited success.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised 100 million euros ($130 million) in immediate flood relief across Germany, and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble promised on Thursday that more money would follow.

Dresden, with more than two million people, said the peak of 8.75 metres was reached on Thursday, with floodwaters lapping through the mud-caked living

rooms and trashed gardens of thousands of outlying homes.

However, flood barriers installed secured the old inner city --dubbed the “Jewel Box” for its baroque and rococo churches, opera and buildings

after the even higher 2002 flood.

People also breathed a cautious sigh of relief as water levels eased in Halle, where Elbe tributary the Saale had reached its highest level in 400 years the day before and authorities have urged 30,000 people to flee.

Upstream in the Czech Republic -- where five days of flooding killed at least eight people and forced some 20,000 evacuations -- rescue workers in rubber dinghies were supplying isolated families who lack drinking water, power or gas.

In the industrial centre of Usti nad Labem near the German border, where 11,000 people were told to evacuate, looters targeted empty homes and businesses, and a waiter at a pub-restaurant told how he came face to face with three robbers at night.

"I entered the corridor and got a blow. They broke my nose, my side is sore and there's something wrong with my ribs," Ladislav Kratochvil told the DNES daily.

The capital Prague held up well thanks to 17 kilometres of temporary aluminum barriers, and city trains were running again, but people in Usti bemoaned their poorer flood defences.

"It's a shame. If they were a meter higher, it would have been enough," a police officer told the DNES. "It went fast, the water rose really quickly."

In Austria, where two people have died in the floods, the Danube town of Korneuburg just north of Vienna reported an all-time record river level of 8.06 meters.

In nearby Nussdorf a river cruise ship with some 120 tourists onboard was stranded in the middle of the river Thursday, an AFP photographer witnessed.

Down the Danube in Hungary, preparations moved into high gear to prepare Budapest for the wall of water coming along one of Europe's longest waterways that empties into the Black Sea in a delta in Romania and Ukraine.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned large-scale evacuations were likely because of "a real threat to human life" but has pledged that "with good cooperation, we can protect everyone".

An "anti-catastrophe team" with 10,000 volunteers and close to 12,000 police and troops was on stand-by, while some 300 people had been evacuated so far. (AFP)

View the original article here