Landslides kill four people in Colombia

At least four people died due to landslides in Colombia on Sunday after several poor neighbourhood, located on the outskirts of the north-central city of Medellin, were crushed due to it, local authorities said. The landslide destroyed five housing complexes on early Sunday after soils in the mounta inous area gave in to two days of torrential rains. Authorities fear the toll will rise, Xinhua on Monday quoted Camilo Zapata, director of the municipal prevention and disaster attention System (Simpad) as saying.
Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos had 15 days prior to Sunday's landslide had alerted for landslides after March's sharp increase in rains which regularly cause deadly landslides in this South American country.

2011's rainy season in Colombia has been more intense than normal.

A large number of villages are located in marginal areas which are affected by landslides and flooding due to their proximity to a number of major rivers.

In Colombia, following rains, so far 307 people have died and 65 people are still missing in 2011. The rains have destroyed 7,454 and damaged 364,000 houses.

In 2010, 319 Colombians were killed and 2.4 million people had been affected by landslides and flooding.

Anna Hazare calls for ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ after govt rejects demands

New Delhi: Gandhian Anna Hazare Friday announced a 'Jail Bharo Andolan' across the country on April 13 after the government rejected his demands of chairmanship of the joint drafting committee being given to a civil society member and for a formal notification.

Giving the call, Hazare asked people to stick to non-violence during the agitation. After first announcing April 12 as the date for the agitation, he later changed it April 13 citing holiday on the earlier date.
"Today when (minister Kapil) Sibal and these people are saying this, I felt that the jail bharo agitation should take place in the entire country. But you should participate in the agitation keeping in mind Mahatma Gandhi. There should be no violence anywhere," Hazare said.

He recalled that he had organised similar jail bharo movements in Maharashtra in the past.

His announcement came after a meeting of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal with activists Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal scheduled this morning did not take place with both sides saying they were waiting for each other.

Rejecting the two demands of the social activists, Sibal also said that only government officials will be members of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill and that no minister will be part of it, if they insist on the chairman being from the civil society.

"There is no possibility of an official notification on the constitution of the joint committee but we have told them that we are willing to give an official letter through the law ministry and a press note," he said.

Hazare also urged the unemployed youths to join the agitation, saying they will get the morning breakfast and two meals in the jail.