Noxious mud volcano `cannot be stopped`

Noxious mud volcano `cannot be stopped`	13.09.2008
INDONESIA`S vice president says the government has given up all hope of halting a mud volcano in East Java which has displaced thousands of people, hurt businesses, and destroyed the local environment. The disastrous mud volcano, which started erupting in May 2006 near Indonesia`s second-biggest city of Surabaya, has proved a huge problem for the government. The hot, noxious mud has displaced more than 50,000 people, submerged homes, factories and schools and is now flowing at a rate of more than 100,000 cubic metres a day. Various attempts to halt the flow have all failed. "The government has given up in terms of efforts to stop the mudflow, but will never give up when it comes to taking care of the people," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said. "There have always been people that said stopping the mudflow is not an easy task," he said. The government had spent "trillions of rupiah every year" trying to solve the problem. Some scientists have said that energy firm PT Lapindo Brantas` drilling for a gas exploration well set off the mud volcano, but Lapindo has denied it is to blame, saying the mud disaster was triggered by tectonic activity. Lapindo is linked to the Bakrie Group, controlled by the family of Chief Social Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie, who was recently ranked by a local business magazine as Indonesia`s richest man. The government has ordered Lapindo to pay 3.8 trillion rupiah, or about $400 million, in compensation to the victims and to cover the damage. Share this article Digg this Post to del.icio.us Post to Newsvine Post to Facebook Add to kwoff RSS What is this? NEWS.com.au is not responsible for the content of external sites. Share stories with friends in a click. Get your favourite NEWS.com.au content on your social networking profile. MySpace widget Facebook application Today`s Top Picks 9/11 remembered AMERICANS gathered to mark the seventh anniversary of the terror attacks that shook the world. Liberal turmoil: Nelson set to face leadership spill Principal: Sex assault `was childhood experiment` Report: Hospital overcrowding killing hundreds Font size: +- Send this article:Print Email Have Your Say We welcome your comments on this story. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Please provide your full name. We also require a working email address - not for publication, but for verification. The location field is optional.Read our publication guidelines. Submit your feedback here: Full name: Email address: Location (optional): Your comments: (max 1200 characters) Remember my details (So you don`t have to retype your details each timeyou send feedback.) Email me if my comment is published Search for more stories on this topic on Newstext, our news archive service. Click here Most Popular Blogs More Most Popular 1. Ten things your boss hates about you 2. The sex club for six year olds 3. Dingo takes a bite out of Sandilands on air 4. I was a goner, says jungle ordeal man 5. Brimble accused now living it up in Dubai 6. Mud volcano `can`t be stopped` 7. Australian`s massacre game causes uproar 8. Hunt for kangaroo boxer caught on video 9. Delicate natives are Poms` new designer toy 10. Suicide bid MP `needed time` Also in World Galveston: Thousands defy frightening power of Ike Kabul: 20 years` jail for errors in Koran translation New York: Cold War spy admits guilt after 50 years Washington: Hillary might have been better, says Biden Jerusalem: Soldier jailed after checkpoint stillbirth Galveston: 1.2 million evacuate as Ike rages Calais: Tens of thousands delayed after tunnel inferno Los Angeles: Lover crumbles, leads police to body Video Watch this Video NOW! Week in review TAKE a look back at the stories that made the headlines this week. Latest videos ARIA nominations announced Leaps and bounds The ultimate men`s runway Chalk Urban Art Festival More Video Blogroll The Nerve Are TV shows like House increasing our fear of illness? Ask Bossy: Boyfriend`s World of Warcraft addiction Blogocracy: Response to water problems Splat!: Is there Facebook `fury` over new design? Squanderlust: Spendaholic finishes her mission Jack Marx Live:Ike took Hanna by the hand Money Stuff:Paying the price for advice MacChat: Apple sets the Chrome standard Advertisement Tools Receive our news feed What is RSS? Receive our email newsletter Send us your news photos Send us your story tips News on your mobile Help\| Contact Us\| Advertise with Us\| Job Opportunities\| Terms & Conditions\| Privacy Policy\| Accessibility\| Sitemap\| News Headlines from Our Partners Copyright 2008 News Limited. All times AEST (GMT +10).

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`Corners cut` with Qantas maintenance

Close call ... an exploding oxygen bottle blew a hole in the side of a Melbourne-bound Qantas Airways Boeing 747 in July / AFP

`Corners cut` with Qantas maintenance 09/10/2008


	01. 2009

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