As the rains began pounding the slopes in late this afternoon, rescue workers retreated from the disaster zone on high on the extinct volcano's flanks. As they trudged down through the mud, a group of villagers began the 2-hour march up to the site with makeshift coffins balanced on their heads. Uganda's Prime Minister Yoweri Museveni flew in the helicopter earlier on the day. He blamed the disaster on local people who settled dangerously unstable mountain slopes and cleared the hillsides of forests. The Red Cross was appealed for help of emergency shelters, blankets and mobile medical clinic, and psychological help for the handful of survivors.
Aid agencies and the Ethiopian authorities have denied allegations in a BBC report that millions of dollars donated to the relief effort for the Ethiopian famine in the mid 1980s went to buy weapons. The rock star Bob Geldof, who was the public face of the appeal for funds, has also described the report as rubbish.
Libya is imposing an economic and commercial embargo against Switzerland. The announcement follows a call last week by the Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi for a jihad against the country. The Libyans have been angered by a Swiss ban on building minarets and the detention by Swiss police of Colonel Gaddafi's son in 2008 on assault charges that were later dropped.
The American Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why a child was apparently allowed to direct air traffic at New York's JFK airport. The aviation authority said the behavior of employees involved was unacceptable. And a number of staff have been suspended.