Warning System

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- The United Nations lifted a travel ban yesterday on aid workers in Indonesia's tsunami-battered Aceh province, the scene of a decades-long conflict between rebels and government forces that has raised concerns about the safety of relief efforts. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook northern Japan late yesterday, but there was no danger of a tsunami or reports of damage. Earlier in the day, an international conference on disaster reduction opened in Kobe, Japan.

BANGKOK - Sirens blared, parents grabbed their children, and hundreds ran to emergency shelters in Indonesia as countries bordering the Indian Ocean conducted a test yesterday of a warning system set up after the devastating 2004 tsunami. But at least one survivor was too paralyzed by memories of the killer wave to take part in mock evacuations off Aceh, Indonesia. “What’s this all for? My chest has gone tight, and I am shaking,’’ said Hamiyah, 58, a woman who lost her in-laws, four children, and five grandchildren.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- An ambitious plan to set up an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system is expected to dominate an upcoming gathering of leaders from stricken nations and world donors seeking to prevent a repeat of last week's carnage. Asian leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose nation's $500 million pledge makes it the biggest contributor so far, are to attend Thursday's summit, along with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and top European Union officials.

WASHINGTON - The captain and co-pilot in an air crash that killed 50 in upstate New York were distracted and might have realized they were traveling at dangerously low speeds if they had a warning system, safety officials said yesterday. National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman raised the issue of a warning system in questioning NASA scientist Robert Dismukes, a specialist on cockpit distractions. She noted that the Continental Connection Flight 3407 lost 50 knots of airspeed in 20 seconds while Captain Marvin Renslow and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw chatted on approach to Buffalo...

WASHINGTON - The captain and co-pilot in an air crash that killed 50 in upstate New York were distracted and might have realized they were traveling at dangerously low speeds if they had a warning system, safety officials said yesterday. National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman raised the issue of a warning system in questioning NASA scientist Robert Dismukes, a specialist on cockpit distractions. She noted that the Continental Connection Flight 3407 lost 50 knots of airspeed in 20 seconds while Captain Marvin Renslow and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw chatted on approach to Buffalo...

PANGANDARAN, Indonesia -- Rumors of another killer wave sparked mass panic yesterday in the resort area hardest hit by the Indonesian tsunami, while the death toll rose to 531, with more than 270 missing. More than 1,000 residents of the beach town of Pangandaran fled inland, running, bicycling, or driving amid shouts of "The water is coming!" It was unclear how the rumor started. Indonesia has no nationwide tsunami warning system and coastal residents had no notice of the onrushing wave Monday.

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga -- A powerful earthquake struck early today near the South Pacific nation of Tonga, prompting tsunami warnings for as far away as Fiji and New Zealand. But the warning never reached Tonga -- and was lifted after a tsunami of less than 2 feet. There were no reports of injuries from the quake or tsunami, and a Tongan official said a few broken windows were the extent of the damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu lifted its warning for all areas within two hours of the 4:26 a.m. earthquake.

BANGKOK - Sirens blared, parents grabbed their children, and hundreds ran to emergency shelters in Indonesia as countries bordering the Indian Ocean conducted a test yesterday of a warning system set up after the devastating 2004 tsunami. But at least one survivor was too paralyzed by memories of the killer wave to take part in mock evacuations off Aceh, Indonesia. “What’s this all for? My chest has gone tight, and I am shaking,’’ said Hamiyah, 58, a woman who lost her in-laws, four children, and five grandchildren.

WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who sought to reassure Americans amid frightening warnings about possible terrorist plots, has told colleagues he probably will resign after the election because of his personal finances and stress of his job, officials said. During a meeting yesterday in Miami, Ridge called the report "an inside-the-Beltway game" and said he wouldn't comment about it. "The president gave me a great job," Ridge said. "I'm doing the job, and after President Bush is reelected, we'll have to have that conversation.

WASHINGTON -- Hoping to protect US shores from being hammered by a tsunami, the White House issued a national plan yesterday for better earthquake and volcano monitoring systems, deep ocean buoys, and other high-tech means of alerting oceanside communities. President Bush and Congress requested the tsunami plan after an earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, caused a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean. It killed or left missing more than 220,000 people in 11 Indian Ocean countries, and "demonstrated international vulnerability," said John Marburger, Bush's top science adviser.

PANGANDARAN, Indonesia -- Rumors of another killer wave sparked mass panic yesterday in the resort area hardest hit by the Indonesian tsunami, while the death toll rose to 531, with more than 270 missing. More than 1,000 residents of the beach town of Pangandaran fled inland, running, bicycling, or driving amid shouts of "The water is coming!" It was unclear how the rumor started. Indonesia has no nationwide tsunami warning system and coastal residents had no notice of the onrushing wave Monday.

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga -- A powerful earthquake struck early today near the South Pacific nation of Tonga, prompting tsunami warnings for as far away as Fiji and New Zealand. But the warning never reached Tonga -- and was lifted after a tsunami of less than 2 feet. There were no reports of injuries from the quake or tsunami, and a Tongan official said a few broken windows were the extent of the damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu lifted its warning for all areas within two hours of the 4:26 a.m. earthquake.

WASHINGTON -- Hoping to protect US shores from being hammered by a tsunami, the White House issued a national plan yesterday for better earthquake and volcano monitoring systems, deep ocean buoys, and other high-tech means of alerting oceanside communities. President Bush and Congress requested the tsunami plan after an earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, caused a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean. It killed or left missing more than 220,000 people in 11 Indian Ocean countries, and "demonstrated international vulnerability," said John Marburger, Bush's top science adviser.

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- The United Nations lifted a travel ban yesterday on aid workers in Indonesia's tsunami-battered Aceh province, the scene of a decades-long conflict between rebels and government forces that has raised concerns about the safety of relief efforts. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook northern Japan late yesterday, but there was no danger of a tsunami or reports of damage. Earlier in the day, an international conference on disaster reduction opened in Kobe, Japan.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- An ambitious plan to set up an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system is expected to dominate an upcoming gathering of leaders from stricken nations and world donors seeking to prevent a repeat of last week's carnage. Asian leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose nation's $500 million pledge makes it the biggest contributor so far, are to attend Thursday's summit, along with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and top European Union officials.

WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who sought to reassure Americans amid frightening warnings about possible terrorist plots, has told colleagues he probably will resign after the election because of his personal finances and stress of his job, officials said. During a meeting yesterday in Miami, Ridge called the report "an inside-the-Beltway game" and said he wouldn't comment about it. "The president gave me a great job," Ridge said. "I'm doing the job, and after President Bush is reelected, we'll have to have that conversation.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly on Thursday announced changes to officer training and supervision amid a growing public outcry and a federal lawsuit claiming the stop, question and frisk policy at the nation's largest department amounts to racial profiling. Kelly sent a letter to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn detailing the changes. Quinn, a likely candidate for mayor, has been a vocal critic of the policy. Last year, more than 630,000 people were stopped, mostly black and Hispanic men. About half are frisked, and only about 10 percent are arrested.

WASHINGTON - Radio and television programming will be interrupted for 30 seconds at 2 p.m. today as the government conducts the first national test of a disaster-warning system. The test of the Emergency Alert System will take place on broadcast and satellite television and on radio and cable TV, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For 50 years, the United States has had an alert system under various names that has been used regionally to provide information about severe weather and other emergencies.