Hurricane Ingrid forms off Mexico

Hurricane Ingrid forms off Mexico, TS Manuel could also become hurricane before landfall

XALAPA, Mexico (AP) -- Ingrid has strengthened after becoming Mexico's second hurricane of the Atlantic storm season, prompting the evacuation of several thousand people while an increasingly powerful Tropical Storm Manuel threatened to become a hurricane as well, dumping rains that could cause flash floods and mudslides as it nears landfall on Sunday.

Hurricane Ingrid was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) early Sunday. The storm was centered about 175 miles (280 km) east of Tampico, Mexico and moving north-northwest at 7 mph (11 km).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said that if Ingrid stays on the forecast track, it's expected to reach the coast of Mexico early Monday. A hurricane warning was in effect from Cabo Rojo to La Pesca.

In Tamaulipas state to the north, where Ingrid is expected to make landfall, the government said in a statement that Independence Day festivities were cancelled in the cities of Tampico, Madero and Altamira. The Sept. 15 and 16 celebrations commemorate Mexico's battle of independence from Spain.

Officials in the Gulf state of Veracruz began evacuating coastal residents Friday night, and local civil protection authorities said that more than 5,300 people had been moved to safer ground. Of those, about 3,500 people were being housed in official shelters with the rest staying with family and friends. There were no immediate reports of injuries blamed on the storm.

More than 1,000 homes in Veracruz state have been affected by the storm to varying degrees, and 20 highways and 12 bridges have suffered damages, according to the state's civil protection authority.

A bridge collapsed near the northern Veracruz city of Misantla Friday, cutting off the area from the state capital. Thirteen people died when a landslide buried their homes in heavy rains spawned by Tropical Depression Fernand on Monday.

State officials imposed an orange alert, the highest possible, in parts of southern Veracruz.

Off Mexico's Pacific coast, Tropical Storm Manuel was getting stronger, moving with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) and expected to be nearing the southwestern coast of Mexico by Sunday morning, possibly as a hurricane.

Late Saturday, it was about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south-southwest of the city of Lazaro Cardenas and 155 miles (255 kilometers) southeast of Manzanillo as it moved northward at 7 mph (11 kph). The Mexican government late Saturday issued a hurricane warning for the country's Pacific Coast from Lazaro Cardenas to Manzanillo.

Manuel was expected to produce 10 to 15 inches of rain over parts of the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, with isolated amounts of up to 25 inches possible in some areas. Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides were considered likely, especially in mountainous areas.

Hurricane Ingrid threatens Mexico

Several thousand people are evacuated, while another worrisome storm brews off Mexico's Pacific Coast.
Mudslides, flash flooding feared

By Jatindra Dash

BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - India successfully test-fired for a second time a nuclear-capable missile on Sunday that can reach Beijing and much of Europe, bringing a step closer production of a weapon designed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent.

"The test was successful," said Ravi Kumar Gupta, spokesman for the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). "It hit the target in a predefined trajectory. It met all the mission objectives"

A video distributed by the DRDO showed the Agni-V rocket blasting off from a forest clearing on an island off India's east coast state of Odisha.

India is trying to keep up with China's growing military strength and wants to have a viable deterrent against its larger nuclear-armed neighbor.

The two countries have generally warm relations, but they fought a brief Himalayan war in 1962 and a buildup of conventional defenses along their disputed border is a source of tension.

The Agni-V is the most advanced version of the indigenously built Agni, or Fire, series, part of a program that started in the 1960s. Earlier versions could reach old rival Pakistan and western China.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan is increasing its arsenal of nuclear warheads and developing short-range, tactical nuclear weapons, raising concern about an escalating South Asian arms race, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said on Thursday.

The think-tank said in a report the race with Pakistan was increasing the risk of a nuclear exchange during a conventional conflict, perhaps sparked by an act of terrorism.

The Agni-V missile was first tested in April 2012. It is mostly domestically built and has a range of about 5,000 km (3,100 miles). Only the U.N. Security Council permanent members - China, France, Russia the United States and Britain - along with Israel, are believed to have such long-range weapons.

Gupta said India was now ready to start a process of production and subsequent induction of the missile.

(Writing by Anurag Kotoky in NEW DELHI; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Robert Birsel)

The water-soaked US state of Colorado faced more rainfall on Sunday that threatened to slow the search for some 500 people unaccounted for after several days of massive flooding.

Among the hundreds missing, officials suggested many may simply not be able to call loved ones because of damage to cell phone towers or power outages.

"But we're still bracing," Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said.

"There are many, many homes that have been destroyed. A number have been collapsed and we haven't been in them yet," he told CNN.

As of early Sunday, 500 people are unaccounted for, Hickenlooper added.

In addition, thousands have been evacuated after torrential downpours washed away roads and inundated communities, claiming at least four lives.

Rain began pelting the state earlier this week, in hard hit Boulder, which saw 7.2 inches (18.3 centimeters) of precipitation in about 15 hours beginning Wednesday night.

And with more rain expected to be dumped on the region, the situation could get even more dire, Hickenlooper warned.

In Boulder, a university town, there was a 70 percent chance of rain, The Weather Channel predicted. The same was true for Denver, it said.

With the ground already saturated, "that's going to just really magnify the problems we've had so far," Hickenlooper said in reference to Boulder County.

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A resident looks at his flooded home and property on September 14, 2013 in La Salle, Colorado. More …

"We're still trying to evacuate people," he added, noting that almost 2,000 people had been moved out of Boulder alone.

New flash floods were expected to inundate parts of the state Sunday, the National Weather Service warned as it forecast additional rainfall.

On Saturday, large hail the size of peas or even marbles pummeled parts of the city of Aurora, according to local weather reports. A series of thunderstorms also struck the area.

Raging floodwaters in Boulder, already confirmed to have killed at least four people, apparently claimed the life of a fifth on Saturday -- a 60-year-old woman swept away in the torrent.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that the woman was "missing presumed dead," after floodwaters destroyed her house, and officials warned that the toll would likely climb further.

"There might be further loss of life," Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told reporters. "It's certainly a high probability... We're hoping to reach everyone as soon as possible."

But some additional help was on the way, with President Barack Obama declaring a major disaster in Colorado and ordering federal aid to support state and local efforts.

"Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster," the White House said.

Hickenlooper welcomed the development, saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency "has been terrific."

The Wyoming National Guard was helping the evacuation effort after Governor Matt Mead activated five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and 20 crew members, the state's military department said.

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People look at a flooded ranch home September 14, 2013 near Dearfield, Colorado. More than 500 stran …

The US National Guard, meanwhile, provided seven helicopters to help get people out of danger.

Some 1,200 residents were pulled out of the Pinewood Springs area by the National Guard and Fort Carson personnel, state authorities said on Twitter.

But many others were still awaiting rescue, which authorities said could take days for some.

Officials said there were widespread power outages as streets became raging rivers after the state received months' worth of rain in just a few days.

Pictures from helicopter cameras showed heavy rain had reduced the towns of Jamestown, Lyons and Longmont to little more than islands, with ready-to-eat meals being dropped to stranded, anxious residents below.

Residents' furry friends were also stranded by the torrential rains.

"Our victims' advocates told me tonight there were almost as many pets as people getting off the evacuation helicopters today," the Larimer County Sheriff's Office tweeted.

Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway called the widespread flooding an "epic event."

"It is a once in 500 years or 1,000 years situation," he told the Denver Post.

Hickenlooper concurred.

"This is a heck of a storm," he said.

Colorado facing more rain, flooding

With hundreds still unaccounted for, rescue efforts may be hampered with more flash floods expected.
'Further loss of life' feared

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded on Saturday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad account for his secret stockpile within a week and let international inspectors eliminate all the weapons by the middle of next year.

Iran strongly backs Assad against the rebels seeking to oust him, and has said the rebels were responsible for a chemical attack last month outside of Damascus. The United States and its allies say Assad's government is responsible.

Speaker Ali Larijani said in a news conference late on Saturday that any U.S. strike in retaliation for the gas attack would result in a larger conflict in the region and would be against international law, and that U.S. policymakers had realized this.

"We are hopeful that American politicians have some rationality so they avoid extremist behavior, and the events of the last few days and the decisions that have been taken indicate this rationality," Larijani said, according to the ISNA news agency on Sunday.

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Alison Williams)

A US-Russian plan to remove Syria's chemical weapons is a "victory" that averts war, a Syrian minister said Sunday, as Washington warned that the threat of US force "remains real".

"On one hand, it helps the Syrians emerge from the crisis and on the other it has allowed for averting war against Syria...," Minister of State for National Reconciliation Ali Haidar told Russian news agency Ria Novosti.

"It's a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends."

His remarks came as US Secretary of State John Kerry met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to brief him on the plan to eradicate Syria's chemical weapons.

Kerry came out of the talks with a word of warning for Damascus.

"The threat of force remains, the threat is real," he said at a joint news conference in Jerusalem with Netanyahu.

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Graphic map of Syria showing suspected chemical weapons sites. A US-Russian plan to remove Syria's c …

Washington is seeking to bolster international support for the agreement inked in Geneva on Saturday, which demands action from Damascus within days.

The ambitious plan to dismantle and destroy Syria's chemical arms stockpile -- one of the largest in the world -- by mid-2014 was thrashed out over three days of talks in Geneva between Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

It gives Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a week to hand over details of his regime's arsenal of the internationally banned arms in order to avert unspecified sanctions and the threat of US-led military strikes.

It also specifies there must be immediate access for arms control experts and that inspections of what the US says is some 45 sites linked to the Syrian chemical weapons programme must be completed by November.

A high-ranking official in Syria told AFP that the chemical deal could put Damascus back on the road to peace if it is coupled with an accord to cut off the supply of weapons to foreign-backed rebels.

"In parallel with the question of chemical arms, the whole world must work together to halt the influx of arms and mercenaries to Syria," he said.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dur …

The deal won the backing of China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, which like Russia has vetoed several UN resolutions on Syria.

"This agreement will enable tensions in Syria to be eased," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his visiting French counterpart Laurent Fabius who will meet Lavrov on Tuesday in Moscow.

It was also welcomed by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who cautioned: "It is important, however, that it be put into practice."

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi called the deal "a step closer to a political solution" to the civil war in Syria that has cost more than 110,00 lives since March 2011.

Ahead of Kerry's talks with the leader of Syria's neighbour Israel, Netanyahu said he hoped the accord would see the complete destruction of the Damascus regime's chemical weapons.

The Syrian rebels fighting to oust Assad have rejected the deal, warning it would not halt the conflict.

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French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (C) speaks during a press conference at the French Embassy in …

"Are we Syrians supposed to wait until mid-2014, to continue being killed every day and to accept (the deal) just because the chemical arms will be destroyed in 2014?" asked Free Syrian Army chief General Selim Idriss.

But in Damascus there was a flicker of hope the end of the devastating 30-month conflict may be in sight.

"We have more hope now, after this agreement. We might be able to see an end to terrorism and the troubles that we've had no part in creating," beauty salon owner Muna Ibo said.

Experts said the deal would be difficult -- if not impossible -- to implement.

Olivier Lepick of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris said he thought it would be impossible for Syrian stockpiles to be destroyed by mid-2014.

The deadline "seems to be a complete fantasy," he told AFP. "Given the civil war, I don't think it can happen... In peacetime it would take years to dismantle Syria's chemical arsenal."

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A rebel fighter buys a chocolate bar from a store in the outskirts of Saraqib, southwest of Syrian c …

Kerry was to fly on to Paris for Monday talks with Fabius, British Foreign Secretary William Hague, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and their Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu.

France has so far been Washington's closest ally as it has sought to build support to punish Syria for allegedly using chemical weapons.

Also on Monday, the United Nations is due to release its investigation of an August 21 attack near Damascus.

Washington says Assad's forces unleashed sarin gas on the suburb, killing some 1,400 people.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has accused Assad of multiple crimes against humanity and said the UN inspectors' report would provide "overwhelming" confirmation chemical weapons were used.

President Barack Obama on Sunday denied having been outfoxed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in accepting the deal.

"I welcome him being involved. I welcome him saying, 'I will take responsibility for pushing my client, the Assad regime, to deal with these chemical weapons," Obama told ABC television.

Kerry said the joint plan would be encapsulated in a Security Council resolution drawn up under Chapter Seven of the UN charter, which provides for enforcement through sanctions, including the possible use of military force.

But with Russia strongly opposed to the use of military threats against its long-term ally Syria, and also wielding a veto on the Council, Kerry acknowledged it would be up to debate in the Security Council over what sanctions to impose.

Syria calls arms deal a 'victory'

Damascus is hailing the chemical weapons agreement between the U.S. and Russia for averting war in the region.
Others still skeptical