Around the world in 60 seconds - 27 August 2010

This week’s events include:

• Judgement errors made over Philippines bus hijacking
• Australian election comes down to four independents
• Somali politicians gunned down in hotel
• Plane crashes in China and Nepal

Judgement errors made over Philippines bus hijacking

Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed along with the gunman after he took a bus full of people hostage on Monday in the Philippines capital city Manila.

The whole ordeal unfolded on live TV throughout the day as police tried to negotiate with the gunman – a disgruntled ex-policeman trying to get his job back.

Negotiations broke down in the evening after the gunman informed a radio station he had shot two hostages and then began shooting. He was eventually shot by a sniper.

Nine hostages were released during the day and seven more, including the bus driver, survived after police stormed the bus.

The police have been criticised for being unprepared, properly trained and possibly even shooting some of the hostages.

Furthermore, they fled from the gunman’s shots after initially storming the bus, and didn’t take opportunities to either shoot or disarm him.

Some experts also believe they could have given in to his request to have his job reinstated, and then arrested him later on.

China has temporarily banned travel to the Philippines in response.

Australian election comes down to four independents

Australia’s election result on Saturday produced their first ‘hung parliament’ in 70 years, with the two main parties, Labor and Liberals each getting 71 seats, 5 short of the 76 majority needed to govern.

Three seats remain undecided and are proving difficult to pick. One Green party minister, their first ever elected, has indicated his conditional support to Labor.

The decision of which party will be the next government now rests with three independent MPs – each from rural areas. A fourth independent MP is contemplating joining them in the negotiations.

They have produced a list of seven demands that they want met, with the economy being top priority.

One of the demands is for the Treasury department to clarify the costings of the two parties’ pre-election promises (to which the Liberals have said no and Labor is taking advice on).

An outcome of the negotiations is not expected for at least another week or so, as all parties await the outcome of the three remaining seats.

Somali politicians gunned down in hotel

Two gunmen disguised as government soldiers stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu and shot dead 32 people. One of the gunmen then blew himself up inside the building.

Among those killed were six members of parliament, five government officials, and 21 civilians. The hotel was known as being popular with politicians due to its location inside the small government-controlled area of Mogadishu.

The attackers were from the Somali militant group Al-Shabab, the same group that carried out the twin-suicide bombings in the Ugandan capital during the world cup final.

The group launched a new offensive in the capital on Monday after it declared a “massive war” against the 6,000 strong African Union peacekeeping force which is propping up the country’s weak government.

Another 40 people have been killed and 130 wounded in the street fighting so far.

Plane crashes in China and Nepal

A passenger plane crashed in north-eastern China on Tuesday after it overshot the runway in heavy fog.

42 people were killed after the plane broke into two pieces and burst into flames. However, 53 people managed to survive. It’s China’s first major plane crash in five years.

Meanwhile, there were no survivors when a small passenger plane crashed in bad weather in Nepal on its way to the Mount Everest base camp, killing 14 people, including 11 tourists.

Photo – Emergency workers remove one of the hostages from the bus hijacking in Manila.