D Thursday, October 1, 2009 METRO 11 Ruined: Whole villages were destroyed Devastation: Scenes of destruction on the island of American Samoa Pictures: PA/Press 22 Irish hotel manageress braves tsunami horror By ine De PAoR Survivors: Triona, nick and eoin METRO World AmericA: The worlds largest high-definition video screen has entered the Guinness Book of Records. The four-sided screen has a surface area of 1,058sqm and hangs above the Dallas Cowboys football stadium. The video board is the size of 3,268 52-inch TV sets and weighs 600 tonnes. AFGHANiSTAN: A young Afghan girl was killed when a box of public information leaflets dropped by a Royal Air Force aircraft landed on top of her. The box failed to break apart in mid-air and hit the young girl, who was taken to a hospital in Kandahar where she later died. The leaflets were dropped over a rural area of Helmand province by an RAF C-130 Hercules transport plane. cHiNA: The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) plans to cut 700,000 troops over two to three years as part of its drive to modernise the worlds biggest military into a leaner hi-tech force. The cuts to land forces and additions to the other arms of the military would mean that PLA troop numbers will shrink to around 2.3million. But the final tally is unclear, given other possible staffing changes. SOmALiA: Al Shabaab rebels yesterday vowed to fight rival Hizbul Islam militants for control of the port of Kismayu. Relations between the two groups degenerated last week after al Shabaab named its own local council to run the port, excluding Hizbul members. The port is a lucrative source of taxes and other income for the Islamist fighters, who are also battling the fragile UN-backed government. GuiNeA: Military leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara (pictured) yesterday banned all gatherings and demonstrations until further notice and called for two days of mourning after troops opened fire on protesters at a pro- democracy rally earlier this week, leaving at least 157 people dead. AmericA: A Senate panel chaired by Democrat Max Baucus (pictured) has rejected a government-run public insurance option as part of a healthcare overhaul, handing insurers an early victory and setting the stage for a long fight over one of the bills most contentious issues. TAJiKiSTAN: President Emomali Rakhmon has appointed his daughter as deputy foreign minister, maintaining a trend of keeping power in the family in Central Asia. The daughter of Uzbek president Islam Karimov (pictured) is also her countrys deputy foreign minister. iSrAeL: Twenty Palestinian women will be released from prison in exchange for a video tape proving that an Israeli soldier held in the Gaza Strip is still alive. The decision was the first tangible sign of movement in talks that have dragged on for more than three years over the release of the soldier, Sgt Gilad Schalit. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said it expects the exchange to be carried out tomorrow, adding that the Security Cabinet accepted the deal, put forward by Egyptian and German mediators, as a confidence-building measure. Talks: Hamas militants announce the deal Brave Limerick mother Triona ONeill ran for her life carrying her baby son eoin in her arms to escape the terrifying tsunami. The drama began when a worker at the Sa- moan resort hotel, which she manages, looked out the window and saw the sea disappearing before it was sucked up into the killer wave. Last night, her brother Shane recalled his sisters horror: I spoke to her on the phone and she told me what happened, he said. They didnt get any official warning. She felt the earthquake and it was as bad as anything she had ever experienced out there. The assistant manager looked out the win- dow and all he saw was the sea receding everyone ran. But the 30-year-olds first thought was not for her husband Nick Shannon and baby son, but that she had a responsibility to get the ho- tel guests out. They got all the guests out but the scary thing was that the next-door village, Salani, didnt even know the wave was coming, said Shane. There were little children walking to school so they shouted at them to warn them and then they ran home and told the people. everyone was running for higher ground the trick is to make it to higher ground, which they did. The resort had Jeeps but most of the Samo- an people dont have cars so anyone who had one was ferrying people to the bottom of the hills and they walked up from there. Thats what Triona did along with everyone else. Trionas hotel, the Salani Surf resort, was on the main island of Upolu, which bore the brunt of the terror wave. Former Limerick Senior hurler Shane, 35, said his family was just so relieved that his sister, her 33-year-old husband and 16-month- old baby were all alive. Trionas childhood friend, Limerick woman Georgina Miller, was also with her. The 30- year-old was visiting her old school pal and had stayed for several weeks as part of a round-the-world trip. Yesterday, she fled the island along with Triona and her family. The group jetted to australia where they will stay with Nicks parents in the Gold Coast town of Ballina. Shane said: Theyve lost everything, the busi- ness they worked in everything is gone. They will stay with Nicks family for now and then decide what to do next. The ONeill family was last night just relieved to know that Triona was alive and well.ParentsBrigid,inherfifties,andMichael, in his sixties, heard of the disaster late on Tuesday night. Triona called them quickly, within an hour, so that was a great relief, add- ed Shane. I spoke to her myself sometime later, she was shocked but she was fairly cool about it. Triona has managed the resort hotel for four years along with her husband, who is a keen surfer. an australian, she met him eight years ago while travelling and the two fell in love and were later married. Four years ago they moved to Samoa and took up residence as managers of the Salani resort Hotel. It was the perfect paradise island getaway and surfers from around the world flocked to the resort. Triona trained as a veterinary nurse before leaving Ireland for australia. She, along with pal Georgina, is originally from Limerick city. The pair grew up in neighbouring areas with Triona from Clareview and Georgina from ashbrook, off the ennis road. The pair were classmates and both attended the Salesian Secondary School.Destruction: Damage was widespread Hundreds feared dead in Indonesia earthquake HUNDREDS of people trapped under rubble from collapsed buildings were feared dead after Indonesia was pummelled by a 7.6-strong earthquake yesterday. Between 100-200 people were believed to have died in the west of the country, though officials expect the toll to rise. Hotels and two hospitals collapsed in the city of Padang after the quake struck Sumatra island. Fires raged, bridges were cut off and homes demolished in the city which was engulfed in darkness after the electricity supply was cut off. After the quake originated along the fault line, known as the Ring Of Fire, a tsunami warning for countries along the Indian Ocean was issued prompting many to flee their homes for higher ground. Meanwhile, Irish aid agencies Trocaire and the Irish Red Cross have launched appeals for those affected by the quake and flooding in the Philippines. Trocaire humanitarian manager Maurice McQuillan said: We need funds to help us respond to the people who need it most. To donate log on to www.redcross.ie. Map: The tsunami travel time map v1 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html