At a news conference at Rose Lawn in the White House US President George Bush announced that he has ordered the US Navy's aircraft-carrier USS Nimitz to immediately sail towards the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Beruit, Lebanon for the evacuation of Nepali nationals. It is reported that the US Navy's aircraft-crarrier USS Nimitz will be stripped of its current crew of approximately 5200 men to sekeleton size of less than 900 men to make room for evacuating Nepalese nationals. The details from the White House press release states that the US Navy ship will reach off the coast of Lebanon by 21:00 hours July 21.