Thursday, February 28, 2008 Representatives from the British insurance industry have said that the cost of the earthquake which hit Britain early yesterday could be over 10 million GBP. The Association of British Insurers has said in a statement that the cost for the earthquake is “likely to run into the low tens of millions of pounds.” The Senior claims manager at the UK bank Norwich Union has described the damage by saying that at the moment most insurance claims regarding the earthquake describe “minor damage such as tiles off…
Scientology protest group celebrates founder’s birthday worldwide
Correction — March 19, 2008 The next protest is scheduled for April 12, 2008. The article below states April 18 which is incorrect. Saturday, March 15, 2008 The Internet group Anonymous today held further protests critical of the Church of Scientology. The global protests started in Australia where several hundred protesters gathered at different locations for peaceful protests. In a global speech, the Internet protest movement said Scientology “betrayed the trust of its members, [had] taken their money, their rights, and at times their very lives.” The protesters welcomed the public…
Brazilian environmentalists tell residents to urinate in shower to save water
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 Environmentalists in Brazil are urging the country’s residents to urinate in the shower while washing themselves, to help conserve water and save the rainforest. Television ads being aired in the country claim that by doing so, the nation could save over 1,000 gallons of water per household each year. SOS Mata Atlantica ran the ad campaign in an attempt to use comedy to get people to reduce the amount of water they use. “[The ad is] a way to be playful about a serious subject,” said…
Neola North wildfire in Utah blamed for three deaths
Monday, July 2, 2007 A wildfire in the Ashley National Forest has been blamed for three deaths and has led to the evacuation of about 500 residents of the communities of Whiterocks, Farm Creek, Paradise and Tridell in eastern Utah. The fire broke out on Friday, June 29 at around 9:00 a.m. local time in Duschene county, north of Neola by state route 121, and proceeded to spread westward into Uintah county. To date, the cause of the wildfire is unknown. An early report by public safety officials claimed it…
Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson dies
Friday, April 10, 2009 Dave Arneson, co-creator of the first roleplaying game, Dungeons and Dragons, died on Tuesday of cancer, at the age of 61. A close friend of Arneson, Bob Meyer, reported on April 5 that he had taken a turn for the worse and was admitted to a hospital. Family later confirmed that he was in a facility “where we can focus on keeping him comfortable.” Reported at that time, the doctor indicated that he had days to live. The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design in…
Still no action in standoff in Ontario town
Monday, April 17, 2006 Seven weeks after citizens of the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve repossessed land near Caledonia, Ontario, on February 28, the Ontario Provincial Police, who have authority from a court to arrest the protesters for contempt of court, have yet to act. On April 11, more than 50 police cruisers, two paddy wagons, and several vans gathered outside an abandoned school on Unity Road in Caledonia. However, reports from last night are that visible police presence is minimal, with just a few police cruisers parked…
Turkey, US embassies resume issuing non-immigrant visas
Thursday, November 9, 2017 On Monday, the US embassy in Turkey’s capital Ankara released a statement on their website announcing they are to resume accepting new requests for non-immigrant visas on a limited basis in the country. Shortly after the announcement, the Turkish embassy in the US capital Washington DC also announced they are to continue processing a limited number of non-immigrant visas. Last month, after a Turkish employee at the US embassy was arrested, the embassy introduced this measure to minimise how many visitors they received while they “assess[ed]…
France, Italy, UK sending military advisers to Libya; photojournalists killed in Misrata
Thursday, April 21, 2011 France and Italy have announced along with the United Kingdom that they will be sending military advisers to help Libyan rebels in their fight against the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Italian Minister for Defence Ignazio La Russa said Wednesday that his country will send ten instructors. French officials said they would send fewer than ten. The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said they would send a team that could possibly contain up to twenty advisers. La Russa said in a news conference that the…
First images received from orbit around Mercury
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 The first images of Mercury taken from orbit around the planet have been received from NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) probe. The images come after the spacecraft entered an orbit around the closest planet to the sun on March 17. After various system examinations, the first images from the spacecraft were sent at 0520 EDT (0920 UTC). Before arriving in orbit around Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft was launched in 2004, passed by Mercury twice in 2008 and once more in 2009. MESSENGER…
2,000 stranded in Machu Picchu, Peru after torrential rains
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Peruvian highway police said that two thousand tourists have been stranded near the ruins of the ancient Machu Picchu citadel, after torrential rains caused mudslides, blocking the train route that goes from the site to Cusco. Soledad Caparo, a spokeswoman for Perurail commented that the train operator suspended service earlier today, and is trying to remove the mud that is blocking the rail. The last leg of the trip from Machu Picchu to Cusco is only possible by rail; Peruvian Tourism Minister Martin Perez remarked that…