Strong earthquake hits Pakistan, north India, Afghanistan

Saturday, October 8, 2005 The strongest earthquake (7.6) that South Asia experienced in the last century caused widespread damage across Pakistan, North India, and Afghanistan this morning. Strongest hit was apparently Kashmir. Tens of thousands of people are feared dead. The epicenter was close to Muzaffarabad, 138 km to the north of Islamabad, and also …

People killed as three trains crash in Los Angeles

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 Ten people are dead and up to 200 injured after three trains crashed in Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles. Two passenger trains and a freight train carrying gravel collided at 6:05 a.m. local time during the morning rush hour. Both passenger trains were double-decker Metrolink trains, one northbound from Union …

‘Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography’ released, $100 million lawsuit in planning stages

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, a biography of actor Tom Cruise written by journalist Andrew Morton, was released in the United States yesterday amidst the potential for a US$100 million lawsuit against its publisher, St. Martin’s Press. The book will not be published in Australia, Britain, and New Zealand due to …

New York City Mass Transit facing service cuts

Friday, December 11, 2009 New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is proposing to make service cuts to close its expected US$343 million (€234m, GBP £211m) budget deficit. The plan includes the elimination of multiple bus lines in The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, the elimination of the W (Astoria, Queens to Lower Manhattan) and the Z …

Oral Roberts University accountant claims he was ordered to “cook the books”

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 A former accountant for Oral Roberts University (ORU) has filed a lawsuit against ORU and its Board of Regents claiming he was told by Richard Roberts and his wife Lindsay to “cook the books”, hiding financial wrongdoing from authorities and the public. Trent Huddleston, the accountant, has filed suit against the …

Tributes paid to the victims of the July 7 2005 London bombings

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 A permanent memorial for the victims of the July 7, 2005 London bombings has been unveiled in Hyde Park, London, England. Today is the fourth anniversary of the bombings, when 52 people were killed by suicide bombers on board three Underground trains and a bus. 52 stainless steel columns standing 3.5m …

Emergency spacewalks planned to fix International Space Station

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 NASA is scrambling to solidify plans to fix the broken down cooling systems on the International Space Station during two spacewalks, currently planned for Friday and Monday. The systems broke down late Saturday July 31, triggering alarms that woke the six astronauts (three Russian and three American) currently onboard the station. …

US automaker bailout deal fails to pass Senate

Friday, December 12, 2008 A US$14 billion bailout package deal for the “Big Three” United States automakers — Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors — has been rejected in the United States Senate after failing a procedural vote. The bill was rejected after bipartisan discussions on the bailout broke down when Republican Party leaders insisted that …

Fast food chain McDonald’s set to open up 1000 more stores by end of year

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 American fast food chain McDonald’s is set to open up 1000 more stores during 2009 as part of its expected capital spending of US$2.1 billion. While global same-store sales rose 7.2%, revenue fell marginally, due to the strong US dollar. McDonald’s net income fell 23% from US$1.27 billion to $985.4 million. …