Major mud slide in Lyngen Norway – no injuries
Two homes were swept to sea in a major earth slide in the hamlet of Lyngseidet in Troms county on Friday afternoon. No one was injured in the slide, but more homes are threatened.
Altogether 16-17 homes were therefore evacuated immediately. The slide was 30 metres wide and 100 metres long, and also swept several smaller outbuildings, a number of parked cars and boats into the fjord. It also destroyed the main highway.
An older man escaped to the top floor when his house was swept into sea, and was able to climb out the window and call for help before he was ...
Today in History – 4th Sep.
Today is Saturday, Sept. 4, the 247th day of 2010. There are 118 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Sept. 4, 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers under the leadership of Governor Felipe de Neve.
On this date:
In 1886, a group of Apache Indians led by Geronimo surrendered to Gen. Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona.
In 1888, George Eastman received a patent for his roll-film box camera, and registered his trademark: "Kodak."
In 1893, English author Beatrix Potter first told the story of Peter Rabbit in the form of a "picture letter" to Noel Moore, the son ...
Russia faces 15 billion dollar heatwave losses: economists
Russia is starting to count the losses of the worst heatwave in its history, with economists warning the weather may cost the country up to 15 billion dollars and undercut a modest economic revival.
While it may take months for the government to tally the damage caused, several economists said the disaster might cost Russia between 0.5 percent and 1.0 percent of this year's gross domestic product (GDP), or roughly 7-15 billion dollars.
Alexander Morozov, chief economist for HSBC bank in Russia, said the abnormal heatwave, including a severe drought, forest fires and smog, will be a significant factor eroding growth as ...
Today in History – 10th Aug.
Today is Tuesday, Aug. 10, the 222nd day of 2010. There are 143 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Aug. 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed a measure establishing the Smithsonian Institution.
On this date:
In 1680, Pueblo Indians launched a successful revolt against Spanish colonists in present-day New Mexico.
In 1792, during the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries (TWEE'-luh-reez) Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason, and executed the following January.)
In 1809, Ecuador struck its initial blow for independence from Spain. (Ecuador achieved independence in 1822.)
In 1821, ...
Cabinet formation talks begin : Holland
Talks on forming a minority government of VVD Liberals and Christian Democrats supported by the anti-Islam PVV in parliament began on Monday morning.
The three party leaders are each accompanied by a colleague. Mark Rutte (VVD) has MP Edith Schippers with him, Maxime Verhagen (Christian Democrats) is accompanied by caretaker health minister Ab Klink and Geert Wilders (PVV) chose Euro MP Barry Madlener.
Negotiator Ivo Opstelten said last week the talks will take two to three weeks and will take place out of the public eye.
Hamburg shuts mosque visited by 9/11 terrorists : Germany
German police on Monday shut a mosque in the northern city of Hamburg frequented by suicide hijackers from the September 11, 2001 attacks and suspected of recruiting jihadists, the authorities said.
An affiliated cultural centre was also banned.
"Hamburg must not become a cradle of violent Islamists," the city-state's Interior Minister Christoph Ahlhaus told reporters.
"We closed the Taiba mosque today because young men were converted to religious fanatics there. A purported cultural association shamelessly exploited the freedoms of our democratic state under the rule of law to recruit for holy war behind the scenes."
Three of the September 11 hijackers including their ringleader ...
Taylor Gave Supermodel ‘Huge Diamond’
Actress Mia Farrow says supermodel Naomi Campbell told her she had received a "huge diamond" from the former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.
Farrow, 65, told Taylor's war crimes trial at The Hague that an "excited" Campbell had confided in her that two men had come to her hotel room after a charity dinner in 1997 hosted by Nelson Mandela and given her the stone.
The account differs sharply to Campbell's recollection of events.
At the Special Court for Sierra Leone last week, Campbell said she received a pouch of "dirty looking pebbles" in the middle of the night from unknown men.
Farrow said she ...
Today in History – 9th Aug.
Today is Monday, Aug. 9, the 221st day of 2010. There are 144 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, the United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people.
On this date:
In 1842, the United States and Canada resolved a border dispute by signing the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.
In 1854, Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," which described Thoreau's experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published.
In 1902, Edward VII was crowned king of Britain following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
In 1910, the U.S. ...
Russian Dies In Finnish Sauna Contest
The final of the annual Sauna World Championships in Finland has ended in tragedy with the death of a Russian contestant.
Vladimir Ladyzhensky was rushed to hopsital along with his Finnish rival, Timo Kaukonen, after both collapsed during the competition.
The pair both had severe burns on their bodies after enduring heat above 110 degrees Celcius (230 degrees Fahrenheit).
A spokesman for the event confirmed the cirumstances of Mr Ladyzhensky's death were being investigated by police.
The annual contest, which has been held since 1999, has been suspended.
Over 130 participants from 15 countries had entered this year's event in the southern town of Heinola.
Competition ...
China’s Premier Wen travels to landslide-hit region
China's Premier Wen Jiabao is travelling to the country's northwest where landslides triggered by heavy rain have left over 80 people dead and more than 2,000 missing, state media said Sunday.
More than 70 were injured in the landslides in a mainly Tibetan region of Gansu province late Saturday night, state television said.
A total of 20,000 people living in Zhouqu county have been evacuated, the report said.
Wen has left Beijing and is on his way to the devastated county, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Authorities have deployed 2,400 soldiers and about 100 medical experts to help in search and rescue efforts, ...