News for Week 8 of 2010

News — By ken on February 22, 2010 at 3:06 pm

Chile Struck by One of Strongest Quakes Ever Associated Press February 27, 2010 A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Chile on Saturday, toppling homes, collapsing bridges and plunging trucks into the fractured earth. The head of the emergency agency believes the death toll is at least 300 and likely to rise. (Feb. 27)

An 8.8 magnitude quake hits Chile

A massive earthquake struck off the coast of Chile causing many deaths and widespread damage across that country.

It is the biggest quake to hit Chile in 50 years, striking 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago.

Buildings, bridges and roads have been destroyed in many areas, whilst setting off Tsunami warnings across the Pacific region.

Electricity, water and phone lines have been cut. Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to be affected.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake struck at a depth of about 35km and has so far recorded at least eight aftershocks, the largest of 6.9 magnitude.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC) warns of a potential tsunami threat as far away as Australia, with Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island on a tsunami alert.

Several Pacific countries have already been hit by waves higher than usual with Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand residents in coastal areas warned to move to higher ground, though waves measuring just under 1m (3ft) were reported reaching Hawaii with there being no damage.

Huge Quake Strikes Chile, Sets Off Tsunami Associated Press February 27, 2010 One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Chile on Saturday, toppling homes, collapsing bridges and plunging trucks into the fractured earth. A tsunami threatened every nation around the Pacific Ocean, roughly a quarter of the globe. (Feb. 27)

Raw Video: Waters Recede Ahead of Tsunami Associated Press February 27, 2010 A tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Chile has swept ashore in Hawaii. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear. But the initial waves did not appear to be serious. (Feb.27)

Wake-up call for teen pot smokers

Get out of water: Tsunami experts warn

Sampling finds alarming levels of lead in Fremantle

Show goes on for Florida killer whale

Fears Finks gaining a foothold in WA

No one contacted me on passport: Aussie

Forty-year-old trapped in child’s body

Perth model a Sports Illustrated success

Missing actor found dead in park

Dying drug addict refused second liver transplant

Cars pollute even when engines are switched off

Treatment of atom bomb veterans a ‘national disgrace’

Beekeeper can stay in Australia

US plans to take fight to Taliban heartland

UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor extended

Turkey on edge after coup plot detentions

Economic woes cloud ancient Greek glories

Dating-game murderer may have killed 30

Rough diamond fetches $40m

First Marja, then we take Kandahar, US official says

Rocket puts 40-day trip to red planet in reach

Rogue mobile apps targeted by new Symantec suite

BBC to slash website in half

Microsoft beheads giant zombie spam network

Landmark in title claims bittersweet

Rampant logging ‘destroying PNG‘

Councils to sue over toxic debt

Women’s team ’sorry’ for wild party

Mum jailed for sex with boy, 12

‘I’ve disappointed people’ – PM

Stampede to buy ‘botox’ in a bottle

Call for rape accused to wed goat victim

New gadget to beat speed cameras

One Man Pleads Guilty Whilst Two Friends Plead Not Guilty in NYC Bomb Plot

The Associated Press reports that on Monday February 22, Najibullah Zazi, 25, an Afghan-born airport chauffeur, pleaded guilty to conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiring to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support for a terrorist organisation.

Zazi was accused of building homemade explosives from beauty products, for detonation in the New York city subway system. Prosecutors were told that he made roughly two pounds of a powerful and highly unstable explosive called triacetone triperoxide, or TATP.

The same explosive was used by would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid in 2001 and the terrorists who carried out the London bombings in 2005 that killed 52 people. In those cases TATP was the detonator rather than the main charge.

Now Federal officials have charged Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay, both 25, as accomplices of Najibullah Zazi. Medunjanin, was originally from Bosnia, and Ahmedzay, an Afghan immigrant.

According to the indictment, the attacks on the New York City subway system were planned for a Manhattan subway line on September 14th, 15th or 16th of last year.

Earlier, Zazi said in court he went to Pakistan in 2008 to join the Taliban, but was recruited by al-Qaida and trained in the use of explosives.

Adis Medunjanin, also traveled to Pakistan with Zazi in 2008.

All were former high school classmates.

Two Indicted in Foiled NYC Subway Bomb Plot Associated Press February 25, 2010 Two high school classmates of admitted terrorist Najibullah Zazi were indicted Thursday in a foiled scheme to bomb New York City subways that a prosecutor said was directed by “al-Qaida leadership.” (Feb. 25)

Haiti’s voodoo leader vows to wage ‘war’ after Evangelical attack

Student faces the music over Facebook ’scoundrel’ insult

German slur damages Greece bid for rescue This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Pressure on Tory leader over adviser’s activities

YouTube makes a play for TV

School suspends 20 over Facebook bully groups

Student faces the music over Facebook ’scoundrel’ insult

Movie studios appeal against iiNet piracy ruling

Senate rejects gay marriage bill

Australian mum charged with murder in Canada

NATO moves to limit night raids

Australia dealing with attacks: Indian minister

Greeks mention the war in bitter German attack This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Jailed for net sex scam

Trainer dies after ‘attack from killer whale at SeaWorld’

Trainer Killed by Whale in Front of Spectators Associated Press February 24, 2010 A SeaWorld killer whale snatched a trainer from a poolside platform Wednesday and thrashed the woman around underwater, killing her in front of a horrified audience. It marked the third time the animal had been involved in a human death. (Feb. 24)

A five-ton killer whale at the Orlando SeaWorld theme park dragged one of the most experienced woman trainers, Dawn Brancheau, 40, underwater and drowned her in front of about 50 horrified spectators in Florida, U.S.A. yesterday.

Tillikum, the largest killer whale in captivity, is believed to be responsible for the fatal attack.

There were conflicting reports, though eye-witnesses said the killer whale charged Brancheau as she was by the side of the pool training and feeding the whales, whilst tourists watched. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into the water and was violently thrashing around. She was dragged underneath the water and couldn’t come up for air.

In contradiction, an Orlando police spokesman claimed that Brancheau tumbled accidentally into the whale holding tank and died.

It’s not the first time Tillikum has been involved in an attack. In 1991, he was blamed for drowning one of his trainers at Sealand in British Columbia. In 1992, he was sold to SeaWorld as a stud, but then in 1999, a homeless man’s dead body was found across his back in the pool.

In January this year and in 1999, Katsatka, another killer whale in the same park, was involved in a number of aggressive incidents, when it dragged its handler underwater.

The killer whale (Orcinus orca), commonly referred to as the orca, is the largest species of the dolphin family.

Whale Expert: SeaWorld Attack Was ‘Premeditated’ Associated Press February 24, 2010 Toyota President Akio Toyoda told Congress and millions of American Toyota owners he was “deeply sorry” for deadly auto defects in many popular vehicle models, yet he drew blistering bipartisan criticism. (Feb. 24)

‘No Sense of Foul Play’ in Whale Trainer Death Associated Press February 24, 2010 An official with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department says there’s “no sense of foul play” in the death of a SeaWorld trainer who died after falling into a killer whale tank at the theme park. (Feb. 24)

Worker Dies at SeaWorld Orlando Associated Press February 24, 2010 Authorities in Orange County Florida say paramedics were called Wednesday afternoon to the Shamu Stadium at Sea World where they found a worker who could not be revived. (Feb. 24)

U.S. Lawmakers Blast Toyota Chief Despite Apology Associated Press February 24, 2010 Toyota President Akio Toyoda told Congress and millions of American Toyota owners he was “deeply sorry” for deadly auto defects in many popular vehicle models, yet he drew blistering bipartisan criticism. (Feb. 24)

PM insulates job losses with $41m fund This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Gillard wants inspectors, ID numbers in schools

$4b spent on building works for government

Secrecy over scans ‘hurting relations’

‘Shameful episode’ of child migrants This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Wheelchair-bound Beazley confirms US ambassadorship

Top British tabloid accused over ‘near-industrial scale’ phone-hacking

Four centuries jail sentence for US rapist: report

Cyber poison-penner hunted down and sued

US warned of vulnerability to cyberwar

Fuel cell of the future promises cleaner energy

Revolution in 3D set to transform television

Rudd ready for health dissolution trigger

Indian remanded over double murder

Intervention in NT racist: UN envoy

The tide turns for General Motors (GM)

The latest incarnation of the General Motors (GM) Chevrolet Cruze automobile is a globally-developed compact sedan, designed, manufactured and retailed entirely within GM.

It comes into the world as parent company GM is at its lowest ebb after the U.S. economy plunged into the worst recession in 70 years, leading to an unprecedented two-month shutdown last June and July as GM fell into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

But now the tide has began to turn with the General Motors automobile factory in Lordstown, Ohio, scheduled to build 500 Cruzes in July, then 1,500 in August 2010.

The Australasian version will be badged Holden Cruze, with Holden set to commence local production from 2010. GM-built prototypes were tested in Australia (by Holden), Canada, China, South Korea (by GM Daewoo), Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) awarded the Cruze a full five stars in their independent crash safety test during 2009.

A Holden designed and engineered Cruze hatchback is currently under development and targeted at global markets. It will be built alongside the Commodore at the company’s South Australian plant, to arrive in the third quarter of 2010.

GM Adding 1,200 Autoworkers at Ohio Plant Associated Press February 23, 2010 General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it is bringing 1,200 autoworkers back to work this summer to start producing the Chevrolet Cruze compact car at a factory in northeast Ohio. (Feb. 23)

Suspected Thief Gets Stuck in Chimney Associated Press February 23, 2010 A thief in Sao Paulo, Brazil became a prisoner of his own scheme late Monday, after he got caught in a restaurant’s brick-oven chimney during an attempted robbery. (Feb. 23)

Children to be given identity numbers

Abbott targets welfare payments

Mean girls not always happy to be top dogs

Collins subs top $7b list of dud projects

Pyrotechnics mishap singes pro-wrestler The Undertaker

Gas blast: two dozen workers trapped in mine

Flood-hit Madeira hunts for missing 13

Obama set to force through health bill

Free software can have a catch

Electronics retailers line up for Choice award

Hollywood applauds nerd-dom

US officials close in on Google attackers

Revamp of Abbott’s pregnancy helpline

Court cuts Damir Dokic sentence

Neighbors back Argentina on Falklands

New UK passport suspects in Dubai ‘hit’

50 homes buried in Indonesia landslides

Sources: Presidents ‘trade obscenities’

Let it be: Abbey Road studio protected

N. Ireland bombers gave little warning

Mexico Captures Sinaloa Cartel Drug Trafficker Associated Press February 23, 2010 Mexican police said they have captured a suspect they believe was trafficking cocaine and marijuana for the powerful Sinaloa cartel. Authorities also said Jose Vasquez Villagrana was a former U.S. Army soldier. (Feb. 23)

• 30 homes buried in Indonesia landslides
• Shouting match at Latin ‘unity’ summit
• Blast hits school in northwest Pakistan
• 10 killed in bomb attack in Afghanistan
• U.N. envoy defends food to North Korea
• Iran arrests Sunni militant leader
• Commerzbank hit by $6.2B loss
• U.S. chief: Regret over Afghan strike
• Al Qaeda video rails against Turkey
• Dalai: China denies Tibet problems
• Cheney hospitalized with chest pains
• One accident every 1.4 million flights

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was hospitalised for several hours early Monday at George Washington University Hospital, after suffering shortness of breath and chest pains.

The vice president left the hospital after about four hours, aides said.

It was determined that Cheney was retaining fluid associated with anti-inflammatory medication he was taking for a recurring osteoarthritis problem in his left foot. He was then placed on a diuretic, according to his office.

Cheney, 69, who served as vice president from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush, has had a long history of heart ailments. He has suffered four heart attacks dating to 1978, when he was 37. He suffered his second in 1984 and a third in 1988 before undergoing quadruple bypass surgery to unblock his arteries. His fourth heart attack occurred in November 2000, after he was elected vice president. At that time, doctors inserted a stent to open an artery and has had an implanted cardioverter defibrillator since 2001, to monitor his heart and shock it back into a normal rhythm if abnormal beating occurs. The device was replaced in 2007 because its battery was wearing down. In 2008, he underwent a procedure to restore his heart to a normal rhythm after doctors found he was experiencing a recurrence of atrial fibrillation. In 2009, Cheney strained his back “while moving boxes into his new house”.

Former V.P. Cheney Hospitalized With Chest Pains Associated Press February 22, 2010 Former vice president Dick Cheney was hospitalised after experiencing chest pains Monday, an aide said. (Feb. 22)

Body of abducted girl, 8, found in stormwater drain pipe

We’re the good guys – you can trust us, say big law firms

Iran cancels concert over women musicians: report

Passengers face threats to travel plans as BA cabin crew vote to strike

Assassins had diplomatic passports, say police

Pope laments intrusion by airport body scanners This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Packer’s Consolidated Media sees profit retreat

HIH misled me, says investor who lost $7m

ING Entertainment pins hopes on primping up pubs

Euro worst to come as Greece hammerlocks ECB on rates

Twitter alert: phishing scam in progress

Apple removing risque iPhone apps

Bully claim on Brown dampens poll cheer This article contains a video that will play automatically.

NATO air strike, Afghan suicide attack kill 41 This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Giant Israeli drone puts Iran within range

Australian TV is in the sights of Hulu

iPad hailed as very exciting and scary This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Patients Turn to Marijuana for Relief

Since the mid-1990s, 13 American states have allowed people to grow, buy and possess marijuana for medical purposes. California was the first to allow medical marijuana. Michigan, which started a medical marijuana registry in 2009, is the most recent. Other states, including Iowa, are studying the issue.

The U.S. based National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) claim that scientists in California found that marijuana’s health-related risks are real but small in some instances, based on a 2008 Los Angeles Times health report.

The first U.S. clinical trials in more than two decades on the medical benefits of marijuana confirm pot is effective in reducing muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis and pain caused by certain neurological injuries or illnesses, according to a report issued Wednesday.

Igor Grant, a psychiatrist who directs the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at the University of California, San Diego, reports on the subject in this Huffington Post article.

Meanwhile an investigator at Flinders University in South Australia reports that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia obtain subjective relief from cannabis to control various symptoms associated with the disease, according to survey data published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing.

Older Patients Turn to Marijuana for Relief Associated Press February 22, 2010 More and more older people are turning to marijuana for medicinal purposes and urging legislators to legalize pot use for patients. In North Carolina, a bill to do just that is working its way through the General Assembly. (Feb. 22)

Family Fights to Keep Mother’s Head

Darlene Robbins of Colorado Springs, U.S.A. lost her mother to cancer last week.

Now, she has another painful battle on her hands – to keep her mother’s head and body intact.

A legal battle is now ahead to prevent Alcor Life Extension Corporation from cutting off her mother’s head and freezing it in expectation that some time in the future they can resurrect her.

The preservation process is called Cryonics, which involves having a dead body or brain placed in cold storage in the hope that scientists will one day develop the ability to restore life and vitality.

To be cryonically frozen you need to have money and be legally declared dead.

Cryonic freezing involves using liquid nitrogen to cool the body until the process of molecular decay of a dead person’s cells stops.

After death, Alcor clients are placed inside tall steel cylinders at the company’s laboratory complex in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Family Fights to Keep Mother’s Head Associated Press February 22, 2010 Darlene Robbins lost her mother to cancer last week. Now, she has another painful battle on her hands — to keep her mother’s head and body intact. (Feb. 22)

Portugal Floods Kill 42, More Feared Buried Associated Press February 21, 2010 Rescue workers in Madeira dug through heaps of mud, boulders and debris Sunday, searching for victims buried by floods and mudslides that have killed at least 42 people on the popular Portuguese island. (Feb. 21)

Review aims for safer interceptions of boats This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Conroy lashes News Ltd over coverage

Defeat of health rebate to provide early election trigger

Hospital boost for organ donation

Fears for civilians trapped by US attacks

Thailand braces for fallout from court’s ruling on Thaksin

Hostility towards Downer grows in Cyprus

Vic under pressure for new corruption watchdog

‘Badge of honour’ for hoons

One size should fit all to combat obesity

Drug company ‘knew of diabetes pill risk’

Boarding of illegal vessels for review This article contains a video that will play automatically.

Greens’ last-ditch push for health cash