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Cutty Sark blaze treated as 'suspicious' The Cutty Sark, one of the most famous historic sailing ships in the world, was seriously damaged by fire in the early hours of Monday morning. Police believe the fire may have begun under suspicious circumstances. Pirate attacks bring UN aid to Somalia to a halt On Saturday, a ship chartered by the UN World Food Programme, came under attack off the coast of Somalia after making a delivery in Merca. This month alone, four ships have been hijacked by pirates.

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Belgian bus company knows solution for car parking problems A Belgian public transport company is promoting their services as a solution for car parking problems. As a part of their media campaign, they have some tongue-in-cheek suggestions, such as parking your car on top of a bus.

Wikipedia Current Events
Palestinian militants from Gaza continued to fire Qassam rockets towards Israel. On Monday, a total of 13 rockets were fired; one woman was killed, injures were reported. Bill Richardson, the Governor of New Mexico, officially declares his candidacy for the position of Democrat nominee in the United States Presidential Election, 2008 in Los Angeles. The Battle of Nahr al-Bared continues at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Tripoli, Lebanon for a second successive day. The historic tea clipper Cutty Sark, the last surviving preserved vessel of its kind, catches fire in a drydock in Greenwich, London. Arson is being considered as a possible cause.

Spy drones to be launched over the UK skies
Police in the United Kingdom are now testing the use of "spy drones" in the skies over the country in a bid to stop criminal activity.

The drone will be equipped with cameras linked to CCTV, and will be only one meter in width and will weigh 2 to 3 pounds. The camera will be able to take images of the surrounding area as far away as 500 meters and at an altitude of almost 2,000 feet. It is powered by batteries and is reported to look much like a "miniature helicopter."

"It is a cost-effective way to deal with situations where you have to deploy a lot of officers," said a Merseyside Police Force spokeswoman, Louise Burton.

The drone was originally built for military use.

Pirate attacks bring UN aid to Somalia to a halt
On Saturday, May 19, a ship chartered by the United Nations' (UN) World Food Programme (WFP), came under attack off the coast of Somalia after making a delivery in Merca.

Two speedboats with armed guards were sent out to intercept the attack. One of these men was killed. The ship which was headed to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, did not fall into the hands of the pirates.

Since the attack, WFP has suspended deliveries by ship. Shipping is the main and fastest way of getting food relief into Somalia. This comes just days after WFP announced that it was stepping up food deliveries.

"This attack underscores the growing problem of piracy off Somalia which, if unresolved, will sever the main artery of food assistance to the country – and to the people who rely on it for their survival," said Josette Sheeran, executive director of the WFP in a news release.

"Unless action is taken now, not only will our supply lines be cut, but also those of other aid agencies working in various parts of Somalia."

"WFP is very saddened and alarmed by the death of the guard, who showed great courage while the ship came under attack. We send our sincere condolences to his family," she continued. "We urge key nations to do their utmost to address this plague of piracy, which is now threatening our ability to feed one million Somalis.

“This attack underscores the growing problem of piracy off Somalia which, if unresolved, will sever the main artery of food assistance to the country”

—Josette Sheeran, WFP

"We are not taking any risks after being victims four times. We planned to go to Somali this week but following Saturday's incident our ship will not sail," said Karim Kudrat who owns MV Rozen, which was hijacked in February and released forty days later upon payment of ransom.

The United States Navy's Maritime Liason Office (MARLO) in Bahrain has issued a warning, advising all ships to stay at least 200 nautical miles (NM) off the coast of Somalia.

This month alone, four ships have been hijacked by pirates and three of them are still being held. Two of the ships, South Korean fishing trawlers, were boarded some 210 NM off the coast, which is outside of Somalia's Exclusive Economic Zone. Scores of crewmembers remain hostages. The sailors are said to be from China, India, Vietnam and South Korea.

"Attacks have sprung up again because we believe there is no government in place to control the militants ... when the Islamists were in power there were no attacks," Cyrus Moday, a senior analyst at the International Maritime Bureau told Reuters.

An anonymous maritime security expert told BBC News: "We have evidence that the pirates have a main contact in Puntland and it's up to the interim government in Somalia to track and arrest the contact for taking part in an illegal syndicate."

“In the hope of enriching themselves, these pirates are very cruelly playing with the lives of the most vulnerable women and children who had to leave their homes because of fighting. We appeal to the Somali authorities to act to stop these pirates before they cause more misery both to the crews of hijacked ships and to the people who rely on WFP food for their survival,” Peter Goossens, director of WFP Somalia, said.

Alleged pirates sometimes call themselves coast guards, claiming to protect Somali waters from polluters and illegal fishing.

Cutty Sark blaze treated as 'suspicious'
The Cutty Sark, one of the most famous historic sailing ships in the world, was seriously damaged by fire in the early hours of Monday morning, May 21st, 2007. The ship, which is docked in London, England has been a popular tourist attraction for many years, and set a speed record in its working days.

The fire brigade was first called to the blaze on the tea clipper at 4:45am BST and reported that the flames had been extinguished by 7:00am BST but firemen were still on the scene damping down at 8.30am BST. The blaze was so intense that 8 fire engines and 40 firefighters were sent to put out the fire. No injuries have been reported.

Cutty Sark Trust chief executive Richard Doughty said he was told the blaze was being treated as suspicious. "We're losing history," he lamented. "It's unbelievable." He went on: "When you lose the original fabric, you lose the touch of the craftsmen; you lose history itself. What is special about Cutty Sark is the timber, the iron frames, that went to the South China Sea. To think that is threatened in any way is unbelievable. It is an unimaginable shock."

However, Doughty also confirmed that half of the ship's planking, and all of the masts and rigging had been removed for renovations prior to the fire. The iron framework of the hull has been twisted and buckled.

The Chairman of Cutty Sark Enterprises, Chris Levitt, speaking later at the scene, said: "We had removed 50% of the planking, so 50% of the planking wasn't on site and that's safe and secure, and from where I stand there is not a huge amount of damage to the planking that was left on. There are pockets of charred planking and some have gone, but it doesn't look as bad as first envisaged."

Cutty Sark Trust curatorial consultant, Dr Eric Kentley was optimistic that the Ship is not completeley devastated and can be saved. Speaking about the Cutty Sark, he said: "We will put her back together - but it's going to take much much longer and a lot more money than we originally thought."

The historic ship, one of London's best known tourist attractions, has been in dry-dock in Greenwich since 1954. It is currently undergoing a £25m renovation scheduled to last until 2009. It was feared that gas canisters used in the reconstruction work might explode in the blaze but the London Fire Brigade later confirmed that none were present, although concerns about the risk of explosion had caused some delay in tackling the fire. It is a Grade I listed monument and is on the Buildings At Risk Register in the UK.

Police believe the fire on board the ship may have begun in suspicious circumstances. They are studying CCTV footage which showed some movement around the ship in the early hours of the morning. They are appealing for witnesses who might have seen anyone near the ship, and to a silver car that was reported driving away from the scene.

The Cutty Sark was built in 1869 by Scott & Linton, Dumbarton in Scotland and completed by Dennys. It is the world's last surviving tea clipper. The iron-hulled boats were used in long-distance races between China and England, with large profits for the first ship back with the first tea of the year. The Cutty Sark sailed in the China trade between 1870 and 1877/78. She sailed in the Australian wool trade between 1883 and 1895, during which period she achieved the record breaking voyage under wind power between Australia and England via Cape Horn of 72 days in 1885.

The ship takes its name from a character in Burns' poem 'Tam o' Shanter.

Rubbish tip named after comedian, John Cleese
In an unofficial move by contractor, Roy Harding, a rubbish tip has been named after comedian John Cleese, dubbed "Mt. Cleese" in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

The naming came after Mr Cleese visited Palmerston North last year and described it as a great place to go to commit suicide, claiming it was the "suicide capital of New Zealand". He also stated that they were glad to leave after their performance at the Regent on Broadway was over. Mr Harding says it is just to get back at Mr Cleese.

Official signage is now being ordered after city councillors said they thought it was good idea. "People just smile and leave it there," Chris Pepper, waste and water manager, said.

John Clarke (aka Fred Dagg), entertainer, suggested that the Awapuni Landfill be named after Mr Cleese after the comments arose in a podcast on his website. However, Mr Clarke's suggestion was slightly different, choosing the name, "John Cleese Memorial Tip...All manner of crap happily recycled."

The slightly bare tip, now being used as a waste minimisation centre, is being prepared for a large delivery of compost.

John Cleese is most famous for his part in the Monty Python show, as well as Fawlty Towers and A Fish Called Wanda.

NHL: Ottawa Senators eliminate Buffalo Sabres to advance to Stanley Cup finals
After scoring to tie the game on home ice in the third period, the Buffalo Sabres were defeated, Saturday afternoon, at the 9:32 mark in overtime on a goal by Ottawa Senators Captain Daniel Alfredsson.

The win by the Senators knocked the Sabres out of the Stanley Cup race and sent the Senators to the finals for the first time in modern franchise history. The Senators are now a total of 12 and 3 in the three series so far, with only one loss per series. They now await the outcome of the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings series to see who they will play in the finals. On Sunday, the Ducks pulled ahead 3 games to 2 on the Red Wings with their overtime win on an unassisted Teemu Selanne goal at 11:57 into the first overtime period.

Alfredsson now has ten goals in the playoffs, and is in good standing for consideration as playoff MVP. The Senators first line dominated the game after being shut out in the previous game. Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza both scored on Saturday. Spezza also had one assist, while Heatley managed two assists, one of which came on the game-winning goal. Ray Emery made 27 saves in the win for Ottawa.

"What else can you say about Alfie?" said Spezza. "He's been our leader the whole time. It's only fitting he scores that winner."

Jochen Hecht and Maxim Afinogenov scored for the Sabres, while Ryan Miller made 22 saves. It was the third loss in the series for the Sabres at HSBC Arena, who were unable to capitalize on their home-ice advantage.

"We had a lot to be proud of," said Lindy Ruff, the Sabres head coach. "It's disappointing. It's painful. You've got to grow, you've got to stick with the program. It was a fun year. It was hard to lose those two overtime games here in our building."

EMI music to merge with Terra Firma

International music company EMI has agreed to a £3.2 billion ($4.7 billion) (including debt) merger with private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd.

The deal likely ends, Warner Music Group Group's, the global music market's fourth largest record company, seven years of trying take over EMI, the third largest record company in the world.

"Terra Firma's offer is the most attractive proposal received and delivers cash now, without regulatory uncertainty and with the minimum of operational risk to the company," said EMI Chairman John Gildersleeve.

Terra Firma shareholders have not yet approved of a 265-per-share offer which was recommended by EMI.

Television commercials no longer restricted in Canada

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has agreed to remove restrictions on television ads in Canada by September 1, 2009. The current 12 minutes-per-hour restriction on commercial time is to be lifted and the advertising time will be market-driven.

"The commission considers it essential that broadcasters have the flexibility to maximize advertising revenues to respond to the negative impact of audience fragmentation," said a statement.

The CRTC said the ability to have market-driven commercials will help with the increasing amount of competing television networks in Canada, and it will create more revenue.

MySpace to release names of registered sex offenders

MySpace is set to release names and data about registered sex offenders who use the popular social networking site. The information will be released to all the State Attorney Generals in the United States

Last week Attorney Generals from eight U.S. states requested the information but MySpace said it would break federal privacy laws.

Sentinel Tech Holding Corp. along with MySpace teamed up to build a database of users who are sex offenders. They created "Sentinel Safe", a program which shows names of the sex offenders and possible information that could help in future investigations.

"This is no different than an offline community," Mike Angus, MySpace's executive vice president said. "We're trying to keep it safe."

According to CNN, MySpace has removed over 7,000 accounts held by sex offenders.

Earlier, the U.S. government threatened to sue the company if it couldn't provide all the names of the 7,000 or more sex offenders using the site.

Today in History
1455 - Forces led by Richard, Duke of York and Richard, Earl of Warwick captured Lancastrian King Henry VI of England, beginning the Wars of the Roses with a Yorkist victory in the First Battle of St Albans.

1809 - Austrian forces under Archduke Charles defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Aspern-Essling.

1915 - Four trains collided near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246 in the Quintinshill rail crash.

1960 - Valdivia, Chile was devastated as the epicenter of the 9.5-magnitude Great Chilean Earthquake, with destructive tsunamis reaching Hilo, Hawaii the following day.

1990 - The Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen merged to become the Republic of Yemen.

May 22 is World Biodiversity Day

Quote of the Day

I should dearly love that the world should be ever so little better for my presence. Even on this small stage we have our two sides, and something might be done by throwing all one's weight on the scale of breadth, tolerance, charity, temperance, peace, and kindliness to man and beast. We can't all strike very big blows, and even the little ones count for something.

~ Arthur Conan Doyle

Word of the Day

tar; n

A black, oily, sticky, viscous substance, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons.

(nautical) A sailor, from the tar they would use to waterproof their clothes.

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