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Katrina survivor searchers prepare for the worst Workers are scouring New Orleans for any remaining survivors of Hurricane Katrina, and are vigorously searching for dead bodies. 25,000 body bags have been prepared in advance, in the event that the death toll from Katrina is that high. Red Cross asks for more volunteers The American Red Cross is seeking at least 40,000 more volunteers to replace current relief workers suffering from fatigue in Hurricane Katrina affected areas.

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Chile remembers its own September 11 anniversary September 11, 2005 is not only a sad day for the United States, but for Chile as well. On September 11, 1973, General Augusto Pinochet took control of Chile and established a military dictatorship.

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The rebel National Liberation Front of Burundi breaks off peace negotiations with the new government of Pierre Nkurunziza.

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Many petrol stations across the United Kingdom experienced increased demand ahead of the 2005 fuel protests. Sony recalls 3.5 million faulty Playstation 2 power adapters

Second night of violence in Belfast

A second night of rioting on Monday has taken place in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland, with loyalist mobs attacking police, hijacking vehicles and setting them alight.

A crowd of about 700 gathered on the Albertbridge road in the east of the city, where police were attacked. A mob of about 100 attacked police in the north of the city, and in the west of the city, a police station was attacked with a blast bomb (homemade grenade).

A digger was used to take out streetlighting before the disorder, with some of the street left in darkness. It is also believed that an ATM was removed by the digger. The police and army came under attack as they moved in to retrieve the items and respond.

Cars were hijacked and set alight in a number of locations. A more serious incident occured in Bangor, some distance east of Belfast in County Down where a bus was hijacked. Passengers were ordered off the vehicle before being robbed, and the bus set alight, blocking a road.

Baton rounds were again fired by police and the army, with the army also firing one live round. A suspect was shot and apprehended in this incident, and they are to be charged with attempted murder.

The previous night's riots were the worst seen in Northern Ireland for many years, and a first for involving live fire at police during a public disorder incident.

Crime in New Orleans sharply increases after Hurricane Katrina

Reports out of New Orleans on September 1 stated that victims of Hurricane Katrina were being raped and beaten and that fights and fires were out of control, leaving corpses laying in the open as the city descended into anarchy.

“We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten,” New Orleans Police Chief Eddie Compass said. Compass said that the 15,000 to 20,000 people who were at the New Orleans convention center awaiting buses grew increasingly hostile and had beat back 88 officers he had sent there to try to keep the peace.

“Tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon,” Compass had said.

Reports of rampant violence though may have been overblown, even by New Orleans standards, as many reports of sensational violence have not been verified. "During a week when communications were difficult, rumours have acquired a particular currency. They acquired through repetition the status of established facts."

Indeed, White House press secretary Scott McClellan told a group of journalists on Wednesday that "martial law has been declared in Mississippi and Louisiana." though this was never the case as such a move would require a situation of lawlessness beyond the scope of local authorities to handle.

R&B singer D’Angelo sentenced on cocaine charge

Rhythm and blues artist D’Angelo got to walk out of Judge William R. Shelton’s Chesterfield County courthouse in Virginia on Monday after being given a 3-year suspended sentence for possesion of cocaine.

D’Angelo, also known as Michael Eugene Archer, 31, pleaded no contest to the charge. His appearance in court, by the now heavier-set Archer who was once known for his trim physique, was the result of a traffic stop for driving 61 mph in a 45 zone. In connection with the incident, he was also charged with driving while intoxicated (DUI), and possession of marijuana and cocaine.

Archer avoided jail time for all charges in the incident. In April, his driving privileges were suspended for one year, and he received a 90-day suspended sentence, plus a $250 fine, for the DUI conviction. On the marijuana charge, he received a $50 fine and 10-day suspended sentence.

At the time of his arrest, traces of cocaine were found on a folded dollar bill.

D’Angelo received Grammy awards for “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance” and ”Best R&B Album” in 2001.

UDA calls for end to rioting in North

The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) has called on its members to "avoid any confrontation on the streets and steer away from any acts of violence". This statement from the UDA comes after the third consecutive night of Loyalist violence in Belfast. The rioting has so far left 60 police officers injured and resulted in 63 arrests. Rioters blocked roads, hijacked and torched vehicles, and attacked police.

Police Chief Constable Hugh Orde has said that he believes the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the UDA are behind the violence, which broke out after the re-routing of an Orange Order parade.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain is expected to announce shortly that the UVF ceasefire, announced in 1994, has come to an end.

Oracle to acquire Siebel for USD 5.85bn

US-based Oracle Corporation announced earlier today that they are buying rival US-based Siebel Systems for $10.66 USD per share. Siebel shareholders have the option to receive the $10.66 per share in cash or in Oracle stock. This deal is valued at approximately $5.85 billion USD. Siebel Systems' Board of Directors has already voted in favour of the acquisition. Founder Thomas Siebel has also given his support. A special meeting will soon be held for Siebel stockholders to vote on the acquisition. If all goes well the deal should close in the early part of next year.

After acquiring Siebel; Oracle, which specializes in database applications, will become the second largest software company. Oracle has offices in more than 145 countries, and employs over 50,000 people. This acquisition will make Oracle the largest customer relationship management (CRM) applications company in the world. CRM applications include accounting, inventory management and customer management software. "Siebel's 4,000 applications customers and 3,400,000 CRM users strengthen our number one position in applications in North America and move us closer to the number one position in applications globally", said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

"Today is a great day for Siebel Systems' customers, partners, shareholders, and employees," said Thomas M. Siebel, Chairman and Founder of Siebel Systems. Many analysts predicted the acquisition of Siebel after Oracle bought competitor PeopleSoft for $10 billion USD, last December.

Telstra sale legislation debated in Australian House of Representatives, considered "urgent"

The legislation and amendments ensuring the sale of Australia's half-privatized telecommunications provider, Telstra, was moved and debated on September 12. The Liberal/National coalition government has come under criticism for the alloting of time for debate as being insufficient.

In Federal Parliament Leader of the House Tony Abbott moved to adjourn debate at 9.06pm, to which his Labor counterpart Julia Gillard attempted to adjourn the Telstra debate until today, but Abbott put the question and used the Government's majority to move debate onward.

Abbott then moved that the legislation, comprising of three bills, be considered as urgent and allotted approximately fourty-five minutes to debate all three. The Opposition had attempted to further amend the urgency motion which failed due to Government majority -- there were six divisions in the space of approximately half an hour, all which failed. Gillard and Dick Adams had called the process "a disgrace", and the amendments (negotiated earlier by Senator Barnaby Joyce) were termed the "'Backdown Barnaby' bribe" by Stephen Smith before the Deputy Speaker Ian Causley asked him to withdraw.

Whilst the Government has an absolute majority in the Australian Senate, it is not guaranteed that the necessary legislation will pass this house. Garnering the support of key Senator Joyce is critical to ensure that the bills will pass (as he will have the deciding vote) and he has already stated that, due to a damning report released earlier in the House of Representatives showing that fourteen percent of lines were faulty amongst other criticsm, that it has turned the "green [light] to amber". Joyce was crucial in defeating a Senate Opposition motion to delay debate until October 4, even though he himself agreed that the time for debate should be extended; he stated in an interview on the AM program on ABC Radio National that he voted against the motion as he believed crossing the floor would destroy any "political capital" he had to enable him to further negotiate improvements to the Telstra deal within his own party.

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Today in History
1752: The British Empire adopted the Gregorian calendar, skipping eleven days (September 2 was followed directly by September 14).

1812: Napoleon's invasion of Russia: Napoleon and his Grande Armée captured Moscow, only to find the city deserted and burning.

1901: Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States upon the assassination of McKinley.

1959: The Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 (pictured) crashed onto and became the first man-made object to reach the Moon.

1960: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Quote of the Day

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