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Two killed in bank robbery Two men were shot and killed after a bank robbery in a UK branch of HSBC Large earthquake rattles Indonesia; Seventh in two days A 6.4 to 6.9 magnitude quake has hit Indonesia, the seventh substantial quake in the last two days.

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YouTube user gets internet fame after defending Britney Spears YouTube user Chris Crocker is having his week of fame right now, after his video on YouTube, LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!, became an instant hit. The video is a top-down view of his face, as he defends Britney Spears, about how everyone is using her to make money. The video has only been on the Internet for 48 hours and has received more than 4.2 million views.

Wikipedia Current Events
A new case of foot and mouth disease is confirmed at a farm in Egham, Surrey, England. An official for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that a million people in Africa require assistance after floods have killed more than 200 people in recent weeks. Pakistan Peoples Party unanimously decides that Benazir Bhutto will return back to Pakistan on October 18, 2007. Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum takes effect -- The traditional Latin Mass is thus officially restored in the Roman Catholic Church. The Russian State Duma confirms Viktor Zubkov as new Prime Minister of Russia. Oscar Temaru is elected as the President of French Polynesia by the Parliament for the third time in three years. At least 13 people are confirmed dead and hundreds of homes damaged as a result of the earthquakes. Another earthquake of 6.9 magnitude occurs off the coast of Sumatra. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully launches SELENE, the largest lunar mission since the Apollo program, on a mission to explore the moon.

2007 Rugby World Cup: South Africa defeat England
South Africa comprehensively defeated defending world champions England in Pool A of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

South Africa opened the scoring early in the match when Juan Smith scored a try in the sixth minute. Francois Steyn kicked a penalty for South Africa soon afterwards to stretch the lead to 10-0.

England's only chance at goal came in the fourteenth minute when Mike Catt missed a drop goal attempt.

JP Pietersen scored a try for South Africa just before the end of the first half bringing the score to 20-0, and added a second try in the 64th minute. Percy Montgomery kicked 18 points to wrap up South Africa's victory.

South Africa lead Pool A with nine points. England are third on points difference behind Tonga, and must win a difficult match against Samoa next week to be able to advance to the knockout stages.

UK bank gets emergency support
British bank Northern Rock recieved emergency loans from the Bank of England yesterday, as it felt the effects of the financial crisis originating in the U.S. subprime mortgage market. Queues formed outside branches as many customers sought to withdraw their savings, and shares fell heavily.

Northern Rock, based in Newcastle, is one of the UK's largest mortgage lenders, with total assets and loans of £113 billion. Pressure has grown on the bank as other institutions have become less willing to buy mortgage debt, following the American subprime crisis.

The support from the central bank was authorised by the Government and the Financial Services Authority, following assurances that the problems were temporary and the bank remained solvent. Some current mortgages are being used as collateral. The lending is an "unlimited" facility, at an interest rate higher than the base rate. Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, encouraged customers to carry on as normal, stating that "Northern Rock will be able to carry on its business".

Northern Rock chief executive Adam Applegarth also called for calm, but customers were seen queuing outside branches across the country to withdraw money. It is reported that the company website also crashed under the demand.

Shares in the bank fell 31.5% on Friday, down almost 60% from their highest value this year. Applegarth admitted that profits would be hit, but stated that the bank would adapt to the changes. Shares in other lenders also fell, with Paragon being the most extreme, dropping almost 17%. The FTSE 100 closed down 1.17% (74 points) following a recovery in the afternoon.

The last time the Bank of England acted as "lender of last resort" in this way was in 1973, after the collapse of Cedar Holdings.

2007 Twenty20 World Championship: India vs Pakistan
India have beaten Pakistan in Group D of the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship at Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa.

After both teams were tied on 141 runs after 20 overs each, India won the bowl-out 3-0.

India were reduced to 36-4 in the seventh over after some effective bowling from Pakistan. Mohammad Asif caught and bowled Gautam Gambhir in the first over and dismissed Virinder Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik cheaply, finishing with figures of 4-18. Robin Uthappa scored 50 for India before being caught behind. Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored 33 runs, but India were restricted to 141-9 after twenty overs.

In response R P Singh bowled Imran Nazir in the third over of Pakistan's innings. Pakistan lost three wickets in quick succession, when Salman Butt was caught behind on 16 followed by Kamran Akmal run out for 15 and Younis Khan bowled by Irfan Pathan in the next over. Misbah-ul-Haq scored 53 to take Pakistan near victory, and just one run was needed off the last two balls. However Misbah-ul-Haq was run out by Sreesanth off the last ball to leave the scores level.

India won the following bowl-out 3-0. Virinder Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa all hit the target for India while Pakistan's Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi missed.

Both teams will proceed to the Super 8 stage of the tournament, while Scotland are eliminated from Group D. India will face England, New Zealand and South Africa in the Super 8s while Pakistan will face Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia.

Chris Langham given ten months for downloading child porn
British comedy actor Chris Langham has been sentenced to ten months imprisonment for downloading indecent images of children from the internet, less 43 days for the time he served in custody.

Langham, 58, most famous for his award-winning role in the sitcom The Thick of It was found guilty of 15 counts of downloading of child abuse, including sadism and non-consensual sex between adults and children. The police classified some of the images downloaded as category 5, the most severe grade. Langham claimed that he had used the images as research for a character in the BBC comedy Help, a paedophile character called, "Pedro". Langham was however, found not guilty of sexually assulting a teenage girl and two counts of a serious sexual offence.

Passing sentence, Judge Philip Statman told Langham, "Some of the children viewed are clearly prepubescent, others are fully developed, some of the children are clearly of Filipino extract. All have had inflicted upon them horrifying sexual abuse and, I want to make this absolutely clear to you, I must think first of those children. When one sees their faces, in my judgment, they are vacant and lacking in expression... you never ever see the faces of the perpetrators. They are too young to consent. Your activity took place in the comfort of your own home, no doubt at the time feeling safe in the knowledge that you would never be caught."

Preliminary report sheds light on SAS landing gear incident
A preliminary report by the Danish civil aviation authority, SLV, has shed light on the events leading up to a Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) airliner experiencing a landing gear failure upon landing in Denmark, one of two similar crashes that have resulted in the grounding of more than 60 of the model in question across the world.

The aircraft, a Bombardier Q400 (alternatively known as a de Havilland Canada Dash 8), crashed due to a landing gear failure after a nut worked loose, due in turn to rusting on the threads of its bolt, according to the SLV's aircraft accident investigation committee report on Scandinavian Airlines Flight 1209. The nut and bolt were vital to the locking mechanism for the starboard landing gear, and consequently the structure collapsed.

The SLV does not specifically address why this occurred, but according to SLV spokesman Thorbjoern Ancker the problem is a design flaw, and not a maintenance issue as previously suspected. In his own words, 'All speculation that this was an error by SAS is now shown to be wrong... It's a constructional weakness.' He explained that Bombardier maintenance documents supplied with the aircraft did not require maintenance personnel to inspect the bolt in question, and that accordingly this had not been done.

Pending completion of landing gear inspections by SAS, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish authorities will make a decision regarding whether the air carrier's Q400 fleet should remain grounded, or be permitted to resume operations.

A spokesman for Bombardier refused to comment on the findings when contacted by reporters, preferring instead to wait until the publication of the final report into the accident. He did, however, make one comment regarding speculation that SAS would be compensated if the accident was proven to be the responsibility of the supplier, saying, "That will be part of the discussions between Bombardier and airlines."

Scandinavian Airlines have canceled 111 flights today as their Q400s are grounded per Air Transport Canada orders, while SAS have concealed 110 flights today and tomorrow while their aircraft are grounded.

Bombardier have circulated a document to all operators of the type, containing advice recommending a revised inspection program.

Shares in Bombardier fell 14 cents, or 2.2%, to CA$6.21 and most recent reports have them at $6.25. The company is therefore currently valued at $11 billion. Goodrich, who manufactured the equipment, fell 9 cents, or 0.1%, to US$65.11. SAS, who own Scandinavian Airlines, fell 2.25 kronor, or 1.9%, to 115.75 kronor. A continuing fall in SAS shares prices over the last six weeks has almost negated all gains this year.

Kennedy Center names 2007 honors recipients
The Kennedy Center announced that its 30th presentation of the Kennedy Center Honors would go to pianist Leon Fleisher, comedian Steve Martin, singer Diana Ross, director Martin Scorsese and musician Brian Wilson. The Center was opened to the public in 1971 and was envisioned as part of the National Cultural Center Act, which mandated that the independent, privately-funded institution would present a wide variety of both classical and contemporary performances, commission the creation of new artistic works, and undertake a variety of educational missions to increase awareness of the arts.

In a statement, Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman said that "with their extraordinary talent, creativity and perseverance, the five 2007 honorees have transformed the way we, as Americans, see, hear and feel the performing arts."

Fleisher, 79, a member of the Peabody Institute's music faculty, is a pianist who lost use of his right hand in 1965 due to a neurological condition. He became an accomplished musician and conductor through the use of his left hand. At 67, he regained the use of his right hand. With the advent of Botox therapy, he was once more able to undertake two-hand performances in 2004, his first in four decades. "I'm very gratified by the fact that it's an apolitical honor," Fleisher said. "It is given by colleagues and professional people who are aware of what [an artist] has done, so it really is apolitical -- and that much more of an honor."

Martin, 62, a comedian who has written books and essays in addition to his acting and stand-up comedy career, rose to fame during his work on the American television program Saturday Night Live in the 1970's. Schwarzman praised his work as that of a "renaissance comic whose talents wipe out the boundaries between artistic disciplines." Martin responded to the honor saying, "I am grateful to the Kennedy Center for finally alleviating in me years of covetousness and trophy envy."

Ross, 63, was a product of Detroit's Brewster-Douglass Projects when as a teeager she and friends Mary Wilson and Florence Ballardis formed The Supremes, a ground-breaking Motown act. She portrayed singer Billie Holiday in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, which earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award. "Diana Ross' singular, instantly recognizable voice has spread romance and joy throughout the world," said Schwarzman. Ross said she was "taken aback. It is a huge, huge honor and I am excited to be in this class of people."

Scorsese, 64, is one of the most accomplished directors the United States ever produced, whose work includes Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Cape Fear, The Last Temptation of Christ and The Departed, for which he won a 2006 Academy Award for Best Director after being nominated eight times. Scorsese said, "I'm very honored to be receiving this recognition from the Kennedy Center and proud to be joining the company of the very distinguished individuals who have received this honor in years past."

Wilson, 65, along with his brothers Dennis and Carl, formed the Beach Boys in 1961. They had a series of hits that included "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." Their 1966 album Pet Sounds is considered one of the most influential recordings in American music. "This is something so unexpected and I feel extremely fortunate to be in the company of such great artists," said Wilson, who is currently on tour.

The Kennedy Center's board of trustees is responsible for selecting honorees for "lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts." Previous honorees, including Elton John and Steven Spielberg, also submitted recommendations. A wide variety of people were under consideration, including Emanuel Ax, Evgeny Kissin, Renee Fleming, Laurence Fishburne, Francis Ford Coppola, Melissa Etheridge and Kenny Chesney.

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush will attend the center's presentation at its opera house on December 2, 2007, which will broadcast on December 26 on CBS.

O.J. Simpson named suspect in robbery
Reports say that O.J. Simpson, a former American football player is a suspect in a robbery that took place on Thursday night at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Simpson was not immediately arrested and was later released. He was not a guest at the hotel.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMPD) began to question Simpson and at least five other people, after they were accused of breaking into a room in the hotel, with at least one of the individuals holding a gun, but its not known if the room was a guest room.

Several sports memorabilia items, all previously belonging to Simpson, were reported to be stolen from the room, which was registered to sports memorabilia collector Alfred Beardsley, and reports say that when police found the items, Simpson claimed that they belonged to him. Among the items stolen is believed to be a suit that Simpson wore during his 1995 murder trial, an autographed item that had been signed by Joe Montana, and "never before released" version of Simpson's book If I Did It. Simpson was found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

"When they talked to him, Simpson made the comment that he believed the memorabilia was his. We're getting conflicting stories from the two sides," said Jose Montoya, a spokesman for the LVMPD.

Reports say that Beardsley was going to sell the items and made plans to meet with someone on Thursday night who was interested in purchasing them. The unnamed individual, along with OJ claimed to be police officers and ordered Beardsley to turn over his cellular phone, which he refused. He then claims one of the men "roughed him up" before stealing every collectible in the room.

Police are expected to release a statement to the media later today.

2007 Twenty20 World Championship: England vs Australia
Australia have beaten England by eight wickets in Group B of the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa.

England posted a total of 135 runs after being restricted by some good Australian bowling. Reduced to 48-3 in the eighth over, Kevin Pietersen made 21 runs before being bowled by Nathan Bracken. Paul Collingwood fell lbw to Brett Lee for 18 while Andrew Flintoff was caught by Stuart Clark on 31, leaving England on 127-6. England collapsed to 135 all out at the end of their twenty overs, after losing their last four wickets for just nine runs.

Australia comfortably won the match in the fifteenth over. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden shared an opening partnership of 78 runs before Gilchrist was caught by Andrew Flintoff. Ricky Ponting was caught and bowled by Flintoff for 20 runs, but Hayden scored 67 not out as Australia cruised to an eight wicket victory.

Both England and Australia will advance to the Super 8 stage of the tournament. All three teams in the group have two points with one win and one defeat each, but Australia and England progress as Zimbabwe have an inferior net run rate.

2007 Twenty20 World Championship: Kenya vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka have beaten Kenya by 172 runs in Group C of the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sanath Jayasuriya scored 88 runs off 44 balls as Sri Lanka raced to 260-6 off 20 overs, the highest total made in a Twenty20 international. Mahela Jayawardene scored 65 runs before falling lbw to Jimmy Kamande, who took 3-48, bowling Kumar Sangakkara for 30 and Tillakaratne Dilshan for just three runs. Jehan Mubarak smashed 46 off 13 balls as Sri Lanka set a formidable target for Kenya.

Chaminda Vaas immediately made a breakthrough, dismissing opening batsman Maurice Ouma for a duck. Kenya never recovered, and were reduced to just 88 runs in the 20th over as Sri Lanka dismissed their batsmen cheaply. The win, by 172 runs, is the largest margin of victory in a Twenty20 international.

The defeat eliminates Kenya from the tournament. Sri Lanka and New Zealand will advance to the Super 8 stage.

Large earthquake rattles Indonesia; Seventh in two days
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) a large magnitude 6.4 quake has struck Indonesia, the seventh such major earthquake in two days. The Meteorology Agency of Indonesia recorded the quake at a magnitude 6.9.

The epicenter was located 164 kilometers (102 miles) west, southwest of Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia with a depth of 47 k.m. (29.2 miles), and the Meteorology Agency recorded it at a depth of only 10 k.m. (6.2 miles).

The Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for the west coast of Sumatra, but was called off a short time later. The USGS did not believe a tsunami will occur saying "the earthquake is not big enough" and that they "generally need to be over 7.2" to generate one.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had issued a bulletin stating that "no widespread destructive tsunami is expected based on historical earthquake data," but that there could be "local tsunamis" located "not more than 100 k.m." from the quake's epicenter.

There is no word on any injuries, deaths or damage. The region has been almost continuously rattled by earthquakes and aftershocks since a major magnitude 8.4 quake struck the region on September 12 killing at least 13 people and injuring hundreds. Several towns report that most of their buildings have been destroyed.

Volcanologists say that the domino effect of the quakes could make some volcanoes in the region active. "We expect a triggering effect on volcanoes in the region which have already shown some activities in the last couple of years," said a Department of Earth Sciences Professor in Indonesia.

Blood recipients contract HIV in Peru
At least four people in Peru have contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS after receiving blood transfusions that were infected with the deadly virus.

As a result, all of Peru's 240 blood banks have been closed pending further investigation and an emergency has been declared by the government.

"This situation cannot continue. All of Peru's blood banks are being reviewed. We do not want people to panic, what we have to do is be more careful, strengthen our care," said Carlos Vallejos, the Health Minister of Peru.

The country's government made its decision when Judith Rivera, 44 and mother of four children, went public with claims that during an operation, she was infected with HIV when doctors gave her a transfusion.

Soon after the government admitted that at least three other individuals, one being an infant child only 11 months old, another a 17 year-old boy, contracted the virus through blood transfusions and all received care from the same hospitals.

Vallejos also stated that all of the individuals infected will receive whatever care is necessary to treat their conditions.

Today in History
1831 – The John Bull, currently the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world, ran for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.

1835 – Aboard the second voyage of HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin reached the Galápagos Islands, where he further developed his theories of evolution.

1935 – Nazi Germany enacted the Nuremberg Laws, which deprived German Jews of citizenship, and adopted a new national flag emblazoned with a swastika.

1950 – American troops landed at Incheon, Korea in an amphibious assault, starting the Battle of Inchon, a decisive United Nations military forces victory during the Korean War.

1963 – A bomb planted by members of the Ku Klux Klan exploded in the 16th Street Baptist Church, an African American Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, killing four children and injuring at least 22 others.

September 15 is Ganesh Chaturthi in Hinduism (2007); Independence Day for Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador; Battle of Britain Day in the United Kingdom.

Quote of the Day

Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side.

~ François de La Rochefoucauld

Word of the Day

cloister; n

A covered walk with an open colonnade on one side, running along the walls of buildings that face a quadrangle.

A place, especially a monastery or convent, devoted to religious seclusion.

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