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Strong earthquake in Sumatra Two earthquakes, measuring 6.3 and 6.0 on the Richter scale struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra within the space of two hours, killing at-least 70 people. The death toll may rise as a large number of buildings were destroyed and survivors are still being searched for. Dozens dead in Indonesian plane crash A Garuda Indonesia passenger plane with 140 people on board has crashed and burst into flames in Yogyakarta, Indonesia today.

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2 winners confirmed in US 'Mega Millions' jackpot There are at least 2 big winners in Tuesday night's $370 million "Mega Millions" lottery drawing, but lottery officials say that no one has come forward to claim their millions.

Wikipedia Current Events
Reform of the House of Lords: In a British House of Commons vote, a majority of MPs express support for a fully elected House of Lords. A smaller majority support an 80% elected, 20% appointed chamber. Other options with a lower elected component are rejected. The proposals were put forward by Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw, who describes the votes as "a historic step forward". At least 30 people die as a suicide bomber attacks a café in Balad Ruz in Iraq's eastern Diyala Governorate. Three Jordanians go on trial for plotting to assassinate U.S President George W. Bush. The People's Republic of China announces that its first probe to the Moon, Chang'e 1, will be launched later in 2007, with the eventual goal of landing a man on the moon by 2022. The probe is supposed to orbit the Moon at least three times. President of Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth threatens to leave the Commonwealth of Nations over the British government's treatment of the Îlois of the Chagos Archipelago. Foreign Minister of Iran Manouchehr Mottaki confirms that Iran will attend a conference on Iraq featuring Iraq's neighbours and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The Israel Defence Forces raid the Palestinian Authority's military intelligence headquarters in Ramallah. The Taliban claim that they have kidnapped Daniele Mastrogiacomo, an Italian journalist working for La Repubblica newspaper. Rogerio Lobato, former Interior Minister of East Timor, is found guilty on five counts of arming hit squads during civil unrest in 2006. Voters in Northern Ireland go to the polls to elect new members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 crashes and catches fire during a landing in Yogyakarta, Indonesia resulting in 21 confirmed deaths. The United States Department of State issues a report saying that human rights in Fiji have sharply deteriorated since the 2006 coup. Iranian general Ali Reza Askari is reported to have to defected to US custody after disappearing on February 7 in Istanbul.( Turkish authorities ban popular web site Youtube after clips insulting former Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk have discovered from the site.

Extra time winner gives AC Milan a pass to quarterfinals
A full crowd showed up at the Guiseppe Meazza in Italy today to watch AC Milan take on Scottish side Celtic. The first leg of the matches ended in a goalless draw, as both teams were spirited in defense. Kaka and Inzaghi played as frontmen for AC, while Vennegoor of Hesselink and Jiri Jarosik were the strike pair for Celtic.

Milan had the first chance of the game early when Kaka found room and flashed a shot towards the bottom corner, but keeper Artur Boruc got down well to make the stop. Celtic then had a valid penalty claim after only 6 minutes when Jarosik's volley looked to be blocked by the hand of Maldini, but referee Konrad Plautz waved away the appeals. Celtic's defense continued to play well, and they limited Milan's chances to long ranged shots. Lee Naylor then performed defensive heroics for Celtic as he took the ball away from the open Inzaghi, who was waiting to tap the ball in at the back post. Kaka had two more shots from range at the net, but neither were on target. Naylor again saved Celtic by clearing the ball off the line from a Kaka attempt.

Over an hour had passed when Gord Strachan sent Thomas Graveson on for Celtic in place of Jarosik, and the Dane almost scored right away. He struck a fine shot at the net, mut Massimo Oddo did well to block the attempt. Milan counter attacked quickly, and Kaka saw his attempt also blocked by a defender. McManus and Naylor were forced to clear headers off the line from Ambrosini and Inzaghi, both occuring after corners. Maldini then had a header at the Celtic net, but Boruc was again in the right place to make the stop. Celtic had another claim for a penalty when Nakamura was brought down in the area, but the Austrian referee again waved away all appeals. Boruc was again forced into action from a Seedorf free kick, which he was able to deflect out with a hand. Kaka then shot towards the goal, but the crossbar saved Celtic from going a goal down. As 90 minutes approached, Celtic had two well positioned free-kicks, but could take advantage of neither, and the game entered extra time.

It took Milan little time to go ahead in the extra period, and the scorer would be no other than the Brazilian Kaka. The youthful striker put on a burst of speed to beat out the tired Celtic defenders and blasted the ball through Borucs legs to give the homeside the lead. The game continued however, as the Champions League works on full extra time, and Celtic still had 27 minutes to equilize. It was Milan who pushed however, and Andrea Pirlo twice forced Boruc to make saves. Then Kaka, in search of a brace, sent a volley over the net after being left alone during a corner kick. Gravesen's long effort for Celtic was easy pickings for Dida, and Craig Beattie headed a good chance over the bar. Celtic vainly tried to tie the game, bringing on Kenny Miller, but AC finished the game comfortably, and advanced to the next round of the tournament.

US troops accused of killing Afghan civilians following car-bombing
On Sunday, US Marine Special Forces who had just escaped an early-morning ambush by Taliban insurgents in Muhmand Dara, Afghanistan, retaliated by opening fire on nearby civilians, including pedestrians and as many as 15 passing cars, including those that had pulled to the side of the road to comply with orders.

Haji Ihsanullah, a member of Hezb e Islami initially drove a minivan laden with explosives into one of the five vehicles making up the US convoy, which included three humvees, slightly wounding one Marine. Sources differ on whether or not hidden gunmen then also opened fire on the convoy.

US forces then fled the scene of the ambush "firing wildly", opening fire on every civilian and vehicle they saw for 6 miles while driving along the Afghan street.

Initial reports stated that 14 civilians had been killed in the attack, and another 35 were wounded by the gunfire. But officials at Bagram Air Base later claimed that only 8 had been killed. Other sources reported that 4 of the wounded later died of their injuries at Jalalabad Hospital.

The event was described as an "emotional" response by the US forces, by Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Zmarai Bashiri. Thousands of Afghans gathered to protest the shooting. US troops also forced two Associated Press photojournalists to delete their digital photographs of the attack's aftermath, although al Jazeera photojournalists then visited the scene and captured similar footage.

The shooting is under investigation by both Afghan and US officials.

Quick goal sees Bayern advance over Real Madrid
Bayern Munich hosted Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena today in the second leg of the Champions League round of sixteen. The first leg saw Real coming out on top 3-2, but the two away goals by Bayern gave them a good chance in the second leg. Madrid were without David Beckham for the game, who orchestrated all 3 goals in the first leg, and he was replaced in the midfield by Raúl. Bayern played a strong side, with Lucas Podolski and Roy Makaay in attack, and Owen Hargreaves in the midfield.

Any plans Real had made for the game went immediately out the window when Roy Makaay scored the fastest ever goal in a Champions League match after only 10 seconds. Real took the kickoff, and Roberto Carlos was immediately dispossessed by Salihamidzic, who passed in the ball to Makaay. The German striker neatly finished passed Iker Casillas to stun the Galacticos, and give the home side the lead. Bayern continued to press, and Real looked listless, as shots from Podolski and Makaay were saved by Casillas. Real coach Fabio Capello was quick to make changes in his team, and sent on Guti in place of Emerson. Casillas was again forced into action as van Buyten headed Sagnol's free kick towards the goal, but the keeper got down well to make the stop. Madrid finally began to play like a team, and substitute Guti had a chance after a neat backheel by Higuain found him, but the shot flew wide. Real continued pressing, and dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy headed a ball towards the net, but Oliver Kahn was easily able to cope with the low power effort. Raúl then struck an acrobatic effort towards the goal, but found only the side netting.

After the restart, Real looked shaky at the back again as van Bommel found his way in on goal, but Casillas was again on hand to snuff out the danger. Oliver Kahn was then forced into action at the other end, as he pushed out a van Nistelrooy header off of a cross by Raúl. Bayern had a penalty claim, but were denied by referee Lubos Michel. It didnt matter however, and the resulting corner was met by Lucio's head, doubling Bayerns lead. Bayern had another chance minutes later, but a open header by Salihamidzic went wide. Raúl then had a chance for Real, but his header was directed straight to Kahn. Ruud van Nistelrooy was then denied a run on goal after a mistaken offside call was given by the linesman. On 80 minutes, Robinho was hauled down by van Bommel in the penalty area, and Real was awarded a penalty. Marco van Bommel was consequently given his second yellow of the match for arguing the point, and was sent off along with Diarra of Real for his part in the confrontation. Once everything settled, van Nistelrooy stepped up to the spot and sent the ball into the net, cutting the lead in half, but still leaving Real behind on aggregate. The game finished dramatically, as Ramos thought he had scored to tie the game, but the referee correctly judged that a hand had been used in the build up, and the goal was not counted. The game ended in a win for Bayern, and they will go on to the next round, while Real is left to focus on domestic play.

Arsenal out of Champions league after tie with PSV
Arsenal and PSV met at the Emirates Stadium in London earlier today for the second leg of their Champions League battle. The first match ended 1-0 for PSV, giving them the advantage from the start in this game, as a tie would be all they needed to win. Arsenal, who again were without Thiery Henry to start the football match, played a very young side as usual, although 17 year old Theo Walcott was with Henry on the subs bench. PSV played an attacking side, with Arouna Kone and Jefferson Farfan in the front.

PSV started strong out of the gate, and appeared to catch the home team by surprise with their determination. Arsenal were able to stave off the first attacks, and soon had the game under controlled and switched it into one way traffic. Fabregas and Denilson played strongly in the midfield to dictate the play for Arsenal, and soon chances began to show for the Gunners. The first fell to the Ivorian Kolo Toure, who pushed off his fellow countryman Kone, only to see his shot fly harmlessly wide of the net. More chances poured in for Arsenal, but the youngsters did not have the killer touch to finish off any clean shots on the goal. William Gallas of Arsenal had to leave the pitch to replace a contact lens, and PSV took a chance on the man advantage to press forward. Phillip Cocu put himself in a great position behind the defense, but spurned his chance as he headed the ball wide. Arsenal again pressed, as a header by Adebayor went wide, along with two volleys by Julio Baptista.

At the start of the second half, Arsenal continued to be frustrated by a combination of poor finishing and good defending by PSV. The Gunners would finally get the goal they needed after 58 minutes, thanks to an own goal by Alex. A corner by Arsenal alowed Adebayor to flick the ball on, and fortuitously it bounced off the hapless defender Alex and into the net. The goal boosted Arsenals confidence, and they continued to press the game. Arsenal should have doubled their lead when Adebayor was sent one on one with keeper Heurelho, but his shot was directly at the keeper, and the game remained at 1-0 for the home side. As they pushed forward, Arsenal left gaps at the back, and Jefferson Farfan exposed one such gap before Denilson brought him down in the area, but no penalty was given. Henry then joined the fray from the bench, and though he didnt look completely comfortble, still managed to force Heurelho into a save with a dipping free kick. PSV would make Arsenal pay for their missed chances however, as Alex made up for his own goal and headed and Edison Mendez free kick home, tying the game and giving PSV the lead on aggregate. The aggregate loss concluded a sorrowful series of cup events for Arsenal after they lost in both the FA Cup and the Carling Cup, and now added the Champions League to the list.

Court issues YouTube block in Turkey
A court in Istanbul has issued an order to block all access to YouTube in Turkey, after a series of insults between Greek and Turkish users of the site escalated. The largest internet provider and privatised state company, Türk Telekom, has put the order into effect, while some smaller internet providers still allow access to the site.

Internet users accessing via Turk Telecom get a message in Turkish saying "Access to this site has been denied by court order! ..." and in Turkish and English "Access to www.youtube.com site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court."

The row between Turkish and Greek YouTube users started when Greek videos claimed that Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish state, and the Turkish people, were homosexual. There were also profanities on the Turkish flag. A Turkish user responded saying that Greece was the birth place of homosexuality. The dispute received a lot of attention in the Turkish media, which they labelled a "virtual war".

YouTube agreed to take down the offending videos, but nonetheless the prosecutor in Istanbul got a court order, based on charges of insulting Atatürk, which is illegal in Turkey. YouTube responded that it had taken down the videos and was cooperating with the government, adding that "While technology can bring great opportunity and access to information globally, it can also present new and unique cultural challenges."

Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, which makes insulting Turkishness a crime in Turkey, received a lot of attention because it resulted in the prosecution of intellectuals like Literature Nobel Prize Winner Orhan Pamuk and murdered journalist Hrant Dink.

The European Commission has shown concern over the law article, and Turkey has pledged to revise it. Turkey wants to join the European Union but the negotiations have not been without obstacles so far, for example in the field of freedom of expression.

Larsson goal puts United into quarterfinals
Manchester United progressed to the qaurterfinals of the Champions League earlier today after defeating Lille 1-0 for the second time. After the controversial winning goal from the first leg, United had a strong advantage in the series, and Lille needed a win to advance. The scorer of that controversial goal, Ryan Giggs, was left out of the lineup, and instead the more defensive minded John O'Shea was played. Lille started the game with a defensive lineup as well, hoping to stall the Red Devils, and make a score later in the match. Manchester United came into the game short of several key players due to injury, including Louis Saha (hamstring), Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer (surgery recovery), and Darren Fletcher (ankle). Striker Alan Smith was on the bench for United hoping to get back to first team action after a broken leg kept him out of the main squad for nearly a year.

United grabbed the first of the chances 15 minutes into the game after Scholes popped in a cross to Rooney, but the young striker couldnt get his volley away in time, and Mathieu Chalme moved well to block. The ensuing corner saw another good chance present itself for United, but John O'Shea's powerful headed from Carrick's kick hit only the crossbar. Lille then had a chance of their own as Makoun strafed in behind the defence to connect with a freekick by Obraniak. Makoun's header was poor, and keeper Edwin Van Der Sar had and easy time collecting the ball. When Macnhester United earned themselves a freekick outside the Lille area, two Lille players placed themselves directly in front of Paul Scholes, not allowing him to take an early kick. Lille was appearing to be playing stronger, and made quick moves on the counter attack to worry United. One fine pass by Chalme into the box was aimed for a wide open Odemwingie, but he was not able to cleanly hit the ball, and the danger passed. Christiano Ronaldo made his presence felt in the Lille area and was brought down by Chalme in the box. Instead of a penalty, Ronaldo was awarded a yellow card for what referee Luis Cantalejo considered a dive.

The second half saw Lille continue to dominate the football match, and the first threat came through a long range shot by Keita, but Van Der Sar saved well. Odemwingie was again on the attack, but was unfortunate to see his header smash off the post. United finally had a chance of their own in the second half when defender Nemanja Vidic connected with a free kick by Rooney, but the Serbian's header flew just over the goal. A sense of anxiety was starting to fill Old Trafford untill Ronaldo and Larsson combined to put the series away after 72 minutes. Ronaldo used some of his trademark moves to outwit 3 Lille defenders a knocked a well aimed ball into Larsson, who forced a powerful header into the back of the net. The goal will be the last Larsson will score for United at Old Trafford, as his loan contract expires on the 12th of March. Larsson was applauded as he left the pitch and was replaced by Alan Smith, who was eager to impress after his extended absence from the team. Lille made two changes of their own, throwing Fauvergue and Mirallis into the frey, but they never looked likely to get the two goals they needed to advance. United went on to win, but now have even more injury worries as Mikael Silvestre had to be stretchered off the field after sustaining a head injury.

Canadian PM visits Hamilton, admits he's an avid curling fan
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a visit to Hamilton yesterday to watch the 2007 annual Tim Hortons Brier at the Copps Coliseum.

Harper, who is currently writing a book about the history of Hockey, admitted he's a curling fan. He started to be a fan of curling in Winnipeg, Manitoba 10 years ago and said his father used to play it.

"I've never curled but my father did when I was very young," he said. "I've followed the Brier for years. About the last decade or so I've made an effort to get to the Brier when I could. It is such a great Canadian tradition."

He cheered on for Alberta's Kevin Martin. Martin won 9-8 over players from Nova Scotia. Harper met with Kevin Martin after the event. Martin handed the PM his jersey from Monday's game.

"I've obviously got a soft spot for Kevin Martin and Alberta because he's had such a great career," said Harper. "But what's so great about the Brier is whoever wins is not like your normal pro athlete. They're usually great community people and Canadians. It's always easy to identify with whoever goes forward."

Robin MacPherson of Hamilton sat in front of him. She wore a large crown and was draped in gold.

She got to meet the PM and was quoted saying: "Not a lot of people get to meet a prime minister."

2 winners confirmed in US 'Mega Millions' jackpot
There are at least 2 big winners in Tuesday night's USD$370 million Mega Millions lottery drawing which is held in 12 U.S. states. The 2 winning tickets were sold in Georgia and New Jersey, but lottery officials say that no one has come forward to claim their millions.

One ticket was sold at a store called Campark Liquors, which is located in Woodbine, New Jersey. The other ticket was sold at what is called the Favorite Market which is located in Dalton, Georgia.

The drawing, the biggest in Mega Millions history, was moved from its usual location in Atlanta, Georgia to Times Square, New York because at one point, according to New York's lottery commissioner, Robert McLaughlin, at least 1,000,000 tickets an hour were being sold in the state of New York.

Some people in Ohio were not so lucky. In fact, the states lottery system, for reasons still not known, went off-line at 10:25 p.m., just over a half hour before the drawing was to be held.

At least one person was one number away from winning the jackpot, matching 5 of the six numbers. That ticket is worth $250,000 [USD] and was bought at Burtonsville Crown Beer & Wine in Montgomery County Maryland.

The previous record for the highest multi-state lottery was set back in 2006 when the Power Ball jackpot paid out at least $365 million dollars [USD] to 8 people in Nebraska. Another multi-state lottery, The Big Game has the third highest jackpot of $363 million dollars [USD] which was paid out in 2000.

The lottery numbers were: 16-22-29-39-42 and the Mega Ball was: 20. The odds of actually winning the jackpot, by yourself was at least 1 in 176 million. Each group of numbers costs only one dollar.

Bob Rae seeks Liberal nomination in Toronto-Centre
Liberal party member Bob Rae has announced his bid to run for Parliament in the riding of Toronto-Centre. This comes a month after Bill Graham said he will not run again in the next election.

In order to run for office in Canada, the candidate must fill papers for their nomination to run for whichever party they chose. Rae signed his nomination papers today.

Even before Rae officaly said he would run for office there was speculation that he would run again.

"It's 12 years since I stood for elected office...and it's quite a while since I ran for federal Parliament so (today) is a fun moment for me," Rae said. "The last year's been terrific, getting back into the swing of debates and scrums and speeches and meeting people, and doing it all is fun."

Toronto lawyer Meredith Cartwright is also expected to contest the nomination which will likely be decided in April.

Rae was leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party and was premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995. Rae was a Liberal leadership candidate and lost to Stéphane Dion in December 2006.

Martha Hall Findlay and Gerard Kennedy, who were also Liberal leadership candidates, will run again for the Liberals in the next election. Like Rae, they ran for the leadership with no seat in the House of Commons.

One dead in Michigan school shooting
At least one person is seriously wounded and one dead after a 17 year-old male opened fire and shot his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Forsyth, 17, four times outside the Herbert Henry Dow High School located in Midland, Michigan before turning the gun on himself. The shooter was pronounced dead on the scene and according to Midland Police Chief, James St. Louis, the shooter died in the parking lot of the school while the girl is in a local hospital. She is said to be in stable but serious condition at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan.

Chief St. Louis says that the boy pulled out a gun and began to shoot the girl after the two had a conversation. He then shot himself. St. Louis also said that the mother of the girl, who had dropped her daughter off at school for the day, tried to stop the incident from happening by driving her car in between the girl and boy, but was not successful. The boy, whose name is not known, apparently had stored the gun inside his backpack.

According to Midland Deputy Chief, Bob Lane, the boy was not a student at the school and was not granted access into the school. Lane also stated that the boy then placed a phone call to Forsyth telling her to meet him outside the school just before 11:00 a.m. [EST].

The school hosts nearly 1,500 students. The school was in lockdown, but according to a statement on the school's website, the lockdown was canceled.

"This morning a shooting incident took place at Dow High outside the building near the cafeteria. A Code Red lock-down was issued, but has been lifted," said the statement.

Pakistani airline banned by European Union

The European Union has banned the 35 planes in the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) 45 aircraft fleet from flying in EU airspace. The reason provided by EU was that these plans do not fulfill the safety requirement for international planes and thus were banned. PIA has redeployed its Boeing 777 jets from US to EU flights to facilitate passengers in Europe. Flights PK 782 and PK 790 are still running on time from Toronto in Canada.

Oklahoma Senate approves new insurance bill

The Oklahoma Senate approved a bill introduced by lawmaker Patrick Anderson of Enid that enables police to seize vehicles when drivers fail to produce proof of insurance. The bill was tacked onto a measure to prohibit inserting microchips into people without their permission. 91,000 drivers have been ticketed for lack of insurance in Oklahoma to date.

New Orleans Saints release Horn

The New Orleans Saints have released All-Pro wide receiver Joe Horn because of money issues. The Saints hope to draft LSU (Louisiana State University) wide receiver DeWayne Bowe in the NFL Draft to fill Horn's place.

Ugandan judges begin week-long strike
Judges in Uganda began a week-long strike on Monday, protesting against the arrest of six suspects, after they had been granted bail, in the High Court premises last week.

The six suspects, supporters of the opposition leader Kizza Besigye, are alleged to be members of the Peoples Redemption Army and are charged with treason for allegedly plotting a coup. Twelve men have been detained in connection to these charges since November 2005.

Scores of armed police were deployed outside the High Court while the bail application was being heard last week, and the suspects were detained by armed military police. A defence lawyer was reportedly assaulted by prison guards.

Defending the arrests, President Yoweri Museveni said that the suspects had been re-arrested on fresh murder charges and that the arrests did not amount to disobeying the court. He also said that granting bail to those charged with "treason and terrorism" amounts to sending them beyond the reach of law.

Last week's arrests seriously undermines the rule of law in Uganda, said the International Commission of Jurists, and called on the Ugandan government to stop "intimidating" lawyers and judges taking part in the trial.

A similar incident occurred in 2005, with military personnel detaining men granted bail in the same case.

President Museveni said that he had met with the Chief Justice to discuss the matter and that a "legal and transparent" method of re-arresting suspects will be formulated.

Justice James Ogoola, a senior judge told the BBC that the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary should be brought "back to form" in the country.

Opposition groups who demonstrated on Monday to show support to the judges were dispersed by police using tear gas. Ugandan newspaper, The Monitor reported that a baby had died during the tear-gassing.

The state-owned newspaper New Vision reported that undertrials set for court appearances were sent back to prisons, without any hearings taking place, at various courts in Kampala, Lira, Erute, Mbale and Mityana.

Repeat sex offenders to face capital punishment in Texas
bill on death penalty for repeated child sex offenders was given preliminary approval by Texas House of Representatives. The bill is called Jessica's Law, after a nine-year old Florida girl who was raped and murdered by John Couey, who had a prior history of sexual assault on minors.

Jessica's law is intended to crack down on sexual offenders who continually repeat the crime. With this bill Texas becomes the sixth American state to allow death sentence for continual sex offenders.

The lawmakers voted to set up a new category of crime: repeated sexual assault on a child or children. This category of crime carries 25 years in prison or capital punishment for a repeated sexual abuse of a child.

At first the Lone Star State's House of Representatives delayed voting on a broader death sentence provision as the lawmakers had worries that it could lead some assaulters to kill their victims. They came back for a vote after talking to district attorneys and victim advocacy groups.

The bill implies a so called "Romeo and Juliet“ exception that is intended to avoid prosecuting high school romances.

Jessica's Law also annulates the limitations for many sex crimes against children, such as indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault.

Dozens dead in Indonesian plane crash
A Garuda Indonesia passenger plane with 140 people on board has crashed and burst into flames in Yogyakarta, Indonesia today. At least 21 people have died after the jet plane overshot the runway at 0700 local time. The Indonesian air company Garuda said earlier that at least 49 persons were killed but have now changed the estimate.

95 people have been confirmed as having survived the crash, including Din Syamsudin, the leader of the Muhammadiyah Islamic organisation. Survivors are being treated in a local hospital for severe injuries and burns.

Survivors report that the aircraft was shaking violently prior to the crash. The operations chief at Adisucpito International Airport said that the front wheel of the jet was on fire as it landed, causing the vehicle to skid off the runway and veer into a boundary fence. An engine then broke away from the aircraft and the fuselage burst into flames.

It took firefighters over two hours to put out the blaze.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has confirmed that there were 9 Australians on board the flight, 4 of whom remain missing. The Australians included officials and journalists heading to Yogyakarta to prepare for the Foreign Minister's arrival there. The journalists known to be onboard include Cynthia Banham of the Sydney Morning Herald and Chanel Seven cameraman Wayne Sukarda. Fairfax media are still attempting to contact a journalist from The Australian Financial Review.

New Zealand broadband subscribers increase
The amount of subscribers to broadband in New Zealand have increased 30%, which also results in New Zealand jumping from 22 place to 19 in the OECD rankings, and having a total of 1.4 million Internet subscribers.

In a six-monthly survey by Statistics New Zealand, Internet Service Provider Survey, covering the six months prior to September 30, 2006, the amount of non-analog broadband subscribers reached 28.6%, more than the previous survey conducted the previous year, reaching a total of 611,600. There are currently 14.7 broadband subscribers per 100 people in New Zealand, previously nine.

Because of the increase in broadband subscribers, dial-up subscribers have dropped 5.1% since the start of April, 2006. Chief executive of ihug, an Internet service provider, Mark Rushworth said that dial-up will always have its place.

Out of all the broadband subscribers, 97.6% have a data cap, which limits the amount of monthly downloading that can occur, usually measured in multiples of gigabytes. 66.6% of all those who do have a data cap, have a limit of up to 5 gigabytes. Which the Internet Society of New Zealand's (InternetNZ) executive director, Keith Davidson, said was disappointing.

The increase in broadband subscribers rose the position of New Zealand from 22 to 19 on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rankings for broadband uptake, dated June, 2006.

InternetNZ, has said that they welcome the survey saying that it is a good improvement, but "...with 60 percent of DSL subscribers having download speeds of less than 256Kbps and 90 percent having upload speeds of less than 256Kbps, we have a long way to go before New Zealanders are able to experience the full potential of broadband." InternetNZ also says that it will be hard for New Zealand to reach the targets set out by the Government's "Digital Strategy".

Mr Davidson said that the main reason for the uptake in broadband is the better plans and pricing for the plans.

In the 18-months leading up to the end of September, 2006, 34% of ISP's had reported that the regulatory environment had been restricting their growth.

Today in History
1702 - Princess Anne became the queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.

1782 - Almost 100 Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio died at the hands of Pennsylvanian militiamen in a mass murder known as the Gnadenhütten massacre.

1844 - Oscar I acceded to the throne of Sweden-Norway.

1966 - Nelson's Pillar, a large granite pillar with a statue of Lord Nelson on top in Dublin, Ireland, was destroyed by a bomb.

March 08 is International Women's Day; Mother's Day in various European countries.

Quote of the Day

Animals arrived, liked the look of the place, took up their quarters, settled down, spread, and flourished. They didn't bother themselves about the past — they never do; they're too busy. ~ Kenneth Grahame

Word of the Day

portmanteau; n

A large travelling case usually made of leather, and opening into two equal sections.

(linguistics) A word formed which combines the meanings of two words by combining the words themselves.

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