The discovery was made on Friday of two suspicious mail packages containing Hewlett Packard printer toner cartridges packed with explosive materials bound for the United States.   The packages were intercepted in stopovers in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom in cargo on board two US-bound planes.  The bombs were transported [...]

Monday’s 7.5 magnitude earthquake off the  coast of Western Sumatra close to the  Mentawai Islands triggered a tsunami and the  eruption of Mt Merapi (Fire Mountain) in Java.   A further eruption of the volcano occurred on Tuesday. The Indonesian archipelago is prone to this  earthquake activity located as it is in what is known as [...]

An online database cataloguing more than 20,000 artworks stolen from Jewish families by the Nazis in their march across Europe during WWII has gone online.   It provides access to the detailed records kept by the Nazis as well as images of the artifacts and artworks stolen in occupied France and Belgium during World War [...]

The UK Government has released plans to reduce military spending which will cut personnel and equipment to the Army, Navy and Air Force in the coming years. Of two new aircraft carriers under commission one may never be operational with the second having a limited period of service. The Navy’s warship fleet will be reduced [...]

On Monday Mexican authorities announced a drugs haul of over 100 tonnes of marijuana in the border town of Tijuana.  It is the largest seizure made since President Felipe Calderon launched a nationwide crackdown on drug cartels in 2006.   In total 130 tonnes of marijuana have been seized in Baja California and tunnels built by [...]

The arrest of the Soviet sleeper spies in the USA in June and their subsequent speedy deportation in July was reminiscent of the era of the Cold War and the spy scandals and defections in the UK, most notably the Cambridge Five. In July The US group of men and women after pleading guilty to [...]

Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced further changes to her government’s policy on the management of asylum seekers arriving by boats in Australia. The Government plans to move children and their families as well as unaccompanied minors out of detention facilities into community-based accommodation. It is intended that community and church groups will work with [...]

When the French want to protest they do it the best way the know how and take to the streets.  Over the past week they have been doing so in growing numbers to voice their opposition to President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension reforms. The proposed changes include raising the age of retirement with a full pension [...]

At just before 10.00pm Chile time, 13 October 2010 and after under 23 hours of continuous hoisting,  the Phoenix capsule carrying Luis Urzua, 54 the mine shift leader arrived topside of the  San Jose mine in the Atacama Desert in Chile.  He was the 33rd miracle the world watched emerge from what could have been [...]

The 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped in the San Jose mine in the northern Atacama desert since 5 August are being brought to the surface one by one in a steady stream.  The long wait of over two months is coming to an end for their families and friends who have been waiting [...]