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Hurricane Dennis heads for Gulf Coast, leaves trail of destruction in its wake Residents of the Gulf Coast are bracing for the landfall of Hurricane Dennis, a storm that has left a path of destruction throughout the island nations of Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba. Winds in excess of 145 mph have destroyed homes, and left Cuba to rely on ham radio as a means of communication. Coordinated terrorist attack hits London Four terrorist bombs have exploded in London, and US authorities have stated two more were found unexploded. As of July 8th, more than 50 people are dead, and hundreds are injured. A previously unheard of splinter group, "Al-Qaeda in Europe", is said to have claimed responsibility. Blair: G8 leaders announce $50 billion aid increase; talks on trade and climate change British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced at a press conference today the results of the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

Wikipedia Current Events
Hurricane Dennis, the first hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, approaches Cuba. It is heading towards the Gulf Coast of the United States, with landfall expected on Sunday or Monday. In the Bulacan province of the Philippines, medical authorities report the country's first case of avian influenza.
Wikipedia Current Events
Also in the Philippines, resigned ministers, other politicians and businessmen call president Gloria Arroyo to resign as well and hand the reins of the country over to to vice president Noli de Castro. Florida Governor Jeb Bush closes the inquiry into the case of Terri Schiavo, having been informed by prosecutors that there is no evidence of any crime leading to her 1990 collapse. Malta becomes the 12th European Union member to ratify the EU constitution and the first to do so unanimously.

Hurricane Dennis heads for Gulf Coast, leaves trail of destruction in its wake

Hurricane Dennis on June 8 at 19:15 UTC. Source: NHC.

Residents of the Gulf Coast are bracing for the landfall of Hurricane Dennis, a storm that has left a path of destruction throughout the island nations of Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba. The hurricane's sustained winds have dropped to 135 mph after making landfall in Cuba. The hurricane is now rated Category 3.

Winds in excess of 145 mph have destroyed homes, and left Cuba to rely on ham radio as a means of communication. The Cuban Meteorological Service is reporting the destruction of 85% of Cuba's communication infrastructure. Flooding led to widespread problems in Haiti, where the storm claimed 18 lives according to Reuters. Mudslides, triggered by the large volume of rain blocked roads and sent 3,000 people to seek shelter in designated storm shelters.

The lower Florida Keys are under a hurricane warning while the remainder of the Keys should expect high winds and rain associated with tropical storms.

While the storm moves across Cuba, oil companies have begun shutting down rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and residents in coastal areas of the United States are boarding up windows and preparing for the worst. The storm is expected to make landfall in the United States sometime Sunday evening, following a similar path as Hurricane Ivan last year. Current paths indicate the Florida Keys will be brushed by on the way to the Florida panhandle, coming ashore near Pensacola, FL.

Forcast path for Hurricane Dennis. Source: CIMSS.

It is expected that Hurricane Dennis will regain whatever strength is lost crossing Cuba as it enters the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Such a storm could mean problems for NASA which hopes to launch the space shuttle Discovery on July 13.

Its current location is 22.7°N, 81.6° W, about 55 miles (90 km) east-southeast of Havana, Cuba, and 130 miles (205 km) south-southeast of Key West, Florida.

The storm is creating seas in the 12-foot range, with highest seas reported at 30 feet according the National Weather Service. Residents in the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana are all under a hurricane watch as current predictions show the storm's progression to effect those states.

Thirteen people confirmed dead in London bus bombing

The Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, has announced that thirteen people died when a bomb exploded on a bus in Tavistock Square. Initially, only two people were thought to have been killed.

All bodies have now been removed from the wrecked bus. The rear of the bus and the roof of the upper deck was torn off in the blast. The bomb was either on the floor or resting on a seat at the rear of the upper deck when it detonated. It is thought that it contained less than 10 pounds (5kg) of explosives.

Via Rail investigating security breach

Via Rail said an investigation is underway after a CBC Radio reporter managed to board a passenger train Friday and enter its baggage area without once being checked for a ticket.

This comes a day after Canadian officials announced increased security measures on trains and subways following the bombings in Britain.

The reporter said it was easy to walk into Toronto's Union Station with a backpack and board a train to Windsor without buying a ticket or being requested to produce one. He was also able to enter the baggage hold without being asked for identification.

Some commuters into Toronto also noticed a lack of extra security.

"I figured there would have been police officers up and down the train. It's only been 24 hours since it's happened," said one rider.

Though a Via spokesperson acknowledged that the breach should not have been allowed to happen, it raised questions about how much security is possible on mass transit.

Security expert Brian Hay of Crisis Management Specialists said that even though technology exists for bomb-sniffing and even X-raying groups of passengers, it would be next to impossible at major hubs like Union Station.

"If you start to try to put the kind of security like in the airport, you're going to have thousands and thousands of people lined up waiting to get through, " said Hay.

"They'll make a rational decision and say I can't do this, and they'll end up driving their cars on the road."

"I'm not one to want Big Brother sitting on my doorstep, but at least London looked like they were prepared where it doesn't seem like maybe we're exactly prepared," said one Toronto commuter.

Via Rail on Friday called the breach "disturbing" and said it should never have happened. An investigation has been launched, and a spokesperson said the company had taken immediate steps to ensure every passenger boarding their trains is at least asked for a ticket.

8th Circuit Court rules 'partial birth' ban unconstitutional

Upholding a previous decision by a lower court, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled that the federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act is unconstitutional because it does not provide an exception for the health of the woman.

While the ban does provide an exception for the life of the mother it does not for the health of the mother.

"When `substantial medical authority' supports the medical necessity of a procedure in some instances, a health exception is constitutionally required," Judge Kermit Bye of the 8th Circuit wrote in the opinion.

"In effect, we believe when a lack of consensus exists in the medical community, the Constitution requires legislatures to err on the side of protecting women's health by including a health exception." Judge Bye went on to say.

The decision upheld a previous ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf of Lincoln, Neb. Federal judges in New York and San Francisco have also ruled in decisions overturning the ban. The decisions have been appealed and are expected to eventually be addressed by the Supreme Court.

President Bush signed the ban in 2003, but due to legal challenges has not been enforced.

Florida declares 'state of emergency', Hurricane Dennis category 4 storm

Storm track

Source:National Hurricane Center

Florida braces for the arrival of Hurricane Dennis as governor Jeb Bush announced a state of emergency on a televised press conference Friday afternoon at 2:00 EST. Dennis weakened slightly after making landfall in Cuba and now packs sustained winds of 145 miles per hour. Thousands have fled the Florida Keys under a mandatory evacuation order where the storm is expected to strike sometime this evening.

The storm wobbled slightly after arriving in Cuba where it claimed up to three lives. Ham radio operators reported that most power lines are down in the province of Cienfuegos, where a major seaport is located on Cuba's southern coast.

According to Reuters, 18 lives were claimed by the storm in Haiti yesterday when it passed over that island nation.

The storm is expected to continue on a north-westerly path that will brush the sounthern tip of Florida and head up the state's Gulf of Mexico coastline, where warm gulf waters could fuel the storm and raise it to a Category 5 storm.

Speculation has begun on the possibility of higher gas prices as gulf oil refineries are threatened.

Hurricane Dennis comes quickly on the heels of 3-day ago Tropical Storm Cindy, in what is noted as record storm activity for this early in the hurricane season.

Philippine President calls for resignation of cabinet due to deflation of peso

Amid news of a drop of the Philippine peso for a sixth straight week, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday asked all members of the cabinent to resign, preparing the road for change in the administration.

In the past month the peso has fallen 3.1 percent due in part to accusations that Arroyo cheated in last year's elections, as well as accusations that her family members have been taking kickbacks from illegal gambling operations.

The central bank may move to buy the peso in an attempt to stem the decline and raise lenders' reserve requirements so they have less money to bet against the currency.

While Arroyo was asking for the resignations, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and other officials, including Tax Commissioner Guillermo Parayno, Customs Commissioner Bert Lina, Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin and Trade Secretary Juan Santos, called for Arroyo's resignation.

However, Arroyo refused, and while addressing the nation via radio she said "I am not resigning my office. To do so under circumstances that connote an Edsa 3 (the third people's revolution) would condemn any successor to the possibility of an Edsa 4, then an Edsa 5, and so on and so on, unless our political system were first reformed to make it more responsive to the people's will, such that changes in leadership come about in an orderly and stable manner..."

Arroyo said that the time had come to face the fact that the political system had degenerated so much that partisan agenda is coming before national interest.

She pointed to the huge immigration from the country as an indication of the large problems within, while endless scandals and conflict seem to plague the southeast Asian nation.

The President ended her address by promising to bring a resolution to all that has plagued the country.

Bird flu hits Philippines

The first known case of bird flu in the Philippines has occurred at an isolated farm in a town just north of the capital Manila, the Philippine government has confirmed.

Agricultural Secretary Arthur Yap said it is not clear whether it is the deadly H5N1 strain responsible for the deaths of more than 50 people in Asia since 2003 but confirmed that a strain of flu, H5, had been found in ducks.

Mr. Yap told a news conference, "It is a low-risk flu strain found in three healthy ducks and the risk to human health is almost nil."

Transportation and sales of live poultry within a three-kilometre radius of the affected farm has been banned by the government.

Suspended sentence for Sasser worm author

Author of the Sasser worm, Sven Jaschan (19), was convicted today for three cases of computer sabotage and four of illegal data modification, to which he had pleaded guilty at the start of his four-day trial.

The regional court in Verden, Germany, condemned Jaschan to a 21 month suspended sentence. He is also expected to undertake 30 hours of community service and will not have to pay court costs. Public prosecutor Lutz Gaebel had called for 200 hours of community service and a two-year suspended sentence.

Jaschan, an 18 year old computer science student at the time, was arrested in May 2004 after international investigations were launched. He was then released pending trial. The arrest followed tip offs to the police, which may have been prompted by Microsoft's offer of US$250,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible. He was tried as a minor since he authored Sasser at the age of 17. The trial was held behind closed doors, with details reported to the press by Katharina Krützfeldt, the court spokesperson.

The worm began to spread in April 2004 on Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems which had not been patched with MS04-011. The worm hit companies and home users worldwide, with reported cases at Agence France-Presse, Delta Air Lines, HM Coastguard, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Post, Australia Railcorp, and the European Commission.

The BBC reported that the worm had affected millions worldwide, and Heise noted that experts had estimated several million euro worth of damage.

According to various sources Jaschan was 'fingered' by a couple of his friends who were after the 'Microsoft Anti-Virus Reward' of $250,000 US Dollars. According to Microsoft's Web site, rewards of $250,000 can still be collected for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for launching the MyDoom.B worm, the Sobig virus and the MSBlast.A [aka Blaster] worm. Futhermore, Microsoft have another $4 Million in hand for rewards required for future malicious software authors they want to have arrested and prosecuted.

Blair: G8 leaders announce $50 billion aid increase; talks on trade and climate change

British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced at a press conference today the results of the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

Blair, the seven other leaders of the G8 nations, and the leaders of Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania stood on the step of Gleneagles to address the press. The Prime Minster said "We speak today in the shadow of terrorism but it will not obscure what we came here to achieve."

Among the decisions made was a commitment to another $48 billion (£28.8 billion) per year by 2010 in aid which Blair says can indeed, in time and if properly seen through, will make "very substantial progress" towards "making poverty history". The deal was secured following a last-minute commitment by Japan.

Half of this aid will be sent to Africa. Some analysts have raised fears that African economies will not be able to absorb so much aid so quickly, and that the money could fuel corruption.

Only $20 billion of this deal is new money - the rest has already been pledged on previous occasions.

The US, Germany and Italy rejected a plan by Blair to double aid immediately by borrowing against future aid budgets.

"It isn't the end of poverty in Africa, but it is the hope that it can be ended," Blair said. "It isn't all everyone wanted, but it is progress - real and achievable progress. It is the definitive expression of our collective will to act in the face of death and disease and conflict that is preventable"

There will also be further pushes towards ending the debt of the poorest nations, but only confirmed a earlier deal to cancel the debts of 18 countries.

Campaigners have welcomed the news, but have said that it does not go far enough, falling short of the hopes of the people who had embraced the Live8 and Make Poverty History drives.

"Today the G8 have chosen not to do all that campaigners insist is necessary to free people trapped in the prison of poverty," the Make Poverty History read this evening. "But more action is urgently needed if they are to play their role in bringing about real change for the world's poorest people."

The leaders also pledged to end farm subsidies - but did not say by when. However, they called for talks on trade liberalisation to reach a conclusion by the end of 2006.

The Prime Minister was cautious not to "over-sell" the decisions that had been made but he was resolute and confident in the possibilities for progress in the future.

Less progress was made in the realm of climate change with countries agreeing that climate change was a problem but without any concrete decisions. Talks will be held on the matter, particulary with China and India, beginning in November.

The G8 have also announced a $3 billion aid package for the Palestinian Authority.

London bombing death toll rises to 'more than 50'

In a press conference this morning, the Metropolitan Police Service has announced that the death toll from yesterday's bombing has risen to "more than 50". (Initial reports had put it at 33, rising in later reports to 37.) Police are unable to give an exact figure at this moment due to the difficulty of removing bodies, and believe the figure is likely to rise. Bodies are yet to be recovered from the Russell Square train.

However speaking at the press conference, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Ian Blair said he did not expect the death toll to reach three figures. The total number of casualties remains at 700, with 350 requiring hospital treatment. Twenty-two people remain in hospital in a serious condition, with one person dying.

Security alerts in central London

There have been a series of security alerts in London this morning.

Euston, Liverpool Street Station, and Charing Cross train stations have all reopened after they were closed at some point after earlier alerts proved to be false alarms.

London transport system returning to normal

Twenty-four hours after a series of bomb blasts rocked London, the city's transport system is returning to normal, although a series of security alerts have caused some disruption.

All the major train stations are now open, with the only service alteration being at King's Cross, where GNER is operating a revised service. Suburban services in and out of King's Cross are normal.

On the London Underground, services are running on most lines with only some delays. Four lines are still seriously affected though:

Piccadilly line: No service from Hyde Park Corner to Arnos Grove. Buses are running from Arnos Grove to Finchley Central to connect with Northern line services.

Circle and Hammersmith & City lines: closed

Metropolitan line: no trains running between Baker Street and Aldgate

District line: no service from High Street Kensington to Edgware Road

The King's Cross St Pancras station is also closed.

On the roads, the London Congestion Charge has been suspended, although Transport for London is advising against driving in central London today.

Several roads remain closed as of 9.20am BST - the A11 (Aldgate Highstreet) and the A1211 at the A10 in Bishop's Gate are both shut to traffic.

The A4200 (Eversholt Street) is closed between the junctions with the A501 (Euston Road) and the A40 (Vernon Place).

The A3212 (Millbank) is closed between the A3203 (Westminster) and the A202 (Vauxhall Bridge Road).

Finally, the B452 (Argyle Road / Drayton Green Road) is closed between Sutherland Road and Manor Road.

Outside of London, the motorway network is running well.

One Wikinews reporter in Central London noted how many more cyclists there were, especially in Hyde Park.

This article contains first-hand journalism by a Wikinews Reporter.

Death toll from London bombings rises to 37

Later Police statements have confirmed a rise in the death toll from the London bombings, which initial reports on July 7 had put at 33.

At 08:51 BST a bomb exploded on an Hammersmith & City Line Underground train 91 metres/100 yards into the tunnel from Liverpool Street. Seven are known to be dead.

At 08:56 BST a bomb detonated on a Piccadilly Line train between King's Cross and Russell Square. Twenty-one are dead.

At 09:17 BST a bomb exploded on a Circle Line train between Edgware Road Station and Paddington. The blast blew a hole in a wall, and another train was hit by debris from it. A third train is also involved. Five died.

At 09:47 BST a No. 30 bus (Hackney - Marble Arch) blew up at the junction between Tavistock Square and Woburn Place. Two people were killed.

Around seven hundred people were injured. Three hundred were taken to hospital by ambulance, while the remainder presented themselves.

Romanian PM quits after Constitutional Court ruling

Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu announced his government is quitting yesterday, after facing the decisions of Constitutional Court ruling that some of the laws pushed in a fast-forward manner through the Parliament were breaking the fundamental law.

The laws were considered very important in the process of Romania's European Union integration and they were establishing new rules in the field of justice and of the reparations for communist expropriation. The government has already survived a vote of confidence in order to push the projects into full laws.

Tariceanu and his ministers are saying that the Constitutional Court was partial, because the judges were previously members of the main opposition party, the Social-Democrats, which is allegedly trying to stage a scene of government incompetence. The second allegation is that the laws were meant to speed up the retirment of old judges, educated during communist years, a category which includes the Constitutional Court judges.

Tariceanu declared that he wants early elections, but outcome of this move is unpredictable, due to the tedious process the Romanian law established for it.

Florida man charged with stealing WiFi

A Florida man is being charged with 3rd degree felony for logging into a private WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) Internet access point without permission. Benjamin Smith III, 41, is set for a pre-trial hearing this month in the first case of its kind in the United States.

This kind of activity occurs frequently, but often goes undetected by the owners of these wireless access points (WAPs). Unauthorized users range from casual Web browsers, to users sending e-mails, to users involved in pornography or even illegal endeavours.

According to Richard Dinon, owner of the WAP Smith allegedly broke into, Smith was using a laptop in an automobile while parked outside Dinon's residence.

There are many steps an owner of one of these access points can take to secure them from outside users. Dinon reportedly knew how to take these steps, but had not bothered because his "neighbors are older."

Today in History
1900 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom gave royal assent to an act creating the Commonwealth of Australia, thus uniting separate colonies on the continent under one federal government.

1922 - Johnny Weissmuller swam the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds, breaking a world swimming record and the 'minute barrier'.

1942 - Holocaust: Anne Frank's family went into hiding in an attic above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse.

2002 - The African Union was established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

July 09 is Independence Day in Argentina (1816)

Quote of the Day

"Anyone entrusted with power will abuse it if not also animated with the love of truth and virtue, no matter whether he be a prince, or one of the people." ~ Jean de La Fontaine

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