Andrzej Lepper, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, was sacked on Monday over a corruption investigation. Kaczy?ski was referring to two people arrested by the Central Anti-corruption Bureau on Friday. One of them, Andrzej R., told the Bureau that he was linked...

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After failed last-minute negotiations, Pakistani troops have moved in to end the nearly one-week standoff at the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad. There have been reports of an initial round of explosions early Tuesday morning (4:00 a.m. local time) followed by sounds of ongoing gunfire. As many as 1,800 clerics and followers had...

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NASA technicians are beginning final launch preparations on the Phoenix Mars Lander spacecraft destined for the planet Mars. The unmanned spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Florida’s east coast on August 3, at around 5:35 a.m. EST (UTC-4). Phoenix will land in the Red Planet’s northern polar region...

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After failed last-minute negotiations, Pakistani troops have moved in to end the nearly one-week standoff at the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad. There have been reports of an initial round of explosions early Tuesday morning (4:00 a.m. local time) followed by sounds of ongoing gunfire. As many as 1,800 clerics and followers had...

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Installations of closed-circuit television (CCTV) security cameras into schools in the Australian state of New South Wales has alarmed teachers. Over 50 schools in New South Wales already have surveillance cameras in playgrounds and outside dining areas. The concern from teachers arises from the pending installation of further cameras inside classrooms and also corridors....

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called on the international community to increase aid and assistance to the two countries shouldering the bulk of displaced Iraqis. Syria and Jordan have received the largest number of Iraqi refugees and are having difficulty coping with the numbers. The appeal was made by UNHCR spokesman...

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Police officers and government officials met on Friday in Morocco and say that a “serious threat of a terrorist act” by al-Qaeda exists in the country and has raised their terrorist attack threat level to “maximum.” “ indicates a serious threat of a terrorist act and demands extreme mobilization by the bodies concerned,” said...

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London, England –For the second time in two days, the sun and the crowds came out to welcome the Tour de France to London. The all clapping, all cheering public lined the streets to watch David Millar take the lead from Greenwich, only to lose his steam 50km to the end. The winner, Australian...

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Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen won the FIA Formula-1 2007 Santander British Grand Prix on the Silverstone Circuit at Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. The triumphant Lewis Hamilton, who won the pole in the qualification yesterday was able to maintain his position on the first part of the race, but lose it on his first pit-stop. Moreover,...

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Dutch adventurer Ralph Tuijn has reached the halfway point of his attempt to be the first person to row across the Pacific Ocean unaided. The 16,000 kilometer journey from the coast of Peru to the seaside city of Brisbane, Australia – the widest section of the Pacific – has never been crossed absolutely unaided...

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World number one in tennis Roger Federer has defeated Spaniard Rafael Nadal to win his fifth consecutive Wimbledon mens single title. The 25-year-old Swiss maestro overcame the second-seeded Nadal in five sets, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2. The final took 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete. Federer, who lost to Nadal in the...

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Since last Tuesday, following violent confrontations with Pakistan’s army, up to 1800 clerics and students are still holed up in Islamabad’s Red Mosque. Clashes began last week following mounting antagonism between the mosques hard-line leaders and the government lead by President Pervez Musharraf. The mosque has been accused of enforcing it’s own Islamic law...

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In an ongoing labor dispute from May of this year in California, United States, Teamsters Local 952, which represents the Orange County Transportation Authority’s 1,200 coach operators, went on strike at 12:35AM (0035 hrs) PDT Saturday morning after a cooling-off period declared by State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expired. Sanctioned picket lines have been formed...

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Aircraft manufacturer Boeing have unveiled their new 787 Dreamliner at their Everett Factory near Seattle, Washington, in the United States. Sunday was chosen as its date matches the aircraft’s designation number when written in the American format, 7/8/07. The event was attended by 15,000 people including employees, customers, suppliers and officials from government and...

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A 51-year-old man fired 16 rounds from a semiautomatic handgun from a balcony overlooking the floor of the New York New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The shooting left 4 people with non-life threatening injuries the were treated and released from a local hospital later that morning. Steven Zegrean was tackled...

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Vodafone McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the pole position on his home soil at FIA Formula-1 2007 Santander British Grand Prix on the Silverstone Circuit at Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England. His teammate Fernando Alonso was in the lead for the first two qualifying sessions, but lost 0.150 seconds to Lewis and only 0.048 to Ferrari...

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At least 38 new cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu have been found in wild birds in eastern Germany today. These discoveries, in conjunction with the fifth outbreak in France in seventeen months, have prompted both countries to raise the bird flu risk assessment level. German scientists discovered the outbreak after receiving...

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British Toshiba Transatlantic Challenge pilot, David Hempleman-Adams, successfully crossed the Atlantic and in doing so broke 5 world records. His helium gas balloon landed safely in the French countryside on Friday evening. The explorer is known for the grueling challenges he undertakes. Having created the “Adventurers’ Grand Slam” in which he visited both geographical...

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London is preparing for Le Grand Départ of the 2007 Tour de France. The route, which will run through the Greenwich Millennium Village, is being prepared for the Départ. The Tour de France will be in London and the South East for the two days of the 7th and 8th of July. The event...

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The first female Chief Justice of Ghana, Georgina Theodora Wood was among 77 others who received national awards in Accra today. The awards are for distinguished services to Ghana. Georgina Wood, who became Chief Justice on June 15, 2007, received her award from President John Kufuor. She was given the Order of the Star...

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