Brooklyn Bridge closed for three hours after crane on tugboat scrapes off underside sheeting

Brooklyn Bridge was dramatically closed for three hours last night after a crane on top of a tugboat scraped 20ft of protective sheeting from its underside.

Firefighters and police raced to the New York landmark at 8pm as the canvas sheeting, in place for two years to catch paint chips from a long-standing paint job, collapsed into the river below.

Traffic was banned from using the bridge as Department of Transportation investigated. It re-opened shortly after 11.30pm.

One teenager who saw the accident told NY1.com. 'It sounded like a building collapsing.

'I heard the bottom of the bridge, it got ripped by the crane as it was going by. I saw debris falling from the bridge and everything,' Read More

Leonie Nice, 12, Dies After Being Hit By Ball at a school in Basildon, Essex

A 12-year-old girl has died after being struck by a rugby ball at a school in Basildon, Essex, the East of England Ambulance Service has said.

Leonie Nice was catching the ball during a lesson at Woodlands Comprehensive School in Takely End when she was hit in the chest and fell over, appearing to have a fit, Essex County Council said.

Emergency services were called after the incident, just before noon, and Leonie was taken to Basildon Hospital but died shortly after.

Gary Sanderson, spokesman for the ambulance service, said: "First and foremost our thoughts are firmly with the girl's family at this tragic time.

"The ambulance crew arrived at the scene within one minute and found the girl in a critical condition. Following rapid treatment and stabilisation, she was taken to an awaiting medical team at Basildon Hospital where sadly she died shortly after."

Andy White, headteacher at Woodlands, paid tribute to Year 7 pupil Leonie as a "promising, delightful and kind girl". Read More

Swiss Bus Crash Kills 28 Belgian Tourists, 22 of them Children Returning From a Ski Holiday

A bus crash in Switzerland has killed 28 Belgian tourists, 22 of them children, according to reports.

The bus reportedly hit the wall of a motorway tunnel in the Swiss Alps, near the border with Italy.

Another 24 children were reportedly injured in the crash.

The coach, transporting 52 people from the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium, crashed on Tuesday night in the canton of Valais.

The passengers were travelling from Val d'Anniviers back to Belgium after a skiing holiday, police said.

According to the Belgian foreign ministry in Brussels, most of the children were aged around 12, and the bus was one of three hired by a Christian group.

Belgium's Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, who will be travelling to Switzerland himself later today, said the crash was a tragedy for the country.

"The prime minister learned with dismay of the horrible accident that happened in Switzerland," said a statement from his office.

"This is a tragic day for all of Belgium. Read More

Swiss Bus Crash Kills 28 Belgian Tourists, 22 of them Children

A bus crash in Switzerland has killed 28 Belgian tourists, 22 of them children, according to reports.

The bus carrying the Belgian visitors crashed into a wall of a tunnel near the border with Italy.

The bus, transporting 52 people from the Flemish-speaking region, crashed on Tuesday night in the canton of Wallis.

It was heading back to Belgium after a skiing holiday camp, according to police.

Swiss newspaper Blick said the 24 other people were injured in the crash.

It said the bus was involved in a head-on collision in the tunnel.

Survivors were taken to four hospitals in the Valais region, while others were taken by helicopter to hospitals in Bern and Lausanne.

Family members are expected to arrive in Switzerland today and will be offered counselling, according to the paper.

More follows...

How Engineering the Human Body Could Combat Climate Change

From drugs to help you avoid eating meat to genetically engineered cat-like eyes to reduce the need for lighting, a wild interview about changes humans could make to themselves to battle climate change.

The threat of global climate change has prompted us to redesign many of our technologies to be more energy-efficient. From lightweight hybrid cars to long-lasting LED's, engineers have made well-known products smaller and less wasteful. But tinkering with our tools will only get us so far, because however smart our technologies become, the human body has its own ecological footprint, and there are more of them than ever before. So, some scholars are asking, what if we could engineer human beings to be more energy efficient? A new paper to be published in Ethics, Policy & Environment proposes a series of biomedical modifications that could help humans, themselves, consume less.

Some of the proposed modifications are simple and noninvasive. For instance, many people wish to give up meat for ecological reasons, but lack the willpower to do so on their own. The paper suggests that such individuals could take a pill that would trigger mild nausea upon the ingestion of meat, which would then lead to a lasting aversion to meat-eating. Other techniques are bound to be more controversial. For instance, the paper suggests that parents could make use of genetic engineering or hormone therapy in order to birth smaller, less resource-intensive children. Read More

Igloo man' weighs just six stone

The Swede who survived two months without food in a snow-covered car weighs just six stone (40kg), nearly a month after his rescue.

"He is still in a very poor condition and bedridden," a source told Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaper. "Last week he weighed only 40kg." When Peter Skyllberg, 44, was found on February 17, his story of survival made headlines across the world.

He told rescuers he had eaten nothing since December 19. His car had been trapped on a forest track outside Umea, one of Sweden's most northerly cities, during a month when outside temperatures regularly dropped below -22F (-30ºC).

Ulf Segerberg, the chief medical officer at Norrland University Hospital, where he is being treated, said that Mr Skyllberg was recovering well.

"He is awake and speaking lucidly," he told the newspaper.

Since his rescue, Mr Skyllberg has refused contact with his relatives and with the media, leaving the question of how and why he ended up in such a situation a mystery. Read More

Orangutans await safe release in Indonesia

Efforts to return the animal to the wild in Borneo thwarted by loss of nearly 80 per cent of its natural habitat.



The release of more than 600 orangutans into the rainforest of Borneo has been postponed once again.

Efforts to introduce them into the wild have failed largely because of a lack of safe forests for them to return to. An estimated 80 per cent of their habitat has been destroyed in the past 30 years.

Still, the Indonesian government is convinced that all orangutans can be released into the wild by 2015.

More than 30 are set to be released this year, with hundreds of others expected to follow.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Puruk Cahu, Kalimantan. Source

1918 Worst Bird Flu Pandemic in History…....Will it happen again?

Human infections with H5N1 avian influenza reported in Indonesia

The World Health Organization (WHO) updated the cumulative numbers of human cases of avian influenza, or as it is more commonly known as, bird flu Monday.

As of today, there have been 18 cases of human infection with bird flu in six different countries reported to the WHO in 2012. Of these cases, 10 of them ended as fatalities.

Two of the cases were reported on the WHOs Global Alert and Response (GAR) Monday, one in Indonesia and one in Vietnam.

In the Indonesian case, the Ministry of Health of Indonesia reports of a 24-year-old female from Bengkulu Province who developed fever on 23 February 2012 and was hospitalized on the following day. She had breathing difficulty, her condition deteriorated and she died on 1 March 2012. She was the fourth case and fourth fatality from the virus this year in Indonesia. Source

Turkish military plane crashes Killing the Pilot

TURKEY'S military says an air force jet has crashed in central Turkey, killing the pilot.

The military said that the Northrop F-5 plane went down near the city of Konya overnight during a training flight.

It says the cause of the crash was under investigation.

The state-run Anadolu Agency says the plane belonged to the Air Force's aerobatic team, the Turkish Stars. Source

Bus falls into ravine in southwest China; 15 dead

Fifteen people are dead after a bus flipped and fell into a ravine in southwest China.

The official Xinhua News Agency says the bus carrying 21 people was traveling on a mountain road in Sichuan province's Aba prefecture when it overturned and fell into the ravine at around noon Tuesday. Six people injured in the accident were taken to a hospital.

Aba has a large Tibetan population, but Xinhua didn't give the ethnicity of the victims.

Road safety is a serious problem in China, with many accidents caused by poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits. Source

One Killed, Another Injured after Helicopter Crashes in Russia

Moscow, March 13 (BNA) - One crewman was killed and another badly injured after a Ka-52 (Hokum B) attack helicopter crashed during a training flight near Torzhok in Russia's Tver Region on Tuesday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

A rescue group found the helicopter some 10 kilometers west of Torzhok airport on Tuesday morning, Russia's (RIA Novosti) News Agency reported. According to the group's report the navigator has died and the pilot is now receiving medical assistance, the spokesman said.

The Russian Defense Ministry investigation group has been set up to find the causes of the crash. Source

Suspected Bird Flu Case Reported in Korea

For the first time in nearly 10 months a suspected case of bird flu has been reported at a poultry farm in Korea.

The government says that out of the 450 chickens on the farm in South Chungcheong Province, 45 have died so far and 100 others are currently showing symptoms of avian influenza. In a screening test, six out 10 chickens tested positive.

Comprehensive results will be announced Tuesday. If the case is confirmed as highly pathogenic, the transport of poultry, personnel and vehicles related to the livestock industry will be temporarily controlled to prevent the spread of the disease. Source

Bird Flu Outbreaks in Israel Kill 10500 Turkeys, Officials Say‎

Bird flu killed about 10,500 turkeys on two farms in western Israel, the first outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain in the country in 11 months, veterinary officials said.

The virus threatens 51,000 8-week and 12-week-old Turkeys on the farms in Hadarom, said Nadav Galon, Israel’s director of veterinary services and animal health, in a March 9 report to the World Organization for Animal Health in Paris. The outbreaks began on March 7 and were confirmed the following day. The source of the attack is being investigated, Galon said.

World health and veterinary officials have been monitoring H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in birds for the past decade because of their potential to infect people. If the virus becomes easily transmissible among humans, it could touch off a deadly pandemic. Read More

Perth travel chaos as rail lines shut down due to Fire

An electrical fire near Perth's central railway station has caused major disruption for the city's commuters with major rail routes shut down.

Transperth says the Fremantle line is closed in both directions while the Armadale-Thornlie line is only running to Cannington and the Midland line is only running to Bassendean.

Buses are being arranged to carry passengers but traffic was slow on highways and roads as more people took to cars to get to work.

The fire at about 7am (WST) on Tuesday in an electrical box about 100 metres from Perth station was quickly extinguished but brought the system down because of damage to wiring.

Transperth spokesman David Hynes says the system would not be fully restored anytime during the morning peak but officials are confident it would be back on track by the afternoon peak. Source

US Airways Flight from D.C.-to-Philadelphia Makes Emergency Landing at Dulles

A D.C.-to-Philadelphia flight safely made an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport Monday afternoon.

US Airways Express 3650 left Ronald Reagan National Airport about 1:50 p.m., but shortly after takeoff, a mechanical warning light went on in the cockpit. Out of caution, the pilot declared an emergency and headed to Dulles, where firefighters waited for the plane.

The plane landed about 2:20 p.m. and was determined to be OK after inspection on the runway by fire officials.

The crew of three and the 29 passengers will be put on other flights, US Airways Express officials said. Read More

Eric Salvatierra PayPal vice-president dies after being hit by commuter train

A top PayPal executive has been killed after being hit by a commuter train as he stood with his bike on the tracks in California.

The body of Eric Salvatierra, 39, PayPal's vice-president and a married father of three, was identified Sunday by San Mateo County coroner's investigators.

Caltrain, the train operator, said Mr Salvatierra was standing on the northbound tracks on Friday morning in Menlo Park when hit.

An investigation is underway as authorities try to understand why he was on the tracks.

As a father of three girls under the age of 10, family say there wasn't anything that suggested he was suicidal as most cases of train-related deaths are reported. Read More

Gas blast obliterates bungalow after metal thieves steal copper piping… but house next door (and the couple in it) remain INTACT, Cambridgeshire

This was the scene of devastation after a gas explosion obliterated a bungalow - but left a neighbouring property untouched.

The force of the blast, caused by an ignited leak after thieves stole copper pipes, blew off the roof and sent the front door hurtling 70ft into the air.

Luckily, no one was in the housing association-owned property in Leverington, Cambridgeshire when it exploded at 1am this morning.

Ian Gowler and Mavis Shailes, who live next door and slept yards from the explosion, survived unscathed and – incredibly – their house was barely scratched by the blast.

It sent glass showering across the front garden and left 2ft long shards embedded in a nearby silver car.

Police believe the explosion was caused after metal thieves pinched copper piping from the property on Saturday night causing a gas leak.

Insp Robin Sissons, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: ‘This incident shows how dangerous stealing copper pipes from homes can be.

‘This caused an explosion which obliterated the house and it is only sheer luck that the offender responsible, or the people living nearby, was not killed or seriously injured. Read More

Delta Plane Crashes After Rolling Off Runway in Atlanta

A passenger jet has rolled off an airport runway and crashed into an embankment in Atlanta, in the US.

Two maintenance workers were testing the engines on the Delta 737 in the early hours when the brakes failed and the plane began to move, according to airline spokesman Eric Torgenson.

It ended up on its side after smashing into the nearby embankment at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

No passengers were on board. The extent of the damage is not yet known.

A nearby runway was closed while crews worked to move the plane. Source

Fire blankets Adelaide in toxic smoke

Fire crews will work through the night to extinguish a blaze which shot fireballs into the sky earlier today at an oil waste disposal factory in Adelaide's northern suburbs.

The Metropolitan Fire Service says the blaze is not as ferocious as it was earlier today, but there are still flammable substances at the Mulhern's Waste Oil Removal site in Wingfield, which could send the fire out of control again.

Arial bombers and dozens of firefighters are being used to battle the blaze, which is being fuelled by several hundred thousand litres of oil.

One firefighter was injured when a huge jet of flame shot into the sky earlier this afternoon.

There have been several explosions sending fireballs into the sky and a health warning has been issued as thick toxic smoke spreads from the site.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Deputy Chief Officer Mick Smith says the owner of the business has been helping to truck contaminated fire water away, to prevent it entering the stormwater system. Read More