52 min ago | United Nations
NEWSMAKER: UN disaster expert knows first-hand what Copenhagen failure could entail
Among those keeping a close eye on the outcome of next month's climate summit in Copenhagen is the head of the United Nations body dealing with disaster risk reduction, who has seen first-hand the devastation wrought by increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters aggravated by climate change.
Wellington Samoans give aid and cash for tsunami relief
Members of Wellington-based Samoa Advisory Council gather donations. [courtesy photo] A contingent from the Wellington-based Samoa Advisory Council this week presented five containers of tsunami aid assistance as well as NZ$ 66,850 to the government.
Andy and Lydia kiss after tying the knot in Thailand
A WESTCOUNTRY couple who found love amid the horrors of the Boxing Day tsunami have returned to the scene of the disaster five years on - to get married.
Volunteers needed by Piers Simon Appeal
THE Piers Simon Appeal is looking for volunteers to help with its collection in the Quedam Centre later this month during the switching-on of the festive lights in Yeovil.
'2012': The End Again, By Kurt Loder
A scene from "2012" Even if most of the Earth were to be destroyed by a natural cataclysm predicted long ago by the ancient Mayans , director Roland Emmerich would surely survive, if only to crawl back and polish off what little was left.
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency is ready to help American Samoa assess and fund an island-wide siren alert system, which has to be initiated by the local government, says a top FEMA official.
Because of unprecedented difficult economic times, people are more volatile as emotions run high over job loss, finances, family issues, stress and changes to state incarceration laws.
It's the End of the World as We Know It
After you've seen 2012 , listen to our earth-obliterating Spoiler Special discussion: You can also click here to download the MP3 file, or you'll find this and dozens of other Spoiler Specials in our iTunes podcast feed here .
Gunmen attack British EU envoy's house in Indonesia
Gunmen have opened fire on the home of John Penny, a Briton who serves as the EU's envoy in the staunchly Islamic Indonesian province of Aceh.
Czechs celebrate fall of communism
Thousands marched through the Czech capital Tuesday in commemoration of a student protest 20 years ago that grew into the human tidal wave sweeping away the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia.
Earthquake of 6.6 magnitude off B.C.; no tsunami, says warning centre
A 6.6 magnitude earthquake has jolted British Columbia's north coast but has not spawned a tsunami.
Muslims in US military face heavy scrutiny after Fort Hood
Imam Johari Abdul Malik, the outreach director at the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, in Falls Church, Virginia, where mass shooting suspect Nidal Malik Hasan once attended prayer sessions.
The ancient Mayans predicted the world would end in 2012, and has an ancient Mayan ever lied to you? Thus we have 2012, the movie, a 2 1/2-hour disaster film that feels even longer, and throws $260 million up on screen so it can show you how it might look if an earthquake dumped California into the sea, or what it could mean if Mount Everest was ...
Study: County's blacks, Latinos at higher risk of foreclosure
The White Paper, authored by UCLA professor Raul Hinojosa and released by the William C. Velasquez Institute, looks at how the home ownership crisis is impacting blacks and Latinos.
BURN BABY BURN: Lily Morgan and John Cusack 2012 2 stars Directed by Roland Emmerich.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office made no specific recommendation in its report "Poverty Determination in U.S. Insular Areas," but says that "owing to high levels of poverty," the U.S. territories "rely heavily on need-based federal programs to provide basic services." [+] The following the the text of the GAO report submitted to ...
Archaeology project documents sites affected by Sept. 29 tsunami
Under the leadership of Dr. David Addison, a research archaeologist at the Samoan Studies Institute at the American Samoa Community College, a study is in progress to assess damages to archaeological sites on Tutuila exposed by the Sept.
Taiwan to boost quake warning system
Taiwan plans to build its first undersea seismic station, designed to improve the island's early warning system and save valuable seconds when earthquakes strike, officials said.
If a film critic awards four stars to a movie directed by Roland Emmerich -- Hollywood's reigning king of catastrophe, the critically scorned director of "Independence Day" and "Godzilla" -- will the world come to an end? That's a question the ancient Mayans never asked, but it's the one facing me after the enormously satisfying, astonishingly ...
Opening This Weekend: It's The End Of The World As We Know It in ...
File this under bad planning: it seems like every week Hollywood offers up yet another schlocky horror movie to the court of public opinion, but todaya 'on the always-spooky Friday the 13tha 'there isn't a horror movie in sight.
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