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US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, after several months of controversy, today announced his resignation after 13 years of public service. He will leave office on September 17, 2007. While he did not elaborate on the circumstances of his departure, he referred to his tenure as a "remarkable journey" and said he had "lived the American dream." Critics of the embattled Attorney General have called for his ousting for several months, largely over his conflicts with the US Congress over the Bush Administration's warrant-less wiretapping program,

A hot air balloon caught fire and crashed in western Canada. Two people were killed and 11 were injured. The disaster occurred as the airship was preparing to take off from Surrey, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. An unknown source caused a fire in the basket of the tethered balloon, which then broke free and rose into the air. Of the 12 passengers and one pilot on board at the time, 11 escaped the balloon with severe burns and other non-life-threatening injuries by jumping out in mid-air. The balloon then collapsed, crashing into a m

The Houston Astros have fired manager Phil Garner and general manager Tim Purpura less than two years after leading the team to its first World Series appearance (2005). Bench coach Cecil Cooper was appointed interim manager and team president Tal Smith will serve as interim general manager. "I felt this was the time for a change," owner Drayton McLane said. "I just think we needed a fresh start." Garner took over the Astros in the middle of the 2004 season after Jimy Williams was fired. The Astros went 48-26 in the second half and won 36 of

The U.S. Open kicked off Day 1 with many epic tennis matches. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was abuzz with tennis fans young and old heading out to see their favorite players play their round one matches. Day Session Swiss World #1 Roger Federer beat American Scoville Jenkins in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. #21 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero was upset by unseeded Feliciano López, 3-6, 4-6, 4-6. United States newcomer Donald Young won his first match against Australian Chris Guccione. Nikolay Davydenko defeated American Jesse Le

The government of Finland has announced it will offer to send three specialist firefighting helicopters, 25 firefighters and 2-3 forest fire experts to Greece via the European Union to assist with the forest fire emergency Greece is currently experiencing. Greece is currently in urgent need of fixed-wing aircraft with water-bombing capabilities, assets which Finland does not posses. If the Greek authorities deem Finland's offers to be suitable, they will be dispatched with immediate effect, within six hours of Greece requesting the rotorcraft

Italian politics were flamed on Sunday, August 26th, by a statement from Umberto Bossi, the leader of far-right party Northern League, who said during a rally in Ca' San Marco di Mezzoldo, north of Milan, “People of this region have never drawn out the rifles, but there's always a first time”. Bossi, who had been minister of reform from 2001 to 2006, during last days had repeatedly invited people to a tax revolt against the government. The President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, issued immediately a public statement expressing “a strong call t

A pickup truck crashed into a traditional Indian wedding procession in Abbotsford, British Columbia on Friday. Six people are dead and at least 17 more were injured. The crash occurred on Lefeuvre Road near King Road where the pedestrians were heading towards the bride's house. Reports indicate the truck driver was traveling northbound when he and his vehicle came up behind the group and collided with many of them. Police have not yet decided whether to lay charges as they continue their investigation. Police interviewed the 71-year-old driv

A one-inch settlement of the roof of The Bay tunnel to the Montreal Metro caused authorities to evacuate 12 blocks of the Montreal downtown core. Several people noticed water infiltration in the tunnel over the last few days. On Friday, August 24, at 1 p.m., while investigating another water infiltration incident, The Bay employees noticed that the ceiling of the tunnel portion of The Bay's basement sales area had descended one inch over a 7 meter length. They subsequently called police. The police and firefighters evacuated the basement of t

Felipe Massa wins the 2007 FIA Formula-1 Petrol Ofisi Turkish Grand Prix at the Istanbul Racing Circuit, Istanbul, Turkey. The two red Ferrari cars of Massa and Kimi Räikkönen, starting from the clear side of the track, grabbed the lead and maintained a constant distance to each other throughout the race. McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, starting 2nd, lost his position to Kimi and stayed on his rear wing until his right front tyre suffered a puncture and he lost a couple of positions while heading to the pits. This incident allowed h

The huge forest fires that blazed across southern Greece on Friday and Saturday were stabilized for a few hours today. Fire Brigade Officer Nikos Tsogas said, "It's not getting worse...we have to act fast because the winds might pick up." However, the winds have reportedly intensified. Fire department spokesman Nikos Diamandis said, "Unfortunately the improvement that we were looking for is not there...Our target is for the fire not to enter Ancient Olympia, not to destroy antiquities." Fire is surrounding villages just a few miles away from A

South Africa have recorded a 3-0 series whitewash over Zimbabwe with victory in the final One-Day International of the series at Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe. Having chosen to bat first, South Africa lost both opening batsmen relatively early. Albie Morkel and Abraham de Villiers shared a massive partnership of 186 runs, with Morkel falling just short of a century when he was caught behind at 97 and de Villiers scoring 107 in 89 balls. Other South African batsmen were dismissed cheaply, with Zimbabwean bowler Gary Brent taking three wi

Miami Dade Fire Rescue, Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 1 Members were on the scene since last night. Search dogs worked the scene all night. According to current reports, sometime early this morning, an apartment building in Brittons Hill, Barbados fell into a cave below. Five family members are known to be trapped in the collapse, although reports have not be made as to whether these are the only individuals involved. Rescue workers, as well as several prominent politicians are currently on the scene; two cranes have been deploye