Lifestyle

Construction workers and next of kin of deceased workers filed a lawsuit in Tokyo, Japan Friday seeking damages of approximately 6.6 billion yen (about US$64 million) from the government and manufacturers related to illnesses stemming from exposure to asbestos. 178 plaintiffs; including construction workers and family members filed the suit in Tokyo District Court against 46 building manufacturers and the Government of Japan. According to the Mainichi Daily News, the class action suit is the first that has been filed in Japan related to health

Controversy has arisen over the reported presence of blue asbestos on the MV Freewinds, a cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology. According to the Saint Martin newspaper The Daily Herald and the shipping news journal Lloyd's List, the Freewinds was sealed in April and local public health officials on the Caribbean island of Curaçao where the ship is docked began an investigation into the presence of asbestos dust on the ship. Former Scientologist Lawrence Woodcraft supervised work on the ship in 1987, and attested to the presence of blu

Over 40 children have died in an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in China, and the country's capital of Beijing reported its first death due to the disease on Wednesday. According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing Health Bureau spokeswoman Deng Xiaohong said that the 13-month-old boy died Sunday while en route to the hospital. Health authorities state that 24,934 children in mainland China are afflicted with the disease, and 42 children have died from it. The cause of the disease has been identified as Enterovirus 71 (EV-71). HFMD

The United Nations (UN) is sharply criticising the government of Myanmar for impounding two airplane loads of food aid under the World Food Programme (WFP) and preventing aid workers from entering the country, calling the action "unprecedented." Paul Risley, a spokesperson for WFP, said that "the food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated." The WFP has no choice but to suspend aid, he said. The WFP did, however, announce later today that it would resume aid flights. "Three flights were scheduled for Saturday but now

In a radio broadcast, government officials in Myanmar say that 22,464 people have been confirmed dead from Cyclone Nargis which struck the nation on May 2-3. As rescue workers reach the most hard hit areas of the storm, they only began to realize the damage it caused. At least 10,000 people died in one town alone, Bogalay in the Pyapon District of Myanmar. Hundreds of thousands are homeless and another three thousand have been injured by the storm. Drinking water is contaminated and food is becoming scarce as the United Nations (U.N.) and oth

A spokesperson for the White House has discussed the situation in Burma in a recent press conference. He started by saying that "we [the US government] are obviously very concerned about the reports coming out of Burma and we mourn the loss of life." He then explained the aid given by the US in the aftermath of the cyclone in Burma. "The embassy was able to provide an initial package of aid and assistance that goes through the World Food Program, as well as other aid entities." The initial aid package provided by the US government will be wort

Nine people have died in a fiery tourist bus crash in Egypt on Thursday. The bus was carrying 40 North American and European passengers when it crashed in the Sinai peninsula. The bus left the road when it skidded off a tight bend and struck a concrete barrier, rolling over and catching fire. The bus ended the roll back the right way up and was completely destroyed by the fire. One wheel lay twelve metres from the main wreckage and skid marks were left on the road. The coach had been travelling from a resort at nearby Sharm el-Sheikh to the ca

Two trains collided in Shandong, China 4:41am local time on Monday killing at least 71 people and injuring over 400, including four French citizens. It is still not known exactly how many people were on either of the trains. The collision occurred in Zibo when one of the trains traveling from Beijing to Qingdao jumped tracks and collided head on with a train traveling in the opposite direction from Yantai to Xuzhou. Both of the trains are reported to have been traveling at their maximum speeds when they collided. "It toppled 90 degrees to one

April 22 was Earth Day. It is a tradition started by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson with the first Earth Day in April 1970. Earth Day Canada was started in 1990. In Central Park, New York, the "Green Apple festival" marked the event. In Buenos Aires an "an entertainment event with an awareness component." An earth fair was also held in Catalunya, Spain. The earth day website says that "the theme for this year's edition is the Fight Against Genetically Modified Organism which Poison the Planet." Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, also hel

The Italian ambassador to South Africa died in a car accident Saturday while hunting and on a game viewing safari in Limpopo province. At least two others were injured, one seriously. Alessandro Cevese, 57, was traveling in a vehicle when it maneuvered to miss hitting an antelope. It is reported to have crossed the dirt road they were traveling on and when attempting to miss hitting it, the vehicle overturned and Cevese was thrown out of the car. "The ambassador was flung from the car window and died instantly," said counselor Pier Folano. Au

What began as a new gas vent (fumarole) in Halemaumau crater sometime between March 10 and March 12 2008, has progressed to be the first explosive eruption in Halemaumau Crater since 1924, and the first lava erupted from the crater since 1982. The gases accompanying the eruption have prompted the Hawaii Dept. of Health to announce no-burn days for the island sugar cane industries. The March 19 explosion of the gas vent partially destroyed the Halemaumau Crater Overlook. On April 9 2008, thousands of people were evacuated from Hawaii Volcanoes

All eight crewmembers on board a Kata Air Transport Antonov An-32 that crashed on April 12 in Moldova are confirmed to have died. The news comes as Moldova requests Russia assist the investigation by analysing the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The Sudanese operated and registered plane, manufactured in Ukraine, had departed Chişinău International Airport to travel to Khartoum via Antalya. The aircraft had rapidly disappeared from radar after takeoff due to a believed transponder failure. After air traffic control