News:Scarborough couple's home saved by £1m lottery win

A couple from Scarborough who were made one of 25 National Lottery winners over Christmas have said their £1m win would save them from losing their home.

Grandparents Derek and Sandra Streets had to remortgage their two-bedroom bungalow when the firm Mr Streets worked for went out of business.
Mr Streets said: "The win has meant we can stay there forever now."
They were among 25 £1m winners of the Christmas Eve EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle.
Mr Streets, 61, and his wife, 62, played online and received an e-mail on Christmas Day to say they had won.

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Check out my novel

If you haven't seen it already, have a look. The survivors of mankind live in a sealed environment underground. It is the only life they remember any more. They have been here for countless generations, eking out a life for themselves. That is until one young man discovers a secret that has been hidden for a thousand years. It will change everything, but will he want it to change?
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News:South Korea tightens rules to combat illegal whaling

South Korea says it is tightening rules to combat illegal whaling.

Although commercial whale hunting is banned in the country, the trading of whales that are found dead is still legal.
The new rules will require fisherman to report to police immediately if they discover dead whales in their nets or washed ashore.
The move comes after critics said some fishermen were exploiting a loophole in the law.
The new regulations mean that, from Monday, samples from all dead whales must be given to the authorities for testing, and their meat can only be sold after a full investigation into how the animal died. more here
Question: Will it reduce the slaughter of whales in the long term? Will it be enough for them to survive?

News:US praises Ukraine for disposing of enriched uranium

31 December 2010

Ukraine has been praised by US President Barack Obama after more of its highly enriched uranium was shipped to Russia for disposal.

Enough of the substance to build two atomic bombs was removed this week in an operation involving five flights from three Ukrainian cities.
Some 50kg (110lb) of the fuel was loaded into 21 special casks.
Ukraine agreed to get rid of the uranium at a nuclear security summit in Washington in April.
In return, the US is providing low-enriched uranium that can be used for Ukraine's research reactors, as well as building a "neutron source facility" nuclear research project for the country.
Russia will blend the Ukrainian uranium down, making it useless for bomb-making. more here

News:Pope Benedict XVI to hold religious peace summit

Pope Benedict XVI has said he will organise a summit in Assisi with religious heads to discuss how they can promote world peace.

In a New Year message, the Pope also condemned inter-religious violence, including attacks against Christians in the Middle East.
The summit in the Italian city will be held in October, 25 years after Pope John Paul organised a similar event.
His announcement came hours after a bomb went off at a church in Egypt.
At least 17 people died in the blast at the Coptic Christian Church in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, sparking a clash between Christians and Muslims.
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It seems Google doesn't like more than 1 blog per person

After partially establishing a second blog it appears Google is not set up to allow 2 fully functional blogs per person. For that reason I feel compelled to abandon the second one. It is disappointing, but understandable.

News:Australia's Queensland faces 'biblical' flood

1 January 2011 Last updated at 11:58 GMT
A senior official has described the flooding in Queensland, Australia, as a disaster of "biblical proportions".

State Treasurer Andrew Fraser said the economic impact would be severe, with huge costs compounded by lost income from mining, farming and tourism.

Rockhampton, where 77,000 people live, is the latest city bracing for impact, amid warnings of 30ft (9m) floodwaters.

More than 20 other towns have already been left cut off or flooded across an area larger than France and Germany.

The crisis has been triggered by Australia's wettest spring on record. At least six river systems across Queensland have broken their banks. The floods have affected about 200,000 people, and many have been evacuated.

"We're still directly battling floodwaters, we haven't seen the peak of the flood yet at centres like Rockhampton," said Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who toured the stricken areas.
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