A magnitude 5.1 quake killed at least eight people in southern Spain on Wednesday, sending historic buildings crashing down as panicked residents fled for their lives.
Eight people perished in the deadliest tremor in Spain in more than five decades, a spokeswoman for the regional government of Murcia said, revising down an earlier toll of 10 dead without explanation.
The quake collapsed fronts of buildings in the southeastern town of Lorca and ripped open walls, which slumped into the streets.
Witnesses reported many injuries.
A church clocktower smashed to the ground and narrowly missed one television reporter as he conducted an interview in the town on Spanish public broadcaster TVE. A bronze bell lay in the rubble.
Fearful residents including families with children gathered outside with blankets as night fell. About 10,000 people were evacuated from the cordoned-off city-centre.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
5.1 quake kills eight, topples buildings in Spain
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Alicia Silverstone Welcomes Son
She once was "Clueless," but now, Alicia Silverstone is a mom.The actress herself confirmed the news on her blog, The Kind Life, on Monday, revealing her son's name too.
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"My husband and I welcomed our 7 lb 15 oz baby boy Bear Blu Jarecki into the world on May 5th at 7:50am (PT)," Alicia wrote. "We are all three in love!"
Alicia went on to thank her fans on behalf of herself and her husband, rocker Christopher Jarecki, for the outpouring of support over the months of her pregnancy.
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"I'm so grateful to this community for all the love, support, good wishes and happy vibes you've sent me during my pregnancy...it has been wonderful. Thank you all!" she wrote.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Microsoft to buy Internet phone company Skype for $8.5 billion
REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft has agreed to buy the popular Internet telephone service Skype for $8.5 billion in the biggest deal in the software maker's 36-year history.
Buying Skype would give Microsoft a potentially valuable communications tool as it tries to make a bigger splash on the Internet and become a bigger force in the increasingly important smartphone market.
The sellers include eBay and private equity firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.
Skype boasts about 663 million users worldwide. According to regulatory documents, Skype users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls last year.
Most people use Skype's free calling services, which has made it difficult for the service to make money since entrepreneurs Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis started the company in 2003.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Are leggings bad for you?
Leggings are too comfy to be bad for you... right? Photo courtesy of American Apparel …
Leggings are one of those garments you either love or you hate, but we think they're awesome. They're great for the gym or hanging around at home, but they're equally wonderful with a tunic and boots or layered under a dress for warmth in the winter. And while they're beyond comfortable and seem to hold all your jiggly bits in place, they may actually be bad for you. Say it ain't so!
British physiotherapist Sammy Margo says that while leggings feel slimming and wonderful, they're making your muscles lazy. "They hold in and support the quadriceps (thigh muscles), buttocks and core muscles in your tummy, and do the job the muscles are supposed to do," Margo told the Daily Mail. "As a result, the muscles are allowed to relax and switch off, so when we reveal our bodies for the first time as summer approaches, they are not as svelte or firm as they otherwise would be."
Sunday, May 8, 2011
How designer kept Kate Middleton’s wedding dress a secret
Rumors swirled for months that Kate Middleton would wear Alexander McQueen for the royal wedding, but creative director Sarah Burton adamantly denied she was designing the gown. Now we're finding out that was apparently that was all part of the plan. According to a scoop from US Weekly, the lace makers were told they were working on a British period costume drama, while the McQueen seamstresses were told they were merely working on a dress for a film. No wonder the secret wasn't leaked—most people working on Middleton's wedding dress were kept completely in the dark!
Kate Middleton requested that her gown remain a secret until her wedding day. Photo by …
Kate Middleton requested that her gown remain a secret until her wedding day. Photo by Getty Images
Sarah Burton worked with several members of her team assembling the dress at Buckingham Palace, so clearly they had an idea what was really happening and had to sign confidentiality agreements. Senior members of the house of McQueen who knew were told that if asked about the royal wedding dress to lie and deny the company's involvement in making the royal wedding gown.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
B.C. woman missing since March found; search continues for husband
ELKO, Nev. - It is an astonishing tale of survival against all odds.
A British Columbia woman who vanished with her husband seven weeks ago on their way to Las Vegas was found alive Friday in a remote part of northeastern Nevada, police said.
Hunters found Rita Chretien, 56, with her van in Elko County, according to a joint statement from the RCMP and police in Baker City, Ore., where the couple were last seen March 19. But there was no sign of her husband, Albert Chretien.
"We're stunned," the woman's son, Raymond Chretien, told the (Portland) Oregonian newspaper. "We haven't fully digested it. This is a miracle."
Rita Chretien survived 49 days in the wilderness by eating snow and small amounts of trail mix, her son said. She was airlifted to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Centre in Twin Falls, Idaho, where a nursing supervisor said she was in fair condition Friday night.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told The Canadian Press on Saturday that he had spoken to Raymond Chretien who had a conversation with his mother and her doctor Friday night.
Friday, May 6, 2011
If you only watch one table tennis shot this year, make it this one - Fourth-Place Medal
Mattias Oversjo was playing fellow Swede Jorgen Persson in a recent table tennis match when Persson hit a cross-table slam that took a wicked bounce and caught Oversjo short-paddled. So he did what any player would do: He hit a crazy, over-the-shoulder, turn-around, no-look forehand that bounced in for a winner.
Oversjo is ranked No. 421 in the world, which makes you wonder how much better the 420 guys ahead of him are.