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The US Food and Drug Administration released a report today harshly criticizing the conditions at a Johnson & Johnson factory that produced medications recalled this weekend. The report, the result of an FDA inspection conducted at the facility, said that the plant in question, located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, had upwards of 20 documented manufacturing problems, including both quality and security issues. According to the report, material used in the medicines produced were contaminated with a type of bacteria not yet identified, and

The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it will close some airspace in Scotland, after meteorologists cautioned that ash from Eyjafjallajokull, an erupting volcano in Iceland, may make it unsafe for airplanes to fly. The CAA announced that the airspace will be shut down from 07.00 (06.00 UTC) local time on Wednesday; travellers are advised to check with their airlines to see if their flights will be operating. A spokesman for the agency also added that "[t]he forecasts also show that it is likely that the ash cloud will continue to move s

Layla Trawick, 34, was arrested by police for allegedly stabbing four people with two knives at a Target store in West Hollywood, California. Paramedics arrived at the scene at 12:48 pm local time on Monday. They took one critically injured person to a local hospital and another with minor injuries. The other two did not require hospitalization and were treated on-the-spot. An armed, off-duty police officer, Clay Grant, Jr., was able to use his service weapon to stop the accused. Captain Michael Parker praised Grant for his efforts to stop th

At least eight suicide bombers with the Taleban attacked Zaranj, a city in southwestern Afghanistan, earlier today, killing at least four people, according to officials. Reports say the rebels blew themselves up near the governor's compound. Witnesses also reported gun battles between rebels and officials in the area. The Taleban contacted the Reuters news service, confirming that they were responsible for the attack. Spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi said: "We sent six suicide bombers and three other attackers. They have attacked several government bui

Somali pirates seized the Moscow University, an oil tanker bound for China, earlier today, prompting a Russian warship to be dispatched to the scene, reports say. The hijacking occurred about 900 kilometres (560 miles) off the coast of Somalia, according to officials. The vessel's owner, Novoship, says the pirates, armed with automatic weapons, shot at the ship from two speed boats early in the day. There were 23 Russian crew members aboard the tanker; all are said to have locked themselves in a secure room in the ship. The crew sent out dis

Heavy rains have started on Wednesday early morning through the most of central and southern Chile. At least 29 millimeters were reported by ONEMI in the Bío Bío Region in Wednesday morning; thirteen milimeters in Temuco and 8.8 in Chillán. It has been worsen by the low temperatures. The rains have affected thousands of people that lost their homes after the great 8.8 earthquake and subsequent tsunami earlier this year. In Chiguayante, firefighters emptied a camp that was completely inundated by the rains. It is expected that the downfalls will

The oil company BP has said that one of three leaks from a ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has been sealed off, in an attempt to stop the oil from the destroyed Deepwater Horizon rig from contaminating the sea further. Although 800,000 litres of oil a day are still pouring into the sea, officials say it will be easier to combat the spill with only two leaks. "As we speak today we now only have two leak sources but I would stress the amount of oil being leaked is still the same," commented BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles. Mean

Continental Airlines and United Airlines officially announced Monday their plans to merge after both companies' boards of directors approved the plan on Sunday afternoon. The joint company, branded as United Airlines, will take its livery from both airlines, acquiring the United name and using the Continental Globe and colors, giving it a co-branded look. This merger will allow Continental and United to surpass the recent Delta and Northwest merger, becoming the largest airline in the world when the merger is finalized. The two airlines failed

The Iraqi election commission has started to manually recount about 2.5 million ballots cast in the capital Baghdad during parliamentary elections two months ago. Counting could take from two to three weeks, according to officials. An official for the Independent High Electroral Commission, Qassim al-Abbudi, said that "[w]e will count 600 boxes today". The recount was requested by incumbent Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is accusing the opposition of fraud, when provisional results gave the bloc led by rival Iyad Allawi a two-seat

Another earthquake hit Chile on late Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has reported. It occurred at 19:09:43 local time (23:09:43 UTC). The epicenter was located 110 kilometers northwest of Temuco; 132 kilometers southwest of Concepción; 203 kilometers north of Valdivia and 558 kilometers southwest of Santiago. The USGS later determined that the earthquake had a depth of 20.6 kilometers, and the epicenter was located 55 kilometers to the south of Lebu. The University of Chile Geological Survey reported that the earthquake too

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned that Iran's nuclear program is a threat to the world, shortly after Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused countries with nuclear capabilities of threatening those who were developing civilian nuclear technology. The remarks by both came at a conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in New York. Ahmadinejad had criticized western nations, as well as Israel, in his speech, which prompted delegations from the US, France, and the United Kingdom to walk out. American of

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would ban smoking in California state parks and beaches, insisting that the bill would not help curb littering at parks and beaches. California senator Jenny Oropeza, a Democrat and author of the bill, stated this is "already being done at more than 100 local cities and counties statewide." Oropeza wrote in a statement, "I'm sorry the governor did not agree with this widely supported effort to increase public awareness about the environmental threats carelessly tossed cigarettes ar