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Aviation authorities in Ireland have said that a temporary ban on flights coming in and out of the country will be implemented tomorrow, due to potential risks from volcanic ash from an Icelandic volcano. The restrictions would apply from 07.00 to 13.00 local time (06.00 to 12.00 UTC). The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) commented: "[IAA] informed Irish-based airlines that it is concerned that Irish airports may be impacted by the drift south of the volcanic ash cloud caused by the north easterly winds". Later, the authority added: "The decisi

As reports came out yesterday that the oil spill caused by the explosion and sinking of an oil rig in Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana had reached the coast, the Obama administration announced a ban on all future offshore drilling at least until the investigation into the incident is completed. Early Friday morning, the US Coast Guard received reports that oil from the spill had washed ashore, and while officials have not confirmed the reports, winds continue to push the slick northward towards land, and conditions are deteriorating, making clean

A car containing a bomb was discovered in Times Square, New York City, causing the evacuation of streets surrounding the area. Reports say the vehicle, a Nissan Pathfinder, parked outside a theatre on 45th Street and Seventh Avenue, had smoke coming out of the back at around 6:30 p.m EDT (10:30 p.m. UTC). Unconfirmed reports say an unknown man ran away from the car. A roughly square area of the city, its boundaries formed by 43rd and 48th Street and 7th and 8th Avenue, was evacuated. The New York Police Department bomb squad was called in an

At least nine of Alfred Hitchcock's rare silent films, made at the beginning of his career, will be staged in 2012 in many public screenings, The Independent has reported. These forgotten silent films made by a young Hitchcock are said to feature elements that characterize his later Hollywood works. These footages are going to be released in 2012 and expected to be aired as part of the Cultural Olympiad, although it still needs to be officially confirmed. Robin Baker, the British Film Institute's head curator, calls Hitchcock's silent movie

A middle-aged civilian has been killed in Indian-administered Kashmir after anti-India separatists threw stones at a bus in Srinagar. The victim, Shafiq Ahmad Sheikh, died in hospital after the stone struck his head, police officials stated. The stone-pelting incident occurred in the Batmaloo area before the separatists marched to the local United Nations office to protest against Indian administration in Kashmir. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the leader of the protesters, had ordered the protests against "growing human rights abuses" by security off

The Illinois House of Representatives failed last Thursday to approve a Democratic Party-sponsored amendment to the state constitution's redistricting procedures, killing any hope of reforming the controversial process this year. The vote was 69–47, just two votes short of the 71-vote supermajority needed to propose constitutional amendments for ratification by voters in the next election cycle.  In the redistricting process, the boundaries of legislative districts are redrawn every ten years following the US census. Districts are redrawn such

Two bomb blasts at a Somali mosque have killed at least 30 people and injured upwards of 70 more, according to reports. The explosions occurred in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, shortly before the beginning of noon prayers. Reports said the explosions had occurred at a mosque with ties to the Islamic insurgent group al-Shabaab, although no group had claimed responsibility for the attacks. The location is often used as a venue for speeches by the insurgents. According to one witness of the attack, "[t]he blasts happened while people were sitti

The US government today approved plans for a controversial wind power project off the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, which, if built, would be the nation's first offshore wind farm. The company responsible for the project, Cape Wind, received a permit from the federal government to commence construction of the wind farm, which was announced by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in Boston. Salazar said in statements at the event that he was "approving the Cape Wind project," which would "be the first of many projects up and down the Atlantic

A top United Nations official has called the Democratic Republic of the Congo the "rape capital of the world". The UN's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, Margot Wallstrom, said that the UN Security Council needs to "punish the perpetrators in DR Congo". Data collected by the UN shows that 200,000 cases of sexual assault have been reported in the last 14 years, 8,000 of which occurred last year and 1,244 of which occurred in the first three months of 2010. The UN's mission has been trying to combat the problem by escorting

An Algerian driver has been released by his hostage takers in Niger. The man was abducted on April 20 along with a French tourist he was driving. The Frenchman, who is in his 70s, is still being held hostage; the pair were taken at gunpoint near the Mali and Algerian boarders. The gunmen are reported to have links to al-Qaeda. It is reported that the driver was released in the last few days and has already returned to Algeria. Apparently, he was released in the Mali desert and made his own way back to Algeria. "Some people riding camels found

According to Pakistani intelligence, the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan, Hakimullah Mehsud, is still alive, contradicting claims by US and Pakistani officials that he was killed in a January drone attack. At the time of the attack, officials reported that Mehsud was killed along with ten other rebels, but Pakistani sources now say he was only wounded in the attack. According to unidentified sources, his authority within the Taliban had significantly diminished after the attack, and is now overshadowed by other commanders such as Waliur Rehm

Lawmakers in Belgium voted almost unanimously to ban public wearing of full face veils on Friday. The proposal received 134 votes in the lower house of federal parliament with two abstentions and nobody opposing. Under the new rule, any clothing that fully obscures the face will be prohibited in public areas such as parks and streets; anyone who ignores it will be fined $20 to $35 and/or a jail sentence of up to a week. Exceptions could be made during certain festivals, or if the wearer has police permission to use the veil. The proposal will