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The Philippines is bracing for yet another storm as Typhoon Mirinae heads towards the area. The country is still reeling from catastrophic flooding as a result of a number of other cyclones, including Ketsana and Parma. So far, over 1,100 have been killed during the Philippines' typhoon season. A Category 2 storm, Mirinae is packing 1-minute sustained winds of 100 mph (160 km/h), or 90 mph (150 km/h) 10-minute, and is forecast to strike the eastern portion of Luzon before moving westward, potentially over the city of Manila. Torrential rain

A silent vigil for the Victims of hate crime is taking place in Trafalgar Square, London this evening. The vigil follows recent homophobic attacks including those on Ian Baynham and James Parkes. London Mayor Boris Johnson, in speaking of tonight's vigil said, "Londoners have become increasingly concerned about the number of homophobic attacks and the recent death of Ian Baynham was particularly appalling. My thoughts are with his friends, family and everyone affected by hate crime." The vigil also comes following the publication of crime s

The Australian Football League (AFL) has recently come under fire for not supporting European Australian rules football organisations. Local teams have affiliated with AFL teams who help provide them with balls, guernseys and other equipment. "Since 1995 we have been asking the AFL for support on a regular basis, mostly concerning material. Apart from a few footballs, there was basically no support," said Malte Schudlich, president of AFL Germany. "We would be in exactly the same situation today if we would have never had any contact with the

Voters in the Australian electorates (seats) of Bradfield and Higgins will vote for a new representative on December 5. The seats were vacated by the retirements of Brendan Nelson and Peter Costello. "All Australian citizens aged 18 years and over living in the ... electorate[s] are eligible to vote in this by-election, as long as they are correctly enrolled to vote when the electoral roll closes. If you’re not on the electoral roll, you must fill in an enrolment form immediately and return it to the AEC by 8pm, 30 October 2009. If you’re alre

NASA completed the first successful space flight of the new Ares I-X rocket yesterday. After delaying the launch 24 hours because of poor weather, Ares lifted off at 11:30 (EDT) in the morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 327-foot tall Ares I-X test vehicle produced 2.6 million pounds of thrust to accelerate the rocket to nearly 3 g's and Mach 4.76 — just shy of hypersonic speed. It capped its easterly flight at a sub-orbital altitude of 150,000 feet after the separation of its first stage, a four-segment solid rocket booster. Aft

McDonald's, the international fast food restaurant chain, will cease all operations in Iceland by the end of October. The company blames the closure of the nation's three outlets on drastically increased costs of importing its food ingredients, which mainly came from Germany. McDonald's corporation says the current economic slump is to blame for rising costs, along with the "unique operational complexity" of keeping them open. The restaurant, with its distinctive Golden Arches, began its Icelandic operations in 1993. Its outlets were operate

Voters in Mozambique headed to the polls yesterday to elect a president, parliament, and provincial assemblies. Officials report voting was largely orderly and peaceful. Lines at polling stations across the country began forming before dawn, as voters turned out early to elect their next government. President Armando Guebuza of the ruling Liberation Front of Mozambique — better known as FRELIMO — was one of the first to vote in Mozambique's capital, Maputo; he is running for a second five-year term. On national television he appealed to all

Despite international calls for an end to home demolitions in East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities tore down five Palestinian homes yesterday; claiming they were built illegally. These home demolitions come after repeated calls from the UN and international community to stop settler activity and home demolitions. The five demolitions took place early morning. Israeli authorities said the homes lacked a permit and therefore were built illegally. Palestinians claim it is nearly impossible to obtain a permit for their homes from the Israeli auth

The naming rights for St James' Park, the home ground of English football club Newcastle United F.C., are to be put up for sale. The club stated that the club would be "welcoming offers for the stadium naming rights next season". The move was part of a new drive to "maximise its commercial revenues", after the announcement that owner Mike Ashley was not selling the club, which had been up for sale since May 2009. St James' Park is the largest and oldest football stadium in North East England. Football had been played at St James' Park since

According to US health officials, New York state governor David Paterson has declared a state of emergency in the state as a result of the H1N1 swine flu outbreak. The Associated Press news agency reports that the six-page declaration was issued because at least 75 people have died of H1N1 related illnesses in New York since April. Three have died from H1N1 related illnesses just this past week. The declaration also says that human cases of the virus are on the rise. Paterson says he issued the declaration because "a disaster has occurred th

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to extend the arms embargo on the Ivory Coast (otherwise known as Côte d'Ivoire) for a year. In addition, the 15-member council renewed a ban on exporting diamonds and foreign travel, as well as an asset freeze for persons who are discovered to have violated human rights or disrupting the peace. "[...] the situation in the Ivory Coast continues to pose a threat to international peace and security in the region," the council said. The largest producer of cocoa in the world, Ivor

Two ten-year-old boys have been arrested after the alleged rape of an eight-year-old girl in London, England. The family of the unidentified eight-year-old girl called the police after she had come home telling her mother about the incident which she said had occurred in a park in the town of Hayes in the London Borough of Hillingdon, at around 1400 GMT on Tuesday. The boys, whom the girl purportedly did not know, live near to her and were arrested on suspicion of rape, being over the age limit for criminal responsibility. A spokesperson for t