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After an explosion Tuesday at a ConAgra Food plant in Garner, North Carolina in the United States, three employees were unaccounted for as search teams carefully worked through the rubble. The search was hampered by stormy weather, darkness of night, and the instability of the partially collapsed building. The bodies of all three have now been recovered. They were Rachel Mae Poston Pulley, Lewis Watson, and Barbara Spears. The latest estimate is that 41 people were transported to area hospitals, including seven to the North Carolina Jaycee Bur

Coke Zero, a product of the Coca-Cola Company has been banned in Venezuela by the government. Jesús Mantilla, the health minister for Venezuela stated the ban is to preserve the health of Venezuelans but did not specify what problems could be caused with consuming Coke Zero. Coca-Cola agreed to abide by the ban but claimed that Coke Zero contained no harmful ingredients. "Coca Cola Zero is made under the highest quality standards around the world and meets the sanitary requirements demanded by the laws of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,"

Italian police of the Guardia di Finanza have seized US$134 billion (€96 billion) of United States bearer bonds at the border with Switzerland at Chiasso. The bonds include 249 Treasury bonds worth $500 million each, and ten $1 billion Kennedy Bonds. Bearer bonds are unregistered bonds that are redeemable by whoever is in possession. The bonds were being transported by two men claiming Japanese citizenship arriving by train, and were undeclared. They were uncovered by inspectors beneath a false bottom in a suitcase. If genuine, Italian law wi

After holding an emergency meeting, the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared a worldwide swine flu pandemic on Thursday. The agency increased its pandemic alert level to the sixth level, its highest. "On the basis of available evidence, and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6," said the the WHO's director Margaret Chan in a press conference earlier today. Accordin

Creigh Deeds has defeated Terry McAuliffe and Brian Moran to win the 2009 Democratic Party gubernatorial primary election in Virginia, United States, according to unofficial results from the state's board of elections. Deeds won by a nearly two-to-one margin against his opponents, 50% for Deeds versus 26% for McAuliffe and 24% for Moran, on a low turnout with just six and a half per cent of registered voters taking part. Jody Wagner easily won the Democratic primary to be candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Creigh Deeds was the fi

According to local police, James Von Brunn, an 88-year-old man armed with a rifle has shot and killed guard Stephen Tyrone Johns, and been wounded himself, in the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday afternoon. The incident occurred slightly after 1:00 p.m. (EDT) (17:00 UTC). Preliminary reports say that the man entered the building and opened fire, firing five or six rounds before being shot down by other security guards in the building. Roads next to the museum were shut down after the shooting happened. The gunman had links t

The AHLC (Ad-hoc Liaison Committee) met in Oslo, Norway on June 7 and 8 to discuss the Palestinian economical situation in Oslo. Its mission is to bring the key donors of aid and relief together with the Israeli and Palestinian governments to address the current state of affairs between the two countries. The AHLC keeps track on how donor countries interact with the Palestinian authorities and how the support they provide is handled. Early on the first day, Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Palestinian Prime minister Salam Fayya

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer won his first Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros (French Open) championship on Sunday by defeating Robin Söderling from Sweden 6-1 7-6(1) 6-4 in Paris. In winning this tournament, Federer joins Pete Sampras with 14 Grand Slam tournaments won and along with Andre Agassi is the second man in the Open Era (since 1968) to clinch all four major tournaments. In the last four years, only Rafael Nadal has stopped Federer from winning the French Grand Slam title missing from his co

Sonia Sotomayor, the U.S. Supreme Court nominee, fractured her right ankle after stumbling on her way to be seated aboard her airplane to Washington, D.C. at Laguardia Airport on Monday. She was sent to a local medical office, where an X-ray was taken. Sotomayor was later released. She has a cast wrapped around her ankle, which has been signed by a senator. Sotomayor's cast will be replaced after 3 weeks. She has been limping on her bad ankle, but otherwise seems to be okay. "She flew to D.C. I think it was looked at when she got here, and s

Apple Computer today announced its latest iteration of their popular iPhone, the iPhone 3G S. The new hardware, revealed at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference drew attention from the media and iPhone owners alike. Features new to the iPhone include an upgraded camera, which also allows users to record video and sound, as well as "voice control", which will allow users to control most features of the iPhone with their voice. The new phone will also come pre-loaded with the new iPhone 3.0 software, which will be available on Ju

Indonesian state-owned flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has been expanding, with the airline set to add nine new jets to its fleet and double its flights between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. Garuda is also considering a bid for defunct rival Linus Airways. Garuda is expecting the imminent arrival of four new Airbus jets and five new Boeings. The Airbuses, A330-200s, are earmarked to fly international routes to Seoul and Shanghai starting in July. All four have Internet and telephone access for passengers. The Boeings, B737-800 Next Generation aircra

An explosion has caused catastrophic damage to a ConAgra Foods plant on Jones Sausage Road in Garner, North Carolina in the United States. At least 300 people were at work in the plant at the time of the incident, 11:27 a.m. EDT (3:27 UTC) on June 9. Estimates indicate that up to 46 people were sent to area hospitals, and, as of 4:00 p.m. EDT, three people are still unaccounted for. The plant was formerly owned by Raleigh, North Carolina based Goodmark Foods, but was purchased by ConAgra Foods seven years ago. The plant makes Slim Jim brand me