Latest

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions on Sunday evening by a final score of 31–21, effectively ending the Lions' season with an 0-16 record. The game was played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin and was televised by Fox in the United States. Kickoff was at 1:00 p.m. EDT. The Lions became the first National Football League franchise to complete an "imperfect season" (without a victory) since the introduction of the 16-game schedule in the 1978 NFL season. The winless season comes just a year after the New England Patriots did t

Israel has launched with at least 30 simultaneous missiles strikes on Hamas installations in Gaza City, causing heavy damage. F-16 fighters targeted security compounds in the city’s centre. The “massive” air strikes on Saturday have claimed at least 220 lives, including Gaza police chief Maj. Gen. Tawfiq Jaber. More than 700 were injured, while others were still buried under the rubble, according to Health Ministry officer Moawiya Hassanain. Gaza City hospitals, including Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s main treatment center, are crowded with wounded v

Following its recent loss to South Africa, the Australian Cricket team has replaced player Jason Krejza for Nathan Hauritz in the traditional Boxing Day test to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of an expected crowd of 70,000. Australia lost the first test of the three game series by six wickets after South Africa chased down an almost world record 414 in their second innings. Only West Indies have done better making 7-418 in Antigua during the 2002-03 tour. All rounder Andrew Symonds kept his place despite being restricted in

The world’s largest Santa Claus ice sculpture has been built in China for the upcoming 25th International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Heilongjiang Province. In Harbin, city ice sculptors and organizers are building the giant Father Christmas, a 160 meters (525 ft) long and 24 meters high sculpture. It centers on an enormous face of Santa, complete with flowing beard and hat. Tang Guangjun, one of the sculptors, complained of the effects of global warming and hazardous conditions saying "it is even bigger and higher than last year's, and

An Egyptian teacher who kicked a schoolboy to death after he failed to complete his homework has been given a six year prison sentence for manslaughter. Islam Amr Badr, the schoolboy, died in a hospital in Alexandria with four broken ribs, according to testimony heard by the court. In response to these allegations, Haitham Nabeel Abdelhamid, the convicted teacher, stated that he was not intending to hurt the child, he was merely intending to discipline him. The lawyer for Abdelhamid also defended his client's actions. He stated that "Hitting

The US Food and Drug Administration has written a warning letter to The Coca-Cola Company that Diet Coke Plus violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act's guidelines. The December 10 letter, signed by Roberta Wagner, director of the office of compliance at the Center of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, says Coca-Cola should "take prompt action to correct these violations." The product's label describes the drink as "Diet Coke with Vitamins and Minerals." FDA said the soft drink does not have enough nutrients to justify the use of the

The current financial crisis have recently caused the Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy (Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity), one of the top Polish charity organizations, to reduce spending on The Great Finale events, which are scheduled to take place on January 11, 2009. As a result, all major events in the city of Wrocław, have been canceled. Although many companies have declared they will help with organizing and will provide essential products for volunteers, the organizers are still in need financial aid for concerts and other mass ev

At least 27 people, including three children, have been killed and about twenty are still missing after a Wednesday gas explosion in an apartment building in the Ukrainian town of Yevpatoria, Crimea. Five injured are treated in local hospitals, one of them in a serious condition. According to Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry, the blast occurred at about 9:45 p.m local time on Wednesday, destroying 35 apartments of a five-storey post-Soviet block. The rescuers, in the number of 565, managed to pull out alive 21 residents of the building

Hamas declared a formal end to the six-month Israel-Hamas Egyptian-brokered truce at 4 a.m. GMT which was set to expire today. The pact had begun to fail weeks ago with tit-for-tat attacks across Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. The past six months have seen a dramatic drop in the number of rockets and mortars fired into Israel from Gaza. Yesterday saw an escalation of the violence, beginning with an Israeli air raid on Gaza and Hamas responded to Israel's attack by firing eight rockets and five mortars at Israel's southern towns. Howev

A military led group has announced on national television that it has dissolved the government of Guinea and suspended the country's constitution. The group performing the apparent coup d'etat has called itself the National Council for Democracy. The coup took place just hours after the death of the Guinean president, Lansana Conte, who died aged 74. The cause of death is currently unknown. Before his death, Conte ruled the country as a dictator. The now suspended constitution states that the president of the country's National Assembly sh

Fiji and New Zealand are engaged in a game of diplomatic tit-fot-tat after expelling each other's High Commissioners. This afternoon Fiji's military regime expelled acting New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji Caroline McDonald. The New Zealand government retaliated by expelling Fiji's High Commissioner to Wellington, Ponsami Chetty. Both will be given a week to leave the country. McDonald's expulsion was announced late this afternoon by Fiji's interim Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who said that it was "a direct result of McDonald's

Belgian official Etienne Schouppe has announced that the final report into the wreck of a Kalitta Air Boeing 747 cargo plane crash at Brussels Airport will blame a bird strike. Kalitta 747 N704CK, bound for Bahrain, was taking off from Brussels and was four seconds past V1 speed when a bird strike occurred in engine #3. Two seconds after the bird strike the decision was taken to abort takeoff, but the jet was unable to stop in the distance left to it. V1 is the maximum speed at which takeoff can be safely aborted. The plane exited the runway