A powerful earthquake toppled over dozens of homes in Honduras and Belize on Thursday. One of the country's largest bridges collapsed. Xinhau says six people were killed and 56 were injured. The USGS lists the earthquake as a 7.3 magnitude quake.
Earlier this month the FBI's suspect in the anthrax case, Dr. Bruce E. Ivins, 62, committed suicide just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him. Dr. Ivins worked at Ft. Detrick on anthrax research and he helped the FBI on the 2001 anthrax cases.
A top government scientist who helped the FBI analyze samples from the 2001 anthrax attacks has died in Maryland from an apparent suicide, just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him for the attacks, the Los Angeles Times has learned.
Bruce E. Ivins, 62, who for the last 18 years worked at the government's elite biodefense research laboratories at Ft. Detrick, Md., had been informed of his impending prosecution, said people familiar with Ivins, his suspicious death and the FBI investigation.
Many of his co-workers and friends did not see Ivins as a threat.
To some of his longtime colleagues and neighbors, it was a startling and inexplicable turn of events for a churchgoing, family-oriented germ researcher known for his jolly disposition - the guy who did a juggling act at community events and composed satiric ballads he played on guitar or piano to departing co-workers.
"He did not seem to have any particular grudges or idiosyncrasies," said Dr. Kenneth Hedlund, a retired physician who once worked alongside Ivins at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Frederick. "He was the last person you would have suspected to be involved in something like this."
One person who did perceive Ivins as a major threat was his therapist Jean Duley. This video has a recording from a court hearing where frightened therapist Jean Duley sought a protective order from Dr. Ivins on July 24th. Duley feared for her life and called Dr. Bruce Ivins a psychotic "revenge killer."
The government's position is that Ivins is guilty and that he acted alone in distributing the deadly anthrax in 2001, which killed five people. Journalists continue to ask questions about the investigation. One reason for this is because bio-weapons expert Steven Hatfill was at one point wrongly accused for this same crime. There are also questions being raised as to why someone with mental problems was allowed near the deadly anthrax in the first place.
An 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck South California today. The USGS puts the quake's epicenter near Chino Hills, California - about twenty-eight miles from Los Angeles. A story in the L.A. Times shows product that was knocked off store shelves during the earthquake. Many people reported a sensation of shaking and rolling. The 5.4 magnitude quake lasted about 20 seconds. It shook a lot of buildings in downtown Los Angeles and scared a lot of people. Fortunately, it was not the "big one" that people have been fearing.
Fidel Castro has resigned as Cuba's leader after 49 years of rule. The BBC reports that the resignation was posted at midnight in a letter published on the website of the Cuban Communist Party's newspaper Granma.
President George W Bush said the US was ready to help the "people of Cuba realise the blessings of liberty".
A senior US state department official, John Negroponte, added that the 1962 embargo would probably not be lifted "any time soon".
The European Union said it hoped to relaunch ties with Cuba that were almost completely frozen under Mr Castro, while China described Mr Castro as an old friend and said it would maintain co-operation with Cuba.
Mr Castro has ruled Cuba since leading a revolution in 1959.
The BBC's Michael Voss reports from Havana that most Cubans will be saddened by news of their leader's retirement, but many hope the political transition will bring economic improvements.
Castro, who is said to be very ill, turned control over the government over to his brother Raul in July, 2006 according to the BBC. Raul is 76 years old. The BBC also provides this list of other potential Cuba leaders. President Bush wants Cuba to make changes. He said, "this should be a period of democratic transition for the people of Cuba." CNN's Political Ticker rounds up what some of the presidential hopefuls had to say about Castro's resignations.
Fidel Castro has resigned as Cuba's leader after 49 years of rule. The BBC 