Chileans survey damage after huge quake kills six
Iquique, Chile (AFP) April 02, 2014 -
Thousands of Chileans returned to their homes Wednesday after spending the night on hills following a powerful 8.2-magnitude earthquake that killed six people and sparked tsunami fears as far as Japan.
Police and soldiers patrolled the streets to prevent looting after Tuesday's quake in the north of Chile, which escaped a major catastrophe after people evacuated their homes along the lengthy ...
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Microsoft launches 'Cortana' smartphone assistant
San Francisco (AFP) April 02, 2014 -
Microsoft on Wednesday took on Apple's Siri and Google Now with a smartphone personal assistant dubbed "Cortana," gleaned from a character in the hit Xbox video game "Halo."
Windows Phone vice president Joe Belfiore introduced Cortana on stage at the technology titan's annual developers conference.
"Cortana is the first truly personal digital assistant who learns about me and the things ...
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New Zealand opens third oil and gas exploration auction
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 01, 2014 -
New Zealand Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges launched Wednesday the country's third annual auction for oil and gas exploration.
"The new regime has attracted world-class international operators to New Zealand, and we believe the 156,370 square miles released for tender this year will be similarly attractive," Bridges said in a statement.
The blocks up for bidding inclu ...
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Ecuador hydroelectric blast kills four Chinese workers
Quito (AFP) April 02, 2014 -
Four Chinese technicians died in an explosion Tuesday while building a hydroelectric plant in southern Ecuador.
The victims were explosives experts working on the Chinese-financed Sopladora plant, a project leader told AFP Wednesday.
"These people were working on the expansion of a loading pit at the time of the explosion, whose cause is still being investigated," Tito Torres, manager of ...
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England issues health warnings over air pollution
London (AFP) April 02, 2014 -
High air pollution levels across England prompted the government to issue health warnings on Wednesday.
The pollution, a mix of local and European emissions and dust from the Sahara, was forecast to be highest in southeast England, central England and Wales.
Asthmatics were warned to keep their inhalers handy as they could be prone to attacks, while the elderly and people with lung or he ...
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England issues health warnings over air pollution
London (AFP) April 02, 2014 -
High air pollution levels across England prompted the government to issue health warnings on Wednesday.
The pollution, a mix of local and European emissions and dust from the Sahara, was forecast to be highest in southeast England, central England and Wales.
Asthmatics were warned to keep their inhalers handy as they could be prone to attacks, while the elderly and people with lung or he ...
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'Great opportunities' from climate change: Iceland PM
Reykjavik (AFP) April 02, 2014 -
Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson said Wednesday that climate change will create "great opportunities" for the Nordic island nation in the future.
"There will be water shortages, energy will be more expensive, there will be land shortages so it is predicted that food prices will rise in the foreseeable future," he told public broadcaster RUV.
Referring to predictions ...
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