Firefighters battling blaze in Southern California
Published: 09 January, 2007, 00:00
Wildfires in Southern California have destroyed eight seaside mansions worth millions of dollars each and damaged five others as they swept through the coast town of Malibu. The fire started at 5:00 pm local time.
More than 300 firefighters are battling the blaze which is now spread over a thousand square kilometers. More fire-fighting equipment is being summoned from neighboring counties.Strong Santa-Ana winds are blowing the fire towards the Pacific Ocean. The residents are told by the authorities to leave the area.Southern California, and the Malibu area in particular, has witnessed a number of devastating fires over the years that claimed peoples’ lives and destroyed property.
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan retiresThe Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Danial Akhmetov, has resigned from his post. The move has come in the wake of criticism of his performance by the authoritarian president of the oil-rich Central Asian country. |
“Tax amnesty” to be implemented in RussiaRussia's State Duma has passed a bill that has been called a “tax amnesty”. This allows businesses to pay unpaid income tax from the past 5 years in full and avoid legal action. |


