The world-June 3, 2010

THURSDAY

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast the most intense storm season since 2005, predicting 14 to 23 named storms, with 8 to 14 developing into hurricanes, will form this year.

Cold Stone Creamery’s PB&C milkshake was named the worst drink in America by Men’s Health magazine. The milkshake contains 2,010 calories – equivalent to 68 strips of bacon or 30 chocolate chip cookies.

FRIDAY

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp seized five more troubled banks on Friday, including three banks owned by Bank of Florida Corp, bringing the tally of banks closed so far this year to 78. Together, the banks in Florida, Nevada and California held a combined $1.9 billion in assets and $1.8 billion in deposits.

Gunmen killed at least 70 people when they attacked worshippers from a minority Muslim sect in two mosques of the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore. The gunmen opened fire shortly after Friday prayers and threw grenades at two Ahmadi mosques.

Ecuadorean villagers fled their homes after the Andean nation’s “Throat of Fire” volcano erupted, spewing ash that forced the evacuation of nearby residents and the closure of an airport.

WEEKEND

BP gave up on its failed “top kill” effort to smother a Gulf of Mexico oil leak on Saturday and focused on a plan to cap a piece of equipment at the wellhead and corral spewing oil and gas. The top kill method pumped heavy fluids and materials into a failed blowout preventer to quell the leak in the well, but did not stop the flow of oil and gas into the gulf. The top kill failure means the well will continue to leak oil until a relief well is drilled in August.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Agatha dumped more rain across Central America on Sunday, killing at least 113 people in the region and forcing more than 74,000 people to flee their homes.

The U.S. military acknowledged on Saturday killing 23 civilians and wounding 12 others after mistaking them for a convoy of Taliban insurgents.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay pitched the 20th perfect game in major league history with a 1-0 victory over the Florida Marlins Saturday. It was the second perfect game in the majors this month, following Oakland pitcher Dallas Braden’s gem against Tampa Bay May 9. The last time two pitchers threw perfect games in the same season was 1880, when Lee Richmond of Worcester and John Ward of Providence each hurled perfectos.

MONDAY

Research scientists at the CERN physics research center near Geneva announced they had identified the missing piece of a major puzzle involving the make-up of the universe by observing a neutrino particle – a sub-atomic particle that forms the universe’s basic elements - change from one type to another.

Israeli marines stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza and at least ten pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a diplomatic crisis and an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. Boarding from dinghies and rappelling from helicopters, naval commandos stopped six ships, 700 people and 10,000 metric tons of supplies from reaching the Islamist-run Palestinian enclave.

TUESDAY

The U.S. military announced the end of major relief operations in Haiti, nearly five months after the country’s devastating January 12 earthquake that killed more than 300,000 people. A contingent of some 500 troops will remain in rural Haiti for humanitarian assistance projects through September.

Nidal Malik Hasan the military psychiatrist charged with last year’s shooting rampage at Fort Hood Army Base, attended court in a wheelchair, his first public appearance since the incident. A military judge delayed an evidentiary hearing until October 4. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Despite a crippling recession, worldwide military spending surged to a record $1.5 trillion last year, according to report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The increase, adjusted for inflation, was 5.9 percent over spending in 2009. Global GDP, meanwhile, shrank 0.9 percent over the same period.

WEDNESDAY

Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, announced they had decided to separate after 40 years of marriage.

British police were hunting a gunman who had gone on a shooting rampage, killing a number of people in towns in and around the scenic Lake District of northwest England. The public, walkers and tourists were told to stay indoors after reports of shootings broke out. The suspect was named as 52-year-old Derrick Bird.

Compiled by staff from a variety of sources.