Map indicating the approximate location of an earthquake that occurred in southern Ontario, Canada.

An earthquake measured at magnitude as high as 5.2, rattled the Canadian province of Ontario on Friday at 09:43 (13:43GMT/UTC). The earthquake was reported to be measured between 4.4 and 5.2 with the USGS reporting it being felt as far away as Michigan, USA.

The epicentre was located just outside Gatineau in the province of Quebec – Gatineau is located 67km from Ottawa, Canada’s capital city.

“The earthquake lasted approximately 15 seconds,” said a Canadian environmental official.

Residents between Ottawa and Toronto, Canada’s largest city, reported the earthquake moved things in their homes and offices.

“I heard a rumbling sound and my house and the things in it. I have things on my kitchen counters – they started to move, the plants in my house started to shake. The water in my aquarium moved around and my fish got really nervous,” said a resident of Richmond Hill, a suburb of Toronto.

Some residents said they saw the ground shaking, although these reports have not been confirmed.

Less than 10 minutes after the earthquake, a 3.6-magnitude aftershock was also recorded.

No injuries or damage is reported. Experts say damage and injuries are expected for earthquakes measuring 5.5 or greater.

The USGS reported the earthquake’s epicentre was located approximately 9.8 km (6 miles) below ground 25km NNE of Shawville, Canada. Earthquakes with epicentres deep below the surface are felt over much larger areas compared to epicentres located near the surface.

The USGS downgraded the magnitude of the earthquake to 4.4 at approximately 10:30 (14:30GMT/UTC).

The southern Ontario region has a low to moderate level of seismic activity. An average of 2-3 minor earthquakes measuring 2.5 or larger have been recorded during the past 30 years.

According to Natural Resources Canada the causes of earthquakes in eastern Canada are not well understood because there are no tectonic plates in the region.

According to the Natural Resources Canada website, “Eastern Canada is part of the stable interior of the North American Plate. Seismic activity in areas like these seems to be related to the regional stress fields, with the earthquakes concentrated in regions of crustal weakness”

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake occourred within the same region during June 2010. An earthquake measuring about 6.0 occurred in the region in 1935.

Screenshot provided by a researcher that accessed a SCADA system over the internet in 2011

A researcher announced he found over 100,000 control systems exposed on the internet – control systems that are potentially critical to infrastructure, manufacturing and other systems. The control systems are referred to as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, or SCADA – which are not designed for exposure on the internet.

“The sheer number of critical, bizarre, and just plain scary devices connected to the internet through serial port servers are an indication of just how dangerous the internet has become,” said HD Moore, the researcher that made the findings.

SCADA systems became broadly known when a program called Stuxnet – a virus, was found to have sabotaged Iran’s nuclear program. The virus targeted a specific type of SCADA system and affected centrifuges used in the enrichment of uranium, used in nuclear weapons.

In a blog post explaining how the research was carried out, HD Moore said the control systems that were found are connected to the internet through serial port servers – devices designed to bridge the capability gap between modern computer networks and the often proprietary networks used by SCADA systems.

The researcher said the exposed SCADA systems did not have any security, making them vulnerable to attack via the internet.

“Many serial devices do not require authentication and instead assume that if you are physically connected to a serial port (serial port servers), you probably have the right to configure the system,” added HD Moore.

According to HD Moore, organizations that are responsible for the insecure SCADA systems also connect their systems to mobile phone networks, making detecting security vulnerabilities more difficult.

“Few organizations are aware that their equipment can be accessed through serial ports connected through mobile networks. In some cases, the organization may assume that their specific mobile configuration prevents access from the internet…” added Moore.

Of the 114,000 systems connected to the internet, 13,000 of provide a high level of access to any attacker that connects to the systems.

The researcher offered a number of remedies that include setting unique passwords on systems – many systems ship with default passwords that are never changed.

The researcher used a list of over 420,000 devices found by a project called the Internet Census 2012, which found the devices by performing basic scans on randomly selected network addresses. A previous and similar project identified 500,000 devices using another method.

A researcher named pr0f proved in 2011 that SCADA systems can be accessed over the internet by publishing information from a Polish waste-water treatment plant.

Detailed information about the researcher’s findings can be found on the Metasploit Project blog site.

One of the most famous images taken in 1995 by the Hubble Space Telescope – the Pillars of Creation showing stars forming in the Eagle Nebula

A more accurate estimate of the universe’s age, the discovery of dark energy, and offering enough data for scientists to create more that 10,000 research papers are just a few of the contributions to science the Hubble Space Telescope has made during its 23 years in space.

The Hubble Space Telescope was put into orbit by the space shuttle Discovery on April 24 1990, after approximately seven years of design and construction. The US Congress approved funding of US$36m in 1978, with a final construction cost of approximately US$2.5bn and final cumulative costs reaching US$10bn to US$20bn, partly due to delays as a result of the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster.

Shortly after its launch scientists found that images from the space telescope were blurred as a result of a problem with the construction of the telescope’s primary mirror.

“Hubble was the butt of a lot of jokes – satirizing cartoons, in newspapers and on late-night talk shows.

“The poor observatory was kind of a laughingstock there in the beginning,” said Hubble Mission Office head Ken Sembach of the Space Telescope Science Institute.

The problem was corrected in 1993 when space shuttle Endeavor carried crew and equipment to perform an in situ repair.

The space telescope originally had an expected useful life of approximately 10 years, yet a key design feature that allowed the telescope to be serviced in orbit significantly extended its life.

Sembach commented, “I don’t think when Hubble was first envisioned that anybody expected it to last more than five or 10 years, let alone 20 years.

“I think that the repairs and everything else that has been done to the observatory have been far more spectacular than had ever been envisioned originally.”

According to NASA, it costs approximately US$98m to keep the telescope operational with funding haven been committed into the year 2016. Yet it is anticipated that funding will continue as long as the iconic telescope provides useful data.

NASA plans to launch a new space telescope, called the James Webb Space Telescope, during 2018. The new telescope will have an orbit that’s much farther from the earth that the orbit of the Hubble Space Telescope, and will have a primary mirror of 6.5m – much larger than Hubble’s 2.5m mirror.

Nike recalled from its store shelves t-shirts that were emblazoned with the words “Boston Massacre”

Nike said it had recalled from its store shelves on Monday, out of respect for the Boston Marathon attacks, t-shirts that were emblazoned with the words “Boston Massacre”.

“We conducted this process as quickly as possible and are confident the product has been removed from distribution,” said a Nike spokesperson.

The phrase “Boston Massacre” is a reference to a 1770 attack by on Boston by British soldiers. The t-shirt plays on the event’s significance and is for New York Yankees fans to highlight the end of the Boston Red Sox playoff chances in 1978 and 2006 when the Yankees swept the World Series.

The sweeps came to be known among fans as the “Boston massacres”.

Three people died and over 170 were injured last week in twin bomb blasts at the finish line of the famous Boston Marathon. Authorities have since identified two brothers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – Tamerian, 26, was killed in a gunfight with police and Dzhokar, 19, was captured last Friday after a massive manhunt closed a large part of Boston. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been charged and could face the death penalty under US Federal law.

Canadian say they disrupted a planned terrorist attack on a passenger train and arrested two people

Canadian authorities announced on Monday they have disrupted a planned terrorist attack on a passenger train and arrested two people, possibly linked to al-Qaeda.

In a press conference held by the RCMP, Canada’s national and federal police force, said, “As a result of extensive collaborative efforts, the RCMP was able to disrupt the threat early. While the RCMP believed that these individuals had the capacity and intent to carry out these criminal acts, there was no imminent threat to the general public, rail employees, train passengers or infrastructure.”

The two arrested are Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, in Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario. Authorities said the men “were receiving support from al-Qaeda elements located in Iran” and added they do not have any indication the possible attacks were state-sponsored.

Both men are not Canadian citizens and are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday on charges of “conspiring to carry out a terrorist attack” and “conspiring to murder persons unknown for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group.”

The arrest of the two men is part of a cross border investigation involving authorities from Canada and the United States, including the FBI, and US Department of Homeland Security.

A Canadian news report stated attack on the train the two men were targeting would have occurred on the Canadian side of a route between New York and Toronto.

Authorities declined to provide further details about the two suspects, yet a spokesperson for the University of Sherbrooke reportedly said Esseghaier studied at the university between 2008-2009.

The arrests come on the same day Canadian MPs debate an anti-terrorism bill that includes provisions that make it an offence to leave the country to participate in acts of terror and grants police the power to pre-emptively arrest someone suspected of terrorism and hold them for three days without charges.

Sherlyn Chopra appears in a promotional poster for the upcoming film Kamasutra 3D

Sherlyn Chopra revealed on Monday a poster for her upcoming film Kamasutra 3D, saying the poster is one of several that will be released for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

In the poster, Chopra is shown by herself, from the side, and apparently topless. The image is similar to a scene in a trailer previously published on YouTube.

Chopra made the poster available via her Twitter feed saying, “1 of the few posters of Kamasutra 3D to be shortly showcased at a press conference at the 66th Cannes Film Festival”.

The film, Kamasutra 3D, was previously announced to be scheduled to be released in time for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The film’s production started on April 12 and no release date has been set.

Filming will take place in Hollywood due to the controversial nature of the adult film. Chopra is reportedly said to appear completely nude in several sex scenes.

Of the scenes, director Rupesh Paul said, “Sherlyn is a very dedicated actress and she is very passionate about her job. I don’t think any other actress could justify it. Besides, it’s a very bold subject where she is going nude and there are eight actors in the film who are also going nude.”

Chopra made headlines in July 2012 when Chopra announced her possible appearance in an upcoming issue of Playboy Magazine, making her the first Indian model to be featured in the famous magazine. Chopra posted several photos from the photoshoot followed by several other photos, not related to the photoshoot, that caused controversy within India.

Initially Kamasutra 3D was originally scheduled to be released in time for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and industry insiders anticipated the Playboy issue featuring Chopra could have been published to coincide with the event. There’s currently no information on whether Playboy Magazine will publish Chopra’s photos.

Shakuntala Devi, computational genius, died in Bangalore, India n April 21, aged 83

Shakuntala Devi, an Indian prodigy mental calculator, died on Sunday in Bangalore, India – she was 83. Known for her prodigious mental calculation ability, during the 1970s, Devi calculated the 23rd root of a 201-digit number 10 seconds faster than a computer, earning her the title the human computer.

Devi stunned the world during the 1970s and 1980s with her mental calculation capabilities, despite not having a formal education. In an interview Devi said her parents could not afford the school’s monthly fee of Rs 2 (approximately US$0.04 based on current exchange rate).

The 1995 Guiness World Book of Records lists her record of multiplying two 13-digit numbers in 28 seconds.

Although her skills are in math, she is considered to be a computational genius primarily because she did not make any contributions to the study of mathematics. Devi said in an interview that she could not transfer her “abilities to anyone” and had dreamed of creating a mathematics university and research and development centre.

Devi worked as an astrologer, deriving horoscopes from numbers, and date and time of birth, and place of birth.

Those close to Devi said she used unusual techniques, mnemonic devices, and vast memorization techniques to perform the sophisticated calculations. Her father is said to have discovered her unusual computational ability when Devi was three years old, and Devi is said to have become proficient in math by age five.

Her father, a circus performer at one time, took Devi on road shows to demonstrate her calculation capabilities, purportedly to generate income for the family.

DC Shivdev Deshmudre, trustee, Shakuntala Devi Educational Foundation Public Trust said, “She was a vibrant lady who was sharp-minded and energetic. A witty person, she was fiercely independent as well.”

Devi died as a result of complications of several pre-existing conditions, for which she was hospitalized on April 3, combined with a heart attack she suffered on Saturday. Hundreds of people attended the giving of last rites on Monday.

A bomb bast during the Boston Marathon kills at least 2 and injured about 100 / Photo from Reuters video

Two bomb blasts near the finish line of the well known Boston marathon injured at least 110 and possibly killed 2 people on Monday at approximately 19:00GMT/UTC.

The two bombs were located at the finish line and went off as a group of runners were arriving. The bombs where small packages, located within the spectators’ area. The bombs were possibly located in garbage cans.

Approximately 90 people have been injured, some reported to be gravely injured.

The US Department of Homeland Security has conformed the twin blasts are “a coordinated event”.

Authorities said they are monitoring international fights.

Authorities have determined that the explosions were not as a result of an infrastructure-related issue, like construction. The FBI said the explosions have been classified as terrorist attacks.

In a press conference, authorities said the do not know whether the terrorist attack is domestic or foreign; that hospitals in the area are under heavy guard; and authorities do not have anyone in custody.

Investigators say their initial findings are that the bombs did not use C4 or any other high grade explosives. Authorities say they have found two other explosive devices and are dismantling them.

At 22:46GTM/UTC authorities reported they found a fourth explosive device.

Six children and one adult are confirmed to be injured with serious, yet not life threatening, injuries at a local hospital. Eight people are considered to be in critical condition with 14 in serious condition.

One death is an 8 year old child.

President Obama said the necessary resources are being deployed- including national guard, police and firefighters.

“We do not know who did this or why…we will get to the bottom of this…We will find out who did this and why they did this,” said Obama in a press conference.

Obama did not confirm that the attack is a terrorist attack. Obama cautioned during the press conference that people should not jump to conclusions. Analysts say Obama may have more information not yet publicly available – which may indicate why terrorism was not confirmed.

Witnesses said the bomb blast was very loud and forceful – a firefighter said this is the worst explosion he has experienced and knew that it was not a cherry bomb or other device.

A witness about 30 feet from one of the blasts said they saw injuries like one person holding her neck and bleeding – possibly from glass shards. The witness said she saw a child with a badly injured leg.

A third explosion occurred at approximately the same time at the Kennedy Library. The explosion has not been confirmed to be connected to these attacks.

New York and Washington DC are among cities that are currently on high alert called Level 1 Mobilization.

The Boston Medical Center reports that most injuries hospitals are treating are leg injuries – authorities say that provides an indication of the type of explosive device used.

Boston is in the US state of Massachusetts where it was a holiday on Monday – Patriots Day.

With regular stories of it taking up to two years to sell a home in the UK using an estate agent, and with a reported average of three price drops and 40% difference between the initial asking price and eventual selling price, it is no wonder that vendors are shopping around.

A ‘home buyer’ a company that invests in residential property. The company can buy houses quickly (in as little as seven days), efficiently and with a minimum of hassle, and the trade-off for this is that it will be at slightly less than the full market value.

Home buyer services are often used by people that want to sell their houses quickly, as compared to selling using an estate agent.

Interest in home buyer services has tripled since 2012. According to Google Insights, a tool by Google that indicates the popularity of search terms over time, searches for the term ‘home buyer’ have tripled 68% in 2013 as compared to 22% in 2012.

Quick Move Now, a home buyer service, recently published the results of a study that found the major reasons clients want to sell their homes quickly. The study showed 39% of clients used a home buyer for ‘Found/buying on’, 15% for Divorce/break up, and 15% for relocation.

The study also revealed many people use a home buyer service to enable them to buy their dream home, to move on when a relationship has broken down, and to move to a retirement property.
Quick Move Now has published a video to help homeowners gain a better understanding of how a home buyer can help.

According to Quick Move Now, home buyers are becoming more popular as a result of the continuing difficulty in the UK housing market, changes in perceptions of the estate industry within the UK, and sellers’ awareness of alternatives

Quick Move Now offered a number of tips to help homeowners select a home buyer service. Among the tips are – homeowners should verify that the company purchasing their home is using cash instead of a mortgage since cash sales are considered to be more secure; determine whether the company handles its own legal and financial matters related to the transaction; ensure offers are free of charge and free of obligation.

About Quick Move Now

Quick Move Now is the UK’s leading home buyer, offering a quick, secure and hassle-free house sale. Their experienced team, efficient processes and substantial cash reserves enable them to make immediate purchases, to help sellers sell their home quickly and move on with their lives.

French senators pass a same sex marriage bill. The bill faces a second reading next week in the country’s National Assembly.

In a vote put forward by the Socialists of French President Francois Hollande, the French Senate passed a bill on Friday that supports gay marriage.

The bill faces a second reading in Frances National Assembly next Wednesday. The bill is expected to pass its second reading.

Support for gay marriage peaked when French President Francois Hollande was elected on a campaign that promised a review of gay marriage rights in France. Approximately 48% of French voters supported gay marriage when Hollande was elected.

Among other aspects, the bill gives gay couples the right to adopt children yet are not allowed to use assisted reproduction, such as surrogacy.

Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed, who married his partner in South Africa, says the bill does not go far enough.

Zahed said, “The ideal for me is that people have a choice, so we all have the same rights and that our unions are all recognized by society. I’m less interested in how we call it: PACS, marriage, live-in partnership. What matters to me is that we all have access to the same rights.”

PACS, pacte civil de solidarité, is an official civil contract between two adults of same-sex or opposite-sex that brings rights and responsibilities, yet does not offer the same rights as marriage. People in France who have registered a PACS are not legally regarded, in terms of their marital status, as single. France reported in 2010 that approximately 2% of registered couples are same sex unions. PACS does not have any provisions for adopting children and it does not have any provisions for assisted reproductive methods like surrogacy.

Conservative politicians and religious leaders previously opposed the bill on the basis that it would cause significant issues with the country’s civil code.

Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a Senator for Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) said, “The parliamentary process continues. So we will keep talking with the French people who seem to be changing their minds.”