Earthquakes strike waters south of Philippines

(CNN) -- A series of four strong earthquakes spanning just over an hour struck the Philippines' Moro Gulf on Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Three of the four earthquakes had magnitudes between 7.3 and 7.6; the other came in at a 5.4 magnitude. The first quake struck at 6:08 a.m. (6:08 p.m. ET Friday) and the fourth hit at 7:15 a.m. The last quake ran the deepest at 616 (382 miles) kilometers.

The epicenters of the quakes were about 100 kilometers (62 miles) off the coastal city of Cotabato and roughly 950 kilometers (590 miles) southeast of Manila.

No tsunami warning was immediately issued for any of the quakes.

There were no reports of damage, said Rona Faeldin of the Philippines Coast Guard.

CNN

We're running out of internet addresses

(CNN) -- Don't panic, but we're running out of internet addresses.

Not domain names -- those website names that you see at the top of this page and which always start with some semblance of "http://" and "www".

We've got plenty of those.

But, according to statements from prominent internet thinkers this week, we may run out of internet protocol -- or IP -- addresses in less than a year.

IP addresses are numbers assigned to all of the devices -- computers, phones, cars, wireless sensors, etc. -- that log on to the internet.

According to the blog ReadWriteWeb, the internet is changing and evolving so quickly -- with so many new types of devices connecting -- that we're running out of numbers to assign to all of these Web-enabled electronics.

"The main reason for the concern? There's an explosion of data about to happen to the Web thanks largely to sensor data, smart grids, RFID and other Internet of Things data," Richard MacManuswrites on that site.

"Other reasons include the increase in mobile devices connecting to the Internet and the annual growth in user-generated content on the Web".

Only 4 billion internet addresses are possible under the current system, and those will all be exhausted in less than a year, John Curran, president and CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, told ReadWriteWeb.

In a recent statement on YouTube, internet luminary and Google exec Vinton Cerf makes a similar prediction.

"We are at a cusp, I think, in the IP address space for internet," he said, noting that, if nothing changes, a "black market" for these internet addresses may develop.

So what should we do about this numbers shortage?

Well, make more numbers for starters.

CNN

Record water levels test China's giant dam

Beijing, China (CNN) -- Heavy rain and flooding have exacted a high toll in China this year, and Friday the country faced a new threat from a swollen Yangtze River dam that was dangerously close to capacity.

The water level reached its peak at the huge Three Gorges Dam, built to tame the worst floods, reported state-run Xinhua news agency. Floodgates on the dam have been opened to control the flow, and pictures from the scene show massive volumes of water gushing out.

The water, steadily rising since Tuesday, rose to 159 meters (more than 520 feet), about 14 meters (46 feet) above the reservoir's water-releasing level, engineers in Yichang City told Xinhua.

Downstream from the dam, nervous residents on Mianchuan island nervously watched soldiers reinforce banks with rocks, the China Daily newspaper reported.

They recalled the massive floods of 1998 when the banks collapsed and water topped houses in Mianchuan. More than 4,000 people died in that disaster.

Floods this year have been the worst since then, affecting 120 million people in 28 provinces and claiming 742 human lives. They have caused $22 billion in economic losses, including the collapse of about 670,000 homes, Xinhua said.

CNN

App required for free iPhone 4 case

(CNN) -- Want to get a free iPhone 4 case?

Don't shoot me for using this overworked phrase, but ... there's an app for that.

In response to an alleged design flaw in its newest phone that causes dropped calls and poor reception, Apple announced last week that it would give consumers a free case that covers the antenna and fixes the issue.

On Friday, the company posted a website that explains how consumers can go about getting that free case.

Turns out, you have to download an app.

Given the iPhone 4's antenna issues, it might be best to do the downloading while the phone's not in your hand (see this story if you don't get the joke).

People who have purchased the iPhone 4 can use the aptly named "iPhone 4 Case Program" app to claim their new case.

The type of case you get is entirely up to Apple, according to the fine print. Also note that if you've already purchased the iPhone 4, you only have until August 22 -- 30 days from now -- to submit a claim. People who haven't purchased the phone yet have 30 days from the date of purchase to claim their cases.

The offer lasts only through September 30, according to Apple.

The company also says it maintains the right to discontinue the free case program without notice.

Some people, including an editor at Consumer Reports, have criticized Apple for not making the free cases available indefinitely, or for not shipping the cases in the boxes of new iPhone 4s.

There's a chance Apple may address the apparent antenna issues in future models.

CNN

Aviation industry boom as Farnborough deals reach $47 billion

London, England (CNN) -- A total of $47 billion worth of deals were struck this year at Farnborough Airshow, the event's organizers announced Friday.

The figure, although well below 2008's record-breaking $88.7 billion worth of orders, is seen as a sign of optimism for the recession-hit aviation industry.

"To see over $47 billion dollars worth of business done and the quality of the business transactions at the show is a testament to the endurance of our sectors, their positive contribution to UK and world trade as well as the significance of the show itself," said Ian Godden, chairman of A|D|S, the UK's AeroSpace, Defense and Security trade organization in a media release.

The encouraging news comes after a turbulent financial year for the industry -- last year, orders at France-based Le Bourget gathering, (Farnborough's sister air show) plunged to a meager $7 billion.

This year's Farnborough show, held in Hampshire, south England, also marks an improvement compared to 2006, where $42 billion worth of orders were recorded.

The biennial affair saw the return of air leasing companies in the spotlight, with aviation mogul Steven Udvar-Hazy making a dynamic comeback with his new venture, Air Lease Corporation, striking a series of multibillion deals with Boeing, Airbus and Embraer.

CNN

The Dark Side prevails? Darth Vader holds up Long Island bank

New York (CNN) -- Long Island may be far from the Death Star, but that didn't stop Darth Vader from paying a less-than-friendly visit to a bank in East Setauket, New York.

Or at least he looked like Darth Vader, except for the camouflage pants.

The costumed man, with a mask and cape, entered a Chase bank Thursday morning and demanded cash. Although he didn't have a lightsaber, his gun was more than enough to persuade the teller to hand over the money.

The caped criminal then fled east through the bank's parking lot.

Suffolk County police said they are searching for the man, described as around 6 feet tall.

CNN

At least 25 dead in bus crash in India

Srinagar, India (CNN) -- At least 25 people were feared dead Friday in a dramatic hillside bus crash in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Two others survived after they were able to jump clear.

The bus rolled off a main road in hilly Kishtwar district, took a steep fall and then was swept away by strong currents in the rain-swollen Chenab River, the district magistrate, G.R. Bhagat, told CNN.

Two passengers escaped with minor injuries by jumping out of the tumbling bus, Bhagat said.

He said divers were able to reach the river as night fell and are ready to launch a search for bodies at daylight Saturday.

Road accidents are not uncommon in this area of Kashmir because of the treacherous mountain terrain and poor roadways. Buses are also often overcrowded.

CNN

The Vysotsky phenomenon: beyond confines and ages

Iconic Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor Vladimir Vysotsky (1938-1980), whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture, died exactly 30 years ago.

Three days after his death, a short-lived civil society was born in the Soviet Union's capital. Thousands of people came to pay their last respects to Vysotsky at the Taganka Theater, and they didn't do it on orders from an organizing committee, but completely of their own free will.

This spontaneous display of love and affection for Vysotsky caught the Soviet government completely by surprise. All the Kremlin could do in that pre-glasnost era was to pretend that nothing had happened.

Vysotsky's death was not typical of the Soviet totalitarian era. But had his life been equally unusual and extraordinary? The answer is probably "yes" if we consider his vast talents, but that has nothing to do with historical epochs and political systems. Geniuses come into this world by sheer chance.

An objective assessment of Vysotsky's literary heritage shows that it cannot be called purely pro-Soviet or anti-Soviet; it simply does not fit these parameters.

Although drawing comparisons is an unrewarding task, two other poets, Alexander Galich and Bulat Okudzhava, wrote their songs and verses at the same time as Vysotsky and in the same style. Both men also performed their poetry to guitar music.

Their fates were quite different. Galich chose an open opposition to the Soviet regime until his public performances were banned and he was forced to emigrate. Okudzhava, however, gave concerts and behaved like a quiet dissident, hinting at certain "esthetic disagreements" with the authorities. But he did not openly oppose the government.

Vysotsky was by no means a Galich-style dissident poet and tried to avoid making any kinds of political statements. At the same time, he did not poetize "the commissars in dusty helmets" like Okudzhava, who had joined the Soviet Communist Party after the history-making 20th Congress which denounced Josef Stalin's personality cult in 1956. Nor did he have any illusions about "socialism with a human face" harbored by the Shestidesyatniki movement, which involved progressive Soviet intellectuals, writers and academics in the 1960s.

None of his songs, novels, verses and poems pays tribute to Vladimir Lenin, the Communist Party or the Young Communist League (Komsomol), the three pillars of post-Stalin Soviet ideology. It seemed that this triad simply did not exist, as far as Vysotsky was concerned.

Vysotsky wrote about everyday life in the GULAG prison-camp system, overlooking its political aspects. Objectively speaking, Vysotsky's creative output highlighted a social protest. Although he never openly denounced the Soviet regime, Vysotsky behaved like a typical poet who should expose universal human evils and vices.

RIA Novosti

Media tycoon Desmond buys TV's Five

Newspaper and magazine proprietor Richard Desmond has bought TV channel Five, it was announced today.

The owner of the Daily Express and OK! magazine is paying £103.5 million to European entertainment network RTL for its 100% shareholding in Five, RTL said.

The station first launched in 1997.

RTL said it had signed an agreement for the sale of Five Group to the Northern & Shell company owned by Mr Desmond and that the deal was closed with immediate effect.

Gerhard Zeiler, chief executive officer of RTL Group, said: "With a significant recovery of the UK TV advertising market and Five performing well in the first half of 2010, we saw a window of opportunity to realise a transaction based on a fair evaluation of Five.

"The disposal is in line with RTL Group's strategy of being number one or two in each of our markets.

"I would like to thank the whole team at Five and CEO and chair Dawn Airey for their passion and professionalism, especially in the difficult past 20 months which saw a comprehensive restructuring of the company".

It has been reported that Mr Desmond, who is said to be worth £950 million, will transform the station's schedule with more reality and celebrity material.

This might include a revival of Big Brother, which is in its final series on Channel 4.

Today's Times newspaper said Mr Desmond had had direct discussions with Endemol, the owner of the programme, about broadcasting it next year.

Britain's fifth terrestrial channel, which launched with a provocative blend of films, soccer matches and naughty, near-the-knuckle shows as it tried to carve out its own unique position, had 5% share of TV viewing in the UK last year.

It is now the home for popular shows such as Neighbours, The Mentalist and CSI, with Justin Lee Collins, who was poached from Channel 4, among its raft of presenters.

RTL became the sole owner five years ago.

The Independent

Counting the cost of Zimbabwe's 'blood diamonds'

Gemstone finds in the country's wild east have brought spies and paranoia and turned Mutare into frontier town

Gamba has just bought big. This week he paid $22,000 (£14,300) for a single diamond. Judging by the big wad of folded US dollar bills in his pocket, it will not be his last.

In three years Gamba estimates he has made more than $200,000 from black market diamond dealing, enough to buy his family a house and three cars. He is a crucial link in a chain said to connect Zimbabwe's "blood diamonds" with Mozambique, South Africa, Dubai, Belgium and, ultimately, Bond Street in London and Fifth Avenue in New York.

"I've lost count of how many diamonds I've bought - but it has made me rich," said the 34-year-old, previously an accountant for a car hire firm. "You can make $1,000 every week, but the diamonds are different quality. If you buy the right things, you score. If you buy the wrong things, you sink".

Mutare, a nest of spies and paranoia in Zimbabwe's wild east, is the latest corner of Africa to discover the corrupting power of diamonds. The nearby Marange fields contain deposits claimed to be worth billions of dollars, potentially making the crisis-torn country one of the world's top diamond producers.

Some glimpse the promise of economic salvation and the prospect that Zimbabwe could be transformed from sick of man of Africa into a new Botswana. So far, however, the gemstones have been more curse than blessing, seducing desperate and avaricious Zimbabweans and foreign mercenaries with horrific consequences. This has been described as the biggest test yet of the Kimberley process certification scheme, created a decade ago to stamp out the use of diamonds to fund conflicts.

The trail from forced labour camp to high street store will be in the spotlight again next month when supermodel Naomi Campbell gives evidence in the trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor. Taylor stands accused at The Hague of using blood diamonds to fuel an insurgency in Sierra Leone that cost tens of thousands of lives in the 1990s. Prosecutors say Campbell is a potentially crucial witness because Taylor allegedly presented her with a diamond gift after a 1997 dinner hosted by former South African president Nelson Mandela.

A diamond rush got under way in Marange fields after their discovery in June 2006. With a hyperinflation-crippled economy offering few alternatives, about 35,000 people, including women and children, were mining and buying there by November 2008. The once-quiet Mutare took on the aspect of a frontier town and the social impact is still being reckoned today.

Witnesses tell how children as young as 10 dropped out of school to hunt for gemstones and never went back. Teachers and other professionals quit their jobs to join the craze. Young men who got rich quick bought luxury cars they did not know how to drive, leading to numerous fatal accidents.

Diggers and buyers poured in from South Africa, Botswana, DR Congo, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Lebanon, Pakistan, UAE, Belgium and India, according to a report last year by Human Rights Watch. Prices shot up, rents increased and hotels, the scene of most transactions, were always full.

Prostitution, teenage pregnancies and shotgun marriages soared. Clashes between diamond kingpins resulted in deadly shootouts in suburban houses. Dozens of people died when poorly built mines collapsed and buried them alive.

The Guardian