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Noteworthy

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 19, 2006

Mysterious climber scales London Eye

The London Eye, one of the city's tourist attractions, was shut down for more than six hours Tuesday after a man climbed to the top of the 443-foot Ferris wheel. The man, who police believe may have been a protester, started ascending the wheel about 6:30 a.m., and was talked down around six hours later. The man's motivation was still unknown, and the Eye began selling tickets once he had been grounded, said Joel Byron, a spokesman for the attraction.

IPods, beer among Katrina waste

The government wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath on iPods, dog booties, beer-making equipment and designer jackets, congressional investigators have concluded. More than 100 laptop computers and a dozen boats also bought by Homeland Security Department employees after the storm are missing, the investigators found. Poor training, lax oversight and rampant confusion over what employees are allowed to buy with government-issued purchase cards left Homeland Security "vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse," according to a Government Accountability Office draft report. The report is to be released today by a Senate panel.

A flash, and then 7 head to hospital

Near Marble, Colo., lightning struck a tree where seven hikers were resting, seriously injuring a 15-year-old and sending all seven to a hospital, authorities said Tuesday. The hikers, from two parties, had stopped near the tree Monday on 11,850-foot Marble Mountain about 120 miles west of Denver when lightning hit it, Gunnison County Undersheriff Richard Besecker said. Brock Neville was leaning against the tree when it was struck, Besecker said. Witnesses said the teen went into cardiac arrest twice and was resuscitated by another hiker. Four people in the group were able to walk to Marble, about 4 miles away, and call 911. Neville was in serious but stable condition Tuesday. The six others were treated at a hospital and released. The injured included two young children, ages 5 and 9. A dog that belonged to one of the hikers was killed.

UPDATE

Mandela's birthday

South Africans marked former President Nelson Mandela's 88th birthday Tuesday with tributes and praise, and the man who led his country out of apartheid celebrated privately with his children and grandchildren at his Johannesburg home. Staff members at his foundation sang happy birthday to Mandela on Monday and presented him with a cake. Leaning on a cane and supported by his wife, Graca Machel, Mandela then toured an exhibition of photographs about his life and legacy.

[Last modified July 19, 2006, 01:25:18]