Kirkwood Mountain Resort in the Sierra Nevadas was forced to close lifts after a power generator caught fire and is expected to re-open 9:00 a.m. Saturday.

An engine filter over-heated causing a fire in the power generator at about 2:00 p.m., consuming the building that housed it, with the roof catching fire that was difficult to put out.

According to authorities, two Chicago hospitals, namely the University of Illinois (UIC) Hospital and Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Centre were affected by an electrical failure at a steam generation plant, resulting in the cutting-off their heat and hot water.

Bill Burton, UIC spokesman informs that between 9:30 am. to 4:30 p.m., the hospitals were left without heat, while the Chicago campus remained without heat for an additional two hours.

Oil and import prices continue to rise for the eighth month, as per latest reports that the price has climbed by 0.2 per cent from that recorded in September.

To keep the inflation from falling too much, the policy makers of Bank of England have increased their bond sale to 200 billion pounds, as of yesterday, an increase of 25 billion pounds. It has been reported that the increase in prices could be due to the fact that optical and electrical goods including tobacco, transport, petroleum products and alcohol all lead from the front.

US Vice President Joe Biden met Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko on Tuesday for talks expected to cover domestic issues, energy and relations with Russia.

Yushchenko said relations with the US had improved lately, following concern expressed by Washington at the instability of the country's pro-Western leadership.

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh, has resigned, the ISNA news agency reported Thursday.

Aqazadeh, who also served as an Iranian vice president, submitted his resignation letter for the combined vice presidential and nuclear chief post to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad three weeks ago, ISNA said.

Nigeria's largest rebel militia group declared a 60-day ceasefire Wednesday, following the release by the government of their leader.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) announced the ceasefire, starting Wednesday, in a statement after the government in Abuja released Henry Okah.

German firms on Monday launched a renewable energy project designed to provide European households with electricity from the Sahara.

Utilities giants RWE and E. ON, electro-engineering group Siemens and Deutsche Bank are among the dozen companies involved in the 400- billion-euro (552-billion- dollar) Desertec Industrial Initiative.

The Iranian proposal which is supposed to be presented to world powers does not include anything on the nuclear dispute, official news agency IRNA reported Monday.