News Headlines - 07 January 2012

▽New Zealand hot-air balloon crash: Witnesses tell of 'ball of flames' - Telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/8999408/New-Zealand-hot-air-balloon-crash-Witnesses-tell-of-ball-of-flames.html
The balloon came down in calm weather near Carterton, a small town north of the capital Wellington and a popular area for ballooning, in New Zealand's worst aviation disaster in more than 30 years.

▽HS2 London-Birmingham high-speed rail link 'close to approval' after report - Metro
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/886684-hs2-london-to-birmingham-high-speed-rail-link-close-to-approval
The proposed HS2 high-speed rail link to connect London with Birmingham is closer to being approved than ever after a report into two alternatives dismissed both as not fit for purpose.

▽London to Get Free Wi-Fi During Olympics, Thanks to O2 - ITProPortal
http://www.itproportal.com/2012/01/07/london-get-free-wi-fi-during-olympics-thanks-o2/
O2, a leading mobile operator in the UK, has confirmed that it is all set to provide internet access to a huge number of Londoners, residents of Westminster, Chelsea and Kensington as well as visitors during the forthcoming Olympics.

▽NASA questions Apollo 13 commander's sale of list - Herald Times Reporter
http://www.htrnews.com/article/20120107/MAN0101/201070560/NASA-questions-Apollo-13-commander-s-sale-list
NASA is questioning whether Apollo 13 commander James Lovell has the right to sell a 70-page checklist from the flight that includes his handwritten calculations that were crucial in guiding the damaged spacecraft back to Earth.

▽Japan plans to scrap nuclear plants after 40 years - The Associated Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hdrR2Jg_GMPi0qrY9DWSQZFfDdWA?docId=c0c368c7f1a749ec9d6ffa39f8af9ed0
Japan says it will soon require atomic reactors to be shut down after 40 years of use to improve safety following the nuclear crisis set off by last year's tsunami.