Thousands of protesters gathered in London's Trafalgar Square Thursday and toppled a large papier-m??ch?? and chicken wire effigy of President Bush, according to CNN.com.
More than 5,000 police were on guard during the event, which mimicked the toppling of a statue of Saddam Hussein earlier this year.
The protest was peaceful through early evening, but police were concerned about the presence of more than 1,000 demonstrators from Europe who attended specifically to make trouble. Scotland Yard reported 58 arrests.
The bombings in Istanbul, Turkey earlier in the day, which hit the U.K. consulate and an HSBC office, Britain's largest bank, fueled fire for the protesters.
Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair held a news conference in London condemning the bombings, saying the violence would not deter the rebuilding of Iraq or the war on terrorism.
Crews are expected to open Madison's West Johnson Street today for the first time since reconstruction began last spring, according to The Capital Times.
They will begin timing traffic signals around 9 a.m. and removing barricades by intersection, and if all goes as scheduled, the entire street should be open by rush hour.
The project was originally estimated to cost $4.4 million, but fell behind because of work added by the city and unmapped underground facilities. Jeff Parisi, the general contractor and president of Parisi Construction Co. of Verona, told The Capital Times he tried to speed up the process by paying workers overtime and using fast-setting concrete.
Marsh Shapiro, owner of the Nitty Gritty Bar and Restaurant, 233 N. Frances St. on the corner of Johnson Street, told The Capital Times business was down about 30 percent during the construction.
Michael Jackson turned himself into Santa Barbara Sheriff's officials around noon Thursday after they issued a warrant for his arrest on accounts of child molesting, according to The New York Times.
Jackson surrendered after landing at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport and was driven to the county jail, where he surrendered his passport and posted a $3 million bond.
Officials said Jackson was arrested on counts of \lewd and lascivious conduct"" with a child under 14.
Mark Geragos, Jackson's Lawyer, said Jackson would defend himself against the accusations.
Arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 9.
A rare female Malayan tapir, which can reportedly shoot a 10-foot projectile of urine, was born earlier this month at Henry Vilas Zoo, 702 S. Randall Ave.
Tapirs are native to Sumatra, the Malayan Peninsula and Thailand, and resemble watermelons with four legs. Only an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 live in the wild. There are 55 tapirs in North American zoos.
The calf weighs approximately 30 pounds; adults weigh between 750 and 900 pounds.
According to Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, Henry Vilas Zoo is playing a large part in the conservation of the species.
According to a new student survey, UW-System students drink more alcohol per week than college students nationwide, said the Capital Times reported.
UW-Stout psychology professor George Smeaton compared the surveys of freshmen and sophomores from 13 colleges and state universities with data from two nationwide student surveys.
Smeaton found male Wisconsin students consume on average 11 drinks per week and women an average of 4.5.
Also, 61 percent of male Wisconsin students reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) within the last two weeks, as did 38 percent of females.
The Associated Students of Madison voted Thursday to support changing Columbus Day's name to Indigenous Peoples' Day. This would be more accurate, according to ASM Chair Austin Evans, who added Christopher Columbus did not really discover America.
ASM representatives also voted to support the Student Labor Action Coalition's recent push for companies producing UW-Madison clothing to reveal national and foreign workers' wages. This week, the Labor Licensing Policy Committee, consisting of faculty and students, was scheduled to advise Chancellor John Wiley to support the wage disclosure. Wiley's decision is pending.
ASM also voted in opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act, which aims to make same-sex marriage illegal.
