Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Also try the 2008 World News Quiz of the year.
What would you tell your grandchildren about 2008 if they asked you about it in, let’s say, 20 years’ time? If the answer to a quiz question was 2008, what would the question be? The year that markets collapsed, or perhaps the year that Obama became US president? Or the year Heath Ledger died?
Let’s take a look at some of the important stories of 2008. Links to the original Wikinews articles are in all the titles.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Witnesses and medical officials say at least 50 people have been killed in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, in clashes between security forces and opposition activists who defied a government ban on protests.
Witnesses say Guinea’s security forces opened fire on demonstrators who had gathered in a large stadium to protest against the possible presidential candidacy of Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, the country’s military leader. They also say police charged protesters with batons, used tear gas, and detained several opposition leaders.
| We have counted 52 bodies and six more have just come in. | ||
“We have counted 52 bodies and six more have just come in,” the city’s university medical centre’s doctor said.
On Sunday, Captain Camara’s government said all protests would be prohibited until national independence celebrations are held on October 2.
“All demonstrations on national territory are prohibited until the national holiday on October 2,” said Frederic Kolie, the interior minister, in a televised address on Sunday.
However, opposition activists decided to proceed with the demonstration they had planned for Monday. Some carried signs that read “No to Dadis”, and others chanted “We want true democracy.” Some of the demonstrators set furniture on fire as they marched from the outskirts of the capital into the city.
“[…] Conakry can be rightly described as a police state […] All across town, military people at checkpoints are searching people and people have been forced back into their houses,” said Al Hassan Silah, a local journalist, to the Al Jazeera news agency.
Captain Camara took power in a coup last December, following the death of Guinea’s longtime President Lansana Conte.
When he took power, Captain Camara said no one in his ruling council would run for public office. However, the council has since said its members are eligible to be candidates, and Captain Camara has suggested he may run for president in elections, which are scheduled for January 2010.
The African Union said it may impose sanctions on Guinea if Captain Camara decides to run for president. It said it was concerned about what it called a “deteriorating situation” in the country and the consequences of not returning to constitutional order.
Opponents have also accused Mr Camara and his ruling council of human rights abuses and limiting freedom of speech.
Supporters of Guinea’s military council are calling the threatened sanctions unfair.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A man dressed as the Star Wars antagonist Darth Vader robbed a bank in Setauket, New York. The robber was dressed in a character themed mask and blue cape. Armed with a hand gun, the robber stole an undetermined amount of cash from the Chase bank branch.
The robber entered the bank saying that he was robbing it. Customers initially thought it was a joke and began laughing. Detective William Lamb of the Suffolk County Police Department said that one customer attempted to tackle the robber and was attacked. He can be seen in the background of surveillance photographs. The robber then approached a teller and demanded cash while brandishing a weapon.
This robbery is the latest in a string of odd bank robberies in the New York metropolitan area. Yesterday the New York Police Department arrested a man who robbed banks while carrying flowers and potted plants. Police are also looking for an apparent cross-dressing robber who held up a bank in Long Island.
Read An Opinion On:
byAlma Abell
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Professionals Remove All Water
Restoration experts can assess the level of pollution in water. They have the equipment to safely and quickly remove any type of water. Technicians typically use truck-mounted equipment that can hold hundreds of gallons of water. Once standing water is gone, they have industrial fans that will dry your belongings. Some services offer pack-out services that include removing salvageable items, to keep them safe.
Technicians Prevent Mold Damage
Mold begins to grow within hours of a flood, and even a dripping pipe can eventually cause thousands of dollars in damage. As a result, water-damage experts inspect your home thoroughly after a flood, and locate signs of mold growth. They remove and fungi, treat surfaces, and take steps to prevent new mold problems. These can include cleaning your HVAC vents, to prevent spores from circulating and taking root in your home.
Specialists Restore Your Belongings
Water-damage professionals use teams to clean, deodorize, and clean your home. They assess damages, including structural problems. Professionals arrange repairs and often work with 3rd-party vendors who can save furnishings, carpets, art, and more. Most companies bill directly to your insurance.
It is critical to call restoration experts after you have a flood. They can keep you safe, quickly remove excess water, and begin restoring your property. These experts offer a complete service that includes restoring your home and belongings to a like-new condition.
Friday, April 24, 2009
According to Mexican health officials, an epidemic of swine flu has killed at least 68 people and infected a further one thousand inside the country.
Mexican health minister José Ángel Córdova said that the casualty rate appeared to be slowing down, and that there would be no plans to block off Mexican borders. “We’re dealing with a new flu virus that constitutes a respiratory epidemic that so far is controllable,” Córdova stated. He said that the disease had mutated from pigs and was transferred to humans at some point.
Museums and schools for seven million students near Mexico’s capital were closed down in an effort to curb the epidemic, and the government has encouraged people with symptoms of the disease to take leave from work.
The outbreak has spread north to the United States, and US health authorities have reported that eight people were diagnosed with swine flu in Texas and California. However, these people have recovered.
“We are worried. We don’t know if this will lead to the next pandemic, but we will be monitoring it and taking it seriously,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Besser suggested “containment is not very likely” in a telephone briefing on Friday.
Tests conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that the virus from a dozen patients was genetically similar to a new outbreak of swine flu, designated as H1N1.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
File:Arthur-Neville-Chamberlain.jpg
The personal diaries of British wartime Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain are to go on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.
Beginning on August 20, 2009, a free exhibition, marking the 70th anniversary of the declaration of WWII, will allow visitors to have an unprecedented insight into the mind of the Prime Minister at the helm of the government when war was declared on September 3, 1939. His entry for that day, a note scribbled in pencil reads simply: “War declared.” With the diaries, a letter to his sister detailing the preparations for war, and the declaration letter itself, written by Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax.
The centrepiece at the exhibition will be accompanied by King George IV‘s jacket worn on his television appearance, and other previously unseen memorabilia from the period in the immediate run up to the Second World War.
A book, entitled The World Goes To War, is to be published on August 27, 2009 to accompany the exhibition. Also, a television documentary will be broadcast on UK network ITV1.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Dutch adventurer Ralph Tuijn has reached the halfway point of his attempt to be the first person to row across the Pacific Ocean unaided.
The 16,000 kilometre journey from the coast of Peru to the seaside city of Brisbane, Australia, the widest section of the Pacific, has never been crossed absolutely unaided by a rower, and Tuijn says just nine people have rowed it even with assistance.
Tuijn reached the central point of his crossing, an insignificant point of water in the ocean, 111 days after setting off from Peru in March. He has been making good progress, and has since cut his estimated time of arrival in Brisbane by a month.
The Dutchman, who now expects to reach his destination on October 20, has kept in touch with those tracking his movements through daily internet postings from his laptop computer, including his wife Winnie. His boat, the Zeeman Challenger, is a seven-metre custom plywood vessel.
Tuijn has overcome a variety of obstacles to reach the halfway point. He is suffering from the constant attention of sharks, who often bump his boat and disrupt his attempts at sleep. One particular shark, dubbed ‘Gomulka’ by Tuijn, has been trailing the adventurer’s boat for extended periods.
He has also accidentally burnt himself when he spilled hot water on his foot whilst trying to make coffee, apparently also from a shark ‘bump’. He is also forced to manually pump water for cooking and drinking after his automatic water pump broke down not long into his journey.
| “Physically everything feels great and I can’t help feeling that I could do this for 500 days, but mentally it’s still hard to be on your own for such a long time” | ||
His vessel has no motors or sails, but relies on his physical rowing power to move. The boat does have a solar power system to provide energy for his laptop, a telephone and a global positioning system.
Tujin, who is raising money for a children’s home in Mumbai, India, is rowing at an average speed of 58 kilometres each day. His diet consists of freeze-dried foods and fish, which are keeping him physically well-conditioned despite tiring mentally.
Tuijn is a serial adventurer and experienced rower. He has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, as well as cycled across Russia and the icy terrain of Greenland.
Friday, September 26, 2008
On October 14, 2008, Canadians will be heading to the polls for the federal election. Liberal Party candidate Sandra Gardiner is standing for election in the riding of Perth—Wellington. A Stratford resident for the last 17 years, she has worked as a Registered Nurse for the last 14, in hospital, long term, and community care settings. She is a member of Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Canadian Association of Physicians concerned about the Environment, FarmGate5, Common Action for the Restoration of the Environment, Autism Ontario, the Planning Committee for Rotary Respite House, and board member of Optimism Place, the local women’s shelter.
Wikinews contacted Sandra, to talk about the issues facing Canadians, and what they and their party would do to address them. Wikinews is in the process of contacting every candidate, in every riding across the country, no matter their political stripe. All interviews are conducted over e-mail, and interviews are published unedited, allowing candidates to impart their full message to our readers, uninterrupted.
The riding is currently held by Conservative Gary Schellenberger, who was also MP for the previous riding, Perth—Middlesex. Perth—Wellington includes the County of Perth, and the Town of Minto and the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North in the County of Wellington. Also challenging Schellenberger are John Cowling (Green), Irma DeVries (Christian Heritage), Julian Ichim (Marxist-Leninist), and Kerry McManus (NDP).
For more information, visit the campaign’s official website, listed below.
| This article is reserved for developer testing |
This is a test article for dev use playing with EzPR. It will never be published, although it may sometimes appear as though it has.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Fears of contaminated bone and skin grafts are being felt by unsuspecting patients following the revelation that funeral homes may have been looting corpses.
Janet Evans of Marion Ohio was told by her surgeon, “The bone grafts you got might have been contaminated”. She reacted with shock, “I was flabbergasted because I didn’t even know what he was talking about. I didn’t know I got a bone graft until I got this call. I just thought they put in screws and rods.”
The body of Alistair Cooke, the former host of “Masterpiece Theatre,” was supposedly looted along with more than 1,000 others, according to two law enforcement officials close to the case. The tissue taken was typically skin, bone and tendon, which was then sold for use in procedures such as dental implants and hip replacements. According to authorities, millions of dollars were made by selling the body parts to companies for use in operations done at hospitals and clinics in the United States and Canada.
A New Jersey company, Biomedical Tissue Services, has reportedly been taking body parts from funeral homes across Brooklyn, New York. According to ABC News, they set up rooms like a “surgical suite.” After they took the bones, they replaced them with PVC pipe. This was purportedly done by stealth, without approval of the deceased person or the next of kin. 1,077 bodies were involved, say prosecuters.
Investagators say a former dentist, Michael Mastromarino, is behind the operation. Biomedical was considered one of the “hottest procurement companies in the country,” raking in close to $5 million. Eventually, people became worried: “Can the donors be trusted?” A tissue processing company called LifeCell answered no, and issued a recall on all their tissue.
Cooke’s daughter, Susan Cooke Kittredge, said, “To know his bones were sold was one thing, but to see him standing truncated before me is another entirely.” Now thousands of people around the country are receiving letters warning that they should be tested for infectious diseases like HIV or hepatitis. On February 23, the Brooklyn District Attorney indicted Mastromarino and three others. They are charged with 122 felony counts, including forgery and bodysnatching.