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Article 1: United States Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska was convicted Monday on seven counts of failing to report gifts. Stevens, a senior United States Senator from Alaska and the longest serving Republican in the Senate, had been accused of not reporting tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from the VECO Corporation including free house remodeling. The jury in the District of Columbia found Stevens guilty on all seven counts. Ted Stevens Bill Allen, VECO's CEO, is a longtime friend of Stevens and much of the case involved the specific interaction between Stevens and Allen. Allen had been previously convicted and had agreed to testify against Stevens and to record conversations he had with Stevens. The gifts given to Stevens included a massage chair that Stevens claimed was a loan but prosecutors noted was in Stevens house for over seven years. Stevens is up for reelection and was facing a tough reelection bid before the convictions. It is unlikely that Stevens will retain his seat in the Senate given the convictions. Stevens is considered to be a moderate Republican and was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership. While a long-time Senator with many accomplishments, Stevens is known to many for a speech against net neutrality in which he referred to the internet as a series of tubes. The New York Times has speculated that out-going United States President George W. Bush might pardon Stevens. Article 2: File photo of the U.S. Supreme Court as composed since June 30, 2022. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday in Colorado Supreme Court decision that had deemed Donald Trump, the former U.S. president, ineligible for Colorado's 2024 presidential Republican due to involvement in the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. The justices ruled the responsibility to disqualify a presidential candidate under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution "rests with Congress and not the States." The central issue in the case was whether Donald Trump, a candidate for the Republican nomination, was correctly ruled ineligible by the Colorado Supreme Court. The Colorado court found Trump's actions constituted an insurrection in opposition to the U.S. Constitution, disqualifying him from being president. No one may hold an office if they have taken an oath "to support the Constitution" while in certain roles but "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against it following that, the Fourteenth Amendment stated. The case began with a anchor=Legal by voters from the state in September aiming to have Trump be denied trial court in Colorado found, the president and presidency were not covered by Section 3. After the latter facet of the decision was overturned by the Colorado Supreme Court, Trump sought review from the U.S. Supreme Court. category:2024 United States presidential election

Article 1: UN Headquarters in New York. Yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly's Third Commission passed resolution L29 against capital punishment; the project was presented by New Zealand and Brazil, and was defended vigorously by Italy. With 99 votes in favor, 52 against and 33 abstentions, the necessary majority was met, needed in order to pass the resolution. Italy had proposed a resolution against capital punishments several times – in 1994, 1999, and in 2003 – but had been denied in all cases. , Italian Minister of State and Vicepresident of the Council, did not hold and expressed his content towards the result: es:La ONU aprueba resolución que condena a la pena de muerte it:Onu: voto favorevole alla moratoria contro la pena di morte Nações Unidas aprovam resolução contra a pena de morte Article 2: Ice Cube Curling Center at the 2014 Winter Paralympics on difficult playing conditions as a result of the warm temperature outside. In the morning session, the South Korea lost to Russia in the eighth end by a score of 5–7, the United States lost to Canada 2–7 in seven ends, Norway edged out Finland 6–8 in extra ends, and China defeated Sweden 8–4 in seven ends. At the conclusion of the morning session, round robin standing had Canada in first with 4 wins; Slovakia in second with 3 wins; Russia in third with 3 wins and 1 loss; Great Britain in fourth with 2 wins and 1 loss; China and Norway in fifth with 2 wins and 2 losses; South Korea, Sweden, and the United States in seventh place with 1 win and 3 losses; and Finland last with 4 losses. Finland and Norway were evenly matched, going point for point in the first pair of ends, trading 2 points each in the next pair of ends, then Norway scored 2 points and 1 point in the next ends with Finland answering back. Tied after eight ends, they went to extra ends which Norway won with 2 points. Outpacing other curlers on the ice, United States looked like they might be able to come back to tie things after their second end against Canada, and then only being down one after the fourth end, but Canada went on to score points in the next three ends. While Sweden won three of the seven ends they played against China, they were unable to beat the Chinese team who scored 2 points in two ends and 3 points in another end. In the fourth end, the 3 points came after a precision takeout by the Chinese skip Wang Haitao that cleared two Swedish stones off the sheet. With the crowd behind them the entire match, Russia came from behind after the first end and third end to tie things up in the fifth end and take the lead. They allowed the South Koreans to score two points in the seventh end to force an eighth end. Russian skip Andrei Smirnov cleared a South Korean stone sitting in front of three Russian stones off the sheet that gave the Russians a two point lead. The United States has not medaled at the past two Paraympic Games, with their best finish a fourth at the 2010 Games. Of the United States's curling team, two are returning wheelchair curling Paralympic veterans. James Joseph, the second, competed at the 2010 Winter Paralympics. The skip and lead (curling)|lead, competed in 2004 Summer Paralympics where she won a bronze medal. David Palmer, the third, is competing at his first games after having a fourth place finish at the 2013 World Championships in Russia and a fifth place finish at the 2012 World Championships in South Korea. Alternate and native Meghan Lino is also at her first Paralympic Games after taking up the sport in 2009. Sweden's team has three team members who competed at the 2010 Games in 1988 Summer Paralympics|1988, 1992, and metroprolol was a drug he had been using for 4 or 5 years, and was unhappy that his doctor prescribed the blood pressure reducing drug because he would not have intentionally taken a banned substance. The 2014 Games are the first Paralympics for Russia's wheelchair curling team. Alternate Oksana Slesarenko from and skip Andrei Smirnov also from Yekaterinburg have the most experience on the team, both having taken up the sport in 2003, and competing at the 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013 World Championships. Team Canada includes all five members of their 2013 World Championship winning team, including 63-year-old skip Jim Armstrong, 51-year-old Dennis John Thiessen, 52-year-old Ina Forrest, 47-year-old Sonja Gaudet, and 37-year-old Mark Ideson. Gaudet is the only wheelchair curling Paralympian with two gold medals, having won them in 2006 and 2010. Teammates Armstrong and Thiessen were part of the 2010 gold medal winning team. Gaudet also has gold medals from the 2009, 2011, and 2013 World Championships. While Armstrong was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1990 for his accomplishments in able bodied curling, Gaudet was the first wheelchair-only curler to be inducted when she was part of the 2013 class. South Korea has two returning 2010 Games silver medalists, Kang Mi-Suk and Kim Myung-Jin. Both originally played other sports before taking up curling. Kang played and Kim played wheelchair basketball. On Saturday, Russia beat China 5–4, South Korea lost to Norway 0–10, Canada beat Great Britain 6–3, and Slovakia defeated the United States 6–4 in the morning session. Sweden beat Finland 7–6, Canada beat Russia 5–4, the United States lost to South Korea 5–9, and Norway lost to China 3–7. In the morning session yesterday, the United States defeated Norway 8–5, Sweden lost to Great Britain by a score of 4–6, China lost to Slovakia 3–8, and Finland lost to Russia 4–7. In the afternoon session yesterday, Canada defeated Sweden 7–4, Finland lost to Slovakia 6–9, and Great Britain beat South Korea by a score of 8–4. Unlike able-bodied curling|anchor=Sweeping|sweeping. Another curler often sits behind the stone thrower to hold their chair in place while they execute their throw. Unlike a number of other Paralympic sports, there is only one classification in wheelchair curling and a variety of lower body disabilities compete in the sport. South Koreans Kim Myung-Jin and Kim Jong-Pan, Swede Kristina Ulander, Team USA's Meghan Lino, Patrick McDonald, and David Palmer, and Russians Alexander Shevchenko, Svetlana Pakhomova, Oksana Slesarenko, Andrei Smirnov, and Marat Romanov have spinal cord injuries. Canadian Jim Armstrong has injured knees. Canadian Ina Forrest lost her leg in a farming accident. Team USA's James Joseph has a limb deficiency.

Article 1: David Wood, an undertaker from Middlesbrough, England, received a six month suspended prison sentence yesterday for stealing the keys of a competitor's hearse. A Rolls-Royce Phantom VIWood stole the keys of the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI hearse on 23 September 2008, outside Middlesbrough's Salvation Army citadel, as people gathered for the funeral of Patricia Thorburn. The hearse had to be hot-wired to reach the crematorium, which caused mourners a delay of nearly an hour and large repair costs. Wood was under the impression Joel D. Kerr, the undertaker whose keys were stolen, had poached some of his business. He told his probation officer that his actions were "stupid, pathetic and childish". The incident was recorded on CCTV, and Wood pleaded guilty to theft. The judge, Recorder James Goss QC, told Wood that he "treated the death in this case and the funeral that was taking place with disrespect ... this is not really an offence of theft but an offence against public decency." Wood's barrister, Peter Makepeace, apologised on behalf of his client and pointed out that since the case was reported, Wood's business has suffered. Wood himself did not comment. In addition to his sentence, suspended for a year, Wood was ordered to pay £250 costs. A compensation hearing will occur at a later date. The keys, which Wood lost in his flight, have yet to be found. Article 2: Yesterday, Swiss footballer Xherdan Shaqiri joined Liverpool FC on a "long-term contract", the pound sterling|£13 million release clause in his contract with . File photo of Xherdan Shaqiri, 2015. 26-year-old Shaqiri joined Stoke in August 2015 from Italian club Internazionale for a reported fee of £12 million. In three seasons at Stoke City, Shaqiri made 84 league appearances scoring fifteen goals, 92 appearances in all competitions for The Potters. Last season, Stoke City were relegated to the . Shaqiri was the third signing of Liverpool this season. Club's manager Jürgen Klopp said, "I think the English phrase to explain the decision to sign Xherdan is a 'no-brainer'". Klopp went on to say, "I know him well from his time in Switzerland and especially Germany — I have been a long-time admirer. But the added bonus now is that he knows the Premier League and what it takes to perform in this uniquely intense environment." Before playing in England, Shaqiri played for in Switzerland, Bayern Munich in Germany, as well as for Internazionale. He won six league titles with Basel and Bayern, as well as the UEFA Champions League with Bayern in 2013, defeating Borussia Dortmund in the finals which were then managed by Jürgen Klopp. Internationally, Shaqiri has scored 21 goals in 74 appearances. In this year's FIFA World Cup, Shaqiri played all four matches, before losing out to Sweden in the Last 16 knockout phase. He scored one goal in the tournament, a 90th-minute winner against Serbia. Klopp also said of Shaqiri, "He has speed and ability, has the right amount of arrogance on the football pitch, real bravery to want the ball and influence things". After signing the contract, Shaqiri said, "As a player, you always want to be on the biggest stage in football. A few years ago I wanted to come too but it didn't happen. I'm really happy that now I'm finally here. I want to improve myself too, I want to be with the best and I want to win titles. That's what I'm here for." Shaqiri has been allocated jersey number 23. This season, Liverpool has signed RB Leipzig and Fabinho from . * * * *

Article 1: Cytological specimen for a Pap test, used to diagnose cervical cancer. Women should have this test performed periodically to prevent this disease. DNA orbit animated small.gif|thumb|left|182px|Radiotherapy and chemotherapy act together to damage the DNA of cancer cells. According to this new study, gemcitabine potentiates this effect.A research team from the Institute of Biomedical Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico has developed a therapy that extends survival for locally advanced cervical cancer patients. The study was started at the National Oncology Institute, before trials were conducted worldwide. The new treatment, which serves as a guideline worldwide, involves using the drug gemcitabine as a radiosensibilizing agent to potentiate the effects of a regime of cisplatin chemotherapy and radiotherapy, explained Alfonso Dueñas González, who led the study. Despite the addition of another drug making the scheme slightly more toxic, the secondary effects are acute and are present only during the 70 to 80 days the treatment lasts, during which the patient can become weak, as with any chemotherapy. Under this treatment, the survival of patients rises to 78 percent. This is 9 percent above conventional methods, as concluded the study in its phase III, which lasted four years and involved 515 patients from different countries. Despite cervical cancer being preventable if detected early by the Pap test, it causes more than 250,000 deaths a year worldwide, becoming the second cause of death by carcinoma among women, and the second most diagnosed illness in this group. One of the advantages of this therapy is that both gemcitabine and cisplatin are affordable drugs, which makes it available for the world population and may help reduce the death rate by this disease. According to Dueñas González, although cervical cancer should be fought by focusing on early detection rather than on treatment, the therapy is expected to start being used in short by health institutions throughout the world. Article 2: An investigation into Scientology and Tom Cruise which was set to air this past Friday on the American television program 20/20 was removed from broadcast by ABC News. This is not the first time that ABC News has pulled an investigation into Scientology from airing on 20/20. ABC 77 W66 jeh.JPG|thumb|left|ABC News headquarters in New York City, New York. (2008) A American Broadcasting Company|ABC on Thursday announced the scheduled airing of the investigation. It described the program as "an in-depth look" by Elizabeth Vargas into the recent report on Tom Cruise and Scientology by journalist Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair in its October 2012 publication. An analysis of the situation by The Village Voice pointed out that in 2008, actor and former Scientologist Jason Beghe was interviewed by Elizabeth Vargas after he had flown to New York. Beghe recounted to Vargas his experiences within Scientology and his decision to cease activity in the organization. However, this interview by Vargas was never shown on ABC. Ortega noted, "Then, Friday night, ABC caved again, and this time much more publicly." He highlighted a television screenshot which displays clearly the description given by ABC for the 20/20 program scheduled for Friday: "20/20. New. 'Lovestyles of the Rich and Famous; The Camera Never Lies' Journalist Maureen Orth discusses her recent article in Vanity Fair on Scientology and actor Tom Cruise; celebrity". According to Ortega, this was to be a significant investigation into Scientology. It was going to cover topics including the recent divorce of actress Katie Holmes from Tom Cruise, the role of minors within the Scientology organization, material on Scientology's chief David Miscavige, and controversy regarding the elite Scientology group known as the . Ortega was himself interviewed as part of the investigation, which he was told would comprise an hour-long broadcast. In addition to Ortega, former Scientologists Marc Headley and his wife Claire were interviewed by ABC News for the 20/20 piece which they were informed would be complemented by a news segment on Scientology and abortion|mandatory abortions she experienced while a member of the in Scientology; Ortega reported that this interview moved the ABC television crew to tears. Marc Headley confirmed that he had learned of the ABC News decision. In a post Friday to a Office of Special Affairs — a department within Scientology which has been compared to an intelligence agency that handles legal affairs and public relations. Downstat refers to a negative impact on statistics gathered by Scientology members of the Sea Org due to critical investigations of the organization by the media.

Article 1: The parliament of Togo has unanimously voted to abolish the death penalty for all crimes. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who had been campaigning for a global moratorium on the death penalty, witnessed the vote. Zapatero commented on the vote, calling it a “giant step for Togo”. Togo’s Justice Minister Kokuo Tozoun said "I think that it's the best decision that we took in this year... we don't have the right to give death to someone if we know that death is not a good thing to give." According to human rights organisation Amnesty International, Togo has become the 15th African nation to abolish the death penalty and the 94th country in the world to do so. There were around 6 inmates on death row in Togo despite the fact that an execution had not been carried out since 1978. Those on death row will have the sentence changed to life imprisonment. Article 2: The Drph17 Finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of Seven (G7), ending a three-day summit in Niigata, Japan, issued a communiqué on Saturday vowing to implement a plan to diversify supply chains by year's end while stating: "We need to remain vigilant and stay agile and flexible in our macroeconomic policy amid heightened uncertainty about the global economic outlook." The plan would use aid to increase the importance of low- and middle-income countries in energy-related supply chains. The communiqué said: "Diversification of supply chains can contribute to safeguarding energy security and help us to maintain macroeconomic stability". The communiqué credited Great Recession-era legislation as keeping markets "resilient" against turmoil in the banking system. The central bank leaders committed themselves to countering "elevated" inflation. The group expressed intentions to enforce sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and called "for an immediate end of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine, which would clear one of the biggest uncertainties over the global economic outlook". Japanese Finance Minister Shun'ichi Suzuki told press, "through the pandemic, we learned that supply chains tended to depend on a limited number of countries or one country", noting this caused shortages across countries of items including medicines and computer chips. Suzuki described economic security during the global transition to clean energy as dependent on diversifying the relevant supply chains. Suzuki said attendees discussed the possibility of the United States defaulting on its debts at a dinner on Thursday, declining to give more details. While not in the communiqué, Reuters characterized it as prominent in talks. US Treasury Secretary previously warned a default could occur in weeks if US lawmakers do not lift the nation's debt ceiling. United Kingdom Chancellor said that outcome would be "absolutely devastating". G7 leaders are scheduled to gather beginning Friday in .

Article 1: An analysis of melatonin studies has upheld the controversial supplement's effectiveness as a sleep aid. The analysis, which included 17 peer-reviewed scientific papers, was aimed at determining whether supplements of the hormone can improve sleep among insomniacs, older adults and others. "A meta-analysis essentially tells 'yes' or 'no'—that a treatment does or does not have a significant effect," says Richard Wurtman of MIT, the study's principal investigator. "When a meta-analysis says 'yes,' there should no longer be any controversy about whether the treatment works." Previous studies by Wurtman and colleagues showed that small doses of melatonin, about 0.3 milligrams, are necessary for restful effects. The researchers found, however, that commercially available melatonin pills can contain 10 times the effective amount. At that dose, says Wurtman, the hormone's effects end after a few days because melatonin receptors in the brain become unresponsive when exposed to too much of the hormone. Such inadvertent overdosing, say the researchers, has contributed to controversy over melatonin's efficacy. But the new meta-analysis shows that melatonin does indeed have positive effects on sleep—even though some of the analyzed studies also involved high doses of the hormone. The research is reported in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews. Article 2: Donald Trump July 2023 by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|left|Trump at last month's West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach, Florida. Monday, a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury seated in Atlanta indicted nineteen people, including former United States President Donald Trump, on 41 counts overall, Trump himself facing thirteen. Referencing the Republican's election loss to President Joe Biden in 2020 in Georgia and nationally, it alleged they "refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump." The grand jury's indictment continued: "That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states." Fulton County District Attorney told press later the accused had eleven days to surrender. Trump faced a charge of violating the Georgia (RICO) along with his co-defendants; three counts of soliciting a public officer to violate their oath; conspiracy to commit impersonation of a public officer; two each of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and false statements and writings; conspiracy to commit filing false documents; and filing false documents. Trump said the day of the indictment: "I didn't tamper with the election!" Ahead of the announcement of the charges, his 2024 presidential campaign claimed the prosecution the Democratic Willis was leading was "election interference". In a statement the campaign said: "The timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations." He previously repeatedly asked for her disqualification based on her public remarks on the case. On Tuesday, he wrote on his social media website, Bedminster, New Jersey|Bedminster, New Jersey". On Thursday, he announced he would not stage the press conference, posting to Truth Social: "Rather than releasing the Report on the Rigged & Stolen Georgia 2020 Presidential Election on Monday, my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable & Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud & Irregularities in formal Legal Filings as we fight to dismiss this disgraceful Indictment". This fourth case followed indictments of the former president in New York City, on state-level charges of to conceal hush money payments, the first indictment of a US president Miami, Florida, on federal charges of purposeful retention of classified documents; and Washington, D.C., on federal charges of "pursuit of unlawful means of discounting legitimate votes and subverting" the 2020 election. Unlike impeachment and conviction by the US Congress, a criminal conviction unrelated to insurrection would not have legal effects on Trump's campaign, but, as the charges were state-level, a US president could not pardon those, if any, found guilty or remove state prosecutors. In its 98 pages, the indictment mentioned 30 more involved in the conspiracy, but did not charge or name them. It said Trump and associates, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani and , both indicted alongside him Monday, unsuccessfully attempted to persuade state officials involved in the certification of the results. It described Trump asking Governor Brad Raffensperger, both Republicans, to interfere with the results — calling Raffensperger on January 2, 2021 to ask him to "find" votes so Trump could overcome Biden's victory and employees to pronounce the results "corrupt". It said Trump made false claims of election fraud in, without success, petitioning courts to undo the results in lawsuits against Georgia. The indictment. According to the indictment, Trump organized individuals to present themselves as legitimate electors, including state Republican Party chairman David Shafer and Cathleen Latham; some said the Trump campaign told them they would cast their presidential votes only if Trump's legal efforts to overturn Biden's victory were successful. The grand jury indicted Shafer and , another alleged participant in the scheme, who worked on Trump's 2020 campaign. The indictment continued Trump attorneys three times attempted to convince members of the Republican-majority Georgia legislature to present their election fraud allegations. It said the US Department of Justice's civil division's top official, , prepared a never-sent letter asking legislators to "convene a special session" on the results and the electors it would certify to vote for president, charging Clark. The grand jury described how "several of the Defendants ... falsely accused Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman of committing election crimes", then used these claims as basis for their argument the Georgia legislature and others in its government should alter the results. Executive Office Chief of Staff of trying to gain unauthorized entry to a

Article 1: Elizabeth meeting the crowds, during an unknown 2005 tour. An American quarter from 2000, commemorating the Quadricentennial. It depicts the Susan Constant, Godspeed, Discovery ships that first arrived at Jamestown. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the Duke of Edinburgh are set to visit the United States in May 2007 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement. This will be Her Majesty’s fourth State Visit to the United States. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh welcomed President and Mrs. Bush on a State Visit to the United Kingdom at Buckingham Palace in November 2003 – during that visit, Her Majesty paid tribute to the 'special relationship' between the United Kingdom and the United States. A statement released by the White House read: "Laura and I welcome Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, for a State Visit in May 2007 to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement. "The United States and the United Kingdom enjoy an extraordinary friendship that is sustained by deep historical and cultural ties and a commitment to defend freedom around the world. We look forward to Her Majesty's State Visit as an occasion to celebrate these enduring bonds." The Queen herself mentioned the upcoming visit in this week's Speech from the Throne during the British State Opening of Parliament. "The Duke of Edinburgh and I look forward to our State Visit to the United States of America in May 2007 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement." Virginia officials coordinating the ongoing Jamestown commemoration have scheduled an America's Anniversary Weekend event on and near Jamestown May 11, 12, and 13. Jamestown, the first British settlement of North America, was established in the name of His Majesty, King James I of England. * Article 2: Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. Two groups of researchers have independently identified the the protein responsible for transmission to mosquitoes in studies published in journal on Sunday. The scientists found a direct relationship between the protein AP2-G's with malaria (male and female sexual forms) production, which is necessary for the transmission. Only the sexual forms infect mosquitoes and sexual reproduction occurs within the mosquito digestive tract. Malaria is caused by parasites. The initially separate teams looked at different plasmodium species. One, an international group led by Manuel Llinás of Plasmodium falciparum, which is responsible for the worst form of human malarial infections; the other, led by UK scientists Oliver Billker from the in England and Andy Waters from in Scotland, looked at , which infects rodents. The P. falciparum group was kickstarted by research in Spain which found different organisms from the same with identical correlation to their levels of sexual activity. The more AP2-G, the higher the rate of gametocyte formation. Researchers in England, later also drawn into the international team, analyzed the of two mutated strains of P. falciparum which were both unable to form gametocytes. They found that the gene responsible for producing the AP2-G protein was the only common non-functioning gene. The international team found found the AP2-G protein catalyzes the transmission by activating a relevant gene set in the parasite. Health care for sick babies (5686758533).jpg|thumb|left|250px|Women tend to their malaria-infected babies in Angola. Both teams confirmed the finding by — both by adding the gene into a mutated strain and observing its ability to form gametocytes, and the other way round. The parasites exist in a mosquito, then in a human, and require subsequent transmission for the parasite to spread. The transmission can only happen through gametocytes. The parasite triggers formation of the sexual gametocytes into the human's circulatory system every two days in small quantities — not wasting energy on the process at the dry time of year when few mosquitoes are available — but little was known about the mechanism. Dr. Oliver Billker commented on the potential of getting the transmission of malaria under control, unlike the existing focus on addressing the phrase causing the clinical symptoms, "Current drugs treat patients by killing the sexless form of the parasite in their blood — this is the detrimental stage of the malaria lifecycle that causes illness. However, it is now widely accepted that to eliminate malaria from an entire region, it will be equally important to kill the sexual forms that transmit the disease." The researchers hope to continue research toward drugs to prevent the transmission of the disease. The science was funded by groups including UK research councils, the Spanish government, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the European Commission.

Article 1: Combat match at RoboGames 2008 The 6th annual RoboGames, a robot competition that takes place in the United States, was held this month with 403 robots from 18 different parts of the globe competing in the categories of combat, sumo, robo-one/androids, open, hockey, art bots and junior league. This year's medals went to the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea and Russia (see table below). Other participants were Australia, Austria, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Peru and Taiwan. 'RoboGames 2009' Flag Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 40px United States 31 30 24 '85' 40px Mexico 2 3 4 '9' 40px United Kingdom 6 2 0 '8' 40px Brazil 2 3 2 '7' 40px India 0 1 2 '3' 40px Canada 1 0 1 '2' 40px Indonesia 1 0 0 '1' 40px South Korea 1 0 0 '1' 40px Russia 1 0 0 '1' Although the host country carried off most of the medals, visiting countries stood out at some events, like Mexico at 1 lb autonomous combat, 500 g autonomous sumo, 100 g autonomous sumo and autonomous line follower, Brazil at 3kg sumo (both autonomous and radio-controlled), and the United Kingdom in the "best of show" and "walker challenge" modalities. "Taking part gave us the opportunity to test our knowledge against students from other nations, and proved that we are at the same level or better than other students from famous schools", said Mexico's National Polytechnic Institute student Erick Rodríguez who, along with his fellow team member Rogelio Baeza, took gold in the autonomous line follower event. RoboGames, previously ROBOlympics, holds the Guinness Record for “world’s largest robot competition”. It was founded in 2004 by David Calkins to help robot builders exchange ideas and learn from each other. Article 2: On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined the calls by United Kingdom officials asking the United States to waive diplomatic immunity for Anne Sacoolas. Sacoolas, who has immunity as a diplomat's wife, was involved in a traffic collision which killed motorcyclist Harry Dunn on August 27. She subsequently left the UK and returned to the US. Prime Minister Johnson was questioned about the case while speaking to the press at a hospital in . He said, "I think everybody's sympathies are very much with the family of Harry Dunn and our condolences to them for their tragic loss. I must answer you directly, I do not think that it can be right to use the process of diplomatic immunity for this type of purpose." Johnson continued, "And I hope that Anne Sacoolas will come back and will engage properly with the processes of law as they are carried out in this country. That's a point that we've raised or are raising today with the American ambassador here in the UK and I hope it will be resolved very shortly. And to anticipate a question you might want to raise, if we can't resolve it then of course I will be raising it myself personally with the White House." The White House refers to the United States president's office. Harry Dunn, a 19-year-old motorcyclist was struck by a traffic camera footage. The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. BST (1930 UTC) on August 27. He died from his injuries at RAF Croughton which is a intelligence base used by both the Royal Air Force and the US Air Force. Northamptonshire police were able to determine the Volvo had come from RAF Croughton and spoke with Anne Sacoolas as a suspect. She informed police she had diplomatic immunity, but "that she had no plans to leave the country in the near future". Normally, only embassy workers — and their spouses — in London have diplomatic immunity, but in a 1994 agreement it was extended to all US workers at RAF Croughton. Despite the assurances, she and her husband Jonathan Socoolas left the country, police revealed on Saturday. Northamptonshire's chief constable Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner|Police and Crime Commissioner United States Department of State. Foreign Secretary urged the embassy to reconsider and spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the case. The State Department gave its "deepest sympathies" and said immunity cases were afforded "intense attention at senior levels and are considered carefully given the global impact such decisions carry". Dunn's mother, Charlotte Charles, said on TV, "She didn't purposely drive on the other side of the road... if she'd have stayed and faced us as a family we could have found that forgiveness... but forgiving her for leaving, I'm nowhere near." Charles told the Daily Mail, "All we need to do is ask her to come back. It’s not much to ask. She’s left a family in complete ruin. We’re broken."

Article 1: In a report from the Department of Homeland Security released on Friday, March 25, they allege the US Transportation Security Administration "made inaccurate statements" about its management of personal data belonging to passengers. The report claims, "TSA did not ensure that privacy protections were in place" as it handled data transfers to private contractors for use in the development of a computerized passenger screening application, called CAPPS II. While the report criticizes TSA for its inaccurate statements, it notes the "misstatements were apparently not meant to mischaracterize known facts," but were instead "premised on an incomplete understanding" of the truth. According to the report, the data at issue described passengers flying on the following airlines: America West Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, and JetBlue Airways. In most of the problematic transfers, the privacy violation occurred by allowing third parties to access passenger data that was not anonymized. In one case, passenger information was made public on the internet through a presentation prepared by Torch Concepts. According to the report, " Torch Concepts' subsequent efforts to remove the presentation from the internet have failed." In an AP report, Yahoo! News notes that TSA announced the launch of its "Secure Flight" system, saying, "Congress has said the agency can't proceed with Secure Flight unless the Government Accountability Office reports that the technology ensures privacy and that the data are protected." The report from the GAO was to be released Monday, March 27, 2005. * * Article 2: Grady Little had been the Dodgers manager until Tuesday when he resigned from the team with one year remaining on his three-year contract. 'Sources' * * * The recent successes in India stock markets raised concerns that stocks are being valued too highly, causing an economic bubble that could be subject to correction. 'Sources' * * The union's contract expired on Wednesday. Production of many television series and films will continue in the short term because of scripts that are already written. However, a strike will have an immediate impact on talk shows whose writing relies on current events. The last strike by the Writers Guild in 1988 lasted nearly half a year. 'Sources' * * *

Article 1: On Saturday, England defeated two-time world champion Germany by 1–0 in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup|2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, which was held in Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, and won the bronze medal. Germany had a greater possession of the ball against England in the match. Three English players were yellow carded in the match with 30 fouls committed. Nobody scored in either half of the match. Karen Bardsley, and of the English team were booked in the 77th, 83rd, and 90+2nd minutes respectively. As the scores were 0–0 at the end of 90 minutes of game play, the match proceeded in extra time. In the 108th minute, England won a penalty kick. Karen Bardsley denied the Germans to claim the bronze medal. ---- Article 2: On Monday, Italian midfielder football. A 2006

Article 1: The of the Economics of Climate Change put the cost of keeping emissions at 550 parts per million at one percent of global GDP A leaked draft report, by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), due to be published next year, estimates this cost could be between one and five percent of global GDP. The Stern Review put the costs of not acting to resist climate change could be between 5 and 20 percent GDP. It is reported that UK Ministers are to travel to India and America to promote the Stern Review. Their task will not be eased by the leaked IPCC report which is now said to be available freely on the internet. Following the Stern Review, Chancellor Gordon Brown urged the member states of the to tighten their targets even further. Article 2: Mahabodhi Temple in December, 2006. A 'terrorist attack' took place yesterday in the form of reportedly at least four explosions at the Bodh Gaya, India. Four other explosions took place in the vicinity, including one near an eighty-foot tall statue of Buddha and three at Tergar bombs were discovered and all were diffused. Early reports claim little damage was done to the temple. Two were injured. Police commented that Sundays are quiet days at the temple, or more could have been injured. One suspect has been arrested based on closed circuit television that recorded two men placing bombs at the temple. Mahabodhi Temple is considered one of the holiest sites in Buddhism and in India. Totaling twelve acres, it is a designated Bodhi tree, where Buddhists believe that enlightenment in Buddhism|enlightenment. The bombs were described as "low-intensity but not crude," according to police. The bombs used comprised of a small container with gas, a analog clock. The bombs were timed to explode at 5:45 AM local time, when Buddhists start praying in the morning. The bombs actually went off starting at 5:25 AM and ending at 5:58 AM local time. Early reports state that while the temple suffered little damage, the staircase near the Bodhi tree suffered damage and windows were broken. The Bodhi tree suffered no damage. 200 monks live at the monastery, where daily classes take place during the times when the explosions happened. However, no classes were being held the morning of the attack. The Indian Mujahideen claimed to have visited Mahabodhi Temple to plan a terrorist attack. That led to the arrests of four suspects involved in the Indian Mujahideen, who were believed to have been involved in the Bihar about the potential of a terrorist attack. Political conflict has risen in the wake of the attacks between the Indian National Congress. BJP is accusing the , which is under the umbrella of the Indian National Congress, of ignoring the Indian Mujahideen's threats about attacking the temple. The Ministry also believes that it could be tied to conflicts in Myanmar between Buddhists and Muslims, despite the rarity of violence against Buddhists in India. Additional security has been placed at Buddhist temples and Patna. * * * * * * *

Article 1: A visit to Green Zone" on two separate days last week (March 22 and 24, 2005) has convinced Washington's Democratic senators and representatives that things are going well. The Senate delegation, led by Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev), visited on Tuesday. The House delegation, led by Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), visited two days later. They all came away from their whirlwind visits with opinions that although conditions were improving there would still be many years of American occupation before Iraq could be a true democracy. "Although progress has been made, there is a significant way to go until the Iraqis are capable of providing for their security," said Pelosi, the House Democratic leader. She led an eight-member group that included seven Democrats and Republican Rep. (R-Vista) (San Diego County). The delegations spent their one day in Iraq's Green Zone, the heavily protected area in downtown Baghdad that serves as headquarters for the 150,000 U.S. military forces and diplomats and the Iraqi government. They headed to their other stops in Israel, Egypt. Security was tight and didn’t allow for any additional travel in the war torn nation. The sole Republican in the Congressional delegation, Issa, said "I believe it will be a fairly long stay." Pelosi’s comments echoed Issa, and added "the cost of this war is huge to the American people," citing 1,500 service personnel the Bush administration has admitted were killed in action, and the estimated $500 million-a-day price tag. "The message some of us had for our military leaders and Iraqi leaders is that whatever it takes to transfer security responsibilities should be applied now. It's long overdue," she added. An emotional trip to Beirut, Lebanon, by the congressional delegation included a visit to the grave of former Prime Minister , who was assassinated in a Feb. 14 bombing that is blamed, but not substantiated, to have been committed by Syrian agents. Darrell Issa, of Lebanese descent, noted "there's a huge permanent group of mourners at his grave, with hundreds of tents set up.'’ Senator Reid stressed the need for continued U.S. support for reconstruction efforts, along with training Iraqi security forces to replace U.S. military personnel and help bolster the Iraqi economy and political structure. "Everyone understands that reconstruction is an important part of the U.S. mission here," he added. Senate Minority Whip (D-Ill.) agreed: "I believe what we are seeing here is good." Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a leading critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, seemed upbeat about the future of the new Iraq government. Iraq's future stability "greatly depends on the training of Iraqi security forces." "We got a very, very upbeat report from the top U.S. military officials,” she added. All of the delegation seemed to agree that their trip enforced the enormity of the challenge and the financial need to help the Iraqi people. This would require a continued input of American taxpayer dollars and left little doubt that they would line up to support the Bush administration’s proposed new $81 billion dollars (US) in expenditures there. * Congressional delegation sees progress... San Francisco Chronicle March 26, 2005 * Senators encouraged by progress in Iraq The Hill March 23, 2005 Article 2: Sen. George Allen (R-VA) today conceded the senatorial race to Democrat James Webb, confirming that there would be a Democratic majority in the Senate and the House for the first time in over a decade. With this win, the Democrats have now gained more seats in Congress than the Republicans did in the 1994 'Republican Revolution' that first brought Conservatives to control of the House and the Senate. Webb won the Virginia seat by 7200 votes out of 2.37 million, as reported by the Washington Post. When Allen did not request a recount, that ensured a Democratic majority in the Senate. Rumor said that Allen had hoped to use his Senate seat as a springboard to a run for the Presidency; and more rumors suggested that if Vice President Dick Cheney were forced to resign ("due to ill health") following investigations of laws broken by Bush and Cheney, that Allen had hoped to be appointed in Cheney's stead. With the loss of the Senate seat, Allen's visions of a Presidential run have become impossible. Webb, who was a decorated Vietnam veteran and an early opponent of the war in Iraq, is quoted (by atrios at http://atrios.blogspot.com/) as saying that he was particularly concerned with issues of economic fairness and social justice: "It was reported that I came to the Democratic party purely on issues regarding the Iraq war. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think I and a lot of people like me had aligned themselves with the Republican party on national security issues but were always concerned about issues of economic fairness and social justice."

Article 1: In 2007, Silvio Berlusconi pledged to create a solution to Italy's ever-growing problem with litter. Residents of , however, claim that nothing has been done to clear up the refuse on their streets. Five police officers were injured as they attempted to quell a demonstration over plans to build a large garbage tip on the edge of an Italian town, officials confirmed on Saturday. Two police officers and three Terzigno, a municipality in the , hurled stones and fireworks at the police, who responded by attempting to disperse the demonstrators using teargas and baton charges. Protesters are campaigning against the opening of a new waste dump near the town, and the incident on Saturday is the latest in a series of demonstrations in which campaigners are preventing access to the existing garbage tip. The blockade means waste disposal workers are unable to collect refuse, and it has been reported that 2,000 tones of rubbish has already piled up on the streets of Naples. Protesters set the garbage alight on Friday evening, , the mayor of Naples confirmed. Some protesters burned Italian flags and set cars on fire. "The bad smell bothers us, but it is the lesser evil," one protester, a grammar school teacher, said. "The most important thing is that we are dying here, there is leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, there are the most terrible diseases around." Two parents added that their children were suffering from respiratory problems and paediatricians had advised them to move away from the area. "They have ruined our lives, the lives of our children who are growing up in a world of rubbish, they are destroying our lives day by day," said one. In 2007, Silvio Berlusconi pledged to create a solution to Italy's ever-growing problem with litter. However, a European commisioner has warned the Italian government that they may face legal action from the Janez Potočnik, the . He added that the EU were considering sending a team to the area to assess whether laws protecting human health and the enviroment were being breached. "Today's situation leads us to believe that measures taken by Italian authorities since 2007 are insufficient," he said. "What has been happening in the last days shows that the Italian authorities have not yet done what is needed." Mr. Potočnik added that he felt that the region still had no waste management and that the only incinerator "is not functioning properly and at full capacity." * * * Article 2: On Friday, several free knowledge, culture and open source oriented organisations — Creative Commons, Mozilla, and the Wikimedia Foundation, amongst others — collectively announced a three-year commitment for a free-culture fellowship to honour 's continuing influence on the open web, during the Wikimedia's annual conference Wikimania in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Palestinian-Syrian Khartabil was held in captivity under the Syrian government starting in 2012 and went silent in prison in 2015. Early this month his wife confirmed Khartabil had been executed in 2015. File photo of Joi ( flickr) ( CC BY 2.0) Khartabil worked as a computer engineer and contributed to Mozilla and Wikipedia. A supporter of free access to knowledge and culture, Khartabil co-founded Syria's first hackerspace, Aiki Lab, and led Creative Commons' Syrian project. The fellowship to honour Khartabil aims to promote free culture in various forms, including art, music, software, and community. On their official blog, Creative Commons said they would encourage applications from the , Middle East, and North Africa. is to act as a supporting partner and the fellows would receive a stipend of US$50 thousand over the course of ten months. The fellowship is to be awarded on a one-year basis, which could be renewed. Additionally, the organisations are to provide up to US$3000 for the candidates to purchase equipment and software. Promoting candidates from "closed societies" from the countries with a history of oppression of freedom of expression and access to free knowledge, the fellowship laid three requirements for the eligibility. The applicants must have a history of contribution to the open source/access or free culture communities, and propose in their application an initiative promoting free culture values, and in which the fellowship would be their primary work focus. The fellowship applications are to be accepted from February, and the fellowship is to be awarded in April. Apart from contributing to Mozilla and , Bassel Khartabil developed "Aiki", an open source framework which is currently used by and . He was listed among Top Global Thinkers by , and given a Digital Freedom Award by the . Khartabil was arrested by the Syrian military in March 2012. Following time in a Syrian General Intelligence Directorate facility, nine months after his arrest he was transferred to , and permitted family visits. He was relocated to an undisclosed facility in October 2015, and executed soon after. His wife, Noura Ghazi Safadi, confirmed Khartabil's death on August 1 via a Facebook post.

Article 1: On Monday, Canada held a general election to select the members of the House of Commons for the 43rd Canadian Parliament. The Liberal Party, which previously controlled a majority of the House of Commons, lost a net of 20 seats, according to preliminary reports, resulting in a minority government. Trudeau in Lima, Peru in 2018 In early September, Governor General of Canada, dissolved the 42nd Canadian Parliament, triggering the elections. She did so at the request of Justin Trudeau, then the Prime Minister. + '2019 Canadian Election results'1 Party Seats Change2 Liberal Party of Canada 157 20 Conservative Party of Canada 121 26 32 Article 2: On Friday, after three earthquakes hit near both the and about 105 km off New Zealand's east coast, people across New Zealand were instructed by the government to stay away from beach and shore areas. The first earthquake hit at 2:27 AM local time at a depth of 10km, and registered 7.1 according to National Emergency Management Agency (New Zealand)|National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Radio New Zealand reported more than a dozen aftershocks, some as strong as 5.4, were recorded. NEMA had issued a warning around 9:45 AM there was a land and marine threat and flooding was expected on the Northland coast from Whangārei and Matata to . However, this advice was later revised. At 2:48 PM, the tsunami warning was cancelled. The newer notifications mentioned "Strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges will continue for up to another 24 hours", and residents were instructed to "remain vigilant and take extra precautions". On Jacinda Ardern posted "Hope everyone is OK out there – especially on the East Coast who would have felt the full force of that earthquake". Minister for Emergency Management stated in a press conference all of Ōpōtiki had been evacuated, and "people have done the right things in the regions by picking up and packing up and staying calm."

Article 1: A photo of Clay Duke An armed gunman took hostages and fired shots during a school board meeting in Panama City, Florida at the Bay District Schools' Nelson Building Tuesday. The gunman has been identified as , 56, whose wife had been fired by the school district. Duke fired at board members until he was shot and wounded by district security chief Mike Jones. Shortly afterwards Duke shot himself in the head. Only Duke was injured in the fray even though he shot at Superintendent Bill Husfelt and other board members at close range. Duke opened fire, after rambling on about the firing of his wife and sales tax. Husfelt pleaded with Duke to let the others go as he was responsible for his wifes firing, however Duke raised the gun and began to fire. After firing on the board members, Duke was shot several times by former School Board member and district security chief Mike Jones. Jones was not in the room at the time, and was alerted of the situation. After being shot by Jones, Duke proceeded to place the gun to his head and shot himself. Duke was pronounced dead shortly after at a local hospital and an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. Jones, although not physically injured, was admitted to hospital for observation. After the shooting Superintendent Husfelt admitted that he "really didn’t know what he Duke was talking about." Husfelt believes that Duke used a combination of blanks and live rounds, however the police are adamant that Duke used only live rounds. Panama City police chief, John Van Etten, described the gun as a small caliber handgun, however superintendent Husfelt said, "It looked like a shotgun when it was pointed at me" A spokesperson for the school board, Karen Tucker, described Duke as "a large guy" and reported that she had seen him sitting at the back of the room. A member of the board, Ginger Littleton, along with the other women and children, were sent out of the room, however she returned to the room as she could not leave the others behind. She tried to disarm Duke by hitting him with her heavy handbag, however it was not heavy enough as Duke knocked her down. She said that he aimed "directly at my Littleton's brain", but he did not fire at her and she eventually escaped the room unharmed. A team burst into the meeting room and were initially thought to have shot Duke, but it was later determined that Duke had shot himself, according to police. The gunman was taken out of the meeting room on a stretcher. Witness have said that shots were heard, however there are reports circulating that the gunman shot blanks instead of live rounds. A reporter who was in the room at the time thinks the weapon may have been a "cap gun", but police say that the weapon was a pistol loaded with live rounds. The gunman allegedly spray painted the letter 'V' on the meeting room wall. The 'V' is the same symbol used in the movie . * * * * Article 2: Yesterday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid EDT (1512 UTC) from dark energy, and the . An artist's impression of Euclid. Costing €1.4 billion, Euclid was to spend about a month traveling around to the James Webb Space Telescope. There, it would observe about a third of the sky beyond the Milky Way for six years. NASA designed and built Euclid's Near Infrared Photometer, and NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center|IPAC senior research scientist stated Euclid and Roman would "add up to much more than the sum of their parts ... Combining their observations will give astronomers a better sense of what's actually going on in the universe." Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Euclid was scheduled for launch from French Guiana on a Russian Soyuz rocket in March 2023.

Article 1: Russia 2018 World Cup.jpeg|thumb|left|Russian bid personnel celebrate the awarding to Russia the Alexander Wilf Football's governing body, FIFA, today announced Russia is to host the 2022 World Cup. The decision was made by FIFA's 22 executive members, who conducted a ballot in today. Russia beat England, Spain-Portugal and Holland-Belgium to host the event in 2018. The Qatar bid was picked ahead of the United States, Australia, Japan, and South Korea to stage the 2022 tournament. Deputy Prime Minister of Russia spoke briefly to react to his country's victory. "You have entrusted us with the FIFA World Cup for 2018 and I can promise, we all can promise, you will never regret it. Let us make history together," he said. Some analysts had suggested that Russia would not win the right to host the tournament, since Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had decided not to travel to Zurich, but remained in Moscow. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said of Russia: "I am sure that to organise the World Cup in that region, or that continent, it will do a lot of good for this part of the world." Russia captain said he was "very, very happy" with the result. "It is going to have a huge impact in sports, in our economy, in the development of the country and even in politics. The influence of football in the world is huge. You can see that even today with the presentations and those who were making them," he said. "It’s going to be the best World Cup in history because Russians are so hospitable. I hope it will change the way that Europe and the world view Russia—and hopefully change the opinion of Russian people too." Sheikh Emir of Qatar, praised FIFA for "believing in change". "Everyone is celebrating in the Middle East; everyone was behind us since the very beginning. They believed in us the whole way. And I’m so glad FIFA believed in us as well," Al Thani added. "I’m speechless, but very proud and happy. I’m so proud that the Middle East was recognised by FIFA. We are so privileged to have a tournament like this coming to our region for the first time. It shows the value of FIFA and what it stands for as an organisation. As I promised, we will not let FIFA down. Everything we have promised until now will become a reality." Speaking about why Qatar won the bid, he said: "What made us different is that we pushed the boundaries; we created new concepts, things which were not conventional but still very possible, very realistic for a country like ours. Therefore we are very proud to represent a new era, a new age for FIFA to look towards the future—the World Cup is for everyone. The managing director for the Spain-Portugal joint bid, Miguel Angel Lopez, commented on losing out to Russia. “FIFA thought it was better to promote football in other latitudes and there we are," he said. "The decision is focused on taking football to regions which have never held a World Cup." Former Belgian footballer said: “Russia is a political choice and Qatar is an economic choice. You can say that to some extent the sport has been the loser with the decision for these two World Cups.” Japan Football Association Kuniya Daini added: “We had heard people say our bid was too soon so it’s possible that was the reason. We knew it would be tough but it’s still a big disappointment. We have set a target of hosting the World Cup alone by 2050 so we will be bidding again.” The Australian Sports Minister told local media: “We’re all pretty shattered over here. It was a bit unexpected because we thought we had run a first-class campaign to win. We did our best ... unfortunately it wasn’t the case.” Making the announcement, Blatter said: "We have had four bidders for 2018 and we can have only one winner. Three of the bidding associations must go home saying 'what a pity'. But they must say football is not only by winning but football is also a school of life where you learn to lose. That's not easy." The 2010 World Cup was held earlier this year in South Africa, and Brazil will host the . When the bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments were announced in March 2009, Blatter praised the number of countries who wanted to host. "We are very pleased about the fantastic level of interest in our flagship competition, with all initial bidders confirming their candidature." __NOTOC__ Article 2: On Tuesday, Captain Sir Tom Moore died after suffering from COVID-19 and Bedford, England. Moore had raised nearly £ 33 million for the Burma campaign. Moore in around 1940. His daughters announced his death saying "the last year of our father's life was nothing short of remarkable", adding he was "an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay in our hearts forever". Moore was born in British Army in 1939. After leaving the army, he was an instructor in the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Dorset. He moved to Bedfordshire in 2007 where his family lived. In April 2020, he began to walk laps around his garden in an attempt to raise £1000 for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. His campaign became highly popular, resulting in raising millions of pounds, and broke the Guiness world record for the most raised by an individual doing a charity walk. He also released a duet with singer Knighthood|knighted him for these achievements. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid his respects, saying Moore was "a hero in the truest sense of the word", adding "he embodied the triumph of the human spirit". Labour Party leader Buckingham Palace said the Queen would send a private message of condolence to the family of Moore. Flags at buildings such as 10 Downing Street flew at to pay respect. Moore had previously suffered from on his head, and broke his hip in 2018. He said his hospital treatment inspired him to fundraise for the NHS, describing the staff who treated him as "marvellous". He is survived by two daughters and four grandchildren.

Article 1: Wikibooks, an Internet project which seeks to create free content textbooks using wiki technology, has published its February 2005 statistics. The Cookbook project leads the statistics, both by number of contributors (94) and by total edits (668). Newcomer of the month is "Wikibooks Pokédex", with 337 edits by mainly one user, followed by "Programming:Ada" (320 edits). Seventy contributors edited on "Wikiversity", followed by sixty-eight users on the "Jokebook". Wikiversity is a project of its own which aims to build a collaborative learning environment online. Wikibooks was originally meant as a place for textbooks and manuals but has increasingly become a community creating books on all kinds of subjects, with the cookbook being the most prominent example. Intended as a collection of recipes from around the world, it hosts recipes from Hamburger to Sushi, ethnic cuisines from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, and gives background information on ingredients, nutrition, and many cooking techniques. Wikis are openly editable websites that are often used to create knowledge bases. Wikibooks is a project operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the United States which runs several free content wikis, including Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia, and Wikinews, a free news source. The statistics for Wikibooks are extracted using an SQL query on the latest Wikibooks database dump. Originally based on an anonymous Wikinews story submission. Article 2: Carlos Celdran being interviewed on-camera at a pro-Reproductive Health Bill rally at the Philippine Congress in November 2009 Popular Filipino social commentator and tour guide Jose Rizal, Celdran, 37, entered Alfredo Lim, Manila Archbishop Edward Adams, and other Catholic bishops present, standing before the altar with a sign bearing the word "Damaso" — a reference to the villainous, power-wielding Spanish friar from Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere, who represents the abuses of the Catholic Church during the 19th century Spanish occupation of the Philippines. He shouted "Stop getting involved in politics!" before he was taken away by the police at around 4:30 p.m. Once outside, Celdran said the Church officials "need to hear what the Filipinos are saying: that 90 percent of the people want the RH Reproductive Health Bill." At around 8:15 p.m. the Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, who previously headed the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (CBCP-ECBA), said, "What is approved by people does not mean it is approved by God." Celdran reported in a media interview following his arrest that "I kinda showed the priests what civil disobedience was like. The Millennium Development Goals of the Philippines hinge on controlling the population and maternal health, but they have done nothing but lie and blackmail...the Presidents and deprive the poorest of the poor of reproductive health services." He had announced the action via tweet the previous day, saying: "Carlos Celdran is going to go to Manila Cathedral at 3pm to COUNTER the CBCP/Bible anti-RH group. Anyone want to join me?" Celdran has been tweeting and giving media interviews from his jail cell. Through Twitter he expressed surprise that the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines filed charges. He faces up to five years in prison. At approximately 5:25am Manila time, he tweeted "its just hitting me now. I can't believe the CBCP Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines has the capacity and the desire to see me jailed. Who is next?" It appears that this action was part of a larger program of protest, as the previous day he had invited his Facebook friends to a flash mob photo opportunity in front of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines taking place October 1, where he reported he would be wearing a bishop's costume. Celdran was freed almost a day later on 6,000-peso (US$138) bail. Friends of the artist had set up a Facebook fan page calling for his release, drawing more than 12,000 supporters by the time he posted bail. "I apologize for being rude, but it was necessary for me to be rude," he told reporters while in custody on Thursday. "I am sorry for the method that I used but I have no apologies for the message that I made." In a statement Friday, Manila's 238 priests expressed "disapproval and condemnation" of the protest. "These actions cannot by any means be considered within the purview of freedom of expression," the statement said. "Instead they were malicious acts directed towards a faith, a religion that was represented by its leaders and the faithful gathered." President Benigno Aquino's support of the people's right to contraception has angered the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines and galvanized church opposition to the Reproductive Health Bill, that calls for contraceptives to be provided in government hospitals and sex education to be taught in public schools. "We are approaching these issues from the moral aspect like the unborn. Abortion is a grave crime, excommunication is attached to those (acts). That is an issue of gravity. That is a violation of God’s commandment," said Odchimar over the Church-run Radio Veritas. Malacañang Palace shrugged off Odchimar’s declaration. "We are guided by our conscience. My position has not changed. The state’s duty is to educate our families as to their responsibilities and to respect their decisions if they are in conformity to our laws,” President Aquino said. Proponents of the Reproductive Health Bill have argued that rapid population growth and high fertility rates have exacerbated crushing poverty, and birth control could be a powerful way to raise living standards. * * * * *

Article 1: A visit to Green Zone" on two separate days last week (March 22 and 24, 2005) has convinced Washington's Democratic senators and representatives that things are going well. The Senate delegation, led by Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev), visited on Tuesday. The House delegation, led by Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), visited two days later. They all came away from their whirlwind visits with opinions that although conditions were improving there would still be many years of American occupation before Iraq could be a true democracy. "Although progress has been made, there is a significant way to go until the Iraqis are capable of providing for their security," said Pelosi, the House Democratic leader. She led an eight-member group that included seven Democrats and Republican Rep. (R-Vista) (San Diego County). The delegations spent their one day in Iraq's Green Zone, the heavily protected area in downtown Baghdad that serves as headquarters for the 150,000 U.S. military forces and diplomats and the Iraqi government. They headed to their other stops in Israel, Egypt. Security was tight and didn’t allow for any additional travel in the war torn nation. The sole Republican in the Congressional delegation, Issa, said "I believe it will be a fairly long stay." Pelosi’s comments echoed Issa, and added "the cost of this war is huge to the American people," citing 1,500 service personnel the Bush administration has admitted were killed in action, and the estimated $500 million-a-day price tag. "The message some of us had for our military leaders and Iraqi leaders is that whatever it takes to transfer security responsibilities should be applied now. It's long overdue," she added. An emotional trip to Beirut, Lebanon, by the congressional delegation included a visit to the grave of former Prime Minister , who was assassinated in a Feb. 14 bombing that is blamed, but not substantiated, to have been committed by Syrian agents. Darrell Issa, of Lebanese descent, noted "there's a huge permanent group of mourners at his grave, with hundreds of tents set up.'’ Senator Reid stressed the need for continued U.S. support for reconstruction efforts, along with training Iraqi security forces to replace U.S. military personnel and help bolster the Iraqi economy and political structure. "Everyone understands that reconstruction is an important part of the U.S. mission here," he added. Senate Minority Whip (D-Ill.) agreed: "I believe what we are seeing here is good." Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a leading critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, seemed upbeat about the future of the new Iraq government. Iraq's future stability "greatly depends on the training of Iraqi security forces." "We got a very, very upbeat report from the top U.S. military officials,” she added. All of the delegation seemed to agree that their trip enforced the enormity of the challenge and the financial need to help the Iraqi people. This would require a continued input of American taxpayer dollars and left little doubt that they would line up to support the Bush administration’s proposed new $81 billion dollars (US) in expenditures there. * Congressional delegation sees progress... San Francisco Chronicle March 26, 2005 * Senators encouraged by progress in Iraq The Hill March 23, 2005 Article 2: Delta Boeing 767 In an unexpected move, Delta in the morning of November 15, 2006, rallying the

Article 1: Yesterday, a United States federal jury convicted porn star Article 2: Brothers Sunshine Coast playing University of the Sunshine Coast in April 2022. Brothers Mackay are amongst the various Brothers clubs that play in A grade competitions in Queensland. Wikinews reporter Patrick Gillett interviewed President of the Brothers Rugby Union Club Sunshine Coast Mike Haines on November 25 after the team's announcement they would join the top grade of Australia's Sunshine Coast Rugby Union (SCRU) in 2023. The November 14 announcement on Caboolture Rugby Union Club|Caboolture, Caloundra, Maroochydore, Noosa, University of the Sunshine Coast, and Wynnum, as well as Gympie and Nambour, who do not play at the top level — approved the decision. Said Haines: "Essentially, we just had to put together a case to demonstrate that there was a larger playing group out there, that's of a higher quality player, that we could essentially tap into. "We put out some expressions of interest. We spoke to a large number of players out there on the Sunshine Coast and the broader community and we've actually had a great response from a large number of players who are looking to play at Brothers next year." In 2022, Brothers played in the newly established Sunshine Coast Cup competition. This was the clubs first season playing senior age rugby. "So, we had a really strong Friday night competition. Obviously, the Friday night Cricks, Sunshine Coast Cricks Cup that went really well for us this year," Haines summarised. "A large number of our boys will be looking to sort of advance or go into the reserve grade in the A grade on the back of their efforts this year." The club introduced team coaches on November 19, and started recruiting players in early December. "We're all very excited about the A grade and the reserve grade for 2023. So now I expect the club to get around it in a very strong way or stronger than they have been already." said Haines. Other Australian clubs carry the Brothers branding as well, and play in most competitions in Queensland, including at Townsville, and Mackay, and in Brisbane. "Brothers here on the Sunshine Coast, we're fortunate enough to be part of a larger fraternity, with the Brothers fraternity stretching up the east coast and further," Haines said. "At this point in time, they're all being very supportive of us. We've been lucky enough or fortunate enough to have a large number of players on the Coast and the regional area that all looking to just play with us."

Article 1: A Houston jury resumes deliberations today in a federal smuggling case where 19 illegal immigrants died from heat and lack of oxygen. The defendant, Tyrone Williams, 34, could face the death penalty for his alleged involvement in harboring and transporting illegal immigrants across the US-Mexican border. He was reportedly paid $7,500 to bring the immigrants to Houston in a tractor trailer truck. Williams, a Jamaican citizen, was a member of a smuggling ring. He alone faces capital punishment charges, while 14 other ring members were charged with less serious offenses for their involvement in the case. Williams allegedly made a four-hour trip across the border and then parked at a truck stop in Victoria, about 100 miles from Houston. He left the truck while 75 persons suffered in the cargo area of the trailer during sweltering heat. The prosecution claims he abandoned the trailer while ignoring screams for help and banging on the walls from those inside the trailer. His defense attorneys argue Williams was unable to hear anything from the trailer, and they further say greed by other ring members was the cause of the deaths since the trailer was so overcrowded. Williams should not be singled out, his attorneys maintained, just because he was the driver of the truck. "He didn't care," said federal prosecutor Daniel Rodriguez during closing arguments. "To him, these weren't people, they were merchandise." The jury asked U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore three questions before the trial was adjourned for the weekend. * * * * Article 2: On Saturday, host nation Chile defeated Argentina 4–1 over penalties in the 2015 , which was held in Estadio Nacional located in the Chilean city of Santiago, to clinch the title for the very first time. File photo of Alexis Sanchez, who scored the winning penalty of the tournament. The first half saw 3 yellow cards. In total, both halves, 49 fouls were committed. Nobody scored in the first half of the match. Chile had 57% possession of the ball. The second half saw 4 yellow cards, but neither team could find the net. Since the second half ended in 0–0, the match proceeded to extra time. Gonzalo Higuaín missed some chances to score a goal for Argentina. Argentina has not won any major trophy in the past 22 years. Chile began the penalty-shootout. Chilean players converted each penalty kick into goal, whereas except for FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi, no other Argentine could score a penalty. Misses by Higuaín and Banega turned out to be costly for Argentina and the final strike by Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez sealed the victory by the host nation. Chilean captain Eduardo Vargas won top scorer award. GK '1' Claudio Bravo (c)

Article 1: UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifiers - England v Estonia.jpg|thumb|right|300px|England did win this October 13, 2007 match versus Estonia, 3-0 at Wembley Stadium. Steve McClaren and his deputy Terry Venables have both been sacked by the English Football Association after a unanimous decision by board members during an emergency meeting held earlier today. The decision was announced by the FA chief executive Brian Barwick in a press conference held this morning after widespread speculation due to the poor performance of the English national team which last night failed to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2008 competition. The cost of removing him from his post is thought to cost £2.6 million. According to a study by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, missing out on Euro 2008 could cost the British economy as much as £1 billion. The recruiting process has already started to find the next manager for the team, only 18 months after 46-year-old McClaren was given the role. During the press conference the FA admitted that not qualifying for the competition was "embarrassing". Article 2: Cumming at Christopher Macsurak On Friday, Scottish theatre and film actor and producer British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples around the world" affected his decision to return the OBE he received in 2009. For his 58th birthday, the two-time Tony awardee announced on "the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire" outweighed the "great good" his receiving of the order represented for the LGBT community. Cumming was bestowed the chivalric honour, which stands for 'Order of the British Empire', as part of Queen Elizabeth II's for his work as an actor and activist "for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community". Made a US citizen in 2008, Cumming was an outspoken critic of the since-repealed Defense of Marriage Act that forbade federal recognition of same-sex marriage, and the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that prevented openly LGBT individuals from serving in the US Armed Forces. At the time, he said: "I see this honour as encouragement to go on fighting for what I believe is right and for what I take for granted as a UK citizen. Thank you to the Queen and those who make up her birthday honours list for bringing attention to the inaction of the US government on this issue. It makes me very proud to be British, and galvanised as an American." However, the laws' repeal and "conversations about the role of the monarchy" and legacy of British colonialism begun after Elizabeth II's death in September convinced him "the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire." In the past, other celebrities have returned OBEs in protest of social issues: in 2020, Welsh actor John Lennon returned his lesser MBE in 1969 over the UK's involvement in the Vietnam War|Vietnam. Cumming's film credits include Spy Kids trilogy. He received his Tony Awards for producing the musical Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret (1998). In 2019, he expressed his pride in his work on the television series Instinct where he was in the star role of the first US network drama to have a gay lead character. Posting on Instagram, he remembered the show, which was cancelled after two series, for being where "millions of people will have seen a same-sex marriage portrayed for the first time".

Article 1: File photo of the southern façade of Stornoway. The UK's GBP|£4.6 million towards the restoration of Stornoway. Estimates suggest approximately £14 million (US$ 21.9m, € 16.2m) will be spent to restore and convert the property into a museum with four-star hotel accommodation. Originally built as a home for Chinese and Indian opium trade, the castle has lain empty, and on the at-risk register, since the late 1980s. A gap of £1.6 million in required funding remains a concern the local Article 2: Cumming at Christopher Macsurak On Friday, Scottish theatre and film actor and producer British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples around the world" affected his decision to return the OBE he received in 2009. For his 58th birthday, the two-time Tony awardee announced on "the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire" outweighed the "great good" his receiving of the order represented for the LGBT community. Cumming was bestowed the chivalric honour, which stands for 'Order of the British Empire', as part of Queen Elizabeth II's for his work as an actor and activist "for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community". Made a US citizen in 2008, Cumming was an outspoken critic of the since-repealed Defense of Marriage Act that forbade federal recognition of same-sex marriage, and the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that prevented openly LGBT individuals from serving in the US Armed Forces. At the time, he said: "I see this honour as encouragement to go on fighting for what I believe is right and for what I take for granted as a UK citizen. Thank you to the Queen and those who make up her birthday honours list for bringing attention to the inaction of the US government on this issue. It makes me very proud to be British, and galvanised as an American." However, the laws' repeal and "conversations about the role of the monarchy" and legacy of British colonialism begun after Elizabeth II's death in September convinced him "the great good the award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of empire." In the past, other celebrities have returned OBEs in protest of social issues: in 2020, Welsh actor John Lennon returned his lesser MBE in 1969 over the UK's involvement in the Vietnam War|Vietnam. Cumming's film credits include Spy Kids trilogy. He received his Tony Awards for producing the musical Cabaret (musical)|Cabaret (1998). In 2019, he expressed his pride in his work on the television series Instinct where he was in the star role of the first US network drama to have a gay lead character. Posting on Instagram, he remembered the show, which was cancelled after two series, for being where "millions of people will have seen a same-sex marriage portrayed for the first time".

Article 1: Map of Arkansas highlighting Washington County.svg|Washington County, Arkansas, where the tornado touched down|thumb|left Three are dead after a tornado hit Cincinnati, a small town in Arkansas, about three miles from Oklahoma’s border. Around 6:00 local time, on Friday, the system, fed by warm winter air, caused several injuries, damaging the power grid. Josh Howerton, the county’s sheriff’s dispatcher, stated that the storm touched down near the town’s center. "Lots of injuries" were reported. A tornado warning for Cincinnati and nearby towns was issued by the Tulsa weather center nine minutes before the storm struck. "Any time you have a significant change in air mass there is going to be unsettled weather marking the two different air masses," said Joe Sellers, a meteorologist from the in Oklahoma. Article 2: Manchester United's top scorer Wayne Rooney signed a two-year contract with his boyhood club Everton, the based football club announced today. File photo of Wayne Rooney, 2016. Rooney joined Everton when he was nine years old, and made his professional debut in 2002 when he was sixteen years old. He scored seventeen goals with Everton in 77 appearances before he moved to the in 2004. The record goal scorer with United and with the English football team netted 253 goals in 559 games in the United jersey. He has won five titles, three , a UEFA Champions League, an , and an . He also collected the winners' medal after Manchester United won the in May. Rooney was used as a late substitute in the Europa League final against the Dutch capital football club Ajax. Rooney wore Manchester's jersey for thirteen seasons, and was club's top scorer of the season on five occasions. After the arrival of José Mourinho, last season, and United's manager, Rooney made just 25 appearances, starting only fifteen of them; scoring eight goals in total. This was his least number of appearances and goals scored in a single season. After penning a two-year term, Rooney said, "I'm not just coming back because it's the team I support, the team I grew up playing for — I'm coming back because I feel the club can move forward and be successful". Earlier, Manchester United announced reaching an agreement for Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku with Everton. Everton manager said, "Wayne has shown me that ambition that we need and that winning mentality — he knows how to win titles and I'm really happy he's decided to come home ... He loves Everton and he was desperate to come back. He is still only 31 and I don't have any doubts about his qualities. It's fantastic he's here." * *

Article 1: The first person to become infected with the Avian Flu or Bird Flu virus in China has been declared healthy after being infected one year ago. Doctors say that He Junyao, 10-years-old, who was infected on October 18, 2005 is healthy and all his body functions are "normal." "His body functions are all normal" and the illness "has not affected the boy's growth," said Doctor Jiang Yaohui of the Hunan Provincial Children's Hospital. Yaohui also stated that the quick and "proper treatment" the boy had received was the reason that he survived. The boy has been granted free medical check-ups until his eighteenth birthday. At least 19 people have become ill from the illness in China and at least 14 of those have died. Article 2: Yesterday, France defeated Croatia 4–2 in the final of 2018 FIFA Football World Cup to win the tournament for the second time. French teenager Pelé did in 1958's tournament. Croatia dominated the ball possession, having almost twice as much as France. In the sixth minute, French defender Marcelo Brozović committed a foul and the referee awarded France a freekick. Mario Mandžukić ended up scoring an own goal from Antoine Griezmann's assist, giving France an early lead. and Ivan Rakitić tried to equalise for Croatia, later, but their attempts were either blocked or went wide. In the 27th minute, French defensive midfielder Danijel Subašić in the opposite direction. Frenchman was booked by the referee in the 41st minute. The first half ended with France leading 2–1. In the second half, Griezmann missed a chance to score from Olivier Giroud's assist. France made their first substitution in the 55th minute, as Steven N'Zonzi. Just before the one-hour mark, Paul Pogba had a shot towards goal but was blocked and Pogba collected the ball, and on the second attempt, the French midfielder scored from the left-footed shot, doubling the lead for France. Kylian Mbappé scored the fourth goal in the 65th minute, from Hernández's assist. With this goal, Mbappé became the second teenager to score in a FIFA World Cup final. In the 69th minute, Mandžukić scored the second goal for Croatia, intercepting French goalkeeper ' pass. However, Croatia could not catch up the two-goal difference, and the match ended 4–2, as France won their second FIFA World Cup. French coach became only the third person to win the FIFA football World Cup as a player and a coach. As a player, Deschamps won the World Cup in 1998, when he was the captain of the French team. Two years ago, the Deschamps-led French team ended up as the losing side in the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, 1–0 against Portugal in the extra-time. After the match, Croatia's coach said, "I congratulate France on their title ... I have to congratulate my players, it was maybe the best game we played in these championships; we controlled the match but we conceded. Against such a strong side as France, you must not make mistakes. We are a bit sad but we have to be proud as well for what we've done." Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitić said, "We were the better team in the first half, we were attacking, but we were unlucky tonight. They scored four goals from their three shots on goal. But I congratulate France, they deserved it." Tournament top scorer won the Adidas Golden Boot award. The English striker scored six goals in the entire tournament. Belgium's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois won the Adidas Golden Glove award. Croatia's captain Luka Modrić won the Adidas Golden Ball prize. ----

Article 1: Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives voted to effectively reject the Senate version of a bill, passed with bipartisan support, to extend a payroll tax cut two months past its year-end expiration date. The House voted instead to create a conference committee to settle differences between members of both bodies. The House rejected the Senate version of a bill that would extend a payroll tax cut for two months yesterday. Although the tax cut extension itself has support among Republicans and Democrats, lawmakers disagree on how Congress should go about compensating for the cost of extending the cut and the policy changes it would entail. During an appearance yesterday, President Obama condemned opposition to the Senate-passed version of the bill, accusing Republicans in the House of trying to negotiate on matters unrelated to the bill. Republicans, in response, say there is still time to negotiate the bill, insisting that lawmakers ought to concentrate on a year-long plan rather than a two-month extension. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, however, says he will not agree to negotiate the tax cut extension until the Senate-approved bill is passed by the House. If the tax cut is not extended and instead expires on December 31, approximately 160 million Americans will be affected by the tax increase; President Obama insists the only way to prevent the tax hike beginning January 1 is for the House to pass the Senate bill. In response, House Speaker and Republican John Boehner wants Obama to "call on the Senate to return" to negotiate. The Senate, shortly after passing the bill, adjourned for the Holiday break. Also included in the bill is a provision that would require President Obama to make a decision regarding the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a pipeline that would transport oil from Canada to Texas. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi blamed the congressional year-end impasse on "Tea Party Republicans." In a letter to President Obama, Speaker Boehner requested he galvanize the Senate to negotiate on the bill's provisions, writing "The differences between the two different bills can be quickly reconciled to provide the American people the certainty of a full-year bill. There are still 11 days before the end of the year, and with so many Americans struggling, there is no reason they should be wasted. You have said many times that Congress must do its work before taking vacation". * * * * Article 2: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran described the effect of European Union and United States sanctions over Iran's nuclear program as "like war" Tuesday and said "...we are working to bypass them day and night." The comments, live on television, were the first time that senior Iranian sources have admitted that the sanctions are having any effect. They include financial restrictions and a ban by the European Union on the export of crude oil, from which the Iranian economy receives 80% of its foreign income. In its most recent monthly report, OPEC said exports of crude had fallen to their lowest level for two decades at 2.8 million barrels per day. The country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has described the dependency on oil as "a trap" dating from before Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979 and from which the country should free itself. Among the steps Iran has taken to circumvent sanctions is the reflagging of tankers, first to Cyprus and Malta and, more recently, to Tuvalu and Tanzania to mask their origins and allow continued oil exports. In August, the shipping registries of Tuvalu and Tanzania agreed to de-register Iranian ships following pressure from U.S. lawmakers. Howard Berman, the senior Democratic Party politician on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, commented then: "Iran is learning the hard way that we will not relent in applying crippling sanctions on the regime, and others are learning that evading international sanctions is a losing strategy". Ahmadinejad predicted Tuesday that Iran would overcome the effects of sanctions while acknowledging that financial controls were affecting the ability of the country to supply basic needs.

Article 1: "Terror bill" passed after thirty hour debate After an unprecedented thirty hour debate in the United Kingdom between the elected government and the main opposition party, the Conservatives, the Prevention of Terrorism Bill was passed by the House of Lords. Despite the new legislation being passed, the Conservative leader Michael Howard claimed victory, as the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, made a last minute compromise on several details of the bill. The lengthy debate was the third longest in the history of the House of Lords. The new bill will replace the current Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 sv:2005/03/12: Ny brittisk anti-terroristlag antagen efter 30 timmars debatt Article 2: The Delhi Police used lathi(baton)-charges to disrupt striking traders when they gathered in large numbers and attempted to block traffic on the city's streets on Wednesday morning. The 2-day old strike, protesting a Supreme Court order to seal unauthorised commercial establishments in the city, turned to a more violent note with protestors stranded several buses by puncturing their tyres. The Supreme Court's Monitoring committee sent a notice to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday to resume the sealing of unauthorised shops from November 2. Initially, the sealing drive was to resume on November 1. Private medical practitioners also joined the protest on its final day, which affected health services in the city. The traders threatened to extend their strike if MCD resumes its sealing drive. The first two days of the strike went peacefully without having any serious violence. Traders were expecting the government to meet their demands. They met Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit to resolve this dispute.

Article 1: Over 500 groups, including the Democratic Progressive Party, are planning a massive march and rally for Saturday in Taipei City. March promoters are vowing to bring one million people onto the streets to protest the People's Republic of China's "anti-secession" law aimed at thwarting Taiwan independence. The march, titled "326 March for Democracy and Peace", will begin in ten different locations, converging on the square near the Presidential Office in downtown Taipei City. "Democracy and peace are the ultimate goal of the march," said Joseph Wu, the Mainland Affairs Council Chairman. Wu announced on Friday that he would take part in the rally, but did not disclose in which part of the parade he would appear. Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian announced on Thursday that he will also attend the event with his family. "I cannot and will not be absent on March 26, and I will take my entire family to participate in this sacred moment in history to walk and stand up together with the Taiwanese people," Chen said. Chen further declared that he has, "heard the outrage and anger of the Taiwan people." A Chinese scholar warned that the situation could become "further aggravated" by Saturday's planned event. "The secessionist forces plot to stir up public sentiments to embolden themselves. Such moves are doomed to meet failure," said Huang Jiashu, a professor at the People's University of China. He stated that secessionist forces had "malevolently distorted" the anti-secession law. The Taiwan Domestic News Hour on ETTV is running a 326 graphic to note the march and rally during its news reports about the upcoming event, and also has an animated graphic with marchers carrying signs in the lower-left hand corner of the screen. Article 2: On Sunday, Hong Kongers turned out more than 2.9 million strong to vote in their district-level elections. Over 80% of the 452 available district council seats went to pro-democracy candidates, often ousting pro-Beijing candidates, giving them control of 17 out of 18 of the area's districts. The district council is the only level of Hong Kong government that is, as news sources noted, completely democratic, and the councilors make up about a tenth part of the body that elects the chief executive of Hong Kong. Most councilors' duties involve action at the neighborhood level, like maintaining parks, arranging trash collection, and dealing with pests, which in at least one case involved wild boars. Although Hong Kong's district elections are, reportedly, usually quiet, this year not even one district council candidate ran unopposed. The turnout was about 71%, some 25% higher than last year. Voter Kitty Mak told , "Today we are trying to do the best we can for Hong Kong right now. Every little step matters ... It is a protest vote against an authoritarian government; we cannot tolerate this government's policies anymore." political scientist Ma Ngok said the turnout was seen as public support of the protesters who have demonstrated in Hong Kong since June. He noted, "The government and the pro-Beijing camp have always claimed they have public support ... But now ... this is a big slap in the face because the public has showed their real position in record numbers." The city has been home to intense, occasionally violent pro-democracy protests since June of this year, some of which have shut down parts of the city. The protests began after the Hong Kong government proposed an amendment to a law to allow the government of mainland China to extradite anyone accused of a crime to the mainland to be prosecuted under the Chinese judicial system, but the motivation behind the events have expanded to include demands for investigations into police brutality and a more representative form of democracy within Hong Kong government. About 2.9 million people voted in Sunday's election. The total population of Hong Kong is about 7.5 million. * * * * *

Article 1: According to North Korea's main news agency South Korea exchanged artillery fire yesterday. "War maniacs of the South Korean puppet military made another grave provocation to the DPRK in the central western sector of the front on Thursday afternoon. They perpetrated such reckless action as firing 36 shells at KPA civil police posts under the absurd pretext that the KPA fired one shell at the south side. Six shells of them hit the area near KPA civil police posts 542 and 543 and other 15 shells fell near KPA civil police posts 250 and 251," said KCNA. "Foolhardy provocation deserves harsh punishment," it added; and, later, " issued an order of the supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army KPA that the front-line large combined units of the KPA should enter a wartime state to be fully battle ready to launch surprise operations." Yesterday, North Korea fired artillery rounds aimed at a loudspeaker in South Korea that broadcasts anti- propaganda into the North. "Commanders of the Korean People's Army were hastily dispatched to the front-line troops to command military operations to destroy psychological warfare tools if the enemy does not stop the propaganda broadcast within 48 hours and prepare against the enemy's possible counteractions," added KCNA. No injuries or deaths were reported in the attacks from either side, but South Korea evacuated about 80 people in the town of Yeoncheon after at least one shell landed near the area. The South retaliated by firing dozens of rounds of artillery into the north. South Korea had recently started to broadcast propaganda from loudspeakers after an 11-year lull. The broadcasts began on August 10 and South Korea says the broadcasts will continue. After the exchange of fire, North Korea stated it would attack any loudspeakers broadcasting propaganda and would respond, militarily, within 48 hours if the broadcasts do not stop. Both countries have put their militaries on high levels of alert. Article 2: Shakemap of the earthquake. At 23:36 JST (14:36 UTC) on Wednesday, an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the struck off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. A Sōma for treatment, where local media reported one man had died. Power outages were temporarily seen as far away as Tokyo, where an estimated 700 thousand people lost electricity before the Tokyo Electric Power Company reported power had been restored. The Miyagi Prefecture approximately one hour after the tremor. The agency has issued a tsunami advisory, warning of water up to above normal tidal levels. People were urged to stay away from the coast until the end of the advisory. The earthquake's epicenter was near that of the far more powerful 2011 Tōhoku earthquake which triggered a large tsunami and a nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Kishida said "no abnormalities" had been reported at any nuclear facility after the current event.

Article 1: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has agreed to send the government's 'Clean Air Act' to an all-party committee for review, before its second reading, after Tuesday's 25 minute meeting with NDP leader Jack Layton at the PMO. Layton had asked for changes to the conservatives' environmental bill during the meeting with the PM, asking for a "thorough and complete rewriting" of the Conservative party's environmental bill. However, Layton was disappointed with Harper's reaction. "I'm not really convinced that the prime minister understands the urgency of the climate change crisis, the threat that climate change proposes and the urgency to move quickly," he said. "Far too much emphasis on consultations that could go on for considerable periods of time as opposed to action. Ottawa during the 2006, Canadian federal election Layton has introduced a private member's bill on climate change. It calls for emissions to be cut by 25 per cent of 1990 levels by 2020, in an attempt to cut total emissions by 80 per cent of those levels by 2050. Other parties including the Liberal Party of Canada, Bloc Québécois and the Green Party of Canada are concerned about this. "What we've been concerned about was really a Halloween stunt from Mr. Layton," Interim Liberal leader Bill Graham said at a news conference. "It will be completely transformed," said BQ Leader Gilles Duceppe. "The Conservatives won't recognize their legislation." However, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said bringing the 'Clean Air Act' into committee would give the legislation some legitimacy it doesn't deserve. The committee will be full of critics commenting on the conservatives' bill. The Tory government may have a possible non-confidence motion as early as Thursday unless it allows opposition parties to rewrite its clean air bill, which the PM had agreed to in the meeting with Layton. Article 2: Polish Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński has ordered the pharmaceutical company Jelfa to halt production following revelations that Jelfa had placed mislabelled medication on the market, whose use could be potentially fatal. Jelfa distributed vials labelled as Corhydron, a hydrocortisone used to treat allergies and inflammation, but in fact containing Suxamethonium chloride, a drug normally used to cause muscle paralysis during emergency surgery. The Health Ministry has appealed to people suffering from asthma or allergies to check their medication and return any Corhydron ampoules they possess to the pharmacy. Polskie Radio reports that the mislabelling was discovered a month ago, but Jelfa and the Polish Health ministry did not inform of the problem. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski ordered Jelfa to halt production until it can assure the Polish Government that it can properly manage its production. The Polish Outlook reports that that drug companies in Poland were operating unregulated since December, 2005 as the regulations has expired. The government was putting in place new regulations. The owner of Jelfa is AB Sanitas, the largest drug producer in neighbouring Lithuania. The shut-down has been questioned by the Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas, who expressed concern over the situation and said that he wants to try to settle the issue diplomatically.

Article 1: Icesave company logo The Icelandic internet bank, Icesave, has suspended all 300,000 of its UK customer accounts, leaving account holders in the United Kingdom unable to withdraw or deposit any funds. A message on its website posted this morning states: "We are not currently processing any deposits or any withdrawal requests through our Icesave internet accounts. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause our customers. We hope to provide you with more information shortly." The internet bank, owned by the Icelandic bank, Landsbanki (Landsbankinn), which was recently nationalised in an attempt to rescue it, has been hit by the global financial crisis. Reports from the United Kingdom suggest that the traders and city are preparing for the parent company to be declared insolvent, leaving customers to recover their monies through a financial compensation scheme being backed by the Icelandic Government. The plan will cover the first € 20,887 (Approx £16,300 / $28,720), the remainder of the customers funds being recovered through the UK's own financial compensation system. Following the decision to nationalise Landsbanki, the Icelandic Prime Minister, Geir Haarde, who introduced and signed the emergency legislation into law, stated: In describing and explaining its actions in nationalising the bank, the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority issued this brief statement: In response to the deepening world financial situation, the Dutch government has this afternoon increased its savers protection from €38,000 to €80,000 effective immediately, to help secure the financial status of its savers within Holland. Icesave also has a Dutch branch, icesave.nl - their website was unreachable at the time of this article. fi:Islannin talous katastrofin partaalla Article 2: The British government want to ban payment fees and other hidden charges. The British government have vowed to ban payment fees and other hidden and excessive credit card charges. They hope to do so by the end of 2012, following a consultation in the new year. Hidden fees are often not shown until the end of an ordering process on the web which prevents consumers from making an informed choice and comparing the actual prices of different products and services according to the . Plans are also underway to bring in Europe-wide regulation of credit card fees in 2014. , a Treasury Minister, said consumers "have a right to understand the charges they may incur up front and not be hit through a hidden last-minute payment surcharge." He said the plans announced today will increase "transparency" for consumers, and that consumers currently "feel ripped off". The Office of Fair Trading have listed some examples of particularly high charges: with thetrainline.com £3.50 extra to pay for tickets with credit cards. The consumer group claimed that these surcharges were increasing the cost of air travel by £265,000 a day (or about £97 million per year). The OFT stated that the figure was £300m a year. A Wikinews reporter contacted Which? about this disparity but they had not responded at the time of publication.

Article 1: On Tuesday, German Chancellor President of Russia|Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The main agenda was the ongoing crisis near the Russian-Ukrainian border. On Monday, Scholz had visited Kiev, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and showed support to Ukraine against the Russian position. President Putin and Chancellor Scholz during the meeting in Moscow on Tuesday. After Tuesday's meeting, a joint press conference was held, in which Scholz said, "it is our absolute duty as heads of government that Europe does not see an escalation into war." When asked about the deployments and the threat of war, Putin said Russia does "not want war in Europe." He later added Russia is "ready to work further together" and "go down the negotiations track". However, Putin called Russia's claims valid and described the situation in Ukraine's Ministry of Defence (Russia)|Russian Defence Ministry declared it had begun to pull back some of its troops and called the deployments a 'military drill'. The German Chancellor said the withdrawal of some troops was a good sign. On the other hand, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Secretary General of NATO|Secretary General welcomed Russia's response of a diplomatic solution but said it had not seen 'any sign of de-escalation on the ground' yet. Article 2: Ukraine-published video still allegedly depicting dead civilians in Bucha, dated April 3. On Tuesday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing war crimes against civilians during the ongoing invasion via live video feed to the United Nations Security Council. Zelenskyy said: "The Russian military searched for and purposefully killed anyone who served our country. They shot and killed women outside their houses when they just tried to call someone who is alive. They killed entire families, adults and children, and they tried to burn the bodies." Demanding the perpetrators and their superiors be brought before a war crimes tribunal and held accountable, he specified: "They cut off limbs, cut their throats. Women were raped and killed in front of their children." Russian ambassador to the UN Government of Russia denies the allegations. He asserted that video footage was a "crude forgery" arranged by Ukraine. "You only saw what they showed you. The only ones who would fall for this are Western dilettantes," he said. Ukraine said it found hundreds of dead bodies, notably in Bucha, after forces reclaimed areas outside capital city Kyiv. , the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, said on Sunday that 410 bodies were found in areas around Kyiv, telling Reuters: "We need to work with witnesses" to assess the extent of the crimes. "People today are so stressed that they are physically unable to speak," she said. Ukraine-released video still allegedly depicting a car crushed by a tank with a driver (blurred) inside in Bucha, dated April 2. On Sunday, Zelenskyy accused Russia of seeking: "The elimination of the whole nation, and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine." Asked if it was Face the Nation, Zelenskyy said: "Indeed. This is genocide." Ukraine released images depicting people shot in the back of the head, many with their hands tied behind their backs. The Russian Ministry of Defence issued a statement on Monday reading: "During the time that Bucha has been under the control of the Russian armed forces, not a single local resident has suffered from any violent action. Russian servicemen have delivered and distributed 452 tonnes of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Kyiv Region." The statement claimed photographs were a hoax and "provocations of Ukrainian radicals." Satellite photography over Bucha from appeared to show dead bodies in the same positions for weeks, as well as a mass grave at the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints. According to CNN, people were hoping to find their relatives in the grave which may contain upwards of a 150 people. Nevertheless, Russia's Director of the Information , denied the legitimacy of footage from Bucha. "Who are the masters of provocation? Of course the United States and NATO," she said, saying the outrage was a planned attempt to tarnish Russia's reputation. International responses were issued earlier this week despite Russia's stance. United Kingdom foreign minister said: "Britain has helped lead the way with sanctions to cripple the Putin war machine. We will do more to ramp up the pressure on Russia and we will keep pushing others to do more". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined: "We’re tightening the existing sanctions. We’re adding new ones. We’re doing it in full coordination with Europeans and other partners around the world. And one of the results is that the Russian economy is reeling." "You can expect further sanctions announcements this week. And we are coordinating with our allies and partners on what the exact parameters of that will be," added US security advisor .

Article 1: left London, England — At an South Africa Paralympic Committee could provide evidence that athletes were changing prosthetics, in violation of the rules, the IPC would be dropping their cheating investigation. The investigation was launched after the South African Paralympic Committee sent the IPC a formal letter of complaint following raising concerns in the mixed zone following his silver medal finish in the 200 meters. The South Africans alleged runners from other countries were cheating by being measured using one set of competition prosthetics, then using different prosthetics during the race. The IPC sent representatives to the track to ask coaches if they were aware of changes between prosthetics being measured and being used on the track. According to the IPC, coaches were surprised to be asked this, as it would be extremely difficult to transition between differing prosthetics due to required changes in stride. , London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games President, said Oscar had made his comments on possible cheating in the heat of the moment, and the organization should not be involved in situations like the one with Pistorius. Article 2: Australian cricket player Ko Samui, Thailand. Shane Warne in February 2015. His passing came hours after the death of fellow Australian cricket player , who Warne paid a tribute to on Twitter before dying himself. In a statement to Fox Sports, Warne's management said "Shane was found unresponsive in his villa and despite the best efforts of medical staff, he could not be revived." Many former and current cricket players in Australia and around the world paid tributes to Warne, including Virat Kohli and Muhammad Rizwan (cricketer)|Muhammad Rizwan and more. Warne's former fiancée paid tribute, saying "I feel like the sun has gone behind a cloud forever. RIP my beloved lionheart". Many people ornamented the statue of Warne outside Melbourne Cricket Ground with items associated with Warne: flowers, beer cans and stubbies, baked beans, meat pies, and cigarettes. The MCG announced that the stadium's Great Southern Stand would be renamed the S.K. Warne Stand in honour of Warne. Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews offered Warne's family a state funeral for the cricketer, which the family accepted. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the federal government would support the state funeral and gave condolences to Warne's family. Wikinews understands the date and location of the funeral has not yet been announced.

Article 1: London, England — The Australia national wheelchair rugby team defeated Canada 66–51 to win Australia's last gold medal of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. The Canadian team had no answer to skylarked by riding his wheelchair on one wheel. The commentator called him " Article 2: Bob Crow in 2012. Bob Crow, the general secretary of the United Kingdom's National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers — better known as the RMT — died today aged 52 from a suspected heart attack. Crow is widely known for leading numerous strikes by workers that led to disruption of public transport services in the United Kingdom. After leaving school at 16, Crow started working on the London Underground fixing railway lines and felling trees. He joined a union shortly afterwards. In 1991, Crow was elected assistant general secretary of the RMT. Following the death of in 2002, he was made general secretary. Under his leadership, the union's membership numbers increased by more than a quarter, to 80,000 workers. The current Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said in a statement: "I'm shocked. Bob Crow was a fighter and a man of character. Whatever our political differences, and there were many, this is tragic news. Bob fought tirelessly for his beliefs and for his members." The current Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband said in a statement: "Bob Crow was a major figure in the labour movement and was loved and deeply respected by his members. I didn't always agree with him politically but I always respected his tireless commitment to fighting for the men and women in his union. He did what he was elected to do, was not afraid of controversy and was always out supporting his members across the country. He was a passionate defender of and campaigner for safe, affordable public transport and was a lifelong anti-fascist activist." Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone praised Crow, in a remark to Sky News: "He fought really hard for his members. The only working-class people who still have well-paid jobs in London are his members." * * *

Article 1: Photo of suspected plane debris that washed ashore the Maldive Kaafu Atoll on May 31. This map displays the location of Reunion Island, because of the debris part found there in 2015-07, in relation to the known flight path of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Malaysian officials stated Wednesday, some of the debris found in the Maldives will be brought back to Malaysia to determine if they are from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370) as they now believe. A team arrived Tuesday in Maldives to take charge of the debris, which had previously been disposed of as trash. "We Malaysia have an understanding with the authorities there Maldives ...we think the parts which were found about a month ago were parts of the aircraft," said Ab Aziz Kaprawi, the deputy transport minister for Malaysia as quoted by , a Malaysian government news agency. "They have to be further analysed and will be brought back to Malaysia for verification," he added. "The parts are currently undergoing few processes before they can be released and brought to Malaysia for further identification and verification," said Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysia's transport minister during a press conference today. "If it belongs to Boeing 777 then we will have to carry out further analysis and verification," he added. Malaysia's Department of Civil Aviation will be in charge of examining the debris once it arrives in the country. The debris washed ashore the social networking service Facebook, by an employee of the resort. The photographs show a large white object, possibly two, stained with fiberglass and honeycomb material. Debris has since washed ashore on at least three other Maldives locations, the Fehendhoo and Fulhahdhoo, but most of it isn't believed to be from an aircraft. Abdulla Rasheed, a captain of a cargo boat which recently capsized in the waters off the Maldives stated, "From the pictures of the debris found on most of the islands, I can almost certainly say that they are from the cargo we were carrying." Despite this possibility, any debris located is being gathered up until Malaysian authorities can examine it. "We are collecting any unidentified debris and storing them in a warehouse so that the Malaysians can carry out tests and determine if it is from their plane or not," said the office of the Maldives President in a statement reported by on Monday. MH370, while flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China, vanished on March 8, 2014. All 239 passengers and crew are believed to be dead. On the day the plane went missing, residents on the small Maldives island of Indian Ocean. Some also noted the colors appeared to resemble that of a Malaysia Airlines plane. "I’ve never seen a jet flying so low over our island before. We've seen seaplanes, but I'm sure that this was not one of those. I could even make out the doors on the plane clearly", one resident was quoted as saying to the newspaper Haveeru Daily. Some claim the plane appeared to be headed in the direction of , but Malaysian authorities have discounted those claims. "Based on the monitoring up to date, no indication of Flight MH370 has been observed on any military radars in the country Maldives. Furthermore, the data of radars at Maldives airports have also been analysed and shows no indication of the said flight," said Malaysia's transport ministry at the time of the report. Article 2: The SpaceX Factory.jpg|thumb|left|SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, 2020. Thursday, the Employment discrimination|hiring discrimination targeting asylees. The Department of Justice described its desired outcome as "fair consideration and back pay" for those who faced this alleged discrimination, other damages as the court ordered, and SpaceX altering its practices to avoid discrimination. The US government asserted the company, which Elon Musk founded and has owned, incorrectly stated it could not hire anybody not a US citizen or permanent resident under US export law. The government said that discouraged asylees from seeking jobs there. The government said SpaceX did not "fairly" consider these applications in relation to jobs including those for which advanced degrees were necessary, as well as welders and cooks.

Article 1: Mahmoud Abbas visiting the US, in 2003. The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad may stop firing rockets into Israel, following a request to that effect by President Mahmoud Abbas. Mr. Abbas met leaders of the group and urged them to halt the violence. "Abbas said the truce is a national necessity. We said the truce must be mutual ... and part of a national consensus." said Khedr Habib, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza. The group's website quoted Khaled al-Batch, another leader of the group, as saying the proposal was "worth studying." While Islamic Jihad is not the only group to fire rockets across the border, it has repeatedly rejected calls to cease its actions. An Israeli woman was killed by a Qassam rocket in the town of Sderoth three days ago. Over 400 Palestinians, including many civilians, have been killed by attacks since June, which Israel says are aimed at Palestinian fighters. Article 2: Additional cast (from left to right): Alessandro Serradimigni, Terri Parks, Curtis Webster, and Manuel Giusti. The panel discusses making the film. Friday evening, Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hulu's Beyond Fest film festival. Mister America is a continuation of the elaborate multimedia universe of Gregg Turkington's web series . Wikinews attended the premiere. The film follows a fictionalized version of comedian Tim Heidecker who hosts the absurd and shallow On Cinema film review Web series with purported film expert Gregg Turkington. When Heidecker narrowly avoids a murder conviction, he sets out to run for District Attorney of and fails to even be on the ballot. The premiere was accompanied by a question-and-answer session moderated by Canadian comedian Neil Hamburger and Heidecker's interest in political comedy. In addition to the cast of the film, additional On Cinema alumni including Alessandro Serradimigni, , and Manuel Giusti were in attendance. The Beyond Fest 2019 continues through October 8 and Mister America debuts to a wider audience on October 9.

Article 1: London Metropolitan Police cars The Ealing Broadway station|Ealing Broadway region of the city about 1505 UTC while examining bus tickets. The man stabbed the two in an attempt to evade arrest. The pair were subsequently transported to hospital by ambulance. The police community support officer was seriously injured, having been stabbed in the arms. However, he was not thought to have suffered life-threatening injuries. The police officer was stabbed in the neck. His injuries were considered life-threatening. The alleged attacker, a 30-year-old male, was arrested at the scene of the attack. According to reports, he was wanted by the police for recall to prison. When it became clear that he was going to be arrested, he drew a knife and stabbed the two. Koon Midam, a witness to this incident, commented: "The man was asked to show a valid ticket and went into a violent rage. Very quickly the problem escalated as he drew his knife and made a few quick slashes. It was more of a shock for the first few moments and then there were the cries, the Pc dropping to the floor and the man lashing out again." Another male witness described the events. "I could see two policemen sprinting to the back of a police car to retrieve a green first aid kit," he said. "They rushed back to assist a policeman who had blood on him. I then noticed another policeman who was walking slowly and then collapsed on the pavement. His arm fell to his side. As I drove away I also noticed a number of policemen pinning a man to the ground. He was shouting. What disturbed me most of all was the amount of blood on the pavement, it was clear that someone was very seriously injured." Mayor of London, has uploaded a message to the social networking website Twitter regarding this incident. In the tweet, Johnson states: "Shocked by the stabbing of a police officer & a PCSO in Ealing. No place for this on the streets of London". Article 2: South Korea held joint military exercises with the United States on Monday on Yeonpyeong Island, which was shelled by North Korea last month. North Korea had warned of an "unpredictable self-defensive blow" if the exercises went ahead, but the country did not retaliate, saying it was "not worth" attacking, despite "reckless provocations" from the South. South Korean officials reported the drills, involving McDonnell Douglas F-15K fighter aircraft, lasted less than two hours. The United Nations Security Council held an eight hour emergency meeting as tensions escalated on the Korean peninsula before the exercises began. The controversial issue divided opinion within the council; China and Russia both asked South Korea to call off the exercise over fears it could start a war on the peninsula, but the US supported its ally, saying the drills were "fully consistent with South Korea's legal right to self defence". Officials in Pyongyang had threatened a "catastrophe" if the exercises, taking place on an island close to the border with the North, went ahead. They did not attack the South, however; state media quoted a North Korean military official as saying: "The world should properly know who is the true champion of peace and who is the real provocateur of a war." South Korea had said they would retaliate "immediately and sternly" to any attack from the North. South Korean officials reported the drills, involving McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle|F-15K fighter aircraft, lasted less than two hours. During the drill, civilians on Yeonpyeong Island moved into air-raid shelters, which, the BBC reported, was part of the planned procedure for the exercise. Yeonpyeong Island, which, although controlled by the South, is visible from the North, and came under attack from the North last month. Nearly 200 rounds of artillery were fired at the island in the attack; four people were killed and another 14 were injured in the attack. At the time of the attack, the South had been holding annual military exercises with the US. Troops on the island returned fire, firing nearly 80 rounds of artillery, but no damage was reported on the North Korean side.

Article 1: Sotomayor with US president Barack Obama Sonia Sotomayor, the U.S. Supreme Court nominee, fractured her right ankle after stumbling on her way to be seated aboard her airplane to at Laguardia Airport on Monday. She was sent to a local medical office, where an X-ray was taken. Sotomayor was later released. She has a cast wrapped around her ankle, which has been signed by a senator. Sotomayor's cast will be replaced after 3 weeks. She has been limping on her bad ankle, but otherwise seems to be okay. "She flew to D.C. I think it was looked at when she got here, and she was advised to go get X-rays, which she did. I think she spent a couple of hours getting the cast, and the last time I saw video, (she was) up on Capitol Hill continuing to meet with senators as part of her meetings surrounding her nomination," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. Article 2: Japan and the United States have co-signed an agreement to remove and dispose of over 300 kilograms of plutonium and an unspecified amount of highly enriched uranium. According to a statement released by the fissile material will be transported from the Fast Critical Assembly at the to a "secure facility" in the U.S., and will be "fully converted into less sensitive forms". Barack Obama announced his aim to seek "the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons" in in 2009. He has been pressing his foreign counterparts, both in Asia and Europe, demanding they either get rid of their excess nuclear materials via the U.S., or tighten security on stockpiles at home. Belgium and Italy have also agreed to hand over excess nuclear material. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall of the says Japan's pledge to hand over nuclear material to the U.S. shows leadership and dedication to the nonproliferation of nuclear material and nuclear weapons. The deal is part of an ongoing U.S. goal to reduce fissile material worldwide. The U.S. hopes to convince more nations to use reprocessing and enrichment facilities in an effort to minimize proliferation risks.

Article 1: A National Wildlife Federation, Doug Inkley, has criticised what he described as America's "addiction to oil". Inkley stated it is ultimately responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster earlier this year. Doug Inkley, a senior scientist working for the Deepwater Horizon disaster six months ago. Article 2: Savonlinna, from file. It has emerged that three Finnish nationals have been shot dead in Brazil. Their bodies were found near sugarcane field on Friday. The three were from gynaecologist, 68, had been trying to sell the nearby property. The third victim was a nurse, 60. All were from

Article 1: Jaspee University Hospital on the campus was placed in a state of lockdown on Wednesday after a "violent individual," reported to be a murder suspect, attempted to gain access to the building. "The University Hospital was locked down at noon today. University officials have reason to believe that a violent individual may seek access to the hospital. The lockdown was initiated to ensure the safety of patients, visitors and staff," a statement from the hospital said. It is believed that the individual, Joshua William Maylee, 23, shot and killed a 46-year-old man and injured his wife, who was transported to University Hospital. Reports suggest that the suspect may have been trying to gain access to the woman to kill her. The Callaway County Sheriff’s Department played down the incident. "There’s no indication that he’s even in that county or anywhere near the hospital," he said. "It’s just standard procedure for the hospital to be doing what they’re doing." (MUPD) Chief Jack Watring said that no other buildings on the campus were affected by the disturbance. "We believe the rest of campus is safe at this time," he said. "We have no reason to believe that this individual will seek access to any other building on campus." The hospital added that all "patients, visitors and staff will have access to the hospital but will be screened as they enter and leave." * * Article 2: , the suspect in a shooting of protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States that left two people dead, was released from a Wisconsin jail Friday after his lawyers posted US$2 million bond. File photo of site of shooting. His lawyers had reportedly set up a drive to collect donations for the defendant. His sister made public requests for assistance in raising funds for her brother's bail. Shortly after Rittenhouse's release, one of his lawyers posted a photo to Twitter showing him and actor standing next to each other and smiling. A resident of Antioch, Illinois, Rittenhouse is accused of crossing state lines and shooting and killing two people who were participating in demonstrations protesting the intentional homicide and . If convicted, Rittenhouse could receive up to a lifetime prison sentence. Rittenhouse was not old enough to own or possess a firearm in the state of Illinois at the time of the incident. He claimed to have obtained his weapon by having an older friend purchase it on his behalf using stimulus money Rittenhouse received from the state during the coronavirus lockdown. A suspect in Wisconsin has been charged for allegedly providing the weapon to Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse turned himself in to authorities on the morning following the shooting, and his lawyers have claimed the defendant acted in . Court Commissioner Loren Keating said he considered Rittenhouse a flight risk, prior to setting the US$2 million bond. Rittenhouse, in remarks to The Washington Post, contended he would have died had he not been armed that night. Some conservative groups have come to Rittenhouse's defense regarding the incident. Suspeito de assassinar manifestantes em Wisconsin libertado sob fiança de US$ 2 milhões

Article 1: Jack Palance. Jack Palance, best known for his role as Curly in the 1991 film, "City Slickers", died of natural causes on Friday, November 10, at the age of 87. He died in Montecito, California, surrounded by family, according to spokesman Dick Guttman. Palance is survived by his second wife, Elaine Rogers Palance; his daughter, Holly; another daughter, Brook Palance Wilding; grandchildren Lily and Spencer Spottiswoode and Tarquin Wilding; his brother, John Palance, and sister Anne Despiva. A memorial service for him is planned for December 16. He also played the role of the Oscar- nominated Jack Wilson in "Shane". Article 2: A rescue helicopter crashed in , Italy on Tuesday. All six on board died. The Gran Sasso mountains, from file. The flight was taking a wounded skier from the Rocca di Cambio to the regional capital, kilometre|km (60 miles) from the scene of an avalanche last week at the Rigopiano hotel, where at least fifteen died and several remain missing. Rescue operations at the hotel, which is on the other side of mountain Lucoli mayor Gianluca Marrocchi said the helicopter was flying low. "After that it disappeared in the fog," he said to . Some witnesses said there was an explosion before the crash, and the local police said a crash signal was activated. A police spokesperson commented to AFP, "The area where it came down is hard to access at the best of times, and thick fog is making it even more difficult." The region has seen heavy snowfall and several recently. Thousands of residents have spent a week without electricity. Campo Felice is around 120km from Rome, and popular with skiers from the capital. * * *

Article 1: Singapore Changi Airport on February 4, 2007. It is nearly identical to the one that crashed. Marwoto Komar, pilot of Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, a Boeing 737-400 which overshot the runway in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on March 7, killing 21, has spoken to the media for the first time about the accident. Five of the deceased were Australian. "I am deeply, deeply mourning for the victims and for the Australians," Mr Komar told News Limited . A recent report found his actions to be chiefly responsible for the disaster, finding that he had ignored fifteen automated warnings that he was going too fast, and describing him as fixated with landing. As a result, he is likely to face criminal charges. Mr Komar broke down outside his Jakarta residence as he told reporters “I didn't plan for this to happen. The point is that I want people to know I am deeply in mourning and also that I understand what the families feel. I just did my job as normal, as usual, flying as a pilot.” Mr Komar is currently undergoing psychological treatment for mental problems caused by the crash. His flying license has been suspended. "Every day I am here at home, I have never run away. I have explained everything to the KNKT (Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee) and to the police," he said. Mr Komar said he couldn't comment on technical aspects of the crash, or of the criticisms of his conduct, as the matter is still under police investigation. He is likely to face negligence charges which carry a prison sentence if convicted. Three other Garuda employees are currently being questioned in Jakarta by police as part of the investigation. They've been told that they are being interrogated as "witnesses". Meanwhile, Emirsyah Satar, managing director of the airline, has announced an intention to resume flights to Europe next year, assuming success in a current bid to get the airline off the list of air carriers banned in the EU, where all Indonesian airlines were placed earlier this year. He suggested Amsterdam as the most likely destination. Article 2: A photo of Muammar Gaddafi in 2009. The United Nations and two human rights groups are pressing for an investigation into the death of Muammar Gaddafi. U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville from the Office of the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights said in a statement on Friday that "there seem to be four or five different versions of how he died," and that "more details are needed to ascertain whether he was killed in the fighting or after his capture." Specifically pressed on the possibility Gaddafi was executed whilst detained, he said, "It has to be one possibility when you look at these two videos. So that's something that an investigation needs to look into." "Summary executions are strictly illegal under any circumstances. It's different if someone is killed in combat. There was a civil war taking place in Libya. So if the person died as part of combat, that is a different issue and that is normally acceptable under the circumstances," Colville said. "But if something else has happened, if someone is captured and then deliberately killed, then that is a very serious matter," he said. Amnesty International, a human rights group, has urged the to reveal the circumstances surrounding Gaddafi's death. Questions have lingered about the true cause of Gaddafi's death, with two separate videos showing him wounded and bloodied but alive and another showing him already dead with a bullet wound on his head. * *

Article 1: Crowded House|"Crowded House", was found dead in a Melbourne park Saturday. An ambulance service spokeswoman told the Sydney Morning Herald that ambulance officers arrived at Park on Saturday afternoon. They reported Hester had "attempted suicide" and suffered "strangulation". The 46-year-old-father-of-two was last seen walking his two dogs in the popular suburban park near his home on Friday evening. Hester had a history with bouts of depression, but seemed to be coping well following eight years of therapy. Friends told the The Daily Telegraph, however, that he suffered a recent turmoil in his love life. Firstly, there was the end of his romance with long-time partner and mother of his two daughters, and then a parting last December with New Zealand singer Kashan, whom he planned to wed in May. There appeared to be no indication he was distressed when he left the house to walk his dogs. Hester, from Melbourne, Australia, was a founding member of the internationally popular group Crowded House. Previously, he was in the band "Split Enz" with Crowded House leader List of Australian television channels|Australian TV in the late 1990s, and also had a recurring role as Paul the Cook on the children's program cable television|cable music channel MAX's Sessions series. Article 2: Traralgon Post Office in 2011. Traralgon had tested positive to COVID-19 on Sunday. The case has been linked to Melbourne's current outbreak. The Victorian government's COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar confirmed "this individual travelled to a funeral in Melbourne", and no other people within the person's household are at risk. The case - which is Latrobe City's first active case since January 12 - is one of 92 community transmission cases recorded on Sunday in Victoria. There are currently two COVID-19 testing sites in Latrobe City - one at The Healthcare Centre at 185-189 Princes Drive in , the other at Australian Clinical Labs at 10-12 Grey Street in Traralgon. A drive-through testing site began operating at 12PM on Sunday, which is located at Dorevitch Pathology in Latrobe Regional Hospital. A pop-up testing site has also been established at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium. Both sites are located in Traralgon. Concerning COVID-19 testing, Latrobe City mayor Sharon Gibson told Wikinews via email "I would like to see support from the Government for further Testing Stations to be opened across our City and additional Vaccination doses made available, so that anybody wanting to be vaccinated is able to do so as quickly as possible. We are willing to work with the relevant Agencies to ensure this can be rolled out ASAP." Independent state MP for Morwell called for more government support in testing Latrobe City residents. Through email, Northe told Wikinews "I have called upon the State Government to increase the number of testing options for our community given the current demand. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of testers many locals have been turned away from being tested on Sunday which understandably has left quite a few residents feeling upset and anxious." On Sunday, two COVID-19 exposure sites were recorded in Traralgon, both located at the Traralgon Centre Plaza. One was the Coles supermarket, exposed on August 22 between 11:45AM and 12:05PM, and the other is the food court, exposed on August 27 between 11:10AM and 11:15AM. Two more exposure incidents were added yesterday - an additional exposure at the above food court between 12:25PM and 2:45PM on August 22, and an exposure at the Traralgon Woolworths on Seymour Street on August 23 between 5:20PM and 5:45PM. Anyone who visited these sites has been urgently advised to receive a COVID-19 test and self-isolate until they receive their results. In regards to the earlier announcement of exposure sites, Sharon Gibson called upon people who had visited them or had symptoms to get tested. She said "I would urge people to be tested if they were anywhere near the Exposure Sites and if they have any symptoms at all, please go and get tested. Now it is especially important to follow the public health advice." Gibson added "I would hope the person who has tested positive recovers quickly. As this is the last thing they need, considering they were at a funeral and would be grieving." Darren Chester Portrait 2009.jpg|thumb|left|John O'Neill National Party federal MP for Gippsland spoke to Wikinews via email, stating "with Sunday's news of a positive case in Traralgon, it’s important to follow the public health advice, particularly around checking in, physical distancing and hand hygiene. The advice is clear, if you have symptoms, please get tested. Thanks to our frontline staff who are working hard to keep our community safe. I encourage everyone who is eligible for vaccination to make a booking and get the jab, to protect you, your family, and the wider community." Russell Northe expressed his hope the circumstances would be handled well in regards to the exposure sites. He wrote "there are a number of local exposure sites which have been announced and hopefully health authorities and contact tracers are able to get on top of the situation prior to it becoming a major issue like we have seen in other communities such as Shepparton." The recorded nine COVID-19 cases on Sunday, adding to a total of 92 active cases in the area. Shops on Wyndham Street, Shepparton. Northe also stated "many community members were shocked to learn on Sunday of an active COVID case in the region. The Latrobe Valley has been without COVID for many months and people are drained and tired by the continuation of lockdowns particularly given the absence of COVID in our community. Obviously the news on Sunday is very concerning but I thank local residents who have responded by going to get tested at the earliest possible opportunity."

Article 1: Salil Ankola, who was one of the celebrities participating in the reality TV-show Bigg Boss, which is said to be an adopted version of the Big Brother series from the UK; had to leave the house of Bigg Boss following a ruling from the High Court of Maharashtra. Ankola's trouble began when Balaji Telefilms Ltd., dragged him to the court for appearing in a rival production house. He had signed up a contract with this production house in the month of August, and was expected to abide by the contract for the next 12 months. However, he shot through the months of September and October and did not show up in November. The High Court ordered that until the arbitration in this matter is pending, the actor cannot act, endorse, advertise or do voice-overs for production houses that compete with Balaji. Article 2: On Monday, during a state visit by the South Korean president to Austria, president Moon Jae-in said in a joint press conference with Austrian president , "If North Korea agrees, we will push proactively for cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine supplies for it". Moon Jae In in 2017. Austrian President Van der Bellen agreed with Moon, speaking about united efforts of all countries to end the pandemic. He further said, "In case of any signal from North Korea for requesting help, we will of course help." The status of COVID-19 in North Korea is unknown, as the regime still claims to have no case of the virus, a claim many foreign observers qualify as untrue. In an article by Songun|military-first" effort, with multiple sources claiming up to 25% of the military has been placed in quarantine. In the same article, Chinese medical supplies have reportedly been banned from use in Pyongyang hospitals after the death of an official who had received an injection of Chinese-made medicine. The exclusion of Chinese medicine may have also been applied to Chinese-made vaccines, such as the ones made by Sinopharm, furthered the article. The visit was the first of its kind, as president Moon is the first South Korean president to make a state visit to Austria since the countries first opened diplomatic relations in 1892. Relations between the two countries will mark their 130th anniversary next year.

Article 1: A report released by Allan Gyngell of the Lowy Institute on Monday, revealed many Australians view US Islamic fundamentalism. It also found that 58 percent of the population had a positive view of the United States. The Lowy Institute, established in 2003 with a $30 million endowment from Australian philanthropist , claims it is "an independent, non-partisan think tank." The report, entitled "Australians speak 2005: public opinion and foreign policy", showed that global warming and nuclear proliferation were greater foreign policy concerns than terrorism and illegal immigration. 70 per cent of Australians were worried about global warming, the report stated, while only 63 per cent were worried about international terrorism. The report also noted most Australians believed improving the global environment should be Australia's number one foreign policy goal. Mark Wakeham of Greenpeace said, "Clearly Australians understand the warnings from scientists about greenhouse pollution far better than our governments do. Once again, the community is leading and governments will be pulled into line." He continued by saying, "Scientists tell us that, to avoid dangerous warming of more than two degrees, we have to cut our greenhouse pollution by at least 60 per cent by 2050. This means moving rapidly and decisively away from dirty coal to clean, renewable sources of energy like solar, wind and energy efficiency." The Lowy Institute surveyed 1000 randomly selected people to interview for the report. * * * * Article 2: right The football (soccer) tournament 'ELF Cup' (Equality, Liberty, Fraternity Cup) kicked off today at 18:30 (EET) today between Crimea and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Atatürk Stadium, Lefkoşa, TRNC. Eight teams are participating in the first edition of the ELF Cup, making it the largest New Federations Board tournament ever. NF-Board teams Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Greenland, Tibet, Zanzibar will be joined by FIFA's Asian Football Confederation sides Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and non-aligned sides Crimea and Gǎgǎuzia. The cup is conceived of two groups, with top two teams progressing to the semi-finals. Group A features Gǎgǎuzia, Greenland, Kyrgyzstan, and Zanzibar; while Group B features Crimea, Tajikistan, Tibet and the hosts Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The event cost the hosts 340,000 YTL, of which they expect to cover half through turnout. Head of Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (Kıbrıs Türk Futbol Federasyonu, 'KTFF') Niyazi Okutan called for Turkish Cypriots to come and support their national team.

Article 1: On Friday, thirteen agencies within the United States government jointly issued the Climate Science Special Report, declaring that roughly 90% of climate change is caused by human activity, most notably the production of carbon dioxide by the burning of . This directly contradicts assertions made by politicians within the administration of the current president, Donald Trump. The report notes, "It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century... For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence." Officially, the report was submitted through the Trump Administration's Office of Science and Technology Policy, to which President Trump has not appointed a head. The official response from the rest of the White House, given to the press by White House spokesperson Raj Shah, reads as follows: "The climate has changed and is always changing. As the Climate Science Special Report states, the magnitude of future climate change depends significantly on 'remaining uncertainty in the sensitivity of Earth's climate to emissions... In the United States, energy related carbon dioxide emissions have been declining, are expected to remain flat through 2040, and will also continue to decline as a share of world emissions." The report clocks in at roughly 500 pages and places the human contribution to the increase in the Earth's temperature at 92–123% since 1950. As explained by co-author Katherine Hayhoe, the space over 100% indicates counteraction of forces that have a cooling effect, like sun-blocking dust kicked into the upper atmosphere by . Overall, the report calls the past 115 years "the warmest in the history of modern civilization." The study cites several factors, called "tipping points," that might make global climate change more intense, such as changes in permafrost|permafrozen ground begins to thaw and cites both the wildfires in California and foot (unit)|feet (2.4 m) by the year 2100. Unlike with previous studies on climate change released by U.S. government agencies, said one lead author, David Fahey of the Paris Climate Accords. Fahey remarked, "I'm quite confident to say there has been no political interference in the scientific messages from this report... Whatever fears we had weren't realized." Head of the Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry have both said publicly that carbon dioxide does not cause much global warming. Phil Duffy of the noted, "This is a federal government report whose contents completely undercut the Trump Administration's policies, completely undercut the statements made by senior members of the administration." President Trump has announced plans to withdraw the United States form the Paris Climate Accords, in which participating countries pledge to reduce carbon emissions, and to loosen federal laws regulating fossil fuels. The Climate Science Special Report is part of the fourth National Climate Assessment, the last of which was in 2014. The National Climate Assessments are required by a law passed by the United States Congress in 1990. Science and technology United States Donald Trump Politics and conflicts Environment Weather Article 2: Ukraine-published video still allegedly depicting dead civilians in Bucha, dated April 3. On Tuesday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing war crimes against civilians during the ongoing invasion via live video feed to the United Nations Security Council. Zelenskyy said: "The Russian military searched for and purposefully killed anyone who served our country. They shot and killed women outside their houses when they just tried to call someone who is alive. They killed entire families, adults and children, and they tried to burn the bodies." Demanding the perpetrators and their superiors be brought before a war crimes tribunal and held accountable, he specified: "They cut off limbs, cut their throats. Women were raped and killed in front of their children." Russian ambassador to the UN Government of Russia denies the allegations. He asserted that video footage was a "crude forgery" arranged by Ukraine. "You only saw what they showed you. The only ones who would fall for this are Western dilettantes," he said. Ukraine said it found hundreds of dead bodies, notably in Bucha, after forces reclaimed areas outside capital city Kyiv. , the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, said on Sunday that 410 bodies were found in areas around Kyiv, telling Reuters: "We need to work with witnesses" to assess the extent of the crimes. "People today are so stressed that they are physically unable to speak," she said. Ukraine-released video still allegedly depicting a car crushed by a tank with a driver (blurred) inside in Bucha, dated April 2. On Sunday, Zelenskyy accused Russia of seeking: "The elimination of the whole nation, and the people. We are the citizens of Ukraine." Asked if it was Face the Nation, Zelenskyy said: "Indeed. This is genocide." Ukraine released images depicting people shot in the back of the head, many with their hands tied behind their backs. The Russian Ministry of Defence issued a statement on Monday reading: "During the time that Bucha has been under the control of the Russian armed forces, not a single local resident has suffered from any violent action. Russian servicemen have delivered and distributed 452 tonnes of humanitarian aid to civilians in the Kyiv Region." The statement claimed photographs were a hoax and "provocations of Ukrainian radicals." Satellite photography over Bucha from appeared to show dead bodies in the same positions for weeks, as well as a mass grave at the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints. According to CNN, people were hoping to find their relatives in the grave which may contain upwards of a 150 people. Nevertheless, Russia's Director of the Information , denied the legitimacy of footage from Bucha. "Who are the masters of provocation? Of course the United States and NATO," she said, saying the outrage was a planned attempt to tarnish Russia's reputation. International responses were issued earlier this week despite Russia's stance. United Kingdom foreign minister said: "Britain has helped lead the way with sanctions to cripple the Putin war machine. We will do more to ramp up the pressure on Russia and we will keep pushing others to do more". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined: "We’re tightening the existing sanctions. We’re adding new ones. We’re doing it in full coordination with Europeans and other partners around the world. And one of the results is that the Russian economy is reeling." "You can expect further sanctions announcements this week. And we are coordinating with our allies and partners on what the exact parameters of that will be," added US security advisor .

Article 1: Norfolk UK locator map 2010.svg|thumb|left|The incident occurred in Norfolk, England. Five people are thought to be seriously injured after a coach carrying elderly people overturned near Norwich, Norfolk, England. 44 others have suffered minor injuries. Emergency services are reportedly at the scene, including at least seven ambulances. confirmed a "major incident" had occurred; it is thought only one vehicle, the single-decker coach, was involved. A statement released by the force said several people had become trapped in the vehicle in the incident, but all had been freed. A spokesperson for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital; others are being treated in a community centre near the site of the incident. "I've seen four of five fire crews and at least seven ambulances going through to the scene of the crash, and they were still coming about an hour after the incident," reporter Cath Saunt, at the scene of the incident, said. "A couple of ambulances left the scene with blue flashing lights and people who do not need immediate treatment have been taken to a community centre." Article 2: Sunshine Beach, Queensland — Caboolture, Queensland|Caboolture a shot at back-to-back Sunshine Coast Rugby Union A-grade premierships today defeating them 24 points to 7 at Dolphin Oval, Sunshine Beach, Australia. Caboolture qualified for this match by beating Noosa. Melany's reserve grade and under 19s teams are to play Noosa in their respective Grand Finals Maroochydore is now set to play Noosa in the A-grade grand final while, in the lower grades, Maleny had both of its teams move through to grand final day. Their reserve grade side defeated Maroochydore 53–24 and their under 19s beating Caboolture 29–20. In the A-grade game, Maroochydore proved to dominate for Caboolture going 19–nil up at half time. They would have been a further two points up if not for a missed anchor=Conversion|conversion. The second half was more of an arm wrestle with both teams scoring tries. Maroochydore would cap off the win right on full time with an unsuccessful penalty. Unlike a week earlier, those in attendance were reasonably well behaved. The Grand Final is scheduled to be held at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina, Queensland.

Article 1: On Wednesday, the Tuskish government declared they were officially ending the search of survivors of the earthquake in the . Reports said at least 116 people died due to this earthquake, while the number of casualties rose to at least 1,035 in Turkey and about 19 in Greece. 2020-10-30 Néon Karlovásion, Greece M7 earthquake intensity map (USGS).jpg|left|thumb|USGS' map of impact. On the Greek island of Izmir, Turkey|Izmir, Turkey, to collapse or be severely damaged. The earthquake also caused a "mini tsunami" to flood some streets of Samos and Izmir. In Izmir, Turkey, a building collapsed. The earthquake occurred on Friday with its epicentre in the Aegean Sea near Samos. Turkey's reported the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.6 and, as of Wednesday, 1885 aftershocks had occurred since the earthquake. The US Geological Survey reported it was of 7.0 magnitude. Local officials said on Saturday, about 20 buildings collapsed. Early reports suggested police and people used simple tools such as chainsaws to rescue people who were trapped. Turkey and Greece had earlier had poor relations over disputed resources in the Mediterranean, but the leaders of the two countries spoke by telephone on Friday night, and publicly expressed their willingness to help each other. fr:Turquie : un puissant séisme tue des dizaines de personnes Article 2: A poster for the talk. On January 22, Russian Wikinews attended a talk by Russian travel writer Viktor Pinchuk in Verkhorechye village, located 18 kilometers from Near East, where the main purpose was to visit Afghanistan. The event was organized with the assistance of the Crimean branch of the . The traveler spoke about his adventures, showed photographs (including those present at the exhibition “Afghanistan, 2008”), short videos and CDs containing cultural music from Asian countries (which he brings from each expedition, being a philophonist), and answered guests' questions. When speaking about the results of his trip, he mentioned that 25 articles had been published in the press, as well as a further two for Russian Wikinews. At the end of the event, there was a presentation of the book "Afghan Prisoner", created in the genre of a travel essay, where the author follows the traditions of . Ksenia Osmanova, chairman of the Bakhchysarai local branch of the and organizer of the event, described the traveler and his activities: Viktor Pinchuk added to what was said: Встреча в Верхоречье (1).jpg|Lecturer Встреча в Верхоречье (2).jpg|Audience (photo 1) Встреча в Верхоречье (3).jpg|Audience (photo 2) Встреча в Верхоречье (5).jpg|Some of the CDs brought, from left to right:Nazia Iqbal "Pashtun songs" (Afghanistan/Pakistan) Встреча в Верхоречье (4).jpg|Group photo Afghan prisoner (cover of book).jpg|Cover of the presented book Удостоверение филофониста.jpg|Philophonist ID card Viktor Pinchuk's Afghan expedition.jpg|Map of the route traveled Рекомендательное письмо (консульству Ирана).jpg|Letter of recommendation 'Photos and videos from the trip' Beverage Seller.jpg|Beverage seller (Damascus, Syria) Vegetable Market (Amman).webm|thumbtime=02|Vegetable market (Amman, Jordan) Checkered world.jpg|Checkered World (Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan Kote Sangi.ogv|Район (Kabul, Afghanistan) Sight (look).jpg|Sight (Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan) Darul Aman Palace, inside view.ogv| (Kabul, Afghanistan) In a street eatery (Mazar-I-Sharif).webm|thumbtime=02|At a street eatery (Mazar-i-Sharif) Hotel in Afghanistan.webm|thumbtime=29|Mehmunsaray () In an Afghan village.webm|In Afghan village (Mazar-i-Sharif region) Afghan tortillas.webm|thumbtime=10|, manufacturing process (Kabul, Afghanistan)

Article 1: Location of the Val-d'Oise department within France In a third night of violence, that followed after two teenagers on a motorbike died in a collision with a police patrol vehicle on Sunday night, French authorities are reporting only sporadic clashes in the Val-d'Oise department. However, for the first time, unrest was reported outside of Paris suburbs. The southern city of Toulouse saw at least ten cars torched and a library was set on fire. Location of Toulouse. "The situation is much calmer than the two previous nights but we can all feel that it remains fragile," said Prime Minister François Fillon, as Tuesday night saw only minor incidents in Villiers-le-Bel, where the unrest originated on Sunday. Authorities are saying that the rioting has been more intense than in 2005, albeit less widespread. There have been several reports of hunting rifles and other firearms. "It's much more violent than in 2005," said Patrick Ribeiro of Synergie police union, in a telephone interview with Bloomberg. "They've shot at us with handguns and hunting rifles. If our officers have to protect their lives, they may have to shoot and that's not what we want." "Back then, it was more of a revolt. This time, they're after us and they're armed," said Christophe, a police officer, to The Guardian. "Those who shoot at policemen, those who beat a police officer almost to death are criminals and must be treated as such," PM Fillon told the parliament earlier in the day. Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie said that the riots were organized and that the street violence by teens was to distract police, while criminals looted shops. She also pledged stronger police presence. "Our goal is to impose calm and to arrest these dangerous individuals who shoot at police," she said. "I was there yesterday, and I'm going to be there tonight," said a 19-year-old who lives in Villiers-le-Bel where the accident happened and who would not give his name. "We don't think it's a good thing to destroy the shops, but we're in this all together. And we won't stop until justice is made." Meanwhile, the police reported their initial findings in the investigation into the accident that triggered the unrest. The motorcycle was going at top speed and was not registered for street use, while the two boys were not wearing helmets and had been ignoring traffic rules, according to the report. The two boys have been identified only by their first names. Moushin, 15, and Larami, 16, both died in the accident. Relatives of the boys insist that the police rammed the motorcycle with their car and then left the boys to die. Residents have said that police gave only cursory help to the accident victims. Police say that an ambulance was on the scene within 10 minutes of the collision. nl:Derde nacht van onrust in Parijse voorsteden verloopt rustiger Distúrbios no subúrbio de Paris Article 2: 2021 United Kingdom budget|2021 budget on Wednesday in the House of Commons. This comes amid significant damage to the country's economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, in which over 700 thousand people have lost their jobs, with the economy shrinking by 10%. Sunak (pictured in 2017), who delivered the budget on Wednesday. Sunak announced an extension of the scheme, which had been paying employees who could not work due to the pandemic 80% of their wages. He said it would be extended until September. The scheme also mentioned firms would have to pay 10% of this in July, and 20% in the months of August and September as the scheme ends. It was also announced that support for self-employed people would continue, with another grant for between February and April. Other support for workers included the Pound sterling|£8.91/hour from April, and an existing £20 weekly increase in being extended through September. Sunak also announced some changes to taxation in the country, with corporation tax rising to 25% in April 2023. Sunak said that this would be the lowest rate in the national insurance, and stamp duty on house purchases in Northern Ireland and England will be extended to June 30,--> with alcohol and continuing to be frozen. For hospitality firms, VAT will continue to be frozen at a reduced rate of five percent. The free port|freeports were also announced in locations at Felixstowe and Humber; Liverpool City Region; Solent; and Teesside. These would allow reduced customs costs, and encourages investment.

Article 1: If the same fixture can be played in different countries same day, today in 2007 BWC and Konami Cup 2007 was the best example of this. Two professional teams battled in Tokyo, but two national teams battled in Taichung. At the Konami Cup, SK Wyverns easily won by ending early the games against China Stars with 13-0 by SK's aggressive hitting firstly, but in the "Uni-President Lions vs Chunichi Dragons", they battled with a pitching game. The key factors of errors decided the winner in this game. At the top of 5th inning, it started from Motonobu Tanishige's "hit by pitch", with errors by Uni Lions' third-base man Tilson Brito, reversing the match with 2 RBIs with base full chance by Chunichi Dragons, and Hirokazu Ibata's 1 RBI hit, Dragons finally defeated Lions at home (Japan) with 4-2. In the same time, Chinese Taipei and Japan National Team battled in Taichung. Pre-sale tickets of this match were unavailable in site. To maintain the honor of the host (Taiwan, as of Chinese Taipei), Chien-fu Yang battled Junichi Tazawa in the starting pitch. With a aggressive battings led by Tai-shan Chang, 5 hits scored 3 RBIs in the bottom of 6th inning, and the relief pitcher Fu-de Ni successfully closed battings from Japan, Chinese Taipei won Japan with 6-1. By results at different places, this alternative battle drew with upholding their own home each other. Article 2: A police officer at the annual Bathurst 1000 motorsport event in Bathurst, New South Wales has been assaulted by a dildo, with another man arrested for publically displaying pornography. Police allege that a 22-year-old man from Moss Vale approached a male police officer seated inside a police vehicle. It is alleged the man launched at the officer hitting him in the head with a "sex toy". The officer was uninjured in the incident. The man was arrested and charged with assaulting police. Earlier in the evening, police from the Public Order and Riot Squad came across a man displaying pornographic material on a television he had mounted on a trolley walking around the McPhillamy Park Campsite. The 35 year-old man from St Helen's Park was arrested and taken to the on site police station where he was questioned. Police conducted a search of the man's tent where around 20 pornographic DVDs were located. The man was charged with displaying pornographic material. Assistant Commissioner Shearer said, “Camping on the mountain are families with young children and for someone to deliberately walk around displaying pornographic material is completely unacceptable.” “Police are working tirelessly to ensure that the event remains a family friendly event where by all spectators can enjoy the V8 Super cars as they intended. The behaviour displayed by some individuals is extremely disappointing, however, overall the fans have been very well behaved.” Both men were ejected from the event and cannot return to the Mount Panorama circuit for the remainder of the event. category:Oceania

Article 1: At Friday prayers today at the mosque of Tehran University, Ali Khamenei spoke about the disturbances in Iran that have followed its recent presidential election. He stated that the elections had been fairly run, urged the opposition to stop the protests by demonstrators, and accused foreign countries, singling out the United Kingdom in particular, of interference in internal Iranian affairs. Ali Khamenei issued a veiled warning to opposition leaders, including , who was not present in the prayer hall where Ali Khamenei was speaking, that street demonstrations were unacceptable and challenges to democracy. He stated that such street demonstrations must stop, and that if it did not, people would be held accountable. The minarets of the mosque at the University of Tehran. He called the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was present in the prayer hall, a definitive victory and stated that there had been no vote-rigging, an activity that he likened to the commission of treason, pointing to the 11 million vote margin by which Mahmoud had won as evidence of this. He accused diplomatic representatives of foreign governments to Iran of casting aside their masks of courtesy and revealing their "true enmity towards the Iranian Islamic state", saying that "the most evil of them is the ­British government", a statement that was greeted by roars from the crowd before him of "Death to the English!". He blamed foreign news media, which he described as partly Zionist-controlled, for incorrectly portraying Mir Hossein as being in conflict with the Islamic establishment, saying that "they have no right to say that. That is not true.". He also accused the United States of hypocrisy, commenting on the contrast between U.S. President Barack Obama's letter offering better relations between the U.S. and Iran with his comments on the Iranian presidential election, and pointing to the U.S. military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying "We do not need any advice on human rights from them.". He similarly contrasted, albeit without explicitly naming their source, remarks made by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about human rights in Iran with the events of the FBI raid on the Branch Davidian cult's headquarters in Waco, Texas in 1993, where 75 people were killed. Article 2: On Friday, a Kaseya spread to over 200 companies in the US through Kaseya's network management software. Huntress Labs, a REvil, a Russia-based ransomware group. Kaseya told its customers to stop using its services when it learned of the attack. According to NBC News, the ransomware first spread to about 40 of Kaseya's customers, which are mainly companies that manage Internet services for their customers, some of which manage them for thousands of companies. John Hammond, a security researcher at Huntress Labs, said that "It's reasonable to think this could potentially be impacting thousands of small businesses". Kaseya notified its customers of the attack on Friday afternoon and warned them to stop using its services immediately. reported REvil is a Russian-based organization which provides ransomware-as-a-service. BleepingComputer reported receiving a sample of the ransomware used in REvil's attacks and says that they demand USD five million for the ransomed files to be decrypted, though it is unknown if every victim received a demand for that same amount. Fabian Wosar, Chief Technical Offier (CTO) at the Emsisoft security firm, said affected customers had received demands for USD 44,999. Swedish grocery chain was also affected by the attack, and had to close all 800 of its stores because its checkout tills could not process payments due to the ransomware. Speaking to Swedish Television, Therese Knapp, a Coop spokesperson, said "We have been troubleshooting and restoring all night, but have communicated that we will need to keep the stores closed today". Swedish company Visma Esscom, which manages servers for businesses, was using Kaseya software, according to Reuters. Railway services in Sweden were also disrupted. On Saturday, US President Joe Biden directed intelligence agencies to investigate who was behind the attack. He said that "we're not certain" who is behind the attack, adding "the initial thinking was it was not the Russian government but we're not sure yet". The US stated that it is "taking action to understand and address the recent supply-chain ransomware attack".

Article 1: 27-year-old Robin Parkircher arrived in Israel today to apologize to Holocaust survivors for his grandfather's behavior. Parkircher's grandfather was an SS guard in a Nazi concentration camp near Bremen, Germany, where over eight hundred women were incarcerated. In an interview, Parkircher told Israeli Yediot Aharonot newspaper that years after his grandfather passed away, Parkircher found a picture of him wearing an SS uniform. After inquiring with his grandmother, he discovered about his grandfather's service as a camp guard. After the discovery, the younger Parkircher decided he should look for the camp survivors and ask for their forgiveness. After months-long search, he discovered survivors in Nordia senior citizen home in central Israel. His first visit was to author and camp survivor Lili Curtis, with whom he previously unsuccessfully tried to communicate. After the communication attempts failed, Parkircher decided to come to Israel by himself and meet with Curtis. After the meeting, Curtis said that she was confused at first and moved as the conversation developed. Following the conversation between the two, Parkircher was invited to a meal with residents of Nordia House, where he used the opportunity to talk and apologize to the survivors. Witnesses reported later that the apology was very moving and brought many of them to tears. He is scheduled to stay in Israel for another twelve days, to visit additional survivors of the concentration camp. Article 2: An overturned tanker exploded in , South Sudan yesterday, killing dozens. Motorcycles and a truck on a dirt road in South Sudan. The country has few paved roads. The death toll is unclear. At least 85 died according to presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny, citing "local authorities". Charles Kisagna of the local government said at least 100 died. County commissioner Wilson Thomas Yanga in remarks to the BBC put the toll at a minimum of 176. The Red Cross said it had sent two burn kits to local rescuers in Radio Tamazuj spoke to a doctor who reported reserves of painkillers, oxygen, and other consumables were being exhausted. Some casualties may have fled the scene. Reportedly, after the driver walked away from the crash to seek assistance, local residents began stealing petrol. South Sudan has few paved roads. Mass casualty fuel explosions are common in poor regions of East Africa. * *

Article 1: Zimmerman after being arrested in 2012. George Zimmerman, a Florida man charged with the shooting of seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin, was found not guilty of second-degree murder late Saturday night following 16 hours of deliberation. The case has drawn national attention in the United States because of questions it raises over "stand your ground" self-defense laws. Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin on February 26, 2012. Prosecutors argued that Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, had pursued Martin on the basis of race, as Martin walked through Zimmerman's on the way back from a convenience store. Zimmerman's lawyers argued Martin attacked Zimmerman who then shot Martin in self-defense after Martin punched him and repeatedly slammed Zimmerman's head against the sidewalk. Following the decision to acquit, by a six member all-female jury, of both a second-degree murder and a manslaughter charge, Zimmerman's lawyer said: "I think the prosecution of George Zimmerman was disgraceful". On Twitter, Zimmerman's brother Robert said the decision made him "proud to be an American". Tracy Martin, Trayvon's father, posted on Twitter to say "Even though I am broken hearted my faith is unshattered". Jahvaris Fulton, Trayvon Martin's brother, posted "Et tu, America?", alluding to the Shakespearean phrase "" The civil rights charges against Zimmerman. NAACP president Article 2: Shepparton railway line. The Australian federal and Victorian state governments announced on Saturday that the third stage of upgrades on the Shepparton railway line will commence next month. Their joint press release described this as a "construction blitz on the line", with the goal of delivering nine daily return services between Melbourne and V/Line operates five return services on weekdays to Shepparton. From September 4 to September 12, coaches will replace trains to Seymour and Murchison East railway station|Murchison East will be extended by 1.1 kilometres, allowing two six-car trains to pass each other. Outside of these dates, the stage three upgrades will also involve the expansion of a new Shepparton train stabling facility, as well as signalling and track upgrades on the Shepparton railway line. The stabling facility and loop extension, along with stage two upgrades, have been contracted to Coleman Rail and KBR. Stage three is slated for completion by 2023. Australian Deputy Prime Minister, National Party of Australia, , said of the upgrades that "the Australian Government provided the funding for stage three to deliver the services Shepparton passengers have been waiting for, and now we’re making sure this work gets underway. Our record $110 billion infrastructure investment is all about delivering projects like this, where the community and the economy will benefit simultaneously." A number of local MPs also spoke on the project, with National Party federal MP for Nicholls, , saying that "these upgrades will give Shepparton the fast and frequent rail service befitting its status as a major regional centre." Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch)|Labor state for the (which covers Shepparton) stated that "delivering four extra services to and from Shepparton each day will give people in communities along the line more options for their travel and a train service they can rely on". Tim Quilty, MLC for Northern Victoria. Liberal Democratic MLC for Northern Victoria, , told Wikinews yesterday via email that "I am very pleased to see the Victorian Government actually invest in rail infrastructure to benefit Northern Victorian communities. More efficient and reliable freight and passenger transport will benefit the city’s economy and help ease traffic on our roads." Quilty added that "Shepparton is an important regional centre and this investment should continue to improve transport links – with nine passenger services a day, lots of Northern Victorian towns will be envious of the service Shepparton is going to have," but also commented on the government's announcements, remarking that "you have to wonder, though, just how many times they can announce the same project before the next election. It would be great if they would shut up about how they are going to build it, and just get on with it." * *

Article 1: An international team has extracted and sequenced a protein from a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal fossil in research that demonstrates a new method of comparing genetic relationships between organisms. "This research opens up the possibility of getting detailed protein information from past human populations, to make inferences about the evolution of human diet and physiology," says Erik Trinkaus of Washington University in St. Louis. The research was led by Trinkaus and colleagues from Washington University in St. Louis and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. The oldest fossil human protein ever sequenced, the protein came from a Neanderthal discovered in Shanidar Cave, Iraq. Protein sequences can be used in a similar way to DNA to provide information on genetic relationships between extinct and living species. Since ancient DNA rarely survives, protein sequencing could be used to determine such relationships for very old fossils that no longer contain DNA. For their study, Trinkaus and colleagues sequenced the bone protein osteocalcin from a Neanderthal and found that it is the same as that in modern humans. The researchers also found big differences in the sequences of Neanderthals, humans, chimpanzees and orangutans from that of gorillas and most other mammals. They suggest that this is a dietary response related to an abundance of vitamin C in the diets of herbivores such as gorillas that is absent from the diets of omnivorous primates such as humans and Neanderthals. The research is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Article 2: KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung is meeting with CPC officials in Beijing. A delegation of from the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT, or Nationalist Party), is meeting with Communist Party of China (CPC) officials in Beijing today, led by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung. "We hope the current crisis can be minimized," Chiang said in Beijing. "After the anti-secession law was enacted we saw reactions and protests," he continued, "The Beijing authorities have likely heard it for themselves but we have also brought the voice of the Taiwanese people with us." Wednesday evening, Chen met with the delegation to discuss cross-Straits economic ties. Representatives from numerous other Chinese agencies were also present at the meeting, including the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce, and the General Administration of Civil Aviation. The meeting discussed the possibility of opening up Taiwan to tourists from the mainland. Zhu Peikang, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the mainland's Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang, also welcomed the Nationalist delegation. Zhu said Chiang's visit was important, and "focused on the common interests of the people on both sides and the promotion of the cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation." "My heart was filled with limitless excitement and deep emotion," Chiang told the Associated Press. "It was very moving to visit." Nanjing was the former capital used by the Nationalists before they lost the civil war with the Communists and evacuated to Taiwan in 1949. "The Chinese strategy is always divide and conquer, and the KMT is playing into China's hands," he told The New York Times and International Herald Tribune reporters. "It's very odd that they would cooperate with the Communist Party instead of the ruling party here on Taiwan," Wu said. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Ying-mao Kau disclosed that the United States is concerned about the Nationalist visit, and that American officials have privately said that Taiwan's political parties should first unify and build a consensus to strengthen their negotiating position with mainland China. __NOTOC__