Concorde crash trial begins
Wednesday, February 3, 2010 A French court Tuesday launched the trial of five men and a US airline over the Concorde disaster. 113 people were killed when the supersonic jet struck a hotel near Paris in 2000. The prosecution case agrees with the facts set out in the final accident report, which, by international law, was written from an entirely different investigation and thus cannot be introduced in court. It alleges that improper maintenance of an American airliner and failure to detect design flaws with the Concorde were responsible for the Air France jet’s crash, to an extent that makes the six defendants guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Both official investigations found that a Continental Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 had taken off five minutes before Concorde with an improvised repair. A metal strip had been machined by mechanics instead of using a certified part. This strip dropped off the aircraft, leaving…
Australians enjoy second lunar eclipse for 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Citizens in the Australian city of Bathurst in Central-Western New South Wales have turned out in the hundreds on top of Mount Panorama to observe tonight’s lunar eclipse. Those who turned out for the spectacle were treated to live music and purple flags with lighting to take on a mystic theme. Mount Panorama provided perfect conditions for the show, with minimal light and clear skies. Just before 7 p.m. AEST the eclipse began to be visible with the Earth beginning to shadow the Moon, by 8:37 p.m. AEST the top of Mount Panorama was bathed in an eerie red glow as the moon glowed deep red. Michael Stanton, a local astronomy fan told Wikinews “this is just great, we have music and this visual delight to see”.
Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Green candidate Andrew McAvoy, Windsor-Tecumseh
Monday, September 24, 2007 Andrew McAvoy is running for the Green Party of Ontario in the Ontario provincial election, in the Windsor-Tecumseh riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign. Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.
Football: Bayern beats Borussia Dortmund 5-4 on penalties to win German Super Cup
Sunday, August 6, 2017 Yesterday, in the German DFL-Supercup final, defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich defeated DFB Pokal cup winners Borussia Dortmund 5–4 in the penalty shootout to win the title at Dortmund’s stadium Signal Iduna Park, after the full time ended in a 2–2 draw. Dortmund got an early lead in the game as their winger Christian Pulisic opened the scoring in the 12th minute of the game. Pulisic got the ball from Bayern Munich defender Javi Martínez and scored the first goal of the match. 18-year-old Pulisic became the youngest goalscorer in the competition history. Six minutes later, Bayern equalized as striker Robert Lewandowski scored a close range tap-in from Joshua Kimmich’s assist. The first half ended with 1–1 on the scoreboard. Dortmund’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos was the only player to be booked in the first half. After the half time, Dortmund’s Sebastian Rode was substituted in for Mahmoud…
Details emerge in Haiti earthquake; thousands feared dead
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 A massive earthquake, registering 7.0 on the moment magnitude scale, struck Haiti yesterday, destroying many buildings, disrupting communications, and burying an unknown number of people underneath rubble. Thousands of people are feared to have been killed by the tremors, which were felt as far away as Venezuela. Witnesses say bodies were lining the streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, after the quake struck on Tuesday afternoon, sending a cloud of dust from falling buildings into the sky. The quake was centered about sixteen kilometers from the capital, and struck at a depth of just ten kilometers, exacerbating the damage. At least 27 aftershocks were also recorded, the strongest of which came in at 5.5 and 5.9 magnitude. A tsunami alert was initially issued following the tremor, but it was retracted shortly afterwards. Buildings across the capital have collapsed, including the presidential palace and the headquarters of the…
Two Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants close in Buffalo, New York, USA
Friday, May 11, 2007 At least two Kentucky Fried Chicken [KFC] restaurants, operated by G & H Restaurant Specialties, have closed in Buffalo, New York “for remodeling,” according to signs placed on the front doors of at least one location on Elmwood Avenue and Bryant Street in Buffalo. The other KFC is located on East Delavan Avenue, also in the City of Buffalo. Despite the claim of closing for remodeling, the Erie County Health Department says that several health code violations were found at both locations. The most recent violation was logged by the health department in March at the Elmwood location for failing to keep food stored at correct temperatures. Violations were also cited for failing to keep cooking supplies and equipment sanitary and for not supplying hot water to the bathroom for employees. G & H Restaurant Specialties has not released a statement regarding the violations, but the…
American comedian Mitch Hedberg dies on tour at 37
Saturday, April 2, 2005 Stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg was found dead Wednesday in his hotel room in New Jersey. The comedian, originally from the St. Paul, Minnesota region, was on an east coast tour of the USA. Hedberg started his career in South Florida, and later worked in Seattle. While the cause of Hedberg’s death is yet unconfirmed, Hedberg’s performance at a show in Portland, Maine in October 2004 suggested he might have a problem with drug use. According to Steve Kolowich of the Bowdoin Orient, “Hedberg, who was clearly intoxicated, was falling down all over the stage that night. At one point, he lay down behind the back curtain and told jokes for approximately ten minutes before rolling back into sight. He also asked the audience where the best bar in town was, and invited them to join him there after the show.” According to an AP report on…
CanadaVOTES: NDP incumbent David Christopherson running in Hamilton Centre
Friday, September 26, 2008 On October 14, 2008, Canadians will be heading to the polls for the federal election. New Democratic Party incumbent David Christopherson is standing for re-election in the riding of Hamilton Centre. From 1985-1990, he served as a Hamilton City Councillor for Ward Four. He was elected to Ontario legislature in 1990, defeating a Liberal cabinet minister. Under Bob Rae, Christopherson served as Minister of Correctional Services and Solicitor-General. He did not seek re-election to legislature in 2003, opting to run for mayor of Hamilton. Considered a frontrunner, he lost to Larry Di Ianni. He returned to politics just months later, changing his focus to federal politics. Christopherson beat Liberal cabinet minister Stan Keyes, the incumbent, serving as NDP critic for cities, community infrastructure, labour and steel policy. He has served as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and Deputy Chair…
Flexible displays soon to be in production
Thursday, March 17, 2005 Roll up displays for use in hand-held gadgets will be available for mass production by March 2007 according to co-developer Philips. Working with US based paper pioneer E-ink, Philips have developed a 13cm wide screen which is just 0.1 millimetres thick and can be rolled up so that it is only 15 millimetres in diameter. The screen, which Philips hope to license to makers of in-car satellite navigation systems, mobile web browsers and smart phones, uses no back light and displays a monochrome image in four shades of grey as well as black and white. According to Philips the screen is able to give a “paper-like contrast”. The screen consists of a backing layer of plastic film which contains a matrix of transistors. This is topped off with layer transparent “electronic ink” capsules and a layer of clear plastic. The capsules are approximately 50 micrometres in…
Spacex cancels Falcon 1 launch until 2006
Monday, December 19, 2005 Rocket company SpaceX, notorious for repeatedly pre-announcing its first flight on Wikinews, cancels its latest attempt and defers further flights until 2006. This latest launch attempt on the 19th December was cancelled due to structural issues with the first-stage fuel tank of the Falcon 1 rocket. An electrical fault caused a valve to shut inappropriately, and as fuel drained out a vacuum was created causing the side of the fuel tank to buckle inwards.