International Board fixes soccer field size, halts technology experiments
Sunday, March 9, 2008 The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that decides on the laws of the game, has decided to discontinue all experiments involving technology, and for the first time has also decided on the exact size of a soccer field. Instead of pursuing the idea of using cameras or microchips in the ball to see if it has crossed the goal-line, the International Board wants to see if the introduction of two extra assistant referees can improve the quality of referee’s decisions. FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke declared: “We have decided to freeze for the time being the goal-line technology and all technology experiments. We will look on these two additional referees and we avoid considering any goal-line technology during this time.” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said the move was necessary to maintain the universal spirit of the game: “We have 260 million people directly involved…
What To Do With Doggy Doo
Click Here To Know More About: Tails R Wagging What To Do With Doggy Doo by Sarah Cowell When you read horticultural advice on composting they are unequivocal about cat and dog faeces. It must not go on your compost heap. Yet it s plain to see that animal by-products, including the less savoury carnivore manure, are organic. And if it s organic it will rot, so why the caution? Carnivores have a different set of decomposers from herbivores both in the gut and in the soil. One of the most significant species of these is the worm. When animals roamed the forests in times of yore their excrement was part of the natural fertilizing process, keeping plants and soil healthy. The natural cycle was both balanced and self-sustaining with decomposers dealing with the manure of herbivores and carnivores and turning into nutrition for the flora. Worms of many kinds…
Wheelchair-bound Australian rescued in New Orleans
Tuesday, September 6, 2005 A 75 year old wheelchair-bound Australian man has been rescued from his home in New Orleans. Keith Faulkner was rescued by a neighbour after floodwaters stranded him in his home for five days. Mr Faulkner is suffering from cancer. He was left behind by his family as floodwaters rose. “When the flooding started his family had no choice but to leave themselves, and he was left in the house as best they could manage,” the Australian ambassador to the United States said. The man was eventually moved by neighbours to a nursing home in Lafayette. “He was rescued by a neighbour after five days stranded in his house and he’s been in a nursing home in Lafayette, Louisiana,” said Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs has been criticised for the lack of support provided to Australian victims of the disaster.…
Pirate attacks bring UN aid to Somalia to a halt
Monday, May 21, 2007 On Saturday, May 19, a ship chartered by the United Nations’ (UN) World Food Programme (WFP), came under attack off the coast of Somalia after making a delivery in Merca. Two speedboats with armed guards were sent out to intercept the attack. One of these men was killed. The ship which was headed to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, did not fall into the hands of the pirates. Since the attack, WFP has suspended deliveries by ship. Shipping is the main and fastest way of getting food relief into Somalia. This comes just days after WFP announced that it was stepping up food deliveries. “This attack underscores the growing problem of piracy off Somalia which, if unresolved, will sever the main artery of food assistance to the country – and to the people who rely on it for their survival,” said Josette Sheeran, executive director of…
Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Ray Scott, Algoma-Manitoulin
Tuesday, October 2, 2007 Ray Scott is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Algoma-Manitoulin 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.
14,000-acre Southern California ‘Crown Fire’ at 82% containment, evacuation orders lifted
Sunday, August 1, 2010 Antelope Valley, California —The Crown Fire that has burned through 13,980 acres in the High Desert of Southern California since 2:32 pm (2232 UTC) Thursday was at 82% containment Saturday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. On Friday high winds caused the fire to jump the California Aqueduct and spread into the city of Palmdale. Over 2,000 residents of Leona Valley, Ana Verde, and Rancho Vista were given mandatory evacuation orders. The sky was blanketed with thick orange pyrocumulus clouds and falling ash, making the air hard to breathe. State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in Palmdale on Friday to survey the burned areas. “We were very fortunate to not have fires for quite some time because the air temperature was cool and we didn’t have the experiencing of dry weather and all the winds and so on, but all of a sudden the…
Retired U.S. vets sue Donald Rumsfeld for excessive service cutbacks
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 One thousand residents of the Defense Department-managed Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C. filed a class-action lawsuit on May 24, asserting that the cut-backs in medical and dental services imposed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld are illegal. The operating budget for the home was reduced from $63 million in 2004 to $58 million for 2005. The residents cite cuts in on-site X-ray, electrocardiogram, physical and dental services, and the closing of the home’s main clinic and an on-site pharmacy. Chief Financial Officer Steve McManus responded that the changes not only save money but also achieved improved efficiencies. “We’re really trying to improve the benefits to our residents,” he said. Most of the home’s costs are paid for by a trust fund and monthly fees paid by residents. By law, the Armed Forces Retirement Homes are required to fund, “on-site primary care, medical care and…
At least 107 killed in Mecca crane collapse
Saturday, September 12, 2015 A storm yesterday caused a crane to fall into Mecca’s Grand Mosque, killing 107 or more and wounding 238, according to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense Authority. Civil Defense Authority director General Suleiman al-Amr, in remarks to al-Ikhbariya television, said “All those who were wounded and the dead have been taken to hospital. There are no casualties left at the location”. The accident, which occurred yesterday afternoon, was caused by strong winds and heavy rain that led the crane to fall. Photos released of the scene showed numerous bloodied bodies and various scattered debris. The accident occurred at a time when the mosque was relatively uncrowded. “Had it happened an hour later it would have been much worse,” Khaled Al-Maeena, editor at large at the Saudi Gazette, said. “Had it happened five hours earlier or four hours earlier, I think the death toll would have been more…
Eurovision ’09 competitor Chiara talks about her current song “What If We” and her past accolades
Thursday, March 5, 2009 The small archipelago of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea takes the Eurovision Song Contest very seriously. Leading a fight to remove a cap on the number of competing countries brought them back to the Contest in 1991 after a 16-year absence, and ever since the nation has had perfect attendance. Since then, Malta’s dependable “shining star” has been Chiara Siracusa, who goes by her first name in her music career. First competing in 1998 at the age of 21, she was pushed to the brink of victory until the votes from the final country that evening leveled her placement to third. Her rendition of the song “The One That I Love,” and the recognition she received not only for herself, but for her country, made her a star in Malta overnight, and helped her launch a singing career in Europe. She would later return to the…
Iran-Pakistan pipeline at risk
Saturday, November 2, 2013 The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project is at risk of cancellation as negotiations between the government of Iran and the Pakistani government remain unresolved. The Iranian Oil Minister, Bijan Namdar Zangenah, doubts its future. “The contract for supplying gas to Pakistan is likely to be annulled,” Zangenah said in a press release on Wednesday. Reasons include the lack of support from the United States government. The cost of sanctions on Iran and minimal funds are also causing concern. The Pakistani government is trying to resolve the issue with Iran and the United States to reach a peaceful solution. Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, said the project is intact, and Pakistani government is working closely with the Iranian Government to start working on the project.