NATO leaders meet for two day summit in Wales
Saturday, September 6, 2014 Leaders from NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) member states met in Wales over Thursday to Friday in a summit addressing the organisation’s role in Afghanistan and new threats from Russia and the Islamic State. Since the 2010 NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal countries involved in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), NATO’s military operation in Afghanistan, have been committed to full transition of security responsibilities to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. This would mark the end of ISAF’s 13 year mission in Afghanistan, with troops changing to a training and assistance role. Plans had originally intended for Afghanistan’s new President, or President-elect, to attend this year’s summit, but due to the political situation and ongoing election process it is still unknown who will replace outgoing President Hamid Karzai. Bismullah Khan Muhammadi, the country’s defence minister, instead attended the summit in the absence of a…
Russian police say Moscow airport bomber identified
Saturday, January 29, 2011 Police in Russia say they have identified the man behind the bombing of Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport on Monday, although they will not yet name him. Police said the man who killed 35 was a twenty-year-old suicide bomber from the North Caucasus region. An Investigative Committee statement delivered by spokesman Vladimir Markin said “We have established the identity of the terrorist suicide bomber who set off the explosive. He turned out to be a 20-year-old native from one of the North Caucasus republics,” and “Despite the investigation having established the name of the terrorist, we will not name him today,” because it may hamper ongoing efforts to detain people suspected of collaborating. Markin added “I would especially like to note that it was by no means an accident that the act of terror was committed in the international arrivals hall… According to investigators, the act of…
Wiki loves the European Parliament in Strasbourg
Tuesday, February 11, 2014 This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. Last week fifty volunteers, from nine countries covering nineteen languages, spent four days at the European Parliament buildings in Strasbourg photographing and filming members of the parliament (MEPs). This being an effort to significantly increase the audio-visual content available in Wikipedia and other Wikimedia Foundation projects. Members of the team, who were all granted guest press accreditation, began arriving at the hotel in the small town of Kork, not far from the France–Germany border, on Saturday. The team base, Hotel Ochsen, has an interesting history. Placards on the courtyard wall explain it served as headquarters for Field marshal Kollowrat-Krakowsky battling Napoleonic forces in the 1796 Siege of Kehl. Those arriving later came directly to the Louise Weiss building, which hosts the parliament’s plenary…
Chile knock out defending champions Uruguay from Copa America 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015 On Wednesday, Chile, the host nation, defeated the defending champions, Uruguay, in the first quarter final of the 2015 Copa América ((en)) Spanish language: America Cup which was held in Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos stadium in Santiago, Chile. La Roja had 80% possession of the ball in front of Uruguay. Two Uruguayan players were red carded in this match. Mauricio Isla scored in the 81st minute, assisted by Jorge Valdívia, the only goal of the match. Cavani got his yellow card at the 29th by arguing with a linesman. 11 minutes later, Uruguayan defender Jorge Fucile was booked for clattering on Vargas. The first half ended with 0–0 score, and four players booked. Cavani’s father Luis Cavani was arrested earlier this week over a Monday truck crash in which a 19-year-old motorcyclist was killed. Then, in the 63rd minute Chilean defender Jara provoked Cavani reportedly…
Thermoelectric plants in Arad, Romania to be modernised
Tuesday, April 19, 2005 The Romanian government has allocated 16.6 million euros for the modernisation of two thermoelectric power plants that serve a residential area in the city of Arad, western Romania. The funds come in response to a request sent at the beginning of this year by the Arad municipal government. The mayor of Arad, Gheorge Falc?, said that the modernisation was necessary because, up until now, apartments in the area could not be properly heated due to a significant loss of hot water caused by problems in the pipe network. According to the mayor, the installations will be fully modernised by this winter (December 2005). Falc? also added that, in years to come, he would request more funds from the national government in order to modernise all out-of-date power plants in the city, and therefore reduce the costs for consumers. At the same time, the Romanian government has…
Arrest made in Jennifer Hudson family killings
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 Chicago, Illinois police arrested William Balfour, the estranged brother-in-law of Oscar-winning American actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, on Monday, multiple media outlets reported. Balfour is expected to be charged with three counts of murder for the slayings of three of Hudson’s relatives in October. “We have obtained an arrest warrant for William Balfour. He was released to Chicago detectives,” Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Monique Bond told Reuters. Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and brother, Jason Hudson, 29 were found dead in Donerson’s home on October 24 and the body of Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King was found four days later in a stolen SUV. A handgun police say is tied to the case was found nearby, but Reuters reports that Bond did not comment on any evidence in the case. The Associated Press reports that police took Balfour into custody on Oct. 24 and held him…
Former ‘Top Model’ contestant Whitney Cunningham defends plus size models, celebrates the “regular woman”
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Once you get a chance to talk to West Palm Beach, Florida native Whitney Cunningham, who placed seventh on the eighth cycle of the popular reality TV series America’s Next Top Model, you begin to understand what host Tyra Banks meant when she described her as the “full package.” First of all, she is confident and headstrong, which is a must on these kinds of shows, almost as much as it is to take a beautiful modelesque picture. Second, she turns that confidence into drive. She has been receiving steady work as a model since leaving the show, and still believes that her goal of being the first woman to wear a size ten dress on the cover of Vogue is in reach. Third, and probably most important to television viewers, she obliterates the age-old model stereotype that to be pretty and photograph well, one must…
Smoke from massive warehouse fire in Buffalo, New York USA can be seen 40 miles away
Monday, May 14, 2007 Buffalo, New York — A massive warehouse complex of at least 5 buildings caught on fire in Buffalo, New York on 111 Tonawanda Street, sending a plume of thick, jet black colored smoke into the air that could be seen as far away as 40 miles. As of 6:40 a.m., the fire was under control, and firefighters were attempting to stop it from spreading, but could not get to the center of the fire because of severe amounts of debris. Later in the morning, the fire was extinguished. “The fire is mostly under debris at this point. It’s under control, but it’s under some debris. We really can’t get to it. We’re just going to have to keep on pouring water on it so it doesn’t spread,” said Thomas Ashe, the fire chief for the North Buffalo based fire division who also added that at one…
Moscow gas pipeline catches fire
Sunday, May 10, 2009 A fire broke out in southeast Moscow stemming from a gas pipeline. According to local officials, flames reached up to 200 meters (600 feet) above the city. According to the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, at least five people were injured by the fire, one of them suffering 35 percent burns on his body. There are no reports of deaths. The mayor added that the probable cause of the fire is “an upsurge of pressure in the pipeline, as a result of which an explosion took place underground.” Deputy mayor Pyotr Birukov says he doesn’t remember a fire of such proportions happening in Moscow. The fire broke out at 00:30 local time (20:30 on Saturday, GMT), sending flames into the sky. By the morning the fire was brought under control, reducing the flames to 20 meters (60 feet) of height. The Russian Ministry of Emergencies reported…
Russian choreographer Igor Moiseyev dies at age 101
Friday, November 2, 2007 Igor Moiseyev, who has been widely acclaimed as the greatest 20th-century choreographer of folk dance, has died today after a long illness. He was 101 years old. Born Igor Alexandrovich Moiseyev on January 21, 1906 in Kiev, Moiseyev graduated from the Bolshoi Theatre ballet school in 1924 and danced in the theatre until 1939. His first choreography in the Bolshoi was Footballer in 1930 and the last was Spartacus in 1954. Since the early 1930s, he staged acrobatic parades on Red Square and finally came up with the idea of establishing the Theatre of Folk Art. In 1936, Vyacheslav Molotov put him in charge of the new dance company, which has since been known as the Moiseyev Ballet. Among about 200 dances he created for his company, some humorously represented the game of football and guerrilla warfare. After visiting Belarus he choreographed a Belarusian “folk” dance…