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Monday, October 13, 2008

Cook Islands and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats rugby league player Adam Watene has died. The Wildcats announced the death of the 31-year-old earlier today. They reported he collapsed in the gym shortly after a training session.

A spokesman said, “The Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are sad to announce the sudden passing of Adam Watene. The circumstances surrounding Adam’s death were sudden and unexpected. Everyone at the Wildcats’ thoughts are with Adam’s family, and we ask for their privacy to be respected at this difficult time.”

Watene started his rugby league with the Castleford Tigers and was later signed by the Bradford Bulls. After a year of playing for the bulls of which he only made five first team appearances, he was allowed to sign for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. He played a total of 28 games in the two seasons he was with the club.

The Wildcats also said “There will be no further comment from the club at this stage.” Watene is survived by his wife and two children.

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Thursday evening, a gunman shot dead three people and wounded at least nine others in an entertainment district of Tel Aviv, Israel, before being located and killed in a shootout with security forces early Friday.

Magen David Adom, the national emergency medical service, said it received its first report of the incident at 21:00 IST (1900 UTC). Victims were transported to three different hospitals. Two men were immediately pronounced dead, and another died of his injuries. Three people are listed in serious condition and another four suffered minor injuries.

The shootings started at a pub on Dizengoff Street where five victims were reported. Others were shot on J. L. Gordon Street and in the nearby area. Shin Bet security forces killed the alleged gunman after a shootout near a mosque in the southern Tel Aviv neighborhood of Jaffa. The suspect was identified as a 29-year-old Palestinian man from Jenin, a city in the north of the West Bank.

Speaking at HaKirya on Friday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett offered his condolences to the families of those killed on behalf of the nation and wished for the full recovery of the wounded. He said the perpetrator was not a member any organization but had received help and weapons. “Those who aid and abet terrorists need to know that the price they will pay is too high to bear”, he said.

Bennett claimed there were celebrations in Jenin after the news of the attack. “I saw the father of the terrorist inciting to more violence and being proud of his son the murderer,” he said. “We, as a people and a state, will all need patience and strong nerves, and to be alert. But above all we need great faith in the justice of our cause in this land.”

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement: “We are closely following developments and will continue to be in regular contact with our Israeli partners, with whom we stand resolutely in the face of senseless terrorism and violence.”

There were several attacks in Israel in the month of March, including a shooting in Bnei Brak, just east of Tel Aviv, which claimed the lives of five people.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005Bill Gates announced in a RSA security conference that Microsoft will release major security changes to Internet Explorer and will release a new version prior to the release of Longhorn, the replacement for Windows XP expected any time after 2005.

Microsoft plans to include many features to increase security. These features are to protect against threats such as computer viruses, spyware, and phishing.

Release of a test copy of the new version is expected some time in the middle of this year. Also in the works is a Microsoft developed anti-virus program. This move puts pressure on other major players such as McAfee and Symantec. The anti-spyware product is currently planned for release to Windows users for free.

Analysts contend that these plans to rework Internet Explorer are likely due to increased competition from smaller browsers such as Firefox. AOL plans to release a new version of Netscape Browser with protection against phishing as well.

To further compete, more content related services may be incorporated into the browser. Martin Reynolds, a vice president of technology forecasting firm Gartner Inc., said, “I don’t think we will see a whole bunch of new features. We will see the existing features of the browser tightened up so the security becomes more manageable.”

Saturday, January 31, 2009

A local Swiss government has shown some bare cheek and has taken action, after hordes of German naked hikers rambling across the Swiss alps au naturel, caused indignation amongst locals.

Authorities in Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden have warned that starting from February 9, the government will impose hefty fines of 200 Swiss Francs (£122, €135) on naturists found walking or hiking in the nude without clothes in the picturesque mountains because of a recent influx of visiting German nudists.

The new ordinance is expected to be passed this spring. If it is approved by the local parliament on February 9 it should be effective on April 26. The Swiss canton aims to stop spread of ‘indecent practice’ by minimally-clad German climbers.

The problem started with a group of “boot-only hikers” who were stopped by the police in the Alpine region last autumn. They had wandered there regularly, proudly marching through nature with bare bums, and had also advertised what they thought was a naked paradise on the internet. But it was all too much for the Swiss.

A nude rambler dressed in nothing more than a rucksack and walking boots in the eastern Appenzell region was arrested and detained in the canton, but authorities were unable to file lawsuit because the act was not punished by law or ordinance at the time.

“We were forced to introduce the legislation against this indecent practice before the warm weather starts,” Melchior Looser, the canton’s justice and police minister, said. “Ultimately, in the summer lots of kids stay in our mountains,” he added.

In the guidelines imposed, arrested offenders who cannot pay the fine, will face legal action. The new enabling ordinance has, however, been met with protests by nude hikers. “We simply try to tune into nature. It’s the most harmless pursuit possible,” said Dietmar, age 58, a German lawyer.

German tabloid Bild Zeitung has editorially attacked Swiss intolerance and even suggested nudist alternatives worldwide, after hinting a Swiss tourism boycott. Local authorities of Harz mountain range in central Germany have also announced the openness to any visitor of an “official naked walking route” in nature’s outdoors.

Freikörperkultur (“FKK”), or “free body culture”, is a popular pastime in Germany. It is a German movement which endorses a naturistic approach to sports and community living. Behind that is the joy of the experience of nature or also on being nude itself, without direct relationship to sexuality. The followers of this culture are called traditional naturists, FKK’ler, or nudists.

The naked ramblers have hoped it doesn’t lead to another naturist-clothed ‘war’, like the one at a beach between German and Polish holidaymakers in 2008. Naturism has roots traced from the start of the 20th century. “Abandoning unpractical clothes enables a direct contact with the wind, sun and temperature”, naked hiker website nacktwandern.de stated.

But Markus Dörig, a spokesman for Appenzell Innerrhoden canton has defended the law, explaining that the “public nuisance” was a foreign import. “We have been receiving many complaints. The local people are upset and we in the government share their concern. How would one feel if one was to go walking in nature and suddenly came across a group of naked people? They are definitely not people from the area, and I think many of them come from Germany,” he noted.

“We are a small and orderly community and such things are simply out of place here. Perhaps in vast mountain areas naked people would not be much of a problem but here they simply stick out,” Dörig added. “I can understand that we all have to live in this world together,” said Barbara Foley, International Naturist Foundation member of the central committee. “But I would certainly enjoy doing the hike in the nude and I wouldn’t want to be deprived of it. It’s nice to feel the sun on your skin. Maybe they should designate a couple of trails and people would know they might come across naturists there,” she added.

Appenzell Innerrhoden (Appenzell Inner Rhodes) is the smallest canton of Switzerland by population and the second smallest by area, Basel-City having less area. The population of the canton was 15,471 as of 2007, of which 1,510 (or 9.76%) were foreigners. The canton in the north east of Switzerland has an area is 173 km². It was divided in 1597 for religious reasons from the former canton Appenzell, with Appenzell Ausserrhoden being the other half.

Appenzell is the capital of this canton. The constitution was established in 1872. Most of the canton is pastoral, this despite being mountainous. Cattle breeding and dairy farming are the main agricultural activities: Appenzeller cheese is widely available throughout Switzerland. Due to the split of Appenzell along religious lines, the population (as of 2000) is nearly all Roman Catholic (81%), with a small Protestant minority (10%).

The town, however is far from liberalism: the canton granted women the right of suffrage only in 1990 under pressure from the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland and international human rights groups. The Alpine village of Appenzell Innerrhoden, being known for its beautiful landscape, has recently been declared a “naked rambler paradise” by a German mountaineering website, which was created by a lobby group of hikers.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Glenn Crowe is running for the NDP in the Ontario provincial election, in the Bramalea-Gore-Malton riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Crowe did not reply to various questions asked.

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.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Series even at 1-1. (Best of Seven)

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their first playoff game since 2001, as they defeated the Ottawa Senators, Saturday afternoon. Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period, when he redirected a pass from teammate Mark Recchi into the net behind Ottawa goaltender Ray Emery. The Senators weren’t pleased with the goaltending of Ray Emery, who despite only facing 21 shots, allowed four goals. Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, however, was spectacular at times, denying 34 of 37 Senators’ shots, including a game-saving stop of Mike Fisher from the slot with 13.3 seconds remaining in regulation. The Penguins acquired Gary Roberts from the Florida Panthers for playoff experience, and that is what he gave the team today, scoring the game-tying goal in the third, and adding an assist. The Penguins and Senators are now tied in the best-of-seven series, with one game apiece.

Ryan Whitney gave the Pens the early lead when he scored his first goal of the postseason at 3:01, during a power play opportunity. Ottawa would rally to take a 2-1 lead in the second, with Jason Spezza and captain Daniel Alfredsson each receiving credit for goals. Pittsburgh would storm back to tie the game in the third, when Gary Roberts picked up his first postseason goal with the Penguins at 2:04. Ottawa would answer with a goal to retain the lead one last time. The Penguins rookie phenom Jordan Staal scored his second goal in as many games at 9:34. With the game tied at three goals apiece, Sidney Crosby, the youngest Art Ross trophy winner in NHL history would step up. Evgeni Malkin passed the puck to Mark Recchi, who would in turn move the puck up to Crosby where he would bury it behind the Senators’ Ray Emery.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

In an ongoing labor dispute from May of this year in California, United States, Teamsters Local 952, which represents the Orange County Transportation Authority‘s 1,200 coach operators, went on strike at 12:35 a.m. (0035 hrs) PDT Saturday morning after a cooling-off period declared by State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expired.

Sanctioned picket lines have been formed outside Authority facilities in Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Santa Ana. About 200,000 regular passengers are affected.

Major sticking points in the negotiation appear to be related to cost-of-living increases and pension funding allocations. The strike was declared after the Authority’s bargaining agent said he lacked authority to approve a union counter proposal, which he said had to be taken before the OCTA’s board of directors, who will not be available to meet until Monday the 9th at the earliest.