Sunday, July 25, 2010 President Hugo Chávez has temporarily suspended relations with the neighboring country of Colombia. “I feel obliged for dignity’s sake to suspend relations with the government of Colombia. It is the least we can do, and we will remain alert, as [President Álvaro] Uribe is a sick man, filled with hate,” said Chávez during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace with the coach of the Argentinian national football team, Diego Maradona, whom he was meeting during Maradona’s visit to Venezuela. The Venezuelan government has given Colombian diplomats…
UK shopping centre Afflecks Palace secures its future
Tuesday, February 5, 2008 Afflecks Palace, the “iconic, alternative shopping centre” in the Northern Quarter of Manchester in England, United Kingdom, was saved from closure this week after long-running rumours that the market may have to “kick out its traders” due to a dispute between the management of the Afflecks Palace brand and the leaseowner for the building, Bruntwood. Rumours suggesting that Bruntwood were looking to redevelop the building started early in 2007, when it became apparent that the property developer was not actively seeking to renew the twenty-five year…
Human Rights group seeks judicial remedy for Philippine torture victims
Thursday, June 26, 2008 The Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission or AHRC appealed to the Philippines government to seriously pursue judicial options against victims of torture in the country. The AHRC press statement was issued as part of the commemoration of the United Nations‘ International Day in Support of Victims of Torture calendared every June 26. AHRC is a regional non-governmental organization monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984 The statement claimed that the Philippines Constitution specifically prohibits torture…
Euro reaches new lows
Friday, July 15, 2011 On Tuesday, the Euro fell to a new record low in relation to the Swiss Franc, and to multi-month lows against the U.S. Dollar and Japanese yen; all considered by investors to be safe currencies during times of economic turmoil. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that recent comments from the newly installed head of the International Monetary Fund, France’s Christine Lagarde, resulted in a sell-off of the Euro. At a roundtable discussion in Washington, Lagarde noted that the IMF had not yet reached discussion of…
Kennedy Center names 2007 honors recipients
Friday, September 14, 2007 The Kennedy Center announced that its 30th presentation of the Kennedy Center Honors would go to pianist Leon Fleisher, comedian Steve Martin, singer Diana Ross, director Martin Scorsese and musician Brian Wilson. The Center was opened to the public in 1971 and was envisioned as part of the National Cultural Center Act, which mandated that the independent, privately-funded institution would present a wide variety of both classical and contemporary performances, commission the creation of new artistic works, and undertake a variety of educational missions to increase…
Wikinews at Toronto film fest party, with Diddy
Monday, September 8, 2008 Toronto residents are abuzz as the stars walk among them, during the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. The capital of and largest city in Ontario, Canada has been playing host to the premieres of major motion pictures, up-and-coming indy films, and international films alike. Over the last few years, the festival has become one of the most popular in the world. On September 5, Wikinews sent freelance photographer Richard Burdett to the eTalk Festival Party, held by television broadcaster CTV. Described as a celebration of Canadian…
St. Anthony Foundation provides hope
Friday, September 23, 2005 On the corner of Golden Gate Ave. and Jones St. in the Tenderloin, San Francisco, right next to the Civic Center you can see a throng of low-income and homeless people lining up outside of St. Anthony’s Dining Room hall which opens up it’s doors everyday at 11:30 a.m. Volunteers dressed in St. Anthony Foundation shirts help keep the lines moving as hundreds of homeless and low income people shuffle their way towards the dining hall underneath the watchful eyes of a small statue of St.…
Dozens of people killed in Mogadishu, Somalia car bombings near Sahafi Hotel
Monday, November 12, 2018 On Friday at about 4 p.m. local time, four car bombs detonated near Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. About four to five armed attackers reportedly attempted to enter the hotel through a hole in the wall. The attackers were shot by police and the hotel security guards. This has resulted in the death of at least 53 people and injury of at least 100 people, Agence France-Presse news agency quoted officials on Sunday morning. A witness, Abdiaziz Ibrahim, who was a former spokesperson…
Wikinews investigates the reconstruction of Pichilemu, Chile after February earthquake
Sunday, October 24, 2010 Left: A recently constructed kiosk with the new design. Image: Diego Grez.Right: The original design of the kiosk, as shown in the plans by the Municipality. Image: Ilustre Municipalidad de Pichilemu. Eight months after a catastrophic earthquake, Wikinews has investigated the devastation caused in February and the reconstruction of Pichilemu, Chile. The February 27 earthquake and a subsequent tsunami completely destroyed Pichilemu’s most coastal street and its oldest villages. Wikinews has also had access to the original design plans of the new kiosks in Pichilemu, and…
Flash floods hit Australia’s eastern coast
Thursday, June 30, 2005 6,000 residents of Lismore in NSW have been told to evacuate their homes. A couple is missing on the Gold Coast in Queensland. State Emergency Services (SES) workers are currently preparing to evacuate a number of nursing homes in the suburbs of Southport and Burleigh. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) have said that South East Queensland has recorded rainfalls of 368mm in the last 24 hours and that the Gold Coast suburb of Coolangatta has been averaging 80mm per hour for at least two hours.…