Friday, April 3, 2009 April Fools’ Day pranks harmlessly pervaded worldwide again this year. Media outlets and internet sites have joined family, office workers, and friends to provide a wide variety of practical jokes. Ireland, France, and the United States celebrate April Fools all day, whereas a few countries celebrate jokes only until noon such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa. Car and Driver claimed that GM and Chrysler were ordered out of NASCAR by the White House by the end of 2009 in order…
US astronaut Neil Armstrong dies
Sunday, August 26, 2012 Former American astronaut Neil Armstrong has died at the age of 82, due to complications following heart bypass surgery earlier this month. He is known as the first person to walk on the moon when commander of Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the moon. Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. On March 16, 1966, he became the first American civilian to orbit Earth whilst onboard Gemini VIII with crewmate Davis R. Scott. Following Gemini VIII’s docking with another…
Cargo ship Arctic Sea may be found
Saturday, August 15, 2009 A cargo ship spotted off the African island nation of Cape Verde could be the missing MV Arctic Sea. The Maltese flagged MV Arctic Sea disappeared off the French coast sometime after July 29. Owned by the Russian Arctic Sea company she was operated by the Finnish Solchart Management company and had a Russian crew. French intelligence sources have found a ship matching the Arctic Sea’s description about 400 Nautical miles north of São Vicente. The Arctic Sea was on a scheduled route from the Finnish…
Immediate life insurance website launched, first in world
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 The first website in the world allowing consumers to buy life insurance online instantly has been launched today, targeting specifically New Zealanders. The website, run by life insurance company Pinnacle Life, allows New Zealanders in many countries in the world to buy life insurance online without the need for a medical examination. Once the application has been approved, which is done immediately, the consumer can receive a $500,000 life insurance policy via an automatic e-mail. However, if certain conditions have been highlighted, then person to person…
Wikinews interviews Australian blind Paralympic skier Melissa Perrine
Monday, December 10, 2012 Vail, Colorado, United States — Yesterday, Wikinews sat down with Australian blind Paralympic skier Melissa Perrine who was participating in a national team training camp in Vail, Colorado. ((Wikinews)) This is Melissa Perrine. And are you like Jess Gallagher and just here training and not competing? Melissa Perrine: I’m not competing right now. ((WN)) And you competed in 2010 in Vancouver? MP: I did. Yeah. ((WN)) And who was your guide? MP: Andy Bor. ((WN)) Why a male guide? He’s got to have different skis, and…
Zimbabwe submits to popular pressure: foreign currencies now legal tender
Thursday, January 29, 2009 Zimbabwe has decided to abandon its currency, the Zimbabwean dollar, in favour of other currencies. Acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced today that Zimbabweans will be allowed to make transactions in other currencies along with the local currency. “In line with the prevailing practices by the general public, [the] government is therefore allowing the use of multiple foreign currencies for business transactions alongside the Zimbabwean dollar,” he said, adding that the Zimbabwean dollar will not be removed from circulation and would be used alongside other currencies.…
Floods in midwest and plains kill over 20
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 The powerful storm system that flooded parts of the Midwest and the Plains moved through Ohio today. Six people were killed in Oklahoma, eight were killed in Texas, and one person was killed in Missouri due to the storms. The flooding was a result of a powerful storm system combined with the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin. Some parts of the U.S. saw eleven inches of rain in the matter of a few hours on Monday. The storms moved into Ohio on Tuesday, flooding a seven-mile…
New Jersey files lawsuit against federal sports betting ban
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 A New Jersey state senator has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a federal law banning sports betting in 46 states. State Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat representing portions of Union County, filed the suit Monday, arguing the 17-year-old law is unconstitutional because it treats four states differently than the other states. Under the law, sports betting is prohibited in all states except Delaware, Oregon, Montana and Nevada, although only the latter two currently allow wagering. “This federal law deprives the State of New Jersey of…
BBC prepared for news blackout as staff strike
Sunday, May 22, 2005The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) looks tonight to be resigned to losing its flagship radio and television news, politics and current affairs broadcasting. Staff at the technicians’ union BECTU, the manual workers’ union Amicus and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) are taking part in a one day strike in protest to the 4,000 job cuts announced earlier this year. The job cuts amount to almost 20% of the BBC’s workforce and are part of a £355 million cost-cutting move by the new Director General Mark Thompson,…
“Woofstock” dog festival in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 North America’s largest outdoor dog festival came back to Toronto last weekend for its fifth year. It ran from the 9th of June to the 10th of June at Toronto’s historical St. Lawrence Market. A Wikinews reporter was there on Sunday to report on some of the events that happened on the last day. The “Woofstock” dog festival attracted as many as 140,000 people with their dogs. The festival had tons of accessories, sold under tents, to buy for dogs; food, toys, designer clothes, and more.…