Sunday, October 7, 2007

Cecile Willert is running for the Green Party of Ontario in the Ontario provincial election, in the Ajax—Pickering riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed her regarding her values, her experience, and her 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.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Marion Schaffer is running for the Green Party of Ontario in the Ontario provincial election, in the Oakville riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed her regarding her values, her experience, and her 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.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

US stock markets dropped to twelve-year lows on Thursday, amidst falling confidence in the financial sector and worries over whether the US automobile manufacturer General Motors will be able to keep operating.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 4.08%, or 280.52 points, at the closing bell, reaching a level of 6595.32, a new 12-year low. The Nasdaq Composite lost 54.15 points, or 4%, to 1299.59, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 plunged by 30.27 points, or 4.25%, closing at 682.60.

Every stock in the Dow Jones, other than Wal-Mart, either lost ground or remained even, and all stocks in the S&P 500 index lost ground.

General Motors’ shares lost 15.5% after the auto firm announced that its auditors had “substantial doubt” over whether it would be able to keep operating.

Shares of financial companies were lower by nine percent, with Bank of America losing 11.7% and Citigroup falling by 9.7%.

“What’s most worrisome is that we haven’t hit the crescendo yet,” said Bill Groeneveld, the head trader for vFinance Investments. “Asset-management divisions are getting calls to just liquidate everything, and we haven’t seen the big players come back in at all.”

“This is one of the worst bear markets in the last 100 years; it started out with the credit crisis and the subprime [loans], but it is like a forest fire that has raced across the clearing and ignited other parts: Autos, auto parts, the insurance companies have been hit very hard. The credit crisis is causing an unraveling of industry after industry because the banks don’t lend,” said David Dreman, the chief investment officer of Dreman Value Management.

European markets were also lower today, with the London’s FTSE index losing 3.2% and the DAX index of Germany falling by five percent.

Thursday, June 8, 2006

The head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been killed in an air strike on a building north of Baqubah city, according to the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

“Today [sic] Zarqawi has been terminated,” he said Thursday, and suggested the man the United States had placed a $25 million price tag on for death or capture was located through intelligence.

“What happened today is a result of co-operation for which we have been asking from our masses and the citizens of our country,” he said.

The leader of coalition forces in Iraq, General George Casey said al-Zarqawi was killed in a two-storey safehouse about 8 km north of the city in Diyala province.

Several aides also died with him in the Wednesday evening raid by U.S. F-16 warplanes, including his key lieutenant and spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman. Some analysts believe a US counter-terrorism unit, Task Force 145, was involved in the attack.

Al-Zarqawi’s body, recovered after two 500-pound bombs had blown through his cover, was identified through fingerprint, tattoo and scar analysis and head likeness. Al-Zarqawi, whose real name was Ahmed Fadhil Nazzal al-Khalayleh, was believed to be in his late 30s when he died of injuries while US forces gave medical aid.

The first munition exploded at 6:15pm was a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb that was shortly followed by the newer GBU-38; both carried 500lb of explosives for total cost of $40,000.

The self-proclaimed frontman for Osama Bin Laden’s activities in Iraq, al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian national, is said to have been involved in the beheading of foreigners, hundreds of suicide attacks, and an insurgency against coalition forces after the Iraq war in 2003.

It had been reported Al-Zarqawi’s most recent campaign was to create problems between Shi’ite and Sunni groups in Iraq with ethnic killings.

For the Iraqi government the killing of the wanted murderer is what they sought but it remains unknown what effect the removal of this known figurehead of the Iraq insurgency will have on levels of violence in the country. Al-Zarqawi was not the only person to oppose the US-backed Iraqi government.

“Zarqawi didn’t have a number two. I can’t think of any single person who would succeed Zarqawi…In terms of effectiveness, there was no single leader in Iraq who could match his ruthlessness and his determination,” was the view of Rohan Gumaratna at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.

Applause was heard as Mr Maliki, with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. Gen. George Casey, by his side, told news reporters “al-Zarqawi was terminated.”

Sources claiming to be Al-Qaeda in Iraq later confirmed that al-Zarqawi had been killed and said that they would fight the United States and the interim Iraqi government despite his death.

United States President George Bush spoke to journalists in the White House Rose Garden about al-Zarqawi’s death. “Zarqawi’s death is a severe blow to al-Qaeda. It’s a victory in the global war on terror, and it is an opportunity for Iraq’s new government to turn the tide of this struggle,” he said.

The US military also confirmed that six people were killed in the strike, including al-Zarqawi, and his spiritual adviser Sheikh Abd-al-Rahman The death toll is reported at three men, three women.[1] Some reports had said al-Zarqawi’s wife and daughter died. However U.S. officials state that there is no evidence confirming the death of al-Zarqawi’s wife and daughter.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Pichilemu, Chile – Incumbent mayor of the Chilean commune of Pichilemu, Roberto Córdova Carreño (Socialist Party) won the primary elections —qualified as “historic” by local newspaper Expreso de la Costa— to choose a unique candidate for mayor representing the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia (Concert of Parties for Democracy) coalition of left-winged parties in the next municipal elections of October 28. The elections were held in the Digna Camilo Aguilar School. Córdova ran against incumbent councillor Andrea Aranda (Party for Democracy).

Anyone inscribed in the poll registry before November 30, 2011 and without membership in non-Concertación parties can participate in the election. Simultaneously, similar elections are were held in thirteen other communes of the O’Higgins Region, including regional capital Rancagua and Santa Cruz.

Both Aranda and Córdova participated on Saturday night in a televised debate hosted by municipal worker Fabricio Cáceres Jorquera in his program Cóctel de Sábado, broadcasted by Canal 3 Pichilemu.

Roberto Córdova

Roberto del Carmen Córdova Carreño is the current mayor of the commune of Pichilemu. He was elected during a city council meeting in September 2009, after Mayor Marcelo Cabrera Martínez was forced to leave office permanently. Córdova is a Performance Engineer in Public Management.

Amongst other things, Córdova had to face the emergency triggered by the 2010 Chile earthquake and the subsequent Pichilemu earthquake. He also inaugurated the renovated Agustín Ross Cultural Centre with then-President Michelle Bachelet.

During his primary campaign, he reportedly visited rural areas such as Rodeíllo with a small group of people. His slogan is “Pichilemu, better every day.” (“Pichilemu, cada día mejor.”)

As reported by El Expreso de la Costa, he is supported by the regional president of the Party for Democracy (Aranda’s party) Leandro Sánchez, and senator Juan Pablo Letelier.

“In this voluntary but necessary election, I invite everyone [to vote] for Pichilemu to be better every day,” Córdova said to El Expreso.

Andrea Aranda

Andrea Natalia Aranda Escudero currently is one of the five councillors of Pichilemu, elected in 2008. She is married to Jorge Vargas, former Mayor of Pichilemu, with whom she has three daughters: Camila, Alicia, and Emilia. She is, by profession, a midwife.

She has been criticized by local media as following in the footsteps of her husband, Jorge Vargas, currently prohibited from active politics following his arrest for bribery.

Additionally, an anonymous editor of El Expreso de la Costa nicknamed Bellaco wrote: “[Aranda] assures her contender is campaigning with municipal funds, somebody asked, does she forget her husband made the same thing years before when he was elected for three terms?”

During her campaign, she visited places such as Cardonal de Panilonco, and organized several meetings with local leaders. Her slogan is “With woman’s strength.” (“Con fuerza de mujer.”)

Aranda wrote in an open letter published in El Expreso de la Costa: “As a woman, I’m sensitive to human necessity, and brave to defend the cause of family. My commitment is to work, providing all my capacities, for concrete works and materialization of dreams with you.”

At 19:12 local time (22:12 UTC), regional newspaper El Pulso reported Córdova won the election, on Twitter.

The final results, as published by local TV channel Canal 3 Pichilemu on Twitter, are the following:

• Roberto Córdova – 1,903 (73.1%)
• Andrea Aranda – 699 (23.9%)
• Total votes – 2,602 (100%)

Andrea Aranda said she “will continue to work for the people” and accused she was “the victim of a campaign of terror” against her. She later personally congratulated Roberto Córdova, who said “the election leaves several morals to local democracy,” and announced he would make an appeareance in Los Navegantes “to thank those who voted for him and those who did not.”

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

On Monday, San Jose, California, US-based software company Adobe Systems announced their plans to acquire California-based e-commerce handling web service Magento Commerce for 1.68 billion US dollars (USD). After Adobe made the announcement via their official website, Adobe’s stocks rose by around one percent, ending Monday extended trading at USD 238.10 per share.

Magento provides services for the creation of digital ads and handling of online transactions. Magento’s services are used by Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Warner Music, and Canon. The acquisition, which is expected to take place in the third fiscal quarter of this year, is to be an all-cash deal. Adobe is to acquire Magento from Permira equity firm. In 2015, Permira bought Magento from eBay, an eCommerce website. Adobe, in their official statement, said, “Magento Commerce Cloud will enable commerce to be seamlessly integrated into the Adobe Experience Cloud”.

Adobe also announced a buyback of shares worth USD eight billion by 2021. Magento’s CEO Mark Lavelle said, “Adobe and Magento share a vision for the future of digital experiences that brings together Adobe’s strength in content and data with Magento’s open commerce innovation […] We’re excited to join Adobe and believe this will be a great opportunity for our customers, partners and developer community”.

After the announcement, stocks of Magento’s competitors Shopify, Inc dropped by about 4.8%. They finished extended trading at USD 137.60 after the announcement.

A compilation of brief news reports for Saturday, May 5, 2012.

A cattle market in the Nigerian city of Potiskum was attacked by gunmen Wednesday evening, according to an unnamed government official. The official said the attack occurred after would-be robber was subdued by market traders who then set him on fire.

Allies of the burned man retaliated by throwing grenades and shooting randomly into the crowd, the official said. The exact death toll is uncertain but is reported by various groups as being between 30 and 60. The anonymous official — who said he was not authorized to speak with journalists — said the gunmen used a strategy that mirrored those of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

Sources

• “Official: Dozens killed, injured in Nigeria cattle market attack” — CNN, May 3, 2012
• Adamu Adamu. “Gunmen kill 34 at northeast Nigeria cattle market” — AP, May 3, 2012

One of the most recognized paintings in the world, The Scream, sold for US$120 million at auction at Sotheby’s in New York City on Wednesday, making it the most expensive piece of art in the world.

The iconic painting was projected by experts to sell at auction for US$80 million, but an unknown buyer purchased the painting at US$119,922,500. Before the auction, Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust was the most expensive artwork sold after it went for US$106.5 million two years ago at auction.

Sources

• Adam Reiss and Richard Roth. “‘The Scream’ sold for nearly $120 million” — CNN, May 3, 2012
• Chris Michaud. “The Scream sale led to record $330 million auction at Sotheby’s” — Christian Science Monitor, May 3, 2012

The Saturn V on display at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center was damaged by gunfire on Thursday. Nobody was injured. The shooter was suspected to be driving on Interstate 565.

Sources

• Pearlman, Robert Z.. “Gunshots Damage Historic Saturn V Moon Rocket” — Space.com, May 4, 2012
• Clines, Keith. “Shooting of Saturn V rocket in Davidson Center could be a federal offense” — The Huntsville Times, May 3, 2012

Thursday, October 18, 2007

It can be difficult to be John Reed.

Christopher Hitchens called him a “Bin Ladenist” and Cathy Young editorialized in The Boston Globe that he “blames the victims of terrorism” when he puts out a novel like Snowball’s Chance, a biting send-up of George Orwell‘s Animal Farm which he was inspired to write after the terrorist attacks on September 11. “The clear references to 9/11 in the apocalyptic ending can only bring Orwell’s name into disrepute in the U.S.,” wrote William Hamilton, the British literary executor of the Orwell estate. That process had already begun: it was revealed Orwell gave the British Foreign Office a list of people he suspected of being “crypto-Communists and fellow travelers,” labeling some of them as Jews and homosexuals. “I really wanted to explode that book,” Reed told The New York Times. “I wanted to completely undermine it.”

Is this man who wants to blow up the classic literary canon taught to children in schools a menace, or a messiah? David Shankbone went to interview him for Wikinews and found that, as often is the case, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Reed is electrified by the changes that surround him that channel through a lens of inspiration wrought by his children. “The kids have made me a better writer,” Reed said. In his new untitled work, which he calls a “new play by William Shakespeare,” he takes lines from The Bard‘s classics to form an original tragedy. He began it in 2003, but only with the birth of his children could he finish it. “I didn’t understand the characters who had children. I didn’t really understand them. And once I had had kids, I could approach them differently.”

Taking the old to make it new is a theme in his work and in his world view. Reed foresees new narrative forms being born, Biblical epics that will be played out across print and electronic mediums. He is pulled forward by revolutions of the past, a search for a spiritual sensibility, and a desire to locate himself in the process.

Below is David Shankbone’s conversation with novelist John Reed.