text:
French National assembly to approve copyright bill

March 20, 2006

The French is to adopt a bill, known as  (« Droits d'Auteurs et Droits Voisins de la Société de l'Information », "author's right and related rights in the information society"), tomorrow. This bill reforms the French code of intellectual property (CPI) and other laws, mostly in order to implement the 2001.

The directive mandates legal protections of (DRM) measures against circumvention. DRMs are "digital locks" that prevent users from freely copying or playing contents, in order to enforce the copyright of the authors, artists, publishers and producers. The initial draft of the bill, proposed by, made circumvention of DRMs, or even facilitation thereof, a felony (délit), with a maximal penalty of 3 years in prison and/or a 300,000 fine as with. Since DRMs, circumvention and facilitations were not legally defined, it was feared that the law would effectively prevent competitors from creating players, especially based on, compatible with major systems such as 's or 's  — or even to prevent the creation of any free software capable of loading files with DRM capabilities, that is, potentially most future text, audio or video.

The initial draft also conserved the threat of a counterfeiting felony conviction for those exchanging copyrighted files on the Internet. This was judged to be unfairly repressive and unrealistic. In France, it is commonplace for Internet users to have broadband up to 16 megabits per second in cheaply priced (€30 a month or lower) packages, often comprising  phone and television ; millions of users, especially the young, are believed to use  file sharing software. Lawmakers, from both the majority party and the opposition, found it unwise to turn millions of citizens into potential felons. As a consequence, the Minister proposed a "gradual" scheme where mere downloading of one file would be punishable by a €38 fine, which was adopted as an amendment. It remains to be seen how the law will be enforced.

With respects to DRMs, lawmakers from both the majority UMP party, the centrist and the opposition adopted amendments that make it compulsory for publishers of DRM-encumbered content to give the specifications to whomever would like to implement a compatible player. This proposal was decried by some US news sources as targeting Apple Computer's system, tied to the  players. It is yet unknown, though, if these amendments would apply to companies that choose not to claim the new special protection awarded to DRMs by the law, which enable them to sue those who implement software meant to circumvent their protections.

Lawmakers also expressed concerns that the proposed law would weaken existing legal exceptions to copyright, especially the right for users to make copies of copyrighted files for private use (CPI L122-5).

The lawmaking process was quite a bumpy one. In December, lawmakers adopted a surprise amendment that would legalize peer-to-peer sharing as "private copy", much to the dismay of the Minister of Culture. The amendment, proposed by a bipartisan coalition of majority UMP and opposition lawmakers, was the first in a series that would have established a system known as the "global license" through which Internet users would have paid a flat fee in exchange for an authorization to use peer-to-peer services. The fees collected would be redistributed to authors and performers. In March, the Minister tried to withdraw article 1 of the law, which was the one that was amended to his dislike, but the next day he had to reintroduce it because withdrawing it may have been unconstitutional. The Assembly then voted the article down and adopted an Article 1 "bis", essentially an amended version of article 1 without the legalization of peer-to-peer sharing.

The law, initially presented as an uncontroversial, technical text, soon became a hot topic. Some lawmakers, both from the opposition and the majority, decried intense lobbying by the entertainment industry. Some amendments were nicknamed the " amendment", from the name of a major entertainment company that some lawmakers and commentators claim has inspired them. UMP lawmakers such as denounced pressures and even blackmail from some powerful lobbies.

The Assembly will very probably adopt the bill on March 21, despite the opposition of some UMP, UDF and opposition lawmakers. The bill will then be sent to the for further amendment and approval. Since the government declared the bill to be urgent, it is probably that after examination by the Senate, the bill will be sent to a mixed Assembly/Senate commission for harmonization, then finally voted. Given that some UMP and opposition lawmakers have voiced concerns about the constitutionality of some episodes of the lawmaking process, it is likely that the bill will get sent to the for constitutional review. Finally, Jacques Chirac is likely to sign it into law.


text:
User:Linuxerist~enwikinews/Sandbox

Though I intend to use this for my own use, I guess you can use it. Please edit below the divider, or it will be considered vandalism. ~Linuxerist L / T 18:31, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User:Linuxerist~enwikinews/Sandbox


text: User:Linuxerist~enwikinews/OtherWikis

title: User:Linuxerist~enwikinews/OtherWikis


text:
Talk:French National assembly to approve copyright bill

This article is mostly based on the official transcripts of the debates on the DADVSI law, and on reading the bill, the amendments, and other official primary sources. Submarine 02:01, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Great work!--Eloquence 18:27, 22 March 2006 (UTC)


text:
New Zealand Attorney-General resigns

March 21, 2006 David Parker resigned today from Cabinet, a day after he resigned his position as Attorney-General and after publicity around his filing of an incorrect declaration with the Companies Office on behalf of Queens Park Mews Limited.

The declaration said that the three shareholders had unanimously agreed not to appoint an auditor for the company; but according to Investigate Magazine, another shareholder, Russell Hyslop, had never been consulted about the matter.

Parker confesses to making a "mistake" over the returns. He says when Hyslop was declared bankrupt in 1997, he cleared it with the Official Assignee for the first two years. He then forgot to clear on other years.

Parker was saying early this morning that he would persist in holding his other portfolios.

Prime Minister Helen Clark released the news shortly before 11 a.m. (NZST) as she walked into a caucus meeting. She said, "I have this morning accepted Mr Parker's resignation from all his portfolios."

Knowingly authorising a false statement is an offence under the Companies Act. The maximum penalty under section 373(4) for filing a false return is a fine of $200,000 or five years of imprisonment.

title: New Zealand Attorney-General resigns


title: File:21March2006.pdf


title: File:21March2006.sxw


text:
Alfonso Soriano refuses to play

March 20, 2006 The Washington Nationals' biggest offseason acquisition, Alfonso Soriano, refused Monday to take left field in the Nationals' spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Nationals threatened Soriano with disqualification if he refuses to take the field Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals, which could result in the forfeiture of some or all of his 2006 salary, which is in the neighborhood of $10 million.

Soriano, normally a second baseman, has steadfastly refused to be moved to the outfield. He has also requested a trade if the Nationals do not intend to use him as their starting second baseman over Jose Vidro.

This issue has been hanging over the heads of the Nationals organization since Soriano was acquired in a trade from the Texas Rangers in December. However, as Soriano played with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, Monday was the first day that he was scheduled to play for the Nationals during spring training.

title: Alfonso Soriano refuses to play


text:
Wikinews:Request an interview

This page is for individuals who are not part of Wikinews to request an interview by the Wikinews community. Here, you can make a short preliminary statement about who you are and on what topic you wish to be interviewed. Wikinews contributors will consider your request and contact you should they wish to conduct the interview.

Interview requests that have been published can be found at Published interview requests. Making a request on this page does not guarantee that you will be interviewed or that an article will be written and published.

If Wikinews contributors do not show an interest in following up on a request within a reasonable period of time, the request will be archived. In such cases, you are unlikely to receive a message to that effect.

Make a request
Clicking the link below takes you to a form where you can identify yourself and make a statement about what you wish to be interviewed about.

Your statement should focus on a single current event or phenomenon, and answer these questions: who, what, where, when, why and how about this news event. If you are "notable" in any way, you should explain how. Do put some effort into your statement. It should make clear why our readers should be interested in what you have to say. It should be detailed and specific, including dates, names, and locations.

It is very important that you read our Neutral Point of View (NPOV) policy before making your statement. Your request should not run afoul of our NPOV policy (e.g. shouting, personal attacks, etc).

Note that the request will be saved on this page below, and will be visible to all visitors to the website. Please do not place private or confidential information (your own or that of anyone else) in your request.

Fill out the form and click the Save button to create your request.

Click here to make a request.

title: Wikinews:Request an interview


text: Template:Interviewee

title: Template:Interviewee


text:
Wikinews talk:Request an interview

So, if someone comes along and tries to start an article about an event in which they are clearly involved, and therefore biased, you can slap an tag on the article talk page and their user talk page. - Borofkin 06:08, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

External Interview?
sorry, that I ask here, but I can't find another help topic about this. I have done an interview and would like to release it under a free licence and also would like to give it to en.wikinews. I'm normally doing news on de.wikinews, so I don't know how you handle news and interviews here. you can find the interview here uncomPRESSed: Google Lunar X PRIZE - William Pomerantz and I would put a free licence to envelope the interview part, because the start and ending is just explaining the motivation and clearing my position. could anyone please help me with this? I'm currently doing the translation, that it can be released on de.wikinews, so there is a wider connection between the wikinews projects. best regards, --Andreas -horn- Hornig (talk) 11:49, 1 August 2010 (UTC)

 * Replied at Talk:HDTVTotal.com uncomPRESSed: Google Lunar X PRIZE - William Pomerantz. --InfantGorilla (talk) 12:42, 2 August 2010 (UTC)

title: Wikinews talk:Request an interview


text:
UN inaugurates rapid-response fund for future disasters

March 21, 2006

After every earthquake, flood, or other disaster, the call goes out for pledges to fund emergency relief. Then a second round of begging tries to convert those pledges into actual payments. In the meantime, some relief is delayed, and people die. Money that does eventually come may not be in proportion to the need. For example, relief funding for the 26 December 2004 tsunami generally came rapidly and exceeded the amount requested, but famine relief for 3.5 million Kenyans suffering drought is now 75% underfunded.

To help solve these problems, the United Nations this month created the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as a rainy-day savings account, to be dipped into when urgent needs require that money be spent within days--not in several months after aid pledges start being fulfilled. The Fund is about half way to the goal of half a billion dollars in deposits, which could be spent for either natural or man-made disasters. "We meet to launch a fund that is proactive rather than reactive. The CERF will provide a ready pool of resources that better empower the United Nations in funding immediate relief efforts in the aftermath of disasters," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on March 9.

Jan Egeland, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, will manage the Fund. "We are working on the two first allocations from the CERF...One is to the Horn of Africa and Kenya drought, the other one is to Cote d'Ivoire where humanitarian work and the civilian population is suffering so much," he said. "Too often, aid resembles a lottery in which a few win but most lose based on considerations other than need. We must move from lottery to predictability so all those who suffer receive aid."

The biggest donations paid so far are $41 million from Sweden and $30 million from Norway. The largest pledges are $70 million from the United Kingdom and $24 million from the Netherlands.


text:
Japan wins World Baseball Classic, 10-6

March 21, 2006

Today at around 6:00 a.m. UTC, Akinori Otsuka struck out Cuban star Youlieski Gourriel to give Japan a 10-6 victory over Cuba in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. Daisuke Matsuzaka recorded the win with a 1.38 ERA and was named the tournament's most valuable player. The game was played in PETCO Park before a crowd of 42,696. The highly-touted Japanese team took a commanding lead in the first inning. Vicyohandry Odelin walked one man with the bases loaded, and hit another. The four-run first inning was capped off by Toshiake Imae's two-run single. Cuba used three pitchers in the inning, including starter Omari Romero and reliever Norberto Gonzalez. Japan also added two more runs in the fifth inning, after three straight base hits to start the inning and Michihiro Ogasawara's sacrifice fly with one out. Ichiro Suzuki's one-out RBI single off of Adiel Palma in the ninth drove in Osmani Urrutia, which proved to be the winning run. After an intentional walk, Kosuke Fukudome put the game away with a base hit to left that scored two. Michihiro Ogaswara added a sacrifice fly.

Cuba's Eduardo Paret started the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run that landed in the first row of the left field stands. Cuba mounted a rally in the ninth, when Ariel Pastano led off with a double. He was eventually driven in by Cuban shortstop Eduardo Peret's infield single, but Cuba was unable to score any more runs. Cuba responded with four straight hits of their own in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs. Designated hitter Yoandy Garlobo grounded into an inning-ending double play, with men on first and third. Frederich Cepeda's two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Soichi Fujita cut the Japanese lead to 6-5, before the four-run Japanese ninth put the game away.

After 5 failed tries at the Olympics, Japan has finally capped it off with this gold-medal win at the Classic. "My players showed me a fantastic performance tonight," Sadaharu Oh, the team's coach, said through a translator after the game. "I know they did it for Japan." Most people agree that this victory has driven home the fact that baseball is now an international sport, not just an American sport. The team has stuck with the tournament, through bad calls and good alike, and the reward was the sterling silver trophy presented to them as champions of the World Baseball Classic. Even Ichiro Suzuki was amazed by their work, saying "To be honest, I never imagined we'd get there. We had a great team, the best. I hope we showed everyone what a great sport baseball is."

Cuba's amazing run was stopped short, but beisbol was still at the top of Cuba's mind after the defeat. “Personally, I think we have shown the quality of Cuban players,” Cuba manager Higinio Velez said. “I told everybody to have patience. I said we are team of men, not names.” The Cuban team barreled through so many major leaguers, but today everything cracked, especially the pitching. However, they never gave up, rallying in the last inning, but just like Frederich Cepeda said, “We went and fought for this game just like every other game in this tournament, but Japan also went out and fought for this game. We tried to get back on top, but they played better than we did and they deserve the victory because they played better.” Due to the deal that allowed Cuba into the WBC, they are donating all their money to Hurricane Katrina Victims.

MLB commissioner and WBC organizer Bud Selig admitted, "The intensity in the stands as well as the intensity on the playing field was absolutely remarkable, and I'm not sure that going into it you could have felt that. I'm very confident that this will be the platform that we use to take this sport internationally to the dimension that I want to take it and believe that we will." Spikes worn by Oh, a jersey worn by Matsuzaka, a baseball cap worn by Nobuhiko Matsunaka, a helmet worn by Ichiro, and a warm-up jacket worn by Koji Uehara, will all be sent to Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame to be displayed.

Related news

 * "World Baseball Classic". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
 * "World Baseball Classic". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

title: Japan wins World Baseball Classic, 10-6


text:
Talk:UN inaugurates rapid-response fund for future disasters

This is a reworked press release from here, from which some portions were completely unmodified. irid:t 06:20, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, that is correct. I copied the press release issued by the UN News Centre announcing the UN's new fund. I assumed that the UN wanted coverage to be as wide as possible, and that copying their press release was fine with them. However, I don't have much experience in this area. Is it considered acceptable or unacceptable to copy a press release in a news article? Thanks. Lwbaum 06:29, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Welcome back to Wikinews! Haven't seen you in a long, long time.
 * Unfortunately, we don't accept verbatim copyrighted material here. Press releases fall into this category. If, for whatever reason the UN became upset with Wikinews, they could sue the foundation for damages related to hosting their copyrighted materials. That's the nature of Copyright. Anyway.
 * We also have a policy of not accepting press releases in general, since they violate our standard of bias-free material. Considering the nature of press releases (authored by a single entity to promote the entity or its agenda) they tend to be heavily biased. That doesn't appear to be the case here, but it is still an important policy that we try to enfore across the board.
 * However, thank you for posting this article. The remaining material appears to be suitable for an article if expanded a bit. We just need to follow a proceedure to eliinate the copyrighted material from the history of the article. irid:t 06:41, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

It's good to talk to you again. It has been a long time, except for the article I posted a while ago on the Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis.

Thank you very much for your helpful explanation. I understand. It is better to be safe than sorry! I will try to rewrite the material from the press release, integrating it with other sources and the excellent wikipedia article that was already posted on this topic. Lwbaum 06:52, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * It might be a good idea to rewrite the article in your userspace while the copyright violation is cleaned up. The article needs to be deleted from the server for the history of it to be purged. It can then be recreated. Try creating the article here and then moving it when the deletion is done. irid:t 06:56, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

OK, I have rewritten the article off-line and pasted it into my Temp space. How long should I wait to see if the original article has been deleted so that I can post the rewrite? Or can I purge the original article myself? Thanks.

Lwbaum 07:29, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * You'll need to wait for someone (namely, an administrator) to delete the article. You can move your article back in as soon as that's done. Or, you can create a new article with a different title in the mean time. Try clicking the "Real-time chat" link at the top of the page; you can communicate live with the admins as they discuss things like this. irid:t 07:31, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

 * There are several minor errors with this discussion. Due to changes in the 1.6x version of the MediaWiki software it is now possible to do partial undeletions. Thus a copyvio no longer requires the entire deletion of the article. Just edit out copyviolations, and ask an admin to selectively undelete the history so no copyvios are available in article history. The second is I cannot find the termporary article; I'm guessing the current version is it? Third, I believe UN news is released under the IRIN licensure, which specifically allows commercial and non-commercial republication and modification of content; this license I believe is one-way compatible with the CC-by 2.5 licensure that Wikinews uses, but I'm not 100% certain. -  Amgine | talk en.WN 06:27, 25 March 2006 (UTC)


text:
User:Lwbaum/Temp

UN inaugurates rapid-response fund for future disasters

March 21, 2006

After every earthquake, flood, or other disaster, the call goes out for pledges to fund emergency relief. Then a second round of begging tries to convert those pledges into actual payments. In the meantime, some relief is delayed, and people die. Money that does eventually come may not be in proportion to the need. For example, relief funding for the 26 December 2004 tsunami generally came rapidly and exceeded the amount requested, but famine relief for 3.5 million Kenyans suffering drought is now 75% underfunded.

To help solve these problems, the United Nations this month created the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as a rainy-day savings account, to be dipped into when urgent needs require that money be spent within days--not in several months after aid pledges start being fulfilled. The Fund is about half way to the goal of half a billion dollars in deposits, which could be spent for either natural or man-made disasters.

"We meet to launch a fund that is proactive rather than reactive. The CERF will provide a ready pool of resources that better empower the United Nations in funding immediate relief efforts in the aftermath of disasters," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on March 9.

Jan Egeland, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, will manage the Fund. "We are working on the two first allocations from the CERF...One is to the Horn of Africa and Kenya drought, the other one is to Cote d'Ivoire where humanitarian work and the civilian population is suffering so much," he said. "Too often, aid resembles a lottery in which a few win but most lose based on considerations other than need. We must move from lottery to predictability so all those who suffer receive aid."

The biggest donations paid so far are $41 million from Sweden and $30 million from Norway. The largest pledges are $70 million from the United Kingdom and $24 million from the Netherlands.

Sources:

* "CERF Prepares For The Next Wave". Human News, 20 March 2006

* "UN launches landmark disaster relief fund to speed up emergency assistance". UN News Centre, 9 March 2006

* "Funding shortfall forces UN agency to cut food to 230,000 refugees in Kenya". UN News Centre, 14 March 2006

title: User:Lwbaum/Temp


text:
UN creates rapid-response fund for disasters

March 21, 2006

After every earthquake, flood, or other disaster, the call goes out for pledges to fund emergency relief. Then a second round of begging tries to convert those pledges into actual payments. In the meantime, some relief is delayed, and people die. Money that does eventually come may not be in proportion to the need. For example, relief funding for the 26 December 2004 tsunami generally came rapidly and exceeded the amount requested, but famine relief for 3.5 million Kenyans suffering drought is now 75% underfunded.

To help solve these problems, the United Nations this month created the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as a rainy-day savings account, to be dipped into when urgent needs require that money be spent within days--not in several months after aid pledges start being fulfilled. The Fund is about half way to the goal of half a billion dollars in deposits, which could be spent for either natural or man-made disasters. "We meet to launch a fund that is proactive rather than reactive. The CERF will provide a ready pool of resources that better empower the United Nations in funding immediate relief efforts in the aftermath of disasters," said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on March 9.

Jan Egeland, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, will manage the Fund. "We are working on the two first allocations from the CERF...One is to the Horn of Africa and Kenya drought, the other one is to Cote d'Ivoire where humanitarian work and the civilian population is suffering so much," he said. "Too often, aid resembles a lottery in which a few win but most lose based on considerations other than need. We must move from lottery to predictability so all those who suffer receive aid."

The biggest donations paid so far are $41 million from Sweden and $30 million from Norway. The largest pledges are $70 million from the United Kingdom and $24 million from the Netherlands.


text:
Talk:UN creates rapid-response fund for disasters

This is a rewritten version of this story. The previous one is waiting to be deleted. Thanks. Lwbaum 09:35, 21 March 2006 (UTC)


text:
Queensland mops up after Cyclone Larry's billion dollar devastation

March 21, 2006

Areas in far north Queensland remain without electricity, running water or sewerage after Category 5 Cyclone Larry hit the coast on Monday morning. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has declared a state of emergency in Innisfail and says he is worried about the outbreak of diseases. Army engineers are among more than 1,000 people assisting in Queensland's cyclone relief effort.

Premier Beattie says it could be more than a week before power is restored in Innisfail. "The whole bloody place is blown apart... this is going to be a long, slow recovery," he said.

Larry caused widespread damage as it crossed the coast south of Cairns, with winds of up to 290km/h (180 mph). Thousands of buildings were damaged and most of the Australia's banana crop has been destroyed. Thousands of kilometres of power lines were brought down. Many key roads are flooded.

State Emergency Service volunteers are putting tarpaulins on damaged homes. "Some homes will need complete rebuilding and that will take many months. But right now let's get the bandaids out and get people settled as much as we can and then start the serious rebuilding of the Innisfail area." said Kathryn Ryan, from the Disaster Management Group

Hospitals are unable to cope with the lack of clean running water and reliable power supplies. There are concerns about outbreaks of dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases. "Our main concern is with the quality of the drinking water, the quality of people's food supplies and any health risks from inundation by water," a health spokesman said.

Queensland Health Minister Jim Guthrie says there is no electricity in Innisfail, the hardest hit town in Cyclone Larry's path. "It's just too difficult to keep the hospital operating," he said. "There's no mains power but they're also having trouble with generators - there's a lack of fuel."

The region's banana, sugar cane and avocado farm industries will need rebuilding. Jan Davis, of fruit growers' group Growcom, says Cyclone Larry will have widespread effects on the fruit industry.

Among supplies flowing in were nearly 10,500 gallons of water and 6,000 in-flight meals provided by Qantas. Troops also set up a water purification unit, and health authorities warned residents to boil their water. "There most certainly would be around 7,000 people … that are effectively homeless," Federal Minister Bob Katter told The Associated Press. "They're sitting in four walls but no roof." Some 17,000 homes were blacked out in Cairns.

Ergon Energy Regional services manager Geoff Bowes says generators have been sent to Innisfail to provide power for sewerage works and some supermarkets and extra staff have been flown in from Brisbane and Townsville. "Nothing could prepare us for this," he said.

The Australian reports that building industry and government sources have estimated the cost of Larry as "one of Australia's most costly natural disasters, with a damage bill expected to exceed $1.5 billion."

So far there have been no deaths or major injuries reported. Forecasters have warned of more wild weather for Queensland, with a second cyclone expected to approach the coast later this week. The Bureau of Meteorology say Tropical Cyclone Wati is moving towards the west-northwest at 13 km per hour and should gradually intensify over the next 24 hours.


text:
Ohio man kills teen who walked on his lawn

March 21, 2006

Charles Martin, 66, of Union Township, Ohio called 911 on Sunday saying, "I just killed a kid. I shot him with a goddamn .410 shotgun, twice. He's laying in the yard."

Police say Martin shot and killed Larry Mugrage, 15, a high school freshman, for walking onto his lawn on Sunday.

"I've been harassed by him and his parents for five years. Today just blew it up," Martin told dispatchers when he called 911.

Martin has been charged with murder.

On Monday, Judge James Shriver ordered that Martin be held without bail. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.


text:
Protesters mark 3rd anniversary of Iraq invasion

March 21, 2006

Thousands of people around the world took to the streets in a "Global Day of Action" to mark the third anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. The weekend rallies and demonstrations drew smaller crowds than earlier anti-war demonstrations, when millions gathered in 2003 and 2004. US President George W. Bush, with dwindling public support for the war, marked the occasion with a speech, outlining his commitment to democracy in the region.

In the U.S.A.
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered this weekend across the United States to protest what they say is the continuing occupation of Iraq. Protestors called for accountability from the current administration. According to U.S. group, United for Peace and Justice, over 500 cities planned protests in all 50 U.S. states.

In Portland Oregon, about 10,000 anti-war protesters took almost an hour to pass through downtown streets on Sunday 19th March. Some carried signs reading: "Impeach the Evildoer." On Saturday, more than 7,000 people marched through downtown Chicago. About 200 people gathered Sunday at Chalmette National Cemetery to protest the military conflict overseas. They say the war had hurt the country's ability to help New Orleans recover from hurricane disaster. Around 20 demonstrators were arrested in Washington, DC. About 200 joined a march Sunday along New York's Fifth Avenue.

In Toronto, Canada some 1,000 protesters converged opposite the U.S. consulate. In Ottawa, dozens of demonstrators gathered two blocks from Parliament Hill and later at the National Gallery to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several hundred protesters marched through downtown Halifax. Protests in Montreal and Vancouver also attracted hundreds.

In Seoul, 1,000 people demonstrated - urging the South Korean government to bring their troops home. South Korea has 3,200 troops in northern Iraq - the largest contingent of foreign troops after the US and Britain. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, about 600 people protested peacefully - in contrast to the 2005 gathering when police fired on demonstrators with water cannons. In Tokyo, about 800 demonstrators took to the streets, after some 2000 protested the day earlier.

About 1,000 protesters gathered near New York's Times Square at a rally where speakers denounced the Bush administration and the continuing US troop presence in Iraq. The demonstrations were organised by many diverse groups.

Global Action
Many more thousands also gathered in cities around the globe, including in the Iraqi cities of Basra and Baghdad. In Rome tens of thousands took to the streets, with signs: "Stop the war in Iraq" and "No to the war for oil." Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a supporter of US President George W. Bush, sent nearly 3,000 Italian soldiers to Iraq despite the objections of a majority of Italians.

In London, police estimated a crowd of at least 15,000 showed up for the anti-war march. The city's Mayor Ken Livingstone made an appearance at the event in Trafalgar Square which peace groups had organised to demand the immediate withdrawal of 8,000 British troops, the second largest military contingent after the United States in Iraq.

A turnout of several thousand people was reported in Denmark, Greece, Spain and Turkey. In Athens, nearly 2,000 protesters marched to the US embassy, led by Palestinian immigrants who chanted anti-American slogans, "Get the imperialists out of Iraq and Afghanistan" and "Bush is terrorist Number One". Protests were also held outside US facilities at Souda military base on the island of Crete and in Greece's second city of Salonika.

Demonstrators in Istanbul, led by leftist and Islamist groups, called for the American troops to pull out of Iraq with banners saying "United States, go home". Communist party officials in Portugal organised an anti-war rally in Lisbon, claiming solidarity with "the fight of the Iraqi people". In Copenhagen, some 3,000 people marched in the streets, organisers and police said, with banners reading "Bring back the troops now". Demonstrators rallied outside the US embassy before marching on to the British embassy. Police said one person was arrested.

Peace activists staged a peaceful march in Geneva where one of the anti-war organisers said that "there is even less legitimacy to the American presence in Iraq today than there was three years ago". In Stockholm where a few hundred people braved the cold and falling hail to gather at an outdoor rally in the Swedish capital, the mother of a British soldier killed in Iraq took the stage, putting the blame on the US and British leaders. In Barcelona, Spain, 2,000 people - according to police - joined a march protesting the war.

Australia
In Australia actions drew around 1,000 people in both Sydney and Melbourne demonstrated, with smaller rallies in other cities. Reports in Perth indicate between 500 and 1000 people took part in a demonstration.

The government still has over 1,300 troops on duty in and around Iraq. In February, Prime minister John Howard announced an additional 450 ADF troops will be sent to Iraq, despite other countries withdrawing numbers. Mr Howard justified the reversal of policy as being in the "broader interests of democracy in the Middle East".

Australia's oppostion Defence Spokesman Robert McClelland said it's a "question of resources". For instance, we've spent $1.2 billion on the war in Iraq to date, and that's more than we spend each year on the entire Australian Federal Police budget," he said. "Australian people are very concerned that we're going to be sucked along into a civil war situation in Iraq."

"The truckloads of tortured, mutilated bodies, smashed infrastructure and cost of the Iraq war now approaching one trillion Australian dollars are outcomes of the Prime Minister's decision to back President Bush's invasion 3 years ago," Greens Leader Bob Brown said.

A Hawker Britton opinion poll suggests that almost two thirds of Australians want ADF troops to leave Iraq within the next couple months. Last week, visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was heckled by campaigners in Sydney, who accused her of "war crimes" and having "blood on her hands".

US President maintains "reason for hope"
President Bush marked the third anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a speech given in Cleveland, Ohio. Elaborating on the effort to build democracy in Iraq Mr Bush said, "We are implementing a strategy that will lead to victory... the United States will not abandon Iraq," he said. "Americans have never retreated in the face of thugs and assassins, and we will not begin now."

According to Bloomberg, President Bush is giving a series of speeches aimed at "rallying Americans behind his policies." The U.S. has 133,000 troops in Iraq. U.S. military deaths in Iraq have surpassed 2,300. Public support for the war is falling and the cost of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan rising to $9.8 billion a month.

The President told the audience: "in the face of continued reports about killings and reprisals" he could "understand how some Americans have had their confidence shaken," he said. "Others look at the violence they see each night on their television screens, and they wonder how I can remain so optimistic about the prospects of success in Iraq. They wonder what I see that they don't." He alluded to the northern Iraqi city, Tal Afar. He said the city "was once a key base of operations for al Qaeda and is today a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq."

Much of downtown Cleveland where Mr Bush spoke was barricaded off by Police. About 100 anti-war protesters chanted for the president to leave. The group held signs with peace messages and beat drums.

Four polls published last week put Bush's approval ratings at an all-time low - somewhere between 33 and 36 per cent. A CNN/Gallup poll has his approval rating at 36 per cent. The Pew Centre's poll put approval at 33 - the lowest rating of his presidency.

U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrote in the Washington Post on Monday, arguing the Iraqi insurgency was failing. He wrote: "Turning our backs on post-war Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing post-war Germany back to the Nazis." Vice President Dick Cheney also "remains optimistic about the outcome of the US involvement."

Iraq Conflict continues
Three years on, with 2,300 Americans killed, 17,000 troops injured, somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 Iraqis killed and the onset of "civil war," the US occupation of Iraq costs $200 million each day.

Meanwhile the conflict continues in Iraq. On Tuesday around 100 Iraqi insurgent fighters, armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, stormed a jail near Baghdad, killing at least 17 policemen. Authorities said all 33 prisoners were freed and 10 attackers were killed. After burning the police station, the group detonated roadside bombs as they fled. At least 13 policemen and civilians and 15 gunmen were wounded in the attack.

A recent wave of violence has left more than 1,000 Iraqis dead since the bombing last month of a Shiite Muslim shrine.


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Talk:Ohio man kills teen who walked on his lawn

I can't comprehend how it's okay to report a story this disturbing BUT it's not okay to put in the swear word that the guy said. If we're grown-up enough to read a story about a person being needlessly murdered, we're grown-up enough to read the word, "fuck," and vice-versa. Wikinews is not television. It doesn't have to kowtow to the FCC.

 * You're right. And we have a policy against that type of self-censoring. But none of the sources we have report the word used. -  Amgine | talk en.WN 17:26, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Fair enough. Thanks for the revert. Fucking censorship '-)

 * If you want to include it, you could call one of the sources, or the cops, to get the accurate quotation. It'd be funny to see OR for one word.  :)  Nyarlathotep 18:21, 21 March 2006 (UTC)


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User talk:194.247.230.196

Welcome
194.247.230.196, welcome to Wikinews! I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:

Our key policies - if you read anything, read these! Here a few pointers to help you get to know Wikinews: There are always things to do on Wikinews: By the way, you can sign your name on Talk pages using four tildes ( ~~~~ ), which produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the water cooler or to anyone on the Welcommittee, or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome!
 * Neutral point of view - tell every side to a story in a fair and balanced way
 * Cite sources - everything in a Wikinews article must be sourced
 * Introduction - overview of the site
 * Writing an article - how to write and publish a complete article
 * Content guide - what's suitable for Wikinews
 * Style guide - how articles should look before publishing
 * Contents - the contents page.
 * Existing articles need expanding and checking for spelling and mistakes
 * The front page lead articles often need updating
 * Developing stories need finishing and publishing
 * Discussions need your input
 * Audio Wikinews could always use more contributors
 * And of course, stories need writing!

I've moved your article to your userspace, User:194.247.230.196/Wikipedia is islamophobic. The article is an editorial, and Wikinews does not publish editorials in the main namespace. If you create a user account and log in I will be happy to move it to your user namespace. -  Amgine | talk en.WN 17:36, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

title: User talk:194.247.230.196


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Demonstrator in coma - serious allegations against the French police

March 21, 2006 During the large demonstration against the impending so-called First Employment Contract law (in French: Contrat de Première Embauche - CPE) on Saturday in Paris, one of the demonstrators was perilously injured in the head. Now, allegations have been brought against the French riot police Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS). Eyewitnesses report that officers of the CRS kicked 39-year-old Cyril Ferez while he was lying on the ground. A report of a CRS-officer draws a different picture of the incident.

The incident happened during the evacuation of the Place de la Nation by the CRS at the end of the demonstration against the first employment contracts at about 8.30 p.m. Cyril Ferez works for the Orange telecommunication company in Torcy and is a member of the trade union Sud-PTT, which represents workers at post offices and telecommunication companies. According to the photographer Bruno Stevens, Cyril Ferez was running away from the police, together with some other demonstrators. "He was slower. He was hit directly on the head. He collapsed like a sack. They hit him further while he was lying on the ground," the photographer told the French newspaper Libération. While he was hit by the police, he did not react in any hostile way towards them, said another photographer, Victor Tonelli. The police are said to have hit the demonstrator with night sticks and with their feet. The trade union Sud-PTT accuses the police of not having called for medical help for the injured person, despite having been called to do so. The trade union demands an official meeting with the home secretary on Wednesday afternoon and calls the behaviour of the police as not being worthy of the government of a democratic state. According to a report of the press association Reuters, the seriously injured person was immediately hospitalised. According to members of the government, referring to the treating doctors, Cyril Ferez was admitted to the hospital Henri-Mondor de Créteil with 2.7 grammes of alcohol in his blood. According to a report of a CRS-officer, with a copy of it on hand of the press association AFP and relying on statements of Cyril Ferez (before he fell into his coma), the injuries are not a result of a fight between CRS-officers and Cyril Ferez. According to this report, Cyril Ferez was attacked by other demonstrators. The report was given to the police audit. Members of the opposition party and the trade unions demand a complete clearing up of the incident.

On Sunday morning, Cyril Ferez fell into a coma. The police audit "Inspection générale des services" wants to investigate the incident. Therefore, the police audit would like to find out which witnesses were on site and which officers of the CRS were involved in the incident. Doctors assume that Cyril Ferez, if he survives, will suffer from neurological consequences. Directly after the demonstration, the police prefecture had claimed that 18 demonstrators had been injured, but that there was no seriously injured person among them.

French trade unions and student organisations have announced a general strike for 28 March. On Saturday, about 1.5 million people participated in the countrywide demonstrations against CPE.


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Talk:Japan wins World Baseball Classic, 10-6

What the heck is up with this one? -MescalineBanana 18:10, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Search me. I can't figure it out either. ReporterFromAfar3136 18:12, 21 March 2006 (UTC)


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Yellow Sheep River develops €123 Linux based computer

March 21, 2006

Engineers at China's Yellow Sheep River have developed a desktop computer, called a Municator, which costs only €123 ($150 US). The machine is designed to help bridge the digital divide in China and to expand China's small domestic semiconductor industry. Its development has been heavily subsidized by local governments.

The Municator measures 14.5 x 18 x 3.7 cm. (5.7 x 7.1 x 1.5 in.), and weighs 0.65 kg. (1.4 pounds). It is expected to use an existing TV as a monitor. The operating system is a GNU/Linux distribution, known as Thinix 3.0, which is developed by YellowSheepRiver Inc. itself and overseen by the Chinese government for security reasons. The Municator was shown last week at the 2006 CeBIT Fair in Hannover, Germany.

Video coverage from CeBIT 2006 speculated that the Municator will include applications such as: Firefox for web browsing, Thunderbird for e-mail, Gaim for instant messaging, Skype for VoIP, Red Office (99 percent compatible with Microsoft Office and based on Open Office) for Linux for word processing, and MPlayer for audio/video playback. The Skype application for VoIP is currently only available from Skype on i386-32 processors under Linux, but CeBit's video briefly shows a beta version of Skype running on the Municator's screen.

The 64-bit Godson 2c 400-800 MHz CPU used in the machine has a MIPS-like instruction set, and is roughly as fast as a 500-mHz Pentium III. The Godson II is made exclusively in China, and consumes relatively little power for its speed in comparison to x86 Intel and compatible AMD chips. A similar Chinese laptop project called the Longmeng also uses the Godson II.

No version of Microsoft Windows supports the Godson II, and due to the independent nature of the Chinese government, the Municator is unlikely to ever run Microsoft Windows or its applications. Banners at CeBIT 2006 proclaim "Say No To Wintel Try Now!"

The MIT Media Lab has a similar initiative to develop an inexpensive Linux machine, known as the $100 laptop, which seeks to begin production by the end of 2007.


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Correspondence of late Greek Orthodox leader of Americas to be published

The personal correspondence of the former Archbishop of North and South America, and spiritual leader of the community in the United States of America for 37 years, Iakovos Coucouzis, will be published during 2006. The Archbishop passed away in 2005. The publication of the correspondence of the late Archbishop will be the result of co-operation between the Theology School of the, the non-governmental Institute for National and Religious Studies and the program.

According to — who, along with theology professor Athanasios Karathanasis and political science student Nicolaos Mottas, has the scientific diligence of the project — the personal correspondence of Iakovos contains important information about the national issues of Greece, such as the Cyprus,  and the northern  issues.

A dynamic personality, the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox community in the United States from 1959 to 1996, Iakovos, constructed relations with all the American presidents, from  to Bill Clinton, and with various personalities from the Americas, such as minority leaders, with most famous being his friendship with. The personal correspondence of the Greek Orthodox leader contains letters between Iakovos and various United States presidents, including, , Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and with other political personalities — ministers, ambassadors, Washington, D.C. officials and former Greek Prime Ministers, including and. According to professor Angelopoulos, the two-volume publication will contain photocopies of the original correspondence documents and moreover a major text — written in by Angelopoulos in and translated into  by Nicolaos Mottas — which will summarize the essentians and meaning of Iakovos' correspondence, as well as its impact on the political, social and religious life of the Greek Orthodox Community in the United States of America and on Greek-American relations. The supervisor of the project, professor Athanasios Angelopoulos, stated that Archbishop Iakovos' personal correspondence will be published in 2006. The publication, which will be prefaced by the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Archbishop, will be presented in Thessaloniki, Athens, and possibly to the Greek Community in the United States.


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Talk:Correspondence of late Greek Orthodox leader of Americas to be published

I verify that the Original Reporting for this article has to do with short interviews with project's supervisor Professor Angelopoulos(inra@past.auth.gr) and his collaborators. The information presented in this article are exclusive. Anybody could affirm the information through contacting the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Theology School or the Greek Archdiocese of America, New York, USA(8 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10021 Fax: (212) 570-3569) Moreover, the issue has been published in some greek sources, such as a whole article in the daily greek newspaper "Kathimerini". If you have any queries, please ask here. Please do not make changes in the article information if you don't have credible sources. Thanks. Zorba 20:41, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Title
Okay, you got the OR defense out the way quickly, I think it needs a shorter and more explanatory title. --Brian McNeil / talk 21:12, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

I have already changed the title into a shorter one. Want more? Zorba 21:17, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Ok, Brian; You took this title from my mind. Thanks :) Zorba 21:30, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I was reading the article trying to think of a suggestion, I went to write a suggestion on the talk page and got an edit conflict, saw your revised title, which prompted the question, "what's to be done with the correspondence?"

 * Now, the article. It gets interesting about the point where you mention Harry Truman.  If you work from the point of catching people's interest by mentioning some of the treasures in the collection (like correspondence with Presidents) in the first sentence or two more people will read to the end.  Let me rearrange the pictures before you tear into it again.  At the moment it is good in a newswire style, all the data is provided for another source to lift from. :-) --Brian McNeil / talk 21:38, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

By-line?
Is there a policy about bylines for OR on Wikinews? I'd like to see "By Zorba" or "By Actual Name" or by "By Wikinewsie: Zorba" (except this last sounds pejorative, like Star Trekkie, to which Star Trekker is preferred). Maybe "By Wikinews reporter Zorba" ? —67-21-48-122 14:07, 24 March 2006 (UTC): We have a policy (maybe in WN:not ?) that prohibits bylines. Most articles are written as part of collaboration between several users. It would be unfair to give only one of these users the byline. Even if we tried to list all authors it still can be unfair; should we list the person who fixed a typo with the person who wrote several paragraphs?
 * If in OR a reporter would like to write their name into the article (ex. X told Wikinews reporter Y something) they can do so, though it is frowned upon.--Cspurrier 15:21, 24 March 2006 (UTC)


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President Bush calls on Helen Thomas during press conference; question stirs debate

March 22, 2006 During a press conference on Tuesday, President George W. Bush called on veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas for the first time in three years. She asked, "... your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war?"

Bush replied, "And when [Saddam Hussein] chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it."

The exchange has provoked extreme responses in the blogosphere, with conservative commentators like Fred Barnes of Fox News portraying Helen Thomas as being "unprofessional" and "improper" in "accusing the President."

Barnes argued, "Reporters aren't supposed to fire accusations at the President or anybody else they're interrogating, and that was wrong." He pointed out that Helen Thomas is an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq and the Presidency of George W. Bush. Fox News reporter Brit Hume said of Thomas, "She has an agenda, period, and always has had an agenda of sorts." Conservative commentators mostly agreed that President Bush "got the better of the exchange."

Liberal commentators like Josh Marshall from Talking Points Memo focused on the President's response, saying, "Of course, that's not what happened. [...] We got the resolution passed. Saddam called our bluff and allowed the inspectors in. President Bush pressed ahead with the invasion." He added "His lies are so blatant that I must constantly check myself so as not to assume that he is simply delusional or has blocked out whole chains of events from the past."


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Talk:President Bush calls on Helen Thomas during press conference; question stirs debate

I would like to add the following paragraph:

His reasoning seems to be in direct contradiction to the fact that Saddam Hussein allowed inspections of suspected weapons facilities in the run-up to the war all the way until the inspectors were withdrawn upon the request of the U.S. and that he gave a disclosure of his weapons programs that since has been proven to be accurate.

but I don't have the time right now to research the sources to back this up. Will come back to this later today, help is welcome. --vonbergm 21:46, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Response
I'd suggest that is an assumption and an opinion. Wikinews is not a soapbox. If you can get someone els to say it, perhaps...? --elliot_k 04:17, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Elliot, that comment above is quite old. I decided to take out any hint that Bush's statement contradicted the facts. And so far I have not found a source that actually points this out the discrepancy... --vonbergm 04:46, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Yeah so I gathered! Sorry about that. I was confused by the layout of this page. Apologies for the comment. Keep up the good work! --elliot_k 06:25, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Civil war aspect
The opening question, from an AP reporter, brings up Iyad Allawi's assertion that Iraq is in the middle of a civil war. Source: There's a link to a video of the interview too. --Brian McNeil / talk 22:12, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Right now I am leaning toward dividing these into separate articles, as the focus of this one is that, when confronted with the assertion that "Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true.", Bush replied by giving reasons that are not true. --vonbergm 22:16, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

This news today may fit in?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060321/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_wmd_tapes

Neutralizer 22:19, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Nice catch, this is a good news summary to back up the above statement. I will add it to the sources. --vonbergm 22:23, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

picture
Can we add this picture from the White House webpage? Not sure how to do this and how to deal with potential copyright issues. --vonbergm 23:37, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

I've returned this to the main name space, as it clearly can develop into an article. I've tried to start it with a more neutral title, but I've also tagged it as POV since the order of presentation of the quotes makes it seems like an editorial. You should give a summery of the contraversy first, not just open with the diatribe aginst Bush. Nyarlathotep 00:33, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Thanks Nyarlathotep. I have cleaned up the last paragraph and condensed the quotes. I like your title. --vonbergm 00:44, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

NPOV? -- Improvements?
Any issues outstanding? Any improvement suggestions? --vonbergm 01:06, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * The article states: "The Duelfer Report on WMD in Iraq confirmed that Iraq's WMD program was essentially destroyed in 1991 as disclosed by Hussein." This doesn't appear to mesh entirely with Duelfer Report.  I would suggest rewording this sentence to reflect this.  I also feel like the coverage of the exchange between Bush and Thomas could be clearer and more comprehensive.  I'll look into rewriting portions of the article in about an hour.  Gavindow 02:48, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Thoughts on this article
So, this article quotes a question and response made by the president during a press conference. It then quotes from a UN report, thereby implying that the Presidents response to the question was false. My question: has someone in US or World politics also made this inference, and declared that the Presidents response was false? If so, then it would be better to quote that person rather than make the inference ourselves. Remember, our job is not to uncover the truth, or draw implications, or create arguments, or make implications. Our job is to report. There are thousands of people criticising the President every day. Surely it is possible to track down someone who has made this particular criticism, and then report on it. - Borofkin 03:01, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I did a google search before writing the article and I just did another one. It came up with nothing relevant. Also, I don't really understand why one cannot report on a discrepancy between the words of the president and the facts of history. (Especially when this was ironically the base for the question of the reporter in the first place.) I guess one could sarcastically argue that this is not news, but... --vonbergm 04:15, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I have to admit, I love the article from a political standpoint...but I'm not sure if it's news as written. What's the controversy? Is someone complaining? Is this being brought up? The article does nothing to really explain this, save for commenting on what Bush said in the press conference. It could very well be titled "President Bush holds press conference" - and comment on a bunch of the questions. Although I believe there IS a controversy over the reasons for war, this article doesn't establish that, it just implies that Bush is wrong. Lyellin 05:02, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Again, I too do not believe this is news. However, as a response to Borofkin, Khofi Anan has stated the UN's position that the invasion of Iraq was illegal under the code of the Charter. The Charter, ratified by the US Congress, is both international and US law. -  Amgine | talk en.WN 05:07, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Legality under the UN Charter is not the issue in this article. The issue is whether or not Saddam "chose to deny inspectors". For this article to become news, we need to find someone who has criticised the President, recently, for falsely claiming that Saddam did prevent inspections. As Lyellin has pointed out, at the moment there is no new controversy, except possibly here on Wikinews. - Borofkin 05:15, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree - and in it's current state, it's "NotNews". Lyellin 05:16, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * This is really a good faith question of a slow-learning and naive wikinews editor: The president lying during a news conference is not news? And that in response to a question that explicitely asked for a reason that is "true"? --vonbergm 05:26, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * So the media cannot hold the president accountible unless some bigwig points it out first? (Please excuse my naivity, I really don't get it.) --vonbergm 05:28, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * This article creates a controversy that is not there. Hell - he's been lying for 6 years. If, suddenly, news reports start complaining about this statement, it might be news. But currently, it was a statement made in a press conference that received virtually no attention. It's very easy to point out people who lie or misspeak. Heck, we can do that with every public official anywhere. It's not news. Unfortunetly, but it's not. It's trying to brew a controversy that isn't there. Lyellin 05:42, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Yes, people misspeak. Or stretch the truth a little. But if, pretty much exactly 3 years after the invasion, in response to a question asserting that all resaons for the invasion previously given by the administration were not true, the president gives a reason that is not true -- that is not just another little "woops". I simply cannot share your sarkasm that a lying president -- on matters of war and peace, regarding decisions that has cost thousands (gross underestimate) of lives -- is not news. How did we get here? Only by letting this sort of thing go unreported over and over again. --vonbergm 05:49, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Vonbergm - trust me, I agree. I'm a rabid Democrat, worked against Bush both elections etc. But that does not make this article news. It's not. There is no controversy. No one is up in arms about this - heck, even Dailykos, the most liberal of blogs is barely talking about it. We cannot create controversy where there is none. WN is not at the point where we are creating the news - we are still working on covering the news that is there, and doing it better. This is an article designed to attack the President of the United States - whether deserving or not, that is what it is. It's not news until a controversy happens. Lyellin 05:52, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * "So the media cannot hold the president accountible unless some bigwig points it out first?" The media can do whatever they want. The mainstream media, despite what they say, are participants in the political system. Wikinews, on the other hand, is attempting to be neutral. It sounds odd, or even counterintuitive, but we don't recognise "truth" or "lies". For Wikinews to say, or imply, or suggest something is a lie would be to take a position, a point-of-view. We try to not do that. - Borofkin 05:53, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * We must be able to recognize some level of inconsistencies, or we'll be unable to preform our job of providing OR for wikipedia. Nyarlathotep 05:57, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I recognize the basic idea behind why people argue that this might not be news. That's why i have in previous cases run this kind of stuff as wackynews. But this case is simply too serious for that.--vonbergm 06:33, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

news or not
For the record, I happen to feel its news & nothing is wrong with posting stories about inconsistencies in retoric & such. Its not big news, but I posted a story about vending machines selling sex toys the other day too. :) It sounds like people have their arguments worked out, why not just continue this on WN:DR, nominated as notnews.  It'll either live or die & we'll be done thinking about it.  Nyarlathotep 05:54, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Edit attempt
I'm going to do a quick edit on the article. Just to tidy up some sentence structure and slight POV. --elliot_k 06:27, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Question
Edit made. But upon perusal, whilst there's nothing really wrong with this article, there doesn't really appear to be any valid reason for this story to be told. Maybe its just me, but I'm thinking "why do i need to know this...?" Has any other government/opposition or lobby group made a statement about Bush's comment? To back up the "inconsistency" of comments? Its more an interesting observation by the contributor. NPOV, says we're not supposed to have an opinion :)... --elliot_k 06:43, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * This is the gist of the discussion under the "Thoughts on this article" section of this talk page. - Borofkin 06:45, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Ah yes. I seem to have come in a little late for comment now, I guess. But I see what you mean. However your comment in the "Thoughts" section above, where you say, amongst other things - "our job is not to uncover the truth"... Now, although it doesn't necessarily apply in this case, surely there's nothing wrong with a bit of Wikinews investigative reportage, along the lines of Original Reporting... I'm thinking that we need a clearer policy on what IS Wikinews, and whether or not is our job to "uncover" information or not. Respecta... --elliot_k 07:02, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree that we are now touching on fundamental questions: What is Wikinews? What is original reporting? What makes us different from mainstream news outlets? There is still much to be discussed. As things stand at the moment, in the case of an article such as this a very strong argument must be made for it to remain. If such reporting does have a place here, then it should be possible to convince the community. - Borofkin 07:14, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Whilst this article in particular seems to make a comment, rather than report without assumption or bias, there is indeed much more to be said about this. Rather than discuss the merits of that here, maybe its worth starting another admin type page about this issue. Or flesh up the policy a little. It would be in the best interest of Wikinews to do more investigative/original reportage journalism. And yes, I really think we need to discuss this more. --elliot_k 07:52, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

What next?
There seems to be a general feeling here on the talk page that this article has some issues which need to be addressed. Vonbergm, as the originator of the article are you able to propose a way to remedy the issues that people have raised? - Borofkin 06:52, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I am sorry to say that I don't. Except wait until some democrat or otherwise motivated person of public interest points out that the president is lying. Just the fact that he is lying is just not news I guess... (Still can't get over that!) Or maybe follow Nyarlathotep's suggestion. --vonbergm 07:02, 22 March 2006 (UTC) (Going to bed now, curious where this will be when I wake up...)
 * Don't give up mate. Better still, ask someone of public interest for a comment. Email or telephone them. --elliot_k 07:13, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed. You've demostrated that the President lied. So tell someone about it, try to get a quote. Do some original reporting - it's hard work, but it's also the future of Wikinews. - Borofkin 07:18, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

collection of responses
Trying to collect some responses to the exchange, but they are hard to find and they are mostly blogs and people on the fringes of the political spectrum.

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/13732/ http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0321-01.htm

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/032206.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/03/22/BL2006032200400.html

Really nothing substantial. There is also a wealth of right-wing blogs slamming Helen for being unpatriotic or the like for asking the question. I will search the news again later today. --vonbergm 17:48, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Here is 206 news items which include the phrase "bush lied". The STars and Stripes might be good for soldiers' quotes. I will look through myself tonight if noone else does before;

 * http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?_adv_prop=web&x=op&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t369&va_vt=any&vp=BUSH+LIED&vp_vt=any&vo_vt=any&ve_vt=any&vst=0&vf=all&vm=i&fl=0&n=10 Neutralizer 18:24, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Thanks. The issue here is that Bush also gave a speech on Monday in Ohio in which he apparently "lied" and most articles that I found that way referred to that instance. I guess I am starting to believe more and more that a lying president is just not news. But I will take a look. --vonbergm 19:05, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Now, responses to THAT speech, could be news. Lyellin 19:07, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, that's a different article. And after taking a closer look at the news search above I found that it found 0 articles regarding Helen's question and none addressing the Ohio speach. Only the first few are new enough to cover these and they don't. --vonbergm 19:54, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * If you do a search for Helen Thomas Press Conference, there are at least a few articles from newspapers regarding the conference. Nothing near a controversy, but there IS an article to be made about the fact that Bush ended his boycott of Helen Thomas at press conferences. Lyellin 20:12, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Can I also suggust renaming this? perhaps "President Bush breaks boycott of Helen Thomas questions, causes stir at press conference"? Something like that. I think it would fit with the article better, and fit with the news situation as well. Lyellin 20:34, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I did just remove the publish tag - while this is being worked on/fixed up, better not to have it on the main page. Lyellin 20:41, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

removed section
Hey, I just removed: "On March 7, 2003, United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix asked for more time to continue with inspections. He characterized Iraqi cooperation with inspections at the time as "active, or even proactive." The inspectors withdrew from Iraq, just prior to the U.S.-led invasion, on the request of the United States and Britain.

The Duelfer Report on WMD in Iraq confirmed that Iraq's WMD program was essentially destroyed in 1991, as disclosed by Hussein."

My reasoning is that the article has evolved to focus on the question, and these paragraphs do not actually have to do with that in any meaningful way, beyond an attempt to editorialize that Bush was lying, which is not our place, the Josh Marshall quote does that quite well. I also published the article again in its current form. Lyellin 03:17, 23 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Thats fine. But then we should flesh out his statement by adding (excerpts of) the paragraph he wrote prior to the actual quote:

Of course, that's not what happened. We were there. We remember. It wasn't a century ago. We got the resolution passed. Saddam called our bluff and allowed the inspectors in. President Bush pressed ahead with the invasion.
 * --vonbergm 04:19, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Doesn't bother me to do that - quoting Josh is fine in the context of the article. Lyellin 04:51, 23 March 2006 (UTC)
 * done. vonbergm 05:35, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

Great Work in collaboration with this article
Maybe another quote from a Conservative - in response to the flak. --elliot_k 06:48, 23 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Boy, Fox News did not pulish transcripts for that show, and I don't think I can survive watching it again to get anothe quote. And wading through blogs to dig up something is not much fun either. But if anyone has the energy... --vonbergm 16:37, 23 March 2006 (UTC)


text:
Time: 15 Iraqi civilians dead; U.S. Marines under investigation

March 22, 2006 Time magazine has reported that the U.S. military is investigating allegations of killing civilians in response to the death of a U.S. Marine. The Marine was killed when a roadside detonated near his convoy. His fellow Marines are alleged to have entered homes in a western Iraqi town and shot and killed fifteen members of two families in retaliation, including a three-year-old girl.

Time claims to have a videotape showing the results of the Marines' assault, describing it as "graphic documentation," but has stated that the evidence is inconclusive; it does not prove the guilt of the Marines involved. The military's own reconstruction of events, as well as the eyewitness accounts of residents whom Time interviewed, portrays a violent response by a group of U.S. Marines who believed they were under fire and had lost one of their own.

Last week the U.S. military announced that (NCIS) has been handed the matter to determine whether the troops deliberately targeted civilians and broke the laws of war. Military Officials initially indicated that 15 Iraqi civilians had died when gunmen attacked a convoy with small arms fire, prompting the Marines to return fire. U.S. Marines have also claimed that the civilians were used as shields by insurgents and that the fault lies with the insurgents.

Relatives of the victims have been paid USD $2,500 for each of the 15 dead civilians by the United States.


text:
Talk:Time: 15 Iraqi civilians dead; U.S. Marines under investigation

Title
I used the word "murder" as the term "massacre" beingused by other press seems too sensationalist. Perhaps there is a better word? Neutralizer 21:59, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I think there is, I'll try and come up with one.
 * Hey, don't publish this until we get some good editing from a number of people. I want to make sure nobody is going to get blocked over this. irid:t 22:01, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * How about "U.S. Marines under investiagtion for 15 civilian deaths" ? It sounds a lot less like we're assuming they're guilty. irid:t 22:21, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Hey; thinks for chipping in:) gotta admit, I'm a little surprised but very pleasantly; thanks so much :). Re; Title, the "Intentional killing of civilians" is the accusation here.Somehow it has to describe an accusation of intentional killings without sounding sensational. Remember this is not an accusation of collateral damage here. It might turn out to be that, but that is not what the allegations are. What about "U.S. Marines under investigation for intentionally killing 15 civilians"? Neutralizer 22:34, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I'll take that, as long as "under investigation" is in and "murder" is out. That's pretty much what I want to avoid; these are facts, and "murder" tends to hedge on POV. Thanks for starting this article. :) irid:t 22:36, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Ok, bud, I gotta go to work now, seeyalater. Neutralizer 22:40, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

The article title
Well, crap. I hate to do this right after you left for work, but the title of the article is still drawing some concern. There was a suggestion in the IRC channel of "Time Magazine reports on allegations of civilian killings by United States Marines". I think that's a reasonable suggestion, and I want to ponder on it for a couple minutes. Anyone else with ideas? irid:t 22:51, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * I prefer that title, the accusation in the title isn't as clear cut as having footage of the marines shooting unarmed civilians, the point is to make it clear in the article that the survivors claim this is what happened. --Brian McNeil / talk 22:57, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Done (obviously, if you're reading this) irid:t 23:03, 21 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Hopefully the title before is ok but maybe the IRC crowd wants Time in the title for some reason. I don't think IRC conversations should trump talk page discussions. I don't understand exactly what Brian is saying above. Neutralizer 04:27, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Not to undermine talk pages, of course. I took that suggestion under advisement because there was some really good discussion going on there already. The point is that Time magazine made the accusations based on interviews they did, so it's important to have their name in the title.
 * Really, so far we've done well keeping this away from flame wars. I'm impressed. Let's keep this up. irid:t 05:25, 22 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Yes,agreed.I also got on IRC last night with Amgine and Chiacomo to discuss this title so, I guess great minds think alike.:) Neutralizer 13:27, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Interwikilink to add
Can anyone add the italian interwikilink it:15 civili iracheni morti: marines statunitensi sotto indagine? Thank you! --Trek00 13:57, 22 May 2006 (UTC)
 * ✅--Mark Talk 11:06, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Category and link
edit protected Please add this article to Category:Time (magazine) and localize a link of the same name. Thank you. Green Giant (talk) 13:01, 29 October 2015 (UTC)
 * ✅ --Pi zero (talk) 18:46, 1 February 2016 (UTC)


text:
Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal approved by Common Council

The city's Common Council met in Council Chambers today with a full agenda. Among the items in the agenda was the Elmwood Village Hotel proposal.

The Elmwood Village Hotel is a proposed hotel by Savarino Construction Services Corporation and is designed by architect Karl Frizlen of the Frizlen Group. It is to be placed on the corner of Elmwood and Forest Avenues in Buffalo and will require the demolition of at least five properties (1109-1121 Elmwood).

During the hour-and-a-half meeting, the Common Council approved the hotel proposal. The entire voting process for the proposal took less than two minutes, and the public was not allowed to speak. The Council voted unanimously in support of the proposal; however, the city's Planning Board must also approve the proposal. The Board will meet on Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 8:00 a.m. on the 9th floor of City Hall, room 902.

The approval allows for the rezoning of all five properties, including 605 Forest, to a "special development plan," or a C-2 zone.

"There is a 'special development plan' in front of the council, which changes only one thing about the zoning. It allows one permitted use — for just a hotel. The rest of the zoning remains as it is under the current Elmwood Business District zoning. 605 and 607 Forest are not required for the project. They are not part of the footprint for the project. Let me answer this question again. This is on the record, in council: 605 needs to be rezoned in order to facilitate the project because of the sideyard requirement. Anything in C-2 is excluded besides the hotel. So we've taken the C-2 and included the hotel as a permitted use, and excluded everything else, and everything else remains the same," Eva Hassett, Vice President of Savarino Consrtruction, said to Wikinews during a public meeting on March 16, 2006. However, during the same meeting, Pano Georgiadis, owner of 605 Forest and owner of Pano's Restaurant on Elmwood, threatened to "sue" Savarino Construction saying, "If you try to get a variance to change the code, I will sue you. This is my home, number one."

Savarino Construction hopes to break ground this Summer.

Residents and business owners will still fight
Despite the Council's approval, organizers have scheduled another protest that will be held this Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. on Forest and Elmwood.

Some citizens are even considering legal action and are considering an "injunction in State Supreme Court," going "pro se, meaning I am going to present the case myself," said Clarence Carnahan, a concerned citizen and local business owner who is opposed to the hotel, to Wikinews.

Carnahan wrote a "notice of cease and desist" which was also presented to the Council at today's meeting.

Patty Morris, co-owner of Don Apparel with Nancy Pollina, said, "We are going to fight the good fight to the bitter end, but we cannot afford it [legal action]. Now it's a legal matter, and it's in the hands of the law, and I know there are some people very interested in hiring a lawyer."

Nancy Pollina says that she is "looking into a defense fund" and is currently talking to lawyers.