Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Car manufacturer Toyota is to recall almost 1.7 million cars in two simultaneous recalls, that include the Toyota Avensis and Lexus IS 250, after concerns over fuel systems, which, if combined, amount to the biggest Toyota recall for six years. Japan’s transport ministry stated it was possible for slight cracks to…
John Reed on Orwell, God, self-destruction and the future of writing
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…
UK Wikinews Shorts: July 8, 2013
A compilation of brief news reports for Monday, July 8, 2013.
US swimmer Phelps suspended over ‘pot pipe’
Friday, February 6, 2009 United States swimmer Michael Phelps has been banned from competition and his training stipend revoked for three months by USA Swimming after Phelps was photographed smoking from a glass pipe, often used for smoking cannabis. The picture was published last Sunday by British tabloid News of the World. USA Swimming, which…
Historic Florida attraction, Gatorland, partly destroyed by fire
Monday, November 6, 2006 Gatorland, an Orlando, Florida tourist attraction known for its gator wrestling shows and its conservation programs for alligators, crocodiles, and other reptiles and birds, was heavily damaged by fire on Monday morning, November 6, 2006. The four-alarm fire was reported at 5:55am EST. The entrance building, which contains the administration offices…
Asbestos controversy aboard Scientology ship Freewinds
Friday, May 16, 2008 Controversy has arisen over the reported presence of blue asbestos on the MV Freewinds, a cruise ship owned by the Church of Scientology. According to the Saint Martin newspaper The Daily Herald and the shipping news journal Lloyd’s List, the Freewinds was sealed in April and local public health officials on…
ACLU, EFF challenging US ‘secret’ court orders seeking Twitter data
Thursday, April 7, 2011 Late last month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed objections to the United States Government’s ‘secret’ attempts to obtain Twitter account information relating to WikiLeaks. The ACLU and EFF cite First and Fourth amendment issues as overriding reasons to overturn government attempts to keep their…
Suicide bomber strikes Afghanistan restaurant
Sunday, November 26, 2006 A suicide bomber has killed at least seven people in an attack on a restaurant situated in south-eastern Afghanistan. Twenty people are seriously injured in the attack. The attack took place in the Urgun district of Paktika province, which shares its border with that of Pakistan. Governor Mohammed Akram Akhpelwak said…
Man charged with attempted murder in £40 million London jewel heist
Sunday, September 6, 2009 24-year-old Aman Kassaye, of no fixed abode, is to face a charge of attempted murder for his alleged role in an armed robbery that netted £40 million ($65 million) worth of jewelry from a London store. Kassaye is the seventh man to be charged, and is also facing prosecution for conspiracy…
Albuquerque Foreclosure Homes: A Pleasant Life In The Big Country
Albuquerque Foreclosure Homes: A Pleasant Life in the Big Country by Joseph B. Smith Albuquerque foreclosure homes are more than just cheap properties, they also afford buyers the chance to taste life in the big country with plush surroundings and wide open spaces. There is a palpable market for these types of homes as many…