Top Stories
Bush and Putin suggest potential for World War III Thai police arrest Canadian paedophile suspect A Canadian man was arrested in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Friday and is facing child sexual abuse charges.

Featured story
Mass suspensions and relief of duties after US B-52 flew with armed nuclear missiles According to Pentagon officials, nearly 70 United States Air Force personnel and high ranking officials have been relieved from command and or duty after an incident on August 30 when a U.S. B-52H bomber plane flew from Minot Air Force Base located in North Dakota to Louisiana with six armed AGM-129 ACM nuclear missiles.

Wikipedia Current Events
Hundreds of thousands of left wing Italians march in Rome putting increased pressure on the Prime Minister of Italy Romano Prodi. Thousands flee a fresh outbreak of fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. South Africa wins the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Karachi police release a photograph of the suicide bomber who killed at least 130 people in the 2007 Karachi bombings. J.K. Rowling has revealed that Dumbledore of the Harry Potter books is homosexual. Myanmar's State Peace and Development Council lifts the curfew it imposed in Yangon and Mandalay on September 26. French trains resume service after a two-day strike against President Nicolas Sarkozy's proposed welfare reform. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani criticizes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for his support of a possible Turkish attack against Kurdistan Workers Party fighters in the Iraqi Kurdistan. Mikhail Gorbachev founds a new political party in Russia, called Union of Social-Democrats. Saeed Jalili replaces Ali Larijani as Iran's nuclear negotiator. At least seven people die in a bomb blast in the town of Dera Bugti in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

South African reggae star Lucky Dube shot dead in attempted carjacking
An attempted carjacking Thursday evening in Johannesburg has left famous South African reggae star Lucky Dube dead. He was dropping his children off in the suburb of Rosettenville when he was attacked.

Police said that three gunshots were fired through the car window, injuring Dube. His children were out of the car at the time. An injured Dube then attempted to drive his car away from the area, but hit a tree soon after. He died at the scene. The police suspect that three people were responsible for the attack.

There has been an outrage in South Africa and around the world over the killing. Many radio stations were flooded with calls from tearful fans condemning the attack.

Lucky Dube was one of the most prominent reggae artists of all times - often remembered alongside Bob Marley for his songs on social issues. He began his career singing in Zulu and released his first album in 1982. He later moved to reggae and released is album 'Rastas Never Die'. This album was banned by the apartheid government. His other albums include Slave, Prisoner and Together As One and Respect - his most recent album which he released in April of this year.

Saudi Arabia plans to open embassy in Finland
It has been announced that Saudi Arabia is planning to open an official embassy in Finland, to signify continuing improvement in relations between the two countries.

Teemu Tanner, director general of Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, said to reporters concerning Finnish President Tarja Halonen’s first visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, “One indication of this visit is that you (Saudi Arabia) are planning to open an embassy here in Helsinki," adding that “We regard this as extremely important for relations,” and that it is only a matter of time before the facility is made availible.

Another act set to strengthen diplomatic relations is the planned visit of a trade delegation headed by Saudi Minister of Trade and Commerce Hashim Yamani, which will arrive in Finland next month.

“Our relationship is no longer in relation to trade,” said Tanner. “More broadly, we will discuss regional and global issues. It is extremely important for us to know Saudi Arabia’s views on Iraq, Iran, but also issues such as Somalia... One objective of the visit is to convey notes on international questions, as we enter a very interesting phase in the Middle East peace process,” adding that the presidential visit is a relational "landmark" that will "crystallize" Finland’s image to Saudi Arabia.

Despite the comment that the international cooperation is no longer entirely a trade issue, he did point out Saudi Arabia's important role in the Finnish economy as one of the 5 largest importers of Finnish products. Finland's main exports to Saudi Arabia are mobile phones, paper, wood and machinery, while Saudi Arabia exports large quantities of raw materials for use in manufacturing plastics. The total volume if this trade is estimated to be worth over €840 million.

Other topics on the table for the two nations to discuss during Halonen's visit include energy, the role of science, environmental issues and combating terrorism, as well as other global issues. Tanner has also suggested tourism may be a future area of attention, with a possibility of package holidays for Finnish tourists being organized to Saudi Arabia.

Finland and Saudi Arabia have been officially involved in diplomatic relations since 1969. Finland has maintained an embassy in Saudi Arabia since 1974.

South Africa defeat England 15 - 6 to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup
South Africa have beaten England 15-6 in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France.

Percy Montgomery kicked South Africa into the lead with a penalty after seven minutes. Soon afterwards Jonny Wilkinson kicked a penalty to equalise for England but Montgomery restored South Africa's lead just three minutes later. A push from England led to a drop goal opportunity for Jonny Wilkinson, but the kick was wide. Francois Steyn missed a chance to extend the lead with a penalty at long range, but South Africa went into half time leading 9-3 when Montgomery added his third penalty just before the interval.

Soon after the restart Mark Cueto crossed South Africa's try line out wide, but the television replays showed that he had just gone into touch. Jonny Wilkinson scored a penalty to reduce the deficit to three points, but Steyn and Montgomery each scored a penalty to win the match for South Africa.

Both teams had met in the pool stages, where South Africa won comprehensively. However England regained their form to reach the final with victories over Australia and France. South Africa had little trouble reaching the final, with comfortable victories over Fiji and Argentina. South Africa claim their second World Cup victory since 1995, while England lose the title they won in 2003.

2007 Major League Soccer: Toronto FC vs. New England Revolution
Toronto FC ended their inaugural season with a 2-2 draw against New England Revolution.

The game was more evenly match as opposed from the 1st 2 games when New England Revolution won the 1st game 4-0 on April 14 and won the 2nd game 3-0. Michael Parkhurst opened the scoring with a goal from his own half just before halftime. Taylor Twellman doubled the Revolution lead immediately after the break off a corner kick. Toronto FC got a goal back about an hour into the game with Danny Dichio's goal in stoppage time in the 2nd half to secured a point for Toronto FC.

Toronto FC's season is finished as New England Revolution will face New York Red Bulls in the 1st Round of the playoffs.

Thai police arrest Canadian paedophile suspect
A Canadian man was arrested in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Friday and is facing charges of sexual abuse of a child under 15 and illegal detention. He is also suspected of posting about 200 online images of child abuse on the Internet.

According to the BBC, Thai authorities are ordering Neal to stay in custody for 12 days for questioning before the official trial starts.

Thirty-two-year old Christopher Paul Neil, from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted.

Neal was working in South Korea as an English teacher. He has been working in Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia, and Thailand since 2000. Neal was recorded on a security camera at Bangkok airport on October 11.

Thai courts have ruled that he will be charged in Thailand. For now it is up to the Canadian and Thailand authorities to discuss.

"But if something took place here, we would want to have the person held accountable here, but that is very premature and it may even be speculative at this stage," said Wally Oppal, attorney general of British Columbia (B.C.). Neal could be charged in Canada because of a law which allows paedophiles to be charged in Canada even if they didn't do the crimes in Canada.

The RCMP are investigating to see if Neal has committed any crimes in B.C., which could mean charges will also be laid in Canada.

Interpol, just last week, issued a public search for Neal. A 15-year-old, who was one of Neal's victims, alerted authorities of the man. On Thursday Thai courts issued an arrest warrant. Authorities had been able to unscramble the face of a man in the 200 online photos, which had been digitally scrambled. The unscrambled images were used to identify the suspect.

Man throws red paint in Roman Trevi fountain to protest film festival
To protest the 15 million euro budget of the RomeFilmFest, a man yesterday threw a bucket of red paint into the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome, before fleeing the scene. The water in the fountain turned complete red for a while, before technicians were able to cut off the water supply, let the dye wash out, and then replace it with fresh water.

Pamphlets by a previously unknown group called ATM Azionefuturista 2007 were found near the fountain, protesting the budget the festival was awarded. The red fountain was ment as a reference to the red carpet of the festival, which opened last Thursday, October 18. "You wanted just a red carpet - we want a city entirely in vermilion. We who are vulnerable, old, ill, students, workers, we come with vermilion to colour your greyness," the leaflet read.

There is no permanent discoloration of the Baroque fountain or the marble statues depicting the Roman Sea God Neptune on a chariot. Francesco Rutelli, Minister of Culture and Tourism in Italy, called the action "an unacceptable and irresponsible act of vandalism" and said that new anti-vandalism laws were needed.

On April 22, 2007, a 40-year-old woman from Milan swam naked in the fountain, getting her picture into international newspapers. Tourists throw roughly 3000 euro into the Trevi fountain each day, for good luck. The coins are removed at night and have been used to sponsor a supermarket for Rome's needy citizens.

Mass suspensions and relief of duties after US B-52 flew with armed nuclear missiles
According to Pentagon officials, nearly 70 United States Air Force personnel and high ranking officials have been relieved from command and or duty after an incident on August 30 when a U.S. B-52H bomber plane flew from Minot Air Force Base located in North Dakota to Louisiana with six armed AGM-129 ACM nuclear missiles attached to its wings.

The missiles were to be taken to Barksdale Air Force Base to be taken out of commission, but were not supposed to be transported on the plane. Instead, the missiles were placed on the planes wings, along with six "dummy missiles," before it took off from Minot AFB. The air force says that this was a "serious error" on the part of the military, and is launching a formal and ongoing investigation.

So far, the investigation states that the missiles loaded onto the plane were supposed to be inspected by looking through a portal on each missile, where a code would determine whether or not the missile was armed or a dummy. The inspector who loaded the missiles onto the plane only looked under the wing where the armed missiles were located and the plane's navigator also failed to perform a proper inspection.

The numbers on an out-dated piece of paper were also not checked prior to the missiles being loaded on the plane despite the fact that the air force already had a system which is supposed to track the missiles.

"[The incident is an] erosion of adherence to weapons-handing standards. In the countless times our dedicated airmen have transferred weapons in our nation's arsenal, nothing like this has ever occurred. This was an unacceptable error that resulted in an unprecedented string of procedural failures," said Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Richard Newton who also said that the plane's crew did not know that the missiles were on board the plane.

U.S. air force officials state that there was no threat of a nuclear explosion had the plane crashed, but that a radiation leak was possible.

Officials said that they want to make sure they "hold ourselves accountable to the American people and want to ensure proper corrective action has been taken."

At least four colonels and at least one lieutenant were suspended from duty. At least 66 other personnel were also relieved including Colonel Bruce Emig, the commander of the B-52 5th Bomb Wing team and two other members. Officials say that criminal charges have not yet been filed against anyone involved in the incident, but did not rule them out.

2007/08 Bundesliga: Nürnberg vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
Nürnberg beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 to come out of the relegation zone.

A goal from Naohiro Takahara gave Eintracht Frankfurt the lead after only 12 minutes. Angelos Charisteas equalised in the 20th minute after a freekick from Kristiansen hit the post and rebounded out for him which hit the back of the net. After this, Nürnberg dominated the game scoring 4 2nd half goals.

Nürnberg next game is away at Wolfsburg while Eintracht Frankfurt are at home against Hannover.

Six found murdered in Vancouver, Canada apartment building
At least six people are confirmed murdered inside a high rise apartment located in Surrey just outside of Vancouver British Columbia in Canada, in what is being called a "graphic mass-murder". The bodies were discovered on October 19 at approximately 4:30 p.m. (PT).

Residents living near the house called authorities when they reported the smell of what they believed to be natural gas, coming from inside the house and that there were possibly several people inside. The fire department and police arrived in full force and told nearby residents to evacuate, shutting down the roads and stopping train service surrounding the property. When police later entered the home, they discovered the six individuals. The murder is still under investigation, along with the reports of a gas-like smell.

"We're looking at perhaps a very dramatic homicide scene with as many as six dead. Initially, it was [a report of] a gas leak. A very large area was cordoned off for fear of an explosion. As to how this [call] comes in as a gas leak, that's going to come out in the investigation", said Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman, Sgt. Roger Morrow.

The identity, race and sex of the individuals are not known. Police also have not yet determined if the mass murder was a result of a murder-suicide. Police have not stated the form of murder and there are no reports of any suspects being in custody.

"It's hard to say whether its gang-related, some sort of attack on a group of individuals, or whether it's a murder-suicide. Certainly it's a concern to us and we understand it's a concern in the community", said Integrated Homicide Investigation Team member, Cpl. Dale Carr.

2007/08 Bundesliga: Bochum vs. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Bochum 2-1 to extend their lead to 6 points.

A sell-out crowd saw a the home side take an early lead in the 11th minute. Bayern Munich had blew a string of chances until Franck Ribery's equaliser 9 minutes before the half-time.

Bayern Munich found chances hard to come by against the defensive formation by the home season in the 2nd half, but Bayern Munich were rewarded with 12 minutes left when substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger converted the eventual winner.

Top 100 Canadian albums named
The new "coffee table book" The Top 100 Canadian Albums has been released. Bob Mersereau, a reporter for CBC New Brunswick, wrote the book filled with albums from year's including 1967, the 1980's, and modern day.

The book is selling for CAN$35 and is 200 pages. It also contains in-depth interviews, photographs, facts, and descriptions on all the albums that were included in the list.

Harvest by legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young claimed number one. While Blue by Joni Mitchell came in second.

"There really isn't a good reference for Canadian albums. You look at the Rolling Stone book, and there's Neil, Joni, Leonard (Cohen), the Band and Alanis, and that's it. And there's so many more that only we get, as Canadians. Outside of Canada, Gordon Lightfoot gets trashed as this MOR singer, and they don’t get why we’d want to hear someone sing about pussy willows, cattails, soft winds and roses," Mersereau commented.

Mersereau will write about his book tour on his publisher Goose Lane Editions' blog. He says he would be "shocked if there wasn't complaints and arguments and debates."

"It's all subjective, but that's part of the fun. Everybody has a complaint about the list, and there's this ongoing debate, but the fact is they're talking about it and thinking about it and going, 'Gee, I wish . . .'"

About 600 people from all over Canada who are interested in music, are music journalists, work in the music business, or are musicians themselfs and more voted for the one's they thought were the best.

"The important part is to talk about Canadian music and enjoy it."

Bush and Putin suggest potential for World War III
United States President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been in a war of words this week, with Bush suggesting that the Iranian nuclear program could be the lynchpin for launching World War III.

"So I’ve told people that, if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon" and "we got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. My intent is to continue to rally the world, to send a focused signal to the Iranian government that we will continue to work to isolate you in the hopes that at some point somebody else shows up and says it’s not worth the isolation," said Bush during a press conference.

The Tehran Times responded to Bush reporting that "either Bush has gone totally mad and now makes statements without consulting his advisors, or the neo-conservatives are dreaming of a new world order and no longer feel compelled to hide their goal and U.S. officials should put a muzzle on Bush to prevent him from giving people the impression that the United States is the main threat to world peace."

Putin in a telephone question and answer session advises that Russia is developing a "big, grandiose" plan to boost the country's defenses with new types of nuclear weapons to defeat the U.S. anti-missile system based in Europe.

"Our plans are not simply considerable, but huge. At the same time they are absolutely realistic. I have no doubts we will accomplish them. I can assure you that such steps are being prepared and we will take them," stated Putin.

Analysts said Mr Putin's latest remarks were designed to reassure his public that Russia still had an effective nuclear deterrent. But they were also a message to Washington: that its new and costly missile shield was effectively useless against the latest Russian technology.

Putin even suggested that the U.S. might be after Siberia’s resources and the U.S. has considered invading Russia. One thing Putin was certain of is that there are quite a few politicians in the United States who engage in what he described as "political erotica," something that "may or may not give pleasure to people, but is unlikely to generate any results," Putin added.

Half of life could go extinct by century's end, warn eminent biologists
In a "fireside chat" at Yale University on Wednesday, prominent naturalists Edward O. Wilson and Peter H. Raven predicted dire consequences for the planet's biodiversity and habitability unless current trends in consumption and environmental degradation are reversed. The two scientists were awarded the Addison Emery Verrill Medal by the Peabody Museum of Natural History for their contributions to natural science before a capacity crowd at Yale's Sprague Hall. Both are known for their environmental activism as well as extensive research and popular writing.

Wilson, known for his contributions to island biogeography as well as the controversial field of sociobiology, said that humans—like all earth species—are adapted to this world. But most people have the dangerous attitude that this world is "a waystation for a better world", warned Wilson. Humans could cause the extinction of half of all species by the end of the next century, he stated.

The event was billed as a debate between the two scientists, but they found little to disagree about. (Raven quipped that he did not care for Wilson's tie, the extent of their disagreement for the evening.) Raven pointed to unsustainably high levels of consumption, especially in the United States, that will lead to ecological disaster if left unchecked. Levels of consumption have to be cut drastically, he argued. But Wilson claimed that it would be possible to maintain and even improve quality of life even while significantly reducing the population's ecological footprint. Current models, he said, predict that human population will peak at around 9 billion, and that "if we use what we have" intelligently, the world could be a sustainable paradise by the 22nd century.

Raven and Wilson both argued for the compatibility of religious and environmentalist viewpoints. According to the second chapter of Genesis, said Raven, man was put on the earth in order to preserve it. Wilson said that we need to "form an alliance" to save life on earth—an alliance including both religious and non-religious people—and that one can be a "conservative right-wing Christian" and an environmentalist. His recent work, including the Encyclopedia of Life, has focused on creating such an alliance.

The most important thing, Raven said, is to expose children to nature. Invoking the argument of Rachel Carson's 1965 A Sense of Wonder, Raven said that children between the ages of 4 and 10 are extremely impressionable, and that teaching them to appreciate the natural world will be the most effective way to ensure environmental consciousness in the next generation. But although Raven was a naturalist from a young age, he said that he "didn't give a thought to conservation" while in graduate school in the 1950s. Carson's 1962 book on the dangers of pesticides, Silent Spring, was Raven's introduction to dangers of environmental degradation. Wilson also emphasized Carson's legacy for the environmental movement; he proudly noted that Carson biographer Linda Lear had recently called him the "only surviving person who actually helped Rachel Carson" put together Silent Spring.

Raven and Wilson were only the 16th and 17th, respectively, to receive the Verrill Medal, which is the highest honor awarded by the Peabody Museum. Before a sympathetic crowd, Wilson tactfully avoided any mention of his own institution, Yale's rival Harvard University.

US stock markets tumble on 'Black Monday' anniversary
Some say history tends to repeat itself. Today marked a day in history, when 20 years ago, the United States Dow Jones Industrial Average market crashed, on what is known as 'Black Monday'. The crash sent the market tumbling down 508 points, losing nearly 24%. On Friday, the Dow Jones nearly broke that record when the market closed at -366.94 points, down almost three percent.

Several factors could be to blame for the loss, one being Turkey's government approving a measure on October 18 to send Turkish troops into Iraq in an attempt to take out militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). This sent oil prices skyrocketing to the highest prices in history, with the highest record being just over US$89.00, which was set on October 18.

Fears that the housing market in the U.S. has come to a standstill has also lead Caterpillar Inc., which manufactures and sells construction equipment to issue a warning that the standstill would cause profits to drop, and the American economy to be severely hurt. On Friday their stocks lost nearly six percent to close at $73.57.

Investors and experts of the markets are disturbed by the losses calling the situation ugly.

"It's pretty ugly. A company like Caterpillar should be a poster child for global growth and benefits of the weak dollar. It makes you question: Is global growth really that strong? Has the earnings kick from the weak dollar played itself out?" said Bell Curve Trading chief strategy expert, Bill Strazzullo.

Others believe that the losses were a way of emotionally responding to the events of 'Black Monday.'

"Some of the earnings reports were a little disappointing but not that bad. I think we're responding emotionally to the 20th anniversary of the October 1987 stock market crash. I'd like to laugh except it hurts," said T Rowe Price Head trader, Andy Brooks.

The NASDAQ also took heavy losses to close down 74.15 points or -2.64%, closing at 2,725.16. The S&P 500 was also hit hard, losing 39.45 points, or -2.56%, closing at 1,500.63.

2007 Rugby World Cup: France 10 - 34 Argentina
Argentina defeated tournament hosts France 34-10 to finish third in the 2007 Rugby World Cup at the Parc des Princes, Paris.

France made the first breakthrough after eighteen minutes when Jean-Baptiste Elissalde scored a penalty to give them a 3-0 lead. However soon afterwards Felipe Contepomi equalised with a penalty, which was followed by tries from Contepomi and Omar Hasan Jalil as Argentina took a 17-3 lead at half time.

Argentina extended their lead thirteen minutes into the second half when Federico Martin Aramburu scored a try, and Ignacio Corleto added another in the 65th minute. Clément Poitrenaud scored a consolation try for France, but Felipe Contepomi scored his second try of the match to complete Argentina's victory.

Both teams had met previously in the opening match of the tournament, where Argentina completed a shock 17-12 victory over France. Argentina continued their strong performance at the World Cup with victories against Ireland and Scotland to reach the semi-finals, where they were defeated 37-13 by South Africa.

Defending champions England face 1995 champions South Africa in Saturday's final at the Stade de France.

Today in History
1600 – Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the leaders of rival Japanese clans at the Battle of Sekigahara in what is now Sekigahara, Gifu, clearing the path for him to form the Tokugawa shogunate.

1805 – Napoleonic Wars: The British Royal Navy led by Lord Nelson defeated Pierre-Charles Villeneuve and his combined French and Spanish navy at the Battle of Trafalgar off the coast of Spain's Cape Trafalgar.

1854 – Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses were sent to the Crimean War.

1858 – French composer Jacques Offenbach's operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, featuring the can-can, was first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens in Paris.

1969 – Siad Barre became President after a military coup in Somalia.

October 21 is Overseas Chinese Day in Taiwan.

Quote of the Day

All thoughts, all passions, all delights,

Whatever stirs this mortal frame,

All are but ministers of Love,

And feed his sacred flame.

~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~

Word of the Day

consequently; adv

As a result or consequence of something.

About Wikinews
We are a group of volunteer journalists whose mission is to create a diverse community where citizens from around the globe (including you) can collaborate to report the news on a wide variety of current events. By making our content perpetually available for free redistribution and use, we hope to contribute to a global digital commons. Got news and no computer? Call the Wikinews Hotline +1-866-653-4265 (toll-free in the U.S.) +1-202-742-5918 (outside the U.S.) +44-871-218-6397 (U.K. / Europe)
License
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Articles published in this Print edition were created by Wikinewsies. Other content released under the GNU Free Documentation License. To view a copy of the CC-BY license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, California, 94105, USA To view a copy of the GFDL, visit: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html Wikipedia Current Events http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events Today in History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Quote of the Day http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page Word of the Day http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Page
About Wikinews Print Edition
For more information about Wikinews Print Edition visit: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Print

Sunday, October 21, 2007	Wikinews	Page 7

If you would like to write, publish or edit articles, visit www.wikinews.org

October 21, 2007	The free-content news source that you can write!	Page 7

If you would like to write, publish or edit articles, visit en.wikinews.org

Wikinews Back Page

2007-10-20T22:57:29