Top Stories
Wuerl appointed Washington, D.C.'s new bishop The Holy See has appointed a new spiritual leader for the Washington D.C.'s branch of the Catholic Church, coming from 18 years of service to Pittsburgh. Saddam Hussein's trial resumes, ex-Iraqi President formally charged Saddam Hussein's trial resumed today and the former Iraqi President was officially charged with murder, the torturing of women and children, farmland razing and illegally arresting 399 people in the 1980's. Hussein's half brother Barzan Ibrahim was also read the same charges.

Featured story
U.S. restores full diplomatic relations with Libya The U.S. has announced full diplomatic relations will be restored with Libya and the country removed from the list of nations the U.S. considers to be state sponsors of terrorism following a 45-day open comment period.

Wikipedia Current Events
Chadian Information Minister Hourmadji Moussa Doumgor accuses the Government of Sudan of facilitating a new alliance between the Mahamat Nour's UFDC and the defected troops of Mahamat Nouri against the Déby administration. Neither group has confirmed or denied the merger. Italian centre-left leader Romano Prodi is given the mandate to form a new government by President Giorgio Napolitano. Prodi is supposed to present his list of ministers on May 17. At least 23 people have been killed in a shooting and bombing attack in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police say.

Settlement returns billions to California schools funding
The state’s teachers and schools chief Jack O’Connell have settled their lawsuit against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and, as a result, billions of dollars in school funding O’Connell and the teachers claimed the governor misappropriated during the state’s fiscal crisis will be returned to the schools.

The restoration of funding to Califoria school districts is very positive news,” New Haven schools Superintendent Pat Jaurequi told the James Logan Courier.

"This is a day for celebration in schools throughout California. When this lawsuit was filed, I promised that I would fight up and down the state until the funding owed to our schools was restored," O’Connell, the state superintendent of Public Instruction, said in a statement last week. "I also promised I would give the Governor credit for doing the right thing if he restored this critical funding. Today, I want to thank Governor Schwarzenegger for working with the education community to invest wisely in our schools — the best investment we can make in California’s future.”

“This is a good thing for our schools and community colleges throughout California,” said Barbara E. Kerr, president of the California Teachers Association, one of the parties to the lawsuit. “Having all the money owed to our schools under Proposition 98 and the governor’s agreement of 2004 restored to our students is the news we’ve been waiting for.

In a statement regarding the settlement, Schwarzenegger said, "I am pleased to announce a resolution that will put the dispute regarding Proposition 98 funding behind us and allow us to invest an additional $3 billion in schools in a way that best helps our students.”

Proposition 98 is an amendment to the state Constitution, passed in 1988 , that established a minimum funding level or guarantee for K-12 education and community colleges. O’Connell and the California Teachers Association sued Schwarzenegger and the director fo the California Department of Finance last summer after when they diverted billions of dollars earmarked for the schools under Prop. 98 to overcome budget deficits that were crippling California, violating an agreement made with educators the previous year.

The agreement restores funding Proposition 98 funding that was due, but not provided in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 fiscal years. The Governor’s May Budget Revision will include $2 billion and language that provides an additional $3 billion to be paid in installments between fiscal year 2006-07 and fiscal year 2013-14, or until paid in full.

In addition to the settlement funds, Schwarzenegger’s “May Budget Revision,” announced last week, also directs billions more of the state’s money to schools. Schwarzenegger said bulging state coffers, filled by unexpected tax revenues, allowed him to budget an extra 8.1 billion for schools, for a total of $55.1 billion-an over 17% overall funding increase from 2004-2005.

The settlement and the new budget figures “will allow us to make good on the debts to schools created through the recent lean years and to make important new investments in public education,” said O’Connell.

Schwarzenegger had some ideas about how the money should be spent. "For K-12 schools, I propose that we concentrate these funds to improve instruction in schools with low academic achievement. We should direct the funds to the classroom level for such things as lowering class size, attracting and supporting quality school leadership and fully credentialed and experienced teachers, supporting greater involvement of parents, providing more counselors in high schools, and increasing quality professional development, instructional materials, improved instruction and accountability.” he said.

Although pleased by the outcome of the lawsuit, Jaurequi was cautious about predicting its effect in New Haven “ It is significant to note that two-thirds of the new funding is one-time in nature and is not an ongoing revenue stream,” she said.

"Although the budget process is far from over and we will likely differ on some of his budget priorities, I am happy to thank Governor Schwarzenegger for working with the education community to invest in public education,” said O’Connell, who’s been embroiled in controversy and litigation over the California High School Exit Exam in recent weeks.

"I am particularly pleased to see that the Governor has increased funding to expand remediation programs for students who are struggling to pass the California High School Exit Exam, and to pay for new summer and evening administrations of the Exam,” said O’Connell, who wrote the law requiring the exam when he was a state legislator in 1998, “ I also applaud the increase in funding to expand and improve student nutrition programs giving more students the opportunity to make healthier food choices on campus. In addition, I am very happy to see additional funding for high school counselors. Our state currently has the lowest ratio of counselors to students in the nation. This is a statistic we need to improve upon "

New Zealand Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet employee named as Telecom mole
Michael Ryan, a messenger at the office of the prime minister, has been identified as the mole who leaked confidential papers to Telecom.

The leaked papers were detailing the plan for the government to unbundle the local loop. It was to be released on Thursday with the 2006 budget, but since Telecom, a publicly traded company, found out they decided to release it early.

Michael Ryan, May 2, was told to shred a document, but instead of doing that he took it and gave it to Telecom's Group Financial Controller Peter Garty, a close friend. He gave it to Peter Garty because he thought he would find it interesting. Michael Ryan told Peter Garty to not make a copy of it. Peter Garty made a copy.

Telecom lost about $2 billion because of this leak.

The States Service Commission has passed the case onto the police.

The mole has lost his job. His actions were described as disgraceful.

Wuerl appointed Washington, D.C.'s new bishop
Pope Benedict XVI today named Donald W. Wuerl, Bishop of Pittsburgh, to be the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C., succeeding Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who had held the position for the last five years. McCarrick presented his resignation upon turning 75 to the Pope, as is custom for all Bishops.

Prior to his new appointment, Bishop Wuerl had oversaw the over 800,000 Catholics in the Pittsburgh community for the last 18 years. A native of Pittsburgh, the Bishop was educated in Rome and spent time serving in the Diocese of Seattle.

The new position is significant because of its location. The prelate of the Diocese of Washington is often the most influential because of its frequent contacts with the White House, Congress and the rest of the government. Wuerl said he was prepared to accept his new role as one of the foremost spiritual leaders of the American arm of the Church.

The Diocese of Pittsburgh consists of Allegheny, Washington, Butler, Beaver, Greene and Lawrence counties in the state of Pennsylvania.

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, made the announcement of Bishop Wuerl’s appointment this morning, and a press conference was held in Washington at 10 a.m. EDT. A following press conference will be held at 6 p.m. EDT with Wuerl in St. Paul Seminary, Pittsburgh. The Archbishop of Washington is traditionally a Cardinal, so there is the possibility that Wuerl will soon be elevated to Cardinal status.

7.4 magnitude hits Pacific near New Zealand
Yesterday, at 10:39 p.m. UTC, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked the Pacific Ocean about 180 miles southwest of Raoul Island, a member of the Kermadec Islands in New Zealand. Witnesses disagreed on the length of the earthquake, which was felt as far south as Christchurch, New Zealand, although they agreed the quake lasted from 30 seconds to a minute. Ever since the volcano eruption on Raoul Island on March 18, the islands have been experiencing about 30 earthquakes a day. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center predicted that the earthquake might create a small tsunami with a radius of about 60 miles. There have been no reported injuries or deaths.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali leaves Dutch Parliament
Dutch Member of Parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali has announced she will leave parliament, after Minister of Immigration and Integration Rita Verdonk announced that Hirsi Ali never obtained Dutch citizenship.

In a press conference an emotional Ayaan Hirsi Ali announced that she will leave parliament and she has announced that she will become fellow at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute in September after reaching a deal with US authorities about her security. Originally she wouldn't have moved to the USA until next year may.

The direct reason for Hirsi Ali's departure, is that Minister for Immigration and Integration and fellow party-member, Rita Verdonk has announced that Hirsi Ali never obtained Dutch citizenship, because she lied in her application for refugee status in the Netherlands. She claimed to be a refugee directly from war-torn Somalia and to have only narrowly escaped the threat of forced marriage. In fact, she had held a refugee status in Kenya at the time. She also lied about her name and date of birth.

These facts, which were already publicly known, were reported last Thursday (11 May 2006) by the Dutch television program "Zembla". She had already informed the public about these facts as early as September 2002 in an interview in the political magazine HP/De Tijd.

Media speculations arose that she could lose her Dutch Citizenship because of this 'identity fraud', rendering her ineligible for Parliament. In a first reaction Minister Rita Verdonk said she would not look into the matter, but after Member of Parliament Hilbrand Nawijn insisted, she declared that she would investigate Hirsi Ali's naturalisation process. This investigation took three days. The findings were that Hirsi Ali never received Dutch citizenship after all, because she lied about her name and date of birth. She stated that she was Ayaan Hirsi Ali, born in 1967, but she's actually Ayaan Hirsi Magan, born in 1969. Therefore the Dutch government's position is that Hirsi Ali never received Dutch citizenship.

On May 16, Hirsi Ali resigned from Parliament after admitting lying on her asylum application. Hirsi Ali has announced that she will move to the United States in September 2006. There she will work on finishing her book Shortcut to Enlightenment and working for the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute. In a reaction, former VVD-leader Hans Wiegel stated that her departure "would not be a loss to the VVD and not be a loss to the Tweede Kamer". Wiegel said that Hirsi Ali was a brave woman, but that her standpoints were polarizing. Former parliamentary leader of the VVD, Jozias van Aartsen, was more positive about Hirsi Ali, saying that it is "painful for Dutch society and politics that she is leaving the Tweede Kamer".

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been a member of parliament for the liberal Dutch People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and is known for her controversial positions on the relationship between women and islam.

U.S. restores full diplomatic relations with Libya
The U.S. has announced full diplomatic relations will be restored with Libya and the country removed from the list of nations the U.S. considers to be state sponsors of terrorism following a 45-day open comment period.

Renewal of diplomatic relations between the two states comes after extended diplomatic efforts by both parties to end the 25-year break.

"It is a result of mutual interests, agreements and understandings," said Abdurrahman Shalgham, Libyan's Foreign Minister.

"We are taking these actions in recognition of Libya's continued commitment to its renunciation of terrorism and the excellent cooperation Libya has provided to the United States and other members of the international community in response to common global threats faced by the civilized world since September 11, 2001," said Condolezza Rice, the United State's Secretatry of State.

Diplomatic ties were strained between the countries following the rise to power of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi in 1969, and U.S. economic sanctions against the country beginning in the 1970s. They were severed following the U.S. removal of diplomatic personnel from Libya in 1979 after a mob set fire to the U.S. embassy in Tripoli, and the U.S. closing the Libyan embassy and expelling Libyan diplomats in 1981.

The UN removed international economic sanctions in 1999, following Libya's acceptance of UN Security Counsel Resolutions regarding Pan Am Flight 103. In 2003 Libya announced efforts to dismantle military programs to develop weapons of mass destruction as well, which led directly to diplomatic negotiations with the U.S. and the opening of a diplomatic liaison office in Tripoli in 2004.

Department of Defense releases 9/11 video of plane hitting Pentagon
The United States Department of Defense (DOD) is releasing surveillance video of American Airlines flight 77 hitting the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The video was taken from a Pentagon Security camera.

On December 15, 2004, a legal advocacy group called Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the DOD in an attempt to have the video released through the Freedom of Information Act.

"We fought hard to obtain this video because we felt that it was very important to complete the public record with respect to the terrorist attacks of September 11," said Judicial Watch President, Tom Fitton.

"Finally, we hope that this video will put to rest the conspiracy theories involving American Airlines Flight 77. As always, our prayers remain with all those who suffered as a result of those murderous attacks," added Fitton.

According to the advocacy group, U.S. officials say they did not release the video earlier because it was part of the investigation into convicted plotter for al-Qaeda, Zacarias Moussaoui.

"Now that the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui is over, we are able to complete your request and provide the video," said chief of the Department of Defense, Office of Freedom of Information, William Kammer.

Man mistakenly interviewed live on BBC News 24
A man spoke of his embarrassment and shock after he was mistakenly rushed into the BBC News 24 studio and interviewed live on the news channel about the Apple (Beatles) vs. Apple Corp court case.

The producer called for the real guest, ICT expert Guy Kewney, but Guy Goma, waiting in a wrong reception area of BBC Television Centre, mistakenly heard and identified himself as Kewney. He was taken into the studio and as the presenter asked the first question, the bemused look on his face was clear to see. He replied he was at the BBC for a job interview. However business reporter seemed to mishear this and charged on anyway, embarrassing Congo-born Goma with a further two questions which he struggled through.

Australia won't take back spent Uranium
Australian Prime Minister John Howard told journalists in Washington that Australia had no plans to take back spent Uranium, despite the US pushing for such a system.

On Monday, Mr Howard held talks with US Energy Secretary Sam Bodman who has indicated that the US would like to see a system where countries lease nuclear fuel instead of buying it. Once the fuel had been used, it would be returned to the country where it originated.

Mr Howard accused the media of misunderstanding Australia's role in the Uranium industry. He told reporters that Australia is simply a Uranium supplier and that it does not convert Uranium into nuclear fuel. Mr Howard believes that the US plan is to create a group of Uranium processing nations that will take radioactive waste once it has been used.

"The question of waste disposal of course is an issue for those who process uranium and develop nuclear fuel, rather than the supplier of the uranium - which if Australia were to remain as a bare exporter would be the situation obtaining in relation to us" said Mr Howard.

According to Mr Howard, the purpose of the plan is to stop the proliferation of countries that have the capacity to process nuclear fuel.

Mr Howard said that Australia would continue to sell Uranium to other parts of the world, subject to its own safeguards. For a country to purchase Uranium from Australia they must enter into a nuclear safeguards agreement, prohibiting Australian Uranium from being used in weapons and must be a signatory to the UN's Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Mr Howard claims that it is still more attractive for Australia to sell Uranium rather than leasing it.

Mr Howard told reporters that he asked the US to keep him informed on the proposal but does not expect Australia to be involved in the development of the proposal.

Ex-Indian diplomat's passport revoked
The Ministry of External affairs has revoked the passport of Mr. Harish Kumar Dogra who was removed from his post as India's High Commissioner to New Zealand in April. The government has also suspended the passports of his wife and domestic help. India has informed Wellington of the developments and has said that travel documents would be issued to Dogra and his family to enable them to return home. Sources say Dogra had applied for a New Zealand visa which would have enabled him to stay in that country for another 40 days. Dogra had been posted as High Commissioner two years ago and was recalled after charges of human trafficking were made against him. The former High-Commissioner, however, refused to obey the recall order and accused Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran of impropriety, asking the latter to either prove the charges or resign.

BellSouth denies phone records were handed over to the NSA
BellSouth, said in a statement yesterday that the telecommunications company did not hand over customer call records to the National Security Agency or NSA. On May 11, 2006, USA Today reported that the NSA collected millions of call logs from telecommunications companies in 2001 under a contract the NSA claims to have had with the company.

BellSouth said that they conducted a "internal review" and that the review "confirmed no such contract exists and we have not provided bulk customer calling records to the NSA," said Jeff Battcher, spokesman for BellSouth.

"We do not believe that any final review will turn up anything different from what we have currently found. There is no link between the NSA and BellSouth that we can find in what we feel is a very exhaustive review. We wouldn't have made this bold statement if we weren't confident about this," added Battcher.

AT&T and Verizon Communications were also said to have handed over customer call logs, but Verizon said on Friday that they don't "and will not, provide any government agency unfettered access to our customer records or provide information to the government under circumstances that would allow a fishing expedition."

On Monday, Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on telecommunications asked for help from the Federal Communications Commission or FCC, to investigate whether Verizon, AT&T, and BellSouth violated privacy rights under communication laws and regulations.

Flooding ravages Northeastern United States
The New England region of the United States has received the heaviest rainfall in decades leading to flooding and massive road closures. The states affected are Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. A state of emergency has been declared in all these areas. The floods have also led to thousands of evacuations in many cities. Only a single death has been reported.

The main concern in many cities and towns is whether the dams that hold rivers from flowing in cities will hold long enough.

These floods are the worst in New England since 1936 when over 150 died.

Maine

In Maine, many roads and bridges were damaged or submerged as residents were evacuated from their homes in Lebanon because of two dams near breaking point.

Massachusetts

In Haverhill, Mass. sewage pipes broke spilling 115 million gallons of sewage into the city a day. Over 1000 people have had to evacuate their homes In Lowell because of the flooding.

New Hampshire

Over 600 roads were damaged or completely submerged by the floods in many areas of the state. The hardest hit cities have been Manchester and Newmarket who are both leading in the most amount of evacuations. The flood waters have also weakened and destroyed many dams.

UN releases 2006 list of "10 stories the world should hear more about"
News articles frequently discuss some issues but neglect others that might be more critical. Today the UN issued its third annual list to focus attention on a set of these relatively ignored stories. There is no particular order to the list, summarized here:

Rebuilding Liberia: The nation used to be more stable and productive than its neighbors, but was destroyed by civil war.

Restricting asylum: International asylum seekers recently suffer increasing difficulty as developed nations reduce economic migration.

Rebuilding DR Congo: The 60 million inhabitants are trying to recover from the world's worst war in half a century.

Children of Nepal: Children suffered during the 10-year civil war.

Double trouble in Somalia: Lack of both government and rain are hitting people from two sides.

Long-term refugees: Millions sit in camps for decades, as some conflicts remain unresolved.

After the Pakistan earthquake: Quick relief efforts saved many survivors from disease or hunger.

Imprisoned children: Children are often jailed for minor causes.

Sharing water: Cooperating to use a valuable resource can improve both economic and political security.

Inciting violence in Côte d'Ivoire: Some media in the divided nation use hate speech, which induces group violence.

India postpones test-firing of Agni-III ballistic missile
The Indian government has once again delayed the testing of the medium-range Agni-III missile. The state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation had planned to conduct trials later this month. The Agni-III, which has a range of 3000 kilometres and the ability to carry nuclear warheads, is intended to boost India's nuclear-deterrence capabilities to a great extent. The DRDO also has plans for developing an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile for the same purpose.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said that the nation had more pressing issues, such as poverty to deal with, and could not afford to divert huge funds to the test-launch programme.

The D.R.D.O, which has often been critised for its failure to meet deadlines, indicated its disappointment at the government statement. At a public function for the inauguration of the new D.R.D.O headquarters at New Delhi, Chief Controller S.C Narang pointedly said that his team was prepared to launch Agni-III within the week. Experts have stated that unless India displays its nuclear capabilities more seriously, its nuclear-deterrence capabilities will not seem credible.

Australian man caught driving with no licence twice in one day
New South Wales Police have charged a 29 year old Sydney man for driving whilst disqualified twice within three hours on Sunday. Police claim that the man had been disqualified until 2012.

Police allege that they caught the man driving a Nissan Skyline whilst disqualified. He was subsequently charged and granted bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on June 5.

Following being charged at Redfern police station, Police allege that when the man was released at 3:30 p.m. AEST he walked back to his Nissan Skyline and drove away. Police spotted him again in Newtown, pulled him over where he was taken back to Redfern police station and charged.

At Redfern police station, the man was refused bail and was kept in custody until Monday.

Honolulu police shoot gunman in standoff
Honolulu police on Saturday fatally shot a man who reportedly fired a shotgun at them on a residential street in rural Oahu.

Police received a call at about 6:30 p.m. HST that a man in a black trench coat had fired a shotgun at a parked car on Kaukama Road in Ma'ili, on the west coast of Oahu. The Specialized Services Division of the Honolulu Police Department was called to the scene.

When officers ordered him to get out of the car, the gunman fired a shotgun at the officers, then pointed two handguns at an officer, who fired at the gunman, hitting him in the head. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave, as per standard HPD procedure after a fatal shooting.

The gunman was later identified as Tracy Peters, 47, who had a long criminal history with 23 criminal convictions, including drug possession, firearms violations, and second-degree robbery.

Peters had reportedly been experiencing family problems, and had warned acquaintances that he was going to do something drastic. "The next time you see me, I'm going to be in a casket," he said.

Today in History
1792 - The New York Stock Exchange was formed.

1900 - Second Boer War: The Siege of Mafeking was lifted after 217 days.

1902 - The Antikythera mechanism, the oldest known surviving geared mechanism, was discovered in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera.

1943 - World War II: RAF Dam Busters successfully deployed bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise.

1995 - After 18 years as Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac was inaugurated as President of the French Republic.

May 17 is Constitution Day in Norway (1814), Galician Literature Day in Galicia, Spain.

Quote of the Day

"There is no formula to it because writing every song, for me, is a little journey... It's everything. It's the walk you take in the morning, it's the night before, the meeting with people, landscapes, the chats, all of that evolves in some way into melody, but I'm not sure how it's going to happen. I'm dealing with the unknown all the time and that is exciting." ~ Enya

Word of the Day

guffaw; v

Definition

To laugh boisterously.

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. To view a copy of this 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
Audio Wikinews
Audio Wikinews is a free non point-of-view news radio program recorded daily. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Audio
About Wikinews Print Edition
For more information about Wikinews Print Edition visit: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Print

Wednesday, May 17, 2006	Wikinews	Page 7

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

May 17, 2006	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

2006-05-16T22:50:41