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Hawker Hurricane crash during mock dogfight A Hurricane crashed during a Battle of Britian mock dogfight at the Shoreham Airshow Large earthquake rattles Indonesia; Seventh in two days A 6.4 to 6.9 magnitude quake has hit Indonesia, the seventh substantial quake in the last two days.

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YouTube user gets internet fame after defending Britney Spears YouTube user Chris Crocker is having his week of fame right now, after his video on YouTube, LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!, became an instant hit. The video is a top-down view of his face, as he defends Britney Spears, about how everyone is using her to make money. The video has only been on the Internet for 48 hours and has received more than 4.2 million views.
Wikipedia Current Events
A bus crash in western Mexico kills at least 18 and injures 13 with many of the passengers being from a diverted flight from Phoenix, Arizona to Guadalajara. Over 160 anti-war protesters are arrested outside the United States Capitol. A helicopter registered in the name of former World Rally Championship champion Colin McRae crashes killing four people near McRae's home in Scotland. Sierra Leone's ruling Sierra Leone People's Party seeks an injunction against the National Electoral Commission publishing further results of the Sierra Leonean general election, 2007 with results published so far showing Opposition candidate for president Ernest Bai Koroma in the lead. 2007 Atlantic hurricane season: Tropical Storm Ingrid weakens to a tropical depression. At least 10 people are killed and 15 wounded in a suicide bombing outside a Baghdad bakery as residents prepared to break their Ramadan fast. Floods in Ghana displace 260,000 people with similar problems in Mali and neighbouring countries in West Africa. The Australian Labor Party holds the seats of Williamstown and Albert Park in the Victorian Legislative Assembly as two by-elections are held. Melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean opens up the Northwest Passage between Europe, Asia and North America. Negotiations between General Motors and the United Automobile Workers continue in Detroit, Michigan past the deadline with a strike to start if negotiations fail. September 2007 Sumatra earthquakes: The death toll rises to 21 with 88 people injured. Nineteen people are killed in Sri Lanka as a result of a roadside bomb and fighting between the Sri Lankan Army and the Tamil Tigers. Zhao Yan, a Chinese journalist working for the New York Times, is released from jail in China after serving a three year sentence for "leaking state secrets".

Queues form outside struggling UK bank; calm urged
Nervous savers have re-formed queues this morning outside many branches of Northern Rock, after the £2.68 billion bank took an emergency loan from the Bank of England, the UK central bank.

Shares in the bank had dropped 25% by lunchtime yesterday in London – and stood nearly 60% lower from their high of February – after the Bank of England acted in its capacity as "lender of last resort" to provide Northern Rock with short-term financing to enable it to continue operations.

The Bank of England hasn't acted as lender of last resort since 1973, when the collapse of Cedar Holdings – a pioneer of second mortgages to UK home-owners – threatened a crisis in the country's banking industry.

Northern Rock has been hit hard since June this year by the turmoil in world credit markets. Although only 0.24% of its assets are exposed to subprime US housing debt, the bank's business model saw it grow its loan book by 43% in the first six months of this year. Rather than lending money deposited with it by savers, Northern has borrowed aggressively in the short-term capital markets.

"Northern Rock is not a reckless lender," said Angela Knight, head of the British Bankers Association on national radio this morning. Urging the bank's savers not to withdraw their money in panic, "the mortgage lending it does well and it does in a high quality, high calibre way," she added.

But savers queuing to withdraw their money from Northern Rock today said they were "horrified" by the Bank of England needing to step in.

"I am going to take out the lot, every penny," said one Northern Rock saver to Bloomberg as he queued outside the bank's West End branch in London.

Foiled HSBC robbers named
The two robbers who were shot after an attempted robbery on an armoured van in Chandler's Ford, near Southampton UK have been named as Andrew Markland, 36, and Mark Nunes, 35. They were both from Brixton, London.

Terence Wallace, 25, also from London appeared before a court today on charges of attempted robbery and possession of a firearm. Police also confirmed they had found the blue Volvo that was involved with the robbery and which is now subject to forensic investigation.

The IPCC commission will open next week as part of the investigation into the shooting of the two men who died after being shot by Metropolitan Police marksmen as part of an operation by the Flying Squad.

Explosion, fire on guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf injures five
Five civilian contractors have been injured after an explosion and fire onboard the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf at 9:25 a.m. today.

A large explosion erupted from the ship's berthing area where welding work was being conducted during a stop in Norfolk, Virginia. A fire broke out two decks below main deck, but was quickly extuiguished. The injured were taken to Norfolk General Hospital for treatment to injuries not believed to be life-threatening, according to John Kowalczyk, a spokesman for BAE Systems Ship Repair, who were conducting the work.

He added that the fire appeared to be an isolated incident. The ship has been layed up for repairs and modernising since may

Xbox 360 console sales surge in America
The latest console data from the NPD Group shows that Microsoft's Xbox 360 console outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 by a ratio of 2 to 1. Earlier in August, Microsoft reduced the price of their console to try and compete with their other main competitor, Nintendo with their Wii console. However, the Nintendo platform is still selling strong with the Wii and the DS taking the top 2 spots once again.

Sales are also expected to increase for Microsoft in the month of September due to the release of Halo 3, the final game in the Halo trilogy. Michael Patcher, an analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities, has predicted that the game will sell 3 million copies in the first 12 days of release.

The big surge in software sales lead to almost $1 billion spent in the gaming industry in America for the month of August. Even with the software surge, all consoles had fewer sales than the previous month apart from Microsoft.

Below are the full results provided by NPD:

2007 Rugby World Cup: New Zealand, Australia and Ireland win
In the 2007 Rugby World Cup, New Zealand overwhelmed tournament newcomers Portugal. The All Blacks scored more than one hundred points and sixteen tries in their 108-13 victory to hold their position at the top of Pool C.

A dominant first half display from Australia saw them defeat Wales in Cardiff. A strong finish by Wales was not enough to prevent the Wallabies, who lead Pool B, winning 32-20 and picking up a bonus point.

Ireland came from behind to defeat a strong Georgian team 14-10 in Pool D. Georgia led early in the second half and were threatening to score late in the match but Ireland's defence held to secure the four point victory.

New Zealand, one of the tournament favourites, defeated Portugal by 95 points.

Joe Rokocoko scored two tries to open the scoring for New Zealand. Isaia Toeava, Ali Williams, Aaron Mauger, Jerry Collins, Chris Masoe and Andrew Hore each added tries as New Zealand ended the half with a 52-3 lead.

Gonçalo Malheiro kicked a drop goal in the 22nd minute to give Portugal, making their first appearance in the world cup, their only points of the half.

Rui Cordeiro scored Portugal's only try of the match shortly after the restart, which was converted by Duarte Cardoso Pinto. However tries from Brendon Leonard, Nick Evans, Andrew Ellis, Leon MacDonald, Carl Hayman and two from Conrad Smith completed New Zealand's victory.

Duarte Cardoso Pinto added a penalty for Portugal in the 75th minute. Nicky Evans scored 33 points in total for New Zealand, converting 14 tries and scoring one of his own.

New Zealand are top of Pool C with ten points, ahead of Scotland with 5 and Italy with 4. Portugal are bottom, behind Romania, with four points.

Australia took the lead immediately after a second minute penalty from Stirling Mortlock, but Wales equalised five minutes later through Stephen Jones. Australia dominated the first half, and led 25-3 at half time after tries from Matt Giteau, Stirling Mortlock and Chris Latham and a drop goal from Berrick Barnes.

Wales improved in the second half. Jonathan Thomas scored a try and James Hook added the conversion and a penalty to cut the deficit to twelve points. However Chris Latham scored his second try of the match, and Australia's fourth, to restore their hold of the game and secure a bonus point. Shane Williams scored a try for Wales in the 76th minute after a strong finish, but it came too late and Australia won by twelve points.

Australia lead Pool B with ten points. Wales are second with five points, ahead of Fiji on points difference, while Japan have one point and Canada are bottom of the group with no points.

Ireland struggled to defeat a strong Georgian side. Rory Best scored the only try of the first half in the 17th minute, which Ronan O'Gara converted. Merab Kvirikashvili scored a penalty late in the first half for Georgia, taking the score to just 7-3 at half time.

Georgia took a shock lead early in the second half, when Georgi Shkinin scored a try in the 45th minute. Merab Kvirikashvili converted, and Georgia led 10-7. Girvan Dempsey regained the lead for Ireland and another Ronan O'Gara conversion made the score 14-10. Georgia kept up the pressure on Ireland in the late stages of the game, twice reaching Ireland's try line, but they could not get through and Ireland managed to scrape through with a four point lead.

Ireland are second in Pool D with eight points, behind Argentina on nine. France are third with one point from their single match, while Georgia have one point from two defeats.

Israel, Hamas preparing for 'incursion'
Hamas, the current controlling government of Gaza is claiming that the Israel Defense Forces are preparing for an incursion into Gaza, and they are preparing for any such attempt, performing military exercises and drills to "surprise" Israeli forces with "ferocious fighting." Hamas says that Israel is planning to attack after several rockets were fired into the southern portion of Israel from Hamas controlled portions of the strip.

"Your brothers, the sons of Hamas ... have the weapons that they claimed as booty from the war of cleansing (of w:Fatah) and will now fight the state of Israel with them," said Nizar Rayyan a senior Hamas government official in a statement who also added that they would kidnap any Israeli soldiers attempting an attack on the government or the city.

Drills and exercises including training their forces in handling and firing rocket launchers and automatic rifles. They also train in "taking cover" and wear camouflage outfits. An abandoned building was also blown up in a controlled explosion.

Israeli officials don't deny that any military action is not part of possible plans to stop the rocket fire into the country, but also say that there are several other plans to try and stop rocket attacks.

"I think there are a series of actions other than military actions," said Tzipi Livni, the Foreign Minister of Israel.

Some plans include stopping supplies such as water and fuel from going into Gaza, and shutting off the gas and electricity to homes and businesses in the attempt to stop attacks.

2007 Twenty20 World Championship: South Africa vs Bangladesh
South Africa have beaten Bangladesh by seven wickets in Group A of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa.

Bangladesh started their innings quickly, and had reached fifty runs by the start of the fourth over. However they had also lost three wickets, as Nazimuddin fell lbw to Makhaya Ntini's first delivery. Both Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Ashraful, who scored ten runs off three balls, were caught by Graeme Smith. Aftab Ahmed was bowled by Morne Morkel after hitting 36 runs off 14 balls. Shakib Al Hasan only made 19 before being run out, and Bangladesh were restricted to 144 all out by some effective South African fielding.

South Africa comfortably reached the target with seven balls remaining, and had made 65 runs before Abdur Razzak trapped Jean-Paul Duminy lbw for 36. Graeme Smith was caught behind on 41, and Albie Morkel had also made 41 runs when he was caught at long-off.

Aircraft crashes during mock dogfight at Shoreham Airshow, United Kingdom
An aircraft dating back to the Second World War has crashed at Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex, United Kingdom whilst participating in a mock dogfight, killing the pilot. The plane was with the Royal Air Forces Association and had been performing in a Battle of Britain display.

Witness Tim Deakin described the chain of events to BBC News 24: "The main point of the show was a Second World War dogfight between some Messerschmitts and some Spitfires. Midway through the dogfight one of the planes, I'm not sure which one, literally, turned quite steeply, went into almost a straight dive and ploughed into a hill probably about a mile from the airfield. There's still quite a bit of confusion about which aircraft it was."

Witness Holly Russell had some more details: "They were doing a mock dog fight and it looked like the plane was doing a dive, but it was going too fast and smashed straight into the ground. It was nose down... There was a mushroom cloud of black smoke."

Authorities could not confirm any injuries or fatalities, but two Spitfires flew the missing man formation shortly after the crash. The plane went down into a field near the A27, about a mile from the airfield. Emergency services and a police helicopter attended the scene. The plane was a Hurricane, one of three performing alongside the two Spitfires and five Messerschmitts.

The show is thought to have been attended by about 20,000 people, and was delayed by about 30 minutes after the crash. However, eventually a tannoy announcement stated that the pilot "would have wanted them to carry on", and the show continued. The crash occured on the first day of the three days the annual airshow is scheduled to take.

Officials have requested for anyone filming the airshow at the time to come forward in the hope that the footage will assist in investigating the cause of the crash.

2007 Twenty20 World Championship: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka have beaten New Zealand by seven wickets in Group C of the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Both teams advance to the Super 8s after victories against Kenya earlier in the tournament.

New Zealand lost both openers in quick succession as Dilhara Fernando took 2-31 to dismiss Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum. Peter Fulton and Ross Taylor shared a partnership of 70 runs, but Fulton was caught by Lasith Malinga for 25 runs and Scott Styris fell lbw to Sanath Jayasuriya soon afterwards to leave New Zealand on 97-4. Taylor scored 62 runs before being caught behind, and Jacob Oram scored 33 not out to take New Zealand to 164-7 at the end of the 20 overs.

Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya shared an 82 run opening partnership before Tharanga was caught for 37. Jayasuriya went on to score 61 runs, adding 50 runs with Mahela Jayawardene, before he was caught by Fulton to give Daniel Vettori his second wicket. Jayawardene finished on 35 not out, and Sri Lanka passed the target with seven balls remaining.

Car bomb kills 15 in Pakistani anti-terror unit
15 elite commandos in the Pakistan anti-terror unit have been killed in a suicide car bomb attack.

The car rammed into the brigade headquarters of the Special Operations Task Force, part of the Pakistan military Special Services Group, set up in conjunction with the United States. It is believed to be the work of Islamic terrorists. The bomb destroyed the mess hall, killing at least 15 and injuring 50 more, six critically. It is thought the dead may include members of the CIA.

The wounded were taken to a local military hospital for treatment, while security forces secured the scene of the blast.

The attack coincided with US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte visiting the country. The Special Operations Task Force was heavily involved in last month's storming of the Red Mosque in Islamabad, and is accused by Islamic extremists with links to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban of brutal conduct in the incident. The unit has also attacked terrorists near the border on which Osama bin Laden is thought to be hiding.

"This signals the transformation of the Islamic militants trying to bring down [Pakistani President Pervez] Musharraf from rag-tag fighters to highly skilled insurgents able to attack at will," a diplomatic observer said last night. "It is an extremely worrying development from the point of view of Musharraf and those who support him." Observers have expressed concern at the fact that the bomber was able to successfully attack such a high-profile and heavily guarded target as the headquarters, especially considering the building's close proximity to the Tarbela Dam generator, considered an important strategic asset.

“This is a high-security zone,” one official said. “Obviously, this was someone who was known and familiar to the soldiers there, and it could be one of the civilians working at the base.”

Earlier this month, an attack aimed at the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence killed 25 people.

Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Green candidate Mark Grenier, Welland
Mark Grenier is running for the Green Party of Ontario in the Ontario provincial election, in the Welland riding. Wikinews' Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Minor alterations not affecting the content have been made to this interview; the original text is available by clicking on the tab marked "Collaboration" for.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

Why have you chosen to involve yourself in the political process? Why did you choose to run in this constituency?

Sitting on the sidelines doesn't work for me and I live in the Riding.

What prior political experience do you have? What skills and insight can you bring to office, from other non-political positions you may have held?

I ran in 1993 Federally and in 1996 Provincially in BC and sat on the boards of some non profit societies as well. Simply promise less and deliver more... that works in business and in life...

Which of your competitors do you expect to pose the biggest challenge to your candidacy? Why? What makes you the most desirable of all candidates running in the riding?

Unseating an incumbent is always a monumental task.

Why? Pete is well known and has held the seat since 1988.

Desirable?... lol... a fresh outlook, new blood as it were... and the most progressive and comprehensive policy platform of all the parties on all aspects of governance, the environment, taxation, education and healthcare delivery, public transport and law reform.

What do you feel are the three most important issues to voters in your riding? Are these the same top three issues that are most important to you? What would you do to address these issues?

The most important issue is the Referendum on Election Reform... with that real progress can be made in all aspects as the process becomes more transparent and democratic. Bad process like we have now invariably leads to bad results... just look back at the last 17 years in this province!

As always citizens are concerned about education & health care... and rightly so as these have taken a beating under the current autocratic regimes of the last 12 years.

Yes they are [the same top three issues]... without proper electoral process we can't possibly hope to repair the erosion of services in education and health. Perhaps taking a look back at the way education was a priority in Ontario from the 1950s to the 1980s... almost 40% of the provincial budget in the 1960s! Now barely 20%... hmmm... do you sense something afoot here?

What should be the first order of business in the 39th Legislative Assembly?

Electoral reform to get rid of the "first past the post" system.

Are the property taxes in your riding at a fair level for the amount of services received in the municipality?

As you are aware it's the municipalities who set the rates... so much is dependent on what infrastructure projects are on the table, projected costs of snow removal, street repair, recreation investment, garbage removal and disposal, a myriad of everyday services we sometimes take for granted that I can't really do justice with a yes/no answer. And also bear in mind that municipalities can't run deficits so investments are made with forethought on most occasions.

How can the province lead the way in stimulating job creation?

This one is too simple....investments in quality public education coupled with timely and broader based health care delivery has been shown to attract real investment in new business...if you build it they will come...best example is Ireland...Universal education and health care and one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Gee I wonder why it's at full employment? Wake up Queen's Park...no need to reinvent the wheel here...

Of the decisions made by Ontario's 38th Legislative Assembly, which was the most beneficial to your this electoral district? To the province as a whole? Which was least beneficial, or even harmful, to your this riding? To the province as a whole?

This one I am going to leave alone for the time being, as periferal issues change with circumstances and reiterate that bad process leads to bad results... improve the process, starting with voting "yes" in the referendum!

What are your views on the mixed member proportional representation (MMP) referendum?

100% in favour of a system that reflects the voted wishes of the citizens of Ontario... Please, please vote yes on Oct 10th on the issue.

What role, if any, does "new media" play in your campaign, and the campaign of your party? (websites, blogs, Facebook, YouTube videos, etc) Do you view it as beneficial, or a challenge?

The internet is for sure the most level playing field for information dissemination... anyone anywhere has access to every POV including their own! Wonderful medium!

Of the decisions made by Ontario's 38th Legislative Assembly, which was the most beneficial to your this electoral district? To the province as a whole? Which was least beneficial, or even harmful, to your this riding? To the province as a whole?

This one I am going to leave alone for the time being, as peripheral issues change with circumstances and reiterate that bad process leads to bad results... improve the process, starting with voting "yes" in the referendum!

Finland scrambles fighter jet to respond to Russian aircraft
On Friday morning, Finland scrambled an F-18 Hornet fighter jet to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlifter, which had violated Finnish airspace.

The aircraft ventured about 4.5 kilometers (3 miles) into Finland's airspace near Porvoo over a period of three minutes, according to Finland's defense ministry. Finland's Frontier Guard has initiated an investigation.

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen has stated that Finland would like an explanation from Russia regarding the reasons for its actions, but he has not made an official protest against Russia.

"These kinds of (violations) must not happen, that's our clear message here," Vanhanen said. "And when they do happen, then they need to be sorted out between the countries in question. That has to be done this time too." Vanhanen also stated that he felt it was important the incident was thoroughly investigated because of safety implications incurred if aircraft stray from their designated flight paths.

Defense Minister Jyri Hakamies confirmed that there would be a diplomatic meeting as a result between Finnish and Russian officials in order to discuss ways of preventing similar violations in the future.

Russia apologised to Finland last year following a large number of similar incidents over the space of two years, but only after Finland had protested. Russia also promised to review their charts.

According to officials, such violations as this latest one were still to be expected, due to a combination of international airspace being limited to a narrow strip off the South coast of Finland, and a high level of Russian air force activity over the Gulf of Finland. Russia regularly uses the area to fly missions, mostly with strategic airlifters, between Kaliningrad, capital of Kaliningrad Oblast and located between Poland and Lithuania, and St Petersberg in Russia.

Similar incidents have been recorded in other Baltic states, particuarly in Finland's Southern neighbour, Estonia. The most serious such incident involved the October 2005 crash of a Russian jet fighter in Lithuania.

Today in History
1400 – Owain Glyndŵr was proclaimed Prince of Wales and instigated a revolt against the rule of Henry IV of England.

1810 – Miguel Hidalgo, the parish priest in Dolores, Guanajuato, delivered the Grito de Dolores to his congregation, instigating the Mexican War of Independence against Spain.

1963 – The Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak merged to form Malaysia.

1982 – A Lebanese militia under the direct command of Elie Hobeika carried out a massacre in the Palestinian refugee camp of Sabra and Shatila, killing at least 700 civilians.

1992 – The British pound was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on Black Wednesday, and suffered a major devaluation.

September 16 is Dieciséis de septiembre in Mexico (1810), Independence Day in Papua New Guinea (1975).

Quote of the Day

Truth lies within a little and certain compass, but error is immense.

~ Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke

Word of the Day

serendipity; n

A fortunate occurrence created by unanticipated luck.

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