Top Stories
Karl Rove, senior political advisor to President Bush will resign President Bush's senior political advisor, Karl Rove, will resign his White House post effective by the end of the month. Russian polar submarine TV footage faked Video footage shown by a Russian state-controlled TV channel of Russian submarines planting a flag on the sea bed at the North pole were faked, and included shots from the film Titanic, according to a Finnish newspaper.

Featured story
Wikinews interviews: Tony Benn on U.K. politics Wikinews interviewed former U.K. secretary of state for Energy and Industry, Tony Benn, on the current political situation in the U.K. .

Wikipedia Current Events
British authorities investigate two new suspected cases of foot and mouth disease, one in Kent and one in Surrey outside the exclusion zone. Two Belgians kidnapped in Iran have been released. A woman dies and two people are seriously ill from E. coli in the Paisley area of Scotland. The Morrisons supermarket chain withdraws cold sliced meats from two of its stores in Paisley. At least 175 people die in bombings in areas near the town of Kahtaniya in northern Iraq as suicide bombers drive fuel tankers into residential compounds of the Yazidi sect. Gunmen kidnap Abdel Jabar al-Wagaa, the deputy Oil Minister of Iraq. Five American servicemen die in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash near the Al Taqaddum air base in Iraq. A suicide bomber attacks the Thiraa Dijla bridge in Taji, Iraq, killing at least 10 people. Meanwhile, a U.S. raid kills four people in Baghdad. A bridge under construction completely collapses in Fenghuang County, Hunan Province, China, killing at least 29 people. 22 injured. Some 46 workers are reported to be still missing, About 123 workers were at the site at that time. A fire breaks out at the Shanghai World Financial Center in China. Bingu wa Mutharika, the President of Malawi, threatens to "close down" the National Assembly of Malawi unless it starts discussing the budget. Nokia offers to replace 46 million Matsushita batteries that may be subject to overheating. In Nigeria, gunmen kidnap the mother of a member of the Bayelsa State parliament. The 11-year-old son of another MP is freed.

Mathematics summer school in Turkey threatened by authorities
The closure of a mathematics summer camp in Şirince, İzmir, Turkey by Turkish authorities has drawn scorn from scientists around the world.

Professor Alexandre Borovik, who organized some of the opposition, said “We are shocked to learn that the Summer School of Mathematics initiated by Professor Ali Nesin was shut down by local authorities. We found it surprising that such an esteemed mathematician such as Professor Nesin needs a specific permit each time he wants to teach math, as we saw that one of the reasons for shutting the camp down was the lack of such a permit, especially considering how this contradicts the fact that the summer schools organized every year by Professor Nesin are sponsored by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), Turkish Mathematics Association and many respected Turkish universities.”

The school was reopened on 10 August 2007; however, Ali Nesin still faces charges under Turkish criminal code article TCK 263, which reads "Persons who open or run illegal educational institutions can be jailed from 3 months to 1 year."

Ali Nesin is the son of the famous Turkish humorist Aziz Nesin.

Mattel issues second toy recall in as many weeks
It is the second recall in as many weeks from toy maker Matell Inc.. Today U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission acting chariman Nancy Nord announced the recall due to small magnets that can be dislodged and toxic lead paint. It was estimated that the recall impacted nearly 9.5 million toys in the United States, and 11 million toys in other countries.

The recalled toys were originally manufactured in China, and Chinese manufacturers are being blamed for the problem. The recall affects toys made between May 2003 and November 2006.

Mattel Chief Executive Officer Bob Eckert expressed concern when talking to CNN about the newest recall. Eckert said, "I'm disappointed, I'm upset, but I can ensure your viewers that we are doing everything we can about the situation...Every production batch of toys is being tested, and we'll continue to enforce the highest quality standards in the industry."

Specifically, 1 million Doggie Daycare sets; 680,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets; 345,000 Batman and One Piece magnetic action figures; and 253,000 "Sarge" die-cast miniature toy vehicles are being recalled.

There have been three reports of serious injuries to children affected by the recalled toys. The injured children swallowed multiple dislodged magnets.

The first recall came on August 2, 2007 and was prompted by similar concerns. The inital recall covered 1.5 million toys produced by Fisher Price's preschool division.

An estimated 80% of the world's toys and other goods are manufactured in China.

2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships Day 3: "Bad weather" and "New Record Day of Belarus"
On the 3rd day of the 2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships, the Men 1500m Freestyle, Women 800m Freestyle, 50m Breaststroke, 200m Freestyle, 4x100m Medley Relay Groups finales took place during the afternoon and evening.

Belarus deaf swimmer Natalia Deeva not only broke old "women 50m breaststroke record" established by her teammate Aksana Petrushenka on June 19, 2006 with 35.28 seconds at 50m Breaststroke heat session within 34.97 seconds, but also broke her record again at final session within 34.91 seconds.

Besides of individual record, Natalia Deeva and Aksana Petrushenka also participated Women 4x100m Medley Relay Group Final, not only won the 1st place, but also broke former record established by Russian National Team on January 10, 2005 with 4 minute and 39.63 seconds at that group final within 4 minute and 38 seconds. With the three-times new world records written, that's exactly a "New Record Day" for Belarus.

Even though heats and finales were still in process, but due to a torrential rain in Taiwan, the Award Ceremony of 3rd Matchday has been postponed to next matchday.

National Express awarded contract to operate services on major UK rail route
NXEC Trains Ltd, a subsidiary of National Express Group, has been awarded the contract to run the InterCity East Coast franchise and operate intercity rail services on the East Coast Main Line, a high-speed route connecting London with the north-east of England and Scotland. The company, which is to brand the service as National Express East Coast, will take over the franchise from the current operator Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) from December 9, 2007.

GNER's contract was initially due to run until 2015 but was terminated early by the Department for Transport after its parent company, Sea Containers Ltd, found itself in financial difficulties which meant it was unable to pay the £1.3 billion it had promised in its bid to run the service.

A number of other bids were made for the franchise. These were from Arriva, FirstGroup, and a partnership of Stagecoach, Virgin, and GNER.

Richard Bowker, chief executive of National Express Group, said, "We are absolutely delighted that we have won the UK’s premier intercity railway. We have won with a bid which is ambitious, deliverable and structured to generate shareholder value."

Hurricane Flossie threatens Big Island of Hawaii with winds, rain
Hurricane Flossie, a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is expected to pass close enough to the Big Island of Hawaii on Tuesday to cause damaging winds, torrential rain, and high surf.

As of 8:00 p.m. HST Monday (0600 Tuesday UTC), the U.S. National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning, hurricane watch, and flash flood watch for the island of Hawaii. The center of Hurricane Flossie was located near 16.2N, 152.5W, about 295 miles southeast of Hilo and 500 miles southeast of Honolulu, moving west-northwest at 15 mph. Maximum sustained winds were near 120 mph (200 km/h) with higher gusts, and the minimum central pressure was measured at 957 mb (28.26 inches).

Residents of the Big Island can expect to encounter tropical storm force winds of 40-50 mph (64-80 km/h) mid-morning Hawaii time on Tuesday. Surf along the southeast shore of Hawaii island is expected to rise from 6-8 feet Monday to 15-20 feet Tuesday local time.

At this time, no warnings have been issued for the other islands in the chain as Flossie is expected to pass the Big Island to the south; however, the National Weather Service notes that any shift of the forecast track to the north may result in hurricane force winds and the possibility of watches and warnings for other islands.

Russian train derails after bomb blast, terrorism suspected
The Neva Express passenger train heading to St. Petersburg from Moscow derails at 21:43 MSK (17:43 GMT) on August 13, 2007 after a bomb explosion near the railway station Malaya Vishera. At least 60 people have been injured, some taken to hospital, no one reported to be killed.

The bomb made a shell-hole about 1.5 metres in diameter, officials say. 800 meters of railway track and its overhead contact system have been damaged. The bomb, determined by officials to be a homemade explosive device, was planted under the bridge.

A criminal investigation has been established by Russian officials. It has been linked to an insurgency in the south of the country around Chechnya and is, according to the Federal Security Service, part of a pattern of violent attacks connected to the the insurgency.

The railway traffic was blocked in both directions. Services between St. Petersburg and Moscow were redirected via Volkhov.

Wikipedia Current Events
12 members of the Indian nationalist party Shiv Sena attack the Mumbai offices of Outlook magazine. Mattel recalls over 18 million toys made in China that may potentially be harmful to children. A pistol is recovered from the hand bag of a flight attendant of Pakistan International Airlines. Former Islamist guerrilla leader Mustapha Kartali is wounded by a car bomb in Larba, Algeria. Four Palestinians are killed by Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians claim two of them were civilians. Pakistan celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom. Abdullah Gül, currently the Foreign Minister of Turkey, confirms that he will stand again for election as the President of Turkey. The Supreme Court of Thailand approves the issuing of arrest warrants for the former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife on corruption charges. The President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits Afghanistan on the first leg of a Central Asian tour before visiting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Bishkek. Russian prosecutors launch a terrorism investigation after an improvised bomb derailed an overnight express train near the village of Malaya Vishera in the Novgorod region. Alan Ferguson, Liberal Party Senator for South Australia, is elected as the President of the Australian Senate. A Taiwanese court clears Ma Ying-jeou, the Kuomintang Party candidate for President of Taiwan, of charges of corruption dating from when he was the mayor of Taipei. Hundreds of people die in North Korea after days of torrential rain. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation of Central Asian countries comprising the People's Republic of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meets in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek to discuss security issues. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shuffles his cabinet. Among the changes, embattled defence minister Gordon O'Connor and heritage minister Bev Oda are moved to National Revenue and International Cooperation and replaced by Peter Mackay and Josée Verner, respectively.

Today in History
778 – A Frankish army led by Roland was defeated in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, a tale retold in the Old French epic poem The Song of Roland.

1534 – Ignatius of Loyola and six others at Montmartre near Paris took the vows that led to the establishment of the Society of Jesus.

1914 – The Panama Canal opened to traffic, providing a short-cut from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

1945 – The surrender of Japan during World War II: The Gyokuon-hōsō was broadcast in Japan, announcing the unconditional surrender of the Japanese army and naval forces.

1947 – The British Raj was partitioned into two sovereign states: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan.

August 15 is Victory over Japan Day (1945); Independence Day in North Korea & South Korea (1945), India (1947), and Congo (1960); Flooding of the Nile in Egypt.

Quote of the Day

The aggressive and quite illogical idea of a single religion for all mankind, a religion universal by the very force of its narrowness, one set of dogmas, one cult, one system of ceremonies, one ecclesiastical ordinance, one array of prohibitions and injunctions which all minds must accept on peril of persecution by men and spiritual rejection or eternal punishment by God, that grotesque creation of human unreason which has been the parent of so much intolerance, cruelty and obscurantism and aggressive fanaticism, has never been able to take firm hold of the Indian mentality. ~ Sri Aurobindo

Word of the Day

synopsis; n

A brief summary of the major points of a written work, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work.

(Orthodoxy) A prayer book for use by the laity of the church.

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

Wednesday, August 15, 2007	Wikinews	Page 4

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

August 15, 2007	The free-content news source that you can write!	Page 4

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

Wikinews Back Page

2007-08-14T20:18:00