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30 dead in Rwanda earthquakes Church of Scientology: '"Anonymous' will be stopped" Claiming that "actions are being taken", a Church of Scientology representative has responded exclusively to Wikinews regarding the recent attacks on their web sites from the nebulous "Anonymous" group.

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Fall '08 styles at New York Fashion Week: the miniskirt is back again The world's largest fashion show debuts with a heart disease charity collection, followed by major labels unveiling short couture miniskirt designs, all with a distinct retro feel.
Wikipedia Current Events
Serbian presidential election, 2008: Boris Tadić is reelected President of Serbia. Israeli forces open fire on Lebanon in the Wazzani River area resulting in one death and one injury. War in Chad (2005–present): Battles rage in Adré near the Sudanese border. At least 23 people die in an earthquake in western Rwanda. Sri Lankan Civil War: At least eight people die and up to 100 are hurt in a suicide attack in the main railway station in Colombo. Raila Odinga, the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement calls for the African Union to quell the violence that has followed the Kenyan presidential election, 2007. Egyptian troops close the last breach in Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip. Super Bowl XLII: The New York Giants play the New England Patriots in Glendale, Arizona.

Tadić re-elected President of Serbia
Incumbent Boris Tadić has narrowly defeated nationalist candidate Tomislav Nikolić in the second and final round of Serbia's presidential election.

Tadić received 50.5% of the vote and Nikolić garnered about 47.9% according to CeSID, a vote monitoring organization. The voter turnout was projected to be 67.7%, the country's highest turnout since the 2000 election.

The second round of the election was a runoff that occurred nearly two weeks after the first round on January 21. None of the candidated secured a high enough vote total to be declared President. Nikolić won the first round with about 40% of the vote, while Tadić came in second with 35%.

"Serbia has shown its great democratic potential," Tadić said in a victory speech.

At his party headquaters, Nikolić conceded defeat in the race. "Tadic won, my congratulations," Nikolić said, adding, "We will be a strong opposition both to the authorities and the president."

Tadić is the leader of the Democratic Party. He holds pro-Western attitudes and supports Serbian membership into the European Union.

Nikolić, leader of the nationalist Serbian Radical Party, supported closer ties with Russia, Serbia's historical ally.

Both candidates were opposed to independence for Kosovo, although the province is expected to declare independence within the month.

Egypt seals border with Gaza after 11 days
Egypt has closed the border with the Gaza Strip, ending 11 days of unrestricted movement for Palestinians.

Egyptian security forces used barbed wire and metal barricades to seal the last remaining gaps in the barricade along the border.

Egyptians who were in Gaza are being allowed to return home, and Palestinians on the Egyptian side of the border are still able to go back to Gaza. But no new crossings are being permitted.

Hamas-affiliated militants on the Gaza side of the border have been turning people back and telling them it is closed. There were reports of scuffles with Gazans who still wanted to cross into Egypt, but most reports said the situation remained fairly calm.

A senior Hamas leader in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, said Saturday there had been an agreement between Egypt and Hamas to control the border, and suggested that the closure might be temporary. Egyptian officials have not commented on the existence of any deal with Hamas, but have repeatedly vowed to regain full control of the situation at the border.

Local resident Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmed owns a small grocery shop in Rafah. He spoke to VOA by telephone from the nearby town of Sheikh Zuwayad.

He said the situation is tight and controlled now. The government has closed the entire border in Rafah and all the roads. Every 100 meters there is a checkpoint.

A Palestinian who crossed into Egypt to visit relatives, Essam Ibrahim Issa, spoke to VOA by phone from another small community near Rafah.

He said all the roads are blocked and Egyptian security forces are making Palestinians return to Gaza. He said, They put them in trucks and take them back to Rafah.

Issa said Hamas has indicated that the border will re-open in about a week, and he is hoping for a new agreement that will let him cross into Egypt legally.

He said he would be heading home to Gaza later in the day, but once the border crossing is officially reopened, he wants to return to Egypt legally, allowing him freedom of movement.

The border closure ends 11 days of unrestricted movement across the Egypt-Gaza border. Gunmen in Gaza blew open sections of the border barricade on January 23, days after Israel began imposing a near-total blockade on the territory. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians crossed into Egypt to buy food and other supplies that had become scarce or expensive in Gaza.

Egyptian security forces set up a cordon around the border town of Rafah, trying to keep Palestinians from moving further into Egypt. Egypt says at least 17 Palestinians have been arrested in Sinai carrying weapons and explosives since the crisis began.

The international community and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority have objected to any border deal involving Hamas, which violently seized control of Gaza in June.

Egypt, however, views the open border as a serious security risk and has pressed Fatah to accept some kind of deal with Hamas in order to see that it remains under control.
Sentences handed down over Paraguay's worst fire
A court in Paraguay has completed it's trial over the worst fire disaster the country has ever seen. The Ycuá Bolaños supermarket fire in Asuncion left 374 dead, 450 others injured and nine missing, presumed dead.

Store owner Juan Pio Paiva, 64, received 12 years imprisonment whilst his son Daniel Paiva, 40, was given 10 years. A security guard, Daniel Areco, was given a five-year sentence while three business associates of the Paivas were cleared of any criminal activity.

2,000 people were in the store when fire broke out on August 1, 2004, including many families with young children. Fire doors were shut to prevent looting, worsening the situation.

The investigation found that flames broke out in a badly built chimney because of inadequately maintained equipment. A lack of fire escapes, fire detection system and fire suppression system all contributed to the disaster. Most of the deaths were caused by asphyxiation due to the smoke. The nine missing bodies are believed to have been completely destroyed by the extreme temperature.

Paiva senior was convicted on the basis that as the owner and chief administrator of the business, including the building, he was responsible for overall safety. His son was responsible for the food court area, the site where the blaze started. The security guard was convicted for blocking the exits, although he was acting on senior orders. The three other businessmen were acquitted as they were not involved in the administration of the store.

The Paivas were both convicted of manslaughter and exposing people to danger within the workplace. Areco was found guilty of negligence.

The three judge tribunal was headed by German Torres. It replaced an earlier trial in 2006, when the court announced that it was 2-1 in favour of more lenient sentences, but got no further as friends and relatives stormed the courtroom and rioted in the streets outside. The court had been going to hand out five-year sentences to the Paivas.

A peaceful protest was also held at yesterday's verdict, with demonstrators shouting "Assassins! Assassins!" and "This kind of justice is injustice!" Ten women who lost relatives fainted in the heat and were hospitalised. The protestors were pressing for those involved to receive the maximum possible sentence of 25 years. One, Lys Torres, vowed to use the appeals courts to press for tougher sentences. "Its an outrage. They're responsible for the death of 400 people and they've been given ridiculous sentences," said Lys, who is a spokeswoman for the relatives and survivors group. "This shows that in this country, people with money can kill with impunity," Bersabe Meza, who lost her husband in the fire, said.

Chief prosecuter Edgar Sanchez, who had also requested maximum sentences, said "My conscience is clear. I've done my job."Meanwhile, relatives laid out a white plastic chair in the streets for each of those killed, adorned with signs bearing such notices as "If there is no justice, the people will rise up."

The ruined store remains standing, graffitied and adorned in tribute to those killed.

At least 30 killed by earthquakes in Rwanda and Congo
At least 30 people have been killed by twin earthquakes in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Deputy Rwandan Police Chief Mary Gahonzire spoke to Reuters in Kigali, saying of a magnitude 5.0 to 6.0 quake that struck there "The death toll (in Rwanda) has now increased to 25 from the earthquake. Two hundred have serious injuries," while Bernard Watunakanza, acting governor of South Kivu's Bukavu region, said "Up to now, there are five dead and 149 seriously injured." This makes the total current death toll 30 and injury count 350.

Radio Rwanda reports that ten of the Rwandan fatalities occurred together when a church collapsed onto them, killing them instantly. AFP reports the Rwandan ambulance service cannot cope with the casualties and public buses have been drafted in to help.

The quake could also be felt in nearby Burundi, but there are no reports of damage or injuries there.

Drug-resistant flu rising, says WHO
Some flu viruses in the United States and Canada have shown increased levels of resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu (Oseltamivir), the World Health Organization said on Friday. Similar trends have been reported earlier in Europe.

Tamiflu is currently the recommended treatment for humans infected with bird flu, and governments worldwide have been stockpiling the drug in case of a flu pandemic.

The drug resistance appears to be limited to the H1N1 variant which causes seasonal flu, while H3N2 or influenza B strains and the H5N1 strain that causes bird flu did not show increased resistance.

“The frequency of oseltamivir resistance in H1N1 viruses in the current influenza season is unexpected and the reason why a higher percentage of these viruses are resistant is currently unknown.”

—World Health Organization

While previous studies showed resistance levels below 1%, samples tested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now showed around 5% resistance, and in a Canadian survey of 81 samples, 8 showed resistance. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control found 19 cases of resistance among 148 samples from last November. Among 16 samples from Norway, 12 showed resistance. In a wider study of 437 H1N1 isolates from 19 countries, the European agency found 59 resistant samples from 9 countries.

Interestingly, resistance has not increased in Japan or Hong Kong. In Japan, Tamiflu is widely prescribed for seasonal flu. The W.H.O. is now contacting national authorities to get more data on flu resistance.

These viruses have acquired a mutation that makes them resistant, and the W.H.O. statement said that a resistant strain has probably emerged spontaneously. The statement added that these mutations would most likely render Tamiflu ineffective for the prevention or treatment of flu caused by resistant H1N1 viruses.

The WHO also explained that this phenomenon doesn't influence the effectiveness of flu immunizations. Resistant strains have shown no evidence of causing more severe disease or being more easily transmissible.

Fall '08 styles at New York Fashion Week: the miniskirt is back again
The first two days of New York Fashion Week have debuted fashions similar to past years. Since Friday's opening of what is the world's largest fashion show, many designers have unveiled their newest designs. These include turtleneck sweaters and miniskirts. However, the ubiquitous fashion staple seen on the runway has been incorporated in designs that are even shorter than in past years.

Major labels Nicole Miller, Lacoste, BCBG, and Baby Phat debuted their styles in the first two days of the week-long extravaganza, nominally the official unveiling of the Fall 2008 styles and leading up to similar fashion shows in Los Angeles, London, Paris and Milan. If the first two days of Fashion Week are any indication, another year of miniskirts are in vogue, partnered with tights, which were widely expected to go out of fashion for 2008.

Day one kicked off with a Red Dress Campaign fashion show, aimed at educating people on the dangers of heart disease. Among the celebrities to walk in red gowns for the Red Dress fashion show were Rita Moreno and Liza Minnelli.

Talk of a budding recession in the United States has sparked fears in the couture world, in which a lackluster fashion season can make or break many designers, both up-and-comers and established names. New York designer Nanette Lepore has led the charge to save money by only debuting two different collections a year.

New York's Fashion Week runs until Friday. Designers yet to unveil their fall lines include Oscar de la Renta, Anna Sui, Bill Blass, Michael Kors, Vera Wang, and Diane von Furstenberg.

Today in History
1703 – Forty-six of the Forty-Seven Ronin committed seppuku (ritual suicide) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, as recompense for avenging the death of their master, Daimyo of Akō Asano Naganori.

1859 – German scholar Constantin von Tischendorf rediscovered the Codex Sinaiticus, a 4th century uncial manuscript of the Greek Bible, in Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in Egypt.

1899 – An American soldier shot a Filipino soldier in Manila after a misunderstanding occurred between the two, igniting the Philippine-American War.

1945 – World War II: Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met at the Yalta Conference in Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula.

1957 – USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, logged her 60,000th nautical mile, matching the endurance of the fictional Nautilus described in Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

February 04 is Independence Day in Sri Lanka (1948); Lichun begins in East Asia (11:00 UTC, 2008).

Quote of the Day

Mistakes are part of the game. It's how well you recover from them, that's the mark of a great player. ~ Alice Cooper

Word of the Day

frog in one's throat n

(idiomatic) Hoarseness or the need to cough.

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