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Deadly shooting at high school in Finland Canadian defence minister escapes rocket attack in Afghanistan Peter MacKay was left unharmed after a rocket attack on Forward Operating Base Wilson, 20 kilometres west of Kandahar, Afghanistan.

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Satanism: An interview with Church of Satan High Priest Peter Gilmore Wikinews sat down with the High Priest of the Church of Satan, Peter Gilmore, who has led Anton LaVey's congregation of Satanists since his passing.

Wikipedia Current Events
President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged friendship between France and the United States and a renewed alliance on the war in Afghanistan and against Iran's nuclear program in a speech to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. STS-120 lands in Florida, ending a 15-day mission to the International Space Station. Fire in Gwalior, India ruins over 400 small stores. Loss estimated at 10 million rupees. Talibans capture the town of Madyan in the Swat region of Waziristan Province and hoist their flags over buildings. Georgian riot police use tear gas and water cannons to break up thousands of anti-government protestors calling for the resignation of Mikhail Saakashvili, the president, in Tbilisi. Georgia's president Mikhail Saakashvili announces a state of emergency in the capital of Tbilisi. At least eight people were killed and several injured in a school shooting in Tuusula (Tusby) north of Helsinki, Finland. The U.S. dollar stumbles to new lows after Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, calls for China to shift more of its $1.43 trillion of currency reserves into "stronger currencies," such as the euro.

2007 Baseball World Cup Day 1: Taichung starts prior to Taipei
Even though the Opening Ceremony of 2007 Baseball World Cup (2007 BWC) held yesterday, but due to a torrential rain, "Panama vs Spain" in Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium became the opening match of 2007 BWC today. The original opening-to-be match "Chinese Taipei vs Italy" was postponed to Tianmu Baseball Stadium next week.

"Currently, we got into a stuck with constructing a dome due to some protests by non-governmental people, but we'll try to overcome some difficulties to promote great scale sports games into international market." Chin-chi Wu (Director of the Taipei City Bureau of Education) remarked at the opening ceremony yesterday.

Spain vs Panama

It's truly a opening match of 2007 BWC in Taichung after a bad weather yesterday at Tianmu, Taipei City. Spain Team was ever notable after winning the 3rd place at 2007 European Baseball Tournament and several players were coming from Venezuela.

With a 1 base hit with 1 RBI by Angel Chavez and the 1st HR of 2007 BWC with 3 RBIs by Joel Vega, Panama Team transformed this match from pitching to batting, finally, Panama won Spain with 5-0. Even though Spain lost this match, but their strength was witnessed by lots of spectators.

Australia vs Cuba

This match delayed some hours due an uncertain weather in Taipei, with several conflicts at the final of 2004 Summer Olympics, two teams battled with a intensive pitching game.

At the bottom of 9th inning, Frederich Cepeda hit an 1 RBI HR and caused this game in an extra match, with Cuba's pitcher Pedro Lazo Iglesias saved their crisis at the top of 10th inning, Cuba won Australia with 3-2 by Osmanis Urrutia's HR at the bottom of 10th inning.

Other Results

Group A

Thailand 0-16A Netherlands

Venezuela 0-8 Germany

Group B

South Korea 5-0 Canada

United States 3-0 Mexico

Japan 11-1 South Africa

Tomorrow Fixtures

Group A

Spain vs Italy

Panama vs United States

Mexico vs Japan

Chinese Taipei vs South Africa

Group B

South Korea vs Venezuela

Canada vs Thailand

Netherlands vs Australia

Cuba vs Germany

Canadian defence minister escapes rocket attack in Afghanistan
Canadian Minister of Defence Peter MacKay just narrowly escaped a rocket attack by the Taliban in Afghanistan yesterday morning. He was visiting Forward Operating Base Wilson 20 kilometres west of Kandahar.

MacKay escaped into a Jeep as the first explosion went off at 11:00 a.m., local time (UTC+4:30). The second rocket, which struck 15 minutes after, hit four Canadian soldiers. The soldiers are now in good condition.

MacKay was picked up by a helicopter an hour later.

It has been confirmed that the attack was not deliberately targeted to hit MacKay. But according to Canadian Press reporter Bill Graveland, the Taliban could have guessed someone important was present when they saw Blackhawk helicopters.

"I don't believe that there was any way they had any idea the Mr. MacKay was there, but if you see a number of Blackhawk helicopters flying over a base, you're going to assume it's somebody important," said Graveland.

"I do not believe he was targeted," said Chief of the Defence Staff General Rick Hillier. "I think these are things that have occurred (coincidentally) in time and space.

MacKay held a news conference at Kandahar Air Field last night.

"There was an explosion. It was a loud bang," said MacKay. "When it happened, we heard the explosion, we heard the whistle overhead, we were told to get down and we did. Thankfully, again, when missions like this are underway, you're given a very thorough briefing as you'd expect. We're told how to react, everything went like clockwork. We were taken out of harm's way very quickly, and put in an armoured vehicle. And I'm grateful for the experience, because now I have a greater appreciation of how competent, how able and how successful our people are in the field."

MacKay is in Afghanistan to talk about improving the country's economy, security, health care and education.

Three Massachusetts workers dead after water pipe explosion at power plant
Three power plant workers at the Salem Harbor Power Station in Salem, Massachusetts died overnight after being severely burned when a water tube they were near burst releasing high pressure steam which burned the men on the head, face, neck and hands just before 9 a.m. EST yesterday.

According to Dominion Resources, the Richmond, Virginia energy company which bought the 1950s-era coal-firing plant, from USGen New England, a bankrupted subsidiary of Pacific Gas & Electric, the three men, two operators and a mechanic were working on the ground floor of the plant on a coal-fired generator when the boiler tube exploded twenty feet above sending high pressure steam at a temperature of 320 degrees Fahrenheit and was, according the Salem Fire Department, down towards them.

The three men, Mark Mansfield, 41, of Peabody, Phillip Robinson, 56, of Beverly and Matthew Indeglia, 20, of Lawrence were first rushed to the North Shore Medical Center in Salem before being transported to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston where they died overnight.

"All three men passed away," said hospital spokeswoman Christina Jeffrey.

"All of Dominion is greatly saddened at the deaths of these men, They were valuable members of our Salem Harbor family. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families," announced Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion chairman, president and chief executive officer.

The boiler involved is 50 years old and, according to plant officials, is inspected yearly. The Salem Fire Department said they have received 19 calls concerning the boiler over the past five years, which, according to the fire department, is not unusual. The area where the explosion occurred was last inspected in April. The boiler tubes carry high-pressure water and steam to turn the turbine generators, which spin to produce electricity.

James "Red" Simpson, business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 326 has worked at the plant for 25 years said, "In my experience with the plant in the 25 years that I have been here, I can't say enough for the safety programs that are in place. These gentlemen who were sadly killed yesterday were some of the best-trained power plant workers. All of the safety precautions that had to be in place at the time of the accident, were in place."

Dominion has shut the plant's four generators down for a safety review and to assist employees with the deaths. The plant powers 740,000 homes and employs a 145 employees and is located on Fort Avenue in Salem on a 65-acre waterfront site and uses coal-fired generators but also has a generator that runs on oil.

Illegal drug found to be used in the manufacture of toys
Bindeez beads, a children's toy from Australia and manufactured by Moose Enterprise in Hong Kong, is being pulled off toy store shelves in the United Kingdom after traces of an illegal drug, which is converted into gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) when ingested, was found inside the toy. At least 20 million toys are affected.

So far at least three children from the U.K. and at least two from Auckland, New Zealand have fallen seriously ill and are currently receiving medical attention. The toy is also sold in the United States as Aqua Beads, but there are no reports of illnesses in the U.S.

"We've asked all our customers to take them off the shelf while we retest everything to make sure the toys comply with all regulations," said the company in a statement, although no mandatory recall has been issued for the product. The statement also says that the plant in Hong Kong was not using a chemical mixture approved by the company.

"This substitution was not at any time approved by Moose nor was Moose made aware of any substitution by the supplier," added the statement.

The toys were supposed to contain a non-toxic chemical known as 1,5-pentanediol, but instead 1,4-butanediol, which is mainly used in creating the illegal drug GHB, was used in the toys. When humans consume 1,4-butanediol, the body converts it into GHB and could make the individual seriously ill, causing headaches, seizures, dizziness and in some cases death. GHB is a natural chemical found in a variety of things such as beef, wine and some varieties of citrus fruits. It is also used as a pharmaceutical which is sold as Xyrem.

Recent animal research indicates that drugs are available for human use which may work as antidotes to the poison, either by hindering its conversion to GHB with 4-methylpyrazole (fomepizole, Antizol) or by blocking GHB's effectiveness at the receptor (SCH 50911). Rodent testing has found the lethal dose of 1,4-butanediol to range from 1.4 to 2.5 grams per kilogram body weight, but an antidote can increase the lethal dose by a factor of 10.

It is not known how the chemicals got mixed up, but officials for the toy company say that they are continuing the investigation. The toy is currently banned in all of Australia, but the company says all those who bought it will be refunded their money.

"The issue of how a dangerous substance was used in these beads and not the non-toxic substance ... that is going to take us a few more days to uncover," said Australia's Fair Trade Minister, Linda Burney in a statement to the press.

The toy was recently named Australia's number one toy for 2007.

Macedonian police kill four militants in mountain operation
At least four members of an armed criminal group have been killed and six arrested in a police action dubbed "Mountain Storm," Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski told the MIA state news agency. He said no police officers were injured and confirmed special forces were still in the area.

Locals from the village of Brodec, a Šar Mountain village north of Tetovo, have confirmed a shooutout between police and armed groups in the village.

A spokesman for NATO peacekeepers in neighbouring Kosovo told a news conference a helicopter had crashed but there was no information on casualties. Macedonian police denied that report. "There is no helicopter down on the Macedonian side," spokesman Ivo Kotevski told Reuters.

Local media reported that police are searching for Lirim Jakupi (also known as "Nazi"), a convicted criminal who escaped with seven other men in a violent break-out from Kosovo`s Dubrava Prison in August and is believed to be hiding in the area. Last week Xhavid Morina, another escaped convict from Dubrava Prison, was found dead near Odri, a village close to Tetovo. Also, in October, a Macedonian policeman was killed in an ambush near the border with Kosovo and Croatian TV aired a video showing Albanian militants threatening actions in Kosovo.

Several media reported that KFOR has closed the border towards Macedonia, in the part of Kosovo, due to the police operation at Šar Mountain. KFOR troops are heavily armed and ready to shoot in case of "conflict spillover at Kosovo territory," media report.

The operation was announced over at 14:00 local time.

The clashes took place in the part of Macedonia which saw bitter ethnic clashes in 2001.

Deadly shooting at high school in Finland
Eight people have been killed in a school shooting in Jokela, Finland according to an official police briefing. The victims are five male students and two female students and the principal of the Jokela High School. At least 12 people were injured from glass and other injuries during evacuation, but are not in serious danger. Besides the eight that perished, only one other person has been reported to have received a gunshot wound, but is also reported to be out of serious danger.

At a news conference at 18:00 EET (UTC+2), police said that they arrested the shooter after a siege situation at the Jokela School Centre. The shooter is said to be an 18-year-old male student, named as Pekka-Eric Auvinen, who attended the school.

The police say that the shooter had probably shot himself at some point in an apparent suicide attempt. He died at nearby Töölö Hospital at 22:14 EET. The police confirmed that they had not used weapons during the incident.

Apparently, the killer had uploaded a home-made movie to YouTube announcing the "massacre" one day prior to the shooting. His profile featured several movies regarding an ongoing depression and unsuccessful treatment with SSRIs. Additionally, some movies of him shooting his new gun had been uploaded weeks prior to the shooting. Several hours after the event, YouTube decided to suspend his account due to terms of use violation.

Auvinen also had a personal website which featured images, music and documents, including a manifesto. The site has since been removed by the service provider. In the manifesto, he called for a war on the "weak-minded masses" and said he was willing to die for his cause. "I cannot say that I am of the same race as this miserable, arrogant and selfish human race. No! I have evolved a step higher," he wrote.

Prayer vigils are being held at churches around the Finland. The Ministry of the Interior has said that flags should be flown at half-mast from 8 o'clock in the morning until sundown on Thursday.

The Jokela School Centre has 460 students between the ages 12 and 18. Jokela is in the Tuusula municipality and is located just north of Helsinki.

Police officer shot dead in Canadian Arctic community
Constable Douglas Scott, 20, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was shot to death late Monday night while answering a call about an impaired driver. The incident took place in the community of Kimmirut in Canada's northern territory of Nunavut.

Constable Scott, who had been on the job for six months, is the second northern Canadian RCMP officer killed on duty in just under a month. On October 6, Constable Christopher Worden was shot and killed while responding to a call in Hay River, in the Northwest Territories.

Scott is survived by his parents, Doug and Marla, as well as his siblings and grandparents. His parents live near Brockville, Ontario.

RCMP Commanding Officer "V" (Nunavut) Division Marty Cheliak expressed the police force's shock and sadness at the shooting. "The death of any of our members is deeply felt, but when once again it occurs in one of our close-knit northern communities, the pain of that loss seems even greater," said Cheliak in a statement. "Our hearts also go out to the community of Kimmirut and to everyone who knew Doug."

Cheliak provided the following timeline of events:

Baffin Island, Nunavut, showing location of Kimmirut.

"At 10:56 p.m., Cst. Scott was called to respond to a complaint of a possible impaired driver.

At 11:02 p.m. Cst. Scott radioed “V” (Nunavut) Division telecoms to say that he was following up on the call for service.

Shortly thereafter, “V” Division telecoms attempted to contact Cst. Scott, but received no response.

At 11:31 a second member from the detachment was advised by local residents that [the officer] had responded to a report of an impaired driver and that the driver had crashed into a residence. Upon arrival at the scene, it was found that [Constable Scott] had been shot.

At 11:45 p.m. “V” division’s Emergency Response Team was mobilized.

At 11:56 p.m. it was confirmed that the suspect had entered his own residence.

At 4:10 a.m. the suspect surrendered to police without incident and was taken into custody."

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement on the death of Scott on Tuesday. “I wish to pay tribute to Constable Doug Scott, who died tragically in the line of duty in Kimmirut, Nunavut," said Harper. "On behalf of Canadians, I extend my sincere sympathy to the family, friends and fellow colleagues of Constable Scott. We are forever grateful that young men and women like Constable Scott continue to respond to the call of duty often working under extreme circumstances, and in conditions of great danger."

The suspect in the shooting has since been transported via RCMP aircraft to Iqaluit where he remains in custody. As of yet, charges have not been filed.

Six charged with the attempted assassination of Fijian coup leader
Six men were charged Monday with the attempted assassination of Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the commanding officer of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and the interim Prime Minister of Fiji since January 5, 2007.

Police Commissioner Commodore Esala Teleni said Monday that sixteen people were being detained in connection to a plot to assassinate the Bainimarama and several Cabinet Ministers.

Bainimarama said, in a statement Monday, "There are obviously disgruntled groups out there who are feeling the full impact of the interim government's 'Clean Up Campaign', such people have the potential to go to extremes in undermining the work which the interim government has been mandated to undertake".

The men are charged with treason, inciting mutiny and conspiracy to murder. They appeared in a Suva court Tuesday. The case was adjourned for bail hearing Wednesday morning after the prosecutor requested time to amend the charges.

A New Zealand businessman, Ballu Khanwas among the men arrested. Teleni states he had "minor injuries" as a result of resisting arrest. Others have reported that he was hospitalized for a broken jaw and ribs as a result of a police beating. New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark said the way Khanwas has been dealt with is "disgraceful".

Fiji news media initially reported that police suspected the plot could be linked to foreign aid groups and neighboring countries.

Clark denied that allegations stating that "of course the New Zealand government hasn't been involved in any such thing,"

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer called the allegation absurd, stating "It is completely false to suggest that the Australian government would consider assassinating Commodore Bainimarama and coup leaders in Fiji or that we would in any way wish to see any death occur in Fiji".

Bainimarama later told journalists at a press conference that the police never suspected foreign involvement and the “report was distorted and sensationalized”.

Frank Bainimarama became prime minister in a bloodless 2006 coup, replacing the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Bainimarama accused the Qarase government of corruption and being too soft on those involved in the 2000 coup.

Today in History
1519 – Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire: Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés entered Tenochtitlan where Aztec tlatoani Moctezuma II welcomed him with great pomp as would befit a returning god.

1520 – Stockholm Bloodbath: Following a successful invasion of Sweden by Danish forces under Christian II of Denmark, scores of Swedish leaders were executed despite Christian's promise of general amnesty.

1895 – German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range that is known today as X-rays.

1923 – Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and other members of the Kampfbund started the Beer Hall Putsch, a failed attempt to seize power in Germany.

1987 – A Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killing at least eleven people and injuring sixty-three others.

November 08 is St. Demetrius' Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Quote of the Day

The important thing

is to pull yourself up by your own hair

to turn yourself inside out

and see the whole world with fresh eyes

~ Peter Weiss ~

Word of the Day

grandiloquent; adj

Of a person, their language or writing: overly wordy, pompous, flowery, or elaborate.

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