English Wikinews RSS feed.

Haitian cholera victims threaten United Nations with lawsuit

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:17:33 GMT

United Nations

Collaborate!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Lawyers representing Haitian cholera victims warned the United Nations (UN) on May 7, if they do not admit liability for the spread of cholera in 2010, they'll be sued. Lawyers demand the UN apologize to and compensate the victims and improve sanitation efforts.

Lawyers claim the UN is breaking international law by failing to apologize or provide remuneration to the victims. They're seeking a minimum of USD$100,000 each for families of the deceased and $50,000 for each survivor. So far, over 8,000 people have died and thousands more have been infected with the disease.

UN peacekeepers, whom arrived in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, are being blamed for the spread of the disease which started near the troop's encampment. According to the lawsuit, waste from the UN camp was not properly sanitized, causing bacteria to enter the tributary of the Artibonite River, one of Haiti's largest. Prior to the arrival of troops, Haiti had not encountered problems related to the disease since the 1800s. The Haitian Institute for Justice and Democracy has referenced independent studies that suggest the Nepalese UN peacekeeping battalion unknowingly brought the disease to Haiti. Danielle Lantagne, a UN expert on the disease, stated the outbreak was likely caused by the peacekeepers.

Scientists from Pacific Bio-sciences of California Inc. analyzed the bacteria in Haiti and concluded its genome is an almost identical match to samples recovered in South Asia, but different to those found in Latin America.

The UN continues to deny any responsibility for the cholera outbreak and claims it is immune from further legal proceedings. Nearly 8,000 people have vowed to join the lawsuit.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

"Haiti cholera victims threaten to sue UN" — Aljazeera English, May 8, 2013
Peter James Speilmann. "Lawyers: Haiti cholera lawsuit threatened at UN" — The Huffington Post, May 8, 2013
"Haiti cholera victims threaten to sue UN" — BBC News, May 8, 2013

External links [edit]

Eric E. Schadt. The Coming Revolution: Microbes and Multiscale Biology. Microbe, 2013; 8(2): 70-73.

Share this:

David Miliband to resign as MP for job at non-profit

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 22:53:14 GMT

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

United Kingdom

Sources [edit]

"David Miliband 'feared being distraction' for Labour" — BBC News Online, March 27, 2013
Nicholas Watt and James Meikle. "Ed Miliband: British politics will be a poorer place without David" — The Guardian, March 27, 2013
David Miliband. "Letter to Alan Donnelly, Chair of South Shields Constituency Labour Party" — David Miliband.net, March 27, 2013

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Supreme Court of the United States contemplates same-sex marriage

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:05:50 GMT

LGBT

Related stories

More information on LGBT:

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Supreme Court on Capitol Hill
Image: Ken Hammond.

This week, the United States Supreme Court is scheduled to address two cases before them on the issue of same-sex marriage. The federal Defense of Marriage Act case is scheduled to be heard on Wednesday. The other case involves California's Proposition 8. A ruling is unlikely to be made until June.

The federal case involves the denial of privileges afforded to heterosexual married couples on the federal level, and the legality of states to opt out of recognizing legal marriages performed in other states in the union and to deny state benefits for those couples.

Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, potential swing vote on the Supreme Court
Image: Steve Petteway.

John Eastman, law professor at Chapman University and chairman of National Organization for Marriage, a group that opposes same-sex marriage, believes the eventual ruling will be a close one, with Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy likely to be the key swing vote. Eastman is quoted by U.S. News and World Report as saying of Kennedy, "All eyes are on Justice Kennedy and he's obviously written the two major gay rights decisions in the past decade and a half and that means that people rightly think that he's kind of open to taking this step, but he has studiously avoided taking that step in prior cases." Other court watchers agree with this sentiment.

In the lead up to the hearings, a number of high profile politicians have expressed their support for same-sex marriage including Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. Earlier this month, 40 United States senators signed a legal brief arguing against the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act that was submitted to the Supreme Court.

High visibility companies have also indicated support for legalized same-sex marriage in the United States, including Starbucks where CEO Howard Schultz gave company support at a share-holder meeting last week. After share-holder Tom Strobhar implied at the meeting that Starbuck's historical position of supporting same-sex marriage, which included open support of the same-sex marriage legalization efforts in the state of Washington last year, hurt the company's bottom line, Schultz responded by saying, "If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38% you got last year, it’s a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company." The company's position is predicated on respecting diversity, even if it potentially impacts Starbucks earnings.

Goldman Sachs has also supported the push for same-sex marriage arguing that the lack of equality hurts businesses. Goldman Sachs, Marriott International and Thomson Reuters have all signed a legal brief condemning the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Protesters gathered inside the state capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota, to protest against the upcoming vote by the Minnesota House of Representatives to put an anti-same-sex marriage amendment on the 2012 election ballot.
Image: Fibonacci Blue.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll published last week showed support for same-sex marriage in the United States was at an all time high at 58%, an increase of 21% since 2003. A recent Gallup poll showed similar results, with 54% of Americans supporting federal benefits for gay and lesbian couples, an increase of 27% since 1996 when the federal Defense of Marriage Act became law. Last week, a poll published by Reuters/Ipso found 63% of Americans supported same-sex marriage or civil unions. Despite this, social conservatives argue that this support may be over-stated by as much as 7% when voters are asked to voice their opinion on the issue at the ballot box. They cite a 2010 study by New York University political science professor Patrick J. Egan. Social conservatives also argue that people lie to pollsters to avoid appearing intolerant. 2000 Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer said on Fox News Sunday, "I’m not worried about [same-sex marriage], because the polls are skewed. Just this past November, four states, very liberal states, voted on this issue and my side lost all four of those votes. But my side had 45, 46 percent of the vote in all four of those liberal states." Brian S. Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, also argues that misleading polling questions over-count support for same-sex marriage in the United States.

Despite the potential for skewed polling, the four most recent ballot initiatives regarding same-sex marriage in the United States on a state level resulted in citizens voting to support same-sex marriage in Minnesota, Maryland, Washington and Maine. It also comes at a time when the most recent election cycle in the United States saw opponents of same-sex marriage outspent 3 to 1.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Catalina Camia. "Sen. Mark Warner announces gay marriage support" — USA Today, March 25, 2013
Aaron Blake and Scott Clement. "Is support for gay marriage over-sold?" — The Washington Post, March 25, 2013
Rebekah Metzler. "Supreme Court Readies for Gay Marriage Cases" — U.S. News and World Report, March 25, 2013
Kristene Quan. "Support, Telling Shareholder to Sell Stake If He Doesn’t Like Views" — Time Magazine, March 25, 2013
Peter Henderson. "Insight: Silent or supportive, conservatives give gay marriage momentum" — Reuters, March 25, 2013

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships preparations underway

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:14:51 GMT

Wikinews Sports

Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"U.S. Paralympics selects team for IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships" — US Paralympics, February 8, 2013

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

'Banana Joe' wins Westminster

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:16:01 GMT

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Culture and entertainment

Related stories

More information on Culture and entertainment:

Banana Joe V Tani Kazari, a five-year-old Affenpinscher, won last night's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Joe is the first Affenpinscher to win Westminster's Best in Show. The small black dog beat out six other dogs that had won in their respective contest groups — Adam, a Smooth Fox Terrier; Oakley, a German Wirehaired Pointer; Jewel, an American Foxhound; Matisse, a Portuguese Water Dog; Honor, a Bichon Frisé, and crowd favorite Swagger, an Old English Sheepdog — to win the title.

Joe will be turning six next month and is retiring from his career as a show dog. Today, he is to fly back to the country of his birth, The Netherlands.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Kelly Whiteside (USA Today). "Banana Joe wins Best in Show at Westminster" — pressconnects.com, February 13, 2013
Richard Sandomir. "No Ordinary Affenpinscher, Banana Joe Is Named Best in Show" — New York Times, February 13, 2013

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Reports of at least fourteen dead this week due to gun-related suicides in the United States

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:53:18 GMT

Correction — February 6, 2013

This article does not conform to our neutrality policy, due to its manner of presentation of an out-of-context selection of facts. The lapse appears to have been unintentional by all parties involved. We apologize for the error.

Crime and law

Related stories

10 May 2013: Woman shot, killed during standoff with police in Longview, Texas
9 May 2013: Lord Falconer proposes bill to legalise assisted dying for terminal ill in UK
28 April 2013: As Italy prepares for new government, shots fired near prime minister's office
23 April 2013: Six dead after shooting spree in Belgorod
17 April 2013: High Court of Australia dismisses appeal against conviction, compulsory voting

More information at Wikipedia:

Sunday, February 3, 2013

A number of suicides as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds took place around the United States this week with reports of deaths in Arizona, California, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington.

Last Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alston Badger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 51 years old.

On Monday in Clark County, Nevada, Jody Sherman, the Ecomom founder and CEO, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Another suicide occurred Monday in New Jersey. Chester and Rosaria Andraka died after Chester allegedly shot Rosaria before killing himself. Chester was a former police officer and there were few signs of trouble in the relationship prior to their deaths.

Another murder-suicide shooting took place on Monday. This one occurred in Elmont, New York, where 58-year-old Audley Dennis is believed to have shot his 46-year-old wife, Karen Rodgers-Dennis, before he shot himself. The couple allegedly had a history of fighting, with a family friend telling the New York Post, “They had their altercations. They would argue and yell, have outbursts."

Greensburg, Indiana, where one of this week's gun-related suicides took place
Image: Dopey9928.

In Greensburg, Indiana on Tuesday, local police Lieutenant Larry G. Dance committed suicide, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot. He had joined the police force on January 1, 1995. He left behind by a wife and two daughters.

On Tuesday in Waldorf, Maryland, local police reported an attempted murder-suicide with sixty-four year old Linda Lindsey believed to have shot her husband before fatally shooting herself. Her husband was reported to have survived and be in critical condition.

Devin Peterson, a twenty-two year old, allegedly committed suicide with a state trooper's shotgun following his alleged theft of a police cruiser, another car and a police chase on Interstate 80 in Nevada on Wednesday.

A seventy-year-old man from Renton, Washington died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound on Wednesday shortly after he called 911 to tell the dispatcher he was planning to take his own life.

On Wednesday, three people died in a murder-suicide in Oxnard, California that involved at least one gun. The deceased included two women and the suspected male shooter.

On Thursday, Lee Vining Fire Chief Tom Strazdims reported an Oregon man likely commited suicide by shooting himself in the parking lot of the town's visitor center.

Also on Thursday, the body of a suspected gunman accused of killing a call center CEO and injuring a lawyer was found dead of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mesa, Arizona. Police had been searching for the man since Wednesday following the shooting at a mediation session over a lawsuit.

In another reported suicide on Thursday, this one in the Baltimore area, a man was found dead in the parking lot of the Timonium gun range of a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

In Radcliff, Kentucky on Thursday, alleged burglar Michael Strand exchanged gunfire with police after they attempted to bring him in for questioning. Following a lull of approximately an hour, police entered the apartment and found the man dead from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In Medina, Ohio on Thursday, United States Marine Andrew Baumgartner, who served in Afghanistan and had been discharged several months ago, got into an altercation with Sgt. Scott Schmoll after Schmoll felt a gun on Baumgartner's person. Following this, Baumgartner hid in nearby woodlands, emerged to knock on the door of a local home to tell the resident he had been hit by a car, only to disappear into the woods again. He subsequently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police discovered his body alongside items they believed he had stolen.

The problem of suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound is recognized by some gun groups. The Royal Oak shooting range in Michigan stopped renting guns this week following after twelve people having attempted to kill themselves with guns rented from the range since 2001 (five of them were successful). Three of the incidents occurred in the past four months, with two of them fatal.

These suicides take place against a backdrop of gun control discussion in the United States Congress, where former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and an NRA spokesperson appeared before the body this week to discuss the possible need for stricter gun control laws.

According to the Maine Center of Disease Control and Prevention, guns are used in 85% of male suicides in the state. Debate has continued this week in the state about gun control as it relates to suicide. Iran's PressTV published an opinion piece claiming that for every gun owner who uses their weapon in their home for self-defense, there are eleven suicide attempts involving a weapon. In the United States, veterans are more likely to use guns in acts of suicide than acts of homicide. The number of daily suicides by veterans is currently 22.

Guns are often used in suicide attempts, with PolitiFact reporting on Wednesday that there were 4,643 non-fatal gun involved suicide attempts in 2010. This number contradicts testimony by Wayne LaPierre of NRA to the United States Congress regarding unintentional deaths cause by firearms as LaPierre cited 600 deaths. Australia instituted tougher gun control regulations in 1996, including gun buy back programs. According to a study by Andrew Leigh of Australian National University and Christine Neill of Wilfrid Laurier University, these programs correlate to an 80% drop in suicides involving guns at a time when other methods of suicide remained consistent.

Similar research done in the United States has similar results. A 1991 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found stricter gun control in the District of Columbia was a likely cause of a reduction in the number of suicides by gun shot in D.C. compared to surrounding areas.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

"Radcliff man who died after exchanging gunfire with police killed himself, police say" — The Courier-Journal, February 1, 2013
Carrie Wells and Jessica Anderson. "Man committed suicide at Timonium gun range, police say" — Baltimore Sun, February 1, 2013
Bob Jones. "Surveillance video shows Marine, burglary suspect trying to get into Granger Twp home before suicide" — ABC 5, February 1, 2013
Robert Long. "Why isn’t suicide prevention part of Maine’s public safety debate?" — Bangor Daily News, February 1, 2013
Dave Gilson. "10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down" — PressTV, February 1, 2013
Andrea Chang. "After Jody Sherman death, tech community seeks dialogue on suicide" — Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2013
"Greensburg Police Lt.'s Death Ruled Suicide" — Eagle Country 99.3 FM, January 31, 2013
Greg Jaffe,. "VA study finds more veterans committing suicide" — Washington Post, January 31, 2013
Benett Kessler. "Report of attempted suicide in visitors center parking lot in Lee Vining" — Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News, January 31, 2013
Associated Press. "Suspected Phoenix gunman found dead of apparent suicide" — Oregon Live, January 31, 2013
Patrick Clark. "After Suicide of Jody Sherman, A Call to Talk About the Emotional Strain of Life at Startups" — BeatBeat, January 31, 2013
Times staff writer. "Neighbors heard shots during apparent murder-suicide in Oxnard" — Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2013
Catherine Kavanaugh. "Royal Oak gun range changes policy to stop walk-in suicides" — Daily Tribune, January 31, 2013
Associated Press. "100 lbs. of pot worth $495k in Nevada suicide case" — Watertown Daily Times, January 31, 2013
Eric Anderson. "Elmont Couple Found Dead After Murder-Suicide" — Long Island Media, Inc., January 30, 2013
Charles County Sheriff's Office. "Attempt Murder/Suicide In Waldorf" — thebaynet, January 30, 2013
"As a result of National Rifle Association and other private-sector (safety-education) programs, fatal firearms accidents are at the lowest level in 100 years." — PolitiFact, January 30, 2013
Jenny Manning. "Renton Man Found Dead At Heritage Park Of Apparent Self-Inflicted Gun Shot" — Renton Patch, January 30, 2013
Mike Frassinelli and Brendan Kuty. "18 days before apparent murder-suicide, Facebook post portrayed Parsippany lovers" — Star-Ledger, January 29, 2013
"Assistant U.S. Attorney Alston Badger’s death ruled suicide" — The Post and Courier, January 29, 2013
"Stephen King says since Australia passed tough gun laws, "homicides by firearm have declined almost 60 percent."" — PolitiFact, January 25, 2013
"Washington, D.C., had some of the strictest gun laws in the country. And when they passed them, violence skyrocketed." — PolitiFact, January 17, 2013

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Healthcare workers, public officials struggle to address influenza outbreak across much of U.S.

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:04:43 GMT

Monday, January 14, 2013

United States

Sources [edit]

Claire McCarthy. "It's time to take the flu seriously" — Boston.com, January 10, 2013
"US scrambles for flu shots as death toll continues to rise" — FOX News, January 12, 2013
Bob Orr. "NY declares public health emergency over flu outbreak" — CBS, January 12, 2013

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Report: hacker activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 15:28:21 GMT

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Related news

Obituaries on Wikinews

10 May 2013: Former Pennsylvania Governor George Leader dies aged 95
8 April 2013: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87
20 February 2013: Presenter Derek Batey dies at age 84
12 January 2013: Report: hacker activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide
4 December 2012: Australian Paralympian Janet Shaw dies aged 46

Collaborate!

Aaron Swartz in 2009
Image: Sage Ross.

The programmer, activist, and early Reddit cofounder Aaron Swartz reportedly committed suicide yesterday in New York City. He was 26. Swartz's death is reported confirmed by both Swartz's uncle and his attorney to The Tech, the campus newspaper of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 2011, Swartz was arrested and charged for downloading two-thirds of the material on JSTOR, a repository of academic journal articles. Last year, on September 24, he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He had previously attracted the attention of the FBI for downloading 20% of PACER, a database of documents related to US federal court cases.

Swartz was active in the world of free culture and open source software. When he was 14, he worked on the RSS 1.0 specification, a standard for syndicating news articles in XML. He also worked on a Y Combinator-backed startup called Infogami which was merged with the popular news sharing site Reddit. Swartz also founded Demand Progress, a progressive activist group dealing with civil liberties issues.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Anne Cai. "Aaron Swartz commits suicide" — The Tech (newspaper), January 12, 2013
Stan Schroeder. "Internet Activist Aaron Swartz Commits Suicide" — Mashable, January 12, 2013

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

FBI agent arrested, charged with exposing himself in public

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:56:47 GMT

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Crime and law

Related stories

10 May 2013: Woman shot, killed during standoff with police in Longview, Texas
9 May 2013: Lord Falconer proposes bill to legalise assisted dying for terminal ill in UK
28 April 2013: As Italy prepares for new government, shots fired near prime minister's office
23 April 2013: Six dead after shooting spree in Belgorod
17 April 2013: High Court of Australia dismisses appeal against conviction, compulsory voting

More information at Wikipedia:

A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent working for the field office in Buffalo, New York (NY) has been arrested and charged with exposing himself in public. The alleged incident, only now becoming public knowledge, allegedly occurred on Friday, December 7 at about 9:00 p.m on Interstate 90, also known at this part of its length as the New York State Thruway, between exits 57 and 57A in the town of Eden.

John A. Yervelli Jr., 48, was arrested and charged with public lewdness. He was later released and issued a ticket to appear in Eden Town Court on December 18. According to police, a truck driver was driving eastbound on the expressway when Yervelli pulled up to his window. According to the truck driver, Yervelli was naked from the waist down and making "lewd gestures" to him. The truck driver called police who stopped Yervelli's car at the Hamburg toll plaza and detained him. Yervelli denies the charges.

"It doesn't matter who you are or what you may do for a living. If you are suspected of committing a crime, and we have enough reasonable cause to do so, we are going to do our job and make an arrest," said Lieutenant David Denz of the New York state police department to WGRZ's '2 On Your Side.'

Maureen P. Dempsey, public affairs specialist for the FBI said the Bureau considers the incident "an internal administrative matter" and "the FBI is not commenting on the matter beyond that."

According to NY state law, individuals charged with public lewdness in New York could spend up to 30 days in prison and face fines up to US$500.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

"Buffalo FBI Agent Busted" — WGRZ, December 10, 2012
"FBI agent accused of public lewdness" — WIVB, December 10, 2012
"New York Indecent Exposure Laws" — FindLaw, December 10, 2012 (date of access)

External links [edit]

"New York State Thruway Interactive Traveler Map" — New York State Thruway, December 10, 2012 (date of access)

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Sandra Fluke nominated by Time magazine for Person of the Year

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:19:30 GMT

Friday, November 30, 2012

Women's rights

Related stories

12 April 2013: Anonymous muscle in on Canadian teen rape case
4 January 2013: Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai discharged from hospital
6 December 2012: Sandra Fluke gives keynote speech at Nebraska women's health event
30 November 2012: Sandra Fluke nominated by Time magazine for Person of the Year
7 September 2012: Sandra Fluke featured speaker at Democratic National Convention

More information on Women's rights at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Women's rights advocate and Georgetown University Law Center graduate Sandra Fluke has been named as a candidate by Time magazine for their Person of the Year.

Sandra Fluke (2012)
Image: nmogburn.

Sandra Fluke was the focus of media in February after attempting to testify before a Republican-controlled committee in the United States House of Representatives about contraception and women's health. Kate Pickert of Time wrote in her profile, "Fluke ... weathered the attention with poise and maturity and emerged as a political celebrity."

	Fluke ... weathered the attention with poise and maturity and emerged as a political celebrity.
—Time magazine

Time concluded Fluke helped give U.S. President Barack Obama an edge in his presidential re-election campaign: "Democrats gave her a national-convention speaking slot as part of their push to make reproductive rights a central issue in the 2012 presidential campaign — one that helped Barack Obama trounce Mitt Romney among single women on Election Day."

	Honored to be listed for Time's Person of Year.
—Sandra Fluke

Fluke responded to the nomination via Twitter, and stated she was "Honored to be listed for Time's Person of Year". In the same statement she also drew attention to the scarcity of women on the list of candidates.

An analysis of Fluke's candidacy by Peter Roff of U.S. News & World Report called attention to her role in the political phenomenon in the recent election cycle known as the "War on Women" which drew significant attention to issues of women's rights. Roff gave advice to the Republican party on the way it relates to women, "Once the Republicans become comfortable talking about all issues as though they were women's issues too — issues like unemployment, economic growth, job creation, education, and healthcare as well as the so-called social issues — they will be demonstrating that women have a home in the GOP. Until they do however it will be the Sandra Flukes of the world that continue to carry the day when it counts."

Journalist Leslie Marshall observed some conservative political commentators were critical of Time for its nomination of Fluke for Person of the Year.

	... she showed true strength over adversity. And she has since become a women's health activist. For these reasons alone, she belongs on this list.
—Leslie Marshall

Marshall argued Fluke belongs on the list: "She should be credited with reminding women on both the right and the left; that many of us agree on the issue of women's reproductive rights. Although some of us might be Democrats and some Republicans, our gender unites us. She brought more women to the polls, reminding us of the decades it took to be where we are and what was at stake for women if we did not re-elect President Obama. In speaking at the Democratic National Convention, she showed true strength over adversity. And she has since become a women's health activist. For these reasons alone, she belongs on this list."

However, Marshall stated she wouldn't be voting for Fluke's candidacy, but would instead cast her ballot for Malala Yousafzai, a 15-year-old female education activist who survived a Taliban assassination attempt.

Fluke was a featured speaker on September 5 at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Fluke spoke to attendees at the convention about the consequences for women of electing Republican candidate for U.S. President, Mitt Romney, over incumbent President Barack Obama. Fluke has campaigned with President Obama in his bid for re-election.

She was recognized April 22 with the Stand Up for Choice Award. Fluke was given the Stand Up for Choice Award at the "Third Annual Multi-Generational Brunch" of the organization NARAL Pro-Choice America which was held in New York City (NYC), New York in the United States.

Fluke received a nomination in March as a candidate for Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. The list is released annually as a special edition of Time magazine, titled Time 100.

She gave testimony to the US Congress on February 23 before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee at a hearing about women's health and contraception. She also worked for Sanctuary for Families in NYC which worked to crack down on human trafficking and domestic violence.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sister links [edit]

Author:Sandra Kay Fluke

Sandra Fluke

Sandra Fluke

Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

Peter Roff. "Until the GOP Changes, Attention on Sandra Won't Be a Fluke" — U.S. News & World Report, November 29, 2012
Leslie Marshall. "No Fluke That Sandra's On Time's List" — U.S. News & World Report, November 28, 2012
Sandra Fluke. "Honored 2 b listed" — Twitter, November 26, 2012
Kate Pickert. "Sandra Fluke - Who Should Be TIME's Person of the Year 2012? - The candidates" — Time (magazine), November 26, 2012

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Voters in Maine and Maryland vote for marriage equality

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:22:16 GMT

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Gay rights supporters in Minnesota earlier in the year protesting against the vote by the Minnesota House to put marriage to the popular vote.
Image: Fibonacci Blue.

LGBT

Related stories

More information on LGBT:

In Maine and Maryland, voters have approved ballot measures yesterday to allow marriage between same-sex partners. Votes for a similar measure in Washington are still being counted. Reports from Minnesota suggest a ballot measure that would amend the constitution to ban gay marriage has been rejected by voters.

In Maryland, voters supported the law passed earlier this year by Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley 52% to 48%. Josh Levin from Marylanders for Marriage Equality said that voters would "feel the ripples of this monumental victory across the country for years to come."

Supporters of marriage equality in Maine stated they had 250,000 one-on-one conversations with voters. Matt McTighe from Mainers United for Marriage celebrated the passage of the Maine ballot initiative saying: "A lot of families in Maine just became more stable and secure."

Chad Griffin from the gay rights group the Human Rights Campaign said: "When the history books are written, 2012 will be remembered as the year when LGBT Americans won decisively at the ballot box."

Frank Schubert, an opponent of gay marriage, downplayed the results. "The fact that an uber-liberal state like Maine or Washington might go for same sex marriage, it doesn't mean that the country has changed."

Six other states — Vermont, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Iowa, Massachusetts — as well as the District of Columbia already recognise same-sex marriage. In May, Barack Obama announced that he supports legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Erik Eckholm. "In Maine, a Historic Victory at the Ballot Box for Same-Sex Marriage" — New York Times, November 7, 2012
Alana Semuels. "Voters OK gay marriage in Maine, Maryland" — Los Angeles Times, November 7, 2012
Alana Semuels. "Same-sex marriage measures passing in Maryland and Maine" — Los Angeles Times, November 6, 2012

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

On the campaign trail, October 2012

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:28:12 GMT

This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Monday, November 5, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

The following is the twelfth and final edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2012 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after a brief mention of some of the month's biggest stories.

In this month's edition on the campaign trail: a fan of Wikinews asks a critical question at the Second presidential debate; Gary Johnson discusses Syria and foreign intervention with Wikinews, and three candidates give the their final plea to voters ahead of the November 6 election.

1 Summary
2 Wikinews fan sparks controversy at second presidential debate
3 Gary Johnson speaks to Wikinews on Syria and foreign intervention
4 The final pleas...
5 Related news
6 Sources

Summary [edit]

October opened with President Barack Obama comfortably leading Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in most polls. This changed following the first presidential debate, which opinion polls and commentators declared as a Romney victory. Around 67 million Americans watched the Jim Lehrer-moderated debate, which focused on economic matters. CBS News analysis described the debate as possibly the best night of the Romney campaign, finding him in control of the discourse and appearing "reasonable, pragmatic and respectful." On the other hand, the analysis characterized Obama as cautious, lacking energy, and exercising poor body language, particularly in his propensity to look down at his podium while Romney spoke. One memorable exchange occurred when Romney argued that he would cut federal funding to Lehrer's network PBS, prefacing that he actually liked Lehrer, the network, and its Sesame Street character Big Bird, but argued that he would not continue "to borrow money from China to pay for it." Afterwards, Romney experienced a bounce in the national polls, surpassing Obama for the lead in several. Shortly after the debate, September's economic report was released, revealing a fall in unemployment to 7.8 percent, the lowest rate since the beginning of the Obama presidency. However, the Obama campaign hit a potential stumbling block as State Department officials reported details on the September 11 embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya that led to the deaths of four Americans including Ambassador Christopher Stevens. The administration had earlier claimed the attacks resulted from Innocence of Muslims protests, but it emerged the attacks were planned. The report raised questions of what the administration knew and why better protection was not provided to the consulate. The story broke just shy of the one and only Vice Presidential Debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan, held in Danville, Kentucky. Though analysts drew contrasting conclusions on who won the debate with many believing Biden had won it on substance, much post-debate discussion focused on Biden's aggression, use of the word "malarkey", incessant smiling and laughing, and interruptions of both Ryan and the moderator Martha Raddatz of ABC News.

Third party candidates Jill Stein, Rocky Anderson, Virgil Goode, and Gary Johnson participate in the 2012 Free and Equal presidential debate.
Image: Connie Ma.

Shortly thereafter, the second presidential debate commenced in Hempstead, New York, moderated by CNN's Candy Crowley. The debate's town hall format allowed the candidates to walk around the stage as they answered pre-selected questions from audience members. In contrast to the first debate, Obama appeared energetic and aggressive, as did Romney. CBS News described the debate as "contentious" with Obama and Romney attacking each other often and appearing to almost "come to blows" on one exchange. One such exchange occurred when Romney and Obama went back-and-forth about oil leases on federal lands. Obama claimed oil production increased during his administration; Romney agreed but countered that the increase was due only to private production, and that oil leases and production on federal lands actually decreased. The Benghazi attack presented another contentious topic at the debate with Obama claiming that he labeled the incident as a terrorist attack on the day after it happened, which Crowley confirmed, though she also noted the administration later claimed the incident was a reaction to the Innocence of Muslims. Before the next debate, the candidates appeared jointly at a less serious event, each taking part in the traditional Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner hosted by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, where they joked about the election, their opponent, and themselves. The final debate held at Florida's Lynn University and hosted by CBS News' Bob Schieffer focused on foreign affairs, which the candidates often appeared to agree on. Notably, Romney avoided criticism of the president for his handling of the September 11 Benghazi attack. One disagreement between the candidates concerned the issue of military strength. Romney accused Obama of proposing budget cuts for the military and criticized him for maintaining a Navy with the fewest battleships since 1917. Obama countered that "we also have fewer horses and bayonets. Because the nature of the military has changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines."

The next day, four third party candidates excluded from the national debates for not meeting the Commission on Presidential Debates' polling threshold, but who satisfied the commission's ballot access requirements, took part in a debate of their own sponsored by the Free and Equal Elections Foundation and broadcast on C-SPAN with Larry King as the moderator. Those taking part in the debate included former New Mexico governor and Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, former congressman and Constitution Party nominee Virgil Goode, former Salt Lake City Mayor and Justice Party nominee Rocky Anderson, and physician Jill Stein, presidential nominee of the Green Party. The two candidates that received the highest number of votes following the event, Johnson and Stein, were then invited to a one-on-one-debate scheduled for the next week. The event was postponed due to the Superstorm Hurricane Sandy. Sandy hit the northeast coast on the final week of campaigning, causing damages largely in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The destruction and lack of electricity in certain areas raised questions of how the election could take place on November 6 amid such chaos. Furthermore, analysts questioned whether Obama's response to the crisis would help him win the race. As Election Day neared, Obama secured critical endorsements from former Secretary of State Colin Powell and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Nevertheless, in the RealClearPolitics average for October 31, Romney and Obama remained in a statistical tie. Polling also indicated that the most critical swing states were Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, New Hampshire, Florida, Virginia, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina.

Wikinews fan sparks controversy at second presidential debate [edit]

Kerry Ladka, a senior sales associate at Global Telecom Supply and self-professed fan of Wikinews, was one of the individuals picked to address President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at the October 16 presidential debate in Hempstead, New York. His question, which involved the September 11 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, sparked one of the debate's most contentious and controversial moments.

According to Ladka, the Gallup organization randomly selected him to ask a question, which he devised without their assistance. In fact, prior to asking, Ladka explained to viewers that his question arose during a discussion with his friends at work.

Kerry Ladka asks President Obama a question during the second presidential debate.
Image: The New York Times.

Speaking directly to President Obama, Ladka mentioned the reports that the U.S. State Department denied additional security forces to the Libyan embassy before it was breached. He then asked, "Who was it that denied enhanced security and why?"

Obama responded that upon hearing of the breach, he gave three instructions to his national security advisers: (1) increase security at the Libyan embassy and other U.S. embassies throughout the region; (2) investigate the matter; and (3) find and prosecute the culprits of the attack. He then criticized Romney's reaction to the event as "trying to make political points." Romney responded that it took the administration too long to label the break-in as a terrorist act while casting blame on a YouTube trailer. Obama countered that he actually did refer to the attack as a terrorist act at the Rose Garden on the subsequent day and expressed outrage that Romney would suggest "anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we’ve lost four of our own". This remark led to a war of words between Romney, Obama, and moderator Candy Crowley.

Romney repeatedly asked Obama whether he actually said the attack was a terrorist act and not a "spontaneous demonstration." Obama twice responded, "please proceed" before citing the transcript of his remarks from the Rose Garden. After the moderator confirmed the president's statement, Obama asked her to do so "a little louder". With Crowley doing so, Romney then argued that the administration instead had maintained the act was a reaction against a video, which Crowley also confirmed. Romney next attempted to question why the Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice "went on the Sunday television shows and spoke about how this was a spontaneous reaction", but Crowley decided to move on to other questions.

Ladka told The Washington Post he did not believe Obama adequately answered the question during the debate, but noted that afterwards, Obama approached him and explained that he had wanted, in the days following the attack, to ensure the intelligence he received on the matter was correct, and that to avoid endangerment he did not want to explicitly name any individual in the State Department responsible for denying security.

To the Post, Ladka remained undecided on whom he would give his vote. But now after time for further deliberation, he tells Wikinews he has come to a decision. Though he felt Romney was "very impressive" at the debate, he believes President Obama was the winner and has decided to cast his ballot for the President on Election Day.

Gary Johnson speaks to Wikinews on Syria and foreign intervention [edit]

Though the fallout from the break-in at Benghazi was the main foreign policy focus in October, there was also some discussion, especially during the final two-party debate, about the unrest in Syria and actions of the Bashar al-Assad government, which led to the killings of roughly 30,000 people and displacement of 300,000.

Gary Johnson.
Image: Gary Johnson.

During the third and final debate between Obama and Romney, both seemed to agree that the United States should help the anti-government forces in Syria. Gary Johnson, in contrast, has a completely different viewpoint on both Syria and the question of foreign intervention.

In an exclusive interview with Wikinews, Johnson asserts that assistance for the Syrian rebels for humanitarian purposes may simply lead to the rise of a faction worse than the regime in power. Broadly speaking, he finds that "we intervene in the name of humanity, and the result is...more times than not, a situation that is worse, not better."

Nevertheless, Johnson does not hold an absolutist view against foreign intervention. When questioned about the need to intervene in the case of a genocide, he responded "I don’t think any of us want to stand by and watch that happen." However, for any kind of military intervention, Johnson favors congressional approval.

But for what actually constitutes a genocide requiring intervention, Johnson holds, "let me borrow from a Supreme Court justice that was asked his definition of pornography. [He said] You know, I can’t give you a definition of pornography but I’d like to think that when I see it I recognize it."

The complete interview with Governor Johnson on these and other issues can be read here.

The final pleas... [edit]

With Gary Johnson and Jill Stein making their case to voters at the final Free and Equal debate, Wikinews provided the opportunity to the three other third party presidential candidates with enough ballot access and write-in certification to theoretically win the election.

Those making their final pleas include: former congressman Virgil Goode, nominee of the Constitution Party; America's Party nominee Tom Hoefling; and former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, nominee of the Justice Party.

Ballot access maps for each of the three candidates appear below their respective statements.

Virgil Goode: Virgil Goode is the only candidate who will stop illegal immigration and block automatic citizenship for children born in the US of illegal aliens. He is also the only candidate who will protect jobs for US citizens by stopping so many green card holders from entering the United States. Lastly, he will work to stop the domination by Big Money PACs of federal elections. Save America and Vote for Virgil Goode.


Goode answers questions after the first Free and Equal debate. Image: Connie Ma.		Ballot access (violet), write-in certification (light violet), no access (gray) Image: Ariostos.

Tom Hoefling: Without faith there can be no justice. The two things are inextricably linked.

What is justice? To put it most simply, it is right-doing. In terms of the law and self-government, it is doing right to all persons equally and equitably.

But how can we possibly perfect justice in this country, as the framers of our Constitution purposed to do, if we pay no mind to the laws of nature and of nature's God? It is not possible.

Is there a desire in your heart to help save this country and restore America's greatness? Then trust God, seek His will, and do right. Join together with your fellow citizens who are of the same mind and heart, and retake the reins of your own self-government. If enough Americans will do this, without compromise, and do it in time, there is hope for this country and for our posterity. We can, if we choose to follow God and do right, once again be a shining city on a hill.

But if we refuse, and choose instead to be faithless and unjust by continuing to kill the babies and destroy God's institution of marriage and the natural family, our children and grandchildren, those who survive our brutal savagery, will curse us. They will rightfully convict us of squandering their precious heritage, one that was dearly bought with blood, sweat, and tears by our just and faithful forebears.

Our generation is a link in the chain between the past and the future. Please, my fellow Americans, I beg you, don't let it be broken. Strengthen the things that remain, before it is too late.


Tom Hoefling. Image: Tom Hoefling.		Ballot access (cyan), write-in certification (light cyan), no access (gray) Image: Ariostos.

Rocky Anderson: I propose an alternative to the corrupt two-party system that has created a militarist and corporatist government for sale to the highest bidders. My Justice Party campaign calls for people to demand a government that is genuinely of, by, and for the people.

Peace and prosperity require: (1) aggressive action on climate change; (2) creating a vibrant economy with living wage jobs through a WPA-like initiative, and returning outsourced jobs to the U.S.; (3) a significant reduction in military spending; (4) equal rights, regardless of race, religion, and sexual orientation; (5) a Medicare-for-all system providing better outcomes with lower costs; (6) prosecution of financial crimes, enforcement of financial regulations, including reinstatement of Glass-Steagall; (7) a restorative criminal justice system and an end to the disastrous “war on drugs”; (8) tax fairness; (9) Social Security and Medicare not be plundered; and (10) dismantlement of the imperial presidency and restoration of the U.S. Constitution.

My foreign policy will promote peace and respect for human rights, not the empire-building wars of aggression supported by both major parties. I will promote long-term U.S. security and build better relationships with other nations by ending the immoral drone killings that have already killed hundreds of innocent civilians and created more hatred and hostility toward the U.S.


Anderson poses with a supporter after the first Free and Equal debate. Image: Connie Ma.		Ballot access (blue), write-in certification (light blue), no access (gray) Image: Ariostos.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"2012 Electoral Map" — RealClearPolitics, November 4, 2012 (date of access)
"General Election: Romney vs. Obama" — RealClearPolitics, November 4, 2012 (date of access)
"Presidency2012: Ballot Access" — Politics1.com, November 4, 2012 (date of access)
Michael Cooper. "Disruption From Storm May Be Felt at the Polls" — The New York Times, November 2, 2012
Associated Press. "NYC Mayor Bloomberg backs Obama for re-election, citing climate change" — Fox News, November 1, 2011
"The politics of Hurricane Sandy" — The Economist, October 29, 2012
Richard Winger. "Gary Johnson-Jill Stein Debate, Set for October 30, Likely to be Postponed Due to Storm" — Ballot Access News, October 27, 2012
"Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama for president" — CBS News, October 25, 2012
Chris Good. "Minor-Party ‘Don Quixotes’ Beat Up on Republicans, Democrats in Debate" — ABC News, October 24, 2012
Ryan Grim and Joshua Hersh. "Presidential Debate: Obama, Romney Agree On Foreign Policy" — The Huffington Post, October 23, 2012
"Transcript of the Third Presidential Debate" — The New York Times, October 22, 2012
Jilian Fama. "Best Jokes from the Obama vs. Romney Stand-Up Comedy Duel" — ABC News, October 19, 2012
Daniel Fisher. "Did Obama Really Take Away Those Oil Leases?" — Forbes, October 17, 2012
Eric Wemple. "Presidential debate: Libya questioner says Obama didn’t answer" — The Washington Post, October 17, 2012
Brian Montopoli. "Analysis: Tougher Obama rebounds in second debate" — CBS News, October 16, 2012
"Full Transcript of the Second Presidential Debate" — The New York Times, October 16, 2012
Peter Hamby, Mark Preston and Paul Steinhauser. "Five things we learned from Thursday's vice presidential debate" — CNN, October 13, 2012
Bradley Klapper (AP). "State Dept reveals new details of Benghazi attack" — Yahoo! News, October 10, 2012
Michael A. Fletcher and Neil Irwin. "Unemployment rate falls to 7.8% in September" — The Washington Post, October 5, 2012
Emily Swanson and Ariel Edwards-Levy. "Presidential Debate Instant Polls Show Romney Wins" — The Huffington Post, October 4, 2012
Brian Montopoli. "Debate analysis: Romney lands blows against cautious Obama" — CBS News, October 3, 2012

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

U.S. prepares for arrival of Hurricane Sandy

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:28:52 GMT

Monday, October 29, 2012

United States

Country	Damage caused
Haiti	At least 44 people killed and homes flooded
Cuba	Eleven people killed and second city left without power
Dominican Republic	Two people killed and 8,755 people evacuated
Jamaica	One person killed and schools, airports closed
Bahamas	Power cuts and flooding

Sources [edit]

Tom Watkins, Josh Levs and Chelsea J. Carter. "Sandy could bring 'catastrophe,' affect 60 million" — CNN, October 29, 2012
Pia Gadkari and Tom Geoghegan. "Hurricane Sandy updates" — BBC News Online, October 29, 2012
"Hurricane Sandy:New York City transit suspended" — BBC News Online, October 28, 2012
"US braced for arrival of 'Frankenstorm'" — Channel 4 News, October 28, 2012
Trenton Daniel. "Hurricane Sandy 2012: Haiti Fears Death Toll May Rise" — Huffington Post, October 27, 2012
"Hurricane Sandy kills 41 in Caribbean, targets U.S." — CNBC, October 26, 2012
"Hurricane Sandy batters Bahamas" — The Guardian, October 26, 2012
"Sandy kills 6 in Haiti, causes losses in Dominican Republic" — Xinhua, October 26, 2012
"Hurricane Sandy strikes Cuba" — Al Jazeera, October 25, 2012
"One person killed as Hurricane Sandy batters Jamaica" — BBC News Online, October 26, 2012

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Obama and Romney battle in second U.S. presidential debate

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:04:18 GMT

Friday, October 19, 2012

2012 United States Presidential Election

2012 U.S. Presidential Election stories

7 November 2012: World leaders react to Obama win
7 November 2012: United States re-elects Barack Obama
7 November 2012: Australian Broadcasting Corporation plans to call California for Obama before polls close
5 November 2012: Wikinews interviews former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party
5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

United States president Barack Obama criticized his presidential challenger Mitt Romney over his response to the killing of the U.S ambassador to Libya on Tuesday in the second of three presidential debates. At the debate in Hempstead, New York, President Obama was critical of Mr Romney for trying to score "political points" from the incident.

	While we were still dealing with our diplomats being threatened, Governor Romney put out a press release, trying to make political points, and that's not how a commander-in-chief operates
—Barack Obama

"While we were still dealing with our diplomats being threatened, Governor Romney put out a press release, trying to make political points, and that's not how a commander-in-chief operates" Obama said, referring to Romney's initial response to the incident before the full details were known of what had happened.

Mr Obama faced criticism for the apparent lack of security at the U.S Consulate in Benghazi. Tuesday, U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she took responsibility for the failure in security at the counsulate, which led to the ambassador's death.

Elsewhere in the debate, there was controversy as moderator Candy Crowley appeared to side with President Obama when Mr Romney said that President Obama was not quick enough to call the killing of the ambassador "terrorism". "He did, in fact, sir," Crowley said, siding with Obama. On the day of the attack, President Obama actually said "...no acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation". Despite that comment, some of President Obama's top aides had initially attributed the killing to the film Innocence of Muslims which led to protests elsewhere in the Middle East. The rest of the debate was mostly dominated by the economy, jobs and taxes.

The next debate is scheduled to take place on October 22 at Lynn University in Florida. The candidates will be seeking to clinch the votes of the millions of undecided voters.

Barack Obama
Mitt Romney

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sister links [edit]

Attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi

Sources [edit]

"'Aggressive Obama fights back in US debate'" — Channel 4 News, October 17, 2012
"'Obama hits back in fiery second debate with Romney'" — BBC News Online, October 17, 2012

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, former publisher of The New York Times, dies aged 86

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:06:57 GMT

Related news

Obituaries on Wikinews

10 May 2013: Former Pennsylvania Governor George Leader dies aged 95
8 April 2013: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87
20 February 2013: Presenter Derek Batey dies at age 84
12 January 2013: Report: hacker activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide
4 December 2012: Australian Paralympian Janet Shaw dies aged 46

Collaborate!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Former New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger died at 86 years old on Saturday. According to his family Sulzberger had had a long illness.

He was known as "Punch", his nickname when he was a child.

In 1963, Sulzberger became publisher of The New York Times and chairman and chief executive of The New York Times Company. He retired as publisher in 1992. In 1997, Sulzberger left the chief executive position and was succeeded by his son, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.. While Sulzberger was the paper's publisher it won 31 Pulitzer Prizes.

Adolph Ochs, Sulzberger's grandfather, bought the New York Times in 1896.

A national correspondent for the New York Times, John Schwartz, wrote on Twitter: "For those of us working at the NYT, the passing of Arthur O. Sulzberger has the sharp feel of a death in the family".

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

"Arthur Sulzberger, longtime New York Times publisher, dead at 86" — CNN, September 29, 2012
Jennifer Saba. "Former NY Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger dies at 86" — Reuters, September 29, 2012
David B. Caruso and Karen Matthews (Associated Press). "Ex-NY Times Publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Dies" — ABC News, September 29, 2012

Share this:

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

English Wikinews RSS feed.

Haitian cholera victims threaten United Nations with lawsuit

Sources [edit]

External links [edit]

David Miliband to resign as MP for job at non-profit

Sources [edit]

Supreme Court of the United States contemplates same-sex marriage

Related news [edit]

Sources [edit]

2013 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships preparations underway

Sources [edit]

'Banana Joe' wins Westminster

Sources [edit]

Reports of at least fourteen dead this week due to gun-related suicides in the United States

Sources [edit]

Healthcare workers, public officials struggle to address influenza outbreak across much of U.S.

Sources [edit]

Report: hacker activist Aaron Swartz commits suicide

Related news [edit]

Sources [edit]

FBI agent arrested, charged with exposing himself in public

Sources [edit]

External links [edit]

Sandra Fluke nominated by Time magazine for Person of the Year

Related news [edit]

Sister links [edit]

Sources [edit]

Voters in Maine and Maryland vote for marriage equality

Related news [edit]

Sources [edit]

On the campaign trail, October 2012

Contents

Summary [edit]

Wikinews fan sparks controversy at second presidential debate [edit]

Gary Johnson speaks to Wikinews on Syria and foreign intervention [edit]

The final pleas... [edit]

Related news [edit]

Sources [edit]

U.S. prepares for arrival of Hurricane Sandy

Sources [edit]

Obama and Romney battle in second U.S. presidential debate

Sister links [edit]

Sources [edit]

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, former publisher of The New York Times, dies aged 86

Sources [edit]