Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Apple Inc. today has introduced the much-anticipated iPhone at the Macworld Conference in San Francisco.

The iPhone is claimed to be “a revolutionary mobile phone” as stated on the Apple website. The device appears to be running a mobile version of the Apple operating system Mac OSX. It is approximately the same size as a 5th generation iPod, it has a 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen display that is used to access all features of the phone including number dial, as well as making phone calls. The iPhone plays music, movies, displays pictures and is able to connect to a wireless network.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the device by walking onto the stage and taking the iPhone out of his jeans pocket. During his 2 hour speech he stated that “Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone, We are going to make history today”.

Today Apple also released their Media Center device – Apple TV. It will directly compete with Microsoft’s Media Center operating system. Apple has taken a different approach to the media center market; rather than storing content (such as movies, music and photos) on the device, Apple TV connects to a computer (Mac and Windows) over a wirless network connection and plays all content stored on that computer. This makes it substantially easier for users to organize their media content.

Friday, November 6, 2009

A 1965 Volkswagen minibus that was stolen in 1974 has been recovered by customs agents in Los Angeles. The vintage minibus was in pristine condition, valued at $25,000, and was found during a routine inspection of a shipping container scheduled for departure to The Netherlands. A routine computer database search on its vehicle identification number flagged it as having been stolen from a vehicle upholstery shop in Spokane, Washington on July 12, 1974. A custom restoration business in Arizona was attempting to deliver it to overseas clients last month when authorities intercepted the vehicle.

The theft appeared on the National Insurance Crime Bureau database, which is used by border authorities and contains all stolen vehicle records. Most police databases remove unsolved vehicle thefts after five years.

The California Highway Patrol does not suspect the restorer of wrongdoing, according to investigating officer Mike Maleta. Possession of the vehicle apparently changed several times. Police in Spokane have not yet located the rightful owner, whose identity has not been released to the press. Maleta hopes that a trail of registration documents and interviews will uncover the thief.

The Allstate insurance company paid $2500 shortly after the theft occurred and wants to take possession of the vintage minibus. Allstate spokeswoman Megan Brunet expects that after the necessary paperwork is processed the firm will sell it at auction.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

A freak accident caused twenty deaths and some injuries, according to officials, at the well-known Kintampo waterfall, in Ghana, on Sunday afternoon local time. Those affected were reportedly school students from Wenchi Senior High School on a supervised trip, and several tourists, who were swimming at the time of a rainstorm and strong winds, bringing down a tree and crushing victims.

Eighteen students, according to Ghana National Fire Service spokesman Prince Billy Anaglate, were killed at the falls, while another two were rushed to hospital and died in care. Varying reports indicated possibly up to 18 people remaining in a critical condition who were trapped under the tree, who were then rescued and rushed to hospital, including a Wenchi Senior High School administrator.

Anaglate said the wind uprooted trees, which fell on swimmers.

Students’ bodies have been sent to the Kintampo Municipal Hospital’s morgue.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Across Australia more than 100,000 people have rallied to protest against the federal government’s controversial Workchoices workplace reforms. According to estimates by police, the largest rally was held in Melbourne where more than 80,000 people were thought to be in attendance. The earlier protest in Sydney attracted some 30,000 protesters.

Smaller protests were held in other cities throughout the country.

At most rallies, members of the opposition and union leaders addressed the crowd, criticising the Howard government’s changes. Under the Workchoices system, centralised wage fixing was abolished and meal breaks, holidays and working hours became negotiable. Businesses with less than 100 employees were also given increased powers to dismiss workers. Unions and the opposition claim that the system will reduce worker’s rights and wages.

Australian federal opposition leader, Kim Beazley attended the Melbourne rally where he addressed the crowd. He said those who attended the rallies were patriots who were standing up to defend the Australian lifestyle. “This is a battle for ordinary Australian life,” he said

“This is a battle for Australian families. It’s also a battle for basic dignity in the workplace.

“You are the people that made this nation what it is.

“You are the builders of this nation. You are the true Australian patriots.”

Mr Beazley again promised that a government under his leadership would abolish the reforms.

“When we get into office in 18 months time, we will rip up these laws,” he said.

“Then we are going to put in place laws based on true Australian values.”

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), which represents a large number of employers in Australia said the total number of protesters across Australia was less than 150, 000 and labelled the protests as a day of “inaction”, despite unions calling for a “day of action”.

Peter Hendy, chief executive of the ACCI said the turnout figure is less than 10 per cent of the membership of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, which encouraged workers to participate in a “national day of action” to “protect rights at work”

Mr Hendy said only 2 percent of Australian workers participated in the protests.

South Australia Unions secretary, Janet Giles said the protests showed the dislike ordinary workers have for the laws.

“What today’s demonstrated is that the momentum of this campaign is not waning, that union members, workers, community members are out today again to say we’re still determined to campaign against these laws,” she said.

Friday, March 18, 2011

At 9:00 p.m. PDT Monday (0400 UTC Tuesday), Microsoft rolled out the first stable Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) release, available in 39 languages, for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Internet Explorer is the most used web browser, responsible for 56% of webpage hits. The new version adds support for new technologies with relation to the HTML5 specification and several feature changes. The browser was released as a beta with a campaign promoting the benefits of HTML5.

It includes support for SVG and the HTML5 canvas, audio, and video tags. It has a failing Acid3 score of 95/100, below Mozilla Firefox 4.0’s 97/100, rating and the 100/100 in Google Chrome 10. The program is the first of its series not to run on Microsoft Windows XP. It includes a redesigned layout of the address bar and the ability to pin sites to the taskbar on Windows 7, along with several minor improvements.

The browser received mixed reviews. “IE9 as a Consumer Browser — Not Worth It,” Jason Mick, DailyTech, concluded. A study by Which? on Tuesday showed that IE9’s Tracking Protection Lists, an optional anti-tracking feature, may mislead users. “We’re disappointed with the way these lists work, and feel consumers who install multiple lists could be left with a false sense of security.” Dr. Rob Reid, Which? Policy senior advisor, said.

In a more positive review, a PC Magazine reviewer said that the positives of the new browser outweighed the negatives, and it is “a major improvement over its predecessor.”

The announcement comes after the company launched a campaign to get Internet Explorer 6 usage down to 1%. Microsoft delayed the Japanese release “to reduce load on network bandwidth at such a critical time” with reference to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan this past Friday.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

On Wednesday, various cities in the Indian state of Karnataka observed Karnataka Bandh ^{((en))English language: ?Karnataka closed}, as people protested for central government to sort out the dispute of water share for the Mandovi river, also known as Mahadayi, which has been going on for decades. Bus service in Karnataka’s capital Bangalore was at a complete halt, however, the bandh was not strictly followed in southern parts of Karnataka, including in Mysore.

The 77 kilometer (about 48 mile) river originates in northern Karnataka, and flows through Goa. Almost two thirds of the river’s length is in Goa. Requests for 7.6 billion cubic feet (about 175,000 acre-feet) of river water to be released to Belagavi, Bagalkot, Dharwad and Gadag districts were made by Karnataka government for seventeen years. There were plans for Karnataka to build canals for storing water for those four districts, which are prone to drought, which were stopped by judge JN Panchal in July 2016, asserting the affects on environment.

As a result of bandh, various schools and colleges announced a holiday, and Bangalore University postponed their exams. Deputy Commissioner Ramprasath Manohar said, “Schools and colleges in Ballari district of Karnataka will remain closed in the light of the state-wide bandh called by the pro-Kannada organisations and farmers’ welfare associations”.

Indian Medical Association wore a black band for the support, as the medical services we not interrupted in Banglaore, nor were auto-rickshaw services. Hotels remained open at some places. Movie cinemas and malls were also to stay closed.

Kannada actor Prakash Raj uploaded a video on Twitter saying, “First of all, all political parties must stop politicising it. We Kannadigas have a right over the water that flows past Kalasa Banduri. In a democracy, once a political party comes to power, it is no longer just a political party, but a party that is duty-bound to work for the people it represents. Any party that keeps saying — ‘our party is ruling at the Centre, so we will take the water through political means’ — is telling a blatant lie. This is a pro-people agitation. Please don’t do politics over people’s fundamental rights. My request to all parties — please leave your political ideologies aside, put aside these attempts to beg for votes. We must come together and stand together to put pressure for our rightful share in the water. Let’s agitate and ensure our rights are given to us.”

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) claimed the timing of the bandh was a political ploy to distract from party president Amit Shah’s scheduled rally on the same day in Mysore.

Vatal Nagaraj, who heads the pro-Kannada umbrella group Kannada Okoota which called the bandh, thanked public and private organisations for their observance of the bandh and claimed it was “total” across Karnataka. He said he visited different parts of the city Thursday morning.

Speaking to Press Trust of India, Deryk Natto, the managing director of Goa’s state bus service Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited, said, “The services to Karnataka have been suspended for a day due to the strike called by them. The services will resume once the strike is called off”. 23 buses bound to Karnataka were suspended.

Due to the strikes, traffic in Bangalore was lesser than usual. Unlike the case with buses, Namma Metro service in Bengaluru was functioning. A spokesperson of the metro service said, “If and only if there is a hindrance to safety of the passengers, we will inform the police and stop services.” Police arrested protestors at the KSR Bangalore Railway station who attempted to disrupt the railway facilities. 15000 police officials were assigned for security measures in Bangalore alone.

In Mysore, a number of shops were open at 10:30 AM, and there was usual traffic. Pharmaceutical shops remained open, however, some shops were closed. Protesters forced some shops to close, but classes in The National Institute of Engineering continued. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappafew said a few days ago, “We fully support the Mahadayi project. There is no need for a bandh. Bandh is only needed in the areas where people are suffering.”

A person from Mangalore told Wikinews there was no effect of bandh in Mangalore, and some restaurants and hotels had posters, which roughly translate, “We feel sorry that you do not have water. But stop hurting our livelihood by organisining these bandhs” ^{((kn))Kannada language: ?????? ??????? ???? ??????. ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ????????! ? ???? ???? ?? ???? ??????????}“.

A bandh is scheduled on February 4, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to address a BJP rally in Bangalore.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Japanese officials announced on Friday the country’s annual whaling expedition to the north-west Pacific Ocean has captured and killed 30 minke whales. This comes after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) banned Japan from continuing its Antarctic scientific whale hunting programmes in March this year.

The Australian and New Zealand governments had brought the Antarctic whaling issue to the attention of the ICJ earlier this year. The JARPA II whaling programme had been officially classified as scientific research, however when the programme had been investigated at the ICJ, the court decided there wasn’t enough science involved to justify it. They ordered Japan to stop whaling in the Antarctic, but this ruling only mentioned JARPA II — not the annual Pacific whaling hunts.

This has allowed whaling to continue in the north-west Pacific Ocean. Even after the court had ordered the termination of JARPA II, sixty per cent of Japanese citizens still believed scientific whaling should go on, as measured in a poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in April 2014.

This sentiment was echoed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who recently stated he intended “the resumption of commercial whaling by conducting whaling research in order to obtain scientific data indispensable for the management of whale resources.”

The International Fund for Animal Welfare says up to 200 minke whales can be hunted during the North Pacific expedition. Japan has maintained scientific whaling programmes intend to understand the global whale populations, with the research programmes aiming to prove the global whale population is sustainable, allowing commercial whale hunting to resume.

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had also planned to petition the International Whaling Commission next year with a new Antarctic whaling proposal.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Rico Daniels is a British TV presenter living in France who is known for his two television series — The Salvager — whilst he still lived in the UK and then Le Salvager after he moved to France. Rico has been in a variety of jobs but his passion is now his profession – he turns unwanted ‘junk’ into unusual pieces of furniture. Rico’s creations and the methods used to fabricate them are the subject of the Salvager shows.

Rico spoke to Wikinews in January about his inspiration and early life, future plans, other hobbies and more. Read on for the full exclusive interview, published for the first time:

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Stock markets around the world, particularly those in the United States, have fallen dramatically today. This is due to the ongoing events in the financial world, including the bailout of large insurance firm AIG by the US Federal Reserve.

The primary UK index, the FTSE 100, dropped in value by 2.36%, which is 118.40 points, to below the 5000 mark at 4907.20. The Dow Jones was down 2.62% at 16:08 UTC, a slight increase from earlier today. The Dow Jones currently has a value of 10769.00 points. The Nasdaq index has fallen by 3.16% to 2138.14, while the Dax was 1.75% lower than the start of the day as of 16:08 UTC.

The Japanese index the Nikkei was one of the few to rise in value over the day. It ended up 1.2%, although this follows a large fall in the value of the index when it hit an all time low yesterday.

Darren Winder, a market analyst from Cazenove, said that “I don’t think anyone has got any or much confidence in market direction for more than a few days.”

A lot of today’s activities in the market were related to the takeover of the American International Group (AIG) on Tuesday in an US$ 85 billion loan, in exchange for a 79.9% stake in the company.

The fact that AIG has thousands of divisions engaged in business across the globe sets them apart from the recent problems with other banks. AIG was built up over the last several years via the buyouts and mergers of many companies around the world, offering AIG’s stockholders a diverse base of income which allowed it to steadily increase profits.

In addition, the markets have also had difficulties during the past week after the refusal of the Federal Reserve to bail out Lehman Brothers, forcing the company to file for bankruptcy on Monday after Bank of America (BoA) and Barclays PLC pulled out of negotiations over the weekend.