Mohamed al-Sumaidaie, Iraq’s ambassador to the United Nations, accused U.S. marines of murdering his cousin’s 21-year-old son, Mohammed Sumaidaie, who was studying engineering at the University of Technology in Baghdad. “All indications point to a killing of an unarmed innocent civilian – a cold-blooded murder,” said Sumaidaie. “The Marines were smiling at each other as they were leaving.”
Sumaidaie called for an investigation of the alleged June 25 killing of the student while the US military said the charges “roughly correspond to an incident involving coalition forces on that day in that general location.” U.S.-led forces were conducting a sweep in the western portion of Anbar, in the province of Sumaidaie’s ancestral villiage.
Sumaidaie said the “Americans come and rough up the youths in the village demanding information which they simply do not have,”
The alleged victim was at his father’s house with his mother when marines knocked at the door the ambassador said, quoting the young man’s mother. According to Sumaidaie’s letter, the Marines asked if there were any weapons, and Mohammed said there was a rifle, which only had blanks. He then led some of the Marines into his father’s bedroom where it was kept. The younger brother of the dead student was dragged by his hair into a corridor and beaten while the rest of the family was told to wait outside, he said.
After waiting for more than an hour on the porch, the marines left, and the victim’s mother found her son dead with a bullet to the neck, according to Sumaidaie.
“The mother let off a deafening cry of anguish but the marines were smiling at each other as they were leaving,” Sumaidaie said. “In the bedroom, Mohamed was found dead and laying in a clotted pool of his blood.”
U.S. Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Johnson said, “We take these allegations seriously and will thoroughly investigate this incident to determine what happened.”
Tuesday, March 8, 2005Genetic abnormalities behind the premature aging disease Progeria have been corrected in cells in a step towards gene therapy for the condition.
Affecting about one in eight million children, Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria (HGP) causes sufferers to rapidly experience symptoms of old age.
The average life expectancy of those afflicted is just around 14 years, with many dying from such age-related conditions as heart disease.
The disease is known to be caused by a mutation in the gene lamin A.
The mutation is thought to adversely affect the expression of genes by preventing appropriate genetic “editing.”
The inappropriate editing cuts exons—”sentences” of genetic information—too short.
Tom Misteli and colleagues of the US National Cancer Institute have now found a way to correct the editing error.
They did this using synthetic molecules called morpholino oligonucleotides that Misteli likens to a “molecular Band-Aid.”
The researchers say the discovery could aid the development of gene therapy for Progeria.
Paola Scaffidi & Tom Misteli. “Reversal of the cellular phenotype in the premature aging disease Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome” — Nature Medicine, March 6, 2005
“Ageing disease ‘gene clue’ found” — BBC News, March 7, 2004
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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.
World Travel Insurance Can Help You Travel the Globe Safely
by
Peter Joness
When you decide to travel outside the country whether for business or for pleasure, one of the first things you need to investigate is how to purchase world travel insurance. Of course, you should never travel without insurance but when you are leaving your home country having travel insurance that will cover you while you are overseas is critical. World travel insurance will cover all the standard situations that may disrupt your trip lost or stolen baggage, delays and cancellations, and other inconveniences. As important as these are, the most important element of world wide travel insurance is medical coverage.
Even if you have your own personal health policy, you may not be covered while you are overseas. That means that should the unthinkable happen and you fall ill or have an accident, what ever expenses you incur will have to come out of your own pocket. For minor emergencies this may not be a big deal but should you need to be evacuated back to your own country, the cost can be in the tens of thousands or more. World travel insurance can remove this worry by covering you while you are away. Many policies will not only cover your in-hospital expenses but pay to have you brought back home. The most comprehensive policies will also cover the cost to have a companion travel back with you.
Needless to say, when you begin to compare the different world wide travel insurance policies available to you, you need to take a very long look at the medical coverage. True, not all problems are big problems when it comes to health situations. While you may be able to cover the cost of small problems it can still set you back financially. Even the smallest problem can make the small investment made in world travel insurance well worth it.
As you begin your search for actual policies, think about what type of insurance makes the most sense for you. Will you be taking just one trip or would it make more sense to buy a policy that covers all trips for an annual period? The type of travel you do can make a big difference to the cost of your world travel insurance. If you travel frequently, you can save a considerable amount of both time and money by purchasing a policy that is good for a specified time period rather than buying individual policies for each of your trips.
So now you know what you need and you are ready to shop. You have two options. You can turn to an insurance broker or you can go online and search for global travel insurance. Most people prefer the convenience of in-home shopping and the Internet will give you a good comprehensive set of policies to choose from. You will find individual travel insurance companies with websites that allow you to gather price quotes as well as portal sites that will provide you with quotes from a variety of companies. You can then compare the actual policies in order to select the one that presents you with the best value. When it is all said and done, you will have a good global travel insurance policy and you can set off on your travel worry free.
Peter Jones is a consultant at 1Cover
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A former vice president of the Bartlett Park District in Illinois, United States was sentenced to 30 months of probation and 200 hours of community service for possession of child pornography. Charles Rowe, a 61-year-old commissioner of the park district since 2001, was also fined US$1,000 and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
The investigation against Mr. Rowe began in September 2007 when PayPal tipped law enforcement authorities of the illegal purchase. On July 22, 2008, Bartlett police officers and federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement executed a search warrant on his home and seized his computers. He was later arrested on December 10 and was charged with two Class 3 felony counts of possession of child pornography. He posted the minimum 10% of his US$100,000 bond and was released from the DuPage County jail the next day, when he effectively resigned from his post on the park district board. He pleaded guilty to one of the two counts on November 30, 2009.
The crime apparently did not use park district computers. Mr. Rowe was first elected to the board in 2001 and was reelected to a second six-year term in 2007. A background check done on him after his election revealed no previous criminal record.
A Northwest Airbus A330 with Delta Air Lines livery (Delta and Northwest have merged), similar to the one involved in the incident aboard Flight 253.Image: Gietje.
U.S. authorities have charged Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab with trying to blow up a plane on its descent into the city of Detroit, Michigan on Friday. The man, who comes from a prominent Nigerian family, was read the charges in a hospital Saturday, where he is being treated for burns.
Abdulmutallab was asked if he understood the charges against him, and he answered in English that he did. Witnesses reported he was in a wheelchair with a blanket over his lap.
The U.S. government accuses the Nigerian national of bringing an explosive device onto Friday’s Northwest Airlines Flight 253 plane from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. A preliminary analysis by federal authorities indicates he used a syringe to detonate a highly explosive substance, identified as PETN. Abdulmutallab said he got the explosives in Yemen from an Al Qaeda bomb maker who sewed the device into his underwear.
Passengers have told investigators the man went into the bathroom for 20 minutes before landing and complained about stomach problems before pulling a blanket on himself.
Just as the plane was getting ready to land, they heard a pop, smelled smoke and then saw the man on fire. A Dutch passenger, Jasper Schuringa, jumped on the Nigerian to subdue him, and a fire extinguisher was used to put out the fire.
The House Committee on Homeland Security chairman, Bennie Thompson, said it was a very close call. “We’re just fortunate nothing happened. This was a serious situation,” he said. Thompson said Congress will look into the matter soon. “As soon as we reconvene from the holiday recess, we will start looking into the circumstances around the Northwest flight incident.”
Nigeria’s acting ambassador to the United States, Babagana Wakil, immediately issued a statement, which he read to the Voice of America over the phone. “Expectedly, the embassy is already in contact with relevant U.S. authorities over the incident to facilitate any preliminary investigations to get to the bottom of this unfortunate development. Officers from the embassy have already flown to Michigan to gain consular access to the individual under investigation, and to offer the mission’s cooperation to federal and local authorities,” he said.
The suspect’s family members in Nigeria said they were shocked. The suspect’s father, an accountant and businessman, was previously a very well known banker in Africa’s most populous nation. Friends and family said Adbulmutallab had studied in Togo and London, and that he had recently made several trips to Yemen. His father had, apparently, made concerns with his son’s extremist connections known to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.
Adbulmutallab told the FBI he met with a radical Yemeni cleric he corresponded with online. The cleric is not believed to be Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Imam connected to Major Nidal Malik Hasan who carried out the Fort Hood shooting last month.
Friday, the White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism. U.S. media reports say the suspect told interrogators he had affiliations with Al Qaeda.
The charges that were read against him Saturday carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Meanwhile, security screening measures have upgraded in the wake of the foiled attack, including only allowing one carry-on bag for international passengers, banning anyone from moving around the airplane during the last hour of the flight and additional “unpredictable” measures that will vary from airport to airport.
Portrait of Griffith taken January 12, 2020. Image: Richard Townshend.
Andrew Griffith, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, told members of the United Kingdom House of Commons Tuesday the government was considering a “digital pound”, with public consultations on the attributes and regulation of digital assets expected in the coming weeks.
Speaking before Parliament’s Treasury Select Committee, Griffith reported the government was “a long way down the road […] to establish a regime for the wholesale use, for payment purposes, of stablecoins”, cryptocurrencies less susceptible to price fluctuations by being pegged to traditional assets.
While affirming commitments for the UK to become a cryptocurrency hub, Griffith said creating regulations for a digital pound would be “a long lead-time activity.”
Griffith told the Committee the first use of a digital pound would likely be for settling financial transactions wholesale, but suggested public policy considerations meant a private, fiat-based stablecoin could probably do the job first.
Nevertheless, he said: “We have got to get them [public policy issues] right. I would rather be right than be first”.
Griffith expressed the desire that a regulatory regime, Britain’s first for crypto assets, would be included in the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which is being debated in the House of Lords. He said embracing “potentially disruptive game-changing technology” could “challenge but also turbocharge” the UK’s fintech and financial industries.
Digital currencies are being explored by central banks worldwide, with China testing a digital yuan in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and the European Union (EU) due to publish draft legislation to establish and regulate a digital euro later this year.
The European Central Bank is due to complete its two-year investigation phase for a digital euro in July, when it will be followed by three years of implementation.
Consumer protection has come under scrutiny during the ‘crypto winter’ precipitated by a fall in the value of Bitcoin and the collapse of major exchange FTX. The EU has previously laid out the world’s first comprehensive ruleset for regulating crypto markets, which may enter effect in 2024. Griffith indicated the UK’s rules could be broader to cover decentralised finance, and that the public consultation over regulating crypto assets would be part of a “research and exploration” phase with the government and the Bank of England.
This includes “at least” six discussions with industry members to “expose us as regulators and decision makers” and uphold Britain’s “strong financial reputation”.
Vitaly Filipchenko. Image: Campaign to Elect Vitaly for NYC Mayor.
In early May, Wikinews extended an invitation to Vitaly Filipchenko, an independent candidate in the 2021 New York City mayoral election, set to take place November 2nd, alongside other candidates. Filipchenko answered some questions about his policies and campaign during a phone interview.
Filipchenko, registered on the New York City Campaign Finance Board as Vitaly A. Filipchenko, is the first Russian candidate for New York City mayor, being born in Tomsk, Siberia in 1973, according to news agency Sputnik. He has since naturalised as a United States citizen. According to the web site, Filipchenko has been educated in road construction and maintenance and owns a moving services company; he describes himself on his web site as a “small business owner”. On his web site’s platform page, he says that “[m]y English may not be perfect – but my platform is.”
Incumbent Democratic mayor Bill de Blasio, who won re-election in the 2017 New York City mayoral election by 66.5%, cannot run for a third term under term limits. As of April 28, 22 candidates are currently running, the majority of whom are also Democrats. Ahead of the June Democratic primary for New York City mayor, a poll conducted May 23 and 24 by WPIX and Emerson College of 12 Democratic candidates with a margin of error of 3.2 per cent has former commissioner for the New York City Department of Sanitation Kathryn Garcia and Borough President of Brooklyn Eric Adams leading with 21.1% and 20.1%, respectively.
Vitaly Filipchenko. Image: Campaign to Elect Vitaly for NYC Mayor.
In early May, Wikinews extended an invitation to Vitaly Filipchenko, an independent candidate in the 2021 New York City mayoral election, set to take place November 2nd, alongside other candidates. Filipchenko answered some questions about his policies and campaign during a phone interview.
Filipchenko, registered on the New York City Campaign Finance Board as Vitaly A. Filipchenko, is the first Russian candidate for New York City mayor, being born in Tomsk, Siberia in 1973, according to news agency Sputnik. He has since naturalised as a United States citizen. According to the web site, Filipchenko has been educated in road construction and maintenance and owns a moving services company; he describes himself on his web site as a “small business owner”. On his web site’s platform page, he says that “[m]y English may not be perfect – but my platform is.”
Incumbent Democratic mayor Bill de Blasio, who won re-election in the 2017 New York City mayoral election by 66.5%, cannot run for a third term under term limits. As of April 28, 22 candidates are currently running, the majority of whom are also Democrats. Ahead of the June Democratic primary for New York City mayor, a poll conducted May 23 and 24 by WPIX and Emerson College of 12 Democratic candidates with a margin of error of 3.2 per cent has former commissioner for the New York City Department of Sanitation Kathryn Garcia and Borough President of Brooklyn Eric Adams leading with 21.1% and 20.1%, respectively.
The government of Finland has announced it will offer to send three specialist firefighting helicopters, 25 firefighters and 2-3 forest fire experts to Greece via the European Union to assist with the forest fire emergency Greece is currently experiencing.
Greece is currently in urgent need of fixed-wing aircraft with water-bombing capabilities, assets which Finland does not posses. If the Greek authorities deem Finland’s offers to be suitable, they will be dispatched with immediate effect, within six hours of Greece requesting the rotorcraft and personnel.
It is thought that the men would most likely be put to use protecting built-up areas in an attempt to prevent the death toll, already over 60, from rising any higher.
The helicopters have been sourced via a private company. Finland said that the country could not commit to send the aircraft any sooner without arrangements being made to cover their removal from service, as otherwise safety in Finland would be severely jeopardised, with emergency aircraft unavailable should Finland experience any fires of its own.
The helicopters Finland have available can each carry up to 800 litres of water or foam retardant, whereas large firefighting planes can carry tens of thousands of litres.
Finland had previously thought they would be unable to spare any help for Greece, and it was only after much sourcing of aircraft from the private sector that Finland was able to make the offer. Finland are also looking into whether they may be of assistance in reforestation efforts after the fires have been extinguished.
This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.
The implosion of a relationship between Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and journalist Rachel Marsden has resulted in controversy and international headlines. Associated Press and ABC News have also reported on questionable activity by Wales involving Wikimedia Foundation expenses. The Wikimedia Foundation is a donor-supported non-profit organization which runs Wikipedia.
Marsden had contacted Wales two years ago about concerns she had over the article about her on Wikipedia, and Wales determined the article was not compliant with Wikipedia’s standards. The tech blog Valleywag revealed Wales had a personal relationship with Marsden, and posted supposed transcripts of their instant message conversations on its site, www.valleywag.com. Wales and Marsden met in February, and The Times reported that “An apparent transcript of their conversations before that meeting suggests that, although Mr Wales had withdrawn from the editing process, he was still influencing the editors.” The Times quoted Wales from the chat logs as having stated to Marsden “The truth is of course a much worse conflict of interest than that; but that will do.” — in reference to his conflict of interest regarding Marsden’s article on Wikipedia.
Wales posted a public statement on Saturday on Wikipedia addressing the matter, and stated that his relationship with Marsden was over: “First, while I find it hard to imagine that anyone really cares about my sex life, the facts are: I am separated from my wife. I considered myself single at the time of my one meeting with Rachel Marsden on Feb. 9, 2008 … I am no longer involved with Rachel Marsden. Gossipy stories suggesting that I have been in a relationship with her ‘since last fall’ are completely false … I care deeply about the integrity of Wikipedia, and take very seriously my responsibilities as a member of the board and as a member of the Wikipedia community. I would never knowingly do anything to compromise that trust.” With regard to the conflict of interest in Marsden’s article, Wales had acknowledged to a team of Wikipedia editors in February 2008 that he and Marsden “became friends … and that we would be meeting about that,” and stated “I recused myself from any further official action with respect to her biography.”
On Sunday, The Canadian Press reported that Marsden had posted photos of herself on Ebay, and was selling items that Wales had left at her New York City apartment. In her Ebay posting, Marsden stated: “Hi, my name is Rachel and my (now ex-) boyfriend, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, just broke up with me via an announcement on Wikipedia … It was such a classy move that I was inspired to do something equally classy myself, so I’m selling a couple of items of clothing he left behind, here in my NYC apartment, on eBay. Jimbo was supposed to come visit me in a couple of weeks and pick up some of his stuff, but obviously that won’t be happening now.” Marsden told The Canadian Press “It didn’t really help matters that Jimmy chose to announce the breakup to the entire world via Wikipedia (which apparently now is an online encyclopedia that doubles as a personal soapbox?) rather than to me directly (which he did much later, in an instant message discussion).”
I care deeply about the integrity of Wikipedia, and take very seriously my responsibilities as a member of the board and as a member of the Wikipedia community. I would never knowingly do anything to compromise that trust.
Marsden placed a t-shirt and sweater which she said were left at her apartment by Wales up on Ebay, and started the bidding for each at ninety-nine cents, with the auctions set to end on March 12. By Monday, bidding on the t-shirt had reached US$300, and by Tuesday the highest bid had reached $12,200. In an email to The Globe and Mail, Marsden stated “My only focus right now, to be really honest, is on my career and finding a way to get back into print, TV, or radio here in NYC,” she wrote. “All of this other personal stuff is just an unfortunate distraction.”
Jay Walsh, the Wikimedia Foundation’s head of communications, told the San Jose Mercury News that Wales’ actions in relaying Marsden’s concerns about her Wikipedia article to a team of trusted editors was within his “routine” role. When asked by the San Jose Mercury News if Wales’ actions regarding the Marsden article could compromise his role with the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikipedia, Walsh responded “No, absolutely not.”
On Tuesday, ABC News carried a story by Wired News reporter Megan McCarthy regarding allegations of “excessive spending” by Wales, and Associated Press also reported on questions involving Wikimedia Foundation expenses. McCarthy reported that former Wikimedia executive Danny Wool, who had left the foundation last year, criticized Wales’ use of Wikimedia Foundation expenses in a blog post. Wool stated that Wales had tried to expense $300 bottles of wine, a $1,300 dinner for four at a Florida steakhouse, and visits to Moscow massage parlors to the foundation, and that the foundation rescinded Wales’ corporate credit card in 2006. Wool also stated that Wales paid the foundation $7,000, after being short $30,000 on receipts for expenses.
Wool told EPICENTER that “There were occasions where he used [the Wikimedia Foundation] for personal advancement under the guide [sic] of the mission. And, as someone who was in there for the mission part of it, I found that rather distressful.” Wool commented in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle: “Originally, it was carelessness … But as things developed, it became more apparent and obvious that he was taking advantage of the foundation credit card. It was almost like his personal piggy bank.”
Florence Devouard in 2006. Image: Gus Freedman/Wikimedia Foundation.
Jimmy has never used Wikimedia money to subsidize his personal expenditures. Indeed, he has consistently put the foundation’s interests ahead of his own.
In an instant message exchange with Associated Press, Wales denied that the Wikimedia Foundation had taken away his corporate credit card, and asserted that he had made the decision to stop expensing business travel for the foundation. Wales highlighted a statement by the foundation’s executive director Sue Gardner: “Jimmy has never used Wikimedia money to subsidize his personal expenditures. Indeed, he has consistently put the foundation’s interests ahead of his own.” In an email to Associated Press, Brad Patrick, a former attorney for the Wikimedia Foundation, stated “Danny seems interested in blogging his way straight to a lawsuit”.
Florence Devouard, who chairs the Wikimedia Foundation, told Associated Press that Wales had been “slow in submitting receipts,” and that the foundation had rejected Wales’ expense at the Florida steakhouse. Devouard told fellow foundation board members in a private email that she had convinced Associated Press that “the money story was a no story,” and told Wales “I find (it) tiring to see how you are constantly trying to rewrite the past. Get a grip!” Wales told Associated Press: “The board, the current executive director, the previous executive director, and independent auditors have reviewed our books and publicly agree that all of my expenses were appropriate and fully accounted for.”
Media reports speculated on how the controversy would end up being represented in Wikipedia itself. On Wednesday, the St. Petersburg Times wrote: “Wales’ Wikipedia page said only this about Marsden: ‘Wales had a brief relationship with Canadian journalist Rachel Marsden.'” An article in The Australian surmised: “History will decide whether Mr Wales broke his own principles, but before that happens there may well be a Wikipedia page devoted to the controversy.”
