Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Penny Lucas is running for the Progressive Conservative in the Ontario provincial election, in the Kenora-Rainy River riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed regarding her values, her experience, and her campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

Saturday, April 16, 2005

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has penned a stiff reminder to drug giants Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corp. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC: pull your 15-second “reminder” ad for the erectile dysfunction drug, Levitra, off TV.

FDA said there is no evidence Levitra is better than rival drugs Viagra from Pfizer, or Cialis, owned by Eli Lilly and Co., in producing results that make female partners happy.

Levitra and Cialis together control about 30 per cent of the market for such drugs, but Pfizer takes the majority share.

Reminder ads can only call attention to a drug, not claim it works better, or at all.

“In one of [the ad’s] scenes, the man strokes the woman’s hair and face as she affectionately puts her hand on his wrist,” the FDA wrote. “In the other, she puts her arms around his neck and they embrace.”

“The totality of the TV ad also represents or suggests that Levitra will provide a satisfying sexual experience from the female partner’s perspective,” the agency wrote.

Glaxo spokesman Michael Fleming said the drug makers would comply. Bayer developed Levitra and partnered with Glaxo to market the pills in 2001. Bayer recently turned its part of the promotion over to Schering-Plough Corp.

Shares of Bayer fell 75 cents to $32.96 on Friday. Shares of GlaxoSmithKline rose 32 cents to close at $47.82. Schering-Plough shares rose 8 cents to end at $20.65.

Monday, October 12, 2015

Wikinews interviewed Australian painter Pricasso on his unique artwork created using his penis, and how his art relates to freedom of expression and issues of censorship. He is to be featured at the upcoming adult entertainment event Sexpo Australia in Melbourne this November 5 to November 8.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Hurricane Dean hit the coast of Mexico’s mainland today as a Category 2 hurricane, with winds sustained at 100 mph.

Dean moved across the Bay of Campeche, eyeing over 100 oil platforms and several oil ports in the center of the country’s oil industry. Over 14,000 workers in the area had to be evacuated.

The eye of the storm hit Tecolutla, a major tourist town. Over 10,000 people were evacuated.

Currently, there are no reports of deaths or serious injuries following the landfall in Mexico. However, the storm caused major damage to some areas with very heavy rains shutting down many roadways and flooding many homes.

Overall Dean is being blamed for at least 20 deaths in the Caribbean.

The storm has since been downgraded to Category 1 status.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Yaakov Neeman, an Israeli politician who served as justice minister and finance minister under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, died in his Jerusalem home on Sunday. He was 77.

Born in 1939 in Tel Aviv, Neeman, alongside future President Chaim Herzog, founded law firm Herzog, Fox and Neeman in 1972. He was appointed finance minister in 1979, a position he held until 1981. He was later appointed justice minister by Netanyahu, based on his legal training and loyalty.

Unusually for a senior minister, he had never served in the Knesset. He held the job for two months before resigning; he was being investigated for perjury. Michael Ben-Yair, Attorney General of the day, launched the probe after Neeman testified at a bribery trial. Neeman was cleared.

Neeman regained the Justice Ministry post in 1997, resigning again the next year. He blamed insufficient support from Netanyahu and resumed law. In 2009 Netanyahu was reelected, again appointing Neeman minister of justice. In 2013 this role passed to the Hatnua party’s Tzipi Livni.

Neeman’s last resignation, in 2013, came as he was under investigation by the Israel Tax Authority for evading tax via his law company. The Tel Aviv Magistrates Court ultimately acquitted him.

Outside law and politics Neeman was also an industrialist. He worked with Israel Aircraft Industries, airline El Al, and the Israel Atomic Energy Commission. In 1986 he was credited as key to convincing business partner Herzog, who was then president, with pardoning members of the Israel Security Agency; after a bus was hijacked, security forces shot dead two Palestinians once the hijack had concluded.

Neeman specialised in tax law. A fluent English speaker, he had degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and New York University. His wife and six children survive him.

Current President Reuven Rivlin spoke of a good lawyer and advisor whose wisdom he had sought as recently as last week. “The entire Justice Department bows his head”, said current Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. Herzog’s son Isaac Herzog, leader of the opposition Zionist Union, spoke of “a tender-hearted, broad-minded and generous man” who “was a mentor and close friend for tens of years.”

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said Neeman was “a unique figure in our public life, blessed with talent and pleasantness, who believed in his heritage and his people with his entire body.” Netanyahu called Neeman “one of the senior jurists in the country, of a sharp mind and a warm Jewish heart.”

Saturday, October 8, 2005

Numerous smuggled artifacts were found at an Austrian tour guide’s home. Five Italians were arrested and twenty-eight others are now being investigated. The Austrian, known as “Mozart” in the art trafficking world, received a citation for his involvement.

Police claim that some 600 artifacts, which had been illegally excavated, were found. Most ranged from 8th century BCE to the 5th century CE. Many of the items were gold and silver, along with ceramics. One item, a cup, has been valued at several thousand Euros.

The artifacts were plundered from an archaeological site near Rome by “Mozart” using his tour guide credentials. Italian authorities expect that the plundered artifacts will finally be displayed in Italian museums.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

A stampede today has killed over 717 Muslim pilgrims, officials say, in Mina, outside Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Muslims’ holy city, where the pilgrims gathered to throw stones at one of the three walls to symbolize the stoning of the devil, a ritual performed during the Hajj. The cause of the stampede is uncertain.

Civil defence of Saudi Arabia mentioned the death toll is continuing to rise, and 863 pilgrims were injured during the incident, and also mentioned rescue operations are under way with, as of earlier today, 4000 personnel along with more than 200 emergency and rescue units present at the scene.

This is reportedly the worst Hajj pilgrimage disaster in 25 years. A similar incident in Mina in 2006 killed more than 350 pilgrims.

Saturday, April 2, 2005Mid-Atlantic Coastal Region,USA

While residents of the northeast U,S, may doubt that Spring is really here judging from the recent cool, damp and rainy weather March has afforded the region, local flora are now springing forth from the winter chill. Throughout the region, outdoor life has begun to burst forth with buds on trees and shrubs alike.

Area forsythia are in full bloom. This common and sturdy shrub can be found all around the region and is used as a source for seasonal flower cuttings suitable for various floral arrangements. The dormant stems of forsythia may be cut and brought inside before they bloom, where they will later flower when placed in a vase filled with water. Once spent, the yellow pedals fall off fairly quickly, usually within a few days.

After months of wintry nakedness, Bradford pears also are entering their blooming season. In summer months while in full foliage, the trees are used as shade trees along city streets. But during spring bloom the resulting mess of dropping flower petals coupled with a spring rain can cover cars parked under such a tree with a sticky mess.

Regional rain fall accumulations for 2005 for January and February were 2 inches less than normal. That deficit was made up during March as the region was repeatedly soaked by rain. As a result, the total accumulation of rainfall for the year now is an inch above normal.