Russian reverse engineers Skype; uploads source to public
Saturday, June 11, 2011 A Russian programming researcher Efim Bushmanov uploaded the Skype source on Blogspot, Torrent, and Github last Tuesday. Bushmanov said that his release engineering work is “not finished,” and stated that the purpose of its release is “community involvement.” Bushmanov said that his motivation was a story in the Wall Street Journal which described possible eavesdropping on Skype by governmental agencies. The upload to public would allow people to participate with further work on the reverse engineering which is not yet finished. Skype responded by a promise to support security of the Skype users and to investigate and prevent the attacks this can cause: “This unauthorized use of our application for malicious activities like spamming/phishing infringes on Skype’s intellectual property. We are taking all necessary steps to prevent/defeat nefarious attempts to subvert Skype’s experience. Skype takes its users’ safety and security seriously and we work tirelessly to…
Indian lawyers debate how to execute Mohammad Afzal
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Even as the debate over whether Mohammad Afzal should be put to death for his role in the foiled 2001 attack on Indian Parliament rages on, lawyers are trying to determine the most humane method by which he may be executed. Some are quoting a Law Commission report that says lethal injection is the most painless way of ending a condemned person’s life. A former member of the Law Commission, N M Ghatate said Hanging is one of the cruelest ways of putting a man to death because he gets strangulated and his eyes pop out. There are many other gory details and he has to be prepared for the punishment. Afzal’s lawyer Gavin Fernandes however rejected the lethal injection idea stating Lethal injection has been held to be cruel, inhuman and degrading. This goes to show that whenever you take a life, whether it is…
South Korea: Fire in hospital housing elderly people kills at least 37
Friday, January 26, 2018 Fire broke out on Friday morning and destroyed the bottom two floors of a six-story hospital in Miryang, South Korea, killing at least 37 people, most of them elderly. More than a hundred injuries were reported, with eighteen people in critical condition. This is the highest death toll from fire in South Korea in almost a decade. The fire is believed to have started at about 7:30 local time, according to fire chief Choi Man-woo. It originated on the ground floor in the emergency room as per various officials. The hospital has 98 beds and a medical staff of about 35, and specializes in long-term care of elderly patients. It adjoins a nursing home, all of whose 94 residents were evacuated. Staff carried some patients out of the hospital on their backs. One patient, Jang Yeong-jae, who told his story to JoongAng Ilbo, said he escaped…
Vestas protesters sacked with immediate effect
Thursday, July 30, 2009 Eleven of the 25 workers at the Vestas factory in Newport, Isle of Wight, England who have been carrying out a sit-in since Monday July 20 have been sacked with immediate effect. According to one of the protesters known as “Mike”, the occupiers were given their dismissal notices concealed under slices of their evening meal of pizza. The company said that the protesters have had ample opportunity to air their point of view, and had no choice but to sack eleven of the twenty five workers that they had positively identified; and that given that the fact that the action constituted a “fundamental breach” of trust, that the eleven would not be entitled to redundancy packages. A press release from the company said that Vestas “saw no other choice than to dismiss the 11 employees, who the company has positively identified as the employees currently participating…
British Airways flight makes emergency landing in Iceland, terrorism ruled out
Saturday, August 26, 2006 A British Airways (BA) flight from London to Denver made an emergency landing at an airport in Iceland today after smoke was seen emerging from an oven in the aircraft’s rear kitchen. A BA spokesman said that the Boeing 777 landed safely at Keflavik Airport. He added that the plane’s 268 passengers left the craft unharmed. A spokeswoman from the Iceland Civil Aviation Administration ruled out any terrorist involvement. She added: “They were 50 miles from Keflavik when it was thought there was a fire. But it turned out to be only smoke.” The flight should complete its journey to the US tomorrow. Passengers are spending the night in a hotel. Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=British_Airways_flight_makes_emergency_landing_in_Iceland,_terrorism_ruled_out&oldid=927870”
Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Suzanne Fortin, Nepean-Carleton
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Suzanne Fortin is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Nepean-Carleton riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed her 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. Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Ontario_Votes_2007:_Interview_with_Family_Coalition_Party_candidate_Suzanne_Fortin,_Nepean-Carleton&oldid=1852352”
Air Mauritania Boeing 737 hijacked
Thursday, February 15, 2007 A hijacked Air Mauritania Boeing 737 passenger plane has landed on Spain’s Canary Islands after making a fuel stop in Western Sahara, officials in Mauritania said today. It was hijacked after the takeoff from the Nouakchott airport. While on the plane, the man demanded it to be flown to France to seek asylum. The 71 passengers and eight person crew were let out when the hijacker landed the plane in Las Palmas. Several people were wounded by a gun and the suspect was arrested. Reports say that it is unconfirmed as to what the man’s motive was. Mauritanian police are still investigating. Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Air_Mauritania_Boeing_737_hijacked&oldid=1863970”
In depth: Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal controversy
Friday, May 26, 2006 Buffalo, N.Y. Hotel Proposal Controversy Recent Developments “Old deeds threaten Buffalo, NY hotel development” — Wikinews, November 21, 2006 “Proposal for Buffalo, N.Y. hotel reportedly dead: parcels for sale “by owner”” — Wikinews, November 16, 2006 “Contract to buy properties on site of Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal extended” — Wikinews, October 2, 2006 “Court date “as needed” for lawsuit against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal” — Wikinews, August 14, 2006 “Preliminary hearing for lawsuit against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal rescheduled” — Wikinews, July 26, 2006 “Elmwood Village Hotel proposal in Buffalo, N.Y. withdrawn” — Wikinews, July 13, 2006 “Preliminary hearing against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal delayed” — Wikinews, June 2, 2006 Original Story “Hotel development proposal could displace Buffalo, NY business owners” — Wikinews, February 17, 2006 In February of 2006, the Savarino Services Construction Corp. proposed the construction of a seven million dollar hotel on Elmwood…
Israel “illegally annexing” east Jerusalem, EU reports
Friday, December 4, 2009 A classified European Union report for 2009 says Israel is actively pursuing the annexation of east Jerusalem. The report accuses Israel of implementing an intricate policy including expanding Jewish settlements and demolishing Palestinian homes. It says policies “are undermining prospects for a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem and incrementally render a sustainable two-state solution unfeasible”; this is described as, “an integral part of a broader Israeli strategy.” Israeli Foreign ministry spokesperson, Yigal Palmor, told AFP that the report was “dishonest”, “reflects the Palestinian propaganda” and “is based exclusively on Palestinian versions and figures.” This comes as EU foreign ministers prepare a statement on the Middle East. To allow for US initiatives, EU foreign ministers have not commented on the stalemate between Israel and the Palestinians over past months; but, diplomatic sources say there are “sensitivities” over a Swedish proposal to divide Jerusalem in any peace deal.…
Honolulu man dies after fall into sewage-contaminated harbor
Saturday, April 8, 2006 A Honolulu man who fell into the sewage-contaminated Ala Wai Yacht Harbor died Thursday night of a massive bacterial infection that caused the loss of one of his legs, septic shock, and ultimately organ failure. Oliver Johnson, 34, a Honolulu mortgage broker, died between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m. HST Thursday (0715-0730 UTC Friday) when his family removed him from life support. On Friday, March 31, Johnson had apparently fallen into the waters of the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, located at the mouth of the Ala Wai Canal on the western side of Waikiki. At the time, the canal and surrounding beaches were contaminated by over 48 million gallons of untreated sewage. The extent to which the sewage spill contributed to Johnson’s symptoms remains unclear. Johnson earlier reported that he had fallen accidentally into the harbor, then later indicated that he had been involved in a fight…