Swiss reject single health insurance
Monday, March 12, 2007 24 of 26 Swiss Cantons rejected the proposal for a single health insurance system, in which premiums would be based on income and wealth. The vote on Sunday was the latest in a series of attempts to cut rising costs and ease the financial burden on citizens. Around 71% of voters rejected the reform. Turnout was at about 46%, slightly above the Swiss average. As expected, voters in the main German-speaking part of the country turned down the planned reform, which was supported by the centre-left but opposed by the centre-right as well as the business community, parliament and the government. Opposition in the French and Italian speaking regions was less pronounced. The cantons Jura and Neuchâtel in the French speaking regions voted in favor of the proposed reforms. Health insurance premiums are higher in southern and western Swiss cantons than in German-speaking areas. The Swiss…
Parents prosecuted after homeopathic treatment leads to daughter’s death
Friday, May 8, 2009 Thomas Sam, 42, and his wife Manju Sam, 36, from Sydney, Australia, are undergoing trial for manslaughter by gross negligence for the death of their nine-month-old child, Gloria. She died from infection caused by severe eczema after they shunned effective conventional medical treatments for homeopathy, a form of alternative medicine that has been described as pseudoscience. Articles in peer-reviewed academic journals including Social Science & Medicine have characterized homeopathy as a form of quackery. Gloria developed severe eczema at the age of four months and the parents were advised to send the child to a skin specialist. Thomas Sam, a practising homeopath, instead decided to treat his daughter himself. His daughter’s condition deteriorated, to the point that the baby spent all her energy battling the infections caused by the constant breaking of the skin, leading to severe malnutrition and, eventually, her death. By the end, Gloria’s…
Spyware is changing users’ online habits
Wednesday, July 6, 2005 According to a report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 9 out of 10 Internet users have adjusted their online behaviour because of spyware. Of the 2,001 adults surveyed, 97% said that they had heard of the term spyware and 78% said they “had a good idea what the term meant.” 61% said they were very confident or somewhat confident they could keep thingslike computer viruses, spyware and adware off their computers. However, 34% said they have had spyware on their home computers. This number is probably much higher. In an October 2004 study, by AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance, 53% of respondents said they had spyware or adware on their computers, but a scan showed that 80% of respondents actually had such programs installed. 68% of home internet users report that they have experienced problems that are normally associated with spyware.…
Canada commits C$127.4 million to fighting tuberculosis
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 On Tuesday, World Tuberculosis Day, the Government of Canada committed C$127.4 million to the fight against tuberculosis (TB) worldwide. The Minister of International Cooperation, Beverley J. Oda, said “Our government has a comprehensive, long-term approach in the global fight against tuberculosis and Canadians can be proud that our country continues to be an international leader. We have achieved significant results, as Canada has already contributed to the successful treatment of more than four million tuberculosis sufferers and saved over half a million lives.” Three programs will be funded via the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The Reach Facility Accelerated Case Detection Program will receive $100 million, The Capacity Building for Tuberculosis Control Program will gain $20 million and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Control Program will receive $7.4 million. It is reported that the CIDA minister will increase aid to Africa twofold where TB…
Tattoo with identifying details leads to prosecution of thief in Bristol, UK
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 A thief in Bristol, United Kingdom, has been prosecuted due to incriminating evidence in the form of a tattoo on his neck with his name and date of birth that was captured by police CCTV, when he was in the process of stealing a Satellite navigation system in a car planted by police to find criminals. Aarron Evans, the thief, today pleaded guilty to charges of theft at Bristol Magistrates’ Court. He is aged 21 and he is illiterate and has no fixed address. The sentence was for seven months imprisonment. Ian Wylie, who is police superintendent for the Bristol district commented on the incident. “Criminals won’t be tolerated in Bristol and we will keep catching them and bringing them before the courts,” he said. “We get such excellent images from these cameras that there is often, and never more so than in this case, no…
Haitian earthquake: in pictures
Friday, January 15, 2010 Haiti was hit by a heavy earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 on Tuesday, killing an unknown number of people, and destroying up to ten percent of buildings in the capital, Port-au-Prince. No official death toll has been released as of yet, although the United Nations says that up to fifty thousand people may potentially have been killed. An estimated 300,000 more were left without homes. In a special photo report, Wikinews looks at the extensive damage caused by the disaster. To find more information about a certain image or to enlarge it, click it. For an in-depth textual report on the same subject, please see Haiti relief efforts: in depth. A map indicating the strength of the earthquake, with redder areas being harder hit. The star indicates the epicentre. Another graphical representation of the earthquake’s epicentre. As can be seen, it is very close to…
World AIDS Day events held around the globe
Sunday, December 2, 2007 The 20th annual World AIDS Day was December 1, 2007. The theme selected by the World AIDS Campaign is “Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise” as it will be through 2010. The day was marked by thousands of events around the world. “It is now time for bold leadership at all levels in order to turn the tide of HIV,” said Felicita Hikuam, Global Programmes Manager, World AIDS Campaign. An estimated 33.2 million people around the world—one in every 200—are living with HIV, and approximately 6,800 people are infected with HIV and 5,700 people die of AIDS-related illnesses every day. “The trend is encouraging but still for every person receiving treatment four others are newly infected,” said Nelson Mandela, speaking at a concert in Johannesburg, South Africa. “If we are to stop the Aids epidemic from expanding, we need to break the cycle of new HIV infections.…
Annie Awards for animation Sunday; Wikinews will be there
Thursday, February 8, 2007 This Sunday, the International Animated Film Association (Association International du Film d’Animation) or ASIFA will hand out the Annie Awards in Glendale, California. As animation’s highest honor, the crowd is always a who’s who of direction, art design, character design, layout, visual effects, and voice artists. There are 23 award categories in the Annies, sorted into Individual Achievement and Production categories. Perhaps the most competitive category is “Best Animated Feature”, which will be a fight between Cars (Pixar Animation Studios), Happy Feet (Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures/Kennedy Miller Production/Animal Logic Film), Monster House (Columbia Pictures/ImageMovers/Amblin), Open Season (Sony Pictures Animation/Columbia Pictures) and Over The Hedge (DreamWorks Animation). Cars, Happy Feet, and Monster House are all nominated in the Academy Awards for the same category, perhaps signifying an edge up in the competition. Direct-to-DVD releases are eligible for the “Best Home Entertainment Production”. Included are Bambi II…
CanadaVOTES: NDP incumbent David Christopherson running in Hamilton Centre
Friday, September 26, 2008 On October 14, 2008, Canadians will be heading to the polls for the federal election. New Democratic Party incumbent David Christopherson is standing for re-election in the riding of Hamilton Centre. From 1985-1990, he served as a Hamilton City Councillor for Ward Four. He was elected to Ontario legislature in 1990, defeating a Liberal cabinet minister. Under Bob Rae, Christopherson served as Minister of Correctional Services and Solicitor-General. He did not seek re-election to legislature in 2003, opting to run for mayor of Hamilton. Considered a frontrunner, he lost to Larry Di Ianni. He returned to politics just months later, changing his focus to federal politics. Christopherson beat Liberal cabinet minister Stan Keyes, the incumbent, serving as NDP critic for cities, community infrastructure, labour and steel policy. He has served as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and Deputy Chair…
Citizens protest Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal
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 Monday, March 20, 2006 Buffalo, New York —On Saturday March 18, citizens in Buffalo demonstrated to make their voices be heard. The protest mounted…