MMVAs handed out in Toronto, Canada; Wikinews was there

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Last night was the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

MuchMusic is the most watched music channel in Canada, and has been holding the event since 1990. Roughly 6,000 fans line the streets surrounding Much headquarters each year, and 1,200 more score “the wristband” and enjoy a free festival-style show in the parking lot, watching four outdoor performance areas spread out in the downtown location. New this year was a special roof-top stage, on the top of the building. Finger Eleven performed on this stage, way above the crowds.

Other performers at the show were Avril Lavigne, Fergie, Billy Talent, Hilary Duff, Alexisonfire, Maroon 5, Belly, and The Used.

Presenters included Nickelback, Jay Manuel (Canada’s Next Top Model, America’s Next Top Model), Tara Reid (American Pie, this fall’s Land of Canaan), Joss Stone, Sum 41, Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, Grudge 2), Hedley, Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Sean Avery (New York Rangers), George, Sam Roberts, Emilie de Ravin (LOST), Marianas Trench, and Kardinal Offishall.

Among the awards up for grabs were four People’s Choice categories, which were open for text message (within Canada) or online ballots until the night of.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Democrats in the United States House of Representatives have sent a letter to new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asking her to release funds to reconstruct agencies in the Gaza Strip.

The letter also said she should try to reason with Israel to allow people in Gaza in need of medical attention and emergency transportation between the Israel and Gaza border.

The letter, released to the AFP news agency, says “[w]e… urge you to express this concern directly to Israeli government officials”. The letter says the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) need an estimated $350 million dollars for rebuilding of Gaza and to provide relief to residents. “Failure to address this humanitarian emergency has the potential to produce a crisis of even more unspeakable proportions,” the letter added, “we therefore respectfully request that the State Department release emergency funds to UNRWA for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance”.

They also urged Clinton and her team to make a list of “actions taken to date and the strategy you will pursue to address the humanitarian crisis”, saying “[w]ith the ceasefire now in effect, it is critical that the United States play a leading role in alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza and we respectfully urge your assistance in this task”.

Israel began a ceasefire on January 18 after a 23 day offensive, in an attempt to stop rocket fire into Israel by Hamas militants, but has warned that they reserve the right to resume action if the shelling of Israel did not stop.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Russ Aegard is running for the Green Party of Ontario in the Ontario provincial election, in the Thunder Bay-Atikokan riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his 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, January 29, 2011

U.S. Prohibition Party presidential candidate Jim Hedges of Thompson Township, Pennsylvania took some time to answer a few questions about the Prohibition Party and his 2012 presidential campaign.

The Prohibition Party is the third oldest existing political party in the United States, having been established in 1869. It reached its height of popularity during the late 19th century. The party heavily supported the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned the sale of alcohol, and resulted in the US period known as Prohibition (1919–33). It was repealed in 1933. The party has declined since this period, but has continued to nominate candidates for the presidential election.

In 2003, the party split into two factions. Preacher Gene Amondson and perennial candidate Earl Dodge were nominated for the presidency by their respective factions. After Dodge’s death in 2007, the party reunified and named Amondson as its sole presidential nominee for 2008. During the election, Amondson was interviewed by Wikinews. He died in 2009, leaving an opening in the party for 2012.

Jim Hedges is a longtime Prohibition activist, who holds the distinction of the first individual of the 21st century (and the first since 1959) to be elected to a political office under the Prohibition Party banner. In 2001, he was elected as the Thompson Township tax assessor, and was re-elected to the post in 2005. He served until his term expired in 2010. Hedges declared his intent to run for the Prohibition Party presidential nomination on February 18, 2010. This marks his first run for the presidency.

Friday, October 21, 2016

The following is the fifth edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2016 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month’s biggest stories.

In this month’s edition on the campaign trail: an arrest warrant is issued for the Green Party presidential and vice presidential nominees; the “Birther King” opens up about Donald Trump’s changing view on President Obama’s place of birth; and Wikinews interviews a write-in presidential candidate hoping to run the “most libertarian” campaign in history.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Doctor Don Brash, New Zealand National party leader, is seeking legal advice to see if the injunction he has placed on his emails to stop them from being published will still be valid if he lets a new book based around those emails to be released to the public. Dr Brash, however, wants the people who he sent emails and received emails from not named.

“As I’ve said earlier, I want to see the book by Nicky Hager published so that the claims can be exposed to daylight,” Dr Brash said, “On the strength of the initial discussion with Mr Brown [legal counsel], I am confident that there are ways in which the book can be released, even in the next few days. These are being actively explored.

The book in question is by Nicky Hager and has been given the title: The Hollow Men: A Study in the Politics of Deception. It includes emails that were, allegedly, given to him by insiders in the National party, who Mr Hager will not name, it also includes interviews with unhappy people inside the National party. Despite the claims made by Mr Hager, Dr Brash is still adamant that they were stolen from his computer.

The book includes political strategies behind the Orewa speech, the input into Nationals campaign from neo-conservatives in America, industry lobby group influences, donors to National and also the election spending strategy that was thought up by Australian advisers. The accusations that the author, Mr Hager, has made are wild according to Dr Brash.

The injunction that was issued from the High Court stops anyone from broadcasting, publishing or giving the emails to anyone, in any form, which includes the internet.

Michelle Boag, the person who got Dr Brash to enter the National party, said: “Mr Hager has no credibility. The media is giving the author and activist too much attention. He got access to some stolen property, he selectively took bits to try to reinforce it and now people are believing this man who has never in his life published anything that has had any credibility. All the media is doing is help Mr Hager to sell his book in time for Christmas.”

The book has been published by Craig Potton Publishing.

Friday, January 5, 2007

Former U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist suffered paranoid delusions in 1981 during withdrawal from a dependence on prescription painkillers, according to his recently-released FBI file.

The late head of the U.S.’s top court began taking the drug Placidyl in the early 1970s for insomnia and back pain while he was an associate Supreme Court justice. His dependence on the drug was first made public when he was hospitalized for symptoms related to it in 1981, but the delusions were only revealed in the release of the file this week.

A doctor who treated Rehnquist told an FBI investigator the justice had “bizarre ideas and outrageous thoughts. He imagined, for example, that there was a CIA plot against him.” Another doctor said Rehnquist “had also gone to the lobby in his pajamas in order to try to escape.”

Rehnquist had been taking nearly three times the recommended maximum daily dosage of the drug. His delusions came when doctors at George Washington University Hospital took him off it. Eventually, they put him back on Placidyl and weaned him off slowly until he was cured of his dependence.

The FBI conducted an extensive investigation into Rehnquist’s drug dependence at the request of the Senate Judiciary Committee during his 1986 confirmation hearings to become chief justice.

Rehnquist’s file was released to media and lawyers this week as part of a public records request. Rehnquist died in September 2005 and because his privacy could no longer be violated, the FBI OK’d its release.

The FBI was also asked to investigate Democrats who were set to testify against Rehnquist at the 1986 hearing, the file showed. The Democrats were set to testify Rehnquist intimidated minority voters in the early 1960s as a Republican Party official in Arizona.

It’s not clear if the bureau ever did investigate the Democrats, however a memo in the file shows then-Assistant Attorney General John Bolton, the most-recent United Nations Ambassador for the U.S., approved the investigation and said he would “accept responsibility should concerns be raised about the role of the FBI.”

Rehnquist first took his seat as associate justice in 1972 and served on the court until his death.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

During a seminar with students at the Mechinat Rabin in Oranim, Israeli veterans of the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict revealed accounts of the deaths of unarmed civilians. This has prompted new allegations of war crimes and a review and investigation into the rules of engagement within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

There are two accounts in which fears of war crimes have been raised. In one, an Israeli commander ordered the killing of an old woman walking down a road and coming within 100 metres of an IDF position. There was no warning that a perimeter existed, no attempt was made at a warning and no attempt was made to ascertain as to whether the old woman posed a threat.

In a second account a woman and her two children were killed by a sniper when she was ordered to leave a building being occupied by Israeli soldiers. The commander of the unit commandeering the building however failed to inform a sniper placed on a roof top and the three were killed according to standing instructions issued to the sniper.

In addition to specific cases, the veterans spoke of a general contempt towards the Palestinians, and disregard for their lives. One squad leader speaking at the military academy said that the attitude of those both above and below was that”…we should kill everyone there [in…Gaza]. Everyone there is a terrorist.” With his immediate commanding officer advocating the clearing of buildings by shooting all within without warning.

An Israeli spokes person speaking to the BBC said that the incidents spoken of were well known within the brigade responsible and that any actions that took place were within its rules of engagement, however in response to the accusations the Military Advocate General of the IDF, Brigadier General Avichai Mendelblit has instructed the Israeli Military Police Investigation unit to investigate the allegations.

Talking to Israel Radio Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak said that the IDF is “…the most moral army in the world” though individual exceptions may have occurred, and that these would be investigated.

Others in Israel whilst not denying that these incidents might have occurred speak of lack a context in which they have been reported.

Internationally the accusations are not seen as individual soldiers being responsible for war crimes but that war crimes may have been committed by the Israeli military as a whole, that its rules of engagement were drafted and implemented in such a way that they failed to sufficiently distinguish between combatants and civilians.

In response to the allegations Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, said that the Geneva Conventions required that there had to be a clear distinction between military targets and the civilian population and that “…If it is not possible to do so, then launching the attacks is inherently unlawful and would seem to constitute a war crime of the greatest magnitude under international law…”

If it is to have indeed failed to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians then the Israeli military not only violated international law but its own moral code of conduct as outlined in its tenet of purity of arms.