goodfellowsmansfield.com

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

On Saturday, France defeated Argentina 4–3 and Uruguay defeated Portugal 2–1 in the FIFA football World Cup in the Last 16 knockout phase. France is scheduled to play against Uruguay for the quarter-finals.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Pirates in Somalia have released the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying a cargo of 33 T-72 tanks, along with 20 of its crew of 21, the Russian captain having been killed by hypertension during the hijack.

A ransom of US$3.2 million was paid for the ship’s release, compared to the $20 million previously demanded and also down from the initial request for $35 million after the capture in September. By January 16 the ransom sought was $5 million, with negotiations occurring directly between the pirates and the ship’s owner. In October the pirates threatened to blow the ship up unless this was paid within days, and stated they were willing to die and take the crew with them, but this threat was never carried out.

The ransom came in on Wednesday, and after counting the money the pirates left the vessel on Thursday. One pirate, Segule Ali, said of the payment that “no huge amount has been paid, but something to cover our expenses.”

The ownership of the cargo, which includes ammunition, rocket launchers, small arms and spare parts as well as tanks, is uncertain. Although the shipment was said to be for Kenya, as acknowledged by the Kenyan government, the pirates claim to have documents proving they were destined for Sudan, currently the subject of a United Nations arms embargo. Sudan denies this.

At one point, with the ship anchored off Harardhere, the pirates claimed they had put down an attempted revolt by the crew. However, the Faina’s owner has expressed doubts about the veracity of this report, which originated with the pirates themselves.

The remaining crew are reported to be healthy by the Ukrainian Presidency and the ship is now heading to Mombasa under US Navy escort. There are 17 Ukrainians, two Russians and a Latvian on board.

Friday, April 24, 2009

According to Mexican health officials, an epidemic of swine flu has killed at least 68 people and infected a further one thousand inside the country.

Mexican health minister José Ángel Córdova said that the casualty rate appeared to be slowing down, and that there would be no plans to block off Mexican borders. “We’re dealing with a new flu virus that constitutes a respiratory epidemic that so far is controllable,” Córdova stated. He said that the disease had mutated from pigs and was transferred to humans at some point.

Museums and schools for seven million students near Mexico’s capital were closed down in an effort to curb the epidemic, and the government has encouraged people with symptoms of the disease to take leave from work.

The outbreak has spread north to the United States, and US health authorities have reported that eight people were diagnosed with swine flu in Texas and California. However, these people have recovered.

“We are worried. We don’t know if this will lead to the next pandemic, but we will be monitoring it and taking it seriously,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Besser suggested “containment is not very likely” in a telephone briefing on Friday.

Tests conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that the virus from a dozen patients was genetically similar to a new outbreak of swine flu, designated as H1N1.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Zork Hun is running for the Libertarian party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Parkdale-High Park 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.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

The Taliban passed an edict Tuesday banning women from post-secondary education across Afghanistan until further notice in their latest crackdown on women’s rights.

A letter from Ziaullah Hashmi, spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education, instructs public and private universities to implement the ban swiftly and with immediate effect. The order comes just weeks after female pupils in most provinces sat their university entrance exams after a year without secondary school.

Previously, authorities drew widespread condemnation for redoubling efforts to impose their strict interpretation of Islamic law (shari’a) despite initial promises of a more moderate regime. Taliban forces resumed control of Afghanistan in August 2021 after a co-ordinated Nato withdrawal of forces after twenty years of war.

Women have already been excluded from most secondary schools as they were under Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, and were restricted in terms of what subjects they could study, and what professors they could have in university. They must also be covered from head-to-toe and are prohibited from some public areas, including fairgrounds, gyms, parks and swimming pools.

United States deputy ambassador to the United Nations Robert A. Wood called the move “absolutely indefensible”. During a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York City, he said: “The Taliban cannot expect to be a legitimate member of the international community until they respect the rights of all Afghans, especially the human rights and fundamental freedom of women and girls”.

The Taliban have attempted to shore international recognition and foreign aid amidst a worsening humanitarian crisis. On Friday, the UN again deferred a decision that would give the Taliban a seat in the international body, meaning ‘Afghanistan’ would continue to be represented by the deposed government of President Ashraf Ghani.

The UN’s special envoy for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva said before today’s announcement closing secondary schools in Afghanistan was “extremely unpopular among Afghans and even within the Taliban leadership.” BBC South Asia correspondent Yogita Limaye reported some dissent among authorities over girls’ education, with some officials claiming off the record their hope for female education.

Several Afghan women have reported frustration and grief over the decision. A third-year journalism and communications student at Nangarhar University told the Associated Press: “I can’t fulfil my dreams, my hopes. Everything is disappearing before my eyes and I can’t do anything about it.

“Is being a girl a crime? If that’s the case, I wish I wasn’t a girl”, she said. “My father had dreams for me, that his daughter would become a talented journalist in the future. […] God willing, I will continue my studies in any way. I’m starting online studies. And, if it doesn’t work, I will have to leave the country and go to another country”.

Elsewhere, the US State Department reported the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan as part of an apparent ‘goodwill gesture’ by the Taliban.

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