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Thursday, June 2, 2005

The month-long 2005 Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was concluded in May this year.

It was generally considered disappointing. The Chilean representative, Mr Labbe, stated that the outcome could only be described as a failure.

The point of view of some state representatives was that the meeting failed because of possible violations of the first pillar of the treaty (non-proliferation), both because of grave challenges to security and to the non-proliferation regime posed by Iran’s and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s non-compliance with their non-proliferation and safeguards obligations, and the de facto proliferation of nuclear weapons to non-weapons states under nuclear sharing, in which Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey host nuclear weapons and may, in principle, participate in decisions on using those weapons and participate in the delivery of the weapons to their targets.

However, the Iranian representative, Javad Zarif, countered by stating that the three pillars of the Treaty (non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear technology) were intertwined and needed to be followed without diminishing the significance and effectiveness of any one pillar against the others, in reference to the failure of the nuclear weapons states to progress in disarmament. Article VI of the NPT states that

Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.

He claimed that the United States had adopted a Nuclear Posture Review, incorporating the breach of the obligations on irreversibility, diminished role of nuclear weapons and lowering the operational status of nuclear weapons by stressing the essential role of nuclear weapons as an effective tool for achieving security ends and foreign policy objectives; developing new nuclear weapon systems, and constructing new facilities for producing nuclear weapons; resuming efforts to develop and deploy tactical nuclear weapons, despite the commitment to reverse the process and reduce them; and targeting non-nuclear weapon States parties to the Treaty and planning to attack those States.

The Malaysian representative, Rastam Mohd Isa, summarised the point of view of the states in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), claiming that they had maintained that the three pillars, nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear technology should be approached in a balanced manner and that the Treaty should be fully and non-selectively implemented. He also asserted the indispensable need to preserve the decisions and resolutions of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference and the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference, which were positions, on which the NAM had consistently insisted on since the NPT’s entry into force in 1970.

The Ukrainian representative, Anatoliy Scherba, judged that the case for non-proliferation rested on the primary objective of the NPT to eliminate all nuclear weapons and, hence, the central importance of article VI and felt that it required from those who did not possess, not to acquire, and for those who possessed, to eliminate.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 by a score of 24–10. The game, played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California in front of 71,088 spectators, marked the Broncos’ third Super Bowl victory and their first since 1999. Entering the game, the Panthers had lost only once in the 2015 NFL season, while the Broncos won 12 of their 16 games.

The Panthers kicked off to start the game, and the Broncos scored first with Brandon McManus’ 34-yard field goal. After both teams exchanged punts, the Broncos scored again when linebacker Von Miller stripped the ball from Cam Newton, forcing him to fumble, and the ball was recovered by Malik Jackson in the endzone to result in a Denver touchdown. In the second quarter, the Panthers scored a touchdown when running back Jonathan Stewart jumped over the goal line. The two teams punted again on their next drives. The second turnover of the game occurred when Bronco Darian Stewart forced Mike Tolbert to fumble, with Danny Trevathan recovering; however, the Broncos failed to capitalize when Peyton Manning was intercepted by Kony Ealy. The half ended with the Broncos leading 13–7. In the second half, the Panthers had a chance to narrow the margin to three points, but kicker Graham Gano’s 44-yard field goal attempt hit the goal post’s right upright. Afterwards, Denver increased the score with McManus kicking a 30-yard field goal. On the next series, Newton led the Panthers’ offense to the Broncos’ 28-yard line, but was intercepted by T. J. Ward. Denver and Carolina both subsequently punted. Afterwards, Manning was sacked by Ealy and fumbled; Carolina took advantage with Gano’s 39-yard kick to make the score 16–10. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Miller forced Newton to fumble at the Panthers’ four-yard line and Ward recovered. With 3:08 left in the game, Denver’s C. J. Anderson sealed the game with a two-yard touchdown run, followed by Manning’s two-point conversion to Bennie Fowler.

Miller ended the game with six tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles and was awarded the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award. Manning, who is the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl at the age of 39 and is rumored to have played his final game in the National Football League, completed 13 of 23 passes for 141 yards with an interception and a lost fumble. The Broncos recorded only 194 yards, the fewest by a Super Bowl winner.

The game’s festivities featured Lady Gaga performing the national anthem. After the second quarter, Coldplay performed the Super Bowl 50 halftime show with former Super Bowl performers Bruno Mars and Beyoncé. Coldplay opened the show with “Viva la Vida” and “Paradise”, followed by a performance of “Uptown Funk” with Mars. Afterwards, Beyoncé performed her new song “Formation” and joined Coldplay and Mars on stage to end the show.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

At least 68 different pieces of luggage has been found behind a pet store inside a garbage dumpster in Houston, Texas. The luggage came from several different international flights and authorities do not know how they got there or if the contents of the luggage have been stolen.

“We’re going to be investigating and the authorities are going to be investigating,” said spokeswoman for Continental Airlines, Mary Clark. All luggage was handed over to Continental Airlines.

The luggage is reported to have been sifted through, and most pieces have come from all over the world. The luggage is reported to have come from Bush Intercontinental Airport. Some pieces of the luggage have name tags and Clark states that “we’re trying to reach whoever we need to let them know the bags are there.”

Officers with the Houston Police Department are in charge of the investigation. The luggage was found by individuals who own the pet store.

The FBI has stated that the bags do not pose any danger.

Friday, November 3, 2006

On November 13, Torontonians will be heading to the polls to vote for their ward’s councillor and for mayor. Among Toronto’s ridings is Scarborough-Agincourt (Ward 39). Two candidates responded to Wikinews’ requests for an interview. This ward’s candidates include Wayne Cook, Mike Del Grande (incumbent), Samuel Kung, Lushan Lu, Sunshine Smith, and John Wong.

For more information on the election, read Toronto municipal election, 2006.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Militants in Pakistan launched a truck bomb attack on the Peshawar Pearl Continental hotel, killing 18 and wounding at least 55. Among the dead were two foreign United Nations officials working for the World Food Programme.

According to the BBC, Fidayeen-e-Islam, a relatively obscure Pakistani militant group, claimed responsibility for the blast. The attack follows a threat from the Taliban made on May 27, warning of “major attacks” in Pakistan.

The bombing occurred despite the property being heavily guarded and secure. The militants gained entrance by overcoming the guards with gunfire, and forcing a bomb-laden truck, containing at least 500 kilograms of explosives, through the gates. Police official Liaqat Ali told the Associated Press that the militants “drove the vehicle inside the hotel gates and blew it up on reaching close to the hotel building.”

The bomb caused a 15-foot wide crater, and brought down the west wing of the hotel. An injured guest, Jawad Chaudhry, said, “The floor under my feet shook. I thought the roof was falling on me. I ran out. I saw everybody running in panic. There was blood and pieces of glass everywhere.”

The hotel is regularly used by businessmen and diplomats, and is located in a secure area of the city. Neighbours include the Peshawar High Court, Provincial Assembly and the official home of the Commander of the Frontier Corps. The perceived security of the neighbourhood makes it a candidate for the location of a planned United States consulate.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

On Monday, the United States ride-sharing company Uber announced suspension of its experimental self-driving car program after one of the cars fatally struck a 49-year-old woman pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday night.

The company characterized the suspension of the program — in the Phoenix area and also in Pittsburgh; San Francisco; and Toronto, Canada — as a standard response in the wake of the accident. Uber released a statement that “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family. We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.” According to a spokeswoman, the company is also conducting its own investigation. It was reportedly the first time someone died in an incident involving a self-driving car.

Elaine Herzberg was hit at about 10 pm local time (UTC -7) on Sunday when she walked into the street with her bicycle about 100 yards or less from a crosswalk. She died later in hospital. The Volvo car was operating autonomously. Sylvia Moir, chief of police in Tempe, told the San Francisco Chronicle that according to the human operator in the vehicle — Rafaela Vasquez, 44 — “it was like a flash”, there was no time to override the computer to take evasive action, the first indication was the sound of impact.

The police stated the car was three miles per hour (mph) over a speed limit of 35 mph. According to Moir, recordings from the car’s video cameras indicated it would have been “difficult to avoid this collision in any kind of mode”. Moir told the San Francisco Chronicle that while she “[wouldn’t] rule out the potential to file charges” against Vasquez, “preliminarily it appears that the Uber would likely not be at fault in this accident”.

Uber started its Arizona self-driving test program in February 2017, using vehicles that had been banned in California due to safety concerns. The next month one was involved in a collision while in self-driving mode after another car failed to yield the right of way; the Uber SUV rolled on its side.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

American film director John Hughes, noted for such movies as Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club, died Thursday due to a heart attack.

A statement, released by his representative, said that he experienced the heart attack while on a morning stroll in Manhattan, New York. Hughes was born on February 18, 1950 in Michigan. He started his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago. By the end of the 1970s he was a frequent contributor to the National Lampoon magazine.

In the 1990s, he made the Home Alone series, which became a box office sensation and turned Macaulay Culkin into a star.

In recent years, Hughes stepped back from the movie industry to spend more time with his family. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy, two sons and four grandchildren.