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Tuesday, March 8, 2005

Portland, Oregon – A cloud of white steam and ash rose as high as 36,000 feet from Mount St. Helens in the U.S. state of Washington at 5:27 p.m. PST today. The eruption was visible from the Portland metropolitan area in the neighbouring state of Oregon, causing traffic slowdowns as commuters slowed to watch the spectacle. News helicopters have shown photos of lava emerging inside the crater. Although the eruption was mostly over by 6:07 p.m. PST, an ashfall advisory until 9:00 p.m. PST has been announced for communities around the mountain.

The volcano has been building a new dome in its crater in recent months and causing tremors. It seems to have done enough damage to knock out at least two of the seismometers operated on its dome by the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network, although this could be the result of either damage to the seismometers themselves, or their telemetry equipment.

The volcano is most famous for its dramatic eruption in 1980 which killed 57 people and blew the top off the mountain.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Yesterday, former English and Liverpool F.C. football captain Steven Gerrard announced retirement from professional football.

Gerrard posted on Instagram: “Following recent media speculation surrounding my future I can confirm my retirement from playing professional football.” Graduating from Liverpool’s youth academy, Gerrard made his professional debut in November 1998. Since then, the midfielder has played 710 games of Liverpool netting 186 goals. Gerrard spent seventeen years at Anfield stadium, and served as the captain since October 2003.

In 2005, Gerrard guided Liverpool to UEFA Champions League victory over Italian club A.C. Milan in a dramatic final in Istanbul, Turkey. Gerrard scored one of the three goals for Liverpool in the final, who were trailing 3–0 at half time. Liverpool who were under the management of Rafael Benítez, won by a penalty shootout. Two years later, Liverpool including Gerrard collected the Champions League runners-up medal following defeat against AC Milan. Gerrard was with the team when they won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup during the 2000-2001 season. The team, including Gerrard, also lifted the League Cup trophy in 2012, and 2006 FA Cup against London based club West Ham United.

In 2014, Liverpool failed to secure the Premier League trophy on the last day of the season. Manchester City F.C. won the title. Steven Gerrard has never won the Premier League trophy in his 17-year spell at Anfield.

Gerrard left Anfield for LA Galaxy in 2015. In 34 appearances for the Los Angeles club, Gerrard scored five goals and provided fourteen assists, helping the club to find a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Gerrard has played 114 matches for England debuting in 2000 and is the fourth most capped player in the country behind Peter Shilton, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham. Gerrard has scored 21 goals for England and featured in six major tournaments. He became the caption of the national team in 2102. Gerrard also represented England in the U-16, U-18 and U-21 teams. He was voted England Player of the Year twice, in 2007 and in 2012. Gerrard retired from international football after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Witnesses and medical officials say at least 50 people have been killed in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, in clashes between security forces and opposition activists who defied a government ban on protests.

Witnesses say Guinea’s security forces opened fire on demonstrators who had gathered in a large stadium to protest against the possible presidential candidacy of Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, the country’s military leader. They also say police charged protesters with batons, used tear gas, and detained several opposition leaders.

“We have counted 52 bodies and six more have just come in,” the city’s university medical centre’s doctor said.

On Sunday, Captain Camara’s government said all protests would be prohibited until national independence celebrations are held on October 2.

“All demonstrations on national territory are prohibited until the national holiday on October 2,” said Frederic Kolie, the interior minister, in a televised address on Sunday.

However, opposition activists decided to proceed with the demonstration they had planned for Monday. Some carried signs that read “No to Dadis”, and others chanted “We want true democracy.” Some of the demonstrators set furniture on fire as they marched from the outskirts of the capital into the city.

“[…] Conakry can be rightly described as a police state […] All across town, military people at checkpoints are searching people and people have been forced back into their houses,” said Al Hassan Silah, a local journalist, to the Al Jazeera news agency.

Captain Camara took power in a coup last December, following the death of Guinea’s longtime President Lansana Conte.

When he took power, Captain Camara said no one in his ruling council would run for public office. However, the council has since said its members are eligible to be candidates, and Captain Camara has suggested he may run for president in elections, which are scheduled for January 2010.

The African Union said it may impose sanctions on Guinea if Captain Camara decides to run for president. It said it was concerned about what it called a “deteriorating situation” in the country and the consequences of not returning to constitutional order.

Opponents have also accused Mr Camara and his ruling council of human rights abuses and limiting freedom of speech.

Supporters of Guinea’s military council are calling the threatened sanctions unfair.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Over the course of the last week, fifteen people who have suffered from influenza have died in Wales, as reported to the Welsh Assembly Government. The total amount of flu-related deaths in Wales since October 2010 has now increased to 27.

On Tuesday, 49 people were being treated in critical care beds in hospitals around Wales, according to health officials. With twelve reported admissions, Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board had the highest amount of critical care patients in Wales. Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board has the second highest total number of patients experiencing this critical care in the country, with eleven being cared for. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board have nine important care admissions each. Cwm Taf NHS Trust contains five of such patients, while Hywel Dda NHS Trust has three.

The age group of 25–34 years old had the largest amount of meetings with general practitioners; the rate of consultation was 147 people for every 100,000. For all age groups, 93 people out of every one hundred thousand have been consulting with a GP; on January 5, the total figure stood at 85 meetings per 100,000.

“Despite the slight increase in the clinical consultation rate for influenza this week compared to the previous week, the rate of consultations for flu-like illness in Wales still remains within the levels of normal seasonal flu activity,” said Dr. Tony Jowell, the Chief Medical Officer of Wales. “Most healthy people will recover from flu-like illnesses within five to seven days with plenty of rest and drinking non-alcoholic fluids. On the issue of vaccination against seasonal flu, whilst we have been working to make stocks of the vaccine that was developed against swine flu available to be used where supplies of seasonal flu vaccine have run low, we are now well into the flu season.”

According to Media Wales, 13 patients experiencing flu-related symptoms were getting treatment at Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest on Tuesday. Meanwhile, five were receiving hospital treatment at Bronglais General Hospital in Aberystwyth. Also, Carmarthenshire NHS Trust in Llanelli and West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen both had a solitary patient.

Jowell also commented: “People in at-risk groups are at a higher risk of complications from seasonal flu, and the best protection is early vaccination. A press and publicity campaign has been running since October and has included television, radio and bus adverts to let people know if they are in an at-risk group, and that the vaccine is available free of charge to those groups from GPs. We have also encouraged health boards and GPs to ensure that their patients and front line NHS staff are vaccinated against seasonal flu.”

Throughout the United Kingdom, 62 individuals reportedly died in the last week, as the result of suffering from influenza. The majority of these victims were suffering from swine flu. In most of these cases, the sufferers were aged between 15 and 64. However, nine of the fatalities were of children aged below fourteen.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Nelson Mandela has left hospital to return to his home in Johannesburg, in a critical condition, South African officials said on Sunday.

The 95-year-old anti-apartheid leader and former South African president has spent nearly three months in hospital for treatment of a recurring lung infection and has returned to his residence in Johannesburg where he will continue to recover.

A statement from the office of current South African president Jacob Zuma confirmed Mandela homecoming:

“His teams of doctors are convinced that he will receive the same level of intensive care at his Houghton home that he received in Pretoria.”

“His home has been reconfigured to allow him to receive intensive care there. The health care personal providing care at his home are the very same who provided care to him in hospital.”

Several ambulances and TV crews gathered outside Mandela’s home in the Houghton suburb of Johannesburg on Sunday, where well-wishers gathered to pray for his recovery.

Mandela’s last public appearance was at the 2010 football World Cup, held in South Africa.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Comply or Die, the racehorse who won the 2008 Grand National has died at the age of 17. His death was announced by his former trainer, David Pipe. He died over at the weekend in Gloucestershire, where he had been staying with jockey Timmy Murphy. He was cremated on Monday and his ashes will return to Murphy.

Murphy was the jockey in the saddle when Comply or Die won the 2008 Grand National. Speaking to the Press Association, he spoke about the horse’s death. He said, “He was part of the furniture at home so it’s very sad. He gave me the greatest day of my career, obviously that can never be taken away. He paraded at Cheltenham and Aintree and was getting ready to do some dressage in the summer. I’m not actually sure how he died, to be honest, but it wasn’t nice to come home to. He was cremated on Monday. He was a happy horse and he was also very clever.”

During his racing career he made £798,809 in prize-money after winning a total of eight races.

The 2008 Grand National victory was his greatest achievement and he almost matched it when he came second place in 2009. He retired in 2011 but remained active, often being paraded at race grounds such as Aintree and Cheltenham. He also participated in some hunting activities. Pipe said, “Since his retirement he had been a lead-horse at Timmy Murphy’s establishment before trying his hand at dressage, a discipline in which he had proven very successful”.

Tributes have been paid to Comply or Die on social media by horse racing fans with several tweeting their appreciation and memories.

Friday, March 29, 2019Toronto Comicon 2019 returned to its titular city from March 15 to 17, as one of the largest pop culture events in Canada. The popular event featured celebrity guests like actors Dan Fogler, Ron Perlman, John De Lancie, John Rhys-Davies, and Jaleel White, as well as comic artists, authors, and professional cosplayers. The event included a large show floor with hundreds of retailers and artists promoting their creations. Wikinews’ Nicholas Moreau attended the event, taking photos of the various sights.

John Rhys-Davies broke news when he revealed that a Sliders reboot is being considered. “Jerry [O’Connell] and I are talking to NBC at the moment. The basic problem is that no one knows who owns the rights”. Their legal department had apparently been looking into the matter for two months, as of the convention weekend. Emma Caufield talked of being cast in an NBC television pilot while a recurring guest actor on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Faced with loosing the character of Anya Jenkins, the producers finally committed to making her a regular. “It was a good day,” she recalls.

Special effects costumer Ian Campbell, whose screen credits include Star Trek: Discovery, had a booth at the convention displaying his prop replicas and cosplay items. Amidst the bustle of activity, Campbell was working on a Thanos helmet sculpt. After the convention, he told Wikinews that “it can be tough to maintain focus with so many people streaming past and along questions, but sculpting in front of a crowd at conventions is great because it allows people to see the process that goes into what I do […] it also can serve as inspiration to other to pursue their own artistic endeavors.”

Lisa Mancini has been cosplaying for two years, her “passion” for the hobby “stemmed through my love for Halloween.” She typically chooses “to portray beloved characters from childhood or strong females. I also enjoy a good gender bent cosplay to ensure a touch of uniqueness!”

Mancini told Wikinews after the event that the best part of cosplay is “bringing a character to life.” One of the characters she took on this year was Squirrel Girl, a Marvel Comics character. Mancini has been described by the Daily Hive as a “squirrel whisperer”, for the close affinity some of the animals have for her.

Stephanie Chapman has knit a variety of knit outfits, an uncommon technique for cosplay. Prompted by Ron Perlman’s visit, she wore a costume based on Hellboy character Abe Sapien, which lacks the eyeholes of her normal masks. With “Abe, I wanted to go for accuracy over comfort,” Chapman told Wikinews, a choice leaving her largely helpless without a handler. The costume “is very warm […] so I have to stay hydrated and try to keep as calm as possible. It’s just really hard to stay calm when I meet someone like Ron Perlman”. With the combination of excitement and “the stress I’m putting on my body”, she shared that she was prone to meltdown in suit.