Wikipedia:In the news/Candidates/January 2006

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Archived discussion for January 2006 from Wikipedia:In the news section on the Main Page/Candidates.'

January 31, 2006

  • Let's wait till the awards are given out, shall we ? -- PFHLai 16:25, 31 January 2006 (UTC) 17:57, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You replied before I posted my message? PedanticallySpeaking 17:58, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, it was a bad copy-&-paste job. Someone had already suggested a similar item. Please scroll down a little to "Brokeback Mountain ...." -- PFHLai 18:08, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Ah. I did not look at the other suggestions before making mine. PedanticallySpeaking 18:13, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Samuel Alito is confirmed by the United States Senate as the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Batmanand 16:58, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • The nomination (saga) was one thing, because it involved Presidential difficulties; the confirmation is a purely domestic affair. Imo. -Splashtalk 17:02, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • I would argue that the confirmation of Alito, who will be ruling on the limitations of presidential power, will have as big of an impact internationally as, say, the Sago Mine disaster, which was up here for a long time. Youngamerican 17:57, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • After being confirmed by the Senate, he was also sworn in today. --Cam 19:14, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • Yeah, please update the item to mention the swearing in. -- 199.71.174.100 23:28, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Coretta Scott King, widow of assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King, jr, dies at age 78.(MSNBC)
  • 100th UK soldier killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion began. - James Kendall 14:44, 31 January 2006 (UTC) BBC[reply]
    • Mmmm. Maybe. But it's more a psycholo-numerical thing than anything else. -Splashtalk 17:02, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Agree with Spalsh, it is a bit arbitrary. Youngamerican 18:05, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The Muhammad Drawings seems to be relevant, can anyone think of a suitably general headline for ITN?--nixie 01:09, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • As controversy surrounding the Muhammad Drawings escalates, Libya closes its embassy in Denmark and Danes, Swedes and Norwegians face threats of attack from Islamic militants.  ?-Splashtalk 01:25, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Good, but it shouldn't have the threats part- unless the organisation/person issuing the warnings is mentioned. The Flag of Denmark is probably the best image choice.--nixie 01:28, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • Posting, but truncated; also not changing pic. --Golbez 01:34, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
          • If we should want a picture, there is this. We would need to mention the boycotts in order for it to make sense, of course. Rasmus (talk) 13:23, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Let's wait till the awards are given out, shall we ? -- PFHLai 16:25, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Agree with above, Coretta Scott King's death and the Academy Award noms should each be listed. Youngamerican 16:02, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Question to admins outside US: Is Coretta Scott King a notable figure to you ? Compared to her late husband, she does not seem to be an important figure ... -- PFHLai 16:25, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Question to admins inside the US: Are these Muhammad drawings notable to you? If we are going to put some silly drawings on the main page, may as well put King's death up there. --CFIF 16:31, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. -Splashtalk 17:02, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
This non-US admin doesn't mind seeing this international squabble with a religious/cultural spin posted on ITN. -- PFHLai 17:57, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • King was an important figure in and of herself to the Civil Rights movement in the US. Her death is important to the African-American community, just as those cartoon are to the Muslim minority in Europe. Youngamerican 17:34, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • But the cartoon thing has had repercussion across 3 European countries, resulted in the closure of embassies, the summoning of ambassadors, countries across the Middle East issuing condemnations, parliaments boycotting Scandinavian goods, death threats, terror deadlines, philosophical questions over the role of government in the free media and so on and on. It's an international story, of high currency in at least 7 or 8 countries. Martin Luther King is enormously famous; his wife hardly known outside the US, as you imply. -Splashtalk 17:54, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • I don't think Mrs. King has been active lately. IMO, if she had been active with a high profile, travelling internationally, and died suddenly, there may be a stronger case for the inclusion of her obituary on ITN. -- PFHLai 17:57, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Ronald Reagan wasn't active for a decade when he kicked. King was also active in issues in Africa, but people that could elaborate more on that are still waiting for their $100 laptops to chip in. BTW, I feel that the cartoons are most certainly notable, too. Youngamerican 18:05, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • If there hadn't been so many high profile people from around the world attending the funeral, I might have removed Reagan's line from ITN then. And the US President had a much higher profile than Mrs. King. -- PFHLai 18:13, 31 January 2006 (UTC) Maybe I'm ignorant about Mrs. King, but to me, outside the US, she seems to be just the wife of a famous figure. -- PFHLai 18:28, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Question: If a story must be multi-national in its scope to qualify for ITN, why do the Polish roof collapse, the Finnish president that looks like Conan O'Brien, or the Sago Mine thing get so much time up here (note: this isn't sacrastic, I am trying to learn more about policy)? Youngamerican 18:17, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • I don't get the Sago Mine thing, but getting a 'new' president of a nation should count as big news. The roof collapse ? The shocking death toll does it for me. These are my opinions, but I don't speak for all admins who monitor this page. For instance, I like sports news, some admins don't. BTW, when an item stays posted on ITN for a long time, it's not necessarily more important news. Often, it stays because we can't find good replacements. -- PFHLai 18:28, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • I'd support putting Coretta Scott King's death up there on ITN. None of the other ITN stories have anything to do with the U.S. (Libya, Denmark, Kuwait, Finland, Australia, Poland, South Africa) ITN could be more balanced with stories from different parts of the world. Besides, what's wrong with rotating the stories through ITN a little more quickly? The Poland and South Africa news items have been on the main page for more than two days. --Aude (talk | contribs) 18:36, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Tomorrow's Featured Article has a short intro, meaning the bottom end of ITN will need to be trimmed off for balance on MainPage. So I'm sure the Poland and South Africa news items will be gone in about 5 hours. -- PFHLai 18:57, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Coretta Scott King
There's still a bit of white space below DYK, so I'd think there's room for another item on ITN, even if tomorrow's FA is shorter. I also managed to find a PD photo of Coretta Scott King (which could be cropped), and there's another one at http://snowe.senate.gov/photo_misc.htm which I'm assuming (but not 100% sure) is PD. --Aude (talk | contribs) 19:15, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 30, 2006

  • Frank McKenna won't be candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada Leadership. Chrimart 18:22, 30 January 2006 (UTC)
    • This is news? --Golbez 21:34, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Yes, but only in Canada. Even then, it's rather minor. --199.71.174.100 00:53, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Palestinian elections: Can we change the wording of the template slightly for the final results and the fact that the Prime Minister is continuing in a caretaker capacity. AndrewRT 14:53, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • I'm not sure how to put that, and it's moot since that's an old story and I just scrolled it off. --Golbez 21:34, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is confirmed at the new emir of Kuwait ending a two-week leadership crisis. (article is up to date)--nixie 03:24, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Needs to be added to Current events with an external link to the story first... -Splashtalk 03:38, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Posted. I'll make the change to CE if I have to. --Golbez 21:34, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • I tweaked the item a bit. I ain't sure if it was really a crisis. Too strong a word to me. -- PFHLai 16:07, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'd like some indication that this is being read by a decision-maker. This is happening now, and is a bit more compelling that the reelection of the president of Finland.
    • I seriously doubt anyone outside the continental US would have even heard of this. Google desn't seem to mention it as a recent headline, and it doesn't rate a mention on the BBC. ITN is for evens of global significance, much like the re-election of a President.--nixie 01:21, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Yeah, searching BBC News for it yields no story at all: [2] and Google News doesn't have anything making much of it: [3]. I imagine that wikinews: will probably want the story, though. -Splashtalk 02:07, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I am glad you are monitoring. Google does have several items, but the coverage is still US and Canada. Fox, CBS, CBC all have it. That the BBC has not picked it up should not be a deal breaker. The issue has demonstrable interest in the en:Wikipedia community and has international human rights ramifications. The issue of medical marijuana- and the drug war in general- is a global issue, with the US at its epicenter, and this matter as a focal point of that drama. With all sincere respect due the Finns, this matter is far more globally relevant. The United States has incarcerated a political prisoner with an international reputation in fragile health in potentially fatal conditions. I understand not wanting to get ahead of the press (or to act as a surrogate for them), but this is a well-documented story now on the merits, whether Reuters has it or not. StrangerInParadise 02:35, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It really needs to be making international (sub)headlines, and this isn't yet. Certainly, a headline can be written for it which is quite compelling as you demonstrate, but this is not an event that is attracting interest or having an effect outside the US. Yet — if some other government dives in, it'll start hitting the radar, and then there's maybe a story. By all means update his article and write something for Wikinews, though. -Splashtalk 02:47, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Done, though I like the longer headline I propose here. BTW, a coleague just reminded me that in Russia, Pravda has the story, as well as the others (US, Canada) I mentioned. We agree that it is compelling, what are the criteria here, and how much of it is rule-of-thumb? What do you mean by international (sub)headlines?
The criteria are at Wikipedia:In the news section on the Main Page. By international (sub)headlines I mean that it should be reaching the international news media at headline level or secondary headline level e.g. the "Other top stories" section of http://news.bbc.co.uk. Like most things on Wiki, it is largely rule-of-thumb based on experience and the typical material given In the News space. Just to clarify, I agree that a compelling headline can be written, but not that the story itself is compelling, particlarly. -Splashtalk 03:38, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The story is not compelling? OK, I'll ask: how do you figure? StrangerInParadise 03:56, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

File:SteveKubby.jpg
Steve Kubby, drug war POW grows dangerously ill in US custody

HEY! I am kinda stuck. This is a story of international significance, but apart from reposting it over and over again, I don't know what to do. Kubby is an international figure (not just US-Canada, international). Like many figures in an international endevor like medical cannabis, he may not be known by the man on the street, but his deeds are known- he co-authored an internationally well-known law. The fact that he is now effectively a political prisoner, in US custody PISSING BLOOD from his out-of-control blood-pressure because they will not give him medication.....how is this not a story of international significance. Why does it have to be BBC, as if CBS, FOX (US), CBC (Canada), Pravda (Russia) and DNA (India) are not enough. This is not consistent with the stated guidelines:

  1. A story should be listed on the current events page (except for the rare sports story which makes it to the main page, which should instead be listed on current sports events). CHECK
  2. The current event needs to be important enough to warrant updating the corresponding article. CHECK
  3. It should be a story of an international importance, or at least interest. SEE ABOVE, MMJ EFFORTS IN MANY COUNTRIES, WITH BOTH BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC RAMIFICATIONS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS
  4. The article must be updated to reflect the new information and have a recent date linked (but remember: Wikipedia is not a news report so relatively small news items should not be put into articles; thus those type of news items should not be displayed on the Main Page). CHECK
  5. A death should only be placed on ITN if it meets one of two criteria: .... (2) the death has a major impact on current events. The modification or creation of multiple articles to take into account the ramifications of a death is a sign that it meets Criteria 2. IT WOULD, I PREFER IT NOT COME TO THAT
  6. A short headline should be written for the current event and the article that was updated based on the current event should be emboldened. CHECK
  7. One and only one image should be included on Template:In the news at any one time..... PICTURE or NO PICTURE- CHECK

I understand this is not a PR service. I understand that it is not Wikipedia's fault that this is not better covered by CNN, etc. I understand that whatever interest I have in drawing attention to this matter to help Kubby is beside the point. That notwithstanding, this rule-of-thumb is employed in disregard of the actual guidelines, which is frustrating: what is my next step? Apologies for displacing the tennis results. StrangerInParadise 03:03, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, but Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, and not a news service. ITN is just a section on MainPage to feature good wikiarticles updated with recent big news, not to feature news stories. We can't post every item about every gravely ill politician. Please try Wikinews. -- PFHLai 16:18, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please try Wikinews!!! Did you even read the news article, the wiki article or the comments here?! Of course you didn't. He wasn't quite so gravely ill before the US extradited him, put him in a cage and cut off his medication. This isn't some run-of-the-mill prison abuse story, this is an international figure. StrangerInParadise 17:45, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, I've read them. He has been ill since 1968.... And I don't understand why he is an international figure. I give up. Maybe another admin can take a look. -- PFHLai 18:48, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

  • Posted. Thanks for all the e-mails, 199.71.174.100. If you have time for the wiki, can I assume your thesis is done ? :-) -- PFHLai 16:05, 31 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 29, 2006

ABC News anchorman Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt were injured in an IED attack in Iraq. According to ABC News, they are in a U.S. military hospital with head injuries, and both are in serious condition.

Following is the bulletin that was sent to ABC affiliates over the news wire. (I work at an ABC affiliate) — Michael J 14:46, 29 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

NEWSONE ADVISORY-RUNDOWN 12:01 AM SCRIPT #7
DATE: SUNDAY 29 JANUARY 2006
SATELLITE: CHANNEL
CATEGORY: URGENT
URGENT **** URGENT **** URGENT
Sent: 8:27 am/et CAJ
Bob Woodruff and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, were injured in an IED attack near Taji, Iraq today. They were embedded with the 4th Infantry Division, traveling with an Iraqi Army unit in an Iraqi mechanized vehicle. Bob and Doug are in serious condition and are being treated at a U.S. military hospital in Iraq. We'll keep you updated with information as it becomes available.


  • Car bombings that kill tens of Iraqis daily don't make ITN, I don't see why two American journalists getting injured in one is of any great significance.--nixie 03:20, 30 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Countries throughout Asia celebrate Chinese New Year, giving way to the year of the dog on the Chinese Zodiac Calendar. --TAOW 00:06, 29 January 2006 (UTC)

  • Please read on what is required for something to be in ITN. For example, an updated article. --Golbez 05:11, 29 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Look on the Main Page right now under Selected anniversaries and you'll see Chinese New Year and Tet; that's where the holidays belong.--Pharos 05:19, 29 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 28, 2006

  • A Roof collapse in Poland kills 12 people and injures 40, with over 100 people still trapped awaiting rescue. --Jorvik 20:39, 28 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • This we should probably have on the Main Page, if only because it's getting pretty stale. However, the current article is very short, has a poor title and, worst of all, it has an AfD tag because it is, frankly, a news report and not an encyclopedia article. So at the moment, we can't really be linking it from the Main Page. Apply a flamethrower to it a bit, agree the removal of the AfD tag and then we can throw it open to the oxygen of a main page link. I think — this appears to be making it into international (sub)headlines. -Splashtalk 22:07, 28 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • I'm posting it, if we can have a skating rink we can have this. --Golbez 06:04, 29 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Amélie Mauresmo of France wins the Women's Singles title in the 2006 Australian Open tennis tournament, her first Grand Slam title. -- 199.71.174.100 10:39, 28 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • We don't usually put sports here, but it has its own article, but it's otherwise not really a notable event. I lean towards no, though I know people will post the Super Bowl results. --Golbez 05:13, 29 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 27, 2006

January 26, 2006

  • Republic Day celebrations in India. The Saudi king Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud is in India as chief guest for the Republic Day celebration. (NDTV) -- pradeepsomani
    • This is not breaking news, and of little interest to a global audience. Besides: There is no article.
      • Heh, of no interest? I'm very interested in the fact that the Saudi king is the chief guest. Petroleum Politics, anyone? 148.177.129.212 13:23, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • 250th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birth. The media agree this is a newsworthy event. See also Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/January 27. I don't care where, but this ought to show up on the main page. Melchoir 05:30, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Do we have an updated article? No. It doesn't really need to be on the front page. In the anniversaries, maybe, but that's beyond the scope of this talk page. --Golbez 19:35, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Well, from the anniversaries talk page, "Celebrations/Commemorations in the news ? ITN may be more appropriate." And yes, there are celebrations worldwide. So where's the item going to be? I for one think this is more notable than the most recent election/train/mining disaster, and I bet you anything Google will have a logo for Mozart on Friday. Do we want to be left out of the fun? Melchoir 20:20, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • I disagree that the anniversary of someone being born 250 years ago is more notable than notable disasters causing death today, or an election, or what not. Wow, he was born 250 years ago today, so notable? An accident of the calendar. I don't see ITN being appropriate at all. --Golbez 02:25, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
          • Okay okay, you don't think it's notable. I'm not saying we get rid of the politics stories; I'm saying for one day we make a little room for something else. This shouldn't be a hard decision. Melchoir 02:42, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
            • It's not a hard decision at all - it doesn't belong on ITN, as the rules are set up now. For one thing, the article isn't updated. Required. You may not like the rules, but that's what they are, and if you want to change it, this isn't the talk page to do it in. --Golbez 02:47, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
              • I don't believe it belongs on "In the News" either... there are many notable people who reach milestones like Mozart but don't make the ITN section. joturner 02:50, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
                • Aya. The requirements are hardly policy, and I don't think opening up 250th anniversaries is such a slippery slope. But I give up. Melchoir 03:03, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
                  • I think this is significant enough to belong on Selected anniversaries, though it is true we don't usually do birthdays there either. It doesn't belong on In the news for the simple reason that no article has been updated (and given the nature of this, I would only reconsider if someone were to write a truly worthy article specifically on the worldwide 250 celebrations). Anyway, I think I'm going to add it to Selected anniversaries now.--Pharos 16:43, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

/* January 26, 2006 Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.'s (CMG) initial public offering spiced up the market Thursday like a three-alarm hot pepper sauce, overshadowing good openings by two other new issues.

 The Denver-based burrito chain's stock opened at $45 on the New York Stock 

Exchange, double its IPO price of $22 a share. The company, which is majority-owned by McDonald's Corp. (MCD), sold 7.88 million shares of its stock at a price above the expected range set by underwriters Morgan Stanley (MS) and SG Cowen & Co. The stock was trading recently at $43.59 a share.

  • Canada's Ambassador to the US, Frank McKenna, resigns, days after the Conservative government wins Canada's 39th General Election
    • Assuming the updated article is Frank McKenna, since it's not a major post, and since it wasn't a political retribution, and since it's just overall a minor story, I don't see this going on ITN. --Golbez 00:51, 26 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Voters go the polls to elect representatives to the Palestinian Legislative Council in the first such elections in nearly ten years.

(do we sign these?) --Jfruh 03:20, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Reading down, I see that there's some debate over whether elections are ITN-worthy in and of themselves. For this one, I'd offer the fact (a) it's the first in 10 years and (b) it's a part of the larger story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; observers say that ths election, plus the Israeli election in two months, will set the tone for the next phase of that conflict. --Jfruh 03:39, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was just going to suggest this candidate myself, but it's *just* been added to the candidate list, so I'll second the nomination. Although it seems somewhat trivial at first (only affecting the U.S.) it's a major merger of Big Media, and will certainly affect most aspects of U.S. television.

--Firsfron 01:54, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's a merger among big media. Time Warner and CBS are not merging - two small subsidiaries of the giants are. I say not worthy. --Golbez 03:29, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
JMHO here, but I really wouldn't call them two "small" subsidiaries: the WB has 177 affilate TV stations, and UPN has over 200, meaning it will affect 200+ TV markets (pretty much *every* market), and will probably have a big effect on not just US Television, since US shows get syndicated worldwide. One of the major qualifications for front page news on Wikipedia seems to be if the news item will have some sort of international impact, and this certainly will, if only in the Entertainment industry. Besides, lately the ITN column has been mostly political in nature ("So and So has been elected..."), and I myself would like to see more variety. Yesterday's ITN article, for example, featured 80% politics-related headlines, 20% accident-related, and nothing else. From what I recall, previous days have had similar ratios. --Firsfron 10:30, 25 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 24, 2006

January 23, 2006

I could have sworn I saw...yes, there it is...an election being held is not ITN-worthy. When we have a result THAT is the time to add to the Main Page. Batmanand 15:41, 22 January 2006 (UTC), yesterday I see that in relation to the Portuguese elections, and today I see the Canadian election announced. (I voted, yay!) Sherurcij (talk) (Terrorist Wikiproject) 21:43, 23 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I stand by what I said before. I think that only a result should be on the front page. The only exceptions to this would be 1. If it was the first ever (or for a long time) election in a country 2. If the results were not expected for a few weeks. The Canadian and Portugese elections fulfil neither of these criteria. Batmanand 22:53, 23 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not quite sure what one user's opinion has to do with damning an entire subset of in-the-news possibilities, but, hey. If one opinion expressed on this page makes policy, sure, chew me out over it. Whatever floats your boat. Lord Bob 23:11, 23 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It was merely an opinion. It is for the Admin who updates the ITN box to decide whether mine or yours is the one that will prevail. Don't worry. I know I am not making policy. Sorry if you got that idea. Batmanand 23:38, 23 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I wasn't going off on you (and your mistaken adjustment of my intentation seems to indicate you thought I was). You're entitled to your opinion, of course, even when I disagree with it. I was expressing my displeasure with Sherurcij's pico-rant. Lord Bob 00:34, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It wasn't a pico-rant, it was displaying the fact that "some admins" (apparently you?) decided not to throw up the Portuguese election, but did for the Canadian. I'm just pointing out, not ranting ;) Sherurcij (talk) (Terrorist Wikiproject) 01:39, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'm an admin? Really? Wow. Of course, if you were talking to Batmanand, please disregard. :P Lord Bob 04:26, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And if you are talking to me, my Adminship is news to me. Batmanand 08:27, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have removed the Canadian election item, I'm sure it will make a re-appearacne when the results are known.--nixie 01:54, 24 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 22, 2006

  • The Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Denver Broncos in the NFL AFC Championship Game advancing to Super Bowl XL becoming the first 6th seed playoff team in NFL history to advance to the Super Bowl--Gw099 23:49, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • You didn't bold anything. Either way though, this probably is not significant enough. joturner 02:41, 23 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country's first indigenous American president. joturner 21:08, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • This is just another perfectly predictable inauguration, not like elections which have relatively unknown outcomes. After an inauguration, unless there's some unexpected drametic action, there just is never a substantial change to the officeholder's article because it's all known beforehand. Anyway, I think Benito Juarez might have beaten Morales to it by a few years.--Pharos 19:52, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Good point. I withdraw the nomination and have fixed the erroneous Evo Morales (where I got the fact) as well as a few other pages. joturner 20:10, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • I re-instated the nomination after seeing that news organizations such as CNN and the BBC have it as a top story. joturner 21:08, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • Well, Wikipedia isn't a news outlet, and has rather different standards appropriate to an encyclopedia. In theory anyway, In the News items should always merit a significant update of an article. Straight news stories belong not on Wikipedia, but on Wikinews. People are always complaining we have too many elections anyway; if we start with inaugurations, we'll have every election up twice!--Pharos 22:53, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Portuguese presidential election, 2006 is today, 6 candidates participate, by 10 PM the provisional results should become available here [6].
IMO an election being held is not ITN-worthy. When we have a result THAT is the time to add to the Main Page. Batmanand 15:41, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That's the reason of the reference to the time and page of the results. I will be away from internet after 8 PM and so I decided to put it there earlier. Afonso Silva 15:54, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Irrelevant anyway, the results are up. --Golbez 22:04, 23 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 21, 2006

  • Rescue operation underway to save the Northern bottle-nosed whale stranded in the River Thames in central London.
  • President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova died of lung cancer in Pristina today.
    • Could someone please 'bold' the words "Ibrahim Rugova" on the Main Page, please ? -- 199.71.174.100 04:45, 22 January 2006 (UTC) A comma is also missing. Please add one before the word "dies". Thanks.-- 199.71.174.100 05:01, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Minor changes done. I'm a little dubious that a pic of the president, uploaded and tagged by someone other than its author can likely be GFDL. -Splashtalk 05:16, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • Thanks for fixing, Splash. On second thoughts, the "GFDL" pic from Wikimedia Commons should not be used for the Main Page. It says "CNN" on the lower right corner. Possibly a copyvio. -- 199.71.174.100 05:21, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 20, 2006

  • Three former workers at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Ohio are indicted for repeatedly falsifying inspection reports and other information to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the plant's owner, FirstEnergy Corporation, accepts a plea bargain and $28 million in fines in lieu of criminal prosecution.
    • Not really notable enough, maybe if this neglect/lying had caused a meltdown and thousands of deaths or something. --Golbez 04:49, 21 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Notability is subjective; all things considered, I'd say it's a pretty serious offense.Jeeb 06:20, 21 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Murder is a more serious offense, yet we don't have every murder on here. --Golbez 11:26, 21 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • And for good reason--they're isolated events. The D-B incident, conversely, has widespread significance related to public safety, government corruption, and energy policy. Jeeb 14:41, 21 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • A Northern bottle-nosed whale is stranded in the River Thames in central London.
  • The results of the 2005/6 Iraqi elections are released. The Shi'ite United Iraqi Alliance win 128 seats, a plurality in the new Parliament. Batmanand 13:18, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Update the article (it still has the preliminary results, with no mention of 128 seats) and it's in. --Golbez 14:12, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • I believe this has now been fixed. One thing: you might want to wikilink plurality, I don't know. Batmanand 21:16, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • The final results seem very close (almost identical) to the preliminary results, but the article has still not been updated.--Pharos 00:30, 21 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
          • Sorry, I didn't notice that the results were on a template, which had been updated. Item posted.--Pharos 18:56, 21 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 19, 2006

Knock and the door shall be opened unto you...] Sherurcij (talk) (Terrorist Wikiproject) 23:17, 22 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto successfully launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. --Tomwalden 19:19, 19 January 2006 (UTC)
    • Already posted. --Golbez 13:00, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Human Rights Watch in its annual report strongly condemns the United States, saying that "the abuse of detainees had become a deliberate, central part of the Bush administration's strategy of interrogating terrorist suspects".
    That's certainly newsworthy but I would prefer not to add it myself, being a biased Old European with a very, very clear opinion on U.S. foreign politics. Kosebamse 07:08, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    Maybe we can add it with a picture to the side of that Abu prisoner standing on a block with a hood on his head. lol 71.213.18.188 07:23, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    It is an interesting question whether the selection of a widely known image would introduce a political bias. I think in this case it would. Mentioning the report is a different thing, that's a factual and refernced publication from a respectable source. Kosebamse 07:35, 19 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    I find all of these arguments somewhat irrelevant, as there is no updated article, nor is there likely to be one. --Golbez 13:00, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
File:Parkcity.jpg
  • www.wikipedia.de closed. After an interim injunction of the "Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg" (lowest type of court in germany), its forbidden to show the wikipedia from the main german wikipedia website. Its still possible to get to the german version of wikipedia via *deleted for spam filter*. The decision was made due to an article of the dead german hacker Boris Floricic called TRON.
    • ... No. Violates pretty much every guideline of ITN. --Golbez 22:39, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 17, 2006

January 16, 2006

  • recent California inmate execution?
  • Former United States President Gerald Ford hospitalized with pneumonia. --M@thwiz2020 00:14, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • We generally don't highlight here the ups and downs in the health of former heads of state.--Pharos 02:06, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • ... but we do highlight preliminary rounds of elections? joturner 02:18, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • A preliminary round in an election is still an important step in the democratic process. Gerald Ford, unlike, say, Ariel Sharon recently, is long retired from politics.--Pharos 02:44, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is inaugurated as the president of Liberia, becoming the first elected female leader in Africa. -- Solipsist 23:26, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • We featured her election prominently, but her inauguration (as in almost all inaugurations) is a rather predictable event.--Pharos 02:06, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • 3 murder suspects escape from the Russell County jail in Alabama. --munboy 17:51, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • This is definitely an item of only local interest.--Pharos 02:06, 17 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The Premier of Western Australia, Geoff Gallop, resigns his office after announcing he is suffering from depression. (ABC Australia)http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17837862-2,00.html
    • This doesn't seem to be of particular international importance, as he is only the leader a subnational entity, and the circumstances of his resignation aren't especially dramatic (compare Jim McGreevey).--Pharos 13:43, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 15, 2006

  • Michelle Bachelet is elected as the first woman President of Chile (Source: BBB) --Pablo Alcayaga 22:31, 15 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • The Stardust capsule didn't land in the Great Salt Lake, it landed in the Great Salt Lake desert, quite a distance away from the lake itself. The entry on the In the news page incorrectly states that it landed in the Great Salt Lake.
  • Voting commences in the 2006 presidential election in Finland. The incumbent president Tarja Halonen looks likely to win re-election in the first round of voting. - ulayiti (talk) 09:17, 15 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Saying it "looks likely" is not totally neutral, as latest polls point that it will probably be a close call whether she'll get more than 50%. [7] It would be better to formulate that differently, or, for example, simply say that Halonen is "leading the opinion polls". --Jonik 15:43, 15 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The first round of the 2006 presidential election in Finland concludes. The incumbent president Tarja Halonen will meet Sauli Niinistö in the second round run-off. --Kizor 20:14, 15 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Can I ask for this to be used soon, if it's suitable? The voting is over, the results are tallied. --Kizor 04:49, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Flag of Kuwait
Flag of Kuwait
The Stardust
The Stardust
  • * The Stardust spacecraft is scheduled to return to Earth at 10:12 GMT after collecting dust samples from the comet Wild 2. It is the first time samples not of the moon have been collected and it will also be the fastest man-made object to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. (Aljazeera) (AFP) (CNN) 71.213.23.13 05:34, 15 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

[[Image:NonFreeImageRemoved.svg -->|right|100px|Rizgar Mohammed Amin]]

  • President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya has declared a national disaster, as the ongoing drought and food crisis left 2.5 million people close to starvation; he appealed for US$150 million to feed the hungry. (Reuters) --Vsion 09:29, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Please update the article on the declaration of national disaster. Before this goes up, perhaps someone could also read over the article and see if there's maybe a bit too much emphasis on the general causes of famines rather than the circumstances of this particular food crisis. Thanks.--Pharos 13:39, 16 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 13, 2006

January 12, 2006

  • A stampede during the stoning the devil ritual on the last day at the hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 100 Muslim pilgrims. joturner 14:50, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • While there is an updated article, it's a single line, and I doubt this will get expanded further... I won't reject outright, but I'm not sure if it should go there with just a single line. --Golbez 16:02, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • CNN now reporting the death toll is 345; it's possible an article could be made from this. I look for input from others. --Golbez 16:02, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Posted. The last stampede recieved widespread media coverage, and in the lead-up to this hajj, fears of a repeat were widespread. Thus, this seems likely to be major too.--cj | talk 16:21, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II, is released from a Turkish prison after serving a sentence for an unrelated murder conviction. --Kitch 14:02, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • Posted. --Golbez 16:02, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Replaced. Not particularly newsworthy, --cj | talk 16:21, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • I didn't notice this discussion till now. I've just added Agca to make four items, which is usually our minimum. If you find something better to replace Agca, please do.--Pharos 22:05, 12 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 11, 2006

Until they actually are chosen, and are not just possibles, then this is not ITN material. --Golbez 17:03, 11 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 9, 2006

  • H5N1 strain of Avian influenza spreads to Turkey, killing three children. —--Aude (talk | contribs) 04:20, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • You might want to instead link to Global spread of H5N1. —--Aude (talk | contribs) 04:25, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • The virus has been present in Turkey since last year, as sad as the deaths are - unless something significant - like human to human transmission - has been shown, I don't think this should be on ITN.--nixie 04:27, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • You're right that this is more of an "ongoing" story. This particular story, however, is not so much about the "sad" deaths, but rather the fact that these are "the first human deaths from bird flu outside China and southeast Asia". It's that fact that makes this story significant. But, I don't want to spend my time debating this with you, so will just leave it at that. —--Aude (talk | contribs) 17:12, 10 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Hearing started for the possible additon of '''Judge Samuel Alito''' to the '''US Supreme Court''' [10]

January 7, 2006

January 5, 2006

  • The Texas Longhorns defeat the USC Trojans, 41-38, in the Rose Bowl to win the national championship of college American football.
    • Just my personal opinion, but if the game doesn't warrant its own article (as the World Series, World Cup, Super Bowl, etc. tend to do) then it probably isn't right for ITN. (this is not an endorsement of putting those leagues up, just giving a nice barrier) --Golbez 05:42, 5 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 4, 2006

January 3, 2006

  • U.S. pilots targeting a house where they believed insurgents had taken shelter killed a family of 12. (Washington Post)
    • Updated article required. --Golbez 23:05, 5 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • There is no updated article. This is the most updated article (yesterday) Kukini 23:18, 5 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • No, I mean an updated Wikipedia article is required. --Golbez 23:31, 5 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Oops, my error. I get it now.Kukini 23:40, 5 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • Ah, okay. Well, what I was going to say is: ITN is not Current Events. Current Events is somewhat of a news aggregator; if something of note occurs, and is referenceable, it goes there. ITN is more for very major stories with an encyclopedia article behind them; consider it "encyclopedia articles updates in the news", rather than just a news page. So you might find something about a disaster, or a new lost city found, as long as they have an article. Read the guidelines at Wikipedia:In the news section on the Main Page for the rules on getting a submission in ITN. --Golbez 23:42, 5 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • In a significant development in the Abramoff Lobbying and Corruption Scandal, Jack Abramoff pleads guilty to federal charges after agreeing to cooperate in a corruption probe that could involve several top Republican lawmakers. LA Times, NPR, Reuters
    • Posted. I would have put up his mugshot too (it would be PD) but I couldn't find it for some reason.--Pharos 06:26, 4 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • Don't really know how to do this, but I can't help feeling this [12] should be mentioned somewhere. The global trade in caviar and other products made from the wild, endangered sturgeon fish has been banned, permanently or temporarily. Obviously nobody is dead because of this, but it has huge implications for species and a 'popular' food. Also, it is astonishingly firm for what it is, and could additionally face problems with the Russian Mafia. I think it's incredible (but good). 23:29, 3 January 2006 (UTC) (Skittle)
  • Twelve of the thirteen coal miners trapped in the Sago Mine Accident near Tallmansville in the U.S. state of West Virginia, are found alive. Daniel Case 05:37, 4 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
    • It, erm.. was already there. --Golbez 05:40, 4 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 2, 2006

  • Rescuers continue their attempt to reach the 13 coal miners trapped in West Virginia's Sago Mine.
    • Because I love articles that get diagrams so quickly (like last year's tsunami), I'm putting it up. --Golbez 06:07, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • What diagram? Was this something removed as a copyvio or was it just lost in an editing accident?--Pharos 05:56, 4 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • Yeah, it was. *mutter* That annoyed me. --Golbez 06:04, 4 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
      • Err... 11 Germans died .. 13 Americans are trapped.. guess which one makes the main page of Wikipedia. How fast can you say Bias?--Irishpunktom\talk 09:54, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • Scroll down. Did anyone nominate that one? It should be here, granted, but you take what people nominate. Daniel Case 19:03, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
        • No martyrs here, please, Irishpunktom. If you want something on the main page, either become an admin, or nominate it here. I didn't hear about 11 Germans, probably because I haven't read the news much the last week. So WP:AGF please. --Golbez 19:14, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Remove the Windows Security flaw and replace it with the German ice rink story. That was we have both the story about the trapped Americans and the dead Germans included and a pointless story about a Microsoft security flaw removed. Everyone is happy. Link to the German ice rink story: [13] Jombo 20:38, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

  • We need an updated Wikipedia article. We don't have external links on ITN, it's not a news aggregator. --Golbez 20:55, 3 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

January 1, 2006

Austria
Austria
  • The presidency of the European Union was handed over to Austria (Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel) on January 1.
    • The date is now January 1 (European time) and this should be on the main page.
      • The leap second is over. Please change tense
        • Update the Schussel article and it could go on the main page. A related article must be updated to include this information for it to be a candidate. Harro5 05:05, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]
          • Schüssel article updated.
            • The only problem is that this position rotates all the time (twice a year isn't it?). Thus a single change isn't notable enough to warrant mention on the main page. Add it to Current events if you want to. Harro5 21:41, 1 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]