Wikipedia:In the news/Candidates

This page provides a place to discuss new items for inclusion on In the news (ITN), a protected template on the Main Page (see past items in the ITN archives). Do not report errors in ITN items that are already on the Main Page here— discuss those at the relevant section of WP:ERRORS.

This candidates page is integrated with the daily pages of Portal:Current events. A light green header appears under each daily section - it includes transcluded Portal:Current events items for that day. You can discuss ITN candidates under the header.

Flooding in Porto Alegre Flooding (pictured) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, leaves more than 100 people dead and at least 130 others missing. Kyren Wilson wins the World Snooker Championship. In horse racing, Mystik Dan wins the Kentucky Derby. Following the Solomon Islands general election, Jeremiah Manele becomes the prime minister. Acting prime minister of Haiti Ariel Henry resigns, and the Transitional Presidential Council is sworn in. Ongoing: Israel–Hamas war Myanmar civil war Russian invasion of Ukraine timeline War in Sudan timeline Recent deaths: Hootie Ingram Frank Stella Kristin Hallenga Frank Shrontz Darius Morris Peter Demetz view — page history — related changes — edit

Glossary Blurbs are one-sentence summaries of the news story. Altblurbs, labelled alt1, alt2, etc., are alternative suggestions to cover the same story. A target article, bolded in text, is the focus of the story. Each blurb must have at least one such article, but you may also link non-target articles. Articles in the Ongoing line describe events getting continuous coverage. The Recent deaths (RD) line includes any living thing whose death was recently announced. Consensus may decide to create a blurb for a recent death. All articles linked in the ITN template must pass our standards of review. They should be up-to-date, demonstrate relevance via good sourcing and have at least an acceptable quality. Nomination steps Make sure the item you want to nominate has an article that meets our minimum requirements and contains reliable coverage of a current event you want to create a blurb about. We will not post about events described in an article that fails our quality standards. Find the correct section below for the date of the event (not the date nominated). Do not add sections for new dates manually - a bot does that for us each day at midnight (UTC). Create a level 4 header with the article name (==== Your article here ====). Add (RD) or (Ongoing) if appropriate. Then paste the {{ITN candidate}} template with its parameters and fill them in. The news source should be reliable, support your nomination and be in the article. Write your blurb in simple present tense. Below the template, briefly explain why we should post that event. After that, save your edit. Your nomination is ready! You may add {{ITN note}} to the target article's talk page to let editors know about your nomination. The better your article's quality, the better it covers the event and the wider its perceived significance (see WP:ITNSIGNIF for details), the better your chances of getting the blurb posted. Headers When the article is ready, updated and there is consensus to post, you can mark the item as (Ready). Remove that wording if you feel the article fails any of these necessary criteria. Admins should always separately verify whether these criteria are met before posting blurbs marked (Ready). For more guidance, check WP:ITN/A. If satisfied, change the header to (Posted). Where there is no consensus, or the article's quality remains poor, change the header to (Closed) or (Not posted). Sometimes, editors ask to retract an already-posted nomination because of a fundamental error or because consensus changed. If you feel the community supports this, remove the item and mark the item as (Pulled). Voicing an opinion on an item Format your comment to contain "support" or "oppose", and include a rationale for your choice. In particular, address the notability of the event, the quality of the article, and whether it has been updated. Please do... Pick an older item to review near the bottom of this page, before the eligibility runs out and the item scrolls off the page and gets abandoned in the archive, unused and forgotten. Review an item even if it has already been reviewed by another user. You may be the first to spot a problem, or the first to confirm that an identified problem was fixed. Piling on the list of "support!" votes will help administrators see what is ready to be posted on the Main Page. Tell about problems in articles if you see them. Be bold and fix them yourself if you know how, or tell others if it's not possible. Please do not... Add simple "support!" or "oppose!" votes without including your reasons. Similarly, curt replies such as "who?", "meh", or "duh!" are not helpful. A vote without reasoning means little for us, please elaborate yourself. Oppose an item just because the event is only relating to a single country, or failing to relate to one. We post a lot of such content, so these comments are generally unproductive. Accuse other editors of supporting, opposing or nominating due to a personal bias (such as ethnocentrism). We at ITN do not handle conflicts of interest. Comment on a story without first reading the relevant article(s). Oppose a recurring item here because you disagree with the recurring items criteria. Discuss them here. Use ITN as a forum for your own political or personal beliefs. Such comments are irrelevant to the outcome and are potentially disruptive. Suggesting updates There are two places where you can request corrections to posted items: Anything that does not change the intent of the blurb (spelling, grammar, markup issues, updating death tolls etc.) should be discussed at WP:Errors. Discuss major changes in the blurb's intent or very complex updates as part of the current ITNC nomination.

Suggestions

For future events in 2010, see Wikipedia:In the news/Future events/2010.

January 19

January 19, 2010 (2010-01-19) (Tuesday)

• 2010 Haiti earthquake:
  • The United Nations Security Council increases the size of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti by 3,500. (UN News Centre)
  • Scores of United States Navy troops land near the Haitian presidential palace, bringing food, water, and equipment. (BBC)
• The assassination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh:
  • In a hotel room in Dubai on the night in question, Al-Mabhouh—a co-founder of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas—was assassinated by a total of 33 perpetrators, most of whom had checked into the hotel using fraudulent names/IDs and left the country before the discovery of Al-Mabhouh's body. (GQ)
• Cadbury acquisition:
  • British confectionery maker Cadbury is to be purchased by American company Kraft Foods for £11.5 billion (850 pence per share). (BBC)
  • Cadbury chairman Roger Carr says layoffs will be an "inevitability" following the acquisition. (BBC)
• Iran rejects a deal offered by the International Atomic Energy Agency to exchange low-enriched uranium for nuclear fuel. (BBC)
• Massachusetts voters elect Republican Scott Brown to fill the vacant United States Senate seat previously held by Ted Kennedy. (BBC) (CNN)
• The United States Supreme Court reverses a decision by the Philadelphia Court of Appeals that had blocked the execution of former Black Panther Party member Mumia Abu-Jamal. (BBC)
• The United States Supreme Court refuses to hear an appeal from the QSI Holdings decision on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, limiting bankruptcy trustee avoidance actions against certain owners of (equity). The denial of certiorari lets that opinion stand. (Law360)
• A United Nations survey reveals Afghans have paid about US$2.5 (or £1.5) billion in bribes in the last year. (BBC)
• At least 149 people are killed in two days of violence between Christians and Muslims in the Nigerian city of Jos. (BBC)
• Large quantities of oil still remain under beaches over 20 years after an Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Prince William Sound, Alaska. (Reuters) (BBC)
• Japanese air carrier Japan Airlines files for bankruptcy protection. (BBC) (Asahi Shimbun)
• Foreign journalists in China say their emails have been hacked, as Google pulls out of launching its Android mobile phones. (Times LIVE South Africa) (Washington Post)
• Bulgarian European Commission nominee Rumiana Jeleva steps down as candidate and minister. (BBC)
• Chinese senior judge Huang Songyou is sentenced to life in prison over corruption charges. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (People's Daily)
• The Guinean junta appoints opposition leader Jean-Marie Doré as the new prime minister. (BBC)
• A powerful storm in California, United States, causes the evacuation of at least 200 homes in threat of mudslides, and knocks out power for 65,000 customers. One fatality is reported in Kern County. (CBS News)
• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev approves the establishment of the North Caucasian Federal District (from Southern Federal District) and appoints Alexander Khloponin as the Vice-Premier and Presidential Representative to the new federal district. (ITAR-TASS)
• The Number Resource Organisation warns the Internet is running out of IP addresses, with less than 10% of current-generation IPv4 addresses still available. (Daily Telegraph)

ITN candidates for January 19

Japan Airlines bankruptcy

The Japanese national carrier and largest airline in Asia has filed for bankruptcy and will fire 15,700 employees. The Japanese state is to inject £2 billion into the companty. (BBC). The article has a two paragraph update at the moment. Seems like a good candidate to me - Dumelow (talk) 15:43, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Death of Bill McLaren

Retired rugby union commentator Bill McLaren, awarded an OBE, CBE and an MBE, dies at the age of 89. HJMitchell You rang? 15:10, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Cadbury buyout

• American corporation Kraft Foods is to purchase British chocolate manufacturer Cadbury for £11.5 billion after months of negotiations between the two companies. HJMitchell You rang? 07:46, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

I assume that Cadbury is the article to link to. It appears to have a decent update. Cadbury is certainly a very notable company on both sides of the pond.--Johnsemlak (talk) 08:49, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, that's the article I'm working on at any rate. The article is in pretty decent shape, though there's not a huge amount to add beside the facts and figures just yet- this only broke just over an hour ago. The BBC News Channel tells me that a formal announcement is expected at "lunchtime" GMT. HJMitchell You rang? 09:03, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. Corporate news. Very big. __meco (talk) 10:36, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Just to give a few facts and figures- this will surpass Mars, Inc as the world's largest confectionery company and Cadbury currently employs 45,000 people worldwide, this is currently leading Google News' business section and is attracting attention from sources both sides of the Atlantic, Australia[1], India, Ireland, Canada, Germany etc etc. HJMitchell You rang? 13:25, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

January 18

January 18, 2010 (2010-01-18) (Monday)

• The 2010 Islamic Solidarity Games, scheduled to take place this April in Tehran, are canceled due to a dispute regarding the name of the Persian Gulf. (BBC)
• North Korea says sanctions against the country should be lifted before it returns to the six-party talks over its nuclear program. (Thai News Agency) (Joongang Daily) (BBC)
• Indian and Pakistani forces exchange fire over the border. (UPI) (Reuters)
• Mehmet Ali Ağca, the man who shot Pope John Paul II in May 1981, is released from a Turkish prison after almost 30 years behind bars. (Hong Kong Standard) (CNN) (Today's Zaman)
• Somalia sends a letter of protest to Kenya after the arrest of MPs and other officials, including Muslim leader Al-Amin Kimathi, over recent riots. (BBC) (Angola Press) (Africa News)
• Two dozen Afghan Taliban insurgents launch coordinated attacks against the presidential palace and other buildings in central Kabul on the day a new government is to be sworn in. (Washington Post)
• A 3.4 M_w earthquake hits Guizhou Province, China, and kills seven people. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Burma's Supreme Court hears a last appeal against the house arrest of detained National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (ABS-CBN News)
• Ten Tibetans arrested after crossing into Nepal are handed over to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kathmandu, reversing an earlier decision to deport them back to China. (Taiwan News) (Republica)
• Fidel Castro reports activities of 500 Cuban-trained doctors in Haiti. (Granma)
• China commences surveillance of text messages, with customers from the country's two largest operators being blocked for lewd messages. Meanwhile, text messaging returns to Xinjiang, after riots last July. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (Al Jazeera)
• Maria Sharapova crashes out of the 2010 Australian Open, losing in the first round against compatriot Maria Kirilenko, 6–7 (4–7), 6–3, 4–6. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

ITN candidates for January 18

Islamic Solidarity Games canceled

• The 2010 Islamic Solidarity Games, scheduled to take place in April in Tehran, are canceled due to a dispute over the name of the Persian Gulf.

Support This is a sporting event that involves a number of (Islamic) countries, and it's an interesting piece involving a longstanding international dispute. The article might need a bigger update though. -- tariqabjotu 03:33, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Article needs to be updated and expanded significantly.--Johnsemlak (talk) 04:17, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Mehmet Ali Ağca

• Mehmet Ali Ağca, the Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, is released from prison. (BBC) - TouLouse (talk) 16:26, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Update is currently too short; Not sure about notability. Spencer^{T♦Nominate!} 03:34, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Kabul attacks

I don't have a blurb yet as we should wait for estimates of casualties, and possibly also for a separate article. This should however clearly find its way to the ITN box. __meco (talk) 09:27, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

CNN puts the count at 5 to include two Taliban

I'd be inclined to support, but we have had similar incidents with higher casualties that have not been featured. HJMitchell You rang? 11:46, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

The BBC quotes US envoy Richard Holbrooke: "We can expect this sort of thing on a regular basis". A few people killed in a notorious war zone is not really my idea of significant news, but we can wait and see how things develop. Apart from anything else, we would need an article (or an update) before we could post. Physchim62 (talk) 12:28, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Meh, I'll start an article. We'll see what comes of it. HJMitchell You rang? 12:44, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

The two "features" of this attack which makes this stand out from the future as projected by Richard Holbrooke is that the presidential palace was the central target and it was timed to coincide with the inaugurations of the new cabinet. __meco (talk) 13:04, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

So I see upon further research. Anyway, for anyone who's interested, January 18 2010 Kabul attack is the target article. I invite suggestions for a more concise but unambiguous title, but that'll do for now. HJMitchell You rang? 13:16, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

We could combine this with the nomination a bit further down for the controversy surrounding the proposed Afghan Cabinet of Ministers. That one got some support, as it it is unusual anywhere for a Cabinet to be (effectively, though only partially) refused two times: still the story never got posted. Physchim62 (talk) 13:22, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

If you could think of a decent blurb. The 2 events are clearly related... HJMitchell You rang? 13:36, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I too think this is a good idea. __meco (talk) 13:40, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

OK, I'll formally support a combined story. As for the blurb, I'll see what I can do later. I think we should still wait a little bit for more comments, and also to have more information, before posting. The news reports I read a couple of hours ago were still quite sketchy. Also we have not had a very good 2010 so far in terms of having to pull ITN stories – at least five since the New Year, when we only had to pull thirteen in the first five months of 2009 – so it is probably better to be cautious, especially when we are currently having a good day for updates! Physchim62 (talk) 14:05, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I oppose combining because one didn't cause the other. I do support both of them individually though. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 14:16, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Maybe you're thing of the Malaysian church attacks, one of the stories that was pulled this month? I agree that we need to be careful about the blurb, more careful than we were for the church attacks, but we do (quite often) run joint blurbs for similar events which have no causal connection between them, such as men's and women's titles in high-ranking sports events or even the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. Physchim62 (talk) 14:34, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Update Please update, the article is not more than a detailed headline currently.--yousaf465' 05:50, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

2010 Masters

Mark Selby

Just nominating this to see what everybody thinks, front page of BBC Sport. Apparently the guy who won (Mark Selby) came from being far behind to win at the very last possible moment. He beat the defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, according to the BBC. O'Sullivan was equalling the record for appearances in the final as well so he can't be a bad player. Sky Sports says O'Sullivan was the world number one. Selby described it as "the best final I've ever been in". The BBC says it was "one of the most memorable finals in Masters history". It is also "the first major tournament since Barry Hearn's appointment as chairman" of the sport's governing body. Probably not a case of ITNR but maybe just right for this year? There hasn't been much sport recently, just the Togo football attack if that even counts as sport. --candle•wicke 00:58, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oh! there's a picture of him as well. --candle•wicke 01:11, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

It wouldn't bother me to run this as a one-off, if the blurb made it clear that the final was unusually tight. However, the article is in no state to be posted yet, so I shaln't support for the moment. We have the Australian Open and the African football coming up, not to mention the Winter Olympics next month, so we will be getting some sport on the Main Page whatever happens. If anyone had nominated the Dakar rally (ITNR event), we would have some on there right now. Physchim62 (talk) 02:44, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Don't forget this... –Howard the Duck 03:16, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I think you mean this... Don't worry, I've added it at WP:ITN/FE, just in case we all get too excited by the Costa Rican general election, 2010, and forget to post it! Physchim62 (talk) 03:31, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oooops. Why can't they just name it Super Bowl 2010 or something like that. Tee hee. –Howard the Duck 03:33, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

It is a good thing we have snooker then which does go by year. :) --candle•wicke 03:36, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

So... what? –Howard the Duck 03:52, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Nothing. No harm intended. :) --candle•wicke 04:09, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Strong Oppose. Snooker already has one event on ITNR, and I frankly see that as one too many for a fringe sport. I know it gets coverage in the UK but looking at the BBC Sport and the Guardian sport pages, this event is featured very unprominantly and below many other events.--Johnsemlak (talk) 02:48, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

It just has tennis and cricket above it on The Guardian and is on the main page of BBC Sport alongside the tennis actually. It seemed the most prominent final (the other events appear to be ongoing so aren't really ITNable). --candle•wicke 03:05, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Yeah but if it were the final of a more prominent event (and more ITNable) like the FA Cup or the Champions League it would be splashed across the main page, with numerous articles. And it gets NO coverage across the channel. --Johnsemlak (talk) 03:23, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Neither does the cricket from The Guardian though. Each country has different interests. And I think football beats all sports for main page coverage like that yet sport on ITN is not all about football. :) --candle•wicke 03:33, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

The 'ITN isn't all about football' argument doesn't seem to help US college sports. Anyway, as I said, this is getting minimal or no coverage outside the UK as far as I can see. Certainly very little coverage in Russia. 1 2.--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:50, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm afraid I can't read that but I can see pictures of yet more football and some winter sports. --candle•wicke 04:07, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose. For a sports item to get my support, it has to be of real significance- for example, a World Cup or possibly the Formula 1 world championship. HJMitchell You rang? 08:11, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose. Non-ranking tournament. ... (talk) 12:00, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose Sorry, but snooker just isn't big enough to post more than the world championship. The events at the masters were hardly earth-shattering either, so I see no reason to run this as a one-off. Modest Genius ^talk 16:09, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

January 17

January 17, 2010 (2010-01-17) (Sunday)

• A teacher and a student from Chung Ling High School were killed and four others were missing in the dragon boat tragedy in Penang. The Star
• Computer modelling shows that the Pine Island Glacier and Thwaites Glacier, once described as a major "tipping point" for the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the embayment of the Amundsen Sea, has reached their own tipping points for eventual collapse, likely to lead to a sea level rise of up to 52 cm over the next century. New Scientist
• Aftermath of 2010 Haiti earthquake: Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade offers "voluntary repatriation" to each of his Haitian "sons and daughters of Africa". (BBC)
• Indian communist patriarch Jyoti Basu, the longest-serving Chief Minister of West Bengal who declined the post of Prime Minister in 1996, dies at the age of 95. (Reuters) (Indian Express) (The Hindu) (Hindustan Times) (The Canadian Press) (BBC)
• Iran suspends pilgrimages to holy sites in Saudi Arabia after it called on the Saudi religious police to stop their "appalling behaviour" towards Iranian Shiite pilgrims. (Times of India) (Ennahar)
• Former Iraqi minister Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as Chemical Ali, is sentenced to death for the Halabja poison gas attack. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
• Pope Benedict XVI makes a controversial visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome. (BBC)
• Ukrainian voters go to the polls to elect a new president. (Kyiv Post) (BBC)
• Sebastián Piñera is elected President of Chile in the second round of the presidential election. (BBC) (UPI)
• Former Northern Irish First Minister Peter Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, tells The Sunday Times that the conduct of his wife, politician Iris Robinson, with her young lover has led him to shake hands with deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness (Sinn Féin) for the first time. (BBC) (Ireland Online) (RTÉ)
• Prince William of Wales arrives in New Zealand for a three-day tour, including the opening of its new Supreme Court building, his first official overseas trip representing Elizabeth II. (BBC) (The Independent) (The Daily Telegraph)
• A U.S. drone attack kills 15 alleged militants in the Pakistani region of South Waziristan. (BBC)

ITN candidates for January 17

Scientists discover that sea level will rise irreversibly 0.52m within a century from one of the ice sheets alone

Their non-complete model which predicts this is already underestimating reality after only 14 years.. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 11:52, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

The story – both the scientific paper and the secondary source – is dated 13 January: too old? Physchim62 (talk) 12:39, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

67th Golden Globe Awards

...will take place tonight. Last year, we posted The 66th Golden Globe Awards takes place in Beverly Hills, California, with Slumdog Millionaire winning four awards including best picture. A preliminary question is, do we follow the same pattern this year? --Tone 14:30, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I certainly think we should post the story. It's not as big as the Oscars, but we still got a peak of 85k hits last year, which puts it securely in the top 10% of ITN stories. I would prefer it if we can avoid the verb problem ("Awards takes place" is correct U.S. English, but sounds strange to a Brit), but we won't really know what we have to do until the awards are announced. Physchim62 (talk) 14:44, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

This is also the first ever Golden Globes to be screened live. Support what ever presentation the community think is right. —  Cargoking  talk  17:40, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:07, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose - rather vehemently... This is by no standards that I can condone news worthy of an ITN spot. __meco (talk) 19:35, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose It was agreed upon months ago that the Golden Globes were to be taken of ITN:R. --PlasmaTwa2 19:38, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Then it certainly shouldn't be listed as there is a consensus-developed list at WP:ITN/R of recurring items that should be listed and the Golden Globes isn't among them. __meco (talk) 19:51, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I can't find any discussion of the issue either way. Could someone link to a place where this has been discussed before if we are supposed to take the ITN/R argument? Physchim62 (talk) 21:57, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

This was discussed back during either TIFF or the Berlin Film Festival. The discussion is not located at ITN:R. A group of editors, including BorgQueen, if I remember correctly, decided to take it off. --PlasmaTwa2 22:04, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

The discussion took place on September 21. It was decided that having the Golden Globes on ITN:R made no sense when we had the Academy Awards, which are more prestigious and cover the exact same thing as the Globes. --PlasmaTwa2 22:11, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. Especially if we posted it last year. Not until the winners are all known though, obviously. HJMitchell You rang? 19:47, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

The American media doesn't seem to care for this event as much as the Academy or Grammy Awards... is the third most important entertainment awards ceremony in the United States worthy of inclusion? On the other hand, Haiti mania is to be found here too... --candle•wicke 20:24, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

It's getting a fair amount of global media coverage (and the awards haven't even been announced yet), so I'd say that it is significant enough. We ran the (cancelled) awards in 2008, but not (it appears) in 2007 or 2006. The list at WP:ITN/R shouldn't be seen as restrictive when it can be changed at any time. Physchim62 (talk) 20:40, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

oppose as this has been talked about before. since we post oscars there is no need for golden globes. they are considered less prestigious and more domestic. we discussed this during TIFF convos and few other times since it was posted last year without consensus. -- Ashish-g55 22:40, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

The discussion last year had a fair consensus for posting: out of eight editors who commented, only one opposed the posting (with a comment of "it's just people getting awards. Not really news.") Physchim62 (talk) 23:14, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

In the discussion on September 21, 2009, to my count there were five editors commenting at the time when we decided to remove the Golden Globes. Not one of the five objected to the removal, myself included. --PlasmaTwa2 23:26, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support gets attention, just not as much as the Oscars. Also, I don't see how it's more domestic, since it's voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 22:49, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm unsure about posting two American awards for film. Particularly in the link I've provided above one of their own newspapers rates it third in a list of (entertainment only) awards at the same time it is actually happening (don't know how low it ranks when non-entertainment awards are included as well or far it would drop in those ratings in the same week as the Academy Awards). One ITN for the Academy Awards is understandable as film is an area where America has been successful but what about other countries with a successful film industry being included as well? --candle•wicke 23:15, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Interestingly, the New York Times' ranking of Oscars > Grammys > Golden Globes is borne out in the viewing figures for the ITN stories last year! I'm not sure the fact that the awards are handed out in Beverly Hills is too relevant, so long as they have wide international media coverage (which the Golden Globes definitely do). And we do publish film awards from other countries as well.

I think ITN/R is getting to be a farce when it is preventing us from publishing news stories which have significant international impact (and, in this case, significant Wikipedia readership: 85k hits last year, roughly four times the figure for the Cannes or Toronto film festivals). If we're not careful, ITN will end up like DYK, with a perfectly logical and consistent system for selecting stories that nobody wants to read! Physchim62 (talk) 00:06, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

To me, it is not the fact that the Golden Globes is not on ITN:R that makes me oppose, it is the fact that it was taken off of it because consensus was that the Golden Globes do not represent the highest achievement in the film industry. I always thought that ITN was here not to merely report what is popular (Cause, you know, then we would have to put up the Tonight Show on the 22nd), but to put links to other things in the news that wouldn't necessarily get a whole lot of views, like the recent item about diamonds. What Candlewicke says below this comment is true. --PlasmaTwa2 01:17, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

But then if people are so interested in this topic they'll just search for the Golden Globes anyway? As they have to do now before it happens. Maybe there are readers who prefer obscure stories that they don't see anywhere else, don't they matter? --candle•wicke 00:39, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

If they want something obscure, they can scroll down to (dare I say it!) DYK. We distinguish ourselves from them by posting information that is genuinely interesting to a lot of people and of timely relevance and this is both. HJMitchell You rang? 00:47, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Of course the "more obscure" stories matter as well, particularly because a lot of the "more obscure" stories we run on ITN are actually very popular. I just checked diamond, for example, it got 60.6k hits yesterday. For comparison, the average DYK hook doesn't even generate a thousand hits, while TFAs are usually 20–40k hits (yesterday's was 37.0k). We should be very careful of the argument that "if people are interested, they'll find the article anyway." If that is the argument, why are we running the Haiti earthquake? Well, we're running the Haiti earthquake because it is "in the news", not because it's popular! Depending on which popularity statistic you choose, the Haiti earthquake is not even our most popular ITN story of January 2010. But the Golden Globe Awards are also "in the news", we know that a lot of our readers will be looking for the article: we should give them a simple link to it from the Main Page because that is what In the news is there for, it is our raison d'être! Physchim62 (talk) 01:28, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Is anyone going to comment on the other nominations? I'm surprised this has more interest than Jyoti Basu and Senegal's offer to Haiti. --candle•wicke 01:01, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Support -- also aired live in countries outside its mother country or near the mother country. –Howard the Duck 02:44, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, I'm going to oppose per my above reasons plus the supports not yet convincing me. We posted it last year doesn't work for me with this one. The attention it receives is less than the Oscars as demonstrated and we don't post everything which gets a tiny amount of attention. The 2008 cancellation may have been notable but this year it appears to be going ahead. Physchim62 says media ranking = Wikipedia views so interest is clearly not there on the same level. That leaves the live screening and we don't post everything which is screened live for the first time. Oh, last one, being aired live outside its mother country or near the mother country did not get this example posted so being aired live in countries outside its mother country or near the mother country is not a fully convincing argument either (in my opinion). I think I've beaten all supports that gave a reason there. Try harder. :-) --candle•wicke 03:22, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Candlewicke, I wasn't aware that to get an item posted we had to 'beat' your oppose.--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:34, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

You don't. I was talking about my support. :) --candle•wicke 03:37, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

OK fair enough.--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:42, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd hardly consider this event as "a tiny amount of attention," as demonstrated by prominent mention at the BBC Website. Both arguments "Wikipedia views/media ranking same level" don't hold much water, and live screening outside the mother country is frequent for sporting events (even for non-championship games, heck, even no-bearing games), but not on entertainment events such as this (only the Oscars might be broadcast internationally live elsewhere, I don't think even the Grammy Awards is broadcast live outside North America). –Howard the Duck 03:51, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

OK, I've changed my mind. Support. --candle•wicke 04:04, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Ok one note i will add. if this is posted then there should be no problem in posting Indian Filmfare awards for bollywood movies... Because as far as i remember and have read over that was the main point made against Golden Globes before taking them off ITNR. Otherwise there is a clear systemic bias that we have introduced into ITN (not that it wasnt there before :) ). Also Golden globes are for both TV and Movies. So both should be mentioned in the blurb. -- Ashish-g55 04:24, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I do support posting Filmfare Awards (and the golden globes). That said, in order to post the Filmfare awards, they would need to be much better covered on Wikipedia to meet our requirements. Currently there are know year by year articles for the awards. Unfortunately systemic bias is hard to beat. --Johnsemlak (talk) 04:29, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd post this item right now, but the article isn't very good. I don't really consider bolding winners updating the article. -- tariqabjotu 05:33, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Hm, I am somehow towards oppose now. Simply, what's a nice blurb? Avatar won two globes? Yes, but so did Dexter and 3 others. And just putting a blurb saying that the ceremony took place does not seem good enough. (it's different with the Oscars because there's only one winner of the best picture) --Tone 08:12, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

• Avatar and The Hangover win the Golden Globe Awards for best motion picture.

Or alternatively with the Golden Globe Awards bolded. I agree that we should be able to do a better job of updating before posting, though. Physchim62 (talk) 09:33, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose. If sports only get top level events, why should entertainment gets more. ... (talk) 11:57, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Well, sports events get a lot more luv here on ITN compared to entertainment, at least if you look at ITNR. A little more on the popular entertainment front wouldn't hurt IMO. However, in any case, the article is not yet suitable for posting.--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:42, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

I came to support, but after reading the discussion find I oppose. Although the point must be made that the GG are not an "American awards for film" as the Academy Awards are; they are selected by film critics from an international organization, none of whom (if I understand correctly) are American. This should add weight to the support side of this debate. However, IMHO, I must think that more weight is added to the oppose side by the fact that the GG are a "second level" award. They maybe a presigious award, however they do not have the gravitas that the Oscars do. This can be seen by how people discus that winning a GG is a stepping stone, or precursor, to winning the Oscar. So, I would Oppose.Rhodesisland (talk) 02:12, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Haiti update

The President of Senegal has issued an open invitation to all Haitians to come back to Africa. An entire fertile region is waiting for them. Surely this is not an everyday event? --candle•wicke 12:15, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support--Avala (talk) 14:49, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose so far, it looks like it's just an invitation. If Haitians take him up on it, then I'll support on that day. --PlasmaTwa2 02:26, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose, this sounds like the sort of offer you make while knowing it won't be accepted. There are, what, three million Haitians affected by the earthquake – how are they all supposed to cross the Atlantic? And fertile regions around the world, especially in Africa, tend to have people already living in them… Physchim62 (talk) 02:38, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose, per Plasma Twa, but only if a significant number do (i.e., not 15 people). Spencer^{T♦Nominate!} 03:36, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Death of Jyoti Basu

• Article says he was "India's longest-serving Chief Minister as of 2010 of any Indian state". BBC correspondent says he "was credited with restoring stability to the state, and bringing in land reforms", "leaves behind a controversial and mixed legacy", was "easily India's most respected communist leader". There is also the "historic blunder". "Jyoti Basu, the last Bhadralok Communist". Reuters describes him as "Jyoti Basu, the patriarch of Indian communism whose pragmatic politics twice brought him close to becoming prime minister". The Indian Ted Kennedy if there ever was one... or was he only once close to being President, I can't remember. Lots of coverage in India anyway. --candle•wicke 11:55, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

The additional obituary which the BBC now supplies says he "ran the world's longest serving elected Communist government". --candle•wicke 12:37, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support, that's more like my idea of a notable politician, someone who did a bit more than "just" get elected. The biography looks in reasonable shape as well, and has been updated. Physchim62 (talk) 13:37, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Anyone else? --candle•wicke 23:18, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Now front page under "FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS" with headline "The man who was nearly India's first Communist leader" at http://news.bbc.co.uk/ (between articles on Hillary Clinton and the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola). --candle•wicke 00:42, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose I looked at several American news sites, and couldn't find a single story on him. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 02:06, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

They're all too busy with the Golden Globes, obviously ;-) But Business Week is American, isn't it? Physchim62 (talk) 02:34, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

So is CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, the NY Times, Boston Globe, LA Times. Couldn't find on those sites. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 02:42, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

New York Times. Physchim62 (talk) 03:16, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

User:Dc, the world doesn't end with US... If you study the world history specially about Cold War, you will see that the US were against the Communists, (Truman Doctrine) they cannot believe that the Communist can rule a state for long which has been democratically ruled. 220.227.133.250 (talk) 12:14, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Support elected leader of West Bengal for 23 years, a state with 100 million people, and frankly, it's rare for communists to get power without banning all opponents. It's also on ABC, the lack of US coverage, well perhaps not surprising when winners of US sports compettions call themselves "world champions" YellowMonkey (bananabucket) 02:22, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Weak Support. Was going to oppose but the article is good and he was in power at the regional (was he the equivalent of a governor?) level for a long time.--Johnsemlak (talk) 02:44, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, he was the head of government there. A British-style system where the member of parliament who is the head of the biggest party/alliance is the leader of the jurisdiction. YellowMonkey (bananabucket) 02:58, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Why should he have coverage on an American site? Would an American be opposed for not having coverage on an Indian site? This person ruled over for more than two decades over an area with a population more than three times the size of California, which is apparently the most populous US state. --candle•wicke 03:00, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

There is coverage on an American site though I agree that shouldn't be a requirement.--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:13, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Suggest: Communist patriarch Jyoti Basu, the longest serving Chief Minister of West Bengal, dies of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome at the age of 95. --candle•wicke 03:30, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Support -- He was an important indian leader. Any INDIAN newspaper or newschannel would be highlighting him all day today. Why would you look for him on an American news channel an oppose this decision. Sounds very ameri-centric to me. Also, I'm sure if an article about two buses colliding (an incident that probably occurs on a daily basis in all countries in the world) can be highlighted in the news, than this news is far more important. Pleasantfartsa (talk) 04:51, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. Maybe I'm being unfair but, in my experience the American media (the New York Times excepted) don;t report anything much that's not of pressing concern to Americans and what is often big news everywhere is in the worlds might not rate a mention in such news sources, thus someone who is relatively obscure outside of southern Asia is not likely to receive significant coverage. I think this guy satisfies our death criteria and he was obviously a prominent figure in India which, if memeory serves, accounts for something like one sixth of the world's population. HJMitchell You rang? 05:04, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Strongest Support: He was the old man of Indian politics. He holds the record of being the longest serving chief minister democratically elected. Can this be matched with anyone else? Don't forget every Indian mourns his death (even if he/she is affiliated to any other political party). WP is as much read in India as in US or UK. Need admins to put up this story. --GPPande 08:25, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Posting. And omitting reason of death from the blurb, this is not that relevant in this case. We could add the picture but the new president of Chile is a more recent blurb. --Tone 08:27, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Thanks a lot Tone. You rock as usual !!!! --GPPande 12:22, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Assuming we don't get a new story with a good picture before then, we can (and possibly should) swap the pictures after Piñera has been there for 24 hours (which is about midnight UTC). That way we get a rotation of images as well. Physchim62 (talk) 14:14, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

This is a good idea, my support. --Tone 15:13, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Question--is it normal to put his political affiliation in the blurb? It seems to me he's notable whether he's a communist or a nationalist. We don't usually say 'former Republican president Ronald Reagan died yesterday.'--Johnsemlak (talk) 14:51, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

True, but there are several people above who have commented on the fact that he was an elected communist in supporting the story. I think we need a little leeway in how we write the blurbs for obituaries: to take an example from this very story, Tone didn't mentioned the cause of death, although we usually do mention it when it is known, simply because it is rather banal for a 95-year old man to die of multi-organ failure (aka "old age"). Physchim62 (talk) 15:10, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

(ec) Somewhere above it says he was a democratically elected communist politician with the longest stay in the office. I think this is the reason his party is there, though it is not fully explained in the blurb. As far as I am concerned, this can be omitted as well. --Tone 15:13, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Chilean presidential election

The Chilean presidential election, 2009 and Chilean parliamentary election, 2009 take place. If no candidate gains 50% of the vote a run-off will be held on 17 January 2010. The president-elect will not succeed current president Michelle Bachelet until 11 March 2010 - Dumelow (talk) 11:51, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

(BBC) It has gone to the run-off between Sebastián Piñera and Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle. I'll move it to January - Dumelow (talk) 10:05, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

Support, sure. --Tone 10:07, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support when we have the result. HJMitchell You rang? 14:57, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support result per ITNR Modest Genius ^talk 15:50, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. Wizardman _{Operation Big Bear} 17:45, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support.--Johnsemlak (talk) 18:59, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Chemical Ali

• Former Iraqi minister Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali", is sentenced to death for the fourth time, for his role in the Halabja poison gas attack in 1988. (BBC) --BorgQueen (talk) 08:22, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Alternatively, I suppose we could update and feature Halabja poison gas attack instead. --BorgQueen (talk) 08:24, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Does "sentenced to death for the fourth time" not indicate this is a regular occurrence? --candle•wicke 08:53, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Indeed it seems to be an annual event... :P --candle•wicke 08:54, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but I thought the fact that he received four death sentences would be notable. Is it common for a war criminal? --BorgQueen (talk) 09:03, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

If I remember correctly he was on ITN when there was the first sentence. I think this is enough. --Tone 10:07, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Good memory! June 2007 he was sentenced to death. —  Cargoking  talk  14:52, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

• Support quite notable person and trial.--Avala (talk) 14:44, 17 January 2010 (UTC)
• Wait. I might support if they actually carry out the sentence or if it's repealed but it's not beyond the realms of possibility that this will happen again. HJMitchell You rang? 14:55, 17 January 2010 (UTC)
• I have to agree with HJ. This is the fourth time he's received the sentence, so let's just wait til they hang him. It doesn't take too long in Iraq. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 19:04, 17 January 2010 (UTC)
  • Not too long? This person must hold the national record. :) --candle•wicke 01:02, 18 January 2010 (UTC)
• OpposeI think this was the fourth such sentence against him ?--yousaf465' 05:54, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

January 16

January 16, 2010 (2010-01-16) (Saturday)

• Previously unknown Florence Green, at 108, is believed to be Britain's oldest surviving UK-resident First World War veteran, and the last known female First World War veteran, having served with the Women's RAF (WRAF) in 1918 (The Daily Telegraph)
• Aftermath of 2010 Haiti earthquake:
  • A 4.5 magnitude aftershock strikes Haiti within days of the recent devastating earthquake. (Sky News)
  • The United Nations says the earthquake is the worst disaster it has ever had to deal with in its history. (The Daily Telegraph)
• Spanish politician Gaspar Llamazares says the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) use of his photo in its "shameless" digital manipulation of Osama Bin Laden for a wanted poster, has left him insecure and worried about travelling to the United States in future. (BBC) (Sky News) (The Daily Telegraph)
• The German government asks its citizens to stop using Microsoft's web browser Internet Explorer to protect their own security. (BBC) (The Sydney Morning Herald) (The Daily Telegraph)
• The first detailed measurements of the melting point of diamond indicate that it behaves similarly to water in that the solid floats on the liquid. (Discovery News) (Popular Science)
• The Afghan parliament for a second time rejects most of President Hamid Karzai's cabinet nominees. (CNN) (The Hindu)
• India's National Security Advisor M K Narayanan steps down as part of an overhaul of security in the country. (The Times) (Times of India)
• China announces an increase of 28% in the number of internet users in the country, now at 384 million. (Times of India) (China Daily) (The Independent)
• Authorities in Cuba are investigating the death of 26 patients at a psychiatric hospital after a spell of unusually cold weather. (BBC) (Havana Times)
• Another church is attacked in Malaysia and a mosque also targeted for the first time in a row over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. (Times of India) (AFP)
• Kenya will deport a radical Jamaican Muslim cleric Abdullah el-Faisal after protests against his detention led to rioting. (Reuters) (Daily Nation)
• Australian police bust a $A18 million cannabis crop. The cannabis crop has been found growing on leased land in a national park in northern New South Wales. (Otago Daily Times)
• Japanese politician Ichiro Ozawa vows to stay on after the arrests of several of his aides in a growing funding scandal in the Democratic Party of Japan. (Xinhua) (Canadian Press)

ITN candidates for January 16

Florence Green

• Previously unknown Florence Green, at 108, is believed to be Britain's oldest surviving UK-resident First World War veteran, and the last known female First World War veteran, having served with the Women's RAF (WRAF) in 1918 (The Daily Telegraph)

After waiting for ages for a World War One story that might be of remote international interest, this one comes along and I nearly miss it. I didn't create the article, or even update it, and the article is unlikely to expand further, but if you want larger articles to link to (which I'd be happy to update), we have Women's Royal Air Force (I just updated that one here) and List of surviving veterans of World War I (updated by others). Carcharoth (talk) 21:31, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. This is an amazing discovery for women. --candle•wicke 01:03, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

No, this one doesn't really do it for me. One problem is that I can't really see the news story; the other is that the possible articles to link to are very short on info. I don't mind posting stubs if I think we are going to get more information quickly, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Florence Green. Women's Royal Air Force would be another possible target, but again, it leaves me underwhelmed by the information it teaches me about the WRAF in this era. The idea that Mrs Green was "previously unknown", strikes me as a strange wording as well: after all, she was married and had three children, she wasn't "unknown" to her family! Oppose. Physchim62 (talk) 01:56, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

She may have always existed but she was, however, an ordinary woman who was probably thought not notable enough to have an article on Wikipedia. --candle•wicke 04:02, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Support I thought the last WW1 veteran was now dead, so there really can't be many left at all. This probably is worth covering. 13:28, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

There still are some veterans alive, see List of surviving veterans of World War I. To be precise, 5 plus one unverified. According to that list, Green was first mentioned on January 5, what makes this old news, considering the oldest item presently on ITN, January 12. Oppose for that reason. --Tone 16:04, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Uh, the Daily Telegraph article I first read about this in was on 16th January. It may have been mentioned before then, but it sometimes takes time for major papers to pick up a story. Really, you should go by the last date it appears in newspapers, not the first. Can anyone tell me if the deaths of Henry Allingham and Harry Patch appeared on ITN? Allingham appeared on ITN on April 1, 2009 has an April Fools joke, but his death or his becoming briefly the oldest man in the world, didn't make it (don't know if it was nominated) and I don't think Patch appeared on ITN either. It seems that the only news about World War I (I have a collection of recent news stories in my userspace) that would get the coverage to justify an ITN-worthy article update is the death of a veteran, so I thought this would be a less morbid angle on things. Carcharoth (talk) 04:38, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

FBI admits using bearded Spanish politician for photo of Osama bin Laden

I find this very strange. The US has admitted it, according to this headline, and now Gaspar Llamazares fears for his life, according to this. I would be very worried for American security if their idea of "cutting edge security" is using "cut and pastes" of old campaign photos. Or is this normal behaviour? --candle•wicke 22:05, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Oh, he's going to sue them now as well. --candle•wicke 22:16, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. At least they didn't use his name. -SusanLesch (talk) 22:42, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Neutral, leaning towards oppose I thought about nominating this myself, but desisted. This seems more like a case of incompetence than anything else. Gaspar Llamazares is on the extreme left-wing of Spanish politics, but he is certainly not a terrorist by any stretch of the imagination. The worrying part of this story seems to be that the U.S. kept the images of his 2004 election campaign – one can hardly believe that they just found them by accident – but even then it is a bilateral issue between Spain and the USA, without wider consequence or interest. Physchim62 (talk) 22:44, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support ⇌ Jake Wartenberg 02:46, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Strong oppose. I'm sorry, it's quite unlike me to strong oppose, but this is not that big a deal and it seems more like trivia than news. Maybe I'd support if he actually sued them and got a hefty settlement, but not now. HJMitchell You rang? 03:01, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose This is only newsworthy because it's embarrassing. -- tariqabjotu 03:20, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support per Tariqabjotu. This is a very embarassing mess up by the FBI. --PlasmaTwa2 03:23, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose not newsworthy enough for main page IMO. —Krm500 ^{(Communicate!)} 03:26, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

The Reuters link above said Spain's US embassy had to apologise after being asked to explain. If it is phrased as an apology would that be good enough? I'm sure it must affect international relations... --candle•wicke 03:30, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I doubt it will affect Spain–U.S. relations much! I mean, it's not as if they dropped four H-bombs on us or anything like that… Seriously, it's not even this week's most serious diplomatic incident (that would probably be the public humiliation of Turkey's ambassador to Israel, no article update as yet). Physchim62 (talk) 13:30, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Wait for now. If and when he sues the US federal government, and gets a verdict, I will be happy to support. Certainly an interesting story! --BorgQueen (talk) 06:56, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I presume anyone successfully suing the US government would automatically be certain of an ITN. :) --candle•wicke 10:54, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Americans regularly sue their own government, right? That's what happened in Gitmo and Bush a few years back. –Howard the Duck 11:03, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I suppose people would argue it's not international enough if they're doing it to themselves. --candle•wicke 11:38, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I do remember foreigners suing the American government. I remember those same Gitmo prisoners who were let go said they're playing to sue the American government for not upholding their rights. –Howard the Duck 12:05, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose To be blunt, a dude's face got partly used for a photo, and he's understandably annoyed. This is not a big story. HonouraryMix (talk) 11:24, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Yes, but it's a very worrying development. And I'm not convinced about their response which reads like: "Oops, we didn't mean to use such a high-profile person, next time we'll make sure they're not famous". --candle•wicke 11:38, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I still don't see how it's a big story. Although involving a prominent organization, this is in effect some guy at a computer taking a short-cut in his work that's caused a public figure to lash out. In the grand scheme of things, this story is in no-way worldly significant. HonouraryMix (talk) 11:44, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Strong Oppose This is one of those stories that makes me think 'so what?' Modest Genius ^talk 13:54, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose Grsz¹¹ 03:46, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Official government statement

• The German government asks its citizens to stop using Microsoft's web browser Internet Explorer to protect their own security. (BBC) (The Sydney Morning Herald) (The Daily Telegraph) --candle•wicke 21:50, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

• Support. Good sense but too bad the government had to step in. -SusanLesch (talk) 22:44, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose Whole can of worms, and sets a bad precedent. Besides, this is just aftermath from the Google/China story, and we didn't post that. Modest Genius ^talk 02:08, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Death of Asim Butt

• A prominent artist has committed suicide at the age of 31. He was a founder member of the Stuckist art movement and was profiled by the BBC in 2007 and in 2008 the Chicago Tribune noted in an article on the spread of "youth rebellion" "challenging a repressive military regime" how he "started a “protest art” movement in [Karachi], spray-painting “eject” symbols near the headquarters of the paramilitary rangers". So he has international significance, was top of his field as a founder and his work is known in the UK and US. He seems to have been important in his field of expertise and to have had a significant contribution/impact on the country. --candle•wicke 21:02, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

And, on Stuckism, the article Go West (exhibition) says: "The Stuckists had previously been seen as art world outsiders, but with the backing of a West End gallery in a "major exhibition"[1] became "major players" in the art world.[2]". --candle•wicke 21:07, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support the arts on principle. Don't know anything about him or if he is well known. -SusanLesch (talk) 22:47, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose, I'm not seeing major notability here. Wizardman _{Operation Big Bear} 23:24, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Diamond's melting point

Is it important enough to give the ITN a change of pace? Nergaal (talk) 20:45, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

In future, please do not presume we have all read the P:CE template above. Provide at least a source and an article if possible. —  Cargoking  talk  20:48, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

The article says it's preliminary and there are some speculations, I'd say wait. --Tone 20:51, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

This doesn't look that preliminary. Nergaal (talk) 21:06, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Ok, I take that back ;-) Do we have an article update? --Tone 21:16, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. It's interesting and different. Blurb? Update? What's the target article? Diamond would seem the logical choice. HJMitchell You rang? 21:25, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Diamond is an FA so an expert in diamond studies might be needed. --candle•wicke 22:14, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support for chemistry and physics appeal. -SusanLesch (talk) 22:48, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support as the on-call scientist around here. This is actually pretty big news, as well as being a science story that we can try to explain. The article to be updated is surely diamond; it has been updated, but more could be done. Physchim62 (talk) 22:56, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support as the not-really-paying-attention scientist around here ;). Interesting stuff, though I found the statement 'Diamond is a relatively common material on Earth' rather amusing. Suggested blurb below (tried to avoid repeating 'diamond' many times). Article needs a prose update. Modest Genius ^talk 02:19, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

The first experimental measurement of the melting point of diamond indicates that the solid floats on the liquid

So who's going to update the article? (Scratches head) --candle•wicke 02:45, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I have! Posting... ⇌ Jake Wartenberg 02:56, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

So far there's only one article about this in Google News, from Discovery news. Unless someone would like to spend USD18 for the Nature article. Maybe there's enough in the abstract. -SusanLesch (talk) 02:54, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Material properties of diamond could be a good link also. Nergaal (talk) 04:02, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Did anyone supporting this even notice the lack of a proper update? The only relevant update in the bolded article (diamond) has been the addition of exactly one sentence, and there's nothing at all in material properties of diamond. Even though I'm a non-scientist, I generally like reading about findings of this sort, but with the info in the article, it seems more like primary research trivia than relevant news. Something like this should not be placed on the mainpage without a proper explanatory update. Peter ^Isotalo 19:52, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

2010 Haiti earthquake

I know many people are interesting in keeping this as far up as possible. Would a 4.5 magnitude aftershock be important enough to add to the Main Page? --candle•wicke 20:33, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd say it's worth sticking on the end, but a blurb of its own? I'd be inclined to say not. However, if we're looking for a frwhser angle, the UN is calling this the biggest disaster they've ever had to deal with (I'll see if I cna dig up the news article I was reading earlier). HJMitchell You rang? 20:41, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Agree, not a separate blurb, maybe rather update the present one and eventually move it to the top of the ITN. --Tone 20:51, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose keeping a story up on ITN artificially is rarely a good option in terms of page clicks. We are not here to determine which news stories are most notable, thank God, just to give links to articles which people might want to read. Physchim62 (talk) 21:02, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I heard the UN statement too. Here is verification from The Daily Telegraph: "Haiti earthquake: UN says worst disaster ever dealt with". --candle•wicke 21:31, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

It wouldn't be artificial to keep this up longer than other items- it'll be news for weeks to come in all probability. However, we could take a different tack on it and use Response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake as the target article- I came across it patrolling the recent changes earlier and it looks in good shape. Not that we desperately need it. Yet. HJMitchell You rang? 21:57, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I support reposting this (perhaps after it finally falls off the page) with a story linking to the Haiti Earthquake Response article linked above. I can't believe that articles related to the earthquake won't get a lot of traffic now. This is still the top headline in nearly all the international media.--Johnsemlak (talk) 18:54, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Afghanistan

The Afghan national Assembly rejects (for the second time in a row) the majority of candidates for Cabinet ministers put forward by President. HJMitchell You rang? 13:48, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd be happy to work on an update, but I'm not sure where it would be best placed. HJMitchell You rang? 13:48, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Politics of Afghanistan? Physchim62 (talk) 15:20, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually Afghan Cabinet of Ministers seems to have the details (not yet updated with the latest events). Physchim62 (talk) 15:22, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support if this is unlikely to be repeated. -SusanLesch (talk) 22:52, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

January 15

January 15, 2010 (2010-01-15) (Friday)

• Johnson & Johnson recalls more than 53 million bottles of over-the-counter products, including Tylenol, Motrin and Rolaids, from the Americas, the United Arab Emirates and Fiji. (Reuters)
• President Faure Gnassingbé and national team captain Emmanuel Adebayor are among dignitaries to attend a funeral ceremony held in Lomé for the two football officials killed during the Togo national football team attack in Angola. (BBC)
• At least five people die and dozens are injured in Nairobi, Kenya, when police clash with protesters demanding the release of Jamaican Muslim cleric Abdullah al-Faisal. (Xinhua) (Al Jazeera)
• President of Tunisia Zine El Abidine Ben Ali reshuffles his government, making 11 ministerial changes including the appointment of new finance, defence, tourism and foreign affairs ministers, and sends his condolences to Haiti. (IOL) (Reuters Africa) (Middle East Online) (Xinhua)
• Muslim fundamentalists kill two people, an army colonel and the military commander of Béjaïa in northern Algeria. (IOL)
• 23 security guards are detained after clashing over the care of a taxi rank in Sundumbili, KwaZulu-Natal. (IOL)
• Spain's government sees a video showing three aid workers who have been held hostage by Al-Qaeda in Mali since November 2009. (IOL)
• In the Kamsar area, north of Muzaffarabad, Kashmir, a Chinese road-building firm digs up a van containing 17 decomposed corpses which went missing during a 2005 earthquake. (BBC)
• Mr Gay China, said to be the first gay Chinese pageant, is shut down by police an hour before opening. (BBC) (The Times) (Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Russia ratifies key European Court of Human Rights reform. Russia was the last of the 47 Council of Europe member-states to ratify Protocol 14. (Al Jazeera) (RT) (NY Times) (BBC) (ITAR-TASS) (FT) (RFERL)

ITN candidates for January 15

Russia ratifies European Court of Human Rights reform

• Russia ratifies European Court of Human Rights reform, as the last of the 47 Council of Europe member-states to do so. (Al Jazeera) (RT) (NY Times) (BBC) --BorgQueen (talk) 06:15, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support We have been publishing these type of agreements before, so I don't find any objection this.--yousaf465' 07:30, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose. Reading the article shows that these reforms are technical and procedural, not the sort of stuff that's likely to interest a lot of people. Physchim62 (talk) 17:28, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I can't find any coverage of this in Russia.--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:40, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Support the Court is the model of upholding the human rights of the people versus their states. Making this more efficient could easily see an stream of high-profile rulings against Russia in particular but also in the Balkans and Belarus and the United Kingdom and France's new, strict laws. Therequiembellishere (talk) 17:55, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose per Physcim. If this were more than a few technical changes I'd support. I haven't seen much coverage of it here in the US. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 18:08, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose. Accession would be a news story, changes to the way the court operates are not. Modest Genius ^talk 14:04, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Monet

Beach in Pourville

Is this story unusual? I am aware that famous paintings and "priceless masterpiece"s are stolen very often but how many are recovered ten years later? --candle•wicke 16:12, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

I'll support, as the story's received a fair amount of attention. But there isn't an article for the panting (I believe the painting is Beach in Pourville) so I'm not sure which article needs updating. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 20:05, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. Not earth-shattering news but it's unusual enough to interest people and it has had a lot of international coverage. The article has been created. Physchim62 (talk) 17:26, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

That seems ready. And there's a picture in the article which I've just inserted here. Suggest: Impressionist painter Claude Monet's Beach in Pourville is recovered after a ten-year search. --candle•wicke 20:42, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually this is a nice story with a picture as well. Support. --Tone 22:14, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm glad the story has found support. May I propose another blurb? ('cos I don't really like candlewicke's blurb, nothing personal)

• Beach in Pourville, a painting by Impressionist artist Claude Monet stolen in September 2000, is recovered in Poland.

We should really try to keep the featured article as near to the front as English grammar would allow us ;-) Physchim62 (talk) 23:28, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

That's fine, just stops anyone delaying it further by asking for one. ;) --candle•wicke 00:18, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. Good story and photo. -SusanLesch (talk) 00:26, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Posted, with image and Physchim62's blurb. The article is a little short but sufficient enough, I believe, to convey all the important info - Dumelow (talk) 00:54, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

I have moved it from the top spot as I found a source (and added it to the article) giving the date of recovery as 12 Jan (when it was also reported by the PA) - Dumelow (talk) 01:11, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Valid point, but it's also valid to take the date of the confirmation, which was (I believe) 15 Jan. Without a confirmation of autheticity, we would have had no ITN piece. Physchim62 (talk) 01:33, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

Mr Gay China

China's first gay pageant has been shut down by police an hour before opening. This is news in the UK and Philippines so has international relevance and is not another gay marriage story either. There are also articles here, here and here describing in detail the underwear show which it now seems will now not happen. Shouldn't gay pageant redirect to somewhere? --candle•wicke 15:51, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose there is no article. --PlasmaTwa2 19:26, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

I found one and another one very easily. --candle•wicke 19:38, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose it doesn't seem to important. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 20:06, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose Not important also, I have already seen too much china bashing since last week.--yousaf465' 07:28, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Bonaire referendum

Bonaire, part of the Netherlands Antilles, will hold the Bonaire constitutional referendum, 2010 to determine what the country should do when the Netherlands Antilles ceases to exist on 10 October. The two choices will be full integration with the Netherlands or else the formation of a Free Association - Dumelow (talk) 17:09, 25 November 2009 (UTC)

Question are there any more of these referenda in Netherlands Antilles? I'll support, except I'm worried that we may end up having a string of identical stories for each island. Modest Genius ^talk 00:34, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

There are no other referenda that are not in the past on the somewhat detailed and somewhat frequently edited dissolution of the NA article, so maybe not. I might be wrong, though. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 11:07, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

My understanding is that this will be the only one, but I haven't found anything that says that explicitly - Dumelow (talk) 12:03, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Support when the results are known. This is going to be a major decision for Bonaire, knowing that the Netherlands Antilles will be dissolved. And regarding the other islands, each can be evaluated separately. --Tone 12:06, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Weak support. I'd rather wait until we know the result f the referendum, but the story is interesting and newsworthy. HJMitchell You rang? 12:07, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Depends on the result. We have always taken referendums on a case-by-case basis, so no exception involved here. As I understand it, this is one of the last steps in dissolving the Netherlands Antilles, but just next week we have the Netherlands Antilles general election, 2010. If Bonaire votes to integrate with the Netherlands, I would oppose as it is simply the status quo result. If Bonaire votes for "free association", I would support, as it would open a can of worms in the whole process: the (European) Dutch have said that only integration or independence are on offer. Physchim62 (talk) 12:34, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Doomsday clock

A bit of good news for a change. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Doomsday Clock has moved back one minute to 6 minutes to midnight. It's first move away from midnight since 1991. BBC - Dumelow (talk) 01:48, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

It's interesting, but it is just the opinion of a magazine. We don't put Time Person of the Year on here. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 01:58, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

I agree we shouldn't feature this atomic clock. --yousaf465' 05:38, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

January 14

January 14, 2010 (2010-01-14) (Thursday)

• India celebrates the Thai Pongal, Makar Sankranti and Magh Bihu harvest festivals in places around the country (Palayamkottai, Haridwar). (The Hindu)
• 40 people are killed after two buses crash head-on in one of Papua New Guinea's worst ever road accidents. (The National) (AFP)
• Seven people die in a stampede at a religious festival on the Ganges in West Bengal, India. (The Hindu) (BBC) (Press TV)
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez partially reverses a decision to ration electricity in the country a day after it was announced, saying it was having "undesirable effects" on the population. Thus, Caracas residents won't have power cuts anymore. (El Universal) (AFP)
• The head of Guinea's junta Moussa Dadis Camara and interim leader General Sékouba Konaté hold emergency talks with Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaoré. (AFP) (BBC)
• Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announces a moratorium on the death penalty, calling for it to be abolished. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (China Daily)
• A crew of eight Irish sailors is rescued after the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race competitor Cork Clipper hits a rock in Java, Indonesia. (RTÉ) (BBC) (Ireland Online)
• A man is held in custody in Ireland after threatening that there was a bomb on board a transatlantic flight which had to land in an emergency at Shannon Airport. (RTÉ)
• Taoiseach Brian Cowen meets Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London for talks on the devolution process in Northern Ireland. (The Irish Times) (RTÉ) (BBC)
• A suicide bombing at a market in Afghanistan's Orūzgān Province kills 20 people. (BBC)

ITN candidates for January 14

Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010

• Nom - Is visible in Uganda, Indian Ocean, South India, and Sri Lanka. - TouLouse (talk) 15:57, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

China, too. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 21:06, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. Although only an annular eclipse, this is visible from many heavily-populated areas. Modest Genius ^talk 16:25, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

oppose since its not total. so nothing really special about it. last one we posted was because it was like longest in many years to come. -- Ashish-g55 17:27, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Actually, this is the longest eclipse of the millennium. The only central eclipse over 11 minutes between 1992 and 3043. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 20:45, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

In this case, I believe this is interesting enough to make it to ITN. Eclipses as long as this one are indeed rare. The article is well-written. If this goes up, I suggest it some time at the beginning of the eclipse tomorrow. --Tone 21:11, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

change to support as per Sagittarian Milky Way. And we can actually post it early as it is confirmed that it will happen. Its not like there is a chance it may not =). Also the fact about it being longest should be in the blurb -- Ashish-g55 21:33, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Support as well, per above. But wait 'til it starts. It should say it's the longest of the millennium. ~DC _{Talk To Me} 21:47, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

The longest central solar eclipse until the year 3043 occurs over parts of Africa, the Indian Ocean and Asia.

Support. The eclipse starts at 04:05 UTC. Physchim62 (talk) 23:19, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

The 'longest of the millennium' fact does not currently appear in the article Modest Genius ^talk 00:44, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Fixed. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 03:34, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Is timeanddate.com a reliable source? It summarizes there won't be an equal or longer one 'til Dec. 23, 3043 very well. Or the two sources above? Which would you prefer? I'll add it or them to the article. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 02:04, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

I think you should try some newspaper.--yousaf465' 05:33, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

I don't think the newspaper does the very complex calculations involving among other things the day getting 1 millisecond longer/century and which mountains of the Moon are where (in 3 dimensions) 30,000,000,000.0km from now to the accuracy approaching 100 meters (0.1 sec). They probably get it from the ones that do (Fred Espenak@NASA) anyway. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 11:36, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Posting. --BorgQueen (talk) 06:37, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Could I suggest we put the picture from the Haiti earthquake story back up for another day or two? It clearly is the main news story and will be for some time.--Johnsemlak (talk) 01:54, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Death of 40 people in Papua New Guinea

• "One of the saddest days in the history of road accidents". Fears death toll may rise. Is this enough death for the Main Page? --candle•wicke 13:44, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Support - I start a stub - 2010 Papua New Guinea bus crash - TouLouse (talk) 15:19, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

If the article is expanded (depends how many sources there are available), I'll support. Though, we have the Haiti earthquake on the top of ITN at the moment and this is a totally different scale of a disaster. --Tone 21:35, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I support when expanded but like Tone I see this as having tough competition with the Haiti story.--Johnsemlak (talk) 23:22, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Neutral. We got rapid complaints last year about the 2009 Yambol bus crash: apparently, 16 dead in Bulgaria was not enough death for the Main Page… Physchim62 (talk) 23:24, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I think 40 is enough. The timing might be wrong here though. In any case it's a moot point until the article is expanded.--Johnsemlak (talk) 23:43, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Expanded. Some of the coverage is horrific and the pictures are quite disturbing. I can't see how anyone would complain about this being unimportant. Papua New Guinea's worst road accident kills at least 40 people after two buses collide near Lae. --candle•wicke 11:07, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

This is ready to post now. I would like to have at least one more opinion before, though. --Tone 11:55, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Support. I think the unusually high number of deaths qualifies this item for a spot on ITN. __meco (talk) 14:49, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Go for it! Physchim62 (talk) 15:47, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Well? --candle•wicke 16:14, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Posting. --Tone 16:16, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

I'd be interested in whether or not "Bus crash outside of Lubbock, Texas kills 40" would have made ITN. UnitAnode 04:39, 18 January 2010 (UTC)

Death of Masoud Alimohammadi

• His death has been controversial, with two Iranian Presidents honouring him as a "victim of terrorism" and Israel and the United States have been accused of killing him. There are seemingly endless reports on Google from all over the world on this death and lots of reports discussing it in some detail. BBC, Tehran Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Hindu, Xinhua, Asia Times Online, Toronto Star, The Times and so on. His article has also been well developed although could do with some more improvement. 5.5k views on the first full day alone. --candle•wicke 10:53, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Can we send the article to DYK? They'd love those sort of viewing figures! 5.5k hits is not all that many for a reported death that's not even featured on the Main Page – Éric Rohmer peaked at 16.1k, for example, and Miep Gies got (an exceptional) 54.1k, just to quote two very recent examples. On the other hand, do we think the death is significant (as opposed to the person)? I'm leaning towards oppose, as Iran says he wasn't involved in their nuclear program and Irael and the US say they had nothing to do with his death. Running this story would be to give weight to all sorts of speculation. Physchim62 (talk) 12:46, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Death of Ken Colbung

• An important world leader has died. "In his heyday, Ken was a force to be reckoned with - and he worked around the world, using that influence for the benefit of Aboriginal people". He did a lot of things: "Mr Colbung lobbied for Aboriginal land rights, conservation, education and the preservation of indigenous culture and spirituality. He was instrumental in the development of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 for the protection and preservation of material of cultural significance. Mr Colbung was successful in his search for the remains of Aboriginal warrior Yagan whose head was taken to England." Yagan is an FA who seems important and interesting. Ken is indigenous but hopefully this won't be his downfall. --candle•wick 10:09, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose, the article is too short. --Tone 10:12, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

But if it could be expanded? --candle•wicke 10:14, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I would support if the article can be expanded to at least three times its current length. I think his position as an aboriginal politician (if that is this week's politically correct term) makes his life more significant rather than less. Physchim62 (talk) 12:52, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I confess I know nothing of the man, but he sounds like an interesting figure. However, beyond expanding the article, I think we need some more evidence of his notability in the media (which may exist). Also the article is very short, and I think it may be difficult to get it to an suitable state in time for posting.--Johnsemlak (talk) 14:49, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Death of Teddy Pendergrass

• Teddy Pendergrass, the quadriplegic American soul singer and the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums in the US (BBC) dies at the age of 59. HJMitchell You rang? 08:42, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Support, also performed at Live Aid which I suppose is as big an audience as it gets. --candle•wicke 08:58, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose, the article is too short. At least the biography section. --Tone 10:12, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

No, I don't think the article is too short, although I suspect posting the death of an American singer will draw massive complaints on Talk:Main Page regardless of the article's condition. --BorgQueen (talk) 21:22, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Les Paul was American but the article was very elaborate back then. So it was easy to answer to the complaints. No need to worry about the complaints if there are good arguments to put something on ITN. --Tone 21:35, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Weak support, I'd be happier if there were more career details in the article. My argument would be that we run comparatively few arts & entertainment stories, so this is an opportunity to redress the balance a bit. Physchim62 (talk) 23:16, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

I would prefer if the article were better developed.--Johnsemlak (talk) 23:20, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Maybe I'm just not country enough, but to me the kind of country star whose death would merit an ITN item would be someone like Garth Brooks, Faith Hill or Shania Twain. Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton or Tim McGraw would be a maybe. -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:36, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Neutral I think a quadriplegic man who was the first black singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums is noteworthy, but the article said he had colon cancer, so I'm not sure if this was unexpected. --PlasmaTwa2 00:21, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

January 13

January 13, 2010 (2010-01-13) (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• A fatal attack on a tourist by a "dinosaur-sized" shark off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, prompts the closure of several beaches. (Discovery News) (IOL) (AFP)

Business and economy

• Mercedes-Benz's 2009 sales rise 77% in the People's Republic of China. (Xinhua)
• The United States trade deficit rose 9.7% to 36.4 billion US dollars in November. (Xinhua) (People's Daily) (RTT News)
• The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) is held in Detroit, Michigan, US. Green vehicles are seen as a response to the late 2000s recession. Automotive News World Congress is held at the Renaissance Center. (Xinhua) (Merinews)
• Shares in Japan Airlines fall by 81%. (BBC) (The Straits Times)

Disasters and accidents

• An Arkefly Boeing 767 flying from Amsterdam to the Netherlands Antilles is grounded at Shannon Airport after a man claims there is a bomb on board. All 242 passengers and crew are evacuated. (RTÉ) (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) (The Australian)

International relations

• Guinea's junta chief Moussa Dadis Camara arrives in Burkina Faso after being hospitalised in Morocco. (Times LIVE) (BBC)
• Turkey threatens to recall its ambassador from Israel over a dispute involving Turkey's ambassador to the country. Israel apologized later. (Reuters) (Ha'aretz) (Today's Zaman)
• The Kiev Court of Appeal accuses Joseph Stalin and other leaders of the former Soviet Union and Soviet Ukraine of organizing mass famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933. (Kyiv Post) (RIA Novosti) (RT)

Law and crime

• Pope Benedict XVI meets and forgives the woman who attacked him at Christmas Eve Mass in 2009. (The Times) (Catholic News Agency) (Adnkronos)

Politics and elections

• Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni urges the government to reconsider the anti-homosexuality bill being debated due to "foreign policy issues". (The Guardian) (New Vision)

Science and technology

• Computer modelling shows that the Pine Island Glacier and Thwaites Glacier, once described as a major "tipping point" for the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the embayment of the Amundsen Sea, has reached their own tipping points for eventual collapse, likely to lead to a sea level rise of up to 52 cm. (New Scientist)
• Venezuela announces an electricity rationing programme in which the entire country will be affected by four-hour blackouts every week. (El Universal) (China Daily)
• The Government of the People's Republic of China responds to Google's refusal to continue censorship of search results. (Xinhua) (BBC)

ITN candidates for January 13

Rodrigo Rosenberg Manzano

A truly bizarre story if ever there was one. Rosenberg was the Guatemalan lawyer who was shot dead in May 2009. He had secretly made a video in which he states that, if he were killed, it would be the fault of the Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom Caballeros (as well as Colom's wife and one of his senior advisers). Now, after an international investigation led by a Spanish prosecutor, it seems that Rosenberg arranged his own murder. He persuaded his business associates to hire a gunman to knock off a person who was supposedly threatening him, but that person was really Rosenberg himself. The story is on BBC News, and there are references in the article to Christian Science Monitor and CNN. Physchim62 (talk) 13:32, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

On my, I think I've seen something like this in a film... A man hiring an assassin to kill himself. Leaning towards support. --BorgQueen (talk) 13:39, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Was Rosenberg previously on ITN? This seems more like an oddity than actual news, but if it involves the Guatemalan government, then support. Until then, neutral. --PlasmaTwa2 18:25, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

The controversy surrounding the death was nominated on 15 May 2009 (a bit late, given that the death occurred on 10 May), but it didn't make it to the Main Page. Physchim62 (talk) 20:23, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Sorry this doesn't sound terribly important. Maybe if the government had actually killed him. Oppose ~DC _{Talk To Me} 20:21, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Are you sure about that one, DC? An eight-month international investigation concerning a head of state "doesn't sound terribly important"? We're each entitled to our own opinions, of course, but that one surprises me! Physchim62 (talk) 20:31, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

But the result was that this was a really elaborated suicide, not some kind of government conspiracy. Oppose from me in this case. --Tone 21:43, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Weak Support. It's perhaps not amazingly important in itself, but it IS a unique and interesting story, and did involve a head of state and the UN. I imagine we'd get a lot of clickthroughs on it, though that's not really a reason to post. Modest Genius ^talk 23:52, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Neutral leaning towards a "why the hell not?" support. DC and Tone make good arguments- it was, after all, an elaborate suicide, but, as Modest Genius says, it's different, interesting and involved a head of state. HJMitchell You rang? 00:00, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Support Fascinating. ⇌ Jake Wartenberg 00:05, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Support I updated when I came across this from CNN yesterday, so it should be ready to go. It's interesting (to say the least), and at least somewhat significant, involving a head of state. The UN felt it significant enough to launch an inquiry. Grsz¹¹ 02:42, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

A well-worded blurb please? --BorgQueen (talk) 06:00, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

"A United Nations investigation into the death of Guatemalan lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg Marzano, who had left a pre-recorded message saying President Álvaro Colom Caballeros was responsible, determines Rosenberg staged his own murder." or something along those lines. Grsz¹¹ 17:25, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Comment : Are we reading Harry Potter in real ? I would only offer a weak support in this case.--yousaf465' 07:36, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

But the UN enquiry would have been because a head of state was accused of murder. In which case is this so unusual that the UN was involved? Yet he didn't commit the murder at all. So how is this important? He seems to actually have been reading Harry Potter in real. This is certainly interesting but Main Page? Therefore I suppose I agree with Tone here. If this is posted I'm afraid everyone will start murdering themselves and blaming the government so they can be on the Main Page... --candle•wicke 09:58, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Suicides dressed up as murders are already pretty rare occurrences – usually it's the other way round. A suicide dressed up as murder so as to accuse the local head of state must be fairly high up on anyone's WTF scale! If it had been the Guatemalan government, I don't think there'd be any reason for putting the story up: unfortunately, the Guatemalan authorities don't inspire much confidence for their respect for the rule of law, which is why there is a standing UN commission in the country to investigate such (alleged) crimes. After all, we don't usually post murders of political opposants. Still, we'd probably post the Alexander Litvinenko case if it happened today, simply because it is unusual in its nature. Physchim62 (talk) 10:28, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

The notability of this item seems to depend on how bizarre it is, rather than how significant it is. It also seems to be an awfully complex story to summarize in an ITN blurb.--Johnsemlak (talk) 23:17, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

• An international investigation clears Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom Caballeros of involvement in the murder of Rodrigo Rosenberg Manzano, concluding that Rosenberg had organized his own assassination. Physchim62 (talk) 23:29, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

So, are we going to put this up? Roughly 2:1 in favour, depending how you count 'weak' and 'leaning towards' (and yes I know it's not a vote). Modest Genius ^talk 00:39, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

Posted. --BorgQueen (talk) 07:03, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Elections in Uzbekistan

"The elections to the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan held on December 27, 2009, became one of the central topics in the world’s leading media." according to the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan, so obviously they had to come down off whatever they'd been smoking before they could count the ballot papers! (NB. there was also a second round on 10 January) Still, the results have now been published, so...

• The Liberal Democratic Party wins a plurality of seats in elections to the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan. Physchim62 (talk) 10:31, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Yep, support. Are the percentages also available, I see they are missing in the results table... --Tone 12:16, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Ok, posting. --BorgQueen (talk) 12:18, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

No voting figures available (apart from the total number of votes cast), not even for the first round, I've even brushed off my more-than-dusty Russian to look for some in the regional media. I assume that means that there were an embarrassing number of blank votes... It was, of course, a farce of an election, as the article tries to make clear in an NPOV sort of way, but hell, we ran the North Korean parliamentary election last year, and it got reasonable viewing figures! Physchim62 (talk) 13:51, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Google pulling out of China

I know they havent pulled out yet. But it may happen shortly. support for a major internet company intentionally pulling out after censoring its content for 3 years. Part of news is also gmail getting hacked by people in China. BBC Star CNN TimesOfIndia -- Ashish-g55 14:40, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Leaning towards oppose, as it's not entirely clear what the story is here. Google is obviously pissed off, but reading the news reports makes me think that this is just Google trying (possibly counter-productively) to bolster its negotiating position. A story to watch, but I don't think it's ripe for inclusion just yet, until we can actually give our readers some hard facts when they click on the article link. Physchim62 (talk) 15:06, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Support if it happens.--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:14, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Support if it happens, but I personally found it difficult to believe Google would give up such a huge market without fighting to the last breath. --BorgQueen (talk) 15:25, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

it seems like google is the one thats keen on pulling out. story might turn into china trying to stop google by allowing uncensored content. even though i highly doubt that but lets see -- Ashish-g55 15:39, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

This seems like a gradual process, instead of Google merely saying "We're done". Would the itn item be the announcment itself, or when Google actually completes the pull-out? --PlasmaTwa2 20:17, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

I wouldn't want to speculate too much, but shutting down the google.cn domain would seem like a fairly major step to me. Physchim62 (talk) 23:17, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

I think we can wait till, it is actually carried out.--yousaf465' 07:38, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

The Kyiv Court of Appeal accused Josef Stalin and other leaders of the former Soviet Union and Soviet Ukraine of organizing mass famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933

It's interesting and important. I think. --TarzanASG (talk) 21:26, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Is there a suggested article on Wikipedia that needs to be (is?) updated? Or a news link? Spencer^{T♦Nominate!} 21:33, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

The Kyiv Court of Appeal accused Josef Stalin and other leaders of the former Soviet Union and Soviet Ukraine of organizing mass famine in Ukraine in 1932-1933. (Kyiv Post) (RIA Novosti) --BorgQueen (talk) 21:53, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Is this any kind of surprise? -- Mwalcoff (talk) 23:50, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Oppose because this isn't really news, plus there will be no punishments given due to the untimely death of (among others) Stalin a couple of years ago in '53. --PlasmaTwa2 00:30, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Doesn't seem to be a lot of substance to this right now--Oppose. Certainly a major push in Ukraine to blame the Famine on Stalin would be a major news item.--Johnsemlak (talk) 01:32, 14 January 2010 (UTC)