Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 00:00, 24 January 2015

WP:ITN/C

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.

Ebrahim Raisi

A helicopter crash near Varzaqan, Iran, kills eight people, including President Ebrahim Raisi (pictured) and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
In boxing, Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in twenty-four years.
Protests over voting rights changes break out in the French territory of New Caledonia.
Lee Hsien Loong steps down after nearly twenty years as Prime Minister of Singapore, and is succeeded by Lawrence Wong.

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.

Purge this page to update the cache

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...

Shortcut

WP:ITNCDO

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...

Shortcut

WP:ITNCDONT

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

Discussions of items older than seven days are automatically archived

February–March 2005 • April 2005 • May 2005 • June 2005 • July 2005 • August 2005 • September 2005 • October 2005 • November 2005 • December 2005 • January 2006 • February 2006 • March 2006 • April 2006 • May 2006 • June 2006 • July 2006 • August 2006 • September 2006 • October 2006 • November 2006 • December 2006 • January 2007 • February 2007 • March 2007 • April 2007 • May 2007 • June 2007 • July 2007 • August 2007 • September 2007 • October 2007 • November 2007 • December 2007 • January 2008 • February 2008 • March 2008 • April 2008 • May 2008 • June 2008 • July 2008 • August 2008 • September 2008 • October 2008 • November 2008 • December 2008 • January 2009 • February 2009 • March 2009 • April 2009 • May 2009 • June 2009 • July 2009 • August 2009 • September 2009 • October 2009 • November 2009 • December 2009 • January 2010 • February 2010 • March 2010 • April 2010 • May 2010 • June 2010 • July 2010 • August 2010 • September 2010 • October 2010 • November 2010 • December 2010 • January 2011 • February 2011 • March 2011 • April 2011 • May 2011 • June 2011 • July 2011 • August 2011 • September 2011 • October 2011 • November 2011 • December 2011 • January 2012 • February 2012 • March 2012 • April 2012 • May 2012 • June 2012 • July 2012 • August 2012 • September 2012 • October 2012 • November 2012 • December 2012 • January 2013 • February 2013 • March 2013 • April 2013 • May 2013 • June 2013 • July 2013 • August 2013 • September 2013 • October 2013 • November 2013 • December 2013 • January 2014 • February 2014 • March 2014 • April 2014 • May 2014 • June 2014 • July 2014 • August 2014 • September 2014 • October 2014 • November 2014 • December 2014 • January 2015 • February 2015 • March 2015 • April 2015 • May 2015 • June 2015 • July 2015 • August 2015 • September 2015 • October 2015 • November 2015 • December 2015 • January 2016 • February 2016 • March 2016 • April 2016 • May 2016 • June 2016 • July 2016 • August 2016 • September 2016 • October 2016 • November 2016 • December 2016 • January 2017 • February 2017 • March 2017 • April 2017 • May 2017 • June 2017 • July 2017 • August 2017 • September 2017 • October 2017 • November 2017 • December 2017 • January 2018 • February 2018 • March 2018 • April 2018 • May 2018 • June 2018 • July 2018 • August 2018 • September 2018 • October 2018 • November 2018 • December 2018 • January 2019 • February 2019 • March 2019 • April 2019 • May 2019 • June 2019 • July 2019 • August 2019 • September 2019 • October 2019 • November 2019 • December 2019 • January 2020 • February 2020 • March 2020 • April 2020 • May 2020 • June 2020 • July 2020 • August 2020 • September 2020 • October 2020 • November 2020 • December 2020 • January 2021 • February 2021 • March 2021 • April 2021 • May 2021 • June 2021 • July 2021 • August 2021 • September 2021 • October 2021 • November 2021 • December 2021 • January 2022 • February 2022 • March 2022 • April 2022 • May 2022 • June 2022 • July 2022 • August 2022 • September 2022 • October 2022 • November 2022 • December 2022 • January 2023 • February 2023 • March 2023 • April 2023 • May 2023 • June 2023 • July 2023 • August 2023 • September 2023 • October 2023 • November 2023 • December 2023 • January 2024 • February 2024 • March 2024 • April 2024 • May 2024

January 24

Portal:Current events/2015 January 24

January 24, 2015 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass:
- A rocket attack on an open-air market in Mariupol, Ukraine, leaves at least 27 people killed and more than 90 injured. The pro-Russian rebel leader, Alexander Zakharchenko, announces an offensive on Mariupol. (AP via ABC News) (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant:
- The Islamic State kills eight Lebanese soldiers in the northeastern Lebanese village of Ras Baalbek. (AP)
- Japan states that it is seeking to verify a video that claims the killing of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa by Islamic State militants. (BBC)

Business and economy

Subsequent to the January 15 announcement that Target Canada would close all 133 stores, they announce the layoff of 17,000 employees. (CBC)

Health

The measles outbreak at Disneyland (Anaheim), which originated on December 28, 2014 (patient zero being an unvaccinated California woman who apparently transmitted the virus through airports and the theme park), but was unreported until January 7, spreads from California to six other states, including Nebraska, and Mexico. It now involves at least eighty-five cases. (AJC) (CBS)

Politics and elections

Edgar Lungu of the ruling Patriotic Front party wins the Zambian presidential election. (ABC News)

Sports

Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson sets a National Basketball Association record for most points in a single quarter with 37. He also sets a league record for most three-pointers in a quarter, with nine. (Sports Illustrated)
Rob Manfred succeeds Bud Selig as Commissioner of Major League Baseball. (MLB.com)

January 23

Portal:Current events/2015 January 23

January 23, 2015 (Friday)

Disasters and accidents

City officials of Glendive, Montana declare that the tap water is safe to consume following the January 17 oil spill in the Yellowstone River. (Mohave Daily News)

International relations

The Doomsday Clock moves two minutes forward, leaving only three minutes from midnight due to the threat of global nuclear war and climate change. It is the closest it has been to midnight since 1984. (The Guardian) (The Independent) (The Washington Post)

Law and crime

San Mateo County, California prosecuters charge an Oregon inmate, Rodney Halbower (who was already serving a 30-year sentence for an attempted murder), with two of the murders from the six 1976 Gypsy Hill killings. (CBS News)
The U.S. Southern District of Alabama strikes down the state ban on same-sex marriage in Alabama, saying it has violated equal protection and due process rights. Alabama becomes the thirty-seventh state where such marriage is legalized. (USA Today) (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies at the age of 90. His half brother Salman of Saudi Arabia succeeds him. His half brother Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud becomes the Crown Prince. (CNN)
Thailand's military-appointed legislature votes to impeach former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for her role in overseeing a government rice subsidy program that lost billions of dollars. (AP)

Sports

Sumo wrestler Hakuhō Shō wins a record-breaking 33rd makuuchi championship. (Japan Times)

Doomsday Clock

Article: Doomsday Clock (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Doomsday Clock moves 2 minutes forward, leaving only 3 minutes from midnight (Post)
Alternative blurb:  Doomsday Clock moves 2 minutes forward, leaving only 3 minutes from midnight due to the threat of global nuclear war and climate change
News source(s): The Guardian Independent Washington Post
Credits:

Nominated by The Herald (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: A rare event, last happened three years before. - The Herald (here I am) 12:12, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support. This is getting significant coverage, and although it is just a symbolic act it is a notable and rare one. Thryduulf (talk) 12:17, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - really? If it does reach midnight, that *might* be big news. —Brigade Piron (talk) 14:03, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Weak oppose. Yes, a worldwide nuclear war would be big news, I think, if we were still alive to talk about posting it to Wikipedia- or a global climate disaster. That said, this clock is purely a judgement call; if it was the closest ever to midnight, then maybe it would be more notable(two minutes is the closest it has been). 331dot (talk) 14:09, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Sorry, but this just seems like a bit of a parlour game and not even an interesting or meaningful one. A clock that spends half a century dancing about slightly before midnight is basically just a broken clock and if it was in my house, I'd have long since started ignoring it. Formerip (talk) 14:15, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Please be more logical and scientific. Is this a kind of joke or a nomination page. A lame argument for all those who wrote OPPOSE.. - The Herald (here I am) 14:18, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

To what are you specifically referring? 331dot (talk) 14:19, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose, seriously? This is nothing important. --AmaryllisGardener ^talk 14:21, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment - If you want to talk about science, I don't quite see the correlation between an arbitrarily-managed clock and the impending doom of Earth.--WaltCip (talk) 16:29, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. I fail to see how this is different than something like Time magazine's man of the year of Sports Illustrated's sportsman of the year. Both of those get a lot of attention and neither are posted here (and rightfully so). -- Calidum 16:57, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Alt I think something along these lines is better: The DM clock is set for the first time since 1988 at 3 mins from midnight. Nergaal (talk) 17:22, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Re-Opened I am reopening this, since it was only open from 7am-noon on the US East Coast and 4-9am on the west coast. The doomsday clock was a huge thing during the Cold War, with updates to it getting multi-minute segments in the nightly news. Those to young to remember the fall of the Berlin Wall may not remember the angst of the era. That the world seems to have returned to chaos not seen since the 70's, this seems a reasonable nomination. Count me as a support. μηδείς (talk) 19:23, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps this nomination could be closed right at the last minute (or two). Is this just a wind up? Martinevans123 (talk) 19:39, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

With all due respect, what gives you the right to revert an admin closure?--WaltCip (talk) 19:44, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The fact that I can edit this page, Walt? I explained my reasons. Admins' sole privilege here is posting an article. Non-admins can do anything else in good faith. PS, it won't bother me at all if isn't posted, but it was up for less than six hours, when most Americans who were even awake were just starting their commute or working day. μηδείς (talk) 21:05, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@WaltCip: No offense but, "what gives you the right to revert an admin closure?" *facepalm* admins are only needed for the posting like Medeis said. @Medeis: I don't blame you for re-opening this, but it doesn't look like it's done much good for you. --AmaryllisGardener ^talk 21:09, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose This is a media device that is being used to get media attention. It is not so much news as a public service announcement. I don't think this would even qualify if Wikipedia existed when it was a new idea. Chillum 19:53, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose All that has really happened here is that someone has issued a press release and we shouldn't be in the business of churnalism. So far as climate change is concerned, the 2014 record which was suggested down below, would be a better entry. The Atomic Scientist clock also relates to the modernisation of nuclear weapons (and developments in the life sciences !?) but it's not clear that we have a new arms race or that upgrade programmes are increasing risk rather than lowering it. What article do we have which will explain the weapons issue to our readers? Nuclear holocaust is suggested in the nomination but the graph in the article does not seem at all alarming. Andrew D. (talk) 20:10, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - We make Sydney hostage crisis totally news against our will. Doomsday announcements should never be in the Main Page, although corporate-owned media will spin this announcement as "such" without a second thought. Perhaps more aggressive opposition should prompt a re-closure on this nomination. --George Ho (talk) 20:21, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently you haven't read the article. The "clock" is maintained by the board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists including 18 Nobelists, and whose "contributors have included: Morton Grodzins, Hans Bethe, Anatoli Blagonravov, Max Born, Harrison Brown, Stuart Chase, Brock Chisholm, E.U. Condon, Albert Einstein, E.K. Fedorov, Bernard T. Feld, James Franck, Ralph E. Lapp, Richard S. Leghorn, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Lord Boyd Orr, Michael Polanyi, Louis Ridenour, Bertrand Russell, Nikolay Semyonov, Leó Szilárd, Edward Teller, A.V. Topchiev, Harold C. Urey, Paul Weiss, [and] James L. Tuck, among others." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Medeis (talk • contribs)

That's quite a list. You'd think by now that they'd have worked out between them how to fix that broken clock. Formerip (talk) 21:11, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Note that they're mostly scientists, while the clock is a geopolitical indicator. They are less qualified than most international relations experts. Moving the clock is entirely arbitrary guesswork. Mamyles (talk) 21:15, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose Antiquated relic of the Cold War, seems meaningless. But thanks for bringing up memories of Watchmen. – Muboshgu (talk) 21:36, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hakuhō Shō

Article: Hakuhō Shō (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  In sumo, yokozuna Hakuhō Shō wins his 33rd top division tournament championship, breaking the record held by Taihō Kōki since 1971. (Post)
News source(s): Wall St Journal

Japan Times

Yahoo News
Credits:

Nominated by Pawnkingthree (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: Significant achievement in breaking a 44 year old record held by the legendary Taiho who was regarded as the greatest sumo wrestler of the postwar period. Pawnkingthree (talk) 13:50, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support - We regularly post sumo on ITN (including yokozuna promotions), so this is right in our wheelhouse - and it's a welcome change from the normal barrage of football and cricket.--WaltCip (talk) 16:34, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support 相撲でビッグニュース (Big news in sumo wrestling) --AmaryllisGardener ^talk 16:36, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support Nergaal (talk) 16:48, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support per WaltCip. Mamyles (talk) 16:52, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - It's nice to have some variety in the sports news we post, and the record here is certainly suitable.--Yaksar (let's chat) 17:21, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Weak support - I don't watch much sumo wrestling, but I should vote this as news for diversity's sake. George Ho (talk) 20:18, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

January 22

Portal:Current events/2015 January 22

January 22, 2015 (Thursday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

War in Donbass:
- An explosion near a civilian trolleybus in the city of Donetsk kills at least thirteen people. Separatists and pro-government forces blame each other for the incident. (BBC)
Shia insurgency in Yemen:
- Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, and the Yemeni cabinet resign. (CNN)

Business and economy

The European Central Bank announces an aggressive money-creation program, printing more than one trillion new euros. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Edgewater Police Chief William Skidmore says that workers doing plumbing work accidentally started the January 21 fire in The Avalon at Edgewater apartments in Edgewater, New Jersey that caused the destruction of 240 units and displaced 1,000 residents. (AP)

Politics and elections

Zambian presidential election, 2015:
- Heavy rains in Zambia cause delays in voting and counting in the presidential election with announcements to resume today. (AP via Mediacom)

Sports

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon announces that the upcoming 2015 season will be his last as a full-time driver. (ESPN)

RD: Wendell Ford

Article: Wendell H. Ford (talk · history · tag)
Recent deaths nomination (Post)
News source(s): New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Reuters
Credits:

Nominated by Everymorning (talk · give credit)

Recent deaths of any person, animal or organism with a Wikipedia article are always presumed to be important enough to post (see this RFC and further discussion). Comments should focus on whether the quality of the article meets WP:ITNRD.

Nominator's comments: Was the Democratic Party Whip in the Senate for 8 years and governor of Kentucky from 1971 to 1974. After 1974 he was in the Senate for four terms. Article is a FA so no quality issues. Everymorning talk 00:42, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Weak oppose State-level leadership and/or federal congressperson is not really the type of importance in the field we're looking for for RD without any other notable milestones in their career. --MASEM (t) 00:51, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Weak oppose. Does not seem to meet the RD criteria, as Masem suggests. 331dot (talk) 01:41, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - This just isn't important enough for RD, compared to other figures we've posted.--WaltCip (talk) 03:26, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - Whips are just party officials, and state-level representation on its own doesn't seem sufficient. AlexTiefling (talk) 11:10, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

[Posted] Dissolution of current Yemini cabinet

Articles: Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi (talk · history · tag) and Khaled Bahah (talk · history · tag)
Blurb: Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi (pictured), Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, and the Yemeni cabinet resign. (Post)
Alternative blurb: Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi (pictured), Prime Minister Khaled Bahah, and the Yemeni cabinet resign during the Shia insurgency.
News source(s): CNN Times of India WPBF BBC
Credits:

Nominated by George Ho (talk · give credit)
Updated by Olegwiki (talk · give credit) and 129.171.233.74 (talk · give credit)

Both articles updated

Nominator's comments: I don't know which is huge, the dissolution of Yemini government or the succession of Saudi Arabian king. The future of Yemen is grim at best. George Ho (talk) 00:07, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The blurb can't make no reference to the circumstances. Formerip (talk) 00:09, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
(ec) Technical support, the blurb would ideally include the link to the unrest (since it's a bumping up of the current blurb). --Tone 00:11, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support but agree the blurb should refer to the unrest. Neljack (talk) 00:14, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Added altblurb. --George Ho (talk) 00:16, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support altblurb per everyone. Thryduulf (talk) 02:05, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Updated - Jehochman ^Talk 03:22, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

[Posted] Death of Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

Articles: Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (talk · history · tag) and Salman of Saudi Arabia (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies, and is succeeded by his brother Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (pictured). (Post)
News source(s): BBC, CNN
Credits:

Nominated by Masem (talk · give credit)

Article needs updating

Nominator's comments: Death of a sitting ruler + change of power MASEM (t) 23:33, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support – In an absolute monarchy, the death of the monarch is of extraordinary significance. Definitely worthy of a blurb. RGloucester — ☎ 23:34, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - Once article is updated. Miyagawa (talk) 23:35, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - Blurb only. Effectively the death of a serving head of state, and I don't think his advanced age and ill health really detract from this --Somchai Sun (talk) 23:42, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support Blurb. Post asap--just get a minimal update.--Johnsemlak (talk) 23:45, 22 January 2015 (UTC)-[reply]
Support. Death of a currently reigning head of state is notable. Current updates to the articles are sufficient. -LtNOWIS (talk) 23:47, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- Abdullah's article is ready, Salman's is just in progress (its being transitioned to a new name to reflect the change of power). Probably w/in a few minutes it might be ready. --MASEM (t) 23:50, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support per RGloucester. Thryduulf (talk) 23:48, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support. The King is dead! Long live the King! Reso lute 23:52, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support Blurb per User:Johnsemlak. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 23:57, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment on blurb - Presumably, Salman was named successor a long time ago. Should it not read "... and is succeeded by his brother, Salman"? Reso lute 23:59, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. I've taken the liberty of amending the blurb in this way. 00:04, 23 January 2015 (UTC)

Support. This is big. ViperSnake151 Talk 00:01, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Posting. Salman's article is not really expanded (lots of editing going on so it's hard to say) so I will just bold Abdullah's name for now. When the updates are there, we can also add the picture. --Tone 00:03, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Post-posting support (edit conflict × 3) this is big news. --AmaryllisGardener ^talk 00:04, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Photo assistance please - @David Levy: could you update the image and protect it at Commons? Jehochman ^Talk 03:36, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Updated with a photograph of King Abdullah. —David Levy 14:11, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I don't even think this one warrants discussion. King Abdullah was the leader of a G20 member state and a major economic power in the Middle East. Kurtis ^(talk) 05:11, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sure someone would go batshit crazy and cry admin abuse and make all sorts of reports if it had been posted without discussion though. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.95.216.224 (talk) 23:31, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Of course support, but it would be even better if the article on blogger Raif Badawi and the largely successful ai-campaign against human rights violations in Saudi-Arabia found a place there, too. The articles on Abdullah and his successor currently are widely uncritical. --PanchoS (talk) 06:24, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support You Western pig-dogs! Lugnuts ^{Dick Laurent is dead} 07:41, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

[Posted] RD: Leon Brittan

Article: Leon Brittan (talk · history · tag)
Recent deaths nomination (Post)
News source(s): BBC
Credits:

Nominated by Thryduulf (talk · give credit)

Article updated
Recent deaths of any person, animal or organism with a Wikipedia article are always presumed to be important enough to post (see this RFC and further discussion). Comments should focus on whether the quality of the article meets WP:ITNRD.

Nominator's comments: Former UK Home Secretary (one of the four Great Offices of State) during his tenure he was a very prominent figure in the miner's strike. Also a former vice president of the European Commission. I'm not certain whether he rises to RD level or not, but as we're not overflowing with nominations at the moment I think it's worth discussion. Thryduulf (talk) 15:50, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support RD: he was paid tribute to by the Prime Minister, David Cameron.[1] It Is Me Here ^{t / c} 18:05, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- It would be more notable if the Prime Minister didn't pay tribute to a former Home Secretary from his own party. Thryduulf (talk) 19:27, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - not one of the greatest of his time. Embroiled in the Westland affair and is alleged to be involved in the cover up of historic sex offences by politicians in the 1980s. Mjroots (talk) 19:11, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- That's true, but the allegations don't decrease his notability for ITN purposes. Thryduulf (talk) 19:27, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - If allegations count, there's another death below that should have long been posted. μηδείς (talk) 22:29, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Weak support. He sort of faded out of the cabinet halfway through the Thatcher era, but add on a decade as a European Commissioner and maybe we're just about across the line. The article has some possibly contentious stuff about organised paedophilia, though, and may need some eyes before posting. Formerip (talk) 19:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support RD - There is no doubt in my mind that this person deserves a mention at RD.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:35, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Weakest support. Lost the country a possible future Prime Minister, the only consolation being that he lost his job too. If only Tarzan could have swung higher.... Martinevans123 (talk) 19:42, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support I think he meets the criterion of having had a "significant contribution/impact on the country/region". Neljack (talk) 20:08, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support for RD, a truly notable British politician. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:06, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support for RD, a significant player during the Miner's Strike and the Thatcher government. Miyagawa (talk) 21:52, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support I am not sure if it's in the ITN/RD policy, but we used to count importance in two different areas (British cabinet secretary, EC VP) as a plus in nominations. μηδείς (talk) 22:29, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Suppport Not much to say that hasn't been said already. I think he just about passes the grade for RD. --Somchai Sun (talk) 22:45, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Posted to RD. Spencer^T♦C 00:20, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

January 21

Portal:Current events/2015 January 21

January 21, 2015 (Wednesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

A Palestinian man from the West Bank, Hamza Muhammad Hassan Matrouk, illegally crosses into Israel for the express purpose to stab people attacking over a dozen Israelis on a bus in central Tel Aviv. Security forces capture the assailant as he continued to indiscriminately stab people in the street. (The New York Times)
2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine:
- The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko accuses Russia of sending 9,000 soldiers to help separatists in eastern Ukraine. (Reuters)

Arts and culture

Lutz Bachmann resigns as a leader of PEGIDA, a German anti-Islamist organisation, after controversy was sparked by a headshot photo of himself posing as Adolf Hitler. (Christian Science Monitor)

Business and economy

eBay announces plans to spin off its PayPal business and fire 2,400 employees during 2015. (CNBC)
American Express plans to cut more than 4,000 jobs. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

Mexico's Volcán de Colima erupts. (ABC News Australia)
For the second time (previous was August 2000) the Avalon at Edgewater apartments in Edgewater, New Jersey burn down. Among the 400 people evacuated, New York Yankees announcer John Sterling is one of the victims. (CBS) (NJ.com)

Health

The government-installed pollution gauges that were set up along roadside stations to monitor Hong Kong reach the maximum level of their ranges. (Bloomberg)
The New England Journal of Medicine publishes research from Portland State University that implies the presence of formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical, may occur in limited situations of e-cigarette vapor. (AP) (The New England Journal of Medicine)

International relations

Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom announces a plan to shift its European natural gas pipeline from Ukraine to Turkey, through a proposed link under the Black Sea to Turkey. (Bloomberg) (The New York Times)

Law and crime

Italian police seize 5,361 ancient artifacts worth $64 million from a Swiss-Italian trafficking ring. The discoveries come after various raids on warehouses against Italian art dealer Gianfranco Becchina, who owns an art gallery in Switzerland. (AFP via ABC.Net.AU)

Science and technology

Microsoft announces Windows Holographic as part of the Windows 10 operating system which is expected to be released in late 2015. (Forbes)

Microsoft Hololens

Article: Windows Holographic (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Microsoft announces Microsoft HoloLens, an augmented reality device that seamlessly projects 3D objects onto the real world. (Post)
News source(s): Wired (1) Wired (2) Engadget The Register Venture Beat
Credits:

Nominated by Zellfaze (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: Along with the personal reason that this device blew my mind, I have no seen any article on it where it did not blow the minds of everyone who has used it. This device, or other like it, may very well change how we interact with computers. This appears to be a large step forward in augmented reality technology. Zell Faze (talk) 09:18, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

In my nomination I mentioned that the device has, as far as I can tell, blown the minds of everyone who has used it so far within the press. I think the following quote from The Register illustrates this nicely: "Reporting on technology will make anyone a bit grizzled and cynical over time, but occasionally something comes along that just blows you away. HoloLens is the fourth such creation to make this hack say 'Holy f**k!' (in a good way) in the last two decades." Zell Faze (talk) 09:57, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose as product announcement.128.214.53.18 (talk) 10:00, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment The word "seemless" should be removed. Am I allowed to modify someone else's blurb? A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 11:42, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- It's not prohibited, although for more than simple tweaks/corrections its often preferred to add an altblurb. Thryduulf (talk) 12:28, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose per 128.214.53.18. The technology might or might not become significant which is why product launches are (almost?) never featured at ITN. If this were the launch of something that would definitely have a massive impact on every day life for millions of people I might consider it, but this is nowhere near that level. Thryduulf (talk) 12:28, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Simple product annoucement. We didn't post the announcement of the development of Google Glass either, and that didn't take off as it was thought it would at the time. 331dot (talk) 12:55, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose As much as I would love to see this posted, 331dot makes a compelling argument comparing this to Google Glass which has not taken off. Still, I'm tempted to !vote support per WP:IAR. This really has the potential of being huge. AQFK (talk) 13:57, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose The Google glass analogy is apt. It's pretty cool, I want my hands on one, but this is not going to massively change computing until it's dirty cheap and not just seen as a toy. --MASEM (t) 16:36, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk airport

Article: Second Battle of Donetsk Airport (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk International Airport after months of fighting with separatist insurgents. (Post)
News source(s): The Daily Telegraph, BBC, Kyiv Post, The Guardian
Credits:

Nominated by RGloucester (talk · give credit)

Article updated

Nominator's comments: We've not posted anything on the whole Ukrainian situation for a while, and this defeat is a major blow to Ukrainian forces, who had been holding out at the airport for months. It had become the main battleground of the war in Donbass. Modify the blurb as appropriate. I wouldn't be opposed to a posting. RGloucester — ☎ 18:01, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support commenting on the reescalation in Donetsk, in one form or another. As an alternative, maybe we could move Ukraine back to Ongoing? It Is Me Here ^{t / c} 18:08, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think "ongoing" is appropriate. The conflict happens in bursts, so-to-speak. I only suggested this battle's conclusion for a blurb because of how much of a major blow it is to Ukrainian forces, symbolically and strategically. RGloucester — ☎ 18:18, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support - yes, major blow to Ukrainian forces, symbolically and strategically. --Jenda H. (talk) 19:16, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - strategical blow for Ukraine.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:36, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Simultaneously, there has been completed negotiations on a troop-draw-back line that seems to have been completed. That might be mixing up the stories, though. --MASEM (t) 19:39, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. This is a completely misleading statement. According to news reports, such as BBC report quoted above, Ukrainian forces did not withdraw from the airport, but only from the main terminal of the airport. Obviously, the withdrawal from only one terminal does not make big news. My very best wishes (talk) 19:39, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The main terminal building was the last significant building they had been holding on to. They still hold the village of Pisky, on the outskirts of the airport, and a scattered few people remain in outbuildings. However, the sources say what they say. For example, the International Business Times says "Ukraine Army Retreats From Destroyed Donetsk Airport", the Kyiv Post article says "Kremlin-backed insurgents have taken over Donetsk Airport", The Guardian article says "Ukraine forces admit loss of Donetsk airport to rebels". I'll modify the blurb for you, though, to mention the terminal building. The BBC article says "The loss of the main terminal is a major blow to pro-Kiev forces and will send political shockwaves back to the capital". It definitely is "big news". RGloucester — ☎ 20:40, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

~~OK. This is now factually correct, except I am not sure how significant. My very best wishes (talk) 21:12, 22 January 2015 (UTC)~~ Someone changed blurb back, so this is now factually incorrect. My very best wishes (talk) 19:09, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

It isn't factually incorrect. New sources say that Ukrainian forces withdrew. I provided them below. These include The Daily Telegraph, Yahoo News, and The New York Times. RGloucester — ☎ 19:15, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I am still unconvinced how important that was in the military, rather than psychological perspective. According to Ukrainian sources, Russian army and rebels still continue storming this airport and have significant losses.My very best wishes (talk) 17:31, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

There is no difference between practical and symbolic importance. They have the same effect. Censor.net simply is not reliable for these events, as we've known since the start of the conflict. There is an information war going on, and both sides engage in propagandising. If you want to use Censor.net, we'd also have to use RT and the like. We stick to RS sources with distance, such as The New York Times. This article says "Chaotic Retreat Follows Ukrainians’ Withdrawal From Donetsk Airport". RGloucester — ☎ 17:38, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This New York Times article (your link) openly uses Censor.net and Butusov (you criticize) as a source. But my point is different: this NYT article is probably already outdated; there is an ungoing military warfare in and around the airport with something being constantly taken and retaken by sides. My very best wishes (talk) 18:22, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That's not what RS say, and I'm sorry if you think that. If the Times uses something from such a source, that means they've taken the time to check it, and verify it. That's why they are called an "RS", because they have a reputation for fact-checking. As a secondary source, it is their job to so. However, the Times has not printed anything saying that the battle is still ongoing, or that the separatists have suffered heavy losses. In fact, no RS are printing such a statement. If no RS corroborate a Censor.net statement, we can assume it is unreliable. RGloucester — ☎ 19:00, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose A step in an ongoing conflict, but not one that is particularly decisive in itself one way or another, especially because the control of the building is really more symbolic than strategic and apparently Ukrainian forces "remained in possession of the airport’s control tower and runway" according to the NY Times article.--Yaksar (let's chat) 20:55, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The control tower has been destroyed for weeks, so it is hard to remain "in control" of it. I suppose they are referring to the ruins. I wonder how one retains control of a runway, which is a vast open space. Regardless, The New York Times does not say that. It says that a Ukrainian NSDC spokesman said it. It is clear that this is important. According to the BBC, it is a "major blow", according to the The Guardian, the terminal building was a "hugely symbolic military prize". Symbolic gains are just as important as material gains. RGloucester — ☎ 21:14, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose minor issue. Would support inclusion back into "Ongoing" if we can justify that. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:07, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Make the War (in Donbass) ongoing. I was going to request that 2013–15 Ukrainian crisis be "Ongoing" on Main Page, but it's too broad. --George Ho (talk) 21:21, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose ongoing – Nothing of any real importance is ongoing. The only thing of any current significance was the airport battle. Otherwise, it has been mostly calm. RGloucester — ☎ 21:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Umm... I've never been in either Russia or Ukraine before. Have you? The news media can makes us imply that the War is calm. Actually, many international reporters are too afraid to risk their own lives reporting this War. Same for Syrian Civil War and the 2nd Libyan Civil War, whose main combatants declared ceasefire. --George Ho (talk) 21:32, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I've been to Ukraine, but not Russia. Regardless, our coverage is based on what RS report, along with our own encyclopaedic principles. Fighting in Donetsk has been heavy, but everything else has been relatively normal. There are reports now of significant fighting in northern Luhansk Oblast, but that's a sparsely populated region. Nothing has really changed, yet, other than that Ukraine's "cyborgs" have been essentially eliminated after holding on for months. RGloucester — ☎ 22:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support It's the first territorial change since the Minsk agreement standstill, and the battle has been in the news much and for long. Prefer blurb to ongoing sticky. Would skip "the main terminal building of " in the blurb, or at least say last building - current blurb sounds like govt might still control a significant part of the airport. Narayanese (talk) 21:33, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
New source – For anyone that wants more sources, here is a new article with the headline "Ukraine cedes airport on one of bloodiest days of war". It says "Ukrainian forces on Thursday ceded a long-disputed airport to Russian-backed rebels as an upsurge in clashes killed nearly 50 people and punctured Europe's latest push for peace in the nine-month war". I think the significance of this event is clear, despite a certain fellow's claim of a "minor issue". In another article, The Daily Telegraph says that the Ukrainian withdrawal from the airport was a "devastating victory over Ukrainian forces". RGloucester — ☎ 04:30, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose yet another twist in this rather long story. We should probably wait for some diplomatic breakthrough before posting about this again, instead of having every tactical detail.128.214.53.18 (talk) 08:12, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That implies that there is going to be a "diplomatic breakthrough". There is no sign of one occurring. Fighting has ramped up across the combat zone, following the withdrawal. We've not had "every tactical detail". In fact, we've not posting any blurbs about this August, as far as I'm aware. RGloucester — ☎ 14:25, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

[Closed] Resignation of PEGIDA leader, Lutz Bachmann

No consensus to post, from the ITN perspective, protests themselves would be a better story. --Tone 15:45, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Articles: Lutz Bachmann (talk · history · tag) and PEGIDA (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Lutz Bachmann, founder of PEGIDA, a German anti-Islamist organisation, resigns as its leader. (Post)
Alternative blurb:  Lutz Bachmann, founder of PEGIDA, a German anti-Islamist organisation, resigns as its leader after controversy was sparked by a picture of himself posing as Adolf Hitler.
Credits:

Nominated by George Ho (talk · give credit)
Updated by 82.136.210.153 (talk · give credit) and PanchoS (talk · give credit)

Both articles updated

Nominator's comments: Newly created article, and his resignation is news to the Germans, to Muslims, and to people elsewhere. George Ho (talk) 01:26, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose standing down from a Facebook group created in October is not significant. Step hen 02:06, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose Not convinced this is really of sufficient significance. PEGIDA, despite the attention it has got, does not enjoy the support of most Germans and has not achieved much in terms of effecting its political aims. Neljack (talk) 02:12, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support For this being newsworthy it is absolutely irrelevant whether Pegida does enjoy the support of most Germans or by a large minority. PEGIDA has definitely become newsworthy, it comes up in the evening news every other day, and Bachmann's Hitler selfie was on title pages worldwide. Dozens of news articles focus on Bachmann himself. We should however direct people to our article PEGIDA, which has become quite good, rather than the new one on Lutz Bachmann which we have no photo of. For objectivity, we should also mention the investigations by state prosecutors. I'd therefore propose as an alternative blurb:
PEGIDA founder Lutz Bachmann resigns as leader of the German anti-Islamic movement following state investigations for incitement to popular hatred
--PanchoS (talk) 03:20, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Um... I credit you as one of updaters, so there would be conflict of interest (COI). George Ho (talk) 03:45, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

My comments won't become completely worthless because of that, but anyway, may others decide. --PanchoS (talk) 04:11, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that is generally regarded as a disqualifying COI here. Updaters frequently nominate articles or comment in support of a nomination. And editors who think a nomination is worthy of support often also help to update the article. It would be undesirable to discourage people from working on the article by treating it as a COI precluding them from voting on a nomination. Neljack (talk) 10:42, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Agree; being an updater does not and should not disqualify someone from commenting here. 331dot (talk) 10:44, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose per others. --AmaryllisGardener ^talk 04:27, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Does not seem significant. 331dot (talk) 10:44, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Who do you think you are kidding, mister? Formerip (talk) 12:34, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose come on now, we don't normally post even when leaders from actual proper political parties resign, why then would we care about this facebook group? SeraV (talk) 12:45, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Please don't take it as an offense, but I think that your comment particularly highlights an existing general bias against less-institutionalized organizations: it shouldn't matter if something is a company on shares, a legal political party or a ad-hoc association if they otherwise receive the same notability. Neither should it matter whether an organization has a professional homepage (requiring a lot of money or specific skills Bachmann doesn't seem to have even though he's in the low-scale PR business) or a simple blog or a facebook page.
But I won't contradict to the other aspect of your argument that there are certainly more important personalities than Bachmann which we didn't have in the news. So the outcome is fine for me, I just wanted to raise my observation on this. --PanchoS (talk) 14:22, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

[Ready] 2015 Congolese protests

Article: 2015 Congolese protests (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Three days of protests against President Joseph Kabila, who wants to change the constitution, so he can stay in power longer, leave forty-two people dead. (Post)
Alternative blurb:  Forty-two people are killed in protests against President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
News source(s): Reuters BBC
Credits:

Updated and nominated by Monopoly31121993 (talk · give credit)
Updated by Medeis (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: It's a potential revolution - Monopoly31121993 Monopoly31121993 (talk) 17:14, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support I'd like to see the article expanded a bit more, but this does seem like an important event, and in a part of the world where we don't usually get such great news coverage (hence systematic bias). – Muboshgu (talk) 18:37, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support as this is a significant development, even if we don't hear about this country often. I would prefer this be an Ongoing event, but it could be a blurb instead. Mamyles (talk) 19:14, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment if this is posted, altburb is definitely the better option. Mellowed Fillmore (talk) 20:06, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- Agree, but AFAIK we generally use the present tense. I.e. Forty-two people are killed in protests... — Crisco 1492 (talk) 01:41, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Done so. --George Ho (talk) 01:45, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

24 hours after nominating this it seems like everyone supports it. Can I just add it to the page then?Monopoly31121993 (talk) 16:02, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The process is that nominations will be discussed until an administrator believes that consensus has been reached and the content is ready. Only admins can modify the main page. Though, if you believe that this is ready, you can add [Ready] in front of the nomination header. Mamyles (talk) 16:08, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support had 42 Russians been killed in protests when Putin changed the law to allow him to rule for life, we'd have posted it lickety split. μηδείς (talk) 19:47, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support per Medeis. Neljack (talk) 20:06, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose article quality, it's junk, barely English, references are appalling, please tidy it up, it's certainly not something we want to "showcase" on our mainpage. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment I have just created People's Palace (Kinshasa) to fix the Palais du Peuple redlink. I'll be back in about 3 hrs to see what else needs attention at that point. μηδείς (talk) 22:25, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
[ready] Support- There is no reason that after 48 hours an event which took the lives of 42 people should still not even been mentioned (and I agree that had this been in Russia [ie. white people] it probably would have been). Instead we have kept a week-old story about the Swiss Bank's decision on the new feed. Is that really more newsworthy than popular protests against a corrupt and authoritarian regime which have cost the lives of dozens of people? Can an admin please declare consensus and move this along? The only person to oppose this has called the references (which are overwhelmingly AFP, Bloomberg, Reuters and BBC) "appalling" which strikes of absurdity and stonewalling. I think a vote of 5-1 over 2 days should be deemed consensus for a news item.Monopoly31121993 (talk) 07:54, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

"As nominator", you mean. That would be five to one excluding the nominator. --George Ho (talk) 08:11, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Monopoly, you miss the point. The article has a maintenance tag, two inline requests for quotations, ill-formatted references etc. I didn't ever mention that the quality of the sources were in doubt. I think you claiming that I'm being absurd and stonewalling this nomination is a bit too much. I'm just trying to uphold some levels of quality control around here while all the others just knee-jerk support without really giving a damn about what shape the article is in. The Rambling Man (talk) 08:23, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support - I concur with Monopoly. I question The Rambling Man's rationale here. I don't see how "junk" the whole nomination or the blurb is. Three people killed may be too little, but there have been protests, successful or not. Congo and Zaire became "Democratic Republic of Congo" and "Republic of Congo", but Congo suffers from authoritarian regimes already. Time for at least one news about any African country besides Ebola. George Ho (talk) 08:09, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps you mis-read, I said the article was junk, it may have been improved since I last looked. Let's hope so because the more junk we push to the main page, the less likely our readers are to read it. The Rambling Man (talk) 08:11, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
If shown in Main Page, more readers will become aware of this page and will fix the article. That's how things are done to articles, right? --George Ho (talk) 08:17, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, and equally likely is that 99.9% of those reading the article aren't editors and will take one look and think, "what a load of junk they link to from the main page". The Rambling Man (talk) 08:19, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Not this 99% vs. 1% philosophy. Have you gotten this from Occupy Wall Street or Tea Party demonstrations? Also, I am sure that the most of "99%" you mentioned are capable of editing unless you want to discredit IPs as useless. --George Ho (talk) 08:24, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
It seems you don't understand the readership of Wikipedia at all. But just address the article quality issues and we'll have full agreement that it's fit for the main page. Alternatively keep supporting articles which are of insufficient quality and slowly but surely degrade the quality of the main page. P.S. The main page is viewed over 300 million times a month. On the flip-side we have around 30,000 editors who make five or more edits a month. So no, not 99% vs 1% at all. Much worse. The Rambling Man (talk) 08:35, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Isn't that ten million viewing times per day? Umm... the editors stats are misleading. When you said "five or more per month", that seems short. We don't know how many edit five or more per day. --George Ho (talk) 08:43, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
It more than adequately demonstrates the point. Most of our readers do not edit Wikipedia. So if you really care about the article, fix up the issues, improve the method of citation and we're good to go. The Rambling Man (talk) 08:48, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The Rambling Man, I respect that you're interested in improving the quality of the article but your argument here doesn't seem to have any basis in rules regarding what gets posted in the news feed. I have not found any information stating that non-FA,GA, [of good quality], etc. articles should be excluded from the main page. If it's the news then it's the news. Whether Wikiepdians have developed a great/good quality article or not is not part of the criteria for what news exists in the world. That said I think there is clearly consensus here.Monopoly31121993 (talk) 16:57, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps you missed one of the key purposes: "To showcase quality Wikipedia content on current events." The Rambling Man (talk) 17:09, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The Rambling Man, issues are resolved; will you change your vote? George Ho (talk) 20:26, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Marked Ready I have copyedited the tagged section, which needed a handful of commas and re-phrasing. I've removed comment on British reaction, since no news I could find in the last week mentions any, perhaps there will be comments in the French press or Chinese. In any case, the nomination is well supported, and the article's in good shape. μηδείς (talk) 18:50, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

[Closed] US-Cuba embargo

I think we all appreciate the suggestion (we are always looking for new voices here), but there is a consensus this won't be posted until the embargo is lifted. -- Calidum 05:17, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article: United States embargo against Cuba (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Officials from the United States and Cuba meet in Havana to discuss lifting the embargo imposed 54 years ago between the two nations. (Post)
News source(s): BBC Havana Times
Credits:

Nominated by TCMemoire (talk · give credit)

Article updated

Nominator's comments: This event should have serious effects on the international relations between the United States and Cuba. This could be the beginning of more positive interactions between the US and Cuba. – T C Memoire 20:37, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose I would prefer to wait until something happens diplomatically regarding the embargo, rather than announce a discussion. (Furthermore, it's Congress who would need to lift the embargo, and having mostly executive branch officials talk is unlikely to achieve results soon.) Mamyles (talk) 20:45, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Wait If the embargo is lifted as a result of this meeting, that would be an easy support for ITN posting. But planning to meeting is a bit too early. --MASEM (t) 20:50, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose even the value of Pi is up for discussion before a legislative body. μηδείς (talk) 22:32, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- Or the ozone photolysis catalyzing ability of chlorine or the opaqueness of carbon dioxide to mid-infrared? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 00:09, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. The announcement of discussions is not significant. Congress voting to remove the embargo would be noteworthy, but given the GOP led current Congress that seems unlikely. 331dot (talk) 22:49, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. The original announcement was ITM worthy, but this is just some news about a meeting about something we already know about. Maybe if the meeting is concluded with substantive progress, that could be featured. Gamaliel (talk) 23:17, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose the lifting would be the news. Discussions are just discussions. — Crisco 1492 (talk) 01:42, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

January 20

Portal:Current events/2015 January 20

January 20, 2015 (Tuesday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Shia insurgency in Yemen
- Houthi rebels take over the residence of the President amidst calls by the rebel leader for negotiations to adjust the country's power structure. (The Washington Post)
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant threatens to kill two Japanese citizens unless it receives a ransom of $200 million. (Reuters)
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claims responsibility for the attack on the town of Baga, Nigeria in which an unknown number of civilians were killed. (Reuters via ABC News Australia)

Business and economy

Oil services company Baker Hughes will lay off 7,000 people due to falling crude oil prices. (AP via ABC News America)

Disaster and accidents

A fire in a bowling alley causes a roof collapse in Taoyuan City, Taiwan killing six firefighters. (AP)
An overpass of I-75 in Cincinnati, Ohio collapses while undergoing demolition, killing one worker and injuring a trucker whose vehicle was struck by debris. (Cincinnati.com)
According to preliminary tests at the Glendive, Montana city water treatment plant, the January 17 oil spill in the Yellowstone River contains benzene, a chemical that causes cancer. (National Geographic) (LA Times)

Law and crime

A gunman shoots a cardiovascular surgeon to death at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and then commits suicide. (USA Today)

Politics and elections

Zambian presidential election, 2015
- Voters in Zambia go to the polls for a presidential election following the October 2014 death of incumbent President Michael Sata. Defence Minister Edgar Lungu (the Patriotic Front) and Hakainde Hichilema (the United Party for National Development) seek the office. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
2015 State of the Union Address
- The President of the United States Barack Obama delivers a State of the Union address to the United States Congress. (AP) (AP²) (AP³)

January 19

Portal:Current events/2015 January 19

January 19, 2015 (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
- Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State militants in the town of Kobanî, Syria on the Syria-Turkey border capture the strategic Mishtenur hill killing eleven fighters. (BBC)
Shia insurgency in Yemen
- Clashes in the Yemeni capital Sana'a leave at least nine dead and 67 injured. (AP)
- Houthi rebels seize the official Saba News Agency and surround the residence of the Prime Minister. (RT)
Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa fire on protesters opposing efforts by President Joseph Kabila to delay presidential and parliamentary elections due in 2016 leaving at least four people dead and ten injured. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

The Anne Arundel County, Maryland Fire Department states that six people remain unaccounted for after a fire destroys a mansion in Annapolis, Maryland. The home is the residence of Don Pyle, the CEO of Reston, Virginia-based ScienceLogic. (AP via MSN)

Law and crime

Argentine federal prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who had accused President Cristina Kirchner of covering up Iranian links to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in order to open up trade with Iran, dies of a gunshot wound to the head with the type of death still undetermined. (AFP via Yahoo! News)
London's Southwark Crown Court hears evidence in the first trial on female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom, where this practice is illegal. (BBC) (Sky News)
Gyumri massacre:
- A six-month-old boy dies in hospital of his wounds, becoming the seventh member of an Armenian family dead after a killing spree by a Russian soldier. (Fox News)
Seminole County, Florida (Orlando-area) prosecutors charge five underage Winter Springs High School students with the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in November 2014. Prosecutors charge two suspects as adults and three as juveniles. The remaining suspect is as yet uncharged. (The Orlando Sentinel via MSN)

Politics and elections

The city of Grozny in the Russian republic of Chechnya holds a protest with 60% of the population in attendance in opposition to the Charlie Hebdo cartoons. (Reuters)

Science and technology

NASA releases new pictures from the Dawn spacecraft as it approaches from a distance of 238,000 miles of Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Dawn will go into orbit around the dwarf planet on March 6. (BBC)(NASA)

Sports

In alpine skiing, American Lindsey Vonn wins the World Cup super-G at Cortina for her 63rd career World Cup race win, giving her sole possession of the all-time World Cup wins record. (AP via ESPN)

[Posted] Yemen coup d'état

Article: 2014–15 Yemen unrest (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Houthi rebels have attacked the residence of the President of Yemen and swept into the presidential palace. (Post)
Alternative blurb:  Houthi rebels attack and occupy the residence of the President of Yemen.
News source(s): Today) (Al Jazeera)
Credits:

Nominated by Olegwiki (talk · give credit)

Olegwiki (talk) 20:23, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Comment. The Guardian is reporting that the rebels are in control of the capital, Sanaa. It's an obviously postable story, but think we should wait for just a little of the dust to settle before deciding what blurb to use. Formerip (talk) 20:38, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Conditional support with additional confirmation, would like to see more affirmation that this is true and the coup has bee completed. The article update is there but again, would like a bit more on affirmation. --MASEM (t) 20:52, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support. I almost nominated this myself; occupying a presidential residence is notable. 331dot (talk) 20:56, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment according to the article, this action has been happening since August last year. Is this specific event more newsworthy than all the other actions? Is this more inclined to an "Ongoing" listing? The Rambling Man (talk) 22:02, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Conditional oppose A coup is taking political power, rather than just taking one building and making the occupants flee. The president was (supposedly) allowed to leave. Unless there is an actual overthrow of power, where the president loses political control of the bureaucracy, this news is just one more battle loss for Yemen. This is still developing, and the condition of the president is yet definitive. Mamyles (talk) 22:17, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

That still seems like a pretty big deal. If someone took over the White House or Downing Street, I'm pretty certain it would be a no-brainer to post. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.95.216.224 (talk) 23:04, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with the IP user; the seizure of any presidential residence is notable on its own, regardless of the success of a coup attempt. 331dot (talk) 23:06, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

To put this in context, the city has effectively been an active war zone for a year. That rebels took control of a government building is not surprising, and has only symbolic significance beyond that Yemen lost another battle. What is significant is that the rebels let the president go free, but I guess they had to or the country would have lost all of its funding from western governments. Mamyles (talk) 15:45, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support -occupying a presidential residence is notable indeed.--BabbaQ (talk) 23:21, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support — This is a major development in the Houthi rebellion, and will surely serve as a watershed for future developments in Yemen. Kurtis ^(talk) 04:17, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - Major story, international implications. Jus da fax 09:03, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support, but why that tense structure? Would "Houthi rebels attack and occupy the residence of the President of Yemen" be more neutral and concise? —Brigade Piron (talk) 13:26, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Added "altblurb" for you. --George Ho (talk) 18:32, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose squatting is not a coup d'etat. μηδείς (talk) 22:34, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If a group seized control of The White House, or 10 Downing Street, that wouldn't be noteworthy? 331dot (talk) 22:50, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Hard to say, because the last time it happened was a year before Wikipedia started. Formerip (talk) 22:55, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You work with what you have, 331. Today's news confirms the resignation of the prior government--that's a lot better justification for this nomination than the occupation of one building. μηδείς (talk) 19:43, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I was thinking about posting this, but the target article doesn't seem to have enough meat, and events are still unfolding rapidly. the latest is that there's been some sort of deal and the rebels are withdrawing. I think we need to wait for the dust to settle. We are not the breaking news. Jehochman ^Talk 22:59, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that if they have pulled back or otherwise left the residence that we might want to rethink posting(as well as the quality issues). 331dot (talk) 23:00, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support per 331dot and others. Certainly a major story.--Yaksar (let's chat) 01:18, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support, there is no need for waiting anymore. Abductive (reasoning) 05:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - This is Yemen, which we're discussing. A rebel coup and occupation into the presidential palace are huge. --George Ho (talk) 07:49, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Posting, the altblurb. --Tone 15:38, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. The Yemeni government has reportedly now offered the rebels its resignation, so we should be standing by to possibly replace the blurb. Formerip (talk) 17:28, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- [2] Definitely support an update blurb on this. --MASEM (t) 17:34, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I support an update with news of the president's resignation. -LtNOWIS (talk) 18:46, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Comment. The president and cabinet have resigned [3] so we might want to change the blurb. 331dot (talk) 20:32, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Death of Alberto Nisman

Articles: AMIA bombing (talk · history · tag) and Alberto Nisman (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who had accused President Cristina Kirchner of covering up Iranian links to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center, is found dead at his home. (Post)
Alternative blurb: Argentine federal prosecutor Alberto Nisman is found shot dead a week after accusing President Cristina Kirchner of covering up Iranian links to the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center.
Alternative blurb II:  Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman is found shot dead in his apartment a shortly before his testimony on the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center.
News source(s): BBC, The Jerusalem Post, The Guardian
Credits:

Updated and nominated by Cambalachero (talk · give credit)

Both articles updated

Cambalachero (talk) 20:44, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Wait. I think that, as a blurb story, this depends on whether there are good indications that someone else was involved in his death. It is too soon to say that. Also don't think we should name Kirchner in the blurb - she's not the only person who may have had a motive to off him. Formerip (talk) 20:47, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support Nisman predicted that he would be murdered for investigating the case. I have been getting denial of service error attempting to read the story earlier today, it seems to have drawn quite some interest. μηδείς (talk) 20:51, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose it's all in the blurb ... "who had accused..." no real story unless there's a subversive link which will need robust evidence. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:00, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- This death is in the news because of the timing of the events. Nisman accuses Cristina Kirchner and others, he is called to the Congress to expand his report... and he's found dead, the very day he had to be at the Congress. It's hard to think that it's just a big coincidence. Cambalachero (talk) 02:35, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - Still oppose. We don't post conspiracy theories. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:21, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Altblurb specifying he was a federal prosecutor, and found shot dead, per BBC source. μηδείς (talk) 21:47, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - the BBC is reporting that no other person is thought to have been involved in his death. AlexTiefling (talk) 21:51, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, the BBC reports that the prosecutor is waiting for the results of further tests "in order to rule out any other hypothesis". It's good that she's clear about what the purpose of the tests is... Formerip (talk) 22:31, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support - per Medeis.--BabbaQ (talk) 22:08, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - this is an international story. Israel will interfere, understandably. + Massive demonstration after his dead. --Jenda H. (talk) 22:21, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose per TRM and Alex. Neljack (talk) 22:27, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose per others. --AmaryllisGardener ^talk 22:42, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- Would you please ellaborate a little bit more? It's quite easy to rely on other's comments...--Jetstreamer ^Talk 00:19, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Jetstreamer: Sure. The "who had accused" doesn't sound right in the blurb, and the blurb seems to suggest that he was murdered, but we don't know if that is true yet. Wikipedia is not Globe. --AmaryllisGardener ^talk 17:43, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@AmaryllisGardener: Sad to say, but it's very likely we'll never know what really happened.--Jetstreamer ^Talk 18:00, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support This is becoming a national scandal that has international coverage.--Jetstreamer ^Talk 00:19, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
~~Wait~~ Until foul play is identified as the cause of death, this reads like a conspiracy theory, and we definitely should wait until something more affirmed is given. --MASEM (t) 03:02, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- Switch to Oppose [4] Ruled there was no outside influence here. --MASEM (t) 05:21, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Wait. I think this could be notable enough for ITN, but as Masem said we need some facts here. 331dot (talk) 03:04, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose any blurb that hints at unverified conspiracy. Gamaliel (talk) 04:09, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
NYT: Puzzling Death of a Prosecutor Grips Argentina Daily Beast: Did Iran Murder Argentina’s Crusading Prosecutor Alberto Nisman? No suicide note, no confirmation of a headwound, no one heard the shot, the ten federal police guards assigned to guard his door were called away. This is leading news worldwide. The choice of wording on the blurb is a minor matter, make it how ever neutral possible, but the story should be posted. μηδείς (talk) 04:34, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- It's still reads like a conspiracy theory; if we treated this like a recent death, the person's "importance" is rather low (not a leader in any field) and while the death is interesting, not sufficient to post. Us posting this this early would be completely improper. --MASEM (t) 05:08, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - Of course it reads like a conspiracy theory, but the circumstances are very suspicious--no note, no indication of he might have killed himself, his guard disappear, he was about to give a summary report on a 20-investigation. None of that matters for our blurb. Saying "Argentine federal prosecutor found dead night before releasing 20 year report on attacks that killed 85" is not anything anyone denies. All we need to do is realize this is a huge story even if it was suicide, and it is getting immense worldwide attention. μηδείς (talk) 05:28, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - Actually it does not meter whether it was suicide or how exactly he died. It is already an international scandal like Alexander Litvinenko. Remember he was investigated murder of 85 people with international links. --Jenda H. (talk) 08:40, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
    - Mentioning the imminent release of the report in connection to the death/suicide/whatever it turns out to be is implicitly creating original research, or repeating wild speculation from the press. It's a newspaper-worthy eyecatching/reader-drawing headline, but it is far from encyclopedic. --MASEM (t) 05:39, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose it is not for Wikipedia to say that this is suspicious or to act as a tabloid-headline generator/chaser. (There's an old rule of thumb which says that when headlines have question marks in them, such as "Did Iran Murder Argentina’s Crusading Prosecutor Alberto Nisman?", the answer to the question is "no", otherwise it wouldn't be phrased as a question.) He wouldn't fit the bill for RD and, absent a murder, his death is not sufficiently noteworthy to warrant a blurb. Bencherlite ^Talk 09:05, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose I don't usually vote here or know much about this particular story, but this reads like media speculation. I wouldn't support posting unless there's some official verification that the above parties were involved in his death. Otherwise this is a tabloid non-story. Condolences on his death. Fuebaey (talk) 00:02, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. I agree that this shouldn't be posted without something further happening, like the police treating it as murder or significant public protests. But, to those editors who seem to think you need to be a tabloid hack or David Icke to think the death of someone who had predicted their own murder hours before they were due to outline a criminal case against the president might be suspicious: is anyone interested in buying a CD signed by Elvis Presley? Formerip (talk) 00:27, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Altblurb What about: Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman was fond shot dead in his apartment a shortly before his testimony on the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center.? No speculation in blurb. By the way. Argentine president say that she dosen't believe it was suicide. Also there is any gunshot residue on Mr Nisman's hands, according to police.BBC --Jenda H. (talk) 14:24, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support, Argentina's President now says it was not a suicide. Abductive (reasoning) 17:03, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- Er, from [5] , "Today, I do not have proof, but I do not have any doubt...". That's not confirmation at all. --MASEM (t) 17:07, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support - It's a major story getting widespread international coverage (at least it's staying near the top of my google news results, and I'm certainly not from Argentina).--Yaksar (let's chat) 20:57, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose While suspicious, ultimately not noteworthy enough; per TRM and Fuebaey. Spencer^T♦C 00:24, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Kirchner the Argentine president herself has called this a murder: "Argentine President Cristina Kirchner said Thursday she believes that a prosecutor who died under suspicious circumstances was murdered in a plot to implicate her government in a cover-up of a 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center." Whatever the facts, this story and the reaction to it is notable enough for posting. μηδείς (talk) 19:03, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- She has no evidence to support it was a murder (per my above link), she's making a supposition. We can't act like it is a murder because of that. --MASEM (t) 19:05, 23 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

January 18

Portal:Current events/2015 January 18

January 18, 2015 (Sunday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Israeli–Lebanese conflict
- An Israeli helicopter strike near the border with Syria kills two senior IRGC figures and six members of Hezbollah. (Reuters) (Xinhua)
Boko Haram militants kidnap 80 people and kill three others from villages in north Cameroon. (Daily Mirror)
A clash with Hindu villagers in Sarayian village in India's Bihar state leaves at least three Muslim villagers burned to death. (AP)
Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
- State-sponsored army and Islamist-sponsored opposition declare a ceasefire. (AFP via Al Arabiya)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines
- Pope Francis celebrates Holy Mass in Manila to a crowd of 6 to 7 million, the largest papal gathering since 1995 World Youth Day mass celebrated by late Pope John Paul II in the same place, despite pouring rain. (CNN) (BBC) (Rappler)
- In his homily, Pope Francis speaks out against poverty and corruption but he sends a message about the importance of family, particularly children. (Reuters) (AP via Fox News)

Disasters and accidents

Icy roads from a freezing-rain storm cause at least four deaths in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. (KGO) (Bloomberg) (ABC News America) (NBC10)

Law and crime

Indonesia executes six people for drug trafficking including foreign citizens from Brazil, Malawi, the Netherlands, Nigeria, and Vietnam. Brazil and the Netherlands withdraw their ambassadors in protest. (News Limited), (ABC Australia), (BBC)
Chinese police shoot dead two ethnic Uighurs in Pingxiang, Guangxi while they attempt to cross into Vietnam after members of their group resisted arrest with knives. The public security ministry accuses a separatist group of orchestrating hundreds of cases of human smuggling. (The New York Times)

Sports

AB de Villiers made the fastest century in ODI cricket history, reaching 100 off just 31 balls against the West Indies. (BBC)
Lennar Urban cancels their demolition plans to implode Candlestick Park due to concerns over public health issues from the concrete dust and pollution. (KTVU)
The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots win their respective conference championships to advance to the February 1 Super Bowl XLIX. (NFL.com)

[Closed] AB de Villiers

Not going to get consensus and the quality of the discussion is frankly appalling. 331dot and The Rambling Man stand out as needing to raise their game. Thryduulf (talk) 02:50, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article: AB de Villiers (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  AB de Villiers (pictured) makes the fastest century in ODI history, reaching 100 off just 31 balls against the West Indies. (Post)
Alternative blurb:  In cricket, South African AB de Villiers (pictured) makes the fastest One Day International century in history.
News source(s): BBC News ESPN
Credits:

Nominated by The Herald (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: A very important item and a huge record in the field of cricket. - The Herald (here I am) 17:11, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose While impressive, I don't think that we should be posting technical records like this. If we did, there would be a new sports record here every day. Mamyles (talk) 17:30, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

This is not an everyday record. It takes years to break one and is considered as one of the most important one. - The Herald (here I am) 17:33, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose per precedent here and here. – Muboshgu (talk) 17:44, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Which, of course, is nonsense as one nomination is still open (and is based in history on the other successful sports record posted, such as the century of centuries posted in April last year). The Rambling Man (talk) 18:54, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I forgot about the Brit bias here. Clearly we should post this post haste. – Muboshgu (talk) 21:32, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Sorry, I forgot you were trying to make a point and failed, massively. Robertson is Australian. Do try harder, or at least do some research before making yourself look so .... unprepared. The Rambling Man (talk) 22:27, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, come on he didn't know you were going to argue semantics. And if I were a Brit I would be much more interested in this despite not being Australian, Brits have about as much population as Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians and Irish combined so it's slightly lazy shorthand nothing to berate him about and he might've even been thinking the people supporting this are disproportionately British because of the time zone. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 00:41, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. I don't yet know enough about this know if this is significant, but ITN is very skeptical of sports records, as Muboshgu showed. 331dot (talk) 18:28, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- I didn't even know what sport this was until I clicked on the bolded link. – Muboshgu (talk) 18:39, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - Ironically, all Muboshgu "showed" was that he didn't do any research and selectively ignored the fact that one of his two "examples" was still open with support. Brilliant work, the pair of you! The Rambling Man (talk) 18:54, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
    - The nomination clearly takes for granted that everyone knows cricket. That iis not the case. Clearly snooker and cricket are more important than gridiron football, so your inconsistencies are okay. – Muboshgu (talk) 21:32, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
      - Indeed they are, and they span the globe rather than the parochial yet charming grid iron! There's no inconsistency, yet you clearly failed when you made your previous statement, but that's okay. Better luck next time. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:36, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        OMG, I think cricket is charming, too! Despite knowing alot about it by American standards. It's just kind of comical and quaint, I wonder how you take it seriously, with batsmen running back and forth for 2 instead of circumnavigating for 1 which makes them look stupid and really athletic fast bowlers hurling the ball like an idiot and making funny faces like they're having a bowel movement. I wouldn't mind to hear the why gridiron is bollocks paragraph but remember the US takes it as seriously as cricket. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 00:41, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        The funny face is of course because you have to run like 25 miles per hour before you even hurl the ball, which would be awesome if you could straighten your elbow (but the batsmen might need gridiron-like padding, lol). It would really help with the way too easy scoring and unnatural motion, though. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 01:32, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        
        So because college football is American, it doesn't get posted. I see. 331dot (talk) 22:45, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        It doesn't get posted because it doesn't have much of any global importance and it doesn't get consistent support. But what are you complaining about none of the other sports get any support here either, expect for rock climbing I guess, so it's all fine isn't it? SeraV (talk) 23:04, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        There is no requirement of "global importance"- and single-country objections are not valid(as stated on this page). 331dot (talk) 23:05, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        Yes yes, you keep telling yourself that. Oddly that is only ever argument when it comes to american stuff in these pages, rest can be safely ignored because they aren't important or interesting enough for americans, as you can see right here on this nomination. SeraV (talk) 23:12, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        I'm not telling myself or you anything; it's on this page. I support many nominations from other countries than mine. Please don't generalize. 331dot (talk) 23:18, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        Well you make it so very easy with your constant whining about anti-americanism in here. It's not like most of the stuff we post in here comes from the US or anything. SeraV (talk) 23:22, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        I'm not "whining" so I'm not sure why you felt the need to be negative. I don't want there to be anti-Americanism or pro-Americanism. The answer to systemic bias is not to turn it around. 331dot (talk) 23:26, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        Fine but the default state here is pro-american bias, and it is not really helpfull that if some american nomination fails people start instantly screaming about anti-americanism here. It is just annoying frankly and current reality and what you do. SeraV (talk) 23:32, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        When I see someone here try to explain why their rationale for posting cricket items doesn't apply to college football despite similarities between the two, and is totally unwilling to see the other side(and denigrates it) I'm not sure what else I am supposed to think. 331dot (talk) 23:37, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        
        Well now you just aren't assuming good faith and starting to generalize, hardly everyone denigrated other side. How do you explain total lack of supports here if these nominations are so similar in your mind? SeraV (talk) 23:49, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
        I was referring to the overall subject matter, not these specific issues, which are different (championship game vs. record in the sport). I think you would agree that this discussion should not be tied up between the two of us in this side discussion; if you wish to continue, please use my talk page. 331dot (talk) 00:05, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support easily as significant as a couple of blokes taking two weeks to climb a 1,000 metre tall rock, falling off numerous times, and being supported by a cast of thousands. This smashes the record. Alt blurb added for those who didn't even get which sport was being discussed. The Rambling Man (talk) 18:57, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- If it was so damn easy it would've been done before, possibly from the same guy who failed 4 times before. It is so hard that just passing every foot of rock without hammering something in and holding onto it is like a world record. All that stuff only adds to the achievement not detracts from it. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 00:41, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. More of a factoid, ideal for DYK as opposed to In The News. We also did not post Lionel Messi's world record for most goals in a calendar year; therefore, per precedence, this cannot be posted. -- Calidum 20:20, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- "per precedence, this cannot be posted" is pure nonsense. While precedent can suggest something is more or less likely to be posted, it does not control and cannot prevent (or mandate) something being posted if there is consensus based on the merits of each item. In this case, I don't think a very different type of record in a very different sport is even relevant precedent. Thryduulf (talk) 20:38, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- Yep, to attempt to compare a season-long scoring record in a specific league with a fundamental cricketing world record just demonstrates the lack of understanding some individuals have here. The Rambling Man (talk) 20:45, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - Perhaps in a similar fashion to how some have a fundamental misunderstanding of college American football...? *Cough* not pointing any figures mind you.--Somchai Sun (talk) 20:50, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
    - I doubt it. We all fundamentally understand that there's a thing called "college football" but most, if not all people outside the US couldn't give a monkeys about it. It's fine if it feeds professional sport institutions with good players etc, but otherwise it's just notable for the popularity, like wrestling or watching disasters take place. What we have here is in no way comparable to anything related to college football. This is cricket, which is of interest to English, Australian, South African, Australian, Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani people.... etc etc in other words well over a billion or so people know about this sport and some of them care about it. We'll never ever agree, but cricket is far more universal than American football will ever be. The quicker you guys understand that (and I don't expect you to ever understand cricket, far too many laws) the better. The Rambling Man (talk) 20:56, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
      - I understand cricket. But when I first read about it in 2006 I used it for amusement to see how many percent of cricket articles I could read in short random passages while still having zero clue what they're talking about. And for the funny or 19th century sounding names. I also did this for rugby, bridge (card game) and programming articles. I read them in equal quantities so that I could entertain myself with the contest of which would be like reading a foreign language last. Bridge won cause the 4 main articles weren't read to make the game sporting. I still don't get what law prevents the batsman from being continually in danger from a fielder breaking his wicket with the ball/ball arm even though he made his ground. (though I haven't read them all). Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 00:57, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. I'd probably support this if it were a record for cricket or international cricket rather than just ODI. Formerip (talk) 20:58, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Clearly you have no idea what you're talking about. It's a record for cricket, it's a record for international cricket.... Wow, worst oppose I've seen ever. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:25, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Erm. No. Google it. Formerip (talk) 21:36, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

What are you talking about? I don't need to "google it". It's a world record, it's a cricket record, it's a one day international record, you probably need to re-read what you wrote and then apologise. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:38, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

From the BBC article linked on this very page: "Chris Gayle's 100 from 30 balls in the Indian Premier League in April 2013 is the fastest century in cricket history." Worst reply to an oppose ever. -- Calidum 21:41, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

However, it is correct to say that it is a record for all international cricket. Perhaps surprisingly, the T20I record is way back at 45 balls, while the test record is 56 balls. Neljack (talk) 21:52, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oops Calidum and FormerIP! Best to not comment if you're bot clear what you're commenting on! To help, the IPL isn't an international tournament, even though it contains international players. If you need any further info, don't hesitate to ask! The Rambling Man (talk) 22:22, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

We get it, none of us know what we are talking about. Why not just ignore us and post this, then? 331dot (talk) 22:51, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'm still not clear on whether a record in IPL counts as a cricket record or not. Can help with that, RM?

I guess the thing about international vs domestic records is one of those things where it's up to me to think about whether or not I want to take it into account and re-assess my vote. That's the sort of thing I will often do when I'm feeling well-disposed towards another editor. Formerip (talk) 23:01, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose I'm a big cricket fan, but I don't think this is really one of the most important records. I'd say the highest ODI score by a batsman, which we (correctly, in my view) declined to post when it was broken in November,[6] is more significant. And test cricket remains the most prestigious form of the game. Neljack (talk) 21:47, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose - Speed to a particular score has no particular connotation in cricket; this is one for the stats specialists only. AlexTiefling (talk) 22:49, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

[Closed] 2015 Potiskum suicide car bombing

No consensus to post. Step hen 00:38, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article: 2015 Potiskum suicide car bombing (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  A suicide bombing in northeastern Nigeria kills at least four people and injures thirty-five others. (Post)
News source(s): Associated Press, Reuters
Credits:

Nominated by Everymorning (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: This seems to have just happened hours ago. Possibly the work of Boko Haram as per the Reuters link. Everymorning talk 16:33, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Comment It clearly can't be posted as it is. It's a super stub; only one sentence. 110 characters of prose. – Muboshgu (talk) 18:42, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose but not because it's a stub (which can always be improved) but because it's not that significant in the scheme of things happening over in Nigeria. Sadly. The Rambling Man (talk) 18:58, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. If the suicide bombing carried out by ten year old girl last week wasn't posted, how can this one be posted? Abductive (reasoning) 22:57, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Not that significant per TRM. 331dot (talk) 22:59, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Papal visit draws 6 million people

Article: Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  Six million people gather for a mass on the final day of Pope Francis' (pictured) visit to the Phillippines, the largest papal gathering in history. (Post)
News source(s): NBC News CNN BBC Times of India Sydney Morning Herald
Credits:

Nominated by 331dot (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: I think most any gathering of 6 million people, being covered in the news, should at least be discussed. Vatican says it is largest papal gathering in history. Article is not in too bad shape, I think. Some updating, not sure if it's enough. 331dot (talk) 15:18, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

support - interesting record. seems notable enough for inclusion as well.--BabbaQ (talk) 15:21, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- They can't have all seen the Pope with their eyes at one time, could they? That would be ~10% of the population and might be a homo sapiens crowd size record (for any reason). Someone once calculated that if the species (~1,000 times this gathering) teleported to south New England unprepared a large percentage of the crowd would die. (they would starve before reaching food or water) Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 16:55, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - @Sagittarian Milky Way: You might be thinking of https://what-if.xkcd.com/8/ Thryduulf (talk) 20:47, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
    - Yes. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 21:21, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
      - So, if you're going to see the Pope, take a packed lunch, and if you're going to see Jesus, check that at least someone is taking a packed lunch. Formerip (talk) 00:31, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment. It's clear just from the pictures that an enormous number of people attended this mass. However, estimates given immediately after an event of this kind are always subject to considerable unreliability, so I don't think we can say that there were six million people there, only that this has been reported. Formerip (talk) 17:10, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Comment if this can be verified to have been the largest crowd ever, that might stand on its own. But I would be leery of posting large gatherings. For example, Francis is set to visit Philadelphia in September, with an expected attendance of 2 million. This is already in the news, due to the lack of rentals available. (People are renting out their own residences as far away as the Jersey shore, 90 minutes away, for the event.) Will we be nominating every large crowd Francis gathers? μηδείς (talk) 17:21, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think every large papal crowd should be nominated, but this one is being called the largest ever, and it doesn't seem likely it will be repeated soon. 331dot (talk) 18:26, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

If we give each person 1.5 square feet of space which is just stuffed (I barely cram into 12 x 16, 17 inches of floor with my arms in front) then that's 9 million square feet of people, or a circle of people 3,385 feet across. Does it look like the crowd is .6 miles wide? (I haven't seen pictures). I would've done a circle cause the bread and Francis's head would be invisible if their color resembles the background — even to world record eyesight. 20/20 vision would see 15 centimeter black bread over white clerical shirts as a point. That is the nosebleed view to end all nosebleed views. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 20:18, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Calm down! Calm down! I'm sure no-one wants a nosebleed. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:37, 18 January 2015 (UTC) [reply]

Comment The previous largest papal gathering was at the same site in 1995 according to List of largest peaceful gatherings in history; if it's been done before, it seems likely they could again. 331dot (talk) 22:24, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- "Over 6 to 7 million" sounds an odd number to be. Or maybe it's even. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:29, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
  - It says it's for a single event and a lot of those 6+ million ones don't give the day. Did all of them really beat the papal crowd at any moment or did one or more of them you know go on for days or weeks like the Olympics, never beating the crowd at any one moment? That would seem to be more like the record for movement of people through a place inside a month, and about comparable to what the metro area with the busiest airport system does all the time in 2 months, not even counting road and rail travelers. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 00:05, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose based on the analysis above (that it is practically impossible from the visual evidence to be 6M simultaneous); I believe that this Pope will make several historic firsts in relationship to the Church and the world at large but setting attendee records doesn't seem like ground breaking. --MASEM (t) 06:59, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
- So you know the dark crater about a 20/20 stroke width under the ears of the rabbit shape on the Moon? That's about as easy to find as the Pope's head in a Mass of 6 million. Bring binoculars if you want to see the Pope's head. Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 15:51, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose Trivial and has a big "so what?" factor about it. Lugnuts ^{Dick Laurent is dead} 15:22, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

"Trivial" is a poor argument; everything is "trivial" to someone. It is notable enough and got enough coverage to get a decent article about it. 331dot (talk) 18:53, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I'd suggest the event was not seen a "trivial" to the 6+ million people who attended. Nor to all the editors of all the media outlets across the world who reported it. Martinevans123 (talk) 20:23, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

January 17

Portal:Current events/2015 January 17

January 17, 2015 (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Terrorism in Yemen
- Gunmen abduct the chief of staff to Yemen's president in the center of the capital, Sana'a. It is uncertain if Shiite Houthi rebels or al-Qaeda militants kidnapped Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak. (AP)
Violence surrounding various protests against Charlie Hebdo leaves five protesters dead as well as some churches set ablaze in Niger. (BBC) (AFP via The Telegraph)
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria:
- Following the January 16 Chad authorities decision to send troops to Nigeria and Cameroon to fight Boko Haram militants, the Russian ambassador to the country pledges to supply Cameroon with more modern weapons to combat the Islamist insurgents. (AFP via The Economic Times)
2013–15 Ukrainian crisis:
- Clashes between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russia rebels over Donetsk International Airport intensifies. (Al Jazeera)
Greek anti-terror police arrest four people in Athens, Greece in alleged relation to the January 15 failed terrorist plot to kill police officers in Belgium. (Sky News Australia)

Arts and culture

Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines
- Pope Francis celebrates mass at Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)-hit city of Tacloban with an audience of half-a-million people. (BBC)
- The Pope cuts his Tacloban trip short as an approaching typhoon threatened the city in the Philippines. This cyclone may also affect Francis's scheduled closing Mass on Sunday in the capital, Manila. (CNN) (AP via U-T San Diego)

Disasters and accidents

The rescue and recovery efforts at the wreckage of the January 15 capsized tugboat on China's Yangtze River near the city of Jingjiang finds that twenty-one people are dead while three are rescued. (Straits Times)
An entourage plane accompanying the Pope and carrying government officials experiences high winds and blows off the runway minutes after the pontiff's aircraft takes off safely in the Philippines. (The Independent)
The Bridger Pipeline Company spills up to 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River, near Glendive, Montana. (CBS)

Law and crime

Pemberton Township, New Jersey police arrest a woman and charge her with the murder of her newborn baby girl which she set on fire. Officers extinguish the fire, but the child later dies. (AP via MSN)

Sports

In football, the Africa Cup of Nations gets underway in Equatorial Guinea. The tournament was scheduled to be hosted by Morocco, but they refused to act as host because of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. (AAP via SBS)

[Closed] 2015 Yellowstone River oil spill

No consensus to post. Step hen 00:36, 22 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article: Yellowstone River (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  According to state officials, up to 50,000 US gallons (190,000 L; 42,000 imp gal) of oil is spilt into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana. (Post)
Alternative blurb:  The Yellowstone River suffers another oil spill near Glendive, Montana, since 2011.
Alternative blurb II:  According to state officials, up to 50,000 US gallons of oil is spilt into the Yellowstone River near Glendive, Montana.
News source(s): CBS News
Credits:

Updated and nominated by George Ho (talk · give credit)

Article updated

Nominator's comments: Although oil spills are not that shocking, the incident should be featured on the Main Page. George Ho (talk) 04:42, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose a thumbnail sketch gives almost 200 cubic meters. μηδείς (talk) 04:53, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Added altblurb for you. George Ho (talk) 05:05, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Weak oppose While locally significant, this doesn't particularly stand out on a national or international scale. Though, it will undoubtedly have an impact in Keystone Pipeline negotiations. Mamyles (talk) 18:43, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Weak oppose per Mamyles; seems to be largely a local issue. If it expands in scale we can revisit it. 331dot (talk) 18:45, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, well... what about tourism and water supplies? Nature enthusiasts would be devastated by another oil spill. --George Ho (talk) 05:17, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@Medeis, Mamyles, 331dot: I added "benzene" part. --George Ho (talk) 05:55, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I added the 200 cubic meter (over)estimate to give a visually comprehensible idea. That's 5x5x8 meters, or about 08% of the size of an olympic swimming pool in a river over 600 miles long. We don't have any reports that this will effect the park or the environment long term, and the prior spill was apparently cleaned up, as will be this one. μηδείς (talk) 17:02, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

[Posted] RD: Faten Hamama

Article: Faten Hamama (talk · history · tag)
Recent deaths nomination (Post)
News source(s): Variety BBC ABC (Australia) The Malay Mail Fox News Latino Radio France Internationale Deutsche Welle La Libre (Belgium)
Credits:

Nominated by Fitzcarmalan (talk · give credit)

Article updated
Recent deaths of any person, animal or organism with a Wikipedia article are always presumed to be important enough to post (see this RFC and further discussion). Comments should focus on whether the quality of the article meets WP:ITNRD.

Nominator's comments: A film icon in the region, who was nicknamed the "Lady of the Arabic Screen". This is major news in Egyptian and Middle Eastern cinema. Hamama was the wife of Michel Chalhoub (who went on to become Omar Sharif after the wedding). She appeared in almost a hundred films, some directed by Youssef Chahine, and often attempted to highlight women's issues in the region, which makes her death important news for Arab feminism as well. Fitzcarmalan (talk) 12:09, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

support - seems notable enough and with a career beyond the regular. --BabbaQ (talk) 13:24, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support. Seems to meet DC2 in her field. 331dot (talk) 15:19, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Support Awards/honors suggest DC2, article is in good shape, also not from an English speaking country so this fights systematic bias. – Muboshgu (talk) 16:09, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose it appears that she was notable and won numerous awards. But in our article, every single award is cited to her own website. This isn't good enough. It's also worth noting that not one single award has its own article on Wikipedia, are any of these awards actually notable? The Rambling Man (talk) 19:00, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

On the sourcing I agree with you, but the reason the awards don't have articles is just inevitable systemic bias because this is an English encyclopedia. And support. Bzweebl (talk • contribs) 19:33, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

We shouldn't be arbitrarily promoting articles to the main page because no-one can be bothered to do proper sourcing. Who's to say those awards are either real or notable? There are some amongst us here who would agree that more work should and can be done in the native language that would help. DO IT! The Rambling Man (talk) 20:48, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

@The Rambling Man: You might want to check the awards section now. I've summarized it and added better sources, including Al Akhbar, Al Arabiya and Khaleej Times (also expanded the lead section in List of Faten Hamama's awards and nominations with this same paragraph). The other stuff will be dealt with tomorrow. Fitzcarmalan (talk) 00:26, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Very good, now all I'd ask is that the redlinked movies are referenced, and we're good to go. The Rambling Man (talk) 19:02, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Done. I've removed two works that couldn't be adequately sourced (the section's name is "Selected filmography" anyways) and the rest is now referenced with Arabic sources. Fitzcarmalan (talk) 22:17, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yep, aware it's "selected" but being an encyclopaedia we normally provide objective rationales to which items are "selected". I have no major beef with the article, but we really shouldn't be hand-picking items in the filmography just because no-one can be bothered to source or write articles about them. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:23, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Frankly, the film that was eliminated from the list appeared to be non-existent. I've managed, however, to find this source (Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh) for the other TV show that was removed. That said, I didn't restore it yet, because it is still unclear whether the show was actually filmed or not. An editor who included this work to the list in December 2006 added the qualifier "TBA" next to it, but this hasn't changed since then. Fitzcarmalan (talk) 00:04, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Support but I suggest that those who want to Fight the Bias also contribute to the sourcing, if they can read Arabic. μηδείς (talk) 20:00, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Marked Ready the article has bee updated by 7,000 bytes, every paragraph has at least one source, or works are at least linked to their own articles, last two CN tags taken care of. Quite a remarkable subject. μηδείς (talk) 03:50, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

One of the difficulties with the red linked articles is that they aren't necessarily red links, just the pipe is misspelt, which was the case with La Tutf'e al-Shams which looked like a redlink due to the inconsistent capitalization of Al-. I considered hiding the redlinks, but this is not just difficult to do without distorting the chart format, it also hides articles that could use finding or creating. Given the items are at least cited, there's no need to delete the immediately. And the hope is that an RD listing will draw helpful attention. I can say that the Mozambique funeral beer poisoning article immediately increased upon publication and is now about three times as good as it was when it was listed, mostly due to the attention of new users. μηδείς (talk) 17:49, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I actually wanted to convert this chart to one or two paragraphs like I did with the awards section. But in order to do so, I must first have a source that highlights her most notable works, so that it doesn't look like I'm arbitrarily deciding what to keep/remove from the summary. Some time ago, the article was surprisingly a GA, despite all the issues it had. I didn't check the reassessment yet, but I plan on bringing it back to that status very soon, if no one gets there first. Fitzcarmalan (talk) 00:04, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The proper place to discuss that now would be the article itself. The standalone filmography article is useless in comparison as almost totally unsourced, and the existing filmography section could probably just be pasted over it. For a selected woks section simply limited to the blue links, and those that can be found like I found the [[La Tutf'e al-Shams article when searching for the redlink, La Tutf'e Al-Shams Sort of a crowd-sourced decision as to what is notable, which is all imdb and rotten tomatoes really are.

I am of quite limited help myself, because although I can muck it through anything in a Latin script (I've sourced articles in Hungarian and Vietnamese, which I don't speak, but can parse with google translate) I simply don't have any mastery of the alphabet. In any case, I think the outcome of this nomination has for RD has been quite well handled. μηδείς (talk) 01:00, 21 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Posted The Rambling Man (talk) 18:56, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

[Closed] Chunnel closure

Nothing really here to note. No support, the tunnel was closed for a bit, trains were reversed, subsequent services were delayed, just like leaves on the line really. Nothing long-term, not really newsworthy for our global encyclopedia. The Rambling Man (talk) 19:02, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article: Channel tunnel (talk · history · tag)
Blurb:  The Channel Tunnel is closed as a result of a fire on board a train (Post)
News source(s): BBC, CNN, ABC (Australia), Times of India
Credits:

Nominated by HJ Mitchell (talk · give credit)

Nominator's comments: Complete suspension of an international train service, causing a great deal of disruption in the UK and France. There have been fires in the Chunnel before, resulting in long-term closure for repairs (though it doesn't appear to be known at this stage whether that will be the case here). HJ Mitchell | Penny for your thoughts? 01:15, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose Disruption, but not life-threatening (at least, beyond the fire), and the Chunnel will still be there after the matter. Not really ITN worthy. --MASEM (t) 01:18, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose per Masem. Services are set to resume.[7] Neljack (talk) 02:09, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. On this occasion the fire appears to have caused only one day's direct disruption, and with no apparent deaths or injuries it isn't ITN level. Even without deaths or injuries I'd be tempted to support if there was damage sufficient for multiple months disruption as a result, but fortunately this hasn't happened on this occasion. Thryduulf (talk) 02:23, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. If Europe had ground to halt, I might have supported. But it turns out they can just about manage without us, for a few hours at least. Formerip (talk) 14:40, 18 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

[Closed] 2015 African Cup of Nations

No consensus for ongoing, we will post the winner, as always. --Tone 20:11, 19 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Article: 2015 African Cup of Nations (talk · history · tag)
Blurb: No blurb specified (Post)
Credits:

Nominated by Eugen Simion 14 (talk · give credit)

Ongoing propasal - EugεnS¡m¡on(14) ® 15:29, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Even though we don't have set rules for adding sports to ongoing, I would prefer we limit it to only global competition, such as the Olympics. -- Calidum 15:52, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. No indication of widespread coverage, especially if not a global competition per Calidum. 331dot (talk) 16:48, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
could you give a rationale explaining why this should be stickied, Eugen? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Medeis (talk • contribs)

Because it's a major competition with much international coverage. - EugεnS¡m¡on(14) ® 16:58, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Can you provide some links to this international coverage? 331dot (talk) 17:01, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

You are asking for an ongoing link. That implies tha each update would be close to being worthy of posting on its own, but we don't want to have 5 separate blurbs at once. Is this African Cup so important that it would have more than one blurb, rather than just the results of the final match? Some sort of explanation along those lines was what I was asking for. μηδείς (talk) 18:21, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose. In the absence of a "current major sporting events" ticker[1], which Ongoing definitely isn't, I see no justification for this. Competitions like the (soccer) World Cup are far more significant and get far more coverage, but unless something exceptional happens we only post the result of the final. Thryduulf (talk) 20:45, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
[1] I'm not proposing we should have one, and I don't know if I'd support someone else's proposal for one. If we did have one though, this is the sort of event I'd consider for it. Thryduulf (talk) 20:45, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Weak oppose it's a major tournament in African football terms, and will be hugely watched, mainly in that continent. It's seen, at least in Europe, as an inconvenience as so many Premier League players disappear for a month and often come back injured. I would advise that we wait for the final and post that as a main ITN item, and not this ongoing proposal. The Rambling Man (talk) 21:01, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose per Medeis, which is really the only argument against that is necessary in this discussion. Since we wouldn't post incremental updates to this event, we won't post it to ongoing. Bzweebl (talk • contribs) 23:35, 17 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

References

Nominators often include links to external websites and other references in discussions on this page. It is usually best to provide such links using the inline URL syntax [http://example.com] rather than using <ref></ref> tags, because that keeps all the relevant information in the same place as the nomination without having to jump to this section, and facilitates the archiving process.

For the times when <ref></ref> tags are being used, here are their contents: