This page is an archive and its contents should be preserved in their current form;
any comments regarding this page should be directed to Template talk:In the news. Thanks.
If I check the article, I see exactly one sentence of update. Expand this to include reactions from various sides and some comments from analysts and then it can go up. Remember that ITN is not a news service, there needs to be an update to the article. --Tone19:03, 31 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
OK, I've expanded it into a paragraph (last one at #Political status), though it's not clear if all my sources are specifically about the announcement or come before it; they're all dated within the last 36 hours. Tone, could you have another look and I'll leave the decision to you.--chaser - t20:13, 31 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
At least 11 people die this week and five are missing as a result of floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in Hà Giang Province in northern Vietnam. (AFP via ABC News)
Energy group E.ON cuts 1,800 jobs as it closes two-thirds of its domestic service centres in Germany. (BBC News)
Oppose, this is somewhat US-centric isn't it. Palin is just one of several candidates for a US political office. Plus it isn't official until the republican convention. 68.4.147.225 (talk) 16:40, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Request change the current text to this,
"Republican presidential nominee John McCain selects Sarah Palin (pictured), the Republican Governor of Alaska, as his vice-presidential running mate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election."
Support this addition, but note that it was done without significant prior discussion. I was going to add the Obama acceptance early last night, and as an admin I could have done so, but instead I put it forward for discussion. I did put it up after I thought the concerns of the one "oppose" had been addressed, but when that was reverted by another admin I let it go. If I had put the Obama item up as soon as he formally accepted the nomination, instead of putting it forward for discussion, perhaps it would have stayed up for more than a few minutes. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 18:10, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No the reason why this isn't going to be removed and the Obama thing was whatever the case is because we already had Obama when he was presumptive nominee. And we also had Biden about a week ago. So we have to put up Sarah Palin now but there is no intrinsic reason to put up Obama and it has been opposed when raised before. IIRC even Mwalcoff opposed it once although I have no idea if he still does so Nil Einne (talk) 22:54, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Support ...the headline. But I do not support the fact that it was added to the headline section by User:Nishkid64 without a consensus being reached first. I am concerned that it could set a bad precedent. This is at least the second time Niskid64 has done so. He did so before with regard to the Wah bombing on August 21 here. Although I agree that both stories belong in the headlines, I think a consensus must be reached first. Otherwise this page runs the risk of appearing biased. --Cdogsimmons (talk) 23:28, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
As I said before, since we put Biden up, so it was fair to include Palin. Still, I oppose any actions that are made without consensus. --Tone10:24, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose While a scandal involving a high level member of government is sometimes suitable for ITN, I don't think this quite cuts it even more so that it remains simply allegations. Nil Einne (talk) 23:02, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Russia's PM Vladimir Putin accuses unnamed individuals in the U.S. of orchestrating Georgia's military actions preceding the conflict with Russia. (CNN) Putin says the US provoked Georgia conflict. (RTE)
Georgian president, Mikhail Saakashvili announces he will propose a Georgian 'Patriot Act' to Georgian Parliament. (Rustavi 2) Nika Gvaramia, the Justice Minister, stated before that Georgia needs 'a legislature similar to the one which is in the United States, I mean the Patriot Act [...] which will be directed against treacherous statements against the motherland'. Mikhail Saakashvili also added: 'We should finance the political parties and impose strict control to prevent any funding coming from the foreign countries'. Earlier in July, the Parliament of Georgia passed a 'highly controversial' act, depriving 6 oppositional political parties of funding, which was seen as a 'punishment' for boycotting the Parliament after the national elections these parties said 'were rigged'. (Civil.Ge)
12 Georgian soldiers are exchanged for Georgian General Roman Dumbadze, claimed to be a traitor by Georgians and a political prisoner by Russia. (Rustavi 2)
Major League Baseball begins the use of Instant Replay for the first time in its over 100 year history.
Oppose - Limited appeal (US-centric), mentions of rule changes in other more popular sports (Football, Cricket) which happen semi-regularly would equally be opposed. -93.96.212.203 (talk) 11:32, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose the baseball stuff, we could go with a combo item of combining a few Russia-Georgia war related news into a single item to put up. Hobartimus (talk) 15:34, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Support The issue of technology aiding umpires or referees in sport is of international interest. It exists in some form in cricket, tennis, rugby, american football and now baseball; its introduction into soccer is an ongoing debate. 86.44.24.187 (talk) 06:36, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Support. This is obviously an important event throughout the world, not just the US. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Benjaminx (talk • contribs) 03:58, August 29, 2008
Oh, and in response to those who say "this was up in June" — actually becoming the nominee is different from numerically securing the nomination. This is an historic moment, and has been identified as such by many reliable sources. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 06:59, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Y'know what? It's been 23 hours since ITN was updated, and we don't have any other good candidates. I'm gonna be bold and just put this thing up. Another admin can revert if it's a problem — I won't wheel war. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 07:24, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. Technicalities aside, this was decided months ago. Formalizing it isn't even news-y. (Some of the campaign promises, the Clinton intrigue, and other speeches might be news, but giving him the nomination isn't. If you look at the news coverage they are talking about the new focus in his message and the other stuff, not the formalities of making him a candidate.) There is no reason to announce his candidacy now. I also don't see what article was significantly updated as a result of this event. Dragons flight (talk) 08:30, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No it hasn't. Changing "presumptive nominee" to "nominee" and switching infoboxes is not a substantial change, and none of the other work on his article in the last couple days addresses the nomination process. Dragons flight (talk) 16:11, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose Too much coverage has already been provided for presidential election in USA. According me the next time any mention should be done in ITN about the US election is when one of the candidate wins the Nov election. --gppande«talk»09:24, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
No, and no. But an African American being chosen by a major party as its presidential nominee is a major milestone that I think should have been marked here. And my reaction was to the claim that the next time the US election should be mentioned on ITN is when it's over in November. That's absurd. It was appropriate to put the Palin nomination up, and if the Obama acceptance had gone up I'd have supported McCain's acceptance as well. But it seems I'm in a minority on this one, and I'll go with the consensus. —Josiah Rowe (talk • contribs) 19:36, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
But this already happened in June! The formality was the final step in the milestone but the most important event, the one we did highlight was arguably in June (even if it wasn't the most important event, since we already highlighted it once, it's a bit late to change our minds). Note that I've supported highlighting if Obama or Hillary won for a long time, as have a large number of others that I've seen (I did not initial support someone not unusual, as we did with McCain but eventually changed my mind and IIRC I offered full support to McCain at the time). I don't know if GbPande has or hasn't or would have/haven't supported the idea of highlighting Obama/Hillary, his/her response here doesn't really speak of the matter. And we also highlighted McCain whenever that was and since it was no milestone, frankly putting it again is a rather clear cut example of American centrism. (And as you've graciously concended, you're in an extreme minority here so clearly many people at least agree neither was necessary) So the only thing that GbPande missed is the Palin thing. But frankly, the case to put up either vice presidential selection was never that strong, and McCains VP even less so (since as someone pointed out somewhere, there is much more international interest in Obama then McCain) but it's clearly not fair to put up Biden but not McCain's VP so we should have put up McCain's VP. But I don't know if GbPande even knew Biden was put up and even if he/she did, he/she is entitled to disagree with putting up McCain's VP since as I've said, it's not a strong case ignoring the fairness issue which GbPande may not consider that important. So really what more is there to put up about the election until it happens? Nothing! Like GbPande said. So what exactly was absurd about what GbPande said? Nothing! It seems to me that your response was absurd. Sure if one of the candidates dies or is involved in a major scandal or whatever then there may be, but most likely GbPande was not referring to unexpected developments. Or are you suggesting we put up the debates or something as well (I'm serious here since I'm mystified as to why you find ito so strange that GbPande felt there should be no more election stuff until November given that the only thing which was a clear cut case was McCain's VP, and if you seriously feel that there is such a strong case to put up Obama again, let alone McCain, then IMHO it's no wonder people sometimes overact re American centrisim)? The other issue is if you are unable to understand that there is a very big difference between even Obama winning the election and becoming the first African American President and the messiah (I still don't know who the hell that is) visiting Delaware or an asteroid wiping out a city then well frankly, then I simply don't know what to say other then repeat again, THERE IS A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE and if you are unable to understand that, perhaps read up a bit on the world before you participate in ITN. Being sarcastic is one thing. Saying something so idiotic it just destroys the whole discussion is another. And yes, saying that because an editor disagrees with inclusion in a borderline case means that editors are going to reject astronomical events is offensive and dumb, and destroys the discussion completely. In any case, the fact that one editor may or may not overeact, doesn't change the fact that the majority of editors don't which is the key point. Ultimately there are often going to be editors who make strange comments saying something is whatever-centric when it isn't, however the substanial majority are never that bad and we really should be considering the substanial majority not the odd editor with uncommon views that aren't really supported by anything. Note that I've never denied (or at least I've never intended to) that a small number of people are more likely to overeact to perceived American-bias, there are various reasons for this including the fact that American bias by far is the most common on wikipedia. But by and large, when it comes to more substanial over-reactions, I've always believed and I still believe there are more likely in cases when something is accused of being biased in some way other then American P.S. The reason why I said McCain's VP above is because at the time, we did not know it was going to be Palin. The fact that it was Palin, a female thereby almost ensuring there will either be a African American President or a female vice-president is rather significant and changes the equation somewhat and makes the case for putting up Palin a fair amount strong. But since this not something we could predict, it is obviously not a consideration when you state you don't feel something should happen. P.P.S. Note on the issue of fairness, we did not put up Sarkozy despite putting up Royale, which I think was the right thing in that case even if the McCain VP has different issues which means fairness is more important it's surely understandable that GbPande didn't agree. Nil Einne (talk) 17:15, 1 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Comment There has been substanial opposition to this whenever it has been raised previously because it is mostly a formality (akin to the way we don't generally put a swearing in of a Prime Minister or President). The first black thing was likewise already on ITN when he became the presumptive nominee> Note also this is the second discussion taking placea bout this on this page, there is one right below it Nil Einne (talk) 22:48, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
A flaw in the internet's Border Gateway Protocol that was described ten years ago now "can be used to invisibly eavesdrop on all traffic originating from a particular set of IP blocks." (Ars Technica)
David Cameron threw his weight behind international condemnation of Russia with a call for the suspension of European negotiations with the superpower. (The Guardian)
A Russian armoured personnel carrier raced down the road to where Georgian policemen were manning their checkpoint at the village of Mosabruni, just inside South Ossetia. (BBC News)
Georgia PM: War damage is estimated at $1 billion. (Forbes)
Georgia is minimizing the level of diplomatic co-operation with Russia, recalling all but two diplomats from Moscow. (Xinhua)(Civil Georgia)
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is expressing concern that Russia, riding high after its victories in Georgia, may target other neighbors, such as Moldova and Ukraine. (USA Today)
Russia's MICEX Index fell to its lowest level since September 2006 on Tuesday after President Dmitry Medvedev's recognized South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence, and the ruble tumbled to a seven-month low against the U.S. dollar. (Moscow Times)
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has condemned Russia's 'unacceptable' decision to recognise the Georgian rebel regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (RTE)
The United States condemns the decision by the Russian President to recognize as independent states the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. (Rustavi 2)
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said on August 27 Beijing was "concerned of the latest development in South Ossetia and Abkhazia." (Civil)
Thousands of protesters storm the Thai Prime Minister's office and other government buildings, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. (Reuters)
Considering that it's hitting Jamaica ATM, I think that this warrants front page mention. I'm going to re-nom this for today. caknuck°is not used to being the voice of reason15:47, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
U.S. President George W. Bush says Russia's president should not recognize two breakaway regions of Georgia as independent countries, despite pleas from Russian lawmakers (Rustavi 2)White House spokesman Tony Fratto says shortly after Russia's recognition that Russia is making a number of "irrational" decisions that puts its place in the world at risk.(AP via Google News)
Swedish foreign ministerCarl Bildt condemns Russia's "deliberate violation of international law", saying that "the Russian government leadership now has chosen this route means they have chosen a policy of confrontation, not only with the rest of Europe, but also with the international community in general".(Warsaw Business Journal)(The Local)
The Koshi River breaks embankment to pick up the course abandoned over 200 years ago causing floods in the Indian state of Bihar and killing 42 people. (CNN-IBN)
Looks updated and sourced. Just correct In Bihar, over 12 lakh people were affected. A random reader is not familiar with lakh and it is confusing (it was for me at least.) --Tone10:52, 26 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Suggest a good formulation and I'll put it up. Hm indeed, am I the only admin who's been checking this site recently?? I can't do this all the time only by myself! --Tone19:10, 27 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This should be a nice blurb I could think of. I can already see a red banner saying ITN is not updated for more than 24 hours. Please add this news to ITN. --gppande«talk»07:59, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for promoting this news to ITN but nobody credited me with ITN sovienier. Also the article highlighted should be of Koshi river as my suggestion and not the flood one. Koshi river article is more updated. --gppande«talk»13:13, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I have just deleted the wrong-titled International reaction to the 2008 Abkhazia declaration of independence, made of one sentence. The article you mention is not enough updated at the moment but could be. Also, possible option is to have a section about this in 2008 South Ossetia war article. As far as I have checked, none of the articles has been updated yet. --Tone13:09, 26 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Dimitry Medvedev
Nom: Russia(president Medvedev pictured)formally recognizes the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The international response is mixed (or "mainly critical"). Comment: The recognition is a vital ingredient in the current conflict/war and Medvedev is the piovotal figure, even though his real power is questioned by some observers. Response is mostly negative, but that might be viewed as NPOV, so "mixed" or "mainly critical" might be more apropriate here. --Hapsala (talk) 14:04, 26 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Strong support. Put it up! This gives the South Ossetian war a completely new turning. Probably the most stunning move by the Russian leadership since the assassination of Emperor Nicholas II.217.21.232.237 (talk) 17:50, 26 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
But the international response is in fact mostly negative (but Hapsala probably tries to be neutral and not accused of being a POV-pusher by the Putin fanclub).
"Not that relevant" (sic!) - Excuse me, but he is the only one who is entitled to make the formal decision for God's sake! --Hapsala (talk) 20:02, 26 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Not sure that it's the most stunning move (the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a bit more surprising), but this is a better way to have this in ITN than my proposal a little above. Seeing that the vast majority of non-Russian and non-Georgian pronouncements on this topic are negative, perhaps we could say "the international response is mostly negative"? However, Medvedev would be quite relevant: he's the one that made the decision to recognise. Nyttend (talk) 18:15, 26 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Has the person whose job it is to put items on the main page died or something? The big red sign says an update is very overdue. Since the Russia story is without doubt the most important story in the world today, can you please hurry up and put it up already. Willy turner (talk) 21:16, 26 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Pardon if this isn't where it's supposed to go: I don't participate here normally. Both Abkazia and South Ossetia have bits about the unanimous resolution of the Federal Assembly of Russia in favor of recognizing these as independent states; is this sufficient for an ITN listing? It's surely more "impressive" than anything else here, whether Biden or the Olympics or anything else. Nyttend (talk) 20:43, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This is probably not ITN worthy as neither house of the Federal assembly of Russia is entitled to actually make the formal decision. --Hapsala (talk) 22:08, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Protesters in the Indian state of West Bengal "lay siege" to the factory producing the Tata Nano, in a dispute over land expropriation. (BBC News)
ITN Candidates for August 24
Nom Marathon world record, bolded link to Samuel Wanjiru. This is a world record in one of the premier olympic events, comparable to Usain Bolt's 100m WR. Random8908:26, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Not really notable seeing as it wasn't even a world record, only an olympic record— Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.30.187.169 (talk • contribs)
Nom Basketball Gold, once article is updated, per WP:ITNSPORTS. Would prefer this to Marathon entry, as it would probably be either/or. Random8909:04, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Why is this any more important that any of the other gold medal wins, what's the significance?— Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.30.187.169 (talk • contribs)
Nom land dispute protest, bolded link to Tata Nano, which has a suitably updated section. As of right now, this seems to be the article most ready to go up. Random8909:09, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
What about a combination like: USA wins the basketball tournament and Samuel Wanjirun of Kenya sets a new Olympic record in marathon as the 2008 Summer Olympics conclude. We have indeed agreed on both marathon and basketball and today's the closing day. --Tone10:18, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
OK, despite some hyperbole by a few users, I still believe that basketball results should go up. The article is short on prose, but there are significant updates to the tables and such. The Bolt item could be removed for balance, as there would still only be 2 olympics items on the template. This was discussed (if not fully agreed upon) before the games. Also, the current closing ceremony blurb does not mention medal counts, which tends to remove the US bias arguments. Random8908:55, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
With respect to what you say about the medal counts: not really, because the US is the only country which considers that it "won" the medal tally. - Mark14:24, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Article is updated and referenced, and a much more newsworthy outcome than the US winning the basketball (yawn, what's new there). - Mark10:34, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
IMO, neither should get on ITN. The biggest Olympics-related news should get on ITN, and the biggest Olympics-related news right now is the closing of the games. Bolt? It's time for him to bolt. --PFHLai (talk) 20:18, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The basketball should go up because the biennial world basketball tournament normally goes up, weather it be the FIBA Championships (in 2002, 06, 10) or the Olympics (2004, 08, 12). -CWY2190(talk • contributions) 22:09, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Anyone can straighten out the last part of the blurb. It's absolutely important to include the basketball tournament since it has recently beat the 2006 World Cup on TV viewership of a single game. –HowardtheDuck02:08, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Why don't we just put the basketball as a second item below the closing bit? Plus it might be worth pointing out that it's the first time that China has won the most gold medals: they were second behind the US in 2004 and third behind the US and Russia in 2000. Quite a notable victory for them, at least in their eyes:
I don't think a lot of people would like 2 consecutive Olympic-related items on ITN, with both of them mentioning "United States." Oh the horrors! –HowardtheDuck02:32, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The basketball audience figure claim is complete bullshit. Please check out my response to the claim at WT:ITN before you continue to repeat FIBA nonsense. I supported and still support including the basketball result based on the premise we also include the FIBA tournaments so it doesn't make sense to exclude the Olympics result which is more important in the world of basketball but I strongly oppose including it at the expense of the marathon. The men's marathon is and has been for a long while the premier event at the olympics (the medal ceremony was part of the closing ceremony for heaven's sake) and including basketball but not including the marathon is frankly one of the silliest suggestions I've heard in a while. If having 3 olympics items at one time is too much, then either we ski basketball and only include the marathon or we skip them all an only include the closing ceremony. Nil Einne (talk) 18:41, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Second plane crash in a week, horrible. In any case, there has to be an update to the article, I suggest you start a separate article about it if there are enough details known already. When we have the article, this is ITN. --Tone19:06, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Vassilis Paleokostas, the most wanted Greek fugitive since 2006 and the alleged mastermind behind the kidnapping of industrialist George Mylonas, is re-arrested by the Greek police. (BBC News)
More than 60 people are reported to have been killed and 150 wounded during clashes in the Somali port of Kismayo. (BBC News)
Human Rights Watch confirms the use of cluster bombs by Russia during Georgia bombing, urges Russia to keep within the international norms and warns Georgia to take urgent measures to protect the civilian population in Georgian villages from unexploded ordnance left by Russian attacks. (Rustavi 2)
Ten Georgian servicemen, who were detained by the Russian forces in Poti few days ago were released on August 22, the Georgian media sources reported. Twelve others, however, are still held by the Russian troops. (Civil)
Russian troops have begun the process of pullout by abolishing the checkpoint arranged in the Igoeti sector of the central highway. (Rustavi 2)
Russian troops have abolished several checkpoints in the Shida Kartli region, Georgia, and moved towards the conflict zone. (Rustavi 2)
US says Russian pullback in Georgia is "far too slow". (Reuters)(Delfi)
Russia informs Lithuania that Russia is stopping military co-operation with Lithuania. (Delfi)
Lithuania's Defense Minister Juozas Olekas has called for amendments to national defense legislation, which he says must be thoroughly revised and updated in the face of a potential Russia threat. (Alfa)
Comment: Another world record and gold medal for Bolt? Okay... How should we phrase this on ITN without taking up too much space? Anyway, the one-sentence paragraph about this is currently tagged with {{fact}} at Usain Bolt. This must be dealt with before this point gets on MainPage. --PFHLai (talk) 18:24, 22 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think it's neccesary, the same as we didn't mention Phelps winning the 7th medal after the 6th. --Tone19:18, 22 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I don't understand why this shouldn't be updated. I can't see any {{fact}} tag. Writing that he won two gold medals while in reality he won three gold medals is factually inexact and very misleading. Hektor (talk) 05:25, 23 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The fact tags have been removed and replaced with footnotes. Verifiablity is not an issue now. The current headline didn't say how many medals he has won. It is fine as is, but updating would be better. Now please draft a concise headline. --PFHLai (talk) 12:54, 23 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
"Usain Bolt of Jamaica wins gold medals in the 100 metre and 200 metre sprints and 4x100 metre relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics, setting new world records of 9.69, 19.30 seconds, and 37.10 seconds, respectively." Too long? "Usain Bolt wins gold medals in the 100 metre and 200 metre sprints and 4x100 metre relay at the 2008 Summer Olympics, setting new world records in each event." DOSGuy (talk) 14:12, 23 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
How can it be too long? My second suggestion is 130 characters, while the existing text is 144. It's not longer, it's shorter! DOSGuy (talk) 16:35, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I removed it at first but then I saw that the article was in fact relevant so I put it back. Ideally, there would be a debate but since it was ok already... --Tone17:28, 22 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Human Rights Watch claims both Georgia and Russia violated rights of the civilian population during the conflict. Georgian ground offensive in South Ossetia included shelling of Tskhinvali, capital of South Ossetia, with Grad rocket systems and 'indiscriminate' use of tanks in the city, which caused 'numerous' civilian casualties and 'extensive' destruction. HRW says 'a hospital, apartment buildings, houses, schools, kindergartens, shops, administrative buildings, and the university' in Tskhinvali were 'severely damaged' during Georgian night-long 'uninterrupted' shelling of South Ossetian capital on August 7-8. Russianairforce, HRW reports, carried out bombardments of the two buildings in Georgian village in South Ossetia, 'that could be housing the Georgian military', and attacked presumably civilian convoy of several dozen cars. HRW also confirmed the Russian military's use of cluster bombs in two towns in Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians. (Human Rights Watch)
An Amnesty International worldwide movement for human rights reported on August, 14, that the assault of the Georgian Army on Tskhinvali included '14 hours of bombardment' of the city. Amnesty International is still gathering information on the reported heavy civilian casualties, as well as reported bombings of non-military targets leading to deaths of civilians and the destruction of civilian buildings. (Amnesty International)
Medvedev: Russian troops will pull out from Georgia by Friday. (Xinhua)
Russia moves closer to recognizing full independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as both regions are to hold pro-independence rallies within days. (AFP via Google News)
Support Major air disaster making front-page news worldwide. Article is receiving attention and has numerous sources to work from as details come in. Radagast (talk) 17:23, 20 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Support I'm of the opinion that we're usually too fast when it comes to this sort of thing, posting stories when the article is only a paragraph or filled with rumours. When this was first proposed the article was indeed a bit short but the article now appears to be in decent shape and of resonable size. In particular, the death toll appears to be resonably supported Nil Einne (talk) 19:22, 20 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Russia begins to withdraw troops from Georgia proper according to eyewitness accounts. (Reuters)
Russia temporarily closes its borders with Georgia and Azerbaijan to prevent terrorist groups from crossing into Russia. (Delfi)(Reuters)
A United Nations aid convoy which entered Gori on Sunday reports evidence of large-scale looting. "While the buildings did not appear to be very damaged, there are clear signs of massive looting of both shops and private accommodations," the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says. (The Vancouver Sun)
Heck we unfortunately don't even seem to have an article on the Egyptian Parliament building which is where any updates on this ideally should go... Nil Einne (talk) 12:05, 20 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
According to general staff in Moscow, Russia has begun troop withdrawals from Georgia, following a pledge by PresidentDmitry Medvedev. However, 'Moscow saying it has the right to keep some troops as peacekeepers in a buffer zone around South Ossetia'. (BBC News)
South Ossetia had held the referendum on independence from Georgia on November, 12th, 2006 with 99% voted in favor of the independence (with reportedly 95% turnout). Both NATO and the US opposed the referendum and did not recognise its results saying it served no purpose other than to 'exacerbate tensions' in the region. (America.gov)(AP via The International Herald Tribune)
A US-Poland agreement to deploy a missile defense shield prompts unnamed Russian officials to declare Poland "a legitimate military target" and the deputy of the Russian general staff states that Poland "opens itself to a nuclear strike". (AFP via Google News)(Asia Times)
Support, but I don't think its worth mentioning the Indirect presidential elections in this blurb. We'll do that in the next. --SpencerT♦C12:02, 18 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Anyone feels like replacing one of the two present Olympic items with Yelena Isinbaeva's new world record in pole vault? Highly attractive sport but not discussed earlier. --Tone15:23, 18 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Russian troops continue to withdraw from the Georgian city of Gori, where the major Georgian army base was dismantled by Russian troops soon after the conflict ended. Two Russian APCs still remain at a checkpoint near the city, Reuters reports. (Reuters)
The BBC's Richard Galpin, who has spent the past two days travelling from the Black Sea port of Poti to Tbilisi, says Georgian forces seem to be surrendering control of the highway to the Russians. (BBC News)
American swimmer Michael Phelps wins gold as the butterfly leg of the winning Men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay team. With the relay victory, Phelps earns his eighth gold medal (5 individual, 3 relay), setting a record for most golds at an Olympic games, beating Mark Spitz's previous record of 7 set in 1972. (Bloomberg)
Iran announces it has launched a satellite, Omid, with its national satellite launcher, Safir, the ninth nation to achieve such a feat.
IRINN has only released footage of a rocket launch.[3] I'd wait till there's confirmation that Omid has settled in its orbit. I hope sth like this doesn't happen again. --PFHLai (talk) 18:47, 17 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
A bomb explodes outside the house of Mayor Lito Pinol in the city of Mlang, Philippines, but fails to assassinate the Mayor. Police successfully defuse a bomb placed in the market of Kidapawan City. (Khaleej Times)
Oppose I think there has to be something more exceptional happening for us to perpetuate the Phelps story in the ITN section. __meco (talk) 08:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose However, should he go eight for eight Sunday morning, I definitely think it should be added given the record-breaking nature. Jasonn (talk) 14:20, 16 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Eventually, we can merge this with Bolt blurb so that we don't have two Olympic posts at the same time. --Tone20:49, 16 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
If I remember, we usually put the breaking of this record on ITN, besides, this was one of the highlights of the Games. (is this formulation ok?)--Tone14:39, 16 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
ETS Europe, part of the American-owned Educational Testing Service, is sacked by the British government for bad failures in manipulating Key Stage education tests. ETS agrees to repay some £35 million (USD70 million). (BBC News)
Russia threatens Poland with military consequences for allowing the United States of America to place defense missiles within its borders. (AP via Google News)
Russia will provide 'at least' 10 billion Roubles (approx. €270 million, US$420 million) aid to South Ossetia to help rebuild Tskhinvali 'leveled' during the Georgian 'lasting artillery shelling' of 7th and 8th of August. (Rossiyskaya Gazeta)(Regnum)(Rian)(RBC)
Russian soldiers continue to occupy Georgian towns. (The Independent)
Georgian police left the town of Gori and neighbouring villages right after the hostilities in South Ossetia ended and the peace was brokered, says AP. 'The Russian troops had stopped the looting, restored order', while the locals interviewed by journalists say Russians are 'behaving well'. (AP via Yahoo! News)
Russia asks for the adequate covering of the conflict from the Western media. High Russian official names the way the anchor treats his guest in a breaking news on Fox a 'total shamelessness'. The journalist interrupts the story of an Ossetian-American girl and her aunt accusing Micheil Saakashvili of the war, and announces commercial break before the two refugees have chance to continue. (InterFax)(Fox via YouTube)(RT via YouTube)
Turkish journalists near the border with South Ossetia came under attack by people Sky News supposes are either Russian soldiers or Ossetian militia. (Sky News)
The President of the United States George W. Bush assures Georgia that it has US support stating the people of Georgia have chosen freedom and "we will not cast them aside." (USA Today) The president of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, said on Thursday that Russia's strike into Georgia should persuade NATO urgently to give Georgia and Ukraine membership of the alliance, Reuters reports. (Baltic Business News)(Reuters)
United States swimmers Rebecca Soni and Ryan Lochte win gold medals and set swimming world records in the women's 200-metre breaststroke and men's 200m backstroke respectively. (DPA via the Bangkok Post)
Support both. In Mauritania case, mentioning the coup would be relevant. Also, do we have photos of any of the two? --Tone10:00, 15 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Russia says it will support whatever decision the people of breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will make during referendum on the future of their land (International Herald Tribune)(The New York Times)
Analysts 'see the conflict as a gamble initiated by Georgia, which is seeking EU and NATO membership, to test the strength of its Western allies in the face of Russia's unwillingness to see the West encroaching on its doorstep.' (CNN)
An Amnesty International worldwide movement for human rights reported on August, 14, that the assault of the Georgian Army on Tskhinvali included '14 hours of bombardment' of the city. Amnesty International is still gathering information on the reported heavy civilian casualties, as well as reported bombings of non-military targets leading to deaths of civilians and the destruction of civilian buildings. (Amnesty International)
Russia appeared 'to be handing over a key Georgian city Thursday', U.S. officials said. Senior U.S. General James Cartwright claims that 'Russian forces seemed to be complying with an internationally-mediated cease-fire'. (CNN)
Georgia's Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze claimed that more than 100 Russian vehicles, some of them armoured, had gathered outside the major western Georgian town of Zugdidi. However, Robert Gates, the US Secretary of Defense, said that the Russian army is 'withdrawing their forces back towards Abkhazia and towards South Ossetia' US warns Russia of lasting impact (BBC News)
Russian forces say they will start to return control of the key town of Gori to Georgia soon. 'For another two days Russian troops will stay in the region to ... hand over control functions to Georgian law-enforcement bodies, after which they will leave," Major-General Vyacheslav Borisov as quoted by Russian news agencies. (Reuters)
The investigation of what Russian officials called a 'genocide' started in South Ossetia. Some witnesses say that a church with civilians inside was burned by the Georgian Army in the captured Ossetian village in the first day of Georgian attack. (Mail On Sunday)
Journalists may again enter the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali as the city is mostly secured after Georgian retreat. The articles give new evidence of what the city looks like and what people in Tskhinvali think of the recent events. (The Guardian)(BBC News)(AP)
Saakashvili accused Russia of bombing Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital, and invading Gori. However, journalists in Gori report no Russian tanks seen on the streets. Anatoly Nagovitsyn, the Russian military's deputy chief of staff, categorically denied that there were any tanks on the streets of Gori, saying Russian forces were at an abandoned Georgian artillery base near Gori, dismantling it, but not inside the town. (BBC News)(BBC News)(CNN)
Sky's Jason Farrell claims he witnessed Russian armor moving at the outskirts of the Georgian town of Gori. (Sky News)
British television's Sky Team was robbed near the Georgian town of Gori by a man who 'did not seem to be Russian'. The journalist Andrew Wilson claims 'he could not be sure the men who had pulled their car over were South Ossetian' either. (Sky News)
An unnamed 'senior U.S. NATO official' says that USA may withdraw from a major NATO naval exercise with Russia that is to begin on Friday. (Fox News)
An explosion at a police station in the Pakistani city of Lahore kills at least three people, on the eve of the 61st anniversary of independence. (BBC News)
ITN Candidates for August 13
Nom/SupportMichael Phelps. I know someone already added it, and I for one support the addition, but it is probably best to have it at least listed here. Random8907:43, 13 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hmm, not all admins are as good as few who monitor and reply here. Anyways, nothing at harm as they do update news on-time while it is HOT. --gppande«talk»16:18, 13 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This was (briefly) included and then removed amidst the always re-occurring debate about deaths. Some of the discussion is in the archives here, other on the main page. Random8920:42, 13 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
However, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, said that signing a 'legally binding document on the non-use of force' by Georgia is a compulsory condition of starting the talks between the sides of the conflict. (BBC News)
Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze says that Russian jets are still targeting civilians. (Reuters)
U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain speaks against Russia’s military operations in Georgia, saying: "I know I speak for every American when I say today we are all Georgians." (Reuters)[permanent dead link]
Massive explosions at a propane facility just before 4 a.m. erupt in the Toronto, Canada community of Downsview, resulting in the evacuation of thousands of people. The explosions also caused the closure of Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway, through that area of Toronto. At least 18 people are reported injured, one missing, and one firefighter has died in connection with the incident. (CP via The Globe and Mail)
Georgian troops are forced to withdraw from Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia by Russian army. (AP via Google News) According to Georgian field commanders, some units of Georgian army still stay in South Ossetia to fight with Ossetian and Russian forces. (The Times) Georgia withdraws forces that entered South Ossetia on Thursday, August, 7 after suffering heavy casualties. (Bloomberg)
Unnamed US official accuses Russia of launching ballistic missiles on Georgia: "They actually launched ballistic missile attacks on Georgian territory." This 'response has been far disproportionate to whatever threat Russia had been citing', he added. (AP via Google News)
Black bodies reportedly found among Georgian soldiers corpses on the streets of Tskhinvali. They were 'probably either mercenaries or instructors in the Georgian armed forces', high-ranking South Ossetian diplomat claims. (APA)(Kommersant)(RussiaToday)[permanent dead link]
Authorities in the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia declare full mobilisation. (AP via Google News) S. Bagapsh, the President of the Republic of Abkhazia gave Georgia an ultimatum to withdraw Georgian troops from the upper Kodori Gorge, part of the breakaway republic. (Bloomberg)
This would probably be an update or replacement of the existing blurb on this. Also, i would remove the word provincial from the blurb, as this is a POV issue we have no need to get embroiled in. Random8922:01, 10 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Nominating Heavy monsoon rains kill dozens of people and disrupt normal life in India. Or whatever is the usual blurb to nominate flood articles. Actually, 48 hours of heavy rains have left many dead in Indians states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. --gppande«talk»08:45, 11 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Russia and Georgia continue to fight in South Ossetia and Georgia. The search for the dead and injured continues after at least 2,000 civilians were killed after two days Georgian offensive. Russia reported 12 peacekeepers killed and 30 wounded in the previous day during the Georgian tank and missile bombardment of Tskhinvali. (BBC News)(AP via Yahoo! News)(BBC News)(RIAN)
Russian jets attack military targets in the Georgian city of Gori, outside South Ossetia, killing 60 people; two are shot down. (BBC News)(BBC News)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia launched a military operation to help peacekeepers stationed in the region under UN mandate since the early 1990s defend their position after 15 were killed during Georgian operations and to protect South Ossetians many of whom hold Russian citizenship. (RIA) Russia's Foreign Ministry accuses Ukraine of encouraging Georgia to carry out "ethnic cleansing" in South Ossetia. (Reuters)
The Georgian-controlled section of the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia came under fire from aircraft. Abkhazia's foreign minister Sergei Shamba, said Abkhaz forces had launched an attack aimed at driving Georgian forces out of the gorge. Georgian television claimed the attacks were by Russians. (BBC News)
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili called for a cease fire which his Security Council secretary said means that Georgian troops will withdraw from Tskhinvali and stop responding to Russian shelling. (AP via Google News)
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt evokes the memory of Adolf Hitler in condemning Russia's attacks on Georgia, saying the protection of Russian citizens there does not justify the assault. "Attempts to apply such a doctrine have plunged Europe into war in the past... And we have reason to remember how Hitler used this very doctrine little more than half a century ago to undermine and attack substantial parts of central Europe". (The Local)
An uprising in the Burmese town of Taunggok, about 200 km northwest of Yangon, results in arrests. (BBC News)
ITN Candidates for August 9
Military flag of Georgia
I'd sugest that the 2008 South Ossetia War is moved to the top. The ongoing war between Russia and Georgia is much more important than yesterday's opening cermony of the Beijing games. Hapsala (talk) 13:00, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
OK, I wasn't aware of the importance debate... So the item will disappear after a couple of legislative elections and a roadside bomb? Hapsala (talk) 15:24, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Depends if something else major happens concerning the same news story that'll cause new updates to the article hence a new hook will be used thus lengthening its stay at ITN. --HowardtheDuck15:49, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Could we get rid of the second sentence? Their efforts mean little, plus there is pretty much no mention about it in the linked article. Narayanese (talk) 22:18, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
President of Georgia, Milkeil Saakashvili agrees that the timing (the first day of Olympics, with many world leaders in Peking) of the 'major military offensive' of Georgia, during which the 'South Ossetian capital' devastated 'was not coincidental'. (AP via YouTube)
Strong Support, the article has been created less than 24 hours ago and has seen 250+ edits already. Header to be corrected in accordance to latest events (moves across the border can change) --windyhead (talk) 13:58, 8 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Support, but enters needs to be changed to enter, and the article needs to be changed from its current timeline format to something more encyclopedic. Benjaminx (talk) 14:19, 8 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Comment It'll be hard to change it to something more "encyclopedic" while the situation is still changing so rapidly. And I think that the exact times are important so that the succession of events can be followed. Esn (talk) 14:23, 8 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
NominateWhile traveling around Ohio making speeches to the public, John McCain was recently asked to keep a certain business from switching to UPS air-freight; McCain responded, “That's just not what I'm about."(Hallett, Joe, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH, Thursday, August 7, 2008)
Olympics. Obviously the Opening Ceremony will be going up in a few hours, but I'd like to remind the admin that adds it to also include the Olympic Highlights link at the bottom that was agreed to on the talk page. In reality it could have gone up on Wednesday, but today works just as well. -CWY2190(talk • contributions) 07:48, 8 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose, despite the article being in good shape. There's a quote there that says it best, something along the lines of "Edwards is no longer an elected official or running for office". If he had won the democratic presidential nomination, it would be another story, but right now, no. Also, we have two other very good candidates from today. Random8921:15, 8 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Front page? Yes. Headline? No. And not even all headlines or front page stories are considered. Otherwise Brett Favre and/or Cristiano Ronaldo's offseason adventures might be considered. --HowardtheDuck16:42, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's the third story down from the top on their front page, which is about what I would expect for an American political story on a British paper. But this is the first time I've dealt with ITN so I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for. Regards - Kellyhi!17:34, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
This story fails the international interest criterion. End of story. Otherwise, this story should also be considered since it's located immediately below the Edwards story on Reuters.--HowardtheDuck17:47, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
<undent>Ah, OK - I was going to link to the BBC, which is also carrying this at the top of their "World News", but Howard advised me elsewhere that American news shouldn't be nominated here. So I'll drop it, very sorry for the trouble. Kellyhi!18:15, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It's the top story on the Beeb's Americas subsite. On the News Front Page you'd have to press "page down" thrice to see it on most monitors. --HowardtheDuck18:19, 9 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Georgian and separatist South Ossetian forces have exchanged fire again near the town of Tskhinvali, wounding up to 20 people, officials say. (BBC News)
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was concerned over Georgia's "military preparations," while a Georgian official said Russia would further undermine its role as peacekeeper if it failed to convince the South Ossetian side on talks. (Civil Georgia)(Civil Georgia)
I hate red templates :D. This is the runaway favourite from the current nominees, and its article is pretty good for being only five hours old. I agree it's not a perfect ITN candidate, but it's not a bad one either. Happy‑melon17:40, 7 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The United States FBI claims scientist Bruce Ivins was responsible for the anthrax scares of 2001 that killed five people and made 17 others ill. (BBC News)
Support Very notable. Article could use expansion, but it's in acceptable shape right now. I'm sure more details will be released as the day progresses. Teemu08 (talk) 13:53, 6 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
It needs an article. I think if it had a decent article, this would be a no-brainer to put up, but right now we have nothing. Random8919:24, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
U.S. conservative political commentator Robert Novak retires after 45 years. The only reason for retirement was a previously discovered brain tumour. Novak is also involved in the CIA leak scandal. (CBS News)
North Korea says that it will expel "unnecessary" South Korean staff from the Kumgangsan resort and threatens military action in an escalation of tension over the shooting of a South Korean tourist. (Reuters)
Support.-- Surely all incidents that cause 100 plus deaths are notable enough for ITN? Plus its the main story on the BBC world news page [10] And its presumably the main story in India, the worlds second most populous country. Sorry if you feel this is an obvious point, but I feel it supports the incidents notability. Willy turner (talk) 15:46, 3 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Support. I was coming here to suggest the same thing. Nitpick though, I believe it should be "at a Hindu Temple" rather than "in a Hindu Temple", since my impression is that the stampede occured on a pathway outside the temple itself. Dragons flight (talk) 16:11, 3 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Support time for some ITN death reform. A major figure both in the literary world and outside it. This is certainly a better candidate than the K2 accident for the next update--much more encyclopedic content to highlight here. Mangostar (talk) 14:59, 4 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
There has clearly been a near-consensus that the official criteria for deaths on ITN are too restrictive. While there has not been a consensus on what language to replace it with -- mostly due to a lack of effort to craft the right language -- I think it's fair to consider the old death criteria "of no force or effect." -- Mwalcoff (talk) 00:26, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
That's roughly my reading of the situation, and why I removed the old deaths criteria from WP:ITNMP a while back and simply directed readers to the WP:ITN/DC discussion, which is itself stalemated. This isn't even a case of IAR, as there are no rules to speak of. While it's obviously all debatable (and has been), going on consensus on ITN/C to post a death on a case-by-case basis is certainly a valid way to approach the situation. - BanyanTree01:19, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I am not at all disputing your good faith but to me that seems a rather unsustainable position to work from. Surely the whole point of having rules / guidelines / criteria is that everyone knows (at least to a good first approximation) what they should do and what other editors are likely to do.
I followed the debate about death criteria some while ago (being very surprised that Arthur C. Clarke was not included) and whilst I agree that there was a near-consensus that the official criteria were too restrictive and that no new criteria could be agreed I did not think that amounted to the abandoning of criteria.
I would have thought the appropriate response to this situation would be either to continue with the previously agreed policy (annoying to people so maybe they will get a new one agreed) or to omit all deaths from ITN until a new policy was agreed. FerdinandFrog (talk) 11:25, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Just to note, Solzhenitsyn's death was up at #4 most emailed at nytimes.com earlier today - this is clearly something people are interested in, and we have lots of relevant encyclopedic content to show off. Calliopejen1 (talk) 03:51, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Agreed. This is a good article, and is related to something that is "in the news". I fully support this inclusion, and endorse Banyan's and Mwalcoff's reading of the death criteria situation. I have also commented on Talk:Main Page in relation to a few other accusations that have been thrown around regarding this. Random8907:16, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
I thought the ITN criterion was the quality of the new update to the article rather than the quality of the article itself. For Solzhenitsyn the update is a 2-line paragraph and not likely to get much longer. I strongly object to any effort to make inclusion on ITN conditional on the overall quality of the linked article: a noteworthy person who hasn't had the benefit of the Wikipedia FA treatment is not the less notable for that; conversely, the death of someone with an FA-bio page is not an excuse to show off the great article by smuggling it onto ITN; we have FA for that purpose. Random89's comment on Talk:Main is more or less "you didn't object at the time, so tough." Fair enough, I won't ask for it to be removed; but if Banyan regards this as establishing a precedent I beg to differ. jnestorius(talk)08:05, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Everyone seems to be forgetting the purpose and criteria for ITN. Simply being newsworthy is not enough, no matter how newsworthy. The article must be updated substantially. This one has not been. Also, regarding deaths, it has been long decided that only unexpected deaths or deaths of national leaders should go on ITN. — BRIAN0918 • 2008-08-05 13:10Z
Support the opening of this can of worms. With the new, frequently updated, Lugo-less ITN, I think we can afford to list deaths of particularly notable people. However, I really think we should permanently update the death criteria before more names go up. Until we do, Solzhenitsyn's name will be brought up in every debate about deaths in ITN. Teemu08 (talk) 18:02, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Again, the point of ITN is not to list notable news events, but to list articles that have been substantially updated to reflect news events. At the very least his article needs to be significantly updated. That must first be completed before we can even get to the subject of whether or not his death warrants a mention on the main page. — BRIAN0918 • 2008-08-05 18:29Z
I would rather expand "Recent deaths" into a separate frontpage section than feature more deaths within ITN. OTOH, I'm sure others would rather ringfence other areas (sports, atrocities, TV polls, elections, natural disasters, space, ... have I forgotten any?) jnestorius(talk)19:57, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Latvia holds a constitutional referendum on whether to allow referendums on dissolving parliament and calling early elections. Although the vote was invalidated, as turnout did not meet the 50% threshold, the results (96% in favour of the change) are considered likely to press politicians to adopt a similar measure nonetheless. (AFP)(Reuters)
Two climbers from an international expedition perish after ice fall on K2 mountain in the Himalayas, and six members of the team have gone missing. (BBC News)
New Picture: Getting tired of Mr. Olmert? How about this picture of the solar eclipse? Might need some cropping, though. Hapsala (talk) 10:37, 3 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
NomLatvian Constitutional Referendum. Template needs an update, the article is short but well sourced. Also, does no on else find it funny that they're holding a referendum to decide if they can hold referendums? Random8907:43, 3 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
A failed referendum on whether they can hold referendums? Seems a bit questionable on notability, besides being short and rather unwikified. - BanyanTree01:39, 5 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
At least 11 people die following the collapse of a three-story girls' dormitory due to an explosion in the village of Balcilar in Konya Province in central Anatolia, Turkey. (AP via Google News)
"Harkishan Singh Surjeet (pictured), a veteran communist politician from India, passed away." Surjeet was a major political figure in Indian politics for many years, and played a crucial role in forming various national government alliances in the second most populous country in the world. --Soman (talk) 08:49, 1 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The best candidate of the three above is the eclipse. We had the Tonga king last week already (though the event is different) and deaths are always controversial on ITN. --Tone12:50, 1 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose. This is misleading. It should be allege. It's allegations only. And no officials allege it. It was the New York Times!--Dfgxx (talk) 04:56, 2 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, it might be termed "The New York Times reports that U.S. government officials confirm that...", but we dont' do that unless there is something very strange about the item. For example, we wouldn't say, "The Associated Press reports that the Constitutional Court of Turkey rules against a ban", as we assume that the media organization is credible and has done due diligence. If the NY Times has screwed this up, then that would be worthy of ITN as well, IMO. - BanyanTree06:26, 2 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Well it should possibly say that the officials were not named. Really the NY times article didn't say anything much about who. --Dfgxx (talk) 06:32, 2 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
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