Friday, March 19, 2010 Mario Pardo, a geophysist at the University of Chile, has ruled out that a "seismic swarm" exists in the coastal town of Pichilemu, about 259 kilometers from Santiago. As of last Thursday, almost 70 seisms have been registered in that zone. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 At least thirteen people were killed by armed herdsmen in Nigeria yesterday, in a village near the city of Jos, reports say. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 At least two people in Uganda were killed on Wednesday, after clashes between police and protestors at a royal mausoleum. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 La Cruz Hill, Pichilemu, Chile — After last Thursday's 6.9 earthquake with epicentre in the coastal town of Pichilemu, Chile, people went to La Cruz Hill, the safest place in the town, with an elevation of almost 100 meters (328 ft). The tsunami warning was extended until 17:00 hrs. local time (20:00 UTC) that day. After it passed, many people came back to their homes, but some decided to stay at La Cruz Hill. "We are here because we fear of our safety. We don't want it [a possible tsunami] to catch us. We have to settle down here and to accommodate", said Edith Larraín to Wikinews. The Mayor of Pichilemu, Roberto Córdova, estimated that at least 2,000 people were staying at La Cruz Hill. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 Nigeria's acting president, Goodluck Jonathan, has announced the dissolution of the country's cabinet. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 Italian police have arrested nineteen people forming a network of abettors to the mafia's most wanted criminal, Matteo Messina Denaro. This network worked as a primitive but effective communication system used by the fugitive boss to keep himself atop the chain of command. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has announced that the US Government has ended funding for a controversial "virtual fence" along the US-Mexico border. The program, called SBInet, will have $50 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that was allocated to it withdrawn in favor of investment in other, immediately available technology for the purposes of security along the border. The program will also have all further funding immediately frozen; as a result, all work will halt on the project beyond two small test projects in Arizona. Officially, the move is in light of a pending reassessment of the program, though it is likely that it signals the end of the five-year project, which has come under mounting criticism based on cost and the time taken to complete the project. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 Conflicting media reports say that the first strike consisted of either four or five missiles launched from an unmanned aerial vehicle. They hit a vehicle and a suspected rebel compound in the town of Hamzoni, killing three people. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 On the Feb. 27, Chile was hit by an magnitude 8.8 earthquake; almost 500 were killed, with resulting tsunami destroying most coastal towns between Llolleo and Araucanía Region. A second earthquake last week, with its epicentre in Pichilemu, caused destruction in the Coquimbo and Bío Bío regions. A Wikinews contributor is in the area, and we look at the extent of this natural disaster's damage through his photographs. More...

Thursday, March 18, 2010 As reported the United Nations, January 12 Haiti earthquake left exactly 222,570 deaths, 1,300,000 refugees in harbours, 766,000 displaced people, 310,000 injured and 869 disappeared. The report also mentioned economic loss suffered by the country, that reached 7.754 billion dollars, leaving 71 percent of the Haitians in extreme poverty. More...

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 A British Royal Navy commander was reprimanded on Monday by a court martial, after pleading guilty to "failing to ensure the safe direction" of the submarine HMS Superb. Commander Steven Drysdale was in charge of the nuclear-powered submarine in May 2008, when it struck a rock pinnacle 132 metres below the surface. A navigation chart showed the pinnacle, but Drysdale said that he had misread its depth as 732 metres. More...

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 The United States Federal Communications Commission released a plan to provide broadband Internet access to at least 90% of the American population today, and sent a copy of the plan to Congress, which will consider whether to introduce legislation to enact portions of the proposal. Other parts will be decided on by various government agencies. The plan is intended to spur adoption of broadband Internet in the US by extending broadband access to areas of the country, such as rural areas, that do not currently have such access, as well as substantially increasing the speed of existing broadband installations. Currently, only around 65% of American households have broadband connectivity; if approved, the new plan would increase that number to 90% by 2020. According to a statement from the FCC, the plan would provide a "foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life." More...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said that Nigeria should be divided into two separate nations to avoid further violence between Muslims and Christians. He was quoted as saying that the spilt "would stop the bloodshed and burning of places of worship." More...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Israel's foreign minister has reportedly boycotted Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's tour of the Middle East. Avigdor Lieberman did not attend Lula's address at the Knesset or his meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. According to close sources, Lieberman refused to attend over President Lula's refusal to visit and to lay a wreath on the grave of Zionist movement founder Theodor Herzl. More...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 According to local media, 25 people have died in an illegal coal mine in central China, after a fire broke out there. More...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Nigerian officials have said that at least two bombings struck a government office building in the African nation on Monday, after a rebel group warned that it had placed explosives around its perimeter. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 An undercover investigation by Naperville, Illinois law enforcement has led to the arrest last Thursday of four people allegedly involved in prostitution. The stings came after police received tips that people were using websites like Craigslist and Backpage.com to sell sexual performances in Naperville hotels.  More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 The UK government plans to replace the House of Lords, the upper house of British Parliament, with a duly elected one to make it "legitimate." Ministers working on this proposal plan to style this new chamber loosely on the United States Senate. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 The Socialist Party took a strong lead in the first round of regional elections in France on Sunday. Its main opposition the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), which is the governing party of incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy, is predicted to be defeated. The election results, while marked by low turnout, strongly favored leftist candidates according to official returns. This has given the ruling right wing party a blow in the last nationwide election before the 2012 presidential elections. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 Soccer player David Beckham has had surgery for an injury to his Achilles tendon. As a result, he has been ruled out of playing in this summer's World Cup. Beckham, a 34-year-old midfielder who would have played for the English national team, snapped the tendon on his left leg, and underwent surgery today in Finland. The injury will end his season, and rehabilitation for the wound is expected to take up to six months. The doctor performing the operation said that training could not begin until June, and it would be at least another month before Beckham could return to playing competitively. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 The Church of Scientology is attempting to block the broadcast of a film on the German television broadcaster ARD, claiming the film is "intolerant" and violates the broadcaster's guidelines. The film titled Until Nothing Remains (Bis Nichts Mehr Bleibt) due to be broadcast during prime-time on March 31 tells the fictionalised story of a German family destroyed by their involvement in Scientology. It is based on the true story of former member Heiner von Rönn who lost thousands of euros and his wife and two children who are still members. Von Rönn was a member of the organisation for ten years. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has arrived in Israel to start his tour of the Middle East that will also include visits to the Palestinian territories and Jordan. He is also set to visit Iran in May. His visit comes at a time when Israeli-US relationships are tense over Israel's plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in Jerusalem. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 Officials with the show have also announced this month that Rob Lowe will make an extended guest appearance on the series, and Adam Scott will join as a regular cast member. Michael Schur, who co-created Parks and Recreation along with The Office creator Greg Daniels, said Schneider is expected to make guest appearances in the third season. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the chief political party of the ethnic Tamil group in Sri Lanka, has said in its manifesto for upcoming elections that it would accept a "federal structure" for the country. Since its formation in 2001, the TNA had previously aimed for full independence for Tamil regions. The party also stated it would encourage non-violent civil disobedience in support of Tamil rights. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 According to officials, the attacks occurred successively, at around 9:00 am (06:00 GMT) in the city, 30 kilometers from the capital, Baghdad. Captain Bashar Mohammed, a police station chief in the city, said the bomber parked his vehicle full of explosives close to a military checkpoint in the central part of the city. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested two men in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India on Sunday for plotting to set the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) office on fire and attack a mall and a market. They were arrested on information given by lndian intelligence agencies. The pair was arrested on Saturday, produced in court on Sunday and have been remanded to police custody till 18 March. Police have seized several maps from them. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 Top-seeded Glenbard East High School was expected to win the Class 4A Neuqua Valley High School Sectional championship on Friday night. Yet with a lot of determination and a strong defense, the Benet Academy varsity boys basketball team defeated the Rams 68–54.  More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 Wikinews reporter Mike Morales interviews fellow Wikinews contributor Peter Coti, who is on the scene at a north eastern storm in the United States in New Jersey. Coti tells Wikinews what happened in the area of Ridgewood, New Jersey and provided pictures of the damage and area. More...

Monday, March 15, 2010 Pichilemu, Chile – A power outage affected many areas of Chile this evening. It is presumed to have been caused by a fault in the Chilean Sistema Interconectado Central (Central Interconnected System). Power was cut off between the Antofagasta Region and Los Lagos Region, including cities like Santiago, Valparaíso, La Serena, Pichilemu and Talca, at 20:50 (23:50 UTC). After twenty minutes, power was restored in some parts of Providencia. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Chile on Thursday, just 21 minutes before the country's new president, Sebastián Piñera, was due to be sworn in. This earthquake comes several days after a heavy 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook the country, the strongest one in almost half a century. More...

Sunday, March 14, 2010 More...

Sunday, March 14, 2010 A Georgian television station sparked panic today when it broadcast a report containing a simulation of events that might occur if Russia invaded Georgia in an event similar to a war that took place a year and a half ago. More...

A compilation of brief news reports for Sunday, March 14, 2010. According to what archaeologists have stated, 51 decapitated skeletons that were discovered in a burial pit in Dorset, England in June 2009, after excavations took place there, belonged to Vikings and are approximately a thousand years old. On closer inspection, analysis of the teeth on ten of the male bodies found that the individuals came from a country with a climate colder than that of the United Kingdom, most likely the Scandinavian region of Europe. Archaeologists from Oxford, Oxfordshire think that the Viking people were possibly given an execution by Anglo-Saxons, who came from a local area, between the years of approximately 910 AD and approximately 1030 AD, according to radiocarbon dating. David Score, who is the manager of the Oxford Archaeology project, stated: "To find out that the young men executed were Vikings is a thrilling development. Any mass grave is a relatively rare find, but to find one on this scale, from this period of history, is extremely unusual." More...

Sunday, March 14, 2010 The Chinese embassy in Cameroon said earlier that a fishing boat was hijacked off the coast of Cameroon. Seven Chinese fishermen were kidnapped in the incident, which happened on Friday, and a group called the "Africa Marine Commando" claimed responsibility, according to an embassy official. More...

Sunday, March 14, 2010 Australia won the men's field hockey World Cup for the first time in 24 years, defeating Germany 2-1. Luke Doerner scored the winning penalty only eleven minutes before the match ended. Edward Ockenden of Australia had earlier scored in the sixth minute and Moritz Furste of Germany drew level in the 46th minute. Germany, the two-time defending champions, had beaten Australia in the final of both the previous Hockey World Cups by one goal. The Germans would have become the first team to win the World Cup three times in a row had they been victorious. More...

Sunday, March 14, 2010 A suicide bomber has killed at least thirteen people in Swat valley, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility for this attack. The attack occurred at a security checkpoint in the city of Saidu Sharif. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 According to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), the city's taxi cab drivers overcharged their riders by more than US$8.3 million over the past two years, by setting their meters to illegally high settings. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 A Nigerian airplane crashed in the city of Port Harcourt yesterday, resulting in several minor injuries. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 The Illinois House of Representatives voted this Thursday to lift some penalties for teenagers who engage in sexting. While minors are still prohibited from sending nude photos of other minors taken on cell phones, they will no longer be required to register as sex offenders. Instead, they could be punished with court-ordered supervision or community service.  More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 A United States appeals court ruling upheld the expulsion of former New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate from the New York State Senate in a ruling on Friday. Monserrate had been found guilty in October of misdemeanor assault, in the criminal trial involving an alleged attack on his girlfriend Karla Giraldo. A U.S. federal judge had previously upheld the expulsion, in a ruling issued in February. Monserrate was expelled from the New York State Senate on February 9 by a majority vote of his fellow senators. The result of the vote was 53 to 8 in favor of expulsion. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 A magnitude 6.9 aftershock earthquake struck Chile on Thursday, just 21 minutes before the country's new president, Sebastián Piñera, was due to be sworn in. The temblor comes several days after a heavy 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook the country, the strongest one in almost half a century. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 The Pakistan Navy has announced the firing of test missiles from ships, submarines, and aircraft during operations in the Arabian Sea. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 Fearing fresh protests from Palestinians, Israeli forces have moved to close the West Bank for 48 hours, preventing Palestinians from entering. More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 A Spanish aid worker kidnapped in Mauritania last year has been released, according to the Spanish government. Alicia Gamez, 39, was abducted on 29 November along with two other Spanish aid workers—both men—who are still being held. A North African branch of al-Qaeda claimed responsibility. Spain's Deputy Prime Minister, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega said in a press conference on Wednesday that Gamez was "safe and sound" and on her way to Barcelona. According to Fernández de la Vega, no ransom had been paid for Gamez's release; she stated that it was a result of work done by Spain's diplomats and intelligence services. She also expressed thanks for the "collaboration given by other countries". She said that the Spanish government would continue efforts to see the release of the other aid workers, Roque Pascual and Albert Vilalta, who are reported to be "healthy, nervous and eager to be released soon". More...

Saturday, March 13, 2010 The Japanese Coast Guard has arrested an anti-whaling activist of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for "vessel invasion" after he boarded a Japanese whaling ship last month in the Southern Ocean. More...

Friday, March 12, 2010 New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that he will recuse himself from the investigations involving incumbent Governor David Paterson. The probe involves two separate incidents. The first one regards Paterson's handling of a domestic violence allegation that was directed at one of Governor Paterson's top aides, David Johnson. The case became public when The New York Times reported in February that Paterson had "influenced" the alleged victim in the case to drop her allegation. There were also reports that the State Police had engaged in witness tampering. The other incident involves whether or not the New York Governor unethically received several tickets to the World Series. More...

Friday, March 12, 2010 According to a leaked United Nations report, up to one-half of all food aid to Somalia from the World Food Programme (WFP) is diverted to local contractors and militants. More...

Friday, March 12, 2010 According to police, at least 45 people in Lahore, Pakistan were killed earlier on Friday after multiple suicide bombings. Over a hundred others were injured. More...

Friday, March 12, 2010 A list was published by Brazil of the items on which import tariffs would be placed, which includes more than 100 different American products, worth nearly $600 million. Cotton products would face the highest penalty, with the tariff increasing from 6% to 100%. Other American products will be included in the sanctions as well, although the tariff increase will not be as significant. According to a Brazilian official, a wide range of products was chosen, in order to "maximize pressure." The tariffs will go into effect in 30 days, unless the two countries can reach an agreement before then. More...

Friday, March 12, 2010 Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Sweden after the Swedish Parliament voted to describe Turkey's killings of Armenians in World War I as "genocide". More...