Latest

On Thursday, ten of those on board British Airways Flight 38 launched a case against Boeing over the accident before a court in Illinois. They are suing over an alleged flawed design that allowed an ice buildup to bring the 777 jet down at London's Heathrow Airport. Scottish advocate Peter Macdonald spoke to Wikinews, commenting on the case and explaining the surrounding legislation. He has experience of litigating aviation accidents. Although investigations are ongoing, the United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued

Health officials in both the United States and Norway have confirmed the presence of a mutated strain of the H1N1, swine flu virus in several patients in the countries. The mutation is resistant to current treatments for H1N1 such as tamiflu, oseltamivir and zanamivir. At least three patients in Norway were confirmed to have the mutated strain of H1N1, with two of the cases being fatal. Health officials say the three cases are not related and isolated from one another. At least four new cases of the mutation were detected in patients at Duke

The family of a railway worker in Oxford, United Kingdom whose death was tied to cancer caused by asbestos exposure received a payout of approximately £100,000. In 2005, Dudley Maasz was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a disease resulting from exposure to asbestos. He had been exposed to the substance during his time in the 1940s as a railway worker for Great Western Railway, where he took part in cleaning engines and serving as a fireman. Maasz died in July 2006. The company BRB (Residuary) Ltd., the successor to British Railways Board, came t

On Monday Daimler AG announced a deal to buy a 75.1% stake in Brawn GP. As a result, the team who won both the 2009 Drivers’ and Constructors' championships this year with Mercedes-engined cars, would be rebranded as Mercedes Grand Prix from 2010 Formula One Season onwards. The team could possibly use its legendary 'Silver Arrows' livery again since a crash at Le Mans in 1955, ending Mercedes' 55 year absence in the sport as a sole team. Daimler purchase went in partnership with Aabar Investments, who now own 30% of the shares. The rest of th

United States and United Kingdom spokespeople have added to criticism from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel's decision to authorise a further 900 homes in east Jerusalem will "undermine efforts for peace and cast doubt on the viability of the two-state solution". A spokesperson for Ban Ki-moon stated, "The Secretary-General deplores the Government of Israel’s decision today to expand Gilo settlement, built on Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 war." The US rebuked Israel for their decision. "We are di

In a third case of staggering sums billed for "unlimited" Internet access reported this week, a French emergency-room doctor from Fontainebleau beats all records with a €159,212 (US$237,417) bill. The telephone-number-sized bill covers one month's use of an unlimited 3G dongle on Orange's network; the beleaguered Dr Jean Spadaro has been battling this for six months. "To begin with I thought it was a joke", said Spadaro, confirming a story from l'Observateur du Valenciennois; The same newspaper that revealed last week a similar case — Eric Ger

The Maersk Alabama, a US-flagged container ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates seven months ago, was attacked off the coast of Somalia. The pirates, however, could not capture the vessel. The US Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, reported that four pirates riding in a fast skiff came within 270 meters of the container ship. The Maersk Alabama was about 965 kilometers off the northeast coast of Somalia and was steaming toward the Kenyan port city of Mombasa when it came under attack. The Navy said the crew of Maersk Alabama undertook ev

In a speech Tuesday in the Australian Senate, Senator Nick Xenophon called for a criminal investigation of Scientology. Senator Xenophon, an independent politician from South Australia, also requested that police and the Australian parliament investigate whether or not Scientology should retain its tax-exempt status within the country. Senator Xenophon tabled letters written to him from former members of the Church of Scientology, which asserted the organization had participated in coerced abortion, abuse, embezzlement, false imprisonment, and

Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy has been chosen as the first permanent President of the European Council, at a meeting of European Union leaders today in Brussels. Baroness Catherine Ashton of the United Kingdom has been selected as the first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The positions are both newly created by the Lisbon Treaty. Following a week of negotiations, Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt was attempting to find a compromise among the leaders of the EU's 27 member states, after division o

Uruguay have qualified for the 2010 World Cup following a 1:1 draw with Costa Rica; Uruguay won on a 2:1 aggregate when they won 1:0 on Saturday. With the win all 32 teams have qualified for the 2010 games. On the same day Algeria, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal and France also qualified for the tournament. Sebastian Abreu scored for Uruguay first when he headed in a goal. Walter Centeno scored for Costa Rica but a draw failed to seal a win for Costa Rica and lost the game and the chance to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The game continued despi

Seven people in Wales have died as a result of the H1N1 swine flu virus. This increases the total number of people who have died from the virus in that country to 21. Dr. Tony Jewell, chief medical officer for Wales, had said that this was expected to happen. He said: "The four UK Health Ministers have agreed that the second phase of the swine flu vaccination programme should focus on all children aged six months and over and under five years. Evidence shows that young children are suffering the greatest overall impact from the disease. They

A suicide bomber has killed at least 19 people around a courthouse in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. Witnesses said that the powerful explosion occurred during rush hour. Several security personnel and lawyers are among the victims, and doctors reported that some of those injured are in a critical condition. "One policemen [sic] has been martyred and four injured in the attack," said a senior police official, Mohammad Karim Khan. Senior police officer Sahibzada Anis, speaking to reporters, said that the suicide bomber was on foot and detona