Latest

Geologists have confirmed that the African continent is being torn in two, forming a new ocean. An international collaboration has shown that a 35 mile long rift in the Afar region of the Ethiopian desert, which opened in 2005, is likely to be the beginning of a new sea. The recent study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, brings together seismic data from the formation of the rift, showing that it is driven by similar processes to those at the bottom of oceans. African and Arabian tectonic plates meet in the desert, and h

The Australian Football League (AFL) has confirmed to Wikinews that the Australian Football International Cup has been played as a community event "with open access to enable any supporters of all teams to be able to attend." The preliminary games of the 2008 International Cup were played predominately at Royal Park, Melbourne with spectators able to watch without purchasing tickets. "All matches in the past have been open through the preliminary rounds, with the Grand Final played at the MCG as a curtain-raiser to an AFL match [sic]," the AFL

The political fallout from the sacking of Professor David Nutt as chairman of the United Kingdom's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) by Home Secretary Alan Johnson on Friday is gathering momentum. Professor Nutt recently pointed out during the course of a lecture that a number of socially and legally proscribed drugs, amongst them cannabis, on most objective criteria of risk assessment are less dangerous than a number of other drugs, notably tobacco and alcohol. Alan Johnson took exception to this. In his letter dismissing Profe

British singer Robbie Williams has announced that he will be returning to boyband Take That. The singer made the announcement during an interview with Jonathan Ross on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, which is due to be aired on BBC One on Friday. Robbie has been quoted as saying, "We've got together, done bits and bobs." In response to a question about whether he would be appearing with the rest of Take That on stage in the future, Robbie said: "I can't say much but, yes, I hope so." Take That originated in Manchester, England in 1990. The

The US car manufacturer General Motors said that it would axe 10,000 jobs at its European division, Opel. According to the company's vice president John Smith, the firm wanted to reduce costs at Opel by 30%. Smith announced the company's move on Wednesday. He didn't say where the cuts were going to take place, but wanted to present details of the plan to European governments "very soon". A day before the announcement, GM said it was cancelling a deal to sell Opel to Magna, a Canadian automobile parts company. Politicians in Germany expressed

An Italian judge has convicted 23 people from the US of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric from Milan in 2003. The landmark case is the first involving the CIA's controversial "extraordinary rendition" program. The judge sentenced the CIA's Milan station chief at the time, Robert Seldon Lady, to eight years in prison on Wednesday, and the 22 others to five years. All of the suspects were tried in absentia, and are not in custody. The judge also gave three-year prison sentences to two Italians involved in the kidnapping. Three other American defe

Akio Toyoda, the President and Representative Director of Toyota, made a statement on Wednesday that the company is leaving the Formula One championship before the 2010 season. The primary factor behind this decision was said to be the current economic environment in the midterm perspective. Panasonic Toyota Racing did not manage to ever win a Formula One race, winning only 13 podium and 278.5 points since 2002. Toyota will still be present in a number of racing series, including Formula Nippon, Formula Three, Super GT and NASCAR. Another maj

A new book released today by author Marc Headley, Blown for Good, reveals details inside Scientology headquarters at the organization's "Gold Base", located near Hemet, California. Headley joined the organization at age seven when his mother became a member, and worked at Scientology's International Management Headquarters for several years before leaving in 2005. While an employee of the Scientology headquarters located in Riverside County, California, Headley had the experience of practicing Scientology counseling services called "auditing"

The Indian government has raised the budget of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games from Rs. 767 crore ($163 million) to Rs. 1,620 crore ($344 million). The decision was made at a meeting of the cabinet led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi. Ambika Soni, the Information and Broadcasting Minister stated, "The cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for providing a revised budget of Rs. 1,620 crore, as loan to the Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games, 2010, at the prevailing governmen

Lord Terence Burns has been confirmed as the new chairman of British television channel Channel 4. Burns, who was the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 1991 to 1998, will take the position on January 24, 2010. He will replace the former chairman, Luke Johnson, who is now retiring. Luke was chairman of Channel 4 since early 2004. Lord Burns will also immediately take the position to try and find a new chief executive alongside Luke Johnson, after it was announced that the current chief executive Andy Duncan was to retire after being in

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that he has "no desire" of running for re-election in a presidential vote he has called for January. In a televised address on Thursday, Abbas said his declaration is not up for debate or bargaining. Senior members of Abbas' Fatah party have been trying to persuade him to change his mind and take part in the election. "I have told our brethren in the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organisation] ... that I have no desire to run in the forthcoming election," he said. "This decision is not a kind of compro

The United States Army has confirmed that thirteen people have been killed after a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood army base in Texas. An additional thirty are reported wounded, and the gunman is in stable condition after being shot by military police. Two other soldiers are in detention. The incident took place at a deployment readiness center. According to local congressman John Carter, shooting broke out shortly before a graduation ceremony. The gunman has been identified as an army officer, Major Malik Nadal Hasan. He is a mental health