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An eight year study, published in scientific journal Nature, claims the HIV-1 virus that leads to AIDS could have infected humans around 1908 in Africa. Scientists found traces of the HIV-1 genome collected in 1960 from a woman who lived in Léopoldville, presently called Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An earlier study had also isolated the virus from a 1959 blood sample of a male from Léopoldville. Study of both the samples and estimate of the rate at which the virus mutates over time has led the researchers to c

On April 4, 2008 Bobbi-Jo Arnold, accompanied by her mother Mary Patricia Moore and other family members, claimed a $3.5 million lottery ticket win in Toronto. On October 2 the two women were arrested by Ontario Police. Both are facing charges including fraud over $5000, possession of property obtained by crime, false pretenses and uttering a forged document. They allegedly stole the ticket from Moore's then-husband. The family dispute has led to Ms Moore (59) filing for divorce from her husband of ten years, Gerald Moore (81), in August. Mr M

After a deliberation of around thirteen hours late last night, a Clark County, Nevada jury convicted University of Southern California alumnus O. J. Simpson and an accomplice of twelve criminal charges. This comes thirteen years to the day after the widely publicised "trial of the century" acquitted him of the 1994 murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. Simpson, a retired American football player, former car-rental promoter, and actor, was on trial for multiple serious crimes stemming from a violent room-invasion robbery and kidnapping inciden

Six applicants to join the Alabama Department of Corrections and their driver have been killed after the prison van they were traveling in collided with an 18-wheeled truck. Both vehicles burned at the scene. Andrew David Carter, who was driving the Lewis Trucking Company truck with a cargo of treated lumber, escaped the wreck without serious injury. He was briefly hospitalised and released. The deceased have been identified as driver Rodney Kelley, and applicants Julius Erving Douier, Lionel Michael Moore, John Henry Foye Jr., Brandon Jamaal

The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has denied military prosecutors the chance to charge Ahmed Kalfan Ghailani - a suspect imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba over alleged involvement in the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Tanzania - with crimes that carry the death penalty. His trial for war crimes at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base will instead be for charges with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. DoD legal head Susan Crawford, who reviews each case, approved proceedings which were filed in March but refused to allow prosecut

Finnish theatrical hard rock band Lordi - who are known for their 'monster' personas - have released a music video for the single Bite It Like a Bulldog. The song rose to number one on the Finnish single chart. The song is the lead single from Deadache, Lordi's new album, which is due for release later this month. The album's musical style is described as similar to the band's previous work in that it is melodic hard rock, but with a 'rougher' quality to it and stronger horror themes. The band's keyboardist previously compared some of the musi

A script prepared by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Government of the United Kingdom in the 1970s, and released today, shows the text of the radio announcement that would be made in case of a nuclear attack on Britain. The script was released by The National Archives, and it was discussed during the years from 1973 to 1975, as an act of preparation for a nuclear attack. This increased concern occurred due to the ongoing Cold War. The script started by saying "This is the Wartime Broadcasting Service. This country has bee

On October 14, 2008, Canadians will be heading to the polls for the federal election. Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada candidate Marie Crawford is standing for election in the riding of Toronto—Centre. Marie is a Director of Animal Alliance of Canada, a separate but related organization. She volunteers her time for Animal Alliance, but unlike party leader Liz White, does not work out of their office. Wikinews contacted Marie, to talk about the issues facing Canadians, and what they and their party would do to address them. W

A University of Calgary research team developed a new method for extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air — a fundamental shift in carbon capture technology enabling capture of the most common greenhouse gas from so-called diffuse sources like aircraft, trucks and automobiles that represent half of the greenhouse gases emitted globally. Professor David Keith, Director of University of Calgary's (UofC) Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE) and a team of researchers from UofC's Energy and Environmental Sy

While nearly all mainstream coverage of the 2008 Presidential election has focused on the Democratic and Republican candidates, the race for the White House also includes independents and third-party candidates. These prospects represent a variety of views that may not be acknowledged by the major party platforms. Wikinews has reached out to these candidates throughout the campaign and now presents an interview with Donald K. Allen of Youngstown, Ohio, an independent presidential candidate who registered with the Federal Election Committee in

Floods in the Algerian town of Ghardaïa which is in the M'zab Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, have killed at least 29 people according to local officials and Ali Belkhir, the head of public health for the north African country. Belkhir confirmed that "following these floods, we can sadly declare that 29 people have died." He also said that 84 people were injured, although the Algerian interior ministry has since lowered the toll to 48. Six hundred homes were also flooded in the incident, and several hundred people were evacuated by helic

Nepal's government has named Shreeya Bajracharya, a six year old, as the country's new Kumari or "living goddess", as part of a century old tradition. In the past, Kumaris have been appointed by the country's monarchy, which was abolished earlier this year and replaced with the recently elected Maoists. "Just because we are now a republic and no longer have a king or royal priest, does not mean we should end our traditions," said Keshab Bahadur Shrestha, one of the officials who selected Shreeya. The new Maoist government was heavily critici