Wikipedia:In the news/Candidates

This page provides a place to discuss new items for inclusion on In the news (ITN), a protected template on the Main Page (see past items in the ITN archives). Do not report errors in ITN items that are already on the Main Page here— discuss those at the relevant section of WP:ERRORS.

This candidates page is integrated with the daily pages of Portal:Current events. A light green header appears under each daily section – it includes transcluded Portal:Current events items for that day. You can discuss ITN candidates under the header.

Will Ashcroft In Australian rules football, the Brisbane Lions defeat the Sydney Swans to win the AFL Grand Final (Norm Smith Medal winner Will Ashcroft pictured). Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is killed by an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh, Lebanon. Hurricane Helene leaves more than 100 people dead across the southeastern United States. British actress Maggie Smith dies at the age of 89. Anura Kumara Dissanayake is elected President of Sri Lanka. Ongoing: Israel–Hamas war Israel–Hezbollah conflict Russian invasion of Ukraine timeline Sudanese civil war timeline Recent deaths: Roy Clay Fredric Jameson Mercury Morris Sayuri Dick Diamonde David Graham view — page history — related changes — edit

Glossary Blurbs are one-sentence summaries of the news story. Altblurbs, labelled alt1, alt2, etc., are alternative suggestions to cover the same story. A target article, bolded in text, is the focus of the story. Each blurb must have at least one such article, but you may also link non-target articles. Articles in the Ongoing line describe events getting continuous coverage. The Recent deaths (RD) line includes any living thing whose death was recently announced. Consensus may decide to create a blurb for a recent death. All articles linked in the ITN template must pass our standards of review. They should be up-to-date, demonstrate relevance via good sourcing and have at least an acceptable quality. Nomination steps Make sure the item you want to nominate has an article that meets our minimum requirements and contains reliable coverage of a current event you want to create a blurb about. We will not post about events described in an article that fails our quality standards. Find the correct section below for the date of the event (not the date nominated). Do not add sections for new dates manually – a bot does that for us each day at midnight (UTC). Create a level 4 header with the article name (==== Your article here ====). Add (RD) or (Ongoing) if appropriate. Then paste the {{ITN candidate}} template with its parameters and fill them in. The news source should be reliable, support your nomination and be in the article. Write your blurb in simple present tense. Below the template, briefly explain why we should post that event. After that, save your edit. Your nomination is ready! You may add {{ITN note}} to the target article's talk page to let editors know about your nomination. The better your article's quality, the better it covers the event and the wider its perceived significance (see WP:ITNSIGNIF for details), the better your chances of getting the blurb posted. Headers When the article is ready, updated and there is consensus to post, you can mark the item as (Ready). Remove that wording if you feel the article fails any of these necessary criteria. Admins should always separately verify whether these criteria are met before posting blurbs marked (Ready). For more guidance, check WP:ITN/A. If satisfied, change the header to (Posted). Where there is no consensus, or the article's quality remains poor, change the header to (Closed) or (Not posted). Sometimes, editors ask to retract an already-posted nomination because of a fundamental error or because consensus changed. If you feel the community supports this, remove the item and mark the item as (Pulled). Voicing an opinion on an item Format your comment to contain "support" or "oppose", and include a rationale for your choice. In particular, address the notability of the event, the quality of the article, and whether it has been updated. Please do... Pick an older item to review near the bottom of this page, before the eligibility runs out and the item scrolls off the page and gets abandoned in the archive, unused and forgotten. Review an item even if it has already been reviewed by another user. You may be the first to spot a problem, or the first to confirm that an identified problem was fixed. Piling on the list of "support!" votes will help administrators see what is ready to be posted on the Main Page. Tell about problems in articles if you see them. Be bold and fix them yourself if you know how, or tell others if it's not possible. Please do not... Add simple "support!" or "oppose!" votes without including your reasons. Similarly, curt replies such as "who?", "meh", or "duh!" are not helpful. A vote without reasoning means little for us, please elaborate yourself. Oppose an item just because the event is only relating to a single country, or failing to relate to one. We post a lot of such content, so these comments are generally unproductive. Accuse other editors of supporting, opposing or nominating due to a personal bias (such as ethnocentrism). We at ITN do not handle conflicts of interest. Comment on a story without first reading the relevant article(s). Oppose a recurring item here because you disagree with the recurring items criteria. Discuss them here. Use ITN as a forum for your own political or personal beliefs. Such comments are irrelevant to the outcome and are potentially disruptive. Suggesting updates There are two places where you can request corrections to posted items: Anything that does not change the intent of the blurb (spelling, grammar, markup issues, updating death tolls etc.) should be discussed at WP:Errors. Discuss major changes in the blurb's intent or very complex updates as part of the current ITNC nomination.

Suggestions

For future events in 2009, please see Wikipedia:In the news/Future events/2009. For 2010, see Wikipedia:In the news/Future events/2010.

November 5

November 5, 2009 (2009-11-05) (Thursday)

• The Swedish and Finnish authorities give a permit to build the controversial Nord Stream gas pipeline in their exclusive economic zones. (Reuters)
• A U2 concert held at the Brandenburg Gate to mark the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall is controversial when a wall is built around the venue. (BBC) (The Irish Times)
• Saudi Arabia lifts a nine-year ban on Somali livestock imports, reopening Somalia's main export market. (BBC) (afrol News) (Voice of America)
• An international team of scientists announces that the genome of the domestic horse has been successfully sequenced. (BBC) (CBC) (The Himalayan Times)
• Venezuela deploys 15,000 troops to its border with Colombia. (AP)
• 13 people die and 30 people are injured in a shooting at the Fort Hood U.S. Army base in Texas. (BBC)
• The International Criminal Court is to open an investigation into the 2007 Kenyan post-election violence in which more than 1,000 people died. (AP) (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation)
• A United Nations court imposes a defense lawyer on former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić, and postpones his trial until March 2010. (Al Jazeera) (Daily Telegraph)
• Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai ends his boycott of the unity government. (IOL) (Xinhua)
• Thailand and Cambodia recall their ambassadors over the Cambodian government appointment of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (Thai News Agency) (Xinhua)
• Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Nicaragua. (Reuters) (CNN)
• The United Nations is to pull non-essential staff out of Afghanistan after an increase in violence in the country. (Times of India) (The Times) (Al Arabiya)
• France's Europe Minister Pierre Lellouche describes the UK's Conservative Party pledge to return powers from Brussels to London as "pathetic". (France 24) (The Times) (Bloomberg)
• Two senior Indonesian officials resign over a plot to weaken the anti-corruption agency. (Jakarta Post) (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
• Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo replaces top military commanders amid rumours of a coup d'état. (CNN)
• China postpones a plan to raise the Three Gorges reservoir to its ideal height due to lack of water. (BBC)
• Ratu Epeli Nailatikau is sworn in as President of Fiji, succeeding Ratu Josefa Iloilo who retired in July 2009. (Fiji Times) (Radio New Zealand International)
• South Africa's Olympic governing body suspends Leonard Chuene, the President of Athletics South Africa, and apologises to Caster Semenya over the controversy it generated over her gender. (BBC) (The Times)

ITN candidates for November 5

Saudi-Yemen fighting

The Yemeni Sa'ada insurgency spills into Saudi Arabia for the first time since erupting in 2004.--TheFEARgod (Ч) 15:09, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

More diplomatic expulsions

It must be a hard time to be a diplomat. Further to the recent Fijian expulsions Morocco has expelled a diplomat from Sweden (BBC) and Thailand has recalled its ambassador from Cambodia. I am aware that we don't want to be flooding ITN with diplomatic news but maybe these are notable enough as well (certainly the second of the two might be) - Dumelow (talk) 13:20, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

World Series

• The New York Yankees defeat the Philadelphia Phillies and win their 27th World Series. Grsz¹¹ 04:51, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Oppose. US sport, not British enough for ITN. We need more cricket stories. Rugby, too. Nutmegger (talk) 04:53, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

WP:ITNSPORTS. British irrelevant. Besides cricket and rugby are featured much more often than baseball. Grsz¹¹ 04:56, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

I believe you missed some sarcasm. -CWY2190(talk • contributions) 05:44, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

We will not perpetuate ITN's British bias by putting this baseball stuff on ITN. Is there a cricket test somewhere in Sri Lanka or a rugby game in New Zealand we can post instead? Nutmegger (talk) 07:04, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Well, there's this and this. I'd say we add these two instead. Hideki Matsui is way too American anyway. –Howard the Duck 07:13, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

To put a serious end to this particular sub-thread, actually several sports events recently, including the ICC Champions Trophy (a 20/20 cricket tourney), the NRL Rugby League Final, and the Super League Grand Final in rugby were not posted in ITN. Two of those events are listed on ITN/R, but none were posted due to lack of suitable article updates (I think most were inadequately referenced and had limited prose text). I don't know if that represents any kind of trend. The World Series article, to its credit, appears thoroughly written up and referenced. Personally, I'm not particularly bothered about posting the World Series--whatever. (unless the Cardinals win)--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:57, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. The Yankees always win. -SusanLesch (talk) 04:54, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Support per WP:ITNSPORTS, but I am really ignorant when it comes to sports, someowine will have to tell me if the article is properly updated. --BorgQueen (talk) 10:28, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. I am completely confused by baseball but I think it has been updated sufficiently (each game has a good summary and the final result is mentioned). How about: "The New York Yankees defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 4–2 and win their 27th World Series"? as it is customary to mention the score - Dumelow (talk) 10:36, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

It is customary to mention the score? Are you sure...? Posting anyway. --BorgQueen (talk) 10:39, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

I thought it was for all sport items. I must be misremembering - Dumelow (talk) 11:16, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Guess what. --BorgQueen (talk) 12:43, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

:-) It's a standard practice not to put results there. --Tone 12:55, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Yep, definitely wrong! Thanks for correcting me - Dumelow (talk) 13:10, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

November 4

November 4, 2009 (2009-11-04) (Wednesday)

• The New York Yankees defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 to win the 2009 World Series. (Associated Press) (The New York Times)
• Rebel Houthis in Yemen cross the border into Saudi Arabia, killing a Saudi security officer and injuring 11 others. (Angola Press) (The Times)
• The Israeli navy intercepts the MV Francop, a ship alleging to have Iranian weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon. (BBC) (New Zealand Herald)
• The Cambodian government announces that ousted Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra has been appointed as a government adviser. (Taiwan News) (AFP)
• Iranian protesters mark the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. There are also clashes between security forces and anti-government demonstrators. (Press TV) (Al Jazeera) (BBC)
• The United Nations General Assembly debates on whether to endorse the Goldstone report on the Gaza War. (New York Times)
• The death toll from Typhoon Mirinae in Vietnam rises to at least 90. (AFP) (VietnamNet)
• An Italian court convicts 22 CIA agents and 2 Italian agents over the kidnap of Muslim cleric Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr in Milan in 2003, in the first court case challenging the CIA's "extraordinary rendition" programme. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (CNN)
• United States officials meet Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein in rare talks. (BBC) (TIME) (Bangkok Post)
• The President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma sacks two senior ministers on charges of corruption. (BBC) (Standard Times) (Reuters Africa)
• Italian politicians and the Vatican condemn a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that says having a crucifix in a classroom is a breach of human rights. (RTÉ) (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
• Around 700 people are injured in two earthquakes in southern Iran. (CNN) (Fars News Agency) (Times of India)
• China approves a Disney theme park in Shanghai after a decade of negotiations. (The Times) (China Daily)
• Australia and New Zealand expel Fiji's top diplomats in response to the decision of the Government of Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama to expel senior Australian and New Zealand diplomats from Fiji. (AFP via Google News)
• A fire at a warehouse in Huwei Yunlin County, Taiwan, destroys between 400 and 500 historic puppets. (BBC) (Reuters India)
• Eight children drown after a boat carrying 35 pupils capsizes in Kerala, southern India. (IOL) (Press Trust of India) (Xinhua)
• United States elections, 2009
  • Michael Bloomberg wins a third term as Mayor of New York City. (Politico)
  • Chris Christie wins the position of Governor of New Jersey, defeating incumbent Jon Corzine. (CNN)
  • Bob McDonnell wins the position of Governor of Virginia. (CNN)
  • Bill Owens wins the New York 23rd congressional district special election. (CQ Politics)
  • Voters in the U.S. state of Maine reject a law allowing same-sex marriage to occur in their state. (New York Times)

ITN candidates for November 4

MV Francop

This ship was boarded by the Israelis and was found to be carrying hand grenades, mortars and at least 3,000 missiles. Apparently originating in Iran and headed for Lebanon (via Syria) it is one of the biggest caches ever found by Israeli forces. (BBC) - Dumelow (talk) 13:17, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. According to AP, "the arms shipment was the largest Israel has ever seized", with Syria accusing the Israeli Navy of "piracy". --BorgQueen (talk) 14:00, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Imam rapito affair

Twenty-two suspected CIA agents and an American military official are convicted in an Italian court of kidnapping Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr (surveillance photo pictured) in 2003 in the first court case challenging the U.S. policy known as extraordinary rendition. [1] If consensus supports, I can update the article Imam rapito affair . --BorgQueen (talk) 17:16, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support rather important international incident. --UltraMagnus^speak 17:59, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support, seems important enough to me - Dumelow (talk) 19:32, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support, agree with the above. --candle•wicke 21:05, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support, It seems to the first of it's kind, and also quite important one. Our Supreme court also had a surprise hearing of missing persons case Interior Ministry submits missing persons report to SC, which also comes just after when we had a hattrick of wins on same day. --yousaf465' 22:29, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:32, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Updated. Posting soon. --BorgQueen (talk) 03:47, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Single U.S. elections item

• In 2009 U.S. elections, Republican candidates Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie win gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, while Democrat Bill Owens wins in a special election in New York's 23rd congressional district.-- Patrick {_oѺ^∞} 15:04, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Oppose--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:47, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Oppose. There are somethings that cross the line. This is one of them.  Cargoking  talk  15:54, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

or alternatively

The United States holds local elections in various states. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Simfan34 (talk • contribs) 15:06 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Local elections don't tend to get a mention.  Cargoking  talk  16:09, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Oppose We have to consider this from a worldwide perspective, and from that the odd gubernatorial and congressional election (or equivalent) for any country isn't worth mentioning. Only fully national elections for the highest legislative or executive bodies, like the 2010 mid-term elections, are noted. HonouraryMix (talk) 18:07, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

November 3

November 3, 2009 (2009-11-03) (Tuesday)

• After 29 years of decriminalized prostitution in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, Governor Donald Carcieri signs a bill into law outlawing prostitution. (Providence Journal)
• Voters go to the polls in elections in the United States for Governors of Virginia and New Jersey, special elections for two Congressional districts, and several municipal elections. (CNN)
• Czech President Václav Klaus signs the Lisbon Treaty after it was upheld by the Constitutional Court, thus fulfilling the final step in its ratification. (euronews)(BBC)
• North Korea says it has completed reprocessing 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods as part of its nuclear program. (CNN) (Yonhap) (Al Jazeera)
• African countries boycott the United Nations climate talks in Barcelona, Spain, after saying goals set by industrialised countries are too low. (Associated Press) (Bloomberg)
• Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić attends his war crimes trial for the first time after boycotting previous sittings. (BBC) (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)
• India's Supreme Court judges disclose their assets online. (Indian Express) (BBC) (AFP)
• China accuses the Dalai Lama of damaging Sino-Indian relations ahead of his visit to the disputed border region of Arunachal Pradesh. (Times of India) (China Daily)
• Dubai announces it is to appoint female muftis for the first time in 2010. (The National) (Philippine Inquirer)
• Two senior United States officials arrive in Burma for talks with the military junta and National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (CNN) (Xinhua)
• Fiji expels envoys from Australia and New Zealand over alleged interference in the country's judiciary. (Fiji Times) (AFP)
• An oil leak on the West Atlas oil rig in the Timor Sea is plugged. (The Australian) (BBC)
• A former KGB agent, Russian-Israeli businessman Shabtai von Kalmanovic, is shot dead in Moscow, Russia. (The Guardian) (RIA Novosti)

ITN candidates for November 3

Oil leak plugged at last

Montara oil spill

You might remember this from the last time they tried to plug it. Apparently they have been successful this time, although they did manage to set fire to the rig somehow (BBC). The article is in good nick (Montara oil spill) and has had a bit of an update for the plugging. Possible blurb: "The source of the Montara oil spill (pictured) in the Timor Sea near Australia is plugged at the fifth attempt" - Dumelow (talk) 23:06, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Posting soon. I couldn't find the image in the given source, so am not going to use it. --BorgQueen (talk) 16:58, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

The image page is here and the disclaimer for commons licensing is here. Unless anyone has any serious objections I am going to replace the Czech dude with the spill pic. It's not ofton that we have such great picture for ITN - Dumelow (talk) 17:36, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Sure, go ahead. --BorgQueen (talk) 17:39, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Nevermind, I've done it myself. Thanks for the clarification. --BorgQueen (talk) 17:46, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Cheers, was just checking the procedure to make sure I got it right but I'll be ready for next time anyway! - Dumelow (talk) 17:51, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Death of Claude Lévi-Strauss

-TouLouse (talk) 18:33, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. He was one of the intellectual giants of the last century. --BorgQueen (talk) 18:35, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. Massive intellectual giant. IMO the equivalent of a Nobel Prize winner. One problem is the article is only updated by listing the date of his death. Not sure there will be that much more to add.--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:03, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I think I have added enough. --candle•wicke 21:16, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Support, enough update. A blurb, please... --Tone 22:51, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Claude Lévi-Strauss, the innovator of modern anthropology, dies in Paris, age 100. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 02:48, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Is there not a photo available?--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:31, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. -SusanLesch (talk) 03:34, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Posting soon. --BorgQueen (talk) 04:43, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Czech president signs Lisbon Treaty

File:Vaclav Klaus headshot cropped.jpg

This means the treaty, one of the most important ones in the history of EU, is good to go. Nergaal (talk) 15:50, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Indeed, I was going to nominate it myself but you beat me to it. Support when updated. [2] --BorgQueen (talk) 15:54, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Suggested blurb: President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus (pictured) signs the Treaty of Lisbon after it was upheld by the Constitutional Court, fulfilling the final step in its ratification. --BorgQueen (talk) 16:00, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Updated. Any objections? --BorgQueen (talk) 16:28, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Posting soon. --BorgQueen (talk) 16:34, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Support--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:43, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Came here to propose its addition, but I noticed it's already up! Good work and support. Jolly Ω Janner 18:07, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Fiji expels NZ/Australian high commissioners

Frank Bainimarama, interirm prime minister and military leader of Fiji has expelled the High Commissioners (Commonwealth equivalent of ambassadors) of Australia and New Zealand from the country. He has also withdrawn his own High Commissioner from Australia. Bainimarama accused the Australian and NZ High Commissioners of misinforming "Canberra and Wellington and [waging] a negative campaign against the government and people of Fiji". They Australian and NZ governments already had travel bans in place against senior Fijian officials and were pressing for elections to be held next year. Seems like a fairly newsworthy story to me (I know we have had similar items in the past). Article for update is probably Foreign relations of Fiji - Dumelow (talk) 11:22, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Support when updated. [3] --BorgQueen (talk) 11:27, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Following the Queen.--yousaf465' 15:13, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

No update yet? --BorgQueen (talk) 15:37, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. --candle•wicke 21:06, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Especially now that they have exchanged expulsions. --candle•wicke 21:31, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

The article isn't updated.--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:38, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Just done an update (at last). Perhaps: "Fiji expels the High Commissioners of Australia and New Zealand in a row over travel bans on Fijian officials", I couldn't think of a way to get Australia and NZ reciprocating into the tagline - Dumelow (talk) 11:08, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

How about: Australia and New Zealand expel the High Commissioner of Fiji in retaliation for Fiji's expulsion of their High Commissioners, in a row over travel bans on Fijian officials. --BorgQueen (talk) 11:14, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Unfortunately the Fijian diplomat in NZ was not a High Commissioner just an acting head of mission ([4]) so maybe that is not quite correct - Dumelow (talk) 11:50, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Alt: Australia and New Zealand expel Fijian diplomats in retaliation for Fiji's expulsion of their High Commissioners, in a row over travel bans on Fijian officials. --BorgQueen (talk) 12:14, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

That works for me - Dumelow (talk) 13:09, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

Posting. --BorgQueen (talk) 13:40, 5 November 2009 (UTC)

November 2

November 2, 2009 (2009-11-02) (Monday)

Armed conflicts and attacks

• A large blast occurs in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, killing at least 35. (Reuters via the New York Times)

Business and economy

• Large parts of Venezuela begin rationing water after unseasonably dry weather. (Latin American Herald Tribune) (BBC)
• The Royal Bank of Scotland announces cuts of 3,700 staff in the United Kingdom. (The Guardian)

Disasters and accidents

• 16 people are killed in a fire that destroyed 58 houses in the Philippine city of Bacolod. (Times of India)
• At least 15 Tamil asylum seekers are feared dead while being rescued in seas off the coast of Australia. (The Age)

International relations

• The United Nations announces it will suspend military assistance to an army brigade in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, after it was implicated in the killing of 62 people. (CNN) (Associated Press)
• North Korea requests direct talks with the United States regarding the former's nuclear program, warning that it will "go its own way" if its demands are not met. (Joongang Daily) (UPI)

Law and crime

• Simon Mann, a British mercenary who had been serving a 34-year prison sentence in Equatorial Guinea for his role in a failed coup d'etat, is given a presidential pardon. (The Guardian)(CNN)
• Four people are sentenced to death by hanging in Tanzania for the killing of an Albino man last year. (IOL) (BBC)
• Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić is to attend his war crimes trial on Tuesday, after boycotting previous sittings. (euronews) (The Daily Telegraph)
• Two people are charged with "spreading false information" about the health of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (Bangkok Post) (The Times)

Politics and elections

• United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan ahead of the 7 November second round of the presidential election. (Xinhua)

ITN candidates for November 2

November 2009 Rawalpindi bombing

Another bombing, again a car explodes analysts are pointing their fingers away from Taliban.--yousaf465' 09:02, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Support--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:32, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Support, but the article could use some expansion and more in-text refs. Spencer^{T♦Nominate!} 00:41, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

How do we feel about this one right now? This article seems adequate, though it could be expanded. The scale of the bombing would seem to warrant ITN inclusion.--Johnsemlak (talk) 18:12, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

The current revision seems to have a big chunk of copy vio in the reaction section - Dumelow (talk) 19:13, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

I fixed that up a bit.--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:10, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Support. --candle•wicke 21:19, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Proba-2 and Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite launch

The Proba-2 and Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite mission proposed by CESBIO for the ESA European Space Agency, scheduled for launch September 9 from Plesetsk.Russian Space Web SriMesh | talk 04:32, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Delayed until November 2 so moved there - Dumelow (talk) 20:48, 9 September 2009 (UTC)

Support --UltraMagnus^speak 17:02, 13 October 2009 (UTC)

(BBC) It has launched. Article seems OK. Perhaps "The ESA launches the SMOS and Proba-2 satellites to monitor water and salinity on the earth and activity on the sun". The ESA isn't as kind as NASA, apparently, so there are no pics. I am not sure about how I have explained them, maybe there is a better way - Dumelow (talk) 09:25, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Support as per WP:ITN/R.--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:33, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

This is an ITN/R item (ITN/R includes "The launch of satellites, shuttles, and any space mission in general.") The article seems ok. What's the delay here?--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:48, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Posting soon. You must understand that I am the only one admin working on a daily basis here and sometime I just feel so tired. Admins are not slaves. :-) --BorgQueen (talk) 17:56, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Understood :). Just making sure the item wasn't simply forgotten.--Johnsemlak (talk) 18:06, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Oppose I'm a fan of spaceflight myself, but how does this rise to the level of belonging to ITN? It's just another observation satellite that doesn't do anything that hasn't already been done from space. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 02:45, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Fair point. However as I stated above the current ITN/R clearly says that satellite launches are to be posted in ITN. There might also be complaints if we post NASA stuff but not ESA or Russian launches. Perhaps we could suggest tweaking WP:ITN/R to exclude routine satellite launches.--Johnsemlak (talk) 03:19, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

SMOS is actually the most advanced satellite of its type, seems to put it a touch above "routine"--UltraMagnus^speak 18:26, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

November 1

November 1, 2009 (2009-11-01) (Sunday)

• At least two women are killed and six people trapped after a landslide in Los Gigantes, Tenerife. (The Daily Telegraph) (RTÉ) (Reuters) (BBC)
• South Sudan's leader, Salva Kiir, announces he will back the independence of the semi-autonomous region in a 2011 referendum. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
• A ship carrying 100 tons of hydrochloric acid sinks in a section of the Yangtze River in China's central Hubei province after colliding with another vessel. (AFP) (Xinhua)
• Nigeria's main rebel group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, threatens to call off its ceasefire with the government if foreign oil companies do not leave their land. (Al Jazeera)
• At least 14 people are dead after Typhoon Mirinae hits the Philippines. (CNN) (Philippine Inquirier)
• China's legislature sacks the country's education minister, Zhou Ji, amid a corruption scandal, replacing him with his deputy Yuan Guiren. (Times of India) (Associated Press) (Xinhua)
• Six Uyghurs detained at Guantanamo Bay detention camp are released by the United States and resettled in Palau. (Associated Press) (Press TV)
• 11 people are killed after a Russian military cargo plane belonging to the Interior Ministry crashes in Yakutia. (RIA Novosti) (Press Trust of India)
• The West Atlas oil rig that has leaked oil and gas for 10 weeks into the Timor Sea catches fire after an attempt to plug the leak. (BBC) (The Australian)
• Several events are held to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Gaelic Athletic Association. (RTÉ)
• Afghan Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah pulls out of the run-off election versus Hamid Karzai due to concerns over the independence of Azizullah Lodin, the head of the Independent Election Commission. (The Guardian)
• Police in Italy detain two more suspected mafia bosses, one day after the seizure of their brother in a raid near Naples. (BBC) (France 24)
• The composer and pianist Elton John postpones three more concerts on The Red Piano Tour, this time in the United States, due to illness. (BBC)
• U.S. Republican Party candidate Dede Scozzafava, who withdrew her bid for New York's 23rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives Friday, endorses the Democratic challenger. (The New York Times)

ITN candidates for November 1

The world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, has set sail for the first time, (PressTV). The article could use some work but otherwise I think this is a good candidate - Dumelow (talk) 10:21, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Just uploaded a picture to the article which might be useful if this gets support, I will see if I can expand and improve the article later - Dumelow (talk) 10:34, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Neutral it is big, but, it is just a boat --UltraMagnus^speak 10:37, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Comment didn't it set sailed a few days back ? --yousaf465' 11:05, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, forgot to mention it set sail on October 30. This still makes it newer than all but one of the current ITN items though (shares same date with ICANN story) - Dumelow (talk) 11:40, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

It is the world's largest passenger boat so I'd say that's pretty notable. Support.--Johnsemlak (talk) 11:53, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Five times bigger than the Titanic; gets my support. It seems mundane, but it's a landmark. Master of Puppets 21:06, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Support was fortunate to go on the Independence of the Seas and anything that's bigger than that definately deserves a spot on ITN, plus we need some more news. The box is getting a bit small on the Main Page. Jolly Ω Janner 22:52, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

MS Oasis of the Seas

Sorry I have had no time to update. As a possible blurb, though, how about: "The world's largest passenger ship, Oasis of the Seas (pictured), sets sail for the first time"? - Dumelow (talk) 23:17, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Posted. --BorgQueen (talk) 02:46, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Abdullah pulls out of Afghan vote

He has announced his boycott Geo Tv. --yousaf465' 11:07, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Afghan Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has pulled out of the run-off election versus Hamid Karzai over concerns over the independence of the Independent Election Commission.

I was thinking about this one. We normally include head of state election results so this seems like a worthy item. Would it be possible to report Karzai as the winner of the Afghan election and to include Abdullah's pulling out in the blurb?--Johnsemlak (talk) 11:32, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

(BBC) Apparently there is still some confusion over whether the run-off will still go ahead anyway. Hopefully it will be cleared up soon - Dumelow (talk) 22:20, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

I would say hold off until it is said if there will still be a run-off. If there is, wait until the results confirm Karzai has won and include that Abdullah questioned its fairness. If there isn't going to be one, run it the same way whenever we find out. Something like:

"Hamid Karzai wins a run-off election in Afghanistan to earn a second term as President after opponent Abdullah Abdullah pulled out citing concerns about the political independence of the Indepentent Election Commission." Grsz¹¹ 22:40, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Well I think we should wait for the confusion to clear.--yousaf465' 04:09, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

"Afghan officials on Monday canceled plans for a runoff presidential vote, declaring President Hamid Karzai the winner after the withdrawal on Sunday of his last remaining challenger, Abdullah Abdullah." [5] Can someone update the article Afghan presidential election, 2009? --BorgQueen (talk) 14:58, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Done. Grsz¹¹ 15:20, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

It looks like this election now has a result, though given the volatility there certainly may more twists and turns.--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:37, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Posting soon. --BorgQueen (talk) 16:02, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

As per a comment made on the Talk:Main_Page, is there a way to add one or two words to the blurb indicating the disputed nature of the election? Sorry for not having a particular solution but something along the lines of '...wins a disputed election...'. As was pointed out, the blurb isn't a neutral summary of the articles linked to.--Johnsemlak (talk) 04:01, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

October 31

October 31, 2009 (2009-10-31) (Saturday)

• Niger's opposition leader Mahamadou Issoufou returns to the country to face charges of money laundering. (IOL) (AFP)
• More than 50 people are arrested in the Russian capital Moscow after holding an "unsanctioned" human rights rally. (RIA Novosti) (Reuters) (Press TV)
• A video of the kidnapped Irish priest Father Michael Sinnott is released by his captors in the Philippines. The kidnappers want a $2 million (€1.36 million) ransom. It is the first evidence that Sinnott is still alive since his abduction on 11 October. (RTÉ)

ITN candidates for October 31

Obama lifts America's HIV ban—HIV/AIDS in the United States

This has been welcomed around the world. "The Global AIDS Alliance welcomes President Obama's announcement today to lift the 22 year-old U.S. travel and immigration ban on those living with HIV/AIDS". Obama said: "22 years ago, in a decision rooted in fear rather than fact, the United States instituted a travel ban on entry into the country for people living with HIV/AIDS". "No major international AIDS conference has been held in the US since 1993, because HIV-positive activists and researchers were not able to enter the country". It doesn't seem to be happening until next year though... --candle•wicke 16:00, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Is this the article? If so, I will support when slightly expanded.  Cargoking  talk  16:12, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

No, Ryan White Care Act, reauthorized by Mr. Obama on the same day, has nothing to do with the travel/immigration ban. It appears that the article HIV/AIDS in the United States needs to be updated, in particular this section. Support when updated. --BorgQueen (talk) 16:45, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Oppose, Not really notable on an international stage --UltraMagnus^speak 17:20, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Oppose--It's basically the US changing a law. It has international ramifications obviously as it affects travel to the US but does that make it notable?--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:54, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Oppose--Thousands of laws are changed each year so i dont see what makes this one so special that it has to go up on ITN, esspecially when you compare it with other news stories of today such as TY Mirinae.Jason Rees (talk) 19:59, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Wow, wasn't expecting so much opposition... well some major law changes in countries have featured on ITN in the past including, for example, this example from last month. This is a fairly significant law change for any country (particularly after 22 years) and I would have thought its international effects obvious since anyone with HIV/AIDS is apparently not allowed to enter the United States? --candle•wicke 00:46, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Oppose Though the U.S. is obviously an important and influential country, this is exactly the kind of news which feeds the argument that ITN is too America-centric especially since other important countries are also repealing the law while others are maintaining it. Nirvana888 (talk) 02:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Which countries? It would be interesting to know... I wasn't very aware that people with HIV/AIDS had such restrictions placed upon them... --candle•wicke 03:03, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

To name a few: South Korea, China and Ukraine. See [6]. I do agree that this is an interesting piece of news though. Nirvana888 (talk) 03:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

I would think that the law being changed in these countries would be equally worthy of the Main Page... --candle•wicke 04:34, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Russia also restricts entry for people with HIV/AIDS. I find it hard to believe that if Russia, Ukraine, or S Korea dropped such a restriction it would even be discussed here. I would say the US (and maybe China) is more notable here because more people travel to the US. But this isn't ITN material.--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:13, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Well it takes somebody to notice it and nominate it... --candle•wicke 06:03, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

• Comment I could have supported this but it seems systematics bias debate has been regenerated. So I think we should avoid this item.--yousaf465' 08:23, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

October 30

October 30, 2009 (2009-10-30) (Friday)

• European Union leaders agree a climate aid deal to help developing countries adapt to global warming. (CNN) (Xinhua)
• Typhoon Mirinae makes landfall in the Philippines. (Al Jazeera) (Philippine Inquirier)
• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approves plans to allow non-Latin web addresses for the first time. (BBC) (CNET News)
• NASA reveals that a partial parachute failure resulted in damage to the Ares I-X test booster upon splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean following its test flight on Wednesday. (Spaceflight Now)
• A U.S. judge orders a trial for two doctors and a lawyer accused of providing American sex symbol Anna Nicole Smith with drugs. (AP via Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
• African Union leaders agree to establish a hybrid court to end the Darfur conflict in western Sudan. (BBC) (Le Mali en ligne) (Sudan Tribune)
• Native tribesmen in the Amazon Rainforest discover a downed Brazilian military transport plane, finding nine survivors. (news.com.au) (Taiwan News)
• Former French President Jacques Chirac is ordered to stand trial on corruption charges. (France 24) (Deutsche Welle)
• Honduras' de facto leader Roberto Micheletti and ousted President Manuel Zelaya agree a deal to end the political crisis, reinstating Zelaya as President. (Times of India) (The Guardian) (Honduras This Week)
• South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, names North Korea's telecommunications ministry as responsible for a wave of cyber attacks in July. (Yonhap) (Mainichi Shimbun)
• A large fire at an oil depot on the outskirts of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, leaves six people dead and around 135 injured. (Press Trust of India) (Associated Press)
• Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou calls on China to remove missiles targeting the island. (Radio Taiwan International) (Straits Times)
• Burmese authorities arrest 50 people – including journalists, students and political activists, in a security crackdown, according to a Thailand based human rights group. (Reuters)

ITN candidates for October 30

Question Time British National Party controversy (take 2)

• In an appearance before the House of Lords communications committee, Director-General of the BBC Mark Thompson denies the Question Time British National Party controversy was a bid for ratings. [7]

  Note: This got binned for lack of international interest a week ago.I have now added a sample of the organisations interested in the article, which has now reached all continents of the world except the snow covered one. For details, see the bottom of this section. MickMacNee (talk) 06:46, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Oppose. I know you put a lot of effort into this article, but on an international stage this is even less notable than your previous nom.  Cargoking  talk  09:52, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Strong Support. Things that are really only news in one country get covered here frequently, such as American Football and US politics --UltraMagnus^speak 20:53, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

It is at DYK now anyway, so presumably that's that? (I know it is the other way). MickMacNee (talk) 21:10, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

UK Youth Parliament House of Commons debates

• Members of the UK Youth Parliament hold five debates in the House of Commons, after a motion supported by Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown permitting the organisation to be the first to hold non-parliamentary business in the Chamber since its inception in 1707. [8]
• This is notable for the controversy surrounding use of the Chamber by an outside group, and that it is being chaired by the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, and many other top political figures. — Pretzels ^Hii! 09:22, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Leaning towards oppose. Only debates occurred. If the Youth Parliament enacted any major laws, I would be more than willing to support, but just usage (even though there is controversy and it's the first time) causes me to lean towards oppose. Spencer^{T♦Nominate!} 03:24, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Non-Latin internet

ICANN has voted to allow domain names to be registered in non-latin (eg Arabic, Chinese) scripts. This seems pretty important as apparently more than half of internet users speak a non-latin language (BBC). Relevant rticle seems to be at Internationalized domain name - Dumelow (talk) 15:51, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Support when updated. --BorgQueen (talk) 15:55, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

I agree. Big news. --Tone 16:18, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Support.  Cargoking  talk  16:22, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Support. -SusanLesch (talk) 16:51, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Strong support This is massive news. --Johnsemlak (talk) 20:17, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

"The Internet regulator ICANN approves plans to allow Unicode TLDs for the first time." Amazing. A stab at a blurb. -SusanLesch (talk) 01:37, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Big news Support.--yousaf465' 03:57, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Update is a bit short... Can someone expand it a little further? --BorgQueen (talk) 04:00, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Added a section. I don't know the history and hope (expect) that it will be fixed. -SusanLesch (talk) 04:34, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Nice work, Susan! Posting soon. --BorgQueen (talk) 10:58, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Yeah great work Susan, I was considering updating it myself but realised that I didn't know enough about computers or the internet to make sense of what was actually going on! - Dumelow (talk) 11:28, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

There's two of us! User:Kbrose took one look and fixed it all up so I passed on the ITN notification. -SusanLesch (talk) 01:18, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Hm, the wording doesn't give me the immediate impact of the event until I read the actual article...I can't think of an alternate wording, but perhaps mentioning something about how now non-Latin scripts can be included on the end? Spencer^{T♦Nominate!} 03:33, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

I agree that the current wording is quite cryptic to a layperson. It would be better if we mentioned non-Latin scripts but not sure how exactly—Does anyone have suggestions? --BorgQueen (talk) 05:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Agreed, the key to this item's notability is the use of non-Latin scripts in web addresses. The current blurb may say that but is incomprehensible to non-geeks.--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:52, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Tweaked. How is it now? --BorgQueen (talk) 06:28, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Can we add a mention of Cyrillic script along with Chinese and Arabic? I'd say take out the 'for the first time' bit and add '(eg Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic)'. Makes it more clearly notable.--Johnsemlak (talk) 06:53, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

If we do that people will ask why we do not mention Hebrew, Japanese, Thai, et cetera, accusing us of having pro-[name anything] bias. --BorgQueen (talk) 07:52, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Ah probably true. Still, mentioning some affected scripts would make it seem far more relevant than saying simply 'non-Latin'.--Johnsemlak (talk) 08:09, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

It has been reverted by User:RockMFR. --BorgQueen (talk) 17:44, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Great. Now we've gone from having a headline relevant to billions of people worldwide to a headline relevant only to people with PhDs in Geekery. What was wrong with it before?--Johnsemlak (talk) 18:30, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

I suggest you ask the question on his talkpage. --BorgQueen (talk) 18:32, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Done--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:16, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

The blurb was horribly incorrect. Seems the trend these days is to just put lies on the Main Page. — RockMFR 20:36, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

I think you may state something like this: "ICANN approved that nations and territories may apply for the first time to obtain top-level domains scripted in their native-language alphabets." I think this would make sense to many more readers. Kbrose (talk) 21:58, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

The BBC article sourced begins with the following: The internet regulator has approved plans to allow non-Latin-script web addresses. Why can't we say something similar? What's 'horribly wrong' about it? It's certainly not a lie.--Johnsemlak (talk) 22:46, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

That is clearly wrong. ICANN is not a regulator, and non-Latin web addresses in general are already allowed in some of the existing domains. The news here is that a country may now obtain a scripted TOP-LEVEL domain. Kbrose (talk) 22:53, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

OK, something like "ICANN has approved that nations and territories may apply to obtain top-level domains in unicode, allowing non-Latin scripts to be used."--Johnsemlak (talk) 23:21, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Most people don't know what unicode is, keep it simple. Kbrose (talk) 23:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Agree with that completely. I suggest we go with Kbrose's blurb.--Johnsemlak (talk) 23:42, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

How about "ICANN allows nations and territories to apply for top-level domains scripted in their native-language alphabets"? GreenGourd (talk) 00:23, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Done. --BorgQueen (talk) 02:36, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Looks OK now. I think it may be about as good as we can get it in terms of emphasising notability, making it clear, and being technically correct. It certainly is understandable that at Wikipedia we want to be more accurate on web-related details than mainstream news outlets.--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:13, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Only thing that needs fixing is the capitalization of Internet, we do consider it a proper noun and capitalize it everywhere on WP, as is the custom in all of the standards bodies that define the Internet. Kbrose (talk) 18:03, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Done. --BorgQueen (talk) 18:11, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

BP fine

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration levies a record $87 million fine on BP for failing to make improvements to its Texas City Refinery following the 2005 Texas City Disaster. (BBC) - Dumelow (talk) 15:55, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

In what way is it a record fine? I couldn't find this incident in either the BP or the refinery articles. Tending towards oppose. -SusanLesch (talk) 16:56, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

It is the largest fine ever levied by the OSHA. I guess as it was announced today it hasn't made it into any articles yet but they can always be updated - Dumelow (talk) 17:41, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

October 29

October 29, 2009 (2009-10-29) (Thursday)

• The Haitian Senate votes to remove Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis. (AP via Google News)
• The de facto regime in Honduras files suit with the International Court of Justice over Brazil's continued harbouring of exiled president Manuel Zelaya in its Tegucigalpa embassy. (Guardian)
• English Premier League footballer Marlon King is convicted of sexual assault, imprisoned and sacked by his club Wigan Athletic F.C. (BBC) (The Times)
• India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announces a "new chapter" in the Jammu and Kashmir peace process, and withdraws some troops from the region. (AFP) (New York Times)
• The United States unofficially exits recession in the third quarter, growing at 3.5%. (Associated Press) (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera)
• Kenya is to carry out its first census on its gay population to combat HIV/AIDS, even though homosexuality is banned in the country. (BBC)
• Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen says a deal at a UN climate change summit in December is unlikely. (Haveeru) (BBC) (RTT News)
• 12 are killed by an IOC depot fire in Jaipur, Army is called. (The Times Of India)
• A Thai cargo ship is hijacked in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. (Xinhua) (IOL) (RIA Novosti)
• South Korea arrests a college lecturer accused of spying for North Korea, saying he was recruited by North Korean agents in India. (Bangkok Post) (The Canadian Press)
• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the government is ready for a deal on its nuclear program. (Press TV) (Times of India) (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
• The African Union imposes a travel ban on the leader of Guinea's military junta, Moussa Dadis Camara, and 41 of his colleagues and freezes their bank accounts. (BBC) (Reuters)
• Rwandan man Désiré Munyaneza is given a life sentence in Canada for his role in the Rwandan genocide under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. (BBC) (CTV)
• A gunman opens fire at the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic synagogue in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, United States, and wounds two people. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• The composer and pianist Elton John cancels his 30 October final date of The Red Piano Tour scheduled for The O2, Dublin, due to declining health. (Irish Independent) (Evening Herald) (BBC)
• Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony was released.

ITN candidates for October 29

Crimes—"worst in existence"

• Canada jails Rwandan war criminal. --candle•wicke 21:10, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

"The conviction was the first under a Canadian war crimes law introduced nine years ago and followed an unusually complex two-year trial that involved hearings in Africa and in Europe." Support when updated; the article is at Désiré Munyaneza. --BorgQueen (talk) 23:29, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Support but update please.--yousaf465' 04:23, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Done. Rwandan Désiré Munyaneza is sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes at his trial in Montreal. --candle•wicke 03:01, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Posting. --BorgQueen (talk) 03:20, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Mongolia's Prime Minister resigns

• His resignation is accepted by parliament. --candle•wicke 20:57, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Support when the article expanded (as it is quite short) and updated further.  Cargoking  talk  21:09, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Bayar with President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia in Ulan Bator in August 2009

Sanjaagiin Bayar, (pictured) Prime Minister of Mongolia, resigns for health reasons. --candle•wicke 01:02, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Posting. --BorgQueen (talk) 02:04, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Guinea sanctions

Moussa Dadis Camara

• The African Union imposes sanctions on Guinea. These include the freezing of bank accounts and travel visas. --candle•wicke 20:48, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

The African Union and the United States impose a travel ban on Guinea's military junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara and 41 members of the junta. [9] Support when the article Moussa Dadis Camara is updated. --BorgQueen (talk) 02:27, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

Updated. The EU has also done the same. --candle•wicke 01:24, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Posting. --BorgQueen (talk) 02:07, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Trade Deal

• US and Chinese officials are due to meet in the eastern city of Hangzhou in the 20th meeting of the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade.  Cargoking  talk  09:38, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

Curry Kills Cancer

• Curry compound killed cancer cells in lab. A molecule found in a curry ingredient can kill esophageal cancer cells. Among the findings were that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.  Cargoking  talk  09:38, 29 October 2009 (UTC)
  • Oppose. It's not immediately clear why this would be important and there probably is no article either. Offliner (talk) 15:42, 29 October 2009 (UTC)