Beijing Subway expansion

Lines 15, Changping, Fangshan, Yizhuang and Daxing are opened for operation in the Beijing Subway, adding 108 km of new tracks to the system. GreyHood ^Talk 15:17, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

• Support as nominator. Such a huge expansion of a rapid transit system is a rare event, and perhaps the largest single expansion in history. It's a 50% growth that places Beijing Subway among the very largest metros of the world, on the fourth position just a few kilometers behind the New York City Subway. GreyHood ^Talk 15:17, 31 December 2010 (UTC)
• Support per above. This sort of thing hasn't been nominated before and should have been. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 15:55, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Support. Seems significant, underrepresented topic for ITN, and the Beijing Subway article seems rather good. However, if that's to be the bolded link, the '2001–present: rapid expansion' section needs updating - at present the update is only in the lead. Modest Genius ^talk 16:50, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

I've done the minimum update. GreyHood ^Talk 18:33, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

The new paragraph is unreferenced. Modest Genius ^talk 18:38, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

A reference provided now. The total length of expansion is slightly modified in the blurb. GreyHood ^Talk 19:04, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Anyway, I think that the Beijing Subway may be bolded instead of one of its sections. GreyHood ^Talk 19:04, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

• Support. 50% increase placing it at fourth in the world is definitely a large upgrade. The Chinese railway blurb already on ITN should be bumped out, though. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 17:01, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Support. Major subway expansion. ~AH1^(TCU) 17:05, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

• Support - subway expansion.--BabbaQ (talk) 17:51, 31 December 2010 (UTC)
• I like this one but update still needs a little work, as per Modest Genius above. Plus it could be a bit longer. I remember riding the 'Dragon', as I vaguely remember the Beijing metro being called, in 1996 and back then it consisted of 2 lines.--Johnsemlak (talk) 18:42, 31 December 2010 (UTC)
• Support - per above and agree that it should replace Chinese railway blurb already on ITN. Jusdafax 22:03, 31 December 2010 (UTC)
  • The railway blurb is down the template anyway, and the subway news should take the place at the top. GreyHood ^Talk
    • Hmm. Should it bump out the Euro story? I find it a little more important internationally. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:21, 1 January 2011 (UTC)
      • In chrohological order, this should be placed below the Euro story. In case the news run too fast, the Euro should be dumped out - it has been there for quite a time, and the adoption actually affects directly far less people than the expansion of the Beijing Subway (compare the population of Estonia with that of Beijing). GreyHood ^Talk 11:22, 1 January 2011 (UTC)
• Support on update. Looks newsworthy enough to me.  狐 FOX  01:26, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply
  • Comment The Beijing Subway article and all the line articles have been updated. It's ready to post. GreyHood ^Talk 11:22, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Ready to post. However, the blurb is a bit long, is it neccesary to list all the new lines? --Tone 12:38, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Change the beginning for just "5 new lines" and that's it.

5 new lines are simultaneously opened for operation in the Beijing Subway, adding 108 km of new tracks to the system. GreyHood ^Talk 13:10, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

That's fine, posting. --Tone 13:25, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Hainan Eastern Ring Railway

The Chinese have opened a new High Speed Rail line on Hainan island. It was suggested on DYK that this could be posted on ITN. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 09:41, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose I'm sorry, but posting every new High Speed line in China doesn't seem appropriate to me as there are so many. This one isn't in the 4+4 high speed lines and it doesn't appear to go through particularly challenging terrain. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 09:51, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Weak Oppose A major event for China and for Hainan, but indeed there are too many High Speed lines already and it is not clear if this new line is exceptionally interesting in some way. GreyHood ^Talk 15:17, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose - I just supported the subway expansion, so we gotta draw a line on rail articles somewhere. Jusdafax 22:06, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Aung San Suu Kyi meets with opposition leaders

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets with opposition leaders who broke away from the National League for Democracy party. Kaldari (talk) 01:20, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Support as nom. This is significant as she was just released from a decade of house arrest and the world is watching to see what she's going to do in response to the military dictatorship in Burma. (She is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner.) Kaldari (talk) 01:28, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Question: What are the implications here? I understand she was at the top of the party, which was forced to disband a few months ago, but other than that, what will these talks do? _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 01:36, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply
  • No one is sure, but the speculation is that she may try to reunite the opposition in some form or fashion. Kaldari (talk) 01:46, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I know I'm supposed to be on wikibreak (which I will properly be come the new year) but I'm going have to break it here to oppose. So what? Dissidents meet with their parties quite often. Just because she's won the Peace Prize in the past doesn't make her more special for meeting her party. Strange Passerby (talk • contribs) 02:10, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Aung San Suu Kyi isn't just any dissident. She's the democratically elected head of Burma who was never allowed to assume office due to the military dictatorship. Kaldari (talk) 02:21, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

That's not our call to make. Don't get me wrong, I agree with your apparent personal POV regarding Suu Kyi and Burma. But ITNC can't operate based on people's own POVs. Strange Passerby (talk • contribs) 02:36, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. I just can't see what the significance is. 'Opposition politician meets with other opposition politicians' isn't ITN material. Modest Genius ^talk 02:48, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose for now based on the above unless something more significant occurs later. Her release was posted just last month. There is no shortage of suitable nominations either and from what is stated here it just doesn't yet seem to have had as much impact as at least three of the more recent nominations - the Estonian euro, Tunisian protests or Israeli presidential rape conviction. --candle•wicke 05:09, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose I don't see what the significance of this is. This is just a meeting. No tangible results have occurred. Franklinville (talk) 22:20, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Euro for Estonia

• Estonia adopts the Euro as currency on Januari 1, 2011 ending the use of the Kroon currency, Estonia becomes the 17th country to get the Euro.--BabbaQ (talk) 20:17, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Euro for Estonia, (BBC)
• Support A significant event. Despite the recent problems with the stability of Euro and Eurozone somebody still joins the party. And Estonia does it even despite it is facing serious economical problems. GreyHood ^Talk 20:38, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment. ITN isn't a race for getting the most nominations. This is only happening two days from now, and it was already at WP:ITN/FE. No rush. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 20:38, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Support - As nom.--BabbaQ (talk) 20:40, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, but this nomination should be at WP:ITN/FE, not here. Modest Genius ^talk 20:44, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

less than 72 hours seems reasonable enough The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 22:15, 30 December 2010 (UTC) reply

I would consider less than 24 hours to be reasonable, and everything else should go on FE. That's why we have it after all. Maybe this is another nudge to get the bot to import events from FE when they go live. Modest Genius ^talk 00:10, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support. Very significant, since the change of the currency is like to change a national symbol, and it has been ITN topic.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 20:51, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support per above. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 22:07, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support per above The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 22:15, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support per above. Kaldari (talk) 01:29, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Haha, I guess we're posting now then. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 01:48, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

And why on earth is up on Dec 31. Apparently nothign is done yet and going out in Talinn for a new years eve party means you were be spening the euros. At anyrate, where "in the news" as pect. I guess the rules that say "support" voteds need a reason dont matter when it suits an admin? (where at least 4 votes dont mention why)

Furthermore "Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav convicted on rape charges" has got WAY MORE SUPPORT than this. why isnt that up as more topical? or do activist admins opnly put up waht they like?(Lihaas (talk) 01:54, 31 December 2010 (UTC));reply

The template hadn't been updated in 2 days, so I assumed whoever usually updated it is on vacation or something. I thought I would do a good deed and give it a refresh so people don't have to stare at that dead guy's face for another 24 hours. I followed all of the instructions given at Wikipedia:In the news/Administrator instructions, which don't mention any prohibition against listing future events. Instead of being thanked, I get immediately reverted and accused of being an activist admin!! Well, I guess I won't bother doing any more good deeds around here. Try reading WP:AGF some time. Kaldari (talk) 02:05, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

And for the record, this item only had one fewer support votes than the other one, so I don't see how it had "WAY MORE SUPPORT" unless "WAY" means 1. I just happened to miss counting one of the supporting votes for the other item since it was in a reply comment instead of in the usual place. I guess I should apologize for that, but it was an honest mistake. Kaldari (talk) 02:10, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

come on, just a little new years eve pre-drunk reverly and neocon name-calling ;)

Anyhoo, for the votes you also need reasons though, and the one below has more support, that was waiting to go up. also future events are for futuree dates ;)Lihaas (talk) 01:54, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Instead of moaning perhaps update the article on that Israeli boy? Just a thought.  狐 FOX  02:33, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Ah! now whos attacking? ;)

ill leave that for the hewbrew hordes ;) they got their sources.Lihaas (talk) 01:54, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, interesting, especially given the recent talk of the of the Euro failing. Abductive (reasoning) 07:28, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support. I'd say any country switching its currency is ITN worthy.

Suggest: Estonia adopts the Euro as currency, ending the use of the Kroon.--Johnsemlak (talk) 09:56, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

'adopts the Euro as currency'? That implies the Euro could be adopted as something other than currency (paperweights, perhaps?). How about the simple change 'as its currency'? Modest Genius ^talk 16:53, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

We have an overwhelming support here, so the first admin that comes around after midnight (Estonian time) can post it. --Tone 11:13, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

FWIW Estonia is on +2 UTC so at 22:00 UTC that we can post it. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 12:06, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Posted a couple of hours late. --Mkativerata (talk) 00:13, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Shouldnt I recieve a ITN notice. Just asking.--BabbaQ (talk) 00:36, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

For suggesting something days too soon, and that was already on Future Events anyway? Go ahead and give it to yourself if you really want it, that's perfectly acceptable. Modest Genius ^talk 04:12, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Modest Genius, relax your feelings.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:39, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

There's no requirement for it to be given, several moderators have commented. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:17, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

OK.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:39, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

I've stopped giving them out but I don't have a problem with anyone else giving them out instead. Nor do I have a problem with self-awards. --Mkativerata (talk) 22:47, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

OPPOSE till I see new materials added. Right now, there's hardly any new text added. Most updating edits have been the change in tense. I'm leaving the blurb on MainPage hoping to see some new texts after the public holidays. --PFHLai (talk) 07:38, 2 January 2011 (UTC)reply

A good point, I can't believe none of us noticed it before. Removed for now. --BorgQueen (talk) 08:09, 2 January 2011 (UTC)reply

The problem is that the article was edited substatially right after Estonia joined. The whole section about Estonia was removed on the basis that they had already joined the Euro and didn't need to be in an article on Euro enlargement. Here's the previous revision: 1.--Johnsemlak (talk) 07:25, 3 January 2011 (UTC)reply

2010 Tunisian protests

A rare series of protests. (a) the protests have been going on for some time, (b) they have been fatal, (c) there have some extreme injuries, including people setting fire to themselves and electrocuting themselves, (d) it is the worst unrest the country has faced this decade, (e) the president has given a national television broadcast vowing to punish the protesters, (f) the president has now reshuffled his cabinet, (g) a Nicolae Ceauşescu comparison. --candle•wicke 17:14, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, but wait. The protests are seemingly having an effect on the Tunisian government, but so far, only a cabinet shuffle has occurred as a result. Let's wait a few days for more developments; maybe the president will resign? _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 17:28, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

The nomination was intended to focus on the protests. The president may resign, though that does not seem to be certain at this point. If the president were to resign that would be significant on its own. But protests in the country are rare (the sources describe the country as a police state and the president has been in power for 23 years). Coverage has been ignored in the national state-controlled media, with reports of Tunisians finding out about events from websites and friends in other countries - such as Algeria. Surely this is at least to Tunisia what the previously posted 2010 French pension reform strikes is to France? Even France has had more recent protests than Tunisia. --candle•wicke 23:22, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I agree wholeheartedly with the fact that the protests are notable on their own (which led to my support), but I'm saying that if these protests actually lead to something bigger (be it a fatal police intervention or, as we are speculating, a resignation of some sort), that leads to a very notable, if not unprecedented event. Of course, we could post the protests now in case it doesn't escalate, but I'm certain something will occur. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 01:25, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

True... though right now a resignation is just speculation and it may never occur. We only know that it is serious enough for a respectable journalist (assuming he is as he has his own article) to compare this to the end of Ceauşescu. But the circumstances of the protests seem unprecedented as you say, and that is all that can yet be told. The article is now much more detailed than earlier. --candle•wicke 05:17, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Weak support, as this seems to be major unrest (but noting that we cant post every set of protests). Probably best to post as soon as consensus is reached, rather than waiting for something which may or may not happen. Modest Genius ^talk 16:56, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Agreed, it's been a few days now, and today is day 13. Another death as well, caused by police confrontations. Might as well wing it now. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 05:51, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Support in principle. Seems notable and article is OK. It covers a region we don't feature often. However, could someone suggest a blurb?--Johnsemlak (talk) 18:44, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Posted "Demonstrations over unemployment and poor living conditions are held in various cities in Tunisia." for now. Pls revise as needed. --PFHLai (talk) 01:40, 3 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Death of Bobby Farrell

Was a founder, performer, dancer of Boney M.. His death is unexpected. He died at age of 61 in a hotel in St Petersburg, Russia. - EugεnS¡m¡on(14) ® 13:57, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I'm not familiar with who he was, so I can't really get behind or against this nom, but obviously the article needs expanding... Nightw 14:20, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose, considering the quality of the article. --Tone 14:55, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose: one of those bands where the profile of the whole far outstripped that of any of the parts, and while the group were popular, they were hardly innovatve or influential. He would be a long long way down any list of the most important music performers of the last 30 years. Kevin McE (talk) 15:19, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. The article is in a terrible state.--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:18, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose Article is dreadful: "Soon spread rumors about a young man talented Caribbean that inspired the audience with his haunting and skillful way of dancing." wackywace 18:33, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. This is only getting mainstream media attention because it's a slow news week. Hardly a major figure in music. Modest Genius ^talk 16:57, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav convicted on rape charges

Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav convicted on rape charges1 Crnorizec (talk) 08:15, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support when updated a bit more. --BorgQueen (talk) 09:48, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support We recently posted when the sitting prime minister of Iceland was charged with misconduct over his role in the country's finance scandal. Altought Katsav is no longer incumbent this one is a verdict (although it will surely be appealed) and a momentous scandal by any measure. __meco (talk) 13:29, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support in principle, however, the article needs some work. It would appear that around half of the bio article is dedicated to this scandal, the ratio could be improved... --Tone 14:55, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support since it is conviction against a former head of state and the report receives respectable attention in the media.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 15:15, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support. A conviction against a former head of state. Jorge Rafael Videla's conviction was posted even more recently than Iceland. --candle•wicke 17:06, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment. The President of Israel is a figurehead position, with the PM holding the real power.--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:15, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Still a rape charge on a person who had such a high position. So I support. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 17:24, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

We have dealt with rule which identifies only the elections of a head of state as enough significant, so I don't see any obstacle to use it here. The real political power is then minor, also not related with the current topic.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 18:28, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Whats a good US equivalent? Vice President? Speaker of the House? Either of those occurred we would post them The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 22:57, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Vice-president, I suppose, since the speaker of the Knesset is the one to replace him in the event of death. According to the article, he signs every law and treaty passed and assigns federal judges and members for various organisations. So I don't think his role could even be categorised as "minor". _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 01:45, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I wasn't objecting with my point, I was just saying he's less important than the title 'head of state' might imply. Anyway, I support as per above.--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:54, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

No worries, I wasn't trying to direct that comment toward you. Because, frankly, it is a minor role in comparison to the prime minister. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 18:16, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Support. Major international event that received widespread news coverage. Nsk92 (talk) 23:38, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, should post as soon as possible.  狐 FOX  01:57, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment Update is as poor as updates get. -- tariqabjotu 01:59, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Expanded a little. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:34, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

All over the international media now. Suggest: Former President of Israel Moshe Katsav (pictured) is unanimously convicted of rape, sexual harassment, committing an indecent act while using force, harassing a witness and obstruction of justice. I think that is all of them and probably more balanced than focusing exclusively on the rape. --candle•wicke 05:47, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Now consensus seems to be clear. Posting soon. --BorgQueen (talk) 10:21, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Can anyone upload his picture and replace the current image on ITN? Thanks. --BorgQueen (talk) 10:30, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Jyllands-Posten attack uncovered

• Five suspected Islamist militants are arrested for planning to attack newspaper Jyllands-Posten in Denmark. --BabbaQ (talk) 22:12, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support - As nom.--BabbaQ (talk) 22:13, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Nah good work though by the intelligence agencies. —KRM ^{(Communicate!)} 22:38, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose The General consensus is that plots uncovered by Law enforcement are generally not ITN material. Plots foiled (or botched) in the execution are ITN (Like the shoe and underwear bombers) are ITN material on case by case and sucessful attacks are almost always ITN material. The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 22:51, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Slight support. I agree that botched plans aren't very notable, but this one was linked to the controversy in 2005, which was quite a big deal. Then again, maybe I just have a bias. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 01:00, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Meh. This single-ref section is the only update. As far as I can tell, we haven't featured any previous attempted attacks related to the cartoons, although I can't figure out what the fourth one was. I'm inclined to oppose posting this.--Chaser (talk) 02:20, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose - per RA. Not ITN-worthy in my view. Jusdafax 02:52, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

December 2010 Queensland floods

This is a developing story and I just started the article. I don't know how notable it is but the BBC article says it's the region's worst flooding in decades and 1000 people have been evacuated, including an entire town. Being evacuated from your home is a lot more traumatic and life-effecting than travel delays and so forth, generally.--Johnsemlak (talk) 12:38, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support seems notable for 1000 to be evacuated. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 13:15, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. As far as I remember, not so long ago the nomination of the 2010 Balkan floods was rejected on the ground that there were no casualties. And that was also the worst flooding in decades and over 12,000 people were evacuated. GreyHood ^Talk 13:53, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

If you check the archives, the Balkan floods only got one oppose, so I don't think it wasn't posted simply because there weren't any deaths. The nomination just didn't get much traction.--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:00, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I've checked the archives of course. If a nomination doesn't get much traction than it is simply not interesting enough, or perhaps a few oppose comments summarize pretty good why the entry should be rejected. Anyway, I don't see how the flood with only 1000 people evacuated and only one country affected may be of exceptional interest given the recent precedent of much more serious international flood being ignored and not posted. GreyHood ^Talk 15:28, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Greyhood, I wasn't suggesting you hadn't looked, sorry if it seemed otherwise. I was just providing a link.--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:49, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oh, relax please, there would be nothing to take offense at, even if you was suggesting it. Now I may follow your over-polite style and say sorry for not providing that link myself in the first place. GreyHood ^Talk 18:03, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

It doesn't help that Australia is 1) in the middle of nowhere (hence weather patterns on their area will only affect them, considering also its large size), and the population is too low. –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 15:40, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment To make my position clear I must say that in my opinion we should avoid strict application of stare decisis. The precedent with the 2010 Balkan floods should not once and for all decide the fate of this nomination and possible future nominations of the flood kind. But still the numbers of people affected by the current Australian disaster are too few in comparison with the earlier Balkan floods in December, and the precedent could be used for the comparison. I've voted support back then, and I'll change my opinion for support here as well, in case the scale of disaster grows and more population is affected. GreyHood ^Talk 18:17, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment according to the BBC its the biggest flood for 150 years, this doesn't seem like a small incident. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 18:42, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support: a major developing story in a major part of the English-speaking world. Nightw 04:09, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Oppose, minor, forgettable, nobody died. Abductive (reasoning) 15:25, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment. A large portion of the flooding occurred from Tropical Cyclone Tasha. ~AH1^(TCU) 21:53, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support. This was quoted as covering an area about the size of Britain and Germany combined. Pretty widespread and still in the news. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 17:05, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

The number of people evacuated is now in the "thousands". Over 200,000 people are affected (EDIT--not necessarily evacuated). BBC. The article is still developing, we might be able to post soon but apparently the worst of the flooding is still to come.--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:28, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support We ignore our Down Under Editors too much, this is one of their biggest crises in years. I am shocked We have 200,000 people evacuated which is easily comparable with New Orleans evac before Katrina The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 23:26, 31 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support. Just to clarify - 200,00 people have not been evacuated just affected by the flooding. Also for those that think this event is minor - it is one of Queensland's worst natural disasters, world coal prices have been affected, it could possibly reduce Australia's GPD by 0.5% and lives have been lost, at least two drownings, which are associated with this event. Regardless, the live lost rationale for notability is a poor criteria. It would of meant the Apollo 13 incident would not of made it to the Main page News section. - Shiftchange (talk) 01:13, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

This is still in the news after three days and is reportedly getting worse in some places. The article is now in a decent state.--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:16, 1 January 2011 (UTC)reply

Comorian presidential election, 2010

Results for the Comorian presidential election, 2010 should be released today. –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 04:34, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, head of state this time; article is in somewhat good shape (and will probably be better once results are out). _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 05:22, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

The article needs expanding a little in addition to the results. Nightw 09:49, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Ikililou Dhoinine has been elected according to the BBC. Support as (a) it is a presidential election, (b) there is some controversy with the opposition alleging fraud. --candle•wicke 04:24, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment. Still needs a good update before going up. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 05:49, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Somali pirates releases German ship

• Somali pirates release a German ship with 22 crew, eight months after it was seized near Oman.--BabbaQ (talk) 23:26, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Another one? This happens all the time. Is there something particularly notable about this one? Modest Genius ^talk 23:50, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Eight months I guess.--BabbaQ (talk) 23:53, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose unless ITN criteria are loosened. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 00:06, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

ITN criteria are always open for discussion on a case-to-case basis. But this isn't one of those times, because, it's not exactly notable. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:10, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Ultimatum to Gbagbo

• The ECOWAS West African bloc sents an ultimatum to depose of current leader of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, after a meeting with him and threatens to remove him by military intervention if he refuses to cede power to Ouattara. Al Jazeera Mail & Guardian South Africa UN Dispatch
  Huge implications for Côte d'Ivoire, the entire West African region and world chocolate prices. ~AH1^(TCU) 21:11, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I thought about this too, but it would probably be best to wait until either Gbagbo leaves, or ECOWAS invades. Also, your 'world chocolate prices' is a rather ridiculous addition (as if cocoa prices are comparable to loss of life) Modest Genius ^talk 22:09, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I agree, let's wait, whatever happens next will be a more relevant story for ITN. --Tone 23:07, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Israeli discovery

• Israeli archaeologists reportedly discover human remains from 400,000 years ago, challenging the theory that humans originated in Africa.--BabbaQ (talk) 20:38, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support. Nice post-Christmas story, perhaps ancient Mesopotamia is older than we thought. ~AH1^(TCU) 20:51, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support - as Nom.--BabbaQ (talk) 21:42, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose Its a new theory based on a single tooth that looks like a modern human There is no empirical evidence outside of the tooth. The Associated Press has done a good write up on it. He admits several time further that more research needs to be done to either prove or disprove it. This is not a Paradigm Shift simply an author reporting an anomaly. The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 21:49, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Good point. It would definitely take empirical evidence to thump the theory that humans originated in Africa. It would be interesting to find more remains around the area which would support these new remains, however. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:08, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Weak oppose. Sounds interesting and significant, but it's only a premise, since it's new discovery, and its potential is only a hunch.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 22:57, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

its only significant if he is able to back up his theory in future peer reviewed papers with more evidence than his current tooth. The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 02:34, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. Nothing has been proven yet. Grandmasterka 02:12, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose, typical science hype. Likely timed to compete with Denisova hominin news. Abductive (reasoning) 15:28, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

The Ashes

England are almost certain to win the 4th test tonight (on its 4th day) and retain The Ashes for the first time in 24 years. This is an ITNR event and I cannot see the point of waiting until the end of the 5th test to post it (While the Aussies could win it to draw the series England will still keep the Ashes, having won the previous series). Suggest: "In cricket, England win the fourth test against Australia to retain The Ashes for the first time in 24 years". Obviously updates will be required to relevant articles before posting - Dumelow (talk) 11:16, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support extremely notable. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 11:22, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Cricket bores me silly, but I'd have to support, in due time, as it is a regular for featuring here. However, it is the result of the series, not the fourth test that is relevant, and we need to use clumsy phrasing because of WP:VNE issues and the insistence that blurbs are presented in the present tense as though they were headlines. First win after a long break could be worth noting, but first "not losing after winning the previous one" for a long (but not record breaking) time is perilously close to statscruft. So: In cricket, The Ashes are retained by England in a test series against Australia. I suspect that it would be more grammatical to say The Ashes is, as it is the name of a (singular) trophy and a (singular) series, but euphony and common practice give The Ashes are. Kevin McE (talk) 11:43, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose - cricket is a sport that only interest certain countries as most countries dont play it (sutch as my home nation) so I dont think this news places on ITN.--BabbaQ (talk) 15:45, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Virtually every single country doesn't play American football either, yet we include the Super Bowl in ITN. Try again? _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 16:51, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

For such an international event this sure has pretty low page views. –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 03:34, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I hope you don't grade an event's international significance based on Wikipedia page views... that's just weird. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:13, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Not exactly significance, but interest; anyway sporting events are rarely significant at all. Page views are just one way of determining if plenty of people care about things. (BTW w/ England retaining the Ashes we could see a spike in views). –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 04:32, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Yeah but the Superbowl is the highest level championship of American football while the Ashes is simply a contest between two nations, (which, btw, aren't particularly highly ranked at the moment. Wouldn't the 2010 South Africa India test, the 1-2 teams in world rankings, be a better item (it doesn't have an article that I can find anyway)? Or the Cricket World Cup, which is and ITNR event as well. The championship of several football leagues such as the Premier League or La Liga, which are far more notable in global terms, are not on ITNR. Anyway, this debate was had in 2009 and I think the arguments for the Ashes are convincing but we should concede this goes as an exception to most of our policies regarding sporting events and I do find objections understandable. Still, support and we should post it as soon as England retain the Urn and as soon as there's a proper update.--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:43, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

It's at Indian cricket team in South Africa in 2010–11. –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 03:38, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

support WP:ITNSPORTS event nuff said The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 15:51, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, very notable ITN/R event. Wait until tests are over, obviously. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 16:51, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Obvious support per ITNR. The question is whether to post it tomorrow (when England take an unassailable lead) or after the final Test. I notice ITNR says 'Every entry applies to the conclusion of the tournament or series' which suggests waiting until after Sydney. Modest Genius ^talk 16:57, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

If we wait until Sydney it won't be "In the News". -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 17:16, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Of course it will, because then the tournament will be officially won by England. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 19:04, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

No, not really. The trophy will officially be "retained" by England if they win tonight. To "win" the series, we would to wait until the final Test to conclude. The actual "news" item, however, is who actually wins/retains the Ashes. Hence tomorrow (if England win) will be the day to "break" the news. The Rambling Man (talk) 19:07, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

This is how it always happens, you don't always have to wait until the last game in the Premiership before you know which team leads it, and its announced when its mathematically certain that a certain team has won. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 19:12, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Surely it's worth waiting to see if the series is won by England or drawn? England have not won yet. Just because the trophy stays with the holders in the case of a draw, doesn't stop the draw being a different result to an England win. Modest Genius ^talk 19:45, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Definitely. If England lose/draw this one then we shouldn't post it now. But that is pretty unlikely. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 19:53, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

All the coverage that I've read suggests that the objective of both teams is to win (or for England, to retain) the Ashes. This I say we post as soon as this result is known.--Johnsemlak (talk) 19:57, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

But that's exactly my point: a series draw (thus retaining) is not the same as a series win. Modest Genius ^talk 20:03, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Hence the original blurb "England retain the Ashes"... (my paraphrasing) which, after all, is by far the most important thing here... The Rambling Man (talk) 20:06, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support the exception to the rules here being that if England win tonight, they take an unassailable lead which leaves them holding on to the trophy no matter what. So, as Eraserhead says, the news will be (hopefully) tomorrow, not in a week or so's time. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:32, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

wait till the series is over, regardless of who wins the tournament is NOT over YET and its customary to wait.

rant: stupid bloody aussies, disgracing their fellow colonies...(Lihaas (talk) 20:59, 28 December 2010 (UTC)); reply

If the news is that we "retain" the Ashes, it should post (hopefully) tomorrow. If you want the final result (e.g. Ashes is drawn 2-2 and England retain the Ashes (although they retained them a week ago)) then that seems a little odd. Poor old Ponting....! The Rambling Man (talk) 21:08, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Wait, This may be news tomorrow and if England do win I believe that it is very worthy news as all of the English speaking countries outside of North America will be following this. Bjmullan (talk) 21:10, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I don't think many are arguing against including it at ITN, but the question is when, and the nominator is suggesting "when/if" England win tonight, thereby retaining the Ashes and thereby rendering the final Test match a dead rubber, hence entirely and utterly irrelevant. (Just in case we lost by an innings and 400 runs, of course...) The Rambling Man (talk) 21:15, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

The BBC are clearly indicating that if England win it will be a series 'victory'. That should be the time to post, as it represents the primary result of the series. The details of what the final score of the series is is not particularly notable.--Johnsemlak (talk) 21:29, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

No it will not. When they win tonight, it will make it 2-1 with one Test to play. 2-2 would be a series draw, and England would indeed retain the Ashes but it would still be a draw. Winning in Melbourne does NOT result in a 'series victory' as you suggest. Modest Genius ^talk 22:12, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I think John is referring to the BBC's headline on that article, namely "England close in on Ashes victory in Melbourne". We win tonight, we retain the Ashes, it's an overall victory, regardless of what happens in the fifth Test, and that's why it'd be news tomorrow, not on January 7. The Rambling Man (talk) 22:15, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support and wait until the games are completed. --PlasmaTwa2 21:50, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment I think perhaps there's a misunderstanding on what the actual news item here is. If England win tonight, they retain the Ashes, that's news. If England win tonight and then lose by a mile in the final Test, England still retain the Ashes, but it won't be "news". Regardless of what ITNr says, and there's a good chance it doesn't adequately deal with contests like this (e.g. World Series appears to end when one team gets enough wins to claim the title, so this never happens there) If people here are suggesting we wait until (possibly) 7 January to declare this result, then I'm baffled. The Rambling Man (talk) 22:00, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

A similar situation exists with e.g. Formula One, where the world champion is often decided before the final race (it went all the way this year) and the various football leagues e.g. Premier League. I can't remember what we did the last time such a situation arose. Modest Genius ^talk 22:16, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I think a review of the suggested blurb is in order, i.e. "England retain the Ashes"... that would be accurate 100% no matter what, and it would be "news"... The Rambling Man (talk) 22:18, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I agree with Rambling Man. We're loosing sight of what's notable here. Either England or Australia winning the Ashes is notable. ALL media covering this are regarding an England win tomorrow as a series victory. The final series result, 2-1, 2-2, or whatever, is a minor detail and not particularly notable to anyone except Ashes aficionados.--Johnsemlak (talk) 22:28, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

@Modest Genius, there is no point in repeating the error just because we've done so before, tonight is the right time to post it if England win the series. It seems rather silly that we'd need to have an RFC on posting sports event when they happen rather than when the series ends... -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 22:41, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

But we won't know tonight whether they've won the series or not... Modest Genius ^talk 22:44, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

If England win they will have retained the ashes. That is winning as you cannot draw the Ashes. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 22:45, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Winning and retaining are distinct series results. They even have different colours on the plot on List of Ashes series. Yes, both result in England being awarded the trophy. But they're still different things. Modest Genius ^talk 22:48, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Retaining the trophy is the only thing that matters. Perhaps this is too subtle for non-cricket fans, but that's the way it is. I would oppose the result being announced on ITN on January 7, because that's meaningless. Winning the series is meaningless. Retaining the trophy or winning it (if you don't currently have it) is the be-all and end-all. And please read the blurb, that England retain the Ashes. Not that they win the series, they retain the Ashes.... The Rambling Man (talk) 22:51, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Since I'm listening to TMS right now, and have done for every day of every Test of this series, I find the implication that I'm incapable of understanding because I'm not a cricket fan rather presumptuous. I still think it's better to announce BOTH at the end of the series, when we know the actual result, rather than now. Modest Genius ^talk 23:49, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Which one do you think is going to make the lead story on the BBC's website? -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 00:09, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Both, actually (assuming England win in Sydney). But I've made my opinion plain, no need to continue. Modest Genius ^talk 02:43, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Or any website? Perhaps this should be "Was in the news..." The Rambling Man (talk) 00:35, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, but wait about half an hour (currently 258-8). We should note the retention too. Sceptre ^(talk) 00:51, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support Retention of the Ashes confirmed - first time in nearly two decades. Since retention is confirmed now, and because the Ashes is listed as an ITN-worthy sport, I think it's justified to be putting it up now. Franklinville (talk) 01:03, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

First time retained in 2 decades? what? its been retained for over a decade, and nevertheless 2 decades of over a 100 is not much. no need to rush to judgement. Plenty of stories that are in the news and not posted on ITN, or posted later (ie- elections!)

as for the whole english world, rubbish! sensible people (ie- south africa and india) have better things to do! ;) (note- the real ashes ind-pak (even some aussie said that))Lihaas (talk) 20:59, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I was referring to England retaining the Ashes, which is a first within the past two decades. Franklinville (talk) 21:01, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, obviously notable, and it's on WP:ITN/R. Nightw 09:35, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Support First time in 20-odd years, that England have retained the Ashes in Oz. The most notable sporting event of the last few years, bar none. Tough luck, Ponting! Lugnuts (talk) 09:42, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Comment well, the result is clear (England thrashed the Australians) and the blurb is correct, England retain the Ashes. We have a red banner, anything stopping this being newsworthy? The Rambling Man (talk) 11:59, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

The update is good as well.--Johnsemlak (talk) 15:02, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Support Time to get this up. --Pontificalibus (talk) 15:33, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Posted.  ƒox  17:20, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Could we use a picture of the urn?--Johnsemlak (talk) 17:55, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Did we really want the version that emphasises the fourth test rather than the series, that raises the old chestnut of whether a sports team should be treated as a singular or plural noun, and which emphasises statscruft that is not even a record? Kevin McE (talk) 17:56, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Change England have retained the Ashes, but have not yet won them nor the test. The newsline should be "England retain the Ashes". Possible results are still that England win the test and thus the Ashes, OR, a draw in which case England have neither won the test, nor the Ashes, but retain them by default. The current headline is premature, though may be true later. Chemical Engineer (talk) 18:03, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply
  • Wrong. The blurb is 100% correct. We won the 4th Test, we retained the Ashes. Whether we "win" them in the fifth test or not is now irrelevant. You can't win something you already retain. The Rambling Man (talk) 18:07, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Discovery of Homo Denisovans

"Researchers announce the discovery of "Homo Denisova" relative of homo-neanderthalus based on remians found in Siberia cave. Nat Geo "

Re-nomination from the 23rd by The Resident Anthropologist. Had sufficient support and article expansion and was a very interesting topic. It's been ready for three days or so and the bot archived it just now. Could we post this now? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ericleb01 (talk • contribs)

Thank you The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 02:46, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I am pasting the archived text below. Nergaal (talk) 03:08, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support - count me in. Consensus is clear. Jusdafax 06:03, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Ok, posting. Holidays, yes...--Tone 08:53, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

A claim (that Denisova is a distinct species) that is not supported by either Denisova hominin or Homo#Species has now been displayed on the Main Page for more than 24 hours, although it was pointed out at WP:Errors within an hour. What possible credibility can an encyclopaedia with that little concern for truth have? Kevin McE (talk) 10:10, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Hence why the blurb says "a possible Homo species". We aren't directly assuming anything, but the Nat Geo article is clear on the fact that it is a possibility. Not sure though if any source in the actual article actually mentions this, though. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 05:53, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Perhaps you should check the timings of edits before you make smart alec comments like that: the word possible was added more than 5 hours after my comment was posted here. Kevin McE (talk) 10:40, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I was just commenting on what I saw at the time of my comment. Chill. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 17:30, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Lack of apology noted Kevin McE (talk) 21:01, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Northeastern US snow

• Yeah, snow clogs again the Bos-Wash area. I am just curious it the outcome will be different from the Europe one before. Nergaal (talk) 18:29, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Does the nominator wish to give a reason as to why this weather event is ITNworthy, or is it purely to be argumentative as the nomination suggests? And if Boston/ Washington DC is what is meant, why use some obscure code to make most of the world outsiders to your nomination? Kevin McE (talk) 18:33, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose unless those in Europe are posted as well - which in this case are more significant, as it always snows in the North East US. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 18:48, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Yeah, oppose unless it is significantly worse than the European storm. Otherwise it would be quite hypocritical. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 18:52, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment. This storm underwent rapid deepening, attaining the minimum central pressure of 961 mb, comparable to the 1993 Storm of the Century. This recent storm needs an article, and it's expected to bring yet more flooding and blizzard conditions to hard-hit Atlantic Canada. ~AH1^(TCU) 19:13, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

And? The entire New England and Atlantic Canada region gets one comparable to this every winter. Yes, an article was needed (located at 2010 Boxing Day Blizzard), but for the same reasons we have an article for these storms. Not notable, and not news. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 23:04, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment the other option would be to loosen the general posting criteria, which I would be in favour of, but which would require an RFC. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 19:15, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Flat Oppose Not unprecedented. The European "storm" is actually the conditions of the season in general. It hasn't been this bad there in a long time. This is just another nor'easter in North America. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 21:34, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. It's winter. It snows. What else is new? C628 (talk) 22:27, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. Nothing new or unusual here, is there even an article? Also, this whiffs of WP:POINT. Modest Genius ^talk 22:30, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. It's winter. It snows. What else is new? C628, hit it on the head The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 22:42, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Pile on oppose Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we've no place to go, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Cheers--Wikireader41 (talk) 02:23, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Hehe worst rationale ever The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 02:58, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Article alert. December 2010 North American blizzard. Brought snow as far south as northern Florida and gave a rare White Christmas to parts of the southeastern United States while outer NYC saw 50 cm (20 in) of snow and Atlantic Canada has now gotten its fourth Monday winter storm in four weeks and some areas have already recieved 40 cm of snow in New Brunswick. ~AH1^(TCU) 20:50, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

And I can personally attest to that, but like I said, this isn't extraordinary weather. The article has been there for a bit as well. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:16, 29 December 2010 (UTC)reply

That doesnt change the fact that if the European similar weather problems wasnt published on ITn then this one shouldnt be either. We cant have an "America is more important than everyone else"-policy.--BabbaQ (talk) 20:51, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Oppose, weather = boring. Abductive (reasoning) 15:29, 30 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Khodorkovsky found guilty again

Khodorkovsky found guilty on embezzlement charges. This will effectively prolong his prison sentence, which was supposed to end in October 2011.2 Crnorizec (talk) 10:09, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. His initial arrest would probably have gotten my support, but this additional charge doesn't really change anything other than his release date, which is 2017. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 19:00, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. Big news topic currently, but the event itself is not a game changer and the importance of the news has been rather blown up. The outcome of the trial was pretty much expected; if the result was different I'd vote support of course. GreyHood ^Talk 22:27, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Death of Carlos Andrés Pérez

The Former Venezuelean president dies. - EugεnS¡m¡on(14) ® 16:59, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Support Good article, notability as former head of state. Beef up the mention of his death, though. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 22:10, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support. Two mandates and seemed somewhat influential in Venezuelan politics. Good article though, which is key. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 22:58, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support. per kitch--Wikireader41 (talk) 02:40, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Updated. Posting soon. --BorgQueen (talk) 13:19, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

What's the relevance with Miami? _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 18:49, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

He went into exile when Hugo Chavez came to power, settling in Miami, where he died. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 21:29, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

But if we are going to add such details, why add the place of death when you could have added the cause of death instead, which is much more important? To know where he lived when he died isn't really necessary. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 23:07, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

He was 88, at the stage of his life, the cause of death isn't that important -- the fact that he lives in exile is notable: most retiring heads of state live at their home countries, except in exceptional circumstances. –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 12:59, 28 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Death of Salvador Jorge Blanco

The former President of the Dominican Republic has died in Santo Domingo. (The Washington Post) The article isn't in good condition. --candle•wicke 16:05, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Weak oppose I'd be more willing to support if the article were cleaner. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 22:08, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support if article is expanded and sourced, which probably won't happen. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 22:58, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Disappearance of Joanna Yeates

• Police keep on searching for Joanna Yeates a 25 year-old architect who disappeared in Bristol on December 17 and whom is believed to be abducted.

I added this to the ITN nominations as a new article has to be added to the IT section sson, and this new article about a widely reported british disappearance could be a good addition perhaps. Quite some time since we had a crime article up perhaps. This disappearance is on every single UK-newspapers frontpage so it might be suitable for ITN.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:29, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support - as nom.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:29, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose another case of Missing white woman syndrome nothing yet to suggest she hasnt eloped with a secret boyfriend to a Brasilian Beach. The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 19:41, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Other than they found her dead body Christmas morning I suppose. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:19, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. I find it difficult to believe this "is on every single UK-newspapers frontpage" sic considering the majority aren't even printed today. In the grand scheme of things, some quine's disappearance isn't that important, anyway.  f o x  20:22, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. Tragic but non-notable (probable) crime. I don't see why we should even have an article. Modest Genius ^talk 00:11, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose having an article. Grsz 11 04:41, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose This is surely notable and deserves an article, but it has no international impact and isn't of interest outside the UK. --Pontificalibus (talk) 17:17, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose per all the above, would be worth waiting to find out what actually happened. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:19, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose Very limited coverage of this case outside the UK. Philip Cross (talk) 18:35, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose Neither the incident nor the person are notable enough. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 21:14, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

South American recognition of Palestine

• Ecuador joins South American neighbours Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil and Uruguay in their joint recognition of the State of Palestine, which is seen as a step towards recognition by more countries in the region too reach the 100 countries recognition treshold.--BabbaQ (talk) 01:15, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Ehh, borderline oppose. Just one recognition. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 02:43, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment: The "100 countries recognition threshold" was crossed a long time ago. This is one event out of an entire month of similar events. In this December alone, four South American states extended recognition, and Norway and Chile upgraded their representatives to embassies. Uruguay hasn't recognised it yet, it's scheduled to make those arrangements in January.

In any case, the article that focuses on recognition of the State of Palestine is Foreign relations of the Palestinian National Authority, which has long-term issues and will never be ready for posting on the main page. Nightw 04:47, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

That four new nations recognizes Palestine as a full worthy state, before only having relations with the PLO have to be seen as a atleast possible ITN worthy story.--BabbaQ (talk) 13:24, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Four new nations? Your nomination seems to indicate there's one new nation...  f o x  20:23, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Those four announced earlier this month. Ecuador announced on the 24th. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:35, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose, we're not a news ticker and I doubt Ecuador will be the last to get behind Palestine.  f o x  20:23, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

New Treatment for HIV

• The new experimental drug, called VIR-576, reduced the amount of HIV infection in the blood by as much 95 percent in an early-stage trial of 18 patients. 34 Crnorizec (talk) 01:56, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose Interesting, but the critical words here are "experimental" and "early-stage trial". Definitive conclusions are needed over the power of this drug before this can be put on ITN - for now, it's still in the trial phase. Franklinville (talk) 02:53, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. This isn't the only fusion inhibitor that can treat HIV. Maraviroc and enfuvirtide are already clinically approved, so this isn't a new method. Feezo (Talk) 10:39, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

GSLV failure

• The GSAT-5P satellite fails to reach orbit after the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle carrying it explodes shortly after launch. 56 --GW… 11:50, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support - seems like ITN.--BabbaQ (talk) 19:32, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support India has put a lot of effort into this. I would have preferred a successful launch but this is just as Significant... maybe even more so. The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 22:50, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Weak support, mostly because the GSLV article seems decent and the timer is way overdue. Though those boxes at the top of the articles seem weird - is there really a need for a 'recent launch failure' template?!? Modest Genius ^talk 00:13, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support. Images (required) of the failure looked like Challenger. ~AH1^(TCU) 01:32, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Support. Heard it on CBC radio. GSAT-4's failure was posted. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:28, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Uh, was going to support but reading the article it's pretty, dunno, inane and full technical details. Could I ask for a bit more clarification as to what's notable here? Was this an attempted 'first' for India in any way? How often do failed satellite launches happen? Manned space flights are pretty standard ITN fare, but satellite launches are aren't.--Johnsemlak (talk) 06:11, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Looking at the article again it has no information on any significance of the failure--i.e. impact on India's space program (other than a mention that it's the second consecutive failure), reactions from politicians or space officials, or anything else really. The article gives no context for this event. Oppose.--Johnsemlak (talk) 06:41, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose unfortunately such failures are not uncommon when new technology ( for the country) is being developed. Missile Technology Control Regime means India needs to develop everything from scratch.--Wikireader41 (talk) 03:15, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Uhh, what? Failures are uncommon for India when it comes to sending technology into space; they've only had three failures in 15 years of satellite launching, which included over 30 satellites, and this is the first time it exploded mid-air. That's over a 90% success rate. And what does the MTCR have to do with this? _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 03:57, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support Would make for an interesting science/technology thing on ITN, despite it being for a failure. Plus, with it being an explosion that wasn't the result of a bombing, it has the potential for high interest (otherwise why would there by such shows as Destroyed in Seconds). Ks0stm ^(T•C•G) 17:31, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose such failures are indeed not uncommon in rocketry, especially with new types of launch systems under development. And it is unclear so far if this particular failure is extraordinary in some way. GreyHood ^Talk 18:03, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose It was just another communications satellite, and nobody was harmed. Not nearly notable enough. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 21:16, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

New Lao Prime Minister

Thongsing Thammavong is named as the new Prime Minister of Laos, a day after the unexpected resignation of Bouasone Bouphavanh. Nightw 04:53, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose, not the head of state.--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:20, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose - per Johnsemlak.--BabbaQ (talk) 13:41, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, is the head of government. Included on BBC News. The Laos article describes it as "a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia Summit and La Francophonie" and Foreign relations of Laos describes further international involvement. --candle•wicke 20:01, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support, head of government following a resignation. These should be covered under ITN/R. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 22:14, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Weak support, unexpected change of power in a populous nation. Modest Genius ^talk 00:15, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I'll drop my earlier objection as the PM in Laos is the main power figure. However, all the relevant articles need a great deal of expansion. So I'll remain opposed.--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:44, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support Laos is a reasonably significant country, this should be posted. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 08:06, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

To echo my previous point, the article Thongsing Thammavong has one paragraph and one reference. It's a long way from being ready IMO.--Johnsemlak (talk) 10:37, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose He is a head of government, which does meet notability, but the articles aren't nearly significant enough. --Kitch ^{(Talk : Contrib)} 21:20, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

New Tuvaluan Prime Minister

Willy Telavi is elected the new prime minister, after Maatia Toafa is ousted in a vote of no confidence. Nightw 04:53, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose no Google News hits at all (and only 6 for the ousting), very low international significance, very low population. If this is posted the population of Tuvalu (all 12000 of them) are several orders of magnitude more likely to get posted than anyone else on earth. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 08:47, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose as per Eraserhead.--Johnsemlak (talk) 10:27, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Comment if there is an actual full election, and some international coverage then I'm prepared to go neutral. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 10:54, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose - per all above.--BabbaQ (talk) 13:41, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support if some international coverage can be found to update the article. Perhaps there isn't much as it has just been announced. --candle•wicke 19:57, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support per ITN/R. Needs a better article though, which is key. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 22:19, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose. This isn't on ITNR, which lists heads of state, not heads of government. Tuvalu is tiny, we really don't need to be covering every twist and turn of their politics. Besides, the articles for both men are very poor. Modest Genius ^talk 00:17, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

So, should we be skipping out on UK elections, because the head of state is the Queen? How about most of the countries in the commonwealth? The head of state is symbolic in many cases, including here. We should be deferring to the head of government in these cases, and ITN/R should be modified for this, because we are rejecting many elections on this dumb basis (Laos is a perfect example), while posting US midterms which are not even near the head of state. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 05:03, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

I'll agree with you about Laos but Tuvalu has 10,000 people. And we covered their election earlier this year. This is ITN, not a Tuvaluan politics blog.--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:45, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Posting Tuvalu's elections at least means they get some coverage, posting anything more isn't really something we've done for the US (i.e. their supreme court judges), who are vastly more internationally significant than Tuvalu. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 08:32, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

U.S. judges are internationally significant? Seriously? Nightw 09:05, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Given the US is one of the most important countries in the world and makes up 25% of GDP their most important court is definitely internationally significant. And they've made a lot of historical decisions over the years, such as Roe v Wade and Brown v Board.

And while technically US precedence doesn't apply to other countries I'm sure they have great influence over decisions made in other courts around the world. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 09:17, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

You're logic makes no sense. Having a large GDP doesn't make anything inside that country internationally significant. It only makes its GDP significant. The decisions the US makes are only internationally significant if the decisions are internationally significant. The DADT ruling was internationally interesting because of the fact that it was the only civilised country still applying such stupid logic. But it didn't change anything anywhere else. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 22:45, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

This Tuvalu vs US judges debate is hardly worthwhile. a). International significance is not an ITN criterion; b) Arguing that the appointment of a Tuvalu PM is internationally significant is absurd beyond belief. The reason this gets traction at ITN is because we have a tradition (backed by ITNR) of reporting all changes of head of state and national elections no matter how small or insignificant the state is. (assuming article updates) This changeover was not via election and the PM is not the head of state, so IMO it does not meet the criteria at ITNR, though admittedly it's a technicality. However, given that our criteria for national succession/elections is actually very open, I'd say its reasonable to draw the line somewhere.--Johnsemlak (talk) 10:30, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Western Europe snow problems

• Large-scale disruption continues in Western Europe after heavy snowfalls, with traffic and flights,bus and train transportations basically at a stand still.--BabbaQ (talk) 23:43, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support - as nom.--BabbaQ (talk) 20:56, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support per reasoning in last nom: international coverage and significance, and very disruptive for residents. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 22:21, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Oppose - not really true, not very interesting. /Pieter Kuiper (talk) 22:28, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Oppose, nothing that major weather wise. Whilst it has been extremely frustrating for those of us who could not travel because of it, it's not a major thing in world terms. Modest Genius ^talk 00:19, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Comment:I guess it is the never ending "America" issue ones again. Had this been snow problems that had effect on America then suddenly it would have been of world interest but not when it comes to "little europe". Im not saying its anyone in this discussions fualt but it is a general problem for Wikipedia that American news are graded higher than any other. Just saying.--BabbaQ (talk) 00:24, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
  • What utter rubbish. The last time tons of snow fell on the U.S. (last year) that wasn't posted. Unless I missed something. (Except for the one that happened in D.C. since it snows rarely there.) –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 03:10, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
    • "A blizzard produces record snowfall, causing power outages and at least 5 deaths in North America.", Wikipedia:ITN archives/2010/February. Algebraist 03:54, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
      • I laughed pretty hard. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 04:30, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
        • That was the exception, that was when the time D.C. had a record amount of snowfall. Compare this
          • "A blizzard produces record snowfall, causing power outages and at least 5 deaths in North America.", Wikipedia:ITN archives/2010/February." to this:
          • "Large-scale disruption continues in Western Europe after heavy snowfalls, with traffic and flights,bus and train transportations basically at a stand still."
        • So, Europeans were bitching about cold weather in winter? –HTD (ITN: Where no updates but is stickied happens.) 09:17, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
        • That NA blizzard was posted because it broke numerous records. If similar notability can be demonstrated with the Europe storm then it should be posted. Otherwise, I agree fully with HTD, rubbish and all, plenty of storms in the US that cause plenty of disruption don't get posted.--Johnsemlak (talk) 04:36, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply
          • Broke numerous records in the region. So what? We rejected the cricket record a few days ago because "Cricket is full of statistics" and records are broken all the time. What's the difference? Besides, snow accumulation of this kind is common in North America, whereas this area of Europe is not, so we're comparing apples and oranges. And it's definitely not rubbish, because everything is literally "at a standstill". I live in a region in Canada where this doesn't even compare to some of our top ten storms of any given season; but I'm not going to let that systemic bias get in the way of recognising a disastrous event like this. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 05:10, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Blah, blah, blah. A lot more snow fell in Russia than in Western Europe and nobody gives a crap about that. And I believe we have posted weather incidents in Europe. Oh, and ITN posted TWO cricket records earlier this year.--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:29, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Again, you're comparing apples and oranges. Russia has TONS of snow every year as well. That's why people don't give a crap about that. And OMG, TWO records? That's outrageous! We're in the red 50% of the time, but that's better than too much cricket on ITN. Right? </sarcasm> _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 22:51, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

So basically you're saying that large scale snow is notable only if it hits Western Europe?--Johnsemlak (talk) 05:43, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Well, no, obviously. That would be just as flawed. A certain storm is notable only when it is unusual for the region in which it hit. The Afghan blizzard a while back was very notable, even though the same storm in the States wouldn't of have had such a disastrous effect. That's all I'm saying. _EricLeb⁰¹ (Page | Talk) 05:52, 27 December 2010 (UTC)reply

New railway to Sichuan

• The Yichang-Wanzhou Railway, China's most difficult to build and most expensive (per kilometer) rail line to date, opens for regular operations, providing a much faster link between Sichuan and eastern China. Times of India -- Vmenkov (talk) 16:26, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• I'm up for supporting this, it is a big deal and appears to have been a huge engineering challenge to complete. It cuts the journey time between Wuhan and Chongqing (two of China's largest cities) from 22 hours to 5 hours. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 17:48, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Oppose local news, now international significance. Nergaal (talk) 19:22, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Agree with Nergaal, Engineering achievement for china, but no record being broken from what I see. To put it in perspective the distance *from A to B would be about the equivalent distance as from New York to Boston. So indeed very local or at best regional. The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 19:45, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply

You guys realise that 45 million people live in the directly controlled territory of the two cities being linked by this line? And that its doubtful that a similar line in Europe (such as the new Swiss tunnels under the alps) are any more of an engineering achievement?

Of note I would support a new railway line from New York to Boston - it'd be definitely worthy of posting. -- Eraserhead1 <talk> 20:18, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply

well I wouldnt if its just a rail line but I'm open to being persuaded. The article and the few news sites I can find it on are not exactly impressive other than being really expensive. Can you exactly what is special and what separates it from other rail lines around the globe? The Resident Anthropologist (talk) 20:23, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Support Major infrastructure projects are actually much more important in terms of world history than the usual ITN stuff like deaths, minor disasters, regular sports events etc. GreyHood ^Talk 20:45, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support Major engineering effort: Out the line's total 377-km length, 288 km runs on bridges or in tunnels. And it is a part of a major railway route in China, affecting 100s of Millions of people. Crnorizec (talk) 23:55, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support I wonder what is local here, since it's major in global views with its financial and organizational scope.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 00:08, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply
• Support Well, it is "local", in the sense that the Channel Tunnel is "local" to Britain and France (whose combined population is a lot smaller than that of Sichuan Basin and Hubei). Actually, the oft-repeated "speed-up from 22 to 5 hours" claim for the Wuhan-to-Chongqing travel time is a bit premature: the 5 hour total travel time will only be achieved in a few years' time, once the 2 other connecting high-speed segments, the Yuli Railway (Chongqing-Lichuan) and the Hanyi Railway (Wuhan-Yichang) have been completed as well. However, the Yiwan Line is the key component of this future system, as it is the most difficult section of the route. Even as it is, the present line is a remarkable feat of engineering, and will still give a big speed-up for travel between Hubei and the Sichuan Basin. Historically, the Sichuan Basin (todays's Sichuan province + Chongqing municipality, home to way over 100 million people) has been very isolated from the rest of China (and the world) by difficult-to-cross wide mountain belts on all sides, and this railway is, literally, a major breakthrough in ground transportation between this region and eastern China. I am pretty sure that by any measure involved - the amount of construction work done (in PPP-adjusted dollars, length of bridges and tunnels, etc), the amount of passengers to be moved annually, the number of previously unserved people in the regions (Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and adjacent counties) who will now have access to a railway service - the Yiwan line may greatly exceed such well known projects of the early and late 20th century, respectively, as the BC's famous Kettle Valley Railway or the US Northeast Corridor high(er)-speed upgrades (Acela Express). By some measures, it may even exceed the Channel Tunnel. And all of those certainly made lots of front-page news in their respective countries for years. (And yes, I certainly think that a major infrastructure project in BC or the NEC area would be just as worthy of the front page.) I rode both the former KVR trail and parts of Badong County, so I think I can compare the terrain... -- Vmenkov (talk) 00:36, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Thanks for the broader explanation, but I used rhetorical question to express my support. It's clear that it's somehow local, but the view of its importance is surely global.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 00:49, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• I will express conditional support here based on the explanations above. I agree with Greyhood's point that infrastructure achievements are very significant and long-lasting. My only reservation would be that the Yiwan line is not actually finished, and will eventually connect Shanghai to Chengdu, which seems a bit more dramatic, but I'll accept the argument here that this is the most important part of the line. As an aside, I would regard the 2006 Qingzang railway as far more significant in terms of an engineering feat (that, admittedly may be wrong, but I had read in several sources in the 90s that this railway was virtually impossible) and in cultural terms as it links Tibet to the rest of the world by rail.--Johnsemlak (talk) 04:16, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Fully agree with the above poster that the Qingzang railway was a lot more newsworthy than this (and most other) rail lines, by virtue of its much greater visibility on the map (the first ever railway in a huge region), altitude records, political significance, and just sheer exoticism, even if its actual cargo and passenger volume is probably rather slight compared with the lots of unsung Chinese or Indian mainlines (due to Tibet's comparatively low population). Obviously, a transportation infrastructure project does not has to be that famous to qualify for being mentioned in our "in the news" page. If I were asked what makes a project newsworthy, I would suggest that any newly built or greatly overhauled system that makes a significant change in the available transportation options for several millions of people anywhere ought to qualify for inclusion. For example, I think that NYC's Second Avenue Subway, a new tunnel under the Hudson, Tampa to Orlando high speed rail line, if any of them were ever to be built, should all qualify, as would the electrification of Caltrain, a new major TGV line, or a major international airport/regional hub. Perhaps this suggested threshold is a bit too low for some people, but I'd rather read about a new subway system in a big city, than say, about yet another terrorist attack or a pop music sensation. Vmenkov (talk) 05:41, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply

• Posted Ed ^{talk majestic titan} 09:01, 26 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Clashes in Pakistan

• In attacks launched by Taliban in northern Pakistan, 35 people are killed.BBC--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 14:12, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Not article yet, but hope soon.--Kiril Simeonovski (talk) 14:12, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Anarchist bombing

• Anarchist are linked to bombings in the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome.7 Truthsort (talk) 04:11, 24 December 2010 (UTC)reply

Support - Sounds interesting. Notable.--BabbaQ (talk) 13:42, 25 December 2010 (UTC)reply