Afghans spend $2.5 billion per year paying off bribes

According to a newly-released report compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), bribes paid to police, military, and public officials over the past year have cost Afghan civilians collectively over US$2.5 billion, nearly the equivalent of a quarter of the country’s legitimate GDP. Entitled “Corruption in Afghanistan”, the report was based on polling of approximately... 

read full story

6.1 aftershock shakes Haiti

Wikinews – A strong earthquake has once again struck Haiti, eight days after a 7.0 magnitude quake left much of the nation in ruins. The US Geological Survey said the latest tremor had a magnitude of 6.1 and was centered 59 kilometres from the capital Port-au-Prince, which was devastated by the initial quake. It occurred at 06.03 local time (11.03 UTC). There were no immediate reports of damage... 

read full story

Third uninvited Whitehouse guest identified

Wikinews - The US Secret Service has revealed that a third uninvited guest gained entry to last November’s state dinner for the Indian Prime Minister. The Secret Service discovered the third interloper while investigating how Tareq and Michaele Salahi were able to breach security at the dinner. The man did not get close to the First Family, and authorities are not revealing the man’s name... 

read full story

Explosives pass Slovakian airport security arrive in Dublin

Wikinews – A failed test of security at Slovakia’s Bratislava airport resulted in a 49 year-old man unknowingly carrying plastic explosives from Slovakia to Dublin, Ireland. The explosives were concealed so well that the man did not find them when he unpacked his bag at his apartment. On Saturday, Slovak authorities planted contraband in passengers’ luggage at Bratislava’s Milan... 

read full story

N. Ireland UDA lays down arms

Wikinews - The Ulster Defense Association (UDA), a paramilitary group in Northern Ireland that wants Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom said today that it has rid itself of their weapons. A statement by the group read, “The Ulster Defense Association was formed to defend our communities. We state quite clearly and categorically that this responsibility now rests with the government... 

read full story

Rights groups criticize Obamas halting of Guantanamo repatriation

Wikinews -  Human rights groups have criticized U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to halt the transfer of detainees to Yemen from the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mr. Obama suspended the repatriation of Yemeni detainees Tuesday because of what he called an “unsettled” security situation in Yemen. “It was always our intent to transfer detainees to other countries only... 

read full story

Five Toronto Humane Society officials face animal cruelty charges

Wikinews -  Five officials of the Toronto Humane Society face animal cruelty charges after its animal shelter facility was raided on Thursday. Police officers and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) indicated that they found animals which were not properly fed or medically treated. They found the remains of one cat in the shelter which was trapped in a cage. Toronto... 

read full story

African albinos hide after being hunted for “mystical” body parts

Wikinews - Thousands of albino Africans have resorted to hiding due to the supposeble magical properties of their limbs. Dealers can make as much as $75,000 for one set of limbs which includes the following, arms, legs, nose, Tongue, Genitals, and ears. Buyers use the limbs like talismans for good luck and fortune. So far over 58 deaths have occured due to this enstranged myth and the hunters do not... 

read full story

Bomb kills 25 in Russian terrorist attack on train

Wikinews – An express train travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg in Russia derailed yesterday, leaving at least 25 people dead and 100 more wounded. Authorities suspect a terrorist attack after a possible bomb crater was found beside the line. The trainwreck occurred in the countryside of Tver, near Bologoye. Around 650 passengers were on board the Nevsky Express which was travelling during... 

read full story

Cambridge_Security_Settles_Out_Of_Court_for_$50,000

Wikinews – On 10/19/2009, The NYS Attorney General SCORE’S a big win, Cambridge Security Services Corp. in New York City settles out of court for $50,000 for charging their security employees $8 a week to rent their security uniforms. The fee was deducted from their payroll check. The company called it a uniform rental fee, and you don’t receive this money back. Hon. Ronald Savage... 

read full story

Global warming dealt a blow with climate science trickery

The computer network at the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit (CRU) has been hacked and files stolen and published, revealing emails between leading climate scientists discussing the manipulation of graphs so as to promote consensus that the world’s atmospheric temperatures are rising radically. According to initial reports by TGIF Newspaper and What’s Up With That blog, hundreds... 

read full story

White supremacist group in Calgary disbands after attempted bombing shuts them down

Wikinews – The Aryan Guard, a white supremacist group in Calgary founded in 2006 has reportedly disbanded, after reaching what an as-yet unverified statement posted to their website claims was a “boiling point” with an attempted bombing on one of their own. The unsigned statement, also posted to a forum on the website stormfront.org, states that the neo-nazi group’s affairs... 

read full story

Soviet Era Statue Returns to Moscow

Wikinews – On Saturday, Worker and Kolkhoznitsa, a giant statue of Soviet times, was returned to a pedestal in Moscow, Russia. It was done after a long five-year restoration process since the monument was dismantled in 2003. Initially it was expected the statue return in 2005, but when the Expo 2010 was awarded to Shanghai instead of Moscow the restoration process was stalled due to a the shortage... 

read full story

Five dead, ten critically injured after van carrying children rolls on Louisiana highway

Wikinews – Five people are dead and ten more are in a critical condition after a minivan packed with children rolled over on Louisiana’s Interstate 10 highway yesterday. The vehicle’s driver lost control after a blowout near Baton Rouge. The vehicle’s driver, who was among the dead, and a front-seat passenger were the only ones wearing seatbelts. There were thirteen children... 

read full story

Iran to build ten new uranium enrichment plants

Wikinews – Iran’s announced earlier today that it plans to build ten new uranium enrichment plants. Iranian media reported that the Cabinet approved the construction of the plants just two days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) censured Iran for its nuclear activities. The proposed facilities, reported to be similar to Iran’s main nuclear plant at Natanz, would vastly... 

read full story

Ship attacked by pirates 7 months ago attacked again

Wikinews – The Maersk Alabama, a US-flagged container ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates seven months ago, was attacked off the coast of Somalia. The pirates, however, could not capture the vessel. The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, reported that four pirates riding in a fast skiff came within 270 meters of the container ship. The Maersk Alabama was about 965 kilometers off... 

read full story

US Criticizes Israel over Jerusalem expansion

Wikinews -United States and United Kingdom spokesmen have added to the criticism from United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who claimed that Israel’s decision to authorise a further 900 homes in east Jerusalem will “undermine efforts for peace and cast doubt on the viability of the two-state solution”. A spokesman for Ban Ki-moon was clear. “The secretary-general deplores... 

read full story

New poll indicates Barack Obama’s approval rating under 50%

A new survey released today suggests that US President Barack Obama’s approval rating has fallen below 50% for the first time in his presidency. The poll, released by Quinnipiac University in the northeastern state of Connecticut, shows Obama’s approval rating at 48% among registered voters, down two percent from last month. The survey shows that support for the president’s handling... 

read full story

At least ten soldiers killed in Pakistan clashes

Wikinews –  At least ten Pakistani soldiers have been killed in two incidents near the border with Afghanistan, the country’s military said on Wednesday. Pakistani officials reported that at least eight paramilitary soldiers died in a landmine explosion in the northwestern Mohmand tribal region. Separately, authorities said two soldiers were killed in clashes with militants in the same... 

read full story