• How about: United States Senator Ted Kennedy (pictured) of Massachusetts dies at age 77, after battling brain cancer. --Hapsala (talk) 11:02, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Lampman, do you support US centralism? US centralism is an increasingly growing problem.  Cargoking  talk  11:22, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Ted Kennedy was not just a senator. He's been one of the highest-profile figures in American politics for 45 years. Your cries of US-centrism are meaningless; I propose there's a bias towards meaningless pap (cricket games and beauty pageants) and we should counter this bias with stories of political and economic significance. Noisalt (talk) 11:57, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Strong support. No. 1 topic in almost all countries around the world, for example BBC News, Tagesschau.de, Le Monde. --bender235 (talk) 12:02, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Strong support. Influential figure, last of his generation in a well-known dynasty, familiar name worldwide. Radagast (talk) 12:16, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

He was without a doubt the most influenful United States Senator of the past 50 years. Front page in almost every newspaper in the world explains it all. Not every American politician gets that treatment. Support Secret 12:19, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

reaction from politicians from around the world Secret 12:22, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

OK look, people keep using the argument that it is headline news across the world as an argument for this to go up, but with deaths this is not a valid measurement of importance. Like I've said a hundred times before a person is only notable for what they have done, not who they are - like I always say, apply the Tim Berners-Lee test - most people have never heard of him, but no-one can ever doubt the importance he has had in modern history. Yes Ted Kennedy is well known, but this is because of who he is and not because as a senator he has changed the face of American politics. Also I would just like to highlight a problematic fallacy with some of the argument which are claiming that the story is headline news around the world. I know from how the BBC works that if you live outside the UK, when you visit the BBC website you are taken to the BBC World home page and not the proper BBC homepage (which is .co.uk not .com) The top story on the proper BBC is not this story but rather a story relating the violence between West Ham and Millwall fans last night. I suspect the same is the case for other websites around the world and, as such, just because what you see is one thing, doesn't mean that is what people in the country in question are seeing --Daviessimo (talk) 12:55, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

We have quite a simple criteria with a politician death (does not matter if it is stated somewhere or not). We post either head of state or former head of state. As i see it kennedy was neither and i dont remember (or have read) him having a worldwide impact to make an exception. strong oppose. we would fill the ITN with deaths everyday otherwise. but it doesnt really matter when it comes to US news. some admin always seems to post it either way -- Ashish-g55 13:04, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

August 25

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• At least 40 people are killed and 57 wounded in a car bomb explosion in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. (Reuters) (BBC) (The New York Times) (Aljazeera)
• British Prime Minister Gordon Brown repeats that the British Government played no role in the release from prison of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, it being a matter for the Scottish Government. (Daily Telegraph)
• The Malaysian opposition party PAS defeats the government party UMNO in the by-election at Permatang Pasir, Penang. (Bernama)
• A suicide bombing in Mesker-Yurt, Chechnya, kills three police officers. (Yahoo! news) (BBC News)
• Madagascar's political rivals meet for a second round of talks in Maputo, Mozambique. (Reuters Africa)
• South Korea launches its first space rocket, Naro-1, but fails to put the STSAT-2A satellite into the planned orbit. (BBC News) (The Korea Times) (Yonhap)
• U.S. President Barack Obama nominates Ben Bernanke for his second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve. (Bloomberg)
• A bomb in Afghanistan kills four American soldiers, making 2009 the deadliest year for foreign troops since the 2001 invasion. (BBC)
• A gas explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi, China, kills at least 14 people. (China Daily) (BBC)
• The United States budget deficit for 2009 will reach $1.6 trillion, the highest ever recorded. (BBC)
• 42 people are injured after a car bomb explodes at a crowded restaurant with government officials in Narathiwat, southern Thailand. (Bangkok Post) (The Age)
• Syria and Iraq recall their ambassadors over a dispute following the recent bombings in Baghdad last week. (The Daily Star Lebanon) (Al Jazeera) (Syrian News Station)
• Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announces plans to break off diplomatic relations with Colombia over the neighboring country's plan to allow U.S. troops access to its military bases. (CNN)
• The Morris Fire begins near Morris Dam in the Angeles National Forest. This fire is thought to have been caused by arson and is the first in a series of wildfires to burn through Southern California in 2009.

ITN candidates for August 25

• Michael Jackson's death is termed a homicide. MacMed_stalk 18:47, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose. "wikinews:Coroner says Michael Jackson's death was due to sedative overdose" is on the Wikinews front page. -SusanLesch (talk) 19:27, 25 August 2009 (UTC)
• MSNBC says differently. MacMed_stalk 19:46, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Sorry I don't understand the difference. Wikinews's first sentence says homicide. -SusanLesch (talk) 20:18, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose. MJ was on Main page back in June and that's enough. Also, this is a wikinews-type story. --Tone 20:27, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

• Hakimullah Mehsud, new leader of Pakistan's Taliban, confirmed that Baitullah Mehsud died from injuries sustained during a U.S. drone attack.

• Support (and sorry I couldn't figure out how to start a new day). We waited for confirmation since August 7. They said he died on Sunday, August 23. -SusanLesch (talk) 16:03, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Oppose. In any case, X says Y is not an appropriate ITN blurb. The story here is that Baitullah Mehsud died and this is where we use the death criteria. I don't think they are met here. --Tone 20:27, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

That's okay, but—and except that it is a Start-class and not a B-class article—it meets the death criteria:

• a high ranking office of power, and had a significant contribution/impact on the country/region.
• was a very important figure in their field of expertise, and was recognised as such.
• has a major international impact that affects current events. The modification or creation of multiple articles to take into account the ramifications of a death is a sign that it meets the third criterion.

updates had to be and were made to this article, Hakimullah Mehsud, Wali-ur-Rehman and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. I said "Hakimullah said" to work him in as new leader. Other wordings welcome if it's worth it. -SusanLesch (talk) 22:37, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

I will write some Wikinews as this deserves a mention. -SusanLesch (talk) 01:20, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Almost done with wikinews:Pakistan Taliban say Baitullah Mehsud is dead. A hell of a lot of work to get around Tone's objection. -SusanLesch (talk) 02:02, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

Support. Better late than never. ;-) Wikireader41 (talk) 02:36, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

 Posted — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 07:05, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

• Last game of the FIBA Oceania Championship 2009
• Probably worth nothing since Australia will win and New Zealand will be invited as a wild card for the World Championships. 119.111.124.130 (talk) 08:31, 10 August 2009 (UTC)

Well this one is a red link but let me guess—another qualifying tournament? --candle•wicke 18:26, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

As the anon said this seems quite worthless so I'd just skip this part... –Howard the Duck 11:37, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

But should any of the others have time on the Main Page either? How can anyone decide if one is more "worthless" than another? --candle•wicke 00:00, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Let's base it on FIBA World Rankings points: this one is worth 0.1 points for 1st place.(virtually worthless). A EuroBasket championship stated below is worth 1 point.

Probably not. However, shall we include Eurobasket (this will take place next month)? It's the second biggest international event in basketball, after the World c'ship (and Olympics, but those are less frequent). --Tone 20:27, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

• Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to launch on mission STS-128 which will, amongst other things, will deliver a new furnace and freezer to the ISS (BBC) - Dumelow (talk) 17:04, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

This has now been delayed until August 26 (due to bad weather) - Dumelow (talk) 16:39, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Then we shall see tomorrow. We like space stories here ;-) --Tone 20:27, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

although nothing that exciting about shuttle launch this time.. a furnace and freezer lol. -- Ashish-g55 21:54, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

• Senator Ted Kennedy died of brain cancer at age 77 (ABC News). - Titoxd 05:38, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

• Support, very important figure. -- King of ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ 05:50, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose not a world leader --Stephen 05:59, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

August 24

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• According to court documents, the Los Angeles County coroner's preliminary assessment is that Michael Jackson's death was caused by an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.(Reuters)
• The district court in Stockholm orders BitTorrent tracker The Pirate Bay's largest ISP, Black Internet, to stop serving the website's traffic.(CNET News)
• Sweden's TeliaSonera AB announces cash offers worth around $687.7 million in total for shares it doesn't already own in Baltic operators Teo LT and Eesti Telekom. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro appears on television for the first time in more than a year. (BBC) (Al Jazeera)
• Thieves kill an endangered Sumatran Tiger in an Indonesian zoo and steal its body, leaving its intestines behind. (BBC) (Jakarta Globe)
• Ireland's Green Party and gay rights organisations defend plans to introduce civil partnerships for same-sex couples following criticism of the move by Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland. (The Irish Times)
• China is to try 200 people suspected of their involvement in the Ürümqi riots last month. (GBC) (Associated Press) (Press TV)
• Two mass graves containing the remains of communist soldiers dating from the Vietnam War are discovered in central Vietnam. (The Straits Times) (China Daily)
• A Malaysian Muslim woman, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, who was convicted of drinking alcohol, is granted a reprieve until after Ramadan. (Al Jazeera) (Bernama) (Xinhua) (IOL)
• Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill defends his decision to release the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. (BBC) (The Guardian) (Al Jazeera) (Xinhua)
• Kenya's fifth national census takes place. (KBC) (BBC) (The Nation) (Associated Press)
• Captain Moussa Dadis Camara who seized power in a military coup in Guinea, refuses to rule out standing for President, after previously promising not to. (BBC) (AFP) (IOL)
• At least 200 children are killed and around 900 hospitalised by Japanese encephalitis in Uttar Pradesh, India. (BBC)
• Baitullah Mehsud is confirmed dead by leaders of Pakistan's Taliban. (Associated Press)

ITN candidates for August 24

South Korea

• Naro-1 has been launched at 8 00 UTC on August 25

South Korea successfully launches its first space rocket, Naro-1, orbiting the STSAT-2A satellite

Second launch attempt. First launch of a satellite by South Korea has happened at 8:00 UTC. I suggest it for ITN as soon as the successful launch is confirmed. Hektor (talk) 07:37, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Support as soon as the article is updated (still needs some fixes). --Tone 08:08, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Satellite separated. Launch seems to be successful. Hektor (talk) 08:12, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

Posting. --Tone 09:44, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

It was a partial faliure! The satellite did not reach orbit. Should update. 76.65.23.203 (talk) 14:21, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

India

200 killed -- TouLouse (talk) 19:19, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Do we have an article? --Tone 19:35, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Sad reality that huge number of deaths in that country rarely get any coverage. The number is likely under-reported as well.

August 23

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• Tens of thousands of people in the Baltic states mark the twentieth anniversary of the 'Baltic Way' - when two million people formed a human chain to protest against Soviet Union rule. (Aljazeera), (Guardian), (Baltic Times).
• Tens of thousands of people protest against a new law which gives women equal rights in marriage in Bamako, Mali. (BBC) (Afrique en ligne)
• 26 men accused of plotting attacks on tourist resorts and ships in the Suez Canal on behalf of Lebanon's Hezbollah group go on trial in an Egyptian security court. (IOL) (BBC)
• Thousands of people are evacuated as forest fires reach the outskirts of the Greek capital, Athens. (Associated Press) (BBC) (Daily Mail) (RTÉ)
• North Korean envoys meet the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak for the first time since he took office. (Al Jazeera) (Yonhap)
• A new picture of Fidel Castro is published in the Juventud Rebelde state-run newspaper, apparently showing Cuba's ailing former leader in much better health. (BBC) (CNN) (IOL) (Reuters Africa)
• Afghan President Hamid Karzai's main rival Abdullah Abdullah alleges fraud in the presidential election. (Xinhua) (The Guardian) (The Times of India)
• Yemeni troops claim to have killed more than 100 Shia rebels in the past two weeks, including two leaders, but the rebels deny their leaders, Mohsen Saleh Gawd and Salah Jorman, are dead and no independent confirmation is made available. (BBC)
• A leak at an offshore oil rig that caused a large oil spill off the coast of Australia "could take weeks" to be plugged. (Associated Press) (The Australian)
• A severe drought in northern China leaves 5 million people short of water and damages 8.7 million hectares of farmland. (The Straits Times) (Press Trust of India) (China Daily)
• England reclaim The Ashes with a 2-1 series win over Australia. (BBC)
• Iraq broadcasts a video of former police chief Wissam Ali Kadhem Ibrahim, a Saddam Hussein loyalist, confessing to orchestrating a truck bombing at the finance ministry, the first of two bombings that killed 95 people and maimed hundreds more in Baghdad on 19 August. (The Sydney Morning Herald) (Straits Times)
• ZANU-PF party members walk out of a meeting of Zimbabwe cabinet members to review the work of a unity government it has formed with its opponents, over charges of electoral fraud. (Reuters Africa)
• Honduras's Supreme Court rejects a Costa Rica-brokered deal to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power and orders his arrest if he returns. (BBC)
• Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela was crowned Miss Universe 2009 by her compatriot Dayana Mendoza, the first in the history. She was crowned at the Atlantis Paradise Island, Nassau, The Bahamas.

ITN candidates for August 23

Miss Universe 2009

Stefanía Fernández of Venezuela wins the Miss Universe 2009 pagaent held at Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, Bahamas.

We'd have an excuse to have pretty face for a few days... –Howard the Duck 03:30, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Support. it is "universe", cant get more diverse than that (also i think this should be ITNR). and partially for the reason mentioned above. -- Ashish-g55 17:46, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Support. An article appeared last year for this. Spencer 19:18, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Posting. Shall we put the image also if it is free? It has a tag at the moment. --Tone 19:26, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

boooo, whole point of this was so we can look at her for few days :) -- Ashish-g55 20:10, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Though I think the word Universe is POV here. I haven't seen any Andorians participating... And neither Vogon, luckily :P --Tone 20:15, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

pffft they dont stand a chance against her lol. nyways we have a free picture now it seems. put it up =D -- Ashish-g55 22:56, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Korea

• Nom North Korean and South Korean meetings. --bender235 (talk) 12:02, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

These are the ones which are the first time in two years? I'm not sure... has anything happened at these meetings? --candle•wicke 17:16, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

The Ashes

• I may be tempting fate but England are close to winning The Ashes from Australia later today or tomorrow. The article is at Australian cricket team in England in 2009 and seems to be fairly decent. There is also a free image of The Ashes' urn which we can use. Whoever wins (or draws) the series it should probably go up anyway as it is listed at WP:ITNR - Dumelow (talk) 14:53, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

ENGLAND have now won the Ashes, so as soon as the articles are updated i support it going up on ITNJason Rees (talk) 17:02, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Suggested phrasing: The England cricket team defeats Australia at The Oval, thereby winning the Test series 2-1 and regaining The Ashes (pictured) Modest Genius 17:41, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Oppose. I remember we did not have the result of one of the European football championship (was it UEFA cup?), therefore I think it is not appropriate to have the result of a match between two countries. --Tone 19:49, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Support The Ashes is a huge deal in cricket. It is the same as India vs Pakistan, only with a much longer and less politically charged history. Just because it only involves two nations shouldn't be an issue when events such as the Superbowl or AFL go up. Also we put the IPL up, which is a domestic league in cricket so I can't see any valid argument in opposition to this other than if it lacked an update. The UEFA Cup (which I nominated and wanted to see up) was rejected because there was also the Champions league to go up at the same time and people felt it was a second tier competition. There is no way you could ever call the Ashes a second tier cricket competition --Daviessimo (talk) 20:22, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Support. This is the biggest fixture in world cricket, and is listed on WP:ITNR. Modest Genius 20:34, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

The current suggestion seems a bit overlinked and confusing. How about the following? — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 20:51, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

The England cricket team defeats Australia at The Oval, thereby winning the test series 2-1 and regaining The Ashes (pictured).

I'm not sure. It is listed at ITNR and yet Tone makes a good point too. I know it is at ITNR but is it truly above and beyond all others? Is there no higher level of cricket but a meeting of these two teams? And should India and Pakistan not be the one to post if it is therefore more politically charged? If India and Pakistan is more likely to be controversial I don't see why it might be left out—is it posted when it occurs? And, if this is not a second tier competition, it is presumably a first tier one in which case what tier is India and Pakistan? If both are first tier then there are at least two first tier—are there more than that, i.e. will someone else ask why their country is not represented at a later date and is it possible to provide them with a logical response as to why not? --candle•wicke 20:58, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

The highest level of international cricket is Test cricket (there is also one-day and twenty20 international cricket, which are different forms of the game and have their own entries on ITNR). Test cricket is played as sets of bilateral series between the various Test nations - there is no centralised `championship'. To save putting up an entry for every test series (about 20 per year...) we just feature the two biggest and most important series, which are the Ashes and India v Pakistan. Both are listed on ITNR, and both have appeared on ITN previously. Just about anyone who knows anything about cricket will agree that these are the biggest Test series. Modest Genius 21:12, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

(ec) Well, I admit I am not adequately familiar with cricket to judge which are the world-top events. If this is the top one - now drawing the parallel with football - like UEFA European Football Championship (not the Cup), then I have no problems with having it on ITN. Maybe it would be a good idea to go through ITN/R cricket items and check what really is the top level. --Tone 21:17, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Now that I've just read the comment by Modest Genius, we have 4 cricket items on ITNR. For future reference, is that it or can we drop any or we need any more? --Tone 21:20, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

They look good to me. That's the top international event in ODI and T20 forms of the game (world cup every 4 years, T20 every 2 years), plus the two top Test series (averages every 2 years each). Makes ~1.75 stories per year. Modest Genius 21:32, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

I've just clarified the ITNR section, though didn't change the entries. Modest Genius 21:38, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Ok, I think this is fine now. Posting, just without the result since it is standard ITN practice not to include it. Someone please upload the photo. --Tone 21:49, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Actually, I am not perfectly happy with the article updates yet so it can go up when this is ready. --Tone 21:52, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

Just for the record, it seems we have an article dedicated to the 2009 Ashes series as well as the Australian cricket team in England in 2009 one that was used in the above wording suggestions. I think it would be more appropriate to use the Ashes one rather than the summary of the entire tour, which includes limited-overs games, which are a separate competition and might be confusing. 87.115.38.226 (talk) 22:12, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

That article was a redirect when the suggestion was made above. It's been expanded using material taken from the tour article. But yes, it's probably more appropriate. Modest Genius 22:47, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

I dunno but FIBA Asia Championship 2009 had WAY MORE views (view for a certain day had around 80% of the The Ashes' July 2008 total, but only up until the quarterfinals) and that wasn't posted. –Howard the Duck 00:43, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

August 22

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• Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, criticises Ireland's Civil Partnership Bill, which gives statutory partnership rights to same-sex couples. (RTÉ) (Sunday Independent)
• Argentina's Foreign Affairs Ministry “harshly condemns” the nomination of Ahmad Vahidi to serve as Iran's Defence Minister as he is a suspected international terrorist sought by Interpol in connection with the 1994 attack on AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires. (MercoPress)
• Islamic insurgents attack a government checkpoint in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, sparking a gunbattle that kills at least five people on the first day of Ramadan. (IOL)
• The militant group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta hands over hundreds of weapons to the Nigerian government as part of a weapons amnesty. (BBC) (NEXT) (IOL)
• Officials from North and South Korea meet for talks for the first time in two years. (BBC) (Yonhap)
• Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives in Bolivia with a "strong tone-down message". (MercoPress)
• Niger's police use tear gas to injure and arrest several people during clashes with opponents of a new constitution that would enable President Mamadou Tandja to seek unlimited mandates. (IOL)
• Thousands of Venezuelans join rival marches in Caracas over a controversial education law that critics say strengthens President Hugo Chávez's grip over schools and universities. (Reuters) (BBC)
• Two turkey farms in Valparaíso, Chile, are quarantined over fears the birds have caught swine influenza from humans. (MercoPress)
• Taliban official Hakeemullah Mehsud is selected as the new head of the Pakistani Taliban, a local Taliban commander in Pakistan's federally administered tribal areas confirms. (CNN)

ITN candidates for August 22

Sayano–Shushenskaya

According to the latest news, the death toll reached to 6466. Could anybody update the current news on the main page? Beagel (talk) 05:31, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Is that not a bit old now?  Cargoking  talk  12:25, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Sorry, I didn't see it was already there. If we can find a admin to update...  Cargoking  talk  12:34, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Done by Tone. — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 12:52, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

There is now an article.

• An accident at the Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station in Russia kills 66 and causes power shortages in Siberia.  Cargoking  talk  17:32, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

 Added. — Martin (MSGJ · talk) 22:24, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Women's Professional Soccer

Not sure if I'm doing this correctly, but the championship of the Women's Professional Soccer league had been decided by a 1-0 victory by Sky Blue FC over LA Sol. Should be included as this is the premier league for women's football with many international players.Rhodesisland (talk) 05:53, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

I don't think this is good enough both before and after checking the country in which these teams and league were located. --candle•wicke 06:48, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

August 21

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• Argentina's association football championship kicks off after President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner puts it on the state payroll to avoid a financial crisis. (MercoPress)
• Brazil becomes Chile's third largest trading partner, displacing Japan, according to recently released government trade figures. (MercoPress)
• South African President Jacob Zuma makes a pilgrimage to a former anti-apartheid guerrilla camp in Angola where he lays a wreath and pays tribute to fallen comrades. (IOL)
• The presidents or heads of state of five nations, including Seretse Ian Khama of Botswana and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, along with ministers and musical troupes gather at the cricket stadium in Oranjemund, Namibia, for a welcoming ceremony at the conclusion of explorer Kingsley Holgate's latest expedition, which took him through nine countries. (IOL)
• William Calley, the former US army officer found guilty of organizing mass killings in the Vietnamese community of My Lai during the Vietnam War makes a public apology.(NPR)
• A missile fired from a U.S. unmanned plane destroyed a suspected militant hide-out in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 12 people in a stronghold of a jihadi leader blamed for attacks in Afghanistan. (Associated Press)
• Four policemen are killed after 4 suicide bombs on bicycles detonate in Grozny, Chechnya. (RIA Novosti) (AFP) (Al Jazeera)
• A North Korean delegation arrives in South Korea to mourn the death of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. (Al Jazeera) (Yonhap) (China Daily)
• 20 people are killed and 40 injured after clashes between pro-government and Islamist forces in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Bloomberg)
• A rockfall on a beach in the Algarve, Portugal, kills 5 holidaymakers and injures several others. (BBC) (The Daily Telegraph) (euronews)
• Mexico decriminalises the use of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs for "personal use". (The Times of India) (Al Jazeera)
• U.S. President Barack Obama condemns Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's homecoming in Libya. (CNN)
• A 34-year-old Tunisian woman from Gafsa, thought to have been pregnant with 12 babies and whose story had attracted international attention, is determined to have been the victim of a phantom pregnancy. (IOL)
• László Sólyom, President of Hungary was declared unwelcome by Slovakia and was not allowed to step on Slovak soil to attend an unveiling of a statue depicting King Saint Stephen, first King of Hungary. (BBC)

ITN candidates for August 21

Powerful women

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel is named the most powerful women, for the fourth straight year, in the world by forbes magazine.--Fire 55 (talk) 14:32, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

not really ITN material. _{PS: please sign your posts thanks} -- Ashish-g55 14:07, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Oppose. Hardly ITN worthy. Just something by some magazine.  Cargoking  talk  15:25, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Same as above. --candle•wicke 16:19, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Somali military forces engage Islamist militants in Mogadishu, Somalia, with 21 dead and 40 injured.

I'm supporting this one. I'll expand the entry in a bit, just got to do some RL stuff first. Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 19:35, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Before you do (or after if it be the case), how abnormal is this for Somalia? --candle•wicke 22:30, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

To be honest, not very; it's part of a battle that's been going on since the beginning of this year. I'm assuming that will lead to a "no"? :P Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 03:19, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Well, just looking at the infobox, a death toll of 21 looks a bit small to me when compared to figures of 500, 1,600, 223,000, 82, 72. I know it wouldn't be notable for Iraq anyway and it seems Somalia is in a similar situation (it just doesn't get as much press coverage unfortunately). --candle•wicke 04:40, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

See? :) At least five more dead one day later. :( It's just that nobody notices outside Africa. --candle•wicke 08:23, 23 August 2009 (UTC)

August 20

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• Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, is released on compassionate grounds due to terminal cancer, and boards a flight to Libya. (BBC)
• A bicycle bomb explodes near a restaurant in Baghdad, killing two people. (Yahoo! news)
• 18 prospectors are killed overnight in a diamond mine in Kasai province in central Democratic Republic of the Congo. (IOL)
• A line of severe thunderstorms rolls through Ontario, Canada, spawns over 18 tornadoes in one day which has been declared to be the largest tornado outbreak in Canadian history, at least four F-2 tornadoes were confirmed, including one touching down in the town of Durham, Ontario, northwest of Toronto where at least one person was killed, and the other in a Toronto suburb of Vaughan, Ontario where over 600 homes were damaged or destroyed.(CTV)
• Switzerland's president, Hans-Rudolf Merz, apologizes to the Libyan government for last year's arrest of a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. (MSNBC)
• Elizabeth Ramos and Louis Williams, owners of defense contracting company Technical Logistics, admit to bribing an employee of the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command in exchange for defense contracts. (UPI)
• For the first time video ads will appear in a magazine, using a screen similar to a cell phone that can store 40 minutes of video. (BBC)

ITN candidates for August 20

Ontario Tornadoes

• Tornados has caused damage to southern Ontario, Canada.--Fire 55 (talk) 14:32, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

well this is fairly rare for toronto. but i will stay neutral for this one since the tornado was like a km from where i was... me supporting will prolly have some bias in it lol ;) -- Ashish-g55 15:38, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

Presidential election

• The Afghan presidential election, 2009 will be held which will determine the President of Afghanistan for the next five years in the country's second ever democratic election - Dumelow (talk) 11:43, 16 August 2009 (UTC)

Parliamentary election

• Niger will also hold an election on this day for the National Assembly. This will determine the new make-up of the assembly after its recent dissolution during the 2009 Nigerien constitutional crisis - Dumelow (talk) 11:48, 16 August 2009 (UTC)

Fischer–Tropsch process

• Using the Fischer–Tropsch process, US Navy chemists have successfully converted seawater into hydrocarbons that, with further refining, could be made into jet fuel.

Promising, but no, not yet. I'd wait 'til they actually do it. Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 07:23, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Tianyuraptor

• Tianyuraptor, a new genus of short-armed dromaeosaurid dinosaur, is described from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China. (rspb)

Might be too old. The date on the URL is 14 August, the oldest ITN is 16 August. "Received July 7, 2009. Accepted July 24, 2009" at the bottom doesn't help there either. --candle•wicke 18:09, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

I don't understand what you mean by the 14th of August. On the journal page, it says "Published online before print August 19, 2009", so the paper was only accessible yesterday. The received and accepted dates are common in technical literature and can sometimes span up to three months. There is no way to have known of this paper's existence before yesterday (unless you were the peer-reviewers or authors), and the release date of the paper to the public is more important than the date where only a few select people even know of the dinosaur. --Spotty 19:00, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

This is tasty. I'll post it up in a bit. No chance of an image, I assume? Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 19:12, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Unfortunately not for Misplaced Pages, as I believe all images are under copyright by the PNAS. There is an image here if you want to see what the fossil looks like, but its listed as being under "Fair use"

Oh, BTW, I just wanted to let you know that under the ICZN naming conventions, scientific names are to be italicized here possible. Could you italicize it? Thanks! --Spotty 19:21, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Sorry, I did see those three dates though. Better to be certain. --candle•wicke 19:39, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Not a problem! :) --Spotty 19:42, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Usain Bolt new 200m world record

• 19.19 sec, new world record, 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 200 metres. --bender235 (talk) 18:48, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Agree. It should either replace or combine with the old one. Deserted Cities 18:48, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

I'd say combine it. --bender235 (talk) 18:52, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Sure. Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 18:58, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

move it up though. its like 5 items down. considering this happened today and everything is ordered by time it should be moved up. -- Ashish-g55 19:37, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

I'd prefer keeping it where it is. In any case, there should be a consistency in the blurb, 100m links to world record progression and 200m links to the event. --Tone 19:42, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

26 dead on election day; Afghans vote in 2009 election under guard from 300,000 soldiers linkage

Though I'm tempted to wait until the victor is announced... Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 18:57, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

I say mention it when it's announced. An accurate death toll might be available then through hindsight. --candle•wicke 19:40, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Lockerbie bomber Released

• Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, convicted of the Lockerbie Bombing and currently suffering from terminal prostate cancer, is released on compassionate ground. (BBC)

Major political event concerning the worst terrorist attack on British soil. Ixistant (talk) 21:16, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Not really for ITN in my opinion. Being released on compassionate ground isn't especially new or unusual. I don't think his death would make it either. --candle•wicke 00:15, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

If it's not unusual why do I see it being the top story all over BBC, CNN. It should be on ITN given the massive amount of response generated, diplomacy and controversy it has. - Mailer Diablo 19:21, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

It's got no chance of getting on ITN when there is a NPOV tag on the article. However, if that was fixed I think there is a valid argument to say it is a major event, because it will likely have repecussion on both US and UK relations with Libya. More than one political commentator on the news has suggested that the actions of the UK, via the Scottish government, may have been influenced by the big pot of oil sitting below Libya. But as I've said NPOV = No ITN --Daviessimo (talk) 19:43, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

I think it does have potential if something else happens but not right now in my opinion. It doesn't matter if it's all over BBC and CNN as that's not how ITN works. They need news of any sort to attract readers and viewers, Misplaced Pages and ITN need something more. And it's not unusual because "compassionate ground" has already been all over BBC, CNN, etc at least once this month. --candle•wicke 22:54, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

well story has attracted quite a bit of worldwide attention since libya started celebrating his release and US and UK were getting mad about it. even though the blurb will not state that but it maybe a good reason to post it. -- Ashish-g55 00:12, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Must been slow news day here then! - Mailer Diablo 02:46, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

The NPOV issues have to worked out first. Otherwise, this is an "up-to-date encyclopedic content reflecting important international current events" which can be added here. –Howard the Duck 05:08, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Roll call of coverage: Morocco, Peru, Kenya, Mexico, Vietnam, Monaco and perhaps a hundred others. –Howard the Duck 05:21, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

August 19

• edit
• history
• watch

• Seven car bombs are detonated in Baghdad, killing at least 95, and wounding nearly 600. (The Times)
• Sierra Leone's annual rains kill 15 people and displace hundreds of others. (IOL)
• The United States and Switzerland sign an agreement designed to end a tax evasion dispute surrounding UBS U.S. customers. (BBC)
• Spanish police capture two suspected members, Aitzol Etxaburu and Andoni Sarasola, of the Basque-region separatist group ETA. (CNN)
• John Marek becomes the 68th death row inmate in the state of Florida, United States to be executed by lethal injection since the death sentence was re-instated in 1979.(Miami Herald)

ITN candidates for August 19

19 August 2009 Baghdad bombings

Bloody...:( --- TouLouse (talk) 13:34, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

Support, enough death, several attacks at once, government buildings targeted, etc. --candle•wicke 13:54, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

support. 100+ deaths -- Ashish-g55 14:44, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

It's still very short... If it gets longer, I'll support. --Tone 15:33, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

Expanded and included as, "Car bombs explode in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 95, injuring 563, and breaching the Green Zone perimeter." Sorry for being so trigger-happy, Tone. >_< Master of Puppets - _{Call me MoP! :D} 17:07, 19 August 2009 (UTC)