Wikinews interviews Australian blind Paralympic skier Melissa Perrine

Monday, December 10, 2012 Vail, Colorado, United States — Yesterday, Wikinews sat down with Australian blind Paralympic skier Melissa Perrine who was participating in a national team training camp in Vail, Colorado. ((Wikinews)) This is Melissa Perrine. And are you like Jess Gallagher and just here training and not competing? Melissa Perrine: I’m not competing …

Ethiopia plans to expand country’s Internet access

Thursday, April 7, 2005 At an information technology conference in Addis Ababa, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia vowed to offer universal Internet connectivity in the country within three years. The government is working with a United States technology company Cisco Systems to fulfill this promise. The government will invest US$40 million in the venture, …

Cleveland, Ohio clinic performs US’s first face transplant

Thursday, December 18, 2008 A team of eight transplant surgeons in Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA, led by reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow, age 58, have successfully performed the first almost total face transplant in the US, and the fourth globally, on a woman so horribly disfigured due to trauma, that cost her an eye. …

Warren Buffett to host world’s most expensive lunch

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Billionaire Warren Buffett, Chief Executive of Berkshire Hathaway, auctioned lunch with himself on eBay for US$2.63 million. Bidding, which started on eBay a few weeks ago, attracted nine bidders, offering huge sums for the opportunity to have a steak lunch with the man said to be a “legendary investor”. HAVE YOUR …

G20 Summit plans to inject US$5tn into economy before 2011

Friday, April 3, 2009 The G20 Summit held in London, England concluded Thursday with an injection into the economy of US$5 trillion by the end of 2010. Global trade would be supported by $250 billion (169.5 billion pounds). “We are going to act decisively to kickstart international trade. We will ensure availability of at least …

Congressional panel concludes Gulf War Syndrome a legitimate condition

Thursday, December 4, 2008 A study by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs presented to a Congressional panel on November 17, has confirmed that Gulf War Syndrome is a legitimate illness contracted by soldiers who took pyridostigmine bromide pills in order to counter the effects of nerve gas during the First Gulf War in …

Telecom New Zealand to sell Yellow Page Group

Saturday, November 4, 2006 Telecom New Zealand has announced that it is going to sell its Yellow Page Group business and is expecting at least NZ$2 billion. The Yellow Page Group includes the Yellow Pages, White Pages (which includes both offline and online services), New Zealand Retirement Guide and New Zealand Tourism Online. However Chief …

Native Hawaiian sovereignty bill to be debated in U.S. Senate in June

Saturday, May 13, 2006 The U.S. Senate has scheduled debate and a vote in June on a bill that would allegedly initiate a process for Native Hawaiians to achieve the same level of self-governance and autonomy over their own affairs that many Native American tribes currently have. Critics of the bill characterize it as going …

Rachel Weisz wants Botox ban for actors

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 English actress Rachel Weisz thinks that Botox injections should be banned for all actors. The 39-year-old actress, best known for her roles in the Mummy movie franchise and for her Academy Award-winning portrayal in The Constant Gardener, feels facial Botox injections leave actors less able to convey emotion and that it …