Current+Events

 OLYMPICS
 * Using the 5 W’s and 1 H w **** rite a summary in your own words of the article. Upload it as a hyperlink with a photo of your article on this wiki page. **

 Started end of July 2012 - in London.

 It is where athletes from around the whole world come to take part in different types of sports, like going to mt smart stadium only much much bigger !

 The starting ceremony was on 28 July 2012. The games go for 2 whole weeks. Lots of people will be watching them - 28 Billion !

 Exciting ! NZ athletes have travelled all the way to London to compete, like the football ferns, rowing, equestrian. Awesome, I hope they bring back gold medals.

 The opening was celebrated with sheep, geese, carthorses, and children being pushed around in hospital beds.

 The most exciting bit was when the Queen jumped out of the helicopter with James Bond.....

 Go our wonderful kiwi athletes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 RUBY

** A horse was rescued 3.2km out to sea after it was spooked during a photo shoot on a Santa Barbara beach. ** ** The 7-year-old white Arabian named William bolted from the beach in Summerland. ** ** Harbour Patrol and the Santa Barbara Coast Guard located the horse in the Santa Barbara Channel, swimming towards oil rigs, an incident report noted. It had been swimming for about an hour. ** ** Some men on a rig had spotted William and alerted authorities, the Huffington Post website said. ** ** Rescuers made a makeshift harness, tying William to the side of the rescue boat to keep him buoyant. ** ** The return took two hours, with the boat moving at about 1.6km/h. ** ** William's owner Mindy Peters said the horse had never been swimming **** before. **

= by Rachel =

In the time he was gone he had undergone an unwanted makeover, with half of his back shaved and his white fur dyed pink and blue.
=== With half of his fur missing and shivering after a cold night outside, Mrs Smith put Wee Yam in a cage in front of a heater to keep him warm before giving him a bath and trying to wash the colour out. ===

Mrs Smith breeds guinea pigs and has had about 8000 over the years. She said they'd given people great joy as they walked past her property.
**// by Rachel //**

**//__ brianna __//** i have made a hyper link about great brittain getting broze in artistic gymnastics.i hope you like it.

Blacksticks vs Hockeyroos

Kate

NZ Miss Out on Gold This is a hyper link for you to check out!!



By Emily

//** Snap-happy spectators who rushed out in fishing boats to get a close-up of a sperm whale off the island of Java, Indonesia, have led to the re-beaching of the animal, who experts say is now dying as a result. **// //** Rescue workers say they tried to get the 12-metre long animal out of shallow waters and back to sea Thursday, but boats packed with paying passengers blocked the animal from swimming away. **// //** The giant whale washed ashore Wednesday near Pakis Jaya beach in Karawang, in the province of West Java. It attracted hundreds of onlookers, who clambered on top of it to pose for photographs. **// //** Pramudya Harzani from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network said Friday that the whale was dying after being scratched and bruised by the spectators. **// //** Police were trying to keep people away from the animal Friday while waiting for a ship to pull it back to sea. **//

=//** by Rachel **//= = = =** NZ medal Count – O **= = = = China 17 9 5 3 = = USA 17 5 7 5 = = France 7 3 1 3 = =** Horse riding ** – Mark Todd is riding tomorrow to see if he can get a gold medal. Then he is in the NZ team of 4 going for a bronze medal in horse jumping. = =** Swimming ** – men’s 4 freestyle relay team and Glen Saunders is swimming breast stroke tomorrow = =** Football ** – they have lost both games so far = =** Women’s hockey ** – ranked 12 and playing south Africa next = =** Sailing ** – 7 NZers competing and are all moving up the ranks = =** Rowing ** – 5 lots of rowers all competing to get into semi finals Wednesday = = by James = = = Wicca, a pitbull accused of biting two people last month, was put down on Thursday despite her owner's appeals to the City of Montreal to keep her alive. The Montreal SPCA is now speaking out about the case and criticizing the way Wicca's case was handled. It says the animal-control bylaw does not force officials to investigate such incidents deeply enough, and does not consider alternatives to putting down animals. The statement also expresses the SPCA's concern about a new bylaw that would be even tougher in cases where animal bites cause injury. SPCA director of animal welfare Alanna Devine said owners should be really concerned about the new bylaw. The animal rescue group says the current bylaw can see a dog put down at the city or borough's discretion, if the dog is seen as a danger to public safety or if the dog has bitten and caused wounds requiring stitches. No behaviour assessments are required for such a decision. The new bylaw proposed by the city would see automatic and mandatory destruction of the animal, no matter the context or severity of the injury. Owners will have 24 hours to appeal the case and have the dog take part in a behaviour analysis. The SPCA wants citizens to send letters to the mayor's office to express their concerns.
 * Olympic news – where we are today Tuesday 31st July and what to expect on day 4 Wednesday 1st August **
 * So far Total ** gold silver bronze

Owner says Wicca never bit anyone
In June, the city said Wicca bit a woman and then bit an ambulance technician who arrived on the scene to treat her. After a series of legal battles, including a rejection of an appeal from Quebec's top court, the dog was taken to Montreal's Berger Blanc, to be held there until she was killed. The dog's owner, Christos Papakosta, received a ticket for the two incidents Wednesday, and his lawyer asked the judge for a 10-day reprieve to argue the fines. But the judge declined, stating his hands were tied by previous rulings. Several dozen supporters held a demonstration opposing the decision Wednesday night. Papakosta said his dog only grazed the first person, and the second has admitted he was not hurt during the incident. He also said that the Quebec Superior Court judge refused to look at his version of the facts. "No judge wanted to look at a police report that just says that my dog lunged at the paramedic and that I, the owner, pulled my dog back. The dog never bit. The dog never nipped him, like he says," said Papakosta. His lawyer, Elaine Rosenberg, said sentencing animals without proof is too easy, which should concern all dog owners. She worried Wicca would be put down before the court had a chance to throw out the tickets and find the dog had never bitten anyone. Papakosta said he went so far as to have Wicca evaluated by Sophie's Dog Adoption, an animal rescue group. The group said Wicca remained calm throughout the tests. Papakosta said city bylaws are unfair when it comes to sentencing dogs to death, and he hopes voters will keep Wicca in mind when casting ballots in November's municipal election

Owner Christos Papakosta says goodbye to Wicca before they part ways.

media type="custom" key="20525890"

=//** by Rachel **//=

Olympics hockey: China shock GREAT Britain's women Great Britain's women suffered a blow to their Olympic hockey hopes with a surprise 2-1 loss to China at the Riverbank Arena. The British had won their opening three group matches and another point would have secured a semi-final place. However, China were resolute in defence and clinical at the set-piece, two penalty corners giving them control. Crista Cullen scored with a minute left but GB must now get something from the final group match against the Dutch. <span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 18.5pt;">“We know we are definitely capable of beating the Dutch and I know our team believes that” <span style="color: #4f4d4b; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ashleigh BallGreat Britain <span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">"They went a goal up, which of course they're going to defend really tight, and that's exactly what they did," said GB's Sarah Thomas. <span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">"Had they still been chasing after a win the game would have been a lot more free flowing, so it just frustrated us more. <span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">"Had we converted our corners in the first half maybe it would have been a different story, but it's just one of those games.

<span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px;">BY RAUNAK


 * If there's a giant tortoise heaven, Lonesome George is lonesome no more.**

The century-old giant tortoise was found dead in his corral Sunday at the Charles Darwin Research Station on [-90.32745361328125&z=9|Santa Cruz Island (map)], part of [|Galápagos National Park].

Perhaps best known for his apparent aversion to female tortoises—hence his nickname—George was the last known individual of his subspecies,//Geochelone abingdoni,// also called the Pinta Island tortoise or Abingdon Island tortoise.

George's longtime caretaker, Fausto Llerana, was "unhappily surprised" to discover the tortoise "stretched out in the direction of his watering hole with no signs of life," according to a park statement.

Among the longest lived animals, giant tortoises can survive well past a hundred, with the oldest recorded at 152.

George's body is being kept in a cold chamber to prevent decomposition until a necropsy is done to determine his exact cause of death.


 * Giant Tortoise Decline**

The Galápagos Islands were originally inhabited by thousands of giant tortoises in 15 subspecies.

But in the 1800s and 1900s, sailors and pirates used the Pacific Ocean archipelago as a pit stop, hunting huge numbers of giant tortoises for food and oil.

Though hunting has ceased, introduced species such as pigs and goats continue to overgraze the islands, munching through the remaining tortoises' habitats.

With George's passing, the islands today house just ten tortoise subspecies, most of which are very rare.

In fact, George's subspecies was thought extinct until he was found on Pinta Island in 1971.

The lone male was taken into captivity with high hopes that he would take a liking to a female tortoise of close genetic makeup and continue his lineage, at least in hybrid form. (See [|"Mating Turtles Fossilized in the Act."] )

No such luck. After sharing his home for more than three decades with four different females, George failed to fertilize any of their eggs.

Erica Buck, then of the [|Charles Darwin Foundation], told National Geographic News in 2001 that George "doesn't really show any interest" in the females. "He mostly hangs out by himself."


 * George Inspires Conservation**

Some might think the extinction of a subspecies isn't a major loss, since the other tortoises are still around, noted [|San Diego Zoo] ambassador Rick Schwartz. But the giant tortoises' history shows that such losses can add up quickly to disaster.

George's "passing is an opportunity for us to [show] humans our actions can have an impact on the future without seeing it in the moment," said Schwartz, whose zoo is home to a [|Galápagos tortoise].

If "you get an opportunity to see these animals in person, [they're] gentle giants—you can't help but just fall in love with them," he added.

And although the lone tortoise wasn't able to deliver reproductively, Lonesome George's story is "an opportunity to educate about other species and conservation efforts as a whole," Schwartz said.

For instance, captive breeding programs like George's have given hope for populations of the endangered [|California condor].

But similar efforts weren't enough to save the [|West African black rhinoceros], a subspecies that was formally declared extinct in 2011.

In July Galápagos National Park will hold an international workshop to brainstorm how to restore giant tortoise populations over the next decade, park director Edwin Naula said in a statement. (See [|"Extinct Galápagos Tortoise Could Be Resurrected."] )

"The workshop," he said, "will be held in honor of Lonesome George."

<span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px;"> =//** By **// //Rachel// = = = = = = //Kate// =

This is a hyperlink about a runaway kangaroo. PLEASE READ!!!!!!!



By Emily this is Luke's current event for 16/8/12

<span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">The biggest Burmese python ever caught in Florida - 5.18m long and 74.4kg - was found in Everglades National Park, the University of Florida announced. <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">The snake was pregnant with 87 eggs, also said to be a record. <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Scientists said the python's stats show just how pervasive the invasive snakes, native to Southeast Asia, have become in South Florida. <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">"It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild," said Kenneth Krysko, a snake expert at the Florida Museum of Natural History, where the euthanised snake was brought. "There's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble." <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">The python had feathers in its stomach that scientists plan to use to identify the types of wildlife it was eating. "A 17-foot snake could eat anything it wants," Krysko said. <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons are believed to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate. While many were apparently released by their owners, others may have escaped from pet shops during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and have been reproducing ever since.

<span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">The snakes kill their prey by coiling around and suffocating it. They have been known to swallow animals as large as deer and alligators. <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Authorities have tried to reduce the python problem, banning their importation and allowing them to be hunted. But those efforts have done little to reduce the population. In and around Everglades National Park alone, some 1825 Burmese pythons were found between 2000 and 2011. <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Rob Robins, a biologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, said the snakes were very hard to catch, and that since they have established themselves in the Everglades, they would be virtually impossible to eradicate. <span style="color: #9b19f5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">By Brianna

<span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Sharks may hold the key to preventing skin diseases in humans, according to new research. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Michael Sweet, a researcher in the School of Biology at Newcastle University's Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability, has found that while sharks can tan, they are resistant to melanoma. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">"As far as I'm aware, sharks appear very robust to skin damage and disease," the researcher told Discovery News. "I don't know what makes shark skin so special, but it definitely needs to be studied." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">lately research was undertaken by Mr Sweet and his group. They have found melanomas (Any of several malignant neoplasms usually of the skin consisting of melanocytes) detected in wild fish in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, with the likely cause of environmental exposure to UV radiation. Sharks' skin, however, simply changed colour, from brown to black. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">The study has been published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Mr Sweet is keen to look into whether human activities could have an impact on fish melanoma. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Mr sweet says "I believe many other fish species will be suffering from cancers, and the more we look, the more we shall see," he told Discovery News. "We need to do further work to confirm the UV link, and if this comes true, then I'm sure human activities are having a direct effect on these fish.



<span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">By Brianna

Margaret Mahy On Tuesday the 24th of July Margaret Mahy the childrens book writer died. She was born in Whakatane in 1936 and she also wrote her first story, Harry is Bad at the age of 7. She studied at Auckland University from 1952 to 1954 and also Canterbury University. In another newspaper a man called Jim Hopkins was talking about all the kids having very bright eyes but when they are adults they stop having bright eyes and don't belive things like there is a lion in the meadow and start to think that it's all a joke. To some people it is a joke but to kids there is a lion in the meadow and it's good that they believe it because that means that they have bright eyes. Margaret Mahy has bright eyes. She is one of those people who has always had bright eyes and I bet now in heaven she still believes in lots and lots of things. Since now that she's dead you may think she can't write any more, but she's still writing them in her mind. I do agree with Jim Hopkins because I think she has bright eyes and she always will. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">By Sophie



<span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">Here she is.

<span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Six more patients suspected to have Ebola have been admitted to the hospital days after investigators confirmed an outbreak of the highly infectious disease in a remote corner of western Uganda, a health official said today.

<span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Stephen Byaruhanga, health secretary of the affected Kibaale district, said possible cases of Ebola, at first concentrated in a single village, are now being reported in more villages.

<span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"It's no longer just one village. There are many villages affected," Byaruhanga said.

<span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In a national address Monday, Uganda's president advised against unnecessary contact among people, saying suspected cases of Ebola should be reported immediately to health officials.

<span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Officials from Uganda's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization announced on Saturday that the deadly Ebola virus killed 14 Ugandans this month, ending weeks of speculation about the cause of a strange illness that had some people fleeing their homes in the absence of reliable answers.

<span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">If the six new cases are confirmed as Ebola, it would bring to 26 the number of Ugandans infected with Ebola. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">This is the fourth occurrence of Ebola in Uganda since 2000, when the disease killed 224 people and left hundreds more traumatized in northern Uganda. At least 42 people were killed in another outbreak in 2007, and there was a lone Ebola case in 2011. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Investigators took nearly a month to confirm Ebola's presence in Uganda this year. In Kibaale, a district with 600,000 residents, some villagers started abandoning their homes to escape what they thought was an illness caused by bad luck. One family lost nine members, and a clinical officer and her 4-month-old baby died from Ebola, Byaruhanga said. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">D.K. Lwamafa, of Uganda's Ministry of Health, told reporters on Saturday that one Ebola patient from Kibaale had been referred to the national hospital in the capital but had then died in Kibaale. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The confirmation of Ebola's presence in the area has spread anxiety among sick villagers, who are refusing to go the hospital for fear they don't have Ebola and will contract it there. All suspected Ebola patients have been isolated at one hospital where patients admitted with other illnesses fled after Ebola was announced. Only the hospital's maternity ward still has patients, officials said, highlighting the deadly reputation of Ebola in a country where the authorities do not always respond quickly and effectively to emergencies and disasters. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Barnabas Tinkasimire, a lawmaker from the area, said that some nurses refused to look after Ebola patients after one clinical officer died and another was taken ill. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"They are saying, 'We can't remain here if there is no sufficient allowance,"' Tinkasimire said of medical officers handling Ebola cases. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The lawmaker said the government's response so far has been poor and that it would have been worse without the technical support of organizations such as the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"It took long for the government to respond, and up to now many people don't know how to guard against Ebola. We need sensitization," he said. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Ebola, which manifests itself as a hemorrhagic fever, is highly infectious and kills quickly. It was first reported in 1976 in Congo and is named for the river where it was recognized. A CDC factsheet on Ebola says the disease is "characterized by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients." <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Scientists don't know the natural reservoir of the virus, but they suspect the first victim in an Ebola outbreak gets infected through contact with an infected animal. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The virus can be transmitted through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions. During communal funerals, for example, when the bereaved come into contact with an Ebola victim, the virus can be contracted, health officials said. <span style="color: #166cd5; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">By Brianna

<span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The attack which killed two New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan was the country's deadliest day in combat for more than forty years. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Six other New Zealanders were wounded - three seriously - when they went to the aid of Afghan police who were ambushed as they tried to arrest an insurgent. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">But in spite of threats in the north-east corner of Bamiyan province where New Zealand's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is operating, Prime Minister John Key said yesterday that New Zealand troops "remain on track" to leave Afghanistan some time next year. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Four PRT patrol groups were called in to help Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) officers stabilise the situation and evacuate wounded near a village south of Do Abe late Saturday morning local time (7pm NZT). <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The New Zealanders came under fire as they moved to secure high ground near a compound which had been taken by the Afghans. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">One of the soldiers was killed instantly when an anti-tank rocket hit his armoured vehicle. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The other was on foot when he was hit by gunfire or shrapnel. He died in a helicopter on the way to hospital. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Three other soldiers were seriously injured and are expected to return to New Zealand, and a further three had moderate injuries. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones said the casualties occurred during "a two to three minute timeframe in that first burst of fire". <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Two NDS members died and seven were wounded. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">A group of about 17 insurgents carrying dead and wounded were seen leaving the area. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The slain New Zealanders are likely to be named today. They were part of the 19th rotation of PRT troops who arrived last October. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Their bodies are expected to be returned to New Zealand this week. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Relatives of other soldiers in Afghanistan went online yesterday to pay tribute to the men who died. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"I worry about my son every day, but I'm also proud that he is doing a job that ensures most Afghanis know there is humanity in the world," said the mother of one soldier. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Another said: "As a parent of a soldier in Afghanistan, you never stop worrying about them. On the other hand, extreme pride." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Seven New Zealand soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002, but Saturday's toll makes it New Zealand's worst day in combat since June 18 1970, when infantrymen Lance Corporal Cecil Richard Fisk and Private Leonard Cyril Jones were killed during the Vietnam war. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Mr Key said the loss of the two young men was "an enormous price to pay" as the PRT worked to bring stability to Bamiyan. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"My thoughts are with the family and friends of the two brave soldiers killed and also with the families and friends of those injured." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The Prime Minister said the increased risk in what was already the most dangerous part of Bamiyan province shouldn't alter New Zealand's commitment to keep the PRT in Afghanistan until next year. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"I don't think it argues the case we should stay longer but I don't think that the terrible loss we've suffered also argues we should leave earlier. I think we should just remain on track and continue to do the things we're doing." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Labour Party leader David Shearer, who previously worked for the United Nations in Afghanistan, said the deaths did not mean the PRT, deployed since 2003, should come home early. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"We've got a programme to withdraw over time, and I think that's probably the right way to go. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"Unfortunately it's a dangerous place to work. It's tragic that it's happened towards the end of our programme." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">A journalist in Kabul said security in Bamiyan Province had been "deteriorating for quite a while". <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"Particularly in the north east, that's where Do Abe is," he told the Herald last night. "That is the place where there's been all the trouble. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"It's a straight out inhospitable place." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">He said the area was near where New Zealander Lieutenant Timothy O'Donnell was killed when insurgents ambushed his patrol in August 2010. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"Security in Bamiyan has been deteriorating for a long time. It's been the cause of a lot of concern ... the police commissioner in Bamiyan even called for more support and more assistance." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The family of Lieutenant O'Donnell marked the anniversary of his death on Friday. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Last night his father, Mark O'Donnell, told TVNZ: "It sounds like this happened on the 4th as well, so the 3rd and 4th August are going to be pretty sad times for a number of families now in New Zealand." <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Peace activist and former Green MP Keith Locke said that last year, when the PRT handed over security duties in and around Bamiyan city, insurgent activity was low. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">But it appeared they were now more active in the north-east of the province where the Taleban and other insurgents had a presence. <span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">"New Zealand has got more involved in the active war, which wasn't like the original PRT mission, at a time when New Zealanders thought that after the departure of the SAS that we had got out of the war and just had this peacekeeping unit in Bamiyan province."

<span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">

<span style="color: #1d80e2; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">By Brianna = Reaching for the stars = Sunnybrook doctor among the 16 finalists to be Canada's next astronaut **By Katia Caporiccio** April 2, 2009 He took a giant leap when he decided to go “chasing a childhood dream,” and applied to become astronaut.

Now, Christopher Denny is one small step away from making that dream a reality.

“I threw my name in there, not taking it seriously,” said the emergency physician and trauma team leader at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “It was always something that I knew I’d like to do, but I didn’t think it was a very realistic goal.”

Denny is one of the 5,351 Canadians who applied to be sent off into space as an astronaut. After a series of tests, physical examinations and interviews, The Canadian Space Agency narrowed it down to 16 candidates in March. Two astronauts will be chosen in May.

The Toronto-born physician, who also works as an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, says the tests he underwent during the selection process awakened some fears he didn’t know he had.

“You can tell yourself that it’s a simulation,” he said. “But when the heat of the fire is singeing your eyebrows or your teeth are chattering uncontrollably and your hands are shivering and shaking … it feels real.”

This is the third astronaut recruitment campaign. The first was in 1983, when the Canadian Astronaut Corps was created. The second was in 1992. Stephane Corbin, manager of the Astronaut Recruitment Campaign, says the simulations ensure the candidates can perform efficiently in life-threatening situations.

“One simulation was the under-deck of a submarine,” he said. “Then damage starts to happen. Pipes pop, holes in the walls cause water to start coming in … (the candidates) have to work as a team and repair the damage.”

He added that an astronaut has to be in perfect health and fitness, and he or she must have at least a bachelor’s degree or a licence to practise medicine in Canada.

Denny, whose long list of jobs includes consulting for Toronto Emergency Medical Services, enjoys being outdoors. He and his wife Jennifer bike and play soccer with their daughters Rachel, 5 and Kate, 3.

“The kids are excited,” he said. “They can see and feel that something a little exotic is going on.”

He says he and his wife, who live together in the Annex, have always been fairly adventurous, so the news that he might have a chance to go into space wasn’t a huge shock.

“We’re used to traveling,” he said. “We like to go on big trips and keep our sense of exploration alive.”

Denny says even if he isn’t chosen as one of Canada’s two newest astronauts, he is fortunate to be doing what he does.

“I’m working at a hospital where I love to work,” he said. “(Sunnybrook) has a … strong tradition of nurturing people who go on to do interesting things so for that I’m quite grateful.”

BLAST OFF: Emergency physician Christopher Denny has been selected out of over 5,000 candidates for a chance to become an astronaut. He’ll find out in May if he’ll be rocketing off into space ||
 * [[image:http://www.mytowncrier.ca/thumbpic/story/story_BM_ChrisDenny.jpg width="392" height="404"]]

A wildlife rescue organisation says 13 whales have died following a mass stranding off the Scottish coast. British Divers and Marine Life Rescue said that the mammals were among a group of 26 pilot whales stranded at Pittenweem, in eastern Scotland. Coast guards, volunteer medics, fire crews and police are all also involved in efforts to rescue the 13 still living. But rescue coordinator Gareth Norman said that it was likely more of the whales would die. A further 24 pilot whales from the same pod are currently in shallow water 4.8km along the coast at Cellardyke By Brianna

Here is a video of Laura Dekker Being Interviewed
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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nick, a 340g kiwi chick from Rarewarewa near Whangarei, became the fifth addition to Auckland Zoo's spring breeding programme yesterday. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">The palm-sized chick, which first made a crack in its shell early yesterday morning, hatched without assistance at about midday. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">In three weeks, once it has regained its hatch weight, the chick will be transported to pest-free Moturoa Island in the Hauraki Gulf, where it will remain until it is big enough to fend for itself. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">Auckland Zoo, with Department of Conservation staff, community groups, iwi and researchers, help rear and raise more than 200 chicks like Nick each year as part of the BNZ Operation Nest Egg programme.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,Candara,Segoe,'Segoe UI',Optima,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">by brianna

The new iphone 5 has finally came out it is lighter than any othe apple protuct. Comes with new head phones and a new charger. It's got ultrafast wireless that can't lose battery power. It's completly HD:).

What: Iphone 5

Who: Apple

When: Thursday 13th september

where: america

Why: twice as good as iphone 4

How: upgrade of iphone 4 By: Max