China overtakes Germany as world’s biggest exporter

Sunday, January 10, 2010 Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter. The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 total Chinese exports reached US$1.2 […]

England fans watch match in cinema

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 London — A few hundred England fans weren’t watching the 2006 FIFA World Cup match against Sweden last night in a pub or at home, but instead had ventured out to their local cinema to see the game on the big screen. A number of Odeon cinemas nationwide have been using digital projection technology to screen […]

U.S. Senate passes landmark health care reform bill

Thursday, December 24, 2009 The United States Senate has approved a hard-fought measure to overhaul the health care system. The vote will be followed by the difficult process of reconciling the Senate-passed bill with one approved by the House of Representatives, in order to get a final measure to President Barack Obama. HAVE YOUR SAY How do you feel about […]

Government of Zimbabwe forces thousands out of their homes

Sunday, June 5, 2005 200,000 people living around Harare, Zimbabwe have been evicted from their homes, which have been targeted in a demolition programme by the government. Most have been forced to sleep out in the open while rental prices in the city have skyrocketed. The operations have targeted at least six Harare suburbs: Hatcliff extension, Epworth, Dzivaresekwa, Glenorah, Glenview, […]

The Sultan’s Elephant arrives in London

Friday, May 5, 2006 Schedule Thursday May 4 Prologue: a mysterious arrival Friday May 5 The spectacle begins / Tour 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.,5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday May 6 Sightseeing / A sultan’s welcome 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.,3 p.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday May 7 Sunday in the city / Finale 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.,3 […]

A1GP New Zealand speeds its way into record books

Saturday, January 6, 2007 Jonny Reid, co-driver for the A1GP New Zealand team, today made history by driving the fastest over the 48-year-old Auckland Harbour Bridge, New Zealand, legally. Mr Reid managed to drive the New Zealand’s A1GP car, Black Beauty at speeds over 160km/h seven times over the bridge. The New Zealand police had trouble using their speed radar […]

Wikinews’ overview of the year 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Also try the 2008 World News Quiz of the year. What would you tell your grandchildren about 2008 if they asked you about it in, let’s say, 20 years’ time? If the answer to a quiz question was 2008, what would the question be? The year that markets collapsed, or perhaps the year that Obama became […]

Australian man to be executed in Singapore

Saturday, November 19, 2005 Supporters of convicted Australian drug trafficker, Van Nguyen, gathered outside the State Library in Melbourne yesterday to display thousands of messages of opposition to his death sentence. Callers to talkback radio in Melbourne were overwhelmingly against the death penalty of Nguyen, who immediately admitted his guilt and has cooperated with authorities since being caught smuggling heroin […]