Portal talk:Current events/2008 May 31

May 31

May 31, 2008 (2008-05-31) (Saturday)

• Usain Bolt of Jamaica sets a new world record for the 100 metres in track and field in the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium in New York City at 9.72 seconds. (AP) (PA via Sporting Life)
• In rugby union, the Crusaders defeat the New South Wales Waratahs in the 2008 Super 14 Final. (New Zealand Herald)
• China:
  • Authorities in the People's Republic of China are preparing to evacuate more than a million people from Sichuan Province as they prepare to drain Tangjiashan Lake created by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. (ABC News Australia)
  • Xinhua reports that a People's Liberation Army military helicopter has crashed while evacuating people from Sichuan. (AFP via ABC News Australia)
• STS-124 is launched with a crew of seven and the main module of the Japanese laboratory Kibō. (AP via CNN)
• 2008 Atlantic hurricane season: The first storm of the season, Tropical Storm Arthur, forms one day before the official season begins. It is located about 45 mi (75 km) NNW of Belize City. It has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (55 km/h), and with higher gusts. (NHC)
• At least five people are killed and 13 are missing after a landslide crushes homes in a poor area of the city of Medellín in Colombia. (AFP via Google News)
• United States Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee meets to decide on the Florida and Michigan democratic primaries held in violation of scheduling rules. The Committee decides that both states delegate counts would be halved. (VOA) (BBC News) (The Guardian)
• French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner makes surprise visit to Iraq, to meet with Iraq's vice president, Adel Abdul-Mahdi. (VOA)
• New fighting between the Sri Lanka Army and the Tamil Tigers occurs in northern Sri Lanka with 26 rebels dead and 4 soldiers. (AP via Forbes)
• Robert Gates, the United States Secretary of Defense, states that Myanmar's refusal of international aid for victims of Cyclone Nargis has cost "thousands of lives". (AP via Google News) (VOA)
• Suicide bombers in eastern Afghanistan target a military convoy. NATO's International Security Assistance force says the attack took place in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province. (VOA)
• Thai riot police assemble in Bangkok to disperse a rally led by the People's Alliance for Democracy against the government of the Prime Minister of Thailand Samak Sundaravej. (AP via Forbes)
• The government of Guinea starts paying junior officers of the Military of Guinea back pay in an attempt to end a five day mutiny. (Reuters via News Limited)
• World Health Organization calls for complete ban on tobacco advertising; the organization says recent studies prove the more young people are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to start smoking. The call comes as part of the WHO's annual World No Tobacco Day. (VOA)

ITN Candidates

• Nominate, "STS-124 is launched with a crew of seven and the main module of the Japanese laboratory Kibō" 90.35.109.223 (talk) 21:20, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Posted, with wording changes from the Portal version. - BanyanTree 00:16, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

• Nominate, "New fighting between the Sri Lanka Army and the Tamil Tigers occurs in northern Sri Lanka with 26 rebels dead and 4 soldiers" Hobartimus (talk) 18:29, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Comment:Is there an article for this, or is the conflict mentioned in an article? Spencer^T♦C 18:30, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Oppose: Not mentioned in any article. Spencer^T♦C 18:32, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

The Tamil Tigers is quite well developed could be linked. Hobartimus (talk) 18:34, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

...but yet does not mention the new fighting. Spencer^T♦C 18:37, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Also if I understand the new system correctly we should settle for the best item of the day so an update is provided in any case and previous "no update for weeks on end" situation won't happen. In this system there is no reason to oppose anything instead you should simply name "your pick" and the item supported by most people/the best item that day goes up. Hobartimus (talk) 18:39, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

We still maintain basic standards as before. An article always has to be updated.--Pharos (talk) 21:38, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

Yup, don't see an article with any sort of updated content on this event. - BanyanTree 00:16, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

• Nominate "Usain Bolt of Jamaica sets a new world record of 9.72 seconds for the 100 metres sprint in New York."

The 100m world record is generally seen as the most high profile record in athletics, and is specifically noted at Wikipedia:Sports on ITN. Worldwide sport, high profile with Olympics coming up. suggested phrasing: Slightly hard to know which article to embolden, and none of them give much prose: it is a statistical achievement, and there is not much encyclopaedic prose that can be given about a sprint beyond event, location, date and winning time. Kevin McE (talk) 07:23, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Support: The most important record in athletics. Hektor (talk) 07:42, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Also support for reasons given above. Hammer Raccoon (talk) 14:14, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Support all articles are updated and ref-ed accordingly for this, bar the image on World record progression 100 metres men. Spencer^T♦C 15:32, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

• "In rugby union the Crusaders defeat the New South Wales Waratahs in the 2008 Super 14 Final". Article is updated and referenced with sizable prose section. Nominate as per Wikipedia:Sports on ITN. - Shudde ^talk 02:14, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

• Comment - Is there a reason this hasn't gone up? - Shudde ^talk 07:08, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Probably. --PlasmaTwa2 07:12, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

Just that I appear to be the only admin occasionally checking the candidates page, which I hadn't done for several hours. (Note that the portal update is at Portal:Current events/Sports.) I haven't ever heard of this league, but I'll just assume that the list at Wikipedia:Sports on ITN has been adequately vetted. Posted. - BanyanTree 08:24, 1 June 2008 (UTC)