Wikinews:Briefs/March 17, 2012

March 18, 2012

We briefly recap some of the stories appearing on Wikinews this week from around the world.

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Today on Wikinews: We briefly recap some of the stories appearing on Wikinews this week from around the world.

Today is Saturday, March 17, 2012. I am Chad Tew and this is Wikinews.

Students wounded at King Khaled University protest in Saudi Arabia (0:28)
Dozens of female students were injured in Saudi Arabia after police stormed a demonstration at King Khaled University. Up to one thousand students had protested corruption and discrimination.

University officials said security moved in after the students attacked staff and they used fire hoses on the demonstrators when university property was destroyed. Both students and parents wished to remain anonymous about their complaints.

Thirty professors, reportedly, have stepped down, and protesters are demanding the president's resignation.

Kenya government fires health worker strikers over failure to 'report back to work' (1:08)
The Kenyan government fired twenty-five thousand striking health workers, mostly nurses. A government spokesperson said workers failed to obey orders to resume work and that the government took action on behalf of patients.

The workers, who had been on strike for four days, wanted more pay, better working conditions, and benefits. The average monthly income for health workers there is around three hundred US dollars or about 225 Euros.

Three UK towns to be made cities following nationwide competition (1:42)
And the UK has three new cities after towns competed for the honor in celebration of Queen Elizabeth the Second's Diamond Jubilee.

Saint Asaph in North Wales was a city before it was demoted to town and it has now regained its former status making it the second smallest city in the UK.

A regional official said Perth owed its stature as a new city to its contribution to Scottish culture.

And Chelmsford in Essex boasted its role in communication for its promotion.

Sandra Fluke insists she will not be silenced (2:18)
Sandra Fluke [PRONOUNCED Fl-uhk] &mdash; a law student from Georgetown University who testified before the U-S Congress &mdash; said in a C-N-N editorial that she will not allow critics to silence her or other women on contraception.

Rush Limbaugh, the radio talk show host, had called (Fl-uhk) a "slut" and a "prostitute," but women and President Obama came to her defense.

And Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said it was important not to silence women because the debate is about their personal health decisions.

Rocky Anderson announces he will seek Americans Elect nomination (2:54)
Rocky Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, says he is seeking the nomination for U.S. president from Americans Elect.

Anderson is already running as the nominee of the Justice Party. While the Justice Party will be on the ballot in Utah and in Mississippi, Americans Elect has qualified in eighteen states and it says it aims to compete in all fifty states.

Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton present 2012 International Women of Courage Awards (3:24)
US First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have presented the International Women of Courage Awards.

One winner this year was Safak (Pronounced SHA-Fahk) Pavey, who is the first disabled woman elected to the Turkish parliament.

Now in the award's fifth year, forty-six women from thirty-four nations have received the award.

Barcelona footballer Éric Abidal to undergo liver transplant (3:50)
Éric Abidal, a defender for both Futbol Club Barcelona and the French national team, is to undergo a liver transplant in the next few weeks.

The thirty-two year old athlete had previously undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his liver in March 2011. Team members have posted tweets on the social networking site Twitter in support of their teammate.

The club does not know when Abidal will be able to return.

1960's Rockabilly music artist Terry Teen dies aged 70 (4:24)
Terry Knutsen, who performed rockabilly music under the name Terry Teen during the 1960s, died after life support systems were removed. Knutsen was seriously injured when his bicycle collided with a tow truck outside of Tyler, Texas.

Fans may best remember Terry Teen for his novelty song "Curse of the Hearse". In later years, he performed as a clown and appeared in an episode of the television show In Living Color.

Encyclopaedia Britannica to stop publishing after 244 years (4:58)
And after almost two and a half centuries, Encyclopædia Britannica will no longer publish in print.

With less than one percent of its revenue coming from the print version, Britannica's president indicated there was not sufficient demand. The cost of the last set was close to 1400 US dollars, or a bit over 1000 Euros.

In the last eleven years demand has plummeted due to competition from Wikipedia and Britannica's own digital version.

Outro (5:33)
And those are the headlines for this week.

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