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Space Shuttle Discovery has successfully launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning mission STS-124. Discovery will deliver the main pressurised module of the Japanese Experiment Module to the International Space Station. Lift-off occurred at 21:02:12 GMT this evening, with the ascent to an initial sub-orbital trajectory lasting approximately eight and a half minutes. Orbital insertion occurred shortly afterwards, with a circularisation burn which concluded at 21:42 GMT. This is the third Space Shuttle m

FIFA, the world's governing body for football (soccer), and the European Union are set to collide over the controversial 6+5 Rule. The problem is that FIFA wants to limit the number of foreign players in the starting 11 to a maximum 5 players per side while the European Union allows free movement of workers making FIFA's 6+5 Rule illegal within the European Union. Despite the legal issue about the 6+5 Rule within the European Union, FIFA President Sepp Blatter presented the 6+5 Rule to FIFA Congress where the member national associations of F

In the town of Kasuya, Fukuoka, Japan, a 58-year-old woman was arrested after surveillance tape from inside an unnamed man's home showed her living in his closet. According to police, Tatsuko Horikawa had been living in his closet for over one year. One day when the man left, she walked through his front door which had been left unlocked. From then on, she would take small amounts of food from the kitchen and even take showers. When the man noticed food missing, he set up cameras to catch what he thought was someone robbing him. The woman had

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season got off to an early start today when a tropical storm formed off the coast of Belize, one day before the season officially begins. Tropical Storm Arthur formed Saturday afternoon and quickly made landfall at the Yucatan Peninsula, near the border between Belize and Mexico. Both countries issued a tropical storm warning for the peninsula's eastern coastline. In the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, ports were closed to small boats, water sports were banned, and those living in coastal areas were encouraged to tak

On Thursday, May 22, X played at the Theater of the Living Arts (TLA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Wikinews was there for the concert. The band stopped in Philadelphia as part of their "13 x 31 Anniversary Tour," marking the bands 31st anniversary. The performance was the first since the bands last visit on their "As the World Burns Tour" in 2006, and featured the original line-up of John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, and D.J. Bonebrake. Having not released an album of new work since 1993's hey Zeus!, the tour is an opport

In May 2008, the candidates of the United States presidential election campaigned and faced questions on as wide ranging issues as assassination, Hitler and the death of one's political career. The month more clearly showed who the Democratic Party candidate would be, and potentially narrowed the field for the Vice-Presidential race in the Republican Party. A third-party candidate also emerged who could potentially change the outcome of the election. Democrats Hillary Clinton won the Kentucky and West Virginia Primaries by a wide margin and na

Inter Milan has confirmed that they have fired Head Coach Roberto Mancini after Club Owner Massimo Moratti held a meeting with Mancini. Inter Milan reached the UEFA Champions League last 16, the Italian Cup final and won Serie A (Italian Championship). Mancini had won 3 consecutive Serie A titles with Inter while they nearly lost this season's title on the final day having let slip an 11-point lead in February. A club statement on their website said, "FC Internazionale have informed Roberto Mancini that he has been sacked as coach, in particul

A 375 million-year old fossilised umbilical cord indicates that placoderm, thought to be ancestors of modern fish, are actually closer to sharks and rays. This requires changes to current theories of the evolution of vertebrate sexual reproduction. The placoderm, a class of prehistoric fish known as the "dinosaur of the seas", dates back to the Devonian period, making the fossil the earliest known case of a vertebrate that gave birth to live young. It is also the only fossilised umbilical cord ever to be found. Dr. John Long, Museum Victori

A Warsaw court has sentenced a communist-era policeman to four years in prison for the 1983 killing of a young dissident, overturning a history of four acquittals in the same case over the years. Ireneusz Kościuk, a former member of communist Poland's infamous ZOMO riot police units, was found guilty of the fatal beating of 19-year old Grzegorz Przemyk, the son of dissident poet Barbara Sadowska and a promising talent in his own rights. Przemyk was beaten at a central Warsaw police station after being stopped while celebrating his high school

Today, representatives of 111 countries have adopted a formal ban on cluster bombs. The ban is to be signed and ratified by each country during December 2-3 in Oslo, Norway, the country that initiated the discussions on the ban. Following almost two weeks of negotiations, the ban was agreed upon at a ceremony held in Dublin, Ireland. Signatories will be required to completely get rid of cluster bomb stockpiles within eight years. Cluster bombs are characterized by the small "bomblets" that they release while falling. Many are opposed to this

German-born Finland striker Mikael Forssell has signed a 3 year contract with Hannover 96 on a free transfer from Birmingham City. Birmingham City were relegated from the FA Premier League earlier this month. Birmingham Head Coach Alex McLeish believes that, despite the transfer of Forssell to Hannover 96, his squad will have enough goalscoring to challenge for an immediate return to the FA Premier League for the 2009-10 season. For Forssell, The transfer ends an association with English football which lasted 10 years. He has played at Chels

Toronto FC opened up the Nutrilite Canadian Championship with a 1-0 win against Montreal Impact at Saputo Stadium on Tuesday night. Reds defender Marco Velez scored the only goal of the game, 1st in tournament history. Velez jumped to head home a cross from Laurent Robert. The goal came in the 72nd minute. Montreal played for much of the 2nd half with 10 men after defender Stefano Pesoli was sent off for a second yellow card. Toronto FC striker Danny Dichio has been struggling with a groin strain in recent weeks and was forced to leave th