Culture

Kivimetsän Druidi‏ is a Finnish female-fronted band formed in 2002 whose music is a fusion of symphonic, fantasy and folk metal, which the band's website dubs 'Rock 'N' Troll'. Brothers Joni and Antti Koskinen formed the band in Kouvola with Joni playing guitar and growling while Antti played keyboard and sings backing vocals. They joined up with a female lead vocalist, lead and bass guitarists and a drummer. The brothers write the songs between them, with Antti doing the main body and Joni writing the lyrics. Together the band recorded and r

A hydrogen sulphide leak at a fertiliser factory in China has left six people dead and a further 28 ill. The poisonous gas escaped the Anning Qitian Chemical Fertiliser Co. plant in Kunmin, Yunnan's provincial capital. The leak occurred yesterday but was only reported today. The injured received treatment and are said to be in a stable condition. The factory belonged to the Anning Qitian Chemical Fertiliser Company. The leak has now been contained. It is not thought to have had an environemntal effect. China's industries have a poor safety r

Police officers in Athens, Greece continue their investigation in order to find the murderer of the popular actor Nikos Sergianopoulos, who was found dead in his apartment on June 4, 2008. Athens coroner Philippos Koutsaftis stated that Sergianopoulos, 56, had been stabbed 21 times in the neck, lungs and chest, and the door had been forced. Reports from Greek television news made it known that the knife, with which the actor was stabbed, was found in the kitchen with blood on it. Contrary to first assumptions, police now believe that it was

On June 3rd, 2008, two United States Internet service providers (ISPs) announced they would begin tests to slow web access for their most active customers and charge them for extra speed. Comcast and Time Warner Cable, two of the largest ISPs in North America, both made separate announcements of their plans. The actions come in the wake of an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), over whether Comcast had restricted some customers from sharing videos, music, and similar files. The FCC investigation led to a US Congress de

The use of a 25-second clip from John Lennon's song Imagine in a film critical of the Theory of Evolution has been deemed likely to be defensible under a fair use doctrine by U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein. The film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, produced by Premise Media and starring comedian Ben Stein, uses the clip to represent "the most popular and persuasive embodiment of this viewpoint that the world is better off without religion", according to Premise representative Anthony Falzone at a hearing last month. In the song, Lennon pro

Bo Diddley, influential American blues/rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist has died today at his home in Archer, Florida from heart failure. He was 79 years old. He was born Ellas Otha Bates on December 30, 1928 in McComb, Mississippi, USA. He rose to fame in 1955. His hits included "Pretty Thing", "Say Man" and "You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover". He also appeared as an opening act for The Clash and as a guest of The Rolling Stones. On March 25, 1972, he played with The Grateful Dead at the Academy of Music in New York City. D

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

The one billion pound Liverpool ONE retail development has opened in Liverpool. A 42 acre area of the city has been cordoned off for 3 years as developers from the Grosvenor Group rebuilt the area. Currently about 40 shops are open and another 120 shops and 20 bars and restaurants will open in September. The area also includes residential development and a cinema. The flagship store is John Lewis. The development is the largest retail development in Europe and contains the longest single-span box bridge in the world. A Novotel and a £50m Hilt

HMS Superb, a navy submarine from the United Kingdom, crashed into rocks in the northern half of the Red Sea on May 26. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a statement saying, "there were no casualties and the submarine remains watertight, is safe on the surface and able to operate under its own power." The MoD also said that "the submarine's nuclear reactor is completely unaffected, and there is no environmental impact." BBC News has reported that an investigation will be launched to discover the cause of the incident. According to th

A fire and string of explosions at a chemical factory in Iran have killed at least 30 people. State news agency IRNA says at least 38 more are injured at the facility near Shazand in the industrial province of Markazi. IRNA reports that a 60,000 litre chemical reservoir exploded to trigger the disaster, which may have been caused by nearby welding work. 23 of the injured people are reported to have sustained burns across 70-100% of their body. It is unclear what was manufactured at the factory, with RTE reporting that it was a pharmaceutical

Sydney Pollack, Academy-Award winning American film director, producer and actor has died today at his home in Los Angeles, California at the age of 73. The cause of death was announced as stomach cancer. He was born on July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, United States. He directed films such as The Way We Were, Tootsie, and Out of Africa. Pollack is survived by his wife, Claire Griswold and 3 children.

Thailand's National Film Archive in Salaya, Nakhon Pathom unveiled a new museum and cinema on Thursday night for the 100th anniversary celebration of the birth of Rattana Pestjoni, a filmmaker who is considered the "father of contemporary Thai cinema". With Pestonji's family, movie stars, filmmakers, government officials and fans on hand, the National Film Archive's museum was opened for tours, and the facility's 120-seat cinema hosted the screening of a documentary film, Signature: The Life and Work of R.D. Pestonji. Pestonji was born in Ban