A death squad guns down at least 30 people in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Several teenagers and a child were among those killed in the districts of Queimados and Nova Iguacu on Thursday night. Authorities blame rogue police officers for the massacre. (BBC)(Wikinews)
The government of Argentina delays the restructuring of its debt by the exchange of old bonds for new because of a decision by a federal court judge in the United States that froze the processing of the old bonds in the possession of the Bank of New York pending a hearing before the appeals court. (Financial Times)
Hoaxes
On the internet
AppleTalk Australia (now named MacTalk Australia) announces that Apple Legal had demanded the site stop using 'AppleTalk' as a name, as this was a trademark owned by Apple. A second 'decoy' prank was also posted which included news that Apple was to release an 'iPhone' called 'AppleTalk'. Two years later, but not as an April Fool's joke, Apple would indeed introduce a real iPhone.
MozillaNews reports that Google will be acquiring the Mozilla Foundation, as a whole.
The Skeptic's Dictionary front page shows an announcement that the author has given up scientific inquiry and skepticism in place of the pursuit of Veritas.
The QuakeCon website was taken over by rabid imps, killing all the staff and sparking panic in Dallas, Texas. View the carnage here.
Utopios makes first public release while changing policy by licensing popular Free software and becoming a proprietary OS.
Mr. Skin featured "Bea Arthur Baring All" and announced a change from all-female to all-male content. Main PageLanding PageAsk Mr. Skin (Warning: some adult content)
The Tiger Pep Band at DePauw University changed their website design to appear as the Wabash Pep Band from arch-rival school Wabash College. The feature news article described that DePauw was being absorbed into a new "Wabash University" and that the Tiger Pep Band -- soon to celebrate its tenth anniversary -- would become a second-tier ensemble within the Wabash Bands department.
MSN launches a new site producing spoofed search results for April fools day, MSNSearchSpoof. (This isn't actually a hoax, just an aid to create a hoax.)
Mobile Gazette reports that European cellphone standards will be needlessly harmonised.
Booble.com has become Biible.com, an anti-sex site.
Star Trek had several hoaxes on their website StarTrek.com including a bogus "Potucker" episode ad, funny clips, and various other articles throughout the home page.
SpaceDaily reports that President Bush has cancelled the Space Shuttle Program and EADS SPACE.
BDgamer.net posts news about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas PC version leaked all over the net.
Creative Bits http://iraszl.brinkster.net/creativebits/ Announces that the rumors were true and Microsoft has purchased the site. This popular Mac Photoshop resource would now be featuring articles on MS Windows and providing Photoshop Tutorials from the Windows version. "Sounds cool? We thought so!"
NASA's "Astronomy Picture of the Day" featuring a picture of "Water on Mars"
Ubuntu Linux users who ran an apt update had their normal gdm login screen replaced with a picture of three people, including Mark Shuttleworth, replicating the original picture.
Dr. Mario to be banned from further Nintendo products after parents' complaints about his association to a drug dealer. Local Toronto physician Dr Pablo N. Mario is outraged and sues Nintendo.
Sonic CulT announces a merger with Sonic Classic, a site with whom they have had a long-standing hatred of.
Opera Software announced Opera SoundWave, a "platform-independent speech solution for short- and medium-range interpersonal communication".
GMTV reported on "Fruitshakes", milkshakes produced by feeding cows fruit.
Locus Online carried a fake news story announcing that 12 members of SFWA had been killed in a flamewar.
LiveJournal's Brad Fitzpatrick announced his departure and new corporate policies, including the introduction of banner ads. LiveJournal's web client's "Update Journal" button bounces when moused over, switches with "Check Spelling", and when finally clicked changes text to "Processing Whining".
OverClocked ReMix states that is taken over by Electronic Arts. Later that day, OC ReMix received a letter from representatives of EA threatening legal action for the hoax. Later still, the legal threat turned out to be a second hoax. The site has since been changed back to its original layout.
Homestar Runner displayed a hoax message purporting that the popular (and free) animation website would begin charging money for access. A comically mediocre "tour" of pay-site features was also presented.
Ambrosia Software invited its mailing list subscribers to visit their site and download "Screen Cleaner Pro!," a hoax application which seems to brighten the user's computer monitor with an animated graphic of a cloth being dragged across the screen- the effect is achieved by gradually darkening the monitor before executing the animation.
Planetcricket.net reported that Swordfish Studios had announced a new game officially licensed by New Zealandcricket & rugby union international Jeff Wilson called Jeff Wilsons International Rugby versus Cricket 2005. Features included playing cricket with a rugby ball and rugby with cricket bats. (full article)
Several comic strip cartoonists make Ouija board jokes at the same day, with roughly the same dialogue. Strips involved include FoxTrot, Get Fuzzy and Pearls Before Swine.
Tibia is supposedly searching for players to coordinate game events. They would get a special character with power to summon monsters and create items, and "of course" they would be paid for the job. http://www.tibia.com/news/?subtopic=newsarchive&id=309
Also in World of Warcraft, Blizzard announce that they are to scrap the currently planned Battlegrounds system in favour of an in-game playable version of Warcraft III.
In addition, the avatars on the US forum were all changed to Murlocs, and the Murloc attack sound from the game was played in the background.
The Sonic Stadium releases a fake card battling game at 4pm that fails when trying to start a game, and keeps members in suspense for three hours claiming to be fixing the program. The final error message at 8pm had a category of "April Fool".
Gamerevolution reviews the gPod, a handheld gaming device entry by Apple.
Mozilla announced that the new name for the Application Suite would be Allizom.
Mess with MSN Messenger reports one of its visitors discovered an ancient rock formation in Big Bend National Park that looks suspiciously a lot like the MSN Messenger mascot Mess.be.
BMEzine posted an article about a couple cutting off their ringfingers in the name of romance.
Apple announces that they will release the "Gpod" handheld console this year to compete with the Sony PSP.
A radio station in WA, played "You Promise Me" over 10 times in a row on the radio. Saying that other songs were coming up next, they played the same song over. Listeners were tuning in and rang up, but then figured it was April the 1st!
In The Globe and Mail, BMW offered a free pair of "314t" cross-trainers to anyone who purchased a new 3-Series.
The Toronto Star reports that Ashton Kutcher and Paris Hilton to star in a 2005 remake of Casablanca
Campus Security at Queen's University in Kingston reported Hogwarts Castle was acquired by the University and reported a number of Security incidents that resulted from the influx of Hogwarts "exchange students". Features Photoshopped pictures of characters from the Harry Potter movies along with well known University landmarks.
Malaysian radio station Hitz.FM's Morning Crew, Rudy and JJ (famous for their Gotcha pranks), announce that they have been fired for coming in late the day before, and take hostage of the station. The drama went on for their entire morning shift. Malaysian newspaper The Malay Mail carried the story thinking that it was for real. They carried the story the day after, announcing that it was an April fool's prank.
NOS Jeugdjournaal, Dutch Journal for Kids announced that the government wants to prohibit using MSN Messenger for children under the age of 14. Thousands of children called a special telephone number to vote against the plan, and were told it was a joke.
A Zoo in Emmen announced the birth of a zebra whose patterning was chequered, as opposed to the conventional stripes. Readers were invited to visit the zoo.
TweedehandsMac, a website to sell and buy 2nd hand Macs inverted all words on their website, making their new title: "caMsdanhedeewT"
The Otago Daily Times newspaper announced a breakthrough link between an additive in printing ink and obesity, urging its readers to soak their newspaper in water and wrap themselves in its pages to test the results for themselves.
Campbell Live (TV3's recently launched current events programme) exposed advanced Government plans to sell much of the national park on Stewart Island/Rakiura to the United States for use as an air base supporting their operations in Antarctica.
BMW printed a full page ad in a number of national UK newspapers (including The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, and the Daily Mail) saying that in 2007 the EU was to ban right-handed cars being driven in mainland Europe (effectively banning every British car), and that they had invented steering wheel-less technology. The ad can be seen here.
Mugglenet is replaced with a page stating that J.K. Rowling has taken legal action against the site, causing it to be shut down. (It also contained a fake countdown to "Harry Potter 5: The Pillar of Storgé")
The BBC report that a think-tank has suggested that disabled people should not appear on television until after the 9pm watershed.
The Guardian reported that Charles, Prince of Wales had been appointed 'Countryside Tsar' by Tony Blair in the run-up to the imminent general election. The ban on foxhunting will be revoked, as long as it is made into a sport of the people.
The Sun reported that EUbureaucrats wanted to ban April Fools' Day because of physical and mental injury caused to the victims of jokes; and that Gypsies had camped in Windsor Castle, claiming a centuries-old right to pitch tents there.
BBCNorthern Ireland airs a fake documentary - Provinceworld - suggesting that Las Vegas businessmen were trying to buy up Northern Ireland tourist attractions to create a new casino.
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