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Friday, September 21, 2007

Two boys, aged nine and 11, have been charged with coercing a seven-year-old male schoolmate in Howell, Michigan, to perform oral sex on multiple occasions, while on their way to school four months ago. All the children attend Howell Elementary School.

The victim’s father reported the alleged abuse to police after the seven-year-old boy was caught performing oral sex on his younger brother – and explained that he had done it before on the school bus.

The two boys charged with sexual misconduct could be listed on Michigan state’s sex offender registry if they are convicted. The older boy has been released on a US$25,000 bond, with the condition of 24-hour monitoring.

The bus where the alleged events occurred was equipped with a video camera, but Chuck Breiner, superintendent of the school, says that they do not reveal any sexual activity between passengers.

Friday, June 17, 2011

R.J. Harris, a potential candidate for the U.S. Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination, took some time to speak with Accredited Wikinews Reporter William Saturn about his campaign and issues positions.

Harris is an officer in the United States Army National Guard, currently serving in Afghanistan. He is also in his third year as a law student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Harris previously worked as an Air Traffic Controller and small business owner. He plans to enter the race in September after completing his tour in Afghanistan.

Others seeking the nomination include Libertarian activist R. Lee Wrights, radio host Jim Duensing, former Nevada Libertarian Party chair Jim Burns, marketing executive Roger Gary and attorney Carl Person. 2008 Vice presidential nominee Wayne Allyn Root is also expected to make a run.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Red River at Winnipeg is almost clear of ice blocks and ice jamming, however there are still dangers from the Red River flood.

Ice blocks which were as high as two storey buildings were ripping out trees, fences and railway ties. “You’ll see huge pans of ice standing vertical, up to 20 feet (6.1 m) high,” said Steve Topping, an official with the provincial Water Stewardship Department. “Ice was shoved up on the shore and took out trees with a very devastating effect. It has changed people’s view of the river.”

“It is incredible, the force. One piece of ice pushed out of the river about 20 feet. You watch the force push this up right in front of your eyes,” said Dean North, of the Selkirk Golf and Country Club.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police are ticketing sight seers who are driving through road closure signs and approaching excavators, cranes and crews breaking up the ice. Vehicles, people, boats, and kayaks are getting in the way.

An eight year old boy is in critical condition after slipping on a culvert Thursday. He was pulled underwater by the speed of the flowing water and remained under for about five to ten minutes until adults could rescue him. The air ambulance supplied by Alberta’s STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society) remains in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“This is not a spectator sport. It’s not about getting the best pictures for the family albums. I know floods are seen as a bit of an event, but some of the instances I’m hearing about, people should give their head a shake, they really should,” said Steve Ashton Manitoba Emergency Measures Minister, “Those who fall into the river or get into trouble in another way would be not only endangering themselves but the emergency response crews trying to rescue them. I don’t want to see a situation … where we’re trying our darndest to prevent flooding and save lives and somebody [who] decides to go have a white-water experience ends up killing themselves.”

Early Easter Sunday morning floodwater reached the rural municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements north of Winnipeg. Residents were sent an evacuation advisory Good Friday, however some residents remained. Rescue efforts commenced Saturday night to find those stranded and unable to leave as their vehicles cannot travel in the swollen overland floodwaters. Some people were rescued from roof tops as entire houses were swept off of their foundations by the large ice blocks hurtling down the river.

Highways in the area remain closed. Neil Gobelle, of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation said to “definitely continue to watch the Red River Valley and north of the city up in the Selkirk area. Things are changing quite a bit, quite quickly, so we’ll keep an eye on those areas.”

As of Easter Sunday, Winnipeg is expected to be ice free on the Red River. The River rose 4 feet (1.2 m) in the course of 24 hours. Rain is in the forecast and the higher temperatures of 17 °C (62.6 °F) will cause melting of snow and ice.

A weather system caused by La Niña is being watched by the United States National Weather Service and its potential effects between April 16-18 for residents along the Red River Valley. “We want people to be aware there is a very real possibility of the river going higher than what is out there,” said Mark Ewens, data manager at the NWS, “To have spring floods like this back-to-back is just an unfortunate series of events that have come along to plague us this spring. We’re wanting people to understand that this is a potentially serious problem.”

Saturday, July 2, 2005

Musician Luther Vandross died at 1:47 pm Eastern time Friday, at a hospital in Edison, New Jersey, likely from complications related to a 2003 stroke.

He was the winner of numerous Grammy Awards.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Detainees, or individuals in United States custody considered to be suspects connected to terrorism, will no longer be able to protest their being held in custody or their treatment while in custody, otherwise known as the “writ of Habeas Corpus,” at least not in U.S. federal courtrooms.

Democrats, who sponsored the bill, needed at least 60 votes in order for the bill to allow detainees to fight but received only 56, which included six Republicans. 43 Republicans voted against the bill.

“[The bill’s failure to pass] calls into question the United States’ historic role of defender of human rights in the world. It accomplishes what opponents could never accomplish on the battlefield, whittling away our own liberties. This is America?” said Democratic Senator for Vermont, Patrick J. Leahy.

In 2006, the U.S. Military Commissions Act limited the rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. run detention facility in Cuba for the most dangerous individuals in the world, accused of acts of terrorism. The act also included smaller U.S. prisons around the globe.

Opponents of the bill claim that to allow detainees those rights, the U.S. would potentially be engulfed in an endless line of lawsuits.

“To start that process would be an absolute disaster for this country. I cannot think of a more ill-advised effort to undermine a war that I think will be a long-standing effort,” said Republican Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey O. Graham.

Some Senators are planning on debating and voting on the bill again, but it is not known when or if that will happen.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Iran, has decided to pull its finances out of European banks and into different foreign banks. A senior Iranian official stated that this is an attempt to pre-empt possible U.N. sanctions over its resumption of nuclear fuel enrichment activities.

Comments by Iran’s central bank governor Ebrahim Sheibani, carried on air by the ISNA student news agency, confirmed that Iran had started transferring funds.

“We transfer foreign reserves to wherever we see as expedient. On this issue, we have started transferring. We are doing that,” Sheibani told the ISNA agency.

Ebrahim Sheibani also told the agency that the assets were being moved to an “undisclosed” location.

It is unknown exactly how much money is involved or whether or not Iran’s investments in Europe would be affected by the move. Traders have said that they had already factored such a possibility into the market.

Gary Samore, an expert on Iran and vice president for international programs at the McArthur Foundation in Chicago, said “the move reflected concern by Tehran that the Europeans might take unilateral measures amid the crisis over its nuclear program.” He also added that its decision to pull its assets from Europe “makes sense in terms of preparing for the possibility that Europe might take some measure to impose some financial sanctions. I don’t know that it changes the diplomatic formula. The key issue is still the question of whether or not the Western group can engineer a formal referral to the Security Council.”

It is unclear if an asset freeze or other punishment is imminent in Iran, but it has happened before. The country’s assets in the United States have been frozen since Iranians seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held its staff hostage after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

An Italian court last year had ordered an Iranian bank account to be frozen at the request of U.S. plaintiffs who were seeking compensation for terrorist acts they believe were supported by the country (Iran).

Earlier the EU drafted a resolution that calls for referring Iran to the 15-nation council. But it is said to stop short of asking for punitive measures against Iran. The IAEA is expected to meet on February 2, 2006 to discuss Europe’s draft.

Monday, June 25, 2018

On Saturday, the plastic ban in the Indian state of Maharashtra came into force. In an attempt to minimise pollution, the state government has introduced a ban on single-use plastics.

The leader of the Yuya Sena political party, Aaditya Thackeray, said on Twitter, “The ban on single use disposable plastic cups, plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic plates and cutlery, styrofoam cutlery and non woven bags”. He added, “these are global issues now and we have taken a step to combat it”.

Plastic pollution has led to the choking of drains, marine pollution and a risk of animals consuming plastics. This year, India’s motto for World Environment Day — June 5 — was “Beat Plastic Pollution”. People violating the plastic ban are to face a fine of 5,000 Indian Rupees (INR) for the first offence. For the second offence, the fine is INR 10,000 and the third time offence is INR 25,000 and a three-month prison term. Deputy municipal commissioner Nidhi Choudhary said, “To weed out corruption, we plan to give inspectors payment gadgets for electronic receipts of the fines”.

The Maharashtra government has given a 90-day period for manufacturers to dispose of existing polyethylene terephthalate (PET/PETE) plastic spoons and plates, while shopkeepers and citizens in general have six months to dispose of plastics. However, the ban does not prohibit plastic usage for wrapping medicines or milk cartons thicker than 50 microns.

The state government had announced the decision for the plastic ban on March 23. According to NDTV’s report, Maharashtra is the eighteenth Indian state to enforce a state-wide plastic ban. Aaditya Thackeray also said, “I congratulate the citizens for making this into a movement, even before the ban was enforceable, giving up single use disposable plastic.”