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Saturday, April 30, 2005

The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced a recall of foods containing banned dyes which increase the risk of cancer. The food products were sold at the Tesco, Waitrose, and Somerfield supermarkets.

A Bristol company called “Barts Spices” found the illegal Para Red substance in their Barts Ground Paprika, which was sold in 48g and 46g jars with a “Co-op” label. The batch codes on the affected products are 5032 and 5089 (expiration Dec 2007), and 5075 (expiration February 2007).

Tesco also found that their 130g package of BBQ rice cakes (expiration November and December 2005) contained both Para Red and Sudan I.

“It would be very prudent to assume that it could be a genotoxic carcinogen,” FSA scientific advisers told reporters.

“As a company committed to supplying only the very finest quality food ingredients, we took the immediate decision to withdraw our ground paprika spice from all outlets selling the product and advertised a product recall in the national press,” a Barts Spices spokesman said in a statement.

Sudan I is only authorized for industrial use to colorize petroleum products, such as shoe polish. Para Red and Sudan I are banned under the British Colours in Food Regulations of 1995.

Britain last went through a major food recall in February, when Worcester Sauce was found to contain chili powder dyed with Sudan 1.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

It was reported on Saturday Sirhan Sirhan was stabbed in the neck while in prison. Sirhan, 75, is serving a life sentence for the 1968 assassination of United States senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.

Sirhan was serving his time at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California. He was reported to be in stable condition.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) did not identify Sirhan as the victim. Rather, government sources confirmed his identity to various news outlets anonymously.

The Department issued a statement that an inmate had been stabbed: “There was an assault on an inmate on Friday, August 30 at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility at 2:21 p.m. […] Officers responded quickly and found an inmate with stab wound injuries […] He was transported to an outside hospital for medical care, and is currently in stable condition.” They also said they believed they had identified the attacker, who was being held in isolation pending investigation.

Sirhan, an ethnic Palestinian from Jordan, opposed Senator Kennedy’s pro-Israel position. Sirhan later claimed to have no memory of the night Kennedy was shot or of his own confession to the crime. For many years, Sirhan was held protectively separate from most prisoners at Corcoran State Prison because of his fame. At his own request, Sirhan was eventually transferred to the general population at Donovan.

Robert F. Kennedy was the brother of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who had himself been assassinated in 1963. Robert was killed in June 1968, while seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Sirhan shot him in the head just after midnight, while he was walking through a hotel kitchen. Sirhan’s initial death sentence was commuted to life in prison when, for a time, California outlawed the death penalty.

• Sirhan in 1969 (Image: CDCR)

• Sirhan in 2016 (Image: CDCR)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Copies of The Profit, a 2001 film blocked from distribution in the United States due to a court injunction won by the Church of Scientology, appeared on the Internet Friday on peer-to-peer file-sharing websites and on the video sharing site YouTube.

Directed by former film executive Peter N. Alexander, the movie has been characterized by critics as a parody of Scientology and of its founder L. Ron Hubbard. Alexander was a Scientologist for twenty years, and left the organization in 1997. The film was funded by Bob Minton, a former critic of Scientology who later signed an agreement with the Church of Scientology and has attempted to stop distribution of the film. Alexander has stated that the movie is based on his research into cults, and when asked by the St. Petersburg Times about parallels to Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard said: “I’ll let you draw that conclusion … I say it’s entirely fictional.”

The film was released in August 2001, and was shown at a movie theatre in Clearwater, Florida and at a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France. A Scientology spokesman gave a statement at the time saying “the movie is fiction and has nothing to do with Scientology”. The Church of Scientology later took legal action in an attempt to stop further distribution of the film. The Church of Scientology claimed that the film was intended to influence the jury pool in the wrongful death case of Scientologist Lisa McPherson, who died under Scientology care in Clearwater, Florida.

In April 2002, a Pinellas County, Florida judge issued a court order enjoining The Profit from worldwide distribution for an indefinite period. According to the original court injunction received by Wikinews, the movie was originally banned because the court found that it could be seen as a parody of Scientology. In his April 20, 2002 ruling on the injunction, Judge Robert E. Beach of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court in Pinellas County, Florida wrote: “…an average person viewing the film entitled The Profit could perceive that it is a parody of the Church of Scientology”.

“To the extent that any person considered as a potential juror in evaluating any issues involving the Church of Scientology, the process of voir dire provides a fair and complete remedy to eliminate any potential juror that may possibly have been influenced to be less than fair and impartial,” added Beach.

Luke Lirot, the attorney for the film’s production company, announced on the film’s website on April 7, 2007 that “We have absolutely no exposure for any repercussions from the court order,” but that the film was still blocked from distribution due to an ongoing legal battle. Lirot wrote: “all that’s stopping the release of the movie is the legal battle with the partner who was compromised by Scientology (Robert Minton) and is currently using his power as partner to stop the release of the film.”

In an October 2007 article, The Times described the film as “banned in the US because of a lawsuit taken out against it by The Church of Scientology,” and Russ Kick’s The Disinformation Book of Lists included the film in his “List of 16 Movies Banned in the U.S.”. An 8-minute teaser segment from The Profit appeared on the film’s website and on the video sharing site YouTube in February 2008, and an attorney representing Bob Minton sent a letter to Luke Lirot requesting that the film clip be taken down. In a response letter, Lirot wrote that “Rather than damage any asset of the LLC, the short clip merely keeps the film in the public eye, and in a positive way.”

On Friday, copies of the film began to circulate on peer-to-peer file-sharing websites and on YouTube. A link related to the film’s appearance on the Internet on the community-based link aggregator website Digg.com had 3,638 “Diggs” – and hit the front page of the site’s Entertainment section on Saturday.

On Saturday, Scientology critic and Emmy award-winning journalist Mark Bunker put a streaming version of the film on his website, www.xenutv.com, and encouraged others to watch and discuss the film on a real-time chat channel. In a video posting to YouTube Saturday, Bunker said “I did not do it. I had nothing to do with it … I had nothing to do with this release at all. But I’m happy it’s out there … people are finally having a chance to see it. A lot of people have been curious over the years and there’s been a lot of interest in seeing the film, so finally you can.”

On the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology, a poster by the username “Alexia Death” commented on the film’s appearance on the Internet in the context of censorship: “It is out! And so it is a WIN if many people review it even if they say it SUCKS! … Being bad is no cause to allow censorship … And being censored is no cause to assume its good”. A post to the blog Blogsreel commented: “We have all wanted to see this movie that scientology kept hidden away from us. We have all wondered just how damning could this story be that we were banned from watching it.”

In a post on Sunday to the message board attached to the official website for the film, attorney Luke Lirot asked that individuals stop distributing copies of The Profit over the Internet. Lirot wrote: “It has been brought to my attention that several unauthorized transmissions and downloads of this protected work have taken place over the last 72 hours. Such actions are copyright violations and are unlawful. I request that any further distribution and/or dissemination of this important work cease immediately and any copies of the work that have been downloaded please be deleted.” In his statement, Lirot recognized the rights of individuals under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, but also said that unauthorized distribution of the film “will only serve to harm the goal of vast distribution”.

Blog postings have attributed the film’s appearance on the Internet as part of the anti-Scientology movement Project Chanology organized by the Internet-based group Anonymous, but this has not been confirmed. Wikinews previously reported on international protests against Scientology which took place as part of Project Chanology on February 10 and March 15. A third international protest by Anonymous is scheduled for April 12. Titled “Operation Reconnect”, the third international protest will focus on highlighting Scientology’s practice of disconnection.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Raouf Amin el-Araby, a 52-year-old Egyptian doctor who has been serving the Saudi Royal family for 20 years, was convicted of malpractice. Egyptian newspapers reported that he was accused of driving a Saudi princess “to addiction”, reportedly after treating a Saudi princess with painkillers.

Initially sentenced to 7 years and 700 lashes, he has been sentenced to 15 years and 1500 lashes, 70 a week, after making an appeal.

Family members, friends and colleagues gathered in outrage and grief outside the headquarters of Egypt’s doctors union, calling upon King Abdullah to pardon Raouf. “1,500 lashes is unprecedented in the history of Islam,” read one banner carried by protesters. “Who is responsible for the humiliation of our doctors abroad?” read another.

The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) and the foreign minister are working hard to find a way to return Raouf home quickly. Hafez Abu Saeda, the director of EOHR, stated that the princess was prescribed the same medication that she was receiving in the United States, “so it is obvious that the doctor was not at fault for her addiction.”

Abu Saeda was astonished that the judge doubled the sentence and the lashes after the appeal. It is tantamount, he said, to penalizing Amin for asserting his right of appeal. “When you appeal against a sentencing it is the rule that it cannot go higher, but in Saudi Arabia it appears anything is possible,” said Saeda.

Protests in Egypt have driven the Egyptian foreign ministry to seek a solution, partly out of concern that negative repercussions may damage relations between Cairo and Riyadh.

A human rights lawyer said that he was given the first 70 lashes last week and he will get 70 more this week.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Four men and one woman were in jail in Tyler, Texas as of yesterday morning following a robbery allegedly involving an elaborate scam.

Police alleged Alneisha Butler originated a scheme to lure a 25-year-old man to an apartment complex in Tyler late Tuesday night, where he was accosted at gun point by four men. Butler and the man had been corresponding online for a few weeks, when she told him she wanted him to meet some friends of hers, according to police.

When the two met at the complex, they were met by the four men who demanded money from the victim. He didn’t have cash, so the assailants ordered him to get cash from an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) while they held the woman until his return. The man left the scene and notified police by phone. The men named as alleged assailants in the crime were Lawrence Caston, Shannon Howard, Justin McGee, and David Roberts.

The woman and each of the four men were being held on a US$750,000 bond. A police spokesperson cautioned, “This could have [just as] easily happened if he met her at a bar as it happened online. If you go somewhere with someone and they start leading you to a place you don’t feel comfortable, then don’t go”.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

The team of the University of Melbourne has won the fifth annual ELSA Moot Court Competition on WTO Law for law students in Geneva yesterday, after beating the team from the University of Hong Kong.

Organised by the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA), the competition brings together students from around the world each year to contest a case based on the legal system and case law of the World Trade Organization – the global treaty that governs world trade and commerce.

This year, the case for the competition was on the topic of intellectual property rights and access to essential medicines – one of the most contentious issues in world trade in the past decade. Participating teams played out a dispute between two WTO members – one setting aside a pharmaceutical patent (respondent), the other challenging this on behalf of its industry (complainant).

Under World Trade Organization rules, a country can sidestep patents by issuing a “compulsory license” – a legal mechanism that allows a country to manufacture or import generic versions of patented drugs for public health and national emergencies while paying the patent holder only a small royalty.

The global finals last week were the culmination of months of national and regional rounds, with eighteen teams from universities in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia-Pacific winning a trip to Geneva for the final round. The first semi final was contested by the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne, while University of Hong Kong and Georgetown University fought out the second semi final.

In the grand final at the WTO Centre William Rappard, the University of Melbourne acted for complainant, the Government of Costo (imaginary developed WTO member), while the University of Hong Kong defended the position of the Government of Factoril (imaginary developing WTO member) – respondent in the matter.

After the two and a half hours of intense debates, the Grand Panel, including Gabrielle Marceau from the WTO Secretariat, Jayashree Watal from the WTO Intellectual Property Division and Werner Zdouc from the WTO Appellate Body Secretariat, decided in favour of complainant. The arguments submitted in favour of protecting the intellectual property rights of the pharmaceutical patent holder were deemed to be better structured and presented which led to the University of Melbourne winning the competition.

“The subject of the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health has raised a wide range of issues in the public debate. I think the ELSA Moot Court gave a timely opportunity to bright, young lawyers involved with WTO law to reflect upon and debate the complex legal and political issues raised by this subject,” said Jatashree Watal, Counsellor, WTO Intellectual Property Division.

The students’ debates during the final round in Geneva coincided with the decision of the Government of Brazil to put patients’ interests before patent holder’s interests and issue compulsory license on important AIDS drug. Some parties believe that the economic interests cannot be compared with saving human lives and protecting the public health while others would prefer a more balanced approach to this matter.

Friday, November 3, 2006

The upcoming 2006 Brampton municipal election, to be held November 13, features an array of candidates looking to represent their wards in city council or the council of the Peel Region. The candidates for this region are John Sanderson, Susan DiMarco (this wards incumbent), Tibor Bankuti, Theo Goary and Sukhwant Thethi.

John Sanderson spoke exclusively to Wikinews via questions sent in an email. Mr Sanderson’s answers to some of the questions asked are below.

Q: List the three most important issues in your campaign.

A: Safer communities through effective enforcement;

Reduced traffic congestion through effective planning; and

Managed growth through effective plan development.

Q: What one election issue do you feel is most relevant to your ward in this election?

A: My motivation for pursuing pubic office is to ensure that our city has adequate infrastructure to support its rapid growth. Wards 3 and 4 include Highway 410, Steeles Avenue, Kennedy Rd., Highway 10, McLaughlin Rd. and Chinguacousy Rd, some of the most congested roads in Brampton. As a life-long resident of Brampton, the severe traffic congestion that we are experiencing today is unprecedented in our history – and is costly to our economy and quality of life. While canvassing, the common message received from residents in the ward is that we need to better manage traffic and transportation. As a Regional Councillor, I will be a strong advocate for smart and long-term transportation planning of the City of Brampton and Region of Peel and I will take immediate measures to help alleviate transportation congestion in our city. This includes the provision of an effective and efficient public transit system that is responsive to users’ needs, as well as implementing and promoting carpooling, to help reduce single occupancy vehicles on roadways. I am also not afraid to speak up about the issues of Brampton. As Past President of The Brampton Board of Trade, I can be a strong voice to the Provincial Government about their need to make transportation infrastructure a priority, particularly as it relates to expanding Highway 410 and better planning and coordination of transportation region wide.

Q: What qualities or experiences do you possess, that make you more desirable than the incumbent?

A:

Q: Why do you want to represent your ward on council?

A:

Q: How are you currently involved in the community?

A: John has been a volunteer his entire life. John understands that “Community” is about service.

From 2001-2002, John Sanderson served as President of The Brampton Board of Trade. He was first elected as a member of The Brampton Board of Trade Governing Council in 1992, and continued as an active member when he started his own company, J.W.S. Waste Systems Inc., in 1998. Through his many years as a member of the Board, John served on every Board committee, including 11 years on Governing Council.

As a model corporate citizen, John Sanderson and his former company, J.W.S. Waste Systems Inc. contributed extensively to various community initiatives through sponsorship and participation, including: Salvation Army; St. John Ambulance; YMCA Fundraising Committee; Brampton Clean City; Santa Claus Parade; Brampton Excelsiors Major Lacrosse Club (including 14 years on the Executive and two years as President); Rotary Club of Brampton; Brampton Scouts Leader; and coaching and managing various minor hockey and lacrosse teams. As a member of the Ontario Waste Management Association, John served as President from 1996-98, in addition to four years on the Executive.

Outside of his business, Sanderson is very well known through his active volunteerism with the Rotary Club of Brampton, where he has been a member for 15 years and on the Board of Directors for six years. With the Rotary Club, John has participated on: the Easter Seals Fundraising Committee; volunteer at the Rotary owned and operated bingo hall; Membership Committee, where he was recognized with an Membership Award in 2002; and Chair of the Gage Park Enhancement Committee, Brampton’s historic park and skating trail, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Brampton. John’s dedicated service to the Rotary Club was honoured in December 2001, when he was presented the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Award, the highest award given by Rotary International to recognize community service.

John Sanderson, more important than being a prominent businessperson is a true community leader. Through his active involvement in The Brampton Board of Trade and Rotary Club of Brampton, along with his many other community initiatives and activities, he has dedicated himself to improving the quality of life in Brampton. In 2002, The Brampton Salvation Army asked John to be its Kettle Campaign Chair. John’s goal was to surpass the 2001 total. He dedicated himself so heavily to the campaign, that through his business and community connections, helped raise $233,000 – $118,000 more than the previous year. This is typical of John Sanderson when he makes a commitment to help. John, being a modest man, is always quick to thank his dedicated staff at J.W.S. Waste Systems Inc. and caring wife and family, for supporting him as he dedicates, on average, over 50 volunteer hours a month to his various community activities.

Adding to his long list of accolades, in 2002, John was one of two individuals recognized nationally by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce as Volunteer of the Year. Later that year, he was also the recipient of the prestigious Queen’s Jubilee.

Q: The Rose Theatre recently launched. What are your thoughts on this facility? Have you had a chance to tour it yet?

A:

Q: The province has strongly encouraged the development of high-density residences near the downtown. Do these buildings fit in with your vision of the downtown? How much say should other levels of government have in urban planning?

A:

Q: How do you feel about Brampton’s rate of expansion? Council recently capped the annual amount of new development; do you agree completely with this decision, would you have slowed development even further, or not have imposed a cap at all?

A:

Q: What are your opinions on Brampton’s congestion and the level of public transit funding?

A:

Q: Why should businesses be attracted to locating in Brampton?

A:

Q: How could Brampton further itself in attracting corporate investment?

A:

Q: Why have you chosen to involve yourself in the political process?

A: John Sanderson knows that Brampton can truly become a great city with the right vision, drive and management. John Sanderson will bring his business savvy and a strong sense of community to the role of Regional Councillor, and will contribute a common sense approach to the management of this city.

As Brampton grows to 635,000 people over the next 15 years, we need strong leaders on City and Regional Council. We need people with vision. But most of all, we need people determined to make change happen, people who will listen and speak out on issues.

Q: What does Brampton mean to you?

A:

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Nickey Iyambo, former vice-president of Namibia, died on Sunday, early in the morning. He was 82 years old.

The current president of Namibia, Hage Geingob, expressed his sadness at Iyambo’s death. Geingob tweeted, “I announce with sadness the passing of my comrade, former Vice President, Nickey Iyambo. He leaves behind a rich legacy of loyal service to the Namibian people. The nation has lost a freedom fighter and a leader with deep humane values. Condolences to his wife and family.”

Last year, poor health was cited when he stepped down from his position.

He was awarded the Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, first class — a high national honor conferred by the president of Namibia — in 2014.