A compilation of brief news reports for Saturday, August 14, 2010.
Contents
- 1 Tamil migrant boat bound for Canada sparks debate
- 2 South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene indicted on felony charge
- 3 FDA approves of ‘morning after’ pill
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Hundreds of Sri Lanka Tamils seeking asylum in Canada unboarded their cargo ship that they used to sail from Sri Lanka to Vancouver. Some of the people who were on board the MV Sun Sea needed medical treatment, but officials have said that they were not aware of major medical problems.
The landing of the 490 refugees, however, has raised concerns that some onboard might have been members of the Tamil Tigers Sri Lankan rebel group. The Tigers, who fought a civil war against the Sri Lankan government for over two decades and lost in 2009, have been designated a terrorist group by the Canadian government since 2006. “Our goal is to ensure that our refugee system is not hijacked by criminals or terrorists,” Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said. Toews also said that the governnment would be taking a tough line with the ship’s passengers.
Sources
- Jeremy Hainsworth and Rob Gillies. “Tamils cram on ship, seeking asylum in Canada” — Associated Press, August 13, 2010
- Allan Dowd, Reuters. “Tamil migrant boat docks in Canada, refugee debate flares” — MSNBC, August 13, 2010
Alvin Greene, the Democratic candidate for the South Carolina US senate seat, has been indicted on a felony charge of showing pornography to a female college student. The 32 year-old Greene was arrested last November after allegedly showing a female student obscene photos on his laptop and then asking to come to her dorm room. Greene shot to instant fame after he won the South Carolina Democratic senate primary with 58% of the vote despite not campaigning or raising funds for his US senate bid.
Sources
- Christopher Weber. “Alvin Greene, South Carolina Senate Candidate, Indicted on Obscenity Charge” — Politics Daily, August 13, 2010
- Doug Stanglin. “Long-shot Senate candidate from S.C. indicted on felony porn charge” — USA Today, August 13, 2010
The US FDA (Food and Drug administration) has approved a new, longer lasting ‘morning after’ pill that works for up to five days after unprotected sex. The FDA approved the pill, called ella, has stated that the birth-control pill will be prescription-only. The FDA said that the drug “is not intended for routine use as a contraceptive.” The pill is made by the French medical company HRA Pharma and will be marketed in the US by Watson Pharmaceuticals.
Sources
- Associated Press. “FDA OKs ‘morning-after’ pill that works five days after sex” — USA Today, August 13, 2010
- Reuters. “FDA OKs longer-lasting emergency contraceptive” — MSNBC, August 13, 2010