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Saturday, November 10, 2007

The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled more products over the last few days, though not all because of excessive lead.

While American toy companies have been rocked in the last few months by numerous unsafe Chinese-made products, mostly due to excessive amounts of lead in paint, a few of the latest recalls were actually due to design flaws.

Also recently recalled are sunglasses and toy cars from the Dollar General chain of price-point retailers.

Saturday, November 3, 2018

On Wednesday, the Pakistani Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi from blasphemy charges. Asia Bibi is a Christian who was sentenced to death by hanging in November 2010 and remained in confinement on death row for the past eight years awaiting a final decision, reportedly much of it in solitary confinement.

Headed by the Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, the bench composed of three judges ruled the prosecution “categorically failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt” and Bibi was freed from the charges. In the 56-page-long decision, the Supreme Court said, “This appeal is allowed. The judgements of the High Court, as well as the Trial Court, are reversed. Consequently, the conviction as also the sentence of death awarded to the appellant is set aside and she is acquitted of the charge”.

In 2009, two Muslim women accused Bibi of defaming Islamic prophet Mohammed. Bibi was arrested under 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code after local cleric Qari Mohammad Salaam registered a formal complaint against Bibi. Blasphemy against Islam is punishable by death or by life imprisonment. Bibi’s case was appealed in the Supreme Court after Lahori High Court upheld her conviction in 2014.

Following the verdict, a Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) leader, Afzal Qadri, said “[The judges] who have ordered the release of the accursed Asia [Bibi] are all liable to be killed under religious edict”. Demonstrations broke out in various cities across the country after the verdict. Another leader of TLP, Khadim Rizvi, said he would “paralyse the country within hours” if Bibi was acquitted and set free.

A main high-way in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and several roads in Karachi and Punjab province’s capital Lahore were obstructed by supporters of TLP and other religious groups sparking disordered traffic jams. Per the local reports, governments of three provinces — Balochistan, Punjab, and Sindh— had imposed section 144 which prevented gathering of more than four people in public. Section 144 was imposed till November 10.

The verdict of Bibi’s case was welcomed by Amnesty International. South Asia director deputy Omar Waraich said, “Justice has finally prevailed. The message must go out that the blasphemy laws will no longer be used to persecute the country’s most vulnerable minorities”. Christians account for about one and a half percent of the population of Pakistan. In 2010, then Catholic Pope Benedict XVI called for Bibi’s release.

Regarding the blockades in various cities and the threats against the judges, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the public via TV broadcast and said, “Which government can function when people say that kill the judges, rebel against the army chief? […] If the Supreme Court does not issue a verdict according to their wishes, does that mean they will come out on the roads and paralyse the country?”

Prime Minister Imran Khan also said, “They are inciting you for their own political gain, you should not get trapped by them for the sake of the country, they are doing no service to Islam […] We will protect people’s properties and lives, we will not allow any sabotage, we will not allow any traffic to be stopped”. He supported the Supreme Court decision and said it was “according to the constitution [of Pakistan] and Pakistan’s constitution is according to the teachings of Islam”.

After the verdict was announced, Bibi told Agence France-Presse, “I can’t believe what I am hearing, will I go out now? Will they let me out, really?”

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.”