This Week in the World: January 23rd 2014

Man-eating tiger hunted in India

Seven people have been killed in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in the past few weeks, after a tiger prowling for food in the area attacked them. The Associated Press reported that three hunters been hired to find and kill the tiger, which has become as the ‘Man-eater’. Wildlife activists have asked that the tiger not be killed, but instead captured, and transported to another region where it can find food in its natural habitat. The tiger has been prowling the area since Dec. 29, 2013, when a sixty-five-year-old man was mauled. Since then, the tiger has been circulating without adequate food or rest. People in the area have been told not to go near forests, and not to leave their homes alone.


Canadian anti-cyberbullying campaign

The federal government is launching an ad campaign aimed at putting a stop to cyberbullying, headed by Justice Minister Peter McKay. The first phase of the campaign is called Stop Hating Online, and will include television and Internet ads that focus on when cyberbullying crosses the line to criminal activity. McKay announced the campaign at Fairview Junior High School in Halifax, and referred to the cyberbullying related suicide of seventeen-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons in April as an impetus for the campaign. The government introduced a related piece of legislation in November that would give courts the right to seize computers, cellphones, or any other devices that are used in a cyberbullying offence, and help victims recoup part of the cost of removing the images from the Internet. The bill applies to young people and adults alike who have been victims of online harassment.


Uganda president blocks anti-gay laws

Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, has refused to approve a bill to toughen punishments for homosexuals. However, the reasons for his decision have been very controversial. The bill would make homosexual acts punishable by life imprisonment, and makes it a crime not to report gay people. The president’s spokesman has said that the president believes that homosexuality is an illness, but that this does not mean that they should be jailed or killed for it. The president goes so far as to say that to be homosexual is to be “abnormal,” saying that it is not a form of alternative sexual orientation. Gay rights activists say that while it is a good sign that homosexuality will not be prosecuted, the way in which the president is addressing it will encourage the community to continue discriminating against homosexuals.


Central African Republic genocide?

Senior United Nations officials have said that if there is not an international response to the crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR), that there will be a genocide situation. In the last month in the capital alone, over 1,000 people were killed. There have even been reports of cannibalism in the clashes between Christian and Muslim armed groups. The UN has described the crisis state in the CAR as one of the top three humanitarian emergencies, after Syria and the Philippines. Peacekeepers in the country are said to be having a positive effect, but were stretched thin, causing the conflict to continue. The UN said that if this conflict does not go up on the priority list, then it will quickly become genocide.


Man sent ricin-laced letters to Obama

James Dutschke, a man from Mississippi, has pleaded guilty to sending letters laced with ricin, to President Obama, as well as a Republican senator and a Mississippi judge. Ricin is said to be 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide. The letters to the president and the senator were both intercepted; the Mississippi judge received her letter, but was not harmed. Initially, the police arrested an Elvis impersonator for the crime, but it was later discovered that Dutschke had framed him. The two had known each other and had developed a sort of rivalry. Dutschke is expected to be sentenced to twenty-five years in prison.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles