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France drops law that makes insulting the president a criminal offense

“Being rude to the French president is no longer an offence after parliament amended legislation dating back to 1881 in favour of freedom of speech. Previously any rude remark risked a fine and criminal conviction for ‘offending the head of state’. But the change was pushed through after criticism from the European court of human rights. In March, the court ruled that France had violated the right to freedom of expression after giving a criminal conviction to a man holding a cardboard sign telling the then-president Nicolas Sarkozy to get lost, uttered by Sarkozy himself months earlier when a man refused to shake his hand at an agricultural fair.” Continue reading →

Malawi man charged with ‘breaching the peace’ for calling president ‘stupid’

“Police in Malawi said Tuesday they had arrested a 37-year-old man and charged him with breaching the peace, after he allegedly called President Joyce Banda ‘stupid.’ Japhet Chirwa is believed to have called the head of state ‘stupid and a failure’ after a failed bid to change the name in his passport, police spokesman Maurice Chapola told AFP. ‘He got furious and started talking ill of the president,’ said Chapola, speaking from the northern city of Mzuzu. Chirwa has been charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, which could carry a fine or a six-month custodial sentence.” Continue reading →

Japan: Fukushima clean-up will cost $58 billion

“The clean-up after the Fukushima nuclear disaster could cost five times more than estimated, far more than the 1 trillion yen the government has so far allocated, as Tokyo Electric Power said on Wednesday that steam had been seen again in a reactor building. Earlier this month, the utility had reported spiking levels of possibly cancer-causing materials in soil from underneath the plant, but maintained that toxic groundwater was likely contained. On Monday it admitted its own study, completed days earlier, revealed the groundwater was leaking into the ocean, prompting criticism over the delay.” Continue reading →

Canadian officials deny that pooping geese could have spread GMO wheat seeds

“Canadian agricultural officials exchanged a series of emails in late August of 2012 outlining a crisis plan explaining how personnel at the country’s agricultural agency should deal with inquiries about whether experimental Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) wheat could be spread in the feces of Canadian geese. The Ottawa Citizen said Tuesday that it has received heavily redacted copies of the emails, which point toward a concerted effort to squelch the notion that GMO wheat could have escaped its growing area at Agriculture Canada’s Experimental Farm in Ottawa in the digestive tracts of Canadian geese.” Continue reading →

DEA raids pot shops in Washington state, where marijuana is legal

“The Drug Enforcement Administration swooped in on several medical marijuana storefronts in Washington on Wednesday, despite the state’s law allowing marijuana possession. Raids took place in Pierce, King and Thurston counties. They were reportedly targeted by a two-year investigation into dispensaries thought to be laundering money and selling marijuana under the table to unlicensed buyers. Voters in Washington passed an initiative last November that legalized adult marijuana possession up to one ounce and directed the state to develop ways of regulating production and taxing sales of the drug.” Continue reading →

Senate committee votes unanimously to sanction any country that takes Snowden

“The 30-member Senate Appropriations Committee adopted by consensus an amendment to a spending bill that would direct Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with congressional committees to come up with sanctions against any country that takes Snowden in. Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have said they could offer sanctuary to Snowden. Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said he introduced the amendment to try to get the attention of any country that might take in Snowden, not Russia in particular, although he noted Moscow has lined up against the United States on other issues, including the civil war in Syria.” Continue reading →

CIA displays Osama bin Laden’s personal AK-47 at ‘secret’ museum

“An AK-47 assault rifle once owned by terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is on display at a museum in Washington, D.C. Problem is, you’ll never get to see it up close. That’s because the weapon is stored inside a glass case at the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) ‘secret’ museum, according to NBC News, and visitors are strictly prohibited. ‘I think for our people it’s an acknowledgment that the hard work over that 10 years and partnership with other members of the intelligence community and partnership with the military was a success,’ a spokesperson said.” Continue reading →

No Free Sun for You! Why Arizona Wants to ‘Tax’ Solar Power

“On July 12, Arizona’s largest electric utility announced a plan to drastically change net-metering, the way in which homeowners and businesses with solar rooftops sell excess power back to the grid. Net-metering is the foundation for all solar leasing; without it, solar companies can’t entice homeowners with the promise of ‘cut your electric bill, no money down’ but instead would rely on sales of expensive systems. The proposal would slap existing solar-paneled homeowners with a fee of up to $100 per month for the privilege of selling excess power back to APS. If you don’t already have solar panels, you can never share in net-metering as we know it.” Continue reading →