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Florida court blocks drug testing state workers

2025-02-17T15:07:39Z

Friday, April 27, 2012

Florida

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The US state of Florida has repealed an order by the state's governor to drug test all state employees and new hires to state agencies. The Miami federal court has said that the order is unconstitutional, violating the ban upon 'unreasonable' search and seizure.

Last year, Governor Rick Scott ordered 80,000 drug tests on state employees. He is a former health care executive and objects to the ruling against drug testing. "As I have repeatedly explained, I believe that drug testing state employees is a common sense means of ensuring a safe, efficient and productive workforce," Scott said yesterday.

Howard Simon, executive director of the A.C.L.U. of Florida, said, "The governor can't order the state to search people's bodily fluids for no reason."

Governor Scott is also dealing with a drug testing-related lawsuit for recipients of welfare.

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Sources

[edit]

Tom Brown. Florida judge blocks drug tests for state workers — Reuters, April 26, 2012
Lizette Alvarez. Court Rules Florida Governor’s Drug-Testing Order Unconstitutional — New York Times, April 26, 2012

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Wikinews Shorts: March 21, 2012

2025-02-17T15:07:38Z

A compilation of brief news reports for Wednesday, March 21, 2012 .

Contribute to Wikinews by expanding these briefs or add a new one.

Iraq bombings cause security concerns for Arab summit

[edit]

A series of car bombings in Iraq left around 50 dead and more than 200 wounded on Tuesday. Seven of Iraq's 18 provinces were attacked. The attacks were described as coordinated although no group behind them has been identified.

The bombings raise safety concerns ahead of next week's Arab League summit meeting. In response, Iraqi officials will declare a holiday beginning Sunday that will run through April 1 in Baghdad, allowing restriction of traffic around the summit meeting area.

Sources

Sahar Issa. Bombings in Iraq kill 50, heighten security concern for planned Arab summit — The Miami Herald, 20 March 2012
Mohammed Tawfeeq. Dozens killed in widespread attacks on Iraq invasion anniversary — CNN News, 20 March 2012

Mexico damaged by quake

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Mexico Earthquake Density Map

Mexican authorities continue assessing damages from yesterday's earthquake. Around 800 homes were damaged in the town of Igualapa, Guerrero, and close to the epicenter in the south. The number of injuries totaled eleven so far but no deaths have been reported. Most of the injuries were reported in Oaxaca, which borders Guerrero. Mexico's government has sent out helicopters to assess damage and set up shelters for residents in need.

Yesterday's incident was measured by the U.S. Geological Survey as a 7.4 magnitude quake, which makes it one of the strongest since 1985.

Related news

"Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Mexico; no fatalities reported" — Wikinews, March 21, 2012

Sources

Hundreds of houses collapse after strong earthquake hits Mexico — CNN, 20 March 2012
Katherine Corcoran (AP). 7.4 quake shakes south Mexico, 100s of homes damaged — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 20 March 2012

Apple officials scorch iPad 3 concerns

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The iPad 3

Consumer Reports revealed through testing that Apple’s iPad 3 can reach a sizzling 116 degrees Fahrenheit, or 46 Celsius. The new iPad was found to operate hotter than the previous versions. Apple Computer did not agree that its product was overheating. The company said the latest iPad runs within a normal range and would warn users if it passed its limit, but the company declined to state what that range was.

Apple’s forums house several consumer concerns about the new iPad overheating. Some debated whether to return the product.

Sources

Agam Shah. Apple denies new iPad overheating concerns — Computerworld, 20 March 2012
Jeremy A. Kaplan. New Apple iPad hits 116 degrees, Consumer Reports says — Fox News, 20 March 2012

Moto2 Wraps up final pre-season test at Jerez

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Taltrans Racing rider Claudio Corti made his way to the top of the time sheets with a blazing 1’41.983 on the third and final day of testing at Jerez circuit. The Italian Moto2 rider was just .004 ahead of Thomas Lüthi of Interwetten Paddock GP who was fastest the first two days. All riders except Scott Redding (7th), Randy Krummenacher (21st), Gino Rea (23rd), and Elena Rosell (33rd) ran their fastest times today.

The test at Jerez was the first to feature the official Moto2 engine, and the last chance for an official practice before the first race in Qatar April 5-8.

Sources

Corti ends final pre-season Test at Jerez fastest — MotoGP/FIM, 21 March 2012
Jerez II Moto2 test times - Wednesday (Final) — Crash.net, 21 March 2012

NFL Fines New Orleans Saints for "bounties"

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Head coach for the New Orleans Saints American football team Sean Payton has been suspended for the entire 2012 season and the team fined US$500,000 for operating a bounty program to injure opponents in games. Gregg Williams, the former defensive coach who is now with the St. Louis Rams, has been suspended indefinitely, and will have his status reviewed at the season's end.

The team will lose it's second round draft picks for the 2012 and 2013 season. General Manager Mickey Loomis was suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of the 2012 season, the National Football League (NFL) said. The assistant head coach was also suspended for six games without pay.

The NFL is currently receiving class action law suits from former players for multiple injuries.

Sources

Michael Martinez. NFL fines New Orleans Saints for putting 'bounties' on opponents — CNN, 21 March 2012
NFL hammers Saints for bounties — ESPN, 21 March 2012

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Observing the 2012 Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the US, and wider world

2025-02-17T15:07:37Z

Friday, January 13, 2012

Human rights

All articles in category

This week US citizens observed National Human Trafficking Awareness Day through acts of education, legislation, and enforcement; whilst, around the world, other people highlighted or tackled this global problem in their own countries.

According to an annual report on human trafficking released by the US State Department in June last year, 27 million men, women and children are exploited through human trafficking. Worldwide, at least two million children are estimated to be trafficked victims of the sex trade; and, in military conflicts, it is not uncommon for children to be forced to bear arms. In releasing the report last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing trafficking, and cultural issues associated with it.

Brown, orange and red are source countries, while light blue and dark blue countries are destinations for victims of human trafficking.
Image: KVDP.

Under the United Nations' Palermo Protocols, human trafficking encompasses cases where victims are born into slavery, forcibly transported for exploitation, consented to work with a trafficker, and/or were forced to participate in criminal activities. The Protocols also recognize the unique status and rights of children.

US-based action

[edit]

Reports from across the United States show a number of communities taking local action to solve, or otherwise highlight, this global problem.

In Southern California, Sister Caritas Foster is an advocate for the area's victims of human trafficking. Commenting on the area's involvement, she stated: "We in the San Francisco Bay Area are one of the largest receiving areas with our borders and coasts". For over four years, Foster has worked on educating the public on human trafficking, speaking to civic and religious groups and describing the power traffickers hold over their victims through vivid accounts of situations trafficked individuals find themselves in. Many have no idea where they are located, suffer under the constant threat of deportation, and most often lack the language abilities to seek help.

Los Angeles politician Don Knabe said human trafficking was not a distant problem but one that hits close to home. As the county supervisor overseeing the fourth district in Los Angeles County, Knabe cited figures from the Probation Department showing 84 percent of arrests of children on prostitution charges in 2010 were in his district; he believes the overall problem for the county is much larger, and wants the Probation Department to establish a special unit dedicated to sexually exploited minors.

Northward in Seattle, Washington, members of the King County Sheriff's department realized that law enforcement had to deal supportively with the symptoms of human trafficking — rather than putting victims in jail. This gave birth to the "Genesis Project" where sheriff's deputies offer potential victims of trafficking a comfortable safe haven with amenities for 24 hours, and put them in touch with social services for counselling, job training, and education advice.

Politicians from several states have sought to address the connection between tourism and human trafficking; Indiana's state Senate unanimously passed a human trafficking bill on Tuesday morning. Current legislation only considered forced marriage and prostitution as human trafficking; loopholes in the existing laws allowed some forms of human trafficking to escape prosecution. Lawmakers in the state hope to toughen their human trafficking laws, and have new legislation on the statute books in time for the Super Bowl, due to be held in Indianapolis on February 5. The just-passed bill now goes to the House for approval.

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Also on Tuesday, lawmakers from Hawaii held a special hearing on human trafficking. Kathryn Xian, of Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery, says traffickers capitalize on the state's tourist-based economy. She introduced a package of seven bills she says will help prevent human trafficking in the state.

At a national level, the US government continues to work abroad on the issue of trafficking; Luis CdeBaca, a special ambassador for human trafficking, is working with Myanmar, commonly known as Burma, as the country seeks to improve diplomatic relations with the United States. Myanmar was identified by the US State Department as having one of the worst records of forced labor, and as a country that lacks necessary laws to curb human trafficking.

Trafficking, the global picture

[edit]

File image of a Nepali mother who travelled to Mumbai, India, hoping to rescue her teenage daughter from an Indian brothel.
Image: Kay Chernush, US State Dept..

Although National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is a US-based effort to recognise, and highlight, this issue — as a topic of global concern being highlighted through the United Nations, others around the world continue efforts to increase public awareness and tackle trafficking.

Forty-six women from the international group Operation Mobilization sought to raise awareness by climbing Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro. The summit is called "Uhuru Peak", with Uhuru meaning "freedom" in Swahili. Each of the non-professional climbers raised US$10,000 to help those affected by human trafficking.

In the Middle East, several countries are reported to have problems with human traffickers recruiting unemployed gay Kenyan men to become sex slaves. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are supposedly the more-common destination countries into which Kenyans are lured with offers of high-paying jobs. However, in the United Arab Emirates — where no law prohibits trafficking, but homosexuality is illegal — the problem is compounded.

Enforcement of existing laws, and acting against trafficking, are seen as key steps in reducing the activity. Showing that no country is unaffected, Northern Ireland police are currently investigating five sex trafficking cases; and, on Monday, Filipino police rescued fifteen women following a tip-off regarding women recruited, and being held, prior to being sent to work abroad.

In the Northern Ireland situation, Detective Superintendent Philip Marshall stated that fifteen men are to be contacted, suspected of having paid for sex with trafficked women. Identifying victims within the UK, or victims seeking help, is becoming more challenging with the sex industry having switched to using hotel rooms as-opposed to street corners. Many victims of trafficking are found to be unaware of where within the country they are.

In the Philippines situation, Zamboanga City police are still seeking the recruiter of the fifteen women rescued in Rio Hondo.

A range of complexities are involved in the sentencing of both those convicted of human trafficking, and their victims. In one Canadian case, 43-year-old Hungarian Lajos Domotor pled guilty to trafficking men and women into forced labor. Following being charged with conspiracy to commit human trafficking, he developed terminal stomach cancer and has been given a 10 to 15 percent chance of living five years.

In the UK, officials are seeking to detect exploitation prior to sentencing — as a counter to the high number of foreign women in jails, frequently having been victims of trafficking. One in seven women prisoners across England and Wales are foreign, with the primary offenses being drug or immigration-related. A report into the issue recommends sentencing decisions should consider the role of women, and of coercion, in such cases.

Artists also have a special role to play in the education and awareness of the public. The first opera about sex trafficking will premiere in Liverpool, England, on March 7. Anya17 was composed by Adam Gorb with a libretto written by Ben Kaye. Performers will come from Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic contemporary music ensemble 10/10. Funding for the production was provided in part by the United Nations.

Sources

[edit]

Wikinews

This article is a featured article. It is considered one of the best works of the Wikinews community. See Wikinews:Featured articles for more information.

AP. US Envoy: Myanmar Weak Against Human Trafficking — ABC News (United States), January 11, 2012
PSNI to visit men who paid for sex with trafficked women — BBC News Online, January 11, 2012
Liz Dossa. The lure of a better life: Human trafficking in the Bay Area — Catholic San Francisco, January 11, 2012
Press Association. Women 'coerced into offending' — Mid Sussex Times, January 11, 2012
Women's climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro shouts for Freedom from trafficking — Mission Network News, January 11, 2012
Brandi Kruse. Project rescues victims of sex trade in King County — MyNorthwest.com, January 11, 2012
Bong Garcia. 15 human trafficking victims rescued — Sun.Star, January 11, 2012
Krista Henery. Human trafficking bill passes Senate — WLFI-TV, January 11, 2012
Nicole O’Reilly. Human trafficker pleads guilty — The Hamilton Spectator, January 11, 2012
Malia Zimmerman. Sex Trafficking Victims, Advocates, Lobby Hawaii Legislators for Stronger Laws — HawaiiReporter.com, January 10, 2012
Paul Chavez (Marina del Rey Patch). Knabe Raises Issue of Child Prostitution — Patch Media, January 10, 2012
Gay Kenyan men trafficked as sex slaves — UPI, January 10, 2012
Helen Carter. Opera aims to tackle the issue of human trafficking — The Guardian, January 9, 2012
Hillary Clinton. Remarks on the Release of the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report — U.S. Department of State, June 27, 2011
Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. "What Is Trafficking in Persons?", Trafficking in Persons Report 2011 — U.S. Department of State, June 27, 2011

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