■BOLIVIA
Animals in circuses banned
The government has enacted what animal rights defenders are calling the world’s first law prohibiting the use of animals in circuses. A handful of other countries have banned the use of wild animals in circuses, but the Bolivian ban includes domestic animals as well. The law, which states that the use of animals in circuses “constitutes an act of cruelty,” took effect on July 1 and operators have a year to comply, said the bill’s sponsor, Representative Ximena Flores. The law was proposed after an undercover investigation by the nonprofit London-based group Animal Defenders International found widespread abuse in circuses operating in Bolivia.
■JAPAN
Six US deserters at large
At least 12 US military personnel have deserted their bases in Japan over the past year and six of them remain at large, a Japanese foreign ministry official said yesterday. “Local police departments are still searching for six of them who are unaccounted for” after leaving their bases since July last year, the official said.
The US agreed with Japan last year to disclose information on deserters and has asked Japanese authorities to detain them and hand them over, following a series of crimes involving US military personnel. On Thursday, a Japanese court sentenced a 23-year-old Nigerian man who served with the US Navy to life in prison for killing a taxi driver last year in Yokosuka, the site of the largest US naval base in Japan, near Tokyo.
■CANADA
Groups denounce GM corn
Consumer and environmental groups on Thursday protested the government’s decision to allow the sale of a genetically modified corn. The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network demanded that Ottawa “immediately withdraw authorization for SmartStax,” a genetically engineered corn, “until Health Canada undertakes exhaustive and independent tests.” Greenpeace Canada also raised concerns, saying: “Releasing ‘SmartStax’ without evaluating safety, just a day after the release of the blistering report on the listeriosis crisis, confirms deep structural problems and government mismanagement of GE foods and crops.” SmartStax, produced by Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences, contains two genetic modifications increasing resistance to weed killers and six to protect it from insects.
■UNITED STATES
New stem cell rules enacted
President Barack Obama directed federal agencies on Thursday to enact new rules governing federally funded research on human embryonic stem cells. The rules, issued earlier this year by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), loosened some ethical requirements that scientists said could have cost them a decade of work. In March, Obama lifted restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research that had been put in place by former president George W. Bush, and asked the NIH to draw up new guidelines.
■UNITED STATES
Tiger escapes, tours Vegas
Police in Las Vegas say a tamed tiger that escaped from a magic act has been captured. Police say the residents in the city’s northwest section reported seeing the tiger wandering their streets on Thursday night. Police Lieutenant Les Lane says the cat belonged to Fernando’s Brothers magic act, and “they got it back into custody.” The cat was found in a resident’s backyard. Animal Control and Metro Police are investigating the incident.
RSS