A New York court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit by veteran news anchor Dan Rather against CBS television in which he claimed to have been punished for a controversial report about then-president George W. Bush. The New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division panel issued a judgment dismissing the complaint “in its entirety.” This overturned a lower court’s decision to allow Rather’s US$70 million lawsuit. CBS applauded the decision, saying it was “pleased by the appellate court’s unanimous ruling today dismissing all of Dan Rather’s claims. CBS’s position on each claim was upheld, as we have said they would be for the past two years.”
■UNITED STATES
New rules on dorm sex
Sex in a Tufts University dorm is fine. Sex in a Tufts dorm with your roommate present? That’s a no-no. This semester, the school has a new policy banning sexual activity while a roommate is in the same room. Kim Thurler, a Tufts University spokeswoman, said the school issued the new rule after a dozen or so complaints in the past three years. “It’s really about respect and consideration and it’s a question of how roommates utilized their space,” Thurler said. The new policy concerning overnight guests reads: “You may not engage in sexual activity while your roommate is present in the room.”
■UNITED STATES
Disney nods to volunteers
Disney is offering a free day’s admission to 1 million guests who complete a day of volunteer work next year. The “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program will provide certified volunteers with a one-day ticket to any park at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, or Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, next year. Would-be volunteers must register online with Disney and must be residents of the US, Canada or Puerto Rico to be eligible for the free admission. Disney is partnering with HandsOn Network, a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities, to connect people with projects and to certify that the work was done.
■UNITED STATES
White House feared witches
Former president George W. Bush’s White House refused to grant a prestigious honor to JK Rowling, fearing that it would look like a tacit approval of witchcraft, a former presidential aide said. The decision is revealed in a book by Matt Latimer, a former Bush speechwriter, who relates how the presidential medal of freedom — the nation’s highest award for those who have promoted national security, world peace or culture — was withheld from prominent figures on an array of spurious grounds, political and otherwise. “This ... narrow thinking led people in the White House to actually object to giving JK Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged witchcraft,” Latimer wrote in Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor.
■CANADA
Cirque head goes to space
The billionaire founder of the Cirque du Soleil show yesterday blasted off on a Russian rocket to bring his trademark humor and acrobatic energy into the ultra-serious world of space flight. Guy Laliberte, 50, a Canadian citizen, had spent millions from a personal fortune on his two week visit to the International Space Station, but he could be the last such “space tourist” for several years. He blasted off on schedule from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome, located in Kazakhstan, at 7:14am alongside a professional Russian cosmonaut and US astronaut.
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