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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

A family of four adults and one minor has been reported dead after the house they were inhabiting in the city of Pichilemu, in Chile was allegedly intentionally set on fire on Sunday morning.

The fire was reported for the first time at around 8:00 AM local time (11:00 UTC). The house was located in Dionisio Acevedo Street, in front of the Inmaculada Concepción Catholic Church of Pichilemu. According to eyewitnesses, it was “intentionally caused by a group of drunken teenagers.” Another eyewitness said it was “the greatest fire she ever saw in Pichilemu. It was a real hell.”

The owner said she was “extremely upset.” “I did not rent the home to anyone, now I have nothing, I came for the money, but they aren’t here it seems,” she told live radio. Mayor Roberto Córdova told Radio Somos Pichilemu presenter Esteban Araneda “it was highly doubtful [the owner] wasn’t aware these persons were inhabiting the home. It’s a great tragedy for the Pichileminian and couldn’t pass unnoticed.”

Officials said the bodies have not yet been identified. The police haven’t been able to contact their respective relatives.

Dozens of people gathered outside the burnt house during Sunday afternoon. It is believed that the fire affected at least five other homes.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Major British charity Comic Relief has invested money in arms, alcohol and tobacco firms, according to a BBC Panorama investigation to be broadcast this evening.

The probe discovered evidence of hundreds of thousands of pounds going towards shares in weapons firms like BAE Systems and alcohol company Diageo. It is also alleged to have pledged upwards of £3 million into tobacco firms.

Ethical fund manager Helen Wildsmith told Panorama: “If people who’ve been giving them money, after watching the television, next year think twice and don’t give that money, because they’re concerned about their investment policy, then that could be argued to be a breach of fiduciary duty. They’re risking their reputation, and a charity’s reputation is very precious.”

Comic Relief was founded in 1985, and since then has taken in nearly £1 billion in donations. It funds charitable organisations in the United Kingdom as well as overseas. It uses a range of managed funds, which invests the money in the charity’s name – including on the stock market – in order to maximise return.

A spokesperson for the charity told the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph: “We put the money into large managed funds, as many other leading charities and pension funds do. On balance, we believe this is the approach that will deliver the greatest benefits to the most vulnerable people.”

The controversial investments were made between 2007 and 2009, Panorama explains. Peter Bennett-Jones, former chair of the company, defended the investments in a post on The Guardian’s website.

He said: “The Charity Commission guidance is quite clear that trustees must invest for the best possible financial return, while taking a level of risk appropriate for money in their care. They should only adopt an ethical investment approach with specific justification and not on the grounds of individual moral views. This sounds counterintuitive, but it is the law.”

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Greenpeace activists have scaled the house of Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, and then mounted 60 square feet of solar panels on the roof.

The four men and four women were highlighting what they believe is Prescott’s failure to make new houses, for which he has responsibility, more energy efficient.

After putting the solar panels up, they unfurled a large banner which read Oi 2 Jags! Hit targets, not voters.

John Prescott’s wife was alone in the house when the protesters climbed the building. She was reportedly awoken by their noise.

One protester, Laura Yates, 27, said, “The Deputy PM’s got a reputation for straight-talking,” she said from the roof, “but since the election kicked off we’ve heard barely a squeak about climate change from big hitters like him. As long as the average existing British house is responsible for six tonnes of CO2 every year he’s not dealing with the climate crisis. He’s in danger of hitting more voters than climate targets. Whoever wins on May 5th needs to get serious about energy efficiency.”

Speaking from the roof by mobile phone, she told Reuters, “It’s a major contributor to the climate change problem and Prescott could do something about this, particularly with the millions of new homes that are going to be built in Britain over the next years,” she said.

“He’s overseeing this house building programme and he should be ensuring that every one of these new homes is built to zero emissions standards,” she added.

The protesters climbed down at 2.50pm and were promptly arrested by local police for “harassment of a person in a dwelling”. The police then handcuffed them before taking them away in a van. The protesters left the solar panels by the door of the house, offering to come back and install the panels at a later date.

A police officer emphasised to BBC News that the distress of the event had been immense for Mrs Prescott: “It’s not pleasant to be invaded in the privacy of your own home and it is being treated seriously. She’s very distressed but she’s pleased with the happy outcome.”

John Prescott is currently touring the country as part of Labour’s General Election 2005 campaign. Speaking from Gloucester, he told BBC News 24, “It’s now clearly a publicity stunt and it terrorised my wife in the early hours in the morning to see all those men scrambling over the building. [Mrs Prescott] did not know who they were. It’s deplorable and unacceptable even for a publicity stunt.”

The protesters were challenged by the armed police officers who guard Mr Prescott’s home, but reportedly the officers withdrew when they realised it was a peaceful protest.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The discovery of the presence of airborne asbestos in a middle school in Montclair, New Jersey Friday prompted the evacuation of over 200 students from the school and the school’s closure. Renaissance Middle School, part of the Montclair Public Schools in New Jersey, was closed Monday and remains closed Tuesday while undergoing asbestos testing and cleaning.

According to a letter sent home to parents by the Superintendent’s Office of Montclair Public Schools on Friday, “plaster may have been disturbed” during construction on new fire doors at the Renaissance School building on Thursday.

An inspection arranged by the school district indicated asbestos was present in the plaster, and a subsequent inspection performed by asbestos consultant Detail Associates revealed “a level of airborne asbestos fibers that exceeded the acceptable range” in the third floor hallway of the school. Montclair Public Schools business administrator Dana Sullivan told The Star-Ledger that testing conducted on March 31 revealed the presence of asbestos in a brown undercoating of plaster at the Renaissance School building.

The affected area was sealed off, and some students were moved to other areas of the building while others were moved to off-site locations. District Public Information Officer Laura Federico told The Montclair Times that sixth and seventh graders were transported to Hillside Elementary School, and eighth graders were bussed to Montclair High School. “The safety of our students and staff is always our first concern,” said Federico.

According to The Montclair Times, Detail Associates conducted a cleaning protocol at the school on Saturday and tested the building to make sure it did not contain unacceptable levels of asbestos fibers. The letter sent to parents Friday by the Superintendent’s Office said that Detail Associates had told the district that the building would be “cleaned, tested and cleared for occupancy by Monday morning”. The school remained closed Monday, and a meeting was held between parents and school district officials. A Parent-Teacher Association meeting is planned for Wednesday night.

The Star-Ledger reported that the ongoing asbestos cleanup of the school is being supervised by the state Department of Environmental Protection. At the meeting Monday morning between parents and school district officials, parents demanded that the inside of lockers be included as part of the asbestos cleanup. This additional step in the asbestos inspection process prompted the school’s closure Tuesday. A Monday statement by the Business Office of Montclair Public Schools said that the Renaissance School would remain closed Tuesday for sixth and seventh grade students “so that an extensive cleanup and additional asbestos testing can be completed”. Eighth grade students did not have classes scheduled as a trip to Washington, D.C. had previously been planned; the school trip is unaffected by the recent asbestos incident.

Steve Jaraczewski of Detail Associates was present at the district meeting Monday, and said that one of four test samples taken at the school was positive for the presence of airborne asbestos at over six times acceptable levels. Jaraczewski was critical of the asbestos management plan provided by Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, which owns the school’s building and leases it to Montclair Public Schools.

Jaraczewski said that the state Department of Environmental Protection has required asbestos management plans since 1988, but that the company that drafted the asbestos plan for the Archdiocese of Newark is out of business. Representative for the archdiocese Jim Goodness emphasized that the building would be back open for classes soon. “The kids will be able to go back to school soon, and that’s the important part,” said Goodness.

Exposure to airborne asbestos can lead to mesothelioma, a cancer which develops in the sac surrounding the lungs and chest cavity, abdominal cavity, or the sac surrounding the heart. Exposure to disturbed asbestos fibers can also lead to lung scarring, a condition called asbestosis, and lung cancer. Patients with malignant mesothelioma generally do not have positive outcomes, and once diagnosed have six months to a year to live.

Monday, October 30, 2006

The upcoming 2006 Brampton municipal election, to be held November 13, features an array of candidates looking to represent their wards in city council or the council of the Peel Region.

Wikinews contributor Nick Moreau contacted many of the candidates, including Bill Bousfield, asking them to answer common questions sent in an email. This ward’s incumbent is Elaine Moore; also challenging Moore is Janet Hamilton and Tejinder Lamba.

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