Friday, August 21, 2009
Drug decriminalization
MEXICO CITY — Mexico enacted a controversial law Thursday that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free government treatment for drug dependency.
The law defines “personal use” amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamines. People detained with those quantities no longer face criminal prosecution when the law goes into effect today.
The maximum amount considered to be for “personal use” under the new law is 5 grams of marijuana — the equivalent of two or three joints — or a half-gram of cocaine. The limit for methamphetamine is 40 milligrams, and 0.015 milligrams of LSD.
CIA hit-squad program
WASHINGTON — The CIA hired private contractors from Blackwater USA in 2004 as part of a secret program to kill top-level members of al-Qaida, but a spokesman says it never resulted in the capture or killing of any terrorist suspects.
Former Rep. Porter Goss was CIA director at the time, and the contract ended during his time in office, according to a former senior intelligence official and another person familiar with the program. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the program remains classified.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who is chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Thursday the CIA broke the law by failing to notify Congress about the program earlier.
Judge rejects challenge to eavesdropping law
NEW YORK — A judge rejected a challenge to a law letting the United States eavesdrop on overseas conversations Thursday, saying fears by Americans that their conversations will be monitored and their rights violated were “purely subjective.”
U.S. District Judge John Koeltl ruled that the latest version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act could not be challenged by attorneys, journalists and human-rights organizations unless they could show their own communications had been affected.
The law, which was amended last year, authorizes surveillance of telephone conversations and e-mail exchanges involving non-U.S. citizens overseas to acquire foreign intelligence information.
The law was challenged by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, a group of international criminal-defense lawyers and an organization of women, among others.
Murder suspect believed to have gone to Canada
BUENA PARK, Calif. — A reality-TV contestant was charged with murder Thursday in the death of his ex-wife as the manhunt for the suspect spread to Canada and police provided gruesome new details about the killing.
Police said Ryan Alexander Jenkins removed the teeth and fingers of Jasmine Fiore, presumably to impede authorities in their efforts to identify the naked body after it was found stuffed in a suitcase in a California trash bin over the weekend.
The former swimsuit model and Jenkins were briefly married after a quickie Las Vegas wedding this year, and had been fighting in recent months. Prosecutors said the two checked into a San Diego hotel last Thursday, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again.
Jenkins is believed to have driven 1,000 miles to Washington state and then hopped in a boat to a peninsula on the border, where he walked into Canadian territory. A Canadian police official said ground, air and canine units are involved in the search for Jenkins.
Powerball winner in S.C.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in South Carolina is a whole lot richer.
The single winning ticket for Wednesday’s $259.9 million drawing was sold at a gas station and convenience store next to a Wal-Mart in Columbia.
South Carolina Education Lottery spokeswoman Stephanie Hemminghaus said no one came forward Thursday to claim the prize.
Flu advice for colleges
WASHINGTON — The government is urging colleges to prepare for swine flu this fall and has issued new guidance for keeping students living in dorms from making each other sick.
Officials say students with flu symptoms should avoid other people until 24 hours after a fever is gone. For students with private dorm rooms, that could mean staying in their rooms and finding a “flu buddy” to help deliver meals and notes from class.
For someone with a roommate, it could mean moving to some kind of temporary housing for sick students. And, officials say, if sick students can’t avoid close contact with other people, they need to wear surgical masks.
Associated Press