In the News

Here is some stuff in the news today...

[Content Note: Police brutality; racism] The Justice Department has selected six US cities to "participate in a federal pilot program aimed at reducing racial bias and improving ties between law enforcement and communities, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday. The cities are Fort Worth, Texas; Gary, Ind.; Stockton, Calif.; Birmingham, Ala. Minneapolis; and Pittsburgh." GOOD.

[CN: War; terrorism] Mercenaries have joined the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria: "Hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa and other countries are playing a decisive role in Nigeria's military campaign against Boko Haram, operating attack helicopters and armored personnel carriers and fighting to retake towns and villages captured by the Islamist militant group, according to senior officials in the region. ...[A senior government official in northern Nigeria] said the mercenaries' role was crucial, part of a new offensive against Boko Haram after a nearly six-year insurrection. ...The mercenaries 'are in the vanguard in the liberation of some of the communities,' the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals."

[CN: Sexual violence; rape culture] Bertrand Charest, the former coach of the national and Quebec ski teams, has been accused by a ninth victim of sexual assault: Charest was "arrested and charged earlier this week with 47 counts of sexual assault and sexual harassment related to incidents [involving eight minor-age athletes] that allegedly occurred between 1991 and 1998. Police in Mont-Tremblant, Que., said today a ninth potential victim has come forward. 'We had multiple [pieces of] information that came to us at the police station, but we had one new victim that came forward and decided to press charges against him, for the same period, between '90 and '98,' Mont-Tremblant police spokesperson Eric Cadotte told CBC News." I hope all of his victims find something resembling justice and peace during this process.

[CN: Murder; domestic violence; guns] The courts aren't done with Oscar Pistorius just yet: "Pistorius' lawyers failed Friday in their attempt to stop an appeal by prosecutors that will again seek a murder conviction against the double-amputee athlete for shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa dismissed an application by Pistorius' defence lawyers to challenge the appeal by prosecutors, who were last year granted permission by Masipa to have Pistorius' negligent killing conviction reviewed. Prosecutors want Pistorius found guilty of the more serious charge of murder for shooting Steenkamp multiple times through a door in a bathroom in his home in 2013. ...The ruling means Pistorius' case looks set to go to South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal, where a panel of judges would decide if Masipa's initial verdict to acquit Pistorius of murder at the end of the seven-month trial last year was wrong."

Cool: "NASA confirms there's an ocean on Jupiter's moon Ganymede: The largest moon in our solar system is hiding an ocean under its surface, according to observations made with the Hubble Space Telescope. Aurorae spotted by the telescope, confirmed the long-standing theory... This news doesn't mean that Ganymede should move to the top of the list of places to explore, however. The ocean is likely around 100 miles below the surface, which would make it complicated to study with a robot. ...Still, the European Space Agency is planning a mission back to the Jupiter system in the 2020s called JUICE. It will take closer looks at the moons of Jupiter like Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, all three of which are confirmed or thought to have water oceans. 'As far as we can tell, almost everywhere we look there's water,' Heidi Hammel said during the conference, who is the executive vice president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. 'Water, water, everywhere in our solar system.'"

Lesley Simpson is the first woman who will serve as "Guizer Jarl—or chief Viking—in the 130-year history of Shetland's world famous fire festivals. ...Ms Simpson, from Bigton, will be the first woman to ever play the honoured role of the Guizer Jarl, around whom the whole festival revolves. The primary school head teacher will lead the procession on Friday night while dressed as a Viking warrior complete with axe, shield and armour, before helping to burn a replica Viking galley. Speaking ahead of the event, she told BBC Scotland: 'It is really important to me. It has been a long build up, five years of knowing that this was going to happen, five years of people talking to me about it and wishing me the best with it and it is going to be a wonderful day.'" Yay!

And finally! Here is just a great story about a little dog who went from a homeless injured pup to a most loved pet. Blub.