Latest news with #Handbook
The Star
09-05-2025
- The Star
Brunei joins workshop on Asean legal cooperation to combat human trafficking
The delegation in a group photo. - RBPF BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: A delegation from Brunei recently attended a workshop on the Asean International Legal Cooperation (ILC) Handbook and Asean International Legal Cooperation (ILC) Compendium in Bangkok, Thailand. The delegation included personnel from the Prime Minister's Office, the Criminal Justice Division of the Attorney General's Chamber, the Human Trafficking Investigation Unit (USPM) of the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF), and the Immigration and National Registration Department, who attended as representatives of the National Working Committee on Anti-Trafficking in Persons. The two-day workshop, held on May 6 and 7, was organised by the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime in cooperation with Counter Trafficking Asean-Australia (Asean-ACT) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The workshop's objectives align with the implementation of the Asean Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (ACTIP), and the Asean Multi-Sectoral Work Plan Against TIP 2023-2028 (Bohol TIP Work Plan 2.0). It aims to strengthen international legal cooperation (formal and informal) among Asean member states, in line with Asean member states' laws on cross-border crimes, especially trafficking in persons (TIP) cases. The project aims to update the Asean Handbook on International Legal Cooperation in Cases of Trafficking in Persons and prepare an Asean Compendium on International Legal Cooperation in Cases of Trafficking in Persons. It also aimed at disseminating information to more stakeholders about the Asean Handbook and the Asean Compendium on Trafficking in Persons Cases to explore any future collaboration. The two documents are expected to be further discussed for endorsement during the 25th Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC). The workshop was attended by 69 representatives from various Asean Sectoral Bodies, including participants from 11 countries. The programme also promoted international cooperation and the exchange of ideas and views on the increasingly complex issue of human trafficking, ensuring a stronger response against all forms of exploitation related to human trafficking. – Borneo Bulletin/ANN
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Texas has a long history of destructive explosions; one in 1947 killed almost 600 people
Texas is no stranger to massive explosions like the one that destroyed or badly damaged homes and injured six people in a residential area off U.S. 183 near McNeil Road on Sunday. Looking back in Texas history, these explosions were among the worst: Texas City: At 9:12 a.m. on April 16, 1947, the SS Grandcamp exploded at the docks in Texas City. The ship carried ammonium nitrate that was produced during wartime for explosives, but later was recycled as fertilizer. "The entire dock area was destroyed, along with the nearby Monsanto Chemical Company, other smaller companies, grain warehouses, and numerous oil and chemical storage tanks," records Handbook of Texas online. "The concussion of the explosion, felt as far away as Port Arthur, damaged or destroyed at least 1,000 residences and buildings throughout Texas City." A monument records 576 persons known dead, 398 of whom were identified, and 178 listed as missing. More on Texas explosions: Texas history: A witness to one of America's worst human-made disasters New London: On March 18, 1937, a huge explosion ripped apart a steel-framed school building in New London in East Texas. It collapsed, killing a reported 298 people. It was the worst school disaster in United States history. "Of the 500 students in the building," reports the Handbook of Texas Online, "only about 130 escaped serious injury." The disaster was blamed on a build-up of odorless natural gas. After New London, mercaptan, an organic compound that smells like sulphur, was added to natural gas in order to detect leaks. The town of New London hosts small, powerful museum about the disaster. More on Texas explosions: Arson blamed by investigators for West Fertilizer Co. explosion West: On April 17, 2013, ammonium nitrate exploded at the West Fertilizer Company storage and distribution facility. "The disaster killed 15, injured 160, and damaged more than 150 buildings," reads the Handbook of Texas Online. "On May 11, 2016, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined the explosion was an act of arson." Investigations into the incident led to several proposed regulations, but they were mostly rolled back. Pasadena: On October, 23, 1989, a chemical complex on the Houston Ship Channel in Pasadena suffered a series of explosions. The initial blast was reported as registering 3.5 on the Richter Scale. It took almost a day to control the fire. According to a report by Federal Emergency Management Agency, at least 23 employees were killed, while more than 100 were injured Texas City: On March 23, 2005, this city on Galveston Bay endured another deadly explosion, this time at the BP America Refinery. A spark from a truck ignited an explosion that caused a vast vapor cloud that hung over the refinery; 15 workers were killed and 180 were injured. "The geyser of toxic, highly flammable chemicals accidentally unloosed at the BP refinery in Texas City on March 23, 2005, would later be estimated at 7,600 gallons," reported the Texas Tribune in 2015. "All it took was a spark from a passing truck to trigger one of the worst oil refinery tragedies in U.S. history." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin explosion not the first, Texas has long history of explosions
Associated Press
09-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
DEA's Marijuana Double Standard: Attorney Aarathi Haig Flouts Ethics Laws While Blocking MMJ's Cannabis Research
Duane Boise CEO of MMJ International Holdings stated, 'When private citizens or companies fall short of compliance, the DEA acts swiftly and decisively. The question is, why is there no comparable urgency when the failure comes from within the DEA's own ranks? The agency's silence on this matter is not just a public relations problem—it's a breach of public trust.' WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the federal agency tasked with enforcing the nation's controlled substances laws, now finds itself in the center of a growing controversy that threatens its credibility. The issue isn't just about the bureaucratic delays that have stalled vital medical marijuana research, it's about the integrity of the individuals charged with upholding the law. Aarathi Haig, the DEA attorney representing the agency in a high-profile lawsuit filed by MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, is currently listed as ineligible to practice law in New Jersey. Her lapsed status, with continuing legal education (CLE), IOLTA, and mandatory fee obligations, flies in the face of both state and federal ethics requirements. This isn't a clerical error, it's a serious breach of professional conduct that calls into question the agency's oversight and ethical standards. According to 28 U.S.C. § 530B, federal attorneys are required to abide by the ethical rules of the states in which they are licensed. Haig's inability to maintain good standing with the New Jersey Bar is a direct violation of this statute. The Department of Justice's own Ethics Handbook outlines fundamental principles which are honesty, integrity and adherence to the law which are undermined when an attorney fails to meet even the most basic professional obligations. This is Not a Minor Technicality MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, a company seeking to develop cannabis-based pharmaceuticals for Huntington's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, has waited 7 years for DEA approval to conduct its research. The agency's delays have prompted a federal lawsuit, and now we learn that its legal representative may not even be ethically authorized to appear in court? This development not only bolsters MMJ's case, but paints a troubling picture of selective enforcement and double standards. Duane Boise CEO of MMJ International Holdings stated, 'When private citizens or companies fall short of compliance, the DEA acts swiftly and decisively. The question is why is there no comparable urgency when the failure comes from within the DEA's own ranks? The agency's silence on this matter is not just a public relations problem, it's a breach of public trust'. The Public Deserves Answers Has the DEA taken disciplinary action? Has Haig been removed from the case? What mechanisms exist within the DEA to ensure their attorneys meet the same standards the agency enforces on others? Congress must act. Oversight hearings should be convened, and the DEA should be held accountable not only for its handling of MMJ's application, but for its internal ethical failures. The revelations about Haig, offer a rare glimpse into an agency in need of reform that ensures fairness, transparency and accountability at all levels. At a time when the nation is reconsidering its policy approach to cannabis, we must also reconsider who is enforcing the law, and whether they are living up to the standards they demand of others. When the enforcers themselves become the violators, the law loses its moral authority. Madison Hisey 203-231-8583
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
St. Paul Public Schools Board approves cellphone, electronics ban
Students in St. Paul will experience a big change starting next school year. The St. Paul Public Schools Board on Tuesday passed a new district-wide policy to ban cellphones and electronics from classrooms while school is in session, taking effect at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. The new policy comes after the Minnesota Legislature mandated last year that every school district have a cellphone policy, part of a wider effort to tackle the distractions phones can be to students and teachers during class. While many districts had already rolled out their new policy on the first day of the 2024-25 school year, remaining districts have until March 15 to set the board-approved policies. According to St. Paul's new rules, no electronic devices of any kind will be permitted during school hours. They must be left at home, in lockers or turned off and put away. The electronics banned include cellphones, tablets, laptops, bluetooth and wire devices (earbuds) connected to personal electronic devices, pagers, walkie-talkies, electronic mail devices, MP3 players, smart watches and personal gaming systems. Schools will need to create clear and consistent expectations for students in following the newly adopted policy, in accordance with the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. The district says this may include losing the privilege altogether of bringing any electronic device to school. While all elementary schools and most middle schools in the district do not allow cellphone use during school hours, high schools have allowed some use. Schools are afforded some flexibility when it comes to grade levels nine and above, with the policy permitting them to create their own plans that are required to be reviewed annually, according to the policy. Electronic devices still won't be allowed during class, but could be allowed in between classes, before and/or after school, in locker rooms, bathrooms or during lunch. Any policies put in place for grades 9 and above must align with reducing use of electronics.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
District-wide cell phone policy prohibiting use approved by SPPS Board of Education Tuesday
The St. Paul Public Schools Board of Education approved a cell phone policy for students Tuesday prohibiting their use during school hours that it will implement this fall. Districts across the state are adopting district-wide policies on cell phone use since the Legislature mandated them last year. The deadline for districts to set school board-approved policies is March 15. The policy states that the use of personal electronic devices will not be permitted during school hours and must either remain at home, in lockers or turned off and put away. It includes cell phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches, gaming systems and earbuds. 'There is no such thing as a perfect policy, but I do think that we're at a point where we've crafted something that answers the original question that we had of, how do we enact this law in a way that is as equitable as it can be, and rooted in the understanding that technology is here and not going away, as well as bringing in as many stakeholders as we can,' said Chair Halla Henderson. The majority of SPPS schools already do not allow the use of cell phones during the entire school day, according to the district. Currently no SPPS elementary schools allow cell phone use during the school day and most middle schools don't allow their use either. Board members did discuss allowing the use of smart watches — some elementary students use them to navigate their way to and from school. For the majority of high schools, some use of cell phones, such as during lunch, is permitted. As part of the approved cell phone phone policy, schools can develop their own documented plans with school stakeholders for grades 9 and above that must be reviewed annually. Schools could then decide for those grade levels to allow cell phone use before and after school, between class periods or during lunch, but must have an objective of reducing their use. Electronic devices still would not be permitted during class periods, in bathrooms or in locker rooms. Schools often share updates on cell phone practices in back-to-school materials, said Jodi Danielson, SPPS director of schools and learning and facilitator of the district's cell phone policy workgroup, last week. 'So that's really where parents will be able to hear about and plan for any changes that they might experience at their school,' Danielson said. According to the policy, staff will refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook when responding to policy violations. This can include students losing the privilege to bring devices such as cell phones to school. Legislation introduced in January would require that school districts' cell phone policies, starting in the 2026-2027 school year, prohibit cell phones and smart watches for students in kindergarten through eighth grade and prohibit them in classrooms for students in grades 9 through 12. It allows some exceptions, such as students with medical conditions requiring monitoring or students with individual education plans or other exceptions set by the principal. Implementation planning for the new policy is expected to happen through the spring and summer, according to Danielson. The policy begins district-wide on Sept. 2.t See the full approved policy available on the SPPS website by going to The policy can be found by going to the Board of Education section and selecting the Feb. 18 BoardBook. Education | St. Paul Public Schools Board: New superintendent to start May 12 Education | SPPS Board of Education to vote on cell phone policy Tuesday Education | St. Paul, other big districts cancel Tuesday classes because of cold weather Education | St. Paul Public Schools cancels school, after-school activities Tuesday due to weather Education | Confirmed case of pertussis/whooping cough in St. Paul school district Education | St. Paul Public Schools Board: New superintendent to start May 12 Education | SPPS Board of Education to vote on cell phone policy Tuesday Education | St. Paul, other big districts cancel Tuesday classes because of cold weather Education | St. Paul Public Schools cancels school, after-school activities Tuesday due to weather Education | Confirmed case of pertussis/whooping cough in St. Paul school district
