Friday, November 3, 2023

News roundup, 3 Nov 2023

- In the West Bank, attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers have accelerated dramatically since Hamas' attack on Israel last month. Over 130 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in the last month, in addition to the more than 9,000 killed in Gaza so far and the 1,400 Israelis killed in the initial attack. Meanwhile Hamas says they are willing to release the hundreds of hostages they are holding, in return for the release of the Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons.

- MPI workers are back on the job today, but the backlog of claims, as well as road tests for new drivers, could take months to clear.

- The Manitoba NDP is working to undo the push by the Tories to use P3s to build schools. A step in the right direction for sure, but the Tories don't like it of course; they want more public money put in the hands of their friends. The NDP also remains committed to freezing Hydro rates, although some fiddling will be necessary to make it work due to reduced profits as a result of lower water levels in the utility's reservoirs.

- The Philippines is pulling out of the Belt and Road Initiative (which is sometimes called China's version of the Marshall Plan), largely due to disputes over China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

- A small chartered aircraft with seven people on board made an emergency landing on a gravel road in the RM of St Andrews, just north of Winnipeg, after losing both engines. There were no injuries, nor even any damage to the aircraft, which was successfully towed out to a paved highway, refueled, and flown back to the airport. I suspect the pilot is going to have some 'splainin to do though.

- Compared to regular bicycles, e-bikes are heavy. The one that hit this guy weighed 30 kilograms, and stuff like this has led some to suggest that e-bikes should be treated as motor vehicles for insurance purposes.

- OPP officers noticed rim marks on the shoulder of the 401 near Belleville on Wednesday, and followed the marks to a rental van whose left rear rim had been worn down almost to the hub. When they pulled the vehicle over they noticed several cases of beer with the labeling primarily in French; they found the driver to be evasive about where the beer had been purchased. Upon investigation they found a total of 326 cases of beer, and the driver finally admitted that it had been purchased in Quebec for use at a wedding. Since this did not constitute "personal use" the driver was charged with unlawfully possessing liquor as well as driving an unsafe vehicle.

- An Australian woman faces three charges of murder and five of attempted murder after poisonous mushrooms were included in meals served to her husband and several of his relatives in her home.

No comments: