Wikinews Shorts: August 14, 2010

Tamil migrant boat bound for Canada sparks debate
Hundreds of Sri Lanka seeking asylum in Canada unboarded their cargo ship that they used to sail from Sri Lanka to Vancouver. Some of the people who were on board the MV Sun Sea  needed medical treatment, but officials have said that they were not aware of major medical problems.

The landing of the 490 refugees, however, has raised concerns that some onboard might have been members of the Tamil Tigers Sri Lankan rebel group. The Tigers, who fought a civil war against the Sri Lankan government for over two decades and lost in 2009, have been designated a terrorist group by the Canadian government since 2006. "Our goal is to ensure that our refugee system is not hijacked by criminals or terrorists," Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said. Toews also said that the governnment would be taking a tough line with the ship's passengers.

Sources

South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene indicted on felony charge
, the Democratic candidate for the South Carolina US senate seat, has been indicted on a felony charge of showing pornography to a female college student. The 32 year-old Greene was arrested last November after allegedly showing a female student obscene photos on his laptop and then asking to come to her dorm room. Greene shot to instant fame after he won the South Carolina Democratic senate primary with 58% of the vote despite not campaigning or raising funds for his US senate bid.

Sources

FDA approves of 'morning after' pill
The US (Food and Drug administration) has approved a new, longer lasting 'morning after' pill that works for up to five days after unprotected sex. The FDA approved the pill, called ella, has stated that the birth-control pill will be prescription-only. The FDA said that the drug "is not intended for routine use as a contraceptive." The pill is made by the French medical company HRA Pharma and will be marketed in the US by Watson Pharmaceuticals.

Sources