News Briefs
Lane Koch, Staff Writer
International
A Japanese whaling fleet embarks on a three month hunt for whales in Antarctica today, violating the United Nations International Court of Justice ruling last year that ruled Japan’s pursuit of whales did not classify as scientific research and it should cease immediately. Japan originally appeased the UN by not hunting any in 2014, but has since made statements that it will no longer consent to the matter being litigated in the world court. Japan has also been scrutinized for hunting dolphins and continues to be defiant in those rulings as well. The UN says it will continue to pursue Japan and push for the cease of whale hunting.
National
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court chose to limit its reach in international cases when a woman brought suit after a train accident in Australia which resulted in the amputation of both of her legs. Instead of navigating the Australian court system , Carol Sachs sued the Massachusetts based travel agency for selling her the ticket to the train. The Supreme Court unanimously voted down her suit saying the ticket sale itself was not a crime, the travel agency could not be considered an agent of the Australian railway, and they had no power to rule on an event outside of their jurisdiction.
State
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said that the costs to repair roads, bridges and other infrastructuresdamaged in the “thousand-year” floods this fall will come to about $114 million. A total of $181 million in insurance claims have been filed through private companies and $375 million have been filed in agricultural damages with the federal government shelling out $500 million. Though rebuilding is coming along quickly it will be a while before repairs are complete.
In Columbia a baby girl only a few hours old was abandoned at Palmetto Health Richland on Saturday. Due to the state’s Safe Haven for Abandoned Babies Act, she was immediately put in DSS custody and is being cared for by Safe Haven staff until a permanency hearing where in she will be a ward of the state and can legally be placed into a new home by adoption.
