Tnt August Main Inside 14-15

NEWS MAKERS

NEWS MAKERS

UK court rules Pringles are potato-light A British High Court judge has ruled that Pringles are not a potato snack and therefore not subject to a 17.5% tax. Pringles’ owner Procter & Gamble had claimed at a ruling in May that Pringles do not feel, look, or taste like a crisp. Justice Warren ruled that since Pringles are only 42% potato, it is exempt from VAT.

Judge orders YouTube to hand over video view records

Van Halen singer impersonated in Canadian medical scare

A United States federal judge ordered the popular video sharing website YouTube to hand over a record of every video that users have watched, including registered accounts and IPs. Viacom, which owns several U.S. television networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon, launched a $1 billion lawsuit last year alleging that YouTube wasn’t doing enough to stop its copyrighted material from appearing in over 160,000 unauthorized clips that have been viewed over 1.5 billion times. Google argued that this would cause privacy issues, but the federal judge said it was just speculation. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Franciscobased privacy advocate group, said the ruling was “a setback to privacy rights, and will allow Viacom to see what you are watching on YouTube”.

Canadian police officers who thought they were saving Van Halen singer David Lee Roth’s life in May have now learned that they were assisting an impostor. On May 23, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers near Brantford, Ontario stopped a vehicle that was travelling abnormally. They discovered a driver who identified himself as “David Lee Roth” who was having medical trouble. The driver was taken to Brantford General Hospital for treatment of anaphylaxis, reportedly caused by a peanut allergy. Following his treatment and release from hospital, the man accompanied two nurses to a local bar, Liquid Lounge, where he sang the Van Halen song “Ice Cream Man” with a local band. But it was since determined that Roth was performing with Van Halen in New York City on the evening that the incident occurred. A statement was issued through Roth’s publicist denying that he was in Ontario and that the singer is not allergic to peanuts. The OPP officers at the time of the incident did not seek identification of the impostor due to concern over the man’s medical condition, but are now aware of his real identity.

DID YOU KNOW? Nelson Mandela had been classified as a terrorist since the time of Apartheid in South Africa. The ruling, which also applied to all members of the African National Congress meant that Mandela could travel to the United States without being approved by the Secretary of State. This was only overturned in July 2008.

American surgeon Michael E. DeBakey dies at age 99 Michael E. DeBakey, world renowned heart surgeon has died in Houston, Texas at the age of 99. DeBakey pioneered the use of Dacron grafts to replace or repair blood vessels. In 1958, to counteract narrowing of an artery caused by an endarterectomy, DeBakey performed the first successful patch-graft angioplasty. This procedure involved patching the slit in the artery from an endarterectomy with a Dacron or vein graft. The patch widened the artery so that when it closed the channel of the artery returned to normal size. The DeBakey artificial graft is now used around the world to replace or repair blood vessels.

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August 08

Íngrid Betancourt rescued from kidnappers French Colombian politician, Íngrid Betancourt, was rescued from her kidnappers after being held as a hostage for years. After her rescue, former Colombian presidential candidate Íngrid Betancourt, three American contractors for the United States military and 11 military men. were all reportedly safe. The operation that resulted in the rescue was called ‘Jaque’ by the Colombian Army. Troops involved in the operation were disguised as non-governmental figures from a non-existent organization. FARC members were led to believe that they would get on a plane to meet Alfonso Cano, the leader of FARC. No shots were fired and there were no injuries. Betancourt called the operation, “perfect.”

August 08

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