Military: Mystery object not one of ours
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A light with a long trail picked up on videotape as it crossed the sky off the California coast appears to have been harmless, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
Whatever the object was, the military says it was not one of theirs, with both Vandenberg Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Point Mugu telling the Los Angeles Times they are as baffled as everyone else. The Federal Aviation Administration said no civilian launches of space vehicles were approved for Monday.
The North American Aerospace Command said there was no indication of any threat.
The crew of a KCBS news helicopter spotted the light and videotaped it. They said it was about 35 miles west of Los Angeles near Catalina Island.
EPA sued over E15 ethanol waiver
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A group of U.S. food industry associations is suing the federal government over the approval of E15 ethanol in new cars, saying it will force up grocery prices.
The coalition said the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in granting a partial waiver to the Clean Air Act so that E15 ethanol can be used to fuel cars from the 2007 model year or later.
While the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington focuses on the Clean Air Act and E15's effect on emission-control equipment, the plaintiffs said ramping up the use of ethanol in gasoline would force food prices higher.
"Not only will this decision adversely affect millions of consumers who don't drive brand new cars, but also countless Americans who are struggling to feed their families in a recovering economy," Scott Faber, vice president of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said in a written statement. Recent spikes in corn prices due to supply concerns will only be exacerbated by this decision."
The ethanol industry quickly responded with a statement calling the lawsuit a self-serving move by food-processing companies that had enjoyed low corn prices for years.
Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuel Association, said in the statement ethanol production has had minimal effect on corn prices.
"Energy prices impact the cost of food many times more than the price of corn and ethanol helps reduce energy prices," he said.
Clinton: Time to end human trafficking
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in an opinion piece in various newspapers, said Tuesday a global effort is needed to combat human trafficking.
"Elementary students across America are taught that slavery ended in the 19th century," Clinton said. "But, sadly, nearly 150 years later, the fight to end this global scourge is far from over. ... The estimates vary widely, but it is likely that somewhere between 12 million and 27 million human beings are suffering in bondage around the world.
"For decades, the problem went largely unnoticed," Clinton said. "But 10 years ago this week, President (Bill) Clinton signed the Trafficking Victims' Protection Act, which gave us more tools to bring traffickers to justice and to provide victims with legal services and other support. Today, police officers, activists, and governments are coordinating their efforts more effectively. Thousands of victims have been liberated around the world and many remain in America with legal status and work permits. Some have even become U.S. citizens and taken up the cause of preventing traffickers from destroying more lives."
Clinton said the modern anti-trafficking movement is not limited to the United States. "Almost 150 countries have joined the United Nations' Trafficking Protocol to protect victims and promote cooperation among countries. More than 116 countries have outlawed human trafficking, and the number of victims identified and traffickers imprisoned is increasing each year.
"But we still have a long way to go," she said.
"Citizens can help too, by advocating for laws that ban all forms of exploitation and give victims the support they need to recover," the secretary said. "They can also volunteer at a local shelter and encourage companies to root out forced labor throughout their supply chains by visiting www.chainstorereaction.com."
UNESCO cans Tehran World Philosophy Day
PARIS, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization announced Tuesday in Paris its cancellation of World Philosophy Day celebration in Iran.
In light of Iran's censorship and repression after disputed elections in 2009, academics said they would boycott this year's event, which was scheduled for Nov. 21-23, The New York Times reported.
European countries and the United States urged Irina Bokova, UNESCO's new director general, to cancel the event.
A celebratory event scheduled for Nov. 18 in Paris now will be the main philosophy day celebration, Bokova said.
Bokova said UNESCO will not be associated with any related events in Tehran.
Diplomats and non-governmental organizations said the arrests and deportations of notable Iranian academics after the elections show the Tehran event was being driven by repressive forces in the complicated Iranian system.
World Philosophy Day started in Paris in 2002 but has been hosted in other locations such as Chile, Morocco, Turkey, Italy and Russia, with related events simultaneously in many other countries. The related events are expected to go forward this year, the Times reported.
