News

Angus McAllan Released on Parole

Alberta, Canada

Life prisoner Angus McAllan is to be released from the Alberta Province Prison today.

McAllan, 59, was incarcerated in 1996. He was convicted of a string of violent crimes, including three counts of armed robbery, six counts of armed robbery with violence, five counts of grievous bodily harm, two counts of aggravated bodily harm, two counts of reckless endangerment, and one count of using explosives for the purpose of extortion. This was not his first jail sentence.

McAllan, who had a long criminal career under the alias "Aberdeen Angus", was an expert in explosives. His modus operandi typically involved explosives, which he used to disable security systems and provide diversions. His targets typically included banks and jewellers' stores. Despite his violent reputation and dangerous methods, his lawyers claimed that he never caused a death during his crimes.

A spokesman for the parole board confirmed that McAllan has completely repented his past crimes and has been a model prisoner for many years. He was diagnosed with inoperable cancer last year. The decision was made to release him and allow him to live his last years as a free man.

McAllan's lawyer stated that his client wanted nothing more than to return to his home town of Aberdeen, Scotland, for his final months. Under the terms of his parole McAllan must remain in the province of Alberta, but his lawyer will be seeking special dispensation, on compassionate grounds, to allow his client his last wish.

Three Held on Traffic Computer Crime Charges

Los Angeles, California

The District Attorney's office has issued a formal statement which confirms media speculation that city police are holding three alleged hackers on criminal damage charges.

It is alleged that the three men deliberately sabotaged the Los Angeles Central Traffic System, bringing transport in the city to a halt for six hours and causing city-wide panic and chaos earlier this year.

The cost to the city in lawsuits brought by stranded commuters currently stands at $6.2 million.

The identities of the three suspects have not yet been released. Sources close to the District Attorney have hinted that they are members of a libertarian group which is on record as protesting the use of the central traffic database in the apprehension of criminals.

Public pressure for tighter controls on the traffic system has mounted since it was revealed that Federal agents illegally hacked into the system during the pursuit of alleged mob boss Joey Saspariti last summer, in clear violation of Mr Saspariti's civil rights.

The Mayor's office has issued a statement which stresses how the CTS is vital to keeping the city's eleven million private vehicles moving smoothly.

A spokesperson for Brad Industries, developers of the CTS, confirmed that the security loophole exploited by the hackers was immediately closed and the system is 100% reliable. He denied that attorneys from Brad Industries have met with the three suspects.

UK Epidemic of Green Children

London, England

Doctors at several East London hospitals have reported cases of children spontaneously developing green skin.

The condition is called chlorosis, an iron deficiency which results in green pigmentation and particularly affects adolescent girls. The condition has rarely been seen in Europe since 1910. Doctors are unable to explain the reason for the resurgence of chlorosis. Investigations into the backgrounds of the children have revealed no common factors, such as poor nutrition, which may have caused the condition.

It is believed that eight children between the ages of 11 and 14 are currently affected. They all developed the condition within the same two-week period. Authorities have not revealed their identities.

The children have been placed on carefully monitored diets and doctors are confident that they will respond to this treatment, although they confess that they are unsure of the timescales required for a complete recovery. Meanwhile, investigations into possible environmental causes continue.

Wall of Protestors Barricade Yucca Mountain

Yucca Mountain, Nevada

The National Repository at Yucca Mountain saw clashes between Department of Energy (DOE) workers and anti-nuclear protestors as the first cargo of nuclear waste arrived at the repository entrance this morning.

Thousands of protestors ringed the repository with a living wall while hundreds more blocked the railroad and halted a train carrying spent fuel rods. The protest was largely peaceful but it is understood that significant damage was caused when a section of railroad track was destroyed.

Spokesmen for the protestors say that they will blockade the site for as long as necessary. There was evidence of a well-planned operation, as protestors were amply supplied with food and other necessities. DOE officials pleaded with protestors to abandon their posts. The waste train remains halted on the tracks, posing a potential hazard.

The Yucca Mountain site was selected in 1987 and should have begun accepting waste in 1998. Following protests by the state of Nevada and several environmental groups, the DOE was forced to spend billions of dollars on site re-evaluation, setting the project completion date back 16 years. The DOE has a legal responsibility to dispose of nuclear waste safely. During the construction delay, nuclear utilities in the U.S. successfully filed suit in the Court of Appeals in Washington and were awarded a total of $12 billion in compensation from the Federal Nuclear Waste Fund. Amid great controversy, construction of the facility was finally completed earlier this year.

The completed repository has the capacity to hold 70,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel. The current quantity of spent fuel in the United States is 73,000 metric tons and since 1996 this quantity has been steadily accumulating at the rate of six tons per day. Fuel rods are currently held at nuclear reactors in water filled basins and, in some cases, steel containers on concrete pads. The accumulated hazard and potential for radioactive leakage is a major concern to the DOE, which says that the Yucca Mountain site will eliminate the short-term hazard. These assurances are insufficient for the environmental groups who organised today's protests, who want to see an end to all use of nuclear power.

Despite huge advances in geothermal and other sustainable power sources, nuclear plants remain the largest suppliers of power in the U.S. The DOE hopes to decommission all fission reactors over the next few years as more clean fusion power stations come on-line. Currently fusion power is not an economical option and remains confined to a handful of small test projects.

During the technology boom of the 1980s and 1990s, more than 12,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel was disposed of in a variety of apparently safe ways. Since that time, much of the containment technology has proven unsafe, with widespread degradation of storage materials and containment devices. Despite DOE claims that tighter controls are in place, many protest groups remain convinced that the Yucca Mountain repository will be a victim of the same gremlins.

A second national repository is planned and studies are underway at three potential sites.

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