The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Melbourne, Australia - Police in the Australian state of Victoria began randomly testing drivers for signs of drugs on Monday, hoping to cut down on fatal accidents. Around 9,000 drivers are expected to be screened during the year-long trial, which uses saliva samples to test for signs of THC, which is the active component in marijuana, and methamphetamine use. Within minutes of the program's launch in the city of Melbourne Monday, police found traces of marijuana in the samples of two of 14 drivers who passed through a drug-testing checkpoint. If follow-up samples also test positive, the drivers could be fined the equivalent of about $275 and lose points from their drivers' licences. The fine would rise as high as $1,100 for subsequent offences. Police Minister Andre Haermeyer said 31 per cent of Australian drivers involved in fatal accidents have illicit drugs in their bloodstream. Baghdad - The International Red Cross is being asked to investigate reports that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and several of his former colleagues are on a hunger strike in captivity. Saddam, who was captured by U.S. forces last Dec., faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Kiev - Ukraine's prime minister has accused the United States of meddling in the country's election, saying the Americans bankrolled his opponent, pro-West reformer Viktor Yushchenko.
