3 Brazilian Families Were Alleged to Have Murdered 95 Persons

Brazilian authorities are trying to extinguish a 60-year-old family feud they say has led to at least 95 murders.

Police say they sent 130 law men into six rural communities in northeastern Brazil to make arrests meant to end the bloodshed involving the Oliveira, Veras and Suassuna families.

Cristiano Jacques, police chief in the town of Patos, told a news conference on Tuesday that the families are suspected of killing 64 members of rival clans as well as 31 people in their own families. Police did not describe the origin of the conflict.

"All their crimes are planned in advance, with clear-cut tasks handed out among members of the organization. There are those who plan, finance, recruit gunmen, and execute," he said.

Investigators told police the families have been fighting for more than 60 years, but the violence has increased in the last decade.

The head of security for Rio Grande do Norte state, Aldair da Rocha, said law enforcement moved in now because police in Paraiba learned there were plans to commit another murder during the weekend.

The families have committed eight murders between them this year, officials said

Source...
http://ascology.com

Iran 'steals surface-to-air missiles from Libya'

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have stolen dozens of sophisticated Russian-made surface-to-air missiles from Libya and smuggled them across the border to neighbouring Sudan, according to Western intelligence reports.

The weapons were seized by units attached to the Guards' elite Quds Force, which travelled to Libya from their base in southern Sudan.

Acting on orders received from Revolutionary Guards commanders in Iran, they took advantage of the chaos that engulfed Libya following the collapse of the regime of former dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to seize "significant quantities" of advanced weaponry, according to military intelligence officers in Libya.

They say the weapons stolen by Iran include sophisticated Russian-made SA-24 missiles that were sold to Libya in 2004. The missile can shoot down aircraft flying at 11,000 feet, and is regarded as the Russian equivalent of the American "stinger" missiles that were used by the US-backed mujahideen to defeat Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. It is similar to the weapon used by al-Qaeda in the failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli passenger jet taking off from Kenya's Mombasa airport in 2002.

Intelligence officials believe the missiles and other weapons seized from Gaddafi's abandoned arsenals were smuggled across the Libyan border to southern Sudan earlier this month where they are now believed to be held at a secret storage facility run by the Revolutionary Guards at al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur. Some of the missiles are also reported to have been smuggled into Egypt.

The governments of Iran and Sudan recently signed a defence cooperation pact, and hundreds of Revolutionary Guards are based in Sudan where they help to train the Sudanese military and help to support the Sudanese government's campaign against rebel groups. The Guards also have a number of training camps that are used to train Islamist terror groups.

Intelligence officials now fear that the missiles and other weapons will fall into the hands of extremists and will be used to carry out terror attacks.
In the past Iran has been accused of smuggling weapons from Sudan to the Gaza Strip, where they have been used to launch attacks against Israel. In 2009 Israeli warplanes bombed an Iranian arms convoy in Sudan that was carrying weapons to Hamas militants based in Gaza.

Tons of weaponry, including thousands of shoulder-held surface-to-air missiles, has been stolen from Gaddafi's abandoned depots since his regime was overthrown by rebel forces in August. Much of the weaponry, which includes mortars and anti-tank weapons, has been smuggled across the border to Algeria, where there are growing fears within Western intelligence circles that they may fall into the hands of al-Qaeda and other Islamist terror groups.

Some military experts have sought to play down the important of the surface-to-air missiles, arguing that militant groups lack the knowhow and the equipment to fire them. But this would not be an issue for the Revolutionary Guards, who have specialist training in firing such weapons. The fear now is that Iran will use the Libyan weapons to equip terror groups in the region.

"Iran is actively supporting a number of militant Islamist groups in Egypt, Gaza and southern Lebanon, so there is concern that these sophisticated weapons will fall into the hands of terror groups," said a senior intelligence officer. "If the SA-24 missiles fall into the wrong hands then no civilian aircraft in the region will be safe from attack."

American and European intelligence agencies have now launched a coordinated effort to track down the missing weapons in North Africa to make sure they cannot be used for a fresh wave of terrorist attacks against Western targets.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Nigerian drug racket busted in India- Two arrested.

NEW DELHI: The crime branch claimed to have busted a Nigerian drug racket that used to get heroin smuggled to the capital from Kandahar in Afghanistan through Pakistan and PoK. The gang then re-packed the drugs and sent it through post to Nigeria, from where it used to be transported to Europe on rail.

This was revealed by two Nigerians who were arrested for allegedly possessing 1.2kg heroin worth around Rs 1.2 crore in international market. "The duo had concealed the heroin inside the seats of children's bicycles and were planning to send it through the postal parcel service," said Ashok Chand, deputy commissioner of police (crime).

Richard Nwafor (38), an MBA, and Chris Chinonye (32) were held from the Gole Dakhana area on Saturday when they had come to send the parcels. "There was a tip-off that two Nigerians would come to Gole Dakhana to book parcels containing heroin for Nigeria. The seized heroin was concealed in 20 bicycle seats and kept in polythene pouches and, after being wrapped with carbon, was hidden between the upper portion of the seat and the sponge inside it," said Chand.

Nwafor, who had started a readymade garment business in Nigeria after his graduation, came to Delhi in June this year. "He used to import readymade garments from China and Dubai, for which he frequently travelled to these countries. In 2009, he incurred huge losses in his business as his counterparts in China and Dubai cheated him. He then contacted one of his friends, Ikonne Livinus, and came to India on his suggestions. Livinus gave him a consignment of heroin for sending it to Nigeria. Nwafor purchased cycle seats and after concealing the heroin in them, planned to send them to Nigeria by post," said Sanjay Bhatia, additional DCP (crime).

Chinonye came to Mumbai in 2008 on a business visa. "He used to export readymade garments from India to Nigeria. At the end of 2009, he came to Delhi and started trafficking heroin from India to Nigeria. "Chinonye had earlier sent heroin to Nigeria concealed in women's handbags and other such items. He was assisting Nwafore in sending the seized heroin to Nigeria," Chand said.

Sources said the accused had earlier used soft toys to send the drugs. "While Afghanistan and Pakistan have been part of the golden triangle from where the drug syndicate is run, we have found India is emerging as a favourite destination for transportation," said a source.

This year, five Nigerians were arrested in the city for murder while 33 were held for being involved with drug or fake lottery gangs. The police said that after the arrest of four Nigerians in the money exchanger murder case one month ago, they had identified 29 Nigerians living in West district alone without proper papers and approached the Foreigner Regional Registration Office for their deportation, said additional CP (West) V Renganathan.

Source....
http://m.timesofindia.com

"Witches Graveyard" Reveals 800-year-old witch burial in Italy

These are the 800 year old remains of what archaeologists believe was a witch from the Middle Ages after seven nails were found driven through her jaw bone. 


The grim discovery was made during a dig on what is thought to be a 'witches graveyard' after another woman's skeleton was found surrounded by 17 dice - a game which women were forbidden from playing 800 years ago. 

Experts say they believe the women are aged around 25 - 30 years old and were found buried in a simple shallow grave in the ground with no coffin or shroud. 

The macabre remains were found during a dig close to the sea at Piombino near Lucca in Italy's Tuscany region and the woman had seven nails through her jaw as well as another 13 nails surrounding her skeleton. 

Archaeologist Alfonso Forgione, from L'Aquila University, who is leading the dig, is convinced that the women were suspected witches because of the circumstances in which they were buried. 

He said: 'It's a very unusual discovery and at the same time fascinating. I have never seen anything like this before. I'm convinced because of the nails found in the jaw and around the skeleton the woman was a witch. 

Archaelogists believe this is the skeleton of a woman who was thought to be a witch

'She was buried in bare earth, not in a coffin and she had no shroud around her either, intriguingly other nails were hammered around her to pin down her clothes. 

'This indicates to me that it was an attempt to make sure the woman even though she was dead did not rise from the dead and unnerve the locals who were no doubt convinced she was a witch with evil powers. 

'The second skeleton we have found was buried in a similar fashion but this time we found 17 dice around her - 17 is an unlucky number in Italy and also dice was a game that women were forbidden to play. 

'The way the bodies were buried would seem to indicate some form of exorcist ritual and the remains will be examined to see if we can establish a cause of death for them.' 

One puzzle that the archaeologists have been unable to explain is why the women if they were evil witches were buried in consecrated ground as the area is the site of an 800 year old church. 

The skeletons were found with dice, which women were not allowed to play [Credit: Daily Mail]

He said: 'The only possible explanation is that perhaps both women came from influential families and were not peasant class and so because of their class and connections were able to secure burial in consecrated Christian ground.' 

The team is trying to find the burial place of the St Cerbonius, a bishop who died more than 1,500 years ago and who is the local patron saint of the area. 

Pictures traditionally show him having his feet licked by a bear after legend has it the animal refused to eat him after he was condemned to death for sheltering Roman soldiers by the Barbarians who had invaded Tuscany. 

Two years ago a Medieval woman's skull was found near Venice with a stone driven through its mouth - which experts said was the traditional way of dealing with vampires and preventing them from rising from the dead. 

Source....
http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com

Police and Boko Haram: What is the deal in Aliyu Tishau's release?

In what seems like an ironic twist, the Nigeria Police Force on Friday said the Boko Haram co-founder, Aliyu Tishau, was released to an unnamed sister security agency.

Tishau had granted an interview to the African Independent Television on Tuesday, in which he claimed that he had met with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, and passed information to him on the activities of his sect, and the places they were going to carry out terror attacks.

However, the police said on Friday in Abuja that Tishau was handed over to a sister security agency on July 7, 2011 following a request.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Olusola Amore, who stated this, however declined to name the affected agency despite pressure from reporters.

Amore maintained that as far as the force was concerned, the Boko Haram co-founder was still in the custody of the unnamed security outfit, saying that he (Tishau) was not released on bail.

"The suspect, Mr. Ali Tishau, had been requested for on June 27, 2011 and was released on July 7, 2011 to a sister organisation for investigation in the spirit of information and intelligence sharing," Amore said. "To date, he has not been returned to the police."

However, a police source fingered the Army (Defence Intelligence Agency), adding that the release was done through a letter dated June 27, 2011.

But in a swift reaction, the Army authorities said the Boko Haram co-founder was never with them.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Raphael Isah, vigorously denied that the Army ever requested for Tishau from the police.

Isah said, "I can say authoritatively that Tishau was never with the Nigerian Army. We may be compelled to demand from whoever is saying that Tishau was with the Nigerian Army to provide proof."

The Director, Defence Information, Col. Mohammed Yerima, declined to confirm whether Tishau was released to them, adding that he would only comment on the issue if the police officially named them as the agency that took custody of the Boko Haram leader.

"I can't comment until Monday after being briefed," Yerima said. "Even then, the police have to formally mention us (Defence) as the agency that took custody of Tishau before we can make a categorical statement on the issue."

Similarly, findings at the State Security Service showed that Tishau was also never with them.

An SSS official who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak officially on the issue, said, "Between you and I, the guy (Tishau) was never with us."

The police explained that Tishau was in their custody until July 7, 2011 when he was released to a sister organisation for further investigations in the spirit of information and intelligence sharing among the services.

The force added that the sect leader had not been returned to them till date, stressing the force expected the suspect to be returned to its custody after the investigations.

Amore, who addressed reporters on behalf of Ringim, said Tishau was released along with two other Boko Haram members, whose identities were not also stated.

Amore described Tishau's television interview as orchestrated falsehood, adding that the police did not want to react to insinuations "in the interest of the nation and the President."

"There is no iota of truth in the claim that the self-acclaimed Boko Haram member has given useful information to the police on the spate of bombings that occurred recently," Amore said.

The FPRO said in continuation of the efforts to combat the illegal movement of arms, ammunition, and the illegal movement of immigrants on Nigeria's borders with Niger and other countries, the IG held a meeting with the Customs, Immigration, SSS, and officials of the security agencies from Niger Republic.

This, according to him, was done to fashion out a workable strategy that would address trans-border crimes, criminal elements and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms within the region.

Amore explained that the measure took cognizance of the current wave of terrorism, as well as political upheavals within and outside the neighbouring states.

Tishau made wide-ranging claims in the AIT interview. He said that he was present with the IG when Boko Haram elements bombed the Force Headquarters on June 16, 2011, claiming that he gave a phone to Ringim to speak to the planner of the attack.

Tishau accused some northern governors of giving birth to Boko Haram, claiming that a governorship aspirant in Gombe State once asked him to assassinate his opponent.

Claiming that he co-founded Boko Haram with Mohammed Yusuf, who was killed by the security agencies in September 2009, Tishau said he was detained by Nigeria's security operatives for 10 months, but that he was making contacts with his fellow members from the detention cell

Source...
http://www.punchng.com

Chicago Man Kills Mother Over Concert Tickets

A Chicago man stabbed his mother to death then doused her body in chemicals after she refused to buy him tickets to an Avril Lavigne concert, a jury found.

Robert Lyons, 39, was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday after a week long trial, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Prosecutors said that Lyons began to argue with his mother, Linda Bolek, when she refused to call a friend to arrange tickets for the concert in 2008.

Lyons stabbed his mother nine times in the back, then poured insecticide and drain cleaner on her body, prosecutors said.

A jury deliberated for just two hours before returning their verdict, the report said

Source...
http://www.foxnews.com

A Teen gay commits suicide after bullied by Homophobias

James Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old high school freshman who was bullied because of his sexuality, took his own life Monday. Now many, including his idol Lady Gaga, want the bullying they believe caused his death to be treated as a crime.

The Amherst, N.Y. Police Department's Special Victims Unit has opened a criminal investigation into Jamey's death, ABCNews.com reports. Capt. Michael Camillleri confirmed to BlogPost that the unit has started a preliminary inquiry.

"The special victims unit is looking into the circumstances that occurred prior to Jamey Rodemeyer's death," Camilleri said in an e-mail. "At this point it is too early to determine if any crimes were committed."

Jamey was found dead outside his Buffalo area home Monday. He had family and friends who supported him, and was seeing a therapist and social worker. But he was a target of bullies, both online and at school.

"The bullies now are still walking around. They get to wake up tomorrow and go to school and see all their friends, but my son will not be given a second chance no matter how much I have prayed," Jamey's mother Tracy told CBS News. "I would have given my own life to turn back the minute we seen him."

His father Tim said, "They have to somehow get the power away from the bully, and I don't know how you do that, and that's the biggest question in my mind."

Jamey's idol Lady Gaga expressed her heartbreak over his death on Twitter. The singer said she will work to "make a law for Jamey."

Singer Ricky Martin, who is openly gay, joined Gaga's cry for a law.

"Jamey's suicide is a tragic reminder of the vulnerability of gay teens," Malcolm Lazin, founder and executive director of the Equality Forum, told ABCNews.com. "They are bullied and marginalized.

"While some may say that Jamey took his life, it is unrelenting homophobia that murdered him."

There are a few recent cases of alleged bullies being charged with crimes. Six teens were charged in the suicide of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old student from Ireland who was bullied at her Massachusetts school. Five teens accepted pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal harassment. None was sentenced to jail time.

Then there's the case of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers student who killed himself one year ago Thursday. His roommate, Dharun Ravi, allegedly watched Clementi with another man by streaming him with a Web cam and talked about it on Twitter. Ravi's currently on trial for bias intimidation and other crimes.

Camilleri asked anyone with knowledge of specific incidents of a crime against Jamey to contact the department's detective bureau at (716) 689-1393.

Source....
http://www.washingtonpost.com

Gunmen kill 2 policemen in Imo



Two policemen were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen at a check point close to Nkwo Orji junction, Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State.

It was also feared that the hoodlums removed the AK 47 rifle of one of the slain policemen before they escaped from the scene.

An eye witness, who spoke to Vanguard on grounds of anonymity, said the rampaging gunmen stormed the police checkpoint on a motorbike and shot the two policemen at point blank range.

He said: "There were about four policemen on duty at the time of the attack and they positioned themselves on each side of the busy Owerri-Okigwe federal highway. The armed men made straight for the policemen and shot them at close range."

He said the gunshot jolted everybody in the vicinity, causing passengers and their drivers to abandoned their vehicles and scamper for safety.

He said:"One of the policemen died on the spot, while the other who was badly injured, was quickly rushed to a nearby private hospital for immediate medical attention but he died shortly after."

The eyewitness said he was stunned that colleagues of the slain policemen on the other side of the road, quickly disappeared from the scene and into safety without firing a shot at the armed men.

Another female commuter fumed that "if the policemen were conscious of their official assignment, they would not have easily fallen prey to the hoodlums."

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of Imo State Police Command, Mr. Linus Nwaiwu, confirmed the story but added that the Command would do everything possible to fish out the perpetrators of the sordid crime and bring them to book.

Source...
http://www.vanguardngr.com

China's New Property Law Scares Lovers Tying the Knot


In China, nothing quite kills the romance like the threat of losing real estate. Last month, the country's Supreme Court rolled out a new interpretation of China's Marriage Law that changes the way property disputes are handled after a divorce. Since then, couples across China have been thinking more seriously about tying the knot: in the southwest city of Chongqing alone, marriage registrations fell by 30% in the weeks after the changes were made.

Under the newly redefined law, which took effect on Aug. 13, any property that was purchased before a marriage will no longer be up for negotiation after a divorce; it will belong solely to who bought it or whose name is on the deed. Also, if a house or apartment was purchased by the parents of either the bride or groom, it will revert to that person only, instead of being split between the couple.

Controversy has been brewing since the changes were proposed last November. Some experts argue that the new interpretation will put women at a clear disadvantage in a culture in which marital homes are traditionally provided by men (and in many cases, by their parents). As a result of the new rule, divorced men get to keep houses whose values will undoubtedly skyrocket in China's booming real estate market. Their ex-wives, meanwhile, won't be entitled to any compensation, despite their contributions — financial or otherwise — to the marriage.

"A lot of women contribute money to buying their marital homes together with their husbands, and the homes will be registered under the husband's name," says Leta Hong Fincher, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Beijing's Tsinghua University who has studied China's Marriage Law and its impact on the gender wealth gap. "[Those women's] effort will be completely invisible after they divorce their husbands."

Supporters of the new legal interpretation, though, believe the changes will offer a bit of financial protection to men and women — and their families — as divorce rates are rising sharply across the country. Divorce is still not as common in China as it is in the West, but the numbers have gone up for seven consecutive years. In 2010, a total of 2.68 million couples applied for divorce, an 8.5% increase over the year before, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Beijing has the country's highest divorce rate, with 39% of marriages ending in a split, followed closely behind by Shanghai.

In addition, says Guo Wanhua, a marital lawyer at Chang An Law Firm in Beijing, the newly defined law will help promote judicial consistency when it comes to divorces. "Rulings over property ownership in divorce cases used to vary drastically between different courts," Guo says. "Now the judicial process is made a lot simpler under a clear guideline that treats both genders more equally."

As the debate rages on, some fear the Marriage Law changes could drive property prices up even further in China's already overheated market. According to a survey conducted by the online portal Sina.com after the new law went into effect, nearly 60% of respondents said they would consider buying a house on their own before marriage to avoid any problems after a divorce. Other couples, however, are seeking to circumvent the Marriage Law interpretation by registering both of their names on property-ownership certificates, making the marital home legally shared property. The government has helped to encourage this by eliminating taxes on adding a spouse's name to a property deed — a policy it announced at the beginning of September.

However, for some people, simply raising such concerns with their partner may prove difficult. "Some women are really angry about the law," says Fincher, who is conducting an online survey to gauge public reaction to the law change. "But when I ask them if they were going to talk to their husbands about adding their names to the deed, some women would say, 'No, no, no, of course not, that would upset my relationship with him.'" Many women are instead venting their anger in popular online forums. "The new interpretation allows whoever bought the house to dominate a marriage," writes one netizen on Sina Weibo, a popular Twitter-like microblog. "As a woman who has been married for seven years without even thinking about adding her name on the deed, I don't know if this is a reminder or bitter irony."

Source....
http://www.time.com

Drunk man arrested for trying to pull own tooth with pliers

A Port St. Lucie man was cited for breaching the peace after allegedly trying to use pliers to pull out a tooth while he was drunk, according to a police affidavit.

Francisco Rojas, 49, was drunk in his garage when his wife called police, asking for them to come over and stop him from pulling out his tooth, the arrest affidavit said.

After they arrived, the officers asked the wife to open the garage door because the stench from Rojas' vomit was so bad, according to the report.

As the officers tried to talk to Rojas, he repeatedly shouted obscenities at them, leading some of the kids playing on the street to gather near the house.

After being warned that he might be arrested for breach of peace, Rojas continued with the obscenities and told one of the arresting officers to take him to jail, the report said.

Source...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com

A 101-year- old woman evicted from Home for failing to pay Mortgage

DETROIT (AP) -- A 101-year-old woman was evicted from the southwest Detroit home where she lived for nearly six decades after her 65-year-old son failed to pay the mortgage.

Texana Hollis was evicted Monday and her belongings were placed outside the home. Her son, Warren Hollis, said he didn't pay the bill for several years and disregarded eviction notices.

"I kept it from her because I didn't want to worry her," Warren Hollis told WXYZ-TV for a report that aired Monday night. "I was just so sure it wasn't going to happen."

Wayne County Chief Deputy Treasurer David Szymanski told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Hollises took out an adjustable-rate mortgage in 2002. A default and foreclosure notice was filed in November.

"They ended up owing $80,000 on the home," Szymanski said. "Warren indicates he did not make the payments. He got the notices, but threw them away."

County records show that property taxes were paid on the home through summer 2010. A winter tax bill of $55.95, including interest and fees, was unpaid, and a $778.44 summer tax bill was due this month.

A neighbor was letting Texana and Warren Hollis live in a rental house across the street from the home they shared, and Texana Hollis' belongings were being moved there. Others, including a nonprofit organization, were working to get her back into her home.

On Monday night, she was taken to a hospital for evaluation after she became disoriented.

Szymanski said county officials were asking questions and looking into what they can do to help. He said the county has worked with 10,000 taxpayers to keep them from going into foreclosure.

"The teachable moment here is for people not to stick their head in the sand," he said.

source....
http://hosted.ap.org

Presidential election tribunal: Buba Galadima of CPC admitted his party rigged election

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Monday disqualified the National Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Tony Momoh, as a witness in the party's petition challenging the election of President Goodluck Jonathan in the last April poll, just as an official of the party admitted that it rigged the election in the states he won.

Mr Momoh was disqualified by the tribunal following a mixed up in the witness statement of oath of the chairman and that of the national secretary, Buba Galadima.

Mr Galadima, while in the witness box, admitted that his party rigged the April presidential election in the states it won, stressing that before the April general election CPC had no elective offices as governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, members of the state Houses of assembly, as well as local government chairmen and counsellors.

The party secretary, who was cross-examined by Wole Olanipekun, counsel to President Jonathan and Namadi Sambo, also affirmed that before the presidential election, he had never been a guest or a visitor to Aso Rock presidential Villa.

Mr Galadima however insisted that the ballot papers used by Independent National Election Commission (INEC) was printed in Nigeria and that one Tulip Press was the printer that produced the tendered ballot paper as well as the ones used for the presidential election proper.

Answering questions from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawyer, Joe Gadzama, Mr Galadima admitted that he registered and voted in Abuja and that they were going about monitoring elections as party officials accredited by INEC to do so.

CPC however withdrew Mr Momoh as one of its witnesses in the petition when he came into the witness box. The application to withdraw Mr Momoh's statement on oath came when the petitioner, through its counsel, Abubakar Malami, admitted that there was a mixed up in the statements as deposed by both Messrs Momoh and Galadima.

The drama started when Mr Momoh identified his signature and adopted his statement on oath before the tribunal, but could not account for some newspaper publications attributed to him.

Mr Malami requested that the witness in Pw 1, Galadima be interchanged with Pw 2, Momoh and to call Pw 1 back. Mr Olanipekun, while opposing the application of CPC's counsel, said this means interchanging witness and interchanging evidence. "You cannot challenge the record of a court before that court," he said. "The record is an accurate reflection of what transpired in court today. When he said his first witnesses will be page 17 to 55 and not the one he is talking about now. Earlier he said the witness is not around and later said he is around." The panel therefore adjourned till Tuesday to continue with the hearing of the matter. The panel also adjourned till Wednesday to hear an application filed by CPC seeking to call additional witnesses.

In a brief ruling, the presiding chairman, Kumai Akaahs, refused the application by CPC to substitute their witness statement and urged the respondents to abridge their constitutional right of seven days and file their reply latest by Tuesday.

The CPC filed a petition at the tribunal to challenge the result of the April presidential poll, alleging irregularities and non-compliance with the 2010 electoral act.

The party is contesting the result of the election in about 20 states of the federation and are to call 151 witnesses to prove its case.

Joined as defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 1st defendant; chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega (2nd defendant); winner of the election and Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan (3rd defendant); his deputy, Namadi Sambo (4th defendant); the Peoples Democratic Party (5th defendant) and the Resident Electoral Commissioners for the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, (6th-42nd respondent).

Source....
http://234next.com

Mornachs at war as Baale was beaten to a pulp over a parcel of land

In practically all cultures, traditional rulers are reverred. This was not so for this Osun State monarch who was beaten to a pulp and left for dead by the subjects of a fellow traditional ruler - all over a piece of land!

Bakare Adeyemo is not just an alhaji, he is also the traditional ruler (Baale) of Temidire community in the Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State. But today, he is thanking God not only because of the exalted position he occupies but for being saved from an untimely death which could have come his way through the severe beatings he received from the hands of some hoodlums allegedly sponsored by a fellow traditional ruler over land. He is currently lying critically ill at the Intensive Care Unit of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital.

Adeyemo's attackers, reportedly numbering about 30, were said to have laid ambush for him on the way to his farm that fateful day. In a bid to show their seriousness to carry out their heinous crime, the assailants had reportedly first dealt with the Baale's surveyors, who had gone to the farm in advance. He had reportedly commissioned the two surveyors to work on the said land pending his arrival there. While the surveyors were working on the land, waiting for the arrival of their master, the hoodlums, suspected to have been hired for the deed, accosted the surveyors and demanded for the whereabouts of the Baale. Apparently not impressed by the surveyors' response, the hoodlum allegedly swooped on the surveyor and beat them blue black.

The two men reportedly managed to flee the scene. Once they reached where they could make a telephone call, the surveyors reportedly informed their master, the Baale, that a swarm of attackers lay in wait for him in the farm. They advised him not to show up. Probably believing that as the Baale, nobody would dare lay hands on him. How wrong he was? Adeyemo continued his journey to the farm, assuring the surveyors that no one would dare confront him on the land of his forebears. He proceeded to the farm, ignoring the advice of the surveyors.

That was the day he got the beating of his life as the said assailants threw tradition to the dogs, swooped in on him and gave the beating of his life. True to his words, Adeyemo arrived at the farm and parked his car close by, but could not see the surveyors in the site. While he waited for them to come, the assailants allegedly emerged from a nearby bush and pounced on him. "I told the surveyors not to panic but wait for me there. I then drove to the scene. I had not reached the surveyors when the gang trooped out of the bush where they were hiding and forced me to apply the brake and stop.

In fact, they did not allow me to open the door properly, they suddenly came over me. They attacked me with cutlasses, clubs and other weapons," Adeyemo recounted his ordeal in the hands of the assailant. He added that the attackers only left him when they believed that he was dead. After the attack, the hoodlums allegedly made away with his car's key, mobile phone and a cash of N1.5 million allegedly paid for the land, which he said he kept inside the boot of his car. The hoodlums later took to their heels. Moments after the attackers had gone, the two surveyors ran to Adeyemo's quarters to report the incident, and his family members first dashed to the farm to rescue their breadwinner, before they reported the incident at the Dada Estate Police Station. Adeyemo later told the police that he suspected another Baale of a neighbouring village, whose identity he gave as Olokinni.

Adeyemo alleged that the other Baale keeps a horde of thugs in his compound who he uses for such activities. He also claimed that he is in disagreement with the traditional over the said land. The law enforcement agents immediately swung into action, and, in no time, Okanola was apprehended after he allegedly hid himself from the police for a day. He was reportedly granted bail, while promising the police to produce the suspects. "That is what the police have told me so far about the matter. And I don't have any reason to doubt them because of the way they responded to the matter when we reported it," Adeyemo said. Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, Solomon Olusegun, could not confirm the matter but referred our correspondent to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Dada Estate Division, Musa Okene.

The DPO eventually confirmed the story, but claimed that the said the Olokinni had written a petition against his division, resulting in the transfer of the matter to the Monitoring Unit at the Command Headquarters, Oke-Fia headquarters. "That is all I can tell you about the matter because I should not divulge our investigation to you. You can wait until the matter is taken to court," Okene said.      

http://www.nairaland.com

Wikileaks[elombah.com]: "Obasanjo, Yar'adua others Pocketed $60M Bribe Monthly from NNPC"

Obasanjo, Yar'adua others Pocketed $60M Bribe Monthly from NNPC -
[elombah.com] Nigeria's President, Goodluck Jonathan may be pocketing around $200 million Monthly as his "personal share" of Nigeria's monthly oil earnings. elombah.com has discovered that the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission, NNPC (beginning under former President Obasanjo's administration) allocated USD 1.00 per barrel of Nigerian oil sold as a type of personal payment or "kickback" to the President (Nigeria currently produces 2.17 million barrels per day of oil at a higher oil price of around $90 pb).

In a secret American Diplomatic Cables, exposed by the whistle blowing website, wikileaks, Maitama Sule, former Nigerian ambassador to the United Nations (1979-1983) and confidant of President Umaru Yar'Adua, averred that First Lady Turai Yar'Adua is heavily involved in corrupt practices, and especially real estate fraud. Sule insisted that President Yar'Adua is committed to remaining personally untainted by corruption. To that end, Sule asserted, President Yar'Adua turned down approximately $60 million, which had been offered to him by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as the President's personal "share" of Nigeria's monthly oil earnings (Nigeria has produced around 2 million bpd, though production has dropped recently to 1.8 million bpd).

Sule said, the NNPC (beginning under former President Obasanjo's administration) allocated USD 1.00 per barrel of Nigerian oil sold as a type of personal payment or "kickback" to the President.

While Yar'Adua reportedly ordered his "share" to be deposited into the nation's treasury, Sule claimed that the First Lady pocketed her husband's reported share, while Senate President David Mark and House Speaker Dimeji Bankole pocketed USD 0.50/barrel (e.g., $30 million).

In light of the possibility that Obasanjo could have stolen billions of dollars under this arrangement, Sule told PolOff that Yar'Adua told him that he may use this information, perhaps one day in the near future, to indict Obasanjo for corruption.

The problem however, according to Sule, rested in the fact that Yar'Adua recognized that if he were to pursue Obasanjo, he may unwittingly subject his wife and close advisers to greater scrutiny, and risk his own political survival.

Source,...
Wikileaks
[elombah.com]

Opposition political parties plan to impeach president Jonathan of PDP Soon

A secret plot aimed at instigating the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan through opposition members of the National Assembly is being put in place by a coalition of opposition political parties, sources said on Friday.

It was gathered that the political parties involved in the plot include the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) and the Conference of Nigeria's Political Parties(CNPP).

Sources however, confirmed that the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) is also being put in the know of the grand design to impeach Jonathan.

Insiders at a meeting between leaders of the CPC and CNPP, the National Conscience Party(NCP), and Progressives Action Congress(PAC) held recently at the CPC headquarters in Abuja informed that the plan has been concluded to instigate an impeachment process against President Goodluck Jonathan over what they perceived as poor performance in his 100 days in office.

Sources said that the plan is to use the occasion of a joint press conference to be addressed by the coalition of parties to call on the President to either resign voluntarily or be impeached by the National Assembly.

In the estimation of leaders of the opposition at the meeting, Jonathan has failed to live up to expectation in his 100 days in office. They mentioned areas of security, job creation and development as some of the main failures of the government.

According to a source, the meeting deliberated on issues including "the prevailing security situation in the country, the alleged battering of the Judiciary, the unfulfilled promise of public power supply, the deplorable socio-economic situation, and the continuous depletion of the nation's Foreign Reserve."

A chieftain of the CNPP was said to have told the meeting that if what has been  happening in Nigeria were to happen in another country, the  President would have voluntarily  resigned from office.

He asked the meeting to immediately call upon Mr. President to either resign or in the alternative, the opposition parties would call on their members in the National Assembly to start the process of impeaching him.

One of the CPC leaders at the meeting specifically stated that the opposition can rely on the parties members in the House of Representatives to kick-start the process by raising a motion on the impeachment of President Jonathan.

He also suggested that if members of the National Assembly were seen as delaying the move, a national mass protest should be called to draw attention to the President's failure to address what he called the socio-economic situation of the country, including  the epileptic power supply and the state of insecurity.

A leader of the CPC, who also attended the meeting was said to have lamented the President's decision to dabble into the operations of the Judiciary by approving the suspension of the President of Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami.

The travails of the suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami  was said to have been raised at the meeting by another CPC leader, who opined that the leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) should be made to join the impeachment moves.

The CPC leader stated that the issue of Salami and the present state of insecurity in the country should form major parts of the planned press conference and mass protests as well as the impeachment move to be instigated against President Jonathan.

Those  said to have been linked to the meeting include the National Chairman of CNPP, Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa , National Chairman of CPC, Prince  Tony Momoh; National Chairman of Progressive Action Congress(PAC), Chief Charles Nwodo; National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, Mr. Osita Okechukwul Secretary of the CPC, Engineer Buba Galadima, National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Rotimi Fashakin;  a representative of the National Conscience Party(NCP) Tanko Yunusa  Representative of NCP; Alhaji Murtala Usman Aliyu, spokesman of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr Yinka Odumakin and another member of the CNPP, Mr. Willy Ezugwu.

While Odumakin  told Sunday Tribune that he was not at the meeting, Okechukwu stated that the issue of the meeting and venue was inconsequential adding that what was important are the issues at stake.

"I don't think you need a meeting if you want to start an impeachment process. You only need to look at the issues. The only thing we know is that Jonathan has not shown enormous capacity to govern and it was unexpected of him to descend on the Judiciary because he was fully aware that Salami was in court," he said.

The CNPP spokesman stated that while the state of insecurity in the land remains one of the low sides of the government, the power revival plans of the administration as enunciated appears well  articulated if followed to the letter.

But Odumakin stated that he has only visited Abuja once since May this year and that his meeting was a day journey.

Source....
http://ascology.com

A woman killed daughter, attempted suicide over hospital bill.

On the night of August 21, Blessing Ukah (whose name police initially misspelt as 'Ekeh') sneaked outside a maternity home where she'd been confined, allegedly stole petrol kept for fuelling the hospital's power generating set, and fed her three month old baby. The baby died. And Miss Ukah, 18, was arrested by the officers of the Homicide Department of the State Criminal Investigation Department at Panti, Yaba, where she is currently being detained.

The police are also charging Miss Ukah for alleged suicide after she also drank the petrol she fed her baby in a maternity home at Oshodi.

Trouble started for Miss Ukah on May 16 when she visited Ayoradex Health and Maternity Home at 66 Boladale Street, Oshodi, to deliver her baby. According to the nurses at the hospital, who requested anonymity, Miss Ukah was unable to give birth and the hospital doctors had to carry out a caesarean operation on her.

The caesarean operation cost N100,000 which Miss Ukah and her boyfriend, a commercial motorcycle rider, were unable to pay.

Following her inability to pay the hospital bills, Miss Ukah was allegedly "detained" and confined to the hospital premises pending the time she can pay her bills.

"Blessing came to the hospital on May 16 to give birth and the hospital had to carry out a caesarean section on her because she was unable to give birth normally," said a source at the hospital.

"Usually, she was supposed to pay N100,000 as her hospital bill before the operation will be conducted but the hospital took pity on her and did the operation."

The source said that after the caesarean operation, Miss Ukah's boyfriend came and paid an initial sum of N29,000, and then another N21,000 but the hospital management said they would not free her until she pays all the money.

"So since that May 16, they refused to discharge her and her baby and she was confined to the hospital premises and the nurses were told to keep an eye on her so she will not escape," the source added.

For three months, Miss Ukah and her baby were confined within the hospital premises and her plea that she has no family member to assist her foot her medical bills fell on deaf ears. It was gathered that on August 25, Miss Ukah had a scuffle with one of the nurses which led to a verbal abuse, an incident which, sources say, prompted her to kill herself.

"One of the nurses told Blessing the story of her life, insulting her and calling her names like debtor and ashewo (prostitute)," said a source at the hospital who did not want to be named.

"Blessing also replied her. Later that night, we noticed that she was not happy and when nobody was watching she went to the back of the compound where we keep the fuel and then drank some quantity, she also fed her baby with the fuel."

During a routine check of the wards, it was discovered that Miss Ukah was no longer on her bed. "As we were trying to find out her whereabouts, some other nurses tried to stop the baby from crying but they noticed that the baby was dying and they rushed to save her while calling on the doctor, it was after (about) twenty minutes of searching for Blessing that we saw her lying near the generator room at the back of the house and gasping for breath."

The source also added that they tried to revive Miss Ukah and her child but the baby died from the fuel ingestion.

"We noticed that Blessing had drunk fuel and given some to her baby, we rushed and called the doctor who came in that night to treat her but the baby died shortly after due to the fuel," the source said.

Following the incident, the hospital said they invited officers from the Akinpelu police station at Oshodi who subsequently arrested Miss Ukah after she had attempted to escape. Her boyfriend was also arrested but granted bail; the case was later transferred to the Homicide section at Panti, Yaba, for thorough investigation.

It was gathered that the police officers from Panti visited the hospital and arrested the matron for illegal detention of a patient but efforts by the police to arrest the hospital director were not successful as he was said to be ill in an undisclosed hospital in Osun state.

It was also gathered that the police shut down the hospital but the hospital has since reopened for business.

Miss Ukah however declined to spoke with journalists about the incident.

"I am not in a mood to talk, you can go and come back maybe when I am in the mood I can talk to you but for now I'm not in the mood so you can come back later," she told journalists.

However, in a statement she made to the police, Miss Ukah said she had been facing challenges in life and was frustrated and depressed which led her to attempt suicide.

"I am from a poor family and after my parents died, I was rejected by other family members," the statement read. "They disowned me and I have to come to Lagos in 2005 to stay with my friend's mother, after my friend's mother died last year, I was chased out of the house and I ended up with an Okada man who got me pregnant," she said.

"I did not intend to kill my child. I was frustrated with all the troubles of life and I wanted to end my life so that was what led me to drinking the fuel; I did not give my daughter fuel to drink, it was after I drank some to kill myself then I breast-fed her before running away," the statement read.

Source....
http://234next.com

Joseph Son, Actor, sentenced to life in prison for gang rape

Joseph Son, an actor who appeared in the first "Austin Powers" movie was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the violent 1990 gang rape of a Southern California woman.

Joseph Son who is 40 years old, was found guilty of one felony count of torture Aug. 25 after being connected to the crime through DNA evidence.

Son and co-defendant Santiago Lopez Gaitan, 40, abducted the then-19-year-old victim as she was walking her dog by her apartment on Christmas Eve.

Son and Gaitan drove the woman to Huntington Beach and repetitively raped and sodomized her in the back of the car at gunpoint. They also pistol-whipped her and repeatedly threatened to kill her, counting the bullets and telling her she was going to die.

Prosecutors say the woman, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, begged for her life earlier than Son and Gaitan unconfined her, naked, roughly wounded and blindfolded with her own pants. She went to a local home, and called the police.

Proof was gathered from the woman that Christmas Eve, but the case ultimately went cold.

It wasn't until Son pleaded guilty to criminal act vandalism in 2008 and violated probation that he was necessary to give a DNA sample. That sample was linked to DNA collected from Doe in 1990.

Gaitan pleaded guilty in January to five felonies, counting kidnapping and sodomy by force in concert. He was sentenced to 17 years and four months in state prison.

Source....
http://www.allvoices.com

Rat attacked a woman at MTA train station

A woman waiting for the J train to arrive was attacked by a rat, onlookers said.

A hungry rat chomped on a straphanger's foot as she waited for a train in a downtown subway station, transit sources said.

The woman was sitting on a bench on a J train platform inside the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station about 9:30 a.m. Monday when the rodent skittered up to her and bit down on her flesh, the sources said.

Bleeding from the wound, the woman ran to a nearby service booth and asked for help - completely freaking out.

"She was pretty frantic and upset," a transit worker said. "You could actually see the bite."

The woman, who is in her 20s, was taken to New York Downtown Hospital, where she was treated and released, authorities said.

The subway rat attack was unusual, the sources said, particularly because the J train platform at the station has a low rodent population. The platforms in the station for the 4, 5, 6 trains, however, are a complete "rat fest," one source said.

"I've heard of rats running over people's feet," the transit worker said, referring to the 4, 5, 6 platforms. "But I've never heard of anyone actually bit."

Transport Workers Union Local 100 officials and workers said more rats are surfacing because garbage collection is not as frequent as it should be and trash storage rooms aren't adequately sealed.

Source....
http://www.nydailynews.com

woman injected heated beef into her face

A Homewood woman died Thursday after apparently injecting heated beef fat into her face at her south suburan home.

Janet Hardt, 63 of the 1000 block of W. 186th St. in Homewood, was pronounced dead at 6:25 p.m. at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

A source said shortly before Hardt died she injected heated beef fat into her face around her mouth and chin, which she had done before on several occasions.

Hardt went to the hospital after complaining that her face became singed and felt like it was burning, according to the source.

She has previously undergone multiple facial surgeries, the source said.

An autopsy to determine the cause and manner of her death is scheduled for later Friday, according to the medical examiner's office.

A message left with Homewood Police was not immediately returned Friday morning.

Source....
http://www.wlsam.com

A man kept Teenage girls captive for 5 years and fathered 5 Children

Mexico City prosecutors have arrested a man who allegedly kept his two teenage stepdaughters captive for five years, fathered five children with one of them, then killed the other young woman and one of the babies.

Jorge Iniestra, a 32-year-old taxi driver, beat one of the teens to death in 2009 and asphyxiated a 3-month-old boy he fathered with her sister by forcing the baby to nurse from the dead girl's body, prosecutor Miguel Angel Mancera said.

Prosecutors said Iniestra kept the bodies in his mother's home in the poor, crowded borough of Iztapalapa for a month, and then he and a brother dumped them on a road leading to neighboring Mexico State.

Jorge Ferman, Mexico City prosecutor for crimes against children, said Wednesday that authorities rescued a 3-month-old boy who had been severely beaten and is in critical condition. They also freed the surviving sister, now 21, and three other children, ages 2, 4 and 5, she had with Iniestra.

"This is an imprisonment story, a story of captivity," Ferman told reporters during a visit to the filthy room where Iniestra allegedly kept the two girls and five children.

The teenagers' mother, Claudia Tapia, was Iniestra's girlfriend and she recently denounced him to police, Ferman said.

Police arrested Tapia, Iniestra, his mother and several of his siblings Monday. They arrested Tapia for covering up the abuse.

Tapia, a 44-year-old school janitor, began a relationship with Iniestra in 2004, when he moved in with her, her two teenage daughters and a son, Ferman said. He said Iniestra forced the boy to work and often beat him with a belt for not bringing home enough money.

Tapia told reporters that Iniestra was manipulative and told her that he belonged to the middle class and that men of that status could have several women living with them.

Ferman said Iniestra faces up to 30 years in prison. He has been charged with homicide, kidnapping and child and domestic abuse.

Source ....
http://hosted.ap.org

Antiquity stone tool found in Kenya

The world's earliest sophisticated stone tools have been found near Lake Turkana in northwest Kenya.

The teardrop-shaped hand-axes date to about 1.76 million years ago, and would have been used for a range of tasks from chopping wood to cutting up meat.

They would have been so useful in fact that scientists describe them as the "Swiss army knife" of the Stone Age.

Researchers tell the journal Nature that the tools were probably made by the human ancestor Homo erectus.

This was a bigger-brained, smarter and more dextrous creature than any human species before it.

Homo erectus ranged across Africa and Asia before going extinct about 70,000 years ago. Many suspect it was on the direct evolutionary line to modern humans - Homo sapiens.
Careful design

Palaeolithic stone tools can be grouped into a number of different styles. The type unearthed at the Kokiselei archaeological site is referred to by anthropologists as Acheulian technology.

Source....
http://www.africareview.com

'Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud uses viagra excessively' to satisfy wives

¶1. (S/NF) A western physician whose professional duties
include frequently consulting with members of the Saudi Royal
family shared with DCM on July 11 personal information
gleaned from Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
personal medical file, including King Abdullah's true age and
current use of medication. This physician was called in to
perform routine medical treatment for one of King Abdullah's
wives (he has four). Upon arrival, the Royal Clinic
accidentally provided this physician with the King's medical
file instead of that of the wife he was to treat, giving him
the opportunity to review King Abdullah's personal medical
information.

¶2. (S/NF) It was related that King Abdullah is 92 years old
(born 1916), he remains a heavy smoker, regularly receives
hormone injections and "uses ⁠Viagra⁠ excessively." The SAG
has always kept close-hold any personal information on Royal
family members, including not making public statements of
individual ages.

¶3. (S/NF) COMMENT. The King has been rumored to be between
82 to 87. He is in fact older if this information is
correct. The King maintains a full work schedule meeting a
variety of international leaders and actively involved in
running the affairs of the Kingdom. We most recently saw
King Abdullah a few weeks ago (Reftel) where he was quite
jovial and animated, and appeared healthy. Likewise, he is
expected to be active in the upcoming International
Conference for Interfaith Dialogue he has organized,
scheduled for Madrid on July 16. This medical information
provides some detail into the King's health and longevity,
and is provided to Washington for additional analysis.

Source....
http://www.cablegatesearch.net

Ode to UN bomb Victims.

Vroom vroom vroom!!!

that is the sound,
that flashes
exultic fumes
pressures to high degree
envy clawed to a halt
At the bottom of Nations.

Activities non-stop,
Those innocent shifts with promises to families hoping for a change
arrived early as always to their posts.

In the House of Nations, Babel of tongues fused.

'Young girl... make me a cup of tea ' one said
'Am I your wife?' She joked
' Are you a virgin?'
'We are five sister and all virgins'.
Her voice booms with virtue and moved to the stand.

Watching from the lot, the lonely man remained as dissident and soulless in his blind martyr drives;
His mind narrowed down, the clowds getting brighter and others arrived for their businesses.

The young virgin walked into his view,
beautiful like angel,
Sway like a wild gazelle.
Ravenous eyes turned
In their numbers with body aches...

Judging from their stand points, as if rehearsing a citation, he cried 'Allah kaaba ...'
Booooooooom ......

Smokes clouded all heavens;

dis-member bodies, singed hairs, burning flesh and blood paints shattered glasses, metals jammed, crushed to rumbles.

voices of nations wailed and, will forever cry in their consciences with torments in their peace.

What a wicked heart!
Will posterity ever forgive them?
Hope not.

Teenager Kills Own Father While Defending Uncle

A 47-year-old was stabbed to death by his teenage son on Saturday in Edgewood, Washington, after getting into a fight with his brother, according to local media reports.

Ralph Paputsakis apparently attacked his 46-year-old brother with a crowbar until his 17-year-old son intervened. The teenager didn't even know who the man was, according to the family, as Paputsakis was not active in his life. He was stabbed multiple times with a knife.

"We've all been crying all night long and it's the hardest thing I ever had to go through," the teen's sister, Heather Flores, told KING 5 News. "What my brother did to him, he didn't know it was our dad. He didn't know it. When he saw him, he just freaked out."

According to MyNorthwest, the brother of the man killed suffered head wounds and was taken to the local hospital for evaluation.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said the case remains under investigation; it's not yet known if any charges will be filed.

"At this point we don't have probable cause. It appears that the boy was trying to protect his uncle," Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Michael Blair told The News Tribune.

Edgewood is a small city just outside Tacoma, Washington, with a population of about 10,000.

Source....
http://www.aol.com

Police docks Mr Isaac Akinkunmi for defrauding 87-yr-old man

The police in Lagos State have arrested an Ibadan-based politician for allegedly defrauding an octogenarian to the tune of N12 million.

The accused, Mr Isaac Akinkunmi, was arraigned before  Lagos Island  magistrates' court and had been granted bail, while the case was adjourned till September  14.

The council chairmanship aspirant was accused of  defrauding 87-year-old retired lawyer, Mr Adedapo Adediran, over a property in Ogbomoso area of Oyo State.

The police investigating officer, Augustine Emmanuel, said the suspect had, on July  15, 2010 collected N12 million from the man.

In the charge sheet, the accused was said to have collected the money  on the premise that he would "forfeit the structure erected on the landed property, knowing well that the property was illegally acquired."

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the suspect was arrested by the police after failing to refund the N12 million that he allegedly collected from the man.

The suspect had reportedly agreed to refund the  money, but reneged  and refused invitation by the police, before he was eventually arrested at his Ogbomoso home

The presiding magistrate, Justice A.O. Adedayo, granted the bail  on the condition of provision of two sureties for N1 million each.

Source .....
http://ascology.com

Filettino, a town in Italy, declares independence, prints own currency

A small town in central Italy has declared its independence and started to print its own banknotes. The authorities in Filettino, 100km (70 miles) east of Rome, are protesting against austerity measures.

It has only 550 inhabitants and under new rules aimed at cutting local administration costs it will be forced to merge with neighbouring Trevi.

Town mayor Luca Sellari, who stands to lose his job because of the crisis, came up with the idea.

He created his own currency, called the Fiorito. Banknotes have his head on the back, and they are already being used in local shops and being bought as souvenirs by tourists who have started to throng the normally quiet streets.

The mayor says there is enormous enthusiasm about declaring the independence of the new principality.

There has been such an outcry by small towns across Italy at the government move to abolish local councils and merge them with larger towns that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's coalition may be forced to backtrack.

In the meantime the new Principality of Filettino - complete with coat of arms and website - is suddenly enjoying international fame.

After all, the mayor says, Italy was once made up of dozens of principalities and . As he says, the landlocked republic of San Marino still manages to survive, so why not Filettino

Source...
http://ascology.com

More than 400 Nigerians are languishing in Chinese prisons

Nigeria's Ambassador to China, Aminu Wali, says 400 Nigerians are languishing in Chinese jails and that one of them was executed by lethal injection last month.

Nigeria's Ambassador to China, Aminu Wali, says 400 Nigerians are languishing in Chinese jails and that one of them was executed by lethal injection last month.

Wali told a group of Nigerian journalists in Beijing, China, yesterday that majority of the convicts were tried for hard drug-related offences.

He added that another Nigerian had recently had his death sentence suspended and could finally have it commuted to life imprisonment due to the intervention of the embassy.

"Something is wrong with our value system."  he said, adding that he was arranging a stakeholders' meeting with leaders from a geo-political zone in Nigeria where most of the convicts came from.

He lamented that the embassy usually got to know about this group of Nigerians only after they had  been arrested.

"As we speak, one of my consular officers is on a prison visit to meet convicted Nigerians or suspects still undergoing trial.

"This embassy was earlier informed of another arrest and before the end of the day, up to five such letters may be received here," Wali said.

The ambassador said he was visiting the convicts in Chinese prisons personally on a quarterly basis and ensuring that they were fairly comfortable by donating money for their needs.

He also disclosed that some Nigerians sell their passports on running into difficult times in China and would finally remember their embassy when arrested.

Source...
http://ascology.com

Double Tragedy: Gang of hoodlums kills DPO in Delta, son dies in accident .

AN Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in charge of Eku police station, Delta State, identified as Mr. Ayoola Adelodun, has been killed by an armed gang.

He was reportedly trailed from his office and shot dead while entering his compound at Eku.

While the family was mourning the gruesome murder of their breadwinner, his son lost his life two days after in a  motorcycle accident and his body has since been deposited in the same morgue with his father.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Charles Muka, confirmed the incidents.

According to PPRO:-
"We arrested three suspects in respect of the killing while the search for other fleeing suspects continues".

It will be recalled that a killer gang ambushed and killed a former DPO, Obiaruku in Ukwuani local government area of Delta State , Mr. William Agbogoroma  in January this year while responding to a distress call.

Source...
http://www.vanguardngr.com

Documents Reveal ties between CIA and Moammar Gaddafi

The CIA worked closely with Moammar Gadhafi's intelligence services in the rendition of terror suspects to Libya for interrogation, according to documents seen Saturday by the AP, cooperation that could spark tensions between Washington and Libya's new rulers.

The CIA was among a number of foreign intelligence services that worked with Libya's agencies, according to documents found at a Libyan security agency building in Tripoli.

The discovery came as the Libyan rebels said they would surround pro-Gadhafi cities until the Sept. 10 deadline for their surrender.

The intelligence documents found in Tripoli, meanwhile, provided new details on the ties between Western countries and Gadhafi's regime. Many of those same countries backed the NATO attacks that helped Libya's rebels force Gadhafi from power.

One notable case is that of Abdel-Hakim Belhaj, commander of the anti-Gadhafi rebel force that now controls Tripoli. Belhaj is the former leader of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a now-dissolved militant group with links to al-Qaida. Belhaj says he was tortured by CIA agents at a secret prison, then returned to Libya.

Two documents from March 2004 appear to be American correspondence to Libyan officials to arrange Belhaj's rendition.

Referring to him by his nom de guerre, Abdullah al-Sadiq, the documents say he will be flown from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Libya and asks for Libyan government agents to accompany him.

It also requests American "access to al-Sadiq for debriefing purposes once he is in your custody."

"Please be advised that we must be assured that al-Sadiq will be treated humanely and that his human rights will be respected," the document says.

Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch, which found the documents, called the ties between Washington and Gadhafi's regime "a very dark chapter in American intelligence history, and it remains a stain on the record of the American intelligence services that they cooperated with these very abusive intelligence services."

In Washington, CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood declined to comment Saturday on any specific allegation related to the documents.

"It can't come as a surprise that the Central Intelligence Agency works with foreign governments to help protect our country from terrorism and other deadly threats," Youngblood said. "That is exactly what we are expected to do."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

David Charrier of Detroit served jail term for animal cruelty.

Ön April 3, 52-year-old David Charrier of Detroit drove past a crash scene in which a deer had been hit by another vehicle and it lay in the road.

Somerset County District Attorney Evert Fowle says Charrier took the deer and kept it for several hours before taking it to a butcher shop.

Charrier pleaded guilty last month to cruelty to animals and other charges and was sentenced to a 10-day jail term for putting an injured deer in the trunk of his car and keeping it there for more than eight hours before taking it to a butcher shop when it was still alive.

The butcher called police, who told him to euthanize the animal. The butcher then called the Maine Warden Service.

Source ....
http://www.washingtonpost.com

"NEPA / PHCN Cables" stolen in U. S. A?

A utility company says thieves have climbed utility poles and cut live electrical lines in order to steal hundreds of pounds of copper in a northwestern Indiana neighborhood.

Northern Indiana Public Service Co. says at least 2,300 feet of wire have been taken in more than a dozen thefts since Sunday in a neighborhood near downtown Gary. That's an estimated 600 pounds of copper.

Utility spokesman Nick Meyer says that stealing the lines are not only dangerous for the thieves, but they are causing power outages for residents. NIPSCO is urging anyone who sees suspicious activities to call police.

Higher prices for metal in recent years mean copper can sell for more than $4 a pound at scrapyards.

Source ....
http://wlsam.com