AUSTIN, Texas - Lady Bird Johnson, the former first lady who championed conservation and worked tenaciously for the political career of her husband, Lyndon B. Johnson, died Wednesday, a family spokeswoman said. She was 94.
Johnson, who suffered a stroke in 2002 that affected her ability to speak, returned home late last month after a week at Seton Medical Center, where she’d been admitted for a low-grade fever.
She died at her Austin home of natural causes and she was surrounded by family and friends, said spokeswoman Elizabeth Christian.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Man gets death for killing family of seven
JOHOR BARU: Bangladeshi Md Masud Rana Md Mofizuddin has been sentenced to death after the High Court found him guilty of killing seven members of a family six years ago.
Judge Datuk Azahar Mohamed has ordered Md Masud to be hanged to death for the seven charges of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. The 33-year-old accused remained calm and did not show any emotion when an interpreter translated the sentence to him.
In his judgement, Azahar said the prosecution had proven beyond doubt that the accused had committed the crime and the defence failed to create reasonable doubts on the evidences presented to the court.
He said it was his finding that Md Masud was fully conscious of what he was doing and not suffering from any mental illnesses, based on psychiatrist examinations.
"After considering the injuries on all seven deceased and post mortem report, it is my finding that the accused possessed the intention of causing such injuries which were sufficient to cause death,'' he said.
He also commended the Johor Baru Selatan police investigating team led by the then CID chief Supt Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar for a job well done.
Md Masud is jointly charged with Razaul Karim Mohd Soleman Ali Fakir, 38, for murdering seven people at a house in Taman Johor Jaya here, between 1.41am and 7.43am on July 28, 2001. Razaul was acquitted on June 2, last year, on the grounds that there was no evidence against him.
The victims were K. Mangala Gowri, 42, S. Muniandi, 71, B. Vasagi, 27, S. Suppiah Amudavalli, 45, S.S.S. Perumal, 49, S.S. Letchimee, 51, and S. Ramaiee, 65.
In the prosecution team were Deputy Public Prosecutor Abdul Rasid Sudin, Mohd Nordin Ismail and Ahmad Akram Gharib while the accused was represented by the assigned lawyer S. Vijayaretnam.
Vijayaretnam would be filing for an appeal at the Court of Appeal soon
Judge Datuk Azahar Mohamed has ordered Md Masud to be hanged to death for the seven charges of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. The 33-year-old accused remained calm and did not show any emotion when an interpreter translated the sentence to him.
In his judgement, Azahar said the prosecution had proven beyond doubt that the accused had committed the crime and the defence failed to create reasonable doubts on the evidences presented to the court.
He said it was his finding that Md Masud was fully conscious of what he was doing and not suffering from any mental illnesses, based on psychiatrist examinations.
"After considering the injuries on all seven deceased and post mortem report, it is my finding that the accused possessed the intention of causing such injuries which were sufficient to cause death,'' he said.
He also commended the Johor Baru Selatan police investigating team led by the then CID chief Supt Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar for a job well done.
Md Masud is jointly charged with Razaul Karim Mohd Soleman Ali Fakir, 38, for murdering seven people at a house in Taman Johor Jaya here, between 1.41am and 7.43am on July 28, 2001. Razaul was acquitted on June 2, last year, on the grounds that there was no evidence against him.
The victims were K. Mangala Gowri, 42, S. Muniandi, 71, B. Vasagi, 27, S. Suppiah Amudavalli, 45, S.S.S. Perumal, 49, S.S. Letchimee, 51, and S. Ramaiee, 65.
In the prosecution team were Deputy Public Prosecutor Abdul Rasid Sudin, Mohd Nordin Ismail and Ahmad Akram Gharib while the accused was represented by the assigned lawyer S. Vijayaretnam.
Vijayaretnam would be filing for an appeal at the Court of Appeal soon
Robbers pick wrong target
KLANG: Four would-be robbers staged an accident by ramming their multi-purpose vehicle into a car in Batu Belah. But they chose the wrong target.
In the car was an officer with the Selangor police contingent and a colleague.
Not knowing that their “victims” were policemen, the suspects got down and tried to settle the “accident” which occurred early Thursday morning.
When the officers identified themselves and asked for documents, the suspects ran away, leaving behind a 19-year-old youth. The officers checked the suspects’ vehicle and found five parangs (machetes) under the car seats. Police believe that the MPV was stolen. The youth has since been remanded to assist with investigations.
Klang district CID chief DSP Ruslan Ibrahim confirmed the case.
In the car was an officer with the Selangor police contingent and a colleague.
Not knowing that their “victims” were policemen, the suspects got down and tried to settle the “accident” which occurred early Thursday morning.
When the officers identified themselves and asked for documents, the suspects ran away, leaving behind a 19-year-old youth. The officers checked the suspects’ vehicle and found five parangs (machetes) under the car seats. Police believe that the MPV was stolen. The youth has since been remanded to assist with investigations.
Klang district CID chief DSP Ruslan Ibrahim confirmed the case.
Now they only realise that these people are that WILD and CRAZY !!!
Swiss rescue services say 6 killed in avalanche
BERN, Switzerland - An avalanche in central Switzerland has killed six mountain climbers, Swiss rescue services said Thursday.
Two teams of three climbers were hit by an avalanche on the southwest flank of the Jungfrau peak, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of the capital Bern, Rene Feuz of the rescue station in Lauterbrunnen told The Associated Press.
The Swiss army said it was possible the victims were recruits on a training exercise. "We fear that recruits from mountaineering units were involved,'' army spokesman Daniel Laroche said.
He said a patrol of six men was in the area at the time of the accident, but added that he was unable to provide confirmation at this stage.
The climbers were scaling the 4,158-meter (13,642-foot) mountain via a standard route, according to Feuz.
Two teams of three climbers were hit by an avalanche on the southwest flank of the Jungfrau peak, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) southeast of the capital Bern, Rene Feuz of the rescue station in Lauterbrunnen told The Associated Press.
The Swiss army said it was possible the victims were recruits on a training exercise. "We fear that recruits from mountaineering units were involved,'' army spokesman Daniel Laroche said.
He said a patrol of six men was in the area at the time of the accident, but added that he was unable to provide confirmation at this stage.
The climbers were scaling the 4,158-meter (13,642-foot) mountain via a standard route, according to Feuz.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Radical cleric of besieged mosque killed in raid
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A radical cleric whose besieged mosque sought to impose strict Islamic morality on the Pakistani capital was killed Tuesday after refusing to respond to troops who demanded his surrender, officials said.
About 50 militants and eight soldiers died when the military stormed the sprawling Red Mosque compound.
Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the public face of the pro-Taliban mosque that challenged the government’s writ in Islamabad, had vowed to die rather than give himself up.
5 killed, including 2 children, when plane crashes into homes
(CNN) -- A small plane crashed into two homes Tuesday in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando, killing five people -- the pilot, his passenger, and an adult and two children inside the houses. The two homes hit were reduced to smoking rubble. Only portions of their outside walls, blackened from the explosion and fire, remained standing. The fatalities include people from both homes -- a mother and her 6-month-old son in one home and a 4-year-old girl in the other, said Cleo Cohen, Sanford police spokeswoman. The 4-year-old's parents were taken to an Orlando hospital, and her brother, 10, was transferred to a Cincinnati, Ohio, burn center, Cohen said. He had third-degree burns over 80 to 90 percent of his body, according to Sanford Fire Department investigator Matt Minnetto. Michael Klemm was piloting the plane, Cohen said. Klemm was a senior captain with NASCAR Aviation, a statement from NASCAR said. The passenger, Dr. Bruce Kennedy, was the husband of International Speedway Corp. President Lesa France Kennedy. She is the daughter of the longtime head of NASCAR, Bill France Jr., who died in June. One off-duty firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation, Cohen told reporters. In a written statement, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist thanked that firefighter, whom he identified as Ryan Cooper. Crist said he joins Floridians in prayer and grief for the families of those killed. "My heart goes out to my friend Dr. Bruce Kennedy and all involved with this terrible incident," he said. "Bruce was a great friend and a great doctor from an outstanding family. He was gracious beyond words, and his death is a terrible loss for Florida." The twin-engine Cessna 310, registered to Competitor Liaison Bureau, had taken off from Daytona Beach, Florida, heading to Lakeland, Florida. It declared an emergency with smoke in the cockpit and was attempting to land at Orlando Sanford International Airport, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. Instead, the plane crashed about five miles from the airport in a neighborhood called The Preserve at Lake Monroe. "First I heard a plane flying overhead. It sounded like a semi-truck coming down the road trying to slow down. As soon as it hit, it exploded into flames," a witness told CNN affiliate WESH 2 News. "A boy jumped out of the second story. He was on fire and extinguished himself. The wife ran out of the front door. She was on fire. Someone was screaming about a baby still inside the house," a witness told WESH
McCain's campaign manager, strategist leave
WASHINGTON - John McCain's campaign manager and chief strategist quit the campaign Tuesday in a major staff shake-up for the struggling Republican presidential candidate who is all but broke and trails in opinion polls.
In a statement, the Arizona senator said Terry Nelson and John Weaver offered their resignations, "which I accepted with regret and deep gratitude for their dedication, hard work and friendship."
Nelson, a veteran of President Bush's successful 2004 re-election effort, said he stepped down as campaign manager and Weaver, a longtime aide who ran McCain's failed 2000 presidential bid, said he left his post of chief strategist. Both resignations were effective immediately
In a statement, the Arizona senator said Terry Nelson and John Weaver offered their resignations, "which I accepted with regret and deep gratitude for their dedication, hard work and friendship."
Nelson, a veteran of President Bush's successful 2004 re-election effort, said he stepped down as campaign manager and Weaver, a longtime aide who ran McCain's failed 2000 presidential bid, said he left his post of chief strategist. Both resignations were effective immediately
Umno Youth lodges report over doctored pic
PUTRAJAYA: Umno youth has lodged a report against Opposition leader Tian Chua over doctored photos involving the Deputy Prime Minister.
The moverment’s deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin lodged a report Tuesday with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), whose chairman Datuk Dr Halim Shafie had promised that there would be a "speedy investigation due to public interest".
Khairy, who met Shafie and three other senior officers for an hour, said the movement felt the need to complain as its members were "hurt, angry and disturbed" over the doctored photos that Tian Chua had posted on his website.
"Even in democracy, there should be a limit and we believe in this case, Tian Chua had gone overboard. He had abused the freedom that has been given on the use of Internet and the freedom of expression.
"What he did was irresponsible, has no basis and even he admitted that the photos were doctored. His actions have offended us in Umno youth and as Malaysians. I hope appropriate action will be taken against him.
"Investigations against Tian Chua will be a test case to our democracy," he told reporters after the meeting at the MCMC headquarters in Cyberjaya.
Tian Chua of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in his blog on July 2 had posted a doctored photograph of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, together with political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and a look-alike of Altantuya Shaariibuu at the same table.
Abdul Razak is one of three people accused in the murder of Altantuya, a Mongolian translator. Khairy said Dr Halim had informed him that investigations on the case would be made under Section 211 and 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, adding the law was adequate to take action against those who abuse the use of Internet with lies and slander.
"In a country that practise matured democracy, we must play a proactive role by reporting incidents where lies, false information and slander are spread through the Internet. We must show good example to the younger generation that such acts are uncalled for and unaccepted," he added.
Meanwhile Dr Halim said the commission would have to investigate to ascertain whether the photograph of Altantuya was a genuine photo of her.
"This case is of public concern so we will speed up investigations. As to whether we will call Tian Chua over the matter, we will if it is required," he added
The moverment’s deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin lodged a report Tuesday with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), whose chairman Datuk Dr Halim Shafie had promised that there would be a "speedy investigation due to public interest".
Khairy, who met Shafie and three other senior officers for an hour, said the movement felt the need to complain as its members were "hurt, angry and disturbed" over the doctored photos that Tian Chua had posted on his website.
"Even in democracy, there should be a limit and we believe in this case, Tian Chua had gone overboard. He had abused the freedom that has been given on the use of Internet and the freedom of expression.
"What he did was irresponsible, has no basis and even he admitted that the photos were doctored. His actions have offended us in Umno youth and as Malaysians. I hope appropriate action will be taken against him.
"Investigations against Tian Chua will be a test case to our democracy," he told reporters after the meeting at the MCMC headquarters in Cyberjaya.
Tian Chua of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in his blog on July 2 had posted a doctored photograph of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, together with political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and a look-alike of Altantuya Shaariibuu at the same table.
Abdul Razak is one of three people accused in the murder of Altantuya, a Mongolian translator. Khairy said Dr Halim had informed him that investigations on the case would be made under Section 211 and 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, adding the law was adequate to take action against those who abuse the use of Internet with lies and slander.
"In a country that practise matured democracy, we must play a proactive role by reporting incidents where lies, false information and slander are spread through the Internet. We must show good example to the younger generation that such acts are uncalled for and unaccepted," he added.
Meanwhile Dr Halim said the commission would have to investigate to ascertain whether the photograph of Altantuya was a genuine photo of her.
"This case is of public concern so we will speed up investigations. As to whether we will call Tian Chua over the matter, we will if it is required," he added
Cops seek mum’s help in investigation
PENANG: Police have remanded the mother of Shearwey Ooi Ying Ying to help in the investigation into the death of the three-year-old girl whose charred remains were scattered in three different locations.
Jess Teh, 28, and her boyfriend, Ong Chee Leong, 29, were produced before the Balik Pulau magistrate’s court yesterday morning
From early morning, a large crowd had gathered outside the courthouse to catch a glimpse of those who had been arrested in connection with the case.
Last Friday, Teh, a sales executive, lodged a police report saying that Ying Ying had gone missing after she left the child outside her car when she went to pay for her parking ticket near the Bayan Baru market hawker centre.
The next day, Teh gave a press conference to say how Ying Ying went missing and asked for help from the public to find her.
Teh and Ong were arrested on Sunday at about 1pm when they turned up at the Bayan Lepas police station to give a statement.
Ong then led police to recover a piece of bone at a cemetery in Paya Terubong and a pair of pyjamas in his car that was parked at the couple's apartment at Bandar Baru Air Itam.
Sources said police were investigating Teh’s claim that Ying Ying had drowned in a plastic bathtub, which has since been recovered from the couple’s apartment.
The sources added that only Ong was at the apartment when Ying Ying died on Thursday.
Teh had found Ying Ying dead when she returned home from work.
They said both waited for nightfall before carrying the little girl’s body out of the premises.
They added that police were now looking for an oil drum in which Ying Ying’s body was believed to have been placed before it was doused with petrol and burned
Yesterday, Ong led police to three rivers in Air Itam and Paya Terubong where Ying Ying’s remains were said to have been dumped.
A police team searched the three places.
At a press conference, Balik Pulau OCPD Supt Mohd Hatta Mohd Zain said the couple had been remanded until July 18 and that police had classified the case as murder.
“We consider the case solved with their arrest. Our checks showed that Ong was arrested a few years ago in connection with a fight,” he said.
It is understood that Teh met Ong, a former karaoke lounge manager who is currently jobless, about a year ago and they moved in together about three months ago.
Teh is in the midst of getting a divorce from her businessman husband Ooi Eng Chew.
Ong is separated from his wife and has two children
Jess Teh, 28, and her boyfriend, Ong Chee Leong, 29, were produced before the Balik Pulau magistrate’s court yesterday morning
From early morning, a large crowd had gathered outside the courthouse to catch a glimpse of those who had been arrested in connection with the case.
Last Friday, Teh, a sales executive, lodged a police report saying that Ying Ying had gone missing after she left the child outside her car when she went to pay for her parking ticket near the Bayan Baru market hawker centre.
The next day, Teh gave a press conference to say how Ying Ying went missing and asked for help from the public to find her.
Teh and Ong were arrested on Sunday at about 1pm when they turned up at the Bayan Lepas police station to give a statement.
Ong then led police to recover a piece of bone at a cemetery in Paya Terubong and a pair of pyjamas in his car that was parked at the couple's apartment at Bandar Baru Air Itam.
Sources said police were investigating Teh’s claim that Ying Ying had drowned in a plastic bathtub, which has since been recovered from the couple’s apartment.
The sources added that only Ong was at the apartment when Ying Ying died on Thursday.
Teh had found Ying Ying dead when she returned home from work.
They said both waited for nightfall before carrying the little girl’s body out of the premises.
They added that police were now looking for an oil drum in which Ying Ying’s body was believed to have been placed before it was doused with petrol and burned
Yesterday, Ong led police to three rivers in Air Itam and Paya Terubong where Ying Ying’s remains were said to have been dumped.
A police team searched the three places.
At a press conference, Balik Pulau OCPD Supt Mohd Hatta Mohd Zain said the couple had been remanded until July 18 and that police had classified the case as murder.
“We consider the case solved with their arrest. Our checks showed that Ong was arrested a few years ago in connection with a fight,” he said.
It is understood that Teh met Ong, a former karaoke lounge manager who is currently jobless, about a year ago and they moved in together about three months ago.
Teh is in the midst of getting a divorce from her businessman husband Ooi Eng Chew.
Ong is separated from his wife and has two children
Sunday, July 08, 2007
New 7 wonders of the world named
The new seven wonders of the world were named Saturday following an online vote that generated server-crushing traffic in its final hours.
The final tally produced this list of the world's top human-built wonders:
• The Great Wall of China
• Petra in Jordan
• Brazil's statue of Christ the Redeemer
• Peru's Machu Picchu
• Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid
• The Colosseum in Rome
• India's Taj Mahal
Before the vote ended Friday, organizers said more than 90 million votes had been cast for 21 sites.
Voting at the Web site, www.new7wonders.com, ended at 6 p.m. ET Friday. Traffic was so heavy Friday that the site was crashing at times.
One message urged voters to use text messages as an alternative form of voting. "Keep on voting, as it is your votes that decide the New 7 Wonders of the World," the message said.
"We have traffic that is simply off the scale," Tia Vering, spokeswoman for the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign, told CNN.com. "Things are just going ballistic."
visit us at www.datco.com.my ... ..
The final tally produced this list of the world's top human-built wonders:
• The Great Wall of China
• Petra in Jordan
• Brazil's statue of Christ the Redeemer
• Peru's Machu Picchu
• Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid
• The Colosseum in Rome
• India's Taj Mahal
Before the vote ended Friday, organizers said more than 90 million votes had been cast for 21 sites.
Voting at the Web site, www.new7wonders.com, ended at 6 p.m. ET Friday. Traffic was so heavy Friday that the site was crashing at times.
One message urged voters to use text messages as an alternative form of voting. "Keep on voting, as it is your votes that decide the New 7 Wonders of the World," the message said.
"We have traffic that is simply off the scale," Tia Vering, spokeswoman for the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign, told CNN.com. "Things are just going ballistic."
visit us at www.datco.com.my ... ..
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Pakistan tightens mosque siege
Fresh clashes have erupted around the Red Mosque in Islamabad as a group of Muslim clerics failed in their attempt to reach the compound to negotiate an end to the standoff.
Al Jazeera's Rageh Omaar said members of the delegation from religious parties complained they were prevented from reaching the mosque on Saturday by security forces.
Hundreds of troops have surrounded the fortified compound housing the mosque and a girls' madrassa since Tuesday when months of tension erupted into violence.
"Security forces are not allowing us to go in and they have opened fire," Samia Raheel Qazi, a member of parliament, said.
"Whatever happens now, the government will be responsible."
The delegation had received permission from Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the senior cleric at the mosque, to enter the compound and was hoping to persuade him to send out children holed up inside.
Al Jazeera's Rageh Omaar said members of the delegation from religious parties complained they were prevented from reaching the mosque on Saturday by security forces.
Hundreds of troops have surrounded the fortified compound housing the mosque and a girls' madrassa since Tuesday when months of tension erupted into violence.
"Security forces are not allowing us to go in and they have opened fire," Samia Raheel Qazi, a member of parliament, said.
"Whatever happens now, the government will be responsible."
The delegation had received permission from Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the senior cleric at the mosque, to enter the compound and was hoping to persuade him to send out children holed up inside.
Boss donates kidney to his office assistant
Kindhearted employer offers organ to ailing woman with deadly disease
MORGANTON, N.C. — When doctors told Lisa White she needed a kidney transplant to stay alive, she never expected her boss to sign up as a donor.Chris Jernigan, the director of Southmountain Children and Family Services in Nebo, said he had watched White, his friend and colleague of more than 11 years, struggle to come into work.
The decision to donate a kidney to his office assistant was easy, he said. The surgery went well, and White was back at work Wednesday.
God Bless you my dear friend..... its the kindness and wisdom you have share with us..2-year-old dies in car as temperature soars
Uncle charged after child left for 5 hours in Iowa
STORM LAKE, Iowa - A 2-year-old boy died after his teenage uncle left him in a car for five hours as temperatures soared, authorities said Friday.
The child’s uncle, Noe Vargas, 18, was charged with child endangerment causing death.
He picked up his nephew, Steven Saavedra, from his sister’s house on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The child wanted to get into his mother’s car in the parking lot, and Vargas left him inside to play and walked to his home nearby, police Capt. Todd Erskine said.
Vargas and the boy’s mother, Cecilia Vargas, found the toddler dead in the car five hours later. Paramedics determined the child had been dead for some time.The temperature Thursday afternoon was in the upper 80s with a heat index of more than 90 degrees. Erskine said the child’s body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. He did not know when an autopsy would be performed.
Vargas was being held in jail under $32,500 bond. If convicted, Vargas could face up to 50 years in prison.
It wasn’t immediately known whether he had an attorney.
charge the man a murderer... i think that will do him good
STORM LAKE, Iowa - A 2-year-old boy died after his teenage uncle left him in a car for five hours as temperatures soared, authorities said Friday.
The child’s uncle, Noe Vargas, 18, was charged with child endangerment causing death.
He picked up his nephew, Steven Saavedra, from his sister’s house on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The child wanted to get into his mother’s car in the parking lot, and Vargas left him inside to play and walked to his home nearby, police Capt. Todd Erskine said.
Vargas and the boy’s mother, Cecilia Vargas, found the toddler dead in the car five hours later. Paramedics determined the child had been dead for some time.The temperature Thursday afternoon was in the upper 80s with a heat index of more than 90 degrees. Erskine said the child’s body was taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. He did not know when an autopsy would be performed.
Vargas was being held in jail under $32,500 bond. If convicted, Vargas could face up to 50 years in prison.
It wasn’t immediately known whether he had an attorney.
charge the man a murderer... i think that will do him good
Bush marks 61st birthday
WASHINGTON - When President Bush turned 60 last year, the milestone garnered interest around the globe. On Friday, he turned a year older, but to much less notice.
Bush celebrated his 61st birthday a bit early - with dinner and a party that first lady Laura Bush threw for him Wednesday evening at the White House, where he watched the Fourth of July fireworks over the National Mall.
On Thursday night, the president took in his favorite pastime, venturing across town to see the Washington Nationals play the Chicago Cubs. With no fanfare, the former part-owner of the Texas Rangers entered RFK Stadium at the bottom of the first inning, sat in a team box with team executives and an owner, and left after the seventh-inning stretch. The Cubs won 4-2.
Bush celebrated his 61st birthday a bit early - with dinner and a party that first lady Laura Bush threw for him Wednesday evening at the White House, where he watched the Fourth of July fireworks over the National Mall.
On Thursday night, the president took in his favorite pastime, venturing across town to see the Washington Nationals play the Chicago Cubs. With no fanfare, the former part-owner of the Texas Rangers entered RFK Stadium at the bottom of the first inning, sat in a team box with team executives and an owner, and left after the seventh-inning stretch. The Cubs won 4-2.
Gang forces mother to rape own son
Two Florida teenagers have been accused of gang raping a woman and forcing her to have sex with her 12-year-old son, who was then beaten and had cleaning solution poured in his eyes, police said.
"Any rape case is horrible but this takes it to another level, something you can't think of even in your worst dreams," West Palm Beach police spokesman Ted White said.
Authorities allege that Avion Lawson, 14, and Nathan Walker, 16, were among a group of up to 10 masked suspects who forced their way into the woman's home the night of June 18. They are being held without bail.
According to the police report, a man knocked on the woman's door and told her he had a flat tyre. The mother and son, whom police have not identified, went outside and were ambushed by a group of gun-wielding masked suspects.
The victims told police they were forced back into the house and beaten and sexually assaulted. According to authorities, the men raped, sodomised and beat the woman, then forced her 12-year-old son to participate in the assault at gunpoint, making him have sex with his mother in front of them
"Any rape case is horrible but this takes it to another level, something you can't think of even in your worst dreams," West Palm Beach police spokesman Ted White said.
Authorities allege that Avion Lawson, 14, and Nathan Walker, 16, were among a group of up to 10 masked suspects who forced their way into the woman's home the night of June 18. They are being held without bail.
According to the police report, a man knocked on the woman's door and told her he had a flat tyre. The mother and son, whom police have not identified, went outside and were ambushed by a group of gun-wielding masked suspects.
The victims told police they were forced back into the house and beaten and sexually assaulted. According to authorities, the men raped, sodomised and beat the woman, then forced her 12-year-old son to participate in the assault at gunpoint, making him have sex with his mother in front of them
Eight stabbed in party brawl
Eight people have been stabbed during a party at a Melbourne soccer club which was gatecrashed by youths armed with knives and machetes. Three of the eight are still in hospital after they were wounded when a group of up to 30 youths gatecrashed a party at the St Albans Saints' Soccer Club, in Fox Road, St Albans, in Melbourne's north-west, about 10.50pm (AEST) yesterday, Victoria Police said.
"It is believed a large brawl ensued and the intruding group produced a range of knives and machetes," a police spokeswoman said.
"The offending group then fled the scene," she said.
Of the three, a 15-year-old boy was taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital with a stab wound to the stomach, and was in a stable condition today.
A 17-year-old boy was also taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital with stab wounds, while a 14-year-old boy was taken to the Royal Children's hospital. Police said another five people at the party received minor stab wounds. Three of those were later treated at the Western hospital as outpatients and two were treated by paramedics at the scene of the brawl.
Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the attack to contact them.
"It is believed a large brawl ensued and the intruding group produced a range of knives and machetes," a police spokeswoman said.
"The offending group then fled the scene," she said.
Of the three, a 15-year-old boy was taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital with a stab wound to the stomach, and was in a stable condition today.
A 17-year-old boy was also taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital with stab wounds, while a 14-year-old boy was taken to the Royal Children's hospital. Police said another five people at the party received minor stab wounds. Three of those were later treated at the Western hospital as outpatients and two were treated by paramedics at the scene of the brawl.
Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the attack to contact them.
Suspect in court over failed bombings
2007.07.07
An Iraqi doctor will appear in court later today in connection with three failed car bombs in London and Glasgow, as Britain marks the second anniversary of suicide attacks in the capital amid tight security.Scotland Yard detectives last night charged Bilal Abdullah, 27, with conspiring to cause explosions. He is scheduled to make his first appearance before a magistrate at a central London court Saturday morning local time.
Abdullah was one of seven people detained in Britain over the two failed car bombs in central London in the early hours of June 29 and a botched attack the following day in which a Jeep Cherokee slammed into Glasgow airport terminal.
The medic, who worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, west of Glasgow, was a passenger in the sports utility vehicle packed with nails and gas canisters. He was arrested at the scene.
The driver, Indian national Kafeel Ahmed, was still in a critical condition and under armed guard in hospital with 90 per cent burns.
Prosecutors said today that Abdullah was being charged under the 1883 Explosive Substances Act.
The charge covers a period from January 1 to July 1, alleging he "unlawfully and maliciously conspired with others to cause explosions of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the United Kingdom''.
It carries a maximum sentence of life.
Police have linked the London and Glasgow incidents but the charges do not specify whether Abdullah was being called up on both.
The six other people arrested in Britain are thought to be either doctors or linked to Britain's state-run National Health Service (NHS), which has led to concerns over vetting procedures for foreign medics.
The Daily Mail newspaper today also raised fears after it cited a secret intelligence report as saying that up to eight people believed to have links to Muslim extremists were working in Britain's police service.
An eighth suspect, identified as Indian hospital registrar Mohammed Haneef, 28, was arrested in Brisbane on Monday as he allegedly tried to leave the country on a one-way ticket.
He worked in Liverpool, north-west England, before finding work in Australia last September: he is related to two other medics held in Britain, media reports have said.
Five other Indian doctors who had worked in the NHS have been briefly quizzed in Western Australia and NSW.
The failed attacks put Britain back on high alert. The security threat level was raised to "critical'' - the highest level - but was later lowered to "severe'', which still means an attack is "highly likely''.
Tight security is expected for the Tour de France cycle race, which starts in central London later today. Some 5,000 police will be deployed over the weekend for the event, which is expected to attract about one million visitors.
And Abdullah's appearance in court coincides with the second anniversary of the July 7, 2005 suicide attacks on London's public transport system that killed 52 commuters and the four British Islamist extremist bombers.
Unlike the public commemorations and national two-minutes' silence last year, low-key events have been planned to mark the bombings.
Survivors and relatives of the victims were to gather at Kings Cross railway station shortly before 9am (1800 AEST), when the first bomb exploded two years ago, to lay flowers.
Others will visit Edgware Road and Aldgate stations, where two of the home-made rucksack bombs were detonated on London Underground trains, and Tavistock Square, where a double-decker bus was blown up.
Work is currently under way to erect a permanent memorial to the victims in Hyde Park's Lovers' Walk.
有家歸不得 濫賭丈夫用菜刀追砍妻兒
2007.07.07
（吉隆坡6日訊）濫賭丈夫傾家蕩產后疑承受不了刺激而發瘋，頻頻用菜刀追砍妻兒，侗言將殺死全家復自殺，妻兒為了避免無辜死在刀口下，唯有流浪街頭，有家歸不得。据了解，家人曾針對此事據情向警方報案，不過，當警方上家門展開調查時，為夫者竟然冷靜告知警方妻兒精神出現問題，要求警方不用理會；豈料，警方一旦離開后，為夫者原形畢露，加上他獲悉家人報案后，顯得更加生氣，利用菜刀追砍家人。
這對母子蘇亞金（58歲，來自淡江新村）及林冠勝（26歲，無業）雖然多次被追砍依然吉人天相，不過，兩人在兩天前再次被追砍時，由於無法打開家門而差點死在刀口下，之後便不敢回家，只能在外流浪。
蘇亞金接受《東方日報》的訪問時指出，其丈夫林玉祥（64歲）在退休前是一名茶水工友，不過，由於丈夫自年輕便濫賭，除了沒有任何儲蓄以外，還欠債累累。
「原本他有數万令吉的退休金，不過，他卻在短時間內，將這筆錢輸光，不但如此，還向大耳窿貸款，令家人日夜活在恐慌中。」
她形容其丈夫就如一顆計時炸彈，經常坐在家里的角落「沉思」，聲聲表示沒有錢，之後在失控的情況下，就會利用菜刀追砍妻兒，因而多次嚇壞幼兒林冠發（23歲）。她表示，她曾經硬下心腸報案，以要求警方將丈夫逮捕，不過，兒子卻念在父子情上，拒絕警方逮捕父親。
她說，早期她有一些首飾及儲蓄，不過，其丈夫為了滿足賭癮，乘她出門時將值錢的財物偷走變賣，惟她不敢「領教」丈夫的脾氣，更擔心向丈夫追問會引來橫禍，因此從來沒有詢問財物的去向。她表示，她曾多次在做家務時突然被丈夫追砍，兩天前也在洗衣時遭丈夫追砍，之後便與長子逃離住家。
「晚上8時許我在住家附近遇見巡警報案，惟巡警卻要求我前往警局報案。」
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Survivor of brutal attack dies in leap from ship
Texas teen spoke of burden of being known as victim of infamous assault
HOUSTON - David Ritcheson hated being known as "that kid" — the teenager who was beaten unconscious and sodomized with a plastic pole during a party where one of his assailants shouted "White Power!"
Ritcheson didn't want to stand out from his classmates because of the assault, but he acknowledged in an interview that "it was just really hard to hold your head up, even to walk outside with everyone almost in the world knowing what happened."
That anguish may have contributed to his decision to leap Sunday from a cruise ship to his death in the Gulf of Mexico.
Story continues below ↓advertisement
A man at Ritcheson's home who identified himself as the teen's father confirmed the death Monday to The Associated Press. He declined to give his name or comment further, saying the family would issue a statement later.
Ritcheson, 18, rarely discussed his feelings and declined to get counseling after being attacked at the drug-fueled teen party in April 2006. A year later, he testified before Congress in support of a hate-crimes bill.
‘I shouldn’t care what people think’
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle this past April, he said: "I shouldn't care what people think or say. It's just the fact that everyone knows I'm the kid. It was bigger than Houston. It was bigger than Texas. It was bigger than America. Everybody in the world knew what had happened and everybody knew the details of it."
Ritcheson, a Mexican-American, was beaten and sodomized with a patio umbrella pole. He also was stomped and burned with cigarettes, and his attackers poured bleach on him before leaving him for dead. He was hospitalized for more than three months and endured 20 to 30 operations.
On Sunday, he was pronounced dead after being pulled aboard the Ecstasy, a cruise ship en route from Galveston to Cozumel, Mexico.
A spokesman for Carnival Cruise Lines said several witnesses saw Ritcheson jump from an upper deck of the ship Sunday morning. Officials aboard the Ecstasy notified the Coast Guard before recovering Ritcheson's body.
Mike Trent, the prosecutor who handled his case, said the small, quiet youth always seemed positive and upbeat about his recovery.
"He certainly wanted to see justice done in the case and wanted his attackers punished, but I thought that — considering everything that had happened to him — he had come through things remarkably well," Trent said.
He said Ritcheson had used drugs before the attack but realized that played a role in his assault and promised to quit. According to testimony, the attack was triggered by Ritcheson's drunken pass at another teen's 12-year-old sister.
‘I thought he had turned a corner’
Ritcheson's death is "just very tragic because I thought he had turned a corner and was trying his best to make something positive out of what happened to him," Trent said. "He thought that he could handle everything on his own."
Although he remembered nothing of the four-hour attack, Ritcheson testified about it during congressional hearings in April on a hate-crimes bill. That bill passed the House and is pending in a Senate committee
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said she hopes to have the measure formally named "David's Bill" in Ritcheson's honor.
"I could not have been more moved by his commitment to getting things right," Jackson Lee said Monday. "He was able to dig deep over all of the pain and all the humiliation and try to be of help to someone else."
The Anti-Defamation League was one of several civil-rights groups that organized Ritcheson's testimony.
"Our hearts go out to his family and friends, who already have endured so much pain," the ADL said Monday in a statement. "We pray the same strength, courage and dignity they displayed after David's attack will help them make it through this very difficult time."
Two men were convicted of aggravated sexual assault in the attack. David Henry Tuck, then 18, was sentenced to life in prison. Keith Robert Turner, then 17, was sentenced to 90 years in prison. Both must serve at least 30 years before being eligible for parole.
Ritcheson, Tuck, Turner and two other teens were partying at a suburban home at the time of the attack, drinking and taking cocaine and Xanax
HOUSTON - David Ritcheson hated being known as "that kid" — the teenager who was beaten unconscious and sodomized with a plastic pole during a party where one of his assailants shouted "White Power!"
Ritcheson didn't want to stand out from his classmates because of the assault, but he acknowledged in an interview that "it was just really hard to hold your head up, even to walk outside with everyone almost in the world knowing what happened."
That anguish may have contributed to his decision to leap Sunday from a cruise ship to his death in the Gulf of Mexico.
Story continues below ↓advertisement
A man at Ritcheson's home who identified himself as the teen's father confirmed the death Monday to The Associated Press. He declined to give his name or comment further, saying the family would issue a statement later.
Ritcheson, 18, rarely discussed his feelings and declined to get counseling after being attacked at the drug-fueled teen party in April 2006. A year later, he testified before Congress in support of a hate-crimes bill.
‘I shouldn’t care what people think’
In an interview with the Houston Chronicle this past April, he said: "I shouldn't care what people think or say. It's just the fact that everyone knows I'm the kid. It was bigger than Houston. It was bigger than Texas. It was bigger than America. Everybody in the world knew what had happened and everybody knew the details of it."
Ritcheson, a Mexican-American, was beaten and sodomized with a patio umbrella pole. He also was stomped and burned with cigarettes, and his attackers poured bleach on him before leaving him for dead. He was hospitalized for more than three months and endured 20 to 30 operations.
On Sunday, he was pronounced dead after being pulled aboard the Ecstasy, a cruise ship en route from Galveston to Cozumel, Mexico.
A spokesman for Carnival Cruise Lines said several witnesses saw Ritcheson jump from an upper deck of the ship Sunday morning. Officials aboard the Ecstasy notified the Coast Guard before recovering Ritcheson's body.
Mike Trent, the prosecutor who handled his case, said the small, quiet youth always seemed positive and upbeat about his recovery.
"He certainly wanted to see justice done in the case and wanted his attackers punished, but I thought that — considering everything that had happened to him — he had come through things remarkably well," Trent said.
He said Ritcheson had used drugs before the attack but realized that played a role in his assault and promised to quit. According to testimony, the attack was triggered by Ritcheson's drunken pass at another teen's 12-year-old sister.
‘I thought he had turned a corner’
Ritcheson's death is "just very tragic because I thought he had turned a corner and was trying his best to make something positive out of what happened to him," Trent said. "He thought that he could handle everything on his own."
Although he remembered nothing of the four-hour attack, Ritcheson testified about it during congressional hearings in April on a hate-crimes bill. That bill passed the House and is pending in a Senate committee
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said she hopes to have the measure formally named "David's Bill" in Ritcheson's honor.
"I could not have been more moved by his commitment to getting things right," Jackson Lee said Monday. "He was able to dig deep over all of the pain and all the humiliation and try to be of help to someone else."
The Anti-Defamation League was one of several civil-rights groups that organized Ritcheson's testimony.
"Our hearts go out to his family and friends, who already have endured so much pain," the ADL said Monday in a statement. "We pray the same strength, courage and dignity they displayed after David's attack will help them make it through this very difficult time."
Two men were convicted of aggravated sexual assault in the attack. David Henry Tuck, then 18, was sentenced to life in prison. Keith Robert Turner, then 17, was sentenced to 90 years in prison. Both must serve at least 30 years before being eligible for parole.
Ritcheson, Tuck, Turner and two other teens were partying at a suburban home at the time of the attack, drinking and taking cocaine and Xanax
Clove-flavored Marlboros sold in Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Philip Morris International launched a Marlboro cigarette flavored with cloves in Indonesia on Tuesday, seeking to boost sales in one of the world’s largest tobacco markets as smokers in Europe and the United States give up the habit.
The company, a unit of New York-based Altria Group Inc., last year bought a controlling stake in local cigarette manufacturer Sampoerna for $5.2 billion, the largest takeover deal ever by a foreign investor in Indonesia.
Almost two-thirds of adult males in this country of 230 million people smoke and growing numbers of females are joining them, analysts say.
Ninety percent of smokers choose cigarettes blended with cloves called kretek. Their distinctive sweet aroma is ever-present in cafes, offices and public spaces across the country.
Philip Morris’ move shows the importance of Indonesia and other overseas markets to the company as government bans and increased awareness of the health risks of smoking have hit sales in the United States and Europe.
“A Marlboro kretek makes sense,” Martin King, Sampoerna’s president director, told The Associated Press in an interview. “What consumers are telling us is that they like Marlboro, they like the brand, but they also want kretek.”
The Marlboro Mix 9 is the strongest Marlboro currently on the market, packing 1.8 milligrams of nicotine and 30 milligrams of tar. That is comparable to other full-strength kretek on sale in Indonesia, but twice as much as regular Marlboros on sale elsewhere in the world, King said.
King said that no cigarettes were safe, but that there was no evidence kretek were more dangerous than regular cigarettes.
The eugenol in cloves causes a numbing of the throat in smokers, making harsh tobacco smoke easier to swallow. They are normally sold in packs of 12 and take much longer to smoke than ordinary cigarettes.
King said he was confident Mix 9 would sell well, but noted that competition in Indonesia’s kretek sector was intense. Last year, some 500 new brands were launched in the country, he said.
Indonesia is the fifth-largest tobacco market behind China, the United States, Russia and Japan
When the people in the west stop the smoking bad habit and start realising that it is bad....then now you guys coming over here to asia and try to boost the sales? of course no on in the asia will sue you for selling them cancer or death... but god knows that you are selling harm....
The company, a unit of New York-based Altria Group Inc., last year bought a controlling stake in local cigarette manufacturer Sampoerna for $5.2 billion, the largest takeover deal ever by a foreign investor in Indonesia.
Almost two-thirds of adult males in this country of 230 million people smoke and growing numbers of females are joining them, analysts say.
Ninety percent of smokers choose cigarettes blended with cloves called kretek. Their distinctive sweet aroma is ever-present in cafes, offices and public spaces across the country.
Philip Morris’ move shows the importance of Indonesia and other overseas markets to the company as government bans and increased awareness of the health risks of smoking have hit sales in the United States and Europe.
“A Marlboro kretek makes sense,” Martin King, Sampoerna’s president director, told The Associated Press in an interview. “What consumers are telling us is that they like Marlboro, they like the brand, but they also want kretek.”
The Marlboro Mix 9 is the strongest Marlboro currently on the market, packing 1.8 milligrams of nicotine and 30 milligrams of tar. That is comparable to other full-strength kretek on sale in Indonesia, but twice as much as regular Marlboros on sale elsewhere in the world, King said.
King said that no cigarettes were safe, but that there was no evidence kretek were more dangerous than regular cigarettes.
The eugenol in cloves causes a numbing of the throat in smokers, making harsh tobacco smoke easier to swallow. They are normally sold in packs of 12 and take much longer to smoke than ordinary cigarettes.
King said he was confident Mix 9 would sell well, but noted that competition in Indonesia’s kretek sector was intense. Last year, some 500 new brands were launched in the country, he said.
Indonesia is the fifth-largest tobacco market behind China, the United States, Russia and Japan
When the people in the west stop the smoking bad habit and start realising that it is bad....then now you guys coming over here to asia and try to boost the sales? of course no on in the asia will sue you for selling them cancer or death... but god knows that you are selling harm....
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