Google gets driving licence for ‘driverless’ car

Driverless cars will soon be a reality on the roads of Nevada after the State approved America's first self-driven vehicle licence. The first to hit the highway will be a Toyota Prius modified by search firm Google, which is leading the way in driverless car technology. Its first drive included a spin down Las Vegas's famous strip. Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licences in Nevada. The car uses video cameras mounted on the roof, radar sensors and a laser range finder to "see" other traffic. Engineers at Google have previously tested the car on the streets of California, including crossing San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. For those tests, the car remained manned at all times by a trained driver ready to take control if the software failed. According to software engineer Sebastian Thrun, the car has covered 140,000 miles with no accidents, other than a bump at traffic lights from a car behind. Bruce Breslow, director of Nevada's Department of Motor Vehicles, says he believes driverless vehicles are the "cars of the future". Nevada changed its laws to allow self-driven cars in March. The long-term plan is to license members of the public to drive such cars. Google's car has been issued with a red licence plate to make it recognisable. The plate features an infinity sign next to the number 001. Other states, including California, are planning similar changes. "The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error," said California state Senator Alex Padilla, when he introduced the legislation. "Through the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and operating the vehicle more safely." culled from BBC

Lagos State govt sacks over 1000 doctors

Fashola

The crisis rocking the Lagos State health sector in Nigeria took a dangerous twist on Monday, when the State government led by Mr Babatunde Fashola sacked over 1,000 doctors in its employ. Doctors in State-owned hospitals, under the aegis of the Medical Guild, began an indefinite strike on April 24, 2012, to press for the downward review of taxes and the full implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS), and other demands. Confirming the development, the secretary of the Medical Guild, Idris Durojaiye, said the information was passed across to the doctors through the medical directors of the various State hospitals. "The medical directors signed the letters," he said. However, the doctors will be holding a press conference to decide their next line of action. Last month, the State government announced that it had started recruiting new doctors to help alleviate the plight of residents seeking medical care in State-owned hospitals. culled from DAILYTIMES

Man who allegedly murdered wife and 2 sons in LA Police net

Limas

A Southern California man Shazer Fernando Limas, 31, who is suspected to have murdered his girlfriend, Arlet Hernandez Contreras, 31, and their 2 sons was arrested early Friday after he led officers on a chase that shut down a busy freeway for an hour.

Contreras

Detectives found evidence in his apartment indicating that the victims were killed about three weeks ago and the bodies were dumped elsewhere. They located her body late Friday when they contacted the Los Angeles Coroner's office to see if the facility had any unidentified female bodies. They also learned that county workers found one that appeared to have stab wounds on April 25. The couple's 4-month-old and 2-year-old sons remain missing. Fernando Limas came to police's attention after he moved out of the apartment he shared with Contreras and someone sent to clean the carpets found them covered in blood. He was spotted in the Costa Mesa area late Thursday afternoon. When police tried to stop him, he fled on what became a freeway chase that ended near the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near San Onofre. A spike strip was used to flatten the tires on his Nissan 350Z. The police said evidence from the apartment indicated the victims were killed after a quarrel. Investigators searched surrounding counties and used cadaver-sniffing dogs to search the nearby Brea dump in case the bodies were placed in a trash container at the apartment complex. However, they didn't find any bodies. culled from FOXNEWS

Arizona woman accused of faking cancer to get fake breasts

Toler

An Arizona woman, Jami Lynn Toler wanted to enhance her bust, but she couldn’t afford breast augmentation surgery, so she allegedly started lying about having a deadly disease so people would donate to her ‘cause,’. Jami Lynn Toler has been accused of telling her mom, grandparents and co-workers that she had breast cancer and needed a double-mastectomy and reconstructive surgery -- and she didn't have insurance. She said it would cost about $7,800. Toler is also accused of reaching out to Hallmark Hospice for help. The Hospice organized fundraising events, and the public donated. They ended up raising more than $8,300 -- even more than Toler needed for her fake double-mastectomy. "Try to encourage her. Give her hope. Give her something to see a purpose through this," said Thomas Bettcher, Hospice Chaplain. Then a mysterious debit to a well-known cosmetic surgeon’s office for a "supra-spectral breast augmentation" was discovered. The surgeon went on record to say that Toler had no cancerous masses in her breasts, and that she had performed a standard boob job. culled from FOXNEWS

Court orders AT&T to pay Muslim woman $5M in harassment case

A Jackson County jury on Thursday awarded Susann Bashir $5 million in punitive damages in her discrimination lawsuit against an American telecom company, AT&T along with $120,000 in lost wages and other actual damages. The award appears to be the largest jury verdict for a workplace discrimination case in Missouri history. Ms Bashir said in court documents that her work environment became hostile immediately after she converted to Islam in 2005, with her co-workers making harassing comments about her religion and referring to her hijab as "that thing on her head." Ms Bashir worked at AT&T's office in Kansas City for 10 years as a fiber optics network builder before being fired from her $70,000-a-year job. She claimed she endured religious discrimination nearly every day of the final three years she worked there, including being asked if she was going to blow up the building and being called a "towelhead" and a terrorist. AT&T said on Friday it disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal. Despite the jury's award, Ms Bashir stands to receive much less than $5 million because Missouri law caps such awards at five times the actual damage amount, plus attorney fees. Amy Coopman, Ms Bashir's lawyer, said attorney fees will be determined later by the judge. The previous largest such verdict came in 2009, when Mohamed Alhalabi, an Arab-American Muslim, was awarded $811,949 in St. Louis County Circuit Court in a case against the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. That same year, a Jonesboro, Arkansas jury ordered AT&T to pay $1.3 million to two former employees fired for attending a Jehovah's Witnesses convention. The harassment continued and in March 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission launched an investigation after she filed a complaint. She said that made some workers angry and led to the final encounter with her boss. Ms Bashir said she became so stressed out that she couldn't return to work. She asked that her boss be removed or that she be transferred, but neither happened. She was fired after not returning to work for nine months. "By firing me, they stole my ability to work at a job I liked," Ms Bashir said. She said the incident was hard on her mentally and physically and tore her family apart. She is going through a divorce, and in October she and her daughter moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where she works as an apartment manager. culled from NDTV

13 year old boy beats world-famous Museum of Art by spotting a mistake in a map on his first visit

Benjamin Coady

A 13-year-old boy and student of Renbrook School in West Hartford, Connecticut, Benjamin Lerman Coady has outsmarted the staff at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art after quickly pointing out an error in one of their exhibits' maps. Coady, who reads ahead in his school's history textbooks, told the Hartford Courant that he recognized the mistake on his first visit to the museum last summer. Originally he thought the museum would be a walk-through of 'just art on the wall,' having toured the American Museum of Natural History a few times before, but he was attracted to the historic map - catching an analytical eye.

The map in question according to the dates printed on it, excluded Spain and parts of Africa that would have been in the Byzantine Empire (file photo) The map in question was one of a region Benjamin had been recently studying in school, that of the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century. Benjamin said he began examining the dates on it, catching that the specifics deemed it to represent the region when the empire was at its largest. However Spain and parts of Africa were entirely missing, he said. Approaching the front desk, they told him to fill out a form, detailing his complaint, but he said he never expected to hear back from them. 'The front desk didn't believe me,' he told the Courant. 'I'm only a kid.' culled from Mailonline

Girl, 11 awarded £10.8m in compensation for birth injury

Milly Evans

A Lincolnshire girl who suffered serious injuries at birth and needs 24-hour care has been awarded compensation worth £10.8m. A judge at London's High Court approved the award to Milly Evans, 11, the daughter of a former Red Arrows pilot. Milly was born at Lincoln County Hospital on 1 March 2001, but later suffered a seizure. United Lincolnshire Hospital NHS Trust admitted liability, but had previously contested the amount of damages. Her parents, Andy Evans, 45, and his wife Kate, 41, of Cranwell, claimed that if the baby's heart had been properly monitored, the midwife would have spotted her foetal distress sooner and would have been delivered earlier without suffering catastrophic injury. Milly suffers from cerebral palsy and requires 24-hour care and help with all aspects of daily living. She is confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak, although her intellect has remained intact and she communicates through sophisticated eye-gaze equipment. Susan Rodway, QC, representing the family, told the judge, Sir Robert Nelson: "It is yet another incident of an avoidable accident at birth which caused devastating injuries." The judge approved a settlement involving a lump sum of £5.866m and lifelong periodic payments rising to £204,000 a year. Sir Robert told Mr Evans, a former squadron leader in the RAF and member of the Red Arrows display team, who was unable to continue his career because of Milly's disabilities, that he and his wife, Kate, had both done a "fantastic" job. Paul Rees QC, for the trust, offered them an unreserved apology for the events surrounding Milly's birth. A statement from the United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust said that guidelines and practices had changed significantly in the 11 years since Milly's birth. The family' said Milly would now be able to have a specially-adapted home, with hoists and a hydrotherapy pool, which would be big enough for her to access all rooms. culled from BBC

Lightning strikes kill 17 people in Andhra Pradesh

As many as 17 people died in different districts of Andhra Pradesh today after being struck by lightning. The highest number of 10 deaths was reported from Guntur district and two deaths each in Khammam, Warangal and Prakasam, state Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha told Press Trust of India. One more person died due to lightning elsewhere. Different parts of Andhra Pradesh have experienced squalls and rains since yesterday. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directed the officials to provide relief and assistance to the kin of those who died in incidents of lighting, an official release said. culled from NDTV

Indian student at war with parents for denying him right to sexual transformation

Bidhan Barua

A college student from Guwahati has taken his parents to court alleging that they are trying to prevent him from a sex-change operation. His father says the surgery cannot be treated as "a personal decision" and that the 21-year-old must get the consent of his entire family, including his grand-parents and his uncles. "I gave birth to a son, not a eunuch," said his father to NDTV. Bidhan Barua has told the Bombay High Court that his parents, who live in Guwahati, have threatened doctors at the Saifee Hospital where he was scheduled to undergo a sex change surgery later this month. Mr Barua claims that the doctors have refused to operate upon him without clearance from the court. Clad in a black shirt, Bidhan, who spoke to NDTV, acknowledged that at a very young age, he realised that he enjoyed dressing up as a girl and that embarrassed his family members who abused him and often beat him up. After he finished high school, he began working odd jobs to save up money for the operation that he believed would free him from a life and identity that he didn't feel comfortable with. He then ran away from home to Mumbai to undergo his operation. In Guwahati, Bidhan's father, who works as a cook, said he is concerned about his son and wants him to be happy but cannot understand or accept his insistence on becoming a woman. "I feel ashamed that he wants to change his sex," said Supti Ranjan Barua to NDTV. "If he changes his gender, I will not be able to bear the humiliation," he pleaded. But the matter for Bidhan is not just about his sex change surgery. It is about being with his beloved. "I want to be with my fiance and he has accepted me as I am. That's what finally pushed me into taking this decision." Psychiatrist Dr Yusuf Matcheswala has examined Bidhan and says he is ready to undergo the surgery. "It's a complex issue. The parents must be counseled as it is always not easy to accept such decisions. There could be serious dangers if the decision of the child is not accepted. Ultimately he only wants to be happy," explained Dr Matcheswala. culled from NDTV

MBA Student commits suicide over allegation of malpractice

Sylva

An MBA student on Tuesday committed suicide by hanging herself in her hostel room in Gurgaon after a teacher accused her of cheating and tore her exam paper, police said. Dayna Silva, a 1st year MBA student in the Amity University Pachgaon, situated on National Highway 8, hanged herself after she was reportedly humiliated by an invigilator, one of the students said. A student from the same university, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that Dayna was writing her examination Tuesday when a teacher accused her of cheating. When she protested, the invigilator took her answer sheet and tore it up. Dayna, who was from Meghalaya, immediately rushed to her room in the hostel and hanged herself. When her roommate returned she saw her hanging. Teachers tried to veil the incident. "We just came to know about the incident, our investigation is on," a police officer said. The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Amity University Mr. BS Chauhan confirmed that Dayna committed suicide in her hostel room, however he refrained from any further comment until the investigation was completed. Dayna was an intelligent student, one of her friends said. A student of the institute alleged that many times they were threatened by their teachers with mark cuts and suspension without any reason. culled from NDTV

Litigation: Court orders KFC fast-food to pay 8.3 million dollars compensation to victm

Monika Samaan

Fast-food giant, KFC has been ordered to pay $8.3m (£5.1m) to the family of an Australian girl left severely brain damaged after being poisoned by a chicken meal. Monika Samaan fell ill with salmonella poisoning after eating a "Twister" wrap at a KFC restaurant near Sydney in 2005. The poisoning left her wheelchair-bound and unable to speak. KFC said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision and would appeal. A judge of the Supreme Court of the state of New South Wales awarded the A$8m damages after ruling last week that KFC had breached its duty of care to the girl. The family's lawyer, George Vlahakis, said they were relieved by the decision. "Monika's severe brain damage and severe disability has already exhausted the very limited resources of the family," he said. "Monika is now a big girl and they are finding it increasingly difficult to lift her and to look after her basic needs as well as look after Monika's younger siblings. "The compensation ordered is very much needed. KFC have to date been determined that Monika does not receive a cent." KFC, which is owned by Yum! Brands, expressed surprise at the judge's ruling, insisting the evidence did not show it caused Monika's disability. It has indicated it will appeal. "We feel deeply for Monika and the Samaan family. However, we also have a responsibility to defend KFC's reputation as a provider of safe, high-quality food," a company manager said. The court was told that Monika was in a coma for six months after she, her parents and brother fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea after sharing the wrap, the AAP news agency reports. The other family members all recovered. The family's lawyer told the court that at busy times, the restaurant would reuse chicken that had been dropped on the floor. culled from BBC

Netherlands Judge bans foreigners from using cannabis

A judge in the Netherlands has upheld a new law to ban foreign tourists from entering cannabis cafes. There are about 700 ‘coffee shops’, as they are called, in the Netherlands. The cultivation and sale of soft drugs, especially cannabis through them is decriminalised, although not legal; police generally tolerate possession of up to five grams of cannabis. While soft drugs are tolerated, there is growing concern at tourists visiting just for drugs, and foreign dealers selling illegally at home. The ban is due to start in three southern provinces next month, and go nationwide by the end of the year. A group of cafe owners argued at The Hague district court that the ban was discriminatory against foreigners. Under the new law, Dutch residents will still be allowed into the cafes, as long as they have valid identification, or possibly hold a new "weed pass", which is also being debated. A lawyer for the coffee shop owners said he would immediately lodge an appeal. Michael Veling, a spokesman for the Dutch Cannabis Retailers Association, is among those challenging the government plan. "It is going to cost me 90% of my turnover," he told the BBC World Service. "That is a very good reason for anyone to oppose any plan. Second it puts our customers in a very difficult spot, because why do you have to register to buy a substance that is still illegal?" The nationwide ban is being strongly opposed by the Mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan, because around a third of the city's tourists visit to smoke cannabis in the cafes. If the coffee shop owners lose their case they say they will take it to the European Court of Human Rights, on the grounds that the Dutch should not be allowed to discriminate against people on the basis of where they live. The moves are part of a tougher approach to drugs introduced by the coalition conservative-led government, elected 18 months ago. In October strong cannabis was reclassified as a hard drug, amid concerns that it has a psychotic effect on some users. The move forced cannabis coffee shops to remove the more popular stronger varieties from their shelves. In November the city of Maastricht brought in a coffee shop ban for foreign tourists from all countries, except Belgium and Germany, from where the majority of foreign customers come. culled from BBC

Iraqi farmer maries 2 women in one day

Abdul Rahman Nayef al-Obeidi, a 22-year-old Iraqi farmer, fell in love with two women, but instead of choosing between them, he married both in one night in a small village in central Iraq. The wedding ceremony for Obeidi and two of his cousins, 17-year-old Intidhar and 22-year-old Suad, was held on April 6 at his family home in Al-Laqlaq village, north of Tikrit. The ceremony was attended by the families of his two brides, relatives and friends, who were happy and surprised. Obeidi, the youngest of five sons, said that he informed his parents about his plan to marry his two cousins in one night and they encouraged him, though many of his relatives were against the idea. "It took me less than one month to make a final decision because the two families are my relatives and I love the two girls," Obeidi said. The most important step was to persuade the two young women. Intidhar said: "He told me, 'We will marry, me, you and Suad, in one night, so what do you say?' And I told him it is all right, if you treat us both the same way." Islam permits men to marry up to four women, but stipulates that the wives must be treated equally. Suad said that she was surprised when Obeidi told her about his idea, but he persuaded her to go along. Obeidi's older brother Salman played the role of mediator in the negotiations with the two families, and succeeded in making his brother's dream come true. His father, Nayef Hamid said that he feels proud of his son, although he is the only of the five sons to marry two women. Hamid said that he is ready to support all his sons if they decide to marry twice. Obeidi's mother, Rasmiya Mohammed too said she supported her son and did not want him to feel sad because he loves the two women. Commentary on a picture of the married trio posted on Facebook was mixed, with men generally supporting the idea, and women against it. "This man is a hero. There is no one who has done that before him, and this man should be put in Guinness Book of World Records," Ali Bassi Abbar wrote. But Sara Yasser disagreed, writing sarcastically: "Poor guy; he did not want to break one of their hearts. He is really a nice man." Another woman, Sara Saad, criticised the two new brides, writing that, "Any woman who agrees to such a marriage does not have any sense or dignity."

Woman jailed for 12 yrs, 3 teenagers detained for life for manslaughter

Victoria

A woman who was seen on CCTV kicking a boy in the head after he was fatally stabbed in a Tube station has been jailed for 12 years for the killing. Sofyen Belamouadden, 15, was stabbed nine times after being chased by a crowd of youths into Victoria Tube station in March 2010. Victoria Osoteku, 20, of Deptford, south London, was found guilty of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. Three teenagers have been detained for life for the murder. Judge Christopher Moss said Osoteku must share part of the responsibility for the death because she assisted in buying a set of knives during her lunch hour. Osoteku was one of 20 defendants from south London. She was the only female charged in connection with the incident and spent 19 days in the witness box. Judge Moss ordered Osoteku, who was 18 at the time of the incident, be detained for eight years for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm to run concurrently. A witness said she had been "gloating" about what happened the following day at her sixth-form college. Judge Moss added: "You were seen to deliver the final kick to Sofyen as you were the last of the group to run away." Sofyen's mother Naina Ghailan angrily reacted to the sentence. She said: "I'm disgusted. She's got 12 years and she'll only serve half. She's an adult and she should have got life. She planned the whole thing." Eight teenagers, all from south London, have been found guilty in connection with the death during a series of trials.

Obi Nwokeh, 19, Christopher Omoregie, 18, and Samsom Odegbune, 18, were convicted of murder. On 20 April they were ordered to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years, and eight years to run concurrently for conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm. Adonis Akra, 18, Samuel Roberts, 19, and Femi Oderinwale, 18, were found guilty of manslaughter and given 12 years detention each. Tyrone Richards, 17, and Enoch Amoah, 19, were convicted of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and sentenced to seven years detention. The "ferocious and merciless" attack was the end of a minor confrontation between pupils from two west London schools the day before in the fast food area of Victoria mainline station. Osoteku was one of the teenagers responsible for setting up the fight. The A-level student sent messages by phone and on Facebook arranging the clash between pupils from the rival schools. Sofyen died after being chased by about 20 pupils across the Terminus Way concourse and into the London Underground station. Osoteku was behind a youth who led the charge with a Samurai sword. Other youths were armed with a flick knife and a Swiss army knife, machetes and screwdrivers. She denied the charges during a five-month trial and was found guilty in February. She said she did not kick the victim and sobbed: "I nudged him with my foot to see if he was OK." Four youths, were sentenced on 14 October last year to two years' detention after admitting violent disorder. Legal restrictions in identifying them have been lifted. They are Lewis Sinclair, 18 of Claribel Road, Stockwell; Olewale Olaribigbe, 18 of Portland Grove, Vauxhall; Selassie Ahiaku of Marcella Road, Stockwell and Melvin Mensah of Vauxhall Street, Kennington.

Brazilian actor dies from accidental hanging

Klimeck

A Brazilian actor has died after accidentally hanging himself while playing Judas in an Easter Passion play. Tiago Klimeck, 27, was enacting the suicide of Judas during the performance on Good Friday in the city of Itarare. The actor was hanging for four minutes before fellow performers realised something was wrong. Klimeck was taken to hospital suffering from cerebral hypoxia but died on Sunday. The Passion play was being performed in Itarare, 345km (214 miles) west of Sao Paulo. Klimeck was re-enacting the scene in which Judas commits suicide in repentance for his betrayal of Jesus Christ. Police are investigating the apparatus that was meant to support Klimeck. It appears the knot may have been wrongly tied. When the actors realised something was wrong, Klimeck was taken down and found to be unconscious. The Santa Casa de Itapeva hospital has confirmed the death and a post-mortem examination will take place on Monday. culled from BBC

Alleged rape: Former Manchester Footballer jailed for 5 years

Ched Evans

Former Manchester City and current Sheffield United footballer Ched Evans has been jailed for five years for raping a 19-year-old woman, while another player, Clayton McDonald, has been cleared. Wales and Sheffield United striker Evans, 23, was convicted by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court. Both he and Port Vale defender Mr McDonald, also 23, had denied rape at a Premier Inn near Rhyl, Denbighshire. The men admitted having sex with the woman on 30 May 2011, but said it was consensual. Court proceedings were disrupted after Mr McDonald was acquitted, prompting a brief adjournment. Mr McDonald, of Crewe, Cheshire, looked elated when his not guilty verdict was delivered, and family and friends shouted: "Yes, yes". Screaming outside court One man left the public gallery and could be heard screaming outside the court. Judge Merfyn Hughes QC rose and the public gallery was cleared. Mr McDonald remained in the dock with Evans, 23, of Penistone, South Yorkshire, who held his head in his hands and cried. Mr McDonald hugged Evans and the two footballers banged heads together.

Cayton Mac Donald

When the judge returned to the court, the jury foreman gave the guilty verdict against Evans. The Sheffield United centre forward threw the headphones he was using to follow the trial on the floor and then looked shocked. In sentencing him to five years in prison the judge said: "The complainant was 19 years of age and was extremely intoxicated. "CCTV footage shows, in my view, the extent of her intoxication when she stumbled into your friend. "As the jury have found, she was in no condition to have sexual intercourse. "When you arrived at the hotel, you must have realised that." He told Evans that he might have been used to receiving attention from women in the past due to his success as a footballer, but this case was "very different". The judge said the sentence took into account that there had been no force involved and the complainant received no injuries. He also said the complainant was not "targeted" and the attack had not been "premeditated". "You have thrown away the successful career in which you were involved," he told Evans before sending him down. During the trial, the jury saw video interviews in which the woman, now 20, said she could not remember what happened and feared her drinks were spiked. She could not remember travelling to the hotel, but woke up in a double bed. "My clothes were scattered around on the floor," she said. 'Confused and dazed' "I just didn't know how I got there, if I had gone there with anyone. I was confused and dazed." The court heard that Evans, whose mother lives in Rhyl, had invited Mr McDonald and others for a bank holiday night out in the seaside town on 29 May. Because there was not enough space at Evans' mother's house, he booked Mr McDonald in to the hotel. The court heard that Mr McDonald met the woman and took her back to the hotel room, sending a text to Evans stating he had "got a bird". During Evans' evidence, he told the jury he had gone to the hotel, let himself in to Mr McDonald's room and watched his friend and the woman having sex. It was claimed Mr McDonald asked if his friend could "get involved", to which the woman said yes. The prosecution claimed that while the attack happened, Jack Higgins, an "associate" of the footballers, and Ryan Roberts, Evans' brother, watched through a window. The court heard the defendants had known each other since they were aged 10 and shared accommodation when they played for Manchester City's youth academy. Evans, a striker, has scored 35 goals for League One club Sheffield United this season and has 13 caps for Wales. Culled from BBC

Man jailed over a cup of soda

Abaire

A Naples man based in the United States of America has been jailed on felony charges after leaving a McDonald's restaurant without paying for a cup of soda. After filling a courtesy cup with soda Thursday at the McDonald’s soda fountain and then leaving the restaurant, Mark Abaire, 52, of the 500 block of 14th Street North, was arrested by Collier deputies. The charge is petty theft, but it was increased to a felony because Abaire has previous petty theft convictions. In Florida, a third-degree felony can result in a sentence of up to five years and a $5,000 fine. A manager told sheriff’s deputies that Abaire entered the store and asked for a glass of water around 10 p.m. Although the employee told him the cup was for water, Abaire filled it with soda at a fountain machine and sat outside the restaurant, according to an arrest report. During a conversation with the manager, Abaire declined to pay for the soda, valued at $1, refused to leave the premises, and cursed at the manager, the report stated. Abaire faces additional misdemeanor counts of trespassing and disorderly intoxication. On Saturday, he remained in the Collier County jail with bond set at $6,500. culled from fox news

Tension in Northern Japan as bears escape from zoo, kill two women

Two women have died after being attacked by bears at a park in Japan. Police were alerted to the attack at the Hachimantai park in northern Akita prefecture shortly after 10:00 local time (01:00 GMT) on Friday. The victims are believed to have been park employees. Reports say a third member of staff in the park at the time managed to escape. A group of local hunters has found and killed some of the bears, but it is unclear how many have escaped. Police have told local residents and schoolchildren to stay indoors. Local authorities have closed some roads, with police and firefighters patrolling the area. The park holds 38 bears and is open to tourists in the summer months; reports say it was currently still closed to the public. "It's difficult to say exactly how many bears left their cages," a local police spokesman told Agence France Presse. After initially not approaching the site for fear of more bears on the loose, police were later able to recover the bodies of the two women, local police told AFP. culled from BBC

Surgeons reduce baby’s six legs to two

Pakistani doctors have successfully operated on a baby boy born with six legs and removed the extra limbs to save his life. “A team of five experienced doctors have successfully separated the extra legs and limbs from the baby today (Thursday). He is very much safe and secure,” Jamal Raza, Director, National Institute of the Child Health, Karachi said.

The operation by the doctors at the National Institute of Child Health ended successfully with the removal of the extra legs. The baby is now said to be in stable condition, Geo News reported. Doctors examined MRI, blood tests, CT scan reports and other test and later took the decision to do surgery which lasted for eight-hours in different phases. Raza said, “The baby, who was born in Sukkur, was brought to Karachi for treatment. The infant was born to the wife of an X-ray technician a week ago. “It is not one baby actually. They are two, one of them is premature.” A doctor at the institute, who did not wish to be named, said the extra limbs were the result of a genetic disease which would affect only one in a million or more babies. “The doctors are examining the infant to plan for necessary treatment to save the baby’s life and ensure he lives a normal life,” said a statement from the provincial health department. Imran Shaikh, the baby’s father, who lives in Sukkur, said he was grateful his son was being treated. “We are a poor family. I am thankful to the government for helping us treat the baby,” he told the media. The one-week-old boy is believed to be one of parasitic twins. A parasitic twin is sometimes referred to as an asymmetrical or unequal conjoined twin. It occurs when a twin embryo begins developing in utero, but the pair does not fully separate. One embryo continues developing at the expense of the other (the parasitic) which will rely on the body of the other for blood supply and organ function. It is incompletely developed and dependent on the other twin. The independent twin is called the autosite. Raza had said that the baby did not have six legs – he had two legs and the other four belonged to the other twin. Since the father of the baby made his public plea for help, Sindh Governor Dr. Ishart-ul-Ebad Khan had come forward and directed officials concerned to make sure the child receives all the medical care he needed.

Alleged infidelity: Nigerian man kills son, burns wife with hot iron

Henry Nnamdi and his late son A washerman, Henry Nnamdi, has allegedly killed his one-year-old son, Chukwuebuka, in order to spite his wife, whom he accused of having an extra-marital affair. Henry also used a hot pressing iron to burn his wife, Mercy, and stabbed her repeatedly in order to force her to confess to the allegation. A police source said 40-year-old Henry had been suspecting that his wife was having an amorous relationship with his father for a while. On Easter Sunday around 2am, Mercy turned down her husband’s request for sex resulting in an argument between the couple. “Henry and his wife live together in a room with their only child at 3, Lambe Street, Ago Palace Way, Lagos. “The suspect had been suspicious of his wife’s movement and on that very day, he came back home late in the evening and was ironing his customers’ clothes on the floor while his wife and son were on the bed. “His wife and son were both naked because the room was poorly ventilated. Henry then told his wife he wanted to have sex with her but she refused. “Henry was infuriated by her refusal and saw it as a confirmation of his suspicion. He grabbed the pressing iron and started inflicting burns all over Mercy’s body, including her private part, asking her to confess.” The suspect immediately grabbed his son and fled. However, the corpse of his son was later found in the compound. The landlord, Mr. Amao Lateef, immediately informed the Okota Police Division and Mercy was rushed to a nearby hospital where she has been receiving treatment. According to sources at the Okota Police Division, the couple who have been married for two years, had a history of fighting and on four occasions, a police report had been filed by Mercy. Henry, who spoke to our correspondent, said he did not intend to kill his son but only threw him on the ground. He said he had caught his father on top of his wife twice and had only released his pent-up emotion on the day of the incident. However, 36-year-old Mercy, who is at present writhing in pains at Evolution Hospital, Okota, denied having sexual relations with her father-in-law. She said, “My husband had been quarrelling with his father and had banned me from going to see him but out of respect, I continued to get in contact with my father-in-law Culled from punch