Donna Summer is dead

Summer

LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012[1]), known by the stage name Donna Summer, was an American singer-songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She had a mezzo-soprano vocal range. She also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 13-month period. Summer died yesterday, May 17, 2012 in the morning at her home in Key West, Florida at age 63 following a battle with cancer. Donna Summer, the singer who came to be known as the “Queen of Disco” during her 1970s heyday, died at her Naples, Fla. home today after battling lung cancer. She was 63. Summer was a five time Grammy award winner who was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart. Her hits like “Last Dance,” “Bad Girls,” and “Love to Love You Baby” made her a disco icon. Born outside of Boston, Summer was raised by devout Christian parents who introduced her to both gospel and classical music. In a 2008 interview with ABC News’ “Nightline,” Summer remembered her mom singing songs to her before going to bed each night. Summer left home at age 18 to audition for the Broadway production of “Hair” and got a role in the show when it moved to Germany. There, she met producer Giorgio Moroder, who would launch her solo career. She went on to produce hits like “Bad Girls,” “Last Dance,” and “She Works Hard for the Money,” a song that was inspired by a washroom attendant. Summer’s last album, “Crayons,” was released in 2008. In 2010, she told AllVoices.com that she was working on an album of disco standards. Summer is survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, three children, and four grandchildren. culled from ABC NEWS

Protests rock Srinagar after 36 babies died at Govt hospital within two weeks

There were massive protests in Srinagar today over the alarming number of infant deaths. Another baby died today at the State-run GB Pant Hospital in Srinagar, taking the number of infant deaths in the State in the last two weeks to 36. According to Medical Education Minister RS Chib, a total of 358 children have died at the hospital since January 1 this year. The State government has ordered an investigation into the matter. The investigation panel will be headed by Showkat Ali Zargar, who is the director of the prestigious Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Soura (SKIMS). Mr Zargar has been asked to submit his report within a week. Leading the protests against the government outside the GB Pant Hospital today was Engineer Rashid, an Independent MLA from north Kashmir's Langate constituency. Mr Rashid slammed the government over alleged lack of basic amenities at the hospital and urged the Chief Minister to intervene. Minister RS Chib has said that the probe will find out if negligence on behalf of the officials of the hospital led to the deaths. He has also assured help on behalf of the State government. culled from NDTV

Malaysian court sentences 3 brothers to death for drug trafficking

Mexican brothers, from left, Luis Alfonso Gonzalez Villarreal, Simon Gonzalez Villarreal and Jose Regino Gonzalez Villarreal -. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... A Malaysian high court has sentenced five men, including three Mexican brothers, to death for drug trafficking. Police arrested the men in a drug-making facility in 2008. They claimed that they were cleaners and not making drugs. The defendants, who also include a Singaporean and a Malaysian, plan to appeal the sentence. Death is the mandatory penalty for drug trafficking in Malaysia. Reports say that police found more than 29 kilograms (63 pounds) of methamphetamine worth an estimated $15m at the facility in the southern state of Johor where the men were arrested. The three brothers are reportedly the first Mexicans arrested in the country on drug trafficking charges. According to the High Court Judge, Mohamad Zawawiall the five accused are Luis Alfonso Gonzales, the eldest of the three Mexican brothers, as quoted by AP.aware and are involved in the activity of drug-making, According to a report from rights group Amnesty International (AI) in 2011, more than half of known death sentences in Malaysia were for possession of illegal drugs above certain specified quantities. Malaysia said last year that it had hanged more than 440 people, mostly for drug crimes, in the past 50 years. culled from BBC

Nigerian court sentences varsity student to death for killing parents, siblings

Garba

A High Court sitting in Kano State yesterday, sentenced to death, by hanging, Mr Bello Garba Bello, alias Baba, an undergraduate of Kano State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria for killing his parents and younger ones in 2010. Bello was on September 13, 2010, arrested by security forces for killing his father, Garba Bello, a Director in the Nigerian Security Services (SSS), his mother, Habiba Garba, younger sisters, Hafsat and Murjanatu Garba and his younger brother Khalifa, in cold blood at their family house on Zoo Road by Gandun Albasa Quarters in Kano metropolis. The judge, Justice Haliru Abdullahi, said he was satisfied with the evidence tendered before him that the accused actually committed the five-count charge of homicide for which he was charged. Justice Abdullahi, in a 66-page judgment, held that the five victims were killed as a result of various degrees of multiple injuries inflicted on them by the accused person contrary to section 221 of the Penal Code. The prosecution counsel, Shu‘aibu Sule, said the accused had confessed to have committed the offence in a written statement he made to the police on September 15, 2010. He presented seven witnesses before the court including the younger brother of the accused, Farouk, whose testimonies supported the charges against the defendant. The defence counsel, Mr. Ahmed Raji, had tendered a 17-page written address before the court explaining the circumstances leading to the death of the five persons and exonerating the accused from the charges preferred against him. According to him, the statement written by Farouk implicating the accused was inadmissible as the witness was below the age of 14 and that Bello Garba had earlier written a statement on September 14, 2010 exonerating himself before he was forced to write another one on September 15, 2010 confessing to the offence. culled from VANGUARD

Facebook to sell over 84 million shares this week.

Facebook says it will sell 25% more shares than first planned in its flotation in response to strong demand. This will amount to about 84 million shares added to its initial public share offering The move comes one day after the social networking giant said it would raise the price of the shares by 21% to between $34-38 a share. It also comes despite doubts about the site's profitability site, which is largely used for social updates. Car giant General Motors added to those doubts by saying on Tuesday it would no longer pay to advertise on the site. However, rival Ford said it would continue its social media strategy. A spokesman said that for someone to buy his way into Facebook, he needs to have a credible presence and be doing innovative things. (IPO) and will now sell about 421 million shares, up from 337 million, raising $18bn (£11.3bn). This is still only a small percentage of the entire company, and implies Facebook's full market value is well above $100bn. The actual price of the shares is expected to be revealed on Thursday with open market trading pencilled in to begin on Friday. If all the shares are sold at the new higher price, the IPO would be the third-largest initial share sale in US history, after the financial giant Visa and General Motors. The company could add even more shares to the sale as there are more than 60 million additional shares that could be sold to cover excess demand. The eight-year-old social network has 900 million users worldwide and made a profit of $1bn last year. The new shareholders will not have much say in how the business is run. The shares on offer are "A" shares, which carry one vote per share, as is normal. culled from BBC

American employee fired for returning stolen gun to the Police

Chevilott

A Detroit groundskeeper, who turned in a loaded handgun he found hidden in weeds while working, was fired by his employer, the Wayne County Department of Public Services. John Chevilott, who is just two years away from retirement, found the loaded snub-nosed revolver on May 3 when he and his crew were mowing a lawn in Wayne County. Chevilott secured the gun, waiting for police to drive by so he could hand it over to them. But, according to the station, the Detroit police never did pass by, so Chevilott finished his work that day, drove the gun home and later that same evening turned it into his local police department. The cops ran the gun and discovered the weapon had been stolen from St. Clair Shores in 2005. They( the police) said Chevilott did the right thing getting the gun off the street. However, Chevilott's superiors at the Wayne County Department of Public Services had a much different opinion. His foreman, who had knowledge of the situation, was suspended for 30 days, and after 23 years on the job, Chevilott was fired for violating department policies. According to a Wayne County spokeswoman and the rules, employees aren't allowed to possess a weapon on work property. culled from FOXNEWS

Toddler killed, 25 worshippers injured by elephant at Kerala temple

A toddler was killed and 25 others injured in a stampede when a tusker ran amok in the festivities at the famous Koodal Manikkam Temple at Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district on Sunday morning. Police said two-and-half-year-old Yadu Krishnan was killed when panic stricken people ran for safety on seeing the angry elephant. At least 25 devotees were injured in the melee. All the injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals. Sunday was the last day of the annual festival and a large number of people had gathered at the temple. Police said the elephant Kannan suddenly ran amok as it was being taken for the festival and waived its tusk hurting people nearby including a police sub-inspector. It started running and two other elephants standing nearby also ran. In the confusion that prevailed, there was a stampede as panic-stricken people ran for safety. The baby boy, who was with his grandmother, fell down and was killed in the melee, police said. The grandmother suffered serious injuries and has been hospitalised. All the elephants were brought under control by mahouts. About four years ago, an elephant belonging to the temple had ran amok killing three persons. culled from NDTV

Dead man wakes up at his own funeral

Mourners at a funeral in Egypt swapped tears for cheers when the member whom they were burying woke up. Hamid Hafex al-Nubdi, a 28-year-old waiter from Naga al Simman, near Luxor was being prepared for burial when a doctor sent to sign his death certificate discovered that the body was still warm. Al-Nubdi was declared dead after suffering a heart attack at work. His family members were so convinced about his death that that they had already washed his body according to Islamic traditions and were preparing to bury him. The lady doctor who found the 'dead' man was still alive revived him. Rather than cancel the funeral, the mourners turned the occasion into a celebration of al-Nubdi's "resurrection". culled from DAILY MAIL

Gender transformation: Argentine Senate gives approval

Susana Bustamante's daughter, Melina

The Argentine Senate has on Wednesday, passed a law that allows people to change their gender officially without court approval. The legislation gives people the right to be officially recognised by the gender of their choosing, which may in some cases mean undergoing sex-change surgery. People aged 18 and above will be able to have such an operation or hormone therapy without needing to apply to a judge. Also approved same Wednesday by the Argentine Senate is a "dignified death" law which gives the terminally ill and their families more say in end-of-life decisions. The legislation means patients who are dying or suffering incurable illness or injury can refuse treatment, if there is an existing signed consent form. In cases where patients are unable to speak for themselves, the legislation empowers relatives or legal representatives to make the decision Until now, a court order was needed to end treatment or life support. . Senators voted by 55-0 in favour of the "dignified death" law, with 17 abstentions. The measure had already passed the lower house and it now goes to President Cristina Fernandez to be signed into law. All those present were at pains to stress that the legislation does not allow euthanasia. According to the leader of the Senate's health commission, Jose Cano, the aim is to respect the autonomous will of the patient Susana Bustamante, whose 19-year-old daughter Melina had pleaded to be allowed to die amid the pain from her degenerative condition, welcomed the new law. Melina died last year shortly after making her public appeal. The main condition is that the patient or his representatives have signed a document setting out their wishes, before a notary and two witnesses. The Roman Catholic Church rejected the new legislation, arguing that life support should never be stopped. culled from BBC

Activists try to save dog that killed I yr old child in Nevada

the Mastiff-Rhodesian Ridgeback that killed baby Jeremiah

The killer dog, Onion, was slated to be killed on Tuesday, but an 11th hour court injunction on Monday delayed the death at least until a Friday hearing Onion, a 6-year-old mastiff-Rhodesian ridgeback mix was reported to have mauled and killed a Southern Nevada toddler celebrating his first birthday. The boy's family voluntarily gave the animal up for euthanasia after the April 27 death of Jeremiah Eskew-Shahan. But the New York-based Lexus Project argues the animal should be sent to live at a sanctuary outside Denver because it didn't do anything wrong and was only following its nature. The boy's father, Christopher Shahan, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the dog deserves to die. His son was at his grandmother's house in Henderson on his first birthday when he crawled to the sleeping dog and started petting him. Officials said the 120-pound animal latched his jaws around the boy's head and began shaking him. The grandmother tried to pull the boy away. Other family members in the house rushed to help, but it was too late. The boy was flown to a hospital, where he was declared dead the next morning. Rich Rosenthal, a New York-based lawyer who heads The Lexus Project, argued the child and his parents were at fault, not the dog, because the animal's nature is to attack if provoked while sleeping. Under local laws, an animal is declared vicious and slated for euthanasia if it causes substantial bodily harm or death to a person. The Shahan family acquired the dog when it was a puppy and said Onion had never shown aggression toward people. Before the attack, the boy often played with the dog without incident. culled from BBC

Nine men jailed for running a sexual abuse ring in England

Nine men who ran a child sexual exploitation ring in Greater Manchester have been jailed. The men from Rochdale and Oldham who exploited girls as young as 13, were given sentences ranging from four to 19 years. They were found guilty of offences including rape and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child. Liverpool Crown Court heard the group plied five victims with drink and drugs and "passed them around" for sex. The girls were abused at two takeaway restaurants in the Heywood area of Rochdale by the men aged between 24 and 59. The takeaways are now under new management. All those convicted were found guilty of conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with girls under the age of 16. The solicitor for Adil Khan, one of the convicted men, said an appeal would be lodged. He believes his convictions have nothing to do with justice but result from the faith and the race of the defendants. 'Unpleasant bully' Earlier the 59-year-old leader of the sex ring, who cannot be named for legal reasons but was also convicted of two rapes, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation, was jailed for 19 years. His defence barrister, Simon Nichol, said his client "has objected from the start for being tried by an all white jury and subsequent events have confirmed his fears". "He further believes that society failed the girls in this case before the girls even met them and now that failure is being blamed on a weak minority group." But sentencing the ringleader to 19 years in prison, the judge called him an "unpleasant and hypocritical bully" who had ordered a 15-year-old girl to have sex with takeaway worker Kabeer Hassan as a birthday "treat". Hassan, 25, of Lacrosse Avenue, Oldham, was sentenced to nine years for rape and three years, concurrently, for the conspiracy conviction. Taxi driver, Abdul Aziz, 41, a married father-of-three, of Armstrong Hurst Close, Rochdale, also convicted of trafficking for sexual exploitation, received a nine year sentence. Aziz was said in court to have taken over as the main trafficker of girls. Married father-of-five Abdul Rauf, 43, of Darley Road, Rochdale, also convicted of trafficking a child within the UK for sexual exploitation, received six years. The religious studies teacher at a local mosque asked a 15-year-victim if she had any younger friends and would drive some of the girls to other men who would use them for sex. Adil Khan, 42, of Oswald Street, Rochdale also convicted of trafficking a child within the UK for sexual exploitation, received eight years. Khan, who is married with one child, fathered the child of a 13-year-old victim. Mohammed Sajid, 35, of Jephys Street, Rochdale, also convicted of one count of rape, sexual activity with a girl under 16 and trafficking for sexual exploitation, was jailed for 12 years. He will be deported back to Pakistan following the conclusion of his sentence. Mohammed Amin, 45, of Falinge Road, Falinge, was a driver for Eagle Taxis for 14 years and was known as "Car Zero". He was also convicted of sexual assault and received a five-year jail term. Hamid Safi, 22, of no fixed address, was also convicted of trafficking girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation and sentenced to four years. He sneaked into the UK on a lorry in 2008 and claimed asylum. He will be deported to Afghanistan at the end of his sentence. Abdul Qayyum, 44, of Ramsay Street, Rochdale, was jailed for five years. He was a driver for Streamline Taxis in Middleton, Greater Manchester, and was known by the name "Tiger". culled from BBC

71 days hunger strike: detained Palestinian protester admitted in Israeli hospital

Halahla and Diab

A Palestinian, Thaer Halahla, who has been on hunger strike for the past 71 days in protest at his detention by the Israeli authorities is in a critical condition and has been transferred to a hospital. The Israeli Prison Service said Thaer Halahla was moved from prison early on Tuesday after refusing to drink water. Israel's Supreme Court on Monday turned down a request by Mr Halahla and fellow hunger striker Bilal Diab to be freed. The International Committee of the Red Cross is extremely concerned about their health, and that of four others. ICRC delegates believe the six detainees who have been on hunger strike for between 47 and 71 days are in imminent danger of dying. The ICRC expressed regret that the authorities had suspended family visits for the six men, as well as for the more than 1,600 detainees who have been on hunger strike in solidarity with them since 17 April. The EU missions in Jerusalem and Ramallah also said they were concerned about the hunger strikers and urged the Israeli government "make available all necessary medical assistance and to allow family visits". Mr Halahla and Mr Diab are among 308 Palestinians in "administrative detention", a controversial practice whereby people can be held without charge or trial when they are suspected of security offences. At an Israeli Supreme Court hearing last week Mr Halahla described administrative detention as a "slow death", adding that he wants to live his life with dignity. He further claimed that he has a wife, and a daughter he never met and that he is on hunger strike because there is no other way." Mr Diab collapsed during the hearing and has been admitted to hospital. Judge Elyakim Rubinstein rejected their appeal on Monday, but expressed concern about their deteriorating condition and referred the military authorities to a legal clause which would allow them to be released on parole on medical grounds. Israel says that many of 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in its jails are suspected of being members of militant groups. culled from BBC

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