Racial discrimination: London woman jailed 21 weeks

Woodhouse

A London Underground passenger has been jailed for 21 weeks after she admitted hurling racist abuse at fellow passengers. Jacqueline Woodhouse, 42, of Romford, east London, directed an expletive-ridden rant at Tube passengers on the Central line on 23 January. A seven-minute video of the verbal assault was uploaded to YouTube. She received a 21-week prison sentence and a five-year Asbo at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Woodhouse admitted racially aggravated intentional harassment, at the court, earlier in May. The prosecution offered no evidence on a separate charge of racially aggravated common assault. The court heard she stumbled over a black woman named Judy Russell as she boarded the carriage and proceeded to hurl insults, shouting: "You Africans take our council flats." The video shows Galbant Juttla, who filmed the incident on his mobile phone, telling Woodhouse to keep her mouth shut and that she had had too much to drink. The video of the verbal assault was viewed on YouTube more than 200,000 times. Woodhouse handed herself into police, telling officers she could not remember the comments but recognised herself in the video. Following the hearing, Mr Juttla, of Ilford, east London, said: "I found it very distressing. Condemning Woodhouse's outburst, District Judge Michael Snow said: "Anyone viewing it would feel a deep sense of shame that our citizens could be subject to such behaviour who may, as a consequence, believe that it secretly represents the views of other white people. "The train was packed with people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds," he added. "The people included children." "She became loud, foul-mouthed and aggressive. She targeted her behaviour at those who weren't white. "She threatened violence against more than one person and it took place over a prolonged period." He added her "grossly offensive" language reflected her hostility to her fellow passengers. The judge told Woodhouse she would serve half her prison term behind bars and imposed an order banning her from using the Tube and the Docklands Light Railway while drunk, for a five-year period. Today, at the same court, District Judge Michael Snow told Woodhouse, from Romford, Essex, that anyone viewing the video 'would feel a deep sense of shame that our citizens could be subject to such behaviour who may, as a consequence, believe that it secretly represents the views of other white people'. Banning her from using the London Underground or Docklands Light Railway while drunk for five years, he continued: 'The train was packed with people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. 'The people included children. She became loud, foul-mouthed and aggressive. She targeted her behaviour at those who weren't white. 'She directed it at those who were close to her, on occasions directly into their faces. 'She threatened violence against more than one person and it took place over a prolonged period.' The judge said the 'grossly offensive' language used by Woodhouse, who was previously fined over a similar incident on the DLR, reflected her hostility. 'She initially pleaded not guilty. She changed her plea to guilty one day before her trial. culled from BBC

Miami police kill naked cannibal after chewing man’s face

Eugene

A naked man who savagely bit the face and eyes of another man during an attack in Miami over the weekend has been identified. Police sources told WPLG-TV that the accused was 31-year-old Rudy Eugene. According to his former wife, Eugene had a history of violence. The ex-wife, who was not named, said the pair had a short-lived marriage that lasted a year and a half. According to her, he hadn’t [a] mental problem but he always felt like people was against him ... She added that she left the marriage because Eugene had been violent, and she had not been in contact with him for the past three years. They filed for divorce in 2007. Eugene was shot dead Saturday afternoon by police who arrived at the scene on the off-ramp of the MacArthur Causeway where he was seen taking bites out of another man's face. As an officer drew his gun and called for an end to the attack, he "just stood ... with pieces of flesh in his mouth and he growled," eyewitness Larry Vega told WSVN-TV. According to Vega, a cop fired one shot at Eugene, but he continued chewing, The Miami Herald reported. The officer fired again and hit Eugene several more times before he was killed. It remains unclear why the attacker pounced on his victim, who police theorized might have been homeless and laying down when the assault began. Police believe Eugene had likely overdosed on a new potent form of LSD, WSVN-TV reported. The victim remained in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Seventy-five to 80 percent of his face was reportedly missing. culled from SKYNEWS

Texas student jailed for missing too much school

Tran

A student in Texas who works in 2 different places has been jailed for missing too much school. Diane Tran, 17, an 11th-grade honor student at Willis High School near Houston, was sent to jail for 24 hours Wednesday by Judge Lanny Moriarty, It’s unclear how many days Tran missed, but State law permits only 10 absences in a six-month period, according to the station. Tran works full-time at a dry-cleaning business and part-time for a wedding planner. She has been supporting her brother and sister since her parents separated and her mother moved away. Tran’s father often works too late. One of Tran's bosses Mary Elliot said she can understand if a child is staying out of school, running around, a bad kid, getting into trouble, taking drugs. According to her, she can understand why the judge would slap them into jail for 24 hours. But Diane doesn't do that. All she does is work and go to school. Elliot says that Tran is a straight-A student, but that she sometimes oversleeps because of her hectic work schedule, and misses class. Judge Moriarty told KHOU 11 News that he intended to make an example of Tran. "If you let one run loose, what are you going to do with the rest of them? Let them go, too?" Moriarty asked the TV station. culled from FOXNEWS

Facebook to launch smartphone next year'

Social networking giant Facebook is to launch its own smartphone by next year, reports have suggested. The New York Times cited unnamed sources, including Facebook employees, suggesting that the network had been hiring several smartphone engineers.

Facebook recently admitted it was struggling to make money out of its growing mobile audience. The company, which recently floated on the stock market, has also just launched its own mobile app store. The App Center currently offers links to Facebook-enabled apps within Apple's iOS and Google Android stores but developers will soon be able to write apps to be placed exclusively in Facebook's store. According to the New York Times, Facebook has hired experts who worked on the iPhone and other smartphones. It quoted a Facebook employee as saying the site's founder Mark Zuckerberg was "worried that if he doesn't create a mobile phone in the near future... Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms". A Facebook smartphone has reportedly been in the works for some time. In 2010, Techcrunch reported that Facebook was "secretly" building a smartphone - although this particular project is said to have broken down. The company's desire to enter the smartphone market could be a result of increasing pressure to improve the potential of mobile to make money. In a statement for potential investors ahead of its initial public offering earlier this month, the company admitted it had concerns about more users accessing Facebook through their mobile - a trend which could make it more difficult to sell advertising. When asked by the BBC, a spokeswoman for Facebook said the company did not comment on speculation, and referred instead to a written statement. culled from BBC

German teen solves 300-year-old mathematical riddle posed by Sir Isaac Newton

Ray

A German 16-year-old has become the first person to solve a mathematical problem posed by Sir Isaac Newton more than 300 years ago. Shouryya Ray worked out how to calculate exactly the path of a projectile under gravity and subject to air resistance. The Indian-born teen said he solved the problem that had stumped mathematicians for centuries while working on a school project. Ray won a research award for his efforts and has been labeled a genius by the German media, but he put it down to "curiosity and schoolboy naivety." Ray's family moved to Germany when he was 12 after his engineer father got a job at a technical college. He said his father instilled in him a "hunger for mathematics" and taught him calculus at the age of six. Ray's father, Subhashis, said his son's mathematical prowess quickly outstripped his own considerable knowledge. Despite not speaking a word of German when he arrived, Ray will this week sit Germany's high school leaving exams, two years ahead of his peers. Newton posed the problem, relating to the movement of projectiles through the air, in the 17th century. Mathematicians had only been able to offer partial solutions until now. If that wasn't enough of an achievement, Ray has also solved a second problem, dealing with the collision of a body with a wall, that was posed in the 19th century. Both problems Ray resolved are from the field of dynamics and his solutions are expected to contribute to greater precision in areas such as ballistics. culled from BBC

Drug trafficking: 34yr old Nigerian dies after cocaine burst in his stomach

Ozoani

The Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed the death of Edwin Ozoani, 34, a commercial bus driver, who died after a wrap of cocaine he ingested burst in his stomach. Mitchell Ofoyeju, the NDLEA Head of Public Affairs, said the deceased, who returned from Brazil on-board a South African Airline flight, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. "During screening, he tested positive to drug ingestion and was placed on observation," he said. "He excreted 10 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine, weighing 180 grammes. While still under observation, he complained of stomach pain and was rushed to the hospital where he eventually died. A post-mortem examination revealed that his death was due to one of the wraps of cocaine he ingested that ruptured in his stomach." Culled from Dailytimes

London riots: Millionaire's daughter Laura Johnson jailed

Johnson

A millionaire's daughter who drove looters around London during the 2011 riots has been jailed for two years. Laura Johnson, 20, of Orpington, south-east London, had denied charges of burglary and handling stolen goods, claiming she was acting under duress. But the judge at Inner London Crown Court said she played "a pivotal role" in law-breaking on 8 August. She was convicted of taking goods from a Comet store and handling a stolen television from a Currys outlet. Johnson was joined in the dock by a teenage boy, who had previously admitted burglary by stealing alcohol and cigarettes from a BP garage in Charlton, south-east London. He can now be named as Christopher Edwards, 17, after the judge lifted an order banning his identification.

Edwards

Edwards was sentenced to 12 months at a young offenders' institution. Passing sentence, Judge Patricia Lees observed that Johnson's reaction to the arrival of the police was to put her foot on the accelerator of her car - despite an officer standing in front of it. She told Johnson and Edwards that their actions added to the overall lawlessness that threatened to overwhelm the forces of law and order. Jurors were told that Johnson drove several looters around various shops during the height of the riots. Her passengers jumped from the car wearing hooded tops, bandanas and balaclavas and loaded it with stolen electronic goods. Johnson - who is reading English and Italian at Exeter University - is a former grammar school pupil who reportedly achieved four A*s and nine As at GCSE. She is the daughter of wealthy couple Robert and Lindsay Johnson, who own direct marketing business Avongate Ltd. In mitigation, her barrister Martin McCartney said she was a bright, intelligent, articulate young woman who was then at a very low ebb and argued she was unlikely to offend again. He said argued that at the time of the offence, placing what she did against the background of who she is, this was completely out of character, adding that it is not beyond the realms of reason that the way she acted might have been affected by the emotional turmoil she was in. Johnson will serve half of her two-year sentence in prison, minus 144 days, due to time spent under a qualifying curfew. Her defence had been to claim she acted under duress because she was afraid of her passengers. culled from BBC

59 yr old Briton sentenced to 19yrs in prison for raping daughter

Warrener

A 59 year old man,Michael Warrener has been jailed for 19 years for the repeated rape of his daughter, who later killed herself. Warrener, from Twickenham Road, had denied three charges of rape and one of indecent assault, but was found guilty at Newcastle Crown Court. He was also found guilty of indecent assaults on two other child victims. His daughter Claire Warrener, who was in her early 20s, took her own life in 2010, just months after reporting the abuse. The court heard that it started when she was aged about 13. Following the sentencing, Det Con David Garrity, from Northumbria Police Rape Investigation Team, said that Warrener is a very dangerous individual who subjected his victims to horrific sexual abuse over a number of years. According to Garrrity, Warner’s behaviour has had a profound effect on all the victims involved. He acknowledged the victims' bravery in coming forward and having the courage to give evidence against this man in what must have been a very difficult set of circumstances. Culled from BBC

47yr old Nigerian teacher arraigned for raping 14yr old girl in UK

Ogunsola

A paedophile teacher who repeatedly raped a pupil under the pretence of giving her "extra science tuition" has been told he will be jailed for "a very long time". Married father-of-three Keith Ogunsola groomed his 14-year-old victim and lured her to hotels around the country. The 47-year-old science teacher from Banstead in Surrey, started sexually abusing the girl in 2001, when he took her virginity by raping her at a Croydon hotel, Your Local Guardian reported. Croydon Crown Court heard Ogunsola subjected the girl to three years of terror, telling her to wear skirts with no underwear so it was easier to have sex with her. Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters told how the girl was intimidated into thinking no-one would believe her story against a teacher. When the pupil told Nigerian-born Ogunsola she wanted a boyfriend he "ripped off her clothes and raped her again". But it is not the first time Ogunsola has been in court for sexually harrassing a student. In 2008, he grabbed a 14-year-old pupil and stuck his tongue in her mouth while they were in his school office. The girl described her ordeal, saying: "He put his arms around my waist and said 'do you want a kiss?' "He pulled me close and put his tongue in my mouth. He was holding my wrists." He also asked girls in his chemistry class whether they had performed oral sex. The court heard he had already been warned by the school's headteacher about his conduct with female students before the assaults took place. Ogunsola was cleared of two sexual assaults at that school in 2000 and another sexual assault at a different school in 2006. Despite this, he was spared jail because of his "weak heart". Culled from HUFF POST

Israeli court permits prisoner to use marijuana inside jail after legal action

A High Court sitting in Israel yesterday has ruled that a prisoner can receive his prescribed medicinal marijuana in cookie form while he’s serving his sentence, rejecting his petition to be allowed to smoke joints instead. Dror Ozeri was found guilty of illegally manufacturing dangerous drugs and sentenced to seven months in prison. However, the prison service was faced with a dilemma: Ozeri holds a permit allowing him to use cannabis for medicinal purposes. The case reached the court after Ozeri said he must smoke and inhale the drug in order for it to help him, while prison doctors said that it would be effective even when baked and eaten, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday. Ozeri petitioned the High Court to compel the prison to allow him to smoke. Three judges addressed the case with all seriousness, but rejected his request based on the prison doctors’ recommendation. Accordin to the judges,if it turns out ingesting the marijuana does not help him, prison services will have to find an alternate way of administrating the drug. Culled from TIMES OF ISRAEL

S Korea to castrate 45yrs old man for sex offence

South Korean president,Lee Myung-Bak

South Korea government will on Friday 25th May chemically castrate a sex offender convicted of repeated crimes against children, the country's first use of the punishment. According to the officials of the Justice Ministry, the 45-year-old man will get an injection that lowers testosterone-producing hormones and aims to inhibit sexual impulses. South Korea passed a law in 2010 allowing judges or a Justice Ministry panel the option of ordering chemical castration after a series of violent sexual assaults on children sparked public outrage. The man to be castrated this week was convicted four times between 1984 and 2002 of raping or sexually molesting girls under the ages of 13, the ministry said in a separate statement. A psychiatric test has concluded the man is a pedophile and needs medication. He will be released from prison in July under the condition that he receives injections every three months for three years, according to the ministry. Under the law, those who refuse or miss an injection could be returned to prison for up to seven years. Other countries also have been moving ahead with laws allowing chemical castration for sex offenders. Russian lawmakers in October gave first-round approval to a bill that would impose chemical castration on repeat sex offenders. Poland legalized the procedure in 2009 for offenders who rape minors or close relatives. Already, Britain, Denmark and Sweden offer chemical castration drugs to sex offenders on a voluntary basis. In the United States, several States have laws allowing chemical castration. culled from FOXNEWS

Pakistani doctor jailed for 33yrs for helping CIA to find Bin Laden

Shakil Afridi

A Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi who helped the CIA find Osama Bin Laden has been jailed for at least 30 years. Shakil Afridi was charged with treason for running a fake vaccination programme to gather information. The US secretary of state Hillary Clinton had called for his release on the grounds that his work served Pakistani and American interests. Bin Laden was killed by US forces in the north-western city of Abbottabad in May 2011. The killing triggered a rift between the US and Pakistan, whose government was seriously embarrassed to find Bin Laden had been living in Pakistan. Islamabad felt the covert US operation was a violation of its sovereignty. Shortly after the raid on Bin Laden's house, Dr Afridi was arrested for conspiring against the State of Pakistan. Pakistan has insisted that any country would have done the same if it found one of its citizens working for a foreign spy agency. Dr Afridi has been found guilty under the tribal justice system in Khyber district, and has also been fined $3,500. If he does not pay the fine his prison sentence will be extended by a further three years. Dr Afridi was not present in court so was unable to give his side of the story. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says that many outside observers are concerned that most of the people detained since Bin Laden's killing have been those who were trying to help capture him, rather than those who helped shield him. It is not clear if Dr Afridi knew who the target of the investigation was when the CIA recruited him, or what DNA he managed to collect in the fake hepatitis B vaccination programme. The idea was to obtain a blood sample from one of the children living in the Abbottabad compound, so that DNA tests could determine whether or not they were relatives of Bin Laden, our correspondent says. US Defense secretary Leon Panetta confirmed in January that Dr Afridi collected samples for the US and he spoke to the CBS television programme "60 minutes" about the case. He said Dr Afridi "was not in any way treasonous towards Pakistan... for them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism, I just think is a real mistake on their part". culled from BBC

Google buys Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion

The world's greatest internet search engine, Google has finally completed its $12.5bn (£7.9bn) purchase of US phone maker Motorola days after it received approval from the Chinese government.

Chinese authorities said Google must keep its mobile software, Android, free for other device makers for up to five years. The acquisition is Google's biggest to date. The internet search giant has also named a new management team for the phone handset maker. Motorola is a leading manufacturer of smartphones and other devices. Google's takeover of the business allows it to move into the manufacturing of phones and tablet computers for the first time. Google's chief executive, Larry Page, said in a blog post that there were people using devices now who may never use a desktop machine: "The phones in our pockets have become supercomputers that are changing the way we live. It's now possible to do things we used to think were magic, or only possible on Star Trek- like get directions right from where we are standing; watch a video on YouTube; or take a picture and share the moment instantly with friends." He added that Motorola had a long history in technological development: "Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the first cell phone." He said he saw the new business producing "the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come". The purchase gives Google access to more than 17,000 of the company's valuable patents. The Chinese authorities cleared the deal on condition that Google keeps its mobile software, Android, free for other device makers for up to five years. The European Commission also approved the deal, but it did not conclude there was an issue with Android, saying it was unlikely that Google would restrict the use of Android solely to Motorola, which is a minor player in the European Economic Area. US approval has also been granted. culled from BBC

74-year-old grandmother, shoots grandson 8 times, faces murder charges

Layne

Sandra Layne, a former teacher with no criminal history, is charged in the fatal shooting of Jonathan Hoffman on Friday evening with a Glock semi-automatic handgun. Police said that when they arrived at Layne's home in Bloomfield Township, she answered the door still holding the weapon and told officers she had just "murdered her grandson." Detective Brad Boulet told a court hearing Monday that, "At approximately the three-minute mark of the 911 call, the subject screamed and exclaimed that he had just been shot again. Responding officers heard several gunshots inside the house." Authorities confirmed Hoffman had around eight entry or exit wounds and two bullets in his body. He was pronounced dead at Botsford Hospital. He moved in with his grandmother six months ago after his parents moved to Scottsdale, Ariz. Police said they had a volatile relationship and that officers were called to the home in another domestic incident in March. MyFoxDetroit.com reported that Layne's attorney, Mitch Ribitwer, told the court, "This young man's been in trouble and apparently my understanding is there were narcotics apparently in the house and some other drugs." Hoffman was given a suspended jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to possession of drugs following an arrest on March 17. Layne has five children and nine grandchildren and has been married for 28 years. She was charged with murder and felony firearm possession and was held without bond. She is due back in court next week. A funeral for Hoffman will take place on Tuesday. Culled from FOXNEWS

Nigerian woman caught with hard drugs in underwear at MMIA

Animasaun

Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Monday, arrested two women at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for alleged drug trafficking. One of the suspects, Faith Onuoha, a 24-year-old hair stylist, was allegedly caught with one kilogramme of methamphetamine hidden in her underwear while 250 grammes were also ingested by her.

The other, Bisola Animasaun, 25, a London-based fashion designer, was allegedly nabbed with 3 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in packs of chocolates. The NDLEA Lagos Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, said Onuoha was detected with the assistance of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Animasaun was arrested during screening of passengers on a British Airways flight to London. Thirty sachets of cocaine weighing 3kg was found inside two chocolates containers in her bag." Animashaun, in a statement she made to the anti-narcotics agency, confessed to the crime. "This is a very big mistake on my part," she stated. "I hope I will be given the opportunity to right my wrongs. They promised me £3,000 to take the packs of chocolates. Apart from the financial inducement, I should have resisted the temptation. It is a mistake that will never happen again" she said. Ahmadu Giade, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, said the suspects would soon be charged to court. culled from Dailytimes

Oldest breeding osprey 'Lady' hatches 62nd egg

An osprey which is thought to be the UK's oldest breeding female has hatched an egg at the Loch of the Lowes wildlife reserve in Dunkeld. The osprey - known Lady - hatched her 62nd egg on Monday night. Almost 20,000 people were watching developments via webcam. Lady has returned to the Loch of the Lowes reserve for 22 consecutive years, producing 48 chicks that have fledged. She has laid three eggs this year. The new chick is the first at the reserve since 2010. Lady's eggs failed to hatch last year, despite being proved to be fertile. Emma Rawling, a ranger for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said that to successfully fledge this number of eggs is a quite an unbelievable achievement. According to him, they expect her to reach the milestone of 50 later in the week. Said he, "We've had interest from all over the world and people visiting in their droves since the eggs were laid." She added that the chicks would be tagged to monitor the exact routes, timings and behaviours of the birds as they migrate. culled from BBC

Protests rock Mali over deal between ECOWAS and Capt Sango

Thousands of supporters of March's coup in Mali have marched in protest at a regional deal for the interim civilian leader to remain in office for a year. Djouncounda Traore's initial mandate was due to expire on Monday. But West African leaders reached a deal with coup leader Capt Amadou Sanogo for Mr Traore to stay on to organise elections and end a northern rebellion. Capt Sanogo seized power in March and led the country for less than three weeks, before handing power to Mr Traore, the former speaker of parliament, in the face of intense international pressure and the rapid advance of rebels, who seized the whole of the north - an area the size of France The deal also saw Capt Sanogo recognised as a former head of state with a salary and a mansion. The coup, and ensuing rebel seizure of northern Mali, have led many thousands of people to flee their homes. Aid agencies say they are extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Mali, which is also suffering from the regional drought. Soldiers were reported to have let some of the protesters into the presidential palace but Mr Traore was not there, so they left Supporters of the coup in Bamako are unhappy that a representative of the ousted political class was allowed to stay in power for a year. They want a national convention of Mali's political parties and civic society groups to decide on the interim leader. The protesters shouted slogans including "Down with Ecowas" and "Down with Djouncounda." Some carried a mock coffin with Mr Traore's name on it. Earlier, mediators from West African regional bloc Ecowas left Bamako saying that they have accomplished their mission. The status of a former head of State gives Capt Sanogo considerable respect, as well as a salary. Chief Ecowas mediator, Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Djibrill Bassole, also said the coup leader would be able to consult Mr Traore, 70, and his prime minister until new elections are held next year. Last week, Ecowas threatened to reimpose sanctions against the coup leaders, accusing them of continuing to meddle in the country's politics. As part of the deal, the government is supposed to focus on recovering the north from a mixture of Tuareg separatists and Islamist fighters. Ecowas has said it is preparing to send 3,000 troops to Mali to help the country reclaim its northern territory, but no date has been set for the force to arrive. culled from BBC

Mass circumcision takes effect in Zimbabwe

... .. Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's President ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... .. .. .. .... Following government campaign in 2010 to circumcise up to 80 per cent of the country's young men - approximately three million people- , more than 170 Zimbabwean Members of Parliament (MPs) and parliamentary workers have come forward to get circumcised to set a public example and defend themselves against catching HIV/Aids. All the 150 male members of the 175-strong group have committed to being circumcised, while its female members are encouraging their husbands and boyfriends to undergo the procedure, the paper said. As part of the unique HIV/Aids campaign, the politicians will also be tested for the disease and offered counselling if the results come back positive, the Daily Telegraph reported. The announcement, according to the report, follows the launch of the Zimbabwe Parliamentarians against HIV and Aids (ZIPAH) campaign last week which is aimed at bringing down the African country's 15 per cent HIV infection rate. Blessing Chebundo, the group's chairman, said ZIPAH members will also disseminate HIV and Aids information in their constituencies. He said that many MPs had been against the move because if they did not come forward, it would be speculated that they were infected. The idea of a mass circumcision of MPs was first floated by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, who cited evidence that circumcised men are 60 per cent less likely to get infected with HIV. In neighbouring South Africa, President Jacob Zuma had gone public about being circumcised in 2010 in order to encourage his countrymen to follow suit. The announcement followed a call by Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, for the restoration of the tradition of circumcision -- though performed medically rather than by traditional practitioners culled from NDTV

2 killed, 9 injured in lightning strike in Tamil Nadu

Two persons were killed and nine injured when they were struck by lightning at Mudukulathur, 60 km from Madurai,India yesterday. A group of people were playing cricket and 13 persons were on the ground when a thunderstorm occurred on Sunday. Two persons died on the spot when they were struck by lightning, police said. The injured have been admitted to the Mudukulathur government hospital. culled from NDTV

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg gets married at 28yrs

Chan & Zuckerberg

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has ended a hectic week which saw his company valued at $106bn after a stock market flotation by getting married. He wed his long-time girlfriend Priscilla Chan, 27, in a ceremony at his home in Palo Alto, California. Chan also had a busy week, graduating from medical school on Monday, as Zuckerberg marked his 28th birthday. The guests believed they were going to celebrate Chan's graduation - but found they were at a wedding instead. The wedding ring, a "very simple ruby", was designed by Zuckerberg. Nine years ago the pair met at Harvard, where Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004. They later moved to California, where Facebook has its headquarters, and Chan studied at the medical school of the University of California, San Francisco. Facebook's valuation after its flotation on Friday means the social network site is worth about the same as internet shopping giant Amazon, and more than the value of stalwarts such as Disney. Even after the flotation, Zuckerberg continues to control just under 56% of the voting power of the company. culled from BBC