Facebook app to enrol US voters in Washignton

Washington State is to become the first in the US to allow voter registration via a Facebook app, reports say. State officials said the app, which could be available next week, was a "natural way" to sign up voters. Facebook would not collect details other than the voter's name and date of birth, and would not have access to the voter database, the state said. The move comes as several states have introduced or passed laws requiring more evidence to register or vote. Correspondents say voter registration could stay in the spotlight in the run-up to the presidential election on 6 November. Washington state, in the US Pacific Northwest, has offered online voter registration since 2008. Overall, more than a dozen states allow voters to sign up online. But officials in Olympia, the state capital, have decided that more needs to be done to encourage the people of the state to sign up to vote. "In this age of social media and more people going online for services, this is a natural way to introduce people to online registration and leverage the power of friends on Facebook to get more people registered," co-director of elections Shane Hamlin told the Associated Press. Registration scuffles The Facebook app was developed by Microsoft and has been in planning since last autumn, according to reports. "We are excited that citizens in Washington state will be able to register to vote and review useful voting information on Facebook," Facebook The app is to appear on the Facebook page of Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed. Users can "like" the service and recommend it to their friends. Reports say users must allow Facebook to access their information, which will be used to add their names and date of birth to the voter registration form. After that, users must provide a driving licence or state ID card number to continue. Through the app they will also be able to access the state's My Vote site, which has information about candidates and ballot measures. Mr Hamlin told AP that Facebook cannot access the state database. While Washington expands its voter-registration effort ahead of election day, at least eight states are considering measures to restrict voter-registration drives. Since 2010, 11 other states have passed laws requiring voters to show government-approved photo identification in order to vote. Supporters say that move would crack down on electoral fraud, but critics say it overwhelmingly affects poor, elderly and minority voters. Six states must have the changes cleared by the Department of Justice because of past discrimination in their voting practices. So far no state has had its new law approved. Last week Florida was granted permission to use a federal database to remove the names of foreign citizens from its voter rolls after a judge denied a justice department request to block the move. The federal government had voiced concern that Florida would remove legitimate voters from its rolls . Other states - such as Colorado, a key swing state - have also asked for access to the database. Culled from BBC

Terrorism: Nigerian Army evacuates thousands of natives from Plateau State

Following a recently conducted air reconnaissance in Jos, Plateau State, the Nigeria Military have established the presence of some terrorists in some villages. “The terrorists are using the civilian population as human shield,” said Air Vice Marshal Dick Iruenabere, of the Defence Headquarters. Thousands of Fulani inhabitants of the five villages in Plateau State slated for military operations were moved out and camped at four locations in Riyom and Barkin Ladi on Monday, following an agreement between community leaders and security authorities. The villagers, predominantly Fulani herdsmen, agreed to relocate temporarily at the expiration of a 48-hour evacuation deadline on the condition that they would be allowed to return after two days and that their property would be protected. The Special Task Force (STF) had ordered villagers in Mahanga, Kakuruk, Kuzen, Maseh and Shong to leave to give way for an operation to root out terrorists following violence in Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas. The development had resulted in strident criticism from activists, while some community leaders in the affected areas vowed to resist the order. Defence Headquarters subsequently warned that it would not back down from the deadline, thus escalating the tensions. However, beginning on Monday, and continuing on Tuesday, the Special Task Force assisted willing villagers to relocate to prepared temporary camps. “The only difference now with the earlier statement is that the people were asked to move to some specified locations within Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas,” said Saleh Momale, the Executive Director of the Pastoral Resolve. “The assurances provided by the STF were that there will be no killing, arrest and intimidation of Fulani people. That their houses and properties left behind will be adequately guarded by security personnel. That full security will be provided to the Fulani at the four locations where they were asked to move. That relief material in form of food items, warm clothing and shelter will be provided early tomorrow (today). That all the activities of the military operation in the areas will be completed in a maximum period of two days and that the people will return to their houses afterward.” However, the Defence Headquarters, on Tuesday, reiterated that the operation to unearth suspected terrorists taking shelter in those villages could last for two weeks. Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin said people would be allowed to return to their homes afterwards. At a news conference on Monday by its Chief of Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Dick Iruenabere, the Defence Headquarters said it would not use heavy artillery in the operations; thus ensuring minimal damage of property. Culled from DAILYTIMES

American fraudster bags 6months in jail for stealing $3,796 by pretending to have cancer online

Henry

A New Hampshire man pled guilty Tuesday to stealing approximately $3,796 from online donors by claiming to have cancer when he didn't. MyFoxBoston.com reports Logan Henry created a "Help Logan Henry" page on gofundme.com, saying he needed money for cancer treatment. He collected over $3,000 from thousands of online donors. His scheme was thwarted when his former employer discovered the page. The employer called police and said Henry was out of work because of a shoulder injury, not because he had cancer. Henry was given a six-month deferred sentence and ordered to repay the money and a $500 fine. Culled from FOXNEWS

6-yr-old devoured by leopard in Mumbai

Thorat

A six-year-old girl living with her parents in the Shankar Tekdi area of Mulund (West) was killed and partially devoured by a leopard late on Sunday night. Sanjana Thorat lived in the slums encroaching on the fringes of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park with her father, mother, an elder brother and a sister. Around 10.30 pm, Sanjana and her mother Sunita Thorat, 28, ventured 20-feet away from their hutment to answer nature's call, when the leopard emerged from the bushes and dragged the girl off. Fifteen minutes after the attack, locals informed the police, but claim that the officials arrived an hour later and refused to enter the forest stating that it was unsafe. Around 200 slum-dwellers had gathered and they launched an all-night search for Sanjana and called it off at around 5 am. Officials of the forest department arrived around 7 am and the search operation resumed along with police officials. Finally, a group of youngsters accompanied by a dog found Sanjana's head around 300 to 400 metres inside the forest. "Sanjana wanted to go out to answer nature's call. We were about 20-feet away from our house when a full-grown leopard appeared and dragged her away into the thick bushes," said Sunita. Locals claim that the police team reached the spot around 11.45 pm and refused to launch a search operation. "When we asked the police to start a search operation, they refused saying that it was not safe to go inside the forest in the night," said the victim's neighbour, on condition of anonymity. According to the locals, spotting leopards in the area has not alarmed them in the past. "We have been staying here for over 20 years and spot leopards at least three or four times a month, but till date no humans have been attacked. Yesterday's incident has shocked us and we request the forest department to construct a boundary wall so that such incidents can be avoided," said Sunil, another neighbour of the deceased. Sudhir Padwale, Thane Assistant Conservator of Forests, said that a distress call came in to the control room at 11.15 pm on Sunday. "Our team and a team from Sanjay Gandhi National Park reached the spot. We searched for some time, but stopped the operation and resumed searching at 7 am and the head of the deceased girl was found. We have instructed the locals not to allow children to venture out after dark," Padwale said. The forest department plans to install a cage in the area to trap the animal. Leopard Expert Krishna Tiwari said, "The incident is really unfortunate. Leopards rarely attack humans and the animal must have mistaken the sitting girl for a dog or goat. In order to avoid any further incidents, the people should make it a point not to leave small children unattended at night. The Forest department should start awareness campaigns in the area." Culled from NDTV

Yahoo appoints Google's Marissa Mayer as new CEO

Mayer

Technology firm Yahoo has appointed leading Google executive Marissa Mayer as its next chief executive (CEO). Ms Mayer, 37, will become the firm's third CEO in the space of a year. In a statement released by Yahoo, Ms Mayer said she was "honoured and delighted" to lead the company. She later revealed that she is expecting her first child. In May, chief executive Scott Thompson stepped down after accusations that he put a fake computer degree on his CV. In September 2011, chief executive Carol Bartz was fired after two-and-a-half years in the post. Yahoo has struggled in the face of increased competition from search rivals including Google and the emergence of social giants such as Facebook. Although it remains the largest web portal in the US, correspondents say Yahoo's failure to become more "social" has hurt the firm. Its stock is now worth less than half its peak value. Yahoo's news service still attracts very large volumes of traffic. But other products, such as its search engine and email, have suffered. The company's revenue from display advertising has also dwindled. Interim chief executive Ross Levinsohn was thought to have been the favourite for the job before Monday's announcement that Ms Mayer was to take the helm. Correspondents say the selection of Ms Mayer to head the company suggests a renewed focus on technology and products, over online content. "I look forward to working with the company's dedicated employees to bring innovative products, content, and personalised experiences to users and advertisers all around the world," Ms Mayer said. She becomes one of very few women in Silicon Valley to rise to the top of a major technology firm. "A lot of people did not believe that Yahoo could get someone of the caliber of a Marissa Mayer to become the CEO at this stage," Standard and Poor's equity analyst Scott Kessler told Reuters news agency. Ms Mayer, who takes up her post at Yahoo on Tuesday, said the company was aware of her pregnancy during the recruitment process. "They showed their evolved thinking," she told Fortune Magazine. She said her maternity leave would be a few weeks long, "and I'll work throughout it". She joined Google in 1999 as the company's first female engineer. A former computer science student at California's Stanford University, she was the fledgling company's 20th employee. She worked on creating the Google search engine and the company's widely-recognised home page. More recently, Ms Mayer has been in charge of the technology giant's location and mapping services, which include Google Maps, Earth, Local and Street View. She has been credited with shaping much of the "look and feel" of Google's user experience. Ms Mayer currently serves on the boards of Wal-Mart, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Ballet and New York City Ballet. She will also join Yahoo's board. Culled from BBC

Pair disembowelled rapist at Durham's Frankland Prison

Parr & Mann

Two prisoners who disembowelled a fellow inmate at Durham's Frankland Prison have been given life sentences. Mitchell Harrison, 23, originally of Wolverhampton, was serving an indefinite term for child rape in Cumbria when he was killed in October. Michael Parr, 32, and Nathan Mann, 23, cut his neck with a scalpel made from plastic cutlery and a razor blade. Newcastle Crown Court heard they cut the dead victim's stomach and planned to eat his liver, but did not do so. Parr had earlier pleaded guilty to murder and must serve a minimum term of 32 years. He was already serving life for the attempted murder of a hospital patient. Mann pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years, to run consecutively to the 24-year minimum sentence he is already serving for a double murder. Harrison was jailed in January 2010 after he admitted raping a 13-year-old girl in Kendal, Cumbria. He was killed in his cell at the category A facility, which has housed some of the UK's most high profile and dangerous inmates.

Harrison

The court heard that Mann and Parr had expressed "fantasies" about beheading other prisoners and cutting out their stomachs. Mann was described by a psychiatrist as "a remorseless, callous psychopath" who harboured "cannibalistic urges" and was "one of the most dangerous men in the criminal justice system". Sentencing the pair for the "ghastly and gruesome" killing, Judge Justice Openshaw said: "I can't envisage circumstances in which either of them will ever be released. "They will face the fact that they may well end their lives in prison." The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is carrying out an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mitchell's death. A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We take the responsibility of keeping staff, prisoners and visitors safe extremely seriously. "That's why we have a violence management system in place to deal with incidents quickly and robustly with serious incidents referred to the police immediately." Det Ch Insp Steve Chapman, from Durham Police, said: "Mitchell Harrison was a young man who was by all accounts a model prisoner at HMP Frankland. "Although his family never condoned his past actions, he was still their much loved son and brother and they were supporting him as he served his custodial sentence. "His untimely death, and the horrific nature of it, left his family devastated." Mitchell Harrison's family said in a statement: "Our lives have been shattered by Mitchell's horrific murder. His death was cruel and unnecessary." Culled from BBC

Ethiopian blogger Eskinder Nega bags 18 yrs in prison for aiding terrorists

Nega

A prominent Ethiopian journalist and blogger has been sentenced to 18 years in jail for violating the country's anti-terrorism legislation. Eskinder Nega and 23 others were found guilty last month. They were accused of links with US-based opposition group Ginbot Seven, which Ethiopia considers a terrorist organisation. Opposition activist Andualem Arage was given a life sentence by the court in the capital, Addis Ababa. In May, Eskinder was awarded the prestigious Pen America's Freedom to Write annual prize for his work. Human rights groups have criticised Ethiopia's anti-terrorism legislation for being too far-reaching. "The court has given due considerations to the charges and the sentences are appropriate," Reuters news agency quotes Judge Endeshaw Adane as saying. Eskinder and Andualem, a member of the opposition Unity for Democracy and Justice party, were in court on Friday to hear their sentence - 16 members of the group found guilty in June are in exile, AFP news agency reports. The two men waved to family members as they walked into the courtroom which was filled with friends and family of the activists, as well as journalists and diplomats, the agency says. Eskinder was arrested last September after publishing an article questioning arrests under the anti-terrorism legislation, especially that of well-known Ethiopian actor and government critic Debebe Eshetu. In 1993 Eskinder opened his first newspaper and has been detained at least seven times by the government of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. After he was found guilty last month, US-based campaign group Human Rights Watch said the case showed that Ethiopia's government would not tolerate "even the mildest criticism". An Ethiopian guard working for the UN was jailed for seven years for communicating with the banned Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) in June. In December, two Swedish journalists were sentenced to 11 years in prison for supporting the ONLF. Both the ONLF, which has been fighting for greater independence in the Ogaden area that borders Somalia, and Ginbot Seven, have been designated as terrorist groups by the Ethiopian parliament. Culled from BBC

Over 100 people perish in Nigeria oil tanker fire acciedent

More than 100 people who went to scoop up oil from an overturned oil tanker were burned to death on Thursday after the vehicle caught fire, the information commissioner in Nigeria's southern Rivers State said. The report said 50 with severe burns have been hospitalised," Ibim Semenitari told AFP. The tanker swerved as it was trying to avoid a collision with three oncoming vehicles including a bus, said Kayode Olagunju, sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission in the southern Rivers state. Residents said that shortly after the collision hundreds of locals flocked to the site to collect the spilling fuel. "Then there was an explosion followed by fire," Olagunju told AFP. "Ninety-three were burned to death on the spot. Two died later in the hospital (and) 18 people were seriously injured." In a statement, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) gave the same figures. An AFP photographer at the scene said many of those killed were motorcycle taxi operators, known locally as "Okada", who raced to fill up their tanks after learning of the crash. Olagunju said at least 34 motorcycles were destroyed in the blaze. The accident happened in an area called Ahoada near the oil hub of Port Harcourt in Nigeria's crude-producing Niger Delta region. Motorcycle taxi driver Kingsley Jafure said the vehicle collision occurred at roughly 6:00 am, and the spilled petrol caught fire about 90 minutes later, but that time sequence could not be immediately confirmed by officials. "At about 7:30 while I was inside trying to decide whether to go (scoop fuel) or not. That is when I saw that the tanker exploded," Jafure said. The area had been cordoned off by security forces and a large number of rescue officials were on the ground, said an AFP correspondent. The NEMA statement said "rescue workers from the police, road safety, fire service, civil defence and NEMA were at the scene to evacuate victims and control the traffic." Major accidents, often involving large-haul trucks, are common in Nigeria, where many of the roads in terrible condition. Lorries operating on the country's road are often old and poorly maintained and road worthiness checks are scant. Abandoned trucks, some of them destroyed by heavy collisions, can regularly be seen along major Nigerian motorways. In March, a petrol tanker caught fire after skidding off the road in southern Port Harcourt, killing six people and injuring several others. While in April last year, a fuel tanker overturned at an army checkpoint in central Nigeria, sparking an inferno in which some 50 people were killed. Culled from YAHOONEWS

S/Korean President's elder brother jailed for bribery

Lee

The South Korean president's brother was arrested and taken to a detention center Wednesday after a court approved a warrant on bribery allegations, a major embarrassment to the ruling party in a presidential election year. The Seoul Central District Court issued the arrest warrant for Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of President Lee Myung-bak, late Tuesday. Hours earlier, as the suspect entered the court for questioning, enraged protesters threw eggs at him, grabbed his tie and jostled him. Lee, 76, was taken early Wednesday from the prosecutors' office to the Seoul Detention Center, according to an official who declined to provide further details, including his name, citing office rules. "I'm sorry," Lee told reporters who asked what he'd say to the president, after leaving the prosecutors' office for the jail, according to Yonhap news agency. Prosecutors accuse the former lawmaker of taking half a million dollars in bribes from two detained bankers with the intent of using his influence to help the bankers avoid punishment. Some of the protesters outside court said they lost money after the government suspended the troubled savings banks Lee is accused of taking bribes from. Lee wasn't directly hit by any of the eggs during the protest Tuesday, but some yolk could be seen on his shoulder. Lee Myung-bak ends his single, five-year presidential term early next year. Elections for the next president are in December. Culled from ABC NEWS

Mentally unstable woman jailed 22yrs for murder

Bonser

A woman with a history of mental health problems will serve a minimum of 22 years in jail after being found guilty of murdering a 13-year-old stranger in a park. Hannah Bonser, 26, stabbed Casey-Lyanne Kearney in a random attack in Elmfield Park, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Valentine's Day. A jury at Sheffield Crown Court rejected Bonser's claim that she was guilty only of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. The judge, Mr Justice Cranston, passed the life sentence after Bonser showed no emotion as the jury foreman returned the guilty verdict following two hours of deliberation. She sat in the dock looking ahead, as she has done throughout the week-long trial, surrounded by four prison officers.

Kearney

There were cries of "Yes" from the public gallery, which was packed with Casey's family. Her father, Anthony Kerney, appeared to wipe away tears. Many in the gallery were wearing orange ties and scarves - one of Casey's favourite colours - in memory of the teenager. Speaking outside court, Mr Kearney said: "We think the jury has come to the correct decision in convicting Bonser with the murder of Casey. "There was never a doubt in our minds this was a calculated and deliberate act and therefore deserves the maximum sentence our judicial system allows. "However, no sentence will bring Casey back to us and the severity of Bonser's actions mean we will never have the privilege of her in our lives again." Bonser, of Cusworth House, Doncaster, had denied murder. She has a history of mental health problems and her defence team claimed she is a paranoid schizophrenic. Her barrister, David Fish QC, had asked the jury of seven women and three men to find his client guilty of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility or lack of intent. But prosecutors argued that she suffers from a personality disorder, not a psychosis, and was guilty of murder. The jury agreed. Culled from SKYNEWS

Alleged war crime: Congo warlord jailed for 14 years

Lubanga

The International Criminal Court handed down its first sentence on Tuesday, imprisoning for 14 years a Congolese warlord convicted of using child soldiers. Thomas Lubanga was convicted in March of recruiting and using children in his Union of Congolese Patriots militia, sending them to kill and be killed during fighting in Congo's eastern Ituri region in 2002-2003. Presiding Judge Adrian Fulford said the sentence reflected the need to protect children in wartime. "The vulnerability of children means they need to be afforded particular protection," he said at the sentencing hearing. The 51-year-old Lubanga is the first person convicted by the 10-year-old permanent war crimes tribunal. Rights activists hailed the case as a milestone in efforts to prosecute the widespread use of child soldiers in conflicts around the world. Prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence, but said they would be willing to cut it to 20 years if Lubanga offered a "genuine apology" to victims of his crimes. Lubanga, wearing a gray suit and tie, showed no emotion as Fulford read out the sentence. He can appeal his conviction and sentence. Fulford said that time Lubanga has served in pretrial detention since March 2006 would be deducted from the sentence. It was not immediately clear where Lubanga would serve his sentence. The court has no prison cells for holding convicted war criminals, but has deals with seven countries to jail them - Denmark, Serbia, Mali, Austria, Finland, Britain and Belgium. Fulford gave Lubanga three sentences of 13, 12 and 14 years each, respectively for conscripting, enlisting and using child soldiers but the sentences are to be served concurrently. Conscripting involves abducting children and pressing them into military service while enlisting them can be voluntary. Franck Mulenda, a legal representative for 140 victims in the case, welcomed the sentence. "It is very important. It consoles the victims," he said outside court. He said he is now waiting for the court to order reparations for former child soldiers, "so they can get back their education and their place in society." Fulford criticised former chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo for not bringing charges of sexual violence against Lubanga or presenting evidence of such crimes at a sentencing hearing last month. Rights activists say Lubanga's militia was responsible for widespread rape in Ituri. He also praised Lubanga for being "respectful and cooperative" throughout the case despite it twice being held up by prosecutors defying court orders linked to identifying witnesses. Called from NDTV

Sex offender accused of attempting to infect kids with HIV

A man on parole for trying to infect children with HIV nearly 20 years ago pulled a boy into a Portland restaurant bathroom over the weekend, attempted to sexually assault him and then stabbed him several times, police said. The 10-year-old's injuries from the attack Sunday were severe enough to require surgery, and officers said he would have died without immediate care. The suspect, Adam Lee Brown, pleaded not guilty Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court to charges that included kidnapping, attempted murder and assault. He appeared in court surrounded by sheriff's deputies and wearing a so-called "suicide smock," a rip-resistant vest that prevents inmates from tearing off strips of clothing with which to hang themselves. His arrest Sunday after a two-hour standoff in which he was holed up in a Wendy's bathroom marks the second set of child sex abuse charges leveled against Brown, who was the subject of an abuse investigation two decades ago. The HIV-positive son of a church pastor, Brown was convicted in 1993 of three counts of first-degree sodomy, each involving a child. He pleaded no contest to reduced charges — the initial charges included attempted murder because of his HIV. The case came during a peak in the AIDS crisis and amid fears fueled by public misunderstanding that vengeful patients willfully would infect unsuspecting bystanders. At least nine children in the small logging town of Roseburg told police that Brown molested them over the course of several months in 1992. According to a criminal complaint, the children said Brown told them not to tell and threatened them with knives, scissors and matches. One child said Brown once burned a Bible, warning that Satan would come if they didn't do what he wanted. Brown's wife at the time, Nancy, told The Associated Press in 1993 that her husband had contracted the disease in Southern California while he was stationed there with the U.S. Marines. A lay preacher at Fair Oaks Community Church, Brown served nine years in the Marines as a computer technician before his discharge in the early 1990s. "God was always in the picture," Nancy Brown said about her husband's religious upbringing. "But he thought Satan would deliver the boys." Brown spent 11 years in Oregon's prison system, accruing three years of earned time off a 15-year sentence. Prison officials said their records show Brown spent the years 1999-2004 without incurring any disciplinary infractions. Older, paper records were unavailable. On Sunday, police said he pulled the 10-year-old boy into the fast-food restaurant bathroom and locked the door. After the boy fought back, Portland police say Brown stabbed him. A Wendy's employee opened the locked door and Brown shoved the 10-year-old out of the bathroom but locked himself inside and told arriving officers that he had a gun. Police evacuated the restaurant and brought in crisis negotiators. Brown surrendered. Police found a knife, but no gun. Brown's parents could not be reached Monday by the AP. An attorney representing Brown at the arraignment was unavailable for comment after the hearing. He declined to give his name. Culled from FOXNEWS

Amputee Pistorius selected for Olympics in 4x400

Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius is going to the London Olympics after being selected for South Africa's 1,600-meter relay team. Pistorius is set to become the first amputee track athlete to compete at the games after South Africa's Olympic committee picked him Wednesday as one of 13 athletes on the team initially selected last month. "Today is really on of the happiest days of my life! Will be in (at)London2012 for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games!" the multiple Paralympic champion said on Twitter. "Thank you to everyone that has made me the athlete I am! God, family and friends, my competitors and supporters! You have all had a hand!" Pistorius was selected alongside Willem de Beer, Ofentse Mogawane and Shaun de Jager for the 4x400 race. Culled from YAHOONEWS

25yr old lesbian jailed 9yrs for killing lover

Johnston

............... A mother who stabbed her lover to death after she was taunted for being a "mummy's girl" has been jailed for nine years. Shazia Johnston was found guilty last month of stabbing a knife into the heart of Lisa Ann Quigley, 30, at her Kirkcaldy home on 11 October 2011.

Quigley

............................................... Johnston was convicted of culpable homicide while under provocation. She had been accused of murder, but was found guilty of the lesser charge after a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Johnston said she lashed out to stop an attack on her and her toddler son, but she had no injuries. The court was told during the trial that the couple had a turbulent relationship, including claims that Miss Quigley thought Johnston was cheating on her with men. Johnston also disposed of the knife she used to kill Miss Quigley and it was never found. She was found guilty of concealing the knife she used to kill Miss Quigley. Johnston was jailed for eight years for the killing and a further year for concealing the knife. On Thursday at the High Court in Glasgow temporary judge John Beckett QC told 25-year-old Johnston that she had carried out "a callous and calculated" act. udge Beckett added: "At the age of 30 Lisa Quigley lost her life at your hands. "I accept the behaviour of Miss Quigley was difficult that day. "She may have pulled your hair and made threatening gestures with a knife towards you. "However, this was a very violent killing. "You stabbed her through the heart and she bleed to death. She had defensive injuries to her hands and legs which suggest she was sitting down when she was attacked. "As she lay dying you waited 12 minutes before calling an ambulance. "Her injuries were such that they were not survivable, but you did not know that." Solicitor advocate Gordon Martin, defending, said: "Miss Johnston and Miss Quigley were clearly in love, but their relationship was mutually destructive. "She has asked me to express her regret for what happened." Culled from BBC

Murderer escapes from Pentonville prison by climbing wall

Massey

Convicted murderer John Massey, who has escaped from Pentonville prison in north London, climbed the wall using a makeshift rope. Prison sources say Massey, 64, was not spotted in time. Massey - serving life for a 1975 pub murder - was reported missing at 18:30 BST on Wednesday. Police say he should not be approached. The Ministry of Justice has launched an investigation into the escape. Massey - one of the UK's longest-serving prisoners - was convicted of shooting dead a man with a sawn-off shotgun in Hackney. The escape is deeply embarrassing for the prison authorities and will inevitably raise questions about prison security. It is highly unusual for inmates to escape from within the confines of a closed prison such as Pentonville, our correspondent adds. There have been only three such escapes in the past three years in England and Wales. Police want anyone who spots Massey to call 999. Massey was released on parole in June 2007 - after spending the previous 18 months in an open prison on Derbyshire - and ordered to live in a bail hostel in Streatham, south London. But he broke his curfew after a few months to go and live with his dying father and, after a number of days, was recalled to prison. After two-and-half years, he was decategorised and sent to Ford open jail, in west Sussex, from where he absconded. He was arrested 10 months later and taken to Pentonville before Wednesday's escape. Up to 1,250 category B and C male prisoners - not the most serious category A offenders - are housed at Pentonville. Category B prisoners are defined as those "for whom the very highest conditions of security are not necessary but for whom escape must be made very difficult". Category C prisoners are defined as those "who cannot be trusted in open conditions, but who do not have the resources and will to make a determined escape attempt.". Conditions at Pentonville prison, which was built in 1842, have been heavily criticised by inspectors. In March 2009, convicted arsonist Julien Chautard spent minutes inside Pentonville before he escaped by clinging to the underside of the security van he had arrived in. He later handed himself in to police. Culled from BBC

Flood kills 76 in Southern Bangladesh

Landslides and floods caused by heavy monsoon rains killed at least 76 people in southern Bangladesh and rescuers were searching Wednesday for more missing, officials said. Three days of rain had hit the region of small hills and forests, and huge chunks of earth and mud buried flimsy huts where families were sleeping late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Many homeless people live at the foot of the hills or close to them despite warnings from authorities. Monsoon floods are common in Bangladesh, a delta nation of 160 million people. Many of the dead were women and children, and the death toll is likely to rise as rescuers are searching for several missing people, officials said. Volunteers using loudspeakers had warned people about the danger of landslides during the recent rains, said Jaynul Bari, a government administrator in one of the stricken areas, Cox's Bazar district. The floods inundated dozens of villages and were disrupting communications in the region. The bodies of 32 adults and children have been recovered in Bandarban district, said K.M. Tariqul Islam, the chief government administrator in the area that is 248 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of the capital, Dhaka. Another 34 people died, most of them in landslides, in neighboring Cox's Bazar. Bari said 23 bodies were recovered from the debris of mostly mud-and-straw huts in the remote Ukhia region and another 11 people drowned in floodwaters. About 200 displaced people were ferried to school buildings on high ground, Bari said. In Chittagong, another district in the region, the bodies of 10 people whose houses were buried in landslides have been recovered, fire official Jasim Udddin said. An airport in Chittagong was closed for hours Tuesday after floodwater swamped its runway, officials said. It reopened Wednesday after rains stopped. Culled from YAHOONEWS

Assailants attack Microsoft offices in Athens

Assailants attacked the offices of Microsoft in Athens early Wednesday, driving a van through the front doors and setting off an incendiary device that burned the building entrance, police said. There were no reports of injuries in the pre-dawn attack on the U.S. company's headquarters in the Greek capital, located in the Maroussi suburb north of the city center. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Authorities said no warning call had been made before the attack. Greece has experienced attacks by several small armed anarchist or domestic terrorist groups for decades, which usually target official buildings, banks or symbols of state power with small bombs or incendiary devices. The attacks usually occur late at night and rarely cause injuries. Police said initial information indicated three people had been inside the van. They forced the two security guards at the building to leave before they reversed the van into the front entrance, smashing the door. The two security guards were giving testimony to police. The assailants then triggered an incendiary device inside the van that police said appeared to have consisted of camping gas canisters and several containers of gasoline. Police forensic teams examined the burned-out van, which was still outside the blackened entrance later Monday morning. Although they have died down over the past year, attacks had spiked following the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Athens in December 2008 that led to widespread riots across the country. One group that had appeared in the aftermath of the rioting had set itself apart by claiming responsibility for shooting dead an anti-terrorism police officer in central Athens in 2009 and a journalist in 2010. Culled from FOXNEWS

Russian mom throws 2 sons off 15th floor balcony

Ryabkova

. A Russian mother told witnesses she threw her two young sons to their deaths from a 15th-floor balcony because she was "fed up" with them, RT News reported Monday. Galina Ryabkova, 30, allegedly tossed her sons, ages 4 and 7, from the Moscow apartment building where she lived with her husband. Ryabkova reportedly later told witnesses she was "fed up with children" and "decided to get rid of them." Stunned neighbors were alerted to the horrific incident when they heard the thump of the children's bodies hitting the ground. "I was standing near the window and heard a loud smack," resident Tatiana Gumanyova told Life News. "I did not pay attention, [and] thought that the child just stumbled and fell. But then I heard one more smack." Another unnamed resident said, "My wife woke me up and said that there were children falling out. We ran out and saw two children lying on the ground in front of the main door. Just at that time their mother was leaving the building. We asked her if these were her children and she replied, emotionlessly, 'Yes, I threw them away.'" Ryabkova was said to be calm before police arrived, although she resisted slightly when they arrested her. She later told investigators that her children were now "angels in heaven," RIA Novosti reported. Investigations are continuing. Culled from THE INDEPENDENT

Torrential rains kill 16 in China

Torrential rains have killed at least 16 people and affected 1.5 million people in southern and northern parts of China, state media said.The official Xinhua News Agency said that the heavy rains over the past three days had wiped out crops in the southern Guangxi region. More than 730,000 people were affected in the southern province of Jiangxi, where there were landslides. The rains also affected the adjacent manufacturing powerhouse province of Guangdong. One resident of Hezhou died in hospital after suffering serious injuries during a landslide, while another was crushed to death during a house collapse, local officials said. Xinhua quoted a local government official as saying that economic losses so far were £13m, and that water levels in 10 reservoirs and several major rivers had risen above warning levels. Precipitation in some areas could total as much as 160mm, according to the National Meteorological Centre. Floods caused by the rainstorms have hit areas of Inner Mongolia in the north of China, Xinhua said. Culled from SKYNEWS

Mainstreet Bank sacks 800 workers in Nigeria

THE management of Mainstreet Bank Plc, formerly Afribank Plc, Friday, sacked no fewer than 800 workers despite the Federal Government’s directive to the management of the bank and organised labour to maintain status quo pending resolution of labour issues between the management and labour. It was gathered that the sack came few days after the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour and Productivity at a meeting in Abuja with the organised labour and management of the bank on the outstanding gratuity of staff of the defunct Afribank Nigeria Plc. Meanwhile, organised labour, yesterday, asked the management of the bank to immediately reverse the termination or labour and its allies would shut down its operations nationwide, describing the management’s action as illegal and unprocedural. Our Correspondent gathered that of the 800 affected staff, over 650 were members of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, affiliated to the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, while the rest were members of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Employees, NUBIFIE, affiliated to Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. It was also gathered that the management just locked the affected workers out of the bank’s network, denied them access to their offices and asked them to wait for their termination letters through their email boxes. Labour demands immediate reversal Organised labour described the management’s action as unprocedural, illegal, and anti-labour, demanding immediate reversal or all the bank’s operations nationwide would be shut by labour and its allies. At a briefing, yesterday, Secretary-General of TUC, Chief John Kolawole, said: “The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) views this act of Management of Mainstreet Bank Ltd as the height of provocation and lawlessness which is condemnable. Consequently, TUC unequivocally states and demands the reversal of these terminations and other anti-labour acts immediately, failing which TUC will mobilise all its affiliates, allies and resources to shut down completely the operations of the bank nationwide.” He added “We are therefore appealing to all well-meaning Nigerians, Hon. Minister of Labour and Productivity, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Director-General, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Cooperation (NDIC), The Managing Director, Asset Management Company of Nigeria(AMCON), Acting Inspector General of Police to prevail on the Management of the Bank before the bubble bursts.” Culled from VANGUARD