London 2012 Olympics end with spectacular ceremony

The London 2012 Olympics have ended with a spectacular musical closing ceremony and the official handover to the next host city, Rio de Janeiro. The packed show featured some of the biggest names of British pop from decades past, including the Spice Girls, George Michael and Elbow. The official Games flag was handed to the mayor of Rio before the flame at the Olympic Stadium was extinguished. Games chief Seb Coe said: "When our time came - Britain, we did it right." Mr Rogge, who declared the Games of the 30th Olympiad closed, said amid cheers: "We will never forget the smiles, the kindness and the support of the wonderful volunteers, the much-needed heroes of these Games. Flag handover The Olympic flag was handed to the mayor of Rio "You, the spectators and the public, provided the soundtrack for these Games. "Your enthusiastic cheers energised its competitors and brought a festive spirit to every Olympic venue." At the close of the ceremony, watched in the stadium by the athletes and 80,000 spectators, the 204 petals of the Olympic cauldron descended to ground level and the flame was extinguished in dramatic fashion. As spectacular fireworks went off above the stadium, the Who performed My Generation and the venue became a sea of red, white and blue. Earlier, as part of the ceremonial handover, the Olympic flag was lowered and it was handed from London Mayor Boris Johnson to Games president Jacques Rogge. After Mr Rogge presented the flag to the mayor of Rio Eduardo Paes, the Brazilian national anthem, rang out, and the stadium was transformed into the green and yellow colours of Brazil. The handover was followed by a segment celebrating Rio's mix of cultures, music and dance, bringing a carnival atmosphere to the proceedings and culminating in Brazilian footballer Pele appearing on stage. Take That then sang their hit Rule the World. It had been thought they would not appear after Gary Barlow's child was stillborn last week. As the band performed, ballerina Darcey Bussell appeared to fly down into the arena on top of a flaming phoenix to join the performers from Rio and lead them in a procession. Musical celebration During the show the Spice Girls sang Spice Up Your Life from the top of five brightly lit London taxis. Other stars to perform included Liam Gallagher, George Michael and Jessie J. Big Ben chimed at 21:00 BST to start the finale, as a spectacular cityscape in the shape of a union jack was unveiled. Spice Girls "Girl power" reigned over the Olympic Stadium as the Spice Girls performed Silence descended as a fanfare from the Household Division Ceremonial State Band announced the arrival of Prince Harry, who is at the ceremony in place of the Queen, and Mr Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee. The crowd was led in a resounding version of the national anthem, and the union jack was carried into the stadium and raised by representatives of the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.There was a riot of colour as the athletes entered the stadium, with four-time Olympic gold medallist sailor Ben Ainslie carrying the British flag. Smiling athletes filled each section of the floor of the stadium, to the sound of Elbow playing their atmospheric hit, One Day Like This. As is traditional during the closing ceremony, the final medals of the 2012 Olympics have been handed out. On this occasion they went to the athletes in the men's marathon, which was won by Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich. The 70,000 Games Maker volunteers were thanked for their hard work. The voice of the late Freddie Mercury echoed around the Stadium singing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, as part of the section of the show entitled A Symphony of British Music. As the Stadium was plunged into dark blue light, images of David Bowie appeared on giant screens and a compilation of some of his most iconic songs were played out. Model Kate Moss appeared wearing a shimmering Alexander McQueen creation, as billboards of some of the most iconic British models were paraded around the stadium. The crowd were taken through a celebration of British eccentricity, with comedian Russell Brand singing Pure Imagination from Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Beatle's I am the Walrus from the top of a psychedelic bus. Brand was followed by DJ Fatboy Slim aka Norman Cook, who brought a party atmosphere to the proceedings. Comedian Eric Idle performed a typically quirky version of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and Muse rocked the stadium with the official anthem of the Games, Survival. LONDON 2012 STATISTICS : : Team GB won 65 medals in 16 different sports The US topped the medal table with 46 golds - their best performance in an overseas Games There were 44 world records and 117 Olympic records during the 16 days. US swimmer Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time as he increased his career tally to 22 medals. Sir Chris Hoy became the most successful British Olympian ever, adding another two golds to his previous four. Traditionally, the closing ceremony is a chance to celebrate what the athletes have achieved, with Olympics supremo Lord Coe describing it as a time to "party, party, party". "This is the disco at the end of a wedding," artistic director Kim Gavin said of the ceremony The competition has been the most successful Olympics for Team GB in 104 years, with a tally of 29 golds. The Queen said Team GB's "outstanding" performance had "inspired" the country. It was a successful final day for Team GB, with boxer Anthony Joshua securing the 29th gold with victory after a dramatic super-heavyweight bout. The 22-year old from London beat Italian Roberto Cammarelle. Welsh fighter Fred Evans had to settle for silver in his welterweight bout against Serik Sapiyev from Kazakhstan and in the very last event of the Games, Samantha Murray came second for Britain in the women's modern pentathlon. The Games have ended with the US topping the final medal table with 46 golds, followed by China with 38 golds. GB came third with 29 golds - their best tally since 1908. In all, 44 world records have been set during London 2012, and 117 Olympic records broken. Among those to have set new world bests included Kenyan David Rudisha in the men's 800m and the Jamaican sprint relay team, one of three golds during the Games for Usain Bolt. Culled from BBC

IOC withholds football medal from S Korea's Park Jong-woo

S Korean officials say the banner came from a spectator

The International Olympic Committee is temporarily withholding a bronze medal from a South Korean football player who displayed a political sign after a win against Japan. Midfielder Park Jong-woo brandished a banner referring to islands claimed by both South Korea and Japan. The IOC barred him from taking part in Saturday's medal ceremony. It has asked football's governing body Fifa to discipline Park, and says it may decide on further sanctions later. The committee said it would withhold the bronze medal until the case is reviewed by Fifa. IOC president Jacques Rogge told reporters: "We will take a possible decision of what will happen with the medal later." After South Korea beat Japan 2-0 on Friday, Park held up a sign with the national flag and a slogan supporting his country's claim over the islands - known as Dokdo in South Korea and as Takeshima in Japan. The South Korea Olympic Committee later said that Park had seized the sign from a fan, stressing that the incident had not been pre-planned. The statutes of both the IOC and Fifa prohibit political statements by athletes and players. Friday's match came hours after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited the islands. The move prompted Japan to recall its ambassador in Seoul. The uninhabited islands, which are roughly equidistant from the two countries, are small but lie in fishing grounds which could also contain large gas deposits. Culled from BBC

Fire out-break in London trails 2012 Olympics closing ceremony

Firefighters battled a massive blaze at an east London recycling center Sunday as the city prepared for the closing ceremony of the Olympics. Officials said the blaze was the biggest they'd seen in the city for years, but that the games would in no way be affected. The fire – about 7 miles (11 kilometers) east of the Olympic Park – was brought under control by late Sunday. A London Fire Brigade statement said the whole of the 50 meter by 100 meter (165 feet by 330 feet), single-story recycling center had burned and that, at one point, a plume of smoke could be seen across the capital. "We've not seen a fire of this size in London for several years," London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said. "It's certainly a dramatic end to the Olympics for the London Fire Brigade." The statement said more than 200 firefighters drawn from across the city had been sent to fight the fire in Dagenham, an industrial, riverside area at the very edge of the capital. "I would like to reassure people that we are still able to attend incidents across the capital and the fire cover we're providing at the Olympic venues has not been affected," Dobson said. In a message later posted to Twitter, the fire service said the Dagenham fire had been contained. "We'll be there during the night damping down," the tweet said. "An Olympic effort by our crews. Enjoy the Closing Ceremony." The cause of the fire wasn't yet known. No injuries have been reported. A spokesman said the fire brigade didn't keep detailed logs on the size of one blaze or another, but mainly thought in terms of the personnel and equipment needed to tackle each fire. He said the last comparable fires he could remember included the inferno that broke out at London's Camden Market in 2008 and a blaze that gutted the New Look store on Oxford Street in 2007. He spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with office policy. Culled from HUFF POST

Group calls for release of 32 jailed sex workers in Nigeria

The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR), on Friday, called for the unconditional release of some commercial sex workers recently jailed by the Lagos State Government. In a press release signed by CDWR's Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, the group condemned the arrests of the 52 alleged sex workers and the eventual jail terms of between one to four months slammed on 32 of them. Describing the sentence passed by the State's Special Offence Court as "draconian and diversionary", the group called for the release of the sex workers. "Hence, we call on the Lagos State Government to immediately and unconditionally release all “sex workers” imprisoned, and immediately come out with economic and social policies aimed at training and engaging jobless people in productive ventures," the statement read. The group also blamed the present administration in the state for being responsible for some of the factors that might have forced the ladies into prostitution. "Sex work is an act of desperation forced on people of mostly poor background by social dislocation and economic pressures. This is not a choice made by free will," the report read. "A case study is the recent hike in fees in Lagos State University by more than 700% (from N25,000 to between N193,750 and N348,750) by the Babatunde Fashola-led Action for Democracy (ACN) government." The group, however, suggested "training, rehabilitation and gainful employment" as ways to constructively engage the youth and keep them off commercial sex work. The statement added that the actions of the State Special Task Force were at "variance with basic democratic tenets", alleging that most of the 'sex workers' were denied fair hearing and proper legal representation. Culled from DAILY TIMES

London 2012: Usain Bolt, Jamaica set a new world record in 4X100m

Jamican athletes in the 4x100 meters relay finals at the London 2012 Olympics have set new world record of 36.84 seconds. Usain Bolt pleaded with an official to let him keep the yellow baton he carried across the finish line while anchoring Jamaica to a world record in the Olympic 4x100-meter relay. Bolt didn't get that souvenir at first. Eventually, it was returned. "I asked and I guess somebody talked to the guy and said you need to give him that back. So I got it," Bolt said. Bolt said its the first baton he's ever asked for, and he asked his three Jamaican teammates to sign it. They also posed for a picture he plans to frame and hang with the baton. About even with the last U.S. runner when he got the stick, Bolt steadily pulled away over the last 100 meters, gritting his teeth and leaning at the line to cap his perfect 3-for-3 Olympics by leading Jamaica to the sprint relay title in 36.84 seconds Saturday night. Bolt added that gold to the ones he earned in the 100 and 200. The United States got the silver in 37.04, matching the old record that Bolt helped set at last year's world championships. Trinidad & Tobago took the bronze in 38.12 after Canada, which was third across the line, was disqualified for running outside its lane. The quartet of Nesta Carter, Michael Frater, double Olympic sprint silver medallist Yohan Blake and Bolt scorched to 36.84sec, beating their previous record of 37.04sec set in the 2011 worlds in Daegu. "It's always a beautiful thing to end on this note," said Bolt. "Last year we did it at the world championships, this year we did it again so for me it's wonderful feeling to end on a high note. "It was a great championships, I'm happy. The team came out and gave it their all. I knew it (a world record) was possible, I wish we could have gone faster but I guess we leave room for improvement." Missing usual anchor man Asafa Powell through injury, the baton was passed from Carter to Jamaican team captain Frater and on to Blake with the ease of accustomed practitioners of the relay. Blake set a blistering pace around the bend, the crowd on their feet as Bolt positioned himself and set off. Taking the baton in his left hand just before the limit of the changeover area, Bolt swiftly transferred the yellow baton to his right hand. The US team's anchor man, Ryan Bailey, was neck-and-neck with Bolt, but the Jamaican dipped his head and pushed through his drive phase. After 20 metres, the head came up as he reached terminal velocity, Bailey by that stage trailing in his towering wake. Bolt flew up the home stretch and flung himself savagely across the line, which he later kissed in celebration, quickly enveloped by his team-mates to the cheers from an adoring public. The London Games are Bolt's fourth global championship since 2008 and his record is startling. He has won seven titles in the eight individual events in which he has competed, his one blip coming when he was disqualified from the Daegu world championship 100m final last year after a false start. Bolt, also the world record holder in both the 100 and 200m, was in addition part of the Jamaican relay team that won four golds in that time. "He's a living legend," Lamine Diack, head of athletics' world governing body the IAAF, said shortly before the relay. "He's a young man who's brought a great deal to our sport. He's an extraordinary talent. He's excellent for our sport. We're delighted we have him and we support him all the way." Tyson Gay, who ran the third leg for the US team, said he had been left with a bittersweet feeling. "Sometimes it is bittersweet when you lose and still get a record," Gay said. "It's tough sometimes but I am just happy to get a medal, I am extremely happy." Bailey added: "I ran for my life. It was a great effort. We can't be upset. We broke the national record. "When I took the baton, I was thinking 'run, run, run for my life' but Usain Bolt is a monster. I was just trying to run." Culled from NDTV

Iran earthquake: death toll rises to 250

Rescuers in Iran are searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors from two strong earthquakes which left at least 250 people dead. The 6.4 and 6.3 quakes struck near Tabriz and Ahar on Saturday afternoon, and more than 2,000 are believed injured, many in outlying villages. Thousands spent the night in emergency shelters or in the open and there have been more than 55 aftershocks. Relief agencies are providing survivors with tents, bread and drinking water.But the BBC's Mohsen Asgari, in the capital Tehran, says the continuing aftershocks have made the rescue effort exhausting work. The numbers of victims is expected to rise, say our correspondent. Reports say phone lines to many villages have been cut off, confining rescuers to radio contact. "The quake has created huge panic among the people," one resident of Tabriz told the BBC. "Everyone has rushed to the streets and the sirens of ambulances are everywhere." The towns of Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province in north-western Iran were among those that suffered casualties, local crisis committee chief Khalil Saei told state TV according to the Associated Press. "The magnitude of the disaster is so huge that officials are just managing to get enough people in from other provinces to help out," one Iranian Red Crescent worker told the AFP news agency.Iran's Deputy Interior Minister Hassan Ghadami told the official Fars news agency that about 110 villages had been damaged. State TV said at least six villages were totally flattened, with 60 other villages sustaining damage ranging from 50% to 80%. "This village is a mass grave," said Alireza Haidaree, who had been searching for survivors in his home of Baje Baj. "There are so many other villages that have been completely destroyed," he told AFP. Locals said 33 of the villages 414 residents had died. 'My family is terrified' Rescue workers have been sent to the region, but relief efforts were limited overnight. "Unfortunately there are still a number of people trapped in the rubble but finding them is very difficult because of the darkness," news agency Fars quoted national emergency head Gholam Reza Masoumi as saying.State TV broadcast footage of dozens of families sleeping outdoors in parks, and bodies lying on the floor of a morgue in Ahar, including those of children. As morning came, search teams with sniffer dogs began working through the wreckage in Tabriz. Almost all deaths seem to have been confined to rural areas, local disaster officials said - probably because buildings in the cities are more sturdily constructed. The timing of the quake, during evening in the holy month of Ramadan, also meant it caught many people indoors as they were resting after fasting during the day. A Red Crescent official estimated that 16,000 people had been given emergency shelter in a sports stadium after they were forced to leave their homes. The organisation has provided 3,000 tents, blankets and tonnes of food.President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's office posted a statement on its website expressing condolences to those in the disaster zone and calling on authorities to "mobilise all efforts to help the affected populations," AFP reports. A provincial official warned people to stay outdoors overnight because of the risk of aftershocks. "My family is really terrified. It is night time now but we cannot sleep," Tabriz resident Amina Zia told the BBC. "This earthquake was... very strong and violent. The first quake struck 23km (14 miles) south-west of Ahar and 58km (36) miles north-east of Tabriz at 16:54 local time (12:23 GMT) on Saturday, said the US Geological Survey. The second earthquake struck just 11 minutes after the first, slightly closer to Tabriz. Iran straddles a major geological fault line, making it prone to seismic activity. In 2003 an earthquake in the city of Bam left more than 25,000 people dead. Culled from BBC

14yr old boy bags seven years in prison for killing foster carer

Dawn McKenzie

A boy who stabbed his foster carer to death after he was grounded has been jailed for seven years. The 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, attacked 34-year-old Dawn McKenzie at a flat in Hamilton, on 24 June 2011. She bled to death after being stabbed 10 times on the head and body. The boy was charged with murder but the Crown accepted his plea to a lesser charge of culpable homicide on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Sentencing him at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lord Pentland paid tribute to the victim. 'Appalling consequences' He said: "No order I impose can possibly put right the appalling consequences of her tragic death." During a previous hearing, the High Court in Glasgow heard that, in the days leading up to the killing, the boy's X-box, mobile phone and laptop had been taken off him. A number of psychiatrists who examined the boy said he was not able to control his behaviour at the time. Ms McKenzie was stabbed 10 times on the head and body. The fatal blow severed a major blood vessel and caused her to bleed to death. She was also stabbed twice in the scalp and the force of one of these blows was so great that the tip of the blade broke off and imbedded itself in her skull. The defensive injuries she received showed she had fought for her life. After the boy fled, Ms McKenzie managed to dial 999 and told police who had stabbed her. Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, prosecuting, said: "The deceased and her husband, Bryan, treated the accused as their own. They were all due to go on holiday abroad together. "It would appear there was nothing remarkable about his behaviour in the lead up to this offence." The court heard it had been a normal Friday night, with Mr McKenzie and the boy driving Dawn to the supermarket and then going for a drive before picking her up again. Mr Prentice added: "The accused had a circle of friends and a keen interest in football and is described by his friends as quiet and likable." Culled from BBC

Google to pay a fine of $22.5m over Safari cookie privacy row

Google has agreed to pay the largest fine ever imposed on a single company by the US Federal Trade Commission. The firm agreed to pay $22.5m (£14.4m) after monitoring web surfers using Apple's Safari browser who had a "do not track" privacy setting selected. Google does not have to admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. The penalty is for misrepresenting what it was doing and not for the methods it used to bypass Safari's tracker cookie settings. Cookies are small text files that are installed onto a computer that can allow it to be identified so that a user's web activity can be monitored. "No matter how big or small, all companies must abide by FTC orders against them and keep their privacy promises to consumers, or they will end up paying many times what it would have cost to comply in the first place," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement. The government agency launched its inquiry after a Stanford University researcher noticed the issue while studying targeted advertising.He revealed that the search giant was exploiting a loophole that let its cookies be installed via adverts on popular websites, even if users' browsers' preferences had been set to reject them. This allowed the firm to track people's web-use habits even if they had not given it permission to do so. Google said no "personal information" - such as names or credit card data - had been collected, and that the action had been inadvertent. Culled from BBC

Usain Bolt wins 200m to make Olympic athletics history

Usain Bolt became the first man to retain both Olympic sprint titles as he led home a gold and green Jamaica clean sweep in the 200m. Bolt matched Michael Johnson's then world-record time from the Atlanta Games of 19.32 seconds as he held off training partner Yohan Blake in silver and Warren Weir in bronze. Blake had beaten Bolt at the Jamaican trials, his last race over the distance before London, but the double 100m champion ran a brilliant bend from lane seven to lead by a metre coming into the straight. Glancing to his left he was aware of Blake closing in a fraction at 150m, but held his form to cross the line with a finger to his lips. "This is what I wanted and I got it. I'm very proud of myself," the 25-year-old told BBC Sport. "After a rough season I came out here and did it. I thought the world record was possible. I guess I was fast but not fit enough. "I could feel my back strain a little bit, so all I did was to keep my form. I'm very dedicated to my work and London meant so much to me." Blake's 19.44 secs was a season's best, while 22-year-old Weir set a new personal best with 19.84 secs to complete the Jamaican party. But this was Bolt's race, and these have once again been Bolt's Games. A month ago, his form questionable and his hamstrings and back giving him serious problems, there was genuine doubt whether the 25-year-old could retain one Olympic title here in London, let alone two. Bolt has made those misgivings seem laughable. He now has five Olympic gold medals, the most decorated Jamaican Olympian of all time, and with the 4x100m still to come can make it six before he heads home to the embrace of an ecstatic nation. On a warm, still summer evening perfect for sprinting, Bolt had clowned around as he waited to be called to his blocks, as ever a study in easy relaxation despite the magnitude of the occasion. He flirted with the girl looking after his kit and then gave a regal wave before taking his rivals apart from the moment the gun sounded. While there was no new mark on Thursday evening, this was the joint fourth fastest 200m in history - a display to rank among the best the event Bolt calls his own has ever seen. Fastest 200m of all time: - Usain Bolt - 19.19 secs (2009) Yohan Blake - 19.26 secs (2011) Usain Bolt - 19.30 secs (2008) Usain Bolt - 19.32 secs (2012) Michael Johnson - 19.32 secs (1996) Usain Bolt - 19.40 secs (2011) ... Culled from BBC

Ex-Navy sailor bags 10yrs in jail for aiding superior's suicide and making it look like murder

Bricker

A former sailor convicted of killing a Navy superior will spend five years in prison. Media outlets report that 27-year-old Paul Stephen Bricker received a 10-year sentence Monday in Virginia Beach Circuit Court, with five years suspended. Bricker pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in April. He told investigators that Chief Petty Officer Gerard Curran wanted to commit suicide and recruited him to help. He said Curran wanted his death to appear as a homicide so his family would receive benefits. Prosecutors said Bricker stabbed Curran at First Landing State Park in August 2009. Bricker was a petty officer second class at the time. Culled from FOXNEWS

Google to include people's Gmail in search results

Google is creating an information bridge between its influential Internet search engine and its widely used Gmail service in its latest attempt to deliver more personal responses more quickly. The experimental feature unveiled Wednesday will enable Google's search engine to mine the correspondence stored within a user's Gmail account for any data tied to a search request. For example, a query containing the word "Amazon" would pull emails with shipping information sent by the online retailer. Such Gmail results will typically be shown to the right of the main results, though in some instances, the top of the search page will highlight an answer extracted directly from an email. For example, the request "my flight" will show specific airline information imported from Gmail. Something similar could eventually happen when searching for a restaurant reservation or tickets to a concert. Although Google has a commanding lead in Internet search, it remains worried about the threat posed by social networking services such as Facebook Inc. As social networks have made it easier to share information online, the Web is starting to revolve more around people than the keywords and links that Google's search engine. Google has been trying to adapt by building more personal services and plugging them into its search engine. Blending email information into general search results could raise privacy worries. Google is trying to mitigate that by showing Gmail results in a collapsed format that users must open to see the details. For now, users must sign up to participate. Google Inc. ran into trouble over privacy in 2010 when it tapped the personal contact information within Gmail accounts to build a social networking service called Buzz. Google set up Buzz in a way that caused many users to inadvertently expose personal data from Gmail. An uproar culminated in a Federal Trade Commission settlement requiring the company to improve its privacy controls and undergo audits for 20 years. Google is treading carefully as it hooks Gmail up to its Internet search engine. The new feature initially will be available to 1 million Gmail users who sign up at http://g.co/searchtrial . That's a small fraction of the more than 425 million Gmail accounts that have been set up since Google launched its free email service eight years ago to compete against the offerings from Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. After getting feedback from the test participants, Google hopes to give all Gmail users the option of plugging their accounts into the main search engine, according to Amit Singhal, a senior vice president for the company. Singhal said Google is also willing to display information from other email service in its main search results. The gesture could avoid spurring additional complaints about Google abusing its position as the Internet's search leader to favor its other services. That issue is the focal point of an antitrust investigation by antitrust regulators in the U.S. and Europe. Microsoft said it has no plans to make information in its competing Web mail service available to Google's search engine. Yahoo, which operates another Gmail rival, had no comment. When it started in 2004, Gmail provided 1 gigabyte of free storage, an amount that was unheard of at the time. Now, many long-time Gmail users have 10 gigabytes of storage. That has turned Gmail into a valuable storehouse of personal information going back several years. Gmail users already can pluck information contained in old correspondence by conducting a search within Gmail. Google is betting Gmail users will appreciate being able to eliminate a step by including any relevant email information alongside the results of its main search page. In the process, Google is hoping Web surfers will have even more reasons to use its dominant search engine, which already processes more than 100 billion requests every month. Luring more queries is crucial to Google because they give the company more opportunities to show the ads that generate most of its revenue, which is expected to exceed $49 billion this year. Personal information from Google Plus, a social networking service started last year to compete with Facebook, has been featured in Google's main search results since January. Ultimately, Google hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can answer their questions with the precision and insight of the artificial intelligence that so far has been the stuff of science fiction. "The destiny of search is to become that perfect Star Trek computer," Singhal said. In another step toward that goal, Google said Wednesday that it will soon be releasing an improved version of its voice-powered search application for Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPad. Google released the tool last month on its Nexus 7 tablet computer and other devices running on the latest version of its Android mobile operation system. The version for Apple's operating system, expected within a week, will be an alternative to Siri, the built-in virtual assistant on the iPhone 4S. Culled fro NDTV

Woman allegedly stole baby from maternity after faking pregnancy

Ramirez

A woman disguised in scrubs was caught trying to steal a newborn girl from a Southern California hospital in a tote bag after sensors attached to the baby alerted employees, Garden Grove police said. Grisel Ramirez, 48, was arrested Monday at Garden Grove Medical Center after a hospital staffer stopped her from leaving with the baby, Lt. Jeff Nightengale said during a news conference. "At this point we don't have a solid reason why she stole the baby," Nightengale said. The husband had no idea she wasn't pregnant, Nightengale said. He believed he was the father of a newborn girl and was shocked to learn his estranged wife had faked the pregnancy and snatched an infant from a hospital in an effort to continue the ruse, police said. "She perpetuated this myth for several months, and they don't live together and don't see each other, so the husband totally believed it," said Nightengale. Ramirez is accused of posing as a nurse who came into the room of the baby's mother and told her to take a shower before a doctor came to examine her, Nightengale said. Once the baby's mother was out of the room, Ramirez allegedly put the newborn in a purple tie-dyed tote bag and tried to carry her out of the ward. "An alarm went off when the baby crossed an imaginary line" in the hospital that set off a sensor, Nightengale said. Many hospital wards have security systems where patients, such as newborns or those with Alzheimer's disease, are tagged with an electronic sensor – usually in a bracelet or anklet – that sets off an alarm when the patient leaves a certain perimeter. Authorities would not say what kind of system the Garden Grove hospital uses. Nightengale added that the baby was only in the bag for a short period of time. The baby wasn't harmed and is back in the care of her mother Nightengale credits an alert employee and hospital policies for stopping Ramirez and saving the baby. "The hospital staff reacted as they should," said Nightengale. Authorities are working with other law enforcement agencies to figure out whether Ramirez has made a similar attempt in the past, Nightengale said. Nightengale said Ramirez has no history of mental illness. Culled from HUFF POST, photo from FOX NEWS

Death penalty: Mentally impaired man executed by Texas Government

Wilson

Despite the Supreme Court ruling in 2002 outlawing the execution of the mentally impaired,a Texas man convicted of killing a police informant was executed Tuesday evening. Marvin Wilson, 54, was pronounced dead at 6:27 p.m., 14 minutes after his lethal injection began at the state prison in Huntsville. Wilson's attorneys had argued that he should have been ineligible for capital punishment because of his low IQ. In their appeal to the high court, his attorneys pointed to a psychological test conducted in 2004 that pegged Wilson's IQ at 61, below the generally accepted minimum competency standard of 70. But lower courts agreed with state attorneys, who argued that Wilson's claim was based on a single test that may have been faulty and that his mental impairment claim isn't supported by other tests and assessments of him over the years. The Supreme Court denied his request for a stay of execution less than two hours before his lethal injection began. Lead defense attorney Lee Kovarsky said he was "gravely disappointed and saddened" by the ruling, calling it "outrageous that the state of Texas continues to utilize unscientific guidelines ... to determine which citizens with intellectual disability are exempt from execution." Wilson was convicted of murdering 21-year-old Jerry Williams in November 1992, several days after police seized 24 grams of cocaine from Wilson's apartment and arrested him. Witnesses testified that Wilson and another man, Andrew Lewis, beat Williams outside of a convenience store in Beaumont, about 80 miles east of Houston. Wilson, who was free on bond, accused Williams of snitching on him about the drugs, they said. Witnesses said Wilson and Lewis then abducted Williams, and neighborhood residents said they heard a gunshot a short time later. Williams was found dead on the side of a road the next day, wearing only socks, severely beaten and shot in the head and neck at close range. Wilson was arrested the next day when he reported to his parole officer on a robbery conviction for which he served less than four years of a 20-year prison sentence. It was the second time he had been sent to prison for robbery. At Wilson's capital murder trial, Lewis' wife testified that Wilson confessed to the killing in front of her, her husband and his own wife. "Don't be mad at Andrew because Andrew did not do it," Lewis' wife said Wilson told them. "I did it." Lewis received a life prison term for his involvement. In Wilson's Supreme Court appeal, Kovarsky said Wilson's language and math skills "never progressed beyond an elementary school level," that he reads and writes below a second-grade level and that he was unable to manage his finances, pay bills or hold down a job. The Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2002 outlawing the execution of the mentally impaired, but left it to states to determine what constitutes mental impairment. Kovarsky argued that Texas is trying to skirt the ban by altering the generally accepted definitions of mental impairment to the point where gaining relief for an inmate is "virtually unobtainable." "That neither the courts nor state officials have stopped this execution is not only a shocking failure of a once-promising constitutional commitment, it is also a reminder that, as a society, we haven't come quite that far in understanding how so many of those around us live with intellectual disabilities," Kovarsky said shortly after the court refused to stop Wilson's execution. State attorneys say the court left it to states to develop appropriate standards for enforcing the ban and that Texas chose to incorporate a number of factors besides an inmate's IQ, including the inmate's adaptive behavior and functioning. Edward Marshall, a Texas assistant attorney general, said records show Wilson habitually gave less than full effort and "was manipulative and deceitful when it suited his interest," and that the state considered his ability to show personal independence and social responsibility in making its determinations. "Considering Wilson's drug-dealing, street-gambler, criminal lifestyle since an early age, he was obviously competent at managing money, and not having a 9-to-5 job is no critical failure," Marshall said. "Wilson created schemes using a decoy to screen his thefts, hustled for jobs in the community, and orchestrated the execution of the snitch, demonstrating inventiveness, drive and leadership." Wilson's lawyers also had argued that additional DNA tests should be conducted on a gray hair from someone white that was found on Williams' body, suggesting someone else killed him. Wilson, Williams and Lewis are black. Ed Shettle, the Jefferson County assistant district attorney who prosecuted Wilson, dismissed the theory of another killer as a "red herring." "There was some testimony Marvin said: 'We're going to show you what happens to snitches around here,'" Shettle said. Wilson was the seventh person executed by lethal injection in Texas this year. At least nine other prisoners in the nation's most active death penalty state have execution dates in the coming months, including one later this month. Culled from YAHOO NEWS

London 2012: Briton arraigned in court for throwing bottle at athletes during 100M final

Gill-Webb being whisked away from the stadium by security operatives

A Team GB fan was yesterday accused of bringing shame on his country by throwing a beer bottle on to the track during the Olympic 100m final. Vending-machine technician Ashley Gill-Webb, 34, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to a public order offence. The married dad-of-two is alleged to have hurled a bottle towards the athletes in the Olympic Stadium moments before Usain Bolt stormed to victory on Sunday. Gill-Webb was removed from by stewards and later arrested. Last night Dutch Olympic judo bronze medallist Edith Botsch told how she tackled a man after the alleged bottle throwing. Edith, 32, was preparing to watch Bolt defend his 100m crown when the drama unfolded. The 6ft champ said: “It was harder taking on this guy than winning my medal. “All of a sudden there was a lot of commotion as I was waiting for this fantastic event, and then I saw this man throw a bottle and I did what any other person would and said, ‘Man, what on earth are you doing?’ “We are here for Olympic heroes performing at the highest level and he was being so disrespectful to the event and those taking part. “So I pushed him as hard as I could and asked him what he was trying to do. “It is a shame this highlights the bad behaviour of one individual because the rest of the 80,000 people in the stadium were watching the race. Because of all the commotion, I missed it.” Culled from MIRROW NEWS

London 2012: seven Cameroon athletes disappear from venue

Seven Cameroon athletes have disappeared while in Britain for the London Olympics, the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education said on Monday evening. The seven - five boxers, a swimmer and a soccer player - are suspected of having left to stay in Europe for economic reasons. "What began as rumor has finally turned out to be true. Seven Cameroonian athletes who participated at the 2012 London Olympic Games have disappeared from the Olympic Village," David Ojong, the mission head said in a message sent to the ministry. Ojong said a reserve goalkeeper for the women's soccer team, Drusille Ngako, was the first to disappear. She was not one of the 18 finally retained after pre-Olympic training in Scotland. While her team-mates left for Coventry for their last preparatory encounter against New Zealand, she vanished. A few days later, swimmer Paul Ekane Edingue and his personal belongings were also not found in his room. Ojong added that five boxers eliminated from the games, Thomas Essomba, Christian Donfack Adjoufack, Abdon Mewoli, Blaise Yepmou Mendouo and Serge Ambomo, disappeared on Sunday from the Olympic village. International Olympic Committee officials said on Tuesday they had heard nothing about the missing athletes. "We are unaware of it," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said when asked whether organizers had heard of it. It is not the first time Cameroonian athletes have disappeared during international sports competitions. At past Francophonie and Commonwealth games as well as junior soccer competitions, several Cameroonians have quit their delegation without official consent. Culled from YAHOO NEWS

Gunmen attack Kogi church, kill 19 worshippers

Gunmen last night attacked the Deeper Christian Life Bible Church at Otite, in Adavi Local Government of Kogi State,Nigeria, killing 19 worshippers, while several others were injured. Eyewitnesses said that about 10 gunmen stormed the church, located opposite the Federal College of Education, Okene, with sophisticated weapons. It was gathered that the gunmen arrived the church in a Toyota Liteace bus and that on reaching the church premises, started shooting everyone on sight. The pastor was among those killed when the assailants fired Kalashnikov assault rifles, the officials add. The attack took the worshippers who were attending evening service by surprise, even as all exit points were blocked by the terrorists to prevent any escape. An eyewitness confirmed that 19 dead bodies had so far been recovered from the scene of the massacre, while nine others who were seriously injured had also been rushed to the hospital. “As I am calling you now, we have just counted 16 dead bodies while nine people have been rushed to the General Hospital, Okene,” the source said. The state Police spoksman Mr. Simon Ile, confirmed the incident, adding that the information at his disposal was still very sketchy. He said the command was still awaiting further report from the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of the area, adding that the command would go after the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to justice. It could not be immediately ascertained how many worshippers were in the church as at the time of the unfortunate incident. It will be recalled that some suicide bombers had attempted to attack the Living Faith Church on Lagos Road, in Okene LGA last month before they were prevented by the heavy presence of security operatives. Governor Idris Wada yesterday summoned an emergency meeting of the state executive council over the attack. Furious about news of the unfortunate situation, Wada vowed that he would spare no resources in smoking terrorists out of Kogi State. According to him, the perpetrators of the heinous crime are wicked, devilish, ungodly and deserve no place in a sane society. Kogi State, he said, has always been known for peace and any act capable of tarnishing the image of the state will not be tolerated at all. Culled from BBC and DAILY TIMES

Philippine floods: death toll rises to 51

The death toll from over a week of floods in the Philippines rose to 51 as rain continued to pour, causing dams to overflow and forcing more people to flee their homes, officials said on Monday. The number of deaths, previously at 45, rose as more bodies of missing people turned up, with one man drowning early on Monday, said civil defence chief Benito Ramos. Six people remain missing, including children who went swimming despite the bad weather that began last week as Typhoon Saola approached the country, he added. Although the Philippines escaped a direct hit, it worsened monsoon rains which continued even after Saola moved north, away from the Philippines. "They have been evacuating more people since this morning. The waters are still rising because it just keeps raining," Mr Ramos told AFP. La Mesa Dam, the main reservoir of Metro Manila, which has a population of 15 million, began to overflow Monday, forcing the evacuation of over 1,000 residents living beside nearby waterways, the Metro Manila flood control office said. However, more people still remain in these areas, many of them squatters who built shanties on riverbanks, said Edna Conda, duty officer at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. "Often they don't want to leave. They say they are used to floods but we don't want to take chances," she said. In the residential suburb of Quezon City, some areas reported floodwaters reaching the second floor of buildings, forcing various government agencies to rush rubber boats to the area, Conda said. Other parts of the capital suffered knee- to waist-deep floods snarling traffic for hours, authorities said. Even before the dam overflowed the government had more than 9,000 people huddled in makeshift evacuation centres, such as schools and basketball courts. Culled from NDTV

Soccer tragedy: Nigerian player dies on Romanian pitch

Chinonso

A Nigerian player, Henry Chinonso , has died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a friendly match between Romanian second division teams CS Delta Tulcea and FC Balotesti on Sunday. Delta’s Ihelewere, 21, collapsed with no-one around him only 15 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. The game was played in the town of Baltoesti, north of Bucharest. He was taken to hospital but he never regained consciousness. The striker had been playing in Romania since 2007 when he joined Farul Constanta. He later moved to Tulcea in 2010. Report said the player was given CPR for over an hour but never regained consciousness. Doctor John Tanase reported that his heart had stopped and CPR was carried out from 12.05 until 13.12. Ambulances arrived 3 minutes after being called. Bogdan Oprita, head of the local ambulance service, told national news agency Agerpres that the FC Tulcea player’s cause of death would be determined by an autopsy. Ihelewere’s death added to a list of Nigerian players who have died in similar circumstances. In 2011, Bobsam Elejiko of fifth-tier Belgian club, Merksem, collapsed and died during a match against FC Kaart. On August 12 1989, Samuel Okwaraji, died at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, during a World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria and Angola. Six years later, Amir Angwe, 29, joined the list. He died while playing for Julius Berger against Maxaquene of Mozambique in CAF competition at the Onikan Stadium. Doctors blamed cardiac arrest for his death. On March 6, 2010, former Berger player, Endurance Idahor, collapsed while starring for Al-Merreikh and died on his way to the hospital in Sudan. He was until his death Al-Merreikh’s leading striker with 46 goals in 62 matches. Culled fro PUNCH

Usain Bolt wins 100M Olympic gold again

Usain Bolt emphatically confirmed his status as the greatest sprinter in history as he retained his Olympic 100m title in peerless fashion. Bolt, doubted by many after a season dogged by defeat and injury, ran the second-fastest time ever to beat fellow Jamaican and training partner Yohan Blake into silver and American Justin Gatlin into bronze. Bolt's 9.63 seconds, just 0.05 seconds slower than his own staggering world record, was a new Olympic best and capped a race in which seven men went under 10 seconds, with only the injured Asafa Powell failing to break that mark. "I was happy when I went out in the first round, I felt I could do this," said the 25-year-old Bolt. "I was slightly worried about my start. I didn't want to false start again, so I sat in the blocks a little bit. "It wasn't the best reaction in the world but I executed it and that was the key. My coach said 'stop worrying about the start because the best part of your race is the end'. It worked. "I said it on the track, people can talk, but when it comes to championships, it is all about business for me - and I brought it." He also praised the crowd inside the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium. "It was wonderful," he said. "I knew would be like this. I can feel that energy and I am extremely happy." Bolt had been beaten by Blake at the Jamaican trials in July and clocked his slowest-ever 100m time at senior level earlier in the season. When he admitted both his back and hamstrings were troubling him and said he was only "95%" fit, there were those who felt he was more vulnerable than at any time since his Olympic gold in a world record four years ago, a feat which took him to the pinnacle of his sport. If this was 95%, then his world record of 9.58secs, set in Berlin in 2009, could have gone had he been fully fit. He had been worried all season about his start. But there was to be no repeat of the false start that cost him his world title and aura of invincibility at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu. Analysis Image of Darren Campbell Darren Campbell BBC Radio 5 live commentator "Those gigantic strides opened up and that was the Usain Bolt show. If we were to be picky it was a terrible start but it doesn't matter, he just needed to be in striking distance. The guys opened up a metre on him but he was close enough, he stayed relaxed, used that stride and it was a fantastic run." His reaction time of 0.165secs was significantly better than that of both Blake and Gatlin, and although former world champion Tyson Gay got out fast, Bolt was into his long stride quickly. At 40m Gatlin - banned twice for doping offences - held a fractional lead but Bolt, as so many times before, was about to pull away as no other sprinter in history has. In Beijing he had eased up in the final 15m, punching his chest with delight, but here he went hard to the line and dipped with a grimace. Blake (9.75secs) and Gatlin (9.79secs) both set new personal bests while Gay's 9.80secs was good enough only for fourth. culled from BBC

Gay Italian politician to run for office of Prime Minister in 2013

Vendola

An openly homosexual politician in Italy has announced his candidacy for prime ministership in the elections to be held in 2013, in what could pave the way for the European Union's first gay premier. Nichi Vendola, governor of the southern Puglia region and leader of the Sel party, that stands for "Left and Free", announced his candidacy Wednesday. Vendola may face three-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who resigned in November amid a deepening debt crisis and sex charges. "It's time for change," Vendola said. The openly gay man, who wears an earring and speaks with a lisp, could be the first Italian homosexual prime minister, to guide the country out of the shadow of the Vatican, the powerful conservative religious institution which considers homosexuality a sin. Culled from TIMES OF INDIA