Former professional boxer, Graham Brett, bags 7yrs in jail for manslaughter

A former professional boxer has been jailed for seven years for killing a stranger with one punch outside a pub.

Graham Brett, 50, of Ebury Bridge Road, Pimlico, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Australian-born Neil Hannah.

He fell to the floor and was knocked unconscious after being punched on the jaw.

Mr Hannah, 49, suffered a brain injury and died five days later on 7 August, the Old Bailey heard.

Brett was drinking in the Greyhound pub in Hugh Street, Pimlico, when he took exception to Mr Hannah and called him outside.

He took off his glasses and aimed a right hook at Mr Hannah, described as a "gentle giant" and a "jovial drunk".
Alcohol problem

Brett, who had two wins and two losses in his professional career and 70 amateur fights, had drunk seven pints and taken cocaine, the court heard.

Gillian Etherton QC, prosecuting, said CCTV showed the incident: "It is very clear the stance the defendant takes is one of an experienced boxer."

Gareth Morley, defending, said Brett's career ended in 1984 and had been ravaged by his alcohol problem, although he was still a coach for amateur boxers.

Judge Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said three years of the extended sentence would be served in the community.

He told Brett: "You are a trained boxer. You used that training to position yourself and deliver the punch. This was an unprovoked attack."
Culled from BBC

Man whose 6 kids died in a fire wachted wife have sex with another man

A man accused of killing six of his children in a house fire watched his wife have sex with another man from which she fell pregnant, a court heard.

Claire Tyler, a friend and colleague of Mairead Philpott, told the court Mrs Philpott aborted the pregnancy.

She also said Mrs Philpott's character become more subdued when her husband was around.

Mrs Philpott, 31, her husband Mick, 56, and Paul Mosley 46, deny manslaughter of the couple's six children.


The three are accused of starting the blaze at the Philpotts' home in Victory Road, Allenton, Derby.



Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight, Jessie, six, and Jayden, five, died in the fire. Their brother Duwayne, 13, died three days later in hospital.
'Mick was there'

On the fifth day of the trial at Nottingham Crown Court, the jury heard from Ms Tyler who worked as a cleaner with Mrs Philpott at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Ms Tyler said Mrs Philpott had taken time off work to have an abortion.

Shaun Smith QC, representing Mrs Philpott, asked Ms Tyler: "It's the case, isn't it, that she had had sex with another man and the child was a result of that?
"And that was when Mick was there, that she had had sex with another man?"

"Yes," Ms Tyler replied.

She told the court that when Mrs Philpott was at work she was bubbly and talkative, but when her husband was in the room her personality changed and she became subdued.

Earlier in the hearing, two officers said Mr Philpott regularly rang police in an attempt to get custody of four of his children after his former mistress Lisa Willis left with them.

The prosecution alleges the fire was started in an attempt to frame Miss Willis and gain custody of Mr Philpott's children.

Miss Willis's sister Amanda Cousins told the court on Friday that she stayed with her after she had left Mr Philpott.

She said Miss Willis was crying all the time and was "in a big mess".


'Rip head off'


Jurors heard Mr Philpott turned up at her home in his minibus with his wife and four of the children a few weeks later and threatened her.

"He told me to watch my back… He was going to have me done over in Derby when I was in the nightclub," she said.

For the defence Anthony Orchard QC said Mrs Cousins had an intense dislike for Mr Philpott because Amanda once lived with him and his then wife Pam Lomax, working as a nanny - and they had fallen out.

He read out a text message in which Amanda threatened to rip Mr Philpott's head off if he contacted her sister again.

The Philpotts, formerly of Victory Road, and Mr Mosley, of Cecil Street, Derby, are charged with six counts of manslaughter; one for each of the children.

It is anticipated that more than 100 witnesses will be heard throughout the trial, which is expected to last six weeks. It continues on Tuesday.
Culled from BBC

Asteroid 2012 DA14 passes very close to Earth

An 150-metre wide asteroid has passed by Earth just 27,700km (17,200 miles) closer than many communication satellites, and just one tenth the distance between the Moon and Earth.

The flyby of 2012 DA14 was the closest-ever approach to Earth by an object this large, passing at 18,641 mph, eight times the speed of a bullet.
And after a meteor struck eastern Russia earlier on Friday, injuring as many as 1000 people and resulting in spectacular YouTube footage, tensions were high over fears that researchers calculations might have been incorrect.

Asteroid 2012 DA14 is as big as an Olympic swimming pool and could destroy a site as large as London if it struck a direct hit.

However the space rock flew by harmlessly, at its closest to Earth at 7.25pm. Keen astronomers viewed the asteroid through binoculars as it passed by, appearing simply as pinpoint of light, darting across the sky.

An animated image of the asteroid was captured by the Faulkes Telescope South in Siding Springs, Australia:
A14 belongs to dangerous family of near-Earth objects (NEOs) that are small enough to be missed but large enough to cause serious damage.

It was detected in February last year by La Sagra Observatory in southern Spain as it fell under the spotlight of the Sun's rays
Prior to the flyby astronomer and asteroid expert Dr Dan Brown, from Nottingham Trent University, said the asteroid will fly inside the orbits of high geostationary satellites some 22,000 miles (35,406km) above the Earth.

"These are the satellites that provide us with telecommunications and weather forecasts," said Dr Brown.

"There are loads of them but you're talking about a very big area. It would be very unlucky if a satellite was hit. The asteroid is more likely to hit some space junk, but most of this is only about a centimetre across and the impact won't even be noticed."

A future mission planned by the American space agency Nasa, called Dart, will fire a probe into an asteroid to see if it can be moved. However, this may not be for another 10 or 20 years, said Dr Brown.

Meanwhile astronomers are currently tracking up to 400 NEOs that, like DA14, have been categorised as a potential threat. While a number are about the same size as DA14 "there will also be some considerably larger," Dr Brown added.

The American space agency Nasa launched its NEO programme 15 years ago with the aim of finding all "extinction event" asteroids and comets 0.62 miles (1km) across and larger. Later, it started focusing on smaller objects.
Culled from HUFF POST

Man swallows cousin's ear lobe during fight, cops say

Police in Connecticut say a city man bit off his cousin's ear lobe and swallowed it during a fight over loud music.

Officers in Stamford charged 27-year-old Emilio Mendoza with first-degree assault and other crimes early Monday morning in connection with the attack on his cousin, 29-year-old Ruiz Clemente-Perez.

Clemente-Perez told police that he asked Mendoza to turn down his loud music because he had to work in the morning, but Mendoza started punching him in the head. During the brawl, Mendoza allegedly bit off part of Clemente-Perez's left ear and swallowed it.

Officers say Clemente-Perez was bleeding and missing part of his ear when they arrived. He also suffered a broken nose and fractured eye socket.

Mendoza is detained on $100,000 bail AOL News reported. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.
Twenty-seven-year-old Emilio Mendoza of Stamford who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was arraigned Wednesday in Stamford Superior Court and ordered held on $50,000 bail according to Huffington post.

Huff post also reported that Mendoza's cousin and roommate, 31-year-old Clemente Perez-Ruiz, also pleaded not guilty Wednesday to assault and disorderly conduct charges connected to the brawl. A good portion of his left ear was missing.

Stamford police, according to HUFF post, say the two men were intoxicated and started fighting after Perez-Ruiz asked Mendoza to turn down the music. Police say Mendoza admitted swallowing the ear lobe.

Mendoza's lawyer said he hadn't seen the police report detailing the allegations and declined to comment.
Culled from HUFF POST & AOL News

Huge asteroid to fly very close to Earth today

Asteroid 2012 DA14 will will make a record close approach to Earth today and it may be visible through a pair of strong binoculars.
the (150ft) 45 meter rock will pass lower than some communications satelites and will not be near enough to become visible in the evening sky experts say.
The best viewing will be in Austrlia, Asia and Eastern Europe.
Members of the public who desire to winess the asteroid are advised to contact their local astronomical society or watch footages beamed from observatories in Australia online.
Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society said that most people around the globe are going to struggle to see it and those who know their way around the sky could view it using a pair of binoculars.
The asteroid will come closer than any of its size on record, whizzing within the orbit of our most distant communications satelite at about 7pm at a speed of about 17,400 miles per hour (7.8 km per second).
Astromers have admitted that there is a chance that 2012 DA14 could collide with one of the communications satelites as it passes by.
However, the close pass of the asteroids poses no threat to Earth but will give scientists the opportunity to study it.
The asteroid was discovered in February 2012 by spanish astronomers shortly after passing by Earth on its last orbit.
Although similar asteroids have come closer than Friday's approach,objects the size of 2012DA14 are only expected to make such narrow passes about once every 40 years.
Culled from the TELEGRAPH

Naked couples with transplant scars pose for 'Organs Donor Charity Campaign'

Couples have posed naked, revealing their transplant scars, for a charity campaign urging people to become organ donors.

The campaign Let Love Live On has been launched to coincide with Valentine's Day.

The project, run by charity Live Life Then Give Life, aims to highlight how a donor can transform another person's life.
Accompanying the images are a series of videos shot by renowned photographer Rankin, where couples talk through their stories.

Kate and Chris Ball, from Edinburgh, met after Kate had a heart transplant at 19.

"It turns out I had a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the heart muscle," she explains. "I only had to wait eight days for a transplant, so I was very lucky."

She adds: "There's nothing my transplant stops me doing at all. I work full time, travel and do sport."
Each year 1000 people in the UK die waiting for an organ donation. Despite overwhelming support for organ donation in the UK (97% of residents), only a quarter of people have signed up to the Organ Donor Register. Even then, families can veto their final wishes even if they are registered. This happens in 41% of cases where wishes have not been discussed
Culled from HUFF POST

How Coca-Cola killed a 30yr-old woman in New Zealand

Drinking large quantities of Coca-Cola was a "substantial factor" in the death of a 30-year-old woman in New Zealand, a coroner has said.

Natasha Harris, whose picture appears inset above died three years ago after a cardiac arrest, drank up to 10 litres of the fizzy drink each day.

This is twice the recommended safe limit of caffeine and more than 11 times the recommended sugar intake.

Coca-Cola had argued that it could not be proved its product had contributed to Ms Harris' death.

The coroner's verdict came on the day Coca-Cola Sales said sales in Europe and China fell in the last quarter of 2012, and warned of a "volatile" year to come.


'Clear warnings' needed

Natasha Harris, a mother of eight from the southern New Zealand city of Invercargill, suffered from ill health for years before her death.

Her family said she had developed an addiction to Coca-Cola and would get withdrawal symptoms, including "the shakes", if she went without her favourite drink.

"(She would) go crazy if she ran out... she would get the shakes, withdrawal symptoms, be angry, on edge and snappy," her mother-in-law Vivien Hodgkinson told the coroner's inquest last year.

Ms Harris drank Coke throughout her waking hours and her teeth had been removed because of decay.
Coroner David Crerar said her Coca-Cola consumption had given rise to cardiac arrhythmia, a condition when the heart beats too fast or too slow.

"I find that when all the available evidence is considered, were it not for the consumption of very large quantities of Coke by Natasha Harris, it is unlikely that she would have died when she died and how she died," Mr Crerar's finding said.

The coroner calculated that drinking 10 litres (17.5 pints) of Coke amounted to more than 1kg (2.2lb) of sugar and 970mg of caffeine, Television New Zealand (TVNZ) reports.

Mr Crerar said that Coca-Cola could not be held responsible for the health of consumers who drank excessive quantities of its product.

But he called on soft drinks companies to display clearer warnings on their beverages about the risks of too much sugar and caffeine.

Ms Harris and her family should have heeded the warning signs about her ill health, the coroner added.

"The fact she had her teeth extracted several years before her death because of what her family believed was Coke-induced tooth decay, and the fact that one or more of her children were born without enamel on their teeth, should have been treated by her, and by her family, as a warning," TVNZ quotes his statement as saying.

In a statement, Coca Cola said: "The coroner acknowledged that he could not be certain what caused Ms Harris' heart attack.

"Therefore we are disappointed that the coroner has chosen to focus on the combination of Ms Harris' excessive consumption of Coca-Cola, together with other health and lifestyle factors, as the probable cause of her death.

"This is contrary to the evidence that showed the experts could not agree on the most likely cause."
Culled from BBC

Thai couple win World’s Longest Continuous Kiss

Thai couple Ekkachai (R) and Laksana Tiranarat (L) kiss in a competition for the “World’s Longest Continuous Kiss” during Valentine’s Day in Pattaya resort on February 14, 2013. Ekkachai and Laksana make the new World’s Longest Continuous Kiss at 58 hours 35 minutes 58 seconds. AFP PHOTO




A kiss lasting nearly two-and-a-half days propelled one determined Thai couple to a new record for the world’s longest smooch on Valentine’s Day, organisers said Friday.

Hospital security guard Ekkachai Tiranarat, 44, and 33-year-old housewife Laksana locked lips for 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds, smashing last year’s Guinness World Record by more than eight hours.
The romance of the clinch may have been marred by competition rules requiring contestants to remain on their feet throughout, slurp food and liquids through a straw and even go to the toilet while continuing to press their lips together.

“They were very exhausted because they did not sleep for two-and-a-half days, they had to stand all the time so they were very weak,” Sompron Naksuetrong, vice president of event organiser Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, told AFP.

The “kissathon” ended shortly before midnight on Valentine’s Day, with the male couple who won last year unable to maintain their smooch, collapsing just two minutes before Ekkachai and Laksana.

The pair won 100,000 baht ($3,300) cash and two diamond rings.

Organisers said they did not plan to hold another competition next year after three straight years of bettering the record in Thailand and will wait for a challenge in another country.
Culled from VANGUARD

'Blade runner', Oscar Pistorius charged with murder

Oscar Pistorius, the South African double amputee "Blade Runner" who inspired the world by competing as a sprinter in the London Olympics, is under police custody Thursday after allegedly shooting and killing
his girlfriend, who he may have mistaken for an intruder, according to the South African news agency

According to Reuters, police launched an investigation after the body of 30-year-old Reeva Steenkamp was found at the sprinter's home on the outskirts of Pretoria.

Lt. Col. Katlego Mogale told The Associated Press that officers found a 9-mm pistol at the scene.

Police spokesperson Captain Sarah Mcirca also confirmed that the victim was shot in the arm and the head, USA Today reported.

"There are witnesses and they have been interviewed this morning. We are talking about neighbors and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place," police brigadier Denise Beukes said.

The circumstances of the shooting have not yet been released. Steenkamp, a model and 30-year-old law school graduate, had been dating Pistorius for several months, NBC News reported.

Steenkamp's publicist Sarit Tomlinson described the incident as a "huge loss for everyone and too shocking for words."

"She was a rising star ... a very bright young girl," Tomlinson said.

Silver Woods Country Estate, the prestigious gated community where Pistorius lives, also released the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic cir­cum­stances that occurred today at Sil­ver Woods. Our sincere con­do­lences, thoughts and prayers go out to Reeva Steenkamp’s fam­ily and friends."

Pistorius, 26, who was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics. Nicknamed the "Blade Runner," he was able to compete by wearing carbon fiber prosthetic blades.

A national hero in South Africa, Pistorius ran in 11 races during the 2012 Games and the Paralympics. He returned home with "two Paralympic gold medals, Paralympic silver, two world records, a Paralympic record, an Olympic individual semi-final and an Olympic final." He was also named one of the "sexiest men alive" by People Magazine.

The South African Olympic committee said it would be inappropriate to comment on the shooting because of the ongoing police investigation, but issued the following statement: "The organization is in no position to comment on the incident other than to say our deepest sympathy and condolences have been expressed to the families of all concerned."
Culled from HUFFPOST

Half-naked women celebrate Pope's resignation in Vatican (VIDEO)

Eight feminists flashed their breasts in the heart of Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral yesterday to celebrate Pope Benedict XVI’s shock resignation announcement. The members of the Femen movement entered the Gothic cathedral dressed in long coats which they whipped off inside while ringing three bells neºar the altar.

“Pope no more!” they cried. “No more homophobe” and “Bye bye Benedict!” Scandalized visitors voiced their disapproval. “This is a sacred place, you can’t strip here,” said a Frenchwoman. The Femen women’s power group has been making headlines since 2010 for topless feminist, pro-democracy and anti-corruption protests in Russia, Ukraine and London.

The protestors were dragged out of the cathedral by security but remained outside for some time shouting “In gay we trust” and “Get out homophobe.”
St Peter’s was struck by lightning in a freak display of nature that could have been seen as a sign from God. The Vatican’s holiest church was hit with the high-powered bolt just hours after the Pope resigned.

Rome was lit up as a powerful electric storm passed through the city and cameras caught the moment a ferocious bolt zig-zagged through the night sky before striking the roof of the famous basilica.

The 500-year-old church is one of the most important holy buildings in the Vatican and hosts many Papal ceremonies. ROOF of holiest Catholic church St. Peter’s Basilica was hit by fierce bolt during an electric storm in Rome last night Pope Benedict XVI stunned the world yesterday by standing down after eight years as head of the Catholic Church at the age of 85.

Benedict – real name Joseph Ratzinger – claimed he was too frail to carry on in the role. His successor will be elected next month by 120 Catholic cardinals.
culled from SUN

Scandal rocks meat industry in Europe over horse meat sale in supermarkets

High-powered lawsuits, overlapping investigations and a bitter battle over blame are spreading across Europe in the wake of a scandal that has rocked the meat industry.

Horse meat was discovered in products that are supposed to be 100% beef, sold in Sweden, the United Kingdom and France.

On Sunday, a major company under scrutiny called one of its suppliers a "villain" responsible for the fraud. The supplier, in turn, insisted it was "fooled" by a sub-supplier.

While authorities say there is no immediate cause for health concerns, the discovery was a new shock to an industry already reeling from a bombshell last month when Irish investigators found horse and pig DNA in numerous hamburger products.

The blame chain


Swedish food producer Findus has been a focus of the uproar since it announced Thursday that it had withdrawn its lasagna from stores as a precaution. The products were pulled Monday after French supplier Comigel raised concerns about the type of meat that was used, Findus Sweden said.

Findus said a letter from Comigel dated February 2 informed Findus that the contamination may date back to August 2012.

Horsemeat found in hamburgers in Britain and Ireland

Findus is only one of several companies that receive products from Comigel. Others include Axfood, Coop and ICA, which have recalled some meat products in Sweden, and Aldi, which has pulled some products from shelves in Britain.

Six big French retailers -- Auchan, Casino, Carrefour, Cora, Picard and Monoprix -- said Sunday that they were recalling lasagne and other products.

Findus Nordic, which oversees Findus throughout the Nordic region, said it has begun legal action against Comigel and its subsuppliers.

"We are only at the beginning of our legal process. Comigel will end up in a lot of legal processes going forward, I imagine," Findus Nordic CEO Jari Latvanen said Sunday in an interview with CNN. "Comigel is the villain."

Comigel has not responded to CNN's requests for comment. The company did not answer its phones when CNN called repeatedly, and did not respond to an e-mail request for comment. Neither did CEO Erick Lehagre.

But Lehagre told French news agency Agence France-Presse on Sunday that his company had been "fooled" by a French supplier. "We were victims," he said, according to AFP.

Comigel apparently took its website down, posting a sign that it is "under construction." Previously, the site described the company as offering a wide array of products through partners, including major European retailers.

Criss-crossing investigations

Probes are under way in France, Sweden, and Britain. The supply chain being studied includes still more countries.

France's consumer affairs minister, Benoit Hamon, ordered an immediate investigation and said results will be available by midweek.

In a statement, Hamon said a provider in Luxembourg and traders in Cyprus and the Netherlands are part of the chain being probed.

The Swedish National Food Agency announced Sunday that it is reporting Findus to police, which is the standard course of action when products have been sold with the wrong labels.

British police are investigating as well.

British officials held an emergency meeting Saturday in London. Participants agreed "meaningful results" must be achieved by Friday, UK Food Standards Agency spokesman Brad Smythe said.

Officials discussed what tests are possible, what laboratory capacity is needed, and what can be done to protect consumer confidence, he said.

The evidence so far suggests "either criminal activity or gross negligence," Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said, adding that "more bad news" could come.

UK food businesses have been ordered to test all processed beef products for authenticity and report back to the authorities by Friday.

"I am determined that we get to the bottom of this and that any wrongdoing discovered is punished," Paterson said in a statement.

Prime Minister David Cameron weighed in Friday on Twitter. "This is completely unacceptable -- this isn't about food safety but about proper food labeling and confidence in retailers," he wrote.

Legal action under way

Latvanen credits his company with uncovering "a serious case of fraud."

"What has happened with Comigel is a crime, a scandal," he said in an interview with CNN.

Burger King finds horse meat at European supplier

While Findus has begun legal action in Sweden, Findus France previously said it will file a legal complaint Monday against a Romanian business that is part of the supply chain. It did not name the business publicly.

"There are two victims in this affair: Findus and the consumer," Findus France said in a statement.

The British arm of Findus said it is considering legal action against suppliers as well. Early results of an internal investigation "strongly suggest" the horse meat contamination of a beef lasagna product "was not accidental," the company said.

Tests showed up to 100% horse meat

Aldi said tests on random samples demonstrated that the withdrawn products contained between 30% and 100% horse meat.

"This is completely unacceptable and like other affected companies, we feel angry and let down by our supplier. If the label says beef, our customers expect it to be beef."

Samples of the affected Findus lasagna contained between 60% and 100% horse meat, according to UK and Irish food safety inspectors.

In January, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland found that 10 out of 27 hamburger products it analyzed in a study contained horse DNA, while 23 of them -- or 85% -- tested positive for pig DNA.

In nine out of the 10 burger samples, the horse DNA was found at very low levels, the inspectors said. But in one sample from Tesco, Britain's largest retailer, the horse meat accounted for about 29% of the burger.

Tesco apologized and vowed to make sure it never happens again.

Irish officials blamed ingredients from Poland.

Concerns about a veterinary drug

While horse meat is not itself a food safety hazard, food inspectors are concerned it may contain the veterinary drug phenylbutazone, or "bute," commonly used to treat horses.

Meat from animals treated with phenylbutazone may pose a risk to human health and is not allowed to enter the food chain as it may pose a risk to human health.

Findus has been ordered to test the lasagna withdrawn from shelves in the United Kingdom for the drug's presence.

The revelations have revolted many meat eaters in the United Kingdom, where horse meat is generally considered taboo, although it is commonly eaten in neighboring France, as well as countries including China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Italy.

The discovery of pig DNA in beef products is of particular concern to Jews and Muslims, whose dietary laws forbid the consumption of pork products. Jewish dietary laws also ban the eating of horse meat.

The UK Justice Ministry confirmed last week that a number of meat pies and similar items supplied to prisons in England and Wales were labeled and served as halal -- prepared in compliance with Islamic dietary law -- but contained traces of pork DNA, the Food Standards Agency said.

Horse meat is not commonly eaten in the United States, but the country does export it to Canada and Mexico. Congress passed a bill in November 2011 that lifted a 5-year-old ban on the slaughter of horses for meat in the United States.

Culled from CNN

Fisherman bags 12 months in prison for killing a shark in South-Africa

A South African fisherman who admitted killing a great white shark following a landmark trial in a
South African court has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Leon Bekker, of George, Western Cape, pleaded guilty to contravention of the Marine Living Resources Act which includes attempting to kill, disturb or be in possession of a white shark without a permit, Caters reported.
At the Mossel Bay Magistrates Court Bekker was handed a fine of more than £8,550 (R120,000) or a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for five years.

The unprecedented case, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the world, is the only great white shark conviction in an South African court to date - the first country to impose legislation in protecting great white sharks.
Culled from HUFF POST

How football match played in South Africa killed a 40yr old Nigerian in Abeokuta

A fourty year old man, Moshood Ismail collapsed and died at a viewing center while watching the match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Elephants of Cote-de-vour.

Ismail, a father of two and an enginer with the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency caused a commotion inside the viewing center when he suddenley collapsed during the early munites of the game.
An eye witness who pleaded annonymity reported that Ismail became agitated and later collapsed when an Ivorian defender deflected a goal-bound shot from Nigeria's Victor Moses.

Ismail's neighbour, Taiwo Adebayo who was also at the viewing center at time of the incident reported that Ismail started foaming from the mouth after slumping to the ground and was rushed to the Success Medical clinic but unfortunately, no doctor was on duty to attend to him. He was refered to another hospital but died on the way before he could reach there.

But the medical director of Success Clinc, Dr Sulaiman Kolawole said that Ismail was brought to his clinic dead and all effort made by him to revive the patient proved abortive.
Imail's widow, Tawakalitu Temilola said her husband's sudden death was still like a dream to her. She said Ismail who survived a fatal accident two months ago left behind two children and his octogenarian parents.
Culled from PUNCH

America's deadliest sniper, Chris Kyle, shot dead in Texas

Iraq veteran and ex-US Navy seal Chris Kyle, known as the deadliest sniper in US history, has been shot dead on a Texas shooting range, reports say.

His body was found at Rough Creek Lodge range on Saturday along with that of his neighbour, Chad Littlefield.

Iraq war veteran Eddie Ray Routh, 25, has been charged with murdering both.

Mr Kyle, 38, wrote the 2012 bestseller American Sniper, about the psychology of a sniper, in which he said that he had killed more than 250 people.

He served four tours of duty in Iraq and was decorated for bravery.

'The Devil'

The gunman opened fire at about 15:30 local time (21:30 GMT) on Saturday, then fled in a pick-up truck belonging to one of the victims, local media reported.


What goes on in the mind of a sniper?

Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant said Mr Routh then travelled to his sister's home, telling her what had happened before leaving.

She called the police and Mr Routh was arrested near his home in Lancaster, Texas, more than 70 miles (110 km) from the scene of the shooting, several hours later.

Sheriff Bryant said the motive for the killings was unclear, and was unable to explain how the two men were shot.

Travis Cox, director of a non-profit-making organisation Mr Kyle had helped found, told the Associated Press news agency that Mr Routh was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and that Mr Kyle and Mr Littlefield were trying to help him.

Scott McEwen, who co-authored the book with Kyle, said: "It just comes as a shock and it's staggering to think that after all Chris has been through, that this is how he meets his end, because there are so many ways he could have been killed."

Mr Kyle, a former cowboy, is regarded as the most prolific sniper the US has ever seen.

Official Pentagon figures say he killed 160 people, but he estimated the total was 255.

According to army intelligence, he was nicknamed "The Devil" by Iraqi insurgents, who put a $20,000 (£13,000) bounty on his head.

He appeared to show little remorse for his victims.

"Every person I killed I strongly believe that they were bad," he told the BBC in an interview a year ago.

"When I do go face God there is going to be lots of things I will have to account for but killing any of those people is not one of them."
Culled from BBC

South Korea launches its first satellite into space

South Korea has launched a rocket in its third attempt to place a satellite in space from its own soil.

The Naro rocket blasted off from a launch pad in the southwestern coastal village of Goheung Wednesday.

Science officials told cheering spectators minutes later that the rocket delivered an observational satellite into orbit.

Ju-ho Lee, the South Korean education, science and technology minister, said that South Korea had "leapt up a step" to become a space nation.

"The South Korean government will use this overwhelming moment as a strong, dynamic force to independently develop a South Korean space launch [programme] and will concentrate more on space development, so that we can go to space with our own technology around the year 2020," the minister said.

Wednesday's development came a month after the successful launch of a North Korean rocket.

Previous attempts by South Korea in 2009 and 2010 failed to launch; last-minute technical problems forced two recent efforts in October and November to be aborted.

The latest, and final, attempt comes amid increased tension on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's threat to explode its third nuclear device.

South Korea has so far spent nearly half a billion dollars on its Naro space programme.

North Korea's December 12 rocket launch, making it the 10th nation to launch a satellite into orbit from its own territory, has led to increased international sanctions on the country.

The South Korean rocket launched Wednesday had its first stage designed and built by Russian experts under a contract between the two governments.

North Korea built its rocket almost entirely on its own, South Korean military experts said earlier this month after analysing debris retrieved from the Yellow Sea in December.
Culled from ALJAZEERA

N27bn pension thief rearrested after outcry by Nigerians

There were indications on Tuesday that public outcry against the light sentence handed an Assistant Director in the Police Pension Office, Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf, by a Federal Capital Territory High Court, forced the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to rearrest him.

The high court presided over by Justice Mohammed Talba had on Monday sentenced Yusuf to only two years’ imprisonment with an option of N750,000 fine for conniving with others to defraud the PPO and pensioners of N27.2bn.

Even before the judge rose, many in the courtroom expressed amazement at the judgment. While many Nigerians took to social networks like the Facebook and Twitter mocking the judgment, prominent lawyers and civil rights activists condemned it as a setback to the Federal Government’s anti-corruption crusade.

On Tuesday, one of the civil rights groups, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, demanded the probe of Talba for the light sentence.

Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress said the judgment was an indication that the judiciary could not be relied on to deliver the country from monumental corruption.

A source close to the EFCC told one of our correspondents that the commission, apparently embarrassed by the public outcry , moved swiftly to redeeem its image by sniffing more into Yusuf’s records in order to nail him.

The source said, “We never expected what happened yesterday(Monday). The reactions that followed the judgment were embarrassing to us and that was why we quickly had to look into his files again and sniffed out things that we had overlooked. With those things, we had to rearrest him for fresh prosecution.”

EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, had told The PUNCH in Abuja that Yusuf was rearrested because he had a pending case. “He will face fresh charges. When you are arrested and you are being investigated, logically you will be rearraigned to face fresh charges, ” he added.

He later issued a statement in which he said Yusuf would be arraigned today (Wednesday) before Jutice Adamu Bello of a Federal High Court in Abuja on four counts.

Uwujaren said, “He will be arraigned over non-declaration of his assets and liability in his asset declaration form and his failure to declare his interest in a company known as SY-A Global Services Limited.

“The pension fraud convict is alleged to have used the company, SY-A Global Services Limited, to lodge N250m with Zenith Bank.

“Yusuf’s re-arraignment is coming on the heels of a questionable ruling by Justice Mohammed Talba of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, January 29, in which he was handed a two- year jail term with an option of N250,000 fine on each of the three counts against him.

“Yusuf is one of the six persons standing trial in the N32.8bn Police Pension scam. The six accused persons in the police pension scam were first arraigned on March 29, 2012, on 16 criminal charges bordering on conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

“The other accused person are Esai Dangabar, Atiku Kigo, Ahmed Wada, Mrs. Veronica Onyegbula and Sani Zira. Kigo was the director of the PPO before he was made a permanent secretary.”

Count one and two of the charges to be preferred against Yusuf reads:

“That you, John Yusuf on or about February 14, 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Asset Form filled by you, by not declaring your interest in a company known as SY-A Global Services Limited , a Nigerian company incorporated by you, and solely owned by yourself and members of your immediate family and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of the EFCC (Establishment, etc.) Act CAP E1 2004.

“That you, John Yusuf, on or about February 14 , 2012 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division knowingly failed to make full disclosure of your assets and liability in the Declaration of Asset Form filled by you, by not declaring your interest in the N250m you have in a fixed deposit account with Zenith Bank in the name of SY-A Global Services Limited, a company in which you are the sole signatory to its account and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 27(3) of EFCC (Establishment ,etc.) Act CAP E1 2004.

Furthermore, count three explained that the convict also, knowingly, failed to make full disclosure of the sum of N10m he lodged in a fixed deposit account with the First Bank of Nigeria Plc in the name of the same company.

Count four accused him of failing to make full disclosure of N29m which was fixed on his instruction by one Danjuma Mele in the account of Jidag Technical Services Ltd with Diamond Bank.

A list of witnesses attached to the charge sheet showed Mustapha Gandaya, Mele, officials of Zenith Bank and officials of Diamond Bank as witnesses to be called against the accused person in the course of his fresh trial.

Exhibits to be presented in court for the trial, according to the charge sheet, include statement of the accused person, statements of witnesses, and other relevant documents and exhibits.

The charge sheet in the new suit was numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/14/2013 and dated January 29, 2013. It was signed by Chile Okoroma, the Acting Director, Legal and Prosecution Department, EFCC, on behalf of the Chairman of the commission and the Attorney- General of the Federation.

EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), and many others in the FCT High Court where Yusuf was convicted on Monday, had openly expressed their amazement with the lightsentence handed him.

Also, the EFCC had, in a statement shortly after the court rose , condemned the sentence, saying it would study it and “respond appropriately.”

The statement read in part, “The EFCC has expressed reservations about the ruling of an FCT High Court, Abuja which handed a six year jail term with the option of N750, 000 fine to Yusufu, one of the six persons standing trial in the N32.8bn Police Pension scam.

“The commission is of the view that the option of fine runs contrary to the understanding between the prosecution and the defence wherein the convict consented to a custodial sentence with the forfeiture of all assets and money that are proceeds of the crime.”

Meanwhile, a civil society group has asked the Judiciary to probe Justice Talba because his judgment on Monday was an open invitation to would-be corrupt government officials to help themselves with public funds.

Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre, Mallam Awual Musa , who made this known, advised the Judiciary to begin to redeem its image.
Culled from DAILY TIMES

Incredible! Thief who stole 27 billion naira set free by Nigerian court, ordered to pay 750,000 naira as fine.

The atmosphere surrounding a federal high court in Abuja, Nigeria yesterday was charged with suprise and shock when a director of the police pension office, Mr John Yusuf was given a 2 year jail sentence for conniving with others to defraud the police pension office of the sum of 27.2 billion naira.

Yusuf admitted stealing 2 billion of the money.

But he will not spend 2 years in jail as the trial judge, Justice Abubakar Talba gave him an option of fine in the sum of 750,000 for ther three offences he pleaded guilty to.

Each of the offences attract a two year jail term.

The sentences run cuncurrently.

The accused person who was hitherto facing trial alongside a Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Atiku Abubakar Kigo and six others, made his confession shortly after the EFCC re-docked them on a 20-count amended charge.

Besides Kigo, the other accused persons who took turns and pleaded not guilty to the amended charge which was read to them, yesterday, were Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Inuwa Wada, Mrs. Veronica Ulonma Onyegbula, Sani Habila Zira and Christian Madubuke.

Though six of them were initially arraigned on March 29, 2012, and subsequently remanded in prison custody. However, the prosecuting agency, yesterday, joined the duo of Madubuke and one Mrs. Uzoma Cyril Attang, following fresh proof of evidence which allegedly established their culpability in the pension fraud.

Owing to the absence of Attang in court, yesterday, EFCC applied that her name be temporarily expunged from the charge to enable those that were in court take their plea. No reason was however given by the anti graft agency why she was not in court.

Mrs. Attang who is still in service as Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Communications had been on a hide and seek game with the Code of Conduct Bureau which dragged her before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on a five-count charge of having property which her salary could not have acquired.

She was a Director at the Police Pension Office between 2007 and 2008. Within this period, Attang who worked closely with Yusufu was discovered by the Bureau to have acquired choice property in Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi, all within Lagos metropolis as well as in Abuja.

One of her bank accounts, according to the charge slammed against her, had a credit of N500 million which source she could not explain. The charge was, however, later withdrawn by the Sam Saba-led board of the CCB.

Meanwhile, trial Justice Abubakar Thalba had on April 3, 2012, released the accused persons on bail after they deposited N10 million each, as well as produced two persons in Grade Level 14 in the civil service that stood as sureties for each of them, conditions upon which they were also allowed to go home yesterday.

How they diverted funds

Sequel to the admittance of guilt by the 8th accused person, yesterday, the trial court convicted him on counts 18, 19 and 20 in the charge wherein the EFCC revealed how he connived with the other accused persons between January 2008 and June 2011 at Abuja, and diverted funds belonging to Police Pension Office domiciled in its account with FirstBank of Nigeria Plc and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 309 of the Penal Code Act, Cap. 532, Laws of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria 2007.

The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, had told the court that when the convict was posted to the police pensions office, “he met this unwholesome practice perpetrated by the other accused persons and continued in it.

“He even raised cheques on so many occasions which are all in the proof of evidence. Also, the property that were traced to him are all listed including N325 million that was found in his account. We urge your lordship to declare that the money and property be forfeited and remitted back to the Police pension fund.”

Counsel pleads for convict

Before Jacobs could regain his seat, counsel to the convict, Mr Maiyaki Theodore Bala, urged the court to note that his client did not only show remorse but never wasted the judicial time of the court.

Describing him as a first time offender with no previous record of convictions, Bala told the court that his client has a wife and three children, adding that he has aged parents that depend on him for their sustenance.

Claiming that the convict is suffering from a chronic heart condition that has aggravated to high blood pressure, Bala told the trial court that Yusufu is a community head who he said has many school children that depend on him for scholarship, “all these people depend on him for their survival and wellbeing including payment of school fees.

“It is our prayer that justice is tampered with mercy by sentencing him with the least possible terms or even exercise of discretion under section 309 of the Penal Code Act to fine him. This will encourage the others to take courage to admit guilt where one exists.”

EFCC demands stiff sanction

Although EFCC counsel did not oppose his plea of allocutus, he, however, urged the court to impose “such sanction that will send out a clear message that the era of impunity is gone. Having regard to the money involved and public trust reposed on the convict, which he breached, it may not be okay to just impose fine in this instance. We need to assuage the feeling of the Nigerian public especially the pensioners who have greatly suffered.”

In his ruling, Justice Thalba who maintained that the court has the absolute discretion to determine what should be regarded as the appropriate sanction for the offence, said he considered the plea made by the convict and the fact that he has already forfeited his assets.

Consequently, he sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment on each of the three-count charge which he said was equivalent to N250,000 fine each, adding that the sentence would run concurrently.

He said: “The court has a duty to do justice for not just the convict, but for the society al large. Today Nigeria is bedevilled with the cankerworm of white-collar crime which has subjected the citizens to abject poverty. It is not in doubt that the standard of living of an average Nigerian is declining day by day.

“Consequently, on count-18, I hereby sentence the convict to two years imprisonment or fine of N250,000, on count-19; I sentence him to two years imprisonment or fine of N250,000, likewise, on court-20 I also sentence him to two years imprisonment or fine of N250,000. The sentence will run concurrently and I further make and order for final forfeiture of his assets to the Federal Government.”

However, the court adjourned hearing on the case against the other accused persons till February 25, March 25 and 26.

EFCC protests against sentence

Meantime, immediately the sentence was handed by the trial judge, EFCC, through its counsel, lodged a formal complaint before the court, saying it was not pleased with the option of fine that was given to the convict.

Although its counsel, Jacobs, declined to disclose whether the agency will proceed on appeal, he however expressed his displeasure, fuming that it was not part of the agreement the commission had with the convict when he conceded to plead guilty to the charge against him.
Culled from Vanguard

Brazil declares 3 days mourning for night club fire victims

Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for 231 people killed in a nightclub fire in the southern city of Santa Maria.

The fire reportedly started after a member of a band playing at the Kiss nightclub lit a flare on stage.

Authorities say most of the victims were students who died of smoke inhalation. The first funerals are expected on Monday morning.

It is the deadliest fire in Brazil in five decades.

The BBC's Gary Duffy reports from Sao Paulo that the national sense of loss is profound.

Brazil postponed a ceremony due on Monday in the capital, Brasilia, to mark 500 days to the 2014 football World Cup. In Santa Maria, 30 days of mourning were declared.

President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city's Caridade hospital along with government ministers.

"It is a tragedy for all of us," she said.

Authorities have released the names of the victims, after revising down the death toll from 245.

More than 100 people were being treated in hospital, mostly for smoke inhalation.

Officials will now investigate reports that a flare was lit on stage, igniting foam insulation material on the ceiling and releasing toxic smoke.

They will also look at claims that many of those who died were unable to escape as only one emergency exit was available.


The fire broke out as students from the city's federal university (UFSM) were holding a freshers' ball, the Diario de Santa Maria, a local newspaper, reported.

A local journalist, Marcelo Gonzatto, told the BBC that the flare had "started a huge and fast fire that grew quickly and made a very dark and heavy smoke."


"Lots of people couldn't get out and died mainly because of the smoke not the fire," he said.

Witnesses spoke of scenes of panic after the fire started, and a stampede as people tried to escape.

One, Mattheus Bortolotto, told local television: "It was sheer horror. The emergency exits did not work, and then I lost my friend in the confusion. Then a girl died in my arms. I felt her heart stop beating."

A large number of victims were trapped in the club's toilets, they said, possibly after mistaking them for an exit.

Survivors and police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from leaving the club, the Associated Press news agency reported. Bars in Brazil commonly make customers pay their whole tab at the end of an evening before they are allowed to leave.

One of the owners of the club is reported to have confirmed that they were in the process of renewing its license to operate, and that its fire safety certificate had expired last year.

He is said to have received threats on the internet - in addition to surviving members of the band that was performing on stage when the blaze started.

Its guitarist, Rodrigo Martins, told local radio: "It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks.

"It's harmless; we never had any trouble with it. When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher. The singer tried to use it but it wasn't working."

He said the band's accordion player had died in the fire.

Brazilian broadcaster Globo said most of the victims were aged between 16 and 20.

A temporary morgue was set up in a local gym as the city's main morgue was unable to cope.

Family members came to identify the dead, led in one by one to see the bodies, Diario de Santa Maria reported.
Culled from BBC

Tension in South Africa as 15,000 crocodiles escape from farm

South Africa’s army and police were called in Thursday to rescue residents from thousands of crocodiles that escaped from a farm whose floodgates were opened due to torrential rains.

Around 15,000 predators sprung from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm in the far north of the country when owners were forced to open the gates to prevent a storm surge, local daily Beeld reported.

A number have since been recaptured, but at least half remain on the loose, scattered far and wide.

Some turned up on a school rugby pitch 120 kilometres (75 miles) away.

The surrounding province of Limpopo province has been hit by serious floods which have killed 10 people and made many more homeless.

“Before there were only a few crocodiles in the Limpopo River. Now there are plenty,” said Zane Langman, the son-in-law of Rakwena’s owner.

“We go catch them when farmers phone us and say crocs are around.”

Langman earlier used a motor boat to rescue some local residents who had climbed onto the roof of a garage to escape the rising floods.

“When we arrived there, the crocodiles were circling them,” he said.

The army has been called in to help track down the reptiles, according to police spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi.

“Police, the army, and people from the community are assisting,” he said.

No incidents involving crocodile attacks have been reported, he told AFP.

Hundreds of kilometres downstream the Limpopo River floods have also savaged neighbouring Mozambique, were tens of thousands of people were being evacuated from their homes.
Culled from STAR AFRICA

Brittish woman sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking

An Indonesian court sentenced a British woman to death on Tuesday for smuggling cocaine worth $2.5 million into the resort island of Bali -- even though prosecutors had sought only a 15-year sentence.

Lindsay June Sandiford, 56, wept when judges handed down the sentence and declined to speak to reporters on her way back to prison, covering her face with a scarf. She had previously claimed in court that she was forced into taking the drugs into the country by a gang that was threatening to hurt one of her children.

There are about 40 foreigners on death row in Indonesia, which like many Asian countries is very strict on drug crimes.

A verdict is expected in the trial of Sandiford's alleged accomplice, British man Julian Anthony Pounder, on Wednesday. He is accused of receiving the drugs in Bali, which has a busy bar and nightclub scene where party drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy are bought and sold between foreigners.

In its verdict, a judge panel at the Denpasar District Court concluded that Sandiford had damaged the image of Bali as a tourism destination and weakened the government's drug prevention program.

"We found no reason to lighten her sentence," said Amser Simanjuntak, who headed the judicial panel.

State prosecutors had been seeking a 15-year prison sentence for Sandiford, who was arrested in May when customs officers at Bali's airport discovered 3.8 kilograms (8.4 pounds) of cocaine in the lining of her luggage.

Indonesia has an estimated 114 prisoners on death row. Most of the more than 40 foreigners among them have been convicted of drug crimes, according to a March 2012 by Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Five foreigners have been executed since 1998, all for drug crimes, according to the institute. There have been no executions in the country since 2008, when 10 people were put to death.

Bali is a popular destination for illegal drugs because of its tourist and expatriate populations. There are currently two Australians on death row. They were convicted in 2006 for smuggling heroin onto the island along with seven other Australians.

Culled from FOX NEWS