Moses' war with Pharoh: Lost Egyptian City re-discovered after 1,200 years under sea

It is a city shrouded in myth, swallowed by the Mediterranean Sea and buried in sand and mud for more than 1,200 years. But now archeologists are unearthing the mysteries of Heracleion, uncovering amazingly well-preserved artifacts that tell the story of a vibrant classical-era port.

Known as Heracleion to the ancient Greeks and Thonis to the ancient Eygptians, the city was rediscovered in 2000 by French underwater archaeologist Dr. Franck Goddio and a team from the European Institute for Underwater Acheology (IEASM) after a four-year geophysical survey. The ruins of the lost city were found 30 feet under the surface of the Mediterranean Sea in Aboukir Bay, near Alexandria.

A new documentary highlights the major discoveries that have been unearthed at Thonis-Heracleion during a 13-year excavation. Exciting archeological finds help describe an ancient city that was not only a vital international trade hub but possibly an important religious center. The television crew used archeological survey data to construct a computer model of the city (below).
According to the Telegraph, leading research now suggests that Thonis-Heracleion served as a mandatory port of entry for trade between the Mediterranean and the Nile.

So far, 64 ancient shipwrecks and more than 700 anchors have been unearthed from the mud of the bay, the news outlet notes. Other findings include gold coins, weights from Athens (which have never before been found at an Egyptian site) and giant tablets inscribed in ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian. Researchers think that these artifacts point to the city's prominence as a bustling trade hub.


Researchers have also uncovered a variety of religious artifacts in the sunken city, including 16-foot stone sculptures thought to have adorned the city's central temple and limestone sarcophagi that are believed to have contained mummified animals.

Experts have marveled at the variety of artifacts found and have been equally impressed by how well preserved they are.

“The archaeological evidence is simply overwhelming,” Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe, a University of Oxford archeologist taking part in the excavation, said in a press release obtained by The Huffington Post. “By lying untouched and protected by sand on the sea floor for centuries they are brilliantly preserved.”

A panel of experts presented their findings at an Oxford University conference on the Thonis-Heracleion excavation earlier this year.

But despite all the excitement over the excavation, one mystery about Thonis-Heracleion remains largely unsolved: Why exactly did it sink? Goddio's team suggests the weight of large buildings on the region's water-logged clay and sand soil may have caused the city to sink in the wake of an earthquake.
Culled from HUFF POST

Tacoma policemen in trouble for failing to return marijuana seized from a motorist, as ruled by judge

Police in Tacoma could soon be in real trouble over pot.

The department could be found in contempt if they continue to refuse to return a small amount of marijuana seized from a man after a traffic stop. Municipal Court Judge Jack Emery repeated an order to police Thursday to return the drug to Joseph L. Robertson within seven days or they could be found in contempt.

"Appeal or comply," Emery told assistant city attorney John Walker. "Or next week, show up, and I would advise you to bring counsel."

The judge first ordered police to return the drug on Feb. 28, but they have refused, The News Tribune reported Friday (http://bit.ly/10hwiD9).

It was seized in May of last year when an officer pulled over the Tacoma man for speeding. He was cited for driving without a license and misdemeanor marijuana possession. Prosecutors dismissed the drug charge in December, after state voters decided to legalize small amounts of the drug.

Robertson then asked for his pot back, and provided proof of medical marijuana authorization. The city refused, which led to Emery's Feb. 28 order. If the matter is not settled by the May 2 hearing, it could go to higher courts.

The pot is now in the possession of the Pierce County sheriff's department, which operates the property room for seized evidence. Deputies won't give it to Robertson.

"It's Tacoma's case," said sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer. "If they want it, they can come and get it."

Although the judge said he thinks "there's contemptuous behavior here," Emery added that the case was "a quagmire," due to the conflicting provisions of state and federal law.
Culled from HUFF POST

Jonah Falcon, man with largest penis, releases a song about his penis

Finally, Jonah Falcon's penis is solidified in song.

The man famous for his 13.5-inch, record-setting penis released a song, and it's bound to impress even the most hardened of pop fans.

"It's Too Big," released on iTunes and CDbaby.com on April 16, features Falcon's penetrating voice singing about his own member, which was again thrown into the limelight after HuffPost Weird News covered Falcon getting frisked by the TSA.

With lyrics like these, it's clear to see that Falcon -- and his co-pop singer, Adam Barta -- are looking to go big:


"I heard it from all the guys and every single freakin' girl/They wanna try and take a ride on the biggest in the world/But in order to ride the beast it must be unfurled," Falcon sings before the chorus, "Too damn big/It's just too damn big/Your penis too damn big yeah/It's too damn big."

Falcon didn't comment on the girthy tune. His new publicist wants to embargo the package, even though it was already released.

Gina Rodriguez -- a former porn star who has represented such luminaries as "Octomom" Nadya Suleman and reality cast members Alex McCord and Nik Richie -- told HuffPost Weird News, "There will be no interview."


The song can speak for itself. Falcon fans will be excited to know that "It's Too Big," a clear homage to the Pet Shop Boys and anything that can't be measured by a standard ruler, won't be going flaccid any time soon.
Culled from HUFF POST

Sailendra Nath Roy dies during world record attempt to cross river with his hair attached to zip-wire

A great Indian stuntman died yesterday during a world record attempt as he tried to cross a river on a zip-wire attached only to his hair.
Sailendra Nath Roy, 50, was half way through the stunt when his ponytail became stuck in the wheeler of the rope and he was left hanging in mid-air for about 25 minutes.
Despite desperate attempts to free himself, it is believed Mr Roy then suffered a major cardiac arrest and died.
Mr Roy, a West Bengal Police home guard, already held the Guinness world record for the farthest distance travelled on a zip wire using his hair.
About 1,000 people turned out to see him try and break the record over the Teesta River in Darjeeling, which is almost 10,000ft above sea level, when the freak accident happened.
Mr Roy attempted to free himself after his ponytail became caught in the wheeler and then tried to continue the crossing using only his hands.
However, local media said he then suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
Rescuers brought him down from the Coronation Bridge about 45 minutes later.
He was taken to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival
Onlookers said spectators had initially failed to realise Mr Roy was in trouble because of the cheers coming from the crowd.
The stuntman had held several Guinness world records for pulling vehicles with his hair.
He attracted global attention last year when he dragged a 42-tonne train for 2.5metres.




In 2011, he travelled 270ft on a zip wire, which he was attached to by his hair.
Siliguri police commissioner K. Jairaman said Roy had not acquired the necessary permission for the stunt, adding that Roy was not on duty at the time of his death.

culled from DAILY MAIL

Ritualist caught packing pieces of body parts at an accident scene in Imo State, Nigeria

Youths of Ohaji in Imo state,Nigeria on Tuesday caught a man who was trying to gather the remains of accident victims along the Owerri-Port Harcourt express road, after the Army Barracks in Obinze.

At the spot, on Thursday, April 18, a fatal auto crash involving a commercial bus full of passengers and a petrol tanker collided and claimed the lives of a driver and two passengers.

Also the next day, another accident was said to have occurred at the same spot, with a Toyota Sienna model going to the Imo State Polytechnic. The car somersaulted “severally”, and was seriously damaged, but the three occupants came
out of it alive.

Hence the youths were shocked to have found the man at the same spot with purported charms trying to gather the body parts from the unfortunate accidents.



An eye witness who pleaded anonymity said, “He was promptly surrounded by the youths and taken to the Traditional Ruler who handed him over to the police.

”Before this, the man who could only speak in Hausa language mentioned that he had links in the community and named a man well known to the youth. The youth swung into action and went in search of the man and found him hiding in the ceiling of his house. They beat him up, while he claimed not to have known why he was being wanted, but when he had a little chance, he escaped into a nearby bush.
“The Hausa speaking juju man also mentioned that he had customers that visited him at night ,dressed in suits carrying a briefcase. Thereby showing that he had people who patronize him at the expense of the lives of the innocent victims. They use the parts and blood stains of the accident victims for their evil acts.”

Culled from Daily Post

Actor Omar among 3 men deported from Saudi Arabia for being too irresistable to women

Omar Borkan Al Gala, a poet, actor, and photographer from Dubai, is reported to be one of three men removed from a festival in Riyadh earlier this month by religious police in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
His identity was revealed by Jezebel who reported that he had been deported back to United Arab Emirates.

Although it has not yet been confirmed that he was one of the men, Al Gala has posted a link to the original news report on his Facebook page, along with statements such as: 'The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.'
The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices in Saudi - where there are strict rules governing interaction between men and women who aren't related - had the men deported back to Abu Dhabi in case women should 'fall for them'.
A report in Arabic newspaper Elaph which said: 'A festival official said the three Emiratis were taken out on the grounds they are too handsome and that the Commission [for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vices] members feared female visitors could fall for them.'

His Facebook page is full of posed photos in which Al Gala looks moodily into the camera - it looks as if he is wearing dark eyeliner.
Several of them feature him posing in a sports car as well as blowing out smoke and looking into the distance thoughtfully.
On his Facebook page, Al Gala has 139,616 likes and about 36,487 talking about him.
The UAE released an official statement indicating that the religious police were concerned about over the unexpected presence of an unnamed female artist in the pavilion at the Jenadrivah Heritage and Culture Festival.
'Her visit to the UAE stand was a coincidence as it was not included in the programme which we had already provided to the festival’s management,' the head of the UAE delegation to the festival, said in a statement.
He has not been confirmed as one of the three men, but his made-up appearance and his refraining from confirming that he was one of the trio, suggests he could be taking advantage of the speculation to boost his public profile.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

American voodoo: Thief who slept off inside his victim's car bags 1yr in prison

A burglar has been jailed after he was caught sleeping by police - in a stolen car outside a home he had just raided.
James Rollinson, pictured above, dropped off in the back seat after stealing jewellery, a games console, a laptop and a camera from a woman's home in Sedgley, West Midlands, on December 23 last year.
The 20-year-old had taken the bagful of stolen property back to his own home before returning to the house and passing out in the car.
Rollinson admitted burglary and was jailed for 12 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday
The court heard a neighbour called police - who found Rollinson asleep in the back of the parked car.
Jailing him, Recorder Denis Desmond said: 'You took her property to your home, you came back and you got into her car and then you fell asleep.'
Prosecutor Alka Brigue told the court Rollinson targeted the house after seeing Miss Goodyear drinking in a pub in Sedgley.
The crook knew her home was empty and smashed a side window with a brick to gain access.
The missing goods - apart from the camera - were later recovered from Rollinson's home in Sedgley and returned to Miss Goodyear.
Defending Rollinson, Jas Mann said the burglar was 'tanked up' after a heavy drinking session and he had little recollection of the burglary.
Mr Mann added: 'He was not in a sober, sensible and rational state of mind.
'It was because he was intoxicated that he got involved in this enterprise.'
Friends of Rollinson have written on his Facebook page about giving him a 'big sess' when he is released from prison.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

How jailed gang leader impregnated FOUR female prison guards, fathered FIVE children while in custody

Federal prosecutors say 13 female correctional officers, seven inmates and five others with gang ties have been charged with plotting to smuggle drugs, cellphones and other contraband into the Baltimore jail and other corrections facilities.
An indictment unsealed Tuesday said the ring also involved sex between inmates and guards that led to four of the officers becoming pregnant by Tavon White, leader of a jailhouse gang called the Black Guerrilla Family (pictured above).

He is held at the Baltimore City Detention Center, awaiting trial on a charge of attempted murder.
Control of a Baltimore prison was effectively handed over to a group of gang member inmates who seduced and bribed the female guards.
'The inmates literally took over "the asylum," and the detention centers became safe havens for BGF,' FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen Vogt said.
White, 36, allegedly fathered five children with the four female guards, who were identified as Jennifer Owens, 31, Katera Stevenson, 24, Chania Brooks, 27, and Tiffany Linder, 27.
The request for search warrants to allow investigators to visit the homes of the female guards says that the prisoners, many of whom were connected to the Black Guerrilla Family gang, chose their targets strategically.
The officers that they focused on were ones that they believed had 'low self-esteem and insecurities'.
The Washington Post reports that two of the officers in question got tattoos of White's name, one on one officer's neck and the second officer on her wrist.
The indictment claims the gang ran the scheme from inside the detention center and charges gang members and corrections officers with conspiracy, drug possession and distribution and money laundering.
A telephone call seeking comment from White's attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday.
The Washington Post reports that during a wiretapped cellphone call made by White in January, he told a friend: 'This is my jail. You understand that? I’m dead serious. I make every final call in this jail.'
The guards helped the gang leaders smuggle cell phones and drugs into the prison.
The arrangement was apparently profitable: one gang leader bought two luxury cars- a BMW and a Mercedes- with the profits from his contraband sales within the prison.
He then allowed some of the officers to drive the cars in return for their cooperation.
'Correctional officers were in bed with BGF inmates,' Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said.
'We need to be able to rely on people within law enforcement — to make sure they are on our side.'

Culled from DAILY MAIL

SORTING: University student jailed over tutor bribery attempt

A failing student who tried to bribe his tutor while carrying a loaded air pistol has been jailed for 12 months.

Yang Li, 26, placed £5,000 in cash on the professor's table but when he was told to leave, the gun fell from his pocket.

Sentencing Li at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Michael Longman told him the weapon had caused "fear" and "alarm".

Li, who admitted bribery and possessing an imitation firearm, was also ordered to pay £4,800 in costs.


The court heard the innovation and technology management masters student had arranged the meeting with his University of Bath professor on 23 November.

Mark Hollier, prosecuting, said Li was awarded a 37% mark in his dissertation - three marks off the 40% needed to pass - and wanted to discuss his options.
utor
'A spectacular mistake'
Prof Andrew Graves, head of the University's School of Management, told Li he could resubmit the 12,000-word essay, appeal against the mark or accept it and withdraw from the course.

But Li told the professor "I am a businessman", before placing £5,000 in cash on the table in front of him.

"There is a fourth option, you can keep the money if you give me a pass mark and I won't bother you again," he told Prof Graves.

The court heard Prof Graves asked Li to leave but as the student put the money away, the pistol - loaded with six pellets - fell out of his pocket and on to the floor.

Judge Longman told the student: "You attempted to persuade a university professor to behave in such a way that if it had been successful you would have undermined the integrity of the universities in the UK and the legitimacy of degrees from universities here, the University of Bath in particular.

"Your bid to achieve a pass mark by offering what was a bribe to your professor was ill conceived to the point of being a spectacular mistake and one which was doomed to fail from the start."

Blake James, defending, said Li came from an "affluent family" in China, where his father is a respected government official and businessman.

He said his client was used to carrying large amounts of cash and had the air pistol, used for shooting practice, was in his possession as he did not want to leave it in the car.

Mr James added Li was not a "sham student" and had come to the UK in 2006 for a computer science degree at the University of Bath, which he passed.

"When he learned of the result of the dissertation it was a bitter blow to him," Mr James said.

He said that his client was concerned he would not be able to move from his expiring student visa to a Tier 1 visa without passing his course. His current visa has now expired.
Culled from BBC

French Parliament approves gay marriage law for France

France has become the 14th country to approve a law allowing gay marriage.

The bill, which also legalises adoption by same-sex couples, was passed by 321 votes to 225 in the French parliament.

The decision follows a divisive public debate with some of the biggest protests seen in France in recent years.

More protests by supporters and opponents are expected and thousands of police have been deployed in central Paris in preparation.

Although previous rallies have been overwhelmingly peaceful, some clashes on the fringes of opponents' protests have been blamed on far-right elements.

Opinion polls suggest a small majority of French people favour gay marriage, but opinion on adoption by same-sex couples is even more divided.

Socialist President Francois Hollande made the law his flagship social reform.

He is expected to add his signature to the bill once it has cleared any challenge in the constitutional council.

Opponents of the measure, including the opposition UMP party, will try to convince the council that marriage is a constitutional issue.

However, analysts say that the council is unlikely to block the new law.
'Breeze of joy'

The BBC's Christian Fraser says that the bill has provoked strong emotions

The first weddings could take place in June, according to Justice Minister Christiane Taubira.

"We believe that the first weddings will be beautiful and that they'll bring a breeze of joy, and that those who are opposed to them today will surely be confounded when they are overcome with the happiness of the newlyweds and the families," she told parliament.

Some argue this is the most important social reform in France since the death penalty was banned in 1981, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris.

France is now the 14th country to legalise gay marriage after New Zealand last week.

It is also the ninth country in Europe to allow same-sex marriage after legalisation in the traditionally liberal Netherlands and Scandinavia, but also in strongly Catholic Portugal and Spain. Legislation is also moving through the UK Parliament.

But the measure has aroused stronger than expected opposition in France - a country where the Catholic Church was thought to have lost much of its influence over the public.

In January, a protest in Paris against the bill attracted some 340,000 people according to police - one of the biggest public demonstrations in France in decades. Organisers put the figure at 800,000.

Since then both sides have held regular street protests.

The opponents, backed by the Catholic Church and conservative opposition, say France already has civil partnerships for homosexual couples, and extending rights to marriage undermines an essential building block of society.
Culled from BBC

22yr old woman kills her 1yr old son, then tells Police he was kidnapped

A 22 yr-old mother,Lakeshia Baker(pictured above)and her boyfriend have been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of her 1-year-old son.

Bryeon Hunter, pictured below, has been missing since Tuesday and is now presumed dead, although authorities have yet to find a body.


His mother, Lakeshia Baker had originally told police in Maywood, a suburb of Chicago, the toddler had been kidnapped sparking a huge search and rescue operation by police.
Now it appears the story was made up and prosecutors are alleging that Baker and her boyfriend Michael Scott, 21, beat the little boy with a belt and plastic hangers, leaving him to die on their bathroom floor.


Scott, pictured above, covered the child's mouth so that his grandmother would not hear the baby scream or cry.
Once the couple realised the child was dead, they quickly hatched a plan to get rid of the the body in a backpack and devised an elaborate cover-up which included pretending that the child had been abducted.

Baker made her other 4-year-old son practice their story over and over in case he was questioned

The report of his kidnapping prompted an Amber Alert and set off a search of abandoned buildings, trash bins and industrial areas by authorities and volunteers.

Canine units were brought in, and a search of the Des Plaines River was carried out with divers and sonar equipment.
Baker told police her son was snatched from her on Tuesday afternoon, telling reporters that she and her son were attacked and beaten by three Hispanic men.

She even picked three out in a police mug book.

'They pulled up out of the alleyway and told me, 'Didn't we say we didn't want to see you here no more?' They pulled down my hair and pulled me in the car and started beating me and all I heard was my baby just screaming,' Baker told the local TV station at the time.

She even appeared in news reports with with a swollen eye.

Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to CBS Chicago that police didn't believe her story. 'I think it is horrific. We are talking about a 20-month-old child and to be continuously beaten and left on the toilet, you could just imagine what this child has gone through,'

Baker had two black eyes in court which she claimed were from the abduction but according to prosecutors they were as a result of an earlier beating by boyfriend Scott. Baker went on live television to reiterate her abduction story.

Under police questioning, Baker admitted that the story was a ruse and that the couple had beaten the child so severely on Monday, that he died the next day.

According to prosecutors, both defendants said the boy's body was placed in a backpack, but they have each accused the other of dumping it in the Des Plaines river.

Baker is being held without bond whilst her boyfriend, Scott, is being held on $750,000 bail.

Culled from MAILONLINE

Egyptian bride who restored her virginity through secret surgery is ordered to pay £5,000 compensation to groom

An Egyptian woman has been ordered to pay her former husband £5240 in compensation after he discovered she had lied to him about her virginity.

The man accused his wife of deceiving him into believing she had never been married before - and therefore a virgin - and of having surgery to fake her virginity, during a bitter divorce battle which went to the court of appeal in Abu Dhabi.

The court upheld a previous ruling that found she had deceived her husband and increased the compensation she must now pay for the emotional damage she caused him.The case centred around the original marriage contract made by the couple where the Egyptian bride, the court heard, allegedly faked a number of key points about her background.

The court established the woman had been married earlier and had divorced her first husband. It also acknowledged that she had made false statements 'with the help of her father, in the couple’s marriage contract - stating that she had never been married or had sex,' according to press reports.

The demise of the couple’s marriage came about following a spiteful sms message sent to the current husband, the court heard. Court records show that after three years of marriage, and the birth of a child, her current husband received an anonymous text message informing him that his wife had been married in the past.The text message was later followed up by a copy of the woman’s divorce document which was also sent to the husband as proof, prompting the man to file for divorce against his Egyptian wife for lying to him.

He claimed compensation from her for the emotional damage he suffered, claiming that he was 'suffering from depression and had lost trust in the people around him as a result of her deception.'

The husband also accused his wife of undergoing surgery to make it seem as though she was a virgin – a simple operation which is becoming increasingly common in some Arab countries.

This is far from the first bizarre divorce case in the United Arab Emirates. In July of last year a Dubai court reportedly awarded an Emirati woman about £16,000 in a shocking divorce settlement, after she claimed her husband was 'obsessed' with internet pornography.

It was also heard in court that their wedding was doomed from the beginning when the bridegroom allegedly admitted on their honeymoon to having sexually transmitted diseases which were currently being medically treated.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Teenager hangs himself after listening to 'death metal music with dark lyrics which glorified death'

A schoolboy killed himself after listening to death metal on his iPod, an inquest has heard.

Truman Edley,pictured above who was just 15 at the time of his death, hanged himself in the hallway of the family home in Rotherham after he had been listening to the violent music.

A coroner refused to name the band he was listening to or publish the extreme lyrics which formed part of the evidence at the inquest in Rotherham.

The official also noted that Truman had been suffering from a number of problems, and his mother said that he had 'self-esteem' issues.

The teenager, who was named after American indie band Trumans Waters, frequently listened to death metal through headphones.'

She discovered his body at their home in November 2011, two months after she had found him sobbing in his bedroom wardrobe.

On another occasion, she found scratches on his arm - he said that he had done it while messing around in the woods, but two friends asked him to visit a youth support service, fearing he had been self-harming.

Mrs Edley described her son as 'loving' and said he was fiercely protective of his loved ones.

'He was one of the most kind, loving and caring people,' she said. 'We told each other that we loved each other every day.

'He became a stereotypical teenager, like the Harry Enfield character Kevin. He was more interested in spending time with friends and took increasing pride in his appearance.'

But she added: 'His self-esteem was low. He didn't like himself or they way he looked very much. On the outside he showed a lot of confidence, but on the inside he was a lot more sensitive.'
Rotherham Magistrates' Court (pictured) heard that Ross told police that Mr Daniel had approached him from behind and tapped him, which led him to believe that he was being attacked

Coroner Fred Curtis, who recorded a verdict of suicide at the inquest in Rotherham, commented on Truman's musical tastes saying: 'I'm not going to read the lyrics out, all I will say about them is they are extremely dark in content.

'They certainly deal with dark matters and, in some respects, seem to glorify death to some degree.

'It's also the view of the police officers in this case and Truman's mother who, not surprisingly was unaware of the content until after his death.

'Whatever the influences, I think it right that one can say there was no appreciation by anyone of the extent of his troubles and problems.

'There may be other factors behind these problems but I think the only person who can answer for those is Truman himself.'


PC Glyn Farrell, who attended the scene of the death, said he was a fan of death metal but admitted it could be depressive.

'I do listen to that sort of music myself, which has a lot of screaming with heavy guitar sounds,' he told the hearing. 'It can have an effect on people.'

Det Sgt Peter Hogson told the coroner: 'There seemed to be two Trumans. The outgoing one was a happy, bubbly joker who would make people laugh, was very well-liked and had a wide group of good friends.

'But then there seemed to be another, more fragile and sensitive individual who kept things from his family and bottled them up.'

Toxicology tests came back negative, and although a scribbled note was found at the scene it was unclear when it had been written.
Culled from DAILY MAIL

Google users lose access to their email as 'disruption' hits search giant

Google's mail and application services are unavailable to some users, the search giant has admitted.

The company says it is investigating the problems, but doesn't know their cause.

Google's apps status dashboard shows that its Mail, Drive file storage service and office-application services are 'disrupted.'

Its administrator control panel, which lets companies manage their Google applications, is completely down.

The disruptions started affecting people worldwide around 8 a.m. Eastern time (noon GMT).
Google says it's 'working hard to restore normal operation.'
The company disclosed on its website that six of its 13 applications were having partial status disruptions.

However, it is believed the number of users affected was small - the issue with Gmail, for example, is believed to be affecting less than 0.007 percent of Google Mail users, who cannot access their accounts.

Culled from DAILYMAIL

How husband and wife committed suicide in 'Romeo and Julie't pact'

A husband who committed suicide with his wife in a 'Romeo and Juliet' pact had sent a text message revealing they planned to kill themselves to a mental health worker the night before.

But the message sent by Christopher Stonehouse, 44, on November 7 last year was not read until the following day and mental health officials have been questioned over the delay.

An inquest heard he was found dead alongside his wife Alphira, 27, in their bedroom on November 8, with the couple having left a note signed 'Romeo and Juliet'.
A copy of the play, with a passage highlighted, was also found next to their bodies and a Romeo and Juliet DVD had been playing on the television.

The evening before, Mr Stonehouse sent mental health worker Damian Walsh a text message, which read: 'Alphira and I have chosen to end our lives.

'We have suffered for too long and cannot bear it any longer. Our backdoor and gate are unlocked.'
The inquest into Mrs Stonehouse's death heard that Mr Walsh did not see the message or that he missed calls from Mr Stonehouse until around 9am the following morning, when he was scheduled to see him.

Concerned at the message, Mr Walsh said he first tried to call Mr Stonehouse but it diverted to voicemail, then sent him a text message but again failed to get a reply.

Police were eventually alerted and found the couple, who married in 2005 and had been in regular contact with mental health professionals, dead in their two-bedroom home in Whyke Marsh, Chichester, West Sussex.

Detective Sergeant Sally Arbuckle said in a statement that a note found read: 'Unless you are the emergency services, do not enter. Alphira and Chris, aka Romeo and Juliet.'
A post-mortem examination on Mrs Stonehouse - who was her husband's full-time carer - found she died from an overdose of prescription drugs.

At a separate inquest into Mr Stonehouse's death last week, a suicide verdict was recorded.

Today, Mrs Stonehouse's mother, Deborah Jacobs, questioned why the text message revealing the suicidal intentions of the couple was not acted upon sooner.

She asked Mr Walsh: 'If Chris had sent you 34 texts before this one and none had given any indication of wanting to take their own lives, why didn't you call 999?'

Mr Walsh said Mr Stonehouse left the message on his work mobile phone the evening before their deaths after he had finished for the day and he read it the following morning.

He added that a full investigation had been launched and that part of it would centre on whether a new policy needs to be drafted relating to mobile phone use.

Mrs Jacobs said her 'headstrong' daughter left the family home aged 18 and met Mr Stonehouse through her and his wife at the time.

'Alphira and I spent a lot of time at loggerheads with each other,' said Mrs Jacobs, from Redhill, Surrey.
'Both of us are strong-minded and we clashed, and Chris would take her under his wing because Alphira and I weren't getting on particularly well.'

Eventually, Mr Stonehouse and his wife split and he formed a relationship with Mrs Stonehouse, who was 17 years his junior, an arrangement Mrs Jacobs said she 'didn't entirely' approve of.

She added: 'She was an adult and there was nothing I could do.'

Contact between mother and daughter diminished as Mrs Jacobs said 'a lot of animosity' existed between them.

'There were several olive branches and several reconciliations but after a short period it would go back to her being quite mean towards me,' Mrs Jacobs went on.
Mr Walsh said Mr and Mrs Stonehouse came to see him in April last year seeking help after a 'significant development' in their lives which was not expanded upon at the inquest.

The issue meant that they had to give a police statement, he said. 'Both were distressed about those matters.'

Dr Isabel Fernandez de Sifrim told the inquest that Mrs Stonehouse had taken an overdose and cut her wrist in a previous suicide bid.
When she saw her on May 31, Mrs Stonehouse was having trouble sleeping, suffering from anxiety and experiencing psychotic episodes.

'All the symptoms were related to something that had happened very recently,' she said. 'It was a kind of trigger. She had panic attacks and she wasn't in control.'

With anti-depressants, her condition started to improve and the 'risk factors' disappeared slowly, with her thoughts turning positively to her future, including having children and contacting her father again.

'I didn't think she was going to commit suicide,' the doctor went on.

Recording a verdict that Mrs Stonehouse took her own life, West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield said: 'I have to be satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that a person intended to take their own life.

'I wanted to be sure that Alphira had not been coerced into this.

'It appears to me that she was able to make up her own mind at the time of her death, and although Mr Stonehouse was some 17 years her senior this was something that she would have undertaken of her accord.'

Culled from DAILYMAIL

26yr old man who had penis drawn on his face while asleep was killed by a single punch

A DJ killed a man after waking up at a party to find a penis had been drawn on his face, the Old Bailey heard.

Vanessa Barrows, who had hosted the ten-hour party at her flat in Tooting, south London, told the court everyone at the party was enjoying themselves.

But the joke turned sour when the 'boy banter' got out of hand and party-goer Anthony Thompson, 26, (pictured above) was punched to the ground outside.

Mr Thompson's head struck the floor and he died from brain damage, jurors heard.


Thomas Evans, 32, from Morden, Surrey, denies manslaughter following the all-night party in February last year, claiming self-defence.
She said Mr Evans had fallen asleep in an armchair when morning approached and some condoms had fallen out of his pocket.

She added: 'I got my lipstick out and drew a penis on his face. It was done for a laugh.'

Miss Barrows said that when Evans woke up, he had seen the funny side of it.

She also nodded off and woke to find a row going on. She said: 'It was just silly boy banter between Anthony and Tom.

'Anthony was saying about who was stronger than who. It was a joke. They were friends.'


Miss Barrows said Mr Thompson had been trying to wind Evans up, while Evans was not reacting and was trying to calm things down.

After people started to leave, she heard scuffling outside and found Mr Thompson on the ground when she got downstairs.

Peter Clement, prosecuting, said that when Evans woke up he seemed to take the drawing on his face in 'good spirits'.


As the banter continued, Mr Thompson was heard to say in bravado: 'I can knock any one of you blokes out.'

Evans replied: 'You couldn't knock me out.'

Mr Clement added: 'That set off a chain of events.'

The trial continues.

Culled from MAILONLINE

Judge dies of heart attack few weeks after sentencing British grandmother to death for drug-smuggling

The judge who sentenced British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford to death for drug-smuggling has died unexpectedly at the age of 55.

Amser Simanjuntak, a senior official in Bali,(pictured above), was known to be extremely keen on the death penalty - meaning that Sandiford could have escaped with a lesser punishment if her trial had been delayed.

He was found dead at his home on Friday after suffering a suspected heart attack, three months after sentenced the Briton to be executed by firing squad.Legal sources said that the Denpasar District Court judge had a reputation for issuing unexpectedly severe sentences in high-profile trials.

Therefore, if Sandiford's trial had not taken place until after his death, she would probably have received a more lenient sentence from a different judge. Just three days before his death, Mr Simanjuntak told Bali Daily that his decision to ignore the 15-year prison sentence recommended by the prosecution was based on the evidence against the 56-year-old British woman.
Lindsay Sandiford
(picured above) is awaiting execution in a jail cell in Bali after being sentenced to death


'She was trying to smuggle a lot of drugs into Bali,' he said of the 11lb of cocaine she was caught with at the airport. 'I thought that the sentence was appropriate with what she had done.

'Drug smuggling is a crime that has a huge impact on the people here in our country. That's why I committed to give a heavy sentence to any drug smuggler.'Three other Britons who Sandiford said were involved in the smuggling attempt received sentences ranging from just one year to six years.

She said at the weekend that she would prefer to be shot sooner rather than wait for many months as her appeal process drags on.

During his long career on the bench, the judge delivered numerous controversial death sentences and issued many severe verdicts.

Last November, he served on a panel of judges that issued a surprise ruling which sentenced to death a husband and wife for the murder of their employers.While serving in central Java between 2004 and 2008 he handed down his first death sentence after finding a man guilty of murdering a son of a local Muslim leader.

The father of four lived alone at the Bali court's housing complex while his wife and children continued to live in the city of Yogyakarta.

Police said initial investigations following the discovery of the judge's body in his home had failed to find any evidence of foul play. His family are understood to have refused a full autopsy.
Culled from DAILY MAIL

Surgeons give new face to 'monster-face' girl in India

People called Bhawana Thami, who is now nine years old, names like 'monster' because she was born with a rare condition that left half of her face covered with hair.

The condition was the result of a rare mole disease which left untreated would have become cancerous.

If that wasn't enough, the family who lives in the Dolakha district, some 345km from Kathmandu, in Nepal suffered from the villagers' belief that a child with such an appearance must have been a witch and were therefore isolated from the community. Her protective father Kaluman went so far as to never allow his daughter to look into a mirror but one day a journalist who took her photo and showed it to her causing the then eight-year-old disgust, fear and shock. But Bhawana has now undergone plastic surgery which her father hopes will help her to begin leading a normal life.

The first operation was carried out in Kathmandu with the support of charity Child Workers in Nepal last year. A year later she has had her second operation which completely removed the hair from her face.

However, she will have to have a third operation when she turns 14.


She has already returned to her village and been seen playing with other children.

Bhawana's appearance is changing every day since her operations took place and now she enjoys activities at school and local villagers have finally accepted her and her family into the community.
Culled from DAILY MAIL

Pregnant mother kills hersef and her 3 kids 'cause her boyfriend 'jilted' her

A heavily pregnant mother jumped to her death yesterday after apparently killing her three young children.

Hours earlier, Fiona Anderson pictured above, had posted desperate Facebook messages saying her partner had left her for another woman.

The 23-year-old put up photographs of her three children, pictured in-set above, with the message: ‘Mummy will always love you and I’ll never leave you.’But she was found dead at the foot of a car park at 8am after apparently throwing herself from the multi-storey building

Police officers were dispatched to her home half a mile away and found the bodies of her children – Levina, three, Addy, two, and Kyden, 11 months.In her Facebook postings, Miss Anderson issued an emotional plea to Craig McLelland, the father of her children.

‘All we did was love you,’ she wrote. ‘We never gave up on you. You have hurt us so much for so long. I gave you everything I could. Your kids worshipped you like a god.’ Miss Anderson then posted pictures of each of her children and wrote messages about how much she loved them.

‘The most beautiful things I have ever seen. Love you babies so much,’ she wrote.

In a final message she posted a scan picture of a baby and wrote that she was due to give birth on June 10 to a girl she would call Evalie.Last night, Mr McLelland arrived at Miss Anderson’s home close to the seafront in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Choking back tears, he said: ‘I have just lost my family. My children are dead. What would you be feeling?

‘I found out this morning when I got a phone call saying somebody had committed suicide and I had a feeling who it was.’

When asked whether he had left Miss Anderson for another woman, Mr McLelland, who lives in Lowestoft, broke down and declined to comment.Miss Anderson is thought to have fallen 40ft to her death in Gordon Road. Her children were found three hours later.


Mr Mc Lelland (Pictured above)


Police are awaiting the results of post-mortem examinations to be carried out by a Home Office pathologist at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Detective Superintendent John Brocklebank, of the Norfolk and Suffolk major investigation team, last night described the Mr Brocklebank said police were alerted by a 999 call from a member of the public who found a woman lying on the ground beside the car park with serious injuries.

He added: ‘Emergency services including ambulances and an air ambulance arrived and they did what they could to try and resuscitate her, but unfortunately she was pronounced dead at the scene.

‘We managed to identify the lady concerned which led us to the address. Police officers gained access at 11.20am and the bodies of the children were tragically found inside.

‘I don’t want to speculate about how they died and where the bodies were in the property. We believe she was the mother of the young children.’ Miss Anderson’s ground floor flat was cordoned off by police last night while officers searched for clues.

Neighbours and friends were last night putting cuddly toys and flowers on a makeshift shrine outside the flat in a mark of respect.

Karleigh Burlingham, 20, who lives nearby, said: ‘She was a lovely person.

‘She just didn’t seem the sort of mother to do this. It is devastating that three innocent little children have died.‘I knew her for three or four years and I thought she was a brilliant mother.

‘Her kids were healthy and well brought up. Fiona was outgoing and friendly. She would talk to anyone and she was very laid back.

‘But her boyfriend left her about a month or so ago for someone else. She was heavily pregnant with a baby girl due next month.’

For confidential support about depression, call the Samaritans on 0845 790 9090 or visit a local Samaritans branch. Or click here to visit the charity's website.
Culled from DAILY MAIL

HIV positive man kills wife and son over fear that he had infected them with AIDS

A man charged with fatally stabbing his wife and adult son in their suburban Phoenix home told investigators he carried out the killings out of a fear he had given his wife HIV from prostitutes he used to frequent and out of concern about what would become of his jobless son.

Investigators said in court records that Eugene Maraventano, pictured above, believed his wife, Janet Maraventano, 63, was ill and feared she might test positive for cancer or a disease he had given her from prostitutes he slept with when he worked for a rail line in New York.

Eugene Maraventano,64, who planned to kill himself after killing his wife, wondered what would become of his son, Bryan Maraventano, 27, after his suicide, explaining that his son played video games all day and had no girlfriend or job, according to a court document filed by police. Bryan Maraventano lived with his parents.

Police say they haven't yet been able to confirm whether Eugene Maraventano had HIV or whether Janet Maraventano had any ailments that her husband said he was worried about.

Eugene Maraventano made several unsuccessful suicide attempts after the killings and called authorities Saturday to say he had carried out the stabbing deaths a few days earlier, police said.

"I killed my wife and I killed my son," the police document quotes Maraventano as telling a dispatcher.

Maraventano acknowledged getting a 14-inch knife from the kitchen of his two-story stucco home in Goodyear and going into the upstairs master bedroom, where he stabbed his sleeping wife twice. He then attacked his son after the son answered a knock on his bedroom door from his father, according to the police record. The knife was found on the nightstand in the master bedroom.

Maraventano was treated at a hospital for injuries he suffered during his suicide attempts and is now in jail on $2 million bail. It's unclear whether Maraventano has an attorney.

He told investigators that he and his wife hadn't been fighting the night of the killing.

Neighbors said Maraventano and his family were "friendly" and "really nice people" and they were shocked to hear of the killings.

"There was nothing negative to associate with Geno and his family," said Phil Wesson, who lives two houses away from the Maraventano home. "There was no sign of anything for me. I knew him as the most likeable guy."

Nicole Schwartz, another neighbor, told Phoenix TV station KSAZ that she was "in shock ... that something like that would happen in our neighborhood."

Culled from HUFF POSTS