Mid Day International News |
- Indoor cricket coach in Aus slept with 14-yr-old girl club member
- Pollution turns male birds gay
- 'Munni badnaam hui' creates problems for real life Munnis
- Now, a chance to be Mr Hefner
- Kennedy murderer's coffin to go under the hammer
- Simpsons in racism row
- Bruni hails Pope over condoms
- He's my li'l boy: WikiLeaks mum
| Indoor cricket coach in Aus slept with 14-yr-old girl club member Posted: An indoor cricket coach and umpire, who scattered rose petals over his bed on a Valentine's Day in order to bed a teenage girl who was a member of his club, has been sentenced to two years'' imprisonment. The defendant, who is now 43, pleaded guilty in the Townsville Magistrates Court to four counts of unlawful carnal knowledge of a child under 16. The cricket official was first introduced to girl when she joined the club at the age of 10. Four years later, as a teenager, she started working at the centre and socialising with the accused and this is when the pair had sexual relations about four times. The teen, who made the complaint in 2009 at 22 after confessing to her mother and friends, could not remember all of their sexual encounters but said to the police other occasions included after a Cowboys match and during her high school exams. "There was never any manipulation, threats or coercion. This is an unusual case because the girl was aware that my client was married," said defence barrister Justin Greggery. He said the defendant had since lost two jobs and his wife because of the offending. Magistrate Ross Mack accepted that the man was remorseful. "It was a significant time ago, there was no predatory aspect to it and no resistance on the part of the complainant," the magistrate said. "But a 35-year-old man taking advantage of a 14-year-old girl is a very grave matter indeed," he added.
|
| Pollution turns male birds gay Posted: Water pollution is posing a threat to bird population by causing males to go gay, scientists say. Researchers believe poisonous metal compounds entering the food chain can affect bird sexuality, causing a reduction in offsprings. This is the first scientific study to show how pollutants alter sexual preferences. Scientists found that even relatively low levels of methylmercury in the diet of male white ibises caused the birds to pair up with each other, snubbing females, reports the Daily Mail. Methylmercury is a form of mercury - the metal which is liquid at room temperature and is better known as quicksilver. It has been seeping into groundwater from industry for years. Peter Frederick from the Florida University in the US captured 160 young white ibises, a coastal wading bird, and gave them food laced with methylmercury. The birds were split into four groups. One group ate food with 0.3 parts per million (ppm) methylmercury, which most US states would regard as too high for human consumption. A second group was fed 0.1 ppm, and the third 0.05 ppm, a low dose that wild birds would be exposed to frequently. The fourth group was not given the substance. All three groups which were given methylmercury had significantly more homosexual males than the control group. Male-male pairs courted, built nests together and paired off for several weeks. Higher doses increased the effect, with 55 percent of males in the 0.3 ppm group being affected. "We knew mercury could depress their testosterone levels," explained Frederick. "But we didn't expect this. In the worst-case scenario, the production of young would fall by 50 percent. Other birds would probably be similarly affected," he said.
|
| 'Munni badnaam hui' creates problems for real life Munnis Posted: 'Munni Badnaam Hui Darling Tere Liye' from the Bollywood film 'Dabangg' might have legions of fans but not the real life Munni, a mother of two in this Pakistani city, who has been harassed so much that she has shut her small shop. Munni, a fairly common name in the subcontinent, is ruing the day the song became a hit. Her store is located at her home and she has been unable to open it since the song became popular. "Every now and then someone will come to my store and say 'Munni Badnaam Hui Darling Tere Liye' in front of my customers. First I didn't pay much attention and tried to ignore it, but then it became a routine event and I started to get irritated," Express Tribune quoted Munni as saying. "Even sober and reserved people have sung this song loudly while passing by my store. I have scolded many of them but they just laugh and run away. "Finally, I couldn't take this behaviour any more and closed my shop for several days. Now it's been two months and either I don't open my store or if I do open it, then I don't sit at the counter myself." A mother of two, Munni said the song has also impacted on her personal life. "On seeing me, boys in my neighbourhood would start singing this song at full volume. Many times they play it on tape to tease me. This song has really become a nightmare for me." This Munni is not the only one to face problems, another Munni, a school principal, is too facing harassment. Shahida Munni, principal of a school in this city, had been given the nickname Munni by her family and friends. "While walking in my neighbourhood, I am always scared that someone will start to sing the song. Most of the time my fears become reality as many boys either sing the song loudly or play it on the stereo," Shahida said. She said that it has now become a painful routine. "They do it for fun. I don't understand how teasing someone can be fun for people. I am sick of this now and want this to come to an end."
|
| Posted: Beware Farmville, you've got competition. After striking a deal with Hugh Hefner first, Dublin-based Jolt Online released the new social media game Playboy Party on Facebook yesterday. "This is our Christmas present to the Internet", said Dylan Collins, Chairman of Jolt Online Gaming. "We almost went blind developing this game but we think that Playboy Party will keep you entertained anywhere you can access your Facebook account". Playboy Party can be played for free by anyone with a Facebook account. In the game, users get to select an avatar of their choice who will be the up-and-coming playboy hosting a party in the mansion. He has to also completely manage the party. Decorate it, stock it with drinks, greet guests, make sure party revelers' drinks are always full, and keep away paparazzi taking photos of his celebrity guests. If he does well, he gets to unlock photos of bikini-clad women with a sweet thank-you note for throwing the awesome party.
|
| Kennedy murderer's coffin to go under the hammer Posted: An auction house in Los Angeles is offering up a rather macabre piece of history the coffin of JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. The pine wood casket, damaged by moisture and age, will start at $1,000 when it goes up for sale on December 16. "There's just a lot of interest in Kennedy and anything to do with his assassination," said auction manager Laura Yntema. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity, it is part of a collection owned by Allen Baumgardner, a funeral director who assisted in the original embalming of Oswald, according to the auction house. Accused of killing President John F Kennedy in 1963, the 24-year-old was later shot and killed. His remains were exhumed nearly 20 years later in 1981 after a legal battle between his brother, Robert, and his widowed wife, Marina, over persistent rumours that a Russian agent had been buried in the coffin and not the assassin.
|
| Posted: The cartoon has caused outrage after it called Fox channel and its viewers racist
|
| Posted: French First Lady has publicly thanked Pope Benedict XVI for saying the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS may be justified On the occasion of World AIDS Day Carla Bruni said in an interview that she was "astonished, surprised and grateful" for the Pope's remarks, publicised last month. "I think this is quite an enormous step towards something very new," French President Nicolas Sarkozy's wife said. Her brother Virginio died in 2006 of an AIDS-related illness. Bruni-Sarkozy has long campaigned for HIV/AIDS awareness and acts as an ambassador for the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. She strongly criticised the Pope last year, saying the Roman Catholic Church's disapproval of condoms "damaged" countries in Africa, and left her feeling "profoundly secular". She had been responding to a comment from the Pope on a visit to Africa in which he said condoms would not resolve the continent's HIV/AIDS problem. This November, the Pope was quoted in a book as saying that condoms could be used in certain circumstances. Clarifying his comments, the Vatican said the use of condoms use by men and women to prevent HIV could be an act of "responsibility". Appeal "I have been touched by the very recent declaration by Pope Benedict XVI and am grateful," Bruni-Sarkozy told France's RTL radio station. "A number of African countries are Christian and take great heed of what the Pope says." Speaking about complacency over the virus, she said: "Even when it is not too virulent, the courses of treatment are very hard. It is very serious to catch HIV nowadays... I would like to say to young people that they shouldn't think it's like an aspirin to be taken daily." Talking about her late brother, who died in his 40s, the Italian-born First Lady said he had been lucky enough to receive the best treatment available in France. "Many people do not have access to that..." she said. "My brother unfortunately capitulated before this illness but we should keep on fighting it, and keep trying to offer everything he was given to all the people of this world, if possible."
|
| He's my li'l boy: WikiLeaks mum Posted: WIKILEAKS editor-in-chief Julian Assange (in pic) might be unpopular with the US and its allies, but he's still mama's little boy. Assange's mother, Christine, who doesn't even own a computer and has been keeping up with her son's exploits through the media, said her son was a "seeker of truth". Christine, who bought Julian his first computer at age 13, said her son had been a curious child, raised to believe evil flourished when good men did nothing. "Whether you agree with what Julian does or not, living by what you believe in and standing up for something is a good thing," she said. "He sees what he's doing as doing a good thing in the world, fighting baddies, if you like." But she conceded she feared her 39-year-old son had "gotten too smart for himself". "Of course, I'm his mother, he's my little boy," she said. "Whatever a normal mother would feel is what I would feel about all of it. I'm concerned it's gotten too big and the forces that he's challenging are too big." "He's my son and I love him and obviously I don't want him hunted down and jailed," she said. Christine said her "highly intelligent" son was brought up without religion, but with a strong code of ethics. "He was a lovely boy, very sensitive, good with animals, quiet and has a wicked sense of humour," she said. "What people don't realise is that Julian is very funny. He didn't actually come from a background of high technology; he came from a background of creativity and a love of learning and books." At 18, Assange became a father when his son, Daniel, now 21, was born. "Jules put his life and university studies on hold to parent Daniel and be there for him," Christine said. "He's a very good father - not many men of that age will fight for their kid, but he stepped up to the responsibility. To me that's an even greater achievement than WikiLeaks." Interpol warrant
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Mid Day To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment