Mid Day International News

Underwater groping on Dubai beaches on the rise
Russia witnesses spurt in baby killings by mums
Dissatisfied customer murders tailor
Two brothers kill man over a newspaper
Model arrested for stripping in Times Square in the name of art
Teacher who worked as 'secret' stripper facing classroom ban
CCTV catches cop romping on car bonnet
Dissatisfied customer murders tailor
China opens world's highest ferris wheel atop 1,480-ft tower
Muslims, police scuffle over theme park ban on head scarves
Streakers prank news reporter
Wills-Kate offer palace for Halloween tours
70-yr-old becomes oldest to swim English Channel
Teacher who worked as 'secret' stripper facing classroom ban

Underwater groping on Dubai beaches on the rise

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Dubai shores are witnessing a rise in the disturbing trend of underwater groping, even as the police routinely cracks down on beach pests and has even set up a helpline on which the victims can report lewd behaviour.

Candice, a 28-year-old Filipina, went to the Jumeirah open beach with her husband and friends two weeks ago, but drifted further away from the group than planned.

Soon enough, she got a nasty surprise. "I felt a hand on my right leg. Someone had swum up under me, grabbed hold of my leg and was caressing my thigh," she told Gulf News.

Too afraid to react, Candice just swam back to shore and told her friends she was unwell and wanted to go home.

Candice admits to not being able to return to the beach on her own, and has had to find another area for her daily jogs.

Darleen, 31, who decided to go for a midnight swim at the open beach in Jumeirah had an equally harrowing experience.

"I noticed a group of young men also swimming not too far away. Thinking nothing of it, I closed my eyes and was floating when I felt someone swim up under me and graze past my body. It was two guys pretending that they made a mistake. But as they were trying to apologise, they were reaching out to me underwater with their legs," she said.

Darleen says she was so shaken up, she never ventured back to the beach after sunset.

Russia witnesses spurt in baby killings by mums

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Russia is witnessing a rise in the incidents of mothers killing their children.

Over 60 mothers have been charged with murdering their babies across Russia in the first half of 2011, RIA Novosti quoted a government daily as saying.

Twenty of the sixtyfour suspected murders took place in the central federal district, which includes Moscow, the Rossiiskaya Gazeta paper said.

Many of the women killed their children after going temporarily insane following labour, the paper quoted psychiatrists as saying.

Other experts suggest, however, that the killings have their roots in social ills.

The paper suggested that problems faced by non-Muscovites with the country's notorious registration system meant it was hard for them to receive pre-natal medical attention in the capital.

"Is it easy for non-Muscovites who lack registration to register with hospitals in Moscow or the Moscow region?" the paper asked.

"Maybe it seems simpler to give birth in a toilet and then suffocate the child than get involved with our official organisations?"

Another possible reason for the spurt in baby killings suggested by the paper was that many mothers were simply afraid they would be able to afford to raise a child.

One case quoted by the paper involved single mother Oksana T., who killed her newborn after doubting she had the financial means to raise a second child.

"She regrets this, and has shown repentance," case materials quoted by Rossiiskaya Gazeta said. "She did this because she was afraid of bringing up two children on her own."

Oksana T. was sentenced to two years, which

Dissatisfied customer murders tailor

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A customer dissatisfied with the adjustments made to a pair of pants stabbed a tailor to death in Venezuela, media reports said.

Sabato Moschiano, a 43-year-old Italian immigrant, was killed last Saturday in his shop by a customer who after trying on the pants said that he didn't like the adjustment the tailor had made, Marbelis Lugo, the former sister-in-law of the victim, told media outlets.

When the customer complained, Moschiano assured him that he would not charge him for the work.

"I'm not going to pay you, but I am going to kill you," said the attacker, stabbing Moschiano in the chest before fleeing along with two companions, said Lugo, who added that she felt it was "inconceivable to kill a person over an adjustment to a pair of pants".

A 12-year-old nephew of the tailor was also a witness to the act and helped get his uncle to a nearby hospital, but Moschiano arrived there with no vital signs and was pronounced dead.

Moschiano, who had lived in Venezuela for 31 years and was a naturalized citizen, worked in the same tailor shop that his father had opened years ago.

On Feb 8, Interior Minister Tarek El Aissami acknowledged before the Legislative Assembly that the murder rate in Venezuela is "above the average for Latin America" at 48 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Two brothers kill man over a newspaper

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Two brothers in China murdered their colleague who had not handed over a newspaper when asked.

The incident took place last month when Wang Haoqin was reading the newspaper in the rest area in his company's Shenzhen complex.

His colleague Wang Guang asked for the newspaper, but Haoqin refused.

Guang then kicked Haoqin and an altercation took place, Shanghai Daily cited the Southern Metropolis Daily as reporting.

Two days later, Guang and his brother Wang Huai decided to take revenge.

Haoqin was playing billiards when the brothers asked him for some money. He refused and then the brothers stabbed him four times. Haoqin died.

Model arrested for stripping in Times Square in the name of art

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The New York City police detained a model after she posed in Times Square dressed only in paint

Zoe West, 21, of upstate Kingston, was a human canvas for flesh-obsessed painter Andy Golub, who began touching up his initially topless model.

Later West shed her G-string and also went bottomless, turning the Crossroads of the World into the Naked City, and bringing cops an hour later.

The model said she knew Golub's project, at West 44th Street and Broadway, could land her in the pokey, but she was willing to make the sacrifice for art.

"I don't believe there is truly anything wrong with what I did and with what he was doing," West told the New York Post after she was released.

She said cops dropped all charges, so she's as free as a jaybird.

Cops confirmed that West had been taken into custody, but said records of the incident had been sealed.

Prosecutors couldn't immediately find a record of pending charges against her.

This is the second summer arrest connected to Golub's art. On July 30, he was busted on public-lewdness charges when two of his models stripped down to their birthday suits in Times Square.

Golub admitted he knew the stunt could end with West being detained.

"I explained all this to my model, so she was completely aware," he said.

Teacher who worked as 'secret' stripper facing classroom ban

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A secondary school sex education teacher in the UK who led a double life as a porn star and a stripper is facing being struck off the teaching register after his lifestyle was exposed

Benedict Garrett, 31, is accused of raking in cash under the alias "Johnny Anglais" while working at Beal High School in Ilford, Essex.

He also owned a website containing details of his work as a stripper, which could be freely viewed by pupils, a disciplinary hearing was told.

On the site, Garrett who continues to work as a stripper, could be seen scantily clad and dressed as a fireman.

Alongside the pictures, he claimed to be "a man with a mission" - to "unashamedly demonstrate the art of pleasure in the realms of fitness, sex and entertainment."

He also described how he has taught "young people to be open-minded, respectful, tolerant of others" for the past four years.

The General Teaching Council panel in Birmingham heard how Garrett "undertook work of a pornographic nature" and "performed as a stripper in public place" while employed by at Beal High School, in Ilford, Essex, between January 1 2008 and July 16 2010.

In an impassioned 30-minute statement in his defence, he argued that teachers should be able to keep their professional and private lives separate.

"They may go out and get drunk off their faces," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

"They are human and if they are doing it and it is legal that is their choice," he added.

CCTV catches cop romping on car bonnet

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A police officer in the US has been caught on CCTV, romping with a half-clad woman over a car's bonnet in broad daylight

The cop didn't realise that he was being filmed by a cop camera put in place to catch vandals, The Sun reported Wednesday.

The steamy scene was captured at Santa Fe Canyon Ranch, in New Mexico state of the US.

Members of the public have called for action against the officer.

One told local channel KOB 4 News: "With that kind of judgement, you don't want him carrying a weapon."

State Police have refused to comment on whether the officer was on duty at the time.

Dissatisfied customer murders tailor

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A customer dissatisfied with the adjustments made to a pair of pants stabbed a tailor to death in Venezuela, media reports said

When the customer complained, Moschiano assured him that he would not charge him for the work.

A 12-year-old nephew of the tailor was also a witness to the act and helped get his uncle to a nearby hospital, but Moschiano arrived there with no vital signs and was pronounced dead.

Moschiano, who had lived in Venezuela for 31 years and was a naturalized citizen, worked in the same tailor shop that his father had opened years ago.

On Feb 8, Interior Minister Tarek El Aissami acknowledged before the Legislative Assembly that the murder rate in Venezuela is "above the average for Latin America" at 48 per 100,000 inhabitants.

China opens world's highest ferris wheel atop 1,480-ft tower

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The world's highest ferris wheel is set to open for business today on top of a 1,480 ft tower in China with passengers riding in see-through pods.

Built on the 450-meter-high Canton Tower, known as the Guangzhou TV Tower, the amazing wheel consists of 16 pods holding a total of 96 fearless passengers.

An elliptical track has been constructed around the edge of the Canton Tower roof, and 16 transparent pods take between 20 and 40 minutes to go round the track

Each capsule is just over three metres wide, and built using a special macromolecule material which allows a 360-degree crystal clear view.

Unlike other ferris wheels, it has a 15-degree incline and can resist 8-magnitude earthquakes and Beaufort
scale 12 typhoons.

The attraction will cost visitors 130 Yuan each. Although it's described as a ferris, its passenger cars are not suspended from the rim of a wheel in the traditional fashion and the track is horizontal.

The tower is also known by its local nickname Xiao Man's waist which refers to a famous Geisha who used to entertain people during the reign of the tang Dynasty.

She was appreciated for her slim waist and the tower has a twisted and tight appearance.

In August, Las Vegas announced plans to build the world's tallest ferris wheel, which will be more than 100 feet higher than the London Eye. The London Eye is 443 feet tall.

Ground-breaking rides
1. Kingda Ka is the world's tallest rollercoaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, US. The top tower is 456 feet tall

2. Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is the world's fastest roller coaster with a top speed of 150mph, which it can reach in 4.9 seconds.

3.Takabisha is the world's steepest rollercoaster with a drop angle of 121 degrees in Yamanashi, Japan.

4 Superman Ride of Steel in Massachusetts, US wins awards every year as the best rollercoaster in the country. It speeds over 77mph, has a 221 feet drop into a tunnel and 10 seconds of weightlessness

Muslims, police scuffle over theme park ban on head scarves

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Rye Playland, a theme park was shut down yesterday after cops scuffled with Muslims upset that women wearing head scarves were barred from the rides, witnesses said.

Fifteen people, including three women, were charged with disorderly conduct and assault in the chaos, authorities said.

Around 100 cops converged at Rye Playland to appease
the crowd in which two park rangers were injured

The Westchester County park was packed with Muslims celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr.

One woman, Entisai Ali, began arguing with cops over the amusement park's head scarf, or hijab, rule, said Dena Meawad, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

The ban, which is not Muslim specific, was imposed about three-years-ago mostly to prevent hats from falling onto the tracks of roller coasters and other rides, park officials said.

"The cops started getting loud with her and she started getting loud, too. They pushed her on the ground and arrested her," Meawad said.

Her cousin, Kareem Meawad, went to try to protect the woman and was beaten by cops and also arrested, she added.

Her brother, Issam Meawad was pushed to the ground and taken into custody when he tried to help his cousin, she said.

"She just wanted to get on a ride. That was it," Dena Meawad said of the initial confrontation. "It's clear, this all happened because we're Muslim."

John Hodges, chief inspector of Westchester County Public Safety, insisted that police did not use excessive force.

He said up to 100 cops from surrounding departments converged on the park.

Two park rangers were injured in the melee, prompting felony assault charges against two people arrested, officials said.

The park was closed for about two hours because of the fracas.

Peter Tartaglia, deputy commissioner of Westchester County Parks, said the Muslim American Society of New York was warned in advance of the rule barring head scarves on rides for safety reasons.

Streakers prank news reporter

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A TV journalist attempting to relay the impact of the Hurricane Irene in Virginia was interrupted by a group of shirtless men, one of whom pulled down his shorts

Some people just cannot help themselves. Barely able to stand straight in the ferocious winds, US Weather Channel reporter Eric Fisher was intending to file a straightforward report on the conditions at Virginia Beach.

As he discussed wind speeds in the driving rain, a group of five college-aged youngsters ran behind him dressed only in swim shorts.

A video grab showing Weather Channel's Eric Fisher's
dismay at the amount of people who were running
around during his report. The youngster who pulled
down his shorts on live TV

One did the all-too-inevitable and pulled his shorts down, revealing himself front and back. They were jumping up and down.

Unfortunately, this was live TV.

Fisher, heavily wrapped in waterproof clothing, was at a loss for words as more young people ran in front of him and behind him.

He said, "To be honest I'm pretty much speechless at what I'm seeing in terms of how many people. At this point I don't want to show you any more. It's setting a bad example."

As more people ran past him, he mentioned two deaths in North Carolina and said, "Honestly this is depressing."

All the rage
Very soon, the issue became a hot topic on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

"Eric in Virginia Beach is reporting high winds, driving rain and a 10 per cent chance of streakers," one Tweeter wrote.

Another said, "Good to see Virginia Beach taking the story seriously," with a link to a screen shot of the streaker running by the reporter.

Hurricane Irene's path up the East Coast over the weekend could be tracked by following comments from posters in the eye of the storm to those still waiting for its arrival.

Later, Fisher said, "It's a vacation city. I don't think that was representative of Virginia Beach citizens."

5,28,000
Number of people who are still without electricity two days after Hurricane Irene

Costliest Disaster
Irene will most likely prove to be one of the 10 costliest catastrophes in American history, reports said.

The cost of the storm is at $7 billion to $10 billion, largely because the hurricane pummelled an unusually wide area of the East Coast.

The death toll stemming from Irene continued to and at least 43 deaths were linked to the storm, from Florida to North Carolina to New England.

Wills-Kate offer palace for Halloween tours

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This Halloween, Prince William and wife Kate will open up their London residence for ghost tours.

According to reports, from October 28- 31, lovers will be given guided tours through the halls and corridors of Kensington Palace.

This is the same palace where Prince stated with his mother, Princess Diana, before she died.

It is said that dead royals like William's great-grandmother Queen Mary are said to haunt the property that time.

70-yr-old becomes oldest to swim English Channel

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A 70-year-old grandfather yesterday became the oldest person to swim across the English Channel, eventually making it to France after a marathon slog of almost 18 hours.

Roger Allsopp waded into the chilly sea at Shakespeare Beach in Dover on Tuesday, aiming for Cap Gris-Nez on the northeast French coast, some 34 kilometre away.

Roger Allsopp battled against tides and currents to finish
the swim and benefits from the swim will go towards
raising money to fund medical equipment for cancer
research at the University of Southampton, southern England

The retired breast cancer surgeon, from the Channel Island of Guernsey, was accompanied by a support boat to help him navigate across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

But as he battled against tides and currents, he took a zig-zag route to reach the continent, swimming for 17 hours and 51 minutes before reaching the shore near Wissant in the wee hours of yesterday.

"I do feel an immense sense of achievement and relief that I have been successful," said Allsopp, who is 70 years and four months old.

"This has been an incredible personal challenge for me. That a man of my grand age can achieve such a physical and mental challenge proves that you can live younger if you keep active in mind and body."

Allsopp was raising money to fund medical equipment for cancer research at the University of Southampton, southern England.

Official Guinness World Records adjudicator Anna Orford said, "To swim the English Channel is a great challenge and to do it at the mature age of 70 years is astounding.

"We are very pleased to congratulate Roger on this achievement and in doing so setting a new Guinness World Record."

The previous record-holder was retired airline pilot George Brunstad the uncle of Hollywood film star Matt Damon.

The American swam the Channel aged 70 years and four days in August 2004.

Old is gold
On August 30, 2004, Hollywood star matt Damon's uncle George Brunstad swam across the Englsih Channel in 15 hours and 59 minutes. He was 70-year-old when he completed the swim. After completing the tiring swim, he said, "I feel a little bit tired but I am on a high, feeling very elated. It is wonderful. I had so much support from so many people."

Teacher who worked as 'secret' stripper facing classroom ban

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A secondary school sex education teacher in the UK who led a double life as a porn star and a stripper is facing being struck off the teaching register after his lifestyle was exposed.