Mid Day International News |
- Donkey put up as candidate for post of mayor in Bulgaria!
- Berlusconi's 'Queen Bee' got hypnotised by him after he whispered in her ear
- Toy bomb kills two in Pakistan
- Dress made from 3,000 cow and yak nipples cause outrage
- Facebook admits to tracking logged out users
- Woman arrested in murder case says she's a vampire
- Indian American doctor charged with hiding India accounts
- Polanski admits raped teen was a 'double victim'
- Doctor on phone as Jackson died
- Google under fire for 'Is Your Son Gay?' app
- Saudi woman to be lashed for driving
- Pet dog sniffs out breast cancer, saves owner's life
| Donkey put up as candidate for post of mayor in Bulgaria! Posted: Town Hall campaigners in Bulgaria are all set to put up a donkey as a candidate for the post of mayor Marco, who is standing for the Society for a New Bulgaria party in Varna on 23rd October, is said to be promising hard work, no kickbacks and a mulish determination when he launches his political career. The new candidate has been chosen as the locals think the current mayor Kiril Yordanov is not doing a good job. 'Unlike the other mayoral candidates and politicians, Marko has a strong character, doesn't steal, doesn't lie, and gets the work done," the Daily Mail quoted Angel Dyankov, the campaign director as saying. Incumbent mayor Yordanov, who is running as a nominee of the ruling centre-right party GERB, has refused to share a platform with his rival saying that it is "undignified".
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| Berlusconi's 'Queen Bee' got hypnotised by him after he whispered in her ear Posted: A showgirl has revealed how she became 'smitten' with Silvio Berlusconi after he whispered in her ear at their first meeting and had sex with him.
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| Toy bomb kills two in Pakistan Posted: A five-year-old child and an elderly man were killed when an explosive device, construed as a "toy" by the kid, exploded in their house in northwest Pakistan, a media report said The kid had found the device in a nearby mountain and brought it home in Jawar area to play with it. The bomb exploded when the grandfather tried to open it, killing the child and himself instantly, the news website Daily Times reported. Neighbours rushed out of their homes hearing the explosion.
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| Dress made from 3,000 cow and yak nipples cause outrage Posted: A dress made from 3,000 cow and yak nipples has enraged animal rights activists and politicians. The provocative piece -- created from patches of cattle hide recovered from tanneries -- was created by British designer Rachel Freire and revealed at the London Fashion Week under her spring/summer 2012 collection - called Nippleocalypse. Both animal rights campaigners and MPs have been expressing their outrage at the 32-year-old Liverpudlian for her wacky wares, which include an intricate bra, made from layers of protruding nipples. "It seems to me absolutely grotesque. I think most people will find it sickening and repulsive," the Daily Mail quoted Labour MP Kerry McCarthy as telling People. Justin Kerswell from animal rights organisation Viva added: "Isn't the way we treat farmed animals bad enough without turning their dead bodies into a runway freakshow?" Freire, who is set to showcase her latest collection at Paris Fashion Week, defended her creations saying: "They really make you aware of the animal itself." "I create fashion using material that would otherwise end up on the scrap heap. "What I am doing is recycling. The people criticising are clearly clueless about the amount of leather wasted on a daily basis," she stated.
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| Facebook admits to tracking logged out users Posted: Facebook has admitted its cookies could have been used to track people after they had logged out of the social-networking service, adding that the company has now fixed the problem Australian technologist Nik Cubrilovic recently claimed that when the user is logged out of Facebook, rather than deleting its tracking cookies, the site merely modifies them, maintaining account information and other unique tokens that can be used to identify its users. The social networking giant has described the huge privacy breach as a simple mistake, that software automatically downloaded to users'' computers when they logged in to Facebook 'inadvertently' sent information to the company, whether or not they were logged in at the time, the Daily Mail reports. "We place cookies on the computer of the user," said a Facebook spokesperson. The company admitted that some Facebook cookies send back the address of users'' PCs and sites they had visited, even while logged out. "Three of these cookies inadvertently included unique identifiers when the user had logged out of Facebook. We did not store these for logged out users. We could not have used this information," the spokesperson added. Facebook claims to have 'fixed' the issue, and 'thanked' Cubrilovic for pointing it out, while simultaneously claiming that it wasn''t really an issue in the first place. Facebook has said the cookies no longer send information while you are logged out of its site. If you are logged in to Facebook, the cookies will still send the information, and they remain on your computer unless you manually delete them. "We fixed the cookies so they won''t include unique information in the future when people log out," the paper quoted a spokesperson for the company, as saying. "It's just the latest privacy issue to affect a company that has a long history of blunders relating to user's private information," the spokesperson added.
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| Woman arrested in murder case says she's a vampire Posted: A woman in Florida has been accused of having lured a teenager to a house where a group beat him to death says that she is a vampire. "Since I was like, 12 ... I know this is going to be crazy, but I believe that I'm a vampire. Part of a vampire and part of a werewolf," 18-year-old Stephanie Pistey said in an interview with WJHG television in Panama City. Apparently, Pistey confirmed to police that the five people -- including herself -- involved in the July murder of Jacob Hendershot, 16, near the panhandle city, were members of a vampire cult. Pistey, who was arrested last Monday on charges of having fooled the teenager into coming to the house where he was murdered, said in an interview that "Jacob didn't deserve to die" and that she did not know that the others were going to beat him to death. Hendershot's body was found dumped in a concrete enclosure. Pistey said that she was at the house of one of the accused, Tammy Morris, when Hendershot was killed, but she claims that she was only there to babysit Morris' children. She denied drinking Hendershot's blood, but she said that she had drunk the blood of her boyfriend, another of the five accused murderers, William Chase, 25.
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| Indian American doctor charged with hiding India accounts Posted: An Indian American neurosurgeon has been re-indicted by a US grand jury on new charges that he failed to declare an HSBC bank account in India valued in 2009 at $8.7 million. Arvind Ahuja was indicted again Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was initially charged June 28 with wilfully filing materially false tax returns and four counts of failing to file Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts. The court has added the charges of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Dan Webb of Winston and Strawn, Chicago, the attorney representing Ahuja, said the government's allegations are "far off-base," and he will continue to present a vigorous, fact-based defence. "Dr. Ahuja is innocent of these allegations, and we remain confident that a jury will acquit him of all charges, including the charges announced today," Webb said. According to the superseding indictment, Ahuja wire transferred and maintained millions of dollars in bank accounts in India and the Bailiwick of Jersey at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. (HSBC). In 2009, the HSBC bank account in India had a balance of $8.7 million. The superseding indictment alleges that Ahuja The indictment further alleges that Ahuja failed to report more than $1.2 million in interest income that he earned from his HSBC India account and failed to pay the taxes due on that income. The new indictment also alleges Ahuja conspired with HSBC bankers who worked at an HSBC India office in New York to conceal from the IRS the existence, ownership and income derived from his undeclared bank accounts at HSBC India and HSBC Jersey. Ahuja faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and a $250,000 fine. Each false tax return charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The failure to report his foreign bank account charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
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| Polanski admits raped teen was a 'double victim' Posted: Roman Polanski has said the woman he raped when she was just 13 was a 'double victim' after she was caught up in the media glare of his arrest two years ago. The 78-year-old Oscar-winning director, during the screening of a documentary of his life at the Zurich Film Festival, said Samantha Geimer had been left scarred twice after the rape 35 years ago. But he stopped short of making a full apology and joked 'better late than never' as he picked up a lifetime achievement award in the Swiss city.  Recognition: The 78-year-old Oscar winner was given a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival, two years after he was arrested at the city's airport as he went to collect the same award. pic/afp Towards the end of Laurent Bouzereau's film Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, the Polish-French director said, "She [Samantha Geimer] is a double victim: my victim and a victom of the press." He added, "Friends, what can I say? Better late than never. Two years, day for day. Certain parts of it I would rather forget. But I'm happy to be here, because I know that it was not only a blow to me, to my family, but also to the festival itself. It's a very moving moment for me." In 1977, Polanski plied the teenager with champagne and drugs during a photo shoot in Los Angeles, before raping her at the Hollywood home of his friend, Jack Nicholson. He was charged with six felony counts, including rape and sodomy, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor in a plea deal. But he fled the US for Europe because he thought the judge would go back on the deal. The Rosemary's Baby director was arrested by Swiss police at Zurich airport in 2009 on the US warrant as he went to collect the achievement award. He spent months in prison and later house arrest, but successfully avoided extradition to the US after the Swiss government refused to deport him. The documentary, shot while he was under house arrest in Gstaad, Switzerland, recounts his Polish roots and includes footage of World War Two and the Nazi invasion of Poland. In it, he talks about his mother's death, the pain of his father remarrying and fleeing as a Nazi soldier tried to shoot him during the war. Critics have described the secretive documentary as "one long, wide-ranging conversation" between Polanski and producer Andrew Braunsberg, an old friend. It makes only a brief mention of the rape charges.
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| Doctor on phone as Jackson died Posted: Instead of monitoring the pop singer after administering him with sedatives Dr Conrad Murray was calling friends and businesses, say prosecutors Dr Conrad Murray spent around 45 minutes on the phone as Michael Jackson lay dying -- and made a call to his girlfriend, prosecutors said yesterday. The doctor was speaking to cocktail waitress Sade Anding when he first noticed something was wrong with Michael.  Trial of the century: (clockwise from left) Dr Conrad Murray wipes a tear during the defence opening arguments in his involuntary manslaughter trial in the Michael Jackson case.  Supporters hold signs outside Los Angeles Superior Court demanding justice  Jackson's father Joe arrives at court to hear opening statements in the case. pics/afp He claims to have given a 25 mg dose of the anaesthetic propofol to the singer on June 25, 2009, the Los Angeles court heard. It was among several substances Murray gave Jackson, to help him go to sleep. But after administering the dose he made five calls -- to friends and businesses -- as the drugs took deadly effect, the involuntary manslaughter trial was told. A log of calls and e-mails revealed Murray even messaged insurers, insisting the 50-year-old star's health was fine. His first call after dosing Michael with propofol at his home was at 11.07am, to someone called Stacey Ruggles, jurors heard. Then at 11.13 am he made a 32-minute call to his Las Vegas business. At 11.26 am, on another phone, he was in contact with friend Bridgette Morgan. There was a call to Robert Russell at 11.49 am. Then came a dramatic conversation at 11.51 am with Sade, who Murray had met in Houston. Prince Michael to testify Michael Jackson's eldest son, Prince Michael who was an eyewitness to the death of his father, is believed to be reluctant to testify but has indicated that he is willing to do what needs to be done to get justice for his father. Five minutes into that call he is said to have found his boss dead. Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told the jury, "This 11.51 am phone call is likely the time Conrad Murray first noticed Michael Jackson's lifeless body. It won't reveal to you the time of Michael Jackson's death but it may reveal to you when Conrad Murray first noticed he had died." The court heard that Murray then called Jackson's personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams. He left a message, saying, "Call me right away, please call me right away, thank you." Murray told Alvarez to call an ambulance but Michael was already dead when they arrived. Murray also allegedly failed to tell paramedics and hospital doctors that he had administered propofol. Murray allegedly told cops he had been watching his boss but went to the bathroom and was then "stunned" to find him not breathing. He had also told paramedics he had only "been down a minute". Walgren said, "The medical experts will tell you that is abandonment. This was an extreme violation of the standard care and gross negligence. Conrad Murray was not working in the best interests of Michael Jackson. He was working for 150,000 dollars a month."
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| Google under fire for 'Is Your Son Gay?' app Posted: A new Google smartphone app that helps parents work out if their son is homosexual has been met with hostility. The Android program, called 'Is Your Son Gay?', aims to provide an answer to what it calls 'the question you have been asking for perhaps too long'. However, one gay-rights groups reacted with fury, brandishing the app 'ridiculous and horrifying'. To receive a verdict, parents are asked 20 questions, including 'does he like to dress well?', 'does he like football?', 'does he like musical comedies?' and 'does he like Madonna?' Once the quiz is completed parents receive one of two answers, 'You have nothing to worry about, your son is not gay. You have a very good chance of being a grandmother with all the joys that brings.' Or it informs parents: 'Your son is gay. Accept it and know it's not his choice.' The French developer of the app, according to reports, insists that the concept is a humorous one. However, Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network in the US denounced the app. She said, "The questions in this app are horrendous stereotypes that would be completely laughable if they weren't so dangerous. The implication, one, is that there is one way to be if you're gay and, two, that there's sort of blame to attach to parents." Meanwhile, psychologist Alan Hilfer told the network that the app is no substitute for having a heart-to-heart talk about sexuality.
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| Saudi woman to be lashed for driving Posted: A Saudi woman has been sentenced to 10 lashes for challenging a ban on women driving. Amnesty International reported the sentence just two days after Saudi King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and stand for municipal elections. "Flogging is a cruel punishment in all circumstances but it beggars belief that the authorities in Saudi Arabia have imposed lashes on a woman apparently for merely driving a car", Philip Luther, an Amnesty regional deputy director, said in an e-mailed statement.  representation pic "Allowing women to vote in council elections is all well and good, but if they are still going to face being flogged for trying to exercise their right to freedom of movement, then the king's much trumpeted 'reforms' actually amount to very little," Luther said. Najla Hariri, one of the women facing charges said, "They called me in for questioning on a charge of challenging the monarch on Sunday... I signed a pledge not to drive again, although my driving was a result of necessity not an act of defiance." Under Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic laws, women require a male guardian's permission to work, travel abroad or undergo certain types of surgery. There is no law banning women from driving, but there is a law requiring citizens to use locally issued licences while in the country. Such licences are not issued to women, making it effectively illegal for them to drive. "I am very upset and disturbed... I believe that this is a message which intends to tell women that they will not get all their demands," said Naila Attar, an activist. "We are now working on a petition to the king. We are asking him to stop the lashing order," she said.
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| Pet dog sniffs out breast cancer, saves owner's life Posted: A woman in UK has credited her faithful pet spaniel for saving her life from breast cancer. Brenda Jones, of Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, has revealed how her five-year-old spaniel, called Mrs Murphy, behaved strangely for a week before pawing at her left breast, causing her to jump up in pain. The 47-year-old a mother of two examined the spot and discovered a strange lump. She went to her GP the following day and was diagnosed with a grade three tumour in her breast. Brenda was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery and is now undergoing a course of chemotherapy. She now believes her dog saved her life. "She was sitting on my lap all the time, something she didn't normally do. I'm convinced she sensed I had a tumour," the Daily Star quoted her as saying. "Without her pawing me that day it would have gone undiagnosed," she added.
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