Mid Day International News |
- Free from Taliban captors, journalist thanks Twitter
- Indonesian maid jailed for mixing urine in baby's milk
- Britain's youngest female double murderer jailed for life
- MJ love child bid thrown out of court
- Lover kills woman for taking another man's name during sex
- Islam will sooner or later dominate Europe: Italian priest
- Love-rat Wayne Rooney 'destroyed wife's second baby plan'
- Burglar sent penis pictures from stolen phones
- Plan to burn Quran 'un-American', says US
- World's smallest man clings to short-lived title
- Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton to make it regal
| Free from Taliban captors, journalist thanks Twitter Posted: Japanese journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka has said that if there was anything that saved him from being killed by his Taliban captors, it was his familiarity with the social networking site Twitter. Recalling his harrowing experience in Taliban captivity, Tsuneko said that back in late June, circumstances looked bleak for him. He was on the brink of death, despite the militants keeping rations high and violence low. But, according to The Times, good fortune was on Tsuneoka's side. After surviving those near-death fears, he learned that his Taliban abductors had an affinity for technology, including a host of junior members craving cell-phone access to Al-Jazeera. That's when Tsuneoka made a life-saving suggestion. The journalist converted his camp of captors to Twitter, using it as a nexus to inform the rest of the world that he was alive. Days later, he was released. Tsuneoka's Muslim faith was also a factor in his unharmed return to Japan. He stood freely before the Japanese media on Tuesday, quipping about his 140-characters-or-less treachery. "I'm sure they never thought they were tricked," he said in Tokyo.
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| Indonesian maid jailed for mixing urine in baby's milk Posted: An Indonesian maid who mixed her own urine with the formula milk she fed to a Hong Kong infant she was looking after has been jailed, a report said on Wednesday. The maid, 24-year-old Purwanti, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, added her own urine to the formula milk because of a traditional rural Indonesian belief that it makes a baby more obedient and closer to the caretaker, a court was told. Purwanti pleaded guilty to a charge of administering a noxious substance with intent to injure and was jailed for a month by Hong Kong's Eastern Court Tuesday, the South China Morning Post reported. She was arrested in February after her employer noticed a yellow colour and strange odour in the drink. The baby had already drunk 130 milliliters of the formula, the court heard. Purwanti confessed to adding her urine to the water but her lawyer argued she had not intended to harm the baby and was simply following a rural Indonesian custom. The baby was unharmed, the report said. More than 130,000 Indonesian women are employed as live-in domestic helpers in Hong Kong, earning a government-set minimum wage equivalent to around $460 a month. A support group for Indonesian helpers told the Hong Kong Standard newspaper it was aware of the rural belief concerning urine and would issue a circular telling maids not to do it in Hong Kong.
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| Britain's youngest female double murderer jailed for life Posted: A school girl, who became Britain's youngest female double murderer after killing her father and a woman when she was just 15, was on Wednesday awarded life sentence for the crime. She was convicted of taking part with 41-year-old Paul Clarke in the murders of Desmond Thorpe and Rosalyn Hunt, the Daily Mail reported. Hunt, 41, was beaten to death in Ipswich town over several days, with the girl responsible for kicking, punching and stamping on her head. Thorpe, 43, a "vulnerable" alcoholic, was smothered amid fears that he would tell the police about the first murder. The convict, now 16, of Clapgate Lane, Ipswich, was told she must serve at least 14 years behind bars as she was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court. A judge said the convict had been brought up "with no real understanding of what is right and what is wrong". Justice Saunders said she could be "manipulative" and was not acting entirely under Clarke's control, adding: "She found violence funny and entertaining." Clarke has already been jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years. The teenage girl became Britain's youngest convicted female double murderer after the pair's trial at the court, which ended last month.
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| MJ love child bid thrown out of court Posted: An alleged love child of Michael Jackson will never be able to prove that the King of Pop was her father as a judge has shut her down. Mocienne Petit Jackson filed documents back in July - claiming she's the love child created by Michael and Diana Ross' sister, Dr Barbara Ross-Lee - asking for a court-ordered DNA test, reports TMZ.com. An LA County Superior Court judge just ruled saying a DNA test is not in the cards. Mocienne also wanted custody of MJ's kids and a cut of the inheritance - but those claims also went down in flames.
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| Lover kills woman for taking another man's name during sex Posted: A woman in Britain was stabbed and then throttled to death by her lover after she cried out another man's name while they were having sex. Gary Higgs, who was the live-in lover of Joanne Kitchen, stabbed her to death. Higgs was enraged after Kitchen suddenly cried out: "Chris!" when they were having sex, Daily Mail reported Wednesday. He went downstairs, picked up a knife and twice stabbed Kitchen. He then throttled her to death with the electrical flex of their alarm clock. Higgs told police: "I asked her why she said `Chris', but she said she must have been thinking about her daughter's boyfriend Chris." Manchester Crown Court was told that Chris had been at the house the day before. The incident took place early one morning in April this year at the house in Radcliffe, near Bury. Higgs added: "It didn't make any sense to me and I was getting more angry. Why was she thinking about her daughter's boyfriend when we were having sex?" "I couldn't get things out of my mind. I didn't know exactly what I was thinking. I picked the knife up and carried it upstairs to the bedroom. I don't remember thinking I wanted to harm Jo at this time. I was just so mad." He told investigators that when he stabbed Kitchen, she told him: "You've killed me." Higgs was Monday jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum of 15 years. The couple had moved in together after talking on Facebook. Judge Andrew Gilbart said that their relationship had been overcome by financial tensions. "Those tensions can lead to mistrust and sexual jealousy. It seems you were overcome by your view that she could still be interested sexually in others and be as readily welcoming to conduct an affair with others as she had been with you," the judge said. "There is no evidence of that whatsoever, but even if there were, it cannot justify what you did. In my judgment, this is a case of an unreasonably possessive man killing his lover in a rage."
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| Islam will sooner or later dominate Europe: Italian priest Posted: Christians in Europe must have more children or else the continent would become Islamised, said a Vatican official who predicted that Islam would "sooner rather than later conquer the majority in Europe". Italian Father Piero Gheddo said the poor birth rate among Europeans coupled with waves of Muslim immigrants could lead to Europe getting dominated by Islam. "The challenge must be taken seriously," Daily Telegraph Tuesday quoted Father Gheddo of the Vatican's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions as saying. He said: "Certainly from a demographic point of view, as it is clear to everyone that Italians are decreasing by 120,000 or 130,000 persons a year because of abortion and broken families - while among the more than 200,000 legal immigrants a year in Italy, more than half are Muslims and Muslim families, which have a much higher level of growth." "Newspapers and television programmes never speak of this. However, an answer must be given above all in the religious and cultural fields and in the area of identity." The official held Christians responsible for failing to live up to their own beliefs that led to the creation of a "religious vacuum" being filled by Islam. He said Islam would "sooner rather than later conquer the majority in Europe". "The fact is that, as a people, we are becoming ever more pagan and the religious vacuum is inevitably filled by other proposals and religious forces." Gheddo went on to say that Christians were also making themselves vulnerable to secularists' attacks. He stated that when "religious practice diminishes in Christian Europe and indifference spreads, Christianity and the Church are attacked". "If we consider ourselves a Christian country, we should return to the practice of Christian life, which would also solve the problem of empty cradles." A few months back, a Czech cardinal had also blamed lapsed Catholics for Europe's Islamisation. Cardinal Miloslav Vlk had said Muslims were well placed to fill the spiritual void "created as Europeans systematically empty the Christian content of their lives". He said that in case Christians didn't wake up to the threat they would one day realise that they don't have the strength to make their mark on society.
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| Love-rat Wayne Rooney 'destroyed wife's second baby plan' Posted: Shattered Coleen Rooney is said to have admitted that cheating husband Wayne Rooney's romp with a hooker has ruined her dream of their second child. They had decided to begin trying for a brother or sister for 10-month-old son Kai - and Coleen confided in friends that she hoped to be pregnant by Christmas. But she has sobbed to one pal: "Now he's ruined everything." The friend said Coleen had been horrified that the hooker revelations came just as she and Rooney were planning an addition to the family. "It came completely out of the blue and knocked her sideways. As far as she knew, they were really happy and had just decided to try for another baby," the Sun quoted a pal as saying.
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| Burglar sent penis pictures from stolen phones Posted: A serial burglar in Australia photographed his penis with mobile phones he stole and sent the images to some of the owners' friends, including teenage girls, police said. Shane Anthony Willis sent the photos via MMS to innocent and horrified victims, The Age reported Wednesday. Willis, 33, pleaded guilty to more than 60 charges that included aggravated burglary and theft. One of the Willis' victims, a student at a Melbourne private school, was reported to a teacher after his friend received such an image. Melbourne magistrate's court heard Tuesday the student, 17, was further humiliated and embarrassed when he learnt others were sent the photo. When asked about the MMS, Willis told police: "I've been off me head for a while ... so ... on drugs, so I couldn't tell you what I've done." He admitted he had been "running amok" and doing "stupid things". Willis, who was arrested in April, consented to police taking photos of his penis, the report said. His brazen burglaries and thefts netted him property valued at more than $83,000. Magistrate Donna Bakos remanded him in custody for a plea hearing in the county court in November.
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| Plan to burn Quran 'un-American', says US Posted: The Obama administration has said the decision by a Florida Pastor to burn the holy Quran on September 11 is 'un-American' and warned that such actions could endanger US' interests in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Hoping that the Florida Pastor would not commit the act which he had announced, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US is aware of the adverse implication this would have on Americans overseas civilians, diplomats and military. "We think that these are provocative acts, they are disrespectful, they're intolerant, they're divisive, and we're conscious that a number of voices have come out and rejected what this pastor and this community have proposed. We would like to see more Americans stand up and say that this is inconsistent with our American values. In fact, these actions themselves are un-American," Crowley said. "The pastor says that he's contemplating these actions to combat radicalism. In fact, these actions, if they take place we hope they don t will actually feed radicalism," he said. At the same time, Crowley said, people around the world need to also understand that America is not represented by one pastor or his 50 followers. "We are a nation of 300 million people. The vast majority of Americans are standing up this week and saying that these contemplative actions are inappropriate, they re abhorrent, and this should not happen," he said. General David Petraeus, Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has said that such as act potentially put soldiers at risk. "For any American who is travelling, any diplomat in posts around the world, these actions, whatever their motivation, potentially put American interest and American lives at risk," Crowley said. "This is a divisive potential act of disrespect of one of the world s great religions. And while we support and those of us are who are constitutionally charged to defend our freedoms, including freedom of expression, this is an action that has potential serious ramifications. It is a statement of intolerance that we believe is contrary to our values and how we conduct ourselves day in and day out here in the United States of America," he said. Arguing that burning the Holy Quran is inconsistent with the values of religious tolerance and religious freedom that are innate to Americans, he said there are far better ways to commemorate 9/11 and the religious bigotry that that event represents than to commit yet another act of what he would consider to be religious radicalism. The State Department spokesman said the proposed act to burn the Holy Quran by a Florida Pastor has the potential to inflame public opinion around the world in a way that will jeopardize American lives and American interests. "It does not represent our core values as Americans. We hope it does not happen. We hope that between now and Saturday, there will be a range of voices across America that make clear to this community that this is not the way for us to commemorate 9/11. In fact, it is consistent with the radicals and with those bigots who attacked us on 9/11," he said. "We are hopeful, between now and Saturday, that a range of voices, whether they re political figures, religious figures, others, can rise and convince this community that there are better ways of commemorating 9/11 than through this action," he said. "If this community goes ahead with this proposed event on Saturday, we would hope that the rest of the world will judge us not by the actions of one pastor or 50 followers, but judge us by a tradition that goes back to our founding," he argued. The US did not indict entire countries or an entire religion over the actions of 9/11, and it would hope that the rest of the world does not indict the United States for the actions of one fringe element in Florida, he noted.
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| World's smallest man clings to short-lived title Posted: It was only this week that Colombia's pint-sized Edward Nino was on top of the world, named the Guinness Book's smallest man on the planet. Now a tiny Nepalese teen is about to torpedo his low-rise glory. Nino, 24, stands 70.21 cm (27.64 in) small, and lives at home with his mother in a humble house on Bogota's south end. His ambitions are anything but humble; Nino dreams of travelling to India, Japan, China, the United States and Spain, and of making it big as an actor. President Juan Manuel Santos has invited him to a meeting at the presidential palace tomorrow - perhaps the high point of his 15 minutes of fame. The looming rub is that next month Nepal's Khagendra Thapa Magar, who at 56 centimetres (22 inches) is more than 14 cm (5.50 in) shorter, turns 18. That means he will knock Nino out of the top spot as tiniest man. Nino has a 90-cm (35.4 inch)-long bed, and bathes in a tiny specially-made shower. He is soft-spoken, but likes being a natty dresser, though he also has to have his clothes specially made. He has a suit and tie for when he meets with journalists. And he likes ladies average-sized, like his girlfriend Fanny, who is 1.6 m (5.25-ft) tall. "I like brunettes, a little curvy," said the fleeting title-holder, who also likes to dance, has worked as a spokes model for shoe companies and acts in his own TV series.
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| Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton to make it regal Posted: Britain is agog over new reports that Prince William, the world's most eligible bachelor, will marry his longtime girl friend, Kate Middleton, next summer at Westminster Abbey. "A date has been earmarked for a royal wedding next year," a senior Abbey source said, adding that while the timing is tentative, the palace is talking about the second week in August. One of William's distant relations, German Prince Julius Eduard von Anhalt, said last month that the couple will announce their engagement this fall and tie the knot in July. William, who once said he'd never marry "until I'm at least 28," has been the focus of renewed speculation since he reached that age in June. The prince and Middleton, also 28, have been a couple for seven years, since they were students at St Andrews University, but his reluctance to set a wedding date has earned her the nickname Waity Katie. Royal-watchers have suggested that the couple may choose August 31, to honour his mother, Princess Diana, who died on that date at age 36 in 1997. Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey. William's grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, reportedly discussed marriage arrangements in May when they visited the Abbey -- where their own marriage ceremony was performed in 1947. William's parents, Diana and Prince Charles, were married in St Paul's Cathedral but William is believed to have vetoed that venue. There had been reports earlier this year that William and Kate would wed this summer while he was in training to become an RAF search-and-rescue pilot. He is expected to be spending more time on a British base in coming months. A friend of the couple told said, "To be honest, next summer would be perfect. It's pretty much impossible for them to marry in 2012 due to the [Queen's Diamond] Jubilee and the London Olympics, which means that unless they take the plunge next year, Kate would have to wait until 2013 to walk down the aisle. "She has been very patient so far, but I think that is asking rather too much -- even of her," the friend said. "Kate will be allowed to spend the first few years of married life as an officer's wife, rather than a full-time royal." Britons have closely watched the William-Kate romance for years, including their breakup during a vacation in Switzerland in 2007 and reconciliation some months later. Officially, the palace isn't confirming any of the wedding reports. "The only two people who know anything about their future plans are Prince William and Kate Middleton," a spokesman said.
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