Society's ChildS


Bizarro Earth

U.S. pastor says he will put Mohammed 'on trial' next as NATO chief condemns Koran burning for starting riots

  • Killings in Kandahar follow UN attack that left up to 20 dead and 83 wounded
  • Taliban claims responsibility for UN attack
  • Hamid Karzai calls for U.S. congress to condemn controversial pastor
  • General Petraeus condemns pastor Terry Jones
  • Demonstrations against the burnings take place across the Middle East
  • President Obama appeals for calm and condemns Koran burning as an 'act of bigotry' - but does not mention Florida pastor
  • Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish and Nepalese nationals among those killed
Despite clear evidence that his actions have led to multiple murders and widespread violence in the Middle East, controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones has vowed to step up his provocative campaign against Islam.

The radical pastor said that he was considering putting Islamic prophet Mohammed 'on trial' for his next 'day of judgement' publicity stunt.

His last, in which he oversaw the burning of a copy of the Koran after a six-hour mock trial, has been directly responsible for a wave of violence that began last night and has left 30 people dead and more than 150 injured.
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© ReutersDon't blame me: Florida Pastor Terry Jones in his office at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. He says his Koran-burning stunt was meant to be provocative

Ambulance

Congo: Fatal UN plane crash at Kinshasa airport

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© unknown
At least 26 people were killed when a United Nations plane crashed on landing in heavy rain at Kinshasa airport Monday, a Congolese aviation offical said. The plane was operated by the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Monusco.

A U.N. plane carrying staff members and peacekeepers crashed Monday upon landing at the airport in Congo's capital, breaking into pieces and killing at least 26 people, a top Congolese aviation official said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and six other people were injured in the crash.

"A crisis task force is working at the crash site," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

Info

US: Bloody pig's foot sent to Rep. Peter King

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© Getty ImagesUS Republican Representative Peter King of New York, Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, arrives for the first in a series of hearings on radicalization in the American Muslim community on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 10, 2011.
Authorities intercepted a parcel this morning addressed to Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) containing a bloody pig's foot and a derogatory message, a source has confirmed to CBS News.

The parcel was intercepted at the Congressional mail facility in Landover, Maryland, where mail sent to lawmakers is screened for security risks.

The U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Postal Service confirmed that there is an open investigation, though would not confirm the details of what was contained in the parcel because the investigation is ongoing. King's office, which did not see the parcel, referred all questions to the Capitol Police.

According to the Postal Service, a hazardous materials response team tested the parcel and found it to be non-hazardous.

Last month, King held hearings on radicalization in the Muslim-American community that critics suggested unfairly targeted Muslims, though it's not known whether this incident is related to those hearings. Muslims are forbidden from eating pork products.

Binoculars

US: More Human Remains Found In Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Probe

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© Chopper 2 HDAuthorities look for remains near Gilgo Beach on April 4, 2011.
Situation Serious On Long Island As Victims List Grows To 8

Gilgo Beach, N.Y. - There was yet another chilling discovery on Long Island on Monday.

Chopper 2 HD was over Gilgo Beach where police searching for victims of a serial killer found the remains of three more people, bringing the total to eight, reports CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan.

It was a stunning and disturbing development - the remains were discovered along Ocean Parkway, bringing the total to eight. Police now suspect a possible serial killer.

Through dense poison ivy bramble and tick-infested undergrowth a phalanx of Suffolk County investigators intensified the search for the missing New Jersey woman, 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert of Jersey City, and what they found was almost beyond comprehension.

"I'd like to report at this time that we found human remains, three human remains so far in the area between Oak Beach and Gilgo Beach," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said.

Brick Wall

US Feds seek $7M in privately made 'Liberty Dollars'

von NotHaus Liberty Dollars
© Unknownvon NotHaus "Liberty Dollars"
Federal prosecutors on Monday tried to take a hoard of silver "Liberty Dollars" worth about $7 million that authorities say was invented by an Indiana man to compete with U.S. currency.

Bernard von NotHaus, 67, was convicted last month in federal court in Statesville on conspiracy and counterfeiting charges for making and selling the currency, which he promoted as inflation-proof competition for the U.S. dollar.

His Charlotte-based lawyer, Aaron Michel, is appealing that verdict. He wrote in a motion filed Thursday that von NotHaus did nothing wrong because he didn't try to pass the Liberty Dollars off as U.S. dollars.

"The prosecutors successfully painted Mr. von NotHaus in a false light and now the U.S. Attorney responsible for the prosecution is painting the case in a false light, saying that it establishes that private voluntary barter currency is illegal," Michel wrote.

The trial was scheduled to resume Monday in Statesville. The case involves more than five tons of Liberty Dollars and precious metals seized from a warehouse, which the government wants to take by forfeiture, according to federal prosecutors and Michel.

Heart - Black

Japan: Mom Kills Daughter for Disturbing Her Gaming

A very sad story that we only wish was an April Fool's Day prank.

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© UnknownThe mother of Shizuku Tanaka
A very sad and tragic story from the Nikkei tells of the murder of a three-year-old girl, Shizuku Tanaka, by the hands of her mother.

"Shizuku was being fussy and noisy while we were gaming," said her mother, 26-year-old Yui Tanaka, according to the Nikkei.

Yui Tanaka said that her daughter also put their gaming machines and other valuables in the garbage. "Even when we scolded her, she didn't listen, so we put her in a bag."

The mother and her 20-year-old live-in boyfriend taped little Shizuku's hands and feet before putting her in garbage bag. The autopsy report said that the girl died from suffocation. The pair admitted their actions, but said that they didn't intend to kill the girl.

Kotaku pointed to other reports characterizing Yui Tanaka as a "demon mother." She supposedly also wrote online, "Even if this kid died, I wouldn't cry."

The couple is now in police custody.

Attention

Libya warns of disaster if 'Great Man-Made River' hit

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© Unknown
Libya warned on Sunday that NATO-led air strikes could cause a "human and environmental disaster" if they damaged the country's massive Great Man-Made River (GMMR) project.

Built at a cost of 33 billion dollars, the GMMR extracts water from deep beneath the Sahara desert at a depth of between 500 and 800 metres (1,600 to 2,500 feet), purifies it and transports it to the coastal cities of the north where most of the population is concentrated.

Engineer and project manager Abdelmajid Gahoud told foreign journalists in the ultra-modern control centre on the outskirts of Tripoli, that a "human and environmental disaster" was on the cards if the GMMR was hit.

Arrow Down

U.N. plane crashes in Congo, 10 dead: U.N. source

A United Nations plane crashed while attempting to land at the airport serving Congo's capital Kinshasa on Monday, killing 10 people and injuring 16, a UN source told Reuters.

"The plane landed heavily, broke into two and caught fire," the source said, asking not to be named.

The plane was coming from Goma in the east, the source said.

Stormtrooper

Yemen forces shoot 15 protesters dead

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Protesters carry an injured protester during clashes with police in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz on April 3.
Yemeni security forces have shot dead fifteen protesters and wounded 30 more in a new wave of protests in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz.

Witnesses said that Yemeni soldiers on Monday opened fire at tens of thousands of protesters demanding the ouster of decades-long President Ali Abdullah Saleh, AFP reported.

"Tens of thousands of demonstrators were marching on the governorate headquarters in Taiz," they said.

Bloody clashes in the city entered its second day after security forces clashed with anti-government protesters.

On Sunday, Yemeni security forces reportedly killed two demonstrators and injured more than 1,000 demonstrators during a crackdown on anti-government protesters in Taiz.

Witnesses also said that armed men in civilian clothes opened fire on protesters in the port city of Hudaida. There was no immediate word on casualties there.

Pistol

Ivory Coast president on brink as top general deserts

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© ISSOUF SANOGO/AFPIvory Coast's main city of Abidjan saw forces loyal to Gbagbo patrolling as rebel forces approached.
Laurent Gbagbo faces bloody overthrow as he loses general and rebels advance on main city of Abidjan

Ivory Coast's president, Laurent Gbagbo, faces being overthrown after his top general deserted him and rebel forces advanced into Abidjan, his seat of power.

Heavy weapons and machine gun fire were heard in the centre of Ivory Coast's main city. French troops were deployed as the four-month political crisis appeared to near its endgame, with the opposition claiming Gbagbo had only hours left in power.

Presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara's government ordered the closure of Ivory Coast's land, air and sea borders, Reuters said.