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US: Pfc. Manning to be transferred to Army prison


NBC News
Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:16 UTC
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© EPAArmy Pfc. Bradley Manning, in an undated file photo.
Washington - Under increasing public pressure and facing accusations of prisoner abuse, the Pentagon said Tuesday that it will transfer the soldier suspected of leaking secret documents to the Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The change for Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, which could come as early as Wednesday, sources told NBC News, could include a dramatic shift in the conditions of his confinement.

Manning was held in maximum security at the Marine Corps brig Quantico, Va., for more than eight months where he spent 23 hours a day and ate all his meals in an isolated cell, was permitted no contact with other prisoners, and was forced to wear chains and leg irons any time he was moved. He also was often forced to strip naked at night and stand nude in his cell for early morning inspection.

The Marines claim they took his clothes to prevent him from injuring himself. Military and Pentagon officials insist the action was punishment for what the Marines considered disrespect from Manning. Such tactics for disciplinary reasons are against military regulations.
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Bug

US: Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup Workers Report Mysterious Illnesses Year After Disaster

Joanna Zelman
Huffington Post
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:16 UTC
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© AP

As the one-year anniversary of the BP oil spill approaches, some scientists have deemed the health of the Gulf of Mexico as "nearly back to normal," though countless workers involved in cleaning up the aftermath of the disaster are reporting mysterious and unexplained illnesses.

The Associated Press reports that scientists have graded the Gulf's ecosystem health now as just a few points below where it was before the spill. Granted, the scientists go on to voice concern for the mysterious deaths of hundreds of young dolphins and turtles, dead patches of sea floor, and stained crabs.

Jane Lubchenco, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, the Gulf is "much better than people feared, but the jury is out about what the end result will be."
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Vader

New Jersey, US: Anger rises after Camden officer fires 33 rounds- kills dog

Shruti Mathur Desai
CourierPostOnlinel.com
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:32 UTC
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© Denise Henhoeffer/Courier-PostOn Sunday, April 17, 2011, Terrell Aycox, 13, Hydir Moore, 11, and Keayrah Johnson, 10, watch Tyreek Jones, 11, sign a memorial for Kapone, an 8-month-old pit bull shot and killed by Camden Police Friday night on Lemuil Avenue in Camden. Residents say 33 rounds were fired by police in the area, hitting not only the pit bull, but also homes and cars.

Camden - Neighbors are seeking an apology from Camden police after a Friday night incident in which they say a dog was shot by officers who were carelessly firing on a street crowded with children.

The dog was killed around 9 p.m. Friday after officers responded to calls of a fight between teenagers in the Baldwin Run neighborhood of the city's Rosedale section.

But neighbors are also concerned by what they said is an excessive use of force after bullet holes were found sprayed around the neighborhood. Shots went through through the walls and windows of a home four houses away and punched holes in several vehicles parked in nearby driveways.
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Stop

World Bank President: 'One Shock Away From Crisis'


BBC News
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:56 UTC
The president of the World Bank has warned that the world is "one shock away from a full-blown crisis".

Robert Zoellick cited rising food prices as the main threat to poor nations who risk "losing a generation".

He was speaking in Washington at the end of the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Meanwhile, G20 finance chiefs, who also met in Washington, pledged financial support to help new governments in the Middle East and North Africa.

Mr Zoellick said such support was vital.

"The crisis in the Middle East and North Africa underscores how we need to put the conclusions from our latest world development report into practice. The report highlighted the importance of citizen security, justice and jobs," he said.

He also called for the World Bank to act quickly to support reforms in the region.
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Black Cat

Psychopath at Miami's Fontainebleau? US: ABC's Dan Abrams On Stunning Details In The Mysterious Case Of The Murdered Hotel Heir

Matt Schneider
Mediaite
Sun, 10 Apr 2011 02:00 UTC
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© Unknown
The family behind Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Hotel has experienced a horrific ordeal that seems like a plot from CSI: Miami. Good Morning America reported on the story of Narcy Novack, accused of killing her husband Ben Novack Jr. and of conspiring to kill her mother-in-law Bernice Novak, all in an effort, according to the FBI, to claim her millionaire husband's estate. Mediaite founder and ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams appeared with Cynthia McFadden to discuss the disturbing details of the case.

A relative of the victims said about Narcy, the alleged killer, "I want her to experience pain, I want her to experience everything that lock up and jail would give her." In addition to the two deaths, court papers also allege Narcy may have been so deranged that she tried to bribe a potential witness to frame her own daughter for the killing, and then tried to have the witness killed.
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Attention

US: Texas rape bill opens door to prior conduct

Patricia Kilday Hart & Brian Rogers
Chron, Huston and Texas News
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:45 UTC
Judge would decide if jury could hear previous uncharged allegations

In what critics say could be a "seismic change" in state criminal law, the Texas Senate tentatively approved a bill that would allow jurors in sexual assault cases to hear testimony about similar allegations against a defendant - even if the previous incident did not result in a conviction or even criminal charges.

The bill by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, would allow the introduction of testimony about allegations of other sexual assaults to be admitted during the guilt or innocence phase of a trial if a judge - outside the presence of the jury - hears the evidence and deems it relevant.

The bill gives "greater resources to prosecutors and victims of sexual assault," Huffman said Monday. Allowing testimony of similar sex offenses "brings Texas closer in line with federal rules of evidence," she added.

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, opposed the bill, arguing the measure would bring about "more wrongful convictions" because jurors will be afraid to acquit a defendant against whom they have heard multiple allegations. Jurors who are skeptical of the evidence of the case before them could feel compelled to convict "because he (the defendant) must have done something wrong," West said.
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Document

US: Arizona Gov. Brewer Vetoes Bill to Allow Guns on Public College Campuses


Fox News
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00 UTC
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© The Associated PressArizona Gov. Jan Brewer, seen in this 2010 file photo, has vetoed a bill that would have allowed guns on public college campuses.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill Monday that would have allowed guns on parts of public college campuses, a bill that she said likely faced a legal challenge.

"The bill was just poorly, sloppily written" Brewer told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren. "The legislation should have been crystal clear."

Brewer said in a written statement announcing the veto that the bill didn't adequately define the "public right of way" where guns could be carried on public university and community college campuses, and gun laws must be "crystal clear so that gun owners don't become lawbreakers by accident."

She also warned that the bill could have mistakenly included K-12 schools, "where federal and state laws generally prohibit weapons."

"While I support thoughtful expansion of where firearms should be allowed, the actual legislation that does so must be unambiguous and clear to protect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. Senate Bill 1467 is neither," she said in the written statement.
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Clock

South Africa: Man 'died after wandering into crocodile waters'


Telegraph.com
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:49 UTC
A farm worker may have deliberately waded into a crocodile-infested river after a domestic row according to police in South Africa.
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© AlamyA crocodile in Kruger National Park.
David Lubisi, 40, was eaten alive after he entered the Lepelle river following an argument with his girlfriend, detectives believe.

The father-of-three has not been seen for more than a week after allegedly telling a colleague about his plan on April 7.

"Our investigations have revealed that at around 7pm on April 7 he told a co-worker he wanted to walk into the river, which he knew to be infested with crocodiles," said Sergeant Malesela Makgopa.

"He was last seen heading towards the water and never turned up after that.

"We believe he may have been having domestic problems with his girlfriend ."
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Alarm Clock

US: Unwitting Audience Clap and Cheer as Teenager Stabs Himself to Death on Stage at Open Mic Night

Daniel Bates
The Daily Mail
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:41 UTC
A troubled 19-year-old stabbed himself to death on stage at an open mic night after playing a song called "Sorry For All the Mess."

Kipp Rusty Walker repeatedly plunged the six-inch blade into his chest as the audience clapped and cheered in the mistaken belief it was piece of performance art.

But when he collapsed in a pool of his own blood they started screaming in horror and rushed to help him, but his wounds were too severe and he died soon after.

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© KTVZ.comPublic suicide: Kipp Rusty Walker, who killed himself after playing a number on the keyboards at an open mic event in Bend, Oregon.
The bizarre suicide has left the community of Bend in Oregon stunned and wondering why he would end his life in such a public way.

But questions will be asked of mental health authorities after it emerged that Walker had told friends of his plan and had threatened to kill himself before.

On that occasion he had been taken in for treatment but was released back into the community.
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Arrow Down

US: Teenage girl survives plunge from Golden Gate Bridge


CNN
Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:23 UTC
Golden Gate Bridge
© Jeff King/CNNMore than 1,300 people have been killed jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge since the 1930s.
A 16-year-old girl survived a plunge from the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay on Sunday, according to local media reports.

The girl either jumped or fell from midspan of the bridge, about a 220-foot fall to the water below, CNN affiliate KGO reported, citing a fire department dispatcher. The girl was conscious when pulled from the water, the Coast Guard told KGO. She was taken to Marin General Hospital.

It was the second time in two months a teenager plunged from the span and survived.
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