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Showing posts from May 10, 2013

Grandson of Malcolm X killed in Mexico

The grandson of civil rights activist Malcolm X, Malcolm Shabazz, died in a Mexico City hospital after suffering an apparent beating, police told CNN. Prosecutors are investigating the death as a homicide, police spokesman Octavio Campos said. Police were called to the scene of an injured man at 3:30 a.m. Thursday one block south of Plaza Garibaldi, a rough but famous patch of Mexico City known for its mariachis. Shabazz appeared to have been beaten, but had no wounds from other weapons, Campos said. The 29-year-old was transported to Mexico City's Balbuena General Hospital, where he died later Thursday morning because of his injuries, he said. The prosecutor's office said in a statement that Shabazz had been at "a place of recreation" and had been drinking beers that night. "To all who knew him, he offered kindness, encouragement and hope for a better tomorrow," the Shabazz family said in a statement Friday. "Although his bright light and boundless po

Family demands answers in teen's mysterious death

Bearing the loss of a child is unimaginable to most. What's even more unimaginable for the Johnsons of Valdosta, Georgia, is how their 17-year-old son died: by suffocating after falling headfirst into a rolled-up gym mat at his high school on January 11. "It felt unreal. You know I sent my child to school for an education and he did go to school one way and came back dead," his mother, Jacquelyn Johnson said. How could Kendrick Johnson, a three-sport athlete, fall into an upright mat while reaching for his shoe and not get out, as investigators said? It was an accident, police said, as there were no bruises on the body and no signs of foul play. But the bizarre circumstances didn't sit right with the family, even though they're not sure what happened to their son. The teen's parents, Kenneth and Jacquelyn, allege the local sheriff department did not follow protocol on the case, moving the body and mishandling evidence. They also believe the sheriff was too qu

To locals' surprise, Tamerlan Tsarnaev buried in Virginia cemetery

The body of one of the two men accused of pulling off the Boston Marathon attack has been buried in rural Virginia -- a development that local officials said caught them totally "off guard." Tamerlan Tsarnaev's remains were accepted "by an interfaith coalition in that community -- they responded to our calls," his uncle Ruslan Tsarni, of Maryland, told CNN. The body was buried in an unmarked grave in a Muslim cemetery in Doswell, Virginia, according to Tsarni. "My tradition was that of a Muslim, and I have that tradition of burial, and people helped me with that," he said in a phone interview. The death certificate released by Massachusetts authorities indicates that Tsarnaev, whose cause of death was listed as gunshot wounds and "blunt trauma to (his) head and torso," was interred at Al-Barzakh Muslim Cemetery in Doswell, which is about 25 minutes north of Richmond in a rural county of about 30,000 people. While the news came out Friday, Bu

Source: Russia withheld details about Tsarnaev

Russia withheld details from U.S. officials about suspicions of Boston Marathon bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011, information that could have altered the course authorities followed, a U.S. law enforcement official told CNN. The Wall Street Journal first reported Friday that while Russia did alert U.S. authorities about Tsarnaev's possible extremism, it kept out some facts, namely text messages referencing his desire to join a militant group. However, sources told the paper that the United States also likely would have withheld such details for fear of divulging intelligence sources and methods. In the texts, Tsarnaev wrote to his mother about his interest in joining the militant movement carrying out attacks against Russia in the Caucasus region, the law enforcement source told CNN. The Russians did not pass these texts on to American officials when they passed the original intelligence about Tsarnaev, the source said. The source was not clear on when those texts were e

New Jersey police: Gunman barricaded in house with 3 children

A gunman who had barricaded himself and three children in a home in Trenton, New Jersey, on Friday was communicating with police, but the standoff continued into the night, authorities said. "We have state police on the scene, a SWAT team and a hostage negotiator present," said Lt. Mark Kieffer of the Trenton police department. "We evacuated the surrounding blocks. And we're talking to him now." The situation began in the afternoon, police said, but it was not immediately clear how it started or how old the children are, or their relationship to the man.

Sandy Hook task force recommends demolition and rebuilding

To erase some of the emotional scars left behind from the December shooting massacre at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, an advisory board wants the building torn down and replaced. The Sandy Hook Task Force voted unanimously late Friday to recommend to the Newtown, Connecticut, board of education to build a new school on the site of the existing building. Adam Lanza burst into the Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012 armed with a semiautomatic Bushmaster .223 caliber rifle and two handguns. He opened fire killing 26 people, 20 of them children, before taking his own life. He had previously shot his mother, Nancy Lanza, to death in their home, police said. She was a gun enthusiast, who kept a collection of guns, including assault rifles, in a lock box in her basement. Adam Lanza had a gun safe in his room, an investigation revealed. The shooting reignited a national debate on gun control and the possibility of legal restrictions on assault rifles. Students from Sandy Hoo

CO2 levels hit new peak at key observatory

In some ways, it's just a number, but it's a big number with enormous implications. For the first time, scientists measured an average concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide of 400 parts per million in Mauna Loa, Hawaii, where the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observatory is located, on Thursday. "Most experts that really study CO2 amounts estimate that we haven't seen that amount of CO2 in our atmosphere in about 3 million years," said J. Marshall Shepherd, climate change expert and professor at the University of Georgia. In other words, modern humans have never seen carbon dioxide in these proportions before. Scientists say it's apparent that human activity -- namely burning coal, oil and natural gas -- has been driving a rapid rise of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide changes climate and drives acidification of the ocean. "Once emitted, it remains for the ocean atmosphere system for thousands of years, warm

DNA test shows captor fathered girl, Ohio AG's office says

By Michael Pearson , CNN updated 10:07 PM EDT, Fri May 10, 2013   (CNN) -- DNA tests confirm that Ariel Castro is the father of a 6-year-old girl born to one of the three women he is accused of keeping in captivity for more than a decade, the Ohio attorney general's office said Friday. Castro's DNA did not match that from any other open Ohio cases, according to Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the attorney general's office. National results are pending through the FBI, he said. Amanda Berry's 6-year-old daughter was among those rescued Monday when Berry escaped from the home where police say she had been held since Castro allegedly lured her into his car on April 21, 2003. Also freed: Michelle Knight, who disappeared in 2002, and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus, who vanished in 2004. Castro's mother: My son is sick Ohio victims detail life in captivity The man accused of abducting them spent Friday in a 9-by-9-foot northern Ohio

Pakistanis vote in landmark, unpredictable election

Despite a bloody campaign marred by Taliban attacks, Pakistan was holding historic elections Saturday pitting a former cricket star against a two-time prime minister once exiled by the army and an incumbent blamed for power blackouts and inflation. Polls opened Saturday morning across the nation in what is a closely watched race to determine the fate of this nuclear-armed country crucial to stability in the region. The vote marks the first time in Pakistan's 65-year history that a civilian government has completed its full term and handed over power in democratic elections. Previous governments have been toppled by military coups or sacked by presidents allied with the powerful army. Deadly violence struck again Friday, with a pair of bombings against election offices in northwest Pakistan that killed three people and a shooting that killed a candidate in the southern city of Karachi. More than 130 people have been killed in the run-up to the vote, mostly secular pa

Kidnap victim shuns family for not searching victim when she was kidnapped

Kidnap victim shuns family one of the Cleveland kidnap victims, has asked that her family not visit her at the hospital while she is recovering from 11 years of abuse and torture, according to WebProNews.com on May 10. Evidently, Michelle feels that her closest family and friends didn't even look for her when she went missing years ago. Knight, 32, disappeared in 2002 after a custody disagreement that involved her young son at that time. Her family figured that she has run off on her own. When Ariel Castro, the alleged kidnapper and rapist, let Knight and her fellow captors Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, watch TV, he teased them when it showed the candlelight vigils held in their honor. Knight's family never held any vigils, since they thought she has left on her own. A man shows page one of The Plain Dealer newspaper to a friend while people gather along Seymour Avenue near the house where three women, who disappeared as teens about a decade ago, were found alive

Wrigley pulls gum

Wrigley pulls gum : Wrigley will pull a caffeinated gum on the heels of an investigation announcement by the Food and Drug Administration, the company said Wednesday. Casey Keller, Wrigley's North American president said in a statement that the Chicago-based gum giant has "paused production, sales and marketing of Alert," a caffeinated product launched just last month, in an effort to "give the FDA time to develop a new regulatory framework for the addition of caffeine to food and drinks. Last week, the FDA announced an investigation into what effect additional caffeine consumption may have on children. "After discussions with the FDA, we have a greater appreciation for its concern about the proliferation of caffeine in the nation’s food supply," Keller said. "There is a need for changes in the regulatory framework to better guide the consumers and the industry about the appropriate level and use of caffeinated products." The world's largest g

Teacher fired over bikini photo

Teacher fired over bikini photo , A Florida teacher, fired over a bikini photo shoot, was planning to leave anyway. However, after the racy photos came to the attention of her school's principal, the moonlighting model was forced to resign. Ironically, her website now says the woman will pose in "TASTEFUL" nude photography for the "right projects," citing a May 7 Huffington Post report. Olivia Sprauer, 26, began work at a Martin County High School English in 2011. Recently, she decided to try her hand at modeling. Her moonlighting plans were short-lived when on April 29; the principal of her school called her into the office and inquired about a bikini photo. The teacher didn't deny the racy photo was her, the model known as Victoria V. James. The images shown on the Model Mayhem website show the teacher-turned bikini model fully clothed, but in some images, they leave little to the imagination. The teacher knew she could be fired over bikini photo modeli

Rodman rips Obama

Rodman rips Obama : A recent trip to Communist North Korea and getting cozy with the Supreme Leader has Dennis Rodman now passing judgment on U.S. foreign policies, specifically the way President Obama is dealing with an imprisoned American, reports belgeinfo.com on May 10 . Dennis Rodman said that President Barack Obama “can't do [anything]” about Kenneth Bae, an American imprisoned in North Korea. Rodman went to North Korea in February to film a documentary and became friends with dictator Kim Jong Un. The American imprisoned in North Korea was recently sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly engaging in unspecified “hostile acts” against the country while being a tour operator there. Rodman said via Twitter that he wanted Kim to “cut Kenneth Bae loose.” Rodman has been referred to as the unofficial United States ambassador to the communist country. In a nation closed to the outside world, Kim Jong Un, a Rodman fan, seems to allow the former NBA baller to come and go as

Tim Tebow blackballed

Tim Tebow blackballed , Has Tim Tebow been blackballed from landing another gig in the NFL? The quarterback is often front-and-center in the media for both his play and his personal convictions, but these days he's having a hard time finding a new gig. Yahoo! Sports tackled the question many are contemplating on May 9. Once upon a time, Tim Tebow was everywhere and his performance with the Denver Broncos in 2011 propelled him into superstardom. Since then, however, it's been quite the tumble down off the pedestal. Tebow was recently released by the New York Jets, and there don't seem to be other teams lining up to add him to their rosters. Is Tim Tebow being blackballed because of the intense media attention that comes along with having him around? Are his strong Christian convictions seen as too much of a distraction to any team he is on in the league? Or, is his play simply not of the quality that makes him attractive to teams shuffling players around at this point. Give