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A 31-year-old woman convicted for her role in the 2007 kidnappings of two men linked to a Mexican cartel will continue to serve a life prison sentence after a California court rejected her appeal. Lawyers on behalf of Nancy Mendoza filed a habeas corpus claim in June and called for a new trial due to the ineffectiveness of her former team of attorneys during her August 2013 court hearing in which she was sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of parole. The Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District Division One ruled that 'a resentencing hearing does not constitute a new trial.' Mendoza was just 19 years old at the time when she helped members of Los Palillos - a gang that was once linked to the Arellano-Félix Cartel - lure wealthy, high-profile men, including some who were associates of the same criminal organization.  Nancy Mendoza is serving life in prison for her helping a gang in the San Diego area kidnap two men in 2007 who were reportedly linked to the Arella...

The Ministry of Defence today hit back against criticism from allies of animal charity boss Pen Farthing after footage emerged of a car being airlifted out of Kabul, as an official insisted it had been filled with cargo rather than more passengers so it could meet its time slot.  The ex-Royal Marine was rebuked by Ben Wallace this morning for complaining UK forces were stopping his private charter plane from taking his staff and rescue dogs out of Kabul, with the politician saying he would not 'prioritise pets over people'.  But a Sky News video of a Vauxhall hatchback entering a military cargo jet prompted a counter-blast from animal rights activists including the comedian Ricky Gervais and actor Peter Egan, who accused the MoD of caring more about a car than 'sentient animals.  In response to the anger, an MOD source said today: 'The car was a civilian armoured vehicle (probably part of the UK Embassy fleet). 'Priority on all flights is given to passengers, but fl...

Beavers are set to make a comeback to rivers across England under Government plans. They will be given legal protection as a 'native species' with licences granted to allow their release into the wild. Supporters of 'rewilding' beavers, following a successful reintroduction on the River Otter in Devon, say 'nature's engineers' can help in the fight against flooding. But farmers warn there is a risk that beavers could threaten their livelihoods by destroying crops. Beavers will be given legal protection as a 'native species' with licences granted to allow their release into the wild The creatures had been extinct in the UK for around 400 years before being reintroduced in small areas in 2009. Environment Secretary George Eustice will today launch a 12-week consultation over the plans and said the Government would take a 'cautious approach' to ensure all potential impacts were considered.  Under the plans, applications for licences to release b...

Ten London postcodes have joined the prestigious ranks of the £1million property club since March 2020, according to new figures.  Hackney, Hendon, Hornsey and Vauxhall are among the areas in the capital which now qualify for admission. To make it into the new £1million market, at least 20 per cent of sales in an area must have been above that level in two or more three-month periods since the second quarter of 2020.  Outside the capital, new areas to make it on the list include North and West Oxford, Tunbridge Wells and Reading.    Estate agents Knight Frank said the figures underline the growing demand for more space and green scenery after successive coronavirus lockdowns. The likes of Hackney (E8), Ealing (W5) and Vauxhall (SW8) have benefitted from price growth which has rippled outwards from Central London, Knight Frank said. Tom Bill, the firm's head of UK residential research, said: 'The pandemic has left its mark on the UK property market by magnifying existing trends ...

OnlyFans' founder has blamed banks for the company's ban on sexually explicit content, which stars of the platform say will either force them out of business or else drive them to switch to a new channel. Company founder Tim Stokely was last week condemned for abandoning sex workers who say they've built his fortune, but he has now insisted that banks which process the start-up's payments were to blame for the ban.  'The change in policy, we had no choice — the short answer is banks,' he told the Financial Times.  He blasted the ultimatum he says his firm was issued with as 'unfair' and said banks had warned him they were incurring 'reputational risk' by handling OnlyFans' finances.  Stokely claimed UK-based Metro Bank closed OnlyFans' corporate account on short notice in 2019, and accused US firm Bank of New York Mellon of 'making it difficult to pay our creators', having 'flagged and rejected' every wire associated with ...