25 cases of swine flu in Andhra Pradesh, Health Officers put on alert, India

Hyderabad: 25 cases of swine flu were reported in various corporate hospitals in Andhra Pradesh, after which the state government has put the health authorities on alert.

"Some of the cases tested positive for swine flu," health authorities told Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at a review meeting.

The Chief Minister's Office said in a release that the health authorities were directed to be on a high alert to prevent spurt in swine flu cases by initiating precautionary measures.

The Chief Minister directed the Principal Secretary (Health) to constantly monitor the situation and keep required testing equipment and medicines ready, the release added. Source

Two people killed in B.C. avalanche while heli-sking were from England and U.S.

NELSON, B.C. - A heli-ski guide yelled to his group of four to get out of the way when he heard a ridge of snow above them break loose, but nobody was fast enough to avoid the large avalanche, RCMP say.

Two people, a woman from Salt Lake City, Utah, and a man from London, England, were killed in Wednesday's snow slide on the slopes of the Bonnington Mountain Range, near Nelson in southeastern B.C.

The heli-ski operator had several other employees guiding different groups on nearby slopes when they saw the fatal slide, said RCMP Corp. Dan Moskaluk.
He said the group had just completed its run.

"They had removed their gear and were waiting to be picked up by a helicopter when the group saw a slide was triggered from a ridgetop just above them," said Moskaluk.
Dead are Katie Aring, 32, of Salt Lake City and 31-year-old Ryan Keene of London. Read More

Stuartburn grass fire continues to burn, fire crews standing by, Canada

A wildfire that burned out of control in the RM of Stuartburn Thursday was still smoldering Friday.

The blaze is one of many grass fires that have been flaring up around the province this week.

Provincial officials dispatched multiple fire crews to battle the blaze that had worsened in the RM of Stuartburn area Thursday.

The fire tore through Dean and Sara Wall's backyard, destroying buildings on their farm and leaving behind a charred mess.

"We lost a number of buildings," Sara said. "We lost a 100-year-old barn – one of the reasons we bought the property."

The ordeal began Wednesday, Sara said, when the fire in Stuartburn reignited after fire crews brought it under control.

The fire was on their doorstep by morning, Sara said. Five separate fire departments then worked to save the Wall's home and five other homes that were affected by the fire. An air-tanker was also dispatched to drop fire retardant, said the province.

"It's black all around us. They save the house. They saved everything important," said Dean. Read More

TORNADO WARNING FOR EASTERN TRIMBLE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
340 PM EDT FRI MAR 23 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
EASTERN TRIMBLE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY...

* UNTIL 345 PM EDT...

* AT 337 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED OVER EASTERN TRIMBLE COUNTY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
25 MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM WILL ALSO IMPACT...

MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF EASTERN TRIMBLE COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A VEHICLE OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO
THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING
DEBRIS.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...CALL TOLL
FREE AT...1...8 7 7...6 3 3...6 7 7 2...WHEN YOU CAN DO SO SAFELY. Source

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake OAXACA, MEXICO - 23rd Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck Oaxaca, Mexico at a depth of 20.5 km (12.7 miles), the quake hit at 17:13:58 UTC Friday 23rd March 2012
The epicenter was 37 km (23 miles) SSE from Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, Mexico
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Robert Bales charged with 17 murder counts in Afghan rampage, may face death

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales could be sentenced to death if convicted on any of the 17 counts of murder filed against him Friday for allegedly embarking on a bloody shooting rampage in Afghan villages, the U.S. military said.

In addition to the charges accusing him of murder "with premeditation," the 38-year-old faces six counts of assault and attempted murder.

Authorities say Bales left a remote outpost in Kandahar province's Panjwai district early March 11 and went house-to-house, gunning down villagers.

U.S. and Afghan officials initially said 16 people, including nine children, died in those attacks. The counts indicate that one more person died, though Afghan government officials in Kabul have they have no record of another death.

Col. Gary Kolb, a spokesman with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, said only that the investigators assigned to the case felt they had enough evidence to charge Bales with 17 counts of murder. There was no indication as to where the other fatality came from, though it was not related to a pregnant woman, as has been rumored.

Of the six people wounded in the attack, two have been released from a hospital, said Ahmad Javed Faisal, a Kandahar provincial government spokesman. more

Obama nominates Dartmouth president Jim Yong Kim for World Bank president (but has he seen the video of him as a rapping spaceman?)

Today, President Obama named Dartmouth president Jim Yong Kim as the White House’s nominee to lead the World Bank, thought by some to be an unconventional pick.

Mr Obama said Dr Kim, a Korean-born physician and pioneer in the treatment of HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis, has the breadth of experience on development issues needed to carry out the financial institution's anti-poverty mission.

But despite the seriousness of the role, Dr Kim is well known at the New Hampshire Ivy League school for his sense of humour. Only last year, he debuted as a rapping spaceman for the school’s annual talent show. Read More

Rapper shot in the head while filming music video... and then he's run over and killed by car fleeing the scene

A man has been shot in the head and killed during the filming of an amateur rap video in Philadelphia

The shooting happened in front of a crowd of about 100 people. Police say the man was in his late 20s or early 30s.

After he was shot, he was accidentally run over by a car trying to leave the scene.

Authorities say three gun-wielding men were arrested shortly afterward and one has been identified by witnesses as the shooter.

The motive for the shooting is unclear. Police say they're unsure if the man killed was the target or if he was a part of the video or a spectator.

There was a crowd so large during the rap video taping, undercover Philadelphia police officers were watching over it. Read More

Dr Timothy Roses fatally shot Lindsay Nichols, both of Iowa, hours after she revealed new lover on Facebook

A horrific murder suicide has left a town in shock after a doctor, 44, shot dead his ex-girlfriend, 22, before turning the gun on himself after she revealed on Facebook she had a new boyfriend.

Dr Timothy Roses, a radiologist from Waterloo, Iowa, fatally shot Lindsay Nichols, of Evansdale, Iowa, in the chest before also shooting himself in the chest around 9pm on Wednesday night.

They were found near an intersection in Jesup, where her new boyfriend lived. Roses was already dead and Lindsay died later in hospital.

The pair were known to be in a relationship but it ended earlier this year.

Friends say Lindsay was concerned about his behaviour since the breakup.

Early on Wednesday, the pretty 22-year-old changed her relationship status to reveal she was in a new relationship with Chase Weber.

Hours later, she was dead. Read More

Tania Coleman starved baby to death and dumped her body by side of road because child was the family runt who didn't fit in

A mother faces life in prison for starving her daughter to death and dumping her body in the trash because the baby didn't fit in with the rest of the family.

Tania Coleman, 21, was convicted today of first-degree murder in Erie, Pennsylvania for the demise of her 14-month-old child, whose decomposed body was found in a suitcase on the street.

Prosecutors said Coleman's chubby-cheeked child Alayja was deprived of food and drink because she was considered the family 'runt.'

In the courtroom, Erie District Attorney Jack Daneri said the young girl was considered a problem for Coleman, who neglected the baby because Alayja did not share the same father as her two other daughters.

Mr Daneri said of Alayja's treatment: 'Everybody else gets cared for but the little runt.'

The exact timing of Alayja's death has not been determined. Read More

Thistledown Velvet Ant: So, you think you're having a bad hair day? Meet the inch-long 'Cow Killer Ant'

Despite its name the inch-long beast, known formally as the Thistledown Velvet Ant, is actually a wingless female wasp. Source

Australia's giant animals were killed off by humans, not climate change, say researchers

Australia used to be home to an extraordinary collection of very large animals known as megafauna – rhino-sized wombat-like marsupials called diprotodons, giant kangaroos and a goose twice the size of the emu - and many others.

They all became extinct about 40,000 years ago and the reason why has been a mystery.

Climate change has been suggested, but never convincingly argued.

Now researchers led by Professor Chris Johnson, from the University of Tasmania School of Zoology, have uncovered evidence dating back 130,000 years that pins the blame firmly on humans. Read More

We shall not be moved! Chinese couple's home left on dust 'island' for FOUR years after skyscraper developers move in around them

Encircled by a growing forest of high-rise tower blocks, a couple's home has become an isolated island of dirt - cut off from water and electricity for almost four years.

Niu Chuangen and Zhang Zhongyun dared to stand in the way of a local property developer in Zaozhuang, in the Shandong Province of China.

Now the resolute couple, both in their 60s, have been left stranded on their tiny spot of land, while all around them the ground is dug up and skyscrapers erected.

They became stuck after refusing, what they considered was derisory compensation, offered by developers to move from their home. Read More

Big Brother just got scarier: Japanese CCTV camera can scan 36 million faces per second - and recognise anyone who has walked into its gaze

A new camera technology from Hitachi Hokusai Electric can scan days of camera footage instantly, and find any face which has EVER walked past it.

Its makers boast that it can scan 36 million faces per second.

The technology raises the spectre of governments - or other organisations - being able to 'find' anyone instantly simply using a passport photo or a Facebook profile.

The 'trick' is that the camera 'processes' faces as it records, so that all faces which pass in front of it are recorded and stored instantly.

Faces are stored as a searchable 'biometric' record, storing the unique

When the police - or anyone else - want to search for a particular individual, they're searching through a gallery of pre-indexed faces, rather than a messy library of footage. Read More

Skateboarding Idiotic Father Risking his Child......for What?..... A youtube clip? - WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT

Warrior Wasp: 'King of Wasps' found in Indonesia: Two-and-a-half inch monster has jaws longer than its legs

A new species of wasp discovered on the Indonesian island Sulawesi is two-and-a-half inches long, and has jaws so vast that its discoverer admits, 'I don't know how it can walk.'

Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, says ‘Its jaws are so large that they wrap up either side of the head when closed. When the jaws are open they are actually longer than the male’s front legs.'

Kimsey discovered the warrior wasp on the Mekongga Mountains in southeastern Sulawesi.

She says its enormous size and ferocity makes it like 'the Komodo Dragon of wasps'.

‘I’m going to name it Garuda, after the national symbol of Indonesia,’ Kimsey said. Read More

Joerg-Werner Lubbe charged with lacing chocolate Easter bunnies with rat poison that he left hanging from trees to punish' thieving children, Germany

A pensioner has been arrested for allegedly lacing chocolate Easter bunnies with rat poison and leaving them for children to find.

Joerg-Werner Lubbe, 68, sprayed the sweets with ammonium hydroxide, re-packaged them in their original foil and hung them from a tree at his home.

He was furious at children who were pilfering the treats from his front garden as they walked past his house near Chemnitz, east Germany.

One boy called Max, 10, needed his stomach pumped after stealing a bunny and eating it on his way to school. He collapsed with stomach pains at his desk.

It is a tradition in Germany to decorate gardens with easter-themed objects. But Lubbe objected to being a 'meal ticket for the local brats,' he told police.

He told detectives he used the ammonia solution to kill mice in his cellar. 'I simply sprayed it over the chocolate,' he said. Read More

Michele Aiello a Mafia mobster is freed from jail just 12 months into 15 year sentence because of ALLERGY to the beans on prison menu

A convicted Mafia mobster has been freed early from his 15 year jail term because he is allergic to the vegetables on the prison menu.

Millionaire Michele Aiello, 56, told the judge at a special appeal hearing he was intolerant to beans, peas, spinach and all other types of greens offered to inmates serving time behind bars.

Lawyers acting for the businessman provided medical certificates as evidence in their argument for Aiello to be released after serving little more than a year of his original sentence.

He was arrested in Palermo on the Italian island of Sicily in 2010 and charged with being the financial brains behind a Mafia money laundering operation.

It saw him lending his name and that of relatives to dozens of companies and properties so cash from criminal activity could be recycled and cleaned up.

Police said Aiello laundered more than €800million for jailed Mafia Godfather Bernardo Provenzano, who was caught in 2006 after almost 40 years on the run. Read More

Karl Burman GUILTY of Murdering his pregnant Girlfriend, mother of 9 Shauna Lee

A man has today been found guilty of murdering a mother-of-nine who was hacked to death before being dumped in a wheelie bin.

Shauna Lee, 36, was pregnant with twins when she was killed by Karl Burman and her remains have never been found. It is believed she was incinerated.

Burman, 24, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years for killing his partner Shauna Lee.

Prosecutor Mark Wall QC told Birmingham Crown Court during the trial that the defendant had chopped up the mother's body, put the parts in bin bags and chucked them away with the rubbish.

As the waste is not routinely inspected, it is likely the human remains would have been taken away by council binmen unaware of what was inside.

Police investigating her disappearance had little success until Burman dialled 999 some six months after she disappeared in November 2010 and said he had killed her. Read More

Karen Matthews claims 'others were involved' in the FAKE Abduction for Cash of her own Daughter

On the eve of her release from jail, lying mother Karen Matthews says ‘several others’ were involved in the abduction of her child four years ago, it was claimed today.

Matthews, who pretended daughter Shannon, nine, was missing for a month but drugged and hid her under a bed, alleges she would be murdered if she revealed who was behind the plot in Dewsbury Moor, West Yorkshire.

Speaking from Foston Hall Prison in Derbyshire, the 36-year-old says she is too frightened to say who actually did it, claiming ‘they should be here, not me’.

In a bizarre rant the mother of seven allegedly confided in a friend that all she wants when she gets out is a lie detector test to prove her claims followed by a Big Mac burger from McDonalds.

Matthews is due for release before Easter under a new name, after serving half her eight-year jail sentence for kidnap, false imprisonment and perverting the course of justice. Read More

Leslie Cunliffe Deported back to UK 13 years after Evil attack (Australia teaches Britain a lesson on how to get rid of your worst Criminals)

A British rapist who carried out a horrific sex attack likened to The Silence of the Lambs has been deported from Australia to the UK.

Leslie Cunliffe posed as a policeman to kidnap a 21-year-old woman, then gagged, blindfolded and bound her, strapped a fake bomb to her body and raped her.

But while Australia has a tough immigration policy when it comes to deporting convicted criminals, Britain has been unable to boot out hate preacher Abu Qatada and headmaster killer Learco Chindamo.

Cunliffe demanded a one million Australian dollar ransom from his victim's family during the May 1999 attack in Geelong, near Melbourne.

Australian police compared the shed where he imprisoned the woman for seven hours with a 'dungeon' from the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.

Cunliffe, 63, who holds a British passport, served 12 years in prison in Australia for the rape before being freed in April last year. Read More

Mother left her 16-month-old baby home ALONE while she partied for five days and nights

A mother is facing jail after leaving her baby home alone which she partied for five days and nights.

Neighbours of the 20-year-old woman heard the baby girl's screams and alerted police officers who broke into her filthy house.

They found the 16-month-old starving in her cot, her nappy and clothes had not been changed for days and there was blood on a blanket.

The distressed youngster was so hungry she grabbed at food which she was offered by police officers and also gulped down water.

Beer cans and bottles covered the lounge floor and there were signs of drug abuse. Read More

Lil' Drac: An orphan short-tailed fruit bat hand-raised by Bat World Sanctuary

Homs comes under fire as pressure on Assad mounts

March 23 - Amateur video appears to show heavy gunfire and explosions in Syrian cities as the European Union turns up the pressure on President Bashar al-Assad's government. Reuters is unable to independently verify the content of this video, which has been obtained from a social media website. Rough Cut

Protest marks Seoul nuclear summit

March 23 - Anti-nuclear protesters rally as nuclear energy industry leaders meet ahead of the upcoming nuclear security summit in Seoul. Sarah Wali reports.

Australian Floods 2012: Record Downpour Floods Oz Beach Towns

Hundreds of homes have been inundated on Australia's Sunshine Coast after a once-in-a-century downpour.

About 40cm of rain fell across the Queensland coastal region in about six hours on Thursday, sparking mass evacuations.

At Mooloolaba, about 200 homes were flooded and motorists had to abandon their cars as major roads were swamped. Businesses were also affected.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded rainfall of 13cm at Kawana in just one hour.

"Those sort of rainfalls, when it occurs in one hour, we'd expect that to have a frequency of occurrence of once every 100 years or greater," a bureau spokesman told ABC. Read More

Ex-Russian Banker Critical After Shooting near the Canary Wharf business district, London

A former Russian banker is in a critical condition in hospital after being repeatedly shot in London.

Detectives are treating the attack on German Gorbuntsov near the Canary Wharf business district as attempted murder.

Scotland Yard said it was "too early to speculate" on Russian reports that the attack may be linked to a 2009 investigation into a murder attempt on another Russian banker, Alexander Antonov, in Moscow.

A spokesman said: "This is sitting with Trident which investigates gang-related shootings. There is no reason it should rest with anyone else."

Mr Gorbuntsov, who is in his 40s, previously owned banks in Russia and Moldova, according to Russian media.

He was returning to his home when the attacker opened fire with a sub-machine gun, according to the Kommersant newspaper.

Mr Gorbuntsov was shot as he entered a block of flats in Byng Street on the Isle of Dogs on Tuesday evening at around 7.30pm.

A suspect was seen running away from the scene of the attack.

He is described as white, 6ft tall, of slim build and was wearing dark clothing.

Local officers are patrolling the area in an attempt to provide reassurance to the community.

Any witnesses or anyone with information are asked to call the Met Police on 020 8733 4212 or if you wish to remain anonymous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Source

Iran not an immediate nuclear threat, intel shows....Just a Month Ago They were convinced IRAN WAS a Nuclear Threat...Make up your mind

(Reuters) - The United States, European allies and even Israel generally agree on three things about Iran's nuclear program: Tehran does not have a bomb, has not decided to build one, and is probably years away from having a deliverable nuclear warhead.

Those conclusions, drawn from extensive interviews with current and former U.S. and European officials with access to intelligence on Iran, contrast starkly with the heated debate surrounding a possible Israeli strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities.

"They're keeping the soup warm but they are not cooking it," a U.S. administration official said.

Reuters has learned that in late 2006 or early 2007, U.S. intelligence intercepted telephone and email communications in which Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a leading figure in Iran's nuclear program, and other scientists complained that the weaponization program had been stopped.

That led to a bombshell conclusion in a controversial 2007 National Intelligence Estimate: American spy agencies had "high confidence" that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003.

Current and former U.S. officials say they are confident that Iran has no secret uranium-enrichment site outside the purview of U.N. nuclear inspections. Read More

4.4 Magnitude EASTERN TURKEY - 23rd Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck Eastern Turkey at a depth of 5 km (3.7 miles), the quake hit at 15:43:37 UTC Friday 23rd March 2012
The epicenter was 25 km (15.5 miles) Southeast of Eric, Turkey
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.9 Magnitude VANUATU - 23rd Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck Vanuatu at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 15:34:39 UTC Friday 23rd March 2012
The epicenter was 76 km (47 miles) WNW of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.1 Magnitude SOUTHERN XINJIANG, CHINA - 23rd Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake has struck Southern Xinjiang, China at a depth of just 1 km (0.6 miles), the quake hit at 15:17:27 UTC Friday 23rd March 2012
The epicenter was 136 km (84.3 miles) Northeast of Kashi, Xinjiang, China
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.9 Magnitude VANUATU - 23rd Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck Vanuatu at a depth of 49.9 km (30.7 miles), the quake hit at 15:04:05 UTC Friday 23rd March 2012
The epicenter was 52 km (50 miles) West of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.8 Magnitude TONGA - 23rd Mar 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck Tonga at a depth of 119.5 km (74.3 miles), the quake hit at 14:35:31 UTC Friday 23rd March 2012
The epicenter was 47 km (29 miles) WSW of Hihifo, Tonga
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

15 Mutilated cats found in Vancouver suburb: Canada

Fifteen mutilated cats have been found in the Metro Vancouver suburb of Maple Ridge over the past year, and police and SPCA are asking for the public's help cracking the case.

Most recently, the bottom half of a black-and- white cat was found in a park on March 11, according to Marcie Moriarty, the general manager of cruelty investigations for the provincial SPCA.

“In many of these incidents the cats have been severed almost perfectly in half with a sharp object,” Moriarty said. “It appears to be a very deliberate action, and we can only imagine the unspeakable pain these poor animals must have suffered. We really want to find whoever is responsible as quickly as possible before any other innocent animals are killed.”

The SPCA and the Ridge Meadows RCMP have been working together on the case for several months, but have not identified any suspects.

"Unfortunately we have been unable to obtain any details that would lead us to the person or persons responsible,” Moriarty said. “It is sickening that anyone would do this, and once again we urge anyone with information to please call us so that we can put a stop to this cruel behaviour.” more

Man fatally shot during Philly rap video shoot (and then run over by car)

A man was shot in the head and killed during the filming of an amateur rap video in the Olney section of Philadelphia.

The rap video was being recorded near the security cameras of a restaurant, which apparently captured the violent and deadly incident.

There was a crowd so large at the corner of 5th Street and Tabor Road during the rap video taping, undercover Philadelphia police officers were watching over it.

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That's when they saw a 33-year-old man being gunned down in the street.

"I didn't hear it, but I pulled up and the scene was just ridiculous," Olney resident Terron Watson told Action News.

Investigators say more than 100 people were gathered for the recording of an amateur rap video around 7:00 p.m. when someone fired shots striking the victim.

"The scene initially was very hectic. Once shots were fired, you've got a crowd of a 100 people., they flee in every direction," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

In the melee, a car accidentally ran over the victim who had been shot in the head. more

Laura Roberson: Bus driver in Ohio accused of choking student

A veteran bus driver accused of choking a third-grade special-needs student as she was driving the girl home from school in an encounter captured on video was fired by the school district on Thursday, a district spokesman said.

The Columbus City Schools district fired driver Laura Roberson on a district charge of malfeasance for inappropriate contact with a student, district spokesman Jeff Warner said.

Warner said a surveillance system recorded Roberson on Tuesday afternoon while she drove the 9-year-old student she was driving from school on Tuesday. He was not sure how many other children were on the district bus used to transport special-needs children, and did not know whether the girl required treatment for any injuries. more

Human fetuses found in luggage at Miami airport

Authorities say customs agents at Miami International Airport found two human fetuses in luggage coming from Cuba.

A Miami-Dade police spokesman said Thursday that the fetuses were found Jan. 30 in the luggage of two Cuban-American women returning from Havana.

Police say customs agents spotted one fetus when they X-rayed a clay jar and found the second when they opened the jar. One was male and one was female.

A medical examiner determined both fetuses were about 20 weeks and both had been still born. No foul play was suspected.

No charges were filed. source

Al Sharpton on Trayvon Martin murder: "Are you afraid of violence?"

The Rev. Al Sharpton, an MSNBC host and liberal political figure, riled up a mostly-black Sanford, Fla., crowd on Thursday night in the wake of the killing of 17-year-old student Trayvon Martin.

“Some people said to me in the media — ‘Let me get this straight,’ they said. ‘Reverend, it seems like there’s a lot of people who are angry — are you afraid of violence?’” Sharpton preached to the central Floridian crowd. “I said, ‘No. I’m afraid of the violence you already had.’”

“Violence is killing Tray Martin,” Sharpton continued. “Don’t act like we are the ones [who are] violent. We didn’t shoot nobody.”

Despite his harsh rhetoric, Sharpton warned the thousands in attendance to avoid resorting to violence at all costs as the Martin case progresses. “I want our people to understand that how you behave is going to be a reflection on this case,” Sharpton instructed the crowd. “[No matter] how angry we get, don’t let them make you act in a way that they will say, ‘see, that’s what to think with Trayvon.’”

“We are going to act intelligent,” Sharpton said. “We going to act dignified. And, we’re going to be determined. We may be angry, but we’re not mad dogs. We’re too smart to fall for [that].” more

Farrakhan on Trayvon Martin murder: "Law of retaliation may be applied"

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has been among the vocal voices weighing in on calls for justice for Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old who was gunned down last month while walking home in Sanford, Florida. On Wednesday, a march was held in New York City in support of the teen’s family, as federal and local authorities launch investigations into how the incident unfolded and why the state’s “stand your ground” law applied to the shooter in this case.

On Twitter yesterday and today, Farrakhan sent some curious tweets regarding peace, justice and retaliation that could be interpreted as a veiled threat. more

French prime minister defends police handling of gunman Merah

Toulouse (CNN) -- French police had no grounds on which to arrest gunman Mohammed Merah before he carried out three attacks in which seven people died, Prime Minister Francois Fillon told French radio station RTL Friday.

Merah, 23, who was shot dead by special forces Thursday after a siege lasting more than 30 hours in the southwestern city of Toulouse, was wanted in the killings of three French paratroopers, a rabbi and three children ages 4, 5, and 7.

Merah, a French citizen of Algerian descent, had been put under surveillance after trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan, officials have said, leading commentators to ask why he was not stopped sooner.

He claimed to have attended an al Qaeda training camp, according to Paris prosecutor Francois Molins, and was on the U.S. no-fly list for that reason, a U.S. intelligence official said.

Fillon defended the police and intelligence services, saying they had done a remarkable job in finding the killer within 10 days of the first attack, on March 11. Read More

Scientist: North Korea likely has more nuclear facilities

(CNN) -- North Korea has more uranium enrichment facilities than it has admitted to previously, a U.S. scientist charged Thursday.

Prof. Siegfried Hecker of Stanford University told CNN his conclusion is based on his study of recent satellite images and other research, and what he saw when he was invited by North Korea to visit its Yongbyon nuclear power plant in 2010 to see its secret uranium enrichment program.

"When I saw the sophistication and scale of that uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon in a building that I had been in before that housed something totally different, it was clear that they started the program long before the time that they had said, which was April 2009. So my conclusion was, they had to have another site someplace else," said Hecker.

The Stanford University scientist visited Yongbyon in November, 2010, and reported that he saw a facility that housed 2,000 centrifuges and was producing low-enriched uranium. It could, however, he wrote then, "be readily converted to produce highly-enriched uranium (HEU) bomb fuel." Read More