Francoise Jansen Water-Boarded in 'Appalling' Attack by Burglars

A grandmother who had boiling water poured on her and was water-boarded by two masked burglars has described the torture as "sheer hell".

Francoise Jansen, 73, said she feared she was going to die after raiders forced their way into her six-bedroom home in Surrey and carried out the attack which police called "appalling" and "horrendous".

Mrs Jansen, who was alone in the house, was forced to open a safe before the men helped themselves to a haul of expensive jewellery and personal items worth a reported £150,000.

Describing the horrific experience, she said: "They asked me if I had any grandchildren, I told them I had 10 and they said, 'We are going to kill you, do you think your grandchildren will miss you?'

"I was consumed by fear. It was sheer hell and all I can remember is praying."

The pensioner said she tried to press a panic button installed in her bedroom, prompting the burglars to boil a kettle and pour scalding water over her arm as punishment.

The criminals, dressed in black clothes and balaclavas, also threatened to cut her fingers off as they held her captive for several hours in the house on a private estate in St George's Hill, Weybridge.

She was gagged, water-boarded and tied to a radiator during the serious assault that left her with multiple injuries. Read More

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION - 8th August 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION at a depth of 60 km (37.2 miles), the quake hit at 01:19:48 UTC Wednesday 8th August 2012
The epicenter was 5 km (3.1 miles) East of Shizunai, Hokkaido, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

3.1 Magnitude Earthquake WASHINGTON - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake has struck WASHINGTON at a depth of 1 km (0.6 miles), the quake hit at 23:59:45 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 7 km (4.3 miles) WNW from Entiat, Washington
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.0 Magnitude Earthquake WESTERN TURKEY - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake has struck WESTERN TURKEY at a depth of 7.9 km (4.9 miles), the quake hit at 23:57:39 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 19 km (11 miles) North of Salihli, Turkey
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.5 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN at a depth of 40.4 km (25.1 miles), the quake hit at 23:54:11 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 24 km (15 miles) ESE of Iwaki, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

5.3 Magnitude Earthquake FIJI REGION - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has struck the FIJI REGION at a depth of 33 km (20.4 miles), the quake hit at 23:47:12 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 224 km (138.8 miles) East of Labasa, Fiji
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.4 Magnitude Earthquake WESTERN TURKEY - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake has struck WESTERN TURKEY at a depth of 22 km (13.6 miles), the quake hit at 23:17:39 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 11 km (6.8 miles) East of Gölmarmara, Turkey
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTHERN PERU - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake has struck SOUTHERN PERU at a depth of 89 km (55.1 miles), the quake hit at 21:43:52 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 35 km (21.7 miles) East of Tacna, Peru
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake SALTA, ARGENTINA - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck SALTA, ARGENTINA at a depth of 35.6 km (22.1 miles), the quake hit at 20:36:45 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 5 km (3.1 miles) WNW of Tartagal, Argentina
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

UK Permanent Job Appointments Fall Again

The number of people placed in permanent jobs has fallen for the second month in a row, suggesting that employers are putting recruitment decisions on hold until after the Olympics, according to new research.

A report by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said there was still a "high degree of uncertainty" among employers.

There were reductions in both permanent and short-term staff appointments during July, while recruitment consultants reported an increase in the availability of staff.

Bernard Brown of KPMG said: "Only a few weeks ago there was an audible sigh of relief across the UK's workforce as official employment figures indicated signs of improvement.

"However, my concern is that any sigh of relief may be mistaken for a groan of exasperation, because the rate at which employers are recruiting has decreased for the second consecutive month, and this suggests that there is still a high degree of uncertainty." Read More

Cape Town Gangs: 'There's No Way Out'

Troops may soon be sent in to try to sort out the gang warfare in the South African city of Cape Town.

The country's largest trade union group (COSATU) and the premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, have recently both sent letters to South African president Jacob Zuma, calling for intervention to sort out the problem.

The president's office has said he will take advice from the police on the ground. Soldiers were sent into certain targeted hotspots last December apparently improving safety levels dramatically.

The latest calls come at a time when the violence between gangs appears to be increasing.

More than two dozen people have been killed in the past few months after being caught up in the fighting between the rival gangs.

There was talk of a "truce" between certain gangs but according to those Sky News spoke to there is fighting virtually every night. Read More

Tia Sharp Search enters its fifth day

As the search continues for 12-year-old Tia Sharp, members of her local community have pledged to do all they can to help find her.

On Tuesday night people gathered at Croydon Rugby Club to search for the schoolgirl who has not been seen since leaving grandmother Christine Sharp's home in New Addington, southeast London.

Club secretary Sue Randall said: "Everybody wants to help, we're just pulling together to try and find her."

She said people had searched the area throughout Tuesday evening with some asking for torches so they could continue through the night.

More searches are expected to take place throughout today.

Earlier police searched a local wood, Birchwood, less than a mile from Tia's grandmother's house in The Lindens.

Tia's stepfather David Niles said the family were "in bits", adding: "I just want to find my little girl."

Mr Niles, wearing a Find Tia campaign T-shirt, said: "How would you feel if it was your daughter? We're in bits. The whole country has helped us and is supporting us." Read More

Mike Tyson Death Threats Forces Twitter to Act

New York police are investigating threats posted on Twitter just weeks after 12 people were killed at a cinema in Colorado.

Twitter has been forced to reveal information about the source of a tweet saying people were going to die at the Broadway theatre staging a one-man show by former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson.

The New York Police Department issued a subpoena after Twitter refused to cooperate in an investigation into posts that referenced the fatal shooting of 12 people last month at a showing of The Dark Knight Rises at a Colorado cinema.

Police said the tweets appeared to be aimed at the audience for Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - the solo show directed by Spike Lee at the Longacre Theatre in Manhattan.

"This s**t ain't no joke yo I'm serious people are gonna die just like in aurora," police said one tweet read. Read More

Outcry over 'child-friendly' Facebook gambling app

Bingo Friendzy, developed by the British online gambling company Gamesys, was introduced on Facebook this morning. It allows players to stake cash in 90 bingo and slot machine games.

The app is marketed with cartoon graphics featuring characters that have been compared to those on Moshi Monsters, the popular children’s social network. It has prompted anger from Christian groups, who called on the Advertising Standards Authority to act.

“Gambling is age-restricted for a reason: children are excluded because they are vulnerable,” said Toby Scott, director of communications for the Methodist Church.

“It is especially concerning that Bingo Friendzy’s visual marketing is the kind that you see in children’s games, with bright colours and friendly characters.

“This appears to be a blatant breach of the ASA’s Gambling Advertising rules, which clearly state that marketing ‘should not be likely to be of particular appeal to children or young persons, especially by reflecting or being associated with youth culture'.” more

US mosque destroyed in suspected arson attack

WASHINGTON — A mosque burned to the ground in the midwestern United States on Monday, in what worshippers suspect was a hate attack, less than a day after a deadly shooting at a Sikh temple.

Firefighters and police were called to the Islamic Center in Joplin, Missouri at 3:40 am (0840 GMT) -- about an hour before local Muslims were about to pray during Ramadan -- according to the FBI.

"The building was completely destroyed," said Sharon Rhine, a spokeswoman for the local Jasper County Sheriff's office.

No one was hurt in the incident, according to a statement by the office that referred to the mosque as an "Islamic Church."

"No-one was apprehended. They don't want to call it a hate crime without information or knowledge of having someone to charge," Rhine said.

Monday's blaze followed an attack on July 4, when an unidentified suspect threw a petrol bomb onto the roof of the same mosque, causing minor damage.

The mosque's surveillance cameras captured an image of the assailant's face, and the FBI recently offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the man behind the July incident, but no one has been apprehended.

FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton said both incidents occurred in the middle of the night, but said the FBI would "wait to determine the cause of the fire." Read More

The secret behind an Iran war order

Israel's leadership cannot gamble on the notion that it will be able to drag the United States into the war if enough Israeli lives are sacrificed.

The sweeping opposition by heads of the defense establishment to attacking Iran before the American presidential elections stems from a secret. The details of this secret are now being expressed privately by Israel's leaders. Does this expression - at least in the case of Defense Minister Ehud Barak - come from a desire that the senselessness of these ideas will help thwart them? Perhaps. Let's hope so.

Whatever the case may be, this is how things are. In private talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Barak reiterate the logic behind going to war against Iran at this time. They claim that the aim of conducting a war now is to drag the United States into it, contrary to the Americans' wishes.

The logic is simple. According to Netanyahu and Barak, Israel has the military power to delay Iran's nuclear project by only one year. This is the up-to-date estimate based on operations research by the body in charge of the matter in Israel: the air force. There is no significance to a delay of that length. There is, however, a force that can stop the Iranian project militarily: the United States. The problem, Netanyahu says, is that the U.S. administration is not willing to do so. Read More

Shanghai Evacuates 200000 Ahead of Huge Typhoon

Some 200,000 people have been ordered out of their homes in Shanghai, where authorities are preparing for the third typhoon to hit the Chinese coast in a week.

Authorities say 23 people are dead and nine are missing after typhoons Damrey and Saola crashed into eastern Zhejiang province, causing flooding and landslides. The latest typhoon, dubbed Haikui, is expected to be the largest yet with winds reaching more than 70 kilometers per hour.

Zhejiang officials have evacuated more than 130,000 people, while in Shanghai, just to the north, about 200,000 of the city's 23 million residents have been moved.

Some 30,000 boats have been at port since Sunday in anticipation of the storm. All outdoor group activities have been banned. City parks and summer classes are cancelled, and outdoor construction has stopped.

The typhoons not only affect China, but other countries surrounding the South China Sea. This week, the Philippine capital of Manila experienced landslides and flooding in the wake of Typhoon Saola. Thousands have had to leave their homes, and at least 50 people in the region have been killed. Source

Philippines floods: Manila submerged leaving 15 dead and scores homeless

New Zealand volcano erupts

Thousands Flee Manila Flooding; Desperate Residents Trapped on Roofs

MANILA — At least a third of this overpopulated capital and its suburbs were submerged on Tuesday as torrential rains battered the city and floodwaters poured in from almost all sides. An overflowing lake in the south sent water coursing into a river that slices through Manila; water poured from the open floodgates of a dam to the north, and high tide brought flooding from the bay to the west.

“It’s like Waterworld,” said Benito Ramos, who heads the government’s disaster relief agency, referring to the movie with Kevin Costner depicting a submerged earth.

More than 50 people have been killed in more than a week of intense storms, monsoon rains and flooding, and at least 250,000 have been evacuated in just the past several days, officials said.

On Tuesday, rescue workers raced to pluck people from their roofs and out of fast-flowing water from the worst flooding here since two storms in 2009 killed more than 900 people. Photographs of some of the hardest-hit areas showed people clutching belongings as they struggled to keep their heads above water in strong currents and others clinging to metal poles and buildings. Read More

Targeting the Innocent: Govt links a death sentence in Syria

Keiser Report: Crooks, Crime, Chaos

FBI on hunt for 'unauthorized' top-level leakers

'Eurozone endgame - not Armageddon, a blessing'

Lost in Space: Proton packs up releasing dangerous pieces of floating junk

Iran backs Assad as Syrian forces choke off Aleppo

(Reuters) - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad won a pledge of support on Tuesday from regional ally Iran as his forces tried to choke off rebels in the northern city of Aleppo.

Seeking to restore his authority after suffering the gravest setbacks so far in the 17-month-old uprising, culminating in the defection of his prime minister on Monday, Assad was shown on television meeting a senior Iranian official.

It was the first footage broadcast of the 46-year-old leader for two weeks, and came a day after Syria's new caretaker prime minister was televised chairing a hastily called cabinet session, possibly to rebut reports that other ministers had deserted along with premier Riyad Hijab.

Saeed Jalili, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Iran would not let its close partnership with the Syrian leadership to be shaken by the uprising or external foes.

"Iran will not allow the axis of resistance, of which it considers Syria to be an essential part, to be broken in any way," Syrian television quoted Jalili as saying. Read More

Jared Lee Loughner Pleads Guilty

The man accused of shooting six people dead and critically injuring a congresswoman is set to avoid the death penalty.

Lightning starts 13 fires in Klamath National Forest‎, California

It's been confirmed today that 13 small fires were started by Sunday night's lightning storm across the Klamath National Forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Six of the fires are burning in the Scott River Ranger District, five are located in the Happy Camp Ranger District and one is located in the Oak Knoll Ranger District, according to a press release. Eleven of the 13 fires are one-half acre in size or smaller, with the smallest being a single burning tree near the Shackleford Creek Trailhead. The largest of the fires, the Bill Fire, is estimated to be about 50 to 60 acres.

There are five additional fires burning in the area just over the forest boundary within the Red Buttes Wilderness in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The Rogue fires cumulatively total an estimated 15 acres and all are currently staffed, the release said.

Firefighters worked into the night Monday to protect structures in the community of Scott Bar from the Bill Fire. The Bill Fire is located near Billberry Creek in the Scott Bar Ponds area of the Scott River Ranger District. A local government strike team of fire engines from Klamath River, Etna, Fort Jones, Dunsmuir and Hammond Ranch stood watch through the night to protect the community of Scott Bar, the release said.

The Goff Fire, located in the Happy Camp Ranger District near Portugese Bar, is presenting some difficulties for firefighters. It is burning in extremely difficult and inaccessible terrain. On Monday, a hand crew spent more than six hours hiking to the scene of the fire, the release said.

All fires are staffed with firefighters and are being managed with a full suppression strategy, the release said. Read More

Wildfire threatens World Heritage Site on Canary island

LA GOMERA, Spain — A wildfire raged Monday on Spain's Canary Island of La Gomera which burnt down several homes and raced through a national park housing a rare subtropical forest, officials said.

Deep ravines made it difficult to fight the blaze, which erupted on Saturday and has affected 3,100 hectares (7,400 acres) of land, including 350 hectares, or nine percent, of the Garajonay national park, a World Heritage Site.

"The ravines act as genuine chimneys for the fire when the wind blows and this complicates the task of getting the fire under control," the head of the islands' government, Paulino Rivero, told reporters.

By late Monday firefighters, aided by cooler temperatures and higher air humidity levels, had managed to stop the advance of the flames at Garajonay, the regional government said in a statement.

The national park was added to UN cultural body UNESCO's World Heritage list for its rare subtropical forests which covered the Mediterranean millions of years ago but have now largely disappeared.

It is home to 450 plant species, including eight that are found only in the park. Read More

Sarin leak detected at Blue Grass Army Depot in central Kentucky

RICHMOND, Ky. -- Low levels of a deadly nerve agent have been detected in a chemical weapons igloo containing M55 GB, or sarin, rockets at Blue Grass Army Depot in central Kentucky.

The Army Chemical Materials Agency says there's no danger to people in Madison or surrounding counties and that state and local emergency officials have been notified of the leak.

Toxic chemical workers have connected a 1,000 cubic feet-per-minute filter to the igloo's rear vent.

The agency says the leak was discovered during weekly monitoring. Source

Nine people were killed in an attack on a minibus near Kabul

A US Nato soldier in Afghanistan has been killed by two gunmen wearing Afghan army uniform, officials say.

Two other American soldiers were wounded in the incident in eastern Afghanistan, a US official told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

It is the latest in a series of so-called "green-on-blue" attacks, where men wearing Afghan army uniforms turn their guns on coalition troops.

At least nine civilians were killed in a separate bomb blast near Kabul.

The remote-controlled device hit a minibus in Paghman district on Tuesday. Reports say the intended target could have been a bus carrying Afghan soldiers that had passed moments before.

A man suspected of placing the bomb was arrested after villagers gave a chase, according to AP. Read More

Junior Saleem Oakes arrested after woman stabbed to death in taxi

West Midlands Police said the 28-year-old man, named by sources as Junior Saleem Oakes, was was found in the garden of a house on Allens Farm in south Birmingham just after 6pm.

The suspect, also known as Mohammed Saleem (Salim) Junior Oakes, has been taken to a police station in the West Midlands for questioning, a force spokesman said.

One resident who did not wish to be named said: "A girl came running up the hill shouting 'they've got him, he was in my mum's next door neighbour's garden'.

"I saw the police handcuff him, two officers either side and two behind, they frisked him and they bundled him into a car.

"There weren't any sirens but I know they had dogs out here so maybe that's how they found him." Read More

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA at a depth of 77 km (47.7 miles), the quake hit at 19:20:44 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 288 km (178.5 miles) Southeast of Caburan, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE SOUTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck NEAR THE SOUTH COAST OF PAPUA, INDONESIA at a depth of 38.8 km (24.1 miles), the quake hit at 17:41:01 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 118 km (73 miles) SSW of Nabire, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Life on Mars: Internet pranksters Steal the Show

Charlene Fears killed grandson, 4, with butchers knives and is shot dead by cops when she refuses to drop the blades

A grandmother who stabbed her four-year-old grandson to death was shot and killed by police after she refused to drop two butcher's knives used in the slaughter.

Charlene Fears, from Buffalo, New York, was drenched in blood and brandishing the two knives when she charged at officers trying to save the boy's life.

Police ordered the 38-year-old to drop the weapons and when she refused opened fire.

As Fears was gunned down, her daughter, Tiffany Fears, was desperately performing CPR to try and save the life of her son Roderick Geiger III.

Both the boy and his grandmother were pronounced dead at hospital following the shooting that took place last Thursday.

Buffalo Police chief said two patrol officers were greeted with a scene of unimaginable horror when they were flagged down outside the front porch of Fears' home.

They found the young boy bleeding profusely from stab wounds to his stomach and chest. Read More

Anthony Hills DIES of flesh-eating bug just hours after complaining of swollen arm

A South Carolina man has died just hours after being rushed to hospital with a flesh-eating disease.

Anthony Hills, 55, from Charleston, passed away on Saturday having contracted necrotizing fasciitis - the same disease that savagely struck Georgia student Aimee Copeland and saw all four of her limbs amputated.

Hills' family rushed the man to Medical University of South Carolina with a swollen arm after he complained of not feeling well.

Doctors said the infection started in Hills' right arm and right leg and his condition deteriorated rapidly.

'It's a lightning strike kind of thing you know, where it just doesn't happen that often,' Dr Michael Kilby, chief of infectious disease at the hospital, told Live Five News.

'But when it does, it goes sour really fast and needs medical attention really quickly.'
They amputated the affected arm and were considering removing his left leg before he died, according to the TV station.

It is not known how the man contracted the disease. Read More

Scott A. Smith arrested trying to smuggle guns, ammunition and knives into screening of Dark Knight Rises

A man who was trying to smuggle guns, ammunition and knives into a late-night showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Ohio has been arrested.

Authorities said the manager of Regal Cinema in the Crocker Park shopping center, Cleveland, became suspicious of Scott A. Smith, 37, who allegedly tried to bring a satchel into a 10pm Saturday showing of the Batman movie.

The manager reportedly alerted an off-duty cop who was working security that night, according to TMZ.

When officer Jeremiah Bullins searched the man's bag, he found a loaded gun, extra ammunition clips and four knives and immediately called police.

Smith was arrested without incident and authorities believe they prevented a copycat attack of the Dark Knight Rises massacre.

Police later performed a search of the 37-year-old's home, where they found about eight rifles and handguns along with gas masks and bulletproof vests. Read More

Kayla Garcia, 4, 'beaten to death by Matthew Carrillo as horrific punishment for dropping MEATBALL out of Subway sandwich'

A four-year-old girl was beaten to death during a horrific punishment for dropping a meatball out of her Subway sandwich, her mother has claimed.

Melanie Garcia, 21, brought Kayla Garcia to San Antonio's Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital, where employees called Texas police when they saw the girl covered in bruises and cigarette burns.

She initially said the injuries were caused by a fall, but she now claims her then-boyfriend Matthew Carrillo, 23, beat the child to death merely for dropping food on the floor.

The gruesome details were revealed when Miss Garcia gave evidence at a preliminary hearing for her ex-boyfriend Matthew Carrillo according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Both Carrillo and Garcia have been charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child after Kayla died from her injuries on May 9, 2012.

Prosecutors in Houston, Texas, said they are considering bringing capital murder charges that could lead to the death penalty. Read More

Glenn Hawkins had his motorbike stolen by a passerby posing as a Good Samaritan as he lay seriously injured in Bond Street, Bristol

A callous thief posing as a Good Samaritan stole a motorbike from its owner as he lay seriously injured in the road after a crash.

Glenn Hawkins, 35, was left with a broken collar bone, punctured lung and two cracked ribs after coming off his £8,000 Kawasaki ZX-6R on a city centre road.

Seconds later, a passer-by pretended to lend him a hand by moving his green-and-black sports bike, which still had the keys in the ignition.

But instead of helping, the crook roared off with the powerful 600cc machine as his victim lay stricken in the road.

Speaking from his hospital bed, construction manager Glenn said: 'I was pretty annoyed and that’s putting it lightly.

'If I had got hold of him, he would have ended up in the hospital bed next to me. Now I just want to get my bike back.

'If anyone sees it, or the thief who stole it, I would really appreciate it if they called the police as soon as possible.' Read More

Gu Kailai makes 'relaxed' admission of guilt to murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, prosecutor claims

The disgraced Chinese diplomat's wife who is accused of murdering a British businessman has made a 'relaxed' admission of guilt, a senior prosecutor has claimed.

Gu Kailai appeared 'gracious' as she confessed to killing Old Harrovian Neil Heywood by poisoning him in a Chongqing hotel last November - just days before she stands trial for the alleged crime.

It is understood that they fell out over a money issue and the former lawyer believed the businessman, a long-time associate of the family, threatened her son’s safety.

The anonymous source, who is reportedly part of the prosecution team, told the South China Morning Post that Mrs Gu, 53, had also admitted to 'economic crimes'. Read More

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN at a depth of 50 km (31 miles), the quake hit at 16:11:22 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 29 km (18 miles) East of Kamaishi, Honshu, Japan
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake COSTA RICA - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck COSTA RICA at a depth of 106.8 km (66.4 miles), the quake hit at 16:10:59 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 49 km (30.4 miles) Northwest from SAN JOSE, Costa Rica
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Stephen Bosanko became a double killer after being released from prison for good behaviour three times in 10 years

Staring defiantly at the camera over the course of ten years, double killer Stephen Bosanko shows his contempt for the law after being jailed twice for two separate killings.

Career criminal Bosanko, 31, has been repeatedly jailed over the past decade for offences including manslaughter, burglary and death by dangerous driving, but has re-offended each time to land himself back behind bars.

This series of mugshots of shaven-headed Bosanko show how little the remorseless thug has changed having been convicted of killing two people in separate incidents.

In 1999 he was jailed for six years for punching a man to death but the term was reduced to four and a half years by the Court of Appeal and he was given parole when he served just two and a half years.

Within four months of his release Bosanko killed pretty Nichola Shalloe, 20, in a horrific car crash in 2002 and was subsequently jailed for three-and-a-half years for causing death by dangerous driving. Read More

Molly O'Donovan Found Dead in woodland after going Missing yesterday

The body has been found of a teenage girl who was reported missing after she left her family home.

Police had appealed for help in tracing Molly O'Donovan who had not been seen since leaving her home in Banbury, Oxfordshire, yesterday morning.

Her body was found in a wooded area near Foscote Rise at 11.40am, according to Thames Valley Police.

A force spokesman said: 'The body has now been formally identified as that of missing 14-year-old Molly O'Donovan.

'The death is not believed to be suspicious at this stage and inquiries remain ongoing.' Read More

Tramp killed by three thugs who doused him in petrol and set him alight as he slept in supermarket car park

The charred human remains found in a supermarket car park this morning may have belonged to a homeless person who was callously set alight late at night by three thugs as he slept.

In a shocking attack which is thought to have been caught on CCTV outside Sainsbury's in Chippenham, Wilts, sources have revealed that three men were said to have been seen pouring petrol into a jerrycan at a garage minutes before the car park blaze.

A police dog handler on a routine patrol spotted the blaze, in the car park of Sainsbury’s, in Chippenham at around 3am on Tuesday morning.

The charred remains of a person - whose age or gender have still not been officially identified - were found in the supermarket car park at 3am on Tuesday morning.

Police tonight refused to confirm or deny the circumstances surrounding the death of the adult although it was believed the victim might have been living at a hostel for homeless.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire - but police discovered the body lying in the ashes.
It is believed that the body was too badly burnt to determine a sex or age. Read More

Seven Cameroon athletes disappear from Olympic Village

Seven Cameroon athletes who have disappeared whilst in Britain may be intending to claim asylum, according to an official from the country.

Mission head, David Ojong, said that the seven sportsmen, including five boxers, are suspected of having left to stay in Europe for economic reasons.

'What began as rumour has finally turned out to be true. Seven Cameroonian athletes who participated at the 2012 London Olympic Games have disappeared from the Olympic Village,' Mr Ojong, said in a message sent to Cameroon's Ministry of Sports and Physical Education.

The five boxers all disappeared after being eliminated from the games.

Thomas Essomba, Christian Donfack Adjoufack, Abdon Mewoli, Blaise Yepmou Mendouo and Serge Ambomo, went missing on Sunday from the Olympic village.

Two other athletes - a swimmer and a football player - may also be intending to claim asylum. Read More

Blaze shuts Chevron Bay Area refinery; gasoline spikes

(Reuters) - A fire that shut Chevron Corp's Richmond plant, the second-largest refinery in California, was extinguished early on Tuesday as fears of a months-long closure caused a 25-cent spike in regional gasoline prices.

The fire that spewed flames and a column of smoke high above the densely populated industrial suburb of east San Francisco Bay shortly after 6 p.m. local time on Monday was contained by 11 p.m. and then extinguished, Chevron said. Officials have allowed a small controlled burn to continue, the firm said.

As traders recalled a similar fire on the same unit in 2007 that left the plant mostly idle for over three months, Los Angeles benchmark gasoline rates spiked nearly 25 cents, driving up the price of the nation's costliest motor fuel and delivering a margin boost for competing refiners who may rev up rates. Diesel premiums rose 6 cents from Monday, brokers said.

The 245,000-barrels-per-day (bpd) plant, which accounts for one-eighth of California's refining capacity, was reported to be completely shut down, and could remain so for up to three months, trade sources estimated. It was in the midst of marking its 110th anniversary this summer. Read More

Tropical Storm Ernesto expected to make landfall as a hurricane

(CNN) -- Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to reach hurricane strength by the time it makes landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday night.

The Mexican government extended a hurricane warning north to the city of Tulum on Tuesday as the storm churned in the Caribbean.

Neighboring Belize issued a hurricane warning for its entire east coast.

In Nicaragua, government officials said they were evacuating about 1,500 people in coastal areas and had banned boats from setting sail.

As of 11 a.m. ET Tuesday, the storm was about 220 miles (350 kilometers) east of Chetumal, in Mexico, the National Hurricane Center reported. Ernesto was moving west-northwest at 14 mph with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. Read More

Spain 'al Qaeda cell' may have planned strike to coincide with Olympics

(CNN) -- Three suspected al Qaeda terrorists arrested last week in Spain appear to have been interested in targeting a Gibraltar-area shopping mall in a strike that was likely intended to coincide with the London Olympic Games, an analyst says.

Police deduced this from the declaration of a paragliding instructor who had dealings with the group and the contents of a video they recovered from the suspects, according to Fernando Reinares, a senior international terrorism analyst who was briefed by Spanish security services on the investigation.

"Attacking in or near Gibraltar during the Olympic Games apparently was for them a feasible alternative to what they, and their corresponding organizational leadership, perceived as a much more difficult operation, that of attempting an act of terrorism in London," Reinares told CNN.

While the planned execution date of their alleged plot is still not clear, any attack on or near British soil during the Olympic Games would have generated intense global publicity. Read More

Syria, Iran huddle amid 'state of panic' in Aleppo

Aleppo, Syria (CNN) -- Syria's president welcomed a top official Tuesday from Iran, a friend and ally of the much-reviled and increasingly isolated government in Damascus.

Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, met with President Bashar al-Assad to discuss resolving the 17-month-long civil war and rescuing several Iranians who were kidnapped over the weekend in Syria.

State TV showed footage of Jalili and al-Assad in the first video of the president that has surfaced since last month.
Jalili called on Syrians to sit down and forge a solution to the crisis, which morphed into a nationwide uprising and civil war after government forces cracked down on peaceful protesters in March 2011.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes in a Syrian solution based on national dialogue among all Syrian groups to settle the country's issues, and does not consider foreign approaches as useful," Jalili said, according to Iran's state-run Press TV. Read More

Schmallenberg virus 'may spread across UK'

Schmallenberg virus is present in the UK this summer and could spread throughout the country, scientists say.

Staff from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and Institute for Animal Health (IAH) found the virus in animals on the RVC's farm in Hertfordshire in June.

The scientists say this proves the midge-borne virus survived the winter, and will spread as midge numbers rise.

Schmallenberg causes severe deformities in lambs and calves born to infected mothers, but adults recover quickly.

It poses no threat to human health.

Since its first detection in the UK in January, cases have been documented on 276 farms, mostly in the south and east of England, Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens told reporters at a briefing in London.

However, many infections are missed because the symptoms in cows are mild, while infected sheep often show no signs at all.

The first sign is usually when the animals begin giving birth to deformed or dead young - which can be months after the actual infection. Read More

Jessica Harper admits £2.4m Lloyds Bank fraud

A former Lloyds Bank worker in charge of online security has admitted carrying out a fraud worth more than £2.4m.

Jessica Harper, 50, had been accused of submitting false invoices to claim payments between 2007 and 2011.

At the time she was working as head of fraud and security for digital banking and made false claims totalling £2,463,750.

Harper, of South Croydon, south London, will be sentenced on 21 September.

At Southwark Crown Court, Harper admitted a single charge of fraud by abuse of position by submitting false invoices to claim payments. Read More

Iran vows it will not allow Assad to fall

Tehran will continue to back Syria and Bashar al-Assad’s regime because the alliance between the two countries is central to Iran’s foreign policy in the region, a senior Iran official has said.

Iran has accused Turkey and Gulf countries of arming the rebel opposition in Syria, in collusion with the United States and Israel, to overthrow the Assad regime, Tehran's key regional ally.

Saeed Jalili, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, appeared with the Syrian leader in Damascus on Tuesday to pledge Iran’s support for Assad regime.

“What is happening in Syria is not an internal issue but a conflict between the axis of resistance on one hand, and the regional and global enemies of this axis on the other,” he said.

Assad appeared on television for the first time in two weeks in footage showing him meeting Mr Jalili and vowed to cleanse Syria of “terrorists,” as his troops stepped up air and artillery bombardments on rebels in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

“The Syrian people and their government are determined to purge the country of terrorists and to fight the terrorists without respite,” he said, according to state news agency SANA. Read More

NASA releases more photos from Mars

Aug 7 - NASA scientists release more images from the Mars cover Curiosity during news conference. Sophia Soo reports.

Massive flooding hits Philippines

Aug. 7 - Flooding and torrential rains kill over 50 in the Philippines and force hundreds of thousands more to evacuate. Jessica Gray reports.

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA - 7th August 2012

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake has struck SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 07:48:21 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 119 km (73.7 miles) South of Sumber, Java, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.0 Magnitude Earthquake ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE - 7th August 2012

magnitude 4.0 earthquake has struck ANTOFAGASTA, CHILE at a depth of 142.1 km (88.3 miles), the quake hit at 13:34:04 UTC Tuesday 7th August 2012
The epicenter was 64 km (39 miles) East of Taltal, Chile
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time