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Commuter train and passenger bus collides - 18 dead

2015-12-06T19:32:00.000-04:00

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A commuter train slammed into a passenger minibus Sunday at a railroad crossing in Indonesia's capital, killing at least 18 people and seriously injuring six others.

The bus driver allegedly ignored the warning signals when he crossed the rail tracks and was rammed by the train in western Jakarta, said Wirdhanto, the police chief in the neighborhood of Tambora. Like many Indonesians, Wirdhanto uses only one name.

All of those who were killed were traveling in the minibus. No one aboard the train was injured.

The shattered bus was seen lying on the tracks after it was dragged by the train up to a nearby platform, about 300 meters (yards) from the collision site.

Thirteen minibus passengers died instantly, while another died on the way to a hospital, Wirdhanto said.

The minibus driver and his assistant were among four people who died at three Jakarta hospitals, while six others were hospitalized with serious injuries, said Musyafak, who heads Jakarta police's medical and health division.

He said that no one traveling in the train's eight cars were hurt, and that all rail signals were working at the time of the crash. The train was headed to Jakarta's neighboring town of Bogor with about 400 passengers.

Road, train, boat and air accidents are common in Indonesia, due largely to poor safety standards.

Morgan Freeman uninjured after private plane crash in Mississippi

2015-12-06T19:26:00.000-04:00

Actor Morgan Freeman was uninjured Saturday after the private plane he was flying in blew a tire after takeoff from a Mississippi airport and had to make an emergency landing, authorities said. No one else on the plane was injured.

Clarksdale Mayor Bill Luckett, a longtime friend of Freeman, told the Associated Press the aircraft made what he described as a controlled forced landing just before dark Saturday at an airport in Tunica after it had taken off from Clarksdale.

Both cities are near each other in northwestern Mississippi, with Tunica about 40 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, and one sheriff's official said the plane went off the runway after landing.

Freeman issued a statement saying he was heading to Texas from Mississippi aboard his plane Saturday to shoot a segment for the series, "The Story of God."

"Sometimes things don't go as planned and a tire blew on takeoff, which caused other problems," Freeman said in the statement sent by his publicist. "But thanks to my excellent pilot Jimmy Hobson we landed safely without a scratch."

"I cannot say the same about my plane," Freeman added in the statement, which didn't elaborate on the condition of the aircraft after the unexpected landing. "I appreciate the concern and prayers for our safety."

The plane Freeman was carrying in was an SJ30, which the SyberJet Aircraft company describes on its website as a light business jet, according to Luckett. The Clarksdale mayor told AP another plane went to Tunica to pick up the Oscar-winning actor.

Freeman was the only person on board the plane, according to LocalMemphis.com.

Tunica County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Randy Stewart told AP that the plane made an emergency landing and went off the runway. Stewart confirmed there were no injuries, that Freeman was not piloting the aircraft and tat an inspector will check on the plane Sunday.

Freeman was involved in a 2008 car accident that seriously injured the actor and a passenger in Mississippi on a rural highway near his home. No charges were filed and Freeman settled a lawsuit in 2009 that was filed by the passenger.

Bodies of 7 dead babies found in German flat

2015-11-13T23:01:00.001-04:00

MUNICH - German police said Friday they had found the bodies of “probably seven” babies in an apartment in the southern state of Bavaria after being alerted by a local resident.

“Officers found several bodies of infants. The police and prosecutor... believe that there are probably seven dead,” police said in a statement. Police are looking for a 45-year-old woman who previously lived in the apartment in the small town of Wallenfels. “She is sought at least as the possible mother of the children,” said a police spokeswoman, who would not say if the woman is being considered a suspect. Forensic investigators are currently examining the corpses, police said, adding that the process could take some time “due to the poor condition” of some of the bodies. “A result is not to be expected before the beginning of the coming week,” said police.

Investigators had first revealed the grisly find late Thursday, with the local press reporting that two babies’ bodies were uncovered.
Police said they were alerted on Thursday afternoon by a resident from Wallenfels, who found a body of an infant in the apartment.

When officers arrived at the site, they uncovered several other bodies.
Newspaper Bild reported that the female former resident of the apartment lived there with her husband for 18 years, and that the couple had three children.
But the woman also had four other children from other relationships, it said, adding that she had sought to hide her frequent pregnancies.

It also quoted an unnamed source saying that the woman had four miscarriages.
She moved out at the end of September after a row with her husband, Bild said, adding that while drunk, she had told him that she had hidden bodies of babies at home.
The woman reportedly worked at a newspaper kiosk, and in the summer was also a lifeguard at a swimming pool.

A neighbour described her as a “nice person” and said that she always cared very well for her children, according to the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Magnitude-7 earthquake strikes off southwest Japan

2015-11-13T22:57:00.000-04:00

TOKYO (AP) — A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of southwest Japan, triggering a small tsunami. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The earthquake struck at 5:51 a.m. (20:51 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) about 190 kilometers southwest of Kagoshima city, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

A 30-centimter (one-foot) tsunami was recorded at 6:45 a.m. on Nakanoshima, a small island to the south of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island.

A tsunami advisory for Kagoshima prefecture and a string of small islands was lifted at 7:20 a.m.

Multiple Paris Terror Attacks Leave as Many as 120 Dead

2015-11-13T22:40:00.000-04:00

The death toll in attacks across six sites in Paris could exceed 120, Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said on French television early Saturday. He said at least five assailants have been neutralized.

At least 100 people were killed at the Bataclan theater in Paris' 11th arrondissement, where scores of hostages had been held. Police in Paris told NBC News that several people had also been shot at a restaurant in the nearby 10th arrondissement in Paris.

Death toll reports varied in the confusion of the immediate aftermath of attacks. Earlier, Paris police officials said that security forces killed at least two attackers in the theater, ending the siege.

French President François Hollande ordered a state of emergency in Paris and closed the country's borders after the violence broke out.

A police union official told the AP that there were two suicide attacks and a bombing near the Stade de France, north of Paris. At least three people were killed near the stadium, Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale told the AP.

"Terrorist attacks of an unprecedented magnitude are in play in Paris. It's horror," Hollande said. "I've asked for military reinforcements to make sure that no other attack can happen," Hollande said.

Hollande traveled to the Bataclan theater early Saturday morning.

Giant 'Sinkhole' Swallows Over Dozen Cars

2015-11-08T19:17:00.000-04:00

A giant 'sinkhole' about 50-feet wide opened up in an IHOP parking lot in Mississippi over the weekend, swallowing at least 14 vehicles, officials said.

At about 7:15 p.m. CT Saturday night, "we received a call of vehicles going through the pavement at the IHOP in Meridian," Patrol Lieutenant Rita Jack with Meridian Police told NBC News.

A large sinkhole swallowed vehicles in the parking lot of the new IHOP restaurant in Meridian, Mississippi. @nolatab88

"When we arrived on scene, 14 to 15 vehicles that we could see had fallen roughly 30 feet into the ground. We expect that there may be more and that they may fall further into the ground because there is only mud underneath."

Rain in the forecast could hamper the recovery effort, but officials expected to start moving cars within three to five days.

"The sinkhole is huge," said Jack. "If you imagine a football field cut in half, it is every bit of 50 feet wide and about 100 - 125 feet wide. We are talking 14 to 15 vehicles. It is very scary. We are so fortunate that no injuries were sustained. We are gonna keep it under observation until we know that it is clear and safe."

The IHOP had just opened earlier in the week, NBC affiliate WLBT reported.

ICE highlights dangers of illegal decorative contact lenses

2015-10-16T19:41:00.000-04:00

WASHINGTON – Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have announced a consumer warning ahead of Halloween about the dangers of counterfeit and unapproved decorative contact lenses after key developments in ongoing investigations targeting the unsafe items.

Decorative contact lenses purchased at holiday stores, convenience stores, novelty stores, flea markets, street vendors or online without an examination from a licensed eye doctor or a valid prescription may be counterfeit, potentially harmful and should be avoided. Any individual who experiences eye redness, prolonged eye pain or any decrease in vision after wearing decorative contact lenses should immediately notify a doctor.

ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have combined enforcement actions to execute Operation Double Vision, an ongoing effort to target the illegal importation and distribution of counterfeit contact lenses and unapproved decorative lenses that can cause eye infections, conjunctivitis and impaired vision. The operation, which is coordinated through the HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), has resulted in the seizure of over 20,000 pairs of counterfeit and decorative contact lenses.

“Halloween is a major holiday in which criminal elements take the opportunity to exploit consumers without any regard for their health and safety,” said IPR Center Director Bruce Foucart. “We will continue to develop operations and pursue investigations into the illegal trafficking of hazardous counterfeit contact lenses that can have long-term physical effects, lead to expensive medical bills and restrict individuals to intense rehabilitation programs.”

Contact lenses are considered medical devices, and all types are regulated by the FDA. The agency recommends purchasing all forms of contact lenses from a licensed provider who requires a prescription. If a retailer or online marketplace fails to request proper documentation from the prescribed doctor, they are breaking federal law and could be selling illegal contact lenses.

Woman Charged in Her Baby’s Killing Was a Day Care Provider

2015-10-16T18:40:00.000-04:00

The Bronx woman accused of throwing her 6-month-old baby to her death from a window in a sixth-floor apartment was a licensed day care provider who until recently cared for children in that home.

The woman, Tenisha Fearon, 27, was charged with murder on Friday. The case is the third in recent months in which babies have been thrown to their deaths from windows in their New York City homes — two by mothers who had jobs directly related to the welfare of children.

At Ms. Fearon’s arraignment, Judge Kim Wilson of Criminal Court in the Bronx ordered that the mother undergo a psychiatric evaluation and that she be held without bail in protective custody.

Ms. Fearon was silent as the prosecution described the events on Thursday at 2200 Tiebout Avenue, near East 182nd Street.

The baby, Junilah Lawrence, was naked and alive when Ms. Fearon first dangled her out the sixth-floor window, the prosecution said. Before letting the child go, witnesses said, Ms. Fearon was screaming wildly, talking about how all of her children would die.

Ms. Fearon’s three other children, ranging in age from 4 to 10, watched in horror, according to prosecutors. As people realized what was happening, many gathered on the streets below and on rooftops nearby, pleading with her to stop and begging her not to harm the other children.

The police arrived around 2 p.m., broke down the door to the apartment, and found the other children lying on the floor, also naked. On Friday, the three were placed temporarily in foster care.

Ms. Fearon’s friends and relatives were trying to cope with what happened. Until recently, they said, she had shown no signs of mental illness or disturbed behavior.

Until April she was taking care of other children, running a small day care operation from her apartment, according to relatives and state officials.

“Tenisha Fearon was a registered family day care provider from 2013 to 2015 with no complaints or violations,” said Steve Flamisch, a spokesman for the State Office of Children and Family Services. “Her registration expired on April 30, and she did not apply for renewal. Her program is closed.”

Ms. Fearon is currently out of work, and relatives said she quit offering day care after the birth of her fourth child, saying that her pregnancy aggravated her diabetes. It is a disease that runs in her family — her mother died about five years ago after several coma-inducing diabetic shocks.

Those close to Ms. Fearon said her children were the center of her life. She dressed them well and took them out five days a week to play.

Juliet Fearon, Ms. Fearon’s sister, said that the two had spoken on Monday and that Ms. Fearon seemed to be looking for some sort of relief.

“She said she’d become an on-again Christian,” she said.

But there were no obvious signs that she was approaching a breakdown.

Louella Hatch, who has known Ms. Fearon since she was born and described her as “like a daughter,” said she visited with her on Wednesday.

“She was cleaning her house,” Ms. Hatch said. “And when you’re cleaning, you’re normal to me.” But as she left the apartment, Ms. Fearon said something strange about Jesus and the devil.

“I thought, ‘Why is she telling me that when I go to church every Sunday?’” Ms. Hatch said. It was an odd comment, she said, but hardly suggested what was to come.

Ms. Fearon had a court-appointed lawyer for her arraignment, but it was unclear who would represent her going forward.

As police officers escorted Ms. Fearon from the 46th Precinct station house on Friday morning, she appeared disheveled and heavily sedated, staring straight ahead as she addressed Ms. Hatch, who was there to offer support.

Six year old dies after accidentally setting fire to her cotton dress with a lighter she found

2015-10-16T17:56:00.001-04:00

A six-year-old girl tragically died from severe burns after accidentally setting her dress on fire while playing with a cigarette lighter in her father's house.

An inquest heard that Keira-Leigh Garland suffered more than 66 per cent burns to her body after her flimsy cotton dress caught fire.

She was taken to Alder Hey children's hospital but despite medical staff battling to save her life, she died 19 days later from complications arising from the horrendous injuries she suffered.

Keira-Leigh Garland suffered more than 66 per cent burns to her body after her flimsy cotton dress caught fire while she was playing with a lighter she found in her father's home in New Brighton, Wirral. She was taken to Alder Hey children's hospital but sadly died from complications 19 days later

Liverpool coroner Andre Rebello said it was thew responsibility of anyone who buys or holds a lighter to 'keep children safe' from the potential dangers after the tragedy.

The inquest was told that Keira-Leigh's parents had separated and she was brought up by her paternal grandmother at her home in Dalmorton Road, New Brighton, Wirral.

But the accident happened when she was visiting her father, Sam Garland, who lived in a flat with his girlfriend and her four-year-old son in a multiple occupancy house in Dalmorton Road.

The inquest heard that concerns had been raised before the tragedy on April 16 about the number of cigarette lighters scattered about the property - which was divided into flats and bedsits.

EU states have struck a deal with Turkey to try and tackle migrant crisis

2015-10-16T17:50:00.000-04:00

Nigel Farage warned plans to allow Turkey's 75million citizens into the UK was 'bordering on insanity'

Britain faces the spectre of another wave of mass migration after Brussels bureaucrats opened the gates of Europe to Turkey's 75million citizens.

Plans to allow Turks access to EU visas – in exchange for their country's help with the Syrian migration crisis – were branded as 'bordering on insanity' last night. Ukip leader Nigel Farage warned the deal – a possible precursor to Turkey becoming a full EU member – could result in even more pressure on UK schools and hospitals.

He added that Turkey was 'too big, too poor and too different from us culturally' to be in the EU. But Turkey's hardline president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, demanded membership as the price for stemming the tide of refugees pouring over his country's borders into Europe.

In exchange for the visa deal and £2.2billion in aid – which could include up to £260million from the UK – Mr Erdogan will step up border controls, tackle people-smuggling gangs and re-admit failed asylum seekers who had entered Europe from Turkey. Late on Thursday night at a summit in Brussels, EU officials agreed to speed up talks on visas allowing Turks into the EU's border-free Schengen Zone, which could come into effect as soon as next year.

This would not automatically allow access to the UK, but could still fuel black market immigration to Britain.

Yesterday, as Mr Erdogan held the continent to ransom over the migration crisis, with the demand of three billion euros (£2.2billion) in aid, EU officials announced they would 're-energise' membership negotiations with Turkey.

But critics said any deal on visas, or further moves toward handing the Turks EU citizenship, would only swap the prospect of two million Syrian refugees arriving from Turkey, with the threat of its 75million citizens being given the chance to pour in.

Daily Mail

Unarmed policeman shot dead by bailed IRA suspect in murder-suicide

2015-10-12T06:33:00.000-04:00

Killed: Father-of-three Tony Golden was gunned down by a suspected IRA man while trying to break up a domestic dispute

An unarmed garda was last night shot dead by an IRA suspect out on bail – who turned the gun on his girlfriend and on himself.

Father-of-three Garda Tony Golden was responding to a domestic dispute in Omeath, Co. Louth at 6pm yesterday when Adrian Crevan Mackin pulled a gun and killed him.

The garda had gone to the aid of Mackin’s girlfriend Siobhán Phillips, who was then shot by the 24-year-old killer.She was las t night fighting for her life.

‘It is touch and go whether she will survive the night,’ said a source.

The highly-regarded garda had travelled to the home Mackin’ shared with Ms Phillips, in Omeath, after members of her family went to Dundalk Garda station to report their fears that her partner was ‘violent and going to harm her’.

A senior source explained: ‘Officer Golden, a great family man and dedicated officer, decided to go to the house after Ms Phillips' family expressed concern about her safety with Mr Mackin.

'He went on his own. Ideally another officer should have gone with him but there was no one else available.’

In January, Mackin was charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army. He was later granted bail and appeared in court again last week in connection with the charge.

And when Garda Golden arrived at his home yesterday, the IRA suspect was armed with a handgun.

A source said: ‘This guy Mackin was a Provo and out on bail. His cold blooded murder of Garda Golden was not linked to paramilitary activity in any way.

'He seems to have lost it completely during a row with his girlfriend and went on a shooting spree when the Garda arrived to try and diffuse the situation.’

Killer: Adrian Crevan Mackin (right), a 24-year-old on bail for alleged IRA membership, pulled a handgun on the officer. He also shot girlfriend Siobhan Phillips (left), with whom he was fighting when Garda Golden arrived

Officers in Dundalk are ‘stunned’ by the murder of the garda in the line of duty. Garda Golden was married to Nicola O’Sullivan.

This is the second recent tragedy in which a Garda in Co. Louth has been shot dead. Garda Adrain Donohoe was fatally injured in January 2013 when responding to an armed robbery at a credit union.

A source said last night: ‘Ideally, two officers should have been going to the scene where there is a domestic dispute but it is not always the case that two officers are available so Garda Tony Golden went alone to the scene. No one could have predicted this would happen.’

MH

Man arrested in rape of 10 year old stepdaughter who became pregnant

2015-05-11T18:10:00.000-04:00

A man in Paraguay accused of raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter and getting her pregnant was arrested Saturday, police said.

Benitez Gilberto Zarate, 42, had fled in the wake of the accusation against him. But he denied any wrongdoing to police and local media, and has demanded a DNA test on the unborn child to back up his claim.

An international rights group is pressing the Paraguayan government to allow an abortion for the girl -- a procedure that health officials in the South American country have so far blocked.

At issue is Paraguayan law, which bans abortions except in cases where the pregnancy endangers the mother's life. The Paraguayan Ministry of Health says there's no indication that the health of the girl, now 22 weeks' pregnant, is at risk.

But the girl's family is asking for an abortion, and Amnesty International is backing the family. The group says her age should trigger the health exception and argues that pregnancy poses health risks to young girls whose bodies aren't fully developed.

Amnesty also says the law is too restrictive, noting that it doesn't provide additional exceptions for rape.

"The physical and psychological impact of forcing this young girl to continue with an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to torture," Amnesty International official Guadalupe Marengo said this week. "The Paraguayan authorities cannot sit idly by while this young rape survivor is forced to endure more agony and torment."

Doctors learned the girl was pregnant after she entered a hospital in the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, on April 21 for abdominal pain. That spurred a criminal investigation.

Authorities allege that she was raped by her stepfather, and that the pregnancy stems from that crime, according to the prosecutor in charge of the case, Monalisa Munoz.

The girl's mother has also been arrested in connection with the case, Munoz said. She faces charges including breaching her duty of care, Amnesty International said.

Amnesty said the girl's mother has also asked that her daughter be allowed to have an abortion. But Paraguayan Health Minister Antonio Barrios said the pregnancy would continue.

The girl, who has been transferred from a children's hospital to Asuncion's Red Cross Hospital, will be taken to a shelter where the state will oversee her prenatal care.

Canadian man wanted for raping disabled child 4 decades ago deported

2015-03-29T18:20:00.001-04:00

LOS ANGELES – A Canadian man accused in his native country of raping a disabled girl four decades ago was turned over to Canadian authorities in Vancouver, British Columbia, late Tuesday culminating a nearly two-year legal effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to gain his deportation.

Raymond Douglas Charles Macleod, 72, was repatriated under escort by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers on a commercial flight that departed from Los Angeles International Airport. Macleod is facing trial in Canada for the 1974 rape of a 5-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. A news release issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Wednesday advises Canadian authorities issued a nationwide warrant for Macleod’s arrest in 1980, but he was never located.

Macleod’s deportation Tuesday comes following 17 months of litigation by ICE to secure a final order of removal. Macleod was arrested in October 2013 by ERO officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies at a San Dimas trailer park where he had been living under an assumed name. ICE placed Macleod in removal proceedings and an immigration judge ordered him deported in March 2014. Macleod subsequently appealed the judge’s decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ultimately, both panels concurred with the original ruling, paving the way for this week’s removal.

“For the victim in this case, justice has been a long time coming, but she can take consolation in the fact that her alleged assailant is now being held accountable,” said David Jennings, field office director for ERO Los Angeles. “I applaud my officers and the ICE attorneys whose perseverance made this happen. We will not allow our country to serve as a safe haven for those who commit reprehensible crimes.”

Since October 2009, ERO has removed more than 900 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

ICE

5th girl from London school tried to flee to join ISIS but was stopped on airport runway

2015-03-29T17:27:00.000-04:00

The trio (pictured) followed their friend Sharmeena Begum who first went to the Middle East to join IS. All of the girls knew each other well

A 15-year-old who wanted to join Islamic State as a jihadi bride has been revealed to be the fifth girl from Bethnal Green Academy trying to join the extremist group.

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was stopped from joining the Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria by police on the runway at Heathrow after her plane was grounded.

The girl went to the same east London school as Kadiza Sultana, 16, Shamima Begum, 15, and Amira Abase, 15, who fled to join IS fighters last month, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The girl went to the same school, Bethnal Green Academy, as Kadiza Sultana, 16, Shamima Begum, 15, and Amira Abase, 15, who fled to join IS fighters last month

She boarded a British Airways flight to Istanbul on December 6, without the knowledge of her parents, months before her schoolmates made their successful attempt.

Her plane was held as it taxied for take-off and was turned around at the last minute.

All four of the aspiring jihadists followed their friend Sharmeena Begum who first went to the Middle East to join IS. All of the girls knew each other well.

15-year-old schoolgirl killed when car smashed into a tree

2015-03-29T17:24:00.001-04:00

Tributes have been pouring in for a teenage schoolgirl, who was killed alongside a 22-year-old man when their car smashed into a tree.

Levi Jade Apsley, 15, was killed when the blue Vauxhall Corsa in which she was travelling careered off the road in Offerton, Stockport, Greater Manchester, early this morning.

Two others inside the blue Vauxhall Corsa car, aged 23 and 18, were seriously injured and are currently being treated in hospital. The 22-year-old who was killed in the crash has not yet been named.

Levi Jade Apsley, 15, was killed when the blue Vauxhall Corsa in which she was travelling careered off the road in Offerton, Stockport, Greater Manchester, early this morning

Officers from Greater Manchester Police, who are investigating the crash, also said a dog was killed after being hit by the car while it was being walked. The dog's owner was not injured, they say.

Today, Levi's bereft friends paid tribute to the 15-year-old on a Facebook site launched in her memory, calling her 'a top girl'.

Cloe Louise Gregory wrote: 'R.I.P beautiful. Will be sadly missed by so many people', while Sarah Watson added: 'Still can't believe it, R.I.P Levi sweetheart. Sleep tight xxx.'

Bethy Mathers said: 'Still can't believe you're gone. Miss you so, so much. You were such an amazing girl and we had many good times. Anyway party hard up there! Love u so much.'

Grandmother arrested after using power saw to cut baby's throat

2015-03-11T00:36:00.000-04:00

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 28: Police stand guard as demonstrators protest outside a Chicago Police facility on the city's Westside on February 28, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The demonstrators were demanding changes after a British newspaper article recently claimed the facility was used by Chicago police as a 'secret interrogation facility.' (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (2015 Getty Images)

CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) – A 52-year-old woman was taken into custody Monday morning in connection with the death of a 7-month-old girl whose neck was slashed with a circular saw in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood.

Investigators suspect the woman used the saw to stop the child from crying, a police source said. Family members told authorities that the woman had been taking antidepressant medication, authorities said.

Neighbors say the suspect, who they identified as the victim's grandmother, cared for her granddaughter, Rose Herrera, everyday. According to neighbors, five people – including baby Rose – lived in the home in the 2800 block of South Avers Avenue in Little Village.

Family said the news of a their granddaughter's birth last summer filled the family with joy. "The grandmother was especially happy when she was born. She even brought her to meet my landlord," said Laura Hidalgo.

Hidalgo hadn't seen the grandmother in about a month. However, she saw her just eight days ago and what she saw shocked her. "She looked deteriorated. Her face looked gaunt. It looked like she had lost 20 pounds in only a month. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that she couldn't sleep," Hidalgo said.

No one could believe the news of baby Rose's death. "My neighbors are very good people. I have no idea how this happened," said Francisco Arreola.

Arreola said he was asleep when he heard the commotion and went outside, but he said he never heard fights or loud cries coming from the house early Monday morning.

"It's very hard and very sad that someone would want to kill an 8-month-old baby," Arreola added. The medical examiners office said the cause and manner of the baby's death should be known by Tuesday afternoon.

Officers responded to an EMS call about 9:30 a.m., police said. The baby had “visible signs of trauma” and was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. The Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed the death, but did not release additional details.

The woman was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with self-inflicted wounds, police said. Her condition had stabilized.

Commuter train crashes–Six dead

2015-02-03T23:44:00.001-04:00

A commuter train slammed into a sport utility vehicle stuck on the tracks at a crossing Tuesday evening, killing 6 people, mostly on the train, and injuring at least a dozen others, authorities said.

The northbound Metro-North Railroad train struck a Jeep Cherokee at a crossing in Valhalla, about 20 miles north of New York City, railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said. Killed were the SUV's driver and five people aboard the train, he said, making this crash the railroad's deadliest.

The railroad crossing gates had come down on top of the SUV, which was stopped on the tracks, the spokesman said. The driver got out to look at the rear of the vehicle, then she got back in and drove forward and was struck, he said.

The train shoved the SUV about 10 train car lengths, and the SUV and the front of the train caught fire, he said. Smoke poured out of the scorched front rail car, its windows blackened.

Passengers described a bump and said they smelled gasoline from the vehicle.

More than 750 passengers likely were aboard the train, including Justin Kaback, commuting home to Danbury, Connecticut.

"I was trapped. You know there was people in front of me and behind me, and I was trapped in the middle of a car and it was getting very hot," he told ABC News. "All the air was turned off so there was no circulation so it was definitely scary especially when people are walking by on the outside and they said, 'The train's on fire. There's a fire.'"

Passenger Stacey Eisner, who was at the rear of the train, told NBC News that she felt the train "jerk" and then a conductor walked through the train explaining what had happened. She said her train car was evacuated about 10 minutes later using ladders to get people out.

The other rail passengers were moved to the rear of the train, which had left Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan about 45 minutes earlier.

Passengers got off from the rear. About 400 of them were taken to a local rock climbing gym for shelter. Buses were heading there to pick them up and take them to their destinations.

Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983 and serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut. Service on its Harlem Line was suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains after the crash.

AirAsia flight vanishes off coast of Indonesia - relatives of victims agonized

2014-12-26T15:42:00.001-04:00

A massive search and rescue operation for the missing AirAsia flight which lost contact with air traffic control over Indonesia has been suspended for the night due to unworkable conditions.

The fishing boats and official vessels that were sent out by Indonesia's national search and rescue authority, along with helicopters and Hercules aircraft from Singapore, will resume their efforts at sunrise on Monday morning.

There is an unconfirmed report of a wreckage spotted east of Belitung Island in the Java Sea, 100 miles from where the plane was last tracked.

AirAsia flight QZ8501 departed Surabaya, in Indonesia, on Sunday at 5.30am local time, and was scheduled to land at Changi Airport, in Singapore, at 8.30am (Singapore local time).

However, it lost contact with air traffic control as it flew over Indonesia at about 6.16am local time, a short time after the pilot asked to deviate from the flight path due to 'bad weather'.

The scenes of anguish were reminiscent of those in March 2014, when Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic control several hundred miles north of Singapore. No trace of the craft has been found.

The pilot of the plane has been named as Captain Iriyanto, while the co-pilot is believed to be Frenchman Remi Emmanual Plesel. A picture of the pilot has been posted on social media by his daughter Angela Ranastianis. His nephew praised Capt Irianto as 'a very caring person'

The Airbus A320 lost contact with air traffic control as it flew over Indonesia at about 6.16am local time. AirAsia have confirmed there were two pilots, four flight attendants and one engineer on board

The last communication between QZ8501's pilot and air traffic control was when he requested to increase his altitude due to bad weather

The last communication between QZ8501's pilot and air traffic control was when he requested to increase his altitude to 34,000 feet due to bad weather

Husband and wife found dead in their home on Christmas morning

2014-12-26T15:42:00.000-04:00

Police are investigating a suspected double suicide by two parents said to be in 'financial trouble'.

The couple, believed to have children aged five and seven, were found dead at their home in Billingshurst, West Sussex on Christmas Day morning by a concerned relative and a neighbour.

Residents living nearby said they seemed 'completely normal and pleasant' but were believed to be 'in deep financial trouble'

Police outside the West Sussex home where the parents of two young children were found dead yesterday

A worried relative had gone to the couple's semi-detached home shortly after 9am and saw the bodies through a window. The man was said to have been found hanged.

Neighbours said that it was understood that the man, 33, and woman, 30, had two children who were not present at the semi-detached house when police broke in.

It was thought the couple had made special arrangements for them to be looked after overnight.

A neighbour, who asked not want to be named, said: 'I was the one who got in and found them. It's been a real shock.' Another neighbour added: 'They were a very private couple but we would always speak to them over the fence when we saw them and we would sometimes wash the cars together. They had a couple of young children.

'They were very nice people. We used to receive Christmas cards from them and my wife spoke to the wife over the fence on Christmas Eve. She said the children were staying with a relative.

Police said that they were investigating the double death and stressed that they were not seeking anyone else in connection with the deaths.

ran executes woman who killed her alleged rapist

2014-10-25T16:19:00.000-04:00

An Iranian woman convicted of murder -- in a killing that human rights groups called self-defense against a rapist -- was hanged Saturday, state news agency IRNA reported.

Reyhaneh Jabbari, 26, was sentenced to death for the 2007 killing of Morteza Abdolali Sarbandi, a former employee of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

The United Nations has said she never received a fair trial. The U.S. State Department also said there were concerns about the trial.

"There were serious concerns with the fairness of the trial and the circumstances surrounding this case, including reports of confessions made under severe duress," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday.

"We condemn this morning's execution in Iran of Reyhaneh Jabbari, an Iranian woman convicted of killing a man she said she stabbed in self-defense during a sexual assault," Psaki said.

The United Nations and the United States had expressed concerns over the fairness of Reyhaneh Jabbari's trial.

Jabbari's execution was originally scheduled for September 30, but was postponed. Amnesty International said the delay may have been in response to the public outcry against the execution.

Jabbari was convicted of murder after "a flawed investigation and unfair trial," according to Amnesty International.

The United Nations has said Sarbandi hired Jabbari -- then a 19-year-old interior designer -- to work on his office. She stabbed him after he sexually assaulted her, it said.

Jabbari was held in solitary confinement without access to her lawyer and family for two months, Amnesty International said in a statement. She was tortured during that time, the group said.

"Amnesty International understands that, at the outset of the investigation, Reyhaneh Jabbari admitted to stabbing the man once in the back, but claimed she had done so after he had tried to sexually abuse her," the rights group said. "She also maintained that a third person in the house had been involved in the killing. These claims, if proven, could exonerate her but are believed never to have been properly investigated, raising many questions about the circumstances of the killing."

Iranian Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi joined scores of Iranian artists and musicians calling for a halt to the execution. In an open letter, Farhadi asked the victim's family to pardon her, a possibility under Iranian law.

Rights groups have criticized Iran for a surge in executions under Hassan Rouhani in his first year as president.

UK Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood said he was "very concerned and saddened" that Jabbari had been executed, especially given the questions concerning due process in the case.

"The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, noted that her conviction was allegedly based on confessions made while under threat, and the court failed to take into account all evidence into its judgment," he said in a statement.

"Actions like these do not help Iran build confidence or trust with the international community. I urge Iran to put a moratorium on all executions."

According to the United Nations, Iran has executed at least 170 people this year. Last year, it executed more people than any other country with the exception of China, the world's most populous nation.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking in July, said the death penalty has no place in the 21st century and urged all countries to work toward its abolition.

CNN

Canadian Guard Shot in Attack at Parliament Hill in Ottawa

2014-10-22T13:16:00.000-04:00

At least two gunmen traumatized the heart of the Canadian government on Wednesday, with one shooting a military guard at the National War Memorial and then entering the adjacent Parliament building, where multiple rounds were fired.

A shooting also was reported at a nearby shopping mall.

Police officers rushed to secure the Parliament building and move occupants to safety as they hunted for what Canadian news reports said were possibly two or three assailants, in what had the appearance of a coordinated attack.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that one assailant was killed. The condition of the soldier who was shot was not immediately clear. Witnesses reported earlier they believed the soldier had been killed.

Marc Coucy, a representative of the Ottawa Police Service, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that officers were looking for “multiple suspects” in shootings at three locations.

The shootings came amid heightened concern about terrorist attacks in Canada, two days after a radical jihadist convert ran over two soldiers at a suburban Montreal strip mall, killing one of them. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, an outspoken critic of the Islamic State movement and other militant groups, has been considering the introduction of new antiterrorism legislation.

The shootings began about 10 a.m., just as the leaders of Parliament were holding their weekly meetings, suggesting the possibility of deliberate timing. Many of the lawmakers were rushed into secure rooms in the basement by guards.

“I heard the shots as I was walking into a conference meeting,” said Chrystia Freeland, a member of Parliament from Toronto, speaking by cell phone from a windowless room in the basement. “I’m surrounded by more than a dozen House of Commons security guards.”

Prime Minister Harper had been inside Parliament at the time of the shooting but was evacuated safely, Canadian news reports said. The entire area, known as Parliament Hill, was placed on lockdown as police reinforcements arrived.

Witnesses reported seeing the gunman who shot the soldier running into the House of Commons, firing dozens of rounds. The assailant’s identity and motive were not clear.

It also was unclear whether any other people were hurt, but an Ottawa City bus converted to a medical treatment unit was seen moving to the area.

Journalists covering Parliament were ordered by police officers at gunpoint to lie on the floor in the foyer in front of the House of Commons, The Globe and Mail reported on its website. The Globe and Mail’s correspondent, Josh Wingrove, said in a series of Twitter posts that the hallways were filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Ebola crisis: Nigeria declared free of virus

2014-10-20T07:04:00.000-04:00

Nigeria has been declared officially free of Ebola after six weeks with no new cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. WHO representative Rui Gama Vaz, speaking in the capital Abuja, said it was a "spectacular success story".

Nigeria won praise for its swift response after a Liberian diplomat brought the disease there in July.

The outbreak has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa, mostly in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

An estimated 70% of those infected have died in those countries.

The WHO officially declared Senegal Ebola-free on Friday.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg to discuss how to strengthen their response to the threat posed by Ebola.

European countries have committed more than 500m euros (£400m; $600m) but the UK is pressing to double that amount.

The money is being sought to help reinforce over-stretched healthcare systems in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and to mitigate the damage Ebola is doing to their economies.

Ahead of the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggested the EU could send a civilian mission to West Africa that would serve as a platform for sending medical staff.

Another diplomat said there were plans for three countries to spearhead aid to the region - the UK for Sierra Leone, France for Guinea and the US for Liberia.

Earlier, the Spanish government said a nurse who became the first person to contract Ebola outside West Africa had tested negative for the virus.

BBC

Italian nurse kills as many as 38 patients because they annoyed her

2014-10-15T13:36:00.001-04:00

Europics Police believe Daniela Poggiali killed up to 38 patients while she worked as a nurse in a Lugo hospital.

A cruel Italian nurse killed as many as 38 patients because she thought they — and their visiting families — were annoying, police said.

Police believe Daniela Poggiali, who worked at a Lugo hospital, killed her victims with hefty doses of potassium chloride and then snapped photos with some of the bodies, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported.

"Poggiali was particularly euphoric and asked me to take a photo next to the corpse," one of her colleagues told the newspaper, which has been translated from Italian. "I was afraid and intimidated."

The 42-year-old nurse was arrested last week after police investigated the mysterious death of a 78-year-old patient in April.

The woman died suddenly after coming to the hospital with a routine illness. Tests showed she died with a lethal dose of potassium in her system.

Europics Investigators said the murderous nurse allegedly killed her victims because she thought they — or their visiting loved ones — were annoying.

That touched off a massive police probe: Investigators found deaths in the hospital increased significantly when Poggiali was on duty.

In the first quarter of 2014, 38 out of her 83 patients died, the newspaper reported. Other nurses had about 10 deaths.

Cancer patient who stole £400,000 from her employers thinking she’d be dead before they found out is jailed for four years

2014-10-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

Shirley Player, 61, stole £57,000 a year from 2007 to 2014

A cancer sufferer who stole £400,000 from her employers thinking she would be dead before her crimes were discovered has been jailed for four years after she was told she had the all-clear.

Shirley Player, 61, stole £57,000 a year from 2007 to 2014 from the estate agents she worked for in Bournemouth, after being diagnosed with the disease.

The accounts manager claims she stole the money because her two sisters had previously died from breast cancer.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard she had thought she would 'not be here' when her employers uncovered what she had been doing.

But after responding well to treatment the grandmother was given the all clear.

Then, after her employers carried out an audit, the sheer extent of her theft finally came to light.

They discovered Player had transferred a total of £390,550 into her personal bank accounts over seven years, concealing the payments as tenant deposit returns.

She made 390 transactions into four accounts then covered up the payments by editing the company's accounts system to make them look legitimate.

Carolyn Branford-Wood, prosecuting, said Player, from Bournemouth, Dorset, blew the money on paying off debts, paying rents and on 'family treats', and had no idea of how much money she had stolen.

She said: 'She had thought she might have died before the thefts were discovered. She lost both her sisters to cancer in the mid-2000s and she had then been diagnosed but responded favourably to treatment.

'She had not expected to still be here.'

Bournemouth Crown Court heard how, in a police interview, Player confessed to her crimes immediately.

Mrs Brandford-Wood said Player told officers: 'I can't deny it - I did it. In my head I still don't know why I have done it. It was me and nobody else.

'It started because I had debts and then I thought 'I'm getting away with it' and it just escalated.

'In the end I could not stop.'

The prosecutor said: 'Asked where the money had gone she said it was on bills, rent and treats for the family.

Daily Mail

Man dies from Ebola-like Marburg virus

2014-10-06T09:19:00.001-04:00

KAMPALA, Uganda (AFP) - A hospital technician has died of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Kampala, the Ugandan government announced on Sunday.

The man, aged 30, died in the Mengo hospital where he worked in the capital of the east African country on September 28, 11 days after falling ill, the authorities said.

Tests confirmed the presence of the disease two days later.

The Marburg virus is one of the most deadly known pathogens. Like Ebola, it causes severe bleeding, fever, vomiting and diarrheoa.

The victim's brother and one other person he was in contact with have so far "developed signs" of the disease, the ministry of health said in a statement.

"So far, a total of 80 people who got into contact with the initial confirmed case have been identified and isolated for the 21-day incubation period," it added.

"These include 38 health workers from Mengo hospital and 22 health workers from Mpigi Health Center IV."

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is transmitted via contact with bodily fluids and fatality rates range from 25 percent to 80 percent.

Uganda's Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda said the government could deal with any outbreak. "Uganda has previously successfully handled similar situations of health threats involving hemorrhagic fevers," he wrote on Twitter.

A Marburg outbreak in Uganda in October 2012 killed 10 people, about half of those who were confirmed infected with the disease.

The Ebola epidemic that has been raging in west Africa has so far claimed almost 3,500 lives, with Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone worst hit.

Researchers announced in August that a drug developed by Canada's Tekmira Pharmaceuticals helped monkeys survive the deadly infection in tests.

Vincy Rose Sky Is The Limit

Commuter train and passenger bus collides - 18 dead

Morgan Freeman uninjured after private plane crash in Mississippi

Bodies of 7 dead babies found in German flat

MUNICH - German police said Friday they had found the bodies of “probably seven” babies in an apartment in the southern state of Bavaria after being alerted by a local resident.

Investigators had first revealed the grisly find late Thursday, with the local press reporting that two babies’ bodies were uncovered.Police said they were alerted on Thursday afternoon by a resident from Wallenfels, who found a body of an infant in the apartment.

A neighbour described her as a “nice person” and said that she always cared very well for her children, according to the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Magnitude-7 earthquake strikes off southwest Japan

TOKYO (AP) — A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of southwest Japan, triggering a small tsunami. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The earthquake struck at 5:51 a.m. (20:51 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) about 190 kilometers southwest of Kagoshima city, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Multiple Paris Terror Attacks Leave as Many as 120 Dead

Giant 'Sinkhole' Swallows Over Dozen Cars

ICE highlights dangers of illegal decorative contact lenses

Woman Charged in Her Baby’s Killing Was a Day Care Provider

Six year old dies after accidentally setting fire to her cotton dress with a lighter she found

EU states have struck a deal with Turkey to try and tackle migrant crisis

Unarmed policeman shot dead by bailed IRA suspect in murder-suicide

MH

Man arrested in rape of 10 year old stepdaughter who became pregnant

Canadian man wanted for raping disabled child 4 decades ago deported

5th girl from London school tried to flee to join ISIS but was stopped on airport runway

15-year-old schoolgirl killed when car smashed into a tree

Grandmother arrested after using power saw to cut baby's throat

Commuter train crashes–Six dead

AirAsia flight vanishes off coast of Indonesia - relatives of victims agonized

Husband and wife found dead in their home on Christmas morning

ran executes woman who killed her alleged rapist

Canadian Guard Shot in Attack at Parliament Hill in Ottawa

Ebola crisis: Nigeria declared free of virus

Italian nurse kills as many as 38 patients because they annoyed her

Europics Police believe Daniela Poggiali killed up to 38 patients while she worked as a nurse in a Lugo hospital.

A cruel Italian nurse killed as many as 38 patients because she thought they — and their visiting families — were annoying, police said.

Cancer patient who stole £400,000 from her employers thinking she’d be dead before they found out is jailed for four years

Daily Mail

Man dies from Ebola-like Marburg virus

Investigators had first revealed the grisly find late Thursday, with the local press reporting that two babies’ bodies were uncovered.
Police said they were alerted on Thursday afternoon by a resident from Wallenfels, who found a body of an infant in the apartment.