Motiveless Crime News Headlines

The death toll from a major earthquake that hit Peru late Wednesday night has reached 450 and continues to grow as emergency workers and volunteers begin sifting through the rubble searching for survivors. The earthquake, which was of an 8.0-magnitude toppled countless homes, churches and other buildings in Peru's central coast. Rescuers can be seen across the area rushing by citizens who are standing on the side of the road next to the bodies of family, friends and neighbors, waiting for directions on what to do with the mass number of deceased. A road near the epicenter of the quake was severely damaged and caused fuel tanks and merchandise trucks to overturn, coating the roads in dangerous chemicals and products. Hospitals across the region are overrun with the injured which are believed to be too numerous to even guess a total.


The death toll from Tuesday's four suicide bombings in Iraq has reached past 500 according to reports Wednesday. Iraqi Army and Mosul police earlier reported that the deaths related to the bombings were half of what they are now believed to be. Only 320 have been reported injured. The Tuesday truck bombs that targeted the villages of Qahtaniya, al-Jazeera and Tal Uzair, in northern Iraq near the border with Syria, were a "trademark al Qaeda event" designed to sway U.S. public opinion against the war, a U.S. general said Wednesday.


Six Italian men were murdered in two cars outside of the German city of Duisburg after they attended a birthday party in the area. Gunmen reportedly approached the two cars and riddled them with bullets, killing the six men inside almost instantaneously. The Italians, one of which was a 16-year-old boy, are believed to be from Calabria, Italy, an area known for its organized crime gangs. It is believed that the gunmen are possibly from the same area and may have killed the men in an apparent mob vendetta. The fact that the attack took place in a foreign country has many law enforcement officials worried that the Italian mafia may have more power in a far larger area than they had previously believed. Officials also believe that this hit may cause reprisal attacks across Europe.


Three senior German police officers who were in charge of protecting the German ambassador in Afghanistan were killed when a roadside bomb near Kabul exploded on Wednesday. A police officer reports that the diplomatic convoy was hit by a remote-controlled bomb that was strategically placed roadside. A white SUV was decimated by the blast which took place on a track that lead to a NATO and Afghan army training base. "Based on what we know so far the officers drove over a bomb on their way to a training session," German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in a statement. "The explosion was so strong that it had deadly consequences."


A new Army report, said to be released on Thursday, states that in 2006 the suicide rate for U.S. Army soldiers was the highest its ever been in 26 years. 25 percent of those who did commit suicide did so while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. The report goes on to say that there have been 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers in 2005. The suicide rates among women were nearly twice as high for those serving in the Middle East than those who weren't sent to war.


The New York Times reports that New York's attorney general has begun an investigation into the relationships between universities and programs that supply study abroad opportunities to their students. Five providers of the service have already been subpoenaed with more to come. It has been stated that the inquiry is focused on whether cash incentives and other perks that are offered by the programs are too influential for universities when it comes to choosing what programs they send their students on. Critics of this practice believe that the secret agreements between educational institutions and third-party study abroad organizations limit options for students while simultaneously driving prices higher.


It was announced today that Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, is engaged. The first daughter is said to be engaged to Henry Hager of Virginia. No wedding date has yet to be set but political analysts believe that the announcement can only help the President's approval rating as well as giving a boost to the Republican party's family image.


A Chinese couple attempted to name their newborn child "@" because their use of the symbol in email correspondence reflects their love for the baby. The choice to name any child via a symbol is normal in China, considering their language is entirely based in symbols, not letters. "The whole world uses it to write e-mail, and translated into Chinese it means 'love him'," the father explained, according to the deputy chief of the State Language Commission Li Yuming.

Motiveless Crime is on the rise.