How Can America Condemn Children to Die in Prison?

On March 20, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments that ask whether it's ever constitutional to condemn a child to spend the rest of their life in prison.

Those of us who haven’t blocked out our memories of middle school probably recall agonizing over things like what to wear or feeling inexplicably moody or depressed. And with good reason. The emotional instability and intense pressures that characterize adolescence are so significant that the US Supreme Court has said children require different treatment under the Constitution when they are convicted of even the most serious crimes.

In Roper v. Simmons, which ruled out the death penalty for under-age offenders in 2005, the Court reasoned that “juvenile offenders cannot with reliability be classified among the worst offenders” because they are less mature and their sense of responsibility has not fully developed. They are more vulnerable to negative internal and external influences, including peer pressure. Unlike adults, they can’t control or escape dysfunctional homes and dangerous neighborhoods—two major contributing factors to youth crime. Read More

Trayvon Martin: Hundreds March For Shot US Black Teen

The father of an unarmed black teenager shot dead by a neighbourhood watch volunteer has told a rally in New York he "will not stop" until he gets justice for his son.

Tracy Martin, whose son Trayvon was killed in February in Sanford, Florida, told the crowd gathered in a public square that the 17-year-old "did not deserve to die".

Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, said: "This is not about a black and white thing, it's about a right and wrong thing." Read More

French Gunman Siege Site: Explosions Heard as the stand-off Continues

Explosions have been heard outside an apartment in Toulouse as French police sought to end a 24-hour siege involving a gunman accused of killing seven people.

Self-declared al Qaeda militant Mohammed Merah has been holed up in the ground floor property since the early hours of Wednesday.

Negotiations have continued all day but Merah reportedly said he would surrender at night "to be more discreet".

Deputy mayor of Toulouse had said an assault on the building had begun - a claim then denied by interior ministry official Pierre-Henry Brandet.

Mr Brandet said: "They were moves to intimidate the gunman who seems to have changed his mind and does not want to surrender. There is no assault." Read More

Three loud explosions heard at a building in the French city of Toulouse where a gunman is under siege

Robert Bales Likely to Face Murder Charges for the slaughter of 9 Children and 7 Adults

Washington (CNN) -- Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who is accused of shooting 16 Afghan civilians, is likely to be charged with homicide Thursday, his lawyer said.

Lead attorney John Henry Browne told CNN that he expects his client will probably be charged with "homicide and a bunch of other charges," and predicted that the case would last two years.

Browne said Tuesday that "there may be explanations" for the alleged shooting this month by his client of 16 Afghan civilians, but -- even if that is what happened -- the government will have a difficult time making its case.

"I don't know if the government is going to prove much," Browne said about the shootings of nine children, three women and four men in a village in southern Afghanistan. "There's no forensic evidence, there's no confessions." Read More

France Attacks 'could inspire next generation'

Nerve gas attack anniversary commemorated at Tokyo subway station

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo subway officials commemorated the 17th anniversary of the Aum Shinrikyo cult's 1995 sarin nerve gas attack Tuesday at Kasumigaseki Station.

Twenty-four Tokyo Metro Co. employees observed a moment of silence at the station, one of the Tokyo subway stations where members of the cult released the deadly gas on March 20, 1995, killing 13 people and sickening over 6,000 others.

A stand was set up for commemorators including families of the victims to offer flowers at Kasumigaseki and five other stations.

A 46-year-old man who was injured in the subway attacks said, ''I have come to the commemoration every year hoping that memories don't fade.''

A total of 13 people including Chizuo Matsumoto, the cult's founder more commonly known as Shoko Asahara, have been on death row for masterminding the gas attacks and a series of other crimes. Read More

Rev Joseph Jeyapaul arrested in India after SEVEN years on the run after 'sexually assaulting 14-year-old girl who sought his advice

A former Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Minnesota has been arrested in his native country of India, where he was a fugitive for the past several years.

The Rev Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul fled to southern India after he was accused of molesting Megan Peterson, now 22.

Ms Peterson came forward last fall to say she was abused by Jeyapaul in 2004 when she was seeking advice about becoming a nun.

The Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul appeared Monday in a New Delhi court and will be held in custody pending a formal U.S. request for his extradition, to be filed along with case evidence, government officials said.

But he won’t go to trial any time soon - processing the request could take up to three months. Read More

Toulouse serial killer's Brother is arrested... as 300 officers continue to lay siege around 'Islamic warrior's' flat

The older brother of the self-confessed Al Qaeda terrorist thought to have murdered seven people across south west France over the past two weeks has been arrested.

Abdelkader Mera, 27, was detained this afternoon some 10 hours after a 3am raid when 300 armed police dramatically swooped on his 24-year-old brother Mohammed's Toulouse home.

Three officers were injured this morning in an ensuing firefight - and Mohammed, who French President Nicolas Sarkozy said was going to kill another soldier today, is now cornered and under siege.

The older brother of the self-confessed Al Qaeda terrorist thought to have murdered seven people across south west France over the past two weeks has been arrested.

Abdelkader Mera, 27, was detained this afternoon some 10 hours after a 3am raid when 300 armed police dramatically swooped on his 24-year-old brother Mohammed's Toulouse home.

Three officers were injured this morning in an ensuing firefight - and Mohammed, who French President Nicolas Sarkozy said was going to kill another soldier today, is now cornered and under siege. Read More

Trayvon Martin Racial Slurs Video Fake

1:38 "these AsXXXX always get away" **Silence** "yeah, when you come to the club house"



1:33 "these AsXXXX always get away"**followed by** "Sxxt he is Running"

1:51 "FXXXing CXXns" - Why has this recording been edited, and by who? - Was this race motivated or is someone trying to make it look that way.



Zimmerman should be arrested, he should not be allowed to carry a weapon and should be in jail for life for shooting an unarmed kid, but let's stick to the facts.

It is easy to make something up, propaganda is the same whether we are looking at cases in Syria or a kid being shot down by some wannabe cop. It doesn't help when the media Publish statements without following the facts.

In this case all they had to do is compare the 911 recordings. The video has been chopped and edited and is being played by all mayor media outlets around the world turning this into a full blown race hate crime.

George Zimmerman neighborhood watch captain Told NOT to Follow Trayvon by 911 operator before shooting the unarmed teen

Police investigating the February shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a neighbourhood watchman admitted today investigators may have missed a racial slur by the gunman during his 911 call moments before the killing.

In a call to dispatchers released at the weekend, George Zimmerman can be heard muttering what sounds like 'f***ing c**ns' under his breath as he followed 17-year-old shooting victim Trayvon Martin, police say.

The admission is the latest embarrassing misstep in the investigation, which has sparked outrage in the Sanford, Florida gated community as citizens call for Zimmerman's arrest.

ABC News reports police admitted they may have missed the possible racial remark.

It comes after the Justice Department yesterday announced it would probe the incident as a possible hate crime.

'The department will conduct a thorough and independent review of all the evidence and take appropriate action at the conclusion of the investigation,' the agency said. Read More



This second video which speaks of the racial slurs in the article above is a edited version and bits have been added, why would anyone want to fake a 911 call? And why are all the major news outlets running with a story of a fake video?

International Manhunt Acid Murders: Murder hunt for family who DISSOLVED victims' bodies in baths... then flushed leftover 'sludge' down the loo

A family of five murdered two men and dissolved their bodies in acid baths at home - before flushing the leftover 'sludge' down the lavatory.

Police said the family are from Holland but used the house in Germany as a 'chop shop' to dispose of their victims, who they killed with an icepick and a semi-automatic gun.

An international manhunt is now underway after two of the killers went on the run in South America.

The horror house was only uncovered after neighbours complained of a 'peculiar' smell coming from the property in Tuddern, in Germany.

And police have not ruled out the possibility that there are more victims as they collect human remains from the sewerage system of the small town.

Revenge was the motive for the murders, said police.

Although a mother and her two adult sons have been arrested her husband and adult daughter have fled to South America, German police believe. Read More

Trey Eric Sesler 'Mr Anime' 'shoots dead his parents and brother in gun rampage at family home'

A 22-year-old who allegedly gunned down his parents and his brother at their home was captured by police yesterday after a day-long manhunt.

Trey Eric Sesler, an online animation enthusiast and critic from Texas, is believed to have had a high-powered weapon on him and body armour when he was arrested on Tuesday night.

The bodies of his parents and brother were discovered around 1pm at their Houston home after police received a call from concerned relatives.

Lawton Ray Sesler Jr, 58, his wife Rhonda Wyse Sesler, 57, and their son, Mark Alan Sesler, 26, were found at the home with multiple fatal gunshot wounds from a high-powered rifle.

Someone reported gunshots coming from the home on Monday evening but when police arrived they discovered nothing.

Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith said: 'This was a scene that had a lot of violence. The house was ransacked.

'Evidence was obtained and it was pretty obvious the connection of the other brother and son to these people.'

Trey Sesler has no criminal record, according to the Houston Chronicle. Read More



His last Video

Judith Tebbutt is released six months after being kidnapped by Somali pirates from Kenyan beach resort

Judith Tebbutt, the British woman kidnapped from a resort island on the Kenyan coast, has spoken of her relief that she has been freed after being held captive by Somali pirates for six months.

The 56-year-old, whose husband, David, was killed when she was snatched in September on remote Kiwayu, north of Lamu, was released today after a ransom was paid by her relatives.

The cash was airdropped to pirates within the last three days and this morning she was immediately taken out of the Somalia by a plane to Nairobi.

Mrs Tebbutt, a social worker, who is believed to be deaf and was wearing a double hearing aid, said to ITV News: 'I am very relieved to have been released. Seven months is a long time and under the circumstances with my husband passing away...made it harder.'

'I am just happy to be released and I’m looking forward to seeing my son who successfully secured my release. I don’t know how he did it, but he did. Which is great,' she added.

A pirate who identified himself as Ahmed said Mrs Tebbutt had been handed over to regional administration officials after receiving a ransom that had been air dropped. Read More

Toulouse: 'Siege Gunman Escaped Afghan Jail'

The suspected al Qaeda-linked gunman who is locked in an armed stand-off with French police was broken out of a Kandahar jail in a mass prison break by the Taliban, it has been reported.

Mohammed Merah, 24, is suspected of being the gumnan who murdered seven people in a killing spree that left three young children dead.

The man believed to be Merah has been besieged in a Toulouse apartment since 3am local time. Two police officers have already been wounded in attempted raids on the flat.

He has claimed he carried out the murders to "avenge Palestinian children".

The French national, of Algerian origin, is heavily armed - possessing an Uzi machine gun and a Kalashnikov assault rifle - and refusing to surrender. Read More

Judith Tebbutt FREED by Somali Pirates

Judith Tebbutt has been Freed by her Captors according to officials and is being flown to Kenya.

Judith Tebbutt, from Bishop's Stortford, Herts, who was kidnapped by Somali pirates during a holiday on neighbouring Kenya's coast.

They were kidnapped from their luxury resort in Kenya, near the border with lawless Somalia, and her husband David Tebbutt was shot dead in September 2011.

More to Follow

Toulouse: French Police In Siege 'With Gunman' as Buses arrive to evacuate residents

French police are engaged in a siege with a man they believe is responsible for the killings of seven people in the south west of the country.

The suspect, 24, has so far refused to surrender to police following the pre-dawn raid in the Croix-Daurade district of the city of Toulouse.

Up to seven shots rang out at the start of the operation at around 3am, which has seen part of the city cordoned off.

Police spoke to the man through the door shortly before the gunfire. Two officers were shot, one in the knee and another in the shoulder.

The French authorities are said to be confident that the gunman responsible for three attacks that killed three children, a rabbi and three soldiers is in the building.

Police have named the suspect as Mohammed Merah, of Algerian origin, according to French news agency AFP. Read More

Rape Survey: One In 10 Women Are Victims

As many as one in 10 women in the UK claim to have been raped, according to new research by parenting website Mumsnet.

The survey of 1,609 women found a tenth of those who responded had been raped and a third had been sexually assaulted.

More than four in five of the victims did not report their perpetrators to the police because of concerns over low conviction rates, embarrassment and shame.

The findings come as Mumsnet launches a week-long campaign called 'We Believe You' to highlight the extent of rape and sexual assault, and "the obstacles that society puts in front of those who report them".

Mumsnet co-founder Justine Roberts said: "We simply shouldn't accept that we live in a country where one in 10 women are raped and over one third sexually assaulted.

"Things are made worse by the feeling among many women that they can't talk about these crimes for fear of being treated unsympathetically, denying them access to practical and emotional support when they need it most. Read More

Michael Scott Wilson: Former TSA agent from Baltimore County indicted on federal porn charges

BALTIMORE - A former TSA agent from Baltimore County has been indicted on federal child porn charges. Michael Scott Wilson, of Perry Hall , was previously charged in Baltimore County on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography and was scheduled for trial in April. But court record show those charges were dropped last week.

Wilson's attorney, Robert Bonsib, says similar charges have been filed against his client in federal court. A records search shows that in February, the 41-year-old man was indicted on two counts of possession of child pornography in U.S. District Court. Read More

Madness is not the reason for the Afghanistan massacre

I'm getting a bit tired of the "deranged" soldier story. It was predictable, of course. The 38-year-old staff sergeant who massacred 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children, near Kandahar this week had no sooner returned to base than the defence experts and the think-tank boys and girls announced that he was "deranged". Not an evil, wicked, mindless terrorist – which he would be, of course, if he had been an Afghan, especially a Taliban – but merely a guy who went crazy.

This was the same nonsense used to describe the murderous US soldiers who ran amok in the Iraqi town of Haditha. It was the same word used about Israeli soldier Baruch Goldstein who massacred 25 Palestinians in Hebron – something I pointed out in this paper only hours before the staff sergeant became suddenly "deranged" in Kandahar province.

"Apparently deranged", "probably deranged", journalists announced, a soldier who "might have suffered some kind of breakdown" (The Guardian), a "rogue US soldier" (Financial Times) whose "rampage" (The New York Times) was "doubtless [sic] perpetrated in an act of madness" (Le Figaro). Really? Are we supposed to believe this stuff? Surely, if he was entirely deranged, our staff sergeant would have killed 16 of his fellow Americans. He would have slaughtered his mates and then set fire to their bodies. But, no, he didn't kill Americans. He chose to kill Afghans. There was a choice involved. So why did he kill Afghans? We learned yesterday that the soldier had recently seen one of his mates with his legs blown off. But so what?

The Afghan narrative has been curiously lobotomised – censored, even – by those who have been trying to explain this appalling massacre in Kandahar. They remembered the Koran burnings – when American troops in Bagram chucked Korans on a bonfire – and the deaths of six Nato soldiers, two of them Americans, which followed. But blow me down if they didn't forget – and this applies to every single report on the latest killings – a remarkable and highly significant statement from the US army's top commander in Afghanistan, General John Allen, exactly 22 days ago. Indeed, it was so unusual a statement that I clipped the report of Allen's words from my morning paper and placed it inside my briefcase for future reference.

Allen told his men that "now is not the time for revenge for the deaths of two US soldiers killed in Thursday's riots". Read More