California mom that microwaved 1-month-old daughter convicted of murder

A California mother that said that she was suffering an epileptic seizure when she placed her 1-month-old baby daughter in a microwave and turned the machine on has been convicted of first-degree murder and assault causing the death of a child. A Sacramento jury rejected the legal arguments of 34-year-old Ka Yang, who reportedly altered her story about her child's death a few times before defending herself with an epilepsy blackout scenario.

The Associated Press reported November 13 that Ka Yang was convicted after prosecutors presented evidence that she placed her 1-month-old baby, Mirabelle Thao-Lo, in a microwave in March 2011 and turned it on for at least 2-and-a-half minutes. Authorities estimated that the child may have been in the microwave for up to five minutes, suffering what was described as extensive thermal injuries.

But an epileptic seizure wasn't the first story Ka Yang, a mother to three other children, gave police about how her baby ended up in a microwave. She told investigators that she blacked out while working at her computer with the child in her arms. In an affidavit given to Sacramento Police Detective Thomas Shrum, she said she later woke up on the floor with the baby injured next to a space heater.

According to the affidavit, Ka Yang admitted to a history of epileptic seizures but paramedics that first arrived on scene noted that the woman was not disoriented when they arrived. When investigators made note of the inconsistencies in Yang's story, she admitted to lying to the police and said she believed she might have a split personality.

http://www.examiner.com/article/california-mom-that-microwaved-1-month-old-daughter-convicted-of-murder

No words...

Convicted spy to be set free

Source: Examiner

Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard, 61, is set to be released from federal prison Friday after serving nearly 30-years of a life sentence. Pollard, a US Navy intelligence analyst was arrested November 21,1985 and found guilty of selling secrets to Israel in what became one of the most sensational spy sagas of the late 20th century and served to be a thorn in relations between the 2 countries for 3 decades.

“In terms of the quantity of stuff he gave away and the damage to relations, it certainly was a significant case,” remarked Jeffrey Richelson, a senior fellow at thr Nstional Security Archive at George Washington University.

Pollard’s arrest came as he was trying to seek asylum in Israel. He is the only American citizen to ever be given a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally of the United States. However, he maintained that he committed the espionage only because "the American intelligence establishment collectively endangered Israel’s security by withholding crucial information Israeli officials.

Although, a number of (active and retired) US officials, such as Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, former CIA director George Tenet, multiple former U.S. Secretaries of Defense, and congressisonal leaders on sides of the aisle have long opposed any form of clemency the US Parole Commission has decided to finally free him in hopes of thawing heated relations between the US and Israel over a nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration with Iran.

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/article/convicted-spy-to-be-set-free

At least one man linked to Paris attacks registered as refugee in Greece: police

Source: AFP


Athens (AFP) - Greek police on Saturday said at least one man with a possible connection to the Paris attacks had registered as a refugee with Greek authorities earlier this year.

French authorities had asked their Greek counterparts to check the fingerprints of one man who died in the attacks, with a Syrian passport found next to him, in addition to the fingerprints of another man.

There were efforts to establish whether both had registered in Greece, the main entry point into Europe for Syrian refugees.

The Greek minister for citizen protection, Nikos Toskas, said one of the men had been registered on the Greek island of Leros in October.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/two-men-linked-paris-attacks-registered-migrants-greece-195255102.html

THIRD mystery 'Death Star' space ball to crash into Spanish village sparks terror among locals

Source: Mail Online

third mysterious black space object to fall from the sky into rural Spain has caused panic among locals.

The strange-looking black orb was found in the village of Villavieja in Murcia - becoming the latest instance of an increasingly bewildering phenomenon, the Olive Press reported.

It's not yet known what the objects are, though theories range from UFOs to pieces of space debris.

The first instance of the strange phenomenon occurred one week ago, when Spanish goat farmers discovered the strange object, which bears a striking resemblance to the Star Wars torture device, the IT-O Interrogator, in Calasparra, Murcia.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3315700/THIRD-mystery-Death-Star-space-ball-crash-Spanish-village-sparks-terror-locals-mayor-demands-authorities-explain-are.html

Troops storm hospital in disguise

Source: NZ Herald

Leaked CCTV footage has shown the terrifying moment Israeli troops stormed a hospital in disguise and killing the brother of a man suspected in a knife attack.

The raid took place in Hebron, a flashpoint in the West Bank area.

Some of the forces were dressed in traditional Arab garb with fake beards. One appears to be impersonating a pregnant woman and is pushed in a wheelchair.

Jihad Shawar, the director of the hospital, said 20 men had stormed the building overnight.

Read more: http://m.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11544838

Islamic State: Syrian army breaks IS siege of key Aleppo air base

Source: ABC Australia

Syrian troops have broken a nearly two-year siege by Islamic State (IS) insurgents at a military air base in northern Aleppo province, freeing hundreds of soldiers inside the facility.

Troops backed by pro-government militia broke through IS's siege of the Kweyris military airport, a photographer working with the AFP news agency said.

A group of soldiers penetrated IS lines west of the airport and reached government troops inside the base, firing into the air in celebration.

Government soldiers have been under attack at the air base since 2013.


Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-11/syrian-army-breaks-is-siege-of-key-aleppo-air-base/6931240

‘I Need Some Muscle’: Missouri Activists Block Journalists

Source: NYTIMES

video that showed University of Missouri protesters restricting a student photographer’s access to a public area of campus on Monday ignited discussions about press freedom.

Tim Tai, a student photographer on freelance assignment for ESPN, was trying to take photos of a small tent city that protesters had created on a campus quad. Concerned Student 1950, an activist group that formed to push for increased awareness and action around racial issues on campus, did not want reporters near the encampment.

Protesters blocked Mr. Tai’s view and argued with him, eventually pushing him away. At one point, they chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, reporters have got to go.”

“I am documenting this for a national news organization,” Mr. Tai told the protesters, adding that “the First Amendment protects your right to be here and mine.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/us/university-missouri-protesters-block-journalists-press-freedom.html?_r=2

Rare albino whale spotted near Australia

Artificial intelligence: ‘Homo sapiens will be split into a handful of gods and the rest of us’

wanted relief from stories about tyre factories and steel plants closing, you could try relaxing with a new 300-page report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch which looks at the likely effects of a robot revolution.

But you might not end up reassured. Though it promises robot carers for an ageing population, it also forecasts huge numbers of jobs being wiped out: up to 35% of all workers in the UK and 47% of those in the US, including white-collar jobs, seeing their livelihoods taken away by machines.

Haven’t we heard all this before, though? From the luddites of the 19th century to print unions protesting in the 1980s about computers, there have always been people fearful about the march of mechanisation. And yet we keep on creating new job categories.

However, there are still concerns that the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) – which is able to make logical inferences about its surroundings and experience – married to ever-improving robotics, will wipe away entire swaths of work and radically reshape society.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/nov/07/artificial-intelligence-homo-sapiens-split-handful-gods

http://www.bofaml.com/content/dam/boamlimages/documents/articles/D3_006/11511357.pdf

Proposed California Ballot Initiative That Would Lower Drinking Age to 18 Cleared to Collect Signatu

proposed ballot initiative that would lower the minimum legal drinking age in the state from 21 to 18 has been cleared to begin collecting signatures, according to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

If it receives enough signatures to qualify for the November 2016 ballot, voters will be able to decide whether 18- to- 20-year-olds will be able to legally purchase and consume alcohol beverages in California.

A bill establishing the national minimum drinking age to 21 was passed in 1984.

The measure’s proponent, Terrance Lynn, has 180 days — until April 26, 2016 — to collect 365,880 signatures in order for the initiative to qualify for the ballot, Padilla announced last Friday.

http://ktla.com/2015/11/04/proposed-ballot-initiative-that-would-lower-drinking-age-in-california-to-18-cleared-to-collect-signatures/