Saudi Arabia ( An eye for an eye Justice - Man to be medically paralyzed ) Court order

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a man to be medically paralyzed unless he can raise 1 million Saudi Riyal (almost $267,000) to pay a man he stabbed in the back.
When he was 14, Ali al-Khawahir stabbed his friend in the back, paralyzing the victim. The assault earned al-Khawahir a spot in jail -- a spot he's occupied for the last 10 years, the Saudi Gazette reports. Now 24, al-Khawahir either has to pay the victim for forgiveness or have his spinal cord cut, as eye-for-an-eye justice.


Al-Khawahir had originally been expected to pay 2 million Riyal (more than $500,000), but the victim halved the amount after it became clear the sum was too high.
In a translation provided by Reuters, al-Khawahir's mother told the Arabic language al-Hayat daily that she agreed the victim deserved compensation, "but we don't have even a tenth of this sum."
The punishment follows the Islamic principle of "qisas." In a statement issued Tuesday, Amnesty International likened al-Khawahir's paralysis punishment to torture.
"That such a punishment might be implemented is utterly shocking, even in a context where flogging is frequently imposed as a punishment for some offences, as happens in Saudi Arabia," Ann Harrison, the group's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, said.

Mexico Juarez ( 4 people found shot and killed - one 13 yr old boy )

Murder Victims Dumped on Road in Northern Mexico

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – Four people, one of them a 13-year-old boy, were found fatally shot on a road in the northern border state of Chihuahua, Mexican authorities said Friday.

The bodies were discovered Thursday night on the road linking the city of Parral with the village of Guadalupe y Calvo, state Attorney General’s Office spokesman Carlos Gonzalez told Efe.

“All of the bodies present bullet wounds in different parts of the body and in the head,” he said.

Shell casings from more than one type of gun were found with the bodies and authorities suspect the killings were the work of organized crime.

Chihuahua, the most violent of Mexico’s 32 states, has been the scene in recent years of a battle among rival drug cartels to control smuggling routes in the neighboring United States.

Some 70,000 people have died since December 2006 in conflict among the cartels and between the criminals and Mexico’s security forces. EFE

Mexico ( Young Female blogger - undercover tells her stories of the Mexican drug war )

Mexico's Blog del Narco Author is Revealed as a Young Woman

| Borderland Beat ReporterHavana Pura

Borderland Beat

Vaya Con Dios, "Lucy!" y Blog del Narco!

This story was produced in partnership with the Guardian, where a version of this story also appears.

Guardian version Rory Carroll , Texas Observer Melissa del Bosque

For three years Blog de Narco has chronicled Mexico's drug war with graphic images and shocking stories that few others dare show, drawing millions of readers, acclaim, denunciations – and speculation about its author's identity.

Blog del Narco, an internet sensation dubbed a "front-row seat" to Mexico's agony over drugs, has become a must-read for authorities, drug gangs and ordinary people because it lays bare, day after day, the horrific violence censored by the mainstream media.

The anonymous author has been a source of mystery, with Mexico wondering who he is and his motivation for such risky reporting.

Now in their first major interview since launching the blog, the author has spoken to the Guardian and the Texas Observer – and has revealed that she is, in fact, a young woman.

"I don't think people ever imagined it was a woman doing this," said the blogger, who asked to use pseudonym Lucy to protect her real identity.

"Who am I? I'm in my mid-20s, I live in northern Mexico, I'm a journalist. I'm a woman, I'm single, I have no children. And I love Mexico."

This is the first time Lucy has spoken directly about the motivations for running a blog which could cost her her life. In the early days, her male colleague who manages the technical side engaged in a few short, anonymous email exchanges with reporters, but neither has spoken out since.

The telephone interview was arranged through an anonymous intermediary. The Guardian then took steps to verify that Lucy was in control of the blog.

Iran News ( Mother pleads to UN to stop Iran from Executing her Son )

Iranian mother pleads to UN to stop Iran executing her son

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Published on Friday, 05 April 2013 11:22

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NCRI - A desperate Iranian mother has written to the United Nations begging them to try to overturn the 'unjust and tyrannical' death sentence on her political prisoner son.
Married father-of-one Gholamreza Khosravi, 47, is currently facing execution after almost six years in Tehran's Evin prison for giving financial support a to the Simaye Azadi television network.
His mother Beigom Yadi, 70, has now written to Ahmad Shahid, the UN's Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran, urging him to try to save her son's life.
She wrote: "I thank you for your truthful report on Gholamreza and your efforts to solve his problem.
"However, these efforts haven’t had any results so far and the officials haven’t cancelled his unjust and tyrannical death sentence.
"As you mentioned in your report, should someone who has financially supported a television network be sentenced to death? Should his six year imprisonment be changed into a death penalty?
He has been in prison for over 5 years and considering his previous sentence, he must be released any time soon. However, he has been denied any visits and leave from prison.
"I request you and every person who respects the life of human beings to return Gholamreza to me and his family. I can assure you that if I was healthy enough, I would follow up his case but unfortunately I'm old and sick and live in the city of Isfahan."
In a separate letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Mrs Yadi added: "I thank you and your reporter Ahmad Shahid.
"He has been cruelly treated. He has spent 40 months in solitary confinement and sentenced to death confirmed by officials for financially providing a small amount to a television.
"The Iranian officials do not care for me and his family and we are not worth anything to them.
"Gholamreza’s life is at stake and my life is bound to him. I ask you to return him to me and his family. He has a wife and a 16-year-old son."

TUCSON Az ( Armed Citizen patrol - Free Shotguns handed out ) Walking Tall

Activist To Hand Out Shotguns In High-Crime Areas

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March 27, 2013 |

Photo via simonov/Flickr.

A Tucson, Ariz., activist said he plans to hand out free shotguns in three high-crime neighborhoods to help citizens and police deter criminal activity.
Shaun McClusky told the Tucson Weekly citizens will receive the shotgun, slugs, and a cleaning kit. They will undergo a background check and training class. McClusky said he has raised $12,000 for the program and plans to hand out three dozen break-action scatter guns.
McClusky is working with the Armed Citizen Project and said he will target the neighborhoods of Pueblo Gardens, Midvale Park, and Grant-Campbell. Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik, who lives in Campbell-Grant, called the plan "absolute lunacy," adding that "these people have lost their minds."
McClusky has questioned the city's funding level for the Tucson Police Department, calling for greater resources for officers.

Texas ( Big pot bust - 3.9 tons of Marijuana confiscated by Highway Patrol )

3.9 tons of marijuana confiscated by Texas Highway Patrol

By Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo! News

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By Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo! News | The Lookout – 4 hrs ago

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Marijuana confiscated by the Texas Highway Patrol. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

For highway patrol officers, there's no such thing as a routine traffic stop. That adage was again proven true when a Texas Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a gas tanker to perform a routine visual inspection and discovered the tanker was carrying 3.9 tons of marijuana. It's unclear how the trooper was able to make the discovery.
[Related: Anonymous drug war blogger speaks about dangers of reporting]
In a news release, the Texas Department of Public Safety estimated the value of the confiscated pot at around $3.4 million. The truck driver was arrested and charged with possession. He's being held on $1 million bond. According to DPS spokesperson Sgt. Johnny Hernandez, more arrests may be forthcoming.
[Related: Connecticut drug bust nets about 100 suspects]
Hernandez told NBC News that the bust was "a big, significant seizure" and among the largest in recent memory. Earlier this year, federal law enforcement seized more than 14,000 pounds of marijuana along the Arizona-Mexico border. The estimated street value of the drugs was between $7 million and $12 million, according to News 4 Tucson.

San Diego ( A 24 yr old San Diego man dies at the dentist office in Temecula )

Man Dies After Wisdom Teeth Removed

By GILLIAN MOHNEY | ABC News – 2 hours 54 minutes ago

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  ABC News - Man Dies After Wisdom Teeth Removed (ABC News)

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The family of a 24-year-old California man who died unexpectedly after having had his wisdom teeth removed is questioning the medical care he received during the routine oral procedure.

After the surgery last month Marek Lapinski, a software developer from San Diego, experienced complications. According to the patient care report released by American Medical Response, Lapinski woke up coughing during the procedure and was given the powerful anesthetic propofol.
But his condition quickly deteriorated and he was transferred to a hospital, where he died three days later. His family and friends have questioned the treatment he received from Dr. Steven Paul, an oral surgeon in Temecula, Calif.
"What's most shocking is the healthy 24-year-old goes in for an operation as routine as having his wisdom teeth removed and dies in the process," Tony Keiser, a friend of the Lapinski family, told ABCNews.com. "It's inconceivable."
According to the patient care report, the paramedics said that Paul had told them that Lapinski woke up during the procedure, started coughing and was given propofol. When Lapinski stopped breathing, CPR was started and the paramedics were called.
After they arrived, according to the report, the paramedics found two pieces of surgical gauze in Lapinski's airway as they tried to intubate him.
"I really pray to God that there's a hell of an investigation on this," Keiser said.
Lapinski's mother, April Lapinski, told ABCNews.com that Paul had come to the hospital to apologize for what had happened.
"He did come, and he, you know, he said he was sorry," she said. "He didn't have any other explanations for me."
Paul has not commented on the case, but his attorney, Clark Hudson, released a statement that said in part: "Dr. Steven Paul has always provided the highest level of oral surgery care to his patients. ... However, safe as oral surgery is in today's environment, no surgical procedure is without risk."
According to the statement, immediate measures were taken to revive Lapinski after his condition began to deteriorate.
"The reason for the patient's decompensation is unknown. However, all standard protocols were followed," Hudson said.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has scheduled an autopsy for later today.
April Lapinski told ABCNews.com that the family was waiting for the coroner's report before deciding if it would pursue legal action.
"Now we wake up every morning and can't believe it," she said. "it's just one big bad dream."