Japan ( 3 inmates were hanged thursday morning- child killer and two muderers )

Japan executes three death-row inmates

CrimeFeb. 21, 2013 - 02:50PM JST( 61 )

TOKYO —

The Justice Ministry said Thursday that a child killer and two other convicted murderers were hanged, its first executions since a conservative government swept to power in landslide elections in December.
Kaoru Kobayashi, 44, killed a seven-year-old girl and sent a photograph of the dead body to her mother in 2004, while Masahiro Kanagawa, 29, killed one man and injured seven other people in a knifing spree outside a shopping mall in a Tokyo suburb in 2008.
He also murdered another man in a separate incident the same year.
The third was Keiki Muto, 62, who strangled a bar owner for money in 2002.
“I ordered the executions after giving careful consideration to the matter,” Justice Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki told a press briefing in Tokyo, as he confirmed the trio were hanged early Thursday morning.
“These were extremely cruel cases in which victims were deprived of their precious lives for very selfish reasons.”
Child killer Kobayashi admitted the abduction, sexual assault and murder of the seven-year-old whose body was found in a gutter in western Japan.
The executions were Japan’s first since two death-row inmates were hanged in September under a center-left Democratic Party of Japan government.
The number of death-row inmates in Japan now stands at 134.
Japan did not execute any condemned inmates in 2011, the first full year in nearly two decades without an execution amid muted debate on the rights and wrongs of a policy that enjoys wide public support.
But in March last year, Tokyo resumed its use of capital punishment with an unapologetic government minister signing death warrants for three multiple murderers.
Apart from the United States, Japan is the only major industrialised democracy to carry out capital punishment, a practice that has led to repeated protests from European governments and human rights groups.
International advocacy groups say the system is cruel because death row inmates can wait for their executions for many years in solitary confinement and are only told of their impending death a few hours ahead of time.
On Thursday, Amnesty International’s Japan branch said it “strongly condemns” Thursday’s executions.
“The Japanese government cannot be excused from abiding by international human rights standards by citing how the public are feeling,” the group said in a Japanese language statement.

LIMA Peru ( " El Chapo " Guzman - Killed in shoot out in Guatemala ) Sinaloa Leader

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This July 10, 1993 file photo shows Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera at La Palma prison in Almoloya of Juarez, Mexico. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

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LIMA, Peru — Most-wanted drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is suspected to be dead after a shootout in Guatemala near the Mexican border.
Guatemalan authorities said Friday they are investigating the possibility a man killed in the shootout was 58-year-old Guzman, but later backtracked, saying they hadn't yet located a body or even confirmed there was a gunfight, the Associated Press reported.
If confirmed, the death of Guzman could be the highest-profile blow to the international cocaine trade since Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar died in a hail of bullets in a shootout with security forces in Medellin in 1992.
As head of the ruthless Sinaloa cartel, Guzman, said to have amassed a personal fortune of $1 billion, is thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands, mainly in Mexico but also in the US and elsewhere in Latin America.
Forbes recently him the world’s 63rd most-powerful person and is widely viewed as the Western Hemisphere’s most-wanted criminal.
Indeed, many analysts now believe Guzman is a more powerful and dangerous operator than Escobar ever was.
That is in part because under his ruthless leadership the Sinaloa cartel has achieved what experts call “vertical integration” of the cocaine supply chain, with its tentacles stretching from the remote Andean regions where coca is grown into the heart of the world’s largest cocaine market — the United States.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration has had a $5 million reward for information leading to Guzman’s arrest for more than eight years.
And, earlier this month, Chicago even officially named the elusive 5-foot-6-inch druglord, whose “El Chapo” nickname is Mexican slang for “shorty,” public enemy No. 1. It's the first time in eight decades, since Al Capone terrorized the Windy City, that authorities there have officially used that term.
Nevertheless, if one of the corpses at the scene of the shootout in Guatemala’s jungle region of Peten does turn out to be Guzman, it's unlikely to stop the flow of cocaine into the US any more than the death of Escobar did.
Behind Guzman, crime analysts say, is a long queue of brutal, highly ambitious lieutenants eager to take their turn at the top of the Sinaloa cartel.
And most experts believe as long as demand for cocaine remains strong in the US, Europe, Asia and increasingly in Latin America, particularly Mexico and Brazil, the trafficking is unlikely to stop.

North Korea ( South Korea gets warning from North Korea' final destruction ' ) UN Sanctions

North Korea envoy warns South of 'final destruction'

South Korea faces "final destruction" if Seoul and its allies continue to push for tougher UN resolutions against North Korea's nuclear programme, Pyongyang warned on Tuesday.

Female North Korean traffic police officers gather in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il to pay their respects Photo: David Guttenfelder/AP

"We have never recognised the propagandist resolutions on sanctions by the UN Security Council," North Korean envoy Jon Yong Ryong told a session of the UN Conference on Disarmament.

"As the saying goes, 'a newborn puppy knows no fear of a tiger.' South Korea's erratic behaviour could only herald its final destruction," he insisted.

North and South Korea traditionally trade barbs at the UN forum - which meets regularly in Geneva and focusses on a raft of global arms-control issues.

But in the wake of North Korea's latest nuclear test last week and a global outpouring of condemnation, the rhetoric was unusually high-pitched Tuesday.

Last week's test was North Korea's most powerful to date, with Pyongyang claiming a breakthrough with a "miniaturised" device.

North Korea's secretive regime repeatedly has rejected international calls to halt its nuclear programme, belittling international sanctions.
Jon also slammed the United States, blaming the superpower for the current stand-off with his country - known officially as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK.
"The DPRK nuclear test is just a measure for self-defence, to cope with intensified US nuclear blackmail against it," he said.
"It is the disposition and firm will of the army and people of the DPRK to counter a high-handed policy with the toughest policy and react to pressure and sanctions with an all-out counter action," he added.
"The DPRK does not make any empty talk. It will take the toughest measure against foreign aggressors and violation of sovereignty in the future," he insisted.

Iran news ( 3 Drug Dealers Executed- Western Iran yesterday )

Three prisoners were hanged in western Iran

Thursday 21 February 2013

[English] [فارسى]

 

 

Iran Human Rights, February 21: Three prisoners were hanged in the prison of Dizelabad in Kermanshah (western Iran) yesterday Wednesday February 20.
According to the Iranian national broadcasting in Kermanshah the prisoners were convicted of drug trafficking. No further details were given about the charges and identities of the prisoners.

Mali ( French troops take back key Mali town from militants )

French troops take back key Mali town from militants

French soldiers have achieved their first victories in Mali, recapturing a key town from al-Qaeda and foiling an Islamist advance towards the Niger river.

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Malian soldiers on their way Niono, 340km north of Bamako Photo: AFP

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Some 1,800 French troops are now in Mali, with the total force expected to reach 2,500 Photo: EPA

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France deployed troops to guard the bridge at Markala, while sending special forces across the river to help the Malian army to counter-attack Photo: EPA

 

By David Blair, Sarakala

6:56PM GMT 18 Jan 2013

Convoys of French armoured personnel carriers moved north of the Niger, heading past the village of Sarakala and driving into the Sahelian plains.

The national army, supported by the French, seized back the town of Konna in central Mali from "al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb" (AQIM) and its allies.

The fall of Konna last week was the key event that triggered the French intervention. Its capture left only a single weak garrison standing between AQIM and the capital, Bamako.

But the army announced that Konna was back in their hands. A military statement said: "We have wrested total control of Konna after inflicting heavy losses on the enemy." France later confirmed the Malian army's claim. The recapture of Konna lifts the immediate threat to Bamako and the rest of southern Mali.

But AQIM's fighters have also opened a new front in a different region of southern Mali, seizing the town of Diabaley on Monday and striking towards the north bank of the Niger.

Israel News ( Obama to visit Israel and the West Bank )

Barack Obama to vist Israel and the West Bank

President Barack Obama plans to visit Israel, the West Bank and Jordan as part of an upcoming trip to the Middle East.

The trip marks President Barack Obama's first visit to Israel, a staunch US ally, since he became president Photo: Reuters

7:37PM GMT 05 Feb 2013

  

Earlier, Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, confirmed Mr Obama would travel to Israel in the spring, his first trip to the Jewish state since taking office, but dates for the trip were not released.

Mr Obama will meet Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Palestinian and Jordanian leaders during the tour, Mr Carney said.

The trip marks Mr Obama's first visit to Israel, a staunch US ally, since he became president.

The White House has not released the date of Obama's trip or details about Obama's itinerary, but Israel's Channel 10 reported that a visit had been scheduled for March 20.

"The start of the president's second term and the formation of a new Israeli government offer the opportunity to reaffirm the deep and enduring bonds between the United States and Israel and to discuss the way forward on a broad range of issues of mutual concern, including Iran and Syria," said National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor. 

Although Mr Obama visited Israel while running for president in 2008, he has not been back since, drawing intense criticism from some pro-Israel groups who have claimed he is insufficiently supportive of the United States' closest ally in the Middle East. Other top administration officials, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have visited.
The trip could help repair Obama's tarnished image in Israel, where many view him as cold to the Jewish state. Israelis vividly remember Obama's decision not to visit when he stopped in neighboring Egypt early in his first term to deliver a speech.

Minnesota ( AMBER alert - First time Cell phone alert suspect Busted ) Alert over cell phone

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Wednesday’s quick and safe recovery of an abducted 8-month-old Minneapolis child was not only the first time an Amber Alert was sent to Minnesota cell phones, but it was the first time in the United States that a cell phone alert successfully helped recover a missing child.


The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension issued a message via the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) on Wednesday, and a teenager, who received it on her phone, spotted the vehicle used in the abduction, and told her father who notified police.
Police located the victim and then apprehended the suspect.
Nationwide Wireless Emergency Alerts have been used to distribute Amber Alerts since Dec. 31, 2012. And currently, only newer model phones are equipped to receive WEAs. It’s expected that all cell phones manufactured in the future will have WEA capability.
The Minnesota Amber Alert program was established in 2002, and since then, there have been 28 activations and 28 safe recoveries.

Japan ( 3 year old girl starves to death after mom leaves her alone )

3-year-old girl starves to death after mother leaves country

CrimeFeb. 22, 2013 - 06:49AM JST( 9 )

GUNMA —

A 3-year-old girl apparently died of starvation in Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, after being left in the care of her 14-year-old sister while their mother was out of the country, police said Thursday.
According to police, the children were left alone with food and spending money by their mother, while she went home for a visit to the Philippines on Feb 9. TBS reported that police received an emergency call from the woman’s 14-year-old daughter at about 7 p.m. on Feb 18, saying that her younger sister had collapsed. Emergency workers rushed to the scene where the child was confirmed dead.
Police say there were no obvious signs of injury, but that they suspect the girl may have starved to death. Investigators say they are planning to question the girl’s mother when she returns to Japan and said she may faces a charge of abandonment leading to death. The single mother, who is 37, lived with her two daughters.

TUCSON Az ( Man tries to KIDNAP woman by U of A campus ) See picture

Suspect grabs woman walking near UA campus

Posted: Feb 21, 2013 11:07 AM by Tania Shofron
Updated: Feb 21, 2013 11:09 AM

Rating:

TUCSON - Tucson Police are trying to identify a man they believe tried to kidnap a woman walking near the University of Arizona campus last weekend.
The alleged incident happened Sunday, February 17 at about 9:15 in the morning. The female victim was walking in the area of North 3rd Avenue and East University Boulevard when an unknown male suspect approached her in a vehicle and asked for directions. The victim said he then offered her money to personally guide him.
The victim refused to go with the suspect and he drove away, but returned shortly after on foot. That is when the victim says the man said something, then picked her up and carried her to a nearby alley. When she began to scream, he dropped her and ran away. She was not injured.
The suspect is described as a Caucasian male, 30-40 years of age, approximately 5'08" tall, with a medium
build, graying black hair, blue eyes, and an unkempt beard. He was last seen wearing a black leather jacket with brown stripes on the sleeves and faded blue jeans.
The vehicle he was initially seen driving was a white
1990's model SUV.
If you recognize this man or have any information, please call 911 or 88-Crime

Libya ( 4 missionaries arrested for printing Christian books )

Foreign 'missionaries' arrested in Libya

Four foreigners suspected of carrying out Christian missionary activities have been arrested in the Libyan city of Benghazi.

The main Catholic Church's clergyman in Libya have said that Christians are being driven out of eastern Libya by Muslim fundamentalists Photo: ALAMY

9:17PM GMT 17 Feb 2013

Hussein bin Hameida, a security official, told the AFP news agency that an Egyptian, a South African, a South Korean and a Swedish-American were arrested at a printing house, "where they were printing books calling for conversion to Christianity."

"Libya is a Muslim country and preaching another religion is a crime under Libyan law," he said.

Mr bin Hameida said an investigation was still under way and the suspects "will be handed over to the intelligence services soon."

Since the 2011 fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi's regime, the small Christian community fears for its safety, especially after a church bombing in December killed two people in the Mediterranean town of Dafniya.

The main Catholic Church's clergyman in Libya have said that Christians are being driven out of eastern Libya by Muslim fundamentalists.

The Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli, Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli, has said the situation was "critical" and the "atmosphere very tense."
Two religious communities in the east of the country – the Congregation of the Holy Family of Spoleto and the Franciscan Sisters of Child Jesus – were forced to leave "after being pressured by fundamentalists."
Source: AFP

New Delhi India ( 12 killed -52 injured - 3 bombs go off at movie theater )

At least 12 killed and dozens injured as three bombs tear through Indian city

At least 12 people were killed and 52 injured when three bombs shook the southern Indian city of Hyderabad late on Thursday, police said.

A relative at the Omini hospital Kothapet after bomb blasts in Hyderabad Photo: AFP

3:13PM GMT 21 Feb 2013

"I can confirm that 12 people have lost their lives and at least 52 people have been injured," Amit Garg, a senior police officer at the scene of one of the explosions, told AFP.

The blasts occurred about 10 minutes apart outside a movie theater and a bus station, police officer Syed Anwarul Huda said.

Television images showed the injured being taken to hospitals.

The last major bomb attack in India was a September 2011 blast outside the high court in New Delhi that killed 13 people.

Syria ( Car bomb kills 31 people - exploded near Russian Embassy )

Car bomb shakes centre of Damascus

A car bomb has shaken central Damascus, exploding near the headquarters of the ruling Baath party and the Russian Embassy, eyewitnesses and opposition activists said.

Opposition activists said at least 31 people were killed in the bombing.

Syrian state television reported the blast in the central Mazraa neighborhood, calling it a "terrorist" attack on a heavily populated area. It did not say what caused the explosion but reported that there were casualties and that the wounded included four children.

The pro-regime station Al-Ikhbariya showed images of what appeared to be at least four dead bodies on the ground and cars on fire. The footage shows firefighters trying to douse cars on fire and lifeless bodies lying on the grass of a public garden.

Eyewitnesses at the scene said a car had exploded at a security checkpoint between the Russian Embassy and the central headquarters of the ruling Baath party of President Bashar Assad.

^{The aftermath of the car bomb that exploded near the headquarters of Syria's ruling Baath party in the centre of Damascus (AFP/Getty Images)}

Ambulances rushed to the scene of the blast, which also shattered windows and sent up a huge cloud of smoke visible throughout much of the city, eyewitnesses said.
"It was huge, everything in the shop turned upside down," one local resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution for speaking with foreign media.
Damascus has so far mostly avoided the large-scale violence that has destroyed other Syrian cities, though deadly car bombings have targeted government buildings in the capital.
The blast followed two mortar attacks in as many days on the capital. On Wednesday, two mortar shells exploded near a soccer stadium in Damascus, killing one player. The day before, two mortar shells went off near one of Assad's three palaces in the city, causing only material damage.
Not long after the first blast Thursday, a security official reported a second blast in the capital's northeastern Barzeh neighborhood. He had no other information and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two car bombs had exploded near security centers in Barzeh. It gave no further details.
Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with political protests against the government and has since evolved into a civil war between Assad's regime and hundreds of rebel groups seeking to topple it. The U.N. says some 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far.
Source: Associated Press

Dubai, United Arab Emirates ( 3 British men ' tortured ' by police in jail for drug charges )

Three British men 'tortured' by police in Dubai

Three British men who have been held for seven months without trial on drugs charges in Dubai were tortured by police with beatings and electric shocks, a human rights charity has claimed.

Left to right: Grant Cameron, Karl Williams and Suneet Jeerh, three British men who have been held for seven months without trial on drugs charges in Dubai. Photo: PA

12:21AM GMT 21 Feb 2013

Grant Cameron and Karl Williams, both 25 and from London, and Suneet Jeerh, 25, from Essex, were arrested while on holiday on July 10 last year by police who claimed to have found a quantity of a synthetic cannabis known as "spice" in their car.

The men signed documents in Arabic - a language none of them understands - after being threatened by having guns put to their heads and in Williams' case, having electric shocks administered to the testicles, Reprieve lawyer Marc Calcutt said.

They have denied charges of "consumption and possession with intent to distribute" and will appear at their first trial hearing tomorrow after spending seven months in custody.

In a draft witness statement provided to Mr Calcutt, Williams said: "I remember that the police put a towel on my face so I could not see. They kept telling me I was going to die. I was so scared.

"Once I had been knocked to the ground, the police picked me up and put me on the bed. They pulled down my trousers, spread my legs and started to electrocute my testicles. It was unbelievably painful. I was so scared. Then they took off the towel and I could see that there was a gun pointed at my head. All I could think was that the gun in my face could go off if the policeman slipped, and it would kill me. I started to believe that I was going to die in that room."
The torture took place in the desert, it was claimed, where the men were initially taken after their arrest, and subsequently in a hotel room.

Williams and Cameron have been held at Port Rashid police station since their arrest, while Jeerh was moved and is now in Al Awir Central Jail.

Mr Calcutt said: "The idea that young British tourists on holiday can find themselves arrested and tortured in this way is truly appalling.

"Being electrocuted in the testicles is about as brutal a torture as can be imagined. The Dubai authorities need to immediately drop the charges against the men and conduct an independent investigation into how these terrible events occurred.

"If they do not, I am sure this story will linger in people's memories - particularly when it comes to booking their holidays."

Japan ( Armed robbery - man entered 7-11 store with knife and made off with 70,000 yen )

Man steals 70,000 yen from Ibaraki convenience store

CrimeFeb. 18, 2013 - 05:49AM JST( 15 )

 

IBARAKI —

A man stole 70,000 yen from a convenience store in Kita-Ibaraki City, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Sunday morning.
According to police, the man entered the 7-Eleven store at about 4 a.m., threatened the 47-year-old male clerk with a knife and demanded money. He was described as being about 40, 170 cms tall and was wearing a dark blue parka with a hood and white face mask.
Nobody was injured in the incident, police said.

Mexico Juarez ( Cartel members - Rape and kill 10 yr old girl ) Sick animals

CJNG: Rapes, Kills and Incinerates 10 Year old Girl

Wednesday, February 20, 2013 | Borderland Beat ReporterChivis

Borderland Beat

CJNG Pigs Kill Child Mistaking Her for the Child of a Rival Narco

Colima: Four members of the CJNG cartel mistakenly identified a ten year old girl as the daughter of a rival involved in a conflict over drug market territory. Irma Isaisa Jasmine Arroyo, 10, whose body was found maimed and semi incinerated on 28 January in the city of Tecoman.

The state attorney general, Yolanda Guzman Verduzco, specifically named CJNG, (Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación) as the attackers.

At a press conference in which she was accompanied by the Secretary General of Government, Rogelio Rueda Sanchez, the attorney reported that the alleged perpetrators have been captured and detained.

Guzman Verduzco said that the pigs accused of the murder, at least-two of them originated in Tecoman, one from Michoacán and other Los Angeles, California, They were arrested five days after the event.

After being kidnapped on Sunday January 27, 2013 the child was raped and murdered. The next day her body was discovered in a lemon orchard within the colonia Cofradía de Juárez.

The four arrested suspects, were brought before the court and charged with the crime of femicide.

Texas Parolee ( Sex Offender - Rapes woman in San Franciso ) Just released from prison

Parolee arrested in S.F. sexual assault

Will Kane

Updated 1:05 pm, Wednesday, February 20, 2013

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  Arthur R. Salinas, arrested in connection with a sexual assault Feb. 13, 2013, on the 1400 block of Sutter Street in San Francisco. Photo: Photo From San Francisco Police, San Francisco Police Department
  Arthur R. Salinas, arrested in connection with a sexual assault...
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  An undated Texas mugshot of Arthur R. Salinas, arrested in connection with a sexual assault Feb. 13, 2013, on the 1400 block of Sutter Street in San Francisco. Photo: Texas Dept. Of Criminal Justice, Courtesy
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(02-20) 12:16 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A 57-year-old man on parole for rape in Texas has been arrested in connection with the sexual assault of a woman in San Francisco, police said Wednesday.
The woman told police that she struck up a conversation with the man at a store on the 1400 block of Sutter Street, near Franklin Street, at 11 p.m. Saturday, said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman.
The man walked with her for a block, then pushed her into a stairwell and sexually assaulted her, Esparza said.
The man fled and the woman returned home, where her roommate called 911, police said. The woman was taken to the hospital to be evaluated by doctors and was later released.
She told police that she had taken evidence from the crime scene that could identify her attacker, Esparza said without elaborating.
Officers swarmed the area and arrested a man fitting the attacker's description, Arthur R. Salinas of San Francisco, at the corner of Franklin and Sutter streets, police said. He was booked on suspicion of sexual and aggravated assault, kidnapping and false imprisonment.
He was also booked on suspicion of failing to register as a sex offender. Police said Salinas is wanted in Texas for allegedly violating his parole as a sex offender.
In 1981, Salinas began a 60-year prison sentence for rape in Galveston County, Texas, said Connie Durdin, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Salinas was paroled in August 2012 and a warrant was issued for his arrest in December after he failed to check in with his parole officer, Durdin said.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Parolee-arrested-in-S-F-sexual-assault-4293899.php#ixzz2LTkWBjRz