A maid was stabbed to death with a meat skewer and another critically injured with a knife during a bloody fight in a laundry cupboard, police have revealed.

The pair, both Ethiopian women in their 20s, clashed at their employer's villa in Bar Dubai yesterday morning.

Police found them at 11am lying in a pool of their blood after breaking down the door, which had been locked from the outside.

Violent affair: One maid died on the way to hospital and the other, who had been stabbed with a knife, is recovering in intensive care

One of the maids, identified only as HSS, died on the way to Rashid Hospital, according to The National.

The condition of the other woman, known as FYA, is now starting to stabilise.

 

 

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• Woman saves kids from runaway car while her own vehicle rolls away into traffic

 

'She has been moved out of intensive-care unit, but is still in a very bad psychological condition,' said Col Ali Ghanem, director of the Bur Dubai Police station. 

LIFE AS A DUBAI MAID

Most households in Dubai employ foreign maids and some face difficult working conditions.

The majority of large properties - particularly those of wealthy Western expats - are built with cramped living quarters for maids and the staff do their employers' washing, ironing, cleaning, babysitting and cooking.

According to a survey conducted by the Saudi magazine Sayidaty at the end of last year, more than three million maids in the Arab world are living in deplorable conditions and even more incidents of verbal and physical abuse are reported.

Crimes committed by housemaids in Dubai increased by nearly 17 per cent in 2011 and police believe this was mainly because of employers' cruelty as well as workers' ignorance of the region’s traditions.

'She tried to hurt herself and she was banging her head in the wall. We are not sure of her mental condition, but we are still waiting until she gets better to be able to question her.'

Authorities still do not know what caused the fight between the two women, who worked in the same household along with 10 other maids, but police said there had been no previous fights between the two.

'Employers must be careful in selecting their housemaids,' said Dubai police commander Lieutenant General Dahi Tamim, according to Emirates 247.

'They should keep an eye on them for any abnormal behaviour to ensure they do not have any psychiatric problems.'

Another police officer was quoted as saying it was an 'individual crime' which should not be 'generalised'.

Major General Khamis Al Mazinah, Dubai’s deputy police commander, said: 'There could be an old dispute between the two… but it is unfortunate that such a violent and ugly crime takes place inside a house, whose owners are not used to this…

'We are still questioning all other maids about the incident.'

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Cops need to work harder - Gugs gangsters

Frustration at what they call a lack of policing and a loss of faith in the justice system are the main reasons for the spate of gang violence in the Western Cape, say two Gugulethu gangs. However, some have also admitted that, for them, it is cool to be a gangster. Twenty-four members of the Moscow and Gaza gangs - rivals in Section Three, Gugulethu - spoke to Weekend Argus in an exclusive interview about the gang wars. Most of them are in their teens. They say they want the violence to end and claim to have made peace with each other, but they vowed to take matters into their own hands when authorities fail to prevail.   The gang members complained to Weekend Argus that many of their friends had been attacked - and some had died - without redress. A Gaza member, who only identified himself as Sihle, said: “Kill before you’re killed. That’s my motto. I watched my friend die next to me and I’ve seen many others fighting for their lives after being attacked. I don’t want that to happen to me.” Anovuyo Maliti, 18, also a Gaza member, said he had no faith in magistrates. “When someone hurts you, you want them to get hurt as badly or even worse. Most of the time police do not follow through when crimes are reported. People are arrested for a day or two, then they’re out again. It’s better for us to address our problems ourselves.” Mbulelo Malgas, 21, a Moscow member, agreed. He was arrested after he and his fellows stabbed a Gaza member to death. “We were at a tavern when he walked past us. We egged each other on to go and shake him up for walking in our area when he knew he was our enemy. We chased after him and we all stabbed him. We didn’t mean to kill him.” Malgas said that, if the justice system was efficient, he would have stayed in prison longer than he did. “I was in Pollsmoor for a month. If someone had done what I did to my family or a friend I would have wanted that person to stay in prison for much longer. “Even though I felt bad about killing him, I consoled myself by remembering that the system failed me too when he killed some of my friends.” Malgas added that police needed to work harder. “The fact that we grew up watching what we do now, means that police weren’t doing enough. We don’t see them much, and even when they patrol they don’t pay much attention to us. The most they’ll do is search us and drive past. “What kids see now is that they can stab someone and nothing will happen to them, that’s why they aren’t scared to form gangs,” said Malgas. Bathembu Sigidi, 16, joined the Gazas in 2007 when he was 11 . He said it was “cool” to be in a gang. “It’s silly, but the violence has picked up because of the cliques that people start in the township. Some kids will notice that a group of friends have given themselves a group name and they will also form a group. That’s how the groups are formed and they become rivals merely because they do not belong to the same friendship group,” he said. Sihle also stressed the need for townships to be equipped with recreational facilities to keep young people out of trouble. “The drugs that some of us use also make us violent. If we could be part of serious sports teams that motivate us to do better with our lives, we would not have time to take drugs or get caught up in fights,” said Sihle.

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LA sheriff: Man recovers car 42 years after theft

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  In this image provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department the stolen car sits on small transport trailer as it is delivered to Robert Russell 's home in Texas. (AP/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department)

LOS ANGELES –  A man whose prized sports car was stolen 42 years ago recovered the vehicle after spotting it on eBay, authorities said Sunday.

Robert Russell told the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that he had never given up searching for the 1967 Austin Healy after it was stolen from his Philadelphia home in 1970.

Russell recently spotted what he thought was his car on eBay and checked the vehicle identification number on the website with the one on the car's title certificate, finding they were a match, the department said in a news release.

Russell, who now lives in Texas, contacted the department in May, and Detective Carlos Ortega tracked down the car in East Los Angeles.

"Detective Ortega located the stolen Austin Healey at the dealership listed in the eBay ad and confirmed that the car was the same vehicle reported stolen by Mr. Russell," the department said.

After working with Philadelphia police to resolve vehicle identification issues, the department told Russell he could pick up his car.

He has since brought it back to Texas. His hometown wasn't immediately available.

Russell told deputies that he bought the vehicle for $3,000. It's now valued at $23,000.

He said "he continued his search for the vehicle, not for its monetary value, but because it had sentimental value to him and his wife," the department said.

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Mobile operator O2 hit by nationwide network failure that left users unable to make calls or text

The O2 mobile phone network crashed tonight leaving thousands of customers across the country cut off. Users were left stranded, unable to make or receive calls or send texts, as the firm - which has 23 million customers in the UK - said it did not know when the problem would be fixed. Some customers also had no internet access. O2, Britain's second-largest mobile phone operator, admitted it was unclear exactly how many people had been affected. It said ‘thousands’ may be experiencing problems. The problems began this afternoon for some mobile users, the network said. O2 are urging customers to check their Twitter and Facebook feeds for updates - but the company’s webpage which displays live information about network coverage crashed. A spokeswoman said the problem was not 'location-specific'. ‘The problem is an issue within part of our core network that is preventing some mobile phones from successfully connecting,' she said. ‘The problem is not location-specific. All possible resources across our and our suppliers’ engineering teams are being deployed to restore service as soon as possible.’ Thousands of angry customers took to Twitter to complain. BBC television presenter Huw Edwards (@huwbbc), tweeted: ‘6 hours of non-service and counting, simply not good enough, O2.’ One Twitter user, Kelly Jones (@kelly-92), tweeted: ‘Having a phone that hardly works usually is annoying, but this whole no signal on o2 all afternoon is beyond irritating.’

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Bankers face the prospect of jail as Serious Fraud Office launches criminal probe into interest-rate fixing at Barclays

Hearing: Former chief executive Bob Diamond left Barclays over the matter, before appearing before MPs this week

A criminal investigation has been launched into alleged rigging of the Libor rate within the banking industry, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) confirmed today.

SFO director David Green QC formally accepted the Libor issue for investigation after Barclays was fined by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) last week for manipulating the key interbank lending rate which affects mortgages and loans.

The claims ultimately led to the resignation of Barclays boss Bob Diamond and have become the focal point of a fierce political debate over ethics in the banking sector.

The investigation could ultimately lead to criminal prosecutions and bankers facing charges in court.

The SFO's update came after it revealed earlier this week that it had been working closely with the FSA during its investigation and would consider the potential for criminal prosecutions.

The Government department, which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting serious and complex fraud, said on Monday the issues surrounding Libor were "complex" and that assessing the evidence would take time.

Under fire: Barclays former chairman Marcus Agius (right) with former CEO Bob Diamond (centre), and former chief executive John Varley (left)

As the SFO prepares its investigation, Labour leader Ed Miliband continued to push for an independent inquiry into the banking scandal despite MPs rejecting the demands.

The Labour leader said that while the party would cooperate with a parliamentary investigation, its remit was too "narrow" and a judge-led probe was still needed.

Mr Miliband also defended the conduct of Ed Balls after the shadow chancellor engaged in a bitter war of words with his opposite number George Osborne in the Commons.

 

 

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Mexico's 'Crime Queen' (aged 27) arrested in LA

Wearing a crumpled white T-shirt, the woman arrested at an ordinary apartment block in East Los Angeles didn't look particularly regal as she was handcuffed and bundled into a police car. Without make-up and designer clothes, it was difficult to see how anyone could call her La Chula (the beautiful), La Bonita (The Pretty One), or the most famous of her various nicknames, La Reina de Crimen, which means, "The Queen of Crime". On Tuesday, US authorities nonetheless announced that the woman brought into custody last week in the largely Spanish-speaking LA suburb of El Monte had been identified as Anel Violeta Noriega Rios, one of the most wanted underworld figures in Mexico. Ms Rios, who is only 27, is believed to be the top US-based representative of La Familia, one of the six large criminal cartels that control the multibillion-dollar business of shipping drugs across the USA's porous southern border. Officials from the US immigration service said they had confirmed the identity of Ms Rios using her fingerprints and handed her to their Mexican counterparts in San Ysidro, a city in southern California next to Tijuana, last Friday. Ms Rios is believed to have overseen the cartel's distribution of methamphetamine, marijuana, and cocaine in California and Washington. The cartel has managed to maintain a foothold in the two hugely lucrative US markets despite the arrest of several kingpins in recent years, including its founder, Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, and leader, Jose de Jesus Mendez, who was arrested in 2011. A 64-page criminal warrant issued in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas in 2010 had revealed how Ms Rios orchestrated her end of the drug-trafficking network, at one point using a gardening company to import drugs in shipments of fertiliser and other supplies that were brought into LA's Long Beach port. The document led to her becoming one of the country's most notorious female criminals, although her power has waned somewhat with La Familia's falling fortunes in recent years. At the time of her arrest, she still had a 5m-peso (£250,000) reward on her head. A spokesman for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement service declined to say where she had been found, or what sort of tip-off had led to her arrest. She has no criminal convictions in the US, but had been deported for being in the country illegally five times between 2004 and 2005. Sources at the agency told The Los Angeles Times they had caught up with her after being told by their Mexican counterparts that she was believed to be living in the San Gabriel area of Los Angeles, which borders El Monte. After a short surveillance operation, she was brought into custody without incident. The modest apartment block was "the last place you'd expect to find someone who was supposed to have run so many drugs", the newspaper was told. "It's not clear if she was just hiding, or if she'd fallen upon hard times."

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Barclays boss Bob Diamond resigns

Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond has resigned with immediate effect. The move comes less than a week after the bank was fined a record amount for trying to manipulate inter-bank lending rates. Mr Diamond said he was stepping down because the external pressure on the bank risked "damaging the franchise". Chairman Marcus Agius, who said on Monday he was stepping down, will take over the running of Barclays until a replacement is found. "I am deeply disappointed that the impression created by the events announced last week about what Barclays and its people stand for could not be further from the truth," Mr Diamond said in a statement. He will still appear before MPs on the Treasury Committee to answer questions about the Libor affair on Wednesday. "I look forward to fulfilling my obligation to contribute to the Treasury Committee's enquiries related to the settlements that Barclays announced last week without my leadership in question," Mr Diamond said. Last week, regulators in the US and UK fined Barclays £290m ($450m) for attempting to rig Libor and Euribor, the interest rates at which banks lend to each other, which underpin trillions of pounds worth of financial transactions. Staff did this over a number of years, trying to raise them for profit and then, during the financial crisis, lowering them to hide the level to which Barclays was under financial stress. Prime Minister David Cameron has described the rigging of Libor rates as "a scandal". The Serious Fraud Office is also considering whether to bring criminal charges.

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Italy fan attacked in England after quarterfinal

Cars were damaged and one person assaulted as England fans targeted Italian supporters living in Bedford following Euro 2012 quarter-final. A group of around 150 football fans forced a town's high street to shut after they tried to confront Italian fans. Bedfordshire Police were forced to close the High Street and the Embankment in Bedford after sporadic disorder broke out following the match against Italy in Kiev last night. Around 1,200 England fans watched the game in the High Street pubs and the vast majority were well behaved and went home after the match without incident, a force spokeswoman said.

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Beware of missed call to check SIM cloning

Next time if you get a missed call starting with +92; #90 or #09, don't show the courtesy of calling back because chances are it would lead to your SIM card being cloned. The telecom service providers are now issuing alerts to subscribers —particularly about the series mentioned above as the moment one press the call button after dialing the above number, someone at the other end will get your phone and SIM card cloned. According to reports, more than one lakh subscribers have fallen prey to this new telecom terror attack as the frequency of such calls continues to grow. Intelligence agencies have reportedly confirmed to the service providers particularly in UP West telecom division that such a racket is not only under way but the menace is growing fast. "We are sure there must be some more similar combinations that the miscreants are using to clone the handsets and all the information stored in them," an intelligence officer told TOI. General Manager (GM) BSNL, RV Verma, said the department had already issued alerts to all the broadband subscribers and now alert SMSes were being issued to other subscribers as well. As per Rakshit Tandon, an IT expert who also teaches at the police academy (UP), the crooks can use other combination of numbers as well while making a call. "It is better not to respond to calls received from unusual calling numbers," says Tandon. "At the same time one should avoid storing specifics of their bank account, ATM/ Credit/Debit card numbers and passwords in their phone memory because if one falls a prey to such crooks then the moment your cell phone or sim are cloned, the data will be available to the crooks who can withdraw amount from your bank accounts as well," warns Punit Misra; an IT expert who also owns a consultancy in Lucknow. The menace that threatens to steal the subscriber's information stored in the phone or external memory (sim, memory & data cards) has a very scary side as well. Once cloned, the culprits can well use the cloned copy to make calls to any number they wish to. This exposes the subscribers to the threat of their connection being used for terror calls. Though it will be established during the course of investigations that the cellphone has been cloned and misused elsewhere, it is sure to land the subscriber under quite some pressure till the time the fact about his or her phone being cloned and misused is established, intelligence sources said. "It usually starts with a miss call from a number starting with + 92. The moment the subscriber calls back on the miss call, his or her cell phone is cloned. In case the subscribers takes the call before it is dropped as a miss call then the caller on the other end poses as a call center executive checking the connectivity and call flow of the particular service provider. The caller then asks the subscriber to press # 09 or # 90 call back on his number to establish that the connectivity to the subscriber was seamless," says a victim who reported the matter to the BSNL office at Moradabad last week. "The moment I redialed the caller number, my account balance lost a sum of money. Thereafter, in the three days that followed every time I got my cell phone recharged, the balance would be reduced to single digits within the next few minutes," she told the BSNL officials.

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France brings in breathalyser law

New motoring laws have come into force in France making it compulsory for drivers to carry breathalyser kits in their vehicles. As of July 1, motorists and motorcyclists will face an on-the-spot fine unless they travel with two single-use devices as part of a government drive to reduce the number of drink-drive related deaths. The new regulations, which excludes mopeds, will be fully enforced and include foreigner drivers from November 1 following a four-month grace period. Anyone failing to produce a breathalyser after that date will receive an 11 euro fine. French police have warned they will be carrying out random checks on drivers crossing into France via ferries and through the Channel Tunnel to enforce the new rules. Retailers in the UK have reported a massive rise in breathalyser sales as British drivers travelling across the Channel ensure they do not fall foul of the new legislation. Car accessory retailer Halfords said it is selling one kit every minute of the day and has rushed extra stock into stores to cope with the unprecedented demand. Six out of 10 Britons travelling to France are not aware they have to carry two NF approved breathalysers at all times, according to the company. The French government hopes to save around 500 lives a year by introducing the new laws, which will encourage drivers who suspect they may be over the limit to test themselves with the kits. The French drink-driving limit is 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood - substantially less than the UK limit of 80mg.

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Four die after panic set in during scuba dive at popular Italian resort

Four die after panic set in during scuba dive at popular Italian resort A British scuba diver was one of four to die after becoming trapped in a submerged cave near the tourist Italian port of Palinuro at the weekend the coastguard revealed. Divers and Coast Guard personnel during recovery operations of the four drowned divers at Palinuro in Italy Photo: EPA By Philip Willan, Rome7:18PM BST 01 Jul 2012 Douglas Rizzo, who was born in London but had been living in Rome, is believed to have been the leader of a party of divers who lost their bearings after kicking up mud from the floor of the "Blood Grotto", a popular destination with amateur divers because of its red walls, caused by a bacterial growth. According to Italian investigators the group missed the exit to the cave after becoming confused and instead entered a nearby tunnel which led to a chamber with a dead end. An Italian magistrate has opened an inquiry into the accident at the seaside resort south of Naples. Authorities identified the victims as Rizzo, 41, who leaves a wife and six-month old son, Andrea Pedroni, 40, from Rome, Greek-born Panaiotis Telios, 23, from Reggio Calabria, and Susy Covaccini, 36, also from Rome. Massimo Ruggiero, the coastguard commander in Palinuro, said: "The entrance to the cave is through a tunnel at a depth of 13 to 14 metres. The group should then have swum up to a higher tunnel and made their exit from the cave through that"Beneath this channel there is another tunnel that leads to a dead end in a chamber with a sandy floor. All the victims were found there." Marco Sebastiani, one of four other divers who survived the tragedy said he realised something was wrong when he saw their guide showing signs of agitation, but at that point it was too late. "We suddenly found ourselves in a blind tunnel. We couldn't see anything. At that point it was panic. The agitation of the least experienced took hold. Mud and sand came up from the bottom of the cave and visibility was gone," Mr Sebastiani told Il Messaggero newspaper. "At a certain point I managed to find my way. I took as many people as I could with me and we swam towards the light, which grew bigger all the time. When I came up, I looked around to count us and I realised that Susy, Andrea, Douglas and Panos weren't there." Roberto Navarra, the diving school owner who provided the group's equipment, confirmed yesterday (Sunday) that four of the group had swum into the wrong tunnel. "It's an easy cave but there is a dangerous tunnel that people never use. Four people swam into that channel," Mr Navarra told reporters. He said he had tried repeatedly to save the missing divers but "the visibility was terrible. You could see nothing". Mr Navarra said the group was correctly equipped and carried torches. "Unfortunately there was not one, but an incredible series of negative circumstances. Now we are all shocked and saddened." Valter Ciociano, an expert diver from nearby Marina di Camerota, said many of the 35 underwater caves that draw divers to the area have muddy bottoms. "Often when you go in, the water is clear and you don't notice that your flippers are muddying the water behind you, creating what seems an impenetrable wall. On these occasions it's panic that rules the day." The underwater caves do sometimes contain small air pockets under the roof, but experts say they are no guarantee of safety. In many cases the air would not be breathable because of the presence of poisonous hydrogen sulphate fumes.

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Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe arrested in Prague

Randy Blythe, singer with US metal band Lamb of God has been arrested in Prague over the death of a fan at a gig in the Czech Republic two years ago. It is understood that Mr Blythe, 44, was detained at Prague airport on Wednesday, forcing the band to cancel a live appearance the following night. The 19-year-old fan died 14 days after allegedly being pushed from the stage by Mr Blythe at a gig in 2010. It has been reported that the singer has now been released from custody. Writing on the band's Twitter account, Mr Blythe's bandmate, guitarist Mark Morton said: "Finally HOME! 4/5 of us anyway... Thanx for all the support yall!" Lamb of God's record label are understood to be releasing a statement on Monday. Mr Blythe's arrest stems back to the death of a fan who attempted to climb on stage during a concert at Prague's club Abaton on 24 May 2010. According to reports, the fan had repeatedly tried to climb onto the stage before allegedly being pushed by Mr Blythe and hitting the concrete floor. He died 14 days later of his injuries, said Czech TV station TV Nova. A post-mortem examination reportedly found that he had not been drunk or under the influence of drugs. Lamb of God formed in Virginia in 1990 and, in 2007, received a Grammy nomination for their album Sacrament. Last month, they played at the Download festival at Donnington Park in the UK.

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The number of Britons arrested overseas is on the rise, official figures have shown.

 The Foreign Office (FO) handled 6,015 arrest cases involving British nationals abroad between April 2011 and March 2012. This was 6% more than in the previous 12 months and included a 2% rise in drug arrests. The figures, which include holidaymakers and Britons resident overseas, showed the highest number of arrests and detentions was in Spain (1,909) followed by the USA (1,305). Spanish arrests rose 9% in 2011/12, while the United States was up 3%. The most arrests of Britons for drugs was in the US (147), followed by Spain (141). The highest percentage of arrests for drugs in 2011/12 was in Peru where there were only 17 arrests in total, although 15 were for drugs. The FO said anecdotal evidence from embassies and consulates overseas suggested many incidents were alcohol-fuelled, particularly in popular holiday destinations such as the Canary Islands, mainland Spain, the Balearics (which include Majorca and Ibiza), Malta and Cyprus. Consular Affairs Minister Jeremy Browne said: "It is important that people understand that taking risks abroad can land them on the wrong side of the law. "The punishments can be very severe, with tougher prison conditions than in the UK. While we will work hard to try and ensure the safety of British nationals abroad, we cannot interfere in another country's legal system. "We find that many people are shocked to discover that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot get them out of jail. We always provide consular support to British nationals in difficulty overseas. However, having a British passport does not make you immune to foreign laws and will not get you special treatment in prison."

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High Court Judges to lose Their bodyguards

"This can not be right. They can not just do this from one day to the next," said one judge High Court on Monday after learning the bodyguards That Were Being Assigned To him taken away. The Interior Ministry HAS BEGUN ITS plan to massively reduce the number of bodyguards Assigned to Judges, Prosecutors and other Officials, High Court sources said. The Reductions, Including the elimination of Government vehicles for Some Officials, are to start in September Taking effect from today. Among Those Who will be left without protection are three anti-corruption Prosecutors who are Investigating the Russian Mafia Currently the Gürtel and Contracts-for-kickbacks case. It was the High Court's chief criminal judge, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who Informed His colleagues of the Government's decision. The Reasons? The Government no longer feels pressured by ETA, Which Announced an end to attacks last fall, and the move is part of overall cost-cutting Measures ordered by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. INITIALLY, Grande Marlaska, High Court Chief Judge Angel Juanes, chief prosecutor Javier Zaragoza and Judge Jose Luis de Castro, who covers penitentiary issues, will keep Their bodyguards and official vehicles. The rest of the Judges and Prosecutors will now Have to go to work unprotected and by Their Own means. Interior's decision will Radically change the Manner in Which protection is afforded to Courtrooms Interior's decision, if it is finally Implemented across the High Court, will Radically change the Manner in Which protection is afforded to Courtrooms. Until now, judge and prosecutor Each four police officers HAD Assigned to Them, as well as a vehicle. Some Judges Say That They Will the only protection is now Have Regular surveillance of Their homes. The High Court Judges and Its Prosecutors intendant to file a note of protest With The Interior Ministry, the sources said. Their colds are among a complaint That Neither Justice nor the Interior Ministry Officials to Assess Whether made evaluations at Risk Before They Were Deciding to Eliminate bodyguards. The decision to Affect también said the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) legal watchdog and the Supreme Court. In a statement released on Monday, Prosecutors Say That state has not yet ETA disbanded and the Danger Posed by That terrorists still exists. According To Interior Ministry estimates, police officers who 1.010 Some Were serving as bodyguards will be reassigned to other Duties.

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Bolivia deploys army to patrol streets as police strike

The Bolivian government has deployed the army to patrol the streets as police across the country continue to strike in protest at low pay. The protests turned violent on Thursday when officers seized control of a police barracks in the city of La Paz. Communications Minister Amanda Davila said striking officers had been "setting the scene for a coup". Talks between the government and striking officers stalled early on Saturday with no agreement in sight. Ms Davila said the officers were stockpiling weapons and pressuring other units to turn over their guns. "Press reports and intelligence reports are now saying that a coup scenario is taking shape," she said. But the striking officers said they had no interest in overthrowing Bolivia's left-wing President Evo Morales. They insisted they were only interested in reaching an agreement on higher pay.

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Bloods gang member from Paterson gets 89 months in prison

federal judge Wednesday sentenced Michael McCloud, of Paterson, to 89 months in prison for his role with the Fruit Town Brims, a set of the Bloods that authorities said terrorized a section of Paterson for years through violent activities connected to dealing drugs. McCloud, 26, also known as “Ike Brim,” was the second Bloods member to be sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler for their part in a broad racketeering conspiracy to sell narcotics in Paterson and Newark. Chesler Tuesday sentenced Ricky Coleman, also known as “Pool Stick” and “Sticks,” 39, of Newark, to 151 months for a range of violent crimes and racketeering. McCloud was among 15 alleged members and associates of the Fruit Town and Brick City Brims charged in a 20-count federal indictment with racketeering, murder and other crimes. He was arrested by federal agents in Passaic in January 2011 and pleaded guilty to the RICO conspiracy charge in August. In his guilty plea, McCloud admitted to selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer on August 30, 2006, together with two other members of the gang. McCloud also admitted to participating in two robberies in Paterson in 2006. In the first robbery, McCloud and another gang member who was armed with an AK-47 broke up a dice game and took drugs, cell phones and money. In the second, McCloud worked with other gang members to commit a robbery in retaliation for the shooting of an associate by a member of a rival gang. In the sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa L. Jampol said the Fruit Town Brims had asserted a powerful control of a section of Paterson, centered at the intersection of 12th and 22nd streets. The gang members transformed this section into an area “that was completely uninhabitable,” to the point that residents were too afraid to leave their homes and attend church services, Jampol said. McCloud’s attorney, James Patton, said his client had worked hard to turn his life around, and was working full-time at Domino’s Pizza when he was arrested last January in the RICO sweep. McCloud told Chesler that he couldn’t change the past, but was trying to become a better person for the future. “I’m tired of going in and out of jail,” McCloud said. “I’m tired of letting my family down. And I’m tired of being a failure.” But Chesler was unmoved by this testimony. McCloud’s criminal history is a long one that begins at age 15, and there is nothing to indicate that his repeated contact with law enforcement had done anything to deter the young man from a life of drugs and violence, Chesler said. The sentence – the maximum under federal guidelines, with 36 months subtracted due to time already spent in a state prison – was meant to serve as a deterrent to other gang members engaged in the same activities, Chesler said. “His offenses are horrendous,” the judge said. “He was part of a gang that terrorized citizens of this state.”

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Leaders of El Salvador’s Mara street gangs said they are ready to start negotiations with the government toward a permanent peace pact

Leaders of El Salvador’s Mara street gangs said they are ready to start negotiations with the government toward a permanent peace pact following the success of a three-month-old temporary truce that has lowered the Central American country’s murder rate dramatically. The gang leaders said during a ceremony at the Izalco prison to celebrate the first 100 days of the truce that they want the government to offer job programs or some other sort of aid to gang members in exchange. “We want to reach a definitive ceasefire, to end all the criminal acts of the gangs,” said Mara 18 leader Oscar Armando Reyes. “But we have to reach agreements, because we have to survive. There was talk of job plans, but we haven’t gotten any answers, and it is time for the government to listen to us.” Mr. Reyes said the gangs weren’t thinking of ending the temporary truce. “We are issuing a call for us all to sit down and have a dialogue, to reach a definitive accord,” he said. There was no immediate response from the government. Former leftist guerrilla commander Raul Mijango and Roman Catholic Bishop Fabio Colindres mediated a truce between the Mara Salvatrucha and the Mara 18 gangs in March that has helped lower homicide rates. Mr. Mijango said the country’s homicide rate has dropped from about 14 murders a day in March to about five a day in early June. “This effort has saved the lives of more than 850 innocent Salvadorans,” Mr. Mijango said. An estimated 50,000 Salvadorans belong to street gangs that deal drugs, extort businesses and kill rivals. Gang leaders say they want to stop the violence that has given El Salvador one of the highest murder rates in the world, behind neighbouring Honduras. In April, authorities rejected a proposal that El Salvador’s gangs receive the subsidies the government currently spends on public transportation in exchange for gang members stopping extortion of bus drivers.

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Indicted gang member arrested

last of 27 alleged gang members indicted in April was arrested Tuesday afternoon by the U.S. Marshals Service. Darius Smith was taken into custody around 3 p.m. after authorities found him on James Street, officials of the service said. The indictment, handed up April 3, alleges that Smith, 29, conspired to sell more than 280 grams of cocaine and heroin. He was to appear Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Smith was allegedly a member of the Uptown, or Gunners, gang. In an April news conference, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian said the gang used guns to terrorize the neighborhood and its members marked buildings in the Central State Street neighborhood with graffiti to mark their territory. The investigation led to the arrests of 27 alleged gang members listed on the indictment; 23 were arrested

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Malvern Crew gang member ordered deported

An accused member of the notorious Malvern Crew street gang has lost a last-ditch bid to stay in Canada and is being deported to his native Jamaica for criminality. Raoul Andre Burton, 28, of Toronto, was one of 65 suspected members of the east-end gang rounded up in May 2004 by Toronto Police in Project Impact. Members of the gang were involved in a rivalry with the Galloway Boyz over turf in 2003 and 2004 that left four people dead. Burton was charged with nine offences and sentenced to eight-months in jail along with a 165-day stint of pre-sentence custody. He pled guilty to participating in a criminal organization, known as the Malvern Crew, and two counts of drug possession and trafficking that made him inadmissable to Canada Officers of the Canada Border Services Agency have been trying for years to deport Burton, who arrived here from Jamaica at age 10 and never obtained citizenship. Lawyers for Burton sought to appeal the deportation order to the Federal Court of Canada, but Judge David Near dismissed the application which means Burton will be sent packing. “Mr. Burton was right in the thick of things, an active member of the Malvern Crew, actively participating in the activities of the organization,” Near said in his June 11 decision. “He may have occupied a rather influential or responsible place in the organization.” Near said Burton’s involvement with the Malvern Crew was “significant.” “He was obviously fully integrated and well-invested into the organization,” Near wrote. “He was also prepared to engage in criminal activities on a significant scale for the benefit of the organization.” Police gang experts said Burton was a loyal Malvern foot-soldier who was a “good money-earner” for the gang. Officers said the gang was involved in the trafficking, importation and distribution of drugs as well as other crimes, including murder.

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Toulouse gunman releases female hostage

gunman claiming links to al-Qaida who took four people hostage in a Toulouse bank today has released one of the four, a woman. Prosecutor Michel Valet said the gunman said he was “acting not for money but for his religious convictions.” Tensions have been high in the French city since March, when another gunman, Mohamed Merah, who also said he was with al-Qaida, killed seven people, including three Jewish schoolchildren. The latest incident began when a man entered a CIC bank branch in central Toulouse at about 11am local time and took the bank director and three other people hostage. The bank is in the same district where Merah was shot and killed by police after a siege. The area around the bank was cordoned off, and neighbouring buildings were evacuated, including a school. Officers from a specialized police unit, the GIPN, arrived at the scene. The Paris headquarters of co-operative bank CIC is in contact with police in Toulouse, a bank spokesman said but would not comment further. The bank describes itself as the second-largest retail bank in France and the leading bank insurance group, with thousands of branches in France and around the world. The gunman said he wanted the elite RAID national police force to come negotiate with him, police said. RAID led the 32-hour stand-off with Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian origin, in his Toulouse apartment. Merah, an Islamic radical who had trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Was eventually shot in the head in a gunfight. French intelligence officials said at the time that they found no operational ties between Merah and al-Qaida, despite his claim. His brother is in custody after being handed preliminary charges of complicity to plotting the killings at a Jewish school in Toulouse and of paratroopers in Toulouse and nearby Montauban

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Cape Town the gang and drug capital of SA

The Western Cape is the gang and drug hub of the country, says Community Safety MEC Dan Plato. He said it is estimated that about 60 percent of gang and drug related crimes are committed in the Western Cape, but the province only houses about 10 percent of South Africa’s population. Speaking at the Centre for Conflict Resolution’s public dialogue on Gangsterism in South African Schools on Tuesday evening, Plato said due to the endemic nature of gangsterism in the Cape, children were growing up with family members and friends of the family belonging to gangs. They were exposed to gangs on their way to and from school and grew up in an environment where they were used to running for cover “when the bullets start firing”. It was a situation where the local rugby club is run by “a notorious gangster” but parents wanted their children to participate in sport. As a result, his department, in conjunction with other provincial government departments, was involved in a number of initiatives tackling safety at schools and was continually engaging with communities in an effort to combat gangsterism and crime. Initiatives included random search and seizure operations at schools, establishing over 100 sport development MOT centres in previously disadvantaged areas, identifying talented hard-working youngsters who were then provided study bursaries, and facilitating meetings between business and recently matriculated youth in order to assist with job opportunities and recruitment. However, it was only when communities “stand united” that criminals would be caught. “I believe we are in control of the situation at school level,” he said, “but the bigger problem is one not so easily contained.” Fellow speaker Irvin Kinnes, who is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Criminality at the University of Cape Town, provided statistics from recent studies. Kinnes said in 2011 there was a known gang presence at 31 schools in the Western Cape and 63 gang shootings took place on school premises last year. “We must know we have a crisis at our schools,” he said. He said there were situations where gangsters informed parents that a shoot-out was going to take place at or near a particular school and there was “pandemonium” when parents rushed to the school to fetch their children. In communities where gangsterism was so prevalent, even children who wanted nothing to do with gangs were often marked by rival gangs simply because they lived in a particular area. A culture of gangsterism led to young men being forced to show they are “unafraid to challenge or be challenged” and develop machismo and bravado. Educators themselves often contributed to this, he said, through a lack of love and respect toward pupils. At Cape Flats schools the education system itself was “in the business of reproducing gangsters at school level”. In order to address the situation we needed to stop focusing in the gangs, he said, and focus on developing and providing opportunities for the youth.

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Family blames gangs for Detroit teen's death in Grand Rapids, broadcast though RIP postings on Facebook

Family members of a Detroit teenager found dead behind a Creston neighborhood home this weekend say he was lured there by friends mixed up in gang violence. News of the slaying apparently was broadcast on Facebook before anyone contacted the family of victim, said to be Terrance Stokes, 19. “His friends got him down here and set him up,” said cousin Roshanna Johnson, who, along with other immediate and extended family members, stopped by the house on Sunday where a man was found with a bullet in his head about 12:53 a.m. on Saturday. “His own family didn’t even know he was (in Grand Rapids),” she said. “We found out by ‘RIP Terrance Stokes’ on Facebook.” Police haven’t formally identified Stokes as the man found dead on the two-story wooden staircase behind 249 Travis Street NE on Saturday, about a block from Creston High School. Neighbors said residents there came home to find a man, identified by family as Stokes, slumped on the stairs and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head. Shell casings were found in the adjoining driveway and backyard. Raelynn Smith, who lives next door, recalled hearing what sounded like six gunshots late Friday night, about an hour before finding the body. She wrote them off as fireworks, a sound that has become common under new relaxed state laws. Heidi Fenton | MLive.com Terrance Stokes was found dead on this staircase behind 249 Travis Street NE early Saturday. Related: Grand Rapids woman details finding fatally shot man on neighbor's staircase Police are investigating the death as a homicide but no new information was released on Sunday. No suspect information has been released. Stokes may have been in Grand Rapids on Friday without his family’s knowledge, but he was expected at some point, said mother, Lisa Johnson of Detroit. His sister recently graduated from Ottawa Hills High School, where Stokes also attended, and he was supposed to show up as a “surprise.” “The surprise was, he got killed,” she said, bitterly. Stokes also has a younger brother, age 8, who is “taking it really bad.” Johnson denies that her son was involved in a gang, but she alleges Stokes was killed by one of the Bemis Street Boys, a Southeast Side “blood” gang. She thinks he was lured away from Detroit by a girl in Grand Rapids and a friend who drove Stokes to West Michigan. Stokes had bounced between parents in either city for the last few years, she said. “He brought him to Grand Rapids to get killed,” she said. “I guess they was in a gang and some situation went wrong, or whatever. I don’t know. When my kids leave the house, I don’t know what they are doing.” Johnson found out about her son’s murder when family members who saw the Facebook postings waded through the confusion by reaching out on the telephone. She called the friend who she believes helped get her son killed and spoke to him. She had a few words for those involved: “All the real gang members are dead,” she said. “Ya’ll just some newcomers. Ya’ll don’t know nothing about the gang. They don’t know what’s true, what’s value.” The loss leaves an enormous hole, she said. “Life is too short and they took my son’s life,” she said. “I‘ll never hear him call me; never see him again, never hear his voice.” “They took everything from me. When they took my son, that was part of me.”

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Police study Murdoch's 'secret' iPhone account

Scotland Yard detectives investigating phone hacking at the News of the World are examining the call records of four newly discovered Apple iPhones issued to senior executives at News International. The smartphones, issued by O2 in a contract beginning in October 2009, included a handset given to James Murdoch, the former chairman and chief executive of News Corp Europe. Despite billing for the phones totalling nearly £12,000 between June last year and May this year, neither Operation Weeting nor the Leveson Inquiry was told of the existence of the smartphone accounts. Phone text messages and emails sent and received by News International executives and advisers have provided some of the most controversial evidence heard by Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into press practices and ethics. It had been assumed that the email and text traffic from key News International executives was centred solely on their company BlackBerry account with Vodafone. In accounts seen by The Independent, issued through 02's corporate customer services at Arlington Business Park in Leeds, Mr Murdoch's iPhone account is listed as "active". Mr Murdoch is said to have told 02 that he specifically wanted a "white iPhone" when the smartphone was issued to him in the summer of 2009. Katie Vanneck-Smith, listed as News International's chief marketing officer, also has an active account. Two other NI executive numbers are described as disconnected. Between June last year – just before The Guardian revealed in July that the mobile phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler had been hacked into – and the beginning of the Leveson Inquiry in November, the NI iPhone accounts were billed for £9,650. Last night, Labour MP Tom Watson said people would be "shocked" to learn that the smartphones had been issued to key NI executives, while the company's disclosures focused only on the BlackBerry Vodafone accounts. Mr Watson said he hoped that News Corp's Management and Standards Committee, which is responsible for all matters relating to phone hacking, would enforce its own promise of full transparency and appropriate disclosure, by revealing all the data and logs held on the discovered phones to both the police and the Leveson Inquiry. Last night, a spokeswoman for News International, said: "Mr Murdoch fully co-operated with the Leveson Inquiry. It is ridiculous to suggest that James Murdoch keeps or kept a 'secret phone'." Meanwhile sources close to the Leveson Inquiry have denied that Lord Justice Leveson threatened to quit his judicial investigation following comments made in February by Michael Gove. The Education Secretary told a gathering of political journalists that the inquiry into press ethics and practices was creating a "chilling atmosphere" towards press freedom. During Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons the day after Mr Gove's lobby speech, David Cameron appeared to back his cabinet colleague's view. Concern that Mr Gove might be the Prime Minister's advance messenger prompted Lord Justice Leveson to call the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood. Whitehall sources say Lord Justice Leveson wanted to learn directly from Mr Cameron whether his inquiry was wasting public money on an ultimately futile exercise or whether his initial remit stood. Although the reassurances from No 10 took two days to arrive, sources claim there was no threat from the judge to resign from his own inquiry.

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The gangster-turned-ink artist trying to change country's attitude to body art

The tattoos he creates are a far cry from the Asian symbols and tribal designs that have become popular in the west.

Japanese artist Horiyoshi III creates the startling full-body 'suit' tattoos that are synonymous with the country's criminal underworld.

The mastermind was himself a member of the notorious yakuza before swapping a life of crime for a career with behind needle - but Horiyoshi III is trying to break the connection between body art and the mafia and end the widescale discrimination of tattooed people in Japan.

A group of men show their tattoos created by artist Horiyoshii III

 

Japanese tattooist Horiyoshii III tattoos a flower on the back of a female customer

Tattooed people are barred entry from scores of venues in Japan, from hot springs to fitness centres, while the mayor of Osaka recently forced city employees to fill out a survey revealing whether or not they have a tattoo.

That discrimination is tied to a seemingly unbreakable association with the yakuza, whose members' distinctive tattoos denote their association to crime families, such as the Yamaguchi-gumi.

The crime clan is believed to have about 50,000 members, who have a reputation for engaging in everything from gambling, drugs and prostitution to white-collar crime and loan-sharking.

Horiyoshi said: 'Tattoos have a bad image everywhere, but particularly in Japan they are associated with violence and yakuza, even if that is a simplistic view.'

'This image is still stuck in peoples' minds: tattoo equals criminal, criminal equals yakuza. People are now scared of tattoos.'

 

For tattoo artist Horiyoshi III, the skin into which he sinks his ink-infused needle is a living canvas for the myths and legends of Japan, where body art is indelibly linked to the violent gangsters of the criminal underworld

For Horiyoshi III, the skin into which he sinks his ink-infused needle is a canvas for the myths and legends of Japan .

The artist, who uses the modern metal variation of a bamboo stick still favoured by some traditionalists,  says his biggest inspiration is Hokusai, an artist famed for woodblock prints of a tsunami against Mount Fuji.

 

'But I am also influenced by other Japanese artists,' he said at an exhibition of his work -- with all live subjects -- last month in Tokyo, citing Utagawa Kuniyoshi, known for his landscapes, mystical animals and depictions of samurai swordfights.

 

Bare art: Two women show off tattoos that cover their entire backs

Horiyoshi's German-born apprentice Alexander Reinke, insists tattoos in Japan differ greatly from those found in Europe and the U.S.

He explained: 'The biggest difference is that tattoos in the West are created to underline a person's individuality.

'They want to make a statement or remember something they are a really big fan of.

'But in Japan some groups get tattoos not to underline their individuality because individuality is not so important in Japan, it's the group that is important," Reinke added.

That mentality often translates into tattoo clubs where members meet and show off their designs, just regular people with "normal jobs" who have a passion for body art, he said.

'Usually, a group that is tattooed by the same master kind of forms a little club by themselves, like here today where everybody who is meeting has been tattooed by Mr Horiyoshi and is just having a good time.'

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Two teens left critical as gangs clash in "nappy valley" graveyard

A teenager is fighting for life and another seriously injured after a suspected gang fight in south London. Police said they were called to reports of a fight involving five or six teenagers in Garratt Lane, Wandsworth at 10.05 pm last night. When officers arrived the group had scattered but two 19-year-olds were found collapsed near-by suffering from stab wounds. The young men – who were found in Malva Close -  suffered serious knife wounds to the torso. The teenagers are thought to have been trying to flee the scene when they collapsed. Officers were waiting to question them in hospital where they were under police guard today. One teenager is said to be in a critical condition and his injuries are said to be life threatening, the other is serious but stable. Four young men aged in their late teens and early 20s were arrested by police last night. Police flooded the area after the stabbing last night in a search for suspects. Roads around Mulva Close and the South Thames College were sealed off this morning as police continued a search of the streets. St Ann's Hill was closed between East Hill and St Ann's Crescent causing considerable disruption to traffic. The scene is close to the million pound homes of Wandsworth’s so-called “nappy valley.” The Met is battling rising levels of reported knife crime and youth violence in London though incidents where knives were used to injure people is falling. Senior officers were holding a crisis meeting this morning to discuss the stabbing amid fears of possible reprisals by rival gangs. Extra patrols were being deployed to reassure people and deter more attacks. A spokesperson for London Ambulance Service said: "Staff treated two patients, both with stab wounds and taken as priorities to hospital. One man was 19-years-old, but the age of the other is unknown." Twitter users in the area posted their shocked responses on the social networking site. Chloe Carter wrote: "Happened about 10.30pm last night while I was in the Brewers Inn. Police advised someone had been stabbed."

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Man dies in double shooting in Liverpool

The double shooting in the notorious Norris Green area is the latest in a series of gun crimes linked to the city's criminal underworld. Police and paramedics descended on Ravensthorpe Green, soon after 1am after a series of 999 calls reported gunshots and two men being injured. One of the victims - a thought to be about 30 years old - died from his injuries at the scene. Th second man, aged in his 20s, was had suffered bullet wounds and was taken to University Hospital, Aintree where his condition was listed as "critical". The street of semi-detached inter-war council houses was sealed-off by police who were quizzing residents and taking statements from neighbours. A Merseyside police spokesman said: "Emergency services were called to Ravensthorpe Green at about 1am to a report that two men had been injured after being shot at in the street. "On arrival officers found a man, believed to be in his 30s, who was declared dead at the scene by paramedics and a man, who is believed to be in his 20s, with a gunshot injuries. "The injured man was taken to hospital by ambulance for treatment. At this time his condition is described as being critical. "The scene has been cordoned off, house-to-house enquiries are under way and high- visibility patrols have been stepped-up in the area. "The motive for the shooting is not yet clear and officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. "An investigation to establish the full circumstances of the incident is in hand."

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shooting a cop dead is now legal in the state of Indiana.

Governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican, has authorized changes to a 2006 legislation that legalizes the use of deadly force on a public servant — including an officer of the law — in cases of “unlawful intrusion.” Proponents of both the Second and Fourth Amendments — those that allow for the ownership of firearms and the security against unlawful searches, respectively — are celebrating the update by saying it ensures that residents are protected from authorities that abuse the powers of the badge. Others, however, fear that the alleged threat of a police state emergence will be replaced by an all-out warzone in Indiana. Under the latest changes of the so-called Castle Doctrine, state lawmakers agree “people have a right to defend themselves and third parties from physical harm and crime.” Rather than excluding officers of the law, however, any public servant is now subject to be met with deadly force if they unlawfully enter private property without clear justification. “In enacting this section, the general assembly finds and declares that it is the policy of this state to recognize the unique character of a citizen's home and to ensure that a citizen feels secure in his or her own home against unlawful intrusion by another individual or a public servant,” reads the legislation. Although critics have been quick to condemn the law for opening the door for assaults on police officers, supporters say that it is necessary to implement the ideals brought by America’s forefathers. Especially, argue some, since the Indiana Supreme Court almost eliminated the Fourth Amendment entirely last year. During the 2011 case of Barnes v. State of Indiana, the court ruled that a man who assaulted an officer dispatched to his house had broken the law before there was “no right to reasonably resist unlawful entry by police officers.” In turn, the National Rifle Association lobbied for an amendment to the Castle Doctrine to ensure that residents were protected from officers that abuse the law to grant themselves entry into private space. “There are bad legislators,” the law’s author, State Senator R. Michael Young (R) tells Bloomberg News. “There are bad clergy, bad doctors, bad teachers, and it’s these officers that we’re concerned about that when they act outside their scope and duty that the individual ought to have a right to protect themselves.” Governor Daniels agrees with the senator in a statement offered through his office, and notes that the law is only being established to cover rare incidents of police abuse that can escape the system without reprimand for officers or other persons that break the law to gain entry. “In the real world, there will almost never be a situation in which these extremely narrow conditions are met,” Daniels says. “This law is not an invitation to use violence or force against law enforcement officers.” Officers in Indiana aren’t necessarily on the same page, though. “If I pull over a car and I walk up to it and the guy shoots me, he’s going to say, ‘Well, he was trying to illegally enter my property,’” Sergeant Joseph Hubbard tells Bloomberg. “Somebody is going get away with killing a cop because of this law.” “It’s just a recipe for disaster,” Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police President Tim Downs adds. “It just puts a bounty on our heads.”

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ON CLOUD NINE: BATH SALTS BY ANOTHER NAME... WITH STRONG COMPULSIONS TO REDOSE

After the recent stream of disturbing news reports of people eating others' flesh, Hornaday Manufacturing has released bullets that promise to ‘make dead permanent.’

The ammunition, branded as Zombie Max offers Proven Z-Max bullets, is live ammunition, but is actually only intended for use on targets – not people.

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The Walking Dead: Hornady Manufacturing has started selling Zombie bullets, 'just in case'; it is live ammunition

Attacks: Carl Jacquneaux, left, who was arrested for allegedly biting another man's face and Brandon De Leon, right, who allegedly tried to bite two policemen while threatening to eat them

 

Hornaday spokesman Everett Deger told WWJ Newsradio 950 that the company’s president has a love of zombie culture – including popular shows like the Walking Dead – and was inspired to make the bullets in honour of the cultural phenomenon. 

ON CLOUD NINE: BATH SALTS BY ANOTHER NAME... WITH STRONG COMPULSIONS TO REDOSE

The 'bath salts' sold under the name Cloud Nine are likely to be stimulant drugs such MPDV or ephedrine. 

'Bath salts' does not refer to a single chemical, but instead to a range of synthetic drugs that can be sold legally in the U.S. as long as they are not marked for human consumption – hence the misleading name.

Drugs such as MPDV are highly potent stimulants, similar to some amphetamines, and in MPDV's case particularly, cause a strong compulsion to 'redose' with more of the drug. 

In high doses, such drugs can cause violent and unpredictable behaviour, and terrifying hallucinations – and the compulsion to take more of the drug continues, even once the 'high' has begun to make the user feel bad.

Various different compounds use the name 'Cloud Nine', and it's still not confirmed which exact chemical was in the drug reported to have caused these attacks, but some reports have pointed the finger at MPDV. 

The chemical is already illegal in Florida – although other 'bath salts' remain perfectly legal in the state.  

 

‘We decided just to have some fun with a marketing plan that would allow us to create some ammunition designed for that…fictional world,’ he told the radio station.

Mr Deger noted that the bullets are some of the ammunition company’s most popular products.

The news comes as two more cannibal attacks have been reported in the US as police warn of a dangerous new mind-altering drug called Cloud Nine.

 

Last week Rudy Eugene - who is believed to have taken the over-the-counter ecstasy-like drug - growled at officers as he chewed off most of a homeless man's face before being shot dead by Miami police.

Since then two further incidents have been linked to the substance, which is part of a new line of 'bath salts'.

 

 

More...

• Revealed: Miami cannibal's girlfriend shows herself in public for the first time and claims her beau was carrying a BIBLE before the attack
• Caught on camera: The moment woman driver rams into pedestrian and travels for hundreds of yards with him clinging on 'because of her hormones'
• Revealed: The videos 'Canadian cannibal' sent to his 'fans' while on the run from police - and one of them contains infamous song from American Psycho

 

The second occurred on Saturday when a snarling homeless man, identified as Brandon De Leon, threatened to eat two officers, echoing the Miami attack.

A third incident took place in Louisiana where Carl Jacquneaux, 43, bit off a chunk of his victim's face. Miami police have issued a warning about Cloud Nine and told their officers to exercise extreme caution when dealing with homeless men who appear to be acting unusually.

Police investigating the case of Rudy Eugene, who ate the face off a homeless man, say as well as being naked, he was carrying a bible.

Some pages had been ripped out of the book and were found close by, according to CBS Miami. A preliminary toxicology examination has also found that the 31-year-old had been smoked cannabis shortly before the incident.

They were forced to fit 21-year-old De Leon with a Hannibal Lecter-style mask after he was arrested for disturbing the peace in North Miami Beach. When put in a police cruiser De Leon slammed his head against the plexiglass divider and shouted at officers, 'I'm going to eat you', NBC Miami reported. 

He then growled, gnashed his teeth and tried to bite the hand of an officer attempting to treat his head wounds.

'Brandon growled and opened and closed his jaw, slamming his teeth like an animal would,' the report said. Miami police said they believe he was on a cocktail of drugs, including Cloud Nine. 

In a second case Carl Jacquneaux, 43, is accused of attacking Todd Credeur at his home in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after he became upset following a domestic issue.

Victim: Todd Credeur, though in shock, managed to spray his attacker in the face with wasp spray to stop him from eating any more of his face

 

Scene: Todd Creneur was attacked while working on the yard outside his home in Scott, Louisiana

 

KATC reported that Mr Credeur was working in his front yard when he was attacked.

Scott Assistant Police Chief Kert Thomas said: 'During the attack, the suspect bit a chunk of the victim's face off.'

Mr Credeur reportedly managed to spray Jacquneaux in the face with wasp spray to stop him from eating any more of his face.

Jacquneaux then allegedly left the home and went to another man's home where he held him at knife point and stole a hand gun. This is where police found him and arrested him.

A friend of the victim said she believes Jacquneaux was under the influence of Cloud Nine, which is the same drug which is believed to have been taken by the 'Miami Cannibal' Rudy Eugene.

Eugene ate the face of homeless man Ronald Poppo in Miami last week and a police memo to officers has highlighted the dangers surrounding the drug's use. 

It warned the De Leon case 'bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man's face'.

'Please be careful when dealing with the homeless population during your patrols.'

Police have suggested Eugene was under the influence of the synthetic stimulant usually sold in drug paraphanelia shops.

Cloud Nine is 'addictive and dangerous', the memo said, part of a 'disturbing trend in which new drugs are sold in the guise of household products'.

The drug, which is also as Ivory Wave in the U.S., comes in harmless-looking packets, police said, adding that it is illegal in Britain and Australia.

Crazed attack: Cloud Nine, which is the same drug which is believed to have been taken by the 'Miami Cannibal' Rudy Eugene (left) when he savagely attacked 65-year-old Ronald Poppo (right)

The potentially addictive drug stimulates the central nervous system and symptoms include heart palpitations, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia and erratic behaviour.

The series of shocking incidents began on May 26 when a naked Eugene encountered his victim, 65-year-old Ronald Poppo, who was sleeping in the shade on elevated train tracks.

In surveillance footage from the nearby Miami Herald building, Eugene was seen struggling with the naked homeless man, throwing him to the ground and then tearing into his face with his teeth as cars and bicycles sped by.

About 18 minutes into the attack, an officer appeared on the scene and yelled at Eugene to stop, but the 31-year-old just growled at him and continued chewing Poppo’s face.

The officer then opened fire on Eugene, shooting him to death.

Enlarge 

Horrific attack: The spot on MacArthur Causeway when a man was killed after chewing the face off a stranger

 

Disfigured: Poppo, here on a stretcher, miraculously survived the attack, but was left without a nose, mouth or eyes

Poppo remains in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital with his nose, mouth and eyes torn off. He faces months of treatment to rebuild his features and psychological care.

Controversially this week the scene of the attack on Poppo has been Miami added to sites visited by a tourist tour's itinerary.

The famous Miami Mystery & Mayhem: Crime Tour tour led by Miami-Dade College professor Dr Paul George will stop on the road that connects downtown Miami to popular South Beach.

Dr Paul told the South Florida Business Journal: 'Horrible as it was, it is part of our history. Currently, our tour takes us over the causeway right past the site, so this fits well.'

In a completely separate case not involving the drug, Canadian Luka Rocco Magnotta has been sent back to his country from Germany after an international manhunt.

He is alleged to have killed his partner, Jun Lin, before eating parts of his body then chopping it to pieces that were then posted to different authorities. Mr Lun's head has not yet been found.

'ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE': RECENT CANNIBAL ATTACKS ACROSS AMERICA

Since Rudy Eugene attacked and ate the face of homeless man Ronald Poppo on May 26 in Miami, Florida, while allegedly high on 'bath salts' there has been a spate of similar attacks.

The 'Miami Cannibal' case shocked the nation after police had to shoot dead Eugene when he refused to stop eating his victim's face off. Poppo is now recovering in hospital with horrific injuries.

 

Brandon DeLeon, 21, was high on drugs and drunk on Four Loko on June 2 when he tried to bite off a police officer’s hand after he was arrested for disturbing customers in a Miami fast food restaurant.

The homeless man repeatedly banged his head against the patrol car’s Plexiglas and yelled, ‘I’m going to eat you.’

At the police station, De Leon tried to bite the officer who was taking his blood pressure and tending to his self-inflicted wounds. The police report noted that he 'growled and opened and closed his jaw slamming his teeth like an animal would.'

 

Carl Jacquneaux, 43, is accused of attacking Todd Credeur at his home in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after he became upset following a domestic issue.

Mr Credeur reportedly managed to spray Jacquneaux in the face with wasp spray to stop him from eating any more of his face.

A friend of the victim said she believes Jacquneaux was under the influence of Cloud Nine, which is the same drug which is believed to have been taken by the 'Miami Cannibal' Rudy Eugene.

 

Alex Kinyua, 21, a college student, used a knife to carve up Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie, 37, before eating his heart out and parts of his brain.

He then took to his social networking site to boast about it to his friends saying: 'Are you strong enough to endure ritual HBCU mass human sacrifices around the country and still be able to function as human beings?'

He referred to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech and 'other past university killings around the country' and warned 'ethnic cleansing is the policy, strategy and tactics that will affect you, directly or indirectly in the coming months.'

 

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A mind-altering drug banned in Britain two years ago is being blamed for the spate of cannibal attacks in America.

Narcotic Cloud Nine was blamed for the attack when Rudy Eugene ate 75% of homeless man Ronald Poppo’s face in Miami last month.

Horrific images surfaced of the attack that only ended once police shot and killed 31-year-old Eugene.

Mr Poppo is still recovering from his injuries in hospital.

Police are now warning people to stay away from Cloud Nine – also known as ‘bath salts’ - after two similar attacks were reported.

The most recent prompted an internal memo to police warning officers the case “bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man’s face”.

The memo called the synthetic drug “addictive and dangerous” and said it was part of a “disturbing trend in which new drugs are sold in the guise of household products”.

It added: “Please be careful when dealing with the homeless population during your patrols.”

 

Rudy Eugene, 31: Ate 75% of a man's face in Miami before being shot dead

AP

Brandon De Leon, 21: Tried to bite two police officers after he was arrested in North Miami BeachCarl Jacquneaux, 43: Bit a man's face in Scott, Louisiania. Wasp spray was used to end the attackAlex Kinyua, 21: Accused of eating the heart and brain of friend in Maryland

Splash

Horror: Film cannibal Hannibal Lecter

Channel 5

 

During the latest attack homeless Brendon De Leon threatened to eat two Miami police officers and had to be fitted with a Hannibal Lecter-style mask to prevent him carrying his threats out.

He had been arrested for disturbing the peace in North Miami Beach while high on drugs and put in a police cruiser when he slammed his head against the plexiglass divider and shouted: “I’m going to eat you” to officers before growling and baring his teeth.

Miami police said they believe he was on a cocktail of drugs including Cloud Nine.

In another case, Carl Jacquneaux, 43, was accused of attacking Todd Credeur in his front garden in Scott, Louisiana, over the weekend after being upset over a domestic issue while under the influence of what is said to be bath salts.

Jacquneaux bit Mr Credeur before being sprayed in the face with wasp spray.

Scott Assistant Police Chief Kert Thomas said: “During the attack, the suspect bit a chunk of the victim’s face off.”

Jacquneaux was then said to have left the property and gone to another man’s home where he held him at knife-point and stole a handgun before being apprehended by police.

The drug, which is also known as Ivory Wave, was blamed for several deaths in Britain during 2010 before being banned. It is also illegal in Australia.

The potentially addictive drug stimulates the central nervous system and symptoms include heart palpitations, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia and erratic behaviour and is often sold in plain packaging with the contents purporting to be harmless.

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A Facebook crime every 40 minutes

A crime linked to Facebook  is reported to police every  40 minutes. Last year, officers logged 12,300 alleged offences involving the vastly popular social networking site. Facebook was referenced in investigations of murder, rape, child sex offences, assault, kidnap, death threats, witness intimidation and fraud.

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