US con man convicted in 5 slayings dies in Ohio

An elderly con man who pleaded guilty to five slayings in the states of Wisconsin and Ohio has died in prison of natural causes.
Ohio prisons spokesman Carlo LoParo tells The Associated Press that 77-year-old Edward Edwards died Thursday night at the Corrections Medical Center in Columbus, where he was being held.

Edwards' death was first reported Friday by the Daily Jefferson County Union newspaper in Wisconsin.
The Louisville, Kentucky man was sentenced to death after he admitted killing his 25-year-old foster son in 1996. He previously told the AP he confessed to killing Dannie Boy Edwards because he wanted the death penalty.
Edwards also pleaded guilty to killing 21-year-old Bill Lavaco and 18-year-old Judith Straub in 1977. In Wisconsin, he admitted killing 19-year-old sweethearts Tim Hack and Kelly Drew, who disappeared from a wedding reception in 1980.

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Japan bans planting rice in radioactive soil

Fears of radiation spread to rice as the planting season began in Japan, prompting the government to ban its cultivation in contaminated soil as fallout leaking from a tsunami-damaged nuclear plant dealt another blow to the national diet.

Vegetables and milk were the first foods that sparked concerns about the safety of Japanese agriculture after the March 11 tsunami flooded the nuclear plant and its reactors began to overheat and spew radiation.

But rice has now come under the microscope as the planting season begins in April and May.

"We had to come up with a policy quickly because we are in planting season," said Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano, who announced the ban Friday.

The ban will apply to any soil found to contain high levels of radioactive cesium, and farmers who cannot grow rice will be compensated. Rice grown in uncontaminated soil will be screened.

Rice may be particularly vulnerable to absorbing radiation because it has a long growing season.

So far, soil containing cesium that exceeds the new limit has been found in only two places in Iitate, a village about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex.

Fukushima, home to the radiation-leaking plant, was the nation's fourth-largest rice producing prefecture (state) last year.

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Sacret Turtle Captured In Vietnam Lake

Living legend: In this photo taken Thursday, March 3, 2011, a rare giant soft-shelled turtle shows an open wound on its neck at Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Veterinarians examined a rare giant turtle considered sacred by many Vietnamese at a makeshift hospital in Hanoi on Monday to check mysterious lesions afflicting one of the last four known members of its species.

The giant softshell turtle, which has a shell the size of a desk and is estimated to weigh about 440 pounds (200 kilograms), was pulled from a lake in central Hanoi on Sunday. .

Tests were being run to try to pinpoint what's ailing the creature, said Tim McCormack, program coordinator of the Asian Turtle Program. He said photos taken of it in a holding tank showed injuries on its legs and elsewhere, but it was not yet clear how serious they are. .

It took 50 workers two hours Sunday to net the turtle, put it in a cage and pull it to a small island in Hoan Kiem Lake that was recently expanded and equipped with the small holding tank, known as the "turtle hospital." .

It is the first time anyone has captured the creature, which escaped through two nets during a similar rescue attempt last month. Thousands of onlookers crammed around the lake for a glimpse, which is considered lucky. The crowed whooped and clapped when the turtle was finally captured, but they were pushed back when it was taken to the island. A guard is now posted near the site, allowing entry only to accredited officials. .

Concerns had mounted after the turtle was recently spotted with lesions on its head and shell, prompting the government to form committees and employ hundreds of workers to frantically clean debris and pollution from the lake.

The species, Rafetus swinhoei, is one of the world's most endangered freshwater turtles. There is one other turtle of the same species in Vietnam and two others at zoos in China.

But its value to the nation has more to do with the centuries-old myth than with its rarity.

The mythical turtle is said to have given King Le Loi a divine sword to defeat the Chinese. Later when the king was boating in Hanoi, the turtle snatched back the sword before plunging deep into the water to return it to its divine owners.

Hoan Kiem Lake, which serves as the capital's centerpiece, translates as "Lake of the Returned Sword."

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Turkey Tries To Tackle Hooliganism With New Law

Turkey's parliament has approved legislation aimed at stemming hooliganism at football matches and other competitions.


In the latest example of unruly crowd behavior, spectators threw a lighter at Austria goalkeeper Juergen Macho during a 2012 European Championship qualifier in Istanbul on Tuesday. He was not injured.

A large glass bottle was also thrown on the field during a derby between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray in Istanbul on March 18.

With the new legislation, fans can only purchase electronic tickets using government ID numbers, making it easier to track and punish troublemakers.

Fans deemed to be drunk or under the influence of drugs will be refused entry to events, while anyone involved in hooliganism will be barred from competitions for a year.

In a bid to tackle match-fixing, individuals caught bribing players or paying fees to teams as incentives face a maximum 12 years in prison.

Turkey is at the center of a European match-fixing scandal, currently under investigation by police in Germany, in which 270 matches in at least nine domestic leagues and international competitions are under suspicion.

In 2000, two fans of English club Leeds were stabbed to death in Istanbul, ruining Turkey's reputation internationally.

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Analysis: Libya mission is clouded by confusion

President Barack Obama said he was setting clear and unmistakable terms for the US role in Libya: It would be limited, lasting days not weeks and its purpose was to protect Libyan citizens.

But that's not the way it's turned out. Less than a week later, the mission has been clouded by confusion, questions about who's in charge and who's doing what - all while the killing of civilians is going on.

The Pentagon claims success in establishing an effective no-fly zone over much of Libya that

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Acid Rain Is Predicted in Japan

Acid rain is predicted to threaten Japan following a blast from the Fukushima nuclear reactor that had a small leak due to the earthquake and tsunami in the country's sunrise. The Japanese government warned its citizens to prepare for a jacket and umbrella.


Embassy in Tokyo released it in Twitter, Saturday (03/12/2011).

Electricity in Tokyo also be going out tonight within 1-2 hours. However, the exact time is unknown. Previously it was reported that due to leakage 'small', the substance of radioactive cesium was detected in the environment began Fukushima reactor. All residents who are at a radius of 10 km from Fukushima had been evacuated to safety. This is because the increase in radiation levels to 1,000 times the normal scale.

8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan occurred at 12:46 GMT, Friday (11 / 3) yesterday and was centered 373 km northeast of Tokyo. Some time later the tsunami with a height of 4 meters to 10 meters.
source : detik.com

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An Earthquake in Japan

TOKYO - An earthquake in Japan continues to make a panicked residents residing in the country. Several residents testified directly about the earthquake measuring 8.8 Richter scale (SR).

A resident named Matsui Kazuhisa preach condition that occurs in Japan today, preaching the current condition of Tokyo through mailist KAJI-kai in yahoo.

"Dear KAJIers, I was in Tokyo. The first earthquake occurred before 3 pm Japan time. Strong and rocking for a long time. Already dozens of aftershocks, and still continues. barang2 on top of cabinets many of them fell down," wrote Kazuhisa.

"The tsunami has repeatedly great to come to the north east coast including Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaragi prefecture. Nearly all the beaches in Japan commemorated the Tsunami Alert on very large (over 10 meters). In Tokyo, all trains were not functioning. Many people had started to return home by foot. While thus I have to say. Earthquake again, "back Kazuhisa reported.

An Indonesian citizen residing in the location of the quake also briefly reported the incident that happened. Hurricane Setiadipura write the condition shortly after the quake.

"I am in Tokyo (Asakusa area, Taito-ku), the quake was felt especially we who live on the 5th floor, thank God the family was under, the people were waiting in the street. They say Japan imaginable, 5 Richter scale,"

Source : www.okezone.com

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