US man offers to swap his child for beer

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 19 (ANI): A man in Chicopee, Massachusetts, US, was so frantic to quench his alcohol thirst that he made an offer to swap his baby for two bottles of beer.

Matthew Brace now faces a child endangerment charge for allegedly asking to strike the deal for the three-month old baby girl.

Cops challenged 24-year-old after allegation that he made the strangest offer to a maintenance man outside a petrol station, reports the Sun.

The man called the police and they found Brace hiding with the girl behind a litterbin.

Brace was not arrested but will be summoned to court and the child has now been taken into care.

The child”s mother was inside the garage shop at the time and was not charged. (ANI)

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Smoking, obesity, alcohol affect survival of non-Hodgkin”s lymphoma patients

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 14 (ANI): People with non-Hodgkin”s lymphoma—who smoked, consumed alcohol or were obese before their cancer diagnosis—had poorer overall survival, as compared to patients who did not have these risk factors, a new study found.

The finding by researchers from Mayo Clinic in collaboration with six other U.S. institutions, was made after accounting for clinical and demographic factors, and also when considering only deaths due to this kind of lymphoma.

For example, non-Hodgkin”s lymphoma patients with a 20-plus-year history of smoking had a 76 percent higher risk of death compared to never smokers; patients who consumed more than 43 grams of alcohol per week had a 55 percent higher risk of death compared to nondrinkers; and obese patients (defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher) had a 32 percent higher risk of death compared to patients with normal weight for their height.

While smoking and obesity had already been found to increase the risk of developing non-Hodgkin”s lymphoma, this is the first U.S. study to look at their role on survival after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin”s lymphoma, the researchers say.

For alcohol, the researchers found that use was associated with poorer survival, which is opposite of the effect for developing non-Hodgkin”s lymphoma, where alcohol appears to lower risk.

The findings mirror conclusions found in three smaller studies, according to the study”s lead investigator, Dr. James Cerhan.

These are the first data from North American patients, and the only study to simultaneously look at all three lifestyle factors, he said.

“This now raises the hypothesis that changing these behaviors after diagnosis might improve survival, but this needs to be tested in a clinical study. In the meantime, patients in active therapy should discuss any lifestyle changes with their health care provider. Long-term survivors outside of therapy should consider the general public health guidelines that recommend smoking cessation, moderate or no alcohol use, and attaining a healthy weight,” he added.

“It is important to note that patients who had quit smoking 20 years or more before diagnosis had no higher risk of death than patients who had never smoked,” said Cerhan.

The study was published in a recent online edition of Cancer. (ANI)

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Cheryl Cole’s brother ‘arrested following armed terror raid’

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 14 (ANI): Cheryl Cole is reportedly in a state of shock following her brother’s alleged involvement in a robbery case.

The singer’s sibling Andrew Tweedy has reportedly been held for questioning by the cops after a violent raid in a post office at Longbenton, Newcastle.

In the attack robbers waved a gun and machete at customers and staff before making off with thousands of pounds.

Cops arrested nine people, including one woman, in connection with the robbery.

A police spokesman said: “A vehicle and firearm have been recovered.”

Northumbria Police did not reveal the identity of those arrested, reports the Daily Express.

However, a police source confirmed that unemployed Tweedy was one of those being held for questioning.

Tweedy’s life has been marked with drugs, alcohol and solvent abuse, along with anxiety and depression. (ANI)

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Cheap, sweetly flavoured drinks could kill kids: Experts

May 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Wellington, May 7 (ANI): Two bottles of cheap, sweetly flavoured drinks contain enough alcohol to kill kids, claim health experts.

At a conference in Manukau Liquor, licensing Inspectors Institute president Murray Clearwater held up two 1.25-litre bottles of a raspberry lemonade called Big Foot, which he bought at a price of “15 dollars for two”.

And he has warned parents to keep their children away from this drink, which is eight per cent alcohol – double that of a standard beer.

“That”s enough to kill someone, let alone a child,” nzherald news quoted him as saying.

“Twenty standard drinks [the two bottles combined] could create gross intoxication in an adult, let alone a young person, and puts them at greater risk of walking in front of a car or alcohol poisoning. A thousand people die a year directly related to alcohol,” he said.

He said such cheap, sweet drinks were clearly aimed at young people and should be banned.

“Mum and dad don”t understand that their kids can buy that sort of product at that sort of price. There needs to be a social impact statement where people manufacturing this type of product need to identify that it was designed for an adult market. This was not,” he added. (ANI)

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Indian man sentenced to death by Sharia Court for killing lover’s husband in UAE

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Dubai, May 3 (ANI): The Sharia Court of First Instance has sentenced a 27-year-old Indian man to death. The man has been charged with murdering his Indian lover’s husband.

The lover a 26-year-old woman, was not on good terms with her Pakistani husband. He would consume alcohol and mistreat her, she claimed.

According to Gulf News, Police said that three days after the murder, the wife went to the police station with her husband”s photo claiming that he had left home and did not come back.

Further probing revealed that there was marital discord. During questioning, the woman admitted that her boyfriend killed her husband. She said she did not want to kill him and only wanted him beaten up. Her boyfriend was arrested while he was trying to leave the country through Dubai airport.

The boyfriend told the court that he was forced by police to confess. His lawyer told the court that he did not mean to kill the victim.

The family members of the deceased had asked for capital punishment for both the accused but the woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment and paying blood money to the plaintiffs, because she is the mother of the victim’s son. The son is counted amongst the relatives who ask for death penalty.

Under Sharia a son cannot seek capital punishment for his parents.

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Wife takes back Mark Owen

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, April 24 (ANI): English singer Mark Owen has been taken back by his wife Emma Ferguson after he cheated on her, it has emerged.

His wife has given the 38-year-old singer another chance. But she has also reportedly warned him saying, “One more strike and you’re out.”

Owen, after being scolded by band-mate Gary Barlow and spending a month in a rehab, has promised to change. He has also agreed to take the help of a marriage counsellor, reports The Mirror.

“Mark is itching to resume family life. He has not touched alcohol in five weeks and has done a lot of navel-gazing as well as receiving serious professional counsel. Emma knows he is a great dad. She has agreed to give their marriage one more crack on the proviso he behaves himself, doesn’t so much as look at another woman and attends marriage counselling,” a source said.

“Mark has agreed to all her terms. And he has even suggested they try for another baby to cement their relationship. Another influence was Gary Barlow who has been a rock for both Emma and Mark. He’s been telling Mark to pull his socks up. It was the talking to he needed,” the source added.

The couple’s marriage was almost over when Owen admitted having a number of extra marital affairs.

His short-tempered wife immediately took off her wedding ring, and shut all sources of contact with him. (ANI)

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V8 Supercars organizers ban bare breasts at Gold Coast 600 motor racing carnival

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, Apr 24(ANI): V8 Supercars Chairman Tony Cochrane insists that the face of the Gold Coast’s motor racing carnival would undergo a significant change this year, as the organizers are trying to shed the event’s seedy, booze-fueled reputation and lure more families.

As part of the transformation, event organizers have even shortened the track to avoid nearby buildings, where women often bared their breasts during the event.

“We got rid of a lot of the high-rise buildings that didn’t do a very good job of policing the behaviour,” The Australian quoted Cochrane, as saying.

“We are not having any ratbag behaviour. We will have designated alcohol zones and family friendly areas where you can’t take alcohol and we’ll work closer with police and security,” he added.

The season began on February 19 at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit and will finish on December 5 at the Homebush Street Circuit in New South Wales.

The series is currently being led by reigning champion Jamie Whincup after he won all six off-shore races at the Yas V8 400, the Desert 400 and the Hamilton 400. (ANI)

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UAE hunts for unmarried couples

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police in the conservative Sharjah emirate are hunting for unmarried couples sharing the same address.

The door-to-door search is the latest effort by Sharjah authorities to enforce Islamic codes in their enclave, which borders far more freewheeling Dubai. The campaign, detailed Thursday in local media, follows a police report that a couple was arrested for living together out of wedlock.

Violators may face jail and deportation. But Shariah, or Islamic law, remains on the books and includes possible sentences of lashings.

The UAE outlaws unmarried couples from living together, but Sharjah enforces the strictest rules. The emirate – one of seven that comprise the UAE – also imposes a blanket ban on alcohol.

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UAE hunts for unmarried couples

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police in the conservative Sharjah emirate are hunting for unmarried couples sharing the same address.

The door-to-door search is the latest effort by Sharjah authorities to enforce Islamic codes in their enclave, which borders far more freewheeling Dubai. The campaign, detailed Thursday in local media, follows a police report that a couple was arrested for living together out of wedlock.

Violators may face jail and deportation. But Shariah, or Islamic law, remains on the books and includes possible sentences of lashings.

The UAE outlaws unmarried couples from living together, but Sharjah enforces the strictest rules. The emirate – one of seven that comprise the UAE – also imposes a blanket ban on alcohol.

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Opportunistic theives blamed for burglaries

April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police in Geraldton are investigating a spate of burglaries on properties at Tarcoola and Beechlands.

Seven houses were broken into over the weekend with thieves targeting alcohol, cash and electronic items.

A number of cars in the area also had their windows smashed and valuables stolen.

Senior Sergeant Tony Mettam has urged people to take simple steps to avoid becoming the target of opportunistic thieves.

“People just aren’t learning here or anywhere else,” he said.

“If you leave your house open or you leave your window open because it’s a bit warm or whatever these badies are going to get in.”

He is urging residents not to become complacent about security.

“Motor vehicles in and around those areas are having gear stolen from them, so what I would ask Geraldton people to do is just to be more aware,” he said.

“Make things harder – lock your doors, take your handbag and you purse, your camera and your spear gun and all that out of your car so it’s not tempting.”

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Jigalong grog ban cuts crime

April 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Elders in the Pilbara community of Jigalong say alcohol bans have led to a big drop in violence and antisocial behaviour.

It has been almost a year since the Western Australian Government declared Jigalong a restricted area under the Liquor Control Act.

Residents face a $5,000 fine if they breach the restrictions.

The Jigalong Aboriginal Community’s CEO, Cedric Wyatt, says crime and violence have fallen significantly.

“There’s very little, if any, crime,” he said.

“There’s no offences relating to alcohol at all. There are no assault charges, particularly against women.

“The attendance rate at school is very, very good.”

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Vitamin K may help keep non-hodgkin lymphoma at bay

April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 20 (ANI): People who have higher intakes of vitamin K from their diet have a lower risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a new study has found.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system.

At the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Minnesota report that the risk of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was approximately 45 percent lower for participants who had vitamin K intakes in the top quartile of intake in the study, compared to participants who had intakes in the bottom quartile. This association remained after accounting for other factors such as age, sex, education, obesity, smoking, alcohol use and intake of foods with high amounts of antioxidants.

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin and is derived from either plants (phylloquinone or vitamin K1) or bacterial synthesis.

“These results are provocative, since they are the first work we have done on the connection between vitamin K and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and this is a fairly strong protective effect,” says the study”s lead investigator, James Cerhan, M.D., Ph.D., a cancer epidemiologist. “However, as with all new findings, this will need to be replicated in other studies.” (ANI)

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Symonds to debut for Surrey in June

April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, Apr 19 (ANI): All rounder Andrew Symonds has said that he is looking forward to joining the English county side Surrey to play Twenty20 and leaving Australia behind.

The troubled all-rounder, who lost his Cricket Australia contract following several alcohol-related indiscretions, is due to make his Surrey debut against Gloucestershire at the Brit Oval on June 8.

“It is fair to say that I had a tough couple of years trying to find a place in what was a changing environment (in Australia”s international teams) and I am much happier away from that scene,” he told the Sunday Mirror.

“I will always believe in playing my cricket hard but also believe in leaving it on the field. I have been described as all sorts of things by different people, it’s amazing how well people think they know you. My friends and family give me all the important feedback I need.”

Symonds added that he believed he had “mellowed in some respects”. I have learned you can win games of cricket without hitting every ball for six,” he said.

“I do enjoy Twenty20 though – if it’s there to hit, it just has to go! I have always been an aggressive cricketer, I grew up watching Viv Richards and admired the way he went about it,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.

“I think all forms of the game have become more athletic and more aggressive. I always had a short attention span as well so as the game gets shorter it just seems to suit me better,” Symonds added. (ANI)

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Charlie Sheen does a Britney Spears

April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, April 19 (ANI): Charlie Sheen has followed Britney Spears” example of a buzz cut, while in rehab.

Britney shaved off her head when she left a rehab in February 2007, reports the Courier Mail.

And now the ‘Two And A Half Men’ star has done likewise.

Sheens is still inside a facility fighting his addictions to cocaine and alcohol. (ANI)

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Symonds to debut for Surrey in June

April 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Sydney, Apr 19 (ANI): All rounder Andrew Symonds has said that he is looking forward to joining the English county side Surrey to play Twenty20 and leaving Australia behind.

The troubled all-rounder, who lost his Cricket Australia contract following several alcohol-related indiscretions, is due to make his Surrey debut against Gloucestershire at the Brit Oval on June 8.

“It is fair to say that I had a tough couple of years trying to find a place in what was a changing environment (in Australia”s international teams) and I am much happier away from that scene,” he told the Sunday Mirror.

“I will always believe in playing my cricket hard but also believe in leaving it on the field. I have been described as all sorts of things by different people, it’s amazing how well people think they know you. My friends and family give me all the important feedback I need.”

Symonds added that he believed he had “mellowed in some respects”. I have learned you can win games of cricket without hitting every ball for six,” he said.

“I do enjoy Twenty20 though – if it’s there to hit, it just has to go! I have always been an aggressive cricketer, I grew up watching Viv Richards and admired the way he went about it,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.

“I think all forms of the game have become more athletic and more aggressive. I always had a short attention span as well so as the game gets shorter it just seems to suit me better,” Symonds added. (ANI)

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Charlie Sheen does a Britney Spears

April 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, April 19 (ANI): Charlie Sheen has followed Britney Spears” example of a buzz cut, while in rehab.

Britney shaved off her head when she left a rehab in February 2007, reports the Courier Mail.

And now the ‘Two And A Half Men’ star has done likewise.

Sheens is still inside a facility fighting his addictions to cocaine and alcohol. (ANI)

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Charlie Sheen does a Britney Spears

April 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, April 19 (ANI): Charlie Sheen has followed Britney Spears” example of a buzz cut, while in rehab.

Britney shaved off her head when she left a rehab in February 2007, reports the Courier Mail.

And now the ‘Two And A Half Men’ star has done likewise.

Sheens is still inside a facility fighting his addictions to cocaine and alcohol. (ANI)

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Crewman ‘possibly affected by alcohol’ when he died

April 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

An investigation has found a crewman who died on board a cargo ship at Townsville in 2008 may have been affected by alcohol.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has completed its final report into a fatal incident on the Maltese-registered container ship ‘Spirit of Esperance’.

In November 2008, a crewman died after falling four metres while trying to stow a cargo crane hook while the ship was berthed in Townsville.

The investigation found that the correct procedures were not followed during the docking of the ship and raised concerns about whether safety procedures were routinely met.

It also found that the crewman was probably under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident which may have affected his reaction time, balance and general ability.

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Helicopter pilot in court over Canadian’s death

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A committal hearing has begun in Alice Springs for a helicopter pilot facing charges after a Canadian woman died from burns six years ago in Central Australia.

Edward John Woodhouse Lee is charged with two counts of doing an act causing death while intoxicated.

The prosecution alleges during a party at Kings Creek Station, where Lee was working, he lit a makeshift lantern with aviation gas.

The court heard the fuel ended up on 29-year-old Cynthia Ching, who was on a working holiday at the station.

She died about six weeks later in the Royal Adelaide Hospital from complications related to the burns.

The court also heard Lee’s employers did not think alcohol was a factor.

One of them described it as a freak accident.

The hearing continues.

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Six people charged for allegedly assaulting police

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Six people have been charged after allegedly assaulting two police officers at Mornington Island in Queensland’s Gulf country.

The officers were called to a disturbance on Saturday night and attempted to arrest a woman for illegally possessing alcohol.

The officers were not seriously injured but their police car was damaged.

The group of four men and two women have been charged with a range of offences including serious assault of police, wilful damage and riot.

They are expected to appear in the Mount Isa Magistrates Court this morning.

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