13-year-old charged with killing sister, 5!

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in New Orleans said they have arrested a 13-year-old boy, Devalon Armstrong, for killing his 5-year-old sister.
Detectives spoke with the girl's mother, Adlourdes Desvallons, 39, and determined the teen was babysitting the girl, Viloude Louis, at the time of the incident Sunday. 

Devalon allegedly injured the girl while performing wrestling moves at their Terrytown apartment, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune said.
He told investigators his sister told him he was hurting her, but he continued to slam, punch and elbow her. 

Devalon said his sister had complained about a stomachache after he performed wrestling moves on her. 

He called 911 a short time later after his sister stopped breathing, The Times-Picayune said. 

She was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Although she had no outward signs of injury, an autopsy revealed the girl died from severe blunt force trauma, The Times-Picayune reported.
Officials obtained a warrant and took Devalon into custody.
He was charged with second-degree murder and is being held at a juvenile detention facility.

Disabled woman and child kept as slaves!

Three Ohio residents face federal charges for allegedly holding a disabled woman and her child captive for more than two years, the US Department of Justice says. 



They had allegedly threatened her with large snakes and forced her to sleep in a room where an iguana roamed freely to intimidate her and prevent her from escaping.
The mother was beaten, threatened with a gun and forced to do manual labour, the department said on Tuesday. She and her daughter were denied food and threatened with pit bulls in addition to the reptiles, according to the affidavit outlining the charges. 

Two men and a woman, Jordie Callahan, 26; Jessica Hunt, 31; and Daniel Brown, 33 were charged with forced labour. Callahan is charged with an additional count of tampering with a witness. 

Ashland Chief of Police David Marcelli said the case was uncovered after the woman was arrested for shoplifting a chocolate bar and asked to be taken to jail because her roommates "were mean to her". 

"The officer who took that complaint detected that there were other issues aside from the shoplifting," Marcelli said on CNN.

Steve Dettelbach, US attorney for the northern district of Ohio, said the case "modern-day slavery". 

According to the affidavit, the snakes included a poisonous coral snake, a ball python and a Burmese python that weighed 60kg.

She was badly beaten allegedly on three occasions so that her captors could send her to hospital for treatment, and then take her pain medication - the prescription drug Vicodin - for themselves. 

Callahan and Hunt recruited the woman, who is identified in the affidavit only by the initials SE, and her child to live with them in their apartment in Ashland, about 120 kilometres south of Cleveland. 

They forced the woman, described in the affidavit as cognitively disabled, to clean the house, do laundry, and walk to the store to do their shopping, and care for their numerous pit bulls and reptiles. 

Hunt also is accused of taking the woman's monthly public assistance payments. The woman was made to stay with repeated threats that her daughter - who is now five or six - would be harmed or taken away from her if she didn't do as she was told, prosecutors said. 

They were repeatedly beaten, threatened with the pit bulls and the snakes, and watched with a baby monitor to make sure the woman wouldn't untie her daughter's bound hands or sneak some food or water to the girl.
They also shaved her head into a mohawk and wrote "slut", "whore" and other derogatory words on her face and chest with a permanent marker at one point, charging papers said. 

The girl was often kept bound and locked in a room and wouldn't be let out to use the bathroom until her mother was finished with housework.
The roommates withheld food from their captives as another means of intimidation, giving them only canned goods or what was left over after Callahan, Hunt and Hunt's four children finished eating. 

She told police she would regularly have to wait until 8pm until she was permitted to give her daughter anything to eat.
When she complained that her child hadn't eaten all day, Callahan got a plate of food and gave it to a dog out of spite, prosecutors said. 

The woman was given fruit and vegetables to feed the iguana, but told her child couldn't eat any of the fresh food in the house.
A number of witnesses - including one currently in jail - corroborated the disabled woman's story, charging papers showed. 

One witness described seeing Callahan drag the woman down the stairs by her hair and hold her face down in a mess made by one of the dogs. 

Another witness told investigators that when she asked why the woman and her daughter were always in a stifling hot room, Hunt told her "because they're gross". 

The mother of one of the suspects, identified only as Becky, said none of the charges was true. In an interview on CNN, she said the alleged victim was not forced to work and abused her child. Her son and the others had been accused by local law enforcement officials who wanted to "make a big case", she said.

Kate Middleton’s Look-Alike Has Us Looking Twice!

Kate Middleton is arguably one of the most recognizable women in the world. So what do you do when you bear a striking resemblance to the gorgeous royal? Find a way to turn it into a buck!

Gabriella Munro-Douglas

 That's just what Windsor-born Gabriella Munro-Douglas did, and now she's bringing home the bacon! In an interview with the Daily Mail, the 26-year-old Kate look-alike revealed that she makes a whopping $1,500 per appearance posing as Prince William's wife! 

But being the duchess's doppelganger can be scary at times, as tourists who mistake her for Kate follow her around in droves. Gabriella explained, "Getting mobbed is quite bizarre and is like a snapshot of being a celebrity. In a few minutes I go from being my normal self to putting my dress on and people following me around. When they start to crowd around it can be intimidating."

But this side gig is a far cry from Gabriella's 9-to-5 job as a furniture designer and buyer. Her spare time is all about looking like Kate, which she will do for as long as she can. She said, "I thought it would last a year after the wedding, but she is becoming more popular which will continue with the royal baby too. Maybe in 20 years I will still be doing it. But it depends on my appearance and if I age at the same rate. It is not a bad thing looking like her though. It could be worse."

 

And Gabriella isn't the only Kate "twin"! Heidi Agan has been impersonating the duchess professionally since May 2012, when customers at the restaurant she worked at kept telling her she looked like Kate.

Royal Baby Effect: Kate Middleton's Kid Could Make UK $380 Million Richer!

Kate Middleton is still weeks from her due date, but already her baby's a financial whiz kid. Consumer analysts are expecting a $380 million injection into the arm of the UK economy, thanks to the newborn.





Already the pitter patter of little feet has prompted a stampede of memorabilia merchandise. Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, tells Reuters he expects the collectors to fork over an estimated 165 million pounds—that's over $240 million— for royal baby-themed china, and other collectibles marking the future monarch's arrival. 

The Palace itself has capitalized on the memorabilia mania, with the Royal collection Trust selling baby gear (the baby sleep-suit modeled on a royal guardsman outfit is already a big hit.) All proceeds from sales through the Royal Collection Trust are used for palace upkeep. In addition, the grandparents-to-be are getting in on the act.  Prince Charles plans to sell handmade baby shoes through the gift shop at Highgrove, his country estate, and Carole and Michael Middleton have plans to include a selection of souvenirs to celebrate the Royal Birth through their company, Party Pieces.

Meanwhile, other retailers are grappling with the obvious dilemma: Should they make gear in pink or blue? British designer Sophie Allport created two potential designs for a commemorative mug to celebrate the royal birth—but will wait until the actual event to send one into production. Others, like UK designer Milly Green have decided to go gender-neutral and use the colors of the Union Jack for their Royal Baby themed products, such as this commemorative place setting.

It's not just the stuff that's expected to fuel economic growth.The hospitality and tourism industries could see a spike in the weeks surrounding the royal birth. In 2011, Kate and William's wedding yielded an estimated $2.6 billion in tourism, according to Forbes.

"I think the biggest commercial opportunity is going to be with tourists," market researcher Richard Cope told Reuters. Events and celebrations surrounding the birth could have an impact, as well. Think of all those toasts to the newborn en masse. Revelers in London alone could spend tens of millions to mark the occasion, claims an analyst who spoke to Reuters.

And that's just the beginning. Kate Middleton's maternity fashions proved as reliably beneficial for the retail industry as her pre-pregnancy days. Even the Hobbs Dalmation coat she wore last week sold out online within minutes.

It's likely the royal baby will take after mom when it comes to consumer influence. Retailers are also keeping a close eye on how Kate Middleton plans to stock her nursery. “When news broke that Kate Middleton purchased a Bugaboo Cameleon3, I saw an immediate spike in sales of that stroller,” claims Vanessa Anotelli, owner of NessaLeeBaby.com, an online baby and children’s clothing and furniture company. Like mom, like baby.

How to Improve Lagos - Study by IBM!

A team of IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) experts completing a month-long pro bono consulting assignment presented recommendations to Nigeria's Lagos State Government to ensure that private traffic and public transportation flows more efficiently in the city of Lagos -- Africa's most populous.

 

Working with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, the agency responsible for developing and implementing the state's transportation blueprint, and the Lagos State Ministries of Transportation, Works & Infrastructure, Science & Technology, the IBM team of experts proposed technology-driven strategies to make travel easier.
Located in West Africa's rain forest belt, 20% of Lagos' 3,600sq.km geographical area is mostly waterways; however, 90% of commuter travel in the state is road based. City authorities predict a 350% growth in the number of vehicles in the state over the next 25 years, with the population doubling to 40 million by 2030. The potential of both rail and water transport remains largely untapped as they carry less than one percent of overall traffic in the state. 
The recommendations included better coordination between agencies responsible for traffic management, police, fire and medical care. Informing the decisions of these departments would be data gathered and analyzed from a variety of sources such as cell phones, call centers, cameras, and global positioning systems devices. More accurate and up-to-date information can help transport management agencies better manage the city's traffic flow. It will also enable them to wirelessly provide travelers with information such as road and traffic conditions, as well as bus, boat and toll schedules, to help them plan their trips more effectively.
Also on the list of suggestions was a single, integrated e-ticketing system for all modes of transportation and integrated fare management. The introduction of roadway toll rates based on traffic density would also be helpful for encouraging the use public transportation, cleaner air and enhanced revenue. The state was also advised to create a single platform for all its traffic and transportation-related data so each agency and mode of transport is integrated, helping passengers interconnect seamlessly. 

 

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola says: "The need to deploy innovative approaches that address civic challenges in Lagos State has never been greater. Keeping up with the state's growing appetite for services and resources is a herculean and continuous process, and our ability and growing success in attracting home-grown and international trade and investment activity is generating a need for better governance and management practices. Technology is the key to the future, and we welcome IBM's support in this regard."
The team's recommendations took advantage of existing infrastructure, and suggested ways that projects could be self-funded.

"IBM's set of recommendations address our key transportation challenges and clearly enhance our ongoing efforts to fix the myriad of issues faced by our fast developing state," said Kayode Opeifa, Lagos State commissioner for transport.
Further confirming this point of view, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Lagos state commissioner for works and infrastructure, said the state's "blueprint for transforming our struggling infrastructure into a modern ecosystem driven by data intelligence and efficient resource management has been further authenticated by these set of recommendations from IBM."
Lagos is arguably one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and is West Africa's leading commercial hub with the region's largest air and seaports. Lagos generates 25% of national gross domestic product and its 20 million citizens account for 12% of Nigeria's population.

"Lagos will continue to be a significant patch of Africa's economic success story," said Taiwo Otiti, IBM's Country General Manager for West Africa. "An intelligent, interconnected logistics and transportation management system is a crucial must-have for any modern city, and this engagement with IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge team will further enhance the state's ability to deploy technology-driven solutions in a timely and strategic manner."
The collaboration between Lagos and IBM was funded by a Smarter Cities Challenge grant -- one of only some 30 awarded globally for 2013.

Launched in 2011, the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge is a three-year, 100-city, US$50 million competitive grant program. IBM's single-largest philanthropic initiative, the program assigns a team of six top IBM experts to each winning city to study a key issue identified by the city's leadership. The program was inspired by the global migration to cities.

 

According to the United Nations, in 2008 more than half the world's population began living in cities for the first time. These population centers are more economically powerful, politically influential, and technologically advanced than at any time in history. However, they also struggle with increased demand for services, along with budgetary and operational challenges.

War on terrorism: Jonathan calls for more international co-operation!

President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Tuesday called for greater global co-operation and co-ordination in the war against terrorism.

 
 
Jonathan made the call while receiving the new ambassadors of Israel, Russia, Greece, Algeria and Senegal who presented their letters of credence to him during separate visits to the Presidential Villa.
He said Nigeria and other countries would benefit immensely from greater collaboration amongst their security agencies in efforts to combat domestic and international terrorism.

“Nigeria will welcome increased co-operation with countries that are more experienced in such matters like the on-going operations against domestic terrorist groups,’’ the president told the ambassadors.
Jonathan also told the new Israeli Ambassador, Mr. Uriel Palti, that he looked forward to visiting Israel later in the year.
He said the visit would afford him the opportunity of discussing ways of enhancing bilateral co-operation between Nigeria and Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The other ambassadors received by the president were Mr. Alekos Oikonomopoulos from Greece, Mr. Nikolay Udovichenko from Russia, Mr. Belkacem Smaili from Algeria and Mr. Amadou Habibou from Senegal.
Jonathan assured the ambassadors that the Federal Government would fully support their efforts to strengthen existing cordial relations between Nigeria and their countries.

On their part, the new ambassadors all expressed their delight at being posted to Nigeria.
They also promised to do everything possible to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between their countries and Nigeria.

Immigratio​n officer arrested for burning 12 year-old girl with electric iron!

An official of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kwara State Command, Mr Yemi Afolayan has been arrested for allegedly inflicting body injuries, with hot electric iron on a 12 year-old girl, Favour Emmanuel.

Afolayan was also said to have allegedly tied and beaten up the victim before allegedly inflicting the injuries on her neck and foot with the iron.

Our correspondent learnt on Tuesday that Favour was under the guardianship of Afolayan and his wife, who is popularly known as Iya Beji, a trader selling frozen foods and grains along Basin Road, Ilorin, Kwara State.