Woman rescued from cathedral turrets

29 April 2014 Last updated at 15:37 The woman was winched aboard an RAF rescue helicopter after falling during a cathedral tour A woman who became wedged between two turrets at Wells Cathedral falling 30ft (9m) has been rescued by helicopter.

The RAF rescue helicopter was seen winching the woman from 150ft (45m) up after she fell during a tour of the high parts of the cathedral.

The woman, aged in her 60s, has hip, arm and leg injuries but they are not life-threatening.

Dr Paul Richards, the cathedral's administrator, said they would investigate how the incident happened.

Emergency services were called to Wells Cathedral after the woman became trapped between two turrets

A cathedral spokesman said the woman was part of a 12-person tour near the top of the cathedral.

"While the group was undertaking a briefing within this space an incident occurred to one of the party members," he said.

"The cathedral's emergency procedure was immediately put into operation and emergency services are now in attendance, including the air ambulance."

He added that there were no details about how the accident happened but all tours are now cancelled while a review takes place.

The woman was trapped 150ft (45m) from the ground

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Tennessee woman Gaile Owens freed from prison after 26 years on death row

Gaile Owens was sentenced to die for hiring a stranger to kill her husband in 1985, but her sentence was commuted to life in prison last year. Photograph: Mark Humphrey/AP

A woman who spent 26 years on death row and came within two months of being executed has been freed from a Tennessee prison.

Gaile Owens, 58, of Memphis, was released on Friday and greeted by a small group of supporters outside Tennessee's Prison for Women.

She was sentenced to die for hiring a stranger to kill her husband in 1985, but her death sentence was commuted to life in prison last year, and she won parole last week.

Supporters had urged her release, claiming she was a battered wife who didn't use that defencee because she didn't want her young sons to know about the physical and sexual abuse.

The first thing she did on leaving the prison was to hug one of those sons, Stephen Owens, who is now grown and has children of his own.

Owens issued a written statement and then immediately left the prison.

"I'm looking forward to leading a quiet, private but productive life," the statement said. She said she wanted to get to know her son and the grandchildren born while she was in prison.

Her son said he was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with his mother.

Owens' sentence was commuted to life in prison in July 2010 by former governor Phil Bredesen. He acknowledged the abuse claims of her supporters, but gave a different reason for his decision to spare her life. Bredesen said prosecutors had agreed not to seek the death penalty if Owens pleaded guilty, but then put her on trial when her co-defendant wouldn't accept the plea bargain.

At the time she was imprisoned, a life sentence meant serving 30 years and she was eligible to be released now because of good conduct.

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Woman inmate who came within 2 months of being executed leaves Tenn. prison

By TRAVIS LOLLER

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A woman who spent 26 years on death row and came within two months of being executed has been freed from prison in Tennessee.

Fifty-eight-year old Gaile Owens of Memphis was released Friday and greeted by a small group of supporters outside the Nashville prison.

She was sentenced to die for hiring a stranger to kill her husband in 1985, but her death sentence was commuted to life in prison last year and she won parole last week.

Supporters had urged her release, claiming she was a battered wife who didn't use that defense because she didn't want her young sons to know about the physical and sexual abuse.

One of those sons, Stephen Owens, was there as she left prison and she immediately hugged him.

___

October 07, 2011 10:50 AM EDT

Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Indonesian Woman Executed In Saudi Arabia For Murder

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Saudi beheads Indonesian woman convicted of murder

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Indonesian Woman Executed In Saudi Arabia For Murder

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Woman 'would hit robbers again'

8 February 2011 Last updated at 18:46 A woman who attacked robbers armed with sledgehammers as they tried to raid a Northampton jeweller's store has said she would do it again.

The footage broadcast by ITV's Anglia Tonight shows Ann Timson, who is in her 70s, jogging towards the six men as they smashed the shop's windows.

The gang, wearing motorbike helmets, drove away on scooters moments after the woman struck them with her handbag.

Northamptonshire Police have arrested four men aged between 18 and 39.

Smashing glass

Ms Timson, a retired market trader from Spring Boroughs, Northampton, said she had been shopping and was chatting to a friend in Gold Street when she heard a commotion.

She said she knew she could be in danger but decided to run across the road to help.

In a statement issued through police, she said: "I became aware of a loud revving noise at the top of the street.

"I looked over and saw a kid run up to the doorway of the jeweller's.

"Three lads followed him and when I saw their arms going I thought the kid was being beaten up.

"My mother's instinct kicked in and I ran across the road shouting at the lads to stop it.

"Only then did I realise that they were smashing glass and that it was a raid."

Ms Timson said she saw someone in her way on a scooter but by then "was in full flight and I started whacking the lads over the head with my shopping bag".

No-one injured

She added: "In the cold light of day, I know I put myself in danger. But I probably would do the same again."

The footage of the attempted robbery also shows other members of the public pinning down a man who had fallen from one of the scooters just yards away from the shop.

Police were called to the incident at Michael Jones Jeweller, on the corner of Gold Street and Bridge Street, at 0930 GMT on Monday.

A police spokesman said: "The offenders were disturbed by members of the public and fled the area without taking anything."

He said one man had been detained by members of the public and another three arrested by police a short time later.

The four arrested men are aged 18, 22, 25 and 39. Police are now seeking a further two other people who are believed to have been involved and have appealed for witnesses.

No-one was injured as a result of the incident.

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Woman on death row in Pakistan may get president's pardon

Islamabad:  A Christian woman sentenced to death by a court in Pakistan on blasphemy charges is likely to get presidential pardon, official source said on Saturday.

Asia Bibi, who was convicted by a court in the town of Nankana Sahib in Punjab province earlier this month, has already moved an appeal at the Lahore High Court. Her lawyer S.K. Chaudhry said the court would take up the case next week.

Punjab's Governor Salman Taseer visited the woman in jail in Sheikhupura in Punjab and told the media afterwards he would request President Asif Ali Zardari to grant her pardon. "I will soon meet President Asif Ali Zardari and hand him over Bibi's appeal," he said. "I hope that the president will pardon her."

The governor, who was shown by a private television channel as he spoke to media, described the punishment awarded by a district and sessions judge as "harsh and cruel."

The contents of the appeal were not immediately known, but Taseer said he was supporting it on humanitarian grounds.

In the past too blasphemy accused have been convicted by lower courts in the country but acquitted by the superior judiciary on appeal.

Pakistani minister for minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, has said he has asked the provincial government to ensure security for Asia Bibi in jail. He expressed the hope that the sentence given to her would be set aside by the high court.

According to the minister the government is considering making changes in the blasphemy in consultation with the opposition and religious parties with a view to preventing its misuse and legislation in this regard could be done during the next year.

The 36-year-old farm worker was taken into custody by police in June last year and was convicted by a lower court on November 8. She has been in prison since then, with her case drawing international media attention as well as appeals by human rights groups, and, according to Pakistani media, Pope Benedict too.

"I told the police that I have not committed any blasphemy and this is a wrong accusation, but they did not listen to me," Bibi told reporters after meeting with Taseer.

"I have small kids. I have wrongly been implicated in this false case," she said in the prison, covered in a cloak that only revealed her eyes.

On Friday, Zardari asked the ministry for minorities affairs to compile a report on Bibi's case within three days after Pakistani media suggested the accusations stemmed from a village dispute. Bibi confirmed she had been involved in a dispute over livestock with her neighbours, but would not give any more details. Pakistani media said the quarrel began when some women who worked on the farm refused to drink water from a bowl used by Bibi.

— With inputs from agencies

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In brief: 'I'm wrongly accused of blasphemy' says Christian woman on death row

A Christian woman sentenced to death in Pakistan on charges of blaspheming Islam said yesterday she had been wrongfully accused by neighbours due to a personal dispute, and appealed to the president to pardon her.

Asia Bibi, a mother of four, is the first woman to be sentenced to death under Pakistan's blasphemy law which rights groups say is often exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores.

The 36-year-old farm worker was convicted on November 8. Her case has drawn international media attention as well as appeals by human rights groups.

Campaigners injured in police clashes

Clashes broke out between the Muslim Brotherhood and police at a campaign rally north of Cairo, Egypt, yesterday, leaving 10 injured amid an intense government crackdown on the opposition group ahead of next week's parliamentary elections.

Abdel Galil el-Sharnoubi, who runs the Brotherhood's website said police beat the supporters of the group's candidate Mohammed Fayyadh and arrested four others.

Donor organ in crash reaches patient

A donor organ that was involved in a plane crash was rushed to a UK hospital and implanted in a patient, officials said yesterday.

The Cessna carrying the organ clipped an antenna as it was landing at Birmingham Airport in thick fog on Friday, catching fire as it hit the ground. Two crew members were injured, but rescuers managed to rush the organ to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Suicide bombers on bicycles kill four

Suicide bombers on bicycles killed four people and wounded 31 in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, the latest attacks to underscore the challenges Nato leaders face as they plan an exit from the war.

One bomber detonated his explosives at a police checkpoint in Mehtar Lam, the provincial capital of Laghman province, with the second striking several hundred metres away. All of the dead were civilians.

Terrorist plan to break into Reichstag

Germany's decision to step up security measures this week was prompted by a discovery of militant plans to break into the Reichstag parliament building and shoot hostages, a German magazine said yesterday.

The weekly Der Spiegel, citing security officials, said a jihadist living abroad had informed them of a plan for armed militants to enter the building in Berlin and open fire. It said police considered the information credible.

Madagascar coup crushed by army

Madagascar's army yesterday stormed a barracks housing dissident officers to end a four-day mutiny by a group who wanted to overthrow President Rajoelina.

Some of those officers who backed Rajoelina's rise to power last power last year were the ones calling for him to quit this week. Rajoelina has so far failed to win acceptance of the international community. The US froze development aid and the African Union slapped sanctions on him and 100 of his supporters.

Denmark welcomes Mermaid's return

Denmark's famed Little Mermaid statue is back on her perch after six months in China. The landmark left Denmark in April to become the centrepiece of the Danish pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai.

The move to China was controversial in Denmark, as some considered it disrespectful to ship a cultural treasure across the globe as a pr gesture.

Sunday Independent

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Pakistani woman on death row likely to get pardon

Blasphemy charges against a Pakistani Christian woman, sentenced to death, were "fabricated", and she is likely to be pardoned by President Asif Ali Zardari, a senior official said Saturday.

Aasia Bibi was given the death sentence by an additional sessions judge in Nankana Sahib district a week ago on charges of committing blasphemy. A religious leader of the local mosque, Qari Saleem, had lodged an FIR against her for allegedly passing derogatory remarks against the last prophet of Muslims.

Zardari had called for details of the case Friday, following which Punjab Governor Salman Taseer Saturday called on the accused woman in a prison in Sheikhupura city.

"Charges against Aasia Bibi were fabricated. I am taking her mercy petition to the president, and remain hopeful that she'll be granted pardon," Taseer said.

"The president has the constitutional authority to overturn death sentences and grant pardon to the accused. We want an enlightened Pakistan where minorities can live without fear," Taseer said.

Zardari Friday also asked Shahbaz Bhatti, federal minister for minorities, to submit a report within three days.

Aasia Bibi, a mother of four, said she belonged to a poor family and did not know why she was being targeted in this case.

"Although I am a Christian, I can never think of offending the sentiments of any Muslim," she said in a choked voice.

The case has drawn huge attention from media and human rights organisations in Pakistan and across the world.

S.K. Shahid, the lawyer for the accused, has already challenged the verdict in the Lahore High Court.

The National Commission of Justice and Peace (NCJP), an NGO working for minority rights in Pakistan, said the proceedings of the case took place under intense pressure and the verdict was likely to be overturned in the high court.

Amnesty International has also appealed for her release.

Blasphemy and death sentence for the accused were included in the Pakistan Penal Code in the 1980s during the regime of then military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq. With the passage of time, there has been increasing perception amongst the intelligentsia that it has done more harm than good.

(Awais Saleem can be contacted at ians.pakistan@gmail.com)

--Indo-Asian News Service

awais/pm/dg

( 379 Words)

2010-11-20-17:55:19 (IANS)

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Police probe sex attack on woman

1 January 2011 Last updated at 10:23 A woman was sexually assaulted while walking alone in Epsom.

The woman was attacked by a man in West Hill between 0130 and 0230 GMT on Friday.

Earlier, at 0930 GMT, two teenage girls called police after being followed by a man in Chantilly Way. Police believe the two incidents may be linked.

The suspect is described as a white man aged in his 50s or 60s, who spoke with a London accent. He was wearing a dark tracksuit with a yellow logo.

Det Con Tracy Maclean, of Surrey Police, urged people not to walk home alone following a night out.

She said: "Think of alternatives to walking home, would ordering a licensed taxi be a better option?

"Or could someone you know and has not been drinking alcohol give you a lift or pick you up?"

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Family tribute to murdered woman

1 January 2011 Last updated at 16:31 Detective Constable Emma Davies read statements by Jo Yeates' boyfriend and family

The family of murdered Bristol landscape architect Joanna Yeates said she was "a beautiful and talented person who was destined to fly high".

A statement was read at the side of the city's docks, which was a favourite place of the 25-year-old.

Miss Yeates was found strangled on Christmas Day, a few miles from her home in the city's Canynge Road.

Police have been granted more time to question her landlord, Chris Jefferies, 65, about her death.

A statement from her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, who reported her missing on 17 December, said: "Jo loved it here by Bristol harbourside and found great joy in the rowing club."

He said she was a beautiful woman in mind, body and soul.

"She had a great career ahead of her as a landscape architect and would have achieved a great many more things in her life if she was only given the chance. I will always love her."

Jo Yeates: Family statement in full

The family statement, read by Det Con Emma Davies, added: "Jo was taken from us, the method has only intensified our grief.

"She was a beautiful and talented young lady, who was destined to fly high. Her life was stolen from her and she was stolen from us."

Joanna Yeates's body was found on Christmas Day

Miss Yeates, originally from Hampshire, was found in Longwood Lane, in Failand, near Bristol, by a couple walking their dogs.

Post-mortem tests revealed she had been strangled.

Mr Jefferies is currently being questioned at a police station within the Avon and Somerset force area after being arrested on suspicion of murder last Thursday.

He lives in the flat above the Victorian basement property he rented to Miss Yeates and her boyfriend.

Forensic science teams have been continuing to remove items for examination from the properties.

Longwood Lane, where Miss Yeates's body was found, reopened on Saturday afternoon.

Crimestoppers has offered a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Miss Yeates's killer.

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