Ohio Kidnap: Rescue Recordings Released

Cleveland Police have released recordings of the moments after stunned officers arrived at a house where three women had been held captive for 10 years.

In the recordings one of the first medics arriving at the scene after Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped can be heard telling colleagues in a shaking voice: "This might be for real."

The exchanges over the emergency services radio system came after Amanda Berry escaped and called 911 while alleged captor Ariel Castro was out of the house on Monday. 

An operator is initially heard calmly relaying the details of Ms Berry's call to colleagues, telling them: "I have a call taken on the phone with a female that says her name is Amanda Berry and that she has been kidnapped 10 years ago.

"She's saying that the male is Ariel Castro, 52-year-old Hispanic male that lives at 2207 Seymour, and he's been holding her here for 10 years."

Soon after - with a panicked female voice, thought to be Amanda Berry, in the background - an officer says: "Adam 23, you got a box comin'? This might be for real."

As the distraught woman starts telling her story, the same officer says: "There might be others in the house ... Georgina DeJesus might be in this house also."

The next voice audible on the recording is from one of the first officers to arrive at Castro's house.

With the sound of a woman crying clearly audible over the police radio, the breathless medic tells dispatchers: "We found 'em ... we found 'em."

The next caller from inside the house says: "We got a female called Sabrina (sic), she's got a young child with her."

As the officers move through the house and discover the scale of the crime, they discover a second adult female and radio through to say: "Make it two."

A colleague adds: "We also have a Michelle Knight in the house ...  you wanna look that up in the system ... 32-years-old."

Ariel Castro has been charged with kidnap and rape in connection with the women's imprisonment.

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Michael Jackson: New Child Molestation Claim

A choreographer who had previously testified that Michael Jackson never sexually abused him has now made an about-turn, launching a child molestation claim against the late pop star's estate.

Wade Robson testified in defence of the Thriller singer in his 2005 child sex abuse trial.

But he now says he was abused by Jackson over a seven-year period when he was a minor.

Jackson's attorney dismissed the claim as "outrageous and pathetic".

"Michael Jackson was a monster and in their hearts every normal person knows it," Mr Robson's lawyer, Henry Gradstein, was quoted as saying in a statement to the AFP news agency.

Mr Robson leaves the court at Jackson's trial in 2005

"He (Mr Robson) collapsed under the stress and sexual trauma of what had happened to him for seven years as a child. He lived with the brainwashing by a sexual predator until the burden of it all crushed him."

According to Mr Gradstein, the alleged victim "started intensive treatment which ultimately led to his ability to come forward".

Australian-born Mr Robson, 30, developed a friendship with Jackson as a child and stayed at the singer's Neverland Ranch home in southern California on several occasions when he was a minor.

He worked with Britney Spears and former boy band 'N Sync in the late 1990s, and appeared as a judge on the US TV dance competition So You Think You Can Dance.

He also appeared as a dancer in Jackson's 1991 music video for the single Black Or White.

His lawyer filed a motion seeking permission to file a late creditor's claim against Jackson's estate on May 1.

A judge must now decide whether Mr Robson can proceed with his claim.

Details of the accusations were filed under seal and it is not known how much Mr Robson is seeking to recoup from Jackson's estate, although his lawyer insists there is no financial motive.

"Mr Robson's claim is outrageous and pathetic," Jackson estate attorney Howard Weitzman wrote in a statement.

Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray is serving a four-year sentence

"This is a young man who has testified at least twice under oath over the past 20 years and said in numerous interviews that Michael Jackson never did anything inappropriate to him or with him.

"Now, nearly four years after Michael has passed, this sad and less than credible claim has been made. We are confident that the court will see this for what it is."

In addition to being the first defence witness during the 2005 trial, Mr Robson also spoke favourably about Jackson after the singer's death in June 2009.

Jackson, who was dogged for years by child molestation charges, was acquitted in the trial, but his career never recovered.

He died at the age of 50 of an overdose of the powerful surgical anaesthetic propofol and a cocktail of other sedatives in Los Angeles while rehearsing for his comeback tour in London.

Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison - a verdict he is appealing.

Jackson's family say concert giant AEG Live is guilty of negligence for failing to properly investigate Murray. AEG has denied wrongdoing, saying it did not hire Murray, and a $40bn (£26bn) court battle is under way.

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Jealous Girl Murders And Mutilates Classmate

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

A 12-year-old girl from China has been sentenced to a three year rehabilitation programme after she murdered and dismembered her classmate.

The girl, who has been identified only by her surname Qin, is believed to have murdered her 13-year-old friend, identified only as Zhou, and then cut off her head and arms.

According to the court, the motive was resentment: Qin was jealous of Zhou's looks.

The murder took place in April 2012 in Guangxi Province, southwest China.

The two girls were sixth grade classmates at Nandan County Lihu Yao Elementary School. They are said to have been good friends whose families were neighbours.

According to court documents, quoted by China's Xinhua news agency, Qin had become envious of Zhou because other children were choosing to play with her instead. Qin, it is claimed, was told she was fat and not as pretty as Zhou.

The court's judgement described the shockingly graphic details of the murder.

On the evening of April 10, 2012, Qin invited Zhou to her house to play. As the two watched television together, the court heard how Qin smashed a stool over Zhou's head, knocking her unconscious.

Qin then attacked Zhou with a variety of weapons including a kitchen knife, a beer bottle, a paper knife and a pair of scissors.

The court then heard how Qin cut off Zhou's head and arms, put them into plastic bags and cleaned the blood from the scene.

Because Qin is under the age of 14, Chinese law determines that she cannot be held criminally responsible for the murder.

Instead of being sent to jail, the court ordered that she should undergo a rehabilitation programme. Her parents have also been ordered to pay the parents of the victim a total of RMB108,000 (£11,400) in compensation.

The principal of the children's school, Mr Wu, was interviewed by a local radio station and asked about the two girls' characters and looks.

"Both children had high grades," he said. "Qin was not a confident girl. She was not an ugly girl, but she is a bit chubby. Zhou was tall and slim."

On China's ever-growing social media networks, so-called 'netizens' questioned the sentence as well as Qin's upbringing.

"You kill a person and you only have to compensate RMB100,000? This court sure is kind and merciful," one person wrote.

"With such a strong sense of envy, she will be no good when she grows up either," another wrote.

"This isn't just a tragedy for a 13-year-old girl. This is a tragedy of society," said another.

"How have this girl's parents been raising her?" another asked.

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Helicopter Crashes Onto Busy Hawaii Street

A helicopter has crashed onto a busy street in Hawaii after suddenly losing power.

The aircraft was on a photography trip over central Honolulu when it fell to earth, but no major injuries have been reported.

Terry Seelig, a spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department said: "It's a pretty miraculous situation that no one was badly hurt by this."

The area is home to a large apartment complex and Hawaii Pacific University, and is usually full of university students and office workers.

A 71-year-old passenger was treated at the scene.

The pilot, Julia Link, told KITV everything seemed normal until the the engine went quiet.

"First I thought it was a joke and then, I was like: 'Oh my God, this is for real'."

When it crashed, the helicopter was 3,000 feet (914m) above ground but it soon ended up on a kerb, badly damaging a parked car.

According to Honolulu Emergency Services, a 71-year-old male passenger was treated at the scene for minor injuries to his head.

Mr Seelig said the aircraft belongs to Mauna Loa Helicopters but representatives of the company could not be reached for comment.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said preliminary information suggests the Robinson R22 Beta had an engine failure.

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Dubai: British Man Killed In Tower Fall

A British man has fallen to his death from a balcony in Dubai where he was apparently working as a fitness instructor.

The death has been confirmed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

"We were made aware of the death of a British national, Elwood Floyd McIlwraith, in Dubai on 4 May," an FCO spokesman said.

"We are providing consular assistance to his family at this difficult time."

According to the Gulf News, the 29-year-old former Royal Navy sailor from Hull fell from the 42-storey Laguna Tower.

Mr McIlwraith was working in Dubai as a fitness instructor and had recently got married, the newspaper reported.

It is not clear whether he lived in the building.

An investigation into his death is continuing.

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Bangladesh: Eight Killed In Factory Fire

A fire in a clothing factory in Bangladesh has killed eight people, as the death toll from the building collapse in the capital Dhaka passed 900.

The blaze on Wednesday night engulfed the lower floors of the 11-storey Tung Hai Sweater Ltd factory, also in Dhaka, said Mamun Mahmud, deputy director of the fire service.

The company supplies its products to firms around the world, including Primark, Peacocks and New Look in the UK.

Relatives of factory workers outside the building

The blaze, in which a ruling party politician and a top manufacturing official died, was fed by huge piles of acrylic products used to make jumpers and produced immense amounts of smoke, Mr Mahmud said.

The victims died of suffocation as they ran down the stairs, he added. "Apparently they tried to flee the building through the stairwell in fear that the fire had engulfed the whole building."

Had they stayed on the upper floors they would probably have survived the slow spreading fire, Mr Mahmud said.

Colleagues comfort a crying company official

"We found the roof open, but we did not find there anybody after the fire broke out. We recovered all of them on the stairwell on the ninth floor."

The fire comes two weeks after the collapse of the eight-story Rana Plaza building, home to five garment factories, in which at least 930 people are now known to have died.

The disaster has renewed concerns about the often deadly working conditions in Bangladesh's $20bn (£12.8bn) garment industry, which provides clothing for major retailers around the world.

Workers in the Philippines light candles and give flowers in solidarity

The identities of the victims of Wednesday's fire illustrate the close ties between the industry and top Bangladeshi officials.

The dead included the factory's managing director, Mahbubur Rahman, who was also on the board of directors of the powerful Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

A senior police official and another man who was head of a local branch of the ruling party's youth league were also killed.

A local TV company reported that Mr Rahman had been planning to stand as an MP next year and had been meeting friends to discuss his future when the fire broke out.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which began soon after the factory workers went home for the day and took three hours to bring under control.

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Jodi Arias Would Prefer Death To Life Sentence

Timeline Of Jodi Arias Case

Updated: 9:51pm UK, Wednesday 08 May 2013

The Jodi Arias murder trial has drawn international attention for its graphic tales of sex and lies. The following is a timeline of key events in the case:

:: September 2006: Arias and Travis Alexander meet at a work convention in Las Vegas and quickly begin a stormy, long-distance relationship. Arias, a saleswoman and aspiring photographer, lives in California and visits Mr Alexander in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. Mr Alexander, a Mormon, works as a salesman and motivational speaker.

:: November 2006: The 26-year-old Arias is baptised into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

:: June 29, 2007: Arias and Mr Alexander break up but continue to sleep together. Weeks later, Arias moves to Arizona, where she waits tables and cleans Mr Alexander's home for extra cash. She moves back to California in spring 2008.

:: May 28, 2008: A .25-calibre gun is reported stolen from the home of Arias' grandparents, where she has been staying.

:: June 4, 2008: On a road trip to Utah to see another love interest, Arias takes a detour to Arizona to visit Mr Alexander. The two have sex at his home, then take provocative photographs of each other. Arias kills Alexander during this visit.

:: June 5, 2008: Arias continues to Utah to see the other man.

:: June 9, 2008: Friends find Alexander's body in his shower and call 911. He had been shot in the head with a .25-calibre gun, and stabbed and slashed nearly 30 times.

Police find Arias' hair and bloody palm print at the scene, along with time-stamped photos in a camera discovered inside Alexander's washing machine.

:: July 9, 2008: On Arias' 28th birthday, a grand jury indicts her on first-degree murder.

:: July 15, 2008: Arias is arrested at her grandparents' home. She maintains she was not involved in the slaying, telling a detective: "I don't even hurt spiders."

:: September 5, 2008: Arias is extradited to Arizona. A public defender is later assigned to represent her.

:: September 11, 2008: Arias pleads not guilty.

:: September 2008: Arias tells various media outlets two masked intruders attacked her and killed Mr Alexander. In a jailhouse interview says: "No jury is going to convict me. I am innocent, and you can mark my words on that."

:: October 31, 2008: Prosecutors file a notice of intent to seek the death penalty.

:: August 2010: Arias admits to the killing, claiming self-defence.

:: December 10, 2012: July selection begins.

:: January 2, 2013: Opening statements begin.

:: January 8, 2013: Prosecutors show jurors bloody crime-scene photos. Arias appears shaken.

:: February 4, 2013: Arias takes the witness stand. She testifies for 18 days, telling jurors Mr Alexander was physically and emotionally abusive.

She says Mr Alexander turned violent the day of his death, forcing her to fight for her life. She says she lied about it earlier because she planned to commit suicide.

:: March 14, 2013: A defence expert testifies that Arias suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and amnesia, explaining why she cannot recall much from the day of the killing.

:: March-April 2013: Another defence witness tells jurors Arias was abused by Mr Alexander and suffered from battered woman's syndrome. Meanwhile, a prosecution expert maintains Arias has borderline personality disorder.

:: April 2, 2013: A juror is dismissed, reportedly for making biased statements. By now, the case is a tabloid and cable TV sensation, attracting spectators from around the country. Two more jurors eventually are released.

:: May 3, 2013: Closing arguments conclude, and the final 12 jurors are chosen. They begin deliberations.

:: May 8, 2013: Arias found guilty of first-degree murder.

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Pair 'Fall Off' Cruise Liner In Australia

Authorities are searching the sea off Australia's east coast for two cruise passengers who were discovered missing when their ship docked in Sydney Harbour at the end of a 10-day journey.

A 30-year-old man and 27-year-old woman were discovered missing after the Carnival Spirit docked at Sydney's Circular Quay on Thursday morning, New South Wales state Police Superintendent Mark Hutchings said.

He said onboard CCTV footage indicated the pair had fallen overboard.

"We believe they have gone overboard," he told reporters, adding there was "a chance" that they might be alive.

Police officers check for fingerprints on the balcony of the couple's cabin

"This is a tragic event at the moment, but we're holding out hope we might be able to find these people alive," he said.

The missing passengers are a couple from New South Wales who are believed to have fallen from the ship's middle deck on Wednesday night, Supt Hutchings said.

He did not reveal the circumstances of their fall. 

It was discovered the pair were missing during the debarkation process, said Peter Taylor, a spokesman for the ship's operator, Carnival Cruise Lines.

"The guests in question were travelling with family and friends. Initial reports indicate that the couple was last seen onboard the vessel last night (Wednesday)," Mr Taylor said in a statement.

"The ship immediately initiated standard missing person procedures, including a full search of the vessel, as per protocol," he said.

Jo Meehan, a spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is coordinating the search, said an air and sea search of a 1,000-square-kilometre area of ocean north of Sydney was under way.

Carnival Cruise Lines is a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corp, the world's largest cruise operator.

The Costa Concordia was operated by Canival Corp

Carnival has been plagued by a series of high-profile problems in recent years.

Last year, the Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy, killing 32 people.

Also last year, the Costa Allegra caught fire and lost power in the Indian Ocean, leaving passengers without working toilets, running water or air conditioning for three days. Costa is a division of Carnival Corp.

In February, passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph spent five days without power in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine-room fire disabled the vessel.

Those on board complained of squalid conditions, including overflowing toilets and food shortages.

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Ohio Kidnap: Accused Ariel Castro In Court

Ariel Castro has appeared in court in Cleveland charged with kidnapping and raping three women missing for a decade.

The former school bus driver wore blue overalls and stood with his head bowed as prosecutors outlined the charges against him. 

Castro buried his head in his shirt as a lawyer described the "horrifying ordeal" Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight and Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter endured during their captivity.

The unemployed 52-year-old did not enter a plea and briefly filled out some paperwork with his hands cuffed as the court set bail at $2m per case, effectively ensuring he will remain behind bars.

The scene in a packed Cleveland Municipal Court for the arraignment

His lawyer - a public defender - told the court that Castro is on unemployment benefit and "to the best of my knowledge" has no convictions for serious crimes.

Castro made a "premeditated, deliberate and depraved" decision to snatch three women from the street and two of the victims endured their "horrifying ordeal" for more than a decade, prosecutor Brian Murphy told the court.

He kidnapped the women "to be used in whatever self-serving, self-gratifying way he saw fit", the court heard.

Mr Murphy said: "While in captivity they withstood repeated beatings, they were bound, restrained, and they were sexually assaulted - basically never free to leave this residence."

Castro confers with his lawyer during the brief hearing

The prosecutor described Castro's home as "a prison" to the women and young girl, before adding: "Today the situation's turned your honour, Mr Castro stands before you a captive ... the women are free to resume their lives that were interrupted." 

Castro's brothers Pedro and Onil Castro are to be freed after they appeared at the same Cleveland Municipal Court hearing on misdemeanour charges.

Castro's lawyer Kathleen DeMetz said she expects her client to be placed on suicide watch and in a cell on his own when he returns to jail.

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Boston Bombs: Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Body Buried

The body of accused Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried at an undisclosed location, police have said.

A statement from the Worcester, Massachusetts, police department said: "As a result of our public appeal for help, a courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide the assistance needed to properly bury the deceased. 

"His body is no longer in the City of Worcester and is now entombed."

Tsarnaev's body had been at a funeral home in Worcester for a week after more than 100 cemeteries refused to bury the 26-year-old.

Protesters called for Tsarnaev's body to be taken out of the country

Funeral director Peter Stefan said he could not find a community willing to take the body, including Cambridge, where the Tsarnaev family had lived for a decade.

On Wednesday, Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme urged someone to take on the task, saying: "We are not barbarians. We bury the dead."

Police said it had cost tens of thousands of dollars to provide security at the funeral home.

An expert in US burial law said the resistance to Tsarnaev's burial was unprecedented in a country that has always found a way to put to rest its notorious killers, from Lee Harvey Oswald to Adam Lanza.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction

Tamerlan and his younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are accused of planting two shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs near the marathon finish line on April 15, killing three people and injuring 260.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a getaway attempt after a gun battle with police four days after the bombings.

Dzhokhar, 19, was later captured hiding in a boat outside a house in a Boston suburb. He is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill.

Meanwhile, Tamerlan Tsarnaev's widow has hired a criminal lawyer with experience defending terrorism cases as she continues to face questions from federal authorities.

Katherine Russell has worked to distance herself from her late husband

Katherine Russell has added New York lawyer Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her attorney Amato DeLuca said.

Mr Dratel has represented a number of terrorism suspects in federal courts and military commissions, including Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, who attended an al Qaeda-linked training camp in Afghanistan.

An FBI spokeswoman would not comment when asked whether Ms Russell is cooperating. Mr DeLuca has said his client had no reason to suspect her husband and his brother were involved in the deadly attacks.

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