Beasty dog running lead

A Greek pilot has been found guilty of murdering his Brit wife and hanging their pet dog from the bannister. Babis Anagnostopoulos, the Greek helicopter pilot who admitted suffocating 20-year-old Caroline Crouch as she lay asleep in the couple’s Athens maisonette, should be found guilty on all counts. The 34-year-old helicopter pilot faced four counts: premeditated murder, animal abuse, perverting the course of justice and lying to authorities. He has now been found guilty of all counts at the end of a five-week trial that has gripped Greece. In a marathon 10-hour testimony last week the pilot told judges he killed his wife “in the heat of the moment” in the early hours of May 11 2021. The Athens court meted out the toughest punishment it could for Anagnostopoulos. In addition to life in prison he was handed an extra eleven years and six months in prison for the brutal murder of the couples pet husky Roxy and deliberately perverting the course of justice. The pilot … [Read more...] about Greek pilot found guilty of murdering Brit wife Caroline Crouch and hanging pet dog

A top hotel and restaurant run by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc in England has been accused of "ecological vandalism" - by "destroying" a meadow of wildflowers. Villagers in Great Milton say the owners of Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons have mowed the field for "no reason" - during "No Mow May." Pictures of the meadow before and after show a stark contrast - with the vibrant green field now looking brown and dead - like a "desert." The 10.5 acre (4 hectare) field is often used by dog walkers and villagers, and sits behind the hotel that owns and maintains the land. The restaurant has two Michelin stars and is owned by LVMH, which acquired it from Belmond Ltd in December 2018. The eaterie is run by French chef Blanc, 72, and the group has applied for planning permission to create a new wellness spa, bistro and Raymond Blanc academy on its land. It claims that the mowing was part of necessary and overdue maintenance. But it was criticized for having performed the work during "No … [Read more...] about Celebrity chef Raymond Blanc-run business accused of “ecological vandalism”

Activists and concerned residents in Foster City plan to protest the city’s proposal to potentially euthanize more than 300 Canada geese and goslings that some say are taking over — and contaminating — the city. The animal activists behind the protest, planned for Tuesday evening outside of City Hall, said the city’s interest in partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services to control the city’s sweling goose population would be a massacre that is both “inhumane” and “temporary” at best. Between 2020 and 2021, Foster City’s goose population doubled to the largest its ever been, city officials said, with 323 reported as of last June. The overpopulation has sparked ire from residents who say the birds, and their droppings in particular, are posing a threat to health and safety. Foster City officials said they intend to reserve euthanization as a last resort. “Where there’s water, there’s water fowl,” said protester and Larkspur resident Erik Allen, who … [Read more...] about Concerns over goose poop may lead this Bay Area city to kill off hundreds of Canada geese

The very last bill to be voted on in Colorado’s 2022 legislative session was designed to make sure the state never lets another child experience what Lorenzo Montoyawent through. Montoya was 14 years old in 2000 when he was taken into questioning by Denver police detectives who suspected him in the killing of a Skinner Middle School teacher named Emily Johnson. He didn’t kill her . Again and again, that’s what he told detectives. But over a period of hours, first with Montoya’s mom present and later alone with the child, the police planted a narrative in the child’s mind. They claimed they’d already retrieved fingerprints, shoe prints and hair samples to back it up. Confused and under enormous pressure, Montoya relented and gave a coerced confession. He was convicted of murder and spent the rest of his childhood and most of his 20s incarcerated, before being exonerated in 2014. It is legal in Colorado and all states but Oregon, Illinois and Utah for police to lie to … [Read more...] about “Women of color lead and it’s a problem”: How Colorado’s last bill of 2022 died

The Greek pilot who murdered his Brit wife said her puppy cried as he hung it from the bannister to make his alibi about a home invasion more credible. Babis Anagnostopoulos, 34, was found guilty today of the premeditated murder of the 20-year-old mother of his child and the unlawful slaughter of her rescue pooch Roxy. Anagnostopoulos was handed life in prison for Caroline's death - with an extra 11-and-a-half years added on for murdering her puppy thanks to a new law rolled out in Greece last year. Earlier in the trial he described how Roxy "cried for a few seconds" as he hung her body from the bannister of their ground floor flat. The cruel abuse happened downstairs from where his wife was laying dead beside their 11-month-old daughter - who was thankfully unharmed. Babis Anagnostopoulos, 34, murdered his wife Caroline Crouch by smothering her with a pillow ( Image: Babis Anagnostopoulos/Instagram) Recalling the moment he took Roxy's life, he told the … [Read more...] about Murdered Caroline Crouch’s puppy ‘cried’ as twisted pilot hanged it to stage break-in

What was initially assumed in New Delhi to be a quick confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, the war in Europe is now raging on with no end in sight, and with its long-term implications yet unknown. As for India, the initial phase of diplomatic rush is over and its geopolitical options are shrinking as the war drags on. Diminishing options For several weeks during late March and April, it seemed as though the Ukraine war presented a number of geopolitical options for New Delhi to choose from. The high-profile visits to New Delhi, the entreaties of these leaders for Indian support for their positions in the ongoing war, and India’s balancing act all seemed to propel the country to the centre stage of global attention. And yet, instead of enhancing New Delhi’s ability to make strategic choices in its broader region, the Ukraine war may actually limit the number of options available to New Delhi for at least three reasons: one, Russia as a key strategic partner is no longer … [Read more...] about A war that is shrinking India’s geopolitical options

Bureaucrats have social status and power. They also possess personal knowledge of the rules. So, as a reasonably educated Indian citizen knows, it is pointless to argue with a bureaucrat: one can only plead with him or her. The case of politicians is different. They seem to be one of “us”, as they derive their power from their popularity among ordinary men and women. Also, we learn at school that democratic politics is all about discussion and debate. So, when we grow up and attain adult citizenship, we live in the hope that our views will be heard by those who represent us. This hope — and the belief that keeps it alive — received a body blow during the >21 months of Emergency rule >, in effect from June 25, 1975 until its withdrawal on March 21, 1977. Ordinary citizens realised with shock that they had no rights whatsoever under the new system. When Indira Gandhi became supreme leader, the politicians surrounding her became small dictators. The new style of exercising … [Read more...] about Conscience and the body politic

A pet store in Stockton, California is offering a cash reward after three thieves allegedly stole snakes worth thousands of dollars on Sunday. The men visited Carter's Pet Mart at around 6:42 p.m. before they allegedly walked out with several expensive ball pythons, valued at over $1,400. According to Carter's Pet Mart, the men took the snakes and entered a truck after leaving the store. "They entered the store around 6:42 Sunday evening, grabbed the snakes, and got into a newer model 4-door Ford truck," wrote Carter's Pet Mart online. Images shared by the store allegedly show the three men on surveillance footage, walking out of the store with the snakes. "They were walking around for a bit, went over to the locked animal cages, broke the lock off on one of the tanks where one of the high ball pythons are individually stored, each grabbed one and walked out," store owner Ryan Carter told ABC10. Carter told the publication that the ball pythons are valued between $1,400 … [Read more...] about Reward offered after several pythons worth thousands stolen from pet store

The heartbroken family of murdered Brit Caroline Crouch say they are glad her killer husband has been sent to one of Europe's worst jails. Pilot Babis Anagnostopoulos admitted killing Caroline, 20, as she lay asleep in front of their baby daughter and killing his wife's puppy to make it look like there had been a break-in. He denied murder but was found guilty. The 34-year-old will become a "broken man" in the notorious prison where he will serve his life sentence and will never see his daughter again, Caroline's dad said. Anagnostopoulos, branded an "odious creature" by her family, was jailed for premeditated murder, animal abuse, perverting the course of justice and lying to authorities at a court in Athens. He will serve around 18 years behind bars at the maximum security Korydallos jail, home to some of the most violent criminals in the country. Anagnostopoulos will spend around 18 years behind bars in one of Europe's most notorious prisons ( Image: AFP via … [Read more...] about Caroline Crouch’s dad breaks silence after her husband was convicted of murder

Goutam Das doesn't remember much about his five weeks in intensive care with COVID-19. Mainly the nightmares, and struggling to breathe. "It's almost like if somebody puts you underwater. It's that kind of feeling... you're just desperate for oxygen." He's now back at work and putting his ordeal behind him. But while he was in the ICU, Goutam did not suffer entirely in vain. He's one of the thousands of people who became severely ill with COVID who gave a sample of their DNA to researchers based at the University of Edinburgh. Advertisement It's now become a genetic resource that could be a goldmine for discovering new drugs - not just to treat COVID - but other forms of severe lung inflammation, one of the leading causes of death in intensive care. While the pandemic was still at its height, the team in Edinburgh led by Prof Kenneth Baillie, used genetic insights gained from severely ill patients like Goutam to show that the arthritis drug … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Scientists receive £15m boost to tackle deadly respiratory illnesses following COVID study