Missouri Execution Uses Drug From Unknown Pharmacy, Michael Taylor Dies At 12:10 AM

Missouri execution number four in the past four months was carried out early Wednesday morning, as Michael Taylor died by lethal injection at 12:10 am, even though the state planned to use a largely untested drug from a pharmacy Missouri refused to name.

Attorneys for Taylor, who has been on death row since 1991 for the brutal murder and rape of a 15-year-old girl in 1989, argued that because the execution drug pentobarbital was being obtained from an anonymous compounding pharmacy, its effects were not known and could cause suffering for the condemned man, violating the Eighth Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

"We have no idea about the track record of this pharmacy," lawyer John Simon said.

The U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Taylor's appeal, despite blistering dissent from Judge Kermit Bye, who said that given the secrecy that Missouri has placed around the pharmacy, it "could be nothing more than a high school chemistry class."

"The reason that Missouri is trying to keep it a secret is because the state knows that it's not being done lawfully," said Missouri American Civil Liberties Union legal director Tony Rothert. "We don't believe that wanting to carry out an execution is a sufficient justification for the state of Missouri to be abetting the violation of federal drug laws."

But Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and a series of courts did not agree. Nixon refused to grant clemency for Taylor, and after seeing four separate appeals denied by the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the convicted killer's lawyers took their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

But the nation's highest court refused to put the brakes on the Missouri execution in a ruling handed down about an hour before Michael Taylor was injected with the pentobarbital that ended his life.

The Missouri Supreme Court also turned down a request for a stay of execution on Tuesday.

Defense lawyers also argued that Taylor's original attorney failed him by convincing him to plead guilty to the heinous crime just so she could lighten her workload.

Michael Taylor, 47 at the time of his death, was convicted of snatching 15-year-old Ann Harrison out of her driveway as she waited for a school bus on the morning of March 22, 1989. Taylor and his companion, Roderick Nunley, were coming off an all-night crack cocaine bender.

They took the girl to the home a house owned by Nunley's mother, where they raped her in the basement then stabbed her to death even as she pleaded with them to let her live. Taylor and Nunley then left her body in the trunk of a stolen car, which they abandoned.

Nunley is still awaiting execution for killing Ann Harrison.

Taylor's attorney also said that by carrying out the execution of Michael Taylor at this late date, Missouri was not only risking a violation of the constitution, it was engaging in a pointless killing.

"He poses no threat to society," said Simon. "His death would come far too late to have any deterrent effect."

"I am totally not the same person I was," Taylor said in an interview with the Reuters news agency. "It's hard to understand that life without parole is not good enough."

Michael Taylor avoided execution in 2006 when the doctor charged by Missouri with mixing the killer drugs admitted that his dyslexia cold lead to an error that could cause the drug to malfunction.
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Nigerian School Attack: Islamist Militants Burn Students To Death

A Nigerian school attack staged Tuesday by the Islamist group Boko Haram resulted to the death of 59 students in Yobe state in Nigeria, Reuters reports.

Some of the victims were reported to have been burned alive by the attackers.

The Nigerian school attack happened in the Federal Government College of Buni Yadi. All of the school attack victims that have been confirmed so far were boys.

Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai said that some of the bodies recovered at the scene of the school attack were burned to ashes.

Earlier reports said that the death toll of the Nigerian attack was 29, but as more bodies were confirmed by Specialist Hospital Damaturu, the body count was raised to 59.

Some of the victims who barely escaped the onslaught of the school attack died later on bullet wounds, local officials confirmed.

All of the school's 24 buildings were burned to the ground, officials told Reuters.

The country's president, Goodluck Jonathan, said in a statement that the Nigerian school attack was a "callous and senseless murder." He called the attackers "deranged terrorists and fanatics who have clearly lost all human morality and descended to bestiality."

Boko Haram, or "Western Education is Sinful" in English, is an Islamist group that has been active in the northern parts of Nigeria for years. The group was founded by sect leader Mohammed Yusuf in 2002 and has been responsible for multiple school attacks and thousands of deaths over the years since their founding. Reuters recounts a similar school attack of the Boko Haram in Mamudo village in June, leaving 22 students dead.

The group has also claimed 300 deaths this month including 100 from two attacks conducted just last week.

The Inquisitr also reported January that the Boko Haram killed 12 people at a Christian wedding in Nigeria after two members pretended to be guests of the event.

President Jonathan previously launched an attack last May on the Boko Haram but failed to defeat the militants. The attack prompted the Boko Haram to take vengeance on neighboring civilians.

Citizens of Northeastern Nigeria are becoming more and more dissatisfied with the military's lack of effort towards peace and security in the terror-stricken areas.

Captain Lazarus Eli of the Nigerian military said that the country's armed forces are "down there in pursuit of the killers." He declined to give more information on the military activities.

The Nigerian school attack angered many leaders outside the country. US Secretary of State John Kerry described the attack as "unspeakable…acts of terror"
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Turkish PM's office blasts phone recording

Protests erupt over Turkish tape scandal

Istanbul - Turkey's Prime Minister made a full-throated denial Tuesday, denouncing telephone audio recordings that have exploded across Turkish social media and political circles like a bombshell.


The leader of one of the country's main opposition parties, meanwhile, leaped onto the controversial recordings, playing them at an appearance before lawmakers.

The recordings appear to be wiretaps of a series of conversations allegedly between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son, Bilal. The two men in the recordings discuss in detail how to hide vast amounts of money.

The recordings were allegedly made the day after a wide-reaching corruption investigation ensnared the sons of three Cabinet members. Bilal was questioned but never detained in the investigation.

"This is not an attack on Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the AK Party, but an attack on the Turkish Republic," the Prime Minister thundered Tuesday in a weekly speech to parliament members from his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP.

Erdogan labeled the audio recordings "immoral edited material."

"They are listening to the government's encrypted phones; that's how low they have sunk," Erdogan continued, denouncing a series of lobby groups that he has long accused of plotting to overthrow his government.

Erdogan has pledged to investigate corruption within his government. But the Prime Minister has also denounced implications that his family is involved in the scandal.

On Tuesday, protesters took to the streets in the wake of the scandal. Police in Istanbul used tear gas and water cannon to try to push protesters back.
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In pictures: National Television Awards red carpet

Image1: Stars from Britain's favourite programmes walked the red carpet in London to celebrate the National Television Awards.

Ant and Dec were the big winners on the night, picking up three prizes.

Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh scooped best serial drama performance for her role as Hayley Cropper in the ITV soap opera.

The BBC's Doctor Who took two awards - best drama and drama performance for outgoing Doctor Matt Smith.


Image2: TV personality Kelly Brook and Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton, both of whom have starred in Keith Lemon's Celebrity Juice, were in attendance at London's O2 Arena.

Image3: Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, who have recently been judging celebrities on the Great Sport Relief Bake Off, lost out to Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs in the best factual entertainment category.

Image3: Made in Chelsea's Spencer Matthews and Joey Essex from The Only Way is Essex both sported colourful suits on the red carpet.

Image4: Some of the cast of EastEnders, including Danny Dyer and Shane Ritchie, posed together in front of a London bus.
The show lost out to Coronation Street for best serial drama but Walford's Khali Best did pick up the newcomer award.


Image5: Television hosts Laura Whitmore and Caroline Flack were among the celebrities to pose for waiting fans outside of the event.

Image6: Michelle Heaton showed off her baby bump, while Tess Daly and Vernon Kaye arrived in co-ordinating black outfits.

Rachel Wilde, who plays EastEnders newcomer Nikki Spraggan, also made an appearance on the red carpet.
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Amanda Bynes given three-year drink-driving probation

Amanda Bynes has been sentenced to three years probation and ordered to attend a three month long alcohol education course.

It's after the actress pleaded no contest to a charge of reckless driving with an alcohol component.

The case dates back to an accident in 2012 when she hit a police car in LA.

Los Angeles County District Attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison confirmed the plea was entered on behalf of the 27-year-old by her lawyer.

Bynes, who starred in her own Nickelodeon sketch comedy TV series The Amanda Show at the age of 13, as well as films including Easy A and She's the Man, was sentenced by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Edward Moreton.


She was arrested in the early hours of 6 April 2012, in West Hollywood, after her BMW hit the side of a police patrol car.

She was charged with DUI [driving under the influence] when she refused to take a sobriety test.

Last year the actress was put into psychiatric care after starting a small fire in the drive of a home in California - her mother was then put in charge of the star's financial and legal affairs.

Bynes also appeared in a New York court in 2013 on allegations that she chucked a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.

She is currently on probation for driving on a suspended license.
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Young mothers face stigma and abuse, says charities

Carly has two sons and often gets mistaken for a teen mum
A group of charities have told Newsbeat young mothers often face stigma despite teenage pregnancy being at its lowest since records began.

The charity Gingerbread said some young mums it works with have been verbally abused by strangers, leaving them feeling isolated and alone.

Carly, 26, from London has two sons and often gets mistaken for a teen mum.

"When I first started to show I was so proud, but all I would get is dirty looks," she said.

Continue reading the main story
People don't understand that just because we are young and we've had our kids it doesn't mean we are not doing anything with our lives

Kelly
Young mum
"It made me feel quite victimised so I stayed in quite a lot," she added.

"You want to celebrate being a mum every minute and yet it's really hard to do that when you are being judged so much."

Carly's friend Kelly and her baby boy Noah often get unwanted attention too.

"Random people on the bus and on the street say horrible comments like 'I shouldn't have a kid so young' or ask if I'm on benefits when I have a job and go to college," she said.

"People don't understand that just because we are young and we've had our kids it doesn't mean we are not doing anything with our lives.

"If we had our kids in our thirties people would say we are too old, so no one wins."

Kelly says her and her son Noah get unwanted attention
Philippa Newis works for Gingerbread, the biggest charity to deal exclusively with single parents in England and Wales.

"We've been with young parents when complete strangers have told them they are told they are 'disgusting' for having a baby," she said.

Teenage conception rates
Continue reading the main story
The under-18 conception rate for 2012 is the lowest since 1969 at 27.9 conceptions per thousand women aged 15-17.

The estimated number of conceptions to women aged under 18 fell to 27,834 in 2012 compared with 31,051 in 2011, a decrease of 10%.
In 2012 there were an estimated 884,748 conceptions to women of all ages, compared with 909,109 in 2011, a decrease of 2.7%.

Conception rates in 2012 increased for women aged 35 and over and decreased for women under 35.
"Some young mums don't want to go out of their house because they feel like they are being judged by members of their community," she added.

"If you are told you are disgusting for having a baby you are shamed into silence."

Jacob Tas, interim chief executive of the charity Action for Children, said: "Some of the teenage mums and dads we support have their own sad stories to tell of being stigmatised or patronised in the street by people who make unfair judgements about them.

"Being a parent can be tough enough without the added fear of random judgement or abuse when you're going about your day."

Experts believe discrimination towards young mums stems from the misconception that teen pregnancy in the UK is much higher than it actually is.

Philippa Newis from Gingerbread says young mothers can be treated badly
A survey by research company Ipsos MORI last summer found the public still overestimates teen pregnancy levels by 25 times.

The Office for National Statistics estimates the UK has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe.

The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy for England, which ran from 1999 to 2010, did help to reduce the under-18 conception rate to its lowest level for 40 years to 31,051.

The latest figures from Public Health England show the conception rate among under 18 year olds dropped by 9.8% to 27.7 per 1000 in 2012, an all-time low for England.

The strategy aimed to prevent pregnancy before women were ready by improving contraception access, sex education in school and encouraging a more open relationship between parents and children.

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It's important professionals understand that and make them [young parent] feel comfortable

Alison Hadley Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange.

The strategy also provided support to young people who did choose to become parents by educating midwives and health visitors about the stigma they may face and how to create a welcoming atmosphere.

Alison Hadley led the scheme and now runs the Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange.

"I think young mums and dads often feel like they are being looked at in a judgemental way and that's why it's important professionals understand that and make them feel comfortable," she said.
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Another plan crush: Asiana fined for failing to help families

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday fined Asiana Airlines $500,000 for failing to assist families following the crash of Asiana flight 214 in San Francisco in July.

The Korean airline was slow to publicize a phone number for families, took two full days to successfully contact the families of three-quarters of the passengers and did not contact families of several passengers until five days following the crash, authorities said.

The half-million-dollar penalty is the first time the DOT has issued a fine under a 1997 law that requires airlines to adopt and adhere to a "family assistance plan" for major accidents.

Three of the 291 passengers were killed and scores were injured when the Boeing 777 struck the seawall at San Francisco International Airport and tumbled down the runway.

"In the very rare event of a crash, airlines have a responsibility to provide their full support to help passengers and their families by following all the elements of their family assistance plans," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "The last thing families and passengers should have to worry about at such a stressful time is how to get information from their carrier."

In the DOT order, Asiana said its job was complicated by the limited number of workers at San Francisco's airport and other circumstances. Injured passengers were sent to 13 different area hospitals, and there was no list prepared at the time to help the airline track passengers.

Hospitals also were reluctant to release information to the airline due to privacy laws, the airline said.

Asiana released a statement after the DOT fine was announced saying that it "provided extensive support to the passengers and their families following the accident and will continue to do so."

Under the Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act of 1997, foreign air carriers assure the Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board that they will adhere to a "family assistance plan" in the event of aircraft accidents resulting in a major loss of life.

Among other things, airlines must publicize and staff a toll-free telephone number to take calls from families, notify families as soon as practical and commit sufficient resources to carry out the family assistance plan.
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