Man pleads not guilty to elder abuse

A 58-year-old Florida man accused of letting his 88-year-old mother lie in her own feces for three days has pleaded not guilty to elder abuse charges.Michael Nolan entered the plea in court Tuesday, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported.Nolan was arrested June 5 for the May 2 incident in which he allegedly let his mother lie in her own feces for three days before he called for help, an Okaloos

July 8, 2012

Emaciated girl, 10, found in locked closet

A 29-year-old mother was in custody after police in Kansas City, Mo., found her emaciated 10-year-old daughter locked in a closet, authorities said.The woman was arrested Friday and her boyfriend also was detained, The Kansas City Star reported.The girl, who was found alone in a closet that smelled of human waste, appeared to way about a third of what a normal 10-year-old would weight, police said

June 24, 2012

Fat cats fighting for title

In less than a month after famous fat cat Meow died in Santa Fe, two New York cats have stepped in to a fatter-cat fight.Meow, a 39-pound cat who made appearances on "Today" and "Anderson Cooper" died in early May after suffering respiratory distress and then pulmonary failure, the New York Post reported at that time.On Saturday, a Manhattan shelter cat named SpongeBob was featured in the NY Post

June 4, 2012

Man sues ex-fiancee for wedding deposits

A New York man has sued his ex-fiancee -- who twice broke off their engagement -- for nearly $50,000 in rent and wedding deposits he said she owes him.Steven Silverstein filed the suit Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court. He said even though Kendra Platt-Lee returned a $32,000 engagement ring, she still owes him, including half of the $54,367.87 she withdrew from their joint bank account, the New Y

May 24, 2012

Toddler alost killed in dryer prank

A U.S. father’s prank on his child went wrong when the washing machine he’d placed his son in suddenly started to whir into action. CCTV footage at a launderette shows the man lifting the boy into the machine after seeing a sign reading “Junior wash $2.95.”The prank almost turned to disaster when the door locked automatically and the machine started to spin.The video shows the mother slamming her hands down on a table in desperation as the man fails to rescue his son. The toddler was eventually

May 22, 2012

Woman guilty of Web-streamed child abuse

A New Jersey woman pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl she was babysitting and streaming a video of the incident on the Internet.Jennifer Mahoney, 33, of Manapalan Township admitted in federal court in Trenton Wednesday she had sexually abused the girl on multiple occasions, once using the streaming service Skype to broadcast a live video of the assault on the Internet, The (Newar

May 11, 2012

Woman bites off mugger's finger in Japan attack

A mugger who attacked a woman in Japan fled empty-handed -- and with one finger missing -- after the intended victim chomped off his pinkie.The 59-year-old woman fought back after a man snatched her bag as she arrived at her apartment in the northern city of Sapporo, police said Tuesday.The woman gave chase as her attacker made his getaway on a bike, wrenching the stolen tote from his grasp and bi

May 9, 2012

Man photographs cheetahs attacking wife

The photos taken by a tourist from Scotland show his wife on the ground, hair flying, blood on her neck, with two cheetahs nearby.The Port Elizabeth Herald reported Friday that Violet D'Mello of Aberdeen, Scotland, was attacked by cheetahs on April 28 while in a petting pen with the animals at a game reserve near Port Elizabeth in southeastern South Africa.It says she was attacked while trying to

May 6, 2012

Brits admit Australian penguin-napping

Two young Britons who stole a penguin from an Australian theme park paid a large fine Wednesday after pleading guilty.Rhys Owen Jones, 21, and Keri Mules, 20, were fined $1,000 Australian ($1,034 U.S.) each for trespassing, theft and keeping a protected animal, The Courier-Mail of Brisbane reported.Dirk, a Fairy penguin, was stolen from Sea World, a popular theme park on the Queensland coast, Apri

May 2, 2012

US girl born without hands wins penmanship award

A Pittsburgh-area girl born without hands has won a penmanship award -- and $1,000 -- from a company that publishes language arts and reading textbooks.Zaner-Bloser Inc. recognized 7-year-old Annie Clark at Wilson Christian Academy in West Mifflin on Wednesday with its first-ever Nicholas Maxim Award.Nicholas was a Maine fifth-grader born without hands or lower arms who entered the company's penma

April 20, 2012

Brazil court OKs abortions for brainless fetuses

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- Brazil's supreme court has voted to authorize abortions in cases of fetuses with no brains.Abortion is illegal in Brazil except when a pregnancy threatens the life of the mother and in cases of rape. The Supreme Federal Tribunal's 8-2 vote Thursday now decriminalizes abortions involving anencephalic fetuses. Such fetuses develop without brains and cannot survive outside th

April 13, 2012

Mom fined for giving toddler suds, smokes

A judge ordered a Swedish mother to pay a fine after she was convicted of encouraging her 3-year-old son to drink beer and giving him cigarettes.The district court in Malmo convicted the woman Monday of harassment, narcotic crimes and unlawful procurement of alcohol, and ordered her to pay a $756 fine, The Local reported. The fine was reduced because she spent 20 days in jail after the incident wa

April 4, 2012

Catholic school punishes Filipina over Facebook 'bikini' pic

CEBU, Philippines (AFP) - A Philippine teenager is suing her exclusive Catholic girls school after it punished the student for posting a Facebook picture of herself reportedly in a bikini, a court said Wednesday.Saint Theresa's College in the central city of Cebu said the 16-year-old had broken a ru

March 29, 2012

Passengers overpower crazed Jet Blue pilot

Passengers and crew on a flight from New York to Las Vegas were forced to overpower the pilot Tuesday after he reportedly went berserk in mid-flight.Jet Blue confirmed the unusual incident in a statement to The Globe News in Amarillo, Texas, where the airplane was landed by an off-duty captain who h

March 28, 2012

Greek police arrest gunman as factory siege ends

THESSALONIKI, Greece,(AFP) - A disgruntled ex-employee gave himself up to Greek police after shooting and wounding his ex-boss and a worker and taking two others hostage Thursday, a police source said.The injured men -- the company owner and another employee -- were taken to hospital. A company spok

March 2, 2012