US court won't stop execution of Mexican 

 

A US federal appeals court is refusing to halt the execution of a Mexican national convicted of killing a Houston police officer, despite diplomatic pressure and pleas from the Mexican government.

Edgar Tamayo is scheduled for lethal injection at a Texas prison on Wednesday evening.
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals considered an appeal that renewed an earlier contention that Tamayo was mentally impaired and therefore ineligible for execution. But the court said the appeal, which was filed last week, came too late.

Fiery exchanges over Assad's fate at talks 

THE biggest push yet to end Syria's bloodshed has been marked by fiery exchanges as the warring sides and global powers clashed over President Bashar al-Assad's fate at a UN peace conference in Switzerland.

After a day of formal speeches set to be followed this week by talks involving the two sides, UN leader Ban Ki-moon urged Syria's regime and opposition to finally work together at the table.
"The world wants an urgent end to the conflict," Ban said on Wednesday in a closing press conference at the talks in the Swiss town of Montreux.
"Enough is enough, the time has to come to negotiate."

US court won't stop execution of Mexican 

 

A US federal appeals court is refusing to halt the execution of a Mexican national convicted of killing a Houston police officer, despite diplomatic pressure and pleas from the Mexican government.

Edgar Tamayo is scheduled for lethal injection at a Texas prison on Wednesday evening.
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals considered an appeal that renewed an earlier contention that Tamayo was mentally impaired and therefore ineligible for execution. But the court said the appeal, which was filed last week, came too late.
Tamayo's lawyers are now taking their appeal to the US Supreme Court.
They also are appealing a judge's refusal on Tuesday to stop the Texas parole board from a clemency recommendation in Tamayo's case.
The 46-year-old inmate was convicted in the January 1994 slaying of Guy Gaddis.

source-www.news.com

 

Chinese activist stays mum in court 

 

THE founder of a grassroots movement to boost accountability for Chinese officials has gone on trial on charges of disrupting public order.

But Xu Zhiyong didn't utter a word during the six-hour, closed-door proceedings to protest what he considers an unjust case.
The trial of the legal scholar and New Citizens founder reflects the determination of the government led by Xi Jinping to quash the loosely knit activists before they can challenge Communist Party rule, even though their goals largely overlap with the party's stated drive to root out corruption and build a fairer society.

Oily fish 'can increase brain size' 

EATING more oily fish can increase brain size in later life and may help prevent age-related mental decline, a study has found.

People with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil preserve bigger brains as they age, the research shows.

In particular, they maintain more nerve cells in the hippocampus, the brain's key memory centre.

The larger neural volume linked to omega-3 intake is equivalent to reducing the effects of brain ageing by up to two years, say scientists.

Pope draws 6.6 million at Vatican in 2013 

THE Vatican says Pope Francis drew more than 6.6 million people to his audiences, Masses and other Vatican events in 2013, more than twice as many as his predecessor Benedict XVI did in his first year as Pope.

The statistics released on Thursday cover only events held at the Vatican starting from Francis' March 13 election.
They don't include his trips, including World Youth Day in Brazil and trips within Italy: The Vatican estimated that some 3.7 million people attended Francis' final World Youth Day Mass in Rio alone, though statisticians put the true figure at about half that.

Lawyer fined for outing Rowling identity 

A LAWYER who let slip JK Rowling's secret thriller-writer identity has been fined STG1000 ($A1800) for breaching client confidentiality rules.

Chris Gossage of London law firm Russells Solicitors - which represents Rowling - told a friend of his wife that the Harry Potter creator was author of The Cuckoo's Calling, published last year under the name Robert Galbraith.

Men quick to give up new year diets: study 

A QUARTER of men who make a New Year's resolution to lose weight have already given up on their diets by January 2, a poll suggests.

Some 26 per cent of men abandon their diets after one day, a survey found.
Meanwhile, one in 10 women cave in to cravings for unhealthy food after 24 hours and 31 per cent give up their diet within one week, according to health company Bupa.

Barack Obama, John Key hit the golf course 

US President Barack Obama has played golf with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Hawaii, in an unusual holiday encounter.

The statesmen hit the green at a US Marine Corps base on the northeastern coast of the island of Oahu on Thursday.
Obama and his family are spending more than two weeks in Hawaii and have rented a house near the base, about 20 kilometres from Honolulu, where Obama was born.
The leaders, joined by Key's teenage son Max and White House aide Marvin Nicholson, hit several balls and joked around in front of reporters.

Alicia Keys and Blackberry part ways 

ALICIA Keys and Blackberry are set to part ways at the end of January, just one year after the singer signed on as "global creative director".

The Canadian company confirmed Keys' upcoming departure to Reuters on Thursday.
It comes as Blackberry shifts its focus away from the consumer market and towards businesses and governments.