Britain Says China Carried out Execution of Briton

URUMQI, China: China on Tuesday executed a British man convicted of drug smuggling in its first execution of a European citizen in half a century, drawing a strong condemnation from Britain’s prime minister.

Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the execution of Akmal Shaikh, whose relatives say was mentally unstable and was unwittingly lured into the crime.

“I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms, and am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted. I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in a statement issued by the Foreign Office.

Shaikh, 53, was the first European citizen to be executed in China in five decades.

Shaikh first learned of his death sentence Monday from his visiting cousins, who made a last-minute plea for his life. They say he is mentally unstable and was lured to China from a life on the street in Poland by men playing on his dreams to record a pop song for world peace.

Brown had spoken personally to China’s prime minister about his case.

Shaikh was arrested in 2007 for carrying a suitcase with almost 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of heroin into China on a flight from Tajikistan. He told Chinese officials he didn’t know about the drugs and that the suitcase wasn’t his, according to Reprieve, a London-based prisoner advocacy that helped with his case.

He was convicted in 2008 after a half-hour trial. In one court appearance during his trial and appeal process, the judges reportedly laughed at his rambling remarks.

It was not known how Shaikh, who is of Pakistani descent, was executed.

Obama:US to Hunt Failed Plane Attack’s Backers

Barack Obama Vows to Track down Plane Attack Plotters, US President Barack Obama has vowed to hunt down all those persons behind the attempt to blow up US airline, saying that the perpetrators are present in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.
Replying to a question regarding current Iran situation, Obama said:“We stand by all those people who are fighting for their rights”.
Regarding the airport security, he said that the US government was doing everything to keep everyone safe.He said that the attempts to blow the US airline showed that terrorist still lurking around to harm the country.
He added that the terrorists present in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen were plotting terror attacks in the US.

Karachi Blast Martyrs Funeral Today

KARACHI, Pakistan News: The funeral prayers of the martyrs of Karachi suicide attack will be offered at Nishtar Park on Tuesday as the metropolis wears a deserted look a day after the attack on a mourning procession on Youm-e-Ashur.

According to reports the death toll in the suicide blast has risen to 40, as Federal Minister of Interior Rehman Malik has constituted a joint investigation team for the Karachi bombing probe.

Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah has also announced the day of mourning today as public holiday has been declared in the province.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik in a statement said that arson incidents after the bombing indicate a planned conspiracy hatched by the enemies of the country and democracy. He appealed to the citizens to observe restraint.

Jimmy Sullivan Aka The Rev is Dead

December 28 20009, drummer for Avenged Sevenfold Band, James Owen Sullivan, known as "The Rev," was found dead in his Southern California home. He was 28 years old.

James Owen Sullivan was found dead at his Huntington Beach home approximately 1 p.m. local time. Preliminary reports said James Owen Sullivan's death may have been of natural causes, according to The Orange County Coroner's Office.

Some fans, however, point to the musicians history of hard drug use as the a possible cause of The Revs passing. Statement from Avenged Sevenfold web site: It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world's best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy's family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.
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Erik Gates Dies in Freak Accident

Erik Gates, a regular on the popular show MythBusters, has died following a thirty foot fall in a work-related accident.

Gates, 47, owned Gateco Electric and was working at a site when he fell through a skylight. Gates suffered blunt force chest injuries and died on Sunday. In an even sadder twist, Gates’ brother Dirk Gates is president and CEO of Xirrus, Inc.- the company that owns the site where his brother was killed. Xirrus’ CFO commented on the tragedy to the Ventura County Star:

“He was a good guy,” Steve DeGennaro, Xirrus Inc.’s co-founder and chief financial officer, said Monday. “He survived cancer, he jumps with parachutes, he base jumps. He’s an active guy who was used to taking precautions. This was a freak accident that shouldn’t have happened.”

Erik and Dirk Gates were active in rocketry and operated a website, Gates Brother Rocketry. It was Gates’ expertise in rockets that initiated his involvement with MythBusters. On the MythBusters official Twitter feed, condolences were expressed for Gates earlier today:

(1 of 2) Team MB wishes to express our deepest sympathies on the passing of our beloved rocket expert, Erik.

(2 of 2) You were an honorary MythBuster and will be sorely missed.

Erik Gates appeared on four episodes of MythBusters as the shows “Amateur Rocket Expert.” He appeared on the initial pilot for the show in 2003, and in subsequent episodes Ming Dynasty Astronaut (2004,) Bullet Proof Water, 360 Degree Swing (2005,) and Confederate Rocket (2005.)
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