Cab Man Drugged And Raped 14 Women

John Worboys is accused of using date rape drugs dissolved in champagne
to "stupefy" his victims before attacking them in the back of the cab.

The 51-year-old, of Rotherhithe, south east London, denies 23 charges
including rape, sexual assault and administering a substance with intent.

Prosecutor Johannah Cutts QC told Croydon Crown Court Worboys attacked
the women in London's West End during an 18-month reign of terror until
his arrest last February.

She said Worboys cruised the streets of central London late at night in
his black cab looking for single women to offer discount lifts home to.

Miss Cutts said: "His primary intent had nothing to do with taking them
home. His primary purpose was wholly sexual in nature.

"His intent was to ensure that they were completely at his mercy and
then to sexually molest them."

She said: "Having each girl alone in his cab was a start but this
defendant wanted to ensure that there would be no struggle, no
difficulty in achieving this aim. How did he do that? He did it by
drugging them."

Worboys employed date rape drugs to render his victims powerless and to
make them forgetful, the court was told.

The jury was told he would tell passengers he had won a large amount of
money either in the lottery or at a casino and sometimes showed
passengers a carrier bag full of cash to back up his story.

She said: "He would begin by engaging the girl in conversation, asking
about her night and the like. Once they were talking, he told her that
he was glad that he had met her as he had experienced some good fortune
that night in that he had won a quantity of cash.

"In most cases he said that this had been at a casino. Sometimes he said
it was by way of the lottery. Sometimes he specified the sum that he had
won. When he did so it was generally a substantial sum."

During the conversation Worboys would invite his victims to share a
bottle of champagne and pour them a glass from the front of the cab,
the court heard.

Miss Cutts said although some passengers did not want to drink, they felt
it would be rude to refuse. Some just pretended, she added.

She said: "The drink was rarely poured in front of them. As the defendant
often had a drink at the same time as the complainant, it seems likely
that he added the drug at the point at which he poured the drink.

"In every case where the drink was consumed in any quantity, it had a
powerful effect."

Worboys would then get into the back of the cab and engage his victim in
further conversation, this time of a sexual nature, as he watched the drug take effect.

Miss Cutts said: "In each case he was able to see when his passenger became
affected by the drug. Many of the complainants remember falling asleep or losing consciousness.

"Most have no recollection of what happened thereafter until they got home,
or in some cases until the next day. Many are not able to say whether they were sexually assaulted or not.

"But the defendant's intent in drugging them was clear. Some of the
complainants did come round a little in the cab having consumed the drink.

"Those that did come round remember the defendant touching them sexually in
some way. One of them remembers him actually having sexual intercourse with
her and was powerless to resist."

When Worboys' home was searched, Miss Cutts said discoveries were made
"which we say showed all too clearly his intent when he went out in his
cab at night".

Police found a "tool kit" inside the boot of Worboys' Fiat Punto that
contained what Miss Cutts said was everything he needed to stupefy and
sexually assault a passenger, including four small bottles of champagne.

courtesy ITN

Microsoft and Epic Games has released the second title update for Gears of War 2

Microsoft and Epic Games has released the second title update for Gears of War 2, addressing a large number of multiplayer exploits and issues as well as makes some balancing tweaks. The update also includes a couple of new features and adds seven new DLC-based achievements.

Below is a detailed list of the fixes and improvements included with this patch:


Gears of War 2 Title Update 2 Detailed Release Notes

The following fixes and improvements are included in Title Update 2.

Exploit Fixes

Title Update 2 fixes these possible exploits, where under certain circumstances:

* A player could melee or grenade tag through certain walls.
* A player could equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously.
* A player could make their shield invisible.
* A player could become invisible.
* A player could do a "super" mantle or "kung fu flip," flying high into the air.
* A player could gain unlimited ammo with the Lancer Assault Rifle.
* A player could fire while roadie running (also known as "crabwalking").
* A player could pick up a weapon while sliding into cover.
* A player could walk forward while firing a deployed mortar.
* A player could force an opponent to be stuck in the down but not out (DBNO) position.
* A player could prevent other players from picking up a heavy weapon.
* A player could pick up a dropped meatflag without having to knock him down.
* A ragdolled player could be killed without ever going DBNO.
* A player could roadie run while firing the Scorcher Flamethrower.
* A player could get stuck while evading, though they could continue shooting in any direction.
* A player could concuss themselves under the stairs on the River map.


General Fixes

Title Update 2 fixes these other issues as well:

* An issue with client-side hit detection of the Gnasher Shotgun. The fix makes the shotgun more reliable in high-latency situations.
* An issue where players could have shotgun or Boomshot rounds fire into the ground when shooting from the hip.
* A split-screen issue where one player transitioning to the death battle camera disrupted input from the other player.
* An issue that could cause players' Look sensitivity to be changed to their Zoom sensitivity while zooming in, zooming out, and firing.
* An issue that could cause players to get stuck if they tried to pick up a heavy weapon while firing the shotgun at the same time.
* An issue where players could become stuck if they kicked over a shield while ragdolled from a smoke grenade.
* An issue where bots were unable to kick over a shield that was planted backward.
* An issue where players who quit during voting didn't show up in the end game stats, which meant other players couldn't easily provide negative feedback on them.
* An issue where players couldn't chainsaw enemy meatshields if the meatshields were already damaged.
* An issue where some players would not see the animation of a meatshield being chainsawed.
* An issue where players could not chainsaw an opposing team meatshield in a game type that doesn't allow respawns (for example, Warzone and Execution).
* An issue where a player partway through the act of raising or lowering the chainsaw did not transition into a duel when attacked from the front with a chainsaw.
* An issue where occasionally a player waiting to respawn could not respawn when repeatedly hitting the left trigger to switch cameras.
* An issue where some teammates couldn't communicate between rounds in games type that don't allow respawns, because dead team members were left in the dead radio channel until the next round started.
* An issue where a DBNO player could be seen as standing if knocked DBNO while reloading the mortar.
* An issue where a player joining a Private Xbox LIVE game in progress from another specific type of game could potentially lose HUD functionality.
* An issue on the Flood map where a player's dying from Imulsion did not trigger a death message or penalize the player as other environmental deaths did.
* An issue with Guardian games where if the leader is the last player killed on a team, the round may not end, due to the respawn timer.
* A campaign issue where the gamer picture would not be awarded when the game is completed on Insane.
* An issue where a player would continue to fire the flamethrower and damage other players if that player was knocked DBNO while firing it.
* An issue that could cause a player to get stuck while moving and quickly attempting to aim the mortar at the same time.
* An issue with Horde games where clients didn't receive the "waiting for host" message after they failed a wave.
* A Horde split-screen issue that could cause a team to get –2 billion in score, which when posted to the leaderboards looked like +2 billion.
* An issue where dead players may not show up in the metadata for multiplayer photos.
* A system link issue where if a multiplayer match and a co-op game were hosted at the same time on the same LAN, neither could be joined.
* Additional miscellaneous bug fixes.


Balancing

Title Update 2 makes these balancing changes:

* Made planted proximity grenade mines much easier to shoot off the surface they're planted on, by giving them 50 percent less health.
* Set grenades to respawn less frequently. When a player picks up grenades from a spawned location, a new set of grenades does not respawn until the previous grenades have been used.
* Increased the penalty to rank for players who quit Public Xbox LIVE matches early.
* Buffed the flamethrower to have stopping power (to slow a charging enemy) and to cause a chainsaw interrupt (to force the opponent to lower a revved chainsaw).
* Removed the ability to instantly shoot coming out of a roadie run.
* Added additional spawn protection to prevent proximity grenade mines and chainsaws from killing a player within 5 seconds after spawning.
* Balanced grenade spawn cycling on the Hail map so that both teams have equal access to both types of grenades.

We continue to test internally and monitor online gameplay to determine what else may need adjusting.

Improvements

Title Update 2 makes these new improvements:

* Changed Annex games to use execution rules, to prevent players from leaving DBNO opponents on the ground to bleed out.
* Made Horde waves count toward the "Party Like It's 1999" achievement. Each wave is counted as one round.
* Added the ability, during Submission games, to see the flag's final destination by using Tac/Com.
* Increased the frequency of most of the toasts for in-game achievement progression.
* Added achievement progression numbers to the War Journal.
* Added 7 new DLC-based achievements worth 175 points (progress toward them starts after Title Update 2 is applied):
o "Skeletons in Your Closet" (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Flashback Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
o "Trial by, and on, Fire" (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Combustible Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
o "More Mystery, Less History" (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman).
o "The Roof! The Roof! The Roof…" (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman).
o "Bound by a Shared Past" (15 points): Win a Wingman match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps.
o "Forged in the Fire" (15 points): Win a Wingman match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps.
o "Annex: Now with Execution Rules" (75 points): Win an Annex match on each of the Flashback and Combustible Map Pack maps (Public only).

Obama Step Mum Proud

The British-based stepmother of Barack Obama described his inauguration
as America's new president as "beyond expectation" and a "gift" from God.

Kezia Obama, from Bracknell, in Berkshire, has joined family members from
Kenya for the ceremony in Washington DC which is expected to draw record
crowds.

The 67-year-old, who is celebrating with her children and grandchildren,
said she could not believe the way events had unfolded. "I feel so proud,
" she said. "I can't believe things have turned out this way. It is beyond expectation. It is a great thing for my family and for Barack."

A series of events marking the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th
president of the United States of America are set to take place this side
of the Atlantic.

American singer Kelly Rowland will be one of the performers at the Yes
We Did inauguration party at the Intercontinental Hotel in Park Lane,
central London.

The event will also celebrate the achievements of black Britons and other
performers will include British singer and TV presenter Mica Paris.

There will be more celebrations at two balls at the Royal Lancaster Hotel,
in central London, and The Davenport Hotel, in Dublin, which will raise
money for Democrats Abroad.

The US political party's overseas branch will use the money raised to encourage American voters living abroad to register to vote back home.

Oxford has taken inspiration from Hawaii where the new president was born
and spent most of his formative years. A Hawaiian luau will create a party atmosphere at the Kukui bar where party guests will include Oxford Union
president Charlie Holt.

American students and staff at Queen's University in Belfast will gather
in the Students' Union to watch Mr Obama take his oath.

Obama's Inaguration- Braving The Cold Weather

Hundreds of thousands of people braved freezing temperatures in Washington to see Barack Obama ahead of his historic inauguration.

U2, Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé were on the bill for the star-studded We Are One concert to celebrate the man who will become the 44th leader of the free world and the first black US president.

Accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and their daughters Malia and Sasha, Mr Obama nodded along to the performances, which included Stevie Wonder singing Higher Ground and U2 paying tribute to Dr Martin Luther King Jr with Pride (In the Name of Love).

Mr Obama sang along as folk singer Pete Seeger led the crowd in Woody Guthrie's patriotic anthem This Land is Your Land.

Between the songs, actors Denzel Washington, Laura Linney and Tom Hanks gave speeches that evoked past crises in US history, including the Civil War, the Depression and the Cold War.

As Mr Obama prepared to be sworn in he stressed the depth of the challenges that he faces, including the recession and the unfinished wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but said he was optimistic about the country's ability to face them.

"There is no doubt that our road will be long, that our climb will be steep. But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard," he said.

"Despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead, I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure, that it will prevail, that the dream of our founders will live on."

Courtesy ITN

Porn Industry Wants Bail-Out

The United States Of America prides herself as the nation of equality, which means every person should be treated equally no matter their race or creed.

The world economy has been on the downward trend for months, many blue chip companies have had to downsize or even bought over.

In the light of this the US government spent several billions of dollars to bail out some firms which are critical to economy of the nation.

Other sectors are asking the government to extend such gesture to them such is the adult entertainment industry.

Read along to see what US porn chiefs has to say regarding bail-out:


Hard times for US porn industry

Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild chief executive Joe Francis issued a joint plea for Congress to pump £3.3 billion into the sector.

They claim that the economic downturn is hitting the porn business and that federal assistance is needed to boost the nation's sex drive.

The pair added that they deserve the same treatment offered to banks and the car industry.

Mr Francis said the cash injection was needed "just to see us through hard times".

"Congress seems willing to help shore up our nation's most important businesses," he said.

"We feel we deserve the same consideration. In difficult economic times, Americans turn to entertainment for relief. More and more the kind of entertainment they turn to is adult entertainment."

But according to Mr Flynt, economic woes have led to a flagging national sex drive.

Mr Flynt said: "People are too depressed to be sexually active. This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex.

"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind.

He added: "It is time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."

Anti-porn campaigners said that they were not treating the request seriously.

Michael DePrimo, spokesman for the American Family Association, said: "Obviously they are being facetious. It is very much tongue-in-cheek - Larry Flynt has a sense of humour.

"But the fact that he is mocking Congress is not unreasonable."

Dad Kills Son To Save Money

A father who initially claimed gunmen kidnapped his two-year-old son has been accused of murdering the toddler after being ordered to pay child support. Skip related content
Related photos / videos
Dad 'Kills Son Over Child Debts'

Danny Platt, 22, from New Orleans, US, confessed and told cops where to find the boy's body, police superintendent Warren Riley said.

The father is to be charged with the first-degree murder of his son Ja' Shawn Powell.

"(Platt) had said he would kill either his wife or his child before he paid child support," which he recently had been ordered to do, Mr Riley said.

The superintendent said he did not know the amount of child support and would not describe how the boy was killed.

"The mother is in a safe place," Mr Riley added.

Although he had visiting rights, Platt had never gone to see the boy until he picked him up Friday, Mr Riley said.

Police put out a notice on Saturday asking people to look for the Ja' Shawn after Platt claimed the toddler had been abducted.

Mr Riley said Platt had alleged three men with dreadlocks and AK-47 rifles rushed out of a car and kidnapped the boy shortly before midnight on Friday.

"His story never really added up. He was a suspect from the very beginning," the officer said.

The superintendent went on: "How does an individual - because he's ordered to pay child support to take care of a kid - believe that this is so much pressure that he would face, he would do this hideous act to his own child, or to any child, and think that is a remedy to paying child support?"

Courtesy skynews