Posts tagged "Europe"

Indiana woman sentenced to die for killing bible studies teacher at 15 is freed

A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 for taking part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old bible studies teacher was released from an Indiana prison Monday after growing to middle age behind bars.

Paula Cooper, whose 1986 death sentence enraged human rights activists and drew a plea for clemency from Pope John Paul II, left the state prison quietly in a state-owned van and wearing donated clothing, Department of Correction spokesman Doug Garrison said.

As is customary, the prison, about 60 miles west of Indianapolis, gave the now-43-year-old woman $75 to help her make a fresh start.

When asked where Cooper was being taken, Garrison said, “We have something arranged but that’s not something I can talk about.”

Cooper was 15 years old when she used a butcher’s knife to cut Ruth Pelke 33 times during a robbery in Gary that ended in Pelke’s death. Her three companions — one only 14 –received lighter sentences, but Cooper confessed to the killing and was sentenced to death by a judge who opposed capital punishment, said former prosecutor Jack Crawford, who sought the death penalty for Cooper. Crawford is now a defense lawyer in Indianapolis and no longer supports capital punishment.

“She sat on her, slicing her,” Crawford said. “This was a torture crime.”

The following year, Cooper became the country’s youngest death row inmate.

The sentencing of a 16-year-old to death enraged human rights activists in the U.S. and Europe. Pope John Paul II urged that Cooper be granted clemency in 1987, and in 1988 a priest brought a petition to Indianapolis with more than 2 million signatures protesting Cooper’s sentence.

“There were like protests, `Save Paula Cooper,’ even in Europe it was a rallying cry,” said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington. “Her case really became a symbol of the death penalty.”

Two years after Cooper was sentenced to die, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in an unrelated case that the execution of young people who were under 16 at the time they committed an offense was cruel and unusual punishment and was thus unconstitutional. Indiana legislators then passed a state law raising the minimum age limit for execution from 10 years to 16, and in 1988, the state’s high court set Cooper’s death sentence aside and ordered her to serve 60 years in prison.

“Was justice done? Twenty-four years is a long time, but I’m not sure,” Crawford said.

Ruth Pelke’s grandson, Bill Pelke, has organized opposition to the death penalty since about two years after her murder. His grandmother, he said, would have been “appalled” at a young girl being sentenced to die.

Pelke, who now lives in Anchorage, Alaska, was in Indiana Monday for Cooper’s release, but missed it. He said he expects Cooper to phone him sometime in the next few days.

In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to execute anyone who is younger than 18 years when they commit an offense.

Linley E. Pearson, who was Indiana’s attorney general when Cooper appealed to the state Supreme Court, said research now shows that the human brain doesn’t fully mature until age 24.

“So kids can do a lot of things they wouldn’t do if they were an adult,” Pearson said.

Cooper’s sentence was reduced due to her behavior in prison, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. She will remain on parole for a few years, Garrison said.

“We’re just wanting her to be successful, that’s all,” he said. “She needs to get back to living.”

US trade deficit up 8.5 percent to $40.3 billion

The U.S. trade deficit widened in April, as demand for foreign cars, cell phones and other imported goods outpaced growth in U.S. exports.

The Commerce Department says the trade gap rose 8.5 percent in April from March to $40.3 billion. Exports increased 1.2 percent to $187.4 billion, the second-highest level on record. But imports grew an even faster 2.4 percent to $227.7 billion.

A wider trade gap can restrain growth because it means U.S. consumers and businesses are spending more on foreign goods than U.S. companies are taking in from overseas sales.

The report showed that Europe’s recession is still weighing on U.S. companies. Exports to Europe fell 7.9 percent. Weaker global growth could hold back U.S. exports and growth this year.

Abbaye de Flavigny Oval Traditional Tin Rose Flavored Anise drops all natural, 1.8 oz, Sixteen

Carefully selected anise seeds from Spain, Turkey or Syria, and processed in the traditional manner in large copper vats. All natural, the same as they were 100 years ago.These small tins have been sold in Europe for decades, and will bring back memories for many.
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Human Papillomavirus, Cervical Cancer, and the Vaccines (Postgraduate Medicine)

Abstract: How are human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, and the recently developed HPV vaccines associated with each other? Human papillomavirus is a highly prevalent infection that is easily and unknowingly transmitted because of its asymptomatic nature and long incubation period. Infection requires skin-to-skin contact and is typically sexually transmitted. More than one-half of sexually active women acquire HPV, making it the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease. Cervical cancer ranks second in deaths from cancer among women in developing countries and kills nearly 4000 women in the United States annually. Several types of HPV have been strongly linked to causing cervical cancer and genital warts. Those causing cervical cancer are considered high-risk types and those causing genital warts are considered low-risk types. Until recently, prevention strategies included abstinence, condom usage, and early detection with a Papanicolaou test (Pap smear). New developments have led to 2 vaccines aimed at preventing the viral infection. One is a quadrivalent vaccine preventing infection from 4 HPV types (HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18) (Gardasil®). It is approved in the United States and Europe for the prevention of HPV-associated cervical cancers and genital warts in females between the ages of 9 and 26 years old. The second is a bivalent vaccine preventing infection from 2 high-risk oncogenic HPV types (HPV types 16 and 18) (Cervarix®). It is currently under study and not yet available in the United States. Both vaccines have proven highly effective at preventing infection from their corresponding HPV types. Of importance, neither vaccine is to be used for treatment. Vaccination does not replace routine cervical cancer screening with Pap smears, as the vaccines do not protect against all HPV types.
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Justin Bieber's monkey adopted by German zoo

VERY few who arrive in Europe on a private jet in the company of a global superstar end up as asylum seekers, but this weekend that appears to be the fate of Justin Bieber's pet monkey. Impounded back in March when she arrived in Munich with the singer …
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Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez Kiss And Make Up On Instagram! (PHOTO)

It looks like Selena Gomez has found her way back into the arms of Justin Bieber and the two are officially back together! The Believe singing sensation has been on tour in Europe, and while there's been rumors of her going overseas to visit him, it … See all stories on this topic »

Global Grind

Leader of Cuban opposition group visits exiles

One of the founders of a Cuban opposition group awarded Europe’s top human rights prize is meeting with exiles in Miami.

Berta Soler will visit the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami on Saturday.

Soler is a co-founder of the Ladies in White, a group of wives and mothers formed in 2003 after the arrests of 75 government opponents.

The Cuban government has detained the women from time to time and sent pro-government crowds to shout at them. But their demonstrations proved successful. All of the political prisoners arrested in the crackdown a decade ago have since been released.

Soler and other members accepted the European Union’s Sakharov Prize on Tuesday, eight years after receiving the award.

Swedish police raid Justin Bieber's tour bus

Trouble strikes Justin Bieber in Europe yet again. This time, the pop singer didn't smuggle in a monkey or make a questionable comment regarding a historical figure. Instead, the trouble related to something of more standard teenage fare–drugs were … See all stories on this topic »

natmonitor.com

Swedish police find drugs on Justin Bieber tour bus

STOCKHOLM — The list of troubles linked to Justin Bieber's tour of Europe grew again after Swedish police said Thursday they had found drugs and a stun gun on the pop singer's bus. No arrests were made since the bus was empty at the time, Stockholm …
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Watch: will.i.am performs new single on 'Le Grand Journal' & 'Jonathan Ross'

Watch: will.i.am performs new single on 'Le Grand Journal' & 'Jonathan Ross'. Lyrics » News. will.i.am is busy promoting these days his brand new single "That Power" (featuring Justin Bieber) in Europe. The Black Eyed Peas frontman (and producer of the … See all stories on this topic »

Music and Lyrics (blog)