New Zealand: Baby Name Ban List Updated

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

If you want to call your new baby Majesty, Queen Victoria, Knight or simply '\' in New Zealand then you can think again.

Officials working for the country's births, deaths and marriages department have updated their list of rejected names and it includes some shockers.

Two New Zealanders recently wanted to register their child's birth with a backslash separating two names, but were told it would contravene strict rules on what monikers are considered acceptable.

Other names rejected include stand-alone letters that appear to be initials but do not stand for anything. 'AJ', 'MC', 'VI', 'LB' and 'CJ' were all turned down.

A spokesperson for New Zealand's department of internal affairs told Sky News: "Since 1995, the Births, Deaths and Marriages and Relationships Registration Act has provided a set of rules around acceptable names for New Zealanders.

"A name, or combination of names, should not cause offence, be unreasonably long or resemble an official title or rank."

Other wacky names that people have tried to register in the past include 'Lucifer' and 'Mafia No Fear'.

The list of 77 names reveals one child was set to be called 'Anal' before the Department of Internal Affairs vetoed the proposal, while another narrowly avoided being dubbed '.' or full stop.

Other names on the list included '4Real' and 'V8'.

In some cases, parents appeared to have lost any inspiration for coming up with a moniker for their offspring, wanting to call the latest addition to the family simply '2nd', '3rd' or '5th'.

'King' and 'Duke' were among those that had been turned down most since 2001, banned because they break the rule implying a person has a title.

'Justice' was the most popular on the list, having been rejected 62 times, although 'Justus' and 'Juztice' also failed to gain official approval.

In 2008, New Zealand's family court ordered that a nine-year-old girl whose parents had called her 'Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii' should have her name changed because it was embarrassing and "makes a fool of the child".

At the time, judge Rob Murfitt criticised parents who gave their children bizarre names, citing examples such as 'Number 16 Bus Shelter', 'Midnight Chardonnay' and twins called 'Benson' and 'Hedges'.

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Venezuela: MPs In Post-Election Punch-Up

Politicians in Venezuela have been involved in a post-election brawl that left at least one opposition member badly bruised and bleeding amid growing tensions between rival politicians.

Pro-government  MPs started throwing punches after members of the opposition coalition displayed a banner in the National Assembly in a protest at a ban that stripped them of most of their legislative powers.

Assembly member Julio Borges appeared on an independent television station soon after the punch-up with blood running down one side of his swollen face.

The opposition said at least 17 of its allies and five pro-government deputies were injured while pro-government MPs appeared on state TV accusing opposition members of attacking them.

The opposition has refused to accept President Nicolas Maduro's narrow victory on April 14.

They say the government's 1.49% margin had come about through fraud including votes cast in the names of the thousands of dead people.

In retaliation, the government-dominated assembly has barred opposition members from public speaking and sitting on legislative committees.

Tuesday's fight was the second in which opposition legislators said the other side attacked them for protesting against the ban.

Since the election the government has arrested dozens of protesters, mostly students.

Many have claimed they were physically abused and humiliated whilst in detention.

Both sides are planning to hold marches in different parts of the capital Caracas to celebrate International Workers' Day.

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Three British Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan

Three British soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

The soldiers from The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed when their Mastiff vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) whilst on a routine patrol, the Ministry of Defence said.

The attack took place on Tuesday in the Nahr-e Saraj district. The three were evacuated by air to the military hospital at Camp Bastion but could not be saved, the MoD said.

Their families have been informed.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said another six have been injured.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the country has paid a "very high price" for the work it is doing in Afghanistan.

The soldiers were aboard a heavily-armoured Mastiff vehicle

"It is important work because it's vital that country doesn't again become a haven for terrorists - terrorists that can threaten us here in the UK," Mr Cameron added.

"But today our thoughts should be with the families and friends of those that have suffered."

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the deaths were "a reminder that there is still a great amount of danger out there".

Labour leader Ed Miliband said it was "tragic news".

The deaths bring to 401 the overall number of British troops killed in Afghanistan in the past 12 years, with total losses at 444.

Six have now died in 2013.

Since June 2007 there have been 330 attacks on Mastiff vehicles, but this is the first time that anyone has died as a result of an attack. 

A ministry spokesman said the attack "underlines the threats faced by our personnel as they continue to hand over security operations to their Afghan counterparts ahead of UK combat operations concluding by the end of next year".

"Security in Helmand, where most UK forces are based, is steadily improving with Afghan forces already responsible for the bulk of the province - but the environment in which our troops operate remains risky and dangerous, including the threat of improvised explosive devices and insurgent attack.

"We will continue to do all we can to minimise these risks but they can never be removed entirely."

The attack came on the third day of what the Taliban has called its spring offensive. In past years, spring has marked a significant upsurge in fighting between the Taliban and Nato forces with their local allies.

This fighting season is a key test, as the international coalition is scheduled to hand over security responsibilities to Afghan forces next year.

Sky News' Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "The Taliban have announced their annual spring offensive in a brutal manner.

"By carrying out this attack they are not only saying that spring has come, they are also underlining that even though everyone knows the British are leaving, they will still be coming after them all the way to the end."

The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion.

They deployed to Afghanistan in March from their base in Penicuik, Midlothian, near Edinburgh.

The last time so many UK soldiers were killed in one attack was in March 2012, when six died as their Warrior armoured vehicle was blown up by a massive improvised explosive device near the town of Lashkar Gah.

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Boston Suspect: Family Will Claim His Body

Relatives of the dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect are to claim his body after his wife agreed to release it.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's remains have been at the medical examiner's office in Massachusetts since he died in a gunfight with police more than a week ago.

Amato DeLuca, the lawyer representing his widow, Katherine Russell, said on Tuesday his client wanted the body released to the Tsarnaev family.

Police said Tamerlan Tsarnaev ran out of ammunition before his brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing from the shootout.

Katherine Russell leaving her lawyer's office

His cause of death has been determined but will not be made public until his remains are claimed.

"Of course, family members will take possession of the body," uncle Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Maryland, told The Associated Press.

"We'll do it. We will do it. A family is a family."

The Tsarnaevs' divorced parents have delayed travelling from their homes in Russia, but they have several relatives in the US.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains in a prison hospital after being wounded.

He is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill, a crime that carries a potential death sentence.

Mr DeLuca said Tamerlan Tsarnaev's widow met with law enforcement "for many hours over the past week" and will continue cooperating.

Dzhokar Tsarnaev is facing a possible death sentence

FBI agents visited her parents' Rhode Island home and carried away several bags.

"Katherine and her family continue to be deeply saddened by the harm that has been caused," Mr DeLuca said.

In addition to declining to claim the body herself, the widow has taken other steps to distance herself from her late husband.

Her family released a statement saying they "never really knew" Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

She has also reverted to using her maiden name.

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Kercher Family 'Not Interested' In Knox Book

Meredith Kercher's family has no interest in reading Amanda Knox's book, the sister of the murdered British student has said.

Stephanie Kercher's comments came after Miss Knox appeared in her first television interview since being freed from an Italian prison to promote her memoir.

She said she would like to visit Miss Kercher's grave, but only with the permission of the Kercher family.

Stephanie Kercher said in a statement: ''We are not interested in this book, as well as all the others regarding the case and we will not be reading it.

''The Italian legal system still has an appeal procedure underway and as a result a new trial will be heard. The sentence can still be overturned."

Stephanie Kercher (C) with her mother and brother

She did not address the wish expressed by Miss Knox, but said: "I have no doubts that even on the other side there is a story of pain and loss and of enormous lack of trust, but on the other side there is also one of hope and an opportunity of life.

"Something that Meredith will never have and something that we will never share with her. Meredith is the victim in this tragic case."

Italian prosecutors say Miss Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, killed Miss Kercher, 21, in a drug-fuelled sex game along with another man in 2007.

She has always denied the accusation.

Her murder conviction was overturned in October 2011, but in March an Italian court ordered a retrial for both her and Mr Sollecito, 29.

Miss Knox says she is considering a return to Italy for the retrial, even against her lawyer's advice.

"My lawyers have said that I don't have to and that I don't need to. I'm still considering it, to be honest," she told USA Today.

Miss Knox says she wants to visit the grave of Miss Kercher

"It's scary, the thought. But it's also important for me to say, 'This is not just happening far away from and doesn't matter to me'.

"So, somehow, I feel it's important for me to convey that. And if my presence is what is necessary to convey that, then I'll go."

Miss Knox's alibi rests on her claim that she was at Mr Sollecito's house on the night of the murder, and not at the Perugia flat she shared with Miss Kercher.

But during a police interrogation she said she was at home with Miss Kercher.

In the interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, she insisted that initial claim was the result of her "breaking down".

"I didn't confess. I was interrogated," Miss Knox told ABC News. "(The police) acted like my answers were wrong, they told me I was wrong, that I didn't remember correctly, that I had to remember correctly, and that if I didn't I would never see her family.

"I can only describe it as breaking down, I didn't know what I remembered and what I didn't remember anymore. I was incredibly vulnerable at that time."

As she expressed her desire to visit Miss Kercher's grave, she said: "Eventually I can have their permission to pay my respects at her grave and I would also like them to know that she talked about them to me."

Miss Knox insists she was at Mr Sollecito's home on the night in question

In the memoir, which came out on Tuesday and is called Waiting To Be Heard, she writes about how she also considered suicide while in prison.

Miss Knox insists in the interview that she did not leave Mr Sollecito's home.

"We stayed in, had dinner, we watched a movie, we smoked, we had sex, we were together.

"We just hung out together, we talked, we talked about his mum, we made silly faces at each other. We stayed in the whole night."

The 25-year-old said she returned to the home she shared with Miss Kercher the next morning, but despite the front door being wide-open and spotting blood on the sink she took a shower.

"At the sink when I was taking out my earrings I noticed there were speckles of blood. But speckles, a few drops."

She said that when she got out of the shower she noticed a bloodied bath mat, adding: "I thought it was strange."

Miss Knox cried during a press conference in Seattle after leaving Italy

She returned to Mr Sollecito's home, and says she told him of her concerns after breakfast. He called police, who discovered Miss Kercher's body.

"It never occurred to me that I would ever be considered a suspect. Ever."

Miss Knox denied claims there had been any tension with Miss Kercher in the run-up to her death.

"It bothers me when people suggest that she wasn't my friend," she said. "I was stunned by her death, she was my friend."

During her original trial, much was made of Miss Knox's apparent lack of grief following Miss Kercher's death.

Miss Knox said she "could have been more sensitive" but said people deal with grief in different ways.

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Boy, 5, Kills Sister, 2, With Children's Rifle

A five-year-old has accidentally shot dead his two-year-old sister as he played with his own rifle.

The tragedy happened on Tuesday afternoon at a home in southern Kentucky.

Cumberland County coroner Gary White told the Lexington Herald-Leader it was "just one of those crazy accidents."

The boy had picked up the .22-calibre Crickett gun, which he was given as a birthday present last year, when it went off.

Police said the family did not realise it was loaded. The children's mother was at home at the time but had just stepped away.

"She was actually cleaning her house, and she had went out on the porch," the coroner told WKYT-TV.

"She said no more than three minutes had went by and she actually heard the rifle go off. She ran back in and found the little girl."

The child was pronounced dead at Cumberland County Hospital. Doctors worked on reviving her for about an hour without success.

The coroner said the shooting would be ruled as accidental.

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Irish Backpacker Murder In Oz: Guilty Plea

A martial arts enthusiast has pleaded guilty in court to killing an Irish backpacker in Melbourne last August.

Luke James Wentholt , 31, appeared in the Supreme Court via video link from prison and pleaded guilty to the murder of David Greene.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly causing serious injury to another Irish backpacker, David Byas.

Wentholt's then girlfriend, Shayla Pullen, said the group had been having drinks at a hostel in St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, on August 26, when an argument broke out.

"He wouldn't stop stomping" on the two, she told Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

Another witness, Christine Babuczki, who also lived in the house, said Wentholt acted like a "crazy monster".

Mr Greene, 30, died in hospital on September 7, almost two weeks after the attack.

Mr Byas, 28, suffered serious injuries and was in a coma for four days before being transferred to a rehab facility.

Ms Pullen said Wentholt was drunk. She believed he was angry because Mr Greene had joked about accidentally seeing her partially naked earlier that week.

"He said, 'Dave, I want to talk to you outside,' in a stern voice," Ms Pullen told the court.

Then she heard "smashing noises" and ran up to Wentholt to try and stop him.

"They were both bleeding, (blood) was just everywhere," Ms Pullen said.

Wentholt trained in jujitsu up to five times a week, she said.

Outside court, Australian Irish Welfare Bureau president Marion O'Hagan said Mr Greene's family was suffering.

"It's been horrific. It's been devastating," she said.

Wentholt is due to appear in court again on July 30.

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Stolen US Lottery Ticket: Man Found Guilty

One of two brothers accused of swindling a man out of a winning $5m (£3.21m) lottery scratchcard has been found guilty by a judge in upstate New York.

Andy Ashkar, 35, was convicted of possessing stolen property. He faces one to three years in prison when he is sentenced on May 29.

His older brother, Nayel Ashkar, 36, was cleared of conspiracy charges.

It is not yet clear if the original winner will receive any kind of compensation or the rest of his jackpot.

Police and lottery officials had originally accused both men of convincing maintenance worker Robert Miles that the ticket he bought in 2006 was worth only $5k (£3,210).

Authorities said the brothers paid Mr Miles $4k, taking a $1k handling fee, then waited until the ticket was about to expire before trying to claim the jackpot in 2012.

"Why did they wait when there were so many other factors out there?" prosecutor Beth Van Doren asked in court.

The ticket was bought at the Green Ale Market in Syracuse

"Why? It just didn't make sense, other than they were waiting for time to pass so witnesses would no longer be around, documents would be lost, or the statute of limitations would pass."

The $20 winning ticket was sold at their parents' store in Syracuse.

Andy Ashkar said he bought it when he went there for lunch on October 27, 2006.

He claimed he scratched the ticket, then handed it to his father.

"He scanned it. He said, 'Shut up!' He didn't want anyone to know," he said.

Andy Ashkar said he planned to go to the lottery office that day, then changed his mind, called his brother and went to his parents' home.

"I was hesitant. I wanted to do it the right way," he said. "I didn't want it to have a negative impact on my family."

The Ashkars' father, Nayef, is also charged with conspiracy and faces a separate trial in September.

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Boston Bombing: Three New Suspects In Custody

Three additional suspects have been taken into custody by police investigating the Boston Marathon bombings.

Boston Police Department announced on Twitter that three more suspects are in custody and more details will follow - but said there is no threat to public safety.

Police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca confirmed the tweet but referred all other questions to the FBI.

The three people arrested are connected to bombing accused Dzhokhar Tsarnaev through the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he was a student and allegedly helped him after the attacks, according to the Boston Globe.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line.

Police have been investigating if suspects the Tsarnaev brothers had help

Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gunfight with police several days later. His brother Dzhokhar was captured and lies in a hospital prison.

The surviving brother, 19, faces federal charges of using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death over the double bombing.

Authorities say the brothers also killed an MIT police officer as they tried to escape, although no charges have been filed yet over his death.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's relatives will claim his body now that his wife has agreed to release it, an uncle said. The 26-year-old's body has been at the medical examiner's office in Massachusetts since he died.

Amato DeLuca, the Rhode Island attorney for Tamerlan's widow, Katherine Russell, said his client had just learned that the medical examiner was ready to release the body and that she wants it released to his side of the family.

Police said Tamerlan ran out of ammunition before Dzhokhar dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing the scene.

His cause of death has been determined but will not be made public until his remains are claimed.

More follows...

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Dubai: Grieving MotoGP Star Fined For Drinking

A grieving husband whose new wife fell to her death in Dubai has been hit with a fine for turning up to a police station smelling of alcohol.

Former British motorcycling champion Sean Emmett was fined £350 (Dh2,000) for drinking before turning up at the station to sign his wife's death papers.

Vicar's daughter Abbie Emmett, 27, was killed nine days earlier when she fell from the window of a five-star hotel while on their honeymoon.

Dubai's Misdemeanours Court was told that Mr Emmett had been "heavily drunk" and that he confessed to imbibing beer, sambuca and brandy the night before he met police.

Mr Emmett said he had been at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, where his wife fell to her death, before taking a taxi to the Al Rashidiya police station at 9am.

A blood test confirmed he had been drinking and he was arrested and released on bail four days later.

The fine for drinking without a licence was issued in his absence.

Under laws in the Arab emirate, anyone who drinks alcohol should have a licence.

However, bar staff rarely ask for proof and millions of tourists drink there every year.

The couple had flown to Dubai in February after getting married in South Africa.

Abbie had been drinking before she fell from the window of their hotel and died later in hospital.

Police said all the evidence pointed to suicide and closed their investigation.

He father, Rev Christopher Elson, said her family and friends were "shocked and devastated" at her death.

As a professional Grand Prix racer Mr Emmett won 19 superbike races and clocked up more than 50 MotoGP appearances.

Since retiring, he has worked as a private instructor in Addlestone, Surrey, and runs a bike taxi service.

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