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Dozens of gamblers hoping to bet on Barack Obama being assassinated have been turned away by a major bookmaker.
William Hill, which has received more than 100 requests, informed customers it would never offer odds on the possible targeting of the US President-elect.
White supremacists have already allegedly plotted an attack on Mr Obama, who will be America's first black President.
William Hill's Graham Sharpe said: "We have no interest whatsoever in betting on the possible death or serious injury of any politician (or anyone else for that matter) in any circumstances."
The bookmaker said, although people have asked to bet on prominent possible assassination targets in the past "on occasion", it was never a major issue.
But the scale of demand for Obama punts prompted the company to set out its position.
"It's not illegal for us to do it, if we choose. But I would seriously question the motives of anyone who did it," Mr Sharpe said.
"We are giving people the chance to express their opinions and make a bit of money but even bookmakers have the occasional moral scruples."
According to William Hill, a record £10m-plus total was gambled on the outcome of the US presidential election.
Mr Obama has been made even money favourite to win again in 2012.
One customer who staked £25,000 on Mr Obama collected £42,000 as a result and another who bet £17,500 received £45,925.
sky news
now thats just crazy
thanks for the read ryan
Thanks for posting this.
Police Investigating Possible Abuse As Motive In Double-Murder; Father's Friend Also Killed
(AP) Police in this small eastern Arizona community are looking into the possibility that an 8-year-old boy who is charged with killing his father and another man with a rifle had been abused, the police chief said Saturday.
The boy, who faces two counts of premeditated murder, did not act on the spur of the moment, Police Chief Roy Melnick said.
"I'm not accusing anybody of anything at this point," he said Saturday. "But we're certainly going to look at the abuse part of this. He's 8 years old. He just doesn't decide one day that he's going to shoot his father and shoot his father's friend for no reason. Something led up to this.
"
A judge determined Friday that there was probable cause to show the boy fatally shot his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, of San Carlos, with a .22-caliber rifle.
Under Arizona law, charges can be filed against anyone 8 or older. The judge ordered a psychological evaluation.
The boy had no record of complaints with Arizona Child Protective Services, said Apache County Attorney Brad Carlyon.
"He had no record of any kind, not even a disciplinary record at school," he said. "He has never been in trouble before.
"
In a sign of the emotional and legal complexities of the case, police are pushing to have the boy tried as an adult even as they investigate possible abuse, Melnick said. If convicted as a minor, the boy could be sent to juvenile detention until he turns 18.
Police had responded to calls of domestic violence at the Romero home in the past, but authorities were searching records Saturday to determine when those calls were placed, Melnick said.
"We're going to use every avenue of the law that's available to us, but we're also looking at the human side," he said.
Melnick said officers arrived at Romero's home within minutes of the shooting Wednesday in St. Johns, which has a population of about 4,000 and is 170 miles northeast of Phoenix. They found one victim just outside the front door and the other dead in an upstairs room.
Romans had been renting a room at the Romero house, prosecutors said. Both men were employees of a construction company working at a power plant near St. Johns.
The boy went to a neighbor's house and said he "believed that his father was dead," Carlyon said.
Melnick said police got a confession, but the boy's attorney, Benjamin Brewer, said police overreached in questioning the boy without representation from a parent or attorney and did not advise him of his rights.
"They became very accusing early on in the interview," Brewer said. "Two officers with guns at their side, it's very scary for anybody, for sure an 8-year-old kid.
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Prosecutors aren't sure where the case is headed, Carlyon said.
"There's a ton of factors to be considered and weighed, including the juvenile's age," he said. "The counterbalance against that, the acts that he apparently committed.
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FBI statistics show instances of children younger than 11 committing homicides are very rare. According to recent FBI supplementary homicide reports, there were at least three such cases each year in 2003, 2004 and 2005; there were at least 15 in 2002. More recent statistics weren't available, nor were details of the cases.
Earlier this year in Arizona, prosecutors in Cochise County filed first-degree murder charges against a 12-year-old boy accused of killing his mother.
Defense attorney Mike Piccarreta, who is not involved in the latest case, said that each case has to be considered on its own merits, but that it would be hard for him to comprehend that an 8-year-old has the mental capacity to understand the act of murder and its implications.
"If they actually prosecute the guy, it's a legal minefield," he said. "And, two, society has to make a decision as to whether they want to start using the criminal justice system to deal with 8-year-olds. That doesn't mean you don't have a troubled kid.
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Wednesday's homicides were the first in at least four years in the community, where most people know one another, Melnick said.
Romero had full custody of the child. The boy's biological mother visited St. Johns during the weekend from Mississippi and returned to Arizona after the shootings, Carlyon said.
Brewer said the boy "seems to be in good spirits.
"He's scared," he said. "He's trying to be tough, but he's scared."
CBS News
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A footballer who made an "insensitive" handcuffs gesture to show support for a friend jailed following the deaths of two children has been fined by his club.
Ipswich Town said it was concerned that midfielder David Norris's celebration after scoring a goal had been interpreted as a tribute his friend, former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Luke McCormick.
Club officials said Norris, 27, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, had written a letter of "regret" to the boys' parents and the club would make a donation to charity.
Amanda Peak, the mother of Arron, 10, and Ben, eight, said she was happy with the apology and thought Ipswich's response appropriate.
The boys were travelling in a Toyota Previa people carrier hit by McCormick's Range Rover on the M6 near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in June.
Mr Norris may also face action from soccer's governing body, the Football Association, which said it wanted a written explanation within the next week.
Mr Norris held his wrists high after scoring in Ipswich's 1-0 win at Blackpool on Saturday. He made the gesture two weeks after telling journalists that he would stand by former teammate McCormick - who is serving a seven-year jail term for causing the deaths of the youngsters.
An Ipswich Town spokesman said: "Whilst the club has heard David's explanation that his gesture was in no way intended to condone or support the actions of Luke McCormick, he was found to have been insensitive to the possible interpretation. David deeply regrets that his actions have been wrongly misinterpreted."
But Mrs Peak, of Partington, Manchester, said: "That is all we wanted, a letter to say he is sorry and he's shown he's got a heart and it wasn't intended to hurt anyone but obviously it did.
"All we asked for was an apology. I said either ban him for a game or fine him, but don't do both, people make these gestures, but it's not right to ban and fine him. It was something private between him and Luke but private should stay private, it should not be in public."
-Nova
Gordon Brown hailed the election of Barack Obama as a source of "hope and inspiration" as he urged the United States to join with Europe to build a new global order.
In his annual foreign policy address to the City of London, the Prime Minister called on fellow world leaders to "seize the moment" and lay the foundations for the "first truly global society".
Addressing the Lord Mayor of London's banquet at the Guildhall, Mr Brown acknowledged that while the challenges facing the world appeared "daunting", they also presented the opportunity to build a better future.
He said the "unprecedented" election of Mr Obama as America's next president offered the prospect of a new "dawn of hope", both in the US and the wider world.
"Just days ago, across the Atlantic, our closest ally gave new meaning to its founding creed that all are created equal. Gave new strength to the notion that the American dream is for all Americans," he said. "Whatever one's politics, it can surely only be a source of hope and inspiration that a nation which once would have looked at Barack Obama and defined him only by his colour today sees in him the man they want to be their president and commander-in-chief.
"As America stands at its own dawn of hope - so let that hope be fulfilled through a pact with the wider world to lead and shape the 21st century as the first century of a truly global society.
"I believe that with the far-sighted leadership we have in Europe, the whole of Europe can and will work closely with the rest of the world to meet the great challenges which will illuminate our convictions and test our resolution."
Mr Brown - who earlier signalled that ministers were considering new tax cuts - welcomed plans by Mr Obama and by the governments of China and Germany to inject fresh funds into their economies to keep them going through the downturn.
"This is no time for the old approach of short-term spending cuts in a downturn that would hurt families and businesses today and damage the long-term productivity of the economy," he said.
Mr Brown, who flies to Washington this week for a financial summit of world leaders hosted by outgoing President George Bush, said it was vital that countries did not retreat into protectionism and isolationism in the face of the global downturn.
-Nova
A coroner has told an inquest into the death of a decorated soldier that he was anxious that the British Armed Forces were "making do" with limited protection in Afghanistan.
Captain David Hicks, of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, suffered shrapnel wounds during an attack at a base "with limited protection" north east of Sangin, in Helmand Province, on August 11, 2007.
Protective walls surrounding the Inkerman base were too low, there was no doctor on site and some soldiers slept under makeshift netting, the inquest heard.
Capt Hicks removed his oxygen mask and shouted "Let me get back out there" as medics tried to treat the open chest wound he suffered during the Taliban rocket attack.
The 26-year-old, from Wokingham, Berkshire, was flown by Chinook helicopter to a medical facility at Camp Bastion for treatment but did not survive. He was posthumously awarded the Military Cross for his bravery.
Before recording a verdict of unlawful killing, Wiltshire Coroner David Masters told the inquest at Trowbridge Town Hall: "I don't think making do is a an acceptable proposition for our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan - I'm very anxious about that."
The Inkerman base was originally opened as an Afghan National Army base in May 2007, but was expanded to include 80 British troops in July that year.
Describing the base as having "limited protection" in the summing-up of his evidence, the coroner said: "The accommodation given to C Company is in Afghan mud premises, but the fire group had to make do - they had netting over the walls and that was their accommodation. That gave no protection."
But the coroner later said that since Capt Hicks' death, improvements had been made, so he did not need to make recommendations to the Government.
"There's been improved protection by increasing the Hesco barriers and a doctor is now in place. I have a responsibility to make recommendations, but because of the changes I do not consider in this particular inquest I need to make any specific report."
-Nova