Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know you Needed

Sleeping Pilots Overshot Airport by 359 Miles
An Air India flight soared past its Mumbai destination on June 4 as its pilots allegedly dozed off in the cockpit, The Times of India reported Thursday.
The napping pilots flew 359 miles past the airport and were still at cruising altitude when nervous air traffic controllers woke them up.
The flight, which was on autopilot flying toward Mumbai, had about 100 passengers on board.
"The plane took off from Dubai at 1:35 a.m. Indian Standard Time and then from Jaipur at 7 a.m. After operating an overnight flight, fatigue levels peak, and so the pilots dozed off after taking off from Jaipur."
Air India officials vehemently denied the report, saying the plane lost radio contact with air traffic control for some time, and only flew 14 miles off course.
There's a news video here.
.
Millionaire Gets Prison in 'Modern-Day Slavery' Case
A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion received an 11-year prison sentence on Thursday.
Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted with her husband in December on a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.
The trial provided a glimpse into a growing U.S. problem of domestic workers exploited in slave-like conditions.
The victims testified that they were beaten with brooms and umbrellas, slashed with knives, and take freezing showers as punishment.
PICTURES
.
Texas Teen Faces Murder Charges in Death of Her Newborn
A 14-year-old girl who secretly gave birth in a school bathroom was charged with capital murder Thursday by police, who said she killed the newborn by choking and flushing him in the toilet.
The girl was charged as a juvenile; Baytown police Capt. Roger Clifford said prosecutors will decide whether to certify her as an adult. She cannot be executed if convicted because of her age.
The girl gave birth April 2 in a bathroom at Cedar Bayou Junior High. Police said she stuffed toilet paper in the infant's throat and submerged him in a toilet. An autopsy confirmed the baby was alive and cried before his mother tried to flush him, police Lt. Eric Freed said.
"We have had enough evidence to determine that this action was done intentionally and knowingly," Clifford said. "That means beyond a reasonable doubt in our mind and in mind of the district attorney's office and in mind of the medical examiner's office, that this was not an accident."
.
Man was refused passport because bald head is too shiny
A dad of three had his new passport photos rejected - because his bald head was too shiny.
Ian Down, 42, got the pictures taken at a photo-booth and handed them over with his documents at a passport office.
But a clerk at the Passport Service looked at the flash reflecting off Ian's head and asked: "What's that mark?"
Ian said: "I was shocked. I told them what it was but they said some countries might not let me in if they saw it."
.
martha said...
That's such a weird thing. How can a bald person be denied a passport if his head is too shiny? On the other hand, I think the photographer taking his passport photo could have acted a bit smarter. Had he asked the man to apply some telcum or compact on his shiny head, this incident could have been easily avoided. Read the rest in comments
.
North Pole May Be Ice-Free This Summer
It seems unimaginable, but for the first time in recorded history the North Pole may be free of ice this summer, according to a published report Friday.
If climate scientists' predictions hold true, the "unique" prospect of sailing in open waters at the North Pole, before the region cools in September, may become a shocking reality.
PICTURE