Wikinews Shorts: May 9, 2007

Life sentence handed down in Australian teen murder case
At age 16, two girls from Collie, near Perth, Australia, decided to find out if they would feel remorse if they killed someone. On June 18, 2006, the two girls, who cannot be named as they are under 18, strangled Eliza Jane Davis, 15, and buried her body under a house. They knew it was wrong, but it "felt right," they told police.

Today,a life sentence, with a minimum of 15 years to be served, was given in the case. "It was gruesome and merciless in the extreme," Judge Reynolds said.

Sources

Irish teenager wins abortion case
A 17-year old girl in Ireland has won the right to travel to United Kingdom where she intends to have an abortion. Doctors have said that the child she is carrying will not survive more than a couple of days after birth.

The Health Service Executive had issued an order stopping her. Abortion in Ireland is illegal except in certain cases. Many women get around the ban by travelling to the UK. The High Court ruled there is no constitutional or statutory grounds for preventing "Miss D," as the underage girl is known in court, from travelling to the UK.

Sources

US Embassy staff told to wear bullet proof vests
Due to a rising number of mortar based attacks, the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq has told its staff to wear bullet proof vests and helmets at all times while outside or in unprotected buildings, reports the Associated Press.

The Associated Press also reports that an unnamed embassy official confirmed the order. The order reportedly came down on May 3, a day after a mortar or rocket attack killed four contract workers in the Green Zone.

Sources