US man awarded $21 mn for 4 decades of wrongful incarceration
Washington: A 71-year-old US man will be awarded $21 million for his almost four decades of wrongful incarceration for two murders that took place in 1978, the media reported. Authorities in Simi Valley city, California, announced on Saturday that it would settle a federal lawsuit, giving Craig Coley, a Navy veteran, $21 million for his wrongful incarceration in the 1978 murders of Rhonda Wicht and her four-year-old son, reports CNN. Thirty-nine years is the longest prison term overturned in California, according to the authorities. “While no amount of money can make up for what happened to Coley, settling this case is the right thing to do for Coley and our community,” City Manager Eric Levitt said in a statement. Often, the wrongfully convicted face lengthy battles over how they should be compensated for their imprisonment as localities blame previous administrations and squabble over what monetary sum amounts to atonement. In 2017, former Governor Jerry Brown pardoned Coley, making him a free man, and the California Victim Compensation Board last year awarded him almost $2 million in compensation — $140 for each of the 13,991 days Coley was held “illegally behind bars”. Months later, Coley filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, and now the city is handing over millions more. The city will pay about $4.9 million, with the rest coming from insurance and other sources, according to a news release. (IANS)
Humpback whale found dead in middle of Amazon jungle
Rio de Janeiro: A humpback whale has been found dead in the Amazon jungle miles from its natural habitat – leaving experts in Brazil baffled. The 36 feet long, ten tonne marine mammal was discovered in the middle of the undergrowth on the island of Marajo off the Araruna Beach, at the mouth of the Amazon River. Scientists believe the creature died at sea and may have landed in the wooded area after rough seas and high tides threw it inland, far from the ocean. Dirlene Silva, from the department of health, sanitation and environment (Semma) said: “We only found the whale because of the presence of scavenging birds of prey. “The vultures were spotted circling above the carcass which was found hidden in the bush some distance from the sea.” A team from Semma went to the region to inspect the remains, believed to be a 12 month old calf, and to gather information which could help to explain how the aquatic creature crash landed in the jungle. Biologists from the Bicho D’agua Institute have been called in to collect forensic samples to determine the cause of death.They believe the massive animal, which measures six feet wide, was already dead when it was carried by huge waves to its unnatural resting place. Renata Emin, the project’s president and marine specialist said: “We’re still not sure how it landed here, but we’re guessing that the creature was floating close to the shore and the tide, which has been pretty considerable over the past few days, picked it up and threw it inland, into the mangrove. (Agencies)