Central America: where wearing the wrong sneakers can be fatal

© AFP / by Carlos Marquez, with AFP bureaux in Guatemala and Honduras | Wearing a particular brand of sneakers or a certain haircut can be a fatal style decision in Guatemala, El Salvador or Honduras

SAN SALVADOR (AFP) - 

Wearing a particular brand of sneakers or a certain haircut can be a fatal style decision in Guatemala, El Salvador or Honduras -- three Central American nations struggling with a vicious gang pandemic.

Looks that would be ordinary elsewhere have been appropriated by the criminal gangs as their signs on the streets, where armed turf battles have made these countries some of the deadliest places in the world, outside of actual war zones.

That means the 6.5 million youths aged 15-24 living in the so-called Northern Triangle formed by the three nations have to think twice about everyday apparel lest they be mistaken for enemy targets or usurpers by gang members, or even suspected criminals by the police.

Driver of car that flipped onto Brooklyn sidewalk, killing 1, arrested for driving without license: cops

The 58-year-old driver of a sedan that flipped onto a Brooklyn sidewalk — killing a bystander — was arrested Tuesday for driving without a license, police said.

Witnesses said Paul Omoregie, who was driving a Nissan Sedan, tried to stop another car from passing him on Flatbush Ave. near Abermarle Rd. in Flatbush around 5:30 p.m. Monday when he lost control and slammed into a bus stop stand and a tree, before striking Charles Kinyeti, 50, of Flatbush, who was on his way home from work.

Alabama 8-year-old murdered girl while mom was clubbing, police say

An 8-year-old Alabama boy was charged with murder after police revealed Tuesday that he killed a 1-year-old girl while her mother partied at a nightclub,Fox 6 reports.

The girl was killed on Oct. 11 in Birmingham. Investigators say the boy "viciously attacked" the toddler after she wouldn't stop crying.

Several children were left home alone at the time, according to police. They say the girl's mother, 26-year-old Katerra Lewis, had gone to the nightclub with a friend.

Showdown looms for parents, principal after school casts wide net in sexting scandal

A sexting scandal at a Long Island high school that led to the arrest of two students and the suspension of about 20 others resulted in a showdown between parents and the school principal, who had vowed to arrest students trying to defy their suspensions Tuesday.

At least one of the suspended students attempted to attend class at Kings Park High School on Tuesday morning, but school officials called his father and told him the boy would need to be removed, Newsday reported. The father reluctantly consented and, shortly after 9 a.m., two police officers escorted the boy off the premises.

The suspensions at Kings Park High School and William T. Rogers Middle School arose from a cellphone video that allegedly spread among some students showing a sexual encounter between a 14-year-old Smithtown boy and an underage girl. That boy, along with another 14-year-old male who allegedly filmed the off-campus incident, was arrested and charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and disseminating indecent material to minors, Newsday reported. The two boys, who are not being identified because they are minors, are set to appear in Family Court at a future date.

At least 2 killed after plane crashes in residential area of Ohio

At least two people were killed after a small jet clipped an apartment building as it crashed in a residential section of Ohio on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

The Hawker 25 was on approach to Akron Fulton Airport when it crashed, an FAA spokesman said.

Investigators were trying to determine how many people were on the 10-seater Hawker H25 jet, but they confirmed two deaths, according to Lt. Sierjie Lash, an Akron fire department spokeswoman.

Nine people were on board at the time of the crash

Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Haymaker said the jet clipped a utility wire on the way down Tuesday afternoon and crashed into the building, which was destroyed by a subsequent fire. The plane then hit an embankment beyond the building, causing a nearby house to also burn.

Man accused of killing NYPD Officer Randolph Holder greeted by angry family, cops at arraignment

The man accused of gunning down a NYPD officer during an East Harlem crime spree couldn't stand to face the sea of cops and furious family who packed a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment.

Tyrone Howard, wearing a white Tyvek jumpsuit while shackled and handcuffed, collapsed to his knees and refused to get up during the brief proceeding Wednesday night.

Howard, 30, did not enter a plea and was held without bail on first degree murder and robbery charges in the death of Officer Randolph Holder."As you can see, Mr. Howard has had medical treatment," said his court-appointed attorney, Brian Kennedy. "He has been complaining of certain chest pains."

Officer Holder's sister, standing feet away from the man accused of killing her brother could barely contain her anger.

"Kill his f---ing ass!" Sherry Holder shouted.

Vietnam Woman sentenced to jail for kicking and stomping her husband to death

Le Thi Thuy was today Tuesday, November 10, sentenced to seven and a half years in jail by a court in Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam, for kicking and stomping her husband to death. The 40-year-old, who cried through out the trial admitted during her testimony to the violent act that claimed her husband's life. According to the indictment, Thuy suspected that her ailing husband Vo Hong Son had stolen VND10,000 (US$0.45), which was half of her daily income, to buy some wine on July 1.

She pushed him, and after he fell down, she repeatedly kicked and stomped him in his head and belly.