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Lisa Ann Taylor Faces Radio Interview

The two women accused of running a house of prostitution in Gwinnett County's Sugarloaf subdivision maintained their innocence in a radio interview on Friday.
The attorney for one of the pair said that most of the evidence in the case was illegally obtained, and should be thrown out of court.

Lisa Taylor and Nicole Probert took to the airwaves to promote a charity event to benefit Apert's Syndrome.

"It is a disfiguring brain defect that affects one in 160,000 children," Taylor said. "Those that suffer from it undergo numerous surgeries."

It is being held at an adult membership swinger's club in southwest Atlanta.

The two call themselves adult entertainers, but deny they are prostitutes.

"I've never denied I do photo shoots," said Taylor. "It's on my website -- $300 for the first hour, $200 for every hour after that. (But) zero escort activity."

They faced a skeptical team from Q100.5's "Bert Show."

"Is there anything we could ask that's going to get some admission of guilt?" asked Jeff Dahler. "You're not going to do that."

Probert replied, "There's not going to be any admission of guilt, because we're innocent."

It has been nearly two months since the two were arrested, but the case has still not gone before a Grand Jury.

"My guess is they're still doing the investigation," said Probert's attorney, Steve Sadow. "But the case they have is not strong."

And Sadow said the case could get weaker. He said wiretaps investigators conducted on Taylor and Probert's phones are not authorized under Georgia law in a prostitution case.

"Truly believe the wiretap was illegal and any evidence that they got from the wiretap, including the searches will be thrown out," Sadow said.

Gwinnett District Attorney was not available for comment. The case is expected to go before a Grand Jury in the next 30 to 45 days.

Source: 11alive.com

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Marked 18th To End It All

Phil O'Brien

He had his whole life ahead of him.

Paul Jones came to Wigan to mark the beginning of his adult life. He had just turned 18 and decided to celebrate the milestone birthday with his first ever visit to a nightclub.
The journey from his Wrexham home to Wigan on Friday night ended in tragedy as he drowned in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal next to the Wigan Pier Nightspot.

A close friend of the teenager's family, Paul Pemberton, has spoken of the devastation that they and the whole Wrexham community of Rhos have felt.
He said: "The family are in shock and struggling to deal with what has happened.

"They have asked me to say what a wonderful lad Paul was. He had his whole life ahead of him and to have it cut short like this is terrible.
"It was his first night out, he had never been to a club before. He was really fired up and excited about it for weeks beforehand and it was going to be a really big night for him.

"I know (his mum) Gaynor was on pins worrying about him in case something happened, and tragically her worst fears were confirmed."
Mr Jones leaves his mum and dad, Jeff and Gaynor, as well as his 20-year-old sister Stacey.
He was in the second year of an electrical engineering course at Yale College in North Wales.

His parents first heard of the tragedy when they received a phone call at around 3.30am on Saturday informing them that their son had been pulled from the canal and was in hospital.
They were not told the exact details, and faced a grim drive
from North Wales to Wigan Infirmary, only to learn of his death.
Mr Pemberton said: "You can only imagine how that must have been. They were not aware of what was going to face them when they got there. It was terrible for them.

"I have been on holiday with the family and seen Paul swim, he was a strong swimmer, which makes it even more of a shock.
"There have been so many people calling and sending flowers. That is so nice, and something the family really appreciate."
Flowers have also been placed at the spot where he died next to the Orwell pub.

He had come out of the Pier at around 2am and drowned after jumping into the water off a bridge over the canal.

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Strange!!! Ashes to Dust

Tradedy strucked yesterday 21st Feb, 2007 7:05pm which was Ash Wednesday in a little locality in kaduna state of Nigeria. James Nkem, 21, slumped and died while his Grand mother was applying the ash unto his forehead.
She told reporters that she querried him for not going to church before she left for the evening Mass in the St. Patricks' catholic church only for her to come back and still found him at home playing computer games. She immediately prayed for him and came forward to bless him with the ash she brought back home from the church and the shocker of her life happened.

Source: maiklarson.blogspot.com

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Brothers Killed After Their Cars Collide

Two brothers were killed in a head-on traffic collision with each other.
Jessie West, 24, and James West, 33, were killed Sunday, not far from their home. James West was driving when he lost control and crossed into the path of his brother's oncoming car, police said.

"We've never had anything quite like this," Van Buren County sheriff's Sgt. Virg Franks told the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Police said skid marks left at the scene suggested the crash was accidental. Family and friends told police there were no bad feelings between the brothers.

Jessie West was wearing a seat belt and was trapped inside his car when police arrived. James West, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from his car. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, The Herald-Palladium of St. Joseph and the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune reported.

Jessie West worked as a supervisor at Gallagher's Eatery /&/amp; Pub in Paw Paw and left early Sunday, saying he wasn't feeling well. His brother worked as a truck driver and moved into the home about eight months ago, said Jessie's longtime neighbor, Josh Hunsberger.

Source: news.aol.com

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Colombia clowns killed on stage

Two circus clowns have been shot dead during a performance in the eastern Colombian city of Cucuta, police say. The attacker jumped into the arena and fired before fleeing, police chief Jose Humberto Henao told Efe news agency.
Local reports say the audience of about 20 people, mostly children, thought the shooting was part of the show before realising both men had been killed.

Last year, a prominent circus clown, known as Pepe, was also shot dead by a unknown assailant in Cucuta.

The motive for the latest killing remains unclear, police said. Local media reports suggest two attackers may have been involved.

One clown was shot in the head as he performed on stage, about an hour into the Circo del Sol's evening show.

The second, named as 18-year-old Franklin Leal, from Cucuta, was then shot as he stood by the ticket booth, according to the newspaper La Opinion.

The travelling circus had set up in a suburb of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander province near the Venezuelan border, about 10 days earlier, the paper says.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

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Preparer who falsified tax returns sentenced to 8 months

A Virginia Beach tax return preparer was sentenced Tuesday to eight months in prison after admitting that he falsified 65 to 70 returns, costing the government more than $100,000.
Alonzo C. Nelson, 47, of Norfolk, operated Nelson Income Tax Service at 2329 Virginia Beach Blvd. The Internal Revenue Service began investigating him in 2004 after agents noticed that the number of his clients receiving tax refunds was between 95 and 99 percent.
In March that year, an undercover IRS agent had a tax return prepared at Nelson's business. Nelson increased the deductions on the return to increase agent's refund from $13 to $1,973, according to a federal prosecutor's statement filed in court.
"We want you to make more money," Nelson told the agent, the statement said.
IRS agents raided Nelson's office in May 2004. In an interview with agents, he admitted to falsifying as many as 70 returns, including for his business, the statement says.
The IRS estimates that it lost about $105,000 in the falsified tax returns. Authorities could not be reached late Tuesday to say whether the taxpayers would be held liable for those undeserved refunds.
In U.S. District Court on Tuesday, a federal judge also sentenced Nelson to five months of home detention and prohibited him from preparing tax returns while serving one year of probation.

Source: content.hamptonroads.com

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Widow given fire alarm after returning to home after tragedy

FIREFIGHTERS joined with Moe Willoughby as she returned to her home for the first time since her husband tragically died in a fire there last year.
John Willoughby died in their home in Ploverly, Werrington, Peterborough, in September, after a cigarette which had not been properly extinguished caused a blaze in their home.

Devastated Moe (59) assisted the Cambridgeshire Fire Service in their Christmas campaign to urge people to have smoke alarms fitted in their homes – she believes if she had had one in her own home, John (74) may have been saved.

And on Saturday, Moe moved back into her home for the first time, joined by a team from Dogsthorpe Fire Station who were on hand to fit smoke detectors in her house and to carry out a fire safety check.

Station officer Gavin Hammond said they were grateful to Moe for her support. He added: “We’re encouraging people to take up the opportunity of a free fire safety check and free smoke alarms. All they have to do is contact their local fire sstation.”

Source: peterboroughtoday.co.uk

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Colombian Minister Resigns Amidst Scandal Over Ties With Militias

Simon Romero

THE Colombian Foreign Minister has resigned as President Alvaro Uribe's government struggles with a scandal that has revealed ties between paramilitary cocaine-trafficking squads and some of Mr Uribe's most prominent supporters.

The resignation of Maria Consuelo Araujo on Monday came just days after Mr Uribe, the US's closest ally in South America, expressed support for her. But fallout from the arrest last week of five politicians, including Ms Araujo's brother, Alvaro, a senator, on charges of working with paramilitary squads in a kidnapping case, made her presence in the cabinet untenable.

Hours after Ms Araujo's resignation, Mr Uribe named Fernando Araujo as her replacement. Mr Araujo, who only recently escaped from six years as a hostage in rebel captivity, is not related to his predecessor.

Mr Uribe called Mr Araujo "a reflective citizen, who has suffered in this national tragedy". The US President, George Bush, who is scheduled to visit Colombia in three weeks, has stood by Mr Uribe, partly to counter the enhanced regional influence of the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez.

But the support for Mr Uribe's government is coming under fresh scrutiny as the US Congress weighs a request from the Bush Administration for $US3.9 billion ($5 billion) in military and anti-narcotics assistance for Colombia, which is the largest recipient of US aid outside the Middle East and Afghanistan.

"There is a Democratic Congress that is much more sensitive to human rights issues," said Alejo Vargas, a political scientist at the National University of Colombia in Bogota.

Prosecutors believe Senator Araujo helped finance the paramilitaries and was possibly involved in the kidnapping of a political rival. The Colombian Supreme Court has recommended that prosecutors also investigate his father.

Eight pro-Uribe parliamentarians have been jailed since the scandal broke in November, another is on the run and an army colonel has been suspended.

The chairman of the US congressional subcommittee that oversees aid to Colombia, Senator Patrick Leahy, said on Monday that Ms Araujo's resignation and the recent arrests were "positive" but left questions unanswered. He said assurances were needed that the Colombian Government had "severed links to these terrorist groups".

Colombia's paramilitary groups were set up in the 1980s by rich landowners looking for protection from rebels. But as they pushed back insurgents, the paramilitaries often killed people just on suspicion they had colluded with the rebels.

For years, they have boasted about their ties to the political class and business leaders. Local army commanders sometimes helped them carry out attacks.

More than 31,000 paramilitaries have demobilised under a peace deal with Mr Uribe's government. However, human rights groups say powerful paramilitary bosses have been allowed to keep their criminal and drug-smuggling operations intact.

Fernando Araujo was the development minister in the government of Andres Pastrana when he was was kidnapped in December 2000 by the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. One of 59 high-profile hostages held by the guerillas, he escaped on New Year's Eve.

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Sex in fast lane halts traffic on road

Israeli police investigating why a car was blocking traffic in the fast lane of a major highway Sunday found a couple inside having sex.
A police spokesman said the female driver and her male passenger gave in to their passions without pulling over to the side of the road, causing congestion and leaving other motorists having to swerve to dodge their stationary vehicle.

A patrolman gave the woman a ticket for holding up traffic.

Source: news.yahoo.com

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Britney, A Lost Little Girl?...

I feel sorry for Britney: here she is going through an obviously distressing time and she doesn’t seem to be able to balance it out.
Life has been a whirlwind of events for Britney Spears lately: she and hubby Kevin Federline have separated; she is a single mom of two very young children; her ex is asking for custody and accusing her of unsuitability as a mother.

Her highly publicized fling with male model Isaac Cohen has fallen through, with Cohen disclosing very personal information about a lonely and insecure Britney. And partying out with Paris Hilton /&/amp; co. has not proven to be a solution to whatever is troubling her.

The 25-year-old’s on-going little breakdown is amply covered by the media and her latest fait accompli is on every front page of every newspaper. In an act of rebellion, the pop princess sheared off her locks, all of them, in a Los Angeles beauty salon.

The salon owner was offering the precious pop star hair on eBay, along with a leftover Red Bull Britney allegedly drank, a blue Bic lighter and the clippers she used. “We still don't know why Britney chose our shop. We'll probably never know,” said the shop owner's husband, JT Tognozzi.

The Tognozzi couple has also said part of the resulting proceeds will go to charity. After their ad was removed from eBay on Monday, according to NBC News, the couple launched a new, official site, buybritneyshair.com, where the ‘products’ continue to be available for sale.

“This is the ultimate Britney Spears Experience,” the Tognozzis promise on their site.

Another recent rumor about the troubled singer is that she checked in and out of rehab last week, with the speed of sound.

According to People Magazine, Britney checked herself into Eric Clapton's Crossroads Centre in Antigua and then checked out a mere 24 hours later. At the same time, the singer’s former personal assistant, Felicia Culotta, revealed that Britney was going through a very difficult period.

“There's just so much you can do to help a person,” Culotta wrote in a letter to Hollywood.com. “I cannot save her from herself, nor can I commit her to any type of treatment programme against her wishes and will.”

Fortunately for her, Britney seems to have good days as well. At the beginning of February, she attended a New York fashion show, looking quite composed and merry. When asked about life as a single, she told reporters: “It's awesome! I'm loving it.”

Whether she was just putting on a happy face for the media or not, the singer has also been spending a lot of time working in the studio, trying to finish her new album. Perhaps getting back to the work she enjoys will give her a new balance.

Source: playfuls.com

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Anna rivals in court to fight for the body

Two men claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby come face to face today in a Florida courtroom as the battle over the former centerfold's body continues.
Broward County Court Judge Larry Seidlin will determine whether the body should be released to Smith's companion, lawyer Howard K. Stern, or her estranged mother, Virgie Arthur.

Photographer Larry Birkhead - who, along with Stern and at least two other men, claims to have fathered Smith's daughter - plans to attend a custody hearing in Los Angeles via conference call so that he can appear in person in the Fort Lauderdale courtroom.

"Larry is \[there\] to express what he believes are Anna Nicole's last wishes," a source close to Birkhead said, without elaborating.

Stern wants to bury the former reality TV star in the Bahamas next to her son. Arthur wants her daughter laid to rest near the family home in Texas.

The judge is also expected to decide whether Stern will remain executor of Smith's will. Smith, 39, left everything to a trust controlled by Stern for her son, Daniel Smith.

But Daniel, 20, died of an apparent accidental drug overdose on Sept. 10, just three days after his mother gave birth to daughter Dannielynn. in the Bahamas.

Stern and Birkhead, who have had a prickly relationship, have not seen each other since Smith died Feb. 8 of still-unknown causes.

Fox TV last night aired a creepy home video - shot by a laughing Stern - of an incoherent Smith, her face painted garishly like a clown.

"Is this a mushroom trip?" Stern asks three times, mocking the zonked-out Smith, who was eight months pregnant when the video was taken.

"This footage is worth money," Stern remarks. at another point.

Source: nydailynews.com

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UK letter bomber 'a woman'

British police believe the person responsible for a string of letter bombs earlier this month is a woman, the Daily Mirror tabloid reported on Monday.
Citing unnamed police sources, the Mirror said police had analysed a series of labels used to address four of the seven devices, which had revealed that the handwriting was that of a woman.

"Analysis of the handwriting on some of the bomb packaging leads us to believe it's the work of a woman," an unidentified senior police source was quoted as saying by the tabloid.

"We have a number of suspects in mind and are expecting to make arrests this week."

The spate of letter bombings injured eight people over a three-week period ending about two weeks ago.

Six of the seven companies targeted in the bombings provide services or technology to law enforcement agencies.

Media speculation about the identity of the bomber has focused on a disgruntled motorist or animal rights extremists.

Source: news24.com

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Man Faces A Maximum Sentence Of 335 Years Imprisonment

United States Attorney Carol C. Lam announced that today John Harrell, Daniel Anderson, Kenneth Hodgell, John Reitz, and Gregg Stavros pled guilty to federal fraud and tax charges relating to their roles in a cult-like investment scheme that operated out of San Diego beginning in the late 1980's. All the guilty pleas were entered in U.S. District Court in San Diego, California, before the Honorable Thomas J. Whelan.

The indictment charged the defendants with operating a fraudulent enterprise that purported to raise millions of dollars from investors for several stated purposes, including, but not limited to, qualifying for the release of funds to be used for various insurance-related ventures, financing and operating insurance-related companies, mining and refining gold, issuing a consumer rebate card, operating community social development centers, and financing medical research and development.

In truth, however, the defendants spent all of the investor money, over $20 million, on themselves. For example, the defendants used investor money to pay their rent, to pay for privately chartered flights, and to rent cars for themselves. The rental car bill alone was over $400,000 per year. The defendants targeted many of their victims through churches.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason A. Forge, who prosecuted the case, Harrell, the leader of the criminal enterprise, admitted to a conspiracy that defrauded investors out of over $20 million, as well as 14 counts of wire fraud and 13 counts of money laundering. Harrell, who was not offered a plea agreement, faces a maximum sentence of 335 years imprisonment.

The remaining defendants all pled guilty to wire fraud and tax charges; they each face a maximum sentence of 8-10 years. United States Attorney Lam said, “For years, these defendants exploited the trust of fellow parishioners, relatives, and others. Now, they’ll have years to reflect on the consequences of their actions.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel R. Dzwilewski said, “Today’s successes in this investigation demonstrate the FBI’s commitment to dismantling criminal enterprises. Mr. Harrell and his coconspirators utilized a complex fraud scheme to steal millions through promises of high rates of return with no risk.

He also preyed on his victims’ religious faiths and their suspicion of government. Today’s result will allow the U.S. Attorney’s office to seek a sentence which will make others think twice before defrauding the American public.”

“The prosecution of individuals who hide their income and evade taxes is a vital element in keeping the public’s confidence in our tax system. Honest taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for those who intentionally conceal income from the government,” said Kenneth J. Hines, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, San Diego Field Office.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Forge, “The investigation which culminated in today’s guilty pleas has now led to the convictions of 15 defendants and the seizure of over $2.4 million in cash.”

DEFENDANTS Case Number 03cr0850W
John Harrell
Kenneth Hodgell
John Reitz
Daniel Anderson
Gregg Alan Stavros
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Title 18, United States Code, Section 371 - Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343 - Wire Fraud
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h) -Conspiracy to Launder Money
Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956 - Money Laundering
Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201 - Income Tax Evasion
Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1) - False Return
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division

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Six Young Children & A Woman Killed In PA Fire

DAN NEPHIN,
Associated Press Writer

Fire swept through a house in southwestern Pennsylvania early Saturday, killing six young children and a woman and injuring one other person, state police said.

Several people in the house were able to escape, state Trooper Brian Burden said.

Police said the young victims were four girls ages 4, 9, 7 and 10, and two boys ages 2 and 3. Authorities had not determined the relationship between the children and the woman, who was 26.

Robert Husner, who was staying in the home, said Joshua Arthur Sr., the father of three of the children, woke him and the two of them tried to rescue all six children, who were sleeping in two separate bedrooms.

"The flames were just too high," said Husner, 27. "I couldn't get in, there was so much smoke."

The home's gas furnace was not working so the residents were using space heaters throughout the home to keep warm, Husner said. Authorities said it was unclear whether they contributed to the fire, which was being investigated by a state police fire marshal.

State police identified the victims as Rebecca Eddy, 26, and her children Tiffany Blake, 10, Rebecca Blake, 9, and Diamond Blake, 7; and Arthur's children, Donna Jo Arthur, 5, Joshua Arthur Jr., 3, and Christopher Arthur, 2. Arthur was listed in serious condition at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. Husner and two other people escaped from the flames, authorities aid.

Firefighters arrived at 3:15 a.m. and found flames 10 to 15 feet high shooting from the split-level house, Waynesburg Volunteer Fire Company Chief Larry Marshall said.

"Fire was shooting out all the windows and doors," Marshall said. The blaze was under control in about 30 minutes, "but it was too late," he said.

Neighbor Mike Vukmanic, 23, who lives about 100 yards away, said he called 911 after he heard "a screaming, pounding noise" and looked out to see the home's back door open and flames inside.

A few minutes later, Vukmanic said, "it was just engulfed."

Vukmanic's stepfather, Tony Simonetti, ran to the house and found a man who told him there were people inside.

"I looked. There was no way to get into the house," Simonetti said.

Waynesburg is in rural southwestern Pennsylvania about 35 miles from Pittsburgh.

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Nigerian Government Cancels Advert On CNN

The Nigerian government on Thursday canceled an advert it had placed on U.S. television channel CNN because of a report broadcast last week about militants holding hostages in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Information Minister Frank Nweke said Nigeria had demanded an apology from the station over the report, which he said depicted the situation in the Niger Delta in an "unethical and subversive" way.

"The government of Nigeria considers it improper to continue to run a promotional material about the country in a medium that has consistently, even unprofessionally, depicted it and her people in a denigrating manner," Nweke wrote to CNN.

Asked to comment on the government's announcement, a CNN spokesman in the United States reiterated that the television channel stood by its story: "We stand by ... (the) report."

The report showed masked gunmen and the 24 Filipino hostages they were holding in the remote creeks of the anarchic Niger Delta, where kidnappings of foreign workers are a common problem. The 24 captives have since been released.

In a long statement on February 9 attacking the report, Nweke said it sensationalized the problems of the delta and misrepresented Nigeria as a country in perpetual crisis.

In that earlier statement, Nweke said the Nigerian security agencies were investigating "subversive" activities by some foreign correspondents, without naming them.

Some Nigerian journalists have been arrested in past months over political stories, drawing international criticism, but there have been no recent examples of foreign journalists facing serious problems with the authorities.

Nigeria is due to hold elections in April that should mark the first democratic transition from one civilian government to another in Africa's most populous nation and top oil producer.

Britain expressed concern last month over the arrests of several Nigerian journalists and said the press should be allowed to cover the elections free from intimidation.

Nweke is the architect of a campaign called "Heart of Africa" that seeks to improve Nigeria's image. The advert that the government pulled from CNN was part of that campaign.

Nigeria has also bought advertising space on London buses and in underground train stations to display Heart of Africa billboards showing glamorous, successful Nigerians.

The campaign aims to debunk Nigeria's image abroad as a country blighted by corruption, crime, poverty and inter-communal violence. One of the slogans is "Nigeria. It's not what you think."

But such efforts have had to contend with a constant flow of bad news, especially from the Niger Delta, the impoverished wetlands region that accounts for all of Nigeria's oil output.

Kidnappings are an almost daily occurrence there, thousands of expatriate workers have fled and a fifth of oil production is shut down because of militant attacks.

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Hunger Kills 18,000 Kids Each Day Says The United Nations Organisation

EDITH M. LEDERER,
Associated Press Writer

Some 18,000 children die every day because of hunger and malnutrition and 850 million people go to bed every night with empty stomachs, a "terrible indictment of the world in 2007," the head of the U.N. food agency said.

James Morris called for students and young people, faith-based groups, the business community and governments to join forces in a global movement to alleviate and eliminate hunger -- especially among children.

"The little girl in Malawi who's fed, and goes to school: 50 percent less likely to be HIV-positive, 50 percent less likely to give birth to a low birth weight baby," he said in an interview Friday. "Everything about her life changes for the better and it's the most important, significant, humanitarian, political, or economic investment the world can make in its future."

Morris, an American businessman and former president the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment, one of the largest charitable organizations in the U.S., is stepping down as executive director of the Rome-based World Food Program in April after five years of leading the world's largest humanitarian organization.

He said that while the percentage of people who are hungry and malnourished has decreased from a fifth of the world's population to a sixth of the population, the actual number of hungry people is growing by about 5 million people a year because of the rising population.

"Today 850 million people are hungry and malnourished. Over half of them are children. 18,000 children die every single day because of hunger and malnutrition," Morris said. "This is a shameful fact -- a terrible indictment of the world in 2007, and it's an issue that needs to be solved."

Morris said the largest number of malnourished children are in India -- more than 100 million -- followed by nearly 40 million in China.

"I'm very optimistic that India and China are very focused on this issue," he said. "They're making great progress -- (but) need to do more. (It) needs to be a top priority."

Elsewhere, there are probably 100 million hungry children in the rest of Asia, another 100 million in Africa where countries have fewer resources to help, and 30 million in Latin America, he said.

As Morris prepares to leave his post, he said the two issues of greatest concern are the increasing number of impoverished people and the "very significant, growing number of natural disasters around the world."

According to the World Bank, natural disasters have increased fourfold over the last 30 years, he said. That means several billion people need instant help over the course of a decade because of disasters such as the tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake, or drought in southern Africa.

The response to these disasters and conflicts such as in Sudan's Darfur region and Lebanon has meant that most development aid has been used to save lives -- not to help communities prevent disasters and promote development through agricultural programs, education for children and water conservation, Morris said.

The agency's biggest operation today is in Darfur, where violence and security are major problems and 2.5 million people have fled their homes and now live in camps.

"Our convoys are attacked almost daily. We had a truck driver killed there at the end of last year. Our convoys coming through Chad from Libya are always at risk. When the African Union troops were there, that was very helpful. The U.N. troops will be even more helpful," Morris said.

He was referring to a plan for an AU-U.N. force to be deployed in Darfur, which is awaiting approval from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

American diplomat Josette Sheeran will replace Morris, who plans to head home to Indianapolis.

"I will work as hard as I can every day of the rest of my life to see that more resources are available to feed hungry children," Morris said.

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Sylvester Stallone Detained At Sydney Airport for Undisclosed Contraband

Sylvester Stallone was detained for hours on arrival at Sydney Airport after officials found prohibited imports in his luggage and that of his entourage, media reported Saturday.

Australian Customs Service national investigations manager Richard Janeczko did not say what the items were or whose luggage among Stallone's party they were found in during a routine screening late Friday.

"As a result of having their luggage x-rayed, a number of prohibited items were seized by Customs," Janeczko told Ten Network television news. "Mr. Stallone was allowed to continue with his party and our investigations are continuing." He gave no other details.

Stallone emerged from the airport hours after his fellow passengers and signed autographs for fans, Ten reported. He declined to comment on the incident.

Stallone is in Australia to promote his movies "Rocky Balboa."

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Be accused of Groping In Japan - Go Straight To Jail

Masuo Kamiyama

Toei-affiliated theaters around Japan are currently showing a controversial film entitled "Even then, I swear I didn't do it." Directed by Masayuki Suo, the movie is based on the true story of a 26-year-old man, accused by a high school girl of groping her on a packed rush-hour train, who went through a living hell.

"Since I saw it, I've been afraid to get on a train," a fortyish salaryman confides to Asahi Geino.

In Japan, it seems, those suspected of "chikanery" are considered guilty until proved innocent. Which might be difficult to do: After all, you were there, your hands were free to roam, and any potential witnesses either had their eyes glued to their cell phone screens or were in cloud cuckoo manga land.

In the abovementioned movie, a prosecutor offered the accused a plea bargain. "If you admit your action unequivocally, you'll be fined. No different from a traffic violation." But the man smelled a trap and stuck to his guns, insisting, nope, he'd never touched her.

"It's no easy task to prove one's innocence," says journalist Masaki Ikegami. "If the case goes to court, the prosecution's rate for successful guilty convictions is running 99.9 percent.

"It's assumed that women who are willing to admit to the shame of having been groped are to be completely believed, as far as identifying their assailant," he adds.

So to keep its readers out of trouble, Asahi Geino provides what might very well be the most comprehensive advisory ever published on how to avoid being falsely accused of groping.

- Get an early start. If possible, depart from the first station on the line. Considering the extra outlay to purchase a reserved seat ticket.

- Be especially careful if you commute on express trains with long intervals between stops.

- If you're standing, grasp the strap with both hands, so they are visible to everyone in your proximity.

- Turn your back towards women standing close by.

- If you happen to bump against a woman, say "Pardon me" in a voice loud enough to be heard by other passengers and change your position.

- Under no circumstances should you stand beside girls of middle school age.

- Apologize promptly and profusely for any physical contacts with a woman, even arm contact.

- Chew gum or suck on bad breath mints -- bad breath tends to annoy people.

- It's dangerous to tap out messages on cell phones as some women may suspect a man is using the built-in camera to surreptitiously take her photo.

If accused of groping, by the way, you may think your privacy is sacrosanct, don't. The items you keep at home may cause suspicion to harden into certainty.

"After you're arrested, if you continue to deny it, it's common for the police to obtain a warrant to search your residence," says a former suspect. "If you're found in possession of porn, and particularly videos with groping scenes, this will almost certainly prejudice the court unfavorably."

Likewise, Asahi Geino advises, you don't want to be caught with a video camera or SM paraphernalia such as handcuffs in your briefcase. If these items are found on your person, you might as well start looking for an interior decorator for your cell.

Furthermore, don't expect railway company staff to be sympathetic.

"If we get a complaint from a woman, our policy is to turn the man over to the police, no ands, ifs or buts," says a station employee.

"All you can do is keep a cool head and keep maintaining your innocence," the magazine advises.

If it does get as far as a police interrogation, it is absolutely essential that you to go over every minute nuance in the police report before signing it.

For example, if you concede that you "might possibly have come into contact," with the injured party, this can be construed as your having admitted you "touched her," and turned against you at the trial.

One of the few defense techniques if you are accused is to insist on a forensic examination of fibers. If you're found to be "clean," this can be used by your attorney as evidence of your innocence. It makes sense look for a criminal attorney who has experience at repudiating such charges.

Finally, if you do maintain your innocence, be prepared for a long, drawn-out ordeal. It took Takashi Yatabe, the model for the book about the plight of another accused groper, two years before his innocence was finally confirmed. That included three months in jail before the prosecutor decided to file charges

So remember Asahi Geino's advice: to avoid accusations of groping, forewarned is forearmed.

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Sunnis Vs Shi'a - Divided on Iran?

Khalid Mohammed
AP

The Sunnis say, "We told you so." The Shi'ites say, "Look who's talking." Iraq's leaders are divided along sectarian lines on almost every issue, big and small, so it should come as no surprise that the two sides have totally different views on the latest U.S. accusations about Iran supplying arms and know-how to Iraqi militias.

The accusations were welcomed by Sunni politicians, who have long maintained that Tehran supports Shi'a death squads and militias. "We diagnosed this problem a long time ago," Salim al-Jabouri, a prominent Sunni member of Iraq's parliament, told TIME. "It was expected that the Americans would come to the same conclusion."

But Shi'a politicians, who make up the largest block of the parliament and have close ties to Tehran, dismissed U.S. claims as propaganda by a Bush Administration seeking to deflect blame for the American military's failure to curb the growing violence in Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has maintained a studied silence; Ali al-Dabbagh, his official spokesman, told TIME the government has no comment on the latest accusations. But an official in the Prime Minister's office questioned the credibility of U.S. intelligence, pointing to recent reports of evidence-fudging at the Pentagon in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. "They need a scapegoat, so they conveniently point to their old enemy, Iran," said the official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media. "But these days American intelligence is a discredited commodity. Who can believe them?"

Maliki's own Dawa Party has close ties to Iran and has in the past deflected questions about Iran's support for the Shi'a militias, instead fingering Iraq's Sunni neighbors — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan — for aiding terrorist groups. "We don't deny that Iran has an interest in Iraq, and that is a matter of concern," said Abu Firas al-Saedi, a senior Dawa leader. "But the real question is: 'Why are the Arab states allowing terrorists to enter Iraq through their borders, and why are they financing them?'" That sentiment was echoed by parliamentarian Falah Shansal, from the Shi'a bloc of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. "There are groups in Saudi Arabia who finance terrorism in Iraq," he said. "Why are the Americans not talking about this?"

Some Shi'a leaders acknowledge that Iran may be meddling in Iraqi affairs, but say the solution lies in diplomacy. Washington's aggressive finger-pointing, they say, can only antagonize the Iranians further, and hurt Iraq's interests. "To end the violence, Iraq needs the help of all its neighbors, and we have to be very diplomatic about how we approach them," Shansal said.

Meanwhile, Iraq's largest Shi'a party denied U.S. claims that two Iranian agents were seized at the home of the party's leader, Abdel-Azziz al-Hakim. Ridha Jawad Taki, a spokesman for Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRII), said the two were diplomats and were grabbed as they were on their way to the home of President Jalal Talabani, Hakim's neighbor. "They were invited by the President to discuss the security situation," he said. "And they were released after two days."

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Police issue letter bomb advice online

POLICE are warning people to be extra vigilant after the recent spate of letter bomb attacks.
There is no intelligence to suggest Hampshire is a target, but police are urging people to take extra care when handling mail.

Officers are in contact with local companies and businesses to provide advice on how to keep themselves safe.

Detective Superintendent Alan Betts, head of Hampshire Constabulary's Special Branch, said: 'Our message is be alert, not alarmed, and be cautious when handing incoming mail.

'We are working with local businesses and agencies to provide security advice, and the public can help themselves by just looking out for suspicious tell-tale signs as listed on our website.

'Anyone who receives a suspicious package should not attempt to open it under any circumstances and should immediately alert the police by calling 999.'

The advice to the public can be viewed at www.hampshire.police.uk

Further advice for businesses can be found at www.mi5.gov.uk

Source: portsmouthtoday.co.uk

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