U.S.-based Microchip Technology Inc. has brought a leading Chinese semiconductor maker to court in Shanghai, accusing the company of infringing the copyright of its database.
The world's paramount chip maker is suing Shanghai Haier Integrated Circuit Co. on charges of copying the microcode and the data manual of the Microchip-patented Microcontroller Unit (MCU) -- PIC16CXXX.
"Microchip has devoted huge resources to developing the data manual and the microcode, and we have solid evidence to prove Shanghai Haier has violated our copyrights," said Yang Jinzhu, vice president of Microchip Asia Pacific.
According to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the copyright should be protected in China just as it is in the United States, Yang said.
Shanghai Haier said in a statement "Microchip's accusation is a distortion aimed to restrain Haier and intimidate its clients, which Haier cannot accept".
The statement said Haier owned the intellectual property rights of all its products. "Haier's MCU is not completely compatible with Microchip's. Our products have more functions and better resistance to interference," it said.
Chen Shu, a Haier marketing manager, said "the company will cooperate with the judicial investigation but I am sure we won't lose the case."
The case has been accepted and will be heard at Shanghai First Intermediate People's Court.
Microchip Technology Sues Shanghai Haier Integrated Circuit Over Copyright Infringement
Report Reveals Japan Army Sex Slavery Racket
Forcing women to become sex slaves was a crime organized by the Japanese military during Japan's invasion of China in the 1930s and 1940s, according to an investigative report published yesterday.
The first report by the Investigative Committee on Former Chinese "Comfort Women", co-founded by All China Lawyers' Association (ACLA) and China Legal Aid Foundation, traced 17 more survivors besides the ones who have already sued the Japanese government.
During its probe from September 2006 to March 2007, the committee found 14 of the 17 survivors were less than 18 when they were forced to become "comfort women", with the youngest being just 12.
Sixteen of the newly identified women were from North China's Shanxi Province and one from South China's Hainan Province, said the report posted on ACLA's website. The committee focused on five counties in Shanxi, two in Hainan and six in Yunnan.
Kang Jian, one of the lawyers behind the investigation, interviewed all the 17 survivors. "Now they are all in their 70s or 80s but they still suffer from serious mental and physical trauma," he said.
The Japanese army even tortured these "comfort women" by slashing them with knives or burning their faces with cigarettes.
"Many of them have no children and live in poverty. They told me their biggest wish was to get an apology and compensation from the Japanese government," Kang said.
But Tokyo has refused to pay direct compensation to any of the estimated 200,000 women, mostly Asian, saying all claims had been settled by subsequent peace treaties.
In April, Japan's top court rejected compensation claims of two Chinese women forced into the military brothels.
"Japanese courts have dismissed three Chinese 'comfort women's' lawsuits, while the fourth is going on," Kang said. "We carried out the investigations in a way that the documentation would help the court case."
The committee also released photographs of six Japanese officers' confessing about how they had "arrested" Chinese women and set up military brothels. Even a temple at Tengchong County in Yunnan Province was turned into a Japanese army brothel.
The "comfort women" practise lasted at least 16 years in China, the report said.
Su Zhiliang, director of the research center on "comfort women" in Shanghai Normal University, said more than 200,000 Chinese women were forced to become "comfort women" and over 75 percent of them were tortured to death.
"It's a shame that the Japanese government has rejected compensation pleas because the regulations and certificates show that the Japanese army and its government had forced women into prostitution," Su said. "In Hainan alone, there were 67 military brothels; there were more than 158 in Shanghai."
Jessica Smith Pleads Guilty On DUI Charges
The attorney for Jessica Smith, former star of MTV's "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County," plead guilty to misdemeanor DUI on Monday.
Smith was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to attend one MADD meeting and serve 80 hours of community service.
Smith was charged back in March, after the car she was driving slammed into the back of an Acura, causing "great bodily injury" to people in both cars.
The CHP report said that her level of intoxication, unsafe speed and wet roadways were conditions that led to the crash.
Smith amassed fines and penalties totaling more than $1,300.
Britney Spears Apologizes For Umbrella Incidence With Paparazzi
Britney Spears had a lot of explaining to do after a tumultuous few months and has been doing so through writing letters.
She has written open letters to fans on her official website to explain her behavior, served her own mother with a letter which allegedly warned her to stay away from her grandchildren and now the fallen pop star has penned a note to the paparazzi.
Back when Britney was on her downward spiral, she vandalized a photographer's car with an umbrella. Images were splashed across magazines around the world of a bald Britney, dressed in an oversized sweater and shorts, hurling an umbrella at a car.
However, the "Crazy" singer insists that she is sorry about the incident and that she didn't mean for it to get so out of control. According to the mother-of-two, she was getting into character for a film role that fell through.
She wrote to paparazzi agency x17, saying, "I want to apologize for the past incident with the umbrella. I was preparing a character for a possible movie role where the husband doesn't play his part so they swap places. Unfortunately I didn't get the part. I'm sorry I got all carried away with my role!"
Many sources are unsure whether Britney is being genuine in her apology or if she is making up another excuse.
The star's wild behavior at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007 landed her in rehab. She has since gone back to work and partying.
Sphere: Related Content
She has written open letters to fans on her official website to explain her behavior, served her own mother with a letter which allegedly warned her to stay away from her grandchildren and now the fallen pop star has penned a note to the paparazzi.
Back when Britney was on her downward spiral, she vandalized a photographer's car with an umbrella. Images were splashed across magazines around the world of a bald Britney, dressed in an oversized sweater and shorts, hurling an umbrella at a car.
However, the "Crazy" singer insists that she is sorry about the incident and that she didn't mean for it to get so out of control. According to the mother-of-two, she was getting into character for a film role that fell through.
She wrote to paparazzi agency x17, saying, "I want to apologize for the past incident with the umbrella. I was preparing a character for a possible movie role where the husband doesn't play his part so they swap places. Unfortunately I didn't get the part. I'm sorry I got all carried away with my role!"
Many sources are unsure whether Britney is being genuine in her apology or if she is making up another excuse.
The star's wild behavior at the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007 landed her in rehab. She has since gone back to work and partying.
British reporter Alan Johnston Released After 115 Days in Captivity
Following some 115 days in captivity, British reporter Alan Johnston, looking pale and tired, was released in the Gaza Strip and said it was "fantastic" to be free after an "appalling" ordeal. Johnston told a news conference that he was moved twice during his nearly four months in captivity.
The British Broadcasting Corp. correspondent described his time in captivity as "occasionally quite terrifying" in a telephone interview with the BBC. "It was an appalling experience," he said, speaking from the home of deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza.
"It is indescribably good to be out," he said in a steady and composed voice. "It is just the most fantastic thing to be free," he added, saying he felt as well as could be expected.
"I didn't know where it was going to end," he said, adding that he had endured "an extraordinary level of stress" and psychological pressure. "I probably got out if it as well as I could have."
Johnston was kidnapped by a shadowy, little-known group from a Gaza City street on March 12 and held far longer than any other foreign reporter in Gaza.
After his release, he was taken to the home of Haniyeh in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp. Before entering, Johnston told an Associated Press reporter, "I'm OK, really, I'm OK."
Television footage showed Johnston emerging from a building in Gaza surrounded by a throng of armed Palestinian men and escorted into a waiting car while cameras flashed around him.
Simon Wilson, the BBC's Middle East bureau chief, speaking to BBC News 24 from Jerusalem, said he had spoken to Johnston following his release. "His first thoughts were for others and for what they've done for him."
The BBC also reported Johnston had spoken to his father since his release. A BBC spokesman in London could not confirm details of the terms of the reporter's release.
There was no immediate comment from Johnston's captors, the Army of Islam.
Hamas had demanded Johnston's freedom since it violently seized control of Gaza last month, in an apparent bid to curry favor with the West.
On Tuesday, Hamas gunmen took positions around the Army of Islam's stronghold, stepping up the pressure to secure his release.
Members of Hamas' 6,000-person militia moved onto rooftops of high-rise buildings and deployed gunmen in streets of the Gaza City neighborhood inhabited by the Doghmush clan, the large, heavily armed family that leads the Army of Islam.
In an afternoon exchange of fire, a Palestinian civilian was killed, Hamas said, blaming the Doghmush forces. No other casualties were reported.
"The clocks have begun ticking toward the release of Alan Johnston," said Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad. "The operation of the interior ministry Executive Forces has started, and they are tightening the siege on the people involved in his kidnap."
Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said Tuesday that security forces "will not spare any efforts to free the British journalist." Hamas radio broadcast a toll free phone number, urging people to call in any information about the case.
On Monday, Hamas arrested the spokesman of the Army of Islam, giving it a potentially valuable bargaining chip in its efforts to release Johnston.
Late Tuesday, the Doghmush clan released nine students loyal to Hamas that they kidnapped earlier in the week. Hamas officials and mediators said the release was meant to pave the way for Johnston's release.
Then four Army of Islam members were freed by Hamas, said Abu Mujahid from the Popular Resistance Committees, the militant group handling the negotiations. The four included the Army of Islam spokesman arrested Monday.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Johnston's captors of smearing the Palestinian people's reputation and of seeking "to prove to the world that we are a group of militias that fight each other to gain personal ends."
The Army of Islam, whose formerly close relations with Hamas have soured, had demanded that Britain first release a radical Islamic cleric with ties to al-Qaida. It also had threatened to kill Johnston if Hamas tried to free him by force.
Last week, the Army of Islam posted a video message from Johnston on a militant Web site in which he appeared to be wearing an explosives belt that he said his captors would detonate if there were an attempt to free him.
The same group was involved in the capture of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was seized more than a year ago in a raid on an Israeli army post near Gaza.
Sphere: Related Content
The British Broadcasting Corp. correspondent described his time in captivity as "occasionally quite terrifying" in a telephone interview with the BBC. "It was an appalling experience," he said, speaking from the home of deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza.
"It is indescribably good to be out," he said in a steady and composed voice. "It is just the most fantastic thing to be free," he added, saying he felt as well as could be expected.
"I didn't know where it was going to end," he said, adding that he had endured "an extraordinary level of stress" and psychological pressure. "I probably got out if it as well as I could have."
Johnston was kidnapped by a shadowy, little-known group from a Gaza City street on March 12 and held far longer than any other foreign reporter in Gaza.
After his release, he was taken to the home of Haniyeh in Gaza City's Shati refugee camp. Before entering, Johnston told an Associated Press reporter, "I'm OK, really, I'm OK."
Television footage showed Johnston emerging from a building in Gaza surrounded by a throng of armed Palestinian men and escorted into a waiting car while cameras flashed around him.
Simon Wilson, the BBC's Middle East bureau chief, speaking to BBC News 24 from Jerusalem, said he had spoken to Johnston following his release. "His first thoughts were for others and for what they've done for him."
The BBC also reported Johnston had spoken to his father since his release. A BBC spokesman in London could not confirm details of the terms of the reporter's release.
There was no immediate comment from Johnston's captors, the Army of Islam.
Hamas had demanded Johnston's freedom since it violently seized control of Gaza last month, in an apparent bid to curry favor with the West.
On Tuesday, Hamas gunmen took positions around the Army of Islam's stronghold, stepping up the pressure to secure his release.
Members of Hamas' 6,000-person militia moved onto rooftops of high-rise buildings and deployed gunmen in streets of the Gaza City neighborhood inhabited by the Doghmush clan, the large, heavily armed family that leads the Army of Islam.
In an afternoon exchange of fire, a Palestinian civilian was killed, Hamas said, blaming the Doghmush forces. No other casualties were reported.
"The clocks have begun ticking toward the release of Alan Johnston," said Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad. "The operation of the interior ministry Executive Forces has started, and they are tightening the siege on the people involved in his kidnap."
Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal said Tuesday that security forces "will not spare any efforts to free the British journalist." Hamas radio broadcast a toll free phone number, urging people to call in any information about the case.
On Monday, Hamas arrested the spokesman of the Army of Islam, giving it a potentially valuable bargaining chip in its efforts to release Johnston.
Late Tuesday, the Doghmush clan released nine students loyal to Hamas that they kidnapped earlier in the week. Hamas officials and mediators said the release was meant to pave the way for Johnston's release.
Then four Army of Islam members were freed by Hamas, said Abu Mujahid from the Popular Resistance Committees, the militant group handling the negotiations. The four included the Army of Islam spokesman arrested Monday.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Johnston's captors of smearing the Palestinian people's reputation and of seeking "to prove to the world that we are a group of militias that fight each other to gain personal ends."
The Army of Islam, whose formerly close relations with Hamas have soured, had demanded that Britain first release a radical Islamic cleric with ties to al-Qaida. It also had threatened to kill Johnston if Hamas tried to free him by force.
Last week, the Army of Islam posted a video message from Johnston on a militant Web site in which he appeared to be wearing an explosives belt that he said his captors would detonate if there were an attempt to free him.
The same group was involved in the capture of Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was seized more than a year ago in a raid on an Israeli army post near Gaza.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby Got What Paris Hilton Could Not Get
Some five hours after a federal appeals panel ruled that Lewis Libby cannot delay his 30-months prison term, President has intervened to prevent the former vice-presidential aide, from serving the prison term.
Libby was convicted obstructing an inquiry into the leaking of a CIA agent's name, and was just waiting for a date to surrender.
After months of sidestepping pardon questions, Bush stepped in. He did not issue a pardon but erased a prison sentence that he felt was just too harsh.
"I respect the jury's verdict," Bush said in a written statement. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend 30 months in prison."
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald disputed the president's assertion that the prison term was excessive. Libby was sentenced under the same laws as other criminals, Fitzgerald said. "It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals."
Libby's attorney, Theodore Wells, said in a statement that the Libby family was grateful for Bush's action and continued to believe in his innocence.
Because he was not pardoned, Libby remains the highest-ranking White House official convicted of a crime since the Iran-Contra affair. But he won't have to serve a day in prison, a fact that his friends cheered, even those who wished he'd received a full pardon.
"That's fantastic. It's a great relief," said former Ambassador Richard Carlson, who helped raise millions for Libby's defense fund. "Scooter Libby did not deserve to go to prison and I'm glad the president had the courage to do this."
Though the leak investigation is complete and nobody will have to serve prison time, the scandal that has loomed over the Bush administration for years did not subside. Democrats were enraged.
"Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush's decision showed the president "condones criminal conduct."
The president left intact a $250,000 fine and two years probation for his conviction of lying and obstructing justice in a probe into the leak of a CIA operative's identity. The former operative, Valerie Plame, contends the White House was trying to discredit her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of Bush's Iraq policy.
Congress ought to investigate "whether or not the president himself is a participant in the obstruction of justice," Wilson told The Santa Fe New Mexican. Wilson, Plame and their children moved to Santa Fe earlier this year.
"The president has utterly subverted the rule of law and the system of justice that has undergirded this country of ours for the past 220 years," Wilson said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show.
Bush said his action still "leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby."
The leak case has hung over the White House for years. Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald questioned top administration officials, including Bush and Cheney, about their possible roles. And Libby's trial revealed the extraordinary steps that Bush and Cheney were willing to take to discredit a critic of the Iraq war.
Nobody was ever charged with the leak, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage or White House political adviser Karl Rove, who provided the information for the original article. Prosecutors said Libby obstructed the investigation by lying about how he learned about Plame and whom he told.
Already at record lows in the polls, Bush risked a political backlash with his decision. President Ford tumbled in the polls after his 1974 pardon of Richard M. Nixon, and the decision was a factor in Ford's loss in the 1976 election.
Bush's father - former President George H.W. Bush - issued pardons shortly before leaving office in 1992 for former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger and five other former officials who had served in the Reagan administration. The six were involved in the Iran-Contra affair, in which arms were secretly sold to Iran to win the freedom of American hostages, then the money was funneled to anti-communist guerrillas in Nicaragua despite a congressional ban on military aid.
On Monday, White House officials said Bush knew he could take political heat for commuting Libby's prison sentence and simply did what he thought was right. They would not say what advice Cheney might have given the president.
Bush said Cheney's former aide was not getting off free.
"The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged," Bush said. "His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant and private citizen will be long-lasting."
Attorney William Jeffress said he had spoken to Libby briefly by phone and "I'm happy at least that Scooter will be spared any prison time. The prison sentence was imminent but obviously the conviction itself is a heavy blow to Scooter."
If only Bush was there for paris, she would not have returned to jail, sorry paris, he was too busy with Iraq. Or could Lewis "Scooter" Libby be above the law? Maybe Partially.
Sphere: Related Content
Libby was convicted obstructing an inquiry into the leaking of a CIA agent's name, and was just waiting for a date to surrender.
After months of sidestepping pardon questions, Bush stepped in. He did not issue a pardon but erased a prison sentence that he felt was just too harsh.
"I respect the jury's verdict," Bush said in a written statement. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend 30 months in prison."
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald disputed the president's assertion that the prison term was excessive. Libby was sentenced under the same laws as other criminals, Fitzgerald said. "It is fundamental to the rule of law that all citizens stand before the bar of justice as equals."
Libby's attorney, Theodore Wells, said in a statement that the Libby family was grateful for Bush's action and continued to believe in his innocence.
Because he was not pardoned, Libby remains the highest-ranking White House official convicted of a crime since the Iran-Contra affair. But he won't have to serve a day in prison, a fact that his friends cheered, even those who wished he'd received a full pardon.
"That's fantastic. It's a great relief," said former Ambassador Richard Carlson, who helped raise millions for Libby's defense fund. "Scooter Libby did not deserve to go to prison and I'm glad the president had the courage to do this."
Though the leak investigation is complete and nobody will have to serve prison time, the scandal that has loomed over the Bush administration for years did not subside. Democrats were enraged.
"Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush's decision showed the president "condones criminal conduct."
The president left intact a $250,000 fine and two years probation for his conviction of lying and obstructing justice in a probe into the leak of a CIA operative's identity. The former operative, Valerie Plame, contends the White House was trying to discredit her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, a critic of Bush's Iraq policy.
Congress ought to investigate "whether or not the president himself is a participant in the obstruction of justice," Wilson told The Santa Fe New Mexican. Wilson, Plame and their children moved to Santa Fe earlier this year.
"The president has utterly subverted the rule of law and the system of justice that has undergirded this country of ours for the past 220 years," Wilson said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show.
Bush said his action still "leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby."
The leak case has hung over the White House for years. Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald questioned top administration officials, including Bush and Cheney, about their possible roles. And Libby's trial revealed the extraordinary steps that Bush and Cheney were willing to take to discredit a critic of the Iraq war.
Nobody was ever charged with the leak, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage or White House political adviser Karl Rove, who provided the information for the original article. Prosecutors said Libby obstructed the investigation by lying about how he learned about Plame and whom he told.
Already at record lows in the polls, Bush risked a political backlash with his decision. President Ford tumbled in the polls after his 1974 pardon of Richard M. Nixon, and the decision was a factor in Ford's loss in the 1976 election.
Bush's father - former President George H.W. Bush - issued pardons shortly before leaving office in 1992 for former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger and five other former officials who had served in the Reagan administration. The six were involved in the Iran-Contra affair, in which arms were secretly sold to Iran to win the freedom of American hostages, then the money was funneled to anti-communist guerrillas in Nicaragua despite a congressional ban on military aid.
On Monday, White House officials said Bush knew he could take political heat for commuting Libby's prison sentence and simply did what he thought was right. They would not say what advice Cheney might have given the president.
Bush said Cheney's former aide was not getting off free.
"The reputation he gained through his years of public service and professional work in the legal community is forever damaged," Bush said. "His wife and young children have also suffered immensely. He will remain on probation. The significant fines imposed by the judge will remain in effect. The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant and private citizen will be long-lasting."
Attorney William Jeffress said he had spoken to Libby briefly by phone and "I'm happy at least that Scooter will be spared any prison time. The prison sentence was imminent but obviously the conviction itself is a heavy blow to Scooter."
If only Bush was there for paris, she would not have returned to jail, sorry paris, he was too busy with Iraq. Or could Lewis "Scooter" Libby be above the law? Maybe Partially.
Pakistan World Greatest Porn Surfing Nation
Surfers in Pakistan search more for 'sex' on Google than in any other country while those in the Indian capital top the list of those hunting for the three-letter word on the Internet. Google search trends show Pakistan, Egypt and India as the top three countries in the world where surfers look out for 'sex' on the Internet, and those in New Delhi and Chennai hold the top two rankings among global cities.
Cairo in Egypt takes the third spot, according to its 'Hot Trends' report posted on the site. Google trends also show Turkey, Vietnam, Morocco, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro and Indonesia featuring in the list of top 10 countries.
The city list also includes Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey, Rabat in Morocco, Mumbai and Warsaw.
"Hot Trends reflects what people are searching for on Google today, rather than showing the most popular searches overall, which would always be generic terms like weather," says Google.
"Google Trends uses IP (internet protocol) address information from our server logs to make a best guess about where queries originated."
The search engine, however, makes no claim that its trend may be accurate. "We hope you find this service interesting and entertaining, but you probably don't want to write your PhD dissertation based on this information."
Sphere: Related Content
Cairo in Egypt takes the third spot, according to its 'Hot Trends' report posted on the site. Google trends also show Turkey, Vietnam, Morocco, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro and Indonesia featuring in the list of top 10 countries.
The city list also includes Istanbul and Ankara in Turkey, Rabat in Morocco, Mumbai and Warsaw.
"Hot Trends reflects what people are searching for on Google today, rather than showing the most popular searches overall, which would always be generic terms like weather," says Google.
"Google Trends uses IP (internet protocol) address information from our server logs to make a best guess about where queries originated."
The search engine, however, makes no claim that its trend may be accurate. "We hope you find this service interesting and entertaining, but you probably don't want to write your PhD dissertation based on this information."
Paris Hilton Free From Jail
ANDREW DALTON,
Associated Press Writer
After serving a 23-day sentence, a smiling Paris Hilton walked out of a Los Angeles County jail early Tuesday, officially ending a bizarre, three-week stay that ignited furious debate over celebrity treatment in the jail system.
The 26-year-old celebutante was greeted by an enormous gathering of cameras and reporters upon leaving the all-women's facility in Lynwood about 15 minutes past midnight. She had checked into the Century Regional Detention Facility late June 3, largely avoiding the spotlight, after a surprise appearance at the MTV Movie Awards.
Hilton smiled and waved as she filed past deputies and the media, her blond hair pulled back in a braided ponytail. Her parents, Kathy and Rick, waited in a black SUV. Hilton hurried to the vehicle, where she hugged her mom through the window.
Hilton, who was wearing a sage jacket with white trim over a white shirt and skinny jeans, did not respond to reporters' questions.
"She fulfilled her debt. She was obviously in good spirits. She thanked people as she left," said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.
Photographers sprinted after Hilton's vehicle as she left. When the SUV hit a red light during the ride, photographers jumped out of their cars and swarmed it.
Hilton appeared to have gone to a family home in a ritzy Los Angeles canyon north of Sunset Blvd.
The hotel heiress will complete her probation in March 2009 as long as she keeps her driver's license current and doesn't break any laws. She can reduce that time by 12 months if she does community service that could include a public-service announcement, the city attorney's office has said.
During her stay at the Lynwood facility, Hilton was mostly confined to a solitary cell in the special needs unit away from the other 2,200 inmates.
After spending only three days there, she was released to home confinement by Sheriff Lee Baca for an unspecified medical condition that he later said was psychological.
The following day, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer, who sentenced the hotel heiress, called her back into court and ordered her returned to jail, saying he had not condoned her release.
Hilton left the courtroom in tears calling for her mother and shouting, "It's not right!"
She was then taken to the downtown Twin Towers jail, which houses men and the county jail's medical treatment center, where she underwent medical and psychiatric exams to determine where she should be confined.
Hilton's stay there cost taxpayers $1,109.78 a day, more than 10 times the cost of housing inmates in the general population.
The move by Baca caused a firestorm of criticism over whether the celebrity was getting special treatment. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has launched an investigation into whether the multimillionaire received special treatment because of her wealth and fame.
At least one person has filed a claim against the county alleging she "had serious medical issues" but was not treated as well as Hilton.
A few days into her stint at the Twin Towers medical ward, the heiress said in a phone call to Barbara Walters that she had a new outlook.
"I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute," Hilton said during the call, according to an account posted June 11 by Walters on ABC's Web site.
"It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me," Hilton was quoted as saying.
Hilton's path to jail began Sept. 7, when she failed a sobriety test after police saw her weaving down a street in her car on what she said was a late-night run to a hamburger stand.
She pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months' probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.
In the months that followed, she was stopped twice by officers who discovered her driving with a suspended license. The second stop landed her in Sauer's courtroom, where he sentenced her to 45-days in jail. She was released after three weeks for reasons including good behavior.
Ali Hassan al-Majid, AKA "Chemical Ali," Sentenced To Death By Hanging
CHARLES J. HANLEY,
AP Special Correspondent
Some two decades after Iraq's military laid waste to Kurdish villages, the Iraqi High Tribunal on Sunday sentenced Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," and two others to death for their roles in the bloody campaign against the restive ethnic minority.
Al-Majid, a cousin of executed former president Saddam Hussein, was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for ordering army and security services to use chemical weapons in an offensive said to have killed some 180,000 people during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
As the verdicts were read out in Baghdad, to the north some 10,000 American troops were in their sixth day Sunday of a major offensive to oust al-Qaida fighters from the city of Baqouba.
The commander of the U.S. operation said U.S. troops have cleared about 60 percent of western Baqouba of militants, but Iraqi security forces are "not quite up to the job" yet of holding the gains long term.
Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, of the Army's 25th Infantry Division, said it will take weeks or months before Iraqi security forces are ready to police the reclaimed area on their own.
The defendants in what was known as the "Anfal" case, for the code name of the anti-Kurdish campaign, had claimed they were acting on orders at a time when the Baghdad leadership, under President Saddam, viewed the rebellious, independence-minded Kurds as allies of Iran during the 1980s war.
Saddam had been a defendant in the case but was executed Dec. 30 after his conviction for the killing of 148 Shiite Muslims in Dujail after a 1982 attempt on his life.
Al-Majid, who had headed the then-ruling Baath Party's Northern Bureau Command in the 1980s, stood silently for Sunday's verdict and said, "Thanks be to God," as he was led from court.
Two others sentenced to hang for anti-Kurdish atrocities were former defense minister Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai and Hussein Rashid Mohammed, a former deputy director of operations for the Iraqi armed forces.
Interrupting the judge as the verdict was read, Mohammed said the defendants were defending Iraq against Kurdish rebels. "God bless our martyrs. Long live the brave Iraqi army. Long live Iraq. Long live the Baath party and long live Arab nations," he declared.
Two other former regime officials — Sabir al-Douri, former director of military intelligence, and Farhan Mutlaq Saleh, who was head of military intelligence's eastern regional office — were sentenced to life in prison. All charges were dropped against Taher Tawfiq al-Ani, a former governor of Mosul, because of insufficient evidence.
The operation in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, is part of a quartet of U.S. offensives to oust al-Qaida groups from the capital's outskirts.
Bednarek said U.S. forces now control about 60 percent of Baqouba's west side, but "the challenge now is how do you hold onto the terrain you've cleared? You have to do that shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraqi security forces. And they're not quite up to the job yet."
Across Diyala province, where Baqouba is the capital, Iraqi troops are short on uniforms, weapons, ammunition, trucks and radios, he said.
The American general predicted it would be several weeks before Iraqi police and soldiers could keep al-Qaida out of western Baqouba, and months before they could do the same on the city's east side and outlying villages.
Bednarek said the U.S. force has killed between 60 and 100 suspected al-Qaida fighters so far in western Baqouba, about 60 insurgents have been detained, and fewer than 500 civilians displaced from their homes. One American soldier has died in the fighting, he said.
He estimated between 50 and 100 insurgents remained inside a U.S. security "noose" closing on the Khatoon neighborhood of western Baqouba.
The U.S. command in Baghdad, meanwhile, reported a total of 10 soldiers killed on Saturday, including seven killed by roadside bombs, four by a single blast near Baghdad. The deaths raised to at least 30 the number of American soldiers killed in the past week.
In other violence, a car bomb in the southern city of Hillah on Saturday evening killed at least two people and wounded 18 others, a hospital official reported.
The parked car targeted a gathering of civilians in central Hillah, 60 miles south of Baghdad, said Muthana Khalid, a spokesman for Babil provincial police. The predominantly Shiite Muslim city has been the target of some of the deadliest car bomb attacks by suspected Sunni Muslim extremists in the four years of insurgency and sectarian killings in Iraq.
On the political front, two Sunni blocs in the Iraqi parliament, holding 55 seats, began a boycott of the 275-seat house on Sunday, demanding reinstatement of the Sunni speaker, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
Parliament had voted June 11 to ask al-Mashhadani, whose erratic behavior had embarrassed even his Sunni Arab allies, to step down while one of the Sunni blocs named a replacement.
The Sunni boycott threatens to further disrupt the work of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government as it seeks to enact legislation, under pressure from the United States, to reconcile the differences among Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish groups.
Airplane Taking A Shit During Flight
Passengers who endured a two-day trans-Atlantic odyssey with sewage overflowing from a jet's lavatories are getting an apology from Continental Airlines for the "poor conditions."
Flight 71, with 168 customers on board, took off June 13 from Amsterdam bound for Newark, N.J., but only got as far as Shannon, Ireland, because of a problem with the lavatory.
The flight resumed the next day after repair work seemed to restore smooth flow in the lavatory system, a Continental spokesman said Thursday. But during the flight from Shannon to Newark, renamed Flight 1970, "the problem developed again," spokesman Dave Messing said.
When the plane landed in Newark, he said, it was determined that the blockage was caused by someone flushing latex gloves down the toilet.
There are signs above the toilet that warn against flushing foreign objects.
"Occasionally these instructions are overlooked," he said.
A passenger told Seattle television station KING that sewage flowed into the aisles, only one restroom was partially working, and flight attendants kept serving meals but told passengers not to eat much. He called it the worst flight of his life.
"I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours ... it's a nauseating smell," Collin Brock said.
Messing, the spokesman for Houston-based Continental Airlines Inc., said in a statement, "We deeply regret the serious inconvenience to our customers and are apologizing to them and compensating them for the poor conditions on the flight as well as the diversion and delay."
Messing said Continental is compensating passengers with travel vouchers, but he declined to say how much.
A passenger has said he was offered a $500 voucher.
Sphere: Related Content
Flight 71, with 168 customers on board, took off June 13 from Amsterdam bound for Newark, N.J., but only got as far as Shannon, Ireland, because of a problem with the lavatory.
The flight resumed the next day after repair work seemed to restore smooth flow in the lavatory system, a Continental spokesman said Thursday. But during the flight from Shannon to Newark, renamed Flight 1970, "the problem developed again," spokesman Dave Messing said.
When the plane landed in Newark, he said, it was determined that the blockage was caused by someone flushing latex gloves down the toilet.
There are signs above the toilet that warn against flushing foreign objects.
"Occasionally these instructions are overlooked," he said.
A passenger told Seattle television station KING that sewage flowed into the aisles, only one restroom was partially working, and flight attendants kept serving meals but told passengers not to eat much. He called it the worst flight of his life.
"I was forced to sit next to human excrement for seven hours ... it's a nauseating smell," Collin Brock said.
Messing, the spokesman for Houston-based Continental Airlines Inc., said in a statement, "We deeply regret the serious inconvenience to our customers and are apologizing to them and compensating them for the poor conditions on the flight as well as the diversion and delay."
Messing said Continental is compensating passengers with travel vouchers, but he declined to say how much.
A passenger has said he was offered a $500 voucher.
'Mansion Madam' Carry On Amidst Legal Proceedings'
GEORGE CHIDI
Lisa Ann Taylor's attorneys say the alleged "Mansion Madam" of Sugarloaf Country Club will try to keep herself busy as her court case progresses.
Mark Issa, a Norcross-based attorney working with Taylor, said the indictment of the 43-year-old former Penthouse Pet on racketeering, drug and prostitution charges Wednesday was disappointing but not unexpected.
"We kind of knew where [the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office was] heading," Issa said Friday during a brief news conference that his office planned.
Taylor, known professionally as Melissa Wolf, was arrested in January along with Nicole Probert, 30, an associate who performed as an adult entertainer under the stage name "Naughty Nikki."
The Gwinnett grand jury indictment alleges that the women performed sexual acts together with clients for money. It also accuses them of procuring drugs and of running a criminal enterprise from Taylor's million-dollar home at Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth. Taylor's house is subject to forfeiture under racketeering laws.
Both Taylor and Probert have denied the charges. Taylor has said she had been trying to leave the adult entertainment industry before her arrest, working as a real estate agent. She has since rekindled her career as a nude dancer, capitalizing on her notoriety as the "Mansion Madam."
But Taylor recently told reporters that club owners have grown concerned about booking her as an entertainer because of the stigma associated with the drug and prostitution charges.
"She's going to try to continue to make money," Issa said.
Sphere: Related Content
Mark Issa, a Norcross-based attorney working with Taylor, said the indictment of the 43-year-old former Penthouse Pet on racketeering, drug and prostitution charges Wednesday was disappointing but not unexpected.
"We kind of knew where [the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office was] heading," Issa said Friday during a brief news conference that his office planned.
Taylor, known professionally as Melissa Wolf, was arrested in January along with Nicole Probert, 30, an associate who performed as an adult entertainer under the stage name "Naughty Nikki."
The Gwinnett grand jury indictment alleges that the women performed sexual acts together with clients for money. It also accuses them of procuring drugs and of running a criminal enterprise from Taylor's million-dollar home at Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth. Taylor's house is subject to forfeiture under racketeering laws.
Both Taylor and Probert have denied the charges. Taylor has said she had been trying to leave the adult entertainment industry before her arrest, working as a real estate agent. She has since rekindled her career as a nude dancer, capitalizing on her notoriety as the "Mansion Madam."
But Taylor recently told reporters that club owners have grown concerned about booking her as an entertainer because of the stigma associated with the drug and prostitution charges.
"She's going to try to continue to make money," Issa said.
Larry King Stumbled Angelina Jolie On CNN
Jim Roberts
Larry King interviewed Angelina Jolie on CNN on Thursday night. The big story Thursday was the way Angelina and Brad Pitt tried to shut off the media from doing their jobs. They had an attorney actually draft a contract like agreement that stated that reporters could only ask Jolie questions that she approved of - and if they failed to do that she would hit them with some very strong repercussions.
Reporters were outraged and members of the Associated Press, USA Today, Fox News and other media outlets refused to sign any document that would restrict their access to ask Jolie anything they saw fit.
CNN waded into the fray, but with an e-mail question. Cory from Anaheim, California carried the water for Larry King asked Angelina: "Why make a movie like 'A Mighty Heart' that extols the virtues of a free press, only to try to control press coverage on your own life?"
Angelina seemed a bit stunned by the question as remember; anything that would present her in a derogatory fashion should not hit the air according to her 'contract'. She did as well as can be expected and answered, "Well, it's very different. I think when we talk about the idea of press; the only things I've ever tried to control are I've tried to have some privacy with my family. I don't think I would consider it blocking freedom of press to say, I don't want to say whether or not I'm pregnant right now. You know, I think that that's not necessarily, you know, important news that I'm blocking or important."
Let's review what her "contract" she wanted to force media members to sign actually said, "The agreement also required that "the interview may only be used to promote the Picture. In no event may Interviewer or Media Outlet be entitled to run all or any portion of the interview in connection with any other story. ... The interview will not be used in a manner that is disparaging, demeaning, or derogatory to Ms. Jolie."
And according to Fox News, Jolie also requires that if any of these things happen, "the tape of the interview will not be released to Interviewer." Such a violation, the signatory thus agrees, would "cause Jolie irreparable harm" and make it possible for her to sue the interviewer and seek a restraining order."
That seems a bit more that just asking Jolie is she's "knocked up."
Lisa Ann Taylor And Nicole Probert's Case Before Grand Jury Wednesday
Melissa Wilson
Evidence surrounding an alleged high-class Sugarloaf Country Club prostitution ring will be presented before a grand jury Wednesday, according to the district attorney. Attorneys involved with the case will present evidence concerning Lisa Ann Taylor and Nicole Probert. The two are accused of running the illegal business out of Taylor’s Duluth mansion inside Sugarloaf Country Club. Taylor, alias Melissa Wolf, and Probert, aka Brigit Fox and Naughty Nikki, were arrested Jan. 3 after an investigation into “The Erotic Review” Web site. Content on the site included performance reviews, discussion boards and price listings for sex. Both Taylor and Fox are free on bond but face charges of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, prostitution, keeping a place of prostitution and conspiracy to possess cocaine. Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said the jury will decide Wednesday if the two women and five men charged with pandering as part of the ring will be indicted. Porter previously said he was waiting for reports from Gwinnett police before evidence could be presented to a grand jury. Police spokesman Cpl. Darren Moloney on Friday said a report has been completed, but he could not provide the Post with the document before press time Friday.Although the reports took time because of the extent of the investigation, Moloney said the investigation progressed “on schedule.” When asked if he expects indictments for the women and the alleged johns to come from Wednesday’s events, Porter said he could not speculate on the ruling. “We believed we had enough evidence to go before a grand jury,” Porter said. “Ultimately, the decision is up to them. I present the evidence and they decide whether or not to charge.“The evidence will be presented Wednesday and then the next step is arraignment and that would happen sometime within 30 days,” Porter said. Attorney Steve Sadow, who represents Probert, declined to comment until after next week’s hearing. “I’d like to wait to see what happens Wednesday before commenting,” Sadow said. As far as a press conference or comment from his client, Sadow said that will be decided after the grand jury’s ruling is in. Messages were left with Taylor’s attorney, Mark Issa, but calls were not returned.Porter said he could not comment in regard to any future potential arrests involved with the case.
Sphere: Related Content
President Bush Miss G8 Meeting To Dodge Aid To Africa
US President George W Bush has skipped the morning session of the Group of Eight (G8) summit because he has a stomach virus, officials say.
White House counsellor Dan Bartlett says Mr Bush got up Friday morning (local time) to get dressed and realised he was "very much under the weather".
But the condition was "not serious".
The US President held one morning meeting with France's new President Nicolas Sarkozy in his bedroom at the luxury hotel in Heiligendamm where he is based for the summit, officials say.
"President Bush is slightly indisposed this morning and will rejoin the working meeting as soon as he can," Mr Sarkozy said after the hour-long discussion, the first between the two since the French leader was elected last month.
Mr Sarkozy emerged alone from Mr Bush's suite at the luxury hotel in the Baltic resort to speak with reporters.
Mr Bartlett says Mr Bush will be back at the summit meetings "as soon as possible".
"It's a stomach virus or something like that," Mr Bartlett said.
The White House says Mr Bush had sent his regrets to the other summit leaders and the US envoy to the G8, Dave McCormack, had represented him at the meetings.
White House counsellor Dan Bartlett says Mr Bush got up Friday morning (local time) to get dressed and realised he was "very much under the weather".
But the condition was "not serious".
The US President held one morning meeting with France's new President Nicolas Sarkozy in his bedroom at the luxury hotel in Heiligendamm where he is based for the summit, officials say.
"President Bush is slightly indisposed this morning and will rejoin the working meeting as soon as he can," Mr Sarkozy said after the hour-long discussion, the first between the two since the French leader was elected last month.
Mr Sarkozy emerged alone from Mr Bush's suite at the luxury hotel in the Baltic resort to speak with reporters.
Mr Bartlett says Mr Bush will be back at the summit meetings "as soon as possible".
"It's a stomach virus or something like that," Mr Bartlett said.
The White House says Mr Bush had sent his regrets to the other summit leaders and the US envoy to the G8, Dave McCormack, had represented him at the meetings.
However, World leaders went ahead and agreed on a $60 billion pledge to fight AIDS and other killer diseases ravaging Africa and restated broader promises to double development spending.
"We are aware of our responsibilities and will fulfill our obligations," German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting Group of Eight leaders, told reporters on the final day of the summit.
Campaigners complain that rich nations have fallen behind on commitments made to double development aid at a summit in 2005 in Gleneagles, Scotland. Many were unimpressed with the deal.
"We are aware of our responsibilities and will fulfill our obligations," German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting Group of Eight leaders, told reporters on the final day of the summit.
Campaigners complain that rich nations have fallen behind on commitments made to double development aid at a summit in 2005 in Gleneagles, Scotland. Many were unimpressed with the deal.
Leaders agreed to earmark $60 billion to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, global diseases that have devastated African peoples and their economies.
But the declaration set out no specific timetable, saying the money would flow "over the coming years." Neither did it break down individual countries' contributions.
Campaigners for Africa say the pledge is made up largely of money which has already been announced, including $30 billion from the United States.
"While lives will be saved with more money for AIDS, this represents a cap on ambition that will ultimately cost millions more lives," said Steve Cockburn of the Stop AIDS Campaign.
FALLING SHORT
He said the pledge falls short of U.N. targets which oblige G8 nations to spend $15 billion per year to combat AIDS alone through to 2010. In comparison, the deal looks like committing them to about $12 billion per year for all three diseases.
Leaders also reiterated an overall pledge made in 2005 to raise annual aid levels by $50 billion by 2010, $25 billion of which is for Africa.
"The important thing is that we have recommitted ourselves to all the commitments we made a couple of years ago," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair who hosted the 2005 meeting.
Campaigners were not convinced.
"Despite last minute face saving measures, the G8 has failed its credibility test on Africa," said Collins Magalasi, ActionAids's country director for South Africa.
Blair and Merkel stressed they expect African leaders to fight corruption and boost transparency so donors can track aid as leaders of six African nations joined the G8 heads on Friday for their discussion on aid.
Sphere: Related Content
But the declaration set out no specific timetable, saying the money would flow "over the coming years." Neither did it break down individual countries' contributions.
Campaigners for Africa say the pledge is made up largely of money which has already been announced, including $30 billion from the United States.
"While lives will be saved with more money for AIDS, this represents a cap on ambition that will ultimately cost millions more lives," said Steve Cockburn of the Stop AIDS Campaign.
FALLING SHORT
He said the pledge falls short of U.N. targets which oblige G8 nations to spend $15 billion per year to combat AIDS alone through to 2010. In comparison, the deal looks like committing them to about $12 billion per year for all three diseases.
Leaders also reiterated an overall pledge made in 2005 to raise annual aid levels by $50 billion by 2010, $25 billion of which is for Africa.
"The important thing is that we have recommitted ourselves to all the commitments we made a couple of years ago," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair who hosted the 2005 meeting.
Campaigners were not convinced.
"Despite last minute face saving measures, the G8 has failed its credibility test on Africa," said Collins Magalasi, ActionAids's country director for South Africa.
Blair and Merkel stressed they expect African leaders to fight corruption and boost transparency so donors can track aid as leaders of six African nations joined the G8 heads on Friday for their discussion on aid.
Cyclone Threats Chase Tens Of Thousands Away From Oman's Coastal Areas
SAEED AL-NAHDY and JIM KRANE,
Associated Press Writers
Oman evacuated tens of thousands Wednesday and closed the major port of Sohar as a weakening Cyclone Gonu roared toward the Strait of Hormuz — the world's major transport artery for Persian Gulf oil.
As heavy rains lashed coastal areas, authorities closed all operations at the port of Sohar and evacuated the 11,000 workers, port spokesman Dirk Jan De Vink said.
Sohar's oil refinery and petrochemical plant remained running at very low levels, with authorities considering a total shutdown, he said.
De Vink said he and the other beach front residents of the city of 60,000 were leaving their homes, all threatened by rising tides and large waves pushed by the approaching storm.
"These people know the force of the sea and they're doing the right thing," he said. "Most of them are leaving or have already left."
This is a breaking news update. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A powerful cyclone lashed Oman's coast and capital with rare heavy rains and wind Wednesday, after thousands of people fled low-lying areas. The strongest recorded storm to hit the Arabian peninsula was moving next toward southern Iran, but was weakening and expected to skirt the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
No deaths had been reported by midmorning Wednesday across Oman or its capital, Muscat, where rains were heavy and visibility was near-zero at midmorning. Rains had subsided slightly earlier Wednesday but had intensified again by midmorning and were expected to remain strong through mid-afternoon, as the heaviest part of the storm moved closer to Muscat.
Electricity was out in some parts of the city and many roads were closed, but Omani officials said most of the country's oil fields, to the northwest of the capital, were still operating.
In Iran, authorities evacuated hundreds of people living in the port city of Chabahr on the coast of the Sea of Oman, believed to be next in the cyclone's path.
The storm had weakened considerably since Tuesday. Maximum sustained winds of about 90 miles per hour were reported with gusts to nearly 104 miles per hour, regional weather services said.
As of 7 a.m. (11 p.m. EDT), the storm was reported about 115 miles southeast of the Omani capital of Muscat moving in a northwesterly direction, the services said. A tracking map posted on the Web site of the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center predicted the center of the storm would skirt the capital Muscat after 4 p.m. (8 a.m. EDT) Wednesday.
Blogger Vijayakumar Narayanan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that many city streets were flooded and that visibility was near-zero in Muscat at midmorning Wednesday.
NowPublic.com, a journalism Web site with 98,000 members in 3,500 communities worldwide, reached out to the blogger in Oman. The AP began working with NowPublic this year to obtain citizen journalism images and video for distribution to news organizations.
At 5:50 a.m. local time, Narayanan wrote in his blog: "We have noticed rains have subsided considerably. ... Some of the wadis have started flooding, causing roadblocks." But at 9 a.m., he said rains had again become strong in the city.
Narayanan said the storm has alarmed many Omanis, unaccustomed to cyclones. "They haven't had this kind of fear before."
Oman's eastern provinces were cut off, with heavy rains making the roads unusable and communication lines severed. "We have no communication with them, nothing," said a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity as is customary habit for security and police officials in Oman.
Parts of Muscat had no electricity, said government official Sheik Mohamed bin Saif. But Nasser bin Khamees Al Jashmy, an official at the ministry of oil and natural gas, said only a single small oil field had been affected by the cyclone.
Cyclone Gonu was expected to skirt the region's biggest oil installations but could disrupt shipping in the Straits of Hormuz — the transport route for two-fifths of the world's oil and the southern entrance to the Gulf — causing a spike in prices, oil analysts said.
Oil prices rose on Monday but retreated Tuesday, although the storm weighed heavily on the market.
"If the storm hits Iran, it's a much bigger story than Oman, given how much bigger an oil producer Iran is," said Antoine Haff of FIMAT USA, a brokerage unit of Societe Generale. "At a minimum, it's likely to affect tanker traffic."
Manouchehr Takin, an analyst at the Center for Global Energy Studies in London, said the real fear is that the loading of tankers might be delayed by the storm.
"About 17-21 million barrels a day of oil are coming out of the Persian Gulf. Even if only some of the tankers are delayed, that could reduce the supply of oil and increase prices," Takin said.
Gonu, which means a bag made of palm leaves in the language of the Maldives, was expected to hit land in southeastern Iran late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to AccuWeather.com meteorologist Donn Washburn.
On Tuesday, as the cyclone approached, authorities evacuated nearly 7,000 people from Masirah, a lowland island off the east coast of Oman, according to Gen. Malik bin Suleiman al-Muamri, head of the country's civil defense. Oman's main international airport in Muscat also was closed.
Masirah Island includes one of four air bases that the Omani government allows the U.S. military to use for refueling, logistics and storage, although little has been revealed publicly about U.S.-Oman military ties.
The Masirah base hosted U.S. B-1B bombers, C-130 transports and U.S. Special Forces AC-130 gunships during the war in Afghanistan, and the United States has continued to have basing rights on the island.
On Masirah, authorities said a state of emergency had been declared. Troops and police were mobilized to help provide shelter and medical services.
Even with the weaker wind speeds, Gonu is expected to be the strongest cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula since record keeping started in 1945. A cyclone is the term used for hurricanes in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific.
Sphere: Related Content
As heavy rains lashed coastal areas, authorities closed all operations at the port of Sohar and evacuated the 11,000 workers, port spokesman Dirk Jan De Vink said.
Sohar's oil refinery and petrochemical plant remained running at very low levels, with authorities considering a total shutdown, he said.
De Vink said he and the other beach front residents of the city of 60,000 were leaving their homes, all threatened by rising tides and large waves pushed by the approaching storm.
"These people know the force of the sea and they're doing the right thing," he said. "Most of them are leaving or have already left."
This is a breaking news update. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
A powerful cyclone lashed Oman's coast and capital with rare heavy rains and wind Wednesday, after thousands of people fled low-lying areas. The strongest recorded storm to hit the Arabian peninsula was moving next toward southern Iran, but was weakening and expected to skirt the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
No deaths had been reported by midmorning Wednesday across Oman or its capital, Muscat, where rains were heavy and visibility was near-zero at midmorning. Rains had subsided slightly earlier Wednesday but had intensified again by midmorning and were expected to remain strong through mid-afternoon, as the heaviest part of the storm moved closer to Muscat.
Electricity was out in some parts of the city and many roads were closed, but Omani officials said most of the country's oil fields, to the northwest of the capital, were still operating.
In Iran, authorities evacuated hundreds of people living in the port city of Chabahr on the coast of the Sea of Oman, believed to be next in the cyclone's path.
The storm had weakened considerably since Tuesday. Maximum sustained winds of about 90 miles per hour were reported with gusts to nearly 104 miles per hour, regional weather services said.
As of 7 a.m. (11 p.m. EDT), the storm was reported about 115 miles southeast of the Omani capital of Muscat moving in a northwesterly direction, the services said. A tracking map posted on the Web site of the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center predicted the center of the storm would skirt the capital Muscat after 4 p.m. (8 a.m. EDT) Wednesday.
Blogger Vijayakumar Narayanan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that many city streets were flooded and that visibility was near-zero in Muscat at midmorning Wednesday.
NowPublic.com, a journalism Web site with 98,000 members in 3,500 communities worldwide, reached out to the blogger in Oman. The AP began working with NowPublic this year to obtain citizen journalism images and video for distribution to news organizations.
At 5:50 a.m. local time, Narayanan wrote in his blog: "We have noticed rains have subsided considerably. ... Some of the wadis have started flooding, causing roadblocks." But at 9 a.m., he said rains had again become strong in the city.
Narayanan said the storm has alarmed many Omanis, unaccustomed to cyclones. "They haven't had this kind of fear before."
Oman's eastern provinces were cut off, with heavy rains making the roads unusable and communication lines severed. "We have no communication with them, nothing," said a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity as is customary habit for security and police officials in Oman.
Parts of Muscat had no electricity, said government official Sheik Mohamed bin Saif. But Nasser bin Khamees Al Jashmy, an official at the ministry of oil and natural gas, said only a single small oil field had been affected by the cyclone.
Cyclone Gonu was expected to skirt the region's biggest oil installations but could disrupt shipping in the Straits of Hormuz — the transport route for two-fifths of the world's oil and the southern entrance to the Gulf — causing a spike in prices, oil analysts said.
Oil prices rose on Monday but retreated Tuesday, although the storm weighed heavily on the market.
"If the storm hits Iran, it's a much bigger story than Oman, given how much bigger an oil producer Iran is," said Antoine Haff of FIMAT USA, a brokerage unit of Societe Generale. "At a minimum, it's likely to affect tanker traffic."
Manouchehr Takin, an analyst at the Center for Global Energy Studies in London, said the real fear is that the loading of tankers might be delayed by the storm.
"About 17-21 million barrels a day of oil are coming out of the Persian Gulf. Even if only some of the tankers are delayed, that could reduce the supply of oil and increase prices," Takin said.
Gonu, which means a bag made of palm leaves in the language of the Maldives, was expected to hit land in southeastern Iran late Wednesday or early Thursday, according to AccuWeather.com meteorologist Donn Washburn.
On Tuesday, as the cyclone approached, authorities evacuated nearly 7,000 people from Masirah, a lowland island off the east coast of Oman, according to Gen. Malik bin Suleiman al-Muamri, head of the country's civil defense. Oman's main international airport in Muscat also was closed.
Masirah Island includes one of four air bases that the Omani government allows the U.S. military to use for refueling, logistics and storage, although little has been revealed publicly about U.S.-Oman military ties.
The Masirah base hosted U.S. B-1B bombers, C-130 transports and U.S. Special Forces AC-130 gunships during the war in Afghanistan, and the United States has continued to have basing rights on the island.
On Masirah, authorities said a state of emergency had been declared. Troops and police were mobilized to help provide shelter and medical services.
Even with the weaker wind speeds, Gonu is expected to be the strongest cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula since record keeping started in 1945. A cyclone is the term used for hurricanes in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific.
Hillary Clinton's Election Victory, A Plus For The Porn Industry
Jenna Jameson is backing Hillary Clinton and the adult film star and producer is counting on a win to boost pornography. She notes that Bill Clinton was an absolute gold mine for the industry and when he was in the Oval Office having his fun with Monica Lewinsky, the numbers went through the roof.
The author of the New York Times bestseller "How To Make Love Like a Porn Star," talked about Hillary Clinton in an interview with media and had nothing but love for Hillary.
American Sex Gazette: "Who's your favorite Democratic front runner for 2008? Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John Edwards?"
Jenna Jameson: "I love Hillary. I think that in some ways she's pretty conservative for a Democrat, but I would love to have a woman in office. I think that it would be a step in the right direction for our country, and there would be less focus on war and more focus on bettering society."
American Sex Gazette asks, "Do you find that the climate of the adult industry changes when there is a Republican administration versus Democratic?"
Jenna Jameson: "Absolutely. The Clinton administration was the best years for the adult industry and I wish that Clinton would run again. I would love to have him back in office. I would love to have Al Gore in office. When Republicans are in office, the problem is, a lot of times they try to put their crosshairs on the adult industry, to make a point."
"It's sad, when there are so many different things that are going on in the world: war, and people are dying of genocide.. ..I look forward to another Democrat being in office. It just makes the climate so much better for us, and I know that once all our troops come home, things are going to be better and I think that getting Bush out of office is the most important thing right now."
Sphere: Related Content
The author of the New York Times bestseller "How To Make Love Like a Porn Star," talked about Hillary Clinton in an interview with media and had nothing but love for Hillary.
American Sex Gazette: "Who's your favorite Democratic front runner for 2008? Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John Edwards?"
Jenna Jameson: "I love Hillary. I think that in some ways she's pretty conservative for a Democrat, but I would love to have a woman in office. I think that it would be a step in the right direction for our country, and there would be less focus on war and more focus on bettering society."
American Sex Gazette asks, "Do you find that the climate of the adult industry changes when there is a Republican administration versus Democratic?"
Jenna Jameson: "Absolutely. The Clinton administration was the best years for the adult industry and I wish that Clinton would run again. I would love to have him back in office. I would love to have Al Gore in office. When Republicans are in office, the problem is, a lot of times they try to put their crosshairs on the adult industry, to make a point."
"It's sad, when there are so many different things that are going on in the world: war, and people are dying of genocide.. ..I look forward to another Democrat being in office. It just makes the climate so much better for us, and I know that once all our troops come home, things are going to be better and I think that getting Bush out of office is the most important thing right now."
FBI Hit Hispanic Brothels
Jared Allen
A joint Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Metro Police Department operation led to the weekend bust of the fifth Hispanic brothel that local authorities have taken down this year.
And investigators on Monday confirmed that the FBI's Nashville field office has taken the lead in looking into whether the operators of numerous Hispanic brothels in South Nashville are also violating federal anti-human trafficking laws.
So far, no charges of human trafficking have been brought against any of the dozen or so brothel managers arrested this year. Authorities did say the conditions in which the prostitutes are found living and working - including the low pay and frequent johns - continue to raise questions about human trafficking.
At the same time, though, local police believe their multiple busts are leading them further up the managerial ladder, and ultimately closer to what they believe may be a centralized organization responsible for securing the women, setting up the brothels and hiring managers and even armed security guards.
Metro Vice Squad Detective Joe Ladnier oversaw the weekend arrest of two managers and two prostitutes working out of a small apartment near the intersection of Old Hickory Boulevard and Nolensville Pike in Antioch.
Arrested and charged with prostitution were a 41-year-old and a 38-year-old female, both from the Dominican Republic, police said.
Police also arrested two managers, Oscar Rolando Castillo-Gonzalez, 28, and Juan Antonio Ruiz, 36, both of who listed the brothel as their home address. Castillo-Gonzalez and Ruiz are both charged with felony counts of promoting prostitution.
Ladnier said the preliminary investigation has shown that while Castillo-Gonzalez and Ruiz are low-level managers, they are both part of the same prostitution ring, the higher-ups of which are still at large, and likely running as many as 10 additional brothels - all catering solely to Hispanics - around Nashville.
"This one is definitely related to some of the others," Ladnier said. "Even some of the ones we've taken down this year."
In March Metro Police raided a similar apartment-style brothel - where Hispanic customers were paying $30 for sex, and where the women were seeing as many as 10 or more clients a day - located at 124 Welworth St. in Madison.
The two prostitutes and two managers found working inside the Welworth Street apartment were identified as illegal immigrants.
The four individuals arrested over the weekend were identified as illegal immigrants upon their booking into the Metro-Davidson County Jail, which now has the ability to run instant immigration checks through a federal database.
All four defendants are being detained on immigration holds.
Castillo-Gonzalez and Ruiz are scheduled to have a preliminary hearing today in General Sessions Court.
Police are hoping the two plead guilty and agree to provide information about any larger prostitution operation they may be a part of.
Stephen Richardson, the FBI's Supervisory Special Agent in Nashville, said his office could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
Sphere: Related Content
A joint Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Metro Police Department operation led to the weekend bust of the fifth Hispanic brothel that local authorities have taken down this year.
And investigators on Monday confirmed that the FBI's Nashville field office has taken the lead in looking into whether the operators of numerous Hispanic brothels in South Nashville are also violating federal anti-human trafficking laws.
So far, no charges of human trafficking have been brought against any of the dozen or so brothel managers arrested this year. Authorities did say the conditions in which the prostitutes are found living and working - including the low pay and frequent johns - continue to raise questions about human trafficking.
At the same time, though, local police believe their multiple busts are leading them further up the managerial ladder, and ultimately closer to what they believe may be a centralized organization responsible for securing the women, setting up the brothels and hiring managers and even armed security guards.
Metro Vice Squad Detective Joe Ladnier oversaw the weekend arrest of two managers and two prostitutes working out of a small apartment near the intersection of Old Hickory Boulevard and Nolensville Pike in Antioch.
Arrested and charged with prostitution were a 41-year-old and a 38-year-old female, both from the Dominican Republic, police said.
Police also arrested two managers, Oscar Rolando Castillo-Gonzalez, 28, and Juan Antonio Ruiz, 36, both of who listed the brothel as their home address. Castillo-Gonzalez and Ruiz are both charged with felony counts of promoting prostitution.
Ladnier said the preliminary investigation has shown that while Castillo-Gonzalez and Ruiz are low-level managers, they are both part of the same prostitution ring, the higher-ups of which are still at large, and likely running as many as 10 additional brothels - all catering solely to Hispanics - around Nashville.
"This one is definitely related to some of the others," Ladnier said. "Even some of the ones we've taken down this year."
In March Metro Police raided a similar apartment-style brothel - where Hispanic customers were paying $30 for sex, and where the women were seeing as many as 10 or more clients a day - located at 124 Welworth St. in Madison.
The two prostitutes and two managers found working inside the Welworth Street apartment were identified as illegal immigrants.
The four individuals arrested over the weekend were identified as illegal immigrants upon their booking into the Metro-Davidson County Jail, which now has the ability to run instant immigration checks through a federal database.
All four defendants are being detained on immigration holds.
Castillo-Gonzalez and Ruiz are scheduled to have a preliminary hearing today in General Sessions Court.
Police are hoping the two plead guilty and agree to provide information about any larger prostitution operation they may be a part of.
Stephen Richardson, the FBI's Supervisory Special Agent in Nashville, said his office could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
Reanae Cruz - "A Star Is Born"
William Sparrow
The famous phrase 'a star is born' has been uttered so many times it's often hard to take seriously but in the case of newcomer Renae Cruz, 'a porn star is born' seems quite appropriate.
The sexy five foot four inch gorgeous brunette with Brazilian and Philipina roots is enjoying her first few months in the adult movie business and fans and critics alike are beginning to take notice.
Cruz made her way into the adult biz last November after a life as a military brat. She was born in the Philippines and lived for a year in Brazil. During that time, she learned two important things: Portuguese and the ability to adapt.
"Moving around so much made me learn to understand people better," she said. "I think I come off as a much more mature person that way."
All Media Play President Jeff Mullen told XBIZ that he bumped into Cruz at a dinner party, where the 19-year-old caught his eye. He later brought her in for some photos.
"We did a photo shoot with her, and she just sparkled," he said. "She's absolutely gorgeous, cute, young with a great sexual appetite and fun to be around."
"I really love doing my job because I enjoy sex so much. Where else can I make a great living having this much fun? It's really unbelievable," she said while having lunch at a fashionable Melrose cafe.
With a heavy schedule of hardcore sex movies and an upcoming blockbuster role as J-Ho in the Jennifer Lopez spoof J-Ho: Jenny on the Cock from X-Play/Adam & Eve, Renae¡¦s future as a best new starlet contender is looking quite bright.
Her incredible sex performances are the stuff that directors love and her fondness for being on set make her a producer's dream.
"Renae is a special performer. We noticed it the first time we saw her but when you see her having sex on camera, her enthusiasm should be bottled and sold to every other girl in this business," said producer Scott David.
"She's a one of a kind girl and I really think she was born to have sex. Some girls love sex, but just don¡¦t look that great doing it, but Renae looks absolutely beautiful in every position," stated director Will Rider. "We love her."
"I never seriously thought about this as a career but I did think about it in the back of my mind that I'd like to try it and one day I decided it was time to come to Los Angeles and become a porn star," Renae said just before checking her watch so that she would not be late for her next shoot. With a steady stream of bookings being offered to her through her agent at Goldstar Modeling, Renae is in a position to turn down jobs only taking those which appeal to her.
With dozens of upcoming movies yet to be released, Renae seems to be having serious fun. She features in upcoming movies such as Bad Seed's Bubble Gum Cuties, Hustler's Barely Legal School Girls 4, Adam & Eve/X-Play's Long Dong Black Kong and J-Ho: Jenny on the Cock all coming soon.
Sphere: Related Content
The famous phrase 'a star is born' has been uttered so many times it's often hard to take seriously but in the case of newcomer Renae Cruz, 'a porn star is born' seems quite appropriate.
The sexy five foot four inch gorgeous brunette with Brazilian and Philipina roots is enjoying her first few months in the adult movie business and fans and critics alike are beginning to take notice.
Cruz made her way into the adult biz last November after a life as a military brat. She was born in the Philippines and lived for a year in Brazil. During that time, she learned two important things: Portuguese and the ability to adapt.
"Moving around so much made me learn to understand people better," she said. "I think I come off as a much more mature person that way."
All Media Play President Jeff Mullen told XBIZ that he bumped into Cruz at a dinner party, where the 19-year-old caught his eye. He later brought her in for some photos.
"We did a photo shoot with her, and she just sparkled," he said. "She's absolutely gorgeous, cute, young with a great sexual appetite and fun to be around."
"I really love doing my job because I enjoy sex so much. Where else can I make a great living having this much fun? It's really unbelievable," she said while having lunch at a fashionable Melrose cafe.
With a heavy schedule of hardcore sex movies and an upcoming blockbuster role as J-Ho in the Jennifer Lopez spoof J-Ho: Jenny on the Cock from X-Play/Adam & Eve, Renae¡¦s future as a best new starlet contender is looking quite bright.
Her incredible sex performances are the stuff that directors love and her fondness for being on set make her a producer's dream.
"Renae is a special performer. We noticed it the first time we saw her but when you see her having sex on camera, her enthusiasm should be bottled and sold to every other girl in this business," said producer Scott David.
"She's a one of a kind girl and I really think she was born to have sex. Some girls love sex, but just don¡¦t look that great doing it, but Renae looks absolutely beautiful in every position," stated director Will Rider. "We love her."
"I never seriously thought about this as a career but I did think about it in the back of my mind that I'd like to try it and one day I decided it was time to come to Los Angeles and become a porn star," Renae said just before checking her watch so that she would not be late for her next shoot. With a steady stream of bookings being offered to her through her agent at Goldstar Modeling, Renae is in a position to turn down jobs only taking those which appeal to her.
With dozens of upcoming movies yet to be released, Renae seems to be having serious fun. She features in upcoming movies such as Bad Seed's Bubble Gum Cuties, Hustler's Barely Legal School Girls 4, Adam & Eve/X-Play's Long Dong Black Kong and J-Ho: Jenny on the Cock all coming soon.
"Thanks For Being There For Me" Say Britney Spears
From separation that eventually led to the end of her marriage to a doping lifestyle that sent her to rehab, Britney not only sees a bright side to life but is appreciative of all the support her fans gave her morally, spiritually etc.
In a message posted on her website, a photo of Spears wearing nothing but a pair of elbow-length white gloves appears alongside a message to fans who have included the troubled pop princess in their prayers.
"The reason for this letter is to let everyone know that their prayers have truly helped me," Spears writes.
"I am so blessed that you care enough about me to be concerned and will continue to live in this brighter state with all of you by myself during this trying time," she said.
"We are all lights of the world and we all need to continuously inspire others and look to the higher power," she added.
Spears split from husband Kevin Federline last year, an event that triggered an avalanche of tabloid stories about the "Oops! ... I Did It Again" star.
She was photographed partying hard in Los Angeles and Las Vegas -- often pantyless -- and bizarrely shaved her head shortly before entering a rehabilitation clinic.
Did Shaha Ali Riza Unwittingly Do What Monica Liwinsky Couldnt Do?
World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz on Thursday bowed to weeks of international pressure and quit. But not everyone is happy.
After weeks of wrangling in the media and questions about will-he, won’t he, Wolfowitz has thrown in the towel and resigned from his post as president of the World Bank (WB).
Seemingly due to favouritism, “Wolfie’s” decision to resign, which he announced himself, was done “in the best interests” of the institution he chaired since 2005, and will take effect at the end of this fiscal year, June 30. Mr Wolfowitz reiterated none the less that he acted in “the best interests” the WB also when he had got a promotion and pay rise for his girlfriend Shaha Ali Riza.
The bank’s 24 executive directors who pushed for him to go said they had accepted his assurance that he had acted “ethically and in good faith”.
Wolfowitz’s and the directors’ press releases were prepared together as face-saving way out for the WB president with both side acknowledging each other’s errors and good faith.
The White House, which backed Wolfowitz till the end, said it regretted the decision but accepted it.
At the European parliament an emergency resolution against Wolfowitz was being prepared by the Greens and the Socialist Party. Usually, emergency resolutions are called only in case of gross violations of human rights.
For the past month, “Wolfie” was under pressure to leave the WB, the international organisation that provides about US$ 25 billion in interest-free loans to poor countries.
In addition to his personal foibles, critics ganged up against him because of his role in the Iraq War and his close alignment to the policies of the US administration of George W. Bush.
AsiaNews sources confirm however that Wolfowitz’s real detractors were the neo-Malthusians within the WB who want the organisation to make a greater effort to fund abortion practices in the Third World.
These groups have been trying to boycott the economic rebirth of Iraq and had it in for Wolfowitz because he had ordered the reopening of the WB offices in Baghdad and wanted the organisation to jumpstart financing reconstruction in Iraq in close co-operation with the Iraqi government.
African countries are also happy to see Wolfowitz go because he had tried to hold them more accountable in the fight against corruption or risk a suspension in WB aid.
By contrast, Japan’s Finance Minister Koji Omi said that Wolfowitz was doing a good job. Many Asian economists are of the same opinion.
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