Mid Day International News |
- Ex-Israeli president convicted of rape
- Meet the world's tallest model at 6 feet 8 inches!
- Radical Islamist sect claims responsibility for Nigeria church attacks
- Bangladeshi TV channel stopped from broadcasting 'hangman' series
- Danish Police arrest five Islamists for foiled terror plot role
- South American drug gangs funding al-Qaeda terrorists
- UK police demands new powers to stop and search terror suspects
- Vatican bank sets up anti-money-laundering unit to end financial scandals
- Brits' prediction of 2025: Prince William as King of England, men on Mars
- Taiwan woman to marry herself for new life in New Year
- Carla Bruni voted France's most irritating celebrity
| Ex-Israeli president convicted of rape Posted: Former Israeli president Moshe Katsav was found guilty of rape by a court in Tel Aviv on Thursday in a ruling more than four years after several women - former employees of Katsav - first made the allegations against him. Tel Aviv District Court Judge George Kara, who headed a panel of three judges, took more than an hour to read out the verdict. Katsav, 65, was convicted of all the sexual charges made against him, including two counts of rape and one count of a forced indecent act. The judges ruled that his version of events was dishonest and called the testimony of one of the women who had complained, identified only as A., "believable". A. had said that Katsav raped her twice in 1998 when he was tourism minister and she his subordinate. She testified he forced her to have sex with him once in his Tel Aviv office and shortly afterwards in a Jerusalem hotel. Judge Kara began reading his verdict at 9 a.m., behind closed doors with only a few journalists allowed into the hall, by noting that the ex-president had made a mistake when he suddenly walked away from a lenient offer of a plea bargain. Witnesses said Katsav murmured "no" as the verdict was being read out. Dozens of activists from women's rights groups demonstrated outside the court, holding up posters in support of victims of sexual harassment, including one which said, "You are not alone". Before the accusations surfaced, Katsav had portrayed himself as self-made man who rose from a poor immigrant family from Iran to become Israel's number one citizen in 2000 after a lengthy but relatively undistinguished career as a front-bench lawmaker and minister for the Likud party. The charges first came to light in July 2006, when the then- president complained to Israel's attorney general he was being blackmailed by a female employee in the president's office. The attorney-general launched an investigation, which as it proceeded exposed a pattern of behaviour in which Katsav would start sexual liaisons with female subordinates, and according to Thursday's verdict, forced himself upon them. Once one woman complained against him, others who had worked with him over the years - when Katsav was tourism minister from 1996 until 1999 and president from 2000 until 2007 - followed suit. The married father of five and grandfather of two has insisted he was innocent, and claimed the women acted out of bitterness due to his rejecting either their professional or romantic advances. He also accused the media of staging a "lynching". The indictment eventually filed against him included two counts of rape, two counts of committing an indecent act, two counts of sexual harassment, once count of harassing a witness and one count of obstruction of justice. In Thursday's ruling, he was acquitted of only one charge of allegedly harassing a witness. Speaking at the start of his trial in May 2009, Katsav had said: "I am fighting to prove my innocence. We are setting out on a long, hard struggle to clear my name." There was no comment from him Thursday, but Attorney Avigdor Feldman vowed his client "will not let up on his will to prove his innocence". But prosecutor Ronit Amiel countered: "This is not a happy day. This is not an easy day, but this day does teach about the strength of Israeli democracy, that also people of power and presidents" have no impunity. It was the first time a former president stood trial in Israel and was seen as a blow to the standing of Israel's highest post. In Israel, the president has largely ceremonial duties and, in a country driven by political divides and where family values are important, is seen as the one leader who represents all citizens.
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| Meet the world's tallest model at 6 feet 8 inches! Posted: Amazon Eve, who is the world's tallest model at 6 feet 8 inches, is living the high life these days. She is traveling across the globe showing off her giant frame. Before November last year, the 31-year-old model was completely unknown until a magazine put her in a bikini on the front cover - turning her into a overnight sensation. Eve, from Turlock, California, is now a full-time model and actress but she also wrestles with men for 400 dollars an hour. She credits her height to genes - saying her German and Dutch heritage is the reason why she is so tall. "All the women in my family are tall," the Daily Mail quoted her as saying. Eve wears a ladies size 14 shoe which makes shopping for footwear more than a little difficult.
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| Radical Islamist sect claims responsibility for Nigeria church attacks Posted: A radical Islamist sect has claimed responsibility for bombings in central Nigeria and attacks on churches in the northeast of the country that led to the deaths of at least 86 people. According to The Telegraph, gunmen suspected to be part of the sect, Boko Haram, shot dead two policemen in northern Nigeria on Tuesday. In two separate attacks in the northern city of Maiduguri, suspected gunmen of the same group killed a policeman and retired police officer while three civilians suffered gunshot wounds At least 80 people were killed in Christmas Eve bombings and clashes two days later between Muslim and Christian youths around central Nigerian city of Jos. In a separate incident, six people were killed when petrol bombs were thrown late on Friday at churches in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, in Borno state, the report said. "O Nations of the World, be informed that verily the attacks in Suldaniyya (Jos) and Borno on the eve of Christmas was carried out by us Jama''atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda''Awatu Wal Jihad, under the leadership of Abu Muhammad, Abubakar bin Muhammad Shekau," a statement said on its website. The radical Islamic group Boko Haram have previously used the name Jama''atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda''Awatu Wal Jihad. Boko Haram, which wants Islamic sharia law more widely applied across Africa''s most populous nation, staged an uprising in Maiduguri last year that led to clashes with security forces in which as many as 800 people were killed.
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| Bangladeshi TV channel stopped from broadcasting 'hangman' series Posted: A Bangladeshi television channel has been ordered to stop broadcasting interviews with the country's most famous hangman over fears that it could frighten children. The BBC quoted the hangman, who has hanged nine people in his 21 years in prison, as saying that he carried out the hangings to reduce his time in jail. "Although I did not like to hang anyone in the gallows, I did it to decrease the span of my jail term. For each hanging, I got two months' exemption from my 30-year jail term," he added. He also said that the prison authorities wrote to the private channel, Banglavision, requesting them not to broadcast the programme, which "might affect the tenderness of the children and the mentality of the mass people of the country". So far only one part of the series has been broadcast. The letter wrtten to the TV station from the prison authorities said that it was in the public interest for the programmes not to be broadcast, the report said. Programmes in Bengali on Banglavision are broadcast in many countries in Europe, the Middle East and the US. Banglavision Head of News Mostofa Feroz expressed anger over stopping the channel from broadcasting the programme, saying the motive of the programme was not a campaign against capital punishment or in favour of it. "It was just an offbeat story about the lifestyle of a hangman inside the jail. I do not understand how it breaches the jail code. A released man cannot be stopped from talking to the media - it is against the freedom of media and his freedom of rights," he added. The hangman started working as an executioner seven years ago and was trained for the job while serving a 30-year murder sentence - passed down when he was aged only 16 - for murder.
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| Danish Police arrest five Islamists for foiled terror plot role Posted: Police in Denmark have arrested five suspected Islamist militants for planning to attack a newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in 2005. The suspects were picked up for questioning from a building in Herlev, and according to preliminary revelations, they were planning to enter a Copenhagen office block housing several newspapers, including offices of the daily Jyllands-Posten to "kill as many as possible of those around". Police confirmed that they had seized a machine gun with a silencer, ammunition and plastic strips that could be used as handcuffs. "The detainees were preparing a terror attack against a newspaper, which according to the PET''s information was Jyllands-Posten," The Telegraph quoted Denmark''s PET security police, as saying in a statement. "The attack was due to be carried out in the coming days," the police added. Myllands-Posten was the newspaper that first published the cartoons, provoking protests against Danish and European interests in the Middle East, Africa and Asia in which at least 50 people died. Danish Justice Minister Lars Barfoed said those detained had a "militant Islamic background" and called the plan the most serious such attempt in Denmark so far.
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| South American drug gangs funding al-Qaeda terrorists Posted: South American drugs gangs are reportedly providing millions of pounds of funding to al-Qaeda terrorists to ensure the safe passage of cocaine across North Africa and towards Europe. Islamic rebels familiar with the barren terrain of the Sahara have struck deals under which they provide armed security escorts for drug traffickers in return for a slice of their profits, The Telegraph reports. Counter-terrorism experts said the terrorists belong to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group, which has kidnapped a series of Westerners and killed a British tourist last year. They warned that the money they receive from drugs gangs could be used to attract new recruits and plan terrorist attacks on European cities. Olivier Guitta, a counter-terrorism and foreign affairs consultant, said that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the Marxist rebel group, was the "force behind the agreement with AQIM". In the past drugs were flown or shipped from South America straight to Spain or Portugal but the introduction of more rigorous controls in those countries led FARC to change its way of operating. "AQIM is an independent unit of al-Qaeda and does not share the monies with al-Qaeda central but is looking to pull off terror attacks on its own in Europe," Guitta was quoted, as saying. Terrorists linked to al-Qaeda in North Africa have made 130 million dollars from helping drugs gangs and kidnap ransoms since 2007, according to one report citing an investigation by the Algerian government. AQIM first emerged under a different name as an Islamic resistance group opposed to Algeria''s secular government in the early 1990s and has been behind numerous suicide bombings and ambushes.
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| UK police demands new powers to stop and search terror suspects Posted: British police have asked the David Cameron-led coalition government to provide them with new and improved powers to stop and search terror suspects. London Police have said that they need a boost to their counter-terrorism powers, which they worry is too weak. The Guardian has learnt that senior officers have told the government that a new law is needed to better protect the public against attempted attacks on large numbers of people, and are hopeful they can win ministers'' backing. A previous law allowing counter-terrorism stops without suspicion, Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, was scrapped this year by British Home Secretary Theresa May after European judges struck it down for breaching human rights. But police, including the Metropolitan force, which leads the UK fight against terrorism, say they need a boost to their counter-terrorism powers. They have asked for a law which would be much more limited than Section 44. It would be restricted to a specific period of time and to a limited geographic area or a specific place or event. The new stop and search power would need primary legislation to become law and it is believed it could be introduced within months. Police believe it will be needed to protect events such as the 2012 Olympics in London, state occasions such as trooping the colour, and major summits such as the G20 when they are held in the UK. The issue of powers to fight terrorism that infringe on civil liberties is causing friction within the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. A review of counter-terrorism powers has already been delayed after a row over whether control orders should be retained. Britain is facing a double terror threat for the first time in a decade. Counter-terrorism officials believe the risk of attack from al-Qaida-inspired violent extremists is "severe".
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| Vatican bank sets up anti-money-laundering unit to end financial scandals Posted: The Vatican has announced the setting up of an anti-money laundering unit to make its financial dealings more transparent and bring it into line with international legislation designed to prevent money-laundering. The move came after an Italian court in September froze 23 million Euros of the Vatican''s money over claims that its bankers were trying to move the cash across international borders without identifying its source, destination or purpose. According to the Guardian, the head of the Vatican bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, and his deputy are still under investigation on suspicion of money-laundering, although no charges have been brought against the two men, who both deny wrongdoing. The Vatican bank, known as the Institute for the Works of Religion, or IOR, is perhaps the world''s most extraordinary financial organization. Its reputedly state-of-the-art facilities are housed in a 15th century tower next to the pope''s palace and its ATM behind St Peter''s Basilica is in Latin. In the 1980s the IOR was at the centre of a long-running scandal arising from its involvement in the 1.3 billion dollar collapse of Italy''s largest private bank, Banco Ambrosiano, and the death of the bank''s chairman, Roberto Calvi, whose body was found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge in London. The Vatican denied any wrongdoing but paid 250 million dollars to Ambrosiano''s creditors. The IOR was set up to look after the wealth of Catholic organizations, such as religious orders. Its statutes allow lay individuals to open accounts, but only if the purpose is to promote "works of religion or charity". The new rules appeared designed to comply with a mutually agreed deadline of 31 December for the implementation of the EU''s money-laundering directive. The Vatican had also undertaken to set up a financial watchdog body by the first day of 2011.
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| Brits' prediction of 2025: Prince William as King of England, men on Mars Posted: If 100,000 Britons are correct, the world in 2011 could see China emerging as the most powerful nation and Prince William as the King of England. A survey questioned men and women of the UK how they pictured the world in 2025 - 50 percent said they believe Prince William will bypass Prince Charles to be crowned King of England and 60 per cent think China is set to become the world''s leading superpower. 33 percent believe that Britain will be made up of four self-governed countries and a quarter of those believe a new party will form the Government in 2025 although the same proportion think that Labour will be back in power. Four per cent think humans will make a permanent base on Mars while one in ten expect a colony of humans to be living in space. Three-quarters are confident the retirement age will have risen to 70 by the time they reach pensionable age. The Pulse of the Nation survey was carried out to mark MSN''s 15 year anniversary. "When MSN launched Toy Story came out and was the first completely computer generated film, John Major was Prime Minister and Barings bank collapsed," the Daily Mail quoted Matt Ball, editor-in-chief at MSN UK, as saying. "British life has changed remarkably since then. The depth and breadth of insight from our research demonstrates how passionate and opinionated people are about life in the UK."
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| Taiwan woman to marry herself for new life in New Year Posted: A Taiwanese woman therapist plans a new start in the New Year by holding a splendid wedding. What is unusual about her plan is that there will be no groom, the TVBS cable news channel reported.
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| Carla Bruni voted France's most irritating celebrity Posted: French First Lady Carla Bruni has been voted the country's most irritating celebrity in a new poll. The 43-year-old topped the list of media personalities that most got on French people's nerves, with 52 per cent of people saying they found her presence 'highly grating'. She was followed by veteran screen star Alain Delon on 47 per cent and actor Gerard Depardieu on 46 per cent in the Harris poll of 1,713 adults. On top of that, the poll to find the country's most annoying people found her husband Nicolas Sarkozy to be one of France's most irksome politicians. He was voted France's fourth most unbearable politician, behind socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royal, interior minister Brice Hortefeux and National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen. "This couple clearly have a lot of PR work to do for themselves over the next 12 months," the Daily Mail quoted French daily Le Parisien as saying.
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