Mid Day International News

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• Harry Potter actor exposes self!
• Cancer-struck Chavez says he'll rule until 2031
• We cry every day: Anguished maid

Harry Potter actor exposes self! Posted: Nicholas Read, who played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, sentenced for performing sex act in front of Teen An actor who appeared in the Harry Potter and Star Wars films has been given a suspended 20-week jail term for indecently exposing himself to a teenager on a train. Former pantomime star Nicholas Read, who played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, was told by a judge that a suspended sentence would offer the best opportunity for rehab. Read, of Cheadle, north Staffordshire, was convicted of indecent exposure last month after a 17-year-old girl told Leicester crown court how the actor performed a sex act under the cover of a juggler's hat. Read was shown mercy by recorder Richard Bond despite having previous convictions for sexual offences, including an incident in which he climbed into the bed of a stage manager and his girlfriend. The 40-year-old's previous convictions also included a series of "random" and explicit phone calls made to women from a hotel room in 1995. Bond said, "A relatively short sentence of imprisonment will not help you, and it certainly will not protect the public from your fantasies. I have had to ask myself this question: is this a case where not just you, but more importantly, the public would benefit from you receiving a short custodial sentence? The answer to that is no." The judge imposed two specific requirements on Read, which will require him to be supervised by the probation service and to undertake a community sex offender group work programme.

Cancer-struck Chavez says he'll rule until 2031 Posted: Venezuelan Prez sang and danced on 57th birthday, said he will stick around Chavez rallied a crowd of cheering supporters from the balcony of the presidential palace on Thursday, waving a large Venezuelan flag and briefly wrapping himself in it. He said he expects to lose his hair soon as a result of chemotherapy and that a long process of treatment lies ahead. Hugo Chavez waves from a balcony of the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on Thursday "This is going to be various months all of this year, but I'm going to continue in charge of my government functions," Chavez said. He mixed serious statements about his upcoming treatment with the ecstatic rallying cries of a leader already in pre-campaign mode ahead of the 2012 election. "Next year, we will win the presidential elections once again! Strength, unity!" Chavez said. Setting a goal he has never before reached, he said, "We're going for 10 million votes next year!" The crowd chanted, "Oh, no! Chavez won't go!" Chavez sang and danced briefly with one his daughters on the balcony while a band below played folk music. He saluted to the crowd and blew kisses, standing next to three grandchildren. His supporters sang while atop a giant birthday cake sparkling candles burned. "I invite you all to celebrate my 77th," Chavez said. "I had said I'd leave in 2021. Well, I'm not going away in 2021 or anything. Maybe in 2031. "Soon surely my hair will start to fall out inevitable," Chavez said. "They will apply new doses of chemotherapy in the coming days." The leftist leader has been in office since 1999 and is seeking re-election next year to another six-year term. A poll released last week said Chavez's public approval rating remains at 50 per cent and hasn't significantly varied since his cancer diagnosis.

We cry every day: Anguished maid Posted: Maid, who accused Former IMF head of rape speaks up, says she and her daughter cannot go to sleep because 'people call me bad names' The Manhattan maid accusing Dominique Strauss-Kahn of attempted rape has spoken of her anguish as her lawyer warned him of a civil suit even if he escapes criminal trial. Diallo speaks at the press conference in New York. She revealed her identity on July 24 for the first time since accusing Dominique Strauss-Kahn on May 14. Nafissatou Diallo (32), who accuses the powerful French politician and former International Monetary Fund chief of forcing her into oral sex in his luxury hotel room, appeared before a packed press conference at a New York church. "We cry every day. We can't sleep," Diallo, an immigrant from the West African country of Guinea, said, referring to herself and her 15-year-old daughter. In a hesitant voice and nervously clasping her hands, Diallo said it was "too much for me, too much for my daughter". The emotional press conference marked a new level in the publicity drive by Diallo, who came out of hiding on Sunday for the first time since May 14, the date of the alleged crime. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office initially pursued charges against Strauss-Kahn aggressively, but later expressed doubts about the maid's credibility, leading to speculation that the case may collapse. Strauss-Kahn has pleaded not guilty to all charges and his lawyers accuse Diallo of merely pursuing financial gain. But Diallo's lawyer Kenneth Thompson said, "What she wants is justice and if the prosecutors are not going to bring this case to trial then we have to look for justice and what I look forward to is putting this case before a jury," Thompson told the press conference. Asked when a civil suit could be filed, he said "soon". Translation error Thompson said one of the prosecutors' main concerns a taped phone conversation in which Diallo supposedly discussed going after Strauss-Kahn's wealth had now been proved to have resulted from a mistranslation. Diallo referred to a New York tabloid report claiming she was a prostitute and said, "A lot of people calling me a lot of bad names. I hear a lot of things, a lot of bad things. "I say 'God why me, why me?'" she said. 'Mum, don't cry' She said her daughter had begged her, "'Please, mum, promise me you stop crying. People call you bad names. People say bad things about you because they don't know you.'" Diallo, dressed in dark grey trousers, a blue jacket and white shirt, left after her brief comments and was followed to the car park by a frantic rush of camera crews. Strauss-Kahn is not due back in court until August 23 for a hearing.

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