Iran has rejected Western overtures and the international community has no choice but to move toward imposing new sanctions over its nuclear program, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday.
Several African leaders, their relatives and associates used Western banks, including British ones, to move hundreds of millions of dollars out of their countries and into accounts and companies they controlled, according to a US Senate report released late last week. It says that, in 2007, President Omar Bongo of Gabon brought $1m in shrink-wrapped $100 notes into the US in a suitcase; that Teodoro Obiang, son of Equatorial Guinea's president, moved "more than $100m in suspect funds through US bank accounts, including $30m to purchase a residence in Malibu"; and that, between 2000 and 2008, Jennifer Douglas, fourth wife of a former Nigerian vice-president, "helped her husband bring more than $40m in suspect funds into the US".
It says that, in 2007, President Omar Bongo of Gabon brought $1m in shrink-wrapped $100 notes into the US in a suitcase; that Teodoro Obiang, son of Equatorial Guinea's president, moved "more than $100m in suspect funds through US bank accounts, including $30m to purchase a residence in Malibu"; and that, between 2000 and 2008, Jennifer Douglas, fourth wife of a former Nigerian vice-president, "helped her husband bring more than $40m in suspect funds into the US".
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- A man pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Haiti's capital may have been trapped since the January 12 quake that leveled much of the city, doctors reported Monday. The emaciated 28-year-old man was found in the wreckage of a market where he sold rice,
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- A man pulled alive from the rubble of a building in Haiti's capital may have been trapped since the January 12 quake that leveled much of the city, doctors reported Monday.
The emaciated 28-year-old man was found in the wreckage of a market where he sold rice,
US soldier gives four-year-old daughter 'waterboarding' over alphabet A soldier subjected his four-year-old daughter to waterboard-style torture when she failed to recite her alphabet, it has been claimed. ...The 27-year-old, who had recently gained custody of the young girl, said she "squirmed" as he pushed her under the water three or four times, it was claimed. ...Waterboarding is a controversial torture technique used by the CIA to interrogate al Qaeda suspects at Guantanamo Bay, where water is poured over detainees so they think they are drowning. Mr Tabor, from the Lewis-McChord base in Tacoma, Washington, was arrested after he was seen wearing a Kevlar military helmet and threatening to smash windows. When police went to his home in nearby Yelm, his girlfriend told them about the alleged torture. Mr Tabor's daughter was found hiding in a cupboard with bruises on her back and throat. When asked how she got her injuries, she replied: "Daddy did it." The soldier, who has been charged with assault and ordered to stay on the military base, will appear in court later this week. He is not allowed any contact with his daughter and she has been taken into care.
Mr Tabor, from the Lewis-McChord base in Tacoma, Washington, was arrested after he was seen wearing a Kevlar military helmet and threatening to smash windows.
When police went to his home in nearby Yelm, his girlfriend told them about the alleged torture.
Mr Tabor's daughter was found hiding in a cupboard with bruises on her back and throat. When asked how she got her injuries, she replied: "Daddy did it."
The soldier, who has been charged with assault and ordered to stay on the military base, will appear in court later this week.
He is not allowed any contact with his daughter and she has been taken into care.
WTF...
A Chinese activist who sought to document shoddy construction that contributed to deaths in China's devastating 2008 earthquake has been sentenced to five years in prison for subversion, his lawyer said on Tuesday. Tan Zuoren was formally accused of inciting subversion of state power in emailed comments about the bloody crackdown on June 4, 1989, on pro-democracy demonstrators around Tiananmen Square. But Tan's supporters and Amnesty International say he was detained because he planned to issue an independent report on the collapse of school buildings during the Sichuan earthquake, in which more than 80,000 people died. <...> China's official statistics show that 5,335 children died in the quake, which killed about 80,000 people and left 5 million homeless. In many towns, schools collapsed, burying the children inside, while surrounding residential buildings stayed standing. ...
A Chinese activist who sought to document shoddy construction that contributed to deaths in China's devastating 2008 earthquake has been sentenced to five years in prison for subversion, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Tan Zuoren was formally accused of inciting subversion of state power in emailed comments about the bloody crackdown on June 4, 1989, on pro-democracy demonstrators around Tiananmen Square.
But Tan's supporters and Amnesty International say he was detained because he planned to issue an independent report on the collapse of school buildings during the Sichuan earthquake, in which more than 80,000 people died.
<...>
China's official statistics show that 5,335 children died in the quake, which killed about 80,000 people and left 5 million homeless. In many towns, schools collapsed, burying the children inside, while surrounding residential buildings stayed standing. ...
Mr. Tan's lawyer, Pu Zhiqiang, and Ai Weiwei, a prominent artist and friend of Mr. Tan, said in interviews that the government wanted to silence Mr. Tan because of his earthquake work. The central government has tried to stifle any discussion of shoddy school construction, which could expose connections between corrupt government officials and business executives."You can see the tendency of this government -- on the one hand, it wants to be accepted by international laws and values," said Mr. Ai, who tried to document online the death toll from the collapsed schools and has done art projects to memorialize the dead children. "But on the other hand, it's a very primitive dictatorship and really violating all the possible parts of human rights."He added, "It doesn't allow the individuals to speak out and doesn't allow any truths to be revealed."
Mr. Tan's lawyer, Pu Zhiqiang, and Ai Weiwei, a prominent artist and friend of Mr. Tan, said in interviews that the government wanted to silence Mr. Tan because of his earthquake work. The central government has tried to stifle any discussion of shoddy school construction, which could expose connections between corrupt government officials and business executives.
"You can see the tendency of this government -- on the one hand, it wants to be accepted by international laws and values," said Mr. Ai, who tried to document online the death toll from the collapsed schools and has done art projects to memorialize the dead children. "But on the other hand, it's a very primitive dictatorship and really violating all the possible parts of human rights."
He added, "It doesn't allow the individuals to speak out and doesn't allow any truths to be revealed."
Last Saturday I gave the first political speech of my life. I spoke to the Manhattan Libertarian party and told them I planning a campaign for Governor of New York State. I have not decided whether to seek the Libertarian party nomination or form my own party based on my platform; legalization, regulation and taxation of prostitution, marijuana, and legalizing gay marriage. When was the last time a candidate put forward this kind of honest, radical platform? When is the last time a politician offered the voters something different than higher taxes, more spending, greater debt and service cuts. I will also run to highlight the inequities of our criminal justice system which discriminates against women, minorities and poor people, a system which sent me to jail while Eliot Spitzer broke the law and walked away free. Eliot Spitzer is symptomatic of the problem we are dealing with in NY- dirty politicians who believe they are above the law - this precedent must be broken! [...] I am in a unique position to understand the economics of sex. I built a multi-million dollar escort service from scratch before pleading guilty to promoting prostitution. Prostitution in New York is estimated to be a $5 Billion a year business. Legalization and a reasonable tax rate could bring $ 1Billion in new revenues to New York State each year. Legalizing Marijuana would reap another $2 Billion a year. Then New York could balance the budget and still cut property and income taxes. [...] I have retained Roger Stone[!], a well know political consultant to help me prepare for a campaign for governor. I met Roger Stone after we were on a radio show together. He helped expose the hypocrisy of Eliot Spitzer. He is brilliant. He knows how to get the 15,000 signatures I will need to get my name on the ballot. He also shares my positions regarding legalization of prostitution, pot and gay marriage.
When was the last time a candidate put forward this kind of honest, radical platform? When is the last time a politician offered the voters something different than higher taxes, more spending, greater debt and service cuts.
I will also run to highlight the inequities of our criminal justice system which discriminates against women, minorities and poor people, a system which sent me to jail while Eliot Spitzer broke the law and walked away free. Eliot Spitzer is symptomatic of the problem we are dealing with in NY- dirty politicians who believe they are above the law - this precedent must be broken!
[...]
I am in a unique position to understand the economics of sex. I built a multi-million dollar escort service from scratch before pleading guilty to promoting prostitution. Prostitution in New York is estimated to be a $5 Billion a year business. Legalization and a reasonable tax rate could bring $ 1Billion in new revenues to New York State each year. Legalizing Marijuana would reap another $2 Billion a year. Then New York could balance the budget and still cut property and income taxes.
I have retained Roger Stone[!], a well know political consultant to help me prepare for a campaign for governor. I met Roger Stone after we were on a radio show together. He helped expose the hypocrisy of Eliot Spitzer. He is brilliant. He knows how to get the 15,000 signatures I will need to get my name on the ballot. He also shares my positions regarding legalization of prostitution, pot and gay marriage.
Closer inspection of a photo of Sarah Palin, during a speech in which she mocked President Obama for his use of a teleprompter, reveals several notes written on her left hand. The words "Energy", "Tax" and "Lift American Spirits" are clearly visible. There's also what appears to read as "Budget cuts" with the word Budget crossed out.
