Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush to be released early

BAGHDAD – An Iraqi journalist imprisoned for hurling his shoes at former President George W. Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior, his lawyer said Saturday. Muntadhar al-Zeidi's act of protest during Bush's last visit to Iraq as president turned the 30-year-old reporter into a folk hero across the Arab world, as his case became a rallying point for critics who resented the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation. "Al-Zeidi's shoes were a suitable farewell for Bush's deeds in Iraq," Sunni lawmaker Dhafir al-Ani said in welcoming the early release. "Al-Zeidi's act expressed the real will and feelings of the Iraqi people. His anger against Bush was the result of the suffering of his countrymen." The journalist has been in custody since the Dec. 14 outburst, which occurred as Bush was holding a news conference with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Maliki, who was standing next to Bush at the time, was said to have been deeply offended by the act. Al-Zeidi was initially sentenced to three years in prison after pleading not guilty to assaulting a foreign leader. The court reduced it to one year because the journalist had no prior criminal history. Defense attorney Karim al-Shujairi said al-Zeidi will now be released on Sept. 14, three months early. "We have been informed officially about the court decision," al-Shujairi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "His release will be a victory for the free and honorable Iraqi media." Judicial spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said he had no immediate information about the release because it was a weekend. Followers of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who were among the leaders of many of the demonstrations demanding al-Zeidi's release, welcomed the decision to free him early.
"We believe that al-Zeidi did not commit any crime but only expressed the will of the Iraqi people in rejecting the U.S. occupation," Sadrist lawmaker Falah Shanshal said. "Al-Zeidi's image will always be a heroic one." The bizarre act of defiance transformed the obscure reporter from a minor TV station into a national hero to many Iraqis fed up with the U.S. presence. Thousands demonstrated for al-Zeidi's release and hailed his gesture. A sofa-sized sculpture of a shoe was erected in his honor in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, but the Iraqi government later ordered it removed. Neither leader was injured, but Bush was forced to duck for cover as the journalist shouted in Arabic: "This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." The case's investigating judge has said the journalist was struck about the face and eyes, apparently by security agents who wrestled him to the ground and dragged him away. Al-Zeidi's family has said he was also mistreated while in custody, although the government has denied the allegation. "We thank God that he will be released, although we still fear for his safety since he is still in the prison," his brother Dargham said. "He will be released full of pride and strength from all the love he has received from the Iraqi people and international organizations and figures who advocate freedom."

Source: yahoo.news

Opposition wins landslide in Japan election

TOKYO – Japan's opposition party won historic elections in an apparent landslide Sunday, media projections said, sending the conservatives to defeat after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule amid widespread economic anxiety and desire for change. The left-of-center Democratic Party of Japan was set to win 300 or more of the 480 seats in the lower house of parliament, ousting the Liberal Democrats, who have governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955, according to exit polls by all major Japanese TV networks. The loss by the Liberal Democrats — traditionally a pro-business, conservative party — would open the way for the Democratic Party, headed by Yukio Hatoyama, to replace Prime Minister Taro Aso and establish a new Cabinet, possibly within the next few weeks. The vote was seen as a barometer of frustrations over Japan's worst economic slump since World War II and a loss of confidence in the ruling Liberal Democrats' ability to tackle tough problems such as the rising national debt and rapidly aging population.
The Democrats have embraced a more populist platform, promising handouts for families with children and farmers and a higher minimum wage.

The Democrats have also said they will seek a more independent relationship with Washington, while forging closer ties with Japan's Asian neighbors, including China. But Hatoyama, who holds a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University, insists he will not seek dramatic change in Japan's foreign policy, saying the U.S.-Japan alliance would "continue to be the cornerstone of Japanese diplomatic policy." National broadcaster NHK, using projections based on exit polls of roughly 400,000 voters, said the Democratic Party was set to win 300 seats and the Liberal Democrats only about 100. Official results were expected early Monday. TV Asahi, another major network, said the Democratic Party would win 315 seats. The LDP's secretary-general, Hiroyuki Hosoda, said he and two other top officials plan to submit their resignations to Aos, who serves as president of the party. As voting closed Sunday night, officials said turnout was high, despite an approaching typhoon, indicating the intense level of public interest in the hotly contested campaigns. "We've worked so hard to achieve a leadership change and that has now become almost certain thanks to the support of many voters," said Yoshihiko Noda, a senior member of the DPJ. "We feel a strong sense of responsibility to achieve each of our campaign promises." Ruling party leaders said they were devastated by the results. "I feel deeply the impact of this vote," former Prime Minister Shintaro Abe, a leading Liberal Democratic Party member, told television network TBS. "Our party must work to return to power." Even before the vote was over, the Democrats pounded the ruling party for driving the country into a ditch.

Source: yahoo.news

Accused of Drug Ties, Afghan Official Worries U.S.

WASHINGTON — It was a heated debate during the Bush administration: What to do about evidence that Afghanistan’s powerful defense minister was involved in drug trafficking? Officials from the time say they needed him to help run the troubled country. So the answer, in the end: look the other way. Today that debate will be even more fraught for a new administration, for the former defense minister, Marshal Muhammad Qasim Fahim, stands a strong chance of becoming the next vice president of Afghanistan.In his bid for re-election, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has surrounded himself with checkered figures who could bring him votes: warlords suspected of war crimes, corruption and trafficking in the country’s lucrative poppy crop. But none is as influential as Marshal Fahim, his running mate, whose trajectory in and out of power, and American favor, says much about the struggle the United States has had in dealing with corruption in Afghanistan. As evidence of the tensions, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton bluntly told Mr. Karzai that running with Marshal Fahim would damage his standing with the United States and other countries, according to one senior administration official.

Now, the problem of how to grapple with Marshal Fahim adds to the complexity of managing an uneasy relationship with Mr. Karzai. Partial election results show Mr. Karzai leading other contenders, but allegations of fraud threaten to add to the credibility problems facing a second Karzai-led government. If Marshal Fahim did take office, the administration official said, the United States would probably consider imposing sanctions like refusing to issue him a travel visa — something it does with other foreign officials suspected of corruption — though the official cautioned that the subject had not come up in internal deliberations. The United States could take harsher steps, like going after the marshal’s finances, but this would be a remarkable move, given the deep American involvement in Afghanistan and the importance of its relationship with the Karzai government, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicacy of the matter. And Marshal Fahim is not the only Afghan official forcing such a tricky calculation. This summer President Obama called for an investigation of a warlord, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, who is accused of involvement in the killings of thousands of Taliban prisoners of war early in the conflict. That demand fell on deaf ears: Mr. Karzai recently allowed General Dostum to return from exile, reinstating him to his government position. The general, in turn, has endorsed Mr. Karzai and campaigned for him.

Source: nytimes.com

Faythe Collins remembered meeting Senator Edward M. Kennedy as a child and later, as a worried mother whose children had been detained in Brazil, calling his office and leaving a message. “I expected a secretary to maybe call me back,” she said. But the voice on the phone was that of the senator himself. Ms. Collins, who went to the John F. Kennedy Museum in Hyannis, Mass., on Wednesday to sign one of three condolence books put out hours after the senator’s death, recalled his telling her that “he couldn’t pull any strings” to hasten her children’s return, but suggesting options that she could try on her own and calling back several times to check on how things were going. “The information he gave me helped me get my kids back to this country,” said Ms. Collins, 45, who grew up in Hyannis and still lives not far from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port. “It’s so rare that politicians take the time to help ordinary people.” As word of Mr. Kennedy’s death spread Wednesday, memories of him were shared by people from across the globe and all walks of life, from the truck driver from Waltham, Mass., who declared that the senator had “fought for the average people instead of special interests,” to the president of the United States, who called him a “singular figure in American history.”

But while his allies spoke of Mr. Kennedy’s idealism and his steadfast commitment to democratic ideals and the ideals of the Democratic Party, his conservative adversaries on cable television and talk radio complained that Democrats would try to capitalize on his death by rallying support for a health care overhaul that the senator had hoped would be his final legislative triumph. Rush Limbaugh countered the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, who called Mr. Kennedy a “lion of the Senate,” by saying, “We were his prey.” Some remembered him as the Kennedy who was elected to the Senate when one of his brothers was president and another attorney general, and who lived through their assassinations, his own failings at Chappaquiddick and a presidential bid that went nowhere in 1980, but who remained a senator in the course of 10 presidencies and had a hand in shaping laws that touched on education, civil rights, Medicare, Social Security and much more.

Source: nytimes.com

Madonna booed in Bucharest for defending Gypsies

BUCHAREST, Romania – At first, fans politely applauded the Roma performers sharing a stage with Madonna. Then the pop star condemned widespread discrimination against Roma, or Gypsies — and the cheers gave way to jeers.
The sharp mood change that swept the crowd of 60,000, who had packed a park for Wednesday night's concert, underscores how prejudice against Gypsies remains deeply entrenched across Eastern Europe. Despite long-standing efforts to stamp out rampant bias, human rights advocates say Roma probably suffer more humiliation and endure more discrimination than any other people group on the continent. Sometimes, it can be deadly: In neighboring Hungary, six Roma have been killed and several wounded in a recent series of apparently racially motivated attacks targeting small countryside villages predominantly settled by Gypsies. "There is generally widespread resentment against Gypsies in Eastern Europe. They have historically been the underdog," Radu Motoc, an official with the Soros Foundation Romania, said Thursday. Roma, or Gypsies, are a nomadic ethnic group believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent. They live mostly in southern and eastern Europe, but hundreds of thousands have migrated west over the past few decades in search of jobs and better living conditions. Romania has the largest number of Roma in the region. Some say the population could be as high as 2 million, although official data put it at 500,000.
Until the 19th century, Romanian Gypsies were slaves, and they've gotten a mixed response ever since: While discrimination is widespread, many East Europeans are enthusiastic about Gypsy music and dance, which they embrace as part of the region's cultural heritage.

That explains why the Roma musicians and a dancer who had briefly joined Madonna onstage got enthusiastic applause. And it also may explain why some in the crowd turned on Madonna when she paused during the two-hour show — a stop on her worldwide "Sticky and Sweet" tour — to touch on their plight. "It has been brought to my attention ... that there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe," she said. "It made me feel very sad." Thousands booed and jeered her.

Source: yahoo.news

India, Women See Boxing as a Way Up

From across India they came to this big, steamy government-run gym. Before entering the boxing ring, they bowed their heads to the floor, as though entering a temple. A sweet-shop owner’s daughter let loose a right hook. A construction worker’s daughter leaned against the rope, streams of sweat dripping from her face. Bouncing, ducking, like a grasshopper on speed, was a short girl from Calcutta with close-set eyes; she had forsaken her sister’s wedding for a chance to come here and fight. The thud of glove against glove echoed against the cavernous walls. In a country with numerous obstacles for them, young women are gearing up to punch in the big league. The International Olympic Committee earlier this month announced the entry of women’s boxing in the 2012 London Games. India was among the countries pushing to break the gender bar. “This is my dream come true,” Mangte Chungneijang Merykom, 27, India’s most acclaimed boxer, better known as Mary Kom, said this week. Kom is India’s greatest hope in the boxing competition. Since the International Boxing Association started the women’s world championships in 2001, Kom holds the record with four gold medals. With relatively little support from the government, Indian women have performed surprisingly well in the world championships. China is India’s stiffest competitor. In the last championships, held in Ningbo City, China, the home team won 11 medals, followed by Russia’s 5, and 4 each by India and the United States. Kom, having just returned from a training camp in Beijing, was quick to explain why. Even the coaches in China are fit, she said, and athletes are served meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. India’s modest sports camps serve meat or fish once a day. The athletes wash their own clothes by hand. There are no dedicated physical therapists for boxers who are injured.
No matter. Boxing represents a new kind of freedom to the women who entered this steamy, old-fashioned ring on India’s southern tip. Hema Yogesh, 16, a spice farmer’s daughter, ran away from home to join her first boxing camp. Her father was furious at first. But soon, she brought home her first gold medal from a state competition. Her schoolmates showered her with garlands and cheers. Her father, she said, burst out in tears. She did too. He now wants her to compete internationally. Boxing, Hema said, had taught her “courage.” It also fueled ambition. Like most of the girls at this camp, Hema sees boxing as a ticket to a middle-class life. The Indian government rewards athletes with coveted government employment, usually with the police or with the railways. No one in Hema’s family has ever had a government job.

Source: nytimes.com

Chafing After 40 Years, Qaddafi Baffles the West

CAIRO — Once the mad dog of the Middle East, as Ronald Reagan called him, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, has focused on shedding his outlaw status: He heads the African Union, attended a Group of 8 economic conference in Rome and is courted by Western powers hungry for Libyan oil. But if the world thought the colonel had changed his views after 40 years in power, he proved otherwise with the hero’s welcome he gave Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the Lockerbie bombing of 1988. “He likes to rub it in to the West that he was vindicated, that he’s becoming an internationally recognized figure again,” said Dirk J. Vandewalle, associate professor of government at Dartmouth College. It was signature Colonel Qaddafi, extracting a concession from Western powers, offering thanks, then appearing to mock them for caving in. On his visit to Paris in 2007, he lectured the French on human rights. In Rome this year, he pinned a photograph to his chest of the 1931 arrest by Italian troops of the Libyan guerrilla leader Omar al-Mokhtar, whom the Italians later hanged. But this time, Colonel Qaddafi appears to have overreached (even if Mr. Megrahi’s homecoming, indeed his entire case, may not be as straightforward as many perceive).

Instead of enhancing Colonel Qaddafi’s standing, as he had hoped, Mr. Megrahi’s release has highlighted inherent conflicts in his re-engagement with the outside world, experts said. Colonel Qaddafi’s revolutionary ideology still clashes with Western expectations. He has failed to use his nation’s opening to make political and economic improvements at home. There may even be a degree of naïveté on the part of Colonel Qaddafi, who has expressed shock at the full-throated response from Washington and London. Indeed, experts said, officials in Libya believed they had heeded requests to keep the celebrations relatively low-key. After all, Colonel Qaddafi did not himself greet Mr. Megrahi at the airport. The West sees the current situation as clear-cut: Libya honoring a convicted terrorist who helped to blow up a jetliner over Lockerbie, Scotland. But Libya experts said that it was far more nuanced, explaining in part why Libya acted as it did, and why it was so surprised by the reaction. There are several reasons, the experts said, chief among them that the government never accepted Mr. Megrahi’s guilt. “When Megrahi was found guilty there was an immediate sense in Libya that a great miscarriage of justice had taken place,” said George Joffe, a lecturer at the Center of International Studies at Cambridge University. “And even on the day of the sentence, Qaddafi said that he would do everything to reverse it. Right from the beginning they did not accept the sentence.”

Source: nytimes.com

Edward Kennedy, Senate Stalwart, Dies

The death of Edward M. Kennedy immediately raises the question of who will succeed the senator — and how quickly — as Congress is embroiled in a bitter battle over plans to overhaul the nation’s health care system. One of Senator Kennedy’s last public acts before he died on Tuesday was an emotional plea to Massachusetts state lawmakers that they replace him quickly upon his death. Though he did not cite any issues specifically, his note was viewed as an acknowledgment that his absence would leave uncertain not only the identity of his replacement, but also the essence and fate of health care reform, his most cherished legislative goal. In the letter, dated July 2, Mr. Kennedy asked lawmakers to amend the state’s rules and grant the governor the power to appoint his successor until a special election could be held. “It is vital for this Commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and a special election,” he wrote.
While Massachusetts voters would likely vote in another Democratic senator, any delays caused by a special election could hinder efforts by the party to corral the 60 votes needed in the United States Senate to move health care legislation forward.

But the effort to find a quick replacement for Mr. Kennedy may prove complicated. In the week before his death, reaction to his request on Beacon Hill ranged from muted to hostile. The state’s Democrats found themselves in the awkward position of being asked to reverse their own 2004 initiative calling for special elections in such instances.
Until that year, Massachusetts law called for the governor to appoint a temporary replacement if a Senate seat became vacant. But when Senator John Kerry, a Democrat, was running for president in 2004, the Democratic-controlled state legislature wanted to deny the governor at the time — Mitt Romney, a Republican — the power to name a successor if Mr. Kerry won. The resulting law requires a special election within 145 to 160 days after the vacancy occurs.

Souce: nytimes.com

French agent kidnapped in Somalia is free

MOGADISHU, Somalia – A French security agent kidnapped by insurgents in Somalia last month was a free man Wednesday and under protection at the presidential palace, officials said. There were conflicting reports over whether the man escaped or was released and whether he had killed three of his captors. The fate of another French security agent kidnapped with him was not immediately clear. Farhan Asanyo, a Somali military officer, told The Associated Press that the man came up to government soldiers early Wednesday, identified himself and said he had escaped after killing three of his captors. But the French Foreign Ministry said "his liberation came about without violence, contrary to certain information provided locally." The ministry statement made no mention of an escape, leaving open the possibility that there were negotiations to free him. The agent is safe at the palace and "in a good mood," said Abdulkadir Hussein Wehliye, the assistant information secretary of Somalia's presidential palace. Wehliye said the agent had escaped his captors did not mention any killings. The two French agents were abducted in July from a hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, then split up between the rebel groups al-Shabab and its ally Hizbul-Islam.
The French agents were in the country to train Somali government forces, which are fighting Islamist militiamen. Militants had said the two would be tried under Islamic law for alleged spying and conspiracy against Islam.
Foreigners rarely travel to Somalia, which is among the most dangerous countries in the world. The country has not had a functioning government for 18 years since clan warlords overthrew a brutal dictator then unleashed their militias on each other.

Source: yahoo.news

al-Qaida claims Baghdad government bombings

CAIRO – Al-Qaida's umbrella group in Iraq on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the bombings of government ministries in Baghdad last week that killed more than 100 people and left hundreds wounded. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, said in a statement posted on the Internet that "with God's grace," their "sons launched a new blessed attack at the heart of wounded Baghdad." The attack, it said, meant to "wreck the bastions of infidelity" of what it describes as the pro-Iranian government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The statement listed targets al-Qaida claimed to have hit, including the finance, foreign and defense ministries in central Baghdad. The statement, posted on a Web site commonly used by terror groups, could not be independently verified. The wave of explosions that ripped through Baghdad last Wednesday — with nearly simultaneous truck bombs hitting Iraq's Foreign and Finance ministries — killed at least 101 people and left more than 400 wounded. It was the deadliest day of coordinated bombings since Feb. 1, 2008, when two suicide bombers killed 109 people at pet markets in Baghdad. The U.S. military said the attacks bore the hallmarks of al-Qaida, which is known for its high-profile vehicle bombs and simultaneous suicide attacks.
The al-Qaida statement Tuesday said it sought to kill Iraqi government officials. It said the explosions "shook the earth under their feet and tore apart their hearts of fear and horror, proving to everyone the weakness of their government." But it also expressed regret "for those innocent people who were killed" because they were accidentally at the targeted sites and wished the wounded speedy recovery. It warned of more attacks, and urged people to "keep away from the places" of the "heretic" Iraqi establishment. Al-Maliki has blamed Sunni insurgents linked to al-Qaida in Iraq, a group that is part of the Islamic State in Iraq, for the attacks and has said security measures must be reassessed.

Source: yahoo.news

Iran's enrichment program stagnates

VIENNA – Iran's output of enriched uranium is stagnating, diplomats said Tuesday, suggesting the country may be running short the material needed for producing nuclear fuel or the fissile core of warheads. The diplomats — who demanded anonymity because their information was confidential — emphasized that the possibility Iran was running out of uranium oxide was only one of several possible explanations of why it had not increased its production of enriched uranium since May. But they said it seemed unlikely the Islamic Republic had deliberately decided to curb its production. They noted that, despite the stagnation in output, Iran continued over the past three months to expand its capabilities by installing hundreds more of the centrifuges that spin uranium hexafluoride gas derived from uranium oxide into enriched uranium. With Iran under strict U.N. embargoes and on an international watch list meant to cripple its ability to import nuclear materials illegally, it could find it difficult to procure enough uranium oxide to feed its enrichment program. That, in turn, would deal a blow to its stated goal of expanding enrichment to the point where it can supply fuel for a nationwide nuclear network — and reflect the success of U.N sanctions. The existence of a secret Iranian enrichment program built on black market technology was revealed seven years ago and since then the country has continued to expand it with only a few interruptions as it works toward its stated goal of a 50,000-centrifuge enrichment plan. Iran is under three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions for refusing to freeze uranium enrichment. These were imposed out of fears Iran is using the pretext of building a peaceful nuclear program — including enrichment to low levels suited for making nuclear fuel — to eventually make weapons-grade enriched uranium. In its last report on Iran in June, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that nearly 5,000 centrifuges were operating at Iran's cavernous underground enriching facility at Natanz as of May. Diplomats said Tuesday that had expanded to about 6,000 by last month.
The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security recently estimated that, even taking the 5,000-centrifuge figure as a basis, Iran could accumulate enough material to produce weapons-grade uranium for two warheads by February 2010.
Iran steadfastly refuses to stop enriching despite the U.N sanctions. But it is believed to depend on rapidly diminishing outside sources of uranium oxide, with domestic mining yielding only relatively small quantities of inferior ore.
The International Atomic Energy Agency and independent experts believe Iran's rapidly expanding uranium enrichment program has been built on 600 tons of so-called "yellowcake," or uranium oxide, that it imported from South Africa during the 1970s as part of ambitious plans by the former regime of Shah Reza Pahlavi to build a network of nuclear reactors.In the enrichment process, uranium oxide is processed into uranium hexafluoride which then is spun and re-spun to varying degrees of enrichment, with low enriched uranium used for nuclear fuel and upper-end high enriched for nuclear weapons. Extrapolating on statistics contained in the IAEA's November report on Iran, the Institute for Science and International Security, the Washington-based think tank, said these indicated that, by that date, Iran had used up just under three quarters of its original South African supply. "The next six months stand to be revealing," the think tank's study said, noting that Iran is likely to reserve perhaps as much as 100 tons of its South African uranium stock for its Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, which will be fueled by natural uranium once completed.

Source: yahoo.news

CIA's Harsh Interrogation Methods Work?

Even before the Aug. 24 release of the 2004 CIA inspector general's report revealed the full extent of harsh methods used on terror detainees, much of the furor over the agency's enhanced interrogation techniques has been over questions of morality, legality and politics. But there's also a cold, practical question: Did harsh methods like waterboarding cause terrorist suspects to give up valuable, actionable information? (Read "Five Questions for the CIA IG's Interrogation Report.")
The program's defenders, most notably former Vice President Dick Cheney, have long claimed that "high-value detainees" like al-Qaeda operatives Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and Abu Zubaydah, initially resistant to interrogation, broke down under the coercive techniques and gave up crucial tips. The information they supplied, Cheney and other defenders have argued, helped to foil specific, imminent terrorist plots against the U.S. homeland, and thus saved thousands of American lives. In April, after the Obama Administration released the Bush Administration's so-called torture memos, which provided the legal rationale for the tactics, Cheney demanded that it also release two CIA memos that, he said, would "show the success of the effort." Those memos, taken together with the unclassified inspector general's report into the CIA's interrogation program, would be the smoking gun that proved, once and for all, that harsh interrogation paid off.
But a close reading of all three documents, released the same day that the Justice Department announced it would open up a limited investigation into the interrogations, reveals not smoke but fog. And there's just enough of it that both defenders and critics of the CIA's techniques can claim to have been vindicated. The three high-value detainees who endured the harshest interrogation did yield a trove of information, including details of some schemes to attack U.S. targets. But it's hard to gauge whether these were actually looming threats. The inspector general's report says it "did not uncover any evidence that these plots were imminent." The CIA memos say information gained from detainees led to "arrests [that] disrupted attack plans in progress" - but stop short of attributing this directly to the enhanced interrogations.

Source:yahoo.news

Scarlett Johansson Sexes Up New

Scarlett Johansson has done it again. She looks every bit sultry and sexy in her new ad for Dolce & Gabbana. The high-end designer just launched a brand new eau de parfum spray called Rose The One, and Scarlett was their muse. The rose-hued shot was captured by photographer Jean Baptiste Mondino, who says, “It feels wonderful to have been a part of the collaboration.” The floral fragrance, which is the final launch in The One trilogy of scents for D & G, will debut next month with prices starting at $60 for a 30 ml eau de parfum spray. It contains notes of blackcurrant, pink grapefruit, mandarin, lily of the valley, rose, litchi, peony, Madonna lily, ambrette seed, sandalwood, musk and vanilla. Sounds heavenly! Scarlett definitely lured us in with this one!

Source: hollyscoop.com

Miley Cyrus Spotted Kissing Liam

In June, Miley Cyrus described her co-star in The Last Song, Liam Hemsworth, as a "hot boy."
Now, based on multiple reports, it sounds like the Disney icon has been working up a sweat with the Australian actor - if you know what we mean! We mean this: the pair has been spotted kissing... off camera!
Both The New York Daily News and People quote witnesses that say Cyrus and Hemsworth played an intense game of tonsil hockey at the Nashville airport on Wednesday. In fact, actor Alex Emanuel was standing a few feet away and said the rumored couple was "full-on making out." He told People: "[Miley] jumped into his arms and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him and leaned back and he was dipping her. It was like a scene out of an old movie where the guy's getting on a train and they're saying their goodbyes."

Miley has admitted that she and Liam hang out by themselves. Less than a week ago, she Tweeted:
"I kinda want to go see 'The Time Traveler's Wife' but I think I'll just sit around and eat sushi and watch "Liar Liar" with Liam :)" Ironically, the question now becomes: was Miley being a liar liar when she said she did not have a boyfriend earlier this month? Or will she finally own up to her relationship with Hemsworth? If so, we're sure she'll do so it in a mature, Cyrus-like manner. Something along the lines of a Tweet that reads:

Source: thehollywoodgossip.com

Stefania Fernandez Wins Miss Universe 2009!

The lovely Miss Venezuela, Stefania Fernandez, was crowned Miss Universe 2009 last night. The 18-year-old (!) is a worthy title-holder, to say the least. She defeated finalists from Puerto Rico, Kosovo, Australia and the Dominican Republic. When she heard that Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Amee De la Cruz, was named first Runner-Up, that meant Stefania Fernandez became the new Miss Universe. Stefania is the second consecutive Miss Venezuela to win Miss Universe, and shared a hug with her predecessor, Dayana Mendoza, on stage after she won.
Receiving the tiara from Dayana, Stefania accidentally dropped the thing on stage. But with true grace and dignity, they rebounded as if nothing happened.

The second runner-up was Miss Kosovo Gona Dragusha, while Miss Australia Rachael Finch was third runner-up. Miss China Wang Jingyao was Miss Photogenic, while Miss Thailand Chutima Durongdej was named Miss Congeniality.
The top 15 finalists appeared in bathing suits before the final 10 were chosen for the evening gown segment. Pageant co-owner Donald Trump told reporters: "I think this is the most beautiful group of women I've ever seen."
The televised event includes musical performances by Flo Rida, David Guetta, Kelly Rowland and Heidi Montag. We'll have a video of that disaster up later. Stefania Fernandez was also named "Miss Elegance" "Best Body" and "Best Face." We're just hoping she doesn't add "Miss Nude Photo Scandal" shortly.

Source: thehollywoodgossip.com

Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton: Race Day Lovers

Spending time together on race day, Nicole Scherzinger was spotted side-by-side with her speedster beau Lewis Hamilton in Valencia, Spain on Sunday (August 23). Gearing up for a big day, the pair walked in the paddock before the European Formula One Grand Prix at the Valencia Street Circuit.

As for the race, Hamilton ended up finishing second to Rubens Barrichello following a pit-stop blunder.
Refusing to place blame on his team, Lewis told press: “We win and we lose together. We have had a tremendous effort to get us here and we can’t take second for granted or be disappointed not to win because we have had extraordinary races in the last few races.”

The defending world champion added: “These things happen and it rarely happens to me. In all my time with this team, I think it is only the second time. They deserve a pat on the back.”
Enjoy the pictures of Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton at the European Formula One Grand Prix (August 23).

Source: celebrity-gossip.net

Girl dies after wave knocks her into ocean

A 7-year-old girl died after a large ocean wave kicked up by Hurricane Bill knocked her and two other people into the Atlantic off Maine's Acadia National Park on Sunday, a park official said. Coast Guard rescuers plucked the three from the ocean after a wave swept them from a rocky ledge at the park, according to Sheridan Steele, the park's superintendent. The conditions of the two survivors -- a 12-year-old girl and a man -- were not immediately available. No names were released. Ocean waves also injured a few other people at the park, knocking them to the ground or into rocks and crevices, Steele said. Some were taken to a hospital with broken bones or other injuries, Steele said. The victims were among several thousand people who were at the park late Sunday morning to watch the high waves that Hurricane Bill -- a Category 1 storm -- was producing offshore. "Even though we try to warn people and try to get people to watch from a safe distance, we weren't able to contact everybody in time," Steele said Sunday evening. The hurricane's center passed New England without making landfall and got very close to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Sunday afternoon. It was expected to pass near or over southeastern Nova Scotia, Canada, on Sunday night, the National Hurricane Center said. At 11 p.m., Hurricane Bill was about 115 miles west-northwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, according to the hurricane center. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 75 mph, and was moving to the east-northeast near 40 mph the center reported. Bill would become a tropical storm if its winds fall below 74 mph. "Weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours and Bill is expected to become extratropical on Monday," the center's 11 p.m. advisory said. "Large and dangerous swells generated by Hurricane Bill will continue to impact the Atlantic Maritimes of Canada overnight." Though tropical storm warnings were lifted in the United States, tropical storm warnings were in effect for parts of Canada's Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and and Newfoundland.

Source:cnn.com

Miss Venezuela wins Miss Universe title -- again

Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009, beating out more than 80 other contestants during a pageant held Sunday night in Nassau, Bahamas. The 18-year-old was crowned by another Venezuelan, Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008, marking the first time that two contestants from the same country have won the title in consecutive years. As Miss Universe, Fernandez will have the use of a New York City apartment for the year of her reign, and will receive living expenses. Other prizes include a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy; a vacation for two in the Bahamas; and a wardrobe, including evening wear, swimsuits and jewelry.
The competition involves swimsuit, evening gown and interview phases, which a 12-member panel judged.
Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee De La Cruz, was named first runner-up and would assume Fernandez's duties if she couldn't complete her term

Souce: cnn.com

Justice Dept advises pursuing CIA abuses

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department has recommended reopening nearly a dozen prisoner-abuse cases, which could expose CIA employees and contractors to prosecution for their treatment of terrorism suspects, The New York Times reported on Monday. The recommendation, reversing the Bush administration, came from the Justice Department's ethics office and has been presented to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The development threatens to engulf Washington politics at a time when President Barack Obama is pushing to overhaul healthcare and climate change policy. Obama has said he seeks to look forward rather than launch time-consuming investigations into past events. The Justice Department is due to disclose details on Monday of prisoner abuse that were gathered in 2004 by the CIA's inspector general but have never been released, according to the Times report, which cited an unnamed person officially briefed on the matter. When the CIA first referred its inspector general's findings, it decided that none of the cases merited prosecution. But when Holder took office as attorney general this year under Obama and saw the allegations included deaths of people in custody and other cases of physical or mental torment, he reconsidered, the newspaper said. "With the release of the details on Monday and the formal advice that at least some cases be reopened, it now seems all but certain that the appointment of a prosecutor or other concrete steps will follow, posing significant new problems for the CIA," the Times said. The recommendation to review the cases centers mainly on allegations of detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan. In some examples of abuse made public at the weekend, the CIA report describes how its officers carried out mock executions and threatened at least one prisoner with a gun and a power drill -- possible violations of a federal torture statute. The Times quoted a CIA spokesman, Paul Gimigliano, as saying that the Justice Department recommendation to open the closed cases had not been sent to the intelligence agency.

Souce:yahoo.news

Athens Fire

ATHENS, Greece – Fire crews outside Athens scrambled Monday to exploit a lull in high winds, but the flames spread further and a dozen nuns had to be rescued from a convent threatened by one blaze.Six major fires were burning Monday across Greece, including blazes on the islands of Evia and Skyros in the Aegean Sea and Zakynthos in the west. But the most dangerous was the fire near Athens, which started north of the Marathon plain and spread over Mount Penteli on the northern edge of the Greek capital. The massive wildfires broke out Friday and have razed about 58 square miles (37,000 acres or 15,000 hectares) of forest and brush, damaged or destroyed scores of homes and forced thousands to flee outlying areas of Athens. At first light Monday, 17 water-dropping planes and helicopters swooped over flames near populated areas, trying to knock down the fire before the stronger winds expected later in the day. At least five people were being treated for burns and several dozen had reported breathing problems, but no injuries were serious, Health Ministry officials said. "There are some signs of optimism but no letting up of the firefighting effort. We have a chance to contain this nightmare that has burned the city's main forest area," Athens regional governor Yiannis Sgouros said. "After this, we will assess the extent of this catastrophe — how many homes were destroyed, and how much damage was done." Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis toured the affected area on Sunday, amid criticism of his government's response to the emergency. The mayor of Marathon, Spyros Zagaris, was among several local leaders who accused the government of having no coherent plan to fight the fire.
The Greek government also faced severe criticism for its fire-fighting abilities in 2007, when fires ravaged southern areas of the country, killing 76 people. Thousands of people fled the fire-striken areas over the weekend, many on foot because fires closed nearby roads. But government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said the number of people involved in state-organized evacuations was "limited" and most have now returned to their homes.
Antonaros on Monday defended the government's response. "A massive effort is underway to contain these fires," Antonaros said. "From the first moment, (we had) the presence of personnel on a large scale."

Source:yahoo.new

Australian oil leak could take weeks

PERTH, Australia – Plugging a leak at an offshore drilling rig that has caused an oil slick off Australia will take weeks, the operator said Sunday, though officials said there was little threat of environmental damage.
Oil and gas have been leaking from a hole deep beneath the sea floor at the site of the rig between Australia's northwest coast and Indonesia since early Friday. Maritime authorities say the oil slick has been dissipating or evaporating fairly quickly. The slick — measuring about 30 yards (meters) wide and nine miles (15 kilometers) long — is about 150 miles (250 kilometers) northwest of the Kimberley region. It was sprayed Sunday with a chemical dispersant by an Australian Maritime Safety Authority plane. "There's no threat to the Australian coast," Resources Minister Martin Ferguson told Network Ten television. "It is evaporating naturally and the work of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority will merely assist in that evaporation." Operator PTTEP Australasia evacuated 69 people from the rig on Friday as a precaution against fire breaking out from the condensate oil — a crude petroleum product used for blending — and gas leaking from the rupture about 1 1/2 miles (2.5 kilometers) beneath the sea floor. No one was injured. PTTEP chief financial officer Jose Martins said the depth of the leak made it hard to fix and difficult to determine its cause. Martins said a mobile drilling rig had been ordered from Singapore and it would drill a well near the one that is leaking and install a pipe that could pump mud into the hole to plug it. This could take up to seven weeks, Martins said.

Source:yahoo.news

Long take in long jump final

BERLIN – The families of Jesse Owens and Luz Long took in the long jump final Saturday at the world championships from the box where Adolf Hitler once sat for the 1936 Olympics.
It was inside the Olympic Stadium, with Hitler looking on, that Long, the German long jump great, famously befriended Owens. The American stole the show in '36 and made a mockery of Nazi claims of Aryan supremacy, becoming the first U.S. track athlete to win four golds at one Olympics. Just to be in the stadium touched Marlene Hemphill Dortch, the granddaughter of Owens. The 45-year-old Dortch didn't realize she was sitting in Hitler's box until shortly before the competition began.

Source:yahoo.news

Canada for millionaire murder suspect

BUENA PARK, Calif. – Canadian authorities on Saturday intensified the manhunt for the millionaire reality TV star accused of murdering a former swimsuit model and stuffing her naked, mutilated body in a suitcase.
"We're leaving no stone unturned, but we have to play our cards close to our chest right now," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Duncan Pound. The search for Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a 32-year-old real estate developer and investor from Calgary, is centered around Vancouver and British Columbia, said Peter Van Loan, Canada's public safety minister. The Mounted Police are leading the manhunt for Jenkins, who is suspected of strangling Jasmine Fiore and then reporting her missing the evening of Aug. 15 before fleeing.
Jenkins and Fiore met in Las Vegas in March and they married a few weeks later. The couple separated shortly afterward, but had reportedly recently reconciled. Fiore's body was found in a trash bin in Buena Park, an Orange County city about 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Her teeth had been pulled out and her fingers cut off, apparently to impede her identification. Investigators used the serial numbers on her breast implants to identify her, said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office. Authorities believe Jenkins fled via car, boat and on foot to enter his native Canada. The manhunt has claimed widespread attention in Canada where some media carried an erroneous report late Friday that Jenkins had been escorted off a plane arriving at Toronto from Vancouver. Regional police spokesman Adam Minnion said Saturday that the man resembled Jenkins but was released after tests confirmed he wasn't the suspect. But the mistaken identity led two newspapers to publish erroneous reports. "Fugitive murder suspect arrested in Toronto: Jenkins caught," declared the front page of the Calgary Herald's online edition. A headline on the online front page of the Vancouver Province announced "Jenkins arrested in Toronto." Both papers yanked the stories after police said the man who'd been questioned was not Jenkins.

Souce:yahoo.news

South Korea holds state funeral for Kim Dae-jung

SEOUL, South Korea – Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.
The solemn funeral was the first held at the National Assembly, where Kim — who endured torture, death threats and imprisonment during his decades as a dissident — triumphantly took the oath of office as South Korea's president in 1998.
The man who made history by meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2000 also managed to bring the two Koreas together with his death Tuesday at age 85. A North Korean delegation dispatched to Seoul to mourn the late leader met for talks Sunday with South Korea's president, the first high-level contact between the rival Koreas after many months of tension.
"Farewell, Mr. Sunshine: Without you, we could have never known true democracy," read yellow placards held by mourners who gathered in central Seoul to watch a broadcast of his funeral.
The two Koreas remain officially in a state of war because their three-year conflict ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty. Tanks and troops still guard the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone bisecting the peninsula.
Kim Dae-jung, however, was respected on both sides of the border. As president from 1998 to 2003, his "Sunshine Policy" advocated engaging the isolated North and sought to ease reconciliation by plying the impoverished nation with aid.
In 2000, he traveled to Pyongyang to hold a summit with Kim Jong Il — the first between leaders of the two Koreas. Raising their hands aloft in a sight that would have been unimaginable just years earlier, the two Kims pledged to embark on a new era of peace on the Korean peninsula.

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Source:yahoo.news