Obama May Lose In His Home

Obama May Lose In His Home

President Barack Obama could lose his home state of Illinois in November, a new poll shows.

Quas molestias excepturi
WorldFloat Networking Site Takes Social Media

WorldFloat Networking Site

Worldfloat.com, a new social networking site, is enabling users to move around a virtual world where they can hang out with friends.

Impedit quo minus id
Uganda Stuns World On Final Day Of Olympics

Uganda Stuns World On Final Day Of Olympics

The 23-year-old burst past Abel Kirui and Wilson Kipsang around the 38km mark to leave his two rivals trailing and claim only Uganda’s second-ever Olympic gold in Athletics.

Voluptates repudiandae kon
Federal Court in Texas Orders

Federal Court in Texas Orders

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that it obtained an order of permanent injunction against defendants Robert Mihailovich, Sr. (Mihailovich, Sr.) of Rockwall

Mauris euismod rhoncus tortor

German spy agency warns of more attacks by “rogue” Afghan soldiers, U.S top General “mad as hell”


Unknown | 22:13 |

German Spy agency says there would be more attacks on International soldiers by Afghan “rogue” soldiers. Rehabilitation of former Taliban insurgents has ” no effect”
U.S top General “mad as hell” over Saturday’s attack.
The German Intelligence Agency Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) in a highly classified report has warned the German government that ground situation in Afghanistan is more serious than it has been portrayed and there would be more attacks on US-led NATO troops by Afghan “rogue” soldiers, German Media said on Sunday.

The report titled “Afghanistan till 2014-a prognosis” has revealed that ground situation is serious and rehabilitation of former Taliban insurgents has no effect to the peace process.
“35,000 troops would be needed in the country to train Afghan army to stabilize the country and fight the insurgents after the withdrawal of International troops, the report has added according to German edition of The Local.

Meanwhile a top United States Army General has voiced serious concerns over “insider” attacks in recent months against the international troops. The US Commander General John Allen has said that he was “mad as hell” over the attack on Saturday in which one NATO soldier and a civilian contractor was killed by an Afghan soldier.
“We are willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but not willing to be murdered for it”, Gen. Allen has told a meeting.
Gen. Allen has further stated that “the signature attack that we are beginning to see is going to be the insider attack.”
He was referring to an attack just outside of capital of Kabul. In the attack a total of five people were killed including a U.S soldier and a civilian contractor.  But a report on Sunday night by Reuters quoting unnamed military officials claimed that the soldier along with the civilian was killed over a misunderstanding.

“A U.S. official, who asked not to be identified, said on Sunday that an American soldier and a civilian contractor had been killed in the incident in eastern Afghanistan, the circumstances of which remain unclear”, Reuters said.

Buddhist temples attacked, homes torched, violence in Bangladesh over Facebook picture


Unknown | 20:01 |

Muslims in Bangladesh have turned their anger at Buddhists after a man posted a photograph deemed offensive to Islam on Facebook.  

Men armed with sticks, rocks and Molotov cocktails set fire to at least 12 temples and more than a dozen homes in a town named Ramu, 216 miles from Capital Dhaka, Bangladesh media and news agencies reported.
Officials have claimed that mobs comprising about 25,000 took part in anti-Buddhist violence.
“A man in the area uploaded the picture on Facebook”, the officials have claimed.

“In what turned out to be long hours of arson and vandalism, a mob destroyed 12 Buddhist temples and monasteries and more than 50 houses in Ramu upazila of Cox’s Bazar early yesterday. The violence was apparently triggered by a Facebook posting of a photo defaming the holy Quran”, the Daily Star newspaper reported.
The mobs have also set fire to two monasteries and a Hindu temple. The Buddhist temples included two century old-Pagodas, revered by the minority Buddhists in Bangladesh.
Police officials said that they believe extremists group Rohingyas and Muslim militants were behind the attacks.

The person who was responsible, believed to be a state employee was whisked off to safety by policemen. “His Facebook account was hacked”, the officials said.

Gaddafi was murdered by French “agents” on orders from ex-président, British newspaper


Unknown | 19:34 |

A British newspaper has claimed that former Libyan dictator Gadaffi was killed by French secret servicemen on orders from their former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The newspaper, Daily Mail reported on Sunday that Gaddafi was killed to prevent him being interrogated because of his suspicious links with the French President.
“Sarkozy, who once welcomed Gaddafi as a ‘brother leader’ during a state visit to Paris, was said to have received millions from the Libyan despot to fund his election campaign in 2007”, Daily Mail claimed.
The newspaper quoting highly places sources said that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also a close confidante of Gaddfi and helped the Libyan dictator to win multimillion dollar deals.
Read full report here.

Another drama, another episode, incorrigible Lindsay Lohan


Unknown | 19:00 |

LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Christian LaBella (Facebook photos below) is a free man. Christian LaBella had been charged for assault of Lindsay Lohan and harassment. But police have dropped the assault charge against LaBella and released him Sunday. LaBella, in turn, is set to file harassment charges against Lindsay Lohan. LaBella is the purported nephew of comedian Heather McDonald of “Chelsea Lately”.


Christian LaBella on his Facebook page featured him standing next to Paul Ryan, Herman Cain, and Kim Kardashian. But during an encounter with Lindsay Lohan last night, LaBella was accused by the actress of taking pictures of her and then allegedly attacking her.
Police disagree. Police have now dropped all assault charges against LaBella. Shimon Prokupecz, producer for WNBC, reports “Christian LaBella released by police after assault charges were dropped. Harassment (which is not crime) reports filed against him and Lohan”. He indicates that “sources say he [LaBella] also filed a harassment charge against Lohan.”


Christian LaBella is from Valley Village, California, reportedly. He has worked for Republican Congressman John Shimkus of Illinois. “While no one from Congressman Shimkus’ office has been contacted by Mr. LaBella following his arrest, he has been an employee in the Congressman’s Washington office,” his boss said in a news statement to the New York Daily News today. “Obviously, the Congressman does not condone his actions.”

Lohan met LaBella Saturday evening inside 1 Oak Nightclub in Chelsea, New York. Police claim that Lohan invited LaBella back to her hotel room. She then told police that, once inside her room, LaBella was hanging with her friends. She told police that she found pictures of herself taken by LaBella inside his telephone that evening. Lohan claimed that she seized LaBella’s phone during the dispute. She then claimed that LaBella assaulted her. LaBella was first charged with assault and harassment and held in custody. LaBella was released from the 13th Precinct stationhouse midday Sunday will all charges dropped.
Source:LA Late

Breaking News: 7.3 Magnitude earthquake shakes southwest Colombia for 5o seconds, no damages or injuries reported


Unknown | 12:14 |

Sri Lanka:Young monks involved in game of cricket


Unknown | 00:09 |

Sri Lanka: Young monks involved in a game of cricket. Sri Lanka is currently hosting T20 World Cup. Picture posted on Facebook/TripLK

Sri Lanka:Young monks involved in game of cricket


Unknown | 00:09 |

Sri Lanka: Young monks involved in a game of cricket. Sri Lanka is currently hosting T20 World Cup. Picture posted on Facebook/TripLK

Americans will spend $8 billion this Halloween, NRA


Unknown | 23:22 |

Pumpkin, Princess, Witch and Vampire Costumes Top Consumers’ Halloween Favorites.
 Americans are expected to spend $2.87 billion on Halloween costumes this year according to a recent NRF survey, spending over $1.1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.4 billion on adult costumes, and $370 million on pet costumes. The average person will spend $79.82 on Halloween candy, costumes and décor, bringing total spending to $8 billion – the most in the survey’s ten-year history.
Americans would spend $ 2.87 billion on Halloween costumes this year, National Retailers Association said in a statement.
Top 10 Halloween costumes for 2012
It said $ 1.1 billion would be spent on children’s costumes, $ 1.4 billion on adult costumes and $ 370 million on pet costumes. An average person is expected to spend $ 79.82 on Halloween Candy, costumes and décor, bringing total spending to $ 8 billion-the most in NRA’s ten year survey history. Read the full statement below….
This Halloween, trick-or-treaters, party-goers and pampered pets will be dressing up in traditional spooky style with pumpkin, princess, witch and vampire costumes taking the top spots in NRF’s 2012 Top Costumes survey conducted by BIGinsight.
Nearly six million adults plan to dress as a witch this year, and 3.2 million will dress as vampires. For kids, princess costumes take the number one spot (9.7%), with Batman (5.4%) and Spider-Man (4.6%) taking number two and three. When it comes to those planning a costume for their four-legged friends, 12.7 percent of people are sticking with the most traditional of all costumes – a pet-friendly pumpkin.
Americans are expected to spend $2.87 billion on Halloween costumes this year according to a recent NRF survey, spending over $1.1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.4 billion on adult costumes, and $370 million on pet costumes. The average person will spend $79.82 on Halloween candy, costumes and décor, bringing total spending to $8 billion – the most in the survey’s ten-year history.
“Choosing a costume is one of the most entertaining parts of Halloween,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “With many families on the hunt for adult, child and pet costumes this year, retailers are making sure they’ve got their shelves fully stocked with a wide variety of costumes, including the traditional and even the not-so-traditional garbs inspired by Hollywood and even pop-culture.”
Not surprisingly, many consumers are looking to recent and forthcoming events for their 2012 costume ideas. Over one million adults and kids will dress as some type of athlete this year, a nod perhaps to the London Olympics. And with the election looming in early November, over 767,000 Halloween party-goers will don some type of political costume.
“With nearly one in ten celebrants taking their costume cues from current events, we’ll see plenty of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney look-alikes out-and-about for Halloween,” said BIGinsight Consumer Insights Director, Pam Goodfellow. “However, we expect these ‘rivals’ will be able to find some common ground over the punch bowl or a bag of candy.”
As in previous years, man’s best friend won’t be left-out of the Halloween celebrations.  The most popular pet costume will be a pumpkin (12.7%), with devils (6.9%) and hot dogs (5.7%) following closely behind.
View these top trends and more in NRF’s 2012 Halloween Infographic.
Top Adult Costumes      Top Children’s Costumes        Top Pet Costumes
1. Witch                                      1. Princess                                1. Pumpkin
2. Vampire                                2. Batman                                 2. Devil
3. Pirate                                     3. Spiderman                           3. Hot dog
4. Batman character             4. Witch                                     4. Cat
5. Zombie                                  5. Disney Princess                 5. Bee
6. Vixen                                     6. Action/Super Hero          6(T). Dog
7. Princess                                7. Pirate                                     6(T). Ghost
8(T). Ghost                                8. Vampire                               7. Action/Super Hero
8(T). Nurse                               9. Zombie                                  8. Witch
9. Cat   10.                                    Ghost                                     9. Bowties/Fancy Collars/Bandanas
10. Superman                               10. Superman

Breaking News: Abducted British, Australian women rescued, Ecuador Interior minister


Unknown | 20:38 |

Ecuadoran authorities have rescued two women who were kidnapped near the Colombian border a day earlier, official sources said.

Police and armed forces staff “located and rescued the two girls, Australian and English, kidnapped in Cuyabeno,” Interior Minister Jose Serrano said on Twitter, on Saturday.
The women, a British and another from Australia, traveling in a canoe were part of a group of seven tourists when they were kidnapped near the nature reserve in Tarapora province.
It was not known who were behind the kidnappings, but according police officers, Colombian ex-paramilitary group known as Black Eagles may have abducted the tourists.
Neither specifics of the rescue nor the identification of the tourists were known immediately.

U.N Secretary General “pranked” by two Canadian radio jockeys


Unknown | 19:22 |

Two Canadian radio jockeys described as hilarious pranksters did the unthinkable; they pulled the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon from a meeting with U.S president Barack Obama by making a frivolous phone call.

The jocks Sebastien Trudel and Marc-Antoine Audette of CKOL-FM in Montreal followed their prank to UN secretary after a courtesy call to the Canadian Prime minister Stephen Harper.
At the UN they jumped through few obstacles before telling the Secretary General “Mr. Ban, I’m calling because the UN has to give support to the Quebec Nordiques … You have to speak to Gary Bettman,” the fake Harper said, according to the Toronto Sun.

Read the rest of the story below….
The Quebec Nordiques are a failed NHL franchise that moved south the Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche.
Bettman is commissioner of the NHL, which is embroiled in a labor dispute with players and recently cancelled its pre-season games.
The regular NHL schedule is now in jeopardy.
Moon eventually wised up to the prank.
“I don’t understand what you are saying,” Ban said, the Sun reported.
“My impression is that I’m being fooled.”
The duo followed their prank against Moon by calling Harper himself, pretending to be a Quebec politician asking for advice.
“He was a good sport,” Audette told The Canadian Press.
“He was very nice, but serious. … He said, ‘Ah, so it’s a joke.’ He greeted our audience and that was it.”
The prime minister’s spokesman congratulated the “Justiciers” on Twitter.
Article Courtesy: Global Post

Russia ordered Syria to murder captured Turkish pilots, leaked intelligence docs


Unknown | 18:04 |

The leaked Syrian intelligence documents have revealed damning evidence of Russian involvement in the Syrian 18 month-long violence-marred strife.


One of the reports published by Al-Arabiya reveals that Russians ordering Syrian government to assassinate two pilots of the downed Turkish F-4 fighter jet in June this year. According to the report, the pilots of the Phantom fighter jet were murdered after it crashed inside Syrian soil.
Previous reports stated the flight was shot by Syrian air force by mistake.
The documents written in Arabic were made public by Saudi based Al-Arabiya newspaper on Saturday.

In June this year Syria claimed that the plane was shot down accidentally. But the leaked documents allege the captured Turkish pilots were killed with the coordination of Russian naval base in Tartus. Russia maintains a naval base in Tartus and a military facility to provide technical and maintenance support to Syrian military.
The Syrian government also contemplated of handing over the downed-pilots to the members of Hezbollah in Lebanon to decide their fate, but in the 11th hour with the consultation of Russian insiders it was decided to “terminate” the pilots, the documents allege.
Just one month after the incident a London newspaper quoting unnamed sources said that the jet was shot with the aid of Russian technicians who played an important role to bring down the plane and soon after the incident Russian government issued a statement not to see the incident as a “provocation or as a premeditated action by Syria”.
In the recent months the relationship between Turkey and Syria has hit all time low. Last week Syrian government accused Turkish border patrols for helping Syrian rebels by opening up the borders to allow Al-Qaeda members to join in the fight against the government.
Turkey also been accused of allowing arms to flow into Syria.
 

Christians outraged over soccer player portrayed as Jesus Christ


Unknown | 17:15 |

Christians all over the world are outraged over a Brazilian magazine publishing a photograph of a soccer player being crucified in the same was as Christ.
The magazine, Placar, a successful sports magazine, used the picture to highlight the criticism of a soccer player attached to Santos soccer club has been receiving. The player in the picture is identified as Neymar.
The cover of the magazine read “”the Brazilian ace turns scapegoat in a sport where everyone plays dirty”. According to newspaper reports, the magazine cover was inspired by a 1970’s issue of Spanish Magazine Don Balon.
The Brazilian Cardian Raymundo Damasceno called the cover “disgusting” and has added “showing disdain towards people’s feelings”
A statement read: “The Brazilian National Bishops Confederation states that it feels severely outraged with the [photo] montage that is the cover of a sports magazine, where the image of Jesus Christ is seen with the face of a football player.
“We acknowledge freedom of speech as a fundamental principle of our state and [see it as necessary for] democratic co-existence, however, there are known limits for such.
“To ridicules faith and show disdain towards peoples’ religious feelings by using the disrespectful use of the image of Jesus suggests manipulation and use of editorial resources as a means for commercial ends.
“This is a clear lack of respect that offends the most sacred image for Christians and updates, in a hazardous manner, the well-known resource of gaining attention by provocation.”
An online petition which has 8,000 signatures has called for a boycott of the magazine.

Muslim girl forbidden from skipping swimming lessons,German court rules.


Unknown | 14:38 |

A German court has refused to allow a Muslin girl to skip swimming practices after she complained that she was “uncomfortable” being close to bare-chested boys.
He lawyers told the court that according to Quran she is not only forbidden from showing herself to boys but also from “seeing” topless boys.
But the court said she could wear a full body suit to attend lessons. “The school system designed to promote integration and tolerance”, the court said citing a constitution ruling by a German court.
“She has to put up with her class mates”, the court added.
The 12 year unidentified girl is originally from Morocco and currently attending a school in Frankfurt.
Source;AFP

Breaking News: Guatemala’s textile tycoon dies in helicopter crash


Unknown | 16:40 |

One of Guatemala’s richest textile tycoon and hotel owner Joe Habie has died in a helicopter crash, Prensa Libre newspaper reported.
The newspaper said he was the only person on board when the helicopter crashed near a park on Friday. A boy who was playing at the park sustained injuries when the helicopter exploded after crashing. No other details were available.
Habie owned several textile companies and a five star hotel named Tikka Futura, the newspaper said.

Brazilian student auctioning virginity for charity, highest bid $ 160,000


Unknown | 16:17 |

A 20 something Brazilian beauty is auctioning her virginity for a good cause-to build homes for poverty stricken children in her southern home state-Santa Catarina.
The current highest bid stands at $ 160,000-The Brazilian Catarina Migliorni plans to hand over the money to a non-governmental body to build homes. The highest bidder will have to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases before the encounter and the body-contact would take place only in mid air between Brazil and Australia.
“No sex toys would be allowed and condoms a must”, says Migliorni.
The physical education student signed for the project two years ago when an Australian production company Thomas Williams productions called for virgins to act in a movie. Since then she has been followed by the Australian film crew.
According to New York Daily News Migliorni’s emotions before and after the encounter would be filmed.
A male virgin is also being followed by the film crew.

Iraq; Massive man hunt for Al Qaeda linked inmates, fled during daring attack on Prison


Unknown | 10:35 |

Security forces in Iraq have launched a massive man hunt for 83 Al Qaeda linked inmates who escaped from a maximum security compound in Tikiri during an attack which has left 13 policemen dead.
Pic: AFP
The attacks came just 24 hours after, the militant group vowed to regain the lost territory due to operations by U.S led Iraqi forces. It was not known immediately how many were involved in the attack, but according to AFP reports at least 75 persons are still at large and 33 others were captured during search operations.
“All those who escaped are hard-core members of Al Qaeda organization”, we will not stop till we capture them”, a government official was quoted.
According to reports the prison was re-taken by the security forces and chief of the police in the region has been asked to step down immediately over the attack.
Specifics of the attack were sketchy, but according to some government officials, the attack was launched after a suicide member exploded a car bomb just outside the gates of the prison. “The attack was well planned and executed meticulously”, the sources said.
It is understood when the outside forces launched the attacked, the inmates grabbed the weapons from the jail guards after locking them in a cell.
The Al Qaeda group has posted several messages in Jihadist websites and has vowed to carry out a campaign of vendetta in Iraq to regain territory.  Tikiri was the ancestral home of deceased Saddam Hussein, who was executed just months after capture.
Sources: Afp, Independent Iraqi sources

Suspected Anti-Muslim movie maker ordered to stay behind bars, judge says “court does not trust the defendant”


Unknown | 21:11 |

By: Guardian Express Court Reporter
The man who is believed to be instrumental in producing the anti-Islamic movie “Innocence of Muslims” was ordered by a Southern California judge to be detained until further notice. Despite his lawyers arguing that he would be in danger in prison because of Muslim inmates.
The Central district judge, Suzanne Segal hit back stating Nakoula Basseley Nakoula should be held in prison for probation violations since 2010. “The court does not trust the defendant”, the judge said.
Nakoula was arrested at his home in Cerritos, California on Thursday for probation violations, for lying to state workers and believed to have enlisted the help of people to post the anti-Islamic movie on You Tube, the popular video sharing site.
In 2010 Nakoula was sentenced to 21 months in prison for bank card fraud. If he found guilty that he violated the terms of his probation, he is expected to serve an additional 24 months in federal prisons.
Reporters were not allowed to watch the proceedings and were asked to watch the proceedings from Television screens located at a different court house.
The attorney Steven Seiden representing Nakoula has requested to a close sessions and his client released on $ 10,000 bail.
At one occasion when Nakoula was asked for his real name he answered that he has been using Mark Basseley Youseff since 2010.
Nakoula’s previous cases have several twists and turns, he was once dubbed as a snitch for pointing his finger at Eiad Salameh, a notorious fraudster.
Many documents pertaining to  arrest and convictions of Nakoula remains sealed at the U.S district courts. In 2009 Nakoula was arrested for scamming six major financial institutions in California. He netted approximately a million dollars using fake social security numbers and identities.
When he was denied bail he began to cooperate with federal agents and justice department lawyers. During such sessions, Nakoula is believed to have disclosed the name of the ring leaders who are absconding.
Additional Sources: News Agencies and Blogs.

Nepal: 19 people including tourists killed in plane crash


Unknown | 19:55 |

Nineteen people including tourists and crew members on board Sita Air have been killed when it tried to make an emergency landing outside an international airport in Kathmandu just a few hours ago.
The plane had left Lukia, a popular tourist destination around 6.15 am.
The accident occurred when the pilots attempted to make emergency landing after noticing technical problems.

Breaking News: Anti-Islam film maker arrested


Unknown | 17:10 |

The producer of the anti-Islam movie “Innocence of Muslims” was taken into federal custody today.
Federal officials said that 55 year old Egyptian born American Citizen Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was taken into custody for parole violations and he was expected to appear in the Federal courts on Thursday.He was convicted on bank fraud charges in 2010 and  served one year in federal prisons.
He was ordered not to use any digital devices or surf the internet as part of his five years probation. He was old ordered not to enlist other’s help to access the internet.
It was not known immediately what section of the probation he violated, but according to some speculations, he sought the assistance of “some one’ to load the controversial move “Innocence of Muslims” to You Tube, the popular video sharing website.

Zidane’s headbutt transformed to bronze statue


Unknown | 16:49 |

French Football legend Zinedine Zidane who head butted an Italian opposition player during the 2006 world cup final has been transformed into a giant bronze statue in front of Pompidou Center in Paris.

The statue titled “head butt” was inaugurated on Wednesday which has become a major attraction among the tourists and the locals, French Newspaper, The Local said. The 16 foot statue will stay in its spot till January next year.
The sculpture is by Algerian artist Adel Abdessemed, subject of a retrospective exhibition in the Pompidou from October 3 until next January.

“This statue goes against the tradition of making statues in honor of certain victories. It is an ode to defeat,” said exhibition organizer Alain Michaud.

A much smaller version of the statue — which shows the two football players in the seconds after the head butt, with the Italian player reeling after the attack — was previously exhibited by a New York art gallery.

Zidane, who holds legendary status in France as a member of the national teams that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, was sent off in the 2006 World Cup final for head butting Marco Materazzi in the chest.

Feds bust Chinese “Green Card” Racket


Unknown | 15:54 |

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A man illegally living in the United States was convicted at trial late Wednesday of attempting to bribe a corrupt government official to obtain a “green card,” part of a long-term joint undercover investigation into a group of Chinese nationals engaged in purchasing fraudulent permanent resident alien cards.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., and the Herndon Police Department.
“This conviction is the culmination of an intensive undercover investigation that dismantled an immigration fraud organization,” said HSI Washington, D.C. Special Agent in Charge John P. Torres. “These organizations threaten our national security and place our communities at risk because they create a vulnerability that may enable terrorists and criminals to gain entry to and remain in the United States. HSI DC recognizes the extraordinary contribution by the Herndon Police Department and other law enforcement partners in our continued commitment to make our communities safer.”
Rui Shui Chen, 44, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China who was not legally present in the United States, was convicted Sept. 26 of conspiring to commit immigration fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and misuse of immigration documents, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14.
“Green cards sold on the black market pose a serious threat to our national security,” said Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This is a difficult crime to infiltrate, and the success of this investigation is a tribute to the patient and dedicated investigators at HSI DC and Herndon Police Department.”
“This case highlights a growing, but invisible problem involving immigration fraud, one that affects all of our surrounding jurisdictions,” said Herndon Police Chief Maggie A. DeBoard, “The ability to work closely with our federal partners on cases such as these provide opportunities for the successful apprehension and conviction of these individuals that would otherwise not be present. We greatly appreciate the tremendous support that HSI has provided throughout this case, as well as the support provided from the other local police departments, to bring this case to a successful conclusion.”
According to court records and evidence at trial, Chen was one of 23 aliens and one U.S. citizen, including Xiaoyang Li, 52, Chang Yun Hui, 62, Shu Hong Zhao, 57, and Fu Guan Pan, 37, who conspired to pay as much as $60,000 in bribes to individuals claiming to represent a corrupt government employee willing to produce unlawful and fraudulently issued green cards.
Li, Hui, Zhao and Pan acted as brokers, identifying and recruiting Chen and others, arranging for the conspirators – many of whom, including Chen, had exhausted their immigration appeals and been ordered to be removed from the United States – to meet with the individuals at various hotels and restaurants in northern Virginia. From January 2011 through June 2012, these conspirators met in groups with the individuals they believed were working for a corrupt government official to sign immigration documents, provide finger prints and produce any other required information to secure the fraudulent green cards.
Chen was among 24 individuals indicted June 14. Sixteen have been apprehended to date, including Li, Hui, Zhao and Pan. Eight of those charged remain fugitives.
Investigative assistance in this case was provided by the Prince William County Police Department, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air Branch.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ron L. Walutes and Julia Martinez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia’s National Security and International Crime Unit.

Middle school workbook publishes Japanese porn star’s image, Indonesian parents fuming


Unknown | 15:24 |

Indonesians are outraged over publication of a Japanese Porn star’s photograph in the middle school workbook.

Maria Ozawa who has a huge following in Indonesia was not available for comment, but according to media reports the Education minister of Indonesia Mohammad Nuh has demanded the publisher to withdraw the book immediately.

The workbook, according to Rocket News was for an English class and features the picture of Ozawa (of course fully clothed) alongside two animals and an Indonesian actor.

The children have to write a short question and answer in a dialogue form with the person in the picture.  It is reported almost every child was able to identify Ozawa as a porn actor and as parents voiced serious concern the books were immediately withdrawn and burnt. According to some reports, some parents took the workbook home to do “their home work”.

The French Canadian-Half Japanese porn star is very popular figure in Indonesia, she is known as “Miyabi” among the local fans.  She has also appeared in two non-pornographic movies in Indonesia.
Source

California prison authorities accused of keeping inmates in cruel and unusual solitary confinements


Unknown | 14:28 |

The Amnesty International has slammed Californian prison authorities for locking up inmates 22 and half hours in windowless single or double cells without any meaningful rehabilitation programs.

More than 3,000 prisoners in California are held in high security isolation units known as Security Housing Units (SHUs), where they are confined for at least 22 and a half hours a day in single or double cells, with no work or meaningful rehabilitation programs or group activities of any kind. Over 1,000 are held in the SHU at Pelican Bay State Prison, a remote facility where most prisoners are confined alone in cells which have no windows to the outside or direct access to natural light. SHU prisoners are isolated both within prison and from meaningful contacts with the outside world: contact with correctional staff is kept to a minimum, and consultations with medical, mental health and other staff routinely take place behind barriers; all visits, including family and legal visits, are also non-contact, with prisoners separated from their visitors behind a glass screen.

Under California regulations, the SHU is intended for prisoners whose conduct endangers the safety of others or the security of the institution. Around a third of the current population are serving fixed SHU terms of SHU confinement (ranging from a few months to several years) after being found guilty through the internal disciplinary system of specific offences while in custody. However, more than 2,000 prisoners are serving “indeterminate” (indefinite) SHU terms because they have been “validated” by the prison authorities as members or associates of prison gangs. According to figures provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in 2011, more than 500 prisoners serving indeterminate SHU terms had spent ten or more years in the Pelican Bay SHU; of this number, more than 200 had spent over 15 years in the SHU and 78 more than 20 years. Many had been in the SHU since it opened in 1989, held in conditions of extreme isolation and environmental deprivation.


No other US state is believed to have held so many prisoners for such long periods in indefinite isolation.  The main route out of the SHU for prisoners with alleged gang connections has been to “debrief”, a process requiring them to provide information on other gang members which many decline to undertake because of the threat of retaliation. Although prisoners may also be released from the SHU if they have been “inactive” as a gang member or associate for six years, many prisoners have been held long beyond this period. Until now, these prisoners have had no means of leaving the SHU through their own positive behaviour or through participating in programs. Many prisoners have spent decades in isolation despite reportedly being free of any serious rule violations and – if they are serving a “term to life” sentence – without any means of earning parole. Prisoner advocates and others have criticized the gang validation process as unreliable and lacking adequate safeguards, allowing prisoners to be consigned to indefinite isolation without evidence of any specific illegal activity, or on the basis of tenuous gang associations, on evidence often provided by anonymous informants.

In March 2012, the CDCR put forward proposals which, for the first time, would provide a “step-down program” (SDP) for prisoners serving indeterminate SHU terms, using what the department has called a “behaviour-based model” to enable them to earn their way back to the general prison population. Amnesty International welcomes in principle plans to provide a route out of isolation through prisoners’ own behaviour. However, the SDP – which would take place in four stages, each lasting a minimum of one-year – does not allow any group interaction for at least the first two years. No changes to the physical conditions of confinement are proposed for the Pelican Bay SHU, where prisoners would spend at least two years in the same isolated conditions of cellular confinement as they are now. Prisoners could still be held in indefinite isolation if they fail to meet the criteria for the SDP. In continuing to confine prisoners in prolonged isolation – albeit with shorter minimum terms than under the present system – California would still fall short of international law and standards for humane treatment and the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. Read More…

Breaking News: Violence rages in Syria, 300 killed in bombardments, 3.5 million displaced, world leaders shocked


Unknown | 12:56 |

At least 300 people have been killed in one of the bloodiest days in the 18-month long uprising against the Syrian regime, a Human rights watch dog said in a statement.
Eight brothers of a family fighting against Syrian Forces, Facebook

Posting on Facebook: Take a break for a moment, leave your work, and look here. 298 martyrs are documented in Syria today. 298 MARTYRS who died, shelled, executed. Almost 300 houses are filled with grieve now. We don’t want to repeat the same words. But we are humans, we have lives. Do they see us?? Do they feel the burn in a mother’s heart? Or the pain a daughter will feel when she loses her father? Or how some children and adults lost their hands and feet? Or the fact that right now people are suffering because there isn’t enough medication?? ARABS, ARAB LEAGUE, STAY SLEEPING DON’T BOTHER YOURSELF, OBAMA, BAN KI MOON, MORSI, WORLD LEADERS, KEEP HOLDING MEETINGS AND GIVING SPEECHES WHILE WE ARE DYING. SHAME ON YOU ALL
Gun and Guitar both tuned to fight Syrian army.
World leaders expressed concern at the continuing violence. A British human rights group said in a statement that at least 55 people were executed in and around Damascus by Syrian forces.
This is unnamed child was killed due to bombardment by Syrian security forces
Facebook was inundated with graphic photographs and videos posted by activists. A Facebook posting said that many died to due to heavy bombardment by the Syrian military jets.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebels also attacked an army security point killing at least 14 soldiers.
Meanwhile another reports said that the ongoing violence has forced out 3.5 million people to seek refuge in neighboring countries. The report is below….

A phenomenal rise in the new statistical number of displaced persons and refugees inside and outside Syria
The number of displaced persons inside Syria has increased greatly, outgrowing the control by local committees and organizations. According to the latest statistics of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the number of displaced people in the last month – 3.5 million – has reached 4.2 million today, 24.09.2012. Most of the displaced in the last month were from the city
Of Aleppo, due to the expansion of indiscriminate shelling by MiG warplanes, with the use of barrel explosives. The percentage of people in some neighborhoods has reached 4%, whilst the others have fled out of fear for themselves and their children. Death is expected at any moment, according to a member of the Syrian Network of Human Rights, in Aleppo.
The distributions of the displaced in Syrian provinces, according to the latest survey are as follows:
Aleppo: 1.2 million displaced.
Homs: 950,000 displaced.
Damascus: 575,000 displaced.
Deir Alzor: 380,000 displaced.
Lattakia: 300,000 displaced.
Hama: 225,000 displaced.
Dar’a: 200,000 displaced.
Idlib: 180,000 displaced.
The total numbers of displaced people in these provinces have exceeded 4 million. As for the remaining provinces – Qunaitrah, Alraqqah, Hasakah, Suwaidah and Tartous, the number has totalled to about 200,000 displaced citizens.
Most of those displaced live within a dire humanitarian situation and we bear the Syrian regime the consequences and responsibilities, in addition to the international community and global relief organizations as international law is required to help and provide aid to the civilians as the Syrian regime prevents all organizations of the world to work and offer their help in Syria. These organizations must continue to put pressure on the countries which are considered as pioneers in defending human rights; they must put pressure these countries that have not fulfilled their humanitarian role alone in helping the Syrians – we will not say political role, as this is not our field of work, but we will say humanitarian role. There are responsibilities in which the international community has not fulfilled; had they been fulfilled, people who had their homes destroyed and their property violated and looted will not, to this day, feel that they have been deliberately neglected by the international community – although they have all the right to feel this way.
The number of displace people and refugees outside Syrian territory has exceeded half a million.
The total number of Syrian citizen refugees, according to the latest statistics of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, has reached 547,000 refugee – the majority of them, however, are unregistered. Many of them are not mentioned in statistics as many have arrived via roads and paths, whilst others have been smuggled in across the borders, as they feared they will be prevented from coming in if they had done otherwise. Others have been taken in by relatives of theirs, but according to the global characterization of them, they are considered as refugees and they are distributed as follows, half of them in Jordan:
Jordan: 295,000 displaced.
Turkey: 130,000 displaced.
Lebanon: 87,000 displaced.
Iraq: 35,000 displaced.
The humanitarian conditions of the refugees outside the Syrian territory are very difficult; however, they cannot be compared to the severity of the humanitarian conditions of the refugees in Syria. Refugees outside of Syrian territory can be reached easily by relief organizations around the world, but the aid that reaches them does not fulfill the required level.
The Syrian regime bears full legal and judicial responsibility in terms of what the refugees in and out of Syria are facing, as this regime is the prime reason as they left their homes behind. We, therefore, call on the Security Council to immediately intervene to stop all the atrocities and inhumane actions taking place by the regime, and to protect the Syrian people from displacement

Breaking news: 100 million people will die by 2030, if climate changes not tackled, study reveals


Unknown | 10:10 |

An estimated 100 million people will die by 2030, if the world fails to tackle the climate changes, a study sponsored by 20 countries revealed today.

As global average temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, the effects on the planet, such as melting ice caps, extreme weather, drought and rising sea levels, will threaten populations and livelihoods, said the report conducted by humanitarian organization DARA.

The report said that an estimated five million people die each year due to air pollution, hunger and diseases following the adverse effects of climate changes and the death toll would rise to six million by 2030 if the current patterns of fossil fuel use continue. Nearly 90 percent of death would occur in the developing countries.
“A combined climate-carbon crisis is estimated to claim 100 million lives between now and the end of the next decade”, the report said.
Full Report published below….
REPORT: CLIMATE CRISIS ALREADY CAUSING UNPRECEDENTED DAMAGE TO WORLD ECONOMY; HUMAN IMPACT ON LARGE-SCALE
• New and comprehensive assessment of the costs of climate change
• Inaction on climate change already causing over one trillion dollars in losses
• Costs to escalate rapidly: global GDP stunted by over 3 percent by 2030 – crisis to increasingly hold back growth if urgent action is not taken
• Climate change and carbon economy linked to 5 million deaths each year
• High-level political, scientific and economic leaders call for international action to halt surge in losses to human life and the world economy hitting all nations
NEW YORK, Wednesday 26 September 2012 – DARA and Climate Vulnerable Forum report: Most comprehensive ever assessment of the current global impact of climate change released today.
20 governments commissioned the independent report, the first of its kind to show that tackling the global climate crisis would already reap significant economic benefits for world, major economies and poor nations alike.
“Climate Vulnerability Monitor” study’s findings point to unprecedented harm to human society and current economic development that will increasingly hold back growth, on the basis of an important updating and revision of previous estimates of losses linked to climate change.
KEY FINDINGS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING ESTIMATES:
• Climate change and a carbon-intensive economy considered a leading global cause of death today, responsible for 5 million deaths each year – 400,000 due to hunger and communicable diseases aggravated by climate change and 4.5 million carbon economy deaths due mainly to air pollution
• Failure to act on climate change already costs the world economy 1.6% of global GDP amounting to 1.2 trillion dollars in forgone prosperity a year
• Rapidly escalating temperatures and carbon-related pollution will double costs to 3.2% of world GDP by 2030
• Losses for lower-income countries are already extreme: 11% of GDP on average for Least Developed Countries already by 2030
• Major economies are heavily hit: in less than 20 years China will incur the greatest share of all losses at over 1.2 trillion dollars; the US economy will be held back by more 2% of GDP; India, over 5% of its GDP
• Economic losses dwarf the modest costs tackling climate change: emission reductions at just 0.5% of GDP for the next decade; and support to the vulnerable: a minimum of 150 billion dollars per year for developing countries
Climate Vulnerable Forum Chair, Bangladesh – one of the largest newly-emerging economies in Asia – represented by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially launched the report at a major diplomatic event to coincide with the 67th session of United Nations General Assembly. Commenting on the report she said:
“One degree Celsius rise in temperature is associated with 10% productivity loss in farming. For us, it means losing about four million metric tonnes of food grain, amounting to about US$ 2.5 billion. That is about 2% of our GDP. Adding up the damages to property and other losses, we are faced with a total loss of about 3-4% of GDP. Without these losses, we could have easily secured much higher growth.”
“After seventeen years of international negotiations, we are still without any meaningful agreement or action to reduce global warming. As a climate vulnerable country, every day we see and feel the ramifications of that inaction as outlined in the Climate Vulnerable Monitor. But experts have struggled to tie all the pieces together to design a clear picture of climate vulnerability. This report examines impacts linked to climate change in some new ways and attempts to draw new conclusions. We did not have access to this information until now. Of course, experts may call into question this or that aspect of the Monitor’s findings, but we are certain subsequent research will continue to reaffirm the broad conclusions of the report. Its publication is a milestone for the climate negotiations. It is our hope it will help redirect efforts to effectively address the harms being done to today’s economy. We continue to work with all governments and other stakeholders to bring about a fair and just outcome to the negotiations.”
The report is the second to be issued by an ongoing international research program on climate-related vulnerability mandated to the independent humanitarian and development research organization, DARA. Its expanded assessment of the costs of inaction on climate change presents a new and original assimilation of the latest scientific evidence, research and data in a survey of thirty-four indicators of climate-related concern. The study estimates human and economic impacts for 184 countries in 2010 and 2030 across a wide range of separate effects. Indicators of impact range from issues such as hunger and skin cancer, to permafrost thawing and sea-level rise, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and fisheries, biodiversity and forest deterioration. Constraints on labor productivity, imposed by rising heat, are the largest single impact due to climate change and a new component of the analysis.
High-level and technical panels of over 50 leading scientists, economists, and policy experts, including former heads of government, reviewed the report
whose development also involved field-based research in Africa and Asia.
Report Panel member, DARA Trustee and Former President of Costa Rica José María Figueres said today:
“1.3 billion people are still fighting their way out of the most extreme forms of poverty while major economies are today fighting their way out of crippling financial and economic crises. We simply cannot afford to part with more growth. The prospect of economic losses that rise with every decade could destabilize the world economy far before the worst impacts of climate change set in. Governments and international policy makers must act decisively to combat the spiraling costs to national and global GDP resulting from inaction on climate change. The Monitor shows how failure to do so has already caused unprecedented damage to the world economy and threatens human life across the globe. With the investment required to solve climate change already far below the estimated costs of inaction, no doubt remains as to the path worth taking.”
The new Monitor report, entitled “A Guide to the Cold Calculus of A Hot Planet,” juxtaposes on the one hand the large-scale anticipated increases in fossil fuel consumption over the coming decades with the enormous human and developmental consequences of this. However, it also points out that decisions taken on cold monetary terms alone would actually favour strong action on climate change globally and regionally.
The report outlines how the first edition of the Monitor is already used as a tool by development, humanitarian and aid agencies concerned with addressing the growing impact of climate change around the world, as well as investment and security analysts among others.
Ends
FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENT, INFORMATION OR TO REQUEST AN INTERVIEW WITH A DARA/FORUM SPOKESPERSON, PLEASE CONTACT:
Daniel Rolle, MHP Communications
daniel.rolle@mhpc.com /  +44 (0)203 128 8199  /  +44 (0)7946 656 212 
Tom Gillingham, MHP Communications
tom.gillingham@mhpc.com /  +44 (0)20 3128 8151  /  +44 (0) 7585 301 464 
About the Monitor
The Climate Vulnerability Monitor measures the global impact of climate change and the carbon economy at a national level. It calculates and compares the vulnerability for 184 countries in four areas of impact (environmental disasters, habitat change, health impact and industry stress) using 34 climate and carbon related indicators. The monitor uses five levels of vulnerability, from acute to low, to compare and contrast nations.
The first Monitor was launched in 2010 to assess the effects of global climate change on nations up to 2030. It uses current peer-reviewed scientific research, in-country field research and critical input from two separate external advisory bodies.
About DARA
Founded in 2003, DARA is an international organization headquartered in Madrid, Spain, committed to improving the effectiveness of aid for vulnerable populations suffering from conflict, disasters and climate change.
It is an impartial, non-partisan, non-profit entity independently governed by a foundation Board of Trustees and actively engaged in field research and evaluation work of aid programs and operations in developing countries across five continents. It also produces and issues specialized publications and data in particular on aid accountability and effectiveness issues, as well as emerging strategic concerns for the development, humanitarian and disaster reduction domains.
DARA’s Climate Vulnerability Initiative is mandated to develop the Monitor as an independent and politically impartial report and convenes the external advisory bodies that provide third-party guidance and review inputs to this process.
www.daraint.org
About the Climate Vulnerable Forum
Founded in 2009, the Climate Vulnerable Forum is a semi-formal government cooperation group of developing countries facing high degrees of insecurity due to climate change and active in seeking a resolution to the climate crisis.
The Forum has called for ambitious outcomes in international climate change policy, such as setting the temperature increase goal at 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit) which was subsequently also adopted by other groups of countries and played an important boundary definition role in the UN climate negotiations at Copenhagen in 2009. The Forum has advocated for and insisted on accountability to decisions taken in international arena regarding climate change and sustainable development and its members have committed to pursue domestic low-carbon and even carbon neutral development pathways.
The Forum currently has 20 members and meets periodically at head of government, ministerial and delegate levels. The Monitor is an analytical input and communication tool for Forum members, and the two country studies included in this report were undertaken in member countries, Ghana and Vietnam.