ABPLACE: September 2012

Friday, 28 September 2012

NJ woman accused of cancer scam for wedding, cash

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) — When Lori Stilley told her friends and family that she had bladder cancer, they delivered meals, held raffles and a T-shirt sale, hastily planned and paid for her wedding and raised more than $10,000 for her treatment.

But prosecutors say it was all a scam.

Stilley, a 40-year-old who lives in Delran, N.J., was charged Wednesday with theft by deception, charges her lawyer denies.

Authorities say she told family and friends in February 2011 that she had stage 3 bladder cancer and would need chemotherapy and radiation. Two months later, she told them — and posted on herFacebook page and personal website — that it was now stage 4, which means the cancer was spreading to other parts of her body.

Her friends and supporters pitched in the way people often do for sick loved ones: making a schedule of meal deliveries and — when she said she didn't have medical insurance — raising money.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said family and friends also hastily planned and paid for her wedding to her boyfriend last year.

Stilley even wrote an e-book about her experience. They say "I'mpossible: How A Facebook Group Loved Me Through Bladder Cancer," selling for $14.99 a copy, raised more than $3,000.

An investigation found that Stilley had never been treated for nor diagnosed with cancer, prosecutors said.

Her sister says she was the one who turned in Stilley. "I just did it for her to get help and for my niece and nephew, too, to feel safe," Lori Digiovanni told WCAU-TV in Philadelphia.

DiGiovanni told the TV station that she became suspicious when Stilley's story changed quickly. Soon after telling friends and family that she was making hospice plans and was given a month to live, she posted on Facebook that she felt a miracle coming and was feeling better.

DiGiovanni said she believes her sister needs mental health counseling.

Stilley's lawyer, however, said she did not do anything wrong.

"The Prosecutor's Office has not presented me with any competent evidence that would lead me to believe they are able to prove my client did anything wrong," Adam Malamut told the Burlington County Times in a story published Thursday. "The only evidence I'm aware of are statements made that I believe to be slanderous in nature from a family member with whom she's had a fractured relationship."

Stilley was arrested Wednesday and released on bail of $25,000.

"For this defendant to represent that she was dying from this terrible disease for the sake of personal gain and sympathy goes way beyond simply being a criminal offense," Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said in a statement, "it was extremely cruel to those who were concerned and worked hard to lend assistance."

Netanyahu says world must draw "red line" for Iran

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Thursday that Iranwill have enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb by next summer and urged the world to draw a clear "red line" to stop it in its tracks.

Saying it was getting "late, very late" to stop Iran, Netanyahu flashed a diagram showing the progress Iran has made toward creating a bomb. He said Iran had already completed the first stage of uranium enrichment, and then he drew his own red line on the diagram to highlight the point of no return — the completion of the second stage and 90 percent enrichment.

"Iran is 70 percent of the way there and ... well into the second stage. By next summer, at current enrichment rates, they will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage," Netanyahu said. "From there it is only a few more weeks before they have enriched enough for a bomb."

Alligator rips off woman's arm in Florida canal

LEESBURG, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say an alligator ripped off an elderly woman's arm in a Florida canal.

Joy Hill, a spokeswoman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, says the woman was in critical condition.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as 84-year-old Carol Hough of Leesburg.

Hough's neighbor, Delmas Zickefoose, told the Orlando Sentinel (http://thesent.nl/QxqdCn) that he saw Hough flailing in the 4-foot-deep canal that runs behind their mobile homes.

It wasn't clear how Hough ended up in the water.

The alligator will be killed so authorities can perform a necropsy, which is common procedure to make sure the animal won't attack again.

And the attacks aren't uncommon: a teenager lost part of his arm to a gator in July, and an airboat captain lost a hand while feeding one in June.

Romney Camp Downplays Debate Expectations

In a memo sent to surrogates today, Romney senior adviser Beth Myers sets the expectations for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney low - very low - compared to the "ample rhetorical gifts" of his opponent. The memo says President Obama has a "significant advantage" heading into the first debate.
"President Obama is a uniquely gifted speaker, and is widely regarded as one of the most talented political communicators in modern history," Myers writes, calling Obama a "universally acclaimed public speaker."
Myers' memo is the latest in pre-debate jockeying by both campaigns to set their candidate's expectations low, while raising expectations for their opponent.
Beyond his "natural gifts" for oratory, Meyers argues that Obama has "substantial debate experience under his belt."
"This will be the eighth one-on-one presidential debate of his political career. For Mitt Romney, it will be his first," she says. Obama, in her words, has had "extensive seasoning under the bright lights of the debate stage."
Myers predicts that President Obama will use these advantages to go negative and attack Romney on the debate stage.
"Since he won't - and can't - talk about his record, he'll talk about Mitt Romney. We fully expect a 90-minute attack ad aimed at tearing down his opponent."
Myers concludes that the election will not be decided by the debates.
The first of three presidential debates is Oct. 3, next Wednesday, at the University of Denver.
The full memo from Beth Myers to surrogates is below:

Iraqi Convicts Riot, Escape From Prison; 12 Killed

Prisoners seized weapons and set off hours-long clashes with security guards at a prison in Saddam Hussein's hometown that left 12 dead, including 10 guards, before dozens of inmates managed to escape from the facility, Iraqi officials said Friday.

Many of those who escaped from the prison in Tikrit, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, were al-Qaida suspects, said a provincial spokesman but he could not say whether the terror group was behind the prison break.

The violence erupted on Thursday night, said Mohammed al-Assi, the spokesman for Salahuddin province where Tikrit is located. Several inmates broke into the prison storeroom and grabbed weapons kept there, overpowering the guards, he said.

The prisoners then engaged in an hours-long gun battle with the security troops inside the facility before breaking out of the prison on Friday morning. Security troops later regained control of the prison, al-Assi said.

Following the prison break, a curfew was imposed in Tikrit, he added.

"Everything is under control now. Our security forces are chasing the escaped prisoners and have already recaptured some," al-Assi told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

A provincial health official, Raed Ibrahim, confirmed that 12 people died in the violence — 10 prison guards and two inmates. He said 32 people were wounded in the clashes.

Qutaiba al-Jubouri, a lawmaker from the province, said a total of 81 inmates, including some who had been sentenced to death, managed to escape but that 36 of them were quickly recaptured.

"This is a regrettable security breach," said al-Jubouri, adding that an investigation will follow, "starting with the commanders of the security forces" at the prison.

He added that special forces were sent to Tikrit from Baghdad in order to put down the rioting.

Another lawmaker, Hakim al-Zamili, said the inmates burned all the prison records, which will complicate efforts to track down those who escaped.

Prison breaks are common in Iraq and are a big embarrassment to the country's Shiite-led government.

———

Associated Press Writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report in Baghdad.

Afghan Baby 'Happiness,' Found Beside Road, Gets a Family

(Image Credit: Rahmatullah Alizad/AFP/Getty Images)

ABC News' Aleem Agha reports:

KABUL, Afghanistan - A newborn girl left abandoned on the side of the road in southern Afghanistan has been adopted by a childless Afghan couple.

"We have named her Arya [which means happiness], and we will take care of her forever," the adoptive father, Mohammad Zahir, a 29-year-old shopkeeper from Ghazni, Afghanistan, said Thursday. "She has completely changed our lives. We are so happy. The whole family has been supportive of our decision."

Zahir has been married for four years, but he and his wife have been unsuccessful in their attempts to have children.

Suitors bombard Hong Kong tycoon's gay daughter after dowry

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The newly married lesbian daughter of a Hong Kong tycoon who offered a $65 million "marriage bounty" to any man able to win her love, on Thursday said she'd been flooded by marriage proposals but harbored no animosity towards her father.

Since Hong Kong property billionaire Cecil Chao, known in the tabloid media for his prolific womanizing, dangled a $65 million reward for any man able to lead his daughter, Gigi Chao, down the aisle, she says she's been bombarded by marriage proposals from strangers, date requests, and even an offer from a Hollywood film producer to buy her story.

"War veterans from the U.S., someone from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, from Istanbul, South America, Portugal, really just from all over the world," said Chao, sifting through emails on a white Apple laptop in her father's high-rise office tower.

One suitor from the United States wrote: "I'm interested in your offer to wed your daughter, who also happens to be gay. I am a male person, who also happens to be gay."

Another put up his brother, a body double to George Clooney in the 2008 sports flick "Leatherheads" as a potential mate: "He could be the picture perfect date that your father craves."

"I've tried my best to respond to well-meaning ones ... but most of them I just try not to open," added the frizzy-haired Chao, who was wearing a silver ring after what she called a "church blessing" with her girlfriend in a Paris church.

Gigi said her billionaire father, who drives a Rolls Royce and flies a helicopter but had a poor early childhood in Shanghai, had been upset when his daughter's longtime lover revealed the couple had wed in Paris in April, leading to his impromptu HK$500 million "marriage bounty" offer to any man able to set her straight.

"I wasn't angry at all. I was really quite touched, very touched and very ... how should I say? moved, by Daddy's announcement," said the 33-year-old.

"I mean, it's really his way of saying 'baby girl, I love you. You deserve more,' basically," added Chau who works as an executive director in the family firm Cheuk Nang Holdings.

Her 76-year-old father, rarely seen without sunglasses and brand-name clothes, has never married but has boasted of bedding over 10,000 women including models and starlets.

Hong Kong, a freewheeling city that reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, retains a traditional Chinese social fabric but is considered relatively tolerant of alternative lifestyles compared with the rest of Asia. It decriminalized homosexuality in 1991.

It has gay social venues, film festivals and gay pride parades, making it a bastion of liberalism compared with China, where homosexuality was defined as a mental disorder until 2001.

"I'm not able to generalize about the experiences of all people in the gay community, but I think we in Hong Kong at the moment, are in the middle, we're not punishable by death for being gay, but it's not celebrated and obviously never encouraged," said Chao. "I think change is overdue."

Some hope the comedy value of the whole high-profile father daughter drama could help start a constructive dialogue about gay attitudes in the region.

"Starting a conversation with humor always makes people less aggressive," said James Gannaban, the organizer of an annual Mr. Gay Hong Kong pageant, in a local gay bar. "If people are less militant about issues, then there is greater opportunity for conversation, if we start off with a smile."

(Additional reporting by Venus Wu, editing by Paul Casciato)

Serbian footballer scores with first kick of a youth match

Vuk Bakic scored what could be the fastest goal ever in a Serbian youth match between his GSP Polet side and Dorcol. When the referee blew his whistle to start the match, Bakic took a shot on goal from the center mark that caught Dorcol's goalkeeper off guard, flew over his head and bounced into the net.

FIFA's laws of the game specifically state that "a goal may be scored directly from kick-off" (law 8), but Dorcol protested the fact that Bakic's teammate was standing in their half of the pitch when the shot was taken, which is a violation. The referee let the goal stand though, and GSP Polet went on to win the match 4-1.

While Bakic has gained a bit of international fame from this, Dorcol's keeper has probably gained a sense of paranoia on kick-offs and the referee hopefully got a refresher on the rules.

Thursday, 27 September 2012

azil Detains Google Chief over Anti-Islam YouTube Clip

Google executive Fabio Jose Silva Coelh was detained by the country's federal police Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012 after the company failed to heed a judge's order to take down YouTube videos that the court ruled violate Brazilian electoral law.AP2011

RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian authorities detained the country's Google chief after the company failed to remove YouTube videos that the court ruled violate Brazilian electoral law despite a judges order.
The detention came as another court ordered YouTube to remove clips of an anti-Islam film that has been blamed for deadly protests by Muslims around the globe, both joining a spate of court-ordered content-removal cases against Google's video-sharing website in Brazil.
The arrest of Google executive Fabio Jose Silva Coelho was announced in Säo Paulo. A press release issued by the federal police said he was not expected to remain in jail and should be released later in the day after signing a document promising to appear in court.
Brazil's strict electoral laws limit what critics can say on television, radio and the Internet about candidates for office. Ahead of municipal elections next month, Google has received repeated requests to remove Web videos that allegedly violate those restrictions.
A judge in Mato Grosso do Sul state ordered Coelho's arrest Tuesday because the company had not removed YouTube videos that make incendiary comments about an alleged paternity suit aimed at Alcides Bernal, who is running for mayor of the city of Campo Grande. That ruling also included a statewide, 24-hour suspension of Google and YouTube. It was not immediately clear if and how that aspect of the ruling might be carried out.
Google said Tuesday that it was appealing the decision. "Being a platform, Google is not responsible for the content posted on its site," the company said in an emailed statement from Sao Paulo.
A judge in the southern state of Parana earlier ordered Google to pay $500,000 for each day that it balked at fulfilling an order to remove other videos criticizing a candidate. In the northeastern state of Paraiba, a judge ordered the imprisonment of another Google executive in Brazil, also for not removing videos from YouTube attacking a mayoral candidate, but that order was overruled by a higher court.
Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which promotes digital freedom, said the rash of Brazilian cases was "disappointing, but not surprising" ahead of the country's nationwide municipal elections on Oct. 7 and Oct. 28.
"The Internet is global, but laws are made nation by nation," she said. "There is a struggle between nation states and their laws and the freedom of expression policies of companies that host content all over the globe."

In a separate case pending against Google, Sao Paulo-based judge Gilson Delgado Miranda gave the site 10 days to remove video clips from "Innocence of Muslims," which has angered many Muslims around the world by its depiction of the Prophet Mohammed and his followers as thugs. After the 10-day window, Google will face fines of $5,000 a day for every day the clips remain accessible in Brazil, according to the statement on the court's website.
The company did not respond to requests Wednesday for comment about the case.
The "Innocence of Muslims" ruling resulted from a lawsuit by a group representing Brazil's Muslim community, the National Union of Islamic Entities, which claimed the film violates the country's constitutional guarantee of religious freedom for all faiths.
In a statement on the group's website, Mohamad al Bukai, the head of religious matters for the Sao Paulo-based organization, hailed the ruling.
"Freedom of expression must not be confused with giving disproportionate and irresponsible offense, which can provoke serious consequences for society," al Bukai said.
Dozens of people have been killed in violence linked to protests over "Innocence of Muslims," which portrays the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a child molester.
Attempts by courts and officials in several countries to remove the clips have revived the debate over freedom of expression.
The judge in the Brazilian case acknowledged that banning content from sites like YouTube is a thorny issue, according to excerpts of the ruling cited in the National Union of Islamic Entities' statement.
"This type of jurisprudence cannot be confused with censorship," Miranda is quoted as writing. In the excerpts, the judge defines censorship as "the undue restriction of the civic consciousness."
YouTube routinely blocks video in specific countries if it violates laws there. It also removes video deemed to infringe copyrights, show pornography, contain hate speech or violate other guidelines. However, none of those restrictions had been applied in Brazil to the "Innocence of Muslims."
Google is now selectively blocking the video clips in countries that include Libya and Egypt. Google has said it made the decision to block the video in such places due to "the sensitive situations" there.
Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation questioned whether a ban was really necessary in Brazil, which has seen no protests or rioting that have swept the Muslim world in recent weeks.
"The notion that there's a need to take it down to prevent violence is ludicrous," she said.
Miranda's ruling came on the same day that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff addressed the United Nations and urged an end to prejudice against Muslims.
Google has said it has been so inundated by requests from governments worldwide to remove online content that it has begun releasing a summary of the demands, most relating to legitimate attempts to enforce laws on issues ranging from personal privacy to hate speech.
But Google, which has been locked in a high-profile battle with China's leaders over online censorship in the communist nation since 2010, says it increasingly fields requests from government agencies trying to use their power to suppress political opinions and other material they don't like.
Brazilian government agencies alone submitted a total of 194 content-removal requests during the final half of last year, according to a summary released by Google in June. Running just behind that was the United States, where police, prosecutors, courts and other government agencies submitted 187 requests to remove content over the same period.
Brazil and other parts of Latin America are crucial to Google's growth strategy. Company executives have said that Latin America is the country's fastest-growing market.
Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

France out to end finals drought

France did not grace the last three UEFA Under-21 European Championships, but after a strong qualifying performance to date, there is a sense that the wait will soon be over.

Joshua Guilavogui (left) and Rémi Cabella played key roles for France in qualifying ©Thomas-Pictures

After a glorious qualifying campaign, France have high hopes of reaching next summer's UEFA Under-21 European Championship in Israel – they will have to overcome Norway in the play-offs first.

Les Bleuets have not reached the final tournament at this level since their run to the last four in 2006 and they finished third in their five-team qualifying group for the last edition in 2011. However, a virtually faultless run this time around means they look well-placed to end that sorry record, even if coach Eric Mombaerts admitted to being taken aback by their success so far.

"I was a little surprised because we had an exceptional run, which we should have kept going to the end as there was a slight lack of motivation which our Slovak friends took advantage of," said Mombaerts, whose team registered seven successive Group 9 wins before losing 2-1 in Slovakia with a play-off berth already secured. "To pick up win after win in a qualifying group is never easy, and we were able to do it."

Life promises to be harder still against Norway. Per Joar Hansen's squad were particularly impressive on their travels, winning in Iceland and Belgium to clinch runners-up spot behind England in Group 8. Not that that will daunt France ahead of the first leg in Caen on 12 October having won all four home games in qualifying without conceding.

Les Bleuets' success in qualifying was largely based on their parsimonious defence, which conceded just twice in the group stage. However, centre-backs Raphaël Varane and Eliaquim Mangala also chipped in with two goals apiece, and the side's 19 goals came from 11 different scorers. Mombaerts' men are a epitome of the new ethic being put in place at the French Football Federation (FFF).

"Our philosophy is clear: we have to impose our style of play, our identity, and we have to win with that," said Mombaerts, who assumed the reins from René Girard in 2008. "We will never sacrifice this philosophy, at least that's the train of thought right now. Our players have to try to win, whoever they're playing and regardless of whether they're at home or away."

They have twin ambitions: to follow in the footsteps of the likes Eric Cantona and Laurent Blanc, part of France's 1988 UEFA Under-21 European Championship-winning side, and use the experience as a stepping stone to the senior side. "I think we can achieve both," explained the coach. "A player for the future is a player should be used to the international arena, to must-win matches." October will provide ample practice

Italy cruise ship disaster crew win seafaring award

ROME (Reuters) - The crew of the Costa Concordia, the huge liner which capsized off the coast of Italy in January killing as many as 32 people, won the Lloyd's List "Seafarer of the Year" award for 2012, the ship's operator Costa Cruises said on Thursday.

The citation for the award said the crew provided "true examples of courage and professionalism" during the dangerous night evacuation of the ship after it was fatally holed by a rock off the Tuscan island of Giglio.
The ship's captain Francesco Schettino has been blamed for the disaster and faces charges of multiple manslaughter, causing the accident and abandoning his ship before the evacuation was complete.
"The 'Seafarer of the Year' award recognises the competence, heroism and professionalism displayed by the sailors every day," Costa said in a statement.
In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, some passengers reported acts of bravery and heroism by crew members during the evacuation while others complained that staff appeared ill-prepared, with many unable to speak Italian.
Experts appointed by Italian judges to help an investigation into the accident also criticised a lack of preparation among crew members.
The 114,500 tonne Costa Concordia sank off the island of Giglio on January 13 after it came within metres of the shoreline and struck a rock which cut open its hull and caused it to capsize.
(Reporting By James Mackenzie, editing by Paul Casciato)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An actress who said she was duped into appearing in an anti-Islam film that stoked violent protests across the Muslim world took her legal bid to federal court on Wednesday in a renewed effort to force it off YouTube.
The lawsuit filed by Cindy Lee Garcia names the popular online video site YouTube and its parent company Google Inc. as defendants, along with the Egyptian-American Coptic Christian from California believed to be behind the making of the film.
Last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied Garcia's request for a temporary restraining order that would have required YouTube to stop posting the crudely made 13-minute video, finding the actress was unlikely to prevail on the merits of her case in state court.
As in her previous lawsuit, Garcia accused the purported filmmaker of fraud, libel and unfair business practices. But her federal lawsuit also asserts a copyright claim to her performance in the video, titled "The Innocence of Muslims."
Garcia's case was the first known civil litigation stemming from the video, billed as a film trailer, which depicts the Prophet Mohammad as a fool and a sexual deviant. The clip sparked a torrent of anti-American unrest in Egypt, Libya and dozens of other Muslim countries over the past two weeks.
The outbreak of violence coincided with an attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.
U.S. and other foreign embassies were also stormed in various cities across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. For many Muslims, any depiction of the prophet is considered blasphemous.
Google has refused to remove the film from YouTube, despite pressure from the White House and others to take it down, though the company has blocked the trailer in Egypt, Libya and other Muslim countries.
COPYRIGHT ISSUE
Garcia's lawyer argued in court last week that her client, who is from Bakersfield, California, has suffered harm similar to a person whose privacy is violated by the unauthorized release of a sex tape.
But Google's attorneys said that the rights of an actor do not protect that person from how a film is perceived.
In her latest lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Clara, California, Garcia says that Google is infringing on the copyright she holds to her performance in the film by distributing the video without her approval via YouTube.
Garcia's lawsuit identifies Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, a Los Angeles-area Coptic man who has served time in federal prison for bank fraud, as the film's producer.
On Saturday, a Pakistani cleric offered a $100,000 (61,775 pounds) reward to anyone who killed the film's maker. Garcia said in her lawsuit that an Egyptian cleric had issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against anyone who served as a director, producer or actor in the video.
According to Garcia, Nakoula operated under the assumed name of Sam Bacile, misleading her and other actors into appearing in a film they believed was an adventure drama called "Desert Warrior."
After the fact, however, she learned that some of her lines spoken in the production had been dubbed over.
The alteration made it look like Garcia "voluntarily performed in a hateful, anti-Islamic production," the lawsuit says, adding that she has "been subjected to credible death threats and is in fear for her life and the life and safety of anyone associated with her."
Nakoula has been in hiding for much of the past two weeks after being questioned by federal authorities looking into whether he may have violated terms of his probation in the making or promotion of the video.

California judge rules anti-Islam film can stay on YouTube

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An anti-Islam film trailer that has spawned violent protests across the Muslim world can remain on YouTube despite a request from a California actress to have it taken down, a judge ruled on Thursday.

Actress Cindy Lee Garcia had sought to have the film removed in a suit filed on Wednesday against YouTube parent company Google Inc and a California man linked to the film. She argued that she was duped into taking part and had since received death threats.
"The request for a temporary restraining order is denied. The plaintiff has not shown a likelihood to prevail on the merits," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Luis Lavin said. A date for a future hearing in the case was not immediately set.
Garcia's is the first known civil lawsuit connected to the making of the video that depicts the Prophet Mohammad as a womanizer and a fool. The film helped generate a torrent of violence across the Muslim world last week during the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and in the following days.
The violence included an attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi in which the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed. U.S. and other foreign embassies were also stormed in cities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East by furious Muslims.
In her lawsuit, Garcia accused a producer of the movie, whom she identified as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula using the alias Sam Bacile, of duping her into appearing in a "hateful" film that she had been led to believe was a simple desert adventure movie.
"There was no mention of 'Mohammad' during filming or on set. There were no references made to religion nor was there any sexual content of which Ms. Garcia was aware," read the lawsuit, which accused Nakoula of fraud and slander.
For many Muslims, any depiction of the prophet is blasphemous. Caricatures deemed insulting in the past have provoked protests and drawn condemnation from officials, preachers, ordinary Muslims and many Christians.
Last week, Google rejected a request by the White House to reconsider its decision to keep the clips on YouTube, but the company has blocked the trailer in certain Muslim countries such as Egypt and Libya. The White House had asked Google to evaluate whether the video violated YouTube's terms of service.
PRIVACY ISSUES
On Thursday, Garcia sat in court wearing a red blouse and black skirt. At one point she raised her hand to speak when the judge pointed out the actress has appeared in the media since the film, despite making a claim to invasion of privacy. Garcia was not allowed to address the court.
Her attorney, Cris Armenta, sought to persuade the judge that Garcia, who is from Bakersfield, California, suffered harm similar to a person whose privacy is violated in the unauthorized release of a sex tape.
"This has to do with somebody who did not consent to a certain product, and yet it was put out there," Armenta said.
An attorney for Google said the rights of an actor do not protect that person from how a film is perceived.
"If we viewed it that way we'd say that Arnold Schwarzenegger as a cyborg in 'Terminator' was a factual statement about Arnold Schwarzenegger," lawyer Timothy Alger said, adding that YouTube is only a host for the film clips that it had no hand in producing or posting to the site.
U.S. officials have said authorities are not investigating the film project itself and that even if it was inflammatory or led to violence, simply producing it cannot be considered a crime in the United States due to the nation's strong free speech laws.
But Nakoula, a Coptic Christian California man who pleaded guilty to bank fraud in 2010, was interviewed by federal probation officers on Saturday probing whether he violated the terms of his release while making the film.
Nakoula, who was released from prison in 2011, is prohibited from accessing the Web or assuming aliases without the approval of his probation officer, court records show. Violations could result in him being sent back to prison.
Nakoula, 55, did not return to his house in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos following his interview, and his whereabouts are unknown. Last week, he denied involvement in the film in a phone call to his Coptic bishop in Los Angeles.
Garcia, asked if a longer version of the film exists, told reporters outside court before the hearing that she did not believe the movie was ever finished.
"There is no entire movie, there's only that clip," she said.

U.S. actress sues anti-Islam filmmaker, YouTube in federal court

Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress in the "Innocence of Muslims", an anti-Islam movie that has spawned violent protests across the Muslim world, attends a news conference outside her attorney's office after a court hearing in Los Angeles, California September 20, 2012. REUTERS/Bret Hartman

Syria Refugees Could Reach 700,000, UN Warns

The number of refugees fleeing the bloodshed in Syria could reach 700,000 by the end of the year, the United Nations has warned.

More than 294,000 refugees have already crossed into the neighbouring countries of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey since the conflict began 18 months ago.
The UN refugee agency said more money was urgently needed to care for the hundreds of thousands expected to arrive in camps over the next three months.
"We are running out of time," Panos Moumtzsis, the UN chief co-ordinator for Syrian refugees, told reporters in Geneva.
He said humanitarian agencies need £305m (\$487.9m) to fund their operations until the end of the year. At present, only £88m is available - just 29% of the total needed.
With winter approaching, he said money was urgently required for tents, clothing, blankets and heaters.
Riots erupted this week at the UN-run Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan after Syrians complained about poor living conditions at the 30,000-strong compound.
Police used tear gas to quell the violence and eight Syrians were charged with "unlawful assembly and carrying out riots".
More than 20 officers were injured in similar disturbances at the camp last month.
Jordan has complained of limited resources to cope with the growing number of Syrians flooding into the country.
More than 305 people were killed across Syria on Wednesday, making it the bloodiest day of the 18-month revolt, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Fourteen people were killed when two bombs rocked the headquarters of the armed forces general staff in the heart of Damascus.
An Islamist rebel group said it carried out the attack, and five of its fighters, including a suicide bomber, died during the assault.
The Syrian Observatory says more than 30,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al Assad began in March last year.

Boy Survives 'Most Venomous Snake' Bite

An Australian teenager had a lucky escape after being bitten by the world's most venomous snake.

The 17-year-old walked into a hospital in the small town of Kurri Kurri, north of Sydney, on Wednesday afternoon with a bite to his left hand.
According to reports, his friend was carrying a plastic tub containing the snake responsible, which was later identified as the toxic inland taipan.
Also known as the fierce snake due to the strength of its venom - one drop of which is enough to kill 100 adult men - the inland taipan typically lives in central Australia's arid deserts and is not normally seen on the coast.
Detectives are investigating how he came into contact with the desert reptile amid speculation it could have been an illegal pet.
"The youth ... is reported to be in a stable condition," police said in a statement.
"Police are now attempting to establish how the youth came to be bitten, and hope to speak to the young man once he is considered well enough."
According to doctors, the boy's rapid treatment with anti-venom had been crucial to his survival, as inland taipan venom can kill someone in as little as 45 minutes.
"We had antivenom in stock, we keep what's called polyvalent antivenom and that covers all of our snakes," said toxicologist Geoff Isbister, who is treating the teen at the Mater hospital in the city of Newcastle.
"We had access to it immediately, and he was treated very early."
The snake's poison is neurotoxic and can cause gradual paralysis and compromise breathing if not treated.
Myotoxins in the bite also dissolve muscle and other tissues, meaning the wound site can cause significant kidney damage.
Inland taipans can grow up to 2.5m (8ft) in length and have 12mm fangs.

A Hong Kong tycoon has offered a $65 million "marriage bounty" to any man who can win the heart of his lesbian daughter, a report said Wednesday.

Cecil Chao announced the financial reward of HK$500 million after his daughter, Gigi, married her same-sex partner of seven years in France earlier this year, the South China Morning Post reported.
"I don't mind whether he is rich or poor. The important thing is that he is generous and kind hearted," 76-year-old Chao was quoted as saying.
"Gigi is a very good woman with both talents and looks. She is devoted to her parents, is generous and does volunteer work," he added.
He also rejected "false reports" that Gigi, 33, had married abroad, saying she was still single.
Chao, who owns publicly-listed property developer Cheuk Nang, could not be reached for comment.
Same-sex marriages are not recognised in Hong Kong, a socially conservative Chinese city where homosexuality was decriminalised in 1991.
Chao is well known in Hong Kong's social circles and regularly appears at public events with his latest young girlfriend.
He reportedly once claimed to have had intimate relations with 10,000 women.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London June 5, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London June …

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's BBC apologised to Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday after a senior journalist reported her private views about one of the country's best known terrorism suspects, an embarrassing disclosure for a monarch who avoids public political statements.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner broadcast details of a private conversation with the queen during which she supposedly told him she had complained to the last government about radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri.
The queen was said to be upset that Britain had not arrested him after he preached fiery anti-Western sermons outside a mosque in London after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
That was awkward for a head of state who has no political or executive role and is expected to stay neutral in public. The queen has never given a media interview and typically avoids controversial topics in her speeches.
The Egyptian-born cleric lost an appeal in the European courts on Monday and faces extradition from the country to the United States [nL5E8KOB99]. Washington accuses him of supporting al Qaeda, aiding a kidnapping in Yemen and plotting to open a U.S. training camp for militants.
Delays in arresting the cleric angered many in the country. Newspapers campaigned for his extradition, with the Sun using the headline "Sling Your Hook", a reference to the metal hook he wore in place of a hand he lost in disputed circumstances.
The public broadcaster, mainly funded by a fee paid by everyone under 75 who owns a television, said the meeting had taken place some years ago.
"The conversation should have remained private and the BBC and Frank deeply regret this breach of confidence. It was wholly inappropriate," the BBC said. Buckingham Palace had no comment.
A former banker, Gardner has worked for the BBC since 1997. He was partly paralysed in 2004 after being shot on assignment in Saudi Arabia.
Elizabeth holds a weekly private audience with the prime minister to discuss topical issues. There have been 12 prime ministers since her coronation in 1953, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron.
Republic, a group that campaigns for the monarchy's abolition, accused the royal family of a "cynical PR ploy" designed to win popular support.
"The decision to disclose this one conversation while keeping all else secret smacks of a deliberate PR stunt to put the queen on the right side of public opinion," the group's head Graham Smith said.
After well-received celebrations to mark the queen's 60 years on the throne this summer, the royal family has suffered two embarrassing episodes in recent weeks.
Naked pictures of Elizabeth's grandson Prince Harry at a Las Vegas hotel were published around the world, swiftly followed by topless photos of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -- the former Kate Middleton who is the wife of Harry's brother William, second in line to the throne

Two judges in London will also consider a challenge by a second terror suspect, Khaled Al-Fawwaz, next Tuesday.
The two men are seeking injunctions to stop them being flown to the US.
Pending the hearing by Sir John Thomas, President of the Queen's Bench Division, and Mr Justice Ouseley, interim injunctions have been issued preventing their removal.
The latest legal action comes after Europe's human rights judges this week rejected a bid for an appeal by Hamza and four other terror suspects, paving the way for their extradition.
A panel of five judges threw out their request to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.
Hamza's lawyers have fought a successful campaign to fight his extradition for several years.
His grounds for appeal are not known as this stage, though they could be based on his health. Hamza has also claimed he would be treated unfairly if he were sent to the US.
Hamza was jailed in 2006 for seven years for soliciting to murder and inciting racial hatred.
He is currently charged with 11 counts of criminal conduct related to the taking of 16 hostages in Yemen in 1998, advocating violent jihad in Afghanistan in 2001 and conspiring to establish a jihad training camp in Bly, Oregon, between June 2000 and December 2001.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "The European Court of Human Rights ruled there was no bar to the extradition of these men. We will continue working to ensure they are handed over to the US authorities as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, immigration judges have announced that they will hear radical cleric Abu Qatada's appeal against extradition to Jordan on October 10.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in May that Qatada's deportation to Jordan could go ahead providing no evidence obtained through torture was used in any impending trial.
The British government has said it has now obtained that assurance from the Jordanian government, which has amended its laws on the use of torture evidence.
Sky News Home Affairs Correspondent Mark White reported that immigration court officials say a substantive hearing for the case will begin on October 10.
Qatada will remain in prison until then.

.....Abu Hamza In High Court Extradition Challenge

A last-ditch legal move by radical cleric Abu Hamza to fight extradition to the United States will be heard by the High Court next week.

Wednesday, 26 September 2012

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that Nigeria’s greatest problem is political security

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that Nigeria’s greatest problem is political security. He disclosed that the country cannot develop in the face of this unending political conflicts and crisis.
The president said this at the 52nd Independence anniversary lecture tagged, Nigeria: Security, Development and National Transformation which had former President of Ghana, John Kufour as one of the speakers.
Jonathan, said that at least for the sake of the country, Nigerians should allow the government to work before going into unnecessary overheating of the system, asserting that six months would have been too short to pass any valid judgment on him, adding that is rather a media war on his administration.

He said: “The key issue we are discussing is about peace and development and of course we all know that there is no way you can talk about development when you have a lot of crisis. In fact some people make more money when there is crisis and when there is crisis it is like a country is in a state of emergency, anything goes.“Crisis is one aspect but generally if there is no peace, it is extremely difficult for the ordinary people to survive though big players in the economy may survive. Ordinary citizens having small and medium enterprises cannot come out to do business during crisis and of course it affects the economy. So you must have peace to develop.
“Peace is one of the cardinal marks of a leader. In the monarchy in the olden days, the king had maximum power but for your kingdom to be stable you must have the military strength. So without stability of any state we cannot develop.
“I agree totally with President Kufour who really gave us the break down of the kind of security situation that we have.
“When you talk of insecurity of using bombs and guns to kill people that has been described as physical security but in terms of social security, food security, health and the justice system, all have to do with the security of the individual.
“But I believe what we face in Nigeria though not peculiar to us, one of our greatest problems is what I described as political security. Government can continue to provide physical security but also very important is the political security. When you have unending political conflicts in Nigeria, the country cannot develop.
“I believe political security is a big issue. There is this axiom that the pen is mightier than the sword. The sword is used to kill and destroy but what we use the pen to do is also very critical. When you have society with these unending political conflicts on the media whether print, electronic or social media, it brings a lot of insecurity to the system and some times people begin to doubt your government.

“For example when we were contesting election we promised it will be free and fair. I was convinced I must do that even if I will lose the election. After our election in 2007, even the presidents in our neighboring West African states were finding it difficult to congratulate us because the observers felt the election was not properly done. That hounded us even when we traveled out and I promised myself that if I have the opportunity to preside over election, I will do something different even at my expense at least for the sake of the country. And we did that but unfortunately, though there were crises in some parts of the country, observers felt the election was reasonably free and fair compared to others. But immediately after that election, not quite six months, the kind of media hype that started hitting us made us to stop and ask where is this coming from?

“I said I did not just come out from the blues to contest the election, I was deputy governor for six and half years, I was a governor for one and half years, I was a vice president, and before election, I was the president up to April when the elections were conducted, people knew me. So within this period including when I even acted, if I was that bad would people have voted for me? So for Nigerians to have voted for me overwhelmingly that means there must have been something they were expecting and definitely six months would have been too short to pass any valid judgment. But the media condemned me.
He disclosed that the media is abusing the use of FOI Acts, “And I believe it is not just the media. When we talk about the Boko Haram, we have political Boko Haram, religious Boko Haram and criminal Boko Haram. So also in the media, you have the professional media and the political media. That is why I talk about the political media. Because of the interest of 2015 whatever you do is immaterial, the government must be brought down. And that mentality cuts across most African countries and even outside Africa.
“So addressing insecurity is critical in developing African states. When you have this unending political conflict, especially in a country like Nigeria that is highly religious and with high ethno-tribal sentiments, it becomes very potent to even create a lot of problems for government.
“So I will plead with us as Nigerians that whenever we elect government into power at whatever level, at least for the sake of the country we should allow the government to work before going into unnecessary overheating of the system.

The President also advised Nigerians against overheating the polity, “When you talk of providing infrastructure whether power or water, there is nothing you can use the magic wand to provide for the people. It takes time to build your personal house, it must take a good number of days not to talk of infrastructure like power in a country like Nigeria and with the challenges we have.

“I believe our greatest problem is political conflict. For a typical politician, the day you win election is the day you start the next election.
“So as government we are committed to creating the enabling environment. I’m quite pleased with the way President Kufour spoke on the issue of transformation. I agree that the leader must be the key actor for transformation but those who will implement are the citizens. For instance, during the election, we advocated one man one vote, we were totally committed and I said it that nobody should rig election for me. But Nigerians believed that we were sincere and because they knew we were sincere, that took the life of its own. No I don’t need to go and preach again.
“We have monitored elections in Edo and other places, nobody wants to compromise with his vote. It is government that created that environment but it is not government that will enforce it, it is the citizen.
“That is why we are a bit worried that sometimes when government creates the environment, whether economic, social or even the media, how the citizens use those privileges matters so much.
“Take the media environment for instance, we signed the Freedom of Information bill into law, it became the Freedom of Information Act, but are we using it in the way we are supposed to use it? Are some of us not abusing the privileges? The media environment that should have helped our transformation agenda are being used negatively, these are some of the issues we need to address.
“The way Nigerians challenge and abuse me, yes the president has enormous power but if you use that enormous power to some extent you will look like a dictator. In a democratic setting, you want to create an environment where people can create their opinion and that is why people are allowed to talk freely and demonstrate. But are we doing so properly?”. He queried.

On the January subsidy protest by the organized Labour, the President said “the citizens were right, in a way they maybe right, in a way they were also misinformed. If you had followed the last Earth Summit in Brazil, about two countries came out to condemn the issue of subsidizing hydro carbon all over the world. They stated that subsidizing hydro carbon does not bring development?
“Look at the demonstrations back home, look at these areas this demonstrations are coming from, you begin to ask, are these the ordinary citizens that are demonstrating? Or are people pushing them to demonstrate.
“Take the case of Lagos, Lagos is the critical state in the nation’s economy, it controls about 53 per cent of the economy and all tribes are there. During the demonstration in Lagos, people were given bottled water that people in my village don’t have access to, people were given expensive food that the ordinary people in Lagos cannot eat. So even going to eat free food alone attracts people. They go and hire the best musician to come and play and the best comedian to come and entertain, is that demonstration? Are you telling me that that is a demonstration from ordinary masses in Nigeria who want to communicate something to government?
“For me, if I see somebody is manipulating anything I don’t listen to you but when I see people genuinely talking about issues I listen. I am hardly intimidated by anybody who wants to push any issue he has. I believe that that protest in Lagos was manipulated by a class in Lagos and was not from the ordinary people.
“Government everywhere must create environment for development and transformation, so I agree the lead must come from the government but the people must be the implementator if we must transform our country.” He added.

TB Joshua speaks on the issue of Boko Haram

Getting Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua to speak on pressing national issues came with its obstacles. But with persistence, Kehinde Oyetimi got the popular pastor to speak.

See what he said on Boko Haram and other issues below:

Ques: The nature of insecurity in Nigeria is bothering everyone. Many people have given various pieces of advice concerning this issue. Will Boko Haram not end in Nigeria?

Ans: We are fighting flesh and blood and not the spirit being that causes stealing, killing and destruction. Until we begin to fight that spirit being that causes killing, stealing and destruction, the battle will not end. Our neighbours are not our enemies. Remember that our neighbours can be our friends; our neighbours can be our enemies; our neighbours can be those who do not share the same faith with us. It is never the will of anyone to kill themselves because of anything unless there is the spirit to kill at work.

Ques: You prophesied that from February 27 to April, 2011 there would be serious challenges that would threaten the April 2011 election. You called on the President to intervene in the political crisis in Oyo state because the governor would not be able to represent him in winning the election in the state. You said the president should look beyond PDP for success in his election, that his personality would win the election.

You said the PDP would lose in Ekiti and Osun. You said God showed you that a group would attack people in the Northern part of the country, before and after Christmas in 2010. You predicted the bomb blasts in Abuja barracks and other states. These prophecies which you gave in September, 2010 to those in authority have all come to pass.

You also stated that prayers could avert them. You predicted the Dana plane crash which was published in February this year. How do you see these visions?

Ans: Romans 10 verse 9 states that “he that believes has eternal life.” By this statement, the believing means possessing. The instant that you believe, you have whatever you ask that is in accordance to the will of God. The instant that you believe that thing that is according to God’s will, it is yours. The instant you believe, you become a possessor of the father’s nature. It you confess with your mouth, if you believe in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead, in this way, there is a level of confession and believing. It is deep, deeper, deepest.

Everyone that believes has power to prophesy. The belief in our heart is released by faith. The belief to see visions is released by faith out of our mouth.

Ques: For many years people have argued that you have no biological child. But now, we hear your daughter graduated in Law from the London School of Economics with second class upper division. What do you have to say?

Ans: What do you want me to say?

Ques: Is she your biological daughter?

Ans: (Cuts in) She is my daughter. In fact she is my first daughter. She is my biological child. Those of you who say I have no child, we are yet to hear from your children.

Ques: There are so many pastors with big churches that have their children being involved in running the affairs of those places. Don’t you want your daughter to be involved in church activities? After her graduation, what is her next line of action?

Ans: Due to her excellent performance, she was given admission to study for her masters in International Law in New York University; she also got admission into LSE ( London School of Economics) and also to UCLA and other universities in Colombia for her masters.

Ques: You went to Jerusalem many years ago. After you returned, there have been miracles taking place in your church. What happened to you there?

Ans: I have been in the field of God’s work before that trip. I only went there to see where my father, Jesus Christ went, the things he touched.

Ques: What are the next events that would happen in Nigeria?

Ans: You want me to book an appointment with God? I will do so. Come next time; I will tell you.

Friday, 28 September 2012

Thursday, 27 September 2012

After a glorious qualifying campaign, France have high hopes of reaching next summer's UEFA Under-21 European Championship in Israel – they will have to overcome Norway in the play-offs first.

Wednesday, 26 September 2012

words of inspiration