Lil Wayne prepares for jail term in NYC gun case; sentencing set for Tuesday

Lil Wayne prepares for jail term in NYC gun case

NEW YORK – Rap star Lil Wayne has left fans and fellow artists with a video blitz as he braces for as much as a year behind bars at the height of his career.
The rapper was expected to begin his New York City jail term Tuesday …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Lil Wayne prepares for jail term in NYC gun case; sentencing set for Tuesday.

Family, authorities hold out hope for return of California teen after days of searching

Family holds out hope for Calif. teen’s return

SAN DIEGO – Chelsea King is a straight-A student who plays French horn for the San Diego Youth Symphony, runs on the school cross-country team and actively volunteers in a peer counseling program.
At Poway High School, photos adorn the walls with the caption, “Last seen 2-25 at RB … Read : Family, authorities hold out hope for return of California teen after days of searching.

Australia police, passport officials head to Israel over fake passports in Dubai Hamas slaying

Australia police head to Israel over Dubai slaying

JERUSALEM – Australian police and passport officials are being dispatched to Israel to meet with three dual Australian-Israeli nationals whose passports were used in the slaying of a top Hamas operative in Dubai, a spokeswoman for Australia’s department of foreign affairs said Tuesday.
The spokeswoman, speaking from the Australian …. Read the original article  : here.

Phoenix officials, neighborhood at odds with church that feeds needy once a week

Phoenix at odds with church that feeds needy

PHOENIX – On Saturday mornings, crowds of homeless gather with other needy people at picnic tables outside a church in an upscale Phoenix neighborhood, listen to sermons and settle in for sausage, pancakes and scrambled eggs.
The pastor says it’s the Lord’s work. Neighbors say it should be done … Original article on : Phoenix officials, neighborhood at odds with church that feeds needy once a week.

Pakistani prosecutors lay out charges against 5 US citizens accused of terror ties

Pakistan lays out terror charges for 5 Americans

SARGODHA, Pakistan – Prosecutors seeking to indict five Americans on terror-related offenses presented their case to a Pakistani judge Tuesday, laying out charges including waging war against Pakistan and plotting to attack the country, a defense attorney said.
The men, all young Muslims from the Washington, D.C., area, were …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Hemmed in by Israel’s blockade, Gaza fishermen look to tunnels, Egypt to bring in their catch

Under blockade, coastal Gaza now a fish importer

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Under a sea blockade, the coastal Gaza Strip has now become a seafood importer. Its desperate fishermen – cut off from plentiful fishing grounds by Israeli patrol boats – have turned to sneaking into Egyptian waters in tiny motorboats to buy their catch … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Hemmed in by Israel’s blockade, Gaza fishermen look to tunnels, Egypt to bring in their catch.

Naga leaders meet Manmohan Singh

NEW DELHI – Leaders of a frontline Naga separatist outfit Tuesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after several rounds of talks with a government-appointed interlocutor, a separatist leader said.

The top leadership of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) is here for the peace talks which resumes after a gap of nearly a year.
The …. Original source  : Naga leaders meet Manmohan Singh.

Bomb blast hits military convoy in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – Several army personnel were injured Tuesday when a powerful bomb blast hit a military convoy in northwest Pakistan’s tribal area, a media report said.

An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded close to the convoy in Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan, leaving several people injured, Xinhua news agency reported.
Pakistani security forces are conducting … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Bomb blast hits military convoy in Pakistan.

Chinese writer again blocked from leaving country, this time for German literary festival

China writer blocked from going to German festival

BEIJING – An outspoken Chinese writer and government critic says he has been blocked from leaving China for a 13th time, this time taken off a plane as he was setting off for Europe’s largest international literary festival.
Liao Yiwu said he was already on the plane in the … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Chinese writer again blocked from leaving country, this time for German literary festival.

Hollywood production tackles Taiwan’s oppressive Nationalist rule

Hollywood film tackles Taiwan’s martial law era

HONG KONG – When China and Taiwan split in 1949, the mainland’s communist rulers were demonized by the West and their defeated opponents on the island touted as guardians of freedom. The Nationalists were anything but.
Chiang Kai-shek ruled the leaf-shaped territory with a heavy hand. On the pretext of … Read : Hollywood production tackles Taiwan’s oppressive Nationalist rule.

Los Angeles woman admits kidnapping story that sparked multistate search was a lie

LA woman admits lying to FBI about kidnapping

LOS ANGELES – A 24-year-old Los Angeles woman has admitted she lied to the FBI last summer when she claimed she’d been kidnapped and triggered a multistate search.
Sylvia Mardini pleaded guilty Monday to making false statements to the FBI and agreed to pay more than $20,000 in restitution … Original article on : Los Angeles woman admits kidnapping story that sparked multistate search was a lie.

Cuba’s state newscast devotes lengthy report to denying gov’t let dissident hunger striker die

Cuba TV report denies gov’t let hunger striker die

HAVANA, Cuba – Cuba devoted nearly a third of its official newscast Monday night to denying that state doctors purposely let a jailed dissident die from a hunger strike.
It claimed the case, which sparked an international outcry, began because the victim wanted television and other comforts in … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Cuba’s state newscast devotes lengthy report to denying gov’t let dissident hunger striker die.

Report: Paterson directed 2 staffers to contact woman who accused his aide in assault case

Report: Paterson directed staff to contact woman

ALBANY, N.Y. – Gov. David Paterson personally directed two state employees to contact the woman who told police she was assaulted by her then-boyfriend, a top aide to Paterson, but later failed to press charges, The New York Times reported late Monday.
A Paterson administration official speaking on the condition …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Report: Paterson directed 2 staffers to contact woman who accused his aide in assault case.

O.J. Simpson’s ‘acquittal suit’ to be donated to Smithsonian, ending a 13-year court battle

O.J. Simpson’s ‘acquittal suit’ to be donated

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – With O.J. Simpson giving his agreement from prison, a judge approved a plan Monday to donate the suit the former NFL star was wearing when he was acquitted of murder to the Smithsonian Institution.
The deal ends a 13-year legal battle between Simpson’s former sports agent … Original source on Gaea Times at : O.J. Simpson’s ‘acquittal suit’ to be donated to Smithsonian, ending a 13-year court battle.

Man who drove stolen car through Luke AFB gates facing murder charge after passenger killed

Arizona man facing murder charge over fatal chase

PHOENIX – An Arizona man who drove a stolen car through the gates of Luke Air Force Base is facing a murder charge after his teenage passenger was fatally shot by a security guard.
Glendale police say 19-year-old Gabriel Aguilera is being treated at a Phoenix-area hospital for non-life …. Source  : Man who drove stolen car through Luke AFB gates facing murder charge after passenger killed.

2 former Canopy executives charged with $75M health care fraud, stealing from account holders

2 charged in alleged $75 million health care fraud

CHICAGO – Two former executives of the bankrupt health care company Canopy Financial Inc. were charged Monday with swindling investors out of $75 million and illegally pocketing $19 million from accounts that were supposed to pay the medical bills of individuals nationwide.
Canopy’s former president and chief operating …. Original source  : 2 former Canopy executives charged with $75M health care fraud, stealing from account holders.

Officer wounded in Central California shootout is taken off life support

Life support ends for Calif. officer in shootout

FRESNO, Calif. – After praying four days for a miracle, the family of a California police officer critically wounded in a gunbattle seemed to accept Monday it wasn’t going to happen.
At 5:30 a.m., they allowed doctors to remove the life support that had sustained Reedley police Officer Javier … Read more »».

Denver man accused of sending white powder letters to Congress members, Argentine embassy

Denver man accused of sending white powder letters

DENVER – An employee of a Denver-area community college is accused of sending threatening letters with white powder to members of Congress, the Argentine embassy in Washington, and Argentine consulates in Los Angeles and New York.
Jay DeVaughn of Denver was advised Monday that he faces a charge of …. Source article  : Denver man accused of sending white powder letters to Congress members, Argentine embassy.

Summary Box: 4 men charged with making $29M by fraudulently obtaining, reselling tickets

Summary Box: 4 charged with concert ticket scheme

THE CHARGES: Four California men were accused of fraudulently obtaining tickets to concerts and sporting events and reselling them for a profit estimated at $29 million.
THE TECHNIQUE: According to prosecutors, the men used computer programs to bypass safeguards meant to restrict the number of tickets that each customer …. Original source  : Summary Box: 4 men charged with making $29M by fraudulently obtaining, reselling tickets.

Brooklyn DA: ACORN staff caught on hidden-camera video made by activists did nothing criminal

Brooklyn DA: No criminality caught on ACORN video

NEW YORK – ACORN employees caught on video apparently advising a couple posing as a prostitute and her boyfriend to lie about her profession and launder her earnings did not commit a crime, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said Monday.
The office began its investigation Sept. 15, the day … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Brooklyn DA: ACORN staff caught on hidden-camera video made by activists did nothing criminal.