LA film producers expected to be sentenced in Thai bribery case

LA film producers to be sentenced in bribe case

LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles filmmaking couple is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday after being convicted of bribing Thai officials so they could run the Bangkok International Film Festival.
Gerald and Patricia Green each could face more than 20 years in prison. The pair were convicted in …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

DC police look to prevent retaliation among crews; shootings kill 5, wound 6 within a week

DC police look to stop shooting paybacks; 5 dead

WASHINGTON – A possible feud among neighborhood crews, three shootings and five fatalities have authorities in the nation’s capital trying to stop more paybacks in an area known for drugs and violence just 7 miles from the White House.
Tuesday night, a crowd sprayed with bullets in a …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Attorney says militia suspect denies involvement in any plot to overthrow US government

Militia suspect denies he was involved in any plot

DETROIT – A Michigan man authorities accuse of being a “heavy gunner” for a Midwest Christian militia denies involvement in any plot to overthrow the government, his attorney says, and she plans to present evidence to prove he’s different from his fellow defendants.
Michael David Meeks, 40, of … Read more : Attorney says militia suspect denies involvement in any plot to overthrow US government.

Man convicted of killing Kan. abortion provider faces life sentence, may testify at hearing

Kan. abortion doctor’s killer faces life sentence

WICHITA, Kan. – The activist who gunned down a Kansas doctor who was one of the few in the U.S. to perform late-term abortions has never shown remorse, insisting the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children.
Scott Roeder now faces a mandatory life sentence for the …. Original article  : Man convicted of killing Kan. abortion provider faces life sentence, may testify at hearing.

For loved ones, rampage in upstate New York a year ago leaves behind anger, haunting grief

Lives altered by mass shooting a year ago in NY

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Layla Khalil survived breast cancer, a bus hijacking and a suicide bombing in Iraq. Yet even in the chaos of war, the mother of three never tired of reciting her magic recipe for a fulfilling life: “Just focus on your studies!”
Khalil and her …. Original source  : For loved ones, rampage in upstate New York a year ago leaves behind anger, haunting grief.

Two killed in car blast in Russia

MOSCOW – Two people were killed and one person was injured in a car blast in Dagestan region of Russia Thursday, media reports said.

A car exploded on the outskirts of Toturbiikala in Khasavyurt region of Dagestan overnight Thursday. Two men were killed, and one was hospitalised with a grave wound after the car blast, the …. Source article  : Two killed in car blast in Russia.

SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Breyer says debate over foreign law is irrelevant

SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Looking abroad for tips

WASHINGTON – The debate over whether the Supreme Court should look to foreign law when interpreting the Constitution is ultimately irrelevant because justices can read whatever they want when they are formulating their opinions, Justice Stephen Breyer said Wednesday.
Breyer said there are those who complain about the high court … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Breyer says debate over foreign law is irrelevant.

AP Exclusive: US spending millions to beef up militaries of coalition partners in Afghanistan

AP Exclusive: US aid going to Afghanistan partners

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is pouring millions of dollars into equipment and training for its smaller partner nations in the Afghanistan war, a new effort that could encourage some countries not to abandon the increasingly unpopular conflict.
The money comes from a $350 million Pentagon program designed to improve … Read more >>>.

Cartel gunmen stage coordinated assaults on Mexican army bases; troops kill 18 attackers

18 gunmen killed in attacks on Mexican army bases

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico – Dozens of gunmen mounted rare and apparently coordinated attacks targeting two army garrisons in northern Mexico, touching off firefights that killed 18 attackers.
The attempts to blockade soldiers inside their bases – part of seven near-simultaneous attacks across two northern states – appeared to mark …. Original source  : Cartel gunmen stage coordinated assaults on Mexican army bases; troops kill 18 attackers.

Attorney sees signs that Fort Hood massacre suspect was being moved from hospital to jail

Ft. Hood suspect apparently being moved to jail

SAN ANTONIO – The Army officer accused in the Fort Hood shooting rampage is apparently being moved from a hospital to jail.
An attorney for Maj. Nidal Hasan (nih-DAHL’ hah-SAHN’) says doctors at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio gave Hasan a “discharge physical” Wednesday evening.
Attorney John Galligan … Read more >>>.

Police search for alleged war criminal after Australia’s High Court orders his extradition

Aust. police hunt alleged Balkans war criminal

CANBERRA, Australia – Police searched Thursday for a fugitive Australian citizen who disappeared this week when the country’s highest court ordered his extradition to Croatia to face war crimes charges stemming from the 1990s Balkan wars, the government said.
Dragan Vasiljkovic, now known as Daniel Snedden, is accused of slaying …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Police search for alleged war criminal after Australia’s High Court orders his extradition.

Vatican defends pope, handling of Wisconsin priest accused of abusing deaf boys

Vatican defends handling of Wisconsin priest

VATICAN CITY – A top Vatican official strongly defended the church’s decision not to defrock a Wisconsin priest accused of molesting deaf boys, saying the lengthy trial process would have been “useless” because the priest was dying.
In an article posted on the Vatican’s Web site Wednesday, Cardinal William Levada strongly …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Chechen rebels claim responsibility for Moscow attacks

LONDON – A Chechen militant group has claimed responsibility for the bombings at two Moscow metro stations that killed 39 people, media reports said.

In a video message posted on a Chechen rebel website, militant leader Doku Umarov said his group was behind Monday’s double suicide bombings on the Moscow Metro, BBC reported Wednesday.
The …. Original source  : Chechen rebels claim responsibility for Moscow attacks.

Kan. man gets life sentence for killing college student who led secret life as Web porn model

Kan. man gets life in student porn model’s death

EL DORADO, Kan. – A Kansas man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for raping and killing a college student who led a secret life as an Internet porn model.
Israel Mireles was sentenced Wednesday. The 26-year-old had claimed he left a … Original source on Gaea Times at : Kan. man gets life sentence for killing college student who led secret life as Web porn model.

2 mentally disabled immigrants held for years in Calif. detention centers are freed

2 mentally disabled detainees freed in Calif

SAN DIEGO – Two immigrants were freed Wednesday from federal detention centers, years after judges put their cases on hold due to serious questions about their mental competence.
Attorneys who filed petitions for the release of Guillermo Gomez Sanchez, 48, and Jose Antonio Franco Gonzalez, 29, said the cases exposed … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : 2 mentally disabled immigrants held for years in Calif. detention centers are freed.

Missing girl found in own home was asphyxiated, mother now a suspect, Mexican prosecutor says

Mexican missing girl asphyxiated, mother suspected

TOLUCA, Mexico – A disabled 4-year-old girl whose disappearance became the talk of the capital region was found dead in her own bedroom more than a week later. Prosecutors said Wednesday the girl had been asphyxiated and her mother is a suspect.
The shocking discovery of the lifeless Paulette Gebara Farah … Original source on Gaea Times at : Missing girl found in own home was asphyxiated, mother now a suspect, Mexican prosecutor says.

Crowd targeted in DC drive-by just returned from slain man’s funeral; suspect linked to both

DC crowd sprayed with bullets had been to funeral

WASHINGTON – A crowd sprayed with bullets in a drive-by that killed four and wounded five had just returned from the funeral of man slain nearby and a 20-year-old is suspected in both shootings, according to authorities trying to prevent retaliation on Wednesday.
Two men and a 14-year-old …. Read the original article  : here.

Kidnapped Army linguist ‘delighted’ to be back in US, says he never feared abandonment in Iraq

Abducted Army linguist glad to be back in US

SAN ANTONIO – A civilian Army employee kidnapped while working as a linguist in Iraq released a statement Wednesday saying he is delighted to be back in the United States and is focused being able to reintegrate back into his normal life.
Issa Salomi, a 60-year-old Iraqi-American kidnapped … Read : Kidnapped Army linguist ‘delighted’ to be back in US, says he never feared abandonment in Iraq.

Judge grants prosecution’s request for gag order in Arizona sweat lodge manslaughter case

Judge grants gag order in Ariz. sweat lodge case

CAMP VERDE, Ariz. – An Arizona judge has granted the prosecution’s request for a gag order in the case of a motivational speaker charged with manslaughter.
State prosecutors made the request Feb. 12, claiming it’s needed to limit pretrial publicity that could taint the jury pool. Yavapai County … Read more »»».

Fla. Everglades restoration plan to buy land from sugar farmers jeopardized by judge’s ruling

Everglades deal in jeopardy after judge’s ruling

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Gov. Charlie Crist’s grand plan to revive the dying Florida Everglades by buying back the land is in jeopardy after a federal judge Wednesday ordered the state to resume construction on a multimillion-dollar restoration project.
Work on the 25-square-mile reservoir – the largest of its … Read more »».