Kasab may hang this year if no appeal: home secretary

NEW DELHI – The chances of Ajmal Amir Kasab being hanged this year “are quite high” if he does not file a petition challenging his death sentence for the 2008 Mumbai attack, union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said Tuesday.

“It all depends on whether he (Kasab) is going to file an appeal in high court and … Read more >>.

Closing arguments set in trial of Houston area officer who shot ballplayer

Closing arguments set in ballplayer’s shooting

HOUSTON – The fate of a Houston-area police officer on trial for a 2008 shooting that sparked accusations of racial profiling could soon be in the hands of a jury.
Closing arguments were set for Tuesday in the trial of Bellaire police Sgt. Jeffrey Cotton, accused by prosecutors of shooting Robert … Original source on Gaea Times at : Closing arguments set in trial of Houston area officer who shot ballplayer.

Nicaraguan men accused of fraud could lose $2.3 million court award in banana workers’ suit

Nicaraguans could lose $2.3 million court award

LOS ANGELES – Six Nicaraguan banana workers who Dole Food Co. attorneys have accused of fraud will get a chance to explain their position on Tuesday when their attorneys speak before a California judge at a hearing.
The men, who claimed in the lawsuit that exposure to pesticides made them …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Nicaraguan men accused of fraud could lose $2.3 million court award in banana workers’ suit.

Myanmar’s detained Aung San Suu Kyi requests special appeal for freedom

Aung San Suu Kyi asks for her freedom
YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is making a final bid for freedom, lawyers said Tuesday after submitting a request for a special appeal against her house arrest.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has already lost two appeals against an August 2009 conviction, most … Read more »»».

Indonesia’s former top detective detained by police on allegations of accepting a bribe

Indonesia’s ex-top detective questioned on bribery

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia’s former chief detective, who recently exposed a major corruption case involving government and police officials, has been detained on allegations that he accepted a bribe in 2008.
Gen. Susno Duadji was detained and questioned for several hours Monday after it was alleged that he accepted as much … Original article on : Indonesia’s former top detective detained by police on allegations of accepting a bribe.

US drone attack kills 14 militants in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – US drones fired at least 12 missiles, destroying a militant training camp and killing 14 Islamists Tuesday in Pakistan’s tribal region bordering Afghanistan, officials said.

The camp in Lowara Mandi, 50 km west of Miranshah, in North Waziristan district, was run by Taliban-linked Afghan warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur, whose group has over 2,000 trained …. Read the original article  : here.

Fed up of being terrorist, man crosses LoC with wife

JAMMU – A Kashmiri militant crossed over from the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district with his Pakistani bride because he was “fed up” of living the life of a terrorist, police said Tuesday.

Mohammad Ashraf, who went from Badagaon village in Poonch to Pakistan administered Kashmir for arms training and …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Fed up of being terrorist, man crosses LoC with wife.

US intelligence indicates Shahzad had ties to Pakistani Taliban

WASHINGTON – The US has turned up independent evidence that ties Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-American suspect in the attempted bombing in New York’s Times Square, to the Pakistani Taliban militant group, according to a media report.

The independent confirmation is important because it gives the US law enforcement and intelligence community a better understanding of Shahzad’s …. Original article  : US intelligence indicates Shahzad had ties to Pakistani Taliban.

US Special Forces, Marines train African armies to face terrorists and traffickers in Sahara

US Special forces train African armies
KATI, Mali – A U.S. Special Forces instructor leans toward a steering wheel, showing some 50 Malian soldiers gathered around an army pickup how a passenger should take control of a car if the driver is killed in an ambush.

The elite Malian troops look on, perplexed. “But what can we [..] Read the original article: here.

Former Armenia wrestling champ found guilty of kidnapping business associate in California

Calif. jury convicts former wrestler of kidnapping

LOS ANGELES – A former Armenia wrestling champion has been convicted of kidnapping a man, beating him and demanding $1 million ransom.
A federal jury in Los Angeles found Vagan Adzhemyan (EDZ’-ih-mee-an) guilty on Monday. His first trial last year ended with a mistrial after the jury deadlocked.
The 42-year-old Adzhemyan … Original article on : Former Armenia wrestling champ found guilty of kidnapping business associate in California.

Thai leader bows to protest demands, raising hopes for end to Bangkok demonstrations

Hopes raised for end of protests in Thailand

BANGKOK – Thailand’s deputy prime minister met with police investigators Tuesday in a bow to demands by protesters that he face possible criminal charges before they end their two-month-old occupation of Bangkok’s prime commercial district.
The Red Shirt protesters said Monday they would continue their crippling demonstration in central … Original source on Gaea Times at : Thai leader bows to protest demands, raising hopes for end to Bangkok demonstrations.

US Embassy confirms Arizona man found dead in northern Mexico; 3 detained in case

Officials: US man found dead in northern Mexico

MEXICO CITY – U.S. officials confirmed Monday that an American citizen was found dead in northern Mexico.
The U.S. Embassy said the body of Ronald C. Ryan was recovered in Sonora state, across from Arizona, but gave no other details.
Jose Larrinaga, spokesman for Sonora state prosecutors, told reporters Sunday …. Original article  : US Embassy confirms Arizona man found dead in northern Mexico; 3 detained in case.

Shahzad went to Pakistan for help with attack: US official

WASHINGTON – Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, accused of planting the failed car bomb at Times Square, last travelled to Pakistan to get help from the Pakistani Taliban in carrying out a bomb attack, CNN reported citing a senior US official.

“The question is: Did he go there looking for help or did he fall in their lap? … Read more : Shahzad went to Pakistan for help with attack: US official.

Canadian terror plot leader pleads guilty

TORONTO – The ringleader of Canada’s famous Toronto-18 terror plot pleaded guilty Monday. Known as what could have been Canada’s 9/11, the plot was unearthed in June 2006 with the arrest of 18 Muslim men, mostly Pakistanis, from the Toronto area.

The plotters had planned to storm and blow up the nation’s parliament in Ottawa, take … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Canadian terror plot leader pleads guilty.

Top Obama aide says president is open to reviewing Miranda issue

Axelrod: Obama is open to reviewing Miranda issue
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is open to the idea of reviewing Miranda warnings for terrorist suspects, senior White House adviser David Axelrod said Monday.
Axelrod’s comment came after Attorney General Eric Holder said changes by Congress may be needed to allow law enforcement more time to …. Original article  : Top Obama aide says president is open to reviewing Miranda issue.

New White House drug control strategy to stress treatment, prevention programs

New drug control strategy signals policy shift
WASHINGTON – The White House is putting more resources into drug prevention and treatment, part of President Barack Obama’s pledge to treat illegal drug use more as a public health issue than a criminal justice problem.
The new drug control strategy to be released … Original source on Gaea Times at : New White House drug control strategy to stress treatment, prevention programs.

Attorney general says California has full support for gang violence efforts

Attorney general talks gang violence in Calif.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Obama administration will make combating gang violence a top priority through initiatives that focus on prevention, education and intervention, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday.
Holder appeared in Sacramento before a group of California mayors, police chiefs and other leaders at a meeting … Original source on Gaea Times at : Attorney general says California has full support for gang violence efforts.

Aquino widens leads in Philippine presidential race, promises stability, clean government

Aquino opens up commanding lead in Philippine vote

MANILA, Philippines – The son of two Philippine democracy icons had a wide lead Tuesday in presidential elections after campaigning on a promise to begin prosecuting corrupt officials to restore credibility to the country’s graft-ridden government.
Despite glitches with computerized counting machine and violence that claimed at least nine … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Aquino widens leads in Philippine presidential race, promises stability, clean government.

Reports of police documents leaked to traffickers revive debate over Mexico’s drug corruption

Leaked documents suggest Mexico drug corruption

MEXICO CITY – The reported discovery in cartel hands of a sheaf of police documents containing agents’ names and contact numbers, along with apparent references to shared U.S. intelligence data, has renewed fears of high-level corruption in Mexico’s war on drugs.
The trove of papers – which also included an apparent … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Reports of police documents leaked to traffickers revive debate over Mexico’s drug corruption.

British hostage in Pakistan asks help in video appeal

ROME/ISLAMABAD – A British hostage of Pakistani origin has appeared in a video in which he appeals for help to raise the ransom of $10 million demanded by his captors, a militant group calling itself Asian Tigers

Speaking in the video obtained by the Rome-based news agency Adnkronos International AKI, Asad Qureshi, a journalist and documentary-maker, … Read more : British hostage in Pakistan asks help in video appeal.