Gunmen fire rocket against British Embassy convoy in Yemen, wounding 4 people

Yemen explosion targets British diplomats
SAN’A, Yemen – Gunmen fired a rocket against a convoy carrying a senior British diplomat in Yemen’s capital on Wednesday, damaging a car and wounding four people amid heightened fears about growing al-Qaida influence in the impoverished Arab nation.

Nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but Yemeni authorities recently boosted security … Read more : Gunmen fire rocket against British Embassy convoy in Yemen, wounding 4 people.

Thai government will decide ‘Merchant of Death’s’ fate, weighing ties with US and Russia

Thai government will decide Viktor Bout’s fate

BANGKOK – Thailand’s government will hold a special meeting to discuss the pros and cons of extraditing Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout to the U.S., weighing concerns about relations with Moscow and Washington, the prime minister said.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva made the comments to Thai reporters traveling with him … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Thai government will decide ‘Merchant of Death’s’ fate, weighing ties with US and Russia.

Drone attacks in Pakistan ‘linked’ to Europe terror plot

LONDON – US drone attacks have been stepped up in Pakistan to disrupt a suspected Al Qaeda plot to attack European targets, a media report said Wednesday.

The drone attacks include one on Monday which killed eight militants, among them five German nationals, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US told the BBC.
The strikes have targeted …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Drone attacks in Pakistan ‘linked’ to Europe terror plot.

Defense lawyer for Anna Nicole Smith doctor says it’s no crime to prescribe drugs for friend

Defense gets turn in Anna Nicole Smith drug trial

LOS ANGELES – After prosecutors depicted Anna Nicole Smith as a victim of her friends, defense lawyers will their chance Wednesday to tell jurors that the former Playboy model was actually being rescued from constant pain by those who gave her prescription drugs.
Attorney Brad Brunon, who began …. Original source  : Defense lawyer for Anna Nicole Smith doctor says it’s no crime to prescribe drugs for friend.

Judge asked to declare innocence of executed Texas man convicted in disputed arson case

Judge asked to declare executed Texas man innocent

AUSTIN, Texas – Prosecutors connected to the case of a Texas man who was executed for setting fire to his home and killing his three daughters are fighting a new effort to clear him.
John Bradley, the top prosecutor in Williamson County who also chairs the Texas Forensic Science … Read more »».

The stripper and the judge: FBI claims federal jurist used drugs, paid for sex with dancer

FBI: Stripper, drugs, guns and judge don’t mix

ATLANTA – The 67-year-old federal judge’s wild relationship with a stripper started with just a lap dance, prosecutors said, but quickly escalated into escapades of prostitution and gun-toting drug deals involving cocaine and prescription pills.
Senior Judge Jack T. Camp, a veteran jurist who had achieved a status that …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Police investigate deaths of Colorado Springs mom, 13-year-old twins as homicides; no arrests

Police probe Colo. mom, twins’ deaths as homicides

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Police said Tuesday they are investigating the deaths of a Colorado Springs woman and her 13-year-old twins as homicides and have not ruled out anyone as suspects.
Police Sgt. Steve Noblitt identified the three found dead in their home Monday as Rene Ogden, 38, and …. Source  : Police investigate deaths of Colorado Springs mom, 13-year-old twins as homicides; no arrests.

22 NATO oil tankers torched in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD – Twenty-two NATO oil tankers were set ablaze early Wednesday near the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, Xinhua reported.

The attack took place around 6 a.m. when motorcycle-borne gunmen opened fire at NATO oil tankers near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. The firing triggered the blaze. The convoy included 40 NATO supply trucks.
… Read more : 22 NATO oil tankers torched in Pakistan.

W.Pa. mother accused of conspiring with boyfriend to drug, impregnate girl, 13, pleads guilty

W.Pa. mom pleads guilty in plot to impregnate girl

UNIONTOWN, Pa. – A western Pennsylvania woman accused of conspiring with her boyfriend to drug her 13-year-old daughter so he could try to impregnate her has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors.
The 34-year-old Uniontown woman was slated for trial Monday in Fayette County Court of Common …. Original source  : W.Pa. mother accused of conspiring with boyfriend to drug, impregnate girl, 13, pleads guilty.

Mass. congressman’s wife to plead guilty to tax charges related to brother’s gambling business

Rep. Tierney’s wife to plead guilty to tax charges

BOSTON – The wife of U.S. Rep. John Tierney has agreed to plead guilty to charges she helped her brother conceal what authorities say was an illegal offshore gambling business that generated millions of dollars, federal prosecutors said late Tuesday.
Patrice Tierney, 59, of Salem, is set to …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Judge orders Mexican singer Jenni Rivera to face trial for failing to declare cash at airport

Jenni Rivera to face trial for cash smuggling

MEXICO CITY – Singer Jenni Rivera has been ordered to face trial for failing to declare thousands of dollars in cash at Mexico City’s international airport.
Rivera says a judge ruled she could be free while the trial proceeds but must report to court ever week.
She promises, in her …. Source article  : Judge orders Mexican singer Jenni Rivera to face trial for failing to declare cash at airport.

Mexican investigators: 20 men kidnapped in Acapulco had no criminal records

20 kidnapped in Acapulco had no criminal records

MORELIA, Mexico – Twenty men kidnapped last week in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco had no criminal records and may have been targeted by mistake, Mexican investigators said Tuesday.
Police have found no trace of the men, whose kidnapping is one of the biggest blows yet to a …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Mexican investigators: 20 men kidnapped in Acapulco had no criminal records.

Defense says defendant in Anna Nicole Smith drug case was only trying to help her friend

Defense says Smith case defendant tried to help

LOS ANGELES – A prosecutor in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy case accused the model’s boyfriend and doctors of providing her with drugs to enhance their friendships, but a defense attorney countered Tuesday that it was not a crime for a doctor to prescribe medication for a …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Defense says defendant in Anna Nicole Smith drug case was only trying to help her friend.

Suspected German terrorist arrested in Kenya

NAIROBI – Authorities in Kenya have arrested a German national suspected to be involved in terrorist activities.

Sascha Alessadro Bottcher, 23, was arrested Tuesday in the coastal town of Mtwapa following a countrywide alert, police spokesman Erick Kiraithe said.
The German is a Muslim convert who arrived in Kenya through the Moi international airport in …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Suspected German terrorist arrested in Kenya.

9 longshoremen at East Coast’s biggest shipping port arrested, revealing security breakdown

9 arrests show security breach at NJ shipping port

NEW YORK – Authorities say the East Coast’s largest shipping port has experienced a security breach as eight dock workers have been charged in New York with cocaine trafficking and another has been charged in a stock fraud scheme.
Authorities said Tuesday the arrests of longshoremen from the … Read this article on Gaea Times at : 9 longshoremen at East Coast’s biggest shipping port arrested, revealing security breakdown.

Prosecutors finish closing arguments in Anna Nicole Smith drug trial; defense to make its case

Anna Nicole Smith prosecutors wrap up arguments

LOS ANGELES – Prosecutors have concluded two days of closing arguments in the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy case.
Deputy District Attorney Renee Rose wrapped up more than four hours of closing arguments on Tuesday by listing the name of every drug prescribed to the former Playboy model during the …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Former Hartford, Conn., mayor appeals corruption conviction, faults 2 cases put on trial as 1

Former Conn. mayor appeals corruption conviction

HARTFORD, Conn. – Lawyers for the former mayor of Hartford, Conn., have filed an appeal of his conviction on five corruption charges.
Eddie Perez’s lawyers argued that the court made an error in consolidating his two cases into one trial. One case accused him of bribe-receiving and being an accessory to … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Former Hartford, Conn., mayor appeals corruption conviction, faults 2 cases put on trial as 1.

Former Marine pleads guilty to accepting $25,000 bribe for contracts to Lebanese-based company

Former Marine pleads guilty to accepting bribes

WASHINGTON – A former Marine has pleaded guilty to accepting a $25,000 bribe in exchange for awarding numerous contracts to a Lebanon-based company at Camp Fallujah in Iraq.
Mariam Mendoza Steinbuch, who was a staff sergeant deployed as a contracting specialist in 2006, was arraigned Tuesday in federal court in …. Source  : Former Marine pleads guilty to accepting $25,000 bribe for contracts to Lebanese-based company.

Vt. police confirm remains found in woods are those of grandmother who went missing last month

Vt. police: Body is missing 78-year-old grandma’s

WATERBURY, Vt. – The curious disappearance of a 78-year-old grandmother is now a murder mystery: A body found in the woods by two bird hunters has been identified as hers, and police on Tuesday called it a homicide.
Investigators used dental records to identify the remains of Pat O’Hagan, a … Read : Vt. police confirm remains found in woods are those of grandmother who went missing last month.

Police: Abducted Calif. girl sexually assaulted before escaping with Good Samaritan’s help

Cops: Abducted Calif. girl was sexually assaulted

FRESNO, Calif. – Police say an 8-year-old girl who was abducted while playing outside a Fresno home was sexually assaulted before managing to escape her captor when another driver cut him off in traffic.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer says the child told investigators that 24-year-old Gregorio Gonzalez took her …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Police: Abducted Calif. girl sexually assaulted before escaping with Good Samaritan’s help.