Two immigration judges were blackmailed by a Brazilian cleaner who had worked illegally for them, a court has heard. The judges, a man and woman identified only as I and J, both employed Roselane Driza, but later sacked her the Old Bailey was told. She then stole intimate videos of I and threatened to expose J for employing her without a work permit, unless she was paid £20,000, it was claimed. Ms Driza, 37, from South Norwood, south London, denies blackmail and theft. She arrived in the UK in 1998 and was granted leave to remain in the UK as a student until the end of 1999. J had advertised for a cleaner and interviewed Ms Driza, who told her she was a student who had been granted refugee status, the court heard. But in fact she was an "overstayer" who was working illegally, a fact she would later use to blackmail J, said David Markham, prosecuting. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 07:57:00 09-21-06 |
U.N. says Iraq deadlier than ever |
The United Nations, citing evidence of severe torture, said Iraq had become deadlier than ever, as local Iraqi forces took charge of a southern province from departing Italian soldiers on Thursday. A U.N. report released overnight said 6,599 Iraqis had died violently in the last two months, 700 more than the previous two, making the period the deadliest yet. Many were tortured and killed by death squads because of their religion, it said. "Bodies found at the Medico-legal Institute often bear signs of severe torture including acid-induced injuries and burns caused by chemical substances, missing skin, broken bones, missing eyes, missing teeth and wounds caused by power drills or nails," the report said.July was deadlier than August, which Washington say shows a security crackdown in the capital Baghdad is working. But violence has already escalated again in September, with a surge in death squad killings in the capital and a relentless series of bomb attacks ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060921/ts_nm/iraq_dc
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Editor - 07:55:00 09-21-06 |
US widow deported over Nazi past |
An elderly German woman who kept secret her role as a Nazi concentration camp guard for more than 60 years has been deported from the US, it has emerged. Elfriede Rinkel, who was married to a Jewish man, was described as a "nice, sweet lady" by those who knew her. Mrs Rinkel, 84, never revealed the grim details of her past during the 47 years she lived in San Francisco. But earlier this month US officials uncovered her role as a guard during WWII, and deported her back to Germany. Mrs Rinkel's husband Fred was a German Jew who arrived in the US after escaping the Holocaust. He died in 2004, never learning of his wife's secret. According to the US Department of Justice, Mrs Rinkel served as a guard at the Ravensbruck women's labour camp in Germany from June 1944 until April 1945, when it was abandoned by the Nazis. There she worked with an SS-trained attack dog, but was not a member of the Nazi party.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5366680.stm
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Editor - 07:53:00 09-21-06 |
Report: U.S. still doesn’t understand al-Qaida Democrats accuse Republicans of exaggerating House report as scare tactic |
Five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Bush administration still does not fully understand the threat from al-Qaida, a congressional report released on Wednesday said.“(Al-Qaida) still remains the single greatest threat. ... Unfortunately, there are still gaps in our understanding of Islamist extremist groups, which leaves America vulnerable,” the report said.The document, “Al-Qaeda: The Many Faces of an Islamist Extremist Threat,” was part of a series of reports released by the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on threats facing the United States. Democrat members distanced themselves from them and accused the Republican majority of trying to frighten voters about such threats in advance of elections in November.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14937387/
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Editor - 07:51:00 09-21-06 |
Sulawesi militants face execution |
Three Indonesian Christian militants facing execution for attacks against Muslims in 2000 have been visited by relatives for probably the last time. Lawyers for Fabianus Tibo, Marianus Riwu and Dominggus Silva said earlier this week the men would face the firing squad in Central Sulawesi on Thursday. But a priest who also visited the trio said the date was set for early Friday. Security is tight in the religiously divided province amid fears the executions will spark renewed violence. The priest, Reverend Jimmy Tumbelaka, said after meeting the three men at their prison in Palu: "They are mentally ready to face the firing squad". Mr Tibo's son Robert said he did not think there was anything more they could do for the men. "I just came today for my father. I hope the last prayers will help him." Some 4,000 extra troops have already been deployed in Central Sulawesi, and reinforcements are being drafted in as tensions rise ahead of the executions. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5366226.stm
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Editor - 07:49:00 09-21-06 |
Atlantis shuttle returns to Earth |
The space shuttle Atlantis has touched down safely in Florida, ending a 12-day mission to re-start construction of the International Space Station (ISS). The shuttle made a perfect landing on runway 33 at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center just after 0621 EDT (1021 GMT). "Nice to be back. It was a great team effort. Assembly is off to a good start," said Atlantis' commander Brent Jett after the landing. The mission is the third shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster in 2003. A planned return on Wednesday was postponed after astronauts spotted several mysterious objects floating in space outside the orbiter. But inspections found no damage to the spacecraft from the nearby debris. And the US space agency was happy that none of the items posed a further risk to the vehicle. There have been some suggestions that the objects escaped from the shuttle's cargo bay and are related to spacewalks undertaken during the mission. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5365114.stm
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Editor - 07:47:00 09-21-06 |
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