Smuggler caught with gutful of heroin

A man has been caught at Dubai airport with 133 capsules of heroin in his stomach. Picture: John Donegan Source: News Limited

CUSTOMS officials at Dubai airport have arrested an Asian man attempting to smuggle 1.58 kilograms of heroin worth $1.2 million in his stomach, local media reported Wednesday.

"The contraband was stuffed in 133 capsules concealed in the guts of an Asian passenger" who arrived at Dubai International Airport, local daily Khaleej Times reported.

The man was subjected to a body scan and under questioning said he was planning to deliver the drugs to someone living in Dubai in return for a cash payment, the report said, without identifying the suspect or his nationality.

It said that in a series of busts in May and October, Dubai customs foiled seven attempts to smuggle a total of 6.6 kilograms of heroin through the UAE's borders worth around $2.7 million.

Trafficking in drugs is punishable by death in the United Arab Emirates though sentences are often reduced to life imprisonment.

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Woman denied abortion dies in hospital

Calls for abortion law reform in Ireland have triggered widespread public debate with passionate voices on both sides - such as this All-Ireland Rally For Life in July 2011. Picture: William Murphy / flickr.com Source: Supplied

A WOMAN has died of blood poisoning from a miscarriage, after an Irish hospital denied her an abortion telling her "this is a Catholic country".

The tragedy comes as the country is in the throes of a passionate debate over potential abortion law reform.

The Irish Times reports that both the hospital and the health department have begun investigations into the death at University Hospital Galway last month.

Savita Halappanavar, 31, a dentist, went to the hospital with back pain on October 21.

Her husband Praveen Halappanavar said she was told she was miscarrying, and after one day of severe pain she asked for a medical termination.

A protester opposed to abortion holds a placard outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Thursday, 18, 2012. Picture: AP

But her repeated requests were refused for three days, he said, because the foetal heartbeat was still present and they said they were legally unable to perform the abortion. Mr Halappanavar said his wife was "in agony" the whole time.

Eventually the foetal heartbeat stopped and the foetus was removed. But Ms Halappanavar was by now seriously ill, and was taken to the high dependency unit and then the intensive care unit, where she died of septicaemia (blood poisoning triggered by infection) a week after she first arrived at the hospital.

The hospital extended its sympathy to family and friends but said it could not discuss the details of an individual case.

Mr Halappanavar said when the couple first arrived at the hospital they had been told the miscarriage "should be over in a few hours".

March for Choice in Dublin in September 2012. Picture: streetsofdublin.com / flickr.com

"Savita was really in agony," he said. "She was very upset but she accepted she was lsoing the baby. When the consultant came on the ward rounds on Monday morning Savita asked if they could not save the baby could they induce to end the pregnancy. The consultant said 'As long as there is a foetal heartbeat we can't do anything'."

The next day there was the same conversation, he said, despite Ms Halappanavar pointing out that she was neither Irish nor Catholic.

That evening she started shivering and vomiting and was started on antibiotics. But it was not until lunchtime the next day that the heartbeat stopped and the foetus was removed.

"When she came out (of that operation) she was talking okay but she was very sick," Mr Halappanavar said.

"That's the last time I spoke to her."

The case has aroused high emotions in Ireland, as calls grow for major reform of the country's old and confusing abortion laws.

The first abortion clinic on the island opened its doors in Belfast last month, attracting hundreds of angry protesters.

In the north an abortion is legal if there is long-term or permanent risk to the mother's physical or mental health. But in the south, laws prohibiting all abortions have never been repealed, and doctors fear criminal and professional sanctions despite a little-tested 1983 amendment to the constitution that seems to permit terminations if the mother's life is in danger.

Around 4000 women from the republic and 1000 from the north travel to Britain each year for abortions, and recent polls show a clear majority support for legal abortion.

However the vast majority of the country still identify as Catholic, and the church still has significant influence on political leaders.

The story comes as a new scientific study for the first time has looked at the consequences for women denied abortions.

The Turnaway Study from the University of California San Francisco looked a 956 women who sought abortions at 30 different clinics, of whom 182 were turned away.

It found that the women denied an abortion were three times more likely than women who receive an abortion to be below the poverty line two years later.

They were also much more likely to stay in a relationship with an abusive partner, with more than twice as many women denied an abortion reporting a recent incident of domestic violence.

However the study found no link between being denied an abortion and subsequent mental health disorders or drug use, and no long-term difference in chronic health problems.

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Hamas killing has 'opened gates of hell'

Palestinian firefighters extinguish fire from the car of Ahmaed Jaabari, head of the military wing of the Hamas movement, the Ezzedin Qassam Brigades, after it was hit by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City. Source: AFP

AN ISRAELI air strike that killed top Hamas military commander Ahmed al-Jaabari overnight had "opened the gates of hell," the Islamic group said.

"The occupation has opened the gates of hell on itself," said a statement from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, which vowed its militants would "continue the path of resistance."

Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency and the military confirmed the operation.

"During a joint operation of the General Security Service (Shin Bet) and the IDF (army) today, Ahmed Jaabari, the senior commander of the military wing of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, was targeted," a statement from the Shin Bet said.

"In the past hour, the IDF targeted Ahmed Jaabari, the head of Hamas's military wing, in the Gaza Strip," the military added in a statement, saying Jaabari "was a senior Hamas operative... directly responsible for executing terror attacks."

"The purpose of this operation was to severely impair the command and control chain of the Hamas leadership, as well as its terrorist infrastructure."

Military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said the strike was the start of an operation targeting armed groups in Gaza following multiple rocket attacks on southern Israel.

"The IDF started an operation against terror organisations in Gaza due to the ongoing attacks against Israeli civilians," she said on her Twitter account.

The killing of Jaabari sparked furious protests in Gaza City, with hundreds of members of Hamas and its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, chanting for revenge inside Shifa hospital.

It also came as a position paper from Israel's foreign ministry proposed "toppling" Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas if Palestine becomes a recognised state.

"Toppling Abu Mazen's (Abbas's) regime would be the only option in this case," the paper obtained by AFP says.

"Any other option ... would mean waving a white flag and admitting the failure of the Israeli leadership to deal with the challenge."

The position paper is a draft document that is expected to be endorsed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who would then present it to the Israeli officials charged with formulating Israel's response to the Palestinian bid.

Mr Lieberman has already reportedly expressed his view that Mr Abbas's Palestinian Authority should be dismantled if the UN bid succeeds.

The Palestinians are scheduled to present their bid for state observer status at the general assembly on November 29, where they are expected to easily win approval, despite opposition from the United States and Israel.

The bid comes slightly more than a year after the Palestinians sought full UN membership at the security council, a request that stalled there because of opposition from the United States, a permanent member and veto-holder.

The ministry paper warns that Israel "must extract a high price from Abu Mazen," and that receiving state status at the UN "would be considered a crossing of a red line."

Israel's Channel 10 reported on November 5 that Mr Lieberman had backed the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, in comments to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

"If the Palestinians pursue their project at the UN, they are definitively destroying the chances of peace talks," the station quoted Lieberman as saying on October 24.

"If they persist with this project, I will ensure that the Palestinian Authority collapses."

A senior Israeli official said on Wednesday that Israel is also considering annulling part or all of the 1993 Oslo Accords in response to the UN bid.

The 1993 Oslo accords were intended to pave the way for a full resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, which was to govern parts of the occupied West Bank and Gaza until a final agreement.

Israel and Washington fiercely oppose any Palestinian action at the United Nations, and US President Barack Obama called Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas earlier this week to reiterate his opposition.

But the Palestinians have confirmed they will push ahead with the plan, saying that enhanced UN status does not contradict peace efforts, and pointing out that direct talks have been on hold since late September 2010.

Meanwhile, Palestinians rallied across the West Bank, a day before the 24th anniversary of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's independence declaration.

Thousands of Palestinians were taking place in demonstrations blocking roads near the West Bank towns of Bethlehem, Jericho and Ramallah.

Chanting "Free Palestine," they carried banners supporting a Palestinian bid later this month to obtain state observer status at the United Nations.

In Atara, north of Ramallah, and at a checkpoint by the city of Bethlehem, Israeli forces fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

An Israeli army spokesman said that "approximately 200 people - Palestinians and international activists - were throwing stones" near Jericho.

"The military force at the site is not reacting with riot dispersal means," the spokesman said, "and one soldier was lightly wounded by rocks. The soldiers are reacting with moderation."

With AP
 

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General distress over shopping spree

General William "Kip" Ward, used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips, a US Defence Department report says. Source: AP

SCANDAL has engulfed yet another top US general with the former head of US Africa Command accused of spending thousands of dollars on lavish travel and other unauthorised expenses, the Pentagon said today.

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who is currently in Australia with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has demoted General William "Kip'' Ward and ordered him to repay the US government $82,000.

Investigators found Ward used his rank as a four-star general to shuttle his wife on shopping sprees and once accepted a defence contractor's gift of going backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington.

Panetta stripped Ward of a star, which means that he will now retire as a three-star lieutenant general.

All in all, it's been a tough week for America's generals with the fallout from the David Petraeus cheating scandal continuing.

The general and his wife Joyce racked up hotel bills with several staff members at New York's iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel on Park Avenue. Picture: New York Post

Bizarre details continue to emerge about the former CIA director's affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell and the woman she harassed whose twin is also linked to General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan.

A report by the Defence Department inspector general found that Ward used military vehicles to shuttle his wife on shopping trips and to a spa and billed the government for a refueling stop overnight in Bermuda, where the couple stayed in a $750 suite. The report detailed lengthy stays at lavish hotels for Ward, his wife and his staff members, and the use of five-vehicle motorcades when he traveled to Washington.

The report also said Ward and his wife, Joyce, accepted dinner and Broadway show tickets from a government contractor during a trip during which he went backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington. The couple and several staff members also spent two nights at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.

A meeting with Hollywood superstar Denzel Washington proved too hard to resist for General William "Kip" Ward who accepted a defence contractor's gift of going backstage to meet the actor.

Other charges were that Ward often extended his overseas trips - particularly those to the US - for personal reasons, resulting in "exponential'' increases in costs.

Although the report included responses from Ward to a number of the allegations, investigators often found records and statements that contradicted his explanations. At one point, Ward defended the Bermuda layover, saying that it came up on short notice, which is why his security team had to stay there longer. The report found records showing that the layover had been planned for at least four days in advance.

A common theme running through the report was Ward's insistence that his wife travel with him at government cost, even though it was often not authorised and she performed few official duties. It said he also routinely stayed in high-priced suites in luxury hotels rather than in standard rooms or less expensive locales.

A spokesman for Ward said that the general "has never been motivated by personal gain and fulfilled each and every mission assigned to him and served his country and the men and women assigned to his commands with distinction.''

It's been a bad week for US generals with Washington still reeling from the fallout of the David Petraeus scandal after the former CIA director resigned over his extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

"While General Ward is not perfect he has always been guided by his faith in God and the belief that there is no greater honor as a patriot than to lead those who choose to serve our nation in the armed forces,'' spokesman Chris Garrett said in a statement.

Secretary of the Army John McHugh concurred with Panetta's decision, Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement.

"Secretary Panetta insists that leaders within the Department of Defence exemplify both professional excellence and sound judgment,'' Little said. "The secretary is committed to ensuring that any improprieties or misconduct by senior officers are dealt with swiftly and appropriately.''

Retiring as a three-star will cost Ward about $30,000 a year in retirement pay - giving him close to $208,802 a year rather than the $236,650 he would receive as a four-star general.

Then there was Jill Kelley, the socialite whose complaint to the FBI over threatening emails uncovered the Petraeus scandal. But not before she allegedly received emails from a shirtless FBI agent.

Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had urged Panetta to allow Ward to retire at his full four-star general rank, according to defense officials.

The allegations, coming after a 17-month investigation, have delayed Ward's planned April 2011 retirement. And they were an embarrassing end note to his career, since he had claimed a place in history as the military's first commander of Africa Command.

General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, also became engulfed in the Petraeus scandal after revelations that he exchanged flirtatious emails with Jill Kelley and intervened in a messy custody dispute on behalf of her twin sister.

The scandal surrounding David Petraeus widened to include a top U.S. commander and is raising questions about their links to Florida resident Jill Kelley.

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Elmo sex accuser backs down

Kevin Clash's accuser now says he was an adult when he had a sexual relationship with the Elmo puppeteer Source: Supplied

THE man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenager now says it isn't so.

The man is now saying his sexual relationship with Clash was adult and consensual.

In response, Clash issued a statement of his own, saying he is "relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest."

The man, who has not identified himself, released his statement through the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, law firm of Andreozzi & Associates.

On Monday, Sesame Workshop said Clash had taken a leave of absence from Sesame Street after allegations came to light that he had had a relationship with a 16-year-old.

Clash denied the charges from the man, who is now in his early 20s.

 

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Man who turned into cat found dead

Dennis Avner, the US man who spent years becoming a cat has been found dead at his home.

"Cat Man" Dennis Avner poses during the grand opening celebration of Ripley's Believe It Or Not Odditorium. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Source: AP

A MAN who earned a Guinness World Record for extreme body modifications to look like a tiger has died.

Dennis Avner, a US Navy veteran better known by his Native American name Stalking Cat, was 54.

The man with overgrown fingernails, fangs and a striped skin tone was found dead in his home in Tonopah, Nevada, the New York Daily News reported.

Pictures: Insane Guinness World Records

Shannon Larratt, who knew Stalking Cat, wrote in a blog post that Avner had tried to adopt the spiritual essence of the animal world.

He had tried to transform "himself not just into a tiger, but a female tiger at that, blurring and exploring the gender line as much as the species line," Larratt said.

Avner's operations, mainly by artist and body modification pioneer Steve Haworth, included bifurcation (splitting) of his upper lip, surgical pointing of the ears, silicone cheek and forehead implants, tooth filing, tattoos, and facial piercing, the Mail Online reported.

"In addition to being almost completely covered in tattoos, he'd also sculpted his face and body with extensive silicone work, had custom teeth built to emulate his inner nature, and regularly wore contact lenses and an artificial robotic tail," Larratt said.

"Dennis's boundary-breaking life was never an easy one, and as he was fond of saying, he 'found fame, but never fortune'."

Dennis Avner, who went by the name Stalking Cat, is in the Guinness Book of Records for 'Most surgical procedures to look like an animal'. Source: Supplied

Jodie Michalak of About.com, said that Avner - who descended from American Indians - "felt his spirit … called to the wild and made it his goal to modify his body in honor of the tiger," his totem animal.

"I'm Huron and Lakota," he told The Seattle Times in 2005.

"I'm just taking a very old tradition, that to my knowledge is not practiced anymore."

''I am Huron and following a very old tradition have transformed myself into a tiger,'' he said on his now-defunct website.

His cause of death has not yet been revealed, yet speculation is rife that Avner killed himself.

Avner worked as a computer programmer and often appeared at Ripley's Believe It or Not! events around the world.

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Mandatory death penalty upheld

Kim Nguyen, mother of Van Tuong Nguyen, pictured in 2006 at a Memorial to her executed son on the steps of the State Library of Victoria.

SINGAPORE on Wednesday rejected calls to abolish executions, saying the death penalty is still necessary to deter serious crimes despite legal reforms designed to lessen its use.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also minister for home affairs, said abolishing hanging would send the wrong signal to potential criminals.

Singapore has unveiled legal amendments that will enable judges to impose life imprisonment on low-level drug couriers and people who commit murder with "no outright intention to kill".

Mandatory execution will be reserved for hardcore murderers and traffickers.

"The mandatory death penalty strengthens this deterrent message," Teo said during a debate in parliament on a bill amending the anti-drugs law to allow judges some discretion under exceptional circumstances.

If Singapore abolished capital punishment as some legislators have advocated, "we would be sending the wrong signal that the risks of drug trafficking into Singapore have now been lowered, that the society is now more accepting of drugs", Teo said.

"They (abolition advocates) have looked at this from the point of view of the drug trafficker who has been apprehended. We also have to look at abolition from the point of view of society and the victims of drugs."

International campaign groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also called on Singapore to abolish the death penalty.

The last Australian to be hanged in Singapore was Van Tuong Nguyen of Melbourne. He had been convicted of drug trafficking and was executed in December 2005, in spite of pleas for clemency from the Australian government.

Judges currently have no choice but to impose the death penalty on anyone convicted of murder or trafficking in illegal drugs above specific volumes.

Teo said care must be taken so the reforms will "not open the doors wide" to mitigating factors which would undermine the country's "strict penalty regime and its deterrent value".

Pointing to the death penalty's deterrent effect, he said kidnapping and firearms offences fell sharply after capital punishment was introduced for these crimes.

For drugs, "we know that the mandatory death penalty has a deterrent effect because drug traffickers deliberately try to keep the amounts they carry to below the capital punishment threshold", he said.

Officials have said there are currently about 35 inmates on death row in Singapore, although executions have been suspended since July 2011 as part of a review that led to the proposed new legislation.

From 2004 to 2010, a total of 26 Singaporeans and 12 foreigners were executed, according to government figures.

Van Tuong NguyenKim Nguyen is consoled by a legal advisor after hearing that anappeal against the death penalty for convicted son Van Tuong Nguyen was dismissed by the High Court in Singapore.

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Pirated discs yield 15-years' jail

Measures are being taken across the US to crack down on intellectual property theft. Picture: ThinkStock Source: news.com.au

A MAN was sentenced to 15 years in prison and another three under supervised release this week after being found guilty of selling five counterfeit DVDs and a bootleg music CD to an undercover agent.

The sentencing is in line with an increasing crackdown on intellectual property crime in the US.

The Clarion Ledger reports Patrick Lashun King, 37, of Mississippi pled guilty to six counts of selling pirated material.
An investigation of King's home and businesses, after his arrest by an undercover agent, turned up more than 10,000 counterfeit discs and equipment believed to be used for their manufacture. The agent is a member of an intellectual property theft task force under Attorney General Jim Hood.

"Anyone who is selling counterfeit goods in Mississippi should be well aware by now that he or she will be arrested and will face a serious prison term," says Hood.

King has previous convictions for assault on a law enforcement officer, in 1995, and CD piracy in 2003.

Brad Buckles, executive vice president of anti-piracy for the Recording Industry Association of America, hailed the Attorney General's decisive action on piracy. "This sentencing demonstrates that theft of intellectual property is treated as a serious crime in Mississippi and highlights the fact that the individuals engaging in these activities are frequently serial criminals for whom IP theft is simply the most convenient and profitable way they could steal from others," he said.

US Attorney General Holder announced last month that the US government would be distributing $US2.4 million ($2.3 million) to more than a dozen law enforcement agencies across the nation to assist in securing convictions for IP theft.

"I'm proud to report that we now have 40 prosecutors and four computer forensics experts serving in the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; 25 Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property – or, 'CHIP' units – in our US Attorney's offices; more than 260 specially-trained CHIP prosecutors ; more than 50 FBI IP Special Agents; a robust international IP program; and strong partnerships with a broad range of IP rights holders," Holder said.
 

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Islamic New Year bombs kill 19 in Iraq

Iraqis looks at the damage to buildings following a car bomb near Firdos Square in the capital Baghdad. Source: AFP

A SPATE of apparently coordinated attacks across Iraq on the eve of an Islamic New Year festival have killed 19 people and wounded more than 150.

The 13 bombings and shootings struck in Baghdad and nine other cities, the security and medical officials said overnight, and will likely raise tensions in a country mired in political deadlock and which suffered a brutal sectarian war.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the violence, but al-Qaeda's front group in Iraq frequently carries out coordinated bombings and attempts mass-casualty attacks in a bid to destabilise the government through bloodshed.

The deadliest blasts overnight struck in Kirkuk, a disputed ethnically mixed oil-rich province in north Iraq frequently targeted by militants seeking to sow communal violence, where at least nine people were killed and 39 wounded.

Two car bombs and a roadside blast in Kirkuk's eponymous capital killed five people and wounded 34 others, while another explosives-packed vehicle targeting an army patrol in the town of Hawijah, also in Kirkuk province, left four dead and five others wounded, officials said.

"My child was killed! His friends were killed!" Shukriyah Rauf screamed in Kurdish at the site of the worst of the Kirkuk city attacks, where a car bomb and a roadside explosion in a majority-Kurdish neighbourhood killed five.

"There is no security here, our homes were destroyed!"

The attack that killed Rauf's child struck near offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Iraq's most powerful Kurdish political party which is led by Massud Barzani, president of the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Nearby buildings and vehicles were badly damaged, with shrapnel, garbage and bloodstains on the street.

Another attack in the city wounded seven street cleaners.

"The car bomb targeted our friends - they are not police, soldiers or politicians," wailed Jassim al-Obeidi, a cleaner who escaped unscathed. "They just wanted to make a little money."

Kirkuk province lies at the centre of a tract of territory claimed by both the central government and the Kurdish region, and the unresolved row is cited by diplomats and officials as the biggest long-term threat to Iraq's stability.

South of Baghdad near the city of Hilla, meanwhile, a car bomb in a parking lot near a crowded marketplace killed five people and wounded 77 others, officials said.

Also south of the capital, in the town of Hafriyah, another car bomb left four dead and 15 wounded, while a car bomb near Baghdad's Firdos Square, the site famous for Iraqis pulling down a statue of Saddam Hussein shortly after the 2003 US-led invasion, killed one person and wounded six others.

Four more bombings and two shootings in the restive provinces of Diyala and Salaheddin, both north of Baghdad, wounded 22 others.

The attacks come a day before Muharram, which marks the Islamic New Year on the lunar calendar.

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