<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/black-boxes-show-clear-similarities-with-indonesia-crash-ethiopia-says-203937">Black boxes show 'clear similarities' with Indonesia crash, says Ethiopia</a>

Black box data recovered from an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last week show "clear similarities" with a recent crash in Indonesia of the same type of aircraft, Ethiopia's transport minister said on Sunday.

While declining to give details, Dagmawit Moges told journalists the parallels would be the "subject of further study during the investigation," with a preliminary report issued in "30 days".

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/manohar-parrikars-last-rites-to-take-place-in-panaji-on-monday-203924">Manohar Parrikar's last rites to take place in Panaji on Monday</a>

The last rites of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar will be performed at Miramar here on Monday evening, a BJP spokesperson said.

Parrikar, 63, died at his private residence at Dona Paula near the state capital on Sunday evening after a long illness.

A four-term chief minister and former defence minister, Parrikar had been battling pancreatic cancer since February last year. The BJP stalwart's health, which has been fluctuating for over a year, took a turn for the worse in the past two days.&nbsp;

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealand-mosque-attacker-to-represent-himself-in-court-reports-203964">New Zealand mosque attacker to represent himself in court: Reports</a>

The accused New Zealand guman, Brenton Tarrant, has sacked his lawyer and will represent himself in court, news reports said Monday.&nbsp;

Tarrant, who is Australian and 28, had walked up to two Christchurch mosques on Friday and started shooting with automatic rifles.&nbsp;

By the time he finished — he was finally arrested by police — he had killed 50 worshippers. The youngest of his victims was three years old.&nbsp;

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-slammed-for-silence-on-white-supremacist-threat-203942">Trump slammed for 'silence' on white supremacist threat</a>

Democrats led by an Arab-American lawmaker attacked President Donald Trump's "silence" on the rise of white supremacy Sunday as a reaction to the New Zealand mosque massacre spilled into a heated US debate over religious and racial bigotry.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bjp-led-alliance-hasnt-reached-a-consensus-on-goa-chief-minister-post-203949">'No consensus yet on next Goa chief minister'</a>

The BJP-led alliance in Goa did not reach a consensus over the next chief minister on Monday, a move necessitated by the death of Manohar Parrikar.

Parrikar (63) died on Sunday evening at his residence near here after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year.

Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who arrived here in the early hours of the day, could not secure a consensus between the saffron party and its alliance partners in the state, party MLA Michael Lobo said.

Black boxes show 'clear similarities' with Indonesia crash, says Ethiopia Black box data recovered from an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last week show "clear similarities" with a recent crash in Indonesia of the same type of aircraft, Ethiopia's transport minister said on Sunday.

Black boxes show 'clear similarities' with Indonesia crash, says Ethiopia Black box data recovered from an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed last week show "clear similarities" with a recent crash in Indonesia of the same type of aircraft, Ethiopia's transport minister said on Sunday. While declining to give details, Dagmawit Moges told journalists the parallels would be the "subject of further study during the investigation," with a preliminary report issued in "30 days". Manohar Parrikar's last rites to take place in Panaji on Monday The last rites of Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar will be performed at Miramar here on Monday evening, a BJP spokesperson said. Parrikar, 63, died at his private residence at Dona Paula near the state capital on Sunday evening after a long illness. A four-term chief minister and former defence minister, Parrikar had been battling pancreatic cancer since February last year. The BJP stalwart's health, which has been fluctuating for over a year, took a turn for the worse in the past two days. New Zealand mosque attacker to represent himself in court: Reports The accused New Zealand guman, Brenton Tarrant, has sacked his lawyer and will represent himself in court, news reports said Monday. Tarrant, who is Australian and 28, had walked up to two Christchurch mosques on Friday and started shooting with automatic rifles. By the time he finished — he was finally arrested by police — he had killed 50 worshippers. The youngest of his victims was three years old. Trump slammed for 'silence' on white supremacist threat Democrats led by an Arab-American lawmaker attacked President Donald Trump's "silence" on the rise of white supremacy Sunday as a reaction to the New Zealand mosque massacre spilled into a heated US debate over religious and racial bigotry. 'No consensus yet on next Goa chief minister' The BJP-led alliance in Goa did not reach a consensus over the next chief minister on Monday, a move necessitated by the death of Manohar Parrikar. Parrikar (63) died on Sunday evening at his residence near here after battling pancreatic cancer for over a year. Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who arrived here in the early hours of the day, could not secure a consensus between the saffron party and its alliance partners in the state, party MLA Michael Lobo said.

News brief: Big stories of the day

A witness in the trial of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/at-el-chapo-trial-ex-hitman-tells-of-kingpins-gruesome-tactics-192586">Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman</a> told the US government the Mexican drug kingpin drugged and raped girls as young as 13, according to court documents unsealed Saturday.

Longtime associate Alex Cifuentes told authorities a woman would send Guzman photos of young girls to choose from, with a fee of $5,000 per girl.

Cifuentes used this service himself three or four times, having sex with girls as young as 15-years-old, the government said in the documents, adding he "witnessed the defendant do the same on multiple occasions, with girls as young as 13 years old."

The former Sinaloa cartel leader, 61, would allegedly sometimes drug the girls with "a powdery substance" with Cifuentes' help before raping them.

But Cifuentes, who lived with Guzman in 2007 and 2008, did not mention any of this in four days of testimony during the trial, which ended on Thursday after three months of hearings.

"Joaquin denies the allegations, which lack any corroboration and were deemed too prejudicial and unreliable to be admitted at trial," Guzman's lawyer, Eduardo Balarezo, said in an emailed statement.

"It is unfortunate that the material was publicly released just prior to the jury beginning deliberations."

On Monday, the jury will begin deliberating whether Guzman is guilty of trafficking hundreds of tons of drugs into the US. He faces a life sentence if convicted.

The documents were published following a legal claim by US media, which throughout the trial fought the secrecy surrounding the case.

Cifuentes, 50, was arrested in Mexico in 2013 then deported from Colombia to the US. Currently, in prison, he is cooperating with the government in exchange for a reduced sentence.

A witness in the trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman told the US government the Mexican drug kingpin drugged and raped girls as young as 13, according to court documents unsealed Saturday.

A witness in the trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman told the US government the Mexican drug kingpin drugged and raped girls as young as 13, according to court documents unsealed Saturday. Longtime associate Alex Cifuentes told authorities a woman would send Guzman photos of young girls to choose from, with a fee of $5,000 per girl. Cifuentes used this service himself three or four times, having sex with girls as young as 15-years-old, the government said in the documents, adding he "witnessed the defendant do the same on multiple occasions, with girls as young as 13 years old." The former Sinaloa cartel leader, 61, would allegedly sometimes drug the girls with "a powdery substance" with Cifuentes' help before raping them. But Cifuentes, who lived with Guzman in 2007 and 2008, did not mention any of this in four days of testimony during the trial, which ended on Thursday after three months of hearings. "Joaquin denies the allegations, which lack any corroboration and were deemed too prejudicial and unreliable to be admitted at trial," Guzman's lawyer, Eduardo Balarezo, said in an emailed statement. "It is unfortunate that the material was publicly released just prior to the jury beginning deliberations." On Monday, the jury will begin deliberating whether Guzman is guilty of trafficking hundreds of tons of drugs into the US. He faces a life sentence if convicted. The documents were published following a legal claim by US media, which throughout the trial fought the secrecy surrounding the case. Cifuentes, 50, was arrested in Mexico in 2013 then deported from Colombia to the US. Currently, in prison, he is cooperating with the government in exchange for a reduced sentence.

El Chapo drugged and raped teenage girls, witness claims

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/ghosn-appeals-against-japan-bail-rejection-190912&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjC2LmHh_7fAhUHQY8KHT8yAZUQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3_ta3bX0cHFWhyVlY_smMn">Carlos Ghosn</a>, the ousted Nissan boss detained in Tokyo on charges of financial misconduct, on Monday vowed to remain in Japan if granted bail and again proclaimed his innocence.

The Tokyo District Court will later Monday consider the 64-year-old's latest petition for bail but has already rejected previous applications, judging Ghosn a flight risk who might seek to destroy evidence.

"As the court considers my bail application, I want to emphasise that I will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the Court concludes are warranted," Ghosn said in a statement released by his US-based representatives.

He vowed to attend any subsequent trial "not only because I am legally obligated to do so, but because I am eager to finally have the opportunity to defend myself".

"I am not guilty of the charges against me and I look forward to defending my reputation in the courtroom," concluded the statement.

A spokeswoman for Ghosn, Devon Spurgeon, said his family had already rented an apartment in Tokyo where he promised to reside while awaiting trial.

He has also promised to hand over his passports, refrain from contacting people connected with the case and pay for security guards approved by prosecutors to monitor his movements, according to Spurgeon.

She added that Ghosn has also offered a higher bail fee by stumping up Nissan stock as collateral and promised to wear an electronic tracking bracelet paid for by himself.

The <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/tokyo-court-denies-the-request-for-carlos-ghosns-release-on-bail-190413&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwivkN-Zh_7fAhXWfisKHaWzAT0QFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1fKK4zKmip-iUFK4R2emGM">Tokyo court </a>has dismissed all previous attempts by Ghosn to secure his freedom and even his lead lawyer has said he is unlikely to be granted bail until a trial takes place — which could take six months.

However, the case has been full of twists and turns that have kept Japan and the business world gripped since his first stunning arrest as he landed in his private jet at Haneda Airport.

The Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive said he has been in his Tokyo detention cell for 64 days "with no release in sight".

Since then, he has only been seen in public once, in a dramatic court appearance where the much thinner executive pleaded his innocence in a packed courtroom.

His wife Carole has appealed to Human Rights Watch, claiming he is being held in "harsh" conditions and subjected to round-the-clock interrogations intended to extract a confession.

'Solid, stable, sustainable governance'&nbsp;

Ghosn's arrest represented a sudden fall from grace for a once-revered tycoon widely credited with turning Nissan around from the verge of bankruptcy.

Nissan immediately ousted him as chairman after the arrest, as did Mitsubishi Motors, the other Japanese firm in the three-way alliance with Renault.

The French firm is expected to meet later this week to discuss removing Ghosn as chairman and CEO. French government officials have already urged the company's board to pick a "new lasting leadership".

Late Sunday, Nissan held an inaugural meeting of a special committee designed to improve governance in the wake of the scandal.

The head of the committee, Seiichiro Nishioka, said the problem was "an excessive concentration of authority in the hands of a single person".

The committee is expected to meet three or four additional times before issuing a final report at the end of March.

The charges against Ghosn are that he under-declared his income in official documents to shareholders over an eight-year period — in an apparent bid to dodge accusations he was overpaid.

In addition, prosecutors have formally charged him with involvement in a complex scheme they say was designed to make Nissan pay for personal investment losses sustained in the financial crisis of 2008.

Ghosn's arrest has thrown into question the future of the auto alliance he forged, which has come under pressure in his absence.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Sunday denied talk of a potential merger between Renault and Nissan, despite reports in the Japanese media that Paris was pushing for that outcome.

"The subject is not on the table today. What is on the table today is the governance of Renault," he told journalists during a visit to Cairo.

"The most important thing for us is to have solid, stable, sustainable governance for Renault."

 
&nbsp;

Carlos Ghosn, the ousted Nissan boss detained in Tokyo on charges of financial misconduct, on Monday vowed to remain in Japan if granted bail and again proclaimed his innocence.

Carlos Ghosn, the ousted Nissan boss detained in Tokyo on charges of financial misconduct, on Monday vowed to remain in Japan if granted bail and again proclaimed his innocence. The Tokyo District Court will later Monday consider the 64-year-old's latest petition for bail but has already rejected previous applications, judging Ghosn a flight risk who might seek to destroy evidence. "As the court considers my bail application, I want to emphasise that I will reside in Japan and respect any and all bail conditions the Court concludes are warranted," Ghosn said in a statement released by his US-based representatives. He vowed to attend any subsequent trial "not only because I am legally obligated to do so, but because I am eager to finally have the opportunity to defend myself". "I am not guilty of the charges against me and I look forward to defending my reputation in the courtroom," concluded the statement. A spokeswoman for Ghosn, Devon Spurgeon, said his family had already rented an apartment in Tokyo where he promised to reside while awaiting trial. He has also promised to hand over his passports, refrain from contacting people connected with the case and pay for security guards approved by prosecutors to monitor his movements, according to Spurgeon. She added that Ghosn has also offered a higher bail fee by stumping up Nissan stock as collateral and promised to wear an electronic tracking bracelet paid for by himself. The Tokyo court has dismissed all previous attempts by Ghosn to secure his freedom and even his lead lawyer has said he is unlikely to be granted bail until a trial takes place — which could take six months. However, the case has been full of twists and turns that have kept Japan and the business world gripped since his first stunning arrest as he landed in his private jet at Haneda Airport. The Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive said he has been in his Tokyo detention cell for 64 days "with no release in sight". Since then, he has only been seen in public once, in a dramatic court appearance where the much thinner executive pleaded his innocence in a packed courtroom. His wife Carole has appealed to Human Rights Watch, claiming he is being held in "harsh" conditions and subjected to round-the-clock interrogations intended to extract a confession. 'Solid, stable, sustainable governance' Ghosn's arrest represented a sudden fall from grace for a once-revered tycoon widely credited with turning Nissan around from the verge of bankruptcy. Nissan immediately ousted him as chairman after the arrest, as did Mitsubishi Motors, the other Japanese firm in the three-way alliance with Renault. The French firm is expected to meet later this week to discuss removing Ghosn as chairman and CEO. French government officials have already urged the company's board to pick a "new lasting leadership". Late Sunday, Nissan held an inaugural meeting of a special committee designed to improve governance in the wake of the scandal. The head of the committee, Seiichiro Nishioka, said the problem was "an excessive concentration of authority in the hands of a single person". The committee is expected to meet three or four additional times before issuing a final report at the end of March. The charges against Ghosn are that he under-declared his income in official documents to shareholders over an eight-year period — in an apparent bid to dodge accusations he was overpaid. In addition, prosecutors have formally charged him with involvement in a complex scheme they say was designed to make Nissan pay for personal investment losses sustained in the financial crisis of 2008. Ghosn's arrest has thrown into question the future of the auto alliance he forged, which has come under pressure in his absence. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire on Sunday denied talk of a potential merger between Renault and Nissan, despite reports in the Japanese media that Paris was pushing for that outcome. "The subject is not on the table today. What is on the table today is the governance of Renault," he told journalists during a visit to Cairo. "The most important thing for us is to have solid, stable, sustainable governance for Renault."

Ghosn vows to stay in Japan if granted bail

The trial in the gruesome Kathua rape and murder case begins today against eight accused who allegedly held an eight-year-old girl in captivity in a small village temple in Kathua district for a week in January this year during which she was kept sedated and sexually assaulted before being bludgeoned to death.

The accused include a juvenile against whom a separate charge sheet was filed.

The chief judicial magistrate of Kathua will be committing one of the charge sheets, in which seven people have been named, to the sessions court for trial as mandated under the law. The chief judicial magistrate will, however, hold the trial for the juvenile as it is the designated court under the juvenile act, according to officials.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed two special public prosecutors, both Sikhs, for the trial in the sensitive case, a move being seen as made to ensure "neutrality" in view of Hindu-Muslim polarisation over the case.

The trial is expected to go smoothly after the Jammu Bar association as well as the Kathua Bar received a rap on the kuckles by the Supreme Court on April 13 as the apex court took a strong note of some lawyers obstructing the judicial process in the case.

The Supreme Court initiated a case on its own record saying such impediment "affects the dispensation of justice and would amount to obstruction of access to justice".

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud was also critical of the Jammu High Court Bar Association, which had passed a resolution not to attend the courts saying "it is the duty of the bar association as a collective body and they cannot obstruct the process of law".

According to the charge sheets filed by the crime branch, the abduction, rape and killing of the Bakerwal girl was part of a carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area.

It lists the caretaker of 'Devisthan', a small temple, in a village in Kathua, about 90 km from here, as the main conspirator behind the crime.

Sanji Ram was allegedly joined by special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma, friend Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu, Ram's nephew, a juvenile, and his son Vishal Jangotra alias "Shamma".

The charge sheet also names investigating officers head constable Tilak Raj and Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta, who allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from Ram and destroyed crucial evidence.

All eight are under arrest.

The crime branch will also be handing over the notices issued to the Jammu Bar Council as well as Kathua Bar Council for appearing before the Supreme Court on April 19.

The Bar Association of Kathua has already retracted from its earlier statement of providing legal assistance free of cost to the accused and said ?after going through the charge sheet presented by the crime branch (against the accused in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate on April 9) it is revealed that the allegations against the accused persons are very grave and as such this case is to be dealt with in a professional way.

"As such, we have withdrawn our offer to contest the case free of cost. Accused are free to engage any individual advocate and exercise their respective rights of defence in the court. It is for any individual advocate to accept the brief and the bar association will not come in the way of defence nor the bar association will hamper the prosecution," President of BAK Kirty Bhushan Mahajan had said in a seven page statement yesterday.

Members of the same association had blocked the way of crime branch personnel from submitting the charge sheet before the chief judicial magistrate for six hours forcing the police to present it at the house of the magistrate.

Police have already registered a case against lawyers for obstructing public servants from performing their duty.

The Jammu Bar association, which was left red-faced after the Supreme Court's observation, attempted to put a brave face saying they had full faith in the apex court and said their main demand was for shifting of illegally settled Rohingyas.

It denounced the attempts made by certain quarters for making wrongful attempts to project the association as "pro-rapist" or "anti-national".

The association today fielded a senior woman advocate Surinder Kour who said "we are now satisfied that the case has reached the Supreme Court and we are satisfied that justice will be delivered to the minor girl."

JHCBA is on strike since April 4 and sponsored a general strike on April 11 in Jammu to press for its demands including for according district status to Nowshera sub division in Rajouri district.

"We included the demand for CBI probe into the Kathua rape and murder at the request of civil society," Kour said and accused the state government of forcing them into agitation by "giving no response to our concerns despite repeated memorandums and statements."&nbsp;

There are eight accused, including one juvenile

The trial in the gruesome Kathua rape and murder case begins today against eight accused who allegedly held an eight-year-old girl in captivity in a small village temple in Kathua district for a week in January this year during which she was kept sedated and sexually assaulted before being bludgeoned to death. The accused include a juvenile against whom a separate charge sheet was filed. The chief judicial magistrate of Kathua will be committing one of the charge sheets, in which seven people have been named, to the sessions court for trial as mandated under the law. The chief judicial magistrate will, however, hold the trial for the juvenile as it is the designated court under the juvenile act, according to officials. The Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed two special public prosecutors, both Sikhs, for the trial in the sensitive case, a move being seen as made to ensure "neutrality" in view of Hindu-Muslim polarisation over the case. The trial is expected to go smoothly after the Jammu Bar association as well as the Kathua Bar received a rap on the kuckles by the Supreme Court on April 13 as the apex court took a strong note of some lawyers obstructing the judicial process in the case. The Supreme Court initiated a case on its own record saying such impediment "affects the dispensation of justice and would amount to obstruction of access to justice". A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud was also critical of the Jammu High Court Bar Association, which had passed a resolution not to attend the courts saying "it is the duty of the bar association as a collective body and they cannot obstruct the process of law". According to the charge sheets filed by the crime branch, the abduction, rape and killing of the Bakerwal girl was part of a carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area. It lists the caretaker of 'Devisthan', a small temple, in a village in Kathua, about 90 km from here, as the main conspirator behind the crime. Sanji Ram was allegedly joined by special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma, friend Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu, Ram's nephew, a juvenile, and his son Vishal Jangotra alias "Shamma". The charge sheet also names investigating officers head constable Tilak Raj and Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta, who allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from Ram and destroyed crucial evidence. All eight are under arrest. The crime branch will also be handing over the notices issued to the Jammu Bar Council as well as Kathua Bar Council for appearing before the Supreme Court on April 19. The Bar Association of Kathua has already retracted from its earlier statement of providing legal assistance free of cost to the accused and said ?after going through the charge sheet presented by the crime branch (against the accused in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate on April 9) it is revealed that the allegations against the accused persons are very grave and as such this case is to be dealt with in a professional way. "As such, we have withdrawn our offer to contest the case free of cost. Accused are free to engage any individual advocate and exercise their respective rights of defence in the court. It is for any individual advocate to accept the brief and the bar association will not come in the way of defence nor the bar association will hamper the prosecution," President of BAK Kirty Bhushan Mahajan had said in a seven page statement yesterday. Members of the same association had blocked the way of crime branch personnel from submitting the charge sheet before the chief judicial magistrate for six hours forcing the police to present it at the house of the magistrate. Police have already registered a case against lawyers for obstructing public servants from performing their duty. The Jammu Bar association, which was left red-faced after the Supreme Court's observation, attempted to put a brave face saying they had full faith in the apex court and said their main demand was for shifting of illegally settled Rohingyas. It denounced the attempts made by certain quarters for making wrongful attempts to project the association as "pro-rapist" or "anti-national". The association today fielded a senior woman advocate Surinder Kour who said "we are now satisfied that the case has reached the Supreme Court and we are satisfied that justice will be delivered to the minor girl." JHCBA is on strike since April 4 and sponsored a general strike on April 11 in Jammu to press for its demands including for according district status to Nowshera sub division in Rajouri district. "We included the demand for CBI probe into the Kathua rape and murder at the request of civil society," Kour said and accused the state government of forcing them into agitation by "giving no response to our concerns despite repeated memorandums and statements."

Kathua gang rape and murder trial to begin today

Comedian Bill Cosby`s defence team urged a judge on Tuesday to bar 19 accusers from testifying at his upcoming sexual assault retrial, saying the burgeoning #MeToo movement against sexual harassment would unfairly prejudice a jury against him.

Lawyers for the actor, best known for his starring role in the 1980s TV hit &quot;The Cosby Show,&quot; said the 19 women should be blocked from testifying to ensure Cosby receives a fair retrial on charges he drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand, a former administrator of the women`s basketball team at his alma mater, Temple University.&nbsp;

&quot;The purpose would just be to enrage the jury beyond what is going on outside the courtroom with the #MeToo movement and other things that have nothing to do with Mr. Cosby at all,&quot; defence attorney Becky James told Judge Steven O`Neill during the second day of a pretrial hearing in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

&quot;In that environment, allowing the 19 to testify would be hugely prejudicial,&rdquo; she said of the retrial slated to begin with jury selection on March 29.

Cosby, 80, is accused of sexually assaulting Constand, 44, at his home near Philadelphia between Dec. 30, 2003, and Jan. 20, 2004.&nbsp;

Constand is one of more than 50 women who have accused him of assaults dating back decades, all accusations but hers are too old to be the subject of criminal prosecution.

Cosby has repeatedly denied assaulting anyone, saying any sexual encounter was consensual. His first criminal trial ended in a mistrial in June.

O`Neill allowed one of the 19 women to testify in that trial. In general, a defendant`s history is not admissible as evidence that he or she committed a particular crime.

The Cosby case qualifies as an exception, prosecutors argued, because the way he abused the 19 women was repetitive and consistent.

&quot;Nineteen prior bad acts are needed to demonstrate that these events are not random and remote,&quot; Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Jappe said in her rebuttal argument on Tuesday.

O`Neill said he was unlikely to make a decision on the request on Tuesday, needing time to review evidence.

As the morning hearing ran into its second hour without a break, O`Neill broke with his normal practice to say that anyone who needed to leave the courtroom to use the restroom would be allowed to return, adding, &quot;I don`t see anyone squirming.&quot;

&quot;I`m squirming,&quot; Cosby said. &quot;But it`s OK.&quot;

Lawyers for the actor said the 19 women should be blocked from testifying

Comedian Bill Cosby`s defence team urged a judge on Tuesday to bar 19 accusers from testifying at his upcoming sexual assault retrial, saying the burgeoning #MeToo movement against sexual harassment would unfairly prejudice a jury against him. Lawyers for the actor, best known for his starring role in the 1980s TV hit "The Cosby Show," said the 19 women should be blocked from testifying to ensure Cosby receives a fair retrial on charges he drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand, a former administrator of the women`s basketball team at his alma mater, Temple University. "The purpose would just be to enrage the jury beyond what is going on outside the courtroom with the #MeToo movement and other things that have nothing to do with Mr. Cosby at all," defence attorney Becky James told Judge Steven O`Neill during the second day of a pretrial hearing in Norristown, Pennsylvania. "In that environment, allowing the 19 to testify would be hugely prejudicial,” she said of the retrial slated to begin with jury selection on March 29. Cosby, 80, is accused of sexually assaulting Constand, 44, at his home near Philadelphia between Dec. 30, 2003, and Jan. 20, 2004. Constand is one of more than 50 women who have accused him of assaults dating back decades, all accusations but hers are too old to be the subject of criminal prosecution. Cosby has repeatedly denied assaulting anyone, saying any sexual encounter was consensual. His first criminal trial ended in a mistrial in June. O`Neill allowed one of the 19 women to testify in that trial. In general, a defendant`s history is not admissible as evidence that he or she committed a particular crime. The Cosby case qualifies as an exception, prosecutors argued, because the way he abused the 19 women was repetitive and consistent. "Nineteen prior bad acts are needed to demonstrate that these events are not random and remote," Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Jappe said in her rebuttal argument on Tuesday. O`Neill said he was unlikely to make a decision on the request on Tuesday, needing time to review evidence. As the morning hearing ran into its second hour without a break, O`Neill broke with his normal practice to say that anyone who needed to leave the courtroom to use the restroom would be allowed to return, adding, "I don`t see anyone squirming." "I`m squirming," Cosby said. "But it`s OK."

Bill Cosby lawyers cite #MeToo in move to block 19 accusers from trial

A trial drug has shown encouraging signs of there being an effective treatment for Alzheimer&#39;s disease. 
 
The drug, named&nbsp;aducanumab, is an antibody that showed &quot;almost complete clearance&quot; of sticky proteins that clot in the brain, a reason that is believed to cause Alzheimer&#39;s. The sticky proteins are known as&nbsp;Amyloids. 
 
Experts, however, moved quickly to downplay the significance of the experiment.&nbsp; 
 
Robert Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, told AFP,&nbsp;&quot;Although potentially this is an exciting story, it is important to temper any excitement with considerable caution.&quot; 
 
Incidentally,&nbsp;aducanumab is not the first antibody to show positive signs in Phase I&nbsp;of the drug trial. The Phase III efficacy test is the crucial period for any experimental drug.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It would be premature to conclude that this is likely to represent an effective treatment for Alzheimer&#39;s disease,&quot; professor Howard said.&nbsp; 
 
Aducanumab, an antibody developed by biotech firm Biogen, was used on 165 people suffering from early-stage Alzheimer&#39;s for a year.&nbsp; 
 
The drug recorded&nbsp;some side-effects, including headaches. 
 
Nearly 44 million people have Alzheimer&#39;s disease or a related dementia across the world. 
 
In the US, Alzheimer&#39;s is the sixth-leading cause of death.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), around 7.7 million people are diagnosed with the disease every year.&nbsp; 
 
At the moment, there is no effective treatment for&nbsp;Alzheimer&#39;s disease, which leads to memory loss in old age. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

The antibody showed 'almost complete clearance' of sticky proteins that clot in the brain, a reason that is believed to cause the disease

A trial drug has shown encouraging signs of there being an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The drug, named aducanumab, is an antibody that showed "almost complete clearance" of sticky proteins that clot in the brain, a reason that is believed to cause Alzheimer's. The sticky proteins are known as Amyloids. Experts, however, moved quickly to downplay the significance of the experiment. Robert Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, told AFP, "Although potentially this is an exciting story, it is important to temper any excitement with considerable caution." Incidentally, aducanumab is not the first antibody to show positive signs in Phase I of the drug trial. The Phase III efficacy test is the crucial period for any experimental drug. "It would be premature to conclude that this is likely to represent an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease," professor Howard said. Aducanumab, an antibody developed by biotech firm Biogen, was used on 165 people suffering from early-stage Alzheimer's for a year. The drug recorded some side-effects, including headaches. Nearly 44 million people have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia across the world. In the US, Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading cause of death. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), around 7.7 million people are diagnosed with the disease every year. At the moment, there is no effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, which leads to memory loss in old age. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trial drug kindles hopes of Alzheimer's treatment

A Chinese human rights activist was on Friday given a three-year suspended prison sentence for subversion, state media said, the fourth such case this week as authorities crack down on dissent. 
 
Christian activist Gou Hongguo had gone abroad to be trained in &quot;subverting state power&quot;, the Second Intermediate People&#39;s Court in the northern city of Tianjin said Friday on a verified social media account. He also sought to turn public opinion against the government and attempted to overthrow the socialist system, among a litany of other offences, it said. 
 
He was given three years in prison, suspended for three years, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that he had pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal. 
 
The sentence is relatively light by the standards of dissident trials in China, where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist party. Gou, who had protested against forced evictions, was one of more than 200 activists and lawyers involved in cases the Communist party considers sensitive who were detained in the so-called &quot;709 crackdown&quot;, named for its main date in July 2015. 
 
Gou&#39;s trial was the fourth at the Tianjin court this week&nbsp;and followed that of high-profile rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng,&nbsp;whose Fengrui law firm, known for taking on cases of dissident scholars, victims of sexual abuse and members of banned religious groups has been at the centre of the 709 crackdown. 
 
Zhou was on Thursday given seven years in prison for subversion. Activist Zhai Yanmin was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans, while Hu Shigen, a Christian campaigner who was a member of the same underground church as Gou, was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday. 
 
Campaign groups have condemned the trials, and US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said the charges were &quot;vague and apparently politically motivated&quot;. 
 
&quot;It&rsquo;s troubling that Chinese authorities denied these defendants access to their chosen counsel and family members as well,&quot; he said. &quot;We urge China to release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9th, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities.&quot; 
 
Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court stating that about 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and &ldquo;civilian representatives from all walks of life&rdquo;, as well as mainland and foreign media outlets, were present at Gou&#39;s proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly surveilled and forcibly being kept away from the court or barred from seeking further information. 
 
Gou&#39;s wife Fan Lili went to the courthouse earlier this week, falling to the ground outside the building weeping, saying she had not been informed of her husband&#39;s trial date and had not been allowed in. Watched by scores of police and plainclothes officers, she reportedly pleaded for him to come home and meet his 16-month-old son for the first time. 
 
(AFP)

Campaign groups condemned the trials. US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said they were 'vague and apparently politically motivated'

A Chinese human rights activist was on Friday given a three-year suspended prison sentence for subversion, state media said, the fourth such case this week as authorities crack down on dissent. Christian activist Gou Hongguo had gone abroad to be trained in "subverting state power", the Second Intermediate People's Court in the northern city of Tianjin said Friday on a verified social media account. He also sought to turn public opinion against the government and attempted to overthrow the socialist system, among a litany of other offences, it said. He was given three years in prison, suspended for three years, the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that he had pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal. The sentence is relatively light by the standards of dissident trials in China, where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist party. Gou, who had protested against forced evictions, was one of more than 200 activists and lawyers involved in cases the Communist party considers sensitive who were detained in the so-called "709 crackdown", named for its main date in July 2015. Gou's trial was the fourth at the Tianjin court this week and followed that of high-profile rights lawyer Zhou Shifeng, whose Fengrui law firm, known for taking on cases of dissident scholars, victims of sexual abuse and members of banned religious groups has been at the centre of the 709 crackdown. Zhou was on Thursday given seven years in prison for subversion. Activist Zhai Yanmin was on Tuesday handed a three-year suspended sentence for crimes that included waving banners and shouting slogans, while Hu Shigen, a Christian campaigner who was a member of the same underground church as Gou, was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday. Campaign groups have condemned the trials, and US State Department spokesman Mark Turner said the charges were "vague and apparently politically motivated". "It’s troubling that Chinese authorities denied these defendants access to their chosen counsel and family members as well," he said. "We urge China to release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9th, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities." Authorities insist the Tianjin trials are open, with the court stating that about 40 people including politicians, legal scholars, and “civilian representatives from all walks of life”, as well as mainland and foreign media outlets, were present at Gou's proceedings. But family members of those detained, particularly their wives, complain of being constantly surveilled and forcibly being kept away from the court or barred from seeking further information. Gou's wife Fan Lili went to the courthouse earlier this week, falling to the ground outside the building weeping, saying she had not been informed of her husband's trial date and had not been allowed in. Watched by scores of police and plainclothes officers, she reportedly pleaded for him to come home and meet his 16-month-old son for the first time. (AFP)

China puts activist on trial, 4th case in 4 days

Guatemala&#39;s former football chief pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to racketeering and wire fraud conspiracies in connection with the unprecedented FIFA corruption scandal rocking world soccer. 
 
Brayan Jimenez, 62, negotiated and accepted bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in awarding media and marketing rights for his country&#39;s qualifier matches for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, prosecutors said. 
 
Jimenez, a former member of FIFA&#39;s Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, agreed to forfeit $35,000. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count when sentenced, US officials said. 
 
Jimenez, who was detained in January in a disheveled and intoxicated state in a posh suburb of Guatemala City, was extradited to the United States in March. 
 
He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included corruption, money laundering, fraud and embezzlement, and was placed under house arrest after posting a $1.5 million bond, $75,000 of it in cash. 
 
US prosecutors in New York have indicted 40 football and sports marketing executives, including Jimenez, over allegedly receiving tens of millions of bribes and kickbacks in the largest corruption scandal in the history of soccer. 
 
More than a third have since pleaded guilty. None have yet been formally sentenced and a date is still pending to put the rest on trial. 
 
(AFP)

Brayan Jimenez agreed to forfeit $35,000 and faces a maximum sentence for 20 years for each count. He had initially pleaded not guilty

Guatemala's former football chief pleaded guilty in New York on Friday to racketeering and wire fraud conspiracies in connection with the unprecedented FIFA corruption scandal rocking world soccer. Brayan Jimenez, 62, negotiated and accepted bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in awarding media and marketing rights for his country's qualifier matches for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, prosecutors said. Jimenez, a former member of FIFA's Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, agreed to forfeit $35,000. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for each count when sentenced, US officials said. Jimenez, who was detained in January in a disheveled and intoxicated state in a posh suburb of Guatemala City, was extradited to the United States in March. He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included corruption, money laundering, fraud and embezzlement, and was placed under house arrest after posting a $1.5 million bond, $75,000 of it in cash. US prosecutors in New York have indicted 40 football and sports marketing executives, including Jimenez, over allegedly receiving tens of millions of bribes and kickbacks in the largest corruption scandal in the history of soccer. More than a third have since pleaded guilty. None have yet been formally sentenced and a date is still pending to put the rest on trial. (AFP)

Former Guatemalan football chief pleads guilty to FIFA corruption charges

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was key in getting the Olympics to Rio, will be put on trial for allegedly trying to obstruct a corruption probe at Petrobras oil company, officials said yesterday. 
 
&quot;The charge is obstruction of justice&quot; linked to the Petrobras embezzlement probe, named Operation Car Wash, a spokesman for the justice ministry told AFP. 
 
Lula was formally charged along with six others, including former senator Delcidio do Amaral, a once-important ally in Lula&#39;s leftist Workers&#39; Party who is accused of Petrobras-related corruption and has turned state&#39;s witness. 
 
Lula, as he is universally known in Brazil, was president from 2003-2010 and left office with massive popularity thanks to social programs that lifted tens of millions of Brazilians from poverty. 
 
He also was key in the 2009 winning bid by Rio de Janeiro to host South America&#39;s first Olympics, which start next Friday. 
 
However, his legacy has been badly tainted by the emergence of the Petrobras scandal in which dozens of politicians and executives are accused of having embezzled from the huge state oil company in a web of inflated contracts, kickbacks and bribes that lasted much of his presidency. 
 
Lula is alleged to have been at the centre of the scheme. However, the charges on which he will stand trial are limited to allegedly attempting to obstruct the enquiry. 
 
Prosecutors have been told by Delcidio in his plea bargain that Lula had asked him to assist a Petrobras director charged in the corruption scheme. 
 
Lula accuses Delcidio of fabricating his testimony to attempt to save himself from a serious sentence in his own case. 
 
Lula&#39;s spokesman issued a statement saying the charges were flimsy because they &quot;are based uniquely on (evidence from) a plea bargain.&quot; 
 
&quot;Lula has never opposed the investigations,&quot; the statement said. 
 
Olympics president 
 
The development comes a week before the opening of the Olympics and will reignite a simmering political crisis that has upended the Workers&#39; Party dominance of Brazil over the last 13 years. 
 
Lula&#39;s handpicked successor Dilma Rousseff faces an impeachment trial set to culminate days after the Olympics end. 
 
If the Senate votes to impeach by a two thirds majority, Rousseff will be removed from office and her bitter political enemy Michel Temer, who is currently serving as interim president, will take over. 
 
Rousseff is accused of breaking government budgeting rules, but has denounced the impeachment process as a coup in disguise aimed at putting Temer&#39;s center-right administration in power and destroying the Workers&#39; Party. 
 
Both Lula and Rousseff have declared they will boycott the Olympics opening ceremony, where Temer is to preside and declare the Games open. 
 
In an interview yesterday with foreign news organizations, including AFP, Temer said he expected Rousseff to be removed by the Senate in time for Brazil to know whom to send to the G20 summit in China at the start of September. 
 
&quot;We are hoping that the resolution of the impeachment comes between August 25 and 26, because if it takes to September 4, 5 or 6, Brazil will not be able to go to the G20,&quot; Temer said. 
 
Temer said he was already &quot;acting as if I will stay on&quot; and that &quot;the world needs to know who is the president.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Lula is alleged to have been at the centre of a scandal accusing politicians and executives of embezzling from oil company Petrobras

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was key in getting the Olympics to Rio, will be put on trial for allegedly trying to obstruct a corruption probe at Petrobras oil company, officials said yesterday. "The charge is obstruction of justice" linked to the Petrobras embezzlement probe, named Operation Car Wash, a spokesman for the justice ministry told AFP. Lula was formally charged along with six others, including former senator Delcidio do Amaral, a once-important ally in Lula's leftist Workers' Party who is accused of Petrobras-related corruption and has turned state's witness. Lula, as he is universally known in Brazil, was president from 2003-2010 and left office with massive popularity thanks to social programs that lifted tens of millions of Brazilians from poverty. He also was key in the 2009 winning bid by Rio de Janeiro to host South America's first Olympics, which start next Friday. However, his legacy has been badly tainted by the emergence of the Petrobras scandal in which dozens of politicians and executives are accused of having embezzled from the huge state oil company in a web of inflated contracts, kickbacks and bribes that lasted much of his presidency. Lula is alleged to have been at the centre of the scheme. However, the charges on which he will stand trial are limited to allegedly attempting to obstruct the enquiry. Prosecutors have been told by Delcidio in his plea bargain that Lula had asked him to assist a Petrobras director charged in the corruption scheme. Lula accuses Delcidio of fabricating his testimony to attempt to save himself from a serious sentence in his own case. Lula's spokesman issued a statement saying the charges were flimsy because they "are based uniquely on (evidence from) a plea bargain." "Lula has never opposed the investigations," the statement said. Olympics president The development comes a week before the opening of the Olympics and will reignite a simmering political crisis that has upended the Workers' Party dominance of Brazil over the last 13 years. Lula's handpicked successor Dilma Rousseff faces an impeachment trial set to culminate days after the Olympics end. If the Senate votes to impeach by a two thirds majority, Rousseff will be removed from office and her bitter political enemy Michel Temer, who is currently serving as interim president, will take over. Rousseff is accused of breaking government budgeting rules, but has denounced the impeachment process as a coup in disguise aimed at putting Temer's center-right administration in power and destroying the Workers' Party. Both Lula and Rousseff have declared they will boycott the Olympics opening ceremony, where Temer is to preside and declare the Games open. In an interview yesterday with foreign news organizations, including AFP, Temer said he expected Rousseff to be removed by the Senate in time for Brazil to know whom to send to the G20 summit in China at the start of September. "We are hoping that the resolution of the impeachment comes between August 25 and 26, because if it takes to September 4, 5 or 6, Brazil will not be able to go to the G20," Temer said. Temer said he was already "acting as if I will stay on" and that "the world needs to know who is the president." (AFP)

Former Brazilian president to stand trial for obstruction of justice

Three senior Irish bankers were jailed on Friday for up to three-and-a-half years for conspiring to defraud investors in the most prominent prosecution arising from the 2008 banking crisis that crippled the country&#39;s economy. 
 
The trio will be among the first senior bankers globally to be jailed for their role in the collapse of a bank during the crisis. 
 
The lack of convictions until now has angered Irish taxpayers, who had to stump up 64 billion Euros, almost 40 per cent of annual economic output, after a property collapse forced the biggest state bank rescue in the euro zone. 
 
The crash thrust Ireland into a three-year sovereign bailout in 2010 and the finance ministry said last month that it could take another 15 years to recover the funds pumped into the banks still operating. 
 
Former Irish Life and Permanent Chief Executive Denis Casey was sentenced to two years and nine months following the 74-day criminal trial, Ireland&#39;s longest ever. 
 
Willie McAteer, former finance director at the failed Anglo Irish Bank, and John Bowe, its ex-head of capital markets, were given sentences of 42 months and 24 months respectively. 
 
&quot;Dishonest, Deceitful&nbsp;and Corrupt&quot; 
 
All three were convicted of conspiring together and with others to mislead investors, depositors and lenders by setting up a 7.2-billion-Euro circular transaction scheme between March and September 2008 to bolster Anglo&#39;s balance sheet. 
 
Irish Life placed the deposits via a non-banking subsidiary in the run-up to Anglo&#39;s financial year-end, to allow its rival to categorise them as customer deposits, which are viewed as more secure, rather than a deposit from another bank. 
 
&quot;By means that could be termed dishonest, deceitful and corrupt they manufactured 7.2 billion Euros in deposits by obvious sham transactions,&quot; Judge Martin Nolan told the court, describing the conspiracy as a &quot;very serious crime&quot;. 
 
&quot;The public is entitled to rely on the probity of blue chip firms. If we can&rsquo;t rely on the probity of these banks we lose all hope or trust in institutions,&quot; said Nolan. 
 
None of the defendants reacted visibly to the sentencing before being led away by officers to Mountjoy Prison, the country&#39;s largest, and used in the past to hold Irish Republican Army prisoners. 
 
&#39;Green Jersey&nbsp;Agenda&#39; 
 
Lawyers for the accused argued during the trial that their motivation in authorising the deal was the &quot;green jersey&quot; agenda, the financial regulator&#39;s request for Irish banks to support one another as the financial crisis worsened. 
 
McAteer was convicted in 2014 of illegal lending and providing unlawful assistance to investors, but sentenced to perform community service when a judge ruled he was &quot;led into error and illegality&quot; by the Irish regulator. 
 
Scandal-hit Anglo-Irish, described by Nolan as &quot;probably the most reviled institution in the state&quot;, was put into liquidation in 2013 and remains subject to other criminal trials. 
 
Irish Life and Permanent was broken up during the restructuring of Ireland&#39;s financial sector and its banking arm, permanent tsb, remains under 75 per cent state ownership. 
 
Two other Anglo-Irish bankers, chief operations officer Tiarnan O&#39;Mahoney, 56, and former company secretary Bernard Daly, 67, earlier this year had their sentences quashed on appeal after spending several months in prison. 
 
Banks in the United States and Britain have paid billions of dollars in fines and settlements connected to wrongdoing over their handling of subprime loans that helped cause the crisis. But no senior industry executives in those countries have been sent to jail. 
 
(Reuters)

Banks in the US and Britain have paid billions for their handling of subprime mortage loans but no senior execs from there have gone to jail

Three senior Irish bankers were jailed on Friday for up to three-and-a-half years for conspiring to defraud investors in the most prominent prosecution arising from the 2008 banking crisis that crippled the country's economy. The trio will be among the first senior bankers globally to be jailed for their role in the collapse of a bank during the crisis. The lack of convictions until now has angered Irish taxpayers, who had to stump up 64 billion Euros, almost 40 per cent of annual economic output, after a property collapse forced the biggest state bank rescue in the euro zone. The crash thrust Ireland into a three-year sovereign bailout in 2010 and the finance ministry said last month that it could take another 15 years to recover the funds pumped into the banks still operating. Former Irish Life and Permanent Chief Executive Denis Casey was sentenced to two years and nine months following the 74-day criminal trial, Ireland's longest ever. Willie McAteer, former finance director at the failed Anglo Irish Bank, and John Bowe, its ex-head of capital markets, were given sentences of 42 months and 24 months respectively. "Dishonest, Deceitful and Corrupt" All three were convicted of conspiring together and with others to mislead investors, depositors and lenders by setting up a 7.2-billion-Euro circular transaction scheme between March and September 2008 to bolster Anglo's balance sheet. Irish Life placed the deposits via a non-banking subsidiary in the run-up to Anglo's financial year-end, to allow its rival to categorise them as customer deposits, which are viewed as more secure, rather than a deposit from another bank. "By means that could be termed dishonest, deceitful and corrupt they manufactured 7.2 billion Euros in deposits by obvious sham transactions," Judge Martin Nolan told the court, describing the conspiracy as a "very serious crime". "The public is entitled to rely on the probity of blue chip firms. If we can’t rely on the probity of these banks we lose all hope or trust in institutions," said Nolan. None of the defendants reacted visibly to the sentencing before being led away by officers to Mountjoy Prison, the country's largest, and used in the past to hold Irish Republican Army prisoners. 'Green Jersey Agenda' Lawyers for the accused argued during the trial that their motivation in authorising the deal was the "green jersey" agenda, the financial regulator's request for Irish banks to support one another as the financial crisis worsened. McAteer was convicted in 2014 of illegal lending and providing unlawful assistance to investors, but sentenced to perform community service when a judge ruled he was "led into error and illegality" by the Irish regulator. Scandal-hit Anglo-Irish, described by Nolan as "probably the most reviled institution in the state", was put into liquidation in 2013 and remains subject to other criminal trials. Irish Life and Permanent was broken up during the restructuring of Ireland's financial sector and its banking arm, permanent tsb, remains under 75 per cent state ownership. Two other Anglo-Irish bankers, chief operations officer Tiarnan O'Mahoney, 56, and former company secretary Bernard Daly, 67, earlier this year had their sentences quashed on appeal after spending several months in prison. Banks in the United States and Britain have paid billions of dollars in fines and settlements connected to wrongdoing over their handling of subprime loans that helped cause the crisis. But no senior industry executives in those countries have been sent to jail. (Reuters)

Ireland jails three top bankers over 2008 banking meltdown

A special court hearing treason charges against former Pakistani president and army chief Pervez Musharraf ordered the seizure of his assets today after he failed to appear for a hearing in the capital Islamabad, media reported. 
 
Musharraf in March left Pakistan for Dubai to seek medical treatment, shortly after the country&#39;s top court lifted a ban on his travel. 
 
He is facing trial on treason and other charges related to his seizure of power as army chief in 1999 in a coup, the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and the killing of a prominent cleric in a military operation in Islamabad. 
 
A three-member bench of the special court hearing the cases passed orders to freeze his bank accounts and confiscate his property after Musharraf failed to appear for a hearing, media reported. There had also been a similar order in 2011 relating to the Bhutto case. 
 
Mazhar Alam Miankhel, chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, is presiding over the special court, which sits in Islamabad. He adjourned today&#39;s proceedings until Musharraf is arrested or surrenders. 
 
&quot;According to law, the accused cannot (go on trial) in absentia,&quot; Miankhel said, according to English daily Dawn newspaper. 
 
Dawn reported Musharraf&#39;s counsel argued the former president was in ill health and could not appear before the court in person. 
 
Musharraf seized power in 1999 in a bloodless coup against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to office in a democratic election in 2013. Musharraf stood down as president in 2008 when threatened with impeachment by civilian political leaders. 
 
Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March 2013 after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest elections, despite the possibility of arrest and death threats from the Taliban. 
 
Pakistan&#39;s military has ruled the South Asian nation for about half of its 69-year history. It currently sets foreign and security policy even though Sharif&#39;s civilian administration is in power. 
 
(Reuters)

Musharraf failed to appear for a hearing in Islamabad. He is facing trial for treason and other charges for a 1999 military coup

A special court hearing treason charges against former Pakistani president and army chief Pervez Musharraf ordered the seizure of his assets today after he failed to appear for a hearing in the capital Islamabad, media reported. Musharraf in March left Pakistan for Dubai to seek medical treatment, shortly after the country's top court lifted a ban on his travel. He is facing trial on treason and other charges related to his seizure of power as army chief in 1999 in a coup, the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and the killing of a prominent cleric in a military operation in Islamabad. A three-member bench of the special court hearing the cases passed orders to freeze his bank accounts and confiscate his property after Musharraf failed to appear for a hearing, media reported. There had also been a similar order in 2011 relating to the Bhutto case. Mazhar Alam Miankhel, chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, is presiding over the special court, which sits in Islamabad. He adjourned today's proceedings until Musharraf is arrested or surrenders. "According to law, the accused cannot (go on trial) in absentia," Miankhel said, according to English daily Dawn newspaper. Dawn reported Musharraf's counsel argued the former president was in ill health and could not appear before the court in person. Musharraf seized power in 1999 in a bloodless coup against then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to office in a democratic election in 2013. Musharraf stood down as president in 2008 when threatened with impeachment by civilian political leaders. Musharraf returned to Pakistan in March 2013 after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest elections, despite the possibility of arrest and death threats from the Taliban. Pakistan's military has ruled the South Asian nation for about half of its 69-year history. It currently sets foreign and security policy even though Sharif's civilian administration is in power. (Reuters)

Pakistan court orders seizure of former president Pervez Musharraf's assets

Brazil&#39;s suspended president Dilma Rousseff could still wriggle out of a looming impeachment vote, her ally and predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said today. 
 
Lula, Brazil&#39;s most prominent leftist leader, told Radio Jornal that Rousseff&#39;s case is not hopeless, despite months of mounting pressure on her to be removed from office. 
 
Previous votes in the lower and upper houses easily passed the simple majorities needed to send her to trial for allegedly breaking budgetary laws - a case she claims is a coup d&#39;etat. 
 
However, when the Senate votes again in a final session on August 25-27, it must reach a two-thirds majority and the result is expected to be far closer. 
 
&quot;To defeat the impeachment is easier than before,&quot; said Lula, who was president from 2003-2010 and founded the Workers&#39; Party, which has been in power for 13 years. 
 
Lula said Rousseff, 68, needs to secure support from a handful of extra senators to swing the vote. &quot;Dilma depends on only six votes,&quot; he told the radio station from northeastern Pernambuco state. 
 
The Senate must vote by 54 votes out of 81 for the impeachment to pass. In that case, Rousseff foe Michel Temer, who is currently serving as interim president, would stay as president until the next scheduled elections in 2018. 
 
If the vote fails, Rousseff would return to office. However, she is seen as badly weakened, with rock bottom popularity in a country that blames her for a deep recession, massive corruption and months of political instability. 
 
Temer and Rousseff are both invited to the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which start in Rio on August 5. 
 
(AFP)

The Senate must pass 54 votes out of 81 for Dilma Rousseff's impeachment to pass. If the vote fails, she could return to office

Brazil's suspended president Dilma Rousseff could still wriggle out of a looming impeachment vote, her ally and predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said today. Lula, Brazil's most prominent leftist leader, told Radio Jornal that Rousseff's case is not hopeless, despite months of mounting pressure on her to be removed from office. Previous votes in the lower and upper houses easily passed the simple majorities needed to send her to trial for allegedly breaking budgetary laws - a case she claims is a coup d'etat. However, when the Senate votes again in a final session on August 25-27, it must reach a two-thirds majority and the result is expected to be far closer. "To defeat the impeachment is easier than before," said Lula, who was president from 2003-2010 and founded the Workers' Party, which has been in power for 13 years. Lula said Rousseff, 68, needs to secure support from a handful of extra senators to swing the vote. "Dilma depends on only six votes," he told the radio station from northeastern Pernambuco state. The Senate must vote by 54 votes out of 81 for the impeachment to pass. In that case, Rousseff foe Michel Temer, who is currently serving as interim president, would stay as president until the next scheduled elections in 2018. If the vote fails, Rousseff would return to office. However, she is seen as badly weakened, with rock bottom popularity in a country that blames her for a deep recession, massive corruption and months of political instability. Temer and Rousseff are both invited to the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which start in Rio on August 5. (AFP)

Brazil's suspended president tries to slip impeachment

Former Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat&nbsp;was sentenced today to nine years in prison for abuse of power, a charge his lawyer said was a politically motivated attempt to humiliate him. 
 
Filat was arrested during a parliamentary session last October after months of mass street protests over the disappearance of $1 billion from the banking sector, equivalent to one-eighth of the tiny ex-Soviet republic&#39;s economy. He denies any connection to the crime and all charges against him. 
 
Prosecutor Adriana Betisor, who had sought a sentence of 19 years, said the ruling, at the end of a closed trial, was &quot;too soft&quot;, and vowed to continue pursuing other cases against Filat connected to the banking fraud. 
 
&quot;He has pleaded not guilty, but his guilt is clear ... Investigations will continue in other areas,&quot; Betisor said. 
 
Filat&#39;s lawyer, Igor Popa, called the case &quot;a political, well-directed spectacle.&quot; 
 
&quot;Its goal was to destroy Filat as a person, in the most humiliating and crushing manner possible. We will seek a fair trial outside Moldova and will find a lawful ruling,&quot; he said. 
 
Filat, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2013, is credited with putting Moldova on a pro-European path by signing an association agreement with the European Union. But an enduring economic crisis and perceived corruption in the ruling elite pushed his public trust rating into single digits. 
 
He says he has become a scapegoat over the banking scandal, which weakened Moldova&#39;s currency and damaged living standards in what was already Europe&#39;s poorest country. 
 
The crisis has held up the disbursement of valuable budget support from international lenders and highlighted the corrosive rivalry between oligarch groups in Moldova. 
 
The appointment of a new prime minister in January with close ties to Vladimir Plahotniuc, one of Moldova&#39;s richest and most unpopular public figures, angered opposition lawmakers and citizens, who wanted a snap parliamentary election. 
 
(Reuters)

Vlad Filat was arrested last October after months of mass street protests over the disappearance of $1 billion from banking sector

Former Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat was sentenced today to nine years in prison for abuse of power, a charge his lawyer said was a politically motivated attempt to humiliate him. Filat was arrested during a parliamentary session last October after months of mass street protests over the disappearance of $1 billion from the banking sector, equivalent to one-eighth of the tiny ex-Soviet republic's economy. He denies any connection to the crime and all charges against him. Prosecutor Adriana Betisor, who had sought a sentence of 19 years, said the ruling, at the end of a closed trial, was "too soft", and vowed to continue pursuing other cases against Filat connected to the banking fraud. "He has pleaded not guilty, but his guilt is clear ... Investigations will continue in other areas," Betisor said. Filat's lawyer, Igor Popa, called the case "a political, well-directed spectacle." "Its goal was to destroy Filat as a person, in the most humiliating and crushing manner possible. We will seek a fair trial outside Moldova and will find a lawful ruling," he said. Filat, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2013, is credited with putting Moldova on a pro-European path by signing an association agreement with the European Union. But an enduring economic crisis and perceived corruption in the ruling elite pushed his public trust rating into single digits. He says he has become a scapegoat over the banking scandal, which weakened Moldova's currency and damaged living standards in what was already Europe's poorest country. The crisis has held up the disbursement of valuable budget support from international lenders and highlighted the corrosive rivalry between oligarch groups in Moldova. The appointment of a new prime minister in January with close ties to Vladimir Plahotniuc, one of Moldova's richest and most unpopular public figures, angered opposition lawmakers and citizens, who wanted a snap parliamentary election. (Reuters)

Moldovan court jails ex-PM for 9 years for abuse of power

Led Zeppelin prevailed on Thursday in a copyright lawsuit brought against surviving members of the British rock band, as jurors rejected a claim that the opening guitar passage from its classic hit &quot;Stairway to Heaven&quot; was lifted from the lesser-known US band Spirit. 
 
The jury&#39;s verdict, which found substantial differences between &quot;Stairway to Heaven&quot; and Spirit&#39;s instrumental track &quot;Taurus,&quot; followed a week-long federal court trial in Los Angeles that had called into question the originality of the 1971 song by Led Zeppelin, one of the top-selling rock acts of all time. 
 
Legal experts said the unanimous verdict, reached on the jury&#39;s second day of deliberations, could narrow the grounds on which future copyright infringement challenges are brought in the music industry. 
 
The jury found Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page had access to &quot;Taurus,&quot; a song written in 1967, but that the riff they were accused of stealing was not intrinsically similar to the opening chords of &quot;Stairway.&quot; 
 
Page, 72, and Plant, 67, who testified and were present throughout the closely watched trial, showed little immediate reaction to the verdict in court. 
 
&quot;We are grateful for the jury&#39;s conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origins of &#39;Stairway to Heaven&#39; and confirming what we have known for 45 years,&quot; Page and Plant said in a joint statement. 
 
Led Zeppelin bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones also took the stand during the trial. Originally sued along with Page and Plant, he was later dismissed as a defendant. The band&#39;s drummer, John Bonham, died in 1980, the year the group disbanded. 
 
The conclusion of the &quot;Stairway&quot; case comes just over a year after a federal jury in Los Angeles found singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams had plagiarized Motown great Marvin Gaye in creating their hit single &quot;Blurred Lines.&quot; 
 
A jury awarded Gaye&#39;s family $7.4 million, but a judge later reduced the amount to $5.3 million. That verdict is under appeal. 
 
While the &quot;Blurred Lines&quot; case might have bolstered hopes of other artists suing for copyright infringement, Led Zeppelin&#39;s victory may cause musicians and attorneys to think twice before heading to court, said music industry attorney William Hochberg. 
 
&quot;This decision created a sharper, clearer line in terms of what is protectable and what is not in music,&quot; Hochberg said. 
 
Page, who co-wrote &quot;Stairway to Heaven&quot; with Plant and composed the guitar riff in question, testified he had not heard &quot;Taurus&quot; until recent years. 
 
He acknowledged owning a copy of Spirit&#39;s self-titled album including &quot;Taurus&quot; but did not know how he had acquired it. 
 
Michael Skidmore, trustee for the estate of the late Randy Wolfe, the Spirit guitarist and &quot;Taurus&quot; songwriter who was known as Randy California, sued in 2014 over the &quot;Taurus&quot; chord progression. 
 
Led Zeppelin was the opening act for the now-defunct US band on tour in the United States in 1968, the lawsuit said. 
 
Skidmore&#39;s attorney, Francis Malofiy, said after the ruling that his side was hamstrung by US District Judge R. Gary Klausner&#39;s order preventing jurors from listening to Spirit&#39;s recording of &quot;Taurus.&quot; 
 
Instead, jurors could only compare simple renditions of the sheet music for the two songs. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re taking it one step at a time, but there&#39;s obviously issues that can be appealed,&quot; Malofiy said. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The British rock band was accused of plagiarising the opening passage of their 1971 hit from the American group Spirit

Led Zeppelin prevailed on Thursday in a copyright lawsuit brought against surviving members of the British rock band, as jurors rejected a claim that the opening guitar passage from its classic hit "Stairway to Heaven" was lifted from the lesser-known US band Spirit. The jury's verdict, which found substantial differences between "Stairway to Heaven" and Spirit's instrumental track "Taurus," followed a week-long federal court trial in Los Angeles that had called into question the originality of the 1971 song by Led Zeppelin, one of the top-selling rock acts of all time. Legal experts said the unanimous verdict, reached on the jury's second day of deliberations, could narrow the grounds on which future copyright infringement challenges are brought in the music industry. The jury found Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page had access to "Taurus," a song written in 1967, but that the riff they were accused of stealing was not intrinsically similar to the opening chords of "Stairway." Page, 72, and Plant, 67, who testified and were present throughout the closely watched trial, showed little immediate reaction to the verdict in court. "We are grateful for the jury's conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origins of 'Stairway to Heaven' and confirming what we have known for 45 years," Page and Plant said in a joint statement. Led Zeppelin bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones also took the stand during the trial. Originally sued along with Page and Plant, he was later dismissed as a defendant. The band's drummer, John Bonham, died in 1980, the year the group disbanded. The conclusion of the "Stairway" case comes just over a year after a federal jury in Los Angeles found singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams had plagiarized Motown great Marvin Gaye in creating their hit single "Blurred Lines." A jury awarded Gaye's family $7.4 million, but a judge later reduced the amount to $5.3 million. That verdict is under appeal. While the "Blurred Lines" case might have bolstered hopes of other artists suing for copyright infringement, Led Zeppelin's victory may cause musicians and attorneys to think twice before heading to court, said music industry attorney William Hochberg. "This decision created a sharper, clearer line in terms of what is protectable and what is not in music," Hochberg said. Page, who co-wrote "Stairway to Heaven" with Plant and composed the guitar riff in question, testified he had not heard "Taurus" until recent years. He acknowledged owning a copy of Spirit's self-titled album including "Taurus" but did not know how he had acquired it. Michael Skidmore, trustee for the estate of the late Randy Wolfe, the Spirit guitarist and "Taurus" songwriter who was known as Randy California, sued in 2014 over the "Taurus" chord progression. Led Zeppelin was the opening act for the now-defunct US band on tour in the United States in 1968, the lawsuit said. Skidmore's attorney, Francis Malofiy, said after the ruling that his side was hamstrung by US District Judge R. Gary Klausner's order preventing jurors from listening to Spirit's recording of "Taurus." Instead, jurors could only compare simple renditions of the sheet music for the two songs. "We're taking it one step at a time, but there's obviously issues that can be appealed," Malofiy said. (Reuters)

Led Zeppelin did not steal Stairway to Heaven, finds jury

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