PONTIAN: A daring police raid helped rescue two occupants of a home held hostage by three robbers in Pekan Nenas here. The 40-minute drama unfolded when the men, armed with knives and parang, broke into the house in Batu 24 at 1.40am on Sunday.
They tied up the duo, who were renting the home, and ransacked the house, taking jewellery, mobile phones and cash.
A neighbour heard the commotion and alerted the victims' employer, who then called the police.
“We tried to negotiate with the robbers to surrender but they refused. After 40 minutes, we had to storm the house,” Pontian OCPD Supt Zahaliman Jamin said. He said one of the robbers tried to escape via the balcony but fell and injured himself.
He said two policemen who detained the other two robbers were hurt when they were slashed. They sustained minor injuries.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Woman nabbed in body parts case
KUALA LUMPUR: A woman has been arrested in connection with the murder of a man whose body was chopped into 11 parts and stuffed into a refrigerator inside a posh condominium in the prestigious Mont Kiara area here.
The woman, in her 30s, was arrested when she went to the Brickfields police station at about 2pm Monday to assist in investigations. It is believed the woman is the wife of the victim.
City CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Ku Chin Wah, who confirmed the arrest, said police believe they have solved the case with the arrest of the woman.
He declined to reveal or comment on the identity, nationality and background of the man as investigations were still underway. Police are also checking if more than one person was involved in the murder.
On Sunday, a condominium owner who bought the auctioned luxury unit got the shock of his life when he found the body parts in a refrigerator.
The owner, in his 30s, made the gruesome discovery when he went to clean the 19th-floor apartment.
The apartment had been vacant for more than three months and the man only received the keys to the apartment on Friday and had decided to clean up the property with his sister at about 3pm.
The man suspected something amiss when he smelled a strong stench after opening apartment door.
He immediately called the security guards who found the body parts in a refrigerator, which had been sealed with masking tape.
The body was believed to have been in the refrigerator for about a week.
Police found a photocopy of a driving licence of a woman named Nora Jawi Spreen Jawi with the address USJ2/4D Subang Jaya
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Market making you queasy?
No time to panic,
Experts say this is a good time to reassess,
but not to make rash moves
Anyone who’s been following the stock market recently could be forgiven for having that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you board an especially dizzying roller coaster.
After all, investors have been taken on quite a wild ride in recent weeks, with shares first soaring, then falling, at what seems like an alarming rate.
After surging to close above a record 14,000 on July 19, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 500 points over the final two sessions of the week amid fears about fallout from problems in the nation's housing market.
Investment experts warn that a period of major stock market volatility is no time to make rash decisions. But it can be a good time to evaluate whether you have been making the right investment decisions for your stage of life and long-term financial goals, they say.
“I’m telling people to panic — just kidding!” said Russ Kinnel, director of mutual fund research for Morningstar.
In reality, Kinnel said his first piece of advice would be to do the exact opposite of panicking —put things in perspective. “It helps if you have the right mindset going in,” he said. “If you recognize your investments in equities as long-term investments, I think that helps you get through these times.”
That said, Kinnel said a topsy-turvy market can provide a good opportunity to decide whether you do have the right mix of investments to suit your needs, even if you don’t plan to cash in mutual funds or other investments for years to come.
For example, an investor who has an especially heavy concentration of holdings in small-cap stocks, real estate or low-rated junk bonds may realize, after this recent market fluctuation, that it’s time to rejigger that portfolio to a more diversified mix.
Experts say this is a good time to reassess,
but not to make rash moves
Anyone who’s been following the stock market recently could be forgiven for having that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you board an especially dizzying roller coaster.
After all, investors have been taken on quite a wild ride in recent weeks, with shares first soaring, then falling, at what seems like an alarming rate.
After surging to close above a record 14,000 on July 19, the Dow Jones industrial average plunged more than 500 points over the final two sessions of the week amid fears about fallout from problems in the nation's housing market.
Investment experts warn that a period of major stock market volatility is no time to make rash decisions. But it can be a good time to evaluate whether you have been making the right investment decisions for your stage of life and long-term financial goals, they say.
“I’m telling people to panic — just kidding!” said Russ Kinnel, director of mutual fund research for Morningstar.
In reality, Kinnel said his first piece of advice would be to do the exact opposite of panicking —put things in perspective. “It helps if you have the right mindset going in,” he said. “If you recognize your investments in equities as long-term investments, I think that helps you get through these times.”
That said, Kinnel said a topsy-turvy market can provide a good opportunity to decide whether you do have the right mix of investments to suit your needs, even if you don’t plan to cash in mutual funds or other investments for years to come.
For example, an investor who has an especially heavy concentration of holdings in small-cap stocks, real estate or low-rated junk bonds may realize, after this recent market fluctuation, that it’s time to rejigger that portfolio to a more diversified mix.
Lightning kills five climbers
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- Five South Koreans were killed by lightning in mountains near the capital on Sunday, while six other climbers were injured, KBS news said.Two men and two women were struck and killed near a hill at Bukhan Mountain, northeast of Seoul, when heavy rains swept through the area, the report said, citing police and rescue workers.
Scores of other climbers have been struck by lightning in the same area in the past.
A 48-year-old man was also killed by lightning when he was climbing Surak Mountain bordering Seoul, the television said on its Web site (www.kbs.co.kr).
Just another unfortunate incident,may god bless their soul
new copied by jeffayn hehee
Scores of other climbers have been struck by lightning in the same area in the past.
A 48-year-old man was also killed by lightning when he was climbing Surak Mountain bordering Seoul, the television said on its Web site (www.kbs.co.kr).
Just another unfortunate incident,may god bless their soul
new copied by jeffayn hehee
Stray bullets kill 4 as Iraqis celebrate Asian Cup triumph
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Celebratory gunfire erupted across the capital Sunday when Iraq's soccer team won the Asian Cup, in a 1-0 shutout against champions Saudi Arabia.
Stray bullets killed four people and wounded 17 others in the capital, an official with the Iraqi interior Ministry told CNN. An Iraqi woman who was among military workers watching the game from a U.S.-Iraqi military base labeled the team members "heroes."
"This is our victory," said the woman, who was interviewed by CNN but would not allow her face to appear on camera because of security concerns.
U.S. soldiers at the base joked that, with the victory, the war was over and they could return home, CNN's Arwa Damon reported.Iraqi state television showed the players, draped in Iraqi flags, hoisting pewter cups aloft as they reached out for the main trophy held by a player on a dais that had been set up in the field.
Play more soccer then less people killed ....
Killings of mountain gorillas in Congo
03.07.2007
The shooting deaths of four mountain gorillas -- three females and an alpha male silverback -- are prompting a United Nations agency to send a mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rangers made the gruesome find in the southern sector of Virunga National Park earlier this week, said Flora and Fauna International, an organization that acts to conserve threatened species and ecosystems. The group said it is unclear who shot the gorillas or why.
"Just over 700 mountain gorillas survive in the wild today, and none exist in captivity," Flora and Fauna International said in a statement. "For such a small population, the unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of four mountain gorillas is a huge loss."
The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said Friday it will send a mission to the site as soon as possible "to provide support to those fighting to preserve the integrity of Virunga National Park." The agency said it will try to find out the reasons behind the slayings and work with Congolese authorities and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation to prevent future deaths.
The females, named Safari, Neeza and Mburanumwe, and the male, Rugendo, were shot Sunday night, UNESCO said. They belonged to a group that was frequently visited by tourists, providing an economic boon to the area. "The situation threatens to become an ecological and economic disaster for the neighboring local communities," the agency said in a statement.
The chief executive of Flora and Fauna International expressed deep concern about the killings, which he said follow more than 20 years of successful collaboration for mountain gorilla conservation.
"Whatever the motive underlying this tragedy, the gorillas are helpless pawns in a feud between individuals," Mark Rose said. The death of Rugendo could have a ripple effect, the organization said. "Alpha males fulfill a leadership role within a group, and in their absence the integrity of the group is often compromised."
Rugendo's group contained 12 gorillas before he was killed, the group said. Now, six have been found safe, but two -- a female and an infant -- are missing............
more to be read in CNN click here
Highway reopens near wind-whipped wildfire
HELENA, Mont. - A highway near Glacier National Park was reopened Sunday, just a half-mile from a wind-whipped wildfire, but a nearby lodge threatened by the flames remained evacuated.
Authorities escorted traffic on U.S. 2 through the area along the southern edge of the park in northwest Montana. Fire managers warned that it could be closed again if the blaze flared up like it did Saturday, when wind kicked it across control lines. A 24-mile stretch of the highway was closed Saturday.
“We’re expecting more of the same weather (Sunday) that crews had Saturday when they had problems,” said Dale Warriner, fire information officer.
news from msnbc.com
Friday, July 27, 2007
2 charged in thefts from collection plate, poor box
MOUNTAINSIDE, New Jersey (AP) -- Turns out somebody was watching from up above.
A longtime member of a church here has been charged with stealing about $28,000 over 11 years after church officials caught him on tape with his hand in the collection plate, authorities said.
William J. Biunno, 71, a former trustee and member of the choir at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, is accused of taking the money during Sunday Mass after it was collected from parishioners, Sgt. Vincent Gagliardi of the Union County Prosecutor's Office said Thursday.
Church officials became suspicious late last year after one noticed something unusual on an in-house video surveillance system, authorities said. Because that camera wasn't at a good angle to see all of Biunno's actions, church officials added others that clearly showed Biunno pocketing the money.
Church officials brought the tapes to police, removed Biunno from his position as a church trustee and forbid him from helping with the collection.
Biunno, who declined to comment, continued to be an active church member and attended religious events right up until he was charged.
Taking cash from the church isn't limited to New Jersey.
visit my company site @ www.datco.com.my ... ..
News helicopters collide, killing four
Four people were killed Friday afternoon when helicopters from two rival TV news stations in Phoenix, Arizona, collided while shooting a police chase, according to fire and station officials.
KTVK-TV said photojournalist Jim Cox and pilot Scott Bowerback were killed. KNXV-TV identified its crew as photographer Rick Krolak and pilot Craig Smith.
The helicopters collided as the rival stations were covering the police pursuit of a stolen white truck towing a trailer. Assistant Chief Mark Angle of the Phoenix Fire Department said wreckage from both helicopters then landed in a downtown park.
Aerial footage from another station covering the chase, KPNX-TV, showed large plumes of black smoke and flames coming from the wreckage.Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Caning for ‘China doll’
A “CHINA DOLL” learnt a painful lesson for cohabiting with a 72-year-old man.
China Press reported in its front-page yesterday that the man's wife and about 10 members of his family stormed into the couple’s love nest at a shop house in Klang on Saturday evening and caned the woman. The wife decided to take the drastic step after the man failed to return home for three weeks.
After being continuously beaten for five minutes, the woman from China gave her word to the family members that she would stop her affair with the old man, according to the daily.
The family then brought the woman to the police station to lodge a report.
“The woman's hands, legs and back were full of cane marks,” said the daily.
When contacted, Klang OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Rodwan Yusof said police were investigating whether the woman was involved in prostitution.
“We will also determine whether she had overstayed her tourist visa,” he said.
China Press reported in its front-page yesterday that the man's wife and about 10 members of his family stormed into the couple’s love nest at a shop house in Klang on Saturday evening and caned the woman. The wife decided to take the drastic step after the man failed to return home for three weeks.
After being continuously beaten for five minutes, the woman from China gave her word to the family members that she would stop her affair with the old man, according to the daily.
The family then brought the woman to the police station to lodge a report.
“The woman's hands, legs and back were full of cane marks,” said the daily.
When contacted, Klang OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Rodwan Yusof said police were investigating whether the woman was involved in prostitution.
“We will also determine whether she had overstayed her tourist visa,” he said.
Online Chat Details Released After Sex Sting Nabs 25
POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- Details of online chats have been released after at least 25 men accused of soliciting sex from kids online were caught on tape. The men showed up at a local home and found deputies there to meet them.
In a weekend sting called Operation Guardian, deputies caught a youth hockey coach, a homeland security worker and a volunteer firefighter. Deputies said they all thought they were meeting up with young girls. Investigators set up in a Polk County home and went on the Internet, posing as teen girls aged 13 to 15. Deputies said it didn't take long before at least 25 men showed expecting sex. Instead, they got arrested.
The suspects come from all walks of life. For example, 51-year-old Joseph Cioffi is a security screener at Orlando International Airport. He used to be a Marion County sheriff's deputy. Investigators said he is known online as "Dirtydeeds50J." Deputies said he told a detective, posing as a 13-year-old, "I would kill you in bed."
David Ronan, 42, was just hired as dispatcher for the Osceola County Fire Department. Deputies said he asked a detective, who said she was 14, "You think you might like to lose your virginity to an older guy?"
Even more bold, detectives said, was Orlando youth hockey coach Nathan Galbraith, whose MySpace page includes 14- and 16-year-old girls. They said he asked the detective decoy to be naked, so "I don't walk in and get arrested."
Galbraith coached several teams with Roller Hockey Orlando. The team's administrator said Galbraith will no longer be allowed at games and then read a brief statement: "Please be advised that there is no crystal ball to what someone will do and what they are capable and the safety of kids is ultimately up to parents."
Wife, 2 daughters dead after doctor's family held hostage
CHESHIRE, Connecticut -- At least two men broke into a prominent doctor's home early Monday, kidnapped a female family member to withdraw money from a bank and then killed his wife and their two daughters, police said
Dr. William Petit Jr., who was severely injured, told police his family had been held hostage for hours before one member, who was not identified, was taken to the bank with a suspect.Bank employees were suspicious of the transaction and called police, who surrounded Petit's home, authorities said.
A town police officer saw two men leaving the home as it was engulfed in flames, authorities said. The men sped away in a station wagon, striking several police cruisers before they were captured.Petit's wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were found dead in the home, said a law enforcement official with firsthand knowledge of the investigation.
The official confirmed the deaths on the condition of anonymity because autopsy results were still pending. Authorities would not release the names of the suspects. The two men are due Tuesday in Meriden Superior Court.
Dr. William Petit Jr., who was severely injured, told police his family had been held hostage for hours before one member, who was not identified, was taken to the bank with a suspect.Bank employees were suspicious of the transaction and called police, who surrounded Petit's home, authorities said.
A town police officer saw two men leaving the home as it was engulfed in flames, authorities said. The men sped away in a station wagon, striking several police cruisers before they were captured.Petit's wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were found dead in the home, said a law enforcement official with firsthand knowledge of the investigation.
The official confirmed the deaths on the condition of anonymity because autopsy results were still pending. Authorities would not release the names of the suspects. The two men are due Tuesday in Meriden Superior Court.
Samy: Heavy rains contributing to Parliament House roof leak
KUALA LUMPUR: Heavy rainfall has contributed to the leakage from the roof of Parliament House but some critics don't want to accept it, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.
He said the critics, who sit in the office, don't realise that the rain pattern has changed throughout the world. "Even in England and United States, there has been floods after a heavy downpour," he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at a seminar on "Technology Management for Enterprises" here on Tuesday. Samy Vellu said the government has approved RM12 million to undertake a review of the Parliament House, constructed 50 years ago, and propose the necessary repairs.
"Of the RM12 mil, RM4 mil would be used for the review while the remaining RM8 mil would be used for immediate repairs," he said. He said the contractors were undertaking partial work on the water proofing of the Parliament House but had to stop due to the continuous heavy rains. "There has also been no proper maintenance of the water outlets as there were plants as well as rubbish clogging them, causing the water to flow out elsewhere," he said.
Samy Vellu said a paper would be submitted to the Treasury requesting for the allocation to undertake the additional repair work and the water proofing in Parliament.
"We have decided to station two to three engineers to supervise the water proofing work in Parliament. They will be there until the completion of the work," he said. Samy Vellu said some question why the water proofing work was not undertaken during the RM90 mil renovation works in 2005. "At that time, there was no leaking problems and the roof was in good condition," he said.
Samy Vellu also lamented that even the racks to put up the suits in the Parliament has been "snitched" by some people.
Mr. Samy Vellu is a shame for all Malaysian
Mum and brother turn up to post bail
PENANG: It was a heart-wrenching moment when housewife Ong Sea Wah hugged her daughter Jess Teh Hooi Wen, who was brought to the magistrate’s court for her bail to be posted.
Sea Wah, 55, who turned up at the courthouse with her son Lien Wei, 26, a factory worker, hugged Hooi Wen, 28, as she was being led from the interpreter’s room to the magistrate’s room at Northam Tower in George Town.
It was enough to cause Hooi Wen, to break down and cry. Lian Wei also managed to give his sister a peck on the cheek. Jess, 28, a former sales executive had been in remand since July 9 and was charged at the Balik Pulau magistrate's court on Friday with lodging a false missing persons report about three-year-old Shearwel Ooi Ying Ying at the Bayan Lepas police station on July 6.
She was also charged with taking drugs at the police station at 1.30am on July 9.
Charge with murder, having drug in police station, well...still can be on bail ... great ! I love to stay in Malaysia, because only the poor get nails and those without money get suck ! hahaa...
Sea Wah, 55, who turned up at the courthouse with her son Lien Wei, 26, a factory worker, hugged Hooi Wen, 28, as she was being led from the interpreter’s room to the magistrate’s room at Northam Tower in George Town.
It was enough to cause Hooi Wen, to break down and cry. Lian Wei also managed to give his sister a peck on the cheek. Jess, 28, a former sales executive had been in remand since July 9 and was charged at the Balik Pulau magistrate's court on Friday with lodging a false missing persons report about three-year-old Shearwel Ooi Ying Ying at the Bayan Lepas police station on July 6.
She was also charged with taking drugs at the police station at 1.30am on July 9.
Charge with murder, having drug in police station, well...still can be on bail ... great ! I love to stay in Malaysia, because only the poor get nails and those without money get suck ! hahaa...
Sky News !!!
India's Jet Lite shelves plans to fly to Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: India's Jet Lite, formerly Air Sahara, is suspending plans to fly to Malaysia following its merger with private Indian carrier Jet Airways, a company official said Tuesday. Air Sahara has been renamed Jet Lite and is undergoing a restructuring to become a low-cost carrier, focusing on the domestic segment, said Kevin Marthinus, country manager for Jet Airways in Malaysia.
The merger, which was announced in April, is expected to create an airline controlling nearly half of India's domestic aviation market, with a fleet of 89 jets. "There is a new management in India to helm the transformation of the airline. Right now, we are looking at how Jet Lite can compliment Jet Airways in the fast-growing domestic hub,''
Marthinus told The Associated Press. Air Sahara's previous plans to fly to Malaysia and other international destinations have been shelved until it completes its revamp, he said. Its New Delhi-Singapore flight - the airline's only international route - was terminated earlier this month as part of the overhaul, he said. Air Sahara first received landing rights in Malaysia in 2005.
Jetstar launches low-cost KL-Sydney flights
KUALA LUMPUR: Australia's Jetstar has announced that the first low-cost direct long-haul flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney will take off Sept 9 with a special web-only offer from RM88 upwards for a one-way ticket.
However, bookings have to be made between now and 10pm tomorrow, Wednesday, July 25. The offer is for two travel periods spanning Sept 9-20 this year and Feb 3-28 next year. The standard economy fare at other periods would be RM488, excluding surcharges and taxes.
The company hopes to have three weekly flights, subject to regulatory approval, it said at a presentation to travel industry representatives here Tuesday.
"Jetstar has sought to take a price leadership position in all international markets it serves," David May, general manager of marketing, said in a statement.
The company would also modify its "Double the Difference" voucher guarantee to include its KL-Sydney route.
KUALA LUMPUR: India's Jet Lite, formerly Air Sahara, is suspending plans to fly to Malaysia following its merger with private Indian carrier Jet Airways, a company official said Tuesday. Air Sahara has been renamed Jet Lite and is undergoing a restructuring to become a low-cost carrier, focusing on the domestic segment, said Kevin Marthinus, country manager for Jet Airways in Malaysia.
The merger, which was announced in April, is expected to create an airline controlling nearly half of India's domestic aviation market, with a fleet of 89 jets. "There is a new management in India to helm the transformation of the airline. Right now, we are looking at how Jet Lite can compliment Jet Airways in the fast-growing domestic hub,''
Marthinus told The Associated Press. Air Sahara's previous plans to fly to Malaysia and other international destinations have been shelved until it completes its revamp, he said. Its New Delhi-Singapore flight - the airline's only international route - was terminated earlier this month as part of the overhaul, he said. Air Sahara first received landing rights in Malaysia in 2005.
Jetstar launches low-cost KL-Sydney flights
KUALA LUMPUR: Australia's Jetstar has announced that the first low-cost direct long-haul flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney will take off Sept 9 with a special web-only offer from RM88 upwards for a one-way ticket.
However, bookings have to be made between now and 10pm tomorrow, Wednesday, July 25. The offer is for two travel periods spanning Sept 9-20 this year and Feb 3-28 next year. The standard economy fare at other periods would be RM488, excluding surcharges and taxes.
The company hopes to have three weekly flights, subject to regulatory approval, it said at a presentation to travel industry representatives here Tuesday.
"Jetstar has sought to take a price leadership position in all international markets it serves," David May, general manager of marketing, said in a statement.
The company would also modify its "Double the Difference" voucher guarantee to include its KL-Sydney route.
HIV medics released to Bulgaria
Tuesday, 24 July 2007, 08:56 GMT 09:56 UK
The five nurses and a Palestinian-born doctor were convicted of deliberately infecting Libyan children with HIV - charges they have always denied.An EU official told the BBC the release had been made possible by a deal struck in Tripoli on improving Libya-EU ties.
It comes after years of efforts by the European Commission, with the EU's external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, making numerous trips to Libya, meeting the prisoners and working to improve the conditions for hundreds of children with HIV/Aids.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Protest held against AirAsia
SEPANG: More than 20 disabled and wheelchair-bound members of the Barrier-Free Environment and Accessible Transport Group (BEAT) held a protest against AirAsia for its refusal to take passengers who were completely immobile.
The protesters, headed by the group's co-ordinator Christine Lee, and assistant co-ordinators V. Murugeswaran and Peter Tan, demanded AirAsia reviews its policies and takes reasonable steps to ensure facilities and services provided at the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) are non-discriminatory.
Lee said that unlike KLIA, the LCCT does not incorporate aerobridges, which allow easier access for passengers to board planes.
“Passengers are instead required to walk up a flight of boarding stairs – a daunting task when one is disabled from the waist down,” she said.
Lee said that when booking AirAsia tickets online, a separate icon would appear on the website asking if the ticket purchaser would require “special assistance”.
“If you clicked 'yes', then you won't be able to proceed with your booking.
“That's when I called AirAsia's call centre, and was told that they were unable to accept passengers who are completely immobile.
“This is even stipulated in AirAsia's terms and conditions!” she added.
Lee also said that AirAsia charged RM12 for renting out a wheelchair, which a passenger could use to go from the ticketing counter to the departure hall.
“One would then have to go from the check-in gate to the aircraft without the wheelchair, which is quite absurd.”
Murugeswaran pointed out that AirAsia also stipulated that the carriage of persons with limited mobility was subject to whether they were able to climb the boarding stairs unaided or aided.
“Passengers who are unable to board the stairs without any assistance would be requested to travel with a caregiver or companion.
“This is blatantly discriminating, unfair and unacceptable. We want to be independent and not have to rely on other people to chaperon us when travelling,” he said, adding that nothing has been done despite BEAT holding a dialogue with AirAsia on the matter more than two years ago.
During the protest, BEAT also urged Malaysia Airports Bhd to ensure all new and old airports in the country are equipped with facilities to improve accessibility to disabled passengers.
When contacted, an AirAsia spokesman said they were unable to comment on the matter at present
Its a shame and the Malaysia government should impose a fine to Air Asia as a warning for not to discriminate. Or else I think that the Malaysia government is encouraging discrimination
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Lesson 101
Pageant rules Miss N.J. can keep crown
Amy Polumbo will continue her reign, despite photos
Miss New Jersey can keep her crown despite photos that show her acting "not in a ladylike manner." Hours after a nervous Amy Polumbo went public Thursday with photos of herself that had been sent anonymously to pageant officials, those officials decided the pictures did not merit stripping her of the title.
If you plan to be very famous, please learn to behave all time long, as long as you life, or else Miss NJ here is going to be your past tense!
Amy Polumbo will continue her reign, despite photos
Miss New Jersey can keep her crown despite photos that show her acting "not in a ladylike manner." Hours after a nervous Amy Polumbo went public Thursday with photos of herself that had been sent anonymously to pageant officials, those officials decided the pictures did not merit stripping her of the title.
If you plan to be very famous, please learn to behave all time long, as long as you life, or else Miss NJ here is going to be your past tense!
Indian official is confirmed dead
The body of a top Indian official who was kidnapped by separatists in the north-eastern state of Assam has been identified by his son.
Earlier police said a body found after a gun battle between separatist rebels and security forces was probably the kidnapped man, Phul Chand Ram. The battle with United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) fighters took place 50km from the state capital, Guwahati.
Police say that two rebels were also killed in the fighting. The violence took place late on Wednesday evening, police say.
Ulfa blamed
"I now have no doubt this body is that of my father. There is no room for any confusion," the dead man's son, Praveen Gautam, told journalists in Guwahati.
The Assam government asked Mr Gautam to rush to the state from Delhi to identify the dead man
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Earlier police said a body found after a gun battle between separatist rebels and security forces was probably the kidnapped man, Phul Chand Ram. The battle with United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) fighters took place 50km from the state capital, Guwahati.
Police say that two rebels were also killed in the fighting. The violence took place late on Wednesday evening, police say.
Ulfa blamed
"I now have no doubt this body is that of my father. There is no room for any confusion," the dead man's son, Praveen Gautam, told journalists in Guwahati.
The Assam government asked Mr Gautam to rush to the state from Delhi to identify the dead man
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Tesco to reopen threatened stores
A number of Tesco stores across the UK which were closed by police after a series of threats, are expected to reopen for normal Sunday trading.
Britain's biggest retailer is understood to have lost millions of pounds in sales as 14 stores were forced to shut on Saturday afternoon.
Police have launched a criminal investigation but say they do not believe there is a link to extremism.
One line of inquiry is of a possible financial motive behind the threats.
Hertfordshire Police, which is leading the investigation, said the stores were closed as a precaution and no-one had been hurt.
Disgraced mogul Black 'to appeal'
Disgraced media tycoon Conrad Black will appeal against his convictions for defrauding millions of dollars and obstructing justice, his lawyer says.
Former Daily Telegraph owner Black, 62, faces up to 35 years in jail after a three-month trial in Chicago.
But his lawyer, Edward Greenspan, said he was confident there were "viable legal issues" to appeal against.
The verdicts cap a remarkable fall from grace for Black, once one of the UK's most influential media figures.
Canadian-born Black, who was allowed to remain free on a $21m (£10.5m) bond, was found guilty on three charges of fraud and one of obstructing justice.
Juror Tina Kadisak told the Chicago Tribune newspaper the jury's decision was based on the accumulation of evidence presented over 14 weeks.
There had been no "smoking gun", Ms Kadisak said, but a video showing Black removing boxes of documents from Hollinger's Toronto offices in violation of a judge's order had been important
The jury cleared him of eight further fraud counts and one charge of racketeering.
"There wasn't enough evidence there. There just really wasn't," Ms Kadisak told the Tribune.
Judge Amy St Eve adjourned Black's bail proceedings until Thursday to allow his defence team to consult Canadian lawyers.
Black, who gave up his Canadian citizenship to sit in the UK's House of Lords, is due to be sentenced on 30 November.
Mr Greenspan said: "We came here to face 13 counts. Conrad Black was acquitted of all the central charges. They have been dismissed.
Former Daily Telegraph owner Black, 62, faces up to 35 years in jail after a three-month trial in Chicago.
But his lawyer, Edward Greenspan, said he was confident there were "viable legal issues" to appeal against.
The verdicts cap a remarkable fall from grace for Black, once one of the UK's most influential media figures.
Canadian-born Black, who was allowed to remain free on a $21m (£10.5m) bond, was found guilty on three charges of fraud and one of obstructing justice.
Juror Tina Kadisak told the Chicago Tribune newspaper the jury's decision was based on the accumulation of evidence presented over 14 weeks.
There had been no "smoking gun", Ms Kadisak said, but a video showing Black removing boxes of documents from Hollinger's Toronto offices in violation of a judge's order had been important
The jury cleared him of eight further fraud counts and one charge of racketeering.
"There wasn't enough evidence there. There just really wasn't," Ms Kadisak told the Tribune.
Judge Amy St Eve adjourned Black's bail proceedings until Thursday to allow his defence team to consult Canadian lawyers.
Black, who gave up his Canadian citizenship to sit in the UK's House of Lords, is due to be sentenced on 30 November.
Mr Greenspan said: "We came here to face 13 counts. Conrad Black was acquitted of all the central charges. They have been dismissed.
Pensioner dies after sex attack
A grandmother who was sexually assaulted in her home has died in hospital 10 days after the attack.
The woman, in her 70s, who lived alone, was molested by a man who walked in through an unlocked door at her home in the Ryhill area of Wakefield on 3 July. She suffered breathing problems after the attack and was taken to Pinderfields Hospital, where she died.
Police said a post-mortem examination had been carried out but the results were not yet being revealed.
'Sickening attack'
On Thursday, the woman's daughter said the family was "absolutely devastated" and urged anyone with information to contact police. Detectives have described the incident as a "sickening attack on a defenceless lady".
Officers are still trying to trace a group of young people, aged between 10 and 17, who were seen in the Ryhill and Havercroft areas in the days leading up to the attack.
A spokeswoman said: "Local people have told police the group had been knocking on doors saying they were conducting a survey." Police have also issued a description of a suspect.
He is described as white, about 5ft 6in, with dark hair, thin and was wearing dark tracksuit bottoms and a light coloured top
The woman, in her 70s, who lived alone, was molested by a man who walked in through an unlocked door at her home in the Ryhill area of Wakefield on 3 July. She suffered breathing problems after the attack and was taken to Pinderfields Hospital, where she died.
Police said a post-mortem examination had been carried out but the results were not yet being revealed.
'Sickening attack'
On Thursday, the woman's daughter said the family was "absolutely devastated" and urged anyone with information to contact police. Detectives have described the incident as a "sickening attack on a defenceless lady".
Officers are still trying to trace a group of young people, aged between 10 and 17, who were seen in the Ryhill and Havercroft areas in the days leading up to the attack.
A spokeswoman said: "Local people have told police the group had been knocking on doors saying they were conducting a survey." Police have also issued a description of a suspect.
He is described as white, about 5ft 6in, with dark hair, thin and was wearing dark tracksuit bottoms and a light coloured top
Diocese to settle sex-abuse claims for $660 million
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles reached a settlement agreement Saturday with more than 500 people who allege they were sexually abused by clergy, the main plaintiff's attorney told The Associated Press
Attorneys for the archdiocese, the nation's largest, and the plaintiffs will release a joint statement Sunday morning and hold a news conference Monday, said plaintiff's attorney Ray Boucher. The deal is valued at $660 million, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the settlement had not been officially announced.
It is by far the largest payout in the church's sexual abuse scandal, and it exceeded earlier reports from sources that the settlement would be between $600 million and $650 million -- between $1.2 million and $1.3 million per plaintiff.
It wasn't immediately clear how the payout would be split among the insurers, the archdiocese and several Roman Catholic religious orders. A judge must sign off on the agreement.
Tod Tamberg, archdiocese spokesman, declined to comment on any settlement details.
"The archdiocese will be in court Monday morning," he said.
Steven Sanchez, 47, was one of the plaintiffs set to go to trial Monday. He was expected to testify in the trial involving the late Rev. Clinton Hagenbach. Sanchez, a financial adviser, said the past few months have been especially difficult because he had to repeat his story of abuse for depositions with his attorneys and archdiocese attorneys in preparation for trial.
"We're 48 hours away from starting the trial, and I've been spending a lot of time getting emotionally prepared to take them on, but I'm glad," he said. "It's been a long five years."
A spokeswoman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said at a news conference outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Saturday afternoon that the group had not been apprised of any settlement.
"No matter what happens, no resolution, guilty verdict or settlement magically takes away the pain of having been raped or molested by Catholic priests in this archdiocese," said Mary Grant, the group's regional director.
The settlement would be the largest by a Roman Catholic archdiocese since the clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted in Boston in 2002.
Among the largest total payouts was $100 million in 2004 by the Diocese of Orange, California, to settle 90 claims. The Diocese of Boston agreed in 2003 to pay $84 million for 552 cases, the same figure the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, agreed last year to pay to settle about 360 claims. Facing a flood of abuse claims, five dioceses -- Tucson, Arizona; Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Davenport, Iowa, and San Diego, California -- sought bankruptcy protection.
Last month, the Archdiocese of Portland agreed to pay about $52 million to 175 victims, while setting aside another $20 million for anyone who comes forward in the future.
The Diocese of Spokane, Washington, also recently emerged from bankruptcy protection after agreeing to pay $48 million to settle about 150 claims. The Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders have paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims so far.
The largest of those came in December, when the archdiocese reached a $60 million settlement with 45 people whose claims dated from before the mid-1950s and after 1987 -- periods when it had little or no sexual abuse insurance. Several religious orders in California have also reached multimillion-dollar settlements in recent months, including the Carmelites, the Franciscans and the Jesuits.
The resolution of more than 500 other lawsuits against the archdiocese, however, had remained elusive despite years of legal wrangling. Most of the outstanding lawsuits were generated by a 2002 state law that revoked for one year the statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse.
Cardinal Roger Mahony recently told parishioners in an open letter that the archdiocese was selling its high-rise administrative building and considering the sale of about 50 other nonessential church properties to raise funds for a settlement.
Still, church attorneys had been preparing for 15 trials involving 172 people, with jury selection in the first case to begin Monday. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge overseeing the cases recently ruled that Mahony could be called to testify in the second scheduled trial, and attorneys for plaintiffs wanted to call him in many more.
The same judge also cleared the way for four people to seek punitive damages from the archdiocese -- something that could have opened the church to tens of millions of dollars in payouts if the ruling had been expanded to other cases
Attorneys for the archdiocese, the nation's largest, and the plaintiffs will release a joint statement Sunday morning and hold a news conference Monday, said plaintiff's attorney Ray Boucher. The deal is valued at $660 million, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the settlement had not been officially announced.
It is by far the largest payout in the church's sexual abuse scandal, and it exceeded earlier reports from sources that the settlement would be between $600 million and $650 million -- between $1.2 million and $1.3 million per plaintiff.
It wasn't immediately clear how the payout would be split among the insurers, the archdiocese and several Roman Catholic religious orders. A judge must sign off on the agreement.
Tod Tamberg, archdiocese spokesman, declined to comment on any settlement details.
"The archdiocese will be in court Monday morning," he said.
Steven Sanchez, 47, was one of the plaintiffs set to go to trial Monday. He was expected to testify in the trial involving the late Rev. Clinton Hagenbach. Sanchez, a financial adviser, said the past few months have been especially difficult because he had to repeat his story of abuse for depositions with his attorneys and archdiocese attorneys in preparation for trial.
"We're 48 hours away from starting the trial, and I've been spending a lot of time getting emotionally prepared to take them on, but I'm glad," he said. "It's been a long five years."
A spokeswoman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said at a news conference outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Saturday afternoon that the group had not been apprised of any settlement.
"No matter what happens, no resolution, guilty verdict or settlement magically takes away the pain of having been raped or molested by Catholic priests in this archdiocese," said Mary Grant, the group's regional director.
The settlement would be the largest by a Roman Catholic archdiocese since the clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted in Boston in 2002.
Among the largest total payouts was $100 million in 2004 by the Diocese of Orange, California, to settle 90 claims. The Diocese of Boston agreed in 2003 to pay $84 million for 552 cases, the same figure the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, agreed last year to pay to settle about 360 claims. Facing a flood of abuse claims, five dioceses -- Tucson, Arizona; Spokane, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Davenport, Iowa, and San Diego, California -- sought bankruptcy protection.
Last month, the Archdiocese of Portland agreed to pay about $52 million to 175 victims, while setting aside another $20 million for anyone who comes forward in the future.
The Diocese of Spokane, Washington, also recently emerged from bankruptcy protection after agreeing to pay $48 million to settle about 150 claims. The Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders have paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims so far.
The largest of those came in December, when the archdiocese reached a $60 million settlement with 45 people whose claims dated from before the mid-1950s and after 1987 -- periods when it had little or no sexual abuse insurance. Several religious orders in California have also reached multimillion-dollar settlements in recent months, including the Carmelites, the Franciscans and the Jesuits.
The resolution of more than 500 other lawsuits against the archdiocese, however, had remained elusive despite years of legal wrangling. Most of the outstanding lawsuits were generated by a 2002 state law that revoked for one year the statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse.
Cardinal Roger Mahony recently told parishioners in an open letter that the archdiocese was selling its high-rise administrative building and considering the sale of about 50 other nonessential church properties to raise funds for a settlement.
Still, church attorneys had been preparing for 15 trials involving 172 people, with jury selection in the first case to begin Monday. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge overseeing the cases recently ruled that Mahony could be called to testify in the second scheduled trial, and attorneys for plaintiffs wanted to call him in many more.
The same judge also cleared the way for four people to seek punitive damages from the archdiocese -- something that could have opened the church to tens of millions of dollars in payouts if the ruling had been expanded to other cases
Friday, July 13, 2007
Wall Street ends wild week with another record
Investors seem upbeat about earnings, takeover activity
NEW YORK - Wall Street ended an extraordinary and record-setting week Friday by surging higher again, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 index past a trading high set in March 2000 and thrusting the Dow Jones industrial past 13,900 for the first time.
Both the S&P and the Dow logged record closes for the second straight day and the Dow’s gains put the blue chip index within about 70 points of 14,000. But the technology-laden Nasdaq composite index lagged both in Friday’s session as it has in the broader recovery from the dot-com collapse at the start of the decade.
In a week that saw the Dow swing more than 450 points and rise 283 points in Thursday’s session alone, investors grappled with unease over soured subprime loans and the broader economy before casting off such concerns and bidding stocks higher amid signs consumers might yet again pull through and give Wall Street reason to climb higher
Manyi Typhoon !!!
Typhoon batters southern Japan 
A powerful tropical storm, Typhoon Man-Yi, has struck Japan's southern islands, injuring at least seven people and packing winds up to 252 kilometres an hour.The category-four storm pounded Okinawa early on Friday bringing torrential rains and flooding and triggering alerts for gales and high waves.
Tens of thousands of households experienced power cuts and almost 150 flights to and from Okinawa were grounded on Friday.Weather forecasters predict the storm which was headed northward will hit western Japan on Saturday. The storm is the fourth typhoon this season. The Meteorological Agency said Man-Yi clocked sustained wind speeds of up to 180 kilometres per hour as it slammed into Naha, the prefectural capital of Okinawa.
Tomoko Sunagawa, an official of Okinawa Electric Power Co, said about 60,000 households, or 11 per cent of all households in Okinawa, were without power. It was not immediately clear when power would be restored. More than 300 flights in and out of Okinawa and Kyushu were also cancelled, according to Kyodo news agency.Japan Airlines grounded 59 flights while All Nippon Airlines cancelled 110.
On Tuesday, a Chinese vessel capsized 600 kilometers northwest of Guam in rough seas due to Typhoon Man-Yi, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Ten people were rescued on Wednesday but a dozen crew members were still missing, officials at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles were quoted as saying
A powerful tropical storm, Typhoon Man-Yi, has struck Japan's southern islands, injuring at least seven people and packing winds up to 252 kilometres an hour.The category-four storm pounded Okinawa early on Friday bringing torrential rains and flooding and triggering alerts for gales and high waves. Tens of thousands of households experienced power cuts and almost 150 flights to and from Okinawa were grounded on Friday.Weather forecasters predict the storm which was headed northward will hit western Japan on Saturday. The storm is the fourth typhoon this season. The Meteorological Agency said Man-Yi clocked sustained wind speeds of up to 180 kilometres per hour as it slammed into Naha, the prefectural capital of Okinawa.
Tomoko Sunagawa, an official of Okinawa Electric Power Co, said about 60,000 households, or 11 per cent of all households in Okinawa, were without power. It was not immediately clear when power would be restored. More than 300 flights in and out of Okinawa and Kyushu were also cancelled, according to Kyodo news agency.Japan Airlines grounded 59 flights while All Nippon Airlines cancelled 110.
On Tuesday, a Chinese vessel capsized 600 kilometers northwest of Guam in rough seas due to Typhoon Man-Yi, China's state news agency Xinhua reported. Ten people were rescued on Wednesday but a dozen crew members were still missing, officials at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles were quoted as saying
Iran agrees to nuclear inspection
Iran has agreed to allow inspectors to visit its Arak nuclear plant after talks on how to resolve questions about Tehran's disputed nuclear programme, the UN's nuclear watchdog said.
Senior Iranian and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials held talks this week in Tehran on an "action plan" to address doubts about its nuclear work.Tehran rejects charges that it is not co-operating fully with UN inspectors.Iran says it has no atomic secrets and that its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful ends.
The IAEA on Friday said in a statement it had also agreed with Tehran to finalise in early August a plan for monitoring the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and to clear up all its questions about the country's past plutonium experiments
Iran agrees to nuclear inspection
Iran has agreed to allow inspectors to visit its Arak nuclear plant after talks on how to resolve questions about Tehran's disputed nuclear programme, the UN's nuclear watchdog said.
Senior Iranian and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials held talks this week in Tehran on an "action plan" to address doubts about its nuclear work.Tehran rejects charges that it is not co-operating fully with UN inspectors.Iran says it has no atomic secrets and that its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful ends.
The IAEA on Friday said in a statement it had also agreed with Tehran to finalise in early August a plan for monitoring the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and to clear up all its questions about the country's past plutonium experiments
Huge squid washes up on beach
HOBART, Australia (AP) -- A squid as long as a bus and weighing 550 pounds washed up on an Australian beach, officials said Wednesday
"It is a whopper," said Genefor Walker-Smith, a zoologist who studies invertebrates at the Tasmanian Museum.
Giant squid live in waters off southern Australia and New Zealand -- where a half-ton colossus, believed to be the world's largest, was caught in February. They attract the sperm whales that feed on them.
The dead squid, measuring 3 feet across at its widest point and 26 feet from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles, was found early Wednesday by a beachcomber at Ocean Beach on the island state of Tasmania's west coast, the museum said.
The squid was expected to be taken to the museum, where DNA and other scientific tests would be carried out before it is preserved and possibly put on public display.
For anyone thinking of a calamari feast, Walker-Smith said giant squid contain high levels of ammonia in their bodies as a buoyancy aid.
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A federal prosecutor wants a Georgia district attorney to stop giving out copies of a videotape used as evidence in a teenage sex case that has drawn national attention. The tape was used in the prosecution of Genarlow Wilson, a Georgia man serving a 10-year prison sentence for a consensual sexual encounter he had as a teenager.
Wilson, now 21, was convicted of aggravated child molestation for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 17 during a New Year's Eve party in Douglas County, Georgia, just west of Atlanta. The sex act was videotaped by another partygoer -- and that tape shows the faces of several underage girls. Douglas County District Attorney David McDade has estimated he has given the tape to about three dozen people -- including reporters, lawmakers and members of the public -- after receiving open records requests, according to The Associated Press.
He told the AP Georgia's open records law requires him to do so. That stance is supported by the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, which in response to a query from McDade issued a July 5 memo concluding, "[I]f no one has filed for a protection order ... claiming that disclosure of the video tape would invade individual privacy, we can find no reason why disclosure of the video tape is not required under ... the Open Records Act." The council said in the memo, which it provided to CNN, that Georgia's open records law contains no exemption for material considered child pornography. However, David Nahmias, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, said earlier this week:
"We have advised that the videotape at issue constitutes child pornography under federal law and should not be knowingly distributed, received or possessed outside of law enforcement and judicial proceedings."
Nahmias said Tuesday that federal laws prohibiting the distribution or possession of child pornography "are intended to protect the children depicted in such images from the ongoing victimization of having their sexual activity viewed by others, potentially for years to come. ... These federal laws trump any contrary requirement of the state's open records act that may exist." Nahmias' office encouraged those in possession of the tapes to return or destroy them. A spokeswoman in McDade's office, asked by CNN whether the office has stopped providing the tape, referred questions to him Friday but said he was unavailable for comment.
CNN has requested the tape under the open records act but has not received a copy. A Georgia state senator, meanwhile, told CNN on Friday he aims to close any loophole in the state law that would allow the distribution of the videotape. "We have to protect our children from district attorneys," Sen. Emanuel Jones said Friday. If state law allows the distribution of the tape, he said, it or similar material could be available to anyone who filed a public records request -- even if they wanted the material for nefarious purposes. "I believe state laws have been violated," Jones said. "I believe federal laws have been violated." He said he plans to call the legislation, which he will introduce next year, the McDade Act. Jones said he has asked Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker to investigate the matter and issue an opinion.
Baker spokesman Russ Willard told CNN that Jones' request has been received, but he declined to comment further. Wilson's case and sentence have created controversy in Georgia and beyond, drawing commentary from civil rights activist Al Sharpton and others. Under a state law in effect at the time, Wilson received a mandatory 10-year sentence, of which he has already served more than two years. Partly as a result of his conviction, state lawmakers changed the statute to make consensual sexual conduct between teenagers a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
But the change was not made retroactive and so did not affect Wilson. Acting on a petition filed by Genarlow Wilson's attorneys, Monroe County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wilson last month voided his sentence on constitutional grounds, saying it was cruel and unusual punishment.
The judge reduced the sentence to one year and said Wilson should not be required to register as a sex offender, as required by the old Georgia law. But shortly after the ruling was issued, Baker announced he would appeal the decision. Wilson's attorney, B.J. Bernstein, asked that Wilson, now 21, be released on bond during the appeals, but last month, a Douglas County Superior Court judge refused.
Bernstein filed an appeal of that decision
The 2006 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index
| 1 | Finland | 9.60 | ||||
| 2 | Iceland | 9.60 | ||||
| 3 | New Zealand | 9.60 | ||||
| 4 | Denmark | 9.50 | ||||
| 5 | Singapore | 9.40 | ||||
| 6 | Sweden | 9.20 | ||||
| 7 | Switzerland | 9.10 | ||||
| 8 | Norway | 8.80 | ||||
| 9 | Australia | 8.70 | ||||
| 10 | Netherlands | 8.70 | ||||
| 11 | Austria | 8.60 | ||||
| 12 | Luxembourg | 8.60 | ||||
| 13 | United Kingdom | 8.60 | ||||
| 14 | Canada | 8.50 | ||||
| 15 | Hong Kong | 8.30 | ||||
| 16 | Germany | 8.00 | ||||
| 17 | Japan | 7.60 | ||||
| 18 | France | 7.40 | ||||
| 19 | Ireland | 7.40 | ||||
| 20 | Belgium | 7.30 | ||||
| 21 | Chile | 7.30 | ||||
| 22 | USA | 7.30 | ||||
| 23 | Spain | 6.80 | ||||
| 24 | Barbados | 6.70 | ||||
| 25 | Estonia | 6.70 | ||||
| 26 | Macao | 6.60 | ||||
| 27 | Portugal | 6.60 | ||||
| 28 | Malta | 6.40 | ||||
| 29 | Slovenia | 6.40 | ||||
| 30 | Uruguay | 6.40 | ||||
| 31 | United Arab Emirates | 6.20 | ||||
| 32 | Bhutan | 6.00 | ||||
| 33 | Qatar | 6.00 | ||||
| 34 | Israel | 5.90 | ||||
| 35 | Taiwan | 5.90 | ||||
| 36 | Bahrain | 5.70 | ||||
| 37 | Botswana | 5.60 | ||||
| 38 | Cyprus | 5.60 | ||||
| 39 | Oman | 5.40 | ||||
| 40 | Jordan | 5.30 | ||||
| 41 | Hungary | 5.20 | ||||
| 42 | Mauritius | 5.10 | ||||
| 43 | South Korea | 5.10 | ||||
| 44 | Malaysia | 5.00 | ||||
| 45 | Italy | 4.90 | ||||
| 46 | Czech Republic | 4.80 | ||||
| 47 | Kuwait | 4.80 | ||||
| 48 | Lithuania | 4.80 | ||||
| 49 | Latvia | 4.70 | ||||
| 50 | Slovakia | 4.70 | ||||
| 51 | South Africa | 4.60 | ||||
| 52 | Tunisia | 4.60 | ||||
| 53 | Dominica | 4.50 | ||||
| 54 | Greece | 4.40 | ||||
| 55 | Costa Rica | 4.10 | ||||
| 56 | Namibia | 4.10 | ||||
| 57 | Bulgaria | 4.00 | ||||
| 58 | El Salvador | 4.00 | ||||
| 59 | Colombia | 3.90 | ||||
| 60 | Turkey | 3.80 | ||||
| 61 | Jamaica | 3.70 | ||||
| 62 | Poland | 3.70 | ||||
| 63 | Lebanon | 3.60 | ||||
| 64 | Seychelles | 3.60 | ||||
| 65 | Thailand | 3.60 | ||||
| 66 | Belize | 3.50 | ||||
| 67 | Cuba | 3.50 | ||||
| 68 | Grenada | 3.50 | ||||
| 69 | Croatia | 3.40 | ||||
| 70 | Brazil | 3.30 | ||||
| 71 | China | 3.30 | ||||
| 72 | Egypt | 3.30 | ||||
| 73 | Ghana | 3.30 | ||||
| 74 | India | 3.30 | ||||
| 75 | Mexico | 3.30 | ||||
| 76 | Peru | 3.30 | ||||
| 77 | Saudi Arabia | 3.30 | ||||
| 78 | Senegal | 3.30 | ||||
| 79 | Burkina Faso | 3.20 | ||||
| 80 | Lesotho | 3.20 | ||||
| 81 | Moldova | 3.20 | ||||
| 82 | Morocco | 3.20 | ||||
| 83 | Trinidad and Tobago | 3.20 | ||||
| 84 | Algeria | 3.10 | ||||
| 85 | Madagascar | 3.10 | ||||
| 86 | Mauritania | 3.10 | ||||
| 87 | Panama | 3.10 | ||||
| 88 | Romania | 3.10 | ||||
| 89 | Sri Lanka | 3.10 | ||||
| 90 | Gabon | 3.00 | ||||
| 91 | Serbia | 3.00 | ||||
| 92 | Suriname | 3.00 | ||||
| 93 | Argentina | 2.90 | ||||
| 94 | Armenia | 2.90 | ||||
| 95 | Bosnia and Herzgegovina | 2.90 | ||||
| 96 | Eritrea | 2.90 | ||||
| 97 | Syria | 2.90 | ||||
| 98 | Tanzania | 2.90 | ||||
| 99 | Dominican Republic | 2.80 | ||||
| 100 | Georgia | 2.80 | ||||
| 101 | Mali | 2.80 | ||||
| 102 | Mongolia | 2.80 | ||||
| 103 | Mozambique | 2.80 | ||||
| 104 | Ukraine | 2.80 | ||||
| 105 | Bolivia | 2.70 | ||||
| 106 | Iran | 2.70 | ||||
| 107 | Libya | 2.70 | ||||
| 108 | Macedonia | 2.70 | ||||
| 109 | Malawi | 2.70 | ||||
| 110 | Uganda | 2.70 | ||||
| 111 | Albania | 2.60 | ||||
| 112 | Guatemala | 2.60 | ||||
| 113 | Kazakhstan | 2.60 | ||||
| 114 | Laos | 2.60 | ||||
| 115 | Nicaragua | 2.60 | ||||
| 116 | Paraguay | 2.60 | ||||
| 117 | Timor-Leste | 2.60 | ||||
| 118 | Viet Nam | 2.60 | ||||
| 119 | Yemen | 2.60 | ||||
| 120 | Zambia | 2.60 | ||||
| 121 | Benin | 2.50 | ||||
| 122 | Gambia | 2.50 | ||||
| 123 | Guyana | 2.50 | ||||
| 124 | Honduras | 2.50 | ||||
| 125 | Nepal | 2.50 | ||||
| 126 | Phillipines | 2.50 | ||||
| 127 | Russia | 2.50 | ||||
| 128 | Rwanda | 2.50 | ||||
| 129 | Swaziland | 2.50 | ||||
| 130 | Azerbaijan | 2.40 | ||||
| 131 | Burundi | 2.40 | ||||
| 132 | Central African Republic | 2.40 | ||||
| 133 | Ethiopia | 2.40 | ||||
| 134 | Indonesia | 2.40 | ||||
| 135 | Papua New Guinea | 2.40 | ||||
| 136 | Togo | 2.40 | ||||
| 137 | Zimbabwe | 2.40 | ||||
| 138 | Cameroon | 2.30 | ||||
| 139 | Ecuador | 2.30 | ||||
| 140 | Niger | 2.30 | ||||
| 141 | Venezuela | 2.30 | ||||
| 142 | Angola | 2.20 | ||||
| 143 | Congo, Republic | 2.20 | ||||
| 144 | Kenya | 2.20 | ||||
| 145 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.20 | ||||
| 146 | Nigeria | 2.20 | ||||
| 147 | Pakistan | 2.20 | ||||
| 148 | Sierra Leone | 2.20 | ||||
| 149 | Tajikistan | 2.20 | ||||
| 150 | Turkmenistan | 2.20 | ||||
| 151 | Belarus | 2.10 | ||||
| 152 | Cambodia | 2.10 | ||||
| 153 | C0‹0te d0…7Ivoire | 2.10 | ||||
| 154 | Equatorial Guinea | 2.10 | ||||
| 155 | Uzbekistan | 2.10 | ||||
| 156 | Bangladesh | 2.00 | ||||
| 157 | Chad | 2.00 | ||||
| 158 | Congo, Democratic Republic | 2.00 | ||||
| 159 | Sudan | 2.00 | ||||
| 160 | Guinea | 1.90 | ||||
| 161 | Iraq | 1.90 | ||||
| 162 | Myanmar | 1.90 | ||||
| 163 | Haiti | 1.80 |
Source from Transparency International, 2006. Web: www.transparency.org .
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