NY TIMES - Patricia C. Dunn Dies at 58, Dec 06, 2011

"SAN FRANCISCO — Patricia C. Dunn, who rose from a secretary to lead Barclays Global Investors and then serve as chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard only to have her career eclipsed by her involvement in an attempt to stop boardroom leaks by spying on directors, journalists and employees, died on Sunday at her home in Orinda, Calif. She was 58.
The cause was ovarian cancer, her husband, William Jahnke, said. She had been treated for three types of cancer since 2002.
As its chief executive, Ms. Dunn built Barclays Global Investors into the largest institutional money manager in the country; Fortune magazine ranked her among the most powerful women in business. She was later named the nonexecutive chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard after the firing of Carly Fiorina as chief executive and chairwoman in 2005.
While Ms. Dunn was chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard, the company’s board became concerned about leaks of its deliberations to the press. Ms. Dunn authorized a spying operation and put it in the hands of outside investigators, who ran amok. They obtained phone records of board members, employees and journalists who wrote about the company and followed some of them.."

AL JAZEERA - Seven killed in Kazakhstan clash, Dec 06, 2011

"Five members of a group accused of killing government forces and two police officers have been killed during a clash in southern Kazakhstan, government prosecutors say.
The police officers were members of the elite Arystan battalion of the Kazakh police, and were killed after government forces confronted members of the group in a battle in the village of Boraldai on Sunday.
"After refusing to give themselves up and providing armed resistance, five members of the terrorist group were killed," prosecutors said in a statement.
Nurdaulet Suindikov, a spokesman for the country's attorney-general, told a news briefing that the fighters who had been killed were suspected of killing two police officers on November 8."

NEWSDAY - Yemen: 28 killed in 3 days of fighting in Taiz, Dec 06, 2011

SANAA, Yemen - (AP) -- Clashes between the Yemeni army and tribal fighters in the southern city of Taiz have left at least 28 people dead over the past three days, activists and medical officials said Sunday, despite a power transfer deal signed by the president aimed at ending the country's political crisis.

MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE - Crashed UFOs: The Bolivian Affair, Dec 06, 2011

Regardless of whether or not UFOs really have crashed to Earth, there can be no doubt that mentioning the words “crashed” and “UFO” in the same sentence inevitably brings the controversial Roswell, New Mexico affair of July 1947 to mind. But, there are numerous other cases on file that could, perhaps, be termed the “little brothers” of Roswell. And even though, as people may know from my Body Snatchers in the Desert book, I’m not a particularly big fan of crashed UFO cases, there are some that even I still find very intriguing, including the following…

The genesis of the affair in question appeared to come from a U.S. Department of State telegram transmitted from the American Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, to the U.S. Secretary of State, Washington, D.C., on 15 May 1978. Captioned Report of Fallen Space Object, it detailed strange events then afoot in Bolivia.

It began: “The Bolivian newspapers carried this morning an article concerning an unidentified object that apparently recently fell from the sky. The object was discovered near the Bolivian city of Bermejo and was described as egg-shaped, metal and about four meters in diameter. The Bolivian Air Force plans to investigate to determine what the object might be and from where it came. I have expressed our interest and willingness to help. They will advise.”

The author of the report added, with some significance: “Request the department check with appropriate agencies to see if they can shed some light on what this object might be. The general region has had more than its share of reports of UFOs the past week. Request a reply ASAP.”

The Department of State was not the only branch of government that took an interest in the case, as a CIA report – also of 15 May 1978 – makes abundantly clear:

“Many people in this part of the country claim they saw an object which resembled a soccer ball falling behind the mountains on the Argentine-Bolivian border, causing an explosion that shook the earth. This took place on May 6. Around that time some people in San Luis and Mendoza provinces reported seeing a flying saucer squadron flying in formation.”

INDIA Today - Julian Assange can continue extradition fight in UK: Court : Europe News, Dec 05, 2011

"WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday won the right to petition the UK Supreme Court in his fight against extradition to Sweden on rape allegation.
The High Court in London ruled in his favour observing that Assange's case raised a question "of general public importance" which should be decided by the highest court in the land "as quickly as possible".
Swedish authorities want to question the Australian founder of the whistle-blowing website over accusations of rape and sexual assault made by two female former WikiLeaks volunteers during a visit there in August 2010.
Forty-year-old Assange, who has been living in Britain since his arrest here in December last year, denies wrongdoing."

NZ HERALD - London Olympics' security budget doubles, Dec 05, 2011

"The security budget for the 2012 London Olympics has doubled, a British government report out overnight showed, with plans to recruit almost 14,000 extra personnel.
The operation to provide security at more than 100 venues has swollen after the decision was taken to boost staff numbers, the December 2011 Olympic Quarterly Economic Report showed.
The report stressed that the increase was not in response to a specific security threat.
The overall budget for the Games remains at 9.3 billion ($18 billion), with 528 million so far unspent.
The security cost has risen to 553 million ($1.1 billion), the figures from July to September showed, up 282 million on the 2010 spending review baseline."

FIJI LIVE - Pakistani actress sues over nude photo, Dec 05, 2011

"Pakistani actress Veena Malik has filed a defamation suit against an Indian magazine for a "morphed" cover photo of her posing nude with the initials of Pakistan's intelligence agency on her arm.
Malik's spokesman, Sohail Rasheed, said on Monday that the actress was seeking 100 million rupees ($2 million) in damages from FHM India, which insists the nude cover shoot was genuine and consensual.
"The picture has been morphed," Rasheed said in Islamabad, adding that the magazine had targeted Malik's "credibility and character".
"Veena Malik never indulged in nudity and has no intention to do it in future," he added.
The magazine's December issue only hit news stands on Monday afternoon, but a weekend preview of the cover on its website triggered a media frenzy."

FIJI LIVE - Star becomes father through surrogacy, Dec 05, 2011

"Bollywood actor-producer-director Aamir Khan has become a father for the third time, using a surrogate mother, his publicist said on Monday.
The baby boy was born at a private clinic on December 1, the spokesman said. The child was "very healthy" and now at home with Khan and his film-maker wife Kiran Rao in Mumbai, he added.
"It was a baby through surrogacy. It's the first baby he's had with Kiran... Kiran had a couple of miscarriages in the past so they had medical reasons to try out surrogacy," he told AFP.
The Mid-day newspaper's website said that Khan and Rao had released a letter confirming the birth, saying that the baby was "especially dear to us because he was born to us after a long wait and some difficulty."

GUYISM - Sexiest female singers, Dec 05, 2011

"With the MTV Video Music Awards having come and gone and seeing just how many sexy female singers were at that one single event alone we got to wondering just how many sexy singers there were in the entire world (and, of course, who is the sexiest)? So as has become customary around here we started doing research. (Yes, it’s still qualifies as research, even it is just searching for sexy ladies in a certain occupation.)
The talent represented here today, from 23 different countries, truly is undeniable (take the word “talent” in whatever way you’d like)."

TOP Sexiest Famous Female Singers, Dec 05, 2011

NZ HERALD - Pakistan actress sues over nude magazine snaps, Dec 05, 2011

"Pakistani actress Veena Malik is suing a popular Indian men's magazine for millions of dollars, accusing it of publishing photos she says were doctored to make her appear nude, her lawyer says.
Malik's racy images in the December issue of FHM India has triggered a fury across her conservative Islamic country, with one cleric calling them a "shame for all Muslims".
The photo essay appears to make light of the military rivalry between India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbors who have fought three wars."

THE GUARDIAN - BBC World News blocked in Pakistan, Dec 05, 2011

"The BBC's World News has been taken off the air in Pakistan after broadcasting a documentary that was deemed to be critical of the country. Secret Pakistan, which was screened last Wednesday, explored accusations by CIA officials and western diplomats that Pakistan was failing to meet its commitments in the "war on terror". Khalid Arain, president of the country's cable TV association, said operators had blocked the BBC service as a result.
The BBC condemned the decision, which is understood to have been applied to other foreign news broadcasters airing "anti-Pakistan" content as well.
"We are deeply concerned that BBC World News has been taken off air by the Cable Association of Pakistan," said a BBC spokesman."

USA Today - Thousands in Moscow protest Putin, election results, Dec 05, 2011

"Thousands of demonstrators protested in Moscow today against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his party, which took the largest share of votes in parliamentary elections that both domestic and international observers said was rigged.
The crowd of 5,000 to 10,000 people, mainly young people, chanted "Russia without Putin!"
A group of several hundred protestors then marched toward the Central Elections Commission near the Kremlin, the Associated Press reports, but were blocked and arrested by riot police.
Putin, the former Russian president, became prime minister in 2008 because of term limits, but will run next year for a third term in the presidency.

HUFFINGTON POST - Arthur Morgan III, N.J. Dad, Arrested In Death Of Girl Tossed In Creek, Dec 05, 2011

"LOS ANGELES -- A New Jersey man suspected of killing his 2-year-old daughter by tossing her into a creek while she was still strapped in her car seat has been captured in California.
The U.S. Marshals Service in San Diego confirmed that 27-year-old Arthur Morgan III was arrested Tuesday afternoon.
Steve Jurman, the office's supervising deputy, said Morgan was captured at a home in San Diego around 4:30 p.m. PST."

MSNBC - Mexico battered by worst drought in 70 years, Dec 05, 2011

"MEXICO CITY — Mexico is being battered its worst drought in seven decades, which has devastated farm life and is expected to continue into next year.
The lack of rainfall has affected almost 70 percent of the country and northern states like Coahuila, San Luis Potosi, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas have suffered the most acute water shortage.
Due to the drought and a cold snap at the start of the year, the government has cut its forecast for corn production two times in 2011.
Crops that cover tens of thousands of acres have been lost this year and roughly 450,000 cattle have died in arid pastures. Crucial dams, typically full at this time of year, are at 30 to 40 percent of capacity."

RT - Over 30 arrested at Occupy DC, Dec 05, 2011

: "A crackdown on the Occupy DC encampment in downtown Washington ended with 31 arrests on Sunday following a nine-hour standoff with District police.
The demonstration in downtown Washington DC has been spared from police crackdowns since it began, setting it apart from sites in New York, Los Angeles and other major cities where cops have closed down spaces to protesters as the Occupy movement swells in size. Law enforcement arrived early on Sunday in DC’s McPherson Square, however, and ordered protesters to dissemble a wooden structure that was erected overnight in their encampment. The consensus among demonstrators was to keep the building, a wooden barn-like framework, intact, and police responded by arresting more than two dozen protesters early in the day."

GAWKER.com - What 'America's Worst Sheriff' Did Instead of Investigating Sex Crimes, Dec 05, 2011

"Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio has earned his status as "America's Worst Sheriff" mostly for being proactive in his awfulness and insanity. But he also deserves his title for the many things he does not do—such as "his job."
Today the Associated Press reports that between 2005 and 2007 Arpaio's office failed to adequately investigate about 400 sex crimes, including dozens of cases of alleged child molestation. In some cases the office never opened investigations at all—even when the suspects were known. According to a police official in El Mirage, a town that had contracted Arpaio's department's services for $2.7 million during the three-year period in question, many of the affected parties have left town, and much of the evidence has gone cold or was never even collected—meaning that these cases will never be pursued, and definitely won't ever be solved. Arpaio is "America's Toughest Sheriff" for everyone except sex criminals and molesters!"

WTSP - 31 arrested in Polk online prostitution busts, Dec 05, 2011

"Bartow, Florida -- Polk deputies say more than two dozen people were arrested as a result of an online prostitution sting.
The three day operation began when undercover detectives answered online advertisements posted on websites such as Craigslist, Backpage, and CityVibe, and detectives also posted their own fictitious ads on websites."

CBC - Melancholia named best European film, Dec 05, 2011

"Lars von Trier's apocalyptic drama Melancholia was named top film Saturday at the 24th European Film Awards in Berlin.
The film topped a field of nominees that included Oscar-winner The King’s Speech, released in 2011 in Europe. Melancholia took home three awards, despite von Trier's reputation as a director afflicted with foot-in-mouth syndrome after he was banned from Cannes because of controversial remarks.
Melancholia also earned best cinematographer for Manuel Alberto Claro and best production designer for Jette Lehmann. The film follows two sisters who find their relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide into Earth."

NATIONAL POST - CSIS torture allegations: Men arrested under security certificates shocked by spy agency, Dec 05, 2011

"MONTREAL — Advocates for five men arrested under security certificates said they were stunned to learn that Canada’s spy agency believed cases against them could fall apart if it could not use information obtained by torture.
On Saturday, the Montreal Gazette revealed that in 2008, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warned the minister of public security that it could become impossible to use security certificates to arrest and deport suspected terrorists if it was prohibited from using information from foreign regimes known to use torture."