AEG, Michael Jackson estate donate $1.3 mln to L.A.

2010-06-19

Michael Jackson stands on his car to wave to fans after leaving the courthouse where he was arraigned in Santa Maria, California in this January 16, 2004 file photo. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

LOS ANGELES, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Staples Center owner Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and the estate of Michael Jackson will donate 1.3 million U.S. dollars to the city of Los Angeles to help cover the costs incurred by the memorial tribute held at the arena last year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and AEG President & CEO Timothy J. Leiweke announced on Friday.

The sum was paid to cover the police costs and public utilities expenses during the late King of Pop's July 7 memorial tribute held at Staples Center. One million dollars will be given to the city's general fund, while 300,000 dollars in cash and crime fighting equipment will be donated to the Los Angeles Police Foundation.

Mayor Villaraigosa praised the effort, saying "Through the continued good corporate citizenship of AEG and the Michael Jackson Estate, we will be able to promote and support important civic events that hold so much meaning for the people of Los Angeles and bring us together as a city."

The city's chief budget analyst computed that the city incurred 1.3 million dollars in costs for police services, permits, transportation and cleanup during the July 7 Jackson memorial. The city has mobilized 3,000 officers, the largest security effort planned since the 1984 Olympics, to keep order.

AEG has already contributed 90,000 dollars to the Police Foundation which is raised through the sale of suites at the Jackson Tribute, and it will come up with an additional 210,000 dollars of equipment including scanners to be used by police officers patrolling skid row.

"It was important to us that all parties agreed that this was not an obligation but a choice we believed was important to make at a time when thousands of City employees are being reduced," said Leiweke. "We appreciate and thank Mayor Villaraigosa, Jan Perry, Dennis Zine and the rest of the Council for their support which will now allow us to finally put this issue behind us."

The late pop icon died on June 25 at the age of 50 from an overdose of potent sedatives when he was rehearsing for his London concerts. His personal physician Conrad Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter for his role in his death. If convicted, the cardiologist will possibly face four years behind the bars.

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Maradona apologizes to Platini though not Pele

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Maradona had an unexpected answer to a reporter's question after his side's 4-1 win as to a reporters question about why he shows so much affection towards his players.

Here's what he had to say....

"I love women... so people don't think I've turned over...I prefer women, I'm dating Veronica, she is 31 years old, she is blonde, she is beautiful."

Maradona has criticized football legends Pele and Michel Platini lately....and at his presser, he produced a letter, which he said had been written by Platini.

"I have to do this. I spoke about Michel Platini and he sent me this letter in which he clarifies that he didn't say what you guys (the press) told me had said about me... That's why I want to apologise if I offended Michel Platini. But I don't want to apologise to Pele."

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Dubai to spend more than $100 mln on security

ABU DHABI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Dubai police plan to spend 500 million dirhams (about 136 million U.S. dollars) on security technology this year with the aim of having "cameras everywhere" following the assassination of a top Hamas commander in January, a local English daily reported Sunday.

Surveillance needs to be ramped up to meet the growing requirements of an expanding city, Dubai police chief Dahi Khalfan Tamim was quoted as saying by The National.

There are 25,000 security cameras in Dubai and the number will increase as police begin to install a new type of smart camera that can rotate to cover what were once "dead spots," he said.

"We need to work according to a well studied strategic plan and not only react to events as they come along... We will have cameras everywhere," Tamim added.

Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, a senior commander of Hamas military wing the Al-Qassam Brigades, was found dead in his hotel room on Jan. 20, a day after he arrived in Dubai. He was wanted by the Israeli government in connection with the kidnappings of two Israeli soldiers in 1989.

Dubai police have said they are virtually certain that Israel's secret intelligence agency Mossad was behind the assassination in a complex operation that involved false Western passports.

Police were able to track down the suspected killers with the help of security cameras, according to Tamim.

"With the Al Mabhouh murder we were able to play back time through the footage captured by cameras," he said, adding that police analyzed 1,700 hours of images and "were able to pull the strings together and identify the suspects."

The police chief said residents in Dubai need not worry about their privacy as cameras are installed everywhere.

"The big number of cameras does not alter the privacy of the city's residents and visitors," he said.

"To intrude on people's privacy is not allowed by law and is not acceptable by our religion and tradition, so nobody in Dubai need feel scared about their privacy," Tamim said.

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U.S. hails Israel's new policy toward Gaza

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States welcomes Israel 's "new policy" towards the Gaza Strip, hoping it should significantly improve conditions for Palestinians and preventing the entry of weapons, said the White House on Sunday.

"The United States welcomes the new policy towards Gaza announced by the Government of Israel, which responds to the calls of many in the international community," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs in a statement.

"Once implemented, we believe these arrangements should significantly improve conditions for Palestinians in Gaza, while preventing the entry of weapons," Gibbs said.

"We will work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the Quartet, and other international partners to ensure these arrangements are implemented as quickly and effectively as possible and to explore additional ways to improve the situation in Gaza, including greater freedom of movement and commerce between Gaza and the West Bank," said the spokesman.

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Colombian presidential candidate votes, calling on voters to exercise democratic right

BOGOTA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Colombian presidential candidate Antanas Mockus exercised his right to vote on Sunday morning at the Hemeroteca Nacional (National Newspaper Library) with his wife and three children.

Mockus, kissed his I.D. before voting and asked the abstainers to value their right to choose and search for positive reasons to vote.

"An invitation from the heart, to walk and get wet a little, to exercise our democratic right of voting, sometimes people only appreciate something when they lose it, take advantage of the fact that in Colombia there is still democracy and the opportunity to choose our leaders," he said.

Mockus, professor and former mayor of Bogota also sent a message of solidarity to the Colombian hostages held by rebels, who do not have the opportunity to vote on this presidential election, hoping that very soon with the help of all sectors of society, they can return home.

"We strongly want that social pressure, military pressure and the pressure of international opinion to help these Colombians who are kidnapped and cannot participate in this Election Day," he said.

He emphasized that the legitimacy of the elections has a direct relation to the participation of citizens.

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Russia, U.S. say Kyrgyz referendum important for stabilizatio

MOSCOW, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming referendum on a new constitution of Kyrgyzstan was an important factor for the Central Asian state ripped by violence, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday.

A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry said the two officials held a telephone conversation on Sunday, "exchanging opinions on situation in Kyrgyzstan."

"Sergei Lavrov and Hillary Clinton stressed the importance of an upcoming June 27 referendum on a draft of a new constitution for a stabilization of a situation in the country and its return to a legal framework," said the statement.

They also said the international community should exert most of the efforts on helping Kyrgyzstan overcome humanitarian aftershocks of the crisis, such as coordinating humanitarian assistance to the country.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the world body is appealing for 71 million U.S. dollars of emergency aid for conflict-stricken Kyrgyzstan.

An estimated 300,000 people have been displaced in Kyrgyzstan, and up to 100,000 have fled to Uzbekistan, where some 80,000 are located in camps.

On Sunday, Kyrgyzstan decided to extend a state of emergency in the southern city of Osh and other areas to June 25, while the government forces on Sunday started to clear barricades in Osh, with no resistance.

On Thursday, new regulations were introduced, under which the referendum could be canceled if the country remains in the state of emergency.

Ethnic clashes broke out in mid-June in southern major city of Osh and later spread to the region of Jalalabad.

The official death toll stood at 191 as of Friday, but interim leader Roza Otunbayeva said during an inspection tour to Osh that the real number was likely 10 times higher, as many of the victims were buried quickly in keeping with local tradition.

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Twin car bomb explosions leave heavy casualties in Baghdad

2010-06-20 19:27:49

Vehicle debris are seen at blast site in Baghdad, capital of Iraq, June 20, 2010. At least 26 people were killed and 53 were wounded in two car bomb explosions in western Baghdad on Sunday. (Xinhua/Basar)

BAGHDAD, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Two car bomb explosions hit central Baghdad on Sunday, leaving at least 26 killed and 53 others wounded.

The blasts occurred at about 11:00 a.m. (0800 GMT) near the Iraqi Trade Bank building and the government building of the nationality office which is responsible for issuing IDs for Iraqis.

Blood, clothes and shoes were seen everywhere on the ground while security soldiers and rescuers were evacuating and saving the wounded, according to a Xinhua correspondent at the scene.

Besides the lacerated cars used to launch the attacks, more than 10 other vehicles nearby were severely destroyed. The Iraqi Trade Bank building was also badly damaged during the explosions.

Panic was among locals living nearby after the tremendous explosions. Some people sat in front of their destroyed houses, crying.

"I don't know what those politicians in the Green Zone are doing all these years after the invasion; we are still asking where is the security? Where is the electricity? Where is the drinking water? We are prisoners living in our neighborhoods and death is still running after us," Hassan Tu'ma, 42, a shop owner in the nearby Manour district told Xinhua.

"What we know about the politicians is that they are always fighting for their posts and influence, and their long period of struggle could create a political and security vacuum," Tu'ma said.

"I want to cut my finger I dipped in the violet ink to vote for them," he said, referring to the parliamentary elections which brought Nuri al-Maliki's government to power in 2006 and the latest March 7 elections.

Three months have passed since the March parliament elections, political groups still failed to form a new government. The first session of the parliament opened one week ago but only last 18 minutes and was adjourned until further notice to give the political blocs more time to agree on the new speaker and his two deputies.

Sporadic attacks are still common in Iraqi cities more than three months after the country held its landmark parliamentary election which is widely expected to shape the political landscape of the war-torn country.

A week earlier, suicide bombers attacked the Iraqi Central Bank in downtown Baghdad, killing 19 and wounding some 50 others. The attack was later claimed by the al-Qaida in Iraq militant group.

"Obviously the recent attacks by insurgent groups mainly target vital institutions of the government like the Central Bank and the Iraqi Trade Bank which is considered one of the most active financial institutions in Iraq," Ibrahim al-Ameri, a professor from college of politics of Baghdad University told Xinhua.

"I think the insurgents are now trying to cripple the government efforts to revive the Iraqi economy and then to hamper the reconstruction by damaging the vital financial institutions to show that the government is still paralyzed after more than seven years of chaos," he added.

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Los Angeles airport briefly evacuated due to bomb scare

LOS ANGELES, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Authorities briefly cleared the departure level at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Saturday afternoon amid a bomb scare, local media outlets reported.

Passengers outside the screening area at the upper departure level of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, which is a major part of LAX, was evacuated after a male suspect grabbed a passenger's luggage outside and ran into the facility at 5:03 p.m.(0003 GMT Sunday), Albert Rodriguez of the LAX operator -- Los Angeles World Airports said.

The terminal was shut down for 20 minutes as police took the male into custody and carried out a security sweep. The man claimed that the luggage he had taken was a bomb.

An investigation turned out that there was no bomb inside. The area reopened at 5:30 p.m. (0030 GMT Sunday) and no outbound flights were delayed as a result, Rodriguez said.

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Volvo lança carro com sistema anti-atropelamento

FELIPE NÓBREGA
ENVIADO ESPECIAL A SINTRA (PORTUGAL)

A evolução estética e o refinamento mecânico da segunda geração do S60 seriam razões para promover o modelo ao patamar dos rivais BMW Série 3 e Audi A4. Mas é a sensação de compartilhar o volante com um ser sobrenatural a principal novidade do sedã da Volvo.

O inédito detector de pedestre desacelera o carro em até 35 km/h na iminência de um acidente.

A freada é brusca e chicoteia os ocupantes. Antes, um apito breve ameniza o susto. Acima dos 80 km/h, o "anjo da guarda" fica inativo.

Derivado de tecnologia bélica, o sistema do S60 não "vê" animais. O modelo também freia sozinho quando se aproxima muito de outro veículo --recurso inaugurado no "crossover" XC60.

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Isabella Nardoni

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