Swedish lawyer denies plot in Assange allegations

STOCKHOLM: The two Swedish women making sex crime accusations against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are not involved in any politically motivated plot against him, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Lawyer Claes Borgstrom told a news conference that the accounts provided by the two women were credible. He also saw a good chance that Sweden would eventually press charges against

Assange, who was arrested in Britain on Tuesday.

“More than 50/50,” he said, when asked what the likelihood was of such a development.

“It has nothing to do with WikiLeaks or the CIA,” he added, when asked if the allegations were part of a politically driven plot against Assange, who has angered U.S. authorities by publishing a large trove of secret diplomatic cables. AGENCIES

Randy Moss to Vikings

Randy Moss to Vikings, The request caught coach Bill Belichick off-guard, but the Patriots have been discussing the possibility with several teams, sources say.

In the final year of a three-year, $27 million deal, Moss does not believe the Patriots will reach an agreement with him on an extension. The 33-year-old said this spring, “I don’t think I’m realistically in the future plans of the Patriots. But I’m not mad.”

A Fox Sports report indicated the Patriots and Vikings are “very close” on a trade for undisclosed compensation that would bring Moss back to where he first starred in the NFL and hook him up with old friend, quarterback Brett Favre. A source with knowledge of the discussions between the teams believes it is likely a deal is struck today.

The hold-up is that the Vikings and Moss would have to renegotiate his contract, though the discussions have not yet happened. The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 19.

Moss is happy in New England, close friends say, but he understands he may have to move on if the Patriots don’t want him in their future. He’d like a fat new contract before the possible 2011 lockout because he doesn’t want to be a free agent with no football.

Friends of Moss also maintain they’ve kept his purple No. 84 jerseys in their closets just in case.

Meanwhile, the Patriots are hoping second-year receiver Brandon Tate is the future Moss. A trade of Moss also increases the likelihood of a new contract for Wes Welker.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James said last night there is “no trade,” while a source with intimate knowledge of the situation said there was “no trade done.”

Either way, it seems there is a serious possibility the Patriots could be moving on without their future Hall of Famer and perhaps the NFL’s best-ever deep threat.

Moss had zero catches in the win over the Dolphins on Monday night, though he shrugged it off and appeared happy with the win. “It’s called a game plan,” he said.

Yet part of the reason Moss may want out is that with a balanced offense featuring two tight ends and plenty of rushing, his stats may not help him in free agency. The receiver, who recently eclipsed 150 career touchdown catches, has just nine catches for 139 yards and three scores in 2010.

Aiden Turner

TrendPK.com AMC Aiden Turner will be honored for the upcoming season of “Dancing with the Stars.” After a series of speculations and the likelihood that all the rumors over the Internet, and the official ‘Dancing with the Stars in 2010 under a variety made in the heavy in the news and the [...]

Al-Qaeda ‘To Attempt US Attack Soon’: Spy Shief

Al-Qaeda ‘To Attempt US Attack Soon’: Spy Shief, Al-Qaeda can be expected to attempt an attack on the US in the next three to six months, the top US spy chief says.
“The chances of an attempted attack are certain. They’re going to try,” US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair replied when asked about the likelihood of an attempted al-Qaeda strike over that time frame.
Blair said the extremist network that carried out the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks would keep targeting the United States until bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri have been caught or killed.
“We judge that al-Qaeda maintains its intent to attack the Homeland preferably with a large scale operation that would cause mass casualties, harm the US economy, or both,” Blair told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“We assess that at least until Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are dead or captured, al-Qaeda will retain its resolute intent to strike the Homeland,” he said.
With President Barack Obama’s administration under fire for its handling of the attempted Christmas Day bomber, notably informing him of his right to remain silent, Blair declined to say whether bin Laden should get the same treatment if captured.
Instead, Blair said he “would very much hope” that the Saudi-born extremists would be interrogated and that officials would “squeeze” him for information.
CIA Director Leon Panetta told Congress on Tuesday the terrorist organisation is deploying operatives to the US to carry out new attacks from inside the country, including “clean” recruits with a negligible trail of terror contacts. Al-Qaeda is also inspiring homegrown extremists to trigger violence on their own, Panetta added.
“The biggest threat is not so much that we face an attack like 9/11. It is that al-Qaeda is adapting its methods in ways that oftentimes make it difficult to detect,” Panetta told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

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Al-Qaeda ‘To Attempt US Attack Soon’: Spy Shief was first posted on February 3, 2010 at 1:34 pm.

8 killed as Blast Struck a House in Baldia Town, Karachi

Karachi, Pakistan News: At least eight persons were killed, while several others injured as a blast took place in a house adjacent to a mosque at Baldia Town, Karachi.
Police expressed the likelihood that the terrorists might have been planning for a terrorist activity when the explosives detonated, killing eight people on the spot. Police seized two motorcycles, two suicide vests, four hand grenades, three Klashnikovs, a huge cache of arms and explosive material from the house which was reportedly on rent. The law enforcement agencies threw cordon around the area and Bomb Disposal Squad kicked off its work. The rescue teams reached the site and started shifting the injured to hospitals. Police also nabbed three suspects aged between 20 to 25 years from the site, who did not seem locals, and shifted them to Baldia Town Police Station for grilling. Terror gripped the whole area, while the rescue teams are busy in removing debris to retrieve the bodies. Meanwhile, MQM leader Farooq Sattar,  said that the initial investigation has revealed that the said house was a terrorists’ hideout. He expressed the need to introduce the community policing system to exchange information and keep a vigilant eye on suspects, adding that complete information should be taken before renting out the houses.

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8 killed as Blast Struck a House in Baldia Town, Karachi was first posted on January 8, 2010 at 3:07 pm.

Jaguar Land Rover News

Jaguar Land Rover News, Jaguar Land Rover is to close one of its Midlands production facilities by the middle of the next decade, the firm confirmed today. The firm is considering the closure of either its Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham or its factory in Solihull.

The plans come to light as Jaguar Land Rover reveal a long term plan to restructure the business, drive growth and focus on producing greener cars.

No job losses are expected immediately thanks to agreements with unions, however the plan includes decisive actions for the next 12-18 months drive growth within the group.

The firm blames the global downturn of new car sales, down globally by 25-30 per cent this year for the action. Jaguar Land Rover has already reduced capacity utilisation of its manufacturing facilities by more than 40 per cent.

Production in the last year was reduced by more than 100,000 units; spending and costs were cut; employment reduced by 2500; and pay frozen and bonuses cancelled.

Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer, David Smith said: “This is a plan that recognises the impact the economic collapse has had on our business, and at the same time the opportunities that lie ahead for these two great brands. We are confident that a new more efficient and competitive structure combined with future investment will unlock the true potential of this business.”

Both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands’ portfolios will expand to include a new generation of lightweight sedans, sports cars and premium SUVs, with hybrids and electrification technology will significantly reduce fuel consumption and CO2.

The new plan also includes plans for a production version of the LRX Concept which will be the smallest, most fuel-efficient Range Rover ever. It will be built in the world-class, multi-award winning Halewood plant in Liverpool, subject to quality and productivity agreements.

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Jaguar Land Rover News was first posted on September 24, 2009 at 6:17 pm.
©2009 “News Trends“.

Effective HIV Vaccine Announced

Hiv vaccine, Aids vaccine, Effective HIV Vaccine Announced,

In a first, an experimental vaccine was found to reduce the likelihood of contracting HIV.

It’s very far from 100% effective. Based on a trial of 16,000 participants, incidents of contracting the virus fell 31%, but that’s much more significant than has been seen in any past trials.

WSJ: The study actually tested a two-vaccine combo in a “prime-boost” approach, where the first one primes the immune system to attack HIV and the second one strengthens the response.

They are ALVAC, from Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis; and AIDSVAX, originally developed by VaxGen Inc. and now held by Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases, a nonprofit founded by some former VaxGen employees.

ALVAC uses canarypox, a bird virus altered so it can’t cause human disease, to ferry synthetic versions of three HIV genes into the body. AIDSVAX contains a genetically engineered version of a protein on HIV’s surface. The vaccines are not made from whole virus — dead or alive — and can’t cause HIV.

Neither vaccine in the study prevented HIV infection when tested individually in earlier trials, and dozens of scientists had called the new one futile when it began in 2003.

Obviously, one trial is just the beginning of what will probably be years of development before this turns into anything that is deemed worthwhile and scalaable. Still, it’s exciting news. Watch shares of Sanofi (SNY) to move today.

by Joe Weisenthal

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Effective HIV Vaccine Announced was first posted on September 24, 2009 at 6:48 pm.
©2009 “News Trends“.

Car Blast in Peshawar , Pakistan

Peshawar, Pakistan- Powerful blast occurred in Hayatabad of Peshawar, killing one man and injuring three others reported Saturday.

According to state TV, the blast was a car bomb blast in Hayatabat phase-IV near Hayatabat Medical Complex.

Fire fighters have been dispatched towards the blast site.

According to eyewitnesses, there was only one person in the vehicle, who was killed in the blast.

Ruling out the likelihood of sabotage, DCO Peshawar said the blast occurred owing to explosion of cylinder of the car.

According to Edhi sources, a man was killed and three others were injured in the blast. The sources said all the injured are passers-by, who have been shifted to hospital.

The blast created havoc around the area spurring the shopkeepers to close down the markets.

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Car Blast in Peshawar , Pakistan was first posted on August 23, 2009 at 12:37 am.