| Fen-phen lawyers jailed after judge pushes back trial
Three lawyers, including two co-owners of Preakness winner Curlin, accused of bilking their clients in a diet drug settlement were jailed Friday after a federal judge agreed to delay their trial date but revoked their bond. The attorneys were remanded to custody during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Covington, according to an order filed in the court clerk's office. Judge William Bertelsman agreed to the lawyers' request to push the trial date back to Jan. 7, 2008. It had been set for Oct. 15. Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion, who own 20 percent of Curlin, were jailed, along with another lawyer, Melbourne Mills Jr. "The court finds that the ends of justice served by continuing the trial date in this case outweigh the best interests of the public and the defendants in a speedy trial," Bertelsman wrote.
107-year-old woman commits suicide
A 107-year old woman suffering from flu committed suicide by hanging herself using the cord from a pair of trousers from the top of a bunk bed. The woman, Leung Hau, was found in the family's flat by her 87-year-old son, who untied his mother before raising the alarm, the South China Morning Post reported today. Ambulance personnel confirmed Leung was dead in the flat in the working class Yau Ma Tei district of Kowloon. She had told her son and his wife that she wanted to die because she did not want to be a burden, but they had not taken her seriously. Iman Fok from the Society for Community Organisations said Leung's suicide was "bizarre" and she may have had other problems that she had not told her family. - dpa Fears of global liquidity crisis grip markets LONDON (Aug 10, 2007): Fears of a global liquidity crisis gathered pace today, hitting stocks and high-yielding currencies, while the European Central Bank and Asian authorities acted to calm surging short-term borrowing costs.
E-ZPass can take a toll on marriage, too
TRENTON - Adulterers, beware: Your cheatin' heart might be exposed by E-ZPass. E-ZPass and similar electronic toll-collection systems are emerging as a new and powerful means to prove infidelity. That's because when your spouse doesn't know where you've been, E-ZPass does. "E-ZPass is an E-ZPass to go directly to divorce court, because it's an easy way to show you took the off-ramp to adultery," said Jacalyn Barnett, a New York divorce lawyer. Generally mounted on the windshield behind the rearview mirror, the remote-size, E-ZPass devices communicate with antennas at toll plazas, automatically deducting money from the tag-holder's prepaid account. Of the 12 states in the Northeast and Midwest that are part of the E-ZPass system, agencies in seven states will provide electronic toll information in response to court orders for criminal and civil cases, including divorces, according to an Associated Press survey.
Cong wins 33 seats in Mira-Bhayander municipal polls
The results of the Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation elections has thrown up a surprise with the Congress emerging as the single largest party followed by the Nationalist Congress Party. Off the total 79 seats that went to polls on Sunday, the Congress won 33 while the NCP bagged 20. This is diametrically opposite to the results of the last elections where the NCP was the leader with 30 seats and the Congress had won 19 seats. The congress, which emerged as a clear winner, also created a record of sorts by defeating all the city chiefs of major political parties, including NCP heavy weight Gilbert Mendonca. BJP city chief Rohidas Patil, MNS city chief Arun Kadam and Shiv Sena city chief Prabhakar Mhatre were all defeated by their respective Congress rivals. Mendonca, a strong candidate for more than two decades, lost to his aide-turned-rival Yakub Qureshi.
Yahoo Tops Google in Customer Satisfaction Ranking
The University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index has rated Yahoo! as the top search engine based upon customer satisfaction. This is the first time Yahoo has ranked above Google in the survey, with scoring a 79 out of 100 (up 4% over last year). Google scored a 78 (down 3.7%). Ask.com scored a 75. MSN scored a 75. AOL scored a 67. The study looks at factors including search, news and informational content. What could have influenced the rise in customer satisfaction with Yahoo (opinion)? * Implementation of targeted Yahoo Shortcuts * Serving Yahoo Answers in Selected Results * Consolidation of various services into one package (Yahoo Photos/Flickr) * Cutting back on fluffy Weather or News shortcuts where they are not needed * Better ad targeting via Yahoo Search Marketing Panama * Better Image Search with live Flickr photos Why may have customer satisfaction at Google fallen (opinion)? * Confusing Google Universal Results inserting video & news into content * Changing of AdWords Background Colors * Outdated homepage * Personalized search results * Dropping of Froogle Any of these could be factors in influencing the user experience.
PNB offers RM1.90 to take MIDF private
PETALING JAYA: Pemodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) has proposed to take private Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF) by buying the remaining 79.98% shares it does not own for RM1.90 each. MIDF shares were suspended from trading yesterday pending the announcement. Based on the stocks last traded price of RM1.35, the offer price represents a premium of almost 41%. The proposed exercise is expected to cost PNB some RM1.48bil. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia yesterday, AmInvestment Bank Bhd said on behalf of PNB that the persons acting in concert (PAC) with PNB, including the unit trusts the latter manages, collectively owned 50.37% of MIDF. The PAC would also be entitled to the privatisation offer, AmInvestment said. PNB does not intend to maintain the listing status of MIDF if it could not meet the minimum public shareholding requirement of 25%.
Baker earns Tri-State honor
WAYNESBORO, Pa. - Derek Baker may not have shot his best round of the season on Monday when he turned in a 7-over-par 79, but what he didn't expect made up for the day. Baker was selected as the Tri-State Junior Golf Association golfer of the year, exemplifying sportsmanship by maintaining a high standard of ethics on and off the golf course. "I wasn't expecting this award," said Baker, a junior at Waynesboro, a school that has produced the likes of Chad Bricker, Kevin Reiber, Jake Wetzel and Chris Breed through the junior ranks. "I've played with some of these guys from the past and I look up to them. I understand what the award means, by showing up, keeping your head in the game." Baker received a plaque and an engraved golf bag.
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