De Villepin will stand trial on false money-
laundering accusation
Guardian (UK) Nov 20, 08 9:19 AM CST
(Newser)
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Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin will face trial for his role in an alleged smear campaign against Nicolas Sarkozy, who outmaneuvered him for the presidency. The "Clearstream Affair" scandal dates to 2004, when an anonymous source sent a judge a list of politicians, including Sarkozy, said to be laundering bribes through a Luxembourg bank. But the list turned out to be bogus and a brouhaha erupted, the Guardian writes.
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Slugger asks wife to hang on
New York Post Nov 9, 08 8:00 AM CST
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Sounds like Alex Rodriguez is caught between a rock star and a familiar place. The Yankees’ third baseman still loves ex-wife Cynthia, reports the New York Post’s Page Six, but he’s “in awe of Madonna,” says a baseball insider. He’s reportedly asking Cynthia, his “true love and best friend,” to wait out his “obsession.” She'll have to do so alone, though: Madge doesn’t want the Rodriguezes spending any time together.
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Fears sparked about widespread tainting
Associated Press Oct 21, 08 12:53 PM CDT
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About 1,500 Chinese raccoon dogs, bred specially for their fur, have died after eating tainted food over the last two months, the AP reports, raising fears of rampant misuse of the chemical melamine. The discovery comes as melamine-tainted milk has sickened thousands of babies with kidney stones and been tied to four deaths.
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Strauss-Kahn's 'activist' economics suit crisis
Bloomberg Oct 20, 08 1:05 PM CDT
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Even as he faces a probe for misconduct, the head of the International Monetary Fund is being praised for a decisive response to the world financial crisis, Bloomberg reports. Europe’s chief banker says he’s “convinced the investigation will prove that Dominique Strauss-Kahn didn’t abuse power.” Strauss-Kahn, 59, has streamlined the fund’s process for loans to strapped countries, with Iceland and Hungary among the needy.
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Drugs, game rigging scandals drag down Japanese sport
NPR Oct 9, 08 1:47 PM CDT
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Japan's most beloved sport is being dragged down by unrelenting scandal, NPR reports, as sumo has this year banned three Russian wrestlers from competition for smoking pot amid match-rigging accusations elsewhere. Another wrestler died in an apparent hazing incident, while a Mongolian champion stands accused of faking injury. Many Japanese have blamed the presence of foreigners for the sport's decline.
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Video shows Mac's ties to scandal 'similar' to current financial crisis
Politico Oct 6, 08 7:49 AM CDT
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Barack Obama’s campaign is releasing a video attack on John McCain’s role in the “Keating Five” scandal in the savings-and-loan crisis of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Politico reports. The video will appear online today amid what the Obama camp calls “guilt-by-association” tactics from McCain, including Sarah Palin’s recent focus on Obama’s ties to the ex-radical William Ayers.
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Melamine found in 10% of milk from top dairies; massive recalls begin
BBC Sep 19, 08 10:55 AM CDT
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Milk from some of China's biggest dairies has been found to contain poisonous melamine, prompting authorities to clear shelves of dairy products, in addition to the earlier recall of tainted infant formula, the BBC reports. A watchdog group found the banned chemical in 10% of samples from three dairies, including the two largest. Milk suppliers are suspected of diluting milk and then adding melamine to make the protein content appear higher.
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Elizabeth Edwards says she's focusing on advocacy and family
Detroit Free Press Sep 18, 08 1:29 PM CDT
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Elizabeth Edwards is reentering the public eye with her attention fixed firmly on her three children and her health care advocacy, the Detroit Free Press reports, but can’t avoid questions about husband John’s extramarital affair. “There's a lot of adjustment to make,” she said in her first extended interview since the former Democratic candidate admitted the affair 5 weeks ago. “When you mention trust, that's probably the most difficult hurdle.”
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Lawmakers, voting next week, question ability to handle lease revenues
Associated Press Sep 11, 08 3:12 PM CDT
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Revelations that Interior Department employees were literally in bed with Big Oil have given fresh ammunition to congressional Democrats seeking to limit offshore drilling, the AP reports. Lawmakers say serious question have been raised about the agency's integrity after investigations found that employees responsible for collecting oil and gas royalties accepted gifts, took drugs and had sex with energy-company reps.
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Police union's ethics complaint alleges gov. broke confidentiality
Anchorage Daily News Sep 5, 08 4:31 PM CDT
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Alaska’s Public Safety Employees Association has filed a complaint against Gov. Sarah Palin, charging she disclosed confidential information about state trooper Mike Wooten in attempts to get him fired, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The union says a Palin aide cited confidential information about Wooten—involved in thorny divorce proceedings with the governor’s sister—in a call to a superior officer.
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Ex-official says guv fired him for refusing to fire her rogue in-law
Anchorage Daily News Sep 2, 08 11:15 AM CDT
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A private-sector lawyer is making the unusual move of defending Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her office in a state investigation into the firing of her public safety commissioner, the Anchorage Daily News reports. But the lawyer's request for witness statements and other materials was immediately shot down —"It would be highly unusual for an investigator to share information with one of the targets of the investigation," said the former prosecutor heading the probe.
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State probes claim that Mac pick had former in-law canned from job
TPM Muckraker Aug 29, 08 12:30 PM CDT
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John McCain’s running mate comes to the national campaign embroiled in a scandal back home, Talking Points Memo reports. Alaska’s legislative council has appointed a special commission to investigate Gov. Sarah Palin, who’s accused of pressuring the state’s department of public safety to fire her former brother-in-law, state trooper Mike Wooten—who is battling Palin’s sister in a messy custody suit.
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National Enquirer corners ex-candidate after LA rendezvous
National Enquirer Jul 23, 08 12:39 PM CDT
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The National Enquirer claims to have cornered and confronted John Edwards yesterday after a late-night tryst with the woman they have been saying for months is his mistress and the mother of his infant child. The tabloid says its reporters tracked Edwards as he entered a Los Angeles hotel through a side door and used a basement elevator; left the hotel and returned again with her; and left again at 2:40am. When confronted by Enquirer reporters, they say, he fled—and then hid in a bathroom and summoned security.
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