A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Paris sewer hid jewels worth €14m
PARIS - French detectives have made a breakthrough in the “heist of the century” after finding a €14 million cache of stolen jewels hidden in a Paris sewer. The gems were stolen during a daring daylight robbery at the boutique of Harry Winston just off the Champs-Élysées two years ago.
Nineteen rings – one set with a 31-carat diamond said to be worth €6 million – and three pairs of earrings were discovered in a plastic box set in a concrete mould in a rainwater drain at a house in the gritty Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. The house belonged to one of nine people charged in connection with the theft.
The raid on Harry Winston’s boutique on the chic Avenue Montaigne on December 4th, 2008, described by detectives as “spectacular”, netted the gang a record-breaking haul of gems and jewels worth an estimated €85 million. – (Guardian service)
Jail term for man who beheaded wife
NEW YORK – A husband who launched a US Muslim TV network to counter negative images of Islam has been jailed for 25 years for beheading his wife after she tried to divorce him.
Pakistani television executive Muzzammil Hassan expressed deep regret as he was given the maximum sentence in Erie County Court in Buffalo, New York.
A jury spent just an hour deliberating before convicting him of second-degree murder last month for the 2009 death of Aasiya Hassan, who also was from Pakistan. He had tried to convince jurors the death was justified, claiming he had been abused by his wife and was afraid of her.
Prosecutors however said he was acting out of his determination to control his wife after she applied for a divorce.
Together, the Hassans started the Bridges TV network to build cultural understanding after the 9/11 attacks. – (AP)
Gibson not to fight battery charges
LOS ANGELES – Actor Mel Gibson is expected to plead no contest to a charge of battery and avoid jail for the domestic abuse claim made by his ex-girlfriend, a source close to the case told Reuters yesterday.
Celebrity news website TMZ.com, citing unidentified people connected to the Los Angeles District Attorney, reported that the Braveheart actor and director will appear in court tomorrow to enter his plea, which is equivalent to guilty. He made the deal to avoid a prolonged court battle that would be a strain on his family, TMZ and others said.
A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office declined to comment on the TMZ report, but Gibson’s lawyer, Blair Berk, issued a statement saying he had asked her to approach officials with a deal to end the matter. She said Gibson’s right to due process could only be exercised in this case with an “enormous media circus attached”. – (Reuters)
US confidence hits new low on oil shortages
WASHINGTON – Confidence in the way the direction the United States is taking has slumped to a two- year low in the past month, with one pollster blaming soaring petrol prices.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed yesterday that the proportion of people in the US who believe the country is on the wrong track rose seven points to 64 per cent compared with February, in a fresh challenge to President Barack Obama.
It was the highest number of people in an Ipsos poll who think the country is on the wrong track since Mr Obama took office. The survey comes as many indicators show an improving US economy.
Ipsos pollster Cliff Young said the rating was a result of fuel prices that had risen sharply in recent weeks amid tumult in North Africa and the Middle East.
“Gas [petrol] prices specifically are things that affect people’s pocketbooks and have an immediate impact,” he said. – (Reuters)