A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Blagojevich guilty of lying in office
CHICAGO – A jury found former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich guilty yesterday of lying while in office.
Blagojevich faced 24 counts including racketeering, conspiracy, mail fraud and attempted extortion. The allegations included an attempt to sell the US Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
The jury found Blagojevich guilty on one count of making false statements and was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the other 23 counts. The judge said he planned to call a mistrial on the 23 remaining counts.
The verdict on Blagojevich (53), a Democrat ousted from office last year during his second term by the state legislature, was delivered after 14 days of deliberations. – (Reuters)
Former Italian president dies
ROME – Former president Francesco Cossiga, one of Italy’s most prominent Christian Democrat leaders nicknamed “the pickaxe” for his frequent criticism of fellow politicians, has died aged 82.
The ex-president was hospitalised in Rome on August 9th with cardiorespiratory problems, and his condition turned “drastically” worse overnight, the hospital said earlier. A spokesman for Mr Cossiga’s son, Giuseppe, confirmed his death.
Mr Cossiga joined the Christian Democrat party, a Catholic bloc that ruled Italy for five decades, in 1945, when just 17 years old. In 1976, he became Italy’s youngest interior minister at the age of 47. – (Bloomberg)
Budget airline Kiss ceases trading
Budget travel firm Kiss Flights ceased trading last night, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said.
The British-based company flew to Greece, Egypt, Turkey and the Canary Islands.
The authority said tens of thousands of holidaymakers who had booked trips through the firm would get home as normal. The “vast majority” of people who had booked future trips with the firm will receive refunds, it said.
Flight Options, which has owned Kiss since 2009, ceased trading at 5pm.
A spokesman for the authority added: “We will also make arrangements so that all of the people who were Atol [Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing] protected will receive full refunds. That will be the vast majority.” – (PA)