A round-up of other stories in brief
Accused to plead guilty to bodysnatching
NEW YORK -The head of a bodysnatching ring responsible for stealing the bones of broadcaster Alistair Cooke is expected to plead guilty in a deal with US prosecutors today.
Michael Mastromarino, a former dentist, allegedly netted millions of dollars for his role in cutting up corpses, forging donor consent forms and selling the parts on for transplant.
His lawyer, Mario Gallucci, has said his client will appear at Brooklyn supreme court to formalise a plea bargain, admitting his guilt. He is expected to be sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison.
Mr Mastromarino and his associates allegedly harvested more than 1,000 bodies, including that of Cooke, the long-running host of the BBC's Letter from America. - (PA)
Padilla sentenced to 17 years
MIAMI -Jose Padilla, a Chicago gang member once accused by the Bush administration of plotting a radioactive bomb attack, was sentenced by a US court yesterday to 17 years and four months in prison for supporting terrorism.
He and two co-defendants were convicted in August on charges of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people abroad, conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism, and providing material support for terrorism.
All three had faced a maximum sentence of life in prison. Co-defendant Adham Hassoun was sentenced to 15 years and eight months and Kifah Jayyousi was sentenced to 12 years and eight months.
US district judge Marcia Cooke noted that while the crimes were "serious", no acts of terrorism were carried out on US soil and there was no plot to overthrow the US government. - (Reuters)
EU to keep Farc on terrorism list
BRUSSELS -The EU will keep Colombian Farc rebels on its terrorism list, the bloc's foreign policy chief said yesterday, backing Colombian president Alvaro Uribe.
"Uribe has our full support in his fight . . . against terrorism," Javier Solana said after meeting with Mr Uribe, who is on a European tour to discuss ways to liberate hostages held by Farc. - (Reuters)
Quake strikes off coast of Indonesia
WASHINGTON -A 6.7-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, yesterday, the US geological service said.
The quake struck 144km (88 miles) west of Sibolga, Sumatra, at 5.15pm GMT at a depth of 43km (26.7 miles), the geological service said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there were no immediate tsunami warnings or watches in effect. - (Reuters)
UK voting system 'open to fraud'
PARIS -Britain's voting system is open to fraud and makes it "childishly simple" to register bogus voters, Europe's main human rights body said yesterday.
Britain introduced new laws in 2006 to combat postal vote fraud after an investigation found local members of then-prime minister Tony Blair's Labour Party had conducted massive vote-rigging in a local election in Birmingham. - (Reuters)
Mother 'unaware' Nicol was prostitute
LONDON -The mother of Tania Nicol, the first of five women to be murdered around Ipswich, told a court yesterday she did not know her daughter was working as a prostitute.
Nicol (19) disappeared on October 30th, 2006. Her body was found in a stream on December 8th, 2006.
Forklift truck driver Steve Wright (49) is accused of killing Nicol and four others.
Giving evidence at Ipswich crown court, Kerry Nicol said she had last seen her daughter at home on the day she vanished. She left at about 10.45pm to catch a bus to meet friends. - (Reuters)