"Florida Gators linebacker Antonio Morrison has been arrested for the second time in five weeks, this time for allegedly barking at a police dog and resisting arrest, and will miss at least the first two games of the season after being suspended from the team Sunday. Morrison's defense was the dog barked first, according to a police report." Continue reading →
"The U.S. Marshals Service has lost track of about 2,000 encrypted two-way radios worth millions of dollars, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. It said an internal technology office had warned about the issue, but the problems tracking the equipment persisted. The U.S. Marshals Service serves to protect federal courts and judges. It also administers the witness protection program and tracks down fugitives. In interviews with the paper, some Marshals said they were worried not only about the wasted money, but also about the prospect of criminals getting hold of the radios and using them to gain access to privileged law enforcement activities." Continue reading →
"The FBI is reviewing 2,000 cases convicted on hair samples after it has emerged that there has been widespread errors in forensic testing and how the evidence was portrayed in court. As many as 27 prisoners facing the death penalty may have been wrongfully convicted along with potentially thousands of others across the country. Since the 1980s, hundreds of convictions have been overturned on improper forensic science - which includes bite marks, blood analysis and shoe prints along with hair samples. Forensic testing has never been proved 100 per cent accurate by science - but at times, was presented by experts in court as if conclusive." Continue reading →
"Barclays bank is closing about 100 UK accounts held by cash transfer businesses, over fears they are being used for money laundering. The businesses are vital for Somali expatriates sending remittances back home, where banking facilities have collapsed. Aid workers say the service is a 'lifeline' for 40% of the Somali population, who rely on the transfers. It is feared that the cash transfer business could now go underground. Barclays is the last major UK bank that still provides such money transfer services to Somalia, which has an estimated 1.5 million of its nationals living overseas." Continue reading →
"An amendment to the Homeland Security Bill has been proposed banning US expatriates who have renounced their US citizenship or long-term residence in order to escape US tax obligations from entering the country. The amendment would mean that former citizens of the United States who officially renounced United States citizenship and who have been determined by Homeland Security to have done this for the purpose of avoiding US tax obligations are inadmissible. Furthermore, covered expatriates unable to present evidence that they renounced US citizenship with the purpose of avoiding US tax obligations would also become inadmissible." Continue reading →
"In a civil lawsuit that has attracted notice among tax experts, the government wants to collect nearly $3.5 million in penalties from a taxpayer who had a secret Swiss account, although the account balance was never higher than $1.7 million. The lawsuit, U.S. v. Carl R. Zwerner , was filed in federal court in Miami last month. Spokesmen for the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service declined to comment on the case. Mr. Zwerner, 86 years old, is a retired specialty-glass importer living in Coral Gables, Fla. The U.S. government alleges he had an undeclared account at an ABN Amro bank in Switzerland from 2004 through 2007." Continue reading →
"The last president of a 270-year-old Swiss bank that collapsed after helping rich Americans dodge taxes blames himself for the firm's demise but hints the Holocaust contributed to Switzerland's banking secrecy. Konrad Hummler, in an interview published on Thursday, took full responsibility for the closure of Wegelin & Co., founded in 1741, after it paid US penalties of $57.8 million for helping clients avoid some $20 million in taxes. While stressing the bank had always respected Swiss law, he admitted exploiting 'differences between the (legal systems) in Switzerland and the United States.'" Continue reading →
"The researchers tested ten locations on the river and found bacteria resistant to the most common antibiotic ampicillin 84 percent of the time. Campaigners say sewage is regularly dumped in the Hudson because treatment plans cannot cope with the volumes of waste water they have to deal with at times of heavy rain. City authorities are trying to address the problem by introducing porous pavements and by planting vegetation on rooftops to reduce run-off. The spread of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, has been blamed on the drugs being over prescribed for minor infections and their widespread use in livestock production." Continue reading →
"The Greek recovery may be facing yet another hurdle. According to German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the beleaguered country needs another massive influx of money if it is to avoid insolvency. The paper cites an unnamed official at the European Commission as saying that the "financial gap" could be as large as €10 billion. The news comes at a difficult time for Greece and its relations with Germany. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is highly unpopular in Greece for his consistent insistence on austerity. And with German elections looming in September, it seems unlikely that additional aid money for Athens will be forthcoming anytime soon." Continue reading →
"If security feels it is necessary to search some cars in the name of safety, why not search all of them? Laurie Iacuzza walked to her waiting car at the Greater Rochester International Airport after returning from a trip and that's when she found it -- a notice saying her car was inspected after she left for her flight. She said, 'I was furious. They never mentioned it to me when I booked the valet or when I picked up the car or when I dropped it off.' Iacuzza's car was inspected by valet attendants on orders from the TSA. But why only valet parked cars?" Continue reading →