Two Israelis Held Over Racist Murder Of Arab
Two Israelis Held Over Racist Murder Of Arab
Two Israeli brothers have been detained in connection with the stabbing to death of a Palestinian taxi driver in an apparent hate crime, police said.
Julian Soufir, 25, has been ordered to be held for 10 days and his brother, Jonathan, 21, for three days.
One of the suspects had confessed the attack was anti-Arab and nationalist in nature, a police spokesman said.
Taysir Karaki's body was found at Julian's flat after the brothers were observed acting suspiciously on Monday.
The 35-year-old father of five was buried on Tuesday in Beit Hanina, in East Jerusalem.
Police investigators said they believed Julian Soufir went to Jerusalem to hunt for an Arab taxi driver.
He is believed to have hired Karaki to drive him back to Tel Aviv, then he lured him into the apartment and killed him.
Jonathan Soufir is not a suspect in the murder, but is suspected of complicity.
Recent arrivals
Julian Soufir's lawyer asked the court to refer him to psychiatric observation.
During the hearing the defendant smiled, clapped and rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at photographers.
The brothers are recent immigrants to Israel from France, under the country's law of return which allows Jewish applicants Israeli citizenship.
The Jerusalem mayor's office said the Karaki family should be considered "victims of terrorism" and would receive financial assistance from the state.
Israeli Arab MP Said Naffaa blamed the killing on growing hostility towards Arabs in Israel today.
"Demonisation and incitement against the Arab public give this kind of act its legitimisation. Turning words into actions was just a matter of time," he told Y-Net news.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/6660909.stm
For You Cat Dicks That Purchase Enzyte (Read)
Berkeley Nutraceuticals to pay $2.5m, orders court
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By Clarisse Douaud
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3/3/2006 - Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals has agreed to pay Ohio and 15 other states $2.5 m, to refund customers who filed complaints and to stop making health claims they can't back with scientific proof.
The Cincinatti-based company, which sells herbal dietary supplements including Enzyte, Avlimil and Rogisen, has denied wrongdoing.Berkeley reported in a press release Wednesday that by the time the settlement had been reached it had "already begun to implement a series of measures to enhance the Company's business practices, better inform consumers about its products and provide restitution to consumers with outstanding complaints."
Thousands of customers, as well as merchant banks, were allegedly defrauded of $100m by Berkeley.
Enzyte is perhaps Berkeley's best know product owing to its national "Smilin' Bob" ad campaign which featured a man whose life improves after he uses the product which Berkeley's website claims supports "firmer, fuller-feeling, better quality erections".
"Smiling Bob may have been happy, but many customers were not," said California Attorney General Bill Lockyer in a statement.
Although Steve Warshak, the owner of Berkeley and its four subsidiaries, reached the settlement with the attorneys general, he and company executives are still disputing other charges in court. Berkeley's subsidiary companies are: Boland Naturals, Lifekey, Wagner Nutraceuticals and Warner Health Care.
Based on thousands of customer complaints, the Federal Trade Commission charged that consumers provided credit or debit card information to pay a shipping and handling fee for the "free" samples, and that Berkeley later used that information to bill consumers for shipments which they sent automatically, without their consent, or without disclosing the terms and conditions of the plan.
Berkeley is also alleged to have made it difficult for customers to cancel shipments as they faced a wall of busy phone lines and web sites that did not work.
"Companies like Berkeley that choose to market their products with 'free' offers and grand claims of effectiveness must do so in compliance with the law," said Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro, who directed the multi-state investigation and settlement.
"Consumers have the right to know all the terms of a so-called 'free' offer and that the product works as advertised."
The company must still defend itself against an FTC class-action lawsuit over false advertising regarding Avlimil and Rogisen. The federal body charges that Berkeley was deceptive in marketing these products as treatment for female dysfunction and night vision problems.
Although Warshak has not been charged, $24 m of his fortune remains frozen by a federal judge after federal agents raided his offices in March of 2005. Another five of the former Berkeley executives have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, but are cooperating with the continuing investigation of Berkeley.
Each of the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.
Link: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/...-health-claims
Child in day care dies after being bound with tape
TULSA, Oklahoma (AP) -- A day care worker was being held Saturday in the death of a 2-year-old boy whose hands were bound and his mouth covered with masking tape, police said.
The boy, who had been on life support, died late Thursday, Officer Jason Willingham said.
Vicki Leigh Chiles was being held without bail on a complaint of first-degree murder. She was the only worker at the facility at the time, looking after eight children ages 7 and younger, Willingham said.
Chiles told police the boy would not be quiet for nap time, so she used tape to silence him, an arrest report states.
Chiles told investigators she left the boy unattended for a few minutes and came back to find him lying on the floor unresponsive, the report states. She said she called for an ambulance and tried to perform CPR.
The state agency that oversees child day care operators was investigating Chiles' business, said Mary Leaver, an agency spokeswoman.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/19/day....ap/index.html
