Comedy director John Hughes dies

The US film director and writer John Hughes, who created some of the most famous comedies of the 1980s and 1990s, has died at the age of 59.

The director died after a heart attack in New York, his spokeswoman said.

Mr Hughes was the director of such successful films as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

He was also a leading script writer, penning films such as Pretty in Pink and Home Alone.

Prolific

The spokeswoman, Michelle Bega, told Associated Press news agency Mr Hughes had been in Manhattan on a family visit and died after suffering the heart attack during a morning walk.

Mr Hughes lived in Illinois, with many of his films set in and around Chicago.

Among the other films he directed were Weird Science, Uncle Buck and Curly Sue.

His writing and producing credits were prolific and included Flubber, National Lampoon's Vacation and Some Kind of Wonderful.

In his later years he continued to write under the pseudonym of Edmond Dantes, a character in the Alexandre Dumas novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

His credits under the name include the Beethoven series and Maid in Manhattan.

SCIENCE & TECH: Hacker attack shuts down Twitter

NEW YORK: A hacker attack shut down Twitter on Thursday morning, and Facebook also said it was 'looking into' possible site problems.

Twitter said in its status blog Thursday that it was 'defending against a denial-of-service attack,' in which hackers command scores of computers to a single site at the same time, preventing legitimate traffic from getting through.

For users of the fast-growing messaging service, the outage means no tweeting about lunch plans, the weather or the fact that Twitter is down.

Facebook also seemed to be experiencing problems, at least intermittently. Facebook spokeswoman Brandee Barker said the company was looking into it and would have an update 'as soon as possible.'

The Twitter outage began at about 1300 GMT, said Ken Godskind, chief strategy officer at Web performance monitoring company AlertSite. The site still had access problems late morning. -AP

Top UN official lauds Pakistan’s record tree planting

UNITED NATIONS: The top UN environment official has lauded Pakistan’s efforts in setting a Guinness World Record for planting over 500,000 trees in one day, part of the South Asian nation’s pledge in the global Billion Tree Campaign.

In the record-breaking feat, 541,176 young mangrove saplings were planted in 24 hours by 300 volunteers on 15 July without using any mechanical equipment in the vast wetlands of the Indus River Delta in Thatta District, according to a news release issued by the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The event was part of Pakistan’s pledge to plant 120 million trees in UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign, which seeks to plant seven billion trees ‘or one for every person on the planet, with a bit to spare’ by the end of 2009.

‘The Billion Tree Campaign has been setting records since it was launched in 2006 as one avenue and conduit for global public concern over climate change’ noted UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

He added that Pakistan’s Guinness World Record will contribute to the goal of seven billion trees by December, when world leaders gather for the UN climate change conference in Denmark to ‘seal the deal’ on a new global pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which contains legally binding targets for reducing emissions.

‘I am ever more confident that this record can be broken too and inspire governments to seal the deal in Copenhagen in December,’ Steiner added.

With the destruction of natural forests emitting more greenhouse gases every year than the transport sector, planting trees ‘which absorb carbon dioxide and store nearly 300 gigatonnes of carbon in their biomass ‘ is a crucial defence in the fight against global warming.

Mangroves, which are being cut down in Pakistan and other countries for fodder, fuel and timber, are particularly useful in carbon sequestration. In addition to providing a breeding ground for fish and other wildlife, mangroves protect coastlines from erosion as well as tsunamis.

The previous record for the most trees planted in a single day was held by India with 447,874 trees, UNEP noted. — APP

SCIENCE & TECH: Swiss seek Pope’s blessing to stop glacier melting

ZURICH: After centuries of praying for a local glacier to stop growing, Swiss villagers are now seeking an audience with Pope Benedict to get his blessing for prayers against the global warming that is causing it to recede.

In 1678, the inhabitants of the Alpine villages of Fieschertal and Fiesch made a formal vow to live virtuously and to pray against the growth of the Aletsch glacier, Europe's longest, which had caused a lake to flood into their homes.

To reinforce their prayers, they started holding an annual procession in 1862, when the glacier reached its longest during the mini-Ice Age Europe suffered in the mid-19th century.

But the villages now want to seek permission from Pope Benedict to change their vow as the glacier is melting fast due to climate change and have requested an audience with him.

'The residents of Fiesch and Fischertal hope that this will happen in September or October and are optimistic that the Holy Father will decide in their favour as he has repeatedly spoken out about climate change,' they said in a statement.

Switzerland's glaciers shrank by 12 percent over the past decade, melting at their fastest rate due to rising temperatures and lighter snowfalls, a recent study showed.

Glaciers are a key source of water for hydro-electric plants in Switzerland as well as an important tourist attraction.

Researchers are predicting that the temperatures in the Swiss Alps will rise by 1.8 degrees Celsius in winter and by 2.7 degrees Celsius in the summer by 2050. -Reuters

SPORTS: Australia in danger of slipping to fourth in ICC Test rankings

LEEDS: Australia stand to lose substantially more than their aura over the next month.An Ashes series defeat would precipitate a stunning fall from grace by relegating Ricky Ponting’s men to fourth place on the ICC Test ladder behind South Africa, Sri Lanka and India.

A drawn series will place them second after Graeme Smith’s men. Either rain or England could seal Australia’s demise in the coming weeks.

The tourists require victory at both Headingley and The Oval to retain their No 1 Test ranking, but a bleak weather forecast for Yorkshire could greatly reduce their chances of forcing a result in the fourth Test.

Not since 2003, when South Africa held the ICC Test mace for a four-month period, have Australia occupied a place anywhere other than the pinnacle of Test cricket.

South Africa made clear their intentions to recapture the No 1 ranking when they defeated Australia in a Test series for the first time in 16 years last summer, but Australia’s stirring riposte on South African soil provided them with a degree of breathing room.

Australia have won just five of their past 14 Tests, three of which were against the South Africans, and their inability to register a victory in the first three Tests of the Ashes series has drawn Smith’s side to within two points of the top ranking.

Mickey Arthur, who so very nearly engineered Australia’s overthrow earlier this year, was adamant his side was worthy of recognition as the world’s premier Test side, even if rain proves the deciding factor.

‘I have been following the rankings a little bit, and I don’t think we would be out of place at all [with the No 1 ranking] if that was to happen,’ Arthur said.

‘We have played some very solid cricket over the past 18 months. We defeated England, Australia and Pakistan away, and we are certainly proud of that. But whatever happens, I think what is clear is that there is very little now between us, Australia, India and even England. That’s healthy for the game.’ Arthur has been underwhelmed by Australia’s performances over the course of the Ashes, having previously predicted them to comfortably account for England.

The South African coach queried the move to overlook the dependable Stuart Clark for the first three Tests of the series, and expressed surprise at Australia’s general inability to combat pressurised situations.

Like Andrew Strauss, Arthur feels the Australians have lost their aura, but warned England against underestimating them in the final two Tests of the Ashes series.

‘I do agree with Andrew in that the Australians have looked susceptible when placed under pressure,’ Arthur said. ‘With Australian sides of old, you could try and place all the pressure in the world on them and they would come through it unscathed more often than not. This younger side has shown the odd crack in those situations, and we saw that when we won many of the big moments when we played them in Australia. The aura has gone a little bit.

‘Their bowling attack has disappointed me. I’m not surprised that they have tried to stick with the fast bowlers who did the job in South Africa, but I was at the move not to play Clark, especially with [Mitchell] Johnson and [Peter] Siddle leaking runs.’—Agencies

Alonso completes Real Madrid move

MADRID: Midfielder Xabi Alonso completed his transfer to big-spending Real Madrid from Liverpool on Wednesday.

Alonso passed his routine medical to become Madrid's eighth signing in a euro254 million ($365 million) spending spree since Florentino Perez returned to the club presidency in June.

Liverpool will receive a reported fee of euro30 million ($43 million) for the 27-year-old Spain international, who has signed a five-year contract.

‘It's a really important step in my career. I'm very happy to form part of this club and let's hope it all goes well,’ Alonso was quoted as saying by news agency Europa Press.

Alonso made his first appearance as a Madrid player on Wednesday at the club's training ground for a session with his new teammates. The club said he would be officially presented at an evening news conference.

The Basque midfielder will travel with the team on its two-game North American exhibition tour.

Madrid plays at Toronto FC on Friday and against D.C. United on Sunday, ahead of its league opener against Deportivo La Coruna on Aug. 29 or 30.

Madrid hopes Alonso's organisational skills will help balance an offensive lineup which includes newcomers Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.

The club aims to avoid the mistakes of Perez's previous presidency when _ despite the presence of ‘galacticos’ David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Luis Figo _ the team lacked cohesion and endured a trophy drought from 2003-06, its worst run for over 50 years.

‘I will try to do what I know how, provide teammates with someone to pass to, balance the team and get the ball to move from one side to another,’ Alonso said.

Madrid's director general Jorge Valdano has said Alonso will be Madrid's final signing of an offseason in which it bought Ronaldo from Manchester United for a world-record fee of euro94 million ($135 million), Kaka from AC Milan for euro65 million ($93.5 million) and Benzema from Lyon for euro35 million ($50 million).

The powerhouse is aiming to return to the top of the game after its bitter rival Barcelona enjoyed the most successful ever campaign by a Spanish club by winning the Champions League and the domestic league and cup last season.

‘It's a project aimed at doing big things. I think the formula which has been adopted is a good one, with Spanish players who know each other and adding some world-class players,’ Alonso said.

Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez said Wednesday that Alonso asked to leave Liverpool in May and then pushed for a move by submitting a transfer request.

Alonso joined Liverpool in 2004 from Real Sociedad and helped the English club win the Champions League the following year with a goal against AC Milan in the final. At international level, he helped Spain become European champion in 2008.

At Madrid, Alonso will join former Liverpool teammates Alvaro Arbeloa, who moved to Real last week, and goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek.

Alonso thanked the Liverpool supporters for their support. ‘I'm really grateful to them. My five years there have been fantastic. It will be really difficult to match what they have given me,’ he said.

Liverpool, which finished runner-up to Manchester United in the Premier League last season, has agreed to sign AS Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani as Alonso's replacement.

US to issue a record $75bln in 3Q

WASHINGTON: The Treasury Department on Wednesday said it will raise a record $75 billion in a series of auctions next week to help deal with the government’s soaring debt.

The $75 billion surpasses the $71 billion record set in the prior three-month period. It is part of total borrowing needs for the July-September quarter that the government estimates will hit $406 billion.

The projected borrowing, while significant, is below the record $530 billion it borrowed in the same period in 2008.

The department also said it expects to issue Treasury inflation-indexed securities, or TIPS, more frequently next year and ‘will consider replacing 20-year TIPS with 30-year TIPS.’ Any changes to that program will be announced in November.

The upcoming quarterly refunding will include auctions of $37 billion in three-year notes, $23 billion in 10-year notes and $15 billion in 30-year bonds.

Treasury also said the government will hit the current debt limit of $12.1 trillion in the fourth quarter. While its existing suite of securities ‘is sufficient to address our borrowing needs; market participants should expect auction sizes to continue to rise in a gradual manner over the medium term.’

Treasury already this year has tripled the frequency of auctions for 30-year bonds to 12 times annually from four.

The huge amounts of borrowing reflect the government’s soaring budget deficits, which are being driven by the costs of financing the $700 billion financial rescue program and the impact of longest recession since World War II. Increased spending from the Obama administration’s $787 billion stimulus package and lower tax receipts will drive borrowing in the near future, Treasury said.

The economic slump has cut sharply into tax revenue and boosted government spending for benefit programs such as unemployment insurance and food stamps.

Treasury also said earlier this week that it borrowed $343 billion in the April-June quarter, less than the $361 billion it projected in April but still a record for that period.

The improvements — at least compared with last year’s record levels — are due to several factors, including the repayment of $70 billion in June by 10 large banks and a number of smaller ones as part of the federal bailout program.

Treasury also said it expects to borrow $486 billion in the October-December quarter, down from a record $569 billion in the same period last year.

The White House projects the deficit will hit $1.85 trillion for the budget year ending Sept. 30, a record that would quadruple last year’s all-time high gap of $455 billion. — AP

Israel warns it would get tough in conflict with Lebanon

JERUSALEM: Israel's defence minister claimed on Thursday that the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group has stockpiled 40,000 rockets and warned the Jewish state would get tough in case of a conflict with Lebanon.

'We cannot accept that a neighbouring UN member state should have in its government representatives of a militia that has more than 40,000 rockets,' Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Israeli public radio.

'If there is a conflict on our northern border, we will use all necessary force,' he said.

'What happened in the second Lebanon war will not happen again ... at the time a message from the United States indicated we must spare Lebanon's infrastructure,' the minister said.

Israel, which considers Hezbollah a terror group, fought a 34-day war with the Shia militia in July-August 2006, in which more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in Lebanon and 160 in Israel, most of them soldiers.

'Hezbollah continues arming itself and we must ensure certain types of weapon should not enter Lebanon,' Barak said. -AFP

Pakistan asks Interpol to help track Mumbai suspects

LYON, France: Pakistan has asked Interpol to issue a global alert for 13 suspects wanted for the attacks in Mumbai of November 2008, the international police agency said Thursday.

The alert asks member countries to help locate the fugitives and notify Pakistani authorities who will then issue arrest warrants and seek their extradition, an Interpol statement said.

‘The authorities in Pakistan are to be commended for making full use of Interpol's global network and tools,’ said secretary general Ron Noble in the statement issued from the agency's headquarters in Lyon.

‘This demonstrates their commitment to allowing all of Interpol's 187 member-countries to benefit from and help with the investigation into the Mumbai terrorist attacks,’ he said.

The 13 suspects were not named in the media statement, but Interpol said their names and other information would be included in the police agency's databases and circulated worldwide.

A total of 166 people died and more than 300 were injured in the November 26-29 attacks, which saw 10 heavily-armed gunmen target luxury hotels, the Indian city's main railway station, a popular restaurant and a Jewish centre.

India has blamed the attacks on the banned militant group Lashkar-i-Taiba (LT).

Pakistan has arrested five people suspected of involvement in the assault, including the alleged mastermind, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Their trial is expected to begin in the next week.

‘Pakistan's actions in this case will help set new international standards for terrorism investigations,’ said Noble.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani pledged earlier this month to do everything in his power to bring those behind the attack to justice following a meeting with his Indian counterpart in Egypt.

US doubles military supply for Somalia

NAIROBI: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday pledged to "expand and extend" American support for Somalia's weak interim government as it struggles against Islamist extremists believed linked to al-Qaida.

Accusing the extremists of trying to turn Somalia into a base to launch worldwide terrorist attacks, Clinton said the Obama administration would boost military supplies and other aid to the government and an African peacekeeping force supporting it. She did not detail the new aid.

"They see Somalia as a future haven for global terrorism," she said of the extremist Somali militia known as al-Shabab. To make her point, she noted the recent arrests of four men allegedly linked to the group who are suspected of plotting attacks there in Australia.

"Our information is that al-Shabab not only uses foreign fighters and foreign money but foreign ideas in its attack on the people of Somalia," she said.

"There is also no doubt that al-Shabab wants to take control of Somalia and use it as a base from which to influence and even infiltrate surrounding countries and launch attacks against countries far and near," Clinton said after meeting beleaguered Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya.

Man loses Florida license after New York DWAI conviction

Florida Court Of Appeals - On August 5, 2009, the District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District, issued an opinion in the case or Robert C. Dawson v. State of Florida, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Judge Cope issued the opinion of the court, which has not bee released for formal publication. Attorneys Robin Lotane and Damaris E. Reynolds represented the state, and Mr. Dawson acted as his own lawyer.

As happens more often than not, Mr. Dawson didn't have an attorney and therefore lost the case to the team of government lawyers working against him. Here's how it happened:

On July 14, 2008, Mr. Dawson was convicted in Suffolk County, New York of DWAI ("driving while ability impaired). His driver's license was suspended for 90 days and he was fined. Later, on August 27, 2008, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (the Florida DMV) revoked his Florida driver's license for a year because of the New York conviction.

In Florida, the Florida DMV has the authority to revoke the driver's license of Florida licensed drivers for various out of state convictions, of which DUI is one.

Mr. Dawson filed a writ of certiorari in Martin County, Florida, asking the judge to reinstate his license. His appeal was denied. He then filed an appeal in the Fourth District Court of Appeal (for Florida). That court recused itself because of a potential conflict of interest in the case. The case then ended up in the Third District.

Mr. Dawson's legal argument was that the New York DWAI conviction didn't have the same elements as a Florida DUI. After comparing the two statutes, however, the appeals court rejected that position.

Mr. Dawson also asserted that he was denied due process with the Florida DMV gave him the maximum possible suspension without a hearing. The Court confirmed that the DMV can enter an order revoking a person's driving privileges without prior notice or opportunity to be heard, and it does not violate the due process clause of the Constitution because he could have requested a hearing on receipt of the notice of revocation anyways.

Even though Mr. Dawson chose to represent himself rather than have an attorney, he is held to the same standard as somebody who is actually a trained lawyer. He missed the deadline for requesting a hearing, and therefore it was his inaction, rather than a due process violation that, according to the court, sealed his fate of not driving for a year.

Pennsylvania DUI case about transit authority jurisdiction issued on 7-31-09

Allegheny County, PA - On July 31, 2009 the Superior Court of Pennsylvania handed down a decision reversing the suppression of evidence in the case of Pennsylvania v. Derek Bloom.

The issue that the court had to decide was whether the lower court erred when it concluded that a Port Authority officer lacked jurisdiction to stop Mr. Bloom's vehicle.

Per statute, the Railroad and Street Railway Police act, railroad and railway police have jurisdiction in the City in, on, and in the immediate and adjacent vicinity of the transit property.

The court concluded that Mr. Bloom was, in fact, stopped in the immediate and adjacent vicinity and was within 150 feet from Port Authority property. Because of the proximity, the Appeals Court said that the lower court should not have suppressed evidence in this case.