Seif al-Islam Gadhafi arrested in Libya

Moammar Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, waves to troops in Libya on Aug. 23, 2011. He had not been seen since he went underground after the country's capital, Tripoli, fell to revolutionary forces in August. (Dario Lopez-Mills/Associated Press)

Moammar Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam — the only member of the ousted ruling family to remain at large — was captured as he travelled with aides in a convoy in Libya's southern desert, Libyan officials said Saturday.

A spokesman for the Libyan fighters who captured him said Seif al-Islam was detained about 50 kilometres west of the town of Obari with two aides as he was trying to flee to neighbouring Niger, but the country's acting justice minister later said the convoy's destination was not confirmed.

The International Criminal Court had charged Gadhafi, Seif al-Islam and Libya's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi with crimes against humanity for the brutal crackdown on dissent as the uprising against the regime began in mid-February and escalated into a civil war.

Seif al-Islam's capture leaves only al-Senoussi at large.
Mohammed al-Alagi, the National Transitional Council's justice minister, told The Associated Press that Seif al-Islam was detained deep in Libya's desert Friday night by revolutionary forces from the mountain town of Zintan who had been tracking him for days.

Seif al-Islam was being held in Zintan but would be transported to Tripoli soon, according to al-Alagi.
A spokesman for the Zintan brigades, Bashir al-Tlayeb, who first announced the capture at a press conference in Tripoli, said the NTC, which took over governing the country after Gadhafi was ousted, would decide where Seif al-Islam would be tried.

He also said that there was still no information about al-Senoussi's whereabouts.

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, at 39 the oldest of seven children of Moammar and Safiya Gadhafi, had long drawn western favour by touting himself as a liberalizing reformer in the autocratic regime but then staunchly backed his father in his brutal crackdown on rebels in the regime's final days.

He had gone underground after Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces and issued audio recordings to try to rally support for his father.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he will travel to Libya next week for talks with the country's transitional government on where Moammar Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam will be tried.
Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo says that while national governments have the right to try their own citizens for war crimes, he is concerned that Gadhafi will have a fair trial and that he be tried for the same charges he faces at the ICC.

"The good news is that Seif al-Islam is arrested, he is alive, and now he will face justice," Ocampo said in an interview Saturday in The Hague.
The ICC had earlier said that it was in indirect negotiations with a son of Moammar Gadhafi about his possible surrender for trial.

© The Associated Press, 2011
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Gaddafi slept with 4-5 women daily says his close aide

Former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was a sex addict who had a penchant for young women -- many of whom were his bodyguards, his close aide has revealed.

"There were four or sometimes five women each day. They had just become a habit to Gaddafi. They would go into his bedroom, he would have his way with them and then he would come out like he had just blown his nose.
"They all had sex with Gaddafi. The more canny of them became wealthy from his gifts of villas or large sums of cash," Faisal, Gaddafi's chef of seven years, told 'The Sunday Times' newspaper.
Faisal claimed that some of the women his former master bedded suffered so badly that "they went immediately from his bedroom to the hospital" to be treated for internal injuries.
In fact, Gaddafi, who once bedded at least four women just hours before meeting Britain's Prince Andrew for trade talks in Tripoli, was so addicted to anti-impotence pills that his Ukrainian nurse urged to him to reduce the number of drugs he swallowed every day, the 29-year-old chef said.
The former Libyan despot even picked up victims at his former alma mater, Tripoli University, where he gave lectures and then led the young women to a nearby room whose only furniture was a double bed, he said.

Faisal claimed that another aide was once sent to a sex district of Paris, to buy a machine that Gaddafi used to apparently lengthen his penis.
Gaddafi was particular about his looks and used make- ups and treatments with green tea to hide his wrinkles, said Faisal, who was captured along with his former master by the National Transitional Council forces Sirte last month.Gaddafi was killed after his capture.
PTI

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Google Earth spots huge, unidentified structures in Gobi desert

Vast, unidentified, structures have been spotted by satellites in the barren Gobi desert, raising questions about what China might be building in a region it uses for its military, space and nuclear programmes.
All of the sites are on the borders of Gansu province and Xinjiang... Photo: GOOGLE EARTH

The two reflective rectangles lie 70 miles from the nearest main road and there is no sign of any surrounding activity. However, Ding Xin military airbase, where China carries out its secret aircraft testing programme, is relatively nearby, at a distance of some 400 miles.
400 miles in the other direction is Lop Nur, the salt lakes where China tested 45 nuclear bombs between 1967 and 1995.
The purpose of the structures is unknown, but some experts suggested that they might be optical test ranges for Chinese missiles, to simulate the street grids of cities.
Tim Ripley, a defence expert from Jane's Defence Weekly, compared the structures to similar grids in Area 51, the secret United States military test base in Nevada. "The picture of the circle looks very like a missile test range, with target and instrumentation set out to record weapon effects. The Americans have lots of these in Nevada – Area 51!" he said.
Conspiracy theorists believe that Area 51 is home to the remains of an alien spacecraft found at Roswell, and there was no shortage on Monday of similar hypotheses about the Chinese sites.
"It looks like our own Area 51," said one commenter on Baidu, a Chinese website. "Can it be an alien base," asked another. "It looks like solar energy facilities, with a walkway along the side," said a third.

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Syrian clashes said to leave 90 dead

Dozens of soldiers and security forces were gunned down by suspected army defectors in southern Syria, a deadly ambush that comes as President Bashar Assad increasingly appears unable to manage the crisis

Demonstrators protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gather in Hula, near Homs on November 13, 2011. (Handout/Reuters)

Monday's hours-long clash in the southern province of Daraa came on a particularly bloody day in Syria, with as many as 90 people killed across the country. The brazen attack by the army defectors suggested a new confidence among troops who have sided with the protesters and highlighted the potential for an armed confrontation to escalate.

The UN estimates the regime's military crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising has killed 3,500 people in the past eight months. November is shaping up to be the bloodiest month of the revolt, with well over 300 people killed so far.
The latest death toll was compiled by sources including British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Local Coordination Committees activist coalition and morgue officials.
Killed in ambush

Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the observatory, confirmed that 34 soldiers were killed in an ambush in Daraa, the birthplace of the uprising that began in mid-March, inspired by successful revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and later Libya.
Although activists say the protests have remained largely peaceful, with demonstrators calling for the regime's downfall, an armed insurgency has developed in recent months targeting Assad's military and security forces.

Assad is facing the most severe challenge to his family's four-decade rule in Syria, with former allies as well as Western nations using increasingly harsh rhetoric in urging him to stop his bloody crackdown. On Tuesday, Turkey said it no longer has confidence in the Syrian regime and warned Assad that his brutal crackdown threatens to place him on a list of leaders who "feed on blood."

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's comments were a blow to Syria, because the countries once cultivated close ties. But Turkish leaders have grown increasingly frustrated with Damascus over its refusal to halt the attacks on protesters.
On Monday, Jordan's King Abdullah II said Assad should step down for the good of his country, the first Arab leader to publicly make such a call.

That prompted pro-government protesters to converge on Jordan's embassy in Damascus, with three of them scaling the fence and ripping down the Jordanian flag -- the latest in a string of attacks on foreign missions. Jordan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Kayed said no one entered the embassy and no injuries occurred.

Monday's bloodiest attacks were in Daraa province, along the Jordanian border, including the attack that killed 34 soldiers. According to the observatory, 12 defectors and 23 civilians also killed in the area.
Hours of gunbattles

A resident near the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh in Daraa province said he heard more than four hours of intense gunfire. He asked that his name not be used for fear of government reprisals.

Another witness, who is an activist in the area, said he counted the bodies of 12 people, believed to be civilians killed by security forces' fire.
"I saw two army armored personnel carriers, totally burnt," he told The Associated Press by telephone. He also asked for anonymity out of fear for his safety.

In the restive city of Homs, the morgue received 19 corpses, all of them shot.

Other activist groups had slightly different figures of those killed, a common occurrence because the Syrian government has prevented independent reporting and barred most foreign journalists. Details gathered by activist groups and witnesses are key channels of information.

Syria's crackdown has brought international condemnation, but Damascus generally had been spared broad reproach in the Arab world. That changed Saturday, with a near-unanimous vote by the 22-member Arab League to suspend Syria, and the situation appeared to be spiraling out of Assad's control.

Earlier Monday, Syria struck back at its international critics, branding an Arab League decision to suspend its membership as "shameful and malicious" and accusing other Arabs of conspiring with the West to undermine the regime.

The sharp rebuke suggests Damascus fears the United States and its allies might use the rare Arab consensus to press for tougher sanctions at the United Nations.
Assad says extremists pushing a foreign agenda to destabilize Syria are behind the unrest, not true reform-seekers aiming to open the country's autocratic political system.

Turkey cancels Syrian oil plans

Turkey on Tuesday canceled plans for oil exploration in Syria, while also threatening to cut electricity supplies after a spate of attacks by supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad on its diplomatic missions.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz announced that Turkey had shelved plans for Turkey's petroleum company, TPAO, to jointly explore oil with Syria's state oil company in six wells within Syria. Yildiz also threatened that Turkey could review supplies of electricity to the troubled country if tensions continue.
"Right now, we are providing electricity (to Syria)," Yildiz said. "If (Syria) continues on this course, then we might have to reconsider these decisions."

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Assad for his brutal crackdown on opponents and attacks by his supporters on Turkish diplomatic missions on Saturday.
Turkey no longer has confidence in the Syrian regime, Erdogan said, warning Assad that his brutal crackdown on opponents threatens to place him on a list of leaders who "feed on blood."

The Associated Press

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Huge blast kills 17 at Iran military base

A massive explosion at a military arms depot near the Iranian capital Tehran on Saturday killed 17 Revolutionary Guards and wounded 15, a spokesman for the elite fighting force told the semi-official Fars news agency.

Blast at Iran military base Credit: AP

Officials said the blast was an accident which happened as troops were moving munitions at a base in Bidganeh, near the town of Shahriar, some 45 km (28 miles) west of Tehran.
The explosion shook homes and rattled windows for miles around, at a time of mounting tension with Israel over Iran's nuclear program.

"Today at 13:30, (0900 GMT), an explosion happened in one of the Revolutionary Guards' bases while a consignment of explosive devices was being moved out from the arsenal, besides that some munitions in the arsenal exploded which created a terrifying sound," Revolutionary Guards spokesman Ramezan Sharif told state

Sharif initially said 27 people had been killed but later revised that figure down to 17.
Residents in western suburbs of Tehran told Reuters they had felt the blast, some assuming it to be a moderate earthquake.
The explosion started a fire at the base which raged for hours. Surrounding streets were closed and reporters were kept away from the scene.
Some media reported there had been two explosions and the head of Iran's Red Crescent organization said there was a risk of further blasts.

Mahmoud Mozafar told the Mehr news agency that only six paramedics had been allowed into the Amir Al-Momenin military base and that thick smoke was hampering the rescue operation.
There were no reports linking the blast to any air strike or other attack. Tension has risen in recent weeks between Iran and its enemies Israel and the United States, which have not ruled out attacking facilities whose occupants they believe are working toward making nuclear weapons.
Sharif denied what he said was speculation in the Western media that the military base was linked to Iran's nuclear program.

"This blast is not related to any nuclear tests that some foreign media have reported," he told Mehr.

Tehran denies Western accusations, that were given some credence by a report from the UN nuclear agency this week, that its nuclear program has military ends.
On October 12 last year a similar blast at a Revolutionary Guards munitions store killed and wounded several servicemen in Khoramabad, western Iran. Authorities said that explosion was an accident too.

(Reuters)

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Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi resigns

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi credit: news.xinhuanet.com

Elated Italians cheered the resignation of Silvio Berlusconi outside Rome's presidential palace Saturday night after the flamboyant prime minister officially stepped down, ending a 17-year political career that saw his notorious libido become a favourite topic among the country's media.

Despite a racy reputation and years of being dogged by accusations of philandering, it was economics — not a sex scandal — that finally brought the curtain down on the 75-year-old media baron turned politician.
Berlusconi had pledged to step down following Saturday's crucial parliamentary vote on austerity measures, which passed in the Italian lower house with 380 legislators in favour, 26 against.

MAP Europe feels the financial pinch
Thousands of people, a group of whom sang the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah, celebrated the resignation in the streets of Rome as security looked on. Some of the demonstrators waved signs bearing messages such as "Nov. 12 is the day of liberation" and "Bye bye, bunga bunga" — a reference to the wild sex parties Berlusconi was said to have attended.

The passage of the economic package, which includes spending cuts and proposals to boost growth and extend the retirement age, came after animated debate and "impassioned speeches from the left and the right" in parliament, freelance journalist Megan Williams told CBC News from Rome.

"Berlusconi himself looked grim. He came in at the last moment; he left early," she said.

He tendered his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano after convening his last cabinet meeting, and leaves as Italy's longest-serving, postwar prime minister.

Mario Monti tipped to become next PM
The approved economic austerity measures were demanded by the European Union. The same belt-tightening plan that passed Saturday in the Chamber of Deputies already won the approval of the country's senate, with little opposition, a day earlier.
Berlusconi, one of Italy's richest men and the owner of a large portion of the Italian media, was booed and heckled by crowds as he was driven to and from the presidential palace. Shouts of "Shame!" and "Buffoon, buffoon!" were directed at his motorcade.
Although some of his supporters showed up to sing the Italian national anthem and express their sadness over his resignation, they were clearly outnumbered.

People celebrate in front of the presidential palace in Rome after hearing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi formally resigned. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)

In his years as the public face of Italian politics, Berlusconi was known for a racy tenure during which he was accused of partying with underage girls at sex parties.

Grant Amyot, a professor with Queen's University who has studied Italian policy, told CBC News he has watched with "horrified fascination" as Berlusconi managed to endure in politics despite apparent conflicts of interest and alleged trysts with young prostitutes.
He is facing several sets of criminal charges, including for corruption, tax fraud and allegations that he paid for sex with an underage Moroccan girl who went by the stage name "Ruby the Heart Stealer."
P.O.V.

What's next for Italy after Silvio Berlusconi?
Amyot said it's undeniable that Berlusconi has left his mark Italian politics, emerging in 1994 as a "fresh face" and surviving 51 confidence votes. Over time, Amyot, said, Berlusconi's rise "has led to a degradation of Italian democracy."

"The kind of party he set up, which is really the branch of a private business empire, obviously this isn't the private influence that makes for a healthy democracy, and the Italian right is in a real quandary because he is the party," Amyot said.

Mario Monti, a respected former European commissioner and economics professor, has been touted as a likely successor to form an emergency government.

Contrasts between Monti and Berlusconi
That expectation was heightened this week when Napolitano named Monti a senator for life. If chosen to be the next prime minister, Monti would have 18 months to shepherd the third-largest economy in the eurozone through further economic reforms.

Napolitano will hold consultations Sunday morning with all of Italy's political groups. The back-to-back, 10-minute meetings he has scheduled indicate the talks won't last long and that Monti would likely be nominated by the end of the day. Late Saturday, Berlusconi's party said it would support Monti, albeit with conditions.

There's a sharp contrast between Monti and Berlusconi. The latter has been at the heart of Italian politics for the last 17 years, but more recently he has been ridiculed and embroiled in legal action for hosting parties at which magistrates say he entertained starlets and prostitutes, CBC freelance contributor Dominic Valitis reported from London.

"They are very different people indeed. Monti is a former European Union commissioner with some pretty heavy connections within the EU. He is a tough negotiator. He's not afraid of a fight. He's been known to take on big corporations," Valitis said.

Resignation won't fix economic troubles
Italy is under intense pressure to quickly put in place a new and effective government to replace Berlusconi's, one that can push through tough reforms to reduce Italy's staggering sovereign debt, pegged at €1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion).

The economic reforms include increasing the retirement age from 65 to 67, starting in 2026, but do nothing to open up Italy's inflexible labour market. The measures also call for the privatization of some municipal services as well as the sale of state-owned real estate.

Italy's public debt totals twice that facing Greece, Ireland and Portugal combined. An Italian default could tear apart the coalition of 17 countries that use the euro as a common currency and deal a strong blow to the economies of industrialized countries struggling to avoid recessions.
Silvio Berlusconi, in the backseat, arrives in his car at the Quirinale Presidential Palace to meet Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in Rome. Berlusconi has stepped down as prime minister.Silvio Berlusconi, in the backseat, arrives in his car at the Quirinale Presidential Palace to meet Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in Rome. Berlusconi has stepped down as prime minister. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)

Patrick Young, a global markets analyst with the firm DV Advisors, said the problems with Italy run deep and won't be resolved with a single austerity package, and certainly not with Berlusconi's resignation alone.
"The problem we have here is that ultimately, this crisis has spiralled out of control due to a complete lack of leadership on the political level throughout the European Union. And the problem is that it's not just a question of this particular package of austerity, which is going to be pretty tough for Italians. The truth of the matter is people don't have confidence in the eurozone leadership and in the eurozone political classes," he told CBC News.
Young said Italy has had structural deficit issues for up to the last 50 years and those problems won't be resolved with one simple austerity package.

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Robot Suit for Nuclear Workers Unveiled

    The exoskeleton helps lighten the load of a 132-pound anti-radiation vest.

THE GIST

    * Workers are still dealing with the atomic emergency at Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.
    * A Japanese maker of exoskeleton robot suits has developed one that could assist nuclear workers.

In Tsukuba city, Ibaraki prefecture, a member of Cyberdyne wears the new Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) suit, which supports the 132 lb anti-radiation jacket. Cyberdyne

The Japanese maker of an exoskeleton robot suit to assist walking on Monday unveiled a model that could help nuclear workers weighed down by heavy anti-radiation vests in contaminated zones.
Cyberdyne, based northeast of Tokyo, demonstrated an upgraded version of the robot device called the Hybrid Assistive Limb, or HAL, that can be worn under anti-radiation tungsten vests as heavy as 132 pounds
Lightweight Tyvek protective outfits can provide a barrier between radioactive materials and the body, but are not effective in blocking radiation itself.
Vests made of tungsten can block radiation but are very heavy, making it difficult for workers to take on long shifts at highly contaminated sites, Cyberdyne noted.
"This new type of HAL robot suit supports the weight of tungsten-made protective clothing and enables their wearers to work on the site without feeling the burden," the company said in a statement.
"It is hoped that this will reduce risks of working under harsh environments and contribute to early restoration operations by humans in the wake of disasters," it said.
The massive earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, sparked an atomic emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) in the northeast of the country.
Efforts to contain the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986 are still continuing, with high levels of radiation hampering operations.
More than 2,000 employees of TEPCO and other companies are working at the plant on weekdays with the number falling on weekends, according to the plant operator.
It has not been decided whether the new robot suit will be used in work to contain the situation at the Fukushima plant.
HAL gives power to its wearer by anticipating and supporting the user's body movements using sensors monitoring electric signals sent from the brain to the muscles.
The company had already leased the lower-limb version of the battery-powered suit to 113 hospitals, welfare and other facilities by the end of October.

Via Discovery News

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Mexico Interior Secretary Blake Mora dies in helicopter crash

Mexico's Secretary of the Interior, Francisco Blake Mora, has died in a helicopter crash outside Mexico City, officials say.

Mexican Secretary of the Interior Francisco Blake Mora in Mexico City - 4 October 2011

The helicopter was travelling to Cuernavaca in neighbouring Morelos state for a meeting of prosecutors when it went down.
All eight people on board were killed. It is not clear what caused the crash.
Mr Blake Mora, 45, was appointed to the post last year and was a key figure in the war against drug cartels.
The helicopter had initially been reported missing. Some Mexican media reports said there was heavy cloud at the time.
"Unfortunately the interior secretary, his [assistants] and the helicopter crew were found dead," government spokeswoman Alejandra Sota said.
Spanish news agency Efe said Deputy Interior Secretary Felipe Zamora and the interior ministry's chief press officer Alfredo Garcia were also on the helicopter.
The interior secretary is Mexico's senior cabinet position and the top official after the president, with responsibility for domestic affairs and security.
Mr Blake was President Felipe Calderon's fourth interior secretary. One of his predecessors, Juan Camilo Mourino, was killed in a plane crash in Mexico City three years ago.
Mr Blake began his political career in the north-western border city of Tijuana in the mid-1990s, Associated Press news agency said. He later served in the federal congress.
He earned a reputation as being a hardliner in Mexico's struggle with drug cartels.
More than 40,000 people are reported to have died from drug-related violence since President Calderon sent in the army to help combat the cartels in 2006.

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Ex-Israeli president to serve 7 years for rape

Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered former President Moshe Katsav to spend seven years in prison after rejecting the disgraced politician's appeal of a rape conviction and other sex crimes.

The unanimous decision of the three-judge panel capped a long and sordid chapter in Israeli politics that captured the country's attention for more than five years and ended with Katsav becoming the highest-ranking Israeli official ever sentenced to prison. He is to start serving his sentence on Dec. 7.

The ruling was seen as a major triumph for women's rights — and specifically, rape victims' rights — and for a legal system willing to take on some of the country's most influential figures.
Katsav, who has proclaimed his innocence throughout the affair, sat stone-faced throughout Thursday's ruling, briefly smiling wryly as it became clear his appeal was being rejected. He left the court grim-faced, surrounded by supporters, and made no comment to reporters.

Katsav, 65, was convicted last December of raping a former employee when he was a Cabinet minister and of sexually harassing two other women during his term as president from 2000 to 2007. He received a seven-year prison sentence in March, but was allowed to stay out of jail pending his appeal.
The court had not been expected to overturn the conviction, though experts had said there was a chance the sentence would be revised. Reading their opinions, the judges said Katsav's testimony had not been credible and accused him of exploiting his status as a high public official.
The former president "fell from the loftiest heights to the deepest depths," Judge Salim Joubran told the hushed court. "Such a senior official should be a role model to his subordinates. Every woman has a right to her own body. A right to dignity. A right to freedom. No one has the liberty to take any of those from her."
Katsav's attorney, Avigdor Feldman, said he "did not agree" with the outcome of the appeal and faulted the judges for believing the rape victim despite serious holes in her testimony.

"They would have believed her if she said the rape occurred on Venus," Feldman said.
But prosecutor Naomi Granot saw a triumph for the Israeli legal system. "This Supreme Court ruling confirms that in the state of Israel, all are equal before the law," she declared.
Katsav has maintained he was the victim of a political witch hunt.
Israel's presidency is a largely ceremonial office, typically filled by a respected elder statesman who is capable of rising above politics and serving as the country's moral compass.
The case against Katsav, which broke in 2006 after he told police one of his accusers was trying to extort money from him, shocked Israelis by portraying a man widely seen as a bland official as a predatory boss who repeatedly used his authority over female employees to force sexual favors.
Katsav reluctantly resigned two weeks before his seven-year term was to expire in 2007 under a plea bargain that would have allowed him to escape jail time.

He was replaced by Nobel peace laureate and former prime minister Shimon Peres, whom he had bested in the 2000 presidential race, decided in the Israeli parliament. Then, in a dramatic reversal, Katsav rejected the plea bargain, vowing to prove his innocence in court.
Judges, however, were not convinced, accused him of lying and sentenced him to jail in March. His long record of public service did not factor in his favor, they said, instead accusing him of exploiting his lofty positions to become a sexual offender.
Katsav's conviction was a stunning fall from grace for a man who rose from humble beginnings to become a symbol of success for Mizrahi Jews, those of Middle Eastern descent who for decades were an underclass in Israel. The country's elite has long been dominated by Jews of European origin.
In one of the more bizarre moments in the case, Katsav accused prosecutors and the media of plotting his demise and accused them of being out to destroy him because he didn't belong to the European-descended elite.

After his sentencing in March, one of Katsav's lawyers said the former president was so distraught over his impending prison sentence that he was at risk of committing suicide.
The verdict against Katsav was seen as a victory for women's rights in a decades-long struggle to chip away at the nation's macho culture, which once permitted political and military leaders great liberties.
Miriam Schler, director of the Tel Aviv Rape Crisis Center, told Israeli Channel 10 news that Katsav's sentence was "very meaningful."
"This is a day with a very important message to rape victims in the state of Israel, that the justice system can be trusted," Schler said.
It also highlighted the justice system's increased willingness to prosecute powerful figures who see themselves as above the law.
In recent years, Israel has seen a former finance minister sent to prison for embezzling funds and a justice minister convicted of forcibly kissing a female soldier. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was forced to resign to face corruption charges. His trial is still in court.

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$20K portrait prize won by Kingston, Ont., artist

Michael Bayne, a Kingston, Ont., artist, has won the 2011 Kingston Prize for portraiture with a realistic painting of an old woman.

Orange Grandma, an oil on wood by Michael Bayne of Kingston, Ont., won the Kingston Prize for portraiture. (Courtesy of Michael Bayne)

Orange Grandma, a 2011 oil on wood panel that captures every line and shadow of an elderly face, was named winner of the competition Thursday at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.

The Kingston Prize, Canada’s only award for portraits, comes with a $20,000 cash prize after a donation from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation doubled the prize pot for the winner in 2011.

A winner and two honourable mentions, who each win $2,000, are chosen by a jury from a list of 30 painters. This year's jury members included gallery owner Marina Cutler, art critic Robert Enright and artist Natalka Husar.

Bayne, born in 1977 in Ottawa, studied art at Queen’s University and Concordia. In exhibits over the last seven years in New York, Chicago, Montreal and Toronto, he has shown paintings in a photo-realist style, including a series showing strip malls and suburban streetscapes.

The Compromise, an oil painting by Tammy Salzl, earned an honourable mention. Courtesy of Tammy Salzl

The honourable mentions went to:

•     Steven Spazuk of Léry, Que., for Danielle 3, a soot on paper sketch of a woman.
•     Tammy Salzl of Montreal, for The Compromise, an oil on paper of four girls.

All 30 entries are being exhibited at the ROM until Jan. 29. A people's choice winner will be named in December.

CBC News

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At home with Schlamowitz: Gaddafi's Jewish pen pal

An elderly Jewish man from Brooklyn has spent decades as a pen pal to world leaders as diverse and unlikely as JFK, Ayatollah Khomeini and the recently deceased Col Gaddafi.

Louis Schlamowitz has 60 albums packed with correspondence and signed pictures of world leaders

In Louis Schlamowitz's cramped Brooklyn flat, a signed photograph from President John F Kennedy sits above an action shot of Gen Manuel Noriega of Panama, signed with best wishes.
And there is Mr Schlamowitz, wearing sideburns, meeting President Richard Nixon at the White House, just as the Watergate scandal gained momentum.
The Queen is one who got away - she has not personally responded to the indefatigable 81-year-old autograph hunter from Brooklyn's Canarsie neighbourhood. At least not yet.
"The Queen only writes to people she's met," explains Mr Schlamowitz, a former florist and veteran of the Korean War.
He still treasures the three-decade-old photograph of the Queen and Prince Philip sent by Buckingham Palace.
Louis Schlamowitz Mr Schlamowitz says his correspondence with world leaders gave him a part in history
Mr Schlamowitz has 60 albums packed with correspondence and signed pictures of world leaders, movie stars and sporting heroes of yesteryear.
It all began when he was deployed to Korea with the US Army in 1953 and a friend suggested he use a spare Christmas card to write to President Harry Truman, on the off chance the American leader would write back.
When the response arrived from the White House, Mr Schlamowitz found his calling.
He began scanning the newspapers, writing down the names of public figures, noting the dates of their birthdays and anniversaries.
"Not everybody replies to me, but most people do," he says. "I write nice things to them, but it doesn't mean I'm sincere."
Mr Schlamowitz, an observant Jew, has corresponded avidly with Middle East leaders who do not recognise the state of Israel. He acknowledges that has earned him more than the occasional rebuke from rabbis.
More autographs Mr Schlamowitz has resisted most offers to buy his collection, which he intends for his family
"It doesn't mean I agree with them," he says. "I just want to add them to my collection."
Mr Schlamowitz corresponded frequently with the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, for instance congratulating him on the anniversary of his revolution. In response he received lengthy letters railing against US and Israeli policy.
"I stopped writing to him in 2000," Mr Schlamowitz says. "I got fed up with all the propaganda."
His practice of writing to leaders hostile to the US has earned Mr Schlamowitz visits from the CIA, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security over the years, he says.
Mr Gaddafi was a particular cause for concern: CIA agents wondered why Mr Schlamowitz was the pen pal of the leader of a government suspected of being behind the Lockerbie bombing.
"It's just a hobby," Mr Schlamowitz says he explained to the suspicious CIA officer.
"Hell of a hobby, Schlamowitz," came the reply, he says.
Despite these interrogations by officialdom, Mr Schlamowitz remains particularly proud of his Middle East albums. They feature Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran, former PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, assassinated in 1981.
Gaddafi autographs Gaddafi sent him anti-American and anti-Israel propaganda
The Arab uprising has swept away leaders to whom Mr Schlamowitz wrote, like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, who sent Christmas wishes from Cairo to Canarsie.
"I think Mubarak did the right thing, stepping down," Mr Schlamowitz reflects. "Gaddafi should have done the same. Politics is a brutal game."
This treasure trove of autographs and memorabilia has led dealers and collectors to make the pilgrimage to Canarsie over the years.
Mr Schlamowitz has sold a few items from his JFK and Marilyn Monroe collections, but most of his albums remain intact, ultimately intended as gifts for his family.
He says he plans to write "again" to US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and says he will pen a note to the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo.
Mr Schlamowitz complains he cannot hold the pen as well as he once did, but he says the writing keeps him occupied.
"I feel good when they write back. I'm nothing special, just an ordinary guy, and now I'm part of history."

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Eddie Murphy out, Brian Grazer in at Oscars

In a day of drama befitting Hollywood, Oscar organizers on Wednesday said comedian Eddie Murphy was bowing out as host of the world's top film honors and producer Brian Grazer was stepping in to run the show.

The dual announcements by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences follows Tuesday's departure of producer Brett Ratner who earned the wrath of academy members after using a gay slur at a weekend screening of his new movie, "Tower Heist," which co-starred Murphy.
Ratner had lured the "Beverly Hills Cop" funnyman into the coveted job as Oscar host and after he quit, Murphy tendered his resignation on Wednesday. It appeared to be the first time a host quit the show that annually is among the most-watched programs on U.S. TV and is seen by tens of millions worldwide.
Murphy's departure paved the way for the academy to bring on "A Beautiful Mind" producer Grazer to guide the show from concept to curtain this coming February. It will be up to Grazer to pick a new host for the awards that honor the top films, performances and other movie work of 2011.
"Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work," academy president Tom Sherak, said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, on announcing Murphy's departure, Sherak had said, "I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well."
On Tuesday Ratner resigned from the high-profile job in the face of an industry firestorm over his answer to a question at a "Tower Heist" screening about using rehearsals ahead of the film shoot. Ratner replied, "rehearsing is for fags."
Gay rights groups and some members of the academy took issue with his use of the word that is largely viewed as a slur, and Ratner later apologized publicly. But adding fuel to the fire was an interview he gave on the Howard Stern radio show about his sex life. The damage was done.
In his own statement, Murphy seemed almost apologetic for bowing out of the show.
"First and foremost, I want to say that I completely understand and support each party's decision with regard to a change of producers for this year's Academy Awards ceremony," he said.
"I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I'm sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job."
Fortunately for Oscar organizers, the show does not take place until the final Sunday of February, 2012, giving the group plenty of time to put on a show.

(via Reuters)

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Dr. Conrad Murray found guilty

Dr. Conrad Murray remains expressionless next to his attorney J. Michael Flanagan (L) after the jury returned with a guilty verdict in his involuntary manslaughter trial in Los Angeles November 7, 2011. Murray was found guilty on Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death. REUTERS/Al Seib/Pool

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The single word, "Guilty," brought a muffled shriek in the gallery of the packed courtroom and tears from Michael Jackson's family, but no reaction from the doctor convicted of supplying the King of Pop with the drug he craved for sleep.
With the snap of handcuffs, another chapter in the bizarre saga surrounding Jackson's life came to a close, and the man who once envisioned a glamorous career as the music icon's personal physician was led from the courtroom. Dr. Conrad Murray was going to jail for involuntary manslaughter.
Murray's face was grim but betrayed no emotion. In a few minutes, his life had been shattered and it was likely he would never practice medicine again.
It was a precipitous fall for a man who told his patients he had been given "a once in a lifetime opportunity" for which he was giving up his practice. At 58, he planned to devote himself to one patient, Jackson, who would escort him into a world of glamor and celebrity. They were going to London for Jackson's spectacular comeback concerts.
All of that ended on June 25, 2009, in a Holmby Hills mansion where he gave his difficult patient what he wanted — an operating room anesthetic that Jackson called his "milk," the only thing the singer trusted to put him to sleep.
Now Murray faces up to four years in prison, although overcrowding makes it unlikely he'll serve that long.
Jurors heard hours of testimony about propofol, the drug that killed Jackson, and they listened while defense attorneys blamed the singer for his own death, suggesting it was he, not Murray, who injected the fatal dose.
Did they believe that? Jurors weren't saying. In fact, they said nothing after their verdict. But they didn't have to find that Murray administered the dose that killed Jackson, only that the doctor was primarily responsible for the singer's death.
Their deliberations were short, less than nine hours over two days, presided over by the foreman, a 45-year-old management consultant who had previously been a classical musician and had served on a jury before.
Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor praised the panel's dedication and was harsh in his comments about Murray after the jury left the room.
"This is a crime where the end result (was) the death of a human being," the judge said. "Dr. Murray's reckless conduct in this case poses a demonstrable risk to the safety of the public" if he remains free on bond, the judge said.
He then ordered Murray taken into immediate custody and held without bail pending sentencing Nov. 29.
Prosecutors will address whether Murray should pay restitution at a later hearing and the physician is being pursued by Jackson's father in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Defense attorney Ed Chernoff said the verdict was a disappointment and would be appealed. Asked how Murray took the verdict, Chernoff said, "he's a pretty strong guy."
Regarding Murray's future, he said, "the keys to his handcuffs belong to the judge. We certainly would like to do anything we can to keep him from going to prison."
In post-verdict comments to the media, District Attorney Steve Cooley praised the verdict but suggested a recent change in state law might make it difficult to keep Murray behind bars because non-violent felony offenders are being sentenced to overcrowded county jails and being released early.
Despite six weeks of testimony and hundreds of pieces of evidence, precisely what happened in Jackson's bedroom in the hours before his death remains unknown. Murray offered an account to police two days after Jackson's death, but prosecutors said the doctor's version wasn't consistent with the amounts of propofol found in Jackson's system or other evidence.
Murray's departure from the courtroom in handcuffs was an abrupt end to the freedom he had kept since being charged with Jackson's death nearly 21 months ago. After Murray changed into prison garb at the courthouse his elegantly tailored suit was returned to his mother, who had sat through every day of the trial.
The other mother in the courtroom, Katherine Jackson, walked away slowly on the arm of her son, Randy.
"I feel better now," she said quietly and told an Associated Press reporter that she had been confident of the outcome. Her daughter, La Toya, said she was overcome with joy and felt her brother's presence in the courtroom.
"Michael was looking over us," she said.
Jackson's sister, Rebbie Jackson, appeared on NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday, and said she thought she would feel relief at the verdict, but instead felt numb and "started crying profusely."
"I guess because the reality of what had transpired really hit me at that point ... It was just tremendous."
NBC on Tuesday also aired a clip from an interview with Murray that was conducted a few weeks ago. In it, reporter Savannah Guthrie asks Murray if he remembers Jackson's final words.
"It was probably, I don't know, but probably when he was pleading and begging me to please, please let him have some milk because that was the only thing that would work," Murray says. NBC said the interview will air on Friday.
Monday's verdict was greeted with cheers outside the downtown courthouse where Murray was convicted. His fans sang the Jackson hit "Beat It" and cheered his parents and siblings as they left the courthouse.
The singer left behind three children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, who did not attend the trial but were a key component of the case. The eldest children witnessed Murray's frantic efforts to revive their father. Deputy District Attorney David Walgren repeatedly told jurors in closing arguments that Murray's actions were the reason the children would grow up without their father, who had planned a series of comeback concerts in large part so they could see him perform.
After the verdict, Walgren extended his sympathies to the Jackson family, who "lost not a pop icon, but a son, a brother and a father."

Associated Press

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Boxing champion Joe Frazier dies at 67

Joe Frazier, 67, the former heavyweight boxing champion who was known for his fighting spirit, powerful punch and intense rivalry with Muhammad Ali, died Monday night in a hospice in Philadelphia. He had been suffering from liver cancer.

As a heavyweight in all senses of the word, Mr. Frazier was one of the best known champions of the latter decades of the 20th century.
While at the top of the heavyweight ranks, the elite of boxing, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mr. Frazier, who went by the sobriquet of Smokin' Joe, was known for his knockout punch.

In more than two dozen fights, Mr. Frazier’s ferocious, brawling, slugging style sent his foes to the canvas for the full count.
Among boxing fans, and connoisseurs of popular culture, his bouts with Ali have become enshrined in memory. He was the first to defeat Ali in the ring. It happened in New York's Madison Square Garden, long the world’s capital of prizefighting.

The contest went the full 15 rounds, neither able to dispatch the other, in what was described in the hyperbole of the sports world as the Fight of the Century.

In all they had four fights, and in one of them, the “Thrilla in Manila,” they outdid their previous efforts for the title.
In that 1975 slugfest, Ali emerged the victor when Mr. Frazier could not answer the bell for the final round.
In addition to his legendary battles with Ali, Mr. Frazier was also known for two fights with George Foreman. In the first, Foreman took his title from him.

But the rivalry with Ali was what he was better known for, a kind of face-off in the ring and outside it, that emphasized the contrasting styles and personalities of both men.
With a less flamboyant and engaging image than Ali’s Mr. Frazier seemed far less expressive, possessed of a stolid ruggedness of a hard-working man who let his fists and his dedication speak for him.
Joseph William Frazier was born in Beaufort, S.C., in January 1944, and entered the professional boxing ranks 21 years later. Through the late 1960s, the 5 foot 11 1/2-inch fighter gained recognition as a contender, and, dispatching a series of others who wished the heavyweight title, became undisputed champion in 1970.

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Sarkozy called Israeli PM 'liar'

French President Nicholas Sarkozy and U.S. President Barack Obama shake hands as they attend an event in Cannes, France on Nov. 4, 2011. The French leader has worked to strengthen his country's relationship with Israel since 2007. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "liar" in remarks to US President Barack Obama overheard by journalists.
"I can't stand him any more, he's a liar," Mr Sarkozy said in French.
"You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day," Mr Obama replied.

The exchange at the G20 summit was quoted by a French website, Arret sur Images, and confirmed by other media.
The remarks - during a private conversation - were overheard by a few journalists last week but were not initially reported, the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris says.

Journalists at the bilateral press conference had been handed translation boxes but had been told not to plug in their headphones until the backroom conversation had finished. But those who did heard the revealing comments.
For several days there was media silence in France about the exchange - a decision had been taken not to embarrass the French president, our correspondent says.
A correspondent for Le Monde newspaper referred to the conversation without the quotes.
But Israeli newspapers have reported it in full.

It is said Mr Obama was taking Mr Sarkozy to task for voting in favour of the Palestinian bid for full membership of the UN cultural organisation, Unesco, a bid that was approved despite American opposition.
The remarks indicate a breakdown of trust with the Israeli leader which could have wider implications for the Middle East peace process, our correspondent says.
BBC NEWS

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Canadians to set clocks back this weekend

This weekend, Canadians will set their clocks back one hour to mark the conclusion of daylight time, which ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6.

Daylight time was first enacted in Germany in 1915, then quickly adopted by Britain and much of Europe and Canada.
Because the sun shone for a time while most people were still asleep in the morning, it was reasoned that light could be better used during the day. The solution was to push the clocks ahead one hour in springtime, forcing people to wake an hour earlier. They would therefore expend less energy trying to light their homes, for instance, if time were adjusted to suit their daily patterns.
When the days started getting shorter in the fall and people awoke to increasing darkness, the clocks were turned back an hour to get more light in the morning.
History
Although first instituted in 1915, the idea of daylight time had been batted around for a more than a century. Benjamin Franklin suggested the idea more than once in the 1770s while he was an emissary to France. But it wasn't until more than a century later that the idea of daylight time was taken seriously.
William Willett, an English builder, revived the idea in 1907, and eight years later Germany was the first nation to adopt daylight time. The reason: energy conservation. Britain quickly followed suit and instituted British Summer Time in 1916.
Several areas, including parts of Europe, Canada and the United States, followed suit during the First World War. In most cases, daylight time ended with the armistice.
During the Second World War, a different form of daylight time was reinstated by Britain and clocks were set two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time during the summer. It was known as Double Summer Time.
The time shift didn't end with the summer, as clocks were rolled back to be one hour ahead of GMT through the winter. The Uniform Time Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1966, established a system of uniform (within each time zone) daylight time throughout most of the U.S. and its possessions, exempting only those states in which the legislatures voted to keep the entire state on standard time.
Schedule changed to save energy
In Canada, it's up to each province to decide whether to use daylight time, and not all do. Most — but not all — jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. have been moving their clocks ahead by one hour on the second Sunday in March and back by one hour on the first Sunday in November.
Legislation in the United States in 2007 moved the start of daylight time three weeks earlier in the spring and the return to standard time a week later in the fall. The change was aimed at trying to help save energy, since people aren't expected to need their lights on as early in the evening. But there is still some debate about whether the change reduces energy consumption.
A 2006 report from the U.S. Department of Energy anticipated electricity savings of four-tenths of a per cent per day of extended daylight time, totalling 0.03 per cent of annual electricity consumption.
As to the environmental impact, the non-profit group American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy estimated the prolonged period of daylight time would cut carbon emissions by 10.8 million tonnes.
Exceptions
Canada followed suit, saying it was essential to co-ordinate with the U.S. and that not doing so would create too many headaches for trade and travel.
"We're not anxious to have a disconnect between us and our chief trading partner," Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said.
Most of Saskatchewan has not observed daylight time since 1966 and stays on central standard time all year round. Some border towns follow the time schemes of their neighbours in Manitoba or Alberta.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall had promised a referendum on daylight time in the 2007 election. But in March 2011 he said one wasn't needed.
In Canada, areas of Quebec east of 63 degrees west longitude do not change to daylight time and remain on Atlantic standard time year round. Pockets of Ontario and British Columbia do not use daylight time.
Daylight time is observed in most of the United States. Just two states — Arizona and Hawaii — and three territories — American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands — do not participate.
Some parts of Australia have adopted daylight time. Of course, it's done a little differently than in the Northern Hemisphere, where seasons are opposite. So, when daylight time starts in Canada, it comes to an end in Australia and vice versa.
When Canadians are waxing their skis in December, Australians are waxing their surfboards because it's summer there. In Britain, the government may consider long-touted proposals for the U.K. to switch to Central European Time, a move advocates insist would bring lighter evenings and possibly offer the country's sluggish economy a boost. Supporters say the switch, which would see British clocks synchronized with those in continental Europe, would extend the tourism season, cut road deaths and help promote outdoor activities. But opponents insist that northern regions would be badly affected. Some critics claim that the sunrise in Scotland could come as late as 10 a.m. during some winter months.
Health benefits, pitfalls
The end of daylight time may signal that Canada's long, cold winter is just around the corner. But the omens aren't all bad. You do pick up that extra hour of sleep that you lost when the clocks moved ahead in March.
Swedish researchers say there may be some health benefits to turning your clock back. They studied 20 years of records and found that the number of heart attacks dipped on the Monday after clocks moved back an hour.
Moving clocks ahead in the spring had the opposite effect. There were more heart attacks in the week after springing forward — especially during the first three days of the week.
In 2007, Dr. Till Roenneberg of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, tracked the sleeping patterns of Europeans to explore the effects of moving from daylight time to standard time. The study found that while both late and early risers adjusted to the time switch in the fall, night owls had a particularly difficult time adjusting to the time shift in the spring. Researchers said the night owls are likely to feel sleep-deprived for weeks.
For pedestrians, though, the story's a little different. A study by U.S. researchers found there were more pedestrian deaths during the evening rush hour in November than October as drivers and pedestrians adjusted to the earlier darkness. They said the risk for pedestrians drops in the spring when clocks are set back and daylight comes earlier.

CBC News

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Subaru's BRZ Concept sports car finally breaks cover

It feels like we've been waiting for Subaru's BRZ concept forever. 

The BRZ is a joint development effort between Toyota and Subaru, using a 2.0 litre version of Subaru's signature horizontally-opposed engine with Toyota's direct injection system.

Subaru BRZ

Toyota will sell the car as the FT-86 which it showed as a concept two years ago at the Tokyo Motor Show and has since shown with revised styling. The near identical BRZ concept will be seen for the first time at the Los Angeles Auto Show two weeks from now and can be expected in showrooms in the United States spring of 2012.

It has been a long time coming, and why it has taken so long to materialize is uncertain. Subaru showed the skeleton and mechanicals of the BRZ at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but the pic you're looking at is the only released image of the full car.

The BRZ employs a totally new 2.0-litre Boxer engine exclusively designed for the new sports car using direct injection and port injection technology from Toyota - dubbed the D-4S.

The front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout is Subaru's first since its very first car, the Subaru 1500 built in 1954. The low and flat engine is mounted low in the car to assist with lowering the center of gravity, and by adding a lightweight body, Subaru is hoping to deliver what it is calling "Pure Handling Delight." The Subaru BRZ Concept - STI will be on show at the Los Angeles Auto Show from November 18 through 27.

The reason this car has taken so long to get to market is that Toyota was not happy with the engine in its original form and spent money and time re-engineering it to be more efficient. Over that time, the price and weight and intended target audience has also changed.

Unfortunately, Subaru will not sell their version in all markets that already sell Subaru's because it does not fit with their all-wheel-drive branding in some markets.

Source: ENGADGET

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Al Sadd win Asian title in dramatic shootout

Goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr was the hero as Al Sadd became the first Qatari football club to win the Asian Champions League title on Saturday.

Al Sadd goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr is lifted by his teammates after the penalty shootout win over Jeonbuk on Saturday

The 30-year-old saved two penalties as his side beat South Korea's Jeonbuk 5-4 in the deciding shootout after the final ended 2-2 following extra-time at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium.

Coach Jorge Fossati was delighted with his player after Al Sadd booked a place at the FIFA World Club Cup in December.
"When I returned to the club, many people told me that Mohamed Saqr cannot play anymore. They say he is too old," the Uruguayan told the Asian Football Confederation website.
"He played fantastic today but believe me, it was not the only game that he was fantastic in this competition. Today he had a big game: the Jeonbuk players did not miss the penalties, he saved them.
He played fantastic today but believe me, it was not the only game that he was fantastic in this competition
Jorge Fossati on his goalkeeper
"In the game he also made two or three very important saves, the one at the end was extraordinary, and he showed everybody that he can play and he can continue to play."
Fossati returned to Al Sadd this year after being sacked by Saudi club Al-Shahab in December, having last worked in Qatar as national coach in 2008.
"I could not imagine that it would go to penalties. I really was very worried especially when it went to extra-time because our physical condition to play this game was not the same as normal. When you fly 10 hours two days ago, you need to adapt to the different time zone," the 58-year-old said.
With home advantage, Jeonbuk had been seeking to add to the club's 2006 title in front of a record 41,000 fans.
Brazilian midfielder Eninho ensured the perfect start when he curled in a free-kick after only 17 minutes, but Sim Woo-yeon headed a cross by Abdulkader Keita into his own net just before the half hour.
The Ivory Coast striker put Al Sadd ahead in the 69th minute, but the hosts equalized when substitute Lee Sung-hyun headed home in stoppage time.
Jeonbuk hit the woodwork for the third time in the match during the extra period, but Al Sadd held on before Ali Afif was sent off for a second yellow card right at the end.
Saqr saved penalties from Kim Dong-chan and Park Won-jae, while Al Sadd's South Korea international defender Lee Jung-Soo hit the crossbar before Algeria's Nadir Belhadj netted the decisive spot-kick.
Jeonbuk striker Lee Dong-gook was named the competition's top player after finishing as overall leading scorer, with nine of his team's 33 goals.
"I am particularly disappointed that I became injured at a crucial time and I am very sorry to all the home fans that I could not show my full potential in this game tonight," said the 32-year-old, who started the final on the bench after picking up a knock in the first leg of the semi against Saudi side Al Ittihad.
"I feel very responsible for not being able to play to my full potential today and I want to apologize to our fans. We played to win of course but it did not happen, so I am very sad."

CNN

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Guatemala's trash 'miners' risk lives to find gold

In this photo taken Wednesday Oct. 19, 2011, people search for scrap metal in contaminated water at the bottom of one of the biggest trash dumps in the city, known as "The Mine," in Guatemala City. Hundreds of informal workers descend daily into the mounds of the landfill and the rushing waters that come from a storm tunnel and a sewer at the bottom of a gorge to search for scrap metal to sell. This activity known locally as "mining" is extremely dangerous due to mud slides and collapses, but earns many of them about 150 quetzals ($20 dollars) a day, nearly twice the minimum daily wage. AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A torrent of gray, toxic water spews from a drainage tunnel and surges along the ravine, tumbling along garbage that has fallen from the Guatemalan capital's main landfill 1,000 feet (300 meters) above.

Despite the foul odors, the danger of unstable piles of garbage collapsing and the chance for heavy rain to suddenly raise the water level, dozens of people are busily at work searching for jewelry and other metal scraps knocked loose from the trash.
They call the ravine the "mine," and refer to themselves as "miners."

Every day, about 300 hike to the bottom of the ravine and wade into the water in search of rings and bracelets made of silver or gold. The water sifts and carries away the lighter garbage, leaving heavy metals on the stream bed.
"I make more money coming here than going to a company where they would continually scold me," says 41-year-old Eddie Miranda.
He says he finds scraps worth 150 quetzals, or $20, almost every day.

In this photo taken Wednesday Oct. 19, 2011, a man holds up a gold ring he found while searching for scrap metal in contaminated water at the bottom of one of the biggest trash dumps in the city, known as "The Mine," in Guatemala City. Hundreds of informal workers descend daily into the mounds of the landfill and the rushing waters that come from a storm tunnel and a sewer at the bottom of a gorge to search for scrap metal to sell. This activity known locally as "mining" is extremely dangerous due to mud slides and collapses, but earns many of them about 150 quetzals ($20 dollars) a day, nearly twice the minimum daily wage. AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

He got lucky on a recent day. "I found a bracelet with 9 grams (0.32 avoir ounces) of gold. I got 2,000 quetzals ($256) for it."
It may not seem like much, but it's almost as much as the monthly $270 minimum wage in this Central American nation.
At dawn, the scavengers arrive much as if coming to a regular work place. Many are wearing clean, ironed shirts and even whistling. They carry shovels and backpacks filled with their garbage bags, snacks and change of clothes. They leave their dry clothes at an improvised camp and start looking for treasures.

Scavenging, which is prohibited by the government, can get particularly dangerous during storm season. The workers say many have died while trying to pick garbage out of water raging through the ravine.

Dozens perished one day in 2008 when a mountain of garbage collapsed on them.

"The piles of rubbish and dirt bounced off the bottom of the river and dragged me while I was trying to escape," said Antonio Yupe, 32, a scavenger who survived the disaster. "I took a lot of spins. I broke my leg. I don't know how, but I was buried with my face uncovered, so I could breathe until I was rescued."
Still, the "miners" call the dangerous heavy rain "the blessing of winter," because the increased flow of water improves their chances of finding more metal.

If the scavengers don't find jewelry, they collect screws, faucets and other recyclable metal items that they can sell for 85 cents a pound. That amounts to twice the minimum wage for an average trip.
A few yards (meters) from the mouth of the tunnel, 35-year-old Avelino Perez and 19-year-old Julio Leja are up to their necks in water, surrounded by towering mounds of garbage. They push their shovels down into the current to bring up scrap metal, food containers and other objects.
Perez seems happy. He shows off a dirty Roman Catholic cross he has plucked from the bottom. His fingers look burned with acid and his nails are yellow. But he smiles.
"It's gold. I may get 500 quetzals ($65) for it."

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Pakistan cricketers guilty of betting scam

Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif have been found guilty of their part in a "spot-fixing" scam after a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif

Former captain Butt, 27, and fast bowler Asif, 28, were both found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.

They plotted to deliberately bowl no-balls during a Lord's Test match against England last summer.
Another bowler, Mohammad Amir, admitted the charges prior to the trial.
The guilty pleas by the bowler, who was 18 when the scam took place, could not be reported before.
The jury was not told of these pleas.
The conspiracy theories are once again being aired here.
"The West just wants to destroy the image of Pakistan," says Zahim, a cricket fan eating at a restaurant outside Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
"We need to get to the real truth."
In the coming days many others, including some in the media, will say they too feel Pakistani cricketers have been unfairly victimised.
But when pushed, most will acknowledge that some of their former heroes must have been engaged in corruption.
"This involvement in betting has blackened Pakistan's name," Najam, another fan, tells me.
"They also put the whole nation through the shock. They must be punished and punished severely."
'Sordid' scandal in Pakistan's beloved cricket
Conspiracy to accept corrupt payments carries a maximum prison term of seven years.
Our correspondent also says the case "raises serious questions about the integrity of Test cricket".
A statement was read out by Amir's lawyer at the start of the trial, before any evidence had been heard.
He said: "Mohammad Amir accepts full responsibility for deliberately bowling two no-balls and, in due course, you will hear how this vulnerable 18-year-old boy was subjected to extreme pressure from those on whom he should have been able to rely.
"He recognises the damage his actions have caused Pakistan cricket."
Spot-betting involves gamblers staking money on the minutiae of sporting encounters such as the exact timing of the first throw-in during a football match or, as in this case, when a no-ball will be bowled.
After deliberating for nearly 17 hours, the jury unanimously convicted Butt and Asif of conspiracy to cheat.
Our correspondent said Butt's wife, Gul Hassan, had given birth to a baby boy one hour before he was found guilty.
Mohammad Amir Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir pleaded guilty before the trial began
The judge, Mr Justice Cooke, extended bail for Butt and Asif until sentencing later this week.
'Rampant corruption'
They were charged after a tabloid newspaper alleged they took bribes to bowl deliberate no-balls.
The court heard the players, along with fast bowler Amir, conspired with UK-based sports agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, to fix parts of the Lord's Test last August.
Three intentional no-balls were delivered during the match between Pakistan and England from 26 to 29 August last year.
Prosecutors said Butt and Asif had been motivated by greed to "contaminate" a match watched by millions of people and "betray" their team, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the sport itself.
Aftab Jafferjee QC, for the prosecution, said the case "revealed a depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket".
Following the verdicts, Haroon Lorgat - chief executive of the International Cricket Council, the sport's governing body - issued a statement.
In it, he said: "We hope that this verdict is seen as a further warning to any individual who might, for whatever reason, be tempted to engage in corrupt activity within our sport."
He added that the ICC had a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption and would use everything within its power to ensure that any suggestion of corrupt activity within cricket was "comprehensively investigated and, where appropriate, robustly prosecuted".
Sally Walsh, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said the players had "brought shame on the cricket world" through their actions and "jeopardised the faith and admiration of cricket fans the world over".
She said their actions "went against everything expected of someone in their position and they failed to take into account their fans of all ages and nationalities when deciding to abandon the values of sportsmanship so unconditionally".
  
The senior lawyer added: "The jury has decided, after hearing all of the evidence, that what happened at the crease that day was criminal in the true sense of the word."
DCS Matt Horne, of the Metropolitan Police, said what had happened was "cheating, pure and simple".
"I think we all look forward to sport being played in its truest spirit as we go forward with these types of issues," he added.
DCS Horne also acknowledged the investigative journalism that led to the trial.
Mazher Mahmood, the former News of the World journalist who uncovered the betting scam, said: "It is a sad day for cricket but a good day for investigative journalism."
He said he hoped cricketing authorities would take the opportunity to tackle illegal gambling in the sport and do everything in their power to regain the cricket fans.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan cricket captain Asif Iqbal told BBC 5Live it was a "sad day for cricket" and said the case would send out a "huge message".
Angus Fraser, a former England fast bowler, said it could be a "watershed" for the game.
"It shows young cricketers that there is a consequence to their behaviour. In the past players have been banned and then they have come back," he told BBC 5Live.
"The International Cricket Council has got to support the players, see these signs and help them out of predicaments, but also see (that) if players do commit these offences they are punished severely."
BBC NEWS

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