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To: shades who wrote (60080)5/1/2006 8:14:46 PM
From: shades  Respond to of 110194
 
Prosecutors In Hollywood Wiretap Case Want To Plug Leaks

.

LOS ANGELES (AP)--Troubled by leaks to the media, a federal prosecutor said Monday he would delay filing grand jury transcripts and other crucial documents in the case of an indicted Hollywood private eye because he fears the material will "end up on the front page."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Saunders also confirmed during the federal court hearing that the U.S. Justice Department had launched an investigation to determine who leaked confidential FBI reports to The New York Times.

The wiretapping case against private detective Anthony Pellicano and other defendants has drawn in a growing list of celebrities, and with them increasing media attention.

The confidential information began showing up two weeks ago in the Times, which cited FBI interviews with top Hollywood power brokers.

"We have no confidence that these will not end up on the front page of the newspaper," Saunders told U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer on Monday in saying he would delay other filings.

A number of lawyers attended the hearing to say neither they nor their clients were responsible for the leaks. Some said they had not even seen the files before the material began appearing in print.

"Let me say unequivocally this did not come from the Pellicano camp or on the directive of Mr. Pellicano," said attorney Steve Gruel, who represents Pellicano. "I did not have these materials when they started appearing in the paper."

The judge said she was not convinced there had been a violation of her protective order limiting access to the information to prosecutors, investigators, defense attorneys and their clients.

She advised lawyers to file written motions if they want her to act on the leaks issue.

Pellicano is suspected of being the kingpin of a ring that used threats and blackmail while digging up dirt to help celebrity and other clients in legal disputes.

"Die Hard" director John McTiernan pleaded guilty in April to making false statements to an FBI agent. Former Hollywood Records president Robert Pfeifer admitted hiring Pellicano to wiretap the phone of his former girlfriend.

At Monday's hearing, attorney Terree Bowers, who represents defendant Terry Christensen, a longtime attorney for MGM mogul Kirk Kerkorian, complained about the government's plan to delay filing information.

Many of Pellicano's tapes have yet to be turned over to the defense, Bowers said.

The U.S. Justice Department probe of the leaks was requested by attorney Terry W. Bird, whose clients include divorce lawyer Dennis M. Wasser, another of Kerkorian's lawyers. Wasser has not been charged with a crime, but authorities have named him as a person of interest in the case.

Gruel complained that by cutting off the filing of government documents, Saunders was trying to blame defense attorneys for the leaks. He asked the judge to order the government not to go forward with its leak investigation until motions are filed in court.

"I don't have the power to tell the Justice Department what it can and can't do," the judge said.

She scheduled another hearing for May 22.


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 01, 2006 18:53 ET (22:53 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 06 53 PM EDT 05-01-06



To: shades who wrote (60080)5/1/2006 8:15:10 PM
From: shades  Respond to of 110194
 
Bird Flu Strain, Not Harmful To Humans,Found In NJ Market

.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP)--A strain of bird flu not dangerous to people turned up at a live poultry market in South Jersey during routine testing last week and samples are undergoing further tests, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture said.

Preliminary results from the National Veterinary Services laboratory showed the samples, taken from birds at a live poultry market in Camden County, N.J. didn't have the N1 type of virus. The bird flu strain that has spread to 45 countries, killed more than 110 people since 2003 and sparked fears of a deadly pandemic is called H5N1.

"Anything that was sold, if it was properly cooked and handled, it would not be of any consequence to humans," said Agriculture Department spokesman Jeff Beach.

Beach said three samples taken from the beaks or rectal areas of chickens on April 21 and April 24 showed a strain of bird flu not considered harmful to people. All live poultry markets in New Jersey are tested quarterly for bird flu, and it isn't uncommon for strains that are harmful only to birds to be detected.

Once the initial results were received, the market owner voluntarily killed the remaining 137 birds there. The market was then cleaned and sanitized under supervision of staff from the state Agriculture Department. New Jersey's Department Division of Animal Health is to inspect the market again before it can reopen and more poultry can be brought in, according to the department. The department wouldn't identify the specific name or location of the market.

Meanwhile, the infected samples found last week are undergoing further testing at U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratories in Ames, Iowa, to confirm the strain of the virus.

Beach said that the results will be back this week, possibly as soon as Tuesday.


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(END) Dow Jones Newswires



To: shades who wrote (60080)5/1/2006 8:15:25 PM
From: shades  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 110194
 
Cargill CEO: Too Much Hedge Fund Leverage In Market

. By Stephen Wisnefski
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

MINNEAPOLIS (Dow Jones)--The head of commodities giant Cargill Inc. (CRG.XX) believes that hedge funds have too much leverage in commodities markets and that it's just a matter of time before there's a "blow up" in some of the markets that have seen big run-ups in recent months.

"There's more liquidity than I ever remember in my career," Warren Staley, chief executive of the privately held company, told reporters Monday on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. The large amount of leverage in certain markets "distorts beyond the fundamentals," he said.

Staley, who took over as CEO in 1999 and has been with Cargill since 1969, said that investors who know little about commodities and who are in search of "the next big return" are responsible for an unsustainable build-up in liquidity. He added that some are bound to get their "fingers burned."

The prices of commodities like gold, silver, oil and natural gas have soared to the highest levels in about a generation, spurred by factors including strong economic growth and rising demand from China. The gains have been accompanied by an influx of capital from hedge funds, pension funds and other institutional investors seeking diversification and higher returns amid relatively easy monetary policy.

Cargill, based in Minnesota, provides food and agricultural products and services, as well as risk management and other financial services for customers.

"We try to understand the best we can what the funds are doing", said Staley in response to a question about how the increased hedge fund activity affects Cargill's risk-management strategies. "They can swamp and overwhelm... and we need to understand that."

"Maybe we need to stay out of the way", by sticking to investments in physical commodities, as opposed to futures markets, the Cargill executive said.

He noted that soybean prices in the futures markets aren't as high as many people had anticipated, particularly given all the optimism about the potential for growing use of ethanol. In the U.S., ethanol fuel, which is being touted by the government and many companies as a solution to the country's reliance on foreign oil, is made primarily from soybeans.

Staley said that futures market participants have come to the realization that the supply of soybeans on the physical market is "ok", which has put pressure on prices. He pointed to solid harvests in Argentina and Brazil.

-By Stephen Wisnefski, Dow Jones Newswires, 312 952 4597, stephen.wisnefski@dowjones.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 01, 2006 19:48 ET (23:48 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.- - 07 48 PM EDT 05-01-06



To: shades who wrote (60080)5/1/2006 10:13:03 PM
From: Tadsamillionaire  Respond to of 110194
 
Sinhan Card Company in the smart cashless system

CNCN
CinTel Agrees to Supply Load Balancers to Korean Army Smart System
Monday May 1, 9:35 am ET
Subject 56133

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2006--CinTel Corp. (OTCBB: CNCN - News), a leader in Internet traffic management, announced today it has signed an agreement to supply load balancers for the first smart card system to be adopted by the Korean Army. The smart cards will serve as identification cards for all army soldiers and enable them to receive their salary and to use the smart card for purchase of all goods on all army bases. By using this system, the Korean Army will be able to realize substantial cost savings in payroll management, expense accounting and identification.
The smart card system will be designed by the Korean Military Mutual Aid Association, (http://www.mmaa.or.kr) and Shinhan Card (http://www.shinhancard.com), and CinTel will supply $100,000 worth of web content switching equipment. Depending on the success of the smart card in the Korean Army, the Navy, Air Force, Police Force, and Firefighters are expected to adopt the same system, and CinTel is expected to provide additional equipment to the expanded programs