Austria child porn suspects held after nationwide raids
More than 100 people have been charged with child pornography offences in Austria after police seized material from computers across the country.
Those arrested were aged 18 to 70 and included five teachers, officials said.
The 107 people arrested are accused of downloading images of child sex abuse from a server in Luxembourg.
A spokesman for Austria's federal investigations office told the BBC one of the suspects had collected more than 20,000 photos and 300 videos.
Alexander Marakovits said the investigation began a year ago after a tip-off from police in Luxembourg.
They informed Austria that more than 160 internet addresses traced to Austria were downloading material from a server being monitored by detectives.
Just 107 of the suspects could be traced, as some of those accessing the server attempted to cover their tracks, including by using internet cafes.
Mr Marakovits said one of the suspects was a nursery school teacher, and described the arrests as the second largest strike against users of child pornography in Austria.
In their biggest operation, last year, Austrian police charged nearly 190 men after breaking up a ring that spanned 170 countries.
Lions win 23-20 in OT, end long road losing streak
The Detroit Lions erased some painful memories by ending the longest road losing streak in NFL history.
Dave Rayner 's third field goal, a 34-yarder with 9:51 left in overtime, gave Detroit a 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and stopped a three-year skid at 26 games on Sunday.
"It's really not a relief, but it's important for this team to win on the road," second-year coach Jim Schwartz said.
"What's happened two years ago, what happened last year, three years ago, whatever it was, isn't important to this football team right now," Schwartz added. "Winning is important to this football team right now. Winning on the road is a step that we needed to take."
Rayner kicked a 28-yarder as time expired in regulation to force the extra period. The Lions took the overtime kickoff and drove 63 yards - covering most of the distance on two big runs and a 12-yard reception by Calvin Johnson on third-and-8 - to set up the game-winner.
The Lions (4-10) triumphed on the road for the first time since Oct. 28, 2007, when they won 16-7 at Chicago.
"It feels great to be on the road, get a win and go back on the plane and have a good week," Johnson said. "It's definitely good to bury that."
At the same time, Detroit dealt a blow to Tampa Bay's playoff's hopes.
The Bucs, who had been 5-0 in games decided by three points or fewer, failed to take advantage of a loss by the New York Giants - one of the teams they're chasing in the wild-card race - by losing for the first time in nine tries against an opponent with a losing record.
"It hurts just to know what we had in front of us," Tampa Bay running Cadillac Williams said. "We need a lot of help, but I've seen a lot of weird things in this league."
The Bucs (8-6) kicked the second of two fourth-quarter field goals to go ahead 20-17 with 1:39 remaining left in regulation.
"Are they still in the playoffs?" said Lions center Dominic Raiola , whose younger brother, Donovan, is a backup center with Tampa Bay. "Are they getting ready, making vacation plans now, like us? I hope so."
Drew Stanton completed 23 of 37 passes for 252 yards, one touchdown for the Lions. Johnson finished with 10 receptions for 152 yards, becoming the first Detroit player with two seasons with at least 1,000 yards and 12 or more TD receptions.
Maurice Morris rushed for 109 yards, including a 26-yard burst on the first play of overtime. Jahvid Best ran for 14 on the next play for a first down at the Bucs 39.
Three plays later, Johnson reached high to make his last catch of the day, barely keeping his feet inbound on the sideline at 25.
"I can't help but think that this is a game that we maybe don't win early in the season," Schwartz said. "We're becoming a battle-hardened team. This is a franchise that hasn't been used to playing a lot of close games, and this year we have. We've learned from a lot of those."
Stanton threw a 10-yard TD pass to Nate Burleson in the first quarter and Morris scored on a 10-yard run early in the third quarter to give Detroit a 17-14 lead that held until Josh Freeman brought Tampa Bay back with what seemed like would be another successful fourth-quarter rally.
The Lions forced the Bucs to settle for a field goal that made it 17-17 after Freeman led his team to a first-and-goal at the 1.
Tampa Bay hurt itself with Kellen Winslow drawing an offensive pass interference penalty that nullified what would have been a go-ahead 2-yard TD reception by the tight end.
Undeterred, Freeman led the Bucs to another field goal on their next possession, handing a 20-17 lead to a defense that suddenly was unable to slow down Stanton, who was making his third start in place of the injured Matthew Stafford .
Johnson also figured prominently in both of Detroit's first-half scoring drives with receptions of 20 and 16 yards to set up Stanton's TD pass to Burleson.
Johnson also had receptions of 30 yards and 17 yards to help the Lions get into position for Rayner's 41-yard field goal that trimmed Tampa Bay's lead to 14-10.
At 6-foot-6 and nearly 250 pounds, Freeman is one of the biggest and strongest quarterbacks in the NFL. The Lions sacked him three times, but the second-year pro also used his strength and mobility to turn potential negative plays into positive ones.
Tampa Bay's LeGarrette Blount broke a tackle and rambled for 39 yards for a second-quarter touchdown, one play after Freeman somehow managed to get off a pass with Lions rookie Ndamukong Suh draped around him and fullback Earnest Graham turned it into a 14-yard gain into Detroit territory.
Freeman, who has led an NFL-leading five fourth-quarter comebacks this season, completed 21 of 32 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown - a 24-yard throw to Mike Williams , who set a franchise record for rookies with his eighth TD.
Blount finished with 110 yards rushing on 15 attempts.
"It's rough to lose a close game like that, to lose a game that we felt like we definitely should have won," Freeman said. "But it's not a death blow, I guess, from a mathematical standpoint."
Pierce's triple-double leads Celtics over Pacers
The Boston Celtics showed they can still keep the ball moving even without the NBA's assist leader, getting a triple-double from Paul Pierce while holding off the Indiana Pacers 99-88 on Sunday to extend their winning streak to 13 straight.
Pierce had 12 assists and Ray Allen added six more as the Celtics played their second straight game without Rondo, who is out for a couple of weeks with a sprained left ankle.
"That's the point we make with this team. When the ball moves, there's assists," coach Doc Rivers said. "Guys are going to get assists and they're getting that."
Pierce added 18 points and 10 rebounds to go with his dozen assists. It was the sixth regular-season triple-double of Pierce's career and seventh overall. He last accomplished the feat March 8, 2006, against Philadelphia, which visits Boston on Wednesday.
"I pride myself in trying to be a complete player," Pierce said. "Throughout the course of my career I've worked on a lot of things on both sides of the ball."
Nate Robinson started for Rondo and scored 18 points. Allen finished with 17 points and Shaquille O'Neal, who had missed four straight games with a sore right calf, returned with 11 points, including a monster dunk off a long lob from Pierce.
"Shaq is a big guy. When he looks up, I get his head nod and he says 'throw it to the rim' - that's what I try to do," Pierce said. "He doesn't have to jump too high to dunk the ball, so I just try to put it right next to the rim."
The only Boston starter not to score in double figures was Kevin Garnett, and he had a solid nine points and nine rebounds.
The Celtics, who improved to 12-1 at home, are looking pretty deep.
"They can be beat, but you have to play a near perfect game," said Indiana's Danny Granger, who led the Pacers with 19 points. "I think the Celtics are more talented than those other teams across the board. They probably have 40 years of All-Star games between (them)."
Roy Hibbert had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the pesky Pacers, who hung with the Celtics until the final few minutes. Indiana made just 34 of 96 shots, but only committed 13 turnovers to Boston's 18 and was almost able to keep up with the bigger Celtics in rebounding.
"They're a heck of a basketball team and they're stingy in the fourth quarter," Indiana coach Jim O'Brien said. "We didn't stop them enough times to give us our chance to make a run."
Boston finally broke it open with a spurt late in the fourth quarter after Indiana pulled within 85-81. Davis and Allen each hit jumpers, then Allen made one of the plays of the day to wilt any hopes the Pacers may have had about another comeback.
Darren Collison burned Robinson with a crossover in the lane, passed it back outside and Allen was there to pluck it away and break for the basket. He crossed up Mike Dunleavy in the lane and banked in a reverse layup that gave the Celtics a 91-83 lead with 3:11 left.
The Celtics were playing their second straight game without Rondo, who is out indefinitely with a sprained left ankle.
Late di Maria strike keeps Madrid in touch with Barca
Real Madrid kept up the pressure on La Liga rivals Barcelona on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Sevilla at the Bernabeu.
A 77th minute strike by Angel Di Maria strike was enough to see Jose Mourinho's side secure three points.
The win came despite playing the last quarter of the game with ten men, after Ricardo Calvalho was shown his second yellow card for a challenge on Alvaro Negredo.
The Portuguese international was one of twelve players to be cautioned during an ill-tempered match, which also saw Sevilla defender Dabo sent off late in the game.
Sevilla remain in 11th place, while Madrid remain right on the heels of Barcelona in second -- two points behind as La Liga takes its winter break.
Atletico Madrid put the disappointment of this week's Europa League exit behind them as they cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Malaga to move up to sixth in La Liga.
Portuguese midfielder Tiago opened the scoring after 22 minutes and bagged a second in the 69th minute after Dominguez had made it 2-0 three minutes earlier.
Malaga have now lost 11 league games this season and remain third from bottom in the table.
The victory moves Atletico above Getafe on goal difference, who came from two goals down to beat Almeria 3-2 at the Estadio Mediterraneo.
Kalu Uche opened the scoring after seven minutes and Leonardo Ulloa doubled the home side's lead in the 24th minute.
Manu pulled a goal back for Getafe five minutes later and three minutes into the second half Venezuelan striker Miku bundled home an equalizer.
Derek Boateng completed the comeback in the 71st minute to extend Michel's men's unbeaten run to six matches.
Osasuna and bottom-of-the-table Real Zaragoza played out a 0-0 draw.
Meanwhile in Germany's Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen missed the chance to close the gap on league leaders Borussia Dortmund to eight points as they were held to a 2-2 draw against Freiburg.
The hosts took the lead after 16 minutes when Arturo Vidal converted a penalty to score his eighth goal of the season.
But a determined Freiburg fought back with goals from Jan Rosenthal after 24 minutes and Stefan Reisinger midway through the second half.
But the visitors' lead didn't last long as substitute Patrick Helmes finished calmly after Stefan Kiessling set up the scoring opportunity in the 75th minute.
Mario Gomez scored his second hat-trick of the Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich hammered Stuttgart 5-3 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Gomez opened the scoring after 31 minutes and Thomas Muller doubled the lead five minutes later.
Stuttgart's defensive frailties were further exposed when Franck Ribery made it 3-0 with a superb individual goal a minute before half-time.
Stuttgart tried to mount a comeback with substitute Martin Harnik pulling a goal back five minutes after the break.
But any hopes of a lasting revival were immediately snuffed out by Gomez who struck twice in two minutes to complete his hat-trick.
Harnik claimed his second goal on the hour mark, and Christian Gentner made the scoreline slightly more respectable for Stuttgart with a 70th minute strike.
Bayern now lie fifth in the table heading into the winter break. Stuttgart remain in trouble in 17th place with only 12 points.
NBA for Montego Bay, Jamaica
Local fans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) may very well get the chance to see stars from at least two of the league's top teams train in Jamaica ahead of the 2011-2012 season, as Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange intensifies discussions with the organisation's bosses.
In fact, two teams were scheduled to stage their pre-season training camps in Jamaica earlier this year ahead of the ongoing season, but things fell through largely because of the Tivoli Gardens incursion on Labour Day.
It was during this time that a site visit and other activities were planned with top NBA officials, but a decision was later taken to move the considerations to the lead-up to next season.
"We have been in discussion with the NBA at the level of the president and the vice-president and we have a proposal from them," said Grange during an exclusive interview with The Sunday Gleaner. "They were scheduled to select two teams to do pre-season training in Jamaica in September/October of this year.
"They had not at that point identified the teams, but they had agreed to take two teams here and they were to come in June to do their site visits. Dates were set and confirmed and then the problems that we had (in Tivoli Gardens) threw everything off," Grange continued.
It is understood that the National Indoor Sports Centre (NISC) in Kingston was being considered at the time, given the availability of a hardwood playing surface and regulation ceiling height. However, there were reportedly concerns from the NBA officials that gym facilities were not attached to the venue, and also a noted preference to staging the camps in one of the island's preferred tourism destinations.
Resort environment
"Eventually we all agreed that we would pursue the discussion for next season. To an extent, it will perhaps turn out to be a better decision, because the only place we could take them for the training would have been in Kingston at the NISC, but they also wanted to be in a resort environment for it to also feel like a vacation," Grange explained.
Next month's scheduled opening of the Montego Bay Convention Centre has provided Grange and her team with the perfect opportunity to meet all the requests, and there are already plans to temporarily move the hardwood flooring at the NISC to facilitate the usage of the convention centre.
"We checked the convention centre and we were satisfied that there was enough height, and the ceiling would allow for training sessions to be held there. We also have the (hardwood) floors that we can move down there. They would also want to use a facility that has a gym, or is close to a gym, and so Gymkhana is close by so that wouldn't be an issue either," said Grange. "So we decided that we are going to have them take a look, not only at Kingston and the facilities there, but also go to Montego Bay and have a look so that they would have an option."
There are also plans to have the camps aired on popular US-based sports networks in an attempt to drive the nation's sports tourism thrust.
"Our sports tourism programme is really getting very intense, and this is just one of many things that we have lined up that will play a major role in pushing us along this path," Grange added.
Source: The Sunday Gleaner
Jamaica, Barbados, T&T unbeaten on opening day
Both Barbados women's teams played unbeaten to join Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago's men's and women's sides in winners' row, on the opening day of the Caribbean Zonal phase of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball qualifiers here last Friday.
Playing at Saith Park, the pair of Anthazia Mason and Sharon Bovell, along with Anicia Wood and Shari Matthews, won both their encounters to give Barbados a great start to the tournament, a qualifier for the London 2012 Olympics.
Mason and Bovell beat the Surinamese duo of Pamela Gilds and Xaviera Willems-berg 21-18, 21-16 to open their account, before returning to whip Cheryl Brunings and Kim Karsters also of Suriname, 21-12, 21-19.
Wood and Matthews, meanwhile, kept up Barbados' winning trend when they disposed of Brunings and Karsters 21-10, 21-15 and then shot down Gilds and Willemsberg 21-15, 21-13.
Their men's teams had mixed fortunes, however. Caribbean star Elwyn Oxley and Winston Gittens beat The Bahamas' Renaldo Knowles and Muller Petit 23-21, 21-19 but lost their second game to Princtanique Wilson and Byron Ferguson of The Bahamas, 21-17, 21-19.
Hugh Sealy and Jamal Nedd then beat Wilson and Ferguson 21-17, 21-19 before Omar Sealy and Negus Talma handed Knowles and Petit their second straight loss with a 21-11, 21-18 defeat.
Impressive results
Jamaica were also impressive, with positive results on both sides of the draw. In men's action, Wayne Scott and Andre McLean dismissed the US Virgin Islands' (USVI) Gustavo Cintron and Marc Lomeli 21-9, 21-12 before Dellon Brown and Namarie Gordon claimed easy points against the defaulting Cullen Diehl and Austin Pippen of the USVI.
The women had similar success, with Shanique Green and Cherie Thompson hammering Laval Sands and Tia Wilson of the Bahamas 21-19, 21-16, while Nardrake Hutchinson and Tshai Williams handed Sands and Wilson their second loss, 21-17, 21-10.
Hosts T&T also started well, as the men's teams of Daneil Williams and Fabien Whitfield, and Christian Francois and Kevin Rivers registered victories against Surinamese opposition.
Elki Phillip and Pauline Woodroffe, along with Kelly-Anne Billingy/Ayanna Dyette, ensured there were no hiccups in the women's section with wins over the USVI. (JA Gleaner)
Cuban president says economic changes will help sustain socialism
Cuban President Raul Castro told legislators Saturday that the country's economy would undergo significant change in the coming year, but added that the measures aimed to bolster socialism -- not make Cuba a capitalist nation.
Castro has begun a radical shakeup of the Soviet-style economic model, previously announcing the elimination of one million state jobs and the expansion of private businesses. Cuba's National Assembly tapped him as the Caribbean nation's president in 2008, ending nearly five decades of rule by his older brother Fidel Castro.
As part of the plan, Cubans are being allowed and even encouraged to go into business for themselves, working as barbers, plumbers and even birthday clowns as the government tries to boost productivity.
"The measures we are applying, and all of the changes that are necessary for the modernization of the economic model, are aimed at preserving socialism, strengthening it and making it truly irreversible," said Castro, according to a copy of his speech published by the state-run website Cubadebate.
Castro has called for debates across the country before April, when the Communist Party holds its first congress in almost 14 years at which they could approve his plan.
In the speech, he insisted there should no longer be a stigma attached to working in the private sector.
"Many Cubans confuse socialism with handouts and subsidies, equality with egalitarianism," said the president, who spoke at the close of the country's National Assembly in Havana, according to Cubadebate.
The government expects the Cuban economy to grow 3.1 percent next year, up from a projected 2.1 percent growth in 2010.
"We can assure you that, this time, there will be no going back." said Castro.
US tax cuts: Obama signs compromise deal into law
US President Barack Obama has signed into law a compromise tax bill agreed with the Republicans, averting income tax rises for millions of Americans.
Mr Obama said the $858bn (651bn euros; £542bn) package was "real money that's going to make a real difference".
The deal also extends benefit payments for some of the longer-term unemployed for 13 months.
The bill passed over objections from House Democrats about tax breaks for wealthy Americans.
Mr Obama said compromise was needed to win Republican support. The $858bn package was passed by 277 votes to 148 in the House of Representatives.
"There probably is nobody on this floor who likes this bill," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said.
"The judgment is, is it better than doing nothing? Some of the business groups believe it will help. I hope they're right."
Under a proposal the White House crafted with Republicans and announced last week, tax cuts enacted by President George W Bush in 2001 and 2003 and set to expire this year would be extended at all levels - including for the highest-earning Americans.
In addition, inheritance taxes affecting only the wealthiest Americans would be lowered and payroll taxes would be cut for a year in a bid to spur consumer spending.
Mr Obama and his Democratic allies had vigorously opposed allowing low tax rates for wealthy Americans to continue at a time of massive budget deficits, but Senate Republicans rejected Mr Obama's preferred approach and the president said he saw no option other than compromise.
When Mr Obama announced the deal last week he said it was the only way to avoid the damage to American families and the economy that would ensue if taxes were allowed to rise and long-term unemployment benefits were not extended.
Congressman Anthony Weiner, a liberal New York Democrat, said on Friday that Republicans had out-negotiated Mr Obama, describing them as "better poker players".
As liberals in Washington have railed against the deal, some conservatives also took up opposition.
They noted the bill adds to the US budget deficit, while also objecting that the low tax rates - which have the biggest impact on the deficit - are only temporary.
Bangladesh investors riot over stock market fall
Hundreds of angry investors have staged protests in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, after the stock exchange saw its steepest ever fall in a day.
Reports said they threw bricks at police, marched in the streets shouting slogans, and staged a sit-down protest.
Shares in the stock exchange suffered large falls within hours of opening on Sunday as panicked investors went on a selling spree.
The index ended the day down by 552 points or 6.72%.
It has been on a rollercoaster ride in recent weeks, hitting a record high on 5 December, having climbed 80% since the start of the year.
But on 8 December it nosedived, prompting protests in Dhaka and towns elsewhere.
Slogans
On Sunday, at least 500 investors hurled bricks at law enforcement officers near the Dhaka Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) offices, said local police chief Tofazzal Hossain according to AFP news agency.
"They chanted slogans against the government and the regulators, and marched through the busy roads in the Motijheel Commercial area, halting traffic. They also staged a sit-in at the SEC building," he said.
Analysts say Sunday's index fall was triggered by a central bank interest-rate hike.
The regulators have also taken measures in recent weeks to restrict money supply into the share market after concerns that stocks were overvalued.
The move forced big institutional investors to withdraw from the market, triggering panic among individual investors.
The rising value of the stocks in recent years has attracted hundreds of thousands of small-scale or retail investors in Bangladesh, says the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan in Dhaka.
It became a popular investment for ordinary people, often providing higher returns than bank deposits and savings.
Regulators have now agreed to relax some of the conditions, hoping that will increase the money supply and stabilise the market, he says.
Former Bad Boy Records Rapper (G. Dep) Confesses to Murder
The New York Post is reporting that on Wednesday 36-year-old rapper, MC G. Dep, born Trevell Coleman, walked into the 25th precinct in Harlem and confessed to killing a man in 1993.
"I shot and killed someone 17 years ago," he reportedly told an officer at the precinct.
According to the Post report, Dep (pictured above) told police that he was riding a bike when he approached his victim, 32-year-old John Henkel, on Park Avenue and East 114th street near the James Weldon Johnson housing projects.
Dep, just 18 years old at the time, was planning to rob Henkel, but when he resisted, shot him three times in the chest with a .40-caliber hand gun.
He then fled from the crime scene and threw the gun into the East River. Henkel was pronounced dead at St. Luke’s hospital.
Henkel was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
When the detective reviewed the cold-case file, he was amazed to discover that Coleman's tale matched up.
Coleman, who has racked up more than 25 arrests since 2003 for drugs, burglary and grand larceny, was charged with murder, and is being held without bail.
"My client is presumed innocent, and the case is going to grand jury," said Coleman's lawyer, Michael Alperstein.
Coleman, who rapped under the name "G-Dep," was signed in 1998 to a $350,000, five-album deal with Combs' Bad Boy Records. His first album, "Child of the Ghetto," was released in 2001.
The song "Let's Get It" featured Coleman trading rhymes with Combs and fellow Bad Boy artist Black Rob.
Coleman no longer has ties to the label, a spokewoman said.