Judge dismisses most counts in Mets' Madoff trial

Judge dismisses most counts in Mets' Madoff trial

A federal judge dismissed most counts of a $1 billion suit against the owners of the New York Mets baseball team Tuesday that stemmed from the club's involvement in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

The lawsuit, filed by a court appointed trustee, is not only seeking $300 million in profits the Mets gained from their investments with Madoff, but also goes after the $700 million in principal that the owners deposited and then withdrew from Madoff's firm.

Judge Jed Rakoff dismissed 9 of 11 charges in the case,Cheap rolex watches which is being heard in U.S.,wholesale authentic nfl jerseys, District Court in New York.

Irving Picard, the trustee in the case,Coach handbag had alleged that the Mets' owners were willfully blind to the fraud, seeing statement after statement of excellent returns from Madoff and tapping their account when they wanted funds.

The Mets owners had sought to have the lawsuit dismissed as "illegitimate."

Like many of the other investors who have been sued by Picard, they claim they did not know what Madoff was up to and they would not have knowingly participating in a Ponzi scheme.anime figure

While most counts were dismissed, the Mets could still be on the hook for massive damages.

Under one count that was not thrown out, the trustee can recover the Mets' profits by "simply proving that the defendant did not provide value for the monies received."

Lions GM Martin Mayhew has built

Lions GM Martin Mayhew has built a young playoff contender

These kids — the ones putting a new sheen of respectability on their Honolulu blue and silver jerseys — really are all right.

They might be more than all right.

Winning is everything in the NFL for teams that expect to be playoff contenders, and the Lions' 2-0 record stands on its own merit.

So does the way they've won the two games — 27-20 over the Bucs in a steamy road opener and 48-3 over Kansas City in a mismatch that was as one-sided as filling a thimble with a fire hose.

But inside the victories and bloated offensive numbers is the foundation for how general manager Martin Mayhew and his pro and college scouts have built a roster.

If the Lions are good — and it looks like they are — and if they stay good,Nfl womens jerseys it will because the team has been built for the long haul because of the young talent on the roster.

Coach Jim Schwartz touched on that when asked Sunday about quarterback Matthew Stafford's performance.,cheap nfl jerseys china,

"We've got good players around him," Schwartz said, adding: "But you have to be able to make accurate passes."

The Week 2 Monday Countdown focuses on the youth of the Lions' roster.Nfl bears jersreys cheap There's also a look at the surprising point spread for Sunday's game at Minnesota, how Mayhew gave Chiefs GM Scott Pioli the brush-off, props for the Lions' defensive line from an ESPN analyst,Breitling watches wholesale another look at Cam Newton and the best and worst of the NFL after two weeks.

First the point spread — then the kids.

Newman cries dirty politics over flood business

Newman cries dirty politics over flood business

Liberal National Party leader Campbell Newman has cried dirty politics in the wake of reports that his wife helped set up a disaster recovery business soon after the Brisbane floods.

The Australian reported today Mr Newman's wife Lisa was involved in the creation of a company offering expertise and software to assist with disaster management, soon after the flood rose in January.

Mr Newman issued a statement this morning accusing the state government of playing politics.

"Lisa Newman receives no income and has no financial interest in the operations of the disaster management company," the statement said.

"This shameless Labor Government has no plan for the future, just a plan to denigrate my wife and family in an attempt to cling to power."
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Majella Global Technologies (first established as Invictus Solutions), headed by Mrs Newman's brother Seb Monsour, was registered on January 21.

A day earlier, Mr Monsour wrote to John Bradley, the then-director-general of the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

This morning, the LNP pointed out Mrs Newman was company secretary during the set-up phase and had resigned a few weeks later. The company did not secure any Queensland government work.Beautiful mood

The government has been pressuring Mr Newman, who will be contesting the Brisbane seat of Ashgrove at the next state election, to release a list of his financial interests, even though he is not required to do so because he is not an MP.

Gatti 'may have been murdered'

Gatti 'may have been murdered'

Brazilian prosecutors are again looking into the death of former star boxer Arturo Gatti.

Investigators ruled Gatti's death in 2009 a suicide, but a spokesman for the Pernambuco state prosecutor's office said non Thursday the case was being analyzed again.

Private investigators in the United States have presented evidence challenging whether the Italian-born, Canadian-raised Gatti killed himself.

Spokesman Jaques Cerqueira said prosecutor Paula Ismail may ask for the US findings, which indicated Gatti was killed. She could bring murder charges or decide to uphold the original investigation's findings that Gatti killed himself.

"She will make an announcement after she is done analyzing the evidence presented after the initial investigation," said Cerqueira, who noted that the case was never technically closed.Golf Ladies Clubs

Ismail could also ask for a further investigation.

Forensic experts hired by Gatti's former manager in the US used crime scene photos,digital video recorders interviews, autopsy reports and computer-generated simulations to challenge the initial criminal investigation in Brazil on numerous fronts.

Eduardo Trindade, a lawyer assisting Gatti's family,Cheap moncler vests says he wants the panel's report presented to prosecutors in Brazil and would push for an indictment of Gatti's wife, Amanda Rodrigues Gatti.

She was initially arrested on suspicion of strangling him but was cleared by the first police investigation. No other suspects have been identified.

Responding to a question, Cerqueira said charges against Rodrigues Gatti were possible.

Questions surrounding Gatti's death prompted a second autopsy at the request of the boxer's family in Canada in 2009.

Michael Baden,cheap nfl jerseys china a former chief pathologist for the New York state police and host of the HBO show "Autopsy," observed the procedure on behalf of the family. He said coroners did not rule out homicide as a cause of death.

Canadian officials have not released the second autopsy results.

The FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares

The FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares fell by as much as 5 per cent in early trading yesterday, dropping well below the 5,000 barrier, but bounced back into the black later in anticipation of the Fed's statement. It closed at 5,165, up 1.9 per cent.

In Britain, the latest figures on manufacturing confirmed other evidence of a pronounced slowdown in industrial production. The news will add to pressure on the Bank of England to follow the Fed and also ease monetary policy. Oil prices, closely linked to the strength of the world economy, slipped again, at one point falling below $100 a barrel – something that will take the edge off inflationary pressures. In China, more signs of overheating had heightened expectations that the Beijing will act to cool her economy.

In Europe shares also gyrated as jittery investors struggled again to minimise their loses with a second day of across-the-board sell offs. Germany's Dax hit an 18-month low, plunging over 7 per cent, and the French Cac index opened sharply lower, but both markets rallied later in the day.

Some analysts described investors' selling on Monday and yesterday morning as "hysterical" and said it had little to do with economic factors. "It is simply indicative of a loss of confidence in politicians, the banks and the ratings agencies," said Anita Paluch of ETX Capital in Frankfurt.

However there was better news on bond markets where the yield on both Spanish and Italian government bonds fell for a second day in response to the decision by the European Central Bank (ECB) to intervene on behalf of the weakened eurozone members and to begin buying up Spanish and Italian debt in order to reduce the two countries' borrowing costs. Both are struggling to avoid the kind of bailouts necessary to rescue ailing Greece, Portugal and Ireland.

LONG-TERM OR SHORT-TERM SOLUTION

LONG-TERM OR SHORT-TERM SOLUTION

Prof. Shlomo Mizrahi of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev told Xinhua he doubted that the plan would solve the housing issue. Netanyahu may have a bigger problem to deal with, he said.

"There is a lot of dissatisfaction with the government, a lot of lack of trust in the government and a lot of frustration among the middle class," Mizrahi said.

"All these measures, if at all implemented, will only show results in a few years and therefore it's not enough for the people in the streets right now," he added.

According to Mizrahi, the new legislation to regulate the market the protesters are calling for is not a good solution as well, because experience in Israel shows that legislation in many cases would not be implemented when the administration doesn't like any part of it.

"If the goal is simply to calm the streets then legislation will do, but if the goal is to solve the problem then legislation won't do it," Mizrahi said.

Hamilton takes German GP

Hamilton takes German GP

MCLAREN'S Lewis Hamilton produced a monumental drive to take his second win of the season at the German Formula One Grand Prix after an enthralling battle with Ferrari's second-placed Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.

The only disappointment for local supporters was Red Bull's titleholder and championship leader Sebastian Vettel struggling in his home race at the Nuerburgring circuit to finish fourth as rain just about held off.

Vettel's run of 11 successive podium finishes ended but the 24-year-old saw his overall lead trimmed by just three points over teammate Webber to 77 with nine races left

Pole-sitter Webber, who finally led a lap for the first time this year, had watched Vettel win six of the previous nine races while finishing in the top two each time.

This time,Stretch tricot knitted fabric both Red Bulls were outshone by the flying Briton who started on the front row and seized the lead into the first corner.

"Woo hoo,nfl throwback jerseys from china great job guys, great job. An incredible feeling, oh wow," said Hamilton, who leapfrogged Spaniard Alonso into third in the standings.