Mexican soccer star 'El Gato' arrested in kidnap case

'El Gato' is accused of working with gang which allegedly targeted wealthy victims

/ Reuters

Nicknamed "El Gato", former international soccer goalkeeper Omar Ortiz allegedly has been linked to at least 20 kidnappings.

msnbc.com news services

updated 5:13 a.m. ET Jan. 8, 2012

MONTERREY, Mexico - Mexico arrested former international soccer goalkeeper Omar Ortiz on suspicion of working for a gang of kidnappers, fanning concerns about lawlessness plaguing the United States' southern neighbor.

The 35-year-old Ortiz admitted helping to pick out rich victims for the kidnappers, according to Jorge Domene, government security spokesman for the northern state of Nuevo Leon.

Domene said Ortiz worked with a gang responsible for at least 20 kidnappings.

The gang sought an average of 1 million pesos ($73,000) per victim, of which Ortiz received a cut of more than 100,000 pesos, Nuevo Leon's government said.

Domene said the gang operated by selecting victims at social gatherings. The gang's victims allegedly included the husband of pop singer Gloria Trevi.

Sporting his trademark goatee beard, Ortiz looked impassive as masked soldiers paraded him and three other suspects in Monterrey, a city that has increasingly come under attack by organized crime.

Nuevo Leon attorney general Adrian de la Garza said the suspected kidnappers were captured on January 5 and noted that the gang's leader, who is still at large, told them they were working for the Gulf Cartel.

"I'm speechless," said George W. Grayson, a Mexico expert at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, after the news of Ortiz's arrest. "I suppose it's an indication of the possible ubiquity of organized crime."

Steroids
Ortiz, whose nickname means "The Cat," was suspended after testing positive for steroids in April 2010, when he was playing with the Rayados of Monterrey. That ban is due to expire in April.

Some local media in Monterrey had speculated that Ortiz himself had been abducted after he disappeared from view Wednesday. But prosecutors said he had been arrested at his home in a Monterrey suburb that day after two kidnapping suspects were detained Monday and implicated him in the crimes.

If convicted, Ortiz and the others could face prison sentences of up to 50 years.

The conservative government of President Felipe Calderon has staked its reputation on rooting out Mexico's drug gangs, some of which have branched out extensively into other activities like robbery, extortion and kidnapping.

Between 2007 and 2010 kidnappings in Mexico leapt by nearly 200 percent from 438 to 1284, according to government data.

More than 46,000 people have been killed in the gang violence that has erupted since Calderon began his crackdown on drug cartels soon after taking office five years ago.

Drug gangs have long been suspected of corrupting public officials and politicians. Calderon's National Action Party (PAN) has sought to tar the main opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) as susceptible to the cartels.

But public probes into sports stars and entertainers for suspected ties to organized crime have been rare.

Famous for his many tattoos and earrings, Ortiz was a longtime regular for top division side Monterrey.

Ortiz played a single match for the Mexican national side in 2002.

Long seen as the jewel in the crown of Mexican industry, Monterrey has become mired in violence over the past two years as the Gulf Cartel has fought a bloody turf war with Los Zetas, a drug gang that once worked as enforcers for the cartel.

Murder, extortion and kidnapping have spread fear in the city of 4 million people that lies about 140 miles from the Texas border.

"This goes to show Monterrey is no longer this island of tranquility," said Grayson at William & Mary.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Linebacker leaves Hawaii to join Boise State football team

Linebacker Tyler Gray chose the coaches he just met over the ones he didn?t know.

Gray, a high school star who signed with Hawaii in February but grayshirted during the fall semester, committed to the Boise State football team Thursday ? a day before he was scheduled to fly to Hawaii and join the Warriors.

Hawaii changed coaches last month, which opened the door to other suitors.

Boise State contacted Gray for the first time Wednesday. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder is from Templeton (Calif.) High.

"With all of Hawaii's coaches leaving, I didn't really know anybody that was there anymore. So we decided to go with Boise State," Gray told his local TV station, KSBY. "I feel very lucky that all of this, not just Boise State, but this whole thing happened. It's just the cherry on top I guess."

Gray was an all-state linebacker and productive running back at Templeton. He graduated last spring. As a senior, he made 143 tackles and five sacks and rushed for nearly 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns.

John Spells, who is Gray?s speed coach and helps small-town athletes with the recruiting process, said he had been trying to get Boise State to recruit Gray for a couple years. The Broncos called out of the blue Wednesday, he said.

Gray has gained more than 20 pounds since his high school career ended a year ago.

?He?s a monster,? Spells said. ?He was born to be a linebacker.?

MCCLELLIN TO COMBINE

Former Boise State defensive end Shea McClellin of Marsing High has received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, he said. He joins quarterback Kellen Moore, safety George Iloka and offensive tackle Nate Potter on the list of confirmed combine invitees.

McClellin also has received an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game. However, he remains hopeful that he?ll get an invite from the more prestigious Senior Bowl.

EAGLE HIGH KICKER COMMITS TO VANDALS

Jace Johnson gave the verbal commitment Thursday.

The 6-foot, 195-pound senior wrapped up his high school career with a second consecutive appearance on the All-Idaho first team as a kicker.

Johnson made 56-of-57 point-after tries and 7-of-9 field goals ? including a long of 39 yards ? for the state runner-up Mustangs. Eighty-eight percent of Johnson's kickoffs went for touchbacks.

?We all know that Jace has been blessed with a terrific leg, great determination and a high level of confidence,? Eagle coach Paul Peterson said. ?I think he has the characteristics that bode well for having a successful kicking career.?

Johnson said he will likely grayshirt and join the team in 2013.

?It just seemed right. I liked the coaches and everything about Idaho,? Johnson said.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IdahostatesmancomSports/~3/YpzVxWEaAgc/linebacker-leaves-hawaii-for-bsu.html

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Mila Kunis: The New Face of Dior Handbags

Exciting news: Some Mila Kunis pictures that weren't hacked!

The gorgeous actress is joining the Christian Dior family in a new series of ads for the Miss Dior handbag, shot in New York by photographer Mikael Jansson.

The Kunis ad campaign will debut internationally in Asian and European editions of Elle, Vogue and Madame Figaro on January 15, with U.S. versions to follow.

Here are a couple of images from the campaign:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Dior,” Kunis said in a statement. “The brand is iconic in so many ways. It defines fashion, elegance and sophistication.”

In signing with the French fashion house, Kunis joins Lady Dior handbags’ current face, Marion Cotillard, plus Black Swan costar Natalie Portman and others.

Charlize Theron also models for Dior beauty and J’adore Dior fragrance, and Jude Law, Sophie Marceau and Sharon Stone have ties to the brand, as well.

Sounds like talented, stylish company by any measure.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/mila-kunis-the-new-face-of-dior-handbags/

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Navy rescues Iranians held by pirates (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? Just days after Iran warned them not to return to the Gulf, U.S. naval forces in the nearby Arabian Sea rescued 13 Iranian fishermen who were held hostage by pirates for more than a month, the Navy said on Friday.

Forces with the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier strike group - the target of threats by Tehran on Tuesday amid heated tensions with the United States - said they freed the Iranians without firing a shot. Fifteen pirates believed to be from Somalia were taken prisoner.

The fishermen were sent home with food and fuel, wearing baseball caps with the name of the U.S. warship that freed them.

"Once we released them, they went on their way very happily, waving to us, wearing USS Kidd Navy ballcaps," said Rear Admiral Craig Faller, commander of the carrier strike group.

The USS Kidd is a guided-missile destroyer.

The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Tehran, which is at odds with Washington and other western governments over its nuclear program. The U.S. State Department said there had been no official communication with Iran about the rescue, which it described as a "humanitarian gesture."

Iran announced plans on Friday to hold new naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz next month, the latest in a series of forceful gestures in the world's most important oil shipping lane.

Iran briefly spooked oil markets in late December when it threatened to shut off the Strait of Hormuz if new U.S. and EU sanctions halted its oil exports. It ratcheted up tensions again this week by threatening to take action if the Stennis came back to the Gulf after it departed on December 27.

"I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf," Iran's army chief, Major General Ataollah Salehi, said on Tuesday. "We are not in the habit of warning more than once."

"HUMANITARIAN AND RESPONSIBLE WAY"

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta praised the Navy crew's handling of the incident.

"It makes it very clear to (the Iranians) that - despite how much they often try to provoke us - that the United States in this kind of situation is going to respond as we should in a very humanitarian and responsible way," Panetta told CBS News.

Faller, speaking on a conference call with reporters at the Pentagon from his ship in the northern Arabian Sea, said the rescue operation took place on Thursday morning about 175 miles southeast of Muscat, the capital of Oman.

The strike group got a distress message from the master of the Al Molai, the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, who told the Americans he was being held captive by pirates. He was speaking in Urdu, a language the Somalis apparently did not understand.

"They expressed to us that they had been boarded and taken over approximately one to two months ago and that they had been travelling the area of the northern Arabian Sea and opposite the coast of Somalia," said Commander Jennifer Ellinger, the commanding officer of the USS Kidd.

The American boarding vessel approached, warning everyone on board to surrender their weapons. The pirates hid but quickly surrendered without a fight and were transferred to the Stennis.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a briefing the United States was reviewing options for prosecuting the pirates.

"We're consulting with international partners. You know, sadly, this is not a new thing," she said.

"We have more than 1,000 pirates who've been picked up at sea who are under prosecution in some 20 countries. So this is always a question of where to send them and who will do the prosecution."

The pirates that commandeered the Iranian boat brought little in the way of supplies and Ellinger suspected they were forced to fish for their food.

Faller doubted they had access to communications and knew about the latest rhetoric from Iran that had escalated tensions.

"We think it's very doubtful that the Iranians or the pirates were aware of recent events of the last couple of days, given what we observed with the fishing vessel," Faller said.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn; Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iran/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120106/wl_nm/us_usa_iran_pirates

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AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note coming soon, as revealed by accessory vendor

From time to time it can be difficult to stop accessory makers from getting excited about new products, especially when there's a large amount of buzz around them. We saw this with the AT&T-branded Samsung Galaxy S II last June, and history is repeating itself with the US carrier's version of the Galaxy Note, a device that's been the subject of several rumors stretching out over the last few months. This time the culprit was Anymode, an accessory maker that works closely with AT&T and an exhibitor for next week's Consumer Electronics Show. The company just sent out an email to CES attendees proclaiming its excitement about becoming the official OEM vendor for Note accessories, and specifically mentions that the Galaxy Note will be available on AT&T sometime in early 2012. We're rather excited as well, but we have a feeling Anymode's new partner isn't expressing the same sentiment at the moment.

Update: And like that, the company has issued the following, somewhat strange retraction:

"Anymode Introduces First Accessories for Samsung Galaxy Note" contained inaccurate information pertaining to AT&T and the release of the Samsung Galaxy Note. The information was not provided by Anymode, AT&T or Samsung , nor did Anymode, AT&T or Samsung approve it. The issuing party apologizes for the publishing of the inaccurate information and any inconvenience it may have caused.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note coming soon, as revealed by accessory vendor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus

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Fisker Karma recall is official, 239 cars will need their battery packs swapped

The folks at Fisker are probably more excited to see the calendar roll over than anyone, as a tumultuous 2011 comes to an and with another setback for the Karma. A battery issue previously thought to affect around 50 cars will actually result in the recall of 239. GigaOM points out an NHTSA notice confirming a problem with the positioning of hose clamps on the high-voltage Li-Ion batteries. It could result in said hoses leaking coolant into the battery creating the risk of an electrical short-circuit (still not seeing how this is a bad thing) and fire (oh), which the company will resolve by replacing the batteries. The recall probably covers everyone out there rolling like Walden Schmidt, since the CEO announced December 21st that 225 cars had been shipped and its factory was producing 25 cars per day. Still, assuming the $96k~ price tag isn't an issue, would you really let a little thing like potentially bursting into flames keep you away from such a sleek, smooth handling luxury coupe that puts 657hp of hybrid power at your disposal? Neither would we.

Continue reading Fisker Karma recall is official, 239 cars will need their battery packs swapped

Fisker Karma recall is official, 239 cars will need their battery packs swapped originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Jan 2012 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/w25b3K4nJvY/

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