IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigns, will make new bid for bail (Associated Press, 19 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 19 May 2011

IMF chief resigns, will make new bid for bail

By TOM HAYS and COLLEEN LONG

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hours after Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned from his post as manager of the International Monetary Fund - saying he felt compelled to focus his energy on the sexual assault charges he faces - the French politician will try to get out of jail.

Behind bars on New York's Rikers Island since Monday, the beleaguered former IMF chief is scheduled to return to a Manhattan court Thursday afternoon to again ask for bail on charges he sexually assaulted a hotel maid - a move seemed certain to face vigorous opposition by prosecutors.

Late Wednesday, Strauss-Kahn resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, according to a letter released by its executive board.

In the letter, Strauss-Kahn denied the allegations but said he felt compelled to resign with "great sadness" because he was thinking of his family and also wanted to protect the IMF.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on suicide watch at New York prison (Aljazeera English, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Aljazeera English", 18 May 2011

IMF chief on suicide watch at New York prison

Dominique Strauss-Kahn placed on suicide watch following his arrest and detention on attempted rape charges.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been placed on suicide watch following his arrest and detention on attempted rape charges.
Strauss-Kahn, who denies the charges, is expected to remain in New York's Rikers Island jail, known for gang violence, at least until his next court appearance on Friday, when lawyers may again request bail.
A law enforcement source said Strauss-Kahn was being watched as a precautionary measure.
A maid told New York police that Strauss-Kahn had tried to rape her in his hotel suite on 14 May and later picked him out at an identity parade.
A lawyer for the maid, a 32-year-old widow from Guinea with a 15-year-old daughter, said she had not been aware of Strauss-Kahn's identity until a day after the alleged attack.

Strauss-Kahn case raises issue of diplomat abuse in U.S. (Associated Press, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 18 May 2011
Strauss-Kahn case raises issue of diplomat abuse in U.S.

By Brian Grow

ATLANTA | Wed May 18, 2011 12:49pm EDT

(Reuters) - The case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn is an extreme example of alleged sexual assault by an elite member of the international community. But the charges against him also shine a light on how diplomats and international officials have been accused of abusing maids or nannies in the United States, and have largely escaped prosecution.
Foreign diplomats have been the subject of at least 11 civil lawsuits and one criminal prosecution related to abuse of domestic workers in the last five years, according to a Reuters review of U.S. federal court records. The allegations range from slave-like work conditions to rape, and the vast majority of the diplomats in these cases avoided prison terms and financial penalties.
Strauss-Kahn, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, was charged on Sunday with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. He does not have full diplomatic immunity, but IMF rules grant him immunity limited to acts performed in his "official capacity." He was denied bail Monday and sent to jail in New York. He did not enter a plea, and his lawyer said he intends to plead not guilty.

International Pirates: Price Tag for Somali Piracy Surges (Spiegel International, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Spiegel International, Germany", 18 May 2011
The Booty Business
Price Tag for Somali Piracy Surges 
International piracy is emerging as a market in its own right, one that cost the global economy an estimated $8.3 billion in 2010. Efforts to contain the problem are having little impact, and the costs of lost booty, ransom and other costs associated with pirates could double within a few years.

Pirates of yesteryear have been romanticized in literature through books like "Treasure Island" and in films like "Pirates of the Caribbean". But the modern day piracy off the coast of Somalia is no swashbuckling fun and adventure. It is an expensive and dangerous problem that is escalating at an alarming rate.

Piracy cost the international economy up to $8.3 billion last year and "has emerged as a market it its own right," states a new report by political and economic intelligence consulting firm Geopolicity. Already in the first quarter of 2011, Somali pirates have attacked more than 117 ships, killed 7 crew members and held 338 hostages for ransom, the study finds. But international efforts to scupper the problem are failing, and it is predicted that piracy-related costs could more than double in just the next three years.

French agape over treatment of jailed IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn (Associated Press, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 18 May 2011

French agape over treatment of jailed IMF chief

By ELAINE GANLEY

PARIS (AP) -- The trans-Atlantic gap separating the U.S. and French justice systems and moral codes is as wide as the ocean itself - appalling a nation witnessing the unraveling fortunes of a favorite son, jailed IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Some of the charges leveled against Strauss-Kahn in the alleged sexual assault of a hotel maid in New York do not exist in France. And if the case was being heard in France, the 62-year-old IMF chief might risk three to five years in prison instead of scores in the United States, a leading expert says.

Strauss-Kahn also likely wouldn't be sitting in a notorious jail right now on a suicide watch.

The photos of a potential French president - handcuffed, stooped, unshaven, tieless and whisked away to court before photographers - knocked the breath out of the French public.

The initial response was a collective "that would not happen here."

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Revelations could tarnish His legacy (Associated Press, 18 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 18 May 2011

Revelations could tarnish Schwarzenegger's legacy

By JULIET WILLIAMS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Arnold Schwarzenegger's political legacy in California already was tenuous.

He left the governor's office after seven years without making good on his central campaign promise to fix the state's budgeting system, then commuted the manslaughter sentence for the son of a political ally in one of his final official acts, drawing the condemnation of prosecutors and the family of a slain college student.

Now he's revealed to be the father of an out-of-wedlock child, a secret he kept during two gubernatorial terms.

No matter his accomplishments in office, Schwarzenegger may be best remembered as yet another philandering politician who got caught.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn denied bail; Pressure mounts on the IMF chief to resign (Associated Press, 17 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 17 May 2011

Pressure rises against IMF chief held at NYC jail

By JENNIFER PELTZ

NEW YORK (AP) -- Pressure built Tuesday for Dominique Strauss-Kahn to consider resigning as chief of the International Monetary Fund after he was charged with trying to rape a maid at a New York hotel.

Strauss-Kahn spent the night at the infamous Rikers Island, a 400-acre penal complex, after being denied bail Monday. Prosecutors had warned the wealthy banker might flee to France and put himself beyond the reach of U.S. law like the filmmaker Roman Polanski.

Strauss-Kahn's weekend arrest rocked the financial world as the IMF grapples with the European debt crisis, and it upended French presidential politics. Strauss-Kahn, a member of France's Socialist party, was widely considered the strongest potential challenger next year to President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Austria's finance minister suggested Tuesday that Strauss-Kahn consider stepping down to avoid damaging the IMF, which provides emergency loans to countries in severe distress and tries to maintain global financial stability.

The Strauss-Kahn Arrest: Fall of the Global Economy's Top Steward (Spiegel International, 16 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Spiegel International, Germany", 16 May 2011
The Strauss-Kahn Arrest: The Fall of the Global Economy's Top Steward

By Gregor Peter Schmitz in Washington

Dominque Strauss-Khan is as much a charmer as he is a banker, making him an unusual choice to head the IMF. But his stewardship of the institution during the global financial crisis drew praise. The rape allegations now lodged against him are creating havoc for a summit addressing the rescue of the euro this week.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn speaks English with only a slight accent. He likes to share his considerable knowledge of photography and cinema during conversations. All in all, he comes across very much the Frenchman. But the first person who comes to mind when one visits his office on a top floor of the Washington headquarters of the International Monetary Fund is a certain Bill Clinton.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn appears in NY court in sex assault case (Reuters, 16 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Reuters", 15 May 2011
Strauss-Kahn appears in NY court in sex assault case

By Basil Katz and Edith Honan 
NEW YORK

(Reuters) - IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn appeared in court on Monday for the first time since he was accused of trying to rape a hotel maid in a case that sent shockwaves through French politics and left the IMF in turmoil.
A handcuffed and drained Strauss-Kahn, whose hopes of becoming France's next president appear to have been wrecked, faced a barrage of cameras when he was escorted to the booking station at Manhattan Criminal Court on Sunday night.
His lawyers said he would plead not guilty to charges of a criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment that could bring a humiliating end to his public career and political ambitions.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: from $3,000-a-night suite to police cell (Guardian, 15 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Guardian, UK", 15 May 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn: from $3,000-a-night suite to police cell

• IMF chief arrested on Air France plane at John F Kennedy airport
• French left wing in shock at claims of attack on hotel maid

By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

For a leftwing French presidential hopeful trying to prove he didn't like bling, room 2806 of the Sofitel hotel near Manhattan's Times Square was luxurious. For $3,000 (£1,850) a night, it boasted a foyer, conference room, living room, bedroom and bathroom. But the size of the suite compounded the brutality of the alleged assault on the hotel maid who described being dragged from room to room in a violent sex attack by one of the most important men in the world economy.
At around 1pm on Saturday afternoon, a 32-year-old chambermaid entered the suite at the luxurious hotel on West 44th Street in the heart of New York's theatre district. She had been instructed to clean and was told it was empty. According to the hotel worker's account to police, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the IMF, emerged from the bathroom naked, chased her down a hallway and pulled her into the bedroom where he began to sexually assault her. New York police department spokesman Paul Browne said Strauss-Kahn had been naked when he "grabs her and pulls her into the bedroom and on to the bed".

NY police question IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn in hotel sex assault (Associated Press)

Courtesy: "Associated Press (AP)", 15 May 2011

NY police question IMF head in hotel sex assault

By COLLEEN LONG

NEW YORK (AP) -- The leader of the International Monetary Fund and a possible candidate for president of France was pulled from an airplane moments before he was to fly to Paris and was being questioned Saturday by police in connection with the violent sexual assault of a hotel maid, police said.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was taken off the Air France flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport by officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and turned over to police Saturday afternoon, said Paul J. Browne, New York Police Department spokesman.

He was being questioned by the NYPD special victims office. Strauss-Kahn had retained an attorney and was not making statements to police, Browne said.

"He's being arrested for a criminal sex act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment," Browne said.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn: IMF chief held for alleged sexual attack (Aljazeera English, 15 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Aljazeera English", 15 May 2011

IMF chief held for alleged sexual attack

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accused of a sexual attack on a maid at a Times Square hotel in New York.

The director general of International Monetary Fund (IMF) was pulled from an airplane moments before he was to fly to Paris and was being questioned by police in connection with a sexual assault of a maid at a hotel, police said.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was taken off the Air France flight at John F Kennedy International Airport by officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and was turned over to police on Saturday afternoon, Paul J Browne, New York Police Department [NYPD] spokesman, said.
He was being questioned by the NYPD special victims office. Strauss-Kahn had retained an attorney and was not making statements to the police, Browne said. No charges have yet been filed.

Raj Rajaratnam: Wiretaps key in conviction of ex-hedge fund giant (Associated Press, 12 May 2011)

Courtesy: "Associated Press", 12 May 2011

Wiretaps key in conviction of ex-hedge fund giant

By TOM HAYS and LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) -- The jury that returned a guilty verdict to all charges against a one-time billionaire hedge fund founder proved to have a voracious appetite for the audiotapes of him talking to fellow traders and friends at public companies about stocks he wanted to trade.

Before they returned the verdict Wednesday against Raj Rajaratnam, jurors listened to 66 taped conversations over 12 days. They heard some of the 45 conversations played during the trial multiple times, enabling prosecutors to declare their maiden effort to use wiretaps to prosecute insider trading cases a huge success. Legal observers agreed.

The office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara "took wiretaps for a test drive, and I'd say it was a resounding success," said Stephen Miller, a former federal prosecutor in private practice in Philadelphia.