USSS scandal
BOGOTA, Colombia - A woman who says she was the prostitute who triggered the US Secret Service scandal in Colombia says that if she were a spy she could have easily obtained sensitive information. The woman who identifies herself as "Dania" also says she never would have complained about not being paid by an agent had she known he was part of US President Barack Obama's security detail.
Con artist
NEW YORK - A New York con artist has been convicted in a bizarre scheme that involved dressing up as his mother and collecting her health benefits for six years after she had died. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes announced the conviction yesterday of 51-year-old Thomas Parkin on charges including grand larceny, forgery and perjury. Prosecutors say Parkin doctored his mother's death certificate after her 2003 death to make it look as if she were alive.
Attack kills six
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan - A US drone attack targeting a militant compound has killed at least six insurgents in a troubled Pakistani tribal district along the Afghan border. Pakistani security officials said two missiles hit and destroyed the compound in Shawal area, some 70 kilometres west of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan tribal district along the Afghan border, early on Saturday.
Breast cancer
PHOENIX - A Phoenix woman has been charged with fraud and theft after US authorities say she told people she had breast cancer and needed treatment so she could get money from them to buy breast implants. Police reports filed in court say 27-year-old Jamie Lynn Toler told her former boss she needed a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction and was uninsured. She told the same tale to her mother and grandparents.
No evidence
LOS ANGELES - US prosecutors have rejected filing a charge against Lindsay Lohan stemming from an incident in March in which a nightclub manager claimed the actor had struck him with her sports car. Friday's decision came after police interviewed the manager, reviewed surveillance footage and looked at Lohan's Porsche and found no evidence that an accident had occurred. Detectives referred the case to the district attorney's office.
New date
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - A private US company has set a new date for launching a cargo ship to the International Space Station. Space Exploration Technologies Corp, better known as SpaceX, said yesterday it was now aiming for a May 19 lift-off of its Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule. It will be the first commercial cargo run to the space station. The launch of the supply ship had been scheduled for Monday but was delayed for more software testing.