Manny Pacquiao Has Bank Accounts Frozen

Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has revealed that authorities have frozen all his domestic bank accounts over allegations of unpaid taxes from lucrative fights in the United States, crippling him financially.

The millionaire Filipino sporting superstar said the move meant he had been forced to borrow money to fulfil pledges to help victims of the devastating super typhoon in the Philippines, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives.

Pacquiao, 34, has branded as "harassment" the freeze order issued by the Philippines' Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The shock announcement came just days after Pacquiao made a victorious return to the boxing ring, with a unanimous points decision win over American opponent Brandon Rios in Macau.

Pacquiao dedicated his first victory in two years to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which will only fuel his popularity among millions of ordinary Filipinos who idolise the fighter.

The former eight-division world champion is now eyeing more lucrative fights in the United States.

Pacquiao is a second-term congressman

He also has a political career in the Philippines, where he is a second-term congressman with ambitions of eventually becoming president.

Pacquiao said the tax office took the action because it believed he had evaded paying 2.2 billion pesos (£31m) in taxes on his fights in the United States in 2008 and 2009, when he was at the peak of his career and earning tens of millions of dollars.

He said he had broken no laws because he had already paid taxes on those earnings in the United States, which has a treaty with the Philippines that allows citizens of both countries avoid double taxation.

However, he said the tax bureau had rejected the documents he provided as proof that he had already paid the money.

"I am not a criminal or a thief. I am not hiding anything. I will face my problems as they come," Pacquiao said.

"I have already paid my taxes in America. Had I not paid the correct taxes they (US authorities) would have come after me and I would not have been able to travel there."

Thousands turned out in the Philippines to celebrate Pacquiao's win

The Philippines tax bureau confirmed the local bank accounts of Pacquiao and his wife, Jinkee, had been frozen.

President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma brushed off suggestions Pacquiao was being singled out for political harassment.

"We are a government of laws not of men," he told reporters.

The Government has been running an active campaign against high-profile tax evaders, targeting movie stars as well as businessmen.

Pacquiao said most of his cash was kept in the Philippines bank accounts.

He said the freeze order had left him without money to pay his staff, and forced him to borrow "not less than one million pesos" to fulfil pledges to help victims of a devastating super typhoon in the Philippines.

At his peak, Pacquiao was regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, becoming the only man to win world titles in eight weight divisions.

The former street kid who ran away from home to pursue a boxing career became one of the wealthiest athletes in the world.                 

But his career nose-dived after suffering two losses last year, the second in a humiliating knockout to Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez that prompted questions over whether the ageing fighter should retire.                 

But even last year, Forbes magazine listed him as the 14th highest-paid athlete globally with an estimated $34m (£21m) in earnings.

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WHO Sorry Over Greece HIV Injection Claims

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been forced to backtrack after wrongly claiming Greeks were intentionally infecting themselves with HIV to claim benefits.

WHO said HIV rates had risen "significantly" in the debt-ridden country, with "about half" of new HIV infections self-inflicted, allowing people to receive benefits of €700 (£585) per month.

The report, prepared by University College London's Institute of Health Equity, said: "HIV rates and heroin use have risen significantly, with about half of new HIV infections being self-inflicted to enable people to receive benefits of €700 per month and faster admission on to drug substitution programmes."

The findings were reported by news organisations around the world, but after the claims came under further scrutiny, WHO was forced into a humiliating climbdown.

The organisation's head of public affairs Gregory Haertl said on Twitter that there had been a "typo" in the report, adding: "People r not giving themselves HIV in Greece to get benefits." 

In an official statement, the WHO said the sentence should have read: "half of the new HIV cases are self-injecting and out of them few are deliberately inflicting the virus."

The organisation apologised for the error, which it blamed on "an error in the editing of the document".

It said the sources of the statement were 2011 reports from the Lancet and the Greek Documentation and Monitoring Centre for Drugs, which mentioned "accounts of deliberate self-infliction by a few individuals".

The WHO said: "Greece has reported a significant, 52% increase of new HIV infection in 2011 compared to the 2010, largely driven by infections among people who inject drugs in recent years.

"The reasons for this increase remain multifaceted and WHO welcomes efforts of the ad hoc working group and other entities to fully understand the underlying reasons and recommend appropriate measures to extend the benefits of the comprehensive package of interventions for harm reduction to all people who inject drugs."

Figures from the Hellenic Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as Keelpno, showed the HIV infection rate in Greece has nearly tripled in 10 years - up from 3.9 in every 100,000 people in 2003 to 10.9 in 2012.

There were 1,180 HIV infections last year compared with 434 in 2003, while the disease was transmitted through injections in around a tenth (8.9%) of cases in 2012.

The majority of infections (53%) occur among Greek men aged 25-39.

Prostitution also increased, "probably as a response to economic hardship", it said, adding that Greeks were less likely than they were in 2007 to visit a doctor or dentist when they were feeling unwell.

Greece is going through its sixth consecutive year of recession amid brutal austerity cuts.

The country has twice been bailed out by the international community, although its draft budget for 2014 predicts economic growth of 0.6% next year.

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John McAfee Accused Of Threats In Dispute

Anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee has been accused of sending threatening emails and having associates in an armed motorcycle gang by a former property manager at his Oregon apartment.

Mr McAfee, who says he lost most of his software fortune in the financial crisis, moved to the luxury apartment building in southeast Portland after arriving in the US from Belize last December.

The 68-year-old fled the Central American nation after authorities said they wanted to question him in connection with the fatal shooting of a neighbour. He has denied any involvement in Gregory Faull's death.

Before arriving in the US, Mr McAfee spent a week in a Guatemalan jail for allegedly being there illegally.

Now the eccentric entrepreneur is facing a civil stalking complaint filed by Connor Hyde, a property manager with the Riverstone Residential Group.

Mr Hyde's court filing, obtained by The Oregonian newspaper, says Mr McAfee sent threatening emails and has access to weapons and armed associates from a motorcycle club.

Crystal Pierce, senior property manager at The 20 on Hawthorne, said Mr Hyde no longer works at the location. She said the company does not comment on legal matters.

British-born Mr McAfee said he moved to Montreal two months ago and had only just learned of the situation in Portland.

He said he had issues with building management over "wilful lapses of security" but was not forced to leave.

"I've never been evicted from anything," he said.

Mr McAfee said he had a "severe problem" with Mr Hyde, but never threatened him with anything except lawsuits.

"He gave keys out to all of his friends, and friends of friends," he said. "People were partying in vacant condos."

Judge Steven Evans granted a temporary protective order against Mr McAfee and scheduled a hearing for January 3.

Mr McAfee said he does not plan to attend that hearing. He said the protective order was inconsequential because he is no longer living in Oregon.

The former tycoon sold his stake in the software company named after him in the early 1990s.

He moved to Belize about four years ago to reduce his taxes. He has dabbled in yoga, ultralight aircraft and the production of herbal medications.

He told The New York Times in 2009 that he had lost all but £2.47m ($4m) of his £61.7m ($100m) fortune in the US financial crisis. However, a story on the Gizmodo website quoted him as describing that claim as "not very accurate at all".

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Hollywood Producer Milchan Admits Israel Spying

Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan has confirmed rumours that he led a secret life as an Israeli spy.

The Israeli businessman behind hit films including Pretty Woman, Fight Club and Mr & Mrs Smith has finally admitted that he spent years brokering arms deals and boosting his country's alleged nuclear programme.

In a far-reaching interview with Israeli investigative programme Uvda, Mr Milchan detailed a series of clandestine affairs worthy of any of his blockbuster films, including how he helped purchase technologies Israel allegedly needed to operate nuclear bombs.

"I did it for my country and I'm proud of it," said Mr Milchan, who ran a successful fertiliser company in Israel before making it big in Hollywood.

Even as his career in movies flourished, he maintained close ties with Israel's leadership.

According to an unauthorised biography published two years ago, Mr Milchan worked for Israel's now-defunct Bureau of Scientific Relations, known as Lekem, which worked to obtain information for secret defence programmes.

The bureau was disbanded in 1987 after it was implicated in a spying affair for which Jonathan Pollard, a civilian intelligence analyst for the US Navy, was sentenced to life in prison.

Mr Milchan also claimed other big Hollywood names were connected to his covert affairs.

He said: "When I came to Hollywood I detached myself completely from my physical activities to dedicate myself to what I really wanted - filmmaking. (But) sometimes it gets mixed up."

The 68-year-old founded the New Regency film company and has produced more than 120 movies since the 1970s, working closely with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, Sergio Leone and Oliver Stone.

He forged an especially close relationship with Robert De Niro, who along with actors Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, was featured in Uvda's broadcast.

"I had heard, but I wasn't sure," De Niro said, of Mr Milchan's activities.

"I did ask him once and he told me that he was an Israeli and of course he would do these things for his country."

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Knox: Prosecutor Seeks 30-Year Jail Term

A prosecutor has asked a jury to convict Amanda Knox for the murder of Meredith Kercher and sentence her to a total of 30 years.

Prosecutor Alessandro Crini sought 26 years for murder and another four for slander.

Mr Crini also demanded 26 years for Knox's co-defendant, Raffaele Sollecito.

He made the request after two days of closing arguments at the retrial for the brutal murder of Ms Kercher, who was stabbed to death in 2007 in the home she shared with Knox in Perugia.

Meredith Kercher was killed on November 1, 2007

Ms Kercher, 21, was found in a pool of blood in her room, her throat slit.

Knox, who is not attending the trial, and Sollecito, her boyfriend at the time, have always denied wrongdoing. They insist they spent the night of the murder at Sollecito's home.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years in the first trial in 2009, including one year for slander for blaming Ms Kercher's murder on a Congolese-born bar owner.

Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years.

Sollecito told the court weeks ago that he has been living a 'nightmare'

Both defendants were acquitted on appeal in 2011 and released from prison, but then Italy's highest criminal court ordered a retrial.

Knox, an American student who spent four years in jail in Perugia, is back in the US. 

Six years after the killing, and countless hearings later, no clear motive has emerged.

The prosecutors have argued that Ms Kercher was killed in a drug-fuelled sex game gone awry. 

The retrial, being held in Florence, is expected to reach a verdict in January.

More follows...

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Gibraltar Diplomatic Bag Row Heightens Tensions

Britain has made a formal protest after Spanish police opened a diplomatic bag on the border with Gibraltar.

An explanation is being demanded by the Foreign Office of the "serious infringement" of international protocols.

Assurances are also being sought that there will be no repeat of the incident, in which a diplomatic bag being carried by a courier into Spain, was opened and searched by Guardia Civil officers.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Diplomatic bags are inviolable."

It comes amid continuing tensions between London and Madrid over the British overseas territory.

Tensions have been growing between London and Madrid over the territory

Diplomatic bags, which are used to carry documents and other items, between governments and their diplomatic missions abroad are protected by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The spokesman said: "This was a serious infringement of the principles of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

"We take very seriously any reported abuse of the protocol surrounding official correspondence and the diplomatic bag.

"We have asked the Spanish authorities to investigate what occurred and take action to ensure it does not happen again.

"As far as we are concerned there is no justification for this infringement of the UK's rights under the Vienna Convention. Official correspondence and diplomatic bags are inviolable."

Frictions over the disputed territory have been rising since the construction of an artificial reef by the Gibraltar government earlier this year, which the Spanish said interfered with their fishermen.

Tighter border controls imposed by Spain led to long delays at frontier

Madrid responded by imposing tighter border controls, leading to long delays at the frontier.

Earlier this month, the Spanish ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office over what was said to be an unauthorised incursion into Gibraltarian waters by a Spanish survey vessel.

It was the third time the Spanish ambassador had been publicly summoned over the Gibraltar issue since the current Spanish government took office in December 2011.

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Sandy Hook Gunman 'Obsessed With Columbine'

The gunman who carried out last year's Connecticut school shooting lived an isolated existence and was obsessed with mass killings, a report by the lead investigator says.

The review, released after a year-long investigation, provides chilling insights into Adam Lanza, but sheds no more light over a possible motive for one of the worst shootings in US history.

On December 14, Lanza shot dead his mother and then killed 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown before committing suicide.

"The obvious question that remains is: 'Why did the shooter murder 27 people, including 20 children?' Unfortunately, that question may never be answered conclusively," the report said.

State Attorney Stephen Sedensky III said there was no clear indication why the 20-year-old gunman chose Sandy Hook as his target other than the fact that it was close to his home.

Police at first thought there could have been several gunmen

The 48-page report said that in fifth grade Lanza wrote a book that included tales of children being slaughtered and a son shooting his mother in the head.

In the years that followed, he developed an obsession with violence and mass murders, especially the 1999 Columbine school massacre.

The report says he assembled articles, photos, books, footage and violent video games, including one in which players gun down students in school, and even kept a spreadsheet ranking mass murders.

Nobody was allowed into his bedroom. Its windows were covered with black garbage bags.

Lanza communicated with his mother by email only even though they lived in the same house, according to the review.

He refused to sleep in hotels, reacted badly to loud noises and liked to play a video game called Dance Dance Revolution in addition to more violent fare.

His food had to be arranged on the plate in a certain way and he changed clothes and washed his hands often during the day, the findings said.

Twenty children and six adults were killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook

His mother, Nancy Lanza, was planning to buy her son a new pistol for Christmas, even though he disliked Christmas and birthdays.

Adam Lanza had significant mental health issues that affected his ability to live a normal life and interact with others, but did not affect his mental state for the crimes, the report said.

In 2005, he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, an autism-like condition that is not associated with violent crimes.

Mr Sedensky said Lanza "was undoubtedly afflicted with mental health problems.

Demolition of the elementary school began in October

"Yet despite a fascination with mass shootings and firearms, he displayed no aggressive or threatening tendencies."

The mother of Victoria Soto, who was killed in Sandy Hook, said in a statement that nothing could make sense of the shooting.

Donna Soto said: "Yes, we have read the report. No, we cannot make sense of why it happened.

"We don't know if anyone ever will. We don't know if we will ever be whole again, we don't know if we will go a day without pain, we don't know if anything will ever make sense again."

A timeline released with the report indicated that nearly six minutes passed between the arrival of the first Newtown police officer and the time officers entered the school.

The report said law enforcement officers were operating under the belief there may have been more than one shooter.

The massacre shook America and reignited a national debate on gun control.

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Indian Dentists Who Slit Daughter's Throat Jailed

A couple who slit the throats of their daughter and a servant have been sentenced to life in prison by a court in India.

A judge handed the sentence to wealthy dentists Rajesh and Nupur Talwar who were convicted the previous day of murdering Aarushi, 14, and Nepalese servant Hemraj Banjade.

The killings happened at their home in the affluent New Delhi suburb of Noida in 2008.

"It's life," independent lawyer Naresh Yadav told reporters outside the court in Ghaziabad, a satellite city just outside the capital.

Judge Shyam Lal spared the couple the death penalty, which had been sought by the prosecution after their conviction on Monday.

"Life imprisonment is the basic sentence. We are satisfied with the judgement. The case has come to an end," prosecutor R.K. Saini said.

The sentence was the latest dramatic twist in the long-running case that has been awash with sexual rumour and charges of police bungling and media bias.

Rajesh Talwar was attacked outside court in 2011

Investigators allege the Talwars killed Aarushi in a fit of rage after finding her with the 45-year-old domestic servant in an "objectionable position", suggesting the double-murder was a so-called honour killing.

The couple - successful, middle-class dentists - have vowed to appeal, insisting that they are victims of police incompetence and a media witchhunt.

Aarushi was found on her bed with her throat cut "with clinical precision" one morning in May 2008.

Police initially blamed the missing servant - only to find his decomposing body on the roof a day later with a similar cut and head wounds.

Rajesh Talwar recently told the AFP news agency: "We loved Aarushi, we have no lives without her. This has been a never-ending nightmare."

Early in the investigation, police alleged Rajesh Talwar had murdered Aarushi and Hemraj in a rage after finding them in a compromising situation.

The prosecution had conceded there was no forensic or material evidence against the couple, and based its case on the "last-seen theory" - claiming the victims were last seen with the accused.

Defence lawyer Satyaketu Singh said after sentencing that "there is no evidence against them" and expressed confidence that "this judgment will be overturned."

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Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko On Hunger Strike

Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has gone on hunger strike in jail to show support for thousands of protesters who want close ties with Europe.

The co-leader of the pro-democracy Orange Revolution in 2004 announced her decision in a letter read to 20,000 supporters who gathered in central Kiev.

Demonstrations have been taking place this week against President Viktor Yanukovych's shock move to scrap a key trade pact with the European Union.

Some of the protests have turned violent, with dozens of activists clashing with riot police.

Protesters threw traffic cones and rocks at officers who fired tear gas.

A flag with an image of Tymoshenko during the demonstrations

Demonstrators set up two dozen tents in the capital where they spent the night to make sure police did not close off the square where the largest protests were being held.

The Orange Revolution protests nine years ago halted the president's first attempt at election amid rigging allegations.

In her letter, former prime minister Ms Tymoshenko said: "I am announcing an indefinite hunger strike demanding that Yanukovych sign an association and free trade agreement with the EU.

"And if Yanukovych does not sign our agreement with the EU on November 29, wipe him off the face of Ukraine through peaceful and constitutional means."

She was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2011 - shortly after she lost to Mr Yanukovych in a presidential election.

Some protests in Kiev have turned violent

She was jailed on abuse of power charges that she and the West say were politically motivated.

The latest crisis in the former Soviet state was sparked by the government's abrupt decision to scrap the planned signing of a historic deal with the EU at a two-day summit in Vilnius, Lithuania starting on Thursday.

The U-turn came shortly after Mr Yanukovych held secret talks in Russia with President Vladimir Putin meant to address economic sanctions that Moscow planned to slap on Kiev if it signed the EU pact.

These included a threat to impose strict conditions on Russian natural gas deliveries on which Ukraine depends, especially in the winter months.

Mr Yanukovych is still scheduled to travel to Vilnius for the Eastern Partnership summit and some EU leaders appeared to hold out hope that Kiev may yet change its mind.

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Tiger Attacks Keeper At Steve Irwin's Zoo

A tiger handler is being treated in hospital after being mauled during a show at the zoo started by Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.

The 30-year-old was bitten on the neck and shoulder when the tiger became "over excited" during play, Australia Zoo says.

The senior handler, who had raised the animal since it was a cub, remained in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

He suffered two large puncture wounds and was conscious when he was flown to Brisbane from the zoo, which is on the Sunshine Coast.

He was reportedly attacked in front of a large crowd.

The zoo keeps both Bengal (pictured) and Sumatran tigers. Pic: File

The zoo's director Wes Mennon said co-workers saw the attack and helped drag the victim, who has not been named, to safety.

"The tigers get exited ... when they're playing, that's what they do and unfortunately," he said.

"It's got a bit too exited and just grabbed him in that spot and let go pretty much immediately once the other handlers grabbed him.

"Our emergency response team were on the scene immediately. They acted professionally and calmly. My hat goes off to them."

Andrew Haggerty, a doctor at air rescue charity RACQ CareFlight, said the handler's injuries could have been much worse.

"The neck is a very complex area and contains lots of serious structures including blood vessels, and perhaps most importantly the airway," he said.

"Any bleeding in the area itself could cause significant complications."

Helicopter pilot Alan Carstens, who was called to the scene to take the man to hospital, said it was a strange afternoon.

Steve Irwin at the zoo in 2006

"I honestly thought someone was kidding me, they said, 'It's a tiger attack', I said 'no', but it was," he told reporters.

"We landed just outside the African (enclosure) area, right next door to where the tigers are.

"I waited with the chopper, I was looking at a tortoise straight opposite me, I thought it was a rock initially, then it started moving."

Twitter user dbass9 posted a picture of a media throng at the zoo, saying: "I saw the tiger attack at Australia Zoo today. 

"Things went from playful to violent instantly. I hope that poor fella recovers quickly."

Australia Zoo, which keeps Bengal and Sumatran tigers, said it was conducting a full investigation into the attack.

The zoo was made famous by Irwin, who starred in the hugely successful wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter.

It is now run by his family, including widow Terri.

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