18
news without borders
Jail term sought for
lawyer in Berlusconi
graft case
MILAN: Prosecutors sought on
Wednesday a jail term of four
years and eight months for a Brit-
ish lawyer accused of accepting a
bribe from Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi in exchange for
giving false testimony.
Berlusconi is accused of pay-
ing US$600,000 (RM2.2 million to
David Mills (pix), the estranged
husband of Britain’s Olympics
Minister Tessa Jowell, for the
testimony he gave in two earlier
trials in the late 1990s.
Prosecutor Fabio De Pasquale
said Mills was “on the payroll”
of the Berlusconi family holding
company Fininvest on which he
had developed a “professional
and economic dependency”, the
ANSA news agency reported.
Mills, who specialises in
tax havens, initially admitted
receiving the US$600,000 from
Berlusconi “in recognition” for
his work.
Berlusconi’s lawyer Niccolo
Ghedini claimed the case was
nothing more than a political
witch-hunt.
“Once again, we are looking
to attack, even if it is indirectly,
the prime minister with a case
that does not exist,” Ghedini
said.
The pair, along with a dozen
other defendants, are accused
of tax fraud in the purchase of
film rights in the United States
by Mediaset, the television group
owned by the Berlusconi family.
Mills, 64, is being tried sepa-
rately in the case, since Berlus-
coni is shielded from prosecu-
tion while in office under a law
passed shortly after he returned
to power in May.
The law grants political im-
munity to the incumbents of
Italy’s four most powerful posi-
tions: the posts of prime minister,
president and the speakers of the
two parliamentary chambers.
Berlusconi, 72, has repeatedly
accused magistrates, notably in
his native Milan, of conducting
a politically motivated campaign
against him.
He was elected to a third stint
as prime minister in April, but this
time his coalition had a strong
enough majority to pass the
controversial proposals, which
he had tried unsuccessfully to
usher in during previous terms
in office. – AFP
theSun | FRIDAY DECEMBER 19 2008
Male circumcision lowers cervical
cancer risk: Study Warner of the US Centres for
Disease Control and Prevention
and colleagues tested African-
American men in Baltimore
and found 10% of those at high
WASHINGTON: Three studies with the human papilloma virus, risk of infection with HIV who
Xmas published on Wednesday add or HPV, which is the main cause were circumcised had the virus,
to evidence that circumcision of cervical cancer and genital compared to 22% of those who
treat for can protect men from the deadly warts. were not.
children AIDS virus and the sexually “This finding explains why “Circumcision was associated
of Rumah transmitted virus that causes women with circumcised with substantially reduced HIV
cervical cancer. partners are at a lower risk risk in patients with known HIV
Hope The reports in the Journal of of cervical cancer than other exposure, suggesting that results
pg20 Infectious Diseases are likely to women,” they wrote in their of other studies demonstrating
add to the debate over whether report. reduced HIV risk for circumcision
men – and newborn boys A second paper looking at US among heterosexual men likely
– should be circumcised to men had less clear-cut results, can be generalised to the US
protect their health and perhaps but Carrie Nielson of Oregon context,” they wrote.
the health of their future sexual Health & Science University and Studies supporting
partners. colleagues said they found some circumcision to reduce HIV
Dr Bertran Auvert of the indication that circumcision transmission had all been done
University of Versailles in France might protect men. in Africa and US studies were less
and colleagues in South Africa The circumcised men were clear.
tested more than 1,200 men about half as likely to have HPV Dr Ronald Gray of Johns
visiting a clinic in South Africa, as uncircumcised men, after Hopkins University in Baltimore
They found under 15% of the adjustment for other differences and colleagues said they found
circumcised men and 22% of the between the two groups. the reports encouraging.
uncircumcised men were infected In the third report, Lee – Reuters
than 40 US governors’ offices and 16 US Sumo wrestlers found
embassies in Europe, but nothing danger-
guilty in trainee’s death
briefs ous has been found in them so far, officials
said on Wednesday. TOKYO: Three Japanese sumo wrestlers
The State Department said the enve- were handed suspended jail sentences
White powder sent to US lopes were mailed to embassies in Berlin, yesterday for beating up a 17-year-old
Berne, Brussels, Bucharest, Copenhagen, trainee who later died, a court said, in
embassies, governors Dublin, Luxembourg, Madrid, Oslo, Paris, a case that has sparked concern over
WASHINGTON: Envelopes with white Reykjavik, Riga, Rome, Stockholm, Tallinn training practices in the ancient sport.
powder were received recently at more and The Hague. – AFP – Reuters