Top aide to Ill. Sen. Burris steps down
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Darrel Thompson, the chief aide assigned to embattled U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., says he has stepped down from his job.
Thompson did not reveal why he was returning to the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, except to say he was "temporarily detailed" to Burris, and adding, "I wish Senator Burris and his family the best," CNN reported Saturday.
The resignation came after pressure mounted Friday for Burris to resign the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn called on Burris, who was appointed to the Senate by now-impeached former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, to resign and be replaced through a special election.
Burris has come under fire for his conflicting accounts about his contacts with associates and the brother of Blagojevich, CNN said.
Netanyahu seeks unity Israeli government
JERUSALEM, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Likud Party leader Binyamin Netanyahu is seeking to form a unity government for Israel, but the Kadima Party seems unlikely to join him, analysts say.
Israeli President Shimon Peres formally entrusted Netanyahu with the task of building a coalition Friday, but Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni immediately rejected becoming part of a "national unity" government, and although the two are set to meet on Sunday, Livni seems unlikely to change her mind, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Netanyahu said Kadima would be the first party he turns to, telling reporters, "I am willing to go to great lengths in the negotiations needed to establish such a government," saying that he would be willing to give Kadima several senior portfolios in his cabinet.
But Livni, citing ideological differences with Likud, rejected the idea, saying to supporters in a text message that Netanyahu's aim was to establish "the foundations of a right-wing extremist government," and adding, "You didn't vote for us in order to provide a kosher certificate for a right-wing government, and we need to provide an alternative of hope from the opposition," the Post reported.
Sources: Arrest near in Levy slaying case
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Law enforcement authorities are close to making an arrest in the unsolved 2001 slaying of Washington intern Chandra Levy, sources say.
Police in California have contacted Levy's parents, telling them an arrest was imminent, KGO-TV, San Francisco, reported Saturday. The station also quoted a Washington television report that indicated police were pursuing an arrest warrant for current jail inmate Ingmar Guandique.
"We appreciate all the hard work they did," Susan Levy, Chandra's mother, told KXTV, Sacramento, Calif. "You want justice. You want the person incarcerated. It is still painful no matter what. Your child is dead and gone. But we are glad the police are doing something and making a difference."
Levy, of Modesto, Calif., was reported missing on April 30, 2001. Her remains were found May 22, 2002, by a man walking his dog in a remote area of Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia. Levy had been linked romantically with former U.S. Rep. Gary Condit, D-Calif., but he was never named a suspect in the case.
The Washington Post mentioned Guandique in an investigation last year, quoting investigators who said he assaulted two other women in the park where Levy's body was found, CNN reported.
Nigerian accused in $27 million swindle
NEW YORK, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Authorities allege a Nigerian swindler working with conspirators in six countries convinced Citibank to wire him $27 million in one month.
Paul Gabriel Amos, 37, allegedly created official-looking documents that convinced Citibank in New York to wtranfer the money in two dozen transactions last October, The New York Times reported Saturday.
The money has been recovered and credited back to the Citibank account of the National Bank of Ethiopia, from which it was withdrawn, said an unnamed Citibank spokeswoman.
Amos was arrested last month when he tried to enter the United States through Los Angeles, said documents in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank wire fraud, the Times reported.
The fraud was discovered after several banks where Amos and his conspirators allegedly held accounts returned money to Citibank, saying they couldn't process the transactions.
The money had been wired to accounts allegedly controlled by Amos and his conspirators in the United States, China, Japan, Australia, Cyprus and South Korea.
Thailand frees Australian author
MELBOURNE, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- An Australian author freed from more than five months in a Thai jail for insulting Thailand's royalty says Canberra did a good job in securing his release.
Harry Nicolaides, 41, had been sentenced to more than three years in jail for insulting a Thai crown prince in a book, but was granted a royal pardon Thursday. After a sharing a tearful greeting with his family upon his arrival in Melbourne Saturday, he thanked the Australian government for helping arrange his pardon, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
"I was happy with the Australian government's efforts, they had constraints that they had to work within and the Australian embassy did a marvelous job," Nicolaides told reporters.
Although he was happy to be home, Nicolaides said he is angry about his ordeal, adding, "I am angry, I am frustrated, I am perplexed."
His welcome home held some sadness, however, when he discovered that his mother, Despina, suffered a stroke two weeks ago, the Sunday Herald Sun reported.
"I have been crying for eight hours," Nicolaides said. "I learned only a few minutes before my flight that my mother had a stroke."
