1. Mexican billionare Moshe Saba dies in copter crash — helicopter burst into flames midair in the fog
Mexican Jewish billionaire Moises (Moshe) Saba, 46, along with members of his family, have died in a crash of a helicopter outside Mexico City,. Six people were killed altogether, including the pilot. The Saba family is one of Mexico’s wealthiest families. The family’s pharmaceuticals firm, Grupo Casa Saba SA de CV (NYSE; Mexico: SAB) is one of the family’s business interests, which also include real estate, communications, and media. Moshe Saba was one of the investors whom Joseph Maiman approached to participate in the investment in Channel 10 in 2004, but he declined. Eyewitness accounts said that the helicopter burst into flames while still in the air. The helicopter hit a billboard before hitting the ground. Rescue services found no survivors. Although the accident occurred in a built-up area, there were no casualties on the ground.
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard went to the site of the crash. He said that Mexico’s civil aviation authorities had opened an investigation. The accident was believed to have been caused by the stormy and foggy weather conditions at the time in the area on Sunday night. Moshe Saba was close to Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and was a donor to many haredi (ultra-orthodox) institutions. He also a donor to Zaka - Identification, Extraction and Rescue, which today announced that a delegation would go to Mexico City to identify the dead. Ovadia Yosef’s son, Rabbi David Yosef, will accompany the delegation.
2. Norwegian mafia tied to car trunk murders
Police in Oslo are to investigate suspicions that Norwegian drug gangs may be connected to the grisly find of two burned bodies in the boot of a car in western Sweden last week….Though a full identification is not expected until the end of the week, family members of the supposed victims, with a background in northern Iraq, have already begun grieving their loss, Expressen reports. “The car is mine. I have lost hope that my son and his uncle are still alive. This is the worst catastrophe of my life,” the 25-year-old’s father told Expressen. The 42-year-old, a resident of Arvika in central Sweden, had previously lived in Oslo where he ran a business and had a large number of contacts. He was believed to have been travelling from the Norwegian capital to Malmö on the day of the macabre find. With him in the car was his 25-year-old nephew and three million Norwegian kronor ($535,000), believed to have been the proceeds of a drug deal, Dagbladet reports.
3. Natelashvili called McCain the ‘godfather and lobbyist’ of Saakashvili
Shalva Natelashvili, the leader of Labour party of Georgia, accused Senator McCain in support and lobbying of Mikheil Saakashvili - GeorgiaTimes correspondent in Tbilisi. “Despite our great respect to American people, we must state that Senator John McCain continues lobbying “terrorist and dictator” Mikheil Saakashvili and remains his godfather. Together with Bush grouping, Mr. McCain is responsible for the anti-constitutional coup d’etat, Saakashvili presidency and constant whitewashing his criminal policy,” Natelashvili said. In his view, for Georgia it will end with loss of independency, turning into colony, disintegration and elimination of the state. Natelashvili highlighted the visit’s aim was support and saving Saakashvili government. The fact the Labour party wasn’t invited to the meeting with opposition in Batumi, the leader explained with his constant and harsh criticism in McCain’s address. Natelashvili called on American people to investigate the political activities of the grouping which was planning and conducting “coloured revolutions” all over the world, spending billions and making irreparable harm to the authority of the USA.
4. drug firms cashed in on scare over swine flu: Euro health chief
The swine flu outbreak was a ‘false pandemic’ driven by drug companies that stood to make billions of pounds from a worldwide scare, a leading health expert has claimed. Wolfgang Wodarg, head of health at the Council of Europe, accused the makers of flu drugs and vaccines of influencing the World Health Organisation’s decision to declare a pandemic. This led to the pharmaceutical firms ensuring ‘enormous gains’, while countries, including the UK, ’squandered’ their meagre health budgets, with millions being vaccinated against a relatively mild disease.
