UK spy chief defends secrecy

UK spy chief defends secrecy

LONDON

Britain’s spy-agency chief stepped out of the shadows with an unprecedented public address, defending the need for secrecy to counter growing terror threats such as Iran’s nuclear proliferation.

MI6 chief John Sawers said Thursday even though Cold War-era secrecy has been lifted and intelligence agencies were working to become more accessible, keeping intelligence material secret was vital to protect people against terror attacks.

Michelle Obama addresses bullying

WASHINGTON

Michelle Obama says adults can address the problem of bullying if they lead by example.

“Kids will follow our lead. They will follow our example, but we’ve got to set it,” she said in a television interview broadcast Thursday.

Her comments came days after President Barack Obama addressed the topic in a video posted on the White House website.

James MacArthur, aka ‘Danno,’ dies

LOS ANGELES

Stage and screen actor James MacArthur, who played “Danno” in the original version of television’s “Hawaii Five-O,” died Thursday at age 72.

MacArthur’s agent, Richard Lewis, said the actor died in Florida of “natural causes,” but no direct cause was specified.

In a career that spanned more than four decades, MacArthur was most recognized for his role as detective Danny “Danno” Williams on “Hawaii Five-O,” which aired from 1968 to 1980. Episodes often ended with detective Steve McGarrett, the lead character, uttering what became a pop-culture catch phrase: “Book ’em, Danno.”

Ringleader guilty in Fla. couple’s slaying

PENSACOLA, Fla.

A karate instructor was convicted Thursday of leading a group of armed men dressed as ninjas to rob and kill a wealthy Florida couple while their nine special-needs children cowered or slept nearby.

The Pensacola jury deliberated about five hours before finding Patrick Gonzalez Jr. guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of home-invasion robbery. During the four-day trial, prosecutors argued he led the July 9, 2009, attack on Byrd and Melanie Billings.

Gonzalez now faces a sentence of death or life in prison. Jurors will decide the sentence today.

Shootings in capital of Mexico raise fears

MEXICO CITY

Armed men rumbled into a gritty neighborhood of the Mexican capital Thursday and gunned down six men hanging around a convenience store, fueling fears that one of the world’s largest cities is falling prey to the cartel-style violence that has long terrorized other parts of the country. More than 50 people have been killed in the past week in five apparently unrelated massacres, including four shot Thursday near the border city of Ciudad Juarez. But the Mexico City shooting has raised alarm among residents about a drug war that has long seemed distant.

Smith’s psychiatrist, boyfriend convicted

LOS ANGELES

A jury on Thursday convicted Anna Nicole Smith’s psychiatrist and boyfriend of conspiring to use false names to obtain prescription drugs for the former Playboy model and reality TV star but acquitted the doctor who prescribed a plethora of drugs for her.

Associated Press