NUS prof Tey questions CPIB officer in "trial within a trial"

SINGAPORE: The law professor on trial for corruption in a sex-for-grades case is cross-examining an anti-graft officer on the admissibility of one of six statements -- in what is called a "trial within a trial".

Tey Tsun Hang is questioning Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) Chief Special Investigator Bay Chun How to prove his case that the statement given to CPIB was made under duress.

If he can prove this, Tey will be able to argue that the evidence cannot be admitted in court. This would weaken the prosecution's case.

Five other statements of Tey's are being disputed. Two were recorded by CPIB officer Wilson Khoo and three by Deputy Director Teng Khee Fatt.

They are expected to take the stand in the "trial within a trial".

Tey, 41, faces six allegations of obtaining gratification in the form of gifts and sex from his former student, Ms Darinne Ko, between May and July 2010, in exchange for lifting her grades.

-CNA/ac

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Do you need to uninstall Java to be safe from its vulnerabilities?

Lately Java has been getting a bit of bad press, thanks to several consecutive security holes that have been exploited by malware developers. One notable occurrence was the Flashback malware threat that affected a number of OS X users, which (though due in part to Apple's negligence about Java upkeep) was rooted in the Java runtime. More recently, Java 7 has seen a new zero-day vulnerability that has been circulating in exploit kits.

In response to these threats, many in the tech community have recommended that people uninstall Java altogether. However, this can be impractical for some, as many people need Java to run applications, including Web apps and a number of technical and creative development tools.

When it comes to the security of your system, uninstalling Java completely is certainly one way to avoid problems arising from it, but it is a bit of an extreme measure. So, how do you secure your system while keeping a potentially faulty runtime installed?

There are two aspects to Oracle's Java installation. The first is the runtime itself, which consists of the libraries and execution environment that allow your system to execute Java programs. The second component of the installation is the Web plug-in, which interfaces these libraries with the browser to allow hosted Web applets to run.

In older versions of Java (1.6 or earlier) Safari's security preferences could be used to disable Java, but this is now done in the Java Control Panel in the system preferences.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Topher Kessler/CNET)

The vast majority of Java's security problems revolve around the use of the Java plug-in. While the vulnerabilities ultimately exist in the runtime, the plug-in is the avenue that malware developers use to exploit these remotely. You are somehow tricked into loading a Web page that contains a malicious Java applet, which exploits the fault and loads malware on to your system. If you close this off or otherwise manage it, then you will vastly improve the security of your system, and can continue to use Java for other purposes without needing to remove it completely.

There are several ways to do this. In the latest Java runtime, you can access the Java Control Panel and in the security settings uncheck the option to "Enable Java content in the browser." This will effectively close the door between Java and Web sites you visit, so Java applets will not run. While technically the security vulnerabilities are still open with this setting, you would need to manually download a Java executable and purposely run it on your system.

When ClickToPlugin is enabled, your plug-in content is shown like this, and only is active if you explicitly click it.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Topher Kessler/CNET)

The second option is the use of security levels in determining which Java code is allowed to run. Similar to Apple's Gatekeeper feature in Mountain Lion, which can restrict running applications to signed code or apps specifically from the
Mac App Store, Java's security levels can require that you approve any unsigned applications or even approve all code regardless of its signature. To do this, in the same Security section of the Java control panel, you can drag the security level slider to High, which allows only signed programs to run, or Very High, which requires approval for all code.

Beyond Java's built-in security measures, you can also use some third-party tools to help prevent malicious Java applets from running on your system. While disabling the Java plug-in is perhaps best, if you regularly visit Web sites that require Java, then doing this can be a burden to your work flow. Therefore, instead use a plug-in manager such as ClickToPlugin that will block not only Java but also Flash and other plug-in content as well. The benefit here is instead runnng of the blocked content, you'll receive a notification that you can click to quickly allow it to run. Also, you can customize a whitelist of sites that are automatically allowed to work.

Some browsers like Chrome come with a click-to-play option, which can be seen by going to Chrome's content settings (click here in Chrome for a link) and selecting the "Click to play" option in the Plug-ins section. For those who use
Firefox, the NoScript plug-in is a very effective approach to managing unwanted execution of plug-ins and other Web-based content.

A final approach to help protect your system is to monitor outgoing traffic using a reverse firewall tool like Little Snitch. With such a tool installed, whenever a program tries to contact an external server, the system will notify you and give you options to allow or deny the attempt, and also provide you with information to investigate what process is making the request.

When Little Snitch detects an outgoing connection, it will notify you and provide information on what the process is and who it is attempting to contact.

(Credit:

Objective Development)

While this is a bit of a tangential approach to dealing with faults in Java, it has been a very useful and effective way to detect malicious behavior on systems in the past and was integral to the early detection of the Flashback malware in OS X. While such firewalls may not prevent malware from exploiting your system, they can prevent it from carrying out its primary purpose, which is to communicate personal information to an external server and open up unwanted command and control ports in the system.

Overall, while Java has seen its fair share of problems and exploits recently, and although the most secure route is to uninstall Java and avoid using it, this is not necessary to keep your system secure. With plug-in management, higher security settings for Java, and reverse firewalls to detect malicious activity, you can still keep Java installed for the purposes you need while giving yourself an advantage in fighting the tricks that malware uses to cause problems in your system.

---

Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or !
Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.

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Manti Te'o says he's the victim of "girlfriend" hoax

Updated 7:23 p.m. ET

SOUTH BEND, Ind. Notre Dame said Wednesday that a story about Manti Te'o's girlfriend dying, which he said inspired him to play better as he helped the Fighting Irish get to the BCS title game, turned out to be a hoax apparently perpetrated against the linebacker.

As news of the alleged hoax spread, Te'o himself released a statement, according to CBSSports.com, saying he as the "victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies."

The week before Notre Dame played Michigan State on Sept. 15, coach Brian Kelly told reporters that Te'o's grandmother and a friend had died. Te'o didn't miss the game. He said Kekua had told him not to miss a game if she died. Te'o turned in one of his best performances of the season in the 20-3 victory in East Lansing, and his playing through heartache became a prominent theme during the Irish's undefeated regular season.

Te'o went on the become a Heisman Trophy finalist, finishing second in the voting, and leading Notre Dame to its first appearance in the BCS championship.

Te'o and the Irish lost the title game to Alabama, 42-14 on Jan. 7. He has graduated and was set to begin preparing for the NFL combine and draft at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., this week.

Te'o's mother did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The university issued a news release Wednesday after Deadspin.com reported it could find no record of Lennay Kekua existing. It was also announced the university will be having a press conference regarding the story around 9 p.m. ET.

The university statement, according to CBSSports.com, reads in full:

"On Dec. 26, Notre Dame coaches were informed by Manti Te'o and his parents that Manti had been the victim of what appears to be a hoax in which someone using the fictitious name Lennay Kekua apparently ingratiated herself with Manti and then conspired with others to lead him to believe she had tragically died of leukemia. The University immediately initiated an investigation to assist Manti and his family in discovering the motive for and nature of this hoax. While the proper authorities will continue to investigate this troubling matter, this appears to be, at a minimum, a sad and very cruel deception to entertain its perpetrators."

Neither Te'o nor his family has yet commented on the story that has thrown the college football world into a frenzy, reports CBSSports.com.

In reaction to the story, Te'o's teammate, Zeke Motta, tweeted: "My dude @MTeo_5 (Manti Te'o) is as real as it gets... anybody Thinking otherwise needs to check themselves."

Te'o's full statement on the situation, according to CBSSports.com:

"This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over an extended period of time, I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her.

"To realize that I was the victim of what was apparently someone's sick joke and constant lies was, and is, painful and humiliating.

"It further pains me that the grief I felt and the sympathies expressed to me at the time of my grandmother's death in September were in any way deepened by what I believed to be another significant loss in my life.

"I am enormously grateful for the support of my family, friends and Notre Dame fans throughout this year. To think that I shared with them my happiness about my relationship and details that I thought to be true about her just makes me sick. I hope that people can understand how trying and confusing this whole experience has been.

"In retrospect, I obviously should have been much more cautious. If anything good comes of this, I hope it is that others will be far more guarded when they engage with people online than I was.

"Fortunately, I have many wonderful things in my life, and I'm looking forward to putting this painful experience behind me as I focus on preparing for the NFL Draft."

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NRA President Defends Ad Attacking Obama

Jan 16, 2013 6:40pm

In an interview with ABC News this evening, NRA President David Keene said the gun-rights lobby is aggressively preparing for “battle” with the White House and Congress over President Obama’s sweeping new proposals to curb gun violence.

Keene criticized Obama’s announcement today, surrounded by four children from around the country, for “using kids to advance an ideological agenda.” And he expressed cautious confidence that few of the legislative measures would ultimately pass.

“It’s going to be very tough for the president to accomplish some of these things, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do it if he really turns it on,” Keene told ABC.

“All bets are off when a president really wants to go to war with you,” he said. “We’re gonna be there and we’re gonna fight it.”

Keene said passage of the 1994 assault weapons ban remains fresh in the minds of NRA leaders, noting that initial widespread congressional opposition gradually gave way to a narrow margin in favor, thanks in part to pressure from then-President Bill Clinton.

NRA members would hold accountable any politicians who “sell them out to some pie-in-the-sky scheme such as the president is proposing,” he said.

The group launched a new “Stand and Fight” advocacy campaign Tuesday night, opposing Obama’s gun control measures, anchored by a controversial new TV ad that began airing online and on the Sportsman Channel.

The ad calls President Obama an “elitist hypocrite” for sending his daughters to a private school with armed guards while questioning whether all other U.S. schools should have the same security measures. The White House blasted the ad as “repugnant and cowardly.”

“When the question is the protection of children, which is what this is all about… it’s perfectly legitimate to ask why some children should be protected and other children should not be protected,” Keene said, defending the ad.

“We were not talking about the president’s kids. We were talking about an elite class who criticizes others in their desire to be safe while making sure that they and their families and their children are always protected.

“We’re not talking about the Secret Service protection the president’s children enjoy — they ought to have that wherever they go,” he added.

Keene also ribbed Obama for using children as “props” for his announcement:  “We didn’t line them up on a stage and pat them on the shoulder while we were urging somebody to take our position,” he said.

The NRA has acknowledged some areas of common ground for curbing gun violence included the Obama proposal — namely beefed up resources for mental health care, better background check data and increased presence of school resource officers (police) at public schools.

But Keene said many of those steps were just “fig leaves.”

“What the president did is say … ‘I care about armed security.’ He can check off that box on the Gallup polls. He can say to the people concerned about it, ‘It’s part of my package.’ … He said the problem of severely, mentally ill — we’re going to study it.”

Obama called for federal aid to states for the hiring of up to 1,000 new resource officers and school counselors.  Currently, there are armed resource officers at 28,000 U.S. schools.

“That’s a drop in the ocean in terms of the problem,” Keene said. “It’s simply a fig leaf so he can pursue an anti-gun agenda. It has less to do with security and more to do with gun.”

SHOWS: Good Morning America World News

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France to stay in Mali until stability restored

BAMAKO/DUBAI (Reuters) - France pledged on Tuesday to keep troops in Mali until stability returned to the West African country, raising the specter of a long campaign against al Qaeda-linked rebels who held their ground despite a fifth day of air strikes.

Paris has poured hundreds of soldiers into Mali and carried out 50 bombing raids since Friday in the Islamist-controlled northern half of the country, which Western and regional states fear could become a base for terrorist attacks in Africa and Europe.

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that, despite French air support, Malian forces had not been able to dislodge Islamist fighters from the central Malian towns of Konna or Diabaly, just 350 km (220 miles) northeast of Bamako.

A column of French armored vehicles rolled northward from the dusty riverside capital of Bamako towards rebel lines on Tuesday, the first major northward deployment of ground troops. A military official declined to comment on their objective.

Thousands of African soldiers are due to take over the offensive. Regional armies are scrambling to accelerate an operation which was initially not expected until September and has been brought forward by France's surprise bombing campaign aimed at stopping a rebel advance on a strategic town last week.

President Francois Hollande, on a visit to the United Arab Emirates during which he sought Gulf states' financial backing for the African-led mission, suggested France would retain a major role in its former colony for months to come.

"We have one goal. To ensure that when we leave, when we end our intervention, Mali is safe, has legitimate authorities, an electoral process and there are no more terrorists threatening its territory," Hollande told a news conference.

Paris has said it plans to deploy 2,500 soldiers to bolster the Malian army and work with the intervention force provided by West African states.

AFRICAN TROOPS

West African Defense chiefs met in Bamako on Tuesday to approve plans for the swift deployment of 3,300 regional troops, foreseen in a United Nations-backed intervention plan. After failing to reach a final agreement, they adjourned their talks until Wednesday.

Nigeria pledged to deploy soldiers within 24 hours, and Belgium said it was sending transport planes and helicopters to help, but West Africa's armies need time to become operational.

Mali's north, a vast and inhospitable area of desert and rugged mountains the size of Texas, was seized last year by an Islamist alliance combining al Qaeda's north African wing AQIM with splinter group MUJWA and the home-grown Ansar Dine rebels.

Any delay in following up on the French air bombardments of Islamist bases and fuel depots with a ground offensive could allow the insurgents to slip away into the desert and mountains, regroup and counter-attack.

The rebels, who French officials say are mobile and well armed, have shown they can hit back, dislodging government forces from Diabaly on Monday.

Residents said the town was still under Islamist control on Tuesday despite a number of air strikes that shook houses.

An eye witness near Segou, to the south, told Reuters he had seen 20 French Special Forces soldiers driving toward Diabaly.

In Konna, whose seizure on Thursday sparked French involvement, residents said Islamist fighters were camped just outside town. Army troops had also withdrawn after entering the town on Saturday.

Malians have largely welcomed the French intervention, having seen their army suffer a series of defeats by the rebels.

"With the arrival of the French, we have started to see the situation on the front evolve in our favor," said Aba Sanare, a resident of Bamako.

QUESTIONS OVER READINESS

Aboudou Toure Cheaka, a senior regional official in Bamako, said the West African troops would be on the ground in a week.

The original timetable for the 3,300-strong U.N.-sanctioned African force - to be backed by western logistics, money and intelligence services - did not initially foresee full deployment before September due to logistical constraints.

Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Guinea have all offered troops. Col. Mohammed Yerima, spokesman for Nigeria's Defense ministry, said the first 190 soldiers would be dispatched within 24 hours.

But Nigeria, which is due to lead the mission, has already cautioned that even if some troops arrive in Mali soon, their training and equipping will take more time.

Sub-Saharan Africa's top oil producer, which already has peacekeepers in Sudan's Darfur and is fighting a bloody and difficult insurgency at home against Islamist sect Boko Haram, could struggle to deliver on its troop commitment of 900 men.

One senior government adviser in Nigeria said the Mali deployment was stretching the country's military.

"The whole thing's a mess. We don't have any troops with experience of those extreme conditions, even of how to keep all that sand from ruining your equipment. And we're facing battle-hardened guys who live in those dunes," said the adviser, who asked not to be named.

FRENCH LINING UP SUPPORT

France, which has repeatedly said it has abandoned its role as policeman of its former African colonies, said on Monday that the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Germany had also offered logistical support.

Fabius has said Gulf Arab states would help the Mali campaign, while Belgium said on Tuesday it would send two C130 transport planes and two medical helicopters following a request from Paris.

A meeting of donors for the operation was expected to be held in Addis Ababa at the end of January.

Security experts have warned that the multinational intervention in Mali, couched in terms of a campaign by governments against "terrorism", could provoke a jihadist backlash against France and the West, and African allies.

U.S. officials have warned of links between AQIM, Boko Haram in Nigeria and al Shabaab Islamic militants fighting in Somalia.

Al Shabaab, which foiled a French effort at the weekend to rescue a French secret agent it was holding hostage, urged Muslims around the world to rise up against what it called "Christian" attacks against Islam.

"Our brothers in Mali, show patience and tolerance and you will win. War planes never liberate a land," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, al Shabaab's spokesman, said on a rebel-run website.

U.S. officials said Washington was sharing information with French forces in Mali and considering providing logistics, surveillance and airlift capability.

"We have made a commitment that al Qaeda is not going to find any place to hide," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters as he began a visit to Europe. Panetta later said the U.S. had no plans to send troops to Mali.

One U.S. military source said the haphazard nature of French involvement reminded him of the U.S. entry into Afghanistan.

"I don't know what the French endgame is for this," the source said. "Air strikes are fine, but pretty soon you run out of easy targets. Then what do you do? What do you do when they head up into the mountains?"

(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Raissa Kasolowsky in Abu Dhabi, Felix Onuah in Abuja and Tim Cocks in Lagos, Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu, Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations,; Richard Valdmanis in Dakar, Joe Bavier in Abidjan, Jan Vermeylen in Brussels; Writing by Pascal Fletcher, Daniel Flynn and David Lewis; editing by Richard Valdmanis, Giles Elgood and Will Waterman)

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Foreign direct investment in China falls in 2012

BEIJING: Foreign direct investment in China fell 3.7 percent in 2012 to $111.72 billion, according to the government.

For the month of December FDI also declined, slipping 4.5 percent from the same month in 2011 to $11.7 billion, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday.

Investment from the European Union declined 3.8 percent to $6.11 billion, the ministry said.

But investment from the United States rose 4.5 percent to $3.12 billion, while investment from Japan increased 16.3 percent to $7.38 billion.

"The growth momentum of investment from some developed countries including the United States and Japan was good," the ministry said in a statement.

Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang also said in a statement that in 2012, Chinese directly invested $77.22 billion overseas, an increase of 28.6 percent from the year before.

- AFP/al

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For 1 in 3 teen girls, online meetings lead to offline encounters

Almost one in three teen girls ages 14 to 17 say they've taken a relationship they started online into the real world, according to new research out of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The survey of 251 teen girls finds that 30 percent of them went ahead and met offline with people they'd initially met online -- and without first confirming those people were who they claimed to be.

Not all meetings end up being dangerous, of course, but Jennie Noll, lead author of the study, has discovered a disturbing trend among the girls she's surveyed. Those with a history of neglect or abuse (roughly half of the girls surveyed) were more likely to display their online personas in sexually provocative ways.

"These meetings may have been benign, but for an adolescent girl to do it is dangerous," says Noll, a psychologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The study appears in the journal Pediatrics.

Noll -- whose study is part of a larger investigation of high-risk Internet behaviors and is funded by a five-year, $3.7 million federal grant -- adds that she's been privy to some pretty "chilling" stories over the course of her work.

"One patient told a story about a guy who started texting her a lot, and he seemed 'really nice.' So she agreed to meet him at the mall, she got in his
car, they drove somewhere and he raped her."

Noll also reports that while parental monitoring did help lower the association between adolescent risk factors (such as a history of abuse) and online behaviors (such as posting provocative pictures), Internet filtering software did not. In other words, a little offline parenting seems to be the more effective approach.

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House passes $50.7 billion Sandy relief bill

FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2012, file photo, a man walks with his dog to a National Guard vehicle after leaving his flooded home at the Metropolitan Trailer Park in Moonachie, N.J., in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The storm drove New York and New Jersey residents from their homes, destroyed belongings and forced them to find shelter for themselves - and for their pets, said owners, who recounted tales of a dog swimming through flooded streets and extra food left behind for a tarantula no one was willing to take in. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File) / Craig Ruttle

The House of Representatives today passed a $50.7 billion bill to provide funds for Hurricane Sandy relief as well as other natural disasters. The vote was 241 to 180, with 179 Republicans and one Democrat voting no.

The bill will now move to the Senate, where it is expected to be passed by lawmakers after the new session begins on January 22, though it's possible it could be passed by voice vote this week. It is then expected to be quickly signed into law by President Obama.

The package was divided into two parts: A $17 billion bill for immediate recovery from Sandy, and another $33.7 billion amendment for long-term recovery and investment to limit the damage from similar events in the future. The October storm is believed to be responsible for 140 deaths and billions of dollars in damage centered in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses and knocked out transit systems and power grids.

The package provides more than $16 billion for the New York and New Jersey transit systems as well as more $16 billion for Housing and Urban Development funding for recovery from Sandy and other disasters. Other funding goes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief aid fund and to Army Corps of Engineers projects to limit future damage. Funding is also authorized for repairs by the Coast Guard, Federal Highway Administration and Veterans Affairs Department.

Lawmakers from the Northeast criticized southern Republican lawmakers who had sought to reduce the size of the package or require that funding be offset with an across the board cut to discretionary spending. An amendment from Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., that would have offset the funding with spending cuts failed 162 yeas to 258 nays earlier in the day, and the Republican-led House Rules Committee blocked efforts to reduce the size of the package.

"We are asking, we are pleading and we shouldn't have to beg for money for the Northeast, to be able to survive this tragedy that hit us," said Rep. Rosa Delauro, D-Conn., who added: "I might remind my colleague from Louisiana that between Rita, Wilma and Katrina, this institution appropriated $133.9 billion in disaster relief."

Critics of the bill derided it as "an excuse for a grab-bag of spending, having nothing to do with emergency relief," in the words of Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.

The Senate passed a $60 billion Sandy relief bill before the end of the last Congress, but House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, declined to schedule a House vote on that measure in the wake of the contentious vote on "fiscal cliff" legislation. That decision prompted harsh criticism from northeastern lawmakers, including Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., and Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., forcing Boehner to hastily schedule today's vote in addition to $9.7 billion in flood relief that was passed Jan. 4.

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Arias Called Ex-Boyfriend 4 Times After Killing Him

Jodi Arias was cornered, wearing an orange jump suit and crying, with her knees pulled up to her chest and her hands shaking, when she came up with one last lie, prosecutors say, to tell police about the killing of her ex-boyfriend.

Intruders came in and murdered Travis Alexander and then threatened to kill Arias and her family, she told police in a 2008 taped interview played at her murder trial today in Arizona.

"He was kneeling down in the shower, I don't remember, I was taking pictures, and I don't really know what happened after that exactly, except I think he was shot," Arias said on the tape, crying and placing her face in her hands, and then rocking back and forth in her chair.

"I was on my knees here and I heard this loud ring, I don't really remember except Travis was screaming," she said.

Arias is on trial and facing the death penalty for the murder of Alexander, 30, whom she has admitted to killing but claims it was in self-defense. Prosecutors allege that she murdered him out of jealousy in a "heinous and depraved" manner.

Detective Esteban Flores of the Mesa, Ariz., police department had spent two days interviewing Arias after she was arrested for the murder of Alexander. He explained the mountain of evidence, including blood samples, hair follicles, and pictures placing her at the scene of the crime.

Jodi Arias Murder Trial: Interrogation Tapes Played in Court Watch Video

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After a month of denying that she was at Alexander's home, she finally said she was there, but so were two other individuals. She said she had never confessed it before out of fear for her family's safety.

"They didn't discuss much, they just argued about whether or not to kill me because I'm a witness, of Travis, but I didn't really witness it, I didn't see much," Arias said to Flores.

"You need to make this believable. This doesn't make any sense to me," Flores said.

"They got my license and registration. My parents address was on it," she said.

Arias admitted to killing Alexander in later interviews with police. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty because of the way they say she killed him, stabbing Alexander 27 times, slashing his throat, and shooting him in the head.

In interviews leading up to her confession, Arias was confident, leaning back in her chair and resting her head in her hands on the table as she calmly told Flores she was not even in Arizona when Alexander was killed.

"There 's no evidence to show that anyone else did this but you," Flores told Arias in the first interview. "I'm not seeing any remorse, anything from you, to make me believe anything otherwise. You can continue to say I didn't do it, but you're the kid who got caught stealing the candy and continue to say it wasn't me. I have the proof. Why won't you admit to it?"

"I didn't kill Travis," Arias said. "I did not take his life."

In the final interview played this afternoon, on the seventh day of her murder trial, Arias appeared quieter and more nervous than previously. She had spent the night in jail after her initial interview, in which Flores told her she would charged and tried for murder.

Earlier in the day, prosecutors presented evidence that Arias tried to cover her tracks after killing Alexander by making a flurry of phone calls to his cell phone and hacking into his voice mailbox, prosecutors alleged today.

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West African army chiefs to approve Mali troops plan

BAMAKO (Reuters) - West African defense chiefs will on Tuesday approve plans to speed up the deployment of African troops against Islamist rebels in northern Mali, with some regional soldiers seen arriving next week.

France has already poured hundreds of troops into Mali and carried out days of air strikes in a vast desert area seized last year by an Islamist alliance that combines al Qaeda's north African wing AQIM with Mali's home-grown MUJWA and Ansar Dine rebel groups.

Western and regional powers are concerned the insurgents will use Mali's north as a launchpad for international attacks.

"On January 15, the committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff will meet in Bamako to approve the contingency plan," the mission head of the ECOWAS grouping of West African states, Aboudou Toure Cheaka, told Reuters.

"I can tell you that in one week, the troops will effectively be on the ground," he said, adding their immediate mission would be to help stop the rebel advance while preparations for a full intervention plan continued.

He did not say how many soldiers would arrive.

The original timetable for the 3,300-strong U.N.-sanctioned African force - backed by western logistics, money and intelligence services - did not initially foresee full deployment before September due to logistical constraints.

Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Guinea have all offered troops. But regional powerhouse Nigeria, which is due to lead the mission, has cautioned that even if some troops arrive in Mali soon, training will take more time.

The plan is being fast-tracked after France rushed to respond to a plea for help by Mali's government after mobile columns of Islamist fighters last week threatened the central garrison towns of Mopti and Sevare, with its key airport.

The French defense ministry said on Monday it aimed to deploy some 2,500 soldiers to Mali to bolster the Malian army and the eventual West African force.

"SAFEGUARD MALI"

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said France's goals were to stop the Islamist rebels, to "safeguard the existence of Mali" and pave the way for the African-led military operation.

U.S. officials said Washington was sharing information with French forces in Mali and considering providing logistics, surveillance and airlift capability.

"We have made a commitment that al Qaeda is not going to find anyplace to hide," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters as he began a visit to Europe.

As French aircraft bombarded mobile columns of Islamist fighters, other insurgents launched a counter-attack further to the south, dislodging government forces from the town of Diabaly, 350 km (220 miles) from Bamako.

French intervention has raised the threat for eight French hostages held by al Qaeda allies in the Sahara and for 30,000 French expatriates living in neighboring, mostly Muslim states. Concerned about reprisals at home, France has tightened security at public buildings and on public transport.

The U.N. said an estimated 30,000 people had fled the latest fighting in Mali, joining more than 200,000 already displaced.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday welcomed the French-led military intervention in Mali and voiced the hope that it would halt the Islamist assault.

Amnesty International said at least six civilians were killed in recent fighting in the town of Konna, where French aircraft had earlier bombarded rebel positions, and called on both sides to spare non-combatants.

France, which has repeatedly said it has abandoned its role as the policeman of its former African colonies, is among the toughest proponents of a speedier deployment of the African troops, and convened a U.N. Security Council meeting Monday to discuss the crisis.

French U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud told reporters after the meeting that the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Denmark and Germany had also offered logistical support for France's Mali operation.

"I felt that all the members of the Security Council were expressing their support (for) and understanding of the French decision," Araud told reporters.

No Europeans or other African Union members will be allowed in the defense chiefs meeting in Bamako on Tuesday, a western diplomat told Reuters, requesting not to be named.

"They don't want any French pressure at the meeting," the diplomat said.

(Reporting by Bate Felix; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations Richard Valdmanis in Dakar, Brian Love in Paris and David Alexander in Lisbon; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Giles Elgood)

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