HUMPHREY R.I.P

Abbas and Gaza

The Palestinian leader, President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an international investigation headed by the United Nations Security Council into the recent Israeli attack on the six ship flotilla carrying aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

He said that there should be a united Arab stand to end the siege of Gaza.? He also called for international protection of the Palestinian people wondering how long the Israeli occupation would continue.

"We are waiting for world justice," he said. "We waited for a long time but we will not despair."

Today, Mr. Abbas will meet special US envoy George Mitchell, who is heading a ranking US delegation to the investment conference.

Mr. Abbas said he would also travel to Washington on June 9 for a meeting with US President Barack Obama.

Noriega jailed

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, fresh out of a Miami prison where he spent two decades, was sent back behind bars in France on Tuesday to await a new legal battle -- this time on charges he laundered cocaine profits by buying luxury apartments in Paris.

Hours after Noriega arrived in Paris following his extradition from the United States, a judge deemed him a flight risk and dispatched him to La Sante, a grim brick prison in southern Paris. Famous past La Sante inmates include convicted terrorist Carlos the Jackal and Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon.

Noriega lost his first battle on French territory -- he unsuccessfully pressed a judge to send him home to Panama. If convicted in France, he could face another 10 years in prison, a daunting prospect for the 72-year-old. Noriega's French lawyers said they will appeal the decision putting him behind bars and say his detention and transfer are unlawful.

If Noriega had been released in France, even to house arrest, it would have been a victory after a generation in prison. It could also have been an awkward situation for France, where a string of former dictators from Haiti to Africa have settled or bought second homes in the past.

Officials are to set a trial date on May 12 for Noriega, who was deposed after a 1989 U.S. invasion and imprisoned in Florida for drug trafficking. After finishing his U.S. sentence, he was extradited from Miami and sent on a direct flight to Paris, where he was immediately served with an arrest warrant Tuesday.

France already has convicted Noriega and his wife in absentia of laundering some $7 million in cocaine profits through three major French banks and using drug cash to invest in three posh Paris apartments. But France agreed to give him a new trial if he was extradited. Noriega's wife, Felicidad Sieiro de Noriega, is living in Panama and faces no charges there.

In a hearing before Paris judge Jean-Michel Maton, Noriega pleaded to be sent home to Panama, citing his prisoner of war status. "I don't agree with the action against me," he said through a translator.

Noriega spoke little during the hearing and appeared tired. Wearing a white button-up shirt and black jacket, his black hair thinning, he periodically rested his head in one hand during the proceedings.

After the judge denied Noriega's request, he was escorted out a side door of the court by armed guards. Limping, he used a cane.

Yves Leberquier, a lawyer for Noriega, said the former dictator has been partially paralyzed since suffering a mild stroke four years ago.

Another of Noriega's lawyers said his client had seemed resigned to returning behind bars.

"Having been extradited from the U.S., he was not really expecting to be released tonight, even if he hoped for it," Olivier Metzner said.

Noriega's legal team argued that it was illegal to try a former head of state who should have immunity from prosecution.

Other legal objections are that Noriega is considered a prisoner of war, a status Leberquier said French jails aren't ready to accommodate, and that the charges against him are no longer valid because the acts he is accused of happened too long ago, the lawyer said.

Noriega was declared a POW after his 1992 drug conviction by a Miami federal judge. In Miami, Noriega had separate quarters in prison, the right to wear his military uniform and insignia, access to a television and monitoring by international rights groups.

Panama also has an outstanding request for the former dictator's extradition. He was convicted in Panama in absentia and sentenced to 60 years in prison on charges of embezzlement, corruption and murdering opponents.

Panama's foreign minister, Juan Carlos Varela, said Panama respects the U.S. decision to extradite Noriega to France but will still try to get him back to Panama "to serve the sentences handed down by Panamanian courts."

Noriega was Panama's longtime intelligence chief before he took power in 1982. He had been considered a valued CIA asset for years, but as a ruler he joined forces with drug traffickers and was implicated in the death of a political opponent.

Noriega was ousted as Panama's leader and put on trial following a 1989 U.S. military invasion ordered by President George H.W. Bush. Noriega was brought to Miami and was convicted of drug racketeering and related charges in 1992.

He finished serving his term in federal prison outside Miami in 2007, but stayed in prison while France sought his extradition.

Sandra Noriega, one of his three daughters, called Noriega's extradition to France "a violation of his rights as a citizen, and a failing by the (Panamanian) government, which is supposed to protect its citizens."

The in-absentia French conviction, obtained by The Associated Press, says Noriega "knew that (the money) came directly or indirectly from drug trafficking." It said he helped Colombia's Medellin drug cartel by authorizing the transport of cocaine through Panama en route to the United States.

The French indictment says Noriega was born in 1938, although his French lawyers say he was born four years earlier. As a youth he claimed to be older so he could enter a military academy.

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AP - 28 April 2010 01:03:48 By PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD
Associated Press writers Katie King and Alfred de Montesquiou in Paris and Juan Zamorano in Panama City contributed to this report.

Humph died quite a long time ago and some people have asked me why this page is still here. Simple. I was a fan.

Humphrey Lyttelton’s balmy milk-chocolate voice will never again be heard on ” I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue”. He is somewhere between here and Mornington Crescent, trumpet under his arm with Samantha still sitting on his left hand.

In spite of the fact that the lovely Samantha did not exist, we all thought we knew her and how she looked. For over 40 years, Humph got away with murder. He was the master of the innocently-delivered double-entendre.

In awe-struck tribute to Humphrey and the beautiful Samantha who cannot ever sit on any other presenter’s left hand, here is a selection of Humph’s reportings of Samantha’s exotic life:

Samantha went along to the gramophone library earlier to collect the teams’ records. It’s pitch black down there, so Samantha and the elderly archivist have taken to searching the shelves by candlelight, which can be messy, so while Samantha passes down the discs, the nice man holds the ladder while he cleans the dust and wax off in the dark.

In her spare time, Samantha likes nothing more than to peruse old record shops. She particularly enjoys a rewarding poke in the country section.

She’s looking forward to going out for an ice cream with her Italian gentleman friend. She says she’s looking forward to licking the nuts off a large Neapolitan.”

As usual, Samantha has been down in the gramophone library researching the teams’ records, aided and abetted by the two kindly old archivists, Curly Smith and Chalky White. Samantha was saying she’s been helping them rearrange their work rosters recently. Chalky was getting a bit worried that Samantha might reduce his overtime shift, but cheered up when instead he saw her shorten Curly’s.

Samantha tells me she has to nip out now as she’s been invited to an exclusive club to meet a group of aristocrats. She’s very excited to see where all the big knobs hang out. She says at such a posh function she and the other girls will probably end up trying to speak with plums in their mouths.

Samantha is a qualified croupier and often works at an exclusive Soho club where gamblers pay top money to pay roulette all day and poker all night.

Samantha spent a few hours down in the gramophone library researching the teams’ discs earlier, and took her little dog with her. She likes to dress the little thing in her own stylish canine clothing range, and the elderly archivists say they all appreciate her doggy fashion.

Samantha is off just now to her vehicle maintenance evening class where she says she’s keen to strip down a little Austin for a full service.

Samantha has to nip out now as she’s off to see her new American gentleman friend. He’s a cattle trader, and as Samantha is keen to buy a prime example, she’s been saving up. Excitingly, she’ll soon be in a position to receive her first Texan Longhorn.

Samantha is off to sample some beers and whiskies at the Radio 2 party. She says she expects to enjoy having a pint and a stiff Johnny Walker chaser.

Samantha has to nip out now as she is off to her evening class where the baking instructor is going to assess her efforts. Last week he popped her bread rolls straight into his mouth and he’s promised to try her muffin next week.

Samantha is off on a tour of the Lake District with a naturist gentleman friend who wants to strip off at Keswick and Cockermouth.

DJ Samantha has been doing her usual extensive research down in the gramophone library, aided by the kindly old archivist. It’s hard work, and she says they both get quite weary, so the archivists have a fold-up bed to take a nap in the afternoons, and has provided Samantha with a comfy reclining armchair so that she can put her feet up while he gets his head down.
Record researcher Samantha has made one of her customary visits to the gramophone library where she runs errands for the kindly old archivists, such as nipping out to fetch their sandwiches. Their favourite treat is cheese with homemade chutney, but they never object when she palms them off with relish.
Samantha is off on a dinner date with a gentleman friend from Moscow who’s brought over a variety of caviars and an array of vodka-based aperitifs. She says he’s going to offer her delicious food in his hotel room and then liquor out on the balcony.

Samantha has to leave us now as she’s off out for a lovely meal with a new chef friend who’s laying on a traditional shellfish evening. She says she’s really looking forward to enjoying his special cockle night.

Samantha tells me she has to nip off now as she has a meeting with the builder who gave her the lowest estimate for some work. She says she was pleased to see his tender won, but was startled when it suddenly grew to twice the size.

Samantha has to nip off now as she’s doing a fashion makeover on a gentleman friend. Yesterday she says she helped him choose new shoes, and was delighted to bend over to tie his laces as he tried a pair with a crepe sole and felt upper.

Samantha tells me she needs to leave now as she’s been nursing two elderly gentlemen who have been suffering from bed sores for some time. She says they like her to go in regularly to inspect their old chaps for any sign of improvement, and last week she had both of them up and out and waving through the window.

Samantha tells me she has to nip off now to meet her new gentleman friend, who’s an avid collector of rare beetles. She says he has an incredible Longhorn which he’s keeping in a shoebox for her. He told her that if you tickle it it jumps out half way across the table.

Samantha tells me she has to nip off now as her trusted aged gardener is coming round to identify the mysterious trailing plant that’s growing in her privet. Obviously she’s keen not to miss him if there’s a chance she may have an Old Man’s Beard in her bush.

Samantha tells me she has to nip out now as she has a cookery lesson with her new chef gentleman friend, who’s been teaching her cake decoration. He has all sorts of professional kitchen equipment, and as Samantha is having trouble keeping enough pressure on her icing dispenser for complete coverage, he’s promised to show her how to squeeze his hard on to the top of the cake.

Samantha has to leave now as she’s hosting a traditional Cockney music and dance night with a pearly king and queen at a nearby pub. All the locals are saying they can’t wait to see her knees up round the King’s Head.

Samantha tells me she has to go now as she’s off to the country residence of her new gentleman friend, who has some interesting birds in the thicket. He keeps a young chicken, but Samantha says there are also wild breeds there, and she can’t wait to see his Woodcock, Pullet and Swallow.

Samantha tells me she has to nip out now as she’s off to see her personal trainer for a fitness demonstration. She says she’s looking forward to him showing how he gets the fat down and pounds off in front of her.

Samantha tells me she has to nip out now to meet two young vicar friends who’ve promised to exorcise a poltergeist from her flat. They say they’re looking forward to stopping her furniture flying round the room and giving her the willies.

Samantha is something of a keen horse woman, and she tells me that she’s off to see a trainer who’s offered her the chance of a couple of races he wants her to contest. She’s quite excited, as he’s prepared to drop his jockeys to enter her at Newmarket.

Samantha tells me that she has to nip off to a special Welsh Conservative Association dinner for their most senior MP, who’s name is said to be almost impossible to pronounce. She’s certainly found the longest standing Welsh member a bit of a mouthful.

As is customary, Samantha went down to the gramophone library earlier, where she says there’s been some sort of misunderstanding. Of late, the usually friendly archivists haven’t been very welcoming, claiming Samantha has been rubbing them up the wrong way. She says she had to give them a good mouthful, and that soon put them straight.

Record researcher Samantha visits the gramophone library every workday, where she says she finds the old archivists like to indulge in petty bartering before they’ll fetch her chosen disks. This could be irritating, but Samantha says she doesn’t really mind if they want to dicker about five times a week.

Each week Samantha goes off to the gramophone library, a labyrinthine maze of dusty shelves and filing cabinets. The place can be a little daunting, but the kindly old archivists know their way around and provide Samantha with accurate maps. She says it’s always good to know they’re going to offer her good solid directions, which they prepare by hand before waving them under her nose.

As usual, Samantha has been down in the gramophone library researching the teams’ records, aided and abetted by the two kindly old archivists, Curly Smith and Chalky White. Samantha was saying she’s been helping them rearrange their work rossiters recently. Chalky was getting a bit worried that Samantha might reduce his overtime shift, but cheered up when instead he saw her shorten Curly’s.

Earlier, Samantha went down to the gramophone library to choose the teams’ records. While she’s there the kindly old archivist usually ask Samantha to do a few routine maintenance tasks for him, including checking the ancient sound equipment. This week there was cleaning off some rust, replacing record needles, and attending to a stiff knob on his list of tasks. It was quite a long one, so she asked if he didn’t mind her sitting on it for a while.

Samantha tells me that down in the gramophone library there’s been a spot of good-natured rivalry recently, as she’s been promoted ahead of the two kindly old archivists, to become senior researcher. There wasn’t, frankly, much competition for the post and Samantha realises the job fell in her lap, but the archivists never complain when she rubs their noses in it.

Record researcher Samantha has been doing her regular stint down in the gramophone library, where she tells me the two old archivists have been getting a little fractious of late. They’ve been at each other’s throats about which of them will represent the archive in judging the BBC’s Most Shapely Legs competition. To quieten things down, Samantha had to keep them apart all morning.

Record researcher Samantha has made one of her customary visits to the gramophone library, where she runs errands for the kindly old archivists, such as nipping out to fetch their sandwiches. There favourite treat is cheese with homemade chutney, but they never object when she palms them off with relish.

Samantha spends many long hours with the two kindly old gramophone archivists who, as is usual when we visit a seaside town, she’s brought along for a day out. As they’re particularly keen on the local seafoods, Samantha treats them to a special meal and they both sit in eager anticipation as Samantha flits about with her hostess trolley and hands round their winkles.

Samantha spends so many hours down in the gramophone library researching this, that she’s become quite friendly with the kindly old archivists. They often ask if they can borrow her portfolio album, as they’re keen to know what she looked like in her modelling days. It always cheers them up when they find Samantha’s left it out on the table for them to inspect.