In papers filed in U.S. District Court, they argued Mark Brener earned "substantial punishment" with his role in the business and should receive the two to two and a half years in prison that was included in his plea agreement.

Brener pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit a prostitution offense and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He's scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

Prosecutors cited his position as head of Emperors Club VIP and criticized his contrition, saying it didn't seem sincere.

"That the defendant continues to insist upon his moral rectitude and his legitimate intentions with respect to the Emperors Club raises a serious concern about the defendant's potential recidivism," prosecutors wrote.

Brener lawyer Murray Richman noted his client is 63 and said "time alone will prohibit the likelihood of him doing this again."

"In no way does Mr. Brener try to avoid his responsibility," Richman said. "He recognizes he did wrong."

The lawyer noted that his client has been in prison since his arrest last March, when Spitzer resigned after it was revealed he had met one of the Emperors Club's prostitutes at a Washington, D.C., hotel weeks earlier.

Prosecutors said in November they would not charge Spitzer after investigators found no evidence that he misused public or campaign funds for prostitution. The federal government typically does not prosecute clients of prostitution rings.

The manager of the escort service was sentenced to six months in prison last week. A booking agent received a year of probation and a second booking agent is awaiting sentencing.

The decision focused partly on a rocky and inhospitable island held by Ukraine and linked to the mythical Greek hero Achilles.

However, the final judgment made no mention of natural resources, and it was unclear how the new line would divide access to the region's estimated billions of cubic meters of natural gas and 10 million tons of oil.

Ukraine and Romania both welcomed the decision, though the U.N.'s highest judicial body largely discounted the arguments and maps they had presented to back their claims.

Romanian delegate Bogdan Aurescu said his side got nearly 80 percent of its claim over the 12,000-square-kilometer (4,633-square-mile) territory.

He said the decision could open new era of cooperation between the countries. Media in Bucharest suggested the region's energy resources could help Romania become less dependent on Russian natural gas.

Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Kupchyshyn called the court's decision "a wise compromise," and said geologists would determine how much energy potential each side could exploit.

The ruling gave Ukraine a large portion of the northeastern side of Romania's claim. "We are satisfied that we have become party to this civilized solution," Kupchyshyn said.

The court's 15 justices unanimously adopted the binding decision, after the two countries had failed in 24 rounds of negotiation to settle the dispute that started shortly after the end of World War II.

The court rejected Ukraine's suggestion that the boundary run through Serpent Island, also known as Snake Island — where legend says Achilles was buried. Ruins have been discovered of what of what is believed to have been an ancient temple to the Greek warrior with the vulnerable heel.

Romania said the rocky outcrop 23 miles (37 kilometers) off the coast and the mouth of the Danube was so small it didn't qualify as an island. The entire island was placed in Ukraine's portion of the sea.

Perez entered the plea Tuesday in his first court appearance since his arrest last week. He is charged with receiving a bribe, tampering with evidence and conspiring to tamper with evidence.

Perez's attorney, Hubert Santos, says Perez is "prepared to go to trial today." Perez is due back in court March 3.

Perez is accused of hiring a city contractor to do $40,000 worth of renovations to his home and not paying for it until he was confronted by investigators in 2007.

He says he has no plans to step down as mayor.

The Iowa Supreme Court has issued an order closing all state court offices on Feb. 16 to save money during tough budget times.

Court officials say the day of unpaid leave will affect about 1,600 employees and save more than $335,000.

Judges and magistrates are the only court employees who will work on the furlough day. That's because their salaries are set by the Legislature and handled separately.

Court officials say the closure is in response to an expected reduction in their budget.

The furlough is planned for President's Day, a federal holiday, when officials expect less impact on the public because other government agencies are closed.

The California 2nd District Court of Appeal issued the decision Monday, and also lifted a stay on all proceedings.

Polanski's attorney, Chad Hummel, claimed the entire Los Angeles Superior Court bench is biased against the director. Prosecutors countered that the claim was frivolous.

Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles in 1978 but fled to France before he could be sentenced.

Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini says a new date for the hearing will be set Tuesday.

More than 500 people have been sickened and at least eight may have died. Authorities fault Peanut Corp. of America. Officials said the company shipped products that initially tested positive for salmonella after retesting and getting a negative result.

The outbreak has led to a massive recall of products ranging from ice cream to cookies and prompted consumer groups to urge Congress to require annual inspections of food processing plants.

"I think that the FDA has not been able to catch some of these things as quickly as I expect them to catch," Obama said in an interview aired Monday on NBC's "Today" show. "And so we're going to be doing a complete review of FDA operations."

The president said Americans should be able to count on the government to keep children safe when they eat peanut butter and that includes his 7-year-old daughter Sasha.

"That's what Sasha eats for lunch probably three times a week. And you know, I don't want to have to worry about whether she's going to get sick as a consequence to having her lunch," Obama said.

The FDA has asked the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America. Documents showed that until shortly before the salmonella outbreak, federal food safety inspectors had not been to the plant since 2001.

"The FDA is supposed to be a watchdog for consumers, and for too long, this agency has been coming up short," said Jean Halloran, director of Food Policy Initiatives for Consumers Union.

Terry Lisotta was arraigned in Baton Rouge on 14 counts of theft. Lisotta, CEO of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. until April 2007, is accused of improperly spending about $30,000 of the firm's money.

The criminal charges stem from an investigation by the Legislative Auditor's Office that questioned $106,000 of Lisotta's expense reports from 2003-2006. State Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's office is prosecuting.