US health officials have advised baby boomers for the first time to get tested for the liver-destroying virus hepatitis C.
Those born between 1945 and 1965 are most likely to be infected but it is thought only a quarter of this generation has been tested for the virus.
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) believes its campaign could save more than 120,000 lives.
The CDC estimates some 17,000 hepatitis C infections currently occur each year.
Health officials believe hundreds of thousands of infections occurred each year in the 1970s and ’80s, when baby boomers would have been young adults.
Those born between 1945 and 1965 are most likely to be infected but it is thought only a quarter of this generation has been tested for hepatitis C virus
The disease, which was first identified in 1989, can take decades to cause liver damage. Many of those infected may not even be aware of their condition.
One reason for the CDC advice is that from 1999-2007 the number of Americans dying from hepatitis C-related diseases nearly doubled.
Two million of the 3.2 million Americans known to be infected with the blood-borne virus are baby boomers.
CDC officials believe new testing could lead to 800,000 more baby boomers seeking treatment.
Many infections of hepatitis C come from sharing needles to inject drugs. Before widespread screening began in 1992, it was also transmitted through blood transfusions.
“The CDC views hepatitis C as an unrecognized health crisis for the country, and we believe the time is now for a bold response,” said Dr. John Ward, the CDC’s hepatitis chief.
Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who was at the centre of a diplomatic crisis with Washington, is on his way to the United States.
The blind activist and his family boarded a flight to Newark, near New York, after being taken from a Beijing hospital to the capital’s airport.
Chen Guangcheng recently spent six days in the US embassy in Beijing after escaping house arrest in north-east China.
He has been offered a fellowship at New York University.
Chen Guangcheng, a self-taught lawyer who campaigned against forced abortions under China’s one-child policy, was jailed for four years in 2006 for disrupting traffic and damaging property, and placed under house arrest after his release in 2010.
Earlier on Saturday, Chen Guangcheng was picked up from the hospital where he was being treated for a foot injury and taken to Beijing airport, along with his wife and two children.
At the airport they were handed passports and allowed to leave. He boarded flight UA88 to Newark, New Jersey, which departed at 17:50, more than two hours late.
“Thousands of thoughts are surging to my mind,” Chen Guangcheng told the Associated Press news agency from the terminal.
Referring to his supporters, he said: “I am requesting a leave of absence, and I hope that they will understand.”
Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who was at the centre of a diplomatic crisis with Washington, is on his way to the United States
The state-run Xinhua news agency said Chen Guangcheng had applied to study abroad “via normal channels in line with the law”.
US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the administration was looking forward to welcoming Chen Guangcheng to the US, and expressed “appreciation for the manner in which we were able to resolve this matter”.
Bob Fu, president of the US activist group China Aid and a key supporter of Chen Guangcheng, said the dissident was planning to stay in New York for two to three years.
“Of course he wants to spend some time to rest after seven years of brutal treatments at the hands of the Chinese local authorities,” Bob Fu said.
With the activist on his way, both China and the US will want to put this extraordinary diplomatic dispute behind them.
Last month Chen Guangcheng fled from house arrest in Shandong province.
According to media accounts, the blind activist climbed over the wall of the property with the help of his wife late at night.
When he landed on the other side he broke his foot. He is then said to have felt his way in the dark, stumbling and falling, to a nearby village when a friend took him into his home.
He was then driven hundreds of kilometres away to the American embassy. He took refuge there during a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was in Beijing for high-level talks.
On 2 May, after six days at the embassy, Chen Guangcheng agreed to leave the compound, initially saying he wanted to stay in China.
He was taken to hospital for treatment. During his stay there he called the US Congress twice.
On 3 May Chen Guangcheng pleaded for help to leave China with his family, saying he feared for his safety, and on 16 May he called again, accusing Shandong authorities of harassing his family.
Chen Guangcheng was offered a place to study law at New York University after Beijing said he would be allowed to apply to study abroad.
The US has said visas for Chen Guangcheng and his family are ready.
However the activist has repeatedly warned that his friends and relatives could face reprisals once he has left.
Will Smith angrily slapped camp comic Vitalii Sediuk on the face after he tried to kiss him on the lips on the red carpet in Russia yesterday.
Will Smith, 43, was walking the press line in Moscow to promote Men In Black 3 when Ukrainian TV prankster Vitalii Sediuk stopped him to give him a hug and attempted to kiss him.
He managed to dodge two lunges, with each kiss landing on his cheek, before he pushed the professional fool away and gave him a limp tap on the face.
Blockbuster footage from the Russian LifeNews station showed the angry actor and rapper telling him: “Hey man, what the hell is your problem?”
Will Smith angrily slapped camp comic Vitalii Sediuk on the face after he tried to kiss him on the lips on the red carpet in Russia yesterday
Will Smith later laughed about the incident, telling another reporter down the line: “He tried to kiss me on the mouth.
“He’s lucky I didn’t try to sucker punch him. … Sorry, I said that on camera.”
Wind up merchant Vitalii Sediuk is best known for playing a prank on Madonna by presenting the singer with Hydrangeas, her most loathed flower.
Madonna rolled her eyes after graciously accepting the present from the joker before a press conference at the Venice Film Festival last year.
The gullible Holiday star thought he had simply made a mistake, telling an assistant: “I absolutely loath Hydrangeas. He obviously doesn’t know that.”
The prankster is also for known for his love of kissing celebrities when they least expect it.
Will Smith has been touring the globe to promote the latest installment of the Men In Black franchise.
One person who will not be amused by Vitalii Sediuk’s approach is his sexy wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Jada Pinkett Smith was not with her husband as she is currently at the Cannes Film Festival promoting her new film, Madagascar 3.
German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who was once described as “the most influential singer of the 20th Century”, has died, aged 86.
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, was famed for his performances of Winter’s Journey (Winterreise) by Schubert.
Born in Berlin in May 1925, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, emerged as a performer after World War II and was swiftly recognized as one of his generation’s finest lyrical vocalists.
Benjamin Britten personally asked him to perform in the first performance of his War Requiem in May 1962.
The premiere famously took place in the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral, which had been destroyed in a bombing raid in 1940.
German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who was once described as the most influential singer of the 20th Century, has died, aged 86
“To my generation, he was something so special that one was always awestruck,” the English mezzo-soprano Dame Janet Baker told Sean Rafferty on Radio 3’s In Tune programme.
“One just bows before the artistry and the sheer beauty of the sound he made.”
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was most famous for his interpretations of lieder – German art songs written for solo voice and piano.
He performed them around the world, rescued many from obscurity, and made scores of recordings that became the benchmark against which other singers’ interpretations were judged.
Klaus Staeck, president of the German Academy of Arts, said his contribution to the German art song was “phenomenal”.
“His performances of some of the great roles in opera history shaped the culture of singing,” he went on.
Though critics raved about his beautiful voice and musical artistry, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau said his aim was simply to get close to the essence of the song.
His intention, he said, was to suppress nothing and make no concessions – either to vocal limitations or popular taste.
A former soldier who spent nearly two years as an American prisoner of war, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was a regular fixture at opera houses in Berlin, Vienna and London and at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
The singer, music teacher and playwright played a significant role in invigorating the Salzburg Festival before retiring in 1992.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has had telephone contact with Greece’s President Karolos Papoulias, amid continuing speculation that his country may have to leave the eurozone.
Greek officials said Chancellor Angela Merkel had suggested Greece could hold a referendum on the euro when it votes in national elections next month.
However, their German counterparts denied she had made such a proposal.
The crisis in the eurozone is expected to dominate G8 talks in the US this weekend.
The reports of the German-Greek contacts came as US and French leaders ended talks in Washington focusing on the economy.
In a telephone call with President Karolos Papoulias, Angela Merkel “conveyed thoughts about a vote parallel to the election with the question to what extent do the Greek citizens wish to remain within the eurozone,” said a statement from the office of Greece’s interim prime minister.
Greek officials said Chancellor Angela Merkel had suggested Greece could hold a referendum on the euro when it votes in national elections next month
“However, it is clear that the matter is beyond the competence of the caretaker government,” the statement went on.
But a spokeswoman in Berlin said: “The information reported that the chancellor had suggested a referendum to the Greek President Karolos Papoulias is wrong.”
The caretaker government was sworn in this week after elections failed to produce a viable coalition to run the country.
New elections have been scheduled for 17 June.
The vote could result in a government that would refuse to implement the austerity measures that Greece’s last remaining international creditors are insisting on.
Speculation is increasing that Greece may have to leave the eurozone.
Meeting in Washington just before news broke of the German proposal, the US and French leaders said Greece should stay.
“We have the same conviction that Greece must remain in the eurozone,” France’s new President, Francois Hollande, said.
President Barack Obama said the situation in the eurozone was of great importance to the people of Europe and the whole world.
He said he looked forward to “fruitful” discussions with other G8 leaders, with a strong focus on economic growth.
Francois Hollande, who was elected president on 6 May, is also to have talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
David Cameron said that Greece must decide if it wants to remain in the euro.
“We need decisive action from eurozone countries in terms of strengthening eurozone banks, in terms of a strong eurozone firewall and decisive action over Greece. That has to be done.
“Clearly the Greeks have to make their minds up, they have to make their decision.”
Earlier, European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said he European Central Bank and the European Commission are working on emergency scenarios in case Greece had to leave the single currency.
Several hours later, fellow commissioner Olli Rehn issued a statement saying that he is responsible for financial and economic affairs and relations with the ECB.
“We are not working on the scenario of a Greek exit,” he said.
New embarrassing details have emerged of the controversial Botswana elephant hunting trip Spain’s King Juan Carlos took with mysterious Princess Corinna.
Twice-divorced Corinna zu Sayn Wittgenstein, 46, appeared on the cover of the June edition of Spain’s Vanity Fair magazine released today.
The article claimed Princess Corinna has been the King’s unofficial companion on numerous private trips abroad.
They included the safari trip to Botswana in April which caused outrage in Spain.
Princess Corinna, who was born in Germany and claims her title through her second husband, has reportedly fled Spain intense speculation over the nature of her role within the Spanish monarchy.
Her first husband, Philip J. Adkin, an American shipping magnate who confirmed he had also been a member of the hunting party in Botswana, was quoted in The Daily Telegraph as saying: “She has told me that the King is her friend and a great guy whom she admires.
“Nothing more, because if anything characterizes her, it is discretion and loyalty.”
Princess Corinna, who was born in Germany and claims her title through her second husband, has reportedly fled Spain intense speculation over the nature of her role within the Spanish monarchy
The hunting trip became public knowledge after King Juan Carlos, 74, fractured his hip in a fall in camp and was rushed back to Madrid for surgery.
Reports of the King’s luxurious lifestyle shooting endangered animals while ordinary Spaniards suffered deep economic strife was met with public outcry and led to calls for his abdication.
The episode has been marked by an end to the taboo on publishing royal secrets in a nation that has traditionally afforded the Royal family the utmost privacy and respect.
The unclear nature of the role of Princess Corinna will cast yet more scrutiny on Royal matters.
King Juan Carlos and Princess Corinna reportedly first met when she was organizing shooting expeditions for Boss & Co, Britain’s oldest gunshop based in Mayfair where she worked until 2006, and were on the same safari together in Mozambique in 2004.
Several more hunting trips together followed over the years, as well as a trip to Saudi Arabia, and the pair have been photographed on the red carpet together several times.
Sources at the Royal Household insist she has no official role in relation to King Juan Carlos but Vanity Fair reported that friends talk of her being either his “financial adviser” and “organizing everything from A-Z” on behalf of the King on his trips abroad.
Philip J. Adkin admitted in the piece that his ex-wife had gone into hiding since her connection with King Juan Carlos became public knowledge.
She has instructed lawyers to take legal action after several European tabloids made claims about her private life.
The allegations are the latest development in what is turning out to be a difficult year for Spain’s Royal family.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia failed to mark their 50th wedding anniversary earlier this week fuelling speculation that their marriage was over.
The King’s son-in-law is accused of embezzling public funds and in February became the first Spanish royal in modern history to be questioned in court.
Yesterday it was revealed the Spanish government has insisted Queen Sofia pull out of a lunch in Windsor Castle because of the continuing row over Gibraltar.
Even though Sharon Stone is now in her mid fifties, she is still flaunting her figure.
Sharon stone, 54, showed off an impressive physique for her age as she popped on a string bikini yesterday.
The actress lapped up the sun in Venice, California with a female friend.
And she’s obviously still got her body confidence as she stripped down to a sting two-piece in a zig-zag pattern.
Sharon Stone looked refreshed and happy as she enjoyed the sunny weather while she lay on a beach towel and caught some rays.
She was carefree as she tied her blonde locks up into a ponytail, while she put on sunglasses to shield her from the bright sunshine.
Even though Sharon Stone is now in her mid fifties, she is still flaunting her figure
Sharon Stone later indulged in some tarot card reading as a man approached her on the beach and read her future.
She looked engrossed as the man in the pink T-shirt spent time with her in the shade and told her his readings.
Her healthy regime is obviously paying off as she stood up and revealed her more honed physique when she was up straight.
And she ensured she was well hydrated as she drank from a bottle throughout the lazy afternoon.
Sharon Stone smiled at fellow beachgoers and appeared relaxed as she chilled out. She later covered up a tiny bit more as she put on some tight hot pants over her bikini bottoms.
More than two hundred years ago in parts of North America, a strange event, named Dark Day, turned morning to night.
It remains wreathed in mystery – so what caused the Dark Day?
Halfway through the morning the sky turns yellow. Animals run for cover and darkness descends, causing people to light candles and start to pray. By lunchtime night has fallen. Is it the end of the world?
The Dark Day, as it’s become known, took place on May 19, 1780 in New England and Canada. For the past 232 years historians and scientists have argued over the origins of this strange event.
Today there are many theories. Was it the result of volcanic eruption, fire, meteor strike – or something more sinister?
When the makers of Doctor Who this week asked fans of the show to send in their suggestions, they received a wide range of theories both plausible and Tardis-related.
With little scientific knowledge amongst the populace in 1780, people would have been afraid. Some lawmakers in Connecticut believed it was the day of judgement. The sense that a decisive moment was afoot would have been bolstered by the fact that during the preceding days, the sun and moon glowed red.
Historian Mike Dash says the north-east corner of the US was a deeply Protestant society with a profound interest in “guilt, sin and redemption”. Mike Dash, who wrote about the paranormal in his book Borderlands, says that faced with sudden darkness, people would look for biblical precedents.
“There are some verses in Matthew that might have led them to believe that this is the second coming of Christ. At the time, natural events – even birds fighting in the sky – were a sign of God’s intentions. The Dark Day would have seemed like a warning to Man.”
The Dark Day, as it's become known, took place on May 19, 1780 in New England and Canada
So what might explain 1780’s Dark Day?
The Met Office points out that thick cloud can drop low enough to turn on automatic street lights and require cars to use their lights. But it’s unlikely this alone would be enough to cause a Dark Day.
A solar eclipse can be ruled out as there is a record of when these occur – and they only last for a matter of minutes.
The eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull in 2010 caused enough ash to enter the atmosphere to ground flights across northern Europe.
Thomas Choularton, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Manchester, says volcanic ash clouds often cause “yellow days”. Eruptions at Mount St Helens in Washington State have lowered light levels in recent decades, he adds.
And yet there is no record of volcanic activity in 1780, he says, making a huge ash cloud an unlikely explanation. A meteorite is equally unlikely, although “you can’t rule it out completely”, Prof. Thomas Choularton says.
The answer to the puzzle can be found in the trees, many scientists believe.
Academics at the University of Missouri’s Department of Forestry analyzed tree trunks inland from New England, where westerly prevailing winds would originate. They found signs of fire-scarred rings in tree trunks dating back to that period.
It is also known that there was a drought there in 1780 making fire more likely, says Dr. Will Blake, associate professor of geography at Plymouth University.
But could a forest fire cause such a change in light? “I’ve witnessed minor fires in Australia where you get a very eerie light. The bigger the fire, the darker it’s going to get.” Fog is common on the east coast. The mix of fog and soot from the forest fire would combine to make darkness descend, Dr. Will Blake argues.
Eyewitness accounts in New England support the forest fire hypothesis. Soot was spotted in the rivers. And Jeremy Belknap of Boston wrote in a letter that the air had the “smell of a malt-house or a coal-kiln”.
William Corliss, the physicist and chronicler of unexplained events, found 46 accounts of dark days around the world between 1091 and 1971.
Nowadays people can call upon scientific knowledge, satellite pictures and the media for reassurance. But Dark Days have continued to unsettle people until surprisingly recently.
A Dark Day in a similar part of North America to 1780’s occurred in 1950. It was caused by forest fires in Alberta and prompted alarm and confusion, says David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada.
“If you’d woken up at noon you’d have believed it was midnight. People thought it was nuclear attack or a solar eclipse.”
Whatever the cause in 1780, the geography must have exacerbated the fear, says Mike Dash. Settlements tended to go little more than 200 miles inland. In essence, European settlers were living on the edge of a vast unknown continent.
“When it goes dark for them, there’s no guarantee it is ever going to get light again. In those days it would be quite natural to think it was the Second Coming,” Mike Dash says. When dawn arrived, it is likely that prayers of thanks were said across the previously benighted land.
The first pictures have been released showing the inside of Antilia, which is believed to be the world’s most expensive house.
Built by India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, the 27-storey building towers over swanky Altamount Road in Mumbai.
Named Antilia, after a mythical island, it cost more than $1 billion, reports say.
Those who have visited it speak of helipads, a vast library, extravagant dining areas, opulent marble floors and even a snow room. Until now the family has remained silent on the residence.
“This is the first time I am talking about my home,” says Mukesh Ambani’s wife, Nita, in an interview published in the June issue of Vanity Fair magazine.
“There have been exaggerated reports in the media about it, I must say,” she adds.
Built by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, 27-storey Antilia building towers over swanky Altamount Road in Mumbai
Much of the media speculation has centred on whether the family was actually living in the property.
Some newspaper reports suggested they had decided not to move in because the vastu shastra (an Indian form of architecture, akin to feng shui) on the building was not spiritually correct.
In the interview, conducted in November, Nita Ambani confirms they took up residence last September.
“We moved in two months ago… and then it was going round that we haven’t moved in,” she told reporter James Reginato, who gained unprecedented access inside the building.
A photo published of one of the rooms shows floor-to-ceiling windows, and a seating arrangement which resembles a five-star hotel lobby.
“It’s a modern home with an Indian heart,” says Nita Ambani of her house.
Antilia is 27 storeys high, but as Mukesh Reginato writes, many of the floors are double or triple height, so the building rises to 570 feet, equivalent to a 40-storey building.
It also has a mutli-storey garage, a ballroom, a spa, a theatre, guest suites and a number of terraced gardens, he writes.
“We made our home right at the top because we wanted the sunlight… so it’s an elevated house on top of a garden,” said Nita Ambani.
The design, she says, is based on the lotus and the sun, and is decorated using rare wood, marble, mother-of-pearl and crystal, crafted by Indian artisans.
As with many Indian households, it also has a Hindu prayer room, “getting my temple right was so important,” she said.
Reports suggest the house is worth more than $1 billion, small change for Mukesh Ambani, who is worth more than $22 billion according to Forbes magazine.
But despite this, the house’s construction has attracted some criticism from some who say it is far too grand for a city like Mumbai, where millions of people live in slums, and hundreds of thousands don’t have a roof over their head.
The NASDAQ exchange saw Facebook shares jumping more than 10% within minutes of making their stock market debut.
Facebook shares rose to $42, having been initially priced at $38 each, before falling back to trade flat.
Mark Zuckerberg, 28, who started Facebook while at university, remotely opened trading on the Nasdaq earlier.
He appeared via a video link from a celebration at the firm’s headquarters in California.
There had been a delay of about half an hour in the start of trading in Facebook shares, which analysts say reflected the huge demand for the stock.
The $38 initial share price values the eight-year-old social network site at $104 billion.
Strong demand had led the company to increase both the price and the number of shares available for sale.
Facebook’s owners are releasing just under a fifth of the company’s total shares, about 421 million, which could raise about $18 billion.
The site is largely used for social updates, and although Facebook has said its use on mobile devices are the key to new profits, analysts question how much room there is for advertising on such platforms.
The NASDAQ exchange saw Facebook shares jumping more than 10 percent within minutes of making their stock market debut
Car giant General Motors added to those doubts by saying on Tuesday that it would no longer pay to advertise on the site.
Online strategy consultant Atul Chitnis said the question was whether Facebook had a strategy to bring advertisers in.
“My belief is that Facebook does have a strategy, they are ready with something they have not yet talked about,” he said.
“How effective it is we will have to watch and see.”
He also said he expected to see a “brief burst” of the share price going up and then “sinking again” in a couple of days.
Facebook’s valuation means the social network site is worth about the same as internet shopping giant Amazon, and more than the value of stalwarts such as Disney.
The initial public offering (IPO) of the shares is the third-largest in US history, after the financial giant Visa and General Motors.
Facebook employees had been up all night ahead of the event, taking part in a “hackathon” at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California.
It is an event in which programmers work on projects and come up with new ideas.
Facebook’s profits are tiny in relation to its size – it makes about $5 a year for each of its 900 million users – and its plans to increase profitability are unclear.
Oliver Pursche, president of Gary Goldberg Financial Services, said ahead of the flotation: “We’re telling our investors to hold off.
“Number one, we don’t know what the guts and the balance sheet of the company looks like yet so that’s a big red flag for us. We want to understand the business before we tell people to invest.”
Facebook also faces concerns over privacy.
Indeed, on Friday a class action suit was brought against the company in the US for “improperly tracking the internet use of its members even after they logged out of their accounts”.
Facebook itself has previously warned about the possible impact of evolving legal protections across the world on consumer privacy, and specifically a revision to the European Union’s privacy laws.
Other internet companies have had mixed experiences when they have started selling shares.
Online games maker Zynga’s shares fell 5% on their first day of trading in December 2011.
But shares in business networking site LinkedIn more than doubled on their debut in May last year and are still trading well above that level, while Groupon shares jumped 30% on their debut in November.
However, they have since fallen back, particularly after the daily deals firm admitted in April that it had overstated its previous revenues and earnings.
Facebook’s flotation had an immediate impact on the value of these companies, as their share prices fell at the same time as Facebook’s fell back from its initial spike.
Groupon dropped 5.6%, LinkedIn fell 1.2%, while shares in Zynga were suspended after plunging more than 13% in a matter of minutes.
The new Facebook shareholders will not have much say in how the business is run.
The shares on offer are “A” shares, which carry one vote per share, as is normal, but the current owners’ shares are “B” shares, which carry 10 votes each.
They will control more than 96% of the votes after the flotation, with founder Mark Zuckerberg holding just under 56% of the voting power of the company.
Mark Zuckerberg, who owns about 25% of the company, stands to gain the most from taking Facebook public. Fellow founders Dustin Moskovitz and Eduardo Saverin will also become paper-billionaires overnight, as will Napster founder and former employee Sean Parker.
US venture capital firm Accel Partners and Russian internet investment group Digital Sky Technologies also hold significant stakes in Facebook, while software giant Microsoft and U2 frontman Bono also stand to make a huge profit on their investment in the company.
Whitney Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown has released a new song titled Don’t Let Me Die, a tribute to his former wife.
Debuting the track on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Bobby Brown, 43, appeared emotional as he sang through the lyrics, all whilst wearing a pair of sunglasses onstage.
In the track Bobby Brown seemingly admits some kind of wrong doing, singing how he “messed up pretty bad”.
“I guess I messed up pretty bad … I didn’t know who you were … I didn’t know what we had. Now I’m stuck living in the past …trying to get the pieces back … but I guess now you’re gone,” he sang.
“I didn’t realize that every breath I took was from you … You were my air.”
Bobby Brown has released a new song titled Don't Let Me Die, a tribute to Whitney Houston
The new track will be featured on Bobby Brown’s new album The Masterpiece, which will be released on June 5.
It is the first album he has recorded since his 1997 LP Forever.
It comes after Bobby Brown hit back at claims last month that he was responsible for introducing his former wife to the drugs, which played a part in her untimely death.
“I didn’t get high [on narcotics] before I met Whitney,” Bobby Brown told The Today Show’s Matt Lauer.
“I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn’t the one that got Whitney on drugs at all.”
He said drugs were a part of the singer’s life “way way before” they got together. Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown married in 1993 and had daughter Bobbi Kristina, now 19-years-old, before divorcing in 2007.
Bobby Brown added: “It’s just unexplainable how one could, [say that I] got her addicted to drugs. I’m not the reason she’s gone.”
The King of Bahrain and Swaziland’s King Mswati III are among controversial monarchs expected at a Windsor Castle lunch being hosted by the Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.
Critics accuse Bahrain of human rights abuses and say Swazi king Mswati lives in luxury while his people go hungry.
Campaigner Peter Tatchell criticized the Queen for inviting “royal tyrants to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee”.
The Foreign Office said it was having “a full and frank discussion on a range of issues” with Bahrain’s government.
Buckingham Palace said it would not comment on the lunch.
It will be followed by an evening banquet, hosted by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Not all the monarchs will be at both events.
Peter Tatchell said the invitations were “a shocking misjudgement” that showed the Queen was “out of touch with the humanitarian values of most British people”.
“Inviting blood-stained despots brings shame to our monarchy and tarnishes the Diamond Jubilee celebrations,” he said.
“It is a kick in the teeth to pro-democracy campaigners and political prisoners in these totalitarian royal regimes.”
The King of Bahrain and Swaziland's King Mswati III are among controversial monarchs expected at a Windsor Castle lunch being hosted by the Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee
Bahrain officials said King Hamad al-Khalifa – whose country is in a state of civil unrest following crackdowns on protests last year – was expected to attend.
Last month, Bahrain Grand Prix organizers were urged to cancel the race amid public unrest in the country and accusations of human rights abuses.
And in April 2011, Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa pulled out of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding amid controversy over human rights.
A Foreign Office spokesman said Britain was a “long-standing friend and ally of Bahrain”.
He added: “On human rights we support the reforms already under way in Bahrain and we want to help promote that reform.
“We have consistently encouraged the Bahraini government to take further urgent steps to implement in full the recommendations of the Independent Commission of Inquiry as His Majesty the King has committed to doing.
“This includes bringing to account those individuals responsible for human rights abuses.”
On Thursday, former Foreign Office Minister Denis MacShane criticized Bahrain for doing “such terrible things to its own people since the Arab awakening a year ago”.
He said Arab nations “must let their citizens vote in free elections and let them speak without fear of arrest, torture or death”.
“The Foreign Office should protect the British Queen rather than expose her to having to dine with a despot.”
Anti-monarchist campaign group Republic believes the Queen and her aides have made a “catastrophic error of judgement” in inviting the Bahrani King.
Group chief executive Graham Smith said the Queen “has sent a very strong signal that the British royal family’s number one priority is other royals, even if they… oppress their own people”.
He added: “The Queen owes a personal apology to all those fighting for freedom in those countries – and to the families of those who have died doing so.”
On Wednesday, meanwhile, a group of UK-based Swazis protested outside the Savoy hotel, in London, where King Mswati – who is widely accused of profligate spending – is thought to be staying, with a delegation of 30 officials.
“The money he is using to feed these people could go a long way back home,” said Flora Dlamini from the Swaziland Vigil group.
King Mswati is rated by Forbes magazine as the world’s 15th richest monarch with a personal fortune of $100 million – while many of his 1.2 million subjects live in poverty.
Democracy campaigners also want Africa’s last absolute monarch to allow political parties and elections.
“If he is allowed to come, the British government is supporting his dictatorship,” Flora Dlamini said.
Saudi and Kuwaiti royals are also attending the banquet.
Amnesty international has recently highlighted repression in Saudi Arabia, as the authorities there crack down on protesters and reformists.
And Human Rights Watch has criticized Kuwait for the suspension of a daily newspaper and the conviction of its editor for incitement.
Meanwhile, Queen Sofia of Spain will not be attending because of a dispute over fishing rights off Gibraltar, a UK territory that Spain also claims.
Chinese media reports that Lai Changxing has been jailed for life for running a multi-billion dollar smuggling ring.
Xinhua news agency said Lai Changxing, 53, extradited from Canada, was convicted and sentenced by a Fujian court.
Lai Changxing was accused of bribing officials and smuggling goods including cars, cigarettes and oil in one of China’s biggest political scandals.
He fled to Canada in 1999 and avoided extradition for 12 years by arguing he faced torture and execution in China.
Beijing promised Canada he would not be executed and he was deported in 2011.
Lai Changxing was accused of bribing officials and smuggling goods including cars, cigarettes and oil in one of China's biggest political scandals
Canada usually forbids the extradition of suspects to countries where they might face the death penalty, and the case severely tested diplomatic relations between the two.
The sentence was handed down by the Intermediate People’s Court of Xiamen – the city at the heart of Lai’s operations – after a trial which began in early April.
The court said Lai Changxing’s income that was obtained illegally would be confiscated, Xinhua reports.
Lai Changxing was accused of running a huge smuggling operation from 1991 to 1999.
He established a complex network to cheat import tariffs of 13.99 billion yuan ($2.21 billion) on goods worth 27.39 billion yuan, the court said.
The goods included cigarettes, cars, heating and cooking oil, textiles and chemicals.
It also said Lai Chanxing and his associates bribed 64 government officials with amounts totaling 39.13 million yuan.
Some 300 people were punished for their involvement in the operation.
“The sums involved are unusually large, and the details are extraordinarily serious,” the court said, according to the Xinhua report.
It is not clear whether Lai Changxing is planning to appeal.
European stock markets had a shaky start on Friday as concern continued over Greece and Spain.
Spain’s main share index fell more than 2% before recovering, while shares in London fell by as much as 1%.
Confidence in European banks was undermined by ratings agency Moody’s, which cut the credit ratings of 16 Spanish banks late on Thursday.
It also cut the debt rating on Santander UK, a subsidiary of the Spanish banking giant.
However, shares in Santander reversed early losses to trade 3% higher, and Bankia shares jumped 9% following Thursday’s 14% slump.
Moody’s said there were several reasons behind the downgrade, including Spain’s slide back into recession, the financial challenges facing the Spanish government and bad loans in the property industry.
But Moody’s also recognized that banks had made progress in improving their financial situation, and noted the European Central Bank was providing support.
The proportion of loans that have gone bad at Spanish banks hit a record 8.37% in March.
That was according to figures from the Bank of Spain on Friday.
European stock markets had a shaky start on Friday as concern continued over Greece and Spain
Despite rising bad debts and downgrades, and reports of large withdrawals from troubled banking group Bankia, the Spanish government does not expect a run on the country’s banks.
Spanish Treasury Minister, Inigo Fernadez de Mesa, said: “This is a scenario I do not contemplate. The Spanish banks have plenty of liquidity. They have been funded through the central government for the next two years, so there is no problem of liquidity at all in Spain.”
Nevertheless, some investors moved money into German bonds, which are seen as low-risk investments. That drove the yield on 10-year German bonds down to 1.399% on Friday, a record low.
Confidence has also been knocked by the political crisis in Greece, where politicians are preparing for the second election in six weeks.
It is possible that the election on 17 June will result in a government that would refuse to implement the austerity measures that Greece’s last remaining international creditors are insisting on.
Speculation is increasing that Greece may have to leave the eurozone
The challenges facing Greece and Spain will be under discussion this weekend at the Group of Eight (G8) summit at the US Presidential retreat Camp David in Maryland.
President Barack Obama will host leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan, Canada, and the European Union.
“The G8 meeting in Camp David today and tomorrow will be used to pressure Eurozone politicians to take immediate and decisive action to stop contagion ripping the region apart,” said the Dutch bank Rabobank in a research note on Friday.
“Whether the meeting will bring any signs that eurozone politicians may be willing to allow Greek to exit the system remains to be seen, but this type of rhetoric would likely have to be pre-empted by policies designed to limit contagion tightening its grip on Spain,” the note said.
In Asia, stock markets registered heavy losses. Tokyo’s Nikkei average fell 3%, the biggest one day fall since last August.
Asian markets were also hit by losses in New York, where the Dow Jones closed more than 1% lower.
Investors were discouraged by two weak reports on the US economy.
“There is no resolution to the [European] problem yet, and we also we had very disappointing US data, so overall, it’s negative and further denting market sentiment,” said Frances Cheung, a senior strategist, at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong.
In Asia, banking shares were hurt after the chief executive of ANZ said volatile market conditions meant that Australian banks were not lending to each other.
The wholesale lending markets are an important source of funds for banks.
“Right now, markets are closed again, and this is what happens in this sort of situation,” said ANZ chief executive Mike Smith.
On Tuesday night, Kate Moss’ feet appeared to be disfigured as her toes were bent and claw-like curling around her shoes – perhaps the effects of wearing sky-high heels too often.
Herr second toe appeared to be the worst offender bending in at a very awkward angle.
To make matters worse Kate Moss’ nails were not in the best shape either and she has clearly not bothered to have a pedicure recently.
Kate Moss, 38, and her husband Jamie Hince stepped out to attend the Marie Curie Fundraiser in London.
She had donned a floor-length black dress, which covered her unsightly feet.
Kate Moss' feet appeared to be disfigured as her toes were bent and claw-like curling around her shoes
Kate Moss teamed the maxi dress with a feathered shawl and carried a clutch bag.
The happy couple joined the likes of Geri Halliwell, Holly Valance and her fiancé Nick Candy along with Ronnie Wood, Sarah Ferguson and Princess Beatrice.
Kate Moss played a full part in the proceedings and was seen taking on the role of paparazzo snapping away throughout the evening.
She also took to the stage to help auction off a painting of old musician pal Rod Stewart painted by Ronnie.
Not only was the event to help raise funds for the cancer charity but it also served as an opportunity for celebrities to meet with the nurses and find out more about the important work that they do.
The political row over President Barack Obama’s heritage was dramatically reignited today as a 1991 booklet boldly announced that he was “born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii”.
In the cover for a 1991 promotional booklet by Barack Obama’s then-publisher Acton & Dystel, he is as “the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, [who] was born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii”.
The information, which could be used as more ammunition against the incumbent, comes months before what will likely be a close campaign between Barack Obama and likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
The 36-page promotional booklet was exclusively obtained by Breitbart, and was sent out to colleagues within the publishing industry in the early 1990s.
A later biography, which can still be found on Acton & Dystel’s archives, reads: “Barack Obama is the junior Democratic senator from Illinois and was the dynamic keynote speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
“He was also the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He was born in Kenya to an American anthropologist and a Kenyan finance minister and was raised in Indonesia, Hawaii, and Chicago. His first book, <<Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance>>, has been a long time New York Times bestseller.”
The blue, teal, and silver booklet was printed in part to celebrate Acton & Dystel’s 15th anniversary, and also to display the breadth and depth of authors the imprint published.
Other authors featured include Ralph Nader, former Speaker of the House Thomas P. O’Neill, and pop group New Kids on the Block.
Miriam Goderich, who now works at partner company Dystel & Goderich, is listed as the pamphlet’s editor.
The political row over President Barack Obama’s heritage was dramatically reignited today as a 1991 booklet boldly announced that he was born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii
Acton spoke with Breitbart about the cover, saying that “almost nobody” wrote their own biography, though non-athletes were “probably” approached to confirm the veracity of it.
Barack Obama later left Acton & Dystel, submitting a book proposal to Simon & Schuster imprint Poseidon Press worth more than six figures.
The book, tentatively called Journeys In Black And White, was later abandoned for the autobiography Dreams From My Father.
A note from Breitbart’s senior management at the top of the article offers the following disclaimer: “It is evidence – not of the President’s foreign origin, but that Barack Obama’s public persona has perhaps been presented differently at different times.”
President Barack Obama released his birth certificate to the public last April. He said during a press briefing at the time that he was “puzzled at the degree to which this thing just keeps going on”.
He said: “We’ve had every official in Hawaii, Democrat and Republican, every news outlet that has investigated this, confirm that, yes, in fact, I was born in Hawaii, August 4, 1961, in Kapiolani Hospital.”
The president concluded his speech by acknowledging that some people – despite the evidence – would not let go of the issue.
“I know that there’s going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest,” he said.
“But I’m speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press. We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do. I’ve got better stuff to do.”
Though the White House was certainly hoping to silence the “birther” movement by releasing the president’s birth certificate, grumbles and murmurs have been commonplace since the April 27, 2011 release.
On May 12, Colorado Republican Congressman Mike Coffman brought up the issue at a fundraiser, saying: “I don’t know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America.
“I don’t know that. But I do know this – that in his heart, he’s not an American.
“He’s just not an American.”
According to 9 News, Mike Coffman was first met with silence, but after several moments, fundraiser attendees offered tentative applause.
However, the congressman issued an apology later in the week, writing: “I have confidence in President Obama’s citizenship and legitimacy as President of the United States.”
He further qualified his statement by saying: “I don’t believe the president shares my belief in American Exceptionalism. His policies reflect a philosophy that America is but one nation of many equals.
“As a Marine, I believe America is unique and based on a core set of principles that makes it superior to other nations.”
Fugu, or blowfish, a Japanese delicacy, is so poisonous that the smallest mistake in its preparation could be fatal.
However, Tokyo’s city government is planning to ease restrictions that allow only highly trained and licensed chefs to serve the dish.
Kunio Miura always uses his special knives to prepare fugu – wooden-handled with blades tempered by a swordsmith to a keen edge. Before he starts work in his kitchen they are brought to him by an assistant, carefully stored in a special box.
Miura-san, as he is respectfully known, has been cutting up blowfish for 60 years but still approaches the task with caution. A single mistake could mean death for a customer.
Fugu is an expensive delicacy in Japan and the restaurants that serve it are among the finest in the country. In Miura-san’s establishment a meal starts at $120 a head, but people are willing to pay for the assurance of the fugu chef license mounted on his wall, yellowed now with age. He is one of a select guild authorized by Tokyo’s city government to serve the dish.
When he begins work the process is swift, and mercifully out of sight of the surviving fugu swimming in their tank by the restaurant door.
First he lays the dispatched fish, rather square of body with stubby fins, on its stomach and cuts open the head to removes its brain and eyes.
They are carefully placed in a metal tray marked “non-edible”. Then he removes the skin, greenish and mottled on the top and sides, white underneath, and starts cutting at the guts.
“This is the most poisonous part,” he says pulling out the ovaries.
But the liver and intestines are potentially lethal too. “People say it is 200 times more deadly than cyanide.”
Fugu, or blowfish, a Japanese delicacy, is so poisonous that the smallest mistake in its preparation could be fatal
Twenty-three people have died in Japan after eating fugu since 2000, according to government figures. Most of the victims are anglers who rashly try to prepare their catch at home. A spokesman for the Health and Welfare Ministry struggles to think of a single fatality in a restaurant, though last year a woman was hospitalized after eating a trace of fugu liver in one of Tokyo’s top restaurants – not Miura-san’s.
Tetrodotoxin poisoning has been described as “rapid and violent”, first a numbness around the mouth, then paralysis, finally death. The unfortunate diner remains conscious to the end. There is no antidote.
“This would be enough to kill you,” Miura-san says, slicing off a tiny sliver of fugu ovary and holding it up. Then he carefully checks the poisonous organs on the tray, making sure he has accounted for every one, and tips them into a metal drum locked with a padlock. They will be taken to Tokyo’s main fish-market and burned, along with the offcuts from other fugu restaurants.
Miura-san’s skill is therefore highly prized. Fugu chefs consider themselves the elite of Japan’s highly competitive culinary world. He started as an apprentice in a kitchen at the age of 15. Training lasts at least two years but he was not allowed to take the practical test to get a license until he was 20, the age people become a legal adult in Japan. A third of examinees fail.
So proposals by Tokyo’s city government to relax the rules have been met with an outcry from qualified chefs. Coming into effect in October they would allow restaurants to serve portions of fugu that they have bought ready-prepared off-site.
“We worked hard to get the license and had to pass the most difficult exam in Tokyo,” says Miura-san.
“Under the new rules people will be able to sell fugu after just going to a class and listening for a day. We spent lots of time and money. To get this skill you have to practice by cutting more than a hundred fish and that costs hundreds of thousands of yen.”
The authorities in Tokyo impose stricter regulations than any other Japanese city. In some, restaurants have already been able to sell pre-prepared fugu for a long time. And even in Tokyo these days, it is available over the internet and in some supermarkets – one reason why officials think the rules need updating.
In terms of cost, it is likely fugu would become available in cheaper restaurants and pubs (izakayas). But going to a proper fugu restaurant to eat good wild-caught fish, prepared on-site, is quite a luxury – because of the cost, if nothing else – and also quite an event. For many, playing the equivalent of Russian roulette at the dinner table is the attraction of the dish.
Some report a strange tingling of the lips from traces of the poison, although Miura-san thinks that is unlikely. He also scoffs at the myth that a chef would be honor-bound to commit ritual suicide with his fish knife if he killed a customer. Loss of his license, a fine, litigation or perhaps prison would be the penalty.
Miura-san serves fugu stew, and grilled fugu with teriyaki sauce, but today it is fugu-sashimi on the menu. He carefully slices the fish so thinly that when it is arranged like the petals of a chrysanthemum flower on a large dish the pattern beneath shows through.
Raw fugu is rather chewy and tastes mostly of the accompanying soy sauce dip. It is briefly poached in a broth set on a table-top burner – a dish known as shabu-shabu in Japan. The old journalistic cliché when eating unusual foods really does hold true – it tastes rather like chicken.
Fugu lovers, though, would say it has a distinctive taste, and, even more importantly, texture. Japanese has many words to describe texture because it is a very important aspect of the cuisine.
Another part of the fish’s appeal is that is a seasonal dish, eaten in winter, and Japanese diners attach a particular value to this. In the same way unagi, eel, is an important summer dish. But whatever you think of eel, it’s not quite fugu – it lacks that extra thrill that comes with the knowledge that by eating it you are dicing with death.
A British Medical Journal analysis has found that dieting in pregnancy is safe for women and does not carry risks for the baby.
The review looked at the findings from 44 previous studies involving more than 7,000 women.
The London-based team said following a healthy diet – and not eating for two – prevents excess weight gain and cuts the risk of complications.
But current guidelines do not advocate dieting or weight monitoring.
The advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), published in 2010, says: “Dieting during pregnancy is not recommended as it may harm the health of the unborn child.”
However, women are advised to aim to reach a healthy weight before conceiving.
Half the UK population is either overweight or obese and the rates are rising.
And in Europe and the US, between 20% and 40% of women gain more than the recommended weight during pregnancy.
A British Medical Journal analysis has found that dieting in pregnancy is safe for women and does not carry risks for the baby
High weights are linked to complications such as pre-eclampsia, diabetes and high blood pressure as well as early delivery.
This review, funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), compared diet, exercise or a combination of the two.
Dietary advice was based on limiting calorie intake, having a balanced diet and eating foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and pulses.
The researchers then examined how much weight women gained during their pregnancies and if there were complications.
While each approach reduced a woman’s weight gain, diet had the greatest effect with an average reduction of nearly 4 kg (8.8 lbs).
With exercise, the average reduction in weight gain was just 0.7 kg (1.5 lbs). A combination of diet and exercise led to an average reduction of 1 kg (2.2 lbs).
Women following a calorie-controlled diet were significantly less likely to develop each of the complications considered, but the researchers say those findings need to be repeated in larger studies.
Babies’ birth weights were not affected by dieting.
Dr. Shakila Thangaratinam, a consultant obstetrician at Queen Mary, University of London who led the study, said: “We are seeing more and more women who gain excess weight when they are pregnant and we know these women and their babies are at increased risk of complications.
“Weight control is difficult but this study shows that by carefully advising women on weight management methods, especially diet, we can reduce weight gain during pregnancy.
“It also shows that following a controlled diet has the potential to reduce the risk of a number of pregnancy complications.”
She added: “Women may be concerned that dieting during pregnancy could have a negative impact on their babies. This research is reassuring because it showed that dieting is safe and that the baby’s weight isn’t affected.”
But in a commentary in the journal, women’s health experts from St Thomas’ Hospital in London – including Lucilla Poston who helped develop the NICE guidance, said it would be “premature” for the current guidance, which only recommends women be weighed at their first pregnancy check-up, to change.
Dr. Janine Stockdale, research fellow at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “We should be careful to note that the researchers are not advising women to lose weight during pregnancy; this is about managing excessive weight or weight gain.
“If a woman is on target to gain the right amount of weight during her pregnancy, then <<dieting>> and <<calorie-controlled dieting>> as we commonly understand these terms, is not for her.
“We need to reassure women that under the care of a midwife or other health professional, weight management is safe.”
John Travolta tried to sexually assault Grease co-star Jeff Conaway while he was sleeping, Vikki Lizzi has claimed.
John Travolta allegedly tried to perform an oral act at Jeff Conaway’s home in the 1990s, Conaway’s former fiancée Vikki Lizzi told the National Enquirer.
Vikki Lizzi said that her partner, who played Kenickie in the 1978 hit movie, was so upset with the incident it ended his long-term friendship with the star.
She also said Jeff Conaway made the claim in a suicide note.
It was left, Vikki Lizzi said, after a failed bid to kill himself in 2006. He died on May 2011, aged 60, from complications of pneumonia.
Vikki Lizzi also alleged that Jeff Conaway said John Travolta, 58, and his wife, Kelly Preston, were locked in a sham marriage.
She told Star magazine: “Jeff told me that John and Kelly’s marriage was an arrangement.
“Jeff said that Kelly knows that John is gay, and that’s why she’s OK with it.”
Another source alleged in Star that Kelly Preston signed a contract with John Travolta when they were wed, though the source did not know its details.
The claims came as another hotel masseur claimed he had a homosexual tryst with John Travolta.
Vikki Lizzi said that Jeff Conaway, who played Kenickie in Grease, was so upset with the incident it ended his long-term friendship with John Travolta
Unlike the first two – one of whom withdrew his lawsuit on Tuesday and the first accuser who dropped his case – this latest man to come forward with gay sex claims involving the actor is named.
Former massage therapist Luis Gonzalez said he spent an afternoon with John Travolta at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Laguna Niguel, California, in 1997.
Meanwhile, another unnamed man made claims yesterday that John Travolta accosted him – making it the fifth man to make allegations about the star.
The man – a gym employee – has accused John Travolta of fondling him against his wishes when he worked out at the gym while he was shooting a movie, according to RadarOnline.
However, no details were reported regarding the time frame or location. John Travolta’s lawyer Marty Singer has denied the allegations.
Last week Fabian Zanzi became the third man to accuse Travolta of accosting him back in 2009 while he was working on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Luis Gonzalez made his claims to the National Enquirer magazine in the US, saying of John Travolta: “He’s a great kisser. I know because I had sex with him and he loved it.”
He also claimed that the married actor seemed “very experienced” at gay sex.
“I can remember it like it happened yesterday,” he added.
The masseur said the rendezvous started minutes after he set up his table in John Travolta’s room.
The actor reportedly stripped down and said it was too warm for a top sheet.
Luis Gonzalez, 49, described how John Travolta became aroused soon after lying on the table.
“He moved around and started to breathe heavily,” he alleged.
“We got right into the bed that was right there next to the massage table and had a really good time.”
Luis Gonzales, who is now living overseas, said he had massaged the actor several times since first meeting him in 1988 without anything sexual happening.
“Travolta may not identify himself as a gay man, but it doesn’t dismiss the fact that he likes sex with men .. and he’s experienced at it,” Luis Gonzales claimed.
“I was in shock for about a week afterward thinking, <<I can’t believe it! I had sex with John Travolta!>> I was hoping to see him again after that, but I never did,” he alleged in the Enquirer.
The first masseur who claimed last week that he was groped by John Travolta during a private massage in Beverly Hills in January was forced to drop his case after it emerged that the actor was 3,000 miles away in New York at the time of the alleged incident.
But he hired celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred yesterday and was said to be considering whether or not to re-file the lawsuit.
A second masseur who accused John Travolta of sexual battery at an Atlanta hotel in January has now also withdrawn from the suit.
The unnamed man – named only as John Doe #2 – has parted ways with lawyer Okorie Okorocha but may still pursue his case against the actor having also hired Gloria Allred.
“We are in the process of conferring with him regarding the next steps, which he may wish to take,” Gloria Allred said yesterday.
A heat graph, which corresponds the number of births on any given day to light and dark squares, shows how American birthdays rate against each other.
Using Harvard University data, the graph shows September 16 as the most common birthday in the U.S., while December 25 and February 29 are the least common.
The heat graph, while telling you how popular your birthday is, also successfully tracks trends in the data.
Evidently, a large proportion of babies are born in September, with the top ten birthdays falling within the autumn month.
Possibly confirming suspicions we have long held about conception trends, September is nine months after the holiday season.
Using Harvard University data, the graph shows September 16 as the most common birthday in the U.S., while December 25 and February 29 are the least common
The least common birthdays fall at the beginning of January, at the end of November, and around Christmas time.
Interestingly however, December 30 is a more common birthday.
While July, August and September are very popular months for birthdays, it is somewhat notable that July 4, Independence Day, appears to be an obvious uncommon birthday in the U.S.
It is possible that with a reasonably high proportion of births being induced in the U.S. (a number which rose from 10% before 1990, to 22% from 1990-2006), obstetricians and expectant mothers may choose to schedule a birthday outside of this holiday.
The graph, which shows every day of the year, from January 1 to December 31, along with a ranking based on how many babies were born in the U.S. on that date, was made from data taken between 1973 and 1999.
London Olympic Games organizers have received the Olympic flame at a handover ceremony beneath a rainbow in Athens, Greece.
The President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Spyros Capralos, passed the flame to Princess Anne, president of the British Olympic Association in the Panathenaic Stadium.
Lit in Olympia on 10 May, the flame was taken on a week-long tour of Greece.
A British delegation including David Beckham are due to fly with the torch to the UK on Friday.
It will then be carried 8,000 miles (12,875 km) by 8,000 bearers in a 70-day relay ending at the Olympic Park.
The relay begins at Land’s End on Saturday when triple Olympic sailing champion Ben Ainslie will be the first to carry the torch on British soil.
After criss-crossing every region of the UK, the flame will be used to light the cauldron in Stratford’s Olympic Stadium at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on 27 July.
At Thursday’s handover ceremony, crowds in the stadium stood beneath multi-colored umbrellas as the national anthems of the UK and Greece were sung by a British school choir and a Greek tenor.
President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos passed the flame to Princess Anne, president of the British Olympic Association in the Panathenaic Stadium
Heavy rain abated and a rainbow could be seen as the flame was carried into the Panathenaic Stadium – host of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 – by Christina Giazitzidou, Greece’s world champion in rowing, who held aloft an olive branch of peace in her free hand.
Celebrated athletes carried the flame around the athletics track in a relay before the final torchbearers, Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas and Chinese gymnast Li Ning – who lit the Olympic cauldron at Beijing 2008 – lit the cauldron in the centre of the stadium, formally ending the Greek leg of the relay.
The British delegation included London 2012 chief Lord Sebastian Coe, Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson and London Mayor Boris Johnson.
Lord Coe told the thousands-strong crowd that millions of people across the UK were working to get the UK ready to welcome the world, and said the torch would touch every region of the nation on its 70-day relay.
“The story of the flame will be about those that carry it – their stories will inspire,” he said.
Princess Anne said earlier the relay was likely to stoke excitement for the Games in the UK, as it had in Canada ahead of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
“When the flame arrives and the torch relay starts to get under way, that is a physical moment in terms of the process towards the Games.
“Certainly in Canada they were amazed by the effect that that had and I think that may well be true for Britain as well.”
Boris Johnson said the torch relay democratized the Olympic experience.
“It’s lighting the touch paper of a 70-day fuse that will then go off in the great pyrotechnics of the opening ceremony,” he said.
Boris Johnson said the key tests for London 2012 were both whether the Games were well-received, and whether they left a legacy for London and the UK.
Hugh Robertson accepted that putting on the Games was a huge responsibility, but said if London 2012 was a success it would be a great advertisement for both London and the UK.
Also attending the ceremony were London 2012 ambassador David Beckham and five young people chosen by Games organizers LOCOG and the British Council for their commitment to sport and their role in promoting the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect within their school or college.
Hailing from different national regions, the youngsters are part of London 2012’s Get Set education network and school linking programmes run by the British Council.
After spending Thursday night at the British embassy in Athens, the flame will be brought to the UK by the British delegation on BA2012 on Friday evening, where there will be a welcoming ceremony at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.
The flame – symbolizing purity because it comes directly from the sun – was kindled at a 10 May ceremony in Olympia by actress Ino Menegaki, playing a high priestess, who caught the sun’s rays in a parabolic mirror.
That ceremony took place amid the Temple of Hera ruins, by the ancient Olympic Games stadium.
The torch was then carried 1,800 miles through Greece by 500 torchbearers on a week-long route circling the country and travelling out to the islands of Crete and Kastelorizo.
The flame was then “laid to rest” in a ceremony at the Acropolis on Wednesday.
Ahead of Beijing 2008, the Olympic torch traversed the globe in a relay dogged by pro-Tibet, democracy and anti-China protests.
The 2012 relay has taken place with the backdrop of economic turbulence in Greece, which has been left without a government and possibly on the brink of leaving the eurozone by the financial crisis.
Greece has seen huge demonstrations of social unrest in previous months, amid efforts to reach a deal with the European Union on a bail-out for its economy.
A flame was first lit at the modern Olympics at the Amsterdam 1928 summer Games, but it was not until Berlin in 1936 that a torch relay route was set out from Greece to Germany.
Disco singer Donna Summer, famous for her hits I Feel Love and Love To Love You Baby, has died at the age of 63.
Donna Summer was one of disco’s biggest stars and won five Grammy Awards.
Her family said they were “at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy”.
Donna Summer’s collaborations with producer Giorgio Moroder helped define the genre, as well as having a huge influence on synth pop and dance music.
Disco singer Donna Summer, famous for her hits I Feel Love and Love To Love You Baby, has died at the age of 63
Stars including Madonna, Kylie Minogue and David Bowie were among the acts who acknowledged her influence.
Donna Summer had been living in Florida with her husband Bruce Sudano.
A statement from her family said: “Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith.
“While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”
Born LaDonna Andre Gaines, Donna Summer grew up in Boston and started singing in her church’s gospel choir.
She began her professional career on the stage and joined the cast of a German production of the musical Hair in the late 1960s, prompting her to move to the country.
Her first solo record came out in 1971 but it was her work with the Italian synthesizer pioneer Moroder that led to her breakthrough with Love to Love You Baby in 1975 – the first of 29 UK top 40 singles.
Her expressive vocal style, coupled with Moroder’s pulsating rhythms, made the song a big club and chart hit – as well as getting it banned by several radio stations.
Between 1978-80, Donna Summer’s career hit its commercial peak when she enjoyed a string of US hit singles including Last Dance, MacArthur Park, Bad Girls and Hot Stuff.
Philippe Croizon, a Frenchman who lost his limbs in an accident, has completed the first part of his challenge to swim between five continents.
Philippe Croizon swam from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia with long-distance swimmer Arnaud Chassery and a local man who joined them to show his support.
He uses prosthetic limbs with flippers attached and took seven-and-a-half hours to swim the stretch.
“It was very, very hard,” he said after the event, which involved crossing 20 km (12 miles) between two points on New Guinea island which is shared between the two countries.
“It took us an hour-and-a-half more than we expected because we had to swim against the currents,” he said.
Philippe Croizon swam from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia with long-distance swimmer Arnaud Chassery and a local man who joined them to show his support
He said they did not come across any sharks or jellyfish, but were joined by a Papua New Guinean man named Zet Tampa, who swam with them to show solidarity, Philippe Croizon tweeted.
The swim had been postponed as Philippe Croizon waited for a permit to enter Indonesia, which he received late on Wednesday.
Philippe Croizon lost his limbs 18 years ago while adjusting a TV aerial on a roof.
In 1994, he lost his limbs after receiving an electric charge of 20,000 volts which fused him to the metal ladder on which he was standing.
Philippe Croizon would have been killed instantly – but another massive electric charge snapped him back to life, although he was so seriously burnt that both his arms and his legs had to be amputated.
He says he was inspired to swim while in hospital. He saw a documentary on television about an Englishwoman who had swum the English Channel earlier that year.
In 2010, Philippe Croizon became the first limbless man to cross the 34 km Channel between France and England – a feat that had only been achieved by some 900 other, able-bodied, swimmers.
The other crossings Philippe Croizon has planned are: the shark-infested Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan to the Egyptian coast in June (the Asia to Africa stretch); the busy shipping straits between Gibraltar and Morocco in July; and the icy Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia in August.
Musician Chuck Brown, who mixed funk, soul and Latin styles to help create the upbeat “go-go” scene in Washington DC in the 1970s, has died at 75.
Known as the “godfather of go-go”, Chuck Brown’s biggest hit was Bustin’ Loose, which spent a month at the top of the US R&B chart at the end of the 1970s.
Guitarist and singer Chuck Brown was known for performances that did not stop between songs and could go on for several hours.
He said the style was named go-go because “the music just goes and goes”.
Chuck Brown, who mixed funk, soul and Latin styles to help create the upbeat "go-go" scene in Washington DC in the 1970s, has died at 75
Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray was among those paying tribute.
“Go-go is DC’s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
“Today is a very sad day for music lovers the world over.”
Chuck Brown got his first guitar after trading five cartons of cigarettes for the instrument in prison, while serving eight years for murder in the 1950s and 60s. He shot a man in what he said was self-defense, according to the Washington Post.
With his group the Soul Searchers, Chuck Brown combined funky horns with lively percussion and his own deep vocals to create vibrant club tunes.
Go-go struggled to make a global impact and got overtaken by the burgeoning hip-hop movement as the 1980s wore on.
But Chuck Brown’s influence was felt more widely, with samples of Bustin’ Loose used in rap star Nelly’s 2002 chart-topping single Hot in Herre, while rapper Eve sampled Chuck Brown’s song Blow Your Whistle in her single Tambourine.
In the ’90s, Chuck Brown helped launch the career of singer Eva Cassidy when the pair performed together on the album The Other Side. It included her solo rendition song Over The Rainbow, which was to become her signature track when posthumous fame came after her death in 1996.
Meanwhile, Chuck Brown was nominated for his first Grammy Award in 2010, for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for Love, a collaboration with singer Jill Scott.
Ram Singh Chauhan from India has the world’s longest moustache, which is officially recorded by Guinness World Records as 4.29 m (14 ft) long.
Here Ram Singh Chauhan offers five tips of his secret.
1. Start growing early – as soon as you can. Ram Singh Chauhan, now 54, started growing his moustache in 1970 – facial hair grows fastest in one’s youth, he says.
“As you grow old your hormones grow weak, so the speed slows down.”
And, of course, he has never cut it, “apart from trimming around the lip area”.
Steve Parsons of the British-based Handlebar Club seconds this advice, as a young man’s facial hair is more durable than that of an elderly man.
“As moustache hair goes white it starts to become more brittle and is more likely break off,” says Steve Parsons
2. Groom it well. Ram Singh Chauhan spends an hour every day cleaning and combing his moustache.
“I massage it and oil it regularly and I wash it every 10 days which takes a long time,” he says. “My wife helps me.” He uses a coconut-based hair oil.
Ram Singh Chauhan from India has the world's longest moustache, which is officially recorded by Guinness World Records as 4.29 m (14 ft) long
Steve Parsons, who himself sports an elaborate handlebar moustache, recommends leave-in conditioner as an antidote for troublesome split ends.
“You can also use pomades or beeswax but that requires a good wash to get it out. Our advice? Dip it in beer on a regular basis,” he says.
Rod Littlewood, vice-president of the World Beard and Moustache Association, says it’s best for the moustachioed to avoid eating some food in public.
“Candy floss is a horror!”
3. Get your family on side. Ram Singh Chauhan’s wife Asha says they used to fight over his moustache in the early years.
“He used to take a long time to get ready, to wash and also people used to stare at him,” she says. She didn’t feel comfortable. But later, as he started getting recognition for his long moustache, she started to like it and to respect his commitment. Now, she says, the moustache is like a part of the family and she shares his pride in it.
Steve Parsons, meanwhile, admits that his wife is not the greatest fan of his lip furniture, but he has a good riposte: “I always say kissing a man without a moustache is like drinking champagne without the bubbles.”
4. Endure any discomfort. Ram Singh Chauhan says life is not easy with such a long moustache. When it was shorter, he used to wrap it around his ears. Now it’s longer, he wraps it around his neck.
Sleeping can be uncomfortable but he says there’s no gain without pain and he wouldn’t want it any other way. “I am special with my moustache, and I have never dreamt of being without it.”
The Movember charity, which encourages men to grow their moustaches in November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, acknowledges that new moustaches can be itchy when they start growing.
Movember co-founder JC advises men to ignore the itch and be brave.
“Remind yourself that other men have endured worse in the past. Surely you can stand a little face tickle from your mo?”
5. Don’t be a slave to fashion. When he was younger, Ram Singh Chauhan says, moustaches were very much in vogue in his home country. He earned a lot of respect from fellow students at college, but finds the youth of today have little interest in facial hair.
“My own son doesn’t have one,” he says regretfully.
