KFC has been ordered to pay $8.3 million to the family of Monika Samaan, an Australian girl left severely brain damaged after being poisoned by a chicken meal.
Monika Samaan fell ill with salmonella poisoning after eating a “Twister” wrap at a KFC restaurant near Sydney in 2005.
The poisoning left her wheelchair-bound and unable to speak.
The fast-food giant said it was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and would appeal.
A judge of the Supreme Court of the state of New South Wales awarded the A$8 million damages after ruling last week that KFC had breached its duty of care to the girl.
Monika Samaan has been left severely brain damaged after being poisoned by a KFC chicken meal
The family’s lawyer, George Vlahakis, said they were relieved by the decision.
“Monika’s severe brain damage and severe disability has already exhausted the very limited resources of the family,” George Vlahakis said.
“Monika is now a big girl and they are finding it increasingly difficult to lift her and to look after her basic needs as well as look after Monika’s younger siblings.
“The compensation ordered is very much needed. KFC have to date been determined that Monika does not receive a cent.”
KFC, which is owned by Yum! Brands, expressed surprise at the judge’s ruling, insisting the evidence did not show it caused Monika Samaan’s disability. It has indicated it will appeal.
“We feel deeply for Monika and the Samaan family. However, we also have a responsibility to defend KFC’s reputation as a provider of safe, high-quality food,” a company manager said.
The court was told that Monika Samaan was in a coma for six months after she, her parents and brother fell ill with vomiting and diarrhoea after sharing the wrap, the AAP news agency reports. The other family members all recovered.
The family’s lawyer told the court that at busy times, the restaurant would reuse chicken that had been dropped on the floor.
Bob Dylan will receive the Medal Of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, it has been announced.
Bob Dylan is being recognized alongside former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, John Glenn, the third American in space, and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison.
President Barack Obama will award the medals at the White House in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Barack Obama said: “They’ve challenged us, they’ve inspired us and they’ve made the world a better place.”
Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941 and began his musical career in 1959, playing in coffee houses in Minnesota.
He took his stage name from the poet Dylan Thomas and, not coincidentally, paid as much attention to his lyrics as his music.
Much of his best-known work dates from the 1960s, when Bob Dylan became an informal historian of America’s troubles.
Songs like Blowin’ In The Wind and The Times They Are A-Changin’ became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements.
His move away from traditional folk songwriting, paired with a controversial decision to “go electric” proved equally influential – his confessional, introspective lyrics were undoubtedly absorbed by The Beatles in their later work.
Bob Dylan continues to record and tour, expanding his horizons with a US radio show and a recently-signed six-book publishing deal.
Bob Dylan will receive Medal Of Freedom alongside former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, John Glenn, the third American in space, and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison has become renowned for her portrayal of the African-American experience in novels such as Song Of Solomon and Beloved, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.
Born Chloe Anthony Wofford in 1931 in Ohio, Toni Morrison went on to become a senior editor at publishers Random House before pursuing her writing career.
Outside of novels, Toni Morrison has written literary criticism and even lyrics for operas, including Honey and Rue, with music by Andre Previn,
Once asked by a student who she wrote for, Toni Morrison replied: “I want to write for people like me, which is to say black people, curious people, demanding people…
“People who can’t be faked, people who don’t need to be patronized, people who have very, very high criteria.”
Madeleine Albright, meanwhile, was born in Prague – in what was then Czechoslovakia, and was the first woman to hold the top diplomatic post in the US.
Other recipients of the Medal Of Freedom announced by the White House were:
• Shimon Peres, Israeli president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
• Gordon Hirabayashi, who openly defied the forced relocation and internment in the United States of Japanese Americans during World War II.
• John Doar, civil rights attorney.
• William Foege, a physician who led the campaign to eradicate smallpox.
• Dolores Huerta, civil rights worker and women’s advocate.
• Jan Karski, an officer in the Polish Underground during World War II and one of the first people to provide accounts of the Holocaust to the world.
• Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts.
• John Paul Stevens, former Supreme Court Justice.
• Pat Summitt, former women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee.
Previous honorees include Mother Theresa, Margaret Thatcher, Stephen Hawking, Walt Disney, Doris Day, Maya Angelou, Duke Ellington and Aretha Franklin.
A 200-pound black bear, who wandered up into a tree at the University of Colorado – Boulder, is again safe after wildlife department officials managed to get him out of a sticky situation.
The male bear was seen ambling around a residence hall area before he attempted to scale a tree.
The wildlife officers tranquilized the bear while he was up in the branches and, after a short wait, the bear safely landed on his back.
The bear had spent the better part of the day on campus, students said, and climbed about 15 feet into a tree near the University of Colorado’s Williams Village dormitories.
Wildlife officials shot two darts into the bear around 10am as curious students looked on, the Denver Post reported.
CU Police Department Spokesman Ryan Huff told the paper that they chose to sedate him because of his close proximity to students and the potential danger that held.
“He was just resting up in the tree probably for a good two hours,” Ryan Huff told thedenverchannel.com.
The wildlife officers tranquilized the bear while he was up in the branches and, after a short wait, the bear safely landed on his back
In preparation for the beast’s tumble, wildlife officials set up a large black mat under the tree.
Photos and video capture the bear freefalling 15 feet and onto the mats. His paws were comically outstretched as he fell through the air.
Andy Dunn of cuindependent.com captured a delightfully surreal image of the bear tumbling from the tree, surrounded by vigilant campus police and wildlife officials.
For a few minutes, the bear was allowed to rest on the mat and looked dazed, if not comfortable. Students looked on and captured the bizarre moment with their smart phones and cameras.
Workers then moved the creature into a large cage around 10:45 a.m.
Some students were brave enough to stick their fingers through the cage and stroke the tranquilized bear’s foot.
Jennifer Churchill, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told the Post that the woozy bear was tagged and released in the mountains west of Boulder.
She added that black bears often come out of hibernation around this time, and come looking to more populated areas for food.
First Lady Michelle Obama’s whirlwind tour of Spain in 2010 better have been a once in a lifetime trip, because her getaway cost taxpayers nearly $500,000.
The highly controversial and lavish trip drew ire at the time, but the White House assured the public that the Obamas picked up the tab on their own.
However, new information from Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates government corruption, detailed the extensive security costs to the United States Air Force and Secret Service.
The Obamas’ highly publicized and polarizing vacations may cost even more to the First Family, as voters appear to be disheartened by their extravagance.
“The American people can ill afford to keep sending the First Family on vacations around the globe,”Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said.
“There needs to be greater sensitivity to the costs borne by taxpayers for these personal trips.”
In 2010, Michelle Obama visited the Spain’s picturesque coastal towns, shopped, toured and even had a lunch date with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.
Michelle Obama’s every move was highly documented and scrutinized by the press, which called her trip “tone-deaf” during tough economic times.
“It is hypocritical for President Obama to fire GSA officials for wasteful conference spending, while his family went on a luxury vacation in the Costa del Sol Spain that cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars,” Tom Fitton said.
Michelle Obama's tour of Spain in 2010 better have been a once in a lifetime trip, because her getaway cost taxpayers nearly $500,000
The New York Times previously reported that Michelle Obama brought along her daughter Sasha, “two friends and four of their daughters, as well as a couple of aides and a couple of advance staff members”.
The five day trip cost at least $467,585, according to Judicial Watch.
The total cost of flying Michelle Obama from Camp Andrews to Malaga and then to Mallorca and back to the United States was $199,323.75.
That tab is based on just 17 hours and 15 minutes of total flying time.
The White House said that the First Lady would reimburse only the equivalent of first-class commercial tickets for herself and her daughter Sasha, since the rest of the seats were occupied by Secret Service.
Michelle Obama’s friends flew on separate commercial flights, the New York Times reported.
The 15-member flight crew stayed at Tryp Guadalmar, a nearby motel where group’s lodging cost was $10,290.60 and car rental costs were $2,633.50.
In addition, their food cost was $876.30, which included an American indulgence of $57.68 for four bottles of maple syrup and a package of pancake mix.
Secret Service records, meanwhile, show that the costs to the agency for the vacation were $254,461.20.
This total includes $26,670.61 for a chauffeur tour of Costa del Sol and $50,078.78 for a travel planning company SET P&V, S.L.
Though Michelle Obama’s trips may cost taxpayers money, they could also cost President Barack Obama his job.
Top-tier Republican pollsters, organized by Resurgent Republic, traveled to 11 battleground states to host focus groups.
The spoke to independent and swing voters who were Barack Obama supporters in 2008, but are now undecided.
“They don’t like Obama using their tax dollars to benefit himself,” pollster John McLaughlin said to the Washington Examiner.
The lesson from the sessions, John McLaughlin said, is that the first family “is out of touch” with working class voters.
And they well may be – the First Lady revealed yesterday that one of her secret “fantasies” is to sneak away from the Secret Service’s watchful eye, a move that would no doubt cost taxpayers a pretty penny.
“It is hard to sneak around and do what you want,” Michelle Obama said yesterday at a Take your child to work day event.
“I have done it a couple of times. But you know one fantasy I have, and the Secret Service they keep looking at me because they think I might actually do it, is to walk right out the front door and just keep walking.”
Michelle Obama also revealed her political future, or lack of one, depending on how you read her response.
When asked if she would ever go after her husband’s job, the First Lady responded with a resounding: “Maybe.”
“Being president is a really hard job and it’s an important job,” Michelle Obama said.
“I think one of the things you learn about yourself as you get older are what are your strengths and what are your interests. And for me it’s other stuff that is not being the president. So I probably won’t run. But that’s a great question.”
It appears that Lindsay Lohan has been rehearsing for her role as Elizabeth Taylor for years as a 2006 Interview magazine cover has surfaced showing her dressed just like the screen icon complete with a short dark hairdo.
Lindsay Lohan was just 19 when she posed for the June issue of Interview magazine.
The troubled star has been confirmed to play Elizabeth Taylor in lifetime movie Liz & Dick – based on the true story of Elizabeth’s tempestuous romance with actor Richard Burton.
Lindsay Lohan, 25, said earlier this week: “I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well.
“I am very honored to have been asked to play this role.”
Lindsay Lohan was just 19 when she posed as Elizabeth Taylor for the June issue of Interview magazine
But not everyone supports the casting, with Rosie O’Donnell saying she doesn’t think Lindsay Lohan is “capable” of fulfilling her duties on set.
Lindsay Lohan hit back, saying: “It’s funny that someone you don’t know at all can say something so intrusive and so knowing.”
The star has this week been filming a guest spot on Glee, however sources say she turned up on set late yesterday after a night out.
She is taking on the role of judge at the Nationals show choir competition.
Lindsay Lohan also has a busy weekend planned – she is among a host of names to be asked to attend the event – which is held yearly to celebrate the work of journalists – including George Clooney, Josh Hutcherson and Charlize Theron which takes place on Saturday.
Director Steven Spielberg, actress and singer Zooey Deschanel and The Help star Viola Davis are also expected to attend.
Lindsay Lohan is a guest of Fox’s Great Van Susteren and will be accompanied by her long-term lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley.
Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner are also guests of the Fox network.
Jimmy Kimmel will be providing the laughs as the comedian hosting the event, and he recently revealed he would be making jokes about the “glut of dumb things” said by people in the public eye.
Jimmy Kimmel said: “I will feast on stupid comments. There seems to be a glut of dumb things being said.”
Standard & Poor’s has cut Spain’s credit rating and warned of risks to come.
S&P cut Spain two notches to BBB+, warning that the country could have to take on more debt to support its banking sector.
The ratings agency has also placed Spain on negative outlook, meaning there is a risk of further downgrades to come.
S&P predicts the Spanish economy will shrink by 1.5% this year, having previously forecast 0.3% growth.
In 2013 it expects the economy to contract 0.5%, having previously predicted 1% growth.
Standard & Poor's has cut Spain's credit rating and warned of risks to come
S&P also gave a damning assessment of the situation in the rest of Europe, saying: “In our view, the strategy to manage the European sovereign debt crisis continues to lack effectiveness.
“We think credit conditions, and hence the economic outlook for Spain, could now deteriorate further than we anticipated earlier this year unless offsetting eurozone policy measures are implemented to support investor confidence and stabilize capital flows with the rest of the world.”
The agency suggested such measures could include a pooling of resources and obligations between eurozone countries and policies to harmonize wages across the currency bloc.
But there were some positive comments about the measures taken by the government.
“Despite the unfavorable economic conditions, we believe that the new government has been front-loading and implementing a comprehensive set of structural reforms, which should support economic growth over the longer term,” S&P said.
“In particular, authorities have implemented a comprehensive reform of the Spanish labor market, which we believe could significantly reduce many of the existing structural rigidities and improve the flexibility in wage setting.”
But S&P concludes that the labor market reforms will not create employment in the near term and predicts that “the already high unemployment rate, especially among the young, will likely worsen until a sustainable recovery sets in”.
Spain has Europe’s highest rate of unemployment at 23%, with more than half of young people out of work.
The US Secret Service is now investigating another claims that some of its agents paid for strippers and prostitutes in El Salvador.
An advance presidential security team is reported to have paid for sexual favors in a strip club in 2011.
Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings said the Secret Service director had not yet found anything “credible”.
The allegations come in the wake of a sex scandal involving Secret Service and military personnel in Colombia.
Eight US agents have left the service over the Colombia allegations, in which Americans were found with as many as 20 women, thought to be prostitutes, at a Cartagena hotel.
The agents were part of a team preparing for a visit by President Barack Obama to the Summit of the Americas earlier this month.
The US Secret Service is now investigating another claims that some of its agents paid for strippers and prostitutes in El Salvador
Another 12 military personnel are also under investigation and have had their security clearance revoked.
Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, spoke to Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan by phone on Thursday as the latest allegations emerged, he told reporters.
“[The director] had not found anything credible, but he’s still looking into it,” Elijah Cummings said.
Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan used similar language, telling the Associated Press: “Any information brought to our attention that can be assessed as credible will be followed up on in an appropriate manner.”
US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also confirmed that her agency is looking into the El Salvador story, reported by Seattle-based TV station KIRO-TV.
The report included allegations that US embassy officials also visited the strip club.
“Obviously, we will inquire of our embassy in San Salvador with regard to the conduct of our own employees,” Victoria Nuland said.
“But the article alleges that they attended the establishment, not that they engaged in any illegal or unsanctioned conduct.”
Senator Joseph Lieberman said on Thursday that he was disappointed to hear new allegations, and plans to hold hearings into whether the reports indicate a pattern of behavior.
“I keep running into people who say they have talked to agents who tell them of misconduct of this kind over the years,” Joseph Lieberman said.
In testimony to a Senate panel on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said President Barack Obama’s safety had not been at risk, but that the misconduct was “inexcusable”.
On Thursday, US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee told CNN that the Secret Service was planning rule changes in response to the Colombia scandal.
Chen Guangcheng, a blind lawyer and one of China’s best known dissidents, has escaped from the house arrest.
Rights activists say Chen Guangcheng slipped out of his home in Dongshigu town in Shandong province on Sunday.
Chen Guangcheng’s exact whereabouts cannot be verified at the moment but human rights campaigners said they believe he has fled from Shandong province.
He has been under house arrest since he was released from jail in 2010.
Activist He Peirong, who has been campaigning for his freedom, told various sources that she drove him to “a safe place” outside Shandong.
Rights activists say Chen Guangcheng slipped out of his home in Dongshigu town in Shandong province on Sunday
There are also unconfirmed rumors that Chen Guangcheng, who is blind, is at the US Embassy in Beijing.
The US embassy ”would not comment”, says an Associated Press news report.
In the same report, He Peirong denied the rumors published in Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao newspaper, saying that she had spoken to people at the embassy.
“I can tell you he’s not at the US embassy, and he’s not in Shandong,” she told AP.
An activist based in the US who has been in close contact with Chen Guangcheng confirmed that the dissident had left Shandong.
”He was able to get out of his home on 22 April and his friends… escorted him to a safe location outside of [his home province of] Shandong,” Bob Fu told the AFP news agency.
Chen Guangcheng, who has been under house arrest for almost 20 months, is known as ”the blind lawyer”.
He lost his sight in childhood. He has no formal legal training as the blind were not permitted to attend college.
He is known for revealing rights abuses under China’s one-child policy and has accused officials in Shandong province of forcing 7,000 women into abortions or sterilisations.
Chen Guangcheng has also advised farmers in land disputes and campaigned for improved treatment of the disabled.
The plight of Chen Guangcheng has become famous around the world, and the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has repeatedly called for his release and is due to visit Beijing next week.
A British research suggests that self-service checkouts are turning many shoppers into criminals.
The figures were revealed in a study of 4,952 shoppers by money-saving website watchmywallet.co.uk. They paint an alarming picture of just how many shoppers are willing to act dishonestly to save money.
Although shoplifting can carry a custodial sentence, very few are handed out.
Almost a third of shoppers have admitted to stealing while putting items through the scanners, with many tricking the machines by giving the wrong information.
Additionally, a quarter of those who did not steal admitted their only reason for not doing so was fear of being caught.
The checkouts, which rely on users to scan items, are often poorly supervised – making it easy to abuse the system.
Shoppers admitted to using a wide range of techniques, including slipping extra items through and lying about which items they had.
The most common ruse was to select cheaper fruit or vegetable items when weighing them before paying.
Other popular methods included always selecting “small” when asked the size of items such as salad boxes, as well as bagging goods without scanning.
A British research suggests that self-service checkouts are turning many shoppers into criminals
Supermarket checkouts have devices which detect when an item not paid for makes it into the bagging area, giving rise to the now familiar phrase “unexpected item in the bagging area”.
However, staff regularly overrides the checkout in order to keep queues moving.
When shop staff are not present, small items can easily be slipped into a bag unnoticed and, if challenged, passed off by the customer as a mistake.
Items without barcodes, such as loose fruit and vegetables, provided the greatest opportunities to cheat.
A sixth of shoppers admitted to being dishonest when asked to enter an item manually.
A common trick is to select the cheapest vegetable, typically white onions, when putting a more valuable item through, such as oranges.
Half of those who admitted to cheating said they selected a cheaper item when putting loose items through.
According to experts, offenders are often not driven by poverty but just take advantage of the fact they are unlikely to get caught.
Beverley Stone, a psychologist, said: “Often the people who choose not to obey the rules just don’t have a conscience. They only do the right thing if they think they might be caught, so if the chances are slim they’ll do it.
“I don’t think they can be motivated by poverty because they’ll still be paying for some of the shopping – so they can’t be that poor. These statistics show a lack of morals in this country today.”
The figures come in the wake of a series of cases involving celebrities accused of shoplifting. Earlier this year, television chef Antony Worrall Thompson was cautioned for shoplifting five times in 16 days from a branch of Tesco.
Staff spotted him on camera bagging up goods in the selfcheckout area without paying.
Last year, Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 360 hours’ community service in the US for stealing a necklace.
And last September, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea was challenged by Tesco staff after he allegedly ate a doughnut which he had not paid for.
Footage of the aftermath of the police shooting of Mark Duggan, whose death in north London sparked the 2011 summer riots, has emerged to media.
The footage, by someone who says they witnessed the shooting, includes attempts to save Mark Duggan’s life following the incident last August.
On the tape, the witness recounts that Mark Duggan jumped out of a car and police twice shouted: “Put it down.”
The witness who provided the footage to the BBC has asked to remain anonymous.
Mark Duggan was shot by police on 4 August in north London. Within days there was rioting in Tottenham – the scene of the shooting – which then spread across England in the worst disorder in a generation.
The father-of-four was a passenger in a minicab which was stopped in a planned operation involving the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Trident, which investigates gun crime affecting black communities, and officers from the specialist firearms team CO19.
Footage of the aftermath of the police shooting of Mark Duggan, whose death in north London sparked the 2011 summer riots, has emerged to media
Two shots were fired from a police gun and Mark Duggan died following a single gunshot wound to the chest. A non-police issue firearm was found at the scene.
The pre-inquest review into the death heard earlier this year that the gun had no traces of Mark Duggan’s fingerprints, DNA or blood on it.
The footage begins just minutes after the police opened fire at about 6:15 p.m. It shows the people-carrier minicab that Mark Duggan had been travelling in and three unmarked police cars used to halt the vehicle. Mark Duggan is lying on the pavement as attempts are made to resuscitate him.
Buses initially pass the scene before the police have had time to close roads. As time goes on, paramedics can be seen continuing emergency treatment in vain. Firearms officers wearing baseball caps can be seen moving around the scene.
During the footage, the witness provides occasional commentary of what has happened – and also recounts the moments before the filming began.
According to an audio expert, the witness says: “They blocked him in, they blocked him in. He jumped out… And then he’s taken out, shot him … because I heard them shout at him yeah, put it down, put it down.”
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) had not been able to interview any of the 31 officers who were present at the incident.
All the firearms officers involved in this operation have provided statements to the IPCC but they have all turned down a request to be interviewed. The IPCC does not have the power to compel them to answer questions about what happened there.
Deutsche Bank reports a sharp fall in profits, in part due to weaker performance in investment banking during the eurozone debt crisis.
Net income for the first three months of the year was 1.4 billion Euros ($1.9 billion), down 35% on the 2.1 billion Euros the bank made a year earlier.
Revenue was down 12% at 9.2 billion Euros.
The bank said although the business environment was “more stable” than at the end of last year, it was “far less favorable” than a year earlier.
Deutsche Bank reports a sharp fall in profits, in part due to weaker performance in investment banking during the eurozone debt crisis
Germany’s biggest bank also took a 257 million Euro hit after writing off its holding in pharmaceutical company Actavis.
Revenues at the bank’s investment banking division fell 8% to 6.2 billion Euros, while those at the asset management arm dipped 17% to $3.4 billion.
Postbank, Deutsche’s retail arm, also reported lower revenues due to low interest rates and a move to reduce risk across its operations.
“This is a strong result which reflects good performance across most businesses, despite continued risk discipline and lower client activity than in the prior year,” the company said.
Investors, however, appeared to disagree, with Deutsche shares closing down 3.7% in Frankfurt.
The bank said it had focused on consolidating its position and building up its reserves.
“We continue to pursue our strategy of reducing legacy risks and strengthening our capital position, as evidenced by our disposal of Actavis,” said chief executive Josef Ackermann.
Europe’s top banks have been hit hard by the eurozone debt crisis, which has undermined investor confidence and hit trading volumes, which has knocked investment banks’ revenues and, therefore, profits.
At least six people have been killed in two explosions at the offices of major Nigerian daily ThisDay, according to witnesses.
Three people were killed in a blast in Abuja, with another three killed at the paper’s offices in the northern city of Kaduna.
Witnesses say at least one was a suicide bombing, but officials say it is too early to say.
No-one has said it carried out the blasts although the Islamist group Boko Haram has staged similar attacks.
Both blasts are reported to have occurred at the offices of the ThisDay newspaper, a Nigerian leading daily.
At least six people have been killed in two explosions at the offices of major Nigerian daily ThisDay
Details remain sketchy but several witnesses, including the chairman of ThisDay‘s editorial board, said the blasts were the result of a suicide attack.
“The suicide bomber came in a jeep,” Olusegun Adeniyi told reporters at the scene in Abuja.
“[Security guards] opened the gate for them… The guy drove in through the gate and rammed into the building and exploded,” Olusegun Adeniyi said.
However, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency earlier said the Abuja blast appeared to be caused by a bomb planted inside the building.
The Kaduna explosion happened outside a complex housing a number of newspapers, including ThisDay.
A suspect has been arrested and is thought to be a member of the Boko Haram group, news agency AFP reports police as saying.
Footage filmed by the Nigerian paper the Daily Trust, showed a scene of confusion in Abuja as people sifted through the rubble as a number of small fires burned.
Police and paramilitary forces have cordoned off both offices, while emergency workers evacuated the injured and removed the bodies of those who died, witnesses say.
“The ceiling of our building collapsed on to our computers because of the force of the blast,” said an Abuja office worker in the building next door to ThisDay.
Boko Haram – whose name means “Western education is forbidden” – wants to establish Islamic law in Nigeria and has launched a series of deadly attacks across the country, including the capital, in the past 19 months.
Last month the group warned journalists not to misrepresent their views.
Mindbomb’s action The Golden Lie that Kills – MindBomb for Roşia Montană aims to raise public awareness in Romania about the toxic propaganda used in Rosia Montana of Gold Corporation’s (RMGC) media campaign.
Aggressively broadcast on TV channels and across a wide range of Romanian media, RMGC’s publicity aims at embellishing the image of the company. RMGC has flooded Romania with its brand of brutal colonialism; promoting the cynical politics of profit; this despite the huge costs that it entails: the destruction of an area and of a community, the wiping out of four mountains from the face of the earth and the demolition of a unique cultural patrimony of global significance.
In order to raise awareness about this danger, thousands of Mindbomb’s posters were posted in the streets of cities, towns and villages in Romania during the night from 11th to 12th April 2012. The action whose scope has been to raise awareness about the danger of the lies featured in RMGC’s PR campaign was supported by roughly 200 volunteers who distributed the posters in 43 towns throughout Romania, including: Alba Iulia, Arad, Abrud, Bucharest, Bacău, Bârlad, Bistrița, Baia Mare, Botoșani, Brașov, Câmpeni, Constanța, Cluj, Craiova, Deva, Huedin, Iași, Luduș, Medgidia, Mediaș, Onești, Oradea, Pitești, Piatra Neamț, Ploiești, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Roșia Montană, Rădăuți, Reșița, Satu Mare, Sebeș, Sibiu, Suceava, Târgoviște, Târgu Mureș, Târgu Ocna, Tecuci, Timișoara, Turda, Valea Arieșului, Zalău.
The volunteers are united in their determination to defend Rosia Montana until it is saved!
Mindbomb’s latest poster campaign is raising the flag about the very basic but grossly obscured trade-off entailed by the planned gold mine at Rosia Montana through cyanide leaching
Lies have short legs, says an old proverb. However, in Romania when a lie is gilded with money; dressed-up as publicity and supported by those in power, it can blind people’s minds and the laws in force. A gilded lie kills consciences as easily as cyanide kills life.
RMGC’s PR campaign has since many years offered the lie of a would-be economic and social paradise where everyone will in one way or another reap from the “benefits” of cyanide mining. During this time Romanian NGOs and citizens have constantly exposed this lie. The “moti” (the local population in Rosia Montana and in the region) by refusing to leave their homes; students and young professionals by occupying and protesting in front of ministerial buildings, squares, stadiums because they refuse to give up Rosia Montana. Scholars and the Romanian Academy have also, in their turn, drawn attention to the inherent and significant risks that RMGC’s murky mine entails. They are all living proofs that RMGC’s bait of “a piece of gold” is sheer bribery that Romanian people can do without; particularly when what is at stake are the lives of other Romanian people, Romanian patrimony and its national identity; the endurance of its mountain ranges, waters and the strategic resources of the country, namely our children’s inheritance.
The gold underneath Rosia Montana belongs to all Romanian people. It will be taken away from us and we will be left with cyanide instead without having had a say on it; as has been the case for the past 74 years. The governing parties and the mining company want to give us a golden bullet; omitting to say the bullet will take away our conscience, dignity and possibly even our lives.
The Mindbomb Project was initiated in 2002 by a group of artists, architects, journalists and writers as a pioneering action of using art as a form of protest. This brought about the introduction of the truly autonomous socio-political poster in Romanian culture which has aimed at hacking into the mainstream discourse of politics, mass-media and advertising industry.
Mindbomb’s latest poster campaign is raising the flag about the very basic but grossly obscured trade-off entailed by the planned gold mine at Rosia Montana: through cyanide leaching, the environment and our national heritage will be ground into oblivion with the false promise that we will all get richer as a result.”
The ultimate purpose of these actions has been the creation of an autonomous space for the purpose of dialogue and debate that initiates social change. MindBomb started as a challenge to the consumer culture and later developed into a broader critique of contemporary Romanian society and its public space.
Summer movies are coming, and iconic superheroes will dominate as Dark Knight Rises, Avengers, and The Amazing Spider-Man duke it out for box office supremacy, while the sci-fi derby includes fresh takes on the Alien saga (Prometheus) and Philip K. Dick (Total Recall), plus a return visit to MIB headquarters.
Of course, it’s not all grenades and gunshots. Just see a shirtless Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages and everythingless Channing Tatum in Magic Mike representing for the ladies this summer.
We count down the biggest and best blockbusters for beating the summer heat.
30. Battleship
Release Date: May 18
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna
The Scoop: “John Carter” sank, but this feature version of the perennial Hasbro board game may be just the ticket to keep Taylor Kitsch’s career afloat. The decision to go sci-fi with invading aliens as the heavies is clearly the filmmakers’ attempt to capitalize on the success of “Transformers,” but with costars Liam Neeson and singer Rihanna in tow, this could be one unsinkable “Battleship.”
29. Bel Ami
Release Date: June 8
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci
The Scoop: R.Pattz is a beautiful friend indeed to the many lovely ladies in this 19th-century romp. The “Twilight” superstar plays Georges Duroy, a French libertine using his cunning and sexuality to broker his way from one powerful woman’s bed to another. Based on the novel by Guy de Maupassant, this one’s sure to get the more literary-minded audience’s home fires burning.
28. Sparkle
Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Cee Lo Green
The Scoop: Whitney Houston’s swan song is a remake of the 1970s cult classic, which she adored as a child. The late singer was set for a big-time comeback, including a soundtrack produced by R. Kelly, before her tragic death in February. Houston and “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks are “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” and audiences will be floored.
27. The Expendables 2
Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Scoop: A second helping of brawny, gun-totin’ geezers was inevitable after the mighty $275 million haul their pyrotechnics brought in two years ago. Stallone has ceded the director’s chair to Simon West (“Tomb Raider,” “Con Air”) but returns as writer and star, playing mercenary Barney Ross, who leads his team into a trap in which one of them gets whacked. They recruit new members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) to get some of that sweet, tasty revenge we like so much.
26. What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Release Date: May 18
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Anna Kendrick, Brooklyn Decker
The Scoop: The go-to chick flick of the summer is based on the classic baby manual and follows five couples as they navigate the ups, downs and hormones of pregnancy. Oh, and don’t worry, guys, because Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock, Thomas Lennon, Rob Huebel and Matthew Morrison will be on hand for some much-needed bro time.
25. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Release Date: June 29
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki
The Scoop: Because one just wasn’t enough. The Joes are back, but this time those Cobra scumbags have hatched a scheme to get their kung fu grip on the White House and eliminate America’s last line of defense. Tatum returns as Duke, but it’s Johnson as Roadblock and Willis as the original “Joe” who are running the show this time around. Did we mention ninjas swordfighting off a cliff face? POW!
24. People Like Us
Release Date: June 29
Starring: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Jon Favreau
The Scoop: You might know the name Alex Kurtzman as one of the kings of franchise screenwriting with “Transformers,” “Mission: Impossible” and “Star Trek” under his belt. Instead of making a splashy debut as a director, he wrote this grounded drama (along with partner Roberto Orci) about a man named Sam (Pine) who has to deliver $150,000 to a 30-year-old alcoholic sister he’s never met. He encounters her troubled 12-year-old son and probably learns something about himself, too.
23. Katy Perry: Part of Me
Release Date: July 15
Starring: Katy Perry
The Scoop: This concert documentary chronicles the life of the world’s biggest female pop star, from her humble beginnings as a gospel singer to when she kissed a girl and liked it. If you really want to have fun, try hopping back and forth between the theater showing this film and another one showing ex-hubby Russell Brand’s “Rock of Ages.”
22. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Release Date: June 22
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Adam Brody, Derek Luke, Connie Britton
The Scoop: Here’s a perfect 2012 comedy for the Mayan-minded. With an impending asteroid about to smush the Earth into a pancake, a man teams up with a neighbor to road-trip across an apocalyptic U.S. and reunite with his childhood sweetheart. We’d never have thought to cast Carell opposite Knightley, but that unlikely chemistry might just prove magical, especially given the unconventional nature of the script.
21. ParaNorman
Release Date: Aug 17
Starring: (voices) Casey Affleck, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
The Scoop: From the 3-D stop-motion geniuses at Laika — the very patient animators who brought us “Coraline” — comes this slab of spooky fun revolving around an outcast kid named Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who communicates with the dead to protect his sleepy New England town from a horde of ghosts, witches and zombies. The trailers are awesome, with some incredible puppet animation and a hilarious “Monster House” vibe to the story.
20. Men in Black 3
Release Date: May 21
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Alice Eve
The Scoop: Call it cautious optimism, but despite some clunky-looking effects and tales of production woes (delays, unfinished scripts), we’re still amped to see Will and Tommy back in black. With Josh Brolin doing a so-dead-on-it’s-scary Tommy Lee Jones impersonation as a ’60s-era Agent K, this will indeed be like walking into a time machine.
19. To Rome With Love
Release Date: June 22
Starring: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page
The Scoop: Woody Allen made box office magic with last summer’s “Midnight in Paris,” so let’s see if he can strike gold twice in a row. The Woodman continues his globetrotting (London, Barcelona, France) with this trip to the boot of Europe as famous Italians (Benigni) mix with American tourists (Baldwin, Eisenberg, Page) in four interconnected comedic vignettes. Throw in an Academy Award-winning Spaniard (Cruz) and Allen himself, and you’ve got yourself a heaping plate of laughs al dente.
18. Magic Mike
Release Date: June 29
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer
The Scoop: Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno”) remarked on an episode of “WTF with Marc Maron” that when she released her stripping memoir, it resulted in criticism and controversy, and she wondered if this film — based on Channing Tatum’s teen experiences takin’ it all off in Tampa, Florida — would bring the “21 Jump Street” star equal scorn. Only one way to find out, as Steven Soderbergh directs a beefcake wonderland eager to please. Tatum is, to put this tastefully, the Jedi stripping master, while Pettyfer is his Padawan disciple, and the ladies should look forward to some red-hot “lightsabers.”
Dark Knight Rises is no. 1 movie to see this summer
17. Moonrise Kingdom
Release Date: May 25
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman
The Scoop: With Ed Norton as a cigarette-smoking Boy Scout troop leader, Bruce Willis as a sheriff with translucent glasses and Bill Murray as a disenchanted father, this couldn’t be anything but a standard-issue Wes Anderson affair. The director of “The Royal Tenenbaums” always has something delightfully eccentric up his corduroy sleeves, and his tale of two young kids in a runaway romance will not disappoint.
16. Rock of Ages
Release Date: June 15
Starring: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, Tom Cruise
The Scoop: Tom Cruise likes his old-time rock ‘n’ roll Bon Jovi-style as he belts out “Wanted Dead Or Alive.” Word on the street is Cruise brings down the house, but for backup you’ve got pros Russell Brand and Mary J. Blige waiting in the wings to make sure this Broadway musical takes it to the next level. Adam Shankman (“Hairspray”) directs.
15. The Dictator
Release Date: May 16
Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, John C. Reilly
The Scoop: Cohen has always been a provocateur of the highest order, but could this lampooning of Middle Eastern despots, inspired by the novel “Zabibah and the King” by Saddam Hussein (!), be that final crossover into “too far” territory? Not by a long shot. Not since Charlie Chaplin spoofed Hitler in “The Great Dictator” has a world-class comedian had the cojones that Cohen does, and this will be a take-no-prisoners laughfest from “Borat” and “Brüno” director Larry Charles. Look out for Megan Fox parodying herself in a sexy cameo.
14. Safety Not Guaranteed
Release Date: June 8
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Jake M. Johnson, Karan Soni, Mark Duplass
The Scoop: The plot is pretty simple: Kenneth (Duplass) places an ad in the paper reading, “Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.” Journalist Darius (Plaza) comes into his life to investigate the claim, and that’s when things get complicated. Based on an Internet meme, the film was praised at this year’s Sundance Festival and has “indie sleeper” written all over it.
13. Savages
Release Date: July 6
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Blake Lively, Emile Hirsch
The Scoop: Oliver Stone is going back to the crazy-ass, hallucinogenic vibe of “Natural Born Killers” with this tawdry tale of a couple of easygoing marijuana-dealing bros (Johnson and Kitsch) and their polyamorous girlfriend (Lively) who gets kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel. Let the bodies hit the floor. Stone also wrangled Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek, Benicio del Toro and John Travolta along for the ride.
12. The Campaign
Release Date: Aug 10
Starring: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Dylan McDermott, Jason Sudeikis
The Scoop: If you’re at all familiar with a little series called “Between Two Ferns,” then you know that Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are a hilariously combustible combo. This satire from director Jay Roach (“Austin Powers,” “Meet the Parents”) follows two rival Southern politicians, played by Ferrell and Galifianakis (sans beard, mustache only), who are not gentlemanly about winning a coveted North Carolina congressional seat. With HBO movies “Recount” and “Game Change” under his belt, Roach has done pretty well using politics as a backdrop for drama, so we’ll cast our vote that he can mine the comedy as well.
11. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Release Date: June 22
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
The Scoop: Honest Abe is back, and he’s pissed off! The virtuous 16th president helped free the slaves in the Civil War, but any bloodsucking monster he encounters is going to need facial reconstruction. Adapting Seth Grahame-Smith’s popular tongue-in-cheek novel that re-mythologizes Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) as a badass, Ruskie Timur Bekmambetov of “Wanted” fame directs this All-American story of bloodshed and patriotism.
10. Brave
Release Date: June 22
Starring: (voices) Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson, Robbie Coltrane, John Ratzenberger
The Scoop: The lucky 13th feature film in the jewel-encrusted Pixar dynasty is a dynamic change of pace. The lovely Macdonald (“Boardwalk Empire”) brings her Scottish brogue to voicing Princess Merida, a defiant young woman with a “my way or the highway” attitude. To overcome a terrible curse, the skilled archer must find a way to undo it, which may involve firing arrows at a giant frickin’ bear.
9. Total Recall
Release Date: Aug 3
Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston
The Scoop: Nobody thought Paul Verhoeven’s triple-breasted 1990 sci-fi classic needed a remake, but so far, the footage screened of Len Wiseman’s futuristic vision has been received positively by fans. Colin Farrell, believe it or not, is the Schwarzenegger substitute, bringing a more cerebral take on the mixed-up memory bank of character Douglas Quaid, who tries to get a vacation implanted in his head when things go violently haywire.
8. The Bourne Legacy
Release Date: Aug 3
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Oscar Isaac
The Scoop: Jeremy Renner proved in last year’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” that he can do the spy thing with gusto, but can he bring the same Energizer Bunny intensity to this franchise that Matt Damon did? Despite the title, this is a Jason Bourne-less entry in the Robert Ludlum franchise, with Renner’s Aaron Cross an alumni of the same kick-butt school that Bourne dropped out of. The events will parallel much of the action in the previous three movies, kind of like “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” but with more car chases and choke holds. Joan Allen, Albert Finney, Scott Glenn, and David Strathairn all reprise their roles from the previous films.
7. Ted
Release Date: July 13
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel McHale
The Scoop: “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane is trying his hand at a feature, but it won’t be family friendly. The cute stuffed teddy bear of the title magically comes to life and grows up to become a foul-mouthed, alcoholic, pot smoking slacker along with his “thunder buddy for life” John (Mark Wahlberg). When John’s girl Lori (Mila Kunis) wants Ted out of his life, the horndog Snuggle Bear from hell has to strike out on his own. If MacFarlane can sustain the hilarity of the trailers, he just might have a subversive sleeper hit on his hands. If not, it’ll be a noble collection of dick jokes.
6. Dark Shadows
Release Date: May 11
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote
The Scoop: We are now officially living in the age of the vampire, but with Johnny Depp and Tim Burton hitting the blood bank we expect this adaptation of the cult classic ’60s soap opera to have a bit more bite than “Twilight.” His Deppness plays Barnabas Collins, a 200+ year-old who wakes in 1972 Collinsport, Maine, and has to adjust to his modern family and the vengeful witch Angelique (Green) who cursed him. Expect this vamp to be high camp.
5. The Amazing Spider-Man
Release Date: July 3
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Irrfan Khan
The Scoop: With Sam Raimi’s last Spidey spin only five years back, you may feel like this reboot is déjà vu; but as Steely Dan said, “wheels turning’ ’round and ’round / You go back, Jack, do it again.” Peter Parker (Garfield) is once more a nerdy high schooler, but with a bit more emo than Tobey Maguire brought to the role. This time ’round he’s bit by the spider, invents his own web shooters, tangles with The Lizard (Ifans), and gets some blonde ambition in love interest Gwen Stacy (Stone). Besides his usual swinger charm, expect Garfield to emphasize Spidey’s trademark wisecracks, as well as a suit that looks like it was designed by Nike.
4. Prometheus
Release Date: June 8
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Charlize Theron
The Scoop: Back in the sci-fi saddle for the first time in over three decades, director Ridley Scott is dipping back into the “Alien” well for a sorta-prequel that will also stand alone as its own unique sci-fi horror epic. Detailing nothing less than the origin of mankind’s existence, this will be one seriously intense voyage to the dark side of the universe for the title ship and its all-star crew. Be sure to face-hug someone close to you.
3. Snow White and the Huntsman
Release Date: June 1
Starring: Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Ian McShane
The Scoop: How many Snow Whites does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Two, apparently. With the already released “Mirror Mirror” not as “fairest” as it set out to be, its competitor for your fairy-tale dollar features Bella herself, K.Stew, as an armored warrior version of the sunlight-deprived maiden. Theron is the evil queen who wants to swallow your soul, and Hemsworth puts down Thor’s hammer for the Huntsman’s axe.
2. The Avengers
Release Date: May 4
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson
The Scoop: Loki has an army, but Tony Stark has a Hulk. That’s how this works. Nerd deity Joss Whedon (“Serenity”) has assembled Marvel’s mightiest heroes for the knock-down, drag-out slugfest we’ve been waiting five movies for. Downey gets back in his shiny tin can as Iron Man, Evans is the defrosted Captain America, Hemsworth is a strange Thor in a strange land, and Ruffalo finds it’s not easy being green as Bruce Banner’s incredible alter ego.
1. The Dark Knight Rises
Release Date: July 20
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman
The Scoop: Um, duh, this one was always No. 1 with a bullet. Christopher Nolan seemed hesitant to try and top the Joker-tastic previous film – the biggest superhero movie of all time – when he told Hero Complex in 2008, “I have to ask the question: How many good third movies in a franchise can people name?” Well, Chris, you must have found a way, since the Caped Crusader (Bale) has risen with supervillain Bane (Hardy) and ambivavillain Catwoman (Hathaway) hot on his tail for the final part of our generation’s ultimate cinematic Batman saga.
The world is marking today 26 years from the worst nuclear accident and Chernobyl survivors and victims’ families have held a midnight memorial.
Dozens of people died in the three months after the catastrophe but the subsequent health fallout of those who lived in the path of the leaked radiation is unknown.
On April 26, 1986, Chernobyl nuclear reactor four exploded sending a radioactive cloud over European Russia, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Britain and US East Coast.
Nearly 60% of the deadly fallout affected Belarus where an estimated 200,000 people were evacuated from areas contaminated as a result of what experts describe as the biggest disaster in the entire history of nuclear power generation, both in terms of human deaths and economic damage.
Fast forward to today, and even in the exclusion zone, plants have re-grown, animals are flourishing and Chernobyl has been opened to tourists.
But Chernobyl refuses to be relegated to the past. Indeed it may still be devastating the lives of millions who continue to live in the fallout zone.
Aside from the potential health hazards of living in an area contaminated with radiation, domino socioeconomic effects have caused multiple problems in these regions.
The world is marking today 26 years from the worst nuclear accident and Chernobyl survivors and victims’ families have held a midnight memorial
Chernobyl Children International, or CCI, works to help kids in the region whose lives have been impacted by a disaster that happened years before they were born. Many suffer from physical problems such as congenital heart defects. Many kids have chronic illnesses or disabilities, and many live full time in institutions.
For many severely disabled children there, the future is uncertain. CCI works to build community centers in affected areas, in the hopes that there will be some support system for them after they are too old to remain in institutions.
The impact of Chernobyl we see today is not just the exclusion zone around the destroyed reactor, but enormous radioactive contamination still observed in the now independent states of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. There are vast territories in Russia’s Bryansk Region where the levels of background radiation are still too high for people to live safely in the area. In Germany, a hunting ban is still in effect in those regions where contamination due to radioactive fallout was recorded in 1986.
Today Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovich is to inaugurate the construction of a new 1.2 billion euro sarcophagus to hold the remains of the reactor which exploded.
It was a combination of flawed design and operator error which caused the blast and produced a radioactive cloud.
Chernobyl’s reactors were shut down and eventually decommissioned. Reactor four was initially encased in an unstable concrete shell. The more permanent casing should be completed by 2015.
Sacha Baron Cohen already caused a stir promoting his new film The Dictator when he tipped Kim Jong-Il’s “ashes” over Ryan Seacrest at the Oscars in February.
Now, the London-born comedian has controversially attacked Queen Elizabeth II in a new trailer for The Dictator made especially for the UK.
Sacha Baron Cohen wished Her Majesty well for her upcoming “blood diamond” jubilee and said he hoped it was a smooth transition when Prince Charles kills her and takes the throne.
The hyped-up film tells the story of a fictional leader, General Aladeen, who is thought to be based of Kim Jong-Il and Saddam Hussein, of the fictional Republic of Wadiya.
In an intro to the latest trailer, the bearded character, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, is seen sitting on a chair surrounded by gun-wielding plebs.
He addresses the camera, saying: “I would like to congratulate your dictatoress Elizabeth on her blood diamond jubilee and I hope it is a smooth transition when her son Charles eventually kills her and seizes power.”
Sacha Baron Cohen wished Her Majesty well for her upcoming “blood diamond” jubilee and said he hoped it was a smooth transition when Prince Charles kills her and takes the throne
A news report is then shown that says tensions are rising between the world community and the “rogue North African Wadiya” intensified when United Nations weapons inspectors were refused access to the country by General Aladeen.
It cuts to a clip of U.S. president, Barack Obama, saying he will “take no options off the table”.
The report than delves into the background of Aladeen and he is seen as a baby with a full beard.
The voiceover says he did not know his mother who died in childbirth – but a clip is shown of her being smothered with a pillow.
The only son of dictator, Omar Aladeen, he is said to have gained power at the age of seven.
He apparently changed more than 300 words to “Aladeen” including the words negative and positive, causing mass confusion.
A clip is shown of a man in a doctor’s surgery being asked if he wants the “Aladeen news or the Aladeen news” and he is told he is “HIV Aladeen”.
The dictator even launched his own Olympic games and is seen winning a sprint race by shooting his opponents.
He won 14 gold medals at the games.
Sacha Baron Cohen caused chaos at the Oscars in February when he arrived dressed as Aladeen and emptied an urn of “ashes” over Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet.
He told the E! presenter: “These are the ashes of my good friend Kim Jong-Il and it was his dream to come to the Oscars and be scattered on the red carpet and on Halle Berry’s chest.”
On Monday, Sacha Baron Cohen attended CinemaCon in Las Vegas dressed as the character.
As he approached the stage, he jokingly asked a member of the crowd: “How much for your daughter?”
Then, after referring to CinemaCon as “Cinnabon,” Sacha Baron Cohen he spoke of his love of movies such as When Harry Killed Sally, 14-Year-Old Virgin and the “family comedy” Planet of the Rapes.
He also took a swipe at DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg and recently departed Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross.
On Jeffrey Katzenberg, who had just finished his presentation promoting Madagascar 3 and Rise of the Guardians, Sacha Baron Cohen said: “I thought I was the only dictator speaking tonight. So imagine my surprise when I found out that Jeffrey Katzenberg was speaking. He rules with an iron fist.”
Sacha Baron Cohen then threatened the exhibitors to put The Dictator in their theaters, or he would detonate bombs underneath their seats.
“Is that chewing gum underneath your seat? Certainly they are not plastic explosives. Trust me, there are bigger bombs than John Carter. Just shoot the executive behind that. Oh – wait, you did,” he said, referring to Rich Ross’ recent departure from Disney.
Sacha Baron Cohen urged the audience to see a screening of The Dictator later that evening, promising free Rolexes, blood diamonds, and young girls “or boys, if you are from DreamWorks”.
Bobbi Kristina and Bobby Brown were spotted this week having lunch at a Time Square restaurant in New York.
Bobbi Kristina, 19, and Bobby Brown were joined by the singer’s longtime girlfriend Alicia Etheridge and three other friends at Blue Fin restaurant located in the W Hotel in the heart of Times Square.
According to Us Weekly eyewitness, the lunch lasted about 90 minutes, and Bobbi Kristina Brown as being none too thrilled to be there. She “was on her phone and texting a crazy amount. She didn’t seem too thrilled to be there, in all honesty.”
Bobbi Kristina and Bobby Brown were spotted this week having lunch at Blue Fin restaurant in New York
Bobbi Kristina Brown, who has been living in Whitney Houston’s Atlanta home, has been keeping out of the spotlight for the past few weeks after making headlines when she was seen holding hands and kissing Nick Gordon – the boy that Whitney informally adopted when he was 12 years old.
Bobbi Kristina is getting ready to make her acting debut in a new Tyler Perry sitcom.
Meanwhile, Bobby Brown, who is notorious for his legal woes, was recently charged with a DUI and could face up to six months in jail if convicted.
Bobby Brown, the troubled ex-husband of late singer Whitney Houston, has avoided jail for DUI after making a plea bargain with prosecutors.
Bobby Brown, 43, pleaded no-contest to a charge of driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.
In return prosecutors dropped a charge of driving under the influence, which would have carried a stiffer penalty.
According to TMZ, Bobby Brown was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation and one day in county jail, the latter of which he already served after his arrest.
In addition, the singer has to complete a 90-day alcohol program.
Bobby Brown was arrested last month in Los Angeles after cops noticed he was driving while talking on his cell phone.
And when he was pulled over, they said he strongly smelled of alcohol.
During his sobriety test Bobby Brown blew a 0.12 on a breathalyzer, which is legally drunk in California.
Bobby Brown has avoided jail for DUI after making a plea bargain with prosecutors
At the time, his lawyer, Tiffany Feder, said “everyone is innocent until proven guilty”, but did not deny he had been drinking.
After being arrested, Bobby Brown was taken to Van Nuys jail.
Officer Tiana Reed said: “We observed intoxication once Mr. Brown was pulled over.
“We put him through four sobriety tests, none of which he passed.
“He was arrested at 12:20 p.m. and booked into the Van Nuys jail.”
Bobby Brown already has a DUI conviction.
He was arrested in Georgia back in 1996.
Bobby Brown eventually pleaded guilty to DUI and served eight days in jail.
Meanwhile it has emerged Bobby Brown may be on the road to reconciling with his daughter Bobbi Kristina.
According to US Weekly, Bobby Brown and his daughter Bobbi Kristina spent some quality time together in New York on Tuesday.
A witness said Bobbi Kristina Brown had lunch with her father at upmarket restaurant Blue Fin, which sits in the heart of Times Square
They were joined by his longtime girlfriend Alicia Etheridge and three other friends.
But while their meal lasted around 90 minutes the bystander claims Bobbi Kristina “was on her phone and texting a crazy amount”.
“She didn’t seem too thrilled to be there, in all honesty,” the source said.
Lawyers portrayed Amy Pinto-Walsh, painter Thomas Kinkade’s girlfriend, as a ruthless gold digger who is out to “tear down” the late artist’s reputation and do irreparable damage to his family, in a restraining order granted by a judge yesterday.
The order against Amy Pinto-Walsh claimed she broke a confidentiality agreement by talking to reporters the morning Thomas Kinkade was found dead and threatened to reveal his business and personal secrets.
Thomas Kinkade’s bodyguard, Dean Baker, – who drove him around after he was caught drink driving – said the family had reason to fear Amy Pinto-Walsh because she was prone to “impulsive and erratic” behavior and once threatened to “tear Mr. Kinkade down”.
Dean Baker was quitted in court documents and said he was witness to her behavior when he accompanied them on numerous vacations.
“On one occasion Pinto-Walsh made a threat to Mr. Kinkade along the lines of “I will tear you down. I would expect Pinto-Walsh to disclose confidential information,” Dean Baker said in his declaration filed on April 8.
The order against Amy Pinto-Walsh claimed she broke a confidentiality agreement by talking to reporters the morning Thomas Kinkade was found dead and threatened to reveal his business and personal secrets
A close friend of the family and godmother to the Kinkade children, Linda Raasch, left a similar declaration saying she was concerned about amy Pinto-Walsh’s motives, according to the Mercury News.
Linda Raasch said: “I told her releasing private and confidential documents would cause great emotional distress. But she was unmoved by my entreaties.”
However, the artist’s brother, Patrick Kinkade, said Amy Pinto-Walsh was a “good and sweet person” and was surprised at the restraining order.
Patrick Kinkade told the Mercury News: “Amy was Thom’s girlfriend. They enjoyed each other immensely. She’s a good person, a sweet person. She cared about Thom.”
The request for the restraining order said: “This threat is not just a mean-spirited act of betrayal, but a calculated attempt to garner money and fame at the expense of the grieving Kinkade family, including his wife and four daughters.”
Though the painter had separated from his wife, Nanette Kinkade, about two years ago, their divorce was not finalized when he died three weeks ago of what is believed to have been natural causes.
Thomas Kinkade was said to have been planning on marrying Amy Pinto-Walsh as soon as the divorce was finalized. They had been dating for 18 months.
“Amy was already part of his circle of friends and that really enraged Nanette,” an unnamed source told Radar Online.
“Nanette was furious and humiliated that he not only cheated on her, but moved on so quickly and publicly with her.”
Nanette Kinkade didn’t make any attempt to hide her frustration either, as she filed a restraining order against artist’s mistress shortly after his death, wanting to stop her from breaching a confidentiality agreement she signed more than a year ago.
Thomas Kinkade’s estranged wife fears Amy Pinto-Walsh will attempt to sell her story and could release private family photographs.
Thomas Kinkade, the so-called Painter of Light, was one of the most successful artists in the U.S., but he struggled with alcoholism before his death at the age of 54, and split from his wife Nanette in 2010.
Li Xueming, also known as Bo Xiyong, Bo Xilai’s elder brother, has quit the board of China Everbright International, a Hong Kong-listed company.
Everbright said that Vice-Chairman Li Xueming had resigned to minimize any adverse impact on the company of media reports on his family background.
Bo Xilai’s removal has become China’s biggest political scandal in years.
“The board would like to take this opportunity to clarify that recent reports by the media on Mr. Li’s family background have no relationship with the normal business and operations of the company,” Everbright said in the statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
“Mr. Li has demonstrated dedication and diligence in serving the company during his tenure of directorship,” it said.
Li Xueming, also known as Bo Xiyong, Bo Xilai’s elder brother, has quit the board of China Everbright International
Bo Xilai, once tipped for China’s highest office, was removed from his role as Chongqing party secretary in March and suspended from all political office in April.
He is being investigated for “serious discipline violations”, Chinese authorities announced on 10 April and his wife, Gu Kailai, is being investigated in connection with the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Since then the lifestyle and political and business dealings of Bo Xilai and his family have come under intense media scrutiny.
According to its website, China Everbright International focuses on alternative energy and waste management.
The New York Times has recently reported that Bo Xilai ran a wire-tapping system that extended as far as China’s president Hu Jintao.
Citing “nearly a dozen people with party ties”, the New York Times said the disgraced Bo Xilai ran a wire-tapping network across Chongqing, where he was party chief.
His officials even listened to a phone call involving Hu Jintao, the paper said.
Chinese authorities have not mentioned wire-tapping in reports about Bo Xilai, whose wife, Gu kailai, is being investigated over the death of British businessman, Neil Heywood.
They are investigating Bo Xilai over “serious discipline violations”, while Gu Kailai has been detained as a suspect in the death of Neil Heywood, found dead in Chongqing in November 2011.
Chinese authorities say they believe Neil Heywood was murdered.
The New York Times has recently reported that Bo Xilai ran a wire-tapping system that extended as far as China's president Hu Jintao
Bo Xilai – a high flier once expected to reach the top echelons of office – has not been seen in public since he was removed from his political posts, in the biggest political shake-up in China in years.
Bo Xilai’s wire-tapping operation began several years ago as part of an anti-crime campaign in Chongqing, the New York Times said.
It was handled by Wang Lijun, the police chief whose flight to the US consulate in February signaled the start of Bo Xilai’s downfall, and expanded into targeting political figures.
Last year, the paper reported, operatives were caught intercepting a conversation between the office of President Hu Jintao and Liu Guanglei, a top party law-and-order official whom Wang Lijun had replaced as police chief.
A conversation between Minister of Supervision Ma Wen, who was visiting Chongqing, and President Hu Jintao himself was also monitored, the paper said.
Authorities in Beijing found out and began investigating, straining the relationship between Wang Lijun and Bo Xilai.
The wire-tapping “was seen as a direct challenge to central authorities”, the newspaper reported, citing party insiders.
These new claims will add to the sense that this scandal has exposed deep rifts and mistrust at the very highest level of China’s Communist Party.
Also important were fears that Bo Xilai, seen as a divisive populist, could not be trusted if elevated to the highest levels in the party.
Bo Xilai’s fall from grace comes with China due to begin its once-in-a-decade leadership change in October.
Since the scandal erupted, the lifestyle and political and business dealings of he and his family have come under intense media scrutiny.
Bo Xilai’s brother has resigned as director of a Hong Kong-based company, a day after his son issued a statement defending his lifestyle.
Syrian activists say at least 70 people have been killed in an attack on a house in Hama.
They said several houses in the Mashaa at-Tayyar district in southern Hama were destroyed by a big explosion.
State media said 16 people died in the blast in a house used as a bomb factory by “armed terrorist groups”.
Meanwhile, a video has emerged which purportedly shows a man being buried alive by security forces, allegedly for sending material to TV stations.
The unnamed man, who is said to be a media activist, is seen pleading for his life as earth is shoveled over his head. He then goes silent.
The security forces are heard cursing him for receiving money for sending material to Arabic satellite TV stations.
Syrian activists say at least 70 people have been killed in an attack on a house in Hama
The video was leaked by sympathizers.
Following the blast in Hama, activists posted video on the internet showing a scene of devastation, with bodies being pulled from the rubble.
One report said 13 children and 15 women were among the dead.
They said the blast was caused by government shelling or even a Scud missile attack.
State television showed pictures of injured children in hospital and says that a group using the house to make bombs detonated them accidentally.
The reports cannot be independently verified owing to government restrictions on foreign media.
Continuing violence has been reported across Syria since a ceasefire was introduced earlier this month – including in towns where UN observers are present.
There are two observers currently stationed in Hama.
France now says the Security Council should consider the use of force in Syria if a UN-backed peace plan proposed by international envoy Kofi Annan fails to stop the violence.
The plan calls on Damascus to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from cities.
The UN has sent a small advance team of observers to Syria. Last weekend the Security Council approved the deployment of another 300.
The UN says about 9,000 people have died since pro-democracy protests began in March 2011. In February, the Syrian government put the death toll at 3,838 – 2,493 civilians and 1,345 security forces personnel.
Warner Bros. presented 10 minutes of 3D footage from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at 48 frames per second at the CinemaCon 2012 convention in Las Vegas.
Director Peter Jackson said in a videotaped message that he hopes his movie can be played in 48fps in “as many cinemas as possible” when it opens December 14.
The Hobbit, the first major motion picture to be made at the higher frame rate, closed the Warner Bros. slate presentation Tuesday at CinemaCon.
The new film has been shot at a rate of 48 frames per second, compared with the industry standard of 24 frames.
Frame rate refers to the number of images displayed by a projector within one second. The cinema standard has been 24 fps for many decades. Jackson explained that in the early days of film, silent pictures were shown at an even lower frame rate – reducing the amount of film used – but it was bumped to 24 to support the requirements of sound.
However some attendees claimed the scenes looked like low-budget TV.
Warner Bros. presented 10 minutes of 3D footage from The Hobbit. An Unexpected Journey at 48 fps at the CinemaCon 2012
In a video introduction, Peter Jackson told the audience that using 48 frames per second produced a smoother image.
“The movement feels more real – it’s much more gentle on the eyes,” he said.
Peter Jackson said the new approach would take time to adjust to and some attendees agreed, branding the footage as a failure in digital technology.
The clips ranged from action sequences to quieter moments, including a dialogue sequence between Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gollum (Andy Serkis). The CinemaCon audience also saw the return of castmembers from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, including Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) and Orlando Bloom (Legolas).
The Los Angeles Times said the footage was “hyper-realistic”: “An opening aerial shot of dramatic rocky mountains appeared clearer than the images in most nature documentaries.
“But the effect was different when applied to scenes with actors dressed in period costume, whose every move – and pore – was crystal clear,” it added.
One projectionist told the newspaper it “looked like a made-for-TV movie”.
“It was too accurate – too clear. The contrast ratio isn’t there yet – everything looked either too bright or black,” they said.
However the Associated Press reported the footage was “vivid, with grass blades, facial lines and soaring mountains appearing luminous and pronounced. The actors looked almost touchable, as if they were performing live on stage”.
Other digital pioneers are making the same push for higher film speeds.
Avatar creator James Cameron has promised to shoot the sequel to his science-fiction blockbuster at 48 or 60 frames per second.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first chapter in Jackson’s two-part adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy classic.
The two films were shot back-to-back in 3D, with the second part, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, due in cinemas in December 2013.
On Tuesday, Sony announced that a software update for its digital cinema projection systems would support 48fps and be available in the fall. Sony expects the majority of its 13,000 installed 4K digital cinema projectors to support high frame rates by the time The Hobbit is released.
The Hobbit will also be available in 24 fps.
Peter Jackson’s Rings trilogy resulted in an estimated $2.9 billion at the global box office and a combined 17 Academy Awards.
According to a major safety review for the UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA), there is still no evidence mobile phones harm human health.
Scientists looked at hundreds of studies of mobile exposure and found no conclusive links to cancer risk, brain function or infertility.
However, they said monitoring should continue because little was known about long-term effects.
The HPA said children should still avoid excessive use of mobiles.
It is the biggest ever review of the evidence surrounding the safety of mobile phones.
The study said exposure to low-level radio frequency fields was almost universal and continuous because of TV and radio broadcasting, Wi-Fi, and other technological developments.
A group of experts working for the HPA looked at all significant research into the effects of low-level radio frequency.
They concluded that people who were not exposed above guideline levels did not experience any detectable symptoms.
That included people who reported being sensitive to radio frequency.
Scientists looked at hundreds of studies of mobile exposure and found no conclusive links to cancer risk, brain function or infertility
They also said there was no evidence that exposure caused brain tumors, other types of cancer, or harm to fertility or cardiovascular health.
But they said very little was known about risks beyond five years, because most people did not use mobile phones until the late 1990s.
Prof. Anthony Swerdlow, who chaired the review group, said it was important to continue monitoring research.
“Even though it’s relatively reassuring, I also think it’s important that we keep an eye on the rates of brain tumors and other cancers,” he said.
“One can’t know what the long-term consequences are of something that has been around for only a short period.”
There has been speculation about the health effects of using mobile phones for years.
The HPA conducted a previous review in 2003, which also concluded that there was no evidence of harm. But there is now far more research into the subject.
The experts said more work was needed on the effect of radio frequency fields on brain activity, and on the possible association with behavioral problems in children.
They also called for more investigation into the effects of new technology which emits radio frequency, such as smart meters in homes and airport security scanners.
The HPA said it was not changing its advice about mobile phone use by children.
“As this is a relatively new technology, the HPA will continue to advise a precautionary approach,” said Dr. John Cooper, director of the HPA’s centre for radiation, chemical and environmental hazards.
“The HPA recommends that excessive use of mobile phones by children should be discouraged.”
Metropolitan Police in UK have issued a computer-generated image of what Madeleine McCann might look like now, as evidence into her disappearance are reviewed.
The picture, created with the McCann family, shows how Madeleine would look aged nine, the Metropolitan Police said.
Having analyzed the evidence, the Met said it is possible Madeleine McCann is alive, and they believe she was abducted.
Madeleine McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was nearly four when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007.
On Tuesday, Det. Ch. Insp. Andy Redwood, who is heading the UK review, said his team was “seeking to bring closure to the case”.
The picture, created with the McCann family, shows how Madeleine would look aged nine
The UK review began last May after Prime Minister David Cameron responded to a plea from Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate.
The Metropolitan Police have been working in “close collaboration” with a senior investigating officer from Portugal’s Policia Judaria.
The review team has been compiling and reviewing material from three separate strands – the Portuguese investigation, inquiries by the UK law enforcement agencies, and the work of private investigators or agencies.
It is believed to be around 40,000 pieces of information equating to about 100,000 pages.
“The intention is to identify from that material investigative opportunities which we will then present to the Portuguese authorities who retain primacy for the investigation.
“Officers have so far identified around 195 such opportunities within the historic material, and are also developing what they believe to be genuinely new material,” said the Metropolitan Police.
The force said the objective of the team was to work with the Portuguese authorities with a view to having the case, closed since 2008, re-opened in due course.
DCI Redwood said: “From the outset we have approached this review with a completely open mind, placing Madeleine McCann at the heart of everything we do.
“We are working on the basis of two possibilities here – one is that Madeleine is still alive; and the second that she is sadly dead,” he said.
The Metropolitan Police have also appealed for anyone with new information to come forward.
