The world’s smallest frog has been discovered in Papua New Guinea by a US-based team.
At 7 mm (0.27 inches) long, Paedophryne amauensis may be the world’s smallest vertebrate – the group that includes mammals, fish, birds and amphibians.
The researchers also found a slightly larger relative, Paedophryne swiftorum.
Presenting the new species in PLoS One journal, the researchers suggest the frogs’ tiny scale is linked to their habitat, in leaf litter on the forest floor
Finding the frogs was not an easy assignment.
The world’s smallest frog is pictured on a US dime, whose diameter is 18mm
The frogs are well camouflaged among leaves on the forest floor, and have evolved calls resembling those of insects, making them hard to spot.
“The New Guinea forests are incredibly loud at night; and we were trying to record frog calls in the forest, and we were curious as to what these other sounds were,” said research leader Chris Austin from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, US.
“So we triangulated to where these calls were coming from, and looked through the leaf litter.
“It was night, these things are incredibly small; so what we did after several frustrating attempts was to grab a whole handful of leaf litter and throw it inside a clear plastic bag.
“When we did so, we saw these incredibly tiny frogs hopping around,” he said.
The Paedophryne genus was identified only recently, and consists of a number of tiny species found at various points in the eastern forests of Papua New Guinea.
“They’re occupying the relatively thick leaf litter of tropical forest in low-lying parts of the island, eating incredibly small insects that typically are much smaller than insects that frogs eat,” said Professor Chris Austin.
“And they’re probably prey for a large number of relatively small invertebrates that don’t usually prey on frogs.”
Predators may well include scorpions.
Intriguingly, other places in the world that also feature dense, moist leaf litter tend to possess such small frog species, indicating that amphibians are well placed to occupy this ecological niche.
Before the Paedophrynes were found, the title of “world’s smallest frog” was bestowed on the Brazilian gold frog (Brachycephalus didactylus) and its slightly larger Cuban relative, the Monte Iberia Eleuth (Eleutherodactylus iberia). They both measure less than 1 cm long.
The smallest vertebrates have until now been fish.
Adult Paedocypris progenetica, which dwells in Indonesian swamps and streams, measures 7.9-10.3 mm long.
Male anglerfish of the species Photocorynus spiniceps are just over 6 mm long. But they spend their lives fused to the much larger (50 mm long) females, so whether they should count in this contest would be disputed.
Paedophryne amaunensis adults average 7.7 mm, which is why its discoverers believe it how holds the crown.
The remote expanses of Papua New Guinea rank alongside those of Madagascar as places where hitherto undiscovered amphibian species are expected to turn up, as they are largely undeveloped and not well explored.
A $10 million prize was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for whoever can create a Star Trek-like medical “tricorder”.
The Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize has challenged researchers to build a tool capable of capturing “key health metrics and diagnosing a set of 15 diseases”.
It needs to be light enough for would-be Dr. McCoys to carry – a maximum weight of 5lb (2.2kg).
According to the official Star Trek technical manual, a tricorder is a portable “sensing, computing and data communications device”.
The kit captured the imagination of the show’s millions of viewers when it was first used in the cult series’ first broadcast in 1966.
In the show, which was set in the 23rd Century, the crew’s doctor was able to use the tricorder to diagnose an illness simply by scanning a person’s body.
According to the official Star Trek technical manual, a tricorder is a portable "sensing, computing and data communications device"
The award organizers hope the huge prize may inspire a present-day engineer to figure out the sci-fi gadget’s secret, and “make 23rd Century science fiction a 21st Century medical reality”.
“I’m probably the first guy who’s here in Vegas who would be happy to lose $10 million,” said X Prize Foundation chairman Peter Diamandis.
While the tricorder is obviously the stuff of science fiction, other X Prizes have become science fact.
In 2004, the Ansari X Prize for a privately funded reusable spacecraft was awarded to the team behind SpaceShipOne.
Much of the technology they developed was subsequently utilized by Virgin Galactic.
Prof. Jeremy Nicholson, head of the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College London, told the BBC there are already medical devices which detect chemical signs of illness to assist diagnosis.
However, he warned that bringing this technology together into one tricorder-sized piece of equipment would be a very daunting challenge.
“The most likely sort of technology would be something that detects metabolites,” Prof. Jeremy Nicholson said.
“What we use in our laboratory is big – the size of a Mini. The challenge is sticking it all into one device.”
Prof. Jeremy Nicholson thought “grand challenges” like the tricorder prize helped stimulate innovation, and are “good fun”.
But he doubted the Qualcomm Foundation would be awarding the prize any time soon.
“The challenges are: What is it you detect, what are the samples you can get and how do you put it all together in one gizmo?
“I don’t think there’ll be many people getting that prize in the near future.”
Even if the device could be made, he continued, testing and obtaining approval for medical use might take much longer.
However, for Peter Diamandis the mere fact the prize exists could transform healthcare.
“It’s not a single point solution. What we’re looking for is to launch a new industry,” he said.
“The tricorder that was used by Spock and Bones inspires a vision of what healthcare will be like in the future.
“It will be wireless, mobile and minimally- or non-invasive.
“It may use digital imaging, it may be sequencing your DNA on the spot to tell you if you are allergic to something you just ate.”
That may seem like an impossibly ambitious set of goals, but fortunately, for those trying to win the prize, one feature of the Star Trek tricorder is not needed.
“We don’t have a requirement that it makes the same noise,” Peter Diamandis said.
Astronomers wanted to find out how Milky Way galaxy looked from the outside – a difficult task given the Earth is inside it.
A comparison of star types in other galaxies gives perhaps an unsurprising result: white. But not just any white – specifically, like spring snow at an hour after sunrise or before sunset.
The finding was announced at the 219th American Astronomical Society meeting.
“For astronomers, one of the most important parameters is actually the colour of the galaxy,” said Jeffrey Newman of the University of Pittsburgh.
“That tells us basically how old the stars in the galaxy are, how recently it’s been forming stars – are they forming today or did its stars form billions and billions of years ago?”
Prof. Jeffrey Newman told the meeting: “But it’s worse than that; not only are we looking at the Milky Way from the inside, but our view is blocked by dust.”
“We can only see about one or two thousand light years in any direction.”
Astronomers wanted to find out how Milky Way galaxy looked from the outside
Prof. Jeffrey Newman and his student Tim Licquia went about putting the Milky Way on the map of other galaxies that we can see from outside.
They gathered data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, with information on about a million galaxies.
They compared those data with what they knew about the total mass in the Milky Way, as well as the rate of star formation, looking for near matches among other galaxies.
For those most nearly matched to our own galactic home, the team took an average and came up with a precise measure of what colour it must be.
“The best description I can give would be that if you looked at new spring snow, which has a fine grain size, about an hour after dawn or an hour before sunset, you’d see the same spectrum of light that an alien astronomer in another galaxy would see looking at the Milky Way,” Prof. Jeffrey Newman said.
This “colour temperature” is somewhere between that of an old-fashioned incandescent lightbulb and noon-time sunlight; both whites, but subtly different.
And what does the colour tell us about our Milky Way’s development – is it a cosmic newcomer or past its prime?
“It appears our Milky Way is on the road between those two stages – based on the colour we find, the rate of formation of stars has been declining over time,” Prof. Jeffrey Newman said.
“The Milky way is in a very interesting evolutionary state right now.”
A hundred years after Titanic sank, expeditions to the ship, in depths of the Atlantic Ocean, are coming to close to allow the ship to rest in peace.
Rob McCallum, who works for the deep-sea exploration company that took 150 people down there, describes what they saw.
“As the craft glides through the freezing depths of the ocean, more than two miles below the surface, I stare out through the thick glass window into the abyss.
From the external lights of our vessel, I can see across the ancient terrain, which looks almost like a lunar landscape. Occasionally strange aquatic creatures dart across my vision, adding to the alien atmosphere.
Then suddenly, there it is, the sight I shall never forget. Rising before my eyes is the prow of the most famous ship in the world.
I am peering at the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, which plunged to this watery, icy grave almost a century ago in April 1912.
Even in the darkness of the ocean floor, the front part of the mighty vessel still looks magnificent, the encrusted railings and sweep of her hull instantly recognizable.
Our submersible continues its journey over the remains of the mighty ship, and I look bewitched at the famous grand staircase and the promenade deck where once the wealthy passengers briefly reveled in all their glorious opulence before the iceberg was struck.
Further along, about a mile from the prow, we find the rear part of the ship, more badly damaged than the prow, with great sheets of metal ripped from its sides.
But even in her broken, decaying state, this ghostly relic exudes an epic sense of majesty. For what was so striking about the wreckage is its colossal size.
The two key sections of the ship make vast monuments on the ocean bed.
Even one of the main three-bladed propellers, built of solid bronze and remarkably well preserved, is more than twice as heavy as our 18-ton submersible — a submarine which allows detailed exploration of the sea bed.”
A hundred years after it sank, expeditions to Titanic, in depths of the Atlantic Ocean, are coming to close to allow the ship to rest in peace
“The Titanic was the largest ship of its time, and one of the most beautiful ever created. But even now, all these years after the tragedy, the wreck of this leviathan still has the ability to inspire and humble.
My chance to view the wreckage arose because of my position with the Isle of Man-based company, Deep Ocean Expeditions, which specialises in deep-sea research and exploration, mainly for scientific, film-making and investigative purposes.
For our expeditions, we work with the PP Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, part of the Russian Academy of Science. They are the owners of the twin Mir submersibles, each capable of depths of 20,000ft. By working together, we are able to assist the Institute’s science work, as well as making a contribution to the Mirs’ operating costs.
One of our most popular trips is to see the remains of the German battleship the Bismark, which was sunk by the Royal Navy in 1941 about 350 miles off the south-western Irish coast.
The other, more notorious trip is to the wreck of the Titanic, which was discovered in 1986 by the renowned American oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard, who, incidentally, also found the Bismark in 1989.
Over the past decade, nearly 200 Titanic dives by the company have taken 150 individuals down to see it, and – despite the $59,000 cost – the expeditions have never been more over-subscribed than for this year – the 100th anniversary of the disaster.
The clients have included bankers, teachers, pilots, doctors, historical experts and sometimes the descendants of survivors or those who perished in the tragedy.
But, after 13 years, 2012 is also the last time we will be running such trips to the Titanic.
It has been a wonderful adventure, but with the centenary approaching, now is the proper moment to draw these expeditions to a close and allow this tragic ship to rest in peace.
There are only five submersibles in the world – made of high-tech metals – that can withstand the immense pressure of the conditions around the wreck, about 12,500 ft below the surface.
Expeditions begin with passengers boarding a larger ship in Newfoundland, which carries them and the submersible out to the spot where the Titanic sank.
The passengers are generally given a day to familiarize themselves with the craft and have a briefing about the forthcoming trip; they then attend lectures in Titanic history, oceanography and deep-sea operations.
The dive begins the next morning, taking roughly two hours to reach the ocean bed.
At a depth of about 800ft, the submersible descends into darkness, for this is the maximum depth to which the sun’s rays can penetrate. As we travel further down, the enveloping blackness is broken only by the sub’s own lights.
Once the vessel reaches the bottom, it manoeuvres its way around the two main sections of the ship for between four to eight hours, as well as looking at the other debris strewn across the sea bed.
The sights are truly remarkable — far more astonishing than any photograph can convey. Though the stern of the ship was badly damaged because it hit the ocean bed so hard — having travelled through the water at an estimated speed of 30 knots (the marine equivalent of 35mph) after the Titanic broke up — it is fascinating to see the vast engine rooms down there, full of massive machinery.
Equally arresting are the three immense propellers, between them weighing more than 100 tons and the two biggest of which were 23ft in diameter. Thanks to their sturdiness, they have survived well.
There is, however, no sign of the four enormous funnels, which would have been ripped off as the Titanic began her descent. Their fragments would have scattered over a wide area.
It is also possible to glimpse the interiors of some of the cabins, especially where the outer steel sheets of the hull were ripped away. Although the woodwork and fabrics have long gone, the metal walls and bronze and brass fittings remain.
Particularly poignant are the quarters of Captain Smith, who, in true heroic naval traditions, went down with his ship.
Of his three rooms, his bathroom is most clearly visible — his porcelain bathtub still in remarkably good condition.
Perhaps even more astonishing are all the artefacts strewn on the ground around the two main sections. Everywhere you look there are bottles, crockery, cutlery, even suitcases and shoes.
No clothes, carpets or other such material survives, as all that would have long rotted or been eaten by living organisms.
But anything leather has generally stayed in good condition and is only covered in a layer of silt.
Indeed, the number of shoes is surprising. This is because the ship went down just before midnight, at a time when many passengers would have retired to their cabins, undressed and put their shoes outside the door, ready to be cleaned by the staff.
Though sights like this are a poignant reminder of the human cost of the tragedy, there is nothing remotely macabre or ghoulish about visiting the wreckage.
There are no remains from any of the 1,514 victims who perished in the disaster. Their bodies would have been cast over a huge area, since many of them drowned or died of hypothermia in the freezing ocean. Other corpses, dragged down with the ship, would eventually have drifted away or been obliterated by the sea life that lurks in these depths.
In fact, the existence of other animal life so deep in the ocean is one of the most compelling features of a visit to the Titanic.
As you travel down below 10,000ft, it almost seems impossible that any organism could survive in such a hostile environment. Yet even in the icy blackness, nature flourishes.
On my trips to the wreckage, I have been astounded at the range of strange beings, such as six-inch rat-tailed fish, white-bodied crabs and creatures that give off light: blue, green and white flashes as they attract mates, or lure prey.
Even so, nothing can beat the awesome image of the Titanic itself.
The tragedy was a turning-point in history, the moment when man realised that nature could not always be tamed by technology, that no ship could ever be unsinkable.
Whenever I gaze in wonder at the wreckage, I sense that I am looking at an important part of mankind’s rich, sometimes distressing narrative; the same feeling I experience when visiting memorial cemeteries to the heroes who fell in the bloodstained fields of northern Europe during World War I.
We come to these places to remember – and to learn from those who have passed before us.
It will be an honour to see the Titanic, in all her ruined glory, one last time.”
Alan Gilbert, the New York Philharmonic orchestra music director, stopped the orchestra in its tracks when a mobile phone went off during a performance.
Alan Gilbert was so appalled by the continuing distraction during one of the most poignant parts of the performance that he brought the musicians to a standstill.
The phone’s Marimba ring-tone went off from a front row seat of New York’s Avery Fisher Hall during Tuesday night’s performance, according to eyewitnesses.
The untimely interruption happened during the final and most moving bars of the Mahler Ninth symphony, just 13 bars before the beginning of the last page of the score, blogger Michael Jo reported.
Michael Jo wrote on his blog thousandfold echo: “As Alan Gilbert turned to the first violins and the sound grew ever more hushed and veiled, the unmistakable chimes of the iPhone Marimba ringtone resounded loud and clear.”
In an almost unprecedented measure, an obviously annoyed Alan Gilbert cut the orchestra.
Alan Gilbert, the New York Philharmonic orchestra music director, stopped the orchestra in its tracks when a mobile phone went off during a performance
The conductor then turned around on the podium to face the offender, music student Kyra Sims, told the superconductor blog.
During a pause of several minutes the music director asked: “Are you finished?” When the culprit didn’t reply Alan Gilbert said: “Fine, we’ll wait.”
Some furious members of the audience called out for punishment: “Thousand dollar fine, Get out!” and “Kick him out! were all heard”
When the ringing eventually stopped Alan Gilbert asked the man if he had turned off the phone. The man indicated that it wouldn’t go off again.
Addressing the audience the conductor said: “I apologize. Usually, when there’s a disturbance like this, it is best to ignore it, because addressing it is sometimes worse than the disturbance itself. But this was so egregious that I could not allow it.”
“We’ll start again.”
Mahler Ninth is the composer’s final completed symphony, the last movement of which is a measured contemplation on death that ultimately falls silent.
The composer’s work has special meaning to the New York Philharmonic which Mahler conducted during the final years of his life.
Scientists have discovered that drinking alcohol releases feel-good chemicals in an area of the human brain often referred to as the “pleasure centre”.
The rush of chemicals released in specific brain locations after drinking produce feelings of pleasure and reward.
Previously scientists had deduced from animal studies that the pleasurable effects of alcohol come from the release of endorphins in the brain.
A new research used scanning technology to “light up” the brain regions of drinkers, showing where it has the biggest impact.
A study from the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Centre at the University of California marks the first time that endorphin release in two regions of the brain, the nucleus accumbens and orbitofrontal cortex, in response to drinking alcohol has been directly observed in humans.
Research leader Jennifer Mitchell, assistant professor of neurology, said: “This is something that we’ve speculated about for 30 years, based on animal studies, but haven’t observed in humans until now.
“It provides the first direct evidence of how alcohol makes people feel good.”
The researchers used PET imaging (positron emission tomography) to observe the immediate effects of alcohol in the brains of 13 heavy drinkers and 12 matched “control” subjects who were not heavy drinkers.
Scientists have discovered that drinking alcohol releases feel-good chemicals in an area of the human brain often referred to as the “pleasure centre”
According to researchers, drinking led to a release of endorphins in all those taking part. The more endorphins released in the nucleus accumbens, the greater the feelings of pleasure reported by each drinker.
However, as levels of endorphins released in the orbitofrontal cortex went up, heavy drinkers felt more intoxicated – but not those in the control group.
Prof. Jennifer Mitchell said: “This indicates that the brains of heavy or problem drinkers are changed in a way that makes them more likely to find alcohol pleasant, and may be a clue to how problem drinking develops in the first place.
“That greater feeling of reward might cause them to drink too much.”
Before drinking, the volunteers were given injections of radioactively tagged carfentanil, an opiate-like drug that binds to sites in the brain called opioid receptors, where endorphins also bind.
This allowed researchers to map what happened in the brain as the receptor sites “lit up” on PET scans, says a report in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Volunteers were then each given a drink of alcohol, followed by a second injection of radioactive carfentanil, and scanned again with PET imaging. As the natural endorphins released by drinking were bound to the opioid receptor sites, they prevented the carfentanil from being bound.
By comparing areas of radioactivity in the first and second PET images, the researchers were able to map the exact locations – areas of lower radioactivity – where endorphins were released in response to drinking.
The researchers found endorphins released after drinking bind to a specific type of opioid receptor, the Mu receptor, which they claim could be a target for developing drugs to treat or prevent alcohol addiction.
Senior study author Howard Fields said the result suggests a possible way to improve on existing medication.
Although it is effective, the drug naltrexone – which prevents binding at several opioid receptor sites – is not widely accepted as a treatment for alcohol dependence since it can make people feel depressed.
Howard Fields said: “Some people stop taking it because they don’t like the way it makes them feel.
“Naltrexone blocks more than one opioid receptor, and we need to know which blocking action reduces drinking and which causes the unwanted side effects.
“If we better understand how endorphins control drinking, we will have a better chance of creating more targeted therapies for substance addiction.”
Scientists say low to moderate doses of alcohol release feel-good chemicals, while high doses appear to fail to release them and may stimulate other systems in the brain leading to anxiety and depression.
Bruce Jenner, the Kardashians girls’step-father, has a penchant for dressing up in women’s clothing, it was revealed recently.
The claims come from Ellen Pierson, who married Kris Jenner’s ex-husband Robert Kardashian shortly before his death in 2003.
Ellen Pierson claims Bruce Jenner’s first wife Chrystie Crownover – who he was married to for eight years between 1972 and 1980 – made the revelation to her over drinks.
Chrystie Crownover told Ellen Pierson how former track and field athlete Bruce Jenner was a secret cross-dresser and had a penchant for women’s clothing, shoes and lingerie, according to Star magazine.
“Of course Bruce was every woman’s heartthrob when he was that age, right?” Ellen Pierson told the Star.
“But Chrystie said: <<Yeah, until I went on a trip and I came back and he had gone through all my clothes. And I found my bras… He’d clip them together and wear them>>.”
Bruce Jenner, the Kardashians girls’step-father, has a penchant for dressing up in women's clothing, it was revealed recently
Chrystie Crownover went on to divorce Bruce Jenner. They had two children together.
Bruce Jenner went on to wed Linda Thompson and they had two sons together during their four year marriage – Brandon and Brody.
Kris Jenner, his third wife, apparently has no qualms about Bruce’s penchant for cross-dressing, according to Ellen Pierson.
Ellen Pierson claims Kris Jenner was unfazed by his odd habit and that he continued to cross-dress for years after their 1991 wedding.
But apparently the Kardashian girls were not as accepting.
“Khloe called her dad and she was very upset, crying and screaming about it,” Ellen Pierson said.
The full story appears in this week’s issue of Star magazine.
Though she is less than a week old, baby Blue Ivy Carter, the newborn daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z becomes already the youngest person ever to be featured on the Billboard charts.
Beyonce and Jay-Z’s firstborn appears on dad’s newest song, Glory.
Blue Ivy’s cries can be heard at the end of the track.
She was also named as a contributor, her famous father credits B.I.C. at the end of the song.
Jay-Z released Glory online on Monday, the same day he and his wife announced baby Blue Ivy's birth
Jay-Z, 42, released the track online on Monday, the same day he and his wife announced baby Blue Ivy’s birth.
Glory, naturally, immediately became a viral sensation.
The song will enter Billboard’s famous music chart next week at number 74.
It’s only fitting that baby Blue Ivy should already appear in the spotlight given her parents’ award-winning track record.
Jay-Z has won a plethora of trophies, including 15 Grammy Awards.
Beyonce, 30, has won 16 Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, amongst other accolades.
Blue Ivy and her famous parents made quite the exit on Tuesday morning when they left New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital followed by a cavalcade of cars.
Two passengers almost came to blows at 40,000ft on board a 517-seat Airbus A380 being operated by Emirates from Dubai into Manchester Airport.
The argument started when an 18-year-old youth sitting in economy class moved his seat back to sleep.
The 38-year-old passenger sitting immediately behind him was about to eat his in-flight meal at the time.
When he asked the youth to put his seat back up while he ate a major row broke out.
They traded insults and leapt up from their seats in a head-to-head confrontation.
As the argument became more heated cabin crew were called and attempted to defuse the incident.
Stunned travelers watched on as the two men continued to shout abuse at each other while standing in the aisle before they were finally persuaded to calm down.
The pilot of flight EK17 flight was so concerned he radioed ahead and police were informed.
Officers went to the gate at Terminal 1 after the flight landed to meet the two passengers at around noon on Tuesday.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed officers “spoke to” two men aged 38 and 18.
No further action was taken as neither man wanted to make a formal complaint, and also admitted they had both been “in the wrong”, say police.
A spokesman for Emirates said: “Emirates does not tolerate this kind of behaviour from passengers and safety will not be compromised.”
They confirmed there had been an “altercation” on board the flight and, although no blow had been exchanged, cabin crew had been called to calm the passengers.
Two passengers almost came to blows at 40,000ft on board a 517-seat Airbus A380 being operated by Emirates from Dubai into Manchester Airport
One traveller, who uses the route, said: “I have recently flown with Emirates to the Far East. This trip was split up into 2 separate flights and lasted 20 hours.
“Like a lot of people on the second leg of the trip I wanted to sleep. There is a system in place where you can indicate that you do not want the meal and to be left alone to sleep, which is what I did. My seat was reclined to the limit allowed.
“When it came time for the meal I was woken up by the person behind asking me to sit up, so they could enjoy their meal. I was a little p***** off that I had been woken up.
“I hadn’t reclined it whilst he was eating, I was doing what I wanted to do, sleep, in a position that the seat was allowing me. I didn’t make a fuss and accepted it.
“This is only a problem in the <<cheap>> seats and perhaps the airlines can have an area in this class for passengers who want to sleep in the reclined position.
“No meals would be served to these passengers, so the problem will be removed. By sitting in this area you accept no meals and the seat in front may be reclined.”
The double-decker plane first started flying into Manchester Airport in September 2010 after around $15 million had been spent on changes to the airfield to accommodate it.
Its introduction was part of a huge boom in the number of people flying in and out of Dubai.
Twitter made a complaint regarding changes made by Google to integrate its social network Google+ into search results.
The new feature is called Search plus Your World, will automatically push results from Google+ up the search rankings.
Tweeting on the news, Twitter’s lawyer Alex Macgillivray described it as a “bad day for the internet”.
Google is determined to push its social network in the face of continued rivalry with Facebook.
The current changes were about even greater personalization, it said. It already includes personal search history in its search algorithms.
The three changes are:
• Personal Results – which enable users to find information such as Google+ photos and posts, both their own and those shared specifically with them, that only they will be able to see on their results pages
• Profiles in Search – both in autocomplete and results, users will be able to find people they are close to or might be interested in following
• People and Pages – helps users find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable people to follow them with just a few clicks.
Twitter made a complaint regarding changes made by Google to integrate its social network Google+ into search results
“Search is pretty amazing at finding that one needle in a haystack of billions of webpages, images, videos, news and much more,” said Amit Singhal in the company’s official blog.
“But clearly, that isn’t enough. You should also be able to find your own stuff on the web, the people you know and things they’ve shared with you, as well as the people you don’t know but might want to… all from one search box,” he added.
Twitter’s general counsel Alex Macgillivray tweeted in response to the changes: “Bad day for the internet. Having been there, I can imagine the dissension @Google to search being warped this way.”
Alex Macgillivray had previously been employed at Google.
Twitter expanded his point in an official statement.
“For years, people have relied on Google to deliver the most relevant results any time they wanted to find something on the internet.
“Often, they want to know more about world events and breaking news. Twitter has emerged as a vital source of this real-time information, with more than 100 million users sending 250 million tweets every day on virtually every topic. As we’ve seen time and time again, news breaks first on Twitter; as a result, Twitter accounts and tweets are often the most relevant results.
“We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone. We think that’s bad for people, publishers, news organisations and Twitter users.”
Google hit back at the criticisms.
”We are a bit surprised by Twitter’s comments about Search plus Your World, because they chose not to renew their agreement with us last summer and since then we have observed their rel=nofollow instructions,” Google said in a statement.
This refers to a technical barrier which makes it difficult for Google to rank Twitter information, a spokeswoman explained.
There is also little sharing between Google and its other big rival Facebook.
Stepping into the growing row between the three firms, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt told MarketingLand magazine that his company was not favouring its own social network over Facebook and Twitter. He said that all would be treated equally if the two rivals granted the search giant the right permissions to access their content.
Search expert John Battelle said in his blog post that social search would mean little until Facebook and Google settled their differences and offered consumers what they really wanted – Facebook data integrated with Google’s search.
“The unwillingness of Facebook and Google to share a public commons when it comes to the intersection of search and social is corrosive to the connective tissue of our shared culture,” he said.
50 Cent has showed off his money literally in a series of vulgar poses on his Twitter page.
50 Cent shared four photos of him holding massive wads of cash in his hotel room in Las Vegas yesterday.
The rapper also used the social networking site to put his two cents in on the arrival of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s baby daughter.
50 Cent has showed off his money literally in a series of vulgar poses on his Twitter page
50 Cent, 36, thought to be worth $250 million, is joined by boxer Floyd Mayweather in Sin City where he attended the Consumer Electronics Show to promote his own brand of headphones.
He has cash tucked going up the length of both of his arms, and some tucked under his hat.
50Cent wrote: “I was thinking I could make a lot of money one day.
“Then I got mad cause some chumps was hatin on me.
“So I joined a gang lol THE MONEY TEAM … We made it mom top of the world!!!!.( James cagney voice) lol.”
50 Cent then potentially reignited his bitter feud with Jay-Z after posting two mocked up pictures of the rapper and Beyoncé’s new baby, Blue Ivy Carter.
The baby has Jay-Z’s face superimposed on it and 50 Cent joked: “Yal play to much congratulations to JAYZ and Beyonce BABY #BlueIvyCarter IS GEORGOUS.”
50 Cent potentially reignited his bitter feud with Jay-Z after posting two mocked up pictures of the rapper and Beyoncé's new baby, Blue Ivy Carter
Talking about rumors that Beyonce and Jay-Z are holding out for a big money magazine deal to reveal the first photos of their daughter, 50 Cent said: “You bull s***ing they will pay a million dollars for a picture of that baby lol trust me.”
50 Cent and Jay-Z rappers have been embroiled in a bitter feud for several years with 50 Cent once saying that no one knew who Jay-Z was until he married Beyonce.
50 Cent also once threatened to have Beyonce for himself and have children with her.
A French TV reporter, who has been killed in the Syrian city of Homs among other eight today, is the first Western journalist to die in the country’s current unrest.
Gilles Jacquier was on a government-authorized trip to the city, the France 2 channel said.
Syrian TV said Gilles Jacquier was among eight killed. A colleague said that minutes earlier they had interviewed some people at a pro-government gathering.
Opposition groups say 15 people died around the country on Wednesday, including three in Homs.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has called for full clarification of what happened.
“We vigorously condemn this odious act,” Alain Juppe said in a statement.
The Syrian authorities have severely restricted access to foreign journalists since the unrest began last March.
More than 5,000 people have been killed, the UN says. The government says 2,000 security personnel have died combating “armed gangs and terrorists”.
Observers arrived in Syria in December to monitor an Arab League peace plan, but the killing has continued.
Arab League said on Wednesday it was delaying sending more monitors after an attack on an observer team earlier in the week, Reuters news agency reported.
Eleven observers were slightly injured in the attack, in the port city of Latakia.
Gilles Jacquier is described as a veteran award-winning journalist who covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, and between Israel and the Palestinians
Gilles Jacquier, 43, was part of a group of 15 foreign journalists being shown around a part of Homs and speaking to locals.
One of his colleagues said they were escorted by soldiers and police, and were in a part of the flashpoint city where street life was relatively normal with some shops open.
A grenade fell close to them minutes after they had spoken to some young people and they fled into a nearby building. More grenades hit the building causing casualties.
“There was smoke everywhere, people started screaming and yelling. There was complete chaos,” he said.
Gilles Jacquier was behind him when he went into the building, but he saw him lying dead a few minutes later, he added.
At least one other European journalist was wounded, reports say. Dutch officials and media said a Dutch journalist was hurt.
The area of the attack is inhabited by members of the Alawite sect and therefore considered to be mainly pro-government. No opposition supporters have given an account of the incident.
Gilles Jacquier is described as a veteran award-winning journalist who covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, and between Israel and the Palestinians.
His mission in Syria was to make a documentary film on the protests.
The incident came as Arab League observers continued their mission aimed at monitoring a peace plan proposed by the league.
Earlier on Wednesday, a former member of the mission called it a “farce” and described the situation there as a humanitarian disaster.
Anwar Malek told al-Jazeera TV that he had resigned because of what he had witnessed in Syria, including war crimes committed by security forces.
He said the government had “fabricated” most of what the monitors had seen to stop the Arab League taking action.
The UN Security Council has been told that an estimated 400 people had been killed in Syria since the mission arrived in late December – an average of almost 40 deaths a day.
The US permanent representative to the UN, Susan Rice, said the figure showed Syria’s government had accelerated its killing of demonstrators, rather than using the opportunity to end the violence.
Meanwhile, President Bashar al-Assad made a surprise appearance at an open air rally by thousands of his supporters in Damascus.
Bashar al-Assad said he wanted to show his love for the Syrian people.
His wife, Asmaa, and his children were also briefly shown in the live broadcast. There had been speculation that they might have left Syria.
Two of Robert Kardashian’s ex-wives claim Khloe does not have the same father as her older sisters Kim and Kourtney.
The late businessman’s ex-wives have come forward saying he expressed doubts over the paternity of Khloe Kardashian.
Khloe Kardashian has hit back at the claims, calling them “really low”.
In an explosive interview with Star magazine, Jan Ashley, who married the businessman after Khloe’s mother Kris Jenner, said: “Khloe is not his kid – he told me that after we got married.”
She added: “He just kind of looked at me and said [it] like it was a matter of fact. He said <<Well, you know that Khloe’s not really a Kardashian, don’t you?>> And I said… <<OK>> and that was it.”
Ellen Pierson, 63, who married Robert Kardashian in 2003, just two months before his death, has also come forward after eight years of silence to “tell the truth” about the Kardashian family.
Ellen Pierson claims Khloe Kardashian, who is married to Dallas Mavericks basketball player Lamar Odom, knew she had a different father to her sisters and younger brother Rob.
“Khloe brought it up all the time. She looked nothing like the rest. She was tall, had a different shape, light hair, curly hair. Didn’t look anything like the other three children,” she said.
Ellen Pierson said Robert Kardashian, who is of Armenian descent, had told her that he and Kris were not sleeping together at the time Khloe was conceived.
“[But] he never would have considered a DNA test. He loved her very much. Robert did question the fact that Khloe was his,” she said.
“Any normal man would if they knew their wife had cheated on him.”
Two of Robert Kardashian's ex-wives claim Khloe does not have the same father as her older sisters Kim and Kourtney
Khloe Kardashian has responded to the claims today on Twitter.
She wrote: “The audacity you have to mention my father’s name like this! Should be ashamed of urself! I let a lot of things slide but this one is really low… YOU ARE DISGUSTING! (yes you know who YOU are).”
Khloe’s mother, Kris Jenner, 56, recently admitted in her new book that she cheated on Robert during their marriage and Jan and Ellen her husband also knew.
Since Robert Kardashian’s death, Ellen Pierson had experienced financial difficulties, filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010.
The home Ellen and Robert Kardashian shared in Indian Wells, California, was sold after going into foreclosure in October.
Kris remarried Olympian Bruce Jenner in 1991 and the couple had two daughters, Kendall and Kylie.
Bruce Jenner already had four children from two previous marriages: Burt, Casey, Brody, and Brandon.
Khloe Kardashian is often talking about how she looks nothing like her sisters, and Kris Jenner has been quoted as saying people asked her whether she was “the milkman’s daughter” when she was born.
On Khloe Kardashian’s blog in June 2010, she shared a number of pictures of her and the attorney.
She wrote: “Father’s Day is two days away, so in preparation I wanted to post this photo album (mostly old school pics) dedicated to my dad and to Bruce.
“I was seriously the luckiest girl in the world growing up because I had two amazing dads who not only loved us kids more than anything, but adored each other as well.
“My dad and Bruce were always really close – Kendall and Kylie even called my dad Uncle Robert which I loved.
“Father’s Day is always a bittersweet holiday for me because I of course miss my dad, but it also reminds me of how truly blessed I am to have had two incredible fathers.”
A source has confirmed to Us Weekly magazine that Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez are engaged.
Olivier Martinez, 46, reportedly proposed with an emerald-and-diamond ring from Gurhan which Halle Berry, 45, has been seen sporting recently.
Halle Berry was first pictured with a ring on her wedding finger as early as December 29, leading to speculation that Olivier Martinez planned a Christmas proposal.
The actress has been careful to keep the ring turned around to just look like a plain band in recent weeks, but gave photographers a glimpse of the stunning stone during an outing in LA yesterday.
A source has confirmed to Us Weekly magazine that Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez are engaged
Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez first met while working opposite one another on the film Dark Tide; they soon emerged as a hot new couple in the autumn of 2010.
A source told Us Weekly: “[Halle] had given up on being married, but she trusts Olivier. He makes her feel safe. He’s a keeper.”
Olivier Martinez previously dated Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, 43, for several years – and supported her through her battle with breast cancer – before they split in 2007.
For Halle Berry, who has a 3-year-old daughter, Nahla, with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, this will be the third marriage.
The actress dated handsome model Gabriel Aubry, 36, for almost five years before their acrimonious split in April 2010.
Halle Berry’s love life has been fraught with hard times. An ex-boyfriend beat her so badly that she was left partially deaf, her first marriage falling apart caused her to attempt suicide and her second marriage ended because her husband was allegedly a sex addict.
Halle Berry wed former baseball player David Justice in 1993, divorcing four years later.
She has spoken publicly about contemplating suicide after the end of her first marriage.
“It was all about a relationship,” Halle Berry told Parade magazine in 2007.
“My sense of worth was so low. I had to reprogram myself to see the good in me. Because someone didn’t love me didn’t mean I was unlovable. I promised myself I would never be a coward again.”
Halle Berry then married R&B singer Eric Benét in 2001, only to separate in 2003 and finalize their divorce in 2005.
The actress has previously revealed that the couple was in counseling to combat Eric Benét’s sex addiction after just a year.
Of her second marriage, Halle Berry said: “I knew this time I had a right to set boundaries and say, <<This isn’t OK for me>>. I knew that it wasn’t my fault. If I hadn’t gone through the first breakup and made that promise to myself this would have leveled me.”
“I stink at marriage,” Halle Berry joked to Parade in the 2007 interview.
Los Angeles authorities said yesterday that no new evidence has been uncovered in the death of Natalie Wood that would point to foul play.
After several weeks of interviews and other investigative work, detectives have not uncovered any evidence the death was a homicide.
It had been ruled as an accident.
Chief detective William McSweeney told the Los Angeles Times cold cases like Natalie Wood’s are never really closed and that detectives are still looking at some aspects of the case.
“At this point, it is an accidental death. Nothing has been discovered to suggest changing that at this time,” William McSweeney said.
Los Angeles police said in November “substantial new evidence” led them to re-open their investigation into Natalie Wood’s death 30 years ago.
Los Angeles authorities said yesterday that no new evidence has been uncovered in the death of Natalie Wood that would point to foul play
Natalie Wood died sometime after the evening of November 28, 1981, when the 43-year-old actress was boating off Catalina Island with her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken.
The evening before the drowning, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken, who was her co-star in the film “Brainstorm”, had dinner at a restaurant on the island.
According to ship Captain Dennis Davern’s sworn statement to detectives, the trio returned to the yacht and had drinks and Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken got into an argument.
A furious Robert Wagner shouted: “Do you want to f*** my wife” at Christopher Walken as he smashed a bottle of wine in the moments before Natalie Wood fell overboard, Dennis Davern claimed.
The captain told the officers when he showed up on the open deck where Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner had been arguing, Dennis Davern said: “Wagner was present, and he stood near the far rear wall of the yacht.”
The day after Natalie Wood’s body was found off the coast of California, Dennis Davern said he was asked to go to Robert Wagner’s bedroom at his Beverly Hills home, where he met with a lawyer and was told to “Say nothing”.
The captain wrote: “Wagner informed me he would hire an attorney who would handle my statement about Natalie Wood’s disappearance and drowning, which he did before Natalie Wood’s funeral.
“I signed a statement the appointed attorney drafted, one completely void of the facts surrounding Natalie Wood’s disappearance.”
Dennis Davern continued: “Detective Duane Rasure accepted the statement that had been prepared for me – a statement claiming that I did not know details about Natalie Wood’s disappearance from the yacht.
“Although I did want to reveal what I knew, I obeyed what had been asked of me.”
Robert Wagner has always maintained Natalie Wood accidentally slipped and drowned as she drunkenly tried to tie up a dinghy against the boat. Police say he is not considered a suspect.
In his memoir, Pieces of My Heart, Robert Wagner explains how he had been on his boat, the Splendour, with Natalie Wood – who he had married twice – and Christopher Walken when an argument broke out.
Robert Wagner wrote: “Chris [Walken] began talking about his <<total pursuit of a career>>, which he admitted was more important to him than his personal life. He clearly thought Natalie should live like that, too.
“I got angry. <<Why don’t you stay out of her career?>> I said. <<She’s got enough people telling her what to do without you>>.”
As the argument escalated, Natalie Wood left for bed.
“The last time I saw my wife she was fixing her hair in the bathroom while I was arguing with Chris,” Robert Wagner said.
“I saw her shut the door. She was going to bed.”
Robert Wagner described how he and Christopher Walken moved up to the deck as “things were threatening to get physical” and they were calmed by the fresh sea air.
He said he waited up a little longer before going to bed – but his wife was not there.
When Robert Wagner was questioned by a rescue boat captain in 1981 about why he didn’t call for help to find his missing wife, he allegedly said: “We thought she was off on another boat screwing around because that’s the kind of woman she is.”
Describing his sense of guilt, Robert Wagner continued in his book: “Yes, I blamed myself. If I’d been there, I could have done something. I wasn’t, but ultimately, a man is responsible for his loved one.
“I would have done anything in the world to protect her. Anything. I lost a woman I loved with all my heart and I will never completely come to terms with that.”
Lifeguard captain Roger Smith told the Times in November that Natalie Wood could have been saved if officials had been called sooner to search for her.
Roger Smith said he was alerted that Natalie Wood was missing at 5:11a.m. the next day.
Based on the condition of her body when Natalie Wood was pulled from the water, Roger Smith said he believes she survived for some time in the water and was washed out to sea.
University lecturer and nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan has been killed in a car explosion in north Tehran.
Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, an academic who also worked at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility and another unidentified person were killed in the attack.
The blast happened after a motorcyclist stuck an apparent bomb to the car.
Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated in recent years, with Iran blaming Israel and the US.
Both countries deny the accusations.
Iran’s Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi told state television that the attack against Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan would not stop “progress” in the country’s nuclear programme.
Mohammad Reza Rahimi called the killing “evidence of [foreign] government-sponsored terrorism”.
Local sources said Wednesday’s blast took place at a faculty of Iran’s Allameh Tabatai university.
Two others were reportedly also injured in the blast, which took place near Gol Nabi Street, in the north of the capital.
Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, 32, was a graduate of Sharif University and supervised a department at Natanz uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan province
Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, 32, was a graduate of Sharif University and supervised a department at Natanz uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan province, semi-official news agency Fars reported.
“The bomb was a magnetic one and the same as the ones previously used for the assassination of the scientists, and the work of the Zionists [Israelis],” deputy Tehran governor Safarali Baratloo said.
Witnesses said they had seen two people on the motorbike fix the bomb to the car, reported to be a Peugeot 405. A second person died in the attack though the car itself remained virtually intact.
The latest attack comes almost two years to the day since Massoud Ali Mohammadi, a 50-year-old university lecturer at Tehran University, was killed by a remote-controlled bomb as he left his home in Tehran on 12 January 2010.
Reports at the time described Dr. Massoud Ali Mohammadi as a nuclear physicist, but it later appeared that he was an expert in another branch of physics.
There was also confusion as to whether the attack had any domestic political overtones because of reports about his apparent links to an opposition presidential candidate.
However, in August 2011, an Iranian man – Majid Jamali Fashi – was sentenced to death for the killing, with state authorities saying he was paid by Israel’s Mossad spy agency. Israel does not comment on such claims.
Of the latest attack, Fars reports that the bombing method appears similar to another 2010 bombing which injured former university professor Fereydun Abbasi-Davani, now the head of the country’s atomic energy organization.
There has been much controversy over Iran’s nuclear activities.
Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy purposes, but the US and other Western nations suspect it of seeking to build nuclear weapons.
In a statement quoted on Iranian television on Wednesday, the country’s atomic energy agency said its nuclear path was “irreversible”, despite mounting international pressure.
Scientists say life expectancy is written into our DNA and could be seen from the day we are born.
They have found a way to predict how long someone will live – by measuring their genes as a baby
It all depends on the length of the telomeres, which are described as “acting like the plastic ends on shoelaces” to protect chromosomes from wear and tear.
Telomeres are being studied extensively – and are thought to hold the key to ageing.
The longer your telomeres, the longer you will live – dependent, of course, on not dying accidentally, from disease or from lifestyle factors.
It was known they could be shortened by life choices, including smoking and stress. But this is the first indication that our lifespan might be predetermined from birth.
In the future, tests may allow people to know their expected lifespan from a very early age – if they want to.
Professor Pat Monaghan, who led the Glasgow University study, said: “The results of this research show that what happens in our bodies in early life is very important.
“It is not understood why there are variations of telomere length but if you had a choice, you would want to be born with longer telomeres.
“If you were to test this, I don’t think anyone would want to know – it would just make you miserable. But it must be remembered that how you live has a big effect. This isn’t quite a case of nature overtaking nurture.”
Telomeres are important because they stop DNA from unraveling, but they begin shortening from the moment we are conceived
The study – which used zebra finches, one of Australia’s most common bird species – is the first to measure telomere lengths at regular intervals through an entire life. With people, it is usually only the elderly who are studied because of the timescales involved.
Blood cell samples were taken from 99 finches, starting when they were 25 days old.
The results exceeded even the researchers’ expectations. The birds with the shortest telomeres did tend to die first – from as early as seven months after the start of the trial.
But one bird in the group with the longest telomeres survived to almost nine years old.
Professor Monaghan said: “These birds were dying of natural causes. There were no predators, no diseases and no accidental deaths. This was showing their capacity for long life.”
The results hold huge implications for humans, whose telomeres work in the same way.
Telomeres are important because they stop DNA from unraveling, but they begin shortening from the moment we are conceived.
The longer they are, the better for an individual because when they get too short, they stop working.
DNA is then no longer protected and errors begin to creep in when cells divide. When this happens – usually in middle age – the skin begins to sag and the immune system becomes less efficient. Faulty cells also lead to a growing risk of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
The university’s institute of biodiversity, animal health and comparative medicine has published its groundbreaking research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.
In the next stage of their research, the Glasgow scientists will look at what causes telomeres to shorten – including inherited and environmental factors – to make it possible to predict life expectancy more accurately.
In a new study, psychologists found that a more mature brain is better equipped to see the sunny side of life.
As people move from middle to old age, they tend to focus on positive events and filter out bad ones, the researchers suggest.
Older people cope with a negative event by simply shrugging it off and moving on, said the study for the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science.
In contrast, younger people are more likely to dwell on a setback until something positive happens to distract them from it.
A series of tests showed older minds focus on the positive.
For example, after seeing a series of photos of faces, older people later recall the ones that are smiling.
This suggests that as the brain ages and loses some of its memory, there is a subconscious choice in what to remember and what to let go, and the positive memories are more likely to stay.
As people move from middle to old age, they tend to focus on positive events and filter out bad ones, the researchers suggest
The researchers said: “Some psychologists believe that cognitive processes are responsible – in particular, focusing on and remembering positive events and leaving behind negative ones.
“Those processes, they think, help older people regulate their emotions, letting them view life in a sunnier light.”
The over-50s are also more likely than younger adults to “prune” their social circle or friends if they find any of their acquaintances ‘bring them down’.
Researcher Derek Isaacowitz of Northeastern University in Boston said more study was needed to help others by discovering why happiness and age were linked.
He added: “Older people are happier on average, but we still want to know in what situations does this particular strategy make this particular person with these particular qualities or strengths feel good.”
One of the reasons Kim Kardashian ended up splitting up with NBA player Kris Humphries is because he was unhappy with the way she spoke to her family.
According to RadarOnline, Kris Humphries would argue with Kim Kardashian because he felt she did not show her relatives enough respect.
Supposedly Kris Humphries was attracted to Kim Kardashian because how close she was to her own family.
The power forward himself comes from a small, close knit family, so he was shocked at the things Kim Kardashian would say to her own relatives.
A source said: “Kris just couldn’t believe that Kim would speak to her mom with such disrespect, often telling her she had no idea what she was doing, as pertaining to Kris’ management of her career.
“On one recent episode of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Kim called Khloe an <<ugly little troll>> because she was woken up by her sister, earlier one morning than she liked.
“Kris would never even joke with his parents, nor his sister, Kaela that way. He just wasn’t raised that way.”
One of the reasons Kim Kardashian ended up splitting up with NBA player Kris Humphries is because he was unhappy with the way she spoke to her family
The mystery source, who is reportedly very close to the situation, also said Kris Humphries had been trying to make her change her ways.
It said: “Kris tried to approach the subject gingerly with Kim, saying there were other ways to communicate her frustration and anger, rather than using such ugly language, Kim responded by telling him that it was none of his business.”
As their 72 day union deteriorated the arguing between the pair got even worse.
The source said: “Kim got angry at her mom on the phone while they were in New York because of a photo shoot that she had to go to, that she didn’t want to do.
“Humphries was in the room, and told Kim to stop, and that she had diarrhoea of the mouth.
“Kim quickly turned her anger towards her husband and hung up on her mom, which happens all the time.”
However, it seems Kim Kardashian had been turning to her mother, Kris Jenner, 56, for support as she struggled with her marriage breakdown.
On Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Kim Kardashian told her mother she was unhappy in her marriage during a business trip to Dubai.
Kim Kardashian said: “There’s something in my relationship that I feel isn’t right.
“And married life isn’t what I thought it would be with him: I keep thinking something is off.”
Monica Hussing and William Robinson Sr. from Clevland, Ohio, who failed to seek medical care for their cancer-stricken son because they said they couldn’t afford medical care have pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Their son, Willie Robinson, 8, died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2008 after begging his parents to get him medical care, according to prosecutors. The prosecutors say that had he received treatment, the youngster would have had a 96% chance of making a full recovery.
The parents claim they never took their cancer-stricken son to the doctor because they didn’t have the money.
But somehow, they found the cash to have their family pit bull treated for fleas, prosecutors say.
Willie Robinson, 8, died of Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2008 after begging his parents to get him medical care, according to prosecutors
Monica Hussing, 37 and William Robinson, 40, have been free on $150,000 bail each in Cleveland, since their son died. On Monday, the parents pleaded guilty to attempted involuntary manslaughter and face up to eight years in prison.
Monica Hussing’s lawyer blamed Willie’s death on the fact that the parents, who still have five children, were poor and did not have health insurance.
“Unfortunately, these people did not have that ability to get the proper health care and I think the entire system both in Warren, in Trumbull County and in Cuyahoga County it was just a little bit of… the ball was dropped,” John Luskin told WJW.
But prosecutors say as Willie Robinson was dying a horrible, but preventable, death, his parents paid $87 to take their pit bull Petey to a veterinarian and have it treated for fleas.
After ignoring his pleas for medical help, Willie Robinson collapsed at their home March 22, 2008. It was then Monica Hussing and William Robinson finally took him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with cancer and died later that day.
The coroner ruled the boy’s death, caused by cancer and pneumonia, a homicide, meaning it was the result of his parents’ actions.
Authorities say none of the couple’s five other children, now 17, 16, 10, 9 and 8, received medical care. All of them have been removed from their parents and are living with an aunt.
The parents also kept their children out of school. Willie Robinson never saw a classroom in his short life, authorities say.
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is cancer of lymph tissue found in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and bone marrow. Symptoms include: fatigue, fever and chills, loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss.
It is the most common form of childhood cancer and the most treatable, with up to 96% of children surviving at least five years after the cancer goes into remission.
Saud bin Nasser Al Shahry is a Saudi father who is trying to sell his son on Facebook for around $20 million.
The father claims he is selling his son to avoid “living in poverty” after his illegal business was shut down, it was reported today.
Saud bin Nasser Al Shahry also claims trafficking his son is the only option to continue providing for his wife and daughter.
The father says he is willing to go to court to complete the sale, the only condition of which is to know which city the buyer lives in.
Saud bin Nasser Al Shahry made the decision after first asking whether the authorities could help him financially when his illegal debt-collection business was shut down by a court, he told Qatari news outlet Al Sharq.
He was apparently denied the request because he was older than 35.
It is not clear whether his actions are merely a publicity stunt or, if genuine, whether he would be able to carry out the sale without redress.
Saud bin Nasser Al Shahry claims he is selling his son to avoid “living in poverty” after his illegal business was shut down
Human trafficking is an offence in Saudi Arabia, but the country does not comply with minimum international standards, according to the U.S. Department of State.
In recent reports, quoted in Venture Beat, it said the Saudi government “continues to lack adequate anti-trafficking laws, and, despite evidence of widespread trafficking abuses, did not report any criminal prosecutions, convictions or prison sentences for trafficking crimes committed against foreign domestic workers.”
Facebook is also unlikely to allow such a sale through its website.
According to Facebook Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, users “will not post content or take any action on Facebook that infringes or violates someone else’s rights or otherwise violates the law”.
Around half of all Saudi children face domestic violence or some kind of abuse, it is claimed by a Saudi Arabian human rights group, The National Society for Human Rights.
Indonesia has issued a tsunami warning after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off Aceh province.
The 7.3 magnitude quake struck 423 km (262 miles) south-west of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The earthquake had a depth of 29.1 km (18.1 miles), according to USGS.
A giant earthquake struck off Indonesia in December 2004 triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed some 230,000 people, half of them in Aceh.
An official with Indonesia’s geological agency, Arief Akhir, confirmed that a tsunami warning had been issued.
Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – one of the most seismically active regions on earth.
Roxy Music star Bryan Ferry and his younger girlfriend Amanda Sheppard married in a romantic island ceremony.
Bryan Ferry, 66, and Amanda Sheppard, 29, have tied the knot in a simple private ceremony at the stunning Amanyara luxury beach resort on the Turks and Caicos Islands last week on January 4th.
Amanda Sheppard wore an ethereal Lanvin white dress for the ceremony, while Bryan Ferry looked dapper in a dark blue suit by Anderson & Sheppard.
This is the second marriage for world-famous crooner Bryan Ferry, who was married to Lucy Helmore, with whom he has four children, for 21 years.
Bryan Ferry also famously dated Jerry Hall for two years before she left him for Mick Jagger.
Following his divorce from Lucy Helmore, Bryan Ferry began dating dancer Katie Turner, 35 years his junior.
During an interview last year, Bryan Ferry said he was “fortunate” to have snared himself a younger girlfriend.
He said: “The interesting thing is – and I don’t want to say the wrong thing in case I get into trouble with my girlfriend – you never really meet people your own age who aren’t married.
“I’m very fortunate that I work in music, where you’re in touch with different age groups, either the audience or people you work with.
“It does help. Obviously I’m not ageist!”
Bryan Ferry, 66, and Amanda Sheppard, 29, have tied the knot in a simple private ceremony at the stunning Amanyara luxury beach resort on the Turks and Caicos Islands last week on January 4th
When Bryan Ferry and Amanda Sheppard first started dating back in 2009, many people doubted whether their relationship would last.
A source said at the time: “No one expected the fling to last, but it’s getting quite serious.
“They are a really lovely couple but there’s no talk of marriage just yet. I don’t think Bryan’s that keen on getting married again.”
However, a few months later Amanda Sheppard quit her job as a London PR girl after Bryan Ferry offered to financially support her, and moved in to the singer’s London home.
Amanda Sheppard was absent from Buckingham Palace last year, however, when Bryan Ferry collected his CBE from the Queen.
Bryan Ferry was instead accompanied by his sons Otis, 29, Isaac, 26, Tara, 21, and 20-year-old Merlin.
Three-year-old Sofia Walker refused to back down when a lion viciously lashed out at her at Wellington Zoo in New Zealand last week.
Fortunately for little girl, a thick pane of safety glass stood between her and Malik, the 7-year-old lion so incensed by her gall.
The incredible moment was captured on camera by Sofia Walker’s father Julian.
At one point, the fascinated toddler turns to her parents and asks: “What’s he telling me?”
“I think he’s telling you to move away, Sofia,” a woman responds off camera. “He wants to eat his food.”
But Sofia Walker remained as transfixed with the animal as he was with her and the battle of wills continued.
Then, once more unable to hold in his frustration, Malik pounced for a second time, wildly swiping his front paws against the glass as he stood on his hind legs.
Three-year-old Sofia Walker refused to back down when a lion viciously lashed out at her at Wellington Zoo in New Zealand last week
Paul Hatton, the zoo’s team leader of carnivores and primates, told the New Zealand Herald: “There were a couple of moments where she was a little bit surprised, which is fair enough completely, but she didn’t seem too bothered.
“He’s massive and you sometimes forget how big he is until you see a picture of him right up next to a small child. He’s a big character.”
Malik, who had been just given his breakfast, is an easily grumpy and defensive lion, Paul Hatton said.
He explained: “They don’t like to share, lions.”
Malik has plenty of room in his enclosure, but on this occasion refused to move out of sight from visitors.
The glass separating man from beast is 33mm thick and is constructed of three separate layers that are bonded together. Not even a sledgehammer could break it, Paul Hatton said.
Julian walker said: “She’s always had this quiet confidence with animals, but she’s certainly more confident with a lion than I would be, that’s for sure.”
Pope Benedict XVI warned yesterday that gay marriage is one of several threats to the traditional family unit that undermines “the future of humanity itself”.
Pope Benedict XVI told diplomats from nearly 180 countries that the education of proper of children needed proper “settings” and that “pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman”.
The pontiff made his comments, some of his strongest yet against gay marriage, during a New Year address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican.
During his speech, Pope Benedict touched on some economic and social issues facing the world today, including gay marriage.
The pontiff said: “This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society.
“Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself. The family unit is fundamental for the educational process and for the development both of individuals and states.
“Hence there is a need for policies which promote the family and aid social cohesion and dialogue.”
Pope Benedict XVI warned yesterday that gay marriage is one of several threats to the traditional family unit
The Vatican and Catholic officials around the world have protested against moves to legalize gay marriage in Europe and other developed parts of the world.
One leading opponent of gay marriage in the U.S. is New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who Pope Benedict will elevate to cardinal next month.
Timothy Dolan fought against gay marriage before it became legal in New York state last June, and in September he sent a letter to President Barack Obama criticizing his administration’s decision not to support a federal ban on gay marriage.
In that letter Timothy Dolan, who holds the powerful post of president of the U.S. Bishops Conference, said such a policy could “precipitate a national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions”.
The Roman Catholic Church, which has some 1.3 billion members worldwide, teaches that while homosexual tendencies are not sinful, homosexual acts are, and that children should grow up in a traditional family with a mother and a father.
Gay marriage is legal in a number of European countries, including Spain and the Netherlands.
Some Churches that have allowed gay marriage, women priests, gay clergy and gay bishops have been losing members to Catholicism, and the Vatican has taken steps to facilitate their conversion.
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI decreed that Anglicans who leave their Church, many because they feel it has become too liberal, can find a home in Catholicism in a parallel hierarchy that allows them to keep some of their traditions.
The Vatican has since set up “ordinariates,” structures similar to dioceses, in Britain and the U.S. to oversee ex-Anglicans who have converted and be a point of contact for those wishing to do so.
