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Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, dies at 69

Diane A. Wade
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Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, dies at 69

Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, has died at the age of 69, state-run television has announced.

Kim Jong-il, who has led the communist nation since the death of his father, Kim Il-sung in 1994, died on a train while visiting an area outside the capital, the announcement said.

North Korean leader suffered a stroke in 2008 and was absent from public view for months.

Kim Jong-il’s designated successor is his third son, Kim Jong-un, who is thought to be in his late 20s.

North Korea’s state-run news agency, KCNA, urged people to unite behind the younger Kim.

“All party members, military men and the public should faithfully follow the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un and protect and further strengthen the unified front of the party, military and the public,” the news agency said.

State media also referred to Kim Jong-un as the “great successor to the revolutionary cause” in what appeared to be the first such reference.

 Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, has died at the age of 69

Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, has died at the age of 69

A funeral for Kim Jong-il will be held in Pyongyang on 28 December and Kim Jong-un will head the funeral committee, KCNA reports. A period of national mourning has been declared from 17 to 29 December.

International media reports say Kim Jong-il’s death will cause huge shock waves across North Korea, an impoverished, nuclear-armed nation with few allies.

The announcement of Kim Jong-il’s death came in an emotional statement read out on national television.

The announcer, wearing black, said he had died of physical and mental over-work. A later report from KCNA said Kim Jong-il had had a heart attack.

China – North Korea’s closest ally and biggest trading partner – said it was “distressed” to hear the news of his death.

“We express our grief about this and extend our condolences to the people of North Korea,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

South Korea’s military has been put on alert following the announcement and its National Security Council is convening for an emergency meeting, Yonhap news agency reports. The Japanese government has also convened a special security meeting.

The White House said it was “closely monitoring” reports of the death. The US remained “committed to stability on the Korean peninsula, and to the freedom and security of our allies”, it said in a statement.

South Korea’s President Lee Myung-Bak spoke to US President Barack Obama by telephone.

“The two leaders agreed to closely co-operate and monitor the situation together,” a South Korean presidential spokesman said.

Asian stock markets fell after the news was announced.

Kim Jong-il inherited the leadership of North Korea – which remains technically at war with South Korea – from his father Kim Il-sung.

Shortly after he came to power, a severe famine caused by ill-judged economic reforms and poor harvests left an estimated two million people dead.

Kim Jong-il’s regime has been harshly criticized for human rights abuses and is internationally isolated because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Under Kim Jong-il’s leadership funds have been channeled to the military and in 2006 North Korea conducted its first nuclear test. It followed that up with a second one three years later. Multinational talks aimed at disarming North Korea have been deadlocked for months.

Kim Jong-il unveiled his son as his likely successor a year ago. Many had expected to see this process further consolidated in 2012.

Professor Lee Jung-hoon, specializing in international relations at Yonsei University in Seoul, told the BBC that with the transition of power from father to son incomplete, Kim Jong-il’s death could herald “very unstable times” in North Korea.

“We have to be very worried because whenever there is domestic instability North Korea likes to find an external situation to divert the attention away from that – including indulging in provocation.”

Christopher Hill, former US representative to the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programme, said all parties needed to “keep cool heads”.

As for Kim Jong-il’s son and successor, very little is known about him – including his exact age. He was educated in Switzerland and is the son of Kim Jong-il’s reportedly favorite wife, the late Ko Yong-hui.

Kim Jong-un has an older brother, Kim Jong-chol, and a older half-brother, Kim Jong-nam – both of whom appear to have been passed over for the succession.

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Duvet cycle on washing machine is the most pointless and expensive option

Nancy Clayson
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Duvet cycle on washing machine is the most pointless and expensive option

Many household appliances come with confusing features that people do not want and which could be driving up prices, a new research has found.

A consumer watchdog has found the duvet cycle on washing machine is one of the most pointless and expensive options on a household appliance.

Gimmick-laden washing machines fare particularly badly in a survey of 10,500 adults carried out by consumer watchdog “Which?”.

Among the top ten features “you can live without” are those that enable owners to operate a pre-wash – soaking dirty clothes before the main wash – or to clean a duvet.

In the poll, 66% of people said they hardly ever or never used the duvet cycle.

Which? consumer watchdog has found the duvet cycle on washing machine is one of the most pointless and expensive options on a household appliance
Which? consumer watchdog has found the duvet cycle on washing machine is one of the most pointless and expensive options on a household appliance

Even less popular was the pause wash, which allows householders to stop their machines in mid-cycle if, say, they spot a black sock in with the whites. Only 5% of people said they used this feature regularly.

On fridge-freezers, “holiday” settings, which allow the fridge section to be turned off while keeping the freezer on when people are away, got the thumbs-down. Extra rinse cycles on dishwashers are a particular irritant, while there was little enthusiasm for delay controls on various appliances, which allow people to start the process when electricity rates are lowest.

But not all extras are bad, the survey found. The frost-free setting on fridge-freezers, which circulates air to prevent them frosting up, was judged the most useful “extra” in the kitchen.

Fan-assisted ovens and alarms warning householders when the fridge door is left open were also praised.

“Which?” is now sending the findings to manufacturers in the hope they might influence future design and cut prices.

A spokesman for “Which?” said the message from the survey was clear – people wanted fewer gimmicks, especially if they drove up the prices of appliances.

“Extra rinse cycles for dishwashers and holiday settings for fridge-freezers aren’t worth having,” he added.

A spokesman for manufacturers Bosch said: “We will definitely be studying these findings with interest.”

Christmas tree makes you ill over the festive period

Kathryn R. Bown
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Christmas tree makes you ill over the festive period

Scientists from Upstate Medical University in New York have discovered a range of health complaints including coughing, wheezing, lethargy and insomnia can be attributed to the Christmas tree.

If you’re feeling lethargic or having problems breathing, it might be down to your Christmas tree.

The condition, known as the Christmas Tree Syndrome, is caused from mould spores and was discovered by a team from Upstate Medical University after they noticed a peak in respiratory problems during December.

To test the theory, the researchers examined clippings from 28 trees, including needles and bark, and found 53 cases of mould.

70% of trees were responsible for causing symptoms like fatigue, chest pains, sinus congestion, itchy nose and shortness of breath.

Some forms of the mould can also cause long term breathing problems and conditions like pneumonia or bronchitis.

If you're feeling lethargic or having problems breathing, it might be down to your Christmas tree
If you're feeling lethargic or having problems breathing, it might be down to your Christmas tree

Dr. Lawrence Kurlandsky said he had seen patients who he believed had a clear link between their illness and their Christmas tree.

He told the Sunday Telegraph he usually recommends that people try to use an artificial tree instead.

If you’re not convinced he advises hosing down the tree in the garden and leaving it to try before bringing into the house and removing it immediately after Christmas Day.

Dr. Lawrence Kurlandsky said: “I explain that there are nicer places to be on Christmas Eve than seeing the doctor and to perhaps just not have a tree or an artificial one.”

The study, published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, also reported on other research which found that after a Christmas tree has been on display for two weeks the number of airborne mould spores increases from 800 per 35 cubic feet to 3,000.

Google “Let It Snow” Easter Egg Turns Your Browser Window Into A Winter Wonderland

Nancy Clayson
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Google “Let It Snow” Easter Egg Turns Your Browser Window Into A Winter Wonderland

Googling the phrase “let it snow” causes Google to turn your browser window into a winter wonderland.

One week before Christmas, Google are trying to get us all into the festive spirit.

On Saturday Google rolled out its latest joke which had a very seasonal nature.

If you typed in the words “Let it snow”, snow flakes started gently falling from the top of the screen and eventually the whole screen was covered in snow, the Huffington Post reports.

Googling the phrase “let it snow” causes Google to turn your browser window into a winter wonderland
Googling the phrase “let it snow” causes Google to turn your browser window into a winter wonderland

Before the searcher collapsed in exasperation at another computer problem the cursor would wipe away the snow, before adding “Bye :)” in the bottom right hand corner.

There was even a “Defrost” button instead of blue “Search” button.

When the joke was taken down, it could be still be played by searching for “let it snow easter egg”.

An easter egg is an intentional hidden message or an in-joke inserted into a computer programme or web page.

Last month it came up with “do a barrell roll”.

When you typed in those wounds the screen rotated and flipped over like a fighter pilot doing a barrel roll.

Google’s search engine home page has attracted its fairs share of attention in recent years.

With a vast array of so-called Google doodles, the company has changed its logo more than 1,000 times.

Lindsay Lohan’s Playboy issue failed to impress, as no-one is buying it

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsay Lohan’s Playboy issue failed to impress, as no-one is buying it

Sales of latest issue of Playboy picturing nude Lindsay Lohan, which hit the shelves on Friday, have failed to shift and it seems there is not much interest in the actresse’s impersonation of Marilyn Monroe’s famous cover.

Playboy hoped Lindsay Lohan‘s issue would be a big money-maker for the magazine, which saw its circulation numbers fall from 2.6 million to 1.5 million last year but after pictures from the spread were leaked online Playboy was forced to release the issue early.

According to shopkeepers spoken to by FoxNews.com, no-one is buying it.

“I’m not surprised at all. Despite Playboy’s hype, there was nothing particularly shocking or new about this shoot,” said adult blog editor Lux Alptraum to FoxNews.com

“While these shots may have been slightly closer to full frontal than Lindsay’s previous shots, they weren’t actually full frontal; there was also nothing particularly new about Lindsay dressing up as Marilyn Monroe.”

Lux Alptraum added that he found the shots boring and said it needed a fresher, more interesting concept.

Sales of latest issue of Playboy picturing nude Lindsay Lohan, which hit the shelves on Friday, have failed to shift
Sales of latest issue of Playboy picturing nude Lindsay Lohan, which hit the shelves on Friday, have failed to shift

 

Playmate of the Year 2010 Hope Dworaczyk has also come out saying she thinks Lindsay Lohan’s photos are a bit of a letdown.

The centerfold model who appeared on Celebrity Apprentice earlier this year, shared her thoughts on the matter as she left a beauty salon in Los Angeles.

Hope Dworaczyk initially refused to be drawn into commenting on the photos when quizzed by TMZ, but when pressed she replied: “I saw that spread… and I was not impressed.”

“I just feel like if I would have known I was doing a Playboy shoot, I would have worked out more maybe.”

Hope Dworaczyk ‘s Play Mate of the Year pictorial was in the June 2010 issue of Playboy and included a 3-D fold out image of the model from Texas.

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner himself also admitted being initially unsure as to whether he even wanted Lindsay Lohan for the magazine cover.

“I kind of had mixed emotions about it initially, and then it turned into something bigger than life,” Hugh Hefner told E! News during an interview.

“I wasn’t quite sure where she was at in her life, obviously. It depends on whether it’s Tuesday or Thursday.”

After shelling out big bucks for the shoot to the cash-strapped starlet, Hugh Hefner also told E! News that he had ordered a re-shoot.

Hugh Hefner said the first set of images were unflattering and not as polished-looking as he would have liked.

He said that he didn’t speak to Lindsay Lohan directly about the redo but that he had explained to the crew exactly what he wanted and is over the moon with the final results.

“The pictorial and the concept for the pictorial came from me,” Hugh Hefner boasted.

“She had done semi-nudes before. I wanted to do something that would be memorable.”

“What is more natural, since she is a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, than do something that is a tribute to the red-velvet Tom Kelley photo shot of Marilyn Monroe that was our very first Playmate?”

When asked about the rumor that Lindsay Lohan didn’t want to pose completely naked at first, but that Hugh Hefner pushed for it, he confirmed that story was true.

Chilling 911 call records of Chloe Symington, 13, when two intruders enter her home

Diane A. Wade
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Chilling 911 call records of Chloe Symington, 13, when two intruders enter her home

13-year-old Chloe Symington from Detroit, Michigan, was home alone when two burglars began ransacking her home, but she remembered what her father always said: “Think now, react or panic later.”

Her father’s advice saved Chloe Symington from harm after two men broke into her home when she was off school feeling ill.

Aware the burglars did not know she was in the house, the girl grabbed her cat and hid in her room before immediately calling police.

The chilling 911 call, which Chloe Symington made in whispers from under her bed, alerted police to the area, where they arrested the two 19-year-olds.

Daniel Laflin and Michael Zdanukiewicz, who allegedly stole electronics and a handgun, were arraigned on home invasion charges, according to WXYZ.com.

On discovering their identities, Chloe Symington realized she knew one of the men – and that he had previously been invited to the family home.

Following the break-in, Chloe Symington had ran to her room when she saw intruders rifling through downstairs drawers, and immediately called 911.

Through the 18-minute 911 call, the Chloe Symington described the thieves’ whereabouts, but fell deadly silent when one came into her room minutes later
Through the 18-minute 911 call, the Chloe Symington described the thieves’ whereabouts, but fell deadly silent when one came into her room minutes later

Through the 18-minute call, the girl described the thieves’ whereabouts – but fell deadly silent when one came into her room minutes later.

Chloe Symington had not been able to fully hide by the time the intruder came into the room, and was only half under her bed.

But miraculously, intruder did not see her.

“I was just curled up in a ball,” said Chloe Symington told WXYZ.

“I was really freaked out.”

The 911 operator asks in disbelief: “How did they not see you?”

“I don’t know,” the girl said, before the operator added: “Just lay quiet.”

Officers from Macomb County Sheriff Department were unable to get to the home before Daniel Laflin and Michael Zdanukiewicz escaped. But with the girl’s description they were soon caught.

Chloe Symington put her quick thinking down to advice from her father: “Think now, react or panic later.”

“I was just thinking, alright, I should just think of <<what ifs>>. If they come here and they see me what am I going to do?” Chloe Symington told WXYZ.

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“Whatever” voted as the most annoying word for the third year in a row

James J. Williams
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A recent poll of Marist University in New York asserts that the word “whatever” was voted as the most annoying word for the third year in a row.

Marist University announced Friday that the dismissive “whatever” continues to reign supreme in the common lexicon.

For the third year in a row, the Marist University poll asked 1,026 adults what the most grating word was from a five options.

“Whatever” took the cake with 38% of the lot, though this is a drop of one point from last year, and even lower than its high of 49% in 2009.

While it clearly has staying power, some balked at the thought that “whatever”, a word made popular in the 1990’s cult film Clueless, was truly the worst thing to come out of society’s mouths over the past decade or so.

The respondents do not get to suggest the words that bother them the most, but rather are given five options decided upon by the university.

In 2011, options included the always-annoying “like” which came in second with 20% of the vote, followed shortly behind by “you know” with 19%.

“Just saying” and “seriously” rounded up the group with 11 and 7% respectively.

In 2010, other options included “to tell you the truth”, “you know what I mean”, and “actually”.

The inaugural class included “it is what it is” and “anyway”.

Weight-loss pill without side effects on the market within three years

Kathryn R. Bown
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Pharmaceutical company Pfizer promises a weight-loss pill that comes without side effects and could be on the market within three years.

Pfizer has begun clinical trials on a compound which mimics the effect of a hormone that switches off appetite and the enjoyment of eating.

The compound – codename OAP-189 – is a synthetic version of a hormone called oxyntomodulin, the effect of which was discovered by researchers at Imperial College London.

Drugs already on the market which promote weight loss, including Xenical or Alli, have unpleasant side effects such as diarrhoea, wind and even incontinence.

OAP-189 could bring Pfizer the financial success it enjoyed with Viagra, which it launched in 1998.

The time between successful trials and drugs being available in shops can be last little as three years.

Scientists at Imperial College found that patients who had stomach bypass operations producer higher levels of appetite suppressing hormones, including oxyntomodulin, The Sunday Times reported.

Appetite suppressing hormones convince the brain the body does not need food.

Stephen Bloom, professor of investigative medicine at Imperial College, told the newspaper: “I think we could mimic the dramatic weight loss achieved with stomach bypass surgery by giving people gut-hormone derived therapies.

“If you take away hunger, food is not attractive. If you take away pleasure, people stop eating.”

More than 130 drugs have been tested as anti-obesity agents, but most have been ineffective long-term or had unacceptable side effects.

Other products, Rimonabant and Reductil, have been withdrawn over safety fears after going on sale.

Tam Fry, a spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, told The Sunday Times: “Using these hormones to try to treat the overweight has to be the way forward because they are having an effect on the brain.

“We think this approach offers the prospect of the breakthrough we need. We just have to hope it doesn’t take too long to get one of them on the market.”

The research at Imperial College also found three other hormones produced in the digestive system could also be effective in weight loss.

Brooklyn: Delores Gillespie was burned to death by a man in the elevator

Diane A. Wade
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Brooklyn: Delores Gillespie was burned to death by a man in the elevator

Delores Gillespie from Brooklyn, New York, was burned to death by a man who doused her with a flammable liquid and set her alight in an elevator.

After this moment, a 47-year-old man smelling of gasoline walked into a police station overnight and implicated himself in the death of Delores Gillespie, 64.

The man, who hasn’t been charged, said he had started a fire, according to a New York Police Department spokesman. The man’s identity hasn’t been released.

The unidentified attacker – reportedly the woman’s ex-boyfriend – was waiting at the Brooklyn apartment block for the woman to return home.

As the elevator doors opened, he sprayed her with a flammable liquid, lit a rag in a bottle – a Molotov cocktail – and set Delores Gillespie on fire, according to New York police.

The horrifying attack lasted a minute and was caught on two surveillance cameras at the 203 Underhill Avenue apartment block.

Delores Gillespie, who had just returned from grocery shopping, turned and crouched in an attempt to protect herself, according to police.

But the man, who was wearing a protective mask on top of his head, sprayed her directly in the face and over her head and body as she retreated to the back of the elevator.

The attacker’s image was caught on two surveillance cameras at the 203 Underhill Avenue apartment block
The attacker’s image was caught on two surveillance cameras at the 203 Underhill Avenue apartment block

The man then pulled out a barbeque-style lighter and used it to ignite a rag in a bottle.

He waited for a few seconds before using the flames to set her alight and throwing the bottle inside the lift.

The attacker ran away, using the apart block’s staircase, leaving the woman to die in agony. Delores Gillespie, who neighbors believe grew up in Louisiana and suffered a mental illness, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said they believe the unidentified man, who was “known to the victim”, had been waiting for Delores Gillespie to return home.

“It was apparent he knew she was on the elevator,” New York City police spokesman Paul Browne said.

According to the New York Post, the man is Delores Gillespie’s former boyfriend. The paper adds that, before the deadly attack, the man had glued shut the locks on her apartment.

“I’ve never seen any s*** like this, and I’ve been doing this a long time,” an unnamed detective added.

No arrests have yet been made, but investigators are checking for the suspect at local hospitals after he appears to have sustained burns to his face and hands, the New York Times reported.

Firefighters and the police arrived at the apartment block at 4:00 p.m. after residents reported fire and smoke – but remained unaware of the elevator horror.

Neighbors described their shock at the terrifying incident, which occurred on the building’s fifth floor, where Delores Gillespie had lived “for years”.

Delores Gillespie had often complained other tenants were stealing from her – yet neighbors believe she was simply paranoid.

Her son had been staying with her in recent months. Another neighbor said the woman was a postal worker.

Five other people were hurt in the fire, but not seriously injured.

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Philippines: 652 died and 808 are still missing in the flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi

Diane A. Wade
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652 people were killed and 808 others missing in the flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi in the southern Philippines, The National Red Cross reported.

Rescuers teams are still searching for survivors, as naval vessels are scouring the coast along the island of Mindanao while soldiers searched swollen rivers.

According to officials, many bodies remained unclaimed, suggesting entire families had been swept away.

The flash floods were triggered by tropical storm Washi that coincided with high tides, trapping many in their homes.

The major ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were among the areas worst hit on Friday night.

Almost 35,000 people were still sheltering in evacuation centres on Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

Many of the bodies were unclaimed after nearly 24 hours, raising the prospect that entire families had died, Philippines Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang said.

“The affected area is so wide and huge and I believe they have not really gone to all areas to do a search,” she said.

“This thing happened so fast, it was very overwhelming.”

The navy joined the search for those who had been swept out to sea. About 60 people were reported to have been plucked from the ocean off El Salvador city, about six miles (10km) north-west of Cagayan de Oro.

Former congressman Ayi Hernandez said he and his family were at home in Cagayan de Oro late on Friday when they heard a loud “swooshing sound”.

He said the water rose to about 11 ft feet (3.3m) in less than an hour, filling his home to the ceiling.

The rescue effort, boosted by some 20,000 soldiers, continued through Saturday night but was being hampered by flooded-out roads and downed power lines, officials said.

National TV showed scenes of devastation, with streets strewn with mud and piles of debris. The remains of houses lay alongside cars that had been picked up by the water and left in culverts and along riverbanks.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent condolences to the Philippines.

“The US government stands ready to assist Philippine authorities as they respond to this tragedy,” Hilary Clinton said.

Weather experts said Tropical Storm Washi dumped more than a month of average rain in just 12 hours over Mindanao.

Although the Philippines is hit by typhoons or tropical storms every year, Mindanao in the south is usually spared the worst of the damage.

Washi reached the western island of Palawan before dawn on Sunday and is moving west into the South China Sea, government forecasters said.

The storm has maximum winds of 80km/h (50 mph) and is expected to move west, away from the Philippines.

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Václav Havel, the former Czech president and dissident playwright, dies at 75

Diane A. Wade
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Václav Havel, the former Czech president and dissident playwright, dies at 75

Václav Havel, the former Czech president and dissident playwright, who wove theater into politics to peacefully bring down communism in Czechoslovakia and become a hero of the epic struggle that ended the Cold War, has died at 75.

His assistant Sabina Dancecova says Václav Havel died Sunday morning at his weekend house in the northern Czech Republic.

Václav Havel was his country’s first democratically elected president after the nonviolent “Velvet Revolution” that ended four decades of repression by a regime he ridiculed as “Absurdistan.”

As president, Václav Havel oversaw the country’s bumpy transition to democracy and a free-market economy, as well its peaceful 1993 breakup into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Václav Havel, the former Czech president and dissident playwright, has died at 75
Václav Havel, the former Czech president and dissident playwright, has died at 75

 

One of the leading intellectual figures and moral forces in Eastern Europe, Václav Havel was elected President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in 1989 and in 1993 President of the newly formed Czech Republic.

Václav Havel’s role as a public figure has now somewhat overshadowed his record as a dramatist and political essayist. His work often dealt with the power of language to interfere with clear thought.

Václav Havel was born into a well-to-do family in Prague. His father owned Prague’s cliff-top Barrandov suburb and his mother, Bozena Havlova, the daughter of an ambassador and journalist, encouraged her son’s intellectual and artistic ambitions.

Václav Havel supported the Prague Spring reform movement of 1968, though he did not play a major role. After it was crushed by Soviet-led Warsaw Pact forces in August, Václav Havel took on a more visible role in activism.

During the 1970s and 1980’s Václav Havel was repeatedly arrested, serving several years in prison for his dissident activities (1977, 1978-79, 1979-83, 1989).

After the communist regime sentenced Václav Havel in 1979 to 4 1/2 years in prison for subversion, he was given the opportunity to emigrate, but he chose imprisonment. In the 1980s Václav Havel became the undisputed unofficial leader of the Czechoslovak human rights movement. In November 1989 he formed a new opposition group, Civic Forum, but it was students, who began the “Velvet Revolution.” Following the fall of communism, Alexander Dubcek (1921-1992), who had launched a series of reforms in 1968 and was subsequently expelled from the Presidium, was elected chairman of the parliament. Václav Havel was elected in 1989 by direct popular vote President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, following Gustav Husák.

Love child of Van Morrison with his late lover Gigi Lee died at 13 months

Lisa.Felice
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Love child of Van Morrison with his late lover Gigi Lee died at 13 months

The love child of Irish rock star Van Morrison with his late American lover Gigi Lee has died aged just 13 months.

Van Morrison had the boy, George Ivan Morrison III, with Gigi Lee, who, it was revealed last week, had died of cancer in October, aged 44.

Now it has been disclosed that George Ivan Morrison III – known as “Little Van” – died 11 months ago.

The news has shocked friends of Gigi Lee, who are already trying to come to terms with her death after a long battle with throat cancer.

Gigi Lee’s friend, Carla Higdon, 46, said: “It is so incredibly sad. I am devastated.”

Gigi Lee died at a hospice in Belfast after moving to Northern Ireland to be close to Little Van’s father, Van Morrison, who lives in Dublin with his wife Michelle Rocca.

 Van Morrison and his lover Gigi Lee in November 2009, one month before their child was born

Van Morrison and his lover Gigi Lee in November 2009, one month before their child was born

The intensely private Van Morrison, known for hits such as Brown Eyed Girl, attempted to keep his relationship with Gigi Lee secret.

Van Morrison issued a series of court orders to try to prevent the press mentioning the existence of the child.

Gigi Lee gave birth to Little Van in December 2009 and arranged to have a statement announcing it appears on Van Morrison’s official website just after Christmas.

The message was quickly removed after Van Morrison branded it a hoax and denied ever meeting Gigi Lee. But it was later revealed Gigi Lee had been made a director of 14 of his companies in the months before she give birth to Little Van.

Gigi Lee, the daughter of a businessman, was dating a Fleetwood Mac roadie and working as an office manager when she first met Van Morrison in 1998.

According to friends, Gigi Lee was diagnosed with cancer two months before her son was born.

Carla Higdon said: “She pulled back her hair and showed me a lump in her neck. It was huge. It was like the skin around it had caved in.

“They told her that the tumor had wound itself around her carotid artery and if they tried to remove it, her face would be paralyzed and her speech would be impaired.

“She was in great pain and was very shaken. She was afraid most of all for the baby.”

Carla Higdon also said the doctors told Gigi Lee she could have radiation treatment after the baby was born. The child’s sudden death came “as a total shock”, according to a British acquaintance of Gigi Lee.

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Russia: 4 people died and 50 are missing after Kolskaya oil rig sank in the Sea of Okhotsk

Diane A. Wade
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Russia: 4 people died and 50 are missing after Kolskaya oil rig sank in the Sea of Okhotsk

At least four people are dead and about 50 are missing after a Russian oil drilling rig sank in freezing seas in the Sea of Okhotsk.

The Kolskaya rig was being towed some 200km (125 miles) off Sakhalin island when it capsized in a fierce storm.

14 people have been rescued alive but it is feared the rig overturned before the rest of the 67 people on board could escape on to life rafts.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by poor weather conditions.

Helicopters and a plane helped scour the area amid high winds and waves of up to 12 ft (4 m) but the search was halted as night fell.

“According to reports from the scene of the rescue operation, the Kolskaya platform has sunk completely,” the regional head of the emergencies ministry, Taimuraz Kasayev, told a news briefing.

The Kolskaya rig was being towed some 200km (125 miles) off Sakhalin island when it capsized in a fierce storm
The Kolskaya rig was being towed some 200km (125 miles) off Sakhalin island when it capsized in a fierce storm

The accident happened at around 14:00 local time (02:00 GMT) in the Sea of Okhotsk, at temperatures of -17C, as the rig was being towed from the eastern peninsula of Kamchatka to Sakhalin by an icebreaker and a tug.

An unnamed regional emergencies ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency that the rig’s portholes had been “damaged by ice and waves, and water began going into the vessel”.

The crew had been waiting to be evacuated by helicopter but the platform capsized and sank before they could get to their rescue rafts, he said.

Two out of the four life rafts were reportedly found with nobody on board.

An investigation has been launched to decide whether any safety regulations were violated transporting the Kolskaya in bad weather.

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The Barefoot Diva, Cesaria Evora, dies at 70 in her home town

Sonia Pantiss
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The Barefoot Diva, Cesaria Evora, dies at 70 in her home town

Barefoot singer Cesaria Evora died Saturday in a hospital in Cape Verde, said Minister of Culture of Cape Verde, Mario Lucio Sousa.

Cesaria Evora, the famous Cape Verdean singer died in her native island of Sao Vicente, nearly three months after announcing the end of her career due to health problems.

Cesaria Evora, The Diva for her fans, had been hospitalized for several days at the Hospital Baptista de Sousa in Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente in Cape Verde, the town where she was living and where she had been on complete rest in the past two months.

The Diva was rushed to the hospital due to respiratory failure and pulmonary edema on the morning of December 16, 2011.

In 2008, Cesaria Evora suffered a stroke during her Australian tour and in 2010 she was hospitalized for a coronary problem.

Cesaria Evora, the famous Cape Verdean singer died in her native island of Sao Vicente, nearly three months after announcing the end of her career due to health problems
Cesaria Evora, the famous Cape Verdean singer died in her native island of Sao Vicente, nearly three months after announcing the end of her career due to health problems

Cesaria Evora began her international career at 47, when she recorded his first album in Paris, La Diva Aux pieds Nus (The Barefoot Diva). She gained international recognition with the song Sodade, released in 1992.

Since then, Cesaria Evora she has released 11 albums, sold over five million units and won numerous awards.

Nicknamed “The Barefoot Diva,” Cesaria Evora used to appear barefoot on stage at her concerts, showing that she never forgot her humble roots and reminding the world that millions of people are still living in poverty.

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FFRF protesters are rallying against nativity display put up in front of the Henderson’s Courthouse

Diane A. Wade
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FFRF protesters are rallying against nativity display put up in front of the Henderson’s Courthouse

Protesters from across US will be rallying against a nativity display put up in front of the Henderson’s Courthouse in Texas today in the so-called War Against Christmas.

Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a Wisconsin-based group, took major issue when they heard that the Christian display was put up outside of the Henderson County courthouse, prompting them to write a letter of complaint.

A letter from out-of-state isn’t going to leave the people of Henderson rattling in their cowboy boots, as the Attorney General Greg Abbott has boosted the beef to Texas-sized proportions.

“Our message to the atheists is don’t mess with Texas and out Nativity scenes or the Ten Commandments,” Greg Abbott told Fox News & Community.

Protesters from across US will be rallying against a nativity display put up in front of the Henderson's Courthouse in Texas today in the so-called War Against Christmas
Protesters from across US will be rallying against a nativity display put up in front of the Henderson's Courthouse in Texas today in the so-called War Against Christmas

 

The FFRF sent a banner to the court house that it wanted displayed, with a very different message then the birth of Christ.

FFRF’s banner read: “At this season of the Winter Solstice, let reason prevail.

“There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but a myth & superstition that hardens hearts & enslaves minds.”

A mystery man put the sign up on Wednesday on a tree next to the nativity scene in Athens, Texas, about 70 miles south east of Dallas, but it was removed shortly by sheriff’s deputies about 10 minutes later.

Though Judge Richard Sanders may have ordered its removal because of the missing forms and compliance with city procedures, the state’s Attorney General is taking a much more philosophical stance.

“I want the Freedom From Religion Foundation to know that our office has a history of defending religious displays in this state,” Greg Abbott told a local Fox News affiliate.

Greg Abbott offered to help the city if they end up in a legal battle over the issue, though there are no signs that it will reach that point.

The argument against the nativity scene is that it promotes a social belief that may make those non-believers uncomfortable.

“Anybody walking by that is going to say, <<Hmmm. This is a Christian government building. I’m not welcome here if I’m not Christian>>,” said FFRF co-founder Annie Laurie Gaylor.

“It sends a message of intimidation and exclusion to non-Christians and non-believers this time of year.”

A number of religious leaders from neighboring towns as well as their congregations are planning to show their today at a noon rally with hundreds of tentative attendees on Facebook.

Since it became popular and often times necessary to be politically correct, the holiday season has brought the now-token freedom of religion arguments.

So far this year, there have been incidents elsewhere in the U.S.

The Rhode Island governor getting in trouble for using the term Holiday Tree instead of Christmas Tree, and atheist groups being upset for being allotted a smaller amount of space at a Santa Monica, California, Christmas display.

Mississippi Mayor Greg Davis spent city money at a gay lifestyle and sex shop

Diane A. Wade
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Mississippi Mayor Greg Davis spent city money at a gay lifestyle and sex shop

Mississippi Mayor Greg Davis, a Republican of Southaven, spent over $170,000 of city money on personal expenses including purchases at a gay lifestyle and sex shop, according to receipts.

According to Mississippi state auditor, it was an anonymous tipster who prompted a Freedom of Information request into two years “of Mr. Davis” records, discovering the expenses as well as his admittance of being gay.

“I gasped,” Greg Davis said at a press conference describing his reaction to the news of the expenses.

“It was an accounting error, book keeping error. We’ve learned our lesson, and we’ll pay back the funds and we’ll move forward,” Greg Davis assured a reporter for My Fox Memphis, which boarders the Mississippi state in Tennessee.

“While I have performed my job as mayor, in my opinion, as a very conservative, progressive individual – and still continue to be a very conservative individual – I think that it is important that I discuss the struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the realization that I am gay,” Greg Davis announced, according to The Commercial Appeal.

Mississippi Mayor Greg Davis spent over $170,000 of city money on personal expenses including purchases at a gay lifestyle and sex shop
Mississippi Mayor Greg Davis spent over $170,000 of city money on personal expenses including purchases at a gay lifestyle and sex shop

State Auditor Stacey Pickering has since demanded Greg Davis pay back all the money within 30 days, exactly “$170,782.28,” or submit detailed receipts of his spending to not face a civil suit.

The auditor’s office has since received $96,000 from the mayor who is also providing receipts.

According to The Commercial Appeal, among Greg Davis’ expenses were thousands at a chop house and thousands more at local liquor stores.

The auditor’s office confirmed to The Associated Press that Greg Davis also billed the $67 Priape purchase, a Canadian store that describes itself as a gay sex shop, as well to the city.

Greg Davis told The Commercial Appeal he doesn’t remember what he bought at the shop.

In 2008, Greg Davis ran unsuccessfully for Congress on a family-values platform.

Greg Davis has been married to his wife Suzann for the past 19 years, according to the city’s website, whom he shares three daughters with.

Greg Davis says he plans to take time off during the holidays to be with his family as well as, “ensure that for the next year and a half that the city continues to grow.”

He added: “I will evaluate whether I will run again as mayor at a later time.”

Tribe Mediterranean worker died after his arm became caught in a grinder at the hummus factory

Diane A. Wade
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Daniel Callazo, a worker at hummus manufacturer Tribe Mediterranean in Massachusetts, died Friday after his arm became caught in a grinder.

Police were called in just after 1:00 a.m., pronouncing Daniel Callazo, 28, dead at the scene.

Daniel Callazo’s body was taken to a nearby hospital.

“The only information I really have is that he became stuck in a rather large machine which some people call an auger and others call it a grinder,” Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney’s office said.

“It appears to have been a tragic accident. … It was part of his duties to clean and sanitize the machinery for obvious health code and safety reasons. But the exact circumstances of that will be part of the investigation,” Gregg Miliote told the Taunton Gazette.

Tribe Mediterranean, which is the second largest hummus brand on the market according to The Jewish Week, temporarily shut its factory down while an investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration ensues.

“Foremost we are terribly saddened by this morning’s incident, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the individual’s family at this difficult time,” a statement released by the company read.

A spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney’s office said the death appears to be accident but they are still investigating, “as we would any unattended death”.

The Tribe Mediterranean plant recently completed an $8 million expansion over the summer.

At the time of the expansion it predicted they would add about 60 new jobs to their company.

That new number would bring their workforce to 125.

Rafiqul Islam, a jealous Muslim husband, chopped off his wife’s fingers as she began to study

Diane A. Wade
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Rafiqul Islam, a jealous husband is facing life in prison after chopping off his wife’s fingers because she began studying for a degree without his permission.

Rafiqul Islam, 30, blindfolded his wife Hawa Akhter, 21, and taped her mouth, telling her he was going to give her a surprise present.

Instead Rafiqul Islam, who is a migrant worker in the United Arab Emirates, made her hold out her hand and cut off all five fingers.

One of his relatives then threw Hawa Akhter’s fingers in the dustbin to ensure doctors could not reattach them.

Rafiqul Islam had warned his wife there would “severe consequences” if she did not give up her studies.

“After he came back to Bangladesh, he wanted to have a discussion with me,” Hawa Akhter told The Times.

“Suddenly, he blindfolded me and tied my hand. He also taped my mouth saying that he would give me some surprise gifts. But, instead he cut off my fingers.”

Mohammed Saluddin, the Bangladesh police chief said that Rafiqul Islam had confessed after he was arrested in the capital, Dhaka, and will face charges of permanent disfiguration.

Human rights groups are demanding life imprisonment.

“He was enraged. He was jealous because while he only had a grade eight standard education, she was off to college to pursue higher studies,” said Mohammed Saluddin.

Hawa Akhter says she is learning to write with her left hand and is determined to resume her studies. She is now back at her parent’s house.

The attack is the latest in a series of acts targeting educated women in the Muslim-majority company.

In June, an unemployed man gouged out the eyes of his wife, an assistant professor at Dhaka University, apparently because he could not stand her pursuing higher studies at a Canadian University.

Sara McMeen murdered her three children and boyfriend in front of neighbors before she killed herself

Diane A. Wade
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Sara McMeen murdered her three children and boyfriend in front of neighbors before she killed herself

Sara McMeen, a mother-of-three from the small farm town of Emington, Illinois, who murdered her children and her boyfriend Daniel Warren, killed herself in front of horrified neighbors.

Daniel Warren, 29, 10-months-old Maggie, Skyler, 8, and Ian, 7 were the victims of the horrible murder-suicide.

A witness described the horrible moment Sara McMeen, 30, placed Maggie, her infant girl, on the ground, wrapped her in a blanket and shot her at point blank range with a semi-automatic pistol.

Sara McMeen had apparently already gunned down her boyfriend Daniel Warren and her two other children.

The neighbor ran for help and when she came back, Sara McMeen was dead, as well, after turning the gun on herself.

Sara McMeen and her boyfriend Daniel Warren with their newborn baby Maggie
Sara McMeen and her boyfriend Daniel Warren with their newborn baby Maggie

Authorities have given no clue what could have led the mother of three to massacre her family.

Sara McMeen’s mother Cynthia, who is a school bus driver in a town 12 miles north of Emington, issued a statement asking for privacy as the family copes with the deaths:

“The family grieves over the loss of their loved ones. They realize this (tragic) incident affects not only their family, but other families as well. The family is drawing together during this time, relying on God, and grieving. They would ask for your prayers for all the families involved and would like their privacy to be honored.”

The neighbor who witnessed the shooting told the Pontiac Daily Leader she walked outside when she heard the gunshots and saw Sara McMeen wrap her infant daughter in a blanket on the ground in the backyard of her home.

When the neighbor asked if she was alright, Sara McMeen responded: “No, everything is not OK,” then bent down and shot the baby at point-blank range.

Authorities did not confirm the Daily Leader’s report, but said have hinted the shooter was one of the dead family members.

The shootings occurred at a house in Emington, Illinois, a town of just 100 people, where Skyler and Ian Lemke, the two older children, were seen getting off a school bus just before they were killed.

“They were happy because it was the last day of school before Christmas break,” neighbor Ronald Groetsema said.

Ronald Groetsema lives near the home where the family was found and said he heard six to eight gunshots, then he heard a second round of four to six shots a few minutes later.

Neighbors reported seeing the school children playing in the backyard moments before they were gunned down.

The family had moved to the town of about 100 people about 80 miles southwest of Chicago this summer and the two older children attend school in nearby Saunemin.

The street where the family lived was closed off by police.

Livingston County Sheriff Martin Meredith said first responders found the bodies after Livingston County dispatchers received a call on Friday afternoon.

“We did have an awful disaster here,” said Emington Mayor Daniel Delaney, who’s been in office for 24 years.

“You never would have thought it would happen in our town of 100 people or less. It’s very sad. There were helicopters flying over earlier. Right now it’s just very, very, very sad for us here.”

Mayor Daniel Delaney said the town is not prosperous and has received help from the state.

Emington has a post office that’s been targeted for closure and just a handful of small businesses – a grain elevator, a dog groomer and a small beauty salon.

The town, Livingston County Board member Bob Young said, had never experienced anything like Friday’s shootings.

“I’ve lived here all my life. I guess, 60, 70 years ago we had a bank robbery, was the other big thing, but otherwise, nothing like this,” he said.

Train hopping couple, who hitched a ride across America on freight trains, buried alive under a mound of coal

Diane A. Wade
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Train hopping couple, who hitched a ride across America on freight trains, buried alive under a mound of coal

Christopher Artes and Medeana Hendershot, a couple who romanticized trains and lived a modern-day adventure by riding railroad cars across the U.S., were killed when a train dumped its load of coal on them at a Florida power plant.

Workers discovered the bodies of Christopher Artes, 25, and Medeana Hendershot, 22, this Sunday.

Though it’s unclear exactly how the young couple died, officials guess that Christopher Artes was buried alive and Medeana Hendershot was crushed to death by the weight of the coal.

Sometime over the weekend, the train pulled into the city of Lakeland’s power plant in Central Florida.

As the rail cars arrive, the bottom opens and cars drop coal several stories below onto a waiting truck.

Officials were not sure if the couple was sitting on top of the coal or were riding in an empty car and dropped onto a mound of coal, then hit or buried by another load.

Christopher Artes died from asphyxiation, meaning he was likely buried alive. Medeana Hendershot died from blunt force trauma to her middle section.

As a teenager in suburban Maryland, Christopher Artes had an illegal and dangerous kind of wanderlust – hitching rides on trains.

Over the summer, he fell in love with Medeana Hendershot, who shared his passion.

The couple travelled from Georgia to Chicago, then back to Tennessee, with Christopher Artes sending his mother pictures along the way.

They wanted to spend winter in Florida because it was warm.

This summer, with his girlfriend, Christopher Artes embarked on his longest trip yet, with no set plans other than the adventure
This summer, with his girlfriend, Christopher Artes embarked on his longest trip yet, with no set plans other than the adventure

“If he had to die so young, at least he died at a moment where he was on top of the world,” said Susan Artes, Christopher’s mother.

Christopher Artes was adopted when he was 5 days old. Growing up, he had dyslexia and other learning disorders, but he was a sweet boy, his mother said.

The boy was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder but didn’t like taking his medication. He used drugs and drank, but his mother said he had been clean in recent months.

In high school, Christopher Artes embraced the punk rock scene and met some “traveller kids”, his mother said. He started to dress in black and had a lot of different hair styles and colours.

It was then Christopher Artes began climbing aboard freight trains for short trips, either to get around, or for the experience.

This summer, with his girlfriend, Christopher Artes embarked on his longest trip yet, with no set plans other than the adventure.

Kevin Rice, from San Luis Obispo, California, who writes about his train hopping adventures from 20 years ago on his website, said:

“I don’t recommend it and I encourage people not to do it.”

Kevin Rice, 43, listed the dangers of riding the rails: falling off the car, getting robbed by a vagrant, being jolted or crushed when the train’s slack lessens.

He said he has heard of many different freight-hopping deaths, but nothing like the case of Christopher Artes and Medeana Hendershot.

Christopher Artes’ mother said her son had a train-hopping manual, but it was stolen at some point.

Susan Artes described her son as naïve and trusting. When he and Medeana Hendershot were in Miami several weeks ago, a trucker with whom they had caught a ride with stole Christopher Artes’ backpack.

“We were always worried about him. He always made so many bad decisions,” Susan Artes said.

“If he got an idea and something looked good to him, he would do it. He was always jumping into situations.

“This particular train was one of them. I’m sure they thought the train would go from one yard to another.”

Medeana Hendershot’s family couldn’t be located for comment.

The last time Christopher Artes spoke with his mother was last Saturday. He had been up north.

He told his mother he was in Georgia on his way to Florida because the weather up north was too cold.

Christoper Artes’ funeral will likely be next week in Maryland.

Philippines: more than 430 people killed in flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi

Diane A. Wade
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Philippines: more than 430 people killed in flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi

More than 430 people have been killed and many more missing in recent flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi in the southern Philippines, officials say.

Many of the victims were asleep when it struck Mindanao island, hitting the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

Tens of thousands of people have fled to higher ground, the authorities say.

Benito Ramos, head of the national disaster rescue agency, said reports were still coming in and the casualty figures could rise.

He said the floodwaters had risen alarmingly fast overnight as people slept.

“Massive flooding had been reported over the region, especially in Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City,” Benito Ramos said.

Rivers burst their banks after 25 mm of rain fell in 24 hours.

More than 430 people have been killed and many more missing in recent flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi in the southern Philippines
More than 430 people have been killed and many more missing in recent flash floods triggered by typhoon Washi in the southern Philippines

The Philippine National Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang said at least 430 people had been killed.

Gwen Pang said 215 people had been killed in Cagayan de Oro and 144 in Iligan.

Large areas were left without power and some domestic flights were cancelled as winds of up to 90 km/h (55mph) swept across the island.

A landslide killed at least five people in the east of the island, the national disaster agency said.

A military spokesman, Colonel Leopoldo Galon, said an entire army division – some 10,000 soldiers – was involved in the rescue efforts around Cagayan de Oro.

Forecasters said the eye of Tropical Storm Washi had passed close to Dipolog City, west of Iligan City, early on Saturday and it was now heading out into the Sulu Sea.

Floods had swamped a quarter of Iligan and at least 10 villages on its outskirts, said the city’s mayor, Lawrence Cruz.

“It’s the worst flood in the history of our city,” Lawrence Cruz told GMA television.

“It happened so fast, at a time when people were fast asleep.”

The coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off the coastal city for survivors or bodies, he added.

GMA television broadcast dramatic footage of a family escaping their flood-hit home by climbing through a window.

Rescue workers were pictured helping survivors to safety in chest-deep floodwater.

Three people also drowned in Polanco town in Zamboanga del Norte province, said provincial disaster officer Dennis Tenorio. He said high winds had toppled trees.

The storm is set to hit the western island of Palawan later on Saturday, after crossing the Sulu Sea with winds of up to 75 km/h, according to state weather forecasters.

The Philippines are struck by about 20 major storms every year but most of them take a more northerly track, hitting Luzon island.

Benito Ramos said Washi’s toll may have been so high because Mindanao residents are unaccustomed to catching the full force of such storms.

He said officials had given four days of warnings that the storm was approaching but many people had chosen not to evacuate their homes.

Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae battered the country within days of each other in September, leaving more than 100 people dead. Both storms struck Luzon.

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Neti pot usage has been linked to deadly brain-eating amoeba infection

Kathryn R. Bown
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Neti pot usage has been linked to deadly brain-eating amoeba infection

Neti pot, a sinus-flushing device used to relieve colds and allergies, has been linked to deadly brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri.

Louisiana’s state health department issued a warning about neti pots following two recent deaths – a 51-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man from the “brain-eating amoeba”, Naegleria fowleri.

It is thought the amoeba entered their brains when they used the devices.

Both victims are thought to have used tap water, instead of distilled or sterilized water as recommended by the manufacturers.

Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana State Epidemiologist, said: “If you are irrigating, flushing, or rinsing your sinuses, for example, by using a neti pot, use distilled, sterile or previously boiled water to make up the irrigation solution.

“Tap water is safe for drinking, but not for irrigating your nose.”

Dr. Raoul Ratard added that it is important to rinse the irrigation device after each use and leave open to air dry.

The very rare infection typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater lakes and rivers.

In very rare instances, health experts said such infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources, such as from an inadequately chlorinated swimming pool or when people irrigate their sinuses with devices like neti pots.

According to The Department of Health and Hospitals in Louisiana, the amoeba causes the disease primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue.

Naegleria fowleri causes amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue
Naegleria fowleri causes amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue

In its early stages, symptoms may be similar to symptoms of bacterial meningitis and can include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and stiff neck. Later symptoms include confusion, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations.

After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within one to 12 days.

A spokesman from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Louisiana cases are still being investigated.

Phobos-Ground probe will plummet to Earth days after New Year

James J. Williams
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Phobos-Ground probe will plummet to Earth days after New Year

Phobos-Ground, the $170 million Russian probe, is now heading back to Earth and will crash between January 6 and January 19, but it’s not possible to predict where until a few days beforehand.

The Phobos-Ground craft, which was supposed to travel to Phobos, one of Mars’s two moons, became stuck in Earth orbit after its thrusters failed.

What’s more, one of the probe’s gauges has a small amount of radioactive Cobalt-57 and it is carrying seven tons of toxic fuel in the form of nitrogen teroxide and hydrazine.

Phobos-Ground craft is expected to plummet to Earth between January 6 and January 19
Phobos-Ground craft is expected to plummet to Earth between January 6 and January 19

Russia’s space agency says the fuel should burn up upon re-entry and the Cobalt-57 won’t pose any threat of radioactive contamination.

However, several dozen fragments with a total weight of up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) will fall on the Earth’s surface.

The space agency says that the rough area where the probe’s fragments will fall could only be calculated a few days ahead of its plunge.

James Oberg, a NASA veteran who now works as a space consultant said: “What was billed as the heaviest interplanetary probe ever may become one of the heaviest space derelicts to ever fall back to Earth out of control, an unenviable record.”

The Phobos-Grunt craft was successfully launched by a Zenit-2 booster rocket from the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 9.

The craft separated from the booster about 11 minutes later, and was to fire its engines twice to set out on its path to Mars.

Russia’s Federal Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said neither of the two engine burns worked, probably due to the failure of the craft’s orientation system.

Embarrassingly, the effort to restore control over the probe was hampered by a limited earth-to-space communications network that forced Russian flight controllers to ask the general public in South America to help locate the craft.

Amateur astronomers were the first to spot the trouble when they detected that the craft was stuck in Earth orbit.

Life is possible on Mars. New evidence from Oregon State University research team.

James J. Williams
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Life is possible on Mars. New evidence from Oregon State University research team.

Scientists from Oregon State University have collected microbes from an icy “lava tube” in mountains in Oregon – similarly hostile to the Red Planet’s surface – and found common microbes thriving.

The research team said that the microbes “lived” on iron from a mineral found in rocks – a mineral, olivine, also found in volcanic rocks on Mars, and could survive low oxygen conditions and the total absence of organic food.

“This microbe is from one of the most common families of bacteria found on Earth,” said Amy Smith, a doctoral student at Oregon State University and one of the authors of the study.

“You can find its cousins in caves, on your skin, at the bottom of the ocean and just about anywhere. What is different, in this case, is its unique qualities that allow it to grow in Mars-like conditions.”

Oregon State University research team said that the microbes “lived” on iron from a mineral found in rocks - a mineral, olivine, also found in volcanic rocks on Mars, and could survive low oxygen conditions and the total absence of organic food
Oregon State University research team said that the microbes “lived” on iron from a mineral found in rocks - a mineral, olivine, also found in volcanic rocks on Mars, and could survive low oxygen conditions and the total absence of organic food

The Oregon State University scientists proved that microbes have adapted to deal with their harsh living conditions.

In a normal, room-temperature settings, with normal oxygen levels, the bacteria eat organic materials such as sugar.

But the researchers removed the food, turned down the temperature to near-freezing and lowered the oxygen, they turned to the food they survive on in the lava tubes – olivine, a common mineral found in volcanic rocks on Earth and on Mars – as its energy source.

Martin Fisk, a professor in OSU’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences and an author on the study said:

“This reaction – where microbes <<feed>> on a common mineral from volcanic rocks – just hasn’t been documented before.”

In volcanic rocks directly exposed to air and at warmer temperatures, the oxygen in the atmosphere oxidizes the iron before the microbes can use it.

But in the lava tube, where the bacteria are covered in ice and thus sheltered from the atmosphere, they out-compete the oxygen for the iron.

The microbes were collected from a lava tube near Newberry Crater in Oregon’s Cascades Mountains, at an elevation of about 5,000 feet. They were within the ice on rocks some 100 feet inside the lava tube, in a low-oxygen, near-freezing environment.

Scientists, including Prof. Martin Fisk, have said that the subsurface of Mars could have similar conditions and harbor bacteria.

In fact, Prof. Martin Fisk has examined a meteorite originating from Mars that contained tracks – which could indicate consumption by microbes – though no living material was discovered.

Similar tracks were found on the rocks from the Newberry Crater lava tube, he said.

“Conditions in the lava tube are not as harsh as on Mars,” Prof. Martin Fisk said.

“On Mars, temperatures rarely get to the freezing point, oxygen levels are lower and at the surface, liquid water is not present. But water is hypothesized to be present in the warmer subsurface of Mars. Although this study does not exactly duplicate what you would find on Mars, it does show that bacteria can live in similar conditions.

“We know from direct examination, as well as satellite imagery, that olivine is in Martian rocks.

“And now we know that olivine can sustain microbial life.”

Player RendeZook’ stunt in Battlefield 3 game has 5 million viewers on YouTube

Nancy Clayson
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Player RendeZook’ stunt in Battlefield 3 game has 5 million viewers on YouTube

Battlefield 3 player RendeZook’s “daring” stunt has become a “see-it-to-be-believed” spectacle among the gaming community, many of whom believe it could be one of the greatest ever feats pulled off in video game history.

Rendezook has become somewhat of a gaming hero on YouTube, where millions of Battlefield players have viewed his stunt in awe and flooded online forums with praise.

The video clip has attracted more than 5million hits on YouTube. But perhaps more incredibly, the video was actually taken from someone playing a video game.

Player RendeZook' stunt in Battlefield 3 game has 5 million viewers on YouTube
Player RendeZook' stunt in Battlefield 3 game has 5 million viewers on YouTube

One gamer, Thomas Olson wrote: “It’s hard enough to even kill anybody in BF3, let alone pull off insane manoeuvres like this.

“One time, I managed to drop a low-flying Apache with an unguided rocket, and I was pretty stoked about it for the rest of the night. I can’t even imagine the exhilaration experienced from throwing down a move like this.”

Eloy Sanchez posted: “This can be practiced and repeated. Knife throws are random people throw them for hours and sometimes get a kill it is random by definition. I don’t think at all this was a first try at all.

“A beginner can get lucky by throwing a knife across the map and getting a kill but I highly doubt any beginner can pull off this move.”

Players from all over the world play Battlefield fighting each other online on foot, in tanks or SUVs and flying choppers or jets, in opposing U.S. and Russia forces.

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