French industry minister, Eric Besson has accidentally sent a private message to his wife asking her to go to bed with him in a Twitter message published to thousands of readers.
Eric Besson, 53, meant to send the tweet privately to his beautiful wife, Tunisian-born Yasmine Tordjman, who is 29 years his junior.
French minister’s message was flashed up on the internet to more than 14,000 Twitter followers.
Eric Besson sent the message to his student wife, Yasmine Tordjman, 24, at 11:00 a.m. today, saying: “When I come home I’m going to bed. Too exhausted. With you?”
Eric Besson’s message was flashed up on the internet to more than 14,000 Twitter followers
Eric Besson deleted the message within minutes, but, unfortunately, it had been “re-Tweeted” tens of thousands of times.
The minister later tried to make light of the gaffe, posting up: “That will teach me to manage my lists and not hit the send button by mistake. I’m not going to bed!”
Eric Besson later posted to all his followers: “OK, have your fun. I’ve got a meeting in parliament to prepare for.”
Eric Besson married Yasmine Tordjman last year after divorcing his wife of 25 years, Sylvie Brunel.
Eric Besson has accidentally sent a private message to his wife Yasmine Tordjman asking her to go to bed with him on Twitter
After the divorce, Sylvie Brunel branded Eric Besson a “serial cheat with inter-changeable mistresses”.
Sylvie Brunel said at the time: “I have been dumped for a woman as young as our eldest daughter.”
Eric Besson called his former wife’s comments “shameless”.
Yasmine Tordjman is the great grand-daughter of Wassila Bourguiba, the wife of a former Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba.
Minister Eric Besson has insisted that the large age gap between him and his wife makes “no difference” to their relationship.
Lindsay Lohan left court in handcuffs and was taken into custody today after a judge blasted her for violating probation.
Lindsay Lohan, 25, had her probation revoked pending a November 2 hearing after the judge slammed her for failing to complete time at the Downtown Women’s Centre.
The trouble actress is now understood to have been released after posting $100,000 and will not spend time behind bars.
The outcome is pending a the November hearing, which was scheduled by the judge today, where the court will hear further testimonies before deciding on the course of action.
Lindsay Lohan left the court in handcuffs and was taken into custody today after a judge blasted her for violating probation
Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 360 hours community service earlier this year as part of her sentence for stealing a gold necklace from a jewellery store.
During the today hearing, Judge Stephanie Sautner asserted Lindsay Lohan had managed to wilfully get herself kicked off the programme by cancelling on the women’s centre nine times.
Lindsay Lohan welled up as her lawyer Shawn Holley Chapman fought her corner, pointing to the “glowing report” by the Probation Service.
Despite Lindsay Lohan completed some volunteer work this week at the Red Cross, Judge Stephanie Sautner ruled it as void because it was not part of the sentence she had specifically stipulated at an earlier hearing.
According to the judge, Lindsay Lohan should have gone to the morgue for clean-up duty to complete some of the hours of community service instead, which was the second part of the probation stipulated.
“Nobody has the power to change my sentence,” said the judge.
“Probation is a gift as I see it. There is something called looking a gift horse in the mouth,” she added.
The judge was also perplexed as to why the Probation Service had given Lindsay Lohan such a positive report.
During the today hearing, Judge Stephanie Sautner asserted Lindsay Lohan had managed to wilfully get herself kicked off the programme by cancelling on the women's centre nine times
Judge Stephanie Sautner said Lindsay Lohan work this week at the Red Cross would not count towards the 60 days of community service she has been ordered to complete.
The judge also estimated that Lindsay Lohan has only managed to fulfil three days out of the 60 so far, also taking into account the time taken to complete a shoplifters course.
Judge Stephanie Sautner noted that Lindsay Lohan had been a no-show at Downtown Women’s centre nine times and had only managed to do around a day-and-a-half there.
She suggested it was Lindsay Lohan’s inability to keep to schedule and disruption of the programme that eventually left women’s centre with no option but to cancel her role there.
Lindsay Lohan pulled up to the courthouse at 9:55 a.m. for the 10:00 a.m. hearing at the Airport Branch Courthouse.
Lindsay Lohan has also served 35 days under house arrest this year as part of her sentence for the necklace theft.
Judge Stephanie Sautner said Lindsay Lohan should serve 16 hours at the morgue on clean-up duty between now and her next court hearing.
Carla Bruni, France First Lady has given birth to a baby girl this evening at Muette Clinic in Paris.
According to sources, President Nicolas Sarkozy spent half an hour with his wife Carla Bruni shortly after she delivered their first child together.
Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy insisted that the happy event should remain a “private matter” and no official announcement will be made by the Elysee Palace.
Carla Bruni, France First Lady has given birth to a baby girl this evening at Muette Clinic in Paris
Carla Bruni, 43, who already has a son from a previous relation, has even claimed that that her second child will never be pictured.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, 56, paid the 30-minute visit to his third wife at the clinic before heading off to a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Frankfurt.
On arrival in Germany Nicolas Sarkozy refused to respond to any questions about his fourth child.
Carla Bruni becomes the only serving First Lady in French history to have a baby.
France First Lady was seen arriving at the private Muette Clinic early in the morning.
One member of the private clinic staff confirmed later: “She’s had the baby, it’s a little girl.”
By Wednesday evening, leading French TV stations, including France 24, which is funded by Nicolas Sarkozy’s government, were reporting that “numerous sources” inside the clinic had confirmed the birth.
“Speculation is rife that France’s First Lady may have given birth,” said presenter Francois Picard.
Jeremy Trottin, of BFMTV, another non-stop Paris news channel, said: “There are reports that Ms Bruni-Sarkozy’s gynaecologist has already delivered the baby.”
Le Figaro reported earlier on Wednesday that Carla Bruni had gone into labour.
Police and plain-clothes security agents surrounded the clinic in Paris’ 16th arrondissement, close to Carla Bruni’s town house next to the Bois de Boulogne.
President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived with presidential aids for his visit shortly after 4:00 p.m., local time, and half-an-hour later headed off to Germany looking impassive.
Carla Bruni has a 10-year-old son, Aurelien, with a former lover, the philosopher, Rafael Enthoven.
Nicolas Sarkozy has two sons, 26-year-old Pierre and Jean, 25, from his first marriage to Marie-Dominique Culioli, and a third, 14-year-old Louis, from his second to Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz.
Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe melons death toll raised to 25 deaths across 12 states in US.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that 123 people have now been sickened in Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe.
The number of illnesses is expected to grow until Christmas as the symptoms of Listeria can take up to two months to appear.
CDC confirmed yesterday a sixth death in Colorado and a second in New York.
Listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupe melons death toll raised to 25 deaths across 12 states in US
There are also reports of deaths in Listeria outbreak in Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.
Until now, more than 310,000 cases of cantaloupe have been recalled in different states across US by Jensen Farms from Holly, Colorado. The cantaloupes were shipped from July 29 to September 10 to at least 24 states.
All of the victims of the Listeria outbreak so far got ill on or before July 31.
However, some of the tainted cantaloupe could have been consumed as late as September 24 – meaning the end of the illnesses may stretch until Christmas.
The average age of those who have died in the outbreak was 87 years. It was also reported that a pregnant woman has suffered a miscarriage after becoming ill.
123 people have been sickened in cantaloupe Listeria outbreak, but the number of illnesses is expected to grow as the symptoms can take up to two months to appear
According to experts, these outbreaks are becoming more frequent, partly because much of what we eat is carried on a long journey from farm to fork.
Dr. Brian Currie, an infectious disease specialist at Montefiore Medical Centre in New York, said:
“Increasingly with agribusiness you have limited producers of any given food, so a breakdown in a facility or plant or in a large field crop operation exposes thousands because of the way the food is distributed.”
Jensen Farms was unable to provide a list of retailers that sold the tainted cantaloupes because the products were sold and resold.
Ray Gilmer, of United Fresh Produce Association, said: “There has been a laser focus on improving traceability so any recall can identify the affected product immediately and not have an effect on the rest of the entire category.
“The stakes for a large company to have a food safety incident are huge. It could destroy their company.”
Listeria is a germ found in soil and water, often turns up in processed meats because it can contaminate a processing facility and stay there for a long period of time.
Listeria is also common in unpasteurized cheeses and unpasteurized milk, though less so produce such as cantaloupe melon.
The infection can cause fever, muscle aches, gastrointestinal symptoms and even death. One in five people who have Listeria can die.
A food safety law passed by Congress in 2010 gives the FDA new power to improve tracing food through the system.
Experts say the law will help make the food network safer by focusing on making every step in the chain safer and making it easier to find the source of outbreaks.
For the first time, larger farms are required to submit plans detailing how they are keeping their produce safe.
Ohio police are investigating the possibility that Terry Thompson, the owner of the Zanesville reserve where 48 wild animals escaped from, may have opened their cages and then committed suicide.
Terry Thompson, owner of Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville was found dead by authorities having his body surrounded by a number of aggressive animals.
It was reported that almost 30 wild animals have been shot and killed until now and the residents were warned to stay indoors.
Ohio police are investigating the possibility that Terry Thompson, the owner of the Zanesville reserve where 48 wild animals escaped from, may have opened their cages and then committed suicide
48 tigers, lions, wolves, giraffes, camels, cheetahs and bears bolted after their cages were left open in the reservation.
Sheriff Matt Lutz said: “We are not ruling out any possibility right now about who let the animals out of the cages and what happened to Mr Thompson. We are waiting on the results of the preliminary autopsy to establish cause of death.”
It was also reported that Terry Thompson, 62, who lived at the Muskingum County Animal Farm, had chimps in cages in his home but these were still locked up.
Jack Hanna, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium director emeritus told FOX News Channel: “The animals are hunkered down in trees right now, like you would be if it were raining.
“That’s good and bad, because the weather would reduce the danger for local residents but make the recovery of the animals more difficult.
“I’m hoping that by tonight we can account for most of these creatures.”
Authorities in Zanesville, Ohio, urged nearby residents to stay in their houses as wild animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area
Authorities in Zanesville urged nearby residents to stay in their houses as animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area.
Terry Thompson was released from prison three weeks ago after serving a one-year term for weapons offences.
According to the New York Post, Terry Thompson was convicted of cruelty to animals and placed under house arrest for six months in 2005.
A Zanesville veterinarian who inspected some of Terry Thompson’s animals described him as “an animal collector”, although Thompson claimed he was operating an animal shelter.
Terry Thompson was also said to be involved in fashion photography, and once provided lion cubs for use in a photo shoot with model Heidi Klum in 2007.
Police refused to give details of all the animals that had been shot but said bears and wolves were among the 30 animals killed.
Sheriff Matt Lutz said: “These are wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa.”
Celina Aarons, from South Florida, US, had the shock of a lifetime when she opened her cell phone bill from T Mobile and find she owed $201,000.
The woman checked with the mobile phone services provider and she learned that it wasn’t a mistake.
Celina Aarons has two deaf brothers, who are also unable to speak.
Shamir, Celina’s younger brother, who is in college and doesn’t work, and his sister is especially close to him.
Celina Aarons had the shock of a lifetime when she opened her cell phone bill from T Mobile and find she owed $201,000
The easiest way for Celina Aarons and her brother to communicate is by texting.
Celina Aarons had a data plan and the bill usually came to a total of about $175.
One day Shamir went to Canada for a two-week holiday and neither Celina Aarons nor her brother thought to change him to an international plan.
According to the bill, the two brothers sent over 2,000 texts between them and also downloaded videos, sometimes racking up $2,000 in data charges for downloading a single video.
After getting the bill Celina Aarons said: “I asked three, four times. I was like <<Are you serious?>>”
Celina Aarons and her brother sent over 2,000 texts between them and also downloaded videos, sometimes racking up $2,000 in data charges for downloading a single video
Celina Aarons told WSVN-Channel 7 News: “I was freaking out. I was shaking, crying. I was like <<my life is over>>.”
She said that paying the monster bill was impossible.
Celina Aarons added: “That’s like paying for a nice house right now based on what houses are going for.”
The phone company should have told her the bill was soaring, Celina Aarons argues.
T Mobile replied that her brother was billed $10 per megabyte and that they had texted the rate to him.
Four additional texts were sent to Shamir’s phone as the charges surged, T Mobile said.
T Mobile have now reduced the bill to $2,500 and given Celina Aarons six months to pay it.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that moderate consumption of wine can increase bone mineral density (BMD) and prevent post-menopausal fractures linked to osteoporosis.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia and Kings College London have studied over 1,000 pairs of female of age about 55. The subjects were questioned about their dietary habits and the scientists have measured the thickness of their bones in the hip joint, the spine and the top of the femur. These are the places in which the bones are broken more often when osteoporosis occurred in post-menopause.
Moderate wine drinkers had higher bone density in the spine and the hip than non-drinkers, or drinkers of other types of alcohol (spirit, beer).
A glass of wine a day could prevent osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, stroke and heart attack, but excessive drinking increases risks of these conditions.
A diet of fish and chips, baked beans, meat pies and cooked meats apparently lowered bone mineral density and a diet high in fruit and vegetables seemed to have no substantial benefits.
“Moderate intakes of alcohol from wine were associated with a higher bone mineral density and the consumption of a traditional 20th-century English diet was linked with a lower bone density,” said scientists.
The findings come before World Osteoporosis Day on October 20, 2011.
Polyphenols, found in the skin of grapes, could help the bones strengthening, not the alcohol, other studies have suggested. Polyphenols are known as antioxidants and they help to prevent heart and brain diseases (stroke, Alzheimer’s), besides osteoporosis.
While a glass a day could prevent osteoporisis, and smaller studies have suggested alcohol might have a protective effect, heavy drinking is known as a major factor that weakens the bones, and leads to osteoporosis.
It is not the first time when researchers focus on the linkage between osteoporosis and wine.
Katherine Tucker, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University in Boston, said in 2004 that beer could prevent osteoporosis in men bones, while wine is good for women bones. Beer contains silicon and wine polyphenols. The study was performed on 2,900 men and women, but there were not enough men who had drunk wine, nor women who had drunk beer, thus, the study only linked men to beer and women to wine. However, Professor Tucker said it is possible that men could benefit from two glasses of wine, while women from two cans of beer.
The study was presented at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research annual meeting. Men who drank one to two beers a day had around 7% higher hip bone mineral density than nondrinkers. In women, increase was slightly less but was still significantly better than bone mineral density in nondrinkers.
The same message about the importance of moderation was sent at that time too, because “while two cans of beer or two 6 ounce [177,44 ml] glasses of wine are good for bones, drinking more is harmful,” and about distilled beverages (vodka or Scotch) “daily consumption of more than two drinks promotes osteoporosis,” Professor Tucker said.
What is osteoporosis?
In children bones grow and regenerate rapidly, but in adults the process is slower. Over the age of 30 a person starts to lose bone mineral density. Through life old bone is being destroyed by osteoclasts and new bone is formed by osteoblasts. The osteoblasts (cells that produce new bone) became gradually outnumbered by osteoclasts (cells that remove the calcium and phosphorous from an old bone). The balance between these two types of cells is very important for a healthy bone.
Osteoporosis occurs when bone mineral density is lower. The bones are fragile and break (fracture) easily.
Osteoporosis (porous bones, from Greek: ὀστέον/osteon meaning bone and πόρος/poros meaning pore) is a condition that causes bones to become weak and fragile and to break (fracture) easily. It appears frequently in the spine, wrist and hips. Osteoporosis is called a silent disease because lots of people become aware of it only until a fracture occurs.
The gold standard for diagnosis is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, formerly DEXA). It measures bone mineral density and expressed it in standard deviations from a young adult reference population (T-score).
* T-score -1.0 or greater is normal
* T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 is low bone mass (osteopenia)
* T-score -2.5 or below is osteoporosis
Osteoporosis affects an estimated 75 million people in Europe, USA and Japan.
Steroid drugs, smoke, heavy drinking and a family history of osteoporosis are important risk factors.
Worldwide, an osteoporotic fracture is estimated to occur every 3 seconds, a vertebral fracture every 22 seconds.
Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women worldwide – approximately one-tenth of women aged 60, one-fifth of women aged 70, two-fifths of women aged 80 and two-thirds of women aged 90.
About 20-25% of hip fractures occur in men. The overall mortality is about 20% in the first 12 months after hip fracture and is higher in men than women.
It is estimated that the lifetime risk of experiencing an osteoporotic fracture in men over the age of 50 is 30%, similar to the lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer. (Source: International Osteoporosis Foundation).
Can osteoporosis be prevented?
First the risk factors have to be removed. Adequate nutrition (with food rich in proteins, calcium and vitamin D), daily moderate sun exposure (to stimulate vitamin D production) and adequate exercise can slow osteoporosis progression and prevent fractures. An excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin tumors or melanoma. Childhood and adolescence are the perfect times to improve bone mineral density through exercise and to prevent osteoporosis.
Katia Zatuliveter, an alleged Russian spy admitted a 4-year relationship with married British Liberal Democrat MP, Mike Hancock, but denied she deliberately targeted him during yesterday hearing.
Katia Zatuliveter, 26, also had a string of affairs or “flirtations” with other political figures including a Nato official and a Dutch diplomat.
The alleged Russian spy is accused of trying to access secret defense information from Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, for whom she worked as an assistant.
Katia Zatuliveter, the alleged Russian spy admitted a 4-year relationship with married Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock
Katia Zatuliveter admitted opening MP Mike Hancock’s “private and confidential” defense select committee letters, and allegedly influenced questions he asked in British Parliament.
On October 18, Katia Zatuliveter launched an appeal against British government efforts to deport her and insisted she was not a Russian agent.
Katia Zatuliveter told during yesterday hearing that she first met MP Mike Hancock in 2006 when she was 21 and studying international relations at St Petersburg University.
MP Mike Hancock attended a conference in St Petersburg and Katia Zatuliveter was assigned to “chaperone” him.
MP Mike Hancock first met Katia Zatuliveter in 2006 when she was 21 and studying international relations at St Petersburg University
Katia said they went for a drink in the lobby of his hotel on the night they met, but she resisted to his advances.
“He told me he wanted to sleep with me. He went up to his room and he brought a CD and some money.”
Katia Zatuliveter refused to sleep with the MP or take the money.
“He made it very clear from the beginning he was interested in me. He tried to kiss me. He was very charming during this time.
“I was not getting much attention from men during this period.”
Later Katia Zatuliveter travelled to Moscow to meet again MP Mike Hancock, but told the court her intention was to practice her English before an exam and not to sleep with him.
Jonathan Glasson, for the Home Office, said: “The real motivation was so you could develop a sexual relationship wasn’t it?”
Katia Zatuliveter replied: “I could prepare to do an exam in St Petersburg or I could go and spend a few days with a native speaker.”
Jonathan Glasson went on: “You knew exactly what was going to happen didn’t you, and it didn’t have anything to do with practising your English? It was to develop a relationship with Mr. Hancock.”
Katia Zatuliveter answered: “No it wasn’t.”
Katia Zatuliveter and Mike Hancock relationship began in June 2006, and that year she moved to Britain.
She worked part time for MP Mike Hancock three or four days a month and applied for, and was given, a Parliamentary pass.
In 2008 Katia Zatuliveter began working for MP Mike Hancock full time as a Parliamentary researcher, with access to his Parliamentary email account.
Katia Zatuliveter then moved in with Mike Hancock at his central London flat, where she opened weekly correspondence from the select committee including letters marked “private and confidential”.
Katia Zatuliveter said: “I was able to read them, but I was not interested.”
Jonathan Glasson said: “You have been reporting from Londongrad, from the heart of British democracy, the UK Parliament.
“You were much more than a researcher for a backbencher MP. You have ensured that the Russian Intelligence services have eyes and ears in the House of Commons, you were someone who would ensure that questions were asked in Parliament.”
“You were pleased to be getting attention from a man who was in a powerful and influential position?”
Katia Zatuliveter replied: “I know he is not particularly powerful, he is a back bench MP, why are you trying to portray him as a senior government minister?”
After the appeal, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission will rule whether Katia Zatuliveter can stay in Britain or will be deported.
Katia Zatuliveter also claimed she had no idea the MP Mike Hancock was married until the end of their affair.
She also admitted taking money from him.
According to lawyers for the Security Service, Katia Zatuliveter knew MP Mike Hancock was a womanizer and used that knowledge to get close to him.
Jonathan Glasson said Mike Hancock was “potentially vulnerable” to the Russian intelligence services because allegations of his extra-marital affairs “have circulated for many years” and were published in the British press.
Katia Zatuliveter denied any knowledge of this, but later, she recalled he told her he had an ex-girlfriend in Moscow.
The court was told that MP Mike Hancock was chairman of the All Parliamentary Group on Russia.
And it also told that Katia Zatuliveter had contact with a suspected Russian spy – given the name “Boris” by the court – who has since been expelled from Britain.
“He was a Russian intelligence officer, wasn’t he?” Jonathan Glasson said.
Katia Zatuliveter replied: “That’s what I was told by MI5, so I don’t know it’s true. But they also said that I was, so I don’t know.”
Katia Zatuliveter claimed she broke off contact with Boris on Mike Hancock’s advice after he tried to arrange a meeting with her.
She said there was “no truth” in MI5’s allegation that she was an agent for the Russian intelligence services by April 2006.
Katia Zatuliveter said: “I am innocent and I don’t believe I should be deported without having done anything.
“I am legally here, I have a work permit until August 2012.”
Katia Zatuliveter was served with deportation notice in December 2010.
Comedian Catherine Tate and Take That singer Jason Orange have been involved in a secret romance over the recent months, according to sources.
Catherine Tate, 43, and Jason Orange, 41, first met when they took part in a Comic Relief sketch back in March. According to a source, they have been on a string of dates in recent weeks, including an overnight trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon.
The source told The Sun: “They were trying to keep things secret but looked very loved up and happy together.
“It’s a very unlikely pairing but they have really hit it off. They’ve been on a number of dates to the theatre and the cinema.
“They really enjoy each other’s company. Catherine deserves someone nice and she has landed on her feet with Jason.
“But they have both been desperate to keep their romance secret.”
Jason Orange has been dating Catherine Tate over the recent months
Catherine Tate and Jason Orange first struck up a friendship when she took on the role of Jason in spoof band Fake That for the sketch.
Catherine Tate starred alongside James Corden, Alan Carr, Kevin Bishop and David Walliams as the fake Take That.
They were getting on well while filming the sketch and, afterwards, stayed in touch and their romance is thought to have blossomed this summer, following Catherine Tate’s split from stage manager partner Twig Clark.
Catherine Tate and Jason Orange have been spotted at A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Stratford, on dates to the cinema, the National Theatre and at a coffee shop near Jason’s flat in West London.
Catherine Tate became famous after she played Lauren Cooper and she is well-known for her catchphrase “Am I Bovvered?” in her TV sketch show.
Catherine Tate, who has also a significant theatre career, has been recently starred alongside David Tennant in Much Ado About Nothing.
While Catherine Tate’s most recent relationship was with Twig Clark, who was stage manager for her play at the National Theatre, Jason Orange has remained quiet about his personal life during his time in the spotlight.
Jason Orange has been romantically linked during the time to stars including singer Lulu and TV presenter Jenny Powell.
Early in the morning, the bailiffs and riot police smashed through fences to evict dozens of traveller families living illegally on the Dale Farm site in Essex, UK.
Authorities entered Dale Farm site after breaking down a rear fence just after 07:00 BST, prompting angry scenes.
The travellers lost a last-ditch attempt to stave off the evictions at the Court of Appeal on Monday.
An alarm siren sounded inside the perimeter of Dale Farm and protesters gathered at the main gate rushed to the eastern side of the site where police were streaming in.
They engaged in hand to hand fighting with the officers who had come across the adjacent fields.
The operation was entirely police led and they were moving at jogging pace, driving back the protesters in a running battle.
Early in the morning, the bailiffs and riot police smashed through fences to evict dozens of traveller families living illegally on the Dale Farm site in Essex
100 officers pushed people aside as they made their way through Dale Farm site. Ranks of officers, including many from the Metropolitan force, lined up in front of the main gate and its gantry which has now become the symbol of the fight.
They were pelted with bricks, bottles and other debris and used riot shields above their heads as protection.
Dale Farm travellers hurled missiles on authorities who responded by using Tasers.
Some of the travelers used motorcycle d-locks to chain themselves by the neck to ruined cars but police pushed aside a rambling protester and marched deeper into the site.
Dale Farm protesters gathered at the main gate rushed to the eastern side of the site where police were streaming in
Electricity supplies were cut and protesters wearing masks said this had turned off crucial medical equipment belonging to elderly residents.
Moments later a caravan was set ablaze, sending flames and thick black smoke into the air.
Within 15 minutes police had complete control over Dale Farm site.
According to Essex Police, officers entered the site “following intelligence which informed the commanders that anyone entering the site was likely to come up against violence and a serious breach of the peace would occur”.
The Essex Police statement said: “Intelligence received indicated protesters had stockpiled various items with the intent of using these against bailiffs and police.
“First officers on the site were attacked with missiles being thrown including rocks and liquids. These officers were fully equipped to deal with this situation.”
“Consistent attempts have been made, both on Tuesday and this morning, to negotiate with protesters to leave the site peacefully.”
Dale Farm eviction, which could cost up to £18 million ($28 million), marks the end of a 10-year battle between travellers, who bought a former scrap yard on green belt land in 2001 and established their caravans there, and local authorities. More travellers joined them and some semi-permanent chalet dwellings were built.
Dale Farm history
1960’s Small numbers of travellers begin to settle alongside the Dale Farm site, part of which was authorized as a scrapyard.
1990’s The site has grown to 37 plots authorized by Basildon Council.
2001 Dale Farm traveller families began to set up pitches illegally on green belt land.
2005, May- Travellers are ordered to leave Dale Farm after a planning inspector declares the development illegal. Basildon Council votes to bring enforcement action.
June – Actor and political activist Corin Redgrave suffers a heart attack while speaking at a Basildon Council meeting discussing the future of Dale Farm. He describes travellers as “the most deprived community in the country”.
2006, May – Dale Farm travellers hold a vigil outside Westminster as the Government discusses new guidance on gypsy and traveller sites.
2007, December – The Save Dale Farm Campaign appeals for a rethink following a Basildon Council ruling to hire eviction specialists and bulldoze the site.
2008, May – Travellers celebrate the opening of a new community centre despite continuing court action from Basildon Council to allow the eviction to go ahead.
2009 January – The Court of Appeal rules that an earlier judgment in the High Court – which quashed Basildon Council’s decision to take enforcement action – was flawed. Lord Justice Pill said the decision to clear the site was lawful.
2011, March – Basildon Council votes for a fresh resolution to clear Dale Farm. Officials estimate the eviction will cost more than £18 million. The Government agrees to part-fund the council and police operations.
July – Eviction notices are served by Basildon Council. The council gives residents occupying 51 unauthorized pitches 28 days to vacate the land.
August 8 – The campaign to stop the eviction gathers pace as actress and human rights campaigner Vanessa Redgrave visits Dale Farm. Activists begin to set up ‘Camp Constant’ to help defend travellers. Lawyers fail in a High Court bid to halt the eviction.
September 5 – The date for the beginning of the clearance is revealed as September 19 – Travellers criticize the council after the date was leaked to the media before they were informed.
September 16 – Elderly resident Mary Flynn given a final chance to challenge clearance of the site.
September 18 – Supporters and travellers resisting the clearance of Dale Farm lock down the site as they prepare for the arrival of bailiffs.
September 19 – Bailiffs arrive at the main gate of Dale Farm to start the eviction of up to 80 families living on the unauthorized plot. Later, the residents win a last-gasp injunction preventing the council from clearing structures.
September 21 – Travellers flee the site amid fears of eviction. A group of travellers claiming to be from Dale Farm relocate to a public park in Luton.
September 26 – Residents win a temporary reprieve. A judge rules that residents are entitled to an extension of an injunction stopping their evictions until the courts have ruled on the legality of their proposed removal.
October 17 – Residents refused permission to appeal against a High Court ruling that gave Basildon Council the go-ahead to evict them.
October 19 – Supporters clash with bailiffs and riot police as the planned eviction finally gets under way.
At least 48 exotic animals have escaped or been set loose from the Muskingham County Animal Farm in Zanesville, Ohio.
Some of the wild animals have been shot and killed by police after they escaped from an enclosure where their owner was later found dead.
The wild animals bolted after their cages were left open in a reservation which housed exotic animals including tigers, lions, wolves, giraffes, camels and bears.
Terry Thompson, the owner of the reserve was found dead by police at the farm.
Terry Thompson’s body was discovered on the ground and all the animal cage doors were open.
At least 48 exotic animals have escaped or been set loose from the Muskingham County Animal Farm in Zanesville, Ohio
Ohio police did not reveal the cause of Terry Thompson’s death but said several aggressive animals were near his body when officers arrived and had to be shot.
The reserve owner, who lived on the property, had chimps in cages in his home but these were still locked up.
Authorities urged nearby residents to stay indoors as wild animals were spotted wandering up and down highways in the area.
Police refused to give details of all the animals that had been shot but said bears and wolves were among the 25 animals killed.
“These are wild animals that you would see on TV in Africa,” said Sheriff Matt Lutz.
The sheriff described the escaped animals as “mature, very big, aggressive” but a keeper at the park had told them the reserve’s 48 animals had been fed on Monday.
Sheriff Matt Lutz added that police officers were patrolling the 40-acre farm and the surrounding areas in cars, not on foot, and were concerned about big cats and bears hiding in woodland.
Until now, there are no reports of injuries from residents.
It was reported an increasing number of phone calls made by locals who saw wild animals on local roads.
Caretakers from Columbus Zoo Ohio were at the scene in the hope of tranquillizing and capturing the rest of the animals so no more have to be killed.
Meanwhile, at least four school districts in the area have cancelled classes until the animals are rounded up.
According to Sheriff Matt Lutz, the authorities main concern is protecting the public.
“Any kind of cat species or bear species is what we are concerned about. We don’t know how much of a head start these animals have on us.”
Laura Jones, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which usually deals with native wildlife like deer, said wildlife officers were helping the sheriff’s office to cope.
According to statistics, the state of Ohio has some of the nation’s weakest restrictions on exotic pets and among the highest number of injuries and deaths caused by them.
Ohio requires permits for bears but doesn’t regulate the ownership of animals like lions and tigers.
Alan Billis, a terminally ill taxi driver from Torquay, UK, has become the first man to be mummified in the style of the ancient Egyptians for at least 3,000 years.
Scientists embalmed Alan Billis following his death from lung cancer using the techniques that preserved Tutankhamun’s body after his death in 1323 BC.
Alan Billis, 61, loved watching documentaries and he agreed to have his body preserved after seeing an advertisement from Channel 4 looking to film the process.
The former taxi driver wife Janet, 68, said:
“He just said, <<I’ve just phoned someone up about being mummified>>. I said, <<You’ve what?>>. I thought here we go again. It’s just the sort of thing you would expect him to do.”
Alan Billis before to be mummified in the style of the ancient Egyptians and his wife Janet
Janet Billis and their three children gave his decision their blessing, and the resulting programme – Mummifying Alan: Egypt’s Last Secret – is due to be screened on Channel 4 in UK next week.
Alan Billis, who has been dubbed Torquay’s Tutankhamun, explained his unusual decision in the documentary, saying:
“People have been leaving their bodies to science for years, and if people don’t volunteer for anything nothing gets found out.”
Alan Billis died in January this year and, over a period of several months after his death, the internal organs were removed and kept in jars, with the exception of his brain and heart.
Alan Billis’ skin was covered in a mixture of oils and resins and bathed in a solution of Natron, a salt found in dried-up river beds in Egypt.
Then, his body was kept for a month in a glass tank at the Medico-Legal Centre in Sheffield, which houses the city’s mortuary. After this period, Alan Billis’ body was taken out, placed in a drying chamber and wrapped in linen.
According to Dr. Stephen Buckley of the University of York, who helped research Egyptian mummification techniques before the programme, Alan Billis’ body could now last several millennia.
During an interview with the Radio Times, Janet Billis said:
“I didn’t find it upsetting. There wasn’t anything scary.
“I think it was because you could see they all took such good care of Alan. When I did eventually watch the film and saw his mummified face, you could see it was still him, still very much Alan. <<I won’t be Tutankhamun, I’ll be Tutanalan>>, he used to say.
“The involvement in the television programme kept him occupied, took his mind off the illness.”
Dr Stephen Buckley with the mummified body of Alan Billis
As well as Dr. Stephen Buckley, the team of experts behind the mummification included Dr. Joann Fletcher, Maxine Coe and forensic pathologist Prof. Peter Vanezis. Prof. Peter Vanezis said he was pleased with the result, adding:
“The skin itself has this leathery appearance which indicates that he has become mummified all over.
“It makes me very confident that his tissues have been mummified correctly and in a very successful manner.”
Alan Billis’s mummy is expected to stay in Sheffield until the end of 2011. It will then be studied by scientists researching decomposition.
Stacie Crimm, who had been diagnosed with terminal neck cancer, decided to refuse chemotherapy so her unborn daughter could live instead.
Stacie Crimm, 41, from Ryan, Oklahoma, survived another five months before being forced to deliver her baby daughter Dottie Mae, weighing just 2lbs 1oz (940 grams), by Caesarean section – and even managed to hold her on one occasion before dying three days later.
Stacie Crimm‘s brother Ray Phillips told the Oklahoman: “This baby was everything she had in this world.”
Stacie Crimm called her brother in March when she received the news that she was pregnant after years of thinking she was infertile.
In the next days and weeks, the mother-to-be shopped for all the things her baby would need. Meanwhile, a serious worry began to gnaw at Stacie Crimm, as she was having severe headaches and double vision, while tremors struck every inch of her body.
Stacie Crimm began to tell her brother Ray of her growing concerns.
“I’m worried about this baby,” Stacie Crimm said in one text, according to the Oklahoman.
“I hope I live long enough to have this baby.”
“Bubba, if anything happens to me, you take this child.”
Stacie Crimm was no longer with the father of the baby and would have raised Dottie Mae as a single mother if she survived.
Stacie Crimm, who had been diagnosed with terminal neck cancer, decided to refuse chemotherapy so her unborn daughter could live instead
In July, Stacie Crimm visited a number of doctors and a CT scan revealed that she had head and neck cancer.
She had then to choose between her life and that of her baby’s and it was an easy decision.
Stacie Crimm’s brother told the Oklahoman that she refused the potentially lifesaving chemotherapy in the hope that she would eventually hold a healthy baby in her arms.
On August 16, Stacie Crimm collapsed at her home in Ryan, Oklahoma, and was rushed to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
At the hospital, specialists told her the invasive tumor had begun wrapping around the brain stem.
On August 18, the baby’s heart rate plummeted and Stacie Crimm’s heart stopped. Code Blue was issued and doctors decided a Caesarean -section was the baby’s only chance.
Dottie Mae was born by Caesarean section and was weighing just 2lbs 1oz
Dottie Mae was weighing less than a third of an average newborn. The little baby girl was swiftly taken to neonatal intensive care, while Stacie Crimm was placed in intensive care in another building.
“Sister was dying right there. She was gasping,” Ray Phillips told the Oklahoman.
“The human body fights death.”
Stacie Crimm fought back and managed to wrestle herself off the ventilator and sedation after a few days.
“There was still a lot of hope at that point,” said Ray Phillips’ wife Jennifer.
The cancer had affected one of the new mother’s eyes and destroyed the muscle behind it; had paralyzed her throat so that when she did talk, she was hard to understand. Stacie Crimm had tumors on her brain and she often became unconscious and had not been able to sign Dottie Mae’s birth certificate.
Stacie Crimm was too weak to be taken to her baby, and Dottie Mae was too weak to be brought to her.
“We’d show her pictures and she would cry and she would want to hold her baby,” Ray Phillips told NewsOk.
“It was quite the ordeal. I felt helpless. I wanted to help her, I wanted to do what I could for her – we all did – but they had told us it was impossible for her to see the child.”
On September 8, Stacie Crimm stopped breathing and once again was resuscitated. Doctors warned her family that she was very close to death.
But Stacie Crimm had not yet held, kissed or looked into the blue eyes of Dottie Mae whose life she had chosen above her own.
Nurse Agi Beo worked with nurse Jetsy Jacob and talked to Neoflight, the medical centre’s neonatal transport team, about using a capsule-like ICU to safely move Dottie Mae to her mother.
Dottie Mae had been moved in a capsule-like ICU to her mother
“I knew all of this was going on in the background and I didn’t say nothing to her until I knew it was going to happen because I didn’t want to get her hopes up,” Ray Phillips said.
Ray asked his sister what she would think about seeing her daughter that day. Stacie Crimm’s eyes popped open and she began looking around to find her.
Shortly, the two nurses arrived with Dottie Mae and laid her right on Stacie Crimm’s chest. Mother and daughter stared into each other’s eyes for several minutes.
“Nobody said anything, it got real quiet,” Ray Phillips told NewsOk.
“I told my sister, <<You have done a beautiful thing>>. It was the perfect moment, that’s what I called it.”
Stacie Crimm, assisted by her siblings, Ray and Elizabeth, meets her baby Dottie Mae before she passed away
Stacie Crimm died three days later, on September 11. Her funeral was on September 14.
Stacie Crimm obituary on the Dudley Funeral Homes website reads:
“Dottie Mae was the light of her life and her greatest accomplishment. She chose to give this baby life instead of taking treatment for herself.”
Dottie Mae now lives with her uncle Ray, his wife Jennifer and their four children in their Oklahoma City home.
Dottie Mae now lives with her uncle Ray, his wife Jennifer and their four children in their Oklahoma City home
Thor, a Marine sergeant, confronted NYPD officers during last weekend’s Occupy Wall Street march on Times Square.
Thor is the nickname of Marine Corp Sergeant Shamar Thomas, who yelled at a crowd of NYPD officers being too aggressive against peaceful protesters.
“There is no honor in this! There is no honor in this!” Shamar Thomas screamed over and over.
“This is not a war zone! These are unarmed people. It doesn’t make you tough to hurt these people!”
Thor, Marine Corp Sergeant Shamar Thomas yelled at a crowd of NYPD officers being too aggressive against peaceful Occupy Wall Street protesters from Times Square
Thor is qualified to make that distinction, having served in Marine Corps from 2003 and did two tours in Iraq, in 2004 and 2006, before being honorably discharged in 2007. During his time in Iraq, Thor served as the non-commission officer who ran a small detention facility in Rutbah, which earned him a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
In a video footage emerged on internet, Shamar Thomas is shown being appalled by the police behavior in Times Square, and lashes out at a group of about nine officers.
“How do you do this to people? You’re here to protect them! You’re here to protect us! This is the United States!” Thor screamed.
“If you want to go hurt people, go to Iraq!”
“They don’t have guns- why are you hurting these people?”
Thor later spoke on Keith Olberman’s Current TV show Monday night to clarify his position, saying that there is a major difference between the level of acceptable behavior in a peaceful protest and that of a warzone like he saw in Iraq.
“We had rocks thrown at us, after the rocks were thrown we didn’t go beating up people and arresting people you know what I mean? We kind of treated it with a level of humility,” Shamar Thomas said of his time in Iraq.
“I saw a cop punching a woman up in the face [in Times Square],” Thor continued.
“When the situation arises where the crowd starts getting frantic, that’s when it’s time to say <<You know, the crowd is getting frantic>>. When people are just shouting <<We are the 99 per cent, come join us>>, these are not chants that incite violence,” Thor said.
Last weekend, more than 40 people were arrested in New York’s Times Square as demonstrators jostled with police after thousands of Occupy Wall street protesters marched from the city’s Financial District to midtown Manhattan.
The Occupy movement demonstrators swamped Times Square, stopping traffic as the numbers swelled to 20,0000 in what was thought to be the largest “Occupy” demonstration in the U.S. so far.
Though the footage doesn’t show Thor ever being touched by NYPD officers, he seems to have been upset by their treatment to the other protesters.
Shamar Thomas touts both his own military service and that of his parents. His mother served in Iraq at the same time as he did in 2004, along with his father, step-father, and grandfather who have all worked in the military in various positions.
“My whole family protected this country!” Thor said in Times Square.
Shamar Thomas thinks that it is important for him to wear his military uniform, even though he is no longer an active member of the Marine Corps, in order to encourage others to join the protests.
“I want to inspire the veterans to come out because a lot of veterans have this thing where they don’t want to speak against the government. They’re so trained like <<Oh no, speaking against the government is wrong because we have a chain of command>>. I don’t think it’s about a chain of command, it’s about a way of life,” Thor said Monday.
Dan Kloeffler, the ABC News anchor, came out as gay yesterday, as he was reporting on Zachary Quinto’s interview about his sexuality.
Dan Kloeffler revealed he too is gay while he was reporting on Zachary Quinto’s candid weekend interview, and he joked about dating the actor.
Both, Dan Kloeffler and Zachary Quinto have said they decided to speak out after a spate of teenage suicides among gay youth.
During his World News Now report on Zachary Quinto, Dan Kloeffler said:
“He’s 34, I’m 35, I’m thinkin’ I could lose my distraction about dating actors for that one.”
Dan Kloeffler, the ABC News anchor, came out as gay yesterday, as he was reporting on Zachary Quinto’s interview about his sexuality
The ABC News anchor later explained on the TV station website:
“For the same reason that Zach decided to come out, I too, no longer wanted to hide this part of my life.
“As a journalist, I don’t want to be the story, but as a gay man I don’t want to stand silent if I can offer some inspiration or encouragement to kids that might be struggling with who they are.”
Dan Kloeffler came out as gay shortly after Zachary Quinto’s announcement during an interview with New York Magazine published on Sunday.
“As a gay man, it made me feel like there’s still so much work to be done, and there’s still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed,” Zachary Quinto said.
Zachary Quinto had refused to confirm he is gay until now even in an interview with the New York Times last year.
Zachary Quinto, the Star Trek actor later opened up on his own blog, explaining in a post published on Sunday how tragic suicide of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, who ended his life in September because he was being severely bullied for being a homosexual, made him wish he had come out sooner.
Jamey Rodemeyer’s death in September gained significant media coverage and the 14-year-old, who was a big fan of Lady Gaga sent her a message on Twitter saying “Bye mother monster, thank you for all you have done, paws up forever,” before he killed himself.
Zachary Quinto explained: “In light of Jamey’s death, it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.”
“Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country.”
“Gay kids need to stop killing themselves because they are made to feel worthless by cruel and relentless bullying. Parents need to teach their children principles of respect and acceptance.”
“Jamey Rodemeyer’s life changed mine. And while his death only makes me wish that I had done this sooner, I am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me. Now I can only hope to serve as the same catalyst for even one other person in this world.”
Dan Kloeffler, originally from Algonac, Michigan, joined ABC last year as a television journalist after three years working as a correspondent for NBC, anchoring MSNBC Now and the network’s Early Today shows.
Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was Hamas prisoner for five years in Gaza, has been released today.
Sergeant Gilad Shalit was freed as part of an exchange between Israel and Hamas. In return, Israel will release 477 Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal.
The Israeli soldier was taken across the frontier from the Gaza Strip into Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, where he was handed over to Egyptian officials.
Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was Hamas prisoner for five years in Gaza, has been released today in a thousand-for-one deal
Gilad Shalit will be taken to Israel’s Vineyard of Peace border crossing a short distance away down a desert road.
Early in the morning, convoys of white vans and trucks transported hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to the locations in the West Bank and on the Israel-Egypt border where they were to be freed.
Some of the Palestinian prisoners were due to be taken to the Sinai and handed over to Egyptian officials for transfer to the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas. Other prisoners were to be released in the occupied West Bank.
Among the Palestinian prisoners released some were serving life sentences for carrying out deadly attacks.
It is expected in about two months, another 550 Palestinians are to be released in a second stage of the Egyptian-brokered agreement.
The Israeli and Hamas exchange involves a delicate series of staged releases, each one triggering the next.
Gilad Shalit has been popularly portrayed in his country as “everyone’s son” and opinion polls showed that an overwhelming majority of Israeli backed the thousand-for-one deal.
Sergeant Gilad Shalit appeared to be healthy in the only time he has been seen in captivity – in a brief and scripted 2009 video released by Hamas – he was denied all visits, including by the Red Cross, and the state of his mental and physical health is unclear.
The exchange deal received approval from Israel’s Supreme Court last Monday after it rejected petitions from the public to prevent the mass release of prisoners, many of them serving life sentences for deadly attacks.
In June 2006, Gilad Shalit was abducted by Hamas militants who tunneled into Israel from the Gaza Strip and surprised his tank crew, killing two of his comrades.
After Gilad Shalit was seized, Israel, which withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, tightened its blockade of the coastal territory.
The Israeli deal with Hamas (a group classified by the United States and European Union as a terrorist organization because of its refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence) is not expected to have a direct impact on efforts to revive Middle East peace talks.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a Hamas rival, has been pursuing United Nations recognition of Palestinian statehood in the absence of negotiations with Israel that collapsed 13 months ago in a dispute over settlement-building in the occupied West Bank.
In the morning, crowds were gathered in both Gaza and the West Bank awaiting the return of their prisoners.
Gilad Shalit will be flown by helicopter to an air base in the centre of Israel, where soldier will be greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reunited with his family. Then Gilad Shalit will fly to his home in northern Israel.
There were some concerns in Israel about the repatriation of captured soldiers and that the country is paying a high price for the release of Gilad Shalit.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in a letter to bereaved families: “I understand the difficulty in accepting that the vile people who committed the heinous crimes against your loved ones will not pay the full price they deserve.”
Earlier this month it was claimed Demi Moore’s weight had plummeted to around 100 lbs (45 kg) after allegations emerged that her husband Ashton Kutcher had been unfaithful with Texan Sara Leal.
Last night, it appears Demi Moore has lost even more weight in the last weeks, when the actress has showed her skinny figure at the premiere of her new movie Margin Call in New York.
Demi Moore, 48, looked shockingly thin at the Margin Call premiere, which will no doubt raise further concerns about how she is coping.
The actress was dressed in a demure red dress which sat just below her knee, emphasizing her tiny frame. The V-neckline highlighted her collarbones and the capped sleeves showed how Demi Moore has barely any body fat on her sinewy arms.
Demi Moore looked even thinner at her movie Margin Call premiere in New York
Demi Moore tried to bravely smile on the red carpet and she was still wearing her wedding ring.
According to Grazia magazine comments earlier this month, Demi Moore’s weight was “hovering around the seven stone mark” which given her five foot five height would make her significantly underweight.
Since Grazia magazine wrote the article, it appears that Demi Moore has shed even further pounds, ones she simply cannot afford to lose.
At the last night event in New York, Demi Moore joined her Margin Call co-stars on the red carpet and she chatted with Kevin Spacey and Paul Bettany.
Other Margin Call co-stars are Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley and Star Trek star Zachary Quinto, who revealed he was gay this week. Margin Call is a thriller that documents the events within an investment bank during the early stages of the financial crisis.
Demi Moore joined her Margin Call co-stars, Paul Bettany and Kevin Spacey, on the red carpet
Demi Moore’s appearance has quickly deteriorated since news of Ashton Kutcher’s alleged affair with 22-year-old Texan Sara Leal broke at the end of September.
Ashton Kutcher is accused of cheating on Demi Moore with blonde Sara Leal after a hot tub party at Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, on the weekend of their sixth wedding anniversary.
Demi Moore is said to have contacted a divorce after the scandal broke, but she was seen with Ashton Kutcher visiting a Kabbalah camping on Yom Kippur. Sources said the couple has been apart in recent weeks.
In the recent months, Ashton Kutcher has been working on Two And A Half Men in Los Angeles and Demi Moore has been in New York promoting her latest projects.
Authorities in Nuku Hiva Island believe that teeth found in a camp fire match those of Stefan Ramin, the German tourist feared to be eaten by a cannibal in French Polynesia.
Despite DNA tests that will take weeks to complete, a dental file sent from Germany to Papeete, French Polynesia capital, where the charred bones were sent for analysis, shows the remains to be positively identified as of Stefan Ramin.
According to German media, the local investigators are now certain guide Henri Haiti, 31, killed, dismembered and ate Stefan Ramin.
German newspaper Bild wrote: “It is the suspicion of the authorities that the hunter carved his victim up, ate parts of the body and burned the remainder along with animals cadavers. He is regarded as a cannibal.”
A dental file sent from Germany to Papeete, where the charred bones were sent for analysis, shows the remains to be positively identified as of Stefan Ramin
Jose Thorel, prosecutor on Polynesian island Nuku Hiva, said: “It is almost certain the remains we found in the fire are those of Stefan Ramin.”
Local authorities have intensified the hunt for Henri Haiti on the island of Nuku Hiva. But the guide knowledge of the bushland, where authorities say he led Stefan Ramin, is unparalleled, giving Haiti a huge advantage over his pursuers.
Further examination of the site where Stefan Ramin’s remains were discovered showed how fierce the fire was that consumed him.
Leaves 25feet up show evidence of scorch marks and ash, clothes, teeth and bone fragments were found over a 35 foot radius.
Today it was confirmed the BKA (the German bureau of investigation) is now involved with French authorities in the hunt for Stefan Ramin’s killer.
Stefan Ramin, 40, from Haselau, north-west Germany was on a round-the-world trip with his girlfriend Heike Dorsch, 37, when they anchored off Nuku Hiva on September 16.
According to his girlfriend, Heike Dorsche, Stefan Ramin went off on a goat hunt with Henri Haiti – a guide registered with authorities on the island – and never returned.
Police say Henri Haiti went back to the boat to try to lure Heike Dorsch into the jungle claiming he had had an accident. Heike Dorsch was suspicious and refused to go with the guide.
Henri Haiti ended up sexually assaulting Heike Dorsch and tying her to a tree.
On Wednesday last week human remains were found in a camp fire. Among the embers were bones including a jaw bone, teeth and melted metal, believed to be fillings.
Stefan Ramin, a fanatical sailor, was a former business adviser and he kept a regular blog of his trip begun in 2008 and one of his last entries read: “I seek freedom and adventures”.
Stefan Ramin bought his catamaran Baju in Turkey and had planned to spend the next two years island hopping in the South Pacific.
Deputy Mayor of Nuku Hiva, Deborah Kimitete told local news website Les Nouvelles: “No one can believe what has happened. This has never happened here before, this is the first time, it’s horrible.”
Asda is selling beer at less than £0.5 a bottle as the supermarket price war blows retailer promises to tackle binge drinking out of the water.
Asda is selling 24 bottles of 0.33 l Budweiser pack for just £11 under Rollback price cutting scheme.
The supermarket reduced Budweiser price from the normal price of £15.98 as its battle with Tesco over which is the cheapest intensifies.
During the time, bargain drink deals from supermarkets have been criticized by doctors, police and the charity Alcohol Concern for fuelling binge drinking among young people, resulting in violence, disorder and ill-health.
Asda has reduced 24 bottles Budweiser pack price from £15.98 to £11 as its battle with Tesco over which is the cheapest intensifies
According to drink wholesalers, Asda is selling the Budweiser at a “dramatically cheaper” price than they have to pay the big brewers.
Martin Williams, Landmark Wholesale managing director said: “In this day and age of responsible consumption and retailing, offering a major brand for under 50p a bottle completely contradicts all the messages that retailers and wholesalers are giving out.”
Meanwhile, the British government attempts to crack down on supermarkets using alcohol as a loss leader in order to bring in shoppers.
In the past months, British PM David Cameron said: “There is a problem with very cheap alcohol, alcohol being bought at convenience stores and supermarkets that people are using to what’s called <<pre-load>> before they go out. And this is a problem you just can’t ignore.
“We’ve got a situation where in some supermarkets you can walk in and buy incredibly cheap drinks, a lot of which is high strength lager, which people are using to get off their heads before they even go out. That is what we’ve got to hit.”
At that moment, Asda announced it would not sell drink at less than the price of tax – duty plus VAT. But, this does not stop Asda from using it as a loss leader to attract customers from rivals.
Martin Williams from Landmark Wholesale said the Asda price is so low that corner shops and pubs will find it cheaper to buy stocks from the supermarket than from wholesalers.
“Twenty-four bottles is a full-blown wholesale case. At a time when prices are going up in the market and brewers are putting up prices, to retail at that sort of price is crazy.”
Defending the deal, Asda says: “We are as committed to our role as a responsible alcohol retailer as we are to providing affordable deals for our customers.”
A series of videos has emerged on internet showing images of bank customers staging protests and mass account closures in different cities across the U.S., New York; Santa Cruz, California and St Louis, Missouri.
Other footage shows dozens of Citibank and Bank of America customers denied requests to close their accounts, some even being arrested after alleged clashes with branch managers.
In a video footage obtained by Gawker.com earlier this month, dozens of people corralled inside of a Citibank branch in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, some signaling inside they are facing arrest.
Video footage shows dozens of people corralled inside of a Citibank branch in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, some signaling inside they are facing arrest
The Gawker.com website reports that 24 people were arrested on charges of criminal trespassing in Citibank branch in Manhattan.
According to a Citibank official statement the group was “very disruptive and refused to leave after being repeatedly asked”.
A Citibank spokesman said one person asked to close an account and was accommodated and acknowledged that the branch was closed “until the protesters could be removed”.
The footage presented by Gawker.com follows another video uploaded to YouTube on October 8, which shows three Occupy Santa Cruz protesters attempting to close their accounts at a local Bank of America branch.
The YouTube video shows two women walking into the Bank of America branch and sitting down, one of them with a large placard.
A branch manager asks the women to leave and threatens to call police, claiming “you cannot be a protester and a customer at the same time”.
The two women leave the bank and say to return without a sign the following day to close their accounts.
The video footages emerge weeks after both Citibank and Bank of America unveiled plans to hike fees for its services.
At the beginning of October, Citibank announced changes to its mid-tier checking accounts, which offer the potential for earning interest and a few other perks.
Starting in December, Citibank will charge $20 a month on these accounts, unless the customer has combined balances of $15,000 or more in checking, savings and investment accounts or loan balances.
The Citibank fee was previously waived for combined balances of $6,000 for that level of account, which offers perks such as interest-bearing checking.
Citibank customers also pay $2 fees for using non-Citi ATMs if they don’t meet the balance requirement. In September, Citibank said it will no longer give rewards points for debit card transactions.
The new situation stemmed, in part, from changes in federal regulations that cut roughly in half the amount banks could charge retailers for processing purchases made on debit cards, a rule that’s cutting sharply into bank revenue.
Citi’s changes came just a few days after Bank of America Corp said it would be charging $5 per month for using debit cards starting 2012. Other U.S. banks have also been testing such fees.
Meanwhile, an offshoot Occupy Wall Street movement called Bank Transfer Day appears to be gaining momentum.
A statement on the Occupy movement’s Facebook page encourages supporters to take a stand against big banks by removing their funds on November 5th.
“Together we can ensure that these banking institutions will always remember the 5th of November!!
“If the 99% removes our funds from the major banking institutions on or by this date, we will send a clear message and give the 1% a taste of the fear that we experience every day when we aren’t able to pay for our rent, food, medication, utilities, student loans, etc.”
Giuliana Rancic, the E! News presenter has revealed during a Today Show interview that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Giuliana Rancic, 37, has revealed that she discovered she had a breast tumor during some tests for in-vitro fertilization in an attempt to get pregnant.
The TV star also said the doctors are optimistic as tumor has been detected early and she will make a full recovery.
Giuliana Rancic, the E! News and Style Network host, made the announcement on NBC’s Today Show Monday morning, when she also revealed she will undergo surgery later this week.
“Through my attempt to get pregnant through IVF, we sadly found out that I have early stages of breast cancer. It’s been a shock.”
Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill were preparing to undergo a third round of IVF treatment after the previous two attempts failed when a doctor asked her to undergo a mammogram.
Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill were preparing to undergo a third round of IVF treatment after the previous two attempts failed when she discovered she has breast cancer
“I wasn’t prepared to get a mammogram until I was 40 years old, like I’d been told. I never in my wildest dreams expected anything to be wrong. It was just a kick in the stomach.”
Giuliana Rancic told about the moment she found out she has breast cancer:
“I went into the hospital in L.A., when they came in to tell me, they said it pretty quickly, they just said, <<I’m sorry, you have breast cancer>>.
“It’s what you expect, but so much more, it was like, incredible instant sobbing and the world just crashed down around me. I couldn’t believe it – 36 years old, no family history? I couldn’t believe it.”
The TV star said she will undergo six weeks of radiation therapy after her lumpectomy.
Giuliana Rancic looked optimistic and said she is hopeful that she will be able to resume IVF after her cancer treatment.
“I still want this baby … because this baby has saved my life. I truly feel God was looking out after me… If I had gotten pregnant later down the line, I could have been a lot sicker.”
After the news has spread, celebrities were quick to send to Giuliana Rancic their well wishes over Twitter.
Kelly Osbourne, who appears alongside Giuliana Rancic on E! Fashion Police, let her know she is thinking about her.
Kelly Osbourne, 26, whose mother Sharon was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002, tweeted:
“I just want u 2 know I love you & that I’m thinking of u! u r a strong woman & ur going 2 beat the s*** out of this cancer!!!”
LeAnn Rimes, the country singer who recently made up with Giuliana Rancic after a war of words over weight, tweeted:
“@GiulianaRancic Sending love and prayers your way!”
Liliane Bettencourt, L’Oreal heiress announced today she wants to emigrate after a judge ruled that she was “mentally unfit” to manage her over $20 billion fortune.
Liliane Bettencourt, 88, the France’s richest woman who inherited the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune, was told that she had dementia and Alzheimer’s and is no longer mentally fit to run her business affairs.
The L’Oreal heiress said she was fine, and accused her daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers of plotting against her to try and wrestle control of the company.
Liliane Bettencourt, 88, the France's richest woman who inherited the L'Oreal cosmetics fortune, was told that she had dementia and Alzheimer's and is no longer mentally fit to run her business affairs
Liliane Bettencourt, who turns 89 on Friday, is also suspicious of France’s judicial authorities who are investigating her for allegedly giving brown envelopes full of cash to leading politicians in return for tax breaks.
Among the politicians involved is said to be President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was once a regular visitor to Liliane Bettencourt household in Neuilly, the upmarket Paris suburb.
In a court in Courbevoie, Judge Stephanie Kass-Danno granted the controversial ruling following a petition by Francoise Bettencourt- Meyers.
Francoise Bettencourt- Meyers, 58, had argued that Liliane Bettencourt was being negatively influenced by members of her “entourage” to whom she kept handing out money.
Just before the judge’s decision, Liliane Bettencourt said: “If my daughter wins I will go abroad.”
Liliane Bettencourt also said that having her money put under the control of a daughter to whom she seldom speaks would be a “nightmare”.
The L’Oreal heiress also objected to another part of the ruling that states that she herself will be under the “guardianship” of her grandson, Jean-Victor Meyers.
The Bettencourt family war started in 2007, when Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers accused a photographer called Francois-Marie Banier of taking advantage of Liliane Bettencourt’s condition by persuading her to give him around $1.5 billion worth of artworks, insurance policies and cash.
The family war then turned into a political scandal after it was alleged that Liliane Bettencourt had effectively “bought” tax breaks from politicians like President Nicolas Sarkozy.
At that moment, a judicial enquiry has been opened into the so-called Bettencourt Affair, but it is unlikely to conclude before next year’s presidential elections.
According to Jean-Rene Farthouat, Liliane Bettencourt’s lawyer, today’s ruling was “contrary to good sense” and there would be an appeal.
Liliane Bettencourt is the daughter of Eugene Schueller, the founder of L’Oreal.
Bettencourt family owns a 31% stake in the company, worth over $20 billion.
Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers reassured investors that the decision to put Liliane Bettencourt under guardianship would not affect the company in any way.
BlackBerry has officially announced today it is offering free apps worth $100 to its users hit by its three-day global blackout.
The Canadian company behind BlackBerry, Research in Motion, attracted worldwide anger of millions of customer who were unable to access email, surf the web or use the BlackBerry Messenger service within three-day outage last week.
The BlackBerry outage began on October 10 and services were only fully restored by Thursday, October 13.
The problem began as a minor inconvenience on Monday, but had turned into an fiasco by Tuesday morning as problems spread throughout Europe and the Middle East before hitting users in India and Latin America.
And it was spread by Wednesday to US and Canada.
BlackBerry has officially announced today it is offering free apps worth $100 to the users hit by its three-day global blackout
It was reported that at least 10 million of the BlackBerry’s 70 million users encountered disruption, reporting problems with email, web browsing and instant messaging following the server crash at the firm’s data centre in Slough, Berkshire.
According to RIM, there had been problems with its “core switch”, a series of specialized computers which receives and redirects millions of emails and messages every minute.
Research in Motion (RIM) announced that the premium apps will be offered as “an expression of appreciation for their patience” during the three-day disruptions.
The apps offered to the affected customers will be available on the BlackBerry App World from Wednesday, October 19, until December 31.
The RIM’s action meant to repair the damage to its reputation appeared after a survey last week revealed that 20% of BlackBerry users were considering switching to another supplier following the outage.
BlackBerry’s “core” business, “providing secure email and messaging to business”, seems being now under threat.
It was also reported that financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley and the Royal Bank of Scotland are trialing iPhones and iPads within their management teams.
Will Findlater, editor of Stuff magazine, said:
“I’m not sure that the business users who rely on BlackBerry for important messages are going to be satisfied.”
Over 1,000 BlackBerry customers have been quizzed by shopping comparison website Kelkoo, which found that 19% of them were thinking about moving to another manufacturer.
Another 42% of customers said they would consider changing later and 8% said they had already bought a new mobile phone.
Another research run on 3,000 people found that 70% of those who were planning to get a BlackBerry in the future admitted they would need some reassurance from the manufacturer as they would be put off by last week’s black-out.
Mike Lazaridis, RIM co-CEO said: “Our global network supports the communications needs of more than 70 million customers.
“We truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers.
“We’ve worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years, and we’re committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect, today and in the future.
“We are grateful to our loyal BlackBerry customers for their patience.
“We have apologized to our customers and we will work tirelessly to restore their confidence.
“We are taking immediate and aggressive steps to help prevent something like this from happening again.”
The free apps offered by BlackBerry will include SIMS 3, Bejeweled, Bubble Bash 2 and Shazam Encore.
Tesco pushed prices up on hundreds of products few weeks prior to £500 million price cutting campaign “Big Price Drop”, it was revealed today in British media.
Tesco raised prices for a few days and was able to say customers were making big savings.
According to The Times, there are many examples of raised prices and then cut by Tesco in the new Big Price Drop campaign:
Tesco 750g Fruit and Nut Museli went from £1.28 on August 16 to £1.89 on August 23 – before “dropping” to £1.75 on September 26;
Sliced Mushrooms – 250g – August 30: 85p; September 6: 97p; September 26: 87p;
Tesco Value Unsalted Butter – August 23: £1.10; August 30: £1.19; September 26: £1.10
Tesco Value Unsmoked Back Bacon – August 16: £1.44; August 23: £1.57; September 26: £1.44;
Oxo Beef Stock Cubes – 12 pack – August 16: 99p; August 27: £1.07; September 26: 99p;
Loose Carrots – August/September: 70p per kg; One week at 80p; September 26: 56p;
Surprisingly, after the “price cut”, the Tesco customers were even paying more than they had been six weeks before.
Tesco pushed prices up on hundreds of products few weeks prior to £500 million price cutting campaign “Big Price Drop”,
Hundreds of Tesco products that have been reduced are either selling for the same amount they were six weeks before the Big Price Drop campaign or have been cut only by a small amount.
Tesco said they had slashed prices on 3,000 items by up to 35%.
It was reported that in one four-page advert which featured 12 items which had their prices slashed, 4 of them had been on sale at the same lower price in the weeks beforehand.
A spokesman for Tesco admitted some products would have been on offer in the weeks before the campaign was launched.
“Given the current economic situation and inflation levels it is not surprising, and a factor for every supermarket that some prices on some products will have gone up in the weeks before Big Price Drop.
“In addition, with more than 3,000 products included, inevitably some will have been on promotion in the previous weeks.
‘With the Big Price Drop we are reducing prices on thousands of products our customers need to buy every week aiming to reduce the inflation that they have been experiencing on their weekly shop.
“It is real and sustained investment of £500 million.”
Tesco launched their Big Price Drop promotion campaign on September 27 just days before announcing their worst sales figures in 20 years.
Shoppers bought less food, switched to rivals and turned away from luxury purchases because of the living standards squeeze as sales fell by 1%.
After the supermarket launched Big Price Drop campaign, it was revealed that a basket of 33 staple items from Tesco now costs £58.37, which is up by £1.34 since the promotion began.
Stefan Ramin, a German round-the-world sailor is feared to have been eaten by cannibals during a visit to Nuku Hiva, a South Sea island of French Polynesia.
Police found remains on a camp fire which are believed to belong to Stefan Ramin, a 40-year-old business adviser from Haselau in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany.
Stefan Ramin apparently arranged to go on a traditional goat hunt in the forest after dropping anchor at Nuku Hiva in French Polynesia.
Nuku Hiva, a South Sea island of French Polynesia, where Stefan Ramin is believed to have been eaten by cannibals
Stefan Ramin’s girlfriend, Heike Dorsch says she saw him depart with a local guide, named as Henri Haiti. After a while, only the guide returned and he told her: “There’s been an accident. He needs help.”
Before she could rush into the forest, however, Heike Dorsch claims Henri Haiti chained her to a tree and sexually abused her.
Heike Dorsch, 37, managed to escape hours later to alert authorities and they began a seven-day search for her partner, Stefan Ramin.
Last week, the ashes were found in a valley by a squad of 22 police officers and among the embers were bones including a jaw bone, teeth and melted metal, believed to be fillings.
Stefan Ramin and his girlfriend, Heike Dorsch, before he disappeared and now feared to be eaten by cannibals
Police investigators believe a “human body was hacked to pieces and burned”.
The guide, Henri Haiti is still missing and soldiers from the French overseas territory have joined local police in the hunt for him.
The remains found in the forest were flown to a hospital in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, and from there to Paris for DNA analysis to prove whether they are all that is left of Stefan Ramin.
Heike Dorsch says she saw her boyfriend Stefan Ramin depart with a local guide, Henri Haiti (photo)
In 2008, Stefan Ramin set out to sail the world in a catamaran with his girlfriend Heike Dorsch.
On his Facebook page, Stefan Ramin listed his interests as “travelling, blue water sailing, kiting, kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing, diving… actually everything which one can do on and under the water”.
Stefan and Heike used an online blog to report their progress to friends and relatives.
In September, Stefan Ramin dropped anchor in Nuku Hiva, largest of the Marquesas’ islands, which, over the centuries, have featured in many reports of cannibalism.
José Thorel, a French chief investigator based on Tahiti, did not rule out the possibility that the remains are of Stefan Ramin but said the DNA evidence could take weeks to analyze.
The German newspaper Bild said that Henri Haiti was a “suspected cannibal”.
Reporting from the scene, Bild wrote: “Ashes from the fire are distributed over several square meters. In it bones, dentures and an artificial denture with charred metal lay. It smells of burned meat. Around the fireplace clothes were scattered.
“A prosecutor said that the probability is that he was murdered by a cannibal and parts of him were eaten.”
Deputy Mayor of Nuku Hiva, Deborah Kimitete told local news website Les Nouvelles: “No one can believe what has happened. This has never happened here before, this is the first time, it’s horrible.”
Nuku Hiva is an island with a population of just over 2,000 and featured in the stories of Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick.
Outside of horror films, cannibalism is virtually unheard of in the modern world. The Korowai of Papua New Guinea is one of the last surviving tribes to eat humans as a cultural practice. The tribe is numbering about 3,000, who live in an area so remote they were unaware of the existence of anyone besides themselves until 1970.
It was reported that the Korowai eat the brain immediately, while it is still warm, but the claims have not been verified.
