Julia Biryukova, mother of two-year-old Sky Metawala who vanished after being left in an unlocked car while she went to get gas, had previously been cited for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, according to police.
Authorities of Bellevue, Washington, spent a second day today searching for Sky Metawala, as court documents emerged revealing his parents had previously been arrested for leaving their child.
The mother had also obtained a restraining order against his father last year.
Julia Biryukova told investigators she left her toddler alone on Sunday as she and her four-year-old daughter walked a mile to a gas station, Bellevue police said.
When she came back an hour later, the boy was gone, Julia Biryukova said.
Investigators searched a 20-block area and even went door to door but found no sign of him.
Julia Biryukova told investigators she left her toddler alone on Sunday as she and her four-year-old daughter walked a mile to a gas station
In December 2009, officers in nearby Redmond cited Julia Biryukova and her husband, Solomon Metalwala, for reckless endangerment for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle.
Details were not immediately available; police said they were working to redact an incident report for release under the state’s public records act.
The case was dismissed early this year after Sky Metawala’s parents agreed to a year of probation, 40 hours of community service and a ten-week parenting class, said Ian Goodhew, a spokesman for the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
Julia Biryukova and Solomon Metalwala had been together for 14 years, married since 2003 and separated in March 2010, court records show.
In June 2010, Julia Biryukova, 30, filed for a protection order on behalf of herself and their two children, saying Solomon Metalwala had a severe anger problem, was verbally abusive and that he had beat her for the first time the previous Christmas.
The reason was that she had allowed Sky – just four months old at the time – to sleep later than expected, Julia Biryukova said.
“He became furious like I have never seen him before, he grabbed me by my hair in front of our daughter, dragged me into our hallway, threw me down on the floor and then threw me against a decorative column we have in the entrance of our home,” Julia Biryukova wrote.
“He continued to assault me with his feet – by kicking me and then he took out his car keys and contrived to scratch me in any area he could.”
The abuse escalated after that, with Solomon Metalwala telling her to go live on the street and work as a prostitute, Julia Biryukova said.
“The most, most recent have been his threats to kill me if I say anything against him or if in any way I proceed with action of seeking custody of our two small children,” Julia Biryukova added.
“I live in constant fear for my life and my children’s life. Please investigate and help me!”
A man who answered the phone at King Street Kafe and Market, a shop Solomon Metalwala owns in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, referred calls to a Leslie Clay Terry III, a lawyer who represented the couple in the reckless endangerment case. Clay Terry did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department, Officer Carla Lafrate, told The Seattle Times: “King County felt like they had done a very thorough search of a pretty wide area for the boy and were confident that he wasn’t there.”
Julia Biryukova told police that as she was walking back to her silver Acura from Chevron gas station a friend picked her up and drove them back to the car.
But when they returned, the toddler was missing. The door had been left unlocked and there was no sign of forced entry, police said.
Officer Carla Lafrate added: “We don’t know much, other than the child is still missing. I don’t know if the child got out on his own.”
Sky Metalwala has been described as having brown eyes and dark buzz-cut hair.
The toddler was dressed in a dark-green hooded sweatshirt and blue and grey striped trousers.
The case is being treated as a missing child, as they do not know if he was taken or left on his own accord.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s private doctor has been found guilty today of killing the megastar by a jury in Los Angeles.
Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray faces up to four years behind bars after the jury in Los Angeles convicted him of involuntary manslaughter after just ten hours of deliberations over two days.
A panel of seven men and five women took two days of deliberation to reach a verdict.
Michael Jackson died on 25 June 2009 from an overdose of the powerful anaesthetic propofol.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's private doctor has been found guilty today of killing the megastar by a jury in Los Angeles
Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, could now receive a maximum prison term of four years and lose his licence to practise medicine.
Doctor’s lawyers argued that Michael Jackson self-administered a lethal dose of the drug while he was out of the room.
Dr. Conrad Murray sat silently, shifting in his seat as the verdict was read out.
The Los Angeles jury – made up of one African American, six whites and five Hispanics – deliberated on Friday and through the morning on Monday.
Outside the court, fans of Michael Jackson were cheering and chanting, “Guilty! Guilty!” in the run-up to the verdict being announced.
During the six-week trial, 49 witnesses and more than 300 pieces of evidence were presented to the court.
Michael Jackson, who had been out of the public eye for several years, died in 2009 as he was preparing for a series of comeback performances at the O2 Arena in London.
Michael Jackson, who had been out of the public eye for several years, died in 2009 as he was preparing for a series of comeback performances at the O2 Arena in London
In his closing argument last Thursday, the prosecution said Dr. Conrad Murray had caused Michael Jackson’s death through negligence, depriving star’s children of their father and the world of a “genius”.
The defense argued that Michael Jackson was a drug addict who caused his own death by giving himself an extra dose of propofol while the cardiologist was out of the room at the star’s rented mansion in Los Angeles.
More than three million Muslim pilgrims today symbolically stoned Satan in a valley near the Saudi Arabian holy city of Mina – part of the last, and most dangerous, rite of the annual hajj.
In the past years the sheer number of people swirling around the pillars has led to stampedes – with 244 people killed in 2004 and 360 fatally injured the following year.
Saudi authorities subsequently built the current concrete complex to reduce the danger, and have so far not reported any injuries from 2011 event.
More than three million Muslim pilgrims today symbolically stoned Satan in a valley near the Saudi Arabian holy city of Mina - part of the last, and most dangerous, rite of the annual hajj
Vast crowds cast pebbles as they flowed past the three pillars, on the same day as the start of the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.
The ritual in the desert valley commemorates Abraham’s stoning of Satan, who is said to have appeared three times to the prophet to tempt him.
Male pilgrims in two-piece seamless white robes, and women covered head to foot except for their hands and faces, chanted “God is great” while casting the pebbles.
Pilgrims later shaved their heads or clipped off a lock of hair, a tradition dating back to the Prophet Muhammad’s own pilgrimage.
Male pilgrims in two-piece seamless white robes, and women covered head to foot except for their hands and faces, chanted "God is great" while casting the pebbles
The pilgrims are also required to slaughter a lamb or goat, representing the lamb that Abraham sacrificed in the place of his son Ishmael. They are allowed to arrange for this to be done in a different location or in their own countries.
Today also marks the start of Eid al-Adha, in remembrance of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son.
The five-day pilgrimage is packed with symbolism and ritual. It is aimed at cleansing the soul of sin and winning absolution by tracing the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad and of Abraham, whom Muslims view as a forefather of Islam.
Libyans who have long been denied the opportunity to make the hajj were reportedly in attendance at this year’s pilgrimage.
The privilege was usually only reserved for Muammar Gaddafi’s cronies.
Mariah Yeater, the young woman who claims Justin Bieber is the father of her child, has given her first ever TV interview.
Mariah Yeater, 20, has been dressed to look young and innocent, with minimal make-up and a white shirt beneath her pink sweater, unlike the controversial topless pictures of her which emerged last week.
It is difficult to tell from her body language what the truth is, but Mariah Yeater is close to tears as she explains Justin Bieber went from “cute and gushy to aggressive” during their liasion in a backstage toilet last year.
In the exclusive interview with The Insider, Mariah Yeater reinforces the claims that Justin Bieber fathered her four-month-old son Tristyn.
Mariah Yeater, 20, has been dressed to look young and innocent, with minimal make-up and a white shirt beneath her pink sweater, unlike the controversial topless pictures of her which emerged last week
Mariah Yeater gave birth following the alleged incident with Justin Bieber, which reportedly occurred following 30 seconds of unprotected sex in a VIP bathroom at the Staples Center in LA after a concert in October 2010.
Speaking of the incident, Mariah Yeater said:
“He (Bieber) immediately took a liking to me and we just got to talking and then he eventually asked me, <<Do you mind if we can go somewhere and be alone?>>”
She then said Justin Bieber, then 16-year-old, took her to a bathroom.
In the exclusive interview with The Insider, Mariah Yeater reinforces the claims that Justin Bieber fathered her four-month-old son Tristyn
When she was asked over what evidence she has to support her claims, Mariah Yeater said she has provided the relevant to her attorney but could not discuss it on camera.
Mariah Yeater added: “It’ll show in court to prove that my allegations are true.”
The Insider confronted Mariah Yeater on a recent interview with a security guard who claims that on the night in question, Justin Bieber’s dressing room was full of friends and family, staying with the teenage heartthrob until he left.
Asked for her response on the guard’s claims, Mariah Yeater said: “No comment.”
Mariah Yeater’ son, Tristyn, was born in July, with a child support hearing scheduled for December 15.
Continuing with his career in the face of adversity, Justin Bieber accepted the Best Pop award at the MTV European Music Awards last night in Belfast.
Justin Bieber was also named Best Male, taking to the stage to collect his award and saying:
“Yo, two awards in the past 60 minutes.
“There’s been a lot of c**p on the internet lately, but I’ve pulled through.”
Sky Metalwala, a two-year-old toddler went missing while his mother went looking for gas in Bellevue, Washington.
Police and search dogs were scanning yesterday a wooded area in Bellevue, searching for the toddler .
The mother took her other child, four, with her to walk a mile to the nearest petrol station after their car came to a halt, but left the two-year-old Sky Metalwala buckled into his car seat in the unlocked vehicle.
Sky Metalwala, a two-year-old toddler went missing while his mother went looking for gas in Bellevue, Washington
When the mother, who has not been identified but is from Redmond, returned around an hour later to the parked car at 9:50 a.m., the toddler was gone.
Police responded to the mother call and started the search but said they did not find a gas can at the car when they arrived.
Officers attempted an all-day search for Sky Metalwala in the northwestern area of the city, but suspended their efforts at 6:00 p.m. local time.
Around 50 people and King County Search and Rescue teams were looking for Sky Metalwala before it became too dark to continue.
Spokesperson for the Bellevue Police Department, Officer Carla Lafrate, told The Seattle Times: “King County felt like they had done a very thorough search of a pretty wide area for the boy and were confident that he wasn’t there.”
Sky Metalwala’s mother told police that as she was walking back to her silver Acura from Chevron gas station a friend picked her up and drove them back to the car.
But when they returned, Sky Metalwala was missing. The door had been left unlocked and there was no sign of forced entry, police said.
Officer Carla Lafrate added: “We don’t know much, other than the child is still missing. I don’t know if the child got out on his own.”
Sky Metalwala has been described as having brown eyes and dark buzz-cut hair.
The boy was dressed in a dark-green hooded sweatshirt and blue and grey striped trousers.
The case is being treated as a missing child, as they do not know if he was taken or left on his own accord.
Detectives are working with the mother and the Sky Metalwala’s father, who lives in Kirkland, has also been contacted.
Luis Rosales, an armed robber got more than he bargained for after being tackled by two cage fighters who just happened to be staying at the hotel he was trying to hold-up.
Luis Rosales, 31, definitely made the wrong move when he walked into the Comfort Inn hotel in LA’s Koreatown, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded he fill a bag full of cash.
After handing over money from the till, the clerk noticed Luis Rosales place the weapon in the bag along with the cash. He followed him out of the office, grabbed him from behind and screamed for help.
Luis Rosales, an armed robber got more than he bargained for after being tackled by two cage fighters who just happened to be staying at the hotel he was trying to hold-up
Luckily for the clerk, two of his guests, trained martial arts experts Brent Alvarez, 33, and Billy Denney, 28, had just arrived in town for a tournament in Long Beach and were waiting in the lobby.
As Luis Rosales struggled to break free the two fighters leapt into action with Billy Denney grabbing the robber in a hold while Brent Alvarez seized the gun.
The cage fighters then put the robber on the ground with a leg sweep and held him until police arrived.
Billy Denney told the LA Times: “The manager eye-balled us and immediately started running after this guy saying <<He’s got a gun, he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun, he just robbed me>>.
“He body-locks him and that’s when me and Brent. kind of rushed the guy.”
Brent Alvarez, 33, a former hip-hop club bouncer added: “He wasn’t trying to punch us; he just seemed like someone who had run out of options.
“I think back now and wonder what the hell was I doing? I should have hit him and knocked him out.”
Brent Alvarez runs Twisted Web Martial arts studio in Eugene, Oregon
Brent Alvarez, who runs Twisted Web Martial arts studio in Eugene, Oregon, and Billy Denney who is his student, ended up struggling for several minutes with Luis Rosales before the police arrived and brought things under control.
Brent Alvarez claims the suspect kept insisting he was desperate and was only doing it for his daughter.
The Los Angeles Police Departnment have commended the two men for their bravery.
Mixed martial arts expert, student Billy Denney
Officer Rosario Herrera of the LAPD said: “When the officers arrived they saw a man on the ground being held by two citizens.
“From there we disarmed him, we got the money.”
Luis Rosales was later taken into custody and charged with armed robbery with bail set at $101,250.
Even she was due to serve a 30 days sentence, Lindsay Lohan has been released from jail after just 4.5 hours in custody.
Lindsay Lohan enjoyed a last supper with friends before she checked into the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, CA , last night just before 9:00 p.m. to begin serving her 30-day jail sentence.
LiLo didn’t need to pack an overnight bag though as she was released at approximately 1:30 a.m. and headed back to her rented home having spent almost as much time out eating sushi earlier in the evening as she spent behind bars.
Even she was due to serve a 30 days sentence, Lindsay Lohan has been released from jail after just 4.5 hours in custody
Lindsay Lohan early release is thought to be due to overcrowding in prison.
The actress must now complete the remaining 53 days of her community service, including at least 12 days a month at the county morgue.
The sentence also requires Lindsay Lohan to undergo 18 psychotherapy sessions and appear monthly at court hearings between December 2011 and March 2012.
Judge Stephanie Sautner also said Lindsay Lohan can no longer leave the country and needs the permission of her new “no-nonsense” probation officer to travel outside California.
Lindsay Lohan, 25, will have to serve 423 hours at the county morgue, where for nearly two weeks she has been scrubbing floors, cleaning toilets and washing dirty sheets.
After jailing Lindsay Lohan, Judge Stephanie Sautner said: “You are not to get house arrest or early release, except for that required by the law.“
The sentence marked LiLo’s fifth jail term since her arrest in 2007 for drunken driving.
After her sentencing, Los Angeles County Sheriff spokesman, Steve Whitmore said: “It’s possible she could be booked in and booked out the same day.
“It depends on the fluctuations of the day, what’s going on in the jail.”
Lindsay Lohan was set to begin her 30 day jail sentence after being found guilty of violating her probation and was ordered to check in to the Lynwood Regional Correctional Facility before November 9 but found time to tie up some loose ends first.
On Saturday night Lindsay Lohan and friends went to Wabi-Sabi Sushi and Asian restaurant for a low key dinner.
LiLo seemed in high spirits as she laughed in the bar, which is just a stone’s throw from her home in the trendy enclave.
She has had a busy few days and reportedly stripped for Playboy on Wednesday.
But it is said the shoot was the second for Lindsay Lohan after Hugh Hefner decided he wasn’t happy with the first set of photos and hired a new photographer.
Sources told RadarOnline: “Lindsay was told that the Playboy executives wanted to go another direction with her shoot so they asked her to come back for a second time.
“There is never a guarantee that everyone will like the photos or that they will be of high enough quality to use for the cover, but Playboy wanted to make sure that Lindsay’s pictures were exactly what they wanted.”
On Wednesday, Lindsay Lohan waived her rights at her probation violation hearing at the Los Angeles Superior Court Airport Branch and admitted the violation.
Judge Stephanie Sautner ordered her to surrender to the jail by Wednesday.
Lindsay Lohan was not immediately put behind bars because the judge decided to allow her time to complete her nude photo shoot for Playboy, according to TMZ.
Lindsay Lohan’s lawyer, Shawn Holley, is understood to have told the judge in chambers that her client had a $1million contract with Hugh Hefner’s publication.
As well as serving the jail time the star must continue her community service at the Los Angeles county morgue. But TMZ reported that Lindsay Lohan may serve just minutes behind bars.
A source within the Sheriff’s Department told TMZ that if someone receives a misdemeanor sentence of 90 days or less, they are routinely processed in and then released.
A 19-month-old toddler from Florida died in a horrific accident after being run over by a lawnmower that was driven by his grandmother.
The toddler suffered horrific injuries to his head and body after being dragged under the spinning blades. The accident took place in Titusville, Florida, on Friday afternoon.
Battalion Chief Scott Gaenicke from Titusville Fire & Emergency Services said:
“He was riding on the lawnmower with Grandma and somehow fell off and was run over.
A 19-month-old toddler from Florida died in a horrific accident after being run over by a lawnmower that was driven by his grandmother
“We believe the blades of the lawnmower struck the child.”
Titusville police have seized the mower and trailer as they launch an investigation into the accident.
Neighbours said the grandmother, who has only been identified by her first name of Cynthia, is distraught.
“They’re suffering. The whole family’s suffering,” said neighbor Dave Smith.
“Cynthia is a good, Christian woman, and I know whatever happened, I just know she feels as bad as anyone could ever feel. She’ll never get over this.”
Another neighbour, who owns a lawn care business, said the toddler would have suffered terrible injuries.
“A 19-month-old getting hurt on one, I’m surprised there’s anything left of him. That’s as bad as they can be,” said Jessica Lowe.
“They’re so heavy and dangerous. I’ve blown out windows just by hitting pine cones,” she said.
Investigators are trying to piece together how the child, who was said to have been towed behind the mower, came to be hit by the blade.
The badly injured boy was flown by helicopter to Parrish Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators said they’ll wait for the boy’s autopsy from the Medical Examiner’s Office and talk with the State Attorney’s Office to determine if the grandmother will be charged.
According to a new book, wrote by Chuck Pfarrer, a former SEAL team commander – SEAL Target Geronimo. The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden – President Barack Obama was actually playing golf until 20 minutes before the operation began in earnest.
Chuck Pfarrer’s book claims that Barack Obama Only played golf and only after he finished the course he return to the White House to watch what he later trumpeted as a great success of his presidency.
Strain etched on his face, Barack Obama watched as the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden played out on a television in front of him.
The book also claims the official account was riddled with errors and that Osama Bin Laden was referred to as “Bert” and not just “Geronimo”.
Also, none of the Navy SEALs said the now famous words: “For God and country”, and when they burst into Bin Laden’s room, his wife screamed: “No, no, don’t do this… it’s not him!”
Chuck Pfarrer has spoken to several of the men who carried out the operation at Osama Bin Laden’s mansion hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2.
The author paints a very different picture to the official photo released at the time which shows Barack Obama and advisers huddled round a table in the White House situation room as footage was beamed from a drone 15,000 feet above the al-Qaeda leader’s mansion.
Strain etched on his face, Barack Obama watched as the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden played out on a television in front of him
Chuck Pfarrer says the President’s role was largely inflated and suggests he stayed out on the golf course for so long so he could distance himself in case it went wrong.
The author writes: “If this had completely gone south, he was in a position to disavow.”
Chuck Pfarrer says the White House photographs did not show the moment that Osama Bin Laden was killed, but the moment a helicopter went down, which happened after the shooting.
SEAL Target Geronimo claims that President Barack Obama was actually playing golf until 20 minutes before the killing Osama Bin Laden operation began
Barack Obama is known to be a keen golfer. Just today, as the White House was being encircled by 8,000 environmental protesters, he was on a course in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The President also played golf four times during his week-long family holiday on Martha’s Vineyard.
Chuck Pfarrer’s book also claims that Osama Bin Laden would have been captured if he gave himself up. The author said a SEAL team would not have been sent in for a kill mission, adding: “If it was a kill mission you don’t need SEAL Team 6; you need a box of hand grenades.”
He also gives a dramatic new insight into what happened during the 1:00 a.m. raid, during which only 12 bullets were fired.
Within 90 seconds of their helicopter landing, the SEALs saw Osama Bin Laden slam his bedroom door shut. Two SEALs burst in and saw Osama Bin Laden and one of his four wives, Amal, who shouted: “It’s not him!”
Contrary to White House statements that he was unarmed, Osama Bin Laden had a gun next to him. As he shoved his wife at the SEALs, four shots were fired.
The first round whistled past Osama Bin Laden’s face. The second grazed his wife’s calf.
Contrary to White House statements that he was unarmed, Osama Bin Laden had a gun next to him
Chuck Pfarrer claims: ” Two 5.56mm Predator bullets slammed into him. One struck him next to his breastbone, blowing apart his aorta. The last went through his skull.”
The author also reveals that Osama Bin Laden was known as “Bert” to the Seals, and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri was Ernie – a reference to the Sesame Street puppets.
The SEALS have decided to speak out after being enraged by the image that was being painted of them as cold-blooded murderers on a “kill mission”.
Chuck Pfarrer said: “I’ve been a SEAL for 30 years and I never heard the words <<kill mission>>.”
The soldiers were also said to be disappointed that Barack Obama announced Osama Bin Laden’s death on TV a few hours later, making their intelligence-gathering futile.
Chuck Pfarrer also said the President’s announcement of the “intentional” killing was understandable but nonetheless disappointing.
The author told the Sunday Times: “There isn’t a politician in the world who could resist trying to take credit for getting Bin Laden but it devalued the <<intel>> and gave time for every other Al-Qaeda leader to scurry to another bolthole.
“The men who did this and their valorous act deserve better. It’s a pretty shabby way to treat these guys.”
The operation began to come together in January 2010 after it was discovered that a “high-value individual” was hiding out at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The commanding officer of the SEALS was brought to a top secret meeting with the CIA and his boss Admiral William McRaven to prepare a plan to present to the President.
Chuck Pfarrer asked: “So is this Bert or Ernie?”, according to the SEALs’ Sesame Street nicknames for Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.
CIA intelligence confirmed they were “60 per cent or 70 per cent certain it’s our guy”.
Satellite images had measured the target’s shadow, making him “over 6 feet tall”. He was dubbed “the pacer” as he was constantly seen walking back and forth.
In the following months, the team of SEALS began to make detailed preparations including practising manoeuvres at a mock-up of the compound at a remote army camp.
It was planned that the team would use Ghost Hawk helicopters because they were so quiet on approach, the Seals described them as flying in “whisper mode”, according to Chuck Pfarrer.
Barack Obama gave the mission the green light and SEAL Team 6, known as the Jedi, kicked into action.
After being deployed to Afghanistan, the team were told to use older helicopters, Stealth Hawks, as sending in Ghost Hawks without the back up of jet fighters was considered too risky. Decoy targets were set up and the U.S. Navy scrambled Pakistan’s radar to protect the mission.
The operation, called Neptune’s Spear, was meant to take place on April 30 but was rescheduled for May 1 because of bad weather. In the dead of night, the SEALS flew on two Stealth Hawks, codenamed Razor 1 and 2, followed by two Chinooks five minutes behind.
Each SEAL was wearing body armour and night-vision goggles and equipped with laser targets, radios and sawn-off M4 rifles.
Also on board were a CIA agent, a Pakistani- American interpreter and a sniffer dog called Karo, wearing dog body armour and goggles.
It was estimated that around 30 people were in the high-walled compound in Abbottabad – Oasama Bin Laden and three of his wives, two sons, Khalid and Hamza, his courier, Abu Ahmed al- Kuwaiti, four bodyguards and a number of children.
At 56 minutes past midnight the compound came into sight and the code “Palm Beach” gave the signal they were three minutes to landing.
The first helicopter hovered over the main house, where Osama Bin Laden was known to live on the top floor. A team of 12 SEALS abseiled the 5 ft-6 ft down onto the roof, leapt onto a terrace and kicked in the windows.
The first person they saw was Osama Bin Laden’s third wife Khaira. She fell after being blinded by a strobe light and was caught by a SEAL who pinned her to the floor.
Osama Bin Laden suddenly appeared in the doorway of a bedroom along the hall and then slammed the door.
One SEAL radioed: “Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo“, signalling that they had spotted the target.
As people started moving in other parts of the house and lights were thrown on, Osama Bin Laden’s son Khalid came running up the stairs towards the SEALS and was shot dead.
Two commandos kicked in Bin Laden’s door to find the al-Qaeda leader cowering behind his youngest wife Amal.
As Osama Bin Laden tried to reach for his AK-47 rifle, the SEALS opened fire.
One round hit the mattress, another grazed Amal in the calf.
They each fired again: one shot hit Osama Bin Laden’s breastbone, the other his skull, blowing out the back of his head. His dead body slumped to the floor and he lay face up – just 90 seconds after the mission began.
Earlier reports had suggested that Osama Bin Laden was not killed until after a protracted gun fight.
The second helicopter had headed to a smaller guesthouse in the compound where Osama Bin Laden’s courier, Kuwaiti, and his brother lived.
As the helicopter closed in, a man appeared in the door with an assault rife and began to fire. Someone on board shouted: “Bust him!”. A sniper on board the chopper fired two shots and Kuwaiti was killed along with his wife standing behind him.
Within two minutes the SEALS had cleared the guesthouse and removed the women and children. They then ran to meet their colleagues at the main building, firing two bullets into one of Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguards who was brandishing a gun.
Five minutes later, a Chinook landed by the compound and more commandos flooded into the compound.
The commanding officer went to view Osama Bin Laden’s corpse before confirming via satellite phone to the White House “Geronimo Echo KIA” – that their number one enemy was dead.
Chuck Pfarrer is a former commander who worked 30 years as SEAL
Chuck Pfarrer added: “This was the first time the White House knew he was dead and it was probably 20 minutes into the raid.”
A sample of Osama Bin Laden’s DNA was taken, the body was bagged and put on the helicopter. His rifle is now mounted on the wall of their team room at their headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
On leaving the compound the first helicopter had an electrical failure and crashed tail-first into the compound.
SEALS initially thought it had been shot down as they rushed to help the crew who escaped unharmed.
Abiliti is a gastric pacemaker, the latest hi-tech device in the battle of obesity, which works as a stomach implant that tricks the brain into feeling full.
According to experts, the gastric pacemaker can train obese people to eat normal-sized meals without the need for surgery that drastically changes the size of their stomach.
The device, which is a credit card sized implant, detects when food has been eaten and sends signals to the brain to create the impression of fullness, regardless of the portion’s size.
Abiliti is a gastric pacemaker, the latest hi-tech device in the battle of obesity, which works as a stomach implant that tricks the brain into feeling ful
Experts hope that the Abiliti gastric pacemaker, which is implanted via keyhole surgery, will provide a popular alternative to radical procedures such as a gastric bypass, in which the stomach is made smaller and the digestive tract replumbed.
Initially, operations will be carried out on the obese – people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above.
However, scientists who have trialled the $15,000 device, which is already available at selected private hospitals, say it may one day be offered to those who are merely overweight to stop them from becoming fatter.
The Abiliti, which is made by U.S. firm IntraPace, is attached to a lead, a food sensor and an electrode.
When someone with the implant eats, its sensor is tripped and sends a signal to the device, which then sends a series of gentle electrical pulses to the electrode.
This excites the nearby vagus nerve, and triggers hormonal changes that trick the brain into thinking that the stomach is full.
Abiliti gastric pacemaker detects when food has been eaten and sends signals to the brain to create the impression of fullness, regardless of the portion's size
In European trials, people fitted with the gastric pacemaker ate 45% less at each meal.
One German recipient has gone from 287 lbs (140 kg) to just over 168 lbs (83 kg), and has even started competing in triathlons.
A 53-year-old mother-of-three from England, who is due to be fitted with an Abiliti this week described it as her last chance of losing weight.
The woman said: “I’ve been big ever since I was a child.
“I’ve tried everything, including exercise, dieting and drugs, but nothing works.
“I’d give anything to have a normal shape.”
Dr. James Byrne, who will perform her operation at the private Spire Southampton Hospital, said the gastric pacemaker has several benefits over other weight-loss techniques, including the gastric bypass and the similar gastric band, popularised by celebrities.
“These procedures do work, but they are quite drastic as we have to remodel the gut,” he said.
“The Abiliti is a simple implant that can be reversed if necessary, so it is much less aggressive.”
The gastric pacemaker can be programmed to switch off at mealtimes and on between them, to combat snacking.
While the Abiliti gastric pacemaker can’t count calories, it can provide doctors with a picture of portion size and the number of nibbles eaten, allowing them to provide diet and life- style advice tailored to individual patients’ habits.
Hugh Grant met Tinglan Hong, the mother of his first child at a Chinese restaurant,the Bayee Village in Wimbledon, where she worked.
Hugh Grant, 51, met Tinglan Hong at the Bayee Village,where he dined regularly and she entertained guests by singing karaoke.
Tinglan Hong, 32, worked in the restaurant for seven years and dated its owner Marco Yu before her short relationship with Hugh Grant.
Hugh Grant met Tinglan Hong, the mother of his first child at a Chinese restaurant,the Bayee Village in Wimbledon, where she worked
Speaking about Tinglan Hong, who was known as Tin Tin, Marco Yu told the Sunday Mirror that he was shocked at hearing his former girlfriend was pregnant with Hugh Grant’s baby.
Bayee Village restaurant owner, Marco Yu said: “She’s a nice girl and a good worker. Everybody liked her. She comes from a good family and has a masters degree in travel and tourism so is very bright.
“I haven’t seen her since she went on maternity leave but I wish her the best of luck.”
Bayee Village restaurant in Wimbledon is regularly frequented by famous people with Hugh Grant being a regular and members of the Fulham football squad.
Restaurant specials include sweet and sour sea bass and a number of dishes based on lobster.
Bayee Village restaurant in Wimbledon is regularly frequented by famous people with Hugh Grant being a regular and members of the Fulham football squad
Tinglan Hong was born in China before moving to the England where she engaged in what was named a “fleeting” affair with Hugh Grant.
The news Tinglan Hong gave birth to Hugh Grant’s first baby, a girl who is now six weeks old, caused surprise around the globe and was not planned.
Hugh Grant is not believed to have been present at the birth but he is said to have spent around half an hour with her the following day before heading to Scotland to play in a golf tournament.
According to U.S. reports, Tinglan Hong gave birth at the beginning of October, but the British media has been told that she had the child on the afternoon of September 26.
Hugh Grant’s baby girl was delivered at the private Portland Hospital in central London by Caesarean section. It is believed Tinglan Hong used the name “Sophie” for the baby during her stay at the hospital.
A woman from Miami found her father’s dead body inside a home he was trying to renovate and which contained at least 60,000 bees.
Miami Police are not sure whether the father, who has not been named, fell from a ladder or died as a result of bee stings after he was found in the upstairs bedroom of the home.
The woman said her father was renovating the house – which had been in the family since 1924 – so that she could move in.
When he couldn’t be reached his daughter went to the home and found his body.
“We’re not sure if he fell, had a medical condition or if it was bee stings,” Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Ignatius Carroll told Local 10.com.
“But you can imagine how devastating this was for her to find him.”
A woman from Miami found her father's dead body inside a home he was trying to renovate and which contained at least 60,000 bees
Willie Sklaroff, who runs a bee eradication company, said at least 60,000 bees were living in the walls of the home and were disturbed during the renovation process.
Willie Sklaroff said: “He probably opened up the hole and was gonna fog it and what happened is that the bees probably came out, scared him and he fell off the chair.“
He said he will return at another time to remove all of the bees.
Willie Sklaroff said by the sounds and the number of holes in the wall there are probably more than 60,000 there.
Neighbours described the victim as a “really nice person and a kind soul”.
Luis Lopez, a Florida prisoner was released from jail after serving only three months of his year-long sentence for his second arrest for driving while intoxicated.
After questioning guards in disbelief,Luis Lopez was shuffled out of jail and into freedom, but it still didn’t seem right.
Luis Lopez, 37, called his lawyer when he got home, only to find out that his hesitations were for good reason.
Due to a mistake at the court office, the jail let Luis Lopez out too early.
“I was stunned,” he said.
Luis Lopez, a Florida prisoner was released from jail after serving only three months of his year-long sentence for his second arrest for driving while intoxicated
Luis Lopez had been told that instead of serving the year he was initially sentenced for his DUI, along with charges of driving on a suspended license and hitting two cars before fleeing the scene, he was released Friday and told that all he had left was a year of probation.
The sheriff’s office placed the blame on the courts, saying that jail must follow all court orders, and they simply did as told in this case.
Luis Lopez’s lawyer called him back to say that he needed to turn himself back into the Marion County, Florida jail to serve out the rest of his original sentence.
“It would have been better if they had just let him serve his time instead of releasing him and then taking him away from me again!” said Luis Lopez’ girlfriend who would only say her name was Jaimie.
Rather than plot a way to stay outside of the cell block, Luis Lopez immediately decided that he would do the right thing and go back to jail.
“It never should have happened. I just want to do what I have to do now, and get on with my life. That’s it,” Luis Lopez said.
After Steve Williams, Tiger Woods’ former caddie, made a racist comment at an awards dinner, he was condemned by the Professional Golfers Association and Tiger Woods’ management team, but not by his new boss, Adam Scott.
Steve Williams, 47, was given an award for the year’s best celebration – a reference to his tongue-in-cheek claim that his current employer Adam Scott’s victory at the Bridgestone Invitational in August was “the best win of my career” – despite being on the bag with Tiger Woods for 13 majors.
Asked what the celebration was all about, Steve Williams said: “It was my aim to shove it right up that black a**hole.”
Though Steve Williams issued an apology, people are now criticizing Adam Scott’s lack of criticism.
Adam Scott, who now retains Steve Williams, said that he disapproves of Williams' remark, but is trying to put the whole incident in the past
Adam Scott, who now retains Steve Williams, said that he disapproves of Williams’ remark, but is trying to put the whole incident in the past.
“I don’t think anyone condones racism in sport or anything,” Adam Scott said.
“I don’t see it being an issue moving forward.
“I think from my side of things and my teams, the matter has been put to bed. I’ve got nothing more to talk about it with anyone. So I’m moving on.
“I heard Steve issue an apology. What more should I do?
“Look, anything with Tiger involved is a story,” Adam Scott continued.
“I value Steve’s contribution to my game and to have him on the bag.”
Mark Steinberg, Tiger Woods’ agent at Excel Sports Management, was with the golfer when he heard the news.
He said: “It’s a regrettable comment, and there’s really nothing that Tiger can do or say. He’s just going to move on.”
Steve Williams’ comment was met with a mixture of laughter and shock at the ceremony, with some players turning to each other with eyes widened and jaws agape.
The body of a newborn baby boy who is believed to have been delivered alive and subsequently strangled was found in a trash can at a Salvation Army store bathroom in Streamwood, Chicago.
Police was called to the Salvation Army store after an employee found some blood on the bathroom floor and then the body, which was inside a plastic bag with its umbilical chord still attached.
The placenta was also discovered at the scene.
Police believes the plastic bag was used to strangle the baby boy – who was six pounds, 11 ounces and about 18 inches long.
The baby boy was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a release from Streamwood police.
Salvation Army store officials told police the woman appeared pregnant when she walked into the store on Friday morning and asked a manager to use an employee restroom.
The woman walked out an hour later, they said.
A sketch has been released of the mother who is said to be a Hispanic female between 15 and 25 years old
“The manager sent a worker to into the store to check on the status of the bathroom, discovered some blood on the floor and then subsequent to that we discovered – the worker discovered – a fetus in the wastepaper basket.
“It wasn’t premature or born with a light weight. It looked like it went through a nine-month gestation.
“The baby was delivered alive and strangled to its death.”
A sketch has been released of the mother who is said to be a Hispanic female between 15 and 25 years old. The woman is said to be between five feet and five feet, four inches tall with long dark hair.
She was last seen wearing a purple hooded sweatshirt and a lime green coat and may have been with another woman and a two-year-old child.
Deputy Chief James Keegan offered the reminder of Illinois’ Safe Haven law, which allows mothers to leave babies 30 days old or younger – no questions asked – at any police station, fire house or hospital.
Anyone with information can contact the Streamwood police investigations division at (630) 736-3700.
A confidential tip line also is available to anonymous callers at (630) 736-3719.
Tinglan Hong, the Chinese woman who gave birth to the first child of Hugh Grant, was portrayed by her her former boyfriend Robert Hodge.
Robert Hodge said that when Tinglan Hong, 31, arrived at his home at the end of October, the first thing he noticed was that her normally petite frame appeared to have gained weight.
It had been several months since they had last met but now Tinglan Hong was visiting Robert Hodge to discuss changing her silver Mercedes CLK car – a two-door coupe – for a bigger vehicle.
Imediately, her former boyfriend understood.
“I said to her, <<You’ve done it, haven’t you? You’ve had the baby>>.”
Tinglan Hong, known to all as Ting Ting, then confirmed what Robert Hodge had suspected for several months – that she had given birth to a child fathered by actor Hugh Grant.
The news last week that famously dedicated bachelor Hugh Grant, 51, had become a father for the first time came with a backhanded dismissal when his publicists described his time with Tinglan Hong as “a fleeting affair”.
For Robert Hodge, 55, a buyer for a specialist car company who spent 18 months dating Ting Ting before she met Hugh Grant, it brought mixed emotions.
It brought to mind the day in April 2010 when Ting Ting had told him, with barely concealed excitement, that she had begun playing golf with Hugh Grant after meeting him in an upmarket wine bar in Chelsea.
Far from their contact being “fleeting”, Robert Hodge says that over the months that followed, Tinglan Hong confessed that she and Hugh Grant had regularly been spending time together.
Although Ting Ting denied they were romantically involved, Robert Hodge suspected there was far more to their relationship.
As Tinglan Hong showed him pictures of their dark-haired daughter, he could be in no doubt. Robert Hodge listened as Ting Ting proudly told him that her little girl had been nicknamed Bamboo but that her Chinese name translated as “Happy Accident”.
Although reportedly “delighted” at becoming a father, Hugh Grant is said to have been absent during the child’s birth and spent just half an hour with his daughter before heading to Scotland to play golf.
Last week, Hugh Grant was pictured with a German burlesque dancer, said to be the latest object of his affections.
Tinglan Hong, the Chinese woman who gave birth to the first child of Hugh Grant, was portrayed by her her former boyfriend Robert Hodge
Robert Hodge, a divorced father-of-four from Wandsworth, South London, claims to have no hard feelings towards Hugh Grant. But the star’s behaviour towards Tinglan Hong, for whom he still cares deeply, has clearly irked him.
Robert Hodge says: “I don’t think he has been as considerate as he could have been, no. He has brought all this attention on her but doesn’t want to take responsibility for any of it.
“He has been able to turn up at her house in his Ferrari, bringing the paparazzi straight to her door, and then leave the country again.
“Meanwhile, it’s Ting Ting who has been left to deal with all of this. Now he’s apparently with this burlesque dancer.
“It’s all very well that his publicist has described his time with Ting Ting as a fleeting romance but it wasn’t fleeting.
“At one time, he told people she was a big part of his life – it’s not very fair that he has dismissed that. Even if he isn’t with her, he has had a hand in creating this situation.“
So far, little is known about the mother of Hugh Grant’s child other than that she was brought up in the town of Lishni in Zhejiang Province, Eastern China.
But Robert Hodge, who has been divorced for 11 years, is now able to offer an intriguing insight.
Robert Hodge first met Tinglan Hong in 2006 at the Dog and Fox pub in the centre of exclusive Wimbledon village in South-West London. Attracted by her vivacious and bubbly personality, he asked her to join his group and the pair became friends.
Tinglan Hong had just graduated from a hotel management degree at the University of Surrey in Guildford after arriving in the UK several years previously. Ting Ting told Robert Hodge she was running an internet-based import and export business from her tiny flat in New Malden, Surrey.
It took two years for their friendship to deepen into a romantic relationship.
Robert Hodge recalls: “It got to the stage we both wanted to be together. She was never moody, always a really nice person to be around. She doesn’t drink alcohol, but is always the life and soul of any gathering. She has huge character and likes spontaneity, to go with the flow.
“If you met her she’d be friendly and witty and would put people at ease. She picks up on a thread of conversation and will drop in a funny one-liner.
“She’s a little bit crazy and quite often does something weird – a funny facial expression or little mannerism.
“It was her innocence that made her a bit cheeky. We laughed a lot together.”
Robert Hodge first met Tinglan Hong in 2006 at the Dog and Fox pub in the centre of exclusive Wimbledon village in South-West London
A fan of the latest fashions, Tinglan Hong dressed in designer labels, favouring Louboutin heels and Gucci handbags.
Robert Hodge says it was not clear how she could afford such luxuries, but believes her family in China sent her a monthly allowance.
Although Tinglan Hong rarely talked about her family, she appeared to have a very close relationship with them and chatted to her mother regularly on the phone. Robert Hodge’s impression was that they were moderately well-off – describing them as “not wealthy, but not rice farmers”.
Tinglan Hong and Robert Hodge spent about five nights a week together enjoying London’s nightlife, going out to restaurants and bars and to adult puppet show Avenue Q.
One night in late 2008, Tinglan Hong went out with friends to Brinkley’s, a wine bar in Chelsea popular with well-heeled local celebrities including Elizabeth Hurley, Hugh Grant, cricketer Kevin Pietersen and Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard.
“The next day she showed me this photograph on her phone with Hugh Grant.
“We laughed about it and she’d bring it out to show people but I didn’t think any more about it.
“Generally, she wasn’t really interested in celebrity, she didn’t buy those magazines.”
Quieter evenings were spent in Robert Hodge’s flat with DVDs of Bond movies or the Bourne trilogy and Ting Ting was a fabulous cook.
“She would often spend two hours cooking really good, traditional Chinese food. Things you’d dip; noodles, meat and fish. We’d eat it together with chopsticks.
“She enjoyed looking after me, playing the housewife.”
Robert Hodge introduced Tinglan Hong to his friends and family. His four children, aged between 18 and 32, took to her immediately.
One Sunday Tinglan Hong met his elderly parents for lunch at their home in Fetcham, Surrey.
“She helped Mum in the kitchen, bringing plates and food through and helping clear up. She got on with everyone. She engaged in conversation and didn’t just sit quietly in the corner. My parents thought she was great. She treated them with enormous amounts of respect and was well-mannered.
“It was important to me that they liked her, and it helped me picture a future together.”
Tinglan Hong and Robert Hodge went to the Belgian Grand Prix together in September 2008 and, after spending Christmas with Robert’s mother and eldest daughter Candice, travelled to Chamonix in the French Alps for a skiing holiday over New Year.
They stayed in a chalet with five friends and Ting Ting, who had never skied before, had three mornings of lessons before also trying out a snowboard.
He said: “She would fall over and just giggle at herself.
“One night, while we were in a bar in the resort, she realized she was the only Chinese person. So she stood up on the bar itself and started waving her arms around and shouting, in a mock Chinese accent: <<Hawo everybody! I am Ting Ting from China!>>
“Everyone loved it and started applauding and shouting back. She’s certainly not shy about coming forward.”
Tinglan Hong and Robert Hodge relationship became more serious and Robert says Ting Ting talked about wanting to settle down. But he was not keen to move too fast after his marriage breakdown and says Ting Ting accepted that.
“She wanted a stable life with someone. But we didn’t talk about moving in together. I think she respected my situation, but she wanted children. We never spoke about it seriously, but it was clear.”
Oddly, Tinglan Hong never invited Robert Hodge into her flat, a rented, ground-floor bedsit on a busy road. It did not strike Robert Hodge as suspicious and he says he never asked to go inside.
But there was undoubtedly an element of secrecy in their relationship. Robert Hodge knew little of her family, and admits he has no idea what goods she was involved in importing. There is no record of Tinglan Hong business at Companies House and he does not know what her visa status is.
After graduating in 2006, Tinglan Hong was entitled to a two-year post-study work visa, which would have expired in 2008. Robert Hodge dismisses these things and says, again, that he simply did not ask the questions.
Tinglan Hong returned to China for a family visit in late 2009 and stayed for two months. During the trip, Ting Ting emailed Robert Hodge some racy modelling photographs she had taken at a studio as part of a “vanity shoot” – popular among young Chinese women.
He said: “It didn’t really fit in with her character. Yes, she’s gregarious but these were saucy.”
Once Tinglan Hong returned, in early 2010, things had changed.
“I’d try to make arrangements and she’d say, <<I can’t make it tonight>>. That was really strange. Something was wrong.”
After several weeks Tinglan Hong broke off the relationship, claiming she needed time to herself.
“I had very strong feelings for her but I had to respect what she wanted.”
Robert Hodge had no contact with Tinglan Hong until, one day, he bumped into one of her friends, a Taiwanese girl named Amy.
Robert Hodge said: “I asked her how Ting Ting was doing. She laughed, and said she had been hanging around with Hugh Grant.
“I was surprised. But I assumed she meant Ting Ting had seen him in Brinkley’s again.”
Robert Hodge got the chance to ask her directly when she agreed to meet him in April 2010 at the Thai Square bar on the banks of the Thames at Putney.
“I asked her how things were going and she said that she had started playing golf at the Wisley Club.
“That was strange. She’d never been into golf before.“
Robert Hodge knew that the Wisley Club, a private members golf club in Surrey, was hugely exclusive, with a reputed joining fee of £40,000 ($60,000) and an annual £4,000 ($6,000) membership charge.
“I asked her who she knew who had membership. She kept saying, <<Oh, just a friend>>.
“Eventually she told me it was Hugh Grant. She had been having lessons and would walk around the course with Hugh and watch him play.
“I asked her how on earth she knew him and she said – as I had suspected – they’d met in Brinkley’s again, a few weeks earlier. She didn’t give any indication they were romantically involved.“
Robert Hodge and Tinglan Hong spoke on the phone occasionally and she told him she was spending most weekends with Hugh Grant playing golf, but always denied a relationship.
During one telephone call in July 2010, Robert Hodge asked if she wanted to meet the following day.
“She said: <<Actually, I’m going round to Hugh’s to watch the World Cup Final>>. There was no doubt who she meant. I was pretty surprised. I left it at that.”
Robert Hodge and Tinglan Hong were not in regular contact again until April 2011 when he took a call from an excited friend who told him there were photographs in the newspapers of Ting Ting with Hugh Grant, amid speculation that she was pregnant.
“I looked up the pictures online and laughed. Of course it was Ting Ting. It was obvious to me that they were in a relationship.
“I called her up and asked her if she was pregnant.
“She just laughed and said, <<No, it’s just the papers making up stories>>. Again, she didn’t admit they were a couple.
“We arranged to meet in the bar of the May Fair Hotel soon afterwards. I was curious – I wanted to find out if she really was pregnant.
“She had definitely put on some weight, but she denied it. But when I asked if she was romantically involved with Hugh, she admitted it for the first time.
“She didn’t say they were a couple, I think she said they were seeing each other.”
Robert Hodge and Tinglan Hong were not in regular contact again until April 2011 when he took a call from an excited friend who told him there were photographs in the newspapers of Ting Ting with Hugh Grant, amid speculation that she was pregnant
In the middle of May, Tinglan Hong invited Robert Hodge to dinner.
“The really strange thing was that she asked me to come to Brinkley’s. We sat down at a table; her facing the door.
“She kept saying, <<Oh, I’ve put so much weight on>>. I teased her about being pregnant but she continued to deny it.
“During our second course, Hugh walked in. She said, <<Oh. It’s Hugh>>.
“I said, <<Well, this is a bit embarrassing, isn’t it?>>
“He came straight over but they didn’t embrace or even look like close friends. She introduced us and said, <<Hugh, this is Robert>>.
“She stood up and they chatted, very briefly, although I can’t remember what they said.
“He then turned and said something extremely strange to me. He nodded at my plate and said, <<What have you got there?>>
“I said, <<Oh, Dover sole>.. He made a face. He said: <<Fish. Very strange. A bit like smoking>>.
“It was so odd I didn’t know what to say. I joked, <<It’s not as dangerous is it?>>. He shrugged and said, <<I suppose not>.. Then he walked off.
“It was the strangest thing to say. Again, I said, <<That was a bit embarrassing>>.”
In retrospect, Robert Hodge wonders if he was set up in a bid to make Hugh Grant jealous. Tinglan Hong was by now five months pregnant and judging by their odd greeting it appears things between them had cooled.
What happened next makes it clear there was a rather bizarre game in play.
Robert Hodge recalls: “Hugh went off to another table to join some friends. One was a very good-looking young woman, with long dark hair, who was probably only 22 or 23. He seemed to flirt with her, putting a hand on her arm.
“Ting Ting was not happy. She said something like, <<Look at that. That’s his latest girlfriend>>.
“It was said jokingly, but now I’m sure she was bitter.”
The next time Robert Hodge heard from Tinglan Hong was last week, on October 27. She rang him and asked if he could help sell her car, and then brought it round that after-noon. Then, she confessed she had given birth to Hugh Grant’s child.
Robert Hodge says: “She said her parents had come over from China to look after the baby. She seemed happy, quite well, not at all tired or harassed. She also showed me some photos on her phone.
“Bamboo looked sweet, with dark hair. There were none of her with Hugh.
“I was happy for her. There were some mixed feelings, obviously, as I still care about her. Then she said, <<Pity we can’t get back together>>.
“I was surprised. I said, <<What about Hugh?>>
“She said he was <<very strange>>. She didn’t expand on that.
“She went on to say he was a good father. She said: <<Whenever he’s in the country, he comes to see Bamboo>>.
“I didn’t think that sounded like a good father. She also told me he wouldn’t put his name on the birth certificate until March.
“She didn’t say why, although I assume it’s to avoid anyone knowing he’s the father.
“She hasn’t mentioned paternity tests, so I don’t know if it’s something Hugh wanted.”
Tinglan Hong also said Liz Hurley had been to see Bamboo and that she was to be the child’s godmother.
Robert Hodge says Ting Ting will cope, though she might be feeling let down.
“I think she’ll be quite sad at the moment. She was looking for stability and children and in a way she’s got it. But it doesn’t look like she has someone standing by her.
“She’ll brush it off and laugh about it. That’s what’s in her nature.
“And she’ll be a brilliant mum. She’s very caring. The pictures of her with her Louboutin shoes and Gucci bags don’t do her justice.
“Underneath it all she’s a very traditional Chinese girl. She’s homely – not a princess.”
Hugh Grant is not the first celebrity Tinglan Hong has dated. One of her first loves was a foreign football star ten years older than her, whom she met when she was still a university student in China.
Tinglan Hong had a romance with Colombian World Cup hero Adolfo Valencia when she was studying at Zhejiang University in the eastern city of Hangzhou and he was playing for the local team.
Friends say Tinglan Hong fell head over heels in love with the footballer – but the romance also appears to have been short-lived.
Adolfo Valencia, who in his glory days played in the 1994 and 1998 World Cup Finals and was once top scorer in a season with German giants Bayern Munich, had two stints with the Zhejiang Lucheng team in Hangzhou between 2002 and 2004. Then aged 34, he was one of the first big-money international players to sign for a Chinese team.
Fellow students interviewed by local newspaper journalist Chen Yuhao recalled how Tinglan Hong was seen out with Adolfo Valencia after meeting him at a nightclub.
Chen Yuhao said: “Tinglan liked to meet foreign men. She met Valencia at a nightclub and was besotted with him. They went out together for a while. She was more in love with him than he was with her and it didn’t last.”
Tinglan Hong studied in Hangzhou for four years from 1999, before moving to Britain in 2003.
Tinglan Hong’s mother, Liu Minchun, was manager of a large factory producing fountain pens and stationery and later general manager of the city’s Lishui International Hotel.
She was also a delegate to China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress.
As Amanda Knox pledged to return to a normal life after being cleared of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, she has embarked on a romance with an old friend, classical guitar student James Terrano.
James Terrano’s brother William, 27, confirmed: “Yes, she’s dating my brother. They have known each other for years. We’ve all been friends since before Amanda went to Italy.”
On Friday, Amanda Knox and James Terrano emerged separately from the shabby apartment they share in Seattle’s rundown Chinatown area with Amanda saying: “I can’t tell you anything.”
While James Terrano said “I’m sorry” when asked if he was “serious” about Amanda Knox.
As Amanda Knox pledged to return to a normal life after being cleared of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, she has embarked on a romance with an old friend, classical guitar student James Terrano
Amanda Knox’s new boyfriend is from a middle-class New York family.
James Terrano is studying classical music, specializing in guitar, at Seattle’s University of Washington. She had been reading languages there and is believed to be about to resume her studies.
Amanda Knox, 24, who was pictured kissing boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito within hours of the discovery of Meredith Kercher’s body in the home the two women shared in Perugia, Italy, appeared blissfully happy with James Terrano, 24.
James Terrano is studying classical music, specializing in guitar, at Seattle’s University of Washington
On Tuesday Amanda Knox and James Terrano shared Haagen Dazs ice cream and strolled arm- in-arm around Chinatown, buying groceries at an Asian market.
They spent every night last week together inside James Terrano’s modest rented flat in a nondescript brick building with a gaudy red flashing “Hong Kong” neon sign outside.
A witness said: “She likes the area as she can walk about unrecognized and blend into the crowd.”
Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, 27, were initially sentenced to 26 and 25 years imprisonment respectively before their convictions were overturned.
Meanwhile, Raffaele Sollecito has spoken about his feelings for Amanda Knox.
“It’s all over between us. I still have a great affection towards her but nothing else. I wish her all the happiness in the world,” he said.
Kasey Landrum, an openly gay Lexington High School student, was given a three-day suspension for wearing make-up in class.
Kasey Landrum, 16, was censured by the Tennessee high school’s principal, Steve Lindsey, after being told he had violated the school’s dress code.
The student told WBBJ-TV:
“The principal walked into the school and immediately started yelling at me for it, and told me to get outside.”
Kasey Landrum, an openly gay Lexington High School student, was given a three-day suspension for wearing make-up in class
Kasey Landrum said he did exactly as the principal demanded without a reply but that another student who witnessed the incident and stuck up for Kasey was issued a one-day suspension for speaking out.
The next day Kasey Landrum was called into the office and given the in-school suspension for violating the dress code which states:
“When a student is attired in a manner, which is likely to cause disruption or interference with normal operation of the school, the administration will take the appropriate action.
“In matters of opinion, the judgment of the teachers and administrators will prevail.”
“I’m very upset about it because he can’t be who he wants to be.
“When I went to register him, about the make-up, he [principal Steve Lindsey] reminded us Kasey was not to be wearing any.”
Henderson County Superintendent Steve Wilkinson said he did not know what disruption the make-up would have caused but added that the principal had the authority to determine what is deemed a distraction.
However, Kasey Landrum said he had gone to school with three different colours in his hair before and teachers did not deem that a disruption.
Kasey Landrum also said that another “punk-rock” student who had been wearing make-up that same day was not reprimanded.
“He had it on all day, and I was like, <<If he can wear make-up, so can I>>,” Kasey Landrum told WBBJ-TV.
The 11th grader said he has suffered from depression in the past by not being able to express himself at school.
“I’m proud of myself for being as comfortable as I am, but sometimes I wish I was straight,” Kasey Landrum said.
“I’m proud of my son, gay or straight or whatever. I want him to feel the same way,” said his mother.
After the suspension caught the attention of The Tennessee Equality Project and LGBTQNation, Kasey Landrum’s suspension was reversed, and a new school policy allowing all students to wear make-up was put in place.
Superintendent Steve Wilkinson said: “I guess that the easiest thing to do would be to go to a standard policy but we have in the past given a little freedom to our children and their parents about what they choose the wear.”
Erica Mae Butts and Shanita Latrice Cunningham, a lesbian couple collapsed, wailed uncontrollably and hyper-ventilated in the Charleston courtroom after hearing they would serve life for killing a three-year-old girl.
Erica Mae Butts and Shanita Latrice Cunningham had to be picked off the floor by court officials and held in chairs as they were wheeled out of the room.
The two women, both 25 from Summerville, South Carolina, were told on Friday they will spend the rest of their lives in prison for beating Serenity Richardson to death in 2009 while the toddler was in their care.
Erica Mae Butts and Shanita Latrice Cunningham, a lesbian couple collapsed, wailed uncontrollably and hyper-ventilated in the Charleston courtroom after hearing they would serve life for killing a three-year-old girl
Serenity Richardson was visiting Erica Mae Butts, her godmother and her mother’s best friend, and Shanita Latrice Cunningham, who was Butts’s lover, for two weeks at their home in Summerville, South Carolina when the abuse took place.
“It is nearly impossible for words to accurately describe what these women did to that poor little girl,” said Elizabeth Gordon, assistant managing solicitor for Charleston County.
“They beat her repeatedly both with a belt and with plastic coat hangers. You can see the outlines of the strikes on this child’s body. There is not one area of this child’s body that was unharmed except for the soles of her feet.”
Erica Mae Butts
Erica Mae Butts admitted to Summerville police on Thursday that she whipped Serenity Richardson with a belt for urinating on the floor.
Serenity’s mother, Ieshia Richardson, a childhood friend of Erica Mae Butts, lives in Detroit.
“The explanation they gave (for the beatings) was that Serenity had a potty accident,” Elizabeth Gordon said.
“Their explanation is <<we didn’t know what we did would kill her>>.
“They knew what they did was wrong.”
Shanita Latrice Cunningham
At the time paramedics reached the toddler, she was already dead and had been placed on ice and exposed to bleach in desperate attempts to revive her.
Circuit Court Judge Deadra Richardson said nothing had ever affected her as strongly as the photos of the little girl’s battered body.
In August, Erica Mae Butts entered an Alford plea, meaning she maintains her innocence but acknowledges that taking her case to trial would likely result in a conviction. Shanita Latrice Cunningham pleaded guilty.
Erica Mae Butts had been in the hospital with Ieshia Richardson when she gave birth to Serenity, her only child. She had been the only person Erica Mae Butts confided in after she was raped at age 15.
“I was responsible for some things, but I would never kill her,” Erica Mae Butts said, according to the Post and Courier. Then, practically screaming through her sobs, she turned to Ieshia and said:
“I will always love you no matter what. I just want to tell you I’m so, so sorry.”
During the hearing, Shanita Latrice Cunningham’s attorney said her client was less culpable than Erica Mae Butts in little girl’s death.
Erica Mae Butts’ attorney instead portrayed Shanita Latrice Cunningham as the “controlling and aggressive” partner in an abusive relationship, while describing Butts as a “meek” woman, the Post and Courier reported.
Sentencing the killers, Judge Richardson said: “To ignore what must have been excruciating sounds that came from that child is more than disconcerting to this court.
“As such, the court finds it appropriate that each be sentenced to the state department of corrections for a period of life.”
Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State University football coach was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault after allegedly abusing eight young boys that he worked with through a charity helping underprivileged children.
Two university administrators were also charged with perjury for failing to report information about Jerry Sandusky‘s sexually abuse.
Athletic director Tim Curley and the school’s vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz were charged Saturday with perjury and failure to report in an investigation into Jerry Sandusky‘s abuse of eight young men, state prosecutors said.
Jerry Sandusky, 67, was arrested Saturday and released on $100,000 bail, the attorney general’s office said.
Tim Curley, 57, and Gary Schultz, 62, both of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, were expected to turn themselves in Monday in Harrisburg.
Gary Schultz’s position includes oversight of the university’s police department, hence his involvement with the case.
Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State University football coach was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault after allegedly abusing eight young boy
Jerry Sandusky is a star in football circles as he is closely identified with the school’s reputation as a defensive powerhouse and a program that produced top-quality linebackers. He retired in 1999.
Longtime head coach Joe Paterno, who has more victories than any coach in the history of Division I football, was not charged, authorities said.
When Joe Paterno first learned of one report of abuse he immediately reported it to Tim Curley, prosecutors said.
Jerry Sandusky, who worked with at-risk children through his Second Mile organization,was charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse; eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault and other offences.
Second Mile organization, which was founded by Jerry Sandusky in 1977 to help underprivileged children released a statement distancing themselves from their disgraced leader:
“Jerry Sandusky has had no involvement in The Second Mile’s children’s programs and services since he made us aware of the allegations against him in November 2008. In August 2010, Jerry announced he was formally retiring from The Second Mile to attend to family and personal matters.
“This clearly is a very difficult time for Jerry and his family, for all other involved parties, and for The Second Mile.”
A preliminary hearing for Jerry Sandusky is scheduled for Wednesday.
Attorney General Linda Kelly called Jerry Sandusky “a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys”.
The grand jury identified eight young men who were targets of sexual advances or assaults by Jerry Sandusky from 1994 to 2009, prosecutors said.
Though the nature of the charges is shocking no matter what, the surprise is more loaded by the fact it comes from within the corridors of Penn State, a school where the football program is known for its consistancy as much as its success.
Attorney General Linda Kelly said:
“It is also a case about high-ranking university officials who allegedly failed to report the sexual assault of a young boy after the information was brought to their attention, and later made false statements to a grand jury.”
Prosecutors said all of the young men first encountered Jerry Sandusky through Second Mile and not through the university.
A grand jury report, which recommended charges, said the first to come to light was a boy who met Jerry Sandusky when he was 11 or 12. The boy received expensive gifts and trips to sports events from Jerry Sandusky, and physical contact began during his overnight stays at Sandusky’s home, jurors said.
Jerry Sandusky was banned from the child’s school district in Clinton County in 2009, after his mother reported alleged sexual assault to his high school. That triggered the state investigation that culminated in charges Saturday.
Linda Kelly said that seven years before that, in 2002, a graduate assistant saw Jerry Sandusky sexually assault a naked boy, estimated to be about 10 years old, in the locker room of the Lasch Football Building on campus.
The grad student and his father reported what he saw to Joe Paterno, who immediately told Tim Curley, prosecutors said.
Tim Curley and Gary Schultz met with the graduate assistant about a week and a half later, Linda Kelly said.
Attorney General Linda Kelly said:
“Despite a powerful eyewitness statement about the sexual assault of a child, this incident was not reported to any law enforcement or child protective agency, as required by Pennsylvania law.
“Additionally, there is no indication that anyone from the university ever attempted to learn the identity of the child … or made any follow-up effort to obtain more information from the person who witnessed the attack.”
The jury said Tim Curley lied when he testified repeatedly that he was never told Jerry Sandusky had engaged in sexual misconduct with a child, Linda Kelly said, adding that portions of Gary Schultz’s testimony also were not deemed credible by the jury.
Penn State president Graham Spanier called the allegations against Jerry Sandusky “troubling” but said Tim Curley and Gary Schultz had his unconditional support and he predicted they will be exonerated.
“I have known and worked daily with Tim [Curley] and Gary [Schultz] for more than 16 years,” Graham Spanier said.
“I have complete confidence in how they handled the allegations about a former university employee.”
Jerry Sandusky, once considered a potential successor to Joe Paterno, drew up the defenses for the Nittany Lions’ national-title teams in 1982 and 1986.
Elizabeth Lightfoot, a 22-year-old hairdresser from Denton, Texas, was found dead in the driving seat of her torched car following a girls’ night out with other stylists.
Police believes Elizabeth Lightfoot was murdered, but are trying to determine exactly how as her body had been too burned to immediately tell.
Dallas firefighters discovered Elizabeth Lightfoot charred remains at around 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning after putting out a blaze engulfing the silver Sedan, which was parked nose-first in a small ravine beside a strip shopping centre in the north of the city.
Dallas Police Sergeant Warren Mitchell said:
“The fire at the scene made it impossible to determine the cause of death.”
“At this time, we’re waiting on answers from the medical examiner’s office.”
Elizabeth Lightfoot, a 22-year-old hairdresser from Denton, Texas, was found dead in the driving seat of her torched car following a girls' night out with other stylists
Elizabeth Lightfoot had recently started a job at Salon Republic in Addison, having worked at Salon D just three miles for the last two years.
Arden Keshishian, her boss at Salon D said she had been out to a restaurant on Thursday evening with some female colleagues from her former hairdressers the night of her death.
“They went to a restaurant down the street from here, which they normally do,” he told NBC 5 News.
“It wasn’t anything crazy – they left at 12, and everyone made it home but her.”
“It’s a shame, it’s a waste, a life cut so short,”Arden Keshishian told Fox News.
“She was very outgoing, very talented stylist, she was an angel. I just can’t believe somebody would do that.”
The group had been eating at Farmers Branch restaurant Yourway Burgers and left at around midnight.
Elizabeth Lightfoot, who studied at Toni and Guy Hairdressing Academy, was not seen again until her car was found burning in the 16000 block of Preston Road, less than a mile from Salon Republic.
Police are speaking to the manager of Yourway Burgers and her friends in a bid to retrace the steps she took that night and have analysed surveillance footage from the restaurant. There are no CCTV cameras at the scene of her death.
According to her Facebook page, Elizabeth Lightfoot has a boyfriend, Tuan "RudeBoy" Le
“It was nothing out of the ordinary from what I’ve found out,” Arden Keshishian told Fox News.
“Everything was just the same. I don’t know if she saw anybody there, we’re just puzzled.
“She wasn’t stupid, she wouldn’t have been uncareful.”
According to her Facebook page, Elizabeth Lightfoot has a boyfriend, Tuan “RudeBoy” Le, and pictures posted on the site show a fun-loving young woman with a flair for style.
“She had everything going for her,”Arden Keshishian told NBC 5 News.
“I don’t know why this happened. It’s horrible.
“It would be really hard to imagine some random person. I would look at people she knows, the people closest to her.”
Elizabeth Lightfoot’s mother, Barbara Lightfoot, issued this statement:
“Elizabeth was a kind, considerate and beautiful young woman who needs everyone’s help now. Everyone loved her.”
Barbara Lightfoot is urging anyone with information to call police.
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Oklahoma at 10:53 p.m. local time Saturday (03:53 GMT), according to U.S. Geological Survey.
The seismic monitoring agency said the quake was centered about 44 mile east-northeast of Oklahoma City.
It had initially reported the temblor as a 5.2 magnitude quake.
The tremor was one of the biggest earthquake in Oklahoma history and caused significant damage.
Chimneys collapsed through roofs of homes in Lincoln County – 50 miles from Oklahoma City.
Damage to the Prague library included collapsed air conditioning ducts and a collapsed wall.
Several roadways have buckled, including Highway 62 and other county roads, according to KJRH radio.
A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck Oklahoma at 10.53 pm local time Saturday, according to U.S. Geological Survey
The quake – the biggest of four that shook the centre of the state – rattled a college football stadium 50 miles away and sent shudders through buildings and homes in distant communities and cities.
Emergency authorities had no immediate reports of injuries but one county’s sheriff’s office said it was responding to numerous calls and checking for any damages.
It said the quake struck near the community of Sparks — in eastern Oklahoma between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
The temblor shook the stadium at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater near the end of the school’s football game with Kansas State.
The quake was one of several to rattle the state Saturday, including a magnitude 4.7 earthquake that shook the same area early Saturday.
Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said no injuries were reported to emergency management officials and that there had been no reports of injuries.
If the intensity of the Saturday night quake is confirmed, it would be the state’s strongest on record. USGS records show that a 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck El Reno, just west of Oklahoma City, in 1952 and, before Oklahoma became a state in 1907, a quake of similar magnitude 5.5 struck in northeastern Indian Territory in 1882.
The quake was felt as far away as Tennessee and Wisconsin, according to reports received by the USGS.
Saturday’s earlier temblor, which hit at 2:12 a.m., woke people and pets as it shook an area that stretched from Texas to Missouri. Its epicenter was 6 miles north of Prague in Lincoln County, in the rolling hills about 50 miles east of Oklahoma City.
A 3.4 magnitude aftershock was reported at 2:27 a.m. from the same location, as well as a 2.7 magnitude aftershock at 2:44 a.m.
Oklahoma Geological Survey researcher Austin Holland told Oklahoma City television station KOTV that the earthquake and aftershocks occurred on a known fault line.
American comedian Jimmy Kimmel urged parents to play a Halloween prank to their children, telling them they ate all candies overnight.
The results after hundreds of parents told their children they had stayed up late and devoured their stash of Halloween sweets were tantrums, tears and screams.
The footage, which shows children’s reaction to the Halloween prank, is becoming an internet sensation.
The results after hundreds of parents told their children they had stayed up late and devoured their stash of Halloween sweets were tantrums, tears and screams
Jimmy Kimmel, 43, called on viewers to give their children the bad news, record the results, and post the results online.
Although there were some cracking strops, one more mature boy told his parent: “Good for you, daddy’s probably going to have a belly ache.
“That’s why you shouldn’t eat so much candy.”
And another little girl bursts into tears and shouts: “Dad, you’re ugly!”
But Jimmy Kimmel told The Sun he didn’t realize the joke would lead to so many tears.
Jimmy Kimmel said: “I kind of thought kids would be mad – but almost all of them cried.”
Mariah Yeater, who asked Justin Bieber for a paternity test, reportedly already made a claim against an ex-boyfriend last year, and was then arrested after slapping him.
Mariah Yeater, 20, who claims in court filings that Justin Bieber fathered her son Tristyn during a 30-second sex session in a bathroom backstage after one of his concerts, originally accused her ex-boyfriend, John Terranova, of being the father of the same child.
It has been claimed that Mariah Yeater told him he was the father last year, but he denied that he got her pregnant.
According to Frances Lippe who told TMZ that Mariah Yeater had been dating her grandson John Terranova in Las Vegas toward the end of high school.
Mariah Yeater, who asked Justin Bieber for a paternity test, reportedly already made a claim against ex-boyfriend last year, and was then arrested after slapping him
Mariah Yeater told John Terranova that he was the father and the pair got into a fight after he denied her allegations, according to TMZ.
She was then arrested and charged with battery because she had hit John Terranova in the face.
Court papers show Mariah Yeater was arrested on December 21, 2010 on suspicion of battery domestic violence, injury/destroying property of another and making threatening telephone calls.
The case was continued to December 2011 as of June 2011.
On June 16, Mariah Yeater’s lawyer asked for a continuance, noting she lived out of state and was “under doctor’s orders not to travel due to high-risk pregnancy”.
John Terranova’s family have said they haven’t heard from Mariah Yeater since.
Court papers show Mariah Yeater was arrested on December 21, 2010 on suspicion of battery domestic violence, injury or destroying property of another and making threatening telephone calls
Meanwhile Selena Gomez has denied that she has dumped Justin Bieber in light of the allegations he fathered Mariah Yeater’s four-month-old child.
Selena Gomez’ representative has confirmed to Us Weekly that rumours that the pair split are false.
Yesterday it was reported that Selena Gomez had called it quits with her boyfriend of eight months.
“Selena ended it abruptly. She broke the news to Justin just in the past 24 hour,” a source told website Radaronline.com.
It was also reported that Justin Bieber allegedly vowed to Selena Gomez that the accusations were categorically not true.
“Justin has insisted to Selena that the woman’s allegations are simply not true,” the source added.
The source also said that Justin Bieber’s representatives also reportedly tried to convince Selena Gomez to stand by her man.
“His camp is in damage control mode and attempting to convince her to stick around in the relationship for a few more weeks, because they fear it will be seen as an admission that something indeed took place between Justin and the woman who is alleging that he’s the father of her baby,” the source told Radaronline.com.
Selena Gomez’ denial of the split comes as Justin Bieber spoke out about the allegations today.
Justin Bieber went on The Today Show yesterday morning to insist that there is no truth in the fan’s claims.
“I’d just like to say basically that none of those allegations are true,” he said.
“I know that I’m gonna be a target – but I’m never gonna be a victim.
“I think that it’s just crazy because every night I’ve gone right from the stage to my car.
“It’s crazy that some people want to make up false allegations.
“But to set the record straight – none of this is true.”
Asked if he knew Mariah Yeater, Justin Bieber insisted: “Never met the woman.”
And when asked that such claims are “what comes along with last in the fast lane”, Justin Bieber said: “Exactly.”
Meanwhile it emerged that Mariah Yeater almost gave up the baby boy for adoption before instead going public with her Justin Bieber bombshell.
Mariah Yeater never told her family who the father of her unborn child was – and had planned to give him up for adoption.
But now instead, Mariah Yeater wants to force Justin Bieber to take a DNA test and pay up to $260,000 in monthly child support.
“She didn’t know if she was going to keep him,” said Samra Fae Stepper, a relative who looked after Mariah Yeater for several months during her pregnancy.
“We kept asking about the father, but I didn’t press it.”
Mariah Yeater’s stepfather, Anthony Simeonoff, only found out the news of the baby’s supposed dad this Thursday, after friends at his local club read the headlines.
The New York Post also reported that Mariah Yeater was busted in Las Vegas less than two months after getting pregnant.
Andy Rooney, CBS News “60 Minutes” star died Friday night at 92, only a month after delivering his 1,097th and final televised commentary.
CBS announced the death of Andy Rooney, who launched his long career during World War II as a correspondent for the Stars and Stripes military newspaper and continued to be a fixture on “60 Minutes” until he retired last month after 33 years.
On October 25, CBS said Andy Rooney was hospitalized after developing serious complications after minor surgery.
Andy Rooney had gone to the hospital for an undisclosed surgery, but major complications developed and he never recovered.
He talked on “60 Minutes” about what was in the news, and his opinions occasionally got him in trouble. But he was just as likely to discuss the old clothes in his closet, why air travel had become unpleasant and why banks needed to have important sounding names.
Andy Rooney, CBS News "60 Minutes" star died Friday night at 92, only a month after delivering his 1,097th and final televised commentary
Andy Rooney won one of his three Emmy Awards for a piece on whether there was a real Mrs. Smith who made Mrs. Smith’s Pies. As it turned out, there was no Mrs. Smith.
“I obviously have a knack for getting on paper what a lot of people have thought and didn’t realize they thought,” Andy Rooney once said.
“And they say, <<Hey, yeah!>> And they like that.”
Looking for something new to punctuate its weekly broadcast, “60 Minutes” aired its first Andy Rooney commentary on July 2, 1987. He complained about people who keep track of how many people die in car accidents on holiday weekends. In fact, he said, the Fourth of July is “one of the safest weekends of the year to be going someplace”.
In early 2009, as he was about to turn 90, Andy Rooney looked ahead to President Barack Obama’s upcoming inauguration with a look at past inaugurations. He told viewers that Calvin Coolidge’s 1925 swearing-in was the first to be broadcast on radio, adding, “That may have been the most interesting thing Coolidge ever did.“
For his final essay, Andy Rooney said that he’d live a life luckier than most.
“I wish I could do this forever. I can’t, though,” he said.
Andy Rooney said he probably hadn’t said anything on “60 Minutes” that most of his viewers didn’t already know or hadn’t thought.
“That’s what a writer does,” he said.
“A writer’s job is to tell the truth.”
Andy Rooney wrote for CBS stars such as Arthur Godfrey and Garry Moore during the 1950s and early 1960s, before settling into a partnership with newsman Harry Reasoner.
He left CBS in 1970 when it refused to air his angry essay about the Vietnam War. He went on TV for the first time, reading the essay on PBS and winning a Writers Guild of America award for it.
Andy Rooney returned to CBS three years later as a writer and producer of specials. Notable among them was the 1975 “Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington”, whose light-hearted but serious look at government won him a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.
His words sometimes landed Andy Rooney in hot water. CBS suspended him for three months in 1990 for making racist remarks in an interview, which he denied.
Gay rights groups were mad, during the AIDS epidemic, when Andy Rooney mentioned homosexual unions in saying “many of the ills which kill us are self-induced”.
Indians protested when Andy Rooney suggested Native Americans who made money from casinos weren’t doing enough to help their own people.
Andy Rooney was one of television’s few voices to strongly oppose the war in Iraq after the George W. Bush administration launched it in 2002. After the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, he said he was chastened by its quick fall but didn’t regret his “60 Minutes” commentaries.
Andrew Aitken Rooney was born on Jan. 14, 1919, in Albany, N.Y., and worked as a copy boy on the Albany Knickerbocker News while in high school. College at Colgate University was cut short by World War II, when Rooney worked for the wartime newspaper Stars and Stripes.
With another former Stars and Stripes staffer, Oram C. Hutton, Andy Rooney wrote four books about the war. They included the 1947 book, “Their Conqueror’s Peace: A Report to the American Stockholders”, documenting offences against the Germans by occupying forces.
Andy Rooney and his wife, Marguerite, were married for 62 years before she died of heart failure in 2004. They had four children and lived in Rowayton, Connecticut. Daughter Emily Rooney is a former executive producer of ABC’s “World News Tonight”.
CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager paid tribute to Andy Rooney long career saying: “There’s nobody like Andy, and there never will be. He’ll hate hearing this, but he’s an American original.”
Before Andy Rooney delivered his final essay, Morley Safer – himself an 89-year-old journalist and a 60 Minutes staple since 1970 – interviewed him about his personal and professional life.
Andy Rooney admitted that he doesn’t sign autographs and rarely responds to fan mail, telling Morley Safer he didn’t “want to answer an idiot who would have the bad sense to write me a letter”.
Morley Safer described Andy Rooney as “America’s favourite grouch-in-chief”, saying he used his “loud whiny voice … speaking up for citizens fed up with everything”.
