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Stephen Fry and Elliot Spencer to marry in Norfolk

The Hobbit’s Stephen Fry has confirmed he is to marry his partner, Elliott Spencer.

The 57-year-old comedian and writer Stephen Fry has given formal notice to wed Elliott Spencer, 27, at a register office in Norfolk, the UK, near where he grew up.

Writing on Twitter after The Sun newspaper revealed the marriage plans, Stephen Fry said: “Oh. It looks as though a certain cat is out of a certain bag.

“I’m very very happy of course but had hoped for a private wedding. Fat chance!”Stephen Fry to marry Elliott Spencer

Stephen Fry and Elliott Spencer are thought to have started their relationship last year.

Director of Norwich City Football Club Stephen Fry has been a familiar face on television since the 1980s and is most recently known for presenting the comedy quiz show QI, as well as for acting roles in The Hobbit and the latest series of 24.

Stephen Fry’s personal assistant said: “Stephen Fry is very happy and proud to say that he has set the wheels in motion for a wedding sometime in the future but no date has been set due to a busy work schedule.”

Serbia: 18,000 cakes stolen from Kragujevac landfill site and resold on black market

18,000 cakes were stolen from a landfill site in the town of Kragujevac in central Serbia ahead of the New Year’s holiday and resold on the black market, authorities say.

The cakes were taken to be destroyed at the dump after the refrigerator storing them broke down.

They were instead stolen on December 24, local media reported. City Mayor Radomir Nikolic accused “an organized group” of stealing the cakes.Serbian cakes stolen from landfill site and resold

There have been no reports of illness, but investigations are underway.

Several employees at the landfill site are reported to have been suspended.

The cakes emerged “in suspicious places and at suspicious prices,” said the mayor, quoted by the B92 website.

A Serbian consumer group has posted a picture of the cakes to warn consumers against buying them.

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan to run for FIFA presidency

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Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan will challenge incumbent Sepp Blatter for FIFA presidency.

The 39-year-old FIFA vice-president will stand as a candidate at the presidential election on May 29, where Sepp Blatter, 78, will seek a fifth term of office.

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein said: “It is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport.

“The headlines should be about football, not about FIFA.” Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein to run for FIFA presidency

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein became president of Jordanian football in 1999 before being elected as the Asian Football Confederation’s FIFA vice-president in 2011. He has successfully championed the lifting of FIFA’s ban on the hijab in women’s football and was also one of a number of officials who called for the publication of Michael Garcia’s report into allegations of corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

Prince Ali said he had been encouraged to stand by colleagues.

UEFA president Michel Platini is said to be “pleased” that Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein has decided to enter the race and will attempt to get the Jordanian as many votes as possible in Europe.

CES 2015: Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai condemns vicious cyber attack

In his speech at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai has condemned the “vicious” cyber attack that led to it suspending the release of its film The Interview.

The Guardians of Peace hacker group attacked Sony in a bid to stop the release of the movie.

Kazuo Hirai said he was proud of those who stood up against the “extortionist” tactics of the hackers.

“Both Sony, former employees and current employees were the victim of one of the most vicious and malicious cyber attacks in recent history,” said Kazuo Hirai in off-the-cuff remarks made just before Sony’s press conference at CES began.

Speaking to the press, Kazuo Hirai said it would be “remiss” of him if he did not talk about the events of the last few weeks.

Sony has suffered a series of revelations orchestrated by the Guardians of Peace which gained access to the company’s network and stole huge amounts of internal information.

Photo AFP
Photo AFP

This led to movies being pirated, personal information being shared and millions of private emails published.

The attacks were carried out to convince Sony to halt the release of The Interview – a comedy about journalists recruited to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The movie’s subject matter led US authorities to blame North Korea for the cyber assault, but many security experts have expressed doubt about this theory.

Sony did withdraw The Interview before its planned release, but it is now available to view online and is on show at some cinemas. It made about $15 million through downloads alone over its first three days of distribution.

“I have to say that I’m very proud of all the employees, and certainly the partners who stood up against the extortionist efforts of criminals, and worked tirelessly, sometimes for days on end to bring you The Interview,” said Kazuo Hirai.

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US oil price drops below $50 a barrel

The US oil price has dropped below $50 a barrel for the first time since April 2009.

The price of Brent crude also fell on January 5, dipping more than 6% to trade at below $53 a barrel.

The price of both Brent crude and US oil, known as West Texas Intermediate crude, have now lost more than half of their value since mid-2014.

Investors are worried that combination of a global supply glut and weak demand could cause prices to tumble further.US oil price

US oil production has soared recently, as fracking – or the process of extracting oil from shale rock by injecting fluids into the ground – has revolutionized oil production in the country, transforming states such as North Dakota and Pennsylvania in the process.

However, the increase in production has come just as economies across the world – from Europe to China – have slowed their once voracious demand for oil.

This, combined with OPEC’s decision to continue extracting oil at its current pace, has left many investors worried.

That has in turn led shares of many of the world’s leading energy firms, from BP to Exxon Mobil, to decline sharply over the past few months.

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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial: Jury selection begins in Boston Marathon bombings case

Jury selection has begun in the Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused of killing three people and injuring more than 260 in April 2013.

He faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of detonating a pair of homemade bombs.

The attack near the marathon’s finish line was the largest on American soil since 9/11.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to all 30 charges against him.

His trial is expected to last at least three months.

Jury selection alone is expected to take several weeks as Judge George O’Toole selects 12 jurors and six alternates from about 1,200 prospective jurors who have been summoned to the court in Boston.Boston Marathon bombings 2013

The process could be made more complicated if potential jurors express objections to the death penalty.

Testimony is unlikely to begin until February, the Boston Globe reported, and a verdict may not be announced until late spring or early summer.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s lawyers say they have not had sufficient time to prepare for the trial.

They also argue that appointing impartial jurors in the same city where the bombs were detonated is impossible.

Correspondents say the prosecution will be one of the most important for the government since Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death in 1997 for detonating a truck bomb in Oklahoma City two years earlier.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan lived in the Massachusetts town of Cambridge, home to Harvard University, after emigrating to the US in 2002 from the Caucasus region of southern Russia.

The prosecution will argue that the brothers set off the bombs as an act of retaliation against the US for its military action in Muslim countries.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a shootout with police days after the bombing.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was wounded and eventually found by police hiding inside a boat in a residential neighborhood.

He will be defended by a team of five lawyers, including Judy Clarke, an expert in capital punishment cases.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is due in court on January 5, has made two other brief court appearances since his arrest.

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China box office made $4.8 billion in 2014

The Chinese box office made a total of 29.9 billion yuan ($4.8 billion) in 2014, a 36% increase vs. 2013.

For the second year in a row, domestic productions beat Hollywood offerings, taking a 55% share of the market.

That was despite the fact import quotas were expanded in 2012 to allow more Hollywood imports, Variety reported.

China is the world’s second largest box office territory after the US, with just under 50% of North America’s take, which slipped 5% to $10.3 billion.

Transformers: Age of Extinction was the 2014’s top film in China.China box office 2014

Hollywood has woken up to the Chinese market in recent years, with some movies catering specifically to the Chinese audience. Iron Man 3 included a special scene with Chinese A-list actors that was only seen in China.

Universal Studios is building a theme park in Beijing and a Disneyland – four times larger than the one in Hong Kong – is planned for Shanghai.

The biggest Chinese hits of 2014 were Breakup Buddies, The Breakup Guru, The Continent, Dad, Where Are We Going? and The Monkey King.

Other big hitters included The Taking of Tiger Mountain, a 3D war adventure film, which opened in late December.

Just over 1,015 cinema complexes were opened in China in 2014, delivering 5,397 new screens, an average of 15 new screens per day.

The total number of cinema screens in China now stands at 23,600.

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Libya: Greek oil tanker bombed in Derna, two dead

A Greek-operated oil tanker has been attacked by military jets in the Libyan port of Derna, killing two crew members, the Greek authorities have said.

The attack, on January 4, was carried out by the Libyan air force after the ship’s movements aroused suspicion, a Libyan military spokesman has said.

Derna has been controlled by Islamist militants for the past two years.

The Libyan military attacked the port several times last year in an attempt to weaken militant groups there.

The military spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Mesmari, said the tanker had been targeted because it had failed to submit to an inspection before entering the port.

He said the vessel was supposed to dock at a power plant in Derna but instead “took a different route”, entering a “military zone”.

“We asked the ship to stop, but instead it turned off all its lights and would not respond so we were obliged to strike it.

“We bombed it twice,” he said.

There were 26 crew members on board the ship, Araevo, including nationals from the Philippines, Greece and Romania.

Two were injured in the attack, in addition to those killed.Greek oil tanker bombed in Derna

The Liberian-flagged tanker is operated by an Athens-based shipping company, Aegean Shipping Enterprises Company, and was carrying 12,600 tonnes of crude oil.

The Greek authorities said the ship was at anchor in the port when it came under attack.

Aegean Shipping said there was no leakage of oil and it was assessing the damage.

There has been no confirmation about the purpose of the ship’s visit to the militia-held area.

One report suggested the tanker was delivering fuel for power generators. Col. Ahmed Mesmari told Reuters the vessel had been bringing Islamist fighters to Derna.

“We had warned any ship not to dock at the port without prior permission,” he was quoted as saying.

Libya has been in chaos since its long-time leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown with Western military help in 2011.

Numerous militias govern their own patches of territory, with successive governments struggling to exercise control.

The competition for power and resources has led to frequent fighting and battles to control facilities, including ports, linked to Libya’s oil industry.

The internationally recognized government is based in Tobruk, near the Egyptian border, having been expelled from the capital, Tripoli, by militias in 2014.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies tops North American box office for third week

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has topped the North American box office for a third week in a row.

The final film in Peter Jackson’s series took $21.9 million according to early studio estimates.

Disney’s new release, the musical Into the Woods, was at number two with $19.1 million in its second week of release.

The fairytale drama stars Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt.

Angelina Jolie’s World War II tale Unbroken, took third spot with $18.4 million.The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies

The weekend’s only major new release, horror sequel The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, landed in fourth place with $15.1 million.

Sony’s controversial film The Interview, about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, took an estimated $1.1 million in its second week of limited release.

Last week, Sony announced the film had taken $15 million in its first four days of online streaming.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb rounded out the top five with takings of $14.5 million.

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Lebanon restricts entry for Syrian refugees

Lebanon has imposed stricter conditions for Syrians entering the country in a bid to slow the flow of asylum seekers trying to escape the war.

Previously, travel between Syria and Lebanon was largely unrestricted, but now Syrians will have to obtain a visa.

Lebanon hosts more than a million Syrian refugees and this is the latest step to try to stem the influx.

Millions of Syrians have been displaced by the civil war as rebel forces try to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

The uprising began with protests against Bashar al-Assad’s rule in 2011 and degenerated into civil war in 2012. The rise of Islamist groups has added to the refugee problem.

Lebanon, which shares a border with Syria, is one of the most affected country by the large numbers of refugees.

Before now, Syrians could stay in Lebanon for up to six months automatically. Under the new measure, Syrians wanting to enter Lebanon will have to fulfill certain criteria in order to be granted a visa at the border.

It is unclear what the rule will mean for the many Syrians already in the country and not registered as refugees.Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Every Syrian wanting to enter Lebanon will need to state a clear purpose for their visit, and, if approved, a visa will be issued for a certain duration.

Syrians coming to work in Lebanon will also have to be sponsored by a Lebanese individual or company.

A spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Lebanon, Ron Redmond, said that over the past 6 to 8 months a number of measures had already reduced the number of people seeking registration as refugees. But the UN had worked out a system with the government to enable the most vulnerable to still gain access.

Lebanon has long been struggling to cope with the number of refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

There are currently more than 1.1 million registered refugees in Lebanon putting a huge strain on the country’s infrastructure and resources.

The Lebanese government says the actual number of refugees in the country is about 1.6 million.

Clearly the Lebanese government wants to reduce the flow, says Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow at the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut.

Many refugees live in poor conditions.

In October, Lebanon’s social affairs minister announced that the country would stop accepting all refugees except emergency cases, but would still allow Syrians to enter for other purposes, such as work and tourism.

The latest UNHCR figures show a total of 3.2 million Syrians registered as refugees in Lebanon and elsewhere.

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Australia bushfires: Soaring temperatures and high winds fuel blaze

Australian firefighters are racing to contain a major bushfire before soaring temperatures and high winds fuel the blaze.

More than 30 homes are already feared destroyed in the hills behind South Australia’s city of Adelaide.

More than 500 firefighters are tackling the fires, which have been burning since January 2.

Officials say the blaze is the worst in the area since the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983, which left 75 dead.

Temperatures are forecast to hit 34C in Adelaide on January 5 before rising to as high as 38C on January 6 and 7, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

However, the region is not yet out of danger, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said.

“We’re really racing against time to try to make sure that we get as much of this contained before the hotter weather and the stronger winds are expected later in the week,” he told a press conference.

“The objective of this is obviously to ensure that the fire does not spread under the worsening conditions, but also to open up as many areas as possible,” Jay Weatherill said.

He said South Australians should prepare for more severe bushfires.South Australia bushfires 2015

A number of towns remained at risk from uncontrolled fire burning in scrub and grass, and some roads into the fire zone remained closed, said the state’s Country Fire Service (CFS).

Chief Officer for the CFS, Greg Nettleton, told local media the number one priority for firefighters was to prepare for possible catastrophic weather conditions expected to hit on Wednesday.

“The winds will swing around to the north. At the moment I think they’re predicting somewhere like about 35kph [22mph],” said Greg Nettleton.

“That’s enough given the dryness of the country for the fire to spread, so our number one priority is to secure the outer perimeter of that large fire so it doesn’t impact on further communities.”

An estimated 12,500 hectares of land have been burnt since January 2, according to local media, and firefighters from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales are battling the fires’ 150 miles perimeter.

Large air tankers are dumping water on the fire front and back-burning operations are underway, where new fires are started in order to burn in the opposite direction to the line of advancing fire.

Of the estimated 1100 properties in the Adelaide Hills, 12 are confirmed destroyed with another 20 believed to have been burnt down. Twenty-two people, mostly firefighters, are reported to have suffered minor injuries.

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the blaze a “catastrophe”, which means insurers can escalate their response, and claims arising from the bushfires should be given priority by insurers.

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Euro reaches 9-year low against US dollar

The euro has reached a nine-year low against the US dollar as investors predicted the European Central Bank (ECB) may act to stimulate the economy.

The European currency fell by 1.2% against the dollar to $1.1864, marking its weakest level since March 2006, before recovering slightly to $1.19370.

The drop follows ECB president Mario Draghi’s comments indicating the bank could soon start quantitative easing (QE).

Greek political turmoil also weighed on the currency.

Although the ECB has already cut interest rates to a record low level, and also bought some bonds issued by private companies, a full-scale program of QE has not yet been launched.

On January 2, Mario Draghi hinted in a newspaper interview that the ECB might soon start a policy of QE by buying government bonds, thus copying its counterparts in the UK and US.

The purpose would be to inject cash into the banking system, stimulate the economy and push prices higher.Euro reaches nine year low vs US dollar

In an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Mario Draghi said: “We are making technical preparations to alter the size, pace and composition of our measures in early 2015.”

Political turmoil in Greece also weighed on the euro, with fears that the general election on January 25, could see the anti-austerity, left-wing Syriza party take control of the country.

The possibility has sparked fears about whether Greece will stick to the terms of its international bailout and stay in the eurozone.

On January 3, German magazine Der Spiegel magazine said Germany believes the eurozone would be able to cope with a Greek “exit” from the euro, if the Syriza party wins the Greek election.

Reacting to the Der Speigel report, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was no change in German policy and the government expects Greece to fulfill its obligations under the EU, ECB and IMF bailout.

France’s President Francois Hollande also commented, saying it was now “up to the Greeks” to decide whether to remain a part of the single currency.

“Europe cannot continue to be identified by austerity,” Francois Hollande added, suggesting that the eurozone needs to focus more on growth than reducing its deficit.

Analysts said the euro was likely to remain volatile for the next few weeks.

Thomas Gilbert Sr. shot dead by son in Manhattan apartment

Thomas Gilbert Sr., creator and chief investment officer of $200 million hedge fund Wainscott Capital Partners, has been shot dead in his flat in New York’s Manhattan, police say.

Thomas Gilbert, 70, had been involved in a domestic argument, media reported.

Police have arrested his son, a Princeton graduate, who allegedly executed the multimillionaire at the family’s Manhattan apartment on Sunday afternoon.

Thomas Gilbert Jr.. 30, barricaded himself in his luxurious Chelsea home for seven hours after Thomas Gilbert Sr. was killed with a single bullet.Thomas Gilbert Sr shot dead by son

At 10.30 PM, officers chopped down the door and arrested Thomas Gilbert Jr. without incident.

Thomas Gilbert Sr. was the founder and president of Wainscott Capital Partners, having started the fund in 2011.

His body was found at about 15:30 local time in a bedroom in the flat in Beekman Place, and that a gun had been recovered from the room.

“Right now, we’re looking to speak to his son, who was the last person to see him alive,” police spokesman Lt John Grimpel said, without identifying the son.

Wainscott Capital fund focuses on the biotech and health care industries.

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Christodoulos Xiros: Greek extremist planned armed assault on maximum security prison in Athens

Greek left-wing extremist Christodoulos Xiros recaptured after a year on the run had been planning an armed assault to free inmates from a maximum security prison in Athens, police say.

Christodoulos Xiros, 56, of the Marxist militant group November 17, was arrested on January 3 in Anavyssos.

He went missing after being allowed out of jail in January to visit his family.

Police found a cache of arms and ammunition in his house in Anavyssos, including a grenade launcher.

The cache also had eight Kalashnikov rifles, three handguns, a silencer and explosives.

Police said they also found drawings of the planned attack.

Police chief Dimitris Tsaknakis said: “The findings point to a big hit on the Korydallos prison, aiming to free prisoners. Based on notes we found, the attack would have taken place in the next days.”Christodoulos Xiros

Public Safety Minister Vassilis Kikilias said: “Greek police prevented a major attack against the heart of the Greek prison system.”

Christodoulos Xiros, who was sentenced in 2003 to multiple life terms for his role in November 17, appeared in court on January 4 to face charges of running a terrorist group and possessing weapons.

While on the loose, Christodoulos Xiros had appeared in a video threatening armed action over austerity measures undertaken under Greece’s international bailout.

Photos released by Greek police show Christodoulos Xiros with a beard and his hair grown long and dyed blonde.

The now defunct November 17 emerged in the mid-1970s and claimed a series of deadly attacks against foreign diplomats and Greek politicians and businessmen over nearly three decades, killing at least 23 people.

Greece, which has a huge foreign debt, has gone through years of austerity programs mandated by the IMF-EU bailout.

Greece is due to hold a snap election on January 25.

The left-wing Syriza party – which wants the terms of the EU-IMF bailout renegotiated – is leading in opinion polls.

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How to calculate your dog years in human years

It’s often said that the age of dogs can be calculated by multiplying their age, in human years, by seven.

However, it’s more complicated than that, and here’s a handy calculator to do it for you.

  • Different breeds of dog age at varying speeds
  • Dogs age at varying speeds at different stages of their lives

Alternatively, you can find out how old you would be if you were a dog. You can choose to be a labrador, a spaniel, a whippet, or any one of 20 breeds.

The calculator uses these multipliers for the first two years of a dog’s life:

  • 12.5 for small dogs
  • 10.5 for medium-sized dogs
  • 9 for large dogs

Then, for the third and subsequent years of the dog’s life, each human year has to be multiplied by between 4.3 and 13.4 years, depending on the breed:Dog years calculator

Small: Dachshund (Miniature) 4.32, Border Terrier 4.47, Lhasa Apso 4.49, Shih Tzu 4.78, Whippet Medium 5.30, Chihuahua 4.87, West Highland White Terrier 4.96, Beagle 5.20, Miniature Schnauzer 5.46, Spaniel (Cocker) 5.55, Cavalier King Charles 5.77, Pug 5.95, French Bulldog 7.65

Medium: Spaniel 5.46, Retriever (Labrador) 5.74, Golden Retriever 5.74, Staffordshire Bull Terrier 5.33, Bulldog 13.42

Large: German Shepherd 7.84, Boxer 8.90

The calculator does not work for cross breeds, sadly, but on average these live 1.22 years longer than pure breeds.

Nor does the calculator work for cats. What we can say is that the average life expectancy of a cat is 12.1 years, which equates to 64 human years.

Guidelines issued by the American Association of Feline Practitioners say that cats reach 10 human years in their first six months and are approximately 24 at the age of two years. After this their age increases by four “cat years” every year.

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Wenjian Liu funeral: Hundreds of officers turn their backs on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio

The funeral of Wenjian Liu, the second of two officers shot dead last month, has been held in New York.

Wenjian Liu, a son of Chinese migrants, was killed with his partner Rafael Ramos on 20 December by a gunman with a grievance against the police.

Speakers lined up to pay tribute at the service in a Brooklyn funeral home.

In the street outside, hundreds turned their backs to a video screen when Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke.

Many rank-and-file members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) resent Bill de Blasio’s expressions of sympathy for anti-police protesters in recent months.

The double murder by 28-year-old African American gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who claimed to be avenging black men killed by white police stunned the city.

New York police commissioner Bill Bratton had urged officers to refrain from any further “act of disrespect”, saying in a memo: “A hero’s funeral is about grieving, not grievance.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio told the funeral service: “All of our city is heartbroken today.”

Wenjian Liu, 32, had lost his life while fighting for “all that is decent and good”, he said. He paid tribute to a “young man who came here from China at the age of 12 in search of the American dream”.Wenjian Liu funeral

Outside the funeral home, many uniformed officers could be seen turning their backs as the speech was relayed.

Shortly after the policemen were shot, the head of the city’s largest police union, Patrick Lynch, had lashed out at the liberal mayor, saying there was “blood on many hands”.

More than 20,000 officers attended Rafael Ramos’ funeral on December 27, and the sight of lines of police turning their backs marred the event for some.

“The mayor has no respect for us,” retired NYPD detective Camille Sanfilippo told the Associated Press news agency at Wenjian Liu’s funeral.

“Why should we have respect for him?”

Patrick Yoes, a national secretary with the 328,000-member Fraternal Order of Police, said before the new funeral: “Across this country, we seem to be under attack in the law enforcement profession, and the message to take away from this is: We are public servants. We are not public enemies.”

The two policemen were shot following a wave of demonstrations over killings of unarmed black men by white police officers, beginning in the Missouri town of Ferguson last summer.

There was anger in New York after a grand jury decided not to press charges against a white police officer over the death of unarmed black man Eric Garner, who was placed in a chokehold while being restrained by police officers.

Mayor Bill de Blasio had expressed solidarity with the protesters and had publicly wondered if his son, who is mixed-race, was safe from police.

Some argue that such rhetoric helped to create an environment that encouraged violence against police.

Funeral arrangements had been delayed so relatives from China could travel to New York.

Wenjian Liu’s widow, Pei Xia Chen, said she had lost her “soul mate” and a “wonderful husband”.

His father broke down at the funeral as he described how his only child would telephone after every shift during his seven years in the force to reassure his parents he was safe.

“You are the best son, you are the best husband,” he said.

“We are very proud of you, we love you forever.”

A vigil was held on January 3 in Chinatown where community members gathered to burn pieces of paper in honor of Wenjian Liu, in keeping with Chinese tradition.

Ismaaiyl Brinsley killed himself in a subway station as police were closing in.

The gunman had a history of violence and mental instability. On the day of the shooting, Ismaaiyl Brinsley went on social media to say he was planning to kill police officers.

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Pope Francis names twenty new cardinals from 14 countries

Twenty new cardinals have been named by Pope Francis, including churchmen from Tonga, Ethiopia and Myanmar.

Fifteen of the new appointees are under 80, making them eligible to enter a conclave to elect the Pope’s successor.

The pontiff said the appointment of cardinals from 14 countries from every continent in the world showed the Vatican’s “inseparable link” with Catholic Churches around the world.

They will be formally installed on February 14.

Pope Francis also announced on January 4 that he would lead of meeting of all cardinals to discuss reform of the Roman Curia, the Vatican’s administrative body, on February 12 and 13.

The list of names includes five retired bishops who will join the College of Cardinals but are over 80 and so cannot take part in a papal election.

It is the second time Pope Francis has announced the appointment of new cardinals from a wide variety of countries.

Last January Pope Francis named 19 new additions, including churchmen from Haiti and Burkina Faso, which a Vatican spokesman said reflected his commitment to the poor.

He has now chosen over a quarter of all cardinals able to vote for the next Pope.

With his appointments, Pope Francis appears to be trying to reflect the diversity and growth of the Church in developing nations.

In his a pre-Christmas address to cardinals, Pope Francis sharply criticized the Vatican bureaucracy, complaining of “spiritual Alzheimer’s” and “the terrorism of gossip”.

Pope Francis wants to see an overhaul of the Church, bringing it closer to ordinary people.Pope Francis names new cardinals

List of new cardinals:

Archbishop Dominique Mamberti (France)

Archbishop Manuel Jose Macario do Nascimento Clemente (Portugal)

Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel (Ethiopia)

Archbishop John Atcherley Dew (New Zealand)

Archbishop Edoardo Menichelli (Italy)

Archbishop Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon (Vietnam)

Archbishop Alberto Suarez Inda (Mexico)

Archbishop Charles Maung Bo (Myanmar)

Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij (Thailand)

Archbishop Francesco Montenegro (Italy).

Archbishop Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet (Uruguay)

Archbishop Ricardo Blazquez Perez (Spain).

Bishop Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan (Panama)

Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado, (Capo Verde).

Bishop Soane Patita Paini Mafia (Tonga)

Archbishop emeritus Jose de Jesus Pimiento Rodríguez (Colombia)*

Titular Archbishop Luigi De Magistris (Italy)*

Titular Archbishop Karl-Joseph Rauber (Germany)*

Archbishop emeritus Luis Hector Villalba (Argentina)*

Bishop emeritus Julio Duarte Langa (Mozambique)*

* Cardinal emeritus, without voting rights

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AirAsia plane crash: Four more bodies recovered from Java Sea

Four more bodies have been recovered from the Java Sea as the hunt to find the main wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501 enters a second week.

Indonesia search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said 34 bodies have now been found, as well as five large objects.

Bad weather has forced divers to suspend their bid to find the plane’s fuselage, where most of the bodies are believed to be trapped.

The plane, which was carrying 162 people, crashed on December 28.

It was en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore.

Bad weather is believed to be the biggest factor in the crash although the Airbus A320’s “black boxes”, or flight data recorders, have yet to be located.

Bambang Soelistyo said on January 4 that Singapore navy vessel RSS Persistence had recovered one body, while US navy ship USS Sampson had brought three more back to the Indonesian town of Pangkalan Bun.AirAsia plane crash 2014

Nearly 30 ships are now involved in the search operation, as well as six planes and 14 helicopters.

There were hopes the weather would improve on Sunday, but conditions once again hampered efforts to find the plane’s main wreckage.

Search teams found four large objects thought to be debris from the plane on January 3, with the largest measuring 59ft.

A fifth object was located on the seabed on January 4, Bambang Soelistyo told reporters.

Dozens of divers from Indonesia and Russia have been deployed to the search area, which has been enlarged to allow for tides sweeping bodies and debris further afield.

They attempted to survey more of the seabed on Sunday but “visibility at the sea bottom was zero,” Bambang Soelistyo said.

Remotely operated cameras were being used to try to photograph the objects, but waves up to 16ft high and strong currents made their use difficult.

National Search and Rescue deputy chief Tatang Zainudin said: “We are racing with time and weather in running this mission.”

On January 3, Indonesian weather agency BMKG said initial analysis suggested icy conditions in the air had caused the engine to stall.

Officials have said the plane was travelling at 32,000ft when the pilot’s last communication was a request to climb to 38,000ft to avoid bad weather.

It has emerged that AirAsia did not have official permission to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on the day of the crash, but was licensed on four other days of the week.

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South Australia bushfires destroy more than 30 homes near Adelaide

The recent Australian bushfires have destroyed more than 30 homes near Adelaide as crews continue to battle out-of-control blazes.

More than 800 firefighters are tackling the blazes, which have been burning for several days in the hills around the city of Adelaide.

Officials say the fires are the worst in the area since the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983, which left 75 dead.

Cooler weather may help firefighters tame the flames, which have been fanned by high winds and temperatures.

But South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said the situation remained critical.

He said 12 homes had been confirmed destroyed in the Adelaide Hills with another 20 also feared lost.South Australia bushfires 2015

Twenty-two people, mostly firefighters, are said to have suffered minor injuries.

More than 27,000 acres of land has been burned, according to reports.

People are being encouraged not to take any risks, and leave if their houses are in danger.

“Right at this moment, residents in the Adelaide Hills are being confronted by a fire which hasn’t been seen in the hills since the 1983 bushfires of Ash Wednesday,” South Australia fire chief Greg Nettleton said on Saturday.

The 1983 fires left 75 people dead and caused devastation across parts of Victoria and South Australia.

Australia faces such fires every year but environmentalists say global warning is making their occurrence more frequent.

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Study: Two thirds of cancer types are due to bad luck

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A new study has suggested that most types of cancer can be put down to bad luck rather than risk factors such as smoking.

The US research team was trying to explain why some tissues were millions of times more vulnerable to cancer than others.

The results, in the journal Science, showed two thirds of the cancer types analyzed were caused just by chance mutations rather than lifestyle.

However some of the most common and deadly cancers are still heavily influenced by lifestyle.

In the US, 6.9% of people develop lung cancer, 0.6% brain cancer and 0.00072% get tumors in their laryngeal cartilage at some point in their lifetime.

Toxins from cigarette smoke could explain why lung cancer is more common.

However, the digestive system is exposed to more environmental toxins than the brain, yet brain tumors are three times as common as those in the small intestine.

The team at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health believe the way tissues regenerate is the answer.Most cancer cases due to bad luck, not unhealthy lifestyles

Old tired cells in the body are constantly being replaced with new ones made by dividing stem cells.

But with each division comes the risk of a dangerous mutation that moves the stem cell one step closer to being cancerous.

The pace of turnover varies throughout the body with rapid turnover in the lining of the gut and a slower pace in the brain.

The researchers compared how often stem cells divided in 31 tissues in the body over a lifetime with the odds of a cancer in those tissues.

They concluded that two thirds of cancer types were “due to bad luck” from dividing stem cells picking up mutations that could not be prevented.

These cancer types included Glioblastoma (brain cancers), small intestine cancers and pancreatic cancers.

Cristian Tomasetti, an assistant professor of oncology and one of the researchers, said a focus on prevention would not prevent such cancers.

“If two thirds of cancer incidence across tissues is explained by random DNA mutations that occur when stem cells divide, then changing our lifestyle and habits will be a huge help in preventing certain cancers, but this may not be as effective for a variety of others.

“We should focus more resources on finding ways to detect such cancers at early, curable stages.”

The remaining third of cancer types, which are affected by lifestyle factors, viruses or a heightened family risk, include some of the most common:

  • Basal cell carcinoma – a type of skin cancer made more common by too much UV exposure
  • Lung cancer – strongly linked to smoking
  • Colon cancer – increased by poor diet and family risk genes

Two common types of cancer – breast and prostate – were not analyzed as the researchers could not find a consistent rate of stem cell division in those tissues.

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Sailor Gutzler: 7-year-old Kentucky plane crash survivor praised for her courage

Sailor Gutzler, the 7-year-old girl who survived a plane crash in Kentucky and walked barefoot to find help, has been praised for her courage.

In an interview with BBC, Larry Wilkins, 71, said that he answered the door to the “brave girl” on January 2 and that she told him her parents were dead.

The plane was later found along with the bodies of the girl’s parents, her sister and a cousin.

Sailor Gutzler is from Nashville, Illinois.

Kentucky State Police said those killed were Marty Gutzler, 49, and Kimberly Gutzler, 45, their 9-year-old daughter, Piper Gutzler, and Piper’s 14-year-old cousin, Sierra Walder.Sailor Gutzler, 7, survived Kentucky plane crash

Larry Wilkins said Sailor Gutzler had walked almost a mile through a dark, dense wood in temperatures of about 40F to reach his house in Lyon County.

He added that she had been crying and bleeding when she arrived and had obviously “been through hell”.

“She had a bloody nose, her legs were scratched terribly bad,” he said.

Larry Wilkins thought that she had followed the light from his house to get to safety.

Sailor Gutzler is reported to have been released from hospital on January 3 after receiving treatment for minor injuries.

Kentucky State Police Lt Brent White said: “I’ve got an 8-year-old child myself. And when I saw this – what appeared to be a 7-year-old child that walked through this dense forest through some really tough terrain. Awful poor weather conditions – and survive this, it’s just really a miracle.”

The plane was found on January 2, about 30 miles east of Paducah city.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said air traffic controllers lost contact with the Piper PA-34 aircraft after the pilot reported engine problems.

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The Interview: North Korea attacks new US sanctions

North Korea has attacked new US sanctions in response to a major cyber-attack against Sony Pictures.

The US placed sanctions on three North Korean organizations and 10 individuals after the FBI blamed Pyongyang for the cyber-attack.

North Korea praised the attack on Sony but denied any involvement in it.

It came as Sony Pictures was about to release The Interview, a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Sony initially cancelled plans to screen The Interview, before deciding to release it online and at a limited number of cinemas.

The sanctions imposed on January 2 are believed to be the first time the US has moved to punish any country for cyber-attacks on an American company.

Announcing them, White House officials told reporters the move was in response to the Sony hack, but the targets of the sanctions were not directly involved.

In response, North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency on January 4 quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying: “The policy persistently pursued by the US to stifle the DPRK [North Korea], groundlessly stirring up bad blood towards it, would only harden its will and resolution to defend the sovereignty of the country.

“The persistent and unilateral action taken by the White House to slap <<sanctions>> against the DPRK patently proves that it is still not away from inveterate repugnancy and hostility toward the DPRK.”

US sanctions were already in place over North Korea’s nuclear program but analysts said the new sanctions were designed to further isolate the country’s defense industry.

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Mexico missing students: Further 10 municipal police officers arrested

Further ten municipal police officers have been arrested by Mexican authorities investigating the disappearance of 43 student teachers in Guerrero state.

Around 90 people in total, including 58 police officer, have been detained so far.

The students disappeared in September 2014 after clashes with police in the city of Iguala.

National prosecutors say police handed them to criminal gangs who murdered them and burnt their bodies.

Parents of the students dispute this, arguing the authorities are hiding what happened to them.

Photo EPA
Photo EPA

The remains of only one student, Alexander Mora, have been identified so far.

They were found near a rubbish dump where criminal gang members say the students were taken to be shot and their bodies burnt.

Members of the gang said they killed the 43 and burned their bodies after they were told the students belonged to a rival gang.

The relatives of the other 42 missing students say they will not give up hope of finding them alive until forensic evidence proves they are dead.

The slow pace of the initial investigation into their disappearance and the collusion it has highlighted between local authorities and drug gangs has led to mass protests across Mexico.

Edward Brooke: First black senator elected by popular vote dies aged 95

The first black senator popularly elected in the US, Edward Brooke, has died aged 95, Republican Party officials say.

Edward Brooke was elected to Congress in 1966 by voters in Massachusetts at a time of widespread racial unrest.First black senator Edward Brooke

A former lawyer, Edward Brooke had also been the first African-American to hold the post of attorney general in any state when he was elected senator.

Two black senators before Edward Brooke were both picked by state legislatures.

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AirAsia flight QZ8501 crash blamed on bad weather

According to the Indonesian weather agency (BMKG), bad weather was the biggest factor in the crash of AirAsia flight QZ8501.

The BMKG agency said initial analysis suggested icy conditions in the air had caused the engine to stall.

The Airbus A320 vanished with 162 people aboard en route from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore on December 28.

The discovery of four large objects believed to be plane debris has raised hopes of finding the fuselage, where most bodies are believed to be trapped.

Just 30 bodies had been recovered from the Java Sea as of January 3.

The plane’s black boxes, its flight data and cockpit voice recorders, have yet to be located.

BMKG found conditions at the time of the plane’s disappearance suggested it had probably flown into a storm.

“From our data it looks like the last location of the plane had very bad weather and it was the biggest factor behind the crash,” said Edvin Aldrian, head of research at BMKG.AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crash

“These icy conditions can stall the engines of the plane and freeze and damage the planes machinery.”

Officials have said the plane was travelling at 32,000ft when the pilot’s last communication was a request to climb to 38,000ft to avoid bad weather.

Search chief Bambang Soelistyo said four large objects as well as oil slicks had been detected by sonar.

The biggest object is 59ft long and 18ft wide, he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency, adding he believed the objects were parts of the plane. Another object is said to be 32ft long.

Bambang Soelistyo said an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) was being lowered into the water to get an actual picture of the objects, which were at a depth of 98ft.

But he warned that waves up to 17ft high were hampering the search effort.

A flotilla of ships, including two from the US navy, are converging on the site where the objects were located and preparing to put divers into the water.

A Russian search team, including 22 deep water divers and a remotely operated submersible vessel, is expected to join the hunt for the black boxes after arriving in Pangkalan Bun on January 3.

It has emerged that AirAsia did not have official permission to fly the Surabaya-Singapore route on the day of the crash but was licensed on four other days of the week.

The Indonesian authorities suspended the company’s flights on this route pending an investigation. AirAsia said it would “fully co-operate”.

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