According to a new study, only eating breakfast and lunch may be more effective at managing type 2 diabetes than eating smaller, more regular meals.
Researchers in Prague fed two groups of 27 people the same calorie diet spread over two or six meals a day.
They found volunteers who ate two meals a day lost more weight than those who ate six, and their blood sugar dropped.
Experts said the study supported “existing evidence” that fewer, larger meals were the way forward.
Only eating breakfast and lunch may be more effective at managing type 2 diabetes than eating smaller, more regular meals
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough of the hormone insulin, which controls the amount of sugar in the blood, meaning blood sugar levels become too high.
If untreated, it can lead to heart disease and stroke, nerve damage, light-sensitive eyes and kidney disease.
Scientists at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Prague divided a group of 54 volunteers aged 30 to 70 with type 2 diabetes into two groups of 27 people.
Volunteers were then given either a six-meal-a-day diet (A6) for 12 weeks followed by a two-meal day diet (B2), or vice versa.
The study compared two meals with six meals – as the latter accorded with current practice advice in the Czech Republic, researchers said.
Each diet contained on average 1,700 calories a day.
The B2 group ate between 06:00 and 10:00 and then between 12:00 and 16:00, and the A6 group ate their food throughout the day.
Weight loss for the B2 group averaged 1.4 kg (3lb) more than A6, and they lost about 4 cm (1.5 in) more from their waistlines.
Lead scientist Dr. Hana Kahleova, at the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, said the results were “very pleasing”.
She said: “The patients were really afraid they would get hungry in the evening but feelings of hunger were lower as the patients ate until they were satisfied.
“But when they ate six times a day the meals were not leaving them feeling satisfied. It was quite surprising.”
Dr. Hana Kahleova said the study could apply to people without diabetes who were trying to lose weight.
Malaysia Airlines’ losses widen after flight MH 370 vanished over two months ago, raising questions about the future of the 76-year-old carrier.
The company’s net loss rose by 59% to 443 million ringgit ($138 million) in the January-to-March period, marking its fifth straight quarter of losses.
Malaysia Airlines attributed it to “tough operating conditions” and “negative sentiment”.
Investors shrugged off the news with shares rising 2.4%.
Only 30% of the company is able to be bought freely on the stock exchange in Kuala Lumpur, with the rest held by state investment firm Khazanah Nasional.
Malaysia Airlines’ losses widen after flight MH 370 vanished over two months ago
Of the 30% that trades on Malaysia’s stock exchange, most of that is owned by the country’s pension funds and other institutions, leaving a small proportion for retail investors to trade.
Overall though, Malaysia Airlines has lost more than 40% of its market value this year.
Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, leading to a massive search and rescue operation that is still ongoing and may cost millions of dollars.
The Malaysian government believes the plane ended its journey in the Indian Ocean, but no trace of the plane or wreckage has been found so far.
The crisis led to a high number of cancellations and reputational damage to the carrier, including a 60% drop in sales from China.
About two-thirds of the 239 people on board MH370 were from China, prompting boycotts by some travel agents on the Mainland.
Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the disappearance of MH370 added to its poor results, which were “not unexpected”.
“The results were made worse with the impact on air travel in general following the disappearance of MH370. The whole market has reacted by slowing down demand,” he said in a statement.
The company “needs to accelerate efforts to improve its revenue stream and better manage our high costs which have increased” he added.
“This need has become even more urgent for Malaysia Airlines’ future survival and sustainability in a market that is not showing any signs of letting up on competition.”
Malaysia Airlines has been struggling in the face of high fuel prices, foreign exchange fluctuations and increased competition from budget carriers in the region.
“Further efforts need to be made to manage fuel costs which increased 14% despite a decrease in jet fuel price,” the company said.
Malaysia Airlines has racked up losses of more than $1.3 billion over the last three years and analysts expect that to rise further.
Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at a news conference on Thursday that the government has no plans to financially bail out Malaysia Airlines.
Malaysia Airlines said much of the costs associated with the disappearance of MH370 will be covered by insurance.
However, the mounting red ink has increased speculation it may be forced to file for bankruptcy or possibly be broken up even though it is majority-owned by Malaysia’s state investment firm
Despite the grim outlook, Malaysia’s airline chief plans to continue with the company’s turnaround effort.
“We still have much work ahead of us to deal with the reality of the business and competition as a dynamic and nimble operation,” he said.
“MH370 has brought out the best of our Malaysia Airlines team to stand united to face the crisis. We will be leveraging on this team spirit to fight for our future.”
India’s opposition candidate Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister, with counting trends showing the pro-business Hindu nationalist and his party headed for the most resounding election victory the country has seen in thirty years.
The opposition Hindu nationalist BJP party has promised “good times ahead” as early results suggest it is on course for a landslide victory.
Narendra Modi’s landslide win was welcomed with a thundering rally on India’s stock markets and jubilant celebrations at offices across the country of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where supporters danced, exploded fireworks and handed out sweets.
Although final results are not expected until later, the scale of the predicted victory is such that the ruling Congress party has admitted defeat.
India’s opposition candidate Narendra Modi will be the next prime minister
BJP leader Narendra Modi tweeted: “India has won. Good times ahead.”
This is the most resounding victory for a political party in India for 30 years, say correspondents.
Narendra Modi, chief minister of the western state of Gujarat, is seen as a no-nonsense, can-do leader who stands for development and muscular nationalism.
He campaigned on promises of a revival in economic growth.
But many Indians still have profound concerns over Narendra Modi because of claims he did little to stop the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat, in which at least 1,000 people died, most of them Muslims – allegations he has always denied and over which he was never charged.
The election result will be a crushing blow to the Congress party, which is led by the Nehru-Gandhi family and has dominated Indian politics since independence.
It reflects voter anger with Congress, which has been mired in serious corruption scandals and whose leadership has been considered ineffective in recent years, analysts say.
India’s PM Manmohan Singh rang Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his victory.
Narendra Modi, 63, celebrated with a visit to his elderly mother in Gandhinagar, the state capital of Gujarat.
Latest election results showed the BJP is on course to win 278 seats, surpassing the 272 seats needed to secure a majority in the lower house of parliament.
With their allies, the party could achieve more than 300 seats.
Meanwhile, the Congress party – which has been in power for the past decade – is leading in fewer than 50 seats.
Accepting defeat, the Congress Party spokesman, Shakil Ahmed, said: “We are accepting the people’s verdict in all humility.
“Trends of the counting are certainly not in our favor. The trends point out that the country has decided to vote against us,” he was quoted by news agency AP as saying.
Even before the Congress party’s announcement, there were scenes of jubilation outside the BJP’s headquarters. Firecrackers exploded and people handed out sweets.
More than 500 million people voted in what is the world’s biggest exercise in democracy.
Voter turnout in the mammoth nine-phase general election was a record 66.38%, beating the previous 1984 poll record.
Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev joked with a friend not to text him hours after the FBI released Tsarnaev’s photo as a suspect in the deadly attack, text messages showed.
Dias Kadyrbayev texted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev shortly after the FBI publicly released photos of Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, as suspects in the deadly 2013 attack.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev responded that he had seen the news, then texted: “Better not text me my friend.” Then: “Lol.”
In another text, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told Dias Kadyrbayev he could go to his room and “take what’s there” followed by a smiley face.
Some of the messages had been released previously, but a complete transcript of Dias Kadyrbayev’s text messages in the days after the bombing was released by prosecutors Thursday.
Dias Kadyrbayev texted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev shortly after the FBI publicly released photos of Tsarnaev brothers (photo VKontakte)
Dias Kadyrbayev and another friend, Azamat Tazhayakov, are accused of removing a backpack containing fireworks and a laptop from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s dorm room at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth several days after the bombings. A third friend, Robel Phillipos, is accused of lying to investigators.
None of the three men are accused of participating in the bombing or knowing about it ahead of time.
Azamat Tazhayakov and Robel Phillipos declined to testify this week during a hearing over statements they made under questioning by federal agents.
US District Court Judge Douglas Woodlock said Thursday he would not throw out their statements.
Dias Kadyrbayev had been expected to testify Friday, but Judge Douglas Woodlock said that will be postponed until after testimony from an expert witness.
The judge did not rule on Dias Kadyrbayev’s request to suppress statements he made to investigators; his suppression hearing is expected to resume in two weeks.
Prosecutors and the men’s attorneys are arguing over whether the statements were voluntary and can be used as evidence in the upcoming trials. Prosecutors have said the men willingly spoke to federal agents after being told of their right to remain silent and to contact a lawyer. Dias Kadyrbayev’s lawyer, Robert Stahl, has argued that his client, who is from Kazakhstan, did not have a complete command of the English language and did not fully understand the waiver forms he signed.
Three people were killed and more than 260 others injured in two bomb attacks at Boston Marathon in April 2013.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges and is awaiting trial in November. His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, also a suspect in the bombings, died following a shootout with police several days later.
Jay-Z, Beyonce and Solange Knowles say they are a “united family” despite an elevator fight seen in a leaked video.
The video, which was leaked to TMZ, showed Solange Knowles lashing out at Jay-Z in an elevator after the Met Gala on May 5.
“Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred,” said a joint statement.
Jay-Z, Beyonce and Solange Knowles say they are still united despite elevator fight
“They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.”
New York’s Standard Hotel employee who leaked the footage has been identified and fired, it emerged on Thursday.
The Standard Hotel said it was “shocked and disappointed” by the leak and said it would it would hand over “all available information to criminal authorities”.
The employee was fired for “breaching the security policies of the hotel and recording the confidential CCTV video,” it added.
The three-minute video shows Solange Knowles entering the elevator with Jay-Z, Beyonce and their entourage.
Solange Knowles then confronts Jay-Z, whose wife stands by without interfering.
A bodyguard holds Solange back, although she again tries to kick Jay-Z. There is no audio on the recording.
The full statement was released by the family to the Associated Press.
The statement reads: “As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident.
“But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it. Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred.
“They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.
“The reports of Solange being intoxicated or displaying erratic behavior throughout that evening are simply false.
“At the end of the day, families have problems and we’re no different. We love each other and above all we are family. We’ve put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same.”
Thousands of protesters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro who marched against the cost of hosting the football World Cup in Brazil have been dispersed by riot police firing tear gas.
Some demonstrators hurled stones while other burned tyres and blocked roads.
They say they are angry that billions of dollars are being spent on next month’s football tournament, rather than social projects and housing.
Protests also took place in many other cities, including the capital Brasilia.
Teachers and civil servants, among others, were also on strike across Brazil.
Thousands of protesters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro marched against the cost of hosting the football World Cup in Brazil (photo Reuters)
In Rio, aerial images showed hundreds of people marching in rush-hour traffic on a main thoroughfare. The city will host the final match of the World Cup on July 13.
Protesters there and in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, clashed with police before beginning to disperse.
The number of people on the streets was much lower than during similar protests last year.
Some of those taking part, however, promised the demonstrations would get bigger and more frequent as the World Cup gets closer.
Last June, more than a million people took to the street over poor public services, corruption and the high cost of hosting the World Cup.
The tournament is due to kick off on June 12.
The demonstrations began earlier in the day in Sao Paulo, with one of the biggest protests in the city’s Itaquera district near the Arena Corinthians stadium, which will host the tournament’s opening match.
Protesters there demanded housing, and not stadiums, be built in accordance with FIFA standards, in reference to world football’s governing body.
“Our goal is symbolic,” said Guilherme Boulos, the head of Homeless Workers Movement.
“We don’t want to destroy or damage the stadium. What we want is more rights for workers to have access to housing and to show the effects the Cup has brought to the poor.”
The government has tried to downplay the scale of Thursday’s unrest, arguing it was not related to the World Cup.
“From what I’ve seen, these are specific claims by workers. I’ve seen nothing that is related to the [World] Cup,” Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said.
“There’s no reason to panic ahead of receiving three million Brazilian tourists and 600,000 foreign tourists [for the tournament].”
The planned protests coincide with a range of strikes, including one by the police force in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco.
The army was deployed there to provide additional support after some robberies and looting, before the strike ended on its third day.
Local media reported that, in the last 24 hours alone, 234 people were arrested. Recife, the state capital, is due to host five matches during the World Cup.
Injured Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods are now recuperating and supporting each other in rehab.
The champion skier is currently recovering from a second right knee operation that kept her from being a part of the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Injured Lindsey Vonn and Tiger Woods are now recuperating and supporting each other in rehab (photo USA Today)
Whereas, the 38-year-old golfer is recuperating from surgery to relieve pain from a pinched nerve in his back that helped him miss the Masters.
Lindsey Vonn, 29, said from Florida that rehab is not a fun thing to do, asserting that it could become monotonous, the Washington Times reported.
She, however, added that if one is going through rehab, it’s nice to have a partner, who relates to other person’s situation and whom they can talk to, rehab and train with.
Tiger Woods, in a recent posting on his website, had said that it does help to rehab with Lindsey Vonn, however, he added that her programs were much further along than his.
According to new reports, Barbara Walters said at a party for her retirement from journalism that she isn’t ready to say goodbye for good.
“Who knows what the future brings?” the news legend asked in her speech.
Barbara Walters interviewed every president and first lady from Richard and Pat Nixon to Barack and Michelle Obama
“Maybe instead of goodbye I should say à bientôt – which in French means <<see you later>>.”
Barbara Walters, 84, spoke at an ABC News party celebrating her six decades in journalism, which included serving as the first woman to anchor a nightly news broadcast.
She said that her first night on the air was a mess. But she added that if she paved the way for other women, she was grateful.
Barbara Walters noted that she had interviewed every president and first lady from Richard and Pat Nixon to Barack and Michelle Obama.
The party, at the Four Seasons restaurant, found celebrities from Woody Allen to Joan Rivers to Michael Douglass milling with news luminaries like Ben Sherwood, the ABC News president.
Barbara Walters joked that she would finally have time to get Botox – and that she would no longer need it, now that is no longer on TV.
A Sudanese woman has been sentenced to hang for apostasy – leaving Islam – after she married a Christian man.
Amnesty International condemned the sentence, handed down by a judge in Khartoum, as “appalling and abhorrent”.
Local media report the sentence on Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag, who is eight months’ pregnant, would not be carried out for two years after she had given birth.
Sudan has a majority Muslim population, which is governed by Islamic law.
“We gave you three days to recant but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged to death,” the judge told the woman, AFP reports.
Sudan has a majority Muslim population, which is governed by Islamic law (photo AFP)
Western embassies and rights groups had urged Sudan to respect the right of the pregnant woman to choose her religion.
The judge also sentenced the woman to 100 lashes after convicting her of adultery – because her marriage to a Christian man was not valid under Islamic law.
This will reportedly be carried out when she has recovered from giving birth.
Earlier in the hearing, an Islamic cleric spoke with her in a caged dock for about 30 minutes, AFP reports.
Then she calmly told the judge: “I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy.”
Amnesty International said Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag was raised as an Orthodox Christian, her mother’s religion, because her father, a Muslim, was reportedly absent during her childhood.
In court, the judge addressed her by her Muslim name, Adraf Al-Hadi Mohammed Abdullah.
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag was convicted of adultery on the grounds that her marriage to a Christian man from South Sudan was void under Sudan’s version of Islamic law, which says Muslim women cannot marry non-Muslims.
The woman was originally sentenced to death on Sunday but given until Thursday to return to Islam.
There were small groups of protesters outside the court – both her supporters and those who back the punishment.
About 50 people chanting “No to executing Meriam” were confronted by a smaller group who supported the verdict, but there was no violence.
Amnesty’s Sudan researcher Manar Idriss condemned the punishments, saying apostasy and adultery should not be considered crimes.
“The fact that a woman has been sentenced to death for her religious choice, and to flogging for being married to a man of an allegedly different religion is appalling and abhorrent,” he said.
Death sentences are rarely carried out in Sudan.
Her lawyers plan an appeal to a higher court to get the sentence overturned.
On Tuesday, the embassies of the US, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands issued a joint statement expressing “deep concern” about the case and urging Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion, AFP says.
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag was arrested and charged with adultery in August 2013, and the court added the charge of apostasy in February 2014 when she said she was a Christian and not a Muslim, Amnesty said.
Former NFL player Aaron Hernandez has been charged with a 2012 double murder, while still facing a previous murder charge.
Prosecutors say Aaron Hernandez drove up alongside the vehicle of two men with whom he had a “chance encounter” at a club earlier and shot and killed them.
Aaron Hernandez was arrested last June for allegedly killing Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro player found near his home.
Aaron Hernandez has been charged with a 2012 double murder, while still facing a previous murder charge
His lawyers did not have any immediate comment on the new charges.
But last August, lawyer Michael Fee, speaking about the Odin Lloyd murder charges, had said there had been “an incredible rush to judgment in this case”.
On Thursday, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley said Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, the victims in the 2012 shootings, were “ambushed and executed” as they were driving in Boston, Massachusetts on July 16, 2012.
Daniel Conley says they and Aaron Hernandez had had an “encounter” at a nightclub earlier in the evening and the former NFL player was the gunman.
Those details mirror the alleged motive in Odin Lloyd’s death. According to authorities, Aaron Hernandez and two friends picked up Lloyd at home in the early hours of June 17, 2013.
Aaron Hernandez allegedly told Odin Lloyd he was upset about an incident at a nightclub days before.
Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said that Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, both Cape Verdean nationals, were “two young, innocent victims”, according to the Boston Globe.
A former tight end for the Boston-based New England Patriots, Aaron Hernandez was dropped from the Patriots – and his $40 million contract – shortly after his arrest in June.
Wal-Mart has reported a fall in profits due to particularly cold winter weather.
The world’s largest retailer’s net income for the three months to the end of April was $3.58 billion, down 5% on a year ago. Net revenue was up slightly at $115 billion. Both fell short of analysts’ forecasts.
Wal-Mart has reported a fall in profits due to particularly cold winter weather
Wal-Mart shares fell almost 2% in early morning trading.
The retailer also announced a 0.1% rise in like-for-like sales over the period at its UK supermarket business Asda.
Asda said it was reviewing the roles of more than 4,000 managers with a view to creating more roles in store.
Wal-Mart said that like-for-like sales at its own stores were flat during the three month period.
“Like other retailers in the US, the unseasonably cold and disruptive weather negatively impacted US sales and drove operating expenses higher than expected,” said group chief executive Doug McMillon.
“Wal-Mart’s underlying business is solid, and I’m confident in our long-term strategies.”
Wal-Mart forecast higher earnings per share for the current three-month period – $1.15-$1.25 compared to the $1.10 posted during the last quarter.
GM has decided to recall a further 2.7 million vehicles, most of which have brake light defects.
The recall, which affects a number of different models, will cost about $200 million, the carmaker said.
GM has decided to recall a further 2.7 million vehicles, most of which have brake light defects
Last month, General Motors revealed it had taken a $1.3 billion hit to cover the cost of recalling about 2.6 million cars with defective ignition switches.
GM said the latest recall was due to a greater emphasis on safety following the ignition problems.
“We have redoubled our efforts to expedite and resolve current reviews and have identified and analyzed recent vehicle issues which require action,” said GM’s safety chief Jeff Boyer.
The main recall involves 2.44 million Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Auras models in the US.
GM said the fault could result in brake lights not working when the brakes are applied, or the lights coming on when the brakes are not applied. Cruise control and traction control might also be affected, it said.
The carmaker said it was aware of “several hundred” complaints, 13 crashes and two injuries as a result of the fault.
The other GM recalls include 140,000 Chevrolet Malibus for hydraulic brake booster issues and more than 100,000 Chevrolet Corvettes for faulty head lights.
A 4-year-old boy had a lucky escape when his neighbor’s dog attacked him while playing on his bike.
The family cat pounced on the dog and chased him off.
Jeremy Triantafilo was playing in the drive of his Bakersfield, California, home on Tuesday when the dog attacked him, only for Tara the cat to fly in, hurl herself at the dog and chase it off down the street moments later.
Jeremy Triantafilo was playing in the drive of his Bakersfield, California, home on Tuesday when the dog attacked him (photo CCTV Roger Triantafilo)
The moment was caught on CCTV and became viral the internet yesterday, attracting over 5 million views on YouTube.
ABC News went to interview Jeremy Triantafilo and his parents, who explained that Tara followed them home from the park five years ago and has lived with them ever since.
The cat immediately took to sleeping in Jeremy’s crib with him when he was a baby, and formed a strong bond with the boy as was proven in her fearless rescue.
Jeremy Triantafilo received a nasty bite from the dog that needed stitches, but is now recovering at home.
Bakersfield police identified the attacking dog as an eight-month-old Labrador-Chow mix, who apparently was known for having a dislike for children and bicycles.
President Barack Obama has joined 9/11 survivors and rescuers at the memorial museum dedication ceremony on the site of the attacks in New York.
Barack Obama told those gathered it was a “sacred place of healing and of hope”.
The National September 11 Memorial Museum includes thousands of personal items and parts of the World Trade Center towers themselves.
Almost 3,000 people died on 11 September 2001 after al-Qaeda hijackers flew planes into the towers.
Another hijacked plane hit the Pentagon. A fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought with the hijackers.
The National September 11 Memorial Museum includes thousands of personal items and parts of the World Trade Center towers themselves (photo NBC News)
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama toured the museum, viewing a memorial wall with photos of victims and a mangled fire truck, before the ceremony began at 10:00 EST.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined them.
In his opening remarks at the ceremony, Michael Bloomberg said the museum was “a reminder to us and all future generations that freedom carries heavy responsibilities”.
Barack Obama said the museum means we can all “look into the faces of nearly 3,000 innocent souls”.
“We can touch their names and hear their voices, glimpse the small items that speak to the beauty of their lives – the wedding rings, a duty helmet, a shining badge,” he told those gathered.
As well as rescuers, survivors and relatives of people who lost their lives, there was in attendance the New York mayor at the time of the attacks, Rudy Giuliani, the present mayor, Bill de Blasio and actor Robert De Niro.
Along with the nearby memorial plaza, the New York city museum cost $700 million in donations and public money.
The museum, not far from the original site of the World Trade Center, is largely underground.
The museum will be fully open to the public on May 21.
The museum features dramatic and horrific moments of the day in videos, including the two skyscrapers collapsing, but also symbols of heroism, such as damaged fire trucks and the wristwatch of one of the passengers who confronted the hijackers.
“You won’t walk out of this museum without a feeling that you understand humanity in a deeper way,” said museum President Joe Daniels.
Charles Wolf, who lost his wife Katherine in the attacks, said he was awaiting the ceremonial opening on Thursday with a mix of anticipation and dread.
“It brings everything up,” he said.
The museum is not without controversy. Some relatives of victims are upset that unidentified humans remains found in the rubble will be located near the museum at Ground Zero.
Some Muslim groups have also said a video describing al-Qaeda and the run-up to the attacks does not differentiate enough between the violent hijackers motivated by a radical vision of Islam and regular Muslims.
Turkish trade unions are holding a one-day strike in protest at the country’s worst ever mine disaster, which has claimed at least 282 lives up to now.
Thousands have taken to the streets in cities across the country; clashes have broken out in Izmir.
President Abdullah Gul visited the scene of the disaster in Soma, as Turkey holds three days of mourning.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan was booed and jostled by angry protesters during his visit to Soma on Wednesday.
Several unions are reportedly taking part in the 24-hour strike, and blame the privatization of the mining sector for making working conditions more dangerous.
Some 3,000 people have begun gathering in the capital, Ankara, to march on the labor ministry. Protests have also begun in Istanbul.
It was a second day of protest, after police clashed with crowds on Wednesday.
Police fired tear gas and water cannon on some 20,000 people who took to the streets in Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city situated just 75 miles from Soma, the Hurriyet Daily News reports. A union boss in the city was said to have been hospitalized.
Soma mine disaster has claimed at least 282 lives up to now (photo CBC)
More than 5,000 protesters say they will stay in the city centre until some colleagues who were detained are released.
Protests continued for a second day in Istanbul and Ankara, after police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds on Wednesday.
There were reports of demonstrations in Bursa, Antalya and other cities.
“Those who pursue privatization… policies, who threaten workers’ lives to reduce cost… are the culprits of the Soma massacre and they must be held accountable,” said the Public Workers Unions Confederation.
Rescue efforts continue at the mine in Soma but there is little hope of finding anyone else alive.
Eight bodies were recovered overnight, bringing the death toll to 282. Up to 150 miners remain missing.
Excavators have been digging new graves in the town’s cemetery, as hasty funerals are being held for victims.
Women cried and sang improvised songs about their relatives as the bodies were lowered into the graves.
President Abdullah Gul called on Turks to be “unified… to get over these hard times” during his visit to Soma. He was speaking after meeting injured miners in hospital and touring the scene of the disaster.
Scuffles broke out during PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit. People booed him and kicked his car, calling for his resignation. He was forced to seek refuge in a shop at one stage. The town’s ruling AK party offices were also attacked.
However, it was PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s aide, Yusuf Yerkel, who made headlines on Thursday when photos emerged of him appearing to kick a protester in Soma.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticized for being insensitive in his reaction to the disaster, after he cited numerous mining accidents throughout the world, including in Britain in the 19th Century, in defending the Turkish government’s record.
He said every effort would be made to find the missing miners, and promised a full investigation.
The Soma mine was privatised in 2005.
The government has been accused of rejecting a recent proposal for a parliamentary inquiry into mine accidents in the area, although officials say the Soma mine was subject to regular inspections, most recently in March.
An electrical fault triggered the blast soon after midday on Tuesday, while 787 miners were underground, some 1.2 miles below the surface and 4km from the mine entrance.
The resulting power cut made the mine cages unusable. Many of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Government officials said 363 miners were rescued in the hours after the explosion, but no survivors have been brought out since dawn on Wednesday.
Turkey’s worst mining disaster until now was in 1992, when 263 miners were killed near Zonguldak, on the Black Sea.
Coal mining is a major industry in the Soma area, helping to supply a nearby lignite-fired thermal power plant, but safety has long been a concern. Nearly 40% of Turkey’s electricity production depends on coal.
Justin Bieber asks his fans not to “believe rumors” after he was linked to an attempted robbery.
Linking to a TMZ article, which claims the alleged victim was not robbed, Justin Bieber wrote: “The truth will set you free.”
Justin Bieber asks his fans not to believe rumors after he was linked to an attempted robbery
LAPD said Justin Bieber, 20, was not arrested or questioned.
It’s claimed the robbery took place in LA at around 22:30 EST on Monday.
During a series of tweets Justin Bieber said: “My mom raised me to be kind to others. I get judged, harassed, and I try to take the high road.
“Sometimes it isn’t easy. But we keep trying.”
He added: “I will continue to be the man my mother raised. I love people and I will try to be kind even when things are not fair. Don’t believe rumors.”
“Thanks for those who stick by me and those that help me grow every day. I love you.”
Justin Bieber then went on to tweet a link to an interview with American music prouder LA Reid, who talked about future projects involving the singer.
One Chinese worker is dead and at least 90 other people injured after protesters attacked a steel mill in Vietnam, amid anti-China tensions over the South China Sea dispute.
The incident took place at a Taiwanese-owned mill in Ha Tinh province.
It came a day after protesters burnt several foreign-owned factories at an industrial park.
The demonstrations have been sparked by China’s movement of a drilling rig into waters also claimed by Vietnam.
Nationalist sentiment in Vietnam is currently running very high over the South China Sea dispute (photo AFP/Getty Images)
Several anti-China protests have since taken place in Vietnam. Nationalist sentiment is currently running very high over the issue, correspondents say.
Protesters appear to have targeted businesses with Chinese characters in their signs, even if they are from other countries such as Taiwan.
The Chinese embassy in Vietnam on Thursday urged Chinese nationals to take precautions, in the second such statement in as many days.
“We once again remind all Chinese in Vietnam to take safety precautions, increase self-protection, and avoid leaving home unnecessarily,” said the statement posted on the embassy’s website.
It said that “Chinese businesses and workers have been the targets of violence” in at least seven cities or provinces across Vietnam. The embassy said it had asked Vietnamese authorities to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens.
On Tuesday, at least 15 foreign-owned factories were set on fire at industrial parks in Binh Duong province, and hundreds more attacked. No casualties were reported.
Some Taiwanese have begun leaving the country.
The latest incident happened overnight at a huge steel plant owned by Formosa Plastics Group.
Taiwan’s envoy in Vietnam said one Chinese worker was killed and 90 other people injured.
A local police official also confirmed this account.
“One Chinese worker is dead. We are trying to identify the body,” he told AFP news agency.
In a statement quoted by Reuters news agency, the company said its Vietnamese and Taiwanese workers were not attacked.
Taiwan’s envoy told AFP news agency that rioters forced Chinese workers into a corner of the factory. “The rioters have gone but we are all still concerned they might come back,” he said.
Doctors at Ha Tinh General Hospital told agencies several Chinese patients were being treated for injuries.
On Wednesday, Vietnamese authorities said at least 200 people had been arrested over the violence at the industrial park in Binh Duong.
China’s tourism body has urged its nationals to “carefully consider” any travel to Vietnam.
China’s Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig was brought into waters west of the disputed Paracel Islands earlier this month, leading to collisions between Vietnamese and Chinese ships as Vietnam sought to block the move.
China claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea, including several areas that its South East Asian neighbors say belong to them.
In recent years it has started to enforce these claims more assertively, leading to severely strained ties with the Philippines and Vietnam in particular.
The Philippines is currently taking China to a UN court to try to resolve the issue.
Three people died and more than 20 others have been injured in an attack on an anti-government protest camp in Bangkok, Thai officials say.
Witnesses reported explosions and gunfire early on Thursday at a protest camp at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.
Protesters have been pressing the Senate to replace the cabinet with an appointed administration.
Witnesses reported explosions and gunfire early on Thursday at a protest camp at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument
Later on Thursday, they forced a meeting between the government and the Election Commission to be abandoned.
The government is trying to organize a new general election in July, after protesters disrupted the previous election in parts of the country.
A crowd led by Suthep Thaugsuban, head of the anti-government movement, broke into the Air Force base where the meeting between acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan and the commission was being held.
“The meeting is over, the prime minister is leaving. We cannot continue today,” a member of the commission was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
The Election Commission on Thursday has called for polls to be postponed due to the political unrest, AFP news agency says, citing officials.
The attack on protesters comes days after former PM Yingluck Shinawatra was removed by a Thai court.
Reports said grenades were thrown in the latest attack in the early hours of Thursday, followed by gunfire. A doctor at an emergency centre in Bangkok said the wounded had been hit by shrapnel.
Police identified two of the victims as a protester who was asleep and a protest guard who was shot.
There have been a number of attacks on the protest movement since it began its street campaign against the government last year.
No group has said it carried out the attack but both pro- and anti-government groups are known to have armed hardliners.
Former President Bill Clinton has praised the strength and health of his wife, Hillary Clinton, dismissing Karl Rove’s public doubts about her well-being.
“As far as I can tell, she’s in better shape than I am,” Bill Clinton, a Democrat, said of his wife.
Hillary Clinton, 66, said to be weighing a 2016 presidential bid, fell ill in 2012.
Last week, Republican Karl Rove questioned Hillary Clinton’s capacity for the White House and reportedly said she had brain damage.
Republican Karl Rove questioned Hillary Clinton’s capacity for the White House and reportedly said she had brain damage
The New York Post reported on Tuesday that Karl Rove, the strategist behind George W. Bush’s election to the White House, had told an audience in Los Angeles last week: “Thirty days in the hospital? And when she reappears, she’s wearing glasses that are only for people who have traumatic brain injury? We need to know what’s up with that.”
In fact, Hillary Clinton was in hospital for three days after falling ill with a stomach bug in December 2012. After becoming severely dehydrated, Hillary Clinton fell at home and struck her head, suffering a concussion. While she was in hospital doctors diagnosed a blood clot.
Karl Rove has disputed the New York Post report.
“I didn’t say she had brain damage. I said she had a serious health episode,” he said on Fox News.
Democrats and some analysts have said Karl Rove is trying to inject concerns about Hillary Clinton’s health into the public debate as the start of the 2016 presidential race nears.
“There are ways to bring these issues up, and certainly anybody who’s running for president has to answer some health questions, and more so, for someone who’s going to be 69 at the time that she would take the oath of office,” liberal Daily Beast columnist Michael Tomasky said on MSNBC.
“However, this ain’t the way to bring it up – a poisonous, toxic way to introduce this.”
Bill Clinton said at the Peterson Foundation Fiscal Summit in Washington on Wednesday that Hillary Clinton’s concussion was serious and that it took her six months to recover.
“Look, she works out every week, she is strong, she’s doing great,” Bill Clinton said.
Sewol ferry Captain Lee Joon-seok has been charged with manslaughter in South Korea, reports say.
Lee Joon-seok, 68, is accused of leaving the ship as it was sinking while telling passengers to stay put, Yonhap reported.
He was among the first to be rescued by coast guards at the scene.
The Sewol ferry disaster on April 16 killed 281 passengers, most of whom were high school students. Another 23 are still missing.
Sewol ferry Captain Lee Joon-seok has been charged with manslaughter (photo Yonhap)
Besides Lee Joon-seok, three crew members – the chief engineer, the chief mate and the second mate – are also being charged with manslaughter. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment.
“The [four people charged] escaped before the passengers, leading to grave casualties,” prosecutor Ahn Sang-don told journalists.
Prosecutors have indicted another 11 crew members for negligence.
Only 172 passengers survived the sinking of the ferry, including 22 of the 29 crew members.
The authorities have also arrested several people who were not on the ferry at the time of sinking.
These include five officials of the ferry owner, Chonghaejin Marine Company, and an employee of a private safety device inspection company.
The latter is suspected of conducting poor inspections of the ferry’s safety equipment.
South Korea, meanwhile, is looking to reform its safety and emergency response system in the wake of the ferry’s sinking.
President Park Geun-hye said on Tuesday that the government would soon release details of this move, said Yonhap.
She has previously apologized for the way the government handled the incident, amid questions over the initial rescue effort.
Following the recent death of a civilian rescue diver, Seoul also plans to provide psychological help for rescue workers “suffering from physical and mental agony”, said local media.
It comes amid reports the ship, submerged for nearly a month, has begun to deteriorate, making it even more difficult for divers to search for bodies.
Officials said that divers had spotted walls “getting weaker and about to collapse”. Rescue workers are now plotting new routes through the hull.
Earlier reports said that some bodies had floated away from the ship, prompting workers to deploy nets around the site.
According to new reports, Cher and Bruce Jenner, who have been “friend since the ’70s”, recently started “texting and talking nonstop” and have “grown extremely close.”
Bruce Jenner reportedly found life after love thanks to Cher
This is supposedly “irking” Kris Jenner that her estranged husband is “finding life after love – thanks to Cher”, In Touch magazine reported.
According to the publication, Kris Jenner “hasn’t completely given up on her marriage to Bruce yet, so she sees Cher as a threat”.
However, Cher’s rep tells Gossip Cop that she “doesn’t even know Bruce Jenner”.
A mine explosion in western Turkey has killed 245 people, with 80 injured, according to Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, and the toll could rise with many more still trapped.
Anger has erupted against the Turkish government after the deadly coal mine disaster in the western town of Soma.
People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy, and protesters clashed with police in Istanbul and Ankara.
Rescuers are still hunting desperately for scores of miners who are missing but feared dead.
Nearly 450 workers have been rescued, according to the mine operator. However, no survivors have been found in the last few hours and more than 100 are still unaccounted for.
Eighty of those rescued had been treated for injuries, none of which were described as serious.
People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy (photo Getty Images)
Local media reports said protesters in Soma kicked Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car and called for his resignation after he gave a news conference on the disaster.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was booed as he emerged from his car. Some arrests were made amid the scuffles and pictures showed the prime minister, surrounded by bodyguards, seeking refuge in a shop. Protesters also attacked the town’s ruling AK party offices.
Meanwhile, police in Ankara fired tear gas and water cannon at about 800 protesters who tried to march from a university to the energy ministry.
There were also reports of a protest in Istanbul outside the headquarters of Soma Holding, the company that owns the mine.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced criticism on social media for being insensitive, after he cited numerous mining accidents throughout the world, including in Britain in the 19th Century, in defending the Turkish government’s record.
He said every effort would be made to find the missing miners, and promised a full investigation.
“I just want everybody to know that the disaster will be investigated in every aspect and will continue to be investigated and we are not going to allow any negligence, or leave any stone unturned,” he said.
Earlier PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced three days of mourning for the victims.
Family members of missing miners gathered at the hospital. They told him they would not move from there until they got information about their loved ones.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people had been inside the mine when an electrical fault triggered the blast soon after midday on Tuesday. Many of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Fires were reportedly still burning in the mine 18 hours after the blast.
Dogan news agency reported that one of the dead miners, named as Kemal Yildiz, was only 15 years old.
The electrical fault triggered a power cut, making the mine cages unusable. Those trapped are reported to be 1.2 miles below the surface and 4km from the mine entrance.
Hours after the explosion, TV footage showed rescuers helping workers from the mine, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot and dust and some on stretchers.
Only the dead were being recovered by mid-morning on Wednesday.
Coal mining is a major industry in the Soma area, helping to supply a nearby lignite-fired thermal power plant, but safety has long been a concern. Nearly 40% of Turkey’s electricity production depends on coal.
A Minnesota baby has survived an 11-story fall from an apartment balcony, local media report.
One-year-old Musa Dayib has two arm fractures and is breathing with the help of a ventilator but is expected to live, after slipping through a railing.
One-year-old Musa Dayib has survived an 11-story fall from an apartment balcony
His doctor said his youth as well as the soft patch of mulch he landed on helped contribute to his survival.
Family and friends in Minneapolis’s Somali community say the family is in shock.
“When people found out he survived, no one could believe it,” community activist Abdirizak Bihi told the Star-Tribune newspaper.
“I’m more concerned about his dad and his mother,” Abdirizak Bihi said.
“They’re devastated. They can’t even speak.”
Dr. Tina Slusher, who treated baby Musa, said an adult who fell from that distance would almost certainly be dead.
“Little [children] are more flexible and don’t break as easily as we do and he also fell in a very small patch of mulch,” she told local broadcaster KARE.
Dr. Tina Slusher added it was “definitely a miracle. It’s God’s gift to his family. Kids don’t fall this far and make it often”.
The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales (Old Bailey) in London has heard today that former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman hacked Kate Middleton’s phone 155 times.
The phone-hacking trial was told Clive Goodman first hacked Kate Middleton’s voicemail in December 2005.
Clive Goodman also hacked Prince William 35 times and Prince Harry on nine occasions.
Clive Goodman hacked Kate Middleton’s phone 155 times (photo Getty Images)
This is the first time the jury has heard of a royal’s phone being hacked.
Clive Goodman, who denies conspiring to commit misconduct in public office, previously said he only hacked aides.
He is one of seven defendants, including ex-News of the World editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, on trial at the Old Bailey. They all deny the charges against them.
He returned to the Old Bailey to resume giving evidence after a long period away due to illness.
The court heard how Clive Goodman hacked Kate Middleton on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 2005 – more than five years before she married Prince William.
He also hacked her on August 7, 2006, the day before he was arrested over allegations of phone hacking.
Prince William’s voicemail was first intercepted in late January 2006, the court heard.
This was the first time that the jury has heard that a mobile belonging to Prince William was hacked.
Clive Goodman denied he had “forgotten” about targeting the young royals when he said in evidence earlier in the trial that he had only hacked aides working for the royals.
The jury was also told that Clive Goodman hacked Michael Fawcett, a trusted aide of Prince Charles, 35 times.
Clive Goodman had not been in court since the end of March after he was declared unfit to carry on. The trial continued in his absence.
The judge told the jury he had been “ill”, but the court was given a report from an independent medical expert declaring him “now fit” to continue.
He also told the jury that he had “no alternative” but to keep them waiting because medical assessments were continually being submitted.
Clive Goodman will be allowed more time than usual to give the remainder of his evidence because medical experts have advised he may get tired more quickly.
The jury previously heard that the former royal editor of the now-defunct tabloid had undergone a minor heart procedure during the trial.
Clive Goodman, of Addlestone, Surrey, was convicted of phone hacking in 2006.
Appearing on Wednesday in the witness box, with a small bandage over his left hand, he was asked what he knew about phone hacking before January 2005, when he said he had been told about it by a colleague.
Before then, the News of the World colleague had passed pieces of information to Clive Goodman for stories. But the defendant said he never knew where it came from.
