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China’s exports and imports rebound in April 2014

Diane A. Wade
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China’s exports and imports rebound in April 2014

According to recent figures, China’s exports and imports rebounded in April, helping allay some fears about a slowdown in its economy.

Exports rose 0.9% from a year earlier, after falling for two straight months. Shipments had dropped 6.6% in March and 18.1% in February.

Imports grew 0.8% from a year ago, reversing the 11.3% decline in March.

The data come as China is looking to move its economy away from an export and investment-led growth model to one driven by domestic consumption.

China's exports and imports rebounded in April, helping allay some fears about a slowdown in its economy
China’s exports and imports rebounded in April, helping allay some fears about a slowdown in its economy

Some analysts said the latest numbers were likely to provide a boost to policymakers, not least because there have been concerns that the world’s second-largest economy may see its growth slow amid the rebalancing efforts.

China’s economy expanded by 7.4% in the first three months of the year, down from 7.7% growth in the previous quarter.

However, a sluggish start for the year is not uncommon for China due to the Lunar New Year holiday when many businesses and factories shut down operations for about two weeks.

For its part, China announced a mini-stimulus in April to help sustain growth.

As part of the stimulus, it said it was extending a tax break for small and medium-sized companies, and ramping up spending on China’s railway infrastructure.

Earlier this year, China launched a free-trade zone in Shanghai.

The zone is widely seen as a test bed for reforms in key areas of the economy, such as the financial and telecom sectors which previously were tightly controlled by the government.

Analysts have said that opening up these areas is key to sustaining China’s long term economic growth.

Yingluck Shinawatra indicted over controversial rice subsidy scheme

Diane A. Wade
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Yingluck Shinawatra indicted over controversial rice subsidy scheme

Thai anti-graft body has indicted ousted PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a controversial rice subsidy scheme.

The case will now be voted on at the Senate. If impeached, Yingluck Shinawatra will be barred from politics for five years.

On Wednesday, a Thai court ordered Yingluck Shinawatra and several cabinet ministers to step down over separate charges.

Thailand has been in political turmoil since anti-government protests erupted in November 2013. In February, snap elections were annulled.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) unanimously voted to indict Yingluck Shinawatra, the commission’s chief said on Thursday.

“The committee has investigated and there is enough evidence to make a case … We will now forward it to the Senate,” Panthep Klanarong said.

Thai anti-graft body has indicted ousted PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a controversial rice subsidy scheme
Thai anti-graft body has indicted ousted PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a controversial rice subsidy scheme

The NACC is also considering whether to file criminal charges against Yingluck Shinawatra.

Yingluck Shinawatra has previously said she was only in charge of formulating the policy, not the day-to-day running of the scheme, and has said that the commission treated her unfairly.

Under the rice subsidy scheme, the government bought rice from Thai farmers at a much higher price than on the global market.

However, it resulted in the accumulation of huge stockpiles of rice and hit Thailand’s rice exports hard.

Critics said the scheme was too expensive and vulnerable to corruption.

Separately, on Wednesday, Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled that Yingluck Shinawatra acted illegally when she transferred her national security head to another position in 2011.

Yingluck Shinawatra stepped down, and Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan replaced her as prime minister.

Her supporters believe the courts are biased against her.

Yingluck Shinawatra leads the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which won elections in 2011.

It commands strong support from rural voters, especially in Thailand’s north and north-east.

However, anti-government protesters, who tend to be urban and middle-class voters, have protested against Yingluck Shinawatra’s administration for months, occupying official buildings and disrupting elections in February.

They say ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who is also Yingluck Shinawatra’s brother, is still controlling the government, and that the ruling party has been buying votes with irresponsible spending pledges aimed at its support base.

Both sides have planned rallies this week, and there are fears that clashes could occur.

Thailand’s government has scheduled elections for July 20 after the February vote was declared unconstitutional.

However, the opposition says it will not contest the polls and that political reforms need to be introduced first.

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Syria: Large explosion destroys Carlton Citadel Hotel in Aleppo

Roy Siemens
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Syria: Large explosion destroys Carlton Citadel Hotel in Aleppo

Carlton Citadel Hotel and several other buildings have been destroyed by a huge explosion in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, state media and activists report.

Rebel fighters are believed to have detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel beneath the Carlton Citadel Hotel, near the city’s medieval citadel and souk.

Opposition activists said that government troops were based there and that a number had been killed.

Both sides have been trying to end a long-standing stalemate in the city.

In recent weeks, rebels have been trying to advance on areas where government forces are entrenched, while rebel-held areas of Aleppo have come under fierce aerial bombardment since mid-December.

The state news agency, Sana, reported that “terrorists” had blown up tunnels they had dug underneath archaeological sites in the Old City.

Carlton Citadel Hotel and several other buildings have been destroyed by a huge explosion in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo
Carlton Citadel Hotel and several other buildings have been destroyed by a huge explosion in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo

Preliminary reports said the hotel had suffered “huge damage”, it added, without saying if there had been any casualties.

The Carlton Citadel is situated inside a 150-year-old building that faces the entrance of the 13th-Century citadel, which along with the rest of the Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, and the opposition Shaam News Network (SNN) said it was being used by government forces.

The remote detonation of a large quantity of explosives placed in the tunnel by the Islamic Front had destroyed the hotel and caused the collapse of several nearby buildings, the Observatory said.

A number of security forces personnel and militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were believed to have been killed, it added.

Photographs and video published online purported to show the moment of the blast, with a cloud of smoke rising from the scene.

A statement from the Islamic Front said its fighters had “leveled the Carlton Hotel barracks in Old Aleppo and a number of buildings near it, killing 50 soldiers”. It did not say how it knew how many soldiers died.

The front lines have moved little in more than two years of fighting, though it seems the rebels have made a few incremental gains in recent months.

Meanwhile, hundreds more people are expected to be evacuated from their last remaining rebel stronghold in the heart of Homs.

Almost 1,000 rebel fighters and their relatives were driven in buses from the Old City to opposition-held territory north of Homs on Wednesday.

Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi told Syrian state television on Wednesday that Homs would be declared a “secure” city once the withdrawal was complete and the army had moved in.

The withdrawal is part of a deal that will also see rebels release dozens of captives and ease sieges of two predominantly Shia towns in the north.

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Reeva Steenkamp’s last meal discussed on Oscar Pistorius’ trial

Clyde K. Valle
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Reeva Steenkamp’s last meal discussed on Oscar Pistorius’ trial

Oscar Pistorius’s trial has begun today with discussion of when Reeva Steenkamp may have eaten her last meal.

Witness Christina Lundgren, an anaesthetist, described when a stomach is likely to be emptied after eating.

Oscar Pistorius's trial has begun today with discussion of when Reeva Steenkamp may have eaten her last meal
Oscar Pistorius’s trial has begun today with discussion of when Reeva Steenkamp may have eaten her last meal (photo AP)

Christina Lundgren said the prosecution’s argument that Reeva Steenkamp’s stomach would have been empty if she ate when Oscar Pistorius said she did was “pure speculation”.

Oscar Pistorius, 27, denies intentionally killing Reeva Steenkamp on February 14, 2013.

The South African Paralympic sprinter says he accidentally shot her through a toilet door in a state of panic, mistaking her for an intruder.

Oscar Pistorius had said Reeva Steenkamp ate her last meal the evening before she was killed, and that the couple had been sleeping before waking in the early hours.

The prosecution has argued that this cannot be true as Reeva Steenkamp had food in her stomach at the time of her death.

Speaking on Thursday, Prof. Christina Lundgren, who was shown copies of the post mortem report, said there were many factors that could have delayed gastric emptying in Reeva Steenkamp’s stomach, including sleep, exercise, medication, and her age.

“In an ideal world, after six hours of fasting after [the] meal her stomach should probably have been empty. But there are so many unknowns about possible factors that might have delayed gastric emptying,” she said.

“One cannot state it as being fact” that Reeva Steenkamp’s stomach would have been empty six hours after eating, Prof. Christina Lundgren said.

“I would say it is purely speculative.”

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James Blake mansion fire : Four dead with fireworks strapped to their heads

Clyde K. Valle
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James Blake mansion fire : Four dead with fireworks strapped to their heads

Four people have been found dead in the burned home of former tennis star James Blake in Florida.

The unidentified victims were found by fire fighters early on Wednesday after responding to reports of a blaze.

Four people have been found dead in the burned home of former tennis star James Blake in Florida
Four people have been found dead in the burned home of former tennis star James Blake in Florida

James Blake, 34, was not at the $1.5 million home, which was being rented out at the time of the incident.

He was one of the top-ranked tennis players in the world in 2006, retiring from competition in 2013 after a 14-year career.

Emergency crews battled the fire throughout the morning on Wednesday before later extinguishing it.

Two bodies were located earlier in the day, a third later in the morning and a fourth body in the afternoon, according to local media.

Safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the home have hampered a more detailed search as of yet.

Hillsborough County sheriff’s Corporal Donna Lusczynski told the Tampa Tribune it may be days before the home is safe enough to enter and for medical examiners to identify the victims found inside.

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South Africa elections 2014: Partial results show ANC takes early lead

Diane A. Wade
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South Africa elections 2014: Partial results show ANC takes early lead

The partial results in South Africa’s polls show that governing African National Congress (ANC) has taken an early lead in the general election.

With 31% of votes counted, the ANC had 58.7% of the vote followed by the Democratic Alliance on 27.7%.

The ANC is widely expected to return to power although analysts say anything less than 60% of the vote for the party will be seen as a major upset.

The ANC is widely expected to return to power in South Africa
The ANC is widely expected to return to power in South Africa (photo AFP)

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party was in third place with 4.2%.

The electoral commission said voting passed peacefully in most areas.

Turnout was just over 72%, with about 25 million people registered to vote in 22,000 polling stations across South Africa.

The elections are the first since the death in December of Nelson Mandela – the country’s first black president – and mark 20 years since the end of white-minority rule.

Those born after the end of apartheid in 1994 were able to cast their ballots for the first time, although only a third of those entitled to do so had registered to vote.

An ANC victory would return President Jacob Zuma for a second five-year term. In the last election in 2009, the ANC saw a drop in support, polling 66% of the vote.

Speaking as he cast his vote on Wednesday, Jacob Zuma said he thought “the results will be very good”, but added that the campaign had been “very challenging”.

The party emerging as the ANC’s main challenger is the Democratic Alliance (DA) – a liberal pro-business party, led by anti-apartheid activist Helen Zille, which is trying to make inroads into the black electorate.

The EFF, launched last year by former ANC youth leader Julius Malema, hopes to get its first parliamentary seats with its campaign for nationalizing the mines and the forced redistribution of farmland.

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Toyota profits boosted by yen’s weakness and cost cutting

Clyde K. Valle
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Toyota profits boosted by yen’s weakness and cost cutting

Toyota has seen its profits nearly double, boosted by the Japanese yen’s weakness and cost cutting.

The carmaker made a net profit of 1.82 trillion yen ($17.8 billion) in the year to March 31, up from 962 billion yen a year ago.

Toyota has seen its profits nearly double, boosted by the Japanese yen's weakness and cost cutting
Toyota has seen its profits nearly double, boosted by the Japanese yen’s weakness and cost cutting

But that was lower than its February forecast of 1.9 trillion yen profit.

Japanese companies, especially those relying on exports, have benefited from the weakness in the yen which helps lift their profits when they repatriate their overseas earnings back home.

The Japanese yen has weakened by nearly 18% against the US dollar since the start of 2013 amid aggressive policy measures by the government.

Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, said the yen’s weakness boosted its profits by nearly 900bn yen during the past financial year.

Viagra and Cialis could treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Kathryn R. Bown
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Viagra and Cialis could treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Scientists say Viagra and Cialis could be used to fight Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys.

In tests the drugs helped improve blood flow to the muscles of boys with DMD.

Scientists at the Cedars-Sinai Institute in Los Angeles hope the drugs could slow the onset of the disease, which causes the breakdown and gradual loss of muscle fibres.

But experts warn the study did not show an improvement in the boys’ ability to walk, and was not a “big breakthrough”.

DMD affects one in every 3,500 newborn boys, and many will die before they reach 30.

DMD affects one in every 3,500 newborn boys, and many will die before they reach 30
DMD affects one in every 3,500 newborn boys, and many will die before they reach 30

It can become fatal when it affects the muscles needed to breathe and pump blood around the body.

Many patients with the condition have to use a wheelchair by the age of 10, and there is currently no effective treatment.

Corticosteroids, currently used for short-term treatment, have a range of side effects, from acne, muscle weakness and stomach ulcers to diabetes, osteoporosis and high blood pressure.

But they do not work in 25% of cases.

Scientists looked at the new treatment in a study of 10 boys with DMD aged between eight and 13.

Boys with DMD had “blood flow abnormalities” despite taking corticosteroids, they said.

The boys, who had previously been taking corticosteroids, were given a single dose of either sildenafil, commonly known as Viagra, or tadalafil, known as Cialis, which are also used to treat erectile dysfunction.

The dose was given and the blood flow in the boys’ muscles was measured after one hour, for Viagra and after three hours for Cialis.

It was measured when they were resting and then doing a handgrip exercise, after taking corticosteroids, Viagra and Cialis.

Their blood flow was compared with 10 boys of the same age who didn’t have DMD.

The study said blood flow to the muscles was improved in boys treated with both Viagra and Cialis, compared with when they were taking corticosteroids.

The blood flow of boys with DMD increased by 32% after exercise without either treatment.

But after treatment with Cialis, their blood flow increased by 63%. This compares with 78% in “healthy” boys.

The study built on earlier work in zebra fish and mice.

Jodi Arias retrial to begin on September 8

Nancy Clayson
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Jodi Arias retrial to begin on September 8

The retrial for the penalty phase of convicted killer Jodi Arias will begin on September 8.

Judge Sherry Stephens has pushed back the Jodi Arias retrial because attorney Juan Martine will be prosecuting in another trial that conflicts with Arias’ trial.

The retrial for the penalty phase of convicted killer Jodi Arias will begin on September 8
The retrial for the penalty phase of convicted killer Jodi Arias will begin on September 8

According to the Arizona Republic, Juan Martinez is scheduled to begin the trial on May 12, the oldest capital murder case in Maricopa County, which may also be a death penalty trial.  Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Welty ruled the trial of Bryan Hulsey, who was accused of killing a police officer in the Phoenix area in 2007 will go first.

Jodi Arias, 33, was convicted of killing her boyfriend at his suburban Phoenix home in 2008. Jodi Arias said she did it in self-defense. She claimed Travis Alexander had a violent outburst while they were shooting a video and she dropped his camera. The jury found her guilty but couldn’t decide whether to sentence her to life in prison or give her the death penalty but the jury couldn’t reach a verdict on her sentence.

In Arizona, capital-murder trials have three parts. First, a jury has to find the person guilty of first-degree murder. Jodi Arias was found guilty on May 8, 2013. Second, jurors decide whether there were any aggravating factors. The jury found that the murder was committed in an especially cruel fashion one week later. The third is sentencing. Under Arizona law, Jodi Arias’ murder conviction stands, but prosecutors can pursue a death sentence in the penalty phase with a new jury. If the second jury fails to reach a verdict, the death penalty would be removed as an option. Judge Sherry Stephens would then sentence Jodi Arias to either life behind bars or be eligible for release after 25 years.

Judge Sherry Stephens denied two motions by Jodi Arias to fire her lead attorney, Kirk Nurmi.

Because of the excessive publicity, Jodi Arias attorneys have already filed motions requesting that the sentencing phase of the trial be moved out of the Phoenix area.

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How tall is Michelle Knight?

Nancy Clayson
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How tall is Michelle Knight?

Michelle Knight was 21 years old when she was kidnapped on August 23, 2002, in Cleveland, Ohio.

She was held prisoner by Ariel Castro, suffering abuse at his hands for more than 10 years.

Michelle Knight was 21 years old when she was kidnapped on August 2002
Michelle Knight was 21 years old when she was kidnapped on August 2002 (photo Dr. Phil)

Born in April 1981, Michelle Knight grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. As a girl, she wanted to pursue a career as a firefighter, and later aspired to become a veterinarian.

Unfortunately, Michelle Knight – whose height of 4 feet 7 inches earned her the nickname “Shorty” – was bullied in high school.

At the age of 17, Michelle Knight told her mother that she had been assaulted at school.

She dropped out of school after becoming pregnant. She had a son, whom she named Joey. When the boy was a toddler, an injury – possibly caused by an abusive boyfriend of her mother’s – led to his son being taken away from Knight and placed in foster care.

Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were rescued from Ariel Castro’s house of horrors on May 6, 2013.

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Cressida Bonas called off romance with Prince Harry

Lisa.Felice
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Cressida Bonas called off romance with Prince Harry

According to new reports, Prince Harry is planning to meet up with Cressida Bonas in the hope of rekindling their two-year long romance.

The 29-year-old royal is back in the UK after spending the weekend in the US for his best friend Guy Pelly’s wedding.

Cressida Bonas and Prince Harry split two weeks ago
Cressida Bonas and Prince Harry split two weeks ago

According to Prince Harry’s close friends, he is planning to meet up with Cressida Bonas “imminently”, Vanity Fair reported.

Cressida Bonas and Prince Harry split two weeks ago. She was upset that she was not invited to a bachelors’ party in Miami, and told Prince Harry she wasn’t prepared to fly to America for a bash she wasn’t invited to. The argument soon escalated and resulted in Cressida Bonas calling off the romance.

However, according to the couple’s inner circle, Prince Harry is desperate for a rapprochement and spent most of the wedding weekend talking about Cressida Bonas and sending her text messages.

Vladimir Putin supports Ukraine’s presidential election on May 25

Diane A. Wade
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Vladimir Putin supports Ukraine’s presidential election on May 25

Vladimir Putin says Ukraine’s May 25 presidential election is a step “in the right direction”.

However, the Russian president said the vote would decide nothing unless the rights of “all citizens” were protected.

Ukraine’s interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk described as “hot air” Vladimir Putin’s call for an independence referendum, planned this weekend by separatists in the east, to be delayed.

Vladimir Putin also said that Russia had pulled back its troops from the border, as tension remains high.

Vladimir Putin met Didier Burkhalter, the Swiss president and current chairman of the OSCE, in Moscow
Vladimir Putin met Didier Burkhalter, the Swiss president and current chairman of the OSCE, in Moscow (photo Euronews)

Moscow has said it will protect the rights of the largely Russian-speaking people in the south and east against what it calls an undemocratic government in Kiev.

Kiev has rejected pro-Russian activists’ demands for greater autonomy, fearing it could lead to the break-up of the country, and has sent in troops in recent weeks to seize back official buildings occupied by rebels.

Vladimir Putin suggested that Kiev’s military operation in eastern Ukraine could be halted in exchange for a postponement of the referendum scheduled to take place in several areas on Sunday.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Vladimir Putin of “talking through his hat”.

Earlier on Wednesday, pro-Russian separatists took back the city hall in the southern port of Mariupol after it was briefly taken over by Ukrainian government forces.

Vladimir Putin made his suggestion after talks in Moscow with Didier Burkhalter, the Swiss president and current chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

On the forthcoming presidential elections, Vladimir Putin said: “I would like to stress that… while they are a move in the right direction, [they] will not decide anything if all the citizens of Ukraine fail to understand how their rights are protected after the elections are held.”

Vladimir Putin also said he had pulled back Russian forces from the border with Ukraine to “places of regular exercises, at training grounds”, although NATO said it had “not seen any significant change to the disposition of troops along the border”.

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Katie Price announces divorce from Kieran Hayler

Lisa.Felice
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Katie Price announces divorce from Kieran Hayler

Katie Price has announced her third divorce.

The reality TV personality and model is splitting up with her third husband Kieran Hayler after accusing him of having an affair with her best friend Jane Pountney.

Katie Price is splitting up with her third husband Kieran Hayler after accusing him of having an affair with her best friend Jane Pountney
Katie Price is splitting up with her third husband Kieran Hayler after accusing him of having an affair with her best friend Jane Pountney

Katie Price posted the news on her Twitter account.

“Sorry to say me and kieran are divorcing him and my best friend jane pountney bee having a full blown s**ual affair for 7 months,” Katie Price wrote.

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Miley Cyrus denies staying in hospital for drugs overdose

Lisa.Felice
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Miley Cyrus denies staying in hospital for drugs overdose

Miley Cyrus has denied she stayed in hospital due to a drug overdose.

“I didn’t have a drugs overdose. I took some antibiotics that a doctor gave me for a sinus infection,” she said.

The singer spent two weeks in hospital after suffering an allergic reaction to the medication.

Miley Cyrus has denied she stayed in hospital due to a drug overdose
Miley Cyrus has denied she stayed in hospital due to a drug overdose

“I’ve been laying in a hospital bed connected to IVs. I’m on a bunch of good vitamins and doing lots of yoga trying to get myself back together.”

Miley Cyrus, 21, was on stage at London’s O2 arena last night as part of her Bangerz world tour.

She previously cancelled shows in Amsterdam and Antwerp as a result of the illness.

“My immune system was already low because I had a death in my family and was already down.

“What doesn’t make it better is that people were online saying I’d done it with drugs but it’s all good. I’m okay and I’m here,” the singer added.

Miley Cyrus, who rose to fame as Disney’s Hannah Montana, said being bed ridden had been the “most miserable” two weeks of her life.

“I’m like a star ready to explode. I’m going to go off. I’ve just been watching movies and reading,” she said.

Sewol ferry: South Korea lowers number of survivors from 174 to 172

Diane A. Wade
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Sewol ferry: South Korea lowers number of survivors from 174 to 172

According to the South Korean coastguard, the number of people who survived the Sewol ferry disaster three weeks ago has been over-counted by two passengers.

Coastguard chief Kim Suk-kyoon said only 172 people survived the April 16 sinking – not 174, as the government had been saying since April 18.

Kim Suk-kyoon said the miscount was due to mistakes in the counting process.

PM Chung Hong-won has said that the search for victims in the sunken ferry must be completed by the weekend.

The number of people who survived the Sewol ferry disaster has been over-counted by two passengers
The number of people who survived the Sewol ferry disaster has been over-counted by two passengers (photo Yonhap)

Correspondents say that the changes to the survivor count means that the number of people feared dead has risen to 304.

So far 269 bodies have been recovered.

More than 80% of the victims are students from a single high school near Seoul who were on a trip to southern Jeju island.

Kim Suk-kyoon said that one miscount was because one of the survivors was accidentally listed twice – the other was due to an inaccurate report supplied by a passenger who survived.

Correspondents say that families of the victims and many other South Koreans will see the miscount as the latest manifestation of the government’s mishandling of the rescue effort.

The authorities have also been accused of a series of regulatory failures before the ferry sunk.

Rescuers on Wednesday continued their intensive search, with coastguard, navy and civilian divers working in shifts to open all of the 64 passenger cabins where the missing are thought to be trapped.

In addition fishermen have been asked to search the waters near the site of the sinking because of fears that bodies and belongings of the passengers could be swept away from the sunken vessel despite the installation of nets that were supposed to stop this from happening, Yonghap reported.

Divers who had been battling bad weather and fast currents to retrieve bodies over the past three weeks faced better conditions on Wednesday, officials said.

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Pinocchio rex: Cousin of Tyrannosaur rex with very long nose discovered in China

James J. Williams
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Pinocchio rex: Cousin of Tyrannosaur rex with very long nose discovered in China

A cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex with a very long nose has been nicknamed Pinocchio rex.

The ferocious carnivore is 9m-long with a distinctive snout.

Its skeleton was dug up in a Chinese construction site and identified by scientists at Edinburgh University, UK.

The 66-million-year-old predator, officially named Qianzhousaurus sinensis, is described in Nature Communications.

Pinocchio looked very different to other tyrannosaurs.

Pinocchio rex is 66-million-year-old predator, officially named Qianzhousaurus sinensis
Pinocchio rex is 66-million-year-old predator, officially named Qianzhousaurus sinensis (photo National Geographic)

“It had the familiar toothy grin of T. rex, but its snout was long and slender, with a row of horns on top,” said Edinburgh’s Dr. Steve Brusatte.

“It might have looked a little comical, but it would have been as deadly as any other tyrannosaur, and maybe even a little faster and stealthier.

“We thought it needed a nickname, and the long snout made us think of Pinocchio’s long nose.”

Researchers now think several different tyrannosaurs lived and hunted alongside each other in Asia during the late Cretaceous Period, the last days of the dinosaurs.

The enormous Tarbosaurus (up to 13 m) had deep and powerful jaws like T. rex – strong enough to crush the bones of giant herbivores.

The thinner teeth and lighter skeleton of Qianzhousaurus suggest it hunted smaller creatures, such as lizards and feathered dinosaurs. But at 9 m tall and weighing almost a tonne, it was still a gigantic carnivore.

Pinocchio’s snout was 35% longer than other dinosaurs of its size.

The discovery of “Pinocchio” settles an argument over a series of strange new fossil finds.

Paleontologists are now confident that Qianzhousaurus and Alioramus are part of a new subgroup of tyrannosaurs with elongated skulls.

Their discovery from Mongolia to southern China suggests these “second tier” carnivores were widely distributed, according to Prof Junchang Lu of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, a co-author on the paper.

With these “weird” creatures now accepted as being part of a whole family, more and more of their long-snouted relatives are expected to be unearthed.

As for the riddle of Pinocchio’s nose, the scientists hope to solve it via biomechanical studies of its jaw – which may hint at its feeding habits.

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Nigeria offers $300,000 reward to find schoolgirls

Roy Siemens
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Nigeria offers $300,000 reward to find schoolgirls

Nigeria is offering a 50 million naira ($300,000) reward to anyone who can help locate and rescue more than 200 abducted schoolgirls.

The schoolgirls were kidnapped more than three weeks ago by Islamist Boko Haram militants from their boarding school in the north-eastern state of Borno.

Eleven other girls were taken on Sunday night after two villages were attacked.

Boko Haram’s leader admitted earlier this week that his fighters had abducted the girls in the middle of the night from their school in the town of Chibok on April 14.

Nigeria is offering a $300,000 reward to anyone who can help locate and rescue more than 200 abducted schoolgirls
Nigeria is offering a $300,000 reward to anyone who can help locate and rescue more than 200 abducted schoolgirls

Abubakar Shekau threatened to “sell” the students, saying they should not have been in school in the first place, but rather should get married.

The group, whose name means “Western education is forbidden” in the local Hausa language, began its insurgency in 2009.

More than 1,500 have been killed in the violence and subsequent security crackdown this year alone.

A statement from the police said the 50 million naira reward would be given to anyone who “volunteers credible information that will lead to the location and rescue of the female students”.

Six phone numbers are provided, calling on the general public to be “part of the solution to the present security challenge”.

“The police high command also reassures all citizens that any information given would be treated anonymously and with utmost confidentiality,” the statement said.

The abductions have prompted widespread criticism of the Nigerian government and demonstrations countrywide.

The girls are mostly aged between 16 and 18 and were taking their final year exams.

The governments of Chad and Cameroon have denied suggestions that the abducted girls may have already been smuggled over Nigeria’s porous borders into their territory.

A team of US experts has been sent to Nigeria to help in the hunt.

Security has been tightened in Abuja as several African leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are attending the World Economic Forum for Africa in the city, following two recent attacks there blamed on the insurgents.

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South Africa elections 2014: First poll since Nelson Mandela’s death

Diane A. Wade
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South Africa elections 2014: First poll since Nelson Mandela’s death

South Africa is voting in general elections as it marks 20 years since the end of white-minority rule.

The African National Congress (ANC) is tipped to win, returning President Jacob Zuma for a second five-year term.

These are the first elections since the death in December of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president.

Correspondents say voting has begun smoothly with long queues and there is an air of excitement, especially amongst first-time voters.

Those born after the end of apartheid in 1994 are casting their first national ballots.

Correspondents say police have been deployed to areas where there have been scene of violent protests and political tensions.

South Africa is voting in general elections as it marks 20 years since the end of white-minority rule
South Africa is voting in general elections as it marks 20 years since the end of white-minority rule

The ANC is expected to win more than 60% of the vote, but its campaign has been hit by concern over economic problems such as high unemployment and a number of corruption scandals.

Opinion polls show there is disaffection with the country’s leadership but it is not clear whether this will translate into a significant swing to either main opposition party – the Democratic Alliance, led by anti-apartheid activist Helen Zille – or the newly launched Economic Freedom Fighters, headed by former ANC youth leader Julius Malema.

The polling station is at Orlando West High, a school steeped in the anti-apartheid struggle history and not far from Nelson Mandela’s old home.

Those lining up acknowledge the problems of corruption and high unemployment but say they are voting for all the years black people were denied the right to vote under racial oppression.

The ANC’s campaign has drawn heavily on past glories and on the outpouring of grief over the death last year of Nelson Mandela.

“Do it for Madiba, Vote ANC!” campaign posters read, referring to Nelson Mandela by his clan name.

But many commentators say this election could be the last to be dominated by South Africa’s post-apartheid legacy.

About a quarter of South Africa’s workforce is jobless and unemployment is the major issue among young voters, followed by education.

Some 22,000 polling stations are open at schools, places of worship, tribal authority sites and hospitals, while dozens of vehicles serving as mobile voting centers will operate in remote areas.

About 25 million people have registered to vote – roughly half the population.

Police say at least one officer will be on duty at every polling station and troops have also been deployed to keep order at various hotspots.

There was rioting in Bekkersdal township, south-west of Johannesburg, on Tuesday and reports that some temporary polling stations had been burned down.

Bekkersdal has suffered intermittent unrest since last year as residents protested over a lack of public services. Many have vowed to boycott the election.

Polls opened at 07:00 and are due to close 14 hours later.

President Jacob Zuma cast his ballot at his Nkandala homestead in rural KwaZulu-Natal while Helen Zille voted in Cape Town, which is under the control of her party.

The full result is not expected before Friday.

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Michael Jordan’s biography reveals he was against all white people as a kid

Clyde K. Valle
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Michael Jordan’s biography reveals he was against all white people as a kid

Michael Jordan offered some comments of his own about race, in a biographic book, Michael Jordan: The Life, released Tuesday.

Michael Jordan: The Life is a biography of the former NBA star written by Roland Lazenby.

In the book, Michael Jordan explains how growing up in an area of North Carolina heavily influenced by the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s and ’70s shaped his views on race and they were far from what would be viewed as politically correct.

Michael Jordan offered some comments of his own about race, in his biographic book, Michael Jordan: The Life
Michael Jordan offered some comments of his own about race, in his biographic book, Michael Jordan: The Life

Reportedly, these views really took shape shortly after Michael Jordan watched the iconic television miniseries Roots, and after a girl at his school called him the N-word in 1977.

“So I threw a soda at her,” Michael Jordan says in the book.

“I was really rebelling. I considered myself a racist at the time. Basically, I was against all white people.”

The book also includes anecdotes of Michael Jordan’s time on the school baseball team, when he was one of only two black players and was called inferior while on the team.

In many ways, the book serves as a testament to Michael Jordan’s drive, which many people close to him believe was fueled by negative experiences, particularly in his early life.

Michael Jordan was among the first NBA owners and high-profile figures in the sport to go on record against Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s comments when they were first released, issuing this statement: “I look at this from two different perspectives — as a current owner and a former player. As an owner, I’m obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views. I’m confident that (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly. As a former player, I’m completely outraged. There is no room in the NBA — or anywhere else — for the kind of racism and hatred that Mr. Sterling allegedly expressed. I am appalled that this type of ignorance still exists within our country and at the highest levels of our sport. In a league where the majority of players are African-American, we cannot and must not tolerate discrimination at any level.”

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V. Stiviano has been arrested four times and used six different aliases since 2002

Clyde K. Valle
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V. Stiviano has been arrested four times and used six different aliases since 2002

Donald Sterling’s alleged mistress, V. Stiviano, is being investigated for allegedly extorting Sterling, TMZ reported.

This is reportedly not her first run-in with the law.

According to TMZ, V. Stiviano has been arrested four times and has used six different aliases since 2002.

She reportedly has gone by Vanessa Maria Perez, Monica Gallegos, Maria Valdez, Maria Vanessa Perez and Mariamonica Perez Gallegos before taking on the V. Stiviano identity.

V. Stiviano has been arrested four times and has used six different aliases since 2002
V. Stiviano has been arrested four times and has used six different aliases since 2002 (photo WPTV)

According to TMZ, she was first arrested by the LAPD for petty theft in 2002.

V. Stiviano was convicted and placed on probation only to again be arrested for another petty theft in 2004. In 2010, Stiviano reportedly was arrested by LAPD for possession of a controlled substance and two years later she was arrested on charges of driving under the influence.

Court papers show that V. Stiviano legally changed her name in 2010, nine months after the drug charges, from Maria Vanessa Perez because she hadn’t “yet been fully accepted because of my race” among other reasons.

“I wish I had just paid her off,” Donald Sterling said last week, according to DuJour.com.

In an interview with Barbara Walters, V. Stiviano identified herself as Donald Sterling’s personal assistant and “silly rabbit”. She also told Barbara Walters that there are hours of recorded conversations between her and the Clippers owner – though she denied releasing to the public the recording in which Donald Sterling admonished her for bringing “black people” to his games and told her not to “promote” her association with them.

Donald Sterling’s estranged wife, Rochelle, sued V. Stiviano in March seeking the return of more than $2.5 million in gifts Stiviano allegedly received from Sterling, including luxury cars and a $1.8 million duplex.

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Syrian rebels evacuated from Homs

Diane A. Wade
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Syrian rebels evacuated from Homs

Syrian rebels are being evacuated from their last stronghold in Homs, activists say.

Within the past hour, buses have begun leaving the Old City under a deal brokered by the United Nations.

At least two buses have arrived in rebel-held territory to the north, carrying a number of armed fighters.

Syrian rebels are being evacuated from their last stronghold in Homs
Syrian rebels are being evacuated from their last stronghold in Homs

It marks the end of any rebel presence in the heart of the major city once dubbed the “capital of the revolution” against President Bashar al-Assad.

The rebel fighters and their families are sad and bitter as they say goodbye to a place they swore they would never leave.

They buckled finally after two years of siege – the government’s forces following a tactic of what some Syrian army officers called “surrender or starve”.

The siege of the Old City was tightened in recent months with intense shelling and air strikes.

The deal was brokered by the UN – which is also supervising the buses now heading into the Old City – and was agreed only after many months of negotiation.

The deal reportedly also involves easing a siege of two predominantly Shia Muslim towns in the north loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

The armed groups within the Old City were deeply divided about whether to accept a ceasefire.

The al-Nusra Front, which is affiliated to al Qaeda, wanted to try to break the siege with a series of suicide bombings. It attempted to do this, but failed, and al-Nusra fighters will be on the evacuation buses too.

One more district of Homs is still holding out, al-Wair on the periphery.

Fighters there have accepted a ceasefire and will leave, too, as soon as arrangements are made.

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Ukraine retakes Mariupol city hall

Roy Siemens
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Ukraine retakes Mariupol city hall

Ukraine troops have retaken Mariupol city hall from pro-Russia separatists, reports say.

The rebels, who had seized the building last week, reportedly left early on Wednesday. The reason is not clear.

Pro-Russia separatists have captured official buildings in dozens of towns in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks.

Ukraine troops have retaken Mariupol city hall from pro-Russia separatists
Ukraine troops have retaken Mariupol city hall from pro-Russia separatists

The government has accused Russia of helping the rebels and sent troops to restore Kiev’s authority.

Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted a pro-Moscow militiaman in Mariupol as saying government forces had taken over the city hall.

“No shots were heard,” he said.

“All the militia members were removed from the building.”

He added that government forces had started to clear the barricade on the central square with a bulldozer.

There were also reports of clashes between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia militants in Sloviansk, a rebel stronghold, early on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian government has rejected the pro-Russian activists’ demands for greater autonomy for eastern regions, fearing they could lead to the break-up of the country or more regions being annexed.

Kiev has called a presidential election on May 25, and said it was ready to back new international talks in Geneva, as long as Moscow supported the poll.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ruled out holding another round of international talks unless pro-Russian opposition groups were involved.

The separatists in Donetsk have proclaimed a “People’s Republic” and are preparing to hold an independence referendum on Sunday.

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Beverly Hills Hotel boycotted by Hollywood stars

Sonia Pantiss
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Beverly Hills Hotel boycotted by Hollywood stars

Hollywood stars are boycotting Beverly Hills Hotel because of a harsh Islamic penal code introduced by Brunei’s government.

Comedians Jay Leno and Ellen DeGeneres are among the celebrities supporting the boycott against the Beverly Hills Hotel and other hotels owned by Brunei.

After a heated debate, the city council unanimously voted to condemn Brunei.

Brunei’s leader, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, announced the first phase of the new penalties last week.

They will eventually include death by stoning for homos**uality and adultery.

Jay Leno speaks at the protest across from the Beverly Hills Hotel
Jay Leno speaks at the protest across from the Beverly Hills Hotel

The mayor of Beverly Hills, Lili Bosse, had urged the city council to adopt a resolution condemning Brunei’s new laws and force the country to sell the hotel and others it owns through the Dorchester Collection chain.

The council unanimously passed a resolution condemning the sultanate but the meeting was divided on whether to boycott the hotel. Many disagreed with Mayor Lili Bosse’s decision to no longer attend functions there.

Earlier, Virgin group founder Richard Branson tweeted on Saturday his employees and family would not stay at the luxury hotel chain “until the Sultan abides by basic human rights”.

Several organizations have cancelled events at the hotel, long a gathering place for Hollywood celebrities, including the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s annual Night Before the Oscars charity event and the Feminist Majority Foundation’s annual Global Women’s Rights Awards.

During a small protest in front of the hotel on Monday, Jay Leno said: “I’d like to think that all people are basically good and when they realize this is going on, hopefully they’ll do something about it.”

But Christopher Cowdray, the chief executive of the Dorchester Collection chain, said those protesting have ignored local hotels owned by countries with poor human rights records.

“There are other hotel companies in this city that are owned by Saudi Arabia… you know, your shirt probably comes from a country which has human rights issues,” Christopher Cowdray said, adding a boycott would hurt local employees the most.

The US government has been largely quiet on the change to Brunei’s penal code, but the state department said on Tuesday it had privately relayed concerns to the Brunei government.

The initial phase of the new penal code introduces fines or prison terms for offences including indecent behavior, failure to attend Friday prayers and pregnancies out-of-wedlock.

The second phase due to start later this year will cover crimes such as theft and robbery and will involve more stringent penalties such as amputations and flogging.

The most severe punishments, such as death by stoning for offences including sodomy and adultery, will be introduced late next year

Brunei officials have previously said that judges would be given discretion in sentencing. It is not clear to what extent the code will apply to non-Muslims.

The tiny state, on the island of Borneo has grown rich on oil and gas exports.

Almost three-quarters of those who live there are Malay Muslims, but there are sizeable Buddhist and Christian communities.

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Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra ousted by Constitutional Court

Diane A. Wade
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Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra ousted by Constitutional Court

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that PM Yingluck Shinawatra must step down over abuse of power charges.

The court ruled that Yingluck Shinawatra acted illegally when she transferred her national security head.

It has also ruled that some cabinet ministers involved in the transfer must also step down.

The ruling follows months of political deadlock. Anti-government protesters have been trying to oust Yingluck Shinawatra since November 2013.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that PM Yingluck Shinawatra must step down over abuse of power charges
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that PM Yingluck Shinawatra must step down over abuse of power charges (photo Reuters)

The move is likely to trigger protests by supporters of the government, which remains very popular in rural areas.

PM Yingluck Shinawatra had been accused of improperly transferring Thawil Pliensri, her national security chief appointed by the opposition-led administration, in 2011.

Appearing court on Tuesday, she had rejected the suggestion that Yingluck Shinawatra’s party had benefited from the move – but the court ruled against her.

“The prime minister’s status has ended, Yingluck can no longer stay in her position acting as caretaker prime minister,” a judge said in a statement.

It is not yet clear whether one of Yingluck Shinawatra’s ministers can step in or whether Thailand now faces a political vacuum.

Anti-government protests began in the Thai capital late last year, with demonstrators blockading several parts of the city.

In response, Yingluck Shinawatra called a snap general election in February that her party was widely expected to win. But the protesters disrupted the polls and the election was later annulled.

Her supporters believe that the courts are biased against her and side with the urban elite at the heart of the protest movement.

Thailand has faced a power struggle since Yingluck Shinawatra’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted by the military as prime minister in a 2006 coup.

Thaksin Shinawatra and his family are hated by the urban and middle-class elite who accuse them of corruption and abuse of power.

Rob Ford goes missing: Toronto mayor turned away from US

Nancy Clayson
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Rob Ford goes missing: Toronto mayor turned away from US

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford turned back after landing in the US last week, shortly after he announced he was entering rehab, say media reports.

The Canadian consulate said Rob Ford “voluntarily withdrew” his request to enter the US after talks with border officials in Chicago.

Rob Ford’s lawyer and brother have said he is now in treatment for substance abuse, but they refused to say where.

He admitted to using crack cocaine in a “drunken stupor” last year.

Rob Ford has already been stripped of many of his mayoral powers but refused calls to step down, running for re-election in October.

Rob Ford turned back after landing in the US last week, shortly after he announced he was entering rehab
Rob Ford turned back after landing in the US last week, shortly after he announced he was entering rehab (photo The Canadian Press)

The embattled mayor announced he was starting a 30-day treatment course on Wednesday.

The following day, he boarded a plane in Toronto and flew to Chicago.

Roy Norton, the Canadian counsel general in Chicago, told the Globe and Mail Rob Ford had “voluntarily withdrew his application to enter the US” and was “not denied entry, per se”.

He told broadcaster CBC Rob Ford turned back after “discussion” with US border officials.

On Tuesday, Councilor Doug Ford confirmed his brother was in a treatment program but would not say where.

“Yes, for the one-millionth time, Rob Ford is in a rehabilitation program,” Doug Ford said, adding if he identified the location, he feared media organizations would stake it out.

Doug Ford refused to comment on what happened when his brother landed in Chicago.

The mayor’s lawyer, Dennis Morris, also refused to disclose his client’s location but said the “bottom line is he’s in rehab”.

“He’ll be there for a number of weeks – and that’s the answer,” Dennis Morris told the Globe and Mail.

“It’s not like he’s at a baseball game in Los Angeles or something.”

Rob Ford has visited the US this year, going to Los Angeles and appearing on a chat show earlier this year.

Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly will serve as mayor during Rob Ford’s leave of absence.

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