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Matteo Renzi set to become Italy’s prime minister

Diane A. Wade
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Matteo Renzi set to become Italy’s prime minister

Matteo Renzi is expected to be offered to become Italian prime minister, as talks begin on forming a new government.

Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano is starting consultations following the resignation of Enrico Letta.

Enrico Letta was ousted in a vote called by Florence mayor Matteo Renzi at a meeting of their centre-left Democratic Party.

Matteo Renzi, 39, would become Italy’s youngest prime minister.

Enrico Letta was under increasing pressure over Italy’s poor economic performance.

After accepting the prime minister’s resignation, Giorgio Napolitano’s office said talks would begin with political leaders on finding a replacement.

Matteo Renzi is expected to be offered to become Italian prime minister, as talks begin on forming a new government
Matteo Renzi is expected to be offered to become Italian prime minister, as talks begin on forming a new government

The consultations would be conducted swiftly to find an “efficient solution” and they would conclude on Saturday, the statement added.

Enrico Letta’s position became untenable once the Democratic Party backed a call for a new administration.

Matteo Renzi had argued that a change of government was needed to end “uncertainty”.

A new government should take over until the end of the current parliamentary term in 2018, he said.

Matteo Renzi had accused Enrico Letta of a lack of action on improving the economic situation, with unemployment at its highest level in 40 years and the economy shrinking by 9% in seven years.

Enrico Letta, 47, was also accused of failing to implement promised reforms of what is seen as an often corrupt and wasteful bureaucracy.

Youth unemployment has risen and Italians have grown increasingly impatient of the slow pace of reform and the continuing decline of families’ income and living standards.

Enrico Letta only lasted 10 months in the post after forming a coalition government with the centre-right last year. The prime minister, who drove himself from the presidential palace after resigning, took to Twitter to thank “all those who have helped me”.

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Silk Road 2 loses $2.7 million in Bitcoins after hacking attack

Nancy Clayson
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Silk Road 2 loses $2.7 million in Bitcoins after hacking attack

Silk Road 2 says it has been hacked resulting in the loss of all its customers’ Bitcoins.

An administrator for the anonymous online marketplace said hackers had manipulated computer code enabling them to withdraw $2.7 million worth of the virtual currency.

It follows similar attacks on two exchanges that trade in Bitcoins earlier in the week.

Silk Road 2 is known for selling drugs and other illegal items.

The site is only accessible through Tor, a network that allows users to browse anonymously online. The virtual currency Bitcoin is often used in transactions as it also grants users a degree of anonymity.

The original Silk Road site was shut down by the FBI in 2013 but those behind it said they would start a new site and shortly afterwards Silk Road 2 appeared online.

In a statement posted on Silk Road 2 forums, the administrator of the site, known as Defcon, said: “We have been hacked.”

“Nobody is in danger, no information has been leaked, and server access was never obtained by the attacker.

“Our initial investigations indicate that a vendor exploited a recently discovered vulnerability in the Bitcoin protocol known as <<transaction malleability>> to repeatedly withdraw coins from our system until it was completely empty,” he said.

Silk Road 2 says it has been hacked resulting in the loss of all its customers' Bitcoins
Silk Road 2 says it has been hacked resulting in the loss of all its customers’ Bitcoins

Transaction malleability involves someone changing the cryptographic code – known as a transaction hash – used to create an ID for the exchange of funds before it is recorded in the blockchain – a database of every transaction carried out in the currency.

This method can result in the system thinking a transaction has not been carried out when it has and therefore repeatedly paying out Bitcoins.

The two exchanges hit by attacks earlier in the week, MtGox and Bitstamp, had suspended transactions to prevent it happening again.

Defcon admitted that Silk Road 2 should have done the same.

“I should have taken MtGox and Bitstamp’s lead and disabled withdrawals as soon as the malleability issue was reported. I was slow to respond and too skeptical of the possible issue at hand,” he said in the forum posting.

On CoinDesk, a news site for digital currency, Danny Bradbury an expert on Silk Road, said that Bitcoin-based sites should put “Bitcoins under management in cold storage (i.e. stored offline) so that they could not be stolen by online attackers”.

Defcon said that all its customers’ Bitcoins were being stored online because of planned relaunches of some of the site’s features.

“In retrospect this was incredibly foolish, and I take full responsibility for this decision.”

Despite Defcon denying that he had “run with the gold”, several Silk Road 2 users questioned whether the operators of the site were involved or covering for people involved.

The site said as a result of the attack it would no longer host “escrow wallets” – an account where Bitcoins are held until goods ordered are delivered.

The chief executive of the company that runs the MtGox bitcoin exchange was confronted by an angry customer at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo this week.

Kolin Buges, a bitcoin trader from London, said he had travelled to Japan as he was unhappy at MtGox’s explanation for its recent problems on the site which prevented customers from making withdrawals.

He had 250 Bitcoins, worth $155,000 in his MtGox account.

“I want to get my Bitcoin back, or get MtGox to bring back public confidence that the company is solvent and people’s money [is] safe,” Kolin Buges told the Wall Street Journal.

One Bitcoin is currently trading for around $620, significantly lower than the $830 level it was at before news of the various attacks broke.

Piers Morgan questioned by police over phone hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers

Lisa.Felice
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Piers Morgan questioned by police over phone hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers

Piers Morgan has been questioned by police over phone hacking, it has emerged.

Police confirmed a 48-year-old journalist was interviewed under caution on December 6.

The CNN host, who has not been named by Scotland Yard, was questioned as part of an investigation into alleged hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers.

Former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan, who has always denied any knowledge or involvement the practice, confirmed he attended the interview.

He was interviewed as part of Operation Golding, the investigation into allegations of phone interception at Mirror Group Newspapers, which is a strand of the wider Operation Weeting.

In a statement released through his spokeswoman, Piers Morgan said: “In early November I was asked to attend an interview by officers from Operation Weeting when I was next in the UK.

“This was further to a full witness statement I had already freely provided. I attended that interview as requested on 6 December 2013.”

Piers Morgan was questioned by police as part of an investigation into alleged hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers
Piers Morgan was questioned by police as part of an investigation into alleged hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers

Scotland Yard did not name Piers Morgan, but said: “A 48-year-old man who is a journalist was interviewed under caution on 6 December 2013 by officers from Operation Golding in connection with suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemails.

“He was interviewed by appointment at a south London police station. He was not arrested.”

Piers Morgan’s interview by detectives means that six journalists from Mirror Group have been either arrested or interviewed under caution in relation to allegations of phone hacking.

Last March former Sunday Mirror editor Tina Weaver was arrested and questioned, as were former deputy editor Mark Thomas, People editor James Scott and People deputy editor Nick Buckley.

Tina Weaver’s partner, former Daily Mirror Editor Richard Wallace, was also interviewed under caution the day after the four arrests.

When contacted today Mirror Group Newspapers said it had “nothing to say at all” on the questioning of Piers Morgan.

Piers Morgan is now best known as a talk show host in both the UK and the US.

He was editor of the Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004, when he was sacked after the newspaper conceded that photographs of British soldiers abusing an Iraqi were fake.

Piers Morgan joined the Daily Mirror from the News of the World, where he became editor in 1994 at the age of just 28.

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Eurozone’s economy grows by 0.3% in Q4 2013

Clyde K. Valle
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Eurozone’s economy grows by 0.3% in Q4 2013

Eurozone’s economy grew by 0.3% in Q4 2013, up from 0.1% growth in the previous quarter.

It was the third quarter of growth since the end of an 18-month recession, the longest period of contraction to affect the single currency area.

The eurozone figures include 17 of the EU’s economies. Latvia became the currency zone’s 18th member in January.

Across the whole 28-nation EU, including the UK, growth for October-to-December 2013 period was 0.4%.

The figures from Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, also showed that during 2013, GDP contracted by 0.4% in the eurozone, but increased by 0.1% in the EU as a whole.

“The eurozone’s recovery has moved up a gear,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist of Markit.

“Not only has the pace of growth picked up to the fastest since the second quarter of 2011, but the recovery is also becoming more broad-based, encompassing core and so-called ‘periphery’ countries alike.”

Eurozone's economy grew by 0.3 percent in Q4 2013
Eurozone’s economy grew by 0.3 percent in Q4 2013

Earlier, French government figures indicated the country’s economy grew by 0.3% in the last three months of 2013.

The INSEE statistical office also reported that growth was zero in the third quarter of 2013, revised up from an initial estimate of a 0.1% contraction.

The figures mean that the world’s fifth-largest economy escaped falling back into recession.

Over the whole of 2013, the French economy grew by 0.3%.

The German economy also notched up higher growth in the October-to-December period.

According to the federal statistics office, Destatis, Germany’s GDP expanded by 0.4% in the final quarter of 2013, after seeing growth of 0.3% in the previous three months

Destatis said the figures were boosted by exports and capital investment, but there were “mixed signals” from domestic demand, with a drop in household spending.

According to preliminary figures, Germany’s economy grew by 1.3% in 2013, the statistics office said.

In general, the German figures were better than analysts had been expecting.

Italy’s official statistics office also issued figures showing that its economy returned to growth after a two-year recession.

Istat said GDP grew by 0.1% in the final quarter of 2013, after showing zero growth in the previous three months.

However, during 2013 as a whole, the economy shrank by 1.9%.

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Valentine’s Day Recipe: White Chocolate Cheesecake with White Chocolate Brandy Sauce

Kathryn R. Bown
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Valentine’s Day Recipe: White Chocolate Cheesecake with White Chocolate Brandy Sauce

White Chocolate Cheesecake with White Chocolate Brandy Sauce

 

Ingredients (10-inch cheesecake)

White Chocolate Cheesecake:

4 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs, room temperature

White Chocolate Cheesecake with White Chocolate Brandy Sauce
White Chocolate Cheesecake with White Chocolate Brandy Sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Brandy Sauce:

2 cups finely chopped white chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

2 fluid ounces brandy

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C). Wrap the outside of a 10-inch springform pan with foil. Grease the inside of the pan.
  2. Place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour in a mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape bowl.
  3. Melt 4 ounces of the white chocolate. With an electric mixer on low speed, mix melted white chocolate into cream cheese mixture. Keeping electric mixer on low, slowly beat in the vanilla and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Blend well. Pour mixture into the prepared springform pan.
  4. Place cheesecake pan in a water bath filled with warm water. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 50 to 60 minutes, or until center of the cheesecake is just firm. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate until set before removing from pan.
  5. To make White Chocolate Brandy Sauce: place chopped white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Pour 1 cup cream into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Watch carefully so it doesn’t boil over. Pour hot cream over chopped white chocolate; let soften for 2 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon until melted. Add brandy and continue stirring until incorporated. Pour over chilled cheesecake and serve.

Valentine’s Day boycotted in Shanghai cinema

Nancy Clayson
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Valentine’s Day boycotted in Shanghai cinema

A Chinese man launched an anti-Valentine’s Day campaign by buying up odd-numbered seats at a cinema in Shanghai to stop couples sitting together.

Others joined his online campaign and now there are no two seats together for the main showing of Beijing Love Story.

The man who started it all said it was just a joke and hoped couples would understand.

The campaign focused on a cinema in Shanghai’s fashionable Xintiandi district, an older part of the city full of shops, restaurants and bars.

The unnamed man started buying up odd-numbered seats at a cinema in Shanghai to stop couples sitting together
The unnamed man started buying up odd-numbered seats at a cinema in Shanghai to stop couples sitting together

It was orchestrated by a man who split up with his girlfriend last year and decided to get his revenge on couples by targeting the prime-time showing of Beijing Love Story.

He bought odd-numbered seats and, within hours, others followed his lead.

The story was picked up by a number of Chinese newspapers, which showed a graphic of the cinema’s seating plan with no room for couples to cuddle up together.

The man behind the campaign said he hoped people watching the Valentine’s Day show at the cinema on Friday might find themselves sitting next to someone they do not know, sparking new relationships.

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California bill requires warning labels on sodas and sugary-drinks

Kathryn R. Bown
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California bill requires warning labels on sodas and sugary-drinks

California Senator William Monning wants to make his state the first in the nation to require warning labels on soda and other sugary drinks.

Democratic Sen. William Monning’s bill proposed Thursday would require the warning on the front of all beverage containers with added sweeteners that have 75 or more calories in every 12 ounces.

The label would read: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.”

California new bill would require the warning on the front of all beverage containers with added sweeteners that have 75 or more calories in every 12 ounces
California new bill would require the warning on the front of all beverage containers with added sweeteners that have 75 or more calories in every 12 ounces

The new bill is backed by several public health advocacy groups.

The first proposal of its kind would put California, which banned sodas and junk food from public schools in 2005, back in the vanguard of a growing national movement to curb the consumption of high-caloric beverages that medical experts say are largely to blame for an epidemic of childhood obesity.

A growing body of research has identified sugary drinks as the biggest contributors to added, empty calories in the American diet, and as a major culprit in a range of costly health problems associated with being overweight.

More than a third of all US adults and nearly 17% of children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

State Senator Bill Monning, who sponsored the warning label bill and whose effort to push a state tax on sugary drinks died last year, said the new measure was crafted in such a way as to address criticism leveled at other measures.

CalBev, the California arm of the American Beverage Association said in a statement that it is misleading to suggest that soft drink consumption is uniquely responsible for weight gain.

“Only 4.0 percent of calories in the average American diet are derived directly from soda,” they said.

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Kelud volcano eruption kills at least two people in Indonesia

Nancy Clayson
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Kelud volcano eruption kills at least two people in Indonesia

Some 200,000 people are told to evacuate their homes in Indonesia after Kelud volcano erupts on the island of Java, with at least two people killed.

Mount Kelud spewed ash and debris over a large area, including the city of Surabaya, about 80 miles away.

Two people died after their houses collapsed under the weight of ash, officials said. Some towns were said to be covered by 1.6 in of ash.

Three major airports in Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta were forced to shut down because of low visibility.

There are also fears that debris could damage aircraft engines.

Some 200,000 people are told to evacuate their homes in Indonesia after Kelud volcano erupts on the island of Java
Some 200,000 people are told to evacuate their homes in Indonesia after Kelud volcano erupts on the island of Java

Andi Wirson, general manager at the Yogyakarta airport, said: “The current conditions are that volcanic ash is now covering the runway, apron and tarmac. We have already measured the thickness of the volcanic ash, which is at 5 cm on the runway and tarmac.”

Indonesia’s disaster agency on Friday said that more than 100,000 people had evacuated to temporary shelters.

Many in Indonesia are quite used to volcanic eruptions, and are reluctant to leave their homes and belongings, correspondents say.

Officials said two people died after their homes, which appeared to have weak structures, could not withstand the weight of gravel and ash, and caved in.

Some of the evacuees tried to visit their houses on Friday morning to gather clothing and valuables, but were forced to turn back by the continuous stream of volcanic ash and rocks from the volcano, AFP news agency reported.

The 5,600 ft Mount Kelud – which had been rumbling for several weeks – erupted on Thursday evening.

However, the head of Indonesia’s Volcano and Geology Agency, Hendrasto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said the eruption was gradually subsiding.

Experts say the volcano tends to quieten down after a large eruption, and more big eruptions are unlikely.

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Georgia sheriff cancels Valentine’s Day in Oconee County

Nancy Clayson
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Georgia sheriff cancels Valentine’s Day in Oconee County

Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry has designated northern Georgia a “NO VALENTINE’S DAY ZONE” in a post on the department’s Facebook page Wednesday night.

Men are “exempt from having to run out and buy lottery scratchers and Hershey bars from the corner stores until February 18, 2014, due to ice, snow, freezing rain,” the tongue-in-cheek post said.

Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry has designated northern Georgia a NO VALENTINE'S DAY ZONE
Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry has designated northern Georgia a NO VALENTINE’S DAY ZONE

It’s all in fun. But rescheduling the festival of lovers to Tuesday would give the ice-storm battered region time to get roads back to normal and make Valentine’s Day a safer affair.

Though it sounds like a pretty practical safety suggestion to motorists, it was more likely something else that drove Sheriff Scott Berry to the decision.

“I think he was just trying to cut the monotony,” dispatcher John Ogle told CNN.

Deputies have been practically snowed in at the office for a marathon 34-hour shift, and the sheriff wanted to give them something to smile at, John Ogle said.

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Comcast buys Time Warner Cable for $45 billion

Clyde K. Valle
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Comcast buys Time Warner Cable for $45 billion

Comcast has acquired Time Warner Cable for about $45 billion, creating a company that could control three-quarters of the US cable industry.

Comcast will pay about $159 per share for TWC in an all-stock deal.

The deal comes after Time Warner Cable rejected a $60 billion bid from Charter Communications last month, calling their offer “grossly inadequate”.

However, any merger is likely to face tight scrutiny from US regulators.

Time Warner Cable has been the subject of an eight-month takeover battle by smaller cable operator Charter Communications.

Comcast is the biggest cable television provider in the US and owns the NBC broadcast network, as well as the Universal film studio.

Comcast has acquired Time Warner Cable for about $45 billion
Comcast has acquired Time Warner Cable for about $45 billion

With 22 million of its own pay TV customers and Time Warner Cable’s 11 million, the combined entity will end up with about 30 million subscribers when the deal is complete.

Comcast argues that as it and Time Warner Cable serve different markets, their combination will not reduce competition for consumers.

Comcast operates mainly in the northeast, including its home town of Philadelphia and Boston, Washington and Chicago.

Time Warner Cable’s subscribers are centered around its New York headquarter, as well as Los Angeles, Dallas and Milwaukee.

In many of those areas, the new Comcast/Time Warner Cable group will face competition from rivals such as AT&T and Verizon.

However, Public Knowledge, a Washington-based consumer rights group, called on regulators to stop the deal.

It said the merger would give Comcast “unprecedented gatekeeper power in several important markets.”

Comcast and Time Warner Cable hope to make significant cost savings – of up to $1.5 billion in annual costs over three years, with half of that coming in the first year.

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Oscar Pistorius mourns for Reeva Steenkamp on first anniversary of day he killed her

Clyde K. Valle
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Oscar Pistorius mourns for Reeva Steenkamp on first anniversary of day he killed her

South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who became a murder suspect, said Friday that he is consumed by grief on the first anniversary of the day that he fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home.

The rare statement by the double-amputee runner came ahead of the March 3 start of his trial for the killing of Reeva Steenkamp, shot in Oscar Pistorius’ bathroom in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine’s Day.

“No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved – and continues to love Reeva,” said Oscar Pistorius, who told a court last year that he mistook Reeva Steenkamp for a dangerous nighttime intruder.

Prosecutors allege Oscar Pistorius, 27, who is out on bail, intentionally killed Reeva Steenkamp after an argument.

Oscar Pistorius said that he is consumed by grief on the first anniversary of the day that he fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp
Oscar Pistorius said that he is consumed by grief on the first anniversary of the day that he fatally shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

“The pain and sadness – especially for Reeva’s parents, family and friends consumes me with sorrow,” Oscar Pistorius said.

“The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

The statement from Oscar Pistorius was unusual because his uncle, Arnold, has normally been quoted in statements from his camp, which has sought to shield the runner from intense media and public interest in a case that transfixed many people around the world.

Reeva Steenkamp’s mother, June, plans to attend the trial in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria. No members of Reeva Steenkamp’s immediate family have attended any of Oscar Pistorius’ previous court dates.

Oscar Pistorius also faces other firearms-related charges.

Oscar Pistorius was the first double-amputee to run at the world championships and the Olympics. He faces a possible life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison before the chance of parole if he is convicted of premeditated murder in Reeva Steenkamp’s killing.

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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Track worker airlifted to hospital after being hit by bobsleigh

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Track worker airlifted to hospital after being hit by bobsleigh

A bobsleigh hit a track worker at Sochi Winter Olympics.

The track worker has been airlifted to hospital.

The icemaker “suffered two compound fractures in the legs, but arrived conscious at the hospital”, the International Olympic Committee said.

The accident happened near the braking zone of the Sanki Sliding Center.

The track worker has been airlifted to hospital after being hit by bobsleigh
The track worker has been airlifted to hospital after being hit by bobsleigh

The man – whose name was not released – was hit by the forerunner bobsleigh used to check whether track conditions were suitable for athletes.

“It is unclear why he was in this zone or what exactly happened,” IOC President Thomas Bach told reporters.

An investigation is now under way.

The Sochi Games organizers said that a warning signal had been given before the forerunner bobsleigh was sent down the track.

Some reports suggest the icemaker – who was using a motorized air blower – may not have heard the warning announcement.

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Second wave of heavy snowfall hits Northeast

Nancy Clayson
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Second wave of heavy snowfall hits Northeast

A “catastrophic” winter storm is unleashing a second wave of heavy snowfall on the US Northeast, as hundreds of thousands of people remain without power in the states in its southern wake.

About 550,000 homes and businesses are still in the dark and almost 1,000 Friday flights are cancelled.

The ice storm has been blamed for at least 22 deaths, including that of a pregnant woman struck by a snowplough.

It is the latest miserable weather to pummel the winter-weary eastern US.

Early this month, Washington DC, Detroit, Boston, Chicago, New York and St Louis had recorded two to three times as much snow as normal by this time in the winter season.

This storm system has already dumped as much as 15in  of snow in the Washington DC region and 8in around New York City by Thursday.

Up to another foot is forecast in a second snowfall that began on Thursday evening and is expected to continue through Friday morning, with the heaviest precipitation in the US states of Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The National Weather Service predicted the weather would ease by the weekend.

“Heavy snow will continue tonight… but will begin to taper off from south to north through the morning hours on Friday,” the official forecaster said.

The snow-covered streets in the nation’s capital were largely deserted on Thursday, after the federal government closed its Washington-area offices to spare its widely dispersed workforce the trouble and danger of the drive to work.

A second wave of heavy snowfall hits the US Northeast
A second wave of heavy snowfall hits the US Northeast

On Friday, official Washington will start work two hours behind the ordinary schedule, the Office of Personnel Management said.

More than 6,500 US flights were cancelled on Thursday, according to airline-tracking website FlightAware.com. Another 1,000 on Friday’s schedule have already been grounded.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio was criticized for keeping schools open on Thursday despite the snow piling on the ground.

The head of the city schools teachers union said it was a “mistake” to have students, parents and school staff travelling under such conditions, while a prominent meteorologist and television personality opened a public spat on Twitter with the mayor.

“It’s going to take some kid or kids getting hurt before this goofball policy gets changed,” Al Roker of NBC wrote on Twitter from Sochi, Russia, where he is covering the Winter Olympics. Al Roker has a daughter in the city schools.

Bill de Blasio responded that many parents depended on schools to watch over their children while they work – and noted the city had closed schools only 11 times for snow since 1978.

“We were convinced that kids could get to schools this morning,” he said.

The multi-day storm has been blamed for almost two dozen deaths.

In New York City on Thursday, a pregnant woman was killed after being struck by a snowplough. Her baby was delivered in critical condition via caesarean section.

The storm moved into the north-east on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, leaving in its southern wake a wreckage of snapped tree branches and power lines coated in as much as an inch of ice.

Most of the remaining power cuts are in South Carolina and Georgia, where President Barack Obama declared a disaster, opening the way for federal aid.

Forecasters said it was one of the worst storms to strike Atlanta, the largest city in the South, since 1973.

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Phil Robertson rules out Senate run in Louisiana

Sonia Pantiss
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Phil Robertson rules out Senate run in Louisiana

A poll released earlier this week suggested that Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson could be a formidable competitor against current Senator Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana).

However, Phil Robertson’s son, Alan, quickly shot down any speculation that his father would be willing to run.

“While Phil is humbled and honored that so many fellow Louisianans have confidence in him, he has no interest in running for public office,” Alan Robertson told The Hill in an email.

“He is interested in helping the electorate know more about the gospel of Christ, so they, in turn, can elect more godly men and women to serve and lead our great country.”

Phil Robertson could be a formidable competitor against current Senator Mary Landrieu
Phil Robertson could be a formidable competitor against current Senator Mary Landrieu

According to a Democratic poll from Tuesday, Republican challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), lagged behind Mary Landrieu by one percentage point. In contrast, Phil Robertson beat Mary Landrieu by five points, garnering 46% of the votes to her 41%.

The poll also suggests that despite national controversy in December about anti-gay comments 67-year-old Phil Robertson for which A&E suspended him from his reality television show for over a week, have had little effect on how the Louisiana esteems the businessman.

While Bill Cassidy’s numbers were lower than Phil Robertson’s, many interpreted them as sign that the race was a dead heat.

Bill Cassidy is running against current state representative Paul Hollis and retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness. Some have speculated that former Louisiana politician and current Family Research Council President Tony Perkins may run.

Mary Landrieu has been in office since 1997 and currently holds a 37% approval rating, a major drop from her August 2013 numbers that gave the senator a 46% approval score.

Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Day Seven, February 14

Clyde K. Valle
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Day Seven, February 14

Sochi Winter Games: Day Seven, February 14

Medals to be won today: Alpine skiing (men’s super combined), biathlon (women’s individual), cross country skiing (men’s classic), figure skating (men), freestyle skiing (women’s aerials), skeleton (women).

Highlights include:

06:00 Alpine skiing – men’s super combined.

Sochi Winter Olympics 2014
Sochi Winter Olympics 2014

10:00 Curling – group stage.

15:00 Figure skating – men’s free skate.

15:40 Skeleton – women’s third and fourth heats.

Also: Ice hockey group games, ski jump (men’s large hill qualifying).

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Enrico Letta to resign as Italy’s prime minister

Diane A. Wade
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Enrico Letta to resign as Italy’s prime minister

Italy’s PM Enrico Letta has said he will resign on Friday after his Democratic Party backed a call for a new administration.

Party leader Matteo Renzi had earlier called for a change of government at a party meeting, saying the country could not go on in “uncertainty”.

Speculation has been rife that Matteo Renzi wants to take over as prime minister.

Matteo Renzi is eight years younger than Enrico Letta and was elected leader of the party in December.

Enrico Letta said in a statement that his decision followed “the decision taken today by the national leadership of the Democratic Party”.

He said he would formally submit his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano at the presidential palace on Friday.

Enrico Letta has said he will resign on Friday after his Democratic Party backed a call for a new administration
Enrico Letta has said he will resign on Friday after his Democratic Party backed a call for a new administration

Matteo Renzi has previously accused Enrico Letta of a lack of action on improving the economy, with unemployment at its highest level in 40 years and the economy shrinking by 9% in seven years.

Correspondents say that although the prime minister has kept a careful lid on public expenditure, he has not been able to carry out much-needed administrative reforms and stimulate economic growth.

The latest political turmoil has so far had little impact on financial markets, in contrast with the volatility seen before the current coalition was formed.

Enrico Letta did not attend Thursday’s party meeting, which had been brought forward from next week.

At the meeting, Matteo Renzi thanked Enrico Letta for his “remarkable work” but said the country could not go on in “uncertainty”.

He said his proposal – a new government to take over until the end of the current parliamentary term in 2018 – was a way out of the “morass”.

Enrico Letta, 47, formed a coalition with the centre-right last year but there had been mounting speculation over his future after Matteo Renzi was elected party leader in December.

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Valentine’s Day Recipe: Strawberry Shooters

Kathryn R. Bown
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Valentine’s Day Recipe: Strawberry Shooters

Strawberry Shooters

Ripe strawberries filled with amaretto and whipped cream

Ingredients:

1 (750 milliliter) bottle amaretto liqueur

Strawberry Shooters
Strawberry Shooters

1 (1 pound) fresh strawberries, hulled and cored

1 (7 ounce) can whipped cream

Directions:

Pour amaretto liqueur into each strawberry and top with whipped cream.

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Belgium parliament approves child euthanasia bill

Diane A. Wade
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Belgium parliament approves child euthanasia bill

The Belgian parliament has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit, by 86 votes to 44, with 12 abstentions.

When, as expected, the bill is signed by the king, Belgium will become the first country in the world to remove any age limit on the practice.

It may be requested by terminally ill children who are in great pain and who have no treatment available.

Opponents argue children cannot make such a difficult decision.

In the Netherlands, Belgium’s northern neighbour, euthanasia is legal for children over the age of 12, if there is parental consent.

Under the Dutch conditions, a patient’s request for euthanasia can be fulfilled by a doctor if the request is “voluntary and well-considered” and the patient is suffering unbearably, with no prospect of improvement.

Belgium passed a law decriminalising euthanasia for terminally ill people over the age of 18 in 2002.

Belgium parliament has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit
Belgium parliament has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit

Supporters of the legislation argue that in practice the law will affect an extremely small number of children, who would probably be in their teens.

The law states a child will have to be terminally ill, face “unbearable physical suffering” and make repeated requests to die – before euthanasia is considered.

Parents, doctors and psychiatrists would have to agree before a decision is made.

Protesters have lobbied politicians against the changes. Church leaders argued the law is immoral.

Some paediatricians have warned vulnerable children could be put at risk and have questioned whether a child can really be expected to make such a difficult choice.

But opinion polls have suggested broad support in Belgium for the changes.

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Willie Robertson leaves $5,000 tip at post-State of the Union dinner

Sonia Pantiss
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Willie Robertson leaves $5,000 tip at post-State of the Union dinner

Duck Dynasty‘s Willie Robertson left a 100% tip on a $5,000 bill while in Washington D.C. for Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on January 28, TMZ reported.

Willie Robertson, 41, went out to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in D.C. with Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Senator Ted Cruz and a host of other well-known conservatives, TMZ said.

It appears that, when the bill came, Willie Robertson picked up the tab and left the enormous tip.

Willie Robertson went out to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in D.C. with Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Senator Ted Cruz
Willie Robertson went out to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in D.C. with Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Senator Ted Cruz

However, Mediabistro’s TVNewser claims their sources told them that it was Sean Hannity who paid the tab and the large tip.

The restaurant, which normally closes at 11 p.m., stayed open until 2 a.m. to accommodate the group’s post-State of the Union discussion.

Southeast ice storm leaves more than 500,000 people in dark

Nancy Clayson
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Southeast ice storm leaves more than 500,000 people in dark

A second vicious ice storm in as many weeks caused widespread power outages in Southeast leaving more than half a million people in dark.

Georgia was the worst-hit state with almost 230,000 homes and businesses without electricity, according to figures reported by utility companies at 6:45 a.m. ET.

More than 200,000 customers were experiencing outages in South Carolina with 90,000 others suffering in North Carolina. Louisiana and Virginia also had thousands of people left without electricityl.

Almost 500,000 Georgia Power customers alone had been off the grid, but the company had managed to restore more than half of them.

The Southeast was suffering after being hit Wednesday by a huge storm that stretched from Alabama to Massachusetts.

The ice storm caused widespread power outages in Southeast leaving more than half a million people in dark
The ice storm caused widespread power outages in Southeast leaving more than half a million people in dark

But during the night, those without power were not the only people suffering: Ice and fallen trees created dangerous driving conditions for crews trying to get people back on the grid, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

More than 3,400 flights into and out of U.S. airports were canceled Wednesday and 3,500 more were delayed. By 3:30 a.m. ET Thursday there were already more than 1,600 US cancelations for the day, according to FlightAware.

By early Thursday, the storm had begun its march up the East Coast, according to Kevin Roth, lead meteorologist at The Weather Channel.

In New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., it was expected to dump snow at a furious rate of two inches per hour, making tough work for even the most industrious snowplow crews.

The freezing rain had largely stopped in the South but this was due to morph into snow in parts of Georgia and Alabama, Kevin Roth said.

But with temperatures still below freezing, the ice which built up in parts of Georgia and the Carolinas on Wednesday was not expected to budge. And this was continuing to affect the states’ electricity infrastructure.

As much as an inch of ice built up in all these states, bringing down trees and weighing heavy on fragile power lines. The worst-affected areas were north and east Georgia, central and eastern South Carolina, and central and eastern North Carolina.

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Barbie on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 50th anniversary cover

Lisa.Felice
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Barbie on Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 50th anniversary cover

Barbie doll, which is made by Mattel, is flaunting her frame in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit‘s 50th anniversary issue that’s hitting stands on Tuesday.

Barbie will be featured alongside supermodels like Christie Brinkley and Brooklyn Decker as part of a campaign called Unapologetic.

Barbie doll is flaunting her frame in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 50th anniversary issue that's hitting stands on Tuesday
Barbie doll is flaunting her frame in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s 50th anniversary issue that’s hitting stands on Tuesday

According to multiple reports, Barbie will actually appear as a cover wrap on at least 1,000 copies of the issue, with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit magazine proclaiming the iconic figure: “The doll that started it all.”

“As a legend herself, and under constant criticism about her body and how she looks, posing . . . gives Barbie . . . and her fellow legends an opportunity to own who they are,” said Lisa McKnight, Mattel’s senior vice president of marketing.

The campaign is a departure for 55-year old Barbie, which has been both beloved as a plaything and criticized as an unrealistic standard of beauty for decades.

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Tom Jones and Cliff Richard special guests at Morrissey’s concerts

Sonia Pantiss
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Tom Jones and Cliff Richard special guests at Morrissey’s concerts

Tom Jones will appear alongside Morrissey at a Los Angeles concert in May, it has been announced.

“I will be Morrissey Official’s special guest at his show at the LA Sports Arena on May 10th,” wrote Tom Jones on Facebook.

Cliff Richard will also appear as a special guest at a Morrissey concert in New York on June 21 at the Barclays Centre.

Missouri singer Kristeen Young will join the performers on both dates – the first confirmed shows for Morrissey since he abandoned touring last year.

Tom Jones and Cliff Richard will appear on separate dates in Morrissey concerts
Tom Jones and Cliff Richard will appear on separate dates in Morrissey concerts

Morrissey, who eventually cancelled more than 40 dates, suffered a number of illnesses while on tour including a bleeding ulcer, Barrett’s oesophagus and double pneumonia.

The 54-year-old singer is expected to release a 10th solo studio album later this year.

In January, Morrissey took a swipe at the music industry saying: “The majority of people have lost faith in the music industry… It’s all, now, solely a question of marketing.

“All success stories are safe and dreary, and you will never be taken by surprise by a hit song that sounds out of place.”

Greece unemployment rate reaches record high of 28% in November 2013

Clyde K. Valle
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Greece unemployment rate reaches record high of 28% in November 2013

Greece’s unemployment rate reached a record high of 28% in November 2013, according to newly released government figures.

The jobless rate increased from 27.7% in the previous month. For those under the age of 25, unemployment hit 61.4%.

Harsh austerity measures have led the Greek economy to shrink by a quarter in four years.

However, other economic indicators have suggested that there are signs of recovery.

Before Greece received its first 110 billion-euro ($150 billion) bailout in May 2010, the jobless rate was under 12% here.

Slight growth is expected this year and the deficit now wiped out, apart from interest payments on the bailout.

Greece’s unemployment rate reached a record high of 28 percent in November 2013
Greece’s unemployment rate reached a record high of 28 percent in November 2013

Greek unemployment is more than twice the average rate in the eurozone.

According to official EU figures, the number of people out of work in the single currency bloc in December was 19 million, with the jobless rate at 12%.

Other economic figures such as retail sales, manufacturing activity and construction, have pointed to signs that Greece’s recession has bottomed out.

However, Greece’s unemployment rate is expected to rise further in the first three months of 2014 as firms continue to restructure and cut jobs.

With 1.38 million people officially jobless, turning around the country’s economy will take time, even if the recovery does start this year as Athens hopes.

Before the crash when Greece was growing at up to 5% annually, about 50,000 jobs a year were added to the economy.

At these rates it could take more than 20 years to reduce the jobless totals – without measures to encourage domestic and foreign investment.

Vladimir Putin backs Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s bid for Egypt presidency

Roy Siemens
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Vladimir Putin backs Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s bid for Egypt presidency

Vladimir Putin has announced he backs Egypt’s military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in his “bid for the presidency”.

Vladimir Putin, meeting Field Marshal Sisi in Moscow to discuss an arms deal, said he was “aware” of his decision to run.

However, there has been no announcement on the matter from the Egyptian side.

General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi led the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi last July, and the new constitution calls for an election by mid-April.

Correspondents say Field Marshal Sisi would be likely to win, given his popularity and the lack of any serious rivals.

Vladimir Putin said: “I know that you, mister defence minister, have decided to run for president of Egypt.

“I wish you luck both from myself personally and from the Russian people.”

Vladimir Putin has announced he backs Egypt's military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in his bid for the presidency
Vladimir Putin has announced he backs Egypt’s military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in his bid for the presidency

Field Marshal Sisi is in Russia to negotiate a $2 billion arms deal, after the US suspended some of its annual military assistance in response to Mohamed Morsi’s removal.

Field Marshal Sisi said: “Our visit offers a new start to the development of military and technological co-operation between Egypt and Russia. We hope to speed up this co-operation.”

No details have been released about the military discussions, although Russian media pointed to Egyptian interest in acquiring air defence missiles, MiG-29 jets and helicopters, among other weapons.

Two weeks ago Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) gave its public support to any presidential bid by Field Marshal Sisi.

However, last week, the military issued a denial after a Kuwaiti newspaper quoted the field marshal as saying he would run for the presidency.

The military said at the time that any announcement would “be done via clear and direct statements that cannot be doubted or misinterpreted”.

The 59-year-old former military intelligence chief was appointed head of the armed forces and defence minister by Mohamed Morsi in August 2012.

But after mass protests demanding Mohamed Morsi’s resignation took place on the first anniversary of his taking office, it was the field marshal who gave the president an ultimatum that he would have to satisfy the public’s demands or see the army step in.

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Lorde shares picture with acne cream on

Lisa.Felice
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Lorde shares picture with acne cream on

Lorde proved that she really is just a typical teenager by sharing her acne-fighting skin care routine on Instagram.

Lorde, 17, shared a picture of her bare face with the captation: “In bed in Paris with my acne cream on.” Wearing her hair up in a bun and a black T-shirt, the precocious New Zealand singer took a closeup photo of her face with spots of a blemish-fighting treatment on chin and cheeks.

Lorde proved that she really is just a typical teenager by sharing her acne-fighting skin care routine on Instagram
Lorde proved that she really is just a typical teenager by sharing her acne-fighting skin care routine on Instagram

Last month, rumors and speculation abounded online that Lorde (real name Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor) wasn’t actually 17, based on her more mature appearance. To prove the “Lorde age truthers” wrong, The Hairpin website then published Lorde’s birth certificate that listed her birthdate as November 7, 1996.

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