The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco wed tennis pro Ryan Sweeting in a New Year’s Eve ceremony at a ranch in Santa Susana, California, the star’s representative, Melissa Kates, announced.
Kaley Cuoco wed tennis pro Ryan Sweeting in a New Year’s Eve ceremony at a ranch in Santa Susana
Afterward, Kaley Cuoco, 28, posted a few photos with her 26-year-old husband on her Instagram account. She wore a pink Vera Wang wedding gown and captioned one picture as: “Greatest night of my entire life.”
Kaley Cuoco and Ryan Sweeting dated for three months before getting engaged in September. She previously dated Johnny Galecki.
JK Rowling’s lawyer, who revealed she is actually crime writer Robert Galbraith, has been fined £1,000 ($1,500) for breaching privacy rules.
Chris Gossage, a partner at Russells Solicitors, has also been issued with a written rebuke from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
He confided in his wife’s best friend that JK Rowling had written The Cuckoo’s Calling under a pseudonym.
It was then publicly revealed by The Sunday Times in July last year.
JK Rowling took legal action later that month against Chris Gossage and his friend Judith Callegari, who had revealed the information during a Twitter exchange with journalist India Knight.
Harry Potter author accepted an apology from the law firm and substantial damages, in the form of a charity donation.
JK Rowling took legal action later that month against Chris Gossage and his friend Judith Callegari, who had revealed she is actually crime writer Robert Galbraith
In a ruling issued on November 26 but made public on December 30, the SRA said that “by disclosing confidential information about a client to a third party” Chris Gossage had breached several principles of its rules and code of conduct.
The breaches included failing to “act in the best interests of each client” and a rule that members should “behave in a way that maintains the trust the public places in you and in the provision of legal services”.
JK Rowling, who had only told a “tiny number” of people about her pen name, said she had assumed she “could expect total confidentiality” from Russells Solicitors.
“I feel very angry that my trust turned out to be misplaced,” she said in a statement in July.
“To say that I am disappointed is an understatement.”
The law firm said Robert Galbraith’s true identity was revealed by Chris Gossage “during a private conversation” and that “the disclosure was made in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly”.
The Cuckoo’s Calling, about a war veteran turned private investigator, had originally sold just 1,500 copies but within hours of JK Rowling being publicly named, it had risen more than 5,000 places to top Amazon’s sales list.
JK Rowling decided all royalties should be donated to The Soldiers’ Charity.
Shot put winner at London Olympics 1948 Wilbur “Moose” Thompson has died at the age of 92.
Moose Thompson died on Christmas, according to a statement Tuesday from the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the school’s 1942 NCAA championship track and field team. No cause of death was given.
At the London Games in 1948, Wilbur Thompson won the shot put with a career-best mark of 56 feet, 2 inches, breaking the Olympic record by more than 3 feet.
At the London Games in 1948, Wilbur Thompson won the shot put with a career-best mark of 56 feet, 2 inches, breaking the Olympic record by more than 3 feet
After winning national shot put titles in 1939 and 1940 while attending Modesto Junior College in California, Wilbur Thompson enrolled at USC. His career there was interrupted when he served in the Army during World War II. He was second in the shot put at the 1946 NCAA meet after placing fifth in 1942.
Born in Frankfort, South Dakota, Wilbur Thompson won the state high school shot put title in the late 1930s. He was given the nickname “Moose” when he grew to 6 feet and 200 pounds as a sophomore.
A Long Beach resident since 1953, Wilbur Thompson worked in the oil business and later with the California State Lands Commission.
Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean has been put on red alert in preparation for the arrival of cyclone Bejisa.
French officials said the “danger was imminent” and residents have been told to remain indoors.
Meteorologists say the cyclone is heading from the north to the south-east of the island.
They say cyclone Bejisa is likely to have weakened in intensity by the time it actually makes landfall.
Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean has been put on red alert in preparation for the arrival of cyclone Bejisa
But they warn that winds could exceed 124mph with waves reaching as high as 30ft.
The Roland Garros airport has been closed and transport and postal services have been suspended.
Preparations for the cyclone have been under way since Tuesday as the island continues to be be battered by torrential rain with swells lashing coastal areas.
Residents have been stocking up on foodstuffs, water and batteries and emergency services are on standby.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc is recalling Five Spice donkey meat sold at some outlets in China after tests showed the product contained the DNA of other animals.
Wal-Mart has announced it will reimburse customers who bought the tainted donkey meat and is helping authorities in eastern Shandong province investigate its Chinese supplier, the firm said late on Wednesday on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.
The Shandong Food and Drug Administration earlier said the product contained fox meat.
The scandal could dent Wal-Mart’s reputation for quality in China’s $1 trillion food and grocery market where it plans to open 110 new stores in the next few years. China is the largest grocery market in the world and is set to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2016, according to the Institute of Grocery Distribution.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc is recalling Five Spice donkey meat sold at some outlets in China after tests showed the product contained the DNA of other animals
“This is another hit on Wal-Mart’s brand, meaning wealthy shoppers will start to lose the trust they had before,” said Shaun Rein, Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group. CMR estimates Wal-Mart’s market share fell from 7.5% to 5.2% over the last three years.
Donkey meat is a popular snack in some areas of China, although it only accounts for a tiny fraction of overall meat consumption. In 2011 China slaughtered 2.4 million donkeys, according to country’s livestock industry yearbook.
Wal-Mart, French grocer Carrefour SA, McDonald’s Corp and KFC-parent Yum Brands Inc among others, have come under fire before in China over food safety issues, a sensitive topic in a country riddled with scares from a fatal tainted milk scandal to recycled “gutter oil” used for cooking.
Wal-Mart said it had set up an investigation team to look into the incident, would strengthen food safety rules and take legal action against the product supplier. It added the person in charge at the supplier factory had already been detained.
A new research suggests a daily dose of vitamin E could help people with dementia.
A study in the journal JAMA found people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease on high doses of vitamin E had a slower rate of decline than those given a dummy pill.
They were able to carry out everyday tasks for longer and needed less help from carers, say US researchers.
The Alzheimer’s Society said the dosage was very high and might not be safe.
In the study, 613 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease received either a daily dose of vitamin E, a dementia drug treatment known as memantine, a combination of vitamin E and memantine, or placebo.
A daily dose of vitamin E could help people with dementia
Changes in their ability to carry out everyday tasks – such as washing or dressing – were measured over an average of two years.
The study found participants receiving vitamin E had slower functional decline than those receiving placebo, with the annual rate of decline reduced by 19%.
Those on vitamin E (also known as alpha tocopherol) also needed less help from carers.
“These findings suggest that alpha tocopherol is beneficial in mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease by slowing functional decline and decreasing caregiver burden,” said a team led by Dr. Maurice Dysken of Minneapolis VA Health Care System.
Ariel Sharon’s condition is now critical, “with some danger to life”, his doctors have said.
Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon, 85, has been in a coma since January 4, 2006.
He is suffering from a malfunction of several organs including the kidneys, they said.
Ariel Sharon became prime minister in 2001 and suffered a mild stroke in 2005.
After a second, major stroke in 2006, he went into a coma and has been in a persistent vegetative state ever since.
Ariel Sharon’s condition is now critical, with some danger to life
Giving the first official medical statement on the current situation, Professor Zeev Rotstein of Tel Hashomer hospital, said: “I am no prophet, but the feeling of his doctors and his sons… is that there has been a change for the worse.
“We are defining his condition as critical, and there is definitely a threat to his life. The feeling of everyone… is that this decline is very serious.”
Ariel Sharon’s family is at his bedside. One of his sons, Omri, told the Jerusalem Post: “We have hope, we always have hope.”
Having fought in all of Israel’s wars since the state’s founding in 1948, Ariel Sharon is admired by many Israelis as a great military leader, but is reviled by Palestinians.
Passengers from the ice-bound research vessel Akademik Shokalskiy are to be rescued in Antarctica.
A helicopter from a Chinese ship set down nearby, bringing in a crew to assess the landing situation.
The aircraft left but then returned to begin ferrying the first passengers out to an Australian ice-breaker.
Akademik Shokalskiy has been trapped since Christmas Eve. Its 22 crew are expected to remain on board once the 52 scientists and tourists have left.
Akademik Shokalskiy first group of passengers to be airlifted out
The scientific mission ship was trapped by thick sheets of ice driven by strong winds, about 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart – the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania.
The vessel is being used by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition to follow the route explorer Douglas Mawson travelled a century ago.
“The Chinese helicopter has arrived at the Shokalskiy. It’s 100% we’re off! A huge thanks to all,” expedition leader Chris Turney tweeted.
Chris Turney’s post showed a video of a red helicopter touching down on a site that had been marked out by the Akademik’s crew.
Members of the helicopter crew checked the site and the aircraft took off again.
Three hours later, Chris Turney tweeted: “The first of the helicopters to take us home. Thanks everyone!”
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) Rescue Co-ordination Centre, which is overseeing the operation, had earlier said it was unlikely the rescue would go ahead on Thursday as hoped because of the sea-ice conditions.
Fiat has agreed to buy the remaining 41% of Chrysler it does not own in a move that will create the world’s seventh-largest car company.
The Italian motors giant has owned a majority stake in the US company since 2009.
The agreement ends drawn-out negotiations with the current owners, Veba, the healthcare trust affiliated to the United Auto Workers’ union.
Chrysler and Fiat will pay the trust an initial $3.65 billion.
Once the deal is signed off, Chrysler will pay Fiat another $700 million.
Fiat has owned a majority stake in Chrysler since 2009
Fiat’s chief executive, Sergio Marchionne, plans to widen the company’s global reach.
The Veba trust looks after medical benefits for retired Chrysler workers.
The alliance between the two companies came amid the major restructuring of the US car industry following the financial crisis of the late 2000s.
The link-up gave Fiat access to the vast US car market, while Chrysler was able to benefit from the Italian firm’s expertise in developing small, fuel efficient vehicles.
Recently, Chrysler reported a 22% rise in third-quarter profits to $464 million, with net revenue up 13.5% to $17.6 billion.
Chrysler said its results had been helped by strong sales of its Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Ram 1500 pickup.
According to Japan’s health ministry estimates, the country’s population declined by a record 244,000 people in 2013.
The ministry said an estimated 1,031,000 babies were born last year – down some 6,000 from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the number of people that died last year was 1,275,000 – a rise of around 19,000 from 2012.
Japan’s population has been shrinking for several years now. If current trends persist it will lose a third of its population in the next 50 years.
Japan’s population declined by a record 244,000 people in 2013
A quarter of Japan’s population is currently aged over 65 and that figure is expected to reach nearly 40% by 2060.
The government says the population totaled 126,393,679 as of March 31st 2013 – down 0.2% from a year earlier.
Japan has taken aggressive measures in recent months to spur growth in the world’s third-biggest economy, after years of stagnation.
Shinzo Abe’s government is trying to boost the economy through a combination of quantitative easing and cash injections, higher taxes, higher government spending and longer-term structural reforms.
Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon’s health condition has seriously deteriorated, the hospital treating him has announced.
Ariel Sharon, 85, has been in a coma for almost eight years.
Israeli media reports say he has suffered renal failure.
Ariel Sharon became prime minister in 2001, but in December 2005 he suffered a mild stroke.
Ariel Sharon has been in a coma for almost eight years and now he is suffering renal failure
After a second, major stroke in 2006, Ariel Sharon went into a coma and has been in a persistent vegetative state ever since.
Having fought in three Middle Eastern wars, Ariel Sharon is admired by many Israelis as a great military leader, but reviled by Palestinians.
While serving as defense minister in 1982, Ariel Sharon masterminded Israel’s invasion of Lebanon. During the invasion, Lebanese Christian militiamen allied to Israel massacred hundreds of Palestinians in two Beirut refugee camps under Israeli control.
Ariel Sharon was a keen promoter of the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. He also initiated the construction of the controversial West Bank barrier.
At least eight people have been killed after two car bombs have exploded outside Jazeera hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The blasts were at the Jazeera hotel close to Mogadishu’s airport, which is popular with Somali politicians.
Reports say the blasts were followed by exchanges of fire between security forces and the attackers.
The Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab, who was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, have said they carried out the attack.
At least eight people have been killed after two car bombs have exploded outside Jazeera hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu
The al-Qaeda-linked group still controls many southern and central areas of the country and has continued to launch attacks on the capital.
Four members of the security services were among the dead, including one senior officer, the deputy interior minister said.
Police officer Mohamed Warsame told the AFP agency that the second bomb went off as security services were trying to help the victims of the first blast.
The Jazeera hotel was also targeted in December 2012, when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was staying there. At least seven people die in that attack.
“Selfie”, “twerking” and “hashtag” top 2014 Lake Superior State University List of Banished Words.
LSSU collected suggestions from members of the public for its 39th annual list of words that should be banned.
It recommends the words be “banished from the Queen’s English” because of misuse, overuse or just being useless.
Last year it tried to ban expressions including “double down”, “bucket list” and “YOLO” (You Only Live Once).
For LSSU’s 2014 list, “selfie” received the most nominations.
Selfie, twerking and hashtag top 2014 Lake Superior State University List of Banished Words
The term, which refers to a self-portrait photo, was named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries only last month.
“Twerk” (a dance move) similarly attracts LSSU’s opprobrium, even though it was also shortlisted by Oxford Dictionaries.
The college’s vocabulists also lamented the rise of “hashtag” and “Twittersphere”, terms from social media that have seeped into everyday speech.
Combination words using variations of -mageddon or -pocalypse, such as “snowpocalypse” or “budgetmageddon”, also ended up on the forbidden list.
It is not clear whether the LSSU’s roster will be a game-changer (an expression LSSU tried to ban in 2009).
Last year’s banned words remain stubbornly resilient in usage. And many of the terms banned in recent years, recorded on the complete list, such as “angst”, “24/7”, “no-brainer” and “spoiler alert”, continue to flourish.
Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian, who separated two weeks ago, have put their $4 million Tarzana house on the private market, E! News reported.
There is no more info about the listing.
Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian have put their $4 million Tarzana house on the private market
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom reportedly still maintain good relationship. A source close to the couple recently said: “Khloe and Lamar are still speaking on the phone. Not a lot but every so often. They are still working out some logistics and things are friendly between them. They will always have a deep affection for one another.”
Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson chose not to quack back during his appearance Tuesday night on Fox News’s All-American New Year special.
In one of his first chances to comment on the controversy surrounding his father and co-star Phil Robertson, Willie Robertson had only kind words for the A&E network and New Year’s wishes for the nation.
“We’re just glad to be back to work, and A&E and us are fine,” Willie Robertson said in a live appearance with his wife Korie Robertson from Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Hosts Bill Hemmer and Elizabeth Hasselbeck gave Willie Robertson several chances to address the firestorm surrounding the suspension of his father over anti-gay comments, but without quite ducking the question, the rsality star chose not to take the bait either.
Willie and Korie Robertson had only kind words for the A&E network and New Year’s wishes for the nation on Fox News’s All-American New Year special
“We’re looking forward to getting back to making some funny shows. It’s a New Year so we’re ready to break in a New Year and start it all over again,” Willie Robertson said.
“We’re ready to move on, you know. I think we all learned a lot and we’re just ready to move on, and the family’s happy, and we’re ready to go. I’ve got to make sure my guys are back there building duck calls.”
Asked her thoughts on the suspension by Hasselbeck, Korie Robertson took the same conciliatory tone.
“Hey, I’m just glad the family’s all together, the best thing about the show is we get to do it as a family,” she said.
“We’re all happy, happy, happy.”
A&E reinstated Phil Robertson on Friday, nine days after suspending him over the anti-gay comments made to GQ magazine.
Phil Robertson’s suspension sparked brought out legions of defenders who felt he was being censored by A&E.
James Avery, who played the Honorable Philip Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, has died at the age of 65.
The actor’s publicist, Cynthia Snyder, told The Associated Press that James Avery died Tuesday. She did not immediately know the cause of death or where he died.
According to TMZ, James Avery died in a Los Angeles hospital Tuesday night after complications arising from surgery for an unknown illness.
James Avery had recently undergone open heart surgery.
Jovan Belcher’s mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his team, Kansas City Chiefs, on Tuesday after exhuming the linebacker’s body so that his brain could be examined for evidence of a degenerative condition linked to repeated concussions.
The lawsuit, filed by Cheryl Shepherd in Jackson County (Missouri) circuit court, alleges Jovan Belcher was subjected to “repetitive head trauma,” and that the Chiefs failed to provide adequate medical care before he killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and then committed suicide in December 2012.
Cheryl Shepherd is seeking a jury trial and judgment “in excess of $15,000 for actual damages, punitive damages, and/or aggravating circumstances, for the cost of this action, and for such relief as the court deems fair and reasonable”.
Jovan Belcher’s body was exhumed at a cemetery in Bay Shore, New York, at his family’s request earlier this month so that his brain could be studied for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative neurological condition. CTE has been linked to multiple concussions and includes symptoms such as memory problems, behavioral changes and eventually dementia.
Jovan Belcher’s mother has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kansas City Chiefs
CTE has made headlines in recent years with the deaths of some former professional athletes, including former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau and former Bears safety Dave Duerson.
Cheryl Shepherd’s lawsuit claims the Chiefs failed to warn her son of the short-term and long-term risks of concussions; failed to identify and remove Jovan Belcher from practice or games after sustaining head trauma; failed to educate Belcher about concussions; failed to monitor or treat Belcher for neurological dysfunction; and failed to provide appropriate counseling.
According to the lawsuit, Jovan Belcher was knocked unconscious during a game against Jacksonville in 2009 but did not receive adequate treatment before returning to team activities.
On December 1, 2012, Jovan Belcher shot to death his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, while Cheryl Shepherd was caring for his infant daughter in a nearby room. Jovan Belcher then sped from the residence to the Chiefs training facility, where he shot himself in the head in the parking lot.
A spokesman for the Chiefs told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that the team was aware of the lawsuit. He could not comment further because of the pending litigation.
The Chiefs are already the subject of a worker’s compensation lawsuit filed on behalf of several former players who claim the Chiefs hid the risks of permanent brain injuries from repeated concussions from 1987-93, when there was no NFL collective bargaining agreement in place.
Latvia has joined the eurozone as of 1st of January 2014, becoming the 18th member of the group of EU states which uses the euro as its currency.
The former Soviet republic on the Baltic Sea recently emerged from the financial crisis to become the EU’s fastest-growing economy.
Correspondents report much skepticism in the country after recent bailouts for existing eurozone members.
But there is also hope that the euro will reduce dependency on Russia.
EU commissioner Olli Rehn said joining the eurozone marked “the completion of Latvia’s journey back to the political and economic heart of our continent, and that is something for all of us to celebrate”.
The government and most business owners also welcomed the single currency, saying it would improve Latvia’s credit rating and attract foreign investors.
However, some opinion polls suggested almost 60% of the population did not want the new currency.
Latvia became the 18th member of the group of EU states which uses the euro as its currency
“It’s a big opportunity for Latvia’s economic development,” PM Valdis Dombrovskis said after symbolically withdrawing a 10-euro note as fireworks led celebrations in the capital Riga after midnight.
The governor of the Latvian central bank, Ilmars Rimsevics, said: “Euro brings stability and certainty, definitely attracting investment, so new jobs, new taxes and so on. So being in the second largest currency union I think will definitely mean more popularity.”
One of those reluctant to give up Latvia’s own currency, the lats, was Zaneta Smirnova.
“I am against the euro,” she told AFP news agency.
“This isn’t a happy day. The lats is ours, the euro isn’t – we should have kept the lats.”
Leonora Timofeyeva, who earns the minimum wage of 200 lats (284 euros; $392) per month tending graves in a village north of the capital Riga, said: “Everyone expects prices will go up in January.”
But pensioner Maiga Majore believed euro adoption could “only be a good thing”.
“To be part of a huge European market is important,” she told AFP.
“All this talk about price rises is just alarmist.”
Alf Vanags, director of the Baltic International Centre for Economic Policy Studies, told Bloomberg news agency he personally did not like giving up the familiar lats but it was an “entirely irrational sentiment”.
Euro adoption was good for Latvia “on balance”, he argued, since it provided a mutual insurance policy that countries could draw on when they got into trouble.
Latvia, with its large ethnic Russian minority, is often seen as having closer economic ties to Russia than its fellow Baltic states Lithuania and Estonia. Russia remains an important export market while its banking system attracts substantial deposits from clients in other ex-Soviet states.
Pope Francis has called for the world to unite against violence as a “community of brothers” in his first New Year blessing.
Addressing pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis departed from his prepared text to vent frustration at the level of conflict in the world.
“What is happening in the heart of man?” he asked.
“It’s time to stop.”
Without referring to any specific conflicts, he urged people to accept each other’s differences.
Pope Francis has called for the world to unite against violence as a “community of brothers” in his first New Year blessing
“We belong to the same human family and we share a common destiny,” Pope Francis said, speaking from his studio window overlooking the crowds in the square at the Vatican.
“This brings a responsibility for each to work so that the world becomes a community of brothers who respect each other, accept each other in one’s diversity, and take care of one another.”
Pope Francis plans major reforms in Church organization this year and will soon announce the appointment of a new group of cardinals to replace those who have died or reached the age of 80 in recent years.
Head of Palestinian mission in Czech Republic, Jamal al-Jamal, has been killed by an explosion at his home in Prague.
Jamal al-Jamal had been taken to hospital after the explosion but died of his injuries some four hours later.
Palestinian officials said the blast happened when the Palestinian diplomat was moving a safe. Czech police say there is no evidence that it was a planned attack.
A 52-year-old woman was also taken to hospital suffering from shock.
The explosion happened at a two-storey property in the city’s Suchdol district.
Jamal al-Jamal had been taken to hospital after the explosion but died of his injuries some four hours later
Palestinian mission spokesman Nabil El-Fahel told Czech public radio Jamal al-Jamal had been in the flat with his family at the time of the explosion.
Jamal al-Jamal had only recently moved into the property.
Palestinian officials have been quoted as saying the blast took place when Jamal al-Jamal attempted to move a safe from an old embassy building to the new one.
“The device was in a safe and was triggered after the door of the safe was opened. The police are not ruling out that the device was a part of the safe,” Czech police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulova told Reuters.
There are no visible signs of damage to the house from the street, according to a Reuters reporter at the scene.
The Palestinian foreign ministry said it would send a delegation to Prague to assist with the investigation.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which is recognized by the UN and Israel as representing the Palestinian people, has diplomats based in European and other capitals, and has a mission in Prague.
Michael Schumacher remains in a stable but critical condition in hospital, his manager Sabine Kehm has said.
Sabine Kehm said he was being carefully looked after, and that she would not comment on rumors about his condition.
Michael Schumacher is in a medically induced coma in hospital in Grenoble, after he suffered head injuries in a skiing accident in the French Alps on Sunday.
Doctors said on Tuesday that the F1 champion had shown signs of improvement.
But they added that he was still “not out of danger”.
Michael Schumacher remains in a stable but critical condition in hospital
They will not give any update on Michael Schumacher’s condition on Wednesday unless it changes significantly, Sabine Kehm said.
“The good news for today is… there’s no significant changes,” Sabine Kehm told reporters and well-wishers outside the hospital.
But she added that the situation remained critical.
Doctors say they cannot give a prognosis for his condition in the coming days and months.
But it is medically possible for someone to spend several weeks in an induced coma and fully recover from it.
Michael Schumacher had been skiing off-piste when he fell and hit his head. His helmet cracked on impact after hitting a rock.
Sabine Kehm said that Michael Schumacher was not skiing with just his teenage son, as had been reported, but also with a group of friends.
Bill de Blasio, the first Democrat in more than two decades, has been sworn in as the new mayor of New York City.
Bill de Blasio took the oath of office outside his home a few minutes into the New Year, in line with tradition.
A grander inauguration ceremony will take place later at City Hall, with former President Bill Clinton administering the oath of office.
Bill de Blasio succeeds billionaire Michael Bloomberg, and has promised to govern with a liberal agenda.
He won November’s election by a record margin, contrasting himself with the pro-business Bloomberg years which he said had created a “tale of two cities”.
Michael Bloomberg is credited with leaving New York a safer, healthier and revitalized place after his 12 years in office. However, critics say his policies have widened the gap between rich and poor.
Democrat Bill de Blasio has been sworn in as the new mayor of New York City
Bill de Blasio, 52, was joined by his wife Chirlane McCray and their two teenage children outside their home in Brooklyn for the oath of office administered by state attorney Eric Schneiderman.
“To everyone, this is the beginning of a road we will travel together,” he said after he was sworn in.
He is New York’s first Democratic mayor since David Dinkins, who became the city’s first black leader in 1993.
Bill de Blasio has promised to reverse the city’s rising income inequality and end a controversial stop-and-frisk policy which has been criticized for disproportionately targeting black and Hispanic men.
He worked as an aide to David Dinkins when he was mayor and has also worked closely with the Clintons, managing Hillary Clinton’s successful 2000 run for the US Senate.
He was elected to New York City Council in 2001, representing his home area of Brooklyn, before becoming public advocate, the city’s official watchdog.
Bill de Blasio’s bid for the mayor’s job was aided by the implosion of the campaign of former congressman Anthony Weiner.
El Salvador has resumed evacuating residents living on the slopes of the Chaparrastique volcano.
The 7,000 ft-high volcano started erupting on Sunday morning, spewing ash and gases.
Officials from the Salvadoran environment ministry said there was a risk the volcano could erupt again, this time emitting a lava flow.
The last time the Chaparrastique spewed lava was in 1976. It also caused a strong tremor in the area in 2010.
During Sunday’s eruption a 5,000m-high ash cloud rose from the cone of the volcano. Since then, it has been emitting gases.
Volcanologist Francisco Barahona of the University of El Salvador said that a further increase in the emission of sulphur dioxide could be a sign that another eruption was approaching.
Chaparrastique volcano started erupting on Sunday morning, spewing ash and gases
Another eruption “could trigger not ashes, but a lava flow”, Herman Rosa of the environment ministry said.
More than 2,000 people were evacuated after the first eruption on Sunday, but Civil Protection Director Jorge Melendez said almost half of them had decided to return to their homes against official advice.
Jorge Melendez said people had been “reluctant” to stay in the shelters provided, but he warned the authorities would use coercion in the case of an emergency.
Chaparrastique is one of more than 20 volcanoes in the small Central American nation.
Lebanon has reportedly arrested Majid al-Majid, the head of a jihadist group that claimed the suicide bomb attack on Iran’s embassy in November.
Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn told AFP that Majid al-Majid, the Saudi “emir” of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades, was being held by Lebanese army intelligence in Beirut.
Hezbollah’s al-Manar television also said Majid al-Majid was detained “recently”.
Majid al-Majid, head of al-Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades, was being held by Lebanese army intelligence in Beirut
The embassy attack killed 23 people, including the Iranian cultural attaché.
A cleric close to the Abdullah Azzam Brigades warned attacks would continue in Lebanon until Hezbollah forces stopped fighting alongside government forces in Syria and its prisoners were released in Lebanon.
Wednesday’s reports did not say when Majid al-Majid was captured.
Al-Manar cited Lebanese security sources as saying that two attacks on army checkpoints outside the southern city of Sidon on December 15 had been attempts to free him.
A soldier and four gunmen were killed in the ensuing clashes in the suburb of Majdelyoun, for which there was no claim of responsibility.
