Twitter’s shares opened at $45.10 each in the first minutes of trading on the NYSE.
That is a 73% jump from the initial asking price of $26 a share, and it means the company is now valued at a little over $31 billion.
More than 13 million shares were traded once they became available an hour after the stock exchange opened.
It is the biggest technology listing since Facebook in 2012.
Twitter floated on the NYSE and not, as some initially expected, the technology-rich Nasdaq exchange, where the likes of Facebook are listed.
It was a big win for the NYSE, which decorated its exterior with banners promoting the offering on Thursday.
Twitter has more than 230 million users, but is yet to make a profit.
Shares in newly-listed companies are often volatile on their first day of trading.
Twitter’s shares opened at $45.10 each in the first minutes of trading on the NYSE
Within minutes, Twitter’s stock price soared more than 80% before falling below its opening price by midday.
When Facebook launched on Nasdaq, its shares were priced initially at $38 each. The stock soared within hours of its debut to a high of $45. But its price later slumped.
It only recovered those losses by September 11, 2013, when shares again touched $45.
Its initial public offering (IPO) was also marred by technological glitches and delays.
To prevent Twitter’s stock sale from having a similar fate, the NYSE ran tests on October 26 using larger-than-normal share volumes.
Twitter is selling 70 million shares, which will raise more than $1.82 billion.
The company, which invites users to send tweets in 140 characters or less, has 232 million active users. According to its IPO documents, these users send 500 million tweets a day.
Twitter’s financials have been under greater scrutiny since it announced its plan to float, especially given that the company is still loss-making.
It lost $69 million in the first six months of 2013, on revenues of $254 million. About 85% of revenues come from advertising on its site, and more than 75% of Twitter users access the site from their mobile phone.
Mary Jo White, head of US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission, recently warned investors to be cautious of the metrics used by technology companies like Twitter, nothing that investors have become overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of data.
“In the absence of a clear description, it can be hard not to think that these big numbers will inevitably translate into big profits for the company,” Mary Jo White said in a speech.
“But the connection may not necessarily be there.”
Twitter’s founders saw their paper wealth soar to $4 billion in the wake of the stock surge early this morning, although boss Dick Costolo said that none of the founders would immediately be selling their shares.
The company’s co-founder Evan Williams has a 10% stake in Twitter, making him its biggest shareholder. That stake is now worth a little over $2 billion.
Jack Dorsey, another co-founder, also stands to make a fortune from the IPO. His 4% stake is worth more than a billion dollars.
Another co-founder, Biz Stone, is thought to have made millions of dollars by selling share stakes over the last few years.
Viewers watching the 47th Annual Country Music Association Awards, held Wednesday night in Nashville, might have confused the show with a roast of ObamaCare.
Country music’s hottest stars had a bone to pick with the faulty Healthcare.gov website.
CMA Awards host Brad Paisley jokingly told his co-host Carrie Underwood that his back hurt and he needed to see a doctor.
Carrie Underwood asked the singer if he had signed up for ObamaCare.
CMA Awards host Brad Paisley and his co-host Carrie Underwood mocked ObamaCare
“I started signing up last Thursday and I’m almost done!” The Blown Away singer proceeded to help her co-host sign up for ObamaCare and “join the six other people” who have reportedly signed up successfully for the healthcare service.
The routine had the Nashville audience clapping their hands to the tune of newly crowned entertainer of the year George Strait’s Amarillo by Morning, but with the words changed to: “ObamaCare by morning/ Why’s this taking so long?/ I’m going to end up with hemorrhoids/If I sit here ’til dawn.”
Viewers watching the 47th Annual Country Music Association Awards – held Wednesday night in Nashville – were surprised with Duck Dynasty stars appearance.
Willie and Jase Robertson were joined by their wives Korie and Missy to perform a redneckified version of Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines.
While the Robertson clan twerked on stage, CMA Awards hosts, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, switched up the words of Robin Thicke’s song.
Viewers watching the 47th Annual Country Music Association Awards were surprised with Duck Dynasty stars appearance
“I’m going to grow a beard and go out hunting… <<Duck Dynasty>> guys dance to Robin Thicke/We tried to get nasty talking <<Duck Dynasty>.”
The Robertsons weren’t just onstage to show off their lack of dancing skills; they also gave out the first award of the night to duo Florida Georgia Line for single of the year for their hit song Cruise.
Pope Francis touched the nearly 50,000 attendees at Wednesday’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square by embracing an ailing man who suffers from a disfiguring genetic disorder.
In a series of photos that have since gone viral, Pope Francis is seen praying, then placing his hands on the unnamed man, who then proceeds to bury his head in the pope’s chest.
Pope Francis touched the nearly 50,000 attendees at Wednesday’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square by embracing an ailing man who suffers from a disfiguring genetic disorder
According to the Catholic News Agency, the man suffers from neurofibromatosis, a disease that causes pain and tumors throughout the body, as well as a host of other hearing, vision, heart and nerve complications.
Pope Francis has previously encouraged increased interaction with people from all walks of life, especially the poor, weak and sick.
Two surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium have found and named a new ligament in the knee, which they dubbed the anterolateral ligament, or ALL.
Dr. Steven Claes and Dr. Johan Bellemans have spent four years researching knee injuries, specifically those to the anterior cruciate ligament, using an 1879 article that talked about an additional – but as yet unseen – back-of-the-knee ligament.
Two surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium have found and named a new ligament in the knee
After dissecting countless cadavers, Dr. Steven Claes and Dr. Johan Bellemans surmised that the ALL ligament is present in 97% of people and that tears to the ALL are connected to serious ACL injuries.
Dr. Steven Claes and Dr. Johan Bellemans’ research has been praised by the Anatomical Society as “very refreshing.”
Jennifer Aniston debuted her bob-like hairdo while running errands in Los Angeles on Monday, November 4, wearing a black top, brown blazer, jeans and shades, and a neutral expression.
Jennifer Aniston, 44, had more than six inches lopped off of her famous head of dirty-blond hair last Thursday.
Chatting with Vogue.com before the new photos emerged, Jennifer Aniston explained that her longtime hairstylist Chris McMillan (who created the now-iconic, hated-by-Aniston “Rachel” cut back in the ’90s) did the honors: “Chris McMillan actually chopped all my hair off!”
Jennifer Aniston debuted her bob-like hairdo while running errands in Los Angeles
Jennifer Aniston clarified to the style bible’s site that there was no master plan behind the latest cut.
“I actually don’t have any red carpets coming up,” she said.
“This is truly just for me!”
“It’s right at my jaw line, maybe a little longer,” she mused.
“It was kind of spur-of-the-moment,” she continued, explaining that the ‘do sported by Vogue stylist Lawren Howell, whom Aniston noticed on TV, was the inspiration. And the famously coiffed star is happy with the results.
“I don’t know, man. I did it! I feel great. I feel lighter. It’s simple, it’s really simple, that’s for sure,” Jennifer Aniston said.
Mullah Fazlullah has been named as Pakistan’s Taliban new leader, after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack, a spokesman has said.
Mullah Fazlullah is a particularly hardline commander whose men shot the schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai.
Hakimullah Mehsud was killed when missiles struck his vehicle in the North Waziristan region on 1 November.
Pakistan’s government accused the US of destroying its attempts to start peace talks with the Taliban.
Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan said that the drone strike was “not just the killing of one person, it’s the death of all peace efforts”.
The announcement of the new leader was made by the Taliban’s caretaker leader Asmatullah Shaheen at a news conference at an undisclosed location.
Mullah Fazlullah has been named as Pakistan’s Taliban new leader, after the death of Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone attack
When the news was announced, there was reportedly heavy celebratory gunfire in the area around Miranshah, the main town in the tribal area of North Waziristan.
Mullah Fazlullah led a brutal campaign in Swat between 2008 and 2009, enforcing hardline Islamic law that included burning schools, and public floggings and beheadings.
A military operation was launched to retake the area.
Mullah Fazlullah fled over the border into Afghanistan but Islamabad says he has continued to orchestrate attacks in Pakistan.
He was accused of being behind a roadside bomb in September that killed Major General Sanaullah Niazi, the top commander in Swat, along with two other military personnel.
Mullah Fazlullah was known for his radio broadcasts calling for strict Islamic laws and earning him the nickname “Mullah Radio”.
The shooting of Malala Yousafzai in October 2012 sparked outrage in Pakistan and across the globe.
The teenager had spoken out against the Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education.
The Pakistani government said a delegation had been due to fly to North Waziristan to discuss peace talks with Hakimullah Mehsud but he was killed in the drone strike the day before.
There had been some hope the new leader of the Taliban would be more open to the peace initiative.
Regional Taliban commander Khan Said Sajna, said to favor such a move, had been touted as a favorite before the latest announcement.
Sultani Makenga – the commander of the M23 rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – has surrendered in Uganda, new reports claim.
Sultani Makenga is said to have handed himself over along with hundreds of M23 fighters in the Mgahinga National Park.
Neither government has so far confirmed the reports.
Earlier this week the M23 said it was ending its 19-month insurgency, hours after DR Congo government forces claimed military victory.
Reports say Sultani Makenga and about 1,700 fighters have been disarmed and are being held by the Ugandan military in Mgahinga, near the Congo border.
Earlier this week, Congolese officials said Col. Sultani Makenga had fled across the border to either Uganda or Rwanda.
Sultani Makenga is said to have handed himself over along with hundreds of M23 fighters in the Mgahinga National Park
Uganda has been hosting peace talks between the rebels and the DR Congo government. However, no peace accord has been signed.
Sultani Makenga is the subject of UN sanctions and it is unclear what Ugandan officials would do with him.
The M23 has wrought havoc across eastern DR Congo since it began its insurgency in April 2012.
Its fighters are mostly from the Tutsi ethnic group, a minority in eastern DR Congo but with ties to Rwanda’s leaders.
Their name refers to a 23 March 2009 peace deal which a former militia group – the CNDP – signed with the Congolese government. The rebels said the government had not lived up to its promises in the deal.
Analysts say the surrender of Sultani Makenga , if confirmed, will be a major success for the Congolese army which has been struggling to restore calm in eastern DR Congo for two decades.
Earlier this year the UN approved a new mission of 3,000 African soldiers with a mandate to fight the rebels.
They have the operational support of the existing UN Mission in DR Congo (Monusco) and have used helicopters to target the rebels, allowing the army to advance.
The headquarters of Greece’s former state broadcaster ERT have been cleared by riot police, using tear gas to gain entry and arresting several people.
Police formed a cordon round the building in Athens, before going from room to room to evacuate protesters.
Former employees have occupied the building since the government closed ERT and sacked its 2,600 staff in June.
Greece’s conservative-led coalition said the state broadcaster cost too much to run in an economic crisis.
The closure of ERT prompted a left-wing party to withdraw from the governing coalition of PM Antonis Samaras in protest – a move which almost brought down the government.
Following the announcement of ERT’s closure in June, hundreds of staff refused to leave the building and continued to broadcast their programming via the internet.
The headquarters of Greece’s former state broadcaster ERT have been cleared by riot police
Early on Thursday, Greek police arrived to secure the building in Agia Paraskevi, a suburb in the north of Athens.
Riot police used tear gas to disperse about 200 protesters outside the building, and then cleared each room inside.
Twenty or so workers were led out but three refused to go and were arrested. Police have now surrounded the building and protesters are gathering.
The state-run Athens News Agency reported that Panagiotis Kalfagiannis, a journalist and head of the ERT employees’ union, Pospert, was one of those held for public order offences.
ERT was Greece’s only TV broadcaster until the advent of private TV channels in 1989.
Despite several major overhauls to keep up with fierce private competition, a fall in ERT’s ratings in the mid-1990s triggered a long-running debate about its cost and efficiency.
In June, as Greece attempted to satisfy international creditors that it was fulfilling its debt restructuring and bailout commitments, PM Antonis Samaras announced the closure of ERT.
Antonis Samaras said the Greek exchequer could no longer afford to pay for a public broadcaster that cost more than $400,000 a year to run, and has refused to reinstate ERT unless it accepts a complete restructuring.
An interim TV station, called Public TV or DT, has been broadcasting in Greece since July while a restructured public broadcaster, called Nerit, is not expected to begin operating before 2014.
Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been released from house arrest and is free to move around the country, prison officials say.
It comes days after Pervez Musharraf was bailed over the 2007 army operation to oust militants from Islamabad’s Red Mosque – the last legal case against him.
However, the former general remains on a government exit control list and cannot leave the country.
It is also unclear if Pervez Musharraf will leave the house because of threats to his life.
Pervez Musharraf’s seven-month house arrest was unprecedented in a country which has been ruled by the military for more than half of its history.
Speaking on Monday, his lawyer said Pervez Musharraf had no intention of leaving Pakistan. He has consistently maintained that all the charges against him are politically motivated.
Prison official Wajad Ali is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that prison guards were withdrawn on Wednesday night from Pervez Musharraf’s villa on the outskirts of Islamabad.
Pervez Musharraf has been released from house arrest and is free to move around the country
On Monday the court approved bail in the case on condition Pervez Musharraf paid bonds totaling $2,000.
The operation ordered by Pervez Musharraf on the besieged Red Mosque left a cleric and more than 100 others dead, and fuelled a deadly militant insurgency inside Pakistan which rages to this day.
Earlier this year, Pervez Musharraf returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile to fight elections – which were won by Nawaz Sharif, the man he ousted in his 1999 coup – but swiftly ran into trouble.
He was barred from running in the general election, and was placed under house arrest in April in the first of a series of cases relating to his time in power from 1999-2008.
Pervez Musharraf faces murder trials over the assassination of former PM Benazir Bhutto and Baloch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti. He has also been charged over his attempt to sack the higher judiciary in 2007 – he has been bailed in all three of those cases.
Separately, the Sharif government said in June that it planned to try him for treason – but a formal complaint in that case has still to be lodged.
Twitter shares have been priced at $26 each, ahead of its debut on the NYSE on Thursday.
That is above the $23 to $25 range announced on Monday and values the short messaging service at more than $18 billion.
That makes it the biggest market debut for a technology firm since Facebook went public in May 2012.
Twitter has attracted 230 million users since starting seven years ago, but is yet to make a profit.
Its losses for Q3 2013 increased to $64.6 million, from $21.6 million a year earlier and a recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos showed that more than a third of registered users do not use the service at all.
Nevertheless there was strong demand for the shares and the company was able to raise the offering price twice.
Twitter has posted an increase in its sales, which more than doubled in Q3 to $168.6 million, and it is looking to raise even more revenue from advertisers outside the US.
Its $18 billion valuation includes the value of shares in compensation schemes for employees and other share awards.
Twitter shares have been priced at $26 each, ahead of its debut on the NYSE on Thursday
Co-founder Evan Williams is the biggest shareholder in the firm with a stake of more than 10% worth more than a billion dollars.
Another of the founders, Jack Dorsey, will also become a very rich man. His 4% stake is worth more than half a billion dollars.
Biz Stone, another co-founder, is thought to have made millions by selling holdings over the last few years.
But Noah Glass, also one of the originals, is believed to have made very little from the company’s success.
Twitter is selling 70 million shares, which will raise $1.82 billion, for the company.
Unlike Facebook, Twitter has chosen to trade its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.
Facebook’s debut on the Nasdaq – traditionally the market of choice for technology firms – was marred by delays and problems with orders.
The NYSE has already tested trading of Twitter’s shares to try to avoid any technical hitches.
Twitter shares will trade under the symbol “TWTR”.
In the second part of her interview with Dr. Phil, Michelle Knight expressed disappointment with fellow victim Amanda Berry and said Ariel Castro treated her especially harshly because her family wasn’t looking for her.
Michelle Knight described her relationship with Amanda Berry as “ok,” but noted the two are “not best of friends.”
“Amanda was one of those girls that really didn’t get it,” Michelle Knight told the psychologist host, Phil McGraw, in the second of two taped interviews Wednesday.
Michelle Knight, who was captive in Ariel Castro’s Cleveland house for more than a decade, went on to say that their captor treated Amanda Berry “totally different” and this may have caused Amanda to look at “the situation in a different way.”
She explained that she delivered Amanda Berry’s baby in Ariel Castro’s home in 2006. She said that she was told by Ariel Castro that if the baby died, he would kill her.
Michelle Knight, now 32, said that the baby was born blue and that she had to give the baby CPR so that it started breathing.
While Amanda Berry was allowed to give birth to a baby that she and Ariel Castro conceived, Michelle Knight said she became pregnant five times while inside the house and each time, the captor caused her to have a miscarriage.
One time, she said, Ariel Castro jumped right on her stomach “with his feet and heavy body” in an effort to terminate her pregnancy.
Michelle Knight said she was starved and repeatedly punched in the stomach. She said Gina DeJesus, the third woman kidnapped and held captive in Ariel Castro’s home, helped her get through the miscarriages and cope in times of pain.
She recalled a time when she was forced by Ariel Castro to eat a sandwich with mustard on it, which she is allergic to.
“My throat and my body swelled up. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t talk,” she recounted.
Michelle Knight said Gina DeJesus got her through it and didn’t let her die.
Michelle Knight expressed disappointment with fellow victim Amanda Berry and said Ariel Castro treated her especially harshly because her family wasn’t looking for her
She said she doesn’t understand why Amanda Berry was allowed to have a baby and she wasn’t.
“I was a girl that couldn’t be broken, a girl that couldn’t be underestimated,” Michelle Knight told Dr. Phil.
“When he found out he couldn’t control me very much, he didn’t want to give me a kid.”
“I think he liked her more,” Michelle Knight said of Amanda Berry.
“Cause he had an obsession with blondes. He would always say, <<I don’t want to make her cry, I don’t want to make her upset or I don’t want to hear her whiny mouth>>. He would try to make her happy instead of sad.”
Michelle Knight said she felt like she was the most hated woman in the house and that Ariel Castro would frequently remind her that she didn’t have a family that loved her and was looking for her.
“That’s the reason why I hate you,” Michelle Knight said Ariel Castro told her.
“Because I can abuse you and nobody would care. No one.”
“…And it would hurt because I knew my family didn’t care and I knew my family wasn’t there for me, cause they never was,” Michelle Knight went on to say in the televised interview.
Police did show up at Ariel Castro’s home once, according to Michelle Knight. But, she said, they left after no one answered the door.
There have been previous reports that a neighbor called police after seeing n**ed women on dog leashes, crawling in the backyard of Ariel Castro’s home. Michelle Knight called that statement false in the interview with Dr. Phil. She said that Ariel Castro let her and the other two girls out in the backyard at times, but that the scenario described by the neighbor did not take place.
When the interview turned to the day Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus escaped from Ariel Castro’s home, Michelle expressed sadness and shook her head as the television host played a recording of Amanda’s 911 call.
Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus escaped from Ariel Castro’s house on May 6, 2013 when Amanda pushed out a door and called for help. She ran across the street to a neighbor’s house where she made called 911.
“She didn’t mention us,” Michelle Knight said of the 911 call, which she called “sad.”
“Maybe she was angry about everything… life…,” Michelle Knight said in an attempt to justify Amanda Berry’s lack of mention.
“She just took a different road than everyone else.”
Luckily, when police responded to Ariel Castro’s home, they rescued Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus as well as Amanda Berry and her daughter.
Michelle Knight described the rescue as being like “a roller-coaster” and recounted how she wouldn’t let go of the police officer.
“The first thing I said is, <<We’re going home!>>,” she said.
Michelle Knight was kidnapped in August 2002, when she was 20-years-old, reports the Associated Press. She has been the most public of the kidnap victims since then and even made a visit to Ariel Castro’s neighborhood before his home was demolished.
Ariel Castro, 53, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
A month into his sentence, Ariel Castro was found dead in his cell.
“He took a cowards way out,” Michelle Knight said of Ariel Castro’s suicide.
Michelle Knight said she would have preferred he have spent the rest of his life in prison
“The pain he put us through is pain he didn’t want to go through,” she said.
Typhoon Haiyan is heading for Philippines and is expected to strike central parts of the country on Friday.
Typhoon Haiyan, a category five storm, is moving towards the South East Asian nation with winds of up to 173 mph.
Some schools have already been closed and evacuations are under way in some areas.
Ferry operations have been suspended and fishing boats ordered back to port.
Typhoon Haiyan is expected to make landfall around noon on Friday between the islands of Samar and Leyte.
It is predicted to hit central areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.
Typhoon Haiyan is heading for Philippines and is expected to strike central parts of the country on Friday
Around 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake.
Meteorologists in the Philippines warned that Haiyan could be as devastating as Typhoon Botha in 2012.
Botha devastated parts of the southern Philippines, leaving at least 1,000 people dead and causing more than $1 billion in damage.
“This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations,” state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar told AFP.
“There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous.”
Haiyan is the 25th typhoon to enter Philippines territory this year.
Entertainer Of The Year
George Strait Male Vocalist Of The Year
Blake Shelton Female Vocalist Of The Year
Miranda Lambert Vocal Group Of The Year
Little Big Town Vocal Duo Of The Year
Florida Georgia Line New Artist Of The Year
Country Music Association Awards 2013
Kacey Musgraves Album Of The Year
Blake Shelton, Based On A True Story
Single Of The Year
Florida Georgia Line, Cruise Song Of The Year I Drive Your Truck – Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary Musical Event Of The Year
Tim McGraw With Taylor Swift & Keith Urban, Highway Don’t Care Music Video Of The Year
Tim McGraw, Highway Don’t Care Musician Of The Year
Mac McAnally Pinnacle Award
Taylor Swift
Justin Bieber has been charged in Brazil with illegally spraying graffiti in Rio de Janeiro.
Justin Bieber, 19, could be fined after pictures appeared in local media to show him painting a wall.
Defacing buildings is a crime in Brazil punishable by up to one year in jail or a fine.
However, Brazilian officials described the case involving Justin Bieber as “a minor offence”. There was no immediate comment from his management team.
In a statement, Brazil’s civil police force said Justin Bieber had been charged with “defacing a building or urban monument by graffiti or other means”.
Brazilian media reported and published photos appearing to show Justin Bieber spraying graffiti on the wall of the abandoned Hotel Nacional.
The pictures showed the singer wearing a red cap and army pants – with a security guard on one side, a police car parked on the other.
It emerged that Justin Bieber had authorization from the City Hall to paint at a sports facility nearby, but members of his entourage claim he chose a different location to avoid his fans.
Police argued the consent did not extend to any other places.
According to the Globo TV network, Justin Bieber flew out of Brazil on Wednesday afternoon on a private jet and went to Paraguay, where he was scheduled to perform.
Russia has sent the Olympic torch into space ahead of the Sochi Winter Games.
A Soyuz rocket is delivering the torch to the International Space Station- as part of efforts to showcase next year’s games in Russia.
On Saturday, two Russian cosmonauts will take it on a historic first spacewalk. The torch will not be lit.
The Soyuz rocket blasted off at 04:14:25 GMT from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Three cosmonauts – Russia’s Mikhail Tyurin, American Rick Mastracchio and Koici Wakata from Japan – are taking the torch to the ISS, which it is due to reach in six hours.
A Soyuz rocket is delivering the Olympic torch to the International Space Station
The Olympic torch will be handed over to fellow cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky, who are already on the orbiting station, when they go on the spacewalk on Saturday.
“Our goal here is to make it look spectacular,” Oleg Kotov said earlier.
“We’d like to showcase our Olympic torch in space. We will try to do it in a beautiful manner. Millions of people will see it live on TV and they will see the station and see how we work.”
The Olympic torch has been carried into space twice before – in 1996 and 2000 – but it has never left a spaceship.
The Sochi torch will then be returned to earth and used to light the Olympic cauldron in February 2014.
It is all part of the elaborate preparations for Russia’s first Olympics since the Soviet era. It is also the most expensive one so far, costing around $50 billion (1,620 billion roubles).
Polonium-210 is a naturally occurring radioactive material that emits highly hazardous alpha (positively charged) particles.
It was first discovered by Marie Curie at the end of the 19th century.
There are very small amounts of polonium-210 in the soil and in the atmosphere, and everyone has a small amount of it in their body.
At high doses, the substance damages tissues and organs.
Polonium-210, historically called radium F, is very hard for doctors to identify.
Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with polonium-210
It cannot pass through the skin, and must be ingested or inhaled into the body to cause damage.
And because the radiation has a very short range, polonium-210 only harms nearby tissue.
The substance has industrial uses such as static control and as a heat source for satellite power supplies, but is not available in these areas in a form conducive to easy poisoning.
Polonium-210 is also present in tobacco.
Although polonium-210 occurs naturally in the environment, acquiring enough of it to kill would require individuals with expertise and connections.
Polonium-210 would also need sophisticated lab facilities – and access to a nuclear reactor.
Alternatively, it could have been obtained from a commercial supplier.
Polonium-210 can either be extracted from rocks containing radioactive uranium or separated chemically from the substance radium-226.
Production of polonium from radium-226 would need sophisticated lab facilities because the latter substance produces dangerous levels of penetrating radiation.
According to a Swiss forensic report obtained by al-Jazeera, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with radioactive polonium.
Yasser Arafat’s official medical records say he died in 2004 from a stroke resulting from a blood disorder.
However, Yasser Arafat’s body was exhumed last year amid continuing claims he was murdered.
The Swiss report said tests on the body showed “unexpected high activity” of polonium, which “moderately” supported the poisoning theory.
Many Palestinians and others have long believed that Israel poisoned Arafat. Others allege that he had Aids or cancer. Israel has consistently denied any involvement.
A spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry said the Swiss investigation was “more soap opera than science”.
The scientists – from the Vaudois University Hospital Centre (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland – carried out a detailed examination of Yasser Arafat’s medical records, samples taken from his remains and items he had taken into the hospital in Paris where he died in 2004.
They concluded that their results “moderately support the proposition that the death was the consequence of poisoning with polonium-210”.
The scientists stressed that they had been unable to reach a more definitive conclusion because of the time that had lapsed since Yasser Arafat’s death, the limited samples available and the confused “chain of custody” of some of the specimens.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may have been poisoned with radioactive polonium
Polonium-210 is a highly radioactive substance. It is found naturally in low doses in food and in the body, but can be fatal if ingested in high doses.
Parallel investigations are being carried out by French and Russian experts – one Russian official said last month that no traces of polonium had been found.
Speaking in Paris, Yasser Arafat’s widow, Suha, said the Swiss results revealed “a real crime, a political assassination”.
“This has confirmed all our doubts. It is scientifically proved that he didn’t die a natural death and we have scientific proof that this man was killed.”
Reuters said Yasser Arafat’s widow did not name any suspects and acknowledged that her husband had had many enemies in his lifetime.
Yasser Arafat, who led the Palestine Liberation Organization for 35 years and became the first president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996, fell violently ill in October 2004 at his compound.
Two weeks later Yasser Arafat was flown to a French military hospital in Paris, where he died on November 11, 2004, aged 75.
France began a murder inquiry in August 2012 after the Lausanne scientists, working with an al-Jazeera documentary crew, found traces of polonium-210 on Yasser Arafat’s personal effects.
His widow had objected to a post-mortem at the time of his death, but asked the Palestinian Authority to permit the exhumation “to reveal the truth”.
Yasser Arafat’s remains were removed from his tomb in the West Bank city of Ramallah in November 2012 and reinterred the same day.
Last month, the head of the Russian Federal Medico-Biological Agency, Vladimir Uiba, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that Yasser Arafat “could not have been poisoned with polonium”, saying that test carried out by Russian experts “found no traces of this substance”.
However, the agency later denied that Vladimir Uiba had made any official statement on the findings.
The head of the Palestinian investigation team, Tawfiq Tirawi, confirmed on Tuesday that the Russian and Swiss reports had been delivered. The Palestinian team is reported to have handed over its findings on Saturday.
Margot Robbie has created a sensation after pictures of her hamming it up with Will Smith were released.
The photos of Margot Robbie and her Focus co-star Will Smith pulling their shirts up and clowning around in a photo booth last month in New Orleans have been obtained by Star magazine.
A source told the magazine that Margot Robbie, 23, and Will Smith, 45, didn’t even take their photos after they were printed.
Will Smith and Margot Robbie are clearly comfortable with each other. The actor has expressed his fondness for Margot Robbie.
“When we did our audition together, we had a natural chemistry,” Will Smith previously said of his co-star.
Margot Robbie has created a sensation after pictures of her hamming it up with Will Smith were released
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Focus, which is currently being filmed, tells the story of a con artist (Will Smith) who takes a beautiful young women (Margot Robbie) under his wing and shows her what he knows. Things get complicated however when they get romantically involved.
Margot Robbie got her big break starring in the short-lived TV series Pan Am with Christina Ricci. However, her role as Naomi Lapaglia in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio is set to give her acting career a huge boost.
Margot Robbie is believed to be single, while Will Smith has been married to his wife Jada Pinkett for 16 years.
Will Smith and Jada Pinket have been forced to deny that their relationship is in trouble many times throughout the years, including as recently as last week.
Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson admitted that his bad behavior once put in jeopardy his 47-year marriage to his wife, Miss Kay.
Phil Robertson, 67, revealed in a recent interview with Extra how a love note inevitably helped sustain their wedded bliss.
He detailed some of the steps he took to get the couple’s relationship back on track during its tainted years. After finding God, Phil Robertson said his worldview and marriage dramatically changed. But he also spoke about how a short note he once wrote played a big role in helping maintain his now-strong relationship with Miss Kay.
Phil Robertson admitted that his bad behavior once put in jeopardy his 47-year marriage to Miss Kay
Phil Robertson told Extra’s Maria Menounos that the note originated long ago when his wife asked him if he loved her.
“I said yes and she said, <<Write it down>>. So I scribbled, <<Miss Kay, I love you. I always have and I always will>>,” he explained.
That note is still taped over the couple’s headboard, serving as a daily reminder to them both.
So, despite their on-screen love, like any married couple, Phil and Miss Kay Robertson have had their share of fights and problems.
Along the way, they hit some speed bumps.
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“He had about 10 hard years,” Miss Kay Robertson told Maria Menounos of the troubles they experienced.
“He didn’t act nice like he does now, especially when he was drinking. He was real selfish and didn’t want to be responsible.”
Phil Robertson chimed in an added that his behavior came at a time “when there was no Jesus” in his life.
“I was following the ways of the world. I was raised in the ’60s,” he said.
The popularity of Duck Dynasty has migrated out of the duck blind and into home furnishings, among other things.
Jackson Furniture debuted its Duck Dynasty upholstery collection at the Fall High Point Furniture Market.
Tennessee-based Jackson Furniture presented more than 25 pieces including recliners, pullout sofas, club chairs and ottomans covered in Realtree camouflage and duck design camo.
Jackson Furniture debuted its Duck Dynasty upholstery collection at the Fall High Point Furniture Market
Furniture snobs may find the line curious, even frightening, but fans of the show and cabin owners will be drawn like ducks to a call. The recliners will range in price from $499 to $699.
The Robertson family’s multimillion-dollar empire is based on duck calls for hunters as well as deer calls and accessories under the Buck Commander label. Duck Commander is the best-selling brand in the country.
Duck Commander is the nickname of its founder, patriarch Phil Robertson, who played quarterback with Terry Bradshaw at Louisiana Tech University and turned down the NFL draft to follow his passion, duck hunting. Phil Robertson and his wife, Miss Kay, and their four sons are all featured on the show.
Veterans Day is officially Monday, November 11, 2013, and since it falls on a Monday this year it is the observation day as well.
2013 Restaurants with Veterans Day Free Meals
Applebees Free Meal
On Monday, November 11th, veterans and active duty military can choose from a free signature Thank You Meal menu that includes some of Applebee’s favorite items, including a 7 oz. House Sirloin, Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger, Three-Cheese Chicken & Sundried Tomato Penne, Fiesta Lime Chicken, Double Crunch Shrimp, Chicken Tenders Platter or Oriental Chicken Salad. Must present valid Veteran’s form of identification or be in uniform.
Bar Louie Free Lunch or Dinner
From open to close Sunday, November 10th and Monday, November 11th every Bar Louie location across the country will offer veterans and military personnel a free meal up to a $12 value when they show valid military I.D. or other proof of service.
California Pizza Kitchen
On Monday, November 11, all veterans or active duty military personnel will be able to get any pizza from our menu for free (dine-in only). Please come in uniform or bring your military ID or other proof of service. Offer valid at participating CPK restaurants, excluding Guam, airport, stadium and university locations.
Champps Free Cheeseburger and Fries
Veterans and active-duty receive a free handcrafted burger and fries all day. Choose from a select menu. Participating locations only, check to confirm.
Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse Eat Free
Veterans and active-duty military eat free on Monday, 11.11.13. Valid ID required or in uniform or photo in uniform.
Cheeseburger in Paradise
On Monday, November 11 get a complimentary All-American Burger with fries to active and retired military personnel. Dine in only and must purchase a beverage and present proof of service.
Chili’s Free Meal
Veterans and active-duty military receive a free meal from a special Veterans Day menu on Monday Nov. 11th. Must show proof of military service.
Einstein Bagels Free Bagel and Shmear
This Veterans Day from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all active, inactive and retired military personnel are invited to receive a Free Signature or Classic Bagel and Shmear, or any other topping, and no purchase is necessary.
Fatz Eatz and Drinkz
On this Veteran’s Day, 11/11/2013, Veterans and Active Duty military can enjoy a free entrée up to a $15 value. No purchase required! Also, each veteran will receive a $2 coupon for use on his or her next visit.
Golden Corral Free Meal
Monday November 11th from 4 PM to 9 PM get a free Veterans Day buffet and beverage to any veteran who has served in the United States military or is a current active duty service member. All Golden Corral locations will be participating. No identification is required to get your free Veterans day meal.
Veterans Day is officially Monday, November 11, 2013
Hooters Free Meal
Monday, Nov. 11, Hooters invites all veterans and current servicemen and women to a free meal, up to $10.99 in value with any drink purchase, by presenting a military ID or proof of service at any Hooters location across the country.
Little Caesars Free Crazy Bread
All United States armed forces veterans and active military members get a free order of Crazy Bread® with proof of military status at participating stores nationwide this Veterans Day, 11/11/13.
Longhorn Steakhouse Free App
From Nov. 11 – Nov. 14, service members receive a complimentary appetizer from a list of 10 delicious options, including New! Crispy Fried Green Beans, Lobster-Crab-and-Seafood-Stuffed Mushrooms and Sweet Chili Shrimp. Includes veterans and current service members.
Max & Erma’s Free Cheeseburger Combo Meal with Dessert
On Veterans Day, Monday Nov. 11, participating Max & Erma’s locations are celebrating veterans and active military personnel with a Cheeseburger, choice of soup or salad and a chocolate chip cookie.
McCormick and Schmick’s Free Entree
Enjoy a complimentary entree on Sunday November 10th, 2013. All veterans must show official verification. Veterans Day entrees must be enjoyed at the restaurant. No to-go orders permitted.
Menchie’s Free Frozen Yogurt
On Veterans Day, Monday, November 11th, 2013 Veterans and active duty personnel get a a free 6 oz. frozen yogurt. Show a valid ID or be in uniform to receive.
Noah’s Bagels Free Bagel and Shmear
This Veterans Day from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., all active, inactive and retired military personnel are invited to receive a Free Signature or Classic Bagel and Shmear, or any other topping, and no purchase is necessary.
O’Charley’s free meal
On Monday, November 11 all veterans and all active-duty military personnel will have their choice of one of nine meals on the O’Charley’s “$9.99er” menu. Options include O’Charley’s Famous Chicken Tenders & Twisted Chips, Cowboy Sirloin, Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie and Santa Fe Tilapia, among others.
Olive Garden Free Meal
All veterans and military active duty will receive a free meal from a special menu on Veterans Day. Also, all November current military service members and their families get 10% off in honor of Military Appreciation Month.
On The Border Free Entree
All veterans and active duty military will receive a free entree from the “Create Your Own Combo menu” on Monday, November 11, 2013. OTB will also donate 15% of all eligible sales on Veterans Day from guests who bring in a give-back flyer.
Outback Steakhouse Free Bloomin’ Onion® and a beverage
Military personnel and veterans get a Free Bloomin’ Onion® and a beverage. Must have valid identification. Plus, get 10% off all meals from Nov. 12 through Dec. 31.
Paciugo Gelato Caffe
Paciugo will thank our nation’s veterans and troops on Veterans Day with a free 12 oz Gelatte on Monday, November 11, 2013. Military guests will need to provide proof of military service.
Red Lobster Free App & drink
From Nov. 11 – Nov. 14, service members receive a complimentary Texas Tonion appetizer and non-alcohol beverage. Includes veterans and current service members.
Red Robin Free Burger and Fries
All Veterans and Active Duty Military get a free Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Steak Fries on Monday, Nov. 11.
Sheetz
Midnight 11.11 to Midnight 11.12 vets get a free 6″ turkey sub and 20oz fountain drink.
Shoney’s Offers Free All-American Burger
Shoney’s says ‘Thank You’ to America’s heroes by offering Shoney’s All-American Burger to All Veterans and Active Duty Military Members on Monday, November 11th.
Sizzler Free Lunch
Active duty and retired members of the military get a free lunch on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2013 until 4 p.m. Guests with proof of military service will select a six-ounce six-ounce Tri Tip Steak, single Malibu Chicken or a half dozen Fried Shrimp entrée with a choice of side dish. Note this offer does not include veterans.
Spaghetti Warehouse Buy 1 Get 1 Free Meal
On Sunday, November 10th and Monday, November 11th choose 1 original spaghetti entrée or 15-layer lasagne, get the 2nd entrée free.
Texas Roadhouse Free Lunch
Select from a free special veterans lunch menu including a beverage and sides no November 11th, 2013.
TGI Fridays Free Lunch
Veterans and active duty military service members are invited have lunch on T.G.I Friday’s this Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop Free Doughnut
Veterans and active-duty military will receive a free doughnut. No purchase required. Valid ID required or show up in uniform.
Travel Centers of America Free Meal
On Veterans Day, November 11, all CDL drivers who are Military Veterans eat FREE at participating full-service restaurants with proof of service. Must present valid ID.
Tucanos Brazilian Grill
All active duty, reserve and retired military and veterans receive a complimentary Churrasco meal on Monday, Nov. 11, 2013. Also, get 10-percent off the entire bill for veterans and troops who dine with their families, from Friday, Nov. 8 through Veteran’s Day, Monday, November 11.
Twin Peaks Free Meal
On Monday, November 11 all active and retired members of the Armed Forces are invited to visit Twin Peaks for lunch or dinner and select any meal from the Twin Peaks menu. Note, this offer is not available for veterans.
Kmart’s decision to open at 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and stay open through Friday (41 hours) sparked anger among its customers.
People have threatened to boycott Kmart store for not allowing employees to go home and spend the Thanksgiving Day with their families.
In the past, Kmart still opened 6 a.m., but let employees go home at 4 p.m. to have dinner.
People have threatened to boycott Kmart store for not allowing employees to go home and spend the Thanksgiving Day with their families
When Kmart announced they weren’t doing that this year, people filled the store’s Facebook page with messages calling the company “greedy,” “heartless,” and “morally bankrupt.”
Kmart says they will staff each store with volunteers and seasonal employees where possible, and that the decision came after customers indicated they wanted more flexible holiday shopping hours.
