More than 400,000 people in India have been evacuated as Cyclone Phailin sweeps through the Bay of Bengal towards the east coast.
Cyclone Phailin, categorized as “very severe” by weather forecasters, is expected to hit Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states on Saturday evening.
The Meteorological Department has predicted the storm will bring winds up to 136 mph.
A deadly super-cyclone in 1999 killed more than 10,000 people in Orissa.
However, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii is forecasting even stronger winds, predicting sustained speeds of up to 167 mph.
Officials said Cyclone Phailin is expected to make landfall close to the city of Gopalpur (Orissa state), bringing a storm surge of at least 10 ft that was likely to cause “extensive damage” to mud houses on the coast.
More than 400,000 people in India have been evacuated as Cyclone Phailin sweeps through the Bay of Bengal towards the east coast
“No-one will be allowed to stay in mud and thatched houses in the coastal areas,” said Orissa’s Disaster Management Minister Surya Narayan Patra.
The army is on standby in the two states for emergency and relief operations. Officials said helicopters and food packages were ready to be dropped in the storm-affected areas.
Meanwhile, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre predicted that Phailin could produce gusts of up to 315 km/h, while the London-based Tropical Storm Risk classified Phailin as a Category Five storm – the most powerful.
The Times of India newspaper warned that local meteorologists may be underestimating the severity of the storm.
Meteorologists also say that the storm is not only intense but covers a wide area.
Fishermen have been asked not to venture out to sea.
Rain and winds are already being felt in Orissa, where authorities said they were setting up shelters for people who would need to be evacuated.
“We are fighting against nature. We are better prepared this time, we learnt a lot from 1999,” said Surya Narayan Patra.
Reports said that there had been panic buying in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, with shelves being emptied of food.
“I’m feeling scared and tense. My son is expected to arrive Sunday. Now I think he won’t make it,” housewife Manjushree Das told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
India’s eastern coast and Bangladesh are routinely hit by cyclonic storms between April and November which cause deaths and widespread damage to property.
In December 2011, Cyclone Thane hit the southern state of Tamil Nadu, killing dozens of people.
Kris Jenner has reportedly set her sights on rapper Drake to replace Lamar Odom and bring her daughter Khloe Kardashian happiness.
The 57-year-old Kardashian matriarch has been courting Drake to date her daughter Khloe Kardashianafter she divorcesLamar Odom, according to a new report.
Kris Jenner has reportedly set her sights on rapper Drake to replace Lamar Odom and bring her daughter Khloe Kardashian happiness
Kris Jenner doesn’t exactly approve of her daughters’ taste in men, so she’s reportedly taking some proactive measures to make sure Khloe Kardashian, 29, picks the right man when and if she splits from her husband of four years, Lamar Odom, 33.
“She’s shopping for Khloe’s next husband,” a source tells In Touch Weekly magazine, adding that momager “has her eye” on Drake, 26.
This shocking story was actually broken on VH1’s The Gossip Table, and they claimed that Kris Jenner thinks Drake is the perfect guy for Khloe Kardashian.
“She thinks he’d be perfect for Khloe,” their source continues.
“Kris is sick of her daughters ending up with jerks.”
Porter Ridge’s Terry Porter is the CEO and owner of Country Auto Parts, an auto junkyard in Southern Indiana.
The Discovery Channel reality docu-series star is the fast-talking, shirtless, wild man in charge of the most legendary business on the Ridge.
Porter Ridge’s Terry Porter is the CEO and owner of Country Auto Parts
Terry Porter was born on April 8, 1963 and is currently living in Spencer, Indiana.
Having spent his entire life on the Ridge, Terry Porter fancies himself the true leader of this backwoods clan but often times proves that he’s not suited to lead much beyond a scrapyard negotiation.
For Terry Porter, it’s all about the next race, the next repo, the next get rich quick idea and whatever it takes to beat.
Pakistan Taliban commander Latif Mehsud has been captured by US forces in a military operation, the state department has confirmed.
Spokeswoman Marie Harf described Latif Mehsud as a “terrorist leader” and a “senior commander” in the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Marie Harf gave no details of the operation.
She said he was a close confidante of the group’s leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, who this week gave a rare interview to the BBC about possible peace talks.
Marie Harf said the Pakistan Taliban (TTP) were held responsible for the attempted bombing of Times Square in 2010, as well as attacks on US diplomats in Pakistan and many Pakistani civilians.
The group “had also vowed to attack the US homeland again,” Marie Harf said.
Pakistan Taliban commander Latif Mehsud has been captured by US forces in a military operation,
An Afghan provincial official earlier told Associated Press news agency that Latif Mehsud was arrested as he was driving on a highway in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province.
The arrest took place about a week ago, the official said.
Latif Mehsud was reportedly returning from a meeting to discuss swapping prisoners.
The Washington Post said that US forces had taken him from Afghan intelligence agents who were trying to recruit him as a go-between for peace talks.
A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, Aimal Faizi, told the Post: “The Americans forcibly removed him and took him to Bagram.”
Aimal Faizi said Latif Mehsud had only agreed to meet Afghan operatives after months of negotiations.
Some reports say Hamid Karzai, who is currently holding talks with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry, was furious about the US operation.
Latif Mehsud and Hakimullah Mehsud are not thought to be related.
In a rare interview, Hakimullah Mehsud denied carrying out recent deadly attacks in public places but said he would continue to target “America and its friends”.
The chief loosely controls more than 30 militant groups in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
After being elected PM in May, Nawaz Sharif announced he would open unconditional talks with the Taliban.
The group has killed thousands of people in its war against the Pakistani state in recent years.
They control areas in the north-west and have been blamed for a wave of suicide bombings and other attacks.
Along with Pakistan, the Afghan government has also made overtures for peace with the Taliban. A number of Taliban prisoners have been freed to smooth the process.
US attempts in June to talk to the Taliban, including the opening of a now-shut Taliban office in Qatar, infuriated Hamid Karzai.
Major General Michael Carey, who was in charge of the US Air Force’s long-range nuclear missiles, has been sacked due to “loss of trust and confidence”, officials have said.
Michael Carey’s removal was for “behavior during a temporary duty assignment”.
The sacking was not linked to the operation of the nuclear arsenal, which was safe, the officials insisted.
On Wednesday the US Navy announced an admiral overseeing nuclear weapons forces had been sacked from the role.
That was due to illegal gambling activities, officials said.
Michael Carey is a two-star general in the 20th Air Force and was responsible for maintaining intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) at three bases across the US – a total of 450 missiles.
In a statement, the Air Force said Lt. General James Kowalski, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, had made the decision.
Major General Michael Carey has been sacked due to loss of trust and confidence
It read: “Kowalski made his decision based on information from an Inspector General investigation into Carey’s behavior during a temporary duty assignment.
“The allegations are not related to operational readiness or the inspection results of any 20th AF unit, nor do they involve s***al misconduct.”
Gen. James Kowalski said: “It’s unfortunate that I’ve had to relieve an officer who’s had an otherwise distinctive career spanning 35 years of commendable service.”
The general oversees all Air Force nuclear weapons, including aircraft-delivered.
The vice commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, is temporarily replacing Gen Carey.
The Air Force’s biography of Gen. Michael Carey says he is in charge of 9,600 people at three operational wings and served in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. It lists 13 major awards he has received.
On Wednesday the Navy announced that Vice-Admiral Tim Giardina had been removed as second-in-command of US Strategic Command.
Tim Giardina’s job was to oversee the nation’s nuclear weapons forces.
He is accused of using counterfeit gambling chips in “a significant monetary amount” at an Iowa casino.
Brody and Brandon Jenner are reportedly happy with Bruce and Kris Jenner’s separation after 22 years of marriage.
Bruce Jenner’s sons from a previous marriage allegedly blame Kris Jenner for taking their father away from them when they were growing up, according to TMZ sources.
Brody and Brandon Jenner are reportedly happy with Bruce and Kris Jenner’s separation after 22 years of marriage
The website reported that when Bruce and Kris Jenner said “I do” in 1991, Brody and Brandon felt abandoned by their biological dad when they were left to be raised by their mom Linda Thompson and her new husband, David Foster.
TMZ‘s sources claim the boys felt Kris Jenner convinced their dad to leave them for his new family, and they have been carrying around bitterness toward Kris ever since.
Brandon and Brody Jenner reportedly know that Bruce did not pay child support for 10 years and then gave $1,500 a month afterward, and they think it’s because Kris was calling the shots.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality show will continue to film post the couple’s new separate living arrangements.
A second migrant boat with more than 200 people on board has capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa and a rescue operation is under way, officials say.
Italian and Maltese ships – backed by helicopters – are assisting at the scene.
At least 120 people are said to have been saved, but bodies have also been reportedly spotted in the water.
Last week more than 300 people drowned when a boat carrying African migrants sank off Lampedusa.
Last week more than 300 people drowned when a boat carrying African migrants sank off Lampedusa
Italy’s coast guard and Maltese officials said the boat capsized about 70 miles off Lampedusa on Friday.
The vessel was reportedly first spotted by the Maltese air force who then requested Italy’s help.
The Maltese authorities are co-ordinating the operation in the country’s territorial waters.
Italy’s Ansa news agency reports that bodies were seen in the water – but this has not been officially confirmed.
The nationalities of those on board the boat were not immediately known.
Lampedusa, which lies 180 miles off the coast of Africa, is a key destination for migrant vessels bound for Europe.
Last Thursday, more than 300 people – mostly Somalis and Eritreans – died when their boat sank near the island.
Only 155 people were rescued of more than 500 migrants.
Many of the island’s residents have long complained that EU and Italian authorities are not doing enough to deal with the thousands who come ashore.
According to a new study, healthy adults do not need to take vitamin D supplements.
The study published in The Lancet found the subjects had no beneficial effect on bone density, a sign of osteoporosis.
Experts say many other factors could be at play and people should not stop taking supplements.
University of Auckland researchers analyzed 23 studies involving more than 4,000 healthy people.
The New Zealand research team conducted a meta-analysis of all randomized trials examining the effects of vitamin D supplementation on bone mineral density in healthy adults up to July 2012.
The supplements were taken for an average of two years by the study participants.
Healthy adults do not need to take vitamin D supplements
Bone mineral density is a measure of bone strength and measures the amount of bone mineral present at different sites in the body. It is often seen as an indicator for the risk of osteoporosis, which can lead to an increased risk of fracture.
The trials took place in a number of different countries including the UK, the US, Australia, Holland, Finland and Norway.
Although the results did not identify any benefits for people who took vitamin D, they did find a small but statistically significant increase in bone density at the neck of the femur near the hip joint.
According to the authors, this effect is unlikely to be clinically significant.
Prof. Ian Reid, lead study author, from the University of Auckland, said the findings showed that healthy adults did not need to take vitamin D supplements.
“Our data suggest that the targeting of low-dose vitamin D supplements only to individuals who are likely to be deficient could free up substantial resources that could be better used elsewhere in healthcare.”
Writing about the study in The Lancet, Clifford J. Rosen from the Maine Medical Research Institute agrees that science’s understanding of vitamin D supports the findings for healthy adults, but not for everyone.
“Supplementation to prevent osteoporosis in healthy adults is not warranted. However, maintenance of vitamin D stores in the elderly combined with sufficient dietary calcium intake remains an effective approach for prevention of hip fractures.”
The Department of Health currently recommends that a daily supplement of vitamin D of 10 micrograms (0.01 mg) should be taken by pregnant and breastfeeding women and people over 65, while babies aged six months to five years should take vitamin drops containing 7 to 8.5 micrograms (0.007-0.0085 mg) per day.
The Vatican has decided to withdraw from sale 6,000 copies of a new papal medal on which the name of Jesus was misspelled.
In an inscription around the edge of the coin, Jesus was spelt with an L instead of a J.
The word “Jesus” is misspelt as “Lesus” in the upper right-hand section of the coin
Keen-eyed experts snapped up a handful of the coins, which were struck in gold, silver and bronze by the Italian mint, before the mistake was noticed.
Vatican coins and medals bearing the face of Pope Francis are bought by collectors all over the world.
New medals are struck when every new pope is elected and they provide a useful source of income for the Vatican, which is undergoing a major spending review under the leadership of Pope Francis.
As news of the mistake travelled, social media users cracked jokes about this new religious figure, “Lesus” Christ. “I blame the Lesuits,” went one tweet while another had “Let us pray Lesus”.
A printing mix up led to early copies of the latest Bridget Jones book – Mad About the Boy – having a chunk of David Jason’s memoirs in the middle.
About 40 pages of Sir David Jason’s My Life were printed in Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones:Mad About the Boy, both of which came out on the same day.
“The printers have had a Bridget moment,” said publishers Vintage.
It said it was recalling the misprinted copies and replacing them with correct versions.
“A printing error has been detected in some of the very early copies of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy,” said a Vintage spokesman.
A printing mix up led to early copies of the latest Bridget Jones book, Mad About the Boy, having a chunk of David Jason’s memoirs in the middle
“Copies printed on one day have given readers an accidental preview of David Jason’s autobiography.”
Both Helen Fielding and David Jason’s book were published on what the publishing world has dubbed “Super Thursday”, when publishing houses put out some of their highest-priority titles for the Christmas market.
Among other books released are Jennifer Saunders’ autobiography Bonkers, My Life in Laughs; Mo Farah’s Twin Ambitions and John Bishop’s How Did All This Happen?.
Mad About the Boy signals the final chapter of hapless “singleton” Bridget Jones’s diaries.
Fans may already know one of the significant plotlines after extracts were earlier published in the Sunday Times Magazine.
Although Helen Fielding herself approved the reveal, some fans were shocked to be told of such a major twist before the book had even been published.
Michael Douglas has revealed why he lied to the press about the type of cancer he had.
The 69-year-old actor explained that he discussed the cancer with his surgeon and decided to mislead the press about the type of cancer he had.
“This was right before I had to go on a big tour for Wall Street 4 so we kinda said there’s no way we can cancel the tour and say we don’t feel well,” Michael Douglas said.
“You gotta tell them, so you know, I said you just gotta come out and just tell them I’ve got cancer and that’s that.”
“But, the surgeon said let’s just say it’s throat cancer. I said <<OK, you don’t want to say it’s tongue cancer, why’s that?>> and he said <<well, if you really wanna know why, if we do have to have surgery it’s not gonna be pretty>>.
“You’ll lose part of your jaw and your tongue and all of that stuff. So I said, <<OK sure>>.”
Michael Douglas spoke to fellow thespian Samuel L. Jackson about how he felt when he found out he had the disease on Thursday’s This Morning show.
Michael Douglas spoke to fellow thespian Samuel L. Jackson about how he felt when he found out he had the disease on Thursday’s This Morning show
“I will never forget it… I had an inkling… particularly when I saw the look on his face when he pushed my tongue down. It kind of all rushes over you, you get a little numb, very numb.”
A further blow came for Michael Douglas when he discovered the severity of his cancer when he was diagnosed in August 2010.
“I said <<Stage four?>>…And that’s where I got a little scared,” Michael Douglas confessed.
On a special Male Cancer Awareness Week episode of the show in association with One for the Boys, Michael Douglas talked about how the diagnosis affected his children.
“The kids were great. They saw me have the radiation. I found the more they knew the better it was, what scares you is not knowing,” he explained.
“I looked pretty weird and I lost a lot of weight and I sat my kids down when there was some stupid tabloid stories and I said <<guys, I want you to know in case you hear at school that their might me stories coming out about your mummy and I…>> and my thirteen-year-old son Dylan said <<you mean like the story when you had three weeks to live, Dad?>> And I said <<yeah, like that one Dylan!>>.”
Michael Douglas also spoke about his current health.
“I was having checks every three months, then you go to six months, and just before I got here I had my last check up and I passed two years and I’m clean. And with my type of cancer if you’re clean after two years, there’s a 95 percent chance of it not coming back.”
Michael Douglas made his message clear to other men.
“Guys… you look at your body every day, you know every mole and everything that’s there. If you see something that looks a little strange or you feel a bump somewhere, check it out. Please.
“I made that mistake and I don’t want to see you do it.”
The Nobel Peace Prize 2013 was awarded to Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) “for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”.
The OPCW is the body overseeing destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons.
The Hague-based OPCW was established to enforce the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.
It recently sent inspectors to carry out the dismantling of Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2013 was awarded to Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons
The watchdog picks up a gold medal and 8 million Swedish kronor ($1.25 million) as winner of the most coveted of the Nobel honors.
Pakistani schoolgirl campaigner Malala Yousafzai and gynaecologist Denis Mukwege of the Democratic Republic of Congo had been tipped as favorites to take the award.
Others who had been listed as contenders were Chelsea Manning (formerly Bradley Manning), the US soldier convicted of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks and Maggie Gobran, an Egyptian computer scientist who abandoned her academic career to become a Coptic Christian nun and founded the charity Stephen’s Children.
But an hour before Friday’s announcement, Norway’s public broadcaster reported the award would go to the OPCW.
The 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention has contributed to the destruction of nearly 80% of the world’s chemical weapons stockpile.
Asian markets have risen on hopes the US will reach a deal on raising its debt ceiling, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street.
This was after Republicans from House of Representatives offered President Barack Obama a short-term increase in the debt limit to stave off default.
Stock indexes in Japan, Australia, China and Hong Kong all gained.
There have been concerns that a failure to agree a deal to raise the limit may see the US default on its payments and hurt the global economy.
Analysts said the offer by the Republicans had raised hopes that such a scenario was likely to be avoided.
Asian markets have risen on hopes the US will reach a deal on raising its debt ceiling, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street
“What this is, is opening the door to discussion and negotiation when before we had two sides just finger pointing,” said Peter Jankovskis, co-chief investment officer at OakBrook Investments LLC.
“We don’t know if in six weeks we’ll be in the same place, but at least this opens the possibility [of a deal]”, he said.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rose 1.5%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.3%, Australia’s ASX 200 added 1.6% and South Korea’s Kospi was up 1.2%.
On Thursday, the US markets had their best day since January 2013, buoyed by the proposal. The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq indexes all closed up by more than 2%.
The US needs to agree on raising the nation’s $16.69 trillion debt ceiling by October 17.
A failure to do so could see the US government default, as it runs out of money to pay its bills and service its national debt.
Republicans in the House of Representatives have met President Barack Obama amid renewed efforts to avert a looming debt crisis.
Both sides described the 90-minute meeting as useful but said no decision was made. They agreed to keep talking.
Republicans have offered the president a short-term debt limit increase to stave off default.
A new poll suggests the majority of Americans blame the Republicans for the partial shutdown of government.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll suggests 53% of Americans blame the Republicans for the crisis, compared with 31% who say the Democrats are responsible.
“It was a very adult conversation,” said Republican Hal Rogers of the meeting.
“Both sides said they were there in good faith.”
House Majority leader Eric Cantor called the meeting “very useful” and said the talks were continuing.
The White House said in a statement: “The president looks forward to making continued progress with members on both sides of the aisle.”
Officials have warned the US risks default on October 17 if the nation’s borrowing limit is not increased.
Republicans in the House of Representatives have met President Barack Obama amid renewed efforts to avert a looming debt crisis
Republicans have offered to extend the government’s borrowing authority beyond the deadline, temporarily putting off a default.
In return they want Barack Obama to further negotiate on the budget dispute that has partially closed the government – the first shutdown for 17 years.
It is not clear if Republicans are willing to drop entirely their attempts to defund or delay Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare law.
Leading Republican Pete Sessions said the two sides were working on “defining parameters to see if we can make progress”.
Earlier, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said Republicans had told Barack Obama they wanted “a temporary increase in the debt ceiling” followed by talks on “a way forward to reopen the government.”
“It’s time for leadership,” the Ohio Republican said.
“It’s time for these negotiations and this conversation to begin.”
A spokesman for John Boehner told reporters the deal offered was a “clean” increase of the debt limit, with no additional policies attached.
It would only last six weeks – until November 22.
Reacting to the offer, White House press secretary Jay Carney told a daily press briefing the president was glad that “cooler heads” seemed to be prevailing in the House.
But he added: “He will not pay ransom in exchange for the Republicans in the House doing their job.”
Earlier on Thursday, Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid said the Senate would “look at anything” the House sent to them, but they would not engage in negotiations with Republicans prior to reopening the government.
The impasse over the debt limit has already rattled markets and increased the interest rate for one-month US Treasury bills. But US stock markets rebounded on Thursday on news of a possible breakthrough.
Democratic Senate finance committee chairman Max Baucus said the Republican campaign to undermine the healthcare law in return for agreeing to end the shutdown was “not up for debate” and would not happen.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been out of work since the shutdown began, and private firms, from arms makers to motels, have begun to lay off workers.
About 15,000 private-sector employees have filed for unemployment benefits due to the shutdown, the US labor department said on Thursday.
And governors in at least four western states – Utah, South Dakota, Arizona and Colorado – have asked for authority to reopen national parks within their borders because of the economic impact of the closures.
On Thursday, Barack Obama signed legislation restoring death benefits to families of US troops who have died since the government closed. The shutdown prevented processing of the payments, typically made within days of the soldier’s death.
The president also met House Democrats at the White House on Wednesday and told them he would prefer a longer-term increase to the nation’s $16.69 trillion debt ceiling.
But the president said he was willing to accept a short-term rise in the borrowing cap to “give Boehner some time to deal with the Tea Party wing of his party”, Representative Peter Welch told the Associated Press news agency after the meeting, referring to a Republican faction of hard-core conservatives.
Earlier, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told a congressional panel that skipping a payment on US debt would trigger a potentially profound financial crisis.
“It would be chaos,” Jack Lew told the Senate hearing.
Since the US hit its debt ceiling in May, the treasury has been using what are called extraordinary measures to keep paying the bills, but those methods will be exhausted by October 17, Jack Lew has said.
The mother of US citizen Kenneth Bae who is imprisoned in North Korea is being allowed to visit him, his family says.
Terri Chung, the sister of Kenneth Bae, said their mother was in Pyongyang and due to meet him on Friday morning.
Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American, was arrested last November and sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor in May.
North Korea said that Kenneth Bae – described as both a tour operator and Christian missionary – had used his tourism business to plot sedition.
In a video statement made prior to her departure, Myunghee Bae said she expected to be in North Korea for five days.
“I don’t really know what to expect for my trip. All I know is that I want to see my son,” she said.
She said she was grateful to the North Korean authorities for allowing her to visit and expressed shock at the appearance of her son in an interview from prison on July 3.
The mother of US citizen Kenneth Bae who is imprisoned in North Korea is being allowed to visit him
“He looked so different and he lost so much weight. I could not believe that prisoner was my son,” she said.
Kenneth Bae’s family say his health has deteriorated in recent months and he is suffering from diabetes, an enlarged heart and back pain.
Two months ago, he was transferred from a prison camp to a hospital, they said.
Kenneth Bae (known in North Korea as Pae Jun-ho) was arrested in November 2012 as he entered the north-eastern port city of Rason, a special economic zone near North Korea’s border with China.
His trial and conviction came at a time of high tension between the US and North Korea, in the wake of the communist state’s third nuclear test on February 13.
It also came as the US and South Korea conducted annual large-scale military exercises, which angered Pyongyang.
Tensions have since eased somewhat. In August, North Korea issued and then revoked an invitation for US envoy Robert King to travel to Pyongyang to seek Kenneth Bae’s release.
North Korea has arrested several US citizens in recent years, including journalists and Christians accused of proselytizing.
They were released after visits to Pyongyang by high-profile officials, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
The US accuses North Korea of using detained citizens as bargaining chips.
Mercury 7 astronaut Scott Carpenter has died aged 88, his family has announced.
In 1962 Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the earth, piloting the Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the earth.
After retiring in 1969 he took up oceanographic activities.
John Glenn, who flew the first orbital mission, is the last surviving member of the Mercury team.
Scott Carpenter’s wife, Patty Barrett, said her husband had suffered complications following a stroke in September and died in a Denver hospice.
He lived in Vail, Colorado.
In 1962 Scott Carpenter became the second American to orbit the earth, piloting the Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the earth
Scott Carpenter, who was born in Boulder, Colorado, was commissioned in the US Navy in 1949 and served as a pilot during the Korean War.
In April 1959, Scott Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts and underwent training with NASA, specializing in communication and navigation.
Scott Carpenter was the backup pilot for John Glenn during preparation for the first US manned orbital space flight in February 1962, and gave the historic send-off to his teammate: “Godspeed, John Glenn.”
During his own flight, Scott Carpenter’s capsule landed 288 miles away from where it was meant to, leaving NASA and the nation waiting anxiously to see if he had survived.
The Navy recovered him from the Caribbean, floating in his life-raft with his feet propped up.
In a joint lecture with John Glenn 49 years later at the Smithsonian Institution, Scott Carpenter recalled his feelings from that time.
“You’re looking out at a totally black sky, seeing an altimeter reading of 90,000ft and realize you are going straight up. And the thought crossed my mind: What am I doing?”
Scott Carpenter did not go back into space but later joined the US Navy’s SeaLab II programme and in 1965 spent 30 days under the ocean off the coast of California.
After retirement he founded Scott Carpenter’s company Sea Sciences, working closely with diver and researcher Jacques Cousteau.
Malala Yousafzai and the Congolese doctor who helped rape victims are among this year’s Nobel Peace Prize favorites.
The winner of the most coveted of the Nobel honors will be revealed in Oslo at 11:00 local time Friday.
This year’s record list of 259 nominees remains a secret, but bookmakers and pundits say Malala is a contender.
Gynaecologist Denis Mukwege of the Democratic Republic of Congo is also tipped but predictions are often wrong.
Chelsea Manning, the US soldier convicted of giving classified documents to WikiLeaks has also been listed as a potential nominee.
Malala Yousafzai is among this year’s Nobel Peace Prize favorites
Others include Maggie Gobran, an Egyptian computer scientist who abandoned her academic career to become a Coptic Christian nun and founded the charity Stephen’s Children, and Russian former mathematics professor Svetlana Gannushinka who set up the rights group Civil Assistance.
If she wins, Malala Yousafzai, 16, will claim a gold medal, 8 million Swedish kronor ($1.25 million) and the title of youngest-ever Nobel laureate.
Malala Yousafzai emerged as a contender after continuing her work to promote better rights for girls despite being shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan.
The Pakistani young activist rose to prominence in 2009 after writing a blog anonymously for the BBC Urdu service about her life under Taliban rule in Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
On Thursday Malala Yousafzai was named as the winner of the EU’s Sakharov prize, a 50,000-euro ($65,000) award considered Europe’s top human rights accolade.
Bookmakers have placed Malala Yousafzai as 3/5 favourite on a list which includes long shots such as U2 singer Bono, Russian President Vladimir Putin and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Denis Mukwege, who has been listed as a possible Nobel laureate in the past, set up a hospital and foundation to help tens of thousands of women raped by militants and soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Like Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege was also targeted by assassins a year ago. He escaped injury but temporarily sought exile in Europe.
Previous Nobel peace prize laureates include anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, US President Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama and Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
In 2012 the prize was awarded to the European Union in recognition of its contribution to peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.
The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship could be loaded aboard Dockwise Vanguard – a colossal salvage vessel – after a deal was struck with a Dutch company.
The Dockwise Vanguard, capable of picking up oil rigs, has been recruited as an option to move the ship.
The vessel can sink under the Costa Concordia then rise up to lift it clear of the water before sailing it to be scrapped.
Some 32 people died after the Concordia ran aground with more than 4,000 passengers and crew in January 2012.
The wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship could be loaded aboard Dockwise Vanguard
Salvage teams moved the ship to an upright position last month, enabling divers to find the remains of one of two people who were still unaccounted for.
Costa Crociere, Concordia’s owner, said the Vanguard had been retained as one possible option for removing the wreck from its current location off Giglio island in 2014.
It said the $30 million contract to use the salvage vessel would offer a “safe and swift” method to transport the cruise ship to its as yet undetermined final destination.
The company said the operation is the biggest salvage ever attempted on a ship of the Costa Concordia’s size.
The 902ft-long Vanguard has no bow and a flat stern, allowing it contain the longer cruise ship.
The Vanguard, described by its Dutch owner Royal Boskalis as the world’s largest semi-submersible ship, uses vast ballast tanks to lower and raise itself around its cargo.
The company said modifications would need to be made before it is capable of carrying Costa Concordia.
Kris Jenner is reportedly eager to jump back into the dating scene with younger men as she and Bruce Jenner are officially separated.
Kris Jenner, 57, wanted to split from Bruce after twenty two years of marriage because she was “tired of being held down”, according to HollywoodLife.com.
Kris Jenner is reportedly eager to jump back into the dating scene with younger men as she and Bruce Jenner are officially separated
Dating younger men is nothing new for Kris Jenner, who was linked to Todd Waterman, who is now 48, while she was married to her first husband, Robert Kardashian, who was 11 years her senior.
“The separation was Kris’ idea. She’s tired of being held down. She wants to date, and she wants to date younger men,” a friend of the Kardashian family told HollywoodLife.com.
“Kris and Bruce were fighting nonstop and Bruce was tired of Kris treating him like a second-class citizen.”
The source added: “Kris is if course happier because now she is a free woman and can do whatever she wants.”
As Kris and Bruce Jenner released a statement confirming their separation, everyone wondered if the momager’s recent dinner with Britney Spears’ ex Jason Trawick, 42, was an actual date.
Libya’s Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has called for “rationality and wisdom” after being freed from the custody of militiamen.
Ali Zeidan was abducted from a Tripoli hotel and held for several hours by armed men whose identity has yet to be confirmed.
In a cabinet meeting, PM Ali Zeidan thanked “real revolutionaries” who took part in a security operation to free him.
The motive of the abduction is unclear but some militias had been angered by a US commando raid to capture senior al-Qaeda suspect Anas al-Liby.
Many militia groups saw the raid in Tripoli on Saturday as a breach of Libyan sovereignty and there is growing pressure on the government to explain if it was involved.
One group, the Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (LROR), said it had captured Ali Zeidan, claiming it was acting on orders from the prosecutor general. But the justice ministry denied this.
The LROR said its actions had not been related to Anas al-Liby’s detention.
The official Lana news agency also named another formal rebel group, the Brigade for the Fight against Crime, as being involved.
Ali Zeidan has called for “rationality and wisdom” after being freed from the custody of militiamen
Two years after the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Libya still has no constitution and divisions between secular and Islamist forces have paralyzed parliament.
The government has been struggling to contain the numerous militias who control many parts of the country.
Ali Zeidan’s cabinet meeting following his release was shown live on Libya’s al-Ahrar television.
He thanked those who had helped free him but gave no details about them or the abductors.
He said: “I salute the revolutionaries who had an important role. The real revolutionaries, those who rose above greedy demands, I salute them for what they did in this affair.”
Ali Zeidan urged them to “assimilate into the state, and play an active role in it through its civilian and military institutions”.
He added: “Only with an army and the police can a state exist.”
The prime minister said of his capture: “These are accidental things from the revolution’s overflow and they will disappear.”
Ali Zeidan also said Libya would “regain its health” and be “an active, positive nation”.
He assured foreigners the incident had happened “within the context of Libyan political wrangles”.
Ali Zeidan ended by calling for “caution and rationality in handling this matter”.
He had been taken in a pre-dawn raid on the Corinthia Hotel by more than 100 armed men.
Photographs circulating online showed Ali Zeidan being surrounded and led away. There were no reports of violence during his capture.
The prime minister was reportedly held at the interior ministry anti-crime department in Tripoli, where an official said he was treated well.
In a news conference shortly before the release was announced, the government condemned the “criminal act” of his detention and said it would not give in to “blackmail”.
The LROR is one of a number of militias operating in Libya which are nominally attached to government ministries but often act independently and, correspondents say, often have the upper hand over police and army forces.
Norway’s intelligence agency PST is investigating whether a Norwegian citizen was involved in the attack on Nairobi’s Westgate mall.
The PST said it had sent investigators to Kenya to try to verify the claim.
It said it was opening an inquiry “based on information that a Norwegian citizen may have been involved”.
A Norwegian of Somali origin may have been involved in planning and carrying out the September 21 attack in which at least 67 people died, the PST said.
“The enquiry will primarily be aimed at helping prevent new terrorist acts and [determining] to what degree the Norwegian… was involved in the attack,” the agency said.
Norway’s intelligence agency PST is investigating whether a Norwegian citizen was involved in the attack on Nairobi’s Westgate mall
The PST added that it would also try to establish if the unnamed suspect had ties to Somalia’s al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda-linked militant group which said it had carried out the attack.
It said it was working to assess any potential threats to Norway and Norwegian interests.
Reports have suggested that an al-Shabab leader targeted at the weekend in a US military operation may have spent time in Norway.
The October 5 raid failed to capture Abdukadir Mohamed Abdukadir, alias Ikrima. He is thought to be a Kenyan citizen of Somali origin, one of many Kenyan Somalis and other foreign fighters who have joined the group.
Norway’s TV2 reported earlier this week that Ikrima had travelled to Norway and applied for asylum in 2004 but left in 2008 before there was a decision on his application.
Norwegian officials have not commented on the claims.
Last week Kenya’s military identified four men it said were involved in the Westgate siege. It said Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr were killed during the standoff.
Abu Baara al-Sudani was said to have been an “experienced fighter” from Sudan, who led the group. Nabhan was a Kenyan of Arab origin and Kene a Somali linked to al-Shabab. Details about Umayr were not available.
An Ohio officials report note that two prison guards falsified logs documenting their observation of kidnapper Ariel Castro in the hours before he killed himself.
A state inquiry has found video footage indicating that two guards failed to make checks at least eight times on the day Ariel Castro was found hanged in his cell.
It also asks authorities to consider whether he died of auto-er**ic asphyxiation.
Ariel Castro, 53, was jailed for life for abducting three women – Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry – over a decade.
He had raped them repeatedly at his home in Cleveland.
The Ohio Department for Rehabilitation and Correction published its findings on Thursday.
Two prison guards falsified logs documenting their observation of kidnapper Ariel Castro in the hours before he killed himself
The report said that prison guards had failed to check Ariel Castro at least eight times between 15:03 and 20:15 local time on 3 September. He was found hanged in his cell in Orient, Ohio, at 21:18.
The document said that “post log books were falsified” and that “there was no satisfactory verification process in place”.
It was also revealed that Ariel Castro “was found in his cell with a Bible open to John Chapters 2 and 3”.
“Additionally, he had pictures of his family out and arranged in a poster-board fashion. His pants and underwear were pulled down to his ankles.”
The convict left no suicide note.
The report said Ariel Castro’s intentions were unclear, however the facts had been “relayed to the Ohio State Highway Patrol for consideration of the possibility of auto-er**ic asphyxiation”.
Ariel Castro was supposed to have been checked by guards in his isolation cell in Orient, Ohio every 30 minutes.
He was taken off suicide watch in June after authorities determined he was not at risk of taking his own life.
They also denied Ariel Castro permission to receive independent mental counseling, even though he had previously contemplated suicide and was likely to suffer depression after his sentence, his lawyer Craig Weintraub told reporters last month.
The former school bus driver abducted Michelle Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, from the Cleveland streets between 2002-04.
The three women escaped from Castro’s home on May 6.
Ariel Castro was sentenced on August 1st to life imprisonment without parole plus 1,000 years.
In an interview soon after his conviction, Ariel Castro’s lawyers said that he fit the profile of someone with a sociopathic disorder.
The latest episode of Duck Dynasty showed Phil and Miss Kay Robertson being worried about their mortality after a visit to the doctor.
Phil and Miss Kay Robertson went to visit their son Willie to share their concerns.
“Well, simply put,” Phil Robertson told Willie.
“We’re dying,” finished Miss Kay.
“You’re both dying?” asked a confused Willie.
After a visit to the doctor, Phil and Miss Kay Robertson were worried about their mortality
“Miss Kay and I are healthy as we can be, as far as I know,” explained Phil.
“If you made it 65 years, you’re like, way ahead of the game, but we will go.”
“So, no one’s dying, right?” clarified Willie Robertson.
“Well, not at the moment,” admitted Miss Kay.
“We just want to make sure that what we leave behind is in order,” said Phil Robertson.
“Is this about your will?” asked Willie.
“Who gets what, you know, so you don’t fight,” answered the Duck Dynasty patriarch.
“So, I’m saying let’s go down there, look at the property lines, get it all divided up.”
“Today?” the Duck Commander CEO asked.
“Today,” said his father Phil, firmly.
“Right now.”
Phil and Willie leave the office to tour the massive Robertson compound, where Willie learns that instead of getting the house (like Alan), or the land next to the river (like Jase) or the land next to the lake (like Jep), he ends up with the property that soon will have a pipeline running through it.
Willie Robertson was being something of a jerk on the latest episode of Duck Dynasty.
Willie Robertson, 40, ordered a case of wildebeest biltong, a thick, exotic cured meat from South Africa, and refused to share it with anyone.
“Anybody who knows about real beef jerky, knows about biltong,” Willie Robertson explained.
“Biltong is delicious.”
The smell of Willie Robertson’s biltong was so pungent, it brought Jase and Uncle Si straight into his office.
“I smell me some meat,” said Jase Robertson.
“I’m part bloodhound. The nose don’t lie.”
“I smell meat,” chimed in Uncle Si Robertson.
Willie Robertson was being something of a jerk on the latest episode of Duck Dynasty
“Let’s eat, son.”
Willie Robertson, however, was not giving up the jerky.
“This is mine, I put Jack Link’s in the break room for you guys,” the Duck Commander CEO explained.
“I’m not here to feed you guys, you’re here to work.”
“Are you serious, you’re not going to share that?” asked a slightly bewildered Jase Robertson.
“Mmmm-hmmm,” replied Willie, licking the biltong.
“That’s just wrong,” said Jase, leaving Willie’s office in disgust.
“That’s it, I’m out of here. You’re a terrible brother.”
Having been denied a share of Willie’s biltong, Jase and Uncle Si were left with an insatiable hankering for dried meat.
“We have, as rednecks, the right to eat beef jerky,” explained a ticked off Jase.
“Beef jerky is a redneck’s fuel. You take away his beef jerky, he’s sitting in the corner, sucking his thumb. Everyone knows that.”
To remedy the wrong, the Duck Commander crew decided take the afternoon off and make their own jerky, using Justin Martin’s venison and John Godwin’s dehydrator.
“You don’t want to share your jerky, fine,” grumbled Jase Robertson.
“I’ll make my own biltong, and I’ll call it <<Jase-tong>>.”
