Duck Dynasty published few of Miss Kay Robertson’s famous recipes like banana pudding, quick biscuits, and Swiss steak.
Miss Kay Robertson shared her banana pudding recipe, one of the Robertsons’ favorite desserts.
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 12-ounce can of evaporated milk
Miss Kay Robertson shared her banana pudding recipe, one of the Robertsons’ favorite desserts
3/4 cup of milk
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag vanilla wafers
2 bananas, sliced
Directions:
In a large double boiler, melt the butter and then add the sugar, salt, flour, evaporated milk and regular milk. Stir with a whisk. Add the egg yolks to the mixture, constantly stirring until thick. Add the vanilla extract. Place the vanilla wafers and bananas into a 9-inch-by-13-inch dish. Then pour in the mixture. Chill before serving.
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has called off a state visit to the US next month in a row over allegations of American espionage.
The US National Security Agency (NSA) has been accused of intercepting emails and messages from Dilma Rousseff, her aides and state oil company, Petrobras.
The allegations were based on documents leaked by fugitive former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
President Barack Obama had promised to investigate the incident.
The White House said he had telephoned Dilma Rousseff on Monday to discuss the matter.
The allegations of widespread espionage against Brazilian citizens were first published in July by Rio de Janeiro-based journalist Glenn Greenwald, a reporter for the Guardian newspaper.
Glenn Greenwald alleged that the NSA accessed all internet content that Dilma Rousseff had visited online.
The documents, according to the report, were part of an NSA case study showing how data could be intelligently filtered.
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has called off a state visit to the US next month in a row over allegations of American espionage
Earlier this month, another report by Glenn Greenwald on Globo Television alleged that the NSA had illegally accessed data from oil company Petrobras.
The company is due next month to carry out an important auction for exploration rights of an oil field off the Rio de Janeiro state coast.
Dilma Rousseff has said that if the accusations are proven it means the NSA was involved in “industrial espionage”.
Her US state visit, starting on October 23, was to be the first by a Brazilian president since 1995.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Brazilian government said that “given the proximity of the scheduled state visit to Washington – and in the absence of a timely investigation of the incident, with corresponding explanations and the commitment to cease the interception activities” it could not go ahead as planned.
The statement said Brazil hoped the visit would take place “as soon as possible”, once the issue had been “resolved properly”.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the postponement had been a joint decision between Dilma Rousseff and Barack Obama, who agreed it “should not be overshadowed by any bilateral issue”.
The White House said in a statement: “The president has said that he understands and regrets the concerns [that] disclosures of alleged US intelligence activities have generated in Brazil and made clear that he is committed to working together with President Rousseff and her government in diplomatic channels to move beyond this issue as a source of tension in our bilateral relationship.”
The NSA has been accused of looking into electronic communications from what the US sees as hostile Latin American governments, such as Venezuela and Ecuador, as well as traditional allies, including Mexico.
At the G20 meeting in Russia earlier this month, Barack Obama promised to investigate the allegations of espionage against Dilma Rousseff and her Mexican counterpart, Henrique Pena Nieto.
Ex-US Navy reservist Aaron Alexis, who killed 12 people and wounded eight at a Washington DC Navy base, had received treatment for mental health issues, US media have reported.
Aaron Alexis, 34, was treated for paranoia, trouble sleeping and hearing voices, the Associated Press reported.
A contractor for the Navy, Aaron Alexis had a valid pass for the secure site at the Washington Navy Yard, authorities said.
Aaron Alexis was shot and killed by police during the attack.
On Tuesday, the US capital remained in a state of shock and mourning.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel laid a wreath at US Navy Memorial Plaza in honor of the Navy Yard victims.
A Washington Nationals baseball game originally scheduled for Monday night was rescheduled to Tuesday afternoon – the baseball stadium is just blocks from the Navy Yard.
The flag flew at half-mast over the White House, where hours after the attack President Barack Obama mourned “yet another mass shooting”.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has ordered a physical security review of all Navy and Marine Corps installations.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama would continue to push for tighter gun control laws in the wake of Monday’s shooting.
The shooting began about 8:20 local time on Monday, when a gunman apparently shot his way into the heavily guarded Building 197, headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command, which builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Navy.
Aaron Alexis was treated for paranoia, trouble sleeping and hearing voices
Witnesses said the gunman sprayed bullets in a hallway and fired from a balcony down on to workers in an atrium at the heavily secured installation in the US capital.
Aaron Alexis was armed with a shotgun legally purchased in Virginia, as well as one handgun authorities say may have been obtained inside the naval installation.
The attack only ended when police stormed the building and shot him dead, police said.
“There is no question he would have kept shooting,” Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters on Monday.
On Tuesday, authorities said they believed Aaron Alexis had acted alone and that all victims – ranging in age from 46 to 73 – had been identified.
Authorities have revealed no motive for the attack, and have begun combing the US for hints about Aaron Alexis’ past.
As an employee of an IT contractor, Aaron Alexis apparently had a card granting him access to the building – even though he had had several run-ins with the law and had been discharged from the Navy under a cloud, authorities said.
“It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as chequered as this man could conceivably get, you know, clearance to get… credentials to be able to get on the base,” Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray told CNN.
Aaron Alexis left the Navy as a petty officer 3rd class, after serving full-time in the naval reserve from 2007-11.
He received two routine medals for his service in the Navy: the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Aaron Alexis separated from the Navy reserves under what is called a general discharge, a status that suggests misconduct.
He had been cited for misconduct – including insubordination, disorderly conduct and excessive absences from work – at least eight times during his Navy career, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
According to media reports, Aaron Alexis was a Buddhist convert who had had two previous gun-related brushes with the law.
In 2004 he was arrested in Seattle for shooting a construction worker’s car tyres, in what he described as an enraged “black-out”.
Aaron Alexis was questioned by Fort Worth police in 2010 after firing his gun through the floor of an upstairs apartment. He said it was an accidental discharge.
Also, in August 2008, Aaron Alexis was arrested for disorderly conduct in the state of Georgia, according to the Smoking Gun, a website that collects police and court documents. Details on the incident were not available.
On Tuesday, Aaron Alexis’ employer said the military should have made his record known.
“Anything that suggests criminal problems or mental health issues, that would be a flag. We would not have hired him,” Thomas Hoshko, chief executive officer of The Experts, told the Washington Post.
The IT contractor confirmed Aaron Alexis had worked since July at six different military installations and had only been at the Navy Yard for a few days before the shooting.
Carlos Santana got into a small fender bender on Friday after hitting a parked car while cruising through an upscale Las Vegas neighborhood.
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department commented that there was no one inside the parked car at the time of the accident and no injuries to report.
Carlos Santana, 66, was unharmed in the incident. “He hit a parked car,” Police Lt. Ken Roman commented to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
“It was a minor accident, is all.”
Carlos Santana hit a parked car while cruising through an upscale Las Vegas neighborhood
Carlos Santana was not driving under the influence at the time. Roman further stated that the accident was “minor”.
The guitarist was in Vegas at the time for a handful of shows at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino on the Strip.
Carlos Santana has been a major influence on the music scene since the ’60s. Over the spam of his career, Carlos Santana has won 15 Grammys. His best-selling album to date is Supernatural, which sold over 25 million copies and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2000.
Carlos Santana’s 22nd studio album, Shape Shifter, was release in May 2012.
Rihanna posted a make-up free selfie on Instagram.
The accompanying caption reads: “What now?”
Rihanna’s appearance in the new shot is in stark contrast to her recent visit to the UK – ostensibly to unveil her latest River Island collection at the high-street chain’s London flagship store.
Rihanna posted make-up free selfie on Instagram two days after opening a new cosmetics store in Hong Kong
After launching the distinctive new line Rihanna partied late into the night with close pal Cara Delevingne – but with her mammoth Diamonds world tour set to resume in South East Asia the star had no time to watch her friend parade down the runway at London Fashion Week.
Indeed, Rihanna kicked off the latest leg of her tour in Macau on September 13 before moving on to Manila – where she is scheduled to perform at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday.
Rihanna, 25, has also been busy launching a new M.A.C cosmetics store in Hong Kong.
Rihanna’s Diamonds tour will take in further shows across Australia and the United Arab Emirates before returning to the US in November.
New documents reveal that Kendall and Kylie Jenner earned a whopping $100,000 to lend their name to a line of OPI nail polishes last year.
The paycheck was part of a deal to promote the line along with their sisters Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, all throughout 2012.
All five girls were paid a reported $600,000 collectively for the gig, with the two teens each getting an equal share of the profits, and, of course, a cut for their mother and manager Kris Jenner who also represented the brand.
According to the contract, which was obtained byRadaronline, the deal was signed off by Kris Jenner when Kendall was just 15-years-old and Kylie 13.
Kris Jenner, 57, was given control of the deal and was allowed to “approve or disapprove all materials on their behalf”, after OPI agreed to “provide copies of all materials for which it seeks approval to Kris Jenner”.
Kendall and Kylie Jenner made $100,000 each to lend their name to OPI nail polishes last year
In addition to their pay, Kendall and Kylie Jenner also received a huge supply of nail polishes, every teenage girl’s dream.
The documents stated that OPI supplied both girls with “up to 100 of each color of the products for the celebrities to use for personal consumption or giveaway”.
And to earn their $100,000, Kendall and Kylie Jenner were only required to attend just one press day as well as a photo shoot.
They were also asked to promote the product via Twitter and other social-networking mediums on a mere two occasions during the year, which would clearly not be a problem for the Instagram and Twitter-loving teens.
If you’re looking for more great products by PacSun and want to save money then you should definitely checkout PacSun coupons at TeenScreen.
Kendall and Kylie Jenner are rising stars in the Keeping Up With The Kardashians clan.
And with Kim Kardashian currently out of the spotlight as she concentrates on motherhood following the birth of her baby daughter North, the pair are set to be in the limelight even more.
Especially Kendall Jenner, who was signed by the prestigious Wilhelmina modeling agency when she was just 14, has already racked up an impressive number of modeling jobs, including assignments for Forever 21 and Teen Vogue.
Russian politician Alexei Pushkov shocked America by mocking the Washington Navy Yard tragedy before a death toll had even been tallied.
Alexei Pushkov took to Twitter Monday morning and used Barack Obama’s words from a speech on the Syria crisis to ridicule Americans in the wake of the tragedy in Washington D.C.
“A new shootout at Navy headquarters in Washington – a lone gunman and 7 corpses. Nobody’s even surprised anymore,” Alexei Pushkov tweeted two hours after shots first rang out.
“A clear confirmation of American exceptionalism.”
As the New York Post points out, Alexei Pushkov, a member of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee was likely referencing a comment made by the president last week.
“That’s what makes us exceptional,” Barack Obama said.
“With humility, but with resolve, let us never lose sight of that essential truth.”
Barack Obama was urging Americans to support a strike on Syria as a means of halting its human rights violations.
Alexei Pushkov shocked America by mocking the Washington Navy Yard tragedy before a death toll had even been tallied
But the Russian politician used the words to mock Americans
“The USA should part with the notion of American exceptionalism,” Alexei Pushkov tweeted about an hour later.
“It contradicts the principles of equal rights and smells of political racism.”
This is not Alexei Pushkov’s first swipe at America, nor is it his first foray onto the international stage, though his timing and methods leave him more wide open for criticism than ever before.
Alexei Pushkov, who is seen as especially close with the Kremlin, was among the most vocal in Russia during NSA leaker Edward Snowden’s prolonged stay at a Moscow airport.
Edward Snowden was eventually granted asylum in Russia, but not before Alexei Pushkov got in his jabs – at Snowden and America.
Alexei Pushkov at one point became annoyed with Edward Snowden’s prolonged citizenship limbo.
He joked that if Edward Snowden does not find shelter in Venezuela, “he will have to stay and marry Anna Chapman”, the redheaded Russian spy who was among 10 sleeper agents deported from the United States in 2010.
At another point in the saga, reports mistakenly suggested Edward Snowden has left Russia and the U.S. demanded to know his whereabouts.
“Why should the United States expect restraint and understanding from Russia,” Alexei Pushkov mocked at the time.
On Monday, Alexei Pushkov again showed no restraint when he used the occasion of a deadly shooting to make a political point.
The death count at the Washington Navy Yard continued to rise after the Parliamentarian’s comments. As of Monday afternoon, the death count was 12.
Ron Shaich – the millionaire founder and CEO of the Panera Bread chain – is currently attempting to live on just $4.50 a day as part of a campaign to show what it’s like for the millions of Americans who depend on food stamps.
Ron Shaich, a keen advocate of large corporate giving back, started his low budget food shopping challenge on Saturday and has committed to doing to for an entire week.
His effort is part of the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Challenge, designed to raise awareness that “nearly 48 million people receive food stamps and 16 million children go to bed hungry”.
As well as the millionaire businessman, 26 members of Congress – all democrats – are also trying to live on $4.50 per day.
Blogging about the challenge on LinkedIn, Ron Shaich wrote about the difficulties of trying to buy healthy food on a weekly budget of $31.50.
To make his money stretch as far as possible, he visited an NSA Supermarket in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to pick up food in preparation for the challenge.
Ron Shaich writes that he soon learned he was going to have to forgo meat, fruit, vegetables and his favorite granola and instead load up on filling, carb-heavy foods.
Ron Shaich is currently attempting to live on just $4.50 a day as part of a campaign to show what it’s like for the millions of Americans who depend on food stamps
In total, Ron Shaich spent $25.95 – mainly on pasta, lentils and chickpeas – leaving him with just $6 for the rest of the week. He admitted there’s a good chance he’ll use his remaining amount on a sugar fix at some point during the week.
“This isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it’s going to be incredibly hard,” he wrote last Friday.
“I haven’t even felt the first pangs of hunger, and I’m already gaining a whole new perspective into challenges that so many people in this country face in dealing with food insecurity – from the embarrassment of having to leave items at the register to the diligence and ongoing calculation required to constantly prioritize and rank every purchase and potential purchase, big and small.”
The House of Representatives could vote this week to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, by 5.2%. That would mean up to six million Americans would be forced off of food assistance, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Ron Shaich says his intention is not to “trivialize anyone else’s experience” but merely to help spread a deeper awareness of America’s growing food instability problem.
His restaurant chain is a $3 billion-a-year business with some 1,600 outlets in the U.S. but at five of those cafes customers are able to pay whatever they choose for what they eat.
The unusual concept is part of an initiative by the company to help some of the millions of Americans who can’t afford to eat on a regular basis.
The five special restaurants operate under the “Panera Cares Café” brand and instead of cash registers, donation boxes sit on the counter, with signs telling customers: “Take what you need; leave your fair share.”
When the cashiers take meal orders, they hand receipts to customers which show how much the food would normally cost, and then the customer decides how much to leave in the box or to take off their credit card.
The first cafe opened in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton in May 2010 and since then four others have opened in Dearborn, Portland, Chicago and Boston.
Between then, these five cafes are expected to serve more than a million people in 2013.
The concept of a pay-what-you-can restaurant isn’t new, but Panera is the first major corporation to do it.
Ron Shaich thinks other major companies should start to do the same.
“Home Depot has the capability of helping after major storms. The Gap could run thrift stores,” he told Quartz earlier this year.
“It’s a challenge to view your business as not just extracting profit from society.”
A new research has found that a healthy lifestyle may do more than simply slow the ageing process – it could actually reverse it.
Keeping physically fit, having a plant-based diet and practicing stress-reduction techniques such as yoga could extend the lifespan of cells, researchers say.
They studied the effect of healthy living on lengths of DNA called telomeres – tiny “caps” on the ends of chromosomes that protect against the ageing process.
Just as the tips of shoelaces prevent fraying, telomeres keep chromosomes stable and prevent deterioration when the cells containing them divide.
Dubbed the “chromosomal clock”, they shorten as we age. This process is associated with a greater risk of early death and of conditions such as heart disease, dementia, diabetes and cancers, as well as with increased vulnerability to infection.
Scientists believe the shortening process may even place an unextendable limit on the human lifespan.
Healthy lifestyle may do more than simply slow the ageing process
The pilot study, published in The Lancet Oncology, compared two groups of men with early non-aggressive prostate cancer who had not undergone surgery or radiotherapy but were having regular checks.
One group of 25 men continued without making any changes. Ten others underwent a radical lifestyle transformation supervised by doctors, nutritionists and psychologists.
Their diet was switched to one high in plant proteins, fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains while low in fat and processed carbohydrates. They were taught stress reduction techniques such as yoga and meditation, and were given counseling. They also took moderate levels of exercise, such as walking for 30 minutes, six days a week.
After five years, blood tests showed that the telomeres of the healthy-lifestyle group had lengthened by an average of 10%, effectively reversing the natural ageing process. But the telomeres of the group who continued with their previous lifestyle shortened by an average of 3%.
The study found no significant difference between the groups in the progress of prostate cancer.
But the scientists believe that their findings carry an important health message with wider implications.
The team’s leader, Prof. Dean Ornish, from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute at the University of California in San Francisco, said: “The implications of this relatively small pilot study may go beyond men with prostate cancer.
“If validated by large-scale randomized controlled trials, these comprehensive lifestyle changes may significantly reduce the risk of a wide variety of diseases and premature mortality. Our genes, and our telomeres, are a predisposition, but they are not necessarily our fate.”
Costa Concordia cruise ship was finally pulled upright after a dramatic 19-hour salvage operation.
Salvage officials believe the bodies of waiter Russel Rebello and passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi could be found in a lifeboat beneath the ship’s hull.
It was hoped remains would become visible as the complex system of cables and hydraulics hauled the vessel – on which 32 lives were lost – from its side.
Salvage teams worked through the night for 19 hours – and decks eventually became visible after being underwater for 20 months since it went down.
The vessel is covered in rust and stained by the sea, while all the windows which were submerged in Giglio harbor, Italy, have been shattered.
Kevin Rebello, the waiter’s brother, and Elio Vincenzi, passenger Maria Grazia Trecarichi’s husband, were expected to arrive on the island today.
“I haven’t slept since yesterday,” Kevin Rebello said in an interview in Rome.
“It’s taken 20 months. If it takes another 20 hours, for me it’s worth the wait.”
Elio Vincenzi said: “I am still hoping to find my wife. This is a tense wait for me and for my daughter.”
Despite fears the ship may break apart before it reached the crucial angle of 65 degrees, the operation has gone smoothly, but slower than expected.
Costa Concordia cruise ship was finally pulled upright after a dramatic 19-hour salvage operation
The $800 million salvage effort is said to be the largest in maritime history, but there will be no saving the $575 million liner – destined for the scrapyard.
Local residents and survivors said that there was an eerie feeling as the ship rose – and some said the sight reminded them of the tragedy.
“Seeing it re-emerge is emotional for me,” said survivor Luciano Castro.
“I could not miss it. That ship could have been my end and instead I am here.”
The operation will not be complete until the vessel is towed away from the island – probably by next spring, after a full survey is done on the wreckage.
Shortly after 4 a.m. today, a foghorn wailed on Giglio island and the head of Italy’s Civil Protection agency announced that the ship had reached vertical.
Franco Gabrielli added that the operation to rotate the cruise liner – known in nautical terms as parbuckling – was complete.
Some 36 giant cables were put across the hull to drag up the ship – and enormous tanks were welded onto its side and filled with water to act as ballast.
“We completed the parbuckling operation a few minutes ago the way we thought it would happen and the way we hoped it would happen,” said Franco Porcellacchia, project manager for the Concordia’s owner, Costa Crociere Spa.
“A perfect operation, I must say.”
No environmental spill has been detected so far, he said. Applause rang out among firefighters in the tent where the engineers made the announcement.
An hour later, Nick Sloane, the South African chief salvage master, received a hero’s welcome as he came ashore from the barge that had served as the floating command control room for the operation.
“Brilliant! Perfetto,” Nick Sloane said, using some of the Italian he has learned over the past year on Giglio preparing for Tuesday’s operation.
“It was a struggle, a bit of a roller coaster. But for the whole team it was fantastic.”
Costa Concordia slammed into a reef off Giglio Island on January 13, 2012, after the captain brought it too close to shore.
Costa Concordia cruise ship drifted, listed and capsized just off the island’s port, killing 32 people.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have officially announced that they have ended their engagement on Monday.
Representatives for both Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth confirmed that the relationship was over to People magazine.
The announcement comes after Miley Cyrus, 20, and Liam Hemsworth, 23, have endure several split rumors since getting engaged last year after dating for two years.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth have officially announced that they have ended their engagement
Liam Hemsworth proposed to Miley Cyrus with a 3.5 carat Neil Lane engagement ring in May 2012, and at the time the Hannah Montana star gushed about her future with the hunky Aussie star.
“I’m so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness with Liam,” she told People magazine.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth first met on the set of the 2010 romantic drama The Last Song, and began dating not long after.
But in the last year, they have seemingly struggled with their relationship, breaking up and getting back together several times as each one continues in different directions of their careers.
And now as news of the split emerges, it seems that Liam Hemsworth may have already moved on.
Liam Hemsworth was seen getting very close to Mexican actress Eiza Gonzalez, also 23, as he partied at VIP club Bungalow in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
A government audit has found that budget cuts may have been the cause for lax security at the Washington D.C. Navy Yards where 12 people were shot dead and eight others were injured on Monday morning.
According to a yet-to-be-released government audit, federal oversight investigators concluded that the reduced security measures at the base left security risks unaddressed.
A report by the Department of Defense Inspector General’s office shows that they were concerned about the access that would be granted to outside contractors – like that of Aaron Alexis, the suspect who was killed by police during the Monday morning shooting.
The report states that the Navy “did not effectively mitigate access control risks associated with contractor installation access” to the Navy Yards.
Time Magazine published excerpts from the report after having been read portions by an unidentified federal official who had access to the Inspector General’s findings.
The security risks are placed squarely on the Navy administrators who were trying “to reduce access control costs”.
The process of gaining access to the administrative facility- where about 3,000 people work- is under severe scrutiny.
In a Monday night press conference, FBI assistant D.C. director in charge Valerie Parlave said that they concluded Aaron Alexis had legitimately accessed the building as his status as a contractor would have given him sufficient credentials to enter unquestioned.
Budget cuts may have been the cause for lax security at the Washington D.C. Navy Yards where 12 people were shot dead and eight others were injured
“He utilized a valid pass,” Valerie Parlave said during the press conference.
Aaron Alexis, 34, became a full-time Navy reservist in 2007 but was dismissed in 2011 following a series of ‘misconduct’ violations.
As a contractor for a group working for a subcontractor used by Hewlett-Packard, Aaron Alexis had the proper identification to be allowed into Navy Yard’s Building 179 where he began shooting.
“He did have a secret clearance. And he did have a CAC [common access card],” said Thomas Hoshko, CEO of subcontracting group The Experts Inc who employed Aaron Alexis.
Asked when Aaron Alexis was supposed to start work, Thomas Hoshko told Reuters that it was unclear when Alexis was supposed to start his latest stint in the government facility: “That’s what I got to find out, if he was supposed to start today … It’s not clear to me.”
“We had just recently re-hired him. Another background investigation was re-run and cleared through the defense security service in July 2013.”
Another problem with Aaron Alexis that should have been flagged up by the security access system is that he had two prior arrests- one in 2004 for shooting someone’s tires in an anger-fueled “blackout” and another in 2010 when he said that he accidentally fired into a neighbor’s apartment while cleaning his gun.
The security assessment report cites the fact that a number of people with criminal histories were able to bypass the Navy Yard’s security without any alarm.
Time reports that the audit cited 52 instances where “convicted felons received routine unauthorized installation access, placing military personnel, attendants, civilians in installations at an increased security risk”.
The research into the security inefficiencies at Navy Yard began in September 2012 and carried on through August of this year. The final report will be published within the next 30 days.
Aaron Alexis’ family is “distraught” to learn that he carried the massacre, relatives said today.
A family member said that the mother and sister of the Washington Navy Yard shooter were also “shocked” that he could have done this.
While some neighbors and acquaintances described Aaron Alexis as “nice”, his father once told detectives in Seattle that his son had anger management problems related to post-traumatic stress brought on by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
He also complained about the Navy and being a victim of discrimination during his time as a Navy reservist from 2007 to 2011.
At the time of the shootings, Aaron Alexis worked for The Experts, a subcontractor on a Hewlett Packard contract to refresh equipment used on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet network.
After leaving the reserves, Aaron Alexis worked as a waiter and delivery driver at the Happy Bowl Thai restaurant in White Settlement, a suburb of Fort Worth, according to Afton Bradley, a former co-worker. The two overlapped for about eight months before Aaron Alexis left in May, Bradley said.
Having traveled to Thailand, Aaron Alexis learned some Thai and could speak to Thai customers in their native language.
A former acquaintance, Oui Suthametewakul, said Aaron Alexis lived with him and his wife from August 2012 to May 2013 in Fort Worth, but that they had to part ways because he wasn’t paying his bills.
Aaron Alexis was a “nice guy”, Oui Suthametewakul said, though he sometimes carried a gun and would frequently complain about being the victim of discrimination.
Oui Suthametewakul said Alexis had converted to Buddhism and prayed at a local Buddhist temple.
Aaron Alexis’ family is distraught to learn that he carried the Navy Yard massacre
The shooter’s family lives in a run-down area of Brooklyn called Bedford-Stuyvesant, which was known in the 1980s for being at the center of New York’s crack epidemic.
His mother Cathleen, 60, lives in a fourth floor walk up apartment worth $130,000 with other relatives.
The street was then sealed off by police and FBI agents who stood guard outside and refused to let anybody onto the side of the street where the house is.
Later the gunman’s brother-in-law Anthony Little, who is married to Aaron Alexis’ sister Naomi, 31, arrived and said: “The family are distraught…They’re shocked.”
Anthony Little said it had been several years since had Aaron Alexis spoken with his family in Brooklyn.
He added: “He is not as close as the normal person with his family.”
Monday at around 5 p.m. two FBI agents arrived and questioned neighbors and workmen who were inside the apartment doing renovations but left after 15 minutes and refused to answer questions.
Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old civilian contractor from Fort Worth, Texas, was confirmed dead on Monday after the mass shooting which also left at least 15 people injured in the nation’s capital.
Friends of the gunman today described Aaron Alexis, who worked as a waiter at a Thai restaurant, as “friendly and polite”.
He shot dead 12 people at the Navy Yard in Washington DC today, but was described by friends as a fan of meditation and Buddhism “who didn’t seem aggressive”.
Two different portraits of Aaron Alexis have emerged, as his criminal record runs in contrast to the reports of friends and family.
He was arrested for gun-related incidents in 2004 and 2010, while he was also kept in jail in Georgia for two nights in 2008 for disorderly conduct.
Aaron Alexis had joined the Navy in 2007 but was kicked out in 2011, the year after the second gun arrest. In both gun cases, charges were never filed
He was a Petty Officer Third Class in the Navy prior to his dismissal.
Aaron Alexis was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal prior to his discharge.
He was stationed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth. His LinkedIn profile reveals that he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and worked as a network technician at SinglePoint Technologies.
Aaron Alexis received a general discharge from the Navy Reserve in 2011 after a series of misconduct issues, a Navy official said.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah against his jail term for war crimes and sentenced him to death.
In February Abdul Kader Mullah, of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was convicted by a special tribunal of crimes during the 1971 war of independence with Pakistan.
The life sentence imposed at the time sparked angry street protests.
Abdul Kader Mullah’s supporters said the charges were politically motivated but his opponents said that sentence was too lenient.
Thousands staged protests around the country demanding the death penalty for Abdul Kader Mullah, who had been convicted of charges which included overseeing massacres during the bloody struggle for independence.
The protests prompted parliament to amend a law which allowed the state to appeal against any verdict reached by the war crimes tribunal.
This meant that alongside Abdul Kader Mullah’s appeal against his verdict the Supreme Court also heard an appeal from the government which wanted a tougher sentence handed down.
Prosecutor Ziad Al Malum told AFP news agency that the decision to increase the sentence was approved by four to one at the court.
Defense lawyer Tajul Islam told the agency he was “stunned” by the verdict.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of Abdul Kader Mullah against his jail term for war crimes and sentenced him to death
“This is the first time in South Asian judicial history that a trial court sentence has been enhanced by a Supreme Court,” he said.
Local media reports cite Abdul Kader Mullah’s lawyers saying they will petition for this harsher sentence to be reviewed, but the attorney general has said there can be no appeal against a Supreme Court verdict.
Correspondents say the only option left for Abdul Kader Mullah would be to seek a presidential pardon.
Abdul Kader Mullah’s conviction and subsequent sentences handed down to other Islamist leaders by the tribunal over the last few months have unleashed a wave of unrest, pitting supporters of Jamaat, who accuse the government of pursuing a political vendetta, against pro-government groups.
More than 100 people have been killed since January in the violence.
This is just the first of a series of appeals against convictions handed down by the tribunal. Several other high-profile Islamist leaders have been sentenced by it including 90-year-old Ghulam Azam, the former leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, who was jailed for 90 years in July.
Abdul Kader Mullah, 65, was the assistant secretary-general of Jamaat and the war crimes tribunal found him guilty of five out of six charges, including murder.
He was accused of being behind a series of killings including large-scale massacres in the Mirpur area of Dhaka, which earned him the nickname of “koshai” or butcher of Mirpur, and made him one of the more feared Jamaat leaders.
The special court was set up in 2010 by the current Bangladeshi government to deal with those accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces who attempted to stop East Pakistan (as Bangladesh was then) from becoming an independent country.
But human rights groups have said the tribunal falls short of international standards.
Bangladesh government figures estimate more than three million people were killed during the independence war. Other researchers put the figure at between 300,000 and 500,000.
Dumex – Danone baby food unit – said it is investigating claims the company bribed hospital staff in China to use its products.
According to China Central Television, Dumex allegedly paid doctors and nurses in the northern city of Tianjin to promote its baby formula products.
The report, which cited an unidentified former sales manager, comes amid an anti-corruption drive by Beijing.
Dumex said it was “extremely shocked” by the allegations.
“Dumex Baby Food Co strictly adheres to Chinese laws and regulations,” a company spokeswoman said in a statement.
The latest allegations against Danone come amid a government-led crackdown on corruption in its $350 billion healthcare market.
Dumex allegedly paid doctors and nurses in the northern city of Tianjin to promote its baby formula products
Some inquiries have targeted foreign firms, including British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, which is being investigated for allegedly using inducements to promote the sale of its medicines.
In the CCTV report, Danone’s Dumex brand is accused of giving “sponsorship fees” or payments of up to 10,000 yuan ($1,632) to hospital staff.
The French food giant has faced numerous problems in China this year.
Danone cut prices for its infant milk formula products by as much as 20% after China’s top economic planning body fined it in August for price-fixing.
The firm also had to issue a precautionary recall of its milk formula products last month after one of its suppliers, Fonterra, said some items may have been contaminated.
China is an important market for companies such as Danone, which is the country’s third-largest baby formula provider.
Danone’s baby nutrition unit also makes more than 20% of its overall sales from China.
Demand for foreign brands has surged in China, after tainted milk scandals in recent years led to a distrust of local producers.
According to some estimates, foreign brands now account for about half of all infant milk sales in China.
Engineers have succeeded in setting the cruise ship Costa Concordia upright, 20 months after it ran aground off the island of Giglio in Italy.
They said that the unprecedented salvage effort “reached degree zero [vertical], which was our target”.
In the operation that took all of Monday and most of the night, they used cables and metal boxes filled with water to roll the ship onto a platform.
The Costa Concordia capsized in January 2012, killing 32 people.
The bodies of two of the victims of the disaster, by the island of Giglio, have never been found. There are hopes that they may be located during the operation.
The ship was declared completely upright shortly after 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Franco Gabrielli, the head of Italy’s Civil Protection Authority, said the vessel was now sitting on a platform built on the sea bed.
“A perfect operation, I must say,” said Franco Porcellacchia, leader of the technical team for Costa Cruise, the owner of the ship.
He added that no environmental spill was detected so far.
Engineers have succeeded in setting the cruise ship Costa Concordia upright
“I think the whole team is proud of what they achieved because a lot of people didn’t think it could be done,” said salvage master Nick Sloane – but he added “it’s not over yet”.
As daylight broke, the now-upright, brown hulk of the ship was visible – its hull muddy and crushed from 20 months spent submerged on its side.
Booms and nets were put in place before the operation started – to combat any pollution threat in what is a marine national park.
The 114,000-gross tonnage ship – twice as heavy as the Titanic – was on Monday raised from rocks on which it had been lying and roll up onto her keel.
More than 50 enormous chains and winches were used to break the ship away from the reef – the process known as parbuckling.
During the marathon operation, the ship could be seen slowly emerging from the water.
The engineers had originally planned to complete the operation by Monday evening, but it had to be delayed by three hours because of a storm.
The procedure was carried out very slowly to prevent further damage to the hull, which spent months partially submerged in 50ft of water and fully exposed to the elements.
Officials now plan to fully inspect the vessel and begin to prepare the next stage – the effort to repair and refloat it and eventually tow it away to be destroyed.
Engineers have never tried to lift such a huge ship – over 951 feet long – before.
Five people have been convicted of manslaughter over the disaster. Costa Concordia Captain Francesco Schettino is currently on trial accused of manslaughter and abandoning ship.
Giglio mayor Sergio Ortelli earlier said that the removal of the Costa Concordia would bring an end to “a huge problem that we have in our port and that we want to solve as soon as we can”.
“Islanders can’t wait to see the back of it,” he said.
The small island’s economy depends hugely on tourism and the presence of the wreck has discouraged visitors.
Costa Concordia salvage has so far cost more than 600 million euros ($800 million) and is expected to cost much more before the operation is complete.
Gunman Aaron Alexis, who died after killing 12 people at a naval installation in Washington DC, has been identified as a former Navy serviceman.
Aaron Alexis, 34, of Fort Worth, Texas, died in a gun battle with police during the rampage at Washington Navy Yard.
Eight others were injured in the attack, which began at around 8:20 local time on Monday.
President Barack Obama ordered flags be lowered to half mast at the White House and on Capitol Hill.
He said he mourned “yet another mass shooting” and condemned the “cowardly act”.
No motive is known for the attack, whose dozen victims ranged in age from 46 to 73, said the authorities.
Police initially responded to reports of two other armed suspects, but after exhaustive searches Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said on Monday night they were all but certain that Aaron Alexis was the only gunman.
Witnesses said suspect Aaron Alexis sprayed bullets in a hallway and fired from a balcony down on to workers in an atrium at the heavily secured installation in the US capital.
Aaron Alexis was reportedly armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun and a handgun that he took from a police officer at the scene.
Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters that the attacker “was engaged in shooting with police officers” when he died.
Aaron Alexis died in a gun battle with police during the rampage at Washington Navy Yard
“There is no question he would have kept shooting,” she added.
Valerie Parlave of the FBI said that the suspect, who was employed by a subcontractor that was working on a US Navy intranet network, had a valid pass to enter Washington Navy Yard.
Aaron Alexis was formerly a petty officer 3rd class who served full-time in the naval reserve from 2007-11, said the US Navy.
It was not immediately clear why he left the military, but unnamed military officers told US media there had been a series of misconduct issues during his service.
According to media reports, Aaron Alexis was a Buddhist convert who had had two previous gun-related brushes with the law.
In 2004 Aaron Alexis was arrested in Seattle for shooting a construction worker’s car tyres, in what he described as an enraged “black-out”.
And he was questioned by Fort Worth police in 2010 after firing his gun through the floor of an upstairs apartment. He said it was an accidental discharge.
In addition to those killed in Monday’s rampage, one police officer was shot in the legs, a female civilian was shot in the head and hand, and another woman was treated for a shoulder wound.
All three were expected to recover, said Washington Hospital Center officials.
Five others required medical treatment, mostly for minor injuries, said Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray.
As news of the shooting emerged, emergency vehicles and police surrounded the complex, while helicopters hovered overhead.
The US Senate buildings and six nearby schools were temporarily placed on lockdown as a precaution, while flight departures were briefly suspended at Reagan National Airport.
Patricia Ward, who works at Washington Navy Yard, said she had heard three shots, a pause, and then four more.
“Everybody was panicking and trying to decide which way to get out,” she told reporters.
The Washington Nationals baseball team called off their game against the Atlanta Braves on Monday night at Nationals Park, not far from Navy Yard.
Monday’s mass shooting occurred at a building that serves as the headquarters for the Naval Sea Systems Command, which builds and maintains ships and submarines for the Navy.
Washington Navy Yard is the US Navy’s oldest shore installation, first opened in the early 19th Century, according to the Navy.
Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson introduced his wife Christine in a special video on Good Morning America, along with the release of his new book, Si-Cology 1: Tales and Wisdom From Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle.
Silas is younger brother to Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the popular reality television family and founder of the Duck Commander.
Si Robertson began working for the family business in the 1990s, after retiring from 25 years of service in the military. He is a Vietnam veteran, and still carries around the plastic cups that his mother had sent him when he was away at war.
Si Robertson introduced his wife Christine in a special video on Good Morning America
While the show may portray Uncle Si as being single, he has been married for 43 years and has two grown children, Scott and Trasa.
Si Robertson said that readers of Si-cology 1 might be surprised to learn that “one woman’s got my heart, and we’ve been married for 43 years. Her name is Miss Christine.”
Christine and Si Robertson still seem to be very much in love, hugging each other sweetly in the video message. He said he had asked his wife to marry him about a hundred times.
“It was about 75,” Christine Robertson joked.
Christine makes Uncle Si two gallons of unsweetened tea per day, “the old-fashioned way,” he says.
“Put three bags in a pot of water, turn the heat on the water and let it boil, put a saucer over it and let it seep. Then pour it into a gallon jug and then I drink.”
Silas Merritt Robertson, aka Duck Dynasty’s Uncle Si, has just published his first book Si-Cology 1 this month.
Si Robertson often gets blamed for things and sometimes thinks he’s seen a black panther roaming around close to the home and business.
He is married to Christine, which many viewers were unaware of until he introduced his wife a few weeks ago for an episode of Good Morning America.
Si Robertson, the younger brother to Phil Robertson, has been married to Christine for 43 years and happily so, as they hugged affectionately in the video clipped.
He said he had asked his wife to marry him about a hundred times.
“It was about 75,” says Christine Robertson.
Si Robertson told Parade magazine that Christine was not set to join the family in the reality show.
“She’s got better sense than all the rest of us,” he said.
Si Robertson with wife Christine and their daughter Trasa Cobern
Si Robertson is also a big tea drinker – but he likes it straight, no sugar.
“Put three bags in a pot of water, turn the heat on the water and let it boil, put a saucer over it and let it seep. Then pour it into a gallon jug and then I drink it.”
Si Robertson was born in Vivian, Louisiana, on 27 April 1948, and he shares some of the highlights from his eventful life in Si-cology, from fishing with his brothers and skipping classes at Louisiana Tech, to his time serving in the Vietnam War, to falling in love with Christine and having their two children, Trasa and Scott.
He actually served in the military for 25 years and told The Christian Post that it was this that made him feel that he hadn’t been there enough for his kids.
“I was in the military, so I told my wife that I was never there for the kids when they were growing up. And she said, <<oh yeah you were. Let me go get a photo album>>. And she was showing me dressed as a bunny rabbit for Easter and Santa Claus during Christmas time. Personally, I didn’t feel that I was there enough,” he said in the interview.
It was after retiring from the military in 1993 that Si Robertson joined the family Duck Commander business. With the show becoming a phenomenal success, Si Robertson has his own fan base – he told of one woman who drove 450 miles to a signing in Arkansas and told him she was ready to marry him, at which point he had to break the bad news that she was already spoken for.
But when he does sign things for people, Si Robertson has two Bible verses he likes to jot down along with his signature.
In the interview with The Christian Post, Si Robertson had this to say: “When I sign people’s stuff I put down John 3:16 and 17. Most people can tell you what 16 says, OK. <<For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son>>. But they don’t know nothin’ about 17. It says Jesus didn’t come to condemn us. If anybody had a right to condemn someone, it would be the son of God. If he didn’t do it, then hey, we definitely are not qualified to do it.”
At least one heavily armed gunman opened fire inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard killing at least 11 people and injuring at least 12.
Named as 34-year-old civilian contractor Aaron Alexis, the Fort Worth resident entered the cafeteria in the Washington military base brandishing an AR-15 rifle, shotgun and handgun and began shooting.
The FBI have said that Aaron Alexis died after launching his rampage, during which witnesses said he appeared to fire at selected targets and not randomly, but they have not disclosed how he perished.
Washington D.C.’s FBI field office reportedly said that they have “all assets out” as they search for one other possible shooter they described as a black man in his 40s or his 50s.
Washington D.C. police Chief Cathy Lanier said the other potential gunman were wearing a military-style uniform and has greying sideburns.
“It appears that we have at least 12 fatalities … it doesn’t get much more serious than that, obviously,” said Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray.
“We have no known motive at this stage. We will continue the investigation to try and figure out what that motive is.”
Previously, Cathy Lanier said that law enforcement were searching for two individuals, one white and one black.
However, police have said they have identified the white individual and he’s not a suspect or person of interest.
“The big concern for us right now is that we have potentially two other shooters that we have not located at this point,” Cathy Lanier saidearlier this afternoon.
At least one heavily armed gunman opened fire inside a building at the Washington Navy Yard killing at least 11 people and injuring at least 12
Witnesses reported one man described as an African-American male in his 50s dressed in military fatigues and armed with an AR-15 assault rifle opening fire upon entering the base at the Naval Sea System Command HQ.
The attacks came three days after al-Qaeda used the 12th anniversary of 9/11 to call for strikes on America.
Hundreds of SWAT and FBI rapid response units descended on the nation’s capital to deal with the situation which unfolded just before 8.30 a.m. this morning.
Initial reports from the scene are that one of the suspects walked up to the facility, opened fire and then ran inside the building.
“There was three gunshots straight in a row,” said Patricia Ward, who works at the Navy Yard, describing how she first heard the gunfire while having breakfast at the headquarters building.
A few seconds later, Patricia Ward said she heard four more gunshots. Security guards rushed in and got people out as fast as they could.
NBC News, citing a senior naval officer at the Navy Yard, said at least 12 people had been shot.
“We saw him hold the rifle, and we saw him aim it in our direction,” said one witness to Fox News.
Another Navy official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said more than one gunman may have been involved. The Washington Post reported that there were several gunmen.
The Navy said in a statement the shooting took place at the heavily guarded headquarters, where about 3,000 people work.
The shooting hit the military establishment less than three week after U.S. Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death for murdering 13 people in 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, where he gunned down unarmed soldiers in what he later called retaliation for U.S. wars in Muslim countries.
The Navy Yard is believed to have tight security.
Visitors without military ID must have a valid reason for entry and provide some other civilian identification.
The gates are protected by U.S. Marines and civilian security guards.
The National Museum of the U.S. Navy is in the grounds of the Navy Yard – and open to the public. However, they must show ID to enter.
One victim was reported to have been shot on the roof of a building, reported News4′s Tony Tull.
A U.S. Park Police helicopter lowered a basket to a building and lifted what appeared to be a shooting victim from the roof just before 10 a.m.
Brad Pitt has revealed a new short haircut as he arrived on the set of his new film Fury in London.
His formerly grungy long locks were gone, replaced by a short back and sides and a slicked back style.
Brad Pitt complemented the retro hairstyle with a pair of heavy rimmed glasses and a neat goatee beard.
He also wore a preppy, all-grey outfit of an overcoat, simple T-shirt, trousers and boots.
Brad Pitt has revealed a new short haircut as he arrived on the set of his new film Fury in London
Brad Pitt, 49, is playing the role of a soldier who is part of a five-man crew of a tank named Fury during the final weeks of World War II.
Written by director David Ayer, Fury sees the crew take on a desperate German division facing an almost hopeless predicament.
Brad Pitt is starring alongside big name actors including Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena, Logan Lerman and Jon Bernthal in the film, which is scheduled for release in November 2014.
To prepare for the role Brad Pitt has driven a tank through the British countryside accompanied by instructors.
Brad Pitt also surprised a wedding party by crashing their reception at the Stoke Park Hotel in Stoke Poges, Bucks, where he was staying the night after filming.
A UN report has confirmed “unequivocally and objectively” that chemical weapons have been used in Syria.
The report says sarin gas was used in a rocket attack in the Syrian capital, Damascus, last month, although it has not attributed blame.
“This is a war crime,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.
US allegations that the government was responsible led to threats of military action and then a US-Russia deal for Syria to make safe its chemical arms.
World powers will now try to hammer out a UN Security Council resolution.
Earlier, UN investigators said they were probing 14 alleged chemical attacks in Syria since September 2011.
Meanwhile, Turkey said it had shot down a Syrian helicopter close to its border. Deputy PM Bulent Arinc said the aircraft was engaged by fighter jets after violating Turkish air space.
Ban Ki-moon has been briefing the Security Council on the report, and is then expected to address the media.
He said he was submitting the UN mission’s report “with a heavy heart”.
“The mission has concluded that chemical weapons were used on a relatively large scale in the Ghouta area of Damascus [on 21 August]… The attack resulted in numerous casualties, particularly among civilians.”
Ban Ki-moon spoke of the suffering of the victims.
UN report confirms sarin gas was used in a rocket attack in Damascus last month
“Survivors reported that following an attack with shelling, they quickly experienced a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, disorientation, eye irritation, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and general weakness.
“Many eventually lost consciousness. First responders described seeing a large number of individuals lying on the ground, many of them dead or unconscious.”
The UN investigators examined many samples from the scene.
Ban Ki-moon said: “On the basis of its analysis, the mission concluded that it – and I quote – <<collected clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in the Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Zalmalka in the Ghouta area of Damascus>>.”
Ban Ki-moon added: “I trust all can join me in condemning this despicable crime. The international community has a responsibility to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
He said the mission was unable to verify the number of casualties, but referred to the “terrible loss of life on 21 August”.
He added: “This is the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988.”
Assigning blame for the attack in Ghouta was not part of the inspectors’ remit.
However, diplomats have suggested the way the facts are reported may point to the Syrian government as the perpetrators.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has denied allegations his government was behind the attack, instead blaming the rebels.
Earlier, Paulo Pinheiro, the chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said the commission had been investigating 14 alleged chemical attacks since it began monitoring Syrian human rights abuses in September 2011.
Paulo Pinheiro said investigators had not so far been able to assign blame and were awaiting details from Monday’s UN report.
He said the commission believed both President Assad’s government and the rebels were responsible for war crimes, but that the regime alone had perpetrated crimes against humanity.
War crimes, including mass executions, rape and torture, were continuing, the commission said.
Its investigators said a referral to the International Criminal Court was imperative.
French President Francois Hollande and his Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius earlier met British Foreign Secretary William Hague and US Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris on Monday to discuss the Syrian crisis.
The UN Security Council is expected to draft a resolution in the coming days.
The Glastonbury Festival 2014 tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 6.
The weekend ticket will cost £210 ($325) to attend but festival-goers will only have to pay a deposit of £50 ($75) next month before settling their bill in April.
For the first time, coach packages will be available three days before the main ticket sale on Thursday, October 3.
No acts have been announced but organizer Michael Eavis says the three headliners are in place already.
The Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys and Mumford and Sons headlined the event at Worthy Farm, Somerset, in 2013.
Michael Eavis said next year’s headliners probably wouldn’t surprise people.
Glastonbury Festival 2014 tickets will go on sale on October 6
“There aren’t many left [to play here],” he said.
“It’s the process of elimination isn’t it?
“I think we’ve got three or four really good ones lined up for next year and we’re sorting out 2015 as well.”
Michael Eavis also thinks they won’t beat this year’s festival line-up.
“The Stones were absolutely brilliant, all the other stuff we’re doing in the southeast corner was absolutely fantastic,” he said.
“[It’s] downhill all the way now. I’ve had 44 years of an incredible career and we’re still milking the old cows as well.”
Festival-goers will have to register on the Glastonbury website before buying tickets and will be able to buy up to six each.
Glastonbury Festival 2014 will take place between 25 and 29 June.
