Bad weather is expected to put a dampener on 4th of July celebrations in the south and mid-west with rain and threats of heavy flooding on Thursday.
The unsettled conditions could upset favorite holiday activities including firework displays, barbecues and days at the beach.
In the north-east, coastal areas will be mainly dry on Thursday following scattered showers and thunderstorms in West Virginia, upstate New York, northern Vermont and New Hampshire today.
Parties in the south may take a hit according to the Weather Channel. Rain and thunderstorms have been forecast from the eastern Gulf Coast to Tennessee, Kentucky and the southeast.
There is a danger of heavy flooding in northern Georgia, northern Alabama, eastern Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, the far western Carolinas and the mountains over the next 48 hours.
It is also expected to be a washed-out Fourth for the Midwest from eastern Ohio to the Great Lakes.
Bad weather is expected to put a dampener on 4th of July celebrations in the south and mid-west with rain and threats of heavy flooding on Thursday
However. there is better news for the Plains where Thursday will be dry with temperatures climbing to 90F.
There will be the odd thunderstorm on the Fourth from the Southwest to Northwest at higher altitudes.
Extreme heat and dry conditions are being forecast for Thursday in the southwest. Temperatures of 110F are expected from southern Nevada into the California and western Arizona deserts.
Although dry conditions are expected in the west, firework displays may be canceled because of droughts and fire bans.
However, most bans are only in place for private properties and towns will hold exhibitions.
It is expected to be the reverse on the east coast, where there will be scattered showers.
Meterologist Alex Sosnowski told Accuweather.com: “The pattern through Independence Day and the weekend beyond in some Eastern locations favors additional widely separated torrential downpours and conditions favoring fog in some locations.”
However he added: “A pocket of mostly rain-free weather will stretch from the coastal part of the Carolinas to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and perhaps Boston on Thursday evening.”
The Plains looks likely to be the best region for Fourth of July firework celebrations with low humidity and gentle breezes forecast.
Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro has asked permission today to visit the six-year-old daughter Jocelyn he fathered with Amanda Berry, one of the women he stands accused of keeping captive for ten years at his home.
At the end of a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday, Ariel Castro, bearded with his chin tucked to his chest for most of time, asked to see Jocelyn he had with kidnapping victim Amanda Berry.
Cleveland judge Michael Russo denied the request, saying: “I just think that would be inappropriate.”
Amanda Berry was dramatically rescued from Ariel Castro’s Cleveland home along with Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight and her 6-year-old Jocelyn on May 6.
The three women had been kept prisoner by Ariel Castro for almost ten years and suffered systematic rapes, beatings and induced abortions at the hands of the 52-year-old former school bus driver.
Amanda Berry, now 27, is living currently with her sister Beth Serrano in Cleveland and is said to be suffering from the horrifying memories of her ordeal at the hands of her captor.
Ariel Castro was found competent to stand trial at the hearing today.
An examination found that Ariel Castro is mentally able to understand the charges and assist attorneys in his defense, Cuyahoga County judge said.
At the end of a pre-trial hearing, Ariel Castro asked to see daughter Jocelyn he had with kidnapping victim Amanda Berry
He has pleaded not guilty to a 329-count indictment that includes multiple kidnapping and rape charges. He’s being held on an $8 million bond.
Cleveland authorities accuse Ariel Castro of kidnapping Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry between 2002 and 2004 when they were 20, 14, and 16 years old.
Also on Wednesday, prosecutor Tim McGinty said a meeting is planned for July 11 to discuss the possibility of seeking the death penalty for Ariel Castro, who faces aggravated murder charges stemming from allegations that he caused the deliberate termination of one of the women’s pregnancies.
Tim McGinty invited Ariel Castro’s attorney Craig Weintraub to submit evidence to him before the meeting to support an argument against the death penalty in the upcoming discussions.
Ariel Castro’s attorneys have previously hinted that he might plead guilty if talk of capital punishment was taken off the table.
Tim McGinty said prosecutors would be going back to the county grand jury to seek more charges against Ariel Castro, but he didn’t know when that would happen.
Ariel Castro has pleaded not guilty to a 329-count indictment alleging he kidnapped Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus off the streets between 2002 and 2004 and held them for a decade in his two-story home in a rough Cleveland neighborhood.
He fathered a six-year-old daughter child with Amanda Berry and is accused of starving and punching Michelle Knight to cause her to miscarry.
Ariel Castro was arrested on May 6, shortly after one of the women broke through a door at the home and yelled to neighbors for help.
The trial is scheduled for August 5, but judge Michael Russo said it could be delayed. Another hearing is set for July 24.
Last month, prosecutors increased the number of charges against Ariel Castro and he now faces 329 indicted counts.
Ariel Castro was indicted on 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross se***l imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools.
The indictment alleges Castro held the women captive, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van.
It says one of the women tried to escape and he assaulted her with a vacuum cord around her neck.
The indictment covers the period from August 2002, when the first of the women, Michelle Knight, disappeared, to February 2007.
Sci-fi film Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, is to open the 2013 Venice Film Festival in August.
The 3D movie, directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, sees George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts on an ill-fated mission.
Alfonso Cuaron’s Y tu mama tambien won two awards at the festival in 2001 – best scenario and best young male talent for actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna.
The gala on the Venice Lido runs from 28 August to 7 September.
Sci-fi film Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, is to open the 2013 Venice Film Festival in August
Last Tango in Paris director Bernardo Bertolucci – whose debut film, The Grim Reaper, showed at the festival in 1962 – will lead the jury for this year’s Golden Lion for best film.
US director William Friedkin, best known for his films The French Connection and The Exorcist, will also receive a lifetime achievement award.
He described the festival as his “spiritual home”, adding he would accept the honorary prize “with gratitude and love”.
Alfonso Cuaron’s film features George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts attempting to return to Earth after debris crashes into their space shuttle, leaving them drifting alone in orbit.
The rest of the festival line-up is yet to be announced, but films being tipped to be screened include Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien and Twelve Years a Slave, the latest film from British director Steve McQueen starring Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender.
Celebrities live their lives under such a carefully examined microscope. While their fame is notorious and their faces are recognizable, there is an ugly side that the public loves to expose. They often have very public meltdowns and cameras capture every riveting second of it. They are meant to be a major source of entertainment, and it doesn’t make a difference if their reputation is ruined in the process. Take a look at some of top celebrity meltdowns of recent time.
Charlie Sheen
Image via Flickr by Joella Marano
It is hard to pinpoint the exact number of meltdowns that Charlie Sheen has had during his career. One of them resulting him in getting kicked off Two and a Half Men. If that isn’t bad enough, he is now having major issues with one of his co-workers on his new show, Anger Management. At this point, it is only a matter of time before his next major meltdown.
Lindsay Lohan
Image via Flickr by Ashley Cooper
When Lindsay melts down, it is front page news. This time, it is all about rehab. She switches rehab facilities faster than the paparazzi can snap those out of rehab pictures. Most of her pictures are pretty funny, especially the ones taken right before she enters rehab.
Justin Bieber
Image via Flickr by jake.auzzie
Justin Bieber and cars are a volatile mix. From racing through his neighborhood to now running over a man in his car, he seriously has issues behind the wheel. Fortunately for him, there were no serious injuries. But, it is only a matter of time before he finds his driver’s license revoked. Oh, he still hasn’t retrieved his monkey from Germany.
Amanda Bynes
Image via Flickr by say sowden
Amanda Bynes has released her weirdness on Twitter. She has tweeted jailhouse photos, nude photos and gotten into some Twitter wars with other actors. The tarnish on her good girl image is all due to her irrational tweeting.
Lil Wayne
Image via Flickr by sportiqe
Lil Wayne stepped into controversy big time when he stomped all over the American flag in his latest music video. His is excuse is that he didn’t mean it. But this is one big insult that the veterans of this country won’t forget any time soon.
Chris Brown
Image via Flickr by Eva Rinaldi
Chris Brown’s activities have expanded beyond the assault of Rihanna. He is now in the midst of some Twitter wars with other artists. His behavior has also been rather unpredictable, as he has also gotten into scuffles with other celebrities at night clubs. His once held “good guy” image is far in his review mirror and a new persona has emerged in the eyes of fans.
Mel Gibson
Image via Flickr by Alan Light
Mel Gibson had a serious meltdown during a project. The entire episode was recorded on film and posted. Included in the video are profane words, a rant against Jews, and a tirade against his ex. He later apologized but the rant still lives on.
These are some of the biggest celebrity meltdowns. The stress of being famous definitely brings out the worst in these celebrities. While their actions may eventually be forgiven, their meltdowns will live forever.
A good old fashioned, down home potato salad recipe that brings back memories of 4th of July picnics in the park and family gatherings.
Ingredients (12 to 15 servings):
5 pounds red potatoes
6 eggs
2 cups mayonnaise
1 onion, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
A good old fashioned, down home potato salad recipe that brings back memories of 4th of July picnics in the park and family gatherings
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender but still firm. Drain, cool and cut into cubes.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
In a large bowl, combine chopped potatoes and eggs. Mix together mayonnaise, chopped onion, green onion, green pepper, and celery. Season with salt and pepper, then mix well. Cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
A doctors’ report showed that two patients have been taken off their HIV drugs after bone-marrow transplants seemed to clear the virus from their bodies.
One of the patients has spent nearly four months without taking medication with no sign of the virus returning.
The team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in the US, caution that it is far too soon to talk about a cure as the virus could return at any point.
It is difficult to get rid of an HIV infection because it hides inside human DNA, forming untouchable “reservoirs” in body.
Anti-retroviral drugs keep the virus in check within the bloodstream – but when the drugs stop, the virus comes back.
The two men, who have not been identified, had lived with HIV for about 30 years.
They both developed a cancer, lymphoma, which required a bone-marrow transplant.
Bone marrow is where new blood cells are made and it is thought to be a major reservoir for HIV.
Two patients have been taken off their HIV drugs after bone-marrow transplants seemed to clear the virus from their bodies
After the transplant, there was no detectable HIV in the blood for two years in one patient and four in the other.
The pair came off their anti-retroviral drugs earlier this year.
One has gone 15 weeks, and the other seven, since stopping treatment, and no signs of the virus have been detected so far.
Dr. Timothy J. Henrich said the results were exciting. But he added: “We have not demonstrated cure, we’re going to need longer follow-up.
“What we can say is if the virus does stay away for a year or even two years after we stopped the treatment, that the chances of the virus rebounding are going to be extremely low.
“It’s much too early at this point to use the C-word [cure].”
It is thought that the transplanted bone marrow was initially protected from infection by the course of anti-retrovirals. Meanwhile the transplant also attacked the remaining bone marrow, which was harboring the virus.
However Dr. Timothy J. Henrich cautioned that the virus could be still be hiding inside brain tissue or the gastrointestinal track.
“If [the] virus does return, it would suggest that these other sites are an important reservoir of infectious virus and new approaches to measuring the reservoir at relevant sites will be needed to guide the development of HIV curative strategies,” he said.
Timothy Brown, also known as the “Berlin patient” is thought to be the first person cured of AIDS. He had a bone marrow transplant from a rare donor who was resistant to HIV.
The two US cases both received bone marrow from normal donors.
There was also a report of an HIV cure in a baby born in Mississippi, US. She was treated with anti-retroviral drugs at birth so it is thought the virus was cleared from the body before reservoirs were established.
It is far too early to call this a cure for HIV. And even if it was a cure, it wouldn’t be a very good one.
It is very expensive and often leads to “graft-v-host” disease. There is a 15-20% mortality rate within the first few years after the transplant.
This occurs when new immune cells produced by the graft treat the rest of the body as foreign and attack it.
The two patients in this study have replaced their regimen of anti-retroviral drugs, with those to suppress the immune system.
The procedure was carried out in these patients only because they had cancer that needed to be treated.
The real value of this research for the majority of people with HIV will come from a deeper understanding of the virus and HIV reservoirs.
Miley Cyrus insists she is still engaged to Liam Hemsworth, but she continues to spark rumors that their relationship is on the rocks after reportedly jetting off to the Bahamas for a holiday without her fiancé.
Twitter user Brittainy Trevathan snapped Miley Cyrus at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge in Hope Town, on the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas on Saturday, according to Radaronline.com.
Miley Cyrus, 20, was make-up free and dressed down, apparently with “a guy named Stephen and a girl”.
Other Twitter users confirmed that Miley Cyrus rented a cottage in the tropical paradise, but more for a place to relax than rage.
Miley Cyrus had enough action for a while at the iHeartRadio Ultimate Pool Party at the Fontainbeau in Miami Beach last week.
She’s been heavily promoting her latest single We Can’t Stop.
Miley Cyrus was reportedly jetting off to the Bahamas for a holiday without her fiancé Liam Hemsworth
During an interview on the SiriusXM Studios on Thursday, Miley Cyrus spoke about how excited she was about beating Justin Bieber’s VEVO record with her new single, thanking her fans for their support.
“They’re the ones that are getting [my We Can’t Stop music video] to be at 33 million views,” she said.
“Haters are going to hate, but haters are also going to click on your YouTube video to watch it, so I don’t really care. You helped me break the record. And if you were watching just to hate on me, now I hold the record, so I win.”
Miley Cyrus also revealed that the video clip for her new song is based on her life.
“The video is based on true events,” she said.
“Things that have happened to me in the past.”
She also gushed about her relationship status with Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, which has long been the fodder of tabloid headlines, saying that their engagement was definitely still on.
“I’m wearing a ring, so. . .” she mused.
But the last time Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth were last spotted together was on June 17, while on a date at the Arclight Theater in Hollywood to see Man Of Steel.
Meanwhile, Liam Hemsworth has been filming his latest feature Cut Bank in Edmonton, Canada, away from Miley Cyrus.
Justin Bieber is continuing to make an effort to hone a more manly image as he posted new shirtless photographs of himself on his Instagram account showing his burgeoning six pack is coming along nicely.
The pictures also display Justin Bieber’s growing number of tattoos, which include Roman numerals, a crown, a tiger, an angel and a koi fish.
A second shot features the star in another shirtless pose, with the shots appearing to have been taken after his concert in Denver on Sunday.
It has not been an easy year for Justin Bieber after a slew of unfavorable headlines.
Justin Bieber is continuing to make an effort to hone a more manly image
But the singer and his manager Scooter Braun are determined to focus on his music – recently announcing the release of his new single Heartbreaker.
“So we’re hoping the witch hunt [is] gonna end when he really just speaks for himself in the music,” Scooter Braun told MTV News.
On Monday, Scooter Braun posted a post-show picture of himself and alongside Justin Bieber, alongside a supportive message.
“Very happy tonight. I love this kid,” he wrote.
“And I have his back forever.
“@justinbieber is #family and I am proud of him. He is growing and pushing himself as a young man and doing it with the world watching. And what he wants is to be good. To be great.
“And to mean something positive to the world despite the obstacles or the pressures. His heart is pure and I will be right there with him like I promised him six years ago. It is all love 🙂 How we react to adversity is what defines us as men. proud of u jb. Great talk. Thank u. Love u man!”
Justin Bieber also posted his defiance in the face of negative press.
“Interesting how some people in the media wanna take shots at me for no reason,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
“’All good. keeping it positive over here. all about the music,” Justin Bieber added.
First Ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush attended the African First Ladies Summit in Tanzania where they complained about how the White House can feel like a prison.
“There are prison elements to it. But it’s a really nice prison,” Michelle Obama said at the Tuesday panel in Tanzania.
Her predecessor, Laura Bush, then added that the chef is an addition unlike other prisons, and Michelle Obama brought it back to the point, saying: “You can’t complain. But there is definitely elements that are confining.”
The conversation came up as Michelle Obama and Laura Bush were interviewed by an American journalist about how African first ladies can take a public stand and use their spotlight for good.
The Democrat and Republican said that they both grow frustrated at how the public focuses on trivial aspects of their appearance- like Michelle Obama’s famous bangs- rather than the causes that are close to their heart.
“We take our bangs and we stand in front of important things that the world needs to see. And eventually, people stop looking at the bangs and they start looking at what we’re standing in front of,” Michelle Obama said.
Laura Bush, whose hairstyle has largely stayed the same since she and her husband first entered the White House in 2000, added: “Our daughter, Barbara, cut bangs at the same time Michelle did. They commiserated.”
First Ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush attended the African First Ladies Summit in Tanzania where they complained about how the White House can feel like a prison
“I was doing what Barbara was doing. I was just following her lead,” Michelle Obama joked.
The Tuesday panel was a very public display of mutual affection between the two first ladies, moderated by journalist Cokie Roberts- who works for ABC but was also appointed onto President George W. Bush’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
Michelle Obama said that she made a point of spending some time with Laura Bush during their overlapping trips to Africa because: “I like this woman.”
“It’s sort of a club, a sorority, I guess,” Laura Bush said.
Michelle Obama praised Laura Bush and her staff for helping with their transition into the White House, but both women complained about the steep learning curve they faced.
“Nothing prepares you for this role. I mean, it is so startling that the transition of power in the United States happens so quickly that you don’t have access to the house until the President takes the oath of office,” Michelle Obama said.
“I remember walking into that house and I didn’t even know where the bathrooms were. But I had to get ready for a ball. It was like, and I’ve got to look nice? It’s like, what door is this, and you’re opening up all these doors, and you can’t find your toothpaste, you don’t know where your kids are.”
The Obama administration will not begin enforcing employer mandates in the Obamacare law until 2015 – one year later than originally planned.
Mark Mazur, the Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy, announced on the agency’s blog that the administration “will provide an additional year before the … mandatory employer and insurer reporting requirements begin”.
The blog post explained that the delay was intended to leave time to simplify reporting requirements and give companies time to adapt.
But an unnamed Treasury source said the extra year will give the White House an extra year to persuade health insurers to participate in the exchanges that make up the backbone of the Affordable Care Act.
The revised timetable, the source added, will also push back the final implementation of Obamacare’s penalties past the 2014 midterm elections, providing Republicans fewer chances to highlight the law’s potentially harmful effects on businesses’ bottom lines.
The Obama administration’s new schedule means business won’t be penalized immediately for failing to enroll all their workers in health plans and report the results to the federal government, Bloomberg Newswas first to report.
The Obama administration will not begin enforcing employer mandates in the Obamacare law until 2015
The Affordable Care Act includes financial penalties on companies that fail to comply if they employ 50 or more people. The Treasury Department is involved because the Internal Revenue Service, a Treasury sub-agency, will be tasked with enforcing the law and assessing those penalties.
“Obamacare is a flawed law,” said Republican National Committee Deputy Press Secretary Raffi Williams.
“It has been from day one and continues to be one now.”
“This latest announcement is just another sign that the president and his administration are afraid of the havoc that this imperfect law will wreak on everyday Americans.”
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair Darrell Issa, a California Republican, piled on Tuesday evening, drawing attention to the GOP’s efforts to repeal the Obamacare law in its entirety.
“The House has repeatedly voted to repeal Obamacare because it will not work and is bad public policy,” Darrell Issa said in a statement.
“The President has delayed a critical component of the Affordable Care Act because it is absolutely unaffordable for American job creators and workers. It is unclear that he has the authority to do this without Congress.”
“This is another in a string of extra legal actions taken by his Administration to mask the horrible impact his law will have on the economy and health care in the United States.”
Politiconoted that Tuesday’s pivot from the White House will not affect the so-called “individual mandate”, which will require most Americans to be insured. It also won’t delay the scheduled October rollout of health care marketplaces, called exchanges, set up to help taxpayers and companies find coverage that satisfies the Obamacare law.
The administration has been on a full-court press in California, Texas and Florida, enlisting the help of Hispanic advocacy groups and Spanish-language media networks to encourage enrollment in advance of the autumn start date.
The Treasury Department said it expects to publish regulatory rules in one week that will formalize the new 2015 enforcement deadline for companies.
In the latest episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, filmed when Kim Kardashian was still pregnant, she is seen losing it at mother Kris Jenner and sister Khloe who cause chaos after a drunken night out, and even threatens to call the cops.
Clearly trying to get some well earned rest, Kim Kardashian, 32, is seen with an almighty face of thunder as Kris and Khloe come crashing back home having enjoyed a few too many tequila shots.
The storyline of the episode starts with Khloe Kardashian complaining that she feels left out by sisters Kim and Kourtney.
“I don’t like being ignored by you two,” Khloe Kardashian reveals in the clip.
As ever, the meddling matriach Kris Jenner comes to the rescue but ends up doing more harm than good to repair relations between the sisters.
Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian seen at a Mexican bar downing shots of tequila
“Khloe’s been feeling a little left out lately so I’m going to show her a really fun night out on the town,” Kris Jenner says.
It’s not long before the pair are seen at a Mexican bar downing shots of tequila as Khloe Kardashian drowns her sorrows.
Mischievous Kris Jenner then decides to play an alcohol-fuelled prank on her family, and they arrive home and begin vandalizing the garden.
Acting like a pair of sorority girls gone wild, Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian are seen throwing rolls of toilet paper over the trees.
Not seeing the funny side, Kim Kardashian tells them: “I am so p****d.”
Adding the threat: “If I wanted to call the cops on you guys I could.”
Kim Kardashian , who gave birth to baby daughter North West on June 15, will hopefully be now afforded some rest and peace from her mother and sister.
Her boyfriend Kanye West, 36, was recently seen at the Mailbu RED afterparty for the BET Awards on Sunday, his first party appearance since the birth.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians airs this Sunday on E! at 9/8c.
The plane of Bolivia’s President Evo Morales plane on Moscow airport had to be diverted to Austria amid suspicion that US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden was on board, the Bolivian foreign minister has said.
Officials in both Austria and Bolivia said Edward Snowden was not on the plane.
France and Portugal reportedly refused to allow the Moscow-Bolivia flight to cross their airspace.
Edward Snowden is reportedly seeking asylum in Bolivia and 20 other countries to avoid extradition to the US.
Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca told reporters on Tuesday that France and Portugal had closed their airspace over the “huge lie” that Edward Snowden, 30, was on board.
“We don’t know who invented this lie, but we want to denounce to the international community this injustice with the plane of President Evo Morales,” he said.
Austrian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Schallenberg said Edward Snowden was not on board the Bolivian leader’s aircraft.
The Bolivian defense minister, also on the flight, pilloried the US after the unscheduled landing.
“This is a hostile act by the United States state department which has used various European governments,” Ruben Saavedra said.
The plane of Bolivia’s President Evo Morales plane had to be diverted to Austria amid suspicion that Edward Snowden was on board
The Falcon aircraft was reportedly allowed to refuel in Spain before the jet went on to Vienna. President Evo Morales was said to be at the airport in Vienna discussing his return route to Bolivia early on Wednesday.
French officials said they could not confirm whether they had denied permission for President Evo Morales’ plane to fly over their territory. Portuguese officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Bolivian president had been on a visit to Moscow, where Edward Snowden, a former CIA contractor, has reportedly been holed up in an airport transit area since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23.
President Evo Morales told Russian television that Bolivia had not yet received an application from Edward Snowden, however, his request, if sent, would be considered.
“Bolivia is ready to accept people who disclose espionage if one can call it this way,” he said.
President Evo Morales and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had been in Moscow for a meeting of gas-exporting countries.
Nicolas Maduro said he had not formally received an asylum request, but expressed support for Edward Snowden, saying he “deserves the world’s protection” from the United States.
“Why are they persecuting him? What has he done? Did he launch a missile and kill someone? Did he rig a bomb and kill someone? No. He is preventing war,” he told Reuters news agency.
Edward Snowden withdrew his application to Russia after President Vladimir Putin said he could stay only on condition that he stopped damaging Russia’s “American partners” with his leaks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
He is wanted by the US on charges of leaking secrets he gathered while working as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), America’s electronic spying agency.
On Tuesday, National Intelligence Director James Clapper apologized for telling Congress in March that the NSA did not have a policy of gathering data on millions of Americans.
He said in a letter to Dianne Feinstein, head of the Senate intelligence committee, that his answer had been “clearly erroneous”.
The leaking of thousands of classified intelligence documents prompted revelations that the US has been systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data.
WikiLeaks, which says it is advising Edward Snowden, said most of his asylum requests had been handed to the Russian consulate at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport late on Sunday for delivery to the relevant embassies in the capital.
Edward Snowden asylum requests:
Rejected: Austria, Brazil, Finland, India, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland
The capital of Tennessee and the country music capital of the world, Nashville, is a historic southern city with a hotbed of activities and sites. However, there is so much more in Nashville than meets the eye. If you’re on a limited stay to the city, here is a list of things to see and do so you don’t miss out.
Just west of downtown is Centennial Park, a large, lush park in the middle of an urban setting. Go for a walk, jog, or bike ride and take in the various fountains and landscapes. Don’t miss the real gem in this park: a full-scale replica of the Parthenon, which is free to view and enter.
Loveless Cafe & Motel
Food to Melt the Soul
If you don’t mind a short scenic drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway for some of the best biscuits and gravy you’ve ever tasted, than the Loveless Cafe is well worth the trip. After breakfast or lunch, stick around and search the little shops and boutiques that surround the café.
Another short drive from Nashville is the town of Lynchburg, home of the original Jack Daniel’s distillery. If you’ve ever wondered how they make all the different types of whiskey and the process that goes into each, be sure and take the tour. You even get a few free shots at the end. So, enjoy the scenic drive, the liquor, and make sure to eat at Miss Mary Bobo’s on the way back to town.
The Hermitage
Andrew Jackson’s Legacy
You may not know what Andrew Jackson did, but just know that he’s important enough to be featured on the $20 bill. A president and war hero, Jackson made his home just outside of Nashville. This estate and surrounding plantation is now known as the Hermitage. Take a guided tour or simply walk around at your leisure; the museum and gift shop is open 7 days a week.
Whether you’re a country music fan or not, the Grand Ole Opry is a must see. The concert venue has had some of the most well-recognized names in all genres of music on its stage, and the history leaves you speechless. Travel nearby to the Grand Opry hotel and marvel at the lovely gardens that surround it, and if you feel like splurging, stay overnight.
Broadway
The Main Drag
Whether you want to sample a little taste of the nightlife, go shopping, eat, or hear some live music, Broadway has it all. Located downtown, this strip has some popular venues, especially for younger crowds. If you don’t feel like enduring the loud, young adults, walk around during the day. Listen to some street musicians and without a doubt go to Jack’s BBQ, arguably the best barbecue in the city.
If, after all these suggestions, you’re still unsure about what to do in Nashville, ask the locals; they are some of the nicest and most helpful people you will ever meet. Don’t try to cram too much into one short trip though. Remember, you can always come back. And if you find you like it so much you’re considering moving there, you’ll need a car. Check out DriveTime in Nashville for all your auto needs, and drive around the city at your leisure.
These red, white and blue cupcakes are perfect for your 4th of July celebration with friends and family.
Red velvet cupcakes are layered with blue ice cream and frozen whipped cream topping – a festive way to turn cake and ice cream into a hand-held dessert.
Ingredients:
1 package red velvet cake mix (regular size)
1 quart blue moon ice cream, softened
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 cups marshmallow crème
Red, white and blue sprinkles
Blue colored sugar
Fourth of July patriotic ice cream cupcakes
Directions:
Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions for cupcakes.
Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350° for 11-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Working quickly, spread ice cream over cupcakes. Freeze for at least 1 hour.
In a large bowl, combine cream and marshmallow crème; beat until stiff peaks form. Pipe over cupcakes; decorate with sprinkles and colored sugar. Freeze for 4 hours or until firm.
Yield: 3 dozen.
As a substitute for blue moon ice cream, tint softened vanilla ice cream with blue food coloring.
Nutritional Facts: 1 cupcake equals 202 calories, 13 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 50 mg cholesterol, 137 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein.
All Finland’s expectant mothers have been given a baby box by the state since 75 years ago.
The maternity pack is like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say the baby box helped Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.
It’s a tradition that dates back to 1938 and it’s designed to give all children in Finland, no matter what background they’re from, an equal start in life.
The maternity package – a gift from the government – is available to all expectant mothers.
The baby box contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as diapers, bedding and a small mattress.
With the mattress in the bottom, the box becomes a baby’s first bed. Many children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the box’s four cardboard walls.
Mothers have a choice between taking the box, or a cash grant, currently set at 140 euros, but 95% opt for the box as it’s worth much more.
The tradition dates back to 1938. To begin with, the scheme was only available to families on low incomes, but that changed in 1949.
“Not only was it offered to all mothers-to-be but new legislation meant in order to get the grant, or maternity box, they had to visit a doctor or municipal pre-natal clinic before their fourth month of pregnancy,” says Heidi Liesivesi, who works at Kela – the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.
So the box provided mothers with what they needed to look after their baby, but it also helped steer pregnant women into the arms of the doctors and nurses of Finland’s nascent welfare state.
In the 1930s Finland was a poor country and infant mortality was high – 65 out of 1,000 babies died. But the figures improved rapidly in the decades that followed.
Mika Gissler, a professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, gives several reasons for this – the maternity box and pre-natal care for all women in the 1940s, followed in the 60s by a national health insurance system and the central hospital network.
At 75 years old, the baby box is now an established part of the Finnish rite of passage towards motherhood, uniting generations of women.
The contents of the box have changed a good deal over the years, reflecting changing times.
A boy can pass on clothes to a girl too, and vice versa, because the colors are deliberately gender-neutral.
During the 30s and 40s, it contained fabric because mothers were accustomed to making the baby’s clothes.
Many Finnish children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the baby box’s four cardboard walls
But during World War II, flannel and plain-weave cotton were needed by the Defence Ministry, so some of the material was replaced by paper bed sheets and swaddling cloth.
The 50s saw an increase in the number of ready-made clothes, and in the 60s and 70s these began to be made from new stretchy fabrics.
In 1968 a sleeping bag appeared, and the following year disposable diapers featured for the first time.
Not for long. In 2006, the cloth diapers were back in and the disposable variety were out, having fallen out of favor on environmental grounds.
Encouraging good parenting has been part of the maternity box policy all along.
“Babies used to sleep in the same bed as their parents and it was recommended that they stop,” says Panu Pulma, professor in Finnish and Nordic History at the University of Helsinki.
“Including the box as a bed meant people started to let their babies sleep separately from them.”
At a certain point, baby bottles and dummies were removed to promote breastfeeding.
“One of the main goals of the whole system was to get women to breastfeed more,” Panu Pulma says.
And, he adds: “It’s happened.”
Panu Pulma also thinks including a picture book has had a positive effect, encouraging children to handle books, and, one day, to read.
And in addition to all this, Panu Pulma says, the box is a symbol.
A symbol of the idea of equality, and of the importance of children.
The story of the maternity pack:
1938: Finnish Maternity Grants Act introduced – two-thirds of women giving birth that year eligible for cash grant, maternity pack or mixture of the two pack could be used as a cot as poorest homes didn’t always have a clean place for baby to sleep
1940s: Despite wartime shortages, scheme continued as many Finns lost homes in bombings and evacuations
1942-1946: Paper replaced fabric for items such as swaddling wraps and mother’s bedsheet
1949: Income testing removed, pack offered to all mothers in Finland – if they had prenatal health checks
1957: Fabrics and sewing materials completely replaced with ready-made garments
1969: Disposable diapers added to the pack
1970s: With more women in work, easy-to-wash stretch cotton and colorful patterns replace white non-stretch garments
2006: Cloth diapers reintroduced, bottle left out to encourage breastfeeding
Kate Middleton and Prince William have received a baby box as a gift from the Finnish government.
The baby box is given to all expectant mothers in Finland and may have played a role in helping the country achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.
People from all over the world contacted the social security service Kela asking to buy one.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were not among them, but as they will shortly have a use for the clothes and other mother-and-baby items inside the box (there is even one item for dad) Kela decided to send one to the expectant parents.
“Kela wanted to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge,” says spokeswoman Heidi Liesivesi.
“The maternity package gained such a positive response from all around the world. The timing was perfect that the royal couple are having a baby.”
Kensington Palace has confirmed that the parents-to-be received the box last week.
“We were delighted to receive the very kind gift of the maternity package from the Finnish government. It was a very thoughtful gesture and we’re very grateful for it,” says a Kensington Palace spokesman.
Kate Middleton and Prince William have received a baby box as a gift from the Finnish government
“I’m sure the Duke and Duchess will be very interested to see the contents.”
The palace does not accept gifts from commercial organizations, but is happy to receive presents from individuals and foreign governments.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are the second royal couple to receive a baby box from Finland. In February last year, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden were given one to celebrate the birth of Princess Estelle.
As well as containing essentials, the baby box can also be used as a bed because it comes with a fitted mattress. Many Finnish babies have their first sleeps in these cardboard cots.
The baby box includes cloth diapers as the Finnish government disapproves of disposable nappies.
Maternity package is not a commercial product and therefore Kela cannot sell it. It is available solely as a benefit offered under the Finnish social security system. The items it contains are sourced through a competitive bidding process complying with EU law.
Baby box content:
Box itself doubles as a crib
Range of clothing including snowsuit, romper suits and leggings
Members of Nelson Mandela’s family have laid a criminal complaint against former South African president’s grandson Mandla Mandela.
According to police spokesman Mzukisi Fatyela, officers would investigate allegations of illegal grave tampering.
A public prosecutor would then decide whether to press charges, he said.
Members of Nelson Mandela’s family have laid a criminal complaint against his grandson Mandla Mandela for illegal grave tampering
It involves the bodies of three of Nelson Mandela’s children, who were allegedly moved from a family graveyard about two years ago by Mandla Mandela.
In a separate case, 16 Mandela family members are seeking to move the bodies back to the graveyard in the village of Qunu, where Nelson Mandela, who is critically ill in hospital with a recurring lung infection, wants to be laid to rest.
The case is being heard at the Mthatha High Court in Eastern Province and has been postponed until Wednesday.
Last week, the court granted an interim order for the remains to be exhumed and moved from Mandla Mandela’s homestead in the village of Mvezo to nearby Qunu, 14 miles away.
Mandla Mandela, who was appointed as chief of Mvezo by his grandfather, is now contesting that order.
Whether you’re taking a trip or looking for fireworks close to home, here’s a sample of festivities.
Philadelphia: Welcome America Festival
Philadelphia’s annual Independence Day festival celebrates for almost two weeks, starting the last week in June with concerts, food events, and much more, and leading up to a full day of festivities on July 4th.
Events on the 4th of July include a parade, a Liberty Bell tapping ceremony, a “Party on the Parkway”, and an evening concert followed by fireworks.
Fourth of July in New York City
From Hot Dog Eating Contests to Cruises to Concerts…
A highlight in NYC is Macy’s stupendous Fourth of July Fireworks, set off from several locations from barges on the Hudson River.
Long Island, NY
Fireworks, parades, festivals, races, more.
Boston’s Fourth of July Harborfest
“America’s Biggest Independence Day Party” is a multi-day bash with hundreds of events – from historic tours to Children’s Day to Chowderfest- and attracts more than 2.5 million visitors. Fourth of July Pops Concert at the Esplanade is a tradition, leading up to fireworks over the Charles River.
July 4th in Chicago
Chicago’s biggest fireworks spectacle took place for decades on July 3rd at Grant Park, with over a million people – with blankets, coolers, picnics – watching from the lakefront, but this event was discontinued. On July 4th, Navy Pier – which has fireworks all summer – will have a special fireworks display.
The 4th of July is a day for family fun
Baltimore’s Fourth of July Celebration
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is the place to be: check Calendar for all-day fun, and grand finale fireworks.
Washington DC: 4th of July
A giant National Independence Day Parade starts the celebration along Constitution Avenue; in the afternoon, the annual Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife entertains; the National Archives has a Family Day; and in the evening, the National Symphony Orchestra performs while one of the country’s largest shows of fireworks lights up the reflecting pool on the National Mall.
4th of July in Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is living history: real-life actors in the streets and in historic houses bring to life the days before the American Revolution. Expect fireworks, and the chance to ask a few questions – ask Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry, that is.
Virginia Beach
It’s a Stars & Stripes Explosion for July 4th: oceanfront stages with live performances; thousands of visitors; many styles of live music; spectacular fireworks over the ocean.
Fourth of July in Orlando
Expect great fireworks in this town! Find fireworks and celebrations at Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World, SeaWorld, more.
Houston, Texas
Festivities and live entertainment in Eleanor Tinsley Park lead up to “the nation’s largest land-based fireworks show” (-NYC’s fireworks are on a river).
Austin, Texas
Bring a blanket and picnic basket, for fireworks and music by the Austin Symphony; other venues too.
New Orleans
Celebrate Independence Day New Orleans style: Go 4th on the River is a major bash, with live entertainment followed by the “Dueling Barges Fireworks Extravaganza” on the Mississippi River. Other events, too.
Top Picks for 4th of July in St. Louis
The Fair St. Louis has a parade that’s been rolling for over 130 years, a Family Fun Village, free concerts, and of course fireworks. Other celebrations too in nearby towns.
Phoenix Independence Day
Picnics, concerts, rides, etc., leading up to the fireworks.
Los Angeles: 4th of July Festivities
Where to celebrate the 4th of July in and around LA: festivals, fireworks, BBQ’s, and more, including events in the Valley and Orange County.
LA: Americafest at the Rose Bowl
A standout event for July 4th for families in the LA area: the Rose Bowl stadium, in Pasadena, has a day-long festival with live music, food, entertainment, and “the biggest and best fireworks show in Southern California”.
San Francisco
The 4th of July Celebration takes place at Pier 39, part of the popular tourist complex that includes Fisherman’s Wharf, the Cannery, and Ghirardelli Square. Free family fun, bands, street performers, marionettes, face-painting, and, of course, fireworks.
Seattle
Celebrations include the day-long Family Fourth at Lake Union which ends with a fireworks extravaganza, Tacoma’s Fourth of July Freedom Fair, and more.
Washington DC is a spectacular place to celebrate July 4th.
The National Mall, with Washington DC’s monuments and the U. S. Capitol in the background, forms a beautiful and patriotic backdrop to America’s Independence Day celebrations. This is an all-day event in the nation’s capital, beginning with a parade along Constitution Avenue and ending with a spectacular display of fireworks over the Washington Monument.
Washington DC is a spectacular place to celebrate July 4th
The 4th of July celebrations in Washington, DC are among the most attended events of the year and many people arrive early to stake out a seat on the lawn. There are plenty of activities scheduled throughout the day to keep the whole family busy.
Getting to the National Mall
The best way to get to the National Mall is to take the Metro. Stations nearby include Smithsonian, Metro Center, Gallery Place-Chinatown, Judiciary Square, Federal Triangle and L’Enfant Plaza.
The Smithsonian Metro station will be open all day!
It typically takes 1 ½ to 2 hours to clear the Mall after the fireworks.
Public access to the National Mall begins at 10:00 a.m., with all visitors required to enter via a security checkpoint.
Monica Lewinsky clothing and notes collection fetched only $12,650 at an online auction scheduled to end last Thursday night.
The Nate Sanders website doesn’t list a final price in their results. It appears the highest bid didn’t met the reserve set by the unidentified consigner.
Monica Lewinsky clothing and notes collection fetched only $12,650 at an online auction
The 13 bids for 32 items collection went as high as $12,650, but “it didn’t meet the consigner’s reserve,” as auction manager Laura Yntema told The Washington Post.
“For something that’s rare, it’s hard to determine the value,” she added.
Laura Yntema didn’t say if the items will be offered again.
Venezuela emerged today as the country most likely to shelter NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden from US justice.
President Nicolás Maduro said he was “willing in principle” to grant Edward Snowden asylum, declaring: “He didn’t kill anyone or plant a bomb.”
Nicolás Maduro said that the NSA whistleblower had not made a formal application for refuge but that he deserved protection under international law.
But the Venezuelan president, who is in Russia on a state visit, batted down speculation that he could spirit the data analyst away to Venezuelan capital Caracas on his presidential jet when he leaves Russia tonight.
Edward Snowden, 30, has so far applied for asylum in 21 countries but faces a thinning list of options after Finland, India, Ecuador and Poland rejected his plea and a number of others said applications can only be made in person on their home soil.
President Nicolás Maduro said he was “willing in principle” to grant Edward Snowden asylum
In the most positive news yet for Edward Snowden, Nicolás Maduro said: “He did not kill anyone and he did not plant a bomb… He only said a big truth to prevent wars.”
His comments came after Edward Snowden has abandoned his bid for asylum in Russia, hours after president Vladimir Putin said he would only be welcome if he stopped leaking the secrets of “our American partners”.
WikiLeaks today revealed Edward Snowden has begged 21 countries to take him in as he fights extradition to the US where he faces charges of espionage after leaking top-secret documents on US surveillance schemes.
The list includes Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Finland, France, Spain, Germany and Ireland.
“Snowden really asked to remain in Russia,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said.
“Learning yesterday of Russia’s position… he abandoned his intentions and his request to get the possibility to stay in Russia.”
Earlier, Vladimir Putin made it clear Russia would only consider his request if he stops “attacking our American partners” in an unusual gesture of solidarity with the US.
“Russia never hands over anybody anywhere and has no intention to do so,” said the Kremlin leader, defying a specific U.S. request.
“If he [Edward Snowden] wants to remain here there is one condition – he should stop his work aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners no matter how strange this may sound coming from me.”
Eco-friendly car technology is all the rage these days. Cars regularly get 30, 40, or 50+ mpg now utilizing several new advancements such as hybrid or electric technology. While some of these technologies still have their limitations, it’s still nice to know that you won’t have to take out a loan to go on an out-of-state road trip this summer.
No matter which technology your automobile uses, you are still producing pollution every time you drive. So when you’re deciding if you should take that great deal on a 2014 Ford Fusion or spend the extra bucks for the hybrid model, you may want to consider the difference in ecological impact between the two options. This infographic compares the ecological footprint caused by hybrid vehicles and your standard internal combustion autos.
John Paul II could be declared a saint this year after a Vatican committee approved a second miracle attributed to the former pope’s intercession.
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints ruled an “inexplicable recovery” on 1 May 2011 was due to the late Pope’s intercession, Ansa reported.
Earlier that same day he had been beatified after a first miracle was attributed to his intervention.
Pope Francis must now give his approval before a canonization date is set.
Canonization is the final step in the official process that declares a deceased person to be a saint.
At a plenary meeting of the Congregation on Tuesday, cardinals and bishops mooted a canonization ceremony taking place in December, sources told Ansa.
One possible date would be 8 December, on which Catholics celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which this year falls on a Sunday.
John Paul II could be canonized at the same time as John XXIII, Vatican sources suggested. Venerated by Catholics as “the good pope”, John XXIII was elected in 1958 and convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962, but died the following year before it was finished.
John Paul II could be declared a saint this year after a Vatican committee approved a second miracle attributed to him
Canonization requires the attribution of one further miracle to the intercession of the candidate after they have been beatified.
The Vatican has not revealed details about the second miracle in John Paul II’s case.
It was reportedly deemed an “inexplicable recovery” by a panel of doctors before being approved last month by a board of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints’ theologians.
John Paul II died in 2005 aged 84 and was beatified by his successor Benedict XVI in May 2011.
Among a crowd hundreds of thousands strong on St Peter’s Square was French nun Marie Simon-Pierre, who says she was cured of Parkinson’s Disease after praying for the intervention of the late pope little more than a month after he died.
Some questioned the Church’s speed in beatifying John Paul II just six years after his death.
Although widely regarded as one of the great popes of modern times, his 26-year pontificate was tarnished by his handling of the clerical sex abuse scandal that has rocked the global Church.
Critics say other of the Church’s deep-seated problems – such as its dysfunctional management and financial scandals at the Vatican bank – stem from shortcomings of his pontificate.
John Paul II reformed the sainthood process in 1983, making it faster, simpler, and cheaper. The office of “Devil’s advocate” – an official whose job was to try to knock down the case for sainthood – was eliminated, and the required number of miracles was dropped.
The idea was to lift up contemporary role models of holiness in order to convince a jaded secular world that sanctity is alive in the here and now, says veteran Vatican analyst John Allen.
The result was that John Paul II beatified and canonized more people than all previous popes combined.
President Barack Obama ended his Africa tour by visiting Tanzania, after trips to Senegal and South Africa.
Earlier Barack Obama laid a wreath for the victims of the 1998 US embassy bombing in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam.
Eleven people were killed in the al-Qaeda attack, which coincided with a bombing in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, which left hundreds dead.
President Barack Obama was joined for the ceremony by predecessor George W. Bush.
George W. Bush was in Dar es Salaam for a conference on African women sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute.
While the former president and Barack Obama attended the ceremony at the US embassy memorial, their wives took part in the African First Ladies Summit.
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete walked Barack Obama and his wife down a red carpet to the Air Force One at the international airport in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.
A guard of honor saluted and marching bands played as the couple boarded the plane.
Barack Obama laid a wreath for the victims of the 1998 US embassy bombing in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam
President Barack Obama had arrived in Tanzania on Monday.
During his stay, he also visited a US-owned power plant, following his announcement over the weekend of a multi-billion-dollar electricity initiative.
The $7 billion five-year initiative is intended to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, in partnership with African countries and the private sector.
“We’re starting with countries that are making progress already with reforms in the energy sector – Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Mozambique and Liberia,” Barack Obama told a business leaders forum in Dar es Salaam.
“And with a focus on cleaner energy, we will initially add 10,000 megawatts of new electricity generation, which expands electricity to 20 million homes and businesses.”
At the same forum on Monday evening, Barack Obama launched a programme helping Africa’s eastern nations of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda trade both with each other and with the US.
“We’ll work with the countries involved to modernize customs, move to single more efficient border crossings, reduce bottlenecks, reduce the roadblocks that stymie the flow of goods to market,” he said.
Barack Obama’s second tour to sub-Saharan Africa since becoming president began in Senegal where he called on African governments to give gay people equal rights.
President Barack Obama excluded from his week-long itinerary Kenya, where his father was born, and Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer which has been hit by an Islamist insurgency.
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