President Barack Obama has visited the tornado-ravaged town of Moore in Oklahoma to comfort its victims saying that they “are not alone”.
Surveying the devastation, Barack Obama said it was “hard to comprehend”, adding: “Everywhere, fellow Americans are praying with you.”
The president visited the site of the school where seven children died.
The tornado ravaged the Oklahoma City suburb last Monday, killing 24 people and destroying some 1,200 homes.
About 33,000 people were affected and the damage has been estimated at $2 billion.
Some 377 people were also injured in the tornado, which was ranked an EF5 – at the top of the enhanced Fujita scale.
Barack Obama, alongside Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, said: “This is a strong community with strong character. There’s no doubt they will bounce back. But they need help.”
Standing on a block surrounded by debris, Barack Obama said: “Obviously the damage here is pretty hard to comprehend.”
Barack Obama has visited the tornado-ravaged town of Moore in Oklahoma to comfort its victims
“Whenever I come to an area that has been devastated by some natural disaster like this, I want to make sure that everyone understands that I am speaking on behalf of the entire country,” the president said.
In the past year Barack Obama has consoled the families of victims of Superstorm Sandy, the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting and the Boston Marathon bombings.
He said: “Everywhere, fellow Americans are praying with you, they’re thinking about you and they want to help. And I’m just a messenger here letting you know that you are not alone.”
Barack Obama’s first stop was the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven of the 10 children who died lost their lives.
In front of the wreckage and surveying piles of rubble and upturned cars, he told one school official: “I know this is tough.”
Three makeshift American flags flew in the wind, attached to parts of the debris.
Caleb Sloan, 24, who lost his home, told Reuters: “[The president] has no choice but to live by his word. I hope and pray and think he will keep his promises.”
Barack Obama has signed a disaster declaration that quickens federal aid.
Some 450 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel are in Moore, with some $3.4 million in payments so far approved for 4,200 applicants for disaster assistance.
Governor Mary Fallin said: “We’re resilient. There’s already a big path of debris that’s been moved around. People are gathering their stuff.
“It’s been truly remarkable to see how our people have responded and how strong they are.”
Sitcom Arrested Development has been revived after an absence of 7 years, with many devoted fans devouring all 15 new episodes after they were made available online.
Arrested Development, which was recently dubbed the “greatest sitcom ever” by The Guardian, was axed by the Fox network in 2006.
But a new series has been made and aired by streaming service Netflix.
The series is the latest attempt by Netflix to tempt viewers away from traditional TV channels.
Netflix previously made waves in the TV industry by bypassing established networks and filming its own remake of British political drama House of Cards starring Kevin Spacey. All 13 episodes were made available at once in February.
Arrested Development has been revived after an absence of 7 years
Arrested Development established a cult following during its original three series on Fox from 2003-2006 and its return has been met with huge anticipation from its loyal fans.
Gavin and Stacey actor Matthew Horne wrote on Twitter: “I KNOW the sun is shining, but the new Arrested Development is on Netflix… so, goodbye Sunday.”
US author and Veronica Mars screenwriter Rob Thomas posted: “Netflix just emailed me that Arrested Development is online now. No one bother me for the next 7.5 hours. Hungry children – this means you.”
Before the new series appeared, creator Mitch Hurwitz told fans to pace themselves.
“Don’t feel obligated to watch it all at once,” he told the Vulture website.
“It’s a comedy! It’s not like Lord of the Rings. Comedy takes a lot out of you.”
Forbes.com writer Dorothy Pomerantz said she would savor the experience because it might be the last time key personnel including executive producer and narrator Ron Howard and actor Jason Bateman would find time to film together.
Dorothy Pomerantz wrote: “I’m going to take my time with Arrested Development and enjoy it like an old-fashioned TV show: one a week. I want the fun to last as long as possible.”
Blue is the Warmest Colour (La vie d’Adèle), a love story about two young French women, has won the Palme d’Or for best film at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The film has attracted attention for its s** scenes as well as the acclaimed performances of actresses Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux.
Hollywood veteran Bruce Dern won best actor for his performance in Nebraska.
French star Berenice Bejo, known for silent film The Artist, won best actress for her role in The Past.
The winners were picked from the 20 films in competition and were named at the festival’s closing ceremony on Sunday.
Blue is the Warmest Colour is a three-hour coming-of-age movie in which Adele Exarchopoulos plays a 15-year-old who falls in love with an older woman, played by Lea Seydoux.
Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, the film won rave reviews in Cannes, being described as “epic yet intimate” by The Guardian.
The film also shocked some critics. The Hollywood Reporter said the “sprawling drama” would “raise eyebrows” as it crossed the barrier “between performance and the real deal”.
Some had questioned whether the s** scenes may make it too e**licit for the top prize.
But director Steven Spielberg, who chaired the jury, told reporters: “I think it will get a lot of play… I think this film carries a very strong message, a very positive message.”
In an unusual move, Steven Spielberg awarded the prize to the two lead actresses as well as the director.
Blue is the Warmest Colour ( La vie d’Adèle) has won the Palme d’Or for best film at Cannes Film Festival 2013
Accepting the prize, Abdellatif Kechiche said: “I should like to dedicate this film to the wonderful youth of France whom I met during the long period while making this film.
“Those young people taught me a lot about the spirit of freedom and living together.”
Blue is the Warmest Colour prevented US film-makers the Coen brothers from repeating their Palme d’Or success of 1991, when they won for Barton Fink.
Their latest film Inside Llewyn Davis, about the 1960s New York folk scene, won this year’s Grand Prix, effectively the runners-up prize.
The best actor award marks a return to the critical bosom for Bruce Dern, who is best known for roles in 1970s films including Coming Home, The Cowboys and The Great Gatsby.
Now 76, Bruce dern has won for playing an ageing, alcoholic father on a road trip to collect a lottery prize. The film, titled Nebraska, was directed by Sideways and The Descendants film-maker Alexander Payne.
Berenice Bejo’s best actress prize has proved that her performance in The Artist was not a one-off. Her film The Past is a family drama made by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi as the follow-up to his Oscar-nominated 2011 drama A Separation.
Mexico’s Amat Escalante, who made brutal drama Heli about the country’s drugs war, was something of a surprise choice for best director.
China’s Jia Zhangke won best screenplay for A Touch of Sin, an examination of rampant corruption in his country.
The Jury Prize went to Like Father, Like Son, about two families who discover that their six-year-old boys were switched at birth, directed by Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Films that missed out included Behind the Candelabra, in which Michael Douglas plays the legendarily flamboyant entertainer Liberace, and Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty, a sumptuous story about an ageing novelist.
Steven Spielberg was joined on the jury by Life of Pi director Ang Lee, actress Nicole Kidman and Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz.
The other judges were We Need To Talk About Kevin film-maker Lynne Ramsay, French actor Daniel Auteuil, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, Japanese director Naomi Kawase and Bollywood star Vidya Balan.
Pope Francis has condemned mafia groups for “exploiting and enslaving people”, urging mobsters to repent.
Speaking after his weekly blessing in St Peter’s Square in Rome, he said “we must pray to the Lord to make these mafiosi convert to God”.
The pontiff’s comments came a day after the beatification of Don Giuseppe Puglisi, a Roman Catholic priest murdered by the mafia in Sicily in 1993.
The ceremony marked the penultimate step on the path to his sainthood.
Pope Francis has condemned mafia groups for exploiting and enslaving people
“I think of the great pain suffered by men, women and even children, exploited by so many mafias, who make them slaves, through prostitution, through many social pressures,” Pope Francis said on Sunday.
“They cannot do this, they cannot make our brothers slaves,” he said.
Pope Francis also used his traditional Sunday appearance to pilgrims to hail Father Puglisi as a “martyr” and “an exemplary priest”.
The beatification ceremony in Sicily’s capital Palermo drew more than 50,000 people, although Pope Francis did not attend it.
By beatifying Don Giuseppe Puglisi, the Church is making a strong stand against mafia crime – which has been protected by a code of silence.
Michael Adebolajo, one of the suspects in the Woolwich attack case, was arrested in Kenya in 2010, the Foreign Office has confirmed.
It said Michael Adebolajo, 28, was arrested there and it gave consular assistance “as normal” in the circumstances.
Michael Adebolajo was believed to have been preparing to fight with Somali militant group al-Shabab, a Kenyan government spokesman confirmed, and was later deported.
Meanwhile, police investigating soldier Lee Rigby’s murder have arrested a 22-year-old man in north London.
The arrest at Highbury Grove, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, brings the total number made so far in the case to nine.
Members of Lee Rigby’s family have visited the scene of the killing, laying flowers at Woolwich Barracks where the 25-year-old drummer with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was based.
They hugged and comforted each other as they looked at some of the many thousands of floral tributes that have been left in his memory, before crossing the road to look at the exact spot where he was attacked.
Several hundred people gathered at the scene a few hours later, some chanting Lee Rigby’s name and waving Help for Heroes flags.
The Met Police said it was a planned community event in which a group of people intended to lay a wreath.
A small group of English Defence League members also joined the crowd, prompting organizers to complain that their plans had been “hijacked”.
The Kenyan government had previously denied that Michael Adebolajo had ever visited the country, but spokesman Muthui Kariuki said there had been some confusion as he was arrested under a different name.
Michael Adebolajo, one of the suspects in the Woolwich attack case, was arrested in Kenya in 2010
In video footage of his court appearance which emerged on Sunday, Michael Adebolajo is heard to say: “These people are mistreating us, we are innocent.”
Muthui Kariuki said Michael Adebolajo was then handed over to “British security officers” when it emerged he was a UK citizen.
Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab is affiliated to al-Qaeda and is thought to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters. It killed 76 people in a double bomb attack in Uganda as they watched the 2010 World Cup.
Michale Adebolajo and a second man, Michael Adebowale, 22, were arrested on suspicion of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich on Wednesday.
They remain in custody in hospital in a stable condition after being shot and wounded by police at the scene after the killing.
Three further men, aged 21, 24 and 28, were arrested in London on Saturday evening on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder – a Taser was used on two of them.
A 29-year-old man arrested earlier on suspicion of conspiracy to murder was released on bail on Saturday, while two women aged 29 and 31, arrested on Thursday, have been released without charge.
In an update on Sunday, Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne said officers were examining CCTV footage, social media and forensic material as part of their investigation into Drummer Lee Rigby’s murder.
He appealed for any associates of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale who believed they might have useful information to come forward.
Earlier on Sunday, Home Secretary Theresa May said “500 officers and others” were working on the case, including counter-terrorism officers brought in from elsewhere in the country.
Senior Whitehall sources have previously confirmed both suspects arrested at the scene of Drummer Lee Rigby’s killing were already known to security services.
When asked if there were mistakes made by the security services in dealing with this case, Theresa May said: “What we have is the right procedures which say when things like this happen we do need to look at whether there are any lessons to be learned.”
Theresa May also said a new taskforce was being set up to look at whether new powers were needed to tackle extremism.
It will be chaired by the prime minister and include senior cabinet ministers and security chiefs.
Christie Brinkley looked incredible in a floral mini-dress while posing with her children, Alexa, Jack, and Sailor at the Social Life Magazine soiree in New York Saturday.
At 59, Christie Brinkley’s mothered three grown children with three different husbands.
The evergreen supermodel and her brood transformed the Social LifeMagazine‘s 10-year anniversary party at Watermill’s 70 Tanager Lane into a fabulous family affair.
Christie Brinkley, who looked more like the trio’s sister, flaunted her toned and tanned pins in the long-sleeve frock and nude peep-toe pumps.
Still sporting a gorgeous head of blonde hair, the magazine’s cover girl practically glowed as she cuddled the 27-year-old brunette and the 14-year-old redhead.
Alexa, whose father is singer Billy Joel, also displayed her slim pins in a bronze mini-skirt which she paired with a white blouse and nude platform pumps.
Christie Brinkley with her daughter Sailor
Sailor, whose father is architect Peter Cook, looked lovely in her blue-patterned romper, burgundy cardigan, and nude platform heels.
On Wednesday, Christie Brinkley announced that Sailor would officially kick off her modeling career in the August issue of Teen Vogue.
Meanwhile Jack, Christie Brinkley’s son with real estate developer Richard Taubman, will celebrate his 18th birthday next week.
Jack, who was legally adopted by Peter Cook, looked dapper in his black jacket, blue trousers, and black plimsolls.
The May issue, already on newsstands, features Christie Brinkley reclining poolside in a black criss-crossing bikini beneath a catsuit.
It was the first time Christie Brinkley had posed in a swimsuit in over 30 years.
The Sport’s Illustrated favorite was accused of becoming “addicted” to Instagram in Social Life.
“I find when I walk with a camera in my hand, I am extra alert and attuned to all the extraordinary beauty that abounds, from the smallest detail of a powdery pistil in a flower to the texture of the sky,” she said.
“Taking pictures intensifies my appreciation and awe.”
However, she defended her snap-happy enthusiasm on Facebook Friday.
“<<Addiction>>? Well…more like <<passion>> for taking pictures, which I share on Instagram,” Christie Brinkley noted, before wishing her fans a happy Memorial Day.
The four-time divorcée, who is worth more than $80 million, currently lives full time in the Hamptons.
Her personal life has seen many struggles in the past year – both her parents passed away and she finally resolved a lengthy and bitter custody battle with ex-husband Peter Cook.
Their marriage ended after Christie Brinkley discovered that Peter Cook had allegedly engaged in a two-year-long affair with the 17-year-old daughter of a police officer.
Christie Brinkley, who had the longest-running contract with Cover Girl, now focuses on her garden, skincare, eye-wear, and fabric lines.
Amanda Bynes now claims her arrest was an elaborate conspiracy made up by police.
Amanda Bynes, 27, has alleged she was “s***ally harassed” by the officer who arrested her on Tuesday night.
The former actress took to Twitter on Saturday to make a number of serious of accusations against a male NYPD officer, including one in which she claims he “slapped my va**na”.
It was reported that a spokesman for NYPD confirmed that they had received a formal complaint from Amanda Bynes.
“The matter is under investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau,” the spokesman said.
Begging fans not to believe that she was arrested, Amanda Bynes said it was not the New York apartment building’s staff who called authorities but the actress herself.
Amanda Bynes wrote: “Don’t believe the reports about me being arrested. It’s all lies.
“I was s***ally harassed by one of the cops the night before last which is who then arrested me. He lied and said I threw a b**g out the window when I opened the window for fresh air. Hilarious.
“He slapped my va**na. S***al harassment. Big deal.”
While the NYPD is taking the matter seriously a source revealed that there are witnesses who discredit her account.
Amanda Bynes claims her arrest was an elaborate conspiracy made up by police
According the source, the building manager was with the officers at all times inside the apartment and Amanda Bynes was never alone with the male officer.
It took the actress some time to come to the door of her apartment when police arrived as she was already on the phone making a complaint but officers had entered her apartment, the source said.
However, the policeman, Amanda Bynes said, arrested her to cover up his actions.
“I then called the cops on him. He handcuffed me, which I resisted, quite unlike any of the reports stated.”
Amanda Bynes went on to say she was denied her legal rights and called police’s decision to send her for psychiatric assessment prior to charging her “offensive”.
“Then I was sent to a mental hospital. Offensive.
“I kept asking for my lawyer but they wouldn’t let me.”
Amanda Bynes claims the fact she was allowed to leave court on Friday was proof there was no basis to her charges – that include unlawful possession of mar***ana as well as reckless endangerment and attempted tampering with evidence for allegedly throwing a b**g out of her apartment window.
“The cops were creepy. The cop s***ally harassed me, they found no pot on me or b**g outside my window. That’s why the judge let me go.”
“Don’t believe any reports,” Amanda Bynes said in closing.
Amanda Bynes’ behavior has been increasingly unusual after she left California – where she was charged with DUI and other driving offenses – and moved to New York.
Serbia is holding a state funeral for Yugoslavia’s last king, Peter II, and three other members of his family.
King Peter II acceded to the throne in 1941, aged 17, but fled 11 days later when the Nazis invaded Yugoslavia. He never returned and died in the US in 1970.
The funeral is also being held for his wife, Queen Alexandria, his mother Queen Maria, and brother Prince Andrew.
After the memorial service, they will be buried in the family mausoleum.
Serb leaders and foreign dignitaries were attending Sunday’s service, at St George’s Church in Oplenac, near Belgrade.
The coffins of the four members of the royal family were laid out in the centre of the church before they were to be placed in the crypt, alongside their ancestors.
King Peter II had originally been interred in Libertyville, Illinois, his wife in Greece and his mother near Windsor Castle in the UK.
Serbia is holding a state funeral for Yugoslavia’s last king, Peter II, and three other members of his family
President Tomislav Nikolic and Prime Minister Ivica Dacic were both involved in the preparations for the funeral.
Although modern-day Serbia has the royal coat of arms on its flag, the attitudes of Serbs towards their old royal family is hard to gauge.
Peter went to school in England but returned home aged 11 when his father, King Alexander I, was assassinated in France in 1934. His brother, Prince Pavle, became Prince Regent until he was overthrown in a military coup for signing a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany.
For almost 50 years it was part of socialist Yugoslavia. At the end of World War II, Iosip Broz Tito’s communists abolished the monarchy.
“Most people would say it’s doing historical justice to a dynasty that was chased away from Serbia in 1945,” says historian Vladimir Dulovic.
“Except maybe today, by spending 50 years out of the country, they’ve grown a little too foreign for us.”
King Peter II’s son, Alexander Karadjordjevic, often described as crown prince, moved to Serbia in 2001.
An enthusiastic promoter of constitutional monarchy for Serbia, Alexander Karadjordjevic argues that a king removed from the country’s sometimes fractious politics would be a stabilizing figure.
However, According to a recent newspaper poll, only around 40% of Serbs agree.
In October 2012, three other members of Yugoslavia’s former royal family were exhumed in Switzerland and reburied in the Oplenac church crypt.
Yugoslavia’s royal family:
1804 Founder of dynasty, Djordje Petrovic, known as Karadjordjevic or “Black George”, leads Serb uprising against Ottomans
1811 Karadjordjevic confirmed as ruler
1918 Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes proclaimed
1929 Kingdom of Yugoslavia declared
1934 King Alexander I assassinated in Marseille
1941 King Peter II goes into exile
1945 Crown Prince Alexander II born in London. Iosip Broz Tito’s communists abolish monarchy
Barbara Eden bravely donned her iconic crop-top and harem pantaloons for the opening ceremony of the 21st Life Ball in Vienna Saturday.
Barbara Eden, 78, spent five years and 139 episodes starring on sixties sitcom, I Dream of Jeannie.
The evergreen TV legend still looked fabulous in the pink chiffon costume and tiny red velvet bolero.
Barbara Eden even made sure to wear her star-making role’s classic braided blonde ponytail wig, scarf hat, and silver kitten heels.
Originally designed by Gwen Wakeling with colors selected by Barbara Eden, the costume caused controversy with the censors due to the slightly exposed navel.
Barbara Eden first appeared on stage at Vienna’s City Hall alongside former Olympic swimmer Greg Louganis, pop star Fergie, and even organizer Gery Keszler.
She then reenacted her classic wish-conjuring arm and head nod, which magically brought out her new “Master” – former President Bill Clinton.
Barbara Eden donned her iconic costume for the opening ceremony of the 21st Life Ball in Vienna
Bill Clinton, 66, escorted Barbara Eden hand-in-hand up the tall velvet steps off the stage.
Before her big entrance, the aging beauty walked the glamorous event’s magenta carpet in a glittery gold gown featuring a thigh-high slit and matching bolero.
Rather than a gold purse, Barbara Eden clutched a replica of the purple genie’s bottle from her famous show.
The sitcom’s premise involved a 2,000-year-old genie being rescued by a handsome astronaut, who rubs her bottle after crash landing his shuttle on a beach.
Dallas star Larry Hagman, who passed away from throat cancer last November, played Captain Tony Nelson opposite the then 31-year-old starlet.
Meant to compete with the rival series Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie was created by Sidney Sheldon and aired on NBC in 1965.
The series, which was a mild hit at the time, became hugely popular during decades of syndication and the two spin-off reunion movies – neither of which starred Larry Hagman.
Barbara Eden even named her 2011 memoir after the series.
Jeannie Out of the Bottle detailed her two failed marriages and her “emotional breakdown” following the death of her only child, Matthew Ansara, from an accidental heroin overdose in 2001.
Before appearing on Jeannie, Barbara Eden made appearances on shows like I Love Lucy, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, Father Knows Best, and The Andy Griffith Show.
Barbara Eden’s most recent acting role was in the 2009 movie-of-the-week, Always and Forever alongside Dean McDermott for the Hallmark channel.
One of only six original Apple 1 computers from 1976 still in working order has sold at auction in Germany for more than 500,000 euros ($650,000).
The Apple 1 was one of the first 50 built by Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Jobs’ parents’ garage.
The computer – consisting only of a motherboard, signed by Steve Wozniak – went to an anonymous buyer from Asia.
One of only six original Apple 1 computers from 1976 still in working order has sold at auction in Germany for more than 500,000 euros
Last year, an Apple 1 sold for 490,000 euros ($633,000).
Only about 200 Apple 1s were ever made. About 46 remain in existence, but only six of those are still in working order.
Bob Luther, author of The First Apple, called the Apple 1 the “holy grail of collectable technology”.
The one sold at auction in the German city of Cologne on Saturday was purchased together with an original monitor, tape-player, keyboard. The documentation was signed by Steve Jobs.
Ann Curry reportedly failed to land the first interview with Angelina Jolie since the actress made headlines by announcing her voluntary double mastectomy.
NBC executives had been pressuring Ann Curry, 56, to secure the interview with Angelina Jolie, who Curry has interviewed in the past along with the actress’ partner Brad Pitt.
Angelina Jolie, 37, announced May 14 in an opinion piece in The New York Times that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy after learning she had the faulty BRCA1 gene that gave her an 87% chance of breast cancer.
Ann Curry and Angelina Jolie reportedly have grown a close friendship as a result of their interviews over the years and the NBC brass was hoping to score an exclusive.
Angelina Jolie turned down Ann Curry as well as all other news outlets for the time being, according to the New York Post.
Ann Curry was fired from NBC’s Today show last year and Angelina Jolie made it clear that she wouldn’t consent to an interview with anyone at NBC except for Curry, who is now a correspondent for the network.
Ann Curry failed to land the first interview with Angelina Jolie since she made headlines by announcing her voluntary double mastectomy
The NBC executives wanted Ann Curry to set up a two-hour primetime special with Angelina Jolie with parts airing on the Today show.
Ann Curry returned to live TV on Wednesday night for the first time since being axed from the Today show.
She filled in for anchor Brian Williams on the NBC Nightly News and showed off a new short hairdo.
Ann Curry’s shorter hair previously got her in trouble with her NBC bosses because she didn’t notify management that she was changing her appearance and it was viewed as an act of defiance.
Angelina Jolie made her stunning revelation in an op-ed piece titled My Medical Choice.
The actress outlined her reasons for getting the double mastectomy upon learning of her elevated risks for breast and ovarian cancers.
Angelina Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died at age 56 of ovarian cancer in 2007.
The actress said with her double mastectomy she can tell her six children that they won’t lose her to breast cancer.
Angelina Jolie also said she plans to have her ovaries removed to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer.
SkyScreamer, the world’s tallest tower swing ride, which sends those foolhardy enough to get on-board a whopping 400 feet up in the air, was officially opened on Saturday at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington.
The Texas SkyScreamer allows up to twenty-four riders to sit in open-air swings while spinning in a 124-foot circle at speeds up to 35 mph.
At its 40 story peak – and if the riders still have their eyes open – they can see not only Arlington, but also Dallas and Fort Worth.
“We are thrilled to add the tallest swing ride in the world to our premier line up of rides and attractions,” said Steve Martindale, park president of Six Flags Over Texas.
“It offers the most unique ride experience for an attraction of this kind, and also lives up to the Texas mantra that everything is bigger in the Lone Star state!”
SkyScreamer, the world’s tallest tower swing ride, was officially opened at the Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington
There are seven SkyScreamer rides located at theme parks throughout the U.S. but this latest one dwarfs the competition, the next tallest is in Georgia and is a mere 242 feet tall.
Due to the far greater height though, riders are spun at a reduced speed of 35 mph compared to the usual 43 mph.
All the rides follow the same tried and test formula, riders are carried aloft in two-person swing-like chairs attached to a rotating gondola mounted on a central tower.
When the gondola reaches the top of the tower, riders are swung in a wide circle at its fastest speed, while offering expansive views of the local countryside.
One of the first people to try out the new ride was “Cowboy” Chris from local radio station 94.9 KLTY, he later posted footage on YouTube showing his reactions to the death-defying ride.
Six Flags Over Texas is now open for daily operation and continues through August 25.
The Champions League’s recent history has offered little other than unrelenting misery for Arjen Robben and Bayern Munich – but the agony is over after a colourful, enthralling final that confirmed Germany as the new power base of European domestic football.
Bayern Munich had lost two finals in three years, including defeat on penalties to Chelsea in their own Allianz Arena last year, but on this occasion they cast off the tag of losers to claim the crown for the fifth time.
Only Real Madrid (nine) and AC Milan (seven) have won this tournament more times and the taste of victory was even sweeter for 29-year-old Arjen Robben and veteran Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes, who steps aside to hand over to Pep Guardiola at the end of this season.
Jupp Heynckes will have the chance to bow out with a Treble; Bayern have already won their league and face VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup final next Saturday.
Arjen Robben was reduced to tears at the final whistle after playing in Bayern’s losing finals against Inter Milan and Chelsea, when he missed an extra-time penalty, and also losing semi-finals to Liverpool in 2005 and 2007 during his Stamford Bridge career.
And for 68-year-old elder statesman Jupp Heynckes, this was the perfect parting gift and proof of his enduring powers. He has provided a hard act for Pep Guardiola to follow, even with his outstanding track record of success at Barcelona, which included two Champions League triumphs.
Arjen Robben, however, was the central figure as he set up Mario Mandzukic’s first for Bayern on the hour but Dortmund, under the guidance of charismatic coach Jurgen Klopp, quickly equalised through Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty after Dante fouled Marco Reus.
And Arjen Robben finally had his revenge on a competition that has been so cruel to him in the past, showing great composure to taken Frank Ribery’s flick in his stride in the 89th minute and beat Dortmund’s outstanding keeper Roman Weidenfeller.
Arjen Robben’s goal was the decisive moment of a Champions League final that saw the Bundesliga come to London and deliver a powerful statement of intent about its current status.
As well as the quality of the football, which was truly exceptional, the supporters of Dortmund and Bayern splashed their yellow and red colours spectacularly across Wembley’s canvas and the dignity and grace in defeat and victory of Jurgen Klopp and Jupp Heynckes only confirmed this was an occasion that did great credit to these two German heavyweights.
Bayern Munich won a pulsating all-Bundesliga encounter against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final on Wembley
Jupp Heynckes cut a mellow figure beside the animated Jurgen Klopp in Wembley’s technical area but Dortmund’s coach, with his flamboyant gestures and trademark grin, has established a reputation as one of football’s most significant figures.
And he will know, just as much as his players, that this was an opportunity missed by Dortmund. They paid a heavy price for failing to capitalise on a first half hour in which they dominated Bayern and were only kept at bay by the brilliance of Germany keeper Manuel Neuer.
The intense pressing style that is the trademark of Jurgen Klopp’s team pushed Bayern on to the back foot in the opening phases and left Dortmund regretting they did not take at least one of a succession of opportunities.
Manuel Neuer made five important saves in the first 35 minutes as Dortmund tested Bayern in a manner that proved way beyond Barcelona when they were humiliated 7-0 over two legs in the semi-final.
He thwarted Robert Lewandowski twice and saved superbly at his near post from Marco Reus, who saw another shot blocked. Manuel Neuer was also tested by Sven Bender.
Marco Reus then tested Manuel Neuer once more as Dortmund poured forward, urged on from the technical area by the animated Jurgen Klopp as he delivered a constant stream of encouragement and applause in the direction of his players.
Bayern Munich – finally emerging as an attacking force – may have had the feeling it was going to be another night of Champions League final misery when Roman Weidenfeller touched Mario Mandzukic’s header on to the bar and denied Arjen Robben one-on-one before unwittingly blocking another effort from the eventual match-winner with his face.
The Bundesliga champions had been a growing threat after a poor start and the breakthrough finally came on the hour when Frank Ribery played in Arjen Robben and his cross gave Mario Mandzukic the simplest of tasks to finish from six yards.
Borussia Dortmund required a swift response and it came inside seven minutes – thanks to a piece of recklessness from Dante.
The Bayern defender, who had already been booked, needlessly raised his foot and caught Reus in the stomach. Gundogan stepped forward to score coolly from the penalty spot.
It took a magnificent piece of last-ditch defending from Neven Subotic to keep Dortmund on terms. Thomas Mueller rounded Roman Weidenfeller and his shot looked destined for the net until the lunging Neven Subotic somehow recovered to clear, prompting a fierce fist-pumping response from Jurgen Klopp.
Both goalkeepers had been outstanding throughout and it was Roman Weidenfeller’s turn to demonstrate his ability once more with fine stops from David Alaba and Bastian Schweinsteiger as this enthralling final drew towards a climax.
It was Arjen Robben who made the decisive contribution and when Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli sounded the final whistle to start wild Bayern Munich celebrations, he was reduced to tears as he finally realised his dream.
Ann Curry showed her cropped short hair as she returned to live TV for the first time since she was axed from the Today show.
Wearing a crisp white blazer, Ann Curry, 56, looked happy to be back in the anchor chair as she hosted the NBC Nightly News, filling in for Brian Williams.
Ann Curry tweeted a picture of herself preparing for the broadcast, which prompted a flood of praise from excitable Curry fans.
She has appeared on NBC a handful of times since her awkward departure from the network’s flailing morning show last summer.
However, the appearances have mostly been pre-recorded segments for Brian Williams’ show Rock Center.
After tweeting: “From the set.. Getting ready to anchor @NBCNightlynews,” user chefbigham was quick to respond: “WooHoo!!!! You are the only reason to watch the news.”
Another fan, saseesandee wrote: “@anncurry YeeHaw, so lovely to see u back!”
Ann Curry showed her cropped short hair as she returned to live TV for the first time since she was axed from the Today show
Ann Curry’s noticeably shorter hair reportedly got her in trouble with network executives, after she lopped it off without permission from NBC, in what was labeled an act of defiance.
Amidst criticism over the journalist’s physical appearance by her former Today bosses, Ann Curry “just decided to cut it”, according to RadarOnline.com.
“Ann was always told by her bosses that her hair had to be long, and she just didn’t like to wear it at that length,” a source revealed.
“She is a no-fuss gal, and doesn’t want to spend a ton of time styling her hair. [So] she just decided to cut it.”
They continued: “It’s a much shorter style, and doesn’t take as long to do. Ann didn’t tell her bosses she was going to do it beforehand.”
Like many other networks, any NBC on-air talent is required to notify management before changes are made to their physical appearance.
But Ann Curry was often the victim of jokes at the hands of Today show executive producer Jim Bell, according to New York Times reporter Brian Selter’s new book, Top Of The Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.
Brian Stelter reported that Jim Bell was an instigator to “a general meanness on set” toward the former Today co-host.
In the months leading up to her teary-eyed departure from the morning show last summer, Ann Curry is said to have been “tortured”.
In one instance, a yellow dress Ann Curry wore on air was pictured next to Big Bird, and was captioned: “Who Wore It Best?”
Roman Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner stole the show on the red carpet in Cannes in her plunging red dress.
All eyes were on Emmanuelle Seigner, 46, as she waltzed along the red carpet with her husband in her custom Alexandre Vauthier silk jersey gown which she styled with red Christian Louboutin sandals.
The French actress, who stars in Venus In Fur – Roman Polanski’s adaptation of the David Ives Broadway play, looked vibrant in her dress.
Mother-of-two Emmanuelle Seigner’s dress perfectly showed off her lily white skin and with a slick of red lipstick and minimal make-up the actress certainly upstaged fellow actress Nicole Kidman.
With the chilly breeze blowing her red dress around her legs The Diving Bell and the Butterfly star kept hold of her husband’s hand as they negotiated the red carpet.
The film is about an actress trying to get a director to give her a role.
Roman Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner stole the show on the red carpet in Cannes in her plunging red dress
It is not Roman Polanski’s only offering in Cannes.
Three years after Senna, the hit film biography of the late Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, sporting documentaries about Jackie Stewart, Muhammad Ali and Pele are competing for attention at the Cannes Film Festival.
In Weekend of a Champion, the Polish-French filmmaker Roman Polanski follows Jackie Stewart, his long-time friend, as he prepares to drive in the 1971 Monaco Grand Prix, at a time when the risks to drivers were far greater than they are now.
Roman Polanski said he had forgotten about the film, which was screened at the Berlin film festival in 1972 but never released, until a recent call from a processing lab holding the footage.
The European launch of HTC First, aka Facebook smartphone, has been delayed following disappointing US sales and negative feedback.
The HTC handset runs Facebook’s enhanced Home software, designed to be more integrated into the smartphone than a normal app.
First’s delay follows a raft of high-profile employee departures from HTC.
In recent months, chief product officer Kouji Koudera, Asian chief executive Lennard Hoornik and the firm’s director of global communications Jason Gordon have all departed.
Five other senior figures have also left the company.
Signs of discontent were played out in public when Eric Lin, an ex-HTC product strategy manager, tweeted: “To all my friends still at @HTC – just quit. Leave now.
“It’s tough to do, but you’ll be so much happier, I swear.”
Eric Lin had left HTC in February to join Microsoft-owned Skype.
The European launch of HTC First, aka Facebook smartphone, has been delayed following disappointing US sales and negative feedback
Despite being one of the industry’s top players several years ago, the smartphone maker’s market share has fallen sharply and its income fell to the lowest level in eight years towards the end of 2012.
Mark Zuckerberg launched Home on the promise it would “change the relationship” people have with their phones.
The free-to-download software effectively replaces the phone’s home screen with a Facebook feed and chat options.
It was initially exclusively available on HTC’s First smartphone, before being rolled out to a selection of other Android-powered handsets.
HTC had hoped the Facebook deal would boost sales of the First device, but the handset has since been heavily discounted – and dropped by AT&T, the biggest US mobile network.
In a statement, Facebook said it had been listening to users’ “experiences” of the software.
“While many people love it, we’ve heard a lot of great feedback about how to make Home substantially better.
“As a result we’re focusing the next few months on adding customization features that address the feedback we received.
“While we focus on making Home better, we are going to limit supporting new devices and think it makes a lot of sense for EE and Orange to hold off deploying the HTC First in Europe.”
The soldier was on patrol in the area of La Defense when he was stabbed in the neck by an unknown man who escaped
A French soldier has been stabbed in a Paris suburb and the authorities are investigating whether the incident was a copycat attack in the wake of the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, killed in London this week.
“They tried to kill the soldier because he was a soldier,” said French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
The soldier was on patrol in the area of La Defense when he was stabbed in the neck by an unknown man who escaped.
His injuries are not life-threatening and he is in a stable condition.
Earlier, French President Francois Hollande had said all possibilities were being explored but there was no evidence yet of any link to the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in the Woolwich area of London on Wednesday.
But Jean-Yves Le Drian said the soldier had been targeted, and said he was determined to lead “an implacable fight against terrorism”.
The 23-year-old French soldier was patrolling in uniform with two colleagues in the suburban railway station at La Defense late on Saturday afternoon.
He was attacked from behind by a man wielding a knife or a box-cutter.
The assailant, whose identity is unknown, ran away into a crowded shopping area before the two other soldiers were able to react.
A senior police officer said the soldier had lost a considerable amount of blood but would survive, and is now being treated in a nearby military hospital.
France is on high alert following a threat from the North African wing of al-Qaeda, related to the country’s involvement in Mali.
The higher state of alert is one of the reasons why these soldiers are on patrol in central Paris.
Shortly after the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, a man was filmed nearby saying he had carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day.
Two men have been arrested and remain in hospital after they were shot by police.
Both men were known to the British security services.
Mally, Justin Bieber’s pet monkey, has reportedly been handed over to a zoo to keep after the singer failed to collect him in time.
The capuchin monkey was seized by German customs in March when Justin Bieber, 19, failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour.
Authorities issued an order this week transferring ownership of the animal to Germany after Justin Bieber missed a deadline to send the documents, customs spokesman Thomas Meister said.
Mally, now 20 weeks old, was being cared for at Munich’s animal shelter. He has fared well and gained weight and even got a visit Tuesday from Germany’s environment minister.
“We are going to make sure that Mally can grow up appropriately for its species,” said minister Peter Altmaier.
The shelter has criticized Justin Bieber for keeping such a young monkey as a pet, saying it shouldn’t have been taken away from its mother until it was a year old. Experts say capuchin monkeys also need to be kept in groups, not alone.
“Monkeys are very sociable animals,” Peter Altmaier added.
“That’s why we’re going to take Mally to a place where he can live safely and in the company of others.”
Mally, Justin Bieber’s pet monkey, has been handed over to a zoo to keep after the singer failed to collect him in time
Reports claim Mally is already living at a zoo in Germany, although the exact location hasn’t been confirmed in a bid to keep the primate safe and avoid security problems.
Thomas Meister said a bill for Mally’s care – which he estimated to be several thousand euros (dollars) – would be sent to Justin Bieber.
Justin Bieber has six weeks to contest the decision.
Although he seems to be caught up in his own fair share of problems at the moment which will be keeping him occupied.
Justin Bieber faced criticism from rocker Jon Bon Jovi, who branded him an “a**hole” this week for previously making his young fans wait a couple of hours at his London concert in March.
“Every generation has guys that do that, none of that is new,” Jon Bon Jovi told the London Evening Standard.
“They run the risk of disrespecting their audience members who have worked hard to pay for their ticket, to give you the permission to take two or three hours of their lives – or in that kid’s case, 80 minutes of their lives.
“Do it once, you can be forgiven. Do it enough times and shame on you. They won’t have you back. Then it just becomes a cliché. It’s really not cool – you’re an a**hole. Go to f***in’ work!”
Kelly Brook has given fans a slight insight into how she keeps herself looking stunning in a new video clip.
Kelly Brook, 33, took to Keek – the popular video sharing site – on Friday to show a quick stream of her beauty regime.
With the assistance of her trusted make-up artist, she gave fans a first-hand glimpse of her having her smokey eyes created.
Sitting back in her make-up chair, Kelly Brook relaxed as an artist carefully added mascara and eyeshadow to her big brown eyes.
Holding her camera impressively still as the team got to work, the Celebrity Juice babe looked delighted with the outcome.
Kelly Brook playfully sang as she had her features enhanced and chatted cheerfully to her entourage.
Kelly Brook gave fans a first-hand glimpse of her having her smokey eyes created
Her hair was also pinned up during the make-up process as she underwent a full beauty transformation.
Not content with being pampered by her beauty team, cheeky Kelly Brook also managed to get a foot rub after revealing her Louboutin’s had been pinching.
“My Loubis hurt my feet…” Kelly Brook said in an earlier Keek before receiving the soothing treatment.
The presenter has just completed a hugely successful stint as a guest team captain on hilarious ITV2 comedy game-show Celebrity Juice.
Kelly Brook was drafted in to keep Fearne Cotton’s seat warm after she temporarily left the show to give birth to her first son, Rex, in February.
Having taken over during Fearne Cotton’s maternity leave, Kelly Brook has proved a hit with fellow panelist, Holly Willoughby and the show’s host, Keith Lemon – as well as being a new favorite for fans of the show at home.
With her last appearance on the show airing last Thursday, Kelly Brook has not wasted time in finding further work.
“Guest judging on @shop_aholic_ today with the lovely @Brixsmithstart @officialJasonG @hollycandy pics to Follow 😉 x” she tweeted earlier on Friday, leading to her make-up sharing keeks.
H&M’s latest spring offering, a collection called The New Mix, features pieces that have an uncanny resemblance to industry-favorite looks from Balenciaga, Celine and Kenzo.
As the fast-fashion retailer sales continue to decline, with a brief reprieve in April as the once-thriving clothing retailer struggles to hold on to customers, it seems to have found an answer in high-end designs once again.
One white jersey bustier, retailing for $19.95, looks strangely similar to Balenciaga’s white crop top from the spring 2013 collection – which Kristen Stewart turned heads wearing at last year’s On The Road premiere.
The thermoformed crossover top, made of laser cut-outs, retails at Balenciaga for $1,535.
At Celine, Pheobe Philo sent out a spring 2013 collection, in store now, of stylish, but slovenly elegant pieces in a mostly black and white offering.
One particular dress, the textured Sable dress, was an instant hit with buyers and fashion editors, and H&M seems to have taken note.
The brand’s $24.95 jersey tank top with mesh at the front “for a deep V-neck effect”, is a mirror-image of the Celine dress, which retails for $3,250 in crepe, or $2,900 in silk satin.
H&M’s white jersey bustier looks strangely similar to Balenciaga’s white crop top from the spring 2013 collection
And taking Kenzo’s $255 sell-out Tiger motif to similar heights is a gray sweater from H&M featuring a comparable multi-colored, growling tiger – and customers don’t seem troubled that the company appears to be trading in knockoffs.
One commenter on live journal, Fashin, said she believes democratization of high-fashion is a good thing.
“Designer clothes cost tens of thousands of dollars, why pay when you can get the same thing for $40?” she wrote.
“People like you and I and the rest of the middle class world want to look stylish but don’t want to go broke doing it. I get that copying is wrong, though, but it’s almost justified given the outrageous prices designers put on their clothes.”
H&M has never made a secret of its relentless to chase trends and cater to an ever-widening, insistently competitive fast-fashion market.
While the retailer’s fashion-designer collaborations and celebrity collections get a lot of media attention, Beyonce’s H&M swimwear campaign being one recent example, its prices- 60% cheaper than Zara’s but more expensive that Forever 21, have left H&M struggling to position itself.
While customers often bypass 90% of the store’s offerings, stocked heavily with basics such as T-shirts and trousers, many call the remainder – such as look-a-like Balenciaga tops for less than $20, “an incredible buy”.
One woman, referring to the retailer’s frequent turnover of styles that mimic high-end designs, tweeted: “I like how it’s accessible.”
But another commenter, who cherishes the exclusivity of owning a designer piece before it is turned into a reproduced bargain for the mass-market, explained to fellow forum members: “You like the fact that you can get your hands on similar pieces from the runway at a good price.
“However, now that you can afford it, so can everyone else and that makes the pieces less special.”
While a Twitter user, under the name Anon Model, was slightly more blunt: “H&M is the king of knock off stores. Just saw a Celine bag knock off, Balenciaga top… Have they no shame?!”
According to a new study, the excessive consumption of soda – even diet soda – affects your teeth as badly as ingesting two of the most dangerous narcotics on earth.
The good news is it likely takes far more soda than the amount consumed by a normal human being to achieve the same dental devastation as c**ck or m**h.
The study – conducted by Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny, a professor of restorative dentistry at the Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia – references a woman in her 30s who drank two liters of soda a day for nearly five years. According to Prof. Mohamed Bassiouny, the woman had the same amount of dental damage as a 29-year-old m**h user and a 51-year-old c**ck addict.
The m**h user, however, also consumed two or three cans of regular soda a day because the drugs made his mouth dry, and the c**ck addict has been a regular c**ck user for 18 years, nearly four times as long as the soda drinker had been consuming excessive amounts of soda. Additionally, the soda drinker admitted that she has not seen a dentist in many years. “None of the teeth affected by erosion were salvageable,” Prof. Mohamed Bassiouny tells U.S. News and World Report, noting that all of the study participants had to have all of their teeth removed.
A new study claims that the excessive consumption of soda, even diet soda, affects your teeth as badly as ingesting two of the most dangerous narcotics on earth
The study also finds that sugar-free soda is just as damaging to teeth as regular soda if they are consumed in the same quantity because of their acidic content – a high acidity level also is what makes c**ck and m**h so bad for teeth.
But soda advocates say the study is flawed, and that comparing soda to illegal d**gs is unfair and “irresponsible”. “The woman referenced in this article did not receive dental health services for more than 20 years – two-thirds of her life,” the American Beverage Association said in a statement.
“To single out diet soda consumption as the unique factor in her tooth decay and erosion – and to compare it to that from illicit d**g use – is irresponsible.
‘The body of available science does not support that beverages are a unique factor in causing tooth decay or erosion,” the group said.
“However, we do know that brushing and flossing our teeth, along with making regular visits to the dentist, play a very important role in preventing them.”
Memorial Day weekend may be the unofficial start to the American summer but this year you can forget the beach or the backyard BBQ as the weather is expected to feel more like Veterans Day.
Parts of the northeastern United States are expected to feel more like winter and forecasters have suggested snow could be possible in some parts of northern Maine, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont.
New England will be experiencing some wintry weather across the weekend, with snowfall at higher elevations on Sunday night.
Snow was reported in western parts of New York State, south of Buffalo and several viewers on the Facebook Pennsylvania Storm Chasers also reported seeing snowflakes.
Snow and frost anywhere in the Northeast sounds rare for late May, but it has happened before.
Flakes fell in Maine in June 2009 and up to 10 inches in New England on May 26th 1967.
Memorial Day weekend may be the unofficial start to the American summer but this year’s weather is expected to feel more like Veterans Day
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings for parts of Massachusetts and Texas on Friday as much of the country continued to be hit by miserable weather.
One Maine meteorologist, Keith Carson of WCSH Portland, sounded sheepish.
“Accumulation will be light but..ummm…it’s Memorial Day so we shouldn’t even be having this conversation,” he wrote.
The Tri-State area was also hit by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms throughout the night.
“Unfortunately I don’t have good news on the weather front” said Ross Dickman, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service.
“It’s not going to be a beach day on Saturday. We’re going to have rain showers extending into the weekend with a cold northeasterly wind. Temperatures may not get out of the mid-to-upper 50s.”
All is not lost for those looking to salvage the holiday weekend. Conditions should begin to clear on Sunday and Memorial Day is shaping up to be just about perfect.
Ross Dickman said temperatures should rebound into the upper 70s under sunny skies by the time Monday afternoon arrives.
The Vatican has denied claims that Pope Francis performed an exorcism, after TV 2000 images showed a man apparently reacting to the pontiff putting his hands on his head.
The encounter – during last Sunday Mass – was shown on a TV channel owned by the Italian bishops’ conference.
The station quoted exorcists as saying there was “no doubt” Pope Francis had either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil.
Its director later apologized for “having altered the truth”.
The Pope’s spokesman said he “did not intend to perform any exorcism”.
“Rather as he frequently does with the sick or suffering who come his way, he simply intended to pray for a suffering person,” said Federico Lombardi in a statement.
The footage shows a young man, who is in a wheelchair, opening his mouth and either screaming or breathing deeply as Pope Francis puts his hands on his head and prays for him during the Mass in St Peter’s Square.
TV 2000 images show a man apparently reacting to Pope Francis putting his hands on his head
The man then convulses and slumps in his chair.
On Tuesday, the director of the TV station which broadcast the pictures, TV 2000, apologized for the report, saying: “I don’t want to attribute to him a gesture that he didn’t intend to perform.”
“I apologize for having altered the truth of the facts and for the people who are involved, in particular I apologize to the Holy Father,” said Dino Boffo.
Religious figures in Rome had insisted the act had been an exorcism.
They included the Vatican’s former chief exorcist, Gabriele Amorth, who was quoted by Italian media as saying the act “was an exorcism alright” and that he had since performed his own exorcism on the young man, who he said was called Angelo.
Exorcism is the ancient practice of driving out demons or evil spirits from a person or place they are thought to possess. It is practiced by some Roman Catholics but treated with deep skepticism by others.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi, a Roman Catholic priest murdered by the mafia in 1993, has been beatified in a ceremony attended by 50,000 people in Sicily.
The beatification ceremony, in the Sicilian capital Palermo, marks the penultimate step on the path to being made a saint.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi was shot by a hit man in front of the church where he used to urge his congregation to disobey mafia bosses.
He will be the first victim of organized crime to be declared a martyr by the Catholic Church.
Six men are currently serving life sentences for the murder, which took place on Don Giuseppe Puglisi’s 56th birthday.
Forty bishops and a cardinal representing Pope Francis attended the ceremony, as well as government ministers from Rome.
Born in Palermo, Don Giuseppe Puglisi was the son of a shoemaker and seamstress, and was ordained at the age of 22.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi taught mathematics and religion in several schools, served as the chaplain in an institute for orphans, and went on to work in run-down areas of Palermo.
But he became a target as he grew increasingly outspoken in denouncing crime and alleging collusion between politicians and mafia figures.
Don Giuseppe Puglisi has been beatified in a ceremony attended by 50,000 people in Sicily
Don Giuseppe Puglisi has been declared a martyr of the church, murdered “in hatred of the faith”.
He was famous for a rhetorical question, which he used as a catch phrase in order to encourage Sicilians to stand up and fight organized crime: “And what if somebody did something?”
The Catholic Church has been accused in the past of an ambiguous relationship towards Cosa Nostra, the men who for decades have controlled organized crime on the Mediterranean island.
By beatifying Father Puglisi, the Church is making a strong stand against mafia crime – which has been protected by a code of silence.
Earlier this month, Pope Francis proclaimed the first saints of his pontificate in a ceremony at the Vatican – a list which includes over 800 victims of an atrocity carried out by Ottoman soldiers in 1480.
These meant that, within two months of taking office, Pope Francis had proclaimed more saints than any previous Pope, although his predecessor Pope Benedict had given the go ahead for their canonizations.
Travis Alexander, a 30-year-old salesman from Arizona, was killed by his on-off girlfriend Jodi Arias at his home in Mesa on June 4, 2008.
Travis Alexander’s injuries consisted of multiple s**b wounds, a s**t throat, and a gunshot to the head, according to the medical examiner that ruled his death a homicide.
Jodi Arias, Travis Alexander’s ex-girlfriend, was convicted of the murder and testified that she killed him in self-defense. She was found guilty of first-degree murder on May 8, 2013. Both the murder and trial have received widespread media attention.
The victim, Travis Victor Alexander, was born on July 28, 1977, in Riverside, California. After his father’s death, Travis Alexander and his siblings were taken in by their paternal grandmother, Norma Jean Preston Alexander Sarvey (who died in 2012, aged 80), who eventually introduced them to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Travis Alexander was a salesman for the multi-level marketing company Prepaid Legal Services and he also worked as a motivational speaker.
His convicted murderer, Jodi Ann Arias, was born on July 9, 1980, in Salinas, California.
Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander met in September 2006 at a Prepaid Legal Services conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On November 26, 2006, Jodi Arias was baptized into the Latter-day Saint faith by Travis Alexander. They became a couple in February 2007.
After they broke up in June 2007, Jodi Arias moved to Mesa, Arizona, before moving to her grandparents’ house in Yreka, California, in April 2008.
On June 9, 2008, Travis Alexander’s body was discovered in a shower at his home in Mesa, Arizona. His throat had been c*t, and he had been shot in the head and stabbed multiple times. There have been conflicting reports over the number of s**b wounds, with some reports stating 29] and others stating 27.
Medical Examiner Kevin Horn testified that Travis Alexander’s jugular vein, common carotid artery, and windpipe had been sl***ed.
Hs hands also had defensive wounds. Kevin Horn further testified that Travis Alexander “may have” been dead at the time the gunshot was inflicted.
Travis Alexander’s death was ruled a homicide.
His body was discovered as he was scheduled to leave on June 10, 2008, for a work-related trip to Cancun, Mexico. It has been reported that in early 2008, Travis Alexander had told his company that Jodi Arias would be joining him, and that in April he asked to change his companion to a female friend.
Travis Alexander missed an important conference call on the evening of June 4. On June 9, having been unable to reach Travis Alexander, people from Prepaid Legal Services went to his home. His roommates initially said he was out of town. After finding a key to his master bedroom, they entered the room and found large pools of bl**d in the hallway to the master bathroom, where his body was discovered in the shower. In the 911 call they made to authorities, they mentioned an ex-girlfriend, Jodi Arias, whom Travis Alexander had said was stalking him, accessing his Facebook account, and slashing tires.
On May 28, 2008, a burglary occurred at the residence of Jodi Arias’ grandparents, with whom she was living in Yreka, California. A .25-caliber gun and other objects were taken. The grandparents’ gun was never recovered. The prosecutor argued that the burglary was staged by Jodi Arias and the stolen gun was used to shoot Travis Alexander.
Several days before the trip, Jodi Arias repeatedly contacted her ex-boyfriend, Darryl Brewer, asking to borrow two 5-gallon gas cans for a trip to Arizona. The cans were not returned to Darryl Brewer. Receipts presented at trial also showed that Arias had purchased a third 5-gallon gas can, sunblock, and facial cleanser from Walmart in Salinas, California, on June 3, 2008. That evening, at an ARCO gas station in Pasadena, California, Jodi Arias purchased 8.301 gallons of gasoline with her debit MasterCard, and four minutes later purchased 9.59 gallons of gas with cash. The MasterCard was used again on June 6, 2008, three times at a Tesoro gas station in Salt Lake City, at a Pilot Flying J travel center in Winnemucca, Nevada and a 7-Eleven in Sparks, Nevada.
ravis Alexander and Jodi Arias
After Travis Alexander’s death but before his body was discovered, Jodi Arias had continued to call him and had left him several voicemail messages. It was later alleged that she had accessed Travis Alexander’s voicemail messages after his death. She said that Travis Alexander had originally planned to visit her in May 2008 but that his plans had changed. On June 2, 2008, Jodi Arias rented a white Ford Focus in Redding, California, about 100 miles south of her residence. She told the Budget Rent a Car staff that she would only be driving the car locally, but when the car was returned on June 7, it had been driven about 2,800 miles. It was also missing all of its floor mats, and there were what looked like Kool-Aid stains on the front and rear seats. The car was cleaned before police were able to examine it.
A spent .25 caliber round was located near one of the sinks in the master bath. Travis Alexander’s damaged digital camera was located in the downstairs washing machine. The camera was new. Detective Esteban Flores, via phone interview with Jodi Arias, asked her if she knew a possible motive for why someone would want to damage Travis Alexander’s camera. Although images had been deleted, Mesa Police were able to recover the images. The recovered images included Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander, both in se***lly suggestive poses, at approximately 1:40 p.m. on June 4, 2008. The last photo of Travis Alexander alive, and in the shower, was taken at 5:29:20 p.m. on June 4. Moments later, images appear of an individual, believed to be Travis Alexander, “profusely bleeding” on the floor.
A bl**dy palm print was located in the bathroom hallway, which DNA revealed to be a mixture of Jodi Arias’ and Travis Alexander’s DNA. Jodi Arias continued to insist that she had last seen Travis Alexander in April 2008 despite being presented with DNA and photographic evidence by Detective Esteban Flores.
Ryan Burns and others who met Jodi Arias in Utah after the killing indicated she had bandages on her hands and she wore long sleeves on days when it was very hot.
Jodi Arias told different stories about how she received the cuts to her hands. Ryan Burns was told they were from an injury while working at “Margaritaville” restaurant. At the trial, it was revealed by Siskiyou County, California, authorities that no such restaurant exists, nor ever existed in the area. At the time of the killing, she worked at Casa Ramos in Yreka.
She was indicted by a grand jury on a first-degree murder charge on July 9, 2008, and arrested at her grandparents’ home on July 15, 2008.
Jodi Arias was extradited to Arizona on September 5, 2008, where she pled not guilty on September 11, 2008.
She gave three different accounts of her whereabouts. She originally told police that she had not been in the home at the time of Travis Alexander’s death. She later told police that two intruders had broken into Travis Alexander’s home and that they murdered him and attacked her. Finally, Jodi Arias stated that she killed Travis Alexander in self-defense and she was a victim of domestic violence.
The trial of Jodi Arias began on January 2, 2013, in Maricopa County Superior Court before Judge Sherry K. Stephens. Prosecutor Juan Martinez sought the death penalty.
Jodi Arias was represented by appointed counsel L. Kirk Nurmi and Jennifer Willmott. Her counsel argued that Travis Alexander’s death was a justifiable homicide committed in self-defense.
She took the stand on February 4, 2013. When asked about her quote given to Inside Edition that she would not be convicted, Jodi Arias testified: “At the time, I had plans to commit suicide. So I was extremely confident that no jury would convict me because I didn’t expect any of you to be here, I planned to be dead.”
On February 6, Jodi Arias testified that she killed Travis Alexander in self-defense and recounted an intimate encounter with him that started with kissing and ended in a**l s**, describing the act as painful and adding: “It was not something I expected to happen, and I can’t say I wanted it to, but I didn’t stop him.”
Jodi Arias testified for a total of 18 days, which criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos described as “unprecedented”.
As of March 29, 2013, $1.4 million had been spent on providing public defenders for Jodi Arias.
On April 3, a member of the jury was dismissed for “misconduct”.
The defense team asked for a mistrial, which the judge denied.
On April 12, “Juror 11” was excused for health reasons, leaving the jury with eleven men and six women. A third juror was subsequently dismissed after he was arrested on a DUI offense during the course of the trial.
A defense expert diagnosed Jodi Arias with post-traumatic stress disorder, while a prosecution expert diagnosed her with borderline personality disorder.
On May 3, 2013, closing arguments concluded and the jury began deliberations. On May 8, 2013, after 15 hours of deliberation, Jodi Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder. Out of twelve jurors, five jurors found her guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, and seven jurors found her guilty of both first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder.
With this conviction, Jodi Arias was eligible for the death penalty. The aggravation phase of the trial started on May 15, 2013.
In the aggravation phase, the jury determined in less than three hours that Jodi Arias was eligible for the death penalty.
The penalty phase of the trial began on May 16, 2013, where prosecutors called Travis Alexander’s family members to offer victim impact statements, in an effort to convince the jury that Jodi Arias’ crime merits a death sentence.
On May 21, 2013, Jodi Arias offered an allocution, during which she pleaded for a life sentence. She acknowledged that her plea for life was a reversal of remarks she made to a TV reporter shortly after her conviction, when she said she preferred the death penalty.
“Each time I said that, I meant it, but I lacked perspective,” the former waitress said.
“Until very recently, I could not imagine standing before you and asking you to give me life.”
Jodi Arias changed her mind to avoid bringing more pain to members of her family, who were in the courtroom. At one point, Jodi Arias held up a white T-shirt with the word “Survivor” written across it, telling the jurors that she would sell the clothing and donate all proceeds to victims of domestic abuse. She also said she would sell her hair to Locks of Love charity while in prison, and had already done so three times while in jail. Later Jodi Arias gave a series of interviews, explaining how she addressed the issue of life imprisonment.
On May 23, 2013, the sentencing phase of Jodi Arias’ trial resulted in a hung jury, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial for that phase.
A retrial to determine Jodi Arias’ punishment is scheduled to begin on July 18, 2013, with a new jury empanelled for that purpose.
