The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft returning to service since all 787s were grounded in January is an Ethiopian Airlines commercial flight due to take off from Addis Ababa on Saturday morning.
The 50 planes around the world were grounded due to battery malfunctions that saw one 787 catch fire in the US.
Over the past week teams of Boeing engineers have been fitting new batteries to the aircraft.
This was after aviation authorities approved the revamped battery design.
The Ethiopian Airlines flight is travelling to Nairobi in Kenya.
The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft returning to service since all 787s were grounded in January is an Ethiopian Airlines commercial flight
Each 787 has two of the lithium-ion batteries in question.
In addition to new versions of the batteries which run at a much cooler temperature, the batteries are now enclosed in stainless steel boxes.
These boxes have a ventilation pipe that directly goes to the outside of the plane. Boeing says this means than in the unlikely event of any future fire or smoke, it would not affect the rest of the aircraft.
Boeing said it put 200,000 engineer hours into fixing the problem, with staff working round the clock.
A total of 300 Boeing engineers, pooled into 10 teams, have in the past week been fitting the new batteries and their containment systems around the world.
In addition to the 50 Dreamliners in service with airlines, Boeing has upgraded the 787s it has continued to make at its factory in Seattle since January.
The Dreamliner entered service in 2011. Half of the plane is made from lightweight composite materials, making it more fuel efficient than other planes of the same size.
The two lithium-ion batteries are not used when the 787 is in flight.
Instead they are operational when the plane is on the ground and its engines are not turned on, and are used to power the aircraft’s brakes and lights.
Karl Lagerfeld’s age has long been a mystery, but the Chanel designer has finally revealed that he is 77.
Inviting people to play a guessing game, Karl Lagerfeld held a 70th birthday bash in 2008 and a party celebrating his 79th four years later.
In an interview with Paris Match the white-haired Chanel creative director stated that his real birth date is September 10, 1935.
Karl Lagerfeld said that for decades he didn’t know exactly what year he was born.
Karl Lagerfeld’s age has long been a mystery, but the Chanel designer has finally revealed that he is 77
It was only when his mother died that he discovered it was 1935 and not 1938 as stated on documentation.
“[She] changed the [year]. It was easier to make a 3 or an 8 … I don’t know why she did it,” the fashion designer explained.
Karl Lagerfeld, who grew up in Hamburg, Germany, and is now based in Paris, is known for being a man who carefully crafts his public image.
His original name was Lagerfeldt, but he later changed it to Lagerfeld to make it sound more commercial.
Karl Lagerfeld is also likes to stick to a standard uniform consisting of dark sunglasses, a high-collared white shirt, and fingerless leather gloves.
He started his career in Paris as a teenager after entering a design competition and landing a job with Pierre Balmain. Today he leads the design teams at both Chanel and Fendi along with his own eponymous clothing label.
Outside of the fashion world, Karl Lagerfeld is said to enjoy learning languages and speaks fluent German, English, French and Italian. Other passions include antiques and photography and his pet cat Choupette.
Despite Karl Lagerfeld’s latest revelation regarding his age, Wikipedia and Voguepedia still state that he is 79 years old – leading some to question if he is telling the truth.
NYPD has found part of the landing gear of what is believed to be one of jets flown into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
The 5-foot piece of metal, including a clearly visible Boeing identification number, was found wedged between two New York City buildings, police said.
The metallic piece was found on Wednesday by surveyors inspecting a lower Manhattan building.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the 9/11 terror attacks as planes were brought down in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
NYPD has found part of the landing gear of what is believed to be one of jets flown into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001
Five suspected al-Qaeda militants are awaiting trial for the attacks at a military tribunal at the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
NYPD has secured the area behind 51 Park Place and 50 Murray Street as a crime scene.
The location is at the site where a mosque and community centre has been proposed, three streets away from “Ground Zero” – the site of the twin towers.
Police have taken photographs and are keeping it off-limits until a health assessment has been made by the medical examiner’s office.
After that, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said “a decision will be made concerning sifting the soil for possible human remains”.
NYPD said the landing gear was found after surveyors hired by the property owner inspecting the rear of 51 Park Place called police on Wednesday.
Analysts suggest a full exploration of the site may require some demolition work on the two buildings.
At 08:46 on September 11, 2001, American Airlines flight 11 hit the World Trade Center’s north tower. Seventeen minutes later, United Flight 175 hit the south tower.
Although rubble from the attack was cleared in 2002, other debris has been found scattered across the local areas in the years since.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of masterminding the attacks while the other four men being held at Guantanamo Bay are implicated for providing support for the coordinated hijacking.
They are charged with conspiring with al-Qaeda, terrorism, and one count of murder for each known victim of the 9/11 attacks at the time the charges were filed – 2,976 in total.
The five face a possible death penalty sentence if convicted.
Kate Middleton’s TOPSHOP dress she wore today at the Warner Bros film studios quickly became a sellout.
The dress was available to buy from TOPSHOP’s online store this morning, but within an hour of Kate Middleton stepping out in the polka dot garment it was out of stock.
Bargain hunting fashionistas rushed to buy the £38 ($59) dress that fits the Duchess of Cambridge even though she’s currently six months pregnant.
Kate Middleton, 31, teamed the black and white dress with a black Ralph Lauren jacket as she toured the Warner Bros film studios with Princes William and Harry.
Kate Middleton’s TOPSHOP dress she wore today at the Warner Bros film studios quickly became a sellout
She has long been a fan of TOPSHOP and has been seen in clothes from the British brand on numerous previous occasions.
Just last month, Kate Middleton wore a £46 ($72) black shift dress from the store with a white Peter Pan collar as she attended the headquarters of Child Bereavement UK with Prince William.
Kate Middleton, who is due to give birth in July, was spotted browsing the rails of one of the store’s London branches at the beginning of March.
On that occasion, the duchess was rumored to have bought a short floral print dress called “Deirdre” that she has yet to be seen wearing in public.
Today isn’t the first time Kate Middleton has caused a spike in sales at TOPSHOP. Back in 2007, long before she was the Duchess, she was still making her mark as a style icon.
When she was pictured out in a black and white patterned tunic from the store it flew off the shelves.
Kate Middleton’s sister, Pippa, is well-known for sharing her sense of style and she’s also regularly seen in TOPSHOP garments. While another high profile fan of the brand is Andy Murray’s girlfriend Kim Sears.
But TOPSHOP isn’t the only High Street store Kate Middleton champions. She also regularly wears clothes from Reiss, LK Bennett and Zara.
Cinq Mondes Slimming Coffee Cream is a new product made from coffee beans that promises to banish cellulite by breaking down fat and draining away toxins.
While caffeine is better known for boosting flagging energy levels, the latest beauty product maintains that it can help boost blood flow and banish cellulite.
Cinq Mondes Slimming Coffee Cream is infused with caffeine to help drain toxins that cause fatty tissue deposits as well as breaking down fat cells in the skin.
Cinq Mondes Slimming Coffee Cream is made from coffee beans and promises to banish cellulite by breaking down fat and draining away toxins
The fat burning action of the caffeine combined with the green coffee, grapefruit acids and kola nut claims to effectively fight cellulite.
Experts recommend that you slather on the cream after exercise as this increasing the blood flow making the cream more effective.
Nataliya Robinson, of Nataliya Robinson Skin Clinic, said: “Yes, coffee can help to break down cellulite.
“Natural materials such as caffeine have firm scientific basis for use in cellulite treatments (topically only), as it can actually stimulate lipolytic activity (fat breakdown).
“Coffee contains xanthines (found in most human body tissues) which increases lipolytic activity.
“The key to using coffee products on cellulite areas is to use it during the time when you are not eating, such as early morning or hour before bedtime, when insulin levels are not active.
“When you consume coffee, this stimulates insulin production and shuts down fat utilization and lipolytic activity.”
Experts recommendations for beating cellulite:
Birch oil – This best-selling anti-cellulite oil, containing organic silver birch, is receiving glowing reports from those who have tried it.
Hide it with a tan – Soap & Glory One Night Tanned is the go-to for former personal trainer Marcia Kilgore, founder of Soap & Glory and the FitFlop
FitFlops – If you don’t have time to go to the gym, try the FitFlop, Britain’s hottest fitness shoe.
Herbs – Gotu Kola has been recommended by Shabir Dayar, pharmacist with Victoria Health. She said: “Use herbs that have been recognized for encouraging lymph drainage, such as Gotu Kola by Nature’s Way. In addition to its circulatory properties, it has the ability to encourage collagen synthesis and repair.”
Gwyneth Paltrow has branded the revealing Antonio Berardi dress she wore it at this week’s Iron Man 3 premiere in Hollywood a “disaster” and “humiliating”.
Gwyneth Paltrow, who had been crowned the World’s Most Beautiful Woman by People magazine ahead of the racy red carpet appearance, spoke about her dress during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
The star admitted she was horrified to discover her “ass was hanging out” and also revealed she needed grooming before putting it on.
“Yeah, oh, I kind of had a disaster,” Gwyneth Paltrow told Ellen in an interview set to air on Friday.
Gwyneth Paltrow has branded the revealing Antonio Berardi dress she wore it at this week’s Iron Man 3 premiere a disaster and humiliating
“I was doing a show and I changed there and I went I couldn’t wear underwear. I don’t think I can tell this story on TV…
“Well, let’s just say everyone went scrambling for a razor…So I went from being the most beautiful to the most humiliated. In one day… I work a 70s vibe. You know what I mean?”
Gwyneth Paltrow also talked about finding out she received People magazine’s title.
“My publicist of like 22 years, Stephen Huvane, sent me an email. And honestly I was like this is a joke. I reread it three times. I was like oh, he sent this to the wrong client. Like there’s no way,” the actress said.
“My name wasn’t on it… I was like oh this is not for me and it was actually psychologically interesting because for a minute I really thought that someone was playing a joke on me.”
Gwyneth Paltrow admitted: “I talked about it with my shrink.”
Winston Churchill will feature on the new design of the £5 banknote which will enter circulation in 2016, the Bank of England has announced.
The wartime British PM’s image is planned to feature on the reverse of the new £5 note, together with one of his most celebrated quotations.
Sir Winston Churchill was chosen owing to his place as “a hero of the entire free world”, said Bank governor Sir Mervyn King.
The current face of the £5 note is social reformer Elizabeth Fry.
A wide range of historical characters appears on the reverse of Bank of England banknotes, with Elizabeth Fry the only woman among the current crop.
The Bank of England governor has the final say about who appears on a banknote, although the public can make suggestions. The latest addition has been announced by Mervyn King at Winston Churchill’s former home of Chartwell, in Westerham, Kent, UK.
“Our banknotes acknowledge the life and work of great Britons. Sir Winston Churchill was a truly great British leader, orator and writer,” Mervyn King said.
“Above that, he remains a hero of the entire free world. His energy, courage, eloquence, wit and public service are an inspiration to us all.”
Current plans, which the Bank of England said might be reviewed, are for Winston Churchill to appear on the new £5 note to be issued in 2016.
Winston Churchill will feature on the new design of the £5 banknote which will enter circulation in 2016
The design includes a portrait of Winston Churchill, adapted from a photograph taken by Yousuf Karsh on 30 December 1941. The former prime minister is the only politician from the modern era to feature on a banknote.
The artwork will also include:
Winston Churchill’s declaration: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” which came in a speech in the Commons on 13 May 1940
A view of Westminster and the Elizabeth Tower from the South Bank
The Great Clock showing three o’clock – the approximate time of the Commons speech
A background image of the Nobel Prize for literature, which Winston Churchill was awarded in 1953
Mervyn King said that this was an appropriate choice given the country’s economic difficulties.
“We do not face the challenges faced by Churchill’s generation. But we have our own,” he said.
“The spirit of those words remains as relevant today as it was to my parents’ generation who fought for the survival of our country and freedom under Churchill’s leadership.”
The Bank of England issues nearly a billion banknotes each year, and withdraws almost as many from circulation.
Notes are redesigned on a relatively frequent basis, in order to maintain security and prevent forgeries. Other security features include threads woven into the paper and microlettering.
The most recent new design from the Bank of England was the £50 note, which entered circulation in November. This features Matthew Boulton and James Watt who were most celebrated for bringing the steam engine into the textile manufacturing process.
While Bank of England notes are generally accepted throughout the UK, three banks in Scotland and four in Northern Ireland are authorized to issue banknotes.
Pharmacologist Sir Alexander Fleming, poet Robert Burns, and tyre inventor John Boyd Dunlop are among those who appear on these notes. One commemorative £5 note featuring football great George Best proved so popular that the limited edition of one million sold out in 10 days.
In May, a new 5-euro note will be put into circulation by the European Central Bank (ECB).
It features an image of the Greek goddess Europa, which comes from a vase in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The image of Winston Churchill has featured on currency before.
He was the first commoner to be shown on a British coin when he appeared on the 1965 crown, or five shilling piece.
Winston Churchill, elected as a Conservative MP in 1900, served as chancellor in Stanley Baldwin’s government.
He replaced Neville Chamberlain to become the wartime British prime minister in May 1940 until 1945. He returned to office in 1951, and retired in 1955, aged 80.
“The Bank is privileged to be able to celebrate the significant and enduring contribution Sir Winston Churchill made to the UK, and beyond,” said Chris Salmon, chief cashier of the Bank of England, whose signature will also appear on the banknote.
Sir Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill’s grandson and MP for Mid Sussex, said: “I think it is a wonderful tribute to him and an appropriate time. I can’t think of any more marvellous thing that would have pleased him more.”
He described the move as a great honor for the family.
Current Bank of England banknote images:
£5: Elizabeth Fry, social reformer noted for her work to improve conditions for women prisoners
£10: Charles Darwin, the scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution
£20: Adam Smith, one of the fathers of modern economics
£50: Matthew Boulton and James Watt, who brought the steam engine into the textile manufacturing process. They are replacing notes featuring the first governor of the Bank of England, Sir John Houblon
Country singer George Jones, who had a string of number one songs between the 1950s and 1990s, has died aged 81.
George Jones’ publicist, Kirt Webster, said the Grammy-winning singer was admitted to hospital for fever and irregular blood pressure and died on Friday.
Nicknamed Possum, his signature song was He Stopped Loving Her Today, a track about love and death.
George Jones was married to Tammy Wynette between 1969 and 1975 and the pair recorded several songs together in the 1970s.
George Jones had a string of top 10 songs during the 1960s and 1970s
Born in Texas on 12 September 1931, George Jones played guitar for tips on the streets of Beaumont as a teenager before going on to serve in the US Marine Corps.
The singer returned to Texas to record for the Starday label in Houston, achieving his first top ten hit in 1955 with Why Baby Why.
Known for his precise baritone and evocative voice, George Jones’ first number one song, White Lightning, came in 1959, followed by Tender Years in 1961.
George Jones had a string of top 10 songs during the 1960s and 1970s including If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will), Window Up Above, She Thinks I Still Care, Good Year for the Roses, The Race Is On.
But his battle with alcoholism and cocaine addiction frequently derailed his career and at one point his reputation for cancelling performances earned him the nickname No-Show Jones.
Having divorced his second wife in 1968, George Jones married Tammy Wynette a year later. The pairing was an enormous professional success for both as they recorded and toured together, recording several tracks including We’re Gonna Hold On, Golden Ring and Near You.
However as George Jones’ addiction problem worsened, so too did his marriage to tammy Wynette, who later claimed he once came at her with a gun.
They divorced in 1975 but later resumed recording together. The couple’s only daughter, Tamala is also a country singer under the name Georgette Jones.
George Jones recorded the track He Stopped Loving Her Today in 1980. The song, which he said was his favorite, revived a flagging career and won him the Country Music Award’s top male vocalist award in 1980 and 1981. He also earned a Grammy for best male country vocal performance.
George Jones credited his fourth wife Nancy, whom he married in 1983, with helping him clean up. But in 1999 he was seriously injured after driving drunk and crashing into a bridge, leading to another period of rehabilitation.
George Jones was in the middle of a US tour when he was taken into hospital. At the tour’s final date in Nashville in November, he was due to be joined by an array of country music stars including Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Garth Brook and rapper Kid Rock.
Kris Jenner looked striking in a black and white checked jacket as she touched down in Athens, Greece on Thursday.
Momager Kris Jenner, 57, carried granddaughter Penelope Disick through the terminal, sporting white jeans, black and silver studded flat shoes and a tight black T-shirt.
Kris Jenner carries granddaughter Penelope Disick through Greek airport
Little Penelope Disick, 9 months, looked happy and content in her grandmother’s arms, sporting a black and cream all in one outfit with orange shoes.
Kris Jenner then took her shopping in store in the terminal before rejoining her travelling companions, Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian.
Penelope’s mother Kourtney Kardashian had earlier carried the little girl off the plane after the family flew in from London.
Youngest sister Khloe Kardashian also joined the group, flying in from LA after recently getting axed as host of X Factor USA.
Playing doting aunt, Kim Kardashian was seen cradling Kourtney’s daughter Penelope as she made her way out of the Aegean Airlines plane they had travelled in.
Samsung Electronics has reported a record quarterly profit in the first three months of 2013, boosted mainly by growing sales of its smartphones.
The South Korean company made a net profit of 7.15 trillion won ($6.4 billion) during the period, up from 5.05 trillion won a year ago. Profits also rose from the previous quarter.
Samsung’s results are in sharp contrast with rival Apple, which this week reported a drop in quarterly profits for the first time in a decade.
Samsung displaced Apple as the world’s biggest smartphone maker last year.
Bryan Ma of research firm IDC said that Samsung was doing “very very well right now”.
Samsung Electronics has reported a record quarterly profit in the first three months of 2013, boosted mainly by growing sales of its smartphones
“They have a lot of momentum behind what they are doing around phones, and clearly from a consumer perspective, they have a lot of excitement around their devices.
“They have a lot of their competitors wondering what they are going to do.”
Samsung has enjoyed great success with its smartphone division.
According to the latest figures, profits there rose more than 55% to 6.51 trillion won during q1 2013, from a year earlier.
Analysts said that a key factor behind Samsung’s success is that it offers a much broader range of models than its rival, Apple, which sells only the iPhone.
“It has a great strategy of targeting its devices to multiple consumer at multiple price points,” said Andrew Milroy of Frost & Sullivan.
Andrew Milroy explained that by offering a cheaper range of smartphones Samsung had been able to tap into a bigger share of consumers, especially in the emerging markets.
“The hardware Samsung is offering is as good as Apple in the eyes of many,” he said.
However, Samsung warned that growth in the lower-end smartphone market may slow in the coming months, not least because other manufacturers are also looking to enter the sector.
“We may experience stiffer competition in the mobile business due to expansion of the mid-to-low end smartphone market,” said Robert Yi, head of investor relations at Samsung Electronics.
Samsung’s latest smartphone offering, the Galaxy S4, is set to hit the stores on Saturday, April 27.
Launched earlier this year, Galaxy S4 allows users to control its screen using only their eyes and has the ability to take two different pictures at once.
Despite mixed reviews from critics, analysts expect it to generate robust sales. Some have even forecast sales of almost 22 million units in just the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Samsung’s biggest rival, Apple, is not expected to introduce a new iPhone model at least till the latter half of the year.
Many analysts have said that should give Samsung an opportunity to further consolidate its position in the sector.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been transferred from hospital to prison, US police say.
The US Marshals Service said the 19-year-old had been moved from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to a facility at Fort Devens, Massachusetts.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been in hospital since his arrest following a huge police operation a week ago.
He was found badly injured in a boat in a suburban backyard. His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during the manhunt.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, whose condition has been described as fair, was taken overnight to the Federal Medical Center Devens some 40 miles west of Boston
Many of the injured have also been treated at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and were reported to be unhappy at having the surviving bombing suspect in the same building.
The US Marshals Service said the accused, whose condition has been described as fair, was taken overnight to the Federal Medical Center Devens some 40 miles west of Boston.
The facility, on the decommissioned Fort Devens US Army base, treats federal prisoners and detainees who require specialized long-term medical or mental health care, the Associated Press reports.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged, by a magistrate at his hospital bedside earlier this week, with using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.
He could be sentenced to death if convicted on either count.
Having suffered apparent gunshot wounds to the head, neck, legs and hand, he was reported to have responded to questions in writing because a throat wound left him unable to speak.
The two bombs, placed in pressure cookers and left close to the finishing line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killed three people and wounded more than 260.
Kate Middleton and Princes William and Harry had a wizard Harry Potter experience today as they attended the inauguration of the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, UK.
The highlights of their visit include a trip to the Great Hall, a special effects demonstration on Diagon Alley and even a wand lesson in The Gryffindor Common Room.
Kate Middleton, who is due to give birth in July, wore a short £38 ($59) polka dot dress by TOPSHOP and black suede heels with a black Ralph Lauren jacket pushed up at the sleeves.
The trio have brought with them to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, 500 guests, both children and adults, associated with some of the charities they support.
The royal party were first shown props and costumes from the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises. Princes William and Harry were clearly taken with a camouflaged Batmobile known as the Tumbler.
Prince William turned to his brother and whispered: “We should borrow that for the weekend.” He then climbed inside and turned on the engine, revving it to within an inch of its life.
When Prince William finally emerged from the Batmobile after a long while he said: “I’m a very happy man” but when he spotted his wife the royal apologized saying: “Sorry, sorry.”
Clearly a fan, the future king then couldn’t resist climbing on board the Bat Bike and posing for the cameras as Harry looked on enviously. Both brothers own their own superbikes – but clearly nothing on this level.
The three royals also spent time examining Batman’s heavy rubber armor.
“Is this really what the actor wore, how heavy is it?” Prince William asked.
He was astonished to discover it took 25 minutes for actor Christian Bale to put on.
Kate Middleton joined Princes William and Harry for a wizard day out at the Harry Potter film studios
The royals headed over to a “green screen” where draftsman Ed Symon was seated on another model of the Batpod motorbike sited on top of a “six axis motion base”. It was originally built for the broomstick flying in Harry Potter movies.
John Richardson special effects supervisor on the movies, said: “We’ve had everyone on it from Harry Potter to Voldemort.”
There, Prince William took to the controls of the simulator making the Batpod move up and around as if it was flying.
The visit will culminate with them hosting a most unusual meeting for their Charities Forum in the Great Hall, one of the original sets from the Harry Potter film series.
The Charities Forum is a collection of charities, of which The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are Patrons.
Started in 2006, it provides a platform for collaborative activity between the 35 participating charities and organizations who meet twice a year to discuss ideas and ways to support each other.
During the first part of today’s Studio tour, Kate Middleton and Princes William and Harry also met some of the creative teams from recent Warner Bros. Productions and were given an insight into the film making process as well as being shown some of the props and costumes from those films.
Warner Bros.’ £100 million ($160 million) facility, the first of its kind to be built in the UK in 70 years, accounts for a third of the dedicated major feature film production stage space in the UK.
It is the only film studio in the country to be owned and operated by a major Hollywood studio.
Formerly the production home of all eight Harry Potter films, Goldeneye, Star Wars Episode 1– The Phantom Menace and Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, the state-of-the-art studios now encompass nine sound stages, a 100 acre back-lot and one of the largest underwater filming tanks in Europe. It is available to all kinds of productions, not just Warner Bros., from commercials to music videos, TV shows to feature films.
The first production to shoot there since the redevelopment was All You Need Is Kill, directed by Doug Liman and starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter takes guests behind the scenes of the Harry Potter films and showcases the incredible British talent, creativity and artistry that went into bringing the series to life.
Danny, aka Jiang Lantan, is a 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur whose Mercedes was carjacked by Boston Marathon bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev last Thursday evening.
The incident occurred at almost 11p.m. when the man, who has asked to only be identified by his American nickname Danny, but now known by Chinese bloggers as Jiang Lantan, had just pulled his car to the curb on Brighton Avenue, Boston.
While Danny was texting, a man in dark clothes approached his car and knocked on the window. Before the driver could react the man had unlocked the door, climbed in and was brandishing a silver handgun, according to the Boston Globe.
The man, who would later be identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, asked Danny if he had followed the news about Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings.
“I did that,” said the man.
“And I just killed a policeman in Cambridge.”
Danny says he has been able to fill in important blanks between the murder of MIT police officer Sean Collier, just before 10:30 p.m. on April 18, and the Watertown shootout that ended just before 1 a.m. with the death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the serious wounding of his brother Dzhokhar, 19.
Jiang Lantan has described a truly harrowing ordeal which included a bizarre mix of bursts of life-threatening violence and everyday conversation on mundane subjects such as girls, how much payments on his Mercedes ML 350 were, the iPhone5 and whether anyone still listens to CDs.
At one point Tamerlan Tsarnaev told Danny not to look at his face, to he said he would not remember his face.
The bomb suspect replied: “It’s like white guys, they look at black guys and think all black guys look the same. And maybe you think all white guys look the same.”
In another moment during the carjacking, the suspects were disappointed that Danny did not have any CDs in his car. They flipped through the radio avoiding news stations and later put on a CD of chatting after they had made a stop.
To begin with Jiang Lantan was driving his car with Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the passenger seat beside him, while Dzhokhar following behind in a sedan. Later the brother’s moved all the gear into Danny’s car and Tamerlan drove.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev enters a gas station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, wearing a gray hoodie and carrying snacks on Thursday evening
The late-night drive lasted an hour and a half. At one stage during his ordeal, Danny says a friend called him on his phone and he was told by Tamerlan Tsarnaev that he would be killed if he spoke to the person in Chinese.
“Death is so close to me,” said Danny, recalling his thinking at the time.
“I don’t want to die.”
“I have a lot of dreams that haven’t come true yet,” said the student from central China, who attended a graduate school at Northeastern University before joining a tech start-up company.
Jiang Lantan had come to the US in 2009 for a master’s degree and graduated in January 2012, before returning to China to await a work visa.
He had returned two months ago, however he chose to told Tamerlan Tsarnaev that he was still a student and had been in the US barely a year.
Jiang Lantan says the brothers had some difficulty understanding his English when he tried to tell them he was from China.
“Oh, that’s why your English is not very good,” said Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
“OK, you’re Chinese… I’m a Muslim.”
“Chinese are very friendly to Muslims!” Danny said.
“We are so friendly to Muslims.”
Danny also revealed that could hear the brothers openly discussing driving to New York, although he couldn’t make out if they were planning another attack or just looking to escape.
Fortunately for Danny there was a problem because his car was almost out of gas and then a set of circumstances played out which afforded him an opportunity to escape his captors.
In search of petrol they stopped at a Shell Station and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was forced to go inside the Shell Food Mart to pay for petrol.
When Tamerlan Tsarnaev put his gun in the door pocket to fiddle with a navigation device, Danny seized his moment to escape.
“I was thinking I must do two things: unfasten my seatbelt and open the door and jump out as quick as I can. If I didn’t make it, he would kill me right out, he would kill me right away.”
He unbuckled his seat belt, opened the door, then slammed it behind, and sprinted off at an angle that would be a hard shot for any marksman.
“F***!” he heard Tamerlan Tsarnaev saying, but the man did not follow.
Jiang Lantan reached the safe haven of a Mobil station across the street and sought cover in a supply room, while he shouted at the clerk to call 911.
Authorities have said that Danny’s quick-thing escape allowed police to swiftly track down the Mercedes, abating a possible attack by the Tsarnaev brothers on New York City and precipitating a wild shootout in Watertown that killed Tamerlan and left a severely injured Dzhokhar hiding in the neighborhood.
After an hour of talking to police – as the shootout and manhunt erupted in Watertown -Danny was brought to East Watertown for a “drive-by lineup”, studying faces of detained suspects in the street from the safety of a cruiser.
He did not recognize the suspects in the line-up. He spent the night talking to local and state police and the FBI before being dropped at home at 3 p.m. the next afternoon.
Jiang Lantan said, when he was back in Cambridge, after questioning: “I think, Tamerlan is dead, I feel good, obviously safer. But the younger brother – I don’t know.”
Danny had wondered if Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had discovered his address and would come looking for him. But the police knew the wallet and registration were still in the bullet-riddled Mercedes, and that a wounded Dzhokhar could not have gone far.
That night, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was caught, ending a harrowing week across Greater Boston and in particular for Jiang Lantan.
Amanda Bynes has decided to ditch the matted extensions in favor of a fashion-forward undercut after shaving half of her head.
And, of course, she debuted her new look on Twitter.
Amanda Bynes, 27, posted: “I buzzed half my head like @cassie! No more old photos! This is the new me! I love it!”
The former Nickelodeon star follows in the footsteps of R&B singer Cassie, rocker Ellie Goulding and model Alice Dellal, who have all sported similar hairstyles.
Amanda Bynes has decided to ditch the matted extensions in favor of a fashion-forward undercut after shaving half of her head
The relatively polished look is a far cry from the mess of tangled extensions Amanda Bynes previously bared on frequent strolls through New York City.
Amanda Bynes has become quite a controversial figure since her departure from acting and subsequent move to the East Coast.
Most recently Amanda Bynes baffled readers of In Touch by telling the magazine that she’s “in the Mary-Kate and Ashley type of wealth” despite being worth an estimated $5 to $6 million compared to the twins’ $300 million.
Sarin, one of a group of nerve gas agents invented by German scientists as part of Hitler’s preparations for World War II, is an extremely toxic substance that disrupts the nervous system, overstimulating muscles and vital organs.
It can be inhaled as a gas or absorbed through the skin. In high doses, Sarin suffocates its victims by paralyzing the muscles around their lungs. Sarin was called “the poor man’s atomic bomb” due to large number of people that can be killed by a small amount.
One hundred milligrams of Sarin (about one drop) can kill the average person in a few minutes if he or she’s not given an antidote.
Sarin, or GB, or Isopropylmethanefluorophosphonate, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [(CH3)2CHO]CH3P(O)F. It is a colorless, odorless liquid.
Sarin was discovered in 1938 in Wuppertal-Elberfeld in Germany by two German scientists attempting to create stronger pesticides; it is the most toxic of the four G-agents made by Germany.
The compound, which followed the discovery of the nerve agent tabun, was named in honor of its discoverers: Schrader, Ambros, Rüdiger and Van der Linde.
Sarin is an extremely toxic substance that disrupts the nervous system, overstimulating muscles and vital organs
In mid-1939, the formula for the agent was passed to the chemical warfare section of the German Army Weapons Office, which ordered that it be brought into mass production for wartime use. A number of pilot plants were built, and a high-production facility was under construction (but was not finished) by the end of World War II.
Experts say Sarin is more than 500 times as toxic as cyanide.
Like other nerve agents, Sarin functions by competitive inhibition of the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase. This enzyme is found at synapses and nerve endings where it breaks hydrolyses the neurotransmitter Acetyl choline so that the nerve impulse is only transmitted once as required. When the enzyme is inhibited acetyl choline accumulates at nerve endings. This has various unpleasant effects leading to paralysis (where accumulation occurs at motor neurones) and eventually death by means such as asphyxiation.
Initial symptoms following exposure to sarin are a runny nose, tightness in the chest and constriction of the pupils. Soon after, the victim has difficulty breathing and experiences nausea and drooling. As the victim continues to lose control of bodily functions, the victim vomits, defecates and urinates. This phase is followed by twitching and jerking. Ultimately, the victim becomes comatose and suffocates in a series of convulsive spasms.
Death may follow in one minute after direct ingestion of a lethal dose unless antidotes, typically atropine and pralidoxime, are quickly administered.
Huge secret stockpiles of Sarin were built up by superpowers during Cold War.
Sarin can only be manufactured in a laboratory, but does not require very sophisticated equipment.
North Korea has not responded to South Korea’s calls for formal talks on resuming operations at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex, officials in Seoul say.
On Thursday, Seoul gave the North 24 hours to agree to talks on the Kaesong Industrial Complex, warning of “grave measures” if its offer was ignored.
South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye has called a security meeting to discuss next steps, Yonhap news agency reported.
North-South tensions are high following Pyongyang’s nuclear test in February.
Pyongyang blocked South Korean access to the site and pulled out its 53,000 workers earlier this month.
North Korea has not responded to South Korea’s calls for formal talks on resuming operations at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex
“We are keeping close tabs on all developments, but the North has not expressed its position so far,” South Korean Ministry of Unification spokesman Kim Hyung-suk said, shortly before the noon deadline.
“All that remains is for the North to make its decision to resolve the issue,” he added.
A report on South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, citing presidential palace spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, said President Park Geun-hye had scheduled a meeting with foreign affairs and security ministers at 15:00 local time on the matter.
The remaining 175 South Koreans still in the complex are believed to be running out of food and medicines, because the North has refused to allow fresh supplies from the South into the industrial park, which is located inside North Korea.
The South Korean government has refused to spell out what measures it may take, but there is speculation that it may be considering pulling out its remaining citizens from the complex.
However, that would leave South Korean assets open to seizure by the North Korean authorities, as happened before at a moth-balled tourism site run by the two countries.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was aware of the South’s call for talks, and “sincerely [hoped] the operation of the complex [could] return to normal as soon as possible through dialogue,” a UN spokesman said on Thursday.
Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was launched in 2003 as a sign of North-South co-operation, was the biggest contributor to inter-Korean trade and provided the North with much-needed hard currency.
At least 38 people are feared dead after a fire swept through a psychiatric hospital in the Moscow region, Russian officials say.
The blaze started shortly after 02:00 local time at the No 14 hospital in Ramenskiy village.
Most of the victims are believed to be local patients. There are fears that the death toll could rise further.
At least 38 people are feared dead after a fire swept through the No 14 psychiatric hospital in Ramenskiy village
The cause of the blaze is being investigated, with one report saying it was caused by a short circuit.
The fire broke out in part of the building where patients with severe conditions lived, local officials were quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
“According to preliminary reports, 38 people were killed, including two medical staff,” Health Ministry spokesman Oleg Salagai told Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.
Firefighters later extinguished the blaze and have so far found 12 bodies.
A local official was quoted as saying that all the windows had metal bars, and most of the victims were found in their beds.
A nurse managed to lead to safety two patients.
It is believed that 41 people were in the hospital when the fire began.
Syria may have used chemical weapons against rebels, the White House has said.
US intelligence agencies believe “with varying degrees of confidence” that the nerve agent sarin had been deployed on a “small scale”, and did not say where or when it had been used.
The White House has warned chemical weapons use would be a “red line” for possible intervention, but says this intelligence does not represent proof.
Republicans in Congress called on Thursday for a strong US response.
The assessment was made in letters to lawmakers on Thursday signed by Miguel Rodriguez, White House director of the office of legislative affairs.
“Our intelligence community does assess, with varying degrees of confidence, that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin,” one of the letters said.
But it added: “Given the stakes involved, and what we have learned from our own recent experiences, intelligence assessments alone are not sufficient – only credible and corroborated facts that provide us with some degree of certainty will guide our decision-making.”
The phrase “varying degrees of confidence” is normally used to reflect differences in opinion within the intelligence community.
Syria may have used chemical weapons against rebels, the White House has said
Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters in Abu Dhabi that the use of sarin “violates every convention of warfare”.
Secretary of State John Kerry said there had been two instances of chemical weapons use in Syria.
The UK Foreign Office echoed the US claims, saying it had “limited but persuasive information from various sources” of chemical weapons use in Syria.
It is understood that Britain obtained samples from inside Syria that have been tested by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, Wiltshire.
“Material from inside Syria tested positive for sarin,” a Foreign Office spokesman said.
Syria is believed to possess large quantities of chemical weapons and there has been heightened concern among the international community in recent months about the safety of the stockpiles.
Although there have been numerous accusations, there has so far not been any confirmation that chemical weapons have been used during Syria’s two-year-old conflict.
President Barack Obama warned in December that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would face “consequences” if he used such weapons.
The letters released on Thursday were sent to powerful US senators John McCain and Carl Levin.
In response, Senator John McCain told reporters: “It’s pretty obvious that red line has been crossed.”
John McCain recommended arming the opposition, a step the White House has been reluctant to take. He also urged taking steps to ensure that Syria’s chemical weapons did not fall into the wrong hands.
“It does not mean boots on the ground,” the Arizona senator added.
Democrat Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for international action to help secure Syria’s stockpile of chemical arms.
Robert Menendez, the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said options included “an internationally recognized no-fly zone, providing lethal assistance to vetted opposition forces, and sanctioning the transfer of arms to the regime”.
White House officials said the US would consult with allies and seek more evidence to confirm their intelligence.
On Tuesday, a senior Israeli military official accused Syrian forces of having used the nerve agent sarin against rebels several times. People can normally recover from small doses.
Speaking at a security conference in Jerusalem, Brigadier General Itai Brun cited photographs of victims foaming at the mouth and with constricted pupils and other unspecified symptoms.
Syria’s government and rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons. A UN team is trying to enter Syria to investigate.
Sarin is a colorless and highly toxic nerve agent that can cause convulsions, paralysis and death within minutes if it is absorbed through inhalation, ingestion, or contact with skin or eyes.
According to the UN, at least 70,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict.
Five living American presidents and their wives gathered in Dallas Thursday to honor the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
All presidents – George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter – were cheered by a crowd of former White House officials and world leaders as they took the stage together to open the dedication. They were joined on stage by their wives – the nation’s current and former first ladies – for the outdoor ceremony on a sun-splashed Texas morning.
“To know the man is to like the man,” President Barack Obama said of his predecessor.
“He is a good man.”
The last time all five living presidents were together was shortly before Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009, when he said he needed their advice before taking office.
“We’ve been called the world’s most exclusive club – and we do have a pretty nice club house – but the truth is, it’s more like a support group,” Barack Obama said.
Five living American presidents and their wives gathered in Dallas Thursday to honor the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center
The leaders were putting aside the profound ideological differences that have divided them for years for a day of pomp and pleasantries.
For George W. Bush, 66, the ceremony also marked his unofficial return to the public eye four years after the end of his deeply polarizing presidency.
Bill Clinton, who spoke just before Barack Obama, revealed that George W. Bush would call him “a couple of times a year in his second term… just to talk politics”.
He drew laughs from the crowd as he added: “Dear God, I hope there is no record of those conversations in this vast and beautiful building.”
Bill Clinton also joked about the perception that he has grown so close to the Bush family that he has become their “black sheep son”.
“My mother told me not to talk too long today – and Barbara, I will not let you down,” Bill Clinton quipped, referring to George W. Bush’s 87-year-old mother.
George W. Bush was equally light-hearted as he took the podium on Thursday.
“Alexander Hamilton once worried about ex-presidents wandering among the people like discontented ghosts,” he said.
“Actually I think we seem pretty happy.”
Despite his humor, George W. Bush was clearly emotional about the dedication.
He choked up toward the end of his remarks as he declared that he believes the nation’s best days are ahead.
Standing in an exact replica of the Oval Office in the museum honoring him earlier Thursday, George W. Bush uttered a quick and definitive “No” to a question of whether he missed his old job.
“I had all the fame and power I needed for eight years and Laura and I knew when our time was up… It was time to go home,” George Bush told Matt Lauer during a broadcast tour through a museum depicting his presidency.
He said the museum, which will be unveiled to the public on Thursday, is meant to explain the events that led up to some of his most controversial decisions – not to “defend” or “argue” those decisions.
“The whole purpose is to lay out the facts as I saw them at the time,” he said.
Items on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Center
“Because ultimately, history will judge whether critics are right or wrong. But this is a place to educate people.”
In designing the museum, George W. Bush said: “I never thought about my critics. I thought about just laying out for the American people the events that began the 21st century and let them understand what it’s like to make a decision, talk about the different events that took place, talk about some of the successes and some of the failures.”
Former first lady Laura Bush interjected that the museum is also meant to illustrate the difficulties of sorting through conflicting guidance from a variety of advisers – and also the challenge of being “prodded” by the press along the way.
“<<Prodded>> is a polite word,” Laura Bush quipped, laughing.
George Bush also said he empathizes with President Barack Obama’s tough job in uplifting the country from tragedies like the Boston bombings.
Another emotional moment came as George Bush’s father, George H.W. Bush, spoke to the crowd and then rose out of his wheelchair with the help of his wife and son.
“It’s a beautiful day in Dallas and it’s a great pleasure to be here,” the elder Bush said.
“This is very special to Babara and me.”
“I wish the president all the best in dealing with the trauma and the heartbreak, because I understand that part of the job of being president is the <<comforter-in-chief>>,” he said.
George W. Bush knows that role all too well after experiencing the September 11, 2001 terror attacks while he was president.
“I became a war-time president, something I didn’t want to be,” he said.
He recalled the moment that his then-chief of staff, Andy Card, interrupted him while he was reading a story to an elementary classroom in Florida to tell him about the attack.
“My job became clarified that minute in the classroom, and that is to protect the homeland,” George W. Bush said.
Items on display in the new presidential library include a pistol that was captured with Saddam Hussein on December 13, 2003 and a pair of cowboy boots commemorating George W. Bush’s tenure as general managing partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team.
Also on display is the bullhorn President George W. Bush used to speak to firefighters and emergency crews at Ground Zero after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In a series of interviews before his Presidential library and museum is unveiled, George Bush also said he was “very comfortable” with his decision to go to war in Iraq.
VP Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush had a strained relationship, as Bush was concerned over the public’s general belief that Cheney was a puppet master, controlling the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through a presidential conduit.
As the New York Times reported in 2010, George Bush also considered dropping Dick Cheney from the Republican ticket in 2004 to “demonstrate I was in charge”, the former president wrote in his memoir.
When asked about his darkest days in office, George W. Bush responded that 9/11 was of course difficult. Also hard? “Trying to be the comforter in chief, trying to mend broken hearts.”
“There were things I didn’t want to deal with,” he said.
He also said that the decision to sign off on the bailout was “frustrating and difficult”, though riding on the advice from Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke put him more at ease.
“Katrina was tough,” he added.
“And you see human suffering firsthand.”
George W. Bush also spoke on the uniqueness of the museum, as his was the first presidency that relied heavily on digital communication, such as emails and texts.
The former president said that he never sent an email in his eight years in office, however, because he was “fearful of Congress’ intrusion into [his] emails” and the possibility that he could be subpoenaed.
Dominic Lakhan, the Jamaican-born fiancé of House Speaker John Boehner’s daughter, Lindsay Marie, pictured just weeks before their upcoming nuptials next month.
Dominic Lakhan, a 38-year-old construction worker, was spotted enjoying a McDonalds in Florida recently, with his dreadlocks piled high on his head underneath a knitted cap.
Lindsay Marie Boehner’s fiancé has been arrested for possessing marijuana in the past. This may not have gone down well with John Boehner – who is a staunch opponent to legalizing the drug.
Dominic Lakhan and Lindsay Marie Boehner, 35, are set to marry on May 10 in Delray Beach, Florida.
In 2006, Dominic Lakhan was arrested in Pembroke Pines, Florida for misdemeanor possession of two grams of marijuana during a traffic stop, the National Enquirer first reported.
Dominic Lakhan, the Jamaican-born fiancé of House Speaker John Boehner’s daughter, Lindsay Marie, pictured just weeks before their upcoming nuptials next month
The police report from the incident states that “upon making contact with the driver”, an officer “observed in plain view a 16 oz. Natural Lite beer can opened in the driver door”.
The officer “also detected the odor of burnt cannabis emitting from the interior of the vehicle”, the police report continues.
“A search of the vehicle revealed two bags containing approximately TWO grams of suspected cannabis… inside the center of the ashtray.”
The arresting officer reported that Dominic Lakhan admitted to possessing the marijuana and said it was for personal use.
Court records show Dominic Lakhan, who is originally from Jamaica, was also arrested in 2003 for possession of an open container while driving.
Lindsay Marie Boehner lives in a four-bedroom home in Hollywood, Florida, less than an hour from Dominic Lakhan’s home in Delray Beach.
John Boehner has one other daughter, 32-year-old Tricia, who lives in Ohio with her husband, James Kinney.
The House Speaker, a Republican representing Ohio, has said in the past that he is “unalterably opposed” to legalizing marijuana, even for medical purposes.
“Whether it is the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society – all of those people, by and large don’t believe there is any medicinal value in marijuana,” John Boehner told CNN in 2009.
Barack Obama has warned his daughters Malia and Sasha that if they get tattoos, he and his wife Michelle will get matching ones on the same place on their bodies.
In an interview on NBC’s Today show, President Barack Obama said he hoped the “family tattoo” threat would discourage teen rebellion.
Barack Obama said he had warned Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11, that he and First Lady Michelle Obama would show off their matching tattoos on YouTube.
The girls are the first teenagers in the White House since Chelsea Clinton.
Barack Obama has warned his daughters Malia and Sasha that if they get tattoos, he and his wife Michelle will get matching ones on the same place on their bodies
Chelsea Clinton was 12 when her father President Bill Clinton took office in 1993.
In the interview the president also reacted to Michelle Obama’s recent remark that she was a “busy single mother”.
In her own interview with a local television news station, Michelle Obama quickly corrected herself.
Calling the first lady’s comment a slip of the tongue, Barack Obama added that at times – for instance when he was running for office – Michelle Obama was both working and looking after their daughters and may have felt like a single parent.
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the Boston Marathon suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev planned to detonate the rest of their explosives in Times Square.
Michael Bloomberg said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect, had told the FBI he and his brother Tamerlan “spontaneously” decided that New York would be next.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters the suspects had a pressure cooker bomb and five pipe bombs.
Three people died and over 260 were wounded in the April 15 Boston Marathon attack.
“Last night we were informed by the FBI that the surviving attacker revealed that New York City was next on their list of targets,” Michael Bloomberg said during Thursday’s news conference at city hall.
“He and his older brother intended to drive to New York and detonate those explosives in Times Square.”
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the Boston Marathon suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev planned to detonate the rest of their explosives in Times Square
Raymond Kelly said the brothers had planned to head to New York after hijacking a car and its driver in Boston last Thursday night.
“That plan, however, fell apart when they realized that the vehicle they hijacked was low on gas and ordered the driver to stop at a nearby gas station,” Raymond Kelly said, adding that the driver escaped and alerted police.
Police intercepted the brothers in the stolen car, prompting a gun battle that left 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead.
Michael Bloomberg praised Massachusetts law enforcement for their work in stopping the suspects, saying “we know they had the capacity to carry out the attacks”.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is said to have travelled to New York at least once last autumn.
He is now in police custody in hospital and has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill people.
Before reportedly telling investigators he and his brother planned an attack on Times Square, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had said they were planning to go to New York “to party” after the bombings.
Following 16 hours of interrogation, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stopped responding to investigators’ questions after being read his legal rights to remain silent and have a lawyer, US media report.
Michael Bloomberg said there was no evidence New York was currently a target, but that the Tsarnaevs’ alleged plan proved the city remained a prime location for people who want to “bomb and kill Americans”.
On Thursday afternoon, police vehicles lined Times Square in a show of force, with officers standing shoulder to shoulder.
“Why are they standing like that? This is supposed to make me feel safer?” Elisabeth Bennecib, a tourist from France, told the Associated Press.
“It makes me feel more anxious, like something bad is about to happen.”
The suspects’ father, Anzor Tsarnaev, has said he will travel imminently to the US. The family wants to take Tamerlan’s body back to Russia. But it is not clear if his former wife will join him.
Zubeidat Tsarnaeva left the US and failed to make a court appearance after being arrested last June on suspicion of stealing $1,624 of women’s dresses from a Massachusetts department store.
Ricin suspect Paul Kevin Curtis has been released from jail as the US authorities have dropped the charges against the Mississippi man accused of sending letters poisoned with ricin to President Barack Obama and Senator Roger Wicker.
Paul Kevin Curtis was freed on Tuesday after prosecutors revealed the investigation had uncovered “new information”.
The letters addressed to Barack Obama and Republican Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker tested positive for the presence of the lethal toxin this month.
Meanwhile, investigators in the case are searching the home of another man.
Paul Kevin Curtis was arrested last week at his home in the town of Corinth, Mississippi and charged with sending letters to Barack Obama, Roger Wicker and a judge from Lee County.
But on Monday authorities searched Paul Kevin Curtis’ home and found neither ricin nor ingredients for the poison, an FBI agent testified in court. A search of his computer yielded no evidence he had researched how to make the toxin, the agent said.
Ricin suspect Paul Kevin Curtis has been released from jail as the US authorities have dropped the charges against him
In a news conference outside the courthouse on Tuesday, Paul Kevin Curtis thanked his family, friends, Jesus, Senator Roger Wicker and President Barack Obama.
Referring to investigators’ questions, he said: “I thought they said rice and I said, <<I don’t even eat rice>>.”
Paul Kevin Curtis, a musician and Elvis impersonator who also said he was a certified reflexologist, added: “I love my country and would never do anything to pose a threat to [Barack Obama] or any other US official.
“I would like to get back to normal, which for me means being the best father that I could be for my children and entertaining through my music.”
He was already well known to Senator roger Wicker because he had written to the Republican senator and other officials.
Paul Kevin Curtis’ lawyer Christi McCoy, whom Curtis described as a blonde, blue-eyed angel sent by God, told reporters she believed the FBI agents who had arrested and charged her client had “acted in good faith”.
Christi McCoy said she was unsure what new information prosecutors had but that the plot to frame her client was “very, very diabolical”.
According to an FBI affidavit released on Thursday, the letters read: “Maybe I have your attention now even if that means someone must die. To see a wrong and not expose it is to become a silent partner to its continuance.”
The letters were signed: “I am KC and I approve this message.”
As the case against Paul Kevin Curtis appeared to collapse on Monday and Tuesday, another man in nearby Tupelo, Mississippi, told the Associated Press authorities were searching his home in connection with the ricin letters.
Everett Dutschke said he was innocent, and the Associated Press reported agents from numerous law enforcement agencies had established a mobile crime lab near his home.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” Everett Dutschke said.
No charges have been filed against him nor has he been arrested.
The search team also combed through an area of woods and ditches about a block from Everett Dutschke’s property.
Everett Dutschke said he and Paul Kevin Curtis had had a dispute, cutting off contact in 2010, after he threatened to sue Curtis for saying he was a member of Mensa, a group for people with high IQs.
“I’m a patriotic American,” Everett Dutschke, who unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Mississippi House of Representative in 2007, said.
“I don’t have any grudges against anybody. I did not send the letter.”
Ricin, extracted from castor beans, is 1,000 times more toxic than cyanide.
It can be fatal when inhaled, swallowed or injected, although it is possible to recover from exposure.
Stockholm police have found drugs and a stun gun on board of a tour bus used by Justin Bieber.
Police spokesman Lars Bystrom said: “A small amount of drugs and a stun gun were found when officers raided the empty bus parked under the Globen concert venue in Stockholm.”
Lars Bystrom declined to identify the drug, saying it had been “sent to a laboratory for an analysis”.
No-one has been arrested.
Stockholm police have found drugs and a stun gun on board of a tour bus used by Justin Bieber.
Police acted after smelling marijuana coming from inside the bus when it was parked outside the hotel where the singer was staying.
The drug squad was alerted and searched the bus after it carried a group of people to the concert venue.
Police say there are no suspects, and won’t be taking the matter any further.
Justin Bieber, 19, is in Sweden on the European leg of his Believe world tour.
When he was in London in March, Justin Bieber caused controversy when he was late on stage for a concert at the O2 Arena.
A few days later Justin Bieber made headlines again when he confronted photographers outside his central London hotel.
Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, the mother of the Boston marathon bombers, says she regrets that her family emigrated to the US, more than 10 years ago.
At a news conference in the Russian republic of Dagestan, where she now lives, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva said America had taken her children away from her.
The Boston bombers’ mother also reiterated she was sure her sons were not involved in the attack.
It is being reported that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was added to a terrorism database 18 months ago at the CIA’s request.
Three people were killed and more than 260 wounded when two devices exploded at the Boston marathon on 15 April.
“I would prefer not to have lived in America. Why did I go there?” Zubeidat Tsarnaeva said at Thursday’s news conference in Makhachkala, Dagestan.
At a news conference in the Russian republic of Dagestan, where she now lives, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva said America had taken her children away from her
“I thought America would protect us. America took my kids away from me… I’m sure my kids were not involved in anything.”
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed a few days after the bombing during a shootout with police.
His younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was captured and charged in connection with the attack.
The suspects’ father, Anzor Tsarnaev, has said he will travel to the US on Thursday or Friday. The family wants to take Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body back to Russia.
Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, 45, has said she is still undecided whether to go, AP news agency reports, because she was charged with shoplifting in the US last year and fears arrest if she returns.
In questioning from his hospital bedside, where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being treated for gunshot wounds, he has reportedly said he and his brother Tamerlan were angry about the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2012, Tamerlan Tsarnaev spent six months with relatives in Dagestan, which has an Islamist militant insurgency.
But congressmen said on Wednesday after closed-door briefings that the brothers are not believed to have had direct contact with a militant organization.
Meanwhile, there are questions as to whether the authorities did enough to prevent the bombings.
US media report that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was added in 2011 to the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE), at the request of the CIA.
The database contains as many as 745,000 entries; individuals on that list are not necessarily on the so-called terrorist watch list.
The FBI investigated after Russian authorities alerted US counterparts to the activities of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, saying he had become a follower of radical Islam.
About six months before the CIA requested his name be added to TIDE, the FBI asked the Russians for more information about the elder brother but received none, and closed its investigation.
US officials said earlier that their intelligence community had no information about threats to the marathon ahead of last week’s attacks.
After a classified briefing at the House intelligence committee on Wednesday, Democratic Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger said he believed the FBI was not at fault.
