Hilaria Baldwin revealed on Thursday that she is expecting a girl – and couldn’t be happier.
“Alec and I are overjoyed that we are going to be welcoming a little girl into our lives,” Hilaria Baldwin said on Extra.
The baby will be a half-sister to Alec Baldwin’s daughter Ireland, 17, from his first marriage to Kim Basinger.
Alec Baldwin, 54, had rather obviously been hoping for a boy to balance things out.
Speaking on the Rachael Ray Show, Hilaria Baldwin said: “[Alec] had the idea for Massimo the other day. It’s a lovely name, I just don’t know.
“That’s a very big name for a very little baby.
“We have a different idea almost every single day.
“I think you actually have to look at it once it pops out and say, <<Who are you? What is your name?>>”
Hilaria Baldwin revealed on Thursday that she is expecting a girl
While Hilaria and Alec Baldwin planning on having a baby so soon after their June 2012 wedding, they cannot wait to welcome the latest addition to their family.
Hilaria Baldwin, who now works as Extra‘s lifestyle correspondent, found out she was expecting at Christmas.
She said: “It was something that we both wanted – I don’t want to say it was a surprise and we didn’t want it – we were very excited when we found out.
“But we just got married in June… so it was a really nice Christmas present.”
NBA legend Michael Jordan is set to tie the knot with Cuban-American model fiancée Yvette Prieto.
Michael Jordan, 50, appeared at the main Palm Beach County courthouse in Florida on Thursday morning to apply for a marriage licence, according to Kathy Burstein, a spokeswoman for the clerk’s office.
Applicants must apply in person and a licence is good for 60 days.
Michael Jordan got engaged to his longtime girlfriend, 33-year-old Yvette Prieto, in December 2011.
Yvette Prieto began dating in 2008 and live together in a modest three bedroom home in Florida.
She has modeled for designers such as Alexander Wang and once dated Julio Iglesias Jr., Enrique’s older brother.
Michael Jordan is set to tie the knot with Cuban-American model fiancée Yvette Prieto
It will be the second marriage for Michael Jordan. He married Juanita Vanoy in September 1989, and they split in 2006.
The end of the 17-year-marriage resulted in one of the most expensive divorce in history, costing him over $150 million in the settlement.
They have two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine.
Michael Jordan’s application for a marriage license comes just days after he asked a Georgia court to dismiss a paternity suit against him, calling it a “shameless, bad faith attempt to abuse the legal system”.
Polish food inspectors have stopped meat production at Viola plant following claims that it was adding rotten meat to its products.
The allegations were made in a TV programme that included secretly filmed footage from the Viola plant in the northern village of Lniano.
It purports to show meat returned by shops being re-used to make sausages and ham.
Viola – which exports to several EU countries – denies the allegations.
The claims come amid a widening horsemeat scandal in the EU.
Since the first horsemeat was discovered in frozen meals and burgers in the UK and Ireland in January, traces have been found in meat products across Europe.
Polish food inspectors have stopped meat production at Viola plant following claims that it was adding rotten meat to its products
In the programme on TVN24 channel, an undercover journalist is shown touring the plant, near the city of Bydgoszcz, and speaking with workers under the guise of applying for a job.
The footage then shows employees in storage rooms taking meat that had been returned from shops.
At one point, one worker holds up a sausage covered in green mould, saying it would be cleaned, dried and re-used.
Another worker says tonnes of old meat were recycled instead of being thrown away.
TVN24 also quotes a letter signed by the plant’s management, which reads: “There are no grounds for the allegations.”
Viola says it exports to the UK, Ireland, Germany and Lithuania.
This latest incident comes just over a week after inspectors found horse DNA in meat labeled as beef in three Polish meat-processing plants.
111 SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Cream is a potent anti-ageing concoction using rare diamond dust particles that has been developed by NASA scientists and tested on astronauts in outer space.
The anti-ageing cream, which is sold exclusively at luxury department store Harrods in London, doesn’t come cheap. Beauty aficionados desperate to turn back the clock must pay a staggering £599 ($955) for 50ml.
111 SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Cream claims to penetrate the deeper layers of skin in order to transport potent youth restoring ingredients including NAC Y2 formula, Collagen type I and III and Hyaluronic acid.
As you’d expect for a cream packed with diamond particles, it contains brightening agents to give skin a glowing appearance and a healthy complexion whilst diminishing signs of age spots and pigmentation.
The incorporation of black diamond particles is borrowed from medical research where they are used in cancer and rheumatism drugs as a delivery mechanism.
The 111 SKIN range, which this quirky new product is a part of, was founded and developed by plastic surgeon Dr. Y. Alexandrides MD of 111 Harley Street, London, in collaboration with space scientists.
From the very beginning the product was designed to stand up to extreme conditions – to protect against environmental damage at high altitude, varying temperatures and the polluted urban setting.
111 SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Cream is a potent anti-ageing concoction using rare diamond dust particles that has been developed by NASA scientists and tested on astronauts in outer space
Key 111 SKIN ingredients were used by astronauts in extreme space conditions where accelerated ageing is known to occur.
As research developed, space science became the clear answer.
The first cream from the range was created in 2008 to help patients heal after surgery. In addition to the dramatic healing results, the creams also had potent anti-ageing and protecting benefits.
Dr. Y. Alexandrides said: “As a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, I deal with the most challenging problems of ageing and injury.
“I developed 111 SKIN through the inside out view that only a surgeon can master. Our products were tested in the most demanding situations: after cosmetic surgery and laser treatment, on scars and burns.
“Our science laboratory used the most advanced ingredients to maximize results. I am proud to offer my unique insight to my patients and now to everyone who wants to fight ageing.”
Leaders from Latin America and beyond are gathering in Caracas for the state funeral of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez.
After the funeral, Hugo Chavez’s body will be taken to a military museum to lie in state for another seven days.
More than two million mourners have already filed past his body at a military academy.
Hugo Chavez’s body is to be embalmed and placed on permanent display, Vice-President Nicolas Maduro says.
Later on Friday, Nicolas Maduro is due to be sworn in as acting president. As such, he must call elections within 30 days.
Hugo Chavez, who led Venezuela for 14 years, died on Tuesday aged 58 after a long battle with cancer.
More than 30 heads of state are expected to attend Friday’s funeral including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Cuban President Raul Castro and Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has praised Hugo Chavez as a “martyr” and a “wise and revolutionary leader”.
Leaders from Latin America and beyond are gathering in Caracas for the state funeral of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez
Meanwhile, President Sebastian Pinera of Chile arrived at Simon Bolivar airport in Caracas early on Friday, telling reporters that the thoughts of Chile were with Venezuela at a difficult time.
US Congressman Gregory Meeks and former Congressman William Delahunt will represent the United States at the funeral of Hugo Chavez, a fierce critic of Washington.
Nicolas Maduro said that Hugo Chavez’s body would be embalmed “like Lenin and Mao Zedong”, and put on display for at least another seven days.
The body will be moved to the Caracas military museum where in 1992 Hugo Chavez – as an army officer – was captured after leading a failed coup.
Nicolas Maduro said the building would be converted into a new “museum of the revolution”.
Hugo Chavez’s supporters want him eventually interred in Venezuela’s national Pantheon alongside Simon Bolivar, the 19th Century independence leader the late president claimed as his political inspiration.
However, Venezuela’s constitution says people can only be admitted to the Pantheon 25 years after their death.
Hugo Chavez named Nicolas Maduro as his preferred successor following the recurrence of his cancer.
North Korea has announced it is scrapping all non-aggression pacts with South Korea, closing its hotline with Seoul and shutting their shared border point.
The announcement follows a fresh round of UN sanctions punishing Pyongyang for its nuclear test last month.
Earlier, Pyongyang said it had a right to carry out a pre-emptive nuclear strike and was pulling out of the armistice which ended the Korean War.
The US said “extreme rhetoric” was not unusual for Pyongyang.
South Korea’s President Park Geun-hye said the current security situation was “very grave” but that she would “deal strongly” with provocation from the North.
Park Geun-hye also said she was ready to talk to Pyongyang if it “comes out on the path toward change”.
The North Korean announcement, carried on the KCNA state news agency, said the North was cancelling all non-aggression pacts with the South and closing the main Panmunjom border crossing inside the Demilitarized Zone.
It also said it was notifying the South that it was “immediately” cutting off the North-South hotline, saying there was “nothing to talk to the puppet group of traitors about”.
The hotline, installed in 1971, is intended as a means of direct communication at a time of high tension, but is also used to co-ordinate the passage of people and goods through the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also visited front-line military units that were involved in the shelling of a South Korean island in 2010, KCNA reports.
The reports said he had urged soldiers to keep themselves ready to “annihilate the enemy” at any time.
It appears the North is trying to build a sense of crisis domestically, with a large rally staged in Pyongyang on Friday and reports of camouflage netting on public transport.
North Korea has breached agreements before and withdrawing from them does not necessarily mean war, our correspondent says, but it does signal a more unpredictable and unstable situation.
Shutting down the hotline will leave both more exposed to misunderstandings, she adds.
Seoul’s defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said that if the North were to carry out a nuclear attack on South Korea it would become “extinct from the Earth by the will of mankind”.
Kim Min-seok also warned that in response to any provocation from the North, Seoul would “immediately” turn the US-South Korean military drills currently being conducted “into a punishment mode to respond to it as planned”.
North Korea has announced it is scrapping all non-aggression pacts with South Korea, closing its hotline with Seoul and shutting their shared border point
The US, the main focus of North Korean ire, said it was capable of protecting itself and its allies from any attacks.
“One has to take what any government says seriously,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said of the nuclear threat.
“It is for that reason that I repeat here that we are fully capable of defending the United States. But I would also say that this kind of extreme rhetoric has not been unusual for this regime, unfortunately.”
The North Korean declaration came after the UN Security Council in New York unanimously backed Resolution 2094, imposing the fourth set of sanctions.
The resolution targets North Korean diplomats, cash transfers and access to luxury goods.
It imposes asset freezes and travel bans on three individuals and two firms linked to North Korea’s military.
South Korea’s ambassador to the UN, Kim Sook, said it was time for North Korea to “wake up from its delusion” of becoming a nuclear state.
“It can either take the right path toward a bright future and prosperity, or it can take a bad road toward further and deeper isolation and eventual self-destruction,” he said.
US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice said the sanctions would “further constrain” North Korea’s ability to develop its nuclear programme.
Susan Rice warned that the UN would “take further significant actions” if Pyongyang were to carry out another nuclear test.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang issued a statement supporting the UN resolution and describing it as a “moderate response”.
Qin Gang said China – North Korea’s sole ally – urged “relevant parties” to stay calm and said the main priority was to “defuse the tensions, bring down heat” and restart negotiations with Pyongyang.
Resolution 2094:
Strongly condemns North Korea’s ongoing nuclear activities, including its uranium enrichment programme
Imposes new sanctions to block financial transactions and bulk cash transfers in support of illicit activity
Strengthens states’ authority to inspect suspicious cargo
Requires states to deny port access to any North Korean vessel that refuses to be inspected
Calls on states to deny permission to any aircraft to take off, land in or overfly their territory if the aircraft is suspected of transporting prohibited items
Enables stronger enforcement of existing sanctions by UN member states
Kelly Osbourne has been rushed to hospital after collapsing on the set of Fashion Police on Thursday.
Kelly Osbourne’s publicist had early tried to play down the incident after dramatic images emerged of the 28-year-old being carried off set to an ambulance.
The star cleared up all doubt when she took to Twitter to explain to well-wishing fans what had happened.
She wrote: “Thank U all 4 UR beautiful well wishes yes I did have a seizure they are just trying to figure out why?”
Kelly Osbourne, the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne collapsed while filming her E! show Fashion Police, and was taken to a Los Angeles based hospital where she was expected to stay overnight.
She was recording the latest episode of the style programme alongside Joan and Melissa Rivers, who has been covering for usual panelist Giuliana Rancic.
Kelly Osbourne has been rushed to hospital after collapsing on the set of Fashion Police on Thursday
Kelly Osbourne reportedly turned to the star and told her she didn’t feel well, before she fell out of her chair shaking.
An audience member happened to be a doctor and reportedly fled to her aid.
Kelly Osbourne came around a few moments after the seizure, but her team wanted her to go to hospital for tests and supervision.
Demi Moore is reportedly seeking spousal support and attorney fees from Ashton Kutcher in their divorce battle.
The news comes more than a year after Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher split and three months after the actor filed papers to legally sever their six-year marriage.
Demi Moore, 50, finally responded on Thursday by lodging her own application at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
The actress cites “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split, stating the date of marriage as September 24th, 2005 and the date of separation as November 17 , 2011 – two months after Ashton Kutcher’s alleged one-night stand with party girl Sara Leal.
While the couple have no children together, the financial stakes are high.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are jointly worth a reputed $285 million and in the last year alone Ashton Kutcher earned $24 million from the CBS show Two And A Half Men.
On Wednesday it was reported how talks between the couple have broken down over money.
The pair could now be facing a courtroom showdown to resolve their differences.
Ashton Kutcher, 35, is said to have become “hostile” whilst Demi Moore has supposedly “had enough” of his refusal to budge.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher split in 2011 after six years together and since then there has been much speculation about why they have not formally divorced.
Demi Moore is reportedly seeking spousal support and attorney fees from Ashton Kutcher in their divorce battle
A source told the New York Post that money could well be the issue as Ashton Kutcher is the highest paid actor in US TV.
Ashton Kutcher’s personal fortune is estimated at $135 million whilst Demi Moore’s is thought to be around $150 million thanks to her hit films in the 1980s and 90s.
A source told the New York Post: “Ashton made a lot of money after marrying Demi – a lot more than she made – but despite him becoming just as famous through her, he believes he doesn’t owe her that much.
“Ashton has been very difficult during the talks. You could even say he has been hostile.
“After over a year of attempting to reach a settlement, Demi is definitely ready to move on. It’s hoped lawyers for both sides can reach a settlement this spring, otherwise the divorce will go into litigation and trial.”
Both parties have called in heavyweight lawyers and Demi Moore is being represented by New York-based William Beslow, who recently won a large settlement for Linda Evangelista against French businessman François-Henri Pinault over their five-year-old daughter.
Ashton Kutcher has hired Los Angeles celebrity lawyer Laura Wasser.
Demi Moore’s marriage to Ashton Kutcher raised eyebrows not only because of the 15-year age gap, but also because he was not that much older than her own three daughters from her previous marriage to Bruce Willis, 57.
In the wake of the breakup there were also fears for her wellbeing after she appeared in public looking extremely thin and was rushed to hospital after suffering an apparent seizure.
Justin Bieber had to halt his show at London’s O2 on Thursday night after collapsing and “experiencing breathing difficulties” on stage.
Justin Bieber, 19, who has had a controversial run at the concert venue this week, reportedly had to rush off stage and was looked at by doctors… but 15 minutes later he was back finishing the show in front of his fans.
And his manager Scooter Braun revealed while Justin Bieber was missing from the stage that doctors had asked him to get looked at properly, but he insisted on coming out to finish the set regardless, before then heading to a hospital.
In a move that some fans are cynically suggesting could have been a PR move for the singer, Scooter Braun told the audience: “Justin got quite light of breath. The whole show he’s been complaining, he’s backstage with the doctor.
“They’re telling him that they want him to go see somebody and see what’s going on with his lungs.
“[But] He has just told me that if it’s okay with you guys he’s going to come out and finish the show. Alright?”
Justin Bieber posted a picture of himself from his hospital bed in recovery
Following the concert Justin Bieber was reportedly taken to hospital to get checked but left in high spirits.
Shortly after 1a.m. he wrote to his fans on Twitter: “Getting better. thanks for everyone pulling me thru tonight. best fans in the world. figuring out what happened. thanks for the love.”
Justin Bieber then posted a picture of himself from his hospital bed in recovery, as well as a picture of the hospital corridor he labeled “creepy”.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who was described as a spokesman for Osama Bin Laden, has been arrested and will be tried in New York City, the US has confirmed.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was captured within the last week in Jordan, Congressman Peter King said on Thursday.
He is Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law and played a role in plotting the attacks of 9/11, US officials said.
Osama Bin Laden was killed in a May 2011 raid on his hideout in Pakistan by a team of US commandos.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is scheduled to appear in a federal court on Friday on charges of conspiracy to kill United States nationals.
“Sulaiman Abu Ghaith held a key position in al-Qaeda, comparable to the consigliere in a mob family or propaganda minister in a totalitarian regime,” said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos in a statement.
“He used his position to threaten the United States and incite its enemies.”
A teacher and mosque preacher in Kuwait, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was stripped of his Kuwaiti citizenship after 9/11.
Justice department officials say Sulaiman Abu Ghaith served alongside Osama Bin Laden from May 2001 to 2002, speaking on behalf of al-Qaeda and warning that attacks similar to 9/11 would continue.
Specifically, on September 12, 2001, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith appeared with Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri to warn the US that a “great army is gathering against you” and called upon “the nation of Islam” to do battle against “the Jews, the Christians and the Americans,” according to court records.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who was described as a spokesman for Osama Bin Laden, has been arrested and will be tried in New York City
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was reportedly smuggled to Iran sometime in 2002.
A Jordanian security official told the Associated Press that Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was handed over last week to US officials under both countries’ extradition treaties.
Peter King called the arrest a “very significant victory” in the fight against al-Qaeda.
“One by one, we are getting the top echelons of al-Qaeda,” the Republican congressman said.
“I give the administration credit for this. It’s steady and it’s unrelenting and it’s very successful.”
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith’s trial will mark one of the first prosecutions of senior al-Qaeda leaders on US soil.
Since 9/11, 67 foreign terror suspects have been convicted in US federal courts, according to data obtained by the group Human Rights First.
Some US lawmakers disagreed with the decision to try Sulaiman Abu Ghaith in New York.
“When we find somebody like this, this close to Bin Laden and the senior al-Qaeda leadership, the last thing in the world we want to do, in my opinion, is put them in a civilian court,” said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on Thursday.
“This man should be in Guantanamo Bay,” he said.
A senior administration official said that Barack Obama’s national security team “unanimously agreed” that prosecution of Sulaiman Abu Ghaith in federal court was in the US’ national security interests.
“The administration is seeking to close Guantanamo, not add to its population,” the official said.
Hugo Chavez’s body is to be embalmed and put on display after his funeral, Venezuela’s Vice-President Nicolas Maduro says.
The decision reflects the huge crowds queuing to pay their respects in Caracas, where he is lying in state.
Hugo Chavez’s body will be moved to a military museum after the state funeral on Friday, Nicolas Maduro said.
Hugo Chavez, who led Venezuela for 14 years, died on Tuesday after a long battle with cancer.
More than two million mourners have already filed past his body at the military academy in Caracas, queuing for hours to see him lying in state.
Leaders from Latin America and beyond are gathering in Caracas for his funeral on Friday, and Nicolas Maduro said the ceremony would go ahead as planned.
His body would be embalmed “like Lenin and Mao Zedong”, and put on display for at least another seven days, Nicolas Maduro added.
The body will be moved to the Caracas military museum, where Hugo Chavez – then an army officer – was captured in 1992 after leading the failed coup attempt that first brought him onto Venezuela’s political stage.
The building will be converted into a new “museum of the revolution”, Nicolas Maduro said.
Hugo Chavez’s body is to be embalmed and put on display after his funeral
Hugo Chavez’s supporters want him eventually interred in Venezuela’s national Pantheon alongside Simon Bolivar, the 19th Century independence leader the late president claimed as his political inspiration.
But Venezuela’s constitution says people can only be admitted to the Pantheon 25 years after their death.
The Venezuelan government says more than 30 world leaders – mostly from Latin America and the Caribbean – will attend the funeral on Friday morning.
Among them will be President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.
Hugo Chavez died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with cancer that saw him have four operations in Cuba.
Facebook has decided to revamp its design, making its website look more like its Android and iOS mobile apps.
The refresh also introduces topic-specific alternatives to its news feed.
One consequence of the change is that adverts can take up more screen space, making them harder to ignore.
However, the project’s lead engineer denied ads were the redesign’s focus. He also played down suggestions that the move was intended to make people spend more time on the site.
Chris Struhar instead suggested his focus had been on stripping back the amount of information being shown on the news feed to make each post more “engaging”.
“One of the consistent themes we heard in feedback from people was that it felt cluttered and that there was lot happening on the page,” Chris Struhar said ahead of the official announcement.
“We wanted to clean up the page, declutter it, make it simpler, more modern and easier for people to use.
“I often compare this to a 1960s television with wood panelling, knobs around it and a tiny postage stamp-sized screen – and what we’re trying to do is take that same TV and translate it into a 40in HD experience.”
Facebook reported in January that 1.06 billion people were using its service at least once a month.
It also revealed that its profit for the last three months of 2012 was 79% down on the same period the previous year despite a rise in sales because of increased spending on research and development.
There are three key changes being made to Facebook:
The website switches from a three-column format to two-columns letting the main news feed take up more space. This allows all posts – whether they are friends’ updates or adverts – to take up a bigger proportion of the web browser with more prominence given to images and video rather than text describing a link.
A pop-out black bar is added to the left-hand side of the page. This contains app bookmarks, links to specific friends, the chat and calendar tools, and the live updates ticker.
In addition to the standard news feed, users can select other alternative feeds. These include one which shows all the updates posted by friends rather than just the ones selected by Facebook’s algorithms; one dedicated to organizations and people the user “follows”; a page featuring only posted photos; and a music-themed feed containing updates from artists the user likes, concert announcements and details of songs their friends are listening to through services including Spotify and Rdio.
It is also noteworthy that the firm has now dropped its “facebook” logo which spelt out its full name, and replaced it with an “f” icon. This change had already been experienced by the selected group of users given early access to its Graph Search facility.
Facebook has decided to revamp its design, making its website look more like its Android and iOS mobile apps
Another tweak involves auto-generating maps to accompany posts about specific locations. This may encourage more members to use the mobile app’s GPS-powered check-in function which competes with Foursquare.
Investors and marketers will be keen to find out whether the alterations make users more likely to read and interact with paid content.
Facebook already knows that engagement with ads in its main news feed is greater than with those that appear on the right-hand side of its web browser. This column of adverts is absent from its mobile apps altogether.
Enlarging the news feed now allows a sponsored post to become by far the biggest element on the screen, taking up roughly a third of the page when viewed on a 13 in (33 cm) laptop display.
Another business-friendly change is that if a user “likes” an organization a horizontal banner photo is added to posts reporting the news in addition to the brand’s logo, making the update more eye-catching.
Chris Struhar acknowledged that sponsored posts from “liked” brands had become bigger, but added that it was not his intention to make users more likely to click them.
“This redesign doesn’t change anything about how people interact with ads on Facebook,” he said.
“We aren’t changing where adverts show up or what ads you see. We’re just trying to take all the content that you do see and make that bigger and more immersive and more engaging.”
Chris Struhar added that further amendments might be made once users had had a chance to provide feedback.
The US trade deficit, meaning the gap between the value of imports and exports, widened in January 2013.
The trade deficit grew to $44.45 billion in January from December’s figure of $38.14 billion, the Commerce Department said.
There was better news on unemployment, with a fall in the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits.
The Labor Department said the number of initial claims for state benefits fell 7,000 to 340,000.
The figure had been expected to rise.
The initial claims news will not affect the week’s most important economic news, which is Friday’s non-farm payrolls figure for February, because the weekly claims figures are for the beginning of March.
Much of the rise in imports came from a 12% increase in imports of oil.
The trade deficit for the whole of 2012 was revised down slightly to $539.5 billion, which was 3.6% below the level from 2011.
The US trade deficit, meaning the gap between the value of imports and exports, widened in January 2013
Kim Kardashian was reportedly rushed to the doctors in tears on Tuesday night, fearing that she had suffered from a miscarriage.
Kim Kardashian, 32, who is expecting her first baby with boyfriend Kanye West, is said to have felt ill shortly after arriving back in Los Angeles from Paris and made an emergency trip to the doctors.
A source told the New York Post:“Kim started feeling ill on the plane from Paris, and called friends as soon as she landed.
“She was rushed to her doctor Tuesday night in tears. She thought she was having a miscarriage.”
Kim Kardashian is then thought to have been discharged from the doctors at around 12.30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, after the doctor reassured her that both she and her baby were fine.
Kim Kardashian can’t wait to get back in the gym and regain her slim figure after giving birth to her baby daughter
Sister Khloe Kardashian let all of Kim’s fans know that she was okay, posting on her blog: “A lot of you have expressed concern in the recent hours about Kim, and I just wanted to let you all know that mommy and baby are doing fine and just taking it easy right now. Thank you so much to all of our wonderful fans and loved ones for your concern and support. We love you!”
However, Kim Kardashian’s physician is said to have told the reality star to have slowed down with the amount of exercise she is doing.
Alongside celebrity favorite trainer Tracy Anderson, Kim Kardashian is believed to be working out seven days a week in a bid to keep the pregnancy weight gain under control.
The source added: “Kim’s not respecting her pregnancy. She’s running around, working out seven days a week.
“She’s working with two different trainers to control her weight, including Tracy Anderson and a pregnancy trainer.”
Kim Kardashian previously said that while she has been working out to maintain her daily exercise regime, she knows she is going to pile on the pounds during her pregnancy.
With the end of Twilight trilogy it seems Robert Pattinson isn’t quite so keen to spend time with his on/off girlfriend Kristen Stewart.
In fact Robert Pattinson, 26, is said to have banned Kristen Stewart from visiting him while he’s working on his latest project in Australia, which will keep them apart for seven weeks.
“Rob doesn’t want her to visit,” a friend of the couple told In Touch.
The friend added: “He felt like they needed space. He wants a break.”
And far from pining, Robert Pattinson is “really enjoying himself”, throwing himself into work as the role of a common criminal with rotting teeth.
Kristen Stewart on the other hand, isn’t taking the change lightly, as the British actor’s friend claimed.
“She was calling and texting him constantly – if he didn’t respond she would go off the handle. So he just stopped responding.”
Robert Pattinson is said to have banned Kristen Stewart from visiting him while he’s working on his latest project in Australia, which will keep them apart for seven weeks
Kristen Stewart, 22, has been anxious about the state of their relationship, so to make the time go by faster she has been hanging out with Robert Pattinson’s onscreen enemy Taylor Lautner who plays Jacob Black in the Twilight saga.
The separation comes after Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart failed to get back on track following revelations of Kristen’s affair with director Rupert Sanders last year.
A source told HollywoodLife.com: “Kristen is desperate to get out to Australia because she misses Rob. But he’s being ambivalent about the whole thing.
“It seems like she’s going to fly out there, despite the fact that he has cut their communication down a lot,” confirming that he has indeed barely been picking up her calls or responding to her messages.
The source continued: “Kristen is really missing Rob. Regardless of their <<romantic>> relationship, they are still really good friends.”
Chris Brown allegedly threw his bodyguard off a plane after they apparently got into a fight on board.
Chris Brown, 23, abandoned his long-time bodyguard known as Big Pat in Bermuda after a pit stop on the Caribbean island on Wednesday.
An airport worker explained to The Bermuda Sun newspaper: “I’m not sure of the details of what happened on the plane but his plane came in, got services and everything was finishing and they were getting ready to leave.
“Then there was a stall. The security guard [Big Pat] got off first. He was standing outside talking to the pilot. Then Chris Brown and another guy came off. They had to come inside to Customs.
“They then went outside to have a cigarette. The security guard came inside [an airport building] and said he wasn’t getting back on the plane.”
Chris Brown abandoned his long-time bodyguard known as Big Pat in Bermuda after a pit stop on the Caribbean island on Wednesday
Big Pat told the staff member he had an “altercation” with Chris Brown. The bodyguard was forced to take a Jet Blue commercial flight to New York City’s JFK Airport after Chris Brown jetted off in his private
plane.
Chris Brown was travelling back from his gig at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana, West Africa on Tuesday.
Big Pat has stuck by Chris Brown through his previous temper tantrums and even took a glass bottle to the head during the star’s club brawl with love rival Drake last June.
Meanwhile Chris Brown was at the centre of another bust up on Wednesday night – after rowing with a valet parker at a Los Angeles bowling alley over the $10 service charge.
Hilton Botha, the former lead detective in Oscar Pistorius case, has resigned, South African police confirm.
Detective Hilton Botha was dropped from the investigation in February after it emerged that he was facing attempted murder charges in another case.
He has also been heavily criticized for giving contradictory evidence at the bail hearing of Oscar Pistorius.
Oscar Pistorius is accused of killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp – a charge he denies.
The athlete says he mistook her for a burglar when he shot her dead on February 14.
Reeva Steenkamp, 29, died after the athlete fired multiple shots into the toilet of his apartment in a gated housing complex in Pretoria.
Hilton Botha, the former lead detective in Oscar Pistorius case, has resigned
Hilton Botha, the first officer to arrive at the scene of the shooting, was accused of mishandling the investigation after he amended his testimony during fierce questioning by Oscar Pistorius’s defence lawyers in last month’s bail hearing.
It also emerged that the detective was allegedly involved in the shooting of a minibus taxi loaded with passengers two years ago.
The charges against him had originally been dropped but were later reinstated.
Hilton Botha is set to appear in court in May, along with two other officers also accused of opening fire on the taxi.
Police have not commented on the reasons behind Hilton Bopha’s resignation.
Oscar Pistorius, who is charged with premeditated murder, was released on bail on February 22 and is due to appear in court again in June.
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved fresh sanctions against North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear test last month.
The resolution is targeting North Korean diplomats, cash transfers and access to luxury goods.
It imposes asset freezes and travel bans on three individuals and two firms linked to North Korea’s military.
Pyongyang earlier vowed to use its right to a pre-emptive nuclear attack against its aggressors.
In a 15-0 vote, the council on Thursday backed Resolution 2094, imposing the new sanctions against the North.
Speaking after the vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said the document “strongly condemns” Pyongyang’s actions.
Susan Rice said the sanctions would “further constrain” North Korea’s ability to develop its nuclear programme.
She warned that the UN would “take further significant actions” if Pyongyang were to carry out another nuclear test.
The UN Security Council has unanimously approved fresh sanctions against North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear test last month
“North Korea will achieve nothing by continuing threats and provocations,” she stressed, urging North Korea to comply with the demands of the international community.
China’s UN ambassador, Li Baodong, said that “the top priority now is to defuse the tensions” on the Korean peninsula.
Li Baodong also said that the six-party talks on the North’s controversial programme must resume.
South Korea’s envoy to the UN, Kim Sook, described the North’s nuclear tests as “grave threat to the peace” on the Korean peninsular and the wider region.
Kim Sook urged Pyongyang to respond to the concerns of the world community.
“North Korea’s future rests in its own hands,” he said.
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who is the current president of the council, described the resolution as an “appropriate measure”.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the measure “sent an unequivocal message to (North Korea) that the international community will not tolerate its pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
Pyongyang has so far made no comments following Thursday’s vote.
But earlier it accused the US of pushing to start a war.
“As long as the United States is willing to spark nuclear war, our forces will exercise their right to a pre-emptive nuclear strike,” said North Korea’s foreign ministry, in a statement carried by the KCNA news agency, without giving further details.
Earlier this week, Pyongyang also threatened to scrap the 60-year truce which ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
The ballot count in Kenya’s presidential elections has been rigged, says the running mate of Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is trailing behind his rival, Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We have evidence the results we have received have been doctored,” said Raila Odinga’s running mate Kalonzo Musyoka.
He said the vote count should be stopped but added that his comments were not a call for protest.
Counting has been severely delayed after the electronic system crashed.
Following the latest allegation, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is holding a closed-door meeting with various high commissioners and ambassadors.
The chairman of the IEBC is due to address journalists later on Thursday.
More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence which broke out in 2007-08 after Raila Odinga claimed he had been cheated of victory by supporters of President Mwai Kibaki, who is stepping down after two terms in office.
Uhuru Kenyatta, who backed Mwai Kibaki, is due to stand trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) next month, accused of organizing attacks on members of ethnic groups seen as supporters of Raila Odinga. He denies the charges.
Kalonzo Musyoka said the failure of the electronic vote transmission system earlier this week had allowed results to be rigged.
“We as a coalition take the position the national vote-tallying process lacks integrity and has to be stopped and re-started using primary documents from the polling stations,” he said on Thursday.
But Kalonzo Musyoka also called on Kenyans to remain calm.
“It is not a call to mass action. We are committed as a coalition to the principle of the rule of law.”
The ballot count in Kenya’s presidential elections has been rigged, says the running mate of Prime Minister Raila Odinga
Meanwhile, senior members of Raila Odinga’s coalition have given further details about their allegations, saying that the number of ballots counted exceeded that of votes cast.
The long delays, and these new accusations are increasing the tension surrounding the polls.
However, until they see comprehensive evidence, many Kenyans will remain skeptical.
Following glitches with hi-tech voting and counting systems, the vote-tallying process was started again from scratch, and by hand, on Wednesday.
Results were only being announced after the ballots had been physically delivered to election headquarters in Nairobi, rather than being filed electronically.
The latest figures indicate Uhuru Kenyatta has maintained his lead over Raila Odinga, with 2.5 million (53%) votes to 1.9 million (42%) – as originally indicated.
However, the new tally shows that the number of rejected ballots, which have become a major bone contention, has sharply come down.
In the initial count, some 300,000 votes – about 6% – were disqualified for various reasons.
But according to latest official results, this figure has now come down to about 40,000. While the reason for the drop remains unclear, some observers said that election officials were being too strict first time round.
Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee coalition has rejected calls for some of these ballots to be included, as requested by Raila Odinga’s allies.
Counting the rejected votes would greatly add to the number needed for a candidate to break the 50% threshold for a first-round win and increase the prospect of a runoff due within a month.
The push for these ballots’ inclusion was motivated by a “sinister and suspect logic”, said Charity Ngilu, a senior member of Uhuru Kenyatta’s coalition.
The camp also accused the British High Commissioner in Kenya of “canvassing to have rejected votes tallied” in an attempt to deny Uhuru Kenyatta outright victory in Monday’s vote.
The UK Foreign Office said claims of British interference were “entirely false and misleading”.
Correspondents say one of the reasons for the many rejected votes is that Kenyans had, for the first time, six ballot papers to fill in, which may have caused confusion.
The winning candidate must get more than 50% of the total votes cast and at least 25% of votes in half of the 47 counties. The latter was a requirement introduced in the new constitution to make sure the new president wins with wide support, rather than only with the backing of voters in his regional and ethnic strongholds.
If there is no clear winner, a second round of voting will take place, probably on April 11.
Uhuru Kenyatta
Son of Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta
Due to stand trial at ICC in April accused of organizing violence in last election
His running mate, William Ruto, also accused
Both deny the charges
From Kikuyu ethnic group – Kenya’s largest at 22% of population and powerful economically
Kikuyus and William Ruto’s Kalenjin community saw fierce clashes after 2007 poll
Currently deputy prime minister
Raila Odinga
Son of first Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Distant relative of Barack Obama
Believes he was cheated of victory in last election
From Luo community in western Kenya – 11% of population.
Some Luos feel they have been marginalized by central government
Third time running for president
Currently prime minister under power-sharing deal to end violence last time
Bouchra Bagour has gone on trial in southern France for sending her 3-year-old son to nursery school wearing a T-shirt reading “I am a bomb” and “Born on September 11”.
Bouchra Bagour, 35, was reported to police by the teacher last September, and charged with “glorifying crime”.
At the start of her trial in Avignon, Bouchra Bagour denied defending terrorism.
Bouchra Bagour’s brother – who gave the T-shirt to her three-year-old son named Jihad – is a co-defendant in the case and also denies the charge.
The T-shirt, which the boy wore to school in Sorgues near Avignon on September 24, read “I am a bomb” on the front and “Jihad, born on September 11” on the back.
On Wednesday Bouchra Bagour told the court she had put it on him “without stopping to think about it”.
Bouchra Bagour has gone on trial in southern France for sending her 3-year-old son to nursery school wearing a T-shirt reading I am a bomb and Born on September 11
She insisted it was not meant as a provocation and stressed that her son had been born on September 11.
Zeyad Bagour said he had never sought to defend any cause by buying the T-shirt.
“It’s the day his birth I wanted to highlight, not the year,” he told the court.
The prosecution argued that the defendants had shown no regret.
“Who can claim that this is not an direct and scandalous allusion to terrorism?” a prosecutor asked.
He called for a fine of 1,000 euros ($1,300) against Bouchra Bagour and 3,000 euros for her brother.
Silvio Berlusconi has been convicted and sentenced to a year in jail over an illegal wiretap.
Italy’s former prime minister was accused of arranging for a police wiretap concerning a political rival to be leaked and published in a newspaper run by his brother.
Silvio Berlusconi is likely to appeal and will remain free in the meantime.
He is presently appealing against another conviction and faces two more verdicts in the coming weeks.
One of the rulings expected later this month is about tax fraud, and the other trial concerns allegations that Silvio Berlusconi paid for sex with an underage prostitute.
There is no real prospect of Silvio Berlusconi going to jail, but the conviction is another very serious blow to his reputation.
It comes weeks after his right-wing coalition did better than expected in a general election, and is expected to form a major bloc in the next parliament.
Silvio Berlusconi has been convicted and sentenced to a year in jail over an illegal wiretap
In October last year, Silvio Berlusconi was convicted in another tax fraud case and sentenced to a year in jail.
That conviction is currently subject to an appeal.
Prosecutors brought the wiretap case after a transcript of a phone conversation intercepted by the authorities was published in the newspaper Il Giornale, owned by Silvio Berlusconi’s brother Paolo.
The conversation took place between the head of insurer Unipol and Piero Fassino, who was the leader of the biggest centre-left party and Silvio Berlusconi’s biggest political rival at the time.
Unipol was trying to take over BNL bank in 2005. Magistrates had ordered the wiretap as part of an investigation into inappropriate interference in the takeover.
The publication of the transcript in a national newspaper broke secrecy rules, and Silvio Berlusconi was accused of obtaining the transcript from the wiretap company used by magistrates.
In numerous trials over the years, Silvio Berlusconi has been accused of charges including accounting fraud, perjury, bribery, corruption, having unlawful sex with a minor, and fraud over the sale of film rights.
Silvio Berlusconi says he is the target of a vendetta by politically biased prosecutors. He has denied all the accusations against him and has either been acquitted or let off under statutes of limitations.
Jessica Simpson has previously refused to reveal the sex of her unborn child, but she accidentally revealed that she’s expecting a baby boy during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday.
“The crazy thing is I never knew a wiener could make me nauseous,” Jessica Simpson told Jimmy Kimmel.
Jessica Simpson then laughed off the on-air mistake, saying: “Well I guess I just told the world that I’m having a boy!”
She didn’t seem worried by the slip up, tweeting: “Accidental announcement tonight on @jimmykimmel.”
Jessica Simpson, 32, fell pregnant with her second child when her daughter Maxwell was less than a year old.
The pop star and her fiancé Eric Johnson confirmed they were expecting their second baby back in December.
Jimmy Kimmel joked when greeting her that “It’s time to have this baby already,” to which Jessica laughingly said: “I know, I can’t believe I’m pregnant again!”
But this time around, being pregnant is more of a challenge, she said.
“It’s a totally different pregnancy. I just feel awful, I’ve been vomiting,” said the star candidly.
Jessica Simpson then cracked the wiener joke, after which she brought her hand to her mouth in shock at her accidental slip.
“I can’t believe I just did that, that was not planned,” she said good-naturedly. Later she said: “I just did it so crude, I feel awful!”
Jessica Simpson accidentally revealed that she’s expecting a baby boy during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday
It’s been reported that Jessica Simpson and her fiancé plan to name their child Ace. When Jimmy Kimmel addressed the rumors, she didn’t answer him directly, stating: “Well let’s hope it’s a boy!”
Jimmy Kimmel also asked her whether she planned on getting married soon.
“I keep planning on getting married but I keep getting knocked up,” she quipped.
“Maybe I should go back to when I was younger – I was a virgin before I was married, so maybe I should just completely reverse and just stop having sex all together until Eric and I actually say <<I do>>.”
Jimmy Kimmel asked what Jessica Simpson’s father Joe Simpson, who is an ordained minister, said when his daughter got pregnant out of wedlock.
Jessica Simpson said when she told him she was pregnant the first time, he said: “Well what are we going to do?”
And the second time she fell pregnant, Joe Simpson was more resigned, merely stating: “Oh honey.”
When asked whether she and Eric Johnson plan on having more kids, Jessica Simpson stated: “I really don’t want to be pregnant again because this pregnancy is really rocking my world right now.”
Jimmy Kimmel also mentioned Jessica Simpson’s best friend Cacee Cobb, who is pregnant and due around the same time as Jessica.
When asked if the two had planned it, Jessica Simpson replied: “Well it’s definitely something we would love to have happened. We want our babies to be best friends, ’cause we are.
“So now we’re going to force them to go to school together, force them to eat sandwiches together.”
“Hopefully it works out, we would be heartbroken,” Jessica Simpson said, laughing.
Sam Mendes, director of the latest Bond film Skyfall, has revealed that he will not direct the next installment of the series.
Sam Mendes told Empire Magazine it was a “very difficult decision”.
The director, who is currently working on a stage production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, says his current work needs his “complete focus over the next year and beyond”.
Sam Mendes added he had not ruled out the possibility of returning to the 007 franchise in the future.
“I feel very honored to have been part of the Bond family and very much hope I have a chance to work with them again,” he said.
The Oscar-winning director picked up the outstanding British film award, for Bond’s 23rd outing, alongside producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli at this year’s BAFTAs.
“It has been a very difficult decision not to accept Michael and Barbara’s very generous offer to direct the next Bond movie,” explained Sam Mendes.
“Directing Skyfall was one of the best experiences of my professional life.”
Sam Mendes, director of the latest Bond film Skyfall, has revealed that he will not direct the next installment of the series
There had been doubts about whether the director would make a second Bond film after he described Skyfall as “completely exhausting”.
“I felt like everything I wanted to do with a Bond movie, I put into this film,” Sam Mendes was quoted as saying last year.
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a statement that they hope to work with the director again in the future, adding they “completely respect his decision to focus on other projects”.
Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who have worked on five installments of the series, have also revealed they are quitting the franchise.
Speaking during an appearance at the fourth Doha Tribeca Film Festival in November 2012, Robert Wade said that screenwriter John Logan had been working with Sam Mendes on a follow-up to Skyfall.
Skyfall became the highest-grossing movie in UK box office history in December. To date, the film has earned £102.8 million ($165 million) in the UK and Ireland.
Guitarist Alvin Lee, a member of the band Ten Years After, has died aged 68.
Alvin Lee’s family announced on his official website that he unexpectedly died on March 6 following complications during routine surgery.
The British musician rose to fame after appearing at the Woodstock festival in 1969.
Ten Years After, who had eight Top 40 albums in the UK, had their biggest hit in 1971 with I’d Love To Change the World.
“We have lost a wonderful and much loved father and companion, the world has lost a truly great and gifted musician,” said the statement from his wife and daughters.
Alvin Lee worked with The Beatles’ George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood and Mick Fleetwood on his first solo album, On the Road to Freedom, in 1973.
He released his 14th record, Still on the Road to Freedom, in August last year.
Alvin Lee was due to play a concert at Olympia Hall in Paris on April 7 with blues guitarist Johnny Winter.
Guitarist Alvin Lee, a member of the band Ten Years After, has died aged 68
In an interview with Guitar World Alvin Lee said he still picked up a guitar “pretty much every day”.
The Woodstock Festival, held outside New York in August 1969, featured legendary performances from Jimi Hendrix and The Who.
Alvin Lee’s 11-minute rendition of, I’m Going Home, was immortalized in the 1970 documentary of the event.
“I’ve still got the original Woodstock 335, but sadly I don’t use it these days as it has become too valuable,” Alvin Lee said in 2012.
Born in Nottingham, Alvin Lee began playing guitar age 13 and formed the core of the band Ten Years After by 15.
The band won their first recording contract in 1967 and travelled to America a year later due to success on underground radio stations.
Ten Years After toured the US 28 times over a seven-year period.
A study of half a million people across Europe suggests that sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young.
The study concluded diets high in processed meats were linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer and early deaths.
The British Heart Foundation suggested opting for leaner cuts of meat.
The study followed people from 10 European countries for nearly 13 years on average.
It showed people who ate a lot of processed meat were also more likely to smoke, be obese and have other behaviors known to damage health.
However, the researchers said even after those risk factors were accounted for, processed meat still damaged health.
One in every 17 people followed in the study died. However, those eating more than 160 g of processed meat a day – roughly two sausages and a slice of bacon – were 44% more likely to die over a typical follow-up time of 12.7 years than those eating about 20 g.
In total, nearly 10,000 people died from cancer and 5,500 from heart problems.
Prof. Sabine Rohrmann, from the University of Zurich, said: “High meat consumption, especially processed meat, is associated with a less healthy lifestyle.
“But after adjusting for smoking, obesity and other confounders we think there is a risk of eating processed meat.
“Stopping smoking is more important than cutting meat, but I would recommend people reduce their meat intake.”
A study of half a million people across Europe suggests that sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young
Sabine Rohrmann said if everyone in the study consumed no more than 20 g of processed meat a day then 3% of the premature deaths could have been prevented.
However a little bit of meat, even processed meat, had health benefits in the study.
Ursula Arens from the British Dietetic Association said that putting fresh meat through a mincer did not make it processed meat.
“Something has been done to it to extend its shelf life, or to change its taste, or to make it more palatable in some way… and this could be a traditional process like curing or salting.”
She said even good quality ham or sausages were still classed as processed meat, while homemade burgers using fresh meat were not.
“For most people there’s no need to cut back on fresh, red meat. For people who have very high intake of red meat – eat lots of red meat every day – there is the recommendation that they should moderate their intake,” she added.
Ursula Arens also confirmed that the study’s finding that processed meat was linked to heart disease was new.
Dr. Rachel Thompson, from the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “This research adds to the body of scientific evidence highlighting the health risks of eating processed meat.
“Our research, published in 2007 and subsequently confirmed in 2011, shows strong evidence that eating processed meat, such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, salami and some sausages, increases the risk of getting bowel cancer.”
The organization said there would be 4,000 fewer cases of bowel cancer if people had less than 10 g a day.
“This is why World Cancer Research Fund recommends people avoid processed meat,” said Dr. Rachel Thompson.
