Greek football player Giorgos Katidis has been banned for life from playing for the national team after making a Nazi salute.
AEK Athens midfielder Giorgos Katidis, 20, made the gesture to celebrate his winning goal during a Saturday match.
The Greek football federation called it “a severe provocation” that insulted “all the victims of Nazi bestiality”.
Giorgos Katidis denied he gave a Nazi salute.
“I am not a fascist and would not have done it if I had known what it meant,” Giorgos Katidis said on his Twitter account.
Greek football player Giorgos Katidis has been banned for life from playing for the national team after making a Nazi salute
Girgos Katidis – a former captain of Greece’s under-19 team – was fiercely criticized on social media for the salute after scoring the winner in AEK’s 2-1 victory over Veria in the Olympic stadium on Saturday.The player insisted he was simply pointing at a team mate in the stands.
The club have asked him to explain himself at a board meeting next week.
AEK’s German coach Ewald Lienen has backed Giorgos Katidis.
“He is a young kid who does not have any political ideas. He most likely saw such a salute on the internet or somewhere else and did it without knowing what it means,” Ewald Lienen said, according to Reuters news agency.
Pope Francis I has delivered his first Angelus prayer and blessing before a crowd of many thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome.
The pontiff also delivered off-the-cuff remarks, about God’s power to forgive, instead of reading a written speech.
It was the Pope’s second official appearance before the general public since he was elected on Wednesday.
Earlier, Pope Francis celebrated his first Sunday mass as pontiff in the Vatican’s small and simple parish church.
Before he entered the church, chosen instead of St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis greeted well-wishers who had lined up outside a nearby Vatican gate shouting “Francesco” (his name in Italian).
At the end of the Sunday Mass, he waited outside the church and greeted people as they left, like a parish priest, asking many of them to, “pray for me”.
Later, just a few minutes after delivering the Angelus, Pope Francis sent his first Tweet as pontiff, writing: “Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me. Pope Francis.”
Pope Francis I has delivered his first Angelus prayer and blessing before a crowd of many thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome
First impressions of the new Pope from the faithful on St Peter’s Square have been favorable.“He uses simple words for all people,” said policeman Claudio, who was born in Rome.
“Plus he’s Hispanic and so closer to the Italians.”
The new Pope’s tone is very different to that of Benedict XVI.
Pope Francis’ style is pastoral, he teaches by anecdote and speaks off the cuff with ease, in contrast to the theological sermonizing of Pope Benedict.
Olivier Metzner, one of France’s best-known criminal lawyers, has been found dead.
His body was found floating off his private island in Brittany.
A note was found at Olivier Metzner’s home and an investigation has been opened, with police treating the case as suicide.
Olivier Metzner made his name in a series of high-profile cases, defending the rogue trader Jerome Kerviel, former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, and Vivendi chief Jean-Marie Messier.
He was one of a handful of star lawyers in France, who between them have dominated the great court cases of the last two decades.
Olivier Metzner, one of France’s best-known criminal lawyers, has been found dead
Olivier Metzner successfully defended former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, when he was accused of a conspiracy to defame President Nicolas Sarkozy, but his client Jerome Kerviel – who caused billions of euros in losses at the bank Societe Generale – was convicted.Other clients included the businessman and former head of Vivendi Jean-Marie Messier, who was convicted of fraud, and Continental Airlines, which was eventually cleared of criminal liability in causing the crash of a Concorde in Paris in 2000.
Rarely seen out of court without a large cigar, Olivier Metzner was renowned for his intricate understanding of the most complex cases, and multinational corporations regular sought his services.
McDonald’s celebrates St. Patrick’s Day each year with their famous minty-green Shamrock Shake, which contains a whopping 820 calories.
Shamrock Shake’s calories are equivalent to one and a half hamburgers at McDonald’s.
Included in those calories are a hefty 23 grams of fat and 115 grams of sugar.
Other menu options with the same nutritional value include 3.6 orders of small fries, a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, 4.3 orders of hotcakes, and 8 soft baked chocolate chip cookies, The Huffington Post reports.
McDonald’s celebrates St. Patrick’s Day each year with their famous minty-green Shamrock Shake, which contains a whopping 820 calories
St. Patrick’s Day treat is made up of the company’s Shamrock Shake syrup, an ice cream base, whip cream, and a single cherry.Not only are the calories astonishingly high, but the frosty treat is also filled with a number of additives that have been shown to cause adverse health effects.
The artificial vanilla flavor includes lignin, a byproduct of wood pulp extraction. Lignin has been known to trigger migraine headaches.
Hidden in the whip cream is carrageenan, a thickening agent. Degraded forms of that chemical, non food-grade, are listed as a possible carcinogen in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Food-grade versions have been linked to colon inflammation, a risk for colon cancer.
Then there’s the combination of Yellow 5 or Red 40 and Sodium Benzoate, which has been linked to hyperactivity in children.
So next time you pull up to the drive-thru, consider what you’re really getting.
China’s new President Xi Jinping has said he will fight for “the great renaissance of the Chinese nation,” in his first speech as head of state.
Closing the annual National People’s Congress, Xi Jinping urged delegates to reject extravagance and fight corruption.
At a news conference later, new Premier Li Keqiang said sustainable economic growth would remain the top priority.
The comments come as the Communist government completed a once-in-a-decade leadership transition.
President Xi Jinping’s address was a patriotic speech urging greater national unity.
Its nationalistic tone will reinforce the view that he will pursue a more assertive foreign policy during his decade in power.
President Xi Jinping issued a warning to China’s military, saying it should improve its ability to “win battles and… protect national sovereignty and security”.
He also stressed that continued economic development was essential, urging the nation to achieve what he called “China’s dream”.
China’s new President Xi Jinping has said he will fight for “the great renaissance of the Chinese nation,” in his first speech as head of state
The same themes were taken up at a rare news conference by new premier Li Keqiang, who has taken over the day-to-day running of the country, succeeding Wen Jiabao.Li Keqiang addressed the growing inequality gap and public anger at corruption, promising to reform the central government, cut “extravagance” and shake-up “vested interests”.
Spending on the government payroll, overseas trips and new offices would be cut while funding for social services would increase, he said.
“A clean government should start with oneself,” Li Keqiang asserted.
Li Keqiang was elected for a five-year term but, like his predecessor, would be expected to spend a decade in office.
On foreign policy, Li Keqiang stressed on the importance of further developing relations with the US, saying that “common interests far outweigh our differences”.
He described as “groundless” US accusations that China was behind recent cyber-attacks on American government agencies and companies.
On Saturday, the People’s Congress approved a number of new ministerial appointments, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Finance Minister Lou Jiwei.
The four vice-premiers are Zhang Gaoli, Liu Yandong, Wang Yang and Ma Kai – all veteran Communist Party officials.
Cyprus’ President Nicos Anastasiades has said a big bailout, which has provoked mass public anger, was needed to avoid a “disorderly bankruptcy”.
The 10 billion-euro ($13 billion) deal agreed by the EU was “a painful but controlled management of the crisis”, he said.
Many Cypriots, shocked that the bailout imposes a levy on bank deposits of up to 10%, were seen queuing to withdraw cash.
The parliament is due to meet later on Sunday to vote on the measure.
Nicos Anastasiades’ Democratic Rally party – which has 20 seats in the 56-member assembly – needs support from other factions to ratify the bailout.
The deal – reached with eurozone partners and also the IMF in Brussels late on Friday – marks a radical departure from previous international aid packages.
In a statement on Saturday, President Nicos Anastasiades described the deal as choice between the “catastrophic scenario of disorderly bankruptcy or the scenario of a painful but controlled management of the crisis”.
The president said that thousands of small businesses would have gone bankrupt without the agreement.
Nicos Anastasiades, who was elected last month on a promise to tackle the country’s debt crisis, is due to address the nation later on Sunday.
Nicholas Papadopoulos, who heads the parliamentary financial committee, said his initial reaction to the bailout deal was “shock”.
“This decision is much worse than what we expected and contrary to what the government was assuring us, right up until last night [Friday],” Nicholas Papadopoulos told Reuters.
Many Cypriots, shocked that the bailout imposes a levy on bank deposits of up to 10 percent, were seen queuing to withdraw cash
Meanwhile, opposition leader George Lillikas has urged his supporters to stage a protest rally on Tuesday, saying that the president “had betrayed the people’s vote”.People in Cyprus with less than 100,000 euros in their accounts will have to pay a one-time tax of 6.75%, Eurozone officials said after agreeing the deal.
Those with greater sums will pay 9.9% in tax.
Depositors will be compensated with the equivalent amount in shares in their banks.
Reports suggest that depositors will be able to access all of their money except the amount set by the levy.
The levy itself will not take effect until Tuesday, following a public holiday, but action is being taken to control electronic money transfers over the weekend.
Co-operative banks, the only ones which were open in Cyprus on Saturday, closed after people started queuing to withdraw their money.
At one bank in the Limassol district, a frustrated man parked his bulldozer outside and threatened to break in.
According to Reuters news agency, almost half of the depositors in Cyprus are believed to be non-resident Russians.
Russians reacted angrily to the news of the levy on social media.
International lenders are gambling that the risk of a bigger banking crisis elsewhere in the eurozone has receded.
While Cyprus may be one of the eurozone’s tiniest economies – its third-smallest – there could be serious repercussions for other financially over-stretched economies, such as those of Spain and Italy.
The point of the levy is to warn lenders to banks that they should take care where they place their funds, and avoid banks that overstretch themselves – as Cypriot banks did.
Cyprus is the fifth country after Greece, the Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Spain to turn to the eurozone for financial help during the region’s debt crisis.
The country has been in financial difficulties since the collapse of the Greek economy, where Cypriot banks had huge investments.
Lil Wayne spent a day at an aquarium with his 4-old-son Dwayne just three days before he was rushed to hospital in LA while suffering uncontrollable seizures.
According to TMZ, they visited the Georgia Aquarium on March 9 and checked out the Ocean Voyager exhibit.
Lil Wayne, 30, has tweeted to say he is “good” despite it being said he was dying and being read his last rights.
TMZ had reported Lil Wayne was on his death bed with friends and family saying their last goodbyes to the star.
While the rapper was said to be on “life support” and in a critical condition after suffering from uncontrollable seizures he tweeted to fans late Friday saying he was alright.
Lil Wayne wrote: “I’m good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love.”
Friends still packed the waiting room of the hospital on Friday night including rapper Drake.
Drake was seen leaving the hospital shortly after Wezzy tweeted he was doing fine in spite of TMZ‘s reports.
Lil Wayne spent a day at an aquarium with his 4-old-son Dwayne just three days before he was rushed to hospital in LA while suffering uncontrollable seizures
His friend and president of the rapper’s Young Money record label, Mack Maine refuted TMZ‘s story tweeting just prior to Lil Wayne.“Wayne is alive and well! We watching the Syracuse game…thanks for the prayers and concern..he will update you all soon.”
Mack Maine added: “We will be releasing an official statement shortly but don’t believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe…that’s false!!”
TMZ had reported Lil Wayne was rushed to Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
The website claimed that Lil Wayne – real name is Dwayne Michael Carter – was in critical condition after being placed in an induced coma, reportedly breathing through tubes.
TMZ initially reported Lil Wayne was being given his last rites and his family were at his hospital bedside and saying their goodbyes
However, TMZ later removed any reference Lil Wayne being given his last rites saying instead his mother is flying into Los Angeles to make a decision on whether to continue with life support.
Lil Wayne was meant to have fallen ill after suffering multiple seizures whilst shooting Nicki Minaj’s new single, High School on Tuesday.
The rapper was released the following day.
TMZ reported later that day one of his bodyguards found Lil Wayne in his room, on the floor and unconscious and while he was rushed to Ceders Sinai Hospital doctors were unable to stabilze the rapper.
Larry Hagman’s Santa Monica ocean-front penthouse was put up for sale in January, two months after the star passed away following a yearlong battle with cancer.
After 63 days on the market the home finally sold on February 28, according to property managers Surterre Properties.
The penthouse had been listed at $5.2 million, but no sales price was named in the press release.
As Larry Hagman’s wife of 58 years, Maj Axelsson, is suffering from Alzheimers, their Ojai, California estate was also posted for sale.
As of March, Larry Hagman’s Ojai estate, which he appropriately named “Heaven”, is still available for sale for just under $6.5 million, according real estate brokers Kogevinas, who represent the property.
The spectacular property boasts a 20,000 square-foot home with nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and five swimming pools.
The Tuscan-style home also has a man-made babbling creek, 400 rose bushes as well as olive, grapefruit, lime, orange, and avocado trees.
However, the sprawling property’s best feature is the mind-blowing 360-degree view of the mountains and Pacific Ocean.
Larry Hagman’s Santa Monica ocean-front penthouse was put up for sale in January, two months after the star passed away following a yearlong battle with cancer
The condo features floor-to-ceiling windows and a semi-private glass elevator shared with only seven other tenants at the posh 101 Ocean Avenue building.Built into the Santa Monica hillside, the unique property features stunning views of the Pacific Ocean from the top floor of the 10-story building.
Originally built in the 1960s, the building and its units were refurbished in the late 1980s, and Larry Hagman was among the buildings most prestigious owners.
Pictures of the home show Larry Hagman’s love of nature, as the Pacific Ocean could be seen even from a small bathroom window.
In 2011, Larry Hagman returned to Dallas to reprise his role as cunning villain J.R. in the show’s reboot, which started airing in June 2012.
But in October of that year the star was diagnosed with a “treatable” form of throat cancer and announced he would receive treatment while filming Dallas reboot.
Miley Cyrus got a new tattoo on her forearm on Friday – a mini replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical heart drawing.
Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D did the inking, tweeting the results on her Twitter page.
“Just did the RADDEST tattoo on @MileyCyrus,” she wrote.
“A miniature rendition of a da Vinci anatomical heart!”
The star also posted the original black and white illustration next to the photograph.
Miley Cyrus, 20, was clearly proud of the new inking, retweeting Kat Von D’s post.
Miley Cyrus got a new tattoo on her forearm, a mini replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical heart drawing
The star got her tattoo underneath an existing inking of roman numerals.Miley Cyrus has several tattoos already including the word “love” on the inside of her right ear, a pair of crossed arrows on her back and a cross, heart and peace sign on her fingers.
She also has the phrase “just breathe” on her chest and an equals sign on her finger representing marriage equality.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, 23, even have matching tattoos – different quotes from a speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Miley Cyrus has been spotted without her engagement ring, fueling rumors her engagement to Liam Hemsworth has been called off.
Jersey Shore’s Snooki and JWoww couldn’t help but get close to cuddly reality rival Mama June of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame on Saturday as they attended the GLAAD Media Awards.
Snooki and JWoww posted snaps on their Instagram pages as they met June Shannon backstage at the 24th annual event in New York City, announcing their strong liking for Mama June.
Snooki, real name is Nicole Polizzi, wrote alongside a snap of her straddling the larger lady: “YES. We love Mama June.”
At the same time, Jwoww, real name Jennifer Farley, posted with a similar picture: “Honey boo boo b****es!!! #obsessed #loveher.”
Snooki and JWoww couldn’t help but get close to cuddly reality rival Mama June of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame on Saturday as they attended the GLAAD Media Awards
Britney Spears and rumored new lawyer boyfriend David Lucado were spotted leaving a house and heading off for a drive near her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas on Saturday.
Despite taking on a new romance, Britney Spears told Harper’s Bazaar that having children had changed her focus: “I think things through a little bit more, and I worry a lot.
“I’m more straightforward, and I speak up more than I did before. When I was younger, I wouldn’t speak up as much, but now that I’m a mom, things have changed.”
Britney Spears, 31, ended her engagement to Jason Trawick in January after a three-year romance and recently admitted she will “always love” him.
While not engaged at the time, the star admitted marriage and children were on her mind.
“I’ve thought about both, so if the timing was right,” she said.
Britney Spears and rumored new lawyer boyfriend David Lucado
Facebook announced they would be borrowing a page from Twitter’s manual and introducing hashtags (#) onto its site.
According to The Week, no specific date has been announced for the introduction, but soon Facebook users who click on a word preceded by a hashtag will bring up all Facebook posts tagged with that hashtag.
Hashtags have become an important marker for Twitter. In the past week they were instrumental during the papal conclave and even signalling the Catholic Church’s newest leader #PopeFrancis.
But there’s also a monetary angle towards the hashtag. Films, television shows, and even recording artists often use promoted hashtags on Twitter’s main page.
The Washington Post reports that “Twitter is expected to make about half a billion dollars in advertising revenue this year, according to eMarketer. Facebook generated $4.3 billion last year from advertising”.
This is not the first time that Facebook has looked to Twitter to re-boot its image.
When Facebook launched its subscriber list it certainly seemed to be moving towards a Twitter-specific demographic.
Facebook announced they would be borrowing a page from Twitter’s manual and introducing hashtags onto its site
Similarly, acquiring Instagram last year also showed Facebook was interested in poaching some of Twitter’s camera-ready users who regularly post photos of epic dinners or cute cats.Especially with its mostly-panned redesign, this copycat move is just further proof for critics that Facebook has “jumped the shark”.
The edginess Facebook faced way back when The Social Network movie was still in theaters has seemed to erode in recent months.
Teenagers, in particular, seem vulnerable towards abandoning the social media platform because it’s simply too toxic or even dangerous.
Internet trolling, a relative small staple of Twitter, has become a major factor for teenage bullying on Facebook.
But the numbers for Facebook don’t lie. In October of 2012 the site passed its one billionth user, meaning one of every seven people has a Facebook page.
No timetable has been announced for hashtags on Facebook.
Americans have started celebrating St. Patrick’s Day across the country on Saturday, one day before the March 17 festival.
Chicago held its annual parade on Saturday morning and dyed the Chicago River green while New York held its famous parade greeted by thousands.
Revelers, children and even pets were decked out in green to mark the occasion with Irish flags hanging from street corners across the country.
At the New York parade which claims be the “oldest, biggest, and best in the world”, partygoers withstood the snow and cold to join in the fun.
The massive parade, which predates the United States beginning in the 1700, was led by 750 members of the New York Army National Guard.
The parade lasted for almost five hours with dancers, bands and battalions all taking part. The 1st Battalion of the 69th Infantry has been marching in the parade since 1851.
Michael Bloomberg took in his last St. Patrick’s Day as mayor, waving to a cheering crowd.
Marching just behind him was Irish PM Enda Kenny, who presented Michael Bloomberg with a historic Irish teapot earlier in the day.
In the south of the country, thousands of revelers garbed in green crammed the oak-shaded squares and sidewalks of downtown Savannah, Georgia, for a celebration that’s a 189-year-old tradition.
Led by bagpipers in green kilts, a parade kicked off Saturday morning, hours after customers began lining up at downtown bars.
More than 1,000 worshipers also packed the pews of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for the Mass that traditionally precedes the parade.
Boston is also getting into the mood ahead of its parade on Sunday.
The 112th St. Patrick’s Day parade is expected to be attended by nearly 1 million people but pub crawls will be going on all weekend.
Chicago held its annual St Patrick’s Day parade on Saturday morning and dyed the Chicago River green
In Maine, St. Patrick’s Day prompted Governor Paul LePage to relent on a vow to veto any bill that reached his desk before lawmakers pass his proposal to pay a state debt to hospitals.He signed a measure Friday allowing bars to serve alcohol a few hours earlier than usual, starting at 6 a.m., on the Sunday holiday.
About 1,500 miles southwest, the city of Houma, Louisiana., was holding its unconventional celebration – an Irish-Italian parade, with a celebration that features both Irish cabbage and Italian sausage – on Sunday.
The event resumed last year after a 10-year hiatus.
In Rolla, Missouri, the Missouri University of Science and Technology continued a St. Patrick’s Day tradition that began in 1908, when students paid homage to the patron saint of Ireland who was the patron saint of engineers.
In Ireland, Dublin’s five-day St. Patrick’s Day festival was unfolding with a new addition.
For the first time, up to 8,000 visitors from around the world were due to march in a so-called people’s parade on Sunday, when Irish capital city also intends hold its usual procession of bands and pageantry.
Pope Francis I has said he wants “a poor Church, for the poor” following his election as the next pontiff.
The Pope said he chose the name Francis after 12-13th Century St Francis of Assisi, who represented “poverty and peace”.
The pontiff urged journalists to get to know the Church with its “virtues and sins” and to share its focus on “truth, goodness and beauty”.
Pope Francis takes over from Benedict XVI, who abdicated last month.
The former Argentine cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, was the surprise choice of cardinals meeting in Rome to choose a new head of the Catholic Church.
In his first audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis said Jesus Christ and not the Pope was the centre of the Church, which he stressed was “spiritual not political” in nature.
Pope Francis said the Holy Spirit had inspired the resignation of Benedict XVI and guided the cardinals choosing him as the next pontiff.
The Pope said he chose the name Francis after 12-13th Century St Francis of Assisi, who represented poverty and peace
The Pope said he had been inspired to take the name Francis by a Brazilian colleague who embraced him and whispered “don’t forget the poor” when it was announced that he had been elected Pope.He said he immediately thought of St Francis of Assisi, the Italian founder of the Franciscan Order who was devoted to the poor.
As well as representing poverty and peace, the Pope said St Francis “loved and looked after” creation – and he noted that humanity was “not having a good relationship with nature at the moment”.
St Francis of Assisi is said to have loved animals as his “brothers and sisters” and even to have preached to birds.
There had been speculation that Pope Francis – who was a member of the Jesuit order – had chosen his name in honor of St Francis Xavier, a 16th Century Jesuit missionary in Asia. But he said this was not the case.
The new Pope’s style is very different to that of his predecessor.
He talks in simple, easy to understand terms about ethical values and shows a remarkable sense of humor.
Earlier, the Vatican said Pope Francis would visit his predecessor Pope emeritus Benedict next week.
David Brent made his big return on Comic Relief after he was off screens for 10 years.
David Brent made famous appearing on The Office used his time back in the limelight to debut a political reggae song called Equality Street.
Ricky Gervais resurrected his popular character for the fundraising fun and viewers learned that the former General Manager of Wernham–Hogg paper merchants is now a cleaning sales man with musical aspirations.
David Brent made his big return on Comic Relief after he was off screens for 10 years
David Brent teamed up with a young male artist Dom Johnson and persuaded him to duo on a track called Equality Street.Lyrics include: “Come with me down Equality Street, you don’t know who you’re going to meet.”
“At the end there’s a golden gate, it let in love it don’t let in hate.”
Another line included: “Black people aren’t crazy, Fat people aren’t lazy. And dwarves aren’t babies.”
Ang Lee takes on his first TV project as it was announced he will direct the pilot episode of new series, Tyrant.
Tyrant marks Ang Lee’s first project since the 2012 film Life of Pi, which saw the Taiwanese filmmaker win his second Academy Award last month.
The show follows an ordinary American family caught up in the affairs of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation.
Shooting for Tyrant on channel FX will begin this summer.
The team behind the drama includes Homeland‘s Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff, who will act as executive producers.
Ang Lee takes on his first TV project as it was announced he will direct the pilot episode of new series, Tyrant
“Ang Lee has demonstrated time and again an ability to present characters with such depth and specificity that they reveal the universal human condition,” said FX president John Landgraf in a statement.Ang Lee, whose previous credits include the martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Jane Austen adaptation Sense and Sensibility and comic book blockbuster Hulk, saw his latest film win a total of four Oscars in February.
Aside from best director, the 3D film – based on the Booker-winning novel about a shipwrecked boy and a Bengal tiger – won awards for cinematography, score and visual effects.
Ang Lee, 58, won his first best director Oscar in 2006, for cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain.
North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri has warned of strikes against South Korea’s islands and advised residents to leave.
The Uriminzokkiri website, linked to the regime, mentioned targets including Yeonpyeong island, which was attacked by Northern forces in 2010.
Pyongyang has made a series of threats since its last nuclear test in February prompted the UN to tighten sanctions.
The US said on Friday it would refocus missile defences to its west coast to counter the North’s threats.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said 14 more batteries would be placed in Alaska by 2017, adding to 30 already in place along the coast.
On February 12 North Korea tested a nuclear device, which is believed to be its third such test.
The UN Security Council condemned the move and tightened sanctions on the regime.
Before and after the UN announcement, Pyongyang promised reprisals for the sanctions, including a threat to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the US.
North Korean propaganda website Uriminzokkiri has warned of strikes against South Korea’s islands and advised residents to leave
North Korean media has also been vitriolic against the South.The Uriminzokkiri website stated: “Even an accidental spark by the belligerents in their war games can grow into a fire.
“And the damage for those living along the border and on the five western islands will be great.”
The threats came shortly after South Korea’s PM Chung Hong-won visited Yeonpyeong.
The US and South Korea also began military drills earlier in the week.
South Korea’s western islands are regarded as being particularly vulnerable to attack as they lie 6 miles south of the sea boundary.
In 2010, North korea bombarded Yeonpyeong with artillery shells, causing four deaths.
North Korea’s foreign policy has for decades been dominated by threats of military strikes, and bartering over its nuclear programme.
Although Pyongyang has given up parts of its nuclear programme in return for aid, it has continued to develop missiles and enrich nuclear material.
The most advanced missiles have the capacity to reach Alaska.
It is not thought to have a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
A Swiss woman has been gang-raped in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, according to local police.
The woman was camping with her husband at a village in Datia district on Friday during a cycling trip when they were attacked by eight to 10 men.
The assailants overpowered the husband before gang-raping his wife.
More than 20 people have been detained in connection with the attack, which has led the Swiss embassy to demand a thorough investigation.
The Swiss embassy has asked for a thorough investigation.
The victim, who is reported to be 39 years old, has been admitted to hospital in Gwalior. She is conscious and has spoken to the authorities.
The tourists had been cycling from Orchha to Agra, a distance of about 155 miles, when they decided to camp overnight at a village.
A Swiss woman has been gang-raped in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
One report cited the victim’s husband as saying that the group of men had approached them at about 21:30. They then began beating him with wooden sticks before tying him up and sexually assaulting his wife in front of him, he is reported to have added.The assailants stole the couple’s valuables, including 10,000 rupees ($185) and a laptop computer, before fleeing into the woods.
The incident comes three months after the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old female student on a bus in the capital, Delhi, which triggered widespread protests against the treatment of women in India.
On Monday, one of the suspects was found dead in prison. Police said Ram Singh hanged himself, but his family suspect he was murdered.
Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, may recover enough of his sight to work again, doctors treating him at a German hospital have said.
Sergei Filin was the victim of an acid attack in January that damaged his eyes and disfigured his face.
He appeared at a news conference alongside doctors, wearing dark glasses, a scarf and a hat to cover much of his damaged skin.
Pavel Dmitrichenko, a dancer at the Balshoi Ballet, has been arrested over the attack.
He is accused of masterminding the attack, in which a masked man threw sulphuric acid in Sergei Filin’s face.
At Friday’s news conference Dr. Martin Hermel, a surgeon at the Aachen University Clinic where Sergei Filin is being treated, said there was “good hope for regaining usable vision” that may allow him to return to work.
But doctors also warned that “such chemical damage to the eyes demands complex, long-term treatment”, and predicted that Sergei Filin would spend “months rather than weeks” in treatment.
When he went to Germany for treatment in February he told reporters his vision was “foggy”.
Sergei Filin, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, may recover enough of his sight to work again
At the press conference Sergei Filin demonstrated how doctors were testing his vision by asking him to count fingers held in front of his face.Doctors also warned that scarring caused by the acid would probably be permanent.
“The acid destroyed all layers of the skin of the face,” said Prof. Norbert Pallua, his plastic surgeon.
Sergei Filin said he was “not scared” by the prospect of returning to work at the ballet, despite the allegations that Pavel Dmitrichenko was responsible for the attack.
He did not comment on a letter sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin in defence of Pavel Dmitrichenko, signed by more than 300 members of the ballet company.
Sergei Filin has claimed that he knows who his attacker is, and said some people had disliked the way he was taking the ballet company, which is known for its infighting and rivalries.
Kenya’s PM Raila Odinga has filed a Supreme Court appeal against Uhuru Kenyatta’s narrow victory in the recent presidential election’s first round.
Uhuru Kenyatta beat Raila Odinga comfortably by 50.7% to 43.28% on March 4, avoiding a run-off by only 8,100 votes.
However, Raila Odinga has accused the electoral authorities of manipulating the result.
Police fired tear gas to disperse about 100 supporters of his Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) who had gathered outside the Supreme Court.
The police had warned them that they would not be allowed to do so.
Some of the crowd were wearing t-shirts bearing slogans including “I support the petition” and “Democracy on trial”.
The presidential, legislative and municipal elections held 12 days ago were the first since the 2007 poll which set off ethnic and political violence in which more than 1,200 people were killed.
Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, are facing trial on charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly fuelling the unrest. They deny the charges.
Lawyers for Raila Odinga said their petition to the Supreme Court included allegations of vote manipulation, as well as problems with the registration of voters and an electronic vote counting mechanism.
“I have no hesitation whatsoever in lawfully challenging the election outcome,” Raila Odinga told reporters outside his offices in Nairobi.
“These failures dwarf anything Kenyans have ever witnessed in any previous election,” the prime minister added.
Raila Odinga has filed a Supreme Court appeal against Uhuru Kenyatta’s narrow victory in the recent presidential election’s first round
However, Raila Odinga urged his supporters not to resort to violence.“We cannot begin what is supposed to be a new era under a new constitution in the same old ways,” he added, referring to the charter adopted in 2010.
The Minister of Lands, James Orengo, a senior Cord official, said the party had a constitutional right to file the petition and a “strong case”.
“Expect a new election, and this time around no monkey-business. I think we’re going to win and win in the first round,” James Orengo told KTN TV.
“I can assure you that we have the evidence, and we have the will and the preparedness to prosecute the petition,” he added.
James Orengo nevertheless promised that Cord would respect the Supreme Court’s ruling if it went against the party, and urged Uhuru Kenyatta and his supporters to declare that they would do likewise.
In his acceptance speech last Saturday, Uhuru Kenyatta described the election as “free and fair” and a “triumph of democracy”.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has also insisted that the vote was credible and that it is ready for any legal scrutiny.
International observers said the election was largely free, fair and credible, and that the electoral commission had conducted its business in an open and transparent manner.
Raila Odinga was the runner-up to Mwai Kibaki in the 2007 presidential election, which he also said was stolen.
This year’s Comic Relief charity telethon raised a record £75 million ($120 million) so far.
Comedian Lenny Henry, the founder of the Red Nose Day fundraiser which is now in its 25th year, kicked off the live show on BBC One.
Simon Cowell, Jessie J, comedian Peter Kay and One Direction all made appearances.
There were also reinterpretations of hit TV shows The Vicar of Dibley and Call the Midwife.
Ricky Gervais resurrected his David Brent character in a mini-episode of The Office.
David Walliams featured in a sketch alongside the likes of supermodel Kate Moss, footballer Frank Lampard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh Grant and veteran comedian Ronnie Corbett.
Meanwhile, across UK people dressed up during the day to help raise money for good causes in the country and Africa.
The television broadcast began at 19:00 GMT, with Lenny Henry revealing a special gold Red Nose suit.
Lenny Henry said it had been “25 years of truly incredible fundraising, truly incredible comedy and… truly incredible suits”.
Shortly after 01:30 GMT, comedian Russell Brand announced the money raised stood at £75,107,851 – passing 2011’s total of £74.3 million.
This year’s total includes a UK government pledge to match the £16 million Comic Relief has committed to help more than half a million of the poorest women and girls in Africa.
The money will go on improving literacy, helping girls go to school, provide care for expectant mothers, help women farmers, promote women’s rights and be used to help reduce violence and harmful traditional practices against women and girls, such as genital mutilation.
This year’s Comic Relief charity telethon raised a record £75 million with Red Nose Day antics
The UK government had previously said it would give Comic Relief the equivalent of whatever VAT is paid on sales of the official Red Nose Day single.One Direction performed the single, a cover version medley of Blondie’s One Way Or Another and the Undertones’ Teenage Kicks, on the show.
Hosts on stage included Dermot O’Leary, Claudia Winkleman and Jonathan Ross.
David Tennant and footballer David Beckham were among those to appeal to the public to make donations.
Jessie J made good on a long-standing pledge to shave her head for charity.
Celebrities including Dara O Briain, Melanie C, Jack Dee and Greg James took on the five-day Hell and High Water challenge, travelling down the 100 km Zambezi River to raise £1 million for children in Zambia.
The group appeared on the telethon to tell viewers about their experiences in Africa.
Others to help out included Miranda Hart, who completed a “Mad March” challenge each day this week in different cities across England.
Miranda Hart also organized a real-life wedding ceremony in a matter of hours for Claire Gilchrist, 26, and Ben Springett, 28, at Old Marylebone Town Hall in central London – she only found out on the morning that she had to do it.
There was also an appearance by James Corden, who reprised his role as Smithy from Gavin and Stacey.
Highlights from Mark Watson’s recent 25-hour stand-up gig and Graham Norton’s Big Chat talk show marathon were shown.
Will Ferrell appeared as San Diego “anchorman” Ron Burgundy in a one-off specially-recorded sketch.
Jessie J showed off her newly shaved head on Friday night’s Comic Relief show.
Jessie J said that having no hair was “the weirdest feeling” and proudly rocked the look on stage on the live show.
After having her hair cut, Jessie J emerged to speak to hosts Dermot O’Leary and Claudia Winkleman about how she was feeling.
As Dermot O’Leary stroked her head she said: “That feels nice. It feels liberating.”
While Dermot O’Leary and Claudia Winkleman wanted to know how Jessie J was feeling, she was eager to encourage viewers to donate to Comic Relief.
Jessie J revealed her family were backstage crying and appealed to the audience to raise money.
Earlier in the evening Jessie J spoke about why she decided to chop off all her hair, her jet black bob and fringe have been her signature style since she shot to fame.
Jessie J showed off her newly shaved head on Friday night’s Comic Relief show
The singer said: “This programme started when I was born.”And she added that she wanted to: “Shock people. I wanted to do something that wasn’t going to last five minutes and it’s fun.”
Claudia Winkleman told her: “You’re a great girl.”
After appearing on BBC’s show Jessie J didn’t waste time thanking fans and tweeted: “I am soooo thankful to everyone who has donated @rednoseday and supported me tonight! My heart is filled with happiness! Lets make a change! X”
During the programme a segment aired showing Jessie J visiting some of the charities that Comic Relief helps.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced the US scrapped the final phase of its European missile defence shield, citing development problems and funding cuts.
Upgraded interceptors were to have been deployed in Poland to counter medium- and intermediate-range missiles, and potential threats from the Middle East.
Chuck Hagel said the threat had “matured” and that the US commitment to NATO missile defence remained “ironclad”.
The interceptors had been strongly opposed by the Russian government.
It complained that they would be able to stop Russia’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and undermine its nuclear deterrent.
The US has always insisted that the missile shield was intended to protect against attacks by Iran and North Korea.
Analysts said Friday’s announcement could open the door to another round of talks between the US and Russia on nuclear arms reductions.
The dropping of the fourth and final phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) for missile defence was announced quietly at a news conference.
Almost as an aside, Chuck Hagel confirmed that in order to fund 14 new Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) in Alaska by 2017 to guard against increased threats from North Korea, the SM-3 IIB programme – a land-based standard missile – would be “restructured”.
“The purpose was to add to the protection of the US homeland already provided by our current GBIs against missile threats from the Middle East,” Chuck Hagel said.
“The timeline for deploying this programme had been delayed to at least 2022 due to cuts in Congressional funding. Meanwhile, the threat matures.
“By shifting resources from this lagging programme to fund the additional GBIs as well as advanced kill vehicle technology that will improve the performance of the GBI and other versions of the SM-3 interceptor, we will be able to add protection against missiles from Iran sooner while also providing additional protection against the North Korean threat.”
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has announced the US scrapped the final phase of its European missile defence shield, citing development problems and funding cuts
Chuck Hagel promised that NATO allies in Europe would see no difference to their level of protection as a result, with the first three phases of the EPAA providing coverage of all of their territory as planned by 2018.“Let me emphasize the strong and continued commitment of the United States to NATO missile defence. That commitment remains ironclad.”
Chuck Hagel made no reference to Russia’s objections. Officials in Moscow had hinted that they would not consider further nuclear arms cuts if the SM-3 interceptors were deployed.
The Pentagon believes tough decisions have to be made about where the main threat lies.
“Cancelling phase 4 opens the door to another round of US-Russian nuclear arms reductions,” Tom Collina, research director at the Arms Control Association, told the Associated Press.
“We give up nothing since phase 4 was not panning out anyway. This is a win-win for the United States.”
The decision was, however, criticized by Republicans in the Congress.
“President Obama’s reverse course decision will cost the American taxpayer more money and upset our allies,” said Representative Mike Rogers, who chairs the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees ballistic missile defence.
Although North Korea is many years away from developing an effective inter-continental ballistic missile with nuclear capability, the mood in Washington is that the US needs to stay ahead of the threat posed by an increasingly belligerent regime in Pyongyang, he adds.
People looking to shed a few pounds have often clung to the hope of “negative-calorie” foods – a workout for your taste buds that burns calories while you chew.
But do these foods actually exist?
A negative-calorie food would by definition consume more calories, for the body to handle it and process it, than is contained in the nutrient content in the food.
“Theoretically that’s possible,” says Tim Garvey, chair of the department of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
“In actuality there are no negative-calorie foods.”
Consider celery, often proposed as a negative-calorie food due to its low-calorie count, high water density, and impressive fibre content.
While all that chewing and digesting of the fibrous food does burn calories, it doesn’t burn a lot.
There may be just 10 calories in a larger stick, but the body takes only one-fifth that much,” to process, says Dr. Tim Garvey.
“It’s still calorie plus.”
Never mind that man cannot live on celery alone, and few people just eat raw celery.
“It’s more of a gateway to cream cheese or peanut butter,” says David Grotto, a nutritionist and author of The Best Things You Can Eat.
That’s not to say that celery sticks – along with other high fibre, water-heavy fruits and vegetables – have no value as weight-loss aids.
“These foods do fill up the stomach and increase satiety,” says Dr. Tim Garvey, keeping you from ingesting more calories later – but not burning off the calories you’ve already consumed.
Celery is often proposed as a negative calorie food due to its low calorie count, high water density, and impressive fibre content
But there are other things you can eat or drink that are supposed to work in a different way, by making the body work harder.One is cold water, which the body has to warm up to 37 C (98.6 F). But David Grotto is not particularly impressed.
“There’s no research to say that cold water drinkers burn more calories,” he says.
“Any amount of metabolic hit is not a significant amount – maybe five calories.”
Other foods have different ways of increasing the rate at which we burn calories (otherwise known as the metabolic rate). Caffeine, guanine, taurine and green tea extracts all have these properties, says Ron Mendel, who has done research on diet drinks that combine these ingredients.
In a study with only 20 participants, Ron Mendel found that those who consumed a diet drink called Celsius, which debuted in 2005, burned more calories than when they drank diet cola.
“The big picture here is, this is certainly not adding up to hundreds of calories a day by any stretch,” says Ron Mendel, the programme director for exercise science at Mount Union University in Alliance, Ohio.
“There’s no magic bullet,” he says.
Still, Rom Mendel speculates the small gains could result in a loss of 10 lbs over a year.
“I wouldn’t say it was going to replace me exercising and make up for me from eating 4-5 donuts a day,” he says.
“But if you just make that one change, over a significant amount of time, it could add up to something.”
Dr. Tim Garvey is skeptical that the change in metabolism could lead to real weight loss.
As a doctor focused on obesity and nutrition, Dr. Tim Garvey maintains that the only real way to lose weight is the boring, old-fashioned, unsatisfying and ultimately successful method: eat fewer calories than you burn through exercise – not digestion.
There is no research to suggest any foods burn more calories than they create
Some foods have components that can help boost metabolism
Those benefits help burn some extra calories, but not a significant amount
Morrissey has been forced to cancel the rest of his concerts in the US after series of “medical mishaps”, his publicist has announced.
Morrissey has suffered a number of illnesses including a bleeding ulcer, Barrett’s oesophagus and double pneumonia.
The 53-year-old ex-Smiths frontman, who was due to perform at Liberty Hall in Kansas on Monday, has pulled 22 shows.
Morrissey had already called off 21 gigs this year due to poor health.
His publicist said Morrissey fans would be refunded for the remaining gigs.
In February Morrissey apologized to his fans and said he was “on the road to recovery”.
Morrissey said in a statement published on fansite True To You that his ulcer was now “under reins” and assured fans he would be “fit as a ferret for San Diego”.
Morrissey has been forced to cancel the rest of his concerts in the US after series of medical mishaps
However, on Saturday his publicist Lauren Papapietro said despite his best efforts to try to continue touring Morrissey had “taken a hiatus and will not be able to continue on the rest of the tour”.Lauren Papapietro added: “Morrissey thanks all of his fans for their well-wishes and thoughts. Refunds for the remaining shows are available at point of purchase.”
Morrissey, who led revered Manchester indie band The Smiths in the 1980s, was treated in a Michigan hospital in January for a bleeding ulcer.
In recent months Steven Patrick Morrissey, a animal rights activist, who made his return to the stage last month at a show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, has also suffered from a throat condition, Barrett’s oesophagus, and anaemia.
