Scientists work on developing new drugs that could help people to live to 150 by slowing the ageing process.
The drugs are synthetic versions of resveratrol, found in red wine, an organic chemical believed to have an anti-ageing effect, by boosting activity of a protein called SIRT1.
GSK, the pharmaceutical firm behind the drugs, is testing them on people with particular medical conditions, namely Type II diabetes and psoriasis, a serious skin condition.
David Sinclair, professor of genetics at Harvard University, said ageing might not actually be an “irreversible affliction”.
He said: “Now we are looking at whether there are benefits for those who are already healthy.
“Things there are also looking promising. We’re finding that ageing isn’t the irreversible affliction that we thought it was.
“Some of us could live to 150, but we won’t get there without more research.”
The new drugs are synthetic versions of resveratrol, found in red wine, an organic chemical believed to have an anti-ageing effect, by boosting activity of a protein called SIRT1
Prof. David Sinclair explained that increasing SIRT1 activity improved how well our cells operated, making them less sluggish. In previous experiments, mice, bees and flies given the SIRT1-boosting compounds lived longer.
Writing in the journal Science, Prof. David Sinclair claimed to have performed experiments which showed these resveratrol-based compounds were having a direct effect on health. Some scientists have argued that the effect was not real, but experimental artifice.
Despite the controversy, there have already been promising results in some trials with implications for cancer, cardiovascular disease and heart failure, Type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, fatty liver disease, cataracts, osteoporosis, muscle wasting, sleep disorders and inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, arthritis and colitis.
Current trials look at how the compounds might help treat these age-related disease.
Prof. David Sinclair believed that in time they would also be examined for their preventative effect. Just as statins are used today to prevent heart disease and strokes, so these compounds could be used to slow a wide-range of diseases.
David Sinclair is a consultant and inventor on patents licensed to Sirtris, the GSK company running the trials.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez was known as a Don Juan. He loved women and apparently, women loved him back.
Wherever Hugo Chavez went for his public appearances, women of all ages flocked to him, hoping to get a hug or a kiss.
Hugo Chavez loved to be the center of the scene but particularly when it came to women. It’s said that he grabbed Queen Elizabeth’s arm and took her for a walk and even tried to kiss Queen Sofia of Spain and the former Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet. According to international media, Hugo Chavez also tried to court CNN en Espanol journalist Patricia Janiot, American activist Cindy Sheehan and journalist and TV personality Barbara Walters.
Hugo Chavez had a long list of romances but he was married only twice. The first time he married Nancy Colmenares when he was only 23. Nancy Colmenares is the mother of his first three children: Rosa Virginia, Maria Gabriela and Hugo Rafael. According to Semana Magazine from Spain, theirs was a small, simple wedding ceremony, nothing too extravagant as Hugo Chavez was occupied with the beginning of his military career.
A few years later, Hugo Chavez met Herma Marksman, a revolutionary historian, and had her as his mistress for as long as 10 years while he was married to Nancy Colmenares. Some say Herma Marksman was the woman Hugo Chavez loved most, the one who influenced his ideological training and participation in the preparation of the coup d’ etat of 1992 that put him in jail and the one who visited him there as reported by Spanish publications. In an interview with Televen, Hugo Chavez apologized to his first wife for leaving her alone with their children and no money after the military coup. That was the end of his marriage to Nancy Colmenares.
Meanwhile, Herma Marksman stood by his side while he was in prison but their relationship began to decline before he was released. In the recent years Herma Marksman fiercely opposed the Chavez regime.
Hugo Chavez met his second wife, Marisabel Rodriguez, two years after being released. She was a gorgeous blonde Venezuelan radio journalist. It was love at first sight and they conceived their only child, Rosa Ines, on their very first date according to declarations they made to El Universal diary. Hugo Chavez and Marisabel Rodriguez were married from 1997 to 2004. Their divorce was caused by Hugo Chavez’s affairs and the feeling of hatred in his world, said Marisabel Rodriguez. Hugo Chavez said it was her bad temper that caused their separation.
After the divorce, Marisabel Rodriguez and Hugo Chavez ended up in a legal dispute for custody of Rosa Inés. In his demand for guardianship, Hugo Chavez alleged that his former wife projected an unsuitable image for the integral development of the child. Marisabel Rodriguez replied with strong statements about her former husband, accusing him of domestic violence and harassment.
This was his last marriage.
Hugo Chavez and Marisabel Rodriguez were married from 1997 to 2004
People say Hugo Chavez had a lover in Ciudad Bolivar – whom he visits in the presidential plane; that he had a romance with the Colombian Congresswoman Piedad Cordoba; that U.S. singer Courtney Love melted with his presence and Venezuelan politician Jose Vicente Rangel’s daughter had an affair with him… but again, these are only the rumors.
In 2007 almost all the national and international press published a romance between President Hugo Chavez and supermodel Naomi Campbell as a fact. Naomi Campbell attended an official ceremony in Caracas in commemoration of the Woman National Institute and some days earlier Hugo Chavez had given her an interview for GQ magazine. They had a couple of additional encounters that were uncovered, and when asked her opinion of Hugo Chavez and what was going on, Naomi Campbell answered: “The President is not a gorilla, but rather a bull!”
That was enough for the international press to write for weeks.
Alicia Castro is the former Argentine Ambassador to Venezuela and current Argentine Ambassador in the United Kingdom. Her relationship with Hugo Chavez started when he was still married to Marisabel Rodriguez. Alicia Castro has denied any romantic relationship with Hugo Chavez; she said that her romance is with the Revolution although some critics of Chavez said that there was something stronger than friendship between these two.
The alleged relationship with the Venezuelan actress and former Miss Venezuela World Ruddy Rosario Rodriguez de Lucia sailed around the world. Ruddy Rodriguez was discovered by the press upon her departure from Miraflores but some time later, she invalidated stories with strong declarations. Ruddy Rodriguez said she had met Hugo Chavez to discuss issues about her foundation and not under any romantic scenario.
“He’s not my type of man,” Ruddy Rodriguez said.
In January 2006, President Hugo Chavez also denied the romance and claimed that it was all false.
While there wasn’t an official wife, the second of Hugo Chavez’s four children, 29 year-old Maria Gabriela Chavez plays the role of First Lady of Venezuela.
Hugo Chavez himself agreed she’s his most political daughter. After her dad’s second divorce, Maria Gabriela Chavez stepped to the front of the political scene, accompanying the president in his local and international acts.
His daughters accompanied him and Gabriela Maria performs the functions of first lady in order to maintain order and satisfactory political actions making his presidency an unprecedented family affair.
The United States and South Korea have begun annual military drills amid high tensions with North Korea following the UN sanctions vote.
Pyongyang has strongly condemned the exercises, threatening to scrap the armistice that ended the Korean War.
Seoul says North Korea also appears to have carried out a threat made last week to sever a cross-border hotline.
The drills come days after the UN approved new sanctions on North Korea following its nuclear test in February.
The test last month was the communist country’s third. It followed an apparently successful launch in December of a three-stage rocket, seen as a banned test of missile technology.
North Korea’s neighbors and the US fear it is working to build a nuclear warhead small enough to put on a missile, but believe it does not yet have the capabilities to do so.
The US-South Korea joint drills, which are known as “Key Resolve”, last two weeks and involve more than 13,000 troops. Another joint exercise, known as Foal Eagle, has been under way since the beginning of March.
Both exercises take place every year, usually prompting strong rhetoric from the North.
The US and South Korea have begun annual military drills amid high tensions with North Korea following the UN sanctions vote
In apparent response to the UN sanctions vote, however, North Korea has issued multiple threats, promising to abandon the Korean War armistice, pull out of non-aggression pacts with North Korea and cut cross-border links, including the hotline.
Early on Monday, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said efforts to contact the North via the hotline had been unsuccessful. The hotline, installed in 1971, has been severed on five previous occasions.
North Korea also appears set to carry out its own military drills this week, South Korea says.
Late last week, South Korea’s new President, Park Geun-hye, warned that the security situation on the Korean Peninsula was “very grave”.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, because an armistice was signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean conflict, rather than a peace deal.
Tensions have boiled over on a number of occasions in the past, most recently in November 2010 when four South Koreans were killed in North Korean shelling on a border island.
North Korea’s Communist Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, warned on Monday that the situation was unpredictable.
“With the ceasefire agreement blown apart… no one can predict what will happen in this land from now on,” the mouthpiece said.
Ram Singh, a suspect in the notorious rape and murder of a female student in India, has been found dead in prison, his lawyer has confirmed.
Police say Ram Singh hanged himself in Delhi’s Tihar jail, but defence lawyers and his family suspect he was murdered.
Ram Singh, 33, was one of five men being held in the rape and murder case. They all deny the charges.
The attack on the student on a bus in December outraged India and triggered a debate about the treatment of women.
A sixth suspect is being tried by a juvenile court.
Ram Singh’s death comes as a huge embarrassment for the authorities who are already under enormous pressure over the case.
Tihar jail spokesman Sunil Gupta said Ram Singh appeared to have hanged himself with an improvised rope made from a blanket at about 05:00 local time on Monday.
He said an inquiry had been ordered and Ram Singh’s body would be taken for a post mortem examination later on Monday.
Sunil Gupta denied Indian media reports that Ram Singh had been on suicide watch, and said three people were sharing his prison cell.
Police say Ram Singh hanged himself in Delhi’s Tihar jail, but defence lawyers and his family suspect he was murdered
Ram Singh’s lawyer, VK Anand, said he was informed about his client’s death by police.
“This is shocking news. There were no circumstances to suggest that he would commit suicide. He was happy with the trial, it was going on smoothly,” VK Anand said.
Ram Singh’s father, Mangelal Singh said his son had a badly injured hand and could not have hanged himself.
He also said his son had been raped in prison by other inmates and repeatedly threatened by prisoners and guards.
“My son has not committed suicide,” he said.
Ram Singh and the four other adult defendants – his brother Mukesh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Thakur – have been on trial in a fast-track court.
The case was due to resume on Monday. Reporting restrictions mean few details of the trial have been made public.
They face 13 charges, including murder, gang-rape, kidnapping and destruction of evidence. If found guilty they could face the death penalty.
The maximum sentence the juvenile would face if convicted would be three years in a reform facility.
The 23-year-old rape victim, who was not named for legal reasons, was with a male friend when she was attacked on a bus and thrown from the vehicle.
She died in a Singapore hospital on 29 December from massive internal injuries.
Ram Singh was accused of being the driver of the bus.
The case provoked nationwide protests and demands for tougher penalties for rapists, as well as greater protection for women.
Tihar prison, which authorities say is the largest in Asia, is India’s most high-security prison.
The 55-year-old jail houses more than 12,000 inmates although it has an official capacity of about 6,000.
The complex includes nine separate prison facilities.
Media reports quoting the chief of Tihar prison Vimla Mehra say there were 18 deaths in the jail last year, of which two were cases of suicide.
China’s inflation rate hit a 10-month high in February after Lunar New Year festivities drove up food prices.
Consumer prices rose 3.2% from a year earlier, with food prices up by 6%.
Inflation has been a hot political issue in China. There have been concerns that if consumer prices rise too much, it may prompt Beijing to tighten monetary policies, which in turn may hurt China’s growth.
However, analysts said the latest data was unlikely to prompt any such moves.
They argued that the price growth was driven mainly by the Lunar New Year celebrations, which are traditionally associated with an increase in consumer spending.
“We expect limited market and policy impact as investors and officials understand the Lunar New Year distortions quite well,” Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said in a note after the data was released over the weekend.
“Though policymakers should be wary of inflation later this year with economic growth recovery, it’s too early to call for significant monetary tightening at present,” they said.
After years of experiencing a blistering pace of growth, China has seen its economic expansion slow in recent times.
China’s inflation rate hit a 10-month high in February after Lunar New Year festivities drove up food prices
In 2012, China grew at a pace of 7.8%, its weakest performance in 13 years.
Prompted by slowing growth, China has taken various steps over the past months to spur a fresh wave of economic growth.
It cut interest rates twice last year, to bring down the cost of borrowing for consumers and businesses. It also lowered the amount of money that banks need to keep in reserves in an attempt to boost lending in the country.
On the investment front, Beijing approved infrastructure projects worth more than $150 billion.
Some analysts said that if China continues to pursue easy monetary policies, consumer prices may rise further in the latter half of the year.
“If monetary policy remains at the current loose stance, consumer price index in 2013 will likely be much higher than the 3.5% target set in the National People’s Congress,” said Zhang Zhiwei, an economist with Nomura.
China set a target of 3.5% inflation rate for the current year at the National People’s Congress, its annual parliamentary session, last week.
However, in his final appearance at the congress, outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao warned that keeping prices in check will remain a key challenge for the policymakers.
“There are relatively big inflationary pressures this year, mainly because there are pressures on China’s land, labor, agricultural products and services,” Wen Jiabao said.
“And major countries are stepping up loose monetary policy, so we can’t overlook imported inflationary pressures.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles has confirmed that he will stand in presidential elections on April 14.
In a televised address, Henrique Capriles accused the governing PSUV party of manipulating the recent death of President Hugo Chavez.
Hugo Chavez died on March 5 after a two-year battle against cancer.
Henrique Capriles will stand against Acting President Nicolas Maduro, whom Hugo Chavez named as his favored successor.
Nicolas Maduro went on state television minutes after the opposition leader’s appearance, accusing him of being a “fascist”.
Correspondents say the stage is now set for a bitter presidential campaign.
The opposition boycotted Nicolas Maduro’s swearing-in on Friday, claiming that – under the constitution – the speaker of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, should be the one to take over as acting president.
Henrique Capriles – candidate for the umbrella opposition group Table for Democratic Unity (MUD) – called the move fraudulent.
On Sunday, he again accused the socialist PSUV of violating the constitution.
“My fight is not to be president, my fight is for Venezuela to move forward,” he said.
“You [the PSUV] are the ones who became sick by power. You fear losing it.”
Henrique Capriles added: “I am going to fight. Nicolas, I am not going to give you a free pass. You will have to beat me with votes.”
Henrique Capriles, 40, is a lawyer by training and governor of the state of Miranda. He describes his policies as “centrist” and “humanist”.
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles has confirmed that he will stand in presidential elections on April 14
In his televised address on Sunday, Nicolas Maduro accused Henrique Capriles of inciting hatred, and said he was trying to provoke violence by insulting the late president’s image.
“You have made the biggest mistake of your life,” he said.
Nicolas Maduro announced that he would ask the national assembly to change the constitution on Tuesday to allow Hugo Chavez’s body to lie beside that of 19th Century South American revolutionary leader Simon Bolivar.
Both Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival must register their candidacies by Monday.
Hugo Chavez – who led Venezuela for 14 years – won last October’s election against Henrique Capriles, polling 54% of the vote to Capriles’s 44%.
Hugo Chavez named his 50-year-old vice-president and foreign minister as his preferred successor following the recurrence of cancer.
Nicolas Maduro’s friendship with Hugo Chavez dates back to when the former president served time in prison for an attempted coup in 1992.
The former bus driver campaigned for Hugo Chavez to be released – which happened two years later.
He has vowed to carry on where the late leader left off but acknowledged that Hugo Chavez would be difficult to follow.
Nicolas Maduro told a crowd on Saturday: “I am not Chavez – speaking in terms of the intelligence, charisma, historical force, leadership capacity and spiritual grandeur of our comandante [commander].”
Hugo Chavez’s body is still lying in state at a military academy in the capital Caracas. Millions of Venezuelans have filed past to pay their respects.
Nicolas Maduro says the former leader’s body will be embalmed “like Lenin and Mao Zedong”.
Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose romance with husband Prince Bertil became one of the country’s best-known love stories, has died at the age of 97.
Welsh-born Lilian met Prince Bertil in London during World War II.
However, they faced objections to their relationship because of the prince’s obligations to the throne and Lilian’s status as a divorced commoner. They had to wait until 1976 to get married.
In 2010, it was announced Princess Lilian had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Princess Lilian was born Lilian Davies in Swansea in August 1915 and moved to London aged 16 to follow a modelling career. She was married to actor Ivan Craig when she met Prince Bertil in London in 1943.
The couple fell in love in what Swedish media described as a real-life Cinderella story. She divorced her British husband two years later.
However, Prince Bertil’s father, King Gustaf VI Adolf, refused to give his blessing for the couple to get married.
Prince Bertil’s elder brother died in a plane crash in 1947 and another brother had also married a commoner, giving up his right to the throne. Bertil was next in line to the throne until his nephew came of age. Carl Gustaf eventually became king in 1973.
Princess Lilian of Sweden, whose romance with husband Prince Bertil became one of the country’s best-known love stories, has died at the age of 97
The king feared that had Prince Bertil married a commoner, the royal dynasty’s survival would be jeopardized.
It took more than 30 years before they could marry, when they both had reached their sixties.
The couple were popular with the Swedish public.
Prince Bertil died in 1997 and Princess Lilian later wrote about the difficulties of their life together.
They did not have any children, which Princess Lilian’s late husband described as “rather sad”.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said that a “much loved and appreciated member of the royal family has now passed away”.
President Hamid Karzai has issued a stinging rebuke to the US and the Taliban, saying they are both guilty of sowing fears for post-2014 Afghanistan.
Hamid Karzai said Taliban suicide attacks on Saturday were aimed at intimidation that would prolong the presence of international troops in Afghanistan.
The troops are scheduled to end combat missions in 2014.
Hamid Karzai has cancelled a scheduled press conference with visiting US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel.
A senior Afghan presidential aide said this was because of tensions over civilian casualties, the handover of control of Bagram prison and the actions of US Special Forces in Wardak province.
US officials said it was because of security concerns and not the president’s recent comments.
In a nationally televised speech, President Hamid Karzai referred to two Taliban attacks on Saturday in Khost and Kabul that left 19 people dead.
He suggested both the US and Taliban were trying to convince Afghans the situation would worsen after 2014.
Hamid Karzai said: “Yesterday’s bombings in the name of the Taliban were aimed at serving the foreigners and supporting the presence of the foreigners in Afghanistan and keeping them in Afghanistan by intimidating us.”
President Hamid Karzai has issued a stinging rebuke to the US and the Taliban, saying they are both guilty of sowing fears for post-2014 Afghanistan
Responding to Hamid Karzai’s speech, US and NATO forces commander Gen. Joseph Dunford said: “We have fought too hard over the past 12 years, we have shed too much blood over the last 12 years, to ever think that violence or instability would be to our advantage.”
Relations between Hamid Karzai and the US are in bad shape, with the president angry that the US has not transferred Afghan prisoners held in US custody at Bagram prison.
The Afghan government also accused US-led forces and Afghans working with them of abusing and arresting university students, in violation of national sovereignty.
Hamid Karzai also said that: “Taliban leaders and representatives are talking with the US abroad every day.”
The president would rather the insurgents spoke to him, but they will not do so as they regard his government as illegitimate.
A statement from the US embassy in Kabul said Washington had “long supported an Afghan-led process for Afghans to talk to Afghans”.
But it pointed out that the Taliban had suspended talks with the US in March 2012 and it was “up to the Taliban to take the next steps”.
A Taliban spokesman denied the group was holding any dialogue with the US.
Hamid Karzai’s speech comes as Chuck Hagel makes his first visit to Afghanistan.
The two governments are still negotiating a deal on the long-term presence of US forces in Afghanistan.
Hamid Karzai said any force that remained “must respect the national sovereignty of our country and must respect all our customs”.
There are about 66,000 US military personal at present in the country. Early next year that figure will drop to 34,000. The number of international troops that will remain after 2014 is still to be determined.
A five-month undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States found that clothing sold as “fake fur” at Century 21 has been revealed to contain real animal fur.
The investigation also found that several garments trimmed with “faux fur” were actually made with the pelts of Chinese raccoon dog – a species related to the domestic dog – that is often skinned alive for its soft coat.
Among the mislabeled items were three Marc by Marc Jacobs coats, which were ordered from the discount retail chain’s website, DNAinforeported.
The labels on the three Marc Jacobs jackets revealed that they were trimmed with “real raccoon fur” from China, and laboratory testing later found that it was actually raccoon dog.
Other offending garments, purchased from the Downtown and Upper West Side stores, included an infant’s hooded jacket by Trust fund Baby, a JNBY hoodie and a Save the Queen stole, all of which contained rabbit (or possibly hare).
A full breakdown of The Humane Society’s findings has been published on its website.
The investigation results were supported by hidden camera footage from the new Upper West Side branch of Century 21, recorded by New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, who led the investigation with the Humane Society.
The team asked a number of sales staff if they knew whether an item featured real or fake fur. In several cases, the staffer checked the garment label to confirm an answer that the item was made with synthetic fur.
Other in-store staff just said that they didn’t know.
The labels on three Marc Jacobs jackets at Century 21 revealed that they were trimmed with “real raccoon fur” from China, and laboratory testing later found that it was actually raccoon dog
Linda Rosenthal later said in a statement: “Many people want to avoid wearing fur at all. And, for them, knowing whether the garment they are about to purchase is made with real or faux fur is just as important a factor in determining whether to buy it as is the price.”
Indeed, it was she who introduced a fur labeling law that the state passed in 2007. Manufacturers are also legally required to disclose the kind of fur used and the country of origin.
Linda Rosenthal said that the investigation team discovered other items in violation of the labeling laws at Century 21 as well, such as an unlabeled infant sweater made with rabbit fur.
“Anybody who doesn’t want to buy animal fur should be very angry that a product that they’re trying to avoid is being misrepresented as a product they may want to buy,” Pierre Grzybowski of the Humane Society’s Fur Free Campaign, told the New York Daily News.
Century 21 has since issued a statement on its Facebook page, defending itself against the allegations.
The statement read: “Century 21 does not create garment labels, the manufacturers do. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to provide an accurate account of materials used in the garment and to be transparent with the consumer before his or her purchase.
“We respect the diligence of The Humane Society of the United States to uphold state and federal laws in regards to garment labeling.”
Many shoppers were horrified to hear that some of the “faux fur” garments were in fact made from raccoon dogs.
Today, the Humane Society’s investigation was praised by the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
Marc Jacobs, an animal-lover and former vegan, has previously come under fire from PETA from his work with real fur designs.
Other fashion companies have recently been vociferously attacked by animal rights groups.
Bebe incurred the wrath of PETA recently for falsely marketing itself as fur free.
PETA accused the fast fashion chain of “telling consumers that Bebe is a fur-free company, when, in fact, Bebe continues to sell products made with animal fur”.
Samsung Galaxy S4 will be unveiled in New York on Wednesday and rumors are the device will feature eye control.
Galaxy S4’s predecessor, the S3, already had a feature called Smart Stay that detected if users were looking at the screen.
But Galaxy S4 is expected to have revolutionary functions such as “eye pause” and “eye scroll”, which will let users scroll around apps and websites simply by moving their eyes.
Since its launch last year, Galaxy S3 briefly outsold the iPhone 4S but after the release of the iPhone 5, Apple have regained the top spot.
However, Galaxy S4 is predicted to become the biggest seller when it hits the stores in a few weeks thanks to rumored technological improvements such as wireless charging.
It is also expected to be powered by an eight core processing chip, compared to the iPhone’s two, and to have a larger screen – 5in compared to 4.8in on the S3.
Samsung Galaxy S4 will be unveiled in New York on Wednesday and rumors are the device will feature eye control
Other leaks suggest Galaxy S4 will have a 13 megapixel camera, as opposed to the iPhone’s eight.
Francisco Jeronimo, from technology analysis firm IDC, said: “Apple is not the one leading the market. I wouldn’t be surprised if the new Samsung device sells more than the new Apple device over the next two years.”
Galxy S4’s launch ceremony will be held at the famous Radio City Music Hall and will be broadcast live in Times Square.
South Korean electronics giant Samsung have released a few teaser advertisements for the phone, which show a boy’s face being lit up by a golden glow as he opens a box containing the S4, with the catchline “one of the most amazing products to hit the market since TVs went color”.
According to Western governments, Nigerian Islamist militant group Ansaru’s claims to have killed seven foreign hostages it seized last month are credible.
The hostages – from Italy, Britain, Greece and Lebanon – were captured in a raid on a construction site in the northern state of Bauchi.
In an online statement posted on Saturday, Ansaru said it had killed the captives.
Ansaru is suspected of being an offshoot of the Boko Haram network.
On Sunday, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said a British construction worker, named as Brendan Vaughn, was “likely to have been killed at the hands of his captors, along with six other foreign nationals”.
“This is an unforgivable act of pure, cold-blooded murder, for which there can be no excuse or justification,” he added.
The Italian government issued a similar statement, while the Greek foreign ministry said: “The information we have shows that the Greek citizen is dead.”
Ansaru’s online message included grainy pictures purporting to show the bodies of the seven – a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers.
The group said they had been killed because of a rescue attempt by British and Nigerian forces.
In an online statement posted on Saturday, Ansaru said it had killed the captives in Nigeria
However, in its statement, the Italian foreign ministry said: “There was never any military attempt to rescue the hostages by any of the governments concerned.”
It added that the group’s actions “can have no explanation other than blind and barbaric violence”.
Britain’s military said its warplanes which were recently spotted in Nigeria’s capital Abuja had been there to carry soldiers taking part in the French-led operation in Mali – not to rescue hostages.
The seven hostages were seized in a raid from a site belonging to the Setraco construction company. It resulted in the death of a guard.
Ansaru said it had carried out the attack in revenge for what it called atrocities by European nations against Islam.
The group abducted French national Francis Colump in December in an attack on a compound in the northern state of Katsina.
In January Ansaru said it had carried out an attack that killed two Nigerian soldiers as they prepared to deploy to Mali, where French-led troops have been fighting Islamic militants.
Rihanna just kicked off her Diamonds World Tour on Friday but she has been forced to cancel Sunday night’s Boston concert after contracting laryngitis.
Rihanna, 25, was due to take to the stage at the TD Garden arena to wow her hundreds of fans.
However, Live Nation released a statement on Sunday morning, stating that Rihanna is unable to perform.
“Unfortunately, following her sold out concert on Friday, Rihanna has contracted laryngitis and per doctor’s instruction is unable to perform this evening,” they said.
Rihanna also tweeted her sadness about cancelling the gig on her Twitter page on Sunday.
She wrote: “#BOSTON this is the hardest thing for me to deal with! I feel like we’ve been waiting on this day forever, and I’m hurt that I let you down.”
Rihanna also added that she was embarrassed about not being able to please her fans.
“I hate disappointing people that never ever let me down!! I’m so embarrassed about this! Thank you for your prayers and well wishes! #DWT,” she wrote.
Rihanna kicked off her 27-city tour in New York on Friday
It is unclear whether or not Rihanna will be well enough to perform at her next scheduled show, which is in Baltimore on Tuesday.
Her illness comes after she kicked off her 27-city tour in New York on Friday.
As Hugo Chavez’s death was announced on Tuesday, Saturday Night Live wasted no time mocking the Venezuelan leader’s time in power during the show’s opening sketch this week.
Featuring Justin Timberlake imitating Elton John, SNL skit took place at a memorial for Hugo Chavez, who died on Tuesday at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer.
Justin Timberlake was singing an updated version of Elton John’s classic song Candle in the Wind in tribute to Hugo Chavez and some of the crazy, real-life, aspects from his 14 years in power.
“And it seems to me like you lived your life like a candle in the wind,” Justin Timberlake sang in a pitch-perfect imitation of Elton John before ending the chorus with the following joke: “If a candle could pull out two pistols at a press conference.”
Another hilarious line from the song was: “You said the U.S. causes earthquakes and you outlawed Coke Zero.
“And on your shoulder sat your parrot with a matching red beret.
“You had your own T.V. show, it was called <<Hello, President>>.
“It wasn’t about politics, you sometimes danced and made up raps.
“You helped make your country the kidnapping capital of the world and also increased milk production.”
Featuring Justin Timberlake imitating Elton John, SNL skit took place at a memorial for Hugo Chavez, who died on Tuesday at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer
Justin Timberlake also included Hugo Chavez statement that “Capitalism killed Mars” when the Socialist firebrand said that a society had taken root on the planet but capitalism had wiped out its water supply.
Justin Timberlake was also the show’s musical act. The episode featured an unusual amount of guests stars including Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd and Andy Samberg.
Hollywood actress Ashley Judd is reportedly poised to announce her candidacy for U.S. Senate in May.
Speculation has been rife for days that Ashley Judd is planning to challenge incumbent Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in her home state of Kentucky.
Ashley Judd has reportedly set a date to publicly confirm the move, telling her key advisers and political figures that she’ll announce the run for the Democratic nomination around the Kentucky Derby – an event in early May that brings national focus to Louisville.
According to the Huffington Post, Ashley Judd has attempted to quash the claims.
“I am not sure who is saying this stuff, but it is not I!” the actress and social activist told the news website.
“I’d prefer as a fan of your journalism that you stay accurate and credible. We told everyone who called us [Friday] these stories are fabrications.”
Ashley Judd is reportedly poised to announce her candidacy for U.S. Senate in May
But, according to the Huffington Post, Ashley Judd, 44, failed to directly respond to questions about whether or not she had decided to run or if she’d chosen when she would declare such plans.
“I know she knows she has to declare soon,” a highly placed elected official, who declined to be identified, told the website.
“She could always change her mind. I changed my mind twice before I finally declared. But as of now it is a done deal.”
According to the Huffington Post, sources have revealed Ashley Judd discussed her intentions with former Gov. Wendell H. Ford, 88, who is the dean of Kentucky Democrats.
President Barack Obama-supporter Ashley Judd has so far refused to speak publicly about her political aspirations, but all the signs are pointing towards a confirmation sooner rather than later.
Google Glasses are not even on the market yet but Seattle dive bar 5 Point Café has already banned them from its users ever stepping foot inside.
The 5 Point Café posted a sign for its patrons this week reading that “a** kickings will be encouraged for violators” of their new rule while mutually boasting of being the first establishment to ban them in the city.
Bar owner Dave Meinert says his decision is done half-jokingly for a reaction but half for privacy as well.
“Part of this is a joke, to be funny on Facebook, and get reaction,” Dave Meinert told KIRO-FM.
“But part of it’s serious, because we don’t let people film other people or take photos unwanted of people in the bar, because it is kind of a private place that people go.”
The $1,500 eyeglasses set for release in 2014 are capable of recording videos and pictures that can be instantly saved and shared online.
A system called InSight also makes them capable of identifying people by their clothes, jewelery and other accessories after taking a series of pictures recorded for future recognition.
Google Glasses are not even on the market yet but Seattle dive bar 5 Point Café has already banned them from its users ever stepping foot inside
Responding to the ban in a statement to CNET, Google says it’s to be expected that some won’t be as ready for their product as others.
“It is still very early days for Glass, and we expect that as with other new technologies, such as cell phones, behaviors and social norms will develop over time,” they said.
Perhaps in disagreement, on Saturday The 5 Point compared Google’s device to fanny packs, bags once popular in the late 80s.
“…don’t buy into Googles <<sexy>> imaging promotion of their new Google Glasses,” The 5 Point wrote.
“They are really just the new fashion accessory for the fanny pack & never removed Bluetooth headset wearing set.”
The post includes a picture of an ordinary, every-day man wearing the glasses above a picture of a heavy-set man wearing a Bluetooth device on his ear.
Above it they write: “What they really look like and who will use them below.”
While the ban has received just over 300 “likes” on their Facebook page, the majority of more than 100 comments appear to criticize the bar’s stance while noting its absent ban on cell phones equipped with cameras.
“It’s OK if you wear them,” said Dave Meinert of the device while acknowledging the so-called “tech Geeks” who visit his bar from Amazon nearby.
Justin Timberlake put on both his host and musician cap as he took the stage at Saturday Night Live for the fifth time on Saturday night.
Justin Timberlake, 31, is one of the youngest to do so, and played to that honor in his opening monologue.
But as much as he joked, the singer played into those expectations as well – starting the hashtag #JTonSNL on Twitter and Instagram earlier in the week and posting preview snaps from rehearsal days before.
Then he introduced the audience to a little known SNL clique called the Five-Timers Club, which awards its members with a gold card.
“In case you don’t know, this is the most exclusive club in New York,” Justin Timberlake assured, before providing the audience with a peek inside the club.
Justin Timberlake put on both his host and musician cap as he took the stage at Saturday Night Live for the fifth time on Saturday night
Justin Timberlake walks off stage to a secret room, where he is instantly given a smoking jacket with the number 5 emblazoned on the chest – and greeted to the tunes of Paul Simon.
The Simon and Garfunkel frontman then introduces Justin Timberlake to the other members – which included a pipe-smoking Steve Martin, a bartending Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin and Candace Bergen.
“Welcome to the club old boy,” 14-time host Steve Martin jeered.
“I always thought if an ‘Nsync member made the five timers club it would be Joey Fatone.”
Ireland Baldwin, the 17-year-old daughter of Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin, announced via Twitter this week that she has signed on to the prestigious IMG model and talent agency.
The 6ft 2in beauty excitedly broke the news to her followers, stating: “Officially working for @TwoManagement and @IMGmodels! I’m blessed, happy, and ready to WEEEEERK.”
Ireland Baldwin will be joining such model luminaries as Kate Moss and Christy Turlington at the prestigious IMG agency.
She certainly has a leg-up in the genes department with gorgeous Kim Basinger as her mother.
Kim Basinger, 59, was a Ford model before finding fame as a Bond girl in the Eighties film Never Say Never Again.
Ireland Baldwin first made headlines as a young girl when she found herself at the center of a nasty custody battle after Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger divorced in 2002.
Ireland Baldwin announced via Twitter this week that she has signed on to the prestigious IMG model and talent agency
According to new reports, Justin Bieber turned to Will Smith for support and advice amid the chaos surrounding his UK tour last week.
Will Smith – himself a former child star – became a mentor and “father figure” Justin Bieber as what should have been a triumphant tour was rocked by a string of public relations disasters.
The actor was in London chaperoning his own 14-year-old son Jaden Smith – one of three support acts on Justin Bieber’s sell-out Believe tour.
And according to one member of Justin Bieber entourage, Will Smith, 44, was on hand around the clock to offer advice and guidance to the 19-year-old in the absence of his own parents.
Justin Bieber’s visit to the UK has been mired in controversy. The Canadian turned up two hours late for his show on Monday; was hospitalized with chest pains on Thursday; and was involved in an ugly altercation with a photographer on Friday.
As his mother Pattie Mallette now prepares to fly in to support her son, The Mail on Sunday revealed the behind-the-scenes power struggle that emerged as Justin Bieber pulls away from his bubblegum “tween” image.
While Will Smith is a fatherly influence, it seems Justin Bieber is increasingly under the sway of new Hollywood companions, led by little-known rappers Lil Twist and Lil Za.
Angie Simpson, mother of 16-year-old Australian singer Cody Simpson, another of the support acts, said: “Will has been helping Justin out a lot, mentoring him and offering him guidance.
“He’s someone who is used to this level of scrutiny and it has helped having him around.
“Justin is an adult and has a very strong, loyal and professional team around him, but it is hard for anyone to come under such pressure.”
Justin Bieber turned to Will Smith for support and advice amid the chaos surrounding his UK tour last week
On Friday night, Justin Bieber was back on stage for the last of his four London tour dates at the O2 Arena, arriving on stage 20 minutes late and opening the 90-minute show performing Never Say Never, a duet with Jaden Smith.
After the show, Justin Bieber returned to his Mayfair hotel at 1.30 a.m. surrounded by an entourage and was whisked straight up to his $15,000-a-night penthouse suite.
Minutes later Justin Bieber posted a series of Twitter messages which hinted at the strain of the past week.
He wrote: “Still a little short of breath tonight but was an incredible show. London fans go hard.”
In place of his parents, Justin Bieber has been accompanied in the UK by Scott “Scooter” Braun, the 31-year-old talent manager who discovered his protégé on YouTube and turned him into a global “tween” brand worth more than $100million.
But a lack of parental guidance, combined with the emerging pull of his worrying new circle of friends in the wake of his split from girlfriend Selena Gomez in November, is now raising serious questions about Justin Bieber’s increasingly erratic behavior and state of mind.
Lil Twist – also known as Christopher Lynn Moore, a 20-year-old from Chicago – and Lil Za – real name Xavier Smith, also 20 – are regulars on the LA party scene and are thought to be exerting an increasing influence on Justin Bieber.
In January both were believed to be present when Justin Bieber, whose hits include Baby and One Less Lonely Girl, was photographed with a cannabis joint in a party at a California hotel room.
The incident came a day after Lil Twist was pulled over by police as he drove Justin Bieber’s Ferrari and a photographer was killed as he ran across the road to take a picture.
As well as the new friends, many believe it was the end of Justin Bieber’s two-year romance with Selena Gomez, 21, who dumped him last November, that led to him embracing a more chaotic lifestyle.
A friend of Selena Gomez’s said: “Selena was a calming influence on Justin. She is two years older than him and he listened to and respected her.
“Everyone is hoping this recent behavior is just growing pains and not the start of a more serious problem. Only time will tell.”
Kelly Osbourne could possibly be suffering from epilepsy, it has been reported.
According to sources who told TMZ, Kelly Osbourne’s seizure, which caused her to collapse on the set of her show on Thursday, may be related to the brain condition.
Kelly Osbourne, 28, is reportedly staying in hospital for a few more days as doctors run tests to determine her medical state.
Medical practitioners at the hospital are thought to believe that Kelly Osbourne may be epileptic.
The source, who is said to be close to Kelly Osbourne, told the website that doctors believe her seizure may have been an “isolated incident” and are now attempting to figure out how to prevent another episode from happening.
For the meantime, Kelly Osbourne is said to be on anti-seizure medication until her diagnosis is confirmed.
Kelly Osbourne confirmed that she collapsed on the set of Fashion Police on Thursday.
The reality star’s publicist had earlier tried to play down the incident after dramatic images emerged of her being carried off set to an ambulance.
Kelly Osbourne collapsed while filming her show Fashion Police, and was taken to a Los Angeles based hospital
But straight-talking Kelly Osbourne 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, 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 previously expected to stay just 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.
The Falkland Islands voters are going to the polls on Sunday and Monday in a referendum on whether to remain a British Overseas Territory.
Argentina has constantly reiterated its claims to sovereignty over the islands.
This is the case more than 30 years after Argentina invaded the Falklands and its troops were ousted by a British Task Force in a 74-day conflict.
Relations between Buenos Aires and the Falkland Islands are at one of their lowest ebbs since the war.
The islanders decided to hold the referendum in response to Argentine statements about the islands and economic measures taken against the Falklands.
Argentina has continued to insist on its sovereignty over the South Atlantic islands, and the government of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has said the inhabitants’ wishes do not count.
Falkland Islanders will have their voices heard in the referendum, with 1,672 people eligible to vote out of the islands’ total population of about 2,900.
While the result is in little doubt, there are worries that the bad weather could hamper the return of ballot boxes from some remoter places.
The hope was that Argentina and other nations would listen to the islanders’ wishes for the future – but few on the islands believed that this Argentine government was in any mood to listen.
The Falkland Islands voters are going to the polls on Sunday and Monday in a referendum on whether to remain a British Overseas Territory
International observers will oversee the vote.
There are mobile polling stations, some of which will have to be flown out to and from the outer islands, hence the voting being held over two days.
Those who cannot vote include those aged under 18 and people who are not Falkland islanders.
Some Argentines living on the islands have “Falklands status” which makes them eligible to vote.
A “yes” vote would back the status of the islands remaining as it is.
Argentina has long laid claim to the islands, which it calls Las Malvinas.
Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982, entering the capital Port Stanley early in the morning.
The garrison of Royal Marines was overwhelmed and other British South Atlantic territories including South Georgia were also seized.
In two months of fighting 255 British and about 650 Argentine servicemen were killed, along with three Falklands civilians, before Argentina surrendered.
The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra is expected to publish details of its history during the Nazi era in response to accusations of a cover-up.
The orchestra has come under fire for not acknowledging alleged links to the Nazis.
The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra says it will also give more details about a ring of honor it presented to Baldur von Schirach, a Nazi governor of Vienna.
Baldur von Schirach oversaw the deportation of tens of thousands of Jews.
The ring, originally presented in 1942, was lost by Baldur von Schirach but it is claimed that a replacement was given to him in the 1960s after his release from Spandau prison for crimes against humanity.
Correspondents say Austria took several decades after World War II to acknowledge and express regret for its role in Hitler’s Third Reich and in the Holocaust.
On Tuesday the country is due to mark the 75th anniversary of its annexation by Nazi Germany. The Anschluss (union) was complete when German forces invaded Austria unopposed on 12 March 1938.
Three historians, led by Oliver Rathkolb, have been commissioned by the Vienna Philharmonic to produce articles on the orchestra’s history in the Nazi era that will be published on its website.
They are expected to reveal details of 13 musicians said to have been driven out of the orchestra because of their Jewish origins or their stance on Germany’s annexation of Austria.
Five of the musicians died in concentration camps.
The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra is expected to publish details of its history during the Nazi era in response to accusations of a cover-up
Some members of the Philharmonic at the time have in the past been identified as Nazis.
The orchestra says it is not obliged to give public access to its archives as it is a private organization, although it does allow access to some historians and scholars.
Orchestra Chairman Clemens Hellberg has been accused of failing to include details of the Philharmonic’s Nazi links in his 1992 book Democracy of Kings, which is widely regarded as the orchestra’s official history.
He has since said he did not have access to all the relevant documents when he wrote the book.
According to a summary of Oliver Rathkolb’s report handed to the New York Times last month, the revelation that a replacement ring was given to Baldur von Schirach after his release from prison came to light only recently. Baldur von Schirach’s son Richard wrote about it in a book in 2004 but refused to name the man who gave it to his father.
Oliver Rathkolb found out the man’s identity elsewhere.
The Vienna Philharmonic is well known for its annual New Year’s Concert, a Strauss waltz extravaganza.
However, historians say the concert originated as a propaganda instrument under Nazi rule in 1939.
Venezuela’s presidential election to replace late leader Hugo Chavez will be held on April 14, the country’s electoral commission has said.
The announcement follows the appointment of Hugo Chavez’s favored successor, Nicolas Maduro, as acting president.
Hugo Chavez died on March 5 after a long battle with cancer.
Nicolas Maduro will run as the governing party candidate with Henrique Capriles expected to stand for the opposition.
Hugo Chavez – who led Venezuela for 14 years – won last October’s election against Henrique Capriles, polling 54% of the vote to Capriles’s 44%.
As Hugo Chavez’s health worsened, he announced that his vice-president, Nicolas Maduro, should succeed him.
Nicolas Maduro, 50, has pledged to carry on the former president’s leftist policies and opinion polls have shown him as the favorite to win the next election.
The head of the electoral commission, Tibisay Lucena, said the candidates would have to register for the race by Monday.
Shortly after his announcement, the head of the opposition coalition officially proposed Henrique Capriles, 40, as their presidential candidate.
Nicolas Maduro will run as the governing party candidate with Henrique Capriles expected to stand for the opposition
Henrique Capriles tweeted that he was grateful to be chosen, adding that he was analyzing the statement from the electoral commission.
“In the following hours I will give my decision,” he said.
Henrique Capriles – a lawyer by training – is governor of the state of Miranda.
He describes his policies as “centrist” and “humanist” and says his political inspiration is former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who courted businesses and investors while also developing social programmes.
Despite the outpouring of grief and affection for Hugo Chavez, whose lavish state funeral was held on Friday, the opposition believe they have a chance of winning the election.
Millions of Venezuelans have filed past his coffin as it continues to lie in state in a military museum in Caracas.
Nicolas Maduro has announced that the former leader’s body will be embalmed “like Lenin and Mao Zedong”.
The opposition boycotted Nicolas Maduro’s swearing-in on Friday, saying that it was unconstitutional.
It argued that – under the constitution – the speaker of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, should be the one to take over as acting president.
Henrique Capriles called the move fraudulent.
The opposition further argues that, according to the constitution, the election should be held within 30 days of Hugo Chavez’s death. The date picked falls outside that period.
Meanwhile, Acting President Nicolas Maduro held one of his first diplomatic appointments on Saturday when he had a private meeting with the Chinese delegation that attended Friday’s state funeral.
He told the Chinese representatives that Beijing “can count with the Bolivarian government, with the people of Venezuela to deepen the strategic alliance that our two countries have”.
Nicolas Maduro and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega later visited the military academy where Hugo Chavez is lying in state.
Melanoma cells manage to stay alive during treatment with BRAF/MEK inhibitors by shifting how they produce energy, researchers have discovered.
Identifying the mechanism behind melanoma resistance to treatment suggests possible strategy for improvement.
A multi-institutional study has revealed that BRAF-positive metastatic malignant melanomas develop resistance to treatment with drugs targeting the BRAF/MEK growth pathway through a major change in metabolism. The findings, which will be published in Cancer Cell and have been released online, suggest a strategy to improve the effectiveness of currently available targeted therapies.
“We were surprised to find that melanoma cells treated with the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib dramatically change the way they produce energy to stay alive,” says David E. Fisher, MD, PhD, chief of Dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and a co-corresponding author of the Cancer Cell paper.
“While current BRAF inhibitor treatment is a major improvement – shrinking tumors in most patients and extending survival for several months – patients eventually relapse. So there is an ongoing need to improve both the magnitude and durability of these responses.”
In about half the cases of malignant melanoma – the most deadly form of skin cancer – tumor growth is driven by mutations in the BRAF gene. Research by investigators at the MGH Cancer Center and elsewhere has shown that treatment with drugs that block BRAF activity temporarily halts tumor growth. Combining a BRAF inhibitor with a drug that targets MEK, another protein in the same growth pathway, strengthens and extends the antitumor response. The current study was designed to investigate how BRAF inhibition changes metabolic activity within melanoma cells and to find other possible treatment targets.
Melanoma cells survive by switching to oxidative phosphorylation to supply the energy they need.
The most common way that cells convert glucose into energy is called oxidative phosphorylation and largely relies on the activity of the cellular structures called mitochondria. Many cancer cells use an alternative mechanism that produces the energy compound ATP without involving mitochondria. A series of experiments by the MGH team revealed that the elevated BRAF activity in BRAF-positive melanoma cells suppresses oxidative phosphorylation by reducing expression of a transcription factor called MITF. Suppressing production of MITF reduced levels of a protein called PGC1α that regulates the generation and function of mitochondria. But melanoma cells treated with a BRAF inhibitor showed elevated MITF activity, along with increased expression of oxidative phosphorylation genes and greater numbers of mitochondria. By switching to oxidative phosphorylation to supply the energy they need, the tumor cells increased their ability to survive in spite of BRAF inhibitor treatment.
“These findings suggest that combination treatment with mitochondrial inhibitors could improve the efficacy of BRAF inhibitors in malignant melanoma,” says Fisher, the Wigglesworth Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School.
“Several small molecules that target mitochondrial metabolism have been identified by investigators here at the MGH and elsewhere, and laboratory investigations of specific combinations of BRAF inhibitors with mitochondrial antagonists are currently underway.”
Melanoma is one of the most aggressive cancers. Only one patient in ten survives after 5 years from diagnosis. It is less common than other skin cancers, but it is much more dangerous if it is not found early. It causes the 75% of deaths related to skin cancer. Treatment consists of surgical excision which is completed by radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy.
Rival football fans in Egypt have protested over sentences handed down over riots at a match in Port Said in February 2012.
The court upheld 21 death sentences and handed down prison terms to other defendants over the violence, which claimed 74 lives.
Most victims were supporters of a Cairo team, and fans there criticized the sentencing for not going far enough.
In Port Said, fans of the local team accused the court of unfairness.
Many people believe police in the city stood by during the rioting in revenge for the role of football supporters in the unrest which toppled Hosni Mubarak as president a year before. Police deny the accusation.
Ahead of Saturday’s sentencing, the army assumed policing in Port Said, which saw fresh unrest last week.
Police in at least 10 of Egypt’s 29 provinces have been holding an unprecedented strike in protest at being used by the government of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi to confront protesters.
Fans had surged through the streets to attend a rally at their stadium, and a police club and the Egyptian football federation building were set alight in the chaos.
Both buildings are close to the team’s stadium and a senior security official was quoted as saying by AFP news agency that some fans had stormed the club and torched it.
Confirming the capital punishment sentences, Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid specified “the death penalty by hanging”.
Fans had surged through the streets to attend a rally at their stadium, and a police club and the Egyptian football federation building were set alight in the chaos
In addition:
Port Said governorate security chief Essam Eddin Samak and nine other defendants were each sentenced to 15 years in jail
Six received 10-year jail terms and two were sent to prison for five years
A single defendant got a 12-month jail term and 28 of the accused, including seven policemen, walked free
The court’s verdicts, broadcast live on TV, were initially cheered by fans of Cairo’s al-Ahly team, who are known as the Ultras.
“First we were happy when we heard the 21 death sentences,” one fan told AFP news agency.
“We were cheering and didn’t hear the rest of the verdict. Then we were very angry.”
Two demonstrators died on Saturday in Cairo in clashes with police, said the head of the city’s ambulance service. One was killed following inhalation of tear gas and the second by birdshot.
The clashes, near Tahrir Square, were originally thought to be connected to the football riot trial, but it later transpired to be unrelated. Unrest in the area flared up last week when police tried to open Tahrir Square to traffic.
In Port Said, fans of local team al-Masri were already angry that all of those sentenced to death were supporters of the team.
Two senior police officers were jailed but seven other security officials were acquitted, fuelling local resentment.
Some demonstrators tried to block the Suez Canal by untying speedboats and setting them adrift while others sought to interrupt car ferry traffic.
Military police recovered five of the speedboats and brought them back to shore, but two were still drifting, one witness told Reuters news agency.
However, the canal was protected by troops backed by tanks, and military helicopters hovered above the crowd.
Before Saturday, the canal, a global shipping route, was considered off-limits by protesters, correspondents say.
At least seven people – civilians and security officials – died earlier this week in unrest in the city.
The original death sentences imposed on the 21 defendants in January sparked a local revolt.
