Thursday night’s American Idol show saw a statuesque blonde woman who turned out to be a man in drag coming for audition.
And not just any man – Pepper was unveiled as former American Idol judge Steven Tyler.
The Aerosmith singer turned up at the end of Thursday night’s episode pretending to be a hopeful.
Viewers thought the hour-long show had ended.
But host Ryan Seacrest said: “Wait, we still have one more audition for you.”
Pepper was seen walking into the judges’ room.
And Keith Urban seemed to be the first to click that all was not what it seemed as he laughed and clapped.
“What the, what?” said Randy Jackson as he looked up.
Steven Tyler dressed as a woman for a secret American Idol audition
Steven Tyler, 64, in a blonde wig, black tights and heels and showing off a large bust – said in a husky voice: “My name is Pepper. I’m going to sing a song called <<Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa, Our Love Going to Grow, Wah Wah>>.
“But before I do I’m going to judge you all [bleeps] first.
“I like you men. The roosters may crow but the hens deliver the goods, do you know what I’m saying?”
He then cracked up as Randy Jackson shouted: “Steven Tyler is in the house!”
“Do I go through to Hollywood or what?” Steven Tyler asked.
Ed Koch, the former New York City mayor, has died at the age of 88, US media report.
Democrat Ed Koch, who oversaw the city during some of its darkest years, had been in and out of hospital in recent months.
Ed Koch became mayor in 1978 when New York was graffiti-marred and crime-ridden, and was credited with saving the city from bankruptcy in the 1980s.
He served three terms and afterwards remained active and popular, practising law, writing, and hosting a chat show.
Ed Koch had been battling various health problems, including heart disease.
He was taken to hospital at the start of the week suffering from shortness of breath, and was moved to intensive care on Thursday for the closer monitoring of fluid in his lungs and legs, according to the Associated Press.
Ed Koch died at 02:00 a.m. at the New York-Presbyterian hospital, his spokesman George Arzt said.
His funeral will be held at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan on Monday.
Ed Koch, the former New York City mayor, has died at the age of 88
Ed Koch was mayor of New York City for three terms, from 1978 to 1989, and is remembered for frequently asking residents: “How’m I doing?”
His tough fiscal policies are credited with helping the city climb out of near-financial ruin and improving the subway service, but his critics say they also led to an increase in homelessness and racial tensions.
He was known for being outspoken and combative.
“I’m not the type to get ulcers,” he once quipped.
“I give them.”
Ed Koch was a US congressman from 1968 until he ran for city hall.
Even when he left office in 1990, there was no thought of retiring.
Ed Koch worked as a lawyer, made regular appearances on television and wrote a number of books.
At least one person has been killed in a blast outside the US embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, with reports that it was a suicide bomber.
Dozens of ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene after the explosion, in an area which is home to diplomatic missions.
According to Turkish broadcaster NTV, the explosion caused no damage inside the embassy itself.
There were no reports of any group saying it had carried out the attack.
The AP news agency quoted police as saying two people had been killed in a suicide attack and NTV said two security guards at the entrance had died.
A number of illegal groups ranging from Kurdish separatists to leftist and Islamist militants have launched attacks in recent years in Turkey, which is a member of NATO.
At least one person has been killed in a blast outside the US embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, with reports that it was a suicide bomber
Beyonce has admitted miming during her performance of the American national anthem at the inauguration of President Barack Obama last month.
Beyonce told reporters that she was a “perfectionist” and – due to lack of rehearsal time – “did not feel comfortable taking a risk”.
“I wanted to make him [Barack Obama] and my country proud, so I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track.”
“I’m very proud of my performance,” she said.
Beyonce opened the press conference in New Orleans by asking reporters to stand before performing a live rendition of the national anthem.
Millions of people tuned in to watch President Barack Obama sworn in for his second term in office on January 21, which included performances by James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce.
Her performance of the Star Spangled Banner at the inauguration was considered one of the highlights of the ceremony, but later reports suggested the singer had recorded her vocal.
“I am a perfectionist and one thing about me is that I practise until my feet bleed and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra,” Beyonce said on Thursday.
Beyonce has admitted miming during her performance of the American national anthem at the inauguration of President Barack Obama last month
She said her decision to mime the track was triggered by the weather, delays and “no proper soundcheck”, adding that pre-recording is “very common in the music industry”.
“It was a live television show and a very, very important emotional show for me and one of my proudest moments,” she said.
However, Beyonce insisted she would be singing live for her half-time Super Bowl performance on Sunday – one of the most-watched TV events in the United States.
“I will absolutely be singing live. This is what I was born to do, it is what I was born for.”
The National Football League also announced that singer Jennifer Hudson would be performing America the Beautiful with the chorus from Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children and six adults were killed in a mass shooting in December.
Last year’s Super Bowl half-time show, performed by Madonna, was watched by an average of 114 million viewers, while Janet Jackson’s notorious “wardrobe malfunction” – in 2004 – generated a record number of complaints for broadcaster CBS.
Tiny African nation of The Gambia has shortened the work week, making Friday a day of rest.
Is this the perfect pattern for a working week?
In The Gambia, public sector workers will now clock in at 8:00 a.m. and clock out at 6:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday. They’ll still do a 40-hour week but have the luxury of Friday off.
President Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh wants the extra rest day to “allow Gambians to devote more time to prayers, social activities and agriculture”.
In the dark days of the 19th Century, many workers in industrialized nations considered themselves lucky if they got Sunday off. The achievement of a 40-hour week with Saturday and Sunday off for many was a major landmark for the labor movement.
But some have tried to go further.
In 2008, about 17,000 government officials in the US state of Utah started working four 10-hour days in a bid to cut costs. The experiment didn’t last: the five-day week was reinstated in 2011.
Other US states have also toyed with the idea. Oregon and Texas legislators considered – but did not pass – four-day work week bills, while Georgia and Virginia have trialed it at a handful of agencies.
The four-day week is also popular in the Netherlands, where one in three men either works part-time or 40 hours in four days. In the UK, certain professions – journalists among them – have often worked a four-day week of longer shifts.
But despite the companies that offer compressed hours, flexible working arrangements or shift work, the nine-to-five, five-day week is still seen as the typical way to earn a living in much of the West.
But what is the ideal working week, and could the four-day week become more widespread?
Steven Shattuck, 28, is a community manager at Slingshot, a search engine optimization consultancy in Indianapolis, in the US, where everyone works 8:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m., Monday to Thursday. He thinks the four-day week is the way forward.
The four-day week is also popular in the Netherlands, where one in three men either works part-time or 40 hours in four days
“Everything happens so fast in our industry, we think it’s important to have Fridays to recharge. We call them research days. They give people a chance to stay up on things, maybe do some independent research or spend time with their families,” he says.
As a result, Steven Shattuck believes time in the office is more productive.
“On Monday mornings people aren’t so groggy – they hit the ground running. We have really tight deadlines, it’s very collaborative, we try to squeeze as much into our days as possible,” he says.
Clients don’t see it as a problem, so long as the company – which has 85 employees – delivers, and people are prepared to work in emergencies.
“The four-day week is a real selling point when it comes to recruitment. But we’re a young company, the median age is 27 or 28, so I guess it would depend on the company culture,” he adds.
There wasn’t such a collective approval in Utah, says Winston Inoway, public information officer at the state’s Department of Human Resource Management.
“Many employees loved it, but others had issues with childcare, and citizens raised questions over the availability of services on Friday. The projected savings were also higher than the actual savings,” he says.
Heating and electrical savings in year one, for example, were projected to be $3 million, but the actual saving was $502,000.
An audit also found it hard to find any evidence of increased productivity.
However, proponents of the shorter week cite the three-day week during the recession in 1974, saying production fell by much less than expected. And they say the benefits are not just down to economics.
There are also environmental and social reasons why work hours should not only be compressed, but substantially reduced, says Anna Coote, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation.
“If we worked less, there would be more jobs, and that would get people off benefits and reduce unemployment. It would also help people slow down – we are under pressure to live life at such a fast pace.
“We need to live more sustainably, stop buying ready meals because we haven’t got time to cook, reduce the carbon footprint by commuting less, and value unpaid things – like being active citizens, caring for people, being better parents,” she says.
Anna Coote advocates a 21- to 30-hour working week, which she says would also involve reassessing the minimum wage.
The idea might seem radical, but in 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes envisaged we’d be working a 15-hour week by the beginning of the 21st Century, believing that would be enough to suit our material needs.
Instead, “we still have a factory-based model and mindset for the way we work – the more hours we put in the better, which creates a hamster wheel frenzy,” says Ian Price, author of Activity Illusion.
“Add technology, and the way it has revolutionized the scale at which we communicate, and there can be a 24/7 working culture.”
It is a sentiment shared by Prof. Cary Cooper, an expert in organizational psychology and health at Lancaster University Management School.
“It’s crazy old-fashioned that people come in at 8am and leave at 7pm on busy commutes, given new technology means they can work from home. Going into the office seems to be part of our DNA, but longer hours are bad for health, and can cause stress,” he says.
However, Cary Cooper doesn’t think compressed or shortened hours is the answer.
“It’s about flexibility – flexible time, flexible place. People want it to happen, it’s just a case of convincing managers it’s good for them.”
Blaer Bjarkardottir, a 15-year-old Icelandic girl, has won the right to keep her first name, despite it being “unapproved” by the state.
Why do some countries restrict baby names?
Parents-to-be often find it hard enough to find a name they both like, let alone one the state might also be in favor of.
Bjork Eidsdottir had no idea when, in naming her newborn girl Blaer 15 years ago, she was breaking the law.
In the eyes of the authorities Blaer, which means “light breeze”, was a male name and therefore not approved. It meant that for her entire childhood, Blaer was known simply as Stulka (Girl) on official documents.
But Reykjavik District Court ruled on Thursday that it could indeed be a feminine name.
“Finally I’ll have the name Blaer in my passport,” she said after the ruling.
Several countries – such as Germany, Sweden, China and Japan – also restrict names. Why?
In the case of Iceland, it’s about meeting certain rules of grammar and gender, and saving the child from possible embarrassment. It must also be possible to write the name in Icelandic.
There is a list of 1,853 female names, and 1,712 male ones, and parents must pick from these lists or seek permission from a special committee.
Bjork Eidsdottir had no idea when, in naming her newborn girl Blaer 15 years ago, she was breaking the law
Similar concerns about child welfare are present in Germany, where a Turkish couple was not allowed to call their baby Osama Bin Laden.
One couple named their baby Berlin after the city in which they met, prompting the registrar to mount an objection. He eventually relented after the family’s lawyer pointed out that the courts had allowed the name London.
Gender confusion prevented a German boy being Matti, because the sex of the baby wouldn’t be obvious. And you won’t find any Germans named Merkel, Schroeder or Kohl, either, because surnames are banned as first names.
The name 4Real fell foul of authorities in New Zealand, because names cannot start with a number.
A judge there also made a young girl a ward of court so that she could change the name she hated – Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii.
When Japanese parents register their newborns, the local authorities can say no if they don’t think the name is appropriate. In 1993, the name Akuma, meaning “devil”, was not permitted.
And in China, people have been forced to change their names because they were deemed too obscure.
The UK and the US have much more liberal naming laws.
American parents can pretty much name their child anything, says Michael Sherrod, co-author of Bad Baby Names: The Worst True Names Parents Saddled Their Kids With.
In fact, he says, parents see it as an important expression of their freedom of speech, enshrined in the US Constitution.
“When I discovered the restrictions that other countries have, I was absolutely astounded.”
Strange names are nothing new, he says. Census records in the 18th and 19th Centuries revealed people named King’s Judgement, Noble Fall and Cholera Plague.
“In all, there have been 20 people named Noun, 458 named Comma, 18 called Period but only one called Semicolon.”
Getting on to more risqué territory, Ima and Wanna are also popular, especially with surnames like Mann, Hoare or Pigg, he says. More offensive names have also been allowed.
But why would parents do that to their children?
“A lot of parents say they want their kids to be unique. They think it’s fun and differentiates their child from everyone else, and gives them a personality,” says Michael Sherrod.
“Americans are also very proprietary about their children and take the attitude, <<We can do whatever with our children and if they don’t like it they can change it when they’re older>>.”
Children with unusual names tend to get a lot of abuse at school but then embrace it when they’re older, he says.
There is no question that some of the more offensive names could be considered as child abuse, but that doesn’t mean legislation is the answer, says Michael Sherrod.
“I’m not saying courts should not intervene, but I would prefer they do so only when parents cannot agree and the item gets taken to court.
“I think, for the most part, parents are pretty good at compromise. I would say, anecdotal evidence is that the number of cases considered abusive is so tiny as to not require much law, if any.”
But courts have stepped in on occasion.
When Thomas Boyd Ritchie III tried to change his first name to III, he was told by a court in California it would be “inherently confusing”.
A truck carrying fireworks has exploded on an elevated highway in Henan province, central China, killing at least five people and causing part of the road to collapse, state media report.
The blast, which destroyed an 80 m (262 ft) section of road, took place on the G30 expressway in Henan province.
China National Radio had put the number of dead at 26 but the report appeared to have been removed from websites.
Several vehicles were reported to have tumbled off the road.
Witnesses said some cars were thrown off by the force of the blast, the cause of which was not immediately clear.
Six vehicles were retrieved from the wreckage, Xinhua said, while search and rescue efforts were continuing at the site. Eight people had been injured, the agency said.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed rescuers digging through rubble. The channel said 10 trucks had been found under the bridge.
A truck carrying fireworks has exploded on an elevated highway in Henan province, central China, killing at least five people and causing part of the road to collapse
Images posted on microblogging sites showed wrecked trucks and debris, as well as a collapsed section of highway.
One photo showed a truck perched precariously at the broken edge of the carriageway.
Fireworks are traditionally set off in China to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is just over a week away. There are frequently reports of accidents as they are being made, stored or transported.
Official statistics show that in 2011, more than 60,000 people were killed on roads in China. The deaths are often blamed on inadequate training, poor quality vehicles or on drivers ignoring safety instructions.
Earlier this month, China halted plans to introduce tougher penalties for traffic offences, following a public outcry.
The rules imposed penalty points for motorists who drove through amber traffic lights, with a driving ban after two offences, as well as increasing penalties for speeding, drinking and driving and using a mobile phone while behind the wheel.
But there were widespread complaints that drivers stopping abruptly at lights were ultimately causing more accidents.
The government said it was reconsidering its traffic policies.
Salman Khan will be charged with culpable homicide for a hit-and-run incident 10 years ago, an Indian court has ruled.
If convicted of the charge, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan could face up to 10 years in prison.
In September 2002, Salman Khan allegedly drove his car into a bakery in Mumbai city running over five people who were sleeping on the pavement.
One man was killed in the incident. Salman Khan has denied that he was driving the car at the time.
Actor Salman Khan has starred in more than 80 Hindi films, including Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun.
“There is enough evidence to show that the act was not incidental and hence the case should be tried under a more serious section,” Magistrate Vasant Patil said in his order.
Salman Khan will be charged with culpable homicide for a hit-and-run incident 10 years ago, an Indian court has ruled
The ruling is a setback for the actor as the original charge of homicide was lowered to “death caused by negligence”, which carried a much lighter sentence.
Salman Khan would now have to appear in court on February 11, his lawyer Dipesh Mehta said. The actor would challenge the order in the high court, he added.
Correspondents say the hugely popular and successful actor has often been described as a “bad-boy” heart-throb and is alleged to have mistreated his former actress girlfriend, Aishwarya Rai.
In 2006, Salman Khan was sentenced to five years in prison for hunting a protected deer, but he was released on bail after spending less than a week in jail.
At least 25 people were killed by a blast in Mexico City at the headquarters of the state oil company, Pemex, the interior minister has said.
Another 100 people were injured and an unknown number are trapped in rubble at the base of the 54-storey tower. The search for survivors continues.
The cause of the blast is under investigation, Pemex says.
Last September, 30 people died in an explosion at a Pemex gas plant in northern Mexico.
Thursday’s explosion in the lower floors of the building happened as shifts were changing in the afternoon, making the area particularly crowded.
Television pictures showed debris from the blast spread out on to the street in front of the building, and Red Cross ambulances on the scene attending to the injured.
Hundreds of rescuers helped by dogs are searching the building for around 30 people thought to be trapped inside.
Police have cordoned off the streets around the building, which is located in a busy commercial area of Mexico City.
Pemex says its operations will continue to run normally – and commercial and financial obligations will continue to be met – despite the blast.
The company’s chief executive, Emilio Lozoya Austin, cut short a business trip to Asia and was on his way back to Mexico, a Pemex statement said.
At least 25 people were killed by a blast in Mexico City at the headquarters of the state oil company, Pemex
Relatives of employees have gathered outside the building in search of information about their loved ones, local media report. Some are said to have tried to reach employees on their mobile phones but have had no reply.
“The place shook, we lost power and suddenly there was debris everywhere. Colleagues were helping us out of the building,” eyewitness Cristian Obele said.
“We were talking and all of sudden we heard an explosion with white smoke and glass falling from the windows,” another witness said.
“People started running from the building covered in dust. A lot of pieces were flying.”
Images of the blast posted on Twitter revealed large clouds of smoke billowing from the building. TV footage showed people being transported from the scene by helicopters.
President Enrique Pena Nieto and Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera headed to the scene of the blast.
Enrique Pena Nieto said Pemex rescue and security teams were working alongside city authorities to help the injured.
“I am deeply sorry for the deaths of our fellow workers at Pemex. My condolences to their relatives,” President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Twitter.
“At the moment, the priority is to help the injured and protect the physical safety of those who work there.”
The president said he has ordered an investigation into the causes of the blast.
Earlier on Thursday, Pemex had reported problems with the electricity in the building in a message on Twitter.
It later confirmed that an explosion had taken place “in the B2 building of the administrative centre”.
Plaster had fallen from the ceiling of the basement and the situation was “delicate”, a spokesman for local emergency services was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.
Pemex has experienced a number of fatal accidents in recent years.
Last September’s deadly blast at a gas plant near the northern town of Reynosa is thought to have been caused by a build-up of gas.
Kim Kardashian finally gave fans a peek at her growing baby bump on Thursday posting a snap on her Instagram page from a photo shoot this week.
Her sister Khloe Kardashian can be seen lifting up the peplum ruffle on her little black dress to reveal her pregnant form while the pair chat on vintage phones.
Kim Kardashian, 32, captioned the picture: “Well hello there! #PoppedOuttaNowhere!”
As well as her business duties for the Kardashian Kollection, the reality TV star has been spotted at the gym twice in as many days.
And while Kim Kardashian is doing her best to stay fit and healthy during her pregnancy, she admitted to fans on Twitter that she was feeling tired and apprehensive about hitting the gym.
The reality star wrote this week: “Was so lazy but had to get that workout in! I’m so not a night workout person.”
Kim Kardashian finally gave fans a peek at her growing baby bump on Thursday
Kim Kardashian, whose baby is due in July, recently admitted she is terrified of piling on too much weight during her pregnancy.
She recently wrote on Twitter: “Can’t sleep & I’m googling double chin exercises! I’m petrified to get one.”
Kim Kardashian returned from a break in Paris this week and has since been promoting her new E! series Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.
Beyonce has opened up about her heartbreaking miscarriage for the first time in her upcoming HBO documentary, Life Is But a Dream.
Beyonce, 31, suffered the loss several years before the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter in January 2012.
“About two years ago, I was pregnant for the first time,” Beyonce says in a preview.
“And I heard the heartbeat, which was the most beautiful music I ever heard in my life.”
“I picked out names,” the singer recalls.
“I envisioned what my child would look like… I was feeling very maternal.”
Beyonce lost the child in the early stages of her pregnancy.
“I flew back to New York to get my check up – and no heartbeat,” she says.
“Literally the week before I went to the doctor, everything was fine, but there was no heartbeat.”
Beyonce, who married Jay-Z in April 2008, turned to music to help her get through her pain.
“I went into the studio and wrote the saddest song I’ve ever written in my life,” she says, but doesn’t name the track.
“And it was actually the first song I wrote for my album.
“And it was the best form of therapy for me, because it was the saddest thing I’ve ever been through.”
Jay-Z first referenced the loss in Glory, a track recorded within days of Blue Ivy’s birth in January 2012.
Beyonce has opened up about her heartbreaking miscarriage for the first time in her upcoming HBO documentary, Life Is But a Dream
Beyonce was thrilled when she discovered she was expecting Blue Ivy and found it hard to keep the news to herself to begin with.
“Being pregnant was very much like falling in love. You are so open. You are so overjoyed.
“There’s no words that can express having a baby growing inside of you, so of course you want to scream it out and tell everyone.”
After cautiously keeping her second pregnancy a secret, Beyonce finally revealed her bump at MTV Video Music Awards in August 2011.
Beyonce famously rubbed her tummy during a performance of Love On Top and it went on to become the most-tweeted months of the year.
The documentary attempts to show the other, more vulnerable and human side of Beyonce.
In a previous clip, she says: “People see celebrities and they have money and fame, but I’m a human being.”
“I cry, I get scared, I get nervous just like everyone else.”
Beyonce shares tender and very candid moments from her pregnancy with Blue Ivy, showing her bare pregnant belly and even a sonogram of her unborn daughter.
Of course, Beyonce is now gearing up to perform at the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday.
Beyonce – who was criticized earlier this month for allegedly miming the American national anthem at President Barack Obama’s inauguration – is said to have been preparing to perform live since the end of October.
She is now feeling the pressure to wow the audience despite believing she did nothing wrong during her performance in Washington DC.
A source close to Beyonce said she was very disappointed and felt “a technicality which everybody does took away from the beauty of the moment”.
“She didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. Pavarotti has done it! It was freezing out, and if she messed up just one note, that would have been the story.
“Everybody uses these tracks, and the music director advised it. Any big outdoor live performance is almost always with some kind of track.
David Beckham has revealed he will be donating the entire salary from his new contract with Paris St Germain (PSG) to a children’s charity in Paris.
In what is believed to be a world first, David Beckham, 37, will be donating around $5 million to the cause – if reports of his $250,000-a-week salary are correct.
Confirming his new role at a press conference in Paris on Thursday, David Beckham explained the philanthropic move, saying: “For me it’s always been about playing football, I considered other offers on the table. But one of the reasons I wanted to come to Paris was quite unique.
“We’ve decided my salary will go towards a local children’s charity in Paris and that’s one of the things we’re very excited and proud to be able to do. I’m not sure it’s been done before but it’s something I’m very passionate about.”
While not confirming the exact sum that would be donated, David Beckham did say: “I’m pleased that we can give a huge sum to a children’s charity in Paris – it’s very special.”
David Beckham also revealed that his wife Victoria and their four children will not be moving to France to accompany him during his five-month contract with the team, because the kids are enrolled in schools in London.
He said: “I am excited it’s something that we’ve been talking about for quite a while and now it’s finally happened. My wife and children will be staying in London because the children go to school there now.”
David Beckham also revealed that he will be needing to brush up on his French before his contract with the team begins.
He laughed: “My French? I haven’t spoken French for quite a few years, since I was at school, so I’ll definitely have to brush up on it.”
Asked by a reporter to demonstrate his grasp of the language with a French phrase, David Beckham kept it simple by just saying: “Bonjour!”
David Beckham has revealed he will be donating the entire salary from his new contract with PSG to a children’s charity in Paris
David Beckham added of the move: “I’m very lucky. I’m 37 years old and I got a lot of offers. I’ve had more offers now than I’ve had in my career at my age so I’m very honored by that.
“I chose Paris because I can see what the club are trying to do – I can see the players they’re trying to bring up and the kind of club they will be in 15-20 years time.
“I’m not saying I’m going to be playing in 15-20 years but to be part of something like this is very exciting. I’m very excited and honored to be here.”
Asked why he signed for PSG and not another British team, David Beckham, who has played for teams including Manchester United, said: “I’ve always said I would never want to play for another English club. Manchester United is the team I support and it’s the team I always have supported.
“I’ve always said I don’t want to play for a team unless it’s Manchester United. I’ve had 13 or 14 championship trophies throughout my career, and I’ve played with some of the biggest and best clubs in the world.
“I’m 37 and I’m still fit, I can run around and play like I did when I was 21. I haven’t lost pace because I never really had a lot of pace.”
David Beckham was also asked why he had decided on a five-month contract instead of something more long-term.
He said: “I don’t see that it’s a short term project it might be a short term project for me playing but there’s a lot happening in this club with these owners. Whatever club I’ve gone to and whatever team I’ve played for, I’ve worked hard.
“I don’t expect to come into this team and play every game – I need to work hard. I don’t automatically expect a place in the starting eleven. I might have only signed a contract until the end of the season but I consider myself to be part of helping this club to grow, help the French league to grow and become one of the biggest powerhouses in football.”
David Beckham also revealed that another reason he signed with PSG was because he wanted to take on a new challenge.
He said: “Obviously I’ve played in Europe for a number of years and every time I’ve come up against a French team it’s been the most difficult games. At Real Madrid, the games we played in Lyon and Marseille were some of the toughest.
“The French league is full of talented players and teams. There’s a lot of talent here and it’s a difficult league. I’ve always loved a challenge whatever the league, whatever the club and whatever the culture.”
David Beckham also said he is hoping that the contract with PSG won’t be his last.
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino will face the cameras on Super Bowl Sunday despite revelations today that he fathered a secret love child with CBS employee Donna Savettere and paid her millions of dollars to keep it quiet.
CBS confirmed that Dan Marino will take part in the pre-game coverage this Sunday as planned – placing him in front of millions of viewers just days after the affair was exposed.
“Dan has said all there is to say on this matter, and will be in his usual role on our broadcast Super Bowl Sunday,” CBS said in a statement on Thursday.
Dan Marino, who has long been regarded as a family man, cheated on his wife of 28 years, Claire, with Donna Savattere, a production assistant at CBS Sports.
Their daughter Chloe was born in June 2005, and is now being raised by Donna Savattere and her husband, whom she met after her relationship with Marino, the New York Post first reported.
Dan Marino, 51, admitted to the affair, saying in a statement: “This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions now as I did then.
“We mutually agreed to keep our arrangement private to protect all parties involved.”
Dan Marino insisted that he and his wife – who celebrated their 28 year wedding anniversary on Wednesday – are still together and ‘continue to be a strong and loving family’.
He also has six children with his wife Claire: Daniel, 26, Michael, 24, Joseph, 23, Ali, 20, Lia, 17, and Niki, 16. The couple adopted Lia and Niki from China.
One of their sons, Michael, was diagnosed with autism when he was two, and the family has been striving to bring public awareness of autism since establishing the Dan Marino Foundation in 1992.
Dan Marino with three of his six children
Dan Marino is set to appear on CBS this weekend as part of its coverage of Sunday’s Super Bowl, where the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Baltimore Ravens.
The network’s live pregame coverage kicks off at 2 p.m. from Jackson Square. In the broadcast, CBS will air an interview Marino conducted with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Dan Marino is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in American football league history, holding or having held almost every major NFL passing record.
Although he was never part of a Super Bowl-winning team, he is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in American football.
Dan Marino was best known for his quick release and powerful arm and leading the Dolphins to the playoffs ten times in his seventeen-season career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
Jessica Sanchez, young reporter sent to New Orleans to cover the build-up to Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl, shocked viewers of Orlando’s Local 6 News when she asked a woman how long she had been suffering from a sexual transmitted disease during a live television interview.
Usually Jessica Sanchez is traffic anchor for the station, but this week she is in New Orleans reporting on the buildup to Sunday’s big game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.
However, after her snarky segment broadcast live at 6:15 the other morning, she may be back doing the traffic report sooner than she had hoped.
In the video footage posted below, Jessica Sanchez is talking to camera when a loud and drunk reveler stumbles into shot and starts to talk rather incoherently. “California… 49-ers,” she manages to say.
Looking and sounding distinctly unimpressed by the interruption, Jessica Sanchez then asks the woman if she would like to be interviewed.
“We were just talking about the STD rate that’s going on here,” says Jessica Sanchez, completely out of the blue.
“So how long have you had an STD?”
Jessica Sanchez asks drunk woman how long she had been suffering from STD on live TV
The loud drunk woman suddenly sobers up very quickly as she processes what she has been asked.
“I don’t have an STD,” she responds.
“Ohhh, then why did you want to talk?” Jessica Sanchez says, sounding rude and unprofessional rather than cool and sassy as she perhaps intended.
“I don’t have an STD; that is so disrespectful,” the videobomber answers before she makes one final shout out to the 49-ers before stumbling back to the party.
Since the impromptu interview is taking place on Bourbon Street in the early hours of the morning when only the most hardcore of partygoers are likely to be still standing it isn’t too surprising that a drunken person should want to get in front of the camera.
What is most shocking about the clip is how unpleasant and nasty Jessica Sanchez comes across as she breaks one of the golden rules of television – making it abundantly clear that you don’t want to be covering what it is that you are reporting on.
Traffic anchor Jessica Sanchez began her TV career co-hosting a Saturday morning kid’s show in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1993. Since graduating from the University of Utah in 2000 she has worked for KPVI Newschannel 6 in Idaho and has been in Orlando since 2004.
US personal incomes were boosted by 2.6% in December, the biggest monthly increase since 2004, as high earners sought to beat a New Year tax rise.
December 2012 was marked by accelerated bonus and dividend payments, the US Commerce Department said.
Income tax cuts dating back to George W. Bush’s presidency were due to expire in the New Year as part of the “fiscal cliff” of tax rises and spending cuts.
Despite the boost to incomes, consumer spending rose only 0.2% in the month.
“Personal income in November and December was boosted by accelerated and special dividend payments to persons and by accelerated bonus payments and other irregular pay in private wages and salaries in anticipation of changes in individual income tax rates,” the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said.
In the event, the tax rises went ahead only for individuals earning more than $400,000, as part of a last-minute deal negotiated between Republicans and Democrats in Congress to avert the fiscal cliff, with the top tax rate rising from 35% to just under 40%.
Capital gains tax also rose on January 1, 2013.
US personal incomes were boosted by 2.6 percent in December 2012, the biggest monthly increase since 2004, as high earners sought to beat a New Year tax rise
The 2.6% increase in incomes in December came on top of an unusually high 1% rise the month before.
Other factors also exaggerated the income increases in the two months, including lump-sum benefit payments handed out in December, and the loss of income for many in the New York area during October because of disruption from Storm Sandy.
Excluding all of these special factors, incomes rose 0.6% in November and just 0.4% in December – in line with the trend increase during the rest of the year.
Most of the windfall income was not spent, with the US personal savings rate increasing from 4.1% of income in November to 6.5% in December.
Indeed, the seasonally-adjusted growth in spending slowed noticeably in the run-up to Christmas, from 0.6% in November to 0.2% in December.
“Consumers finally realized about the tax increase so they pulled back a bit on their spending during the holiday season,” said Sam Bullard, senior economist at Wells Fargo.
Consumer spending is expected to remain weak in the New Year, owing to the impact of a rise in payroll taxes, also agreed as part of the fiscal cliff deal.
Personal incomes are also likely to experience a drag in January and over the coming months, reflecting the fact that most of the increase recorded in December was merely income that had been brought forwards.
Syria has formally complained to the United Nations over a reported Israeli attack within its borders.
Syria’s army said Israeli jets had targeted a military research centre north-west of Damascus on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding five.
It denied reports that trucks carrying weapons bound for Lebanon were hit.
Russia has called the attack unacceptable, while a Syrian official and Iranian deputy minister have suggested there could be retaliation.
The Syrian army statement about the incident, carried on state media, said Israeli fighter jets had carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in Jamraya.
Meanwhile Lebanese security sources, Western diplomats and Syrian rebels say an arms convoy near Lebanon’s border was targeted. A US official attested to the strike, saying the lorries were carrying Russian-made SA-17 anti-aircraft missiles.
Israel has declined to comment.
The latest developments have struck a country in turmoil. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues to cling to power despite a 22-month conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people.
Syria’s foreign ministry summoned the UN commander in the Golan to deliver its formal protest, saying Israel’s action violated the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides, who remain technically at war.
A UN observer force has been in place in the Golan since 1974, with the task of providing “an area of separation and for two equal zones of limited forces and armaments on both sides of the area”.
An Israeli air strike on Syria could cause a major diplomatic incident, analysts say, as Iran has said it will treat any Israeli attack on its ally Syria as an attack on itself.
Iran’s foreign minister condemned the alleged air strike as an “overt assault based on the West’s policy” to undermine stability in Syria.
“The Zionists got ahead of themselves in trying to cover up the successes of the Syrian government and nation in maintaining the existing government and restoring stability and security,” Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency.
Iran’s Fars news agency quoted the Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying the raid would have “grave consequences for [the major Israeli city of] Tel Aviv”.
Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali said Damascus could take a “surprise” decision to retaliate.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said: “If this information is confirmed, then we are dealing with unprovoked attacks on targets on the territory of a sovereign country, which blatantly violates the UN Charter and is unacceptable, no matter the motives to justify it.”
Syria has formally complained to the United Nations over a reported Israeli attack within its borders
Relations between Russia and Israel have been improving in recent years as trade and economic ties have grown stronger.
But Moscow is a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, which would explain its concern at the reports.
The Syrian army statement said the Jamraya centre – which was focused on “raising our level of resistance and self-defence” – was damaged in the attack, and specifically denied reports that an arms convoy had been hit.
It said “armed terrorist gangs” – a term the government uses to describe rebel groups – had tried and failed repeatedly to capture the same facility in recent months.
Some reports suggest the facility could be Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Centre, known by its French acronym CERS, believed to be the state organization responsible for developing biological and chemical weapons.
The Lebanese military and internal security forces have not confirmed the reports of an attack on an arms convoy.
But they say there has been increased activity by Israeli warplanes over Lebanon in the past week, and particularly on Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Israel has voiced fears that Syrian missiles and chemical weapons could fall into the hands of militants such as the Lebanese Shia militant group, Hezbollah.
Correspondents say Israel is also concerned that Hezbollah could obtain anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, thus strengthening its ability to respond to Israeli air strikes.
Israel believes Syria received a battery of SA-17s from Russia after an alleged Israeli air strike in 2007 that destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor near Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, analysts say.
The US government said in 2008 that the reactor was “not intended for peaceful purposes”.
Hezbollah said Wednesday’s target was the Jamraya centre, condemning the attack as “an attempt to thwart Arab military capabilities” and pledging to stand by its ally Bashar al-Assad.
The reported attack came days after Israel moved its Iron Dome defence system to the north of the country.
Israel has also joined the US in expressing concern that Syria’s presumed chemical weapons stockpile could be taken over by militant groups.
When Donna Savattere first spotted Nahil Younis across the room at a New Year’s Eve party in the Bahamas, she was instantly smitten by his tall good looks and sense of personal style.
When she walked up to introduce herself and Nahill Younis told her that he also lived in Manhattan, she demanded to see his driver’s license as proof. Nahill obliged, happy to prove to this forthright stranger that he was in fact, her New York City neighbor, and from that moment on, the two were inseparable.
Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić was the subject of an X-rated TV prank which left him feeling a little overexposed after he was flashed by a glamorous presenter during an interview.
Serbia’s Socialist party leader Ivica Dačić was midway through a discussion about Balkan politics when the young woman, wearing a particularly short mini dress, uncrossed her legs to reveal she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
The YouTube video, a clear copy of the famous scene starring Sharon Stone in the 1992 film Basic Instinct, has already had more than 1.2 million hits.
In scenes that are about as far away as you can get from the sort of political debate Jeremy Paxman delivers on Newsnight, the shocked politician stumbles over his words while having a quick look.
Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić was midway through a discussion about Balkan politics when the young woman, wearing a particularly short mini dress, uncrossed her legs to reveal she wasn’t wearing any underwear
The stunt was a set up by a candid camera show called Nemoguca Misija – which translates as “Mission Impossible”.
It begins with producers discussing the best way to embarrass Ivica Dačić before he arrives for the interview.
As he walks into the building, the presenter is seen removing her underwear, off camera in another room.
She greets the Prime Minister with kisses on each cheek before sitting down opposite with her legs crossed.
After asking Ivica Dačić some political questions, the presenter appears to be listening intently before casually uncrossing her legs.
Fortunately the camera covers her modesty with a “censored” sign, but the look of shock on Prime Minister Ivica Dačić’s face shows he has clearly noticed the wardrobe indiscretion.
He stumbles across his words but appears to keep his cool remarkably well.
Speaking during Piers Morgan Tonight, which aired on Wednesday, Joe Jackson has admitted to physically disciplining son Michael and the rest of his family, claiming that he doesn’t regret “being tough”.
Joe Jackson, 84, also claimed that he doesn’t believe that there’s any such thing as beating a child but that they “will remember” being punished.
Although many of his children have spoken out about what they claim to have been an emotionally and physically abusive upbringing, Joe Jackson believes that he did right by his children.
“I’m glad I was tough, because look what I came out with. I came out with some kids that everybody loved all over the world. And they treated everybody right,” he said.
“There’s no such thing as beating a kid. You whip them or punish them over something they did and they will remember that,” Joe Jackson said when questioned by the British host.
“I had to be like that way because during those times, it was hard, and you have a lot of gangs there, you know, in the area where we were living,” he added.
Discussing his late son, Michael Jackson, who had spoken about his strict upbringing, he said: “You know, Michael, he was a nice guy. … The world [doesn’t] know anything too much about Michael as far as how he was brought up. But he was brought up. I made sure that he respected the older people.”
Speaking during Piers Morgan Tonight, Joe Jackson has admitted to physically disciplining son Michael and the rest of his family
Addressing Janet Jackson’s claims that she wasn’t allowed to call Joe “Dad” at any point during her childhood, he said: “You had all those kids running hollering around. They’re hollering, <<Dad, Dad, Dad>>, you know, and it gets to be – it sounds kind of funny to me.
“I didn’t care too much about what they called me, just as long as they [were] able to listen to me and what I had to tell them, you know, in order to make their lives successful. This was the main thing.”
As the interview turned in the direction of his megastar son’s death, Joe Jackson admitted that it was a fan who alerted him to the news: “I was in Las Vegas. I got a call … from a fan. And he says, <<Mr. Jackson>>, he says <<Something is wrong>>. He said, <<I see an ambulance there at Michael’s place and the ambulance took off. And the fire department is following the ambulance. Something is wrong>>.”
“The saddest part about the whole thing was Michael tried to reach me,” said his father.
Joe Jackson seemed resentful about the fact that he felt pushed out of his son’s life towards the end: “They treated him like Howard Hughes, you know? They couldn’t – the family couldn’t get to him, you know, like they should have.”
Discussing Michael’s 2005 trial on child sex abuse charges, Joe Jackson described Michael as “a big old kid himself”, adding: “Well, you know that there was a reason why that happened. They were trying to take control over Michael’s life. Michael has paid out a lot of money, you know, what is it? Something like $22 million, you know, to keep this thing hushed down.”
Fifteen teams from around the world competed in the 23rd edition of Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships, and Team Mongolia won both the Artist’s and People’s Choice Awards.
This annual event, held in Breckenridge, Colorado, takes place this year from January 22nd to February 3rd.
Four-person teams from Argentina, Australia, Baltic-Latvia/Estonia, Canada-Yukon, Catalonia-Spain, China, Ecuador, Germany, Great Britain-Wales, Iceland, Mexico, Mongolia, Singapore, USA-Alaska and USA-Breckenridge worked a total of 65 hours across five days. Fifteen blocks of snow, measuring 12 feet (3.65 meters), and weighing 20 tons each, were sculpted from January 22nd to January 26th, and some artists stayed up all night to complete their works.
The teams had to create their masterpieces without using power tools, internal support structures and colorants.
Team Mongolia won first place, People’s Choice and Artists’ Choice with “Mongolian Warriors,” a piece that depicts 13th-century warriors atop horses.
An official awards ceremony took place Sunday at Breckenridge, Colorado’s Riverwalk Center to announce the winners and present them with medals.
“Team Mongolia evoked the furious energy of galloping across the Mongolian steppe,” said Jenn Cram, judge coordinator and Breckenridge Arts District Administrator. “The piece is powerful with its deliberate attention to detail and the dynamic alignment of planes. We could see that sculpture done in bronze, in marble; it was truly a sculptural piece.”
Team Mongolia wins 2013 Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships, with “Mongolian Warriors.” Photo by Nathan Bilow
Last year’s winner of the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships was Team Canada-Quebec with “Great Expectations.”
Team Catalonia-Spain won second place with “Banyista Nua” (Homage to Picasso), showing a woman on the beach – an intentional contrast to both the medium and Breckenridge’s winter climate.
Team Estonia placed third at the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships with “Koit,” a representation of a fairy tale in which, according to the team, two lovers – Dawn and Dusk – meet only twice each year. Team Canada-Yukon took Kids’ Choice for “An Inuit Moral Tale.”
Sculptures will remain on display at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge, Colorado until Sunday, February 3rd (weather permitting).
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair should have fully compensated a passenger whose flight was cancelled because of the volcanic ash cloud in 2010, the EU’s top court has said.
On such occasions there is no limit – in time or money – to the airline’s duty to look after its passengers, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled.
Denise McDonagh had a 7-day wait for a Faro-Dublin flight on Ryanair and said she spent nearly 1,130 euros on a hotel, food and transport.
Her compensation has not yet been paid.
Ryanair had argued the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano was so extraordinary that normal rules should not apply.
But the judges’ ruling – now binding across the EU – said such events “constitute ‘extraordinary circumstances’ which do not release air carriers from their obligation to provide care”.
The EU regulation on passenger rights “does not provide for any limitation, either temporal or monetary, of the obligation to provide care to passengers whose flight is cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances”, the ECJ said.
Ryanair should have fully compensated a passenger whose flight was cancelled because of the volcanic ash cloud in 2010
“Thus, all the obligations to provide care to passengers are imposed on the air carrier for the whole period during which the passengers concerned must await their re-routing.”
Much of north Europe’s airspace was closed for more than a week in April 2010, as the volcano spewed dust into the atmosphere.
Aviation officials feared the dust could stop jet engines – an unacceptable hazard – and Denise McDonagh was among the thousands left stranded.
The ECJ ruling on Thursday said an Irish court must decide the amount of compensation to which Denise McDonagh is entitled. Her case had been referred to the ECJ by the Dublin Metropolitan District Court, which had sought clarification of EU law.
The passenger is entitled to “reimbursement of the amounts which proved necessary, appropriate and reasonable to make up for the shortcomings of the air carrier”, the ECJ said.
Ice-T and Coco Austin stepped out in New York City to celebrate restaurant STK Midtown’s one year anniversary.
Posing for photographers on arrival to the dinner party, Coco Austin, 33, made sure she stood out in a colorful dress as husband Ice-T opted for an all black ensemble.
Wearing her platinum blonde hair down in loose waves, Coco Austin placed one hand on her hip as she put on a leggy display in the cut-out frock which featured a pleated detailing.
Co-ordinating her scarlet pointed stilettos with her lips, the Tarzana-born model sported feline eyes courtesy of lashings of black eyeliner.
Dressed down in comparison to his wife, Ice-T, 54, donned a black short-sleeved polo shirt, trousers and leather slip-on Vans.
The reality television couple wrapped their arms around each other as they chose not to put on their usual amorous public display of affection.
Coco Austin recently revealed she’s ready to be inducted into motherhood as she plans to start a family with Ice-T, who already has two children from previous relationships.
Coco Austin recently revealed she’s ready to be inducted into motherhood as she plans to start a family with Ice-T
The stars of Ice Loves Coco spoke to In Touch magazine about expanding from two to three and the model-turned-burlesque dancer has already picked out a name if it’s a little girl: Chanel.
Finding similarities to the luxury French fashion house founded by Coco Chanel, she told the tabloid: “I want a little girl! We already have the name – Chanel.”
She continued: “I want a little doll of my own! I could teach her to walk in heels and do her hair.”
According to the publication, the couple will begin trying to have a baby as soon as she has some downtime from her stint in LA adult revue show Peepshow.
Ice-T, meanwhile, is looking forward to his wife’s next role as a mother of his child.
“She will be the best mother,” he said, adding: “I know it.”
David Beckham is on his way to France to complete the formalities of a move to Paris St Germain (PSG).
David Beckham, 37, is expected to be unveiled at a media conference on Thursday and will begin training with the club in the next fortnight.
The midfielder has been without a club since leaving MLS side LA Galaxy in December and has been training with Arsenal.
David Beckham had firm offers from 12 different clubs but has opted for Ligue 1’s big spenders.
Despite recently announcing he was to permanently base his family in London, David Beckham always said he would make a decision on his next move – based on “footballing reasons”.
PSG have spent more than $320 million in the last 18 months, and are managed by Carlo Ancelotti – who was in charge of AC Milan during David Beckham’s loan spell there. They are also still in this season’s Champions League and will face Spanish side Valencia.
David Beckham, who made a record 115 outfield appearances for England, was part of the Manchester United side that famously beat Bayern Munich to win the 1999 Champions League.
He left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2003, before agreeing his move to LA Galaxy in January 2007 and making his debut for the club in August in that year.
David Beckham is on his way to France to complete the formalities of a move to Paris St Germain
David Beckham attracted criticism from some Galaxy fans after agreeing loan moves to AC Milan in 2009 and 2010 which meant missing some of the MLS season.
And he brought an end to his five-and-half-year spell in the United States on 2 December after winning the MLS Cup for the second time.
At PSG, David Beckham will be hoping to win a league title in a fourth country, having already enjoyed success at Manchester United and Real Madrid in Europe before moving to Major League Soccer.
David Beckham had been close to joining PSG last January but opted to stay in California for one more season.
PSG have been the highest-spending club in Europe in the past year and will officially present David Beckham as their player at 17:00.
Facebook has reported a sharp drop in profits, partly due to increased spending on research and development.
Facebook made a profit of $64 million in the final three months of 2012, compared with $302 million a year earlier.
Revenue was up 40% at $1.6 billion, largely due to a big jump in advertising revenue, a quarter of which came from mobile platforms.
Shares in Facebook fell by almost 6% in after-hours trading in New York.
The shares launched on the Nasdaq stock exchange in May at $38, and had halved in value by September.
They have since recovered to stand at $31 at the close of trading on Wednesday. The drop in after-hours trading suggests the shares will fall back again when full trading resumes on Thursday.
“Mobile revenue was expected to be a little higher,” said analyst Aaron Kessler at Raymond James.
“Overall it’s a solid quarter but maybe [the company has suffered from] high expectations going into the quarter.”
Facebook has reported a sharp drop in profits, partly due to increased spending on research and development
Revenue from advertising was $1.3 billion, 41% up on a year earlier.
Mobile revenue, an important indicator of the company’s ability to capitalize on the growing move towards mobile platforms, accounted for 23% of overall revenue.
“In 2012, we connected over a billion people and became a mobile company,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and chief executive.
“We enter 2013 with good momentum and will continue to invest to achieve our mission and become a stronger, more valuable company.”
Iran has announced its plans to upgrade uranium enrichment centrifuges at Natanz plant to the UN nuclear agency, reports citing diplomats say.
The move would allow the country to refine uranium at a faster rate, increasing fears among western states about Iran’s intentions.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful in purpose. The US and its allies fear it seeks nuclear weapons.
The plan was set out in a letter to the IAEA dated January 23, reports said.
The letter is said to mention a model of centrifuge, called IR2m, which can enrich two or three times faster than the present equipment being used by Tehran, according to the Associated Press.
Iran has announced its plans to upgrade uranium enrichment centrifuges at Natanz plant to the UN nuclear agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency sent a letter to member states saying Iran had informed the agency of its plans to use the improved machines at its fuel enrichment plant in Natanz, according to a document seen by Reuters.
“The Secretariat of the Agency received a letter from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran [AEOI] dated 23 January 2013 informing the Agency that <<centrifuge machines type IR2m will be used in Unit A-22>> at the Fuel Enrichment Plant [FEP] at Natanz,” the IAEA communication is reported to say.
The Natanz facility, in central Iran, is at the heart of the country’s dispute with the United Nations Security Council.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the European Union’s top foreign policy official said she believed that negotiations on the country’s nuclear programme would resume shortly.
