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.
AC Milan football fans have clashed with Italian police as they celebrated a proposed transfer of Mario Balotelli to their club from Manchester City.
The police used tear gas as the fans let off flares and threw bottles outside a restaurant in Milan where the Italy striker was having a dinner.
One policeman was taken to hospital with head injuries, reports say.
Mario Balotelli is in Milan for a medical before a proposed transfer for an initial fee of 22 million euros.
Mario Balotelli, 22, said earlier he had no hesitation about deciding to move from England to the seven-time European champions.
“I’d wanted to play for Milan for such a long time,” he said.
“Obviously I played for other teams and couldn’t come. But when there was the chance, I ran.”
AC Milan football fans have clashed with Italian police as they celebrated a proposed transfer of Mario Balotelli to their club from Manchester City
Manchester City signed Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan – AC Milan’s arch-rivals – for 27.5 million euros in 2010 and he scored 30 goals in 80 appearances for the club.
He helped City to the Premier League title last season, but has managed only three strikes in 20 matches this time round.
Milan reached an agreement with City on Tuesday, and Mario Balotelli is expected to sign a four-and-a-half-year contract, subject to passing his medical.
Mario Balotelli’s departure follows a training ground altercation with City manager Roberto Mancini on January 3 – the latest in a series of controversies during his time at the club.
Scientists have announced that the mystery of the “Bermuda Triangle” of the homing pigeon world may have been solved.
For years, scientists have been baffled as to why the usually excellent navigators get lost when released from a particular site in New York State.
But new research suggests the birds are using low frequency sounds to find their way around – and they cannot hear the rumble at this US location.
The study is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
The lead author of the paper, Dr. Jonathan Hagstrum, from the US Geological Survey, said that the birds were creating “acoustic maps” of their surroundings.
But some other researchers said the theory was controversial and there was much debate over how homing pigeons navigate so efficiently.
The puzzle of the vanishing pigeons began in the 1960s.
Professor Bill Keeton from Cornell University was trying to understand the birds’ astonishing ability to find their way home from places they have never previously visited.
He released birds throughout New York State, but was surprised to discover that whenever the pigeons were released at Jersey Hill, near Ithaca, they became disorientated and flew about aimlessly.
This happened again and again, apart from on one occasion on August 13, 1969, when the birds’ navigational prowess returned and they flew back to their loft.
Dr. Jonathan Hagstrum has now come up with an explanation.
He said: “The way birds navigate is that they use a compass and they use a map. The compass is usually the position of the Sun or the Earth’s magnetic field, but the map has been unknown for decades.
“I have found they are using sound as their map… and this will tell them where they are relative to their home.”
Scientists have announced that the mystery of the “Bermuda Triangle” of the homing pigeon world may have been solved
The pigeons, he said, use “infrasound”, which is an extremely low-frequency sound that is below the range of human hearing.
He explained: “The sound originates in the ocean. Waves in the deep ocean are interfering and they create sound in both the atmosphere and the Earth. You can pick this energy up anywhere on Earth, in the centre of a continent even.”
He believes that when the birds are at their unfamiliar release site, they listen for the signature of the infrasound signal from their home – and then use this to find their bearings.
However, infrasound can be affected by changes in the atmosphere.
Dr. Jonathan Hagstrum used temperature and wind records taken from the dates of the various experimental releases to calculate how the sound would have travelled from the pigeons’ base to Jersey Hill.
“The temperature structure and the wind structure of the atmosphere were such in upstate New York that the sound was bent up and over Jersey Hill,” he explained.
This meant the birds could not hear it and got lost – apart from the day that the birds found their way home.
He said: “On 13 August 1969, there was either a wind shear or temperature inversion in the troposphere that bent the sound back down so it arrived right back at Jersey Hill on that day, and that day alone.”
Dr. Jonathan Hagstrum thinks that disruptions of infrasound may also explain other homing pigeon puzzles, where large numbers of pigeons lose their way, such as a race in 1997 across the English channel where 60,000 birds veered off course.
He admitted his work was “controversial”, but said: “This doesn’t prove it by any stretch – but it puts out a new idea, which, as far as I’m concerned, is the best explanation of what pigeons are doing, because it explains what has been going on at Jersey Hill.”
Others have put forward different ideas for how pigeons find their way, suggesting that the birds use smell, visual clues or the Earth’s magnetic field, or even a combination of all of these.
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino reportedly fathered a secret lovechild with Donna Savattere, a production assistant at CBS Sports, it emerged today.
Dan Marino, who cheated on Claire, his wife of 28 years, have daughter Chloe with Donna Savattere.
Chloe was born in June 2005, and is now being raised by Donna Savattere and her husband Nahil Younis.
The stunning revelation about Dan Marino, who has always been seen as a family man, was first reported by the New York Post.
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 and Donna Savattere apparently met as he was carrying out his role as a pregame analyst for CBS, where he has worked since 2003.
Donna Savattere was 35 at the time of their relationship.
After Chloe was born, Dan Marino allegedly paid his mistress millions of dollars to ensure her silence and take care of their daughter, according to the New York Post.
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino reportedly fathered a secret lovechild with Donna Savattere, a production assistant at CBS Sports
Donna Savattere has since married Nahill Younis and the couple have a son together. They wed at their home in the Hamptons in 2009.
A wedding announcement for the couple on a Hamptons Web site says: “Donna was already a mother when Nahil met her, and Donna’s daughter quickly became an important part of his life.”
Dan Marino is believed to be in touch with his now-7-year-old daughter.
Dan Marino’s daughter, Chloe, was born in June 2005, and is now being raised by Donna Savattere and her husband Nahil Younis
Donna Savaterre was said to have revealed the secret to friends and showed them photographs of her and Dan Marino together at restaurants and clubs.
She is also said to have made attempts to change the name of her and Marino’s daughter from Chloe Alexis Savattere to Chloe Alexis Younis, according to records.
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.
He starred as himself in the 1994 comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Chinese hackers have “persistently” infiltrated the New York Times for the last four months, the US paper says.
The New York Times said the attacks coincided with its report into claims that the family of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao had amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune.
The hackers used methods which have been “associated with the Chinese military” to target the emails of the report’s writer, the paper said.
China’s foreign ministry dismissed the accusations as “groundless”.
“To arbitrarily assert and to conclude without hard evidence that China participated in such hacking attacks is totally irresponsible,” said spokesman Hong Lei.
“China is also a victim of hacking attacks. Chinese laws clearly forbid hacking attacks, and we hope relevant parties takes a responsible attitude on this issue.”
According to the New York Times, the hackers first broke into their computer system in September, as the report on Wen Jiabao was nearing completion.
The report, which was dismissed as a “smear” by the Chinese government, said Wen Jiabao’s relatives had amassed assets worth at least $2.7 billion through business dealings. It did not accuse the Chinese premier of wrongdoing.
China is sensitive about reports on its leaders, particularly when it comes to their wealth.
The New York Times said the hacking was focused on the computers of David Barboza, the paper’s bureau chief in Shanghai who wrote the report, and one of his predecessors, Jim Yardley.
The New York Times said the attacks coincided with its report into claims that the family of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao had amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune
Internet security firm Mandiant, which was hired by the Times to trace the attack, followed the hackers’ movements for four months, to try to establish a pattern and block them.
The hackers had installed malware which enabled them to access any computer using the New York Times network, steal the password of every employee, and access 53 personal computers, mostly outside the Times offices.
The security firm found that in an attempt to hide the origin of the attack, it had been routed through computers in US universities which, the paper said, “matches the subterfuge used in many other attacks that Mandiant has tracked to China”.
The Times said experts had found that the attacks “started from the same university computers used by the Chinese military to attack United States military contractors in the past”.
They found the hackers began working for the most part at 08:00 Beijing time.
Mandiant’s chief security officer, Richard Bejtlich, said that “if you look at each attack in isolation, you can’t say, <<This is the Chinese military>>,” but that the similar patterns and targets of the attacks indicated a connection.
“When you see the same group steal data on Chinese dissidents and Tibetan activists, then attack an aerospace company, it starts to push you in the right direction,” he said.
The paper said no personal data of staff or customers was stolen and that no attempt was made to shut down its website.
“They could have wreaked havoc on our systems,” said chief information officer Marc Frons. But he said what they appeared to be looking for were “the names of people who might have provided information to Mr. Barboza”.
There was also no evidence that sensitive emails or files on the Wen family had been accessed, or that the intruders had sought information unrelated to the Wen family, the paper said.
In an interview with Spanish-language TV channel Telemundo, President Barack Obama has said US immigration deal could be achieved within six months.
Barack Obama said reform should pass in 2013 and he would put “everything” into securing a deal even sooner.
Obstacles to a deal were political rather than technical, Barack Obama added.
The comments come the day after Barack Obama backed comprehensive immigration reform, and after a group of senators unveiled a similar plan on Monday.
Correspondents say the focus on immigration reflects the growing influence of Hispanic voters.
“I can guarantee that I will put everything I have behind it,” Barack Obama told Telemundo, one of two Spanish-language networks he spoke to on Wednesday.
The president also said he would work with all politicians to achieve reform, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican.
Barack Obama’s plan, unveiled at a secondary school in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday, reflects a blueprint he rolled out in 2011.
But while he applauded the Senate effort – put together by a group of four Democrats and four Republicans – the president also warned that if Congress fails to take action on immigration, the White House would write legislation of its own and insist that lawmakers vote on it.
In an interview with Spanish-language TV channel Telemundo, President Barack Obama has said US immigration deal could be achieved within six months
Like the bipartisan plan, the president backed an overhaul of the existing legal immigration system, securing US borders, and offering a pathway to earned citizenship.
But the senators’ proposals would allow undocumented immigrants to start the process of becoming citizens only after US borders are deemed secure, a link that did not feature in the president’s plan.
In a second interview on Wednesday with Spanish-language channel Univision, Barack Obama appeared to diverge from the senators’ plan on that point.
“What we don’t want is to create some vague prospect in the future that somehow comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship will happen, you know, manana,” the president said, using the Spanish word for “tomorrow”.
The so-called gang of eight have said they hope their blueprint could pass the Senate by summer.
Politicians in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are reportedly working on their own immigration framework.
A vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart, a new research suggests.
A study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland showed vegetarians were 32% less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of heart disease.
Differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight are thought to be behind the health boost.
The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Heart disease is a major blight in Western countries. It kills 94,000 people in the UK each year – more than any other disease, and 2.6 million people live with the condition.
The heart’s own blood supply becomes blocked up by fatty deposits in the arteries that nourish the heart muscle. It can cause angina or even lead to a heart attack if the blood vessels become completely blocked.
A vegetarian diet can have a dramatic effect on the health of your heart
Scientists at the University of Oxford analyzed data from 15,100 vegetarians and 29,400 people who ate meat and fish.
Over the course of 11 years, 169 people in the study died from heart disease and 1,066 needed hospital treatment – and they were more likely to have been meat and fish eaters than vegetarians.
Dr. Francesca Crowe said: “The main message is that diet is an important determinant of heart health, I’m not advocating that everyone eats a vegetarian diet.
“The diets are quite different. Vegetarians probably have a lower intake of saturated fat so it makes senses there is a lower risk of heart disease.”
The results showed the vegetarians had lower blood pressure, lower levels of “bad” cholesterol and were more likely to have a healthy weight.
1 level tbsp corn flour, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Coq au Vin Recipe
METHOD
Heat a large frying pan or saucepan and mist with low-calorie cooking spray. Add the shallots/onions and garlic and sauté them for about 5 minutes, until beginning to turn brown. Push them to one side of the pan.
Add the chicken legs to the pan and brown them quickly on both sides. Pour in the wine and let it bubble up for a few seconds. Add the chicken stock, mushrooms and bay leaf. Cover and simmer gently for 45-50 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
Stir the blended corn flour and add to the pan juices. Heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Check the seasoning, adding extra salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the bay leaf and serve.
For those who yearn for long, luscious eye-lashes, without the hassle of applying false ones, new mascara Freezeframe Instant Lash may be about to revolutionize eye make-up forever.
Scientists in Australia have come up with a treatment which claims to double the length of eye-lashes in seconds.
Made up of a combination of tiny synthetic hairs, contained in a thick gel base, users brush on Freezeframe Instant Lash with a mascara wand, depositing the small hairs on to the tips of their eye-lashes.
The more times the treatment is applied, the more hairs are deposited, giving the wearer natural looking lash extensions up to a third of an inch longer.
The gel base holds the tiny hairs in place, but can also help stiffen lashes, so they can be “curled up”, giving the wearer a pretty “open-eyed” look.
Unlike traditional mascara, Freezeframe Instant Lash is applied to just the tips of lashes, not from the base.
Freezeframe Instant Lash claims to double eye-lashes length in seconds
Users are able to apply their usual colored mascara on top.
It can be used by contact lens’ wearers and is removed like other eye products, with cleanser or soap and water.
Freezeframe Instant Lash has become the number one selling lash product in Australia and there is already a 7,000-strong waiting list for the 10 ml bottles when it goes on sale on the British High Street for the first time next month.
Skin care expert, Sonia Amoroso, who developed formula, said: “It is my personal passion to make the most cutting edge, scientific breakthroughs in easy to use formulations, at accessible prices.
“Freezeframe Instant Lash has been a huge hit with customers who say this lash treatment creates visibly instant, longer, luscious lashes in seconds.”
Instant Lash goes on sale at Boots in store and online on February 6.
Lindsay Lohan appeared in court on Wednesday for a hearing relating to a lying to police and reckless driving over a car crash in June last year on Pacific Coast Highway.
Lindsay Lohan was told by Judge Stephanie Sautner that she could still be found in violation of her probation – even if a jury finds her not guilty.
Judge Stephanie Sautner set a trial date for next month, and dryly commented to Lindsay Lohan: “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” in reference to the actress almost not showing up on health grounds.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, confirmed that Mark Heller, her new lawyer, will represent her in the case, after cutting ties with long-time attorney Shawn Holley.
The actress hesitated when asked if she was comfortable with the change in legal representation – but agreed.
She is facing jail over claims she lied to police over a car crash in June last year on Pacific Coast Highway.
At the time Lindsay Lohan told police her assistant Gavin Doyle was driving her Porsche – but he later told police it was in fact Lindsay behind the wheel.
Lindsay Lohan, whose probation stemming from her 2011 jewellery theft case was formally revoked in December, has been told that even if jurors find her not guilty in the trial, she could still be found in violation of her probation, because the standard of proof is lower.
Essentially that means a jail term could still be on the cards.
Lindsay Lohan appeared in court on Wednesday for a hearing relating to a lying to police and reckless driving over a car crash in June last year on Pacific Coast Highway
New York lawyer Mark Heller attempted to court favor with the judge, asking her about her NYC link as a former detective in the Big Apple.
“That was in another life,” Stephanie Sautner fired back.
“Flattery does not get your anywhere in this court.”
Stephanie Sautner also revealed that she is retiring later this month – so will not be the judge in Lindsay Lohan’s trial.
“I’m retiring before the 1st March,” she said referring to Lindsay Lohan’s next hearing.
“Not that I planned it this way.”
The next hearing will be March 1, while the trial has been set for March 18.
Lindsay Lohan arrived seven minutes late for the hearing, turning up at 8:37 a.m. local time for her 8:30 a.m. hearing wearing a sleeveless black dress with keyhole detailing at the back and her hair up in a ponytail.
She looked deflated throughout proceedings as the legal teams discussed dates and scheduling.
A source previously said: “Mark believes he can get Lindsay acquitted of all criminal charges stemming from her car accident in Santa Monica last summer.
“Lindsay has convinced Mark that she never lied to cops when they asked her if she was driving the car that day.
“There was a plea bargain offer on the table for Lindsay to go to rehab for nine months, but she absolutely refused that. Mark won’t sign off on a deal that sends Lindsay to rehab for more than 60 days.”
The US economy unexpectedly shrank at an annualized rate of 0.1% in Q4 2012, initial official estimates indicate.
If confirmed, it would be the first contraction logged by the US economy since the 2009 global recession.
The world’s largest economy grew 3.1% in July to September.
The fourth quarter period was dominated by the “fiscal cliff” – the spending cuts and tax rises that had been due to come into force from January 1st, 2013.
These were avoided by a last-minute deal between the Republican-dominated Congress and the White House. However, economists warned at the time that fears of an abrupt cut in government spending were undermining business and consumer confidence.
However, part of that deal includes tax rises for the highest-earning Americans and – more significantly for the economy – the expiry of a payroll tax holiday for all US employees, something which is widely expected by economists to further weigh on growth during the current quarter.
The fourth-quarter shrinkage in economic output comes as a shock to analysts on Wall Street, who had been expecting 1.1% growth according to a poll by news agency Reuters. Not one economist surveyed had predicted an economic contraction.
It will add to pressure on the US Federal Reserve to do more to stimulate the economy. Members of its Federal Open Markets Committee are due to announce the conclusions of their latest policy-setting meeting later on Wednesday, and will have had an advance look at the economic data.
Growth was dragged down by a 22% cut in the federal government’s defence spending – the biggest since 1972, when the US was winding down from the end of the Vietnam War – and by the decision of many businesses to halt the rapid rebuilding of their inventories that began over the summer.
These two relatively volatile components of the data subtracted a combined 2.6 percentage points from the overall growth figure.
The US economy unexpectedly shrank at an annualized rate of 0.1 percent in Q4 2012, initial official estimates indicate
Consumer spending did pick up, as did business investment, suggesting that the economy may have some underlying momentum. Sales of computers and cars both made positive contributions to the economy’s performance.
Residential investment also grew 15%, adding to evidence that the housing market has finally turned the corner.
“Frankly, this is the best-looking contraction in US [gross domestic product] you’ll ever see,” said Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, in a note to clients.
“The drag from defence spending and inventories is a one-off. The rest of the report is all encouraging.”
The October-to-December period was also negatively affected by Storm Sandy, which caused the closure of many factories and businesses in the New York area, and by a sharp drop in exports.
Growth for 2012 as a whole came in at 2.2%, up from 1.8% in 2011, but still unusually slow compared with previous economic recoveries in the US following recessions in the post-War era.
Looking ahead, domestic spending in the current quarter is expected to be dogged by further uncertainty over the federal government’s tax and spending.
Workers have already experienced a 2% average cut in their take-home pay, due to the expiry of the payroll tax holiday. That means a household earning $50,000 a year will have about $1,000 less to spend.
The income lost is likely to have been behind a sharp fall in consumer confidence recorded by surveys in January.
Meanwhile, the recently re-elected President Barack Obama and Congress are expected to clash once again in the coming months over the debt ceiling.
The US Treasury is approaching the $16.4 trillion legal limit on its total debt, and must gain permission from Congress to borrow the money needed for it to continue meeting its bills.
Last time there was a stand-off over the issue, in the summer of 2011, the political deadlock prompted ratings agency Standard & Poor’s to deprive the US of its top AAA rating, a move that sent stock markets sharply lower.
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to extend the country’s debt limit until May, deferring the budget debate for a few months at least.
Russian government has decided to abandon an agreement with the US on fighting crime and the drugs trade, in an apparent sign of worsening relations.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the decade-long agreement no longer addressed “realities” and had “exhausted its potential”.
The agreement saw the US funding anti-crime projects in Russia.
Meanwhile, two US pro-democracy groups have helped staff who were reportedly threatened with arrest to flee Russia.
The National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute closed their Moscow offices last year after laws were passed cracking down on organizations which receive foreign funding.
Unnamed sources in the non-governmental organizations said six Russian staff members and their families had arrived in Lithuania at the end of December or early in January on tourist visas.
Staff had been approached by Russia’s domestic security service, the FSB, and other law enforcement agencies who warned them they could face prosecution for treason, one of the sources said.
There was no immediate confirmation of the report from the two NGOs.
News that the anti-drugs-trade agreement was being scrapped appeared in a decree on the Russian government’s website.
It came a few days after the US government pulled out of a joint working group with the Russians on civil society.
Russian government has decided to abandon an agreement with the US on fighting crime and the drugs trade, in an apparent sign of worsening relations
Russia has been grappling for years with a huge heroin abuse problem, exacerbated by its proximity to drug-trafficking routes from Afghanistan.
It has accused the US of failing to use its influence in Afghanistan to tackle the trade effectively.
Ever since Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency last May, a chill has returned to US-Russian relations.
The two countries seem locked into a spiral of deteriorating ties.
Underlying it is US concern at the state of democracy and human rights under President Vladimir Putin, and Moscow’s anger at being lectured by the Americans.
The US Magnitsky bill adopted late last year sparked particular fury in Moscow as the law bars Russian officials suspected of human rights violations from entering America and freezes any US assets they may have.
In response Moscow has not only barred US officials it suspects of rights abuses, it has banned American families from adopting Russian children.
Garrett McNamara has ridden what may be the highest wave ever caught by a surfer, reportedly 100 ft (30 m) high.
Garrett McNamara surfed the wave on Tuesday off the coast of Portugal, in the same spot where he surfed the current world-record wave of 78 ft (24 m) in November 2011.
Experts will now have to certify the new record.
The giant wave formed above an underwater canyon famous for being the world’s biggest wave generator.
“You are just going so fast,” Garrett McNamara told ABC television.
“It’s really, really similar to snowboarding on giant mountains.
“And you’re just chattering, flying down this bumpy, bumpy mountain. Your brain is getting rattled. Your whole body is getting rattled.”
He said he was relieved to have avoided a rocky section of the coast.
Garrett McNamara began surfing at 11 and turned professional six years later.
Garrett McNamara has ridden what may be the highest wave ever caught by a surfer, reportedly 100 ft high
Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai will soon undergo skull surgery to repair a missing area.
Surgeons at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital have been giving details about two procedures due to be carried out on the 15-year-old.
Malala Yousafzai was discharged from the hospital earlier this month after being shot in the head by the Taliban in October.
The hospital said Malala Yousafzai’s surgery would take place in the next 10 days.
The first procedure will involve drilling into her skull and inserting a custom-made metal plate.
Doctors said Malala Yousafzai was completely deaf in her left ear after being shot at point blank range.
The shockwave destroyed her eardrum and the bones for hearing.
The second procedure will involve fitting a small electronic device that provides a sense of sound to someone who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing.
Both procedures could take a total of four-and-a-half hours.
Dr. Dave Rosser, medical director at the QEHB, said: “Her recovery is remarkable and it’s a testament to her strength and desire to get better.
“There is no doubt that the surgery she underwent in Pakistan was life saving.
“Had that surgery not been of such a high standard she would have died.”
Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai will soon undergo skull surgery to repair a missing area
He added her full recovery could take another 15 to 18 months.
Dr. Dave Rosser said the missing part of Malala Yousafzai’s skull had been put in her abdomen by surgeons in Pakistan to “keep the bone alive”.
Doctors in Birmingham have chosen to use a metal plate to repair her skull instead of the bone in her abdomen, which they say may have shrunk.
Dr. Dave Rosser added Malala Yousafzai has asked to keep the bone once it has been removed.
Malala Yousafzai came to prominence when, as an 11-year-old, she wrote a diary for BBC Urdu, giving an account of how her school in Mingora town dealt with the Taliban’s 2009 edict to close girls’ schools.
Her love for education, and her courage in standing up to the Taliban, earned her a national peace award in 2011.
Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition calling for Malala Yousafzai to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Pakistan government has given Malala’s father, Ziaududdin Yousafzai, a job in Birmingham as the education attaché at the Consulate of Pakistan for at least three years.
Bolshoi top ballerina Svetlana Lunkina has revealed she has moved to Canada amid claims of threats to her husband.
Leading soloist Svetlana Lunkina told a Russian newspaper she had taken leave until the end of the season.
The news that she had left Russia comes in the wake of an acid attack on the company’s artistic director, Sergei Filin, earlier this month.
Svetlana Lunkina alleged the unspecified threats arose from a film project involving her producer husband.
Vladislav Moskalyev was working on a movie about the legendary Russian ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya but is in dispute with his former business partner, who is reportedly suing him for $3.6 million.
Svetlana Lunkina, 33, who has performed with the Bolshoi since 1997, told the Izvestia publication: “I think we need to react to these threats. These people have no right to interfere in our private lives or my professional work.
“I was supposed to be doing a lot of interesting work, including several premieres.”
She was due to star in a performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, choreographed by Britain’s Wayne McGregor, later this year.
Bolshoi top ballerina Svetlana Lunkina has revealed she has moved to Canada amid claims of threats to her husband
Svetlana Lunikna’s allegations are not believed to be related to the assault on Sergei Filin, who had sulphuric acid thrown in this face by a balaclava-clad assailant as he left the Moscow Arts Theatre on January 17.
The attack damaged both of his eyes and he is still receiving treatment for his injuries in a Moscow hospital.
Speaking via video-link this week, Sergei Filin, 42, suggested the assault was carried out by someone looking to “satisfy their ambitions” or “extinguish the pain of resentment”.
“I forgive all those people who were involved,” he went on.
Police are working on the theory that the attack was carried out by someone from within the company.
Svetlana Lunkina told Izvestia she believed it “may not be someone who works at the Bolshoi theatre but someone linked to the theatre and ballet”.
