eBay seller Aimi Jones last night revealed her horror at accidentally including a na**d view of herself when she posted a picture of a dress for sale on the website.
Aimi Jones, 21, hung the mustard yellow skater dress by ASOS on her wardrobe door to photograph it for listing.
But she failed to notice her own reflection in the door mirror, camera in hand, and in just a black bra and no knickers.
The post soon went viral and now the blunder has sparked a flurry of fake eBay sale ads for the yellow dress with fictional characters accidentally making an appearance.
One eBay user went to the added effort of posting several pictures featuring James McAvoy in his role as Mr. Tumnus in the first Chronicles of Narnia film modeling the yellow dress
The original image and mock-ups have since been shared on Twitter with the hash tag #ebayyellowskaterdress.
eBay seller Aimi Jones revealed her horror at accidentally including a naked view of herself when she posted a picture of a dress for sale on the website
Aimi Jones, from Oxfordshire, told The Sun: “It’s so embarrassing. It is such a dizzy, stupid thing to do and now the whole world’s seen me in the n**e.
“I put it on eBay last Saturday morning and realized straight away so ended the sale. But what I didn’t realize was that people could still it on the site.
“I reported it to eBay and they took it down, but by then it had gone viral. My boyfriend Andy thinks the whole thing is hilarious.”
The new listing read: “Asos yellow skater dress size 10, 2nd time round!! a MUST HAVE!!
“As seen by thousands. Never worn na**d. Needs a good home.”
Bizarrely the listing caused a stir among eBay users. Originally listed at £15.99 ($25.5), the dress has received more than 130 bids and reached more than £153,000 ($245,000).
The picture brought mixed reaction on internet forums. One user commented: “It is a shocking dress.”
Aimi Jones, who has the user ID sugart*t-2, relisted the dress with a similarly-posed picture but this time covered up in a dark Nike top.
Artist Rosea Lake has sparked a debate about what women’s skirt lengths say about the wearer.
Rosea Lake, 18, who is studying graphic design and illustration at Capilano University in Vancouver, posted a photograph titled Judgements to her Tumblr account.
The image shows a woman from behind with ten words written up her left leg indicating various hemlines, with “matronly” scrawled at the bottom of her calf and “whore” seen just below her buttocks.
Resting under her knee is the label “proper” while “flirty” sits above.
In just two weeks Rosea Lake’s photo has attracted more than 270,000 comments as it has been shared on various social networking sites.
One commentator wrote on Facebook: “It doesn’t go down to the ankle, would that be graceful or elegant? I think so.”
While another showed their distaste adding: “Sure, let’s judge women like we did in the 1600’s. Disgusting!”
Artist Rosea Lake has sparked a debate about what women’s skirt lengths say about the wearer
However Laura Beck of Jezebel said: “This picture really resonates with me. Like many women, I’ve been subjected to the finger length test to confirm my skirt was long enough at school and been asked, while wearing a maxidress, why I was so covered up. There’s some days a lady just can’t win.”
Rosea Lake, who shot the picture when she was 17 as part of a high school project, said she wanted the piece to stop people jumping to conclusions when it comes to women and the way they dress.
She told The Province: “I realized that when I looked at a woman in a short skirt I automatically thought <<slut>> – I felt bad about that.
“And I thought all women who wore hijabs were being oppressed. I thought about slut shaming and thought we need to get to a place where we are not judgmental.”
Due to demand she is now planning on selling prints of Judgements, however she says one minor tweak must be made first as the word “prudish” is spelled incorrectly.
“I didn’t catch that when I first did it. But for prints or other stuff I will fix it,” she explained.
Diabulimia, or insulin omission, is a growing problem in young women, the latest UK’s NHS figures suggest.
The NHS National Diabetes Audit says a high proportion of women aged between 15 and 30 are skipping insulin injections to lose weight.
Now a charity wants diabulimia, as it is known, officially recognised as a mental health condition.
Diabulimia is when diabetics deliberately restrict their insulin for weight loss.
Leading doctors and psychiatrists say diabulimia is most common with young women who have type 1 diabetes .
Type 1 diabetes is when the body doesn’t make its own insulin and is unable to control how much sugar there is have in the blood.
The NHS National Diabetic Information Service says although taking less insulin will mean less food is used by your body the side effects can be deadly.
Figures show, in the 12 months up to last March, more than 8,000 people were admitted to hospital in England and Wales, with symptoms of not taking enough insulin.
Doctors can’t say if all the numbers were down to people wanting to lose weight but they see a pattern among young women.
The NHS National Diabetes Audit in UK has found that a high proportion of women aged between 15 and 30 are skipping insulin injections to lose weight
Dr. Bob Young, the clinical lead of the NHS national diabetes information service, sys: “Between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011, 8,472 people included in the NDA [national diabetes audit] were admitted to hospital in the UK for diabetic ketoacidosis.
“The data shows it was most common with young females in deprived areas.”
Diabetic ketoacidosis happens when someone is not taking enough insulin.
It has serious side effects from eye sight loss to kidney damage and if left untreated can even kill.
“The fact that the most common [people] were young females supports the fact that they want to lose weight,” he says.
The charity, DWED (Diabetics with Eating Disorders) has been campaigning to have omitting insulin to lose weight officially recognised as a mental illness.
They hope by doing that there will be more specific help made available for sufferers.
President Barack Obama has unveiled wide-ranging measures aimed at curbing gun violence.
The proposals could echo measures, considered the toughest in the nation, passed in New York State on Tuesday.
Barack Obama has said he favors bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as broader background checks.
The US gun control debate has been revived by last month’s mass shooting at a school in Newtown, Connecticut.
There, a gunman shot dead 27 people, including 20 children and his own mother.
At 11:45 EST on Wednesday, Barack Obama is expected to unveil the new proposals at the White House, flanked by children who wrote him letters after the Newtown shooting.
Barack Obama has already acknowledged his proposals will face stiff opposition in Congress. But he is said to be weighing as many as 19 specific measures he could take through unilateral executive action.
These could include tougher punishment of gun trafficking, aggressive prosecution of people who lie on background checks, and an end to limits on government research into gun violence.
President Barack Obama is expected today to unveil wide-ranging measures aimed at curbing gun violence
The US top gun lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA) says it will fight any attempts to limit access to guns or ammunition.
Barack Obama’s expected proposals are the result of a task force led by Vice-President Joe Biden, who met the president on Monday and Tuesday to share the group’s recommendations.
The Biden task force held meetings with gun control advocates and firearms owners’ groups, as well as representatives of the entertainment industry.
On Tuesday, the New York state legislature comfortably passed the first gun control law since the shootings in Newtown. Supporters said the state’s firearms restrictions were now the tightest in the nation.
“Common sense can win,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said.
“You can overpower the extremists with intelligence and with reason and with common sense.”
The New York measures include a wider ban on assault weapons, a law limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines, and provisions to keep guns from mentally ill people who make threats.
Some gun owners will also have to register them with authorities.
According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released on Monday evening, about half of Americans say they have grown more supportive of gun control measures since the Newtown shooting.
The poll found 58% of respondents back a ban on the most powerful rifles.
During the press conference, President Barack Obama urged Congress:
to ban “military-style” assault weapons such as those used in several recent mass shootings
impose limits on ammunition magazines to 10 rounds
introduce background checks on all gun sales; currently private sales and some sales at gun shows are exempt
pass a ban on possession and sale of armour-piercing bullets
introduce new gun-trafficking laws
Finally approve the appointment of the head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
Barack Obama added he would sign a directive so that government agencies can conduct research into gun crime
Among the unilateral steps Barack Obama pledged to take was to end a ban on gun-violence research by a prominent federal agency.
Barack Obama acknowledged his legislative push would encounter stiff opposition in Congress.
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson have been engaged for two years, and the star has revealed she and her fiance have set two separate wedding dates.
However, Jessica Simpson admitted that she hasn’t had the opportunity to walk down the aisle – because both times she then fell pregnant.
“We’ve had two different wedding dates, but he keeps knocking me up,” Jessica Simpson said when she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday night.
“We’re doing it very backwards, I know… I’ll just keep my legs crossed, I guess, this time.”
Jessica Simpson, 32, who is pregnant with her second child and confessed it was not planned, displayed her blossoming figure in a low-cut leopard print clingy dress, which displayed plenty of her ample cleavage and clung to her tiny baby bump.
“Apparently it was a part of God’s plan for my life,” she laughed as she chatted about her new pregnancy.
“I was extremely shocked because I was going through a lot of hormonal changes, trying to get back to the old, vibrant Jessica. You know, it was kind of like a one-night stand. And it happened, all over again!”
Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson have been engaged for two years, and the star has revealed she and her fiance have set two separate wedding dates
The glowing star is watching what she eats this time around, after gaining what she said was “a lot more than doctors would recommend”.
Jessica Simpson admitted: “I was really happy to be pregnant and I didn’t ever step on the scale. I didn’t realize you could gain that much weight that quickly.”
She added: “I didn’t really make any healthy good decisions.”
It was recently revealed that Jessica is already plotting her return to the small screen in a new sitcom pilot for NBC, which will be inspired by her life, and the blonde was happy to divulged about it.
When asked if it was about “a girl who keeps getting pregnant”, Jessica Simpson replied: “Yes, and how that girl deals with that and everything else. I will be playing myself, which is pretty easy.”
She went on: “We don’t have a name yet, we’re just now in the process of casting everyone, doing the pilot. I will be playing myself but we’ll have actors playing Eric and my dad. That’ll be funny.”
A helicopter has crashed into a crane at a building site in south London.
Police said it appeared the helicopter had hit the crane on top of a building. They said it was too early to confirm any casualties.
Police said they first received calls at 08:00 GMT and the London Ambulance Service said it was also at the scene.
Transport for London has confirmed there has been an incident.
Witnesses reported seeing debris on the ground.
Quinn Murray was cycling when he saw the crash.
He said: “I saw the helicopter hit the top of the crane and come down just to the left of the station.
“There was quite a large amount of fire and a huge smoke cloud. It wasn’t on the road, but into a building site where they are building the new Nine Elms area.
“There’s a huge number of emergency services.”
A helicopter has crashed into a crane at a building site in south London
Commuter Sherna Noah described seeing a “large plume of dark grey smoke” as she crossed Battersea Bridge at about 08:00 GMT.
She said: “I was coming across the bridge and basically I could see a few cyclists on the bridge looking towards the water.
“I looked over to see what they were looking at and could see a pall of grey smoke coming from the south side.
“You could see a large plume of dark grey smoke.”
Nicky Morgan, the MP for Loughborough, witnessed the crash while walking towards Vauxhall station from the Lambeth Palace direction.
She said she heard an enormous bang and saw clouds of black smoke.
At least four ambulances and many police cars were at the scene.
Wandsworth Road near Vauxhall station is closed, with apparent debris on the ground, and a crane at the top of a new high rise development appears to be damaged.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s two main airlines, have grounded their Boeing 787 Dreamliners after one was forced to make an emergency landing because of battery problems.
ANA grounded its fleet of 17 Dreamliners when its flight NH 692 from Yamaguchi Ube was forced to land shortly after take-off.
Japan Airlines followed suit, saying it would ground its fleet of seven 787s from January 16 until further notice.
This is the latest setback for Boeing and its problem-hit Dreamliner planes.
In recent weeks, Dreamliners have suffered issues including fuel leaks, a cracked cockpit window, brake problems and an electrical fire.
“You’re nearing the tipping point where they need to regard this as a serious crisis,” said Richard Aboulafia, a senior analyst with the Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia.
“This is going to change people’s perception of the aircraft if they don’t act quickly.”
On Wednesday, ANA’s flight NH 692 left Yamaguchi Ube in western Japan at 08:10 local time and headed for Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Shortly after take-off, smoke was seen in the cockpit but not in the passenger compartment, and a strange smell was reported.
ANA says that it does not yet know the source of the smoke and is investigating the problem.
However, it added that the battery in the forward cargo hold was the same type as the one involved in a fire on another Dreamliner at a US airport last week.
The ANA flight landed at Takamatsu airport at 08:47 on Wednesday after the pilot saw an error message in the cockpit.
“There was a battery alert in the cockpit and there was an odd smell detected in the cockpit and cabin, and [the pilot] decided to make an emergency landing,” said Osamu Shinobe, an ANA vice president, at a news conference.
Japan Airlines and ANA have grounded their Boeing 787 Dreamliners after one was forced to make an emergency landing because of battery problems
ANA said that the 129 passengers and eight crew were evacuated, with a number of people sustaining minor injuries.
The Reuters news agency reported that five people were injured, while Bloomberg said that one person was sent to hospital. ANA officials were not immediately available to confirm the figures.
Local television footage showed emergency chutes were deployed from the plane. There were also fire trucks on the runway.
Paul Lewis, a spokesman for Boeing, said the planemaker was “aware of the diversion of a 787 operated by ANA to Takamatsu in western Japan”.
He added that Boeing “will be working with our customer and the appropriate regulatory agencies”.
The concerns have spread beyond Japan, however, not least because the Dreamliner was seen as Boeing’s flagship new aeroplane and had attracted orders from many of the world’s biggest and best-known airlines.
The 787 is said to be one of the most fuel-efficient in the industry, and Boeing delivered 46 Dreamliners to customers in 2012.
Following Wednesday’s landing, India’s aviation regulator said it would review the Dreamliner’s safety and talk to parts makers.
Despite this, the regulator said it had no plans to ground the six Dreamliners that are currently being used by Air India.
Australia’s Qantas Airways said its order for 15 Dreamliners remained on track. Its subsidiary Jetstar is due to take delivery of the first of its aircraft in the second half of this year.
United Airlines is the only US carrier currently flying Dreamliners, and the carrier said it was not taking any immediate action.
Even before Wednesday’s emergency landing, Boeing was facing an inquiry by Japanese and US authorities over its Dreamliner issues.
Last week, the US Federal Aviation Administration started a joint review with Boeing of the design, manufacturing and assembly of the Dreamliner.
On Tuesday, Japanese authorities said they would conduct an inquiry after two successive fuel leaks on a different 787 operated by Japan Airlines.
On January, Japan Airlines reported that a fire broke out on a 787 shortly after it landed in Boston. There have also been reports of brake issues.
“It is not abnormal for new aircraft to have some teething problems,” said Chris de Lavigne of Frost and Sullivan in Singapore.
“There were initial issues with the Airbus A380 as well. Look where it is today; it is flying successfully and everyone seems to be happy with it.”
However, he added that a lot would depend on the outcome of the two investigations.
“If it turns out to be a major issue and requires re-engineering to be done, then you may need to ground some of the planes or even the entire fleet.”
Venezuela’s Vice-President Nicolas Maduro has given the annual state of the nation speech in place of Hugo Chavez, who is still recuperating in Cuba after cancer surgery.
In a brief speech to the National Assembly, Nicolas Maduro pledged loyalty to the president and said Hugo Chavez remained in charge of the country.
Nicolas Maduro also denied that there was a political fight for the succession.
President Hugo Chavez was due to be sworn in on January 10 for a fourth term.
The Supreme Court ruled he could take the oath at a later date, a view challenged by opposition figures.
“There is only one president: Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, supreme commander of the army, commander of the Bolivarian Revolution,” Nicolas Maduro told legislators.
Nicolas Maduro also used his speech to announce that Hugo Chavez had appointed former vice-president Elias Jaua as Venezuela’s new foreign minister.
The post was previously held by Nicolas Maduro.
The vice-president saluted National Assembly president, Diosdado Cabello, and dismissed rumors that they are political rivals.
“They say Cabello and I are fighting. But Cabello and I are united in our heart, in loyalty to a man who has the supreme command of this country.”
Venezuela’s Vice-President Nicolas Maduro has given the annual state of the nation speech in place of Hugo Chavez, who is still recuperating in Cuba after cancer surgery
The vice-president said that his appearance to give the state of the union address was in accordance with the constitution, as Hugo Chavez had been granted leave of absence by the National Assembly.
This view was challenged by some legal experts – they highlight Article 237 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the president should appear “personally” to give the speech within 10 days of the inauguration of the legislature.
The current assembly was sworn in on January 5.
The speech, which in Hugo Chavez’s hands could go on for hours, lasted a matter of minutes with Nicolas Maduro.
President Hugo Chavez underwent a fourth operation for cancer on December 11, and suffered post-operative complications.
Nicolas Maduro told legislators he had met Hugo Chavez in Havana on Monday and that his health was improving.
“He is climbing the hill, he is fighting with his spirit, his vision, his love,” said Nicolas Maduro, adding that Hugo Chavez has been briefed on developments in Venezuela.
Supreme Court justices have ruled that Hugo Chavez, who has been in office since 1999, can be sworn in for another term as president at a later date.
Opposition leaders say the government is riding rough-shod over the constitution and have demanded clarity about who is running the country.
According to the constitution, if a president is permanently incapacitated, the speaker of the National Assembly should take over and elections called within 30 days.
If the absence is temporary, the vice-president assumes charge for a maximum of 180 days.
The United States have strongly criticized Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi for anti-Semitic remarks he apparently made before being elected president.
TV footage shows Mohamed Morsi in 2010 referring to Zionists as “bloodsuckers” and “descendants of apes and pigs”.
US officials want the leader to clarify his “deeply offensive” comments, which they say run counter to Middle East peace efforts.
Egypt receives around $1.5 billion in annual US military and economic aid.
The financial support is linked to Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, which the US considers a cornerstone of regional stability.
The controversy erupted after the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated and released Arabic footage of interviews Mohamed Morsi gave in 2010, as a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In the clip from Palestinian broadcaster Al-Quds TV, Mohamed Morsi referred to Jewish settlers as “occupiers of Palestine” and “warmongers”.
He called for a “military resistance in Palestine against these Zionist criminals assaulting the land of Palestine and Palestinian”.
Mohamed Morsi also denounced the Palestinian Authority, saying it was “created by the Zionists and American enemies for the sole purpose of opposing the will of the Palestinian people.”
The US have strongly criticized Egypt’s Mohamed Morsi for anti-Semitic remarks he apparently made before being elected president
In another interview, Mohamed Morsi urged Egyptians to “nurse our children and grandchildren on hatred”.
The US State Department said the comments should be repudiated.
“We completely reject these statements, as we do with any language that espouses religious hatred,” the department’s spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
“This kind of rhetoric has been used in this region for far too long. It’s counter to the goals of peace.”
The White House called the rhetoric “unacceptable in a democratic Egypt”.
“President Morsi should make clear that he respects people of all faiths,” spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
However, both US officials also highlighted that Mohamed Morsi had shown his commitment to regional peace efforts since taking office in June last year.
The Egyptian leader helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after violence flared up in Gaza in November.
And although he has been openly critical of Israel, Mohamed Morsi also pledged to abide by the peace treaty when he was voted into power.
“What he has been doing is supporting that peace treaty, continuing to work with us and with Israel on common goals, including in Gaza,” Victoria Nuland said.
“But we’ll also judge him by what he says.”
Egypt has been a key US ally since it signed the 1979 peace deal as part of the Camp David Accords.
But observers say fears remain that the new leadership might try to renegotiate the treaty.
“As long as peace and justice are not fulfilled for the Palestinians, then the treaty remains unfulfilled,” Mohamed Morsi told the New York Times shortly after winning the election last year.
Victor Garber has confirmed he has a long-term relationship with Rainer Andreesen.
The Argo actor has never publicly addressed his sexuality, but said he is planning to attend the screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards later this month with long-term partner Rainer Andreesen.
Asked about an entry on his Wikipedia page – which is not official and open to editing by users – that says he lives in New York City with the artist-and-model, the 63-year-old actor told blog Greg in Hollywood: “I don’t really talk about it but everybody knows.
“He’s going to be out here with me for the SAG Awards.”
Victor Garber has confirmed he has a long-term relationship with Rainer Andreesen
Six-time Emmy nominated Victor Garber first acknowledged Rainer Andreesen in an April 2012 interview with Canada’s Forever Young.
He said: “My companion Rainer Andreesen and I have been together almost 13 years in Greenwich Village. We both love New York.”
The former Alias actor can next be seen in NBC drama series Deception and says the drama series is like “dessert” because it is everything he ever wanted.
He said: “I’m a lucky actor, I work. But this is the first series that’s come along since Eli Stone, three years ago, that I really wanted to do.
“It was smart, it was interesting, it was dynamic and it wasn’t like the show was going to rest on me.
“I thought this was the perfect thing at this point in my life. It had everything I like, the complexity of the character, the family drama, all of the duplicity.
“For an actor, it’s like getting a dessert – like getting what you hope for and rarely get.
“I love to work and I love the idea of going to work every day and also the fact that I get to do it in New York. It’s like a gift. I feel like I won the lottery.”
Germany’s economy grew by 0.7 percent in 2012, a sharp slowdown on the previous year
Germany’s economy grew by 0.7% in 2012, a sharp slowdown on the previous year, preliminary figures show.
The figure was well below the 3% growth seen in 2011 and suggests the economy contracted in the fourth quarter.
“In 2012, the German economy proved to be resistant in a difficult economic environment and withstood the European recession,” the federal statistics office Destatis said.
Some analysts believe the German economy will enter recession itself.
Destatis said economic activity “slowed down considerably” in the second half of the year, and particularly in the final quarter.
“The full-year growth figure [of 0.7%] implies a contraction of around half a percentage point in the fourth quarter,” the office’s top statistician Norbert Raeth said.
Last month, Germany’s central bank, the Bundesbank, cut its growth forecast for this year to 0.4% and warned that the economy may have contracted in the final three months of 2012, and may do so again in first quarter of 2013.
The eurozone economy as a whole is already in recession, having contracted in both in the third and fourth quarters of last year.
For 2012 as a whole, Destatis said foreign trade was “very robust”, with exports up 4.1% on 2011. Imports grew by 2.3%. The positive trade balance was “once again the main driving force for economic growth in Germany”.
Household expenditure increased by 0.8%, while government spending was up 1%.
The figures also showed that while the service sector of the economy expanded, industry and construction contracted.
Destatis will publish official fourth-quarter growth figures on February 14.
Dan Brown, the bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, is to release new book Inferno in May.
Inferno it will be the fourth novel in the crime series following Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon.
Dan Brown said he was influenced by Italian poet Dante’s classic work, Inferno, while researching in Florence.
Set in Italy, the book will see Robert Langdon drawn into “a harrowing world centred on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces”.
“Although I studied Dante’s Inferno as a student, it wasn’t until recently that I came to appreciate the enduring influence of Dante’s work on the modern world,” Dan Brown said.
“With this new novel, I am excited to take readers on a journey deep into this mysterious realm…a landscape of codes, symbols, and more than a few secret passageways.”
Dan Brown, the bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, is to release new book Inferno in May
The book’s title was revealed via posts on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook.
Every time fans mentioned the novel, a piece of a mosaic was unlocked which eventually revealed the name.
The image appears to show The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower – otherwise better known as the Duomo – in Florence.
It is not the first time puzzles have featured as part of the marketing campaign for Dan Brown’s novels.
A number of codes, puzzles and teasers were released to coincide with the launch of his last novel, The Lost Symbol.
Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels have sold millions of copies worldwide.
The Da Vinci Code has been translated into 51 languages.
Both The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons have become Hollywood movies, starring Tom Hanks in the title role.
A movie version of The Lost Symbol is still in development.
Facebook has announced a major addition to its social network – a smart search engine it has called graph search.
The feature allows users to make “natural” searches of content shared by their friends.
Search terms could include phrases such as “friends who like Star Wars and Harry Potter”.
Founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg insisted it was not a web search, and therefore not a direct challenge to Google.
However, it was integrating Microsoft’s Bing search engine for situations when graph search itself could not find answers.
Mark Zuckerberg said he “did not expect” people to start flocking to Facebook to do web search.
“That isn’t the intent,” he said.
“But in the event you can’t find what you’re looking for, it’s really nice to have this.”
Earlier speculation had suggested that the world’s biggest social network was about to make a long-anticipated foray into Google’s search territory.
“We’re not indexing the web,” explained Mark Zuckerberg at an event at Facebook’s headquarters in California.
“We’re indexing our map of the graph – the graph is really big and its constantly changing.”
Facebook has announced a major addition to its social network, a smart search engine it has called graph search
In Facebook’s terms, the social graph is the name given to the collective pool of information shared between friends that are connected via the site.
It includes things such as photos, status updates, location data as well as the things they have “liked”.
Until now, Facebook’s search had been highly criticized for being limited and ineffective.
The company’s revamped search was demonstrated to be significantly more powerful. In one demo, Facebook developer Tom Stocky showed a search for queries such as “friends of friends who are single in San Francisco”.
The same technology could be used for recruitment, he suggested, using graph search to find people who fit criteria for certain jobs – as well as mutual connections.
Such queries are a key function of LinkedIn, the current dominant network for establishing professional connections.
“We look at Facebook as a big social database,” said Mr Zuckerberg, adding that social search was Facebook’s “third pillar” and stood beside the news feed and timeline as the foundational elements of the social network.
Perhaps mindful of privacy concerns highlighted by recent misfires on policies for its other services such as Instagram, Facebook stressed that it had put limits on the search system.
“On graph search, you can only see content that people have shared with you,” developer Lars Rasmussen, who was previously the co-founder of Google Maps, told reporters.
Mark Little, principal analyst at research firm Ovum, said he was “underwhelmed” by the announcement.
“I think probably people were looking for something a little bit more strategic,” he said, adding that graph search might well be a bridge to a more comprehensive search offering in the future.
“On the plus side I think it’s going to help drive connections within the network between individuals and between companies and pages,” he said.
“If you are increasing connections between friends and pages you are effectively increasing the reach of advertisers.”
In his demonstration, Tom Stocky showed how graph search could help any attempt to go back over old content that a user may want removed. For instance, it could let someone use search queries – such as pictures taken at a certain location, such as a night club – and untag them en masse.
Mark Zuckerberg said that graph search would launch immediately as a beta test, and would roll out “very slowly”. The tool will be usable from the blue banner that sits at the top of every Facebook page.
“We’re going to put an encouragement on the home screen of everyone’s account so that everyone has the chance to look through these tools.
“We’re going to do this before graph search is fully rolled out.”
He added that external developers would eventually have access to the data in graph search – but access wasn’t available yet.
“There’s a very long list of things that we didn’t do for version one. We have years and years of work ahead of us.”
Cuban health ministry has confirmed a cholera outbreak in Havana with 51 people infected – the biggest incidence of the disease there in decades.
An official statement said health workers had detected an increase in “watery diarrhoea” in some districts, which has been established as cholera.
The source has been identified as a foodseller who caught cholera during a previous outbreak in eastern Cuba.
Doctors have been going house to house in Havana areas, checking for symptoms.
The official confirmation follows several days of speculation about an upsurge in diarrhoea in the capital, where a 46-year-old man died of suspected cholera earlier this month.
In the central Havana district of Cerro, where the outbreak is believed to have begun, cafes and restaurants have been closed and only the sale of sealed food and drink is permitted.
Cuban health ministry has confirmed a cholera outbreak in Havana with 51 people infected
The outbreak was detected on January 6. According to the health ministry, measures taken since then mean the disease is in its “extinction phase”.
People are being urged to take care with hygiene and in the preparation of food.
Cholera is carried by contaminated water or food. It causes severe dehydration through diarrhoea and can prove fatal if untreated.
Until last July, Cuba had not experienced any significant outbreak since well before the 1959 revolution.
Oprah Winfrey has revealed Lance Armstrong “did not come clean in the way I expected” about claims he used performance-enhancing drugs.
The chat host did not go into details of their lengthy interview but said she had been “satisfied” with Lance Armstrong’s answers.
The questions “people around the world have been waiting to hear were answered”, Oprah winfrey told CBS news.
Lance Armstrong, 41, who has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, has thus far vehemently denied dope allegations.
But rumors have been circulating for some time that Lance Armstrong wants to come clean in order to return to professional sport.
Lance Armstrong was accused last year by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) of what it called “the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping programme” the sport had ever seen.
He is now said to be discussing whether to testify against sport officials.
Oprah Winfrey told CBS that the two-and-a-half hour interview in Lance Armstrong’s home town of Austin, Texas, would be broadcast over two nights, starting on Thursday.
She said she had taken 112 questions into her interview with him, most of which she got to ask.
Lance Armstrong was “serious and thoughtful”, had prepared well for the interview, and “met the moment”, she said.
“At the end of it… we both were pretty exhausted. And I would say I was satisfied,” she said.
“I would say he did not come clean in the manner that I expected,” she said in response to a question.
“It was surprising to me. I would say that for myself, my team, all of us in the room, we were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers.”
“I didn’t get all the questions asked, but I think the most important questions and the answers that people around the world have been waiting to hear were answered,” Oprah Winfrey said.
She would leave it to others to decide whether he was contrite, she went on to say.
Oprah Winfrey has revealed Lance Armstrong did not come clean in the way she expected” about claims he used performance-enhancing drugs
Oprah Winfrey told CBS that she had agreed with Lance Armstrong and his team that they would not talk about what had been said until the broadcast, but rumors of a confession quickly began circulating in the US media.
“By the time I left Austin and landed in Chicago, you all had already confirmed it. So I’m like – how did you all do that? We all agreed that we weren’t going to say anything,” she said.
“I’m sitting here now because it’s already been confirmed.”
When asked why Lance Armstrong had agreed to the interview, Oprah Winfrey said: “I think he was just ready.”
The interview was recorded just hours after Lance Armstrong apologized to staff at the Livestrong Foundation but stopped short of a full admission of guilt.
Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, lost most of his sponsorships and was forced to leave Livestrong after the damning USADA report.
Admitting doping might be a first step into trying to mitigate his lifetime ban from competition. Lance Armstrong is also said to be planning to testify against powerful individuals in the world of cycling – though not other cyclists – he will claim knew about or facilitated the doping, sources said.
But an admission of guilt would raise legal issues as well as further backlash from the cycling world and cancer community, in which Lance Armstrong is a prominent figure as a cancer survivor.
The New York Times has reported Lance Armstrong’s supporters are concerned he could face perjury charges if he confesses to using performance-enhancing drugs, because he testified in a 2005 court case that he had never done so.
Former teammate Floyd Landis – who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title for doping – has filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit accusing Armstrong of defrauding the US Postal Service, which sponsored the team to the tune of more than $30 million.
The US Department of Justice is considering whether to join the lawsuit against him, reports say, and Lance Armstrong’s lawyers are said to be in negotiations to settle the suit.
The UK’s Sunday Times is already suing Lance Armstrong for up to $1.6 million over a libel payment to him in 2004 after the newspaper alleged he had cheated.
And a Texan insurance company is pursuing Lance Armstrong for $11 million over insured performance bonuses paid to the American after he claimed his fourth, fifth and sixth Tour de France victories.
More than fifty people have been killed by two blasts in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, activists and officials say.
The explosions reportedly struck an area between the University of Aleppo’s halls of residence and the architecture faculty on the first day of exams.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 52, but Aleppo’s governor said 82 people had died.
State TV said “terrorists” had launched rockets at the campus, but activists blamed missiles fired by warplanes.
In almost two years of fighting in Syria, Aleppo has been the scene of intense conflict between government and opposition forces.
However, neither side has been able to force the other to retreat for good, says the BBC’s James Reynolds in neighboring Turkey.
Video footage of the aftermath of the explosions in Syria’s second city showed the facade of one of the university residences blown away.
Burned-out vehicles and bodies could be seen on the street outside, while tearful survivors were shown taking refuge in a nearby building.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said at least 52 people had been killed, but added that the figure might rise dramatically because dozens were in a critical condition in hospital.
The explosions reportedly struck an area between the University of Aleppo’s halls of residence and the architecture faculty on the first day of exams
The governor of Aleppo, Mohammed Wahid Akkad, told the AFP news agency that so far 82 had died and more than 160 were wounded.
Mohammed Wahid Akkad blamed a “terrorist attack that targeted students on their first day of exams”.
A military source told AFP that a stray surface-to-air missile fired by rebels had hit the campus, which lies in a government-controlled area of the city. The nearest rebel-held area is more than a mile away.
However, no rebel group has said it was behind the blasts, and opposition activists said government had sent fighter jets to bomb the campus.
The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), an opposition activist network, posted a link to an online video which purported to show warplanes bombing the campus.
It showed students walking quickly away from the university after the first explosion. The camera then shakes to the sound of another explosion and people begin running.
“The warplanes of this criminal regime do not respect a mosque, a church or a university,” a student who gave his name as Abu Tayem told the Reuters news agency.
Rebels have previously carried out bombings against government targets in Aleppo. In October, at least 34 people were killed in a series of bombings in the city’s main square.
The United Nations says more than 60,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.
Meanwhile, Russia has rejected a request from more than 50 countries to have the UN Security Council refer the conflict in Syria to the International Criminal Court, calling the initiative “ill-timed and counterproductive”.
Kim Kardashian has revealed that her unplanned pregnancy was more than just a happy accident – as she has “fertility issues”.
“Khloe has been very open about her fertility issues and I think I was always really kind of quiet about mine, and I have similar issues,” Kim Kardashian told the Today Show.
Kim Kardashian’s younger sister Khloe has openly talked about her failure to conceive during three years of marriage, with initial fertility tests revealing she was not ovulating.
Meanwhile Kim Kardashian has been dating her boyfriend Kanye West for nine months and is expecting their baby in July.
Kim Kardashian, 32, explained of her pregnancy: “It was a pleasant surprise when so many doctors were telling me one thing and then the opposite happens.”
The reality star said she found it hard to believe she was really going to be a mother.
“I think until I really start seeing, like, a belly, it won’t really sink in. It’s just like a weird realization until you really start seeing the physical changes, um, and every day’s different.”
However, there is one thing disrupting Kim Kardashian’s perfect life – her failed marriage to Kris Humphries.
Despite filing for divorce from the basketball player after just 72 days in 2011, the two have yet to finalize their divorce.
Kris Humphries has refused to sign papers ending the marriage.
Kim Kardashian has revealed that her unplanned pregnancy was more than just a happy accident as she has fertility issues
On the Today Show Kim Kardashian explained: “I can’t speak for anyone else [about why Kris Humphries hasn’t signed]. It’s a process. … It’s happening, hopefully.”
She also talked about the possibility of a third marriage, to her rapper boyfriend Kanye West.
“It’s something that we talk about, but I think it’s just, right now, focusing on the baby,” said Kim Kardashian.
“[I’m] so content with how things are right now. And how life is and we’re so happy. We definitely want that in the future, but I’m not in a rush.
“What I’ve learned in life is – I was always such a planner, and… you think your life is going to be a certain way, and the best surprises just happen when you don’t plan.”
The baby news was made public when Kanye West, 35, announced it on stage during a concert on December 30.
While Kim Kardashian was surprised he announced her pregnancy, she was happy for him to do so.
She said: “Once you’re past the three-month mark, you’re pretty safe, so he just kind of goes off with what he feels and he was feeling it that night.”
Kim Kardashian wore a black dress which showed off her toned legs for her TV interview. She was with her sister Kourtney, who wore a clinging leather dress as they promoted their reality show Kourtney And Kim Take Miami.
It was hard work for Kim Kardashian, who tweeted: “Got 2.5 hours of sleep! I can never sleep my 1st night in NYC. Off to do the Today Show soon, the Kelly & Michael with @KourtneyKardash!”
After their early morning spot on the Today Show the sisters moved on to film Live With Kelly And Michael.
They switched their black outfits for more colorful creations, with Kim Kardashian choosing a yellow dress, teamed with red lipstick, and Kourtney a red patterned blouse and white jeans.
She might be expecting, but Kim Kardashian looked as on trend as ever in her peplum dress with side cut outs and nude court shoes.
A surge in research into the novel material graphene reveals an intensifying global contest to lead a potential industrial revolution.
Latest figures show a sharp rise in patents filed to claim rights over different aspects of graphene since 2007, with a further spike last year.
China leads the field as the country with the most patents.
The South Korean electronics giant Samsung stands out as the company with most to its name.
The figures, compiled by a UK-based patent consultancy, CambridgeIP, highlight how the UK, which pioneered research into graphene, may be falling behind its rivals.
Only identified in 2004, graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms making it the thinnest material ever created and offering huge promise for a host of applications from IT to energy to medicine.
Flexible touchscreens, lighting within walls and enhanced batteries are among the likely first applications.
Early work on graphene by two Russian scientists at the University of Manchester, Andrei Geim and Konstantin Novosolev, earned them a shared Nobel Prize in 2010 and then knighthoods.
The material – described as being far stronger than diamond, much more conductive than copper and as flexible as rubber – is now at the heart of a worldwide contest to exploit its properties and develop techniques to commercialize it.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced further funding for graphene research last month, bringing the total of UK government support to more than £60 million ($96 million).
But the tally of patents – an essential first step to turning a profit from a substance still based in the lab – shows how intense the worldwide competition has become.
A surge in research into the novel material graphene reveals an intensifying global contest to lead a potential industrial revolution
According to new figures from CambridgeIP, there were 7,351 graphene patents and patent applications across the world by the end of last year – a remarkably high number for a material only recognized for less than a decade.
Of that total, Chinese institutions and corporations have the most with 2,200 – the largest number of any country and clear evidence of Chinese determination to capitalize on graphene’s future value.
The US ranks second with 1,754 patents. The UK, which kickstarted the field with the original research back in 2004, has only 54 – of which 16 are held by Manchester University.
UK science minister David Willetts, who has identified graphene as a national research priority, said the figures show that “we need to raise our game”.
“It’s the classic problem of Britain inventing something and other countries developing it.”
Most striking of all the figures is that the South Korean electronics giant Samsung leads the corporate field with an immense total 407 patents. America’s IBM is second with 134.
The chairman of CambridgeIP, Quentin Tannock, said: “There’s incredible interest around the world – and from 2007 onwards we see a massive spike in filings all over the world particularly in the USA Asia and Europe.”
But he warned that despite the British government’s support, there was a serious risk that the UK may lose out.
“Britain has got a reputation for being very canny, having very good inventors, so the race isn’t over.
“But my concern is that in Britain there isn’t an appreciation of just how competitive the race for value in graphene is internationally, and just how focused and well resourced how competitors are.
“And that leads to a risk that we might underinvest in graphene as an area and that therefore we might look back in 20 years’ time with hindsight and say <<that was wonderful, we got a lot of value, but we didn’t get as much as we should have done>>.”
The head of graphene research at the National University of Singapore confirmed to me that the material is now the subject of an intense contest.
Professor Antonio Castro Neto said: “It’s extremely competitive not only from the point of view of science… but also from a business point of view because many companies are starting to operate and sell graphene and graphene-related things.”
He believes that Britain still has “the potential to compete and be as big as what’s happening here in Asia”.
“But Asia, especially Singapore, started early. They had the vision to start early – but we still have to see what’s going to happen. There are lots of things going on and it will take time to find out who is going to win the race,” he explained.
However, one of the scientists behind the original work on graphene, Professor Andrei Geim, told me that many Western companies lack the ability to pursue research.
“Industry is more worried not about what can be done, but what competitors are doing – they’re afraid of losing the race.
“There is a huge gap between academia and industry and this gap has broadened during the last few decades after the end of Cold War, so I try as much as I can to reach to the industry.
“This is what has happened in last 30-40 years. We killed famous labs like Bell labs. Companies have slimmed down so they can no longer afford top research institutes. If something is happening in Korea it’s because Samsung have an institute – there is nothing like that in this country.
“They can’t see beyond a 10-year horizon and graphene is beyond this horizon.”
European efforts may get a boost later this month when the European Commission announces the winners of a prize of one billion euros over 10 years for scientific research.
One of the six shortlisted entrants is a consortium of researchers under the banner Graphene Flagship.
And David Willetts, pointing to BP’s commitment to establish a $100 million graphene research facility in Manchester, said Britain could become “a world centre for graphene research” and attract more investment – but he admitted it was a difficult challenge.
Graphene
Graphene is a form of carbon that exists as a sheet, one atom thick
Atoms are arranged into a two-dimensional honeycomb structure
Discovery of graphene announced in 2004 by the journal Science
About 100 times stronger than steel; conducts electricity better than copper
Touted as possible replacement for silicon in electronics
About 1% of graphene mixed into plastics could make them conductive
Thousands of healthy women could be offered powerful breast cancer drugs to cut their chances of contracting the disease.
New guidelines suggest the drugs raloxifene (Evista) or tamoxifen (Nolvadex, Istubal or Valodex) could offer as much as 20 years of protection for those considered at high risk of cancer.
The aim is to slash the odds of developing breast cancer in the first place – just as statins are given to patients to stave off heart disease.
Even women judged to be at “moderate” risk of the disease in the next ten years, due to genetic or family history, could be given daily medication.
Charities have hailed the new guidance as an “historic step” in the treatment of breast cancer.
Tamoxifen has been used to treat the illness for more than 30 years, saving the lives of hundreds of thousands at a cost of just a few pennies a day, although newer drugs are proving even more effective.
International trials show it reduces the risk of the most common kind of breast cancer by one third after five years, with the preventative effect lasting up to 20 years.
The guidelines are released today by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the watchdog responsible for advising the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) on good practice.
New guidelines suggest the drugs raloxifene or tamoxifen could offer as much as 20 years of protection for those considered at high risk of breast cancer
Women would take the drugs for five years either before or after menopause.
Currently in the UK, high-risk women can be offered annual MRI scans from the age of 40 and may decide to have preventative surgery, including mastectomies (the removal of their breasts).
The guidance says that more women at higher than average risk should be offered surveillance at a younger age to detect the disease earlier.
The risk of breast cancer in the general population is one in eight – but this rises to one in three for women at high risk and one in four for those at moderate risk.
In the U.S., nearly 300,000 cases of breast cancer are reported each year.
More than two-thirds of those cases
Almost 50,000 women a year are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Women with faulty genes such as BRCA1, BRCA2 and TP53 are among those who have a more than 80 per cent chance of being diagnosed with the disease.
Both tamoxifen and the osteoporosis drug raloxifene, which is used after menopause, are licensed in the U.S. for breast cancer prevention but are not widely taken up, partly because of concerns about possible side effects.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence says the drugs are being recommended because they have “good evidence” behind them.
Breast cancer specialist Professor Michael Baum said the drugs were a “reasonable option” for women at high risk because of evidence that they cut the death rate.
He said: “I don’t think women or doctors will be deterred from using them by the lack of a license.
“NICE’s support for preventive drugs could encourage clinicians, it will give them more confidence when talking to women at high risk about their options.”
France’s President Francois Hollande says more French troops are to be deployed in Mali to support the 750 in the country countering an Islamist insurgency.
Francois Hollande said new air strikes overnight had “achieved their goal”. One target was the town of Diabaly, which rebels entered on Monday.
West African military chiefs will meet in Mali on Tuesday to discuss how an alliance with the French will work.
France began its intervention on Friday to halt the Islamists’ advance south.
Late on Monday, the UN Security Council unanimously backed the intervention.
Francois Hollande, on a visit to the French regional military base known as Peace Camp in Abu Dhabi, said: “For now, we have 750 men and the number will increase. New strikes overnight achieved their goal.”
He said that assembling an African military force to work with the French troops could take a “good week”.
Francois Hollande told RFI radio: “We are confident about the speed with which we will be able to stop the aggressors, the enemy, these terrorists.”
The French contingent is expected to rise to 2,500 in the coming weeks.
Witnesses in Diabaly, 400 km (250 miles) north-east of Mali’s capital, Bamako, said there had been heavy air strikes overnight to try to dislodge Islamists who had taken the town from Malian forces on Monday.
President Francois Hollande says more French troops are to be deployed in Mali to support the 750 in the country countering an Islamist insurgency
However, Francois Hollande said the Islamists had not captured it, but were merely hiding there “to protect themselves”, adding: “They will be chased out.”
One visitor, Ibrahim Toure, told Associated Press: “They bombed the town all night long. I am hiding inside a house. It only stopped at around 06:00.”
One Malian security source told Agence France-Presse news agency that “at least five Islamists were killed and many injured”.
Some 30 French tanks and armored troop transport vehicles also crossed into Mali from Ivory Coast on Monday, with a helicopter escort, witnesses said.
Nigeria is set to lead the regional force, supplying 600 troops. Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Senegal and Togo have also pledged soldiers. Britain has deployed troop plane transporters.
The African force will be deployed under UN Security Council resolution 2085, which was passed in December and allows for a 3,000-strong mission.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says there will be a donor meeting towards the end of January to discuss the funding of the anti-Islamist intervention.
He also denied the French intervention would boost al-Qaeda recruitment.
“It’s not encouraging terrorism to combat terrorism,” he said.
French war planes have carried out a series of air strikes since the intervention began on Friday.
Islamists are reported to have withdrawn from the major towns of Timbuktu and Gao.
One spokesman for the Ansar Dine militant group, Senda Ould Boumama, said the withdrawal was a “tactical retreat” to reduce civilian casualties.
One resident of Timbuktu told AFP: “The mujahideen have left. They are really scared.”
However, one spokesman for the Islamist group, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, told AP: “I would advise France not to sing their victory song too quickly. They managed to leave Afghanistan. They will never leave Mali.”
On Monday, the UN Security Council convened in New York for an emergency meeting at France’s request.
France’s UN ambassador Gerard Araud said his country had the “understanding and support” of the 14 other Security Council members.
A meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday will discuss EU involvement.
At least 11 Malian soldiers and a French helicopter pilot have died in Mali since Friday’s intervention. More than 100 militants are reported to have been killed.
Islamist groups and secular Tuareg rebels took advantage of chaos following a military coup to seize northern Mali in April 2012.
But the Islamists soon took control of the region’s major towns, sidelining the Tuaregs.
Pakistani Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and 15 others over corruption allegations.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf denies accepting bribes when approving power generation projects as minister for water and power in 2010.
Analysts say that the move is unlikely to lead to his immediate removal.
It comes as populist cleric Tahirul Qadri led thousands of protesters in Islamabad, demanding the resignation of the government.
Television images showed protesters celebrating and triumphantly applauding as news broke of the court’s order.
It may just be a coincidence – but to many observers the timing of the move bolsters allegations that the cleric is backed by elements of the judiciary and military.
In recent years Pakistan’s government, judiciary and powerful military have been at loggerheads.
Pakistani Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and 15 others over corruption allegations
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, was forced out as prime minister last June after a court convicted him of contempt for failing to pursue another corruption case against the president.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was appointed in his place, but analysts predicted that his tenure would also be troubled.
After more than a decade of denying doping claims, cyclist Lance Armstrong has admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs to help him win seven Tour de France titles, sources revealed Monday evening.
A person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press that Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview taping with the Queen of Talk, which is slated to air on Thursday, January 17, on her network.
Lance Armstrong was stripped of all seven Tour titles last year in the wake of a voluminous U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report that portrayed him as a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race.
A group of about 10 close friends and advisers to Lance Armstrong left a downtown Austin hotel about three hours after they arrived Monday afternoon for the taping.
Among them were Lance Armstrong attorneys Tim Herman and Sean Breen, along with Bill Stapleton, Armstrong’s longtime agent, manager and business partner.
All declined comment entering and exiting the session.
Soon afterward, Oprah Winfrey tweeted: “Just wrapped with (at)lancearmstrong More than 2 1/2 hours. He came READY!”
Oprah was scheduled to appear on CBS This Morning on Tuesday to discuss the interview.
In a text to the AP on Saturday, Lance Armstrong said: “I told her [Oprah Winfrey] to go wherever she wants and I’ll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. That’s all I can say.”
Lance Armstrong stopped at the Livestrong Foundation, which he founded, on his way to the interview and said, ‘I’m sorry’ to staff members, some of whom broke down in tears.
A person with knowledge of that session said Lance Armstrong choked up and several employees cried during the session.
The person also said Lance Armstrong apologized for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to using banned drugs.
He said he would try to restore the foundation’s reputation, and urged the group to continue fighting for the charity’s mission of helping cancer patients and their families.
After more than a decade of denying doping claims, cyclist Lance Armstrong has admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs to help him win seven Tour de France titles
Rae Bazzarre, a spokeswoman for Livestrong said it was emotional “but we were all glad to see him”.
Lance Armstrong had not been at the headquarters since October 21, Rae Bazzarre said, about two weeks before he resigned from Livestrong’s board of directors.
USADA chief executive Travis Tygart labeled the doping regimen allegedly carried out by the U.S. Postal Service team that Armstrong once led, “The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen”.
After a federal investigation of the cyclist was dropped without charges being brought last year, USADA stepped in with an investigation of its own.
The agency deposed 11 former teammates and accused Lance Armstrong of masterminding a complex and brazen drug program that included steroids, blood boosters and a range of other performance-enhancers.
The interview with Oprah Winfrey will be Lance Armstrong’s first public response to the USADA report.
Lance Armstrong is not expected to provide a detailed account about his involvement, nor address in depth many of the specific allegations in the more than 1,000-page USADA report.
After he was stripped of his Tour titles, Lance Armstrong defiantly tweeted a picture of himself on a couch at home with all seven of the yellow leader’s jerseys on display in frames behind him.
But the preponderance of evidence in the USADA report and pending legal challenges on several fronts apparently forced him to change tactics, and he still faces legal challenges.
He is planning to testify against several powerful people in the sport of cycling who knew about his doping and possibly facilitated it, said several people with knowledge of the situation, according to The New York Times.
Lance Armstrong is in discussions with the United States Department of Justice to possibly testify in a federal whistle-blower case.
Former teammate Floyd Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for doping, has filed a federal whistle-blower lawsuit that accused Armstrong of defrauding the U.S. Postal Service.
Floyd Landis claimed the team defrauded the government because its riders used performance-enhancing drugs in violation of its sponsorship contract.
The Justice Department has yet to decide whether it will join the suit as a plaintiff.
The London-based Sunday Times also is suing Lance Armstrong to recover about $500,000 it paid him to settle a libel lawsuit.
On Sunday, the newspaper took out a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune, offering Oprah Winfrey suggestions for what questions to ask Lance Armstrong.
Dallas-based SCA Promotions, which tried to deny Lance Armstrong a promised bonus for a Tour de France win, has threatened to bring yet another lawsuit seeking to recover more than $7.5 million an arbitration panel awarded the cyclist in that dispute.
The lawsuit most likely to be influenced by a confession might be the Sunday Times case.
Potential perjury charges stemming from Lance Armstrong’s sworn testimony in the 2005 arbitration fight would not apply because of the statute of limitations. Lance Armstrong was not deposed during the federal investigation that was closed last year.
Many of his sponsors dropped Lance Armstrong after the damning USADA report – at the cost of tens of millions of dollars – and soon after, he left the board of the Livestrong cancer-fighting charity he founded in 1997. Lance Armstrong is still said to be worth about $100 million.
Livestrong could be one reason Lance Armstrong has decided to come forward with an apology and limited confession.
The charity supports cancer patients and still faces an image problem because of its association with lance Armstrong.
He may be hoping that his willingness to testify against the cycling union officials and his former team’s officials and his confession will allow him to return to competition in the elite triathlon or running events he participated in after his cycling career.
World Anti-Doping Code rules state his lifetime ban cannot be reduced to less than eight years.
WADA and U.S. Anti-Doping officials could agree to reduce the ban further depending on what information Lance Armstrong provides and his level of cooperation
He had a meeting last month with USADA officials, and it was reported by The New York Times that people with knowledge of the discussions said the officials would be willing to reduce Lance Armstrong’s punishment if he would testify against the people who helped him dope.
Jodie Foster plans to tell her beloved sons who their father is when they turn 21, the mother of the star’s best friend claimed today.
Jodie Foster, 50, was the talk of the Golden Globes on Sunday night as she openly discussed her sexuality and made a moving tribute to her former girlfriend and co-parent Cydney Bernard.
And watching on proudly were her two sons, Charles, 14, and Kit, 12, whose paternity has never been revealed.
Reverend Beverly Bates, 75, revealed that her son, the late Hollywood producer Randy Stone, who is rumored to be the boys’ real father, treated them as if they were his own.
She said: “Randy told me that Jodie said she’ll tell the boys who their father is when they’re 21.
“He said he could never tell me because Jodie was his best friend. He said <<mom, I can’t discuss this with you>>, he told me he had had to sign documents, it was a secret he took to his grave, that was how much he loved Jodie.
“He said <<I can’t break my promise to Jodie>> – and he kept his promise to her.”
Jodie Foster plans to tell her beloved sons who their father is when they turn 21, the mother of the star’s best friend claimed today
Jodie Foster spoke out while accepting the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles, while her boys and Cydney, 59, looked on.
The star remained close with Randy Stone, an Oscar and Emmy winning producer and prominent gay rights activist, up until his death from heart failure in February 2007, and referred to him as her “best friend” at the Oscars in 2007.
Speaking from her home in Hawaii, Rev. Beverly Bates added: “I would love to know if Randy is the boys’ father, I personally think he gave Jodie the gift, but she will never tell me.
“And Randy made an agreement with Jodie that he would never tell. I know the boys have red hair and freckles, that’s not from our family – but Jodie’s side.
“To the boys he was <<Uncle Randy>>. He took them everywhere with him and cared for them as if they were his own.
“When Jodie went away on location, he moved in and helped Cyd look after them. He was their father figure.”
Describing Jodie Foster as a “beautiful mother”, Rev. Beverly Bates said the star wanted to keep the boys’ paternity a secret after being left haunted by John Hinckley’s bid assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 – which he claimed he plotted to impress her.
Randy Stone served as executive producer for the film Little Man Tate, Jodie Foster’s directorial debut.
Rev. Beverly Bates, who had spent Christmas at Jodie Foster’s house before, said the last she knew Jodie had been dating a South American athlete.
David Wilson, the live-in boyfriend of troubled country singer Mindy McCready, shot himself in his Arkansas home on Sunday night.
New sheriff reports reveal that David Wilson, 34, was found in his house in Heber Springs with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and he was transported to the local hospital but declared dead shortly after.
Mindy McCready, who has publicly struggled with drug problems, described her live-in boyfriend as her “soul mate” and “life partner” as she announced his death on Sunday.
The official Cleburne County Sheriff’s department confirmed that police and emergency services responded to a call at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Sunday though it is unclear who made the call.
The scene is a familiar one to police, as David Wilson was found shot in the same house where Mindy McCready was discovered hiding in a closet in December 2011 with her elder son Zander after a nationwide manhunt as part of a long custody dispute.
Zander was taken from Mindy McCready’s arms and placed in foster care.
Mindy McCready’s mother and step-father had legal custody of him at the time, following McCready’s lengthy and public battle with drug addiction.
It’s unclear whether Zander is living with Mindy McCready, if he has been returned to his grandparents and if he remains in foster care.
David Wilson is the father of Mindy McCready’s younger son, Zayne, who was born in April.
“Today, we mourn the loss of my life partner and my children’s father, David Wilson,” Mindy McCready said in a statement she released.
“David was my soulmate; he was a caregiver and guiding hand to our sons, Zander and Zayne.
“He was a precious gift from God to all of us and, yesterday, he returned home and is now with his mother and father. David loved and he was loved.
“Those who knew and loved him will miss him; those who did not know David missed the opportunity to know a truly loving and gifted man.”
David Wilson, the live-in boyfriend of troubled country singer Mindy McCready, shot himself in his Arkansas home on Sunday night
The police report says that emergency services arrived at David Wilson’s house on Fox Chase Road at 6:15 p.m. and transported him to nearby Baptist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:00 p.m.
No criminal charges have been filed but the investigation is ongoing.
Mindy McCready’s father Timothy said that the family were still coming to terms with their loss.
The house on Fox Chase Road became the center of the custody battle between Mindy and her parents after she kidnapped her elder son and hid out in the house that was then-owned by her father Timothy McCready. News reports said at the time that neither the singer nor David Wilson- who was found in the house with her- were allowed to be on the property.
The house has since legally changed hands, and is now owned by a relative of David Wilson’s.
David Wilson is said to be a record producer and songwriter, though it is unclear who he worked with specifically.
Mindy McCready rose to fame in 1996 with her hit country song Ten Thousand Angels. Her album of the same name went double platinum – though that marked the peak of her career.
She struggled with arrests and drug addiction after her career began to faded in the late 1990s.
She was dropped by BNA Records in after her 1999 album had disappointing sales and then dropped by Capitol Records in after her 2002 record suffered the same fate.
Mindy McCready was arrested in Tennessee in 2004 and pleaded guilty to using a fake prescription to buy the painkiller OxyContin.
She was arrested in Nashville in May 2005 for drunk driving and driving with a suspended license after she was stopped for speeding. Two months later, Mindy McCready was charged with identity theft, unlawful use of transportation, unlawful imprisonment, and hindering prosecution in Arizona.
She was arrested twice, in 2005, 2007 and 2008, for violating the term of her probation.
In July 2007, Mindy McCready was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida and charged with fighting with her mother.
In 2005 and 2008, Mindy McCready was hospitalized for attempting suicide. She was taken to the hospital in 2010 for a drug overdose, as well.
Mindy McCready has been mounting a comeback in recent years, though. Her 2010 album I’m Still Here was praised by critics for her vocal prowess.
She also appeared on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew as she attempted to work out her drug issues.
On the show’s website, VH1 made references to her personal problems and even pegged the root of her troubles on her relationships.
Mindy McCready’s biography on the show’s page says: “Although she was arrested and jailed for trying to buy OxyContin with a false prescription and attempted suicide with an overdose of drugs and alcohol, Mindy believes her only true addiction is to violent relationships.”
Nadia Eweida, a British Airways employee, suffered discrimination at work over her Christian beliefs, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled.
Judges ruled Nadia Eweida’s rights had been violated under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
She took her case to the European Court of Human Rights after BA made her stop wearing a cross visibly.
Judges ruled that the rights of three other Christians had not been violated by their employers.
They brought cases against the government for not protecting their rights but ministers, who contested the claims, argued that the rights of the employees were only protected in private.
British Airways said: “Our own uniform policy was changed in 2007 to allow Miss Eweida and others to wear symbols of faith and she and other employees have been working under these arrangements for the last six years.
“Miss Eweida has worked continuously for British Airways for 13 years.”
Following the rulings, Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “delighted” that the “principle of wearing religious symbols at work has been upheld”, adding that people “shouldn’t suffer discrimination due to religious beliefs”.
And the Archbishop of York said Christians and those of other faiths “should be free to wear the symbols of their own religion without discrimination”.
The other cases involved nurse Shirley Chaplin, 57, whose employer also stopped her wearing necklaces with a cross, Gary McFarlane, 51 – a marriage counsellor fired after saying he might object to giving sex therapy advice to gay couples – and registrar Lillian Ladele, who was disciplined after she refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies.
All four lost separate employment tribunals relating to their beliefs and made individual applications to the court, but their cases are being heard together.
Nadia Eweida, a British Airways employee, suffered discrimination at work over her Christian beliefs, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled
Nadia Eweida, 60, was banned from displaying her white gold cross at work.
The four Christians claimed their employers’ actions went against articles nine and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protected their rights to “freedom of thought, conscience and religion” and prohibited religious discrimination.
Nadia Eweida, a Coptic Christian from Twickenham in south-west London, was asked to leave her job in 2006 after refusing to remove her cross.
An employment tribunal found she had not been subjected to religious discrimination.
BA had already altered its uniform code, prior to the tribunal, to allow symbols of faith, including crosses.
Lillian Ladele was disciplined by Islington Council, in north London, after saying she did not want to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies. Her lawyers said the service could have been performed by other employees who were prepared to carry them out.
The Christian Institute said it was “disappointed” by the ruling, adding that it showed Christians with traditional beliefs about marriage were “at risk of being left out in the cold”.
Gary McFarlane, a Bristol relationship counsellor, worked for the Avon branch of national charity Relate but was sacked for gross misconduct in 2008 after saying on a training course he might have an objection to discussing sexual problems with gay couples.
He said the decision taken by European judges in his case was “a regrettable judgment” for all faiths, not just Christians, and said he would discuss his next move with his lawyers.
Shirley Chaplin, from Exeter, was transferred to a desk job by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust Hospital for failing to remove a confirmation crucifix on a small chain, which she had worn to work for 30 years.
Following the rulings, Archbishop of York Dr. John Sentamu released a statement in which he said: “Christians and those of other faiths should be free to wear the symbols of their own religion without discrimination.
“Christians are not obliged to wear a cross but should be free to show their love for and trust in Jesus Christ in this way if they so wish.”
He said the Equality Act 2010 “encourages employers to embrace diversity – including people of faith”, adding: “Whether people can wear a cross or pray with someone should not be something about which courts and tribunals have to rule.”
Keith Porteous-Wood, of the National Secular Society, said his organization was “absolutely delighted” about the rulings because it wanted to make sure “we don’t end up with a hierarchy of rights with religion at the top”.
He said the idea that there was a form of ban on wearing crosses was “absolutely risible” because hundreds of thousands of people wear crosses around the UK “with no problem at all”.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, said the judgment was “an excellent result for equal treatment, religious freedom and common sense”.
She said British courts had “lost their way” in Nadia Eweida’s case and “Strasbourg has actually acted more in keeping with our traditions of tolerance.”
“However the court was also right to uphold judgments in other cases that employers can expect staff not to discriminate in the discharge of duties at work,” she added.
