Children from Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman killed 26 people last month, are to start the new term at what police say is the US’s “safest school”.
Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown has been closed since Adam Lanza killed 20 pupils and six staff on December 14.
Chalk Hill, a disused middle school in nearby Monroe, has been renovated by an 80-strong team and renamed Sandy Hook.
The use of furniture from Sandy Hook had turned it into “a very cheerful elementary school”, officials said.
Extra security measures were being taken at the new school, such as stopping every vehicle that entered the school grounds, said Monroe Police Department’s Lieutenant Keith White.
“I think right now it has to be the safest school in America,” he said.
Children from Sandy Hook Elementary School are to start the new term at Chalk Hill, a disused middle school in nearby Monroe
Acting Principal Donna Page, who has replaced the slain school head Dawn Hochsprung, wrote to parents of pupils that the school was “safe, secure and fully operational”.
Parents would be allowed to stay in the school during class-time on Thursday to reassure their children, she added.
“That being said, we encourage students to take the bus to school in order to help them return to familiar routines as soon as possible,” she wrote.
Adam Lanza, 20, carried out the attack after killing his mother, the legal owner of the weapons, which included a semi-automatic rifle.
He later shot himself, and was reportedly buried over the weekend after his father, a tax executive, retrieved his body from the authorities last week.
The shooting revived fierce debate over America’s controversial gun control laws, with some pro-gun politicians saying it had prompted them to change their views on the issue.
The Obama administration has indicated it will look for ways to tighten gun laws, and President Barack Obama has given his deputy, Joe Biden, the task of establishing a set of “concrete proposals” within weeks.
Barack Obama has said he would support reinstating an assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004.
The White House has also suggested the president would back other gun control measures on high-capacity ammunition clips as well as closing loopholes that allow people to buy guns without background checks.
The National Rifle Association (NRA), a powerful US lobbying group, argues against more regulation, saying teachers in schools should be armed in order to better defend students if a shooting occurs.
Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian filmmaker, actor and politician, has died in Bucharest aged 82.
The filmmaker suffered from heart and lung complications following surgery on his digestive system, the Elias hospital in Bucharest said.
Sergiu Nicolaescu directed more than 60 films in a career spanning five decades.
In 1967, Sergiu Nicolaescu earned widespread recognition in Romania with the first of his historical epics Dacii (The Dacians).
The film was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film Festival.
These series of films, glorifying the country’s past, found him fame with the Romanian public as well as favor with the Communist regime.
Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave) set in the 16th Century, has become a classic of Romanian cinema.
Sergiu Nicolaescu, Romanian filmmaker, actor and politician, has died in Bucharest aged 82
“A star of Romania has been extinguished,” said Prime Minister Victor Ponta.
As an actor, Sergiu Nicolaescu has starred in more than 30 of his own films, playing most notably the roles of the pro-Nazi marshal Ion Antonescu and former King Carol I in the 2012 film Carol I.
Sergiu Nicolaescu entered politics soon after the collapse of the Communist regime in 1989.
He was elected to the Romanian Senate in 1992 for the Social Democratic Party, but left politics in December 2012.
Sergiu Nicolaescu is survived by his wife Dana and his remains will be incinerated on Saturday.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez was born in 1954 and is a former Army Lieutenant Colonel.
A populist, Hugo Chávez has instituted what he calls a “Bolivarian Revolution” in Venezuela, where key industries have been nationalized and oil revenues are used in social programs for the poor. Hugo Chávez is a vocal critic of the United States of America, in particular former President George W. Bush, who he once famously and publicly called a “donkey.” He is very popular with poor Venezuelans, who in February of 2009 voted to abolish term limits, allowing him to run for re-election indefinitely.
Early life:
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías was born on July 28, 1954, to a poor family in the town of Sabaneta in the province of Barinas. His father was a schoolteacher and opportunities for young Hugo were limited: he joined the military at the age of seventeen. He graduated from the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences when he was 21 and was commissioned as an officer. He attended college while in the military but did not get a degree. After his studies, he was assigned to a counter-insurgency unit, the start of a long and noteworthy military career. He also served as head of a paratrooper unit.
Hugo Chávez in the military:
Hugo Chávez was a skilled officer, moving up in the ranks quickly and earning several commendations. He eventually reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He spent some time as an instructor in his old school, the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences. During his time in the military, he came up with “Bolivarianism,” named for the liberator of northern South America, Venezuelan Simón Bolívar. Hugo Chávez even went so far as to form a secret society within the army, the Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario 200, or the Bolivarian Revolutionary Movement 200. Hugo Chávez has long been an admirer of Simón Bolívar.
The coup of 1992:
Hugo Chávez was only one of many Venezuelans and army officers who were disgusted by corrupt Venezuelan politics, exemplified by President Carlos Pérez. Along with some fellow officers, Hugo Chávez decided to forcibly oust Carlos Pérez. In the morning of February 4, 1992, Hugo Chávez led five squads of loyal soldiers into Caracas, where they were to seize control of important targets including the Presidential Palace, the airport, the Defense Ministry and the military museum. All around the country, sympathetic officers seized control of other cities. Hugo Chávez and his men failed to secure Caracas, however and the coup was quickly put down.
Prison and entry into politics:
Chávez was allowed to go on television to explain his actions, and the poor people of Venezuela identified with him. He was sent to prison but vindicated the following year when President Pérez was convicted in a massive corruption scandal. Chávez was pardoned by President Rafael Caldera in 1994 and soon entered politics. He turned his MBR 200 society into a legitimate political party, the Fifth Republic Movement (abbreviated as MVR) and in 1998 ran for president.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez was born in 1954 and is a former Army Lieutenant Colonel
President:
Chávez was elected in a landslide at the end of 1998, racking up 56% of the vote. Taking office in February 1999, he quickly began implementing aspects of his “Bolivarian” brand of socialism. Clinics were set up for the poor, construction projects were approved and social programs were added. Chávez wanted a new constitution and the people approved first the assembly and then the constitution itself. Among other things, the new constitution officially changed the name of the country to the “Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.” With a new constitution in place, Chávez had to run for re-election: he won easily.
Coup:
Venezuela’s poor loved Hugo Chávez, but the middle and upper classed despised him. On April 11, 2002, a demonstration in support of the national oil company’s management (recently fired by Hugo Chávez) turned into a riot when the demonstrators marched on the presidential palace, where they clashed with pro-Chavez forces and supporters. Hugo Chávez briefly resigned and the United States was quick to recognize the replacement government. When pro-Chavez demonstrations broke out all over the country, he returned and resumed his presidency on April 13. Hugo Chávez has always believed that the United States was behind the attempted coup.
Political survivor:
Hugo Chávez has proven to be a tough and charismatic leader. His administration survived a recall vote in 2004, and used the results as a mandate to expand social programs. He has emerged as a leader in the new Latin American leftist movement and has close ties with leaders such as Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo. His administration even survived a 2008 incident when laptops seized from Colombian Marxist rebels seemed to indicate that Hugo Chávez was funding them in their struggle against the Colombian government.
Hugo Chávez and the US:
Much like his mentor Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez has gained much politically from his open antagonism with the United States. Many Latin Americans see the United States as an economic and political bully who dictates trade terms to weaker nations: this was particularly true during the George W. Bush administration. Ever since the coup, Hugo Chávez has gone out of his way to defy the United States, establishing close ties to Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua and other nations recently unfriendly towards the US. He has often gone out of his way to rail against US imperialism, even once famously calling George Bush a “donkey.”
Administration and legacy:
Hugo Chávez is a complicated political figure who has done much for Venezuela, both good and bad. Venezuela’s oil reserves are among the largest in the world, and he has used much of the profits to benefit the poorest Venezuelans. He has improved infrastructure, education, health, literacy and other social ills from which his people suffered. Under his guidance, Venezuela has emerged as a leader in Latin America for those who do not necessarily think that the United States is always the best model to follow.
Hugo Chávez’s concern for Venezuela’s poor is genuine. The lower socioeconomic classes have rewarded Hugo Chávez with their unwavering support: they supported the new constitution and in early 2009 approved a referendum to abolish term limits on elected officials, essentially allowing him to run indefinitely.
Not everyone thinks the world of Hugo Chávez, however. Middle and upper-class Venezuelans despise him for nationalizing some of their lands and industries and have been behind the numerous attempts to oust him. Many of them fear that Hugo Chávez is building dictatorial powers, and it is true that he has a dictatorial streak in him: he has temporarily suspended Congress more than once and his 2009 referendum victory essentially allows him to be President as long as the people keep electing him.
Venezuelan elections are rarely squeaky-clean and Hugo Chávez certainly has the power to pull off any number of crooked elections, even if the people decide to stop re-electing him. He has cracked down on the press, greatly increasing restrictions as well as punishments for slander. He drove through a change in how the Supreme Court is structured, which allowed him to stack it with loyalists.
Hugo Chávez is widely reviled in the United States for his willingness to deal with rogue nations such as Iran: conservative televangelist Pat Robertson once famously called for his assassination in 2005. His hatred for the United States government occasionally seems to approach the paranoid: he has accused them of being behind any number of plots to remove or assassinate him. This irrational hatred has driven him to pursue counter-productive strategies, such as supporting Colombian rebels, publicly denouncing Israel (resulting in hate crimes against Venezuelan Jews) and spending enormous sums on Russian-built weapons and aircraft.
Thousands of women have taken part in a march in Delhi to protest against the recent gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student.
The victim died at the weekend from severe injuries she sustained during the December 16 attack in a bus. The incident has caused a national outcry.
Police are expected to charge five of six suspects with murder on Thursday.
If convicted, they could face the death penalty, which is rarely carried out in India.
The sixth suspect is reported to be under 18 and a juvenile. Police have ordered a bone test for him to confirm his age.
Meanwhile, her family has said they would have no objection if a new anti-rape law is named after her.
Earlier, India’s Junior Education Minister Shashi Tharoor called on the authorities to reveal the name of the gang-rape victim so that the new anti-rape law could be named after her.
“Wondering what interest is served by continuing anonymity of the Delhi gang rape victim. Why not name and honor her as a real person with own identity?” Shashi Tharoor wrote on the micro-blogging site Twitter late on Tuesday.
“Unless her parents object, she should be honored and the revised anti-rape law named after her. She was a human being with a name, not just a symbol,” he wrote.
Social activist and former police officer Kiran Bedi supported Shashi Tharoor’s idea.
“Many of the American laws… which have been made to perpetuate the memory or the suffering of the victim, only to remember that this is what happened and this is the spirit behind the law… I think it’s a good idea,” Reuters quoted her as saying.
Thousands of women have taken part in a march in Delhi to protest against the recent gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student
But some critics called the suggestion “deplorable” and India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party vowed to “oppose any such move”.
On Wednesday, thousands of women marched through the streets of Delhi, heading for Rajghat – the memorial of India’s independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi.
Many held up placards calling for an end to sexual assaults on women.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was among the protesters who called for stringent anti-rape laws.
“We are marching to create awareness among people that women should be respected. Because a woman is a mother, a woman is a sister, she is a wife and she is a daughter,” Juhi Khan, a member of the National Commission for Women said.
Protests have been taking place every day since the brutal gang rape with protesters expressing anger over attitudes to women in India and calling for changes to the laws on violence against women.
The woman and a male friend had been to see a film when they boarded the bus in the Munirka area of Delhi, intending to travel to Dwarka in the south-west of the city.
Police said she was raped for nearly an hour, and both she and her companion were beaten with iron bars, then thrown out of the moving bus into the street.
On Tuesday, police sources said the driver of the bus had tried to run her over after throwing her out, but she was saved by her friend, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
According to official figures, a woman is raped in Delhi every 14 hours, while women across the country say they are frequently subjected to sexual intimidation and violence.
The Indian government has also been heavily criticized for failing to protect women.
Officials have since announced a series of measures intended to make the city safer for women.
These include more police night patrols, checks on bus drivers and their assistants, and the banning of buses with tinted windows or curtains.
The government has also set up a committee under a retired Supreme Court judge to recommend changes to the anti-rape law.
Late on Monday, the authorities in Delhi launched a new telephone helpline for women in distress. The 24-hour helpline number 181 will operate out of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s office and will be connected with all the 185 police stations across the city.
But many of the protesters say that women are viewed as second-class citizens, and that a fundamental change in culture and attitudes, backed up by law, is needed to protect them.
While most people celebrated New Year’s Eve with parties and fireworks one French pensioner spent the night alone in a locked supermarket in Roubaix.
The 73-year-old woman felt faint at the store in Roubaix and went to the toilet. But when she came out later she found the shop deserted and locked up.
French media say she set off the alarm repeatedly and spent the night wandering the aisles, but nobody came.
A member of staff found her safe but exhausted on Tuesday morning.
While most people celebrated New Year’s Eve with parties and fireworks one French pensioner spent the night alone in a locked supermarket in Roubaix
The local newspaper La Voix du Nord says the woman was taken to hospital for a health check. She had tried unsuccessfully to get some sleep in the Intermarche supermarket’s staff office, and had not helped herself to any New Year treats from the shelves.
Being underweight or severely obese did cut life expectancy.
The researchers at the US National Centre for Health Statistics looked at 97 studies involving nearly 2.9 million people to compare death rates with Body Mass Index (BMI) – a way of measuring obesity using a person’s weight and height.
A healthy BMI is considered to be above 18.5 and below 25. However, overweight people (with a BMI between 25 and 30) were 6% less likely to die early than those considered to have a healthy weight, the study reports.
Mildly obese people (BMI between 30 and 35) were no more likely to die prematurely than people with a healthy BMI.
A new study suggesting being overweight can lead to a longer life has caused controversy among obesity experts
The study said being “overweight was associated with significantly lower all-cause mortality”.
Possible explanations included overweight people getting medical treatment, such as to control blood pressure, more quickly or the extra weight helping people survive being severely ill in hospital.
However, the researchers point out they looked only at deaths and not years spent free of ill-health.
On Tuesday, the Royal College of Physicians called for the UK to rethink the way it tackles obesity.
Prof. John Wass, vice-president of the college, said: “Have you ever seen a 100-year-old human being who is overweight? The answer is you probably haven’t.”
He said the largest people will have died years before and pointed to health problems and higher levels of Type 2 diabetes.
“Huge pieces of evidence go against this, countless other studies point in the other direction.”
Other experts criticized the research methods.
“Some portion of those thin people are actually sick, and sick people tend to die sooner,” according to Donald Berry, from the University of Texas.
Dr. Walter Willett, from the Harvard School of Public Health said: “This is an even greater pile of rubbish than a study conducted by the same group in 2005.”
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum in the UK, said: “It’s a horrific message to put out at this particular time.
“We shouldn’t take it for granted that we can cancel the gym, that we can eat ourselves to death with black forest gateaux.”
At least 70 people have been killed by an air strike on a petrol station in the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, activists say.
Damascus residents say they saw burning bodies and horrific scenes after the air strike in Mleiha district.
Unverified reports from activists suggested 70 people had been killed.
The UN’s Human Rights Council said a new study suggested more than 60,000 had died since the start of the unrest, many more than activists have claimed.
UN rights chief Navi Pillay said in a statement that the number of casualties was “truly shocking”.
Activists posted video footage online purporting to show the latest air strike.
It featured charred bodies and burnt-out vehicles.
The reported death toll ranged from about 30 to 70. The figures could not be verified.
At least 70 people have been killed by an air strike on a petrol station in the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus, activists say
One activist told Reuters news agency that the warplane had attacked the petrol station as a consignment of fuel arrived.
Mleiha is not an opposition stronghold, and civilians appear to have borne the brunt of the attack.
Many of the killed or injured are women and children.
Syria is in the grip of chronic fuel shortages, and motorists often wait for hours in queues at petrol stations.
Activists told the Associated Press that a single missile had struck the station.
The strike sparked a huge explosion that engulfed vehicles that had been waiting in line.
Navi Pillay said an “exhaustive” study of all deaths between 15 March 2011 and 30 November 2012 showed 59,648 had been killed between those dates.
“Given there has been no let-up in the conflict since the end of November, we can assume that more than 60,000 people have been killed by the beginning of 2013,” she said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, had put the figure at 44,000.
Justin Bieber has called for new laws for paparazzi following the tragic death of photographer Chris Guerra who was run over and killed while taking pictures of the star’s sports car.
A 29-year-old freelance photographer, named byTMZ as Chris Guerra, was struck by a vehicle on Tuesday night after taking pictures of Justin Bieber’s white $200,000 Ferrari in Los Angeles.
Justin Bieber’s friend, 19-year-old rapper Lil Twist, was behind the wheel of the 458 Italia Ferrari when it was pulled over by police – prompting Chris Guerra to get out of his own car as he believed Bieber was in the vehicle.
Justin Bieber today released a statement in which he said his “thoughts and prayers” were with Chris Guerra’s friends and family.
In his statement, Justin Bieber said: “While I was not present nor directly involved with this tragic accident, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.
“Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders, and the photographers themselves.”
Chris Guerra was tailing Justin Bieber’s white Ferrari when it was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers on an I-405 off ramp in L.A.
He got out of his car to take pictures but was struck by a Toyota Highlander SUV as he was running back to his own vehicle after being told to return to his vehicle repeatedly by police.
Photographs taken from the scene show the man’s hat and shoe lying in the road where he was hit.
It is believed the female driver of the car which struck the photographer stopped other cars from hitting the man’s body after she had called 911.
Freelance photographer Chris Guerra was struck by a vehicle on Tuesday night after taking pictures of Justin Bieber’s white $200,000 Ferrari in Los Angeles
Los Angeles police officer Sergeant Rudy Lopez said the highway patrol men had noticed the photographer taking pictures close to the scene. He said one of the officers asked him to return to his vehicle.
Sgt Rudy Lopez said: “He verbally ordered him to return to the vehicle, he had to order him twice and he seemed reluctant to go back, but eventually he did.
“When the photographer returned to the vehicle it did not appear that he was looking and he was struck by a vehicle traveling southbound.”
Chris Guerra died at a hospital shortly after the crash.
The sports car – which contained two of Justin Bieber’s friends, with rapper Lil Twist believed to be behind the wheel – was parked on the side of Sepulveda Boulevard near Getty Center Drive after the traffic stop.
According to sources, Lil Twist was hanging with Justin Bieber at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on Tuesday afternoon when he left in the white Ferrari without Justin Bieber.
Lil Twist, who is a Lil Wayne protégé, and Justin Bieber have been hanging out and partying together for the past few weeks.
They even celebrated New Year’s Eve together by popping champagne bottles in Mexico, where they’re both of legal drinking age.
No charges are likely to be filed against the motorist – believed to be female – who hit Chris Guerra.
The LAPD is continuing to investigate Chris Guerra’s death.
According to TMZ, Chris Guerra claimed to friends earlier in the day that he had spotted Justin Bieber smoking what he believed to be marijuana from a pipe while driving the Ferrari.
A source said the photographer told him he was following the singer back to the Four Seasons and was continuing to pursue what he believed was a big story.
The source says after 20 minutes, Chris Guerra hung up as he said the Ferrari was pulling out of the hotel parking lot and he needed to hang up and follow it. Apparently he had no idea Justin Bieber in the car.
Justin Bieber had already been pulled over by police in his Ferrari while driving through West Hollywood in November. He was initially pulled over for making an unsafe left turn. During the stop, the officer discovered Justin Bieber’s registration was expired and he was given a ticket.
Justin Bieber had helped ring in the new year, performing on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve on Monday night.
Reacting to the accident, former child star Miley Cyrus took to Twitter to call the paparazzi “fools”.
Miley Cyrus, now 20, tweeted: “Hope this paparazzi/JB accident brings on some changes in ’13 Paparazzi are dangerous! Wasn’t Princess Di enough of a wake up call?!
“It is unfair for anyone to put this on to Justin’s conscious as well! This was bound to happen! Your mom teaches u when your a child not to play in the street!
“The chaos that comes with the paparazzi acting like fools makes it impossible for anyone to make safe choices.”
Government guidelinessay adults should do at least two and a half hours of moderate activity each week – or one and a quarter hours of vigorous activity – or a combination of the two.
It can be confusing, but that alone probably doesn’t explain why only a third of adults are meeting the recommended amounts.
Much of the research on health recommendations comes from the American College of Sports Medicine, which has been studying levels of public fitness since the 1950s.
The World Health Organization also says physical inactivity is the fourth largest contributor to global deaths, and increases risk of some cancers, diabetes and heart disease.
The UK guidelines were drawn up in 1994, after several national surveys found low levels of activity were contributing to poor health.
But there’s an inherent tension in giving public health advice.
Broad advice can be sold in a single message, but nuance is harder to convey.
Stuart Biddle, professor of physical activity at Loughborough University helped to write the UK guidelines.
He says: “The debate was really around not so much whether the science showed physical activity was good for health, but to come up with sensible and evidence-based guidelines such as how much exercise, how often should we do it, can we break it up into smaller bouts, and it’s really that which was probably the most contentious.”
Few people know how much exercise is recommended
One of his colleagues, Jamie Timmons has been researching high intensity training, and whether health improvements can be found with just three minutes of exercise per week.
“During this year we’ve learned that while regular exercise will reduce your chance of developing or progressing to Type 2 diabetes, it was always expected that would also benefit your cardiovascular system,” he said.
“What we’ve now seen is a major US trial stopped early because essentially there was no benefit.”
He goes on to point out: “The guidelines are really based on one type of evidence – that’s epidemiology – and it’s not really the strongest level of science for cause and effect association.
“People who report that they do more physical activity seem to be better off.
“The question is if you take one individual and put them on a training programme, what benefits can they expect?”
Sir Liam Donaldson was chief medical officer for England from 1998-2010 and introduced the “five-a-day” fruit and vegetable message in 2003.
The following year he called for adults to exercise at least five times a week and suggested that household tasks could count as physical activity.
“At the time, I don’t think it was [oversimplified]. It may have come across as rather rigid.
“But by trying to be flexible and mentioning the housework and the gardening we ended up being lampooned a bit and that’s never good whenever you’re trying to get a serious message across.”
Has it worked?
“I don’t think there was significant progress, no. I do see public health as a long term business and so getting the evidence out – I do see that as a proper achievement.”
The same could be true in the US, where it’s claimed one in three Americans is obese.
Carol Garber, a vice-president of the American College of Sports Medicine, says guidelines could be better understood.
“Part of it is that they are complicated, the other is that we’ve not done a very good job of getting the information out to people in a way that it’s easy to understand and that they can take and implement it in their daily lives.”
The UK guidelines have now been updated to include specific advice for age-groups, strength training and avoiding sedentary behavior – the “silent killer” of sitting in a chair for several hours each day.
The Department of Health says: “Being active can help protect against heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer which is why we have guidance on physical activity tailored to each age group.”
The message to be active is broadly understood, but the other crucial thing – to get up and move around as often as possible – is largely ignored.
“Twenty Plus” campaign: 20 seconds of intense activity when you can (running up stairs, cycling like crazy for short bursts on your bike), a minimum of 20 minutes of walking every day, and no more than 20 minutes of sitting at your computer or in front of TV without getting up and moving around.
Armed robbers broke into a central Paris Apple store on New Year’s Eve, stealing goods with an estimated value of 1 million euros ($1.3 million).
The police said that four masked men forced their way into the shop.
It comes as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg claims that the theft of Apple goods has contributed to rising street crime figures in the city.
Thieves broke into the Apple store behind the Paris Opera at around 21:00 on Monday, December 31, three hours after the shop closed.
The police did not confirm the value of the goods stolen by the robbers, who escaped afterwards in a van.
A spokesman for the police union Unsa told reporters: “As the majority of police were busy watching the Champs Elysees [for New Year’s Eve celebrations], the robbers took advantage of this opportunity.”
Armed robbers broke into Paris Opera Apple store on New Year’s Eve, stealing goods with an estimated value of 1 million euros
The theft comes as the desirability of Apple goods among street criminals is being blamed for a rise in crime figures in New York.
According to the New York Police Department, some 3,890 Apple products were stolen in 2012, pushing crime figures up and prompting Mayor Michael Bloomberg to say that thieves in the city were showing a preference for Apple goods.
His press secretary later said that if the jump in stolen Apple products was removed, crime figures would have been down for the year.
According to London’s Metropolitan Police, street criminals in London are increasingly targeting easy-to-steal gadgets, although they do not provide a breakdown of the brands most favored by thieves.
“In general the more you paid for a gadget the more interest it will be to street robbers,” said a spokesman.
“We are constantly reminding people to register their goods,” he added.
What police have seen, he said, is a change in the profile of victims as thieves become less likely to steal cash and more likely to steal phones which are “highly sellable on the second-hand market”.
“Victims now are far less likely to be a bashed-up pensioner and more likely to be a young professional who has had a phone grabbed out of their hand or pocket,” he said.
LG has launched a 55 in (140 cm) OLED TV – kickstarting a battle over the next-generation of high-quality screens.
OLED (organic light-emitting diode) is more energy efficient than LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma-based alternatives.
LG’s model will be sold in South Korea first with other markets, including Europe, to follow thereafter.
Both LG and Samsung announced 55 in OLEDs last year, but LG is the first to make its available.
The firms showcased their televisions at last January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but until now neither company had managed to get a product to market.
LG’s headstart on its rival helped give it a 5.4% share price boost on Wednesday.
LG has launched a 55 in OLED TV, kickstarting a battle over the next-generation of high-quality screens
The 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) OLED television will sell for 11 million won ($10,300). Analysts said the technology was unlikely to become more affordable until at least 2015 – but that this latest release was more about cementing LG’s position as a market leader.
That said, global sales of OLED televisions are expected to grow to 1.7 million by 2014, according to research firm DisplaySearch.
OLED screens have been touted as the successor to the popular liquid crystal displays (LCD).
The technology allows for the display of darker and deeper blacks, and can be made thinner than competing display methods.
Smaller OLED screens are already in mass distribution. Samsung uses the technology in its smartphones, and Sony’s PlayStation Vita handheld console also utilizes the thin, light technology.
Many predict that OLED screens will allow for the development of a new generation of “bendy” gadgets, some of which are expected to be unveiled over the course of the year.
But larger OLED screens have proven difficult to manufacture due mainly to cost and reliability constraints.
Another technology, known as 4K, has also been given a lot of attention from manufacturers.
Dubbed “Ultra HD”, 4K offers 8 million pixels per frame – four times the resolution of 1080p high-definition displays – making it particularly well suited for extra large screens. 110 in (279 cm) models are expected to be put on show at CES next week.
Existing 4K TV sets are LCD-based. But according to some purists, OLED offers a richer quality display so might be better the better option for 55 in screens.
Kim Kardashian and boyfriend Kanye West are said to be against making their unborn child a reality TV star in the first years of its life.
TMZ cited sources close to the family as saying Kim Kardashian and Kanye West had decided to shield their kid from the cameras to “ensure real privacy” for their offspring.
The entertainment website said even when baby Kimye grows up it still may never appear on the family’s hit show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, or any of its spinoffs.
Kim Kardashian and boyfriend Kanye West are said to be against making their unborn child a reality TV star in the first years of its life
Kim Kardashian’s sister Kourtney has often kept her children, son Mason and daughter Penelope, away from the spotlight too.
Kourtney Kardashian told People in 2011 she got “weirded out to have [Mason] on camera”, adding, “he can’t make the decision if he wants to be involved in this craziness or not”.
Kim Kardashian is believed to be about 12 weeks into the pregnancy, which was announced onstage by her rapper boyfriend.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are rumored to have married in a Christmas Day ceremony in the Caribbean, according to reports.
The MailOnline reports Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie tied the knot in an intimate ceremony on the Turks and Caicos Islands.
News of their reported nuptials comes 8 months after Brad Pitt, 49, and Angelina Jolie, 37, announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years together.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been spending the Christmas and New Year holiday at the private Parrot Cay estate of American fashion designer Donna Karan.
Joining the duo are their six children, Brad Pitt’s parents Jane and William Pitt, his brother Doug and sister Julie.
One local told journalist Jeffrey Slonim that the couple had allegedly hired 12 nannies to take care of their large brood for the vacation, The Telegraph reported.
Architectural Digest editor-at-large Jeffrey Slonim posted on his blog: “At lunch on a small island three away from Parrot Cay.
“A woman said she’d heard from a local that [Pitt and Jolie] were in town with two nannies per child. Count ‘em, 12 nannies!”
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are rumored to have married in a Christmas Day ceremony in the Caribbean
Speculation Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had finally wed comes after a magazine report in early December claimed the pair had picked up their wedding rings from celebrity jeweller Neil Lane.
InTouch magazine wrote: “On November 27, a stylist for the actress picked up wedding rings from Neil Lane jewelers for the couple.”
In November, Brad Pitt told reporters on the red carpet of the New York premiere of his film Killing Me Softly the nuptials would be “soon”.
He said: “The time is nigh. It’s soon. I got a good feeling about it.
“I am getting more pressure from my kids, and it is something I want to do within their lifetime, but I also feel like the time has come.”
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt famously met on the set of Mr. And Mrs. Smith in 2004, when Brad was still married to first wife Jennifer Aniston.
However, by January 2005, Hollywood’s golden couple had separated with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s romance finally being confirmed in April that year when they were photographed on a beach in Kenya with their now jointly-adopted son Maddox.
Three months later, they went on to adopt Ethiopian daughter Zahara together.
In January 2006, Angelina Jolie confirmed she was pregnant with their first biological child together, a daughter Shiloh.
They also adopted son Pax from Vietnam in March 2007, and Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins Knox and Vivienne in France in July 2008.
If the couple have indeed wed, it will be the second marriage for Brad Pitt and third for Angelina Jolie.
Brad Pitt wed Jennifer aniston in a lavish ceremony at a private house in Malibu in July 2000 after a two year courtship.
Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie wed English actor Jonny Lee Miller in March 1996 with the groom’s name written in blood on the white T-shirt she was wearing.
They separated after 18 months together and Angelina Jolie was going on to tie the knot with American actor Billy Bob Thornton in May 2000 after dating for just two months.
However, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton split in May 2002 shortly after adopting son Maddox from Cambodia.
Hit film Les Miserables isn’t exactly a barrel of laughs, but, for one New York family, the experience of seeing the musical tearjerker on the big screen proved positively overwhelming.
Amused by their parents’ tearful reaction to seeing the film, Ryan and Kevin Ferguson uploaded a video to YouTube of the couple crying as they drove home from the cinema.
Their distraught mother asks her husband: “Wasn’t it better than the play, George? It was better than the play.”
Their father also found the film devastating, admitting that it didn’t take much for the waterworks to start.
“When I hear the first notes I start to cry,” he said.
“I was walking in I was crying. I look at Anne Hathaway and I still cry.”
He went on: “We’ve been to funerals where we’re less upset. We’ve been to funerals of family members and have cried less.”
Couple can’t stop crying after seeing Les Miserables
As their sobs continue, the brothers begin to laugh, drawing a horrified response from their mother.
“How could you laugh?” she asks Ryan, to which he responds: “I’m not laughing! I was sad too.”
The brothers were clearly tickled by their parents’ reaction, describing them as “cute”.
“My father was crying too, as my brother and I had earlier during the movie,” Ryan Ferguson wrote beneath the video.
“This is a lighthearted video showing how great my parents are.”
The video become viral and hit thousands of views since was posted on YouTube few days ago.
Official pictures from inside Crystal Harris and Hugh Hefner’s nuptials at the Playboy Mansion have finally been revealed, showing the pair’s magical day in all its glory.
In the shots, Crystal Harris, 26, wearing a pale pink mermaid dress, is seen cuddling up to her new 86-year-old husband, who looked dapper in his black tuxedo.
The newlyweds smile for the camera as they pose up underneath a floral archway, with Crystal Harris keeping a tight hold on Hugh Hefner’s dog Charlie, who was dressed in a cute tuxedo for the occasion.
In another shot, Crystal Harris and her Playboy magnate husband toasted the future with a glass of champagne while cutting their wedding cake – which featured a picture of the happy couple on the top.
Earlier in the day, Crystal Harris had shared pictures of her happy day, and her stunning but revealing dress, on her Twitter page.
The frock, which Crystal Harris described as her “mermaid dress”, was far sexier than a typical bridal gown and showed off a good deal of her ample cleavage.
The dress was fitted to Crystal Harris’ trim figure and the full skirt boasted pretty ruffles.
Official pictures from inside Crystal Harris and Hugh Hefner’s nuptials at the Playboy Mansion
Following the ceremony, the newlyweds then rang in 2013 with party hats and horns – and they had plenty to celebrate.
And to mark the New Year in style, Hugh Hefner opted to go for comfort as he changed into his trademark velvet smoking jacket and jaunty sailor’s cap.
Hugh Hefner’s son Cooper was not in attendance as he was hosting a Playboy New Year’s Eve party in London, and it is unclear if his daughter Christie or sons David and Marston were at the ceremony.
Crystal Harris had spent the day tweeting her excitement about the impending nuptials, including an image of a flower covered bower in front of just two dozen chairs.
Hugh Hefner shared a picture of him and his bride, tweeting: “Crystal & I married on New Year’s Eve in the Mansion with Keith as my Best Man. Love that girl!”
Crystal Harris had earlier written: “Today is the day I become Mrs. Hugh Hefner. Feeling very happy, lucky, and blessed.”
She has changed her name on the social networking site to Crystal Hefner.
Crystal Harris was dubbed a “runaway bride” by the 86-year-old mogul after she called off their engagement just days before their wedding in June 2011, with 300 guests due to attend.
After their split, the model revealed she had only been intimate with him once – and very briefly.
Crystal Harris admitted sex with the octogenarian lasted “like two seconds”, adding: “Then I was just over it. I was like, <<Ahhh>>. I was over it. I just like, walked away. I’m not turned on by Hef, sorry.”
She continued: “He doesn’t really take off his clothes. I’ve never seen Hef naked.”
Despite her comments, the pair reconciled in May this year.
A celebrity photographer has been killed after being hit by a vehicle while taking pictures of Justin Bieber’s sports car.
Police say the paparazzo died in hospital on Tuesday (January 1) evening.
Police officer James Stoughton confirmed that Justin Bieber was not in his car at the time of the crash on Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles.
He also says that no charges are likely to be filed against the motorist who hit the photographer.
He did not reveal the identity of the man who had died.
Justin Bieber’s white Ferrari was parked after a traffic stop and the photographer was hit as he walked across the boulevard after taking pictures.
A celebrity photographer has been killed after being hit by a vehicle while taking pictures of Justin Bieber’s sports car
After the tragic event, Justin Bieber has called for new laws for paparazzi photography.
Following news of the man’s death, the 18-year-old singer today released a statement.
As reported by CNN, the statement said: “While I was not present nor directly involved with this tragic accident, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.
“Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders, and the photographers themselves.”
It is believed the photographer was tailing Justin Bieber’s white Ferrari when it was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers.
He got out of his car to take pictures but was struck by another car as he was running back to his own vehicle, sources told the Los Angeles Times.
James Stoughton said the photographer, who was not identified, died at a hospital shortly after the crash Tuesday evening.
The sports car was parked on the side of Sepulveda Boulevard near Getty Center Drive after a traffic stop. The photographer was struck as he walked across the boulevard after taking pictures.
James Stoughton says no charges are likely to be filed against the motorist who hit the man.
The LAPD is continuing to investigate the man’s death.
It seems Rihanna and Chris Brown are doing everything possible to announce to the world they’re back together as she posts new photos of themselves online appearing to share the same bed.
“Good morning! Still haven’t slept lol #hello2013,” Rihanna tweeted on Tuesday, with a photo of herself peering out from a spotted duvet.
The comforter is distinctly similar to the one posted – and deleted – by Chris Brown as he lounged in the early hours of January 1st.
“Mornings,” Chris Brown wrote from his bed, with only his legs in view.
A lump under the sheets seemed to suggest someone was lying beside him.
Rihanna tweeted with this photo on Tuesday
The snaps come after a very public display of affection between the pair, who spent Christmas Day front row at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Rihanna, 24, left Barbados to spend Christmas Day with Chris Brown, 23, in Los Angeles.
The pair were spotted cuddling and flirting at the Staples Centre while watching the Lakers took on the New York Knicks.
Chris Brown posted a photo of himself in bed, but later deleted the image
The volatile couple reconciled earlier this year even though Chris is still on probation for assaulting her in 2009.
But the status of their relationship has recently been the topic of speculation following a series of cryptic tweets from both parties.
Rihanna took to her Instagram account on December 18 to post a message which appeared to confirm reports the couple had split.
She wrote: “Being single sucks. The only thing I get to do anymore is whatever the f*** I want to do.”
It followed claims Chris Brown partied with scantily-clad female models and lunched with ex Karrauche Tran while Dubai.
But both Rihanna and Chris Brown later posted old pictures of themselves together, hinting that they were missing each other.
A source told HollywoodLife.com Chris Brown surprised Rihanna with a romantic painting to celebrate a new start in their relationship.
“He painted this picture of him and her together and it’s [amazing]… It’s him and her together – she’s looking forward and he’s kissing her on the cheek. Chris painted the gold necklace around her neck that he got her and at the bottom he wrote <<you’re my girl for life>>,” the insider said.
Five people including a child have died in an apartment fire in Gennevilliers, a deprived northern suburb of Paris.
The blaze happened early on Wednesday. The five victims shared a flat on the fourth floor of the seven-storey block.
Eighteen people, including an infant, were hurt and most are now in hospital. About 100 firefighters tackled the fire, using a ladder to rescue people.
A firefighter quoted by French TV said the building was in good condition and it is not clear how the fire started.
Two firefighters who suffered burns to their hands were among the 18 injured.
The fire broke out shortly after 04:00 local time and was extinguished at about 06:00. The firefighters managed to prevent it spreading widely through the building.
Five people including a child have died in an apartment fire in Gennevilliers, a deprived northern suburb of Paris
As early as the Greeks and Romans people have been dieting, but while it was largely about health and fitness back then, it’s the Victorians who really kick started the fad diet.
“The Greek word diatia, from which our word diet derives, described a whole way of life,” says Louise Foxcroft, a historian and author of Calories and Corsets: A History of Dieting Over 2,000 Years.
“Dieting back then was about all-round mental and physical health. People really got a taste for fad dieting in the 19th Century. It is during this time that things tip over into dieting more for aesthetic reasons and the diet industry explodes.”
So what are the weirdest and unhealthiest fad diets from history?
Chew and spit
At the turn of the 20th Century the American, Horace Fletcher, decided a lot of chewing and spitting was the way to lose weight.
Fletcherism, as it was called, promoted chewing a mouthful of food until all “goodness” was extracted, then spitting out the fibrous material that was left.
He was fairly prescriptive in how many times you had to chew different foods. Just one shallot needed to be chewed 700 times.
It was hugely popular and had some famous followers, including Henry James and Franz Kafka.
It got to a point where people were timed at dinner parties to make sure they were chewing enough, says Louise Foxcroft.
“The diet also meant only defecating once every two weeks and it was nearly odorless, described by Fletcher as smelling like <<warm biscuits>>,” she says.
“Fletcher carried a sample of his own faeces around with him to illustrate this wonder.”
Tapeworm diet
Not for the squeamish, in the 1900s the tapeworm diet became all the rage. The opera singer Maria Callas reportedly ate the parasites to try and lose weight.
Dieters would swallow beef tapeworm cysts, usually in the form of a pill. The tapeworms reached maturity in the intestines and absorbed food. This could cause weight loss, along with diarrhoea and vomiting.
Once a person reached their desired weight they then took an anti-parasitic pill which, they hoped, would kill off the tapeworms. The dieter would then have to excrete the tapeworm, which could cause abdominal and rectal complications.
It was risky in many ways. Not only can a tapeworm grow up to 30 feet (9 m) in length, they can also cause many illnesses including headaches, eye problems, meningitis, epilepsy and dementia.
“During the 19th Century dieting became big business,” says food historian Annie Gray. “Advertising was becoming more and more sophisticated, with more and more diet products being peddled.”
The diet industry boom was also down to the rise in celebrity and the media and the development of new medicines, says Louise Foxcroft.
The weirdest and unhealthiest fad diets from history
Arsenic
Diet drugs, pills and potions became increasingly big business in the 19th Century. But these so-called “wonder-remedies” often had dangerous ingredients, including arsenic and strychnine.
“It was advertised as speeding up the metabolism, much like amphetamines do,” says Louise Foxcroft.
While the amount of arsenic in the pills was small, it was still extremely dangerous. Often dieters would take more than the recommended dose of the pills thinking they would lose more weight, risking arsenic poisoning.
Also, arsenic was occasionally not advertised as an ingredient meaning people didn’t know what they were actually taking.
“Such poisons were loosely controlled then and easily obtained for all sorts of household and medicinal purposes,” says Louise Foxcroft.
“Charlatans set themselves up as experts with diets to promote and products to sell. Plenty of people bought into these <<miracle cures>>.”
Vinegar
Celebrity dieters are nothing new. Lord Byron was one of first diet icons and helped kick start the public’s obsession with how celebrities lose weight.
Much like today people wanted to look like celebrities of the time and new diet fads were advertised in the expanding media.
And like today’s celebrities, Lord Byron worked hard to maintain his figure. In the early 1800s the poet popularized a diet consisting mainly of vinegar.
If he were alive today he would probably be endorsing a book about the diet – and it would probably be a bestseller.
In order to cleanse and purge his body he would drink vinegar daily and eat potatoes soaked in the stuff. Side effects included vomiting and diarrhoea.
Because of Lord Byron’s huge cultural influence, there was a lot of worry about the effect his dieting was having on the youth of the day.
Romantics were restricting themselves to vinegar and rice to get Lord Byron’s fashionably thin and pale look.
“Our young ladies live all their growing girlhood in semi-starvation,” wrote one critic at the time.
During this time eating patterns became more prescriptive, with set dining styles, says Annie Gray.
“This also caused people to worry about their size. Queen Victoria was terrified of putting on weight.”
Lord Byron’s strict diet:
Lord Byron said he had a “morbid propensity to fatten” and weighed himself obsessively
Records show in 1806 he weighed 13st 12lb (88 kg), but was under 9 st (57 kg) by 1811
He often had just a cup of green tea for dinner
His obsessive dieting resulted in health problems
Rubber
In the mid 1800s Charles Goodyear figured out how to improve rubber beyond its natural state with a process called vulcanization.
With the Industrial Revolution and mass production, suddenly the use of rubber expanded massively.
That included rubber knickers and corsets. The thinking behind both was that rubber held in fat but more importantly caused sweating, hopefully leading to weight loss.
They were worn by both men and women, says Louise Foxcroft. It wasn’t much fun as the skin-macerating underwear meant flesh would be softened and broken down by extended exposure to moisture, making it vulnerable to infection.
“At the time all sorts of gadgets and treatments were being advertised as the way to lose weight,” says Annie Gray.
It was World War I that curbed the fad, with rubber being needed for the war effort.
What the Greeks and Romans did right:
Diets were about how to live well and not just as an individual, also in society
Different theories existed but they believed you are what you eat
They would treat illnesses first by diet and also promoted the importance of exercise and sleep
The Greeks did promote some stranger weight-loss methods, including wrestling, avoiding sex and walking around naked
Source: Calories and Corsets: A history of dieting over 2,000 years
Researchers have found that smokers who successfully quit feel less anxious afterwards – despite the belief that smoking relieves stress.
The British Journal of Psychiatry study followed nearly 500 smokers attending NHS stop smoking clinics in England.
It found a “significant” decrease in anxiety levels among the 68 smokers who had quit after six months.
The effect was greater among those who had mood and anxiety disorders than those that smoked for pleasure.
The researchers – drawn from several universities including Cambridge, Oxford and Kings’s College in London – said the findings should be used to reassure smokers attempting to quit that concerns about increased anxiety levels were unfounded.
Researchers have found that smokers who successfully quit feel less anxious afterwards, despite the belief that smoking relieves stress
However, the study did suggest that a failed attempt to seemed to increase anxiety levels by a modest degree among those who had mood disorders.
For those who smoked for pleasure a relapse did not alter anxiety levels.
The researchers said it seemed that smokers – particularly those that smoked to cope – were more likely to have a cigarette soon after waking up to stave off withdrawal symptoms, which include anxiety.
By quitting, they removed these repeated episodes of anxiety and felt less anxious as a result, they added.
It comes as the government has launched a graphic anti-smoking advertising campaign, which features a cigarette with a tumor growing from it, and as many smokers prepare to quit as part of their new year resolutions.
European and Asian markets have gained after a short-term deal to stave off the so-called US fiscal cliff was reached.
UK shares jumped 1.5% while other European indexes were also higher.
Failure to agree a deal would have triggered spending cuts and tax increases worth $600 billion.
There had been fears that the measures would have derailed the modest recovery in the world’s biggest economy and perhaps even push it back into recession.
German stocks gained by 1.6%, while France’s Cac 40 rose 1.4% and Italy’s stocks gained 2%.
In the US, the lower chamber of Congress passed a deal backing a compromise that had already passed in the Senate, which raises taxes for the wealthy and delays spending cuts for two months.
The fiscal cliff measures – cutting spending and increasing taxes dramatically – came into effect automatically at midnight on Monday when George W. Bush-era tax cuts expired.
European and Asian markets have gained after a short-term deal to stave off the so-called US fiscal cliff was reached
The 31st of December deadline triggered tax increases of about $536 billion and spending cuts of $109bn from domestic and military programmes – which has now been averted.
Shares worldwide had been hurt in November and December by fears that the US would not be able to reach any kind of agreement and would go off the cliff.
Earlier, Asian shares gained on the news of the deal. The US is also a key market for most of Asia’s export-dependent economies.
The US dollar rose, jumping against the Japanese yen. The Japanese currency was at 87.30 yen against the US dollar at one point, its lowest level since July 2010.
The yen has fallen almost 9% against the US dollar since November 15.
US Congress last night finally passed a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, as critics attacked the Republican party for giving in and allowing tax hikes on wealthy Americans in return for minimal spending cuts.
President Barack Obama was in a triumphant mood as he addressed the nation after the vote on Capitol Hill, even winking at photographers before flying back to Hawaii to resume his vacation.
Income tax rates: Extends decade-old tax cuts on incomes up to $400,000 for individuals, $450,000 for couples. Earnings above those amounts would be taxed at a rate of 39.6%, up from the current 35%. Extends Bill Clinton-era caps on itemized deductions and the phase-out of the personal exemption for individuals making more than $250,000 andcouples earning more than $300,000.
Estate tax: Estates would be taxed at a top rate of 40%, with the first $5 million in value exempted for individual estates and $10 million for family estates. In 2012, such estates were subject to a top rate of 35%.
Capital gains, dividends: Taxes on capital gains and dividend income exceeding $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for families would increase from 15% to 20%.
US Congress finally passed a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff
Alternative minimum tax: Permanently addresses the alternative minimum tax and indexes it for inflation to prevent nearly 30 million middle- and upper-middle income taxpayers from being hit with higher tax bills averaging almost $3,000. The tax was originally designed to ensure that the wealthy did not avoid owing taxes by using loopholes.
Other tax changes: Extends for five years Obama-sought expansions of the child tax credit, earned income tax credit, and an up to $2,500 tax credit for college tuition. Also extends for one year accelerated “bonus” depreciation of business investments in new property and equipment, a tax credit for research and development costs and a tax credit for renewable energy such as wind-generated electricity.
Unemployment benefits: Extends jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed for one year.
Cuts in Medicare reimbursements to doctors: Blocks a 27% cut in Medicare payments to doctors for one year. The cut is the product of an obsolete 1997 budget formula.
Social Security payroll tax cut: Allows a 2 percentage point cut in the payroll tax first enacted two years ago to lapse, which restores the payroll tax to 6.2%.
Across-the-board cuts: Delays for two months $109 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts set to start striking the Pentagon and domestic agencies this week. Cost of $24 billion is divided between spending cuts and new revenues from rules changes on converting traditional individual retirement accounts into Roth IRAs.
President Barack Obama has hailed a deal reached to stave off a “fiscal cliff” of drastic taxation and spending measures as “just one step in the broader effort to strengthen the economy”.
Barack Obama was speaking after the House of Representatives passed a Senate-backed bill by 257 votes to 167.
It raises taxes for the wealthy and delays spending cuts for two months.
There had been intense pressure for the vote to be passed before financial markets reopened on Wednesday.
In Tuesday night’s house vote, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.
A majority of Republicans, 151 in total, voted no, along with 16 Democrats.
The bill had been passed in the Senate less than 24 hours earlier by 89 votes to eight after lengthy talks between Vice-President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans.
Barack Obama has hailed a deal reached to stave off a fiscal cliff of drastic taxation and spending measures
Asian markets have responded positively to the move, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index up 2.1% on Wednesday morning, while South Korea’s Kospi added 1.7% and Australia’s ASX 200 rose 1.2%.
Speaking before returning to Hawaii for his interrupted Christmas holiday, Barack Obama said that in signing the law he was fulfilling a campaign pledge.
“I will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Americans… while preventing a middle-class tax hike,” he told a White House press conference.
The US deficit was still too high, Barack Obama said: “While open to compromise on budgetary issues, he would not offer Congress spending cuts in return for lifting the government’s borrowing limit, known as the debt ceiling.”
“There is a path forward, if we focus not on politics, but on what’s right for the country,” he added.
The “fiscal cliff” measures – cutting spending and increasing taxes dramatically – came into effect automatically at midnight on Monday when George W. Bush-era tax cuts expired.
The 1st of January deadline triggered tax increases of about $536 billion and spending cuts of $109bn from domestic and military programmes.
Economists had warned that if the full effects of the fiscal cliff were allowed to take hold, the resulting reduction in consumer spending could have sparked a new recession.
The compromise deal extends the tax cuts for Americans earning under $400,000 – up from the $250,000 level Democrats had originally sought.
In addition to the income tax rates and spending cuts, the package includes:
Rises in inheritance taxes from 35% to 40% after the first $5 million for an individual and $10 million for a couple
Rises in capital taxes – affecting some investment income – of up to 20%, but less than the 39.6% that would prevail without a deal
One-year extension for unemployment benefits, affecting two million people
Five-year extension for tax credits that help poorer and middle-class families
