A Kazakh military plane said to be carrying senior security officials has crashed in the south of the country, killing all on board.
Twenty-seven people were on the flight, which went down near the city of Shymkent, officials said.
A regional emergencies head told Ria news agency the plane had been completely destroyed.
The Antonov An-72 plane was carrying border service officers, including acting head Turganbek Stambekov.
KTK TV said the plane had disappeared from radar shortly before 19:00 Kazakhstan time (13:00 GMT) as it was making its descent near Shymkent, which is the main Kazakh city in the south, some 75 miles (120km) north of the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.
Eyewitnesses told KTK that the plane fell from a height of 800 m (2,600 ft), causing a loud explosion.
A resident identified as Baurzhan Dosov described a big fire, adding that military hats were strewn around the crash site.
The plane went down 12 miles (20 km) from Shymkent aiport in what correspondents told KTK was very bad weather.
“There was no need for rescuers’ help. Only fragments remain,” the head of Kazakhstan’s regional emergencies department, Valikhan Derezhepov, told Ria news agency.
Seven crew and 20 military personnel were on board the military transport plane, Kazakhstan’s Committee for National Security said in a statement.
Interfax-Kazakhstan said that one of Col. Turganbek Stambekov’s deputies and several regional border service commanders were also on the flight, from the Kazakh capital, Astana, to Shymkent.
Col. Turganbek Stambekov was made acting head of the service in June, weeks after 14 border troops were found dead at a burnt-out border post near Kazakhstan’s southern frontier with China. The incident prompted his predecessor to resign.
Another border guard was jailed for life for his alleged role in the incident at the Arkankergen post near Almaty, after he had reportedly confessed to the authorities.
He later said he had been forced into making the confession.
Pope Benedict XVI has called for a political solution to the violence in Syria during his Christmas message, the Urbi et Orbi, in Vatican City.
In front of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter’s Square, he called for all sides in the conflict to engage in dialogue.
“I appeal for an end to the bloodshed and easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced,” he said.
Christians around the world are celebrating Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.
In Bethlehem itself, Christmas Eve Mass was celebrated at the 1,700-year-old Church of the Nativity, on the spot where it is believed Jesus was born.
The Urbi et Orbi, which means “to the city and the world”, is a customary part of Christmas for Roman Catholics.
The Pope’s message this year focused on trouble spots around the world, particularly Syria.
“May peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict that does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims,” he said.
Activists say 40,000 have been killed in Syria since an anti-government uprising began early in 2011.
Pope Benedict XVI has called for a political solution to the violence in Syria during his Christmas message, the Urbi et Orbi, in Vatican City
The Pope also prayed for harmony in Nigeria, lamenting what he called “savage acts of terrorism” that frequently target Christians.
And he urged China’s new leadership to respect the contribution of religion in creating a “fraternal society”.
It is the first time the Pope has asked for blessings for the Chinese leadership in his Christmas message.
Relations between Beijing and the Vatican are often strained over the Chinese government’s efforts to install clergy sympathetic to the Communist state.
The Chinese authorities detained a Catholic bishop earlier this year after he refused to accept oversight from a state-run body.
Relations between China and the Vatican reached a new low over that incident.
On Monday, Christmas Eve Mass in the Vatican, usually celebrated at midnight, was brought forward by two hours to avoid tiring the 85-year-old pontiff.
At the Mass, he urged Christians to “find time and room for God in their fast-paced lives”.
Game of Thrones has become the most-pirated TV show over the internet in 2012, according to news site Torrentfreak‘s latest annual survey.
It said one episode of the series had racked up 4,280,000 illegal global downloads – slightly more than its estimated US television audience.
The site said that overall there had been a “small increase” in the amount of illegal sharing.
That was despite a “leveling out” of the activity the previous two years.
The rise also followed increased efforts to shut down or block websites providing access to copyright infringing material.
Investigations by the US, Mexican and Ukrainian authorities led to two of the best known file-sharing services disappearing earlier this year – digital locker service Megaupload and Bit Torrent link site Demonoid.
The administrators of Newzbin2 – a site which aggregated links to illegally copied material sourced from Usenet forums – also abandoned the operation after the UK courts forced internet service providers (ISPs) to block access.
In addition, UK-based Surfthechannel went offline after its owner went on trial for “facilitating” copyright infringement – a crime which resulted in him receiving a four year prison sentence.
Several countries ISPs have also been ordered to block The Pirate Bay, although political activists at Europe’s Pirate Parties continue to offer proxy-based workarounds.
Despite all the closures, one episode of Game of Thrones racked up 4,280,000 illegal global downloads, according to Torrentfreak. That was slightly more than its estimated US television audience.
The level of piracy may be linked to the fact that the TV company behind it – HBO – does not allow Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or other US streaming services access to its programmes. It instead restricts them to its own HBO Go online product, which is only available to its cable subscribers.
Outside the US, Torrentfreak noted that Australia was responsible for a disproportionate amount of illegal copies of Game of Thrones and suggested this may have been because episodes were broadcast locally a week later than in the US.
Game of Thrones has become the most-pirated TV show over the internet in 2012
Torrentfreak‘s editor acknowledged that, despite his findings, HBO might still want to keep its current model.
“Not all of the people who pirate do it because it’s free – availability is also a big factor,” said Ernesto Van Der Sar.
“Most of the titles in the top 10 list are behind paywalls and are not distributed very widely. If TV companies offered them online to a broader audience, piracy would be lower than it is now.
“But I’m not sure that would be best for their revenues as they rely on expensive subscriptions which they still sell a lot of. If they allowed people to download individual episodes from Netflix, for example, they might not make as much money.”
The latest effort to combat piracy is a newly announced action plan by Russia and the US.
It involves the two countries:
Co-ordinating efforts with rights holders and law enforcement agencies to force copyright infringing content off the net and take action against those responsible for putting it online.
Pledging to seize and destroy equipment used to make the pirated files.
Working together on legislation, including plans for a Russian law to make ISPs liable for piracy carried over their networks.
“Intellectual property rights not only protect our creators and innovators, but also promote foreign investment, economic development, and job creation,” said US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
It follows success at introducing other anti-piracy action over the past year.
A series of website blackouts and protests led to the US’s House of Representatives abandoning its Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) and the Senate its Protect Intellectual Property Act (Pipa) in January.
An attempt to bring in an international treaty – the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) – was also derailed after the European Parliament rejected it in July.
However, more recently countries have signaled they intend to press forward with anti-piracy efforts,
In September, Japan changed the law to introduce a maximum two year jail sentence for users found guilty of downloading pirated files.
Major ISPs in the US have announced plans to launch a “six strikes system” early next year, under which suspected pirates would be sent a series of warning letters before facing bandwidth throttling and other punitive measures. And the UK also plans to introduce a letter-writing scheme in 2013.
Wildlife campaigners are at odds over a new attempt to ban the global trade in polar bear parts.
Some activists say the market for rugs and ornaments made from the bears is driving them to extinction, but others argue that the most pressing problem for the species is climate change and the disappearance of polar ice.
The issue will be decided at a UN wildlife conservation meeting in Thailand in March 2013.
The Humane Society International/UK says that polar bears have been brought to a tipping point by climate change but that increased hunting in recent years is pushing the species “beyond the brink.”
“The drivers for the increase in recent years in the trade in polar bear parts are the extremely worrying and rapidly increasing prices being paid on international markets for polar bear parts,” said Mark Jones, executive director of the Humane Society International/UK.
He points to the fact that in the five years up to 2012 there has been a 375% increase in the number of polar bear skins offered at auction, some selling for as much as $12,000.
Every year around 600 bears are legally killed by hunters in Canada and in the decade to 2010 more than 30,000 bear parts were traded as trophies, rugs and ornaments.
Opponents of the trade have now proposed a ban on the international sales of polar bear parts. It will be tabled at the next meeting of the Convention on the trade in endangered species (CITES) taking place in Thailand next March.
Wildlife campaigners are at odds over a new attempt to ban the global trade in polar bear parts
The move is being supported by the US and Russian governments. The last time an attempt was made to change the ruling in 2010, it was defeated after the UK and the EU voted against. Mark Jones believes the UK government’s position is very influential and wants them to support the ban.
“We urgently need the British government to step forward and be a champion for polar bears by supporting their maximum protection,” he added.
But some prominent campaigners are against changing the protected status of the bears. WWF has had a long association with the iconic species but believes that the threat from international trade is not significant compared to the threat from climate change.
“If we were tempted to support it on the basis of trade being a major threat, it is not,” says Dr. Colman O’Criodain, WWF’s wildlife trade policy analyst.
“We have to focus on what is the major threat and not distract ourselves with a relatively minor one. We can’t be arguing for the science when it suits us and then ignore it when it doesn’t suit our case.” he added.
WWF are supported by other groups including Traffic International and IUCN. But Mark Jones says the Humane Society International have broad support for their position as well.
“We’re members of a very big campaigning group called the species survival network and we do believe we have a very wide consensus among groups on this particular issue,” he said.
Dr. Colman O’Criodain says that WWF won’t actively campaign against the ban and will accept it if it is voted through. But he argues that would be a bad outcome for polar bears.
“You could say that this is just a distraction factor and that it could have the effect of making people think something has been done to address the threat when the net effect will be almost negligible,” he said.
Indigenous groups in Canada are actively working against the proposed ban. And they particularly resent the fact that the US is leading the charge for change.
“The American government is using the threat of climate change to justify banning the international trade in polar bear parts while utterly failing to do anything to reduce their own activities,” said James Eetoolook of the Nunavut Tunngavik, a group that represents Inuit interests.
They argue that their own research in the western Hudson Bay region carried out earlier this year indicated that bear numbers were increasing rather than declining.
Campaign groups in favor of the new ban are taking comfort from the fact that some governments are still undecided.
A spokesperson for the UK’s department of the environment, farming and rural affairs added:
“We are currently considering the proposals ahead of the Conference of the Parties meeting next year.”
Two Webster volunteer firefighters were shot dead and two more injured as they arrived to tackle a fire in what police say was an “apparent trap”.
They were responding to an emergency call in the town of Webster in New York state on Monday morning.
The blaze broke out just before 06:00 local time and officers had to evacuate nearby residents in an armored car.
A gunman was later found dead at the scene, the police said.
The man was 62-year-old William Spengler, Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering told media.
William Spengler appeared to have shot himself in the head, Gerald Pickering said.
He had previously served a 17-year jail sentence after being convicted of killing his grandmother.
William Spengler’s sister is unaccounted for and police fear she may have died in the fire, which engulfed seven houses.
The two dead firefighters were named by police as Tomasz Kaczowka and Mike Chiapperini.
Gerald Pickering told reporters: “It does appear it was a trap.
“These people get up in the middle of the night to go put out fires; they don’t expect to be shot and killed.”
The two injured firefighters were named as Joseph Hofsetter and Theodore Scardino.
They are being treated for gunshot wounds at the Strong Memorial Hospital and are expected to recover.
Another passer-by was also injured in the shooting.
Webster firefighters Tomasz Kaczowka and Mike Chiapperini were shot dead by William Spengler in an apparent trap
Police spokesmen said the area was “an active crime scene” but that no more shooters were believed to be present.
Roger Vercruysse, described as a friend of William Spengler, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the shooter “couldn’t stand” his sister, who lived with him.
Roger Vercruysse said that William Spengler “loved his mama to death”, adding that he “went crazy” after she died in October.
Two of the firefighters had arrived in a fire engine and two in their own vehicles, police said. One wounded man managed to escape but the others were pinned down until the armored car could be sent in.
Police evacuated residents and firefighters were then able to return to tackle the blaze.
Chief Gerald Pickering said: “Webster is a tremendous community. We are a safe community, and to have a tragedy befall us like this is just horrendous.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement: “All of our thoughts and prayers go to the families and friends of those who were killed in this senseless act of violence.”
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said: “The contributions made by the fallen and injured officers in Webster will never be forgotten.
“As this investigation unfolds, we stand with our partners in law enforcement to ensure that lethal weapons are out of the hands of dangerous people, so that the brave New Yorkers who risk their lives every day to protect us are not exposed to additional danger.”
There were also two separate incidents of on-duty police officers being shot dead on Monday.
A policeman was killed in the city of Houston, Texas, after the driver of a car he pulled over opened fire on him.
In the midwestern state of Wisconsin, a policewoman on early morning patrol was found shot dead in the town of Wauwatosa.
The debate on gun violence in the US was rekindled earlier this month by the shootings at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 20 children and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
It was one of the worst mass shootings in American history.
“There’s a heightened awareness to this kind of violence in light of what happened in Connecticut,” said Maggie Brooks, leader of the local administration in Monroe County, the area which includes Webster.
“We have first responders and we have families who are in pain and crisis today and we need to, as a community, keep them in our thoughts and prayers,” Maggie Brooks said, adding that it was a “very, very difficult day”.
President Barack Obama has promised to push for action on gun control while the National Rifle Association (NRA) has called for armed security in all American schools.
It seems there is an increasing – and most unfestive – new holiday tradition of pre-Christmas breakups.
In the U.S. the phenomenon has been nicknamed the “turkey drop”, to describe a break-up that happens between Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday of November) and December 25.
In the last two years alone, numerous celebrity couples saw their relationships come to an end in the lead up to Christmas.
The past few weeks have seen Rihanna’s very public split from Chris Brown and Ashton Kutcher file for divorce from Demi Moore (who also split from her 26-year-old boy toy, Vito Schnabel this month).
Zooey Deschanel also finalized her divorce from Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard, and Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Rob Kardashian broke up with his long term girlfriend, pop sensation Rita Ora.
Turkey drop phenomenon describes a break-up that happens between Thanksgiving and Christmas
In 2010, Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds ended their two-year marriage just before Christmas.
The year also saw, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, Dexter‘s Michael C. Hall and his wife Jennifer Carpenter and Nip/Tuck star Dylan Walsh and his wife Joanna Going all announce the end in the run up to Christmas.
Data researchers David McCandless and Lee Byron charted the most frequent times of year that relationships end and found two peaks, one in March and one in the run up to Christmas.
While it is not clear exactly what causes this trend, it is suggested that the stress of the holiday season may be to blame, with people feeling unable to cope with pleasing their partner as well as preparing for the celebrations.
Many become nostalgic and reflective around Christmas and may begin to question their lives and decisions, which can call into question the compatibility and longevity of a relationship.
It is also a time of year traditionally spent with family, which, as any couple knows, can be a source of tension. Parental disapproval of a partner and the strain of family fights may prompt some of us to pull the plug on an ailing relationship.
Of course, there will undoubtedly be a few Scrooges who end rotten relationships before the 25th simple to avoid buying another present.
Whatever the reason at least those shown the door will have plenty of comfort food and family surrounding them to ease the pain – and a fair few drinks too.
Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose are more than happy to share every little happy moment of the pregnancy with the world.
The celebrity couple posted a picture on Instagram showing the rapper stroking the zebra print covered belly of Amber.
The model, real name Amber Levonchuck, shared the candid snap and added the caption: “Daddy rubbin his baby.”
It is not the first time Amber Rose and Wiz Khalifa have displayed their child-to-be as the pair have taken every opportunity to showcase their love.
Amber Rose, 29, and Wiz Khalifa, real name Cameron Thomaz, have also been extremely vocal about how they are going to raise their little boy.
The 25-year-old rapper is well known for his smoking habit but is adamant that he will not change his ways when he is a father.
Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose are more than happy to share every little happy moment of the pregnancy with the world
When E! News asked Wiz Khalifa if he was planning to stop smoking, he said: “I think it’s all about how you’re raised with it.”
He then added: “Before there was a much more negative outtake on it. You know, pot and what it can do, and the effects of it.
“Of course, I’m not going to be smoking right there over the baby, because smoke in general and being high is not good for a kid. None of that. But definitely he’s going to know what it is – and he’ll know the difference between being a child and not being able to use it and being an adult and knowing how to use it.”
Amber Rose concurred: “It’s just like alcohol, basically. That’s how I feel about it, you know. When you’re a kid, you know that you’re not supposed to drink alcohol, that it’s for adults and that’s it.”
She added: “Our son is just going to know that daddy likes to smoke.”
Wiz Khalifa has always been honest about his affinity for weed, in 2010, he told MTV: “I thought weed was bad for a minute. When I was younger, I thought it was bad, but I got to a point where it worked for me. It don’t work for everybody else.
“People gotta stay free, people need jobs, people got parents that probably wouldn’t be with it, so don’t ruin your life trying to be like me. That’s my advice.”
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi enjoyed a romantic stroll along the beach together as they soaked up the sun together in St Barts on Monday.
Dressed in complimentary pale outfits – a cream dress for Portia de Rossi and a white shirt and trousers for Ellen DeGeneres – the smiling pair were arm in arm as they chatted and strolled.
They had earlier enjoyed a Christmas Eve lunch at the exclusive Eden Rock Restaurant on the island.
Ellen DeGeneres enjoyed a beer while Portia de Rossi sipped a glass of wine over their meal.
Then Ellen DeGeneres rolled up her trousers as they paddled in the surf.
She didn’t quite manage to stay dry, however, getting caught out by a wave.
Ellen DeGeneres enjoyed a beer while Portia de Rossi sipped a glass of wine over their meal
The mishap amused Ellen DeGeneres, who looked younger than her 54 years as she laughed with Portia de Rossi, 39.
The previous night Ellen DeGeneres, showed off her showbiz connections as the couple bumped into supermodel Kimora Lee Simmons, 37, and her children Ming Lee, 12, Aoki Lee, 10, and three-year-old Kenzo Lee.
Posing for photos they laughed and joked together.
Ellen DeGeneres and former Portia de Rossi then continued their evening together, popping into Hermes to pick up some last minute stocking fillers.
The couple wed in 2008 and still seem as happy as ever.
They celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary earlier this year, with Ellen DeGeneres hiring a sky writer to mark the event by writing “four in the sky”.
A simple eye test may offer a fast and easy way to monitor patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), medical experts say in the journal Neurology.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a scan that measures the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye – the retina.
It takes a few minutes per eye and can be performed in a doctor’s surgery.
In a trial involving 164 people with MS, those with thinning of their retina had earlier and more active MS.
The team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine say larger trials with a long follow up are needed to judge how useful the test might be in everyday practice.
The latest study tracked the patients’ disease progression over a two-year period.
Multiple sclerosis is an illness that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord causing problems with muscle movement, balance and vision. In MS, the protective sheath or layer around nerves, called myelin, comes under attack which, in turn, leaves the nerves open to damaged.
Optical Coherence Tomography test may offer a fast and easy way to monitor patients with multiple sclerosis
There are different types of MS – most people with the condition have the relapsing remitting type where the symptoms come and go over days, weeks or months.
Usually after a decade or so, half of patients with this type of MS will develop secondary progressive disease where the symptoms get gradually worse and there are no or very few periods of remission.
Another type of MS is primary progressive disease where symptoms get worse from the outset.
There is no cure but treatments can help slow disease progression.
It can be difficult for doctors to monitor MS because it has a varied course and can be unpredictable.
Brain scans can reveal inflammation and scarring, but it is not clear how early these changes might occur in the disease and whether they accurately reflect ongoing damage.
Scientists have been looking for additional ways to track MS, and believe OCT may be a contender.
OCT measures the thickness of nerve fibres housed in the retina at the back of the eye.
Unlike nerve cells in the rest of the brain which are covered with protective myelin, the nerve cells in the retina are bare with no myelin coat.
Experts suspect that this means the nerves here will show the earliest signs of MS damage.
The study at Johns Hopkins found that people with MS relapses had much faster thinning of their retina than people with MS who had no relapses. So too did those whose level of disability worsened.
Similarly, people with MS who had inflammatory lesions that were visible on brain scans also had faster retinal thinning than those without visible brain lesions.
Study author Dr. Peter Calabresi said OCT may show how fast MS is progressing.
“As more therapies are developed to slow the progression of MS, testing retinal thinning in the eyes may be helpful in evaluating how effective those therapies are,” he added.
In an accompanying editorial in the same medical journal that the research is published in, MS experts Drs Robert Bermel and Matilde Inglese say OCT “holds promise” as an MS test.
First Lady Michelle Obama recently read Twas The Night Before Christmas at a Washington area children’s hospital.
As she sat down on stage to begin reading the classic tale to the tiny tots, Bo the First Dog jumped right up on his mother’s lap.
He seemed quite comfy as well, since he didn’t move from the position throughout the seven minute session.
Bo is significantly larger than the former First Dog, Barney, who was a small Scottish terrier, and Portuguese Water Dogs can weigh up to 55 pounds.
That was no matter for Michelle Obama, however, as she gamefully played along and even jokingly held the book out so that the 4-year-old pup could “read” along.
Though the First Lady visited the Children’s National Medical Center on December 14, the video was not released until Christmas Eve, in keeping with the theme of the story.
Bo is a part of many of the White House traditions during the holidays, as he served as a sort of “Waldo” figure throughout the decorations, with mini figurines in his likeness scattered throughout the many displays and 54 live trees.
Michelle Obama reads Twas The Night Before Christmas to sick children in hospital but Bo steals the show
Michelle Obama explained the reason why they used Bo repeatedly is because it was an easy theme for young visitors to catch on to during their tours and they can be given the task of spotting Bo in each of the rooms.
He also kept up the tradition- started by President George Bush’s pet Barney- of doing a video tour of the decorations throughout the White House that is then posted online for people to view in case they are not among the lucky thousands who tour it in person.
This is definitely not the first year that the holiday spotlight turned to Bo, as he has been the sole subject of each of the first family’s Christmas cards since Barack Obama took office in 2009.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has improved after a cancer operation in Cuba and has started walking and exercising, country’s Vice-President Nicolas Maduro has said.
Nicolas Maduro told state TV he had spoken on the phone to HUgo Chavez, describing the call as “the best present we could get this Christmas”.
Hugo Chavez underwent his fourth cancer operation on December 11 in Cuba but suffered a respiratory infection.
President Hugo Chavez – in power since 1999 – won another term in October’s election.
Earlier, Venezuelan Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said: “The patient has shown a slight improvement in his condition.”
However, no pictures of HUgo Chavez after the surgery have been released so far.
Hugo Chavez, 58, is scheduled to be sworn in on January 10.
The lack of any word from Hugo Chavez for two weeks prior to the comments by the two senior officials raised serious concerns about his current condition and his ability to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has improved after a cancer operation in Cuba and has started walking and exercising
Bolivian President Evo Morales was in Cuba over the weekend but did not speak to reporters and a Cuban government invitation for media to cover his arrival and departure was withdrawn.
Evo Morales is expected to issue a statement later on Hugo Chavez’s condition.
The country’s constitution states that elections must be held within 30 days if there is an “absolute absence” of the president.
But National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello has said Venezuela will not call fresh elections if President Hugo Chavez is unable to be sworn in on 10 January.
Diosdado Cabello said the swearing-in ceremony would be delayed.
“Since [President] Chavez might not be here on 10 January, [the opposition] hopes the National Assembly will call elections. That’s not going to happen. Commandante Hugo Chavez will continue to be our president,” Diosdado Cabello said.
According to Diosdado Cabello, the constitution allows him to be sworn in before Supreme Court justices, but it does not stipulate when or where.
Hugo Chavez has said Venezuelans should vote for Nicolas Maduro in fresh elections, should his health fail.
Jack Klugman, who starred in hit TV series in the 1970s and 80s, has died at the age of 90 in Los Angeles.
The actor passed away on Monday afternoon, his son Adam said, without giving further details.
Jack Klugman played a no-nonsense medical investigator in Quincy M.E. and a sloppy sports writer in The Odd Couple.
He lost his voice to throat cancer in the 1980s but later trained himself to speak again.
Jack Klugman, who starred in hit TV series in the 1970s and 80s, has died at the age of 90 in Los Angeles
Jack Klugman returned to acting in the 1990s.
“He had a great life and he enjoyed every moment of it and he would encourage others to do the same,” son Adam Klugman was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
His brother David added: “His sons loved him very much. We’ll carry on in his spirit.”
Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world are celebrating the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
The day culminated with Christmas Eve Mass at the 1,700-year-old Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where it is believed Jesus was born.
In Bethlehem, Patriarch Fouad Twal, the head of the Roman Catholic Church in Jerusalem voiced his support for a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile in the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI held the traditional Mass at St Peter’s Basilica.
The pontiff urged Christians to “find time and room for God in their fast-paced lives”.
Pope Benedict prayed that Israelis and Palestinians be able to live their lives in peace. He also prayed for peace in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
The Mass, usually celebrated at midnight, was brought forward by two hours to avoid tiring the 85-year-old pontiff unduly.
Later on Tuesday, the Pope will deliver his traditional Christmas message to the city of Rome and to the world (Urbi et Orbi).
Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world are celebrating the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
On Monday, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal said this Christmas would be a celebration of “the birth of Christ our lord and the birth of the state of Palestine”.
“The path [to statehood] remains long, and will require a united effort,” he said.
The patriarch, who was born in Jordan, led a symbolic procession from Jerusalem’s Old City to the West Bank city, passing through the separation barrier and checkpoint built by the Israelis.
He was met at the church in Manger Square by thousands of tourists, pilgrims and clergy.
The patriarch later held the Mass at the Church of Nativity.
“From this holy place, I invite politicians and men of good will to work with determination for peace and reconciliation that encompasses Palestine and Israel in the midst of all the sufferings in the Middle East,” he said.
And referring to last month’s hostilities between Israel and Gaza militants, the patriarch said his prayers included “all Arab and Jewish families that have been touched by the conflict”.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas was present at the Mass.
In November, the United Nations upgraded the status of the Palestinians to that of a “non-member observer state”.
Israel – strongly backed by the US – opposed the move, describing it as a Palestinian ploy to bypass stalled peace negotiations.
The Church of Nativity is located in an area of the West Bank governed by the Palestinian Authority.
In June, the church was formally named a Unesco World Heritage Site – the first to be nominated by the Palestinians, who were made full members of Unesco earlier this year.
Heidi Klum and Seal might have had a less an amicable split earlier this year, but they are set to put their differences behind them and reunite for Christmas, it has been claimed.
According to reports, Heidi Klum and Seal decided to make peace for the sake of their four children – Leni, Henry, Johan and Lou.
And given that Seal and Heidi Klum, who is now in a relationship with her bodyguard Martin Kristen, are both in Los Angeles, it looks likely that they will be celebrating the holidays together at some point over the festive period.
A source told the New York Post:“They’re trying to be co-parents and show up for their children.”
“They are trying to work it out, mainly for the kids.”
Heidi Klum and Seal are set to put their differences behind them and reunite for Christmas
And the publication also reports that Seal hasn’t yet given up on his hope of reconciling permanently with his estranged wife.
The source added: “Seal has been doing everything to get her back. They have been talking on the phone regularly.”
While Heidi Klum and Seal appeared to have maintained their friendship following their split, things turned frosty when Seal accused Heidi of having begun her relationship with bodyguard Martin while they were still together.
Seal said in September: “I would have thought Heidi would have showed a little bit more class and at least wait until we separated first before deciding to fornicate with the help.”
Heidi Klum then retaliated during an interview with Katie Couric shortly afterwards, saying: “I don’t know if we’re the greatest friends right now, especially because of the things that he said.”
Macaulay Culkin proved that he was doing just fine as he hit the shops to get the last of his Christmas gifts on Saturday, despite starting the day by eating alone at Taco Bell.
The former child star cut a solitary figure as he wandered around New York, before stopping off at the Mexican restaurant to tuck into a tasty lunch.
While many people will be watching the festive Home Alone films over the holidays, in which Macaulay Culkin stars as a young boy accidentally left at home by himself, the star seemed quite happy to be spending his day alone, pounding the streets of SoHo.
Macaulay Culkin, 32, who dated Mila Kunis for nearly nine years, dispelled any rumors that he was undernourished by stopping off at the fast food restaurant as soon as he got into town, buying a hefty meal and sitting on his own to eat it.
After re-fueling, Macaulay Culkin set about hitting the shops, as did many other New Yorkers in the run up to Christmas Day.
Macaulay Culkin proved that he was doing just fine as he hit the shops to get the last of his Christmas gifts on Saturday, despite starting the day by eating alone at Taco Bell
Trying to go as incognito as possible, Macaulay Culkin wore a floppy grey hat over his blonde mop of hair, leaving just tuft of the trademark mane sticking out.
He also wore a pair of dark Ray Ban sunglasses and wrapped a stripy scarf tightly around his neck, pulling it up tight under his chin.
The sometimes eccentric-looking star could have passed for any other shopper in a pair of loose-fitting blue jeans and a buttoned-up black jacket.
With headphones in his ears, and puffing on a cigarette, the artist stopped by a number of high street shops, picking up some clothes in Banana Republic and a portable record player in Urban Outfitters.
A new survey has revealed that nearly half of us have been treating ourselves to at least one Christmas present with every purchase we made online this festive season.
Almost half of the women polled admitted to popping a gift for themselves into their virtual basket, with a third revealing to picking out two gifts, and 9% buying three.
The survey of 2,000 shoppers carried out by Waitrose found that residents of Yorkshire and the Humberside were most likely to splurge on themselves when shopping for others, with 21% confessing to picking our two presents for themselves in one shop, and nine per cent buying three.
Those in Wales were likely to buy themselves the highest number of presents while doing their Christmas shopping, allowing themselves up to six gifts in one shop.
A new survey has revealed that nearly half of us have been treating ourselves to at least one Christmas present with every purchase we made online this festive season
Robin Phillips, Waitrose’s ecommerce director, said: “Choosing the perfect gift for a loved one can often be time consuming and stressful.
“Online shoppers have found <<one for you, one for me>> shopping makes Christmas even more rewarding – by adding themselves to their gift list.”
Now that’s one way to make sure your list to Santa gets ticked off.
It may come as a surprise to see the Kardashian sisters coming to blows in the new trailer for their upcoming reality show Kourtney And Kim Take Miami.
For as fans of their original show Keeping Up With The Kardashians know, the only thing the girls like more than making and spending money is a bit of drama.
The sisters come to blows in the brief 30 second clip – although there’s no explanation as to why they are fighting.
With their hair flying around, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian are seen engaging in what can only be described as a cat fight.
The trailer promises more of the winning formula which has made the sisters such a hit with fans – with scenes featuring Kim and Kourtney Kardashian sunning themselves in bikinis, Khloe in the bath with husband Lamar Odom, and of course an explosive fight.
The trailer also shows the reality stars water skiing and drinking with pals.
Kim and Kourtney Kardashian are seen engaging in what can be described as a cat fight in their new reality show, Kourtney and Kim Take Miami
Filming on the series has now wrapped, with the sisters heading back to Los Angeles for Christmas.
Kim Kardashian tweeted: “I am so glad to be home for the holidays!!
“I loved spending time in Miami but LA is my home and I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.”
And she promised: “Our time in Miami has come to an end and I can’t wait to show you all what we got up to while we were down in Miami when the show premiers in January.”
Luckily for fans they don’t have long to wait – the new show is set to air on the U.S. in early January.
Meanwhile Kourtney Kardashian has been sharing her plans for the holidays.
She attends a huge family Christmas party thrown by her mother Kris Jenner every year, but she is keen to start her own traditions with boyfriend Scott Disick and their children Mason, three, and Penelope, five months, away from her wider family.
She said: “I think it’s important to continue some of the family traditions, like the Christmas party, but to make it my own with Scott and the kids as well.
“Last Christmas Eve, we all had our own friends over and decorated gingerbread men, I want to do that again this year.”
However, Kourtney Kardashian, 33, will still be heading to Kris Jenner’s party because of all the tasty treats which will be on offer.
She added: “At my mum’s party, she has so many different things to try. I eat a little bit of everything, but not so much that I feel guilty. Everything in moderation.”
Two competing Santa tracking devices are racing to track Father Christmas as he travels the globe tonight.
Volunteers have again been watching Santa’ progress from 5:00 a.m. EST as part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa Programme.
The system, run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command located at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is in its 57th year and allows children to follow the sleigh online.
But this year it has a competitor – using its Google Earth and Google Maps products, the internet search giant is tracking Santa on its own this year with a new algorithm.
“While we’ve been tracking Santa since 2004 with Google Earth, this year a team of dedicated Google Maps engineers built a new route algorithm to chart Santa’s journey around the world on Christmas Eve,” the vice-president of Google Maps and Google Earth, Brian McClendon, wrote on the Official Google blog this week.
Meanwhile, NORAD revealed it takes hundreds of calls from those eager to know Saint Nick’s precise location and uses radar and satellite and even fighter jets to keep a track of his route.
For the past two years even the First Lady, Michelle Obama, has lent a hand answering calls from concerned children keen to keep tabs on Santa and his nine reindeer.
As the site explains: “The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, we use our second detection system.
“Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors, which enable them to detect heat.
“Amazingly, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allows our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa.
“The third tracking system is the Santa Cam network…Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many locations around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year.
“The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world.”
NORAD and Google Santa Tracker competition to follow Father Christmas as he travels the globe
By 1:00 p.m. EST the tracking site had followed Santa across Australia and Asia.
Santa was spotted passing landmarks such as the Great Wall of China and the Sydney Opera House.
He was most recently seen above the skies of Afghanistan.
Last year, Michelle Obama, said she was delighted to be part of the project.
In a statement, the First Lady said: “It is wonderful to be part of this holiday tradition. I love answering calls from children who were anxious to learn where Santa was and when he would arrive at their home.
“I passed on to each child the current location of Santa and reminded them that he would come to their house only after they were in bed sleeping.”
In 1955, a Colorado Springs newspaper advert invited children to talk to Santa on a hotline.
But the number had a typo, and dozens of children mistakenly dialed the Continental Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, the predecessor to NORAD.
The officers on duty sprang into action and began passing along reports on Santa’s progress – and the tradition was born.
More than 1500 volunteers will answer calls in shifts until 5:00 a.m. EST on Christmas morning.
Last year NORAD received more than 100,000 calls and 7,000 emails.
Elisany da Cruz Silva, the world’s tallest teenage girl, walks hands in hands with her boyfriend on a Brazilian beach, the picture of young love despite a staggering 1ft 4in height difference.
Elisany da Cruz Silva, 17, measures an unbelievable 6ft 8in tall and has to bend down to plant a kiss on her 5 ft 4 in lover Francinaldo da Silva Carvalho, 22.
The youngster, from Salinopolis in Brazil, has a form of gigantism because of a tumor on her pituitary gland, which regulates growth. Doctors have since removed the tumor.
Elisany da Cruz Silva, an aspiring model, told Vietnam-based broadcaster BTV: “What really attracted me was his personality, the way he acts with people and the way he acts with me.
“The only thing that really affects us is when we hang out holding hands – it seems like he is my little brother or son.
“But I didn’t choose him, God did.”
Elisany da Cruz Silva, the world’s tallest teenage girl, and her boyfriend Francinaldo da Silva Carvalho
Elisany da Cruz Silva was too tall to ride the school bus and says she left school because of teasing from classmates.
She added: “It’s hard when I’m inside home. I get distracted and hit the wood in the ceiling with my head.”
Elisany da Cruz Silva lives in a small house with her sisters and mother Ana Maria Silva and step-father Luiz Jorge.
Her mother said: “I want her be like the other girls because I know she feels weird and sometimes wants to be like them.”
More than 31,000 Americans have signed a petition sent to White House calling for British TV host Piers Morgan to be deported.
They are angry about Piers Morgan’s advocacy of gun control, in the wake of the December 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
The petition followed an interview with Larry Pratt, director of Gun Owners of America, on CNN – in which Piers Morgan called his guest “a dangerous man”.
Petitions posted on the White House website only require 25,000 signatures to get a response from the government.
The campaign was started by a journalist in Texas following Piers Morgan’s CNN programme of December 19.
The petition says the talk show host “is engaged in a hostile attack against the US Constitution by targeting the Second Amendment”, which protects an individual’s right to own guns for the purposes of self-defence.
“We demand that Mr. Morgan be deported immediately for his effort to undermine the Bill of Rights and for exploiting his position as a national network television host to stage attacks against the rights of American citizens.”
More than 31,000 Americans have signed a petition calling for Piers Morgan to be deported following an interview with Larry Pratt
Piers Morgan has responded, repeatedly, on his Twitter account.
“If I do get deported from America for wanting fewer gun murders, are there any other countries that will have me?” the 47-year-old joked after the 25,000-signature threshold was past.
He added: “Wanting America to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines isn’t anti-constitutional – it’s called <<common sense>>.”
Later Piers Morgan said, in a reference to the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech: “Ironic US gun rights campaign to deport me for <<attacking Second Amendment rights>> – is my opinion not protected under 1st Amendment rights?”
In the wake of the shooting in Newton, Connecticut, President Barack Obama has vowed to push for immediate and concrete gun safety proposals.
But the pro-gun National Rifle Association (NRA), which has more than four million members, has rejected the need for tighter gun control. According to the Small Arms Survey, there were 88.8 firearms for every 100 Americans in 2007.
Piers Morgan’s interview, on his nightly chat show, came five days after gunman Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary school.
Larry Pratt said tighter controls on gun sales would not put an end to similar tragedies.
“The problem occurs in those areas precisely where we have said <<no guns>>,” he said.
“Where the guns are allowed freely to be carried… we have very low murder rates.
“We only have problems in our cities and, unhappily, in our schools, where people like you have been able to get laws put on the books that keep people from being able to defend themselves.”
Piers Morgan responded: “You’re a very stupid man, aren’t you?
“You have absolutely no coherent argument. You don’t actually give a damn about the gun murder rate in America.”
He ended the combative interview by calling Larry Pratt “a dangerous man espousing dangerous nonsense” and declared, “you shame your country”.
Egyptians are awaiting the official results of a referendum on a controversial draft constitution.
Early unofficial results suggested more than 60% of voters said “yes” to the document, which is endorsed by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
But the electoral commission must first investigate opposition allegations of voting fraud.
Egypt has seen large and occasionally violent demonstrations by the opposing sides in the past few weeks.
If the constitution passes, elections must take place within two months and the deep polarization in the country is likely to continue.
In the meantime, legislative powers will pass to parliament’s upper chamber, the Islamist-controlled Shura Council.
State media reports of the results following Saturday’s second and final round of the referendum suggested that some 63% of voters had backed the charter. Turnout was low, estimated at 30%.
Egyptians are awaiting the official results of a referendum on a controversial draft constitution
The electoral commission said it was compiling results from both rounds and that no time had been set for a confirmation of the outcome.
One member of the commission, Mohamed el-Tanobly, told Agence France-Presse it was examining all the allegations of irregularities so that the referendum “really reflects the will of the Egyptian people”.
The opposition National Salvation Front said on Sunday the vote had been marred by “fraud and violations”.
It said these included polling stations opening late, Islamists seeking to influence voters and a lack of judges to supervise.
Spokesman Amr Hamzawy told a news conference the National Salvation Front had urged the commission to investigate the irregularities but he also appeared to anticipate a “yes” vote.
He said: “We do not consider this constitution legitimate. We will continue to attempt to bring down the constitution peacefully and democratically.”
The opposition says the draft constitution fails to protect the freedoms and human rights that were sought in the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s rule last year.
It accuses the president of pushing through a text that favors Islamists and does not sufficiently protect the rights of women or Christians.
But the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, said it hoped the “yes” vote would begin to heal divisions and bring stability.
On the Freedom and Justice Party Facebook page, its leader, Saad al-Katatni, wrote that its members were “extending our hands to all political parties and all national forces”, adding: “We will all start a new page.”
However, the crisis is continuing to affect the country’s economic status. On Monday, the ratings agency Standard and Poor’s downgraded Egypt’s long-term credit rating because of the ongoing tension.
Lowering the country’s long-term rating to B- from B, it said: “A further downgrade is possible if a significant worsening of the domestic political situation results in a sharp deterioration of economic indicators such as foreign exchange reserves or the government’s deficit.”
The latest unrest began after Mohamed Morsi issued a decree on November 22 stripping the judiciary of the power to challenge his decisions.
After an outcry, the president revoked much of the decree, but he refused to back down on the referendum on the draft constitution.
Two volunteer firefighters have been shot dead and two injured while responding to an emergency call in the town of Webster in New York state.
It appears the four were fired upon as they arrived at the scene of a fire early on Monday morning.
The blaze broke out just before 06:00 local time and the shooting reportedly prevented firefighters putting it out for several hours.
A gunman has been found dead at the scene, local police say.
“Upon arrival of the first.. engine company and some firefighters in their personal vehicles, they underwent gunfire from a location unknown,” Webster’s Fire Marshal Rob Boutillier told reporters.
Police spokesmen said the area was “an active crime scene” but that no more shooters were believed to be present.
Police teams moved in to evacuate residents after the shooting, local media reports say.
Two volunteer firefighters have been shot dead and two injured while responding to an emergency call in the town of Webster in New York state
Firefighters were then able to return to the scene and are now tackling the blaze.
“All of our thoughts and prayers go to the families and friends of those who were killed in this senseless act of violence,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
The debate on gun violence in the US was rekindled earlier this month by the shootings at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, which left 20 children and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
It was one of the worst mass shootings in American history.
President Barack Obama has promised to push for action on gun control while the National Rifle Association has called for armed security in all American schools.
Researchers have found that more than 2,000 different species of bacteria live in our belly buttons.
As one report puts it, “you have more kinds of bacteria in your belly button than there are different kinds of ants or birds in North America”.
But, doctors say, there’s no need to panic.
“I don’t find it alarming,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an expert in infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee tells ABC News.
“We knew belly buttons weren’t sterile,” Dr. William Schaffner said, adding that the majority of these bacteria were rare and occurred in just one individual.
However, William Schaffner says that doesn’t minimize the study’s findings.
“This is in the context of a much larger study, which is trying to get greater insight into the source of pathogens and how the [bacteria on our body] changes with antimicrobial therapy and age,” he tells ABC.
Perhaps, he added, we can “use this to develop new antimicrobials”.
Researchers have found that more than 2,000 different species of bacteria live in our belly buttons
“Understanding the biodiversity of our bodies and how it differs among people may play an important role in understanding why some … people are susceptible to the same pathogen or respond to the same drug or diet,” said Dr. Rob Knight, associate professor of molecular biophysics at the University of Colorado – Boulder.
Although the findings of the study do not have any immediate implications, this is good timing for a public service announcement from Dr. Gregory Poland, infectious disease expert at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
“The current fad of women piercing their umbilicus has led to many case reports of infections,” Gregory Poland said.
“And with today’s multiple drug-resistant bacteria, it can lead to disasters.”
North Carolina State University’s Belly Button Biodiversity study in 2011, found 1,400 strains of bacteria lurking in human belly buttons – including 662 unrecognized strains.
Patriarch Fouad Twal, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Jerusalem, has voiced his support for a Palestinian state during a procession to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus.
Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal said this Christmas would be a celebration of “the birth of Christ our lord and the birth of the state of Palestine”.
Last month, the United Nations upgraded the status of the Palestinians to that of a “non-member observer state”.
Patriarch Fouad Twal is due to lead midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity.
Patriarch Fouad Twal, head of the Roman Catholic Church in Jerusalem, has voiced his support for a Palestinian state during a procession to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus
The church is seen by Christians as the traditional birthplace of Jesus, and is in an area of the West Bank governed by the Palestinian Authority.
In June the church was formally named a Unesco World Heritage Site – the first to be nominated by the Palestinians, who were made full members of Unesco earlier this year.
Patriarch Fouad Twal, who was born in Jordan, led a symbolic procession from Jerusalem’s Old City to Bethlehem, passing through the separation barrier and checkpoint built by the Israelis.
He was met at the church in Manger Square by thousands of tourists, pilgrims and clergy.
