David Letterman has opened up about his indiscretions with female employees and how they rocked television – and his marriage – in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
In October 2009, David Letterman made a shocking on-air revelation on the Late Show that he had cheated on his wife, Regina Lasko, whom he had only married that March.
He made the confession after becoming the victim of an extortion plot concocted by a then-CBS producer, Robert Halderman, who demanded $2 million in exchange for his silence over the affairs.
“I have no one to blame but myself,” David Letterman told Oprah Winfrey in the interview which will air on Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
“And now, I feel better about myself, my relationship with my wife is never better, and it’s just because I want to be the person I always thought I was and probably was pretending I was. And so far, it’s been great. Things have been great.
“I hurt a lot of people. I have nobody to blame but myself. I’m not looking to blame anybody. I’m looking to find out why I behaved the way I behaved.”
It emerged that he had cheated on Regina Lasko, with whom he has a 9-year-old son, with female staff members, allegedly including Late Show assistant Stephanie Birkitt.
Robert Halderman, then a producer on CBS show 48 Hours, eventually served four months behind bars for the extortion plot.
David Letterman has opened up about his indiscretions with female employees and how they rocked television in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey
After David Letterman’s on-air confession, he publicly vowed to repair his marriage.
“Let me tell you folks, I got my work cut out for me,” he said during the following taping.
“Inadvertently, I just wasn’t thinking ahead. My thanks to the staff for, once again, putting up with something stupid I’ve gotten myself involved in.”
But he also made light of the affair, later adding: “It’s chilly outside my house; chilly INSIDE my house.”
In the interview with Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman also attempted to put rumors about his years-long feud with fellow talk show great Jay Leno to bed.
For decades, audiences have believed their spat began when David Letterman lost out on Johnny Carson’s old seat at the Tonight Show, yet in the interview he hinted at how his once close relationship with Jay Leno actually crumbled due to the comic’s insecurities.
“We were always friends before all of this happened,” David Letterman, 65, said in the Oprah’s New Chapter interview, which airs in full on the OWN on January 6.
“He has a way – he’s an unusual fellow. I’ve never met anyone quite like Jay.
“And I will say – and I’m happy to say – that I think he is the funniest guy I’ve ever known. Just flat out, if you go to see him do his night club act, just the funniest, the smartest, a wonderful observationist and very appealing as a comic.
“Therefore, the fact that he is maybe the most insecure person I have ever known… I could never reconcile that.”
The high-publicized feud has previously been blamed on David Letterman being passed over as the replacement for Johnny Carson in 1992, when Jay Leno was given the job instead.
The battle was so well known that it was made into a 1996 HBO film, The Late Shift.
And this year, the spat hotted up when Jay Leno ended his 17-year reign at the Tonight show to begin the Jay Leno Show for NBC – which failed to garner the ratings of his rival’s show.
David Letterman went from strength to strength, overtaking Conan O’Brien in the late-night ratings.
The rivals have managed to laugh at their mutual animosity, appearing in a commercial during the 2010 Super Bowl in which they were separated on a couch by Oprah Winfrey.
To see the interview in its entirety, tune in to “Oprah’s Next Chapter” on January 6 at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.
Speculation is growing that Ri Sol-Ju, wife of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un, has given birth in recent weeks, continuing the family dynasty into a fourth generation.
Photographs seen on North Korean TV show Ri Sol-Ju wearing a neatly-fitting two-piece skirt suit in contrast to the loose-fitting clothing she was seen wearing in mid December and which suggested she was heavily pregnant.
Adding to the speculation that Ri Sol-Ju has given birth was her recent slimmed-down appearance at an official event, which included an all-woman band singing the Johnny Mathis Christmas favorite When a Child is Born.
Before-and-after photos were run on South Korean TV and in Seoul newspapers today resulting in widespread agreement that Kim Jong-Un’s wife has had a child.
“The bulging stomach has gone down – has Ri Sol-Ju given birth?” asked one newspaper, the Dong-A Ilbo.
The caption in another South Korean paper, the Chosun Ilbo, read: “Ri Sol-Ju with her tummy reduced in 11 days. Has she come out right after childbirth?”
The photographs have undergone the most intense scrutiny and the verdict is that Ri Sol-Ju is a mother.
Speculation is growing that Ri Sol-Ju, wife of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un, has given birth in recent weeks, continuing the family dynasty into a fourth generation
A South Korean government official, quoted by the national Yonhap news agency concluded that Ri Sol-Ju “appeared to have already given birth based on analysis of the TV images”.
Whether North Korea will officially announce what would be the equivalent of a royal birth is open to speculation.
No official announcement was made that Kim Jong-Un even had a wife until state media eventually revealed it.
But the announcement came long after pictures had emerged of a stylishly-dressed young woman accompanying the new leader at official events.
Kim Jong-Un was elevated to leader of the secretive Stalinist state following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, who had succeeded his own father, “Great Leader” Kim Il-Sung.
According to South Korean media, citing intelligence reports, the couple were married in 2009 and already have one child.
But that has never been confirmed.
Ri Sol-Ju is said to have come from an “ordinary family” – although her father being an academic and her mother a doctor raises them above the average level.
The young wife of North Korea’s leader made her first public appearance in two months in October – bringing to an end what might have been a period of “home detention” for being too carefree.
Ri Sol-Ju had been photographed earlier this year smiling and strolling about in a casual manner when accompanying her husband.
But then she disappeared from view, provoking speculation that she might be pregnant but more likely because she was not presenting the dour image promoted by her husband’s late father, Kim Jong-Il.
Analysts say that despite the young Kim’s appointment as supreme commander of the nation, he is still under the control of the military hierarchy who make sure he presents a rigid, authoritative image to the rest of the world.
That means that his wife must remain aloof and untouchable in the eyes of the masses, say North Korean experts.
Vast numbers of cells that can attack cancer and HIV have been grown in the lab, and could potentially be used to fight disease.
The cells naturally occur in small numbers, but it is hoped injecting huge quantities back into a patient could turbo-charge the immune system.
The Japanese research is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Experts said the results had exciting potential, but any therapy would need to be shown to be safe.
The researchers concentrated on a type of white blood cell known as a cytotoxic T-cell, which can recognize telltale markings of infection or cancer on the surfaces of cells. If a marking is recognized, it launches an attack.
Teams at the University of Tokyo and the Riken Research Centre for Allergy and Immunology used advances in stem cell technology to make more T-cells.
One group extracted T-cells which targeted a patient’s skin cancer. Another group did the same for HIV.
These T-cells were converted into stem cells, which could dramatically increase in number when grown in the laboratory. These were converted back into T-cells which should also have the ability to target the cancer or HIV.
The groups have proved only that they can make these cells, not that they can be safely put back into patients or that if would make a difference to their disease if they did.
Vast numbers of cells that can attack cancer and HIV have been grown in the lab, and could potentially be used to fight disease
Dr. Hiroshi Kawamoto, who worked on the cancer immune cells at Riken, said: “The next step will be to test whether these T-cells can selectively kill tumor cells, but not other cells in the body.
“If they do, these cells might be directly injected into patients for therapy. This could be realized in the not-so-distant future.”
Dr. Hiromitsu Nakauchi from the University of Tokyo said it was “unclear” whether this technique would help in treating HIV and that other infections and cancer may be a better place to start.
Experts in the field said the findings were encouraging.
Prof. Alan Clarke, the director of the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute at Cardiff University, said: “This is a potentially very exciting development which extends our capacity to develop novel cell therapies.”
He said it was important that cells could be tailored for each patient so there would be no risk of rejection.
Other experts said the findings were still at an early stage, but were still very promising and represented a strong foundation for future research. However, Cancer Research UK said it was still too early to know if any therapy would be safe.
Prof. Sir John Burn, from the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Newcastle University, said: “This is a very appealing concept and the research team are to be congratulated on demonstrating the feasibility of expanding these killer cells.”
However he added: “Even if these T cells are effective, it could prove very challenging to produce large quantities safely and economically.
“Nevertheless, there is real promise of this becoming an alternative when conventional therapies have failed.”
Gerard Depardieu has obtained Russian citizenship, according to a brief statement posted on the Kremlin website
Gerard Depardieu has obtained Russian citizenship, according to a brief statement posted on the Kremlin website.
“Vladimir Putin has signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to Gerard Depardieu,” the message read.
Gerard Depardieu recently announced he would give up his French passport after the government criticized his decision to move abroad to avoid higher taxes.
In December, Vladimir Putin said he would be happy to welcome the actor in Russia.
“I’m sure the French authorities did not want to offend Mr. Depardieu. But if he’d like to have a Russian passport, consider it settled,” Vladimir Putin said during his annual news conference on 20 December.
Under France’s civil code, dual citizenship is permitted but it is unlawful to be stateless.
A person must obtain another nationality before giving up French citizenship.
Gerard Depardieu has not yet commented on the Kremlin’s latest announcement.
His highly publicized tax row began last year after Socialist President Francois Hollande said he planned to raise taxes to 75% for those earning more than 1 million euros.
Lambasting the government for punishing “success, creation and talent”, Gerard Depardieu announced in early December that he would move to Belgium.
Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault retaliated by calling the decision “shabby”.
Although the Constitutional Council struck down Francois Hollande’s tax rise proposal on Sunday, Gerard Depardieu said this did not change the situation “one bit”.
The French actor, described by Vladimir Putin as a successful businessman and friend, has developed close ties with Russia, which has a flat 13% personal income tax rate.
He currently appears in an advertisement for Sovietsky Bank’s credit card and is prominently featured on the bank’s home page.
In 2011, Gerard Depardieu played the lead role in the film Rasputin, a Franco-Russian production about the life of eccentric monk Grigory Rasputin.
In addition, Gerard Depardieu has also helped raise funds for a children’s hospital in St Petersburg.
Senior Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir has been killed by a US drone strike, security officials say.
Mullah Nazir died with at least five fighters when two missiles struck his vehicle in the north-west tribal district of South Waziristan.
He was leader of one of four major militant factions in Pakistan and was accused of sending fighters to Afghanistan in support of the Taliban.
Mullah Nazir is one of the most high-profile insurgents killed by drones.
He had survived several attempts to kill him, including a suicide bomb attack blamed on rival militants in November.
Mullah Nazir and his fighters were reportedly hit by the missiles on Wednesday while preparing to change vehicles.
His pick-up truck had apparently developed a fault in Angoor Adda, near South Waziristan’s main town of Wana.
Reports say Mullah Nazir’s deputy, Ratta Khan, was also killed in the attack.
Officials also said four militants were killed in a separate attack in North Waziristan, but their identities are not known.
Senior Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir has been killed by a US drone strike
Local residents were quoted as saying that they had heard on mosque loudspeakers announcements that Mullah Nazir was dead. Funeral prayers were said for him.
Mullah Nazir’s group is one of several militant factions operating in Pakistan’s restive north-west – in recent years there have been divisions among these groups.
Analysts say Mullah Nazir formed an alliance with the government and opposed the Pakistani Taliban, with whom he was at odds because he favored attacking US forces in Afghanistan rather than Pakistani soldiers.
After November’s attack on him, his faction told a rival group led by Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, to leave the Wana area.
Reports say he was also seen as an enemy of militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and praised by Pakistan for expelling Uzbek and other foreign fighters from Pakistan in 2007.
His death could be a contentious issue between Washington and Islamabad, they add, because the Pakistani military views commanders like him as key to keeping the peace internally.
For years, he was a key figure involved in supplying fighters and support to the Afghan insurgency.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said he could not confirm Mullah Nazir’s death but added that, if true, it would be “a significant blow” to extremist groups in the region.
It would, he said, be helpful not only to the US and to Afghanistan but also to Pakistan because “this is someone who has a great deal of blood on his hands”.
Drone strikes have increased in frequency since President Barack Obama took office in 2009. Hundreds of people have been killed, stoking public anger in Pakistan.
The dead include senior al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, as well as an unknown number of other militants and civilians.
The US does not normally comment on individual drone operations, but last year it emerged in the New York Times that the US president had personally approved or vetoed each drone strike.
Islamabad has called for an end to the attacks saying they violate the country’s sovereignty, but analysts say Pakistan has privately sanctioned such actions in the past.
Militants killed by drones in Pakistan
January 2013: Senior Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir
June 2012: Senior al-Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi
February 2012: Al-Qaeda commander Badar Mansoor
August 2011: Al-Qaeda commander Atiyah Abd al-Rahman
Chris Guerra, the photographer run over and killed while taking pictures of Justin Bieber’s sports car, believed he had spotted the singer smoking marijuana while driving earlier in the day.
Chris Guerra, a 29-year-old freelance photographer, was tailing Justin Bieber’s white $200,000 458 Italia Ferrari when it was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
The photographer 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.
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 his base at 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 wasn’t actually in the car, which was being driven by the star’s friend, 19-year-old rapper Lil Twist.
Chris Guerra, the photographer run over and killed while taking pictures of Justin Bieber’s sports car, believed he had spotted the singer smoking marijuana while driving earlier in the day
A spokesperson for Justin Bieber said: “It’s really sad that people are trying to push a story with no facts so soon after this tragic accident. Justin was not present or involved in this incident and the focus should remain on honoring the memory of the victim.”
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.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has called on the UK government to hand over the Falkland Islands, in an open letter printed in British newspapers.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner urges British Prime Minister David Cameron to abide by a 1965 UN resolution to “negotiate a solution” over the islands.
The letter says they were forcibly stripped from Argentina in “a blatant exercise of 19th Century colonialism”.
The government said the Falklands’ population had chosen to be British.
The Foreign Office said there could be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falklands “unless and until such time as the islanders so wish”.
A referendum on the islands’ political status is to be held in March.
The letter, published as an advert in the Guardian newspaper and the Independent, follows repeated calls by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner for the islands – which are known as the Malvinas in Argentina – to come under the sovereignty of her nation.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has called on the UK government to hand over the Falkland Islands, in an open letter printed in British newspapers
Last year marked 30 years since the Falklands War, when the islands were occupied by Argentine forces for 74 days.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner says her letter is published on the same date – January 3 – when, 180 years ago: “Argentina was forcibly stripped of the Malvinas Islands, which are situated 14,000 km [8,700 miles] away from London.”
She goes on: “The Argentines on the Islands were expelled by the Royal Navy and the United Kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule.
“Since then, Britain, the colonial power, has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic, thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity.”
In her final paragraph, she ends: “In the name of the Argentine people, I reiterate our invitation for us to abide by the resolutions of the United Nations.”
Argentina says it inherited ownership of the islands from Spain, arguing that British colonists occupied the islands by force in 1833 and expelled settlers, violating Argentina’s territorial integrity.
It also bases its claim on the islands’ proximity to the South American mainland. The islands’ capital, Port Stanley, lies about 1,180 miles (1,898km) from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that the Falkland Islanders “are British and have chosen to be so”.
“They remain free to choose their own futures, both politically and economically, and have a right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter,” she added.
“This is a fundamental human right for all peoples.
“There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend.
“The islanders can’t just be written out of history.”
In June, UK Prime Minister David Cameron confronted President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner about the issue when they came face-to-face at the G20 summit.
During the exchange, the prime minister rejected her demand for negotiations over the sovereignty of the islands and told her that she should respect the result of a referendum.
The Argentine president had earlier raised her demands at the United Nations, appearing at the annual meeting of the UN decolonization committee on the 30th anniversary of the end of Argentine occupation.
She used the occasion to reiterate Argentina’s opposition to any more wars and to criticize the prime minister’s decision to mark the day by flying the Falklands flag over 10 Downing Street.
In December, Argentina protested at Britain’s decision to name part of Antarctica, Queen Elizabeth Land. A formal protest note was given to the British ambassador, John Freeman, in Buenos Aires.
The area, which makes up around a third of the British Antarctic Territory, is also claimed by the South American country.
General Ismail Hakki Karadayi, former Turkish army chief, has been detained over a military intervention that ousted a pro-Islamist government in 1997.
Ismail Hakki Karadayi was detained at his home in Istanbul and taken to the capital, Ankara, for questioning.
He is suspected of helping what became known as the post-modern coup, as no soldiers were involved.
Former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan was forced to resign in 1997, being replaced by a civilian government.
General Ismail Hakki Karadayi, former Turkish army chief, has been detained over a military intervention that ousted a pro-Islamist government in 1997
In May, another six retired generals linked with Necmettin Erbakan’s removal from power were charged.
Separately, investigations are continuing into allegations of attempted coups by the military.
Turkey’s military has long seen itself as the guarantor of the country’s secular constitution, analysts say.
It staged three coups between 1960 and 1980 and has a history of tension with the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
A Turkish court sentenced three former army generals to 20 years in jail each in September for plotting another coup. Nearly 330 officers were convicted of involvement in the plot.
They were accused of plotting to bomb mosques and trying to trigger a war with Greece in order to justify a military coup against the elected government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2003.
Three people are dead and two others are injured after a gunman has opened fire in a village in Switzerland, police say.
The attack happened on Wednesday at around 21:00 in the village of Daillon in Valais canton, 100 km (60 miles) east of Geneva.
Police shot and wounded the suspect after he threatened to turn a gun on them. He has been arrested.
Investigations revealed the man was a known drug addict and former mental health patient, authorities say.
The unnamed suspect, whom witnesses identified to local media as a 30-year-old Daillon resident, fired around 20 shots at his victims, general prosecutor Catherine Sappey said at a news conference on Thursday.
At least two weapons were used in the attack, including a hunting gun and a historical army rifle known as a carbine, which dates back to the first half of the 20th Century.
Police had previously confiscated weapons from the suspect in 2005 when he was placed in a psychiatric ward, Catherine Sappey told journalists.
Back then, “he was not known for having issued threats,” she added.
The assailant is thought to have been related to some of his victims, who include a couple, the general prosecutor said.
The woman died from her injuries while the man is still in hospital. The couple have two children.
The motives for the attack remain unclear at this stage.
Three people are dead and two others are injured after a gunman has opened fire in Daillon village in Switzerland
Police had rushed to the village after calls reporting that several people were lying in the street after a spate of gunfire.
“At the moment there is incomprehension and shock here in Valais,” police spokesman Jean-Marie Bornet said.
“The toll is very, very heavy. It’s a somber start to the year for the canton.”
Jean-Marie Bornet added that darkness had hampered police efforts to detain the suspect.
“It wasn’t easy to intervene in the darkness. The gunman turned his weapon on the officers, who had to shoot him in order not to be injured themselves.”
Nathalie Frizzi, an eyewitness who lives close to the scene of the shooting, told local daily Le Nouvelliste she had been walking her dog when she heard loud bangs.
“There were people running around near the chapel,” she is quoted as saying.
“At first I didn’t realize what was going. I thought children were shooting at cats and I called out for them to stop. I am still shocked that I could have been hit by a bullet.”
Gun attacks are rare in Switzerland, but shooting is a very popular sport in the country and the level of gun ownership is high.
There are an estimated two to three million guns in circulation, although no-one knows the exact number because there is no national firearms register.
In addition to the semi-automatic assault rifle that all those serving in the army store at home, there are thousands of hunting rifles and pistols.
Most towns and villages having a shooting club that meets for target practice at least once a week.
Five men are to be charged with the kidnap, gang-rape and murder of an Indian woman on a Delhi bus last month.
The 23-year-old medical student died at the weekend from injuries she sustained during the December 16 attack, in an incident that sparked national outrage.
If convicted, the five could face the death penalty. They are not expected to appear in court in person.
A sixth suspect is reported to be under 18 and a juvenile. Police have ordered a bone marrow test to confirm his age.
The charges will be presented at Delhi’s Saket district court.
Although it is mandatory in India for the accused to appear in person to be charged, policemen outside the court say they will not be presented for security reasons.
The trial is expected to begin as early as the weekend, with daily hearings.
Media reports say the charges and evidence run to more than 1,000 pages, including key testimony from the woman before she died, and that police have lined up about 30 witnesses.
On Wednesday, thousands of women marched through Delhi to Rajghat – the memorial to India’s independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi – to protest against the rape and Indian attitudes to women.
Five men are to be charged with the kidnap, gang-rape and murder of an Indian woman on a Delhi bus last month
Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was among the protesters, and called for stringent anti-rape laws.
The family of the victim, who has not been named, have said they would have no objection if a new anti-rape law was named after her, as suggested by India’s Junior Education Minister Shashi Tharoor.
Protests have been taking place every day since the 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.
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, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
The Indian government has been heavily criticized for failing to protect women.
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.
Since the bus attack, Delhi officials have 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.
A telephone helpline has been launched for women in distress, connected with 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.
The Venezuelan main opposition movement has called on the government to “tell the whole truth” about the health of President Hugo Chavez.
Hugo Chavez has not been seen or heard in public since having cancer surgery in Cuba three weeks ago.
Opposition leader Ramon Aveledo accused the government of acting irresponsibly by making Venezuelans believe President Hugo Chavez was still exercising his duties.
The president’s condition is described by officials as stable but delicate.
Science minister Jorge Arreaza, who is also Hugo Chavez’s son-in-law, tweeted from Havana on Wednesday that the medical team had explained that the president’s condition “continued being stable within an overall delicate condition”.
Hugo Chavez is due to be sworn in for another six-year term on January 10, but it is unclear if he will be able to attend ceremony.
Ramon Aveledo, the leader of the umbrella opposition group Table for Democratic Unity (MUD), demanded a diagnosis and a medical prognosis for Hugo Chavez.
“It is essential that the government act in a manner that gives confidence,” he told a news conference.
“The official version [of President Hugo Chavez’s health] hides more information than it gives,” Ramon Aveledo said.
The Venezuelan main opposition movement has called on the government to tell the whole truth about the health of President Hugo Chavez
On Tuesday, Vice-President Nicolas Maduro said Hugo Chavez was in “a complex and delicate post-operative state”.
Speaking from Havana, Nicolas Maduro said Hugo Chavez had gripped his hand “with enormous strength” as they spoke, discussing political matters, the economy in Venezuela and the swearing-in of new governors following regional elections.
But Nicolas Maduro gave very little further detail about the condition of Hugo Chavez.
Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Wednesday that Hugo Chavez’s situation was “very worrying”.
Evo Morales, a friend and ally of the Venezuelan president, was in Cuba last week.
“Hopefully our prayers and rituals will be effective and save the life of our brother, President Chavez,” Evo Morales said.
President Hugo Chavez, 58, has been in power since 1999 and was elected for a fourth term in office in October.
It is unclear what will happen if Hugo Chavez cannot attend his swearing-in ceremony in one week’s time.
National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello recently said that the ceremony could be delayed. But the opposition says such a move would be unconstitutional.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been discharged from hospital after treatment on a blood clot between her skull and brain.
Her medical team said she was making good progress, and were confident she would make a full recovery, said the state department.
It added in a statement that she was “eager to get back to the office”.
Hillary Clinton was earlier seen leaving New York-Presbyterian Hospital with her husband and daughter.
The state department said at the time she had not been discharged, but was merely travelling to another hospital building on the campus for further tests.
Hillary Clinton, 65, is due to stand down before President Barack Obama formally begins his second term in January.
Appointed secretary of state at the start of Barack Obama’s first term, in January 2009, her health has been under intense scrutiny because she is considered a strong candidate for the Democratic nomination for president should she decide to run in 2016.
The former first lady was taken to hospital on Sunday when the clot was discovered. She had suffered a concussion earlier in the month after falling in her home.
She had fainted after becoming dehydrated while battling a stomach ailment, aides have said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been discharged from hospital after treatment on a blood clot between her skull and brain
Hillary Clinton is being treated with blood thinners to dissolve the clot.
During her stay in hospital she worked from her bed, speaking with staff and reviewing paperwork, US state department officials said.
Renowned for her grueling travel schedule, Hillary Clinton’s most recent foreign trip in December was to Dublin.
“She’s been quite active on the phone with all of us,” spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
The secretary of state is due to give evidence before a Congressional committee later this month in connection with the attack in September on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
The US ambassador to Libya and three American officials were killed in the incident.
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.
