At least sixty people have been crushed to death and more than 200 injured during New Year festivities in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan, officials say.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday near a stadium in the central Plateau area of the city where a fireworks display was held.
The cause of the stampede is not yet clear. It occurred as people were heading home after the event.
Most of the dead are believed to be children aged between eight and 15.
The death toll is expected to rise.
The crush happened near the entrance to the stadium after the fireworks ended at about 02:00 local time.
According to some reports, thousands of people were trying to leave the stadium at the same time as another large crowd was trying to get in.
“In the crush, people were walked over and suffocated by the crowd,” Lt. Col. Issa Sako, head of the military rescue effort, told public television.
At least 60 people have been crushed to death and more than 200 injured during New Year festivities in Ivory Coast’s main city Abidjan
The site is littered with abandoned clothes and blood stains.
Relatives have gone there to get news of missing loved ones.
The distraught mother of a 9-year-old boy told local media: “I have just seen all those bodies, but I can’t find my son.”
The 65,000-capacity Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium was named after the founding president of Ivory Coast.
The fireworks event had been organized to celebrate the recently re-established peace.
The night before the tragedy, the stadium hosted a concert by Chris Brown.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is making “excellent progress” after a blood clot was found between her brain and skull, doctors say.
Doctors said Hillary Clinton will make a full recovery and will be released from hospital once a blood-thinning dosage has been set.
Hillary Clinton, 65, was admitted to a New York hospital on Sunday, having suffered a concussion earlier in the month when she fainted and fell over.
She is due to stand down before President Barack Obama begins his second term.
Doctors said an MRI scan on Sunday had revealed the formation of a “right transverse sinus venous thrombosis” – a clot in the vein behind Hillary Clinton’s right ear in the space between the brain and the skull.
“It did not result in a stroke, or neurological damage,” said Dr. Lisa Bardack and Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi, who were treating Hillary Clinton at New York’s Presbyterian hospital.
The secretary of state was said to be in good spirits and “engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff,” added the doctors in a statement.
Doctors discovered the clot during a routine follow-up MRI scan on Sunday, said her spokesman, Philippe Reines, adding that she was being treated with anti-coagulants.
At the time of her faint, Hillary Clinton was reported to have had a stomach virus and to have passed out after becoming dehydrated.
Hillary Clinton is making excellent progress after a blood clot was found between her brain and skull
Hillary Clinton is due to give evidence before a Congressional committee in January 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.
Hillary Clinton was appointed secretary of state at the start of Barack Obama’s first term, in January 2009.
Her most recent foreign trip was to Dublin earlier in December: she is renowned for keeping a gruelling travel schedule.
She is the most travelled secretary of state in history, having visited 112 countries while in the job, the Associated Press says.
Earlier this month, President Barack Obama nominated Senator John Kerry – the Massachusetts Democrat who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.
Hillary Clinton has repeatedly said she only intended to serve one term in the post.
The US Senate has decided to approve a deal to avert general tax hikes and spending cuts known as the “fiscal cliff”.
The bill, which raises taxes for the wealthy, came after lengthy talks between Vice-President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans.
The House is due to consider it later. Spending cuts have been delayed for two months to allow a wider agreement.
Congress missed the deadline to pass a bill, but few effects will be felt as Tuesday is a US public holiday.
Tax cuts approved during the presidency of George W. Bush formally expired at midnight.
Without approval in the House, huge tax rises for virtually all working Americans will kick in automatically.
Analysts warned that if the full effects of the fiscal cliff were allowed to take hold, the resulting reduction in consumer spending could spark a new recession.
The compromise deal reached on Monday seeks to avoid this by extending the tax cuts for Americans earning under $400,000 – up from the $250,000 level Democrats had originally sought.
A huge spending cut that would see $1.2 trillion shorn from the federal budget over 10 years has been deferred for two months, allowing Congress and the White House to reopen negotiations.
The Senate approved the compromise bill by 89-8.
The US Senate has approved a deal to avert general tax hikes and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff
“If we do nothing, the threat of a recession is very real,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said.
“Passing this agreement does not mean negotiations halt, far from it.”
In addition to the income tax rates and spending cuts, the package includes:
• Rises in inheritance taxes from 35% to 40% after the first $5m for an individual and $10m for a couple
• Rises in capital taxes – affecting some investment income – of up to 20%, but less than the 39.6% that would prevail without a deal
• One-year extension for unemployment benefits, affecting two million people
• Five-year extension for tax credits that help poorer and middle-class families
President Barack Obama welcomed the Senate vote.
“Leaders from both parties in the Senate came together to reach an agreement that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support today that protects 98% of Americans and 97% of small business owners from a middle class tax hike,” he said in a statement.
“While neither Democrats nor Republicans got everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing to do for our country and the House should pass it without delay.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said: “It took an imperfect solution to prevent our constituents from a very real financial pain, but in my view, it was worth the effort.”
Many of the Republicans who dominate the House dislike the deal and may stand on their principle.
Speaker John Boehner said the House would consider the deal but left open the possibility of amending the Senate bill – which would spark another round of legislation.
“Decisions about whether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made until House members… have been able to review the legislation,” John Boehner and other House Republican leaders said in a statement.
The current House can legislate until Wednesday, when it is replaced by a new chamber chosen during last November’s election.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has delivered a new year’s message on state TV, the first such broadcast for 19 years.
Kim Jong-un, in power since 2011, spoke of the need to improve the economy and also to reunify the Koreas, warning that confrontation only led to war.
The speech came less than a month after the conservative Park Geun-hye was elected president of South Korea.
In 1994, Kim Jong-un’s grandfather, Kim Il-sung, spoke on radio and TV. His son, Kim Jong-il rarely spoke in public.
In addition to KimJong-un’s televised address, new year’s messages were issued in the form of a joint editorial by North Korea’s three main newspapers.
Kim Jong-un said 2013 would be a year of creations and changes, calling for a “radical turnabout” that would transform the impoverished, isolated state into an “economic giant” and raise living standards.
But while he said confrontation between the North and the South should be removed, Kim Jong-un stressed that military power remained a national priority.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has delivered a new year’s message on state TV, the first such broadcast for 19 years
“The military might of a country represents its national strength. Only when it builds up its military might in every way can it develop into a thriving country,” he said.
The message coincides with UN Security Council discussions on how to punish Pyongyang for a recent long-range rocket launch.
Under Kim Jong-un’s leadership, North Korea has conducted two long-range rocket launches – actions condemned by the US and Pyongyang’s neighbors as banned tests of missile technology.
The launch in April failed, but December’s attempt appears to have been a success, placing a satellite into orbit.
The US, Japan and South Korea are seeking a response in the UN Security Council, which banned North Korea from missile tests after nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.
Kim Jong-un saw in the new year by watching a musical performance with his wife, North Korean state media reported.
Revelers in Times Square welcomed in 2013 with a spectacular display of fireworks and confetti as they watched the famous Waterford crystal ball make its annual descent to mark the New Year.
They were in good company, as world famous artists like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Psy performed at the Crossroads of the World.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was joined by the Radio City Rockettes on Monday night to kick off the festivities, with a crowd of approximately one million spectators crammed into the neighborhood to witness the magic of the 108-year-old tradition.
Tourists stood in Times Square for the better part of the day, braving the frigid New York City weather to spend New Year’s Eve under the dazzling lights of the theater district in midtown Manhattan. However, the event is often avoided by native New Yorkers, who tend to favor quieter and warmer celebrations.
A blocks-long line of bundled-up revelers with New Year’s hats and sunglasses boasting “2013” formed hours before the first ball drop in decades without Dick Clark, who died in April and was to be honored with a tribute concert and his name printed on pieces of confetti.
Security in Times Square was tight, with a mass of uniformed police and plainclothes officers assigned to blend into the crowd. With police Commissioner Ray Kelly proclaiming that Times Square would be the “safest place in the world on New Year’s Eve”, officers used barriers to prevent overcrowding and checkpoints to inspect vehicles, enforce a ban on alcohol and check handbags.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke briefly with Ryan Seacrest ahead of the night’s festivities about the conspicuous absence of the late great Dick Clark.
He wished Ryan Seacrest a happy new year, and joked that he hoped he would be invited after this next year. Michael Bloomberg, having now served three terms in office, cannot pursue another term.
Revelers in Times Square welcomed in 2013 with a spectacular display of fireworks and confetti as they watched the famous Waterford crystal ball make its annual descent to mark the New Year
Twenty minutes before the Waterford ball was scheduled to fall, Taylor Swift performed I Knew You Were Trouble, wearing a slim-fitting metallic red jacket and skin-tight leather pants. Her famous golden curls were tamed instead into a sleek blowout.
She then went straight into her other single, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
South Korean rapper Psy, who turned 35 today, wore a furry white coat and slim black turtleneck to perform his hit Gangnam Style, which has taken the world by storm with its infectious chorus.
He was joined by fellow rapper MC Hammer for a mash-up of Gangnam Style and Can’t Touch This.
In addition, Carley Rae Jepsen performed her song of the summer, Call Me Maybe.
Spectators enjoyed hourly shows in anticipation of the midnight finale. At midnight, the Times Square ball, covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles and illuminated by more than 32,000 colored LEDs, will drop to mark the official start of 2013 in the U.S.
The star-studded lineup promises onlookers a show like no other but this year marks the sad absence of Dick Clark, the TV presenter whose legendary Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve has been a favorite on U.S. televisions every December 31 since its inception in 1974.
Dick Clark passed away in April at the age of 82.
He had already been training his heir apparent, radio personality, American Idol host and NBC correspondent Ryan Seacrest, and Seacrest will take the helm at the show tonight, carrying on Dick Clark’s legacy.
In advance of the midnight celebration, thousands of New Year’s revelers have already begun to pack into the waiting pens in Times Square to witness the annual tradition, as a crowd of one million people is set to make their way to the block party extraordinaire.
The waiting pens, set up to avoid a crowd surge, have been erected starting at West 40th St. and go all the way up to Central Park South around 59th St.
Police presence in the Broadway tourist trap is already intense but with the influx of visitors, law enforcement will be out in full force. Trash cans have already been removed, mail boxes sealed and handbags and vehicles are regularly being checked.
Venezuela’s cabinet ministers got together to pray for the recovery of President Hugo Chavez, who is in Cuba recovering from cancer operation.
They took part in a mass held at the presidential palace in Caracas.
Official New Year celebrations were called off on Sunday after Vice-President Nicolas Maduro announced that Hugo Chavez had suffered new complications.
The 58-year-old president is due to be sworn in for a new term on January 10th.
“The government is united, we are all praying for his health to recover so he can return to our country,” said Federal District governor Jacqueline Farias.
Elsewhere in Caracas, at the San Francis church, some 300 people attended another mass for Hugo Chavez.
Correspondents in Caracas describe the end-of-year atmosphere as subdued, yet calm.
Hugo Chavez, who has been in power since 1999, was elected in October for a fourth term in office.
Earlier this year, he said he had been cleared of a cancer diagnosed in 2011 and was fit to serve out his six-year term.
But on December 11, Hugo Chavez went through his fourth cancer operation in Cuba.
Venezuela’s cabinet ministers got together to pray for the recovery of President Hugo Chavez, who is in Cuba recovering from cancer operation
It is now three weeks since Hugo Chavez has been seen or heard from in person.
There are also many questions about what will happen on January 10, when Hugo Chavez is due to be re-inaugurated.
National Assembly head Diosdado Cabello recently said that the swearing-in ceremony would be delayed in the case of Hugo Chavez’s absence.
But the opposition says such move would be unconstitutional.
The Venezuelan constitutions states that a new election should be called in 30 days should the president not be fit enough to attend his inauguration, the opposition argues.
Vice-president Nicolas Maduro went to Cuba on Saturday to meet Hugo Chavez.
In a televised announcement from Havana on Sunday, he said that the president had “suffered new complications” and that his health state remained “delicate”.
“We have been informed of new complications that arose as a consequence of the respiratory infection we already knew about,” he said.
He added that the treatment was “not without risk.”
Following Nicolas Maduro’s announcement, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas appeared in a special programme on Venezuelan TV, calling on Venezuelans not to believe rumors about the president’s health.
Late on Sunday, Ernesto Villegas said a government-organized New Year’s Eve concert in central Caracas had been cancelled and he urged Venezuelans to pray for President Hugo Chavez.
Hugo Chavez’s career:
Born in 1954
1992: Leads a failed coup attempt against President Carlos Perez
1999: Takes office after winning election
2006: Wins another six-year term as president
2011: Reveals he is being treated for cancer and has two operations in Cuba
2012: Has two more operations
October 2012: Re-elected for another term as president
American climbers Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk have become the first in the world to conquer the Shark’s Fin – a lethal 20,000ft pinnacle.
Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk spent 12 days scaling up the jagged near vertical point on Meru Central in the Himalayas.
Dubbed one of the hardest climbs in the world, dozens of professional climbers had been defeated by the tricky summit – with one breaking both legs during an attempt. But the American climbers successfully negotiated the 20,700ft climb – sleeping in a hanging tent thousands of feet above the ground.
American climbers Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk have become the first in the world to conquer India’s Mount Meru Shark’s Fin
Reality star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West have received messages of congratulations after it was revealed they are expecting their first child together.
Kim Kardashian’s family were the first to reveal their delight over Twitter with Kourtney posting: “Been wanting to shout from the rooftops with joy and now I can! Another angel to welcome to our family. Overwhelmed with excitement!”
It seems the family have been dying to share the happy news and Khloe Kardashian, 28, posted: “Keeping secrets is hard with so many family members! Especially when you are so freaking excited!!!!! LOVE is everything!!!!”
The X Factor host, who is said to have been trying for a baby with her husband Lamar Odom since their wedding in 2009, also retweeted a post from the basketball star.
It read: “@RealLamarOdom: I’m excited for Kanye and my sister! There’s nothing like bringing life into this world! Let’s keep Gods blessings coming!”
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have received messages of congratulations after it was revealed they are expecting their first child together
Kris Jenner, who is already a grandmother to Kourtney Kardashian’s two children Mason and Penelope, simply posted: “Im a happy girl !!!!!!!!! Wowza!,” before adding “Oh BABY BABY BABY!!”
Kim Kardashian’s little sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner also spoke of their delight at welcoming another little member into their family.
Kendall Jenner, 17, asked her fans who was excited about the happy news posting: “Whos excited about the KIMYE babbyyy?! 😀 weeee.” (sic)
15-year-old Kylie Jenner uploaded a snap of Kim Kardashian and Kanye west along with the words: “Congrats to this beautiful couple. I love you guys.”
The pregnancy was revealed by Kanye West onstage during a concert in Atlantic City on Sunday night, Kim Kardashian was in the audience.
The rapper said “stop the music”, then announced “make noise for my baby mama right here”, with a wide smile. Kanye West’s announcement prompted a flurry of excited tweets from the audience.
The two have been dating for eight months. They have previously denied pregnancy rumors.
Kim Kardashian is thought to be around the 12-week mark.
Her family aren’t the only ones who have been quick to pay tribute to the happy couple.
Pop star and X Factor judge Demi Lovato wished the pair well and tweeted: “So happy for you @KimKardashian.. Love you SO much and I’m so excited to babysit!! Miss you girly.. Once again… SO happy for you!!! Xox.”
It seems that congratulations were not limited to those who know the reality TV star TOWIE‘s Joey Essex and WAG Danielle O’Hara also posted messages of congratulations to a happy story.
Oscar-winning sound editor Michael Hopkins, who worked on films including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the 2005 King Kong remake, died in a rafting accident in New Zealand.
Michael Hopkins, 53, from Greytown, New Zealand, died after being thrown from his raft on Sunday, police said.
He won Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2003 and King Kong in 2006.
Michael Hopkins also worked on Blade Runner, Superman, Octopussy and Transformers.
He first worked with director Peter Jackson on his 1992 movie Braindead, and was also part of Jackson’s team for Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners as well as the three Lord of the Rings epics.
Oscar-winning sound editor Michael Hopkins, who worked on films including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the 2005 King Kong remake, died in a rafting accident in New Zealand
Michael Hopkins shared his two Oscar wins and one further nomination with US collaborator Ethan Van der Ryn.
The accident happened in the Waiohine River on New Zealand’s North Island. His two rafting companions both survived.
Police Senior Sergeant Carolyn Watson said: “Police would like to thank all those who assisted in the recovery of Mr. Hopkins and the rescue of his companions, particularly the jet boat operator who came to our aid and, at considerable risk to himself, was able to rescue the female.
“All three were wearing life jackets, wetsuits and helmets at the time and it appears that Mr. Hopkins got into trouble after they were ejected from the raft in a fast flowing eddie.”
Talking to yourself in public is seen as an embarrassing habit – the preserve of the slightly batty, such as the woman in the town centre pushing a supermarket trolley full of bin bags and shouting about the end of the world.
Such is our awkwardness about speaking out loud that it’s often cited that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.
Yet the reality is that most of us have an internal “voice”, one that guides, encourages, chides and reprimands.
This voice remains in our heads nearly all the time, but on occasion – sometimes without even realizing it – we open our mouths to marshal it. Now there’s some science to explain why.
In her book, My Stroke of Insight, neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor argues that speaking out loud is a way of your conscious brain giving a clear set of instructions to your other-than-conscious brain, thereby making your mind more focused.
“It’s a powerful instrument,” she writes.
So powerful that we automatically use it as children. As social psychologist Gary Woods says, “self-directed speech” in children forms an essential part of development, particularly in infancy.
“Children instinctively talk to themselves – it’s how they learn,” Gary Woods says.
Talking to yourself out loud is sane
Rapidly, though, we’re taught that talking out loud is socially unacceptable and we shut up.
But according to Gary Woods – who confesses that he talks to himself – this is a mistake.
“I find vocalizing your thoughts can be very productive,” he says.
“It not only can help focus the mind and crystallize our thoughts, but it can provide emotional and psychological relief.”
So it appears that talking to yourself is a sign not of madness, but of healthy “mind management”.
And if nothing else, talking to yourself does have one distinct advantage – at least you know someone’s listening.
It seems that Gerard Butler is now well and truly part of a couple, as he showed up to the Capri Film Festival with girlfriend Madalina Ghenea in tow on Sunday.
Gerard Butler and Madalina Ghenea, who have been dating since earlier this year, stayed close to each other as they posed for photographs, their styles completely in sync.
Rumors abound that the couple will jet from Italy to Scotland to celebrate Hogmanay with Gerard Butler’s family on Monday, and it looked like they were already in the party spirit as they celebrated the fifth day of the film festival.
Although Gerard Butler has become known as a lothario since breaking into Hollywood, after being linked to a number of high-profile women, it seems that he has settled down with Madalina Ghenea as the pair have become inseparable.
It seems that Gerard Butler is now well and truly part of a couple, as he showed up to the Capri Film Festival with girlfriend Madalina Ghenea in tow on Sunday
Romanian supermodel Madalina Ghenea looked understated but chic as she accompanied her man who was promoting his forthcoming film, Olympus Has Fallen.
She wore a modest, knee-length black dress, paired with thick black tights and a relatively conservative pair of dark stilettos.
Maintaining her demure and slightly retro look, the 24-year-old added a stylish navy blue coat over her outfit and wore a small black handbag on one arm.
Madalina Ghenea kept her make-up natural and wore her dip-dyed hair tousled and relaxed over her shoulders as she draped herself around her boyfriend.
Clearly enamored with Gerard Butler, Madalina Ghenea grinned as they wandered along the road together, keeping her eyes on him as much as possible.
The 48-year-old Scot looked just as stylish as his young girlfriend, keeping it simple in a pair of dark trousers, a grey T-shirt and a black tailored jacket.
After posing on the red carpet, the pair headed into the party, where Gerard Butler got up on stage to present the director of his new film, Antoine Fuqua, with an award.
While he’s spent the last few weeks promoting his latest film Playing For Keeps, which hits cinemas on New Year’s Day, it seems the A-lister is already gearing up for the release of his next blockbuster.
In Olympus Has Fallen, Gerard Butler is back to his best as a former Secret Service agent who is trying to prevent a terrorist attack on the White House.
Jessica Simpson confirmed the rumors that she was expecting her second child as she tweeted a picture that showed just how big her bump has already become.
In the picture Jessica Simpson is standing in front of a mirror with an iPhone in a bikini and robe – that is fully open – and her bare bump and ample cleavage are in full view.
Jessica Simpson accompanied the picture with the caption: “Bumpin’ and Proud.”
The image comes as Jessica Simpson graces the cover of the upcoming issue of the Weight Watchers magazine.
The singer and designer flaunts the results of her 50 lb weight loss on the January cover of the diet programme’s periodical, in which she talks about how she slimmed down after the birth of daughter Maxwell.
Jessica Simpson confirmed the rumors that she was expecting her second child as she tweeted a picture that showed just how big her bump has already become
Former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin, who resigned after alleging that the Miss USA contest had been fixed, says she is stunned by a ruling that she must pay the pageant organization $5 million for defamation.
Sheena Monnin said that the “most logical course” would be to contest the arbitrator’s ruling but she is considering her options.
Arbitrator Theodore Katz says Sheena Monnin’s allegations that finalists had been selected in advance were false, harmful and malicious and cost the pageant, owned by billionaire Donald Trump, a $5 million fee from a potential 2013 sponsor.
Sheena Monnin points to a Miss USA contract clause giving top pageant officials the power to pick the top five finalists and the winner, but a company official calls that a catch-all that’s never been used.
Earlier this month, Donald Trump was victorious in a lawsuit he filed against Sheena Monnin, who called the Miss USA pageant “fixed” and “trashy” after she failed to make the semifinals of the beauty contest this summer.
The eventual winner of Miss USA, Olivia Culpo, beat 88 other beauty queens on December 20 to take the Miss Universe title from Leila Lopes of Angola at the Planet Hollywood casino in Las Vegas.
Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, sued Sheena Monnin for defamation after she alleged in June that a fellow contestant in the competition had seen a list of the top five winners before the finalists were named on stage.
A U.S. District Court Magistrate ruled in favor of the Miss Universe Organization, awarding it $5 million in damages and stated Sheena Monnin’s statements “showed a reckless disregard”.
Sheena Monnin accused Miss Universe Organization of rigging the competition when she resigned from her position in mid June.
She claimed Karina Brez, who was representing Florida at the contest in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 3, recited the top five women after seeing a list of their names backstage.
In a Facebook post announcing her resignation, Sheena Monnin wrote: “Apparently the morning of June 3rd [Karina Brez] saw a folder lying open to a page that said <<FINAL SHOW Telecast, June 3, 2012>> and she saw the places for Top 5 already filled in.
“After the Top 16 were called and we were standing backstage she hesitantly said to me and another contestant that she knew who the Top 5 were. I said ‘who do you think they will be?”
She said that she didn’t “think” she “knew” because she saw the list that morning.
“She relayed whose names were on the list. Then we agreed to wait and see if that was indeed the Top 5 called that night. After it was indeed the Top 5 I knew the show must be rigged.”
Former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin, who resigned after alleging that the Miss USA contest had been fixed, says she is stunned by a ruling that she must pay the pageant organization $5 million for defamation
Miss Universe Organization vehemently denied the claims and said that Sheena Monnin had cited the new rules allowing transgender contestants as her reason for resigning.
Donald Trump also denied the claims and proceeded with the lawsuit against Sheena Monnin, who he believed was suffering “loser’s remorse”.
“I did see her for about a second. I never felt that she had a chance,” Donald Trump told the Today show over the summer.
“I know what I heard, and I know what I in turn witnessed… so I’m prepared to continue to march forward,” Sheena Monnin responded on Today.
“I feel an injustice has been done, not only to the other people who were not in the top five, but to the thousands of pageant girls across the country who competed, believing this is an honest system.”
But Karina Brez has also come forward to deny she made the claims seriously.
“Backstage during the pageant, I did see a piece of paper with names on it and like most people in such frenetic circumstances, joked that they must be the names of the final contestants,” she said.
“It was a throwaway comment, in the stress of the pageant, and was never meant as fact. The list I saw didn’t even have the eventual winner on it.”
Sheena Monnin told Today she believes Karina Brez changed her story out of fear.
“She looked a little bit scared because she had just seen something that would potentially, drastically change the reputation of the Miss Universe Organization,” she said.
“This is a big deal.”
The latest accuser, who was not identified, said Karina Brez had appeared “very, very flustered and upset” as the top 15 girls were announced.
“I thought it might be because she didn’t make the top 15 cut, but at that point she was able to reveal to me at least four of the five names who went on to be the top girls,” the contestant told FOX News.
“She couldn’t remember the fifth because she was so upset. Several of the girls then started hearing through the grapevine about a list; a lot of people were upset.”
“A lot of the girls now are very upset about how Pennsylvania is being treated and aggressively attacked by an organization that claims to empower women,” Sheena Monnin said.
The top 15 girls are decided by preliminary judging in the days before the broadcast, and fan voting determines the 16th. The top ten, top five and winner are decided in the live show, a rep said.
The scores for the competition are believed to be entered into a computer system as the show is live. These results are monitored and verified by Ernst & Young.
“In accordance with the rules of the competition, Ernst & Young’s tabulation of the judges’ votes which determined the final five contestants did not occur until after the evening gown competition had been completed,” a representative said.
Judge Joe Jonas tweeted after the accusations: “All I can say… Is the Miss USA competition was NOT rigged. Miss [Rhode Island] USA won fair and square.”
The pageant named Olivia Culpo, a 20-year-old cellist, the winner after she made it clear that she embraced all beauty queens – transgender or otherwise – during the interview portion.
In the dreaded final question round, Olivia Culpo was faced with the most difficult question of the night: “Would it be fair for a person born a man to be named Miss Universe after becoming a woman?”
Olivia Culpo never stumbled as she embraced the Miss Universe Organization’s recent decision to admit transgender contestants.
“I do think that would be fair,” she said.
“But I could understand how people could be apprehensive to take that road.”
It is an opinion that Sheena Monnin does not share. In her resignation email, she wrote: “I refuse to be part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it.
“This goes against ever moral fiber of my being. I believe in integrity, high moral character, and fair play, none of which are part of this system any longer.”
The body of Adam Lanza, the man who killed 27 people – including 20 children and his own mother – at Sandy Hook Elementary School, has been claimed for burial.
Adam Lanza shot himself in the head inside Sandy Hook Elementary School, ending a bloody shooting tragedy that has gripped Newtown, Connecticut.
Multiple reports said that Adam Lanza’s body was claimed several days ago by a person who did not wish to be identified.
Connecticut’s chief medical examiner Wayne H. Carver II told the Hartford Courant that the location of Adam Lanza’s burial will not be made public.
When asked by the paper if Adam Lanza’s father, Peter Lanza, who claimed the body, Wayne H. Carver would not comment.
A spokeswoman at the medical examiner’s office told The Associated Press she could not release any details about the status of Adam Lanza’s remains.
A private funeral was held earlier this month in New Hampshire for his mother, Nancy Lanza, who was shot to death in her bed on the morning of the school shooting rampage.
Police have not offered a motive for the killings.
The body of Adam Lanza, the man who killed 27 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, has been claimed for burial
Earlier this week, it was revealed that scientists have been asked to study Adam Lanza’s DNA to see if has an “evil” gene that led him to carry out the massacre.
The study, which will look at any abnormalities or mutations in his individual DNA, is believed to be the first of its kind ever carried out on a mass murderer. The massacre prompted President Barack Obama to look into new gun controls and banning assault rifles such as AR-15 Bushmaster used by Adam Lanza in his rampage.
The study of the killer’s DNA was been ordered by Wayne H. Carver – who carried out the post-mortems on all the victims.
He has contacted geneticists at University of Connecticut’s to conduct the study.
Geneticists said they are likely looking at Adam Lanza’s DNA to detect a mutation or abnormality that could increase the risk of aggressive or violent behavior.
They could analyze Adam Lanza’s entire genome in great detail and try to find any unexpected mutations.
Arthur Beaudet, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, said the University of Connecticut geneticists are most likely trying to “detect clear abnormalities of what we would call a mutation in a gene”.
He added: “Or gene abnormalities and there are some abnormalities that are related to aggressive behavior.
“They might look for mutations that might be associated with mental illnesses and ones that might also increase the risk for violence.”
Arthur Beaudet, who is also the chairman of Baylor College of Medicine’s department of molecular and human genetics in Houston, Texas said geneticists should be doing this type of research because there are “some mutations that are known to be associated with at least aggressive behavior if not violent behavior”.
“I don’t think any one of these mutations would explain all of (the mass shooters), but some of them would have mutations that might be causing both schizophrenia and related schizophrenia violent behavior,” Arthur Beaudet said.
“I think we could learn more about it and we should learn more about it.”
Arthur Beaudet said studying the genes of murderers is controversial because there is a risk that those with similar genetic characteristics could possibly be discriminated against or stigmatized.
But he said the research into Adam Lanza would be helpful even if only a “fraction” may have the abnormality or mutation.
“Not all of these people will have identifiable genetic abnormalities,” Arthur Beaudet told ABC News.
“By studying genetic abnormalities we can learn more about conditions better and who is at risk and what might be dramatic treatments,” Arthur Beaudet said, adding if the gene abnormality is defined the “treatment to stop” other mass shootings or “decrease the risk is much approved”.
Although known to be shy and social inept Adam Lanza had not shown any violent streak although he was known to spend hours in the basement of his home playing violent video games.
North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-il died after flying into a fit of rage when he was told that a major dam project had sprung a leak, it emerged on Sunday.
Kim Jong-il collapsed during a briefing about a flagship hydro-electric power plant but managed to order “severe punishments” for those responsible before he died.
Secretive North Korea had reported his death on December 19 2011 – two days late – saying the leader suffered a heart attack while travelling on his personal train to a field inspection.
North Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported: “After being briefed about the leak, Kim Jong-il lambasted officials and ordered them to repair it.
“He rushed to make an on-site inspection of the facility unable to contain his anger and died suddenly.”
The plant in Huichon, Jagang Province, was built to solve the chronic power shortage in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, meeting around half of the city’s energy needs.
Kim Jong-il was said to have visited the dam at least eight times since construction began in 2009.
State media claimed the “heroic task” of building the plant was finished in three years – seven years ahead of schedule.
Kim Jong-il died after flying into a fit of rage when he was told that a major dam project had sprung a leak
The dam is reported to be more than 300ft high and 1,800ft wide and capable of storing 850 million cubic metres of water.
An anonymous source said the problem was more than “just a crack”, and added: “The safety of the entire dam was in question.”
The news was the “final straw” for Kim Jong-il, who had also been told about serious defects in other key steel and textile projects.
The dictator, who was believed to have been 70 and had ruled the country for 17 years, had been treated by French specialists for a stroke caused by alcohol and stress.
The country’s new leader, Kim Jong-il’s son, Kim Jong-un, did not attend a ceremony in April marking the completion of the power plant to show he was still angry that it had led to his father’s death.
But Kim Jong-un has visited the site at least four times since taking over the country and is pushing ahead with construction projects of his own.
Meanwhile, power cuts continue in the capital, where temperatures fall below freezing in the winter.
The hall where the late leader’s embalmed remains lie in state is one of the few properties which are granted round the clock electricity – while many impoverished people go hungry and cold.
North Korea also marked the anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death earlier this month, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets days after the country tested a long-range rocket.
The satellite it was carrying reached orbit before falling from the sky but has been hailed a success by the regime.
While we may not know their names, anonymous writers have long shaped our worldview, says Brooke Magnanti, who wrote as blogger Belle de Jour.
How do we know who’s written the words we love to read?
The obvious answer is by the name on the cover. But the tradition of anonymity subverts any easy answers.
“As someone who spent six years writing under a pen name, the topic of anonymity is fascinating to me. When I started blogging as Belle de Jour it was for practical self-protection – I didn’t want to risk my career in science by people knowing I was also a call girl,” says Belle de Jour.
There are all kinds of reasons for wanting to be anonymous, and they started thousands of years before humankind even imagined blogs and the internet.
From the earliest times, we have told stories and tales, histories and thoughts. But even though sharing our experience of the world is a human universal, wanting to be recognized for that isn’t.
At many times in history, being known for what you write has carried a high price. Laws from imperial Rome to 17th Century England made it possible for rulers to execute those who criticized them and their actions.
Harsh laws are in place even today, as those tweeting and blogging during the various Arab Spring uprisings can attest. Anonymity can save your life.
Literature mavens tease out real lives from the mischievous games authors have used to hide themselves. While we are well acquainted with the Bronte sisters today, they originally published under the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.
Jonathan Swift got someone else to write out his manuscripts so his handwriting wouldn’t be recognized by the printer. Swift saw it as part of the fun to keep people guessing.
“If there’s one thing the history of literary anonymity teaches you, it’s that very often anonymity has nothing to do with wanting to stay hidden,” says John Mullan, professor of English at University College London.
Anonymity is a useful tool for people whose lives are outside the mainstream. Letting go of your name frees you to tell a truth that many people never see, or try desperately to ignore. It gives certain things more weight, a kind of everywhere-and-nowhere sense where the reader feels they might even be reading the inner thoughts of someone they know. It’s a powerful tool.
In the internet age, we have become increasingly concerned about the effects of anonymous online commentary. Anonymous bloggers can have enormous global audiences. “Trolls” can bring criticism straight to the computer screens of the people they disagree with. These trends are solidly in the tradition of literary anonymity – from unsigned political tracts to biting satirical graffiti, we’ve seen it all before.
While we may not know their names, anonymous writers have long shaped our worldview, says Brooke Magnanti, who wrote as blogger Belle de Jour
In the UK today anonymity still has a place, and being unmasked is one risk of going anonymous. Policeman Richard Horton found his email had been hacked when the Times exposed him as the author of the blog Nightjack.
The News International newspaper named him in 2009 after the High Court refused to grant him anonymity. Horton was issued a warning by his employers Lancashire Constabulary after his award-winning blog exposed the realities of modern-day policing.
He sued the paper in October 2012 and was paid £42,500 ($68,000).
Joe Klein, formerly anonymous author of Primary Colors, the 2002 novel about a US President caught in a sex scandal, suffered a backlash from fellow journalists for denying, and then having to admit, he’d written the book.
Many had guessed that Joe Klein was the author but he repeatedly denied it – and even staked his journalistic credibility on his denial in an interview.
I went to great lengths to remain anonymous, including complicated contracts involving a shell company held in other people’s names, encrypted email and more. But in the end it is always about relationships rather than technology. A writer who lets the secret slip to the wrong person will find the precautions simply don’t matter.
So what did I learn? Well, first of all, the effects of anonymity are more important for the anonymous writer than they are for the audience. We’d still be dotty over Jane Austen’s books if, like her contemporary audience, we never knew her name.
The writing has enough authority and detail to carry us along in her inner world. Knowing her name, where she lived, and seeing the piecrust table where she painstakingly wrote out her manuscripts is interesting, but it’s trivia. It’s not what makes her novels sing.
Losing anonymity, if you’re alive when it happens, can be a double-edged sword for a writer. The risks a writer took when they chose anonymity don’t go away when they’re named. But it does expose them to the people who gave their words an audience.
“In my own experience, this has meant not only can I connect with like-minded folks, but I’m now also able to answer those critics who sneered I couldn’t possibly be real. That hasn’t put them off continuing to criticize, of course, but it’s great fun finally to be able to answer back,” Belle de Jour says.
And in the end, it turns out Anonymous is one of our greatest writers.
“From the medieval period to the modern period there have been authors who have enjoyed playing with and experimenting with anonymity, and it never really goes out of fashion,” says Marcy North, author of The Anonymous Renaissance: Cultures of Discretion in Tudor-Stuart England.
Anon was, as Virginia Woolf noted in one of her final unpublished essays, “the voice that broke the silence of the forest”. Elsewhere she suggested that “Anonymous was a woman”. For anonymity has definitely been widely used by women throughout the ages, whether they’re writing about relationships, sex or anything else.
Without Anonymous, there are so many classics we would not have had – Gawain and the Green Knight, virtually all of the Bible and other religious texts.
Anon is allowed a greater creative freedom than a named writer is, greater political influence than a common man can ever attain, and far more longevity than we would guess.
Belle de Jour
Brooke Magnanti wrote under this nom de plume about working for an escort agency to earn money to study for a PhD
Her pseudonym means “beauty of the day” and alludes to 1928 novel and 1967 film of the same name
Brooke Magnanti revealed her identity in the Sunday Times in November 2009, saying: “I don’t want this massive secret over me anymore.”
She is now a research scientist, writer and blogger
In an interview in October 2012 Brooke Magnanti called for prostitution to be decriminalized
Belgium invented the praline in 1912 and soon became known for making the best chocolates in the world. But 100 years on, the supremacy of local chocolatiers is under threat from international competition.
The smell of warm, melted cocoa is wafting around the kitchen as Ryan Stevenson meticulously pipes a rich, buttery filling into dozens of delicate chocolate shells.
Tall and slim with a ginger beard, the 36-year-old grew up in Toowoomba, Australia.
Since moving to Brussels in 2005, he has twice won the title of Belgian Chocolate Master. In 2009, he took the Best Praline prize as a finalist in the World Chocolate Masters competition.
“I am not actually a chocolatier by trade, I trained as a pastry chef,” he says, with a grin.
So how did he end up becoming one of Belgium’s most sought-after chocolatiers?
“It’s a long story,” he says.
“I originally studied to become an actuary, a statistician who works out insurance premiums. But I found it boring and couldn’t imagine working in an office all day.”
He soon realized he preferred his part-time job in a bakery to university, and sought out experience in hotels and patisseries in Munich and London, before finally arriving in Brussels. He found himself a Belgian wife and started working at his father-in-law’s cake shop Le Saint Aulaye as well as entering cookery contests.
“I started with pastries, but here there is such a strong culture of chocolate that whenever I needed to do a competition, it was always chocolate-based. It is a good product to work with – I mean, everyone loves a Belgian chocolate!”
Despite abandoning his background in mathematics, he says his analytical mind helps him develop new recipes and understand the technical processes of making good chocolate – for example, melting the mixture at the right temperature and keeping out air bubbles.
After many long nights practicing his craft, he won his first Belgian Chocolate Master Award in 2008. But he claims the second time he won the prize was most rewarding “because by then the Belgians knew it wasn’t a beginner’s luck”.
“It was actually a very good feeling being Australian and winning here in Brussels,” he says, smiling.
“I think it’s because I took all the expertise of the Belgians and I beat them at their own game.”
Ryan Stevenson isn’t the only foreigner making a big impact on the Belgian chocolate scene.
Yasushi Sasaki, from Japan, runs a popular patisserie in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, a quiet residential part of Brussels.
He is often described as someone who crafts chocolate with the precision of a sushi chef. The label seems fitting the moment you step inside the store’s simple exterior. Its glowing glass counters are packed with colorful sweet treats that resemble works of art.
“Belgian chocolatiers should absolutely be worried about international competition from people like me,” he argues.
“We can do things just as good as them and put our own spin on things as well. I agree that we could pose a threat.”
Since moving to Brussels in 2005, Ryan Stevenson has twice won the title of Belgian Chocolate Master
Popular amongst Belgium’s food blogging community, he reached the finals of the World Chocolate Masters in 2005, losing out to Pol Deschepper, the last Belgian to win the competition. Frank Haasnoot, from the Netherlands, picked up the most recent biennial prize in 2011.
“I am very happy that international chefs from other countries are proud of using Belgian chocolate and choosing this product to excel in their careers,” says Pascale Meulemeester, of Barry Callebaut, the Belgian chocolate giant that runs the contest.
But surely there is resentment amongst Belgian chocolatiers, who are missing out on the limelight?
“I suppose there is competition, although really it is a healthy, friendly rivalry. International chefs working within and outside Belgium all help export our ideas and products to other countries, which is a good thing.”
She believes that Belgium’s history of confectionery will ensure its chefs continue to remain amongst the best in the world.
“When you have this as a business in your country for 100 years, you see a consistency and quality in execution. That brings Belgians an advantage and that is something that is not to be underestimated.”
The country’s love of chocolate goes back to the 19th Century, when cocoa was shipped home from Congo, which had become its new African colony.
The Belgian chocolate industry became world famous following the invention of the praline, a chocolate shell with a soft centre. The man who came up with the idea, Jean Neuhaus, is often referred to as Belgium’s most famous chocolatier, although he was born in Switzerland.
Jean Neuhaus has become one of the country’s most famous global brands along with Callebaut, Cote d’Or and Leonidas. But one of Belgium’s most famous companies, Godiva, was bought by the Turkish business Yildiz in 2007. Current internationally renowned chocolatiers include Pierre Marcolini, Dominique Persoone and Jean Galler.
“Belgium’s recipe for success so far comes from training within the industry, good ingredients and unique tastes,” says Pascale Meulemeester.
Strict rules mean that any chocolates labelled as Belgian must be produced within the country.
“French chocolate is typically darker, less sweet and has more subtle flavors going on. Switzerland’s signature chocolate is milk.
“Belgium has taken all of these influences but also developed our chocolate-making technique and the artisan industry,” he says.
Belgian food critics are also quick to defend one of their country’s key food industries.
“Just because one [non-Belgian] chef happens to win a few prizes, sponsored by a chocolate brand, I don’t think Belgian chocolatiers should start to quake in their boots,” says Veerle de Pooter, a magazine writer who has also worked as a chef for the country’s federal government.
“I’ll start worrying when customers actually start preferring non-Belgian chocolate.”
That seems a long way off. There are around 2,000 chocolate shops in Belgium and annual exports are close to two billion euros according to CAOBISO, an association representing the chocolate, biscuit and confectionery industries of Europe. Only Germany sells more chocolate abroad.
“We must not forget that Belgian chefs have also travelled elsewhere for inspiration – for example, a decade ago a lot of them were going to the Catalan region of Spain, not for chocolate but for other foods,” says Willem Asaert, a food writer for publications across Belgium, Holland and France.
“So it’s okay for international chocolatiers to come here to get ideas, learn the trade and develop their own signature. This won’t be the end of the Belgian chocolate industry. On the contrary, it’s just the proof that we are the best area in the world when it comes to chocolate.”
The next World Chocolate Masters is set to take place in November 2013, in Paris, with entrants representing 20 different countries.
Ryan Stevenson won’t be competing this time. Having twice been selected as Belgian Chocolate Master, he is ineligible to compete any more in the World Chocolate Masters.
Instead, he is one of the judges. He says he has made peace with the fact that he will never be crowned World Chocolate Master.
“It’s okay, it’s part of life. I was the first guy in Belgian to get the national prize twice so I’ve got to be pleased with that.”
Ryan Stevenson’s focus now is on developing his own chocolate line, but there is still one last contest he has set his sights on, Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie in Lyon, France. The competition sees national teams made up of a chocolatier, pastry chef and ice cream maker given 10 hours to prepare a range of desserts.
“I know I’ve got one last win within me, but we’ll just have to see how the time goes with my business.”
One thing is for sure, he has no plans to return home to his native Australia.
“Where I come from it’s too warm, the chocolate melts straight away!”
Five elephants have been killed after being hit by a passenger train in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.
The animals were hit when their herd was crossing railway tracks in the Rambha forest area, a railway spokesman, RN Mohapatra, said.
The state’s wildlife department said its warning asking trains to slow down because elephants were moving in the area was ignored.
Nearly 300 elephants have been killed in Orissa in the past five years.
Five elephants have been killed after being hit by a passenger train in the eastern Indian state of Orissa
Most of the deaths have been blamed on accidental electrocutions, poaching, poisoning by farmers to prevent them from damaging crops and being run over by trains.
The state government recently set up a committee to monitor elephant deaths.
While elephants are worshipped by many in India, shrinking habitat has led to increased conflict with people and the deaths of many of the protected animals.
There are around 26,000 wild elephants in India, where it is a heritage animal.
Biblical names are out and pop culture is in for America’s newborns – if 2012’s list of most popular baby names are anything to go by.
The once hearty trend of parents naming their babies after Biblical scripture has shown a steady decline in recent years according to an annual baby name report by BabyCenter.com.
What can be gathered in supplement shows a perhaps surprising uptick in inspiration from pop culture such as erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, TV show Downton Abbey and even Apple electronics.
Among names taken from the Bible for 2012 there were just three boys’ names among the list of top 10 – Ethan, Noah and Jacob – while none made the top 10 list for girls.
That’s a stark contrast from 12 years ago when Biblical names dominated the top 10 list, in 2000 it being: Michael, Jacob, Matthew, Joseph, Joshua, and Andrew.
For girls in 2000 it was Hannah, Sarah and Elizabeth.
If any trend can be seen this year one could blame at least one other book Americans are reading right now.
From EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey, first name Grey shot up 155 spots. Anastasia rose 43 spots and Elliot – Christian Grey’s brother – went up by 14%.
If any Downtown Abbey fans received visits from the Stork this year, they may be mutually held responsible for an increase in the names Branson (by 32%), Charlie (23%), Elsie (29%), and Daisy (27%). Names Edith, Sybil, Robert, Cora, Isobel and Violet also rose.
Biblical names fall out of favor in US as top 10 boys and girls names revealed
Perhaps further showing the times – contrasting back when actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay musician Chris Martin named their baby “Apple” surprising many who had never heard of the fruit and widespread computer manufacturer used as a name – Apple rose 15% this year.
Adding to the Apple iPhone, iPad, iMac buzz, the name Siri – Apple’s computer generated assistant – climbed by 5% while Mac for boys jumped by 12%.
All three names are still deep down on the list, however, with Apple taking 3,204th place, Siri taking 1,427th, and Mac taking 624.
Musicians Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s uniquely named Blue Ivy Carter also perhaps stirred a rise in names Blue and Ivy which both saw an increase this year – Blue by 51% and Ivy by 27%.
Though Blue is still down on the list hitting 2,571th place, Ivy rose to 157th place.
Among this year’s most popular names, Aiden tops list of top 10 for the eight year in a row while Sophia continues to hold her own among the girls’ 10 for the fifth year running.
Kim Kardashian is expecting her first child with her boyfriend Kanye West.
The pregnancy was revealed by Kanye West onstage during a concert in Atlantic City on Sunday night as Kim Kardashian watched.
The rapper said “stop the music”, then announced “make noise for my baby mama right here”, with a wide smile. Kanye West’s announcement prompted a flurry of excited tweets from the audience.
The two have been dating for eight months. They have previously denied pregnancy rumors.
Kim Kardashian is thought to be around the 12-week mark.
KimKardashian, 32, and Kanye West, 35, were last seen together on Christmas Day when they attended a basketball game to watch Kim’s brother-in-law Lamar Odom play with his new team The Clippers.
Kanye West was seen carefully attending to his girlfriend and holding her hand as they sat side by side in the front row. They left at half time, with Kim Kardashian later tweeting that she felt “unwell”.
“In bed with the flu all day. Praying this goes away fast!” the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wrote.
Kim Kardashian is still married to her estranged second husband Kris Humphries. The pair’s divorce has been prolonged as the basketball star has insisted on a court case, claiming the marriage should be annulled as it was “fraud”.
After the news of Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy broke late on Sunday her excited family took to Twitter.
Kim Kardashian is expecting her first child with her boyfriend Kanye West
Sister Kourtney Kardashian wrote: “Been wanting to shout from the rooftops with joy and now I can! Another angel to welcome to our family. Overwhelmed with excitement!”
And little sister Kendall Jenner added: “Whos excited about the KIMYE babbyyy?! 😀 weeee.”
Khloe Kardashian wrote: “KIMYE!!!!! Keeping secrets is hard with so many family members! Especially when you are so freaking excited!!!!! LOVE is everything!!!!”
Khloe Kardashian‘s husband Lamar Odom tweeted: “I’m excited for Kanye and my sister! There’s nothing like bringing life into this world!
“Let’s keep Gods blessings coming!”
And Grandma-to-be Kris Jenner added: “I’m a happy girl !!!!!!!!! Wowza!”
Kanye West spent the Christmas period with Kim Kardashian’s family, who have welcomed him with open arms.
Kim Kardashian has also become close to Kanye West’s family after being he took her to visit them in Oklahoma City while visiting his mother Donda West’s grave last month.
Since Kim Kardashian and Kanye West began dating in April they have rarely been apart.
Despite the shortness of their relationship, the two have been friends for years.
It has even been speculated that the rapper had been in love with Kim Kardashian back in 2009, when he appeared to refer to her in his track Knock You Down.
At the time the song was penned, Kim Kardashian was in a relationship with NFL star Reggie Bush, whom she went on to date on and off for three years.
The song includes the lines: “You was always the cheerleader of my dreams… To seem to only date the head of football teams… And I was the class clown that always kept you laughing… We were never meant to be, baby we just happened.”
He then goes on to rap: “You should leave your boyfriend now.”
And in December 2010, Kanye West was on hand when Kim Kardashian filmed her music video Jam (Turn It Up).
In scenes later broadcast on her reality show Kris Jenner was seen jokingly criticizing Kanye West for eyeing up Kim Kardashian, telling him: “Don’t be looking at her a**.”
Not one to miss a beat, quick-witted Kanye West replied: “I’ve never seen it actually.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that her country’s economic climate in 2013 will be “even more difficult”.
In her New Year message, Angela Merkel also cautioned that the eurozone debt crisis was far from over.
However, she did say that reforms designed to address the roots of the problem were beginning to bear fruit.
Angela Merkel’s comments appeared to contradict German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble who said last week that the worst of the crisis was over.
In a taped interview to be broadcast later on Monday, Angela Merkel urged Germans to be more patient.
“I know that many people are naturally concerned going into the new year,” she said.
“The economic environment will not in fact be easier but rather more difficult next year. But we shouldn’t let that get us down; rather it should spur us on.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that her country’s economic climate in 2013 will be even more difficult
She linked future German prosperity to a prosperous European Union.
“For our prosperity and our solidarity, we need to strike the right balance,” Angela Merkel said.
“The European sovereign debt crisis shows how important this balance is.
“The reforms that we’ve introduced are beginning to have an impact. Nevertheless we need to have further continued patience. The crisis is far from over.”
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild last week, Wolfgang Schaeuble cited positive developments in Greece and France, saying: “I think the worst is behind us.”
Germany – Europe’s largest economy – has been the paymaster in the eurozone crisis, a move unpopular with many German voters and some conservative MPs in Angela Merkel’s coalition.
Analysts say most Germans remain wary of eurozone bailouts but generally approve of Angela Merkel’s handling of the crisis.
In October, the German government slashed its forecast for economic output in 2013 to 1.0%, compared to 1.6% previously anticipated.
The country’s central bank has said Germany may even come close to recession early in the new year.
Nevertheless, Angela Merkel underlined that Germany in 2012 had the lowest unemployment since reunification in 1990.
US Congressional leaders have one more day to stop the threat of steep tax rises and spending cuts, known as the “fiscal cliff”, after talks ended with no deal.
Senators will continue to seek a compromise deal on Monday to send to the House of Representatives.
Failure to reach agreement by January 1 could push the US back into recession.
Earlier, President Barack Obama increased pressure on Republicans to accept a deal, blaming them for the deadlock.
He said their “overriding theme” was protecting tax breaks for the rich.
Talks ended on Sunday with no deal after a day that saw Republican and Democratic senators wrestle over detail and seek to shape a final bill.
Sticking points included the fate of expiring Bush-era tax cuts, an estate tax and steep cuts in spending known as the sequester.
If no agreement is reached on Monday, senators are expected to be given the chance to vote on a fallback plan proposed by President Barack Obama.
That would renew tax cuts on earnings under $250,000 and extend unemployment benefits, but does not address the steep spending cuts.
US Congressional leaders have one more day to stop the threat of fiscal cliff after talks ended with no deal
The current stand-off has its roots in a failed 2011 attempt to tackle the government debt limit and budget deficit. Republicans and Democrats agreed then to postpone difficult decisions on spending until the end of 2012, and imposed a threat of compulsory cuts if no deal was reached by December 31.
Analysts say that even if a deal is reached on the fiscal cliff, it will do little to reduce the original problem of the deficit and the government debt limit, raising the prospect of further political in-fighting early in the new year.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell were locked in negotiations over the weekend.
The two senators appeared to admit not long before the 15:00 deadline that negotiations were at a standstill, with their two parties still divided over core ideological issues about tax and government funding.
Senator Harry Reid said the Democrats were as yet unable to make a counter-offer to an apparent Republican proposal to slow cost-of-living increases for social security recipients, known as “chained CPI”.
Meanwhile Senator McConnell said he had asked Vice-President Joe Biden for help in breaking the deadlock.
“I’m concerned with the lack of urgency here. There’s far too much at stake,” he said.
“There is no single issue that remains an impossible sticking point – the sticking point appears to be a willingness, an interest or courage to close the deal.”
In his interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, broadcast on Sunday, Barack Obama said the priority was to ensure taxes do not rise for middle-class families, saying that would “hurt our economy badly”.
“That’s something we all agree on. If we can get that done, that takes a big bite out of the <<fiscal cliff>>,” he said.
There is also debate over where to set the threshold for tax rises. Democrats say the Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for all Americans except the richest – those with annual earnings of more than $250,000.
Republicans – some of whom have pledged never to vote for increased taxes – say the deficit is a consequence of excessive government spending.
They want the tax threshold set higher, at around $400,000, and for revenue to be raised by economic growth and cuts in social security and other services states are legally bound to provide.
Japan’s coast guard has detained a Chinese fishing boat for allegedly fishing inside Japanese waters, Chinese officials say.
The boat was seized on Saturday near Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture, China’s Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Chinese consulate in Fukuoka, Japan.
The captain had admitted entering Japanese waters, Xinhua said.
Japan’s coast guard has detained a Chinese fishing boat for allegedly fishing inside Japanese waters
The incident comes months after anti-Japanese protests in Chinese cities over disputed islands near Taiwan.
The captain and two crew members have been taken to Kagoshima for questioning while six other sailors remained on board the boat, which comes from Fujian province in south-east China, Xinhua said.
A Chinese consulate official has been sent to Kagoshima to visit the crew members, the report added.
Relations between Japan and China have been strained over the disputed islands, known as the Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese.
Japan controls the islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan. Close to strategically important shipping lanes, the waters around the islands also offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been hospitalized in New York with a blood clot, officials say.
Hillary Clinton suffered a concussion earlier this month after fainting and falling down.
At the time, she was reported to have had a stomach virus and to have passed out after becoming dehydrated.
Hillary Clinton is due to stand down as secretary of state before US President Barack Obama officially begins his second term in January.
Doctors discovered the clot during a follow-up examination on Sunday, her spokesman Philippe Reines said.
“She is being treated with anti-coagulants and is at New York-Presbyterian Hospital so that they can monitor the medication over the next 48 hours,” he said.
“They will determine if any further action is required.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been hospitalized in New York with a blood clot
Hillary Clinton is due to give evidence before a Congressional committee in January 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.
Hillary Clinton was appointed secretary of state at the start of Barack Obama’s first term, in January 2009.
Her most recent foreign trip was to Dublin earlier this month.
Hillary Clinton, 65, is known for her gruelling travel schedule.
She is the most travelled secretary of state in history, having visited 112 countries while in the job, the Associated Press says.
Earlier this month, President barack Obama nominated Senator John Kerry – the Massachusetts Democrat who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.
Hillary Clinton has repeatedly said that she only intended to serve one term in the post.
