Male leggings – or meggings to those in the know – are the latest trends in men’s fashion in 2013 as they have already been spotted on outlandishly-dressed celebrities such as Russell Brand and Noel Fielding.
And this winter they have started to take New York by storm, sported by the likes of Justin Bieber and Lenny Kravitz.
Now they are expected to follow the skinny jeans trend by crossing the Atlantic to British high streets.
Uniqlo is already selling male leggings through its British website, with other retailers likely to follow.
Designers have been putting male models in leggings for years, but not everyone who tried them has been convinced – with criticisms ranging from “hot and uncomfortable” to “Where do you put your wallet?”.
Meggings are the latest trends in men’s fashion in 2013
One Manhattan resident proud to show off his legs is English internet entrepreneur Mark Dorosz, 34.
He told a newspaper: “Male tights are so much more comfortable than skinny jeans. I’ve always had good legs and it’s nice to show them off all year round.”
But fellow New Yorker Gabriel Cru, 35, said: “Men in tights? Get out of here. We don’t do men in tights in New York. That’s European.”
Yet science and folklore both give us clues that suggest Prince William and Kate Middleton will have a girl.
For starters, Kate Middleton’s debilitating morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum, is more commonly found among women expecting girls.
And her slim build may also hint at a royal daughter. A 2008 study at the University of Exeter showed women who consumed lower-calorie diets were more likely to have girls because female foetuses can survive on fewer nutrients.
Then William’s occupation as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot could also play its part. An American study found pilots had an 80% chance of having girl babies.
One theory is that exposure to radiation on planes reduces the number of sperm carrying male chromosomes, but sperm carrying hardier female chromosomes are unaffected.
And if Kate Middleton is spotted leaving a Kensington dermatologist, it’s odds-on for a daughter.
French researchers found that mothers who suffered acne while pregnant were 90% more likely to give birth to a girl due to excess levels of the female hormone oestrogen.
On the other hand, there may be some truth in the idea that women who suffer cold feet will have a son.
Yet science and folklore both give us clues that suggest Prince William and Kate Middleton will have a girl
Cold feet are a symptom of poor circulation – and German scientists have found that this condition during pregnancy is often experienced among women expecting boys, though they haven’t yet been able to explain why.
If all else fails, there is one final method of prediction: ask the Duchess whether she thinks she is expecting a boy or a girl.
According to scientists from Arizona, women’s intuition is the most accurate gender predictor of all.
Asked to guess the sex of their child, mothers-to-be are correct 70% of the time.
Italian stocks have fallen sharply, reacting to news that Prime Minister Mario Monti plans to resign and former premier Silvio Berlusconi is to run for office again.
The main Italian stock index fell 3.1%.
Other indexes throughout Europe were also lower, with banks the worst hit among shares.
Mario Monti became the leader of a technocrat government in 2011 after investors became worried about Italy’s economic health.
Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party withdrew its support from the government on Thursday, and Berlusconi confirmed he would lead his party into next year’s elections – now on course to be held slightly earlier than expected.
Mario Monti had planned to serve until April 2013, when the current parliamentary term runs out. He had hoped this would be enough time to “rescue Italy from financial ruin”.
The withdrawal of his political support means that elections are now set for February.
Mario Monti replaced Silvio Berlusconi after the Italian 10-year bond yield reached a euro-era record of 7.48% in November 2011, bringing about Berlusconi’s departure. Since then, Italy’s yields have dropped and the focus has shifted to Spain, which has taken a bailout for its banks, and back to Greece.
However, on Monday, Italy’s 10-year bond yield jumped more 0.3 percentage points to 4.8%.
Among individual shares in Italy, banks were the hardest hit. Italy’s biggest, Unicredit, fell 6%. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena fell 7% and Banca Popolare di Milano declined 6.9%.
Across banks in Europe, Germany’s Commerzbank fell 2.9% and France’s BNP Paribas dropped 2.5%. In Spain, banks such as Santander, Bankia and BBVA all turned lower.
“Monti is the one who managed to stabilise Italy and stop the contagion from Greece,” said David Thebault, a trader at Global Equities.
“His surprise resignation brings back the political risk in the equation, something we had forgotten about.”
Italian stocks have fallen sharply, reacting to news that Prime Minister Mario Monti plans to resign and former premier Silvio Berlusconi is to run for office again
Italy’s government has the biggest debt burden of any of the major eurozone countries at 123% of economic output (GDP), which makes it particularly susceptible to a loss of market confidence. This is because higher borrowing costs would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the government to roll over its debts as they come due for payment.
Jane Foley, a currency strategist at Rabobank, said: “The resignation of Italy’s technocrat PM Monti at the weekend has re-awakened fears of a return to old style political theatre in the country and brought some fresh downside pressure for the euro.”
The 17-nation currency fell against the dollar and British pound.
Mario Monti, an economist who heads a unelected cabinet of technocrats, has said he will try to pass a budget and financial stability law before standing down.
A statement from the office of President Giorgio Napolitano over the weekend said that Mario Monti “does not think it possible to continue his mandate and consequently made clear his intention to present his resignation”.
If the law for next year’s budget can be passed “quickly”, Mario Monti would immediately confirm his resignation, the statement said.
An election must come within 70 days of the government resigning. Italy had been due to go to the polls by April at the latest.
Mario Monti – a respected former commissioner at the European Union – has tried to pass reforms, including implementing in July a series of spending cuts of 26 billion euros ($32 billion) over three years to tackle the deficit.
But many of the proposals have been watered down or stalled as they have gone through parliament.
Italy’s economy has been shrinking all year – its fourth recession of the past 10 years.
Employers’ lobby group Confindustria predicts that the economy will shrink 2.4% this year, with unemployment hovering around 11%. The government forecasts the economy will contract by 1.2% this year.
Silvio Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud in October, though he is appealing against that ruling, and he is also on trial accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute.
He has already served as Italy’s prime minister for three separate terms and built up what is believed to be a vast personal fortune from his business empire.
President Mohamed Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect Egypt institutions in the run-up to a controversial referendum on a new constitution.
The army has also been given the power of arrest.
Mohamed Morsi has tried to calm public anger by annulling a decree giving him huge powers, but rejected a call to scrap the 15 December constitutional vote.
Opposition leaders called for protests on Tuesday against the referendum.
The opposition was “not aiming at toppling the president” but wanted a better constitution, said former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa.
Islamist groups have said they will hold counter demonstrations, raising fears of further bloody clashes on the streets of the Egyptian capital.
In another apparent concession, the president suspended a big tax increase on the sale of a variety of goods including soft drinks, cigarettes and beer.
The decision was carried in a statement that appeared on Mohamed Morsi’s Facebook page in the early hours of Monday, state-owned al-Ahram newspaper reported.
As tension increased before Saturday’s referendum, Mohamed Morsi ordered the military to maintain security “up to the announcement of the results from the referendum”, AFP news agency reports.
The step will raise fears that Egypt is moving back towards military rule.
Under the new presidential decree, the military is asked to co-ordinate with the police on maintaining security and is also entitled to arrest civilians.
The police have been seen as weakened since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak and failed to intervene when anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters ransacked the Islamist movement’s Cairo headquarters last week, correspondents say.
An increased military presence was visible on Monday close to the presidential palace, which has been the focus of opposition demonstrations. The army has sealed off the area with concrete blocks.
It is not yet clear whether the opposition will boycott Saturday’s referendum. However, a group of senior judges announced on Monday that they would be prepared to oversee the vote, on certain conditions.
Votes in Egypt are traditionally supervised by the judiciary but the November 22nd presidential decree led thousands of judges to go on strike.
Mohamed Morsi has ordered the military to maintain security and protect Egypt institutions in the run-up to a controversial referendum on a new constitution
Now, with the decree rescinded, the State Council Judges’ Club has agreed to oversee the vote as long as pro-Morsi supporters call a halt to a sit-in outside Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court.
The court suspended work on 2 December, citing “psychological pressure” from Islamists who had prevented a meeting on a draft of the new constitution. The protesters had wanted to block a ruling on the legality of the document.
The opposition argues that the constitution was drafted by an assembly dominated by Mohammed Morsi’s Islamist allies.
In a statement after talks on Sunday, the opposition National Salvation Front said it would not recognize the draft constitution “because it does not represent the Egyptian people”.
“We reject the referendum which will certainly lead to more division and sedition,” spokesman Sameh Ashour said.
On Sunday, hundreds of opposition protesters protested against the referendum outside the presidential palace.
They chanted anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans and held up banners reading slogans such as “Morsi, hold back your thugs” and “The people demand the fall of the regime”.
But Mohamed Soudan, foreign relations secretary of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, said Mohamed Morsi was constitutionally bound to go ahead with the vote because the date had been announced by the constituent assembly.
The president says he is trying to safeguard the revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak last year, but his critics accuse him of acting like a dictator.
Mohamed Morsi’s decree of 22 November stripped the judiciary of any right to challenge his decisions and triggered violent protests.
Although the decree has been annulled, some decisions taken under it still stand.
The general prosecutor, who was dismissed, will not be reinstated, and the retrial of former regime officials will go ahead.
The presidents of the EU’s three main institutions have collected the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.
The EU was awarded the prize for its role in uniting the continent after two world wars.
At the ceremony there was applause when the leaders of France and Germany stood up, holding hands.
Critics say the award is inappropriate. They point out that the eurozone crisis has exposed deep divisions in the 27-nation bloc.
Most of Europe’s national leaders were at the event, but not the UK’s David Cameron.
The British prime minister’s deputy, Nick Clegg – a longstanding advocate of the European project – represented the UK at the ceremony.
Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told the audience that in the current economic crisis “the political framework in which the union is rooted is more important than ever”.
“We must stand together, we have collective responsibility,” he said, warning of a risk of new nationalism in Europe.
The prize was received jointly by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament President Martin Schulz. Herman Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso then gave a joint acceptance speech, in two parts.
The presidents of the EU’s three main institutions have collected the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo
Herman Van Rompuy paid tribute to the post-war leaders of France and Germany who had forged the EU by uniting their economic interests.
He praised “the EU’s secret weapon – an unrivalled way of binding our interests so tightly that war becomes impossible”.
“It is better to fight around the table than on a battlefield,” he said, quoting Jean Monnet, one of the EU’s founders.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sat next to French President Francois Hollande at the ceremony in Oslo City Hall.
Herman Van Rompuy said the economic crisis was fuelling “the return of long-forgotten faultlines and stereotypes”, but added: “Even such tensions don’t take us back to the darkness of the past.”
He ended by adapting the famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” quote from the late President John F. Kennedy during the Cold War.
He said he hoped future generations would “say with pride <<Ich bin ein Europaer>>, <<Je suis fier d’etre Europeen>>, <<I’m proud to be European>>.”
Four young Europeans, selected through an open EU competition, were in the delegation with equal status alongside the politicians.
The European Commission, which drafts EU laws, says the Nobel Prize money – about 930,000 euros ($1.2 million) – “will be allocated to children that are most in need”.
There has been a barrage of criticism – from Euroskeptics, peace activists and former winners of the prize.
Many of them question whether the EU should be given such an honor at a time when record unemployment and tough austerity policies, supported by European institutions, are causing serious social tensions in several member states.
Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera has died in a plane crash in northern Mexico, her father has confirmed.
Pedro Rivera, flanked by his two sons, told Mexican TV that all seven of those people on board the plane, including two pilots, had died.
Officials earlier said they had found wreckage believed to be that of the singer’s Learjet in Nuevo Leon state.
Jenni Rivera, born in California in 1969 to Mexican parents, has sold more than 15 million records of Norteno music.
She is a judge in the popular television programme La Voz (The Voice).
“Everyone was lost,” Jenni Rivera told Telemundo television.
Civil aviation chief Alejandro Argudín told Mexican media that the plane had been “totally destroyed” and the wreckage scattered over a wide area.
It was not clear what caused the crash.
Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera has died in a plane crash in northern Mexico
Jenni Rivera had performed in the northern city of Monterrey on Saturday and was travelling to the city of Toluca, outside Mexico City, when the plane disappeared, officials said.
A spokesman for Nuevo Leon’s government said the plane had left Monterrey in the early hours of Sunday and aviation authorities lost contact with it about 10 minutes later.
It had been scheduled to arrive in Toluca about an hour later.
Mel Greig and Michael Christian, the Australian radio hosts at the centre of Kate Middleton hospital hoax, say they are “gutted and heartbroken” over the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha.
Jacintha Saldanha was found dead on Friday, three days after taking the hoax call.
Mel Greig and Michael Christian wept as they said “not a minute goes by where we don’t think about her family”.
They had pretended to be members of the Queen and Prince Charles asking about Kate Middleton, who was being treated in hospital for acute morning sickness.
In an interview for Channel Nine’s A Current Affair programme Michael Christian told presenter Tracy Grimshaw: “When we thought about making a call it was going to go for 30 seconds we were going to be hung up on, and that was it. As innocent as that.”
Mel Greig said: “We thought a hundred people before us would’ve tried it. We thought it was such a silly idea and the accents were terrible and not for a second did we expect to speak to Kate let alone have a conversation with anyone at the hospital. We wanted to be hung up on.”
The pair said they heard about Jacintha Saldanha’s death in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“It was the worst phone call I’ve ever had in my life,” said Mel Greig.
Asked what his immediate reaction had been, Michael Christian wept and said: “Shattered, gutted, heartbroken and obviously you know. Our deepest sympathies are with the family and the friends.”
Mel Greig said: “There’s not a minute that goes by where we don’t think about her family and what they must be going through, and the thought that we may have played a part in that is gut-wrenching.”
Michael Christian added: “Prank calls are made every day, on every radio station in every country, around the world and they have been for a long time and no-one could’ve imagined this to happen.”
They were also interviewed for Channel 7’s Today Tonight programme and Mel Greig said of the moment she heard of Jacintha Saldanha’s death: “Unfortunately I remember that moment very well because I haven’t stopped thinking about it since it happened and I remember my first question was <<Was she a mother?>>”
Mel Greig and Michael Christian say they are gutted and heartbroken over the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha
Michael Christian said there was “no malice” in the prank call and “no harm intended” to the nurses, to the duchess or to Prince William.
Mel Greig said they had expected to be hung up on and she said: “The accents were terrible. You know it was designed to be stupid. We were never meant to get that far from the little corgis barking in the background – we obviously wanted it to be a joke.
“If we played any involvement in her death then we’re very sorry for that. And time will only tell.”
Mel Greig said she would give evidence at the inquest if she was required and she played down questions about her and Michael Christian’s career.
Asked about whether she felt there was a “witch hunt” against them, she said: “There’s nothing that can make me feel worse than what I feel right now. And for what I feel for the family. We’re so sorry that this has happened to them.”
Kate Middleton was taken to King Edward VII Hospital in central London last Monday, suffering from an extreme form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum.
Jacintha Saldanha had answered the presenters’ call and, believing they were members of the Royal Family, put them through to another nurse, who described the Duchess of Cambridge’s condition in detail.
She was pronounced dead on Friday morning at staff accommodation close to the hospital. An inquest into Jacintha Saldanha’s apparent suicide is due to be opened in the next few days.
Earlier the presenters’ employer, Sydney radio station 2DayFM, said at least five attempts were made to obtain the permission of the two nurses involved before airing the call.
The radio station said it was going to review its broadcasting practices.
In an interview with a Melbourne radio station 3AW, Rhys Holleran – whose company Southern Cross Austereo owns 2DayFM – said his staff had tried several times to make contact with Jacintha Saldanha and another nurse at the King Edward VII’s Hospital to get their permission to use the prank conversation before it was transmitted.
Rhys Holleran said the death of Jacintha Saldanha was “tragic” and “regrettable”, but that it “could not have been foreseen”.
Some legal experts in Australia have said if the radio station did not tell the nurses they were being recorded, or received their permission to broadcast the conversation, they may be in breach of a number of laws.
Jacintha Saldanha’s husband, Ben Barboza, wrote on his Facebook page: “I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances.”
The family was being comforted by relatives and friends at their home in Bristol, where they were visited by Labour MP Keith Vaz on Sunday.
He said the family are “grief stricken and shocked” at Jacintha Saldanha’s death and were grateful to the hospital for establishing a memorial fund in her name.
Ghana’s incumbent President John Mahama has been won presidential election, the electoral commission has announced.
The commission said that John Mahama had won 50.7% against opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo on 47.74%.
However, the opposition NPP says it will contest the result, accused the governing NDC party of conspiring with commission staff to fix Friday’s poll.
President John Mahama urged “all leaders of all political parties to respect the voice of the people”.
“The voice of the people is the voice of God,” he added.
Police in the capital Accra fired tear gas to disperse opposition protesters from outside the commission’s offices.
Tanks guarded the electoral commission and roads around the offices were barricaded by police as the results were announced.
“Ladies and gentlemen, based on the results given, I declare John Dramani Mahama president-elect,” electoral commission chief Kwadwo Afari-Gyan told journalists.
He said turnout had been about 80%.
Ghana’s incumbent President John Mahama has been won presidential election
Ghana, one of the world’s fastest growing economies, is regarded as one of Africa’s most stable democracies.
In a draft statement emailed to reporters on Sunday, the opposition said it would contest the results.
“This situation, if allowed to go unchallenged and uncorrected, would seriously damage the essence of the electoral process and the substance of democracy in Ghana,” the NPP said.
“To accept this result is to discredit democracy in Ghana and, in the process, distort the process of democratization in Africa. Therefore, the New Patriotic Party cannot accept the results of the presidential election as declared by the EC (election commission) this evening.”
Earlier, the NPP said it had “enough concrete evidence” to prove that Nana Akufo-Addo had won the election.
“The ruling NDC conspired with certain EC staff in constituencies across the country to falsify the election results and thereby abuse the mandate of the people of Ghana,” the party said.
“It was this planned, systematic stealing of votes at the collation level that was, thankfully, discovered in time.”
The party cited discrepancies between initial tally sheets and the results reported in the media.
John Mahama’s presidential adviser Tony Aidoo said there was no foundation for the allegations.
Nana Akufo-Addo lost the 2008 presidential poll by one percentage point, but accepted the result.
Glitches with a new finger-printing system meant that voting continued into Saturday in some parts of the country.
However, observers said the election had passed off largely peacefully.
John Mahama was Ghana’s vice-president until the unexpected death of President John Atta Mills in July catapulted him into office.
Mix the mincemeat and rum together. Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in a small bowl and mix until well blended. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites on a fast speed until stiff, then gradually add the sugar a teaspoonful at a time, still on fast speed. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Fold the egg yolks and cream into the meringue, followed by the rum and mincemeat. Turn the ice cream mixture into a 2 ltr (3½ pt) pudding basin, cover and freeze overnight. To turn the pudding out, dip the basin in very hot water for a few moments and turn upside down onto a serving plate – just as you would with a jelly.
* This pudding contains raw eggs so is not suitable for pregnant women, the very young or elderly.
The ruling coalition of Prime Minister Victor Ponta is projected to win Romania’s general election.
Exit polls gave his Social Liberal Union (USL) about 57% of the vote, as compared with just 19% for President Traian Basescu’s Right Romania Alliance (ARD).
Victor Ponta said: “This is a clear victory with an absolute majority.”
But he will have to share power with Traian Basescu, whose term runs until 2014.
Official results are not expected until Monday.
Victor Ponta and Traian Basescu have been locked in a power struggle since Ponta came to power in April following the collapse of the previous centre-right government.
The two men have argued over control of state television and the Romanian Cultural Institute and attempts to draw up a new electoral law.
Political decision-making has at times been paralyzed.
The ruling coalition of Prime Minister Victor Ponta is projected to win Romania’s general election
In July, Victor Ponta suspended Traian Basescu and tried to impeach him. But a referendum failed to meet the required turnout.
Traian Basescu hinted before the election that he might refuse to re-appoint Victor Ponta as prime minister. He has described him as a “mythomaniac”.
Romania is the second poorest member of the European Union, which it joined in 2007.
The country and neighbor Bulgaria, are under special EU monitoring because of concerns about judicial independence, corruption and political influence in state institutions.
Romania is trying to negotiate a new loan from the IMF to replace the existing one which expires early next year.
Hotel Martinez in Cannes may already be one of the most sought after hotels in the world, but its fabulous new L.RAPHAEL Beauty Spa is quickly becoming one its biggest draws.
Located on the seventh floor of the stunning La Croisette building, the L.RAPHAEL Beauty Spa specializes in technologically advanced beauty treatments by the celebrated Swiss skincare brand.
The beauty retreat launched just in time for this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was reportedly filled with A-Listers dropping in for a touch of pampering before the big event.
L.RAPHAEL specializes in exclusive non-invasive Oxy treatments using its proprietary Oxy-Tech II machine, which is able to deliver active ingredients further into the skin than any topical application by combining high-speed jet pressure with oxygen and salt water.
Oxy-Slim treatment promises to firm up and reshape the body instantly by rejuvenating cells.
L.RAPHAEL specializes in exclusive non-invasive Oxy treatments using its proprietary Oxy-Tech II machine, which is able to deliver active ingredients further into the skin than any topical application by combining high-speed jet pressure with oxygen and salt water
The treatment lasts for 50 minutes and during this time three different oils and gels are massaged into skin, including a slimming gel which uses forskolin extract, an effective slimming ingredient which fights cellulite and burns fat.
After each oil is applied, the Oxy-Tech II machine is pressed against the skin to drive the ingredients deeper into the body.
Oxy-Slim is definitely a great confidence-boosting pre-beach treatment, but unsurprisingly the results are not long-lasting.
A new wonder 24kt gold pill promises to “turn your innermost parts into chambers of wealth”.
The sparkling capsules, measuring 2 cm long, can be found on the Citizen:Citizen website priced at $425.
After digesting the three gold-leaf tablets,shefinds.com claims consumers will find flakes of pure precious metal decorating their excrement.
The Gold Pills were designed by late New York artist Tobi Wong in collaboration with Ken Courtney.
The creative duo said: “Like an addict, all I want is more. Like celebrity and celebrity culture, demand for luxury items is completely created.”
They were first launched in 2005 as part of their Indulgence line – an art project that comments on society’s “ever-expanding market of luxury items”.
The 24kt gold pill promises to turn your innermost parts into chambers of wealth
Since they hit the shelves their price has skyrocketed.
Some have poked fun at the bizarre product. Racked.com wrote: “Distribute a couple in grandpa’s pill tray over Christmas dinner and watch as hilarity ensues. Bonus!
“Take bets with other family members on whether or not his digestive track can handle the opulence (whoever loses has to pay for the ambulance costs!).”
However it seems the Gold Pills have been a hit with the luxury obsessed, as the Citizen:Citizen website states that they are “temporarily unavailable”.
Wong launched a silver version in 1998.Other items featured in his Indulgence collection include a bronze casting of a Playboy drinks stirrer, a cast of a 1980s McDonald’s coffee stirrer and a copper and gold plated BIC pen cap.
Australian radio station 2Day FM at the centre of the UK royal hospital hoax death says it is going to review its broadcasting practices.
Nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead three days after putting through a call that gathered details of pregnant Kate Middleton’s condition.
The hoax call was made by DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who have been taken off air and are being counseled.
Neither have commented but do want to speak to the media, a spokeswoman said.
The board of Southern Cross Austereo, which owns the radio station, 2Day FM, met on Sunday to discuss a highly critical letter from the hospital which was the victim of the prank call.
Southern Cross Austereo chairman Max Moore-Wilton promised in a letter to the chairman of King Edward VII’s Hospital that the company would co-operate with any investigation.
He said: “We are all saddened by the events of the last few days. They are truly tragic.
“It is too early to know the full details leading to this tragic event and we are anxious to review the results of any investigation that may be made available to us or made public.
“We can assure you that we will fully cooperate with all investigations.
“As we have said in our own statements on the matter, the outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable.
“I can assure you we are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast processes involved.”
Kate Middleton’s hoax call was made by DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, who have been taken off air and are being counseled
An inquest into Jacintha Saldanha’s apparent suicide is due to be opened in the next few days.
She was pronounced dead on Friday morning at staff accommodation close to the hospital.
Jacintha Saldanha had answered the presenters’ call and, believing they were members of the Royal Family, put them through to another nurse, who described the Duchess of Cambridge’s condition in detail.
There has been a strong reaction both in the UK and Australia towards Mel Greig and Michael Christian since the death of Jacintha Saldanha, and both have been receiving counseling.
Both deleted their Twitter accounts and were taken off the air, but a Southern Cross Austereo spokeswoman said they had “expressed a desire to speak”.
“We haven’t ascertained when they’re ready for that and how we’re going to organize that, but they certainly want to,” the spokeswoman said.
The nurse’s family was being comforted by relatives and friends at their home in Bristol.
In a statement last night, Jacintha Saldanha’s family said they were “deeply saddened” by the death and asked for privacy.
Meanwhile, Prince William will not attend the British Military Tournament in London later on Sunday.
A St James’ Palace spokesman said the prince had opted instead to spend Sunday privately with Kate Middleton, who had been in hospital with an extreme form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum.
Prince William has pulled out of attending the British Military Tournament tonight so he can spend time with wife Kate Middleton, who is recuperating after spending three nights in hospital.
The royal couple had both originally been due to attend tonight’s event but all of Kate Middleton’s forthcoming public engagements were cancelled after she received treatment for severe morning sickness.
It comes after Prince William, 30, joked at an event yesterday evening that morning sickness should be renamed as Kate Middleton suffered it all day and night.
It now appears unlikely that the Duchess will attend the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey film in the West End on Wednesday, and may not make another public appearance for several weeks.
A St James’s Palace spokesman said: “The Duke of Cambridge will no longer attend the British Military Tournament at Earl’s Court this evening, but will spend Sunday privately with the Duchess instead.
“It is well known that hyperemesis gravidarum often recurs and, until further notice, to allow the Duchess a degree of privacy during her pregnancy, we do not intend to offer regular condition checks or advise of routine developments associated with it.”
Prince William has pulled out of attending the British Military Tournament tonight so he can spend time with wife Kate Middleton, who is recuperating after spending three nights in hospital
The cancellation of Prince William’s attendance at the event, billed as “the largest display of military theatre in the world”, comes after he last night attended a charity event.
He went solo for the first time since the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, also 30, was discharged from hospital.
The Duke of Cambridge attended a glittering charity tennis gala, the Winter Whites Gala, held in aid of homeless charity Centrepoint, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
He was due to be accompanied by the Duchess, but she is resting after suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, an acute – and potentially dangerous – form of morning sickness.
Prince William, who is patron of Centrepoint, was congratulated by many on the news that a baby is on the way.
Mohammed Abu Jamal Ahmed, one of the suspects in the Benghazi attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, has been arrested, NBC News is reporting.
Mohammed Abu Jamal Ahmed, who is accused of playing a role in September’s deadly attack against the U.S. Consulate in Libya, was detained in Cairo, according to NBC, which cited two unnamed sources in its report.
In addition to his possible involvement in the Benghazi attack, Mohammed Abu Jamal Ahmed is also accused of illegally trafficking weapons from Libya to Egypt.
Mohammed Abu Jamal Ahmed was freed from an Egyptian prison around the time that former President Muammar Gadhafi was ousted from power.
He is believed to be affiliated with a number of militant groups in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Wall Street Journal reported in October that he was trying to establish a new branch of al-Qaeda.
Mohammed Abu Jamal Ahmed, one of the suspects in the Benghazi attack that killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, has been arrested in Cairo
Sources told the Journal that he had already secured financing for the group.
Early intelligence reports suggested that Mohammed Abu Jamal Ahmed had established training camps in Libya for the fighters involved in the September 11 attack that killed four Americans, according to Journal.
The White House and the Pentagon initially said the attack was a spontaneous reaction to anti-Muslim film The Innocence of Muslims directed by an American.
That story later changed, however, as it was revealed that those involved in the attack had militant ties – and that administration officials were aware of those ties when they publicly claimed that the attack was in response to anti-Muslim film.
Republicans in the US House of Representatives are blocking a bill that would prevent a tax increase on the first $250,000 of income earned by all Americans, President Barack Obama said on Saturday.
The Democratic-controlled Senate has approved the measure, but Barack Obama said House Republicans have “put forward an unbalanced plan that actually lowers rates for the wealthiest Americans”.
Barack Obama supports a plan to raise taxes on families earning more than $250,000. In his weekly radio and Internet address, Barack Obama said “the math just doesn’t work” on the GOP plan.
Barack Obama’s comments mark the fourth time since his re-election that he has used the radio address to push for middle-class tax cuts as part of a plan to avert a looming fiscal cliff – and his most sharply partisan tone.
The president said his plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans should come as no surprise to Republicans or anyone else.
“After all, this was a central question in the election. A clear majority of Americans – Democrats, Republicans and independents – agreed with a balanced approach that asks something from everyone, but a little more from those who can most afford it,” Barack Obama said.
His plan is “the only way to put our economy on a sustainable path without asking even more from the middle class”. It also is the only plan he is willing to sign, the president said.
Barack Obama supports a plan to raise taxes on families earning more than $250,000
Barack Obama’s comments came as House Speaker John Boehner said Friday there has been no progress in negotiations to avert the “fiscal cliff”, a combination of automatic tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect in January.
John Boehner said the White House has wasted another week and has failed to respond to a GOP offer to raise tax revenues and cut spending.
Barack Obama and John Boehner spoke privately by phone on Wednesday. John Boehner described the conversation as pleasant, “but just more of the same”.
Barack Obama said in his address that he stands ready to work with Republicans on a plan that spurs economic growth, creates jobs and reduces the national deficit.
He said he wants to find ways to bring down health care costs without hurting seniors and is willing to make more cuts in entitlement programs such as Medicare.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio said in the Republican response on Saturday that tax increases will not solve the nation’s $16 trillion debt. Only economic growth and reform of entitlement programs will help control the debt, Marco Rubio said.
Polling stations have opened in Romania in the country’s parliamentary elections.
Opinion polls suggest a large win for the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Senate President Crin Antonescu.
But the result could trigger renewed political instability as Romania negotiates a vital loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Victor Ponta and so called centre-right President Traian Basescu have been bitter enemies since Ponta’s government tried to impeach the president last July.
Analysts say that, in the event of Victor Ponta’s Social Liberal Union (USL) winning, the president may ask someone other than Ponta to form a government.
President Traian Basescu has said clearly he will use his powers to appoint a prime minister “in the national interest”.
Given the enmity the president feels towards Victor Ponta and his coalition, it is hard to imagine he has the leader of the Social Liberal Union (USL) in mind.
However, any attempt to appoint someone else may result in a constitutional crisis.
If the USL wins a clear majority, analysts say the president may ask someone other than Victor Ponta from within USL to become prime minister, using the argument that the USL is not a party but a coalition.
Opinion polls in Romania suggest a large win for the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Victor Ponta
If the USL falls short of a majority, Traian Basescu could ask one of his allies in the Right Romania Alliance (ARD) to try to form a coalition.
Opinion polls have put the ARD in second place, but far away vs. USL.
Any prolonged political instability could unnerve markets and threaten a crucial IMF loan agreement.
Romania’s current loan agreement expires in early 2013.
President Traian Basescu barely survived July’s referendum on his impeachment after turnout fell below the 50% needed to validate the vote, even if 7.4 million people were against him.
He said Romanians had “rejected a coup” by staying away from polling stations.
The row between the two men has alarmed Romania’s EU partners and parlayzed political decision-making.
Romania and neighboring Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, but Brussels has put both countries under special monitoring because of concerns about judicial independence, corruption and political influence in state institutions.
Lady Gaga arrived in St Petersburg on Friday for a performance and was welcomed by a mob of fans at the airport.
Wearing a classic dark suit, dark shades, red lipstick and a bouffant hairdo, Lady Gaga signed autographs and posed for pictures and even blew onlookers a kiss with her gloved hand.
“Just arrived in St. Petersburg Russia,” Lady Gaga tweeted.
“I’m so delighted to see so many monsters at the airport. Take me to the ballet!”
Lady Gaga, 26, is currently on her Born This Way Ball tour.
Lady Gaga arrived in St Petersburg on Friday for a performance and was welcomed by a mob of fans at the airport
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced this week a massive, month-long hunt for Burmese pythons in the state – offering a $1,500 prize to the person who harvests the most snakes.
The Commission’s 2013 Python Challenge kicks off on January 12th as an initiative to inform the public of the dangerous impact of the tens of thousands of snakes that are threatening endangered species in the Everglades national park.
Burmese pythons, native to Southeast Asia, prey upon the endangered Key Largo wood rat and the endangered wood stork in the Everglades. Additionally researchers told CNN that massive numbers of rabbits, foxes, raccoons, opossums and bobcats have disappeared due to the snakes.
To avoid a complete depletion of the wildlife populations, hunters are invited to apply to join the contest.
You must have a valid Florida hunting license and Wildlife Management Area permit to participate, pay a $25 fee and complete an online training course that teaches safety measures for hunting pythons.
The commission is stressing that they are encouraging hunters to use humane measures to execute the snakes. They suggest shooting the snake in the head with a firearm or decapitating it with a machete.
The grand prize of $1,500 will be distributed to the hunter who kills the most pythons. A reward of $1,000 will go to the person who hunts the longest snake. The rules specified that the snake must be harvested but the hunters themselves, road kill will not be eligible.
The contests ends on February 10th and has been marketed as not just a hunt but a time to inform the public of the impact the snake is having on the habitat.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced this week a month-long hunt for Burmese pythons offering a $1,500 prize to the person who harvests the most snakes
Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons are believed to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate.
While many were apparently released by their owners, others may have escaped from pet shops during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and have been reproducing ever since.
Burmese pythons can grow to be 26 feet long and more than 200 pounds, and they have been known to swallow animals as large as alligators. They and other constrictor snakes kill their prey by coiling around it and suffocating it.
The National Park Service has counted 1,825 Burmese pythons that have been caught in and around Everglades National Park since 2000. Among the largest so far was a 156-pound, 16.4-foot one captured earlier this month.
A study, released in January, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reported that medium-size mammals are down dramatically – as much as 99%, in some cases – in areas where pythons and other large, non-native constrictor snakes are known to be lurking.
Scientists fear the pythons could disrupt the food chain and upset the Everglades’ environmental balance in ways difficult to predict.
The FWC will be holding events throughout the hunting fest to raise awareness of the species which are being threatened.
“The FWC is encouraging the public to get involved in helping us remove Burmese pythons from public lands in south Florida,” Kristen Sommers, head of the FWC’s Exotic Species Coordination Section, said in a statement.
“By enlisting both the public and Florida’s python permit holders in a month-long competitive harvesting of Burmese pythons, we hope to motivate more people to find and harvest these large, invasive snakes. The Python Challenge gives people a chance to sign up for a competition to see who can catch the longest or the most pythons.”
“Part of the goal of the Python Challenge is to educate the public to understand why nonnative species like Burmese pythons should never be released into the wild and encourage people to report sightings of exotic species,” she added.
Joggers took to the streets wearing almost nothing as they raced through Boston to raise money for children’s charities at the 13th annual Speedo Santa Run.
Runner braved the brisk winter temperatures in little more than their underwear.
Started 12 years ago amongst five friends in a bar, the run has exploded into a holiday tradition with hundreds of participants raising more than $1 million for children’s charities.
One team of runners raised close to $20,000 alone.
Joggers took to the streets wearing almost nothing as they raced through Boston to raise money for children’s charities at the 13th annual Speedo Santa Run
Friends and family of Kasandra Perkins crowded a Baptist church in just 40 miles outside of Dallas to say their last goodbyes to Jovan Belcher’s girlfriend.
It had only been five days since Kasandra Perkins, 22, was gunned down by her boyfriend Kansas City Chief Jovan Belcher who shot her multiple times before ending his own life.
Despite the horrific circumstances of the pair’s end, at Kasandra Perkins’ funeral service mourners chose to remember her as a joyful person who brought happiness to everyone she met.
Mourners gathered before a white casket decorated with while lilies and pink roses at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church to lay Kasandra Perkins to rest.
“It’s a very tragic circumstance, a tragic situation,” pastor Steve Sweeney said as he offered a prayer for God that both Kasandra Perkins’ and Jovan Belcher’s family would find healing, and that their infant daughter Zoey would have strength.
Friends and family of Kasandra Perkins crowded a Baptist church in just 40 miles outside of Dallas to say their last goodbyes to Jovan Belcher’s girlfriend
Kasandra Perkins’ great-uncle Ted Downing told mourners at the service that the she loved her family and above all her daughter.
“She had a deep, deep understanding about the important things in life,” Downing told mourners.
“She always had no shortage of friends,” he continued.
“And I mean good friends.”
Jovann Belcher’s actions orphaned the couple’s three-month-old daughter, Zoey.
The NFL announced it will support Zoey, giving her $108,000 a year for four years. The amount dip to $48,000 annually when she turns 5, then rise to $52,000 a year until she is 18 or 23, depending on if she goes to college.
University of Chicago has made a startling new discovery regarding accent-based biases and how these preconceptions form at a very early age.
According to a new study by psychology professors Katherine Kinzler and Jasmine DeJesus, children display such biases as early as age five, and it leads them to make associations linking Northern accents with being “smarter” and “in charge” and Southern accents with being “nice”.
The researchers say that the results show that while parental influence has much to do with how young children develop biases against certain accents, it also has a lot to do with what they hear and are exposed to on a day-to-day basis.
Katherine Kinzler and Jasmine DeJesus organized their study by bringing together children from Chicago and a small town in Tennessee. The subjects were then given a picture of a random individual accompanied by a brief audio clip of someone speaking in a either a Northern or Southern accent.
They were asked to choose which one they preferred based on a series of questions.
In one scenario, the children were asked who they thought was “nicer”, “smarter” and “in charge”. In a fascinating twist, the children from Chicago attached the qualities of being “smarter” and “in charge” with the Northern accent, while attaching that of being “nicer” with the Southern accent.
Meanwhile, the children from Tennessee expressed no preference whatsoever based on accent.
Similarly, the children from Chicago said they would rather be friends with people with Northern accents, while the children from Tennessee once again expressed no preference one way or the other.
University of Chicago has made a startling new discovery regarding accent-based biases and how these preconceptions form at a very early age
Interestingly enough, these differences became even more exaggerated as the children grew older. The researchers conducted the same study with 10-year-old children, and in both groups, the children overwhelmingly said that people with Northern accents were “smarter” and “in charge”, while those with Southern accents were “nicer”.
But what was perhaps the most telling discovery about their was discovered when the two researchers asked the children whether they thought the speaker was “American” or “lives around here”.
Here again, the children from Chicago picked the person with the Northern accent as being “American” or that “lives around here”, while the children from Tennessee did not show any preference at either age.
The study’s authors explain that these results show clearly how accent biases are just as much the result of nature as it is of nurture.
They explained these results by saying that because Southern children are more exposed to Northern accents – be it hearing them on television or from the mouths of celebrities – they are used to them and so do not consider them to be foreign.
Meanwhile, children from Chicago don’t have the same opportunity to hear Southern accents. Because the Northern accent is more prevalent where they grow up and in national media, these children are simply not exposed to the Southern accent, leading them to think of it as foreign.
In turn, the Southern children associate Northern accents with prestige simply because nearly all the celebrities and individuals of high standing they hear in the media speak with a Northern accent, creating a self-perpetuating stereotype that firmly entrenches itself into the minds of children by at least the age of nine.
Still, the researchers were unable to prove whether parental influence or cultural norms have a more long-lasting impact on these biases.
Nevertheless, they have managed to show that regardless of where these influences come from, children are extraordinarily susceptible to picking up accent biases starting from a very young age and urge parents to think about these implications when raising their children.
Rare protests have taken place in Vietnam over maritime territorial disputes with neighboring China.
The protests in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi were quickly dispersed by police.
Tensions are high after an incident last month in which Hanoi accused Beijing of cutting the cables of a Vietnamese oil exploration ship.
Vietnam is also unhappy at a map in new Chinese passports that shows disputed areas of the South China Sea as Chinese territory.
Hundreds of people are reported to have taken part in the protests on Sunday morning against what they see as Chinese aggression and expansionism.
But the rallies were quickly stopped by the security police – after just 45 minutes in Ho Chi Minh City and half-an-hour in Hanoi.
Protesters said that Hanoi police had detained more than 20 activists.
It is the first anti-China protest in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city, in more than a year.
Rare protests have taken place in Vietnam over maritime territorial disputes with neighboring China
Public demonstrations are extremely rare in Vietnam, where the government makes social and political stability its top priority.
Police have been trying hard to prevent demonstrations, but this time it seems public anger was too great to suppress.
Tensions over maritime claims in the region have been rising.
Vietnam and the Philippines accuse China of growing assertiveness around disputed islands and shoals.
The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) said Chinese fishing boats had sabotaged one of its oil survey vessels last month in the South China Sea.
Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan have also complained to China about the new passport map, saying it is an infringement of their sovereignty.
Vietnam and the Philippines are refusing to stamp the new Chinese passports and are instead issuing visas on separate sheets of paper.
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez says he will return to Cuba on Sunday for more cancer surgery.
Hugo Chavez, 58, only returned on Friday from his last course of treatment there.
In a TV address Hugo Chavez said it was “absolutely essential” that he received further treatment, adding that more malignant cells had been found.
The Venezuelan leader has had three cancer operations in Cuba since mid-2011, but few details have been released.
Speaking from the Miraflores presidential palace, Hugo Chavez said that if his health failed and a new election had to be held, his supporters should vote for Vice-President Nicolas Maduro.
Correspondents say it is the first time the president has named a successor.
“Unfortunately, during these exhaustive exams they found some malignant cells in the same area. It is absolutely necessary, absolutely essential, that I have to undergo a new surgical intervention,” Hugo Chavez said.
“With God’s will, like on the previous occasions, we will come out of this victorious.”
Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez says he will return to Cuba on Sunday for more cancer surgery
During his latest visit to Cuba, Hugo Chavez was said to be receiving “hyperbaric oxygenation” therapy, which can ease ailments caused by radiation treatment.
Hugo Chavez has spent many months receiving surgery and treatment in Cuba since his diagnosis in July 2011.
In May, he declared himself free of cancer.
However, the president has never given much detail about the type of cancer he suffered from, and chose to be treated in Cuba rather than Venezuela, which has led the opposition to call for greater transparency.
Hugo Chavez’s recent visit to Cuba follows his re-election in October for a third term in office.
President Mohamed Morsi has annulled a decree he issued last month that hugely expanded his powers and sparked angry protests in Egypt, officials say.
However, a news conference in Cairo was told that a controversial referendum on a draft constitution would still go ahead as planned on December 15th.
Mohamed Morsi’s critics have accused him of acting like a dictator, but he says he is safeguarding the revolution.
He said the extra powers were needed to force through reforms.
Mohamed Morsi’s decree of November 22nd stripped the judiciary of any right to challenge his decisions and triggered violent protests on the streets of Cairo.
“The constitutional decree is annulled from this moment,” said Selim al-Awa, an Islamist politician acting as a spokesman for a meeting Mohamed Morsi held with political and public figures on Saturday.
But he said the referendum on a new constitution would go ahead because it was not legally possible for the president to postpone it.
The meeting had been boycotted by the main opposition leaders who had earlier called for their supporters to step up their protests. They want both the decree and the referendum cancelled.
President Mohamed Morsi has made a major compromise but it is yet to be seen if it will defuse tension on the streets.
President Mohamed Morsi has annulled a decree he issued last month that hugely expanded his powers and sparked angry protests in Egypt
Although the decree has been annulled, some decisions taken under it still stand.
The general prosecutor, who was dismissed, will not be reinstated, and the retrial of the former regime officials will go ahead.
But President Mohamed Morsi’s sweeping powers have gone.
Earlier, Egypt’s powerful military warned it would not allow Egypt to spiral out of control and called for talks to resolve the conflict.
“Anything other than that [dialogue] will force us into a dark tunnel with disastrous consequences; something that we won’t allow,” it said.
The president’s supporters say the judiciary is made up of reactionary figures from the old regime of strongman Hosni Mubarak.
But his opponents have mounted almost continuous protests since the decree was passed.
They are also furious over the drafting of the new constitution because they see the process as being dominated by Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist allies.
An umbrella opposition group, the National Salvation Group, has demanded Mohamed Morsi rescind his decree and postpone a referendum on the new constitution.
Several people have been killed in the recent spate of anti-government protests, and the presidential palace has come under attack.
The Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement to which Mohamed Morsi belongs, were set on fire.
