Millions of Pakistan’s poorest families will get cash sums if their child attends school, in a scheme announced ahead of a day of action for Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl shot by the Taliban.
Under the scheme, funded by the World Bank and UK, families would reportedly get $2 a month per child in school.
The news came as the UN held “Malala Day”, in the name of Malala Yousufzai, 15, a Pakistani education campaigner.
She is recovering in the UK after she and two others were shot in October.
Saturday has been declared a global day of action in Malala’s name aimed at getting school places for 32 millions girls around the world who are not attending classes.
The Waseela-e-Taleem programme was announced in Islamabad by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and special UN envoy for global education, Gordon Brown.
“Malala’s dreams represent what is best about Pakistan,” said Gordon Brown, the former UK prime minister.
Millions of Pakistan’s poorest families will get cash sums if their child attends school, in a scheme announced ahead of a day of action for Malala Yousafzai
The initiative aims to enroll three million of the poorest children in education in the next four years and, according to Reuters, will see poor families receive $2 a month per child in primary school.
The cash will be distributed through the government’s Benazir Income Support Programme, designed to give small cash payments to needy families.
Those in the programme already receive $10 a month for basic expenditure, Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people around the world have signed an online petition calling for Malala Yousafzai to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The UK government has also been urged to back the campaign, with advocates saying she represents those denied an education.
Doctors in the UK city of Birmingham, where Malala Yousafzai is being treated, say she is making progress.
Malala Yousafzai and two other schoolgirls were attacked as they returned home from school in Mingora in the Swat Valley in north-west Pakistan on October 9th.
The gunman who boarded the van in which she was travelling asked for her by name before firing three shots at her.
In early 2009 she wrote an anonymous diary for BBC Urdu about life under the Taliban, who had banned all girls in her area from attending school.
A Vatican court has convicted computer expert Claudio Sciarpelletti of helping Pope’s former butler Paolo Gabriele to leak information from confidential papal documents.
Claudio Sciarpelletti, 48, was given a suspended sentence of two months for obstruction of justice.
He was accused of aiding former butler Paolo Gabriele while working as a computer technician in the Vatican.
Paolo Gabriele was given an 18-month prison sentence this month after he admitted passing documents to a journalist.
Claudio Sciarpelletti had worked for the past 20 years in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See and was responsible for the maintenance of all computers.
His lawyer said an anonymous tip-off led Vatican police to search Claudio Sciarpelletti’s desk last May – finding an envelope addressed to Paolo Gabriele containing copies of sensitive documentation that had been leaked to the Italian media.
He had been charged with aiding and abetting Paolo Gabriele in leaking the document.
But the court decided that he was guilty only of obstruction of justice, because he had changed his version of events several times during the investigations.
Paolo Gabriele’s trial heard that he had used the photocopier in his shared office next to the Pope’s library to copy thousands of documents, taking advantage of his unrivalled access to the pontiff.
He later passed some of the documents to journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi.
Gianluigi Nuzzi released a best-selling book this year, entitled His Holiness, largely based on the confidential papers and detailing corruption, scandals and infighting.
Its publication sparked the hunt for the source of the leaks inside the Vatican, leading to Paolo Gabriele’s arrest.
Police said they had found thousands of documents at Paolo Gabriele’s home, including some original papers bearing the Pope’s handwriting. Some had the instruction “destroy” written by the Pope in German on them.
Paolo Gabriele confessed to taking the papers, but said he believed the Pope was being manipulated and hoped to reveal alleged corruption at the Vatican.
He told his trial that he did not see himself as a thief, but admitted he was guilty of “having betrayed the trust of the Holy Father, whom I love as a son would.”
The Vatican has dismissed suspicions of a wider plot, saying that Paolo Gabriele acted alone in obtaining the documents and giving them to the journalist.
Paolo Gabriele is serving his prison term in a special detention room inside the Vatican police station.
The Vatican authorities were worried that if he were to be moved into an Italian prison he might be subject to pressure to reveal secrets which might cause further embarrassment to the Pope.
The contoversial resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus on Friday threatens to undermine next week’s hearings into the deadly attack at the U.S. Consulate in Libya, at which he was scheduled to testify.
David Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA following revelations he had engaged in an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell and acknowledging that he “showed extremely poor judgment”.
The highly-decorated general, 60, had recently traveled to Libya and the Middle East, and was to testify about the Benghazi attack next week behind closed doors to the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Fears have also emerged as his resignation comes at an extremely sensitive time. The administration and the CIA have struggled to defend security and intelligence lapses before the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others.
It was an issue during the presidential campaign that ended with Barack Obama’s re-election Tuesday.
David Petraeus had led the CIA for only 14 months. His sudden departure threatened to usher in a period of instability at the spy agency, which is grappling with a leveling off in its budget after a decade of steady increases.
The agency is also fending off questions about its performance before and after the attack that led to the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi, Libya.
U.S. officials insisted that the CIA’s handling of the Benghazi incident had nothing to do with David Petraeus’ decision to resign.
The CIA has come under intense scrutiny for providing the White House and other administration officials with talking points that led them to say the Benghazi attack was a result of a film protest, not a militant terror attack.
It has become clear that the CIA was aware the attack was distinct from the film protests roiling across other parts of the Muslim world.
Michael Morell rather than David Petraeus now is expected to testify at closed congressional briefings next week on the September 11 attacks on the consulate in Benghazi.
According to the New York Times, David Petraeus told the White House of the affair, only one day after Barack Obama secured a second term in the White House.
The president did not immediately accept it, aides told the Times, and only reluctantly agreed to it on Friday.
David Petraeus resigned as head of the CIA following revelations he had engaged in an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell
News Corps’ Rupert Murdoch was one of masses who took to Twitter to voice his opinion. The 81-year-old Aussie wrote: “Petraeus resignation. Timing, everything suspicious. There has to be more to this story.”
Chiming in with her own conspiracy theory, conservative talk show radio host Laura Ingraham wrote: “CIA Chief Petraus resignation…something about this stinks to high heaven.”
She added: “COINCIDENCE?! Petraeus is set to testify NEXT week at a closed door session on Capitol Hill about Benghazi. Did BHO push him out? This stinks!”
But some, like Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, reacted to the news in a very forgiving fashion.
“Turns out Petraeus is (sic) human being. And of course we definitely can’t have human beings in government!” she wrote.
For the director of the CIA, being engaged in an extramarital affair is considered a serious breach of security and a counterintelligence threat.
If a foreign government had learned of the affair, the reasoning goes, David Petraeus or the person with whom he was involved could have been blackmailed or otherwise compromised. Military justice considers conduct such as an extramarital affair to be possible grounds for court martial.
Failure to resign also could create the perception for the rank-and-file that such behavior is acceptable.
At FBI headquarters, spokesman Paul Bresson declined to comment on the information that the affair had been discovered in the course of an investigation by the bureau.
In a statement from the president, Barack Obama said: “I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission.”
But there is no indication that he broke any agency rule in connection with his admitted affair, sources familiar with the matter said.
The CIA has no broad rule banning officials from engaging in extramarital affairs, though if discovered, liaisons by CIA personnel with suspected foreign agents would pose security problems for a U.S. spy.
Barack Obama, who accepted David Petraeus’ resignation in a phone call with him Friday afternoon, said that Michael Morell, the agency’s long-time deputy director, would serve as acting CIA chief.
Michael Morell, who is well respected at both the White House and on Capitol Hill, had previously served as acting director following the departure of former CIA chief Leon Panetta.
He is a leading candidate to be David Petraeus’ permanent successor, sources said.
Other possible candidates being discussed on Capitol Hill include John Brennan, Barack Obama’s chief counter-terrorism adviser; Obama national security adviser Thomas Donilon; and former congresswoman Jane Harman, who chaired the House intelligence committee.
David Petraeus’ resignation also adds a new vacancy on Barack Obama’s national security team. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she will leave after Barack Obama’s first term, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is widely expected to leave as well.
David Petraeus’ wife, Holly, has been an advocate for U.S. veterans and head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Last month, David and Holly Petraeus appeared together at a reception at the Canadian Embassy in Washington to celebrate the premiere of the Ben Affleck film Argo, which chronicles a successful operation in which the CIA and Canadian diplomats smuggled a group of U.S. officials out of Tehran during the 1979-80 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.
In a letter to the CIA workforce, David Petraeus said that he met with Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday and asked “to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position”.
“After being married for 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” David Petraeus wrote.
“Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.”
Barack Obama, who was re-elected to a second term on Tuesday, said in a statement that he accepted David Petraeus’ resignation, praising him for his work at the CIA and for leading U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The sudden and dramatic turn of events appeared to end the public career of a widely admired man who played a key role in the Iraq war, led the U.S. Central Command and commanded U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
David Petraeus’ name had circulated speculatively as a possible Republican presidential nominee before Barack Obama tapped him as CIA chief. Before taking the CIA post, he retired as an Army general after nearly four decades of military service.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus sent his mistress Paula Broadwell a sexually explicit email about having sex under a desk and continued to pursue her even after she had broken off the affair it has been revealed.
The racy communications between the married four-star general and his lover, Paula Broadwell, were uncovered when the FBI began an investigation after they suspected corruption between the pair.
Instead the FBI found evidence of a potentially compromising affair for America’s top intelligence official which would have been a breach of national security requirements and led to David Petraeus’ dramatic resignation yesterday.
David Petraeus stepped down yesterday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly – behavior he explained was ‘unacceptable’ for a senior administration official.
The affair was uncovered after the FBI launched an investigation into the biographer, Paula Broadwell, for allegedly hacking into the former general’s email, NBC News and Slate reported.
Paula Broadwell, who researched the book All In for three years, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan
Paula Broadwell, who researched the book All In for three years, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan. Yet sources told NBC it is unlikely she will face criminal charges after the alleged hacking, stressing that David Petraeus himself is under no investigation.
He first met Paula Broadwell six years ago when he addressed students at Harvard University, where she is a researcher, and they eventually got to know each other better during mile-long runs.
Paula Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, and their two young sons, Lucien and Landon.
A new study suggests that woman’s menstrual cycle affects the severity of respiratory symptoms, potentially worsening conditions such as asthma.
Norwegian researchers studied almost 4,000 women, and found worse symptoms around ovulation.
Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they said it may be possible to adapt women’s medication.
All the women studied had regular menstrual cycles lasting 28 days or less, and none were taking hormonal contraceptives.
Of those studied, 28.5% were smokers and 8% had been diagnosed with asthma.
Wheezing symptoms were worse between days 10 to 22 of cycles, with a slight dip near the point of ovulation for most.
Shortness of breath was worse on days seven to 21, again with a slight fall around ovulation.
The study found it was not just women diagnosed with asthma who experienced these symptoms and variations.
Coughing was worse following ovulation for those with asthma, those who were overweight and smokers.
When an individual woman has her period is determined by complex hormonal processes over the course of her cycle.
Throughout, levels of different hormones rise and fall – and body temperature rises around ovulation.
The researchers suggest that these fluctuations may have direct effects on airways. and indirect effects on inflammatory responses to infection.
Writing in the journal, the researchers led by Dr. Ferenc Macsali, of the Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, said: “We found that respiratory symptoms varied significantly during the menstrual cycle.
“There were large changes in symptom incidence through the cycle for all symptoms.”
They also found “pronounced” symptom variations during the menstrual cycle in women with asthma, and say the findings suggest women might need tailored medication regimes.
“Adjustment of asthma medication to the menstrual cycle may potentially improve the efficacy of asthma treatment and reduce disability and health costs related to asthma in women.”
Dr. Ferenc Macsali added: “Our results point to the potential for individualizing therapy for respiratory diseases according to individual symptom patterns.
“Adjusting asthma medication, for example, according to a woman’s menstrual cycle might improve its efficacy and help reduce disability and the costs of care.”
South Korean city of Suwon has opened what it says is “the world’s first toilet theme park”.
The Restroom Cultural Park has a museum displaying Roman style loos, European-style bedpans, and ancient Korean flush toilets, as well as fun facts about human waste and a sculpture garden dedicated to squatting figures.
To answer the question on everyone’s mind – What the…? – we should first look at a little background on Suwon city.
This city located outside of Seoul is well known for two things. First, the great Hwaseong Fortress ranks among UNESCO’s world heritage and has ruins which run throughout the city. Second is their recently deceased mayor who was known affectionately as Mr. Toilet.
Mr. Toilet’s greatest passion was improving the conditions of Korea’s public toilets by teaching people about the importance of proper toilet maintenance. Around the time of the World Cup in Korea there was a surge of public awareness aimed at improving the conditions of public toilets spearheaded by the mayor. His crowning achievement was a house erected in 2007 in the shape of a giant toilet in Suwon which is operated by the World Toilet Organization.
South Korean city of Suwon has opened what it says is the world’s first toilet theme park
The effort was a huge success and the people of Suwon now boast many of their public restrooms as sightseeing spots. Following Mr. Toilet’s death, the citizens donated money to build this commode themed wonderland in his honor.
Details of the park are sketchy at the moment and it’s not sure if this is so much a “theme park” in the sense of roller coasters and giant mice of simply a park with many toilet related displays around.
The park is said to exhibit various public toilets, ancient roman toilets, European toilets from the Middle ages, and even a flushing toilet said to exist in Korea 1000 years ago. Also you can find some bronze statues of people doing the deuce complete with strained expressions on their faces which leads me to believe the sculptor isn’t getting enough fiber.
Author Helen Fielding has begun work on a third Bridget Jones novel, 13 years after its predecessor.
With a new film and a musical based on the singleton in the pipeline, Helen Fielding turned to the world of texting and Twitter to help her write a new “scenario for Bridget”.
“I’m having a lot of fun, and it’s very funny and it’s making me laugh,” she said.
Bridget Jones was born out of a weekly column in The Independent in 1995.
The first two books, Bridget Jones’ Diary and The Edge of Reason, sold more than 15 million copies and inspired two films, with Renee Zellweger in the starring role.
After living in Los Angeles for much of the past decade, Helen Fielding returned to London two years ago with her two children – and it was then that she rediscovered the voice of Bridget.
“After the unexpected success when it first came out, I was startled by the whole thing,” she said.
“When I first wrote it I didn’t think anyone would read it. It was just a column in the Independent, so it was very easy to write and be very honest – and then I got all self-conscious because I knew so many people would read it.”
Author Helen Fielding has begun work on a third Bridget Jones novel, 13 years after its predecessor
However, in spring of 2011, Helen Fielding hit upon a way forward.
“I had new stuff I wanted to say and things that were making me laugh,” explained Helen Fielding.
“Things that didn’t exist when I wrote the last Bridget, like emails really, and texting, the way life is lived through texting and Twitter, and a whole new idea for a phase of her life.”
“It’s more like <<number of Twitter followers: 0. Still no followers. Still no followers>>. But she has grown up,” explained Helen Fielding, who revealed the book will be set in present day London.
“My life has moved on and hers will move on too,” she said.
“She’s still trying to give up [drinking and smoking], she’s still on a diet.
“She’s trying a bit harder, and is a bit more successful, but she’s never really going to change.”
Admitting she is scared by the idea of bringing out a new book, Helen Fielding claims she is still getting great enjoyment from writing it: “If people laugh as much reading it as I am while writing it, then we’ll all be very happy.”
The second film adaptation, The Edge of Reason, was released in cinemas eight years ago, with a further film sequel Bridget Jones’ Baby due for release in early 2013.
Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are set to return as Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver.
Helen Fielding said it has taken a long time to get the film right, describing it as “a different, earlier story, not based on a novel – it started with some columns I wrote in the Independent about six years ago.
“I think with a third installment [of the film] the stakes are very high. We all go back a long way, we’re all really fond of each other and everyone really wants to get it right, but that means there are a lot of voices, a lot of writers.
“Getting Bridget right, I always think it’s like a little duck – in the end it needs to skim effortlessly along the surface, but underneath the legs are going really, really fast.”
The third film has been delayed over script issues – and the musical is still very much a work in progress, according to Helen Fielding.
“It’s been huge fun and will take ages because musicals do. It’s herding butterflies, people move off and then come back together again but I think it’s going to be fantastic when it does happen.”
Iraq has decided to cancel a $4.2 billion deal to buy arms from Russia because of concerns about “corruption”, an Iraqi government advisor has said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has launched an investigation into the deal, said his spokesman.
The purchase – said to include attack helicopters and missiles – was only signed off in October.
Iraq has been rebuilding its armed forces since the end of US-led combat operations against insurgents.
Announcing the cancellation of the purchase on Saturday, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told AFP news agency that “when Maliki returned from his trip to Russia, he had some suspicions of corruption, so he decided to review the whole deal”.
“There is an investigation going on, on this,” he added.
The sale would have made Moscow – the main supplier of arms to Iraq under Saddam Hussein – the country’s second-biggest arms supplier after the US.
There has been no word from Russia about the cancellations.
In early October, Nouri Maliki said in a speech that he did not want Iraq to be “part of someone else’s (arms) monopoly.”
But he faced criticism from political opponents who questioned buying from Russia, when multiple deals with the US had been signed.
One Iraqi MP suggested that counterterrorism operations – the stated aim of the purchase – required improved intelligence, and not the 30 Mi-28 attack helicopters that were reported to be part of the deal.
The contracts were announced to some fanfare on 9 October after talks between the two countries’ prime ministers near Moscow.
At the time the deal was agreed, analysts suggested that while it was clear Iraq wanted to diversify its weapons purchases, buying from Russia would only encourage the sense in Washington that the US is somehow “losing Iraq”.
Nouri Maliki – who said he was seeking “quick contracts to fight terrorism” – warned even before he left that anything he signed might be scuttled by parliament.
EU talks about 2013 budget have collapsed, after negotiators from the EU and member states were unable to agree on extra funding for 2012.
The EU Commission and European Parliament had asked for a budget rise of 6.8% in 2013.
But most governments wanted to limit the rise to just 2.8%.
The failure of the talks will dent hopes of agreement on the 2014-2020 budget, which is up for discussion later this month, correspondents say.
Friday’s dispute was over an extra 9 billion euros ($12 billion) in “emergency funding” for 2012, to cover budgets for education, infrastructure and research projects.
But Germany, France and other governments questioned the funding, and eight hours of talks produced no agreement.
“Under these conditions, we felt that negotiations which hadn’t really begun by six o’clock in the evening couldn’t reasonably be expected to finish during the night,” said the parliament’s lead negotiator, Alain Lamassoure.
At the European parliament, UK Conservative MEPs clashed with Parliament President Martin Schulz, a German Social Democrat, over the extra 9 billion euros shortfall for 2012.
In 2012 the budget was 129.1 billion euros, a 1.9% increase on 2011.
Among the schemes facing a shortfall this year is the Erasmus student exchange programme.
It has allowed nearly three million young Europeans to study abroad since it was launched 25 years ago.
In an open letter to EU leaders on Friday more than 100 famous Europeans, including film directors and footballers, warned that “thousands could miss out on a potentially life-changing experience”.
Friday’s talks did produce a declaration of political will to provide 670 million euros to earthquake victims in Italy, but no agreement on how to finance it, the European Parliament said.
It said that if no agreement on the 2013 budget could be reached in the next 21 days, the European Commission would look to revise its budget proposal.
The UK’s Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Greg Clark, said the EU needed to practice “fiscal discipline”.
“The UK and a number of other countries were very clear from the outset that the Commission and the European Parliament should not be asking taxpayers for billions of extra euros when the spending in member states is being reduced,” he said.
The UK government, led by the Conservatives, has also objected to a proposed increase in the multi-year budget for 2014-2020, threatening a veto if necessary.
An EU summit aimed at reaching a deal on that budget will be held on 22-23 November.
Kourtney Kardashian decided to treat her son Mason to some early Christmas presents at London’s most famous toy store, Hamleys.
The reality star treated her son Mason to a trip to Hamleys on Friday, bringing her partner Scott Disick along for the fun outing.
But Kourtney Kardashian, 33, seemed to have forgotten that she wasn’t in the States anymore, as she tried to pay for her purchases with American dollars.
Kourtney and her sister Kim Kardashian, 32, have been in London to launch their new clothing range, Kardashian Kollection.
Before the family got to the checkout, little Mason had great fun playing in the store.
The three-year old seemed particularly in awe of the store’s large model railway, getting his father Scott Disick, 29, to help him get a better look.
Kourtney Kardashian, however, looked far less impressed but played to doting mother when they came across a smaller train set.
Kourtney Kardashian treated her son Mason to a trip to Hamleys on Friday, bringing her partner Scott Disick along for the fun outing
Looking like he was in Santa’s grotto, Mason dotted around the store, picking up toys and playthings including a stuffed reindeer.
And Kourtney Kardashian’s eldest child seemed to have done pretty well out of the trip as she left with a very large Hamleys shopping bag.
But as they went to pay for the items, Mason got a little confused and gave the cashier a $100 bill instead of British pounds.
But Mason got to have one of his presents, as he carried a toy killer whale whilst the whole family made their way out of the shop.
Kourtney Kardashian’s youngest child Penelope – born back in July – must have been left with a babysitter and not her sister Kim.
Kanye West’s squeeze had left the Dorchester Hotel earlier in the day to take part in a photo shoot in Central London.
Scott Disick had only just arrived in the capital today, to support his partner with the launch of the Kardashian Kollection for Dorothy Perkins.
Last time Scott Disick visited London he wanted to gain some regal stature, so it’s no surprise that after the trip the family headed over to Buckingham Palace.
Fears are growing Matthew McConaughey is taking it too far as he continues to shed weight for a role as an AIDS victim in a forthcoming film, The Dallas Buyer’s Club.
Matthew McConaughey, 42, looked gaunt and unwell as he made his way through a Los Angeles airport as he jetted out to New Orleans on Friday.
The actor was aiming to lose 30 pounds from his already lean but muscular frame to play Ron Woodroof in The Dallas Buyer’s Club.
However, it looks like Matthew McConaughey may have lost even more than that as he shuffled through security at LAX.
He certainly looked almost unrecognizable from the snake-hipped muscleman who lit up screens this year in stripper movie Magic Mike.
The Dallas Buyer’s Club starts filming next week and follows what happened when Ron Woodroof was given six months to live after contracting the disease in 1986.He ended up spending the next six years smuggling medicine into the U.S. to help himself and fellow sufferers.
The heterosexual, homophobic electrician died in 1992 after illegally smuggling HIV drugs not approved in the States.
Jared Leto has just been cast in the film, which will also star Jennifer Garner.
He is to play Rayon, a cross-dressing fellow AIDS patient who meets Ron Woodroof in the hospital.
Demi Moore was seen this week leaving the Cryohealthcare Clinic in Los Angeles, which specializes in skin care and anti-ageing procedures.
Demi More looked fantastic and was sporting a flawless complexion, opting for casual red trousers, black top and denim shirt.
Various treatments are on offer at Cryohealthcare – but a popular one includes the Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC).
The customer stands in a chamber, where they are blasted with icy cold air – with the clinic’s website claiming the procedure helps to increase the production of collagen and so reverse skin ageing and appearance on cellulite.
The cold also forces the body into producing heat – and so increases metabolism – with claims it can result in burning between 500 and 800 calories after a session.
Whole Body Cryotherapy helps to increase the production of collagen and so reverse skin ageing and appearance on cellulite
A host of celebs use the procedure to rejuvenate their skin – but it is also used to help with injuries, as it triggers an anti-inflammatory response.
Dancing With The Stars contestants and professionals, including Katherine Jenkins and Derek Hough, are among the big names to have used the system to treat dancing injuries. The practice was first used in Japan in 1978 to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
On Sunday, Demi Moore will turn 50 after a whirlwind year which has seen her enter rehab and come to terms with her split from Ashton Kutcher.
CIA Director David Petraeus resigned on Friday after allegedly having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, it has been claimed.
The alleged affair was uncovered after the FBI launched an investigation into the biographer, Paula Broadwell, for allegedly hacking into the former general’s email, NBC News and Slate reported.
Paula Broadwell, who researched the book All In for three years, had extensive access to David Petraeus in Afghanistan. Yet sources told NBC it is unlikely she will face criminal charges after the alleged hacking, stressing that David Petraeus himself is under no investigation.
David Petraeus stepped down yesterday after confessing to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly – behavior he explained was “unacceptable” for a senior administration official.
He first met Paula Broadwell six years ago when he addressed students at Harvard University, where she is a researcher, and they eventually got to know each other better during mile-long runs.
Paula Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell, and their two young sons, Lucien and Landon.
In the biography, Paula Broadwell revealed she first met David Petraeus during his visit to Harvard in spring 2006 when he was a Commander at Fort Leavenworth.
“I was among the students invited by the school to meet with the general at a dinner afterward, because of my military background,” she explained.
“I introduced myself to then–Lieutenant General Petraeus and told him about my research interests; he gave me his card and offered to put me in touch with other researchers and service members working on the same issues.”
Paul Broadwell added that this was not a one-off as he often “does a lot of mentoring”.
As she pursued her PhD in public policy in 2008, she contacted him to ask if she could interview him and they kept in touch via email.
“A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and his team along the Potomac River during one of his visits to Washington,” she wrote.
“I figured I could interview him while we ran.”
Paula Bradwell explained that, after earning varsity letters in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track, she wanted to test him to see if he could keep up with her as she interviewed him.
“Instead it became a test for me,” she said.
“As we talked during the run from the Pentagon to the Washington Monument and back, Petraeus progressively increased the pace until the talk turned to heavy breathing and we reached a six-minute-per-mile pace. It was a signature Petraeus move.”
Paula Broadwell served in the military for more than a decade, lives in Charlotte with her radiologist husband, Dr. Scott Broadwell
Promoting the book on The Daily Show with John Stewart in January, she insisted that these mile-long runs together were nothing out of the ordinary.
“This is a typical mechanism for him to get to know young people,” she said.
“He’s done it throughout his life. That was the foundation of our relationship.”
In another often awkward radio interview in January, host Don Imus said that the pair must have “obviously” liked each other.
She responded: “You know, as I said earlier, he has a number of mentees and that’s one thing that’s different when you compare him to other Senior Commanders.
“But, yeah, we had a lot of rapport. I think some of that comes from a common ground of having gone to West Point [to the U.S. Military Academy].”
Of her reported rival, she added: “He is married to Holly Petraeus, who is a wonderful Military spouse and done so much for their children and for children of fallen soldiers, I respect her immensely.”
The book’s description explains Paul Broadwell conducted research for three years and was “afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates and his longtime friends”. Its website adds Paula Broadwell was embedded in Afghanistan with David Petraeus for a year between July 2010 and 2011.
Paula Broadwell graduated with honors from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, and came top of her class in physical fitness. David Petraeus also attended the academy and married his wife Holly there.
She has more than a decade of military service and nearly two decades of work in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
Paula Broadwell is studying for her PhD at Kings College in London, and is also a research associate at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership. For her studies and the biography, she spent most of 2011 in Afghanistan as an embedded author.
As well as contributing to book chapters, appearing on television interviews and writing opinion pieces for The New York Times and the Boston Globe about leadership and women in defense, she has also worked as a model and demonstrator for KRISS, a .45 caliber machine gun manufacturer.
Last week, Paula Broadwell wrote an article entitled David Petraeus’s Rules for Living in Newsweek.
One read: “We all will make mistakes. The key is to recognize them and admit them, to learn from them, and to take off the rear view mirrors – drive on and avoid making them again.”
David Petraeus had been sworn in as head of the CIA in September 2011 after serving as head of the coalition forces first in Iraq and then in Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama accepted David Petraeus’ resignation but described him as “one of the outstanding General officers of his generation” as he added: “By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.”
Deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting head of the agency until a permanent replacement for David Petraeus is appointed.
In his resignation letter addressed to CIA agents, david Petraeus wrote that “such behavior is unacceptable” for a senior administration official.
The fact of an affair would not in itself normally merit a resignation, unless the affair created a security risk, for instance if it was with a foreigner or a journalist. Blackmail would also be an issue, though publicly admitting the affair would prevent that.
An affair with a subordinate CIA employee might make a resignation almost inevitable – or it is possible that David Petraeus stepped down because he felt his leadership and integrity had been compromised.
One of the most puzzling aspects of the resignation is its proximity to next week’s congressional hearings on Benghazi, which David Petraeus has said he will not now attend, even though being out of office would not preclude his doing so.
David Petraeus admitted he had shown “extremely poor judgement” in the letter he sent to his CIA colleagues confirming that he was stepping down.
He added that it had been “the greatest of privileges” to work at the agency, saying: “Teddy Roosevelt once observed that life’s greatest gift is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing.”
David Petraeus, 60, has been married to Holly, née Knowlton, since 1975, after they meet when he was a military cadet at West Point and she was the daughter of the academy’s superintendent.
When he was sworn in as director of the CIA by Vice President Joe Biden, Holly held the Bible on which he swore his oath of office.
Holly Petraeus is head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs, a department of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which is responsible for ensuring members of the military are not taken advantage of by banks and other financial businesses.
The official offered his resignation to Barack Obama on Thursday, and the President accepted the offer on Friday.
Barack Obama issued a statement thanking David Petraeus for his “extraordinary service”, saying he had “served with characteristic intellectual rigor, dedication, and patriotism”.
Kim Kardashian showed off her new fashion range, Kardashian Kollection, on the model she knows best – herself.
Kim Kardashian, 32, stopped traffic as she showed off her curvy body in the red Kardashian Kollection dress on Thursday, in London.
And at just £40 ($60), proves you don’t need to spend a fortune to looks a million dollars.
Kim Kardashian was returning to the Dorchester Hotel, in London after having made an appearance on ITV1’s Lorrain Live show.
The sultry star packed her famous derriere into the tight fitting dress as she stepped out of her chauffeur driven car.
Kim Kardashian’s dress, which will be available from Dorothy Perkins, was low cut enough to show off an ample amount of her cleavage.
She teamed the raunchy frock with a pair of nude color heels and made a quick dash inside her hotel for a well earned break.
Her older sister, Kourtney Kardashian, 33, was also looked stylish but a lot more covered up in a light floaty knee-length dress which she teamed with a black blazer.
Earlier in the morning, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian stopped by the ITV London studios for a chat with Kate Garraway, for The Lorraine Show on Daybreak.
Discussing the fashion line, she gave her thoughts on the Duchess of Cambridge. She told Kate Garraway: “I think Kate is very stylish and it’s ridiculous to assume you would wear something once and never wear it again.”
“You can wear things to different occasions around different people,” added Kourtney Kardashian.
Kim Kardashian stopped traffic as she showed off her curvy body in the red Kardashian Kollection dress in London
And bizarrely Kate Garraway compared the Duchess’s recent nude photo trials to the Kardashians chosen life in the spotlight.
Kim Kardashian said: “We don’t have the cameras all the time we take holidays and you want that to be private so we do struggle with the boundaries of whether to have the cameras around.”
And Kourtney Kardashian defended her decision to screen the rather graphic birth of daughter Penelope Scotland.
She explained: “I did give birth on camera, but it actually was our own home video I didn’t have cameramen and lighting guys in the room with me.
“It was a private moment. I wanted to see what it is and I loved the experience. Before I gave birth I was terrified because of all the screaming I had seen in the movies. But it doesn’t have to be like that.
“So because I thought my experience was beautiful I wanted to share that.”
Kim Kardashian tweeted afterwards: “Just left The Lorraine Show with @KourtneyKardash. Was a lot of fun! Now 15min nap time.”
The girls, who will be joined by younger sister Khloe on Saturday for a signing at Westfield London from 12:30 p.m., have had a busy few days in London as they promote their new fashion range, Kardashian Kollection.
Kim and Kourtney launched their Kardashian Kollection with a glamorous party at the London’s exclusive Aqua club, while wearing clothes from the range on Thursday night.
Before they arrived a range of Kardashian lookalike models, sporting the look of long brown locks and fierce smoky eye-make-up, paraded around in the outfits designed by the reality TV stars.
The girls said they have been very impressed with British fashion since being in the UK and can’t wait to see girls wearing the Kardashian Kollection.
Kourtney Kardashian said: “It’s not like matchy-matchy, everyone in the same thing, it’s very different.”
Kim added: “It’s amazing. I think they have such great style, very effortless and chic, that’s why we’re really excited to launch here in the UK.”
The girls also got to meet some of the X Factor finalists, although they probably didn’t know who any of them were.
Rita Ora appears to be having a bad week as she suffered a wardrobe malfunction while meeting fans in Munich, Germany on Thursday, just one day after accidentally flashing her nipple on stage in London.
The star took time to meet her devotees outside the city’s Charles Hotel and she may have given them more of an eyeful than they’d hoped by exposing her bra.
Rita Ora wore a silky suit with a red floral pattern and gave herself some height by wearing a pair of gold wedge trainers.
She completed her look with some simple gold jewellery and painted her lips a bright red color to match the pattern on her outfit.
And while print on Rita Ora’s clothes made her stand out from the crowd, she attracted some extra attention as her underwear was left on show by the plunging neckline of her jacket.
The fashion boob was the second from the singer this week after her energetic on-stage dancing led to her nipple being exposed.
Rita Ora met fans outside the Charles Hotel in Munich on Thursday and her bra was left exposed throughout the meeting
Rita Ora took to the stage in London on Wednesday night and the excitement of performing in her hometown seemed to get to the star.
She attempted to tease fans by wearing a tight white biker suit but instead gave them an eyeful at the Red Bull Culture Clash event at the city’s Wembley Arena.
However, the garment unzipped in front of thousands of fans and her right nipple was left on show.
Rita Ora carried on with the show regardless but later admitted she was left red faced by the situation.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, she wrote: “Yes. Its true. I got straight off a moterbike from O2 to Wembley I didn’t have time to change and then all of a sudden the zip got lower….
“And lower I rushed on stage and pop! It happened, f**k! Sorry guys. (How embarrassing) apologized! Dispite that, amazing show! 🙂 LOL.”
Kirstie Alley recently admitted to falling in love with Patrick Swayze during the filming of their 1985 telemovie North and South.
Now, Kirstie Alley has revealed details about how she propositioned her late co-star, who she claims rejected her at the time because she was “drunk”.
Putting to rest rumors of an affair, Kirstie Alley, 61, recalls in her new book, The Art of Men, telling the married actor: “I want to make love with you. I just don’t care anymore, let’s just do it.”
In her new book, The Art of Men, Kirstie Alley says it all unfolded after a night of partying with the late actor, who had completely charmed her on set.
The actress says she never cheated on her husband at the time, Parker Stevenson. But she considered it.
Patrick Swayze, who was married to his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi, didn’t accept her offer, however.
Brushing off her advances, Kirstie Alley recalls him telling her: “No. Come on, you’re drunk. Kirstie, you don’t really want to do it. You’re not that kind of girl.”
Kirstie Alley earlier this week claimed the two shared an “intense attraction” when they first met.
On Monday night’s Entertainment Tonight, Kirstie Alley said she tried to avoid “going down that road” but they ultimately fell in love.
“Both of us were married. We did not have an affair,” the actress said.
“But again, I think what I did was worse.
“Because I think when you fall in love with someone when you’re married you jeopardize your own marriage and their marriage. It’s doubly bad.”
Patrick Swayze died from pancreatic cancer in 2009.
Kirstie Alley recently admitted to falling in love with Patrick Swayze during the filming of their 1985 telemovie North and South
Kirstie Alley also told Entertainment Tonight that although she’s friends with Patrick Swayze’s widow, who asked Alley to speak at her husband’s funeral, she is uncertain if Lisa Niemi is aware of their relationship.
Her revelations come after she described Look Who’s Talking Now co-star John Travolta in a shock interview on 20/20 with Barbara Walters last Friday.
Kirstie Alley was married Parker Stevenson at the time, and John Travolta was single when the shot the movie, which was released in 1989.
She told Barbara Walters her attraction to John Travolta was dynamic, adding: “It took all the power I had not to run off with him,” insisting they, too, did not have an affair.
Kirstie Alley went on to make two sequels with John Travolta, Look Who’s Talking Too and Look Who’s Talking Now!
John Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991, and the trio have remained close friends, she says.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday night, Kirstie Alley said of their attraction: “The only good part of it is I didn’t turn it into a sexual relationship, which is really good. Because for me if I have sex with someone, I have to marry them.”
“My mother told me I would be a w***e if I didn’t marry someone I had sex with, so I was trying not to be a w***e.”
“Once you have sex with somebody else – I thank God I’m not that girl. But I wrote this story because it’s about men who influenced my life that I really love deeply… I’m proud of us. We chose not to.”
She also writes in her memoir Cheers co-star Woody Harrelson incessantly insisted they sleep together, in a “half joking and half serious” manner.
“We’re not sleeping together, I would say, half wishing I wasn’t married so we could,” she writes.
Woody Harrelson was not married when he portrayed naive barman Woody Boyd in the bar based comedy series from 1985 to 1993.
The actress was married to Bob Alley for seven years, starting in 1970.
Kirstie Alley tied the knot with second husband, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries star Parker Stevenson in 1983.
They divorced in 1997, and shared custody of their two adopted children.
CIA director David Petraeus has resigned from his post after admitting an extramarital affair.
In a statement, David Petraeus said he had submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama, and that he had shown “extremely poor judgement”.
He described his behavior as “unacceptable” for the leader of the nation’s main intelligence agency.
David Petraeus became CIA boss in 2011 after heading international forces in Iraq, then in Afghanistan.
He was the highest-profile military officer of the post-9/11 years, winning plaudits for his role running the “surge” in Iraq and implementing a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan.
David Petraeus’ resignation came just three days after President Barack Obama’s re-election, and prompted a flurry of statements from the White House, intelligence community and General Petraeus himself.
Announcing his decision to stand down, the former general was full of contrition.
“After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extra-marital affair,” David Petraeus said in a statement.
“Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation.”
Barack Obama’s statement said Mr Petraeus had “provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades”, citing both his time as CIA director and service to the military.
“By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.”
“Going forward, my thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus, who has done so much to help military families through her own work.”
CIA deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting director of the agency, the White House confirmed.
James Clapper, director of national intelligence, thanked David Petraeus for his decades of service: “Dave’s decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation’s most respected public servants.
“I have spent more than five decades serving our country-in uniform and out-and of all the exceptional men and women I have worked with over the years, I can honestly say that Dave Petraeus stands out as one of our nation’s great patriots.”
CIA director David Petraeus has been married to Holly since 1975
David Petraeus is believed to have feared that his infidelity would eventually become public, and therefore took the decision to quit before he was forced out.
Extra-marital affairs are considered particularly damaging for intelligence officials due to the confidential nature of their work and the risk they could leak national security secrets.
David Petraeus, 60, has been married to Holly, née Knowlton, since 1975, after they meet when he was a military cadet at West Point and she was the daughter of the academy’s superintendent.
When he was sworn in as director of the CIA by Vice President Joe Biden, Holly held the Bible on which he swore his oath of office.
David Howell Petraeus is a retired U.S. Army four-star general and the most celebrated American soldier of his time.
Known as a scholar and a warrior, the West Point graduate is admired as much for his intellect as his tactical ability and charisma on the battlefield.
He oversaw the crafting of the successful 2006 U.S. counterinsurgency measures in Iraq and accepted without hesitation Barack Obama’s request to leave Central Command in 2010 and lend his expertise to the failing international effort in Afghanistan.
Spending 37 years in the military, David Petraeus retired from service and took up his post as director of the CIA on September 6, 2011.
Born in Cornwall-on-Hudson in New York in 1952, David Petraeus is the son of small town librarian Miriam and Sixtus, a sea captain who had emigrated from the Netherlands.
Immediately upon his graduation from high school in 1970 he enrolled as a cadet at West Point Military Academy where he served with distinction – graduating in the top five of his class in 1974.
Just after his graduation he married Holly Knowlton, daughter of West Point superintendent General William A. Knowlton.
Despite his close working relationship with Barack Obama and other Democratic officials, David Petraeus was spoken of as a possible running mate for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney this year.
Former model Lauren Scruggs screamed “I am so ugly!” in a fit of rage as she struggled to come to the enormity of her horrific injuries after walking into a plane propeller.
In her memoir, Lauren Scruggs says that she started yelling: “My life is ruined! No one will ever love me!” as she was consumed with “primal, uncontrollable” anger.
The book also details the moment she looked at herself in the mirror naked for the first time since the accident and collapsed in a “storm of mourning” after staring at the dent in her shaven skull with titanium plates in it, the scar down her face, her sagging lip, her missing left eye, her missing left hand and four cracked teeth.
Lauren Scruggs tells her story in her memoir Still Lolo, published next week.
The book is the first time the 24-year-old fashion blogger has spoken in depth of the moment she walked into a spinning airplane propeller in December last year – and her slow, agonizing recovery.
By January, Lauren Scruggs was on her way to recovery but suddenly found she was suffering from mood swings which she had never encountered before.
Lauren Scruggs writes: “From out of nowhere this phantom rage rushed over me. I was absolutely primal, uncontrollable.
“I started yelling: <<My life is ruined! No one will ever love me! I am so ugly!>>”
Lauren Scruggs was eventually calmed down by relatives, but the pain still burned inside her.
Earlier in January she had stood in front of a mirror naked for the first time since the accident, staring at her body for a full ten minutes.
She looks at everything including the eye which had to be removed and her missing left arm.
Still Lolo A Spinning Propeller, a Horrific Accident, and a Family’s Journey of Hope, by Lauren Scruggs and published by Tyndale House is out on November 15
Lauren Scruggs writes: “From deep within me a storm of mourning brewed and broke forth.
“I climbed into the shower and the storm hit and the rain fell all around me.
“Then I crumpled onto the floor of the shower and sobbed.”
The accident which changed her life happened after she and family friend Curt Richmond had gone out in a small plane to see the Christmas lights above his Dallas home.
In the dramatic 911 call placed at 8:43 p.m. on December 3, a woman can be heard saying: “A girl walked into an airplane prop – I need an ambulance immediately. I think it cut her hand off.”
A male voice can also be heard moaning and crying and when asked what part of her body was hit, he says: “We don’t know, we haven’t turned her over.”
In her own words, Lauren Scruggs deals with the incident in the briefest terms.
She writes: “I remember the sky was black; we were on the dark side of the plane.
“It was December 3, 2011, and after that split second, I remember absolutely nothing.”
The memoir includes chapters by Lauren Scruggs’ family, including her mother Cheryl who was among the first on the scene.
In her dramatic account she describes the moment when she realized something was terribly wrong.
Cheryl Scruggs writes that as the paramedics were packing Lauren into the stretcher, she asked: “Why is my hand white?”
“I can’t see it! I can’t see it!’ Her shirt was over her hand.”
Lauren Scruggs was rushed to Parkland Hospital in Dallas where doctors stabilized her condition, and allowed Cheryl and Lauren’s father Jeff in to see her for the first time.
In those early days Cheryl Scruggs wrote on her blog how the only way to keep her daughter from agonizing pain was to keep her distracted but that when she tried to sleep it came “ferociously at times”.
In the book, Lauren Scruggs tells her side and how she regains consciousness, begins to walk again and two months later is well enough to return to editing her fashion blog, Lolo.
In April this year, Lauren Scruggs stepped out in public for the first time showing off her amputated arm as she sat in a Dallas cafe with friends.
Over the summer she Tweeted to her 12,500 followers that she “surfed the afternoon away” during a “great day” out.
As she regained her strength, Lauren Scruggs recently posted a photo on Instagram of her showing off her incredibly realistic looking prosthetic limb in public and is preparing to appear on Katie Couric’s ABC show, NBC’s Today programme and has done and interview with People magazine, all out next week to talk about her ordeal.
She has also had to work out how to live and function with her impairment – including learning how to drive a car stick shift.
Despite all that she has been though, Lauren writes in the memoir that her trama has given her a ‘new perspective’ on the world.
She has taken a long look at her life and has realized “there was so much more to my life than being worried about how I looked”.
The Secret Service was forced to foil repeated assassination attempts on Barack Obama and Mitt Romney during this year’s election campaign, it has been claimed.
An article in GQ made the startling assertion that “several assassination plots were nipped in the bud” by agents during the course of the campaign.
However, some are now skeptical about the claims, insisting that there were no more than a handful of attempts on the lives of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney this year.
Barack Obama, who has long been considered at risk from violent extremism partly because of his historic status as America’s first black President, is protected by a vast Secret Service detail at all times.
Mitt Romney was given official protection in January, as he was beginning to close in on the position of Republican presidential nominee.
His Secret Service detail was withdrawn early on Wednesday morning, just hours after he conceded defeat to Barack Obama.
The moment Mitt Romney’s agents left his side was detailed by GQ‘s Marc Ambinder, who reported that they were called off with the order: “Javelin, Jockey details, all posts, discontinue.”
He also dropped in the tantalizing tidbit: “Protectees were protected 100 per cent of the time. Several assassination plots were nipped in the bud.”
The Secret Service was forced to foil repeated assassination attempts on Mitt Romney and Barack Obama during election campaign
Over the past year, a number of people were reported to have been investigated by the Secret Service for issuing threats to either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.
While most of these threats turned out to be little more than ill-advised tweets born from frustration, a few warranted a more robust response.
Most notably, a group of four soldiers from Georgia hatched a convoluted plot to kill the President and overthrow the federal government.
However, Marc Ambinder’s comments led some to assume that he had information about other threats which were not already public knowledge.
He told Politicker: “There was that guy who shot at the White House from across the ellipse, and then the soldiers arrested for plotting the assassination of the president and others.”
But he added that he did not possess any inside information, defending his description of the multiple foiled threats.
Marc Ambinder later tweeted: “Press folks, please stop bothering the Secret Service. If there are/were other plots, they sure as hell didn’t tell me about them.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has been under fire from conservatives for his effusive praise of Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy, telephoned the president after his election win but only sent an email to Mitt Romney, it was revealed today.
Chris Christie told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that he had talked to Barack Obama.
“We didn’t have a political strategy discussion,” he said.
“I said, <<Congratulations on your win last night, Mr. President>>, he said, <<Thank you>>.”
Asked about whether he had spoken to Mitt Romney, Chris Christie said: “No. We exchanged emails last night. We haven’t spoken on the phone yet.”
Chris Christie, who is up for re-election in New Jersey next year and is a likely 2016 presidential candidate, is partly blamed by some senior Mitt Romney aides for the Republican nominee’s defeat.
They believe that his outspoken commendations of Barack Obama helped create an aura of bipartisan appeal that was invaluable.
Stuart Stevens, Mitt Romney’s top strategist, has said that Mitt Romney was “winning this race by five or six points before Sandy” but “came out of Sandy one or two behind”.
Part of Mitt Romney’s post-Sandy drop was due to his being all but absent from the television screens for three to four days. But conservatives have been quick to condemn Chris Christie, a one-time vice-presidential possibility for Mitt Romney, for what they regard as a deliberate undermining of the former Massachusetts governor.
When Chris Christie was asked at the time by Fox News if Mitt Romney had any plans to visit New Jersey, he said: “I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested. I’ve got a job to do here in New Jersey that’s much bigger than presidential politics, and I could care less about any of that stuff.”
Governor Chris Christie telephoned Barack Obama after his election win but only sent an email to Mitt Romney
In an opinion article entitled “Excommunicating Chris Christie”, Brett Decker of the Washington Times blasted Chris Christie as a moderate on guns, climate change and social issues and as being either “politically tone-deaf” or “purposely” trying to help Barack Obama.
“Mr. Christie handed Mr. Obama a big gift in the form of photo-ops, public hugs and gratuitously complimentary statements about the opposing party’s standard bearer.”
On Wednesday, Chris Christie appeared to be at pains to deny that he had been anything other than completely supportive of Mitt Romney.
“I wouldn’t call what I did an embrace of Barack Obama,” he said at a Wednesday press conference.
“I know that’s become the wording of it, but the fact of the matter is, you know, I’m a guy who tells the truth all the time.
“And if the president of the United States did something good, I was gonna say he did something good and give him credit for it.
“But it doesn’t take away for a minute the fact that I was the first governor to endorse Mitt Romney, that I travelled literally tens of thousands of miles for him, raised tens of millions of dollars for him and worked harder, I think, than any other surrogate in America other than Paul Ryan, who became his running mate.”
According to the Huffington Post, Chris Christie declined an invitation by Romney to an event in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, some three miles away across the Delaware river from Trenton, New Jersey’s capital, in the final week of the campaign.
While this was seen by some as a snub, the political downside of Chris Christie appearing at a political rally when many in New Jersey were still suffering extreme hardship after Hurricane Sandy would have made any appearance unlikely.
Responding to the story, Chris Christie lambasted the “know-nothing, disgruntled Romney staffers” who had made the accusation.
He added that he had told Mitt Romney before Hurricane Sandy hit that he would probably not be available for the rest of the campaign.
“I said to him, <<Listen, Mitt, if this storm hits the way I think it’s going to, I’m off the campaign trail from here to Election Day>>,” he recalled.
“And he said to me, <<Chris, of course. That’s what you have to do. Do your job. Don’t worry about me. I’ll take care of things>>.
“So all this other noise, I think, is coming from know-nothing, disgruntled Romney staffers who, you know, don’t like the fact that I said nice things about the president of the United States. Well, that’s too bad for them.”
Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian convicted of the massacre of 77 people last year, has said he is being held in “inhumane” conditions.
Anders Behring Breivik complained in a letter to the prison service that his coffee is served cold, he does not have enough butter for his bread, and he is not allowed moisturizer.
He is serving a minimum 21-year sentence for the bombings and shootings in Oslo and Utoeya island last July.
The Norwegian authorities have not commented on the letter.
However, his lawyer has confirmed that the details of the 27-page document leaked to Norway’s VG newspaper are authentic.
Anders Behring Breivik is being held in almost complete isolation – 23 hours a day, he says – at Ila prison outside Oslo.
His cell includes three sections, one to sleep, one for study and a third for exercise – each measuring 8 sq m (86 sq ft).
Anders Behring Breivik complained in a letter to the prison service that his coffee is served cold, he does not have enough butter for his bread, and he is not allowed moisturizer
In the letter, he complains that the cell is poorly decorated and has no view.
“I highly doubt that there are worse detention facilities in Norway,” he writes.
Among his other complaints are:
• the handcuffs he wears when being moved around the prison “are too sharp and “cut in his wrist”
• the cell is too cold, forcing him to wear three layers of clothes
• he has to rush his morning shave and brushing of teeth
• light and television switches are outside the cell, so he has to ask for help to change channel or sleep.
Ila is an all-male institution which “houses some of the country’s most dangerous men”, its website says.
However, it differs markedly from other maximum security jails in western Europe. The staff is a half-and-half mix of men and women and none are armed.
Anders Behring Breivik massacred 77 people, most of them teenagers at a youth camp run by Norway’s governing Labour Party.
His 21-year sentence can be indefinitely extended for as long as he is considered a danger to society.
It’s been a long slog of a campaign and many Americans – whether their favored candidate won or lost – are just relieved it’s over. Here are 10 signs Election Day has been and gone.
1. No-one cares about Ohio
Once every four years, the state finds itself at the centre of the political universe, before dropping off the map. Ohio is often the butt of American jokes – seen as the embodiment of a Midwestern backwater. But as the election draws near, the world’s media descends, and commentators talk breathlessly about how “it’s all about Ohio”.
“People enjoy it,” says Fred Andrle, a former talk show host in Ohio. Most of the time, “we are considered fly-over people”.
Ohio law student Andrew Gordon-Seifert, 24, appreciated the attention – not least from the candidates themselves. But he says: “There’s a sentiment of cynicism – they realized how important we are to getting elected, but will they be there for us in the future?”
2. Mattress ads back on television
There were more than one million campaign ad airings in this presidential campaign – almost double that in 2008 and 2004. It has been a bonanza in terms of ad revenues for TV stations, but now the adverts have returned to staple subjects like mattresses, a dog’s arthritis or erectile dysfunction. Answering the phone has become a whole lot easier for those in swing states too – if there is a call, it is probably a real person.
3. The polling addicts are in detox
There are lots of “poll junkies” out there, says self-confessed addict Daniel Hamermesh, who teaches economics at the University of Texas at Austin and Royal Holloway in London. With a habit of checking the latest polls at least four times a day, he set himself the target of going cold turkey up to Election Day. He lasted just three days.
“I fell off the damn wagon,” he says.
But with the election over, he says he’s coping fine: “The thing that caused the addiction is gone – it’s as if there has been a tobacco blight, and the tobacco is gone,” he says.
“My wife is happy to have me back more full-time.”
4. All the news is about this cliff thing
Lots of things get put on ice during election season, but this one will have to come out of the freezer soon. The “fiscal cliff” refers to a deadline of December 31st for Congress to agree on spending levels and tax rates. The Fitch ratings agency recently called it the “single biggest near-term threat to a global economic recovery”. The word “bipartisanship” is one that has come out of the deep-freeze in the last couple of days. It will be needed.
Ten signs Election Day is over
5. You only read Buzzfeed for pictures of cats
Once upon a time, Buzzfeed was a site devoted to cats playing the piano, photos of kids with weird haircuts, and 90s nostalgia. But then Politico whiz-kid Ben Smith came on board just in time for the drama of the 2012 election. Suddenly the site known for articles like This Grandma And Her Cat Are The Cutest Best Friends Ever and 9 Most Controversial Salads was a must-read for political junkies, with trenchant articles from a stable of talented reporters, putting forward a mix of breaking scoops and in-depth features. They’re probably still doing all that stuff, but now that the election is over, you’re more interested in those salads.
6. Joe Biden stops emailing you
You can open your inbox without it being full of emails from the candidates or their campaign teams, usually exhorting you to dig deep into your pockets or give up some time to get people out to vote.
Mitt Romney’s final email on Election Day began with the words: “Friend, Polls are open for a few more hours. Your vote, and your outreach efforts, will determine the outcome. America’s future is up to you.”
7. Celebrities go back to selling you their perfume, not their political views
Celebrity endorsements have been a staple in American politics for some time, and this year was no exception. Barack Obama managed to muster a longer line-up, with more A-listers, but the celebrity moment of the campaign definitely goes to Clint Eastwood for his soliloquy to an empty chair at the Republican National Convention. That may well be remembered, but the B-and-C-listers will vanish back into oblivion.
8. Election tat is piling up
It will be decades before the bog-standard mugs, badges, bumper stickers and posters of this campaign gain any significant value as collectors’ items, says Steve Ferber an expert on political memorabilia. Campaigns have begun to charge for things which used to be given away for free, he says. There has also been an “amazing increase” in buyers from abroad, he says – especially from the UK, Germany and Australia, who are keen on Barack Obama items.
9. You can say what you like on Facebook
Election time can create some awkward moments with friends and family on the other side of the political divide. Student Andrew Gordon-Seifert says most of the political chat among his friends was on Facebook, and things could get testy at times, with inflammatory political posts, and angry ripostes. He took care about what he would say politically – both online and in person – to keep the temperature down. Now it’s over, “we can get back to not being so divided”, he says.
10. The talk is all about 2016
In-between the fierce recriminations and soul-searching among the Republican Party, is speculation on who will run for the presidency in 2016 (Hillary Clinton versus Jeb Bush, is Politico‘s prediction). This future-gazing actually begins a few days before Election Day, says Karlyn Bowman with the conservative think tank, American Enterprise Institute.
“We’re polled out. Everyone is so exhausted, that people just want to turn to something new,” she says.
Many who live and breathe politics are now – with their source of sustenance suddenly gone – feeling a little deflated now, she says.
But the main sentiment is a kind of collective phew: “Everyone will say a prayer – not just for Thanksgiving, but that the campaign is over.”
President Barack Obama will make a statement on the economy later, setting the stage for a political showdown over a looming budget crisis.
Barack Obama is expected to discuss the so-called fiscal cliff, a package of tax rises and spending cuts due early next year unless Congress acts.
Budget analysts warn the US will tip into recession unless a deal is struck.
Barack Obama has repeatedly called for the wealthy to pay more taxes, but such a plan is anathema to Republicans.
The fiscal cliff would see Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of 2012, combined with automatic, across-the-board reductions to military and domestic spending.
The International Monetary Fund has repeatedly warned that failure by US lawmakers to reach a deal would deepen uncertainty over the global economy.
Investor concerns over the issue have been partly blamed for two straight days of losses on financial markets.
John Boehner, leader of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, told ABC News on Thursday: “Raising tax rates is unacceptable.
“Frankly, it couldn’t even pass the House. I’m not sure it could pass the Senate.”
John Boehner reiterated his opposition to tax rises in a news conference on Friday morning.
He spoke shortly before Barack Obama was due to deliver his statement from the East Room of the White House at 13:05.
Barack Obama is expected to discuss the so-called fiscal cliff, a package of tax rises and spending cuts due early next year unless Congress acts
The president’s statement could set the tone for his second-term working relationship with Republicans, whom he has battled repeatedly over the last four years.
A White House official said the president’s oft-stated call for tax rises on the wealthy has been vindicated by his resounding victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s election.
“One of the messages that was sent by the American people throughout this campaign is … [they] clearly chose the president’s view of making sure that the wealthiest Americans are asked to do a little bit more in the context of reducing our deficit in a balanced way,” senior White House adviser David Plouffe was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
Barack Obama’s position has been that taxes should rise on earnings above $250,000.
John Boehner says his party is willing to countenance cutting loopholes and special exemptions, but only in exchange for an overhaul of the tax code.
Republican lawmakers also want cuts to federal healthcare programmes such as Medicare, Medicaid and food-stamp assistance for the poor.
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report published on Thursday warned that the US economy would fall back into recession if no deal were struck on the fiscal cliff.
The analysis projected that the package of tax rises and spending cuts would cut the ballooning US deficit by $503 billion through to next September, but also shrink the economy by 0.5% and cost millions of jobs.
Meanwhile, as Barack Obama turns his attention to shaping a second term in office his administration is expected to undergo a shake-up in the coming weeks.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner are among those expected to leave their posts.
Speculation has been swirling in Washington over possible replacements, with Democratic Senator John Kerry among those tipped as a substitute for Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to find out what went wrong their presidential election campaign.
The party’s officials said they would poll voters extensively in battleground states, as well as holding focus groups and discussions with supporters.
The review would not attempt to alter the party’s ideological base, Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told the Washington Post.
“This is no different than a patient going to see a doctor,” Sean Spicer said.
What is the fiscal cliff?
• Under a deal reached last year between President Barack Obama and the Republican-controlled Congress, existing stimulus measures – mostly tax cuts – will expire on 1 January 2013
• Cuts to defence, education and other government spending will then automatically come into force – the “fiscal cliff” – unless Congress acts
• The economy does not have the momentum to absorb the shock from going over the fiscal cliff without going into recession
A train carrying liquid fuel has crashed and burst into flames near Kantbalu, central Burma, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens.
The train was travelling from central Mandalay to Myiktyina in the north, when it crashed near Kantbalu.
Officials said the train had come off the tracks, then a fire broke out in fuel storage tanks.
Many of those killed were believed to be local residents who had gathered at the scene.
Burma’s information ministry said locals had been attempting to collect the spilled fuel. It posted images on its website of burnt out carriages and what appeared to be charred bodies.
Emergency officials said 83 people had been taken to hospital and that another two of those had later died.
The government put the number injured at 62.
A train carrying liquid fuel has crashed and burst into flames near Kantbalu, central Burma, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens
