While the rest of the nation dressed as Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson for Halloween, the reality starlet put that same flair for pageantry into her pink pirate wench costume on Wednesday.
In a photo obtained by TMZ, precocious 7-year-old Honey Boo Boo smiles cherubically while wearing a pink and black pigtail wig, lashes and red lips, and a pink and black pirate dress fastened with a skull-and-crossbones belt.
The Toddlers & Tiaras star finished her trick or treat look off with a festive purple jack- o’-lantern basket.
On Halloween, Honey Bo Boo was seen playing in her McIntyre home’s front yard alongside a similarly costumed friend sporting a two-tone wig, blue dress and Frankenstein stitches on her arms and legs.
According to TMZ, Honey Boo Boo had a great time and ate delicious candy, including her favorite – lollipops.
Alana Thompson has been known to ingest a junk food and “Go-Go-Juice”, a mixture of Mountain Dew and Red Bull, that her mother June Shannon provides for her before pageant shows.
TV Guide recently confirmed that Alana Thompson’s hit TLC spin-off series, Here Comes Honey Boo, was renewed and three specials are due to air for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
The popular show follows Honey Boo Boo, along with her mother, father Mike Thompson, and her three older sisters in their rural Georgia hometown.
Honey Boo Boo dressed as pink pirate for Halloween
In a special Halloween clip released by TLC, the street-smart star told viewers that her favorite costume for the holiday was actually her “bride costume”.
“I love that costume and then you can get married in your costume,” Honey Boo Boo told cameras.
Meanwhile, her stay-at-home mother waxed lyrical about some of her favorite kids’ costumes.
“My cutest costume I’ve had for my kids would be… Alana would be a princess because she’s a princess diva,” said June Shannon.
“Jessica has been… last year when she dressed up as a kind of Madonna issue, I thought that was kinda like crazy.”
And she added of her oldest daughter who has just given birth to a six-fingered baby girl: “Anna has never been into trick or treating so she never like dressed up as a kid.”
Honey Boo Boo and her mother just returned from Los Angeles where they promoted their series on Dr. Drew,Access Hollywood, and the Jimmy Kimmel show where the tiny diva officially endorsed President Barack Obama.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been spotted with his new girlfriend, Myriam Aouffir, at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
Myriam Aouffir, 43, is a high-profile press officer for French television.
She has already been seen with DSK on the Mediterranean island of Corsica but now the couple have been pictured lapping up the sun in the holy city.
In May 2011, DSK, 64, was arrested for assaulting a maid at the Sofitel, a midtown Manhattan hotel. Charges were later dropped but it led to revelations about the former IMF chief’s sex life, in which he admitted attending swingers’ parties.
Anne Sinclair, Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s former partner, confirmed she has split from her scandal-hit husband at the end of last month.
Anne Sinclair, 64, originally stuck by DSK after he was embroiled in a catalogue of scandals last year.
But the multi-millionaire heiress finally kicked her husband out of their Paris apartment in June, before immersing herself in a new job running an internet site in the French capital.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been spotted with his new girlfriend, Myriam Aouffir, at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
The new relationship between Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Myriam Aouffir has been high profile even though they have been together less than a year.
Like DSK, Myriam Aouffir comes from a Moroccan background, and is also believed to be estranged from her husband, with whom she has two children.
Myriam Aouffir, who studied at Montpellier University, has been seeing Dominique Strauss-Kahn for a number of months, according to close friends of the couple.
Honey Boo Boo has yet again made it into the Presidential election campaign – this time with Vice President Joe Biden admitting to “catching snippets” of the TLC show on Air Force Two.
Quizzed about his pop culture habits, gaffe-prone Joe Biden revealed his favorite television shows were Modern Family and Parks and Recreation in an interview with a Miami Radio station on Friday.
But Joe Biden said he was well aware of the phenomenon that is Here Comes Honey Boo Boo after watching the program while travelling.
“Beyond Modern Family and Parks and Recreation, that’s about it, those are ones that I spend most of my time [watching],” Joe Biden told 93.9 MIA radio.
“I haven’t spent most of my time with pop culture that, like, my granddaughter talks about. Like Honey Boo Boo is not top on my list, but I am aware just, you know by catching snippets on Air Force Two, [that it is] quite a phenomenon. But, but I do try.”
Joe Biden admits watching Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on Air Force Two
Alana Thompson aka Honey Boo Boo found fame as an unlikely beauty pageant favourite in the TV show Toddlers and Tiaras before landing her own reality TV show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
British grandmother Kay D’Arcy, a former midwife, has trained in tai chi and studied Filipino stick fighting in order to land a role in a martial arts show where she will play Agent 88 – “the world’s most deadly assassin”.
Kay D’Arcy, 79, takes the lead role in the Hollywood series which is described as “an extreme comic book style cinematic romp, full of martial arts action, killer special effects and unforgettable characters”.
Her role is “an 88-year-old British woman on the verge of Alzheimers” who “may appear to be a decrepit old lady, but in reality she is a highly skilled warrior assassin”.
The web series, directed by Digger T. Mesch has been made possible thanks to money being raised through Kickstarter, a fundraising platform to finance independent art forms including films and plays.
Producer Jan Utstein-O’Neill said Kay D’Arcy “blew us away” in her audition with her martial arts moves.
“What impressed us is she could go from being really frail, and looking like she could break, to a totally empowered woman,” he told the L.A Times.
Kay D’Arcy has trained in tai chi and studied Filipino stick fighting in order to land a role in a martial arts show Agent 88
Kay D’Arcy’s rise to fame is as remarkable as her kung fu abilities.
She was a retired midwife living in London, when ten years ago, at the age of 69 and against the advice of her family, she decided to up sticks and move to L.A. to pursue an acting career.
It’s taken ten years for her to make her big break and she hopes her story empowers other people to make a change in their lives by proving you’re never too old to enjoy life.
Speaking of her role in Agent 88, she said: “This project is very special to me as it’s showing a senior making the most of the last years of her life.
“She’s not just a doddering woman in a nursing home, she’s not being passed over and used by her family.
“She’s empowered herself, and I suppose I did that when I left England and chose to start all over again. We all have the capacity to do that.”
Kay D’Arcy added that she hopes her role in the martial arts film helps change people’s attitudes towards the elderly and their capabilities.
She said: “You all have old people, give them a dignity in their life, let them see there is something they can do towards the end of their lives.”
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was Mitt Romney’s first choice as a running mate before he had a sudden change of heart and dumped him for Paul Ryan.
Chris Christie was miffed by Mitt Romney’s decision, particularly because he was led to believe in the weeks leading up to Paul Ryan’s introduction that he would be joining Romney on the Republican presidential ticket, Politico reported, citing conversations with “campaign insiders”.
Now Republican party bosses suspect Chris Christie’s momentary embrace of Barack Obama during the President’s tour of devastated New Jersey this week was a deliberate snub to Mitt Romney.
Chris Christie was vetted so hard by the Romney campaign in July that even some of Mitt Romney’s top advisers believed the New Jersey governor was the final choice as the Republican vice presidential candidate.
But Mitt Romney changed his mind over the course of two weeks this summer, advisers told Politico, and instead offered the job to Paul Ryan, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin.
Mitt Romney was attracted to Chris Christie for his unfiltered style that has helped turn him into rising star – albeit a controversial one – within the Republican Party.
Chris Christie has a propensity toward swearing, making him a bit of a liability for Mitt Romney, but he also has a knack for appealing to middle class voters, with whom Romney has had a hard time connecting.
Republican party bosses suspect Chris Christie’s momentary embrace of Barack Obama during the President’s tour of devastated New Jersey this week was a deliberate snub to Mitt Romney
At a campaign event for Mitt Romney in Iowa last December, Chris Christie bullied “Occupy” protestors out of a rally, leading Romney supporters to start chanting Christie’s name as they cheered with approval.
“You know what, we’re used to dealing with jokers like this in New Jersey all the time,” Chris Christie shouted at the protesters as they were led out of the rally by Mitt Romney staffers.
“So you guys go all out and chant and do what it is that you want to do.You are so angry, aren’t ya?” Chris Christie badgered.
“It’s so terrible… Oh work it out. Work it all out for yourselves. Work it all out for yourselves.”
In the end, it wasn’t Chris Christie’s bombast that drove Mitt Romney away: It was his disregard for Romney as the man at the top of ticket.
Chris Christie would consistently arrive late at campaign events that he was attending on behalf of Mitt Romney and he would spend the majority of his speaking time on himself, not the Republican presidential candidate.
Mitt Romney advisers began to think that Chris Christie wouldn’t know how to be a “number two” and they suddenly stopped vetting him without explanation just before Romney’s trip to Europe over the summer.
When Mitt Romney returned, he offered the job to Paul Ryan and waited another week to let Chris Christie know, just shortly before announcing his pick publicly.
Chris Christie has since been quietly retaliating against the Romney campaign for his sudden fall from favor, political analysts say.
He made news for his scarce mentions of Mitt Romney during his speech at the Republican National Convention.
“His view was, <<They saw the speech before I gave it. They vetted it. They said it was fine>>,” a Mitt Romney adviser told Politico.
“And the campaign’s view was, <<We told him that we thought there were more opportunities for him to put in stuff about Mitt, and he didn’t take the hint>>. There was a lot of agitation that led to a lot of sarcasm and the kind of comments that people don’t mean, but they kind of do.”
Chris Christie heaped praise on Barack Obama after he was invited onto Air Force One to tour the wreckage left behind by the storm.
“This was as comfortable and relaxed an interaction as I’ve had with the president since I’ve known him,” Chris Christie said.
“And I think it’s ’cause we’re both doing what we wanted to do, which is to get things done.”
Chris Christie said he expected to be criticized for complimenting the president.
“But you know what, I speak the truth,” he said.
“That’s what I always do. Sometimes you guys like it, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes politicians like it, sometimes they don’t. But I say what I feel and what I believe.
“And I’m just doing the same thing with the president of the United States. So, I do pinch myself every day. You know, like when I got on Marine One? I’m pinching myself, believe me.”
An enterprising designer has come up with a unique way to get children involved with the housework: by turning crawling babies into cleaning machines.
The entrepreneur has combined the traditional “onesie” Babygro with specially designed mop heads fixed to the arms and legs which enable babies to polish the floor as they learn to crawl.
The $40 Baby Mop is the brainchild of U.S. website BetterThanPants.com and was inspired by a spoof Japanese advert of a similar invention.
In their blurb for the novelty product the writers on the website joke the outfit will “teach your baby a strong work ethic early on in their life” while helping to educate them not to drop food on the floor.
They go on to say that the baby “will get a nice workout, burn off energy, and do muscle toning. And sleep better too”.
Baby Mop is the brainchild of BetterThanPants website and was inspired by a spoof Japanese advert of a similar invention
Mike Parker from BetterThanPants.com said: “We have sold about 100 in just one month since adding it to our site.
“So far all the feedback from customers has been very positive, however we get some negative emails surrounding the idea of the actual product.
“It’s made from microfibre mop material attached directly to the baby clothes. We use the full <<footie-type>> pyjamas.
“The idea formed to make the actual product from a Japanese commercial on the web.
“I believe the idea was submitted as part of a contest on ridiculous inventions in Japan but was never actually sold anywhere.
“But this is the real deal, it’s a legit product and is proving very, very popular.”
Shoppers visiting the site have reacted with good humor, saying they love the product – with one jokingly suggesting wetting the mop to make the baby more efficient.
A scientific research paper claims to have discovered that your body can predict the future.
Scientist believe that during tests they have found proof that people can anticipate events, or realize that something about to happen, without any cues.
The paper, in the Frontiers of Perception Science journal, says that after studying people’s reactions in 26 different tests, they found that subjects could “predict” that something out of the ordinary was about to happen.
Julia Mossbridge, from Northwestern University in Illinois, Patrizio Tressoldi, from the Università di Padova, Italy and Jessica Utts, from the University of California, compiled the test.
They showed random images, some which were neutral and some designed to stimulate.
They discovered a “presentiment” effect, which measures physiological excitement that change seconds before an event.
A scientific research paper claims to have discovered that your body can predict the future
People’s reactions happened up to ten seconds before the event occurred, suggesting people can predict the future.
The finding suggests that people’s bodies subconsciously sense the future when something important is about to happen, even if the people don’t know it, Live Science reported.
They measured excitement by studying pupils dilating, heart rates quickening, blood volume and brain activity.
Scientists Julia Mossbridge, from Northwestern University in Illinois, Patrizio Tressoldi, from the Università di Padova, Italy and Jessica Utts, from the University of California, compiled the test.
Julia Mossbridge said that they do not believe it is supernatural phenomena, rather scientific laws that nobody understands as of yet.
However, other scientists are skeptical of the findings, Live Science reported.
One scientist said that the findings showed scientists were looking for evidence of “presentiment” and did not actually prove that it existed.
Another researcher said it could be that the examinations were unintentionally biased which researchers had failed to spot.
President Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney have begun a crucial swing through key battleground states that will determine who wins Tuesday’s vote.
Barack Obama campaigns in Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Virginia on Saturday, while Mitt Romney targets New Hampshire, Iowa and Colorado.
Both candidates will visit the Iowa town of Dubuque within hours.
Opinion polls suggest the rivals are almost tied, although Barack Obama is slightly ahead in most swing states.
Barack Obama, addressing crowds of Democratic supporters in Mentor, Ohio, said the election was a choice “about two different visions for America: the top down vision that crashed the economy, or a future built on a strong and growing middle class”.
Republican MItt Romney, opening his three-state campaign day in New Hampshire, said: “Let me tell you what I’d like to tell you: Vote for love of country. It is time we lead America to a better place.”
These frantic last days mark a punishing sprint at the end of a long marathon.
On the eve of the election, the pendulum appears to be moving towards Barack Obama, as the opinion polls are not shifting in Mitt Romney’s favor in enough battleground states.
Barack Obama has arguably had the better of the past week, given Friday’s moderately good news on the employment front and the wide praise of his handling of the aftermath of Storm Sandy. He also won the endorsement of independent New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney target key swing states as latest polls suggest they are almost tied
Correspondents say Mitt Romney has the tougher task for victory on Tuesday, as he must win a majority of the nine most keenly contested states.
But Barack Obama’s opinion poll lead in all the swing states is within the margin of error and Tuesday’s vote is likely to be close.
The election is run using an electoral college. Each state is given a number of votes based on its population. The candidate who wins 270 electoral college votes becomes president.
Ohio is proving to be a tough battle and, with 18 college votes, could prove a tipping point.
Barack Obama began his Saturday campaigning in the Ohio town of Mentor, while Mitt Romney staged his biggest rally of the campaign so far – 18,000 people – in West Chester on Friday.
Mitt Romney was joined by former primary rivals Rick Santorum and Rick Perry, as well as the defeated 2008 presidential candidate John McCain.
He said: “We’re almost home. One final push will get us there. The door to a brighter future is there, it’s open, it’s waiting for us.”
The Republican, whose main manifesto pledges are lower taxes and a $500 billion federal budget cut by 2012, said Friday’s jobs report was actually a “sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill”.
Barack Obama has held mid-range rallies so far but plans to increase the size over the weekend, when he will be joined by former President Bill Clinton in Virginia on Saturday and in New Hampshire on Sunday.
The president campaigned hard in Ohio on Friday, highlighting his decision to bail out indebted US car makers in 2009, a move that was politically unpopular but which he says helped restore the industry.
Barack Obama’s manifesto sets out tax rises for the wealthy and more funding for job creation.
Mitt Romney has tried to make inroads into Pennsylvania, where opinion polls suggest the Democrats lead by four to five points but which would be a crucial boost to his chances if he could secure its 20 college votes.
The Republican challenger has also wooed Michigan and Minnesota, forcing the Democrats into late advertising there.
Early voting has been a key focus of this presidential election – some 25 million voters have already cast ballots in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
Some states have released the affiliation of early voters, giving Barack Obama an edge in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio, while Mitt Romney is favored in Colorado.
However, the figures suggest Barack Obama does not have the lead he had over John McCain four years ago.
Nevertheless, the Obama team has released data showing that two-thirds of those who have voted early are women, young people, blacks and Hispanics – demographics the Democrats say favor them.
A bomb attack in the north-west Pakistani city of Buner has killed local anti-Taliban politician Fateh Khan and three of his guards, police sources say.
Fateh Khan, an ex-leader of the secular Awami National Party, was killed as his car left a petrol station.
It was not immediately clear if he was victim of a suicide attack or of a bomb placed on a motorcycle.
Security forces largely freed Buner from the control of Taliban militants three years ago.
District police chief Jehanzeb Khan told AFP news agency a suicide bomber had blown himself up in front of Fateh Khan’s vehicle, killing the politician and his guards.
Up to five people were also injured in the attack, he said.
According to Pakistan’s Express Tribune, Fateh Khan was a former ANP leader who had recently joined the Qaumi Watan Party.
Fateh Khan was also the head of a local tribal anti-Taliban force.
ANP leaders have been a regular target of the Taliban in this region but that this is the first suicide attack there for several months.
Honey Boo Boo’s estranged pet pig Glitzy made a surprise appearance on Anderson Cooper’s live show recently after spending a week in the city weathering the effects of Hurricane Sandy.
Anderson Cooper had arranged for the reality star teacup pig to feature on his Halloween episode and flew him in before the storm hit.
During his post-Sandy live show Anderson Cooper joked: “It’s very hard to find places for a pig to stay in the city, let me just tell you.”
Glitzy was given to Honey Boo Boo by her parents earlier this year but after falling in love with her new squealing ball of fur, her outspoken mother June Shannon, decided the animal would have to leave the house.
Anderson Cooper told viewers: “They finally got rid of it and sent it away to a farm which frankly I thought meant they ate it.”
But as his audience chuckled the silver-haired television host revealed that they didn’t in fact kill the pig for bacon and was right there in the studio.
Greeting the sweet black and white pig, who despite being male was named Glitzy by his princess-loving former owner, Anderson Cooper displayed a gentle touch with the animal.
After he squealed and squeaked a bit, Glitzy finally settled into Anderson Cooper’s arms as he kissed it lightly on the head and reassured the traumatized creature.
Honey Boo Boo’s estranged pet pig Glitzy made a surprise appearance on Anderson Cooper’s live show
Honey Boo Boo showed similar affection to her pet back in August when she crowned Glitzy with a tiara and pronounced her female.
“We’re going to be the prettiest girls at the pageant and there’s no way we can’t win cause I’ve got me a pig, how about that?” she told him.
Devastated by Glitzy’s sudden departure, Honey Boo Boo – real name Alana – burst into tears and waved goodbye to him.
“What I love about Glizy is that she loves me,” Honey Boo Boo had once confessed.
But unable to cope with the constant noise and lack of house training the family had to let the pig go.
Allie Romney, Mitt Romney’s granddaughter and the daughter of Tag and Jenn Romney, is the latest elite youngster to feature on the blog Rich Kids of Instagram.
Rich Kids of Instagram rounds up photos snapped by America’s wealthiest offspring as they drive Lamborghinis, drink copious amounts of Dom Perignon champagne and generally indulge their every, invariably expensive, whim.
Showing she is most definitely not amongst the 47% grandfather Mitt Romney famously wrote off, the pretty 16-year-old appears on the site not only wearing an expensive ball gown but clutching its famed fashion designer’s arm.
“Oscar de la Renta I love you lots sir! Thank you for everything!” Allie Romney wrote on two photos posted a couple of months ago on her Instagram page.
Mitt Romney, who is hoping this time next week he’ll have been named the country’s 45th president, is worth an estimated $250 million, according to Bloomberg News.
He earned his fortune when he helped pioneer the private equity industry as co-founder of Bain Capital.
Allie Romney appears on Rich Kids of Instagram not only wearing an expensive ball gown but clutching Oscar de la Renta’s arm
With the motto “They have more money than you and this is what they do”,Rich Kids of Instagram follows the lavish lifestyles of such rich kids as Hilton hotel heir Baron Hilton and the Dell CEO’s daughter Alexa Dell.
The heirs and heiresses are seen using private jets, driving hot pink Bentleys and quaffing limited edition bottles of Perignon in the pictures they upload to their Instagram accounts, which anger and disgust the many who disagree with the staggering level of excess.
Summing up the obscene opulence that is the norm for these youngsters, Rich Kids of Instagram has chronicled how its regulars fared through Hurricane Sandy, as it ravaged large parts of New York, New Jersey and a raft of other states.
In stark contrast to the thousands who were left without power, food and clean water for days, the wealthy teens and young adults posted photos of themselves stockpiling room service, rather than tinned food, and driving a Lamborghini to pick up fast food.
In an effort to protect the state’s dwindling fuel reserves, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has issued an order restricting motorists in 12 northern counties to buying gas every other day.
Chris Christie says he wants to ease long lines and extended wait times at gas stations and prevent a fuel shortage in the state hard-hit by Superstorm Sandy. Some gas stations closed because of a lack of electricity or gasoline, causing those open to be overburdened with customers.
Prices at the pump have remained steady despite the shortages, AAA said, averaging just below $4 a gallon in New York City, 2 cents lower than last week. However, on Long Island, where only a third of all stations were working, average gasoline prices jumped 5 cents from a day earlier.
But online, Craigslist users started offering gasoline for as much as $15 a gallon to motorists and homeowners not wishing to brave the lines.
It was also revealed that a third day of gasoline “panic buying” among storm-stricken New York area motorists prompted authorities on Friday to tap strategic oil reserves and waive shipping regulations even as limited deliveries resumed in the battered region.
The U.S. government said it will loan 2 million gallons of diesel from the Northeast emergency heating oil reserve to the military for recovery efforts, and waived rules barring foreign-flagged vessels from carrying fuel between U.S. ports in a bid to boost supplies.
Drivers with license plates ending in an even number will be able to buy gas on even-numbered days, and those with plates ending in an odd number can make gas purchases on odd-numbered days.
A Gov. Chris Christie spokesman tells the Star-Ledger newspaper in Newark that there currently are no restrictions on filling gas containers.
New Jersey Gov Chris Christie has issued an order restricting motorists in 12 northern counties to buying gas every other day
Chris Christie’s order comes as President Barack Obama announced buying 22 million gallons of gas to help get residents of some of the areas worst affected by Hurricane Sandy back on the road.
The administration has purchased up to 12 million gallons of unleaded fuel and up to 10 million gallons of diesel fuel that will be distributed in New York and New Jersey to supplement private sector efforts.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that another 28 million gallons of fuel will be delivered over the next few days.
The Department of Defense will also set up mobile fuel stations around the New York metro area to distribute gasoline, offering only 10 gallons per-person but free of charge.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Friday that the President had directed the Defense Logistics Agency to handle the purchase of the fuel.
It will be transported by tanker trucks and distributed throughout the two states and other communities impacted by the storm.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said the fuel purchase is part of efforts by governments, private organizations and others to help the region recover from the Superstorm, which left residents queuing at gas stations for a diminishing supply of fuel.
This purchase is in addition to an emergency diesel fuel loan from the Energy Department’s Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve.
Large parts of the tri-state area were left without power for five days after the storm struck and fuel shortages have become even more dire, prompting some opportunist convenience store owners to charge as much as $6 a gallon.
Becoming ever more desperate for fuel, residents have been bickering over their place in the queue at gas stations and even brandishing firearms to get what they need.
Along the New Jersey turnpike cars have lined up for miles in the hope of getting fuel, but gas stations in many outer-borough areas are sealed off with yellow tape.
As New York Governor Andrew Cuomo promises that fuel-starved areas will be getting relief and “people will see it quickly”, these motorists want gas and they want answers.
Earl Lucas, 72, had seen something like it before – in the Seventies when, he said, there was “a real gas shortage”.
He added: “People are angry because the gas is there they just can’t get it. Do you know how to get it? Can you use your influence to get some?
“There were five trucks came in here from a Catholic charity and they got straight through and filled up. Some people can get it.”
A source from the Coast Guard told DNAInfo that two million barrels of petrol were being unloaded in surrounding ports, and tankers are heading into New York Harbor.
Syrian rebels say they have launched a major offensive to capture key airbase at Taftanaz, in the north of the country.
Video posted on the internet showed fighters attacking the Taftanaz base in an attempt to control a strategic zone between Syria’s two biggest cities, Aleppo and Damascus.
The attack comes a day before a crucial opposition meeting in Doha, Qatar.
It also follows the apparent murder of a number of Syrian troops by rebels, which drew international condemnation.
Separately, Israel said three Syrian tanks had entered the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights to tackle rebel fighters, prompting an Israeli complaint to the UN forces overseeing a truce in the area.
The attack on Taftanaz took place as dawn broke, with five different units of rebel fighters opening fire with multiple rocket launchers, mortars and other weaponry, according to the video.
This appears to be a major operation aimed not just at striking the airport, but at occupying it.
In recent months, the government forces have been making increasing use of air power to strike areas held by the rebels, who lack anti-aircraft weapons to deter the attacks.
Rebel forces are reported to have taken control of the main roads in much of the area south-west of Aleppo.
The video said the rebel groups involved included several brigades of the Free Syrian Army, but also the radical Islamist al-Nusra Front.
Syrian rebels say they have launched a major offensive to capture key airbase at Taftanaz
Although nothing certain has been established, al-Nusra has been named in connection with the killing of captured army soldiers two days ago at Saraqeb, just 15 km (10 miles) from where this latest attack is taking place.
The UN has said the video that appears to show the murder of the soldiers or pro-government militiamen could be evidence of a war crime.
The footage shows gunmen beating and shooting a group of prisoners who were cowering on the floor.
On Friday, the US said it “condemned human rights violations by any party in Syria”.
State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “There is no justification for that kind of behavior ever. Anyone committing atrocities should be held to account.”
The question of apparent brutality by some rebel units has become a serious concern ahead of the major opposition meeting being held in Qatar this weekend.
The US is hoping a new leadership will help unify the disparate opposition elements and bring a successful conclusion to an uprising that has killed more than 36,000 people since protests against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011.
Divisions have arisen not just between Islamist and secularist groups, but also between those operating inside Syria and opposition figures working abroad.
Victoria Nuland said there was a need for cohesion of rebel forces within Syria and a strong organization outside the country that could work with the international community.
A previous opposition meeting in Cairo in July accepted that the Assad government must fall but failed to appoint a committee to act for the opposition internationally.
The US this week signaled the opposition needed to be expanded from the main overseas grouping, the Syrian National Council, to take in more of those operating inside Syria.
Representatives at Doha will include various other religious and secular groupings, plus Kurdish figures and dissident members of Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect.
Market statistics show the French confectionery industry has been unaffected by the country’s financial problems and continues to grow at about 8% a year. And there is one particular treat that has always proved a favorite – ourson guimauve.
Oursons guimauve are small chocolate-covered marshmallow teddy bears (an ourson is a “bear cub”, guimauve is “marshmallow”). About the size of a Paris Metro ticket but considerably plumper, they are celebrating their 50th birthday.
The French – young and old – adore them. They eat 400 million of the bears each year. The seductive bears were invented by a confectioner from the north, Michel Cathy, who, the legend claims, bravely championed his recipe in the face of skepticism from superiors and has been vindicated by their triumph ever since.
Biting into an ourson guimauve, the French say, is like tasting Marcel Proust’s madeleine cake that launched his voyage into the remembrance of things past.
They come in milk or white chocolate, in cellophane packets from supermarkets, paper bags from small sweetshops or chic limited-edition designer tins.
Oursons guimauve have just been launched on the US market, a move that prompted some disgruntled voters to call for President Francois Hollande – long-nicknamed The Human Marshmallow (l’Homme de Guimauve) – to be dunked in chocolate and exported along with them.
The bears are predicted to make their French producers 900 million euros a year by 2015.
Cecilia Hermabessiere is in her sweetshop.
“I prefer oursons Lutti,” she says (Lutti is a sweet manufacturer).
“They’re almost the same, but larger. The marshmallow is firmer, creamy and slightly chewy. And they come coated in dark chocolate, which I always crave.”
She knows about sweets. Her little shop on the Rue Brea – busy with customers of all ages – has regional bonbons, chocolates and lollipops from all over the country. There are about 650 varieties of traditional sweets in France, the most for any one country in the world.
Cecilia Hermabessiere grew up with them. Her parents owned a patisserie – a cake shop and bakery – where sweets were always sold.
“Sales haven’t gone down,” she says.
“If anything, they’ve gone up. People need a treat and if there’s something they won’t do without, it’s chocolate or the comfort of their favorite childhood sweet or regional speciality from home.”
Shelves are lined with tall glass jars filled with glistening frou-frous bonbons (square-shaped boiled sweets), rondelles d’orange (slices of candied orange half-coated in bitter chocolate) and large cubes of rose and lemon Turkish delight heavy with powdered sugar.
Oursons guimauve are small chocolate-covered marshmallow teddy bears
Juicy, chocolate Muscat raisins, shining sugared almonds and caramelized hazelnuts, rows of amber barley sugar from Moret (a region in north-central France) and sticks of sucre de pomme (apple sugar from Rouen) bristle temptingly beside smooth peppermint lozenges from Lourdes made with holy water from the shrine and individually stamped with an image of the Virgin Mary.
Slabs of chocolate are sold by the kilo – milk or dark – with hazelnuts, almonds, crystallized ginger or filled with liquid caramel. There is a small hammer nearby to break off chunks.
“Children still eat a piece of bread and chocolate for their after-school gouter [teatime treat],” Cecilia Hermabessiere explains.
“It’s the original pain au chocolat – bread with chocolate – before the pastry version was ever thought of. There’s lots of nostalgia for childhood here in France, so grown-ups at the school gate often sneak a portion for themselves.”
Opposite a small park and playground shaded by large beech trees, Georges Marques has opened the sweetshop of his childhood dreams.
“We were Portuguese immigrants and didn’t have much money,” he says.
“[In 1970] for my eighth birthday, an uncle gave me a five franc piece. Sweets cost one centime each so that was a fortune. I went straight to my local patisserie and bought a huge bagful to share with my family. I burst in, crying out to my mother, <<When I grow up, I’m going to open the best sweetshop in the whole world>>.”
Georges Marques travels around France, personally tasting and selecting regional sweets. He hunts them down, then brings them to Paris and pops them in a jar in the window.
“People really appreciate it,” he says.
“They suddenly see a rare sweet from some tiny place that they love and rush in to eat it.”
Georges Marques has about 200 varieties, from those oursons guimauve to marshmallow Petit Jesus (small Jesus-shaped marshmallows) to such fancies as Les Tetines de la Reine Margot (Queen Margot’s Nipples) named after a beleaguered monarch notorious for her insatiable sexual appetites.
These are dome-shaped confections of milk chocolate, apricot, raisins soaked in Grand Marnier liqueur, all coated in white chocolate with a discreet, tasteful milk chocolate nipple.
An ever-popular gift, says Georges Marques, to cheer-up “les monsieurs”.
French marshmallow
• First made in France about 1850
• Called “pate de guimauve” or “guimauve” for short
• By late 19th Century, French manufacturers had started to use egg whites or gelatine combined with modified corn starch to create the chewy base
• It made the process of making marshmallow much less labor intensive
• The classic Bouquet d’Or Petit Ourson – chocolate-covered marshmallow bear – turned 50 this year
Ryugyong Hotel, the 105-storey building which dominates the skyline of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, may open next year, 26 years after construction began.
The pyramid-shaped building has become known as the “Hotel of Doom”.
Reto Witter, chief executive of the Kempinski group, which will manage the Ryugyong hotel, said only 150 rooms on the top floors would be used as a hotel.
Reto Wittwer said shops, restaurants and offices would eventually open on the lower levels.
Construction on the building began in 1987.
It is the 47th tallest building in the world, at 330 m, and has the fifth greatest number of floors, 105.
Ryugyong Hotel was scheduled to be completed in 1989 in time for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students.
But construction was abandoned in 1992 when North Korea suffered an economic crisis.
Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang may open in 2013, 26 years after construction began
Its hulking, unfinished presence has long been an embarrassment for the North Korean leadership, analysts say.
Ryugyong Hotel was voted “Worst Building in the History of Mankind” by Esquire magazine in 2008.
The American publication called it “hideously ugly, even by communist standards.”
There are reports of poor construction and the use of inferior materials.
A delegation from the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea, which inspected the building almost 15 years ago, concluded it was beyond repair and its lift shafts crooked.
But in 2008 an Egyptian company, Orascom Telecom, which operates a mobile phone network in North Korea, began equipping the building.
It is reported to have spent $180 million on finishing the hotel’s facade.
Reto Wittwer said the hotel will “partially, probably” open for business next year.
But original plans for 3,000 hotel rooms and three revolving restaurants have been greatly scaled back.
Earlier this year, the Beijing-based company, Koryo Tours, which organizes trips to North Korea, was granted a rare glimpse inside the hotel.
Photos taken by the company showed a vast glass-covered lobby and atrium with tiers of bare concrete at its base, resembling a multi-storey car park.
Drew Barrymore has been the face of CoverGirl for the past five years, but now she is rumored to be launching her own cosmetics brand.
According to WWD, Drew Barrymore, 37, has created a line of make-up exclusively for Walmart, which will hit stores across the U.S. early next year.
The name of the beauty collection remains unknown.
It is believed that Drew Barrymore’s contract with Procter & Gamble, CoverGirl’s parent company, comes to an end in 2013, although a spokesman for the company declined to give an exact date.
However, sources say that she has been working on her own line with one of the world’s leading cosmetics manufacturers, Intercos.
When she signed as a CoverGirl ambassador in 2007, Drew Barrymore said that she wanted to “bring myself and my personality into it, as well as some edgy fashion-forward thinking and positivity to it.”
Drew Barrymore has been the face of CoverGirl for the past five years, but now she is rumored to be launching her own cosmetics brand
Drew Barrymore’s usual makeup look is very subtle. Perhaps we can expect rosy shades of blush, neutral eyeshadows, along with darker lip colors.
This would be her first time venturing into the world of celebrity beauty marketing, following the likes of the Kardashians, Kate Winslet and Dita Von Teese.
Drew Barrymore has never even had her own fragrance.
Drew Barrymore was spotted over the weekend enjoying a family day out in Los Angeles with her husband Will Kopelman and their one-month old daughter Olive.
Christmas revellers have been offered a helping hand to get them through the season of excess as a hangover “cure” is unveiled that claims to be second only to an “intravenous stuck in your arm”.
The Bytox Hangover Prevention Patch, invented by the U.S. plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Leonard Grossman, has gone on sale in the UK following its launch in New York late last year.
According to the packaging, the patch replenishes the vitamins and acids lost when consuming alcohol – in the same way that the intravenous “party drip” vitamin injections made famous by Rihanna earlier this year – Cole although it has not received any official medical backing either here or in the U.S.
It has, however, received glowing reviews from consumers who have posted on websites, with one writing: “I tried it twice. Both times after nine or 10 martinis. I can only account for myself. It works great.”
Users are instructed to attach the patch – which is similar in appearance and design to a nicotine patch – 45 minutes before drinking and leave it on until the next day or about eight hours after they finish drinking.
The Bytox Hangover Prevention Patch, invented by plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Leonard Grossman replenishes the vitamins and acids lost when consuming alcohol
Dr. Leonard Grossman has claimed that the ingredients – B vitamins, acai berry, vitamins A, D, E and K and folic – are delivered continuously to the bloodstream as opposed to those from a pill which are excreted relatively quickly.
Firebox, which is selling the patch in the UK, says on its website: “The rationale for this <<game changing>> body patch is to stop hangovers before they start.
“Easily applied, it is infused with a powerful blend of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants which are absorbed whilst imbibing, meaning a faster recovery time. American inventor Dr. Leonard Grossman claims <<only an intravenous stuck in your arm while drinking could be more effective than a Bytox patch>>.”
It adds: “It won’t, however, prevent you getting drunk and definitely won’t prevent embarrassing and/or regrettable behavior.”
Ben Redhead, product manager at Firebox, said: “Look, we’d never usually encourage excess partying but the Firebox team, armed with the Bytox Hangover Prevention Patch, are definitely intending to take it up a level this Christmas.
“And if the patch means more productivity at work the next day then bingo, we’re not only helping cure hangovers but we’re helping the economy too.”
Lady Gaga recently admitted to putting on 30 lbs and now she has weighed in on the body image debate.
In an interview with Stylist magazine, Lady Gaga speaks out after hitting headlines because of her weight gain and asked why people didn’t target British singer Adele.
Speaking to the magazine Lady Gaga said: “Adele is bigger than me, how come nobody says anything about it? She’s so wonderful and I think her confidence is something I have to match. She has set the bar very high for a lot of women.”
Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, 26, explained how her mother had called her and asked her whether she had gained weight after pictures were published in magazines and online.
She said: “I was acutely aware of some photos on the internet – my mum called me and was like, <<Did you gain weight?>> – everybody was telling me about it, and I didn’t really care. But when I heard it was on the news, where they talk about wars, the economy crashing and the election – I just thought, <<This is f***ing ridiculous>>.”
The singer added: “I mean, what kind of example is that to a young girl sitting at home? I thought, well I don’t really care if they think I’m fat, because, quite honestly, I did gain about 30 pounds.”
In an interview with Stylist magazine, Lady Gaga speaks out after hitting headlines because of her weight gain and asked why people didn’t target British singer Adele
Lady Gaga was talking about her Body Revolution where she asks her fans to embrace their flaws whatever their shape.
She told the magazine that her fans carry the message so she can focus on her music.
While some critics may not like her larger shape her boyfriend Taylor Kinney is a big fan of her curves.
Taylor Kinney recently revealed that Lady Gaga reminded him of his mother, in a good way.
Speaking to The Sun, Taylor Kinney said: “She works incredibly hard and is very strong and inspirational like mom, with a great work ethic.”
Chelsea Clinton lives in a $4 million apartment in one of Manhattan’s most prestigious buildings but she has still been left without power and hot water – just like the rest of lower Manhattan.
Chelsea Clinton, 32, lives with her husband Marc Mezvinsky in the Flatiron district of the city.
Yesterday she revealed that the couple had been battling through the past few days without moving out of their home.
Chelsea Clinto tweeted: “Although we still don’t have power, @Starbucks holiday cup & the barista’s smile brightened my day – thank you!”
She has been recording the storm that devastated the East Coast from her multi-million dollar home and has been tweeting pictures of the scenes.
Earlier this week, Chelsea Clinton posted a picture of a desolate Manhattan just hours after the blackout on Monday night.
She also admitted that she was happy her mother, secretary of state Hillary Clinton, was out of the country, adding: “Grateful my Mom is away from #Sandy and in Algeria working toward peace in #Mali.”
Chelsea Clinton said that she was staying at home with her husband and their dog Soren, adding: “Marc, Soren and I are at home with candles, kindles and canned food! Any must-read recommendations for waiting out a storm?”
Chelsea Clinton and her husband Marc Mezvinsky have been left without power and hot water in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy
She later thanked followers for their book recommendations, adding: “esp loved those who suggested Sound & Fury and Perfect Storm. Glad Sandy didn’t take our collective sense of humor.”
Chelsea Clinton found the time to wish her good friend, millionairess Ivanka Trump happy birthday on Tuesday – just a day after the blackout.
Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner and their baby daughter Arabella have been fine, of course, as they have had power at their $20 million apartment at Trump Park Avenue.
Marc Mezvinsky, 33, a former investment banker bought their apartment in 2008 for $4 million – two years before their marriage.
After being dogged by rumors their marriage was in trouble, the notoriously private couple set the record straight in September as Marc Mezvinsky called Chelsea Clinton “the yin to [his] yang”, while she admits to wanting children “in a couple of years, hopefully…God willing”.
Her chief of staff, Bari Lurie said: “What put a strain on them was that the stories were being written because none of us were paying attention to it
“It was an eye-opening lesson. Chelsea realized, <<Maybe I need to get out there and demystify myself a little bit>>.”
But though they have been married for over two years now, Chelsea Clinton and her husband are yet to have any children.
And though her mother, Hillary Clinton is desperate for her daughter and son-in-law to hurry up on the grandchildren front, Chelsea is not to be rushed.
Chelsea Clinton admitted: “It’s certainly something that Marc and I talk a lot about. I always knew I was the center of my parents’ lives when I was growing up. And I am determined that our children feel the same way.”
Barack Obama administration has bought up 22 million gallons of gas to help get residents of some of the areas worst affected by Hurricane Sandy back on the road.
The administration has purchased up to 12 million gallons of unleaded fuel and up to 10 million gallons of diesel fuel that will be distributed in New York and New Jersey to supplement private sector efforts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said on Friday that President Barack Obama had directed the Defense Logistics Agency to handle the purchase of the fuel.
The gas will be transported by tanker trucks and distributed throughout the two states and other communities impacted by the storm.
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said the fuel purchase is part of efforts by governments, private organizations and others to help the region recover from Superstorm Sandy, which left residents queuing at gas stations for a diminishing supply of fuel.
This purchase is in addition to an emergency diesel fuel loan from the Energy Department’s Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve.
Obama administration has bought up 22 million gallons of gas to help get residents of some of the areas worst affected by Hurricane Sandy back on the road
Large parts of the tri-state area were left without power for five days after the storm struck and fuel shortages have become even more dire, prompting some opportunist convenience store owners to charge as much as $6 a gallon.
Becoming ever more desperate for fuel, residents have been bickering over their place in the queue at gas stations and even brandishing firearms to get what they need.
Along the New Jersey turnpike cars have lined up for miles in the hope of getting fuel, but gas stations in many outer-borough areas are sealed off with yellow tape.
Meanwhile, in the New York borough of Queens, customers are hanging on every rumor – will the next delivery arrive in two hours? Or five hours? Or six?
In one extreme case, motorist Sean Bailey was arrested on charges of menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney have embarked on a final frenzy of campaigning, four days before the general election.
Barack Obama, the Democratic incumbent, spoke at three events in Ohio, a state that could be decisive in his bid to be elected for a second term.
Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, appeared in Wisconsin before moving on to two events in hotly fought Ohio.
Opinion polls show the two rivals neck and neck on the final stretch.
On Friday, the US Department of Labor said 171,000 new jobs were created in October, which was better than expected.
The figures, the last major economic data to be released before the election, also showed the unemployment rate rose slightly to 7.9% from 7.8%.
On the campaign trail, the candidates framed the race for the White House as a choice between two different visions of America.
“We know what change looks like, and what the governor is offering ain’t it,” Barack Obama told supporters in Ohio.
Speaking soon after the jobs figures were released, Barack Obama added: “We’ve made real progress, but we’ve got more work to do.”
However, Mitt Romney told supporters the report was a “sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill”.
“Candidate Obama promised change, but he couldn’t deliver it. I promise change, but I have a record of achieving it,” the former Massachusetts governor said.
“[Barack Obama] has never led, never worked across the aisle, never truly understood how jobs are created in the economy.”
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have embarked on a final frenzy of campaigning
The vice-presidential candidates were also on the trail.
Democrat Vice-President Joe Biden spent the day campaigning in Wisconsin, while Republican running mate Paul Ryan made stops in Colorado and Iowa before joining Mitt Romney at an event in Ohio.
First Lady Michelle Obama was also on the stump on her husband’s behalf in Virginia.
The frantic pace of campaigning is set to continue over the weekend, with the president scheduled to visit four battleground states – Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin and Virginia – on Saturday alone.
He is then due to appear in New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio and Colorado on Sunday, the penultimate day of canvassing.
Mitt Romney, meanwhile, is heading to New Hampshire, Iowa and Colorado on Saturday – three states that his opponent carried in 2008.
The wealthy former businessman finishes his weekend tour with stops in Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Correspondents say the fate of the election boils down to what happens in a small handful of states that either candidate could win.
Ohio, with 20 electoral college votes, has been seen by many as the single most critical state of them all.
An opinion poll released on Friday by Rasmussen Reports said the candidates were tied there.
But the RealClearPolitics.com average of Ohio surveys put Barack Obama 2.4 points ahead.
The White House hopefuls were also urging key groups of voters to back them at the ballot box on Tuesday, as a report from the Pew Hispanic Center suggested that about 70% of Latino voters support Barack Obama, over about 20% for Mitt Romney.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama has been urging his supporters to head to their polling stations early.
Last week, the president himself took a break from the campaign trail to cast an early ballot in his hometown of Chicago.
It is estimated about 24 million people have already voted.
Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently single again as he has split from Victoria Secret’s model Erin Heatherton, Us Weekly reports.
Leonardo DiCaprio, 37, and Erin Heatherton, 23, started dating in December – just months after he split from his brief romance with Blake Lively.
But the pair didn’t manage to make it to their first anniversary, recently deciding to go their separate ways.
A source told Us Weekly: “They split a few weeks ago. There’s no bad blood -– they still care about each other a lot.”
The insider explained the pair’s hectic work schedules is the reason behind the break-up.
Leonardo DiCaprio has split from Victoria Secret’s model Erin Heatherton
“They’re both just really busy, they had crazy schedules,” the source added.
“They still love and respect each other very much. It was just time to move on.”
It has been a hugely busy year for Leonardo DiCaprio who has been shooting Great Gatsby in Australia, then Django Unchained in New Orleans followed by the Wolf of Wall Street in New York.
Erin Heatherton is just one of many supermodels Leonardo DiCaprio has dated.
From 2001 to 2005 he went out with Gisele Bundchen and he dated Israeli-born model Bar Refaeli from 2006 until splitting in early 2011.
New Yorkers took to the streets last night as Con Ed began restoring power to lower Manhattan after repairing the East 14th Street subway station that exploded when Hurricane Sandy hit on Monday night.
Electricity began coming on to more than 65,000 customers in parts of the East Village, SoHo and the Lower East Side at around 6:00 p.m. while thousands of residents in Chelsea and the so-called Madison Network were able to switch on their lights again about an hour later.
People took to the streets cheering on Prince and Lafayette in Nolita as the lights finally flickered again after days of darkness.
Power was restored north to south between Canal Street and Broadway, and East to West between the East River and 14th street.
At 6:00 p.m. the Chelsea network went back up between the Hudson River and Fifth Avenue, and 31st Street on north and 15th street
The news comes as a huge relief to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been without power since Monday night.
Many of them had left the so-called Dark Zone below 39th street but there are still tens of thousands of people living in increasingly difficult conditions.
Con Edison let customers know the good news with a flurry of proud tweets on Friday evening.
Starting with the restoration of power for 65,000 in the East Village and the Lower East Side at around 5:45 p.m., the company then boasted at about 6:45 p.m.: “#ConEdison just restored power to 25,000 customers in the #Chelsea network.”
At around 7:00 p.m., Con Edison tweeted that another 8,000 customers in the #City Hall network were back on the grid – from Broadway to the East River and Canal Street to Frankfort.
This announcement quickly followed with the news that over 30,000 homes stretching from 31st to 14th Streets and Fifth Avenue to the East River were restored.
But Manhattan wasn’t the only borough the electricity company was concentrating on.
Con Ed restored power to lower Manhattan after repairing the East 14th Street subway station
As the announcements were coming thick and fast on the island, Con Edison tweeted just before 7:00 p.m. that more than 122,000 Brooklyn residents had electricity back up and running and more than 39,000 customers were rejoicing as they switched on their lights in the Bronx.
An additional 29,000 households in Queens were also powered up again before 7:00 p.m. and 85,000 in devastated Staten Island, for the first time since the Superstorm savaged New York.
The electricity company said things should be back to normal for most residents in these areas though it couldn’t guarantee that individual customers’ equipment had not been damaged in the storm, which would delay their return to power.
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in New York and 1.5 million in New Jersey were still without power on Friday, four days after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the U.S. East Coast, the states’ power companies said.
Most utility companies in the two states said it could take a week or longer to restore power to all customers in the wake of Sandy, the worst natural disaster to strike their customers.
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo sent a letter Thursday to the CEOs of state power companies, saying he would “take appropriate action against those utilities and their management if they do not meet their obligations to New Yorkers in this time of crisis”.
“I recognize there are men and women in the field now working hard to restore service … but it is your job to provide them with adequate resources and support to get the job done in a timely and safe manner,” Andrew Cuomo said.
Con Edison serves more than 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County.
In New Jersey, Public Service Enterprise Group Inc said about 700,000 customers were still out, down from 1.7 million. PSEG serves about 2.2 million customers in the state.
FirstEnergy Corp’s Jersey Central Power and Light utility reported more than 713,100 customers were still without power, down from more than 1 million affected by the storm. JCP&L serves about 1.2 million in New Jersey.
Across the U.S. Northeast power companies have restored electricity to more than half of the 8.48 million customers left without service, leaving nearly 3.6 million without service in 11 states Friday morning, federal data showed.
Con Edison said it expects to make significant progress restoring electricity to all customers over the next seven days.
In lower and mid-Manhattan, Con Edison has said it expected to restore power by Saturday, November 3.
But the company warned that more than 100 buildings that have had their power restored were still without electricity due to flooding in basements or damage to local equipment.
To date, Con Edison said its crews have restored electricity to more than 320,000 customers affected by Sandy.
As of 5:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, Con Edison said about 226,000 customers lacked service in Manhattan, 84,000 in Queens, 35,000 in Brooklyn, 54,000 in Staten Island, 31,000 in the Bronx and 140,000 in Westchester.
Elsewhere in New York, the Long Island Power Co (LIPA) said it still had about 529,800 customers without power, down from more than 900,000. LIPA serves about 1.1 million customers on Long Island.
Sunday’s New York City marathon has been canceled in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced.
Michael Bloomberg said in a statement: “We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it.”
Plans to press ahead with the race had prompted uproar from politicians in cyclone-ravaged parts of the city.
More than 90 US deaths, over 40 of them in New York, have been blamed on Sandy.
Across the US East Coast, some 3.5 million homes and businesses – 1.2 million in New York state alone – still have no electricity, four days after the storm made landfall.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in his statement: “While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division.”
He added: “We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event – even one as meaningful as this – to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track.”
New York City Marathon 2012 has been canceled in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy
It was not immediately clear if the race would be rescheduled for another date.
Elected officials representing Staten Island were among the harshest critics of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s earlier statements that the race would go ahead.
“We’re still pulling bodies out of the water and the mayor is worried about marathon runners and returning to life as normal,” US Representative Michael Grimm, who represents the island and part of Brooklyn, told CNN.
“The Verrazano Bridge should be used for getting fuel and food in to Staten Island, not getting runners out. Police resources would be best allocated to prevent looting and in rescue and recovery operations.”
Rep Michael Grimm was joined by other local politicians, including both Republicans and Democrats, in demanding the race be postponed.
“The decision to move forward with the marathon is not a decision I would have made,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.
Some runners who have signed up for the race told local website Gothamist that they would volunteer on Staten Island instead.
There was further controversy when background music played at the marathon expo in a Manhattan convention centre included the heavy metal song, Rock You Like a Hurricane.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who originally wanted the race to go on, said on Friday that he had changed his mind.
“New Yorkers deserve nothing less than to know that the entire government is focused solely on returning the city and their region back to normalcy,” Scott Stringer said in a statement.
Kirstie Alley has confessed her real true love isn’t one of her ex-husbands as she fell hard for John Travolta while they were filming Look Who’s Talking and has never found anyone who measures up to him.
Kirstie Alley, 61, described John Travolta as the “love of my life” in a new shock interview on 20/20 with Barbara Walters, which will air on Friday night.
Barbara Walters gave a sneak peek of the confession in a preview clip on The View this morning,
Kirstie Alley was married to fellow actor Parker Stevenson at the time, and John Travolta was single when the shot the movie, which was released in 1989.
The actress tells Barbara Walters her attraction to John Travolta was dynamic, adding: “It took all the power I had not to run off with him.”
Because she was married, Kirstie Alley said she did not pursue a relationship.
However, she 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. The couple had three children, including son Jett who died in 2009.
Kirstie Alley has confessed her real true love was John Travolta during interview with Barbara Walters
Over the years, Kirstie Alley and John Travolta have remained extremely close thanks in part to their mutual beliefs in Scientology.
Kirstie was married to Bob Alley for seven years, starting in 1970.
She tied the knot with second husband Parker Stevenson in 1983.
They divorced in 1997, and shared custody of their two adopted children.
Kirstie Alley’s full interview will air tonight on 20/20 at 10:00 p.m. on ABC.
