Wang Lijun, the ex-police chief at the heart of China’s biggest political scandal in years, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Wang Lijun was jailed for ”bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribetaking”, Xinhua said.
His flight in February to a US consulate led to the downfall of his ex-boss, top politician Bo Xilai.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted in August of killing British businessman Neil Heywood. Wang Lijun was accused of helping in a cover-up.
Wang Lijun – the former chief of police in the city of Chongqing, where Bo Xilai was Communist Party leader – had faced up to 20 years in jail, but prosecutors called his co-operation “meritorious service”.
The ”combined term” of 15 years in prison included nine years for bribery, seven for bending the law, two for defection and two for abuse of power, state television reported.
Wang Lijun has been sentenced to 15 years in jail
”We decided to sentence him to 15 years altogether on all the four charges and deprive [him of] his political rights for one year,” court spokesman Yang Yuquan told reporters.
”Wang Lijun said he wouldn’t appeal after hearing the verdict,” Yang Yuquan said.
The verdict was ”in accordance with the law”, he added, saying three of Wang Lijun’s relatives were at the hearing.
Wang’s lawyer, Wang Yuncai, also told the Associated Press that the sentence was ”considered normal” under Chinese law.
The verdict comes as China prepares to select new leaders in coming weeks.
It is due to hold a party congress that will see major changes in the top echelons of leadership, although specific dates have not been announced.
Wang’s trial took place last week in Chengdu. A court official said after the two-day hearing that he had not contested the charges.
The indictment against Wang said he knew that Gu Kailai was a murder suspect.
Wang Lijun, however, ”bent the law” by appointing Guo Weiguo – the deputy chief of Chongqing’s Public Security Bureau and ”a close friend” of both Wang and Gu – to oversee the case , a Xinhua report said.
Wang Lijun hid a recording of Gu Kailai’s account of the killing from the police, the report added.
But conflict arose between Wang Lijun and Gu Kailai, after which Wang told investigators to ”re-collect, sort through and carefully keep the evidence” from the case, the report said.
During his term in Chongqing Wang had also committed other offences, including illegally releasing four suspects in return for property and money totaling more than 3 million yuan ($476,000), Xinhua said.
Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence for the crime. At a separate trial on 10 August, four senior police officers from Chongqing admitted covering up evidence linking her to the murder and were jailed for between five and 11 years.
Bo Xilai has not been seen in public since the scandal erupted and is said to be under investigation by the Communist party’s disciplinary officials. He has been removed from his official posts.
But it is not known whether the former party chief – who was tipped for promotion to the top ranks before his downfall – will face criminal charges himself.
At Wang Lijun’s trial last week, Bo Xilai was said to have reacted with anger when the police chief told him of his wife’s involvement in the murder of Neil Heywood, “boxing the ears” of his former ally.
Bo Xilai’s populist brand of politics – an authoritarian crackdown on corruption coupled with the promotion of old communist values – is said to have made him enemies.
They may be pushing for a criminal trial that removes him from the political landscape for a very long time.
A new research claims the logos of companies like McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Burger King are “branded” on the youngsters’ brains.
MRI scans of children’s appetite and pleasure centres reveals they light up when they are shown advertising images of their favorite fast foods, according to scientists.
But when the logos were well-known brands but had nothing to do with food the same areas of the brain failed to respond.
They appear to have tapped into the “reward” areas of the brain which develop before youngsters learn self-control.
A new research claims the logos of companies like McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Burger King are “branded” on the youngsters' brains
Researcher at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Center, divided 120 popular food and non-food brands, including McDonald’s and Rice Krispies, and BMW and FedEx, reported the Sunday Independent.
They used a magnetic resonance imaging scanner which monitored changes in the blood flow that increases when the brain becomes more active.
Analysis of the tests on children, aged 10 to 14, showed there was increased activity in parts of the brain in the “reward” centres and in driving and controlling appetite.
Study leader Dr. Amanda Bruce told the Independent: “Research has shown children are more likely to choose those foods with familiar logos.
“That is concerning because the majority of foods marketed to children are unhealthy.”
Last year, children aged six to 13, took part in research into the effect of exposure to TV ads for unhealthy food products.
The children were shown 10 advertisements for junk food and then asked to choose between three food options which were described as “high fat, high carbohydrate”, “high protein”, and “low energy”.
Options for high protein included items like roast chicken. The low energy ones included items like salad.
The children were then shown a series of ten advertisements for toys and presented with a similar questionnaire.
Results of the study suggest that children exposed to unhealthy food ads – as opposed to toy ads – are far more likely to show unhealthy eating preferences.
These effects were especially pronounced among study subjects who typically watched more than 21 hours of TV per week.
Libya’s interim leader Mohammed Magarief has vowed to disband all illegal militias in the aftermath of the US ambassador’s death this month.
All camps and militias not under the authority of the government would be dissolved and no unauthorized checkpoints allowed, he said.
Militias that emerged during the fight to topple Colonel Muammar Gaddafi last year remain a powerful force.
Residents of Benghazi evicted militants in response to the envoy’s death.
Libya’s interim leader Mohammed Magarief has vowed to disband all illegal militias in the aftermath of the US ambassador's death
Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others Americans died during an attack on the city’s US consulate on 11 September, which coincided with protests over an anti-Islam video produced in the US.
Islamist militants have denied being behind the attack.
Libya has been awash with firearms as well as powerful regional brigades and local town militias since the uprising.
The government has relied on some brigades to help provide security, and many people will be watching closely to see how the authorities will go about achieving the mammoth task of gaining full military control over the country.
“[We want to] dissolve all militias and military camps which are not under the control of the state,” said Mohammed Magarief, the parliamentary speaker who acts as head of state until elections next year.
“We call on everyone to stop using violence and carrying weapons in the streets and squares and public places.”
One powerful militia in eastern Libya, the Abu Slim Brigade, has already announced it will disband and leave its bases in Derna, a town east of Benghazi.
Another militia, Ansar al-Sharia, which denies attacking the US consulate, is also reported to be leaving Derna.
Ansar al-Sharia was driven out of its headquarters in Benghazi over the weekend in unrest which left at least 11 people dead.
A ceremony to mark 40 years of ties with Japan has been canceled by China as the two countries’ row over an island chain continues.
A Chinese official said the ceremony, due to be held on Thursday, was being postponed “until an appropriate time”.
Asia’s two biggest economies have argued for decades over the Japanese-held islands, known as the Senkaku in Tokyo and the Diaoyu in Beijing.
The unpopulated East China Sea islands may be rich in natural resources.
Chinese indignation grew recently when nationalist politicians from Japan visited the chain to commemorate the Japanese dead of World War II, when the country occupied much of eastern China.
Thousands of people have attended angry protest rallies in Chinese cities.
Chinese indignation grew recently when nationalist politicians from Japan visited disputed islands to commemorate the Japanese dead of WWII
Japan’s coast guard reported 20 Chinese marine surveillance ships in the vicinity of the islands last week. They confirmed to Kyodo news agency on Sunday that the last such vessel had left.
The cancellation of Thursday’s ceremony was confirmed by the Japanese foreign ministry.
Amid the rising tension, China’s first aircraft carrier has been handed over to the navy of the People’s Liberation Army, state media report.
The handover ceremony for the 300 m (990 ft) ship, a former Soviet carrier called the Varyag, took place in the north-eastern port of Dalian after a lengthy refit by a Chinese shipbuilder.
Taiwan also claims the disputed islands, which Beijing maintains are historically part of China.
Sunday saw hundreds of slogan-chanting Taiwanese from right-wing parties and civil groups rally in Taipei.
They called for a boycott of Japanese goods and brandished anti-Japanese placards during the peaceful march.
They went as far as calling for co-operation with the mainland to solve the territorial dispute.
The Associated Press news agency reports that a group of Taiwanese fishermen say they will sail 60 boats to the islands on Monday to protect their fishing grounds.
Japan-China disputed islands:
• The archipelago consists of five islands and three reefs
• Japan, China and Taiwan claim them; they are controlled by Japan and form part of Okinawa prefecture
• The Japanese government signed a deal in September 2012 to purchase three islands from Japanese businessman Kunioki Kurihara, who used to rent them out to the Japanese state
• The islands were the focus of a major diplomatic row between Japan and China in 2010
A recent study that scanned the buttocks of inactive people found muscle was shrinking and breaking down due to lack of exercise.
The research at Tel Aviv University also showed that fat cells thrive in the buttocks of those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, causing thick layers of fat to develop deep inside muscle tissue.
Here we explain why your backside is expanding – and the simple steps you can take to combat desk derriere:
A. WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?
Insufficient activity and a poor diet are the main causes of desk derriere but other factors also play a role.
“The hip flexor muscles, found at the front of the hip, become overactive and tight if an individual spends all day sitting,” explains Chris Jones, professional head of physiology at Nuffield Health in UK.
“In response, the three key muscles that give the buttocks their shape – the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus – become less responsive and generally underactive, leading to poor muscle tone.”
The gluteal muscles are necessary for stabilizing and controlling movement of the pelvis, legs and lower back.
“When the bottom and stomach muscles become weak and the hip flexor muscles become tight, Lower Crossed Syndrome can develop,” says Anne Elliott, lecturer at the London Sport Institute, Middlesex University.
“Symptoms include lower back, knee or ankle pain and in some cases limited movement.”
The flat width of an office bottom may also be attributed to the length of time spent sitting.
The Tel Aviv study showed that preadipocyte cells – the precursor to fat cells – that were exposed to sustained mechanical loading, such as being sat on, developed into fat cells and accumulated fat twice as quickly as normal fat cells.
“The results suggest that if you sit down for a long time, you are more likely to store fat in your bottom,” says Professor Amit Gefen, who oversaw the 2011 study.
“They also imply that the width of a bottom may be increased by sitting down.
“When our work was published, many experts contacted me to say that they had seen this phenomenon in obese patients.”
Of course, many overweight people simply have a tendency to store fat in specific places.
“Women especially are prone to store fat on the bottom,” says Chris Jones.
“This is due to an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which dictates where fat settles in the body. Females store more fat around the hips, while males tend to retain more around the waist.”
A recent study that scanned the buttocks of inactive people found muscle was shrinking and breaking down due to lack of exercise
B. LESS SUGAR, MORE WATER
“Unfortunately, you cannot spot-reduce fat,” says dietician Anna Raymond, who is spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association.
“Luckily, the fat on the buttocks isn’t as metabolically active as that on the stomach – fat that deposits around the waist releases enzymes that contribute to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
However, it is crucial to cut down on sugar, says nutritional therapist Dr. Elisabeth Philipps: “Simple carbohydrates lead to the secretion of insulin, which increases the body’s ability to store fat. They also sap energy, so you feel less like exercising.”
Drinking lots of water will also help with fluid retention.
“Those sitting at desks all day often forget to drink enough,” says Anna Raymond.
“Dehydration may cause you to reach for sugary snacks.”
Finally it is important to get enough of the right types of fat: “You can improve skin elasticity on your bottom with two portions of oily fish a week or an omega-3 supplement,” Anna Raymond adds.
C. CHECK IF YOU ARE AT RISK
It is possible to determine whether your gluteal muscles are functioning properly or if you are at risk of developing desk derriere with a simple exercise.
“Lie flat on your tummy and bend one knee to 90 degrees so that the sole of the foot is facing the ceiling,” says Chris Jones.
“Keeping the foot facing the ceiling, slowly lift the leg five inches off the ground by squeezing your buttock on that side and then hold it motionless in the air for 30 seconds.
“You should be able to hold the leg perfectly still, with any sensation of tension being limited to the buttock itself.
“If the lifted leg shakes a lot with the effort or you feel tension in your hamstrings or lower back, the gluteal muscles are not correctly switching on and engaging.”
D. RUBBING IT IN
To release the hip flexor muscles and reactivate the gluteal muscles, give yourself a sports massage.
“Take a tennis ball and slowly roll over the hip flexor muscles where you feel it to be tight,” recommends Chris Jones.
“If it feels tender, hold the ball and apply gentle pressure to the area for about a minute or until the tenderness has diminished.”
Do this between five and ten minutes a day, repeating five days a week until there is no tension.
E. BRUSHING UP
“Dry skin-brushing stimulates circulation and helps relieve water retention in the area,” says Dr. Elisabeth Philipps.
“Using a long-handled brush, always work towards the heart, concentrating on the backs of thighs and buttocks for two minutes every day before showering.”
F. GET EXERCISE IN YOUR SEAT
Exercise is crucial because it involves dynamic loading (carrying weight while moving) of the muscle cells, which inhibits fat accumulation and burns stored fat.
Cornel Chin, a personal trainer who has worked with Leonardo DiCaprio, suggests incorporating simple exercises into your daily routine.
“Climbing the stairs, but walking two steps at a time, really engages the gluteal muscles,” he says.
“Work out at your desk a couple of times a day too: do ten slow buttock squeezes followed by ten squeezes that you hold for two seconds, and then ten pulses (very quick squeezes).”
“Any exercise with explosive movement that abruptly clenches the muscles – basketball, netball, squash, tennis and even cricket – is excellent. This uses the entire muscle and therefore works the deeper fibres.”
PM David Cameron’s personal trainer, Matt Roberts, recommends the following three daily exercises:
Step Up
1. Stand straight in front of a bench or elevated surface.
2. Step up with one leg and follow with the other. Return to the starting position.
3. Repeat 12 times to see some benefit, and each set three times for optimal results.
Straight Leg, Donkey Kick
1. With your knees and forearms supporting the body go on all fours. Face the floor and ensure you maintain a straight back.
2. Straighten the right leg outwards and behind you whilst keeping the left leg in a bent position at 90 degrees.
3. Keeping the right leg straight, lift it up and toward the ceiling as far as is comfortably possible. Return to start position and repeat with your left leg.
Standing Abductor Raise
1. Holding on to a chair for balance, start with your feet a hip-width apart.
2. Without bending sideways at the waist, lift your leg out to the side – no higher than 45 degrees – using a slow and controlled movement. Hold for one second and return to starting position.
Grant Paul, a San Francisco hacker, says he has cracked the new iPhone 5, less than eight hours after its release to the public.
Grant Paul, who develops software for Apple’s iOS operating system, posted photos on his Twitter page of a “jailbroken” iPhone 5.
Apple ships its iPhones and other mobile devices with restrictions that only allow Apple-approved software to be installed.
However, hackers have worked to “jailbreak” all previous versions of the operating system by exploiting security flaws.
Grant Paul, who develops software for Apple's iOS operating system, posted photos on his Twitter page of a jailbroken iPhone 5
Instructions for stable “jailbreaks” are posted online, which allow normal users to free their phones of Apple’s restrictions.
Tech news site The Next Web reports that Grant Paul’s hack of the new phone is remarkably fast.
The iPhone 5 runs on Apple’s new iOS 6 operating system, which does not have the same security flaws as previous versions of the software.
Other hackers have also found cracks to jailbreak older devices running the new operating system.
The development doesn’t mean a hack is available for lay-users – though it does mean one will likely be online much sooner.
Apple fans lined up around the world to have the first chance at buying the iPhone 5 at 8:00 a.m. on Friday.
At 3:49 p.m. on Friday, Grant Paul tweeted a photo of an iPhone 5 screenshot that included Cydia, the app used to download non-Apple-approved software on jailbroken iPhones.
The implication of the photo was that Grant Paul had been able to download Cydia to his iPhone 5 only because he was successfully able to hack it.
He celebrated the remarkable achievement with an understated tweet: “Taller screens like Cydia too. :)”
As skeptics weighed in, Grant Paul posted a screenshot of the Cydia home page and then a photo of his phone with Cydia on it.
The tech community has largely accepted the pictures as proof that the iPhone 5 has successfully been cracked.
Swiss voters appear to have rejected a total ban on smoking in enclosed public places at a referendum.
Hotels, restaurants and bars are currently allowed to have rooms for smokers but critics say this harms the health of those who work in them.
Restrictions introduced two years ago were watered down after lobbying from the catering trade and tobacco firms.
Swiss voters appear to have rejected a total ban on smoking in enclosed public places at a referendum
With returns from nearly all 26 cantons counted, the full ban seemed to have been rejected convincingly.
Zurich newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung suggested voters had rejected the ban by nearly two-thirds.
In some cantons, more than 70% of voters rejected the ban, according to Geneva newspaper La Tribune de Geneve. Geneva itself bucked the trend by supporting the ban by 52% to 48%.
Geneva and seven other cantons have already imposed their own comprehensive bans on indoor smoking in places of employment while the remaining, smaller cantons have been less restrictive.
Jean-Charles Rielle, a doctor and member of the committee behind the proposal, told AFP news agency before the vote that they wanted to clear up the confusion.
“In the cantons where these laws [banning smoking rooms] are already in effect, we saw immediately… a 20% drop in hospitalization due to cardiovascular incidents, heart attacks and these kinds of problems,” he said.
However, Laurent Terlinchamp, president of Geneva’s association of cafe owners, restaurateurs and hoteliers, said the proposed measures were extreme.
“In Geneva, where the law came in two years ago, we were told that a new clientele would start to come back to establishments,” he said.
“But it’s not the case today because profits are down 10% to 30% depending on the type of business.”
La Tribune de Geneve suggests voters rejected a full ban because they did not want to force the smaller cantons into changing their local laws, and because of resentment at perceived state interference in people’s lives.
LAPD is investigating the apparent drowning of a crew member on the set of forthcoming Johnny Depp film The Lone Ranger, near Los Angeles.
The unnamed 48-year-old diver is thought to have suffered a heart attack while cleaning out a pool that was going to be used in the film.
He was pronounced dead on Friday according to the coroner’s spokesman.
The Lone Ranger, due to be released in July 2013, is a remake of the classic adventure with Johnny Depp as Native American spirit warrior Tonto and Armie Hammer in the title role
Walt Disney studios said: “Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues at this time.”
Spokesman Paul Roeder added in a statement: “Our full support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this terrible event.”
Police revealed the man had been wearing scuba equipment to carry out maintenance on a deep pool on a ranch near Palmdale, in the desert north of Los Angeles, where the Western is being filmed.
It is thought he was preparing a tank for an underwater scene to be shot at a later date.
The Lone Ranger, due to be released in July 2013, is a remake of the classic adventure with Johnny Depp as Native American spirit warrior Tonto and Armie Hammer in the title role.
Siemens has denied allegations that it planted explosive devices inside nuclear equipment destined for Iran.
The German engineering company said it has “no business ties to the Iranian nuclear programme”.
An Iranian MP said the devices had been discovered before they could explode.
Iran is under UN sanctions and the MP did not say where the equipment had come from. Tehran is engaged in a standoff with Western countries which suspect it is building a nuclear bomb.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has rebuked Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Iran is only six or seven months from having “90%” of what it needs to make a nuclear bomb.
He has urged the US to draw a “red line” which, if crossed, would lead to military intervention.
Siemens has denied allegations that it planted explosive devices inside nuclear equipment destined for Iran
Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes, and warned that it will retaliate if it comes under attack.
A senior commander with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that such a conflict would “turn into World War III”.
Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iran’s al-Aram TV that “whether the Zionist regime [Israel] attacks with or without US knowledge, then we will definitely attack US bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Afghanistan”.
On Sunday, Javad Jahangirzadeh, a member of the presiding board of the Iranian parliament, accused the IAEA head Yukiya Amano of passing confidential information about Iran’s nuclear programme to Israel.
The charges against Siemens were made a day earlier by the head of the Iranian parliament’s security committee.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Iranian authorities believed the equipment “was supposed to explode after being put to work, in order to dismantle all our systems”.
“But the wisdom of our experts thwarted the enemy conspiracy.”
Alaeddin Boroujerdi said the explosives were planted at a Siemens factory and the company had to take responsibility.
The Munich-based German firm denied the charge. It said its nuclear division has had no business links with Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“Siemens rejects the allegations and stresses that we have no business ties to the Iranian nuclear program,” spokesman Alexander Machowetz said.
The Iranian accusation raises some intriguing questions:
• Has the Iranian MP simply got it wrong?
• Is Iran buying Siemens equipment through a third party?
• Is there something more underhand going on, with sabotaged equipment being sold with the secret approval of Western intelligence agencies?
In June 2010, a virus – nicknamed Stuxnet – was found to have infected computer systems at Iranian nuclear plants.
It, too, was connected to a Siemens product but the company denied all knowledge.
Unconfirmed reports linked the virus to a government agency, perhaps in the US or Israel.
The latest allegations deepen the mystery, says our Berlin correspondent.
The IAEA has been coming under increasing attack by Iranian officials.
In the latest allegations, Javad Jahangirzadeh was quoted by Iran’s English-language Press TV as saying: “[Yukiya] Amano’s repeated trips to Tel Aviv and asking the Israeli officials’ views about Iran’s nuclear activities indicates that Iran’s nuclear information has been disclosed to the Zionist regime and other enemies of the Islamic Republic.”
Yukiya Amano has made only one visit to Israel in his capacity as IAEA chief, according to Reuters news agency.
Days earlier, Iran’s nuclear chief alleged the IAEA may have been infiltrated by “terrorists and saboteurs”.
Fereydun Abbasi-Davani said explosions had cut power lines to a uranium enrichment facility last month shortly before a visit by IAEA inspectors.
International sanctions against Iran:
US
• Longstanding ban on all trade with Iran except for activities “intended to benefit the Iranian people”
• New sanctions against foreign firms dealing with Iran’s oil sector and central bank
EU
• Restrictions on trade in equipment which could be used for uranium enrichment
• Asset freeze on individuals and organizations linked with nuclear programme
• Export ban on natural gas technology
UN
• Ban on sales of heavy weaponry and nuclear technology to Iran
• Iranian arms exports blocked, and asset freeze for key individuals and firms
• Cargo inspections to detect and stop Iran’s acquisition of illicit materials
Tom Cruise has been a regular fixture in London while filming a new blockbuster, and he was spotted again on Saturday night living it up in the West End.
Tom Cruise, 50, beamed with happiness after he dined at London’s The Ivy restaurant with friends, believed to include Touched by an Angel actress Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett.
The Top Gun star was spotted leaving the plush restaurant wearing his trademark aviators, black trousers and a dark jumper.
Tom Cruise is currently in London filming sci-fiction thriller All You Need Is Kill, which stars the actor as a soldier who dies in during battle against aliens.
Tom Cruise dined at London's The Ivy restaurant with friends, believed to include Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett
However, Tom Cruise finds that he can relive his last day over and over again, and becomes more skilled as time goes on.
Directed by The Bourne Identity’s Doug Liman, the film also stars Emily Blunt and Titanic’s Bill Paxton as the tough leader of Tom Cruise’s platoon.
Since he began filming in London last month, Tom Cruise has managed to find the city’s nightspots with ease, and he was seen leaving Annabel’s private members’ restaurant and nightclub last week in the early morning.
Filming the movie in London has seen criticism aimed Tom Cruise’s way after it was reported it’s been over 50 days since he was publicly spotted with his six-year-old daughter Suri.
However, the actor’s lawyer Bert Fields has hit out at the suggestions Tom Cruise isn’t a devoted father, insisting the Hollywood icon speaks to his daughter “every day”.
Bert Fields added: “Tom has been in England shooting a film. He calls Suri every day, sometimes twice a day.
“He loves Suri and is a constant presence in her life. As in the past, when he’s shooting in a foreign country, he has to rely on daily phone calls.”
Suri Cruise lives with her mother Katie Holmes after her fatherand the former Dawson’s Creek divorced earlier this year.
He was last seen with his daughter during a daddy day out at Disney World in Orlando, Florida on August 16.
Tom Cruise is believed to be considering a permanent base in New York so he can spend more time with his daughter.
At least nine climbers are feared dead and six more are missing in Nepal after an avalanche swept away Europeans and others on Himalayan peak Manaslu.
Officials confirmed two bodies had been recovered while a further seven were spotted on the slopes of Mount Manaslu in the north of the country.
The avalanche struck a base camp near the summit on Saturday, police said.
The two bodies recovered are said to be of a German and a Nepalese guide.
At least nine climbers are feared dead and six more are missing in Nepal after an avalanche swept away Europeans and others on Himalayan peak Manaslu
Police official Basanta Bahadur Kuwar was quoted as saying by the Associated Press that 10 people had survived the avalanche but many among them were injured.
They were being flown to hospitals by rescue helicopters, he added.
Officials are trying to determine exactly how many people were in the climbing party.
Deteriorating weather conditions meant it was impossible to continue air searches of the mountain on Sunday, Basanta Bahadur Kuwar said.
The climbers were caught at 7,000 m (22,960 ft) as they were preparing to head toward the summit, which is 8,156 m high.
“The avalanche hit camp three of the Manaslu peak… resulting in a flood of snow,” said Laxmi Dhakal, head of the Nepalese home ministry’s disaster response division.
Hundreds of foreign climbers head every year for the Himalayas in Nepal, which has eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest.
Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, is considered one of the most dangerous, with dozens of deaths in recent years.
Jill Biden has accidentally cracked a joke about her husband’s manhood on Friday.
Captured on video, this is the moment the Second Lady lost her cool at a New Hampshire campaign event, giggling like a schoolgirl as the crowd roared with delight.
Passionately describing Joe Biden’s work ethic she began: “I’ve seen Joe up close,” making a wide motion with her hands, before blushing as she realised the innuendo she had just made.
“It’s in my remarks, really,” Jill Biden insisted.
Jill Biden has accidentally cracked a joke about her husband's manhood on Friday
A wave of amused titters swept the audience, Jill Biden allowing herself an embarrassed chuckle, but she quickly recovered and persevered, her husband nodding encouragingly behind her, a self-satisfied grin spread across his face.
It didn’t stop there, however.
Having planted the seed, every sentence seemed laden with sexual reference, so much so that Jill Biden was barely able to continue as spectators fell apart were uncontrollable laughter.
The Second Lady’s description of Joe Biden’s “big, strong heart” was no longer as innocent as intended and by the time she got to revealing how she has “heard the urgency in his voice when he comes and talks to people” she was almost drowned out by delighted whooping from the crowd.
And as she fought the urge to laugh, Jill Biden made a badly-timed pause after the word “comes”, which only added to the hilarity.
Jill Biden’s slip-up came as her husband made his own campaign trail faux pas, addressing around 100 high school athletes at Newport High School.
Getting into character with a football cradled beneath his arm the Vice President discussed students’ favorite sports as they stood before him in their various team kits.
Turning to a group of cheerleaders he proclaimed them to be the best athletes in college, the Daily Caller reported.
“You think, I’m joking,” he quipped.
“They’re almost all gymnasts, the stuff they do on hard wood, it blows my mind.”
Swiss citizens are going to the polls to vote on a proposal to ban smoking completely in enclosed public places.
Hotels, restaurants and bars are currently allowed to have rooms for smokers but critics say this harms the health of those who work in them.
Restrictions introduced two years ago were watered down after lobbying from the catering trade and tobacco firms.
Opinion polls show the Swiss – who smoke more than their neighbors – are likely to reject the proposal.
Switzerland is tackling the issue of passive smoking far later than its neighbors Germany, Italy and France, which long ago banned smoking in public places.
Swiss citizens are going to the polls to vote on a proposal to ban smoking completely in enclosed public places
The restrictions finally introduced in Switzerland two years ago were a compromise.
Special smoking rooms were allowed in many public places following lobbying from the hotel and catering trade as well as major tobacco companies whose European headquarters are based in Switzerland.
Critics say the restrictions have also been applied unevenly across Switzerland’s 26 cantons.
Eight cantons, including Geneva, have a total ban on indoor smoking in places of employment – like restaurants and bars – and public spaces – like hospitals – but the remaining 18 cantons apply the law less restrictively.
Jean-Charles Rielle, a doctor and member of the committee behind the proposal, told AFP news agency that they wanted to clear up the confusion.
“In the cantons where these laws [banning smoking rooms] are already in effect, we saw immediately… a 20% drop in hospitalization due to cardiovascular incidents, heart attacks and these kinds of problems,” he said.
Laurent Terlinchamp, president of Geneva’s association of cafe owners, restaurateurs and hoteliers, says the proposed measures are extreme.
“In Geneva, where the law came in two years ago, we were told that a new clientele would start to come back to establishments,” he said.
“But it’s not the case today because profits are down 10% to 30% depending on the type of business.”
The latest opinion poll showed 52% of those questioned opposed the new initiative against 41% in favor and 7% undecided.
The Pakistani PM’s spokesman has condemned a minister’s $100,000 reward for the killing of the maker of amateur anti-Islam video Innocence of Muslims.
Shafqat Jalil said the government “absolutely disassociated” itself from comments by Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour.
Innocence of Muslims, produced in the US, has led to a wave of protests in the Muslim world and many deaths.
The bounty offer came a day after at least 20 died in clashes in Pakistan.
Pakistani Railways Minister offers $100,000 reward for the killing of Innocence of Muslims maker
Friday’s violence, which saw protesters pitted against armed police, occurred in cities throughout Pakistan, with Karachi and Peshawar among the worst hit.
“I will pay whoever kills the makers of this video $100,000,” the minister said.
“If someone else makes other similar blasphemous material in the future, I will also pay his killers $100,000.
“I call upon these countries and say: Yes, freedom of expression is there, but you should make laws regarding people insulting our Prophet. And if you don’t, then the future will be extremely dangerous.”
At one point, he even called for the help of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in killing the filmmaker.
His ANP party, which is part of the governing coalition, said this was a personal statement, not party policy, but added that it would not be taking any action against him.
Shafqat Jalil said: “He is not a member of the [ruling] PPP [Pakistan People’s Party], he is an ANP politician and therefore the prime minister will speak to the head of the ANP to decide the next step. They are not ruling out action against him but say he will stay in his post for now.”
Meanwhile, scores of people were reported to have been injured on Saturday in a clash in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka between police and hundreds of demonstrators.
Police fired tear gas and used batons to disperse stone-throwing protesters who set several vehicles alight, the Associated Press news agency reports.
In Pakistan itself, a peaceful demonstration was held in Islamabad. Protesters marched through the capital and gathered near parliament, chanting slogans against the filmmaker and demanding his punishment.
And in Nigeria, tens of thousands of Muslims marched in the northern city of Kano in a protest that passed off peacefully.
Marchers shouted “death to America, death to Israel and death to the enemies of Islam” in a procession several kilometres long. US and Israeli flags were dragged through the dirt.
The exact origins of Innocence of Muslims, the low-budget film that has prompted the unrest, are unclear.
The alleged producer of the trailer of the film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, is in hiding.
Anti-US sentiment grew after a trailer for the film dubbed into Arabic was released on YouTube earlier this month.
US citizens have been urged not to travel to Pakistan, and the US embassy has paid for adverts on Pakistani TV showing President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the film.
Although US targets have borne the brunt of protests against the film, anti-Western sentiment has been stoked further by caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published this week in the satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo.
France shut embassies and other missions in about 20 countries across the Muslim world on Friday.
Don’t be fooled by the name: Skinny the cat is one hefty feline.
Skinny weighs 41 pounds and he needs a home.
A Dallas-area animal shelter has cared for the 5-year-old orange tabby since getting a call about a stray in a yard about a week ago.
But now the “special needs” animal is looking for a loving home and going up for adoption.
Skinny weighs 41 pounds and he needs a home
Kim Chapin with Richardson Animal Services said on Friday that Skinny is “very sweet” – and the largest cat she’s seen in 21 years with the shelter.
Not surprising.
U.S. government growth charts show Skinny weighs about as much as the average 4-year-old child.
Skinny weighs an average of 25 pounds more than the average feline. But the Texas cat isn’t the heaviest kitty on record.
Himmy the Australian cat tipped the scales around 47 pounds, according to Guinness World Records, which retired the category to discourage the overfeeding of porky pets – The Dallas Morning News reported.
Kim Chapin says Skinny appears healthy except for being overweight and likely having diabetes.
He is listed as a “special needs” cat and his new owners will need to closely monitor his diet and exercise.
Another worker for the shelter, Noura Jammal, described Skinny as a “loving cat”, adding that he “loves to have his belly rubbed”.
“He really needs to exercise, go to a vet and go on a diet,” she added.
Kim Chapin says somebody apparently had been caring for the cat but officials aren’t sure who owned the huge kitty.
With nearly a quarter of a century of music under their belts, Green Day certainly have plenty of material.
So perhaps it is understandable why Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong went on a foul-mouthed tirade after his band’s playing time was cut to make way for Usher at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas.
The 40-year-old Dookie star flew off the handle when he discovered 20 minutes were getting shaved off their set to make room for more mainstream acts.
It all kicked off when he noticed that producers had run down his time to one minute.
The pint-sized punk stopped performing mid-song, pointed out the clock to the audience, and then started ranting and swearing uncontrollably.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong went on a foul-mouthed tirade after his band's playing time was cut to make way for Usher at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas
He said: “You’re going to give me one minute? One f***ing minute? I’ve been around since f***ing ninteen eighty f***ing eight and you’re going to give me one f***ing minute?
“I’m not f***ing Justin Bieber, you motherf***ers.”
Ironically, Billie Joe Armstrong was actually in error, as the band he founded actually started playing in 1987.
He said the word f*** more than 20 times in the single minute he had left, before organizers turned his microphone off.
But the angry star was not finished as he decided to smash up his guitar onstage.
As the hot-tempered entertainer walked off, he had some final words to say, telling fans: “We’ll be back.”
Not everyone was happy at his behavior though, with one fan saying on YouTube: “I think he deserves to be mad, but why the hell did he was cursing like that?
“I’m a big Green Day fan, but I think he didn’t have to do all this drama ON the stage because that was so unprofessional, and also that Bieber comment was really unnecessary.
“And also that “f***ing” “f***” “f***/ers” words every 2 seconds…”
After becoming an underground success, Green Day’s major label debut Dookie in 1994 helped revive interest in the flailing genre.
It ended up selling more than 10 million copies in the US alone.
They have continued to be a successful touring and recording unit, with their last album 21st Century Breakdown being their biggest chart success to date.
It reached number one in the US, UK and Europe, and won a Grammy award for best rock album.
Lady Gaga has always caused controversy with her outfits ever since catapulting to fame, and no one thought she could out-do herself following her infamous meat dress get-up.
But it seems that even Lady Gaga has outdone herself with her latest outlandish ensemble.
Only Lady Gaga would consider walking through the streets of Paris in what can only be described as a pink and blue blancmange-style dress.
The singer made her way to her concert in the French capital on Saturday evening in the bizarre frock which seemed to have been made out of felt like a puppet outfit.
Only Lady Gaga would consider walking through the streets of Paris in what can only be described as a pink and blue blancmange-style dress
Lady Gaga drew even more looks than she usually does as the singer, and the large suit, made its way to the gig venue.
But it wasn’t only the vibrant colored suit which stood out, thanks to Lady Gaga’s odd shades and electric blue patent platform boots.
For once her hair seemed fairly plain in its brunette color worn down to her shoulders, while her make-up also looked relatively simple.
But she hardly required anything further to draw attention to herself as she calmly walked out of the Park Hyatt Vendome Hotel in the city.
And her waiting fans went so mad for her she even reportedly caused a crush as she made her getaway ready to perform for the Little Monster fans.
Anderson Cooper admitted on Friday that CNN had come across the late Ambassador Christopher Stevens’ personal journal and used parts of it in its reporting without disclosing the source.
On Wednesday on his show Anderson Cooper 360, the CNN host told Senator John McCain that “a source familiar with Ambassador Stevens’ thinking told us that in the months before his death he talked about being worried about the never-ending security threats that he was facing in Benghazi, and specifically about the rise in Islamist extremism and growing al Qaeda presence”.
Anderson Cooper added that “the source also mentioned [Stevens] being on an al Qaeda hit list”.
Two days later, Anderson Cooper acknowledged that CNN had obtained Christopher Stevens’ journal, and that some of the information regarding the late ambassador’s thought process in the months leading to the deadly September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was drawn from his entries.
Anderson Cooper admitted that CNN had come across the late Ambassador Christopher Stevens' personal journal and used parts of it in its reporting without disclosing the source
“On Wednesday of this week, we reported that a source familiar with Ambassador Stevens’ thinking said in the months before his death, Ambassador Stevens talked about being worried about what he called the never-ending security threats in Benghazi,” Anderson Cooper told his viewers Friday night.
“We also reported that the ambassador specifically mentioned the rise in Islamic extremism, the growing al Qaeda presence in Libya and said he was on an al Qaeda hit list.
“The information for that report, like all of CNN’s reporting, was carefully vetted. Some of that information was found in a personal journal of Ambassador Stevens in his handwriting.
“We came upon the journal through our reporting and notified the family. At their request, we returned that journal to them. We reported what we found newsworthy in the ambassador’s writings. A reporter followed up on what we found newsworthy, as I said, in the ambassador’s writings,” Anderson Cooper concluded.
Shortly after 1: 00 a.m. on Saturday, CNN published a story without a by-line on its website explaining how the journal came into its possession, and how the information it contains was used in the network’s reporting.
According to the article, CNN found Christopher Stevens’ journal four days after the ambassador was killed by Libyans protesting an anti-Muslim film produced by an American filmmaker.
The rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) has announced that it has moved its command centre from Turkey to “liberated areas” inside Syria.
A video posted on YouTube appeared to show the leader of the FSA, Riad al-Asaad, confirming the move.
General Riad al-Asaad does not say in the video when the move took place, or where in Syria the FSA’s new headquarters are.
The FSA is the most prominent of the armed groups fighting to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Thousands of Syrians have died since the initially peaceful uprising began in March 2011, with activist groups putting the toll at over 25,000.
The FSA’s move into Syria was made the previous week and “aimed to unite all rebel groups”, Brig Gen Mustafa al-Sheikh of the FSA’s military council told the Associated Press news agency.
The video which appears to show Gen. Riad al-Asaad announcing the move is entitled Communique Number One From The Inside.
In it, he says that the relocation had happened “after successful arrangements the FSA made earlier in collaboration with the combat battalions and brigades to secure liberated areas”.
He goes on to say the FSA will fight “side by side” with “all brigades and factions” until victory.
Gen. Riad al-Asaad adds the capital, Damascus, will be “liberated soon, God willing” but also rejects the idea that the FSA is seeking to replace the current regime.
The Syrian people must agree on any new government, he says.
FSA has announced that it has moved its command centre from Turkey to liberated areas inside Syria
The move is significant as the FSA has previously been criticized for leading from Turkey and being out of touch with realities on the ground.
It now seems the FSA has territory it feels is reliably under their control.
The new command centre, in a secret location, will clearly be highly vulnerable to air attack by the regime – something that could increase pressure for some kind of international air cover for the “liberated areas”.
Meanwhile, in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, a government offensive against districts where rebels have been operating has reportedly been continuing.
Graphic footage posted online on Saturday appears to show the aftermath of an airstrike in the Al-Missar quarter of the city.
Residents are shown trying to pull dead bodies from the rubble, including those of two young children.
The UK-based opposition group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at nine people had died in a strike in Al-Missar.
The city has been the scene of rebel activity and heavy government bombardment for weeks.
Fighting was also reported by the Observatory between rebels and government forces in the western part of Aleppo province.
The Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of anti-government activists based inside Syria, said 66 people had been killed in and around Damascus on Saturday, where clashes between rebels and government forces have also been raging in recent weeks.
The LCC put the toll in Aleppo on Saturday at 47.
Also on Saturday, the Lebanese military said FSA rebels had attacked a Lebanese army border post near the town of Arsal.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that this was the second time in less than a week that the FSA had infiltrated Lebanese territory. Military reinforcements have now been moved to the area.
Mitt Romney today overcame one hurdle on the path to the White House – he was declared healthy enough to be the President of the United States.
Mitt Romney, 65, was described by his personal doctor as “a healthy-appearing, energetic, strong, physically fit male” in a letter released by his campaign on Friday.
Those considering voting for him will doubtless be relieved to hear that he has never suffered from HIV, cancer or epilepsy, and does not take illegal drugs.
But the document revealed that Mitt Romney does have some medical issues – he is allergic to penicillin, has an enlarged prostate, and takes daily drugs to combat his high cholesterol.
The former governor of Massachusetts and his running mate Paul Ryan each released a message from their doctors designed to show that the pair have the physical ability to take on the presidency and vice-presidency.
Mitt Romney’s doctor is Randall D. Gaz, of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who has been treating the politician since 1989.
Mitt Romney was declared healthy enough to be the President of the United States
His letter noted that the candidate has been involved in few major medical emergencies, bar ‘a concussion and fractures’ sustained in a car crash in 1968.
But Dr. Randall D. Gaz revealed that his patient takes aspirin and Lipitor daily – though never penicillin, to which Mitt Romney has an allergy.
The doctor praised Mr Romney’s healthy lifestyle and “high fiber diet”, saying: “He totally abstains from drinking any alcoholic beverages, and does not use any tobacco products or illicit drugs.”
As a Mormon, the former governor is forbidden from using alcohol, tobacco and narcotics.
Mitt Romney’s resting heart rate is apparently “in the 40s” – more characteristic of a professional athlete than a senior citizen.
However, Dr. Randall D. Gaz warned that the Romney family had a history of heart problems and prostate cancer, adding that his patient knew to monitor signs related to these conditions.
The letter set out a summary of Mitt Romney’s most recent physical exam, which took place last month and “revealed a healthy-appearing, energetic, strong, physically fit male” who “appears years younger than his age”.
Dr. Randall D. Gaz concluded with a thorough endorsement of his patient’s medical health – and what appears to be an endorsement of his political ambitions too.
“He is vigorous man who takes excellent care of his personal physical health,” the letter said.
“He has reserves of strength, energy and stamina that provide him with the ability to meet unexpected demands.
“There are no physical impairments that should interfere with his rigorous and demanding political career as the next president of the United States.”
Paul Ryan, the 42-year-old Wisconsin congressman, is known for his exercise regime and is intensely proud of his own physical fitness.
Brian P. Monahan, Attending Physician to the U.S. Congress, said Paul Ryan’s “overall health is excellent” despite his family history of fatal heart attacks.
According to the doctor’s letter, the congressman does not smoke and his alcohol use is “infrequent”.
Barack Obama releases the results of his annual physical, which last year declared him in excellent health and praised him for quitting smoking.
Lady Gaga revealed her 25 lb weight gain during a radio interview this week.
And the singer kept her fuller frame covered up in a leopard-print dress while arriving at her Paris hotel on Friday night.
Lady Gaga, 26, hid her new curves under the dramatic zip-up dress with wide peplum hips, which she wore with Victorian-style black platform booties.
Mother Monster was clearly more interested in showing off her new cherub tattoo on the back of her partially shaved head – inked in honor of photographer Terry Richardson’s deceased mother – by pulling her reddish brown hair and wig into an elaborate top-knot towards her crown.
Not in France tonight was Lady Gaga’s on/off boyfriend Vampire Diaries star Taylor Kinney, who will next be seen in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.
Lady Gaga shows off her new cherub tattoo on the back of her partially shaved head
Earlier this week Lady Gaga told radio host Elvis Duran that she is “dieting now” after eating too much “pizza and pasta” on the road for her Born This Way tour.
“I really don’t feel bad about it, not even for a second,” Lady Gaga said.
“I have to be on such a strict diet constantly. It’s hard because it’s a quite vigorous show, so I tend to bulk up, get muscular, and I really don’t like that. So I’m trying to find a new balance.”
Lady Gaga also said she picked up her carb-loving eating habits from her dad Joe Germanotta, who owns Joanne Trattoria, a New York restaurant.
“It’s so freaking delicious, but I’m telling you I gain five pounds every time I go in there. So my dad wants me to eat at the restaurant, and I’m, like, I’ve got to go where I can drink green juice.”
But it wasn’t the star’s figure that was grabbing people’s attention as she took to the stage in Amsterdam on Tuesday night.
Lady Gaga was seen mid-show lighting a big joint of marijuana and inhaling it during a break.
Praising the “wondrous” drug, the singer told fans she had cut down on drinking alcohol because she prefers smoking the substance.
Lady Gaga was quoted as telling The Sun newspaper: “I want you to know it has totally changed my life and I’ve really cut down on drinking.
“It has been a totally spiritual experience for me with my music. It’s like saying everybody needs to take a breath and it’s going to be OK.”
Lady Gaga has been open about how hard she usually works to maintain her trim physique, and caused controversy earlier this year by revealing her diet habits.
Writing on her Twitter page, she said: “Just killed back to back spin classes. Eating a salad dreaming of a cheeseburger #PopSingersDontEat #IWasBornThisWay.”
The tweet angered many of her 29 million Twitter followers.
The five-time Grammy winner, who’s admitted to having eating disorders as a teenager, is set to make her debut film appearance in Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming movie Machete Kills.
Raffaella Fico, Mario Balotelli’s ex-girlfriend, took to the catwalk to show off her baby bump at Milan Fashion Week on Saturday afternoon.
Raffaella Fico, 24, sashayed up and down the runway in a series of bikinis that showed off her growing bump.
Modelling for Pin Up Stars, Raffaella Fico did what she does best as she got back to her day job as a professional model.
With her long dark brown hair given extra volume she combed it back and swept it to one side as she wanted the sole focus to be on her bump.
Instead of covering up in a full swimming costume she opted to wear a few bikinis to highlight her swollen tummy.
Raffaella Fico, Mario Balotelli’s ex-girlfriend, took to the catwalk to show off her baby bump at Milan Fashion Week on Saturday afternoon
The model walked down the catwalk in a strapless yellow top with matching bottom, and added a bright green lace belt around her hips.
Raffaella Fico also wore a pair of gold strappy heels which she teamed with matching chunky bracelets and necklace.
She also slipped into a white bikini that featured a cartoon picture of a monkey on each cup.
Czech model Petra Němcová also took to the catwalk and looked more natural as she displayed a toned torso but also sported big hair.
Petra Němcová, 33, may be the more popular model internationally but Raffaella Fico was given special recognition by the designer at the end of the show.
Mario Balotelli and Raffaella Fico split in April after a tempestuous year-long relationship ended with a doorstep row, and then at the start of the month, she revealed she was almost four months pregnant and the baby was his.
Initially it was reported that Mario Balotelli was “delighted” with the news but then the footballer issued a statement in which he said he would “accept his full responsibilities once a paternity test” had been taken to establish if he really was the father.
Raffaella Fico’s then wrote a passionate letter, which was published in glossy Italian weekly Chi, in which she spoke in loving terms of Mario Balotelli and made it clear that she still has feelings for him – even though he has insisted there is no chance of a reconciliation.
She wrote: “This child I desire with all my heart and I want it because it is not a child that arrived by chance but instead it is the fruit of love between two people and you know well what I am talking about.
“This letter was the only way I could speak to you. I am happy to take the DNA test but I still have the text messages you sent me from Krakow (during Euro 2012) in which you said you were happy with the news I had given you.”
Oktoberfest 2012, the 179th edition of the world’s most famous beer festival, has begun on September, 22, at the Theresienwiese fairground in Munich (München), Germany.
September, 22 is also the day of autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere, which brought a heavy rain to Munich.
At the “Schottenhamel” beer tent, Mayor Christian Ude performed the traditional ritual and inserted the first tap into the first keg of Oktoberfest-beer. “O’zapft is!” (“It is tapped!”), he cried into the microphone and wished everyone a peaceful Oktoberfest. The traditional opening ceremony also included a 12-gun salute.
The first mug of beer was offered to the Bavarian prime-minister Horst Seehofer and after that all the other beer tents could start selling beer. The event was broadcast on live TV and via the Internet.
According to the official website of the Oktoberfest, “The Schottenhamel tent, which in 1867 was just a small beer booth with 50 seats, has become the largest Wiesn tent with circa 10,000 seats. The Schottenhamel is the favourite hunting ground for Munich’s young people, who meet there to drink and party.” The Wiesn is the festival area.
Oktoberfest 2012 has started on September, 22, in Munich, Germany. The Wiesn, festival area, has over 26 hectares.
With around 12,000 waiters and waitresses expected to serve more than seven million “mass” (liter-sized glasses) in 35 tents, Oktoberfest 2012 will be an enormous party, stretching on over 65 acres (26 hectares).
The German folk fest features beer tents, oompah bands (a form of popular German music), sales booths, souvenir shops, carnival rides and restaurants serving traditional delicacies.
There are six different breweries that provide their own Oktoberfest beers, Augustinerbrauerei, Hacker-Pschorrbrauerei, Löwenbrauerei, Paulanerbrauerei, Spatenbrauerei and Staatliches Hofbräuhaus.
Only Munich beer from the proven traditional Munich breweries which satisfy the Munich purity standards of 1487 and the German purity standards of 1906 may be served.
This year, a “mass” will be sold between 9.10 euros and 9.50 euros ($12.30), a rise of 3.9 percent since last year, and of 43 percent over a decade.
Beer is the major source of income at Oktoberfest. In 2011 over 7.5 million liters of beer were sold, setting an all-time beer record.
Bavarian delicacies such as radishes, obatzda (specially garnished cream cheese), sausages and roast chicken or spicy fish grilled on a skewer will be served with the beer. Another Wiesn specialty is the ox roasted on a spit at the Ochsenbraterei.
Over six million drinkers will consume tens of thousands of giant soft pretzels, pork, dumplings and other delicacies. Last year, party-goers ate 118 oxen, 53 calves and thousands of chickens.
German waitress wearing traditional outfit.
Oktoberfest is also a traditional German folk festival, a showcase for Bavarian culture.
Women wear a traditional outfit, long Dirndl, a bodice, a skirt, a blouse and an apron, lace-up dresses with plunging necklines, and men wear lederhosen or suede knee breeches. Also, the revelers take part in processions of regional costumes.
At the opening of the Oktoberfest there is a ceremony of the entry of the festival hosts and breweries, which has been the same since 1887. The families of the festival arrive in coaches adorned with flowers, along with the bands, waitresses on decorated carriages. The procession is led off by the “Münchner Kindl” – Munich’s symbolic figure – on horseback, followed by the festival coach of the Lord Mayor.
The procession of folklore and marksmen groups takes place on the first Sunday of the Oktoberfest. About 9,000 persons from Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Norway, Poland and Switzerland participate in this seven-kilometer long parade. There are people in historical uniforms, marksmen, folklore groups, local bands and thoroughbred horses. This procession was held for the first time in 1835 on the occasion of the silver wedding anniversary of Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria.
A big band open-air concert of all Oktoberfest bands with some 300 musicians takes place on the second Sunday of the festival. For the grand finale of the Oktoberfest on the last Sunday, some 60 marksmen give a farewell salute.
Initially intended as a celebration to commemorate a royal wedding, the marriage of the prince of Bavaria, Ludwig I, to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, Oktoberfest began in 1810.
The event was cancelled during two cholera outbreaks, two world wars, Napoleon’s invasion of Bavaria and the hyperinflation of the 1920s.
The festival has evolved into a holiday celebrating all things German, especially the brewing of märzen, the traditional Oktoberfest beer.
Oktoberfest has been adopted in places near and far from its Bavarian home, and is held across entire Germany and also in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Russia, and the United States.
Oktoberfest 2012 runs from September 23 to October 7.
