Billionaire George Soros has bought a stake in Manchester United football club, a US regulatory filing showed.
George Soros’ investment fund bought about 3.1 million Class A shares in the club, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Class A shares carry one vote each, compared with 10 votes for every Class B share.
The club floated on the US stock market earlier this month.
Billionaire George Soros has bought a stake in Manchester United football club
While the figure was less than originally hoped, the flotation valued the club at more than $2.3 billion, making it one of the biggest sports clubs in the world.
Manchester United has been controlled since 2005 by the Glazer family, the billionaire US sports investors who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football franchise.
About half of the $233 million that the club raised from its flotation will go to paying off the club’s debts, with the rest going to the Glazers.
Manchester United’s shares on Monday closed down 2.7% at $13.06, after hitting a fresh low of $12.91 earlier in the day.
Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s prime minister, has died at the age of 57, state media say, after weeks of illness.
Meles Zenawi died in a hospital abroad, said state media and a government spokesman, but they did not say exactly where or give details of his ailment.
Speculation about his health mounted when he missed an African Union summit in Addis Ababa last month.
Meles Zenawi took power as the leader of rebels that ousted communist leader Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1991.
He had dominated Ethiopian public life since the 1990s, as president and then prime minister.
He was austere and hardworking, with a discipline forged from years spent in the guerrilla movement – and almost never smiled.
Meles Zenawi died in a hospital abroad, said state media and a government spokesman, but they did not say exactly where or give details of his ailment
“Prime Minister Meles Zenawi passed away yesterday [Monday] evening at around midnight,” government spokesman Bereket Simon said, adding that he was “abroad” when he died, according to AFP news agency.
“He had been recuperating well, but suddenly something happened and he had to be rushed to the ICU [intensive care unit] and they couldn’t keep him alive.”
State television said he had died after contracting a “sudden” infection.
Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, who is also Ethiopia’s foreign minister, will be acting head of government, state television said.
“Even if Ethiopia has been badly affected for missing its great leader, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi initiated fundamental policies and strategies which will be further strengthened,” the TV said.
Meles Zenawi had not been seen in public for some eight weeks prior to his death, and was reported to have been admitted to hospital in July.
But three weeks ago, the spokesman Bereket Simon said he was in “a good condition and recuperating”, and dismissed reports he was critically ill.
At the time he declined to give any details about Meles Zenawi’ whereabouts or what he was suffering from.
But reports suggested Meles Zenawi was in hospital in Belgium, suffering from a stomach complaint.
President Barack Obama has said the use of chemical weapons by Syria would be a “red line” that would change his thinking on intervention in the crisis.
Barack Obama said he had “at this point not ordered military engagement”.
But he added: “There would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons.”
Earlier the new UN special envoy to Syria faced criticism for refusing to say whether President Bashar al-Assad must quit.
Barack Obama, speaking to reporters at a White House briefing, said the deployment or use of biological weapons would widen the conflict in the region.
He said: “It doesn’t just include Syria. It would concern allies in the region, including Israel, and it would concern us.”
He warned President Bashar al-Assad and “other players on the ground” about the use or movement of such weapons.
He said: “A red line for us is [if] we see a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around, or being utilized. That would change my calculus.”
President Barack Obama has said the use of chemical weapons by Syria would be a "red line" that would change his thinking on intervention in the crisis
Syria holds the world’s fourth-largest stockpile of chemical weapons. Last month a Syrian foreign ministry spokesman said the weapons would never be deployed inside Syria.
However, the US has seen unconfirmed reports recently that the Syrian authorities have been moving the country’s chemical arms stockpile.
Fighting continued in several Syrian cities on Monday, including Damascus, Deraa and Aleppo.
A Japanese journalist, Mika Yamamoto, was killed by gunfire in Aleppo, the country’s foreign ministry has confirmed.
Mika Yamamoto, 45, was a veteran war reporter, working for Japan Press.
The UN says more than 18,000 people have been killed in the conflict, 170,000 have fled Syria and 2.5 million need aid within the country.
Earlier on Monday, the UN’s new envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi said he was “not in a position to say yet” whether President Assad should go, but was “committed to finding a solution”.
Lakhdar Brahimi, a former Algerian foreign minister, last week succeeded Kofi Annan who resigned after both sides largely ignored his peace plan.
On Sunday, UN observers ended their mission to verify its implementation.
Their departure came after the UN Security Council agreed to allow their mandate to expire at midnight, and instead set up a new civilian office in Damascus to pursue political contacts that might lead to peace.
Since being confirmed as the new UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi has acknowledged that he has no concrete ideas of how to end the conflict, which he believes has been a civil war for some time.
On Monday, he said he was not ready to say whether President Assad should step down despite widespread international condemnation of his government’s crackdown on dissent since protests erupted in March 2011.
“I am not in a position to say yet, because I was appointed a couple of days ago. I am going to New York for the first time to see the people who I am going to work for, and I am going to Cairo see the Arab League,” he explained.
After announcing his resignation, Lakhdar Brahimi’s predecessor, Kofi Annan, said: “It is clear that President Bashar al-Assad must leave office.”
The main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council (SNC), said Lakhdar Brahimi’s stance showed “disregard for the blood of the Syrian people and their right of self-determination” and demanded he apologize.
Lakhdar Brahimi stressed that he was “committed to finding a solution full stop”.
“I am a mediator. I haven’t joined any Syrian party. I am a mediator and a mediator has to speak to anybody and everybody without influence or interest,” he added.
“Then I’ll make up my mind about what to say and what to do.”
Duchess of Alba and her husband Alfonso Diez were today spotted enjoying a sunshine break on the island of Formentera.
The two, accompanied by a friend, took a cooling dip in the sea and enjoyed strolls along the beach.
With the typically extrovert duchess clad in a bright floral bikini and her friend in a cut-away cerise swimsuit, the threesome was sure to attract plenty of attention.
Duchess of Alba, 86, and Alfonso Diez, 61, married after much controversy in a ceremony last October; the bride, an eccentric billionaire with more titles than Queen Elizabeth II; her groom a civil servant young enough to be her son.
Alfonso Diez is the duchess’s third husband and 25 years her junior.
Duchess of Alba and her husband Alfonso Diez were today spotted enjoying a sunshine break on the island of Formentera
It emerged ahead of the wedding that the twice-widowed duchess had divided her $5 billion fortune between her six children to convince them that her suitor was besotted with her rather than her money.
Once they had realized the romance between their mother and Alfonso Diez was becoming serious her children had mounted a campaign to block any possible marriage.
They suggested publicly that she was emotionally unstable and even attempted to enlist the King of Spain in their efforts.
The duchess’s answer was to gift her five sons and daughter with their inheritance in advance.
Alfonso Diez also relinquished rights to his wife-to-be’s fortune in an effort to appease her heirs and convince them that he was not a gold-digger.
She did not give up her fortune to marry, rather designated who it will go to once she dies and until then remains in control of the House of Alba in its entirety, but her actions were enough to persuade most of Alfonso Diez’s detractors – and at least the four children that attended the wedding – that their love was real.
The colorful Spanish Royal wed her toyboy in a 15th century palace in Seville last October.
The eccentric Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart wore a delicate pale pink gown designed by Victorio y Lucchino for her third marriage, which took place in front of 38 guests.
Well-wishers donned fancy dress and wigs in an attempt to copy her quirky style as they celebrated in the city’s streets.
The duchess is a distant relative of Winston Churchill and Princess Diana and is among Spain’s most famous people.
Known now for her frizzy white hair, squeaky voice and wildly colorful clothes she entered Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed list in 2009 at the age of 83.
A bit of controversy is nothing new in the life of this multi-titled octogenarian.
Last year, Duchess of Alba was at the centre of a sex scandal when Spanish magazine Interviu published a 30-year-old picture on its front cover of the duchess sunbathing topless in Ibiza.
In July 2011 the duchess won damages of over $390,000 from a TV station that claimed she cheated on her first husband with a flamenco dancer.
She doesn’t really need the monet though.
Her fortune is estimated at around $5 billion but with a large chunk of her wealth tied up in property and art the figure could be up to $3.2 billion higher.
Upon her death each of the duchess’s children is now guaranteed to receive significant properties: her eldest, the future Duke of Alba, Carlos will become director of the Alba foundation and control both the Palacio de Liria and the Palacio de Monterrey, while the youngest and only daughter, Eugenia, gets a palace in Ibiza and a vast estate in Andalusia.
Duchess of Alba and Alfonso Diez, a social security administration employee, are old acquaintances through her second husband, who was a former priest, and Diez’s brother.
They bumped into each other about three years ago outside a cinema in Madrid and eventually started dating.
Apple, the world’s most valuable firm, is now the most valuable company of all time, with a market value of approximately $623 billion.
Apple has now surpassed Microsoft’s record of $620.58 billion set in 1999. However that figure is not adjusted for inflation.
The news comes ahead of the anticipated launch of the iPhone 5, and possibly a smaller and cheaper iPad.
Apple, the world's most valuable firm, is now the most valuable company of all time, with a market value of approximately $623 billion
Apple shares hit $664.74 in New York midday trading, before falling to $663.
That was $14.98, or 2.3%, higher than Friday’s close.
There is also speculation that Apple plans to make a TV set.
However, despite its market valuation, Apple, like many US companies, faces a number of challenges.
The strength of the US dollar against the euro and other currencies makes US-made goods more expensive overseas. Added to that, the faltering economic recovery in the United States, combined with recession in major markets such as Europe, is also making it more difficult to sell consumer electronics.
Apple also faces stiff competition from Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and HTC’s One X smartphones.
At least seven people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a bomb attack in Gaziantep, south-eastern Turkey, security sources and media say.
The suspected car bomb exploded close to a police station in Gaziantep, Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported.
Police officers were reported to be among the casualties and media showed a bus and other vehicles on fire.
At least seven people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a bomb attack in Gaziantep
No group has so far said it carried out the attack.
However, rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) are active in south-eastern Turkey, which has a Kurdish majority.
Gaziantep’s governor Erdal Ata said the explosion had been caused by a remote-controlled car bomb, the Dogan agency said.
Earlier on Monday, two Turkish soldiers were killed and another wounded in a mine blast in south-eastern Hakkari province. Turkish officials blamed the attack on the PKK.
Clashes between the PKK – which seeks autonomy for the Kurds – and Turkey’s armed forces have increased in south-eastern Turkey over the past year.
Far-right Austrian politician Heinz-Christian Strache has caused anger after posting a cartoon on Facebook, likened to anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda.
Heinz-Christian Strache posted a caricature of a banker with a hooked nose, wearing Star of David cufflinks.
Austrian Jewish leader Oskar Deutsch likened it to images used by the Nazis in the 1930s.
Heinz-Christian Strache, who leads the Freedom Party, has denied he was being anti-Semitic.
Heinz-Christian Strache posted a caricature of a banker with a hooked nose, wearing Star of David cufflinks
The cartoon was posted on Saturday, accompanied by a comment from Heinz-Christian Strache decrying “EU banking speculators” for taking tax money from Austrians.
On Sunday Heinz-Christian Strache posted a second version, labelled in English. The Star of David emblems had been removed from the banker’s cufflinks and the shape of his nose had also been changed.
Both images show another figure labelled “The Government” pouring a drink for the banker, while a third, poorly clothed and thin figure labelled “The People”, sits opposite the banker with a bone on his plate.
“It is not a coincidence that a caricature of Jews, similar to the ones in <<Der Stuermer>> in the 1930s and 1940s, appeared on the Facebook page of Freedom Party leader Mr. Strache,” Oskar Deutsch said, referring to a newspaper published by the Nazis.
Austrian politicians from both centre-left and conservative parties have condemned the cartoon.
The conservative People’s Party called on the Freedom Party (FPO) to address “the incendiary and discriminating tones within the party itself”.
A lawyer in Vienna has also said he will sue the FPO for holocaust denial, which is illegal in Austria.
Heinz-Christian Strache and the FPO have frequently faced accusations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
On Sunday Heinz-Christian Strache responded to the backlash with a further comment on Facebook saying he did not tolerate anti-Semitism and insisted that he was highlighting his scorn for “the caste of greedy bankers”.
Beach-goers in Qingdao, in China’s north-eastern Shandong province, are donning slightly scary nylon masks to protect themselves when they take to the sand.
The mask, which was invented by a local around seven years ago, is used to block the sun’s harmful rays so wearers don’t have to apply sun tan lotion.
The mask is now under mass production and is on sale at swimwear stores along Shandong province’s East China Sea coast.
Beach-goers in Qingdao are donning slightly scary nylon masks to protect themselves when they take to the sand
The sea port city of Qingdao is famous for its beaches, which are noted for their clear water, mild waves and soft sand.
The beautiful scenery and their European feel are also compared to Hawaii, Bali or Samet Island in Thailand.
A new research reveals your long-lasting bright lipstick could contain a host of chemicals that may seriously harm your health.
Concerns are growing about links to muscle problems, hormone disruption and poisoning by heavy metals, as well as raised risks of allergies and even a form of arthritis.
Among the substances sparking alarm are chemicals such as parabens, methacrylate, lead and cadmium.
The latest to hit the headlines is a substance called triclosan, which is used as a preservative in popular lipsticks. Research out last week linked triclosan to muscle and heart problems. The chemical has also sparked fears that it causes bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics and turn into superbugs.
Johnson & Johnson, the producer of Listerine mouthwash and Neutrogena soap, has pledged to remove triclosan – along with a host of other worrying chemicals – from all of its skincare products.
The latest research on triclosan suggests that it may hinder the process by which muscles – including the heart – receive signals from the brain.
Molecular bioscientist Professor Isaac Pessah found a “dramatic” 25% reduction in heart function within 20 minutes of laboratory mice being exposed to triclosan. He warned that there is “strong evidence” that it could affect human health. His study also found that triclosan can seriously reduce muscle power.
Previous studies have found that triclosan may have links to thyroid and fertility problems. It may increase women’s levels of male hormones – androgens – causing symptoms such as acne, weight gain, excessive hair growth, menstrual dysfunction, and infertility.
The chemical is under investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over fears that it damages people’s health. The European Commission says it is legal for humans, but its use remains “under evaluation”.
A new research reveals your long-lasting bright lipstick could contain a host of chemicals that may seriously harm your health
The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) in UK has dismissed the latest research as irrelevant because it only involved tests on mice rather than humans. The association adds that the amounts of triclosan used in the experiments exceeded the maximum permitted levels in cosmetics.
It stresses that all cosmetic products sold in the UK are controlled by European safety legislation, adding: “There are many false allegations levelled against cosmetics manufacturers, accusing them of selling unsafe products and using harmful ingredients. These allegations are just that, false.”
However, mounting concerns over the effects of such “safety-approved” chemicals last week moved the skincare giant Johnson & Johnson to announce that it will go far beyond the current requirements of European and American regulators.
It has pledged to remove a host of potentially harmful chemicals from its products, including triclosan and parabens – a type of preservative commonly found in lipstick.
There are concerns that parabens may act like the female hormone oestrogen and interfere with women’s menstrual cycles. Research by Dr. Philippa Darbre, an oncologist at the University of Reading, has even linked parabens to an increased risk of breast cancer.
Investigators have also found other worrying chemicals in some lipsticks. A report in the Journal of Hazardous Materials in 2010, for example, examined the ingredients of a broad range of lipsticks, and discovered that they often contain significant amounts of heavy metals – namely cadmium and chromium.
These are linked to problems such as dermatitis (skin inflammation) and possible kidney damage in the long term.
“Their extraction from the human body takes over 40 years,” the study warned.
Similar studies have found lipsticks containing methacrylate, a form of adhesive, which can irritate the skin.
Some research even links lipstick use with the development of a chronic and severe arthritis- a type of auto immune disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The condition makes sufferers produce antibodies that attack healthy tissue, and this leads to inflammation and damage. Lupus can affect the skin, joints and internal organs, including the kidneys.
In 2008, investigators at Tufts Medical Centre in Boston examined the results of previous research studies into this, and concluded that “using lipstick at least three days a week is significantly associated with an increased risk of SLE”.
Women who started wearing lipstick before the age of 16 have significantly higher risk levels, as do women who wear it seven days a week. The researchers suggested that the lupus may be set off by chemicals and heavy metals in lipstick being absorbed by the sensitive tissues that line the cheeks and the back of the lips, called the buccal mucosa.
Perhaps the best-known worry about lipsticks concerns lead poisoning which builds up over time in the body and can cause brain and nerve damage.
Manufacturers don’t actually add lead to lipstick: it’s naturally present in the minerals they use for bright pigments.
Lead levels in lipsticks have been studied by the American safety watchdog, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In its most recent test last year, the FDA found that most of the 400 lipsticks studied contained lead and, worryingly, that the maximum level detected had more than doubled between 2009 and 2011.
Nine of the lipstick brands with the most lead are sold by L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetics maker. L’Oreal’s “Color Sensational” Pink Petal had the most lead of any lipstick tested, at 7.19 parts per million. The average lead concentration in the 400 lipsticks tested was 1.11 parts per million.
In response, L’Oreal said: “The lead levels detected by the FDA in the study are also within the limits ¬recommended by global public health authorities for -cosmetics, including lipstick.”
Campaigners fear that toxic substances in lipstick are easily absorbed into the bloodstream through the lips and mouth, and that women repeat their lipstick applications multiple times a day.
It has been estimated that the average woman could swallow between 500 g and 1,500 g of lipstick in her lifetime if she were a modest but regular user.
Lead consumption may be particularly dangerous at certain points in a woman’s life. As the official journal of The International Society of Regulatory Toxicology & Pharmacology points out, “pregnant and nursing mothers are particularly vulnerable to lead in lipsticks, because the metal passes through placenta and human milk and can affect the foetus or infant’s development”.
All these worries prompt Pat Thomas, a UK expert and author on cosmetic safety, to urge women to moderate both their use of lipstick and the brightness of the colors they choose.
“The lists of permitted ingredients lag seriously behind research on safety,” Pat Thomas warns.
“This includes substances such as parabens and triclosan.”
She adds: “As for lead levels, it depends on the lipstick. More and more manufacturers are using mineral products for the pigments in their lipstick. These minerals are mined from the ground, and any mined product will contain lead, as well as other potential dangers such as arsenic and cadmium.”
Ironically, lead levels in some lipsticks have increased because of consumer demand for more “natural” cosmetics. Make-up made with natural ingredients might sound healthier for your skin – and often they are – but with intense modern lipstick shades, the opposite can be true, thanks to the high lead levels in some mined pigments.
“The proportions vary according to the color. All of them will have some level of lead. As a rule of thumb, you can almost guarantee that if it’s a really intense color that lasts for a long time, it will contain the highest levels of lead.”
Pat Thomas acknowledges that the levels of lead in even the brightest hues are comparatively low. But against that, she adds, we have to balance the unknown danger of smearing such substances around our mouths so regularly.
“If it is a concern for you, then go for glosses and sheer colors,” says Pat Thomas.
Russian police are searching for other members of the punk band Pussy Riot who took part in the anti-Putin protest in Moscow’s main cathedral.
The search is separate from the trial that led to three band members being jailed for two years – a verdict that drew an international outcry.
Investigators have not named the new suspects, nor said how many are being sought.
Police have also questioned ex-chess champion Garry Kasparov for allegedly biting a policeman’s hand at a protest.
Garry Kasparov denied the allegation and accused the police of having detained him unjustly and hit him. He was arrested with several other opposition activists outside the Moscow court before the Pussy Riot trio were sentenced on Friday.
Russian police are searching for other members of the punk band Pussy Riot who took part in the anti-Putin protest in Moscow's main cathedral
The women – Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 – were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.
Along with other members of their band, they staged a flashmob-style performance of a protest song near the altar of Christ the Saviour cathedral on 21 February.
Reports say two other band members participated. But last week seven unidentified Pussy Riot members in balaclavas met Western journalists and said the trial had only made them more determined.
The three sentenced on Friday said they did not know the other band members’ names, because they had an anonymity rule and just used nicknames for each other.
The British actor and comedian Stephen Fry has published a two-page open letter of support for Pussy Riot, joining other global celebrities in deploring the Russian authorities’ handling of the case.
Stephen Fry condemned the “monstrous injustice and preposterous tyranny” in the case, calling the women’s two-year prison sentence “astoundingly unfair and disproportionate”.
“Putin hasn’t made a monster of himself. He has made a fool of himself. It is often said that had the world laughed at Hitler early enough he would never have taken the hold on power he did.
“I do not call Putin a Hitler. Yet. But it is time to laugh him out of this stance and you out of incarceration,” Stephen Fry wrote.
In Helsinki on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against overreacting, saying the judicial process had not yet been exhausted.
“There is still the possibility of filing an appeal and the lawyers for the young girls plan to do so,” he said, quoted by AFP news agency.
“Let’s not draw any rash conclusions and go off into hysterics,” Sergei Lavrov said.
Workers have trickled back to Lonmin platinum mine in South Africa where police shot dead 34 striking workers last Thursday, but not in enough numbers to resume operations, its owners said.
Lonmin said the Marikana mine reopened but no ore was produced after fewer than a third of staff turned up.
It also said a deadline for striking miners to return to work or face dismissal had been extended to Tuesday.
President Jacob Zuma declared a week of national mourning for those killed.
South African president has also called for a commission of inquiry to investigate the incident.
Workers have trickled back to Lonmin platinum mine, but not in enough numbers to resume operations
“Lonmin can confirm that work at its Marikana operations resumed today as significant numbers of employees returned to work,” the company said in a statement.
“Almost one third of the 28,000-strong workforce reported for their morning shifts.
“The company can also announce that those illegal strikers who did not return to work this morning will not be dismissed and have been allowed an extra day in light of current circumstances.”
Later, Lonmin executive vice-president for mining Mark Munroe said that “for all intents and purposes” no ore had been produced at the mine on Monday.
“By 07:00 tomorrow we expect workers to return to work. After that, Lonmin has the right to fire them,” he said.
Lonmin chief financial officer Simon Scott said the company wanted to “rebuild the trust of the workers”.
“We are aware that it will take some time for some trust to be regained,” he added.
Union officials quoted by Reuters said that at least 80% of the workforce was needed to bring platinum out of the shafts.
It remains to be seen whether more workers will report for duty on Tuesday.
A significant number have vowed to prolong their stay-away, saying that returning to work would be an insult to their dead colleagues.
The week of mourning began on Monday and a memorial service is planned for Thursday.
About 3,000 rock-drill operators (RDOs) walked out more than a week ago in support of demands for higher pay.
The strike was declared illegal by Lonmin, the world’s third-largest platinum producer, and the mine was shut.
Clashes between strikers, some holding clubs and machetes, and police culminated on Thursday when officers armed with automatic rifles and pistols fired dozens of shots.
In addition to those killed, at least 78 people were injured and some 250 people were arrested.
Those arrested were remanded in custody by a court in the Pretoria township of Ga-Rankuwa on Monday. Charges included murder, public violence and attempted robbery.
During the hearings, about 100 women appeared outside the court to appeal for leniency for the men.
While union leaders held meetings on Monday, about 1,000 workers gathered near the mine said they would not return.
Several accused Lonmin of insensitivity for expecting them to go back to work while they were still in mourning.
“They can fire us if they want, we are not going back to work. [President] Zuma must shut down that mine,” one worker told AFP news agency.
Correspondents at the scene said workers outside the mine were unarmed and in a calmer mood than on previous occasions.
The miners, who are currently earning between 4,000 and 5,000 rand ($484-$605) a month, say they want their salary increased to 12,500 rand ($1,512).
A row has erupted in the US after Congressman Todd Akin said women’s bodies were naturally able to prevent pregnancy in the case of “legitimate rape”.
Todd Akin, who is also running as Republican candidate for the Senate, made the comments in a TV interview to explain his strict views on abortion.
He later said he had “misspoken” but his Democratic rival said the comments were “beyond comprehension”.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he disagreed with the view.
During the interview for KTVI-TV, Todd Akin was asked about his no-exceptions view on abortion, a highly charged issue in the US, and on whether he would like abortion to be banned even if the pregnancy was the result of rape.
He replied: “It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that is really rare.
“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.
“But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something: I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.”
A row has erupted in the US after Congressman Todd Akin said women's bodies were naturally able to prevent pregnancy in the case of "legitimate rape
The interview has sparked a furious reaction in the US, with critics attacking both Todd Akin’s scientific view and his reference to “legitimate rape”.
Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill said it was “beyond comprehension that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma brought on by rape”.
“The ideas that Todd Akin has expressed about the serious crime of rape and the impact on its victims are offensive.”
Claire McCaskill, who is trailing Todd Akin in opinion polls for the Missouri seat, said on Twitter that as a former prosecutor she had personally handled hundreds of rape cases.
On blogs and Twitter, users have also poured scorn on his biological view, and expressed concern that he is a member of the House Committee on Science.
Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, told AP radio that the comments were “flat-out astonishing” and that such language was “intended to shame women”.
A spokesman for Mitt Romney said that both the candidate and his running mate, Paul Ryan, disagreed with Todd Akin, and stressed that “a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape”.
Todd Akin later issued a statement saying he had “misspoken” in his “off the cuff” remarks, though did not specify on which points.
He said the interview “does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year”.
Todd Akin also reconfirmed that he “believes deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action”.
The six-term congressman for Missouri is a long-time vocal opponent of relaxing abortion laws.
In 2011, he co-sponsored a controversial bill that would have limited the government help available to women seeking abortions in the case of rape to cases of “forcible rape”.
After a public outcry, the House Republican party was made to change this language.
Echinacea is an herbal remedy that should not be given to children under 12, the UK’s drugs watchdog has warned parents.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in UK said there was a small risk of severe allergic reactions and this outweighed any perceived benefits.
Some people take the tablets to reduce the severity of cold and flu.
Echinacea is an herbal remedy that should not be given to children under 12, the UK's drugs watchdog has warned parents
The MHRA said it was a precautionary measure and older children and adults could continue to use echinacea.
It said young children were at heightened risk of allergic reactions such as rashes, hives, difficulty in breathing and even potentially fatal anaphylactic shock.
Richard Woodfield, the head of herbal policy at the MHRA, said: “This is not a serious safety issue, but parents and carers need to be aware that children under 12 could have a low risk of developing allergic reactions.
“The measures being taken are precautionary in nature. Parents should not worry if they have given echinacea to children under 12 in the past.”
Licensed products containing echinacea, some of which are aimed at children, will have to be labelled with the warning.
Firefighters in Greece are battling a large forest fire sweeping across the eastern Aegean island of Chios.
The fire began in the early hours of Saturday and has been fuelled by gale force winds.
Authorities said that by Monday the blaze had destroyed about 7,000 hectares (16,000 acres) of forest and farmland.
Residents of nine villages and hamlets were evacuated from their homes over the weekend as the fire approached.
Firefighters in Greece are battling a large forest fire sweeping across the eastern Aegean island of Chios
Chios lies north-east of the capital, Athens, off the coast of Turkey.
The island is famous for its production of mastic, a natural, gum-like resin with a distinctive flavor produced only by trees on certain sections of the island.
Used as a natural chewing gum, a cooking spice and for pharmaceutical and cooking purposes, mastic resin is a major source of income for the islanders.
The strong winds were hampering efforts to extinguish the fires, despite the presence of several hundred firefighters, soldiers and volunteers, as well as firefighting planes and helicopters.
Wildfires are common during Greece’s long, hot summers, though some are believed to be started on purpose.
A further five forest and brush fires broke out on Monday across Greece, the Associated Press news agency reports, while fire crews continued to fight six fires already burning in other parts of the country.
The government has requested the assistance of water-bombing aircraft from Spain and Italy to help with the summer blazes.
Alice in Wonderland fans have been marking the 150th anniversary of the fateful boat trip that saw the genesis of the children’s tale.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is, on one level at least, the story of a girl who disappears down a rabbit hole to a fantastic place full of bizarre adventures.
Charles Dodgson, a mathematician at Christ Church, Oxford, first told his surreal story to the daughters of dean Henry Liddell as they rowed down the Thames.
After the boating trip, 10-year-old Alice Liddell badgered Dodgson to write it down and Alice in Wonderland – under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll – was born. The heroine follows a talking white rabbit, meets the Queen of Hearts and plays croquet using flamingos as mallets.
Since the 1960s there has been a trend for readers to identify an underlying drug theme in the book.
The Cheshire Cat disappears leaving only the enigmatic grin behind. Alice drinks potions and eats pieces of mushroom to change her physical state. The caterpillar smokes an elaborate water pipe. The whole atmosphere of the story is so profoundly disjointed from reality – surely drugs must have had an influence? After all this was the era of legal opium use.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is the story of a girl who disappears down a rabbit hole to a fantastic place full of bizarre adventures
Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 psychedelic anthem White Rabbit runs with the drug theme.
“When the men on the chessboard get up / And tell you where to go / And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom / And your mind is moving low / Go ask Alice, I think she’ll know.”
The Matrix provides a film reference point. “You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”
The drug link is a homespun thing. You’ll find it on a host of random forums.
But the experts are usually skeptical. Lewis Carroll wasn’t thought to have been a recreational user of opium or laudanum, and the references may say more about the people making them than the author.
“The notion that the surreal aspects of the text are the consequence of drug-fuelled dreams resonates with a culture, particularly perhaps in the 60s, 70s and 80s when LSD was widely-circulated and even now where recreational drugs are commonplace,” says Dr. Heather Worthington, Children’s Literature lecturer at Cardiff University.
“It is the deviant aspects that continue to fascinate because the text is unusual, innovative, and hard to grasp so turning to the author offers simplicity and excitement simultaneously.”
The mushroom is “magic” only in the context of the story. And the caterpillar is merely smoking tobacco through a hookah.
The shadow hanging over anyone reading the story is the issue of Lewis Carroll’s sexuality. A successful photographer, many of his surviving shots are of children, often semi-dressed or naked.
To many modern minds, a man who regularly formed friendships with young girls is inherently suspicious.
“Lewis Carroll’s personal life intrigues adult readers because Alice in Wonderland is a text for children but the notion that the author photographed, however innocently, young girls in a state of undress is, to our modern eyes, unpalatable,” says Heather Worthington.
“That Alice was based on a child that Carroll knew adds yet another layer of interest, or suspicion, depending on how you look at it.”
But Lewis Carroll was living at a time when childhood innocence was being forged, influencing how children were represented in 19th Century literature aimed at them.
Lewis Carroll’s interest in young female innocence is explained by some of the experts as one that invoked desire, but not necessarily sexual.
Jenny Woolf, author of The Mystery of Lewis Carroll, agrees with this theory.
“Girls offered him a non-judgemental and non-sexual female audience and he opened up to them. They loved him and he found it a relief to be with them.
“Although he was attracted to women, celibacy was a condition of Carroll’s job [a condition imposed on certain Oxford academics at the time] and he believed that having sex was against God’s wishes for him.”
There are plenty of experts who find his interests harder to explain and it is inevitable that this knowledge will inform what readers take from the story.
Consult any set of notes on the book and you’ll see a slew of themes picked out: puberty, abandonment, the challenge of transition to adulthood, even the perils of authoritarian justice in the form of the Queen of Hearts.
But bearing in mind the nature of the birth of the piece, an off-the-cuff attempt to amuse a child in a rowboat, are people guilty of reading too much into it?
In a recent issue of Prospect magazine, Richard Jenkyns, professor of the classical tradition at Oxford University, called Alice in Wonderland “probably the most purely child-centred book ever written” and said that its only purpose “is to give pleasure”.
Yet another narrative imposed on the book is the idea of grappling with a sense of self. Lewis Carroll led a very controlled existence, struggling with self-identity, a recurring theme in the book as Alice regularly expresses uncertainty about who she is after she enters Wonderland.
“Perhaps that’s why his book refers to <<morality>> in jeering terms,” suggests Jenny Woolf.
“And the action takes place either underground or in a world which is the opposite of our own.”
We can’t ever truly know what Lewis Carroll intended or if he meant to write anything beyond an enchanting children’s story.
Based on his own experience as an illustrator for the 1988 edition of Alice in Wonderland, Anthony Browne believes Lewis Carroll might not have been aware of the meanings found within his story.
“People interpret books in a logical way as they do dreams. They want it to have meaning. Alice in Wonderland is not to be read as a logical book. There could be some hidden meanings in there, especially considering Carroll was a mathematician during his lifetime, whether he was aware of such meanings subconsciously or not.”
Ultimately, perhaps it’s more enjoyable for the full intentions of the author to remain unknown during the reading of the book.
“In a way, it doesn’t matter,” says Anthony Browne.
“I don’t think Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland to be interpreted. He wrote it to entertain.”
Nonce and nonsense
Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky is one of the great nonsense poems in English, scattered with so-called “nonce” words – coined for one occasion only:
• Bandersnatch: fictional wild animal
• Brillig: Humpty Dumpty explains this as “four o’clock in the afternoon – the time when you begin broiling things for dinner”
• Chortled: mixture of chuckle and snort
• Gyre: A whirling, a vortex
• Mimsy: A combination of flimsy and miserable
• Snickersnack: possibly related to large knife, the snickersnee
In the late Sixties a young clinical psychologist named James Laird performed a ground-breaking experiment asking a group of volunteers to smile or frown, then report how they felt.
His theory, proved correct, was shocking in its simplicity: those who were grinning should feel significantly happier than those who feigned sadness.
That one tiny movement which can change your outlook is the basis for Professor Richard Wiseman’s new book, Rip It Up.
If you struggle to get over a relationship just write your feelings on paper, put it in an envelope and seal it
Surviving a break-up:
Struggling to get over a relationship? Write your feelings on paper, put it in an envelope and seal it.
Researcher Xiuping Li from the National University of Singapore Business School asked 80 people to write down a recent decision they regretted.
Xiuping Li then asked some of the participants to hand their descriptions to a researcher and others to seal them in an envelope.
Those who did the latter felt better about their past decision compared with those who handed them over, because they felt as if they had reached closure.
Next time you want help to get over the end of a relationship, write down what happened, put it in an envelope, and kiss the past goodbye.
In a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey last night Rihanna admitted despite their relationship violent end she still loves ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.
Rihanna, 24, told Oprah Winfrey she and Chris Brown are still “very close friends”, adding: “We built a trust again and that’s it. We love each other and we probably always will.”
The television special for Oprah: The Next Chapter showed Oprah Winfrey describe the fall-out from the horrific night after a pre-Grammy party in 2009.
After re-counting the events, a tearful Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, opened up about where the pair’s relationship now stands.
“It was embarrassing it was humiliating… I lost my best friend,” she said.
Rihanna admits since the restraining order was dropped against Chris Brown in February 2011, the pair have been working on their friendship, having seen each other as recently as last month in St. Tropez.
In a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey last night Rihanna admitted despite their relationship violent end she still loves ex-boyfriend Chris Brown
“We’ve been working on our friendship again and now we’re very close friends,” she said.
“And that’s not anything we’re going to try to change.”
But she said it’s still difficult to see her ex, because her feelings are conflicting.
“It’s awkward because I still love him.
“My stomach drops and I have to maintain this poker face and not let it get to the outer part of me. I have to maintain it and suppress it,” she explained.
Then she added: “When you don’t understand those feelings you can make a lot of mistakes.”
Rihanna said they are not pursuing anything romantic, noting Chris Brown is in a longterm relationship (with model Karrueche Tran), while she is single.
Still, the memories of their relationship, she predicted, will linger.
“I think he is the love of my life. He was my first love.”
But she remembers, in part, where it went wrong: “We were very young and very spontaneous. We were falling in love and going at a really rapid pace. We forgot about ourselves as individuals.”
Rihanna’s words have caused uproar with domestic violence support charities blasting the singer for “normalizing” abuse.
Charities claim Rihanna is sending out a dangerous message, which could stop abused women from coming forward.
Vivienne Hayes, chief executive of the Women’s Resource Centre, told The Independent: “Rihanna’s case demonstrates the emotional complexities felt by women locked in abusive relationships.”
After falling into what she described as a “dark place”, reflected in her music, her fashion choices and her attitude, the singer said she was finally able to make peace with the violent end to their romance by rebuilding her relationship with her father, Ronald Fenty.
“I was so angry at him. I was just angry about a lot of things from my childhood. And I couldn’t separate him as a husband from him as my father,” she said, acknowledging he was violent toward her mother, Monica Braithwaite.
Rihanna’s parents split nearly two years before she left Barbados for the states at 16. The singer admitted her father’s “addiction” tore her family apart; although she did not elaborate on his substance abuse.
Now, after bridging the gap, she says she has moved on from the scandal with Chris Brown that has cast a shadow over her career for the last three years.
“I have to move on,” she said.
“I have forgiven him. It took me a long time. I was angry for a long time.”
But that reconciliation comes with the desire to know her ex has also healed since the fracas.
“I truly love him, so the main thing for me is that he’s at peace… I care. It actually matters [to me] that he finds that peace,” she said.
Prepared for a backlash, she continued: “I can’t tell people how to feel about it. They’re entitled to feel angry because it wasn’t a good thing that happened. But I have forgiven him.”
It is well known that everybody hates Mondays, but a new research suggests Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are equally loathed.
US researchers who looked at a poll of 340,000 people found moods were no worse on Mondays than other working days, bar Friday.
People were happier as they approached the weekend, lending support for the concept of “that Friday feeling”.
The report authors told the Journal of Positive Psychology that the concept of miserable Mondays should be ditched.
US researchers who looked at a poll of 340,000 people found moods were no worse on Mondays than other working days, bar Friday
Prof. Arthur Stone of Stony Brook University said: “Despite our global beliefs about lousy Mondays, we conclude that this belief should be abandoned.
“Cultural myths may vastly over-emphasize actual day of the week mood patterns.”
Similarly, claims that the Monday of the last full week of January – dubbed “blue Monday” – is the most depressing of the whole year have been debunked by others.
Prof. Arthur Stone’s team analyzed data collected by Gallup from telephone interviews.
People reported more enjoyment and happiness and less stress or worry on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays compared with the rest of the week.
Prof. Arthur Stone says it is the contrast in mood from Sunday to Monday that has led to Mondays being unfairly singled out.
Considered the most prestigious event of its kind, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (“a competition of elegance”) is the conclusion of a week long festival of classic cars events in the Monterey area, California.
This year, a Mercedes-Benz built in 1928 won Best of Show, Baroness von Krieger’s 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K was sold for $11.77 million, while a 1968 Ford GT40, sold for $11 million, set a new record as the most expensive American car ever sold at auction.
On the third Sunday of each August (August 19, 2012) the most refined cars in the world are displayed on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.
Around 200 of the most prized collector cars and motorcycles are presented on the best finishing hole in golf, the famed eighteenth fairway at Pebble Beach.
Bugatti, Daimler, Delage, Duesenberg, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Packard, Rolls-Royce, are represented, along with Alfa-Romeo, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Chrysler, Cord, Isotta-Fraschini, Lancia, Maserati, Stutz and Talbot-Lago.
The 62nd edition of Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance included fifteen Cars of the Maharajas, twelve marques (brands) of Mercer (road and race cars, including Mercer Raceabout) and eight marques of Fiat (Grand Prix racers, coachbuilt prewar classics, and small postwar cars, with variants on the original Fiat 500). Special classes presented eleven cars designed by Jacques Saoutchik (Bugatti, Delahaye and Pegaso), nine roadsters Shelby Cobra, designed by Carroll Shelby in collaboration with AC Motors, ten American Sport Customs (1930s–1950s), German Motorcycles (BMW, DKW, NSU, Zündapp, including an 1885 Daimler Reitwagen, the world’s first actual motorcycle).
The maharajas (great kings) of India and South Asia bought hundreds of expensive cars (Rolls-Royce, Daimler, Hispano-Suiza, Maybach, Bugatti, Duesenberg, Minerva) during the last century. Lots of those cars were custom built for hunting or display. Over 800 Rolls-Royces were shipped to India between 1900 and 1950. Seven of them, built between 1924 and 1937, were displayed. One of them still belongs to the Maharaja of Udaipur, another (the “Star of India” of 1935) to the grandson of the maharaja who first bought it. The Maharajas Collection also includes a 1930 Bentley, a 1930 Delage, a 1935 Duesenberg, a 1925 and a 1935 Hispano-Suiza, a 1930 Mercedes-Benz 27/140/200 Type SS, and two “swan”-shaped vehicles comissioned by the Maharaja of Nabha in 1910 and 1919. The 1910 Brooke motor car, brought from the Louwman Museum in The Hague, was commissioned by Scotsman Robert Nicholl Matthewson, who lived in India in the early 1900s. It is modeled after a swan, and it is equipped with eyes that light up, a beak that opens, closes and sprays steam, and an eight-tone horn.
The three best cars in twenty categories (plus one for German motorcycles) are awarded and one of them is chosen “Best of Show”, with two runners-up.
Buggati has won “Best of Show” nine times since the beginning of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It is followed by Duesenberg and Mercedes-Benz, each of them with six victories. Rolls-Royce had five victories; and Daimler, Delage, Jaguar and Packard, three each.
1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo, entered by Paul and Judy Andrews of White Settlement, Texas, won Best Of Show at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2012.
Mercedes-Benz acquired its seventh victory with the 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo entered by Paul and Judy Andrews of White Settlement, Texas. The car is one of seven Torpedo bodies designed by Jacques Saoutchik for the Mercedes-Benz 680S chassis and is powered by a 6.8-liter supercharged engine (somewhere between 200 and 300 horsepower). This low-windshield appeared at the New York Auto Show in 1928, was sold to Frederick Henry Bedford and spent 30 years in storage before receiving a total restoration.
During Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, classic-car auctions are held by Gooding and Canadian RM Auctions at the nearby equestrian center.
An auction world record was set last year, when a 1957 Ferrari Testarossa was sold for $16.4 million.
Gisela von Krieger’s silver-striped black 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, although expected to break the record, was sold for $11.77 million at Gooding’s auction, while a 1968 Ford GT40, sold for $11 million (RM Auctions), set a new record as the most expensive American car ever sold at auction.
The 1968 Ford GT40 is an extremely rare racer (one of only two surviving) and it was used as a camera car by Steve McQueen for his film “Le Mans” (1971).
1968 Ford GT40 made a record as the most expensive American car sold at auction, at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2012.
Considered the automotive equivalent of a coveted Picasso painting and known as the Von Krieger’s Special Roadster, the 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K had only two owners, Gisela and, after her death, Lee Herrington.
This rare car is one of 26 540K Special Roadsters, and was built on special order before World War II. Baroness Gisela Josephine von Krieger was considered one of the ten most fashionable women in the world. She made the car her own, although the car was bought by aristocratic von Krieger family for the use of her brother, Henning. When the war started, Gisela refused orders from the Third Reich to return home from France and sent the car to Switzerland. After the end of the war, Gisela lived in Manhattan, but kept the car at the Homestead Inn in Greenwich area, even after when she moved back in early 1960s to Switzerland. At her death in 1989, the car was valued $2.5 million. The vehicle was discovered untouched, with pink lipstick-stained cigarette butts in the ashtray, vintage roadmaps of New York and Connecticut in the door pockets and a woman’s driving glove in the glove box. The radiant black-and-chrome roadster with an interior of saddle leather and wood veneer is one of perhaps a dozen left in the world, and represents the height of prewar German automotive engineering.
Gisela von Krieger’s 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, although expected to break the sale record, was sold for $11.77 million at Gooding's auction. Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance 2012
Mercedes-Benz wants to preserve classic cars and to encourage collectors, it has a Classic Center which offers customers hard to find parts.
During the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the annual Mercedes-Benz gala dinner honored car collector Arturo Keller with its coveted Star Driver Award.
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity has zapped its first Martian rock.
Curiosity rover fired its ChemCam laser at a tennis-ball-sized stone lying about 2.5 m away on the ground.
The brief but powerful burst of light from the instrument vaporized the surface of the rock, revealing details of its basic chemistry.
This was just target practice for ChemCam, proving it is ready to begin the serious business of investigating the geology of the Red Planet.
It is part of a suite of instruments on the one-ton robot, which landed two weeks ago in a deep equatorial depression known as Gale Crater.
Over the course of one Martian year, Curiosity will try to determine whether past environments at its touchdown location could ever have supported life.
The US-French ChemCam instrument will be a critical part of that investigation, helping to select the most interesting objects for study.
The inaugural target of the laser was a 7 cm-wide rock dubbed “Coronation” (previously N165).
NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity has zapped its first Martian rock
It had no particular science value, and was expected to be just another lump of ubiquitous Martian basalt, a volcanic rock.
Its appeal was the nice smooth face it offered to the laser.
ChemCam zapped it with 30 pulses of infrared light during a 10-second period.
Each pulse delivered to a tiny spot more than a million watts of power for about five billionths of a second.
The instrument observed the resulting spark through a telescope; the component colors would have told scientists which atomic elements were present.
“We got a great spectrum of Coronation – lots of signal,” said ChemCam principal investigator Roger Wiens of Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.
“Our team is both thrilled and working hard, looking at the results. After eight years building the instrument, it’s pay-off time.”
One aspect being considered by the team is whether the signal changed slightly as the laser burrowed through any exterior layers that might have coated Coronation.
“Coatings can tell you about, say, the weather or what has happened to a rock through the eons,” said Dr. Rogers Wiens last week.
“We will look at the first few laser shots and see if there is any difference as we move further into the rock.”
The British company e2v provided the imaging sensor behind the ChemCam telescope that routes the light signal, via optical fibres, to the onboard spectrometer which does the chemical analysis.
The charge-coupled device (CCD) was specially prepared for the instrument to increase its sensitivity.
“The scientists always want to see more, but they want to see more without cost to performance,” said e2v’s Jon Kemp.
“Our process was able to almost double the signal to noise ratio.”
The first science target for ChemCam will be bedrock exposed on the ground next to Curiosity by the rocket-powered crane used to lower the vehicle to the crater floor on 6 August (GMT).
Exhaust from this descent stage scattered surface grit and pebbles to reveal a harder, compact material underneath.
The crane made four scour marks in the ground – two either side of the rover. These have been dubbed Burnside, Goulburn, Hepburn and Sleepy Dragon – names taken from ancient rock formations in Canadian North America.
Goulburn Scour will be zapped by ChemCam once the mission team has reviewed fully the Coronation performance and results.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for a bladder infection.
Prince Philip, 91, spent five nights at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary – his third hospital stay in nine months.
The duke was taken to hospital on Wednesday during the royals’ annual summer break at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.
It is not yet known if he will be fit to attend the Paralympics opening ceremony with the Queen on 29 August.
It was a low-key exit and he looked extremely relaxed, shaking hands with the doctors and nurses involved in treating him.
Prince Philip has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for a bladder infection
Denise Webster, a senior staff nurse, told reporters: “The duke was a very good patient, and as he left the hospital he told staff to behave themselves and he said he was going back to enjoy the rest of his holiday.”
Prince Philip has now rejoined the rest of the Royal Family at Balmoral.
Buckingham Palace had described his admission to hospital as a “precautionary measure” after the recurrence of an infection he suffered shortly before the Diamond Jubilee concert on 4 June.
The duke missed the Royal Family’s visit to morning service at Crathie Kirk on Sunday, before spending a fifth night at the NHS hospital, where he was seen by private physicians.
Doctors told the duke to rest and he did not receive any visitors during his latest stay in hospital, however his family are said to have been in contact by phone.
In June, the duke spent five nights in hospital with a bladder infection following the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames.
He missed some of the key celebrations for the Queen’s 60-year reign, including the star-studded Jubilee concert.
Prince Philip, who is the longest-serving royal consort in British royalty, also spent four nights in hospital over Christmas following an operation to clear a blocked heart artery.
In March, Prince Harry said the operation – which was successful – had given his grandfather a “new spurt of life”.
The duke went to Balmoral after attending several Olympic events, including the opening ceremony, and he also saw his granddaughter Zara Phillips’ Olympic equestrian debut.
Last week Prince Philip was said to be in good spirits when he took part in events as part of Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight.
Burma has decided to abolish pre-publication censorship of the country’s media, the information ministry has announced.
The Press Scrutiny and Registration Department (PSRD) said that as of Monday, reporters would no longer have to submit their work to state censors before publication.
However, strict laws remain in place which could see journalists punished for what they have written.
Burma has kept tight control over all aspects of its media for some 50 years.
But the civilian government has been gradually easing restrictions since taking office last year.
Burma has decided to abolish pre-publication censorship of the country's media
“Censorship began on 6 August 1964 and ended 48 years and two weeks later,” Tint Swe, head of the PSRD, told AFP news agency on Monday.
“Any publication inside the country will not have to get prior permission from us before they are published.
“From now on, our department will just carry out registering publications for keeping them at the national archives and issuing a license to printers and publishers,” he said.
Tint Swe said the likelihood of permission being granted for private newspapers to be set up was “closer than before” and could happen after a new media law is enacted.
A ministry official told AFP films would still be subject to censorship.
Wai Phyo, editor of the Weekly Eleven journal, told Reuters the move was “a big improvement on the past”, but that editors would now be under increasing pressure to ensure their publications remained legal.
In the past, entire newspapers have been shut because of their reports and many reporters have been jailed.
But in recent months, journalists had been given guidelines allowing them to write about controversial topics, something that would have been unthinkable under the previous military rule.
Some 300 newspapers and magazines covering less sensitive issues had already been given permission to print without prior censorship and restrictions were lifted on 30,000 internet sites, allowing users unrestricted access to political content for the first time.
In October last year, Tint Swe said censorship should be abolished as it was incompatible with democratic practices, while warning that all publications should accept the responsibilities that go with press freedom.
Kris Jenner develops a morbid obsession with her family’s unfinished funeral arrangements this week after spending time with her ageing mother.
What starts off as a time for planning the happy arrival of a new life, Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick’s at-the-time unborn daughter Penelope, quickly turns into a week spent in cemeteries and funeral homes to the horror of the Kardashian clan.
Kris Jenner’ focus on the impending death of all those around her even ends with the premature passing of a couple of unsuspecting pet fish.
The episode begins with Kim and Khloe Kardashian deciding to buy a pet for Mason after Kim has the idea that she wants to get a present for her little nephew, as Kourtney is worried about his reaction to the impending arrival of his baby sister.
The sisters decide on fish and arrive at the Kardashian-Disick house with a couple of pet fishies much to Mason’s delight and apathy of parents Scott and Kourtney.
“Are you going to come and feed them every day?” Scott Disick gripes.
“I’m not a pet person,” Kourtney Kardashian says.
“I don’t want pets until my kids are old enough to ask for one.”
But after seeing her son’s happy face she concedes: “If it brings Mason joy, it makes me happy.”
But over at the Jenner household, meanwhile Kris is worried about her impending death.
A spell with her mother and the realization that there is no room for her in her parents’ burial plot has prompted her to start fretting over her own funeral arrangements.
Kris Jenner broaches the subject with Bruce after her mother suggests Kris should look into a family plot at a celeb-filled Hollywood cemetery.
“You should all be buried next to Marilyn Monroe,” she crows.
“You could be part of a tour!”
Kris Jenner develops a morbid obsession with her family's unfinished funeral arrangements this week after spending time with her ageing mother
Kris Jenner decides to call a family meeting to discuss the ideal resting place for the clan should the unthinkable happen but while the mother-of-six tries to get the family to discuss its burial wishes – Robert, Khloe, Kim, Kendall, Kylie – and even Bruce – are having none of it.
Addressing the group she says: “If something happens to me, you’re going to be hopefully sad about it and you’re not going to make the right decision.”
But the remark has Khloe and Rob choking back laughter, while Kylie keeps her head down and texts furiously.
“There’s a lot to do and I want to make sure everything’s organized if something happens to one of my family members,” Kris Jenner reasons.
Kim Kardashian is also baffled with her mother’s topic of conversation: “What’s the right decision?
“You get in a coffin, you get in the ground – what do you want me to do?!” she asks impatiently in the preview clip from the upcoming show.
“Tell me what color [casket] you want? Do you want Tempur-pedic? And what kind of pillow-top?”
Undeterred, Kris Jenner launches into the importance of a family burial plot, but Khloe Kardashian can’t help but take another jab at her business-minded mother.
“Hey go into the funeral business! There you could extort us,” she mocks.
“Let’s make some commissions on those plots, baby!” she says as she high-fives Rob.
Eerily, soon after this morbid meeting, Khloe Kardashian looks in on the new pets and discovers that one of Mason’s fish has met with a premature end.
Kourtney Kardashian is vindicated saying: “I had a dog that died when I was little. I was completely traumatized and that’s why I hate dogs now.”
Fearing the psychological the fish’s death will have on her young son, Kourtney Kardashian insists on taking a photo of the dead pet and rushes out to a local pet store to buy an exact replica before Mason notices much to the amusement of her sisters.
Undeterred by the lack of family support, Kris Jenner has arranged for a tour of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, one the oldest in Los Angeles and resting place of Tinseltown luminaries including Cecil B DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino.
While discussing the options with long-suffering husband Bruce, Kris Jenner asks him: “Do you think I should be above ground? You can go underneath me.”
To which the former Olympian quips: “No! I’ve been there enough! I want to be on to this time.”
Khloe Kardashian – who is still treating the whole affair as a joke – tells the cemetery owner: “We want a private lake with a mausoleum and a moat [with] a drawbridge so no-one can steal the bodies.”
Kim Kardashian on the other hand is beginning to see her mother’s point: “Why not have a fab resting place?” she muses.
When Kourtney Kardashian calls later to say that another fish has died and instructs Kim to go and find a replacement, Bruce decides that the time has come to for Mason to be introduced to the concepts of death and heaven.
After he brings over a book called Dog Heaven for Mason, Kourtney Kardashian realizes that the little boy is totally unfazed by the fish’s demise and by the time Scott returns has disposed of the pet and tank.
“Fish are too hard to take care of,” she wails.
“We take care of a child,” he retorts.
“It’s not that hard.”
Having solved the problem of location, Kris Jenner has now moved on the subject of caskets and brings Khloe, Kim and Rob along to give some coffins a test run.
The mother-of-six even goes so far as to climbing into on and posing as a corpse for a photo to the horror of her children as they are suddenly faced with a vision of the mother’s death.
Kim Kardashian, unfazed by her mother’s morbidity, returns to Kris Jenner’s office for a frozen yoghurt and before long the pair are musing as to who will take responsibility for Kourtney’s children if she were to pass away unexpectedly.
Over a conference call, Kourtney Kardashian announces curtly: “I’ve thought about it and I think Khloe is the best fit… I’ve already asked her.”
Leaving Kim stunned, hurt and storming out of the room.
Later Kim Kardashian is still upset about the fact that she has not been chosen to be Mason’s guardian and confronts Khloe about it.
“I don’t see why Kourtney thinks you are the better aunt when I spend more time with Mason,” she whines.
Later Khloe reports back to Kourtney and tells her that Kim is angry.
“I’m surprised that Kim has been lashing out at Khloe,” Kourtney Kardashian says.
“I had no idea that she’d even be interested in taking on Mason…. She has no clue what is involved. She’s never home!”
When Kim Kardashian comes over the following day to play with Mason, Kourtney asks her if she’d like to babysit giving Kim the opportunity to confront her over the issue.
Kourtney Kardashian tries to explain her decision saying: “You’re always traveling and Khloe makes dinner every night…..I just feel you’re really all about Kim,” she finally admits.
Kim Kardashian ends up storming out of the house with the words: “So rude!”
“Yeah, I don’t have kids right now,” Kim Kardashian retorts later.
“But I could adjust. The fact that she says I’m all about myself…It’s really hard to hear that’s what Kourtney thinks of me.”
Kris Jenner is now busy ordering a variety of floral arrangements so that the family members can choose the flowers they would like best at their funerals, a move that prompts Rob and Khloe to call time out on their mother’s research.
Over drinks they explain to Kris Jenner how uncomfortable the funeral discussions have been making them – in particular Kris’s coffin testing.
“She needs to understand that we’ve already lost a parent and we don’t want to think about losing another one,” Khloe Kardashian says.
Later, in an attempt to make peace Kourtney visits Kim at home to settle the issue of Mason’s guardianship.
“I think you’re a great aunt to Mason,” she reasons.
“But I had to chose someone.”
Kim Kardashian replies: “I just wish that you’r talked to me about it – you knew I’d find out eventually.”
Kourtney Kardashian then pacifies her indignant sister by offering her the responsibility for Mason’s financial affairs in the event of her and Scott Disick’s death: “Because I know you’re good with that kind of thing.”
This seems to have the desired effect as Kim Kardashian goes on to boast about how she has now been put in charge of the two-year-old’s fiscal future.
Finally in an effort to get Kris Jenner to put a lid on her funeral planning Rob organizes a party for his mother and her friends at a winery in Malibu to celebrate her life.
While his mom trills with pleasure he unveils a new tattoo – a portrait of Kris Jenner on his forearm to show his appreciation for his mother.
“Are you ready to start enjoying life and stop focussing on your funeral now?” he asks.
“I’m definitely going to live in the moment,” she says.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. (EST) on E!
Gu Kailai, wife of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai, has been given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Gu Kailai did not contest charges at her one-day trial that she poisoned Neil Heywood in November 2011.
Suspended death sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment in China.
Bo Xilai, the former communist party chief in Chongqing, was once seen as a contender for a national leadership position in a top-level reshuffle later this year.
But he has not been seen in public since the investigation into Gu Kailai was announced.
Gu Kailai’s aide, Zhang Xiaojun, was jailed for nine years for his part in the murder.
The verdict in China’s most high-profile trial for years came early on Monday, inside a court ringed by security personnel.
Gu Kailai has been given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood
Chinese state media reported that during the 9 August trial – which was not open to all – Gu Kailai admitted she poisoned Neil Heywood in a hotel room in Chongqing, helped by her aide.
She said she had suffered a mental breakdown and that Neil Heywood had threatened her son amid a row over a property deal, state media said.
Images shown on Chinese state television showed Gu Kailai responding to the verdict.
“This verdict is just. It shows special respect for the law, reality and life,” she said.
Speaking after the sentence was announced, court spokesman Tang Yigan said the court believed Neil Heywood had threatened Gu Kailai’s son but not acted on the threats. It also found Gu had been suffering from “psychological impairment”, he said.
In a statement, the British embassy in Beijing said its thoughts were with the family of Neil Heywood.
“We welcome the fact that the Chinese authorities have investigated the death of Neil Heywood, and tried those they identified as responsible,” the statement said.
“We consistently made clear to the Chinese authorities that we wanted to see the trials in this case conform to international human rights standards and for the death penalty not to be applied.”
A lawyer for the Heywood family said they respected the court’s decision.
The sentence of death with a two-year suspension means that if Gu Kailai commits no crimes while in prison, her sentence will be commuted after two years to life imprisonment and could be further reduced for good behavior, Chinese legal expert Professor Donald Clarke writes in his blog.
Chinese internet users reacted immediately to the verdict on Twitter-like microblogging platforms.
With key names connected to the case still apparently censored, most used the phrase “suspended death sentence”. Within two hours, there were at least two million posts.
Many users expressed dissatisfaction, saying most murderers in China would be executed. Some attributed it to Gu Kailai’s background, others suggested she could eventually be freed under medical parole.
At a separate trial on 10 August, four senior police officers from Chongqing admitted charges of covering up evidence linking Gu Kailai to the murder. A court official said they had been given terms of between five and 11 years in prison, AFP reported.
Neil Heywood’s death was initially recorded as a heart attack.
The case came to light when Bo Xilai’s deputy, police chief Wang Lijun, fled to the US consulate in February, reportedly with information connected to the case.
He has not been seen in public since then and state media say he is being investigated.
It is not yet known how the Communist Party plans to deal with Bo Xilai, once seen as a powerful and ambitious high-flier.
Many analysts expected him to be promoted to the nine-strong politburo Standing Committee later in the year.
Seven committee members are due to retire, with a new generation of leaders to take their place at a party congress expected later this year.
But Bo Xilai has been stripped of his official posts and is being investigated for “discipline violations”, state media reports say.
A lengthy Xinhua news agency write-up of Gu Kailai’s trial, however, made no mention of Bo Xilai.
BO XILAI SCANDAL
• 6 February: Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun flees to the US consulate in Chengdu
• 15 March: Bo Xilai is removed from his post in Chongqing
• 20 March: Rumors suggest Bo Xilai could be linked to the death of British businessman Neil Heywood
• 10 April: Bo Xilai is suspended from party posts and his wife, Gu Kailai, is investigated over Neil Heywood’s death
• 26 July: Gu Kailai and Bo family employee Zhang Xiaojun are charged with killing Neil Heywood
• 9 August: Gu Kailai goes on trial for murder
• 20 August: Gu Kailai given suspended death sentence
