George Washington’s personal copy of the US constitution has sold for almost $10 million, Christie’s auction house says.
The book, with the first US president’s own annotations, was printed in 1789 – his first year in office.
It had an estimated price of $2 million to $3 million but bidding boosted the price of the 223-year-old book.
Historians say George Washington’s notes are what make the book so valuable, as the president was keenly aware of the precedents he would set in office.
The leather-bound book is described as in nearly pristine condition and is stamped with the Washington family crest.
George Washington's personal copy of the US constitution has sold for almost $10 million
It also contains the first acts of Congress, which included legislation to establish state, judiciary, defense and treasury departments of government.
The book was fought over between two bidders who remained anonymous during the auction. The new owner is the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which paid a final price of $9,826,500, Christie’s later revealed.
“It’s an exciting day. We are thrilled to be able to bring this extraordinary book back to Mount Vernon where it belongs,” spokeswoman Ann Bookout told reporters.
The private, non-profit group, owns and maintains Mount Vernon, Washington’s historic Virginia estate, and has said the book will become part of a new presidential library due to open in 2013.
The book was bound especially for the president by Thomas Allen, a New York bookbinder. He also created similar copies for Thomas Jefferson, the first secretary of state, and Attorney General John Jay.
The book sold by Christie’s on Friday had been in the library at Mount Vernon for many years after Washington’s death.
In 1876 it was sold at auction to a private collection, and was sold again in 1964 to Richard Dietrich, a notable collector of early Americana.
George Washington acted as commander in chief of the Continental Army in the War of Independence and was later unanimously elected as the first president of the US.
After serving two terms as president, George Washington spent three years in retirement at Mount Vernon before he died in 1799.
Mexican government has admitted that it mistakenly identified Felix Beltran Leon as the son of the country’s most-wanted drugs lord, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
On Thursday officials paraded before the media a man they said was Jesus Alfredo Guzman, whose father leads the powerful Sinaloa cartel.
But the arrested man was in fact Felix Beltran Leon, a car salesman, the attorney general’s office said.
The authorities had hailed the arrest as the most important in years.
Known as El Chapo” or “Shorty”, Joaquin Guzman has been in hiding ever since he escaped from prison in 2001.
The Sinaloa cartel controls much of the flow of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine to the United States.
Within hours of the high-profile arrest, doubts had started to be cast on the official version of events.
A lawyer proclaiming to speak for the Guzman family released a statement denying that the suspect in custody was the drug boss’s son.
Mexican government has admitted that it mistakenly identified Felix Beltran Leon as the son of the country's most-wanted drugs lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman
Felix Beltran Leon’s mother then spoke to journalists and denied any link to Joaquin Guzman or the Sinaloa cartel.
It took another few hours, while identity tests were carried out, before the government admitted it had made a huge mistake.
In less than a day, the episode has transformed from an apparent coup against one of Mexico’s biggest drug cartels to a major embarrassment for President Felipe Calderon’s administration, our reporter says.
US agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, were among those that had applauded the arrest.
On Thursday, the Mexican Navy had said that Jesus Guzman – known as “El Gordo”, or “The Fat One” – was a growing force within his father’s cartel and controlled most of its trade between Mexico and the US, where he was indicted in 2009.
El Chapo was jailed in 1993, but escaped from his maximum-security prison in a laundry basket eight years later.
The US state department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.
If nothing else, the debacle goes to underscore how murky and confused the world of drug cartel arrests and government intelligence has become in Mexico.
With few recent photos of the main players in the drug world available, there may be more such cases of mistaken identity to come for the Mexican armed forces.
More than 55,000 people have died in Mexico in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the cartels nearly six years ago.
The Syrian military has confirmed that it shot down Turkish warplane F-4 Phantom “flying in airspace over Syrian waters”.
A spokesman said the plane was dealt with “according to the laws that govern such situations”, the state news agency Sana said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country would “take the necessary steps” once all the facts were known.
The Turkish and Syrian navies are meanwhile engaged in a joint search for the two missing crew members.
The F-4 Phantom disappeared over the Mediterranean, south-west of Turkey’s Hatay province, near the Syrian coast.
The Turkish military said it lost radio contact with the F-4 at 11:58 local time while it was flying over Hatay, about 90 minutes after it took off from Erhac airbase in the province of Malatya, to the north-west.
A Syrian military statement said that an “unidentified air target” had penetrated Syrian airspace from the west at 11:40 local time, travelling at very low altitude and at high speed.
It said that in line with the laws prevailing in such cases, Syrian air defenses engaged the craft, and scored a direct hit about 1km (0.6 miles) from its coastline.
It burst into flames, and crashed into the sea at a point 10 km (6 miles) from the village of Om al-Tuyour, off the coast of Latakia province, well within Syrian territorial waters, the statement added.
The Syrian military has confirmed that it shot down Turkish warplane F-4 Phantom "flying in airspace over Syrian waters
Syrian television showed a map charting the aircraft’s movements, coming in from over the sea near northern Cyprus.
The statement said that after it “became clear the target was a Turkish military plane which had entered our airspace”, the naval commands of the two countries were in touch, and a joint operation was going on to find the missing crew members.
Earlier on Friday evening, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a two-hour emergency meeting with his interior, defense and foreign ministers and the Chief of the General Staff, Gen Necdet Ozel.
“As a result of information obtained from the evaluation of our concerned institutions and from within the joint search and rescue operations with Syria, it is understood that our plane was brought down by Syria,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office said in a statement afterwards.
“Turkey will present its final stance after the incident has been fully brought to light and decisively take the necessary steps.”
A spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said he was following the situation closely.
“He hopes this serious incident can be handled with restraint by both sides through diplomatic channels,” Martin Nesirky told reporters.
Given the breakdown in relations between the two countries over the Syrian conflict, this incident has the potential to provoke a serious crisis.
Much will depend on whether or not the Turkish pilots have survived.
If not, public anger might push the government into some kind of punitive action against Syria, he adds.
Relations between NATO-member Turkey and Syria, once close allies, have deteriorated sharply since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.
Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled the violence across the border into Turkey.
Inside Syria, the violence continued on Thursday with state media reporting that “armed terrorist groups” had abducted and massacred 25 villagers in Aleppo province.
Activists said that rebels had shot dead 26 government supporters who were believed to be militiamen.
In Aleppo city, activists said a number of people died when security forces opened fire on a demonstration after Friday prayers.
Meanwhile, international envoy Kofi Annan has said it is time for the world to exert greater pressure to help bring the violence in Syria to an end.
Kofi Annan called for Iran to be involved in attempts to end the violence, a proposal put forward by Russia but rejected by the US.
In a separate development, UK government officials have decided to prevent the head of the Syrian Olympic Committee, Gen Mowaffak Joumaa, from travelling to London for the Games.
The visa ban is believed to be linked to his relationship to President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Rio+20, the UN sustainable development summit in Brazil, has ended with world leaders adopting a political declaration hammered out a few days previously.
Environment and development charities say the Rio+20 agreement is too weak to tackle social and environmental crises.
Gro Harlem Brundtland, author of a major UN sustainable development report 25 years ago, said corporate power was one reason for lack of progress.
Nations will spend three years drawing up sustainable development goals.
They will also work towards better protection for marine life on the high seas.
But moves to eliminate subsidies on fossil fuels – recommended in a number of authoritative reports as likely to boost economies and curb CO2 emissions – came to naught.
Plans to enshrine the right of poor people to have clean water, adequate food and modern forms of energy also foundered or were seriously weakened during the six days of preparatory talks.
And many governments were bitter that text enshrining women’s reproductive rights was removed from the declaration over opposition from the Vatican backed by Russia and nations from the Middle East and Latin America.
Rio+20, the UN sustainable development summit in Brazil, has ended with world leaders adopting a political declaration hammered out a few days previously
The UN had billed the summit as a “once in a generation chance” to turn the global economy onto a sustainable track.
“It absolutely did not do that,” said Barbara Stocking, chief executive of Oxfam GB.
“We had the leaders of the world here, but they really did not take decisions that will take us forward,” she said.
“It was a real lack of action that is very worrying, because we know how difficult the situation is in much of the world in terms of environment and poverty, and they did not show the leadership we needed them to bring.”
The president of the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, Haiti’s President Michel Martelly, said the summit could have delivered more.
“I feel like these poor countries, these countries that are always being hit by catastrophe – things have not changed much,” he said.
“So on this summit I will say that much more effort needs to be done so we can correctly and precisely come out with resolutions that will have an impact on the lives of people being affected.”
Developing countries had argued that they needed financial assistance in order to meet the costs of switching onto a green development path.
But with the US in an election year and the EU deep in eurozone mire, any mention of specific sums was blocked.
As a consequence, developing countries refused to let the declaration endorse green economics as the definitive sustainable development path.
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist and special adviser to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said support was needed.
“Those of us who look at this day in, day out know that many poor countries need that kind of help,” he said.
“And it does not do any good to cite large ambitious promises many years out, and then behind the scenes to say <<we’re not going to talk about how they’re going to be fulfilled>>.”
But Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and deputy head of the US delegation here, said the US was fully behind the “green economy” – and that the summit could help deliver the vision.
“The negotiated document, which is really the first time we have a multilateral document that talks about the green economy that has broad-based support – that is a big push,” she said.
“But probably more important are the connections that are being made between businesses large and small, civil society, academia and of course governments at the national and sub-national level – all those things are pushing the green economy forwards.”
The need to put the world on a sustainable track, and the perils of not doing so, were outlined most influentially in a 1987 commission chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, then Prime Minister of Norway.
“Obviously when you look back 25 years now, less than one would have expected has happened – that’s clear – but you can’t think you can turn the world round in 25 years,” she said.
She said there were “complex reasons” why governments had been unable to take the vision further – including the power of corporations.
“I think [the allegation] is justified – it’s not the whole truth but it certainly is a big part of it,” she said.
“In our political system, corporations, businesses and people who have economic power influence political decision-makers – that’s a fact, and so it’s part of the analysis.”
The next key date on the sustainable development journey is 2015.
The sustainable development goals should be decided and declared by then; also, the UN climate convention will have what some, with trepidation, are calling its “next Copenhagen” – the summit that should in theory usher in a new global agreement with some legal force to tackle global warming.
Jerry Sandusky has been found guilty of sexually abusing young boys while he was an assistant coach of the Penn State football team.
Jerry Sandusky, 68, was convicted of 45 of the counts against him, and acquitted of a further three.
He is now headed to jail where he will be placed on suicide watch and could face a total sentence of up to 442 years in prison.
Jurors were sequestered for just two days while they deliberated the verdict.
The conviction of Jerry Sandusky finally brings an end to a horrific saga which has trashed the reputation of a leading public university and ended the career of its president as well as its legendary head coach, Joe Paterno, who died of cancer in January.
After the verdict was announced in the courtroom in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Jerry Sandusky’s bail was revoked and he was taken to the Center County Correctional Facility.
Jerry Sandusky plans to appeal against his conviction, according to one of his defense lawyers.
He showed little emotion as the verdict was read. The judge ordered him to be taken to the county jail to await sentencing in about three months.
In court, Jerry Sandusky half-waved toward family as the sheriff led him away. Outside, he calmly walked to a sheriff’s car with his hands cuffed in front of him.
As he was placed in the car, someone yelled at him to “rot in hell”. Others hurled insults and he shook his head in response.
Jerry Sandusky was accompanied by his wife Dottie as they took a break from the courthouse during deliberations on Friday
Defense attorney Joe Amendola said Jerry Sandusky was disappointed by the verdict.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly thanked the accusers who testified, calling them “brave men”.
She says the trial was forced on them and that she hoped the verdict “helps these victims heal… and helps other victims of abuse to come forward”.
Almost immediately after the judge adjourned, loud cheers could be heard from at least a couple of hundred people gathered outside the courthouse as word quickly spread that Jerry Sandusky had been convicted.
Eight young men testified in a central Pennsylvania courtroom about a range of abuse.
For two other alleged victims, prosecutors relied on testimony from a university janitor and then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary.
Jerry Sandusky did not take the stand in his own defense.
After the verdict was announced, defense attorney Karl Rominger said it was “a tough case” with a lot of charges and that an appeal was certain. He said the defense team “didn’t exactly have a lot of time to prepare”.
Jerry Sandusky’s former employer, Penn State, which has been dealt a damaging blow to its reputation by the scandal, released a statement after his conviction was announced.
“The legal process has spoken and we have tremendous respect for the men who came forward to tell their stories publicly,” the university said.
“No verdict can undo the pain and suffering caused by Mr. Sandusky, but we do hope this judgment helps the victims and their families along their path to healing.”
The statement added that Penn State had “established a confidential counseling process for victims of Mr. Sandusky’s conduct” and taken other steps to stamp out sexual abuse on campus.
In an apparent attempt to limit the institution’s legal liabilities in the light of the verdict, the statement continued: “The University plans to invite victims of Mr. Sandusky’s abuse to participate in a programme to facilitate the resolution of claims against the University arising out of Mr. Sandusky’s conduct.”
The ex-coach had repeatedly denied the allegations, and his defense suggested that his accusers had a financial motive to make up stories, years after the fact.
His attorney also painted Jerry Sandusky as the victim of overzealous police investigators who coached the alleged victims into giving accusatory statements.
Jerry Sandusky had initially faced 52 counts of sex abuse. The judge dropped four counts during the trial, saying two were unproven, one was brought under a statute that didn’t apply and another was duplicative.
Earlier on Friday, his lead defense attorney told reporters that he would be stunned and “probably die of a heart attac” if his client were acquitted of all 48 counts.
The impromptu remarks by Joe Amendola lasted about 15 minutes inside the courtroom and opened a wide window into the defendant’s state of mind as he and Dottie Sandusky anxiously awaited a verdict.
Joe Amendola said that in anticipation of a verdict, the Sanduskys were spending a lot of time praying. He described the atmosphere at their home as funereal.
On Friday, jurors listened again to testimony from a key prosecution witness against the former Penn State assistant football coach, then went back behind closed doors for a second day of deliberations.
The jury had talked for more than eight hours on Thursday before adjourning at the end of a long session that featured dueling portrayals of Jerry Sandusky as either a “predatory pedophile” or the victim of a conspiracy between investigators and his accusers.
Rachel Campbell and her friends filmed an amazing scene with more than 100 tiger sharks furiously feeding over the carcass of a dead whale on the beach near Warroora Station in northwestern Australia.
Then the surfers wandered a kilometre or so up the beach and went for a surf anyway.
Writing on her blog Rachel Campbell said: “I was collecting shells along the beach with my mum. Searching the white sand while crystal water lapped at my ankles.
“I was shocked to find my worst nightmare dominating the shoreline a mere 400 m ahead.
“Picture about thirty sharks, most of which seemed to be tiger sharks, all destroying a whale laying only a few feet from the shore.”
Rachel Campbell and her friends filmed an amazing scene with more than 100 tiger sharks furiously feeding over the carcass of a dead whale on the beach near Warroora Station
“The nightmare part was the mass of sharks devouring the one victim.
“Before long I realized there were about 100 sharks in total, some as long as, all in a frenzy over fresh whale flesh.
“I have to say that I felt pretty massive playing chicken with waves barely the height of my ankle. You only had to get knee deep and suddenly you’re sharing the same square meter of Indian Ocean with a tiger shark.
“I am well aware of those beasts outside my control. I will still surf here though, because it’s not about merely surviving this ocean, it’s about living and breathing everything that this crazy place has to offer.
Cat Power, the longtime ex-girlfriend of Giovanni Ribisi, has revealed that their relationship ended just two months before his surprise wedding to model Agyness Deyn.
The 40-year-old indie singer, who lived with Giovanni Ribisi, 37, in his Los Angeles home with his 14-year-old daughter Lucia until their recent split, told The Stool Pigeon that she had been finishing her new album “around the time” they broke up.
Cat Power, who has suffered a nervous breakdown in the past, tweeted on April 20: “I HAVE FINISHED MY RECORD.”
She told the music blog: “The timing couldn’t have been more distracting, to say the least. It was down to the wire and [I was] really suffering, in the end. It hurts.”
Cat Power added that Sun, the new album which is due to be released on September 4, is “this gift I’m lucky I finished” amid “great loss personally in my life right now”.
Cat Power, the longtime ex-girlfriend of Giovanni Ribisi, has revealed that their relationship ended just two months before his surprise wedding to model Agyness Deyn
Cat Power, whose real name is Chan Marshall, also revealed that she chopped off her trademark long brunette locks as a result of the split, which she said “wasn’t really out of left-field, but it kinda was”.
“I cut my hair off three days later, got on a plane to France and I finished the s**t [the album],” she said.
Cat Power, whose album of new material is her first since 2006, admitted that she still loves Giovanni Ribisi.
“It’s all good, you know,” she said.
“I love the person very much. I actually love this record very much too.”
Cat Power also revealed that she had become something of a second mother to Lucia, who is the daughter of Giovanni Ribisi’s previous wife, actress Mariah O’Brien.
“I entered a long relationship which I really wanted to be successful,” she said.
“You know that thing we’re all raised to want: a beautiful life with children? There’s this part of me who wants to be a mother…I was trying to grow my personal life in a way I never did before.”
No doubt a fragile woman, Cat Power once suffered from severe stage fright as a performer.
After a history of substance abuse, she was often seen on stage literally crippled by her anxiety as she attempted to perform her music.
The past two years have seen a more confident performer, which was said to be thanks to her stable relationship with Giovanni Ribisi.
She added that time off-stage helped her re-gather steam as a performer.
“[It] was usually cured by like six days in New Mexico on a beach, topless with my best friend,” she said.
“That usually cures it [anxiety] really quick.”
Giovanni Ribisi’s wedding to model Agyness Deyn, 29, came as a surprise to many, as it was not widely known that the pair was dating.
The news was confirmed yesterday in a statement from Giovanni Ribisi’s publicist after Crown City News snapped a photograph of the couple moments before they tied the knot at Los Angeles County Registrar.
Turkish government has called an emergency security meeting amid reports that one of its fighter jets was shot down by Syrian security forces.
The Turkish military earlier said it had lost contact with an F-4 Phantom over the Mediterranean Sea on Friday morning, south-west of Hatay province.
It did not confirm reports that Syrian air defense forces were responsible.
But local media are quoting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying “the other side has expressed regret”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan also revealed that the two crew members were safe.
Turkish government has called an emergency security meeting amid reports that one of its fighter jets was shot down by Syrian security forces
Relations between Turkey and Syria, once close allies, have deteriorated sharply since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.
The Turkish military said it lost radio contact with the F-4 at 11:58 local time on Friday while it was flying over Hatay, about 90 minutes after it took off from Erhac airbase in the province of Malatya, to the north-west.
“Search-and-rescue efforts have started immediately,” a statement said.
The private news channel, NTV, later cited unnamed military sources as saying that the plane had crashed off Hatay’s Mediterranean coast, in Syrian territorial waters, but that there had been no border violation.
The Turkish and Syrian coast guards were collaborating in the search for the two crew members and the plane, NTV reported.
Witnesses in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia meanwhile said Syrian air defenses had shot down an unidentified aircraft near the town of Ras al-Basit.
Lebanon’s al-Manar television channel – controlled by Lebanon’s Hezbollah Shia movement, an ally of the Syrian government – also reported that Syrian security sources had said that “Syrian air defenses shot down a Turkish warplane and hit another in Syrian airspace”.
There was no immediate confirmation from Turkish officials, but later it was announced that Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be holding an emergency meeting with his top military and intelligence chiefs to discuss the missing plane.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also said to have told Turkish reporters on a flight back from Brazil that “the other side have expressed regret” over the downing of the F-4, and also that the pilots had been recovered.
At least 10 Zimbabwean MP have been circumcised as part of a campaign to reduce HIV and AIDS cases.
A small makeshift clinic for carrying out the procedures was erected in Parliament House in the capital Harare.
Blessing Chebundo, chairman of Zimbabwe Parliamentarians Against AIDS, said his main objective was to inspire other citizens to follow suit.
Research by the UN has suggested male circumcision can reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS.
A report by UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the risk of HIV infection among men could be reduced by 60%.
More than a million people in Zimbabwe are believed to be HIV-positive, with about 500,000 receiving anti-retroviral treatment.
The country was one of 13 African states identified in 2007 as a priority for the development of male circumcision programmes by the WHO and UNAIDS.
At least 10 Zimbabwean MP have been circumcised as part of a campaign to reduce HIV and AIDS cases
Blessing Chebundo said more than 120 MPs and parliamentary staff had shown an interest in the circumcision programme.
At least 10 MPs and 13 other people had the procedure performed.
Blessing Chebundo was the first to undergo the 10-minute operation.
He said there was a possibility that some members of the executive may also attend, including President Robert Mugabe.
The circumcision programme had attracted a lot of attention in Zimbabwe, and had divided opinion.
The issue was raised in parliament in September 2011, when Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe made a plea to her fellow politicians.
At the time, many MPs shunned the idea.
As well as a clinic in parliament, the initiative has seen a tent set up across the road from parliament, where counselling sessions will be held.
Dr. Owen Mugurungi, Director for AIDS and TB unit with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, applauded those involved, the Zimbabwe Mail reported.
“We are happy with this initiative and we are happy more leaders will come on board,” he was quoted as saying.
How circumcision may protect against HIV infection?
Specific cells in the foreskin are thought to be potential targets for HIV infection. Following circumcision, the skin under the foreskin becomes less sensitive and is less likely to bleed, reducing the risk of infection.
When AIDS first began to emerge in Africa, researchers noted that men who were circumcised seemed to be less at risk of infection, but the reasons were unclear.
Trials suggest that male circumcision could reduce the risk of HIV infection, acquired through heterosexual intercourse, by up to 60%.
The WHO says the practice is particularly effective in countries with high HIV rates.
But it is not the whole solution. Promoting safe sex, providing people with HIV testing services and encouraging the use of male and female condoms are all seen as equally important.
Some experts also say there is a danger in sending out a message that circumcision can protect against HIV because it could lead to an increase in unprotected sex.
As Johnny Depp grows closer to his Rum Diary co-star Amber Heard, it’s being reported that the actor was spending time with other beautiful women as his 14 year union with Vanessa Paradis crumbled.
Johnny Depp, 49 , was forced to deny rumors that he was involved with his Dark Shadows co-star Eva Green who he shared a sensational, supernatural love scene with in the Tim Burton flop.
But a report suggests that Johnny Depp has struck up a more serious bond with his pretty publicist, Robin Baum.
“Robin and Johnny spend a lot of time together obviously because of work but their relationship seems to be getting much closer than just business,” a source told RadarOnline.com.
“Robin is twice divorced and a mom but she and Johnny really seem to have some kind of crazy connection that goes way beyond a professional level.
“They travel a lot together for work and get to spend a lot of time together and they definitely have a total flirty vibe between them. I would put money on them having more than just a friendly relationship.”
A new report suggests that Johnny Depp has struck up a more serious bond with his pretty publicist, Robin Baum
They added that Johnny Depp’s partner Vanessa Paradis was aware of the close relationship between her partner and Robin Baum… and wasn’t happy about it.
“She knew that Johnny and Robin were together a lot and she didn’t like it, but there was nothing she could do because it was a working relationship she was told,” the source said.
But currently, bisexual actress Amber Heard, 26, is a “regular visitor” to the New Mexico set of The Lone Ranger where Johnny Depp is currently filming.
And Johnny Depp, who made an official announcement that he had split from partner of 14 years Vanessa Paradis on Tuesday, is even said to have bought Amber Heard a horse so they can ride together, according to a report in Globe magazine.
A source claims Johnny Depp is smitten by Amber Heard, and reportedly said: “When I first saw Amber, it was like seeing an old-time movie star like Lauren Bacall.”
Amber Heard who was born in Austin, Texas, previously worked as a model and before starring in The Rum Diary alongside Johnny Depp had had small roles in a number of films.
She attended a Catholic school in Austin until her junior year, then the ambitious teen left to pursue a career in Hollywood.
Amber Heard was active in her school’s drama department and appeared in local commercials and campaigns.
While she was raised a Catholic, after the death of her best friend died in a car crash Amber Heard declared herself an atheist.
Amber Heard, 26, has described her role as Johnny Depp’s love interest in the film, The Rum Diary, as “the best experience of my life”.
She gushed to magazine Dazed about Johnny Depp: “He’s such a wonderful presence; he is enigmatic and compelling and a true artist, seriously intelligent and incredibly sensitive.
“Everybody on set respects and likes him, which says a lot about an actor. It’s a grueling job at times and the stress level that everybody feels in the industry is intense – but it doesn’t affect Johnny.
“It seems like he has time to look everybody in the eye and I like that, it was wonderful to see.”
Amber Heard’s profile is set to rise as she recently joined the case of thriller Paranoia as the female lead alongside Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford, and Liam Hemsworth.
She also recently landed a role as an assassin in the sequel Machete Kills.
Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp had not been pictured together in public for months, but the Dark Shadows star insisted last month that there was no truth to talk of a split.
Despite Johnny Depp’s denials, a number of publications carried pictures and reports that he and Amber Heard enjoyed a trip together to Las Vegas on a private plane.
Credit ratings agency Moody’s has decided to downgrade 15 global banks and financial institutions.
In the US, Bank of America and Citigroup were among those marked down.
The UK banks downgraded were Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and HSBC. Lloyds also had its rating cut by Moody’s in a separate announcement.
The other institutions that have been downgraded are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse, UBS, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Canada.
Moody’s added that it was putting some of the banks on a negative outlook, which is a warning that they could be downgraded again in the future.
Explaining this, it said governments around the world had shown a “clear intent” to reduce their support for banks going forward.
Credit ratings agency Moody's has decided to downgrade 15 global banks and financial institutions
In Friday trading, shares in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) were up 0.8%, HSBC had gained 0.6%, and Barclays had risen 0.5%. Lloyds was 1.6% higher.
In France and Germany, Societe Generale was up 2.1%, while shares in Deutsche Bank were flat.
In a statement, RBS responded to its downgrade saying: “The group disagrees with Moody’s ratings change, which the group feels is backward-looking and does not give adequate credit for the substantial improvements the group has made to its balance sheet, funding and risk profile.”
RBS estimated that the downgrade could mean it would need to find an extra £9bn in collateral for its debts.
Lloyds said it believed that the change would have “limited impact on our funding costs and market capacity”.
In the US, Citigroup said it “strongly disagrees” with Moody’s decision.
Of the banks downgraded, four were cut by one notch on Moody’s ranking scale, including HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and also Lloyds.
A further 10 banks had their rating reduced by two notches, including Barclays. Credit Suisse was lowered by three notches.
Moody’s separates the 15 banks into three groupings, relative to its assessment of their resilience to any global financial market turmoil.
It puts HSBC in its strongest “first group”, together with Royal Bank of Canada and JP Morgan.
Moody’s says these banks have “stronger buffers” than many of their peers, and “generally more stable businesses”.
Barclays is in its “second group” of banks which Moody’s says faces “sometimes adverse factors”. Other banks at this level are BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs.
RBS is in the bottom “third group”, which comprises banks which “have been affected by problems in risk management, or have a history of high volatility”. Other banks in this grouping include Bank of America and Citigroup.
Travis Weaver became the first alleged Jerry Sandusky victim to reveal himself to the public, saying in an interview that he was sexually abused by former Penn State assistant coach more than 100 times, starting when he was just ten.
Travis Weaver, a 30-year-old Ohio man, said Jerry Sandusky preyed on him after he and his brother went to a summer camp for the Second Mile, a charity the coach founded and through which he is accused of cultivating most of his victims
The revelation comes on the same day as a jury begins to deliberate Jerry Sandusky’s fate on 48 counts of sexual abuse charges.
In closing arguments, his attorney said the accusers were liars who were hoping to cash in on legal settlements from the university.
Travis Weaver is not one of the eight accusers who testified at trial, but he did tell his story to the grand jury that handed down the Sandusky’s indictment, NBC News reported.
An exclusive interview with Travis Weaver will air at 10:00 p.m. Thursday on Rock Center.
Travis Weaver became the first alleged Jerry Sandusky victim to reveal himself to the public
When asked what he would do if he ever met Jerry Sandusky again, Travis Weaver doesn’t hesitate: “I’d punch him in his mouth.”
“There would be no reason to say anything. He knows what he did.”
During the sex abuse trial, Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer Joe Amendola said the former coach is being railroaded by overzealous investigators and prosecutors.
He strenuously denied that accusations and Sandusky has maintained his innocence since his arrest last fall.
Joe Amendola said the accusers were greedy and they lied about the abuse in the hopes of winning big payouts from Penn State University so they could drive new cars and buy big houses.
Travis Weaver has also filed a lawsuit and is being represented by a well-known attorney who has specialized in sex abuse cases against the Catholic church.
The abuse began in 1992, Travis Weaver told NBC’s Rock Center, when he met Jerry Sandusky at a swimming pool at a camp sponsored by the Second Miles, which Sandusky founded to help at-risk young boys.
“It was like meeting my hero,” Travis Weaver said of Jerry Sandusky, who was once the top pick to replace legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.
The individual attention Jerry Sandusky gave Travis Weaver began innocently, but gradually grew more and more sinister, he said.
It began with a shower in the Penn State football team’s locker room.
“After the shower was over… he’d dry me off with a towel. He’d say he was trying to wrestle with me…” Travis Weaver told NBC.
He always assumed he was the only victim, he said.
He never imagined there have been other boys until Jerry Sandusky was arrested last fall.
Travis Weaver also blasted Jerry Sandusky’s wife, Dottie, who testified that she never saw or heard anything that would have made her think her husband was molesting boys.
He said the abuse continued for four years until he moved away to Ohio to flee Jerry Sandusky.
Matt Sandusky, the adopted son of Jerry Sandusky, has dramatically accused the former Penn State coach of abuse as a jury deliberates over scores of sex abuse charges against him.
A lawyer for Matt Sandusky said the man told authorities that the former Penn State assistant football coach abused him.
Matt Sandusky, 33, is one of Jerry Sandusky’s six adopted children.
His lawyers, Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici, issued a statement on Thursday naming Matt Sandusky and saying that he had been prepared to testify on behalf of prosecutors at his father’s sex abuse trial.
The statement says Matt Sandusky is “a victim of Jerry Sandusky’s abuse”, but doesn’t go into specifics.
NBC News reported that Matt Sandusky was to take the stand as a “rebuttal witness” if Jerry Sandusky testified.
Jerry Sandusky’s defense team ultimately decided the 68-year-old former coach wouldn’t speak in his own defense.
Matt Sandusky, the adopted son of Jerry Sandusky, has dramatically accused the former Penn State coach of abuse as a jury deliberates over scores of sex abuse charges against him
Matt Sandusky’s attorney’s told the network: “This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy.”
The statement came after jurors began deliberating 48 charges against the ex-coach.
Prosecutors say Jerry Sandusky met the 10 sex-abuse victims through his charity, The Second Mile, which he established in 1977.
Matt Sandusky’s lawyer says his client met with investigators very recently.
Matt Sandusky went to live with Jerry Sandusky and his wife, Dottie, as a foster child and was adopted by them as an adult.
Shortly after Jerry Sandusky’s arrest in November, Matt Sandusky’s ex-wife Jill Jones successfully obtained a restraining order forbidding the children from sleeping at their grandparents’ home.
At about the same time, details emerged that Matt Sandusky had attempted suicide just four months after first going to live with Jerry and Dottie Sandusky in 1995.
He had come into the home through The Second Mile charity, and was first a foster child before being legally adopted.
His name also came up last week during the testimony of one of Jerry Sandusky’s ten accusers.
The man, dubbed Victim 4 by prosecutors, said Matt Sandusky was living at the Sandusky home on an occasion when he had stayed there overnight.
When asked by prosecutors whether Jerry Sandusky ever engaged him in a soap battle in the showers, he recounted a time when he and Matt Sandusky had been playing racket ball.
When they were done, he said, they went back to a locker room. Matt got undressed and got into the shower and then Victim 4 and Jerry Sandusky followed him in there, he testified.
“Me and Jerry came in. He started pumping his hand full of soap,” he said.
At that point, Matt Sandusky shut off his shower and left and went to another locker room to shower, the witness said.
Asked by prosecutors about Matt’s facial expression when the soap battles started, he replied: “Nervous.”
Jerry and Dottie Sandusky married in 1966 and have no biological children together, but adopted six times and have served as foster parents.
The news comes just hours after Travis Weaver, a 30-year-old Ohio man, became the first alleged Jerry Sandusky victim to reveal himself to the public, saying in an interview that he was sexually abused by Jerry Sandusky more than 100 times, starting when he was just ten.
Twitter blames a “cascading bug” for rendering the social networking site inaccessible yesterday.
Users from around the world reported difficulties logging on to the site after problems started at about 17:00 BST.
The service was affected for around two hours while engineers sought to solve the issue.
In a blog post, Twitter dismissed reports it had been hacked, and offered “sincere apologies” to its users.
“A cascading bug is one with an effect that isn’t confined to a particular software element, but rather its effect “cascades” into other elements as well,” explained Mazen Rawashdeh, the site’s vice president of engineering.
“One of the characteristics of such a bug is that it can have a significant impact on all users, worldwide, which was the case today.
“As soon as we discovered it, we took corrective actions, which included rolling back to a previous stable version of Twitter.”
Twitter blames a "cascading bug" for rendering the social networking site inaccessible yesterday
Mazen Rawashdeh described the situation as “turbulence”.
“We began recovery at around 10:10 a.m., dropped again around 10:40 a.m. PDT, and then began full recovery at 11:08 a.m. PDT.”
Twitter’s last major downtime in the UK was on New Year’s Day when the site crashed after becoming overloaded.
In its earlier days, Twitter was famed for its flaky reliability, with its “fail whale” cartoon – which was displayed when the site was overloaded – becoming a regular sight for users.
However, added investment into the service has resulted in better stability, Mazen Rawashdeh wrote.
“For the past six months, we’ve enjoyed our highest marks for site reliability and stability ever: at least 99.96% and often 99.99%.
“In simpler terms, this means that in an average 24-hour period, twitter.com has been stable and available to everyone for roughly 23 hours, 59 minutes and 40-ish seconds.
Surgeons at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida have removed a tumor from the mouth of a foetus, in what has been described as a “world first” procedure.
After a scan at 17 weeks, mother Tammy Gonzalez said she “could see a bubble” coming out of her baby’s mouth.
Doctors said it was a very rare tumor called an oral teratoma and there was little chance her daughter would survive.
After the pioneering operation, baby Leyna was born five months later.
Doctors at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida, said this type of tumor was so rare it had been seen only once in 20 years at the hospital.
In the procedure, Tammy Gonzalez was put under a local anaesthetic as a needle was pushed through the protective amniotic sac around the foetus.
A laser was then used to cut the tumor from Leyna’s lips. The operation lasted just over an hour.
Surgeons at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida have removed a tumor from the mouth of a foetus, in what has been described as a "world first" procedure
Tammy Gonzalez told a press conference in Miami: “When they finally severed the whole thing off and I could see it floating down, it was like this huge weight had been lifted off me and I could finally see her face.”
She described the surgeons as “saviors”.
The doctors said: “To our knowledge, this is the first successful treatment of a foetal oral teratoma in utero.”
Leyna Mykaella Gonzalez was born in October 2010 weighing 8lb 1oz. She is now a healthy 20-month-old child.
The only sign of her life-saving surgery is a tiny scar on her mouth.
The details have only just emerged after the operation was reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Wednesday night Alec Baldwin made an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman, and seemed to be in the mood to play the antics of recent days down.
But even dropping his pants for the host at the Ed Sullivan Theater, didn’t knock the host off course.
After taking the stage to Pat Benatar’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Alec Baldwin broke the tension by declaring that he’d lost weight – and dropped his pants as proof, David Letterman then downed his trousers too.
But sensing the inevitable, Alec Baldwin then said: “Let’s get to it, shall we?”
“You’re obviously burning to hold up the cover of the Daily News.”
“The picture, without knowing the story, tells a tale that’s not often true,” said David Letterman.
Alec Baldwin broke the tension by declaring that he’d lost weight and dropped his pants as proof, David Letterman then downed his trousers too
Alec Baldwin then offered his explanation, while pointing at the cover of the newspaper.
“I’m forming the letter <<F>> with my mouth, and what I’m saying is, <<What F-stop are you on with the camera?>>” Alec Baldwin said.
Earlier in the day, Alec Baldwin rolled his mountain bike over a television reporter’s foot outside his East Village apartment.
The actor then allegedly used the bike to knock the Inside Edition reporter aside as she asked Alec Baldwin a question about the row.
“Ouch, my back,” the 5-foot-2 woman said after her brush with the hot-headed Alec Baldwin.
“He shoved me and ran over my foot,” the Daily News reported.
They added that a Daily News reporter and photographer were hit by the handlebars.
Earlier Alec Baldwin tweeted: “15-20 cameramen outside my bldg this am, chasing me on my bike.”
“They’re knocking into ppl on the street, yelling <<Will you seek help, Alec?>>”
It came a day after he was accused of assaulting New York Daily News photographer Marcus Santos.
Alec Baldwin told The Charlie Rose Show earlier in the week that he was a victim.
“The guy lunged and almost hit me in the teeth with the lens of the camera,” Alec said Baldwin.
Alec Baldwin famously referred to his daughter Ireland a “rude, thoughtless little pig” in a leaked voicemail message back in 2007.
But it seems that Alec Baldwin is on better terms with his teen daughter these days – and today they were spotted heading out for breakfast in New York.
Statuesque Ireland Baldwin, 16, is fast becoming the spitting image of her mother Kim Basinger, whose marriage to Alec Baldwin ended in divorce.
Alec Baldwin and his teen daughter Ireland were spotted heading out for breakfast in New York
No doubt Alec Baldwin and his daughter had a good deal to talk about over their food – following the actor’s recent run in with the Press which saw him embroiled in a fracas with a photographer.
Alec Baldwin, 54, was dressed in workout gear and appeared to have worked up quite a sweat during his morning outing.
Ireland Baldwin, meanwhile, was wearing a white top, black miniskirt and denim shirt, teamed with tan boots.
Later in the day Alec Baldwin was seen out with fiancée Hilaria Thomas, heading into New York University.
Throughout history electronics manufacturers have sold products with built-in obsolescence, or introduced new formats forcing consumers to rebut accessories and even music, films and TV shows.
Recent examples include the evolution of music, from records to tapes, CDs and downloads, each format requiring users to buy the music they already own again with the promise of better quality.
Film buffs have also seen huge changes, from VHS to laserdisc to DVD, Blu Ray and, finally, downloads.
Many gadget makers sell electronics with batteries that cannot easily be replaced, forcing users to either upgrade or pay for expensive repairs
Many gadget makers, including Apple, also sell electronics with batteries that cannot easily be replaced, forcing users to either upgrade or pay for expensive repairs.
Apple and others have also often changed the design of power supplies and other accessories with each new model, forcing consumers to buy new versions.
TV makers also warn that even the latest TVs have a limited lifespan, with on average around 100,000 hours of use before they must be replaced.
However, manufacturers hope that consumers will upgrade to the latest technology far before this happens.
Apple was accused yesterday of ripping off consumers as it emerged the next version of the iPhone could render all current accessories obsolete.
Outraged iPhone owners flocked online to complain about the reports that Apple has decided to radically alter the size of the connector in the next iPhone, which is expected to be launched in October.
Speakers, docks and other expensive accessories costing hundreds of dollars would be rendered useless by the move, along with cheaper add-ons such as chargers. Even cars with the current connector built in would need to be upgraded.
Technology blog TechCrunch said it confirmed the change by speaking with three separate manufacturers, although Apple has not commented on the plan.
Current iPhones, and all previous models, have used a 30-pin connector for power and to plug in accessories.
However, reports claim the next iPhone will use a smaller 19-pin version, rendering all current accessories useless. Leaked pictures claiming to be the new handset also show a smaller, rounder connector.
Some reports claim the new connector will allow a smaller, thinner iPhone to be made, while others claim it could lead to a cable attached by magnets.
Apple was accused yesterday of ripping off consumers as it emerged the next version of the iPhone could render all current accessories obsolete
According to blogger Robert Scoble, the move will also allow Apple tighter control over accessory makers.
Apple charges firms to create accessories as part of its “made for iPhone” scheme which approves add-ons, although the firm has never revealed how much it charges to join the scheme.
Manufacturers must also buy a special “authentication chip” for some of their accessories, a move by Apple to cut down on unapproved accessories, and it is believed the chip is even found in some iPhone headphones.
“It will be nearly impossible to make unlicensed devices,” said Robert Scoble.
“Unfortunately these design goals mean making obsolete the something like 10 power chargers in my home. Sigh.”
Sirio Brozzi of the website Awesome Robo hit out at the move, and blogged: “People are stunned by this possibility, myself included. I mean, why fix something that’s not broken?”
He believes the move is planned to give both Apple and accessory makers a huge new market.
“Have you guys ever heard of <<planned obsolescence>>?” he added.
“It’s a practice which encourages planning and designing a product so it’s only useful for a limited time, before becoming obsolete.”
Apple also advertised for staff to work the new connector earlier this year, advertising for a Lead Engineer, who the firm said will be “responsible for identifying appropriate connection technology requirements for new products and follow through with selection and development of suitable interconnect products”.
“This will often involve adaptation of existing connectors or complete new designs,” Apple said.
Along with a change in its dock connector, the iPhone 5 has also been rumored to be receiving a newly designed speaker grill, a different back cover and antenna that are molded into one piece, and most notably, a larger screen.
However, some believe Apple could – at a price – supply adapters to allow older accessories to work with the new handsets.
The new iPhone is also expected to have a larger 4″ screen using Apple’s retina display, which uses individual pixels so small the human eye cannot see them, making on-screen text appear like a printed page, and allowing graphics and video to be shown at resolutions higher than a high definition TV.
It will also include Apple’s own maps software, which the company revealed a few weeks ago. In a bid to compete with Google’s maps, Apple even revealed it has a fleet of planes and helicopters photographing the world to build up a 3D map.
The iPhone accessories which could become obsolete
Taliban militants have attacked Spozhmai Hotel outside Kabul in the Lake Qargha area, triggering a deadly gun battle with Afghan security forces and a hostage crisis.
Three guards and one police officer were killed, as were three militants, but two are still fighting, according to the chief of Kabul police.
An unknown number of people have been taken hostage, including women and children, but 18 have been freed.
The Taliban claimed the attack. Lake Qargha is on the outskirts of Kabul and is favored by residents of the Afghan capital for day trips and family outings.
The gunmen, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns, launched the attack on the hotel late on Thursday, officials say.
Taliban militants have attacked Spozhmai Hotel outside Kabul in the Lake Qargha area, triggering a deadly gun battle with Afghan security forces and a hostage crisis
“Police forces have besieged the hotel where people gathered for a picnic or wedding party,” Kabul deputy police chief Daoud Amin told the AFP news agency.
“We will be very careful so that not to harm to civilians,” he added.
Some guests reportedly jumped out of hotel windows to flee from the attackers.
An unknown number remain inside.
The US-led coalition is providing support to the Afghan security forces, who are trying to flush out the insurgents from the hotel.
Reuters news agency quotes the Taliban as saying they attacked the hotel because wealthy Afghans and foreigners used it for “wild parties”.
Violence has recently increased across the country, with at least three US soldiers and about 20 Afghans killed in a series of attacks over the past seven days.
The attacks come as NATO prepares to hand responsibility to Afghan forces when the alliance’s combat troops leave in 2014.
Rescuers are searching for dozens of people believed to be missing after a boat sank near Christmas Island, off north-western Australia.
Ships have so far picked 110 survivors from the sea, but officials believe about 200 people were on the boat. Three bodies have been recovered.
The ship, believed to be carrying asylum-seekers, capsized on Thursday.
Australian patrol vessels, merchant ships and aircraft have been helping with the rescue.
Christmas Island is closer to Indonesia than Australia, and is targeted by asylum-seekers hoping to get to Australia, often on boats that are over-loaded and poorly maintained.
Officials said the boat issued an emergency call and was later found to be in distress by an Australian surveillance plane.
Rescuers are searching for dozens of people believed to be missing after a boat sank near Christmas Island, off north-western Australia
“We’re still in that critical window where more lives could be saved,” Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said.
Everyone on board the boat was said to be male, with a 13-year-old boy among those rescued. Their nationalities remain unclear.
About 40 people were found clinging to the hull of the boat and more were found holding on to debris, Jason Clare said.
A spokeswoman from Australia’s Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said water temperatures were fair, which made finding more survivors more likely.
Those rescued have begun arriving at Christmas Island, where Australia has a large immigration detention centre. They were said to be in good health.
In recent years a flow of asylum-seekers, mainly from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Iraq, have been making their way to Australian territory by boat via Indonesia.
There have been a number of capsizes blamed on unseaworthy vessels carrying too many passengers.
About 50 asylum-seekers died when their boat broke up on rocks off Christmas Island in December 2010.
“This accident again underscores the dangerous nature of these hazardous journeys, and the desperate and dangerous measures people will resort to when they are fleeing persecution in their home countries,” the UN refugee agency said in a statement.
Scientists warn the H5N1 bird flu virus could change into a form able to spread rapidly between humans.
Researchers have identified five genetic changes that could allow the virus to start a deadly pandemic.
Writing in the journal Science, they say it would be theoretically possible for these changes to occur in nature.
A US agency has tried unsuccessfully to ban publication of parts of the research fearing it could be used by terrorists to create a bioweapon.
According to Prof. Ron Fouchier from the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, who led the research, publication of the work in full will give the wider scientific community the best possible chance to combat future flu pandemics.
“We hope to learn which viruses can cause pandemics and by knowing that we might be able to prevent them by enforcing strict eradication programmes,” he said.
He added that his work might also speed the development of vaccines and anti-viral drugs against a lethal form of bird flu that could spread rapidly among people.
The H5N1 virus has been responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of birds and has led to hundreds of millions more being slaughtered to stop its spread.
The virus is also deadly to humans but can only be transmitted by close contact with infected birds.
Scientists warn the H5N1 bird flu virus could change into a form able to spread rapidly between humans
It is for this reason that relatively few people have died of bird flu. Latest World Health Organization (WHO) figures indicate 332 people have died of the illness since 2003.
Health officials are concerned though that the H5N1 virus could one day mutate into a form that could be spread between humans through coughs and sneezes through the air.
This could, they fear, result in a lethal pandemic that could spread rapidly across the world killing tens of millions of people.
It is only now that a study has confirmed that the emergence of such a deadly virus is theoretically possible.
A group led by Prof. Ron Fouchier wanted to find out which genetic changes were required to enable the H5N1 virus to mutate into a form that could be transmitted from person to person through the air.
His team compared the genetic structure of the bird flu virus with those responsible for earlier human flu pandemics.
The researchers found five key differences, which they reasoned could be the mutations required for airborne transmission of the virus.
They confirmed their theory was correct by genetically engineering those changes into the H5N1 virus which they found could then be spread between ferrets through coughing and sneezing.
A team from Cambridge University then looked to see whether such a mutation could emerge naturally and if so its likelihood.
The researchers studied the genetic structure of 3,000 bird viruses and 400 that occur in humans.
They found some of these viruses had two of the key changes needed to become airborne. Mathematical modeling suggested it was indeed possible for a virus to develop the three further changes required during the course of an epidemic.
It is the first time it has been shown that it is possible for bird flu to become airborne, but the research team was unable to determine precisely how likely this was to happen.
Prof. Derek Smith, who led the analysis, said more information was needed.
He said researchers required a better understanding of how flu viruses were transmitted between people in order to develop a clearer idea of the likelihood of the emergence of an airborne strain of bird flu.
“These are difficult things to find out,” said Prof. Derek Smith.
“What this work enables us to do is to prioritize particular experiments to obtain this information.”
It is clear though that the emergence of an airborne mutation of H5N1 is unlikely. Were it not it would have emerged already.
But researchers want to be able to calculate the risk of such a virus emerging more precisely in order to help public health officials in their contingency planning.
News of Prof. Ron Fouchier’s work, and another similar study by Yoshihiro Kawaoka published this May in the journal Nature, prompted the US National Security Advisory Board for Biotechnology (NSABB) to ask both journals last November to redact some sensitive parts of the research.
The NSABB believed the information could be used by terrorists to create a bioweapon.
The scientists who carried out the research, and the journals concerned, considered suggestions as to how the results could be redacted in the journals, but distributed to bona fide researchers who urgently needed the information.
But they concluded such a system was unworkable.
“You can’t share information with so many people in the field and keep it confidential,” according to Prof. Ron Fouchier.
Editor in chief of the journal Science, Dr. Bruce Alberts, said the publication of the research in both Science and Nature had “shone a spotlight” on the need to deal more effectively with research that could be misused by terrorists – so called “dual use research of concern” (DURC).
“It has become clear that we will need to work toward the establishment of a comprehensive, international system for assessing DURC, one that includes transparent procedures to allow selected access to any information omitted from a scientific publication to those with a need to know.”
But Prof. Ron Fouchier questioned whether a system of asking scientific journals to censor DURC work is ever workable or even appropriate.
“The general mode should be that science should be freely available so that the wider scientific community can build on the research,” he said.
“I have a hard time identifying research papers that you shouldn’t publish. So I’m not sure whether we should ever go down this alley.”
Employees who fall sick during their annual leave are entitled to take corresponding paid leave at a later date, the EU’s top court has ruled.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling is legally binding throughout the EU.
Thursday’s ruling was prompted by a Spanish trade union case against a group of department stores.
“The right to paid annual leave cannot be interpreted restrictively,” the court says.
The court in Luxembourg said the EU Working Time Directive grants workers a right to at least four weeks’ paid annual leave “even where such leave coincides with periods of sick leave”.
Employees who fall sick during their annual leave are entitled to take corresponding paid leave at a later date, the EU's top court has ruled
The ECJ says “the point at which the temporary incapacity arose is irrelevant”.
“Consequently, a worker is entitled to take paid annual leave, which coincides with a period of sick leave, at a later point in time, irrespective of the point at which the incapacity for work arose.”
According to an earlier ECJ ruling, workers who fall sick before a period of annual leave can also reschedule that leave period so that it does not clash with their sick leave.
At least 15 EU countries use the opt-out, which enables workers voluntarily to work more than 48 hours a week.
An EU source said the ECJ ruling has full, immediate effect EU-wide, regardless of the type or size of employer.
Workers who believe their employer has infringed their right to paid annual leave can seek justice in their national courts.
Infringement cases against employers who violate the directive can also be brought by the European Commission or national governments.
In cases where workers fall sick towards the end of the year, and are unable to take all of their annual leave, they can under EU law carry over their unused leave into the next accounting period.
The ECJ has also ruled that the long-term sick have the right to accumulate at least a year of unused annual leave. But the ECJ says the amount is not open-ended and member states can set an upper limit.
Just over a month after the release of Diablo III, Kripparrian, a pro player, has managed to complete the game on its hardest setting.
Toronto-based Kripparrian posted a video on YouTube showing the hard fight against Diablo – the ultimate boss in the game.
To make the task harder, Kripparrian used the game’s “hard core” setting which left little room for error.
The achievement has been confirmed by the game’s developer, Blizzard.
The hugely popular Diablo III game casts players in the role of a hero who has to save the mythical world of Sanctuary from a demonic invasion.
Kripparrian made this job as hard as possible by playing the game’s Inferno mode which makes in-game enemies much tougher.
In addition, he used a “hard core” character. This meant that, if the character died once, the game would be over. He also got in-game help from another player called Krippi.
Just over a month after the release of Diablo III, Kripparrian, a pro player, has managed to complete the game on its hardest setting
The final fight against Diablo, the ultimate boss in the game, took about 25 minutes and Kripparrian was jubilant once it was done.
The achievement was completed prior to the application of the latest patch for the game which makes monsters easier to kill.
“With this patch, the bosses, the mobs, they become easier,” he said in the video of the kill.
“We didn’t want to beat it that way. We wanted to beat the game when it was hard, at the hardest point possible. So it was a race against time.”
One of Blizzard’s community managers confirmed the achievement soon after and offered congratulations via Twitter.
US engineers have unveiled AWARE2, a new camera capable of creating images with “unprecedented detail”.
The prototype machine is capable of taking pictures with resolutions of up 50 gigapixels, equivalent to 50,000 megapixels, according to the team from Duke University in North Carolina.
The new camera works by synchronizing 98 tiny cameras in a single device.
The machine is likely to be used first for military surveillance.
The camera was developed by a team led by engineer David Brady and Michael J. Fitzpatrick, professor of Electric Engineering at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, along with scientists from the University of Arizona, and the University of California.
They received funding from DARPA – the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
AWARE2 prototype machine is capable of taking pictures with resolutions of up 50 gigapixels, equivalent to 50,000 megapixels
The prototype camera itself is two-and-half feet square and 20 inches deep.
“Each one of the microcameras captures information from a specific area of the field of view,” David Brady said.
“A computer processor essentially stitches all this information into a single highly detailed image. In many instances, the camera can capture images of things that photographers cannot see themselves but can then detect when the image is viewed later.”
Most consumer cameras currently on the market are capable of taking photographs ranging from eight to 40 megapixels.
Pixels are basically individual “dots” of data – and the higher the number of pixels, the better resolution of the image.
The researchers believe that within five years, as the electronic components of the cameras become miniaturized and more efficient, the next generation of gigapixel cameras should be available to the general public.
“The camera is so large now because of the electronic control boards and the need to add components to keep it from overheating,” David Brady said.
“As more efficient and compact electronics are developed, the age of hand-held gigapixel photography should follow.”
