A TV helicopter crew in California managed to capture the image of a man who was using his mobile phone and walking into the path of a 500 lb black bear.
The homeowner calmly walks towards the giant animal, engrossed in his mobile.
However, just feet before he reaches it, he notices the huge bear – and turns and runs in the nick of time.
Residents of La Crescenta, California, were warned to be on the lookout for the bear, which was only finally contained in a back garden this morning.
A TV helicopter crew in California managed to capture the image of a man who was using his mobile phone and walking into the path of a 500 lb black bear
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies received a call of a bear sighting at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday in the 2800 block of Manhattan Avenue, KTLA-TV reported.
La Crescenta station sheriff’s deputies and the Glendale Police Department responded, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Slater.
“We did locate about a 500, 600-pound bear in this immediate area,” Sgt. Mark Slater said.
“He’s been wandering through the residential area for the last several hours.”
“Department of Fish and Game is en route,” Mark Slater said.
“They have ultimate responsibility over it. Our role right now is if the bear is docile and just hunkering down, we’ll let him continue that until Fish and Game gets here.”
A police helicopter has been tracking the bear, which is believed to be the same animal that broke into a garage and pried open a refrigerator to snack on some frozen meatballs last month.
A major earthquake with an initial magnitude of 8.9 has hit under the sea off Indonesia’s northern Aceh province.
The quake triggered a tsunami warning across the Indian Ocean region.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it was not yet known whether a tsunami had been generated, but advised authorities to “take appropriate action”.
The region is regularly hit by earthquakes. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people in Aceh.
A major earthquake with an initial magnitude of 8.9 has hit under the sea off Indonesia's northern Aceh province
The US Geological Survey, which documents quakes worldwide, said the Aceh quake was centred 33 km (20 miles) under the sea about 495 km from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.
The tsunami centre’s warning said quakes of such a magnitude “have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean basin”.
Reuters reports that people in the region were making their way to higher ground.
China has urged support for its probe into disgraced leader Bo Xilai, a day after news of his dismissal and the detention of his wife over the death of British businessman Neil Heywood shocked the country.
A widely-published piece in party newspaper People’s Daily praised the “correct decision”, saying it showed respect for the rule of law.
Bo Xilai’s removal from key party posts was announced late on Tuesday.
It followed weeks of speculation over the former Chongqing party chief.
Bo Xilai, 62, was once tipped as a future leader. But he has now been removed from his posts on the Communist Party’s hugely powerful 25-member Politburo, and the 300-member Central Committee.
His wife, Gu Kailai, is being investigated in connection with the death of Neil Heywood, Chinese authorities have also announced.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague welcomed the news.
“The Chinese are doing as we asked them to do and we now look forward to seeing those investigations take place and in due course hearing the outcome of those investigations,” William Hague said.
Wang Feng of the Brookings-Tsinghua Centre for Public Policy described the scandal as “almost unprecedented in China’s political history”.
“For the last 30 years this is the biggest scandal we can think of,” he said.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, is being investigated in connection with the death of British businessman Neil Heywood
The news of the action against Bo Xilai and his wife emerged late on Tuesday.
”The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has decided to suspend his membership of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and the CPC Central Committee,” said an announcement by state news agency Xinhua.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai has been “transferred to the judicial authorities on suspected crime of intentional homicide” together with Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly who worked for the Bo family, another Xinhua report said.
The subsequent front-page People’s Daily commentary, entitled “Firm support for correct decision” and republished in the main Chinese newspapers, said that the right action had been taken.
”Bo has seriously violated the party discipline, causing damage to the cause and the image of the party and state,” the commentary said.
”Whoever has broken the law will be handled in accordance with law and will not be tolerated, no matter who is involved.”
China’s internet censorship now appears to have kicked into action. Microblogging site Sina Weibo and online forum Baidu Tieba were both filtering posts containing the words ”Bo Xilai” on Wednesday.
Bo Xilai’s fall from grace began after his police chief Wang Lijun spent a day holed up in the US consulate in Chengdu in early February. It was rumored that Wang Lijun had been attempting to defect.
The suggestion was that he had been demoted by an angry Bo Xilai after the officer had alerted him to the fact that his family was the subject of a police investigation linked to Neil Heywood’s death.
While in the consulate Wang Lijun alleged that Gu Kailai had been involved in murdering Neil Heywood, Xinhua reported.
The 41-year-old was found dead in Chongqing in November 2011. Police initially said that he died from excessive drinking.
The allegations led to a second investigation. Xinhua said Gu Kailai and her son were in “conflict” with Neil Heywood over “economic issues”.
“According to reinvestigation results, the existing evidence indicated that Heywood died of homicide, of which [Gu Kailai] and Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly at Bo’s home, are highly suspected,” the news agency reported.
The exact nature of Neil Heywood’s role and his relations with the family are unclear and have been the subject of much speculation inside and outside China.
Republican Rick Santorum has ended his bid for the White House, leaving Mitt Romney as the presumptive nominee.
The former Pennsylvania senator made the announcement at a news conference in the city of Gettysburg.
“While this presidential race is over for me, we are not done fighting,” said Rick Santorum, a social conservative.
Rick Santorum had been campaigning in Pennsylvania, his home state, ahead of its primary on 24 April.
But he was far behind Mitt Romney in terms of funding and was in danger of losing the state for the second time in six years, analysts said.
In 2006 Rick Santorum lost his Pennsylvania Senate seat by an 18-point margin.
In the current race for the Republican nomination, Rick Santorum lags far behind Mitt Romney in terms of the number of delegates needed to seal the nomination at the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida, in late August.
Rick Santorum’s children and his wife Karen stood behind him in Gettysburg as he made the announcement that he was suspending his campaign.
He had taken time off the campaign trail in recent days as his 3-year-old daughter Isabella, who has a rare genetic disorder, was admitted to hospital.
Republican Rick Santorum has ended his bid for the White House, leaving Mitt Romney as the presumptive nominee
Rick Santorum proved to be the most resilient of the Republican rivals challenging Mitt Romney’s front-runner status.
In his statement Rick Santorum said he had surpassed expectations, adding that “against all odds, we won 11 states, millions of voters, millions of votes”.
“We were winning in a very different way,” Rick Santorum said.
“We were touching hearts.”
Rick Santorum remembered some of the volunteers he worked with during the campaign.
Without the help of people like Wendy in Iowa, who made 5,000 phone calls or the girls in Tulsa, Oklahoma, whose song “Game On” became an internet sensation, the campaign would not have come as far as it did, Rick Santorum said.
He mentioned his visit to the factory of the Minnesota manufacturer of his sweater vests, which became known as the former Senator’s signature outfit.
Rick Santorum won a total of 11 primaries and caucuses, and picked up additional delegates in states that awarded them proportionally.
He emerged on the national scene on the night of the Iowa caucuses in January, eventually winning the state by a whisker after victory was initially handed to Mitt Romney.
His old-fashioned, hard-working campaign style saw him visit every one of the Iowa’s 99 counties in the months preceding the vote, and won him the respect and support of many in the state.
Rick santorum continued to garner strong support in the Midwest and in the South, halting Mitt Romney in a swathe of states from Minnesota to Alabama and as far west as Colorado and North Dakota.
In conceding that he could not win the nomination Rick Santorum made no specific mention of Mitt Romney, and did not say whether he planned to endorse the front-runner.
However, he reportedly telephoned the former governor to concede shortly before speaking to reporters.
In a statement, Mitt Romney congratulated Rick Santorum on his campaign, calling him an “able and worthy competitor”.
“He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation,” the former Massachusetts governor said.
Meanwhile, fellow candidate Newt Gingrich said Rick Santorum had run a “remarkable campaign”, adding that “his success is a testament to his tenacity and the power of conservative principles”.
Newt Gingrich, though, insisted that he would remain in the race in an effort to broaden the policy discussion and offer a conservative alternative to Mitt Romney.
Texas Congressman Ron Paul congratulated the former senator on running a “spirited campaign”. Ron Paul has the fewest delegates but, like Newt Gingrich, has refused to pull out of the contest.
Despite them remaining in the race, many analysts quickly characterized Rick Santorum’s decision as the moment the general election campaign effectively began.
Mitt Romney, who made his fortune in a private equity firm is now seen as the man to take on Democratic President Barack Obama, a former law professor and community organizer, in November’s election.
The wife of Bo Xilai, the Chinese politician once tipped as a future leader, has been detained over the suspected murder of British Neil Heywood.
Gu Kailai has been “transferred to the judicial authorities” as part of an investigation into the death of Neil Heywood, state news agency Xinhua said.
Bo Xilai, former mayor of Chongqing, has now been stripped of key posts in the ruling Communist Party.
He had been one of China’s most popular politicians.
The news that his wife is now a suspect in a murder investigation only intensifies the rumors swirling around him.
Bo Xilai, 62, suffered a spectacular fall from grace last month when he was sacked as party chief in Chongqing.
Gu Kailai, Bo Xilai’s wife, has been detained over the suspected murder of British Neil Heywood
This came after his police chief Wang Lijun spent a day holed up in the US consulate in Chengdu.
It was rumored that Wang Lijun had been attempting to defect.
The suggestion was that he had been demoted by an angry Bo Xilai after the officer had alerted him to the fact that the mayor’s family was the subject of a police investigation linked to Neil Heywood’s death in November.
While in the consulate Wang Lijun alleged that Gu Kailai had been involved in murdering 41-year-old Neil Heywood in Chongqing, Xinhua reported.
Police said after Neil Heywood’s death that he had died from excessive drinking and his body was cremated. However, his friends said he did not drink that much.
The new allegations led to a second investigation. Xinhua says this showed that Gu Kailai and her son were in “conflict” with Neil Heywood over “economic issues”, and these had intensified despite them being friends.
Bo Xilai has been dismissed from the Communist Party’s hugely powerful 25-member Politburo, and the 300-member Central Committee due to suspected “serious discipline violations”, Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
The exact nature of Neil Heywood’s role and his relations with the family are unclear and have been the subject of much speculation inside and outside China.
“According to reinvestigation results, the existing evidence indicated that Heywood died of homicide, of which [Gu Kailai] and Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly at Bo’s home, are highly suspected,” the news agency reported.
News of the reinvestigation was welcomed by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague, who had recently called on the Chinese authorities to look again at Neil Heywood’s death.
“The Chinese are doing as we asked them to do and we now look forward to seeing those investigations take place and in due course hearing the outcome of those investigations,” he said.
Bo Xilai, who made his name taking on corruption in Chongqing, had been expected to be elected to the Politburo’s standing committee later this year – as the party prepares for a once-in-a-decade change of leadership.
Relatives of victims of the Titanic today threw roses off the Southampton dockside in memory of their loved ones during a moving 100th anniversary memorial service.
A minute’s silence was also held today in remembrance of the 1517 passengers and crew who lost their lives on the famous liner’s ill-dated maiden voyage.
The south coast city has special reason to mark the Titanic disaster, as 538 of the 714 crew who died on the ship hailed from Southampton.
At the time it was said that almost every person in the city was either related to or knew someone who died.
Events began just before midday when nine wreaths were thrown into the Ocean Docks at Southampton, Hants, where most of the crew had lived.
Relatives of victims of the Titanic threw roses off the Southampton dockside in a moving 100th anniversary memorial service
The minute’s silence was concluded by a haunting recording of the Titanic’s whistle which was sounded three times around the port.
Every vessel in the port then proceeded to sound their whistles in sombre acknowledgement.
Shortly after, a re-enactment of the ship’s departure from berth 44 at Ocean Dock on April 10, 1912, was staged.
A flotilla of craft followed the tug tender Calshot, which was built in the same era as the legendary liner, as it sailed towards the Solent.
Guests were then invited to throw their own rose off the dockside in memory of loved ones who lost their lives.
One of many to throw a rose into the water at the dock was Alan Stote, who was paying respects to his great uncle Thomas Instance.
Pensioner Alan Stote, 76, from Totton near Southampton, Hampshire, said: “My grandfather’s brother was only 31 when he lost his life.
“He was a fireman aboard the Titanic. Although very upsetting, today’s event was well organized and very professional.
“I feel lucky to have been able to be a part of the day and pay my respects.”
Titanic Memorial Cruise has been forced to turn round just hours after leaving the dock, having set sail to retrace the doomed liner’s voyage across the Atlantic.
MS Balmoral – carrying relatives of Titanic victims among its 1,309 passengers, the same number as on the doomed ship – was forced to turn around and head towards the Irish coast after a passenger became unwell on board.
A spokesperson for the Titanic Memorial Cruise, which had earlier been battered by 30 ft waves as it crossed the Irish Sea, said the ship turned around and headed 20 nautical miles east so the passenger could be picked up by a Coastguard helicopter and flown to hospital for medical attention.
Earlier on its historic voyage the MS Balmoral had been delayed by two hours before docking at Cobh on the south coast of Ireland, the Titanic’s last port of call before its journey into the North Atlantic.
This afternoon reports indicated it was forced to turn round because of a medical emergency on board. It is believed it is heading closer to the mainland so a helicopter could land onboard.
A spokesman for the Met Office in UK said this afternoon that sea conditions off the coast of southern Ireland were “rough or very rough”.
There were 15 ft high waves and 20 mph winds in the area which would not affect a ship of that size.
Titanic Memorial Cruise has been forced to turn round just hours after leaving the dock
A statement from the Titanic Memorial Cruise this afternoon said the liner had to turn round after a passenger was taken ill on board.
The statement said: “A guest has been taken ill on board the Titanic Memorial Cruise taking place on the Fred. Olsen cruise ship Balmoral.
“The ship is turning around and heading approximately 20 nautical miles east to bring it nearer to the coast and within reach of a helicopter.
“Fred. Olsen and Titanic Memorial Cruises are working with the Irish Coastguard to co-ordinate the relevant arrangements, and making sure that all agencies involved are being kept informed.
“The ship is currently travelling en route to New York and departed Southampton on 8 April 2012.
“At Fred. Olsen and Titanic Memorial Cruises the safety and well-being of all guests and crew is paramount, and this decision has been made in conjunction with Titanic Memorial Cruises, as charterer of Balmoral for this voyage.
“Once the guest is off the ship for medical treatment the cruise will resume as scheduled.”
Passengers making the journey came from more than 20 countries, including the U.S., and include relatives of survivors, authors, historians and people who are fascinated by the Titanic story.
The cruise set sail from Southampton on Sunday and aims to reach the Titanic’s wreck site for a memorial ceremony to mark the moment the liner struck an iceberg on April 14 100 years ago.
But bad weather delayed its arrival yesterday at Cobh, where it was reported a lifeboat was on hand in case of problems.
A passenger said after docking: “There is a bad feeling on board that maybe the voyage is doomed by bad luck.”
The Balmoral was due to continue its journey late last night.
From the wreck site, the memorial cruise was due to go to Nova Scotia, where some of the Titanic’s victims are buried, and then on to New York, the destination the ship never reached.
Once there, passengers will leave wreaths and family artifacts in memory of those who died.
During the 12-night cruise passengers were due to eat meals from the Titanic’s original menu and attend lectures given by historians and experts.
A five-piece band will recreate the soundtrack from the era for passengers.
The Titanic hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and sank the following morning, claiming 1,517 lives.
On the anniversary, passengers will gather on deck for a memorial ceremony at 11:40 p.m., the exact time the ship hit the iceberg, exactly 100 years on.
Another service will be held at 2:20 a.m. to mark the moment it sank.
Speaking before the delays Philip Littlejohn, grandson of survivor Alexander James Littlejohn, and the only Titanic relative to have made the dive to the wreck site, said: “I’m sure my grandfather, a 1st Class Steward on RMS Titanic, would be proud to know his story will be shared with the passengers on this historic cruise.
“It will be an emotional moment when we are over the wreck site, where I dived in 2001, and where my grandfather left Titanic rowing Lifeboat 13.”
Passengers have paid up to £6,000 ($9,500) to join the commemorative voyage.
Miles Morgan, managing director of Miles Morgan Travel, which chartered the journey, said: “This cruise has been five years in the making and we have sought to make it authentic to the era and a sympathetic memorial to the passengers and crew who lost their lives.”
Dozens of artifacts from the world’s most famous ship have emerged since it sank on April 15, 1912.
Numerous events have also taken place in the lead up to the 100th anniversary of its sinking.
The Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built has been revitalized in time for the landmark date, while an eye-catching, dockside centre opened just weeks before the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.
ImMucin, a breakthrough vaccine that targets a molecule in 90% of all cancers has been tested on humans for the first time.
Results from the safety trial – on patients with blood cancer – found all had greater immunity to the disease after receiving the vaccine. Three of the seven patients who have completed the treatment are now free of the condition.
The therapeutic vaccine developed by Vaxil Biotheraputics and Tel Aviv University is designed to be given to patients to help their bodies fight cancer rather than the majority – known as prophylactic vaccines – that aim to prevent disease in the first place.
Researchers believe the jab could also tackle breast, prostate, pancreatic, bowel and ovarian cancers.
Even tumors that resist treatment with the best medicines on the market, including the breast cancer “wonder drug” Herceptin, may be susceptible to the vaccine.
ImMucin, a breakthrough vaccine that targets a molecule in 90% of all cancers has been tested on humans for the first time
If all goes well, ImMucin could be on the market by 2020.
Rather than attacking cancer cells, like many drugs, ImMucin harnesses the power of the immune system to fight tumors.
The search for cancer vaccines has until now been hampered by fears that healthy tissue would be destroyed with tumors.
Researchers from the drug company Vaxil Biotheraputics and Tel Aviv University have focused on a protein called MUC1 that is made in bigger amounts in cancerous cells than in healthy ones.
Not only is there more of it, but a sugar that it is “decorated” with has a distinctive shape.
The vaccine “trains” the immune system to recognize the rogue sugar and turn its arsenal against the cancer.
The misshaped MUC1 sugar is found in 90% of all cancers. There have been “dramatic” results in tests on mice with breast tumors.
Now, Vaxil Biotheraputics have announced promising results in a human safety trial.
Ten patients suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, have now received the vaccine received the vaccine at the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem.
Seven of the patients have finished the treatment and Vaxil reported that all of them had greater immunity against cancer cells compared to before they were given the vaccine. Of the seven, three patients are reportedly free of detectable cancer.
None of them have reported suffering side-effects apart from minor irritation.
A statement from Vaxil Biotheraputics said: “ImMucin generated a robust and specific immune response in all patients which was observed after only 2-4 doses of the vaccine out of a maximum of 12 doses.
“In some of the patients, preliminary signs of clinical efficacy were observed.”
Years of large-scale human trials will be needed before the drug is judged safe and effective for widespread use in hospitals.
It could then be used with existing drugs to boost treatment and given to prevent tumors from coming back after surgery.
Men and women known to be at high risk of cancer because of their genes could also be vaccinated in an attempt to stop tumors from appearing.
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has been found sane enough to face trial and a jail term after a second psychiatric evaluation.
The findings contradict a previous evaluation, published in November, that found him legally insane.
Anders Breivik, 33, is due to stand trial on Monday over a bomb attack and shooting spree last July that killed 77 people.
He insists he is mentally stable and was “pleased” with the new assessment, his lawyer said.
Geir Lippestad told reporters his client would defend his actions during his 10-week trial, adding, “he will also regret that he didn’t go further”.
Both reports will be considered by the court when it decides, at the end of the trial, whether he should be sent to a psychiatric ward or jail.
If Anders Breivik is deemed to have been sane at the time of the killings then he could face 21 years in prison with the potential for indefinite extensions to his term as long as he is considered a danger to the public.
Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has been found sane enough to face trial and a jail term after a second psychiatric evaluation
The second evaluation was approved by a court in January following widespread criticism of last year’s assessment that concluded he was psychotic at the time of the attacks and diagnosed him as a paranoid schizophrenic – meaning he would most likely be detained in psychiatric care.
Many of his surviving victims believed he was sane, and that the only proper punishment would be a prison sentence.
“Our conclusion is that he was not psychotic at the time of the actions of terrorism and he is not psychotic now,” psychiatrist Terje Toerrissen, who carried out the second assessment with fellow psychiatrist Agnar Aspaas, told the Associated Press.
The full report is confidential, and the two psychiatrists will give their reasons for arriving at a different conclusion to the first team of experts when they testify during the trial, AP reports.
Anders Breivik was charged with terror offences last month.
Prosecutors said at the time they were prepared to accept that he was criminally insane and would therefore seek compulsory psychiatric care, but they reserved the right to alter that view if new elements emerged about his mental health.
Anders Breivik has always admitted carrying out the attacks, saying they were an atrocious but necessary part of a “crusade” against multi-culturalism and Islam. He denies charges of terrorism.
In a recent letter to Norwegian tabloid Verdans Gang, Anders Breivik said being sent to a psychiatric ward would be a “fate worse than death”.
“To send a political activist to an asylum is more sadistic and more evil than killing him!” he wrote.
The attacks on July 22, 2011, were the worst act of violence Norway has seen since World War II, and have had a profound impact on the country.
Anders Breivik disguised himself as a police officer to plant a car bomb that exploded close to government offices in Oslo, killing eight people and wounding 209.
Still in uniform, he then drove to the island of Utoeya, where a summer youth camp of Norway’s governing Labour Party was being held.
In a shooting spree that lasted more than an hour, he killed 67 people – mostly teenagers – and wounded 33, while a further two people died falling or drowning.
According to prosecutors, nearly 900 people were affected by the two attacks – 325 in Oslo and 564 on Utoeya.
• Eight people killed and 209 injured by bomb in Oslo
• 69 people killed on Utoeya, of them 34 aged between 14 and 17
A golden retriever puppy was rescued from drowning into a backyard pool by its mother.
It didn’t take long for the adorable pooch to realize there was no way out after it appeared to be thrown into the pool.
Its mother immediately dived in and swam to the rescue, pushing her pup above the water with her snout
At the edge of the water but unable to reach its little paws out, the pup’s mother climbed out and grabbed it by its scruff.
Appearing to teach her little one a lesson, the mother pulls the puppy around for nearly 10 seconds before coming to a stop and letting it go.
A golden retriever puppy was rescued from drowning into a backyard pool by its mother
The video that captured the moment, uploaded to YouTube on April 4, has already earned an astounding 120,000 hits.
And while some viewers cooed at the adorable puppy and her lifeguard mom, others did not have kind words for the dogs’ owners, likening their actions to animal abuse.
Criticizing the cameraman for not coming to its aide, user PrincessLorie wrote: “Disgusting owner trying to get their 15 min. of fame by endangering poor, helpless animals.”
Others defended their actions, and offered some reasoning.
“This is how we trained our K-9 German Shepherds to swim and rescue,” user Inventour1 wrote.
“We would toss them into the pool or ocean and let them figure it out. Dogs are tough and they can handle a little water now and then.”
Maryland Mega Millions jackpot winners have been identified as three public school employees who pooled their money to play.
While they have chosen to stay anonymous, Maryland Lottery director Stephen Martino revealed the winners were a special education teacher, an elementary school teacher and a school administrator.
The winners – a woman in her 20s, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s – have worked together for years in Maryland public schools, and told lottery officials they plan to remain in their jobs.
The announcement means that Mirlande Wilson, the McDonald’s worker who hit headlines for claiming she had won the mega payout but had lost the ticket, was not telling the truth about her win.
Maryland Mega Millions jackpot winners have been identified as three public school employees who pooled their money to play
The Maryland ticket holders won more than $218 million of the record $656 million jackpot that was drawn ten days ago. Two other winning tickets were sold in Kansas and Illinois.
Each of the Maryland winners had contributed $20 and one then bought 60 tickets from three different shops, Stephen Martino said at the press conference. It was the first time they had pooled their cash.
They will now each receive a lump sum payment of $35 million after taxes. One planned to backpack throughout Europe, while another said they could now pay for their daughter’s college education.
The winners, who call themselves “The Three Amigos” and used the name across their winning check, also said they would buy new homes.
Despite their mega win, the teachers said they would not be retiring.
“They said, <<I can’t give up my kids>>,” Stephen Martino said.
It also emerged that two of the winners worked other jobs to help ends meet. One holds two full-time jobs, while another holds two other jobs, Stephen Martino said.
“They were modest, and humbled,” he said, a day after the winnings were claimed.
“These are precisely the people you would want to see win the lottery.”
They know each other through work but do not work in the same school. Lottery officials would not say which district they worked in.
One of the winners said she frequently played the lottery, while the others were less interested – one occasionally bought scratch tickets while the third only bought tickets if the jackpot was high.
On Monday, Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Carole Everett said the winners claimed the prize at lottery headquarters with a ticket matching all six numbers: 2-4-23-38-46 and the Mega Ball, 23.
Maryland does not require lottery winners to be identified.
The claim means that McDonald’s worker Mirlande Wilson did not win the jackpot, despite publicly announcing she had won the money – but had misplaced the ticket.
Scientists have begun a study at the Edinburgh International Science Festival to see if it is possible to influence what we dream about.
They have designed a smartphone app which plays sounds such as birds in woodland or waves lapping against the shore.
The idea is that the noises should direct pleasant dreaming.
Prof. Richard Wiseman, who is launching the trial as part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, wants thousands of people to take part.
Rather than recruiting people directly, the “mass participation” trial relies on members of the public volunteering.
The sounds are played around 20 minutes before participants say they want to wake up.
Scientists have begun a study to see if it is possible to influence what we dream about
The Dream:ON app monitors movements to sense when the sleeper has started dreaming. It then plays the sounds.
When it senses the person has stopped dreaming, the alarm goes off. The person is then asked to send a description of the dream to the “Dream Catcher” database.
Prof Wiseman said: “Getting a good night’s sleep and having pleasant dreams boosts people’s productivity, and is essential for their psychological and physical well-being.
“Despite this, we know very little about how to influence dreams – this experiment aims to change that.”
TV series Glee returns on Fox today with new episodes, one of which just happens to be the big Whitney Houston tribute episode.
A couple duets to a quintessential Whitney Houston song, a new Glee Project contestant pops up, and frenemies come together in what looks to be a pretty intense musical number.
In “Saturday Night Glee-ver”, airing April 17, the Glee club will page homage to the movie Saturday Night Fever with disco-infused numbers. Plus, Glee Project runner-up Alex Newell makes his big debut. He has been described as “the love child of Kurt and Mercedes and will turn to them for much advice.” Jonathan Groff can’t be far behind, because Murphy revealed earlier this season that Alex and Groff would share “many scenes” together leaving up the big Nationals face off.
Glee returns on Fox with new episodes, one of which is Whitney Houston tribute episode
In the April 24 episode, titled “Dance With Somebody“, New Directions will pay tribute to the late great Whitney Houston by covering her chart-toppers. And it looks like Brittany (Heather Morris) and Santana (Naya Rivera) get the honor of performing the episode title song.
A Pyongyang official has announced that North Korea is poised to complete preparations for its rocket launch scheduled for later this week.
A satellite will be installed on the Unha-3 rocket by the end of Tuesday, the official told foreign journalists in a rare press conference.
The official dismissed concerns that the launch was a cover for developing missile technology as “nonsense”.
Three Asian airlines have made changes to flight paths to avoid the rocket.
“We are expecting to complete assembly by today,” said Ryu Kum-Chol, deputy director of the space development department at the Committee of Space Technology.
North Korea is poised to complete preparations for its rocket launch scheduled for later this week
Ryu Kum-Chol said the launch was part of the peaceful development of North Korea’s space programme.
North Korea also says it will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of its late leader Kim Il-Sung.
But opponents of the move fear it is a disguised test of long-range missile technology.
The Philippine Airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have announced changes to the flight paths several affected routes ahead of the launch period between 12-16 April.
Disabled Chinese land rights lawyer Ni Yulan and her husband Dong Jiqin have been jailed a year after they were detained.
Ni Yulan was sentenced to two years and eight months, while her husband was handed a two-year term.
The couple is known for providing legal help to people whose homes have been seized by the government.
They were jailed on charges of “picking quarrels, provoking trouble and willfully destroying private and public property”, a court spokesman said.
Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin were detained last April as authorities rounded up scores of activists amid online calls for protests similar to those taking place at the time in the Arab world.
Disabled Chinese land rights lawyer Ni Yulan and her husband Dong Jiqin have been jailed a year after they were detained
Their trial took place in December 2011, with the hearing closed to the press and foreign diplomats.
Their supporters said charges were meant to silence them and the trial was a sign of China’s growing intolerance of dissent.
Their daughter, Dong Xuan, told reporters then that the trial had been “a very abnormal legal process”.
“This is completely unfair, I urge the government to release my parents,” Dong Xuan told AFP news agency after the sentencing on Tuesday.
“Both my parents looked very thin. I was unable to see my mother’s face, she didn’t turn around. She was in a wheelchair and looked very weak. My father saw me and asked me how I was. He told me that he was OK.”
Ni Yulan’s fight against land grabs began in 2002 after her home in central Beijing was requisitioned and later demolished.
She has been banned from working as a lawyer but she and her husband have continued to advise others whose land has been seized.
Ni Yulan, 51, was sentenced to a year in jail in 2002 for “obstructing official business” and to two years’ imprisonment in 2008 for “harming public property”.
She uses a wheelchair – a consequence, she and her supporters say, of mistreatment by police.
Amnesty International said Ni Yulan’s kneecaps and feet were broken during her detention in 2002. She has also described the ill treatment by authorities in media interviews, saying that she was pinned down and kicked until she was not able to walk.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are spending their first holiday as a family beside their baby Blue Ivy during a sun-filled stay in St Barts.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z spent yesterday on the beach where they lay on the sand and soaked up the sunshine.
The superstar couple has had very hectic schedules since the birth of their first child so appear to be making the most of their Caribbean getaway.
And they seem to be taking to parenthood like ducks to water as they make sure they have some quiet time as a couple as well as doting on their little one.
The pair both opted for black swimwear with Beyoncé, 30, sporting a one-piece and 42-year-old Jay-Z wearing swimming trunks.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are spending their first holiday as a family beside their baby Blue Ivy in St Barts
They certainly seemed to be winding down as an ice bucket rested behind them which contained a bottle of wine and several bottles of water, while Jay-Z also sipped juice from a coconut.
Beyoncé was clearly feeling the heat as she then took a dip in the sea to cool off after lounging in the sunshine.
The singer kept her sunglasses on as she splashed around in shallow waters and prevented her hair from getting wet by tying it in a bun.
On Sunday the pair was seen toting little Blue Ivy as they made their way onto a waiting boat.
Beyoncé cradled her precious cargo as she made her way aboard the yacht.
The holiday comes as Beyoncé and Jay-Z are reported to have renewed their wedding vows in celebration of their fourth anniversary earlier this week.
The power couple is also understood to have exchanged new rings as they stood before celebrity guests including Oprah Winfrey, according to MediaTakeOut.com.
The website reports that the pair said “I do” again in a “moving” ceremony which happened at midnight on their wedding anniversary, April 4.
Kris Humphries has warned Kanye West, Kim Kardashian’s new lover, that he’ll need a lot of patience in his relationship with the reality star.
It was also claimed that Kris Humphries, 27, think Kim Kardashian, 31, had been unfaithful during their relationship which resulted in a marriage lasting just 72 days.
An insider close to Kris Humphries told RadarOnline: “When Kris found out about Kim going public with Kanye, he told his friends he wanted to tell West, <<good luck dude, you are going to need it>>.”
The source also claimed: “Kris knows for a fact that this dalliance between Kim and Kanye has been going on for at least the last two years. Kim kept in touch with Kanye after she married Kris and promised him that she would cut off communication with him, but she never did.
“Kris is suspicious of the timing of Kim deciding to go public with the relationship because the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians is premiering in May, and Kanye has released a new album.”
Kris Humphries warns Kanye West that he will need a lot of patience with Kim Kardashian
Rumours about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have been swirling for some time now, even before she’d started dating Kris Humphries.
And since their separation Kim Kardashian has been pictured leaving Kanye West’s New York apartment the morning after they’d been on a date.
Claims by Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend Amber Rose, seem to back up what Kris Humphries is claimed to have said.
Amber Rose, 28, tells this week’s Star magazine: “They were both cheating on me and Reggie with each other.”
Just a few days ago Kim Kardashian spent 24 hours in New York with Kanye West after flying in from Los Angeles last Wednesday.
Facebook announces its decision to buy Instagram, one of the most popular photo-sharing smartphone app.
Facebook is paying $1 billion in cash and stock for the takeover.
Instagram was only launched in October 2010 – initially just for the iPhone before being offered as an Android app last week.
Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to continue to develop Instagram as a separate brand, allowing it to post to rival networks.
The app is free and allows users to apply 17 filters to the pictures they take – changing the color balance to give the images a different feel – before they are uploaded.
It has proven hugely popular. The company says that it has more than 30 million users uploading more than 5 million new pictures every day.
Facebook will buy Instagram for $1 billion in the most expensive business deal in history
It was reported that Instagram has 13 employees, meaning that at $77 million a head makes it the most expensive business deal in history.
Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page: “We think the fact that Instagram is connected to other services beyond Facebook is an important part of the experience.
“We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook.”
He added: “This is an important milestone for Facebook because it’s the first time we’ve ever acquired a product and company with so many users. We don’t plan on doing many more of these, if any at all.”
Instagram’s FAQ says it had previously raised $7.5 million in funding from three venture capital firms and “a small group of angel investors”.
The deal marks the second time in four months that Facebook has taken on staff from another social network.
In December, it announced it was hiring the co-founders of the location-based check-in service Gowalla. The network closed down shortly afterwards.
The moves come ahead of Facebook’s planned flotation later this year. The firm reportedly plans to issue $5 billion worth of stock on the New York-based Nasdaq exchange in May or June. The deal could value the firm as being worth as much as $100 billion.
Recent reports have suggested that Rihanna wants to play Whitney Houston in a possible biopic of the late singer, but daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown has reportedly stepped up to say that there’s only one person who can play that role – her.
While the film is purely speculative, sources close to Bobbi Kristina Brown told TMZ that the heiress feels she is the perfect person to play the part of Whitney Houston, and that no one knew her better.
The source adds that Bobbi Kristina Brown claims that if Eazy-E’s son can play him in a movie, she can play her mother.
Bobbi Kristina Brown wants to play Whitney Houston in a possible biopic of the late singer
Just last week it was announced that Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, will have a recurring role on family friend Tyler Perry’s sitcom, For Better Or For Worse.
Even though no formal plans have been made, stars have been lining up for a chance to play Whitney Houston. Last week Rihanna was the favorite to head up a proposed feature, with Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson and Brandy also up for consideration.
A woman tried to use a jet engine to blow-dry her locks on a beach of the Caribbean island of St. Maarten which borders an international airport with near-disastrous consequences.
Clearly looking for a thrill, the woman is seen in a video grabbing hold of a fence in the jet wash of a plane preparing to take off, a stunt that appears remarkably popular with sun-worshippers there.
But as the engines pick up speed, so too does the turbulence, which eventually blows her with such force it catapults her backwards.
With arms flailing, she tries to keep on her feet, but is thrown head-first into a low wall. Onlookers come rushing to her aid, although it is not clear what injuries she sustained.
The woman tried to use the jet engine to blow-dry her locks on a beach of the Caribbean island of St. Maarten
Maho Beach, on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, is famous for its close proximity to Princess Juliana International Airport.
Because of the short runway (2,180 metres), aircraft have to touch down as close as possible to the beginning of the track to ensure a safe landing.
The beach is such a popular location for plane-spotters, most bars and restaurants there have daily departure and arrival boards.
Signs on the beach warn that jet blast can cause injury or death – as the woman found to her cost.
Access to the official website for the London 2012 Olympic Games appears to be blocked in Iran.
Users in Iran have tweeted that they are unable to connect to london2012.com and are instead redirected to peyvandha.ir, a site offering stories from Iran’s official news agencies.
Blockediniran.com intermittently suggests Iran-based users are unlikely to be able to see the Olympics pages.
Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs did not reply to a request for comment.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently ordered officials to set up a new body to co-ordinate decisions regarding the net.
Citizens have also been told they would need to show IDs and give their full name when visiting an internet cafe.
Users in Iran are unable to connect to london2012.com and are instead redirected to peyvandha.ir, a site offering stories from Iran's official news agencies
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also discussed plans to create a “clean web” within Iran with its own search engine and messaging service.
Iran had previously signalled it might boycott the Olympics over claims that the official logo spells the word “Zion” – a Hebrew word used to refer to Israel or Jerusalem.
In February 2011 the Iranian authorities called for the logo to be withdrawn and the designers “confronted”.
However, a follow-up letter later made clear its athletes would still “participate and play gloriously”.
The Iranian weightlifting superheavyweight, Behdad Salimikordasiab, is expected to be among those taking part.
Behdad Salimikordasiab previously won gold in the Asian Games in 2010 despite being affected by swine flu.
President Barack Obama’s Facebook page has been swamped with comments from supporters of Hazem Abu Ismail, a candidate in Egypt’s presidential election.
It follows news that Hazem Abu Ismail may be barred from the poll because one of his parents held dual nationality.
Egypt’s electoral commission has said Hazem Abu Ismail’s late mother became a naturalized US citizen in October 2006.
But his supporters are calling on President Barack Obama to support their claim that the immigration paperwork is fraudulent.
Many of the postings are in Arabic, but one comment – posted by several users – said in English: “His mother was a scholar in America, she got American Green Card, but American Authorities are trying to fraud that she was an American citizen.”
Another user asked: “If the US administration has official documents, why not display them?”
Barack Obama's Facebook page has been swamped with comments from supporters of Hazem Abu Ismail, a candidate in Egypt's presidential election
Egypt’s presidential election rules say that all candidates must have been born in Egypt to Egyptian parents who have never held citizenship of another country, are not dual nationals, and are not married to a foreigner.
The head of the Higher Presidential Election Commission (HPEC), Hatem Bajatu, said on Thursday that it had received information that Hazem Abu Ismail’s mother had “used an American passport for travel to and from Egypt” before her death and that it would notify the Salafist preacher.
Hazem Abu Ismail – who is running on an ultra-conservative, nationalist and anti-foreign intervention platform – subsequently told his supporters that the allegations were a “plot” against him.
He said he had documents to prove his case and had hired American lawyers to help him.
The HPEC has said candidacy papers would be examined later this week, after which those who did not meet the requirements would be informed and allowed to appeal.
A final list of eligible candidates will be announced on 26 April.
The White House has not commented on the matter, but tens of thousands of angry messages from Hazem Abu Ismail’s supporters have been added to President Obama’s re-election campaign Facebook page.
They are attached to unrelated timeline updates posted in the president’s name including a video of the popstar Janelle Monae – a Barack Obama supporter – and a music playlist for his supporters.
The sheer number of posts are – at least temporarily – preventing the Facebook “Wall” being used as a forum to generate support for Barack Obama ahead of the US presidential vote on 6 November.
The Next Web news site notes that this is not the first time that one of the president’s social media profiles has been “flooded with comments from another country”.
It says Chinese citizens began posting comments to his Google+ page after the network was unblocked in China in February.
This has continued ever since, with some recent posts attracting roughly as many Chinese language comments as English ones.
It prompted one user to write: “Dear Chinese mainlanders spammers. Please respect the President of the United States of America and quit spamming his post!”
Of the 62 celebrity weddings that featured on Hello! magazine’s front cover over the past decade, ten of them, 16%, have ended in divorce.
That is more than double the official divorce figure of 7% within the first six years of marriage.
The revelation adds weight to the theory behind the so-called “curse of Hello!” – that couples who appear in the magazine may be destined to split up.
Three of the ten Hello! divorces came within the first two years of marriage and only three couples managed more than five years.
The shortest marriage was Kim Kardashian, who divorced basketball player Kris Humphries after 72 days.
Couples who appear in the Hello magazine may be destined to split up
Other ill-fated cover stars include Westlife’s Brian McFadden and Kerry Katona, as well as Boyzone’s Ronan Keating and wife Yvonne.
Ulrika Jonsson sold her 1990 wedding to John Turnbull to Hello! and divorced him five years later. In 2003, she was on the cover with second husband Lance Gerrard-Wright. The union lasted two years.
Elizabeth Hurley and Indian textile tycoon Arun Nayar pocketed $3.5 million when they sold their wedding to Hello! in 2007. They parted four years later.
Hello!’s editor Rosie Nixon said the idea of a curse was “totally unfounded”. But former editor Kay Goddard said: “Perhaps they should put a clause in the contract that celebrity couples who divorce within a certain time should repay some of their fee.”
A collection of more than 200,000 records relating to the Titanic has been published online to mark the 100th anniversary from the ship’s sinking on 15 April 1912.
The documents provide information about survivors and the 1,500 people who died, including a number of wills and hundreds of coroner inquest files.
The collection has been gathered by the subscription-based family history website Ancestry.co.uk.
However, access to the Titanic records collection is free until 31 May 2012.
More than 200,000 Titanic-related records have been published online to mark the 100th anniversary from the ship's sinking
The Titanic, which was built in Belfast, sank in the Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage to New York.
The records include the ship’s official passenger list, which shows the names, ages and occupations of those on board the ill-fated liner.
It also details the nationalities, positions and addresses of the ship’s crew which had more than 900 members.
The last will and testament of Titanic’s captain, Edward J. Smith, is among the documents which can be accessed online.
The wills of wealthy American businessmen Benjamin Guggenheim and John Jacob Astor can also be viewed on the site.
All three men lost their lives in the disaster.
Members of the public can search through more than 329 coroner inquest files and records of the 330 bodies that were recovered at sea.
Images of the grave headstones of 121 passengers have also been published.
The website also has a passenger list from the Carpathia, the vessel which rescued more than 700 people from Titanic.
Ancestry.co.uk content manager, Miriam Silverman, told the Press Association: “Over the generations, many families may have heard rumors that they had an ancestor aboard the Titanic, or even lost the evidence proving it.
“We’re very pleased to be able to offer access to these valuable records for free, enabling thousands to uncover the story of their ancestor’s tragic voyage.”
China has created a rare earth association in a bid to regulate the sector’s development, as it continues to face criticism over its policies.
Beijing has imposed quotas on exports of rare earth elements, a move which its critics say has pushed up prices.
Last month, the US, Japan and the European Union filed a case at the World Trade Organization, challenging China’s restrictions.
China produces more than 95% of the world’s rare earth elements.
Rare earth elements are critical components in the manufacture of various high-tech products, including DVDs, mobile phones, flatscreen TVs and hybrid batteries.
China has created a rare earth association in a bid to regulate the sector's development, as it continues to face criticism over its policies
China’s trading partners have alleged that Beijing has been trying to utilize its position as the world’s biggest producer of rare earths to benefit domestic manufacturers.
They have argued that by limiting exports, Beijing has kept prices low for domestic buyers, while international firms have had to pay more.
It’s also claimed that Beijing was trying to put pressure on international manufacturers to move to China.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua said the new association was likely to help with efforts to cope with international trade frictions and disputes.
China has denied these allegations and said that it imposed the restrictions to ensure that excessive mining of these elements did not cause environmental damage.
Su Bo, an industry vice minister, said Beijing is looking to further tighten its policies for the sector.
“China will continue to clean up the rare earth industry, expand rare earth environmental controls, strengthen environmental checks, and implement stricter rare earth environmental policies,” Su Bo was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.
According to Xinhua, the association will have 155 members, including some of the biggest producers of rare earths, and report to the Ministry of Industry and Technology which regulates production of these elements.
