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Did King Juan Carlos have an affair with Princess Diana?

Diane A. Wade
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Did King Juan Carlos have an affair with Princess Diana?

In a new book by Spanish author Pilar Eyre is claimed that Princess Diana was just one of the many young ladies King Juan Carlos of Spain pursued in a romantic career in which he is said to have bedded more than 1,500 women.

The explosive claims are made in one of the six volumes about the Spanish royal family written by Pilar Eyre.

Imperious and suave, Juan Carlos looks every inch the old-style monarch with the autocratic manners to go with it. He loves hunting bears, skiing and boating and bedding the opposite sex.

In one picture, King Juan Carlos of Spain sits with the small Prince William, while a radiant Princess Diana, a protective arm round toddler Prince Harry, leans in to share a pleasantry with the good-looking monarch. At the other end of the couch, Prince Charles seems scarcely part of the same holiday party in 1986. He is staring glumly straight ahead like the proverbial gooseberry.

Apparently, it is an open secret in his circles that he is such a keen womanizer that the only woman he does not spend much time with is his wife, Greek-born Queen Sofia.

According to Pilar Eyre, King Juan Carlos, now 74, and Queen Sofia have not shared a bed for 35 years.

In fact, the new book, “The Solitude of the Queen”, says, following an operation on a benign lung tumor at a Barcelona hospital in 2010, the woman who spent most of the time consoling King Juan Carlos during his convalescence was a 25-year-old German interpreter called Corinne.

But can it really be true that our very own Princess Diana was one of Juan Carlos’s most significant conquests? And that it was the relationship between her and the then 48-year-old king, in the prime of his romantic life, that finally put paid to any chance of reviving his marriage?

It is certainly the case that Princess Diana, together with Prince Charles and their young children, holidayed in Majorca with the Spanish royal family several times during the 80’s.

Prince Charles never felt at ease on the sunshine island and much preferred visiting the Duke of Wellington’s estate near Granada on the mainland where the shooting was good.

In one picture, King Juan Carlos of Spain sits with the small Prince William, while a radiant Princess Diana, a protective arm round toddler Prince Harry, leans in to share a pleasantry with the good-looking monarch
In one picture, King Juan Carlos of Spain sits with the small Prince William, while a radiant Princess Diana, a protective arm round toddler Prince Harry, leans in to share a pleasantry with the good-looking monarch

But Diana, who loved lounging about on yachts in stylish bathing suits, was right at home on the shores of the Mediterranean where she could show off her figure. And King Juan Carlos, who appreciated displays of female beauty, seems to have acted on an impulse to get closer to her.

After her first trip to Majorca in 1986, Pilar Eyre alleges Diana told her bodyguard Ken Wharfe that Juan Carlos fancied her. Apparently, the king made all sorts of excuses to get tactile with her and used to love bending down with her and inviting her to stroke his old German shepherd dog, Archie.

Another royal biographer, Lady Colin Campbell, has long insisted that Princess Diana and King Juan Carlos embarked on an affair while on a cruise with their spouses in August 1986, and that they took up with each other again the following summer.

“Diana did it to make Charles jealous, but it didn’t work,” says Lady Colin. “Charles couldn’t have cared less.”

According to Pilar Eyre, rumors of the affair intensified later over the curious case of some photos of Diana in a state of undress. These were touted around the world’s publications, only to be taken off the market when someone in Spain paid $45,000 for them. That someone is rumored to have been Juan Carlos, who wanted to protect the Princess’s reputation.

But why rake all this up now? Diana is long since dead, while Juan Carlos, though he retains an eye for a pretty woman, has made it quite plain that he would never divorce his wife, with whom he has three children and eight grandchildren.

Pilar Eyre says she has revealed it for Queen Sofia’s sake.

“In a macho country like Spain, the king’s womanizing image makes him very popular,” Pilar Eyre says.

“Even the women don’t reproach him. On the contrary, they love him because he has such a seductive manner with them. But they don’t feel the same about poor Queen Sofia.

“She is seen as a cold, aloof foreigner. I wanted to show what she has had to put up with.”

Pilar Eyre says she tried hard to find out whether the Queen might also have had lovers in her time, but could come up with nothing.

Though as a young woman she had caught the eye of the Duke of Kent – first cousin to Queen Elizabeth – the Duke then fell in love with the Englishwoman he married, Kathleen Worsley.

Sofia dutifully entered into an arranged marriage in 1962, having met the highly eligible Juan Carlos on a cruise specially convened to introduce Europe’s young royals to each other.

By 1968, they had two daughters and Crown Prince Felipe. But though Sofia had fallen deeply in love with her husband, Pilar Eyre says Juan Carlos was still playing the field.

And by 1975, when he finally came to the Spanish throne after the death of the dictator General Franco, the new Queen was nursing a great sadness. For by then the royal couple was more or less estranged as a result of the king’s persistent womanizing.

According to the book, one of Sofia’s greatest humiliations happened a couple of months after Juan Carlos became king. All of a sudden he sent for a new barber and underwent such a transformation Sofia was convinced he was sprucing himself up for a lover.

A few days later the king packed his suitcase and said he was going hunting near Toledo.

“It’s an all-male outing; you’d be bored,” the king told his wife. Unwisely, Queen Sofia decided to surprise him by arriving at the estate in the middle of the night with their children, the eldest of whom was 12.

Queen Sofia burst through the door, brushed past the servants and, taking the stairs two at a time, discovered her husband in flagrante with an unknown woman. But even being caught by his entire family did not encourage the king to mend his ways.

Pilar Eyre says that throughout her reign, Queen Sofia has consequently been forced to content herself with a life of duty in Madrid, leavened by shopping trips with her daughters and occasional visits to England to visit her brother Constantine, the ex-King of Greece, who has lived in London since he was booted off the throne in 1973.

Lately Queen Sofia has taken solace in religion. She goes to Roman Catholic Mass every Sunday in the palace and attends Madrid’s Greek Orthodox church as well. Her devotions seem to annoy Juan Carlos even more.

King Juan Carlos raised his voice to his mother-in-law, Queen Federica of Greece, when he heard her telling her daughter how the Virgin Mary had appeared before her in a vision in a church near Madrid.

“There was an intense light and peace!” said Federica, at which point the king shouted: “Shut up, you! Don’t fill her head with this nonsense, she will believe it all.”

The tragedy is that despite his behavior, Queen Sofia appears to be as captivated by her husband as she was when they married 40 years ago.

At a recent family funeral Queen Sofia was seen holding tight to him and sobbing on his shoulder as if they were still the closest of companions.

Whether the book will rehabilitate Sofia in the eyes of the Spaniards or merely add to the prestige of Juan Carlos remains to be seen.

Aspirin is not the real cause of stomach bleeding, that’s due to helicobacter pylori, say scientists

Kathryn R. Bown
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Aspirin is not the real cause of stomach bleeding, that’s due to helicobacter pylori, say scientists

Scientists have identified helicobacter pylori bacterium as being the real cause of stomach bleeding linked to aspirin, which makes thousands of patients to be unable to take the daily pill to prevent heart attack and stroke.

This new theory could transform the way many people with cardiovascular disease are treated.

It also opens up the possibility that otherwise healthy people, who are currently advised not to take a daily aspirin, because of the risk of bleeding, might be able to take it safely for its cancer-preventing benefits.

Low-dose daily aspirin is a lifesaver, helping to prevent blood clots in the arteries supplying the heart and brain.

Aspirin is also prescribed for problems such as atrial fibrillation, a common condition that causes an irregular heartbeat, as this can also lead to the formation of blood clots.

More recently, aspirin has also been linked to a lower risk of cancers.

However, it does carry the risk of abdominal pain and stomach bleeds, and for this reason many patients are advised not to take it.

This risk was thought to be due to aspirin directly irritating the stomach lining and causing an ulcer.

Scientists have identified helicobacter pylori bacterium as being the real cause of stomach bleeding linked to aspirin
Scientists have identified helicobacter pylori bacterium as being the real cause of stomach bleeding linked to aspirin

Now researchers from Nottingham University believe that helicobacter pylori bacterium (H. pylori), a common stomach bug, may in fact be responsible for the ulcers – and that aspirin merely exacerbates them.

The scientists think treating this problem at the source by eliminating the bacteria would leave more people able to tolerate aspirin, and so reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke.

One in four people is infected with H.pylori at some point, and though many people show no symptoms, it is thought to be the principal cause of stomach ulcers: about three in 20 people infected with it develop a stomach ulcer.

Now research has also linked the bacterium to bleeding from aspirin.

In a study by Nottingham University, 60% of patients who suffered internal bleeding while taking low-dose aspirin tested positive for the bacterium (H.pylori is detected using a breath test).

The researchers explained: “Our hypothesis is that H.pylori causes the ulcer, and aspirin, by thinning the blood, makes it bleed.

“If the bacterium is eradicated, the patient will not get an ulcer and therefore there is no increased bleeding risk with aspirin.”

Now a new trial of 40,000 patients in UK will investigate this. Doctors at five universities across the UK – Oxford, Durham, Southampton, Birmingham and Nottingham – will carry out the trial, the Helicobacter Eradication Aspirin Trial, starting next month and ending in March 2016.

In the study, patients aged 60 and over who are taking low-dose aspirin will first be given the breath test for the H.pylori bacterium.

Those found to be infected will receive a one-week course of eradication drug treatment of strong antibiotics, or a placebo treatment.

Commenting on the study, Dr. Jonathan Lyne, a consultant cardiologist who practices in London and at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, said: “Aspirin is a cornerstone of treatment in almost all patients with vascular disease.

“Concern in using this drug in those with a history of stomach ulceration and bleeding has always led to consideration of not using it in these patients, or using alternative drugs that may be more expensive and potentially not as effective.

“Furthermore, the potential cost savings in preventing hospital admissions, investigations and treatments related to ulcers and bleeding caused by aspirin and H.pylori would be welcome not just to patients but to the NHS as a whole.”

Fasting may help to combat cancer and boost chemotherapy effectiveness

Kathryn R. Bown
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Scientists from the University of Southern California say fasting for short periods may help to combat cancer and boost the effectiveness of treatments.

Their study found fasting slowed the growth and spread of tumors and cured some cancers when it was combined with chemotherapy.

It is hoped that the discovery will prompt the development of more effective treatment plans and further research is now under way.

The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, found that tumor cells responded differently to the stress of fasting compared to normal cells.

Instead of entering a dormant state similar to hibernation, the cells kept growing and dividing, in the end destroying themselves.

Lead researcher Professor Valter Longo, from the University of Southern California said: “The cell is, in fact, committing cellular suicide.

“What we’re seeing is that the cancer cell tries to compensate for the lack of all these things missing in the blood after fasting. It may be trying to replace them, but it can’t.”

Prof. Valter Longo and his team looked at the impact fasting had on breast, urinary tract and ovarian cancers in mice.

Fasting without chemotherapy was shown to slow the growth of breast cancer, melanoma skin cancer, glioma brain cancer and neuroblastoma – a cancer that forms in the nerve tissue.

In every case, combining fasting with chemotherapy made the cancer treatment more effective.

Multiple cycles of fasting combined with chemotherapy cured 20% of those with a highly aggressive form of cancer while 40% with a limited spread of the same cancer were cured.

None of the mice survived if they were treated with chemotherapy alone.

Researchers are already investigating the effects of fasting on human patients, but only a clinical trial lasting several years will confirm if human cancer patients really can benefit from calorie restriction.

However, they highlight that fasting could be dangerous for patients who have already lost a lot of weight or are affected by other risk factors, such as diabetes.

Results of a preliminary clinical trial will be presented at an annual meeting of the American Society of Cancer Oncologists (ASCO) in Chicago this June.

Prof. Valter Longo points out that the study only tests if patients could tolerate short fasts of two days before and one day after chemotherapy.

“We don’t know whether in humans it’s effective,” he said.

“It should be off-limits to patients, but a patient should be able to go to their oncologist and say, <<what about fasting with chemotherapy?>> or without if chemotherapy was not recommended or considered.”

Previous research led by Prof. Valter Longo showed that fasting protected normal cells from the effects of chemotherapy but it did not look at cancer cells.

It is now though fasting may be one way to make tumor cells weaker and more vulnerable.

Prof. Valter Longo added: “A way to beat cancer cells may not be to try to find drugs that kill them specifically but to confuse them by generating extreme environments, such as fasting, that only normal cells can quickly respond to.”

Zinc supplements tripled the survival chances of children with pneumonia

Kathryn R. Bown
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Zinc supplements tripled the survival chances of children with pneumonia

A new study has found that zinc supplements can triple the survival chances of young children with pneumonia who are deficient in the mineral.

Taking zinc had a dramatic effect on death rates – even though it did not shorten the time severely ill children took to recover.

The metal is found in shellfish, meat, egg yolks and seeds and supports a wide range of functions in the body and is vital to the immune system.

However, many people are deficient in the mineral, both in rich and poor countries.

The new research, involving young children aged six months to five years, was conducted in Uganda where zinc deficiency is rife.

Scientists studied 352 children with severe pneumonia who were all being treated with antibiotics.

Half the children were given additional therapy in the form of 10 milligram or 20 milligram zinc supplements, depending on age.

The researchers found no difference between the two groups in the time it took to recover from infection.

But the risk of dying was very different. Just 4% of children taking zinc died compared with 12% of those not taking zinc.

For children infected with the AIDS virus, HIV, the supplements had a really dramatic impact. In this group, an extra 26 out of every 100 children had their lives saved by zinc.

A new study has found that zinc supplements can triple the survival chances of young children with pneumonia who are deficient in the mineral
A new study has found that zinc supplements can triple the survival chances of young children with pneumonia who are deficient in the mineral

Study leader Professor James Tumwine, from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, said: “Zinc is known to bolster the immune system and zinc deficiency is rife all over the developed, and developing, world.

“In Uganda, where this study was performed, zinc deficiency in some areas can be as high as 70%.

“We would only need to give 13 of these children with pneumonia zinc on top of their antibiotics to save one life. This equates to about $4 – a small price to pay.”

The findings are published in the online journal BMC Medicine.

The researchers pointed out that the HIV-infected children suffered a double disadvantage. Their immune systems were compromised both by HIV infection and zinc deficiency.

Taking zinc supplements was thought to give a big boost to the immune systems. Yet the scientists were unable to explain why the mineral failed to speed up recovery time.

The researchers wrote: “What is clear is that we have unearthed a very interesting, yet contradictory phenomenon, that seems to be related to HIV infection and severe zinc deficiency. It calls for further studies on the interaction among HIV, zinc and severe pneumonia.”

How to pick-up the right fragrance for this Valentine’s Day

Lisa.Felice
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How to pick-up the right fragrance for this Valentine’s Day

A short guide to pick-up the right bottle of fragrance for this Valentine’s Day.

FRAGRANCES FOR HER

FASHIONISTAS

Jimmy Choo eau de toilette

A newly launched lighter version of the gorgeous Jimmy Choo scent, which, in keeping with all things romantic, is pale pink. There are top notes of ginger and heart notes of tea rose. It comes in an exquisite faceted bottle.

FLIRTY GIRLS

Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial L’Eau

In a beautiful bottle with a sapphire blue stopper, this new version of the iconic scent has top notes of damask rose and iris on a base of vanilla and tonka bean. It’s fresher than the original, with an almond overtone.

TRUE BRITS

Burberry Body Mist

A new, lighter version of the best-selling Burberry Body fragrance, this is lovely for spraying all over as it’s delicate enough to scent hair and the whole body. Use after bathing to allow skin to absorb sandalwood, freesia and peach notes.

SULTRY SIRENS

Gucci Guilty Intense

A warm, oriental version of the eau de toilette, this is a feminine fragrance, with notes of pink pepper, mandarin and powdery violet. Perfect for romantic nights out.

Gucci Guilty Intense is perfect for romantic nights out
Gucci Guilty Intense is perfect for romantic nights out

FUN LOVERS

Coach Poppy

Brand new from Coach, this is a fruity, floral scent with fresh cucumber, juicy mandarin and baby freesia buds. In a pretty pink and red bottle, its woody undertones blend with the floral aspects. Lovely for every day.

LUXURY LOVERS

Dolce & Gabanna The One

This scent feels exclusive and luxurious. It’s a warm oriental with a citrus blend of bergamot and mandarin. The heavy glass bottle feels substantial and expensive.

REAL LADIES

Carita eau de parfum

With top notes of bergamot and rose, heart notes of violet, heliotrope and iris and base notes of vanilla, amber and musk, this is one of the sexiest new scents around. A must-have for true romantics.

FLORAL FANS

Fan de Fendi eau de toilette

This limited edition of the Sicilian scent is like a little bottle of sunshine. A fresh floral perfume with notes of Damascena rose, it comes with the famed Fendi logo in bright yellow. It’s available for only one season, so is sure to become a collector’s item.

FRAGRANCES FOR HIM

FOR ADVENTURERS

Molton Brown Re-Charge Black Pepper eau de toilette

With fiery Madagascan black pepper- corn oil, this sultry, warming scent is very masculine. Another great choice is one of Molton Brown’s fabulous gift sets, Fresh Black Pepper.

TRUE GENTS

Boucheron Pour Homme

A refreshing citrus scent with a woody base and notes of bergamot, verbena, basil and coriander. One for men who like to look and smell classic and dapper.

KEEN TRAVELLERS

Jean Paul Gaultier Kokorico

This sweet, yet fresh, fragrance contrasts cocoa bean with fig leaf for an unusual, yet distinctly Gaultier scent. It comes beautifully presented in a red tin, so it would make a great Valentine’s gift. Ideal for men who like a powerful, exotic fragrance.

OUTDOOR TYPES

Guerlain Homme L’Eau Boisee

A woody version of Guerlain Homme L’Eau, with notes of Indian vetiver. There’s a lovely crispness, too, perfect for spring days.

Guerlain Homme L’Eau Boisee is a woody version of Guerlain Homme L’Eau, with notes of Indian vetiver, perfect for spring days
Guerlain Homme L’Eau Boisee is a woody version of Guerlain Homme L’Eau, with notes of Indian vetiver, perfect for spring days

DISCERNING CHAPS

Tom Ford Extreme eau de toilette

A real treat for the man who knows exactly what he wants. Rum, caramel, vanilla and black truffle make this a unique spicy scent. In an elegant bottle, it will quickly become a favorite.

GOLDEN OLDIES

M7 by Yves Saint Laurent

This is part of The Collection from YSL, another brand to re-launch cult and classic fragrances. Dating from 2002, it has notes of mandarin and myrrh to give a woody, distinctive fragrance. The retro bottle will look good in the bathroom.

FLAMBOYANT TYPES

Paco Rabanne 1 Million aftershave

A huge seller, this scent is leathery and freshly crisp, with notes of frosted grapefruit, mandarin and peppermint, contrasting with tonka bean and amber. The bottle is impressive and will look smart in a wash bag.

Men inherit heart disease from their fathers via chromosome Y

Kathryn R. Bown
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Men inherit heart disease from their fathers via chromosome Y

Experts found that men can inherit heart disease from their father after they have tracked the condition to the Y chromosome that dads pass to sons.

By studying the DNA of over 3,000 men, scientists found a particular version of the sex chromosome increases the risk of coronary artery disease by 50%.

The risk it confers is in addition to other heart risk factors like cholesterol, The Lancet reports.

Experts already know that men develop heart disease a decade earlier than women, on average. By the age of 40, the lifetime risk of heart disease is one in two for men and one in three for women.

Lifestyle factors like smoking and blood pressure are important contributors. This latest work suggests the male Y chromosome can also play a role in coronary artery disease.

Dr. Maciej Tomaszewski, from the University of Leicester in UK, and colleagues studied 3,233 biologically unrelated British men who were already enrolled in other medical studies investigating heart disease risk.

When they carried out genetic tests on the men they found that 90% possessed one of two common versions of Y chromosome – named haplogroup I and haplogroup R1b1b2.

And the risk of coronary artery disease among the men carrying the haplogroup I version was 50% higher than in other men.

The scientists say they now need to pinpoint precisely which genes on the Y chromosome are responsible.

But they believe they already know how they exert their effect – by upsetting a man’s immune system.

Dr. Maciej Tomaszewski, a clinical senior lecturer at the University’s Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, said: “We are very excited about these findings as they put the Y chromosome on the map of genetic susceptibility to coronary artery disease.

“Doctors usually associated the Y chromosome with maleness and fertility but this shows it is also implicated in heart disease.”

Experts found that men can inherit heart disease from their father after they have tracked the condition to the Y chromosome that dads pass to sons
Experts found that men can inherit heart disease from their father after they have tracked the condition to the Y chromosome that dads pass to sons

He said, ultimately, the discovery could lead to new ways to treat and prevent heart disease in men, as well as a genetic test to spot those at greatest risk.

In the meantime, Dr. Maciej Tomaszewski said men should focus on risk factors that they already have the power to modify themselves, such as getting enough exercise and eating a healthy diet to keep their blood pressure and cholesterol down.

Dr. Hélène Wilson of the British Heart Foundation, which part-funded the work, said: “Coronary heart disease is the cause of heart attacks, which claim the lives of around 50,000 UK men every year.

“Lifestyle choices such as poor diet and smoking are major causes, but inherited factors carried in DNA are also part of the picture. The next step is to identify specifically which genes are responsible and how they might increase heart attack risk.”

Eating cakes or chocolate at breakfast will help you to lose more weight

Kathryn R. Bown
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Eating cakes or chocolate at breakfast will help you to lose more weight

A research team from Tel Aviv University claim that a full breakfast that includes a sweet treat really can contribute to weight loss success.

Researchers found that eating pudding as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help dieters to lose more weight – and keep it off in the long run.

The key is to indulge in the morning, when the body’s metabolism is at its most active and we are better able to work off the extra calories throughout the day, according to Professor Daniela Jakubowicz and her team.

Attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term, Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz said. So adding dessert items to breakfast can control cravings throughout the rest of the day.

A research team from Tel Aviv University claim that a full breakfast that includes a sweet treat really can contribute to weight loss success
A research team from Tel Aviv University claim that a full breakfast that includes a sweet treat really can contribute to weight loss success

Over the course of a 32 week-long study, detailed in the journal Steroids, participants who added dessert to their breakfast – cookies, cake, or chocolate – lost an average of 40 lbs more than a group that avoided such foods. What’s more, they kept off the pounds longer.

A meal in the morning provides energy for the day’s tasks, aids in brain functioning, and kick-starts the body’s metabolism, making it crucial for weight loss and maintenance.

And breakfast is the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger, explains Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz.

While the level of ghrelin rises before every meal, it is suppressed most effectively at breakfast time.

Basing their study on this fact, the researchers hoped to determine whether meal time and composition had an impact on weight loss in the short and long term, or if it was a simple matter of calorie count.

193 clinically obese, non-diabetic adults were randomly assigned to one of two diet groups with identical caloric intake – the men consumed 1600 calories per day and the women 1400.

However, the first group was given a low carbohydrate diet including a small 300 calorie breakfast, and the second was given a 600 calorie breakfast high in protein and carbohydrates, always including a dessert item (i.e. chocolate).

Halfway through the study, participants in both groups had lost an average of 33 lbs per person. But in the second half of the study, results differed drastically. The participants in the low-carbohydrate group regained an average of 22 lbs per person, but participants in the group with a larger breakfast lost another 15 lbs each.

At the end of the 32 weeks, those who had consumed a 600-calorie breakfast had lost an average of 40 lbs more per person than their peers.

One of the biggest challenges that people face is keeping weight off in the long-term, says Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz. Ingesting a higher proportion of our daily calories at breakfast makes sense. It’s not only good for body function, but it also alleviates cravings.

Highly restrictive diets that forbid desserts and carbohydrates are initially effective, but often cause dieters to stray from their food plans as a result of withdrawal-like symptoms. They end up regaining much of the weight they lost during the diet proper.

Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz said that although they consumed the same daily amount of calories, “the participants in the low carbohydrate diet group had less satisfaction, and felt that they were not full”. She said that their cravings for sugars and carbohydrates were more intense and eventually caused them to cheat on the diet plan.

“But the group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day.”

Ultimately, this shows that a diet must be realistic to be adopted as part of a new lifestyle. Curbing cravings is better than deprivation for weight loss success, the team concluded.

Amasia: the new supercontinent that will be formed over the North Pole in 50 million years

James J. Williams
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Amasia: the new supercontinent that will be formed over the North Pole in 50 million years

According to a study by Yale University scientists, the Earth will look very different in 200 million years, with the latest prediction that a supercontinent called Amasia will form right over the North Pole, and not over the centre of Africa, as previously thought.

North and South America will crunch together, with the Caribbean Sea and Arctic Ocean disappearing, while Asia will join the Americas, the scientists say.

“After those water bodies close, we’re on our way to the next supercontinent,” said lead researcher Ross Mitchell.

“You’d have the Americas meeting Eurasia practically at the North Pole.”

The results of the study were published this week in Nature, with the paper explaining that the formation of Amasia is between 50 and 200 million years away.

The Yale researchers used a process called orthoversion to arrive at their conclusions.

North and South America will crunch together, with the Caribbean Sea and Arctic Ocean disappearing, while Asia will join the Americas
North and South America will crunch together, with the Caribbean Sea and Arctic Ocean disappearing, while Asia will join the Americas

According to this, each succeeding supercontinent forms 90 degrees from the geographic centre of its ancient predecessor.

The new theory contrasts with the standard theories about supercontinent formation, introversion and extroversion, which hold that supercontinents form either 0 or 180 degrees away from the geographic centre of the previous supercontinent.

Under these earlier theories, the Atlantic Ocean will disappear and the next supercontinent will form with a centre more or less in the same spot as the last supercontinent’s centre, present-day Africa.

Alternately, the Pacific Ocean will disappear and the next supercontinent will form with a centre on the opposite side of the globe.

Ross Mitchell and colleagues arrived at the new theory after an extensive analysis of the magnetism of ancient rocks.

After each historical supercontinent assembled, it underwent a series of back-and-forth rotations around a stable axis along the equator.

From one supercontinent to the next, the axes were offset from each other by about 90 degrees, the Yale team showed – consistent with orthoversion, but not with either introversion or extroversion.

“This kind of analysis gives us a way to arrange continents in both latitude and longitude, providing a better understanding in patterns of biological dispersal and the dynamics of Earth’s deep interior,” said Yale doctoral student Taylor M. Kilian, the study’s second author.

The most recent supercontinent, Pangea (which is Greek for “All Lands”), formed about 300 million years ago with Africa at its centre.

Pangea began breaking apart into the seven continents of today with the birth of the Atlantic Ocean about 100 million years later.

Researchers believe Pangea is the third or fourth supercontinent in Earth’s history. Its immediate predecessors were Rodinia – which formed about 1 billion years ago – and Nuna, which formed about 1.8 billion years ago.

The idea of continental drift was introduced by German scientist Alfred Wegener in 1912, to explain how the shape of Earth’s countries looked suspiciously like jigsaw pieces that would fit together.

The Earth’s surface is formed from seven major and several minor tectonic plates that wander around at speeds varying from a few millimetres to two centimetres a year, the same pace that a human nail grows.

It’s the friction caused by plates grinding against each other that causes earthquakes.

Judge Baltasar Garzon found guilty in wiretapping case by Supreme Court in Madrid

Diane A. Wade
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Judge Baltasar Garzon found guilty in wiretapping case by Supreme Court in Madrid

Baltasar Garzon, Spain’s best-known judge has been found guilty of authorizing illegal recordings of lawyers’ conversations by Supreme Court in Madrid.

The judge has been banned from the legal profession for 11 years.

Baltasar Garzon, 56, is best known for his efforts to extradite the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet from London to face trial in Madrid.

He is also accused of exceeding his authority by wanting to investigate Franco-era disappearances.

That would violate a 1977 amnesty on crimes committed during General Franco’s rule.

Baltasar Garzon, Spain’s best-known judge has been found guilty of authorizing illegal recordings of lawyers' conversations by Supreme Court in Madrid
Baltasar Garzon, Spain’s best-known judge has been found guilty of authorizing illegal recordings of lawyers' conversations by Supreme Court in Madrid

Baltasar Garzon believes that no amnesty can cover crimes against humanity.

The judge also faces a third charge, of allegedly dropping an investigation into the head of Spain’s biggest bank, Santander, after receiving payments for a course sponsored by the bank. No date has been set for that trial.

The prosecutions have been brought by private parties.

Seven judges at the Supreme Court in Madrid have been hearing the evidence.

How zebras evolved their black-and-white stripes? They keep away blood-sucking flies, say scientists

Diane A. Wade
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How zebras evolved their black-and-white stripes? They keep away blood-sucking flies, say scientists

How zebras evolved their characteristic black-and-white stripes has been a long time subject of debate among scientists.

Now researchers from Hungary and Sweden claim to have solved the mystery.

The stripes, the scientist say, came about to keep away blood-sucking flies.

They report in the Journal of Experimental Biology that this pattern of narrow stripes makes zebras “unattractive” to the flies.

They key to this effect is in how the striped patterns reflect light.

“We started off studying horses with black, brown or white coats,” explained Susanne Akesson from Lund University, a member of the international research team that carried out the study.

“We found that in the black and brown horses, we get horizontally polarized light.” This effect made the dark-coloured horses very attractive to flies.

How zebras evolved their characteristic black-and-white stripes has been a long time subject of debate among scientists
How zebras evolved their characteristic black-and-white stripes has been a long time subject of debate among scientists

It means that the light that bounces off the horse’s dark coat – and travels in waves to the eyes of a hungry fly – moves along a horizontal plane, like a snake slithering along with its body flat to the floor.

Dr. Susanne Akesson and her colleagues found that horseflies, or tabanids, were very attracted by these “flat” waves of light.

“From a white coat, you get unpolarized light [reflected],” she explained. Unpolarized light waves travel along any and every plane, and are much less attractive to flies. As a result, white-coated horses are much less troubled by horseflies than their dark-coloured relatives.

Having discovered the flies’ preference for dark coats, the team then became interested in zebras. They wanted to know what kind of light would bounce off the striped body of a zebra, and how this would affect the biting flies that are a horse’s most irritating enemy.

“We created an experimental set-up where we painted the different patterns onto boards,” said Dr. Susanne Akesson.

She and her colleagues placed a blackboard, a whiteboard, and several boards with stripes of varying widths into one of the fields of a horse farm in rural Hungary.

“We put insect glue on the boards and counted the number of flies that each one attracted,” she explained.

The striped board that was the closest match to the actual pattern of a zebra’s coat attracted by far the fewest flies, “even less than the white boards that were reflecting unpolarized light,” Dr. Susanne Akesson said.

“That was a surprise because, in a striped pattern, you still have these dark areas that are reflecting horizontally polarized light.

“But the narrower (and more zebra-like) the stripes, the less attractive they were to the flies.”

To test horseflies’ reaction to a more realistic 3-D target, the team put four life-size “sticky horse models ” into the field – one brown, one black, one white and one black-and-white striped, like a zebra.

The researchers collected the trapped flies every two days, and found that the zebra-striped horse model attracted the fewest.

TV anchor Kyle Dyer bitten in the face on live by a rescue dog

Diane A. Wade
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TV anchor Kyle Dyer bitten in the face on live by a rescue dog

Veteran TV anchor Kyle Dyer in Denver, Colorado, was rushed to the hospital after a dog that recently survived a harrowing rescue bit her in the face during a live TV segment.

86-pound Argentine Mastiff named Max sunk his teeth into Kyle Dyer’s face when she bent down to pet him Wednesday during the morning show segment on KUSA-TV.

KUSA-TV’s news chopper captured video footage of a firefighter rescuing Max from a freezing pond Monday after he fell through the ice and couldn’t make it out.

Now, Max has been caged by animal control officers and his owner, Michael Robinson, has been fined.

TV anchor Kyle Dyer was rushed to the hospital after a dog that recently survived a harrowing rescue bit her in the face during a live TV segment
TV anchor Kyle Dyer was rushed to the hospital after a dog that recently survived a harrowing rescue bit her in the face during a live TV segment

KUSA-TV says Kyle Dyer is in fair condition, recovering from the bite at Denver hospital.

A trauma team is evaluating the injuries to her face.

Michael Robinson says he was walking Max Monday when he saw a coyote and ran off after it.

Authorities say Max spend 20 minutes swimming in the pond before a firefighter in a dry suit dove into the frigid waters and pulled him to safety.

KUSA- TV station aired the harrowing rescue and invited the firefighter, Michael Robinson and Max into their studios Wednesday morning for a reunion.

That’s when Max attacked Kyle Dyer.

The station says the attack was not broadcast, but it later released a short clip of the bite.

Denver Animal Control Director Doug Kelley told CBS4 Denver Kyle Dyer’s injury was “a pretty major bite”.

Max, who did not have proper rabies vaccinations, will be quarantined 10 days to ensure he is healthy.

Michael Robinson was cited for a dog bite violation, having the dog off his leash and not having proper vaccinations.

[youtube okJL4x8NWrs]

Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her age at amfAR New York Gala last night

Lisa.Felice
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Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her age at amfAR New York Gala last night

Lindsay Lohan drew attention to herself for all the wrong reasons at the amfAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street last night.

Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her quarter of a century, as she appeared on the red carpet sporting a matronly look, and heavy make-up for the stylish affair last night.

The actress was looking almost unrecognizable with her overly bleached hair, badly cut fringe and glazed expression.

Lindsay Lohan’s white dress by Tom Ford did little to reveal her real age and the midi-length white shift dress, complete with modest v-neckline and sleeves, did little to flatter her figure.

While she might have hammed it up for the cameras on the red carpet, smiling broadly at times, she appeared vacant with a blank expression on her face.

Perhaps the stresses of recent months which have been fraught with legal woes, her probation obligations and allegations she has been drinking, which she strongly denies, have taken their toll on Lindsay Lohan.

Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her quarter of a century, as she appeared on the red carpet sporting a matronly look, and heavy make-up for the stylish affair last night
Lindsay Lohan looked years older than her quarter of a century, as she appeared on the red carpet sporting a matronly look, and heavy make-up for the stylish affair last night

Lindsay Lohan was joined by a whole host of famous faces at the event at Cipriani Wall Street and unlike the actress, most stars looked chic and stylish at the fashion event.

Supermodel Heidi Klum, who last month revealed she was splitting from husband Seal, attended the event in a long black gown with metallic sequin embellishment and accessorized with her wedding ring, which she has yet to take off.

While there was plenty of glamour on the red carpet, fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker certainly didn’t play it safe when it came to her ensemble.

Sarah Jessica Parker donned a pale pink dress which boasted considerable material around the skirt and trail, curiously teaming the feminine dress with a black leather biker jacket.

To complete the miss-matched look the actress had donned a pair of short white gloves.

Liz Hurley stepped out in a plunging stone colored dress which complimented her incredible figure to perfection.

On her arm she stepped out with beau and Australian cricketer Shane Warne who was looking dapper in his dinner suit.

Cindy Crawford looked stunning in a plunging dress with beaded detail while, Linda Evangelista opted for a suit with just a bra underneath.

Model Erin Heatherton opted for a midnight blue strapless dress which boasted a corset detail for the evening which kicks off Fall 2012 Fashion Week.

One of the most stylish dressers of the evening was Bridesmaid’s star Rose Byrne who looked incredibly chic in a fitted cream and black lace dress.

Pregnant actress Molly Sims covered up her baby bump in a flowing white gown which she teamed with a cropped fur jacket.

Jennifer Hudson appeared to have released her wild side and stepped out with big crimped hair which she teamed with a mocha-colored dress boasting a thigh high split.

Chinese police chief Wang Lijun mystery has deepened after he visited US consulate

Diane A. Wade
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Chinese police chief Wang Lijun mystery has deepened after he visited US consulate

The mystery surrounding Chinese police chief Wang Lijun from Chongqing has deepened after the US government confirmed he visited one of its consulates.

Some are speculating that Wang Lijun was seeking asylum, although the US state department said it could not comment on that issue.

Wang Lijun, 52, gained national recognition after spearheading a crackdown on organized crime in Chongqing.

But he was removed from his post and is now on leave because of “stress”.

One of China’s vice-foreign ministers, Cui Tiankai, said this was an “isolated incident”.

Speaking at a briefing, Cui Tiankai said this issue was “resolved and resolved quite smoothly”, although he did not go into details about exactly what had happened to Wang Lijun.

The incident could have ramifications for Wang Lijun’s boss, Bo Xilai, who appears poised to become one of China’s top national leaders later this year.

Bo Xilai has been one of China’s most high-profile politicians of late, launching a campaign that praised the virtues of the country’s communist past, as well as the crime crackdown.

The mystery surrounding Chinese police chief Wang Lijun from Chongqing has deepened after the US government confirmed he visited one of its consulates
The mystery surrounding Chinese police chief Wang Lijun from Chongqing has deepened after the US government confirmed he visited one of its consulates

There has been speculation for several days about the fate of Wang Lijun following a disturbance outside the US consulate in Chengdu earlier this week.

Chengdu is just a few hours drive from Chongqing, where Wang Lijun is also the deputy mayor.

People reported seeing swarms of police officers, who set up roadblocks outside the consulate.

Posting comments on Chinese micro-blog sites, some said a SUV-style vehicle with a Chongqing number plate was hauled away by the police.

Speaking in Washington, US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “Wang Lijun did request a meeting at the US consulate general in Chengdu earlier this week.”

In carefully-worded comments she added: “He did visit the consulate and he later left the consulate of his own volition.”

Victoria Nuland said the state department did not talk about issues related to those seeking refugee status or asylum.

Wang Lijun was removed from his post as head of Chongqing’s police department last week and given other duties.

Then on Wednesday the city government’s news department said on its micro-blog site that he had gone on leave.

“It is understood that Vice-Mayor Wang Lijun, who has suffered overwork and immense mental stress for a long time, is seriously physically indisposed. After agreement, he is currently taking holiday-style medical treatment,” read the tweet.

Wang Lijun headed an attack on organized crime in Chongqing that saw hundreds of people arrested, including the former head of the city’s judicial authorities.

He is a martial arts expert whose crime-fighting exploits once inspired a television series.

Dramatic improvement in vision after gene therapy in patients with LCA

Kathryn R. Bown
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US researchers revealed that three people who lost their sight in childhood have reported a dramatic improvement in vision after having gene therapy in both eyes.

There was some improvement after the genetic fault in one eye was corrected four years ago.

Now, one woman has described her joy at seeing her children’s faces, after her second eye was treated.

The three have Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), a rare inherited disease caused by defects in a gene encoding a protein needed for vision.

It appears at birth or in the first months of life, leading to severely impaired vision, involuntary eye movements and poor night vision.

LCA disorder, which can be caused by “mistakes” in more than 10 different genes, prevents normal function of the retina; the light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye.

Several teams around the world are carrying out early trials of gene therapy in blindness, including experts at the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital and the University of Philadelphia, US.

Only a handful of patients worldwide have received the treatment to boost a faulty gene underlying an inherited form of blindness.

The US researchers revealed in 2008 that 12 people with LCA had recovered some vision after being injected in one eye with an engineered virus carrying the gene RPE65.

In a follow-up study they treated the other eye of three of them, and found it improved their sight even more.

The subjects could see better in dim light and two were able to find their way around obstacles.

The results were revealed in the latest edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The principal investigator of the study, Dr. Jean Bennett, said the patients could now do things they could never do before, such as walking around at night, going shopping for groceries and recognizing people’s faces.

Dr. Jean Bennett said: “We’ve shown that it is possible to safely treat both eyes of people with this particular form of retinal deficiency using a gene-based treatment and further we’ve demonstrated that the brain understands what the retina is seeing.”

MRI scans showed the brain could “see” the newly-treated eye.

Dr. Manzar Ashtari, from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who carried out the brain scans, said: “We saw the brain gets activated – the brain after treatment responded to the visual stimuli.”

One of the three patients who took part in the clinical trial, Tami Morehouse, told how her vision gradually returned, opening up a whole new world for her.

Even though she can’t see well enough to read or drive a car, she can now make-out her children’s faces, watch them play baseball and see the light change over Lake Erie, where she lives.

Tami Morehouse said: “Life is so much easier at a level that most people take for granted. Any amount of vision that you can get when you have almost nothing is incredibly valuable.”

The researchers now hope to treat the second eye of the remaining nine patients, and extend the clinical trial.

Dr. Jean Bennett said: “I think it will be a stepping stone to treating more common forms of blindness in both eyes.”

Republican John Boehner calls for action against White House contraception rule

Kathryn R. Bown
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Republican John Boehner calls for action against White House contraception rule

Top US Republican John Boehner has called in Congress for action against a White House contraception rule that has angered Catholic leaders.

John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, said legislation was needed against the rule, which means Church-linked institutions must buy health insurance that covers birth control costs.

Catholic leaders say that would force them to violate religious beliefs.

White House officials say they want to find ways to allay Church concerns.

But one report in the New York Times on Wednesday said the administration would not back down from the rule.

Under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law, employers must offer insurance that includes contraceptives.

Churches and other houses of worship were given a waiver under the new law, but institutions including Catholic universities and hospitals are not exempt.

John Boehner took to the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday to call for legislation against the rule.

“This attack by the federal government on religious freedom must not stand and will not stand,” he said.

Top US Republican John Boehner has called in Congress for action against a White House contraception rule that has angered Catholic leaders
Top US Republican John Boehner has called in Congress for action against a White House contraception rule that has angered Catholic leaders

The speaker said the House Energy and Commerce Committee were working on legislation related to the rule.

The mandate has also provoked strong condemnation from the Republican presidential candidates on the campaign trail.

In Colorado on Tuesday, Mitt Romney described the policy as a “violation of conscience”.

But the White House and other Republican candidates have hit back at his criticism.

During Mitt Romney’s tenure as governor of Massachusetts, the state implemented legislation that required hospitals – including Catholic ones – to provide emergency contraception to rape victims.

Democratic congresswomen have defended the White House measure, arguing that the policy would control health costs, stop unwanted pregnancies and that overturning the rule would adversely affect staff who may not be Catholic.

Jan Schakowsky, a Democratic Representative from Illinois, said: “Women’s healthcare should not depend on who the boss is.”

Wisconsin Representative Gwen Moore said the church “can’t impose its religious views on people and whether they can have healthcare”.

The uproar began over the weekend, after US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended the policy in an editorial for USA Today.

Catholic bishops called for the rule to be dropped, including Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who wrote in an editorial for the Wall Street Journal that the mandate was “an unprecedented incursion into freedom of conscience”.

The Obama administration has sought to portray the issue as a balance between religious freedoms and preventing discrimination under the new healthcare law.

“You are going to have folks of all faiths who work for those large institutions,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a Tuesday press briefing.

“Those women ought to be able to have access to the same contraceptive services that other women will have access to.”

Avalanche on Mars captured by HiRISE camera aboard NASA spacecraft

James J. Williams
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Avalanche on Mars captured by HiRISE camera aboard NASA spacecraft

Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars’s north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft.

It’s not the first avalanche captured by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA first detected the phenomenon in 2008, believed to be caused by a thin “crust” of frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice) which forms during the Martian winter.

The HiRISE high resolution camera took the amazing photograph at 85 degrees north on the planet.

The HiRISE camera is one of several hi-tech instruments on board Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It’s the largest camera ever carried into deep space.

Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars's north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft
Images of an avalanche of fine ice and dust thundering over a cliff near Mars's north pole have been captured by a high resolution camera from a NASA spacecraft

NASA’s ground team says that the events are detectable by a cloud of fine material that erupts when avalanches collapse down slopes on the planet.

Some avalanches on Mars are caused by meteorite impacts, but others are thought to be the result of ‘seasons’ on the planet, which has winters, just like Earth.

Planetary scientist Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona, who first noticed the avalanches in photos taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter said: “It’s great to see something so dynamic on Mars. A lot of what we see there hasn’t changed for millions of years.”

Iceland’s Loch Ness. Mysterious creature caught on camera in the Lagarfljót lake.

James J. Williams
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Iceland’s Loch Ness. Mysterious creature caught on camera in the Lagarfljót lake.

Images of a “serpent-like” sea creature gliding through the waters of an Icelandic river have been captured last week by Hjörtur Kjerúlf.

The video shows a mysterious creature swimming through the cold water of the glacial river Jökulsá í Fljótsdal, in east Iceland and it has already become a monster hit on the internet in just over a week.

Some are claiming this grainy footage is proof of the existence of the legendary beast Lagarfljótsormurinn – Iceland’s version of Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster.

Images of a “serpent-like” sea creature gliding through the waters of an Icelandic river have been captured last week by Hjörtur Kjerúlf
Images of a “serpent-like” sea creature gliding through the waters of an Icelandic river have been captured last week by Hjörtur Kjerúlf

 

The notorious “snake-like” creature is said to live in the Lagarfljót lake, which is 25 miles long and 367 feet deep – and it has been the subject of many a supposed sighting since reports of it first emerged in 1345.

However, an expert on the legendary Lagarfljótsormurinn lake beast believes this footage is fake.

Loren Coleman, director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, has researched the Icelandic creature and wrote about it in his book Field Guide to Lake Monsters and Sea Serpents.

He said he was concerned about the ‘robotic’ look of the creature featured in the video and believes it is an elaborate hoax.

On his website Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman wrote: “Frankly, this video shows something that looks like a constructed snake-like object, with rigid sections, being propelled through the water.

“From the movement on the water’s surface, it would have to be something other than a mammal, like a giant worm, a reptile or a fish.

“The head appears to have been made to look like it belongs to a giant anaconda. The sections do not gracefully flow, but are sectionally moving from side-to-side. Mammals move up and down.

“It seems someone attempting this fakery, perhaps by using a robot with tarps, fish nets, or trash bags – a favorite for watery hoaxers – has decided to take the phrase <<sea serpent>> and/or <<worm>> too literally.”

According to Coleman, the most recent sighting of a strange creature in Lake Lagarfljót was in 1998, when a teacher and their class of pupils said they saw something close to the shore.

However, they did not describe it as having a “worm-like” appearance.

Another reason why Loren Coleman believes the footage to be a hoax, is because of the creature’s appearance. He said the phrase “Icelandic Worm Monster” was coined in the 21st Century and comes from a misunderstanding and mistranslation of Lagarfljótsormurinn simply as Lagarfljót worm.

This is instead of the more correct Lagarfljót Würm or Wurm – a phrase which harks back to dragon folklore.

Loren Coleman added: “The traditional sightings of this lake’s <<monster>> – going back to 1345 – are not <<snake-like>>… Instead, they describe Lagarfljótsormurinn as having a hump, a long neck, and whiskers, more like a long-necked Waterhorse than a giant snake.”

He said because of the creature’s misinterpreted adopted name, hoaxers may mistakenly create it in the shape of a snake which contradicts all other eye witness accounts.

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Spectacular tsunami of wave of clouds took over Panama City, Florida

Diane A. Wade
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Spectacular tsunami of wave of clouds took over Panama City, Florida

A breathtaking series of images captured by helicopter pilot JR Hott show a natural phenomenon that appears to be a though tsunami crashing over the Florida coastline.

However, the natural phenomenon which appeared in Panama City is far less destructive – waves of clouds.

The images show the low-lying haze swooping over high-rise buildings down the coast.

KATU reports JR Hott captured the images hovering over the Gulf of Mexico after one of his pilots came in from a flight on Sunday.

Before his chopper could be engulfed by the heavy fog, JR Hott flew up to capture the wave-like formations.

“We jumped into helicopter and took off,’ he said. But he didn’t have long to descend.

“Within a few minutes after we landed, it covered up the helipad,” the seasoned pilot said.

The natural phenomenon “waves of clouds” occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming "just right" as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude
The natural phenomenon “waves of clouds” occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming "just right" as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude

According to Dr. Greg Forbes, of Weather.com, the phenomenon occurred as a result of warm, moist air forming “just right” as it blew into the coastline, forming a low-lying fog that dissipates as the air cools with altitude.

Dr. Greg Forbes explained on the website: “You see the clouds forming off shore, as the winds from south to north push them toward and then up over the high rises as the air rises and reaches its crest.

“And then sinks back down and lowers the relative humidity and the clouds dissipate.

“The other thing that’s happening is with friction, the air slows down as it just begins to move onshore.

“That gives it a little extra convergence and an upward forcing of the air to rise. But it must be that relative humidity needing to be just right that… explains why we don’t see this kind of a picture every day.”

JR Hott, posted the images on Facebook, and they’ve since swept the internet, receiving an overwhelming response.

“Oh my God, we’ve got thousands of shares and thousands of likes,” he told KATU.

“It’s amazing to me how this thing has gone nuts,” he said.

[youtube NG5sy8bQw_g]

Werewolf syndrome, a rare genetic mutation, affected three Indian sisters

Kathryn R. Bown
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Werewolf syndrome, a rare genetic mutation, affected three Indian sisters

Hypertrichosis universalis disorder or werewolf syndrome is one of the rarest conditions in the world, affecting just one in a billion people.

In an incredible quirk of fate, three sisters from a small village near Pune, central India, have all been blighted by a condition known as werewolf syndrome – where they are covered from head to foot in thick hair.

Savita, 23, Monisha, 18, and 16-year-old Savitri Sangli inherited the hypertrichosis universalis disorder from their father.

All three sisters struggle to keep the condition under control with cream and hope they one day might eventually be able to pay for specialist laser treatment to rid them of their excessive hair.

Despite the devastating effects of the syndrome, the three sisters still dream of a day when they might get married.

Hypertrichosis universalis is a genetic mutation, in which cells that normally switch off hair growth in unusual areas, like the eyelids and forehead, are left switched on.

It means the girls have had abnormal hair growth on their bodies and even their faces, affecting their eyebrows, nose and giving them appearance of having a beard.

The young women must use a special cream every day – otherwise the hair will quickly return. The youngest sister Savitri is still virtually covered in hair.

In an incredible quirk of fate, three sisters from a small village near Pune, central India, have all been blighted by a condition known as werewolf syndrome - where they are covered from head to foot in thick hair
In an incredible quirk of fate, three sisters from a small village near Pune, central India, have all been blighted by a condition known as werewolf syndrome - where they are covered from head to foot in thick hair

The girl’s mother Anita Sambhaji Raut has six daughters in total with only three having werewolf syndrome.

The condition was passed down by the girls’ father, who Anita Sambhaji Raut was forced to marry aged at the age of 12.

Because theirs was an arranged marriage and she did not lay eyes on him until the wedding day, Anita Sambhaji Raut had no idea he was suffering from the condition himself.

Anita Sambhaji Raut and her daughters are now desperate to fund laser surgery that will help to finally remove the curse of excess hair and allow the girls to lead normal lives.

In their small village near Pune, the Sangli have little prospects for marriage and the eldest Savita sometimes gets sent home from work when her hair begins to show.

Laser surgery would cost 350,000 Indian rupees – or $7,000 per girl – but the family are not wealthy enough to be able to afford it.

Now documentary filmmaker Sneh Gupta is planning make a film of the girls in a bid to help their dream of becoming almost hair free – with the eventual aim of finding marriage.

Mum Anita Sambhaji Raut, 40, said her husband – who died in 2007 and whose portrait hangs in the family home – also suffered from werewolf syndrome.

Anita Sambhaji Raut was being looked after by her uncle and auntie as her parents had passed away and they told her if she didn’t marry this man they would kill her off.

The woman said: “It was only on the day of my marriage that I discovered what he was, (he) was hairy on his face, ears and body, that’s when I found out.

“I was very young, I didn’t know what kind of boy he was, he scared the hell out of me when he arrived at the altar. He’s the groom, I am the bride, I had no idea what all that meant.

“I was only 12 when they forced me into marriage, and if you don’t agree to marriage as a girl they will kill you off.

“I asked my mother-in-law why my daughters were born like this and she told me because their father is like this, at the time (as a baby) my daughter had little hairs all over her face.

“When I used to take her (Savita) out as a child, they used to shout here comes the beast, the witch, that’s what they said.

“They keep her at work now for 10 to 15 days, and then after that they ask her to leave as soon as the hair starts showing through, that’s what they do.

“I tell people this is the type of girl she is, hair grows on her face, she has to apply medicine, we must be honest with everybody.”

In the village society a woman does not have much prospects if she is not married and mum Anita Sambhaji Raut explained she was still trying to get her daughters a man.

Anita Sambhaji Raut said: “If a good proposal comes in, I’ll get her married. If nothing comes in she’ll have to work and survive. As long as I am living I have to keep trying.”

Eldest daughter Savita, who now using a cream to try and combat her hair growth, said: “When I used to go to school the boys and the girls would shout, <<hairy face>>, <<horrible looking>>, <<don’t sit next to her>>, that’s how they behaved.

“Marriage is not an option for us, it’s not likely to happen, who is going to marry us when hair keeps growing on our faces.”

[youtube 4bh11SfImZA]

Muscle leggings designed by Australian label Black Milk Clothing go on sale

Lisa.Felice
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Muscle leggings designed by Australian label Black Milk Clothing go on sale

The concept of being underdressed have been brought to another meaning by the Australian label Black Milk Clothing by launching a range of leggings that emulate muscles with the skin torn off.

The new leggings are printed with the anatomically correct layout of the bare human muscle, with sinews, ligaments and muscle fibres printed in blood red.

Those who enjoy pushing sartorial boundaries will no doubt enjoy the shock value the £50 ($80) leggings will inevitably provide.

Potential customers might include performers like Lady Gaga, who infamously wore a dress made entirely of raw meat back in 2010, or singer Jessie J, who has made graphic printed leggings her staple.

Black milk Clothing – which specializes in unusual leggings and also sells pairs printed with jellyfish and skeleton bones – could also find an unlikely fan in model Heidi Klum, who had an uncannily similar full body muscle suit made for her last Halloween fancy dress party.

The new leggings are printed with the anatomically correct layout of the bare human muscle, with sinews, ligaments and muscle fibres printed in blood red and cost $80
The new leggings are printed with the anatomically correct layout of the bare human muscle, with sinews, ligaments and muscle fibres printed in blood red and cost $80

“This is an idea that we have been thinking about for a while,” said Australian designer James Lillis of his uncanny creation.

“A few people encouraged me to do it but I never quite got around to it. Then I got a spare afternoon one day and decoded to have a good go at making it work. It worked…. perhaps a little too well!

“It’s definitely our most <<meaty>> design.”

How to get the body you’ve always dreamed of in just five hours

Clyde K. Valle
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How to get the body you’ve always dreamed of in just five hours

Furious Pete, blogger and eating champion, shows you how to get the body you’ve always dreamed of in just five hours, without even having to deprive yourself of your favorite foods.

In fact, Furious Pete says you can eat potato chips and drink two litres of cola and still achieve the look.

Worth $60 billion-a-year in America, the dieting industry is big business and many advertisements feature before and after shots to show you just how effective the product is.

Men and women with protruding, flabby stomachs and undefined arms and abs are often compared with the after shot of rippling six packs, bulging biceps and toned torsos.

Furious Pete, who according to his website is the world’s greatest eater, shows how the effect can be achieved in just five hours.

The man says: “Most of the time it’s hard to believe that a supplement or training programme can make you look like this.”

Then, Furious Pete shows you how, by first preparing for his after shot.

In the video, Furious Pete tells viewers to get themselves to the gym, where they should “pump as much iron as possible”.

“The first step is to reverse the process. Go to the gym and do as many bicep curls, tricep push downs and chest presses,” he says.

“Make sure you are as vascular as humanly possible.”

Furious Pete then recommends going on a tanning bed so you can be as “tan as humanly possible”. After that you should set up some good lighting and rub yourself in cooking oil.

Furious Pete, blogger and eating champion, shows you how to get the body you've always dreamed of in just five hours, without even having to deprive yourself of your favorite foods
Furious Pete, blogger and eating champion, shows you how to get the body you've always dreamed of in just five hours, without even having to deprive yourself of your favorite foods

Furious Pete shows off the buff and slick after picture, which he admits he slightly Photoshopped.

Now, for the before picture.

Pete says: “Take two hours off, you worked hard. Rest up and make sure the vascularity disappears. Grab a bag of chips and down all of them.

“Grab yourself a two litre bottle of pop and drink it all. Diet pop works even better because it has more carbonation and will make your stomach even bigger.”

Furious Pete then recommends drinking chocolate milk, saying: “It will bloat the hell out of you.”

Then, the before shot is complete. Pete stands with his stomach hanging over his pants and the bulging biceps from just hours before have disappeared, proving that we “shouldn’t believe everything we see”.

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Ho Yide, four-year-old Chinese boy forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow

Diane A. Wade
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Ho Yide, four-year-old Chinese boy forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow

A video clip showing a four-year-old Chinese boy forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow, wearing only his underpants, has sparked outrage after was posted on internet.

Filmed in New York on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the footage shows a man identified only as “eagle daddy” stripping his son Ho Yide to his underwear and forcing him to endure temperatures of -13 degrees Celsius (8 F).

As he stands shivering in the cold, the boy is seen pleading with his father: “Please give me a hug!”

Ho Yide looks around as he runs after his father filming him and nearly slips as he clenches his small fists bracing himself against the cold.

A four-year-old Chinese boy was forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow, wearing only his underpants
A four-year-old Chinese boy was forced by his father to run around and do push-ups in the snow, wearing only his underpants

 

After running around for five minutes, Ho Yide is then encouraged to do a push-up on the snowy ground.

The little boy also asks for his mother, whose voice can later be heard later laughing and encouraging him to ensure the bitterly cold experience.

In comments posted by “eagle daddy” online it states his son was born several months early and doctors said that he might suffer developmental difficulties.

To counter this, “eagle daddy” came up with a strict education plan for his son to help him grow up healthy.

The video has been viewed by tens of thousands of people on various video-sharing websites and has caused outrage.

One user wrote: “I think your brain froze when you were four. Or were you even made to do run in snow almost naked when you were four?”

While another said: “This is so mean. It’s just so irresponsible! That boy poor looks like he wants a passerby to rescue him.”

The father’s personal assistant, surnamed Xin, told AFP Ho Yide was on holiday with his family in New York during the Lunar New Year holiday last month.

“The child agreed and before the run, he did half an hour of slow running to warm up,” she said by phone.

“This child has received all sorts of forms of training since he was small. When he was one, he started swimming in water that was 21 degrees Celsius.”

She said that the boy was born prematurely with several health problems including water in the brain that prompted doctors to say he may have cerebral palsy.

Miss Xin said Ho Yide’s father was not concerned about the negative backlash the video had received.

“He says he doesn’t care what others say… that the fact that the child lived showed that he has tenacious vitality,” she said.

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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion

Clyde K. Valle
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Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said his “nightmare” was over after being cleared of tax evasion.

Harry Redknapp had denied accepting secret untaxed bonus payments from former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric, while he was club manager.

Milan Mandaric was also cleared of two charges of cheating the public revenue over the £189,000 ($295,000) payments.

Harry Redknapp, who was close to tears, said the case “should never have come to court”.

Speaking on the steps of Southwark Crown Court, the Tottenham boss thanked his family, the fans at Tottenham and his legal team after coming through the five-year investigation, which is believed to have cost about £8 million ($12.5 million).

Harry Redknapp said: “The Wigan game [on 31 January] was the most moving I’ve ever felt, for me personally to have them singing my name throughout the game while all this was going on, that will always be special to me.

“It’s been a nightmare, it’s been five years, it’s a case that should never have come to court.

“I’m looking forward to going home and getting on with my life.”

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said his "nightmare" was over after being cleared of tax evasion
Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, said his "nightmare" was over after being cleared of tax evasion

Former England boss Graham Taylor said the verdict now opens the way for Redknapp to take charge of the national team in the future.

Bookmakers have now stopped taking bets on Harry Redknapp becoming the next England manager.

Harry Redknapp and Milan Mandaric embraced in the dock as the verdicts were read after five hours of deliberations.

Milan Mandaric, who is currently chairman of Sheffield Wednesday, walked up to Det Insp Dave Manley to shake his hand and said: “Thank you”.

Afterwards, Milan Mandaric said: “I have to try and pinch myself and wake up from the horrible dream.

“I always believed in the truth and also believed in the British justice system.”

Following the verdicts, former Spurs chairman Lord Sugar told BBC Radio 5 Live: “If this was Harry Smith or Harry Brown, it would never have gone to court. This is an attempt by the authorities to make an example of a high profile personality which has backfired.

“It dates back a long time to when pressure was put on the authorities to do something about alleged, so-called wrongdoing in football.

“They were hoping to prove something and now they have egg on their face.”

TV presenter Fred Dineage, who was on the board at Portsmouth during Milan Mandaric’s ownership of the club from 1998 to 2006, branded the trial “a waste of time and money”.

It can also now be reported that Milan Mandaric and Peter Storrie, Portsmouth’s former chief executive, were cleared of tax evasion charges at a separate trial last October.

They were both accused of evading tax over player Eyal Berkovics’s termination fee.

Eyal Storrie was also accused of dodging tax on a signing-on fee to midfielder Amdy Faye when he moved from Auxerre to Portsmouth.

Eyal Storrie, who is now allowed to speak about his trial, said: “We said from day one that it [the case] was farcical.

“I am delighted we’ve been proved completely innocent and I can get my reputation back.”

During Harry Redknapp’s and Milan Mandaric’s trial, jurors heard the Spurs boss received two payments totaling £189,000, into his “Rosie 47” account in Monaco – named after his pet dog.

The defence said the money was an investment made by Milan Mandaric while Harry Redknapp said he forgot about the account and had very little to do with it.

The prosecution claimed the first payment of £93,100 ($145,250) was a bonus for selling striker Crouch for £3.25 million ($5 million) profit in 2002.

The court heard Harry Redknapp’s cut of transfer profits was reduced from 10% to 5% when he moved from being Portsmouth’s director of football to manager in March 2002 but Harry Redknapp told jurors he felt he was “morally” due the full 10%.

Milan Mandaric said he “wanted to do something special for Harry” but he denied it was compensation for his Crouch bonus and said it was an investment for a “friend”.

During the trial, Harry Redknapp admitted lying to News of the World reporter Rob Beasley about the alleged Crouch payment because he did not want negative stories ahead of a cup final.

Harry Redknapp said: “I have to tell police the truth, not Mr. Beasley – he’s a News of the World reporter.”

It was claimed the second payment of £96,300 ($150,200) was a bonus for Portsmouth beating Manchester United.

But Milan Mandaric’s barrister, Lord MacDonald, described the accusation as “really desperate stuff”.

He said there was “nothing even slightly sinister” about the actions.

Chris Martins, from HM Revenue and Customs, said outside court: “Tax evasion is not a victim-less crime.

“We have no regrets about pursuing this case, it was vitally important the facts were put in front of a jury. We accept the verdicts.”

A statement from Tottenham Hotspur said: “Everyone at the club is delighted for Harry and his family.”

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Martian meteorite given to National History Museum for science

James J. Williams
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Martian meteorite given to National History Museum for science

A meteorite from Mars has been given to science to help unravel the Red Planet’s secrets.

The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has acquired the 1kg piece of the Tissint rock thanks to an anonymous benefactor.

The meteorite was seen to land in Morocco last July and retrieved quickly, resulting in minimal contamination with Earth.

Researchers hope Tissint’s geochemistry will provide insights into past conditions on Mars and the possibility that it may once have hosted life.

Just 61 out of the 41,000 meteorites known to science come from Mars. To get here, they would have been blasted off the surface of the Red Planet by a mighty impact and then travelled through the Solar System before crashing to Earth.

There have only been four other witnessed Martian meteorite falls, the last one in Nigeria in 1962.

“Tissint fell in a dry area, and was picked up soon after it fell and has absolutely minimal contamination,” explained Dr. Caroline Smith, meteorite curator at the NHM.

“It is as if it has just been blasted off Mars. It is effectively a pristine sample of Mars.”

The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has acquired the 1kg piece of the Tissint rock thanks to an anonymous benefactor
The Natural History Museum (NHM) in London has acquired the 1kg piece of the Tissint rock thanks to an anonymous benefactor

NHM staff will use computed tomography (CT) scans to look at the internal structure of the rock, and perform tests to determine its chemistry.

Researchers will look for minerals formed in the presence of water, and for any signs of organics – carbon-rich molecules.

Energy, water, a source of carbon are the prerequisites for life as we know it. Finding evidence for any of these phenomena in Tissint tells scientists something about how habitable Mars might have been in the past.

This meteorite also contains a lot of glassy material called maskelynite, formed through the force of impact, most probably the blast that ripped it from the surface of Mars.

Scientists will analyze the gas trapped in bubbles in the glass to discern more about the Martian atmosphere.

Indeed, this is how meteorites like Tissint can be tied to the Red Planet – the gases held in the rocks contain types and abundances of atoms that are very similar to the atmosphere sampled by robots on Mars today.

Collectively, the class is known as the SNC group of meteorites, named after three representative members: Shergotty, Nakhla, and Chassigny.

“Looking at similar Mars samples, the ejection date of this sample could range from about 600,000 years ago up to about 17 million years ago,” said Dr. Caroline Smith.

Science would dearly love to retrieve fresh samples of Martian rock for study in Earth labs. The scale and breadth of the analytical techniques that are available in the best-equipped facilities dwarf those which can be deployed on a rover, even a huge (900kg) vehicle like the Curiosity robot just dispatched to the Red Planet by NASA.

But a Mars sample return mission is technically very challenging and would probably cost billions of pounds.

The NHM acquisition has been made possible through the generous support of a private donor.

The donor commented: “My family and I are delighted to partner with the Museum in such an important acquisition. We all now set off on an exciting voyage of discovery. Man may not set foot on Mars in the near future, but Mars has come to us.

“This close-up view will bring new scientific understanding, to spur our children on to further exploration on the surface of the planet itself.”

The rock first came into the possession of Darryl Pitt of the Macovich Collection in New York City. He had heard rumors of its existence over a period of weeks following the observed fall to Earth and had set out to track down its whereabouts. With every lead turning into a dead end, he nearly gave up until he received a helpful phone call.

Darryl Pitt offered it to the NHM with the anonymous benefactor funding the purchase.

“It is both humbling and an honor to be part of this meteorite’s journey, and the Natural History Museum is the perfect final residence,” Darryl Pitt said.

Francesco Schettino pictured with his lover Domnica Cemortan one month before Costa Concordia disaster

Diane A. Wade
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Francesco Schettino pictured with his lover Domnica Cemortan one month before Costa Concordia disaster

Pictures of cruise ship rep Domnica Cemortan with her “lover” captain coward Francesco Schettino just a month before the Costa Concordia disaster have emerged this week.

Moldovan Domnica Cemortan , 24, and Francesco Schettino, 52, are pictured at a restaurant table groaning under the weight of fresh oysters and crabs during a stop over on a previous cruise – while his unsuspecting wife Fabiola, was at home with their teenage daughter.

Little more than four weeks after the photograph was taken the spineless skipper recklessly steered the Concordia onto rocks leaving 17 people dead with another 15 still missing – just so he could perform an island “sail by salute” and impress the Moldovan woman.

Captain Francesco Schettino is currently under house arrest while prosecutors investigate allegations of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning Costa Concordia when there were still 300 passengers on board who needed to be rescued.

Last week Domnica Cemortan told prosecutors during more than five hours of questioning that she was “in love” with Francesco Schettino and that she found him “charming and fascinating” and it has also emerged that her underwear and makeup was found in his cabin by police divers.

Investigators believe that Domnica Cemortan was among several “unauthorized” people who were on the bridge at the time Costa Concordia smashed into rocks off the Italian island of Giglio, tearing a 70 m hole in its hull, just two hours after starting a Mediterranean cruise on January 13.

Just a month earlier the couple had wined and dined in an upmarket seafood restaurant at Villafranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera along with other crew members – who were all aware of how “close” the couple were.

Domnica Cemortan and Francesco Schettino pictured at a restaurant table groaning under the weight of fresh oysters and crabs during a stop over on a previous cruise
Domnica Cemortan and Francesco Schettino pictured at a restaurant table groaning under the weight of fresh oysters and crabs during a stop over on a previous cruise

The picture was published in Italian glossy weekly Chi which also featured several other pictures of Domnica Cemortan onboard Costa Concordia, arm in arm with crew members, in an evening gown and wearing 3D glasses in the liner’s cinema.

Witnesses have also reported seeing Domnica Cemortan and Francesco Schettino in “high spirits” in Costa Concordia’s Club restaurant just 30 minutes before the ship hit the rocks and they were seen leaving together and heading for the bridge.

During questioning by prosecutors at Grosseto Domnica Cemortan admitted she was on the bridge and told investigators how she had seen Francesco Schettino and the rest of the crew react in the minutes after the ship struck the rocks known as Le Scole – and which the captain claims were not on his navigation charts.

Domnica Cemortan told prosecutors: “I was on the bridge because I was in love with the captain. I found him charming and fascinating. I love him. I was on the bridge as his guest. It’s not right that his image is being destroyed.”

The Moldovan mother-of-one’s revelations came after several Costa Concordia crew members openly described her “close” relationship with Francesco Schettino on Facebook in the days after the disaster – although she had denied being his lover.

Domnica Cemortan had insisted the fact that Francesco Schettino, from Meta di Sorrento near Naples, always carried a photograph of his daughter with him and regularly showed it to crew was proof that he was “a man who was not having an affair”.

Following the tragedy Domnica Cemortan was one of the first off the ship and in an interview with a Moldovan TV station she praised him for his heroism and for saving the lives of hundreds of passengers and crew on Costa Concordia.

Meanwhile judges yesterday rejected a prosecution request to have Francesco Schettino sent back to jail – he is currently under house arrest and investigators feared he was liable to tamper with evidence and also try and escape the country but a court in Florence overturned the application.

Francesco Schettino’s lawyer Bruno Leporatti said: “We are satisfied with the result. The judicial system is working. The court applied the law without being influenced by public opinion. We are all now a lot more at ease.”

Bad weather is also continuing to hamper the search for victims and attempts to pump off more than 500,000 gallons of fuel from the ship’s tanks – Franco Gabrielli, the commissioner in charge of the rescue operation said he expected the ship to remain on rocks at Seagull point for “at least seven to ten months”.

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