Sarah Harding, The Girls Aloud star, was rushed to hospital following a “terrible fight” with her boyfriend Theo, during their skiing holiday in Austria.
Sarah Harding, 30, is said to have made a complaint to police following the altercation with her boyfriend, which took place at the Hotel Schloss Matzen near Innsbruck in Austria.
The British star was said to be so distraught after the row that she was taken to hospital, where she was later seen leaving with her right hand bandaged up and with “swollen lips and puffy eye”’.
A guest at the hotel told The Sun: “There was banging and screaming and a few guests came out in the corridor. It sounded like a terrible fight. By the early hours people had had enough and someone called the police.
“It was obviously a very serious tiff indeed. There was a lot of screaming and shouting.
“Sarah was taken to hospital because she was hysterical after the row. She was crying and screaming and clearly in a lot of distress.”
Sarah Harding, 30, is said to have made a complaint to police following the altercation with her boyfriend, which took place at the Hotel Schloss Matzen near Innsbruck in Austria
Sarah Harding was last night seen arriving back at her home in Buckinghamshire covering her face beneath a hat after apparently cutting her holiday short by three days.
Asked how she was, Sarah Harding is quoted as telling the newspaper: “I’ve had the week from f*****g hell.”
Her boyfriend, who she has been dating for the past few months, is known only as Theo.
The new relationship came after a difficult year for Sarah Harding, who checked into a rehabilitation centre for help with alcohol dependency and depression last year following her split from fiancé Tom Crane.
Talking of her troubles in a recent interview, Sarah Harding said: “The day I left for rehab, I was in such a mess. I’ve been told by those close to me that was when I hit my worst.
“I was crying hysterically. I felt ashamed, embarrassed, terrified – my emotions were all over the place.”
Kim Kardashian stripped down in front of pal Jonathan Cheban to gauge whether or not he is gay
Kim Kardashian was in the closet to speak, of her New York hotel and decided to carry out the “test” after Kris Humphries gets her thinking about Jonathan Cheban’s sexual orientation.
Kris Humphries is convinced PR guru Jonathan Cheban is homosexual – and tells him as much – but Kim Kardashian is not so sure, saying they have never talked about his private life before.
The results of her little striptease – which aired last night in an episode of Kourtney & Kim Take New York – are inconclusive, however. Jonathan Cheban averts his eyes when she strips to her bra.
Later, Kim Kardashian tells Kris Humphries: “I got changed in front of him to see if he would look but he didn’t.”
However, she concluded, he could have just been being polite and courteous.
During their closet encounter, Kim Kardashian quizzes Jonathan Cheban about what he looks for in a partner.
He jokes: “Light skinned, big ass,” to which she jokes back: “What if we are in love with each other.”
Later, in an apparent bid to prove he is straight, Jonathan Cheban goes on date with woman.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries meet her at his home before they go out – where Kris again asks Jonathan Cheban about his sexual preference.
While Jonathan Cheban remained rather elusive about his sexual orientation, he apparently wanted to prove conspiracy theorist Kris Humphries wrong, whose suspicions were alerted after accompanying Kim Kardashian and Jonathan Cheban on a trip to a candle shop.
While Kris Humphries sat their looking bored, Jonathan Cheban appeared to enjoy perusing all the scented products on offer, which Kris finds odd.
Whatever the case, Jonathan Cheban was last week spotted in Miami soaking up the sun with a mystery brunette where they put on an affectionate display.
A manhunt is under way for an Iraq war veteran wanted in connection with the murder of a female ranger at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.
Mount Rainier National Park was closed after ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, was shot dead after she set up a roadblock to try and stop the suspect’s vehicle.
The suspect, named locally as Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, is also wanted in connection with an earlier shooting.
Benjamin Colton Barnes is reported to be an Iraq war veteran with survivalist skills.
Police said they had recovered his vehicle, which had weapons and body armour inside.
The shooting happened as hikers and climbers flocked to enjoy the park’s wooded trails and spectacular views of the 14,410 ft (4,392m) Mount Rainier on an unseasonably mild New Year’s holiday.
Benjamin Colton Barnes is reported to be an Iraq war veteran with survivalist skills
The park was immediately closed after the shooting, and around 85 visitors and 15 park staff were moved into a visitors’ centre to wait for police to give them the all-clear to leave.
Police said Benjamin Colton Barnes was wanted for questioning over an early-morning shooting at a New Year’s party in Skyway, just south of Seattle, which left four people injured.
The King County Sheriff’s Office quoted witnesses as saying multiple people at the party were armed and a shoot-out had erupted following an argument over a weapon.
Margaret Anderson and a fellow ranger set up a roadblock after the suspect failed to stop at a tyre-assessment checkpoint at around 10:20 local time on Sunday, a spokesman for the national park said.
Both rangers were fired on, but only Margaret Anderson – a mother of two young daughters and married to another of the park’s rangers – was hit.
“It’s just a huge tragedy – for the family, the park and the park service,” park superintendent Randy King said.
The park will remain closed on Monday while the search continues through its 368 sq miles of terrain.
A couple and their four children, who attempted to fly on just three tickets, were kicked off the plane by US Airways flight attendants.
The parents had bought a ticket for their 3year-old son but not for their 20-month-old twins or 8-month-old baby. They planned to seat one infant in the same seat as their three-year-old and each hold a child in their lap.
Kathy and Jason Fickes and their children boarded a U.S Airways flight from Charlotte in North Carolina to Chicago to visit grandparents over Christmas.
The Fickes had purchased three tickets and managed to make their way passed the ticket desk and through security screening with their four children.
A couple and their four children, who attempted to fly on just three tickets, were kicked off the plane by US Airways flight attendants
However, once they got on the plane, a flight attendant told them it would not be possible to travel as they had planned because there were not enough oxygen masks to go around.
Kathy Fickes told ABC 7: “I felt we were discriminated against because we had too many children in their eyes.”
Jason Fickes added that they “held up the plane for 40 or 50 minutes” as the family moved seats and tried to accommodate the airline.
The family was finally asked to leave the plane despite one passenger offering to pay for another ticket.
On the U.S Airways website, it is only possible to buy tickets for children over the age of two.
However, in a sidebar it gives the option to add how many younger children will be travelling.
The company is clear that each child under the age of two must be accompanied by an over-18 if they are sharing a seat.
On domestic flights, a child under the age of two is allowed to travel in the lap of a paying adult free of charge.
The Federal Aviation Administration also states that there must be an oxygen mask for each flyer.
Michelle Mohr, a US Airways spokesman told ABC 7: “The safety regulations are such that you have to have one child per one adult.”
U.S. Airways refunded the family’s tickets.
The Fickes family would have been permitted to fly if they had bought a ticket for one of their children under two as long as the child travelled in a car seat.
Many people find themselves locked out of their accounts for hours as suffer from what the internet has coined “passworditis” – forgetting a password.
In the future, smartphones and tablets will allow access at the sight of their owners face or a single touch.
The Sunday Times reported that software giants Google and Apple are introducing phones which identify users through sight and touch recognition.
Last week Apple applied to the US patent office to register facial recognition software, so instead of sliding to unlock your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, you could simply point it at your face.
The patent entitled “Low Threshold Face Recognition”, was picked up by Apple Insider blog, who said that “using a forward-facing camera to recognize an individual user, future iPhones and iPads from Apple could automatically customize applications, settings and features to a user’s personal preferences once they pick up the device”.
Insider explained that Apple’s application stated rather than analyzing a user’s entire face which can drain the battery, the concept would rely on a “high information portion of a human face”.
This means potential parts of the face that could be analyzed may include eyes, a mouth, or the tip of a user’s nose.
It is understood the system will scale the distance between a users eyes and mouth and once it has measured that against the image originally captured, it will be able to confirm that it is the same person and unlock.
The patent also details that each user could customize their personal profile with unique wallpaper, applications and settings, and that profile would be immediately accessed once the iPad recognizes a user’s face.
New phones using Google’s Andriod platform already have a face recognition tool that uses the inbuilt camera.
The progress may be welcomed by many people, as according to a 2008 study by Trinity College Dublin, the average person has to remember five passwords, five pins, two numberplates, three security ID numbers and three bank accounts.
However it may not yet be effective to completely eradicate passwords in favor of facial recognition – within days of the Google Android facial recognition tool being launched, there were reports online that claimed it could be fooled by holding a photograph of the owners face up to the device.
Kathy Porter, the wife of Atlanta Braves head trainer Jeff Porter died in a tragic New Year’s Eve collision between the SUV he was driving and a police car in Loganville, Georgia.
Kathy Porter, 54, was on her way to the annual college football Chick-fil-A-Bowl game with her husband, son and a friend.
Their son David Porter, 19, and friend Courtney Ann Williams, 18, were taken to hospital but were released last night along with Jeff Porter.
“The Braves family is deeply saddened and shocked to learn about the tragic accident,” a spokesman for the baseball team said last night.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jeff and Kathy’s family, their son David and all their friends and loved ones.”
The state patrol trooper collided with a Ford Expedition driven by Jeff Porter at an intersection with Capitol Avenue and Memorial Drive
The patrol cruiser was travelling with the lights and siren activated on Saturday at 4:40 p.m. when it crashed with the SUV driven by Jeff Porter.
The state patrol trooper collided with a Ford Expedition driven by Jeff Porter at an intersection with Capitol Avenue and Memorial Drive.
The trooper, travelling westbound on Memorial Drive, was en route to help another trooper who was attempting to stop a motorcyclist.
The rider was located on nearby Interstate 20, west of the Downtown Connector, and had failed to give way, a state patrol spokesman said.
The patrol car collided with the Ford Expedition that was northbound on Capitol Avenue, hitting the SUV on the passenger’s side.
The SUV then struck a utility pole, killing Kathy Porter. Jeff Porter, his son David and Courtney Ann Williams were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.
The unidentified trooper was examined at the same hospital and released and placed on administrative leave as authorities investigate.
Jeff Porter has been on the Atlanta Braves’ training staff for nearly three decades and the head athletic trainer for nine years.
A Fox Christmas special poll on whether Jesus Christ was killed by Jews was posted on a promoting Facebook page by a network’s employee last week.
It was reported that the poll, carried out by the Latin America division, asked readers: Who was responsible for the death of Christ? There were three options: A. Pontius Pilate, B. The Jewish People, C. High Priests.
The Simon Weisenthal Center in Buenos Aires calls the action a defamatory reference to Vatican propaganda that “resulted in the persecution and murder of Jews for two millennia”.
The Jewish group says it’s outraged that Fox would perpetuate an idea that the Vatican annulled back in 1965, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Pope Benedict XVI exonerated the Jewish people for the death of Jesus Christ in his book, “Jesus of Nazareth Part II”, released in March 2011.
In the book, Pope Benedict explains why there is no basis for the argument that the Jewish people were responsible for Jesus’ death.
Fox Spokeswoman Guadalupe Lucero apologized on behalf of National Geographic, saying the poll was removed immediately and measures have been taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
Kim Kardashian looked sensational as she arrived at a New Year’s Eve party in Las Vegas in a short white dress that clung to her sexy curves, with her new hairdo that also attracted attention as she showed off a new fringe.
Kim Kardashian, 31, was the guest of honor at the TAO Nightclub at The Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino, and was joined by her family for the celebration.
The reality TV star posed again for the cameras as she rang in the New Year as glitter fell around her.
Kim Kardashian looked sensational as she arrived at a New Year's Eve party in Las Vegas
Kim Kardashian is reported to have earned $600,000 to ring in the New Year in Vegas and she jetted into the city with a number of her Kardashian clan in tow.
The Kardashians were seen arriving in Sin City by private jet early yesterday hours before the big bash.
Kim Kardashian was seen wearing a pair of thigh high leather boots an oversized black blazer and a grey jumper.
As well as carrying a baby blue Balenciaga handbag the TV star was also seen carrying a clothing bag, presumably with her outfit for tonight’s bash inside.
Kim Kardashian took to Twitter today to post her resolutions for the New Year and told her fans: “Decided to change my twitter background to nothing. i wanna be more simple in 2012.”
The background, which had displayed Kim Kardashian on the cover of a plethora of magazines is now plain black.
Her mother, Kris Jenner was on hand to support her daughter and was seen along with Kim’s sister Kourtney and her beau Scott Disick.
Kourtney Kardashian, 32, clearly isn’t letting her second pregnancy get in the way of enjoying a family party.
She covered her baby bump in a flowing white blouse which she teamed with a pair of grey skinny jeans.
While Kim Kardashian rang in the New Year at TAO the happy Kourtney and Scott were hosting a party of their own at Chateau nightclub.
Michael Fuller from Lexington, North Carolina, allegedly tried to go shopping at Walmart with a million dollar bill.
Michael Fuller, 53, insisted his million-dollar note was real when he was trying to buy $476 worth of items, including a vacuum cleaner, and a microwave oven, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Walmart employees called police after Michael Fuller insisted that the bill was legitimate, and the man was arrested.
Michael Fuller, 53, insisted his million-dollar note was real when he was trying to buy $476 worth of items, including a vacuum cleaner, and a microwave oven
The largest bill in circulation is $100. The US government stopped printing notes of up to $10,000 in 1969 because the public rarely used them.
The largest bill ever printed in US was $100,000 which carried a picture of President Woodrow Wilson.
The bills, which were never used by the public, were printed between December 18, 1934 and January 9, 1935, and were used for transferring money between Federal Reserve banks.
Michael Fuller was charged with attempting to obtain property by false pretense and uttering a forged instrument.
The man is in jail on a $17,500 bond, and it isn’t clear if he has an attorney. He is scheduled to be in court Tuesday.
Twitter ground to a halt on the last day of 2011 as it was overloaded with New Year messages.
In UK, the social network crashed at about 3:00 p.m. and was out of action for more than an hour.
The moment coincided with midnight celebrations in Japan when revelers were sending a record 16,197 tweets per second.
The overload meant no one could post new messages or read existing ones. Instead, frustrated users were greeted with the error message: “Twitter is over capacity.”
Twitter returned to working order but then stopped on several other occasions, prompting speculation that it was being hit by the arrival of New Year in different parts of the world.
One user tweeted: “It’s amazing how three words can ruin my day! Twitter over capacity.”
The meltdown happened as the world welcomed in 2012, a year of historic importance for Britain, with the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee set to be defining moments.
Last night Lady Gaga led a galaxy of stars performing in Times Square to celebrate the New Year.
Lady Gaga, 25, put on a stellar show in front of the one million revellers gathered in New York to welcome in 2012.
The kooky singer was joined by the likes of Justin Bieber, Pitbull, LMFAO, Florence and The Machine and The Band Perry who all took to the stage throughout the evening.
As always, Lady Gaga did not disappoint and neither did her outfits with the singer enjoying several wardrobe changes throughout the evening.
When the time came activate the ball drop Lady Gaga was on hand to help New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Looking glittery as the orb itself, Lady Gaga was invited by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to press the crystal button at 11:59 p.m. that triggered the decent of the 2012 New Year’s Eve Ball – a dazzling sphere 12 feet in diameter that weighs 11,875 pounds.
More than one ton of confetti – some of it inscribed with wishes for the New Year written by people across the globe –descended on the revellers in New York, who enjoyed an unseasonably warm New Year’s.
Lady Gaga was invited by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to press the crystal button at 11:59 p.m. that triggered the decent of the 2012 New Year’s Eve Ball
Dick Clark – who has hosted his New Year’s Eve special since the 1970’s – is again being helped this year by his protégé Ryan Seacrest for the 40th anniversary of the show. The ABC special has been expanded and now begins at 8:00 p.m., making the six-hour broadcast the longest ever.
Teen favorite Justin Bieber took to the stage alongside legendary guitar player Carlos Santana to perform the classic Beatles hit Let It Be.
Justin Bieber, 17, showed off his piano skills as he spoke about New Year’s resolutions but said “what’s done is done’.
He donned a bright red beanie, a camel colored coat, a Burberry scarf and maroon jeans for the occasion for his performance.
After the New Year celebrations were over Lady Gaga took to Twitter to talk about her experience.
Lady Gaga tweeted: “I cant even quite describe what tonight felt like. Sort of poetic madness. A dream come true. Moments recalling a leather taking the subway.
“My new years resolution: Never be afraid to be kicked in the teeth. Let the blood and the bruises define your legacy.”
NASA has succeeded in putting the first of twin gravity mapping satellites (Gravity Recovery and Internal Laboratories) in orbit around the Moon.
The Grail-A spacecraft fired its main engine late on Saturday (GMT) to slow itself sufficiently to take up an elliptical path around the lunar body.
The twin Grail-B, will attempt exactly the same maneuver on Sunday.
Together, the satellites will make measurements that are expected to give scientists remarkable new insights into the internal structure of the Moon.
This new data should clarify ideas about the Moon’s formation and resolve many questions, such as why its near and far sides look so different.
Lead scientist Dr. Maria Zuber from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is hoping for some dramatic discoveries.
“My resolution for the new year is to unlock lunar mysteries and understand how the Moon, Earth and other rocky planets evolved,” she said.
“Now, with Grail-A successfully placed in orbit around the Moon, we are one step closer to achieving that goal.”
NASA’s twin Grail satellites will make measurements that are expected to give scientists remarkable new insights into the internal structure of the Moon
The twin satellites were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last September, and took a long spiral out to their destination.
This weekend’s approach to the Moon was designed to bring them in over the South Pole.
Grail-A, which is running ahead of its twin, initiated its orbit insertion manoeuvre at 21:21 GMT with a 40-minute burn on its 22-newton thruster.
Grail-B is programmed to make an almost identical burn on Sunday, starting at 22:05 GMT. NASA should have confirmation shortly before 23:00 GMT on New Year’s Day that both satellites are in the positions they should be.
“Following the lunar orbit insertion, the spacecraft will perform a series on intricate burns that take about two months, and these are required to get both spacecraft down to a [55km; 34-mile] altitude; and once that’s done, that’s when the science for Grail can begin,” explained David Lehman, the mission’s project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.
Grail will map the small variations in gravity across the Moon.
These differences are the result of an uneven distribution of mass. Obvious examples at the Moon’s surface include big mountain ranges or deep impact basins, but even inside the lunar body the rock will be arranged in an irregular fashion, with some regions being denser than others.
All this will have a subtle influence on the pull of gravity sensed by over-flying spacecraft.
The Grail twins will make their measurements by carrying out a carefully calibrated pursuit of each other.
As the lead spacecraft flies through the uneven gravity field, it will experience small accelerations or decelerations. The second spacecraft, following some 100-200km behind, will detect these disturbances as very slight changes in the separation between the pair – deviations that are not much more than the width of a human red blood cell.
When the gravity map is combined with comparable-resolution topographical information showing the surface highs and lows, scientists should be able to deduce the Moon’s probable internal structure and composition. This is fundamental knowledge that will play into theories of how the lunar body formed and how it has evolved over time.
“We believe the Moon formed from the impact of a Mars-sized object into Earth, but we understand little really of how this happened and how the [lunar body] cooled off after the violent event,” said Dr. Maria Zuber. And she described as “shocking”, the continued inability of science to explain why the rugged far-side of the Moon looks so different from that of the nearside with its great swathe of dark volcanic plains, or marina.
“Given that we’ve sent so many missions that have studied the outside of the Moon, it seems that the answer is not on the surface. The answer is locked in the interior,” Dr. Maria Zuber said.
Grail’s mapping phase will last for 82 days until early June. The Moon then goes into shadow, into eclipse, behind the Earth.
If the satellites can survive the hours of darkness on their batteries, it is likely they will be tasked with a second mapping cycle in the second half of 2012.
This would be at a much reduced altitude, perhaps as low as 25 km from the surface. Getting lower would improve the resolution of the gravity maps yet again, and enable scientists to study even the structure of relatively small, shallow craters.
Grail is an acronym for Gravity Recovery and Internal Laboratory. The satellites will be given more engaging names than just “A” and “B” once the weekend’s orbit insertion is confirmed. The names are being chosen via a public competition.
A 7 magnitude earthquake hit eastern and northeastern Japan today, but there are no immediate reports of injuries or damage and no danger of a tsunami.
The earthquake struck 217 miles below the sea surface at 2:28 p.m. (5:27 a.m. GMT) and measured 4 in central Tokyo, Fukushima and their surrounding areas,
Such a deep jolt is less likely to cause damage than one close to the surface.
The quake was centered near Japan’s Izu Islands, about 307 miles south-southwest of the capital, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Buildings swayed in Tokyo, but did not disrupt the final of the Emperor’s Cup football tournament being played at the National Stadium.
A spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power said there were no reports of any irregularities at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plan.
Some roads were temporarily closed and high-speed train services in northern Japan were suspended for a short time.
The Hawaii-based US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued a tsunami.
John Roos, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said in a message on Twitter: “Memorable start to New Year – about to greet Emperor and Empress for New Year when Imperial Palace began to shake.”
Japan, which lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, is one of the world’s most seismically active countries.
The country accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater.
On March 2011, the northeast coast was struck by a record magnitude 9 earthquake, and a massive tsunami, which triggered the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years since Chernobyl.
The disaster left more than 20,000 dead or missing.
The abbot of the prestigious Vatopedi monastery in Mount Athos, Greece has been imprisoned pending trial for alleged fraud and embezzlement.
Archimandrite Ephraim, 56, is accused of arranging land swaps between Vatopedi and the state which are thought to have cost the government millions of euros.
The abbot, now being held in Korydallos prison in Athens, denies wrongdoing. His arrest has triggered protests in Greece, Cyprus, Russia and other christian orthodox countries.
What is Archimandrite Ephraim accused of?
Mount Athos monks rallied for Abbot Ephraim
Vatopedi is part of the ancient Mount Athos monastic community that has been visited by Britain’s Prince Charles and Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
The controversial deal saw valuable state land traded for less valuable land held by Vatopedi. It is said to have cost the state some EURO 100 million ($129.42m). None of the involved state officials have been accused, prosecuted or detained, some have even been promoted.
“They rushed Efraim to jail … while others who have embezzled Greek people’s money remain at large,” said George Karatzaferis, leader of the far-right LAOS party which is part of Greece’s coalition government.
Despite parliamentary investigations into several public officials, no senior politician has so far been charged.
“Undoubtedly the pre-trial jailing could create the impression, in one part of Greek society, that finally someone is paying for a such a big scandal,” said Costas Panagopoulos, head of ALCO pollsters.
“But it also reminds everyone that all politicians involved in this case are left unpunished,” he said.
The government’s anti-corruption crackdown hit another snag on Wednesday when two newly-appointed special prosecutors targeting economic crime resigned, complaining of political meddling. They did not give details.
Justice Minister Miltiadis Papaioannou replied accusing the critics of “interfering in the work of the justice system”.
Cyprus protesters for freeing Archimandrite Ephraim
Speaking to Skai TV, Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki wondered why Ephraim was the only person among the 32 involved in the Vatopedi land swap to be remanded in custody.
“People are wondering whether Ephraim is being made a scapegoat,” said the bishop, who insisted that the Church of Greece’s Holy Synod would not take a position on the matter.
“There is the problem of meddling in judicial matters,” he said. “The church is totally separate from the state.”
“The detention of Mr. Ephraim is another impropriety of Greek justice. It violates the fundamental principle of rule of law dictates that no one is deprived of liberty only after a decision legally consisting court. Temporary custody is a derogation from this principle because it is ordered without a court has ruled on the guilt of a person and therefore justified only in extreme cases when the accused is suspected of absconding or is likely to commit new offenses.
The law governing the detention (Article 282 CCP) is detailed and fully consistent with the exceptional nature of the measure. It requires not only the accused is suspected escape, but have gone in flight preparations. Not only is likely to commit new offenses, but very likely that they will commit. […] With these data, the pre-trial detention is completely arbitrary and has no basis in law.”
Prof. Tsakyrakis added:
It is Mr. Ephraim the only victim of judicial arbitrariness that sends people to prison without a court to rule on guilt, only because the investigating judge and the prosecutor consider them guilty. Two of them, for Mr. A. Sotiropoulou and daughter accused of scandal Zimens I publicly complained in the past. Our judges, however, do not seem to pay attention. They still consider custody as a means of power that allows them to imprison someone accused by themselves and not according to the law. The anxiety of most defendants in Greece is not the trial (which nobody knows when it will take place) but to avoid detention. […]
Russia supports the release of Archimandrite Ephraim
The Russian Orthodox Church’s head of foreign relations, Metropolitan Ilarion, called the abbot’s detention “an extraordinary event, arousing profound bewilderment”
“We are deeply concerned by the ruling of the Greek judiciary to put him under pre-trial detention, despite the recommendations of the European Court of Human Rights” the Russian foreign ministry said.
Patriarch Kirill asks Greek president to release Abbot Ephraim
Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill
Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of Vatopedi Monastery
Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill has sent a message to Greek President Karolos Papoulias to express his concern regarding the custody of Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of the Mount Athos Vatopedi Monastery.
“It is my duty to convey our common concern to the chief of the Greek state and to request the release from custody of Archimandrite Ephraim, superior of the Mount Athos Vatopedi Monastery,” says the message posted on the Russian Orthodox Church website.
“I do not question the powers of the Greek law enforcement officials and express hope for a fair and impartial decision regarding the property of the Vatopedi Monastery. However, I am perplexed by the custody of the monk, who is not a danger to society and has repeatedly expressed readiness to cooperate with detectives, prior to the court hearing of the case merits,” he said.
Patriarch Kirill said he was particularly concerned about Archimandrite Ephraim’s ill health, which was ignored in taking him into custody.
“In Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and other countries, whose peoples are the traditional flock of the Russian Orthodox Church, millions of believers are alarmed by the police measures taken as regards the hegemon of the famous Athos monastery well-known to the entire Orthodox world on the days Orthodox Greece celebrates Christmas,” he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the custody of Archimandrite Ephraim on Wednesday.
There was no intention to flee the country to escape a trial, Abbot Ephraim was in Russia accompanying the Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God for more than one month in fall. Approximately three million believers worshiped the holy object from Athos in that period.
Protests in Russia for freeing Archimandrite Ephraim
Support Crowd in Moscow
Russia’s Orthodox St.Andrew Foundation has held a protest campaign in the vicinity of EU Moscow office to support Archimandrite Ephraim, superior of the Vatopedi Monastery in Athos who had been arrested earlier. The Fund arranged the delivery of the Most Holy Mother of God Belt from Athos earlier this autumn.
The protesters believe it is cruel and inhumane to keep Father Ephraim under arrest given the state of his health and age. A similar rally was organized near the Greek Embassy in Moscow.
To: The President of the Hellenic Republic, The Prime Minister, The Attorney General
24 December 2011
Your Excellencies,
We hereby condemn with abhorrence the judicial ‘’crime’ committed in Athens on the 23rd December 2011, against the Church in the face of Elder Efrem, Abbot of the Great, Holy Monastery of Vatopaidi in the Holy Mountain.
The decision to take Elder Efrem into custody was based on hatred and prejudice. This is manifested in the following:
The timing of the decision: Christmas Eve
The surrounding of the Holy Mountain by armed police forces despite the declaration by the attorney representing the Elder that the latter intended to present himself to the police willingly.
The sentence passed is normally given to people who have the intention to repeat the offences accused of.
During the preliminary hearing the reason given for the sentence was the Elder’s recent trip to Russia, when he accompanied the Holy Belt of the Most Holy Mother of God. During this visit millions of people, including the President, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General of the Russian Republic came out to greet them.
The investigation lasted more than three years and no incriminating evidence has been found.
The offense which the Elder is accused of is ‘instigation’ even though the suspects of this offence have been acquitted.
During the last three years of the investigation, the Elder has taken numerous trips abroad and if he had intended to leave the country he had plenty of opportunity to do so.
The Elder, as a spiritual figure, is honored and praised worldwide and constitutes an excellent envoy for Greece.
The people who have been revealed as the masterminds of the conspiracy against him have been honored with ministerial posts and are attempting to cover up their deception at all costs.
In Greece, enormous scandals have been uncovered and established while those responsible are not only walking free but are also given political posts.
We are convinced that the decision is a deliberate political act intending to defame the Holy Mountain and the Church.
Cutremuraţi şi rămaşi fără grai, noi, ortodocşii de pretutindeni, greci sau nu, am aflat de hotărârea cu totul neîntemeiată a Curţii de Apel din Atena, privind arestul preventiv al Părintelui Stareţ Efrem.
Această evoluţie neaşteptată a evenimentelor ne îndeamnă să semnăm, în semn de dezaprobare a acestei hotărâri şi de susţinere a Părintelui Stareţ Efrem, scrisoarea ataşată şi să facem demersuri pentru semnarea ei de toţi cei care sunt de acord cu conţinutul ei.
A girl whose video is trending on YouTube has incredible control over her facial features – and in particular, her eyebrows.
Though unsuspecting at first, the cute girl, named Sarah, shows quite the unusual talent as she causes her eyebrows to dance and spasm in rhythm.
The 14-year-old girl starts out with a shy smile to the camera, and an awkward grimace as she waits for the music to start.
What follows is a bizarre, hilarious, and slightly disturbing use of one’s facial muscles.
The 14-year-old girl starts out with a shy smile to the camera, and an awkward grimace as she waits for the music to start
The video, uploaded to Youtube by user Theinternetisaweird, calls it a girl’s “funny talent” and had almost 3.9 million viewers up to now.
As the music starts, Sarah coyly glances off to one side and dramatically raises one eyebrow.
Then, it’s onto the other side.
The girl does every arch in tempo and on point.
The most impressive part of this video – which is fast becoming an internet sensation with more than a thousand hits – is when the girl begins doing what can only be called the Worm, but with her eyebrows.
One side starts the motion, and then the movement ripples to the other side, and then back again – still in tempo with the music.
Once the show is done, the girl returns to smiling at the camera, no doubt proud of her unusual and mesmerizing talent.
A Chinese man, who was the first case of bird flu in the country in more than a year, has died in the southern city of Shenzhen, according to health officials.
The 39-year-old bus driver was admitted to hospital with pneumonia but tested positive for the bird flu virus.
The H5N1 bird flu strain has a high level of mortality, killing up to 60% of humans infected with it.
Positive tests on a dead market chicken last week prompted nearby Hong Kong’s government to issue an alert.
Hong Kong authorities culled 17,000 chickens after three birds were found to have died from the H5N1 bird flu strain.
It also banned imports and the sale of live chickens for three weeks after the infected chicken carcass was found at a wholesale market.
But it was not clear whether the chicken came from a local farm or was imported.
The Shenzhen victim had not been in contact with poultry, nor travelled recently, China’s Ministry of Health told Hong Kong health authorities.
In November 2010, a 59-year-old woman was isolated in Hong Kong with bird flu but survived.
In October 2011 a 29-year-old woman confirmed to have contracted the virus died on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The World Health Organization says bird flu has killed 332 people since 2003.
The virus has been eliminated from most of the 63 countries infected at its 2006 peak, which saw 4,000 outbreaks across the globe, but remains endemic in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
China’s Ministry of Agriculture warned last month that the bird flu virus seemed to exist widely in the poultry markets of mainland China, particularly in the south.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has expressed deep concern about the way research was being carried out on the H5N1 virus, which can be fatal if transmitted to humans.
Such work carried significant risks and must be tightly controlled, said the WHO.
Scientists in the Netherlands and the US said last week they had discovered ways in which the virus might mutate so it can spread more easily to – and between – humans and other mammals.
The US government has asked the scientists not to publish full details, in case the information is used to produce a biological weapon.
Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes announce that they got engaged during their holiday in the Caribbean.
The Saturdays singer, Rochelle Wiseman, 22, took to Twitter immediately after JLS star Marvin Humes, 26, proposed her to reveal the news, posting a picture of the ecstatic couple on the beach toasting with champagne.
Rochelle Wiseman proudly flashes her dazzling engagement ring, an enormous heart-shaped diamond.
The singer wrote: “Its official Marvin proposed 2me 2day,wanted 2 tell u b4 some1 else did! SO excited 2 b Mrs Humes. X”
Writing from the official JLS Twitter account, Marvin Humes added: “Happy New Year everyone!!! So everyone hears it from me… Rochelle and I are engaged!! Party time tonight! Have a great one..All love..Marv x”
“Thank you so much for all the love,” Marvin Humes wrote as congratulations flooded in.
“We are the happiest 2 people in the world. A perfect start to 2012.This year is gonna be massive. Luv ya! Mx”
Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes announce that they got engaged during their holiday in the Caribbean
Rochelle Wiseman and Marvin Humes, who first began dating in March 2010, are on holiday in Antigua.
It was reported back in July that Marvin Humes was planning a romantic New Year’s proposal after he booked an appointment at Tiffany and Co.
The couple rekindled their relationship in January and moved in together following a two month separation.
They began dating in March the year before after meeting a number of times at awards shows and concerts.
Shortly before their brief split, Marvin Humes said in an interview: “I wouldn’t be with her if she wasn’t The One. I don’t believe in being with someone if you don’t believe they couldn’t be that person.”
Footages from Kim Jong-Il’s funerals showed an 8ft member of the North Korean armed forces towering beside his fellow soldiers in the driving snow.
Observers of how the country’s media covered Kim Jong Il’s funeral believe what we are in fact really seeing is a spot of Photoshopping.
The seemingly doctored photograph of the soldier, who appears to be well over 8ft tall, shows him in the back row of one block of mourners.
The image was captured as the funeral procession passed near the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in the capital Pyongyang.
Footages from Kim Jong-Il’s funerals showed an 8ft member of the North Korean armed forces towering beside his fellow soldiers in the driving snow
Official news agency KCNA took the photo, and the giant soldier appears to be shown from several different angles. This has led some to say that the photo has not be manipulated.
Others believe it could be 7ft 8in tall North Korean basketball star Ri Myung Hun, dubbed Michael Ri for his prowess on the court.
The discovery of the giant follows evidence from this week showing how the scores of wailing mourners were not the only well-choreographed aspect at the memorial service.
Two comparison photos showed how a camera crew filming the sombre ceremony were apparently erased from history after being digitally removed from the picture.
Live footage from the North Korean capital is rarely seen outside of the insular communist dictatorship.
The tightly stage-managed two-day funeral seemed to be a message from the country’s ruling family that they remain in tight control despite the death of their figurehead.
There has been no explanation for the apparent omission from within North Korea since the funeral.
However, a note released by Reuters describing the previous doctored images said: “This combination picture of two handout images from KCNA shows a limousine with a portrait of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il leading his funeral procession in Pyongyang December 28, 2011.
“In the top picture released by Kyodo, a group of men is seen on the left side of the picture. In the bottom picture which was sent directly to Reuters by KCNA, the group is missing.
“Reuters now believes the bottom picture was altered by KCNA.”
The Pacific island of Samoa has moved 24 hours into the future, making its nation the first to see in 2012.
People began celebrating as soon as the clocked ticked over from Thursday, December 29, skipping Friday and moving straight onto Saturday, December 31 at 12:01 a.m.
Samoa and neighboring Tokelau lie near the date line in the Pacific Ocean and both islands decided to realign themselves from the Americas side to the Asia side in order to be more in line with major trading partners. It is hoped the move will help improve the economy.
Pools and beaches have been packed with Samoans and tourists who are keen to be the first to celebrate rather than the last.
Elsewhere across globe millions of people are preparing to say goodbye to a 2011 that saw mass uprisings in several Arab countries, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il.
It was also a year of economic turmoil which saw an endless string of natural disasters that devastated several countries across the world.
In Australia people gathered on the shores of Sydney’s harbor to watch the iconic fireworks display over the Harbour Bridge.
This year’s theme was “Time to Dream” and it is hoped it will help inspire those who have had a particularly bad 2011 to look forward to the year ahead.
Some of the fireworks exploded into shapes of clouds – because everyone has a silver lining – and a series of colorful lights were beamed into the centre of the bridge forming an “endless rainbow”.
Jack Horner, the technical adviser on Jurassic Park and professor of palaeontology at Montana State University, is hoping to use living birds to hatch a dinosaur
Jack Horner, the technical adviser on Jurassic Park and professor of palaeontology at Montana State University, is hoping to use living birds to hatch a dinosaur.
Jack Horner believes that a modern bird’s DNA contains a genetic memory that could be “switched on” again, resurrecting long-dormant dinosaur traits.
What’s more, Jack Horner is looking for a helper to assist in the retro-engineering of a prehistoric beast.
Jack Horner told LiveScience: “I’m looking for a postdoctoral researcher. An adventurous postdoc who knows a lot about developmental biology and a little bit about birds.”
He explains that to make a dinosaur, he would start with the genome (the whole hereditary information encoded in the DNA) of an emu.
“Emus have all the features we need in order to make a Velociraptor-sized dinosaur,” Jack Horner says.
“If I were to make a dinosaur that is where I’d start.”
Jack Horner’s work is supported by other leading academics.
Sean Carroll, a geneticist at the University of Wisconsin, says: “The inventory of genes in a bird would be very similar to the inventory of genes in a dinosaur.
“It is differences in the decision-making that takes during development that make the difference between a chicken and a tyrannosaurus.”
Hans Larsson, a palaeontologist at McGill University in Canada, conducted an experiment recently into the evolution from dinosaurs’ long tails into birds’ short tails more than 150 million years ago.
Looking at a two-day-old chicken embryo, he made an unexpected discovery.
Expecting to see between four and eight vertebrae present in the developing spine, his microscope instead picked out 16 vertebrae – effectively a reptilian tail.
As the embryo developed, the “tail” became shorter and shorter, until the young bird hatched with only five vertebrae.
Hans Larsson says of the significance of the find: “For about 150 million years, this kind of a tail has never existed in birds.
“But they have always carried it deep inside their embryology.”
So, the blueprint for a dinosaur remained locked inside the modern-day bird.
Hans Larsson now believes that in a hundred years or so, geneticists could retro-engineer animals that appear identical to Mesozoic dinosaurs.
“Why can’t we take all the genetics, just change it around a little bit, and produce a Tyrannosaurus Rex, or something that looks like one?” he asks.
“I think that kind of scenario is quite possible. Maybe sooner than we think.”
John Fallon, a developmental biologist at the University of Wisconsin, agrees, saying: “As we learn more, we’ll be able to do it.
“The genetic knowledge is in the bird.”
Jack Horner, meanwhile, imagines creating the first example.
“I have to admit that I’ve certainly imagined walking up on a stage to give a talk, and having a little dino-chicken walk up behind me,” he says.
“That would be kind of cool.
“There is now nothing to stop us bringing back dinosaurs but ourselves.
“People who don’t believe it don’t know much about evolution.”
Jack Horner adds: “Whether it is a good idea or not is another question…”
A Muslim woman from France has been fined for driving while wearing a burka because the garment “reduced her field of vision”.
Police who stopped the woman compared wearing a veil over the face behind the wheel to driving with ice on the windscreen, eating a sandwich or smoking a cigarette.
The woman was handed a 35 Euros on-the-spot fine under article 412-6 of the highway code, which states: “Field of vision must not be restricted by either passengers, objects being transported or by the position of non-transparent objects on the windows.”
The woman was also told she was in breach of the country’s controversial burka ban imposed last April, which outlawed anyone hiding their face in public, including in streets, shops, restaurants and cars on public roads.
Police said the woman was pulled over while driving in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, on Thursday.
Spokesman Laurent Dufour added: “The officer who stopped her said she was driving hesitantly and clearly could not see properly.
“Looking out through a narrow slit in the fabric is as dangerous as driving while eating a sandwich, smoking or with an iced-up windscreen.”
France was the first country in Europe to outlaw Muslim headgear that hides the face. Similar laws have since being passed in Belgium and the Netherlands.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has described the burka as a “sign of debasement”. France immigration minister Eric Besson called it “a walking coffin”.
Militant Muslim woman Hind Ahmas, 32 – dubbed France’s first “burka martyr” – is currently facing two years in prison for wearing the veil after refusing to pay a 50 Euros fine for the offence.
She is appealing the fine on the grounds that the new law is unconstitutional and preparing to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
Senior police chiefs have branded the ban “unenforceable” and said officers were too busy fighting serious crime to go “burka-chasing’.
Leaders of Al Qaeda’s North African network have vowed to seek revenge on France for enforcing the law.
They wrote on an Islamic extremist website: “We will seek dreadful revenge on France by all means at our disposal, for the honour of our daughters and sisters.”
British comedian Russell Brand has announced today that he filed for divorce from singer Katy Perry after 14 months of marriage.
Russell Brand, 36, said in a statement today: “Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends.”
The British comedian was spotted in London today without his wedding ring for the second day in a row.
Russell Brand’s legal team filed court documents at the Superior Court in Los Angeles today citing ”irreconcilable differences”.
The divorce documents, which refer to Katy Perry, 27, by her give name Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, show there are “community property assets”, suggesting there may not be a pre-nuptial agreement in place.
British comedian Russell Brand has announced today that he filed for divorce from singer Katy Perry after 14 months of marriage
It does not list a date of separation.
The couple sparked rumors of trouble after celebrating Christmas 7,000 miles apart. Russell Brand spent the festive day in Cornwall while Katy Perry was with friends in Hawaii.
Katy Perry, who is yet to comment on the split, was not wearing her wedding ring either when she was photographed frolicking in the surf on December 25.
The pair’s split comes just four weeks after Russell Brand declared his relationship was going strong.
Russell Brand told Ellen DeGeneres on December 2: “I’m really happily married. I’m married to Katy. Perpetually, until death do us part was the pledge. I’m still alive.”
In November, Katy Perry told the same TV host that that she “would love to have children” with Russell Brand.
Katy Perry said: “I think that’s one of the reasons you get married, especially to the person that you marry. You think: <<That person is going to be a good partner, a good parent.>>”
Asked if she wanted a big family, Katy Perry added: “If it doesn’t hurt the first time I’ll keep popping them out.”
But there was clearly trouble brewing when they decided to spend Christmas apart, allegedly after a huge row.
A source was quoted as telling Us Weekly magazine: “They had a massive fight. She was like, <<F*** you. I’m going to do my own thing.>>”
Meanwhile the insider said that Russell Brand replied: “Fine, f*** you too.”
Katy Perry began dating Russell Brand in 2008 after meeting on the set of Get Him to the Greek.
He proposed just four months later on New Year’s Eve and they were married in October 2010.
Their lavish ceremony at a five-star resort in India included two elephants, acrobats and jugglers.
Russell Brand was once notorious in England as a hard-partying bachelor and self-confessed sex addict.
He later had a spiritual awakening and got sober after years of heroin and alcohol abuse.
The actor insisted he’d reformed his wild ways before settling down with Katy Perry.
“I think I was ready for it,” Russell Brand said.
“If you’re wild, like a wild animal, marriage won’t contain you. I think that’s how a lot of people get into trouble.”
Russell Brand will next appear in the 80’s musical film, Rock Of Ages, alongside Tom Cruise.
Internet rumors claim that Beyoncé has given birth to a baby girl in New York. According to reports- which neither Beyoncé herself, nor husband Jay-Z have confirmed – the singer has named her daughter Tiana May Carter.
Beyoncé is said to have delivered her first child at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, a private facility in New York.
The singer representation – both in the US and the UK- has not been available for comment this afternoon.
A story published yesterday by MediaTakeOut.com claimed that nurses at the hospital were “buzzing” at the news that they might be expecting Beyoncé and Jay Z.
The hospital has made no official comment.
The baby suite apparently reserved by Beyoné and Jay Z is reportedly equipped to deliver three babies and sleep 12 people.
Internet rumors claim that Beyoncé has given birth to a baby girl in New York
Friend and fellow singer Alicia Keys gave birth to her son Egypt at the same hospital back in 2010.
Twitter has been abuzz with gossip and congratulations in relation to the birth rumors.
Director and choreographer Adam Shankman tweeted: “Not meaning to start anything…but…did Beyonce have her baby?!? Just heard a bit on the radio… Is it true?”
Some are treating the news as certain, and have offered their blessing.
One user wrote: “Congrats to Beyonce & Jay Z on new baby girl Tiana-May Carter.”
Beyoncé has still never tweeted from her own account, which boasts 2,259,656 followers.
The report that Beyoncé has given birth has been picked up by The Mirror, Huffington Post, The Hollywood Reporter, Yahoo, Music News.com, and Allhiphop.com among others.
Beyoncé has spent the bulk of the last few months in New York, which is understandable if she has been expecting her new arrival around the New Year.
The appearance of the Beyoncé’s mother Tina, 57, sister Solange, 25, and nephew Julez in the city in recent days has added weight to the reports that the birth was imminent.
Designer Tina and sister Solange were spotted leaving vintage store Stella Dallas in New York City this week.
Beyoncé lives in a multi-million pound penthouse apartment in the city with rapper husband Jay Z.
Though initially there was suggestion that Beyoncé was due in early February, more recently it was indicated that she would be reaching the nine month mark around the New Year.
In a clip from her Live at Roseland DVD, screened in November, Beyoncé said: “Hello! It’s September 23rd … Right now I’m actually shooting the video for <<Countdown>> and I’m six months pregnant, pretending that my stomach is flat in body suits.”
Beyoncé concealed her pregnancy for months before revealing her baby bump at the MTV Music Awards in August.
In October the star sparked rumors that she was wearing a prosthetic belly after her stomach appeared to collapse as she sat down during a live TV appearance in Australia.
Jena Dolstad, 14, from Anchorage, Alaska, has died six days after she was allegedly injected with heroin by a 26-year-old Navy Veteran
Jena Dolstad, a 14-year-old girl from Anchorage, Alaska, has died six days after she was allegedly injected with heroin by a 26-year-old Navy Veteran.
Jena Dolstad had been critical since she was taken to the hospital last Friday with a drug overdose.
The teenager died Thursday afternoon, police spokeswoman Anita Shell said.
On the tragic night which would lead to her death, Navy Veteran Sean Warner and two other men picked Jena Dolstad up and took her back to his home to hang out, according to police reports.
Sean Warner was sharing a gram of heroin with two men when the Jena Dolstad said she was willing to try something “new” but did not want to inject herself, the court papers report.
The Navy Veteran tried to inject the girl, but failed, so he had her lie down on his bed and hold out an arm, then used his belt as a tourniquet and shot 25 to 30 units of heroin, taking several times to find a vein, the papers say.
The two witnesses told authorities they left the Jena Dolstad on the bed and found her the next morning, face down in her own vomit.
“They felt for her pulse, sat her up, and grew concerned at her condition and upset at Warner’s ambivalence,” the documents state.
Sean Warner initially did not want to call 911 because of fears authorities would find drugs, and instead gave the teen Suboxone, a prescription drug used to treat opiate addicts, according to the court papers.
He only called 911 after Jena Dolstad began to convulse a couple of hours after he gave her the Suboxone, the papers say.
Sean Warner is under arrest on charges of delivering a controlled substance to a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and evidence tampering.
With the death, Sean Warner now faces additional charges, including manslaughter, said assistant District Attorney Regan Williams.
The case is still in the “investigatory stages,” Regan Williams said.
When emergency services attended his address to tend to Jena Dolstad, Sean Warner locked his bedroom door, and responding officers did not search it when he told them it was his roommate’s room, the documents state.
After police left, Sean Warner and one of the witnesses put needles and other “related evidence” into a box then dumped it behind a trash bin at a nearby business, according to the papers, which police later recovered.
Jena Dolstad was found to have heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine in her system when she was brought to the hospital, charging documents said.
Medics told authorities she had sustained damage to her brain and heart.
Authorities have said the heroin used is known on the street at “China White,” considered more potent than common tar heroin.
Sean Warner also is charged with theft, accused of stealing a $900 surveillance system from Costco on the same day he took the girl to his home, according to the documents. He is being held on $100,000 cash bail.
