The Italian clothing company Benetton has been heavily criticized by the Vatican for using an image of Pope Benedict kissing an imam on the mouth in its latest shock advertising campaign.
The controversial image, which was hung from a bridge near the holy city early today, shows the Pope embracing Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb, one of Islam’s leading figures.
Other images in the campaign, which is part of the Benetton’s support for the Unhate Foundation, show various world leaders kissing on the mouth.
The Italian clothing company Benetton has been heavily criticized by the Vatican for using an image of Pope Benedict kissing an imam on the mouth in its latest shock advertising campaign
The campaign includes a picture of U.S. President Barack Obama kissing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi called the unauthorized and “manipulative” use of the pope’s picture in the photo montage “totally unacceptable” and suggested it might take legal action against the company.
“This is a grave lack of respect for the Pope, an offence against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation,” Federico Lombardi said in a statement.
Benetton campaign includes a picture of U.S. President Barack Obama kissing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
Benetton has run controversial advertising campaigns in the past, including one that showed grieving parents at the bedside of a man dying of Aids.
Other images in the latest campaign include Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel kissing French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a clinch with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The latest Benetton campaign includes a image of Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel kissing French president Nicolas Sarkozy
Benetton says it hopes the campaign will held contribute towards combating hatred and lead to the creation of a culture of tolerance.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Alessandro Benetton, deputy chairman of Benetton Group SpA and son of the founder of the family-controlled company, said: “It means not hating. In a moment of darkness, with the financial crisis, what’s going on in North African countries, in Athens, this is an attitude we can all embrace that can have positive energy.”
Benetton is planning a series of live events in which youngsters will post the controversial images on the walls of locations of cities around the world.
Shelby Dasher, the mother of Tyler, the one-year-old toddler whose body was found wrapped in a blanket and dumped in woods in Affton, Missouri, has been charged with his murder.
Shelby Dasher, 20, was charged with second-degree murder after admitting to police she repeatedly struck her son Tyler in a rage because he was crying and “wouldn’t lay down, wouldn’t go back to sleep”.
The mother also admitted disposing of Tyler’s body, which was found discarded near a cemetery about a mile from his home on Tuesday, hours after she reported him missing.
It followed a frantic four-hour emergency services search for the child.
Shelby Dasher, 20, was charged with second-degree murder after admitting to police she repeatedly struck her son Tyler
Shelby Dasher originally told police she overslept that morning and discovered him gone from his crib when she awoke after claiming she put her son to bed at 10:30 p.m. on Monday night.
Robert P. McCulloch, the prosecuting attorney, told reporters at a press conference today:
“At this point, there’s no indication that we have that there’s anyone else involved other than Miss Dasher.”
The prosecutor said that Shelby Dasher arrived home drunk at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. When her mother left for work at 7:30 a.m., Tyler Dasher would not stop crying so she beat him to death.
What happened after that is “a bit fuzzy’, according to what she told prosecutors.
Police and the FBI mounted a massive search while questioning the mother. They noted there was no forced entry to the home.
Tyler Dasher’s father, Joseph Ellington, lives elsewhere in the St Louis area.
Robert P. McCulloch said Tyler Dasher died of blunt-force trauma to the head and body. He said that “as far as we know” Shelby Dasher carried the body to the cemetery herself.
The prosecutor said officials are not aware of any prior acts of abuse.
Yesterday an area near the cemetery was cordoned off with yellow police tape as force dogs sniffed the ground. A cluster of young adults cried and hugged as they looked on.
A candlelit vigil and one minute of silence will be held for Tyler Dasher at 6:45 p.m. today
A candlelit vigil and one minute of silence will be held for Tyler Dasher at 6:45 p.m. today. Several Facebook pages have been set up in his memory.
Austrian airline Comtel Air is set to investigate reports that it asked passengers to pay £20,000 towards the cost of fuel to complete their journey to the UK.
According to passengers,they were asked for the money when a flight with Austrian airline Comtel Air from Amritsar in India stopped in Vienna to refuel.
Other airline passengers have been stuck in India after flights were cancelled.
Austrian airline Comtel Air is set to investigate reports that it asked passengers to pay £20,000 towards the cost of fuel to complete their journey to the UK
Comtel Air said it would investigate the claims and hoped to swiftly return people to the UK from India.
Bhunpinder Kandra, director of passenger services for Comtel Air, said:
“I have heard what happened, it shouldn’t have happened, and I will investigate why it happened.
“The people who had to pay the money will receive a refund.”
Reena Rindi, who was on the plane with her two-year-old daughter, told Channel 4 News:
“We wanted to go home. We’d been stranded for about three to four days. Who was going to take us home?”
She also said passengers agreed to pay in order to fly to Birmingham.
“If we didn’t have the money they were making us go one by one outside in Vienna to get the cash out,” Reena Rindi added.
Another woman who flew from Amritsar to Birmingham via Vienna told the BBC: “We had to pay 150 euros last night in Vienna to get back to Birmingham and then they wouldn’t fly us back to Birmingham so we had to pay ourselves to come back.”
Comtel Air introduced cheap flights from Birmingham to Amritsar in the Punjab, via Vienna, last month.
Birmingham Airport, which said Comtel Air had been operating successfully to Amritsar, expressed concern and added that it had started an investigation.
Bhunpinder Kandra said he hoped the situation would be resolved “within the week” and that a flight would be leaving Amritsar for the UK on Friday.
Some airline customers who booked through Takhar Travel, in Smethwick in the West Midlands, told BBC News that they were concerned as they did not know if their flights would go ahead.
About 30 of the passengers who experienced problems in Vienna along with relatives of people stranded in India, went to the travel agent on Wednesday but said they were told the manager was not available. Police were called after staff became overwhelmed by concerned customers.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware that a number of British nationals have been affected by difficulties with Comtel airlines flights from Amritsar to Birmingham via Vienna.
“We have been, and remain, in touch with the relevant authorities including the airline for clarification on how British nationals due to fly in the coming days will be affected.
“Our current advice to anyone affected is to contact their tour operator, travel agent or the airline for further information and about possible alternative arrangements. We would also advise that they monitor our travel advice for India for any updates.
“We took a number of calls from distressed British nationals in relation to this issue and we have provided consular assistance to those who have sought it.”
Hundreds of people were protesting outside the Kuwaiti Parliament, when dozens of them stormed the building late on Wednesday.
The protesters were demanding that Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah step down.
Hundreds of demonstrators, including opposition lawmakers, have been protesting weekly outside parliament over alleged corruption.
According to some reports, riot police had beaten protesters using batons as they gathered outside parliament.
AFP news agency reports that at least 5 protesters were injured.
“Now, we have entered the house of the people,” said Mussallam al-Barrak, who was among those who led the protest against Sheikh Nasser, a nephew of the emir.
Hundreds of people were protesting outside the Kuwaiti Parliament, when dozens of them stormed the building
People broke open the gates to the parliament building and managed to enter the main chamber, where they sang the national anthem and then left a short time later.
According to eyewitness and protesters, guardsmen did not intervene when they entered the parliament building, stormed after protesters’ attempt to march on the prime minister’s house were blocked.
“Some people managed to get inside. No confrontation happened with the national guard who are guarding the building,” said eyewitnesses.
“People are asking for more reforms, and especially as recently the government has not been going with the spirit of the constitution, which some regard as the absolute minimum of democracy.”
As the crowd returned to the square outside, the protesters outside shouted: “The people want to bring down the head (of government).”
Kuwait’s parliament is one of the few elected bodies in the Gulf.
Kuwait has not seen the mass protests that toppled former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, thanks to a generous welfare system, observers say.
But opposition groups have escalated pressure on Kuwait’s leadership in recent months over claims of corruption and perceived attempts to roll back political freedoms.
Japan detected radioactive caesium in concentrations above the safety level in rice for the first time since the nuclear crisis began at the Fukushima plant.
The rice sample came from a Fukushima city farm about 50 km from the plant.
Japanese government is considering banning shipments from the area it was found.
There have been a series of scares over radiation in food in Japan in recent months – in beef, mushrooms and green tea among other products – but never before in the country’s staple, rice.
Japan detected radioactive caesium in concentrations above the safety level in rice for the first time since the nuclear crisis began at the Fukushima plant
Now caesium in concentrations above the official safety limit has been detected in a sample from a farm in Fukushima city.
The rice was being prepared for market, but Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said none had been sold.
The discovery highlights the difficulty of tracking the radiation which has been spread across eastern Japan by wind and rain.
Local governments in rural areas have set up testing centres to try to ensure contaminated products do not get into the food chain.
Last week the Tokyo Metropolitan Government also began testing samples bought at shops in the capital in an attempt to further reassure anxious members of the public.
Jorge Garzon, 42-year-old man, has been arrested for harboring Allie Loftis, a runaway 13-year-old girl from Massachusetts, at his New Jersey home Wednesday.
Alexandra “Allie” Loftis vanished from her Boston home for nearly two weeks after boarding a bus headed to New York City on November 4th, sending her parents on a relentless hunt to get their daughter back.
Allie Loftis was located at Jorge Garzon’s Jersey City residence and taken into police custody around 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, after police say they received a tip off.
Jorge Garzon, who also goes by the name George Gonzalez, was arrested just over an hour after her recovery at the New Jersey address.
Allie Loftis was located at Jorge Garzon's Jersey City residence and taken into police custody around 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, after police say they received a tip off
Affirming Allie Loftis father’s fear, the two are believed to have met online, a sources close to the investigation told NJ.com.
Allie Loftis’ family had searched long and hard for their daughter, never giving up hope, with their efforts rippling throughout the New York area to local police stations, city streets and across social media sites showing a number of various fliers.
Believing she had run away independently, her parents posted numerous messages to her on Facebook, as well as pictures of them together, imploring her to come home.
Allie Loftis’ father admitted that before her disappearance she seemed unhappy in school, but thought it was just a rough patch.
“I live in semi-rural community where it’s peaceful and quiet, and she wanted big city, bright lights,” Tony Loftis said.
“She wanted to go to school in a different area. As she said, where we live is boring.”
Pleading, in hope that she may see their efforts and pain online, the family devoted a Facebook site to their missing daughter, posting a flood of photos of them together.
“One of many trips to get ice cream w dad,” her father wrote above one picture of the two of them together.
“I luv u honey, pls let us know u r ok,” Tony Loftis wrote.
Following their daughter’s trail the family traveled to New York City, chasing any and all leads of their daughter.
Allie Loftis' family had searched long and hard for their daughter, never giving up hope, with their efforts rippling throughout the New York area to local police stations, city streets and across social media sites showing a number of various fliers
Every location they thought she might go – from the Barnes and Noble in Park Slope Brooklyn to Prospect Park, both locations her father said he knew Allie Loftis loved – they handed out fliers and recruited volunteers.
And with him having family in Brooklyn, Tony Loftis hoped it’s where she would be.
“Whenever I’m focused on trying to find her, I’m okay. But, whenever that stops, and I’m home at night, and I wake up in the morning, and I think, you know, I … I … I … it’s hard,” Tony Loftis told CBS Boston.
“You know this is completely devas… you can’t … it’s my only daughter,” the father said.
Asking volunteers to take two Saturdays out of the next six to stand on street corners in matching T-shirts and fliers, the family’s plan was to “create a media event to help bring Allie home for the holidays”, her parents wrote in an email to volunteers, according to the Wayland Patch.
“We think the only way to put pressure on the person holding her, and to keep the leads coming, is to sustain media coverage,” the family wrote.
After their daughter disappeared, Tony Loftis says she never turned on her cell phone or went on Facebook, despite him describing her as tech savvy.
“We have left voice mail messages on her cell phone until it got filled up. We’ve tried every method we think possible but haven’t heard from her,” Tony Loftis told CBS after her disappearance.
That made it even more concerning for him, with his fear that Allie Loftis could have been held against her will.
Allie Loftis’ father did confess his believe that she may have met someone online.
Jorge Garzon, who Allie Loftis was found with, is currently being held in custody in the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office pending charges which have yet to be filed.
The circumstances surrounding both Allie Loftis’ disappearance and the activities since she ran away are still under investigation, according to police.
Casey Anthony, America’s most-hated mom, allegedly survived an assassination attempt at her Florida safe house.
Casey Anthony‘s bodyguards had to pull her out of the firing line and whisk her to an emergency hideout in the middle of the night before an assassin “put a bullet through her brain”, The National Enquirer reported.
She has been in hiding since she was released from jail following a shock not guilty plea at the murder trial of her daughter Caylee on July 5.
Casey Anthony, America's most-hated mom, allegedly survived an assassination attempt at her Florida safe house
Casey Anthony, 25, was released from jail on July 17 and since then, thousands of hate mail and threatening emails have been pouring in to her lawyers’ offices from all over the world.
Despite efforts by her crack security team to protect her, a hit man allegedly located Casey Anthony’s hideout and stuck a death warrant to her door saying: “I know where you are, I’m coming to put a bullet through your brain.”
The National Enquirer said it was eerily similar to an email threat the 25-year-old’s bodyguards previously received saying: “I want her dead! if she knew where she was I would do it myself!”
The threatening message – which was allegedly pinned to the door – was said to “set off a complete panic” and the security team had to assume that Casey Anthony’s head would be blown off the moment she stepped outside the house.
A source told The National Enquirer: “There are plenty of people who want to kill Casey because they believe she got away with murdering little Caylee.
“Her bodyguards rushed her off in the middle of the night to another safe house a prearranged safe hideout that was available in the event of such an emergency.”
The source said decoy vehicles were also used so the “killer” would not know which one Casey Anthony was in, as they are said to realize how determined her enemies are to kill her and had to take every precaution.
“The fact she is still hidden and still alive is testimony to just how good her team of bodyguards are. They’re the best, but it was a very close call.”
Because of the terms of her probation for cheque fraud, Casey Anthony must stay in Florida for one year and report every month to a probation officer.
This is not the first time her security team have moved her. According to The National Enquirer, Casey Anthony was first hidden on St George Island off the coast of northwest Florida before allegedly being moved to a rural location near Gainsville and a condo in New Smyrna Beach.
Last week it emerged that Casey Anthony’s lawyers tried to persuade her to accept a plea deal towards the end of her murder trial.
Jeff Ashton, a retired prosecutor from the case who revealed all in an explosive new book, said that while Casey Anthony “may have deserved” the death penalty if she had been convicted of killing her two-year-old daughter, he didn’t believe a jury would ever have agreed to the sentence.
Writing in Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, he said he would have been pleased if the prosecution team had left the punishment off the table.
Michael Gressett, a deputy DA from California, who prosecuted sex crimes, was accused of raping a junior employee using an ice pick, handcuffs and a gun, according to court records.
The incident allegedly left bed sheets stained with blood and caused the traumatized woman to press charges against her boss.
The alleged victim, known only as Jane Doe, 33, claimed her boss Michael Gressett, 53, raped her during a lunch break while he waited for a verdict in a molestation case.
Although the woman had agreed to have sex with Michael Gressett, she later claimed it had been too rough, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Michael Gressett has insisted the tryst was consensual.
Michael Gressett, a deputy DA from California, who prosecuted sex crimes, was accused of raping a junior employee using an ice pick, handcuffs and a gun
A judge dismissed the rape charges last month but the California state attorney’s office is now considering whether to appeal the decision.
According to court records, there was a “raunchy” environment at the Contra Costa County sex crimes unit, north-east of San Francisco.
Deputy DA Michael Gressett and the woman had reportedly had sex once before with her describing him to a friend as “pretty kinky”.
The woman told the grand jury that she went back to his condo near the courthouse in May 2008 after he texted her suggesting they meet up at lunchtime.
She claimed Michael Gressett showed her a knife and traced patterns on her sweater with the point of the blade. She said he then handcuffed her ankle to her wrist and forced her into a sex act.
Initially, the woman did not bring charges and Michael Gressett was not arrested until five months later.
A search of his home found 200 Viagra tablets and marijuana. An ice pick, gun and a pair of handcuffs were also discovered in the nightstand.
A retired judge was assigned to the case after it emerged that one of the county judges had previously dated Michael Gressett.
The case against Michael Gressett began to crumble after it was revealed that the accuser had continued working with him for four months after the alleged rape.
The woman collected $450,000 in a settlement with the county after reportedly suffering employment retaliation for making the rape charge.
Mariah Yeater has quietly dropped her paternity lawsuit against teenage pop star Justin Bieber.
Mariah Yeater, 20, who gave birth to son Tristyn four months ago, has apparently had a change of heart after filing legal action against Justin Bieber two weeks ago.
The single mother’s lawsuit seeking a paternity test and child support was withdrawn last week, according to TMZ.com.
Lance Rogers and Matt Pare, the two lawyers who were representing Mariah Yeater, have apparently resigned.
The withdrawal of the suit comes after Justin Bieber not only said he would submit to a DNA test, but was also planning to sue Mariah Yeater for making a bogus claim.
Mariah Yeater has quietly dropped her paternity lawsuit against teenage pop star Justin Bieber
Mariah Yeater shocked Justin Bieber’s legions of fans – and his girlfriend Selena Gomez – when she claimed he had fathered her son during a 30-second tryst in a bathroom after his concert at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on October 25 last year.
In an interview on U.S. TV show The Insider last week, Mariah Yeater claimed: “He (Bieber) immediately took a liking to me and we just got to talking and then he eventually asked me, <<Do you mind if we can go somewhere and be alone?>>”
When Mariah Yeater was quizzed over what evidence she has to support her claims, she said she has provided some to her attorney but could not discuss it on camera.
“It’ll show in court to prove that my allegations are true.”
The Insider confronted Mariah Yeater on a recent interview with a security guard who claims that on the night in question, Justin Bieber’s dressing room was full of friends and family, staying with the teenage heartthrob until he left.
Asked for her response on the guard’s claims, Mariah Yeater said: “No comment.”
The authenticity of Mariah Yeater’s claims and her character were put under the microscope after photos of her stripping leaked online last week.
Mariah Yeater was also arrested in 2010 for slapping an ex-boyfriend and charged with battery.
Justin Bieber addressed the rumours on the U.S Today Show, saying: “I would just like to say basically that none of those allegations are true.
“I know that I’m going to be a target but I’m never going to be a victim.
“I think it’s crazy because every night after the show I’m gone, right from the stage to my car so it’s crazy that some people want to make up such false allegations but to set the record straight, none of it is true.
Tyler Dasher, an one-year-old missing toddler from Affton, Missouri has been found dead in the woods just few hours he was reported vanished from his home.
One person has been arrested in connection with the death of Tyler Dasher.
The boy was discovered by dog walkers at 3:30 p.m. yesterday, one mile from his St Louis suburban home in Affton, and 100 ft from a busy main road.
It followed a frantic four-hour emergency services search for the child.
Toddler’s mother Shelby Dasher, 20, said she had put him to bed at 10:30 p.m. on Monday night.
Tyler Dasher, an one-year-old missing toddler from Affton, Missouri has been found dead in the woods just few hours he was reported vanished from his home
Shelby Dasher told police she had then overslept, and when she awoke at 11:00 a.m. found the boy was missing.
At 5:42 this morning, St Louis County police issued a news release saying that a person had been taken into custody. They would not release any more details or say if it was a man or a woman.
STLToday.com reported that at 6:30 a.m., police escorted someone who appeared to be a woman to where the body was found and then to Tyler Dasher’s home.
Detectives conducted interviews through the night as they investigated Tyler Dasher’s death. Among those being interviewing were Tyler Dasher’s mother, father and grandmother.
A witness reported seeing an adult in a dark sweatshirt walking down the street, carrying a child wrapped in a blanket in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
But there was no signs of forced entry into the home where the child was sleeping.
St Louis Country Police chief said a medical examiner did not immediately determine the cause of death.
He told STLToday.com: “Anyone that would take a child into a wooded area like this needs to be dealt with severely by the criminal justice system.”
Police chief called for anyone involved in Tyler Dasher’s death to be brought to justice, but said that there were no immediate suspects.
Officer Rick Eckhard, of St Louis County Police Department, said: “There is no way to explain how this child got out of his crib, out of his room and out of the house.”
Yesterday an area near the cemetery was cordoned off with yellow police tape as force dogs sniffed the ground. A cluster of young adults cried and hugged as they looked on.
KSDK reported that mother Shelby Dasher filed a restraining order against Tyler Dasher’s dad Joseph Ellington in the fall of 2010. The order was cancelled one month later.
A local St Louis news outlet also reported that in March of this year, Joseph Ellington’s parents attempted to be named his legal guardians, claiming he is disabled.
Apple has decided to recall the first generation of iPod Nano due to a defect of batteries.
The company has warned that the batteries on the iPod Nano can catch fire – but only on the very oldest models.
The defect discovered in the batteries appears to get worse over time.
Apple announced that is offering a replacement, new iPod Nano – a serious technological upgrade which adds a touchscreen, an FM radio and a pedometer to the rather basic Nano that late Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched six years ago.
It’s not clear what incident sparked the current recal. There have been unconfirmed and highly isolated reports of batteries overheating around the world, including incidents where overheating batteries set fire to users’ clothes. But it’s not exactly an epidemic.
Apple has decided to recall the first generation of iPod Nano due to a defect of batteries
In a statement, the company said:
“Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006.”
“‘This issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect. While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages.
“Apple recommends that you stop using your iPod nano (1st gen) and follow the process noted below to order a replacement unit, free of charge.”
Apple says serial numbers will be checked to ensure the units are affected – you can check via their website.
iPod Nano replacements will be issued within six weeks.
A teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Primary School, South Carolina, has been accused by first graders parents of picking out students in her class to rub her feet.
The teacher, who has not been named, was disciplined, but still has her job teaching six and seven-year-olds, leaving the community troubled.
The allegations came out when one of the teacher’s students told her grandmother she didn’t want to give any more foot massages.
The grandmother, Brends Norris, told WISTV in Columbia, South Carolina, Tuesday:
“She admitted to the children rubbing her feet. Just the thought of it.”
“They immediately sent her home, but she’s back there today.”
When Brends Norris took to Facebook to talk about the teacher, she found at least six other parents whose children reported the same thing, she said.
The six-year-old girl told her grandmother her teacher wore flip-flops to school so she could simply slip them off for her pupils to rub her feet.
Brends Norris suggested the school district would need to do more to win back her trust and repair that trauma her granddaughter is experiencing
Brends Norris said she taught her granddaughter to tell her if anyone every touched her inappropriately.
“She told me, <<Grandma, you didn’t tell me if I touch someone else, to tell you>>. That broke my heart,” Brends Norris said.
Brends Norris said being forced to rub her teacher’s feet has caused her granddaughter to have nightmares.
“She said <<I have three wishes, grandma. One of them was not to go to school today>>” Brends Norris said.
Officials at Lexington County School District Three said they investigated the allegations, took action and corrected the problem – but would not give specifics.
The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and police are both investigating. A community meeting is also planned.
Brends Norris suggested the school district would need to do more to win back her trust and repair that trauma her granddaughter is experiencing.
“I don’t trust the system at all now. I can’t trust the system. I’m afraid for her to go to school,” the grandmother said.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took a picture pretending to give Yevgeny Savchenko, Governor of Belgorod, an oral hygiene check at a dentistry center during a campaign visit.
Vladimir Putin, 59, was in the region glad-handing as part of his campaign for a third term as president in 2012.
Russian PM also visited a municipal district ambulance, a local hospital, a school of arts and a community centre.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took a picture pretending to give Yevgeny Savchenko, Governor of Belgorod, an oral hygiene check at a dentistry center during a campaign visit
It was an auspicious day for Vladimir Putin, who was also announced today as China’s Peacemaker of the Year.
The unlikely recipient of the Beijing’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.
A panel of 16 academics chose Vladimir Putin ahead of other candidates, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Yuan Longping, a Chinese agricultural scientist.
The tipping point appeared to be Vladimir Putin’s role in Libya, where he opposed NATO’s involvement in trying to topple the Gaddafi regime. Critics say Vladimir Putin’s stand had no bearing on the outcome of the north African conflict.
“This April or May, Putin was against NATO’s idea to bomb Libya and he appeared to the world in a peaceful manner,” said Qiao Damo, one of the organizers.
The “Confucius Peace Prize” is as controversial as its choice of honouree.
It was only launched last year, just two days after jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel prize to Beijing’s anger.
The thinly-veiled attempt to upstage the Nobel ended in farce when last year’s winner, Taiwan’s former vice president Lien Chan, failed to show up and the $15,000 award was collected for him by a schoolgirl.
It was unclear last night whether Vladimir Putin was even aware that he had won the award, but organizers are planning to hold the presentation on December 9, the day before the Nobel prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
Even the Chinese government was uncomfortable at the transparency of the attempt to undermine the long established peace award. The Culture Ministry ordered organizers to scrap the award in September, saying they were not given official permission to go ahead.
But the panel defied the decision, arguing it was “unreasonable” to cancel the prize at such late notice. Nine of the 16 judges voted for Vladimir Putin.
“I feel the Nobel Peace Prize has gone too far away from peace and their standard has gone too far away from the essence of peace,” said Qiao Damo.
“Western values are not perfect and need an alternative to balkance them out,” he added.
Ashlynn Conner, a 10-year-old girl from Ridge Farm, Illinois, who was a cheerleader and honour student at her school, killed herself after a torment of bullies.
Ashlynn Conner’s mother, Stacy, said she knew about the bullying, but never thought it would drive her daughter to kill herself.
Stacy Conner, said she had planned to meet with the school principal this week after Ashlynn complained she was being taunted by schoolmates who called her fat, ugly and worse.
The mother told WCIA-TV: “They’d call her a slut. Ashlynn’s ugly. She’s fat.”
“I thought my kids are strong kids, and that my words for them for guidance and advice was going to have more weight than what these kids could be saying.”
On Thursday, Ashlynn Conner pleaded with her mother to allow her to be home schooled to escape Ridge Farm Elementary – and the mother refused.
Ashlynn Conner, a 10-year-old girl from Ridge Farm, Illinois, who was a cheerleader and honour student at her school, killed herself after a torment of bullies
On Friday, Ashlynn Conner was dead, having hanged herself. She was found in a closet, hanging by a scarf. Her teenaged sister made the grim discovery.
Now, Ashlynn Conner’s grief-stricken family hopes that her story will make a difference in the lives of other children who are bullied.
Grief counselors, social workers and school psychologists spoke with Ashlynn’s classmates at Georgetown Ridge Farm Elementary School in Georgetown, Ill.
“We’ve had death before due to accidents and illness but nothing like this,” said Kevin Tate, interim superintendent of Georgetown-Ridge Farm Schools.
Kevin Tate is also a neighbor, who lives two houses away from Ashlynn’s family. He is one of many in this small town trying to cope with the news. “She had just come over last week. She seemed like a happy-go-lucky, good-natured girl. I just can’t get a handle on it.”
Ashlynn Conner’s aunt, Kim Wright, told ABC News: “If she just saves one child from being bullied, if one bully gets this message and thinks about it and says, I’m not going to make another kid feel that way … she did it.”
Ashlynn Conner’s death is the latest in a startling trend.
Two months ago, Jamey Rodemeyer, a bullied teen from Buffalo, New York, was found dead outside his home.
The 14-year-old was a big fan of Lady Gaga and sent her a message on Twitter saying: “Bye mother monster, thank you for all you have done, paws up forever,” before he killed himself.
Moved by his death, Lady Gaga performed her song “Hair” a few days after Jamey Rodemeyer’s death and dedicated it to him.
Eight-year-old Tori Blair Wilson hanged herself from a tree in May just 80 yards from her home in Palestine, Texas. Investigators believe she was bullied at school but failed to find specific culprits.
In March, Chevonea Kendall-Bryan, 13, fell 60 feet to her death in London after being hounded by other girls outside of school.
Perhaps the most high-profile cyber-bullying related death was that of Tyler Clementi last year. The 18-year-old Rutgers student from New Jersey plunged to his death from New York’s George Washington Bridge after his gay sex session was allegedly filmed by his roommate.
Joe Amendola, Jerry Sandusky’s defense attorney, got a teenage girl pregnant when she was 17 and he was 49, according to a report.
Joe Amendola, now 63, is said to have later married Mary Lavasile.
According to The Daily newspaper, which quoted from documents of State College, Pennsylvania, Joe Amendola represented Mary Lavasile in an emancipation hearing in 1996 just weeks before her 17th birthday.
At about the same time, Mary Lavasile became pregnant with Joe Amendola’s child, her mother, Janet, told The Daily.
The age of consent in Pennsylvania is 16.
Janet Lavasile said she thought Joe Amendola was a “mentor” figure to her daughter and did not realize the extent of their relationship.
“She met him through the school district; she was interested in the law,” said Janet Lavasile.
Joe Amendola is said to have married Mary Lavasile in February, 2003, but they split after having two children together
Joe Amendola is said to have married Mary Lavasile in February, 2003, but they split after having two children together.
Joe Amendola’s estranged wife, now aged 32, kept his name. Mary Amendola hasn’t commented on the report.
“Joe is a very good father and has loved his two children very much, and that’s the most important thing for me right now,” said Janet Lavasile.
Joe Amendola has gone on the offensive for Jerry Sandusky to claim the one-time heir apparent to Joe Paterno was just “horsing aroun”’ with young boys and wasn’t guilty of sexual abuse.
The lawyer apparently gave his blessing to his client to agree to a phone interview with NBC sports presenter Bob Costas on Monday night when Jerry Sandusky acknowledge he did engage in inappropriate behavior with boys, including taking showers with them.
Jerry Sandusky insisted, however, that he was not sexually attracted to children.
When Bob Costas asked Joe Amendola if he would leave his children alone with Jerry Sandusky, the lawyer answered: “Yes, without hesitation.”
On her Facebook page afterwards, Mary Amendola wrote: “OMG. Did Joe just say that he would allow my kids to be alone with Jerry Sandusky?”
Mohammad Shafia, a Muslim father from Ontario, Canada, was charged with murdering his three daughters in apparent honour killings has said he would do it again – even if they came back to life 100 times.
Mohammad Shafia, 58, cursed his daughters Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13, saying they were “treacherous” as he likened them to prostitutes during a conversation that was recorded by police.
The father is on trial for his daughters’ murders after they were found dead in the family car along with his first wife, Rona Amir, 50, in the Rideau Canal, located in the Kingston area of Ontario in Canada in 2009.
Initially police thought the family had been involved in an accident and Mohammad Shafia told them during an interview that he didn’t know where they were.
However, Mohammad Shafia version of accounts did not add up and he was arrested and charged with their murder.
Mohammad Shafia, a Muslim father from Ontario, Canada, was charged with murdering his three daughters in apparent honour killings has said he would do it again - even if they came back to life 100 times
Mohammad Shafia, who moved to Canada from Afghanistan with his family, is polygamous and after his arrest was heard telling his second wife, Tooba Yahya, that their daughters had brought shame on the family.
Mohammad Shafia said one day after his arrest: “Even if, God forbid, they hoist us on to the gallows… we accept it wholeheartedly.“
The court heard the recordings in which Mohammad Shafia talks about his daughters and the fact that they were dating while ranting about the family’s honour.
Zainab had married her boyfriend – a Pakistani man – angering her father and causing family turmoil.
After Tooba Yahya said that she knew Zainab was “already done” but wished “the two others” weren’t, Mohammad Shafia responded saying: “No Tooba, they were treacherous.”
Tooba Yahya, 41, and their son, Hamed, 20, are both on trial with him facing charges of first-degree murder. Hamed has denied even being at the death scene. All three have pleaded not guilty to murder.
Speaking about pictures of his daughter Mohammad Shafia said he was consoled adding:
“No Tooba, they were treacherous. When I tell you to be patient, you tell me that it is hard.
“It isn’t harder than watching them every hour with (boyfriends). For this reason whenever I see those pictures, I am consoled.
“I say to myself, <<You did well. Would they come back to life a hundred times, for you to do the same again>>.”
Mohammad Shafia also says that the family had been violated in the worst possible way.
“May the devil…(defecate) on their graves. Is that what a daughter should be? Would (a daughter) be such a whore?”
The jury has also seen graphic underwater video in which a pair of legs can be seen in the murky water.
One of the victims’ heads can be seen facing down with hair obscuring her face, according to the Canadian Press, while blankets, a yellow bag, a body and victim’s hand are visible on the passenger side.
There was nobody sat in the driver’s seat.
Mohammad Shaifa’s first wife Rona and Sahar were seen on the back seat, their heads touching.
One of the windows was open on the car, but it appears that no attempts had been made by any of the victims to escape from the vehicle.
The family was returning from a trip to Niagara Falls when it ended up in the canal and all the victims were found to have drowned.
However, prosecutors don’t know if it was in the canal or elsewhere. Three of them had bruising to the back of their heads.
Mohammad Shafia and Tooba Yahya had seven children in total. The three not involved in the court case were placed in care after their parents were arrested. The trial continues.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’ love has been ongoing ambiguity over when exactly their relationship started and when he split from 14-year-long love Heidi Bivens.
In a bid to set the record straight, Jennifer Aniston had an emotional meeting with Heidi Bivens, 35, at the Mercer Hotel in a New York hotel last week.
Upset at being portrayed as a “homewrecker”, Jennifer Aniston assured the costume designer she never got together with Justin Theroux until he was single, according to this week’s Grazia magazine.
A source told Grazia magazine: “Jen has always been sympathetic to Heidi because he’s heard from Justin just how devastated she is about their break-up.
“But Jen has always been adamant that their relationships did not cross over.”
Jennifer Aniston and Heidi Bivens reportedly met at the Mercer Hotel on November 6, and talked over a glass of wine.
The source said: “Jen told Heidi that she understands what a painful time she has been going through and explained that she wanted her to know, hand on heart, that she would never steal another woman’s man.
“Heidi apparently got quite tearful during the meeting, as it was understandably a lot of take in.”
Jennifer Aniston, 42, and Justin Theroux, 40, met on the set of new film "Wanderlust" last autumn, but weren't romantically linked until late May this year
Jennifer Aniston, 42, and Justin Theroux, 40, met on the set of new film “Wanderlust” last autumn, but weren’t romantically linked until late May this year.
Heidi Bivens confirmed in a statement via her publicist in mid-June that she had “just moved out of their home last week” after 14 years with Justin Theroux.
Heidi Bivens moved out of the couple’s New York home a week after Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux were first photographed together at the MTV Movie Awards after-party.
Heidi Bivens confirmed in a statement via her publicist in mid-June that she had "just moved out of their home last week" after 14 years with Justin Theroux
In recent months, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux have become inseparable and are living together in a $6 million New York apartment.
In a press conference three weeks ago, Jennifer Aniston shot down reports she was pregnant or engaged.
“Rumour number one: I am not planning to get married any time soon. I’ve been married once, and I don’t know if I’ll get married again.
“But I can tell you that as of this very moment, I have no plan to get married. Got that?
“And rumour number two: no, we’re not pregnant. It’s just I quit smoking, so I’ve gained a couple of pounds.”
A Canadian study published in British Medical Journal Open says that increasing use of the contraceptive pill is being linked with the rise of prostate cancer in men.
According to researchers, the Pill has soared in popularity over the past 40 years, and at the same time prostate cancer has become the most common form of the disease in men.
There is a statistical relationship between the two trends, possibly driven by men’s greater exposure to the oestrogen hormone contained in the Pill.
Widespread use of the Pill has led to more of the hormone finding its way into the water supply and food chain, with implications for human health, says the study in BMJ Open.
A Canadian study published in British Medical Journal Open says that increasing use of the contraceptive pill is being linked with the rise of prostate cancer in men
Using data from 87 countries, researchers found that where the proportion of women using the contraceptive pill is higher, rates of prostate cancer are higher.
Other contraceptives such as intrauterine devices or condoms were not linked to a higher incidence of prostate cancer.
A team of researchers from Canada used two sets of data to pinpoint rates of prostate cancer and associated deaths and the proportion of women using common methods of contraception for 2007.
Use of the contraceptive pill was significantly associated with the number of new cases of prostate cancer around the world, in findings which were not affected by a nation’s wealth and therefore probably not influenced by better detection through screening and health services.
“The research is speculative and definitive conclusions cannot be drawn,” said research leader Dr. David Margel, of the Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto University.
Excess exposure to oestrogen is known to cause cancer and the study suggests that widespread use of the Pill has resulted in by-products called endocrine disruptors being deposited in the environment.
These do not break down easily in the body so can be passed into urine and end up in the water supply or the food chain, thus exposing the general population.
Dr. Kate Holmes, of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said: “This study does not present a strong evidence case for an association between the use of the contraceptive pill and prostate cancer, nor does it intend to.
“It is intended to explore the possibility that release of endocrine disruptive chemicals (EDCs) into the environment, a process which is not unique to the Pill, might impact on the incidence of the disease.
“However, for all of the 87 countries in the study, there is no information on the level of these chemicals in the environment, with the focus on the contraceptive pill as the sole source, which we know is not the case.”
Jordan Landon, a 9-year-old girl from North Carolina was trapped in a car for two days, being stuck by a seatbelt and lay next to the body of her dead father who was killed in the crash.
Police believe the accident happened at around 10:00 p.m. on Friday night in rural Craven County, North Carolina after the father, Douglas Landon, 39, and daughter left a gas station just a few miles from their home.
Jordan Landon survived in freezing temperatures by eating Pop-Tarts and drinking Gatorade.
Girl’s mother and Douglas Landon’s girlfriend of 20 years, Claudette Leohmann went looking for them when they didn’t return home and reported them missing to the police.
It was only on Sunday evening that Jordan Landon was rescued after a man walking along the road spotted the overturned 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the ten-foot ditch and called police.
Jordan Landon, a 9-year-old girl from North Carolina was trapped in a car for two days, being stuck by a seatbelt and lay next to the body of her dead father who was killed in the crash
At first, the emergency services believed both father and daughter were dead until Jordan Landon made a small whimper.
It took three fire and rescue teams more than an hour to free her from the car using hydraulic equipment
Sergeant David Clifton told ABC News: “For a nine-year-old to do that it’s pretty heroic. She was able to keep herself calm.
“The family member next to her is obviously deceased so that’s a lot to deal with, plus being dark at night.”
Authorities believe the car had been travelling at more than 100 mph when it ran off the road, down a steep bank and flipped when it hit a cluster of trees. It could not be seen from the road where it landed.
Over the weekend, temperatures dropped below 30 F at night.
Jordan Landon escaped the crash with non-life threatening injuries but was airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital where she is being kept for observation. The girl is expected to make a full recovery.
Authorities believe that speed was a factor in the crash after discovering a speedometer that had jammed at 110 mph. They do not believe alcohol was involved.
Beauty Pays, a new book by economics professor Daniel S. Hamermesh at the University of Texas-Austin, reveals what the world of advertising has known for decades – that beauty sells.
Professor Daniel S. Hamermesh also shows that being attractive pays – with good looking employees enjoying more perks and higher pay packets than their plainer colleagues.
He has studied what he refers to as the economics of beauty for about 20 years.
Beauty Pays, a new book by economics professor Daniel S. Hamermesh at the University of Texas-Austin, reveals what the world of advertising has known for decades - that beauty sells
In his book Beauty Pays, published by Princeton University Press, Professor Daniel S. Hamermesh claims good looking people enjoyed perks beyond their pay – such as party invites, business travel and office privileges – while less attractive workers are overlooked and can often be victims of discrimination.
Attractive people are more likely to be happier, earn more money, get a bank loan (with a lower interest rate) and marry equally good looking partners.
As a result, attractive employees are more productive, leading to higher sales and potentially higher profit for themselves or the company they work for.
Professor Daniel S. Hamermesh points to a few subconscious factors – such as the symmetry of the face, facial expression and popularity factors (if the person looks like someone popular or famous).
In his book, he estimated that attractive people earned on average about $222,000 more in a lifetime than those with below-average looks.
A beautiful woman would earn 4% more, and handsome men 3% more, than their plain counterparts.
When his research became widely known in the early 1990s, Professor Daniel S. Hamermesh came in for some criticism – namely from comedian Jay Leno, who asked why someone like Dallas businessman and presidential candidate Ross Perot earned more than someone like actor Rob Lowe?
But Professor Daniel S. Hamermesh brushed this off, being quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying: “We don’t talk about individuals; we talk about the average good-looking person and the average bad-looking person. There are always outliers.”
Education and work experience were important factors in earnings, but Professor Daniel S. Hamermesh said his new book, based on his research, showed that a person’s looks were impossible to ignore.
Ilya Zhitomirskiy, the social networking pioneer and Internet privacy advocate who dared to challenge Facebook and Google, died on Saturday in San Francisco.
Ilya Zhitomirskiy, 22, died Saturday after San Francisco police were summoned for a reported suicide, police spokesman Officer Albie Esparza said.
Ilya Zhitomirskiy was one of the founders Diaspora*, a new social networking service meant to give users more control of their information online, and sought to lure people away from bigger sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter.
Police would not release other details of his death and a medical examiner’s report could take weeks before it becomes public.
Ilya Zhitomirskiy, the social networking pioneer and Internet privacy advocate who dared to challenge Facebook and Google, died on Saturday in San Francisco
Ilya Zhitomirskiy and three friends, Daniel Grippi, Maxwell Salzberg, and Raphael Sofaer, launched a trial run of Diaspora* in 2010, which attracted the attention of The New York Times and National Public Radio and left the tech world buzzing.
The four friends were all students at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Ilya Zhitomirskiy described himself on his Twitter account as a “free culture and open web enthusiast. Now one of the four Diaspora* bros.”
Despite their desire to compete with Facebook, the company’s founder Mark Zuckerberg praised the group, telling Wired last year: “I think it is cool people are trying to do it.
“I see a little of myself in them. It’s just their approach that the world could be better and saying, <<We should try to do it.>>”
Friends and fans of Ilya Zhitomirskiy have written tributes on Twitter after hearing of his death, with one posting: “Death of a young entrepreneur is a great loss to the community.”
The four friends announced their software programme in April 2010 and raised more than $200,000 for the project through the online fundraising system Kickstarter.
The project even inspired Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to donate money to the project.
In November 2010 the four students released a consumer alpha version of the programme, while still making further developments.
Diaspora* is based around privacy concerns related to centralized social networks by allowing users to set up their own servers to host content and then interact with others by sharing status updates, photographs and other data – much like Facebook.
But Diaspora* is different because sites like Facebook and Google store user data within their own networks and own whatever data users upload.
Ilya Zhitomirskiy was a hardcore computer programmer, obsessed with Internet security and maintaining privacy online.
But since he began working on Diaspora*, Ilya Zhitomirskiy began focusing on user interfaces and started thinking about how to lure “normal” users away from Facebook.
“We want to move people from websites that are not healthy to websites that are more healthy, because they’re transparent,” Ilya Zhitomirskiy told New York magazine last year.
“Even though a nontechnical person may not understand it, they’ll know there’s a community that has said, this is okay.”
Co-founder Raphael Sofaer told the New York Times last year: “In our real lives, we talk to each other.
“We don’t need to hand our messages to a hub. What Facebook gives you as a user isn’t that hard to do.
“All the little games, the little walls, the little chat, aren’t really rare things. The technology already exists.”
A man from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, died on Sunday after accidentally shooting himself in the hip while trying to unbuckle his seatbelt.
The man, a father-of-four who has not been named, was in a minivan with his children outside a grocery store when the incident occurred.
WTVR.com reports the incident occurred outside of the Giant Food Store in Harrison Crossing.
The 45-year-old’s wife told police she was returning a DVD when she heard a loud pop and ran back to the vehicle, when her husband told her he had shot himself.
WTVR.com reports the incident occurred outside of the Giant Food Store in Harrison Crossing
A family friend told WTVR.com the the couple has four children under the age of 12, including an infant.
Captain Elizabeth Scott of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office said the initial investigation indicated when the man tried to unbuckle his seat belt, “he hit the trigger of his .40 calibre glock and shot himself in the hip”.
Deputies arrived to the scene, where she said the man’s wife and others in the parking lot were trying to revive the man.
Captain Scott said the man had suffered significant blood loss and was later pronounced dead at Mary Washington Hospital.
It was unclear at press time whether the man carried the gun in a holster or in his pocket.
The man’s wife told investigators her husband occasionally carried a gun on his person, although it was not known if he was a licensed gun owner.
Spotsylvania police are investigating the shooting to determine if there are any signs of foul play.
The 13-year-old boy who assaulted a five-year-old girl at a McDonald’s Playland in Anderson Township, Ohio, is to be charged with rape after his parents handed him over to police.
The parents recognized their son wearing a jacket, jeans and trainers in security camera footage and took him into the sheriff’s office.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, denied assaulting the little girl following the incident on October 22 in Anderson Township in a court hearing in Cincinnati on Saturday.
But authorities claim the teenager touched the girl before making her touch him in an inappropriate way and then walked out of the McDonald’s as the victim burst into tears and went to her grandmother.
After the incident the little girl went to her grandmother nearby “with the look on her face as if something was wrong”. Police said he climbed into the play area specifically to molest her.
The girl was inside the indoor play area on her own at around 9:00 p.m. when she was approached. The boy left moments before she reported the assault.
The woman who called 911 told police: “There was an incident in the play area with an older child and a younger child which may have involved some sexual contact.”
Police revealed that their suspect was wearing a University of Cincinnati jacket, was around 5’3” high and weighed around 125lbs. He was captured on CCTV inside the McDonald’s as he entered and left.
Hours later teeenager’s parents brought him in where he admitted to the crime, police said.
The teenager is now in juvenile detention center awaiting a trial which will begin next Tuesday.
Jerry Sandusky admitted he showered with young boys but said he is not a paedophile during a phone interview last night on MSNBC.
In his first interview since the child sex scandal broke, Jerry Sandusky said: “I say that I am innocent of those charges.
“I have horsed around with kids, I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them and I have touched their legs without intent of sexual contact.”
When asked directly by Bob Costas from MSNBC: “Are you a paedophile?”, Jerry Sandusky replied: “No.”
The former Penn State coach denied inappropriate sexual contact with children.
Jerry Sandusky admitted he showered with young boys but said he is not a paedophile during a phone interview last night on MSNBC
When asked by the interviewer about the allegations made by Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary – that Jerry Sandusky had raped a young boy in the locker room showers – responded: “I would say that’s false.”
When asked about Mike McQueary’s motivation for making such claims, Jerry Sandusky said: “You would have to ask him.”
With the allegations surrounding him, Jerry Sandusky was asked if he had felt “persecuted”. The former coach replied: “I don’t know what to say. These have not been the best days of my life.’
Jerry Sandusky also said that Joe Paterno, Penn’s State’s legendary head coach who was fired in the wake of the scandal, did not ever speak to him directly about his behaviour.
He said he felt “horrible” about the effect the sex abuse scandal has had on the university and its football program, adding: “I don’t think it’s my fault but I played a part in this.”
When asked by Bob Costas what he wished he had done differently, Jerry Sandusky said: “I wish I hadn’t showered with those kids.”
Jerry Sandusky also denied that he was sexually attracted to children, saying: “I enjoy young people…I love to be around them.”
Then, Jerry Sandusky, who is charged with 40 counts of sexual assault, was asked if he was a “monster’.
The former coach said: “I don’t know what I could say that would make anyone feel any different.
“If people could hang on until my attorney has a chance to fight for my innocence. Obviously, it is a huge challenge.”
Jery Sandusky’s attorney, Joe Amendola also defended his client saying that he believes in his innocence and would “absolutely” allow his children to be around the former coach.
Jerry Sandusky was seen yesterday for the first time since his arrest last weekend. He was sitting in La Guardia domestic airport in New York City, eating from Dunkin’ Donuts and ignoring taunts from passers-by.
More than 70 protesters have been arrested early this morning as police mounted a raid on the Occupy Wall Street camp at Zuccotti Park in Manhattan, New York.
Up to 1,000 police officers moved in to evict the protesters – some of whom have been there since it was set up in mid-September when the protests began.
Occupy Wall Street protesters have been told that once the park is cleaned, they can return but will not be allowed to take their tents with them.
But even that wasn’t enough to end the demonstration because once they had been cleared from Zuccotti Park, around 200 regrouped a mile away at Foley Square.
The protesters were swiftly followed by police who formed a cordon, but most officers later left the scene.
One of the NYPD buses carrying arrested protesters drove by Foley Square and was met with cheers from the group that had gathered.
Protesters were also seen pouring milk into the eyes of people who had been targeted by police with pepper spray.
More than 70 protesters have been arrested early this morning as police mounted a raid on the Occupy Wall Street camp at Zuccotti Park in Manhattan, New York
As the morning progressed and New York woke up to news that the protest had moved, more people gathered at Foley Square.
It was also spurred on by a group that joined them having initially moved to the corner of Broadway and Pine Street.
In the early hours of this morning, helicopters swept the streets around Zuccotti Park while around 400 people were penned in on a corner around two blocks along Broadway.
They had been cordoned in by two lines of police, shoulder to shoulder with visors, helmets and brandishing batons.
As the initial clearance of Zuccotti Park got under way, an improvised barricade made of tables and pieces of scrap wood had been set up in the kitchen area.
Demonstrators held their hands above their heads while chanting “We are the 99 per cent” and “peaceful protest”.
At one point they tried to breach the police line, but they were quickly pushed back.
Metal barriers had been set up on every corner as crowds dispersed with small protests reported at City Hall, Foley Square and at Grand/Lafayette.
On the streets surrounding the park, police were moving people on and bystanders were urged to move beyond the metal barriers.
Police offered little information as to what was going on inside the park but one officer said they had been assigned to police lines surrounding the camp until they were relieved by the next shift.
Some protesters claimed their tents were ripped up as the the eviction got under way while a police official said there had been 40 arrests.
At about 1:00 a.m. this morning, police handed out notices from the park’s owner, Brookfield Office Properties, and the city saying that the park had to be cleared because it had become unsanitary and hazardous.
The protesters were told they could return in several hours, but they would not be allowed to bring with them their sleeping bags, tarpaulins or tents.
The mayor’s office tweeted that the protesters saying: “Occupants of Zuccotti should temporarily leave and remove tents and tarps. Protesters can return after the Park is cleared.”
Police were indiscriminate in the people they evicted from the park and also moved reporters and photographers away from the the area.
Paul Browne, a spokesman for the New York Police Department, said most people began filing out of the park once they received the notices.
The spokesman added that the park was not heavily populated on Tuesday morning as the clearance got under way.
