Israel and Hamas group, which runs in Gaza, have agreed on a deal for releasing Sergeant Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held hostage by Palestinian militants since 2006.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said they agreed only after arduous talks, and that Sergeant Gilad Shalit, 25, would be back with his family “within days”.
In exchange, Israel said will release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Gilad Shalit was captured in a cross-border raid five years ago, and attempts to negotiate his release have failed.
Israel and Hamas have agreed on a deal for releasing Sergeant Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held hostage by Palestinian militants since 2006
Israeli PM said in a national TV address:
“We have concluded arduous negotiations with Hamas to release Gilad Shalit. He will be coming home in the next few days.”
Gilad Shalit’s continued detention is a hugely emotive issue in Israel, where his family has maintained a high profile campaign for his release.
In the same time, there are many Israelis who have had family members killed by Palestinian militants and, of course, will object in principle to any mass release of prisoners by Israel.
According to a senior Israeli official, there are some high-profile Palestinian prisoners that have been excluded from the release deal.
The Israel and Hamas deal was confirmed in the Israeli cabinet by a 26-3 vote, following a heated three-hour debate.
“This is a difficult decision, but leadership is tested at moments like this, on the ability to make difficult decisions,” said PM Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement.
On the other hand, Hamas said in a statement that there were tens of thousands of people on the streets celebrating the deal, firing guns into the air and honking car horns.
Hamas’s leader Khaled Meshaal, who is in exile in Syria, appeared on TV to hail the swap deal as a victory for the Palestinian people.
Khaled Meshaal said the Israel had agreed to release 1,027 prisoners – including 27 women.
According to Yoram Cohen, head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal intelligence service, the high-profile prisoners not due for release include key Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat, found guilty of ordering the killing of Israel’s tourism minister in 2001, and Hamas’ Abdullah Barghouti.
The first 450 prisoners would be freed in the coming days, with the rest being released over the next two months.
“It is a great achievement, a qualitative success,” said the militant group’s leader, Khaled Meshaal.
“Because of this accord, there will no longer be any women in the jails of the enemy.”
Hamas leader promised to carry on working to free every Palestinian prisoner held in Israeli jails.
About 5,000 Palestinians are now held by Israel – some of whom have been convicted of serious crimes, but others are being held without charge.
Local Israeli television, Channel 2 TV reported that both sides, Israel and Hamas, had shown greater flexibility in recent talks.
Indirect talks over the Gilad Shalit ‘s release have been going on for years, with Egypt and Germany mediating.
In October 2009, Hamas released a video of Gilad Shalit calling on Benjamin Netanyahu to do everything to free him.
Chaz Bono has performed last night at Dancing With The Stars being watched by his mother, Cher, who was for the first time in the show audience.
The proud mother, Cher, broke down in tears as she watching her son Chaz Bono, 40, comes out fighting to dance the Paso Doble with his partner Lacey Schwimmer to the Rocky theme song.
“OMG! I WAS CRYING ! WASNT EXPECTING 2 B SO NERVOUS ! BROKE MY BRACELET CLAPPING ! IM SO PROUD !! CHAZ WAS GREAT! LOVED DAVID ARQUETTE 2nd,” Cher tweeted on her page after the show.
Not only Cher was impressed with Chaz Bono’s performance, the judges also gave him straight seven’s across the board during music from the Rocky movie.
Chaz Bono and partner Lacey Schwimmer during Paso Doblo last night
Judge Bruno Tonioli said: “In the true spirit of Rocky, no matter how many knocks you take, you keep coming back, you keep fighting and you keep getting stronger.”
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba agreed and said of Chaz Bono’ performance:
“I’m trying to figure out why I’m crying. It’s like, I watch you and somehow you get under my skin and you make me root for you.
“Your true courage and the way you get out there…I was like, go! Go! Go!”
Chaz Bono’s performance was achieved with the help of the exercise guru Richard Simmons.
Richard Simmons coached Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer dressed in a gold glitter
Immediately after the show, Chaz Bono wrote on his Twitter account: “Amazing, Amazing Night!! Thank you so much for supporting me on this journey. #DWTS#.”
Last night, David Arquette, 40, and partner Kym Johnson also danced the Paso Doble, but they chose to do so to the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme song.
David Arquette and Kym Johnson scored a 23 for the dramatic dance. In true Indiana Jones style, David Arquette swung onto the dance floor on a rope.
David Arquette’ seven-year-old daughter, Coco, ex-wife Courteney Cox, and his sister Patricia were all in the audience to cheer him on.
Chynna Philips and partner Tony Dovolani tangoed to the theme song from Mission: Impossible in what should have been an impressive dance, but she scored only 21.
Carson Kressley, the fashion expert, was a fan favourite with his hilarious pirate costume and sword fighting dance-off, but the judges had issues with his performance.
Carson Kressley, 41, and partner Anna Trebunskaya danced the Viennese Waltz from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
Judge Len Goodman said about their performance:
“Like childbirth – terrible while it’s happening, and a joy when it’s over. No quality of movement…but it was great fun. If I was at home, I’d be phoning for you.”
The talk show host Nancy Grace, 51, and her partner Tristan MacManus performed the Paso Doble to the theme song from Flash Gordon.
Nancy Grace dance scored 21.
Soccer star Hope Solo and partner Chmerkovskiy performance of You’ve Got A Friend from Toy Story was utterly adorable and had a high score of 24.
Rob Kardashian played Clark Kent role as he and partner Cheryl Burke danced a dramatic Paso Doble to the theme song from Superman.
DWTS insiders said that Ricki Lake and partner Derek Hough are the team to beat, but the 43-year-old talk show host doesn’t agree.
She seemed to have problems in rehearsals, saying that she felt a ‘tremendous amount of pressure’ and expressing her desire to quit.
When Ricki and Derek danced to the theme song from Psycho, they received a standing ovation and scored 29, the highest score of the night.
The use of Ketchup was interdicted in school cafeteria in France thanks to the propaganda of healthy diet.
There is just one exception allowed. Cafeterias may serve ketchup only with French fries and just one time a week. The new rules also stipulate the increase of vegetable dishes on the menu and the decrease of the quantity of fat in the food.
The chairman of National, Christophe Hebert, explained in an interview:
“Canteens have a public health mission, but also an educative mission. We have to ensure children become familiar with French recipes so that they can hand them down to the following generation.”
On the other hand, mayonnaise is still on the menu.
Denmark authorities have introduced, not long ago, a tax on fatty foodstuffs, such as milk, butter and vegetable oil, pizza, cheese, and meat with the content of over 3.2 percent of sat fats. As a result, one kilo of butter has become $1.5 more expensive.
In September, Hungary put into effect a new law. The food abundant with salt and sugar is taxed.
The British authorities admit that the number of people who suffer of obesity in England is one of the largest in the world. So they are thinking about taxing high-calorie food.
Emma Watson dumped again; this time for being too famous.
Emma Watson, know for her role in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, revealed thather ex-boyfriend dumped her because she’s too famous.
She dated Francis Boulle, who now stars in British reality TV show Made In Chelsea, for a short period of time. Francis Boulle claimed he broke up with Emma because he did not want to become known as the Harry Potter star’s boyfriend.
“We had a bit of a thing a while back, but I have always been an ambitious person and I want to achieve my own notoriety for what I’ve done,” claims Francis Boulle. “That’s why I chose not to pursue it any longer, because I didn’t want to be the boyfriend of some child actress.”
He added in an interview:
“I actually really like Emma. She’s a really cool person. She’s a very different person to who she is in the media. That’s what I liked about her – she’s very interesting.”
When Reality TV star was asked whether they stay in touch, he admitted he was no longer in regular contact with the actress, though they occasionally run into one another.
“No, but we do share a lot of mutual friends and our paths cross from time to time.”
Beyonce has recently sparked rumors she is wearing a fake baby bump during an interview at an Australian television show.
Beyonce Knowles, 30, gave an interview to the Australian TV personality Molly Meldrum on the Sunday Night show.
At one moment, during the interview, the cameras appear to show Beyonce’s bump being squashed and moving as she sits down.
Beyonce’s interview on the Sunday Night show was to promote her new album 4.
During the interview on Sunday Night show, the cameras appear to show Beyonce’s bump being squashed and moving as she sits down
The singer told Molly Meldrum she is due to give birth in February, adding that she feels “grateful” and “blessed” to be expecting her first child.
After her appearance on the Australian TV show, the gossip websites have promoted speculation that Beyonce is wearing a prosthetic bump and some are even questioning if the famous singer is faking her pregnancy while a surrogate mother carries her baby.
Other speculation was that Beyonce was wearing a padded belly to the MTV Video Music Awards two months ago in an effort to make her pregnancy revelation “more dramatic”.
Beyonce made a point of flaunting her bump on the red carpet in an orange Lanvin dress and later rubbed it dramatically during her performance on stage.
Beyoncé revealed her baby bump on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards 2011
After that moment, Beyonce told Harper’s Bazaar about her public pregnancy announcement during an interview:
“I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to unveil it. It was important to me that I was able to do it myself.
“I was extremely nervous. It was the toughest red carpet I ever did… I decided to say nothing and proudly show my baby bump. I felt it was more powerful to see the love and enthusiasm as opposed to saying anything.”
The 30-year-old singer also said she waited to start a family with husband Jay-Z so that she could concentrate on her career.
“It was important to me that I gave myself time to focus on becoming the woman I want to be, building my empire, my relationship, and my self-worth, before I became a mother,” Beyonce said.
She ended: “Now God has blessed us with the ultimate.”
As many other artists, Beyonce is seizing the opportunity to turn her pregnancy into a money spinner by launching her own maternity line.
New Zealand’s oil spill response agency, Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), say that 350 tones of oil have escaped from Rena – a stranded cargo ship – which hit the ground near port of Tauranga last week.
New Zealand Oil spill
MNZ stated that the ship has sustained “some damage from current movement and there is a significant amount of oil leaking from the vessel.”
When the vessel,which is operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Co., became stranded, it was headed for the Port of Tauranga to load cargo
Birds and penguins have been sighted covered in oil and there are fears the ship could break up in gale-force winds, predicted to hit Monday.
Authorities have posted bright yellow notices on beaches telling bathers to stay away and not to eat seafood.
Maritime New Zealand said about 20 to 30 tonnes of oil spilled into the Bay of Plenty and has formed a five-kilometre-long slick. Planes and helicopters have been spraying chemicals on the slick in a bid to break the slick up. The New Zealand navy has sent four ships to help break up the oil, but so far, it hasn’t helped much.
In an update late Sunday, the agency said that a barge, the Awanuia, had pulled up alongside the Rena and was to begin pumping fuel from the stricken ship. This operation is expected to last at least two days, however it the bad weather could cause a delay.
Breck Gartrill, head of the New Zealand Wildlife Health Centre, said the oil is killing penguins and seabirds.
“From tip to toe they are covered in black sticky gunk, matting up all their feathers, right down to the skin. They’ve ingested it and they are starting to get anemic, which is part of the toxic effect of the oil,” he said.
A rehabilitation centre has been set up in Tauranga for animals that came in contact with oil.
A Nancy Shevell’s black-and-white photograph surfaced today, few days after the new Lady McCartney married Sir Paul in central London, and shows her aged just 17.
The picture was taken from Nancy Shevell‘s yearbook as she graduated from high school in Edison, New Jersey in 1977.
The black-and-white photograph shows that the Nancy Shevell has not only improved with age, but has possibly had cosmetic surgery to straighten her nose.
It appears also that Nancy Shevell have had her teeth straightened and possibly veneered, giving her the smile she has today.
The picture was taken from Nancy Shevell's yearbook as she graduated from high school in Edison, New Jersey in 1977
On the high school yearbook she listed her interests as skiing and flying.
Nancy Shevell was born in November 1960 to Myron and Arlene Shevell with a brother Jon and sister Susan in Edison, New Jersey. Her father, Myron Shevell is a head of a trucking firm, New England Motor Freight.
Nancy Shevell graduated and was accepted at Arizona State University, where she majored in transportation, and was the only woman to do so at the time.
During her Arizona University studies she met her ex-husband, attorney Bruce Blakeman, with whom she has a son, Arlen, 19.
Nancy Shevell is a member of the board of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as well as vice president of a family-owned transportation conglomerate which owns New England Motor Freight.
Nancy Shevell married Paul McCartney at Marylebone Register Office on Sunday
Last Sunday, Nancy Shevell married Paul McCartney at Marylebone Register Office in central London, where he married Linda Eastman in March 1969.
Nancy Shevell and Paul McCartney have a combined fortune of over $1 billion.
Nancy Shevell, 51, is the third wife of Sir Paul McCartney. The New York millionairess started dating Paul McCartney in November 2007 and it was announced on 6 May 2011 that the two had become engaged.
Nancy Shevell and Linda McCartney, Paul’s first wife, were pals. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s, around the time Linda was losing her battle. The two women became then close friends.
Nancy Shevell is a breast cancer survivor. Nancy and her ex-husband Bruce Blakeman knew Paul McCartney, his wife Linda and the children when they visited the Hamptons where Linda had family.
Russian officials have said they have found “indisputable evidence” that yetis creatures exist and are living in Siberia.
The information has been heard during an international conference after an expedition tracked down Yeti in the Mount Shoria area.
But the expedition team has no convincing photographic or DNA evidence. Their claim appears to be based on bent branches, a single unclear footprint and a small sample of grey “hair”, found in a cave.
The cave is situated in the Kemerovo region, Russia, and local officials announced yesterday that “indisputable evidence” of Yeti existence had been found.
According to researchers who led the expedition, they are closer than ever to catching one Yeti.
“During the expedition to the Azasskaya cave, conference participants gathered indisputable proof that the Shoria mountains are inhabited by the Snow Man,” the Kemerovo region administration announced yesterday.
“They found his footprints, his supposed bed, and various markers with which the Yeti uses to denote his territory.”
But some Russian media reports have treated the Yeti claims with considerable skepticism.
Kemerovo officials said they are 95% certain of the existence of Yeti in a highland area known as Mount Shoria.
In the same time, the researchers themselves were less keen than the Kemerovo officials to claim the Yeti is definitely real. The specialists said that the hair sample should be analyzed for DNA – a process now in progress – before any claims were made.
Yeti footprint found in Himalaya in 2008
The researchers have also found a bed of sticks and they claimed that the Yeti had slept on, but is not thought to have contained hair samples.
Dr. Igor Burtsev, leader of the international event – the first of its kind for half a century, claimed it would not be long before people everywhere would appreciate the Yeti’s existence.
“We are close to finally finding the Abominable Snowman,” Dr. Burtsev said.
Dr. Igor Burtsev claims around 30 Yetis live in the Kemerovo region, adding that they are Neandethal men who have survived to this day.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, there have been increased “sightings” of Yeti, and it is claimed more than a dozen villagers and hunters in this vast mountainous region close to the town of Tashtagol have given written accounts of either seeing the beasts themselves or finding their tracks.
The villagers had also reported of the Yeti – claimed to be around 7ft-tall – stealing livestock from remote farms.
But none of the local eye-witnesses gave evidence directly to the session, though participants heard other accounts from around the globe.
“We were shown some twisted willow branches that are referred to as markers – they were convincing evidence of this hominoid,” said John Binderangel, a Canadian Yeti researcher, who has spent 30 years hunting for conclusive proof of the Yeti.
“There were also some tracks, but we’re not quite sure what to make of them.”
During the conference, an American housewife told audience she regularly feeds Yeti in her back garden in Michigan but was unable to produce a single photograph of an elusive creature rumored to exist for thousands of years.
After the specialists ended the expedition, another hunt to the same cave to find the Yeti was led by the “Beast of the East” – former Russian heavyweight boxing champion Nikolai Valuyev. Nikolai Valuyev’s expedition ended in failure, though locals saw it as a key plank in the region’s bid to boost tourism.
“Valuyev did not manage to meet the Yeti itself but on the way he discovered <<traces>> such as broken tree branches,” said a spokesman.
“I saw lots of journalists but no Yetis,” admitted Nikolai Valuyev.
Dmitry Islamov, Vice Governor of Kemerovo Region on Economics and Regional Development said:
“It doesn’t matter that the Kuzbass might not have Yetis. The main thing is that when people come to the Shoria Mountains, they truly enjoy its unique nature.”
The first accounts of Yetis emerged before the 19th century from Buddhists who believed that the creature inhabited the Himalayas.
They depicted the mysterious beast as having similarities to an ape and carrying a large stone as a weapon while making a whistling sound.
The term Abominable Snowman was developed in 1921 following a book by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury called Mount Everest The Reconnaissance.
Popular interest in creature gathered pace in early 20th century as tourists began making their own trips to the region to try and capture the Yeti. The tourists reported seeing strange markings in the snow.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, was found guilty of abuse of authority by signing gas contracts with Russia in 2009.
Mrs Tymoshenko claimed the charges against her were politically motivated.
In April, the Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s office opened a criminal case charging Yulia Tymoshenko with signing overpriced gas deals with Russian energy provider Gazprom that inflicted damages to the country of more than 1.5 billion hryvnas (almost $190 million at the current exchange rate) and which Yulia Tymoshenko had allegedly no right to sign.
Yulia Tymoshenko rejected multiple times all the charges against her, calling the trial a “farce” and naming the judge a “stooge of (President Viktor) Yanukovych’s administration” appointed to “fabricate” the case.
Yulia Tymoshenko was sentenced to prison for seven years. Judge Rodion Kireyev said the former prime minister would also have to pay back the money lost by the state gas company as a result of the deal. In addition to that, she was banned from political office for three years.
As the verdict was read out, Mrs Tymoshenko spoke over the judge, saying she would fight to defend her honest name. She said she would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
“We will fight and defend my good name in the European court,” she said. “We have to be strong and defend Ukraine from this authoritarianism.”
When the judge finished the verdict, all supporters in the courtroom cried “Shame!”
“Dear friends, I just want to say that I disagree with this verdict and I am saying that the year 1937 is back again,”Yulia Tymoshenko said in the courtroom on Tuesday, making a reference to Josef Stalin’s rule when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.
The US and the EU have condemned the charges as selective prosecution of political opponents.
European officials suggested that jailing Mrs Tymoshenko would be a serious blow to the country’s hopes of integration with the European Union.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the nation’s 2009 natural gas agreements with Ukraine were legal.
“We follow the principle that (Yulia) Tymoshenko’s trial must be fair and unbiased and meet all of the requirements of Ukrainian legislation, with the possibility of defense and compliance with the fundamental humanitarian standards and rules,” according to a ministry statement.
A major study results showed that vitamins and other dietary supplements taken by 50+ women may actually put them at more risk.
According to scientists, there is little evidence the vitamins and dietary supplements do any good and in fact some could be causing serious harm.
The study involved nearly 39,000 women and has found multivitamins, vitamin B, folic acid, iron, magnesium and copper supplements all increased the statistical risk of premature death.
Most of the popular pills include multivitamins, vitamin A, C and E, iron, folic acid and calcium – which are all thought to improve long-term health and ward off illnesses.
Scientists from U.S., Finland, Norway, and South Korea looked at the long-term health effects of common vitamin and minerals supplements on 38,772 women aged 55 to 69.
Women had been asked to record any supplements they regularly took over an 18-year period.
A major observational study, which involved nearly 39,000 women, has found multivitamins, vitamin B, folic acid, iron, magnesium and copper supplements all increased the statistical risk of premature death
The study results, which were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found copper increased the risk of dying prematurely by 18%. Folic acid – which pregnant women are told to take to protect their child against spina bifida – increased risk of death by almost 6%, while iron raised the risk by nearly 4%.
The study also showed that multivitamins raised the risk of premature death in 50+ women by 2.4%, vitamin B6 by 4%, magnesium by 3.6% and zinc by 3%.
However, the researchers said they do not fully understand how supplements may trigger early death among 50+ women, but supposed they may interfere with the body’s natural defenses.
The scientists said the vitamins and dietary supplements should only be taken by patients who are malnourished and only under the supervision of a doctor. All other people should ensure they eat a balanced diet to get adequate vitamins and minerals.
Jaakko Mursu, from the University of Eastern Finland, said:
“Based on existing evidence, we see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements.
“We recommend that they be used with strong medically-based cause, such as symptomatic nutrient deficiency disease.”
The new study results back up another major study carried out at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark in 2008 which found some vitamin supplements increase the risk of dying early by 16%.
Yesterday, when scientists dismissed the latest findings, they claimed many patients took supplements to treat underlying health problems – for example iron for anaemia – so were more likely to die early anyway.
Dr. Glenys Jones, from the Medical Research Council’s Human Nutrition Research unit in Cambridge, said: “This observational study is interesting, but it does not show supplement use causes women to die earlier.”
Facebook is rapidly becoming the go-to place for Internet marketers who want to be creative with their advertising.
You can use Facebook in a lot of ways but one of the best (especially in terms of site traffic) is to run your own popular and successful fan page. One of the key areas you need to focus on here is the kind of posts you write for your page that you update for your fans. Keep reading to learn some good tips for writing Facebook posts that will give you the results you really want.
When preparing a post for Facebook, one of the most eminent things you should remember is to make sure it applies to the audience you directing it toward. Because fan pages are intended to focus on a select group of people, you obviously should be writing about that particular topic and not just hit and miss items. The explanation for keeping all of your posts as applicable as you can is that they need to be related to the leading theme. It’s essential for you to form a quality post and make it into an interactive one that will absorb your follower’s attention. By making queries, instigating arguments or chats, and more, you can accomplish this. All of this is only possible if your post is tailored towards your fans and isn’t a random one.
Be certain that your posts contain various topics so that your fans will not be bored.
Your goal is to submit posts that are helpful to your fans as well as entertain them. You do not want anything to happen that will make them leave. This means that you have to put some fire into your updates by using various kinds of submissions. There are many fan pages that you’ll notice where the posts are going on in one direction, without any real changes. These posts will make it appear that you are a micro blogger that wants to keep their fans satisfied. You will have to be certain that all of your posts are always up to date.
Your posts need to be completely understandable and not elusive. Be sure that anything you have to pronounce is not long-winded. The aim for this is to put together posts on your fan page so that you get some sort of retort from your aficionados. Now if your followers can’t entirely determine what your message is saying, then it will be impossible for them to make any kind of moves. If you desire to put together something puzzling, don’t hesitate to do so. But don’t do it at the expense of the quality of your post because vague posts are highly irritating and confusing as well.
In conclusion, you can tell by reading this article the things that you need to do to get as much as possible from your Facebook marketing campaign.
It is important to be sure of your updates because those are what will help you get your messages across to your niche audience. Remember that while you are working with Facebook you are creating your own brand as you build your business. All of your Fan page updates and posts are important so be sure that you really want to post things before you push publish.
Thein Sein, Burma’s president will grant amnesty to more than 6,300 prisoners starting with tomorrow, according to the local state-controlled media.
The amnesty announcement in Burma was made on state television and did not specify how many of those freed prisoners would be political detainees.
Thein Sein’s announcement came hours after Burma’s new human rights body called for the release of “prisoners of conscience” who did not threaten state stability.
Yesterday, the United States said if Burma will show concrete progress on issues like political prisoners, it would respond.
Burma is currently under Western nations’ sanctions, and one of the key reasons is political prisoners.
Thein Sein, Burma's president will grant amnesty to more than 6,300 prisoners starting with tomorrow
The number of political detainees is thought to be more than two thousands and includes journalists, pro-democracy activists, government critics, monks involved in anti-government protests in 2007 and members of Burma’s ethnic groups fighting for greater autonomy.
It said that the total of 6,359 prisoners will be released starting with tomorrow.
The amnesty announcement did not say whether the action will include political prisoners, as Burma has in the past carried out large-scale amnesties without freeing political prisoners.
However, recently there have been reports from Burma, citing unidentified government officials, suggesting an amnesty of some political prisoners could be imminent.
Thein Sein amnesty announcement came on the same day that Burma’s new human rights commission called on the president to release “prisoners of conscience”.
The human rights commission said in an letter published in Burma’ state media that those who did not “pose a threat to the stability of state” should be freed to help with nation-building.
Burma held its first elections in two decades almost a year ago – polls which saw military rule replaced with a military-backed civilian-led government.
Starting with that moment, Burma’s government has freed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and held dialogue with her.
Yesterday, Kurt Campbell, a top US diplomat, said the United States had noted “dramatic developments under way” in Burma.
Kurt Campbell said also that Washington wanted to see concrete progress on issues like political prisoners – and if it did, the United States would respond.
Steve Jobs’ cause of death was respiratory arrest linked to the spread of his pancreatic cancer, according to his death certificate.
Steve Jobs’ death certificate, filed in Santa Clara County, California listed Apple co-founder occupation as “high-tech entrepreneur”.
Steve Jobs died last Wednesday, October 5, at the age of 56 at his home in Palo Alto and no post-mortem examination was performed.
He was buried on Friday, October 7.
According to the Associated Press news agency, Steve Jobs’ death certificate was released by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department on Monday.
Steve Jobs’ cause of death was respiratory arrest linked to the spread of his pancreatic cancer, according to his death certificate
The certificate wrote Steve Jobs had a “metastatic pancreas neuroendocrine tumour” for the past five years.
Steve Jobs announced that he was suffering from pancreatic cancer in 2004. The former Apple CEO had a liver transplant in 2009.
At the beginning of this year, Steve Jobs took medical leave, before formally resigning as Apple CEO in August and handing over his duties to Tim Cook.
Steve Jobs’ family said in a statement after his death that they were with him when he died peacefully.
Steve Jobs died the next day after Apple launched its latest iPhone, the 4S version.
Yesterday, the company announced it received more than one million pre-orders by the end of last week for the new device iPhone 4S, breaking a record set by the iPhone 4 when it was released in 2010.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher spent Yom Kippur day on a Kabbalah camping retreat at Cachuma Lake in an attempt to rebuild their marriage.
RadarOnline reported that Ashton Kutcher apologized for his behavior to Demi Moore on Yom Kippur, the holy day of atonement for Jews.
Ashton Kutcher, 33, allegedly asked for the chance to make amends for cheating on his 48-year-old wife Demi Moore with younger Sara Leal on the morning of their sixth anniversary at the end of September.
It was the first time actors have been seen together in the last months, and since news broke of Ashton Kutcher had an alcohol-fuelled hot tub party awash with women, including 23-year-old Sara Leal.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher spent Yom Kippur day on a Kabbalah camping retreat at Cachuma Lake in an attempt to rebuild their marriage
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher had wanted their meeting at Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara, California on Sunday to remain a secret, but a fellow camper captured a photograph of them sitting around a campfire with two other companions.
Demi Moore was wearing a Kabbalah red string bracelet on her left wrist, which is meant to bring good fortune and protect against an “evil eye”.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are being counselled by members of the Kabbalah faith, which is a controversial offshoot of Judaism.
Madonna and other celebrities like Roseanne Barr, Britney Spears, Rosie O’Donnell, Lindsay Lohan and Naomi Campbell have also been associated with Kabbalah religion.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher turned to the Kabbalah religion seven weeks ago and signed up to its counselling service in order to save their marriage.
Kabbalah religion teaches its superstar believers:
“What seems to be a problem is actually a gift: a chance to remove an internal obstacle that stands between ourselves and the unlimited happiness that is our real destiny.”
Amber Miller, a 39 weeks pregnant woman from Illinois who was expecting her second child any day, set off to run the Chicago Marathon.
According to Chicago Tribune, as Amber Miller, 27, neared the final stages of the marathon, contractions kicked in.
But the brave Amber Miller continued the race regardless, half running – half walking, and she managed to cross the finish line in 6 hours and 25 minutes.
After few hours after she completed the marathon (26.2 miles) on Sunday, Amber Miller gave birth to her daughter, June Audra.
The Chicago race was not really the baby June’s first marathon, as her mother, Amber Miller ran the Wisconsin Marathon earlier this year, when she was four months pregnant.
After few hours after she completed the marathon on Sunday, Amber Miller gave birth to her daughter, June Audra (abc News image)
Amber Miller also ran another marathon when she was about four months pregnant with her son, Caleb, now 19 months old.
The 27-year-old runner’s time was just three hours off her personal best.
Amber Miller began having contractions near the end of the race, but says she is not sure if it was labour, because she typically feels some contractions when she runs while pregnant.
Her husband drove Amber to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield where she gave birth to the healthy 7 pounds, 13 oz baby.
“The race was definitely easier than labour,” Amber Miller said at the end of the day.
The pregnant woman decided to run because she and her husband, Joe Miller, had already signed up for the race.
Amber Miller got the approval from her doctor and says she experienced a enthusiastic welcome from crowds as she ran along.
The athletic mother told WGN-Channel 9: “I got the OK from my doctor to run half, and my husband ran with me and supported me along the way,“
“I ran half and walked half, that’s how I finished. Everybody just kind of stared as I’m running by.”
Amber Miller told TV station she had ran regularly throughout her pregnancy and marathon organizers had not interfered in her decision to run.
“I just take it easy. I drink lots and walk lots so it’s not too bad.”
She also told Chicago Tribune: “I know what I can handle. This is something I’ve been doing for a long time.”
“I have been running all the way up until this point anyway so I’m kind of used to it.”
Amber Miller’s daughter was born at 10:29 pm on Sunday night after seven hours labour and she is in “excellent” shape, according to the neo-natologist at the hospital.
Doctors said the greatest risk to mother and baby was dehydration, which could have sent her into premature labour.
However, Amber Miller was in excellent physical shape when she ran and had already carried the baby full term.
Ben & Jerry’s is the first corporate that is backing the Occupy Wall Street movement, as the company announced today on its website.
Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream company, known for standing up for liberal issues, slammed the “immoral” inequality between classes in the U.S.
Ben & Jerry’s announcement followed the House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who said she is backing the movement as the political debate around the protests intensified.
The Vermont-based ice-cream company said it has the “deepest admiration” for protesters because of the U.S. unemployment crisis and rising cost of higher education.
Ben & Jerry’s is the first corporate that is backing the Occupy Wall Street movement
Ben & Jerry’s, which is part of the Unilever conglomerate, is also well-known as an outspoken anti-capitalist company.
“We know that words are relatively easy but we wanted to act quickly to demonstrate our support,” the company said in a statement on its website.
“We realize that Occupy Wall Street is calling for systemic change.
“We support this call to action and are honored to join you in this call to take back our nation and democracy,” said Ben & Jerry’s board of directors in a statement.
The Ben & Jerry’s mission statement on the Unilever website said:
“We seek and support nonviolent ways to achieve peace and justice.”
“We believe government resources are more productively used in meeting human needs than in building and maintaining weapons systems.”
The Ben & Jerry’s company was founded in 1978 and launched a “Hubby Hubby” ice-cream in support of same-sex marriage in 2009.
Ben & Jerry’s also launched a “Yes Pecan” flavor to celebrate Barack Obama’s becoming U.S. president.
The Vermont-based company often holds free ice-cream giveaways – so Occupy Wall Street protesters will be hoping that will be the case again here.
Ben Greenfield and Jerry Cohen were the unlikely pair who used a $5 course in ice-cream making to become one of America’s most iconic success stories in recent decades.
The two men set up a business with $12,000 in 1978, and it turned into one of the most well-known ice-cream firms worldwide.
Ben & Jerry’s company tries to promote “linked prosperity”, so it is big on ethical business practices, sustainable growth and being socially responsible.
The ice-cream company became a multimillion-dollar publicly traded one before being bought by conglomerate Unilever for $326 million in 2000.
Ben Greenfield and Jerry Cohen kept away from the running of the company, but they often help out at openings of new stores.
But Greenfield and Cohen were disillusioned that Unilever had not vigorously pursued the mission of corporate social responsibility it accepted with the purchase.
However, they have maintained their political affiliation despite the sell-out, and Unilever has brought out its own liberal flavors over the last two years.
Rachel Uchitel, the so-known “Tiger Woods mistress”, married her fiancée, Matt Hahn, this weekend in Las Vegas.
Rachel Uchitel became famous when rumours about a possible love affair between her and former golf player Tiger Woods got media’s attention.
The-36 year-old nightclub manager was considered Tigers number one mistress and was covered in reports over and over again as she tumbled out of Tigers closet one time after the other.
Matt Hahn’ s private and professional sectors have been affected by his life style. His affairs resulted in his marriage to Elin Nordegren, Swedish model, being shattered. Furthermore, Tigers is currently struggling to get back in shape to continue his golf career.
A spokesman for Rachel Uchitel described the marriage as unplanned for. The couple got the idea about getting married while attending a wedding during the weekend. Rachel and her 10 years younger husband, exchanged vows during a ceremony that took place on Sunday at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Just 12 close friends of the couple were present for the event.
Other celebrities like Michael Jordan, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis and Britney Spears used the same location for their weddings.
Rachel Uchitel stated that they “are really happy and feel extremely fortunate to have one another”.
Rachel Uchitel
The bride wore a long orange dress for the event and walked into the chapel on the Single Ladies Beyonce song, only to exit it while listening to That’s What You Get for Waking Up In Vegas.
The couple made their relationship public in March. Since then both twitted several times about it. For Rachel Uchitel, Hahn, former Penn State football player, is the best thing that happened to her in a very long time. While her husband feels “very blessed to come home to such an amazing person every night”.
Rachel Uchitel was married once before to Steven Ehrenkranz, a long time friend and old schoolmate who was a trader for the New York Stock Exchange. They got married in 2004 but their relationship only lasted for a few months.
Also, she was engaged before her two marriages to James Andrew O’Grady, and investment banker, who died tragically in the 9/11 events.
Nancy Shevell is the third wife of Sir Paul McCartney and the daughter of an American trucking magnate.
Nancy Shevell, 51, the New York millionairess, started dating Paul McCartney in November 2007 and it was announced on 6 May 2011 that the two had become engaged.
Nancy Shevell’s birthday is in November 1960. She was born to Myron and Arlene Shevell with a brother Jon and sister Susan in Edison, New Jersey. Her father, Myron Shevell is a head of a trucking firm, New England Motor Freight.
Nancy Shevell and Linda McCartney, Paul’s first wife, were pals. Nancy was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 30s, around the time Linda was losing her battle. The two women became then close friends.
Nancy Shevell is a breast cancer survivor. Nancy and her ex-husband Bruce Blakeman knew Paul McCartney, his wife Linda and the children when they visited the Hamptons where Linda had family.
Nancy Shevell happens to be Barbara Walters’ second cousin. When “The View” broke the news that Nancy Shevell and Paul McCartney were dating, Barbara Walters said: “I love her very much. She’s my second cousin. Her mother, who died, was my first cousin. And I have been very close to this young woman.”
Nancy Shevell is the third wife of Sir Paul McCartney and the daughter of an American trucking magnate
Nancy Shevell was married to Bruce Blakeman in 1984, having a son, Arlen Walters, in 1992.
Nancy Shevell officially divorced her husband of 23 years, Bruce Blakeman, a powerful lawyer, in December 2008. Supposedly, their break up was amicable and mutual.
Nancy Shevell has been dating Paul McCartney since her separation in November 2007. She was first caught giving Paul McCartney a kiss after his split from Heather Mills at her luxurious hideout in the Hamptons.
According to her official biography, Nancy Shevell serves as Vice President of Administration at Shevell Group of Companies, L.L.C.
Nancy Shevell also serves as a Vice President of Administration of The Shevell Group and its subsidiary, Carrier Industries, Inc.
Nancy Shevell has been Vice President of Administration of New England Motor Freight, Inc., a subsidiary of Shevell Group since 1986.
Nancy Shevell is responsible for accounts receivable, corporate communications, benefits administration, purchasing of all supplies and equipment with the exception of trucks and overall office management.
She joined NEMF in 1983 as Manager of Administration and served as its Director of Administration until 1986.
Nancy Shevell is a Co-Chairperson of the Arlene Walters Shevell Endowment Scholarship Fund.
The new Lady McCartney is active in numerous other charities and public interest organizations. She has been on the MTA Board since 2001 as an appointee of former NY Governor George Pataki.
Nancy Shevell was appointed as Chairperson of the Capital Construction Committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2004. She was the recipient of the Fred Harley Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Transportation.
Nancy Shevell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University, where she majored in Transportation.
On 9 October 2011, Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell married at Old Marylebone Town Hall in central London, where his first wedding with Linda eastman took place in 1969. According to reports, the couple attended synagogue services the day before out of respect for Nancy Shevell’s Jewish heritage. Upon their marriage, Nancy Shevell became Lady McCartney.
Dr. Conrad Murray is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the overdosing death of Michael Jackson, who died on June 25, 2009 at age 50, of an overdose of the powerful anesthetic, propofol.
Dr. Conrad Murray
The testimony by people who were present at Michael Jackson’s mansion when he died – bodyguards, a cook and other aides – have described for the court elements of life in the Jackson home.
Skin Bleaching Creams
The manager and a pharmacist at a specialty pharmacy told jurors that Dr. Murray called him in the months before Michael Jackson’s death to ask about making a cream to treat people suffering from vitiligo. Vitiligo is a condition where one’s skin loses pigmentation.
“He was looking for a specific dermatological agent that is used for whitening of the skin…He mentioned that a lot of his patients were African American and they could use the medication,” said Tim Lopez of Applied Pharmacy Services.
Michael Jackson told Oprah Winfrey in 1993 that he suffered from the condition, but denied that he bleached his skin.
Dr. Murray explained in a police interview that he would often rub Jackson’s body with cream to treat his vitiligo.
One of the oddest routines was the revelation that Michael Jackson wore a urinary catheter while sleeping.
“I recall seeing what appeared to be a plastic bag or some sort of medical device,” said bodyguard Alberto Alvarez who ran into Michael Jackson’s room when called on the day Michael Jackson died.
A coroner investigator also retrieved a jug of Michael Jackson‘s urine from the scene.
A witness from a pharmaceutical and medical supply company testified that Dr. Murray’s staff ordered numerous catheters and urine bags from them in the months before the singer died.
Dr. Richelle Cooper – emergency room attendant – told jurors that Dr. Murray said that the only regular medications that Michael Jackson took were Valium and Flomax. Flomax is typically used to treat someone suffering from a kidney stone or an enlarged prostate.
Beet Juice and Almond Milk For Breakfast
The personal chef of Michael Jackson and his three children – Kai Chase – said that the singer insisted that healthy food be served. He also wanted lunch served at 12:30 PM sharp.
“Typically, his breakfast would consist sometimes of granola with almond milk…beet juice or carrot orange juice or sometimes he would have an omelette, spinach or something with a lot of vegetables in it,” said Kai Chase.
In the months before he died, Michael Jackson had begun coming down less frequently for breakfast. Dr. Conrad Murray increasingly took Michael Jackson’s breakfast to him, Kai Chase told jurors.
On the day Michael Jackson died of a drug overdose, Kai Chase had prepared granola and almond milk for the singer and had made some of his favorite juices. When she arrived to work that day, she’d noticed that a Tuscan white bean soup she’d made for him the night before to eat after he finished rehearsing for his grueling comeback tour, This Is It, was still in the fridge uneaten.
Despite his emphasis on healthy food, Michael Jackson‘s frame was so thin, paramedic Richard Senneff said he could see Jackson’s ribs and his thin frame made him at first think the singer was suffering from a chronic illness.
Phone Phobia
Michael Jackson had a cell phone and just a few people knew his number. There was no landline in the Jackson home. When people wanted to get in touch with the singer, they often went through Michael Amir Williams. Those who worked with Michael Jackson often said they would meet with the singer personally rather than call him.
Michael Jackson was so private that his staff rarely ventured into his second floor living quarters. Even Michael Amir Williams, his personal assistant, only went upstairs if summoned.
“He liked his privacy and we respected that… I went upstairs when asked. He may ask me to help set something up” Michael Amir Williams said.
A security trailer was adjacent to the home where Michael Jackson’s security guards stayed unless called into the house. His assistant often hung in the trailer too.
Travel Like a President
Michael Jackson
Protecting the notoriously reclusive Michael Jackson’s privacy meant that his security team had to case routes and locations before the singer would leave the house. If Michael Jackson wanted to go shopping, his bodyguard would visit the stores beforehand.
“He would usually give me instructions as to what he wanted to buy or what he wanted to go shopping for. He would ask me to go look for certain stores…look for the stores that had the items that he would look for,” Alberto Alvarez said.
Even getting to rehearsal at the Staples Center for his This Is It tour required three cars and a lot of preparation, witnesses testified. Michael Jackson’s personal assistant, Michael Amir Williams, said:
“We would have an advanced vehicle who would go before us, make sure…we take the proper route…make sure everything is set up, make sure there’s a safe entrance” . “Mr. Jackson would be in the principal vehicle with a trail vehicle behind it.”
The advanced team would make certain a golf cart was ready to greet Michael Jackson in the underground parking lot and that his dressing room was as he liked it, including having the thermostat set high.
“I would make sure that everything that he is accustomed to is in place,” Alberto Alvarez said. “He liked a warm setting.”
Oxygen Tanks in the Bedroom
Other clues about Michael Jackson‘s health revealed during the trial include his use of oxygen tanks.
Several witnesses have testified about the presence of oxygen tanks in Jackson’s rented mansion. An empty oxygen tank was in Michael Jackson’s bedroom when he died.
Two members of Michael Jackson‘s security team testified that Dr. Conrad Murray would roll empty tanks to the security trailer adjacent to the home and await the delivery of full tanks.
Alvarez told jurors that a sign on the tanks read, “please remember to take the oxygen tanks every Friday as soon as place opens”.
Michael Jackson’s Many Aliases
Michael Jackson was called MJ and the king of pop by his fans. He was taunted in the press as Wacko Jacko and toyed publicly with the persona of being a modern day Peter Pan, famously calling his home Neverland.
In death, the world has learned that when it came to getting prescription drugs, Michael Jackson went by several aliases.
Stephen Marx, a forensic computer examiner with the Drug Enforcement Agency, testified that emails from a Dr. Conrad Murray staffer included medical records for an “Omar Arnold” and a MRI for a patient called “Paul Farance.” Prescriptions bottles found in Michael Jackson’s bedroom were also made for a “Mick Jackson”.
Taking a new step on preventing melanoma, Edmund G. Brown, Jr., California Governor, signed on October 9 SB 746 into a law that restricts persons under age of 18 from using indoor tanning devices.
The law takes effect starting January 1, 2012.
It is the first time in the U.S. when a state interdicts tanning beds use to minors. Senate Bill 746 replaces the current law, which allows teens (14-17 years old) to use tanning beds if they have parental permission.
Minimum 32 states regulate the use of tanning devices by teens. In 2010 Howard County, Maryland was the first jurisdiction that restricted tanning booths for children under 18. Texas has prohibited the use of tanning booths for persons under 16.
Senator Ted W. Lieu is the author of the bill in the Senate and the law was sponsored by AIM at Melanoma and the California Society of Dermatology & Dermatological Surgery (CalDerm) and backed by medical organizations and health insurers.
Illinois, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island have considered the same age limit for tanning beds prohibition, but they have to enact the law.
Indoor Tanning Association said the interdiction affects businesses, lots of them owned by women, as around 5 percent to 10 percent of its members’ customers are under 18.
Tanning salons are regulated by the state Department of Consumer Affairs and the federal Food and Drug Administration, said the organization.
Using a tanning device before the age of 20 increases the risk of melanoma by two times.
The linkage between tanning devices and melanoma was emphasized during the recent years.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and artificial sources (tanning beds and sun lamps) is a carcinogen, stated The United States Department of Health and Human Services in 2002.
“People under the age of 35 who are exposed to indoor tanning have a 75 percent increased risk of skin cancer, and the younger you are exposed to indoor tanning, the greater your risk of getting potentially fatal melanoma,” Dr. Peter Beilenson said in 2009, citing a study from the World Health Organization.
“Teenagers are much more likely to burn with indoor tanning. Fifty-eight percent report burning in indoor tanning. And burns, particularly at a young age, are clearly correlated with developing melanoma and other skin cancers later in life,” he said.
Repeated exposure to UV radiation from tanning devices before age of 35 is associated with a 75 percent increased risk of melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma), studies show.
Exposure to UV can cause skin damage which is cumulative and can lead to skin cancers, or melanoma.
Around 30 million people in the U. S., including 2.3 million teens, use tanning beds annually.
The use of tanning devices before the age of 20 double the risk of developing melanoma. In women between the ages of 25 and 30 melanoma causes more deaths than all other cancers, while in women 30-34 this deadliest skin cancer comes second after the breast cancer.
“If everyone knew the true dangers of tanning beds, they’d be shocked. Skin cancer is a rising epidemic and the leading cause of cancer death for women between 25 and 29,” said Ted Lieu and cited a recent Stanford Cancer Institute study according to higher melanoma rates were found among girls and young women in areas of higher income.
“Indoor tanning is especially harmful because of the intense and dangerous type of UV rays emitted from the tanning beds. Moreover the skin damage is cumulative, so the more exposure one gets younger in life, the worse the harmful effects will be,” he said.
More than 3.5 million skin cancers in more than 2 million people are diagnosed annually. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer during the lifetime, it is estimated.
Jerry Brown was praised by the melanoma prevention supporters.
“California is expected to have 8,250 new cases of melanoma in 2011, or approximately 12 percent of the estimated 70,000 cases nationwide. Melanoma incidence rates have been increasing for the last 30 years, but have been growing most rapidly — three percent per year — since 1992 among young women ages 15 to 39. We encourage other states to follow California’s lead and help slow the incidence of potentially deadly skin cancer by prohibiting the use of commercial tanning devices by minors,” said dermatologist Ann F. Haas, MD, FAAD, former president of the CalDerm.
“I praise Governor Brown for his courage in taking this much-needed step to protect some of California’s most vulnerable residents – our kids – from what the ‘House of Medicine’ has conclusively shown is lethally dangerous: ultraviolet-emitting radiation from tanning beds,” said Ted Lieu.
“Girls in affluent California communities especially are surrounded by the message that being tanned all year round is cool. Pop music star Katy Perry is even singing about it,” said Christina Clarke of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California.
“The California Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery (CalDerm) and AIM at Melanoma Foundation, the bill’s two co-sponsors, applaud Governor Brown for taking the time to thoroughly understand the importance of this first-in-the-nation legislation. We also commend Senator Ted Lieu, his staff and the members of the California legislature who supported efforts to protect young Californians from the dangers of indoor tanning,” said Alex Miller, MD, President of CalDerm.
“This is a major victory in the fight against melanoma. It is alarming that so many young women are unnecessarily developing melanoma because of a recreational activity. We applaud Governor Brown for taking advantage of this unique opportunity to blaze a trail by banning minors from using tanning beds. We thank him for joining our fight against this preventable killer,” said Valerie Guild, president and founder of AIM at Melanoma.
Valerie Guild lost her daughter (age 26) because of melanoma. AIM at Melanoma was founded in memory of Charlie Guild and Jim Schlipmann (who died of melanoma at 44). It is the largest international melanoma foundation focused on melanoma research, patient advocacy, legislation, education and awareness. The foundation supports melanoma research efforts by hosting international research forums and is helping to create the first melanoma tissue bank, widely believed by the oncology community to be a key to major breakthroughs in melanoma research.
For more information on melanoma please visit www.AIMatMelanoma.org, www.aad.org, or contact the Academy at 1 (888) 462-DERM (3376).
Marzieh Vafamehr, an Iranian actress, has been condamned to one year in prison and 90 lashes for her role in “My Tehran for Sale” – a film about the limits imposed on artists in the Islamic republic.
Marzieh Vafamehr
The movie came under harsh criticism in conservative circles and Marzieh Vafamehr was arrested in July. Marzieh Vafamehr was held at the Gharchak prison until the investigation was completed. Her lawyer has appealed the sentence, which was handed down Saturday.
Marzieh Vafamehr is married to Nasser Taghavi, a prominent Iranian film director and writer. After the arrest, Taghavi said the charges against his wife were nonpolitical and were related to the film “My Tehran for Sale.”
“How can the judge investigate such a case when the most important people involved in this film are no longer in Iran?” Taghavi said.
The film was jointly funded by the South Australian Film Corporation and the Adelaide Film Festival.
Kate Croser, the Australian co-producer of the film, said the company offered assistance to Marzieh Vafamehr‘s family. Vafamehr’s family had requested a Western media blackout of the case after her arrest.
“There is an appeal which could be lengthy and the family may still believe that public comment will be unhelpful because they are going through all the official channels,” Croser said.
The film tells the story of a young actress in Tehran whose theater work is banned by the authorities. She is then forced to lead a secret life in order to express herself artistically, eventually meeting an expat who helps her plot her escape from Iran. The film also showed subversive footage of Iranians at Western-style rave parties.
The Fars news agency said the movie had not been approved for screening in Iran and was being distributed in the country illegally.
“We can say the charges were that there was no permit for filming, which is not true, and that in some scenes Marzieh was not wearing a hijab and had a shaved head,” Croser said.
Marzieh Vafamehr was released in late July after posting unspecified bail.
Iran also arrested six independent filmmakers last month on charges of collaborating with the BBC. Two of them, Naser Saffarian and Mohsen Shahrnazdar, who were accused of providing the BBC’s Farsi foreign language service with information, films and secret reports to paint “a black picture of Iran and Iranians,” were released Saturday.
Two women have been arrested after they started a bleach and other chemicals fight in a Walmart store in Baltimore, Maryland.
Police said Theresa Monique Jefferson, 33, and another woman threw bleach and another chemical on each other during the argument, prompting officials to evacuate the store for two hours and call in a hazardous materials team.
According to firefighters, 19 people, Walmart customers and employees, had to be taken to hospitals, although only one was thought to have serious injuries.
The alleged bleach fight between the two women took place in the Lansdowne Station shopping centre in Baltimore.
Theresa Monique Jefferson was arrested after she and another woman threw bleach and another chemical on each other during an argument at Walmart store in Baltimore
The Baltimore Sun said the argument between Theresa Monique Jefferson and the other woman went back before the store fight.
The Baltimore Sun also reported Theresa Monique Jefferson has a child with the victim’s boyfriend.
A spokesman for Walmart told the New York Daily News:
“This is obviously not the type of behaviour that we would expect from people at our stores.
“And we want to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused other customers.”
Three Walmart employees were also taken to hospital with minor respiratory problems.
The person who is in serious conditions was taken to the Wilmer Eye Institute with a potentially serious eye injury.
Firefighters were called to the Walmart store in the Baltimore suburb of Arbutus shortly before 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
Glenn Blackwell, Fire Department spokesman says that, by the end of the day, one person was arrested and charges are pending.
According to authorities, the other chemical used in the fight was ammonia and, when bleach and ammonia are mixed toxic fumes are produced that can cause choking and breathing problems.
Hoping for a soft sentence, Joe Gordon-a Thai-born U.S. citizen pleaded guilty Monday to charges of defaming Thailand’s royal family, a grave crime in this Southeast Asian kingdom punishable by up to 15 years in jail.
Reports show that Joe Gordon lived in the U.S. for about 30 years before returning to Thailand last March for medical treatment. He has been detained since late May in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima.
Joe Gordon
His primary crime appears to have been that he translated excerpts from locally censored biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej – “The King Never Smiles”- into the Thai language and published them on a blog. He also provided links to the translation to other two web forums, prosecutors say.
The book is banned in Thailand. In it, author Paul M. Handley retraces the king’s life, alleging that Bhumibol has been a major stumbling block to the progress of democracy in Thailand as he consolidated royal power over his long reign.
Joe Gordon committed the alleged crimes years ago while living in the U.S. state of Colorado, where he worked as a car salesman. This case has raised concerns about the reach of Thai law and how it is applied to both Thai nationals and foreign visitors.
Lese majeste is the crime of insulting a ruler, and Thailand has the most severe lese majeste laws in the world. Critics state they have been increasingly abused by political rivals to agress opponents, especially since a 2006 military coup.
“I’m not fighting in the case. I’m pleading guilty, sirs,”Gordon told three judges at a Bangkok criminal court. The 55-year-old spoke while standing with handcuffs and ankle shackles.
Judges said that a verdict and sentence would be issued on Nov. 9.
Defense lawyer Arnon Nampa told The Associated Press earlier that Joe Gordon had decided last week to plead guilty after being denied bail eight times.
“The fact that his bail requests have been repeatedly denied, that disheartened him and made him want to plead guilty,” Arnon said before Monday’s hearing. “He said he wanted the penalty to be lessened and intended to ask for the royal pardon.”
On occasions like Thai king’s birthday or the anniversary of ascension to the throne, royal pardons are granted to prisoners by the Thai king.
At first Joe Gordon has denied the charges against him. While he was being escorted into the courtroom, Gordon told the reporters that pleading innocent was futile. “How can I fight?” he said, adding that the justice system in Thailand is “not fair.”
“I want the American government to help me because this is about freedom of expression,” Gordon said.
American diplomats have pressed Thai authorities unsuccessfully to drop the case, arguing in part that it could damage the country’s tourism image and deter some from visiting.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Walter M. Braunohler said at Monday’s hearing:
“We will also continue to raise his case with Thai authorities, stressing at every possible opportunity his rights as an American citizen. We urge Thai authorities to ensure freedom of expression is respected.”
Many had hoped that the nascent administration of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, some of whose top supporters have been accused of lese majeste, would re-examine such harsh sentences for cases involving the monarchy. The issue remains highly sensitive, however, and Yingluck’s government has been just as aggressive in pursing the cases as its predecessors.
Chauncey Hardy, an American basketball player has died in hospital on Sunday evening after he had been beaten in a dance club from Giurgiu, Romania.
Former Sacred Heart guard Chauncey Hardy died yesterday after suffering two heart attacks following the beating on Saturday night.
Chauncey Hardy, 23, had severe head injuries and was in a coma when he was admitted to the hospital.
Chauncey Hardy died shortly after undergoing surgery in a Bucharest hospital.
After a victory against Dinamo Bucharest, Chauncey Hardy, who played for CSS Giurgiu in southern Romania, was celebrating with a few of his teammates in a night club, when several men were reported to have attacked him.
Former Sacred Heart guard Chauncey Hardy died yesterday after suffering two heart attacks following the beating on Saturday night
At some point, around 4:00 a.m., some unknown men attacked Chauncey Hardy. It seems that they have been quarreling for a while. Chauncey Hardy fell and hit his head and he was taken to the hospital, where doctors decided he must go into surgery.
At around 8 o’clock in the evening, Chauncey Hardy died on the hospital’s bed.
Romanian police announced that it has started an investigation on Chauncey Hardy’s death.
Sacred Heart Athletic Director C. Donald Cook said in a statement:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a fine young man who had his life cut short at such a young age while he was overseas doing something he loved.”
“This is a terrible tragedy and we are saddened as a University and a basketball program,” Sacred Heart men’s basketball coach Dave Bike said in a statement.
“This is not just about a basketball player, but the person as well. It transcends what happens on a basketball court. We feel tremendous sadness and loss for Chauncey’s family and those who were close to him.”
Chauncey Hardy averaged 12.5 points for Sacred Heart in 2009-10.
Week 5 had some very interesting developments, with an appearance by one of the most popular players in the NFL, two teams that have officially become dangerous, a coach with a very interesting game plan, a reminder that one offensive package still has a place in the NFL, an increase in one form of turnover and a couple of great tricks from special teams coaches.
After losing 42-17 to the Packers last week, Broncos decided to put Tim Tebow in a much more meaningful situation this week.
Tim Tebow came in with his team down 16 points and threw for a score and ran for another after replacing Kyle Orton.
Tim Tebow
Will the move to the lefthander be permanent?
“Tim Tebow sparked the team today. (But) we haven’t had a chance to watch the tape; we haven’t had a chance to watch the film; we haven’t had a chance to visit as a staff,” coach John Fox said. “So, I think at this point — we have a bye week — we do need to improve offensively, and it will all be up for discussion.”
Players had been solidly behind Orton but the world of the NFL is fickle to say the least.
“He came and gave us a spark,” running back Willis McGahee said. “That’s Tim Tebow. Everybody has been cheering for him for the longest. Now he finally got in and moved the ball for us.”
Fans clearly want Tim Tebow. And, while the Broncos claim they won’t be swayed by that, the team is 1-4 and clearly need something to jump-start them. Whether that is at QB will be revealed over the next two weeks.
Neither quarterback had any indication who would line up in two weeks when the Broncos (1-4) visit the Miami Dolphins, whom the Broncos tried to trade Orton to in the summer before talks broke down and he became Denver’s starter.
“I have no idea,”Tim Tebow said. “Thankfully, I don’t have to make those decisions. Other people do that and I just go play football.”
“It’s his decision,” Orton said of his coach.
Fox indicated he would take his time making up his mind.
“I don’t put time limits on things,” he said. “We will evaluate it and make the best decision for the team.”
After a slow start, Tim Tebow found a rhythm that threw off the Chargers.
“It changes (the tempo) because he’s a fresh body,” cornerback Antoine Cason said. “He has a lot of energy. He goes out there and plays with energy, the crowd got behind him a little bit. They went out there and did some things that got them back into the game.”
A fan favorite, Tim Tebow was cheered the instant he trotted onto the field for Denver’s first possession in the third quarter. The crowd was so loud that Tebow couldn’t hear the play call in his helmet.
