UK’s pub chain Hungry Horse has been criticized for creating the Double Donut burger containing nearly 100% of a woman’s recommended daily calorie intake at 1,996 calories.
The Double Donut burger consists of two beef burgers topped with cheese, four bacon rashers and BBQ sauce, sandwiched between two glazed ring-doughnuts.
Critics called it irresponsible, dubbing it “a heart attack on a plate”.
Hungry Horse said it was catering for a variety of tastes.
The Double Donut burger contains nearly 100 percent of a woman’s recommended daily calorie intake at 1,996 calories
Advertised with the tag line “So Wrong It’s Right”, the Double Donut burger contains 53g of saturated fat, well above the 20g daily allowance for women and 30g allowance for men.
The amount of salt in it – 8.2g – is also more than the recommended daily amount for adults (6g).
Hungry Horse said it displayed all the nutritional information and guideline daily amounts for men, women and children on its website. On searching, you can find a BBQ Pulled Pork (Wo)Man Vs Burrito that contains nearly 3,500 calories, 65g of fat and 13g of salt.
Steve Jebson for Hungry Horse, said: “Our popular menu caters for a variety of tastes and appetites and includes everything from lower calorie options such as our hot chicken and bacon salad at 393 calories, through to the indulgent occasional treat such as our new Double Donut Burger. All the nutritional information for our menu is available on our website and in our pubs, so that our customers are able to make informed decisions about what they choose to eat.”
Riding a motorcycle is an altogether different experience to driving a car. For one thing, you only have two wheels instead of four. But when you’re riding a lightweight machine, two wheels makes you agile and in more control on the road.
When you’re riding a motorcycle, you get to experience the world around you from a different perspective. You get to see more of your surroundings, and you become more aware of what’s going on in the world.
More and more people each year are getting rid of their cars and buying motorcycles instead. If you are one of those people, you will doubtless have a few questions about the process. Today’s blog post will help you answer those questions and more! Here is what you need to know:
Before you buy a bike, you need to determine whether you have a valid motorcycle endorsement on your driver’s license. In a lot of states in the USA, this often involves sitting a short written test and taking a basic practical exam.
Unless you plan to ride your motorcycle only on private land, you’ll need a motorcycle endorsement on your license. There is no way around this! It’s usually easier if you passed your driving tests in a car first. That way, you have entitlement to drive cars and ride motorcycles.
I always tell people to get as much training as possible before taking driver’s license exams. Once you do this, you will have enough skill and experience for riding solo on the road.
How good a rider are you?
Following on from the previous section, you should only look at motorcycles that you know you are capable of handling. If you are a beginner, one thing you should not do is set your sights on a high-powered superbike! Unmodified 500cc motorcycles are a good place to start.
In some ways, shopping for a motorcycle isn’t that much different to shopping for a car. There are plenty of models on offer, and you need to try out the ones you like before making a decision on one specific model.
It’s a bad idea buying a motorcycle on impulse, or because you think it looks nice. The only way you will know whether a motorcycle is the perfect fit for you or not is by taking it out for a test ride.
Only consider motorcycles that are suitable to your current skill level. You can always upgrade to better-performing models once you gain more skill and experience on (and off) the road.
Should you buy a new or used motorcycle?
It’s no secret that motorcycles are so much cheaper than cars! Even a brand new motorcycle is cheaper than a premium used car! But there still remains the question of whether you should buy a brand new or used model.
The answer to that question depends on two things. The first point of consideration is how much money you’ve got to spend on a motorcycle. As with cars, you can usually pay by cash, card or finance.
If you opt for the “buy now pay in instalments” approach, make sure that you can afford the repayments. Otherwise, a repo truck will soon appear to take away your pride and joy!
The second point is how important depreciation is to you. Again, as with cars, the value of motorcycles goes down or “depreciates” over time. A six-month-old demonstrator motorcycle that’s been sitting in a dealer showroom is more attractive than a new one.
If you’re working to a tight budget, your only option may be to buy a used motorcycle. But just because a motorcycle is a used model doesn’t mean it will be unreliable! In general, motorcycle owners tend to look after their machines better than motorists that own cars.
And on the subject of maintenance, motorcycles are so much easier to maintain and repair than cars. That’s because there are fewer parts that get used, and the engine is quite accessible.
How important is insurance?
For a start, motorcycle insurance is a legal requirement in the United States and most countries around the world. The sad truth is that there are more auto accidents involving motorcycles than there are cars.
Motorcycle insurance is often cheaper than car insurance because bikes are lower value items and cost less to fix. Even bike insurance in the UK is cheap. And anyone that has been to or lived in Britain will tell you how expensive most things are in general!
Thanks to the power of the World Wide Web, it is now easier than ever to get motorcycle insurance quotes. In fact, there are even some comparison websites that make the process quicker and easier for you.
There is no excuse not to get a good deal on your motorcycle insurance, regardless of your age or what bike you ride. Just make sure that the policy you buy offers good value for money, and doesn’t have a long list of exclusions on what you can and cannot do.
How do I know if a specific model is any good?
One of the questions I get asked a lot is whether it’s possible to determine how good (or bad) a specific bike is. It’s pretty easy to make a judgement on a motorcycle. For instance, the Web is a great resource for independent reviews of bikes from an owner’s perspective.
When you read motorcycle reviews in magazines, they tend to be from a journalist’s perspective. They only get to spend a day or so with them, so there’s no way they can tell you about all of the pros and cons of owning a specific bike.
Motorcycle forums are usually a good place to start when seeking out online reviews. That’s because they are communities of owners and enthusiasts just like you! And you can also check out some motorcycle blogs as the smaller ones are often run by owners rather than publishing firms or other organizations.
Veterans Day 2014 is coming with deals and freebies for everything from wings to drinks and desserts.
Before you try to redeem these deals, it’s a good idea to call ahead and note limitations and restrictions. Some of these deals are reserved for those who have served in the American military and their families, while other promotions are open to everyone.
Applebee’s
Service members get a free “Thank You” meal when you dine in at Applebee’s. Guests will need to provide proof of their service.
Baskin Robbins
Baskin Robbins’ flavor of the month in honor of Veterans Day is First Class Camouflage Ice Cream: chocolate, salty caramel and cake flavored ice creams. The ice cream chain will donate 10 cents from ice cream scoops sold at all U.S. locations to the United Service Organizations (USO).
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen is offering a complimentary entrée from a special Veterans Day Menu at all participating restaurants in the U.S. to active and retired members of the United States Military on Tuesday.
Hooters
Active-duty and retired military are invited to Hooters to dine for free on November 11: get a free entree by presenting a military ID or proof of service.
World of Coca-Cola
The World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta offers free admission to members of the Armed Forces (active duty, reserves and retirees) year-round. In honor of Veterans Day, from November 8 through Sunday, November 16, members of the Armed Forces may also purchase up to four half-price general admission tickets for their friends and family. Military members and retirees can present their valid Armed Forces ID cards at the World of Coca-Cola ticket windows.
Friendly’s
Friendly’s will serve free breakfast, lunch or dinner to veterans and active military on Veterans Day.
Veterans Day 2014 is coming with deals and freebies for everything from wings to drinks and desserts
Outback Steakhouse
On November 11, Outback is honoring all active and retired military personnel with a free Bloomin’ Onion and a beverage. You must show a valid military ID at participating restaurants.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
On November 11, veterans get a free Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake dessert. If you’re not a vet and you buy the dessert or other retail items, 10 percent of all proceeds will be donated to the USO.
Denny’s
On Tuesday, active, inactive and retired military personnel can build your own free Grand Slam breakfast from 5 a.m. until noon at participating Denny’s.
DoubleTree by Hilton Cookies
All-day on November 11, all veterans can get a free chocolate chip cookie in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio from DoubleTree by Hilton, with or without a reservation.
Golden Corral
Grill buffet franchise Golden Corral is offering veterans a free beverage and buffet meal on Nove,ber 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. (Golden Corral always hosts their Military Appreciation Day on a Monday.)
Great Clips
The salon chain is offering veterans a free hair cut from Tuesday through December 31, 2014. Customers who come in for a service on Veterans Day get a free haircut card to give to veterans, redeemable through December 31.
Marie Callender’s
Marie Callender’s is donating to send more comforts from home to the U.S. military for Veterans Day. The company teamed up with USO2GO for the Comforts From Home program, an initiative that delivers care kits with electronics, games, sports gear and more to troops in remote global locations. With the code entry found on specially-marked packages of Marie’s comfort foods like chicken pot pies and apple pies, a donation is made.
Red Robin
On Tuesday, veterans and active-duty service members can get a free Red’s Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Fries, dine-in only, by providing a military I.D., proof of service, or wearing your uniform
Red Lobster
From Monday, Nov. 10 through Thursday, Nov. 13, Red Lobster will be thanking veterans, active duty, active serving military and reservists with a free select appetizer, including the new crispy shrimp lettuce wraps or several other options.
Sleep Number
Through Nov. 16, Sleep Number is offering current and past military personnel $700 off on a Sleep Number m7 bed plus 24-month financing and free standard shipping, plus other Sleep Number military offers.
Slim Jim
Slim Jim launched a “Salute the Troops” campaign, allowing friends, family and supporters to personalize Slim Jim wrappers with messages to troops. Slim Jim will donate one million sticks. To date, more than 60,000 of these sticks will be delivered with personal messages.
Veterans Day 2014 is coming with deals and freebies for everything from wings to drinks and desserts.
Before you try to redeem these deals, it’s a good idea to call ahead and note limitations and restrictions. Some of these deals are reserved for those who have served in the American military and their families, while other promotions are open to everyone.
Applebee’s
Service members get a free “Thank You” meal when you dine in at Applebee’s. Guests will need to provide proof of their service.
Baskin Robbins
Baskin Robbins’ flavor of the month in honor of Veterans Day is First Class Camouflage Ice Cream: chocolate, salty caramel and cake flavored ice creams. The ice cream chain will donate 10 cents from ice cream scoops sold at all U.S. locations to the United Service Organizations (USO).
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen is offering a complimentary entrée from a special Veterans Day Menu at all participating restaurants in the U.S. to active and retired members of the United States Military on Tuesday.
Hooters
Active-duty and retired military are invited to Hooters to dine for free on Tuesday: get a free entree by presenting a military ID or proof of service.
World of Coca-Cola
The World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta offers free admission to members of the Armed Forces (active duty, reserves and retirees) year-round. In honor of Veterans Day, from November 8 through Sunday, November 16, members of the Armed Forces may also purchase up to four half-price general admission tickets for their friends and family. Military members and retirees can present their valid Armed Forces ID cards at the World of Coca-Cola ticket windows.
Friendly’s
Friendly’s will serve free breakfast, lunch or dinner to veterans and active military on Veterans Day.
Outback Steakhouse
On November 11, Outback is honoring all active and retired military personnel with a free Bloomin’ Onion and a beverage. You must show a valid military ID at participating restaurants.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
On November 11, veterans get a free Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake dessert. If you’re not a vet and you buy the dessert or other retail items, 10 percent of all proceeds will be donated to the USO.
Denny’s
On Tuesday, active, inactive and retired military personnel can build your own free Grand Slam breakfast from 5 a.m. until noon at participating Denny’s.
DoubleTree by Hilton Cookies
All-day on November 11, all veterans can get a free chocolate chip cookie in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio from DoubleTree by Hilton, with or without a reservation.
Golden Corral
Grill buffet franchise Golden Corral is offering veterans a free beverage and buffet meal on Nove,ber 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. (Golden Corral always hosts their Military Appreciation Day on a Monday.)
Great Clips
The salon chain is offering veterans a free hair cut from Tuesday through December 31, 2014. Customers who come in for a service on Veterans Day get a free haircut card to give to veterans, redeemable through December 31.
Marie Callender’s
Marie Callender’s is donating to send more comforts from home to the U.S. military for Veterans Day. The company teamed up with USO2GO for the Comforts From Home program, an initiative that delivers care kits with electronics, games, sports gear and more to troops in remote global locations. With the code entry found on specially-marked packages of Marie’s comfort foods like chicken pot pies and apple pies, a donation is made.
Red Robin
On Tuesday, veterans and active-duty service members can get a free Red’s Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Fries, dine-in only, by providing a military I.D., proof of service, or wearing your uniform
Red Lobster
From Monday, Nov. 10 through Thursday, Nov. 13, Red Lobster will be thanking veterans, active duty, active serving military and reservists with a free select appetizer, including the new crispy shrimp lettuce wraps or several other options.
Sleep Number
Through Nov. 16, Sleep Number is offering current and past military personnel $700 off on a Sleep Number m7 bed plus 24-month financing and free standard shipping, plus other Sleep Number military offers.
Slim Jim
Slim Jim launched a “Salute the Troops” campaign, allowing friends, family and supporters to personalize Slim Jim wrappers with messages to troops. Slim Jim will donate one million sticks. To date, more than 60,000 of these sticks will be delivered with personal messages.
Quentin Tarantino has announced he will retire after completing his 10th film, saying he likes the idea of leaving audiences “wanting a bit more”.
The director told an American Film Market (AFM) audience in Santa Monica: “I don’t believe you should stay onstage until people are begging you to get off.”
Quentin Tarantino, 51, was speaking at an event to promote his current project, western The Hateful Eight.
Quentin Tarantino has announced he will retire after completing his 10th film (photo Wikipedia)
“I’ve got two more to go after this,” he said.
“I like that I will leave a 10-film filmography.
“It’s not etched in stone, but that is the plan.”
Quentin Tarantino said directing was “a young man’s game” and that he intended to spend the remainder of his career “writing plays and books”.
The Oscar-winning writer and director announced in January he was putting The Hateful Eight on hold after its script was leaked online.
Quentin Tarantino reversed his decision later in the year, saying the film – about a group of outlaws left stranded by a blizzard – would be made after all.
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals will not take place in Morocco because of the country’s fears over the Ebola outbreak elsewhere on the continent, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.
The CAF expelled Morocco, which would have qualified as hosts, from the finals.
The confederation did not announce a new venue for the tournament, due to take place from January 17 to February 8.
New reports claim that three nations have expressed an interest and the new host will be confirmed on November 12.
Morocco had been given until November 8 to make a final decision on whether or not it would host the tournament.
The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals will not take place in Morocco because of the country’s fears over the Ebola outbreak
The country had asked to postpone the competition until 2016.
Egypt has stated it will not host the tournament for “economic and political reasons”.
Qualification matches for the tournament will continue as planned on November 14 and 15 to decide which 15 teams will join the new host country for the finals.
Up to November 4, at least 4,960 people had been reported as having died from Ebola, mainly in the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Morocco had expressed fears an influx of foreign fans could help spread the epidemic.
Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith had as many as 40 wives, some already married, the church leaders admitted for the first time.
Joseph Smith was portrayed in Mormon Church materials as a loyal partner to his loving spouse Emma Hale.
The church’s disclosures, in a series of essays online, are part of an effort to be transparent about its history at a time when church members are increasingly encountering disturbing claims about the faith on the internet.
Many Mormons, especially those with polygamous ancestors, say they were well aware that Joseph Smith’s successor, Brigham Young, practiced polygamy when he led the flock in Salt Lake City. But they did not know the full truth about Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith probably did not have relations with all of his wives, because some were “sealed” to him only for the next life, according to the essays posted by the church. But for his first wife, Emma, polygamy was “an excruciating ordeal”.
Joseph Smith was portrayed in Mormon Church materials as a loyal partner to his loving spouse Emma Hale
The four treatises on polygamy reflect a new resolve by a church long accused of secrecy to respond with openness to the kind of thorny historical and theological issues that are causing some to become disillusioned or even to abandon the faith.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Mormon Church is formally known, has quietly posted 12 essays on its website over the last year on contentious topics such as the ban on blacks in the priesthood, which was lifted in 1978, and accounts of how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, the church’s sacred scripture.
Elder Steven E. Snow, the church historian and a member of its senior leadership, said in an interview: “There is so much out there on the Internet that we felt we owed our members a safe place where they could go to get reliable, faith-promoting information that was true about some of these more difficult aspects of our history.
“We need to be truthful, and we need to understand our history.
“I believe our history is full of stories of faith and devotion and sacrifice, but these people weren’t perfect.”
The essay on “plural marriage” in the early days of the Mormon movement in Ohio and Illinois says polygamy was commanded by God, revealed to JosephSmith and accepted by him and his followers only very reluctantly. Abraham and other Old Testament patriarchs had multiple wives, and Joseph Smith preached that his church was the “restoration” of the early, true Christian church.
Most of Joseph Smith’s wives were between the ages of 20 and 40, the essay says, but he married Helen Mar Kimball, a daughter of two close friends, “several months before her 15th birthday”. A footnote says that according to “careful estimates,” Joseph Smith had 30 to 40 wives.
In 1890, under pressure by the American government, the church issued a manifesto formally ending polygamy. The church’s essay on this phase admits that some members and even leaders did not abandon the practice for years.
However, the church did renounce polygamy, and Mormons who refused to do the same eventually broke away and formed splinter churches, some that still exist. Warren Jeffs, the leader of one such group, was convicted in Texas in 2011 of child assault.
There remains one way in which polygamy is still a part of Mormon belief: The church teaches that a man who was “sealed” in marriage to his wife in a temple ritual, then loses his wife to death or divorce, can be sealed to a second wife and would be married to both wives in the afterlife. However, women who have been divorced or widowed cannot be sealed to more than one man.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) has banned violinist Vanessa-Mae from skiing for four years after results were manipulated to help her qualify for the Sochi Winter Olympics.
An FIS hearing panel found “violations” in the Thailand skier’s results at an event in Slovenia.
Vanessa-Mae, a 36-year-old British citizen, qualified days before the deadline after competing in the hastily-staged races in January.
Five officials involved in the event have also been banned by the FIS.
Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore to Thai and Chinese parents and moved to England at the age of 4
The competitions in Slovenia were organized at the request of the management of the skier, through the Thai Olympic Committee.
Competing as Vanessa Vanakorn, she went on to finish last of 67 competitors in the giant slalom at the Sochi Games, 50 seconds adrift of winner Tina Maze.
The FIS said in a statement: “The hearing panel found to its comfortable satisfaction that the results of the four ladies’ giant slalom races that took place on 18 and 19 January at Krvavec were manipulated.”
Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore to Thai and Chinese parents and moved to England at the age of 4 after her mother married a British lawyer.
She earned fame as a violinist during her childhood with a series of performances on British television before going on to launch a successful solo career with album sales running into millions.
The International Olympic Committee said it would not be taking any follow-up action until the outcome of any appeal was known.
Unemployed EU citizens who go to another member state to claim benefits may be barred from some benefits, the European Court of Justice has ruled.
The ruling on so-called “benefit tourism”, relating to a case in Germany, could set an important legal precedent for the rest of the EU.
Tuesday’s ruling relates to a case involving a Romanian woman and her son living in Germany who had been denied access to a non-contributory subsistence allowance from the German social security system.
The court decided the German authorities were right to refuse her request, and there was no discrimination involved in denying her access to a non-contributory benefit which is available to German citizens.
The European Court of Justice has ruled that unemployed EU citizens who go to another member state to claim benefits may be barred from some benefits
It said the defendant did not have sufficient financial resources to claim residency in Germany after the initial three months and therefore could not claim that the rules excluding her from certain benefits was discriminatory.
More broadly, it said the right of EU citizens to live and work in other member states – the principle of freedom of movement – did not stop states passing legislation of their own excluding migrants from some non-contributory benefits available to their own citizens.
National Parliaments have the “competence to define the extent of the social cover” offered in the way of certain non-contributory benefits, it stated.
“The directive thus seeks to prevent economically inactive European Union citizens from using the host member state’s welfare system to fund their means of subsistence,” the European Court of Justice said in a statement.
“A member state must therefore have the possibility of refusing to grant social benefits to economically inactive European Union citizens who exercise their right to freedom of movement solely in order to obtain another member state’s social assistance.”
The ruling only applies to non-contributory benefits, benefits where the claimant does not make a contribution through the tax system.
The European Commission has said it supports action by member states to tackle abuse of the benefits system by migrants but that it will not countenance restrictions on the principle of freedom of movement and labor across Europe.
Alibaba has sold $2 billion of goods in the first hour of China’s annual Singles’ Day (Guanggun Jie).
That compares with $3.1 billion in sales seen in the first half of last year’s event.
Singles’ Day is celebrated each year on November 11 (11/11). The date is chosen for the connection between singles and the number “1”. In recognition of the day, young singles organize parties and Karaoke to meet new friends or try their fortunes.
Singles’ Day is considered the world’s biggest online retail sales day. It compares with Cyber Monday in the US – the day after Thanksgiving also marketed as a big online shopping day.
Alibaba said it expected to break sales records during the annual event, offering big discounts to boost sales.
Singles’ Day is considered the world’s biggest online retail sales day
“I bet the number [of goods bought] is going to be scary,” said Alibaba’s executive chairman Jack Ma last week. He estimated that 200 million packages would be shipped from orders made during the day.
Last year, Alibaba shipped more than 150 million packages worth about $5.75 billion in gross merchandise volume.
Before midday on November 11, sales had already hit $4.9 billion, Jack Ma told official state broadcaster CCTV.
Singles’ Day in China was adopted by Alibaba in 2009 to boost sales, but dates back to at least 1993, when students at Nanjing University are believed to have chosen the date as an anti-Valentine’s Day where single people could buy things for themselves.
Since then, it has gone on to become a massive day of sales for China’s fast growing e-commerce market.
The market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 25% over the next few years, from $390 billion in 2014 to $718 billion in 2017, according to a recent study released by management consulting firm AT Kearney.
A federal investigation has found that the Manhattan clinic treating Joan Rivers in August did not notice that her vital signs were deteriorating for about 15 minutes before she went into cardiac arrest, leading to her death several days later.
Released on November 10, the investigation said that Joan Rivers’ blood pressure and pulse decreased precipitously while she was on the operating table on August 28 between 9:12 and 9:26 AM, yet cardiopulmonary resuscitation began at 9:28 AM at the earliest.
“The physician in charge of the care of the patient failed to identify deteriorating vital signs and provide timely intervention during the procedure,” said the report made by investigators for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Joan Rivers died on September 4 of brain damage brought on by lack of oxygen
The investigation found that the anesthesiologist at the clinic, Yorkville Endoscopy, later changed the medical record to reduce the amount of Propofol, a strong anesthetic whose misuse can be fatal, that Joan Rivers received. The stated dose was reduced to 120 milligrams from 300 milligrams.
Investigators also reported that Dr. Lawrence Cohen, then medical director of the clinic, took cellphone pictures of Joan Rivers and her ear, nose and throat doctor, Gwen Korovin, while she was lying on the operating table unconscious from anesthesia.
Dr. Lawrence Cohen told the others in the room that Joan Rivers might want to see the pictures in the recovery room.
The 81-year-old comedian never recovered from what was supposed to be a routine procedure to examine her throat. Instead, she went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was put on life support.
Joan Rivers died on September 4 of brain damage brought on by lack of oxygen, according to the medical examiner.
Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm has been ordered to pay $995.5 million to his ex-wife Sue Ann Hamm in one of the largest-ever US divorce judgments, according to a court filing on November 10.
In an 80-page ruling following a more than 9-week divorce trial that ended last month, Oklahoma Special Judge Howard Haralson ruled that oil magnate Harold Hamm should pay his ex-wife a total of $995.5 million.
Although the award could make Sue Ann Hamm, 58, one of the 100 wealthiest women in the United States, according to Forbes‘ rankings, it is far smaller than the amount her lawyers sought and does not require Harold Hamm to sell shares of Continental.
Harold and Sue Ann Hamm wed in 1988 and had no prenuptial agreement
Harold Hamm, 68, holds 68% of Continental, a stake worth nearly $14 billion.
The ruling is subject to appeal, but if accepted by both parties it would allow Continental’s CEO to put a contentious and time-consuming divorce behind him, without eroding his control of one of America’s most successful oil companies.
Following news of the judgment, Continental shares fell 1.6% to $54.22 per share. The shares have lost around 30% since July 1, in step with tumbling world oil prices.
Oklahoma-based Continental is a leading driller in the key Bakken Shale play of North Dakota and Montana, the largest US oil discovery in decades. Through his stake in Continental, Harold Hamm is believed to own more oil underground than any other American.
Harold and Sue Ann Hamm wed in 1988 and had no prenuptial agreement. For years, Sue Ann Hamm was also an executive at Continental.
Lee Joon-seok, the captain of the Sewol ferry which sank in April, has been found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison.
The Sewol ferry was carrying 476 people when it went down. More than 300 died, most of them school students.
Lee Joon-seok was among 15 crew members on trial over the sinking, one of South Korea’s worst maritime disasters.
Prosecutors charged him with homicide and called for the death penalty, but judges acquitted him on that charge.
Lee is in his late 60s, and he accepted in court that he would spend the rest of his days in jail.
Sewol ferry Captain Lee Joon-seok has been found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to 36 years in prison (photo Yonhap)
The judges said that he was not clearly not the only person responsible for the tragedy and they accepted that his negligence did not amount to an intent to kill.
Crew members did not secure cargo which moved when the vessel took a tight corner, toppling the ferry, and Lee was filmed leaving the sinking ship while many passengers remained inside.
During the trial Lee Joon-seok apologized for abandoning them.
The chief engineer of the ferry, identified by his surname Park, was found guilty of murder and jailed for 30 years.
Thirteen other crew members were given jail sentences of up to 20 years on charges including abandonment and violating maritime law.
Relatives of victims were distraught at the verdict, with some weeping, according to AFP news agency.
Four cinematic veterans – actor and singer Harry Belafonte, actress Maureen O’Hara, director Hayao Miyazaki and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere – have been honored at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles.
Among those paying tribute were Ron Howard, Sidney Poitier, Warren Beatty and Reese Witherspoon.
Harry Belafonte, 87, was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his activism.
The musician was a prominent civil rights campaigner and friend of Martin Luther King Jr., who he helped financially support during his fight against segregation.
Among his humanitarian work Harry Belafonte has been a UNICEF ambassador and a campaigner on HIV in Africa, as well as supporting prostate cancer charities since he was successfully treated for the disease in 1996.
“Artists are the radical voice of civilization,” Harry Belafonte said in his speech at the Governors Awards event.
Harry Belafonte, Hayao Miyazaki, Jean-Claude Carriere and Maureen O’Hara have been honored at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles
“I really wish I could be around for the rest of this century, to see what Hollywood does with the rest of the century. Maybe, just maybe, it could be civilization’s game changer.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) also handed lifetime awards to Hayao Miyazaki, Maureen O’Hara and Jean-Calude Carriere.
Hayao Miyazaki, 73, has been Oscar nominated three times for his dark animations, winning the animated feature award in 2002 for Spirited Away.
Introducing the Japanese director to the stage, John Lasseter said: “Miyazaki is the most original artist ever to work in our medium.”
Although Maureen O’Hara, 94, never received an Oscar nomination during her career she appeared in many much-loved films including Our Man in Havana, The Parent Trap and The Quiet Man, which won director John Ford an Academy Award and also starred John Wayne.
Maureen O’Hara was introduced by Liam Neeson and Clint Eastwood, who recalled being cast alongside the actress in a film in which she rode on a horse.
“My fantasies were going really wild,” he said, before revealing he was ordered off set before the scene was shot.
Jean-Claude Carriere is a prolific screenwriter who has worked on films in many languages including French, German and English, including Cyrano de Bergerac, Hotel Paradiso, Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum), The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Goya’s Ghost.
Orlando Thomas, ex-Minnesota Vikings safety, died on November 10 after a long battle with ALS at the age of 42.
Orlando Thomas was living in his native Crowley, Louisiana, just a half hour west of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette campus where he starred for four seasons before being selected by the Vikings in the second round of the 1995 NFL draft.
He spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Vikings before retiring after the 2001 campaign at age 29.
Orlando Thomas was a key starter on the Minnesota teams of the late 1990s, including the 1998 group that went 15-1 in the regular season before losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.
Orlando Thomas spent all seven of his NFL seasons with Minnesota Vikings before retiring after the 2001 campaign at age 29 (photo Jonathan Daniel/Allsport)
He led the league with nine interceptions as a rookie.
“The Vikings are deeply saddened by the loss of Orlando Thomas,” the team said in a statement on November 10.
“Orlando was an outstanding player for the Vikings for seven years, but more importantly, he represented the franchise and the state of Minnesota with the utmost dignity and class. While his outgoing personality made him a favorite among his teammates, Orlando’s involvement in the community made him a favorite outside of Winter Park.”
Orlando Thomas is one of several former NFL players affected by ALS, including ex-New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason, ex-Baltimore Ravens linebacker and current front office executive O.J. Brigance, ex-Oakland Raiders fullback Steve Smith and retired journeyman Tim Shaw.
CBS News’s correspondent Lara Logan is being quarantined in a South Africa hotel for 21 days as a precaution after visiting an American-run hospital treating Ebola patients in Liberia for a 60 Minutes report that aired on November 9.
Lara Logan’s 21-day self-quarantine will end on November 14, CBS said.
Neither Lara Logan nor the four other CBS employees in South Africa have shown any sign that they are infected with the virus.
Lara Logan is being quarantined in a South Africa hotel for 21 days as a precaution after visiting Ebola patients in Liberia (photo CBS News)
Lara Logan, speaking in a 60 Minutes Overtime web interview from the room where the CBS crew put its report together, admitted to some cabin fever as she waits out her stay. She said the South African government had given the crew permission to work at the hotel.
“We wanted to try, as much as possible, to minimize our exposure to anybody while we still had to get our piece done,” she said.
“We were very mindful of the fact that this 21-day period after you’ve been in an Ebola-affected country is very important to everyone.”
The interview showed Lara Logan and one of her colleagues in a room stuffed with equipment.
“We haven’t traveled far from the room that you can see,” she said.
The 60 Minutes report detailed Lara’s precautions while in Liberia, including being hosed down with a chlorine solution, having her temperature taken frequently and making sure not to touch people. A CBS security worker traveled with the crew with the responsibility of watching everyone’s interactions to minimize any chance they could be infected.
A cameraman who was working for NBC News in Liberia contracted the virus but recovered last month. Nancy Snyderman, the NBC News medical correspondent who worked there, was asked to go into voluntary quarantine when she arrived home but that was made mandatory after she was spotted leaving her home. ABC’s Richard Besser was not quarantined upon his return from Liberia because the ABC team was judged not to have had exposure to the virus.
Christina Aguilera has showed off her post-baby body, less than three months after giving birth to daughter Summer Rain.
The 33-year-old mother of two showed off her incredible post-baby body in a plunging red dress.
Christina Aguilera has showed off her post-baby body, less than three months after giving birth to daughter Summer Rain (photo Getty Images)
Christina Aguilera attended the Breakthrough Prize Awards on November 9 in Mountain View, California, with fiancé Matt Rutler by her side.
A source told E! News that the singer “loves the way it makes her look and feel, inside and out. It’s so calming and keeps her centered. She is obsessed!”
For the most part, though, Christina Aguilera is “eating clean and watching her portions,” says a source. She’s also breastfeeding baby Summer.
Christina Aguilera also has 6-year-old son, Max Bratman, with ex-husband Jordan Bratman.
A new study has found that US poison control centers received more than 17,000 calls – or about one per hour – about children who had been exposed to chemicals in laundry detergent pods in 2012 and 2013.
Over 700 of the children were hospitalized, and one child died, researchers said.
Study’s lead author from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Gary Smith said: “This caught us by surprise.”
“I’ve seen these cases come through the hospital’s emergency department,” he said.
“I was aware of the case reports, but I haven’t seen anyone pull together the numbers.”
Laundry detergent pods were introduced to the US market in 2012. The all-in-one packets contain detergent that is released in the wash, so users don’t have to measure detergent in a cup.
Dr. Gary Smith and his colleagues write in the journal Pediatrics that doctors have previously reported on kids who have eaten or burst the pods with serious consequences, such as being hospitalized and put on a ventilator for several days.
To get a better understanding of how many children are being exposed and possibly harmed by the pods, the researchers analyzed data from 2012 and 2013 from the National Poison Data System, which catalogs calls made to US poison control centers.
Overall, the centers received 17,230 calls about children younger than six who were somehow exposed to the liquid in laundry detergent pods. That is roughly four calls per 10,000 children in that age group, according to the researchers.
Hundreds of children had been exposed to chemicals in laundry detergent pods in 2012 and 2013
About a third of the calls involved children between the ages of one and two years.
“This is an age group that has newfound mobility,” Dr. Gary Smith said.
“They’re curious and they don’t sense danger.”
Children may think the colorful pods are candy or filled with juice, he said.
About 80% of all calls involved children swallowing the pods or their liquids.
“The good news is that half of these exposures were trivial,” Gary Smith said, meaning the children did not get seriously sick or need additional care.
“If they swallow it and they swallow enough of it, that’s when we get these serious symptoms,” he said.
The most common side effects of exposure to the pods or their liquids include vomiting, coughing and choking, eye irritation or pain and tiredness. Serious side effects included comas, seizures and stomach burns.
While the researchers can’t say for sure that the detergents in the pods are more powerful than traditional laundry detergent, the symptoms after exposure to the pods seem more serious, Gary Smith said.
“These are severe symptoms that we haven’t seen in the past with traditional laundry detergent that we’re now seeing with these new pods,” he said.
“The symptoms are a very broad spectrum,” Dr. Gary Smith said.
“It’s not only the amount, but the route of exposure too.”
Dr. Gary Smith said parents need to recognize the toxicity of these laundry detergent pods. They also need to close the packages and put them away in a locked cabinet.
“We’re actually recommending if parents have young children in the home, they should use traditional laundry detergent,” he said.
He said the pods need to be treated like any other chemical.
“They need to be kept out of reach and they need to be locked up,” he said.
Dr. Gary Smith said industry is moving in the right direction by crafting new and more child-resistant packaging.
Internationally renowned preacher and business coach Dr. Myles Munroe of Bahamas Faith Ministries International and his wife Ruth Ann Munroe, died in a plane crash earlier in the Bahamas.
The plane, a Lear 36 executive jet, reportedly struck a crane at the Grand Bahama Ship Yard, exploding on impact and crashing into the ground near a junkyard area, the Associated Press reported.
The Bahamas Ministry of Transport and Aviation reported that the Lear 36 executive jet departed the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) in Nassau, Bahamas on November 9 at 4:07PM for the Grand Bahama International Airport, a privately owned international airport in Freeport, Bahamas with nine people on board.
Myles Munroe of Bahamas Faith Ministries International and his wife Ruth Ann Munroe (photo Facebook)
The plane crashed while making an approach for landing at Grand Bahama International Airport at 5.10PM, the Ministry of Transport and Aviation said. The crash killed all nine people on board the private jet. The identities of the other people on board have not yet been confirmed. The cause of the crash was not immediately determined, though there had been heavy rain across the region. A full investigation is expected to begin on November 10.
The crash occurred as people were gathering in Grand Bahama for Dr. Myles Munroe’s 2014 Global Leadership Forum which starts on November 10.
Known for his work and teachings on leadership, purpose and maximizing your potential, vision, individual and national transformation, Dr. Myles Munroe was the senior pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International Fellowship, where his wife, Ruth Ann, served as co-senior pastor. They leave behind two children, daughter, Charisa and son, Chairo (Myles Jr.) Munroe.
A suicide bombing at a school assembly in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Potiskum has killed at least 47 students, police have said.
The explosion at a boys’ school in Potiskum is believed to have been caused by a suicide bomber dressed as a student.
The militant group Boko Haram is believed to have carried out the attack, police said.
The group has targeted schools during a deadly five-year insurgency aimed at establishing an Islamic state.
It is waging a sustained campaign to prevent children from going to school. It believes girls should not attend school and boys should only receive an Islamic education.
The explosion ripped through the assembly hall at the Government Science Secondary School, reports say.
The explosion at a boys’ school in Potiskum is believed to have been caused by a suicide bomber dressed as a student
Soldiers who attended the site of the explosion were met with fury by the assembled crowds who pelted them with stones and accused them of not doing enough to halt Boko Haram’s insurgency.
Schools in Yobe state have been frequently attacked by Boko Haram militants.
The state is one of three in Nigeria that have been placed under a state of emergency as a result of the group’s activities.
Potiskum, one of the largest towns in Yobe, has been targeted before by Boko Haram.
Last week, a suicide bombing killed 15 people in the town.
The bomber joined a religious procession of the rival Shia Muslim sect, before blowing himself up.
In April, Boko Haram sparked global outrage by abducting more than 200 girls from a boarding school in Chibok town in Borno state.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has dismissed government claims to have agreed a ceasefire, under which the girls would be released.
The Rolling Stones band is facing a battle to win a $12.7 million insurance claim for the concerts they postponed when Mick Jagger’s girlfriend. L’Wren Scott, died.
L’Wren Scott took her own life in March 2014, prompting the Stones to postpone a tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The group had taken out a policy to be paid in the event shows were cancelled due to the death of family members or others, including L’Wren Scott.
However, underwriters say L’Wren Scott’s death may not be covered by the policy.
In denying the claim, they say L’Wren Scott might have been suffering from a pre-existing mental illness which could invalidate the policy.
The 12 underwriters have now won permission to seek evidence in Utah – the state where L’Wren Scott was born and raised – about the fashion designer’s mental health.
A federal judge has allowed the underwriters to gather testimony and documents from L’Wren Scott’s brother, Randall Bambrough.
L’Wren Scott took her own life in March 2014, prompting the Stones to postpone a tour of Australia and New Zealand
Randall Bambrough told the AP news agency that he did not know about the court case naming him and had not been contacted to provide information about his sister.
According to documents filed in the court case, Mick Jagger was “diagnosed as suffering from acute traumatic stress disorder” after L’Wren Scott’s death, and was advised by doctors not to perform for at least 30 days.
The Rolling Stones began a new tour of Australia and New Zealand at the end of last month.
However, they had to cancel their Melbourne concert on November 8 after Mick Jagger developed a throat infection.
Mick Jagger, 71, is under strict doctor’s orders to rest his vocal cords, according to an official statement.
The Rolling Stones is due to play in Sydney on November 12.
All fans who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster will receive a refund for the Melbourne show, according to the organizers.
Big Hero 6 has beaten star-studded Interstellar into second place at the North America box office over the weekend.
Disney’s cartoon Big Hero 6 – based on characters from Marvel comics – amassed $56.2 million, eclipsing Interstellar‘s takings of $50 million.
Space movie Interstellar, starring Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey, took first place in the global box office rundown.
Ouija and Nightcrawler, last week’s joint number one, fell to four and six.
It is only the fourth time in US box office history that two films have opened with $50 million or above, according to experts Rentrak.
Big Hero 6 has beaten star-studded Interstellar into second place at the North America box office over the weekend
Interstellar, the latest film by Dark Knight and Inception director Christopher Nolan, which tells the story of astronauts who are searching for a habitable planet after the Earth is decimated by dust storms, cost $165 million to make.
It has inevitably been compared to last year’s starry space epic Gravity, which had a bigger box office haul in its opening week.
Interstellar is likely to enjoy a further worldwide sales boost when it opens in China on November 12, while its makers have said they will target families and young men in a bid to sustain its ticket sales.
President Ronald Reagan’s apology to PM Margaret Thatcher over the US invasion of Grenada has been published for the first time.
“We regret very much the embarrassment that’s been caused to you,” Ronald Reagan said during a phone call.
Margaret Thatcher was angered that she was not consulted before the Americans invaded a Commonwealth state.
US troops were sent to Grenada in 1983 to topple the Caribbean island’s Marxist regime.
While US forces were still in action, President Ronald Reagan phoned Margaret Thatcher to explain the action he had taken.
“If I were there, Margaret,” he said.
“I’d throw my hat in the door before I came in.”
The saying refers to a Civil War-era practice in which a visitor might throw his hat in to a room before entering – if he was unwelcome, it might be thrown out again or even shot at.
“There’s no need for that,” Margaret Thatcher replied.
Ronald Reagan apologized to Margaret Thatcher over the US invasion of Grenada
Reagan continued: “We regret very much the embarrassment that’s been caused to you, and I would like to tell you what the story is from our end.”
He explained that military commanders only had “a matter of hours” to mobilize the troops and that he was prevented from discussing it with her sooner because of security fears.
“We were greatly concerned because of a problem here – and not at your end at all – but here. We’ve had a nagging problem of a loose source, a leak,” he told her.
Margaret Thatcher went on to suggest she understood why he had not been more open with her, saying she had been subject to similar restrictions at the time of the Falklands invasion.
“The action [in Grenada] is under way now and we just hope it will be successful. There is a lot of work to do yet, Ron,” she said.
Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan discussed the situation in Grenada further before she ended the call by saying she had to return to a “tricky” debate in the House of Commons.
Ronald Reagan then pitched in with some advice for her: “All right. Go get ’em, eat ’em alive.”
A box of 20 tapes was released to the public in October at the Reagan Library in Los Angeles, following several Freedom of Information Act requests.
US author William Doyle, Dan Collings – researcher for Margaret Thatcher biographer Charles Moore – and Chris Collins, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation, had all been pursuing rumors of the tapes’ existence.
The release confirms that President Ronald Reagan secretly recorded his discussions in the White House situation room, a habit that was previously thought to have ended with Richard Nixon’s departure from office.
Another tape records Ronald Reagan’s condolences to Margaret Thatcher following the bombing of the Conservative Party conference in Brighton in 1984.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe have met for formal talks after more than two years of severe tension over a territorial dispute.
Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Beijing.
Their first meeting included a public handshake with little sign of warmth.
In a speech to APEC, President Barack Obama has meanwhile announced big changes to visa arrangements with China.
Multiple entry short-term visas for businessmen and tourists will be extended to 10 years – up from one year.
Those for students rise from one year to five.
Barack Obama also stressed the importance of ties between China and the US, saying “the US welcomes the rise of a prosperous, peaceful and stable China.”
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met for formal talks after more than two years of severe tension over a territorial dispute
His comments come amid underlying tension between the US and China over Beijing’s growing regional influence.
Relations between China and Japan have long been soured by a row over islands in the East China Sea.
The uninhabited but strategically important islands, known as Diaoyu by China and Senkaku by Japan, are controlled by Japan but also claimed by China.
Tokyo’s decision to purchase three of them from their private Japanese owner in September 2012 led to an escalation in a dispute that has rumbled quietly for years.
The Chinese and Japanese leaders interacted awkwardly as they posed for an unsmiling photo after their talks.
Shinzo Abe said the meeting – which came three days after the two sides agreed to work to prevent the territorial dispute from escalating – was “the first step for improving ties by returning to mutually beneficial relations based on common strategic interests”.
He also said they had agreed to start preparations to establish a maritime crisis mechanism.
There have been fears that a clash – accidental or otherwise – between Chinese and Japanese paramilitary vessels patrolling waters around the disputed islands could trigger a conflict.
Xi Jinping told Shinzo Abe that China hoped Japan would follow a path of peaceful development and adopt prudent military and security policies.
Relations have also been hampered by what China sees as Japan’s failure to adequately acknowledge its war-time conduct.
One Direction band was the big winner at the 20th annual MTV Europe Music Awards in Glasgow taking the awards for Best Pop, Best Live and Biggest Fans.
The boys were not at the ceremony to collect the award in person but thanked their fans in video clips.
Other stars winning multiple awards included Ariana Grande, 5 Seconds of Summer and Katy Perry, who was also absent from the event.
The event was held at the Hydro arena in Glasgow on November 9.
Anaconda singer Nicki Minaj hosted the awards, as well as performing a medley of some of her biggest hits.
Other performers included U2, Ed Sheeran, Royal Blood and Kiesza, who performed a large part of her set from inside a glittery red phone box.
Alicia Keys was among artists performing at the O2 Academy in Glasgow as part of an outside broadcast. Her performance was shown live on TV screens around the Hydro.
Speaking ahead of the show James Currell, chief operating officer for Viacom International Media, who produce the show, said he hoped this year’s awards could reach even more viewers than in the previous year.
One Direction band was the big winner at the 20th annual MTV Europe Music Awards in Glasgow taking the awards for Best Pop, Best Live and Biggest Fans
He said: “Tonight millions of viewers from across the world will see us from Glasgow on our 60 MTV channels and our 200 MTV digital properties.
“Last year we had 55 million people see the event. Could we do more tonight? Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
Organizers revealed that 6,213 miles of cable had been installed to power the event, and a wiggery has been installed backstage to accommodate 500 wigs and 300 hairpieces.
Twenty two hairdressers and 40 make-up artists will assist the acts while 80 costumes have also been prepared.
The dressing rooms contain a number of treats, including a limited edition 10-year-old Highland single malt whisky from Glengoyne.
Meanwhile, each presenter and performer will be given presents including diamond and crystal jewellery, and SpongeBob SquarePants socks.
