Ford is recalling 850,000 vehicles because an electrical problem that could cause the vehicles’ airbags and seatbelts to fail.
The action affects the Ford Escape, Ford C-MAX, Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Of the 850,000-plus vehicles in the recall, 746,842 were sold in the US. The rest were in Canada and Mexico.
The issue is with the restraints control module. It can develop a short that causes the airbag warning light to illuminate or the stability control to stop working. However, depending upon where in the system the short develops, it could cause the airbags and the seatbelt pretensioners to falter during a collision.
Ford is recalling 850,000 vehicles because an electrical problem that could cause the vehicles’ airbags and seatbelts to fail
The affected vehicles include:
certain 2013-2014 C-MAX vehicles built at Michigan Assembly Plant, January 19, 2012 to November 21, 2013;
certain 2013-2014 Fusion vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, February 3, 2012 to August 24, 2013;
certain 2013-2014 Escape vehicles built at Louisville Assembly Plant, October 5, 2011 to November 1, 2013;
certain 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at Hermosillo Assembly Plant, April 25, 2012 to September 30, 2013.
Ford said it is unaware of any injuries or deaths related to the problem and will begin notifying owners who need to have their vehicles repaired shortly. The fix will be made free of charge.
This action is the 12th time the 2013 Escape has been recalled. One of the most recalled vehicles in Ford history, it has also been the subject of 41 technical service bulletins for various problems.
University of Cincinnati running back Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore died in traffic accident on Thursday, September 25. He was only 19.
The accident occurred on Vine Street, north of the UC campus in Clifton Thursday afternoon. Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore was riding his motorcycle and wearing a protective helmet and equipment when he hit the side of a car attempting to turn across two lanes of traffic, according to reports.
Police told the Cincinnati Enquirer the driver of the other vehicle was in serious but stable condition Thursday night.
Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore was a 2013 graduate of Lakota East High School in Liberty Township. UC associate athletic director Ryan Koslen confirmed the Kennedy-Palmore was a member of the UC program last season as a walk-on and had recently rejoined the team after a tryout following the season opener against Toledo.
Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore was riding his motorcycle and wearing a protective helmet and equipment when he hit the side of a car attempting to turn across two lanes of traffic (photo UC Athletic Department)
“Our football program and University has suffered another great tragedy,” head coach Tommy Tuberville said in a statement released by UC.
“I’m a father first and a coach second and it’s always hard to put your thoughts into words during times like these. Chamoda was a talented non-scholarship player and a key member of our scout teams. He worked hard and earned his spot on the roster. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
This is the second fatal accident involving one of UC players in just over one year .
Freshman offensive lineman Ben Flick was killed in a single car accident last year on September 21 while traveling back from the Bearcats’ win at Miami (Ohio). Wide receivers Mark Barr and Javon Harrison were also injured in the accident. They have been medically disqualified from playing but remain on scholarship at UC, said Ryan Koslen.
Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore rushed for 775 yards and five touchdowns in his senior season at Lakota East helping the Thunderhawks reach the OHSAA playoffs for the first time in school history. He had 204 yards from scrimmage as they won their first playoff game, 45-38, against Springboro.
Some of his teammates expressed their grief on Twitter on Thursday evening.
UC (2-0) plays at No. 20 Ohio State(2-1) on Saturday, September 27.
A moment of silence is planned prior to the game Saturday night.
A new world record for the highest-ever cricket match has been set by an international team of cricketers by playing at the top of Kilimanjaro.
Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain.
The teams included former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and ex-England spinner Ashley Giles.
The game was played at a height of 5,730m (18,799 ft) in a flat crater just below Kilimanjaro summit.
A group of international cricketers have set a world record for playing a match at the highest altitude on Kilimanjaro (photo AFP)
They played 10 overs each of a Twenty20 game before clouds stopped play.
“This is absolutely incredible! We are playing cricket on the summit of Africa!” Ashley Giles tweeted on September 26.
The current record for the world’s highest game is 5,165m, played in the Himalayas at Everest base camp in Nepal in 2009.
The “Gorillas” team, led by England women’s vice-captain Heather Knight, scored 82-5 to beat Giles’ “Rhinos” team, who managed 64-9, the AFP news agency reports.
Electronic devices such as mobile phones can be left switched on during flights, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has announced.
The EASA says that electronic devices do not pose a safety risk.
The announcement clears the way for airlines to permit the use of mobile phones, once they have conducted their own safety reviews.
Currently airline passengers have to switch devices to flight mode and make calls from the airport terminal.
The EASA says that electronic devices do not pose a safety risk during flights
The EASA sets the framework for airlines making safety decisions.
The agency said each airline would still have to go through an assessment process, ensuring aircraft systems are not affected by the signals from portable electronic devices before establishing their own rules for their operation.
As a result there could be a delay in implementing the new rules at some airlines.
The EASA also says that airlines may opt for different policies on the use of mobile devices.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that all flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway were grounded due to a fire at an air traffic control facility.
More than 300 hundred flights have been cancelled, according to a flight tracking website.
Fire crews have put out the blaze but the airports remain closed.
All flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway were grounded due to a fire at an air traffic control facility (photo CBS)
Firemen told the Chicago Tribune they found a man with self-inflicted injuries in the facility.
The newspaper reported the man was found in the basement and was subsequently taken to hospital.
It is not known whether he is connected to the fire.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to reopen the airport within hours.
According to experts, millions of servers use software vulnerable to Shellshock bug, which lets attackers run commands on that system.
Up to now, a series of attacks on websites and servers using the serious Shellshock bug has been spotted
So far, thousands of servers have been compromised via Shellshock and some have been used to bombard web firms with data, said experts.
The number of attacks and compromises was likely to grow as the code used to exploit the bug was shared.
The Shellshock bug was discovered in a tool known as Bash that is widely used by the Unix operating system and many of its variants, including Linux open source software and Apple’s OSX.
Apple said it was working on a fix for its operating system and added that most users would not be at risk from Shellshock.
Millions of servers use software vulnerable to Shellshock bug, which lets attackers run commands on that system
Attackers have been spotted creating networks of compromised machines, known as botnets, that were then put to other uses.
One group used their Shellshock botnet to bombard machines run by Akamai with huge amounts of junk data to try to knock them offline. Another group used its botnet to scan for more machines that are vulnerable.
Evidence of the scanning and attacks came from honeypots run by security companies. These are computers that have been set up to look vulnerable but which catch information about attackers.
The US and Canada are believed to have issued alerts and told technology staff to patch systems as quickly as possible. Amazon, Google, Akamai and many other tech firms have also issued advisories to customers about the bug.
As well as software patches for vulnerable systems, security firms and researchers are also producing signatures and filter lists to help spot attacks based around it.
US-led airstrikes have destroyed four ISIS-held oil tanks and damaged another during a fourth night of bombardments in Syria.
The Pentagon said it also carried out seven strikes on ISIS positions in Iraq, including one on the outskirts of the capital, Baghdad.
The Danish government says it is sending seven F-16 fighter jets to join anti-IS operations – but only in Iraq.
The UK parliament is due to vote on possible air strikes in Iraq on September 26.
The Islamic State is meanwhile advancing on the Syrian border town of Kobane, pushing back Kurdish fighters, reports the Reuters news agency.
Hundreds of protesters stormed the border fence in order to cross into Syria from Turkey to help defend the town, it says.
ISIS controls much of north-eastern Syria and earlier this year seized swathes of territory in neighboring Iraq, including the second city, Mosul.
US-led airstrikes have destroyed four ISIS-held oil tanks and damaged another during a fourth night of bombardments in Syria (photo EPA)
After previous US-led air strikes, ISIS militants beheaded three Western hostages.
Some Western leaders are wary of bombing Syria, as the government there has not asked for foreign assistance against ISIS, unlike Iraq.
The tanks were destroyed in the oil-rich Deir al-Zour province, the US Department of Defense said in a statement.
It also said strikes in Iraq had destroyed nine ISIS vehicles and damaged others.
The strikes were carried out by “a mix of fighter, attack and remotely piloted aircraft”.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict in Syria, said the new strikes caused casualties but the numbers were unclear.
Recent air strikes have been targeting oil facilities under ISIS control in both countries in order to reduce its finances.
The ISIS group is earning an estimated $2 million a day from oil sales.
Earlier, Spain’s interior ministry said Spanish and Moroccan police had arrested nine people suspected of belonging to a militant cell linked to the IS group.
A statement from the ministry said the suspects belonged to a group based in the Spanish enclave of Melilla, on the northern coast of Africa, and the neighboring town of Nador, in Morocco.
One of those arrested is reported to be Spanish; the rest are Moroccan nationals.
Some 140,000 people are said to have fled the ISIS advance on Kobane in recent days, crossing into Turkey.
Earlier this week, the UN Security Council adopted a binding resolution compelling states to prevent their nationals from joining jihadists in Iraq and Syria.
Kim Jong-un has an unspecified medical problem, North Korea’s state media reported after the leader failed to appear at a key political event.
A report on state television said on September 25 that Kim Jong-un, 31, was in an “uncomfortable physical condition” but gave no details.
Earlier, Kim Jong-un was absent from a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) – North Korea’s legislature.
Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for more than three weeks.
His non-appearance at the SPA – to which he was elected in March with 100% of the vote – on September 25 prompted renewed speculation about the leader’s whereabouts.
The report on state-run Central Television later in the day showed footage of the leader limping during one of his regular inspection tours back in July.
Kim Jong-un made his last public appearance on September 3, when he attended a concert given by the Moranbong Band – an all-girl musical troupe reputedly hand-picked by the leader himself.
State newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed Kim Jong-un sitting in comfortable front-row seats, alongside his wife Ri Sol-ju.
Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for more than three weeks (photo Reuters)
Previous appearances, the usual diet of factory and military unit inspections, show a clearly overweight Kim Jong-un walking with a limp and wearing generously cut trousers, possibly to disguise his walking difficulties.
South Korean newspaper Joongang Daily supports the leg injury theory, and suggests that his disappearance may be due to an injury picked up during some sort of sporting activity.
It is known that Kim Jong-un is a lover of horse riding and is keen on watching basketball and football.
An anonymous source – said to be “familiar with North Korea affairs” – quoted by the South Korean news agency Yonhap, said he understood Kim Jong-un was “suffering from gout, along with hyperuricemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure”.
The agency said some people attribute the deterioration in Kim Jong-un’s health to frequent drinking and overeating.
The source said gout runs in Kim Jong-un’s family, with his grandfather Kim II-sung, his father Kim Jong-il and his elder brother Kim Jong-nam all suffering from the disease.
Chosun Ilbo suggests that Kim Jong-un simply might be on holiday, but notes that army politburo head Hwang Pyong-so, Kim Jong-un’s constant shadow on inspection visits, has also disappeared from view.
It is not the first time that the North Korean leader has failed to appear in public for an extended period. In March 2012, he spent 21 days out of the public eye; in June of the same year it was 24 days; and in January 2013 it was 18 days.
Despite the lack of recent footage of Kim Jong-un, he has not entirely disappeared from televisions tuned to Central Television.
Viewers get a daily dose of archive footage of months-old inspection visits along with an enthusiastic voice-over, usually in the hour leading up to the main evening news.
The team searching for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has released detailed images of the seabed.
The new images reveal features such as extinct volcanoes and 1,400-metre depressions for the first time.
The collection of data from one of the most secret parts of the world is a by-product of the search.
Until now there were better maps of Mars than of this bit of the sea floor.
The Malaysia Airlines plane vanished without trace on March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board.
Twenty-six countries have helped look for the Boeing 777, but nothing has ever been found.
The aircraft was flying from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing.
The new search images reveal features such as extinct volcanoes and 1,400-metre depressions for the first time
The team at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which is leading the hunt for the plane, is using sonar to map the new “priority” search area, at the bottom of the Southern Indian Ocean.
After that they will deploy two or three deep sea vehicles to begin the painstaking, inch-by-inch seabed search for wreckage.
The “priority” area is based on the only piece of hard evidence investigators have, which is a series of brief, electronic “hellos” between the Boeing and a satellite.
It is the equivalent of your mobile phone buzzing next to a loud speaker because it is checking in with a ground station, even when you are not making a call.
However, those “hellos” don’t give an exact location, just a very rough idea, so the smaller, “priority” area is still 23,200 square miles – an area roughly the size of Croatia.
Making sonar maps is vital to ensure the team does not crash its deep-water vehicles into ridges and volcanoes. The equipment is pulled along just above the sea floor by a 10km-long armored cable.
Snagging that cable could damage the kit, or even cut it free, so the maps help them avoid any obstructions.
The deep sea search vehicles have sonar that can pick out odd lumps, cameras that can double check if that lump is wreckage or just a rock and an electronic nose that can smell aviation fuel in the water, even if it is heavily diluted.
The operation to find flight MH370 is the most complex search in history.
Do you feel like you need a change of scenery? Last minute holidays are specifically tailored to suit one’s vacation preference, whether it’s a beach vacation or a Caribbean cruise, achieving a trip that will complement your personality is easy and hassle-free. If you want to combine this holiday with a bit of retail therapy, you should consider visiting Istanbul. This city has the highest number of shopping centers in Europe, and it is a shopper’s paradise.
Here are just some of the amazing shopping centers of Istanbul:
Forum Istanbul
Forum Istanbul
The Forum is a huge shopping center that covers an area of 495,000 square meters, and it is also home to attractions such as the Ice Museum and Turkuazoo Aquarium (there are over 10,000 marine species to see here). Some of the big name shops that have branches at The Forum include Ikea, Zara, M&S, and Boyner – there are hundreds of other retailers here as well. This is one of the largest shopping centers in Europe, and it is going to take more than one trip to do this place justice.
Akmerkez
Akmerkez Sopping Center
Armerkez is one of the most exclusive shopping centers in Istanbul, and this is the place to go if you are looking for something fancy. Many of the top brands have outlets here including big names like Lacoste, Oysho, Zara, and Mont Blanc. It is well worth visiting Armerkez after dark because this shopping center has an outrageous light display – it is like something you would expect to see on the main strip in Las Vegas.
Istinye Park
Istinye Park
Istinye Park is one of the nicest shopping centres to visit in Istanbul, and it has areas that are outside as well as inside. It is broken up into different areas such as the Fashion District and the Kid’s District – this makes finding stuff a bit easier.
These are just some of the amazing shopping opportunities you can enjoy during a trip to Istanbul, and we haven’t even mentioned the markets. You might be tempted to spend a lot of money on this type of holiday, but you certainly don’t have. Just walking around these shopping areas, and doing some people watching, can be great fun too.
According to new reports, Venice city officials are closing a walkway fronting the picturesque Grand Canal to keep crowds away from George Clooney’s wedding to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
Venice city on September 26 issued an order closing walkways accessing the 16th Century Palazzo Cavalli (Cavalli Palace) for at least two hours on September 29, citing “the George Clooney wedding”.
A city official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said city police requested the closure to prevent crowds from gathering and creating a safety risk. The official said such closures have taken place previously for both public and private events.
Venice city officials are closing a walkway fronting the Grand Canal to keep crowds away from George Clooney’s wedding to Amal Alamuddin (photo People Magazine)
The Cavalli Palace is used for civil marriage ceremonies, with rooms overlooking the Grand Canal and the famed Rialto Bridge.
Amal Alamuddin flew from London to Milan with her mom Baria on Thursday, September 25, ahead of her wedding to George Clooney.
The future spouses are anticipating big-name guests at their nuptials, including pals like Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford, as well as Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana.
George Clooney proposed to Amal Alamuddin this past April, after they started dating in late 2013.
According to a report in the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy, a spice commonly found in curries may boost the brain’s ability to heal itself.
The German study suggests a compound found in turmeric could encourage the growth of nerve cells thought to be part of the brain’s repair kit.
Scientists say this work, based in rats, may pave the way for future drugs for strokes and Alzheimer’s disease.
However, researchers say more trials are needed to see whether this applies to humans.
Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Julich, Germany, studied the effects of aromatic-turmerone – a compound found naturally in turmeric.
Rats were injected with the compound and their brains were then scanned.
Particular parts of the brain, known to be involved in nerve cell growth, were seen to be more active after the aromatic-turmerone infusion.
Scientists say the compound may encourage a proliferation of brain cells.
Turmerone, a spice commonly found in curries, may boost the brain’s ability to heal itself
In a separate part of the trial, researchers bathed rodent neural stem cells (NSCs) in different concentrations of aromatic-tumerone extract.
NSCs have the ability to transform into any type of brain cell and scientists suggest they could have a role in repair after damage or disease.
Dr. Maria Adele Rueger, who was part of the research team, said: “In humans and higher developed animals their abilities do not seem to be sufficient to repair the brain but in fish and smaller animals they seem to work well.”
The research found the higher the concentration of aromatic-turmerone, the greater the growth of the NSCs.
And the cells bathed in the turmeric compound seemed to specialize into certain types of brain cells more rapidly too.
Dr. Maria Adele Rueger added: “It is interesting that it might be possible to boost the effectiveness of the stem cells with aromatic-turmerone.
“And it is possible this in turn can help boost repair in the brain.”
She is now considering whether human trials may be feasible.
Aromatic-turmerone is the lesser-studied of two major compounds in turmeric that may have an effect on the human body.
Previous studies suggest the other compound, curcumin, could reduce inflammation in the body and have anti-cancer benefits.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation on September 25 after leading the Justice Department since the first days of President Barack Obama’s term.
Eric Holder, 63, is the fourth-longest-serving attorney general in US history.
America’s first black attorney general and an unflinching champion of civil rights in enforcing the nation’s laws is the administration’s point man on the civil rights investigation into the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri.
He won’t leave until a replacement is confirmed, which means he could remain in office for months.
In an emotional ceremony at the White House, President Barack Obama said Eric Holder did a “superb job” and credited him with driving down both the nation’s crime and incarceration rate – the first time they have declined together in more than 40 years.
“He believes as I do that justice is not just an abstract theory,” Barack Obama said.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation after leading the Justice Department since the first days of President Barack Obama’s term (photo CBS News)
“It’s a living and breathing principal. It’s about how our laws interact with our daily lives.”
Only three other attorneys general in US history have served longer than Eric Holder. He also is one of the longest-serving of Barack Obama’s original Cabinet members. Two others remain: Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Eric Holder and his wife are close personally to the Obamas, having recently vacationed together on Martha’s Vineyard, and Barack Obama told him of his intention to depart over the summer.
White House officials said Barack Obama had not made a final decision on a replacement for Eric Holder, who was one of the most liberal voices in his Cabinet. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said naming a new attorney general would be a high priority for the president.
Some possible candidates that have been mentioned among administration officials include Solicitor General Don Verrilli; Deputy US Attorney General James Cole; White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler; Preet Bharara, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York; Jenny Durkan, a former US attorney in Washington state, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a former Rhode Island attorney general.
Low-budget talk-show host and former child actor Skip E. Lowe died on September 22 at the age of 85 from complications of emphysema.
Skip E. Lowe filmed Skip E. Lowe Looks at Hollywood for 36 years, broadcasting it on cable TV outlets in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. He filmed the last one just two weeks ago.
“He loved show business, and the fact that the show was public access, that didn’t bother him at all. He was on television,” Skip E. Lowe’s agent, Alan Eichler, told the AP on September 25.
Skip E. Lowe filmed Skip E. Lowe Looks at Hollywood for 36 years, broadcasting it on cable TV outlets in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco
Born Sammy Labella in Greenville, Mississippi, and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Skip E. Lowe recalled being badly bullied as a child because of his effeminate manner and penchant for wanting to entertain people. His mother moved him to Hollywood in hopes of getting him in the movies.
He landed several small parts as a child actor before growing up to be a song-and-dance man and master of ceremonies, performing in venues that ranged from nightclubs to strip joints.
He was never paid for his public access show, but made a living in later years booking entertainers at restaurants around LA.
Skip E. Lowe wrote two memoirs, The Boy With the Betty Grable Legs, published in 2001, and Hollywood Gomorrah, published earlier this year.
Apple has finally responded to claims that its new handsets iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are prone to bending by saying such damage would be “rare” during normal use.
Media outlets across the globe had reported that several iPhone 6 users had complained of handsets becoming misshapen after being carried in trousers pockets without a case.
Several of Apple’s rivals have also helped publicize the claims.
Apple said nine customers had told it their iPhone 6 Plus phones had bent.
In a statement the company noted that the handsets’ shells had been constructed out of “anodized aluminum, which is tempered for extra strength” and also featured stainless steel and titanium parts to reinforce the areas of the phones likely to experience the most stress.
“We chose these high-quality materials and construction very carefully for their strength and durability,” it added.
“We also perform rigorous tests throughout the entire development cycle.
“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or exceed all of our high quality standards to endure everyday, real life use.
“With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple.”
Several iPhone 6 users had complained of handsets becoming misshapen after being carried in trousers pockets without a case
One of the checks that Apple had carried out before launching the models was a “sit test”, which is designed to simulate the effects of a user sitting down on a hard surface with the phone in their back pocket thousands of times over the course of several years.
Apple also carried out a torsion test, which involved clamping a phone at both ends and then applying a twisting force 8,000 times.
The company’s share price has fallen following the publicity generated by users posting photos of bent iPhones to the internet.
News that Apple had also pulled an iOS 8 operating system update after iPhone 6 users complained it made their phones unable to make or receive calls had also caused concern.
However, one analyst highlighted that Apple had been much quicker to respond to reports about bending than it had back in 2010, when customers complained about the iPhone 4 dropping calls when gripped on its left-hand side.
Apple’s competitors have taken advantage of its troubles.
The official Twitter accounts of LG, HTC and Samsung have all posted messages alluding to the controversy, with LG going so far as to use the hashtag “bendgate”, which other members of the public had used to refer to the claims.
Apple had previously announced that it had sold more than 10 million units of the iPhone 6 and its larger sibling the iPhone 6 Plus.
“While our team managed the manufacturing ramp better than ever before, we could have sold many more iPhones with greater supply and we are working hard to fill orders as quickly as possible,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in a press release on September 22.
It highlighted the “all-new dramatically thin” design of the handsets – a factor some users had speculated might be the cause of them bending.
However, it has also been pointed out that handsets by Sony, Samsung, Blackberry and others have also bent in the past, and several analysts have cautioned that it was too early to say if the incidents involving the new iPhones were more widespread.
The FBI has announced it has identified the militant in the videos depicting the killings of two US journalists and a British aid worker.
However, FBI Director James Comey says the agency will not yet release the name of Islamic State fighter, so-called Jihadi John, who seemed to speak with a British accent.
UK Foreign Minister Philip Hammond told CNN this week they were “getting warm” on the identity of the masked man.
Jihadi John appears in Steven Sotloff’s killing video (photo Reuters)
James Comey did not say whether the man identified carried out the killings.
He said the FBI was able to identify him with the help of international partners.
American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid worker David Haines, have all been killed alongside a masked man dressed in black holding a knife, who speaks to the camera.
The life of another British citizen, Alan Henning, was threatened in the last video.
Three retired FDNY firefighters who worked at Ground Zero have died on the same day from cancer.
According to experts, the illness might be connected to toxic World Trade Center dust released on September 11, fire officials said on September 25.
Lt. Howard Bischoff, 58, and firefighters Robert Leaver, 56, and Daniel Heglund, 58, died within hours of one another on September 22.
Their deaths are “a painful reminder that 13 years later we continue to pay a terrible price for the department’s heroic efforts,” Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said in a statement.
Thousands of people who aided in the rescue and recovery effort were diagnosed with respiratory ailments and other health problems in the years after the attacks. Cancer, though, remains the biggest fear for people exposed to the gritty soot at the site.
Hundreds of first responders have gotten cancer in the 13 years since the attacks, but doctors and researchers are still uncertain whether there is any link between those illnesses and 9/11. Cancer is the leading cause of death for Americans in their mid-40s to mid-60s, making it hard to tell which deaths, if any, might be related. Most medical studies have not found evidence of a substantial surge in cancer rates, though researchers have spotted some worrisome trends.
Congress has set aside $2.78 billion to compensate people with illnesses that might be related to the attacks. Administrators of the fund have included the most common types of cancer as qualifying illnesses.
Lt. Howard Bischoff, 58, and firefighters Daniel Heglund, 58, and Robert Leaver, 56, died within hours of one another on September 22 (photo AP/FDNY)
“On that day when first responders arrived, the air was toxic and remained toxic for many months afterward,” said Jake Lemonda, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.
The Fire Department of New York lost 343 firefighters on 9/11. The department maintains a memorial to 89 other firefighters it believes died of illnesses. That tally doesn’t yet include Bischoff, Leaver or Heglund.
Their deaths come as advocates urge Congress to reauthorize the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which provides medical treatment and compensation to those who got sick from exposure to toxic air after September 11.
Fire officials knew the three were sick, said Jake Lemonda, whose union represents fire lieutenants, captains, battalion chiefs, deputy chiefs, medical officers and supervising fire marshals in the FDNY. One had leukemia, one had esophageal cancer and the third had colon cancer.
Funerals for Robert Leaver and Daniel Heglund were scheduled for September 26. The service for Robert Leaver will be held at Francis of Assisi Church in West Nyack at 10 a.m. Daniel Heglund’s funeral will be at the Centerport Volunteer Firehouse at 10:30 a.m.
A funeral for Howard Bischoff will be held at 11 a.m. on September 27 at St. Aloysius Church in Jackson, New Jersey.
US Attorney General Eric Holder is resigning after six years on the job.
Eric Holder is the nation’s first black attorney general.
The White House said that President Barack Obama would announce Eric Holder’s departure later Thursday, September 25, and that Holder planned to remain at the Justice Department until his successor was in place. White House officials said President Barack Obama had not made a final decision on a replacement for Eric Holder, who was one of the most progressive voices in his Cabinet.
US Attorney General Eric Holder is resigning after six years on the job
Advisers to Barack Obama and Eric Holder said the attorney general had been planning his departure with the president for some time. Some possible candidates who have been discussed among administration officials include Solicitor General Don Verrilli, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Deputy US Attorney General James Cole and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a former Rhode Island attorney general.
Eric Holder, a 63-year-old former judge and prosecutor, took office in early 2009 as the US government grappled with the worst financial crisis in decades and with divisive questions on the handling of captured terrorism suspects, issues that helped shape his tenure as the country’s top law enforcement official. He is the fourth-longest serving attorney general in U.S. history.
He also took on questions of racial fairness, working to improve police relations with minorities, enforce civil rights laws and remove disparities in sentencing. Most recently he became the Obama administration’s point man in the federal response to the police shooting last month of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri. In the shooting’s aftermath, he enlisted a team of criminal justice researchers to study possible racial bias in law enforcement.
The news of Eric Holder’s resignation came as civil rights leaders and the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, who died in a New York City police chokehold this summer, were appearing at a news conference in Washington calling on the Justice Department to take over investigations into the deaths.
Kim Kardashian was apparently jostled by someone waiting in a large crowd outside her car at a Paris Fashion Week event on September 25.
Kim Kardashian, 33, had just exited her car at the posh Hotel Salomon de Rothschild when the kerfuffle erupted around 3 p.m.
In a video posted on TMZ.com, Kim Kardashian appears to stumble briefly after a person lunges towards her feet. Bodyguards instantly push Kim Kardashian out of the way and subdue someone who remains off camera.
Kim Kardashian’s mother Kris Jenner can be seen yelling: “Stop it!”
Kim Kardashian was apparently jostled by someone waiting in a large crowd outside her car at a Paris Fashion Week event on September 25 (photo Instagram)
Vitalii Sediuk, a former Ukrainian television reporter, told The Associated Press in an email that he is the person in the video, and that he’d only been trying to hug the star.
A representative for Kim Kardashian, Ina Treciokas, said the reality star had no comment about the incident.
Vitalii Sediuk, 25, has gained a reputation for outlandish pranks on red carpets in Moscow, Los Angeles and Cannes.
In May 2014, Vitalii Sediuk was arrested and spent two days in jail after jostling with Brad Pitt at a film premiere in Los Angeles. He also crawled underneath America Ferrera’s dress at a film premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Amber Rose filed for divorce from Wiz Khalifa after just 14 months of marriage, TMZ reported.
Reportedly citing irreconcilable differences, Amber Rose, 30, is looking to gain full custody of the couple’s son Sebastian, whom they welcomed in February 2013.
The gossip website alleges that the breakup is a bitter one, and infidelity may be involved.
Wiz Khalifa, 27, proposed to Amber Rose in March 2012, after more than a year of dating.
Amber Rose filed for divorce from Wiz Khalifa after just 14 months of marriage
Amber Rose cryptically tweeted on September 23, without context: “Reliving that moment over and over  and over……smh.”
The model dated a pre-Kim Kardashian Kanye West from 2008 to 2010.
Wiz Khalifa wrote on September 21: “There are no mistakes.”
He added on September 22: “Everyone deserves to be loved… Embracing the things that make you you will in turn make others better… Nothing but positive energy.”
Diana Krall has canceled her US fall tour to give herself time to recuperate from a severe case of pneumonia.
Diana Krall said in a statement released by her publicist she’s “deeply saddened” about the postponement, but is “under doctor’s orders to rest for the next few months in order to regain my strength and good health”.
Diana Krall has canceled her US fall tour to give herself time to recuperate from a severe case of pneumonia
The tour was scheduled to kick off November 7 in Phoenix, and new tour dates will be announced later.
Diana Krall also is putting off the release of her new album, Wallflower, from October 21 to February 3.
Britney Spears launched her debut collection of lingerie and sleepwear, called The Intimate Britney Spears, in London on September 23.
The line, which the singer describes as “romantic, feminine and subtle,” has been two and a half years in the making.
“It’s been a really long process but it’s been a lot of fun,” said Britney Spears, who says she’s become “obsessed” with lingerie.
Britney Spears launched her debut collection of lingerie and sleepwear
Britney Spears flew into London to promote the collection during a break in performing at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Her time in Las Vegas comes to an end in February 2015. In the meantime, Britney Spears will also be working on her ninth studio album.
Britney Spears, who recently broke up with boyfriend David Lucado, confirmed that the writing process is underway and the album will include lots of I hate men and I love men tracks.
The new album release date is yet to be announced.
Sierra Leone has widened the Ebola quarantine to include another one million people in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease.
President Ernest Bai Koroma has announced that northern districts of Port Loko and Bombali, and Moyamba in the south will be sealed off immediately.
Nearly 600 people have died of the virus in Sierra Leone where two eastern districts are already blockaded.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has said the world needs to act faster to halt the West Africa Ebola outbreak.
“There is still a significant gap between where we are and where we need to be,” Barack Obama told a high-level United Nations meeting on Ebola.
2,917 people have died in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, with Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea worst affected, according to new figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
President Ernest Bai Koroma’s announcement follows a three-day nationwide lockdown that ended on Sunday night.
Sierra Leone has widened the Ebola quarantine to include another one million people in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease (photo AP)
Two eastern districts have been isolated since the beginning of August and the extension of the indefinite quarantine means more than a third of Sierra Leone’s 6.1 million population now finds itself unable to move freely.
During Sierra Leone’s three-day curfew, more than a million households were surveyed and 130 new cases discovered, the authorities say.
President Ernest Bai Koroma said the move had been a success but had exposed “areas of greater challenges”, which was why other areas were being quarantined.
Only people delivering essential services can enter and circulate within areas under quarantine.
In a televised address, the president acknowledged that the blockade would “pose great difficulties” for people.
“[But] the life of everyone and the survival of our country take precedence over these difficulties,” he said.
According to WHO, the situation nationally in Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate with a sharp increase in the number of newly reported cases in the capital, Freetown, and its neighboring districts of Port Loko, Bombali, and Moyamba, which are now under quarantine.
The WHO said despite efforts to deploy more health workers and open new Ebola treatment centers in the worst-affected countries, there was still a significant lack of beds in Sierra Leone and Liberia, with more than 2,000 needed.
The situation in Guinea had appeared to be stabilizing, but with up to 100 new confirmed cases reported in each of the past five weeks, it was still of grave concern, it said.
Experts have discovered a new security vulnerability – dubbed Shellshock bug or Bash – affecting hundreds of millions of computers, servers and devices.
The flaw has been found in a software component known as Bash, which is a part of many Linux systems as well as Apple’s Mac operating system.
Shellshock bug can be used to remotely take control of almost any system using Bash, researchers said.
Some experts said Shellshock bug was more serious than Heartbleed, discovered in April.
Some 500,000 machines worldwide were thought to have been vulnerable to Heartbleed. But early estimates, which experts said were conservative, suggest that Shellshock could hit at least 500 million machines.
The problem is particularly serious given that many web servers are run using the Apache system, software which includes the Bash component.
Bash – which stands for Bourne-Again SHell – is a command prompt on many Unix computers. Unix is an operating system on which many others are built, such as Linux and Mac OS.
Shellshock bug has been found in a software component known as Bash, which is a part of many Linux systems as well as Apple’s Mac operating system
The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) issued a warning about the bug, urging system administrators to apply patches.
However, other security researchers warned that the patches were “incomplete” and would not fully secure systems.
Of particular concern to security experts is the simplicity of carrying out attacks that make use of the bug.
Cybersecurity specialists Rapid7 rated the Bash bug as 10 out of 10 for severity, but “low” on complexity – a relatively easy vulnerability for hackers to capitalize on.
Security companies have suggested that there is evidence Shellshock is being used by hackers.
The new bug has turned the spotlight, once again, onto the reliance the technology industry has on products built and maintained by small teams often made up of volunteers.
Heartbleed was a bug related to open source cryptographic software OpenSSL. After the bug became public, major tech firms moved to donate large sums of money to the team responsible for maintaining the software.
Similarly, the responsibility for Bash lies with just one person – Chet Ramey, a developer based at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
