Sochi Olympic Games officially open in Russia on Friday, with 98 medals to be won over 16 days.
Sochi, on Russia’s Black Sea coast, will welcome about 2,900 athletes in 15 disciplines as the opening ceremony begins at 20:14 local time.
The build-up has been overshadowed by security fears, human rights concerns and delays to preparations.
But, at $50 billion, the cost of these Games is more than the combined total of all other Olympic Winter Games to date.
Canada, Norway and the United States are considered the likeliest candidates to top the Sochi medal table.
Hosting an Olympics for the first time since the boycotted Moscow Games of 1980, Russian athletes are under pressure to improve on the embarrassment of 11th place at the last Winter Games in Vancouver.
Russia has devoted $950 million to elite winter sport since winning the bid to host these Games seven years ago.
Russian attention will be focused on the men’s ice hockey team, who have yet to win Olympic gold since the break-up of the Soviet Union (although a Unified Team featuring Russian players won gold in 1992), and popular figure skater Evgeni Plushenko, who has overcome injury to feature in the Games but faces a tough task to win a medal.
Norway will look to biathlon and cross-country skiing for the bulk of their medals, while Canada’s medals will come from short track speed skating, in particular Charles Hamelin, who has the potential to be one of the faces of the Games, as well as freestyle skiing and snowboard.
The US will expect big things from Alpine skiing and bobsleigh.
Sochi will welcome about 2,900 athletes in 15 disciplines as the opening ceremony begins at 20:14 local time
In the absence of injured skier Lindsey Vonn, the leading American lights are slalom specialist Mikaela Shiffrin and snowboarder Shaun White – despite his withdrawal from the slopestyle contest on Wednesday, citing concerns over the safety of the course.
Security in Sochi has been prominent as the world’s athletes and media arrive for the Games. Threats in recent months have included repeated calls to disrupt the Olympics from the Imarat Kavkaz group in the North Caucasus, suicide bombings in the nearby city of Volgograd, and a recent US warning about the potential for “toothpaste” bombs on flights.
Journalists arriving in the region have found hotel rooms and other facilities unfinished amid a last-minute rush by organizers to complete building work, although the Olympic venues themselves have largely met with praise from athletes.
Russian opposition politicians and analysts have attributed Olympic project delays to corruption, which they say accounts for much of the Sochi Games’ substantial cost – more than three times the London 2012 budget.
Liliya Shevtsova, a senior associate at a Moscow public policy research centre, believes the Games are “an embodiment of corruption, inefficiency, irrationality, extreme vanity and megalomania”.
Sochi’s organizers do not recognize the $50 billion figure (they claim it includes the costs of infrastructure which may have been built anyway) and insist their outlay has been closer to $6.5 billion.
Alexander Zhukov, president of Russia’s Olympic Committee, said the authorities had “uncovered no cases of corruption”.
Meanwhile IOC president Thomas Bach has said athletes who oppose Russia’s “anti-gay” legislation are free to express their views in interviews with the media, but must not do so on the podium or during their events.
Sochi’s Fisht Olympic Stadium should be at full 40,000 capacity for the opening ceremony, although empty seats are anticipated at venues once the action begins.
Two weeks before the Games, organizers reported they had sold 70% of available tickets. Vancouver 2010, by contrast, sold 97% of its tickets with London 2012 achieving a similar figure.
For the first time in 30 years, events at the Winter Olympics began before the opening ceremony.
Women’s ski jump, luge team relay and biathlon mixed relay are among other events appearing on the Olympic program for the first time.
The first medals of the Games will be decided on Saturday with five golds up for grabs in biathlon, cross country skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and speedskating.
An apparently bugged phone conversation in which a senior US diplomat denigrates the EU over the Ukraine crisis has been posted online.
A female voice resembling that of Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland refers to the EU using a swear word, in a conversation apparently with US ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt.
The US said Victoria Nuland had “apologized for these reported comments”.
The EU and the US are involved in talks to end months of unrest in Ukraine.
Mass anti-government protests erupted in Ukraine in late November after President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign a far-reaching association and trade agreement with the EU – under heavy pressure from Moscow.
Russia has been widely accused of intervening in Ukraine, using its economic clout to persuade Viktor Yanukovych to abandon closer ties with Brussels.
Russia has itself accused Washington and the EU of meddling in Ukraine.
The alleged conversation between Victoria Nuland and the US ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, appeared on YouTube on Thursday.
The 4 min 10sec video was entitled “Maidan’s puppets” in Russian – a reference to the square in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, where pro-EU protests have been held for months. A transcription of the whole conversation was also posted in Russian.
At one point, the female speaker mentions the UN and its possible role in trying to find a solution to the Ukraine stand-off.
She says: “So that would be great, I think, to help glue this thing and have the UN help glue it and you know…” she then uses the swear word about the EU.
Victoria Nuland joined Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt on Maidan Square during her visit to Kiev in December
The male replies: “We’ve got to do something to make it stick together, because you can be pretty sure that if it does start to gain altitude the Russians will be working behind the scenes to try to torpedo it.”
The two officials also discuss frankly the merits of the three main Ukrainian opposition leaders – Vitaly Klitschko, Arseniy Yatseniuk and Oleh Tyahnybok.
The female speaker says that Vitaly Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing world champion, should not be in any new government.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
She adds: “I think Yats [Arseniy Yatseniuk] is the guy who’s got the economic experience.”
US officials refused to confirm or deny the tape’s authenticity, but state department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said: “I didn’t say it was inauthentic.”
Jennifer Psaki said Victoria Nuland had “been in contact with her EU counterparts and of course has apologized for these reported comments”.
She also played down the comments about Ukraine’s opposition, saying: “It shouldn’t be a surprise that at any points there have been discussions about recent events and offers and what is happening on the ground.”
Jennifer Psaki hinted that the tape could have been leaked by Moscow, pointing out that a senior Russian official was one of the first to draw attention to the audio.
She said: “We think this is a new low in Russian trade-craft. This is something they’ve been actively promoting, posting on, tweeting about.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney added: “I would say that since the video was first noted and tweeted out by the Russian government, I think it says something about Russia’s role.”
Earlier on Thursday, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Washington of interfering in Ukraine’s domestic affairs.
Sergei Glazyev said the US was spending $20 million (14.8 million euros) a week on Ukrainian opposition groups, supplying “rebels” with arms among other things.
And he suggested that Moscow could also intervene.
Viktor Yanukovych held talks in Kiev with Victoria Nuland on Thursday, at which he said he favored dialogue and compromise with the opposition.
The Ukrainian leader is to meet Vladimir Putin on Friday on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
The US has banned all liquids from carry-on bags on nonstop flights to Russia, on the eve of the Sochi Winter Olympics.
The restrictions come a day after US officials warned that explosives could be smuggled on flights to Russia in toothpaste tubes.
Terrorists could attempt to assemble explosive devices in flight or upon arrival, the officials warned.
Security has been elevated in the lead-up to the Games, which start on Friday.
The US airline restrictions unveiled on Thursday temporarily ban carry-on liquids, gels or aerosols aboard direct flights to Russia.
Russia has already banned all liquids, pastes and gels from its airports and internal flights last month.
The US has banned all liquids from carry-on bags on nonstop flights to Russia, on the eve of the Sochi Winter Olympics
On Thursday, President Barack Obama said Russia had an “enormous stake” in foiling terrorism at the Games.
He told NBC television network the US government was doing everything it could to ensure athletes’ safety.
The US has already placed two warships in the Black Sea, ready to offer help in case of a security emergency during the Games.
Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Kozak has said the level of security at Sochi “is similar to that of any other safe city in the world”.
Fears surrounding the Winter Olympics in Russia were heightened following two suicide attacks in Volgograd in December, as well as numerous threats from Islamist militants in the Caucasus region.
2004 Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Alina Kabaeva, Vladimir Putin’s alleged girlfriend, may be selected to light the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremonies in Sochi.
The lighting is traditionally performed by a prominent person from the host country, so Alina Kabaeva would certainly qualify on her own merits.
Rumors of Alina Kabaeva’s relationship with Vladimir Putin – who has been single since his divorce last year – have never been officially confirmed.
Alina Kabaeva, Vladimir Putin’s alleged girlfriend, may be selected to light the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremonies in Sochi
Vladimir Putin, for his part, dismissed the conjecture about Alina Kabaeva possibly lighting the torch.
“I’m aware of this [the speculation], I was told of this by [Kremlin spokesman] Dmitry Peskov. These are the usual red herrings,”News.com.au quotes President Vladimir Putin as saying while he toured a nature reserve near Sochi.
“We have many outstanding sportspeople who are significant and known in the whole world, and I am not going to interfere in this process,” Vladimir Putin said in comments broadcast on state television.
Honey Boo Boo debuted a glammed-up hair transformation on Good Morning America yesterday.
Honey Boo Boo (aka Alana Thompson), 8, flaunted her longer, straighter locks for the cameras as she twirled in front of the studio audience.
The young star dressed brightly for occasion with a pink T-shirt with the slogan “Be Happy” written across it, and a sparkly waistcoat.
Joining Honey Boo Boo on set was Mama June, who was clutching a can of Mountain Dew.
Honey Boo Boo debuted a glammed-up hair transformation on Good Morning America
The soft drink is a known ingredients to the controversial Go-Go Juice, that June Shannon was seen giving Honey Boo Boo in an early episode of Toddlers & Tiaras.
However, June Shannon has since revealed that she has stopped supplying the drink, and other stimulants – which she once referred to as “pageant crack”.
After the appearance, Honey Boo Boo was seen wearing her hair back to it’s shorter and curlier trademark style.
Mama June, Honey Boo Boo and the rest of the family have been spending a few days in New York City before the big interview.
Duck Commander, the franchise operation of Duck Dynasty reality show, has reached an agreement with Texas Motor Speedway to sponsor its next three Sprint Cup races.
The company has signed a multiyear agreement to serve as title sponsor of the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
The largest-attended, single-day sporting event held annually in Texas with estimated average crowds in excess of 150,000 will be known as the Duck Commander 500 with this year’s edition scheduled for Sunday, April 6. The two sides agreed to a three-year deal with a renewal option for an additional three years, but no financial terms of the agreement were announced.
“This is perhaps the most unique sponsorship in professional sports because not only does this come with special branding, it comes with celebrity spokespeople that are followed by tens of millions of people every week,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said in a track release.
Duck Commander has signed a multiyear agreement to serve as title sponsor of the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway
“Fans will see members of the Robertson Family and cast of <<Duck Dynasty>> and all the rest during Duck Commander 500 week here at Texas Motor Speedway and we have produced some awesome merchandise that both race fans and Duck Commander fans will love. This marriage is perfection.”
The Duck Commander brand also will enjoy a substantial product presence on its race weekend and throughout the year at Texas Motor Speedway. An extensive line of Duck Commander 500 merchandise will be sold at track and in the Speedway World souvenir store year-round in addition to being available through Duck Commander retail partners.
Uncle Si’s Tea™ will be introduced and sold at track in single-serve options in both the sweet and unsweetened varieties. Texas Motor Speedway also will look to integrate products such as Duck Commander Family Foods’ BBQ sauce, salsa and beef jerky with the speedway signature concession items.
The Robertson family members also will have a strong presence on their race weekend, with several attending as well as having various VIP or honorary roles such as Grand Marshal or Honorary Starter.
Tickets for the Duck Commander 500 officially go on sale Friday, February 14.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets prior to that date can do so by securing season tickets or by joining the Texas Motor Speedway Fan Club. Fan Club members will be eligible for a special Duck Commander 500 pre-sale event that begins 10 a.m. E.T. Friday.
Duck Dynasty’s Phil and Miss Kay Robertson bought 21.5 acres of riverfront property in a show of commitment to their Louisiana roots.
Phil Robertson, 67, and Miss Kay, 63, purchased the land on the Ouachita River, Louisiana, before the Duck Dynasty patriarch’s suspension from the reality show by A&E following his anti-gay comments made in GQ magazine.
Phil and Miss Kay Robertson bought 21.5 acres of riverfront property in a show of commitment to their Louisiana roots
According to RadarOnline, the deed for the property said Phil Robertson and his wife paid $50,000 on July 17, 2013, for the plot of land.
Phil and Miss Kay Robertson have been living in a modest home in the backwoods of West Monroe, Louisiana, for years.
Last night’s episode of Duck Dynasty showed how Willie and Jase Robertson settled their beef in the only way a redneck knows how.
“As an older brother, Jase has always acted like he’s better at everything,” complained Willie Robertson.
“One time he even told me he was better at flipping channels. But this time Jase has bitten off more than he can chew.”
“The whole town? You don’t make the best burger in the family!” Jase Robertson told his younger brother Willie.
“I make better burgers than you.”
At first, the two asked Uncle Si Robertson to settle the feud but Si was no help. When asked if he preferred Willie’s burgers to Jase’s, Si Robertson answered he preferred Phil’s first and then Miss Kay’s.
“I have to eat one from both of you,” said Si Robertson.
“In a burger-eating competition, there’s no question Willie is your man but this is a burger-making competition,” said a confident Jase Robertson.
“Willie is going down. I’m like the redneck Emeril Lagasse.”
While the two competitors made their way to the grocery store to pick up ingredients, youngest brother Jep Robertson got roped into helping his father get rid of his unwanted junk.
“Around here, stuff tends to pile up,” said Phil Robertson.
Willie and Jase Robertson settle beef in redneck style
“A whole lot of what most people would characterize as junk.”
When Jep Robertson showed up looking for old newspapers for his wife Jessica to use in an arts and crafts project, his father Phil capitalized on the situation.
“When my son comes rolling in, I have to seize upon the opportunity,” explained Phil Robertson.
“Next thing you know, the pile’s not there anymore.”
But Jep Robertson wasn’t falling for his father’s old tricks that easily.
Phil Robertson tried to unload old phonebooks and other paper goods on his son, but Jep stayed true to his mission and only accepted the paper.
“I’ve seen my dad try to set this kind of trap before,” Jep Robertson said.
“I came up for a few stacks of newspaper and that’s what I’m going to leave with.”
But it wasn’t long before Phil Robertson had Jep lugging a pick up truck full of junk to the recycling center.
It wasn’t until Jep Robertson had almost finished unloading the old newspapers, did Phil reveal they were covered in rat pee.
“Subdivision people, [rat pee] runs through them like sauce in a cat,” Phil Robertson said as he warned Jep to wash his hands well after touching the paper.
“Most dads would just ask for their sons help,” Jep Robertson said.
“My dad is different. But most fathers don’t have thousands of newspapers soaked with rat pee. Rat pee in my beard, thanks dad.”
Back at the Duck Commander warehouse, no duck calls were being made per usual and the boys began their cook off.
The competition got serious when Willie Robertson asked to borrow Jase’s pan.
“[Willie] wants to share [a pan] in a burger cook off?” a bewildered Jase Robertson asked.
“As competitive as Willie is, the man doesn’t understand competition.”
“Would Batman give the Penguin his bat mobile? Would I give a duck a bulletproof vest? Of course not!”
In the end, the two brothers only proved that the burger making business is better left to Phil and Miss Kay. Even Duck Commander employee and food enthusiast John Godwin couldn’t stomach their patties.
1,123 migrants from North Africa have been rescued by Italian navy from inflatable boats in the space of 24 hours.
The latest migrants were found in eight boats and a barge about 120 miles south-east of Lampedusa.
They included 47 women, four of them pregnant, and 50 children, all probably from sub-Saharan Africa, the navy said.
Meanwhile, at least seven migrants have drowned trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
Local officials say the bodies of six men and a woman were found on a beach in neighboring Morocco. The dead migrants were among hundreds of people who tried to enter Spanish territory on Thursday.
Italy’s navy has rescued 1,123 people from inflatable boats in the space of 24 hours
The Moroccan coastguard said it had picked up 150 of the migrants, while the rest swam back to shore.
All of the victims were reportedly from sub-Saharan Africa.
Some 2,000 migrants landed on Italian shores last month, nearly 10 times the number recorded in January 2013.
Once in Italy, the migrants will be assessed to see if they have legitimate grounds for claiming asylum.
They have to satisfy the authorities that they are fleeing persecution and would face harm or even death if sent back to their country of origin.
Nearly three out of four asylum applications in EU states were rejected in 2012.
The Los Angeles Times op-ed department had Dylan Farrow’s letter accusing Woody Allen of abuse prior to its publication on New York Times.
“We got it, we considered it, we ultimately decided not to use it,” said LA Times op-ed editor Sue Horton.
The Los Angeles Times op-ed department had Dylan Farrow’s letter accusing Woody Allen of abuse prior to its publication on New York Times
Dylan Farrow’s letter was eventually posted by columnist Nicholas Kristof Saturday afternoon on the New York Times website.
Nicholas Kristof included a disclosure in a separate blog post that he was friends with Dylan’s mother, Mia Farrow, and brother Ronan.
Earlier Wednesday, New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan revealed that Woody Allen had contacted the paper and requested to write a response to Dylan Farrow’s claims.
Pakistan’s government has a formal meeting with a Taliban-nominated team in Islamabad, officials say.
The talks are aimed at charting a “roadmap” for negotiations that will try to end a decade-long insurgency.
The government set out five conditions, including ending hostilities, saying a “journey for peace” had started.
The Taliban team agreed to travel to the north-west to discuss the conditions with the leadership.
Militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have been waging an insurgency inside Pakistan since 2007.
The talks initiative was announced last week by PM Nawaz Sharif, following a spate of attacks.
More than 100 people, including soldiers, died in Taliban attacks across the country in January. Thousands have been killed since the TTP came to the fore in 2007.
The first session lasted about three hours at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s government has a formal meeting with a Taliban-nominated team in Islamabad
The head of the Taliban team, Maulana Sami ul-Haq, read out a joint statement afterwards.
The statement listed five basic conditions that had been set out by the government side:
All talks be held within the framework of the constitution
The scope of the talks should remain confined to areas affected by violence, not the whole country
All hostilities should cease during talks
The Taliban should clarify the role of a separate nine-member committee that they have established
The talks should not be protracted
The Taliban team agreed to travel to Miranshah in the north-west to take the conditions to the leadership and pledged to report back to the government committee as soon as possible.
Both committees agreed that neither side should initiate an act that might damage the talks process.
The statement also said that the Taliban side had sought clarification on the power and mandate of the government committee involved in the talks, and whether it could accept and act on demands made by the Taliban.
Both sides condemned recent violence.
The chief negotiator for the government side, Irfan Siddiqui, said: “Today, we started the journey for peace, and both sides have agreed to complete it as soon as possible.”
The Taliban want to see Sharia (Islamic law) imposed throughout Pakistan and US troops to withdraw from the region.
Since taking office last May, Nawaz Sharif has come under mounting pressure to bring the violence under control, with many accusing his government of lacking a strategy to deal with the militants, correspondents say.
Takashi Niigaki has come forward to admit being part of Japan’s Beethoven fraud.
The ghostwriter for the man dubbed “Japan’s Beethoven” has admitted being his accomplice and questioned Mamoru Samuragochi’s deafness.
Mamoru Samuragochi, 50, is said to have lost his hearing at the age of 35 but continued to present acclaimed pieces.
But he has confessed that he had not composed his own music since 1996.
Takashi Niigaki, a music techer, told media: “I saw no signs that he could not hear.”
“At first he acted to me also as if he had suffered hearing loss, but he stopped doing so eventually.”
Takashi Niigaki has come forward to admit being part of Mamoru Samuragochi fraud
He told a press conference that he had worked with Mamoru Samuragochi for nearly two decades, and had in fact composed his most critically-acclaimed works including Hiroshima Symphony No 1, which was dedicated to the victims of the atomic bomb of 1945.
Takashi Niigaki said he would compose pieces for Mamoru Samuragochi, who would then choose which ones to put his name to.
“I have been composing music pieces for him for 18 years since I first met Mr. Samuragochi,” said Takashi Niigaki.
“I have been aware that Mr. Samuragochi had been publishing his pieces by deceiving the world. Yet I ended up composing the music as instructed. In this way, I am his accomplice.”
He said their working relationship ended last year.
But Mamoru Samuragochi’s lawyer, Kazushi Orimoto, denied there had been a deception over his hearing, and that he had been classified as having severe hearing loss.
Through his lawyer, Mamoru Samuragochi said on Wednesday that he was “deeply sorry as he has betrayed fans and disappointed others”.
Mamoru Samuragoch’s made his first breakthrough creating music for video games including Resident Evil and Onimusha.
Pope Francis’ Harley-Davidson has been sold for 210,000 euros ($284,000) at Bonhams auction in Paris.
The motorbike was auctioned to raise money for a charity for the homeless in Rome.
It was sold to an anonymous phone bidder.
The 1,585cc Dyna Super Glide was signed, but apparently never ridden by the pontiff.
Pope Francis’ Harley-Davidson has been sold for 210,000 euros at Bonhams auction in Paris
The motorbike was given to Pope Francis in June, to mark Harley-Davidson’s 110th anniversary.
The reserve price was a modest 12,000 euros, but Ben Walker, from auction house Bonhams, hinted before the auction that it could sell for more than that.
There were so many bidders there were not enough phone lines to cope and some potential buyers were turned away.
A leather jacket which accompanied the motorbike also sold for 50,000 euros.
Moses Farrow, Woody Allen and Mia Farrow’s adopted son, has defended the film-maker over a claim he molested adopted daughter Dylan in 1992.
Moses Farrow, 36, told People Magazine, he believed their mother had used the accusations to turn the children against Woody Allen.
Dylan Farrow recently renewed the abuse claim after speaking out in an open letter last week.
The authorities investigated her allegation at the time, but Woody Allen was not charged.
The film director has called the allegations “untrue and disgraceful” through his publicist.
Moses Farrow said he believed Mia Farrow had used the accusations to turn the children against Woody Allen
Moses Farrow told the magazine his mother had “drummed it into me to hate my father for tearing apart the family and sexually molesting my sister”.
“I see now that this was a vengeful way to pay him back for falling in love with Soon-Yi.”
Mia Farrow and Woody Allen split in 1992 after she discovered he was having an affair with Soon-Yi Previn, Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter with a former partner.
Woody Allen wed Soon-Yi Previn in 1997, and the two remain married.
Dylan Farrow told People Magazine her brother’s comments were “such a betrayal to me and my whole family”.
“My memories are the truth and they are mine and I will live with that for the rest of my life,” she said, denying her mother had coached her to accuse Woody Allen.
Dylan Farrow has previously said she decided to break her silence after two decades, when Woody Allen’s latest film, Blue Jasmine, was nominated for an Oscar.
Mia Farrow has not directly responded to Moses’ statements but tweeted: “I love my daughter. I will always protect her. A lot of ugliness is going to be aimed at me. But this is not about me, it’s about her truth.”
The New York Times, which originally published Dylan Farrow’s open letter, said on Wednesday it may publish a response from Woody Allen.
Australian scientists are working to classify a new species of giant jellyfish that washed up on a beach in Tasmania.
A family found the 5ft jellyfish on a beach south of Hobart last month.
Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin, of Australia’s CSIRO government agency, said that scientists had known about the species for a while but had not yet classified it.
She described the specimen as a “truly magnificent animal”.
Experts at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) were alerted to the discovery by Josie Lim and her family, who came across it.
“She and her children found the jellyfish and took this amazing photo that just boggles the mind,” jellyfish expert Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin said.
This species was part of the Lion’s Mane group, she said.
Australian scientists are working to classify a new species of giant jellyfish that washed up on a beach in Tasmania
These jellyfish “look like a dinner plate with a mop hanging underneath – they have a really raggedy look to them”, she said.
The Tasmanian discovery was found stranded belly-up, Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin explained.
It was one of a “species I’ve known about for a while but it’s not yet named and classified”, she said.
“We’re very eager to know more about it.”
It is one of three new species of Lion’s Mane in Tasmania which the scientist is currently working to classify.
Recent years had seen “huge blooms” of jellyfish in Tasmanian waters, she said, but scientists were not sure why.
“We’re very keen to find out why jellyfish are blooming in such super-abundances in these southern waters,” she said.
The world’s largest jellyfish shares the same genus – Cyanea – as the Lion’s Mane. Found in the North Atlantic and Arctic, the Cyanea Arctica can grow up to 10ft across the body, Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin said.
An international team of scientists have created a bionic hand which allows the amputee to feel lifelike sensations from their fingers.
Dennis Aabo from Denmark received the hand, which was connected to nerves in his upper arm, following surgery in Italy.
Dennis Aabo, who lost his left hand in a firework accident nearly a decade ago, said the hand was “amazing”.
In laboratory tests he was able to tell the shape and stiffness of objects he picked up, even when blindfolded.
The details were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The team carried out the research project, which included robotics experts from Italy, Switzerland and Germany.
“It is the first time that an amputee has had real-time touch sensation from a prosthetic device” said Prof. Silvestro Micera from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa.
The scientific advance here was not the hand itself, but the electronics and software that enabled it to give sensory feedback to the brain.
Prof. Silvestro Micera and his team added sensors to the artificial hand which could detect and measure information about touch. Using computer algorithms, the scientists transformed the electrical signals they emitted into an impulse that sensory nerves could interpret.
Dennis Aabo, who lost his left hand in a firework accident nearly a decade ago, said the bionic hand was amazing
During an operation in Rome, four electrodes were implanted onto nerves in the patient’s upper arm. These were connected to the artificial sensors in the fingers of the prosthetic hand, so allowing touch and pressure feedback to be sent direct to the brain.
Dennis Aabo, 36, a property developer, spent a month doing laboratory tests, firstly to check the electrodes were functioning, and then with these fully connected to the bionic hand.
He said: “The biggest difference was when I grabbed something I could feel what I was doing without having to look. I could use the hand in the dark.
“It was intuitive to use, and incredible to be able to feel whether objects were soft or hard, square or round.”
The bionic hand is still a prototype, and due to safety restrictions imposed on clinical trials, Dennis Aabo required a second operation to remove the sensors.
Professor Paolo Rossini, neurologist, University Hospital Agostino Gemelli, Rome, said a lot of pre-training was done involving surgery on pigs, and with human cadavers, to ensure they knew exactly how to attach electrodes to the tiny peripheral nerves in the upper arm.
Another member of the team, Dr. Stanisa Raspopovic said: “It was a very exciting moment when after endless hours of testing….Dennis turned to us and said with disbelief, <<This is magic! I can feel the closing of my missing hand!>>”
The international team is now working on how to miniaturize the technology so that it could be used in the home.
“We must get rid of the external cables and make them fully implantable” said Prof. Thomas Stieglitz, University of Frieburg, Germany, whose laboratory created the ultra-thin implantable electrodes.
There is no precise timetable, but scientists think it could be a decade before a sensory feedback bionic hand is commercially available.
And they believe it may pave the way for more realistic prosthetic devices in the future which can detect texture and temperature.
But it will undoubtedly be very expensive, well beyond the means of most patients. And artificial hands still lack the precision and dexterity of the real thing.
The super-functioning bionic hand of science fiction films remains the stuff of fiction.
Nonetheless, Dennis Aabo, who now has his old prosthesis back, is ready to swap it for the bionic hand in any future trial.
The US Department of Homeland Security has warned airlines with direct flights to Russia that explosives hidden in toothpaste tubes could be smuggled onto planes.
The warning comes on the eve of the Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
It said it shared relevant information with partners at home and abroad “out of an abundance of caution”.
But it was not aware of any specific danger to the US at this time.
Unnamed security officials were quoted as saying there were fears toothpaste tubes could be used to smuggle explosives which could then be used to assemble a bomb either in flight or upon arrival at the Olympics.
The US Department of Homeland Security has warned airlines with direct flights to Russia that explosives hidden in toothpaste tubes could be smuggled onto planes
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that although it is “not aware of a specific threat… this routine communication is an important part of our commitment to making sure we meet that priority”.
The White House National Security Council said the latest threat had not altered existing travel guidelines for Sochi.
“If we should receive information in the coming days and weeks that changes our assessment of whether people should travel to Sochi, we will make that information public,” spokeswoman Laura Magnuson told US media.
The US has also placed two warships in the Black Sea in case of a security breach during the games, scheduled for February 7-23.
Fears were raised following two suicide attacks in Volgograd in December, and numerous threats from Islamist militants in the Caucasus region.
North Korea has warned South Korea it will cancel family reunions, a day after agreeing to hold them.
A top military body in North Korea said in a statement that it would reconsider the family reunions deal if joint US-South Korea military exercises went ahead.
“Dialogue and exercises of war” could not go hand in hand, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted the North Korean statement as saying.
The two Koreas last held reunions for divided families in 2010.
The next reunions – for family members separated when the Korean peninsula was partitioned at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War – are scheduled for February 20.
In the past North Korea has cancelled reunions after the South took actions it opposed.
North Korea said it would reconsider the family reunions deal if joint US-South Korea military exercises went ahead
It has been accused of using the reunions, which are highly emotional events, as a bargaining chip.
“As we were reaching an agreement on the separated families, B-52 bombers were engaging in nuclear strike drills against us above Korea’s western sea,” the statement from North Korea’s National Defense Commission said.
“As long as [South Korea] hurts our dignity and slanders our regime, we can’t help but reconsider fulfilling the agreement,” the statement added.
Major US and South Korea military drills, which are held every year around this time, are due to begin later this month. The exercises anger Pyongyang, which views them as aggressive.
Last year, the exercises led to a prolonged surge in tensions, with North Korea threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikes and cutting a military hotline with the South.
A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday that the joint drills would go ahead.
“We will proceed with our drills normally, regardless of the reunions for separated families,” said ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok.
It is estimated that there are about 72,000 South Koreans – nearly half of them aged over 80 – on the waiting list for a chance to join the family reunion events.
Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill that would tighten government controls over the internet.
The new law will allow Turkey’s telecommunications authority to block websites without first seeking a court ruling.
It will also force internet providers to store data on web users’ activities for two years and make it available to the authorities.
The opposition has criticized the move as an assault on freedom of expression.
Internet access in Turkey is already restricted and thousands of websites blocked.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been openly critical of the internet, calling Twitter a “scourge” and condemning social media as “the worst menace to society”.
Both Twitter and Facebook were widely used by anti-government protesters to spread information during demonstrations last year.
Turkey’s parliament has approved a bill that would tighten government controls over the internet
The new measures were adopted after hours of debate in parliament where Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) dominates with 319 of the 550 seats.
At the start of the debate, opposition MP Hasan Oren compared Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Adolf Hitler.
“When you came to power you talked of enhancing democracy in Turkey – now you are trying to implement fascism,” he said.
“Remember that Adolf Hitler used the same methods when he rose to power.”
However, Deputy PM Bulent Arinc said there was “no such thing as internet censorship” in Turkey.
“We are freer compared to many other countries and have freedom of the press,” he said.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the new powers meant Turkey’s telecommunications agency would be able to “gather communications data about all internet users without any legal limits or restrictions” and with users “never… able to know when and how this information is gathered”.
Selena Gomez’s rep confirmed reports that she spent two weeks of January in an Arizona rehab.
Selena Gomez, 21, announced in December that she was canceling her Australian tour to spend some time on herself.
The Dawn at the Meadows facility offers youth-targeted treatment for addiction and other issues, but Selena Gomez didn’t seek help for drugs or alcohol when she discreetly checked in on January 5, says her camp.
Selena Gomez spent two weeks of January in an Arizona rehab
“Selena voluntarily spent time at Meadows but not for substance abuse,” her rep said in a statement.
While Radar Online says Selena Gomez sought help for “emotional issues,” another insider alleges that she’d been “partying very hard”.
According to TMZ, Selena Gomez blames Justin Bieber for her troubles, citing the “excesses” she was exposed to (e.g. alcohol, pot and Ambien) while hanging with him and his posse.
Since, addiction and mood disorders, such as depression, are often linked, it is likely that Gomez has been suffering from multiple issues in recent months. Luckily, receiving treatment at a dual diagnosis treatment center can help with both addiction and emotional issues.
While going through with dual diagnosis treatment, Gomez will learn to create a balance in her life that will ultimately lead to her living in a healthier manner.
Arizona is home to some of the top rehab centers in the entire country, so fans can be certain that Gomez has received the best care available and is well on the road to recovery.
Suzanne Basso is scheduled to be executed Wednesday in a rare case of a female death-row inmate in the US.
Suzanne Basso, 59, is convicted of torturing and killing mentally impaired Louis “Buddy” Musso near Houston, Texas, more than 15 years ago.
If she is lethally injected as scheduled, New York native Suzanne Basso would be only the 14th woman executed in the US since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. By comparison, almost 1,400 men have been put to death.
Texas, America’s busiest death-penalty state, has executed four women and 505 men.
Suzanne Basso was sentenced to death for the 1998 killing of 59-year-old Louis “Buddy” Musso, whose battered and lacerated body was found in a ditch outside Houston. Prosecutors said Suzanne Basso had made herself the beneficiary of Louis Musso’s insurance policies and took over his Social Security benefits after luring him from New Jersey.
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals refused to halt the execution in a ruling Tuesday, meaning the Supreme Court is likely her last hope. A state judge ruled last month that Suzanne Basso had a history of fabricating stories about herself, seeking attention and manipulating psychological tests.
Suzanne Basso is convicted of torturing and killing mentally impaired Louis “Buddy” Musso in 1998
Leading up to her trial, Suzanne Basso’s court appearances were marked by claims of blindness and paralysis, and speech mimicking a little girl.
Suzanne Basso’s attorney, Winston Cochran Jr., had asked the appeals court to overturn the lower court’s finding that Basso was mentally competent to face execution. He argued that Suzanne Basso suffered from delusions and that the state law governing competency was unconstitutionally flawed.
Her lawyer said a degenerative disease left her paralyzed, but Suzanne Basso, who uses a wheelchair, blamed her paralysis on a jail beating years ago. At a competency hearing two months ago, she testified from a hospital bed wheeled into a Houston courtroom and talked about a snake smuggled into a prison hospital in an attempt to kill her.
She acknowledged lying about her background, including that she was a triplet, worked in the New York governor’s office and had a relationship with Nelson Rockefeller, the late vice president and New York governor.
Prosecutors said Louis Musso was living in New Jersey when he met either Suzanne Basso or her son at a church carnival, then moved to Jacinto City, east of Houston, with an offer of marriage. Evidence showed Suzanne Basso was already married but took over his benefits and insurance.
An autopsy showed Louis Musso had several broken bones, including a skull fracture and 14 broken ribs. His back was covered with cigarette burns, and bruises were found all over his body.
Suzanne Basso became a suspect after reporting him missing following the discovery of his body. Five others also were convicted, including Suzanne Basso’s son, but prosecutors only sought the death penalty for her.
Suzanne Basso is among about 60 women currently on death row in the US, making up about 2% of the 3,100 condemned inmates.
Steve Coogan and Philomena Lee, whose story inspired the Oscar-nominated film Philomena, have met Pope Francis in Rome.
Steve Coogan, who starred in, co-wrote and co-produced the film, will take part in a press conference with Philomena Lee in Rome on Thursday.
They are campaigning for the release of 60,000 adoption files held by the Irish state, churches and private agencies.
The film tells the story of Philomena Lee’s search for her adopted son.
As an unmarried mother in Ireland in the 1950s, Philomena Lee was put into a convent as a “fallen woman” and forced to give up her three-year-old son.
“I am honored and delighted to have been in the presence of Pope Francis today,” Philomena Lee said in a statement.
Steve Coogan and Philomena Lee, whose story inspired the Oscar-nominated film Philomena, have met Pope Francis in Rome
“As the film portrays, I have always put great faith in the church and the good will to put the wrongs of the past right.
“I hope and believe that his Holiness Pope Francis joins me in the fight to help the thousands of mothers and children who need closure on their own stories.”
Pope Francis holds a general audience in the Vatican every Wednesday.
Philomena Lee and her daughter Jane recently launched The Philomena Project to help reunite families separated by adoption.
At present, adopted children who are trying to find their biological parents in Ireland are not permitted to see documents containing information on the identities of parents and children.
Adoption was sometimes forced upon single mothers due to the stigma of having a child outside marriage.
Philomena Lee’s story was told in a book by former BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith, and his book was adapted for the screen by Steve Coogan.
Philomena has four Oscar nominations, including best picture, best actress for Judi Dench and best adapted screenplay for Steve Coogan and co-writer Jeff Pope.
Honey Boo Boo is reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress brought on by the recent car accident.
Alana Thompson, aka Honey Boo Boo, 8, and her family are still recovering from the incident.
Father Mike Thompson (aka Sugar Bear), Honey Boo Boo, Lauryn Shannon, Jessica Shannon, and mother June Shannon were involved in a small wreck in early January when the family vehicle was struck by a truck.
While there were no serious injuries reported, physical after effects resulted in Lauryn’s brief hospitalization.
Honey Boo Boo is reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress brought on by the recent car accident
Meanwhile, Honey Boo Boo’s road to recovery has been rocky as well.
“She has what [doctors] call post-concussion symptoms, which is like the headaches, the body aches, being dazed and confused,” Mama June explained to BANG Showbiz.
“Then she also has post-traumatic stress syndrome from being in a traumatic event. So we are just taking it one day at a time.”
While fans take in new episodes from the third season of Here Come Honey Boo Boo on TLC, the family’s recent off-screen drama has Mama June worrying that her youngest may not return to her old self.
“We are just trying to get her back to the most normal routine we can, which is going to help her healing process,” June Shannon continued.
“What is frustrating is that we don’t know what the outcome will be, or when she is going to be back to normal.”
It remains unclear how much of this story will find its way onto viewers’ television screens.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
