The US jobless rate fell to a five-year low of 6.7% in December as companies created 74,000 new jobs, latest figures show.
However, the number of jobs created was the lowest for three years and was well under half the number expected by analysts.
The US had bad weather in December, which may have stalled hiring plans.
The fall in the rate, now at its lowest since October 2008, in part reflects people leaving the labor force.
The government counts people as unemployed only if they say they are actively searching for work.
The US jobless rate fell to a five-year low in December 2013
The leisure, manufacturing and services sectors added jobs in December, but construction cut 16,000 jobs, the biggest drop in the industry in 20 months.
In the four months before December, the average number of jobs created in the US was 214,000 a month.
Other figures on employment have suggested a healthy jobs market, and the Labor Department said 38,000 more jobs in November were created than the 203,000 previously reported.
Overall, the US economy is picking up steam, with recent figures for consumer spending, trade and factory output all strong.
This year, economists expect the US economy to grow by 3%, well up on the 1.7% last year.
The improving picture led the Federal Reserve to start to taper its massive monetary stimulus program from $85 billion a month to $75 billion.
If the Fed remains confident about the direction of the economy, it may trim this back further at its next meeting at the end of this month.
The meeting will be the last one chaired by Ben Bernanke, who will leave the post after eight years. He will be replaced by Janet Yellen on February 1st.
French President Francois Hollande hits out at Closer magazine’s claims that he is having an affair with 41-year-old actress Julie Gayet.
But who are the women in the president’s life?
Valerie Trierweiler
Valerie Trierweiler, 48, is Francois Hollande’s official partner.
She is a journalist who writes for Paris Match magazine and has presented discussion programs on French television.
Valerie Trierweiler moved in with Francois Hollande after his official separation from Segolene Royal in 2007, and was divorced from her own husband, with whom she has three children.
When Francois Hollande was elected president in 2012, Valerie Trierweiler moved into the Elysee palace with him and accompanies him on official trips. She incurred Francois Hollande’s wrath in June 2012 after taking to Twitter in to back an opponent of Segolene Royal in parliamentary elections.
Segolene Royal
Segolene Royal, 60, herself a prominent French politician, has four children, now adults, with Francois Hollande, 59.
Francois Hollande and Segolene Royal met at a university party and were once French politics’ power couple, both harboring ambitions to be president of France.
Although they never married, they were together for about three decades, officially splitting up shortly after the 2007 presidential election.
Segolene Royal was the Socialist candidate in that vote – the first woman in France to be nominated by a major party – but lost to Nicolas Sarkozy.
Francois Hollande has not denied a report that he is having a relationship with actress Julie Gayet
Julie Gayet
President Francois Hollande has hit out at what he describes as an invasion of privacy, but has not denied a report that he is having a relationship with actress Julie Gayet, a mother of two. Julie Gayet, 41, is fairly well known in France, if not internationally, and once appeared in one of Francois Hollande’s election campaign television adverts, describing him as “a humble man,” who “really listens”.
Rumors of Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet alleged relationship have been circulating on the internet for many months. Julie Gayet filed a complaint with prosecutors in Paris in March 2013 against various bloggers and websites that were reporting on the rumors.
She played a leading role in Quai d’Orsay, a 2013 satirical film centered on the French foreign ministry. Her filmography also includes the titles Shall We Kiss? and My Best Friend among dozens of others.
Julie Gayet is the daughter of a wealthy surgeon and married the Argentine-born film director and scriptwriter Santiago Amigorena in 2003.
Central Africa Republic’s interim President Michel Djotodia has resigned.
Michel Djotodia made the announcement at a regional summit in Chad aimed at ending violence that has engulfed the country.
CAR’s entire transitional assembly is attending the meeting in Chad organised by regional leaders.
Michel Djotodia, CAR’s first Muslim leader, had been resisting pressure to go.
His seizure of power last year has led to 20% of the population fleeing their homes amid fighting between Christian and Muslim militias.
The UN has warned of an impending humanitarian disaster.
Since December and the arrival of more regional peacekeepers and French troops, 1,000 people have died in sectarian clashes.
Michel Djotodia is CAR’s first Muslim leader
Many villages are deserted and in the last month the number of those who have fled their homes has doubled – including almost half of those living in the capital city, Bangui.
Michel Djotodia’s resignation was made in a statement by the 10-nation Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
CAR PM Nicolas Tiengaye, with whom he had a fractious relationship, has also resigned, the AFP news agency reports.
Earlier ECCAS Secretary-General Ahmat Allami said members of CAR’s National Transitional Council (CNT) had been flown in at short notice to decide the leadership of their nation.
The lawmakers met regional leaders while Michel Djotodia held separate talks with allies from his former Seleka rebel alliance, AFP reported.
Under a deal brokered by regional powers last year, the CNT was charged with choosing a transitional leader to take CAR to elections due at the end of 2014. It formally elected Michel Djotodia to his position as interim president last April.
Earlier on Friday, thousands of people in Bangui took to the streets demanding the resignation of Michel Djotodia, a former Soviet-trained civil servant.
Seleka seized power last March overthrowing the then-President Francois Bozize, from CAR’s majority Christian population.
Although Michel Djotodia officially disbanded the Seleka rebels, he has proved unable to keep them in check.
Their actions have prompted Christians to form vigilante groups, sparking a deadly cycle of revenge attacks.
Scarlett Johansson got engaged to French journalist Romain Dauriac and now she decided to set up her home in Paris.
Scarlett Johansson, 29, confirmed plans to walk down the aisle for a second time in September and she has since left New York to settle down in Romain Dauriac’s homeland.
The actress, who has yet to learn French, says: “I decided to take the plunge and move to Paris and it’s great, I love it. Of course, some of the stardust twinkle’s worn off a little bit now and … all the things you thought were charming before are just … I don’t wanna say, I’ve just offended an entire nation of people, like usual, but … it’s the little things.”
Scarlett Johansson continued: “Like, when I first got there I thought that … the whole kind of rude, Parisian thing was just (not true). I was like, ‘People aren’t rude, they’re wonderful!’ That was before I was a mainstay there and then people decided that once I wasn’t going away, they could just be rude to me!”
Scarlett Johansson confirmed plans to walk down the aisle for a second time in September
She reveals the most “frustrating” thing is just walking down the street, because people refuse to move out of the way.
She told David Letterman: “I like to walk around. … As I was saying, people are ruder now … but it’s frustrating. … I’m from New York … and I just assume, because you’re from New York, it’s like a wonderful dance in this street, you kind of avoid (each other) and it’s a choreography, walking down the street. And then when I got there (to Paris), I assumed it’s a kind of Provincial town, where people don’t know how to walk … and the fact that they’re just bodychecking me, they’re just confused.”
This will be Scarlett Johansson’s second marriage. She exchanged vows with Ryan Reynolds in 2008, but it lasted less than three years. Ryan Reynolds is now married to actress Blake Lively.
Game of Thrones Season 4 will premiere at 9 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, with the two half-hour comedies following after.
The fourth season premiere will be followed by the third season of Veep and the premiere of the new Mike Judge series Silicon Valley.
Game of Thrones Season 4 will premiere on April 6
HBO will also premiere the first trailer for Games of Thrones Season 4 on Sunday, before the premiere of True Detective the new series starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as detectives trying to solve murders in rural Louisiana.
Indian athletes participating at next month’s Winter Games in Sochi will compete under the Olympic flag, not their national flag.
The three Indians who qualified for the Sochi Games will compete as “independent” athletes, rather than represent their country, after India’s Olympic body failed to schedule elections before the start of the Olympics on February 7.
The Indian Olympic Association was suspended by the IOC in December 2012 for electing tainted officials, notably secretary-general Lalit Bhanot, who spent more than 10 months in jail on corruption charges related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
The IOC said last month it would lift the suspension once new elections are held. The Indians have set their general assembly for February 9, two days after the opening of the Sochi Olympics.
“Following the executive board decision in December, the IOC is considering all necessary arrangements for the Indian athletes who have qualified for the Sochi Games to take part as Independent Olympic Participants under the Olympic flag,” the IOC said in a statement on Thursday.
Indian athletes participating at next month’s Winter Games in Sochi will compete under the Olympic flag
The trio includes Shiva Kesavan, a 32-year-old luger who will be appearing in his fifth Winter Games.
Shiva Kesavan told Indian media that not being able to compete under the national flag was “shameful and pathetic”.
“It is a sad and embarrassing situation that Indian sport has been put in,” he said.
“People around the world know about the failure of our systems and about corruption and bad governance in sports.”
Under pressure from the IOC, the Indian body amended its constitution last month to ban corruption-tainted officials from running for election. Had India not complied, it would have become the first country expelled from the Olympics since South Africa was kicked out more than 40 years ago.
The IOC has made provisions for athletes to compete under the Olympic flag at previous games.
Athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles and marathon runner Guor Marial of South Sudan competed as independents at the 2012 London Olympics. Athletes from East Timor marched under the Olympic flag at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Three people have been killed and more than 20 injured following a lightning strike on Villa Gesell beach, Argentina.
Reports from Villa Gesell, south-east of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, say the victims had been sheltering from a storm on the beach when the lightning struck.
Eyewitnesses spoke of a “terrible noise” and said some people were thrown in the air by the powerful bolt.
Lightning strike killed three people on Villa Gesell beach in Argentina
Many of the injured have suffered burns, two of them seriously.
“Most are out of danger, but there are two adult women in intensive care,” said Juan Chamorro, the head of a local hospital.
Those who died were aged 17, 19 and 21.
The beach town of Villa Gesell is located about 200 miles from Buenos Aires.
Porsche, Audi and Bentley – Volkswagen’s luxury brands – have posted record sales in 2013 helped by new model launches and a recovery in the global car market.
Porsche’s deliveries jumped 15%, Audi’s 8.3% and Bentley posted a growth of 19% in 2013, from a year earlier.
Demand for luxury cars has been growing in emerging markets such as China and India amid rising income levels.
Carmakers have also benefited from a recovery in demand from the US, one of the biggest markets for luxury cars.
Audi’s sales jumped 13.5% in the US during the period, from a year ago, while Porsche saw a growth of 21%. Bentley deliveries in the US rose 28%.
China was the other major growth market for the firm, with both Audi and Porsche posting nearly 20% growth.
However, Bentley’s sales in China declined 3% from a year ago.
Porsche, Audi and Bentley have posted record sales in 2013 helped by new model launches and a recovery in the global car market
VW has set its sights on becoming the world’s biggest carmaker by 2018.
The latest figures are likely to provide a big boost to VW’s ambitions.
Overall, Audi sold 1.57 million cars and sport-utility vehicles globally last year, Porsche sold 162,145 vehicles and Bentley’s sales totaled 10,120 units.
“We set an important milestone for Audi in the past year: We achieved our intermediate strategic goal of 1.5 million deliveries two years earlier than planned, and in fact comfortably exceeded it,” Rupert Stadler, chairman of Audi, said in a statement.
“This means that in the past four years alone, Audi has attracted more than 600,000 new customers.”
The numbers by Volkswagen come at a time when the global car market has been recovering from the slump seen in the years after the global financial crisis.
Data released on Thursday showed that car sales in China – the world’s biggest car market – rose 14% in 2013, from a year ago. That compares to an annual growth rate of less than 5% seen in the previous two year.
According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers 21.98 million vehicles were sold in China last year.
Analysts also expect 2013 to be the best year for US auto market since 2007, with total annual sales expected to reach nearly 15.6 million units.
If that figure is met, it would mark a strong recovery from 2009 when sales fell to 10.4 million during the depths of the recession.
France’s President Francois Hollande is considering suing Closer magazine after it claimed he was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.
Francois Hollande told AFP the report was an “attack on the right to privacy”.
The latest edition of the weekly tabloid Closer features seven pages of revelations and photos about Francois Hollande’s alleged affair with Julie Gayet.
Julie Gayet, 41, is an established television and cinema actress who has appeared in more than 50 films.
Rumors of their alleged relationship have been circulating on the internet for many months.
Last March, Julie Gayet filed a complaint with prosecutors in Paris against various bloggers and websites that were reporting on the rumors.
Julie Gayet’s lawyer at the time said there was no basis to the claims.
President Francois Hollande is considering suing Closer magazine after it claimed he was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet
Francois Hollande, 59, told the AFP that he “like every other citizen has a right” to privacy.
In a statement issued personally rather than by his office, Francois Hollande said he was “looking into possible action, including legal action” against Closer magazine.
However, Francois Hollande does not deny the allegation of an affair.
Closer‘s print edition came out on Friday and shows pictures it claims support the rumors that the president routinely spends the night with Julie Gayet at a flat not far from the Elysee Palace.
The pictures show Francois Hollande and Julie Gayet arriving separately. Francois Hollande, wearing a helmet, is on a motorbike driven by a chauffeur.
The magazine claims Francois Hollande’s bodyguard arrives the following morning to deliver croissants.
Francois Hollande lives with his partner Valerie Trierweiler, a journalist for whom he left fellow Socialist politician Segolene Royal, the mother of his four children.
He did it again! Pope Francis has broken again with protocol after inviting an old friend, Father Fabian Baez, to join him on his Popemobile at the Vatican.
Father Fabian Baez was among well-wishers and pilgrims in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday as part of Pope Francis’ first general audience of the year.
Pope Francis invited Father Fabian Baez to join him on his Popemobile at the Vatican
Pope Francis told security guards to fetch his friend at which point Father Fabian Baez ran to embrace the pope before joining him in the open-top vehicle.
Indian deputy consul general in New York, Devyani Khobragade, whose arrest in the US sparked protests from India has been formally indicted by a grand jury.
However, prosecutors said that Devyani Khobragade, 39, had also been granted immunity and that US officials had asked her to leave the country.
Prosecutors initially said Devyani Khobragade had already left but were later told by her lawyer that she was still in the US.
Devyani Khobragade was detained on charges of visa fraud and of underpaying her housekeeper in New York last month.
India had demanded a US apology for her “humiliation”, which included a strip-search.
A spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement that they “had been advised by the State Department that, pursuant to their request, Devyani Khobragade was to have left the United States this afternoon”.
Devyani Khobragade was detained on charges of visa fraud and of underpaying her housekeeper in New York
However, later in the day “Ms Khobragade’s lawyer advised that she has not, in fact, departed the US”.
Daniel Arshack, Devyani Khobragade’s lawyer, later confirmed this, saying that she was “at home with her children”.
Devyani Khobragade had been handcuffed and searched after a complaint from the maid, Sangeeta Richard.
She denied all the charges and in turn accused Sangeeta Richard of theft and attempted blackmail.
Delhi ordered a series of diplomatic reprisal measures against the US, and relations between the two countries have been strained over the case.
Security barricades around the American embassy in Delhi were removed and a visiting US delegation was snubbed by senior Indian politicians and officials.
On Wednesday, the US embassy in Delhi was ordered to stop “commercial activities on its premises”. India also said that embassy cars could be penalized for traffic offences.
The US embassy in Delhi has been told to shut down a club within its premises which includes a pool, restaurant and tennis court, NDTV news channel said.
Bastille and Disclosure lead the nominations at the 2014 Brit Awards to be held at London’s O2 arena on February 19.
Both acts have four nominations, followed closely by pop star Ellie Goulding and dance collective Rudimental, who have three each.
Two-time Brit winner David Bowie is up for best British male and best album, while Arctic Monkeys also get two nods.
The Sheffield band will open the awards ceremony on February 19.
Other bands scheduled to perform at the show include Bastille, Bruno Mars, up for best international male, and Rudimental.
The dance act, whose three nominations include British group, have spent the last year investing in their own live show and are “excited” to perform at the awards.
Katy Perry, who competes in the international female category after last year’s global hit Roar, will also take to the stage on the night.
New artists feature strongly on this year’s long list, with London Grammar, John Newman, Lorde, Drake and Haim all receiving their first nominations.
London four-piece Bastille, who met at university in Leeds, are up for best single, best British group, breakthrough artist and best album for their debut Bad Blood.
Featuring the catchy, triumphant hit singles Pompeii and Things We Lost In The Fire, it went straight to the top of the UK charts in March and ended up the year’s 11th best-selling album.
Disclosure, who are nominated in the same four categories, are brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence from Surrey.
Combining soul melodies with deep house and UK garage, their album, Settle, featured guest vocals from fellow Brit nominees Sam Smith and London Grammar, and was a number one in June.
Bastille and Disclosure lead the nominations at the 2014 Brit Awards
Ellie Goulding is nominated twice in the best single category, for the dance-pop anthem Burn and her collaboration with DJ Calvin Harris, I Need Your Love.
Also up for female solo artist – where her competition includes Birdy, Jessie J, Laura Marling and Laura Mvula – an “overwhelmed” Ellie Goulding announced at the nominations launch that she too would be performing live at the ceremony.
David Bowie is a strong contender for best British male, after emerging from a 10-year hiatus and rumored health problems last year.
David Bowie, who celebrated his 67th birthday on Wednesday, is old enough to be the grandfather of his fellow nominees: Jake Bugg, Tom Odell, John Newman and Mercury Prize winner James Blake.
He is also up for best British album – deemed the night’s main award – for The Next Day, where he must see off Bastille, Disclosure, Arctic Monkeys, for their lascivious fifth album AM, and Rudimental, for the euphoric club record Home.
If David Bowie wins either award, he will receive his first Brit statuette since being honored with the outstanding contribution award 18 years ago.
For the second year running, there will be no outstanding contribution award in 2014.
However, the best British video category is being resurrected for the first time since 2002, when it was won by So Solid Crew’s 21 Seconds.
Nominations for the prize have yet to be announced, but the winner will be decided on the night by fans using social media.
That makes One Direction, whose fanbase are particularly ardent, the likely winners. Harry, Zayn, Louis, Liam and Niall are also expected to lift the “global success award”, which recognizes overseas record sales.
With nominations for best British group and best single, the boyband could be the night’s big winners.
Some major artists have been overlooked – including Vampire Weekend, Robbie Williams, Kanye West and Beyonce, whose self-titled album arrived slightly too late for the eligibility period.
Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus were also missing – perhaps a reaction to the controversy over their sexually-charged music videos.
The trophies, designed by Philip Treacy, will be handed out at London’s O2 arena on February 19, with comedian James Corden presiding over the ceremony for the third and final time.
Meryl Streep criticized Walt Disney for being a “gender bigot” who was a member of an anti-Semitic lobbying organization while honoring Emma Thompson at a dinner for the National Board of Review on Tuesday night.
Meryl Streep showed she is far from a cozy establishment figure as she carefully trod a line between praising Emma Thompson and attacking Walt Disney.
The film Emma Thompson was being celebrated for, Saving Mr. Banks, is based around Walt Disney’s persuading of PL Travers to allow him to adapt Mary Poppins.
Meryl Streep criticized Walt Disney for being a gender bigot who was a member of an anti-Semitic lobbying organization
According to Variety magazine, Meryl Streep called Emma Thompson “a beautiful artist” who is “practically a saint”, and read out a self-penned poem to the actor, before launching into her criticisms of Walt Disney. She quoted a letter he wrote to a female animator that read: “Women do not do any of the creative work in connection with preparing the cartoons for the screen, as that task is performed entirely by young men.”
Meryl Streep also noted that Walt Disney’s colleague Walter Kimball said that his boss “didn’t trust women or cats”.
Retired F1 driver Eddie Irvine has been sentenced to six months in prison by an Italian court after a brawl with a man in a Milan nightclub.
It is not yet clear if Eddie Irvine, who is from North Ireland, will actually have to serve time in jail.
Eddie Irvine and Gabriele Moratti, the son of a former Milan mayor, were found guilty of “mutual injury”.
They had blamed each other for the dispute that took place in the VIP section of the club in December 2008.
Eddie Irvine has been sentenced to six months in prison by an Italian court after a brawl with a man in a Milan nightclub
Both Eddie Irvine, 48, and Gabriele Moratti had accused the other of using a glass during the brawl in Milan’s Hollywood nightclub.
The Reuters news agency reported Gabriele Moratti’s lawyer, Vincenzo Saponara, as saying the sentence was likely to be suspended and that neither man would go to jail.
Vicenzo Saponara denied Italian media reports the two had fought over a woman.
The lawyer said: “Obviously it’s easy for newspapers to say they fought because of jealousy over a woman, that they were two men who were rivals for her.
“It’s a nice story. But in reality that’s not the case.”
Eddie Irvine drove for Jordan, Ferrari and Jaguar over a nine-year career in motor racing’s most prestigious sport.
France’s highest court has reinstated a ban on controversial Dieudonne M’bala M’bala’s show just before it was due to open.
Interior Minister Manuel Valls appealed to the Council of State to intervene minutes after a judge in the city of Nantes overturned the ban.
Dieudonne M’bala M’bala has seven convictions for anti-Semitic hate speech.
He has already arrived at the theatre in Nantes, where more than 5,000 people were due to see the show.
Police have deployed outside the venue as a precaution. The verdict was greeted with boos and chants of Dieudonne M’bala M’bala’s name by those who had gathered to see the show.
On his Facebook page, Dieudonne M’bala M’bala appealed to those gathered outside Nantes’ Zenith theatre to return peacefully to their homes, saying he had been denied permission to address them.
The comic said that on Friday he would post a new video on his YouTube channel.
The judge in Nantes had earlier said he did not regard the show, entitled The Wall, as having “an attack on human dignity as its main object”.
But the Council of State upheld the ban on Thursday’s performance, the first on a scheduled tour, despite a challenge by the comic’s lawyers saying his freedom of expression had been breached.
France’s highest court has reinstated a ban on controversial Dieudonne M’bala M’bala’s show just before it was due to open
The council cited the risk to public order in its reinstatement of the ban.
The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, had called on France to “confront this preacher of hate head on”.
The government can be satisfied that a man they regard as a dangerous anti-Semite has been kept from the public arena.
Dieudonne M’bala M’bala’s supporters will say it is just more evidence of how he and his ideas are silenced by the system, he adds.
French media who have sent reporters to previous performances of The Wall say it contained a string of derogatory references to Jews.
Speaking on Thursday from Brittany, Manuel Valls said that “peddlers of hate stop at nothing and show boundless creativity”.
“Faced with this creativity of hate, should we do nothing? Certainly not. The status quo is not a solution,” he said.
The French government made a concerted effort to stop the tour after Dieudonne M’bala M’bala was recorded making remarks about Jewish journalist Patrick Cohen.
“When I hear him talking, I say to myself: Patrick Cohen, hmm… the gas chambers… what a shame,” he was recorded as saying.
He has also been accused of deriding Holocaust survivors and victims in his material.
On Monday, Manuel Valls said he had advised city mayors and police prefects that Dieudonne M’bala M’bala’s show could be banned if it was deemed to present a threat to public order.
However, Dieudonne M’bala M’bala’s lawyer said banning the show would be a clear breach of the principle of free expression, and that contrary to government claims, there was no evidence that his performances were a threat to public order.
The comic remains booked to play at a series of French venues until June, although the cities of Bordeaux and Marseille have cancelled his performances and in light of the latest ruling, it is not clear whether the rest of the tour can go ahead.
Dieudonne M’bala M’bala denies his trademark quenelle gesture is an inverted Nazi salute, instead describing it as an anti-establishment sign.
Mark Duggan’s aunt, Carole Duggan, has said the family will fight the inquest decision of lawful killing “through the courts” and has called for calm.
On Wednesday, a jury concluded Mark Duggan was lawfully killed when he was shot dead by police in August 2011.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe thanked Mark Duggan’s family for “expressing their desire to pursue their case peacefully”.
Mark Duggan’s death in Tottenham, north London, sparked widespread disorder.
The killing of Mark Duggan, 29, was followed by protests which descended into looting and rioting in the capital and spread to other cities in England.
Earlier, his aunt Carole Duggan said: “No demonstrations, no more violence, we will have to fight this and go through the struggle peacefully to get justice.”
Following the conclusion of the inquest, the family reacted with anger to the jury’s decision that officers had acted within the law.
Carole Duggan has called for the Independent Police Complaints Commission to review the case.
Carole Duggan has said the family will fight the inquest decision of lawful killing through the courts and has called for calm
British PM David Cameron welcomed Carole Duggan’s message of restraint, but stressed the outcome of the inquest had to be respected.
He said: “These issues raise very strong emotions but I hope people can react calmly and recognize that we have proper judicial processes in this country and they are the ones that must be followed.
“I very much respect Mark Duggan’s aunt for saying pursue the case in the courts and not the street.”
David Cameron did admit more work was needed to improve race relations.
“There’s still racial prejudice in our country, there’s still discrimination,” he said.
“But I think what you can see is governments…trying to break down these barriers and end discrimination and make sure people are valued for the passion in their heart and the thoughts their head, rather than the color of their skin.”
Meanwhile it has emerged the names of the ten jurors who delivered the verdict are to remain confidential.
The seven women and three men, who come from the north London boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Harrow and Haringey, have been offered counseling which is routine in cases deemed to be of a sensitive nature.
A London police official has announced that firearms officers are to wear video cameras in an attempt to be “more open” following the death of Mark Duggan in 2011.
Bernard Hogan-Howe admitted the force must “do more to build trust” after an inquest jury found Mark Duggan, 29, was lawfully killed.
Mark Duggan was shot dead by police in August 2011 in Tottenham, north London.
Bernard Hogan- Howe will meet community leaders in Haringey to discuss how “confidence” in the Met can be improved.
The family of Mark Duggan reacted with anger after the jury concluded by a majority of 8 to 2 that he was lawfully killed by officers.
Mark Duggan, whose death sparked protests that descended into rioting and looting across London and spread to other parts of England, was shot when police stopped a taxi he was travelling in.
Following the conclusion of the four-month inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice on Wednesday, his aunt Carole Duggan said he had been “executed”.
Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “I want to express my sympathy to Mark Duggan’s family. They’ve lost a son and brother and their friends have lost a friend.
“That’s a terrible event for everybody and they’ve had to wait a long time for this verdict.
Mark Duggan was shot dead by police in August 2011 in Tottenham
“I hope that everybody’s able to accept the verdict of the jury. It’s a jury of ordinary Londoners who have come to a verdict which we all have to accept.
“I do acknowledge that we need to do more to build trust with the people of London and there are things that we need to learn from this event.
“First of all, I want our officers to be able to be more open when it comes to the investigations that follow these events.
“In pursuance of that we’re going to ask them to wear video cameras, so that we can record this type of incident, and I’m going to meet many people from across London, leaders from the Haringey community, to see what we need to do to work together to improve the confidence in the Met for those members of society who may feel that this has damaged their confidence in any way.”
The jury of seven women and three men was asked to answer five questions over Mark Duggan’s death.
The panel concluded Mark Duggan did not have a gun when he was shot by officers who surrounded a minicab he was travelling in.
But the jury said it was more likely than not that Mark Duggan had thrown a gun from the vehicle just before he was killed. The weapon was found about 20ft away from the scene.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is currently conducting an investigation into Mark Duggan’s death.
Deborah Coles, from the charity Inquest, said Mark Duggan’s family were considering whether to apply for the decision to be judicially reviewed.
Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has been fined $1.2 million for violating the country’s one-child policy.
Zhang Yimou, who said he has three children, has 30 days to pay 7.5 million yuan ($1.2 million), state media say.
In December, Zhang Yimou, known for directing the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony in 2008, apologized for violating the strict policy.
China introduced the policy in the 1970s to curb population growth.
Until recently, the policy limited most urban couples to a single child. Rural families were allowed to have two children if their first-born was a girl.
Zhang Yimou has been fined $1.2 million for violating China’s one-child policy
However, last year, China said it would relax the policy – families will be allowed two children if one parent is an only child.
The family planning bureau in Binhu district, Wuxi city, Jiangsu province, sent Zhang Yimou, 61, a letter collecting the “social maintenance fee”, Xinhua news agency says, citing the district’s official microblog account.
The fine was calculated based on the income of Zhang Yimou and his wife, Chen Ting, when their two sons and daughter were born, the Binhu government said.
The couple made $580,000 in 2000, 2003 and 2005, the Binhu government added.
Zhang Yimou’s wife – who denied reports he fathered more children with other women – is from Wuxi city.
Zhang Yimou directed some of China’s most successful films, including Hero, The House of Flying Daggers and The Flowers of War.
Zoe Saldana will play the lead role in NBC’s forthcoming mini-series of Rosemary’s Baby.
Zoe Saldana will play the young pregnant wife who becomes convinced she is the target of a satanic cult.
Mia Farrow famously played the role in Roman Polanski’s 1968 film.
NBC’s Quinn Taylor called Zoe Saldana “one of our most gifted actresses” adding that she had “the perfect combination of spirit and gravitas” for the role.
Based on Ira Levin’s 1967’s horror novel, the four-part drama will be directed by Oscar-nominated Polish director Agnieszka Holland, who has worked on The Wire and The Killing.
“With Zoe leading the cast under the direction of Agnieszka Holland, this re-imagined event mini-series is off to a great start,” added Quinn Taylor.
Zoe Saldana recently completed shooting the lead role in the forthcoming Nina Simone biopic, Nina.
The decision to cast Zoe Saldana was criticized by singer Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone’s daughter who claimed she did not sufficiently resemble the star, who died in 2003. The biopic is due out later this year.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has decided to fire his top aide Bridget Anne Kelly, who allegedly orchestrated traffic mayhem to pursue a petty political vendetta.
Chris Christie, who is seen as a potential Republican White House candidate, apologized for the scandal, which he said “embarrassed and humiliated” him.
The gridlock was allegedly engineered to punish a Democratic mayor who did not endorse the governor’s re-election.
Chris Christie denied all knowledge of the scandal and said he was misled.
“I’m embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team,” Chris Christie said on Thursday morning at the statehouse in the city Trenton.
The governor said repeatedly that he had nothing to do with the “callous and indifferent” lane closures.
“I had no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution,” he said,
“And I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here.”
Chris Christie spoke as the US Attorney’s office for New Jersey opened an inquiry into the lane closures.
Chris Christie fired top aide who allegedly orchestrated traffic mayhem to pursue a petty political vendetta
Emails and texts made public on Wednesday appear to link Bridget Anne Kelly to the closure of traffic lanes feeding to the George Washington Bridge, one of the world’s busiest, in September.
The move caused traffic chaos in the New Jersey borough of Fort Lee, whose mayor declined to back Chris Christie in last autumn’s gubernatorial election.
“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Bridget Anne Kelly wrote on August 13 to David Wildstein, a New Jersey political appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the span.
“Got it,” David Wildstein, a childhood friend of Chris Christie, replied.
On September 9, two of three traffic lanes to the bridge – a major crossing to New York City carrying some 300,000 vehicles on a typical day – were shut for several days.
The communications do not suggest that Chris Christie himself directly had anything to do with the lane closures, but they seem to contradict his previous assertions that none of his staff was involved.
Chris Christie and Port Authority officials initially said the decision to close the lanes was part of a traffic study.
On Wednesday evening, Mayor Mark Sokolich said the alleged skulduggery was “appalling”, adding that the ensuing gridlock had put people in danger by holding up emergency vehicles.
“It’s the example of the pettiest and most venomous side of politics,” Mark Sokolich told the Bergen Record newspaper.
Chris Christie postponed a morning event after the emails were released on Wednesday, later issuing a public statement saying he would not tolerate such behavior by his staff.
David Wildstein, who has since resigned, is due to testify under oath on Thursday before a state legislature committee investigating the matter.
Chris Christie has enjoyed high popularity in his home state, particularly after his response to Superstorm Sandy. But commentators are already suggesting the bridge scandal could tarnish his White House prospects.
“Chris in a jam” ran the headline in the New York Post.
Another tabloid, the New York Daily News, took a double swipe at Chris Christie’s weight and rumored political ambitions, writing: “Fat chance now, Chris.”
Pakistani student Aitizaz Hasan was killed on Monday when he tackled a suicide bomber targeting his school in the Hangu area.
Aitizaz Hasan, 15, was with friends outside school when they spotted a man wearing a suicide vest.
Despite the pleas of his fellow students, Aitizaz Hasan decided to confront and capture the bomber who then detonated his vest.
The boy is now being hailed as a hero in an outpouring of praise on social media.
There have even been calls for Aitizaz Hasan to receive the army’s highest honor awarded to those who have sacrificed their life for their country, though it is unclear if he would be qualified to receive it as a civilian.
Aitizaz Hasan was killed on Monday when he tackled a suicide bomber targeting his school in the Hangu area
The incident took place on Monday in Ibrahimzai, a Shia-dominated region of Hangu, in north-western Pakistan. There were almost 2,000 students in attendance at the time of the attack, media reports say.
Aitizaz Hasan’s friends had urged him not to confront the suicide bomber but he ignored their pleas and decided to confront the man with the intention of halting him.
His family insist that rather than focus on the sorrow brought about by his death, they want to focus on their pride in his actions.
On Twitter, users are paying tribute to Aitizaz Hasan using the hashtags #onemillionaitzaz and #AitzazBraveheart echoing the language used online around figures such as Malala Yousafzai and the Delhi rape victim, whose death galvanized Indian public opinion and prompted changes in rape laws there.
Former Pakistani ambassador to the US Sherry Rehman tweeted: “Hangu’s shaheed Aitzaz Hasan is #Pakistan’s pride. Give him a medal at least. Another young one with heartstopping courage #AitzazBraveheart.”
Hangu is close to Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal regions, which have a strong Taliban and al-Qaeda presence and the area is also known for sectarian violence against Shia Muslims.
Moscow’s Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports have banned passengers from taking any form of liquid in their hand luggage as Russia ramps up security ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
The airports will strip people of any liquid, gel, or aerosol in their carry-on baggage, The Moscow Times reported Thursday.
In a statement on its website, Sheremetyevo airport said all liquids — including essential prescription medicine and baby food – would need to be sorted in check-in luggage. Direct flights from New York to Sheremetyevo take around 10 hours and 30 minutes.
Moscow’s airports have banned passengers from taking any form of liquid in their hand luggage ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi
Vnukovo airport said it would allow medicine in carry-on luggage, but only if the passenger carried an official doctor’s statement as proof, The Moscow Times said, citing Russian-language media.
Airports in Sochi, St. Petersburg and Moscow’s Domodedovo airport said they would allow liquid containers of 100 milliliters or less.
The new rules are part of a wider security crackdown and will run until March 21. Safety concerns have been inflated ahead of Sochi Winter Games following two bombings in the city of Volgograd killing 34 people in late December.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro suggested Wednesday that the murder of former beauty queen Monica Spear and her ex-husband Thomas Berry was a targeted hit and not a random robbery gone wrong.
“That assassination seems more like a contract killing,” Nicolas Maduro said.
“We have identified those involved in this assassination and we are going to look for them.”
Nicolas Maduro provided no evidence that that Monica Spear was the victim of a murder-for-hire. Police had earlier described the Monday night shooting as a botched highway heist and said they were questioning five people.
The high-profile shooting — which left Monica Spear’s 5-year-old daughter wounded — has sparked outrage over violent crime in Venezuela, which had more than 24,000 homicides last year.
Protesters, including some celebrities, held a march to demand better public safety on Wednesday.
After winning the title of Miss Venezuela and competing in the Miss Universe pageant, Monica Spear appeared in a half-dozen Spanish language soap operas
President Nicolas Maduro called a security meeting with all the country’s governors and the mayors of 79 cities with high crime rates.
“If there’s any sense to this pain, it has to be so that we all wake up,” he said of Monica Spear’s death.
Monica Spear’s ex-husband, Thomas Henry Berry, 39, an adventure tour operator, moved to the US about 15 years ago after being shot, but returned to Venezuela in 2006.
Although the couple split about two years ago, they remained closed and spent holidays and vacations together with their daughter, Maya, friends and relatives said.
They had spent the New Year on an idyllic road trip that took them from scenic Merida to the beach and to the plains, where Monica Spear, 29, who was raised on a ranch, rode horses. A video she posted to Instagram showed her blowing kisses to the camera on horseback.
After winning the title of Miss Venezuela and competing in the Miss Universe pageant, Monica Spear appeared in a half-dozen Spanish language soap operas, most recently Pasion Prohibida and Flor Salvaje on Telemundo.
