Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Proserpine has sold for £3,274,500 ($5,275,000) at Sotheby’s in London, setting a new record for the artist.
Sotheby’s said a fierce round of bidding, involving five international bidders, was won by a private collector in the UK.
Proserpine, depicting the empress of the underworld, is a defining image of the Pre-Raphaelite art movement.
Rossetti’s Proserpine, depicting the empress of the underworld, is a defining image of the Pre-Raphaelite art movement
The model is Jane Morris, wife of artist William Morris.
Biographers have said Jane Morris’ life bore similarities to that of the captive goddess, abducted by Pluto after eating pomegranate seeds, suggesting she was caught between a loveless marriage and her intimate relationship with Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
The drawing, in colored chalks, had come to the art market for the first time in more than 40 years and been expected to fetch up to £1.8 million ($2.9 million).
Proserpine was begun in 1878, and acquired by Glasgow MP William Graham in 1880.
It was last sold in 1970 by the Stone Gallery in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
George Zimmerman’s bail has been set at $9,000 after being charged with aggravated assault with a weapon and battery.
He was accused in court of choking girlfriend Samantha Scheibe and threatening suicide.
George Zimmerman, who was arrested a day earlier on a felony assault charge for allegedly threatening his girlfriend with a gun, was released on $9,000 bond with an order to stay away from the woman and firearms.
The former neighborhood watch volunteer, who was acquitted in the shooting of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, was released Tuesday after posting bail.
While being locked up for two days meant his estranged wife Shellie Zimmerman, who had her own domestic dispute with him in September, was able to have him served with a divorce petition, his lawyers confirmed.
Shellie Zimmerman, through her attorney, released a statement saying she was “saddened” to hear of the latest news regarding her husband, “but unfortunately not surprised.”
His lawyers said that while George Zimmerman was stressed, he did not appear suicidal.
“I don’t think he’s going to hurt himself or anyone else,” said Daniel Megaro, one of two public defenders appointed by the court to represent George Zimmerman after he declared he is indigent with $2.5 million debts.
Questions about George Zimmerman’s state of mind arose during his initial court appearance on the charges stemming from Monday’s dustup with girlfriend Samantha Scheibe at her home in Apopka, Florida.
In requesting $50,000 bond, the prosecutor said Samantha Scheibe had told authorities about an incident a week and a half earlier – “a choking that she did not report to the police”.
Samantha Scheibe also claimed that George Zimmerman had “mentioned suicide in the recent past” during a breakup talk, telling her that he had “nothing to lose,” the prosecutor said.
“She is in fear for her safety,” the prosecutor said as George Zimmerman, wearing a jail jumpsuit and handcuffs, listened quietly.
George Zimmerman’s bail has been set at $9,000 after being charged with aggravated assault with a weapon and battery
George Zimmerman is not facing any criminal charges from the alleged choking incident. Outside court, Daniel Megaro and the other defense lawyer, Jeff Dowdy, said they only learned of the choking allegation in court and had not spoken to their client about it.
They predicted that George Zimmerman would be cleared of wrongdoing in Monday’s clash. The judge found probable cause for his arrest on charges of felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
George Zimmerman was barred him from having weapons, and his lawyers said his guns had been confiscated by the sheriff’s department after Monday’s confrontation.
Meanwhile, police have released the recordings of 911 calls that Samantha Scheibe and George Zimmerman separately made during the argument.
In her call, Samantha Scheibe can be heard shouting at George Zimmerman: “You just broke my glass table, you just broke my sunglasses, and you put your gun in my f——’ face, and told me to get the f— out!”
She can then be heard pleading with George Zimmerman to leave her house, before telling a dispatcher: “He just pushed me out of my house and locked me out!”
When asked what kind of weapon her boyfriend displayed, Samantha Scheibe said it was a “shotgun,” adding that “he has all of his guns inside, both the shotgun and his AR” as well as “two handguns”.
Looking to clarify, the 911 operator asks Samantha Scheibe if George Zimmerman has an “AR-15 ” – an assault rifle – and she replies: “Yeah.”
In the other audio recording, George Zimmerman tells a dispatcher: “My girlfriend has, for lack of a better word, gone crazy on me.”
When asked why he’s calling, George Zimmerman replies: “I just want everyone to know the truth.”
He also denied brandishing any weapon at his girlfriend.
“She’s got a 9 millimeter. I have my firearms. She was throwing my stuff out. And in one of the bags was one of my firearms. I never pulled a firearm. I never displayed it. When I was packing it, I’m sure she saw it. I mean, we keep it next to the bed.”
Later in the call, George Zimmerman can be heard saying: “I just wanted to leave.”
He adds: “She’s pregnant with our child and she told me it was better if we co-parented and she raised the child on her own. That’s fine. I said, <<Are you sure this is what you want to do?>> She said, <<Yes>>. As soon as I started to pack up my stuff and leave, she just completely changed…”
The dispatcher asks: “When you said she changed, what did she do?”
George Zimmerman replies: “At first she was letting me pack my stuff so that I could go – we could go our own ways amicably. When she changed, she just started smashing stuff, taking stuff that belonged to me, throwing it outside, throwing it out of her room, throwing it all over the house.”
He also disputed the allegation that he broke the table: “She broke a glass table because she threw something on it – I don’t even know if it was mine or hers, whatever it was.”
Police later said Samantha Scheibe declared she is not pregnant. No one was hurt during the incident, police said.
White supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin has been granted a stay of execution by a federal judge amid legal challenges over the use of a new drug in the execution process.
The ruling came hours before Joseph Paul Franklin was due to be put to death in Missouri.
Joseph Franklin, 63, was sentenced to death for killing one man and wounding two others outside a synagogue in 1977.
He was also convicted of a series of other racially motivated murders.
Joseph Paul Franklin also confessed to being the sniper who shot publisher Larry Flynt in 1978, leaving him partially paralyzed.
In the past two years US and European drug manufacturers have sought to distance themselves from executions – cutting off supplies and leaving US states that use the death penalty scrambling for alternatives.
Missouri announced it would instead use pentobarbital, sourced not from a pharmaceutical company but from a compounding pharmacy that makes small batches of drugs on demand for specific clients.
Joseph Paul Franklin has been granted a stay of execution by a federal judge amid legal challenges over the use of a new drug in the execution process
However, campaigners object to these pharmacies, partly because they are not subject to regulation by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In her ruling on Tuesday, District Court Judge Nanette Laughrey said that a lawsuit filed by Joseph Paul Franklin and other death-row inmates challenging Missouri’s drug protocol must first be resolved.
She said details of the execution protocol had been “illusive at best”.
“It is clear from the procedural history of this case that through no fault of his own, Franklin could not resolve his claims without a stay of his scheduled execution date.”
Judge Nanette Laughrey added: “Franklin has been afforded no time to research the risk of pain associated with the department’s new protocol, the quality of the pentobarbital provided, and the record of the source of the pentobarbital.”
Joseph Paul Franklin was to be executed for shooting a man dead outside a Missouri synagogue in 1977 – one of some 20 killings in which he targeted black and Jewish people across several states.
In 1978, Joseph Paul Franklin shot Larry Flynt after seeing a picture of a mixed-race couple in one of his magazines.
However, Larry Flynt opposes the death penalty and had backed the appeal by convicts on Missouri’s death row.
If the execution is carried out, Joseph Paul Franklin would be the 35th inmate executed in the US in 2013, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
A roof collapsed at the construction site of a South African shopping mall killing one person, officials say.
About 50 others are feared trapped at the construction site.
Rescue teams are working in the dark and are using sniffer dogs to look for survivors beneath the rubble at the site in Tongaat, north of Durban.
About 30 people had been taken to hospital – some with massive traumatic injuries, paramedics say.
Officials said those trapped were construction workers.
Rescue teams are working in the dark and are using sniffer dogs to look for survivors beneath the rubble at the site in Tongaat
The deputy mayor of the municipality told South African media that authorities had obtained an injunction a month ago to halt construction at the site.
“There are areas of the law that they [construction firms] did not follow in terms of building,” Nomvuzo Shabalala told broadcaster ENCA.
“We were not aware that they were continuing building,” she added.
Chris Botha, from the ambulance company Netcare 911, said it was too early to know the cause of the collapse.
The accident happened around 16:30 local time.
About 100 rescue workers are at the scene, where hydraulic equipment is being used to break through the concrete blocks.
Tongaat is a small town about 25 miles north of Durban and has a large South African Asian population.
Nearby transport routes to Tongaat had been affected as the main road through the town has been shut to traffic and trains have been stopped.
Duck Dynasty‘s Si Robertson communicates telepathically to Jase Robertson on his birthday.
Should have sent a Hallmark card, Jack! #birthdayfail.
Si Robertson communicates telepathically to Jase Robertson on his birthday
Uncle Si posted on his Facebook account: “The telegraphs, the telephone…and hey… your mind are lost arts of communications.
Whether I did or did not commit a #birthdayfail is the opinion of one Jason Silas Robertson. Check out this and other #birthdayfail videos at Hallmark.”
Macy’s has decided to move Joan Jett and her band off the South Dakota tourism float in its Thanksgiving Day parade after ranchers complained about having a vegetarian and animal rights advocate representing their state.
“I’ve decided to switch from South Dakota to another float because people’s political agendas were getting in the way of what should be a purely entertainment driven event,” Joan Jett said in a statement.
“I will remain focused on entertaining the millions of people watching, who will be celebrating a great American tradition.”
Orlando Veras, Macy’s parade spokesman, told The Associated Press that a new performer for the South Dakota float will be announced later.
He said that the annual parade in New York City is about entertainment, not advocacy, and that Macy’s was making the change “to prevent any further distraction from our entertainment mission”.
“The Parade has never taken on, promoted or otherwise engaged in social commentary, political debate, or other forms of advocacy, no matter how worthy,” Orlando Veras said in a statement.
“Macy’s intention is only to provide a range of entertaining elements and performers free of endorsements or agendas.”
Macy’s moved Joan Jett and her band off the South Dakota tourism float in its Thanksgiving Day parade
Some South Dakota farmers and ranchers voiced concern about the choice to put Joan Jett on the float because she is a supporter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which promotes a vegetarian diet and criticizes livestock production practices.
South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association President Cory Eich, who farms and ranches near Canova in eastern South Dakota, said Friday that he thinks it was a mistake to select Joan Jett because her stands don’t mesh with the state.
“Coming from such a rural state where livestock is such a part of our life, we didn’t think it was appropriate,” he said.
Cory Eich said his association “didn’t go looking for a fight,” but once Joan Jett’s affiliation with PETA was brought to the group’s attention, officials felt they had to respond accordingly.
“I wish it never would have gotten brought out,” he said.
Dan Mathews, PETA’s senior vice president, said that he’s happy with the publicity generated by the controversy.
“Thanks to South Dakota’s reactionary ranchers, people across the country have learned why Joan Jett supports PETA,” Dan Mathews said.
“The meat trade can’t stand any scrutiny of its cruelty,” he said.
South Dakota Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen has said that many people mistakenly assumed state officials selected Jett to appear on the float. None of the artists the state proposed were available or willing to appear in the parade, so Macy’s selected Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, he said.
The state pays $175,000 to support the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and have a float in the event, and $5,000 of that goes to pay expenses for the artist on the float, officials have said.
The South Dakota float, which has appeared each year since 2010, features Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, the Black Hills and more.
Don McLean appeared on the float last year. Previous years’ entries featured Neil Diamond and Mannheim Steamroller.
More than 3 million people are expected to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the streets of New York, with more than 50 million watching the event on television nationwide.
Bitcoin’s value has soared to over $900, after a US Senate committee hearing.
The committee was told that virtual currencies were a “legitimate financial service” with the same benefits and risks as other online payment systems.
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is exploring the “promises and risks” of Bitcoin for “government and society at large”.
The virtual currency has more than trebled in value since October.
The Senate hearing was prompted by the closure of the Silk Road website in October. The site, which sold drugs and other illegal goods, was shut down by the FBI.
Users of the site were required to pay for their transactions using bitcoins.
Representatives from the Department of Justice and financial regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission have been asked to provide their views about virtual currencies to the committee and submissions have been received from the FBI and the US Federal Reserve.
“Virtual currencies, perhaps most notably Bitcoin, have captured the imagination of some, struck fear among others, and confused the heck out of the rest of us,” the chair of the committee, Senator Thomas Carper, said in opening remarks.
Bitcoin has more than trebled in value since October 2013
The FBI, in a letter to the committee released on Sunday, said that it recognized virtual currencies offered “legitimate financial services” but they could be “exploited by malicious actors”.
Jerry Brito, senior research fellow at George Mason University told Bloomberg: ”Two years ago it was alarm when Silk Road first came on the scene.
”Since then, Congress has been educating itself and understands that there are great potential benefits, and like any new technology there are going to be some challenges. But they see there is a balance to be struck here and they are generally positive on the technology.”
Trade in Bitcoin is small compared with that in countries’ official currencies. But since its creation in 2008, Bitcoin has become a popular way to pay for things online. There are currently more than 12 million bitcoins in existence according to Bitcoincharts, a website that provides financial information about the currency.
On one exchange site, Mt. Gox, the value of the currency rose to $900 on Monday before falling back to $727. This compares with a price of $200 in late October.
The closing down of Silk Road and hearings in front of US government committees have led some to believe that prices are increasing as investors think Bitcoin will gain more mainstream acceptance.
“Lots of factors are driving the price action in Bitcoin, including pure speculation,” said Garrick Hileman, an economic historian at the London School of Economics.
“Regulatory interest in Bitcoin also traditionally has a positive effect on the price of Bitcoin,” he added.
Jan Lambregts, head of financial market research at Rabobank, which does not trade in Bitcoin, said regulators were right to get involved.
“Looking at it from a distance, it very much looks like it could be a speculative bubble. It’s a small market, with a lot of interest in it, which is inflating and distorting the price,” he said.
“But you can see the concerns for governments – this is a currency outside their normal domain and which is not influenced by central banks.
“It may all be relatively small-scale now, but decisions taken now could have wider repercussions were such virtual currency experiments to be expanded in the future,” he added.
President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address – one of the most famous speeches in US history – is celebrating its 150th anniversary on November 19.
An Abraham Lincoln impersonator will read the remarks at the Pennsylvania cemetery where the civil war leader spoke.
President Abraham Lincoln gave his speech more than four months after the Battle of Gettysburg, when Union troops beat the Confederacy, in a turning point for the war.
About 235,000 people commemorated the battle’s anniversary in early July.
Abraham Lincoln gave his speech on November 19, 1863, as he dedicated the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, where thousands of Union soldiers were laid to rest.
The brief oration, delivered as the nation fought for survival, is admired for having distilled the essence of American ideas on equality, liberty and democracy into just 10 sentences.
As every American schoolchild knows, it begins with the words: “Four score and seven years ago.”
President Abraham Lincoln gave his speech more than four months after the Battle of Gettysburg, when Union troops beat the Confederacy
Civil War historian James McPherson and US Interior Secretary Sally Jewell are due to speak at Tuesday’s commemoration.
The ceremony begins with a wreath-laying event at the cemetery.
There will also be a graveside salute to US Colored Troops at noon, and a tree-planting ceremony in the afternoon.
Abraham Lincoln’s speech, a mere two minutes, envisioned “a new birth of freedom” for America out of the ashes of the war between the southern slave-holding states and the northern states.
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here,” Abraham Lincoln said of those who fought the battle, in which as many as 50,000 soldiers were killed or wounded.
“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
The headline speaker that day was actually the former Massachusetts Governor Edward Everett, whose two-hour, 13,000-word monologue has since been all but forgotten.
Abraham Lincoln’s subsequent comments were initially overlooked.
Indeed, a local newspaper, the Harrisburg Patriot and Union, dismissed the address as “silly remarks”.
Senator and former gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds has been hospitalized after being assaulted at his home in Virginia, where another person was found dead.
Virginia State Police said in a news release Tuesday that Democratic Senator Creigh Deeds, who unsuccessfully ran for governor four years ago, had suffered serious injuries.
Creigh Deeds has been hospitalized after being assaulted at his home in Virginia
Creigh Deeds was being treated at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville after the assault at his residence in rural Bath County, which is in western Virginia.
Police have not identified the dead person found in Creigh Deeds’ home or released details about the assault.
White supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin, who is responsible for as many as 20 murders, is set to die in Missouri just past midnight Tuesday, the first execution in the state in nearly three years.
Joseph Paul Franklin, 63, is scheduled to die at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday for killing 42-year-old Gerald Gordon in a sniper attack outside a suburban St. Louis synagogue in 1977. It was one of as many as 20 killings committed by Joseph Paul Franklin, who targeted blacks and Jews in a cross-country killing spree from 1977 to 1980.
He was convicted of seven other murders but the Missouri case was the only one resulting in a death sentence.
Joseph Paul Franklin, who is responsible for as many as 20 murders, is set to die in Missouri just past midnight Tuesday
Joseph Paul Franklin has also admitted to shooting and wounding civil rights leader Vernon Jordan and publisher Larry Flynt, who has been paralyzed from the waist down since the attack in 1978.
Larry Flynt has also sued to stop Joseph Paul Franklin’s execution because he doesn’t believe the death penalty is a deterrent.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon on Monday refused to halt the execution, denying Joseph Paul Franklin’s clemency request and calling his crime in Missouri a “cowardly and calculated shooting.”
George Zimmerman was arrested and charged in connection with threatening girlfriend Samantha Scheibe with a gun Monday after Florida authorities responded to a disturbance call at the woman’s home.
George Zimmerman, 30, has been charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dennis Lemma said during a press conference Monday in Sanford, Florida.
He was arrested in Apopka, roughly 15 miles northwest of Orlando.
Samantha Scheibe told a 911 operator and deputies that she and George Zimmerman were having a “verbal dispute,” and she alleged that he broke a table and pointed a long-barreled shotgun at her, Dennis Lemma said.
Both Samantha Scheibe and George Zimmerman separately called 911 – one from inside the house and one from outside – and police have released audio of the calls.
Samantha Scheibe can be heard shouting at George Zimmerman: “You just broke my glass table, you just broke my sunglasses, and you put your gun in my f——’ face, and told me to get the f— out!”
She can then be heard pleading with George Zimmerman to leave her house, before telling a dispatcher: “He just pushed me out of my house and locked me out!”
Samantha Scheibe also alleged that George Zimmerman barricaded the front door with furniture, according to Dennis Lemma.
Moments later, she tells a dispatcher: “He knows how to do this. He knows how to play this game.”
George Zimmerman was arrested and charged in connection with threatening girlfriend Samantha Scheibe with a gun
When asked what kind of weapon her boyfriend displayed, Samantha Scheibe said it was a “shotgun,” adding that “he has all of his guns inside, both the shotgun and his AR” as well as “two handguns.”
Looking to clarify, the 911 operator asks Samantha Scheibe if George Zimmerman has an “AR-15 ” – an assault rifle – and she replies: “Yeah.”
In the other audio recording, George Zimmerman tells a dispatcher: “My girlfriend has, for lack of a better word, gone crazy on me.”
When asked why he’s calling, George Zimmerman replies: “I just want everyone to know the truth.”
George Zimmerman also denies brandishing any weapon at his girlfriend.
“She’s got a 9 millimeter. I have my firearms. She was throwing my stuff out. And in one of the bags was one of my firearms. I never pulled a firearm. I never displayed it. When I was packing it, I’m sure she saw it. I mean, we keep it next to the bed.”
Later in the call, George Zimmerman can be heard saying: “I just wanted to leave.”
He adds: “She’s pregnant with our child and she told me it was better if we co-parented and she raised the child on her own. That’s fine. I said, <<Are you sure this is what you want to do?>> She said, <<Yes>>. As soon as I started to pack up my stuff and leave, she just completely changed…”
The dispatcher asks: “When you said she changed, what did she do?”
George Zimmerman replies: “At first she was letting me pack my stuff so that I could go – we could go our own ways amicably. When she changed, she just started smashing stuff, taking stuff that belonged to me, throwing it outside, throwing it out of her room, throwing it all over the house.”
He also disputed the allegation that he broke the table: “She broke a glass table because she threw something on it – I don’t even know if it was mine or hers, whatever it was.”
Dennis Lemma later said that “the victim has disclosed that she is not pregnant.”
Police also said no one was hurt and nobody else was at the house when sheriff’s deputies arrived. The deputies got inside the house using a key given to them by Samantha Scheibe.
George Zimmerman was booked into Seminole County Correctional Facility at 1 p.m. He is scheduled to make an appearance in front of a county judge Tuesday afternoon. The judge is expected to determine what, if any, bond is appropriate.
George Zimmerman is currently being held under “no bond status,” Dennis Lemma said.
Police are also requesting a search warrant for the home so they can look for weapons – they believe there are at least two weapons in the house, Dennis Lemma said.
Jay Leno is being sued by former American Airlines flight attendant Louann Giambattista, who claims that she was falsely accused of bestiality during a segment of “Woulda, Coulda Shoulda” on NBC’s The Tonight Show.
In the complaint – filed in New York Supreme Court – Louann Giambattista claims that a July 2013 episode of The Tonight Show picked up a story about her supposedly smuggling her pet rat onto work flights in her underwear and/or pantyhose, Courthouse News Service reported.
Louann Giambattista says that the story was the result of an alleged “relentless campaign of discrimination” by American Airlines.
Jay Leno is being sued by former American Airlines flight attendant Louann Giambattista
According to the suit: “Leno and his guests falsely accused Ms. Giambattista of engaging in s**ual relations with a rat,” primarily via the comments made by the panelists on the “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda” segment.
Among the comments: “[If] I were one of those rats, I would’ve been very upset. I prefer not to sit in cooch.”
Since the segment aired, Louann Giambattista claims she and her husband, Steven Goldring, have become “pariahs in their own community, among their long-standing group of friends, among their co-workers and even among family”.
Even worse, Louann Giambattista and Steven Goldring’s intimate life has suffered, because: “Every time he looks at her he thinks of Defendant Leno and the heinous segment depicting her as a s**ual deviant.”
Louann Giambattista, who’s also suing American Airlines in a separate complaint, is seeking unspecified damages.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has cut global growth forecasts for 2013 and 2014 after weak prospects in emerging markets.
Global GDP for 2013 is now expected to grow by 2.7%, down from 3.1% forecast in May.
However, the OECD said global economic growth would speed up by 2015.
The OECD also revised down its global growth forecast for 2014, which it now estimates at 3.6%. In May, it had forecast 4%.
In a first estimate for 2015, it predicts growth of 3.9%.
The OECD said “weakness” in the banking system was a “major drag” on growth in the euro area.
OECD has cut global growth forecasts for 2013 and 2014 after weak prospects in emerging markets
The “potentially catastrophic crisis” over the debt ceiling in the US and “strong” market reaction to its suggestion of tapering had also unsettled confidence, it said.
OECD chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan said: “Brinkmanship over fiscal policy in the United States remains a key risk and uncertainty.”
Carlo Padoan said hitting the debt ceiling could “knock the US and the global recovery off course”.
He called for monetary policy in the US to “remain accommodative for some time”.
The global economy would act as an “amplifier” for negative shocks from a “stronger slowdown” in emerging markets, Carlo Padoan said.
He cited population trends in emerging economies, and the narrowing gap with advanced economies, as behind the “fragility”.
“Downside risks dominate and policy must address them,” he said.
Carlo Padoan said high levels of public debt in Japan created risks, but commended its export growth, rising consumer spending and rebound in business investment.
He warned governments about the risks of complacency as recovery gained momentum.
“Policy inaction or mistakes could have much more severe consequences than the turbulence seen to date and jeopardize growth for years to come.”
Two explosions have hit the Iranian embassy in Beirut in quick succession, killing at least 22 people.
The Iranian cultural attaché in Lebanon, Ebrahim Ansari, was among the dead. Officials said the death toll could rise.
TV images showed burning cars, bodies on the street and damaged buildings.
Iran is a major backer of the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, which has sent fighters to Syria to back the government of Bashar al-Assad.
Reports said one of the blasts was caused by a suicide bomber, while the second was a car bomb.
This has not been officially confirmed.
Two explosions have hit the Iranian embassy in Beirut in quick succession, killing at least 22 people
Reuters quotes Lebanese officials as saying CCTV footage showed a man rushing towards the outer wall of the Iranian embassy before blowing himself up, causing the first blast.
The Iranian ambassador to Beirut confirmed Ebrahim Ansari’s death to Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, but said it was not clear if he had been in the embassy itself or one of the residential buildings nearby.
Ebrahim Ansari had only taken up his post a month ago, he said.
The ambassador blamed Israel for the attack – an accusation Israel swiftly rejected.
Syria condemned the explosion.
The Syrian conflict has increased sectarian tensions in Lebanon.
South Beirut, including the area around the Iranian embassy, is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. It has been hit by several attacks in recent months.
Caretaker PM Najib Mikati called the attack “a cowardly terrorist act”, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
“The aim of the blast is to stir up the situation in Lebanon and use the Lebanese arena to convey messages,” he said.
Tehran and the Shia militant group are key backers of the Syrian government, which is currently trying to cut off one of the Syrian rebels’ last remaining supply routes across the Lebanese border.
So you’re moving out of the state? You’ll have a lot more to consider than when moving across town. You’ll have to think about schools, taxes, change in cost of living, transportation, and more. People move interstate for different reasons, but it’s usually because of a company move, a new job, or retirement. The reason you move will affect the factors you need to take into consideration. Let’s check out some of these factors and what you can do to best prepare.
Before the Move
It’s hard to predict moving costs when moving accross states. You can find out more about long distance moving companies here, as you will want to check out different rates from various moving companies. Any reputable company will offer an adequate rate quote before you move. If you have previous experience moving a long distance with a mover, see if you can find them in your area. It’s a lot less stressful to move if you’re familiar with the process already. Treat the movers nicely and they’ll treat your property the right way in return.
Make a list of anything you’re involved in that requires an address update. Of course let your friends and family or anyone else important in your life know. But you’ll also want to update accounts and billing and shipping information. Cancel your utilities and figure out what you’ll use when you move to your new home. Learn about the living costs of your new home and location. Oregon home insurance is different from Georgia home insurance. Same with taxes and plenty of other expenses you may not think of.
Are you using your car to move? Make sure to get your car checked before you move. It might prove smart to get a full service on the car and let them know you plan to move out of the state. If you have an emergency kit for your car, make sure it’s full. If you don’t have one, get one.
If you own pets, make sure they’re healthy and up to date on vaccinations. If you have any plants, you’ll have to fit them in your car or find somewhere else for them, as moving companies don’t usually accept them.
Items get lost in long-distance moves. If anything is just too precious to risk losing, keep it with you in your personal vehicle.
On the Road
Plan your trip to include stops. Driving for an hour or two might not drain you too much, but more than that and you might not have the energy you’d expect to finish the move. Keep yourself refreshed and energized with breaks long enough to stretch out your legs (which you’ll be using a lot of once you arrive).
If the trip is long enough, find a cheap motel you can stay in for a solid eight hours; you’ll be glad you got the rest. And make sure not to drive tired. It’s too dangerous, especially with all your precious belongings in the car.
Plan a fun route. You don’t want to get stuck in traffic, especially on the highway with nothing around. With really long trips, find stops to look forward to. Cool scenery, great food — anything will help. If you can afford it, buy your movers some food or coffee as a form of gratuity.
Prepare for a breakdown, too. Make sure you have your car emergency kit, as previously mentioned. If you break down in the middle of the night, stay safe until help arrives. Get AAA if you can, as its service can do wonders and is usually free of charge. Let somebody know your plan and ETA so they can help if something goes wrong. And don’t forget to pack food and water to keep yourself going on the long ride.
After The Move
If you have different people helping you unload your belongings, you should offer another form of gratuity. Make sure everything gets safely unloaded. Hopefully the moving company provided you with the moving brochure entitled “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move“. This should make the documents you signed clear and make sure there are no surprises with the move. It also explains your rights if anything gets damaged. Follow up with the moving company and let it know how it did.
Make sure you have everything before the movers leave! You don’t want to realize something’s missing or broken before it’s too late. Be safe, smart, and good luck with your move.
Visitors at the Dallas Zoo on Sunday were shocked as a male lion attacked and killed a lioness in front of them.
The male seized five-year-old Johari by the neck – an autopsy found she died from neck wounds and haemorrhaging.
Zoo officials said the lions had lived together peacefully for years.
They said they had no idea why the male had turned on Johari, but that they have no plans to euthanize him.
Video taken by a zoo visitor showed the apparently calm male lion with its jaws clamped around the female’s neck.
“Everyone thought they were playing at first but then they could see that she was struggling,” witness Jim Harvey told local news station WFAA.
Lioness Johari, known as Jo-Jo, was a Dallas Zoo staff favorite
Security personnel closed the exhibit to the public and the male was removed.
The remaining four lions appeared unaffected by the incident, said officials.
“Johari was a remarkable animal, as are all of our lions” said Lynn Kramer, vice-president of animal operations and welfare at the zoo, in a statement.
“This is a very rare and unfortunate occurrence. In my 35 years as a veterinarian in zoos, I’ve never seen this happen.”
The statement said Johari, known as Jo-Jo, was a staff favorite who was “sweet and loving with her sisters, and often could be found grooming them”.
Lynn Kramer told WFAA that male lions do sometimes kill other males in the wild, and sometimes cubs, but that attacking a female was extremely rare.
The chances of such an attack happening again were “very remote”, said Lynn Kramer.
However, the zoo has said it will keep its two males lion apart from the surviving two female while they try to establish what happened, and would “absolutely not” euthanize the killer.
Screenwriting guru Syd Field, whose books on screenwriting became set texts for many aspiring film writers, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 77.
Syd Field was famous for outlining the “three act” structure used by many screenplays.
The author and lecturer died of haemolytic anaemia at his Beverly Hills home.
Syd Field was the author of eight best-selling books on screenwriting, beginning with Screenplay in 1979.
Syd Field was famous for outlining the “three act” structure used by many screenplays
Born in December 1935 in Hollywood, California, Syd Field studied English Literature at Berkeley before moving into television.
He went on to become a special script consultant for several Hollywood studios and the first inductee into the American Screenwriting Association’s Screenwriting Hall of Fame.
CNN called him the “guru of all screenwriters”.
Syd Field, who died on Sunday, had few screenwriting credits himself, opting instead to teach John Singleton (Boyz n The Hood), Kevin Williamson (Scream) and many others through his popular courses and workshops.
Syd Field’s final speaking engagement took place in September at the Story Expo event in Los Angeles.
Oxford Dictionaries has declared “selfie” as the word of the year in 2013.
The word “selfie” has evolved from a niche social media tag into a mainstream term for a self-portrait photograph, the editors said.
Research suggested its frequency in the English language had increased by 17,000% in the last year, they added.
Other shortlisted words included “twerk” – a dance move performed by Miley Cyrus – and “binge-watch” – meaning watching lots of TV.
“Schmeat”, meaning a form of meat synthetically produced from biological tissue, was also a contender.
The word of the year award celebrates the inventiveness of English speakers when confronted with social, political or technological change.
In 2004, the word of the year was “chav”, in 2008 it was credit crunch and last year it was “omnishambles”.
To qualify, a word need not have been coined within the past 12 months, but it does need to have become prominent or notable in that time.
“Selfie” is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website”.
“Selfie” is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website”
Its increase in use is calculated by Oxford Dictionaries using a research programme that collects around 150 million English words currently in use from around the web each month.
This software can be used to track the emergence of new words and monitor changes in geography, register, and frequency of use.
“Selfie” can be traced back to 2002 when it was used in an Australian online forum, according to Oxford Dictionaries.
A man posted a picture of injuries to his face sustained when he tripped over some steps. He apologized for the fact that it was out of focus, saying that it was not because he was drunk but because it was a selfie.
This year, “selfie” has gained momentum throughout the English-speaking world, helped by pictures such as one of the Pope with teenagers that went viral.
Judy Pearsall, editorial director for Oxford Dictionaries, said: “Social media sites helped to popularize the term, with the hashtag #selfie appearing on the photo-sharing website Flickr as early as 2004, but usage wasn’t widespread until around 2012, when selfie was being used commonly in mainstream media sources.”
“Selfie” was added to the Oxford Dictionaries Online in August, but is not yet in the Oxford English Dictionary, although it is being considered for future use.
Other words that were shortlisted included “showrooming” – examining a product at a shop before buying it online at a lower price – and bitcoin – a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank.
George Zimmerman, who acquitted of murder in the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, has been arrested on charges he pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend.
George Zimmerman, 30, has been jailed in Seminole County, Florida.
The Florida man was charged with felony aggravated assault, battery, domestic violence and criminal mischief, a sheriff’s office spokesman said.
In July, a jury cleared George Zimmerman of the February 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, 17.
Since then, George Zimmerman has had other brushes with police, including an incident in October when he was briefly detained following a domestic disturbance at the home of his estranged wife, Shellie.
On Monday, a spokesman for the Seminole County sheriff’s department said George Zimmerman was arrested on Monday morning and confined to a single-person 64 sq ft cell – standard treatment for “high-profile” defendants.
George Zimmerman has been arrested on charges he pointed a shotgun at his girlfriend
About 12:30 local time, sheriff’s deputies responded to an emergency call at a house in Apopka, Florida.
George Zimmerman’s girlfriend said they had argued, and he had broken a glass table in the living room, then retrieved a shotgun and pointed it at her. He then pushed her out the front door and barricaded himself inside, police said.
She was not injured, police said.
The sheriff’s office spokesman said investigators believed George Zimmerman and his girlfriend had lived together since August and had been arguing about breaking up.
He said George Zimmerman was not armed when police arrived and did not resist arrest.
George Zimmerman’s acquittal of second-degree murder over the killing of Trayvon Martin sparked a fierce debate about racial profiling and gun culture in the US.
He shot dead Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed and walking at night toward his father’s house. He said the boy had attacked him.
Following the verdict, protest marches were staged across the US including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington and Atlanta.
Prosecutors in Germany have agreed to drop proceedings against the “bishop of bling”, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, in return for a payment of 20,000 euros ($27,000).
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Limburg was accused of lying under oath over his flights to India.
Claims that Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst spent more than 31 million euros ($42 million) on renovating his official residence caused outrage.
Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was accused of lying under oath over his flights to India
Pope Francis ordered the bishop to take a leave of absence from his post.
An investigation into Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst’s apparently lavish spending is taking place.
Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst was facing prosecution in Hamburg over claims he gave false statements in a case against Der Spiegel magazine, which had reported that he took first-class flights to visit slum dwellers.
Church members in Germany pay a compulsory church tax out of their income.
The Toronto city council has decided to strip Mayor Rob Ford of most of his authority, as the embattled city leader resists growing pressure to step down.
On Monday, the council transferred most of Rob Ford’s budget and many of his powers to the deputy mayor.
Rob Ford, 44, who has promised to fight the council’s decisions, criticized the vote as a “coup d’etat”.
The mayor of Canada’s largest city has faced intense pressure to resign after admitting to using illegal drugs.
In recent weeks he has also acknowledged buying illegal drugs while serving as mayor.
Rob Ford abstained from Monday’s vote, but promised “outright war” in the next election against the councilors who opposed him.
“What’s happening here today is not a democratic process, this is a dictatorship,” he told the city councilors.
The Toronto city council has decided to strip Mayor Rob Ford of most of his authority
“You are absolutely telling everybody that voted in the last municipal election that their vote does not count.”
And Bob Ford refused to apologize, saying he had done enough apologizing already.
“I’ve admitted my mistakes,” he said.
“I’m not going to sit here and go on and on and on.”
Earlier in the heated council meeting, Bob Ford ran through the gallery, accidentally knocking over city councilor Pam McConnell before catching her.
Pam McConnell was later seen holding ice to her lip.
Monday’s motion reduces Bob Ford’s office budget by 60%, and allows mayoral staff to join deputy mayor Norm Kelly, largely making Bob Ford mayor in name only.
The council does not have the power to remove Bob Ford from office unless he has a criminal conviction.
Councilor Denzil Minnan-Wong, once a Bob Ford ally but now one of his most outspoken critics, said the mayor’s conduct was embarrassing the city.
“He’s the worst spokesman for the city of Toronto right now,” he said.
The Toronto council began stripping away Bob Ford’s powers on Friday, voting 39 to 3 to prevent him from being able to dismiss the deputy mayor and taking away his emergency powers.
Despite the scandal, Bob Ford does not seem inclined to shun the spotlight.
Top 10 list of the best Black Friday TV deals to date for 2013 as of November 17, according to TVPredictions.com.
1. Sam’s Club & Wal-Mart:Vizio 70-inch Smart LED TV: $998 (normally $1,600-$1,800). A 70-inch Smart LED TV from Vizio for $600-$800 off. This is the hallmark of what Black Friday sales are supposed to be all about, and with this deal you have two stores to choose from.
2. Wal-Mart:Vizio 60-inch, 120Hz HDTV: $688 The flat-screen set normally goes for $899 or $999 online or at retail. Perhaps not the biggest bargain out there, but still a nice discount.
3. Wal-Mart: Funai 32-inch 720p LED HDTV: $98 Funai may not be a name brand, but most television display experts say the picture quality on a 32-inch model varies little from brand to brand. At $98, this is a great deal for anyone looking for an extra HDTV for a kids’ room or guest room for example.
4. Best Buy: LG 55-inch, 120Hz LED TV: $499 (normally $1,000). This flat-screen TV sale is one of six doorbusters that the retailer has announced thus far. A 55-inch TV for about half the price is a true bargain.
Black Friday TV deals
5. H.H. Gregg: Sony 55-Inch 4K LED TV: $2,999 This price is $500 off the suggested list price from Sony, which recently slashed it $1,000 from $4,499. So bottom line is basically H.H. Gregg is selling the 4K set for $1,500 less than what it costs just a few months ago. (If you don’t want to wait until Black Friday, Amazon is currently selling the 4K TV set for $2,998.)
6. H.H. Gregg: Seiki 55-inch LED HDTV: $399 Seiki is also not a name brand, but when do you ever see a 55-inch HDTV for just $399? This set normally retails for about $300 more online and in-store.
7. Wal-Mart:Apple iPad Mini 16GB: $299 (with $100 gift card). The price is basically the same as you would find before Black Friday, but the $100 gift card arguably makes this a 33 percent discount. Note: Target is offering a similar deal at the same price, but their gift card is only $75.
8. Meijer’s:Apple iPad Air: $379 (with $100 off next Meijer shopping trip). The new Apple tablet will not only sell at roughly $120 less than the normal price, but you get $100 off your next shopping trip at Meijer’s. Awesome package.
9. Sam’s Club:Apple iPhone 5c w/2 yr. Contract: 96 cents. 96 cents is not a misprint. Great deal for a new iPhone, however limited supplies means you’ll have to get there early.
10. Sam’s Club: LG Blu-ray Player: $38 This high-def disc player is not compatible with a Smart TV device, but at $38, this is a great deal for Blu-ray enthusiasts.
The Black Friday deals can change from day to day as retailers leak more of their circulars. Check out BFads.net for the latest up to the minute news on holiday sales this year.
