The family of former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, who was convicted of corruption, vows to pay back an estimated $154 million of corruptly-obtained assets.
The former dictator’s son said the family would hand over various assets in restitution to the state.
A former military general, Chun Doo-hwan was leader from 1979 to 1988 after a coup.
In 1996 he was convicted for treason, corruption and mutiny, but pardoned in 1997 and ordered to pay compensation for the slush fund he had amassed.
Part of the charges against the 82-year-old former leader involved collecting hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes during his term in office.
The family of former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, who was convicted of corruption, vows to pay back an estimated $154 million of corruptly-obtained assets
He was originally ordered to pay 220 billion won ($202 million) in restitution to the state. He paid some of the money, but said he did not have enough to settle the rest.
Chun Doo-hwan’s four children will hand over assets that include expensive art and a house in the capital, Seoul, where Chun and his wife are currently staying, reports say.
His son called a news conference to apologize to the nation following months of renewed efforts by prosecutors to recover the money.
“I bow my head in apology on behalf of the family for having caused concerns regards to the issue of penalty payment,” Chun Jae-kook, Chun Doo-hwan’s eldest son, said in the capital, Seoul, on Tuesday.
“The family will co-operate as much as possible so that the authorities’ actions to collect penalty payment can be completed smoothly and we will also respond conscientiously to any investigations.”
Thomas Bach has been elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee.
Thomas Bach, a 59-year-old lawyer and former fencing gold medallist, replaces 71-year-old Jacques Rogge, who is standing down after 12 years in charge.
The German was the favorite of the six candidates considered for the post in Buenos Aires.
He begins an eight-year term as president, with the possibility of a second, four-year, mandate.
“I’d like to thank all my dear friends and colleagues who voted for me,” said Thomas Bach, who is the ninth president in the IOC’s 119-year history.
“This is an overwhelming sign of trust and confidence.
Thomas Bach has been elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee
“I know of the great responsibility of being IOC president. This makes me humble.
“I want to lead according to my motto: <<unity in diversity>>. This means I will do my very best to balance all the different interests of stakeholders of the Olympic movement.”
Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee, congratulated Thomas Bach on his election success.
“Thomas is a long-time advocate of the Paralympic movement and we look forward to working with him to further develop our relationship in the coming years,” he said.
Also in the running were Singapore’s Ng Ser Miang, Wu Ching Kuo of Taiwan, Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, Ukrainian athletics legend Sergey Bubka and Swiss Denis Oswald.
Boxing chief Wu Ching Kuo was eliminated after the first round, leaving five contenders in the final round of voting.
Thomas Bach gained 49 votes ahead of Richard Carrion (29), Ng Ser Miang (6), Denis Oswald (5) and Sergey Bubka (4).
Prior to the vote, Thomas Bach said his first priority if elected would be to ensure the smooth delivery of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, which have been subject to delays, budget overruns and concerns over the warm weather.
Apple has unveiled iPhone 5S and cheaper iPhone 5C at an event in California.
iPhone 5S introduces a fingerprint sensor built into the phone’s main button to identify the user. iPhone 5C comes with a plastic back in a choice of colors.
It marks a change of strategy for Apple which had not launched two distinct types of handset at the same time before.
The iPhone is Apple’s most important product in terms of earnings power.
The new fingerprint system can be used to unlock the 5S and provide authentication for purchases from Apple’s online marketplace.
One analyst suggested the feature would help the handset stand out against its Android rivals.
“Touch ID is actually quite an elegant solution to an ever more significant problem: namely, the theft of mobile devices and, perhaps even more critically, the information stored on those devices,” said Windsor Holden from the tech consultancy Juniper Research.
Apple has unveiled iPhone 5S and cheaper iPhone 5C at an event in California
“Many people haven’t yet bothered to implement any kind of security solution on their handsets and for those who have, securing handsets with Pin authorisations can be quite a time-consuming process.”
However, Apple is not the first phone company to offer such a fingerprint reader.
Motorola added the facility to its Atrix handset in 2011, but many owners had problems using it. The feature is not included in the Google-owned business’ latest models.
It is expected the iPhone 5C will be considerably cheaper when bought through a contract, with prices starting at $99 in the U.S.
The iPhone 5S comes in three colors – slate, gold, and silver – and is made of high-grade aluminium.
The 5S’ Sim-free price ranges from $850 for a 16 gigabyte version to $1,100 for a 64GB model.
The basic 5C model, with 16 gigabytes of storage, has been priced Sim-free at $727..
“The 5C is far from being <<cheap>> as the iPhone 4S [which now costs $540] continues in that role,” remarked Ben Wood from tech advisors CCS Insight.
There had been speculation that the 4S was going to be phased out.
The new iPhones go on sale in the US, UK, China, Australia and Canada among other countries on September 20. It marks the first time China has been included in the initial wave of sales.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher – who are still thrashing out a divorce settlement – had been at the same tech event in San Jose and shared a flight back to Burbank airport in Los Angeles.
As they walked through the arrivals area, Ashton Kutcher, 35, and 50-year-old Demi Moore appeared to be locked in intense, friendly and very genuine conversation.
Ashton Kutcher could be heard telling Demi Moore about what sounded like a project: “It could really work,” as the pair were approached by photographers and video journalists eager to capture the reunion.
They eventually ended the conversation and went their separate ways, but it seemed clear that Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are back on cordial terms.
The sighting comes as a surprise as the latest on Hollywood’s former golden May to December couple suggested that Demi Moore was seeking spousal support from Ashton Kutcher, a contentious issue considering her already vast fortune.
According to TMZ.com, Demi Moore, who already has more in the bank than Ashton Kutcher, had demanded spousal support from her former partner.
Demi Moore was said to want Ashton Kutcher, now in a serious relationship with Mila Kunis who is at the Toronto Film Festival, to help pay for renovations she wants on her $25 million apartment in New York.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher had been at the same tech event in San Jose and shared a flight back to Burbank airport in Los Angeles
Ironically Demi Moore reportedly recently received $15 million from previous ex-husband Bruce Willis belatedly from their 2000 divorce.
A source told the New York Post: “Ashton and Demi are still not divorced, and no settlement has been agreed, even though they have been in negotiations for over a year.
“Ashton made a lot of money after they married, but he doesn’t believe he owes her as much as she is asking for.”
TMZ also reported that Demi Moore’s also unhappy about Ashton Kutcher setting up an online business and felt she should get a part of it despite him setting it up following their much publicized break up.
RadarOnline.com claims Ashton Kutcher has made $20 million from his investment in the tech firm and therefore Demi Moore was trying to get a $10 million share, but this looks unlikely now.
Although Ashton Kutcher is reportedly willing to hand over Demi Moore something in a bid to end the marriage, despite her net worth being $150 million – $10 million more than Kutcher.
As Ashton Kutcher didn’t have a pre-nuptial agreement when he married Demi Moore, it means that she may be entitled to a portion of his substantial earnings while they were together.
In her filed divorce papers, Demi Moore cites “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split, stating the date of marriage as September 24th, 2005 and the date of separation as November 17, 2011 – two months after Ashton Kutcher’s alleged one-night stand with party girl Sara Leal.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are jointly worth a reputed $285 million and in the last year alone Ashton earned $24 million from the CBS show Two And A Half Men.
Ashton Kutcher filed for divorce in December, 2012 – a year after their split.
Demi Moore originally received a reported $90 million when she divorced Bruce Willis.
Duck Dynasty is getting its own line of camouflage running shoes courtesy of Spira Footwear.
The collaboration is part of A&E’s Project Startup, a partnership with crowdfunding site RocketHub.com to help young companies find their audience. A&E helps entrepreneurs finance new projects on RocketHub.com, where they take their products to the public.
“The biggest challenge for any entrepreneur is the opportunity to tell their story,” said Andy Krafsur, CEO and Co-Founder of Spira Footwear, in a statement.
“We’re grateful to A&E Project Startup for discovering us and helping us along on our journey.”
Spira Footwear is a privately owned company based in El Paso, Texas. Their Project Startup campaign also includes a commercial airing on A&E.
The officially licensed Spira Duck Dynasty Camouflage Shoe sports a duck camouflage pattern in three color options each for men and women.
While a running shoe company and Duck Dynasty may not seem like an obvious match, the project aims to draw a comparison between Duck Commander founder Phil Robertson and Spira founder Andy Krafsur.
“The Robertsons built a better duck call based upon their passion for hunting, and we believe we have built a better shoe based on our passion for running,” reads a message from Spira Footwear on their RocketHub site.
Spira Duck Dynasty Shoes
“I had been a runner my entire life, and ran competitively in high school and college. But by my early thirties, I was so beat up after a run, I would have to take a week off,” said Andy Krafsur.
“I will never forget the first time I tried on what turned out to be the very first Spira shoe. It was a crude prototype with the WaveSprings duct taped into a cut open midsole. I put the shoes on and shot around on our basketball court for a couple of hours and suddenly realized my legs were completely fresh.”
The WaveSpring is a lightweight, compact spring placed in the heel and forefoot of Spira shoes. It has a dual function: to cushion and to return energy to the wearer. The effect, Andy Krafsur claims, is more comfort and less stress than most footwear on the market.
But Spira has not been without controversy in the running world. Running community site LetsRun.com followed a 2007 debate between Spira and USA Track & Field, the sport’s governing body, regarding whether the shoes are legal in competition. Oddly enough, it was Spira that insisted the shoes were banned. A USATF rule prohibits shoes that incorporate “any technology which will give the wearer any unfair advantage, such as a spring or similar device”. At the same time, the USATF stated that Spira shoes were not banned. Regardless, Spira filed a lawsuit against the USATF in 2007, which Spira eventually dropped. Runners have continued to race in Spira shoes at USATF events without penalty.
Spira addressed the controversy in the FAQ’s on the RocketHub site: “Are the shoes legal for competition?”
Their answer is: “USA Track and Field has a rule that prohibits the use of springs in shoes for competition, but no one has been disqualified for racing in the shoes and runners competing in Spira have won over 200 major races and marathons in the U.S.”
Runners and Duck Dynasty fans can pre-purchase the shoes on RucketHub.com. Shoes start at $100 and decrease in price when purchasing higher quantities. Fans can expect to receive them in three to six months from the date of purchase.
In addition, A&E promised to donate $20,000 to America’s VetDogs, a charity that provides service dogs for disabled veterans and active duty service members, when the Duck Dynasty shoes reached $100,000 in sales on RocketHub. The project launched August 16, 2013 at www.rockethub.com/duck and has already raised over $225,000.
Now Spira Footwear’s Duck Dynasty shoes, like the show, will be a reality. The campaign will continue through November 14, 2013
Duck Dynasty’s stars Willie, Jep and Uncle Si Robertson were on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night, but family patriarch Phil was not.
Perhaps that’s why the guys decided to reveal that Phil Robertson was originally against the idea of the family signing on to do a reality show.
“We always thought there may be something there, and we just got an email out of the blue said, <<Hey, I think you guys may have a big show>>,” Willie Robertson said.
“And so I went to talk to dad and said, <<We could do a big show on a network>>. And he said, <<Nah, that won’t work>>.”
Duck Dynasty’s stars Willie, Jep and Uncle Si Robertson appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night
Willie Robertson then added: “I remind him of that every week, though.”
The latest season premiere of Duck Dynasty broke cable ratings records, pulling in 11.8 million viewers. And the overwhelming success of the show has allowed the Robertson clan to branch out into many other areas. They have several books in print, including Uncle Si’s just-released biography, as well as a myriad of other Duck Dynasty products.
The family is even set to release a Christmas album called Duck the Halls.
Willie Robertson promised Jimmy Fallon that the songs will “blow your pants off”. That one’s going to have to be heard to be believed.
Duck Dynasty airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on A&E.
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airs every weeknight at 12:37 a.m. ET on NBC.
The US flag that three weary New York City firefighters hoisted above the wreckage of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, became an instant icon when a photo capturing the moment was published around the world and turned it into a symbol of the nation’s resilience after the shocking attacks.
According to a new documentary, that flag disappeared the night of September 11 and has never been seen again.
For 12 years, it was thought that the flag was removed from its makeshift flag pole at Ground Zero and appeared at a New York Yankees game before being flown atop the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as it launched airstrikes on the Taliban in Afghanistan.
However, CNN documentaryThe Flag claims that the real Stars and Stripes from that memorable 9/11 photo has vanished – and has never been seen again in public since that tragic day.
Filmmakers Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein believe a first responder took down the flag and has been keeping it as a souvenir.
The 3-foot-by-5-foot flag, along with the mast, was taken from a boat docked near the World Trade Center by firefighters George Johnson, Dan McWilliams and Billy Eisengrein on that tragic morning.
The iconic flag disappeared the night of September 11 and has never been seen again
When the original owners of the flag, Shirley Dreifus and Spiros Kopelakis, asked for it to be temporarily returned, the flag they were sent – the one that had been publicly autographed by Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor George Pataki at the Yankees game – turned out not to be their flag. It was much bigger.
“That’s not the flag that they raised on 9/11. The flag that went to Yankee Stadium, or was on the ship, could not have been the flag that was in the photograph,” Shirley Dreifus tells the filmmakers.
Shirley Dreifus and Spiros Kopelakis sent the “fake” flag back to City Hall, where that one has apparently been lost, as well.
Bergen County Record photographer Thomas Franklin took the iconic photos of the three FDNY firefighters raising the Stars and Bars above Ground Zero that afternoon.
Billy Eisengrein, the man pictured on the right in photo, said he and the other firefighters went straight back to work after hoisting the flag – there were still people trapped in the rubble.
“It was literally over in just a few minutes. We found a spot and raised the flag. The three of us looked at each other, we looked at the flag, and that was that,” he told the filmmakers.
“We just felt that we had other things that needed to be accomplished right then.”
Video obtained by the CNN camera crew from the night of September 11 shows that the flagpole was bare even then – meaning the famous Stars and Stripes flew just a few hours before it was taken down and spirited away.
The names of 648 co-workers who died in the 9/11 attacks were arranged on the Cantor Fitzgerald section at the Ground Zero memorial according to who knew whom best, it was revealed.
For the last 12 years, passersby may have assumed that the names on the Cantor Fitzgerald section of the bronze panels that wrap halfway around the north pool of the 9/11 Memorial were sorted randomly, rather than by age or initial.
But it has now been revealed that they were in fact arranged based on “meaningful adjacencies”, allowing the names of best friends and co-working relatives to sit side by side.
“They weren’t people who just worked together and went home. They made up the fabric of their lives,” Danielle Gardner – whose brother Douglas did not survive the attacks – told the New York Post.
Investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald lost almost three quarters of its workforce when American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the north tower a few stories below is offices on floors 101 and 105.
More than any other financial firm, the bank was seen as a family-run operation that fostered close friendships and saw brothers, aunts, uncles and even parents working shoulder to shoulder.
The change was made after a campaign by survivors and relatives that fought for “meaningful adjacencies” rather than those organized according to age or initial.
Each name was inputted into a specifically-designed computer programme that grouped colleagues together according to who knew who best.
Co-workers, close relatives, best friends and even a beloved baby sitter are clustered on the memorial, according to the New York Post.
Danielle Gardner has also completed Out of the Clear Blue Sky, a documentary about the unprecedented losses suffered by the company.
The names of 648 co-workers who died in the 9/11 attacks were arranged on the Cantor Fitzgerald section at the Ground Zero memorial according to who knew whom best
Douglas Gardner, 39, worked on the firm for several years with childhood friend Douglas Gurian. An executive director by the time he left, Douglas Gardner and Douglas Gurian, 38, had known each other since before the first grade. They spent summers together on Fire Island, married about the same time – Gurian proposed at Gardner’s summer home – and even had children at about the same time, said the Post.
Tragically, Douglas Gardner was attending a meeting at Windows on the World, a restaurant on the top floor of the North Tower, when the building was struck. He and Douglas Gurian, a broker, did not make it out alive. Their names are close, with only trader Calvin Gooding between them, according to the Post.
Calvin Gooding, 38, met Douglas Gardner in college. The night before all three men met their tragic fate, Danielle Gardner called Calvin Gooding to ask if he would sing and speak at her brother’s 40th birthday party, set to happen on October 5, 2001, she told the Post.
“I’ll definitely want to perform and give a speech,” she said.
Mark Colaio, 34, and a senior managing director, talked bond broker brother Stephen, 32, into joining the tightly-knit firm. The elder brother often had a group of 25 employees over for parties at his Manhattan apartment and out to his Montauk beach house, his sister Jean told the Post.
“They spent a lot of time outside work and shared a lot of special times,” said Jean Colaio, adding that “they really looked out for each other – while working, as friends, and, I’m sure, on that day”.
Joining the Colaio brothers nearby is Thomas Pedicini, 30. As Mark Colaio’s brother-in-law, he was recruited into the firm’s equity department, the Post noted.
Stephen Hoffman, 36, and Robert Jordan, 34, went to college together and ended up at the firm as bond traders, Hoffman’s brother Greg told the Post.
They surfed and played golf together – they both even married school teachers, Greg Hoffman noted. With so much in common, the two families were very close, even joining Stephen Hoffman’s family for trips to the Jersey Shore.
“That’s the way those guys lived,” Greg Hoffman said, adding that “in the end, that’s the way they died, together”.
Daniel Shea, 37, and his brother Joseph Shea, 47, were both managing directors by the time they found themselves with a familiar intern – former babysitter Amy O’Doherty. Having known her since she was 13, it was only natural to offer her a tryout after watching how easily she multi-tasked juggling the kids and all their various activities.
“She handled it so effortlessly, and the kids were crazy about her,” Nancy Shea, Joseph’s widow, told the Post.
“She was indispensable to our family.”
Hired shortly after graduation in 2000, Amy O’Doherty was with the firm just over a year when the terror attacks occurred, Nancy Shea noted.
Rosanne Lang, 50, and an equities trader with the firm, was searched for by nephew Brendan Lang, 30, after the first plane hit, according to a relative who spoke to the Post.
Brendan Lang called his parents telling them he was going to find his aunt, he had a plan he said. He was a project manager working in the South Tower – across from his aunt’s North Tower office. Neither made it out alive, but Cantor placed their names next to each other despite Brendan Lang having never worked for the firm.
Bill “Scoop” Esposito, 52, and a partner at the firm, had survived the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. He and bond broker Peter Milano, 43, led a pregnant women to safety during that attack, a relative told the Post.
It took them more than two hours to make it to the ground floor via the stairwell, but they did it, and Bill Esposito once again came to the rescue.
“When they got to the bottom floor, glass was falling. He pushed Peter out of the way and saved his life,” Bill Esposito’s daughter Susan told the Post.
Bill Esposito also bought senior vice president Thomas Strada’s wife a baby gift the day before the attacks, she had given birth only days earlier, she noted.
“Everybody knew everybody, there were friends of friends of friends,” she told the Post.
Sacha Baron Cohen is to be presented with BAFTA LA’s Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award at a ceremony on November 9.
Sacha Baron Cohen, 41, who hit the international stage playing comedy characters Ali G and Borat, has since starred in Les Miserables and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.
The actor recently pulled out of playing the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
Also being honored is Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, who will be named British artist of the year.
Sacha Baron Cohen is to be presented with BAFTA LA’s Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award at a ceremony on November 9
George Clooney is being presented with the Stanley Kubrick award for excellence in film, Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow will accept the John Schlesinger award for directing and Ben Kingsley is being honored with the Albert R Broccoli award for his contribution to entertainment.
Sacha Baron Cohen has previously won two BAfta TV awards for Da Ali G Show, which he starred in and co-wrote.
His 2006 film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan won a Golden Globe and received an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.
British Sacha Bron Cohen is married to The Great Gatsby actress Isla Fisher, with whom he has two children.
The BAFTA LA awards lunch will be shown on in the US on BBC America on November 10.
All The Wrong Reasons, a film starring late Glee actor Cory Monteith, has won a top award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
First-time director Gia Milani, collected the $10,000 Discovery Award for the movie, All The Wrong Reasons, on Monday.
The drama, which is an exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder, beat 27 other films to claim the prize.
Cory Monteith, 31, who played Finn Hudson in Glee, died in July from a heroin and alcohol overdose.
All The Wrong Reasons, starring late Glee actor Cory Monteith, has won Discovery Award at the Toronto International Film Festival
In All The Wrong Reasons, Cory Monteith plays a shop manager whose wife (Karine Vanasse) is suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
The film, which had its world premiere on Sunday, also stars Emily Hampshire and Kevin Zegers (Gossip Girl).
Gia Milani told Variety that the story was inspired by a close friend who is a member of the Canadian armed forces and suffered from mental problems after returning from a tough tour overseas.
The drama, filmed during the summer of 2012 in Nova Scotia, Canada, took five years to make.
Another film featuring Cory Monteith premiered in Toronto on Monday.
Called McCanick, the movie is a US crime drama, in which Cory Monteith plays a recently released convict.
Toronto Film Festival will conclude on Sunday with the film Life of Crime, based on a novel by Elmore Leonard and starring Jennifer Aniston.
Toyota has decided to recall 780,584 vehicles in the US for a second time to address a suspension defect that may not have been fixed after a recall last year.
The rear suspension arm in affected vehicles may rust, leading to eventual failure, if nuts are not tightened properly during service.
The US safety watchdog said this could “cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash”.
The models affected are the RAV4 sport utility vehicle and the Lexus HS 250h.
The RAV4 models covered by the recall were manufactured between 2006 and 2011, and the Lexus vehicles affected are the ones made between October 2005 and September 2010.
Toyota is recalling 780,584 vehicles in the US for a second time to address a suspension defect
Toyota first recalled the vehicles in August last year to carry out repairs on the affected parts.
However, in a letter sent to dealers, which was posted on the safety agency’s website, Toyota said that it had received reports “indicating that some vehicles experienced symptoms of the recalled condition after being inspected or repaired”.
“Upon investigation, it was discovered that some inspections were not adequate and portions of the repair procedure may not have been performed correctly,” it added.
As part of the new inspection it has asked its dealers to replace suspension arms if any rust is found on them.
“After the inspection or replacement, the rear suspension alignment will be set and the arms will be sealed with an epoxy,” it said.
Toyota said it would then apply labels on the arms to indicate that they are no longer adjustable.
The recall comes just as Toyota has been trying to rebuild its image after a spate of recalls due to safety concerns in the past few years.
June Shannon prepared to walk down the aisle in the season finale of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Mama June, 34, is shown in a trailer, released on Monday, preparing for her commitment ceremony with longtime love Sugar Bear.
Sugar Bear, whose real name is Mike Thompson, is meanwhile seen waiting for his bride, dressed sharply in a black shirt, bright orange vest, matching tie and boutonnière.
Their 8-year-old daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson served as flower girl at the ceremony and was seen in the clip dropping petals along the aisle in a pretty pink and orange dress.
As Mama June looks out to the crowd who are waiting for her under an outdoor tent, she is asked off-camera if she is nervous.
“I ain’t that nervous, might be, when I open up the door, that I’m actually doing it,” she responds.
The commitment ceremony took place in May at the family’s home in Georgia.
The ceremony also included Honey Boo Boo’s three stepsisters, who wore pink dresses with blue ribbons around their waist and carried multi-colored bouquets of flowers.
Mama June and Sugar Bear met nine years ago in an online chat room following relationship break-ups.
They hit it off and two years later welcomed Honey Boo Boo.
Sugar Bear had proposed to Mama June twice before, but after rejecting his proposals she accepted when he popped the question earlier this year.
Their precocious child shot to fame on the fly-on-the-wall pageant show Toddlers & Tiaras in 2009 and scored her own spin-off series last year.
The season two finale of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo will air on Wednesday on TLC.
Lung cancer drug gefitinib could be given to women with ectopic pregnancies in a bid to help them avoid surgery.
A joint study by researchers in Edinburgh and Melbourne, Australia, found that combining gefitinib with existing treatment was more effective at curing the condition.
An ectopic pregnancy is when an embryo implants in the Fallopian tube.
It can be treated with drugs if identified early, but surgery is needed when it is more developed.
The study, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynaecology, involved a trial of 12 women.
Lung cancer drug gefitinib could be given to women with ectopic pregnancies in a bid to help them avoid surgery
Gefitinib, usually used to treat lung cancer, blocks a protein that is known to encourage cell growth, and which was found to be present in high levels at the site of ectopic pregnancies.
Scientists from the Edinburgh University’s medical research council centre for reproductive health, and the University of Melbourne, suggested that combining gefitinib with the conventional treatment – called methotrexate – could reduce the need to remove the Fallopian tube in a significant number of cases.
They said this would help a patient’s level of fertility.
The researchers also found that the drug combination was able to shorten the time it took to successfully treat ectopic pregnancies in women who did not need surgery.
Dr. Andrew Horne, who led the study, said: “An ectopic pregnancy can be extremely stressful for the woman involved.
“If we can reduce the need for surgery, and thereby help fertility levels, then that would be an enormous benefit.
“Reducing the treatment time for women who do not need surgery would also have a significant impact in reducing the emotional stress of such a diagnosis.”
President Barack Obama has said he will put plans for a military strike against Syria on hold if the country agrees to place its chemical weapons stockpile under international control.
However, the US president said he was skeptical the Syrian government would follow through.
As the US Congress debates authorizing an attack, Russia on Monday proposed Syria relinquish its chemical weapons.
The US accuses Damascus of war crimes including use of chemical weapons, allegations denied by the regime.
Barack Obama on Monday gave a series of television interviews aimed at building support among a US Congress and public wary of new military action in the Middle East.
The president maintains a limited strike is needed to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for the use of chemical weapons and to deter it from using them again.
“I want to make sure that norm against use of chemical weapons is maintained,” Barack Obama told ABC News.
“That’s in our national security interest. If we can do that without a military strike that is overwhelmingly my preference.”
Asked by Diane Sawyer of ABC News if he would put plans for an attack on pause should Bashar al-Assad yield control of his chemical weapons, Barack Obama answered: “Absolutely, if in fact that happened.”
Barack Obama said he would continue to press the US Congress to back a resolution authorizing him to take military action against Syria, but he implied the timeline for action had shifted.
Barack Obama has said he will put plans for a military strike against Syria on hold if the country agrees to place its chemical weapons stockpile under international control
“The stakes are high, but they are long term,” he said, adding that he did not “foresee a succession of votes this week, or any time in the immediate future”.
Barack Obama added: “I don’t think that we would have gotten to this point unless we had maintained a credible possibility of a military strike, and I don’t think now is the time for us to let up on that.”
US senators had been expected to take a first vote on the issue on Wednesday, but the test vote on the legislation was postponed on Monday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who cited “international discussions” as a reason for the delay.
Many US politicians and members of the public remain concerned that military action could draw the nation into a prolonged war and spark broader hostilities in the region.
Support in Congress for a measure authorizing attacks on Syria has remained relatively low, with more than 230 of the 433 members in the House of Representatives reportedly either opposed to or likely to oppose strikes as of Friday.
In addition, opinion polls suggest Americans remain wary of a strike against Syria, with only one in five believing that a failure to respond to chemical weapons attacks would embolden other governments, according to an Associated Press poll concluded on Monday.
Barack Obama’s remarks came after Russia asked Syria to put its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control and then have them destroyed, in an attempt to avoid US military strikes.
The idea appeared to have stemmed from an inadvertent suggestion by Secretary of State John Kerry.
When asked at a news conference whether there was anything Bashar al-Assad could do to avoid a military strike, John Kerry replied that he could hand over his entire stockpile of chemical weapons within the next week.
Although US officials subsequently said John Kerry had made a “rhetorical argument” rather than a serious offer, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later said he presented the proposal during talks with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem.
Sergei Lavrov revealed that he had urged Walid Muallem to “not only agree on placing chemical weapons storage sites under international control, but also on their subsequent destruction”.
He said he had also told Walid Muallem that Syria should then fully join the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Walid Muallem told reporters through an interpreter that Syria welcomed the initiative, and he praised Russia for “attempting to prevent American aggression against our people”.
Barack Obama on Monday told NBC News he was “skeptical” of Syria’s professed interest in relinquishing its weapons, because “this is not how we’ve seen them operate over the last couple of years”.
But he suggested the matter would never have arisen in talks between Russia and Syria “unless we had maintained a credible possibility of a military strike, and I don’t think now is the time for us to let up on that”.
The estranged wife of George Zimmerman has told police he threatened her with a gun.
Shellie Zimmerman also said George Zimmerman had punched her father and smashed her iPad.
George Zimmerman blamed his spouse for the altercation and denied any wrongdoing.
He was briefly taken into custody and questioned but no charges have been laid against him.
In July, George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder in the February 2012 killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
Shellie Zimmerman told police that George Zimmerman had punched her father and smashed her iPad
George Zimmerman shot dead Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed and walking at night toward his father’s house. He told investigators the boy had attacked him.
On Monday, police responded to a call from the Zimmermans’ central Florida home after Shellie Zimmerman told an emergency official her husband was sitting in his car with his hand on a gun.
Shellie Zimmerman also told authorities she was afraid of her 29-year-old husband after he allegedly punched her father in the nose and grabbed an iPad out of her hand and smashed it.
Hours later, she changed her story and said she had never seen a firearm, police said.
Both Shellie Zimmerman and her father declined to press charges.
Shellie Zimmerman, 26, filed for divorce on September 5, a week after she was sentenced to a year’s probation and 100 hours of community service for perjury in connection with George Zimmerman’s murder trial.
Shellie Zimmerman had admitted lying about assets the couple shared during a June 2012 bail hearing.
Rafael Nadal has won his second US Open title in New York after beating world number one Novak Djokovic in a pulsating four-set final.
Rafael Nadal, 27, held on magnificently in the third set to go on and win a gripping contest 6-2 3-6 6-4 6-1 in three hours and 21 minutes.
One incredible 54-shot rally – the longest in the tournament by 20 shots – summed up a battle that thrilled the 23,000 spectators in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Rafael Nadal has now won 13 Grand Slam singles titles and moves within one of Pete Sampras in the all-time list, with Roger Federer leading on 17.
And after missing last year’s US Open during a seven-month absence with a knee injury, Rafael Nadal is now set to regain the number one ranking.
Rafael Nadal has won his second US Open title in New York after beating world number one Novak Djokovic in a pulsating four-set final
“Having this success is amazing,” he said.
“I never expected it. That’s life and I’m lucky to have what I’m having.
“I really love the competition, I really love the sport. All my career I dreamed to be involved in matches like today. I enjoy every moment.
“These things are not forever. In a few years I won’t have this chance. I try my best, I have passion and that’s all I can do.”
Monday’s final was a predictably electrifying, punishing contest as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic met for the 37th time – taking them past the rivalry of John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl to set a new record since the Open era began in 1968.
It was their sixth Grand Slam final and third at Flushing Meadows, after Rafael Nadal won in 2010 and Novak Djokovic took revenge in 2011.
Scott Thorson was arrested last week after failing a drug test.
The one-time boyfriend of musical legend Liberace found himself back in jail in Reno, Nevada after having tested positive for methamphetamine during a random parole drug test.
Scott Thorson – who now goes by the alias Jess Marlow – has consistently battled drug addiction, but it wasn’t until a book he wrote about his life with Liberace was turned into a movie that he received much attention.
He was played by Matt Damon opposite Michael Douglas’ Liberace in the HBO film Behind the Candelabra.
Scott Thorson found himself back in jail in Reno after having tested positive for methamphetamine during a random parole drug test
Scott Thorson and Liberace were together for five years, starting in 1976 when Thorson was just 16 years old.
But their relationship ended in a messy break-up. In 1982, Liberace kicked the job-less Scott Thorson, whose drug habits started getting worse, out of his house.
Eventually Scott Thorson sued Liberace for $113 million, and the pianist settled out of court for $75,000, giving up three cars and two pet dogs as well. Liberace died in 1987 after succumbing to an AIDS-related illness.
In July, Scott Thorson, 54, was sentenced to five years of probation after pleading guilty to burglary and identify theft charges.
He will have to deal with the consequences of breaking the terms of his probation in court this week.
However, Scott Thorson’s attorney David Houston feels that the drug testing was wrong.
Scott Thorson, who is currently in remission for anal cancer and had to have nasal surgery recently, asked not to be tested so he could take needed medication.
“I have not seen this much of a concerted effort of those in the system to have someone fail in all of my years of practice,” David Houston told the Reno Gazette-Journal .
David Houston believes that the results could be a false positive due to the drugs prescribed during his nasal surgery.
Porter Ridge’s Terry Porter and Jeff Watson say they’re happy in the rolling hollows of Southern Indiana, but the money’s no good.
Terry Porter owns a junkyard on Porter Ridge Road, a winding route about 15 miles west of Bloomington, Indiana. Jeff Watson lives next door, with eight brown bears he owns and trains. Country Auto Parts rarely turns a profit, according to Terry Porter, who’s usually bare-chested before, during and after office hours. Far removed from Hollywood, Jeff Watson doesn’t find much TV or movie work for his animals.
“Jeff basically told me, <<My business is dying>>,” Terry Porter said.
“I said, <<Mine is the same way>>. ”
Jeff Watson dreamed up new hope for the duo, plus quite a few friends in rural Owen County, by pitching a reality series to the makers of cable-TV sensation Duck Dynasty.
The bear man’s entertainment resume includes acting in the 2008 independent film Grizzly Park and assisting with animal appearances on The Tonight Show and Good Morning America.
Discovery’s new series Porter Ridge, starring Terry Porter and Jeff Watson, represents a serious financial lifeline for its cast.
Otherwise, Terry Porter wouldn’t be sharing with America his tanned upper torso and hard-to-follow dialect.
“I don’t want to be famous, don’t want to be a dadgum movie star,” Terry Porter said of his initial reluctance to be part of the show.
“But you gotta do what you gotta do type of thing.”
In contrast to Duck Dynasty, the A&E’s reality hit centered on the owners of lucrative hunting supply company Duck Commander, Porter Ridge isn’t based on wealth, accomplishment or celebrity.
Porter Ridge is a self-made sideshow featuring shirtless Terry Porter, bear whisperer Jeff Watson and a band of bearded outsiders. They’re modern-day “Beverly Hillbillies” who never relocated to L.A.
Among the true-life characters who congregate at Country Auto Parts is “Dirty” Andy Minnick, who makes ends meet by selling scrap metal from old lawn mowers, rusty trampolines and other items.
Like Jeff Watson, Andy Minnick worked at the General Electric refrigerator plant in Bloomington before being laid off.
Porter Ridge is a self-made sideshow featuring shirtless Terry Porter, bear whisperer Jeff Watson, Kayla Wood and a band of bearded outsiders
Andy Minnick refers to himself as a “hilljack” and doesn’t view the term as an insult.
“We’re representing ourselves,” he said.
“We’re not representing the community, as such. I hope [viewers] realize that you don’t have to do a 9 to 5 every day to make a living. There’s other ways around it.”
Porter Ridge cast members don’t talk about their compensation for doing the show. Terry Porter said the series hasn’t significantly changed his finances, but he’s looking forward to the exposure Country Auto Parts will receive.
“I spend $8,000 a year advertising,” he said.
“If I can get free advertising – and lunch – you know what I’m saying?”
Reality shows that become hits deliver far more than complimentary catering for cast members.
Members of Duck Dynasty’s Robertson family reportedly sought $200,000 per episode after the series ranked as cable television’s No. 1 “nonfiction” program for 2012, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Of all the attention surrounding Porter Ridge, Terry Porter said he’s most flustered by an online business directory, ChamberOfCommerce.com, that lists Country Auto Parts as doing more than $2 million in sales volume per year.
“I would really like to know where that banking account is,” Terry Porter said.
“Because I wouldn’t have any clue.”
Terry Porter said Country Auto Parts did about $80,000 in sales in 2012, enough for him to pay two full-time employees and keep up with house payments.
As Jeff Watson recognized when hatching the idea for Porter Ridge, his entrepreneur friend is a “show in and of himself”.
Prone to making bold statements greeted by vacant stares, Terry Porter is a malapropism artist in the tradition of baseball great Yogi Berra.
“If nobody’s there, we have quite a few people,” Terry Porter said of car races at his private dirt track.
Not everyone on Porter Ridge Road embraced the production crew that made two episodes of the show last fall and another 10 episodes this spring.
“I have a neighbor across the street, and he says if you bring a camera over there you’ll be wearing it home,” Jeff Watson said.
“He’d be a great addition to the cast, but he doesn’t want to be on camera.”
Andy Minnick rejected any suggestion that situations depicted on Porter Ridge are scripted.
“Jeff has bears in his backyard,” he said.
“Terry has a figure-eight racetrack in his backyard. This is a real junkyard.”
For brains and looks, Porter Ridge boasts Kayla Wood, the part-time office manager at Country Auto Parts. The Indiana University senior (majoring in health administration) is framed as the cast’s attractive tomboy.
Kayla Wood grew up on Porter Ridge Road, where she drove ATVs and fished.
She said IU’s Bloomington campus isn’t far away in miles, but quite a distance in lifestyles.
“When you talk about what [students] did growing up versus what I did growing up, it’s completely opposite,” Kayla Wood said.
“Especially people who aren’t from Indiana.”
Porter Ridge may not dispel negative stereotypes associated with Southern Indiana, particularly ones related to education, broken-down vehicles and questionable fashion decisions. But Discovery Channel executive producer Joe Weinstock said Porter Ridge isn’t designed to make Hoosiers look bad.
“When people see the show, I believe they’re going to come away feeling pretty darn good,” Joe Weinstock said.
“It has a lot of heart. In the end, these neighbors who all unite and live on Porter Ridge Road love each other.”
Jeff Watson said Porter Ridge can be a positive for its cast.
“I hope [the show] translates into better times for people,” Jeff Watson said.
“The economy is tough. I hope this junkyard takes off; I hope it really helps Terry out. Nobody here is going to be a star, and nobody is going to consider themselves a star from this.”
Bangladeshi government has said it will take legal action against Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus over what it says are tax irregularities.
The allegations date back to the period when Muhammad Yunus, 73, was the managing director of the micro-finance organization, the Grameen Bank.
Bangladesh’s central bank removed the economist from his position two years ago, saying he was past retirement age.
Muhammad Yunus denies the allegations.
Bangladeshi government will take legal action against Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus over tax irregularities
His supporters have said the charges – as well as his removal from the Grameen Bank – are politically motivated.
The bulk of the allegations brought against Muhammad Yunus relate to his earnings abroad, including award money and royalties from his books.
The government now says these earnings were received without the necessary permission as he was the head of an institution partially owned by the state.
Bangladesh’s cabinet secretary, Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, told reporters that the cabinet had decided to take action following a report from the country’s tax authority, the National Board of Revenue.
Muhammad Yunus has challenged the allegations against him.
In a statement, the microcredit pioneer said that he has always declared his earnings and was within the law in claiming tax exemption.
Monday’s decision is part of a long-running feud between Muhammad Yunus and the current Awami League-led government that dates back to 2007, when the winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize tried to set up a rival political party.
South African chef Albert Buitenhuis, who is facing deportation from New Zealand for being too fat, has been given a 23-month reprieve.
However, Albert Buitenhuis will not be allowed any publicly-funded healthcare, a government official said.
Albert Buitenhuis, who weighs 286 lbs, appealed two months ago after his work visa renewal application was rejected on the grounds he did not have “an acceptable standard of health”.
He has shed 67 lbs since he moved to the city of Christchurch six years ago.
Albert Buitenhuis, who is facing deportation from New Zealand for being too fat, has been given a 23-month reprieve
Associate Immigration Minister Nikki Kaye said the main reason Albert Buitenhuis’s application had been declined was due to the osteoarthritis in his knee.
However, she granted Albert Buitenhuis and his wife, Marthie, visa extensions but said he would “have to meet any health costs himself”.
Albert Buitenhuis, who wrote about his experiences in a blog called The Too Fat Chef, told local media that the government’s decision was “bitter sweet”.
“Of course, we are pleased and relieved that we are now able to stay. But at the same time we would rather rewind so that none of this took place,” he said in an interview with Fairfax media.
“We are really starting from scratch again. We have lost thousands of dollars fighting this and we don’t know where we will live because our home is gone. I am glad the fight is over but I am still afraid of what lies ahead.”
Albert Buitenhuis, who is 5ft 10in tall, said he aims to lose another 55 lbs over the next few months.
New Zealand has one of the highest obesity rates in the developed world, with nearly 30% of people overweight.
The immigration department has said it is important that “all migrants have an acceptable standard of health to minimize costs and demands on New Zealand’s health services”.
Naomi Watts’ personal trainer has revealed how the actress undertook on a gruelling workout regime in order to transform herself into Princess Diana for the upcoming movie Diana.
New York-based fitness guru Simone De La Rue toldHealth & Fitnessmagazine how she got Naomi Watts into shape using her tried and tested methods of resistance training combined with danced-based cardio.
Simone De La Rue, who also counts Sandra Bullock, Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway as her clients, is famed for her tough yet effective dance work-outs.
She explained how she works with clients like Naomi Watts for three months to achieve the best results.
Simone De La Rue got Naomi Watts into shape using her tried and tested methods of resistance training combined with danced-based cardio
Simone De La Rue, an ex-professional dancer said: “When working towards a specific goal with a client, I encourage them to train five or more times a week, for one hour a day.”
“I set a programme that constantly challenges my clients and, during the last three weeks, we really increase the intensity.”
Simone De La Rue, 38, added that for her role as Princess Diana, Naomi Watts, 44, carried out a great deal of cardio work but the dance element makes it “a fun way to get your sweat on and burn calories”.
The fitness guru, who is originally from Australia, says her core-strengthening sessions, which incorporate pilates, yoga and dance, have become a favorite with celebrities because they deliver “long and lean” results.
One of her most famous clients is Sandra Bullock, who turned to the Body By Simone (BBS) workouts after she split from husband Jesse James in 2011.
Simone De La Rue revealed: “Sandy wanted to focus on her upper arms so we used wrist weights and slowly moved the arms in a move that mimics the <<Port De Bras>>.”
A personal session at her studio BBS studio in New York would set you back around $175, but group sessions cost a more reasonable $35.
Russia has urged Syria to put its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control and then have them destroyed, in an attempt to avoid US military strikes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the offer was made during talks with his Syrian counterpart, Walid Muallem.
Walid Muallem said he welcomed the initiative.
The US is threatening strikes accusing the Syrian regime of war crimes, though Damascus denies the claims.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, in Europe to garner support for the military action, has once again warned that taking no action is riskier than launching strikes.
When asked at a news conference whether there was anything Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could do to avoid military action, John Kerry replied that he could hand over his entire stockpile of chemical weapons within the next week.
US officials subsequently clarified that John Kerry was making a “rhetorical argument” rather than a serious offer.
Russia has urged Syria to put its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control and then have them destroyed
However, Sergei Lavrov later said he had urged Walid Muallem during talks in Moscow to “not only agree on placing chemical weapons storage sites under international control, but also on their subsequent destruction”.
Sergei Lavrov said he had also told Walid Muallem that Syria should then fully join the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Walid Muallem told reporters through an interpreter that Syria welcomed the Russian initiative.
He praised Russia for “attempting to prevent American aggression against our people”.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the destruction of the weapons would be a “huge step forward”, but warned that it should not be used as a “distraction tactic”.
The Russians have been the main international ally of Bashar al-Assad’s regime throughout Syria’s two-and-a-half-year civil war.
Russia has blocked three resolutions against Syria in the UN Security Council, and has dismissed evidence linking Bashar al-Assad’s forces to a chemical attack in Damascus on August 21.
The US says Syrian government forces used poison gas to kill 1,429 people in the attack.
Bashar al-Assad’s government blames the attack on rebels fighting to overthrow him, in a conflict that the UN says has claimed some 100,000 lives.
North Korea has marked the 65th anniversary of its founding with a huge military parade.
The country held its second mass parade in little more than a month, with leader Kim Jong-un presiding over a display of goose-stepping paramilitary troops, marching bands and flower-waving civilians.
North Korea has marked the 65th anniversary of its founding with a huge military parade
At the start of the ceremony, tens of thousands of guards gathered in tight formation in Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung Square, with hundreds of thousands more civilians in the background carrying brightly colored flowers in the pattern of a giant national flag.
Kim Jong-un’s arrival on the viewing platform with senior party and military officials was greeted with the usual thunderous applause and cries of Mansei.
Leading the parade were the Worker-Peasant Red Guard – a civilian militia with an estimated strength of more than three million active members.
Duck Dynasty’s Jase and Missy Robertson attended the Ouachita Christian game on Friday night.
At Ouachita Christian, Monroe, Louisiana, where Jase and Missy Robertson’s son Reed is a senior, the Duck Dynasty stars blended in with the crowd Friday night to watch Ouachita Christian’s victory against Block.
Jase and Missy Robertson attended the Ouachita Christian game
Jase and Missy Robertson weren’t operating in complete anonymity, however. Missy Robertson sang the national anthem and Jase provided the invocation in Ouachita Christian’s home opener.
Jase Robertson mentioned that he thinks Reed will end up at LSU and forgo opportunities to continue playing football at the FCS level.
Angelina Jolie has an estimated 17 different tattoos and now she has added yet another inking to her already-vast collection.
Angelina Jolie debuted the new etching as she began work on her new movie Unbroken in Sydney, Australia, on Monday.
The lengthy piece of writing on her right arm appears to be in Arabic, and sits directly below another Arabic script tattoo Angelina Jolie has which means Determination.
Angelina Jolie is one of the most tattooed actresses in Hollywood, with an estimated 17 different designs
It is thought Angelina Jolie, who is known for getting inkings to mark important developments in her life, may have had the tattoo done following her double mastectomy operation earlier this year.
Some of her other meaningful etchings include a quote from Tennessee Williams in memory of her late mother Marcheline Bertrand, and the geographical coordinates of where each of her six children were born.
Angelina is currently in Australia with her brood to film her new movie Unbroken, while fiancé Brad Pitt stays in the UK shooting his latest project.
While it was originally reported that she would film Unbroken in Hawaii, it seems her plans changed following a whirlwind 24-hour visit with son Pax back in July.
It is the second feature film Angelina Jolie will direct, following 2011’s In The Land Of Blood And Honey, which was nominated for a Golden Globe.
