A US Airways flight operated by Piedmont Airlines with 34 people aboard made a belly landing at Newark International Airport last night after its landing gear failed to lower.
Terrified passengers managed to escape the plane unharmed after the plane’s pilot – named by witnesses as Edward Powers – performed a heroic emergency landing.
Video footage of the turboprop twin-engine plane coming down on the runway showed a dramatic shower of sparks flying from its underbelly as it scraped across the tarmac, however, miraculously no fire was started.
Emergency workers on the ground doused the plane in foam as a precaution but it became clear that the actions of the quick-thinking pilot had saved US Airways Express Flight 4560.
Problems emerged as the Dash 8-100 plane operated by Piedmont Airlines, which was carrying 31 passengers and three crew members, came in to Newark around 1 a.m. having left Philadelphia two hours earlier.
Pilot Edward Powers was unable to fully lower the plane’s landing gear.
US Airways pilot makes belly landing at Newark airport as 34 terrified passengers escape alive after gear failed
Circling in the air several times the pilot repeatedly tried to lower the gear but to no avail.
The pilot then realized it would be necessary to raise the gear completely and make a belly landing which would give the plane a good chance to come down safely and lower its chances of veering off the runway.
He then continued to circle – dumping fuel to lower the risk of a fire.
On their safe arrival the passengers were evacuated to the terminal by bus.
The relieved pilot and his two crew members posed for a picture alongside the foam covered aircraft.
A spokesman for US Airways said they are cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board which is investigating the incident.
He also paid tribute to the work of Edward Powers.
There has been no reported disruption at the airport although one runway remains closed as investigations continue.
Rihanna says she will sue Topshop after claiming they sold T-shirts with her face on it without asking permission.
Rihanna’s team is said to have told the British high street clothing chain run by billionaire Sir Philip Green to stop selling them, and is reported to be asking for $5 million in compensation at the High Court.
The legal threat comes despite Rihanna having dined with Sir Philip Green and music mogul Simon Cowell while on her Christmas break to Barbados in 2010.
Rihanna, who last year signed a deal worth a rumored $1,250,000 to design a range with High Street rival River Island, tweeted about the Boxing Day meal they had together, saying: “Just had dinner w/ Simon Cowell Philip Green @ Sandy Lane! Great night!”
The singer has also spent time with Sir Philip Green’s daughter Chloe while holidaying at the same time in the Caribbean two years ago.
It was even rumored Rihanna, 25, might follow in the footsteps of Kate Moss and design a range for Topshop, but the two parties could now face each other in court.
Last year Topshop released a T-shirt featuring a picture of Rihanna from her We Found Love music video, which sold out quickly afterwards
Last year Topshop released a T-shirt featuring a picture of Rihanna from her We Found Love music video, which sold out quickly afterwards.
It is understood this is the garment at the centre of the row.
In Britain companies could argue that by buying the image from the photographer, they do not have to pay licensing fees to the star pictured.
A source close to Rihana said she was offered a small sum of cash and Topshop told her management “we do what we want”, according to Page Six.
“Rihanna’s management asked Topshop a number of times to stop selling her image,” the source said.
“What is most offensive for Rihanna is that they basically told her, <<Go to hell. We don’t care; we are going to continue selling you>>.
“Even though the UK laws don’t protect the artist, she has decided to move forward and sue Topshop. She has spent almost $1 million in litigation at this point. She says it’s the principle, and wants to make a statement about it. They are taking advantage of artists. It is just exploitation. What they are doing is wrong.”
Topshop is a British retail powerhouse which is trying to expand in America, setting up stores in New York.
A company source said: “This issue is related to a T-shirt provided to Topshop by a third party supplier.
“We have been informed that the claimants documents do not mention any specific level of financial damages so any numbers referenced are fictitious.”
Raha Moharrak is the first Saudi woman who has made history by reaching the summit of the world’s highest mountain.
Raha Moharrak, 25, not only became the first Saudi woman to attempt the climb but also the youngest Arab to make it to the top of Everest.
She is part of a four-person expedition that also includes the first Qatari man and the first Palestinian man attempting to reach the summit.
Raha Moharrak is the first Saudi woman who has made history by reaching the summit of the world’s highest mountain
They are trying to raise $1 million for education projects in Nepal.
Originally from Jeddah, Raha Moharrak is a university graduate currently based in Dubai.
Coming from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia – a conservative Muslim country where women’s rights are very restricted – she had to break a lot of barriers to achieve her goal, her climb team said.
A biography on the expedition website said convincing Raha Moharrak’s family to agree to her climb “was as great a challenge as the mountain itself”, though they fully support her now.
“I really don’t care about being the first,” she is quoted as saying.
“So long as it inspires someone else to be second.”
DSM-5, an update to one of the most important manuals in mental health – known as the bible of psychiatry – is to be published later.
Controversy and criticism has surrounded work on the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
Some say the rulebook will turn normal behavior, like grief or childhood temper tantrums, into mental illness.
The manual is used mainly in the US, but is influential around the world.
This is the first update to the volume since 1994. Experts in mental health have been taking account of the latest scientific developments to update ways of diagnosing mental disorders.
The exact changes will be presented at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA).
There will be new categories including binge eating disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and hoarding disorder. Meanwhile Asperger’s syndrome will become part of autism spectrum disorders rather than having a section of its own.
The publication will have no effect on how people are diagnosed in countries which use guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Controversy and criticism has surrounded work on the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)
Prof. Peter Kinderman, head of the Institute of Psychology at the University of Liverpool, said: “[DSM-5] will lower many diagnostic thresholds and increase the number of people in the general population seen as having a mental illness.”
He said “normal grief” would now be classed as a major depressive disorder and childhood temper tantrums would be a symptom of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.
Also: “A wide range of unfortunate human behaviors, the subject of many new year’s resolutions, will become mental illnesses – excessive eating will become <<binge eating disorder>>, and the category of <<behavioral addictions>> will widen significantly to include such <<disorders>> as <<internet addiction>> and <<s** addiction>>.”
There is also criticism of the way DSM classifies diseases based on symptoms. There are efforts to harness advances in genetics and neuroscience to diagnose people based on the cause rather than the symptoms of the illness.
The director of the US government’s National Institute of Mental Health said DSM had a “lack of validity”.
Dr. Thomas Insel posted a blog saying: “Unlike our definitions of ischemic heart disease, lymphoma, or AIDS, the DSM diagnoses are based on a consensus about clusters of clinical symptoms, not any objective laboratory measure.
“In the rest of medicine, this would be equivalent to creating diagnostic systems based on the nature of chest pain or the quality of fever.”
In some areas the distinction between disorders is narrowing. Autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia are all classed as separate disorders based on their symptoms.
However, research published in the Lancet medical journal in February showed all five disorders shared several genetic risk factors.
Dr. David Kupfer, the chair of the DSM-5 task force, said: “The changes to the manual will help clinicians more precisely identify mental disorders and improve diagnosis while maintaining the continuity of care.
“We expect these changes to help clinicians better serve patients and to deepen our understanding of these disorders based on new research.”
North Korea has launched three short-range missiles from its east coast, South Korea’s defence ministry said.
Two missiles were fired on Saturday morning and one in the afternoon, the South Korean ministry said in a statement.
Officials at the ministry said they were “monitoring the situation and remain on alert”.
The launches come at a time of stalemate between the two neighbors following weeks of high tension earlier this year.
Saturday’s missiles were fired in a north-east direction, and did not pose the same threat as the intermediate-range missiles Pyongyang was believed to have deployed along its coastline last month.
It removed them from the launch site early in May, indicating a lowering of tension on the peninsula, a US official said.
North Korea has launched three short-range missiles from its east coast
Such launches are routinely carried out by North Korea.
Tensions were high last month amid threats from North Korea to attack Japanese, South Korean and US military targets in the region and restart a mothballed nuclear reactor that produced plutonium for its weapons programme.
Pyongyang also shut down an emergency military hotline with South Korea, and withdrew some 53,000 workers from the Kaesong factory zone on its border with South Korea.
The threats followed tough new UN sanctions imposed on North Korea in March after its third nuclear test, as well as annual US-South Korea military drills that saw nuclear-capable B2 and B52 bombers flown over the Korean peninsula.
Divided Korea’s fragile peace:
Korea was occupied by the Allies after WWII ending decades of rule by Japan
Soviets occupied the north and the US the south, but as allies became Cold War rivals, unification talks failed and separate regimes evolved
In 1950, the Korean War saw Mao’s China back communist North Korea, while the US helped South Korea, fearing Asia would turn communist
A 1953 armistice created a fragile peace, and border tensions have lasted ever since
Mushroom-rich diet followed by Katy Perry, Kelly Osbourne and Roxanne Pallett can help women lose weight without shrinking their bust.
The mushroom plan is being touted as the latest weapon for savvy celeb dieters who want to shed pounds quickly but still keep some of their curves.
Mushroom and Spinach Omelette:
– cooking spray/oil
– 250g two chicks free range liquid egg white
– 50g spinach
– 1/2 medium red onion finely diced
– 5 breakfast mushrooms finely sliced
– mixed herbs
– salt & pepper to taste
Mushroom-rich diet followed by Katy Perry, Kelly Osbourne and Roxanne Pallett can help women lose weight without shrinking their bust
1. Coat a non-stick frying pan with oil or cooking spray.
2. Fry the onion over a medium heat until softened.
3. Add the mushrooms followed by the spinach, mixed herbs and salt & pepper and sauté.
4. Remove from the frying pan and keep warm.
5. Add some more oil or cooking spray to the same frying pan and warm over a medium heat.
6. Add a pinch of mixed herbs/chives/salt & pepper to the two chicks free range liquid egg white and mix thoroughly.
7. Pour the egg white into the frying pan.
8. Cook until almost set, and then spoon the vegetable mixture onto one side of the omelette.
9. Fold the other half over.
10. Slide onto a serving plate.
Garnish with fresh chives or herbs of your choice.
The mushroom plan is being touted as the latest weapon for savvy celeb dieters who want to shed pounds quickly but still keep some of their curves.
Dubbed the “M-Plan”, the new diet based on mushrooms promises to help women lose weight from their tums, bums, thighs and upper arms, but still keep their bust intact.
The “M-Plan” is a favorite among celebrities like Emmerdale‘s Roxanne Pallett who to want to drop a dress size quickly in time for red carpet events such as Soap Awards.
The diet promises to help women lose weight from the stubborn areas over a 14-day period by replacing just one regular lunchtime snack or dinner with a mushroom inspired dish.
Women’s nutritionist and health broadcaster, Jeannette Jackson, explains: “If we eat more mushrooms, it’s likely that less high calorie foods will be consumed throughout the day over all because of the vegetable’s powerful nutritional values.
“The dietary fibre in mushrooms helps promote good bowel function leaving you feeling more satisfied, so you won’t be hungry again as quickly, preventing you from snacking.
“Mushrooms are also extremely rich in protein – an ideal nutritional food source yet the vegetable is low in calories which is important where weight loss is considered.
“There’s a myth that the waist is the last area of the body where women lose weight. In fact, it’s one of the areas of the body that we move the most along with bums, thighs and upper arms.
The mushroom plan is being touted as the latest weapon for savvy celeb dieters who want to shed pounds quickly but still keep some of their curves
“Not only do mushrooms help with weight loss – the super vegetable can help improve your looks too given that mushrooms are high in B vitamins, iron and zinc, all of which are needed to make your skin, hair and nails strong, healthy and shiny.”
Avid fans include celebrities such as Emmerdale and Waterloo Road star, Roxanne Pallett, plus Kelly Osbourne, who both claim to have lost dress sizes from eating raw mushrooms regularly.
Katy Perry also eats a diet heavy in mushrooms to keep her sexy slender figure.
Jeannette Jackson added: “We all know that feeling of losing weight everywhere but where we want, particularly if you’re a typical British pear-shape.
“But the mushroom diet, just like the fungi itself, means you keep the weight where you want it up top and shed pounds where you don’t down below!
“It’ll be of no surprise that female celebrities will be looking more svelte than normal and I can exclusively reveal that mushrooms are the reason celebrities can look so good at the very last minute.”
Lucy Wyndham-Read, the USA Pro fitness and nutrition expert, said: “Well there is no denying that mushrooms are a powerhouse of nutritional benefits and one of their greatest assets is that they are super Low GI.
“Plus, the fact that they are so very low in calories means, as part of a diet, they can help in weight loss. Plus mushrooms are super cheap, so this is a way to save pounds and drop the pounds.
“But it’s untrue that mushrooms have the power to lose fat from everywhere except the bust! I carefully advise women not to expect this to happen and too much of a good thing is actually never a good thing.
“The fact is – if we eat a healthy, well-balanced, clean, natural diet and exercise regularly, we can all lose weight.”
George Michael was involved in a crash in his Range Rover during rush hour on the M1 motorway near St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, on Thursday.
George Michael, 49, was recovering last night after being airlifted to hospital with a head injury following the accident.
An ambulance crew was so concerned at the singer’s condition that a helicopter was summoned, and the motorway was closed for half an hour while it landed to take George Michael away.
Although the ambulance service said he suffered a head injury, George Michael was well enough to be discharged from hospital last night.
No other vehicle was involved in the incident, which happened just before 6 p.m. near the junction with the M25.
George Michael’s spokesman Connie Filippello said: “George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident, no third party was involved. He is being treated for superficial cuts and bruises but is fine. We have no further comment at this time.”
George Michael was involved in a crash in his Range Rover during rush hour on the M1 motorway near St Albans, Hertfordshire
The singer, who has enjoyed a successful solo career since finding fame in the 1980s duo Wham!, is banned from driving.
In 2010, George Michael he was jailed for eight weeks for crashing a Range Rover into a shop in north London while under the influence of drugs.
He was also disqualified from driving for five years, having served a two-year ban imposed in 2006 when he was convicted of driving while on drugs after being found slumped in his Mercedes.
Speaking at the singer’s home in Highgate, North London, last night, George Michael’s boyfriend Fadi Fawaz, 39, said: “He is perfectly fine. Of course I was worried, but I have spoken to him and he is good.
“He suffered a few bruises but there is nothing to worry about. I have no idea what happened, I wasn’t there.”
Hertfordshire Police said: “The exact circumstances of what happened are unclear at this time, and until further investigations have been carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said that a 49-year-old man “sustained a head injury and following treatment, stabilization and immobilization by land and air ambulance crews, he was flown to hospital for further care”.
Only 18 months ago, George Michael – real name Georgios Panayiotou – spent a month fighting for his life in an Austrian hospital after a severe bout of pneumonia. George Michael fell ill while preparing for a concert in Vienna, and needed a tracheotomy to keep him breathing when he slipped into a coma.
The US has criticized Russia for what it calls an “unfortunate decision” to deliver missiles to the Syrian government.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said the shipment “will embolden the regime and prolong the suffering” that has killed 80,000.
The sophisticated anti-ship missiles could be used to counter any future foreign military intervention, US officials told The New York Times.
Some 1.5 million people have fled the conflict, says the UN refugee agency.
Most have fled to Jordan and Lebanon, but not all have been registered yet, meaning the true total is likely to be far higher, according to the UNHCR.
Meanwhile, Syria’s national production has dropped by 40% and the number of people living below the poverty line has risen from two million to five million in just two years, according to the man in charge of the UN’s plans for reconstructing Syria after the conflict.
Abdullah al-Dardari, a former deputy prime minister in President Bashar al-Assad’s administration, said the rebuilding what has been destroyed would cost up to $80 billion.
The US has criticized Russia for what it calls an “unfortunate decision” to deliver missiles to the Syrian government
Gen. Martin Dempsey’s description of Moscow’s decision to send missiles to Syria as “ill-timed and very unfortunate” comes amid growing alarm that chemical weapons may have been used in the country, something President Barack Obama has said would be “a red line”.
Russia is one of Syria’s few remaining allies and a long-term arms supplier to the Assad regime. Over the years, in contracts worth billions of dollars, it has sold thousands of tanks, artillery units, aircraft, helicopters and defense systems to Damascus.
In 2007, the two countries signed a deal on the supply of Yakhont missiles which, with a range of 300 km (200 miles), could prove a threat to warships in the Mediterranean.
Although there have been growing calls for arms to be channeled to the rebel fighters in Syria, there has so far been very limited enthusiasm in the West for outright military intervention.
But there is concern that the presence of sophisticated Russian-supplied weaponry will make it much harder to agree and carry out such intervention, implement a blockade or conduct targeted airstrikes in the future.
Without confirming reports of the missile shipment, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the supply of missiles did not break any international rules.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met Sergei Lavrov in Sochi on Friday to discuss plans for an international conference to try to find a way of ending the Syrian conflict, which would aim to bring together the Syrian opposition and members of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The UN estimates that 80,000 people have died in the uprising, and that some 4.25 million people have been displaced within the country.
The simmering conflict has raised tensions on Syria’s borders: On Friday, Turkish state media reported at least 10 people were killed when a fuel tank exploded in the southern town of Altinozu in Hatay province, where car bombs killed 50 people last week.
The fuel tank was set alight by smugglers during a raid by police, officials said.
Frustrated by the lack of international consensus on Syria, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has had talks this week with President Barack Obama in Washington where he was expected to call for a more assertive stance.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday the UN should discuss imposing a no-fly zone inside Syria at the international conference being mooted.
“With respect to a no-fly zone… it is not a decision that could be taken between the United States and Turkey. It is something that would have to come through the UN Security Council,” he said.
Syria’s Russian-made military:
Nearly 5,000 tanks; 2,500 infantry fighting vehicles; 2,500 self-propelled or towed artillery units
325 Tactical aircraft; 143 helicopters
Nearly 2,000 air defense pieces
295,000 active personnel; 314,000 reserve personnel
At least 60 people have been injured, five critically, after a head-on, rush-hour collision between two commuter trains near New York City, officials say.
Some 250 people were on the trains involved in Friday evening’s crash. No fatalities have been reported.
Officials said a train that left New York City’s Grand Central station en route to New Haven, Connecticut, derailed then was hit by another train.
Amtrak has suspended its service between New York and Boston.
Metro-North Railroad described it as a “major derailment”, just outside Bridgeport, Connecticut.
A train that left New York City’s Grand Central station en route to New Haven, Connecticut, derailed then was hit by another train
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said the front of one of the trains had been extensively damaged and its wheels were “sticking into the other train”.
One of the five people with the most serious injuries was described as being in a “very critical” condition.
Investigators are trying to find out what caused the crash, which came shortly after 18:00 local time.
Gov. Dannel Malloy said he had no reason to believe it was anything other than an accident.
Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph Gaudett said most of those hurt were walking wounded.
“Everybody seemed pretty calm,” he told the Associated Press.
“Everybody was thankful they didn’t get seriously hurt. They were anxious to get home to their families.”
But Canadian passenger Alex Cohen told NBC Connecticut that “people were screaming… they had to smash a window to get us out”.
One witness, Brian Alvarez, told CNN: “I saw this one car and it was completely destroyed and they were pulling people out of the car. They were all bloody.”
Christoph Waltz was left shaken last night after a man pointed a hand-gun at him during a live French news programme TV show and threatened to blow up a studio with a hand grenade.
Cristoph Waltz, who won Oscars for roles in two Quentin Tarantino movies, was being interviewed about Cannes Film Festival on the set of Canal +’s Le Grand Journal Du Festival with fellow actor Daniel Auteuil when two shots were fired.
A recording of the moment shows the audience run away in panic, as security guards rush Christoph Waltz and Daniel Auteuil off stage.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Christoph Waltzt said he feared for his life.
“I was on a panel at the Studio Canal platform off the beach when a man produced a gun.
“I think it was a pistol and he fired but luckily for me they were blanks.
“Then he shouted he had a grenade and again luckily for me there was no grenade.
“The police have him. They tackled him to the ground. I don’t know who he was or where he came from or what his problem was.”
Christoph Waltz was left shaken last night after a man pointed a hand-gun at him during a live French news programme TV show and threatened to blow up a studio with a hand grenade
Witness Arthur Laiguesse said: “The bodyguards jumped over the barriers into the crowd and pulled him to the ground. The police arrived and told everyone to run because there was a grenade in his hand.”
Police arrested the man at the scene and found he was carrying a dummy grenade and a knife, authorities said.
“It really appears to be a crazy guy,” said a police source.
Speaking to France 24, Michel Denisot, the programme’s presenter, said: “He said to a woman next to him <<If I were you, I wouldn’t stick around here>>. “There were no bullets in the gun and the grenade was a fake.”
Christoph Waltz revealed what happened after he arrived at the fabled Eden Roc restaurant for a dinner hosted by Charles Finch, the London-based film producer and magazine publisher.
The actor was quite composed and unfazed when he told what had happened to him earlier in the evening.
“I’m fine there’s nothing to worry about now,” Christoph Waltz said.
Christoph Waltz, who has won two best supporting actor Oscars for Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds, and Daniel Auteuil, both of whom are serving on the Cannes jury, returned to the set.
The shooting was the second security incident on day three of the 12-day Cannes Film Festival, the world’s largest cinema showcase that attracts thousands of actors, directors, film executives, journalists and fans.
A police source said $1.4 million worth of Chopard jewellery intended to adorn movie stars had been stolen from a room at the Suite Novotel hotel overnight on Thursday.
But Chopard said the value had been exaggerated and the items were not for actresses to use, declining to give further details.
Actress Robin Wright last night said she had heard rumors of an incident in Cannes.
“I saw ambulances and police but I didn’t know what they were for. It held traffic up but I didn’t know the details till I heard it from Christoph as you just have.”
Christoph Waltz is a festival jury member along with Steven Spielberg and Nicole Kidman.
Mariah Carey’s performance on last night’s American Idol finale was so good it had some wondering whether she hadn’t lip-synched the entire thing.
However, Mariah Carey, 43, whose voice has sounded strained in recent years, clearly wasn’t given enough credit.
A rep for Mariah Carey told Entertainment Tonight on Friday that the star sang every song live during her greatest hits medley, which included Hero, My All, Vision of Love, Make It Happen, We Belong Together and her new single #Beautiful.
While Mariah Carey’s fans raved about her performance, many on Twitter wondered whether the pop star hadn’t lip-synched.
“Hahaaa Mariah Carey’s Idol Finale Performance Could Be The Worst Lip Synching Of All Time,” wrote @FSBigBob, while @Joey O’Hern tweeted: “Mariah, you look great…but your lip-synching was off. Good try though!”
Mariah Carey’s rep, however, said not only did she sing live, but she also entertained the audience with additional songs in between live shots.
Mariah Carey’s performance on last night’s American Idol finale was so good it had some wondering whether she hadn’t lip-synched the entire thing
With former judge Jennifer Lopez scheduled to make a performance comeback later in the show, it was up to Mariah Carey to “really make the show her own”, as they often tell the contestants.
Mariah Carey stood tall in an astonishingly decadent fishtail dress replete with crystals, maribou feathers and was herself dripping in jewels.
Realizing perhaps that dancing isn’t her strongest point, Mariah Carey dispensed with any gimmicks and just stood still save for a few hand moments as she slammed straight into her incredible back catalogue.
She stormed through a seven-minute medley of some of her biggest hits, including Vision of Love, Make it Happen and Hero, before ending with #Beautiful.
The last of those songs debuted at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week as Mariah Carey’s 45th entry on the chart to date.
It was classic Mariah Carey, and though some critics slammed her on Twitter for appearing to lip sync, her fans seemed generally happy with the treasure trove of powerful ditties.
Mariah Carey had a secret weapon in the form of Randy Jackson.
Her fellow judge stepped forward at the end of the song and bashfully accepted the applause still rattling away for Mariah Carey’s crowd pleasing melange.
Mariah Carey could be preparing to bring her minimum thread counts and feathered costumes to a city near you soon.
A source told E! that Mariah Carey is in discussions for a world tour and with her future on Idol looking uncertain, this could definitely be the way forward for the diva of divas.
The 911 call legendary NASCAR Dick Trickle made to a hapless operator before he ended his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound was released today.
In the recording, Dick Trickle matter-of-factly tells the female operator that he is at “the Forest Lawn Cemetery at 150” – where he was later found dead.
When the 911 operator asks him for his name, Dick Trickle repeats the address, not once identifying himself as the racer who entertained generations with his extrovert driving skills
Dick Trickle says that he is “on the back side of it. By a ’93 pickup. There’s gonna be a dead body..it’s suicide”.
The confused operator asks Dick Trickle if he was there to witness one, but instead he chillingly responds with: “I’m the one.”
Legendary NASCAR Dick Trickle made a chilling 911 call before he ended his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound
Stunned, the woman pleads with Dick Trickle, saying “listen to me” but Trickle simply repeats: “150 Forest Lawn in the back by a Ford pickup.”
The operator begs to let her send “help to you”, but that is in vain as he had already hung up.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said authorities tried to call the number back, but no one answered.
This comes as it was revealed that Dick Trickle suffered chronic and debilitating pain in his chest days before his suicide according to Chuck, his brother.
Dick Trickle, 71, who died on Thursday from a self inflicted gunshot wound was so distressed by his mystery ailment that he visited doctors twice a day.
According to his brother, the popular racer became depressed by a discomfort under his left breast telling him that he “didn’t know how much longer he could take the pain”.
Ireland Baldwin shared a picture with her Twitter followers on Friday showing a white bikini line running across her pink back.
Ireland Baldwin, 17, accompanied the snap, in which she is wearing a pair of denim shorts and backless top, with a short, simple message: “Tan lines.”
Last week the aspiring model shared several snaps of herself enjoying the sunny weather on the beach in Santa Cruz, California, describing the coast town as one of her “favorite places on earth”.
Ireland Baldwin shared a picture with her Twitter followers after Santa Cruz holiday
Meanwhile Ireland – the daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger – says she is excited about becoming a big sister to her father and new wife Hilaira Thomas’ baby.
Ireland Baldwin said: “I have always wanted a sibling, I’m so excited to meet my sister. I want her to know that I’m here for whatever she needs.”
The young model also revealed she has a great relationship with her stepmother, Hilaria Baldwin.
Ireland Baldwin told People magazine: “I love Hilaria. She saved my dad, getting him into amazing shape. And she brought him out of a bad place of being lonely.”
While Ireland Baldwin’s parents had a bitter break-up, she insists they have put all of their differences aside for her sake.
After days of speculation, according to E! News, multiple sources have confirmed to them that Beyoncé is expecting her second child with Jay-Z.
Suspicions were first sparked by the careful camouflage of the Givenchy gown Beyoncé, 31, wore to attend the Met Ball in New York.
The high waisted bodice with a detailed pattern made it hard to see the superstar’s actual shape.
But it was when Beyoncé had to cancel her Mrs. Carter Show performance in Antwerp, Belgium on Tuesday citing “dehydration and exhaustion” that the rumor mill went into overdrive.
Beyoncé recently told ABC News that she “would like more children” and that she feels 16-month-old Blue Ivy could do with some company.
She wore custom, hand beaded white peplum one-piece by designers Ralph & Russo when she took the stage in Antwerp a day after the cancelled concert, and though there was no sign of a bump the fitted corset gave little away.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Beyoncé is expecting her second child with Jay-Z
The New York Post newspaper also claimed that “multiple sources” told them Beyoncé is pregnant following her attendance at the star-studded Met Ball, where the star’s rumored pregnancy was the talk of the night.
Beyoncé is said to have “carefully” hidden her baby bump in the high-waisted Givenchy gown, but multiple photos have since surfaced of the singer sporting a growing stomach on her 65-date Mrs. Carter Show world tour, which touched down in Dublin, Ireland, on Sunday.
Pictures of her on stage in London appear to show an uncharacteristically rounded tummy.
Beyoncé welcomed her first child, daughter Blue Ivy Carter, into the world in January 2012.
The singer and her husband Jay-Z – real name Shawn Carter – remained tight-lipped about her first pregnancy until sensationally announcing it live at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2011.
A number of persons of interest have been identified by UK detectives reviewing the case of the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Madeleine McCann, from Rothley, Leics, was nearly 4-year-old when she went missing from her family’s Portuguese holiday flat in an Algarve resort.
Scotland Yard said officers were working closely with Portuguese police and considering their next steps.
They denied asking Portuguese police to make any arrests.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police went on to say Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were being kept up-to-date with their progress.
Clarence Mitchell, a spokesman for the couple, said: “Kate and Gerry remain very, very pleased with the work that Scotland Yard are doing and have been encouraged by Operation Grange [the case review] from the day it began.
“Beyond that, they simply will not comment on what are police operational matters.”
A number of persons of interest have been identified by UK detectives reviewing the case of the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann
The Met Police statement also said: “Our investigative review is ongoing and we are encouraged by the progress we are making.
“We are reviewing a significant number of documents and continue to identify potential lines of inquiry.
“We can confirm that as part of this process we have identified a number of persons of interest, but any suggestion that the MPS [Met Police Service] is asking the Portuguese police to make arrests in connection with this inquiry is entirely inaccurate.”
The UK review into Madeleine McCann’s case – known as Operation Grange – began last May after Prime Minister David Cameron responded to a plea from her parents.
Its objective is for a team of UK officers to work with the Portuguese authorities with a view to reopening the case, which has been closed since 2008.
As part of the review, a computer-generated image of how Madeleine McCann might look now was produced.
Detectives are also poring over thousands of pieces of information from the Portuguese investigation, inquiries by the UK law enforcement agencies, and the work of private investigators and agencies.
More than $1 million (777,000 euros) worth of Chopard jewels have been stolen from Novotel hotel in Cannes, French police say.
The jewels were to be loaned to stars appearing at the famous annual film festival on the French Riviera.
They were taken from the hotel room of an employee of exclusive Swiss jewellers Chopard in the early hours of Friday morning.
Police say the thieves ripped the safe containing the jewels from a wall of the room at the Novotel hotel.
Festival officials said the Palme d’Or was not among the stolen items.
Celebrities choosing Chopard’s gems for their red carpet appearances at this year’s Cannes festival include Cara Delevigne, Lana Del Rey and Cindy Crawford
The event’s top award is also made by Chopard, which is an official sponsor of the festival.
Celebrities choosing Chopard’s gems for their red carpet appearances at this year’s festival include Julianne Moore, Lana Del Rey and Cindy Crawford.
The theft happened a few hours after the festival was shown The Bling Ring, a new film by director Sofia Coppola.
The Bling Ring is about teenagers who find out when celebrities are attending red carpet events in order to break into their homes and steal their designer clothes, bags and shoes.
The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival is currently taking place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013.
General Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentina’s former military leader, has died aged 87 while serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity.
Jorge Rafael Videla is reported to have died from natural causes in prison.
The general was jailed in 2010 for the deaths of 31 dissidents during the 1976-83 military dictatorship, of which he was overall leader until 1981.
Up to 30,000 people were tortured and killed during this period, in a campaign known as the “Dirty War”.
Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla had been sentenced to life in prison for torture, murder and other crimes in 1985, but was pardoned in 1990 under an amnesty given by the president at the time, Carlos Menem.
In April 2010, the Supreme Court upheld a 2007 federal court move to overturn his pardon.
Eight months later Jorge Rafael Videla was found “criminally responsible” for the torture and deaths of 31 prisoners and jailed for life.
Most of the left-wing activists were taken from their cells in the central city of Cordoba and shot dead shortly after the military took power.
The army said at the time that they were killed while trying to escape.
General Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentina’s former military leader, has died aged 87 while serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity
Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla was one of 30 members of the security forces charged with the murders.
Last year, he was also convicted of overseeing the systematic theft of babies from political prisoners.
At least 400 babies are thought to have been taken from their parents while they were held in detention centres.
More than 100 children given for adoption to military or police couples have since been reunited with their biological families.
A court in Buenos Aires sentenced Jorge Rafael Videla to 50 years in prison, while another ex-military leader, Reynaldo Bignone, received 15 years for his alleged role in the crime.
In an interview with an Argentine journalist last year, Jorge Rafael Videla said the crackdown he oversaw was the price Argentina had to pay in order to remain a republic.
“War, by nature, is cruel,” he said.
“An internal war, between brothers, is especially cruel.”
Jose Miguel Vivanco, director of Latin America for US-based Human Rights Watch, said Jorge Rafael Videla presided over one of the region’s cruellest repressions in modern times.
“He was arrogant to the end and unwilling to acknowledge his responsibility for the massive atrocities committed in Argentina,” he said.
“Many of the secrets of the repression will die with him.”
Argentina’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel told Reuters news agency: “Death has brought an end to his physical existence but not what he did against the people.”
The head of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an association that works to uncover the real identities of the stolen children, described Jorge Rafael Videla as a “bad man”.
“I’m reassured that a discredited man has departed this world,” said Estela de Carloto in a statement to local media.
Jorge Rafael Videla was born in 1925, the son of an army colonel.
In 1976, he and two other military leaders staged a coup against President Isabel Peron, the widow of former leader Juan Domingo Peron.
Argentina’s dictatorship:
1976: Military junta under General Jorge Rafael Videla seizes power – thousands of political opponents are rounded up and killed in what becomes known as “the dirty war”
1982: Jorge Rafael Videla’s successor, General Leopoldo Galtieri, orders invasion of British-held Falkland Islands – more than 700 Argentine soldiers killed in its unsuccessful defense
1983: Civilian rule returns to Argentina, and investigations into human rights abuses begin
2010: Jorge Rafael Videla is sentenced to life imprisonment for murders during his term in office
2012: Jorge Rafael Videla sentenced to 50 years for overseeing systematic theft of the babies of political prisoners
Roger W. Harms, M.D., leading obstetrician at the Mayo Clinic, explains why women’s feet swell during pregnancy.
“Your body produces and retains more fluid during pregnancy,” he says.
“Also, your growing uterus puts pressure on your veins, which impairs return of blood to your heart. In turn, this can lead to swelling in the legs, ankles and feet. Hormonal changes might play a role as well.”
To avoid cankles, Dr. Roger W. Harms suggests a number of measures:
1. Sleep on your left side:
This takes pressure off the inferior vena cava – the large vein that returns blood from the lower half of your body to your heart.
Kim Kardashian complained about her swollen feet when she tweeted a snap of them after wearing caged Givenchy boots all day
2. Stand in water:
Standing in a pool can compress tissues in the legs and might provide temporary relief.
3. Stay cool:
It might be soothing to apply cold-water compresses to swollen areas.
4. Wear compression stockings:
Your midwife or GP might recommend wearing supportive tights or stockings.
5. Drink plenty of fluids:
The Institute of Medicine recommends about two litres of fluids a day during pregnancy.
6. Exercise:
Walking and swimming can alleviate swelling.
7. Stay off your feet:
Avoid standing for long periods, and don’t cross your legs.
When you can, sit with your feet up and occasionally rotate your feet at the ankles.
Kim Kardashian tottered out in a pair of sky-high perspex high heels on Thursday after she complained that a pair of caged Givenchy heels had hurt her swollen feet just last week.
Heavily pregnant Kim Kardashian’s feet were so swollen that she barely managed to squeeze them into the footwear.
Puffy, her ankles were also clearly suffering, even appearing severely pinched in the stylish shoes.
But the 32-year-old reality star was keen to power on, strutting around while wearing another item of clothing that was very tight.
Kim Kardashian wore a clingy white shift dress for the afternoon outing.
Heavily pregnant Kim Kardashian’s feet were so swollen that she barely managed to squeeze them into the footwear
The attire was a similar design to a black frock she had slipped into earlier this month to promote her clothing line in Dallas, Texas.
Kim Kardashian’s dress featured what appeared to be an attached matching white cape and of course, her stilettos.
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore her hair out in a straight style and had her usual smoky eye and nude lip combination applied for make-up.
She was joined by her mother Kris Jenner, who beamed at her daughter as she surveyed her outfit.
Kim Kardashian was dressed-to-the-nines to film scenes for her reality TV show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Kris Jenner, 57, was also wearing white in the form of a white blazer.
She paired the item with a Kardashian staple – a pair of leather trousers.
Kim Kardashian complained about her swollen feet when she tweeted a snap of them after wearing caged Givenchy boots all day
The reality matriarch and manager also got around in a pair of sky-high heels – hers a pair of suede ankle boots.
The mother-of-six also toted a patterned Givenchy handbag – the designer a favorite of the family.
Earlier this month, Kim Kardashian complained about her swollen feet when she tweeted a snap of them after wearing caged Givenchy boots all day.
Meanwhile recent reports claimed that Kanye West wouldn’t be around following the birth of their child in July because he is planning on embarking on a world tour later this year, following the release of his new album.
However, following claims that she would be left alone with a young baby, TMZ.com have now revealed that Kim Kardashian is planning on joining her beau on the road along with their child.
The website claims that the touring company has been asked to provide cribs and soundproof hotel rooms to provide the most comfortable accommodation for the couple and their baby throughout the tour.
However, Kim Kardashian is contractually obliged to remain in town over the winter for filming of her family reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
“Kim just feels like she can’t win,” the source added.
“She feels that both of their work schedules are going to prevent them from spending quality time together after the baby is born.”
Photographer Dario D was fed up with his fast food order not looking quite as appetizing as it did on the advert and decided to see how the food sold over the counter matched up to the promised product.
He bought burgers and tacos from some of the biggest chains in the United States and set them up in his studio for a professional standard photo shoot.
And the difference was clear to see.
Dario D found that most of the burgers he bought were not quite as tall as the adverts promised they would be.
In fact, Big Macs would struggle to fit inside their boxes if they matched their picture.
Another McDonald’s burger, the Angus Deluxe Third Pounder, would have the same trouble.
Dario D embarked on the project following: “a lifetime of disappointment, bafflement, and rage”, posting the results on his website.
He gave Burger King’s Whopper a few tries, but after slightly squashed results could only conclude: “They need to fire the guy who does his yoga on top of the Whoppers.”
In one side-by-side comparison, he showed the results of asking staff at different locations to make the Whopper look like its advert.
Photographer Dario D found that most of the burgers he bought were not quite as tall as the adverts promised they would be
“Both times, the cashiers turned and took strangely long, careful looks, as if nobody had ever requested that before,” he said.
“They said sure.”
Out of curiosity, Dario D complained about the “misleading” adverts.
A member of Burger King’s Consumer Relations Team replied: “One may find the Whopper Sandwich as pictured in commercials more attractive because during photo sessions, professional food stylists are used to ensure the consistency and appearance.”
It wasn’t just burger chains where the food failed to size up to its commercial counterpart.
In Taco Bell and Jack in the Box, the tacos were thin compared with the packed shells in the adverts.
Of the Taco Bell results, Dario D said: “Since these tacos are pretty dry and empty, I can only tolerate them with hot sauce, which, for me, is when they become good.”
With the help of a green screen and rotating chair, Dario D took each product’s photo at the most flattering angle he could before using digital software to show the advert and real product side-by-side.
Dario D said: “I gave the items as fair a chance as absolutely possible.”
George Michael has been airlifted to hospital with a head injury following a crash on the M1 motorway in UK.
George Michael, 49, remains in hospital after the crash at junction 6A, near St Albans, Hertfordshire.
A spokesman for the former Wham! star confirmed he had been involved in an accident on Thursday but said the singer only had “superficial cuts” and was “fine”.
George Michael was a passenger in a Range Rover and no other vehicles were involved, the spokesman added.
Connie Filippello, spokesman for George Michael, said: “George Michael was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a traffic accident yesterday evening. No third party was involved.
“We have no further comment at this time.”
George Michael has been airlifted to hospital with a head injury following a crash on the M1 motorway
Ambulance spokesman Gary Sanderson said: “The man who we believe to be in his 40s sustained a head injury and following treatment, stabilization and immobilization by land and air ambulance crews, he was flown to hospital for further care.”
Hertfordshire Police said the northbound carriageway of the road was closed for an hour while emergency services dealt with the incident.
Two people were in the car at the time of the crash at about 17:50 BST. No arrests have been made.
A police spokesman said: “The exact circumstances of what happened are unclear at this time and until further investigations have been carried out it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
In September 2010, George Michael was given an eight-week sentence for crashing his car while under the influence of cannabis.
The singer was also fined £1,250 ($1,950) at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court in London and given a five-year driving ban.
George Michael was arrested in Hampstead, north London, after driving his Range Rover into a branch of photographic store Snappy Snaps.
Hosting Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the White House’s Rose Garden yesterday, President Barack Obama requested a standing Marine to open an umbrella and protect his head from the light rain that was falling.
However, according to Marine Corps regulations, not even the President of the United States can request a Marine to carry an umbrella without the express permission of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
The Marine Corp Manual, which is the bible for all soldiers serving, specifically states that a soldier’s uniform dress code does not allow the carrying of an umbrella and “no officer or official shall issue instructions which conflict with, alter, or amend any provision without the approval of the Commandant of the Marine Corps”.
Indeed, male Marines are informed never to carry an umbrella from the earliest phases of training.
Regulation MCO P1020.34F of the Marine Corps Uniform Regulations chapter 3, rules out any use or carrying of an umbrella while a Marine is in uniform.
However, female Marines “may carry an all-black, plain standard or collapsible umbrella at their option during inclement weather with the service and dress uniforms. It will be carried in the left hand so that the hand salute can be properly rendered”.
During the press conference, President Barack Obama dodged questions about the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups, shifted responsibility for the Benghazi attack to Congress, and said he offers no apologies for the Department of Justice’s secret seizure of reporter’s phone records in search of a classified intelligence leak.
Hosting Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama requested a standing Marine to open an umbrella and protect his head from the light rain
In a rain-soaked Rose Garden press conference originally intended to be a victory lap for the United States’ relationship with Turkey, Barack Obama stood alongside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and fielded questions which quickly shifted to the trio of scandals that are engulfing his administration.
Addressing the Benghazi fallout pre-emptively before Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke, Barack Obama said that “at my direction, we’ve been taking a series of steps that were recommended by the review board”.
He spoke of various measures he was recommending, to “learn the lessons of Benghazi”. But he referred to the murders of four Americans there as an “incident”, not a terror attack.
The president said: “That’s why, at my direction, we’ve been taking a series of steps that were recommended by the review board after the incident. We’re continuing to review our security at high-threat diplomatic posts, including the size and nature of our presence; improving training for those headed to dangerous posts; increasing intelligence and warning capabilities.
“And I’ve directed the Defense Department to ensure that our military can respond lightning quick in times of crisis.”
His remarks focused on “properly funding” the State Department and Pentagon-run security at diplomatic posts, shifting the burden to Congress to “provide resources and new authorities so that we can implement all the recommendations of the Accountability Review Board which issued a report last month”.
Barack Obama said: “We’re going to need Congress’s help in terms of increasing the number of our Marine Corps Guard who protect our embassies.
“We’re not going to be able to do this alone.”
“’We need Congress.”
The review board is under fire for failing to interview high-level Obama administration figures, including then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Interviewing Clinton, Republicans on Capitol Hill have said, would have provided insights into who was accountable for lapses in security that left the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya vulnerable to attack.
Dick Trickle’s brother, Chuck, has said the legendary NASCAR driver suffered chronic and debilitating pain in his chest before his suicide.
Richard “Dick” Trickle, 71, who died on Thursday from a self inflicted gunshot wound, was so distressed by his mystery ailment that he visited doctors twice a day.
According to his brother, Dick Trickle became depressed by a discomfort under his left breast telling him that he “didn’t know how much longer he could take the pain”.
“It’s a shock to me,” said Chuck Trickle to The Las Vegas Review Journal.
“It’s real hard to think about. He was my brother, my friend and my hero, in that order.”
“He was very down.”
Chuck Trickle, who lives in Las Vegas said that to his knowledge his brother was healthy, except for the pain under his chest, but when they last spoke a week ago he suspected that something was wrong when he heard his brother curse.
Chuck Trickle said his brother was so beloved that “he could’ve run for president and won”.
“He was there for everybody,’ Chuck Trickle said. ‘He left a very large footprint on this earth.”
Chuck Trickle’s son, Chris, was shot in 1997 while driving in Las Vegas. He died the following year, and the case never was solved.
Dick Trickle’s brother, Chuck, has said the legendary NASCAR driver suffered chronic and debilitating pain in his chest before his suicide
During his racing career, Dick Trickle attracted attention when he drilled a hole in his safety helmet to allow him to smoke a cigarette as he competed.
He also installed cigarette lighters in his cars so he could smoke during races, the local news station noted.
Dick Trickle recalled in an interview with Fox Sports two years ago of a fan who came up to him while signing autographs and asked him about the cigarettes.
“He says, <<How many cigarettes did you smoke during that race?>> And I said, <<How many yellows were there?>> I said, <<One for every yellow>>.”
Dick Trickle said he quit smoking two and a half years before that interview but did it “just for no good reason”.
He died on Thursday at age 71 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed.
The body of the retired race car driver was found at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Boger City, North Carolina, 30 miles west of Charlotte. His body was discovered near his pickup truck.
It is not known why he chose the cemetery as the location to end his life.
Dick Trickle had actually called police before shooting himself and forewarned them “there would be a dead body and it would be his”.
He made his debut on the NASCAR circuit in the #84 Miller High Life Buick for Stavola Brothers Racing.
His career spanned 24 years, during which he competed in a total of 2,200 races.
Dubbed the “White Knight” by his corporate sponsor SuperAmerica, Dick Trickle was said to have nabbed the most wins in short track racing.
He was named the Rookie of the Year in NASCAR’s Winston Cup in 1989 at age 48.
Sheriff’s Lieutenant Tim Johnson says foul play is not suspected.
Dick Trickle leaves behind his wife of 53 years Darlene and three children.
They are the proud parents of three children. 50-year-old Tod Allen Trickle born on March 22, 1963, 41-year-old Chad Trickle born on March 03, 1972 and their eldest and only daughter 52-year-old Victoria Trickle, now Vicky Trickle Bowman, who once worked as her father’s personal assistant.
Darlene Carol Trickle, 69, was born Darlene McMahon on January 11, 1944, she got married to her childhood sweetheart Dick Trickle shortly after he graduated from High School in May, 1961.
At age of 8, Dick Trickle almost died while playing tag with his cousin in a house under construction.
He fell two floors to the basement and broke his hip and spent three years in a cast from his waist to his feet – walking with a limp for the rest of his life.
And tragically, his nephew, Chris Trickle, who was also a NASCAR driver was murdered in an unsolved drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1998.
Chris Trickle died from his wounds 409 days after the shooting.
A family friend of one of the Cleveland victims has revealed that Michelle Knight, the first of three women to be kidnapped off the street who suffered more than a decade of abuse in Ariel Castro’s house of horrors, was subjected to numerous beatings and treated like “a punching bag”.
Michelle Knight, now 32, vanished in August 2002, and was not seen again until earlier this month when she emerged from a dilapidated house on Seymour Avenue with Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus.
The owner of the home, 52-year-old Ariel Castro, faces kidnapping and rape charges. He is accused of chaining up all three women in the home and raping them.
A family friend of one of the victims told CNN that Michelle Knight was often hit with hand weights and other objects and treated like a “punching bag” for 11 years.
Her relatives say that she is deaf in one ear, and may need facial reconstruction surgery. She was released from a hospital on Friday.
Michelle Knight was often hit with hand weights and other objects and treated like a “punching bag” for 11 years
Michelle Knight stayed in the hospital for several days after the other two women left.
She told CNN in a statement: “I am healthy, happy and safe and will reach out to family, friends and supporters in good time.”
Michelle Knight told police that her alleged captor repeatedly raped her and caused her to miscarry at least five times over the years by starving her and punching her in the stomach.
Police sources told the National Enquirer that Ariel Castro had no interest in having children with Michelle Knight, because she was only 4-foot-7 and he believed her to be “mentally disabled”.
The magazine’s source added that Ariel Castro was grooming his 6-year-old daughter with Amanda, Jocelyn, as another sex slave because the other captives “were getting to old for him”.
Police had not been looking for Michelle Knight when she was found in Ariel Castro’s house.
Michelle Knight disappeared in 2002 at age 21. Her mother concluded she might have run away from home because she was angry about the state taking away her child.
Police dropped the case when they couldn’t reach her mother.
