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Embryonic stem cells: Milestone in medical human cloning

Kathryn R. Bown
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Embryonic stem cells: Milestone in medical human cloning

US scientists announce that human cloning has been used to produce early embryos, marking a “significant step” for medicine.

The cloned embryos were used as a source of stem cells, which can make new heart muscle, bone, brain tissue or any other type of cell in the body.

The study, published in the journal Cell, used methods like those that produced Dolly the sheep in the UK.

However, researchers say other sources of stem cells may be easier, cheaper and less controversial.

Opponents say it is unethical to experiment on human embryos and have called for a ban.

Stem cells are one of the great hopes for medicine. Being able to create new tissue might be able to heal the damage caused by a heart attack or repair a severed spinal cord.

There are already trials taking place using stem cells taken from donated embryos to restore people’s sight.

However, these donated cells do not match the patient so they would be rejected by the body. Cloning bypasses this problem.

The technique used – somatic cell nuclear transfer – has been well-known since Dolly the sheep became the first mammal to be cloned, in 1996.

The technique used for human cloning, somatic cell nuclear transfer, has been well-known since Dolly the sheep became the first mammal to be cloned
The technique used for human cloning, somatic cell nuclear transfer, has been well-known since Dolly the sheep became the first mammal to be cloned

Skin cells were taken from an adult and the genetic information was placed inside a donor egg which had been stripped of its own DNA. Electricity was used to encourage the egg to develop into an embryo.

However, researchers have struggled to reproduce the feat in people. The egg does start dividing, but never goes past the 6-12 cell stage.

A South Korean scientist, Hwang Woo-suk, did claim to have created stem cells from cloned human embryos, but was found to have faked the evidence.

Now a team at the Oregon Health and Science University have developed the embryo to the blastocyst stage – around 150 cells – which is enough to provide a source of embryonic stem cells.

Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov said: “A thorough examination of the stem cells derived through this technique demonstrated their ability to convert just like normal embryonic stem cells, into several different cell types, including nerve cells, liver cells and heart cells.

“While there is much work to be done in developing safe and effective stem cell treatments, we believe this is a significant step forward in developing the cells that could be used in regenerative medicine.”

Embryonic stem cell research has repeatedly raised ethical concerns and human eggs are a scarce resource. This has led researchers to an alternative route to stem cells.

The technique takes the same sample of skin cells but converts them using proteins to “induced pluripotent” stem cells.

However, there are still questions about the quality of stem cells produced using this method compared with embryonic stem cells.

Opponents of the new technique argue that all embryos, whether created in the lab or not, have the potential to go on to become a fully-fledged human, and as such it is morally wrong to experiment on them.

They strongly advocate the use of stem cells from adult tissue.

However, advocates of the new technique say that the embryos created from this technique could never become viable human beings.

Steve Abraira: Boston fire chief blasted for his lack of leadership at the Marathon bombing scene

Diane A. Wade
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Steve Abraira: Boston fire chief blasted for his lack of leadership at the Marathon bombing scene

Thirteen deputy fire chiefs in Boston are calling for their boss to be fired over his handling of the Marathon bombing, saying that he did not take control of the situation.

Thirteen of the city’s fourteen deputy fire chiefs co-signed a letter telling that they have no confidence in Fire Chief Steve Abraira.

The Boston Globe obtained the letter that they wrote to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on April 26, just 11 days after the bombings at the finish line of the marathon killed three people and injured more than 250 others.

They argue that he did not take ownership of the chaotic scene when he arrived, choosing instead to allow the various deputies to lead and did not take charge himself.

“His justification for failing to take action is indefensible,” they wrote.

Thirteen of Boston's fourteen deputy fire chiefs co-signed a letter telling that they have no confidence in Fire Chief Steve Abraira
Thirteen of Boston’s fourteen deputy fire chiefs co-signed a letter telling that they have no confidence in Fire Chief Steve Abraira

The Boston Globe spoke with Steve Abraira who defended his actions, saying that is a “nationally accepted practice” for the top chief to continue to allow his deputies to handle the situation if everything seems to be working, rather than insert themselves into a situation that is already being controlled.

“When I got there I was comfortable with what was going on,” Steve Abraira told The Globe.

“You only take command [as chief] if there’s something going wrong or if you can strengthen the command position or if it’s overwhelming for the incident commander, and none of those things were in fact happening.”

The deputies- with the exception of one who did not sign the no-confidence letter- said that this is not the first time they have been disappointed by Steve Abraira’s actions.

They even mention an instance where there was a six-alarm fire in a Boston building and after he allegedly cleared the scene of being under control by the deputies, Steve Abraira went to the roof of the building next door to take a picture of himself with the flames in the background for his scrapbook.

Steve Abraira vehemently denied the story to The Globe, saying that it never happened.

One thing he doesn’t deny is that he changed the department’s protocol when he came into office in November 2011, making it so that he would not automatically become the so-called “incident commander” at a fire as soon as he arrived.

He justified the move saying that before changing the operating procedure, he polled 29 other city fire departments around the country and the only one that still made the Fire Chief the incident commander was in New Haven, Connecticut.

His deputies don’t see the move as one out of public safety but more out of self-preservation.

“[Steve Abraira] shields himself from immediate accountability while setting the stage for under­mining the confidence and authority of his command staff. While acknowledging his ultimate accountability for depart­ment operations, he avoids on-the-scene responsibility,” they wrote in the letter.

So far, Boston higher powers have been supportive of Steve Abraira, who made history by being the city’s first Hispanic fire chief.

Fire commissioner Roderick Fraser told The Globe that he had “the utmost confidence in my entire staff, my entire command staff, including Chief Abraira”, and a spokesman for Mayor Menino said that he had “full confidence” in Fraser.

Nana Meriwether: Miss USA wants to marry Prince Harry after meeting at fund-raising reception in Manhattan

Lisa.Felice
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Nana Meriwether: Miss USA wants to marry Prince Harry after meeting at fund-raising reception in Manhattan

It was Prince Harry’s height – a lofty 6ft 2in – that has caught the eye of his latest admirer, none other than Miss USA Nana Meriwether.

Attending a celebrity-studded fund-raising reception at Manhattan’s famous Four Seasons Restaurant alongside Prince Harry, the raven-haired beauty (officially 6ft 1in, but 6ft 4ins in towering Zara heels) declared she was technically royalty in America, and wondered if Prince William’s younger brother was single and if he might be interested in making an honest woman of her.

Nana Meriwether said last night: “He is doing a wonderful job of representing your country here. Miss USA is like royalty in the States, so I am really hoping to meet him.

It was Prince Harry's height, a lofty 6ft 2in, that has caught the eye of his latest admirer, none other than Miss USA Nana Meriwether
It was Prince Harry’s height, a lofty 6ft 2in, that has caught the eye of his latest admirer, none other than Miss USA Nana Meriwether

“He is single, right? Well so am I. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we married. And he is very tall and good looking, I hear. Perfect. We are meant to be.”

Celebrities and the super-rich queued last night to dine with Prince Harry, Manhattan’s man of the moment.

Prince Harry, 28, was guest of honor at a glitzy reception thrown by the American Friends of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Among the notable guests was Black Eyed Peas singer Will.I.Am, Sean Lennon, son of Beatle John, Bright Lights Big City author John McInerney and his socialite and philanthropist wife Anne Hearst-Mcinerney, sister of Patti, and the daughter of publishing tycoon Randolph J Hearst.

Also joining the throng was Rudin real estate heiress Beth de Woody.

British PM David Cameron, who is also in New York and earlier attended an event with the prince, also leant his support.

Angelina Jolie plans to have her ovaries removed as she has 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer

Kathryn R. Bown
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Angelina Jolie plans to have her ovaries removed as she has 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer

New reports reveal that Angelina Jolie is now planning to have her ovaries removed, following a double mastectomy after discovering she’s a carrier of the BRCA1 gene.

Angelina Jolie, 37, made the brave decision to have three months of secret procedures after being told she had an 87% chance of contracting breast cancer.

Now, the actress is said to already be planning her next surgery – the removal of both her ovaries – as the gene means she has a 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer.

According to People magazine, Angelina Jolie is likely to have the next procedures before she turns 40, as doctors recommend having the surgery done after child-bearing age.

After the surgery, Angelina Jolie will no longer be able to have biological children, although she still has the option to adopt.

Angelina Jolie and her fiancé Brad Pitt currently have three biological children, Shiloh, 6, and 4-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, and three adopted children, Maddox, 11, Pax, nine, Zahara, 8.

The View host Barbara Walters revealed on the show on Tuesday that she had both of her ovaries removed after her sister died from ovarian cancer.

Angelina Jolie is now planning to have her ovaries removed, following a double mastectomy after discovering she's a carrier of the BRCA1 gene
Angelina Jolie is now planning to have her ovaries removed, following a double mastectomy after discovering she’s a carrier of the BRCA1 gene

Barbara Walters explained: “It’s not like having the breasts removed because people don’t see it. But it’s a decision you have to make – it’s preventative.”

Angelina Jolie’s decision to remove her ovaries will likely be fuelled by the fact that she lost her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, to ovarian cancer at the age of 56.

Marcheline Bertrand died in January 2007 after an 8-year battle with the disease.

Prior to her passing, Marcheline Bertrand founded a charity called Give Love Give Life which spread awareness of the condition.

Angelina Jolie’s mother and her colleagues at the charity also successfully campaigned for Johanna’s Law to fund education into gynecological illnesses and got it signed into statute in the US.

Angelina Jolie revealed her decision to have the double mastectomy by writing an op-ed in the New York Times on Tuesday.

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Photos of Ariel Castro’s backyard show barbed wire, rusty chains and other instruments of torture

Diane A. Wade
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Photos of Ariel Castro’s backyard show barbed wire, rusty chains and other instruments of torture

Ariel Castro had spools of barbed wired tossed about his backyard alongside heavy metal chains and rolls of tarp that he used to hide his neighbor’s view, new photographs reveal.

The collection of discarded items piled up in the garden of the “house of horrors” come in stark contrast to the discarded Barbie bicycle that was likely used by Jocelyn, the daughter Ariel Castro fathered with Amanda Berry.

Police have sealed the scene as they continue to search for clues inside the Seymour Avenue home in west Cleveland, but the photos show that Ariel Castro did much of the blocking off himself.

While police were the ones to replace the back door with a piece of fresh plywood, Ariel Castro had taken out the windows from the back of the house and completely blocked them with gray wood to keep any neighbors from looking into his home.

CNN obtained the photos from a neighbor who chose to remain anonymous.

It appears that the person hopped the fence into the yard because they were able to photograph certain items- like the child’s bike- at a very close distance.

Another chilling clue into Castro’s psyche is the fact that he installed mirrors above his back door.

Ariel Castro had spools of barbed wired tossed about his backyard alongside heavy metal chains and rolls of tarp that he used to hide his neighbor's view
Ariel Castro had spools of barbed wired tossed about his backyard alongside heavy metal chains and rolls of tarp that he used to hide his neighbor’s view

The angle at which they were left shows that he used them in order to see if anyone was coming up his driveway without his knowledge.

This confirms the story of former friends of Ariel Castro, who said that when they would go over to his home, he would always jump out from the back door as they were walking up, meaning that even if they were going over unannounced he knew they were coming.

The most dramatic items that were spotted in the backyard are the spools of barbed wire and the rusty chains.

Both were likely used to keep the three young women captive inside his home for roughly a decade.

Michelle Knight went missing in 2002, Amanda Berry in 2003 and Gina DeJesus in 2004, and all three were found alive in Ariel Castro’s home early last week.

Portions of their interviews with police have been released, including the disclosure that during the first few years of their captivity, the 52-year-old former bus driver used chains hanging from the basement ceiling to keep them under his control.

One of the pictured chains is lying close to a pulley, which suggests that it was like one used in the basement ceiling so that he would have been able to determine how taut or loose the chain was- and, in turn, how high off the ground the girls were forced to be.

The neighbor who took the photographs said that there were “hundreds” of chains scattered about the back yard.

Several items in the backyard would have looked ordinary to neighbors- as there are two red bicycles leaning against one of the fences that may have belonged to his grandchildren who visited the house and never knew about the captive women.

The same could be deducted for the toy basketball hoop.

That said, the decision to use large sheets of blue, green and gray tarp to hide his backyard from the neighbors’ houses only a stone’s throw away.

Police have boarded up the house – only the portions that he hadn’t blocked off already- as they continue to scour for evidence while preparing for Ariel Castro’s eventual trial.

The photographs came out on the same day as it was revealed that utility workers visited his home roughly 160 times in the ten years that the women were held against their will, but none of them reported any suspicious activity.

The young women were freed after one of them, Amanda Berry, was able to get the attention of a neighbor by breaking part of the front door when Ariel Castro had left “the big inside door” unlocked while going to McDonald’s last Monday.

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Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus lived like prisoners of war in Cleveland horror house

Nancy Clayson
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Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus lived like prisoners of war in Cleveland horror house

Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were imprisoned in Ariel Castro’s Cleveland house in conditions described as similar to a prisoner of war camp and have suffered from severe malnutrition.

They will require long-term therapy for injuries such as hearing loss and joint and muscle damage, two sources with direct knowledge said.

The harrowing details come as Ariel Castro’s attorneys claim he’s not the “monster” depicted in news reports – and he will plead not guilty to kidnapping and rape charges.

Ariel Castro’s lawyer, Craig Weintraub, told WKYC-TV: “The initial portrayal by the media has been one of a <<monster>> and that’s not the impression that I got when I talked to him for three hours.

“I know that family members who have been interviewed by the media have expressed that as well.”

The basement where the women were held had chains coming from the wall, and dog leashes attached to the ceiling, the sources said.

The women were restrained with them and duct tape in “stress positions” for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, who asked not to be identified.

Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were in worse condition than Amanda Berry when they emerged from at least nine years in captivity at the home of Ariel Castro, accused of kidnapping and raping the women.

Ariel Castro appeared to treat Amanda Berry – his “favorite” – better than the other two, the sources said.

“There is a reason why you have only seen a picture of Amanda,” said one of the sources, referring to the condition of Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight.

Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were imprisoned in Ariel Castro’s Cleveland house in conditions described as similar to a prisoner of war camp and have suffered from severe malnutrition
Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were imprisoned in Ariel Castro’s Cleveland house in conditions described as similar to a prisoner of war camp and have suffered from severe malnutrition

Michelle Knight told investigators she fell pregnant five times, but lost the baby each time. She said that Ariel Castro starved and repeatedly punched her in the stomach to force her to miscarry.

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 believed her to be “mentally disabled”.

The magazine’s source added that Ariel Castro was grooming his 6-year-old daughter with Amanda Berry, Jocelyn, as another sex slave because the other captives “were getting to old for him”.

Amanda Berry, who broke down a door to freedom a week ago with the help of a neighbor, and then told police of the other women, was photographed smiling immediately after the dramatic rescue.

In contrast, Gina DeJesus wore a hooded sweat-shirt covering her head when she first went home last week, and Michelle Knight was hospitalized for days, and has stayed out of public view.

The sources said Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were gaunt and had closely cropped hair when they were freed.

One of the sources, who has been in the house, said the basement had chains coming from the walls and “dog leashes attached to the ceiling”, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus told police they spent extensive time in the basement.

A second source corroborated the details.

“One of the girls has difficulty moving her head around from being chained up,” said one of the sources. The second source identified Gina DeJesus as the woman suffering this injury.

“It was like they were POWs [prisoners of war]. They had bed sores from being left in positions for extended lengths of time,” a source said.

All the bedroom doors in the house had padlocks on the outside and the rooms were spare with only a mattress on the floor. Their movement through the house was very restricted, the women have told authorities.

“If he left for long periods of time he would sometimes duct tape-up the women over all parts of their faces, even their eyes, only leaving an opening so they could breathe. Then he would just rip it off pulling off skin and hair,” one of the sources said.

A police report said Michelle Knight was starved for weeks at a time and punched in the stomach to induce several miscarriages. A county prosecutor intends to file fetal homicide charges against Ariel Castro in connection with the miscarriages.

The women, especially Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, were now exhibiting signs of malnutrition as Ariel Castro used food as a means to torment them, one of the sources said.

“He would bring food to one or two of the girls and made the others watch as they or he would eat in front of them,” the source said.

Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus would sneak food to each other, this source said.

Ariel Castro generally kept one woman upstairs and the other two – usually Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus – in the basement, the source said.

Despite their ordeal, a Cleveland city council member stressed that the women are reveling in their freedom.

“They are doing well, doing very well. They are thriving and enjoying their freedom,” City Councilman Brian Cummins said on Monday.

The sources asked to be anonymous because they were not authorized to speak on the record. They were discussing some of the details of the captivity because they felt tight information control had left the impression that authorities ignored calls and reports about Ariel Castro’s house that could have freed the women sooner.

Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath on Monday issued a statement defending the police department’s policy of restricting information on the crimes.

“The disclosure of sensitive information and details of these horrendous crimes only further victimize three young women. The criticism of law enforcement efforts is disheartening. The dissemination of misinformation erodes the critical relationship between law enforcement and community,” Michael McGrath said.

Little is known about the relationship among the three women. Michelle Knight, who is now 32, Amanda Berry, 27 and Gina DeJesus, 23, have not spoken publicly.

Kanye West’s Lamborghini crushed in Kim Kardashian’s gates

Lisa.Felice
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Kanye West’s Lamborghini crushed in Kim Kardashian’s gates

Just days after his stumble into a New York street sign was caught on camera, Kanye West’s stunning $750,000 Lamborghini has been crushed after getting trapped in Kim Kardashian’s electric gates.

The matte black vehicle was being delivered back to Kim Kardashian’s Los Angeles house by a driver following a service when the incident occurred.

Kanye West's stunning $750,000 Lamborghini has been crushed after getting trapped in Kim Kardashian's electric gates
Kanye West’s stunning $750,000 Lamborghini has been crushed after getting trapped in Kim Kardashian’s electric gates

Images from the accident scene show the Aventador making its way into the property’s grounds, before the heavy wooden gates closed on the vehicle too early.

A source told TMZ.com: “The driver pulled into the gate but didn’t make it all the way in before the gate closed on both sides of the car.”

According to the website, the car repair shop was quick to send out a mechanic to see how much it would cost to fix the damage.

Kanye West, 35, who was in New York as the incident occurred, has yet to inspect the damage first-hand.

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Jane Pitt pays tribute to Angelina Jolie for having preventive double mastectomy

Lisa.Felice
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Jane Pitt pays tribute to Angelina Jolie for having preventive double mastectomy

Jane Pitt has paid tribute to her soon to be daughter-in-law Angelina Jolie for her brave decision of having a preventive double mastectomy, even though there have long been rumors that relations between herself and Angelina are strained.

In a touching statement, Jane Pitt said she is “proud” of Angelina Jolie, 37, for having the surgery in order to ensure she is alive to watch her children grow up.

Angelina Jolie with her fiancé Brad Pitt and his mother Jane and father William at the Oscars in 2012
Angelina Jolie with her fiancé Brad Pitt and his mother Jane and father William at the Oscars in 2012

“We’re so very proud of Angie, this means so much to out family especially our grandchildren,” said Brad Pitt’s mother in a statement to People magazine.

“We love her dearly.”

Between early February and late April Angelina Jolie completed three months of surgical procedures to remove both breasts after being advised she was at a high risk of developing breast cancer.

Having watched her mother die at the age of 56 from ovarian cancer, ten years after developing the disease, Angelina Jolie was determined to ensure she had the best chance of avoiding the same fate.

Her brother James Haven also made a statement paying tribute to Angelina Jolie.

“My sister like our mother always put her children first,” he said.

“I am so grateful to be her brother.”

Why women live longer than men

Kathryn R. Bown
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Why women live longer than men

A Japanese study suggests women live longer than men partly because their immune systems age more slowly.

As the body’s defenses weaken over time, men’s increased susceptibility to disease shortens their lifespan, say Japanese scientists.

Tests of immune function could give an indication of true biological age, they report in Immunity & Ageing journal.

The immune system protects the body from infection and cancer, but causes disease when not properly regulated.

The study set out to investigate the controversial question of whether age-related changes in the immune system could be responsible for the difference in average life expectancy between men and women.

Prof. Katsuiku Hirokawa of the Tokyo Medical and Dental University and colleagues analyzed blood samples from 356 healthy men and women aged between 20 and 90.

A Japanese study suggests women live longer than men partly because their immune systems age more slowly
A Japanese study suggests women live longer than men partly because their immune systems age more slowly

They measured levels of white blood cells and molecules called cytokines which interact with cells of the immune system to regulate the body’s response to disease.

In both sexes, the number of white blood cells per person declined with age as expected from previous studies.

However, closer examination revealed differences between men and women in two key components of the immune system – T-cells, which protect the body from infection, and B-cells, which secrete antibodies.

The rate of decline of most T-cell and B-cell lymphocytes was faster in men, while men also showed a more rapid age-related decline in two cytokines.

Two specific types of immune system cell that attack invaders – CD4 T-cells and natural killer cells – increased in number with age, with a higher rate of increase in women than in men.

The researchers believe a person’s immunological parameters could provide an indication of their true biological age.

“Age-related changes in various immunological parameters differ between men and women,” Prof. Katsuiku Hirokawa and colleagues report in the online journal Immunity & Ageing.

“Our findings indicate that the slower rate of decline in these immunological parameters in women than that in men is consistent with the fact that women live longer than do men.”

Cyclone Mahasen prompts massive evacuation from Bangladesh coastal areas

Diane A. Wade
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Cyclone Mahasen prompts massive evacuation from Bangladesh coastal areas

Bangladesh has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from its coastal areas threatened by Cyclone Mahasen.

The Bangladeshi authorities have raised the danger level to seven out of 10 for low-lying areas around Chittagong and the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar.

The cyclone, heading north-east through the Bay of Bengal, is estimated to reach land on Thursday.

Burma is also threatened and evacuation efforts are under way there.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims living in camps in low-lying areas of Burma’s Rakhine state are feared to be at risk.

Bangladesh has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from its coastal areas threatened by Cyclone Mahasen
Bangladesh has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from its coastal areas threatened by Cyclone Mahasen

They were displaced by ethnic violence last year and many are reluctant to move from the camps.

The country’s National Planning Minister, Tin Naing Thein, said more than 150,000 people had been relocated to higher ground. The government said a fifth of those were Rohingyas.

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said the storm could create a surge 2 m high in coastal districts and residents are being urged to make for cyclone shelters.

The airport in Cox’s Bazar has closed and Chittagong airport is to shut over the next few hours.

The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Cyclone Mahasen appeared to have weakened to a Category One storm.

But the UN still described it as “life-threatening” for 8.2 million people in Bangladesh, Burma and north-east India.

At least 50 Rohingya Muslims were feared drowned on Tuesday when boats evacuating them from the path of the cyclone capsized off western Burma.

More than 100,000 people died in 2008 when Cyclone Nargis devastated many of Burma’s coastal villages.

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France enters its second recession in four years

Clyde K. Valle
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France enters its second recession in four years

France has entered its second recession in four years after the economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2013, according to official figures.

The country’s economy shrank by the same amount in the last quarter of 2012. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

France has record unemployment and low business and consumer confidence.

German figures, also released, showed its economy, the eurozone’s strongest, grew by just 0.1% in Q1 2013.

France entered its worst recession since World War II in 2009. Although it was thought to have been in recession in 2012, these figures have now been revised to show only one quarter of negative growth.

The news comes on the first anniversary of Francois Hollande being sworn in as president.

Earlier this month, the European Commission warned that France would enter recession this year and said the eurozone’s economy would shrink by 0.4%.

France has entered its second recession in four years after the economy shrank by 0.2 percent in Q1 2013
France has entered its second recession in four years after the economy shrank by 0.2 percent in Q1 2013

The European Central Bank (ECB) cut interest rates at its last meeting to a record low of 0.5% in an attempt to stimulate growth.

In France, the rate of unemployment is running at 10.6% and is forecast to rise further next year.

Its deficit is also expected to rise sharply, the commission says, to 3.9% of GDP – well above the EU deficit target of 3%.

But French unemployment is below the eurozone average, which was 11.4% in 2012 and is expected to hit an average of 12.2% this year. In both Greece and Spain, it is expected to peak at 27%.

France this week passed a range of measures aimed at stopping the rise in unemployment by reforming the country’s labor laws.

These include measures to make it easier for workers to change jobs and for companies to fire employees.

The French economy has performed better than other eurozone members, including Spain and Italy, but it has not moved as quickly to reform its economy.

One of the new bill’s main measures is to allow companies to cut workers’ salaries or hours temporarily during times of sluggish economic performance, something that is common in Germany.

The figure for German growth, the largest and still the strongest economy in the 17-strong eurozone, was far weaker than expected. Economists had expected to see growth of 0.3% in the first quarter.

Annual figures from the Statistics Office also show the German economy has shrunk by 1.4% when compared with a year ago.

But in a statement it said this was partly due to severe winter weather: “The German economy is only slowly picking up steam. The extreme winter weather played a role in this weak growth.”

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Taiwan suspends hiring Filipino workers and recalls its envoy over fisherman Hung Shih-cheng killing

Diane A. Wade
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Taiwan suspends hiring Filipino workers and recalls its envoy over fisherman Hung Shih-cheng killing

Taiwan is suspending hiring Filipino workers and recalling its envoy amid a row over the killing of fisherman Hung Shih-cheng.

Taiwan said the move showed President Ma Ying-jeou’s “strong dissatisfaction” with Manila’s handling of the case.

Hung Shih-cheng was shot by the Philippine coast guard last week in waters both sides claim.

Early on Wednesday, the Philippine envoy in Taipei apologized over the incident – after a three-day deadline set by Taiwan for an apology expired.

Antonio Basilio, head of the Philippine Representative Office in Taiwan, said Manila had agreed to compensate the fisherman’s family and conduct a joint investigation into the incident.

“The Filipino people and the government understand the hurt and grief that the Taiwanese people have felt as result of the death of one of their own fellow citizens,” Antonio Basilio said.

But the Taiwanese leader felt the apology did not come from a high enough authority and lacked “sincerity”, his spokeswoman said.

President Ma Ying-jeou had also asked Antonio Basilio to return to the Philippines to “help properly handle” the case, she added.

Taiwan is suspending hiring Filipino workers and recalling its envoy amid a row over the killing of fisherman Hung Shih-cheng
Taiwan is suspending hiring Filipino workers and recalling its envoy amid a row over the killing of fisherman Hung Shih-cheng

Later on Wednesday, Taiwan’s PM Jiang Yi-huah told reporters that he was dissatisfied with the apology because it came from the representative office, not the Philippine government, and because the statement had been changed several times.

“Philippine civil servants killed a person and damaged the boat, the Philippine government cannot avoid responsibility,” he said.

Taiwan has demanded a “formal apology” from Manila, compensation for the victim’s family, investigation and punishment for those responsible for the shooting, and the commencement of bilateral fishing talks.

It says it will consider adopting a second wave of sanctions against the Philippines if it does not receive a satisfactory reply by 18:00 local time on Wednesday.

These include issuing a travel warning to discourage Taiwanese people from visiting the Philippines, stopping all high-level exchanges and carrying out a military exercise in the disputed waters.

The Philippines’ special envoy Amadeo Perez is expected to arrive in Taipei on Wednesday to meet the family of the fishermen and express “deep regret and apology from the people of the Philippines”, Antonio Basilio said.

There are about 88,000 Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan, most of whom work in the manufacturing sector.

Taiwan’s labor office receives around 3,000 work applications from the Philippines each month.

Hung Shih-cheng, the 65-year-old fisherman, was shot dead on May 9 when the coastguard vessel opened fire on his boat.

He was in waters south-east of Taiwan and north of the Philippines, an area considered by both countries to be their 200 nautical mile-from-shore exclusive economic zone.

The Philippine coast guard said its crew believed he was trying to ram their vessel – claims the Taiwanese fishermen have denied.

Maritime tensions in the South China Sea have been heightened in recent months. China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei have competing territorial claims in the region.

These disputes have existed for years but in recent months China has been taking a more assertive stance – prompting a robust response from some nations.

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Angelina Jolie double mastectomy: Jon Voight learned about her operation online despite seeing her two days ago

Lisa.Felice
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0
Angelina Jolie double mastectomy: Jon Voight learned about her operation online despite seeing her two days ago

Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie’s father, revealed he learned about her preventive double mastectomy on the internet along with the rest of the world.

Jon Voight, 74, who reconciled with Angelina Jolie after a 10 year feud in 2011 praised his “extraordinary” daughter but was understandably surprised – especially as he had seen Angelina just one day before her announcement in the New York Times.

“My love and admiration for my daughter can’t be explained in words,” the actor told the New York Daily News.

“I saw her two days ago with my son Jamie. We all got together for his birthday, with her and Brad [Pitt]. But I didn’t know. It wasn’t obvious at all.

“I found out [Tuesday] morning. I was as surprised as anyone and deeply moved by the way she’s handled this. She’s a very extraordinary person, the way she examined it and what she shared.”

Angelina Jolie made the decision to have the surgery after learning she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene and had an 87% chance of contracting breast cancer and a 50% risk of getting ovarian cancer.

She continued working throughout three months of procedures and kept them a secret from everyone other than her fiancé Brad Pitt, who was seen leaving a Hollywood studio on Tuesday, and their six children.

Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie’s father, revealed he learned about her preventive double mastectomy on the internet along with the rest of the world
Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie’s father, revealed he learned about her preventive double mastectomy on the internet along with the rest of the world

Jon Voight says he “absolutely” respects Angelina Jolie’s choice to keep her decision from him for that time.

“I completely understand,” the actor explained.

“I want the focus to be on the inspiration.”

Jon Voight revealed he spoke to Angelina Jolie on Tuesday and she talked him through what it all means.

“She just explained to me and educated me on this stuff,” he said.

Jon Voight fell out with Angelina Jolie in 2002 when he accused her of having “serious mental problems”, while Angelina criticized him for having an affair behind her mother’s back.

It was Angelina Jolie’s fiancé Brad Pitt who eventually engineered their reconciliation and acted as a go-between.

Speaking in October 2011 Jon Voight claimed he’d had an emotional epiphany and that he began living for his family after everything changed “in a moment”.

“I suddenly saw things differently and everything shifted. That one moment changed my whole life,” he said.

“It gave me back my daughter and my family. Being reunited with my Angie is very precious to me. I adore my grandchildren, they are my great love. It makes me so emotional and grateful.”

Google told to clean up auto-complete results in Germany

Nancy Clayson
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Google told to clean up auto-complete results in Germany

Google has been ordered by a German federal court to clean up the auto-complete results its search engine suggests.

The court said Google must ensure terms generated by auto-complete are not offensive or defamatory.

The court case was started by an unnamed German businessman who found that Google.de linked him with “scientology” and “fraud”.

Google must now remove defamatory word combinations when told about them, said the court.

A person’s privacy would be violated if the associations conjured up by auto-complete were untrue, the federal court said in a statement about the ruling.

However, it added, this did not mean that Google had to sanitize its entire index.

Bettina Wulff, wife of former German president Christian Wulff, sued Google because auto-complete suggested words linking her to escort services
Bettina Wulff, wife of former German president Christian Wulff, sued Google because auto-complete suggested words linking her to escort services

“The operator is, as a basic principle, only responsible when it gets notice of the unlawful violation of personal rights,” it said.

The ruling on auto-complete overturns two earlier decisions by lower German courts.

In the past, Google has defended itself by arguing that it has no control over the combinations of words that auto-complete suggests. Instead, it said, these were automatically generated by the frequency with which other people were looking for such keywords.

A Google spokesman said he was “disappointed and surprised” by the court’s decision, in an interview with Bloomberg. He said it was “incomprehensible” that Google was going to be held liable for the searches carried out by users.

The ruling could also have a bearing on another case involving auto-complete. Bettina Wulff, wife of former German president Christian Wulff, sued Google because auto-complete suggested words linking her to escort services.

Bettina Wulff denies ever working as a prostitute and has fought several legal cases over the accusation. The case against Google is due to be heard soon in a Hamburg court.

Nikkei index passes 15,000 for first time since 2008

Clyde K. Valle
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Nikkei index passes 15,000 for first time since 2008

Japan’s shares have climbed past the 15,000 mark for the first time since January 2008, as the yen continues to weaken – boosting the earnings potential for exporters.

The benchmark Nikkei index rose 2% to 15,096, with carmaker Toyota and consumer electronics giant Sony leading the gains.

The Nikkei is up 46% since the start of 2013.

Japan’s central bank has embarked on an aggressive plan to weaken the yen.

A weaker Japanese currency translates into higher earnings for companies when the funds are repatriated back into the country. It also makes their products more competitive overseas.

Japan’s shares have climbed past the 15,000 mark for the first time since January 2008, as the yen continues to weaken
Japan’s shares have climbed past the 15,000 mark for the first time since January 2008, as the yen continues to weaken

The yen is at a four-and-a-half year low against the US dollar, trading at the 102 mark in Asia.

The currency has declined by more than 20% since Japanese PM Shinzo Abe took office in December last year.

Shinzo Abe has backed the central bank’s ultra easy monetary policy, which calls for pumping more money into the Japanese system.

The move is aimed at weakening the currency but also raising consumer prices in the hopes of boosting consumption at home.

Japan’s economy has been battling nearly two decades of falling prices, known as deflation, which discourages spending by companies and consumers as they hold out for a better deal.

Shares of Isuzu Motors climbed 20% after it posted a record full year net profit of $946 million, driven by strong overseas sales.

Sony shares are also surging after one of the company’s biggest shareholders suggested the firm should spin off up to 20% of its entertainment business, and use the funds to shore up its struggling electronics arm.

Angelina Jolie double mastectomy: How she kept a normal life for her children during three months of secret operations

Kathryn R. Bown
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Angelina Jolie double mastectomy: How she kept a normal life for her children during three months of secret operations

Angelina Jolie underwent a double mastectomy after learning she had an 87% chance of contracting breast cancer, but despite the stress put on her own body, her main concern was maintaining a sense of normality for her and fiancé Brad Pitt’s six children.

A source has revealed that Angelina Jolie, 37, did everything within her power to ensure the couple’s children, Maddox, 11, Pax, 9, Zahara, 8, Shiloh, 6, and 4-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, led normal lives as their mother underwent three months of secret operations.

The source told People.com: “Things have appeared normal. The kids have kept their schedules as usual. They have been in school during the day and have attended after-school activities like they always do.”

Angelina Jolie made the brave decision to have the procedure after doctors told her she was a carrier of the BRCA1 cancer gene.

The news was made all the more personal by the fact that Angelina Jolie lost her mother Marcheline Bertrand to ovarian cancer when she was just 56.

Revealing her decision to have the surgery in the New York Times, Angelina Jolie said it was the support of her six children and fiancé Brad Pitt which got her through the three months of secret procedures.

Angelina Jolie kept her family life as normal as possible for the sake of her children as she underwent a double mastectomy
Angelina Jolie kept her family life as normal as possible for the sake of her children as she underwent a double mastectomy

In the editorial piece in the New York Times entitled My Medical Choice, Angelina Jolie wrote: “I am fortunate to have a partner, Brad Pitt, who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad was at the Pink Lotus Breast Center, where I was treated, for every minute of the surgeries.

“We managed to find moments to laugh together. We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has.”

Brad Pitt, 49, later released his own statement praising his “heroic Angie” following her difficult decision.

In a statement to London’s Evening Standard, Brad Pitt said: “Having witnessed this decision firsthand, I find Angie’s choice, as well as so many others like her, absolutely heroic. I thank our medical team for their care and focus.

“All I want for is for her to have a long and healthy life, with myself and our children. This is a happy day for our family.”

Angelina Jolie also revealed she is proud of her children for being so brave during her operations, which began on February 16th with the initial removal, before she had the reconstruction operation on April 20th.

The brave actress writes: “It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can.”

Following the operations, Angelina Jolie’s risk of contracting breast cancer has now dropped to under 5%.

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Onil and Pedro Castro CNN interview reveals moment of their arrest and how they saw Ariel with daughter Jocelyn

Diane A. Wade
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Onil and Pedro Castro CNN interview reveals moment of their arrest and how they saw Ariel with daughter Jocelyn

Ariel Castro’s brothers, Onil and Pedro, spoke of how they had no idea why they were being arrested for keeping three girls in captivity in Cleveland for nearly a decade.

Onil and Pedro Castro also revealed that they saw Jocelyn, the daughter that Ariel fathered with Amanda Berry during her captivity, saying that on two different occasions they saw Ariel bring the young girl to fast food restaurants- one time at McDonald’s and another at Burger King. Each time, he said that the girl was his girlfriend’s daughter.

Onil Castro was in the car with his brother Ariel when police pulled them over in a McDonalds parking lot and his first thought was that Ariel had run a red light. Pedro Castro was woken up at his home by police, and he thought that they were arresting him for an outstanding open container warrant.

They were both far off base, as they only learned when they arrived at the police station and were questioned separately about the three young women that Ariel Castro had secretly kept in his house.

Pedro Castro said that once at the station, he asked what he was being charged with and a police officer wrote the word “kidnapping” down on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

“I didn’t have my reading glasses, I looked and I said, <<Oh, open containers>>. She said <<No, read it again>>. And I said <<Oh! Kidnapping! What’s this? Kidnapping? I’m thinking kidnapping. Who did I kidnap?>>” he told CNN.

Pedro Castro was similarly confused, and the only one to have a clue of what was going on was Ariel, who remains behind bars after his bail was set at $8 million.

“He goes <<Onil, I’m sorry. You didn’t know nothing about this, Onil. I’m sorry, Onil>>. And that was it. And then that’s when I broke down on my way over there. I said, <<What did my brother do? What did he do?>>” Onil Castro told CNN.

“When he walked past me, he goes, <<Onil, you’re never going to see me again. I love you bro>>. And that was it. And he put his fist up for a bump.”

They consider their brother to be a “monster” and said that one of the worst moments for them came when they realized that Gina DeJesus was one of the kidnapping victims since they are friends with her father, Felix.

Ariel Castro’s brothers, Onil and Pedro, spoke of how they had no idea why they were being arrested for keeping three girls in captivity in Cleveland for nearly a decade
Ariel Castro’s brothers, Onil and Pedro, spoke of how they had no idea why they were being arrested for keeping three girls in captivity in Cleveland for nearly a decade

“I knew him for a long time and when I found out that Ariel had Gina, I just broke down its just shocking. Ariel, we know this guy for a long time and you got his daughter and you go round like nothing, you even went to the vigils, you had posters, you give his mama a hug and you got his daughters captive?” Pedro Castro said in disbelief in the interview that aired Monday morning.

Pedro Castro told of how one time he saw Ariel bring a little girl to the local McDonalds – the girl that is now known to be Jocelyn who the 52-year-old fathered with his kidnapping victim Amanda Berry.

“I seen Ariel with a little girl at McDonald’s and I asked him who’s that and he said <<This is a girlfriend’s of mine>>,” Pedro Castro told CNN.

When he saw the same girl at Burger King with Ariel on a different occasion, he asked where the mother was but Ariel just said she was busy.

The brothers said that they had no idea about the years of abuse that went on at their brother’s house because they never had a thorough tour of his home on Seymour Avenue.

On the rare occasions that they did visit his home, they stayed in the kitchen and could not see into the other areas because Ariel Castro had put up curtains blocking the other rooms. He explained that it was an energy saving technique.

“The reason why we would go in the kitchen, because he had alcohol. And he would take me in the kitchen, give me a shot,” Pedro Castro said.

Other ways that he would keep his guests from suspecting any criminal activity was to constantly have a radio or TV on so that it would drown out any background noise, and they would never spend much time actually indoors, opting to eat out on the steps instead.

The brothers, who were arrested along with Ariel Castro but later released due to a lack of evidence, say that since their release from prison, they have been faced with online death threats, a break-in at one of their homes, and vandalism.

When asked by CNN reporter Martin Savidge if the public would always suspect they had a role in the kidnappings, they answered “yes” in unison.

Onil Castro said: “The people out there who know me, they know that Onil Castro is not that person, has nothing to do with that – would never even think of something like that. I was a very liked person [before the arrest], never had any enemies.

“[There is] no reason for anybody to think that I would ever do something like that. It was a shock to all my friends. They couldn’t believe it.”

Pedro Castro added: “I couldn’t ever think of doing anything like that. If I knew that my brother was doing this, in a minute I would have called the cops; cause that ain’t right. But yeah, it’s going to haunt me down. Cause people are going to think Pedro had something to do with this and Pedro don’t have anything to do this.”

They said that even though Ariel Castro is their brother, they would have had no choice but to turn him in – had they known.

“If I knew, I would have reported it, brother or no brother.”

Ariel Castro is suspected of holding Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight captive in his home for a decade.

Authorities say he kidnapped all three women, raped them and fathered a child with one.

The women were found May 6 after one escaped and called 911.

The Castro brothers were initially taken into custody but released Thursday after investigators said there was no evidence against them.

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Ryan Fogle: Russia to expel US diplomat suspected of CIA recruitment

Diane A. Wade
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Ryan Fogle: Russia to expel US diplomat suspected of CIA recruitment

Russia has announced it will expel US diplomat Ryan Fogle briefly detained in Moscow for allegedly trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer as a spy.

Ryan Fogle, named as CIA agent, was held overnight after he was apparently arrested wearing blond wig.

He has been declared “persona non grata” for “provocative actions in the spirit of the Cold War”, the Russian foreign ministry said on its website.

The US ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul, had been summoned, it added.

Ryan Fogle is said to have worked as third political secretary at the US embassy in Moscow.

A state department spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an officer at our US embassy in Moscow was briefly detained and was released. We have seen the Russian foreign ministry announcement and have no further comment at this time.”

The diplomat was reportedly arrested with a large sum of money, technical devices and written instructions for the Russian agent he had tried to recruit.

Photos purporting to show Ryan Fogle’s detention have been widely circulated in the Russian media.

The foreign ministry said it had ordered Ryan Fogle to leave the country, in a statement posted online on Tuesday afternoon.

“Such provocative actions in the spirit of the Cold War will by no means promote the strengthening of mutual trust,” the ministry said.

Russia has announced it will expel US diplomat Ryan Fogle briefly detained in Moscow for allegedly trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer as a spy
Russia has announced it will expel US diplomat Ryan Fogle briefly detained in Moscow for allegedly trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer as a spy

The incident creates an uncomfortable atmosphere at a time when the US and Russia are involved in delicate diplomacy over Syria and in taking cautious steps towards defrosting relations.

However, the incident is unlikely to have any long-term political consequences, as both countries know that espionage did not end with the Cold War.

Russia’s Federal Security Service earlier released images allegedly showing Ryan Fogle during and after his arrest.

Wearing a blue checked shirt and a plain baseball cap, he was shown being held on the ground with his hands bound, then being escorted away.

Another photo showed him sitting at desk, his hat removed.

Possessions said to be Ryan Fogle’s are laid out on a table. They include a sum of money in 500-euro banknotes and two wigs, one of which he was apparently wearing at the time of his detention.

Also on the table are a compass, map, knife, dark glasses and small mobile phone.

“FSB counter-intelligence agents detained a CIA staff member who had been working under the cover of third political secretary of the US embassy in Moscow,” the FSB said.

“At the moment of detention, special technical equipment was discovered, written instructions for the Russian citizen being recruited, as well as a large sum of money and means for altering appearance.”

Russian state TV has displayed a piece of paper, which it said was Ryan Fogle’s letter to the Russian officer.

Addressing the recipient as “Dear friend”, the letter offers $100,000 “to discuss your experience, expertise and co-operation”.

It goes on to say: “We can offer up to $1 million a year for long-term co-operation, with extra bonuses if we receive some helpful information.

“This is a down payment from someone who is very impressed with your professionalism and who would greatly appreciate your co-operation in the future.”

The letter is simply signed “Your friends”.

The last major espionage case involving the two countries took place in 2010, when 10 people pleaded guilty to spying on the US for Russia.

The alleged agents were deported from the US in exchange for four people the Russians claimed had been spying for the West, in the biggest spy swap since the Cold War.

Last year, a former UK government official admitted that Britain had been caught spying after Russia exposed its use of a fake rock in Moscow to hide electronic equipment.

Shortly after the 2006 incident, Russia introduced tough new legislation on foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly accused Britain, the US and other countries of financing NGOs to meddle in Russian politics.

Last July, Vladimir Putin passed a controversial law requiring all NGOs that receive overseas funding to register as “foreign agents”.

Two months ago, Russian security services launched a series of investigations into foreign-funded NGOs, raiding their offices and seizing computers and documents.

The apparent crackdown drew widespread international criticism.

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Nigeria: President Goodluck Jonathan declares state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe

Roy Siemens
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Nigeria: President Goodluck Jonathan declares state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three states after a spate of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups.

In a televised address, the president said he had given the military powers to take over security in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

Goodluck Jonathan also ordered more troops to be sent to the north-eastern states.

Islamist group Boko Haram has been blamed for most of the violence, killing some 2,000 people since 2010.

Nigeria is also affected by a spate of conflicts over land, religion and oil.

In the latest violence, 53 people were killed and 13 villages burnt in central Nigeria’s Benue state on Tuesday.

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three states after a spate of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in three states after a spate of deadly attacks by Islamist militant groups

The conflict, which started last week, is said to have been caused by a long-running dispute over land ownership between cattle herders and farmers.

In a pre-recorded address broadcast on Tuesday, President Goodluck Jonathan said: “What we are facing is not just militancy or criminality, but a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity.”

Referring to recent attacks by “insurgents and terrorists” on government buildings and killings of officials and other civilians, the president said that “these actions amount to a declaration of war”.

“We will hunt them down, we will fish them out, and we will bring them to justice,” he said.

At the same time, Goodluck Jonathan stressed that – despite the state of emergency – politicians in the three states would remain in their posts.

Goodluck Jonathan also admitted that the government was not in control of the whole country.

This is not the first time President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency, but this is a clear admission that far from being weakened by the army offensive, the threat of the Islamist militants is growing.

Last week, Goodluck Jonathan had to cut short a trip to South Africa to deal with the growing violence.

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Chris Brown must remove Monster Graffiti along the front wall of his Hollywood home

Lisa.Felice
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Chris Brown must remove Monster Graffiti along the front wall of his Hollywood home

Chris Brown must remove the graffiti art along the front wall of his Hollywood home after his neighbour complained about the artwork describing it as a “sharp-toothed, red-eyed goblin eyesore” that was scaring passing children.

LA city code officials responded to complaints by threatening a $376 fine for excess signage.

Chris Brown, 24, has been given 30 days to remove the art but his lawyer says “he’s not backing down”.

Lawyer Mark Geragos claims Chris Brown’s neighbours were harassing him and had also called animal control and complained about the star’s parking.

Chris Brown must remove the graffiti art along the front wall of his Hollywood home after his neighbour complained about the artwork
Chris Brown must remove the graffiti art along the front wall of his Hollywood home after his neighbour complained about the artwork

“They are trying to suspend the first amendment,” he said.

The neighbours say they are happy to have him but hope the fine will make him “tone it down and be a better neighbour”.

Patti Negri, president of the Hollywood Dell Civic Association, told the LA Times: “There are lots of babies, lots of children, and they’re literally frightened.

“It’s like devils on the wall – big scary eyes and big scary teeth, and just the whole vibe is not what we’re used to.”

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Django Unchained reopens in China’s cinemas

Sonia Pantiss
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Django Unchained reopens in China’s cinemas

Django Unchained has reopened in cinemas in China, a month after it was pulled for “technical reasons”.

A manager at a UME Cineplex cinema in Beijing said: “The new version is one minute shorter than the previous one.”

He speculated that a nude scene may have been cut.

Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-winning film’s cancellation in April led to speculation that it did not meet censorship regulations required by cultural authorities.

Django Unchained stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a plantation owner and Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who trains to become a bounty hunter and demands his wife’s freedom before the US Civil War.

Django Unchained has reopened in cinemas in China, a month after it was pulled for technical reasons
Django Unchained has reopened in cinemas in China, a month after it was pulled for technical reasons

Distributor Sony Pictures said Quentin Tarantino had agreed to “slight adjustments” to reduce the violence prior to its initial release in China last month.

Sony Pictures executive Zhang Miao said the changes to the film included “tuning the blood to a darker colour” and “lowering the height of the splatter of blood” in an interview with China’s Southern Metropolis Daily.

Django Unchained, the first of Quentin Tarantino’s to be released in China, had been cleared by the country’s rigorous censors, who generally remove violence, sex and politically edgy content.

Earlier this year, some Chinese cinema-goers were left confused because of cuts to the James Bond film Skyfall that included unflattering references to the sex trade in the Chinese territory of Macau.

Meanwhile, Cloud Atlas with Tom Hanks was shown in Chinese cinemas without 38 minutes of footage that included gay and straight love scenes.

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Aubrey Woods dies at the age of 85

Sonia Pantiss
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Aubrey Woods dies at the age of 85

Aubrey Woods, known for his roles in Doctor Who and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, has died aged 85.

Aubrey Woods played the sweet shop owner who sang The Candy Man in the 1971 film based on Roald Dahl’s classic book.

Aubrey Woods, known for his roles in Doctor Who and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, has died aged 85
Aubrey Woods, known for his roles in Doctor Who and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, has died aged 85

The London-born actor also appeared as The Controller in 1972 Doctor Who serial Day of the Daleks.

Aubrey Woods’ stage roles included the parts of Jacob and Potiphar in the 1991 West End revival of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

He died in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, his wife Gaynor has announced.

Aubrey Woods’ career began at the age of 17 when he played Smike in the film The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. In the 1960s he then spent three years on stage as Fagin in another Dickens adaptation, Oliver!

His other roles included the theatre musical The Four Musketeers and the radio version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, while he also wrote the play Trelawny, which was in the West End in the 1970s.

Amanda Berry’s relatives want her to start new life in Tennessee

Nancy Clayson
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Amanda Berry’s relatives want her to start new life in Tennessee

Amanda Berry may start a new life near her extended family in Tennessee after escaping the abductor who held her captive in Cleveland for ten years.

Amanda Berry, now 27, vanished in Cleveland, Ohio, on the day before her 17th birthday on April 21, 2003, shortly after calling her sister to say she was getting a lift home from her job at Burger King.

She incredible emerged alive earlier this month when she managed to escape from the basement of a house in Cleveland where she had been sexually abused by her captor Ariel Castro and gave birth to her 6-year-old daughter Jocelyn.

The other two women, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michele Knight, 32, who disappeared from the same block as Amanda Berry in 2004 and 2002 were also rescued from the property.

Amanda Berry’s relatives now hope she will move to Tennessee so she can be closer to her father and extended family.

Her uncle, Curtis Berry, 50, from Elizabethton, Tennessee, told nydailynews.com: “She has more kin here than anywhere else. This is her home.”

Amanda Berry may start a new life near her extended family in Tennessee after escaping the abductor who held her captive in Cleveland for ten years
Amanda Berry may start a new life near her extended family in Tennessee after escaping the abductor who held her captive in Cleveland for ten years

Amanda Berry has also been to visit the grave of her mother Louwana Miller, who never gave up hope her daughter was alive, for the first time since she passed away.

Her alleged abductor Ariel Castro, 52, is currently being held in prison awaiting trial.

A brief video filmed by Jasmina Baldrich shows the very first image of Amanda Berry after she broke out of the house of horrors after being held captive for a decade.

Amanda Berry can be seen clutching her six-year-old daughter Jocelyn in her arms and holding Charles Ramsey’s hand for comfort. Charles Ramsey was later hailed has a hero for responding to Berry’s cries for help and phoning 911.

Cops can be seen prying open the front door of Ariel Castro’s house. Once open, they flood into the home, some reaching for their handguns.

Jasmina Baldrich and her friend Ashley Colon were driving down Seymour Avenue on Monday evening when they were suddenly surrounded by police cruisers.

The revelation that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were alive and had been kept as sex slaves for a decade shocked and horrified the nation, but it was seen as a miracle in Cleveland.

The three women have hired attorneys and a PR firm to represent them as the entire world waits for them to make their first public appearances.

Their lawyer addressed the media on Sunday morning with a brief public statement saying the girls were thankful for the support from the community.

However, they asked for privacy and said they would not give any public interviews until after Ariel Castro’s trial.

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Doctor Who fans urges to keep finale plot secret after US DVD error

Sonia Pantiss
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0
Doctor Who fans urges to keep finale plot secret after US DVD error

Doctor Who fans in the US are being urged to keep the plot of Saturday’s finale secret after DVDs of the series were sent out early in error.

It appears “a small number” of fans had been sent pre-ordered DVDs three weeks early.

The show’s producers asked those with the DVD not to reveal plot details which would ruin the “viewing pleasure” of others.

They promised footage of current Doctor Matt Smith with predecessor David Tennant “if everyone keeps the secret”.

“A small number of US Doctor Who fans have received their series seven part two DVD three weeks early,” BBC Worldwide said in a statement.

“We are asking fans who may have the discs not to divulge plot details so that fellow fans who have yet to see the episodes do not have their viewing pleasure ruined.”

The statement said BBC Worldwide was “currently investigating how this has happened”.

Doctor Who fans in the US are being urged to keep the plot of Saturday's finale secret after DVDs of the series were sent out early in error
Doctor Who fans in the US are being urged to keep the plot of Saturday’s finale secret after DVDs of the series were sent out early in error

It added executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat had promised the special video featuring Matt Smith and David Tennant if the secret was kept.

Saturday’s episode of the BBC One show, The Name of the Doctor – written by Steven Moffat – comes ahead of a 50th anniversary 3D special, due to air on November 23.

David Tennant and Billie Piper, who played his on-screen companion Rose Tyler, are among those who will guest star.

David Tennant starred in Doctor Who from 2005 to 2010, while Billie Piper first appeared in 2005 opposite Christopher Eccleston, who played the ninth Doctor.

In May 2011, Steven Moffat criticized those “who call themselves fans” who revealed crucial plot lines ahead of transmission.

“You can imagine how much I hate them,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.

“I wish they could go and be fans of something else.”

He said it was “heartbreaking” when a fan, who had been invited to a press screening but asked not to give away spoilers, had posted the entire plot of two episodes on an internet forum “because you’re trying to tell stories and stories depend on surprise”.

“So to have some twit who came to a press launch, write up a story in the worst, most ham-fisted English you can imagine, and put it on the internet [is heartbreaking].”

The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who was marked at Sunday night’s TV BAFTAs with a video montage while Jenna-Louise Coleman, who plays current assistant Clara Oswald, presented an award.

Christine Ferber artisan jams: Brad Pitt flies to Alsace to find the maker of his favorite jam

Lisa.Felice
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Christine Ferber artisan jams: Brad Pitt flies to Alsace to find the maker of his favorite jam

Brad Pitt was so taken by the jam of one French delicacy that he jumped on a plane to the town in which the $19 pots are made.

Brad Pitt, 49, flew to Alsace with his eldest son Maddox, 11, and found the mysterious “Jam Fairy” aka Christine Ferber.

Christine Ferber – considered the Heston Blumenthal of jam-making – and her team prepares these confitures in the village of Niedermorschwihr, located in the heart of the Alsatian vineyards.

From classic recipes such as blueberry jam to original concoctions of raspberry jam with star anise it’s no wonder Brad Pitt tracked down the bespoke jam-maker.

But he didn’t just pick up a mammoth order, but stayed with Christine Ferber, 53, to learn more about the art of preserve-making with his adopted son.

Brad Pitt was so taken by Christine Ferber’s jam that he jumped on a plane to Alsace where the $19 pots are made
Brad Pitt was so taken by Christine Ferber’s jam that he jumped on a plane to Alsace where the $19 pots are made

A source told the Mirror: “Brad is very particular about what he eats but fell in lust with this jam.

“He turned detective and discovered Christine has a little shop in the Alsace region, where she makes the artisan jams. It is very well known among the jam-making fraternity.”

“They had a brilliant time, tasting loads of jams and Christine’s other homemade delicacies. They came away with dozens of pots.”

The source also said that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have designated a room in their Brignoles villa to house the $1,900 worth of preserves.

Brad Pitt may well be looking to bring out his own range soon, with the insider claiming he is “beginning to experiment with recipes of his own”.

Maybe then his preserves will stand on the breakfast trays of the George V hotel in Paris and London’s five-star Connaught hotel in Mayfair, just like Christine Ferber’s artisan creations do.

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