People are voting in a general election in Japan, where former leader Shinzo Abe is challenging the current prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda.
Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is expected to oust Yoshihiko Noda’s Democratic Party (DPJ) after just three years in office.
Shinzo Abe promises more public spending and a more assertive foreign policy as tensions with China run high.
Many voters remain undecided, amid disillusionment in Japan over politics.
Shinzo Abe’s centre-right LDP was swept from office by the DPJ in 2009, ending more than 50 years of almost unbroken rule.
The DPJ promised more welfare spending and a better social safety net, but struggled to deliver amid the economic downturn and 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
It has also seen several leadership changes – Yoshihiko Noda is the third DPJ prime minister since 2009.
Shinzo Abe, 58, served as prime minister from 2006-2007 before stepping aside amid plummeting poll numbers, citing illness.
He says he will now use public spending in an effort to end 20 years of economic stagnation, and that nuclear energy has a role to play in resource-poor Japan’s future despite last year’s nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
People are voting in a general election in Japan, where former leader Shinzo Abe is challenging the current prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda
Shinzo Abe has also called for a tough stance on the territorial row with China over East China Sea islands that both countries claim.
Now Japan looks like it is about to take a dramatic turn to the right.
Relations between Japan and China, which are already poor, could be about to get worse, he says.
Yoshihiko Noda lost public support over the move to double sales tax, something he said was necessary to tackle Japan’s massive debt.
The debate over nuclear energy, restarting suspended reactors and his perceived flip-flopping on the issue have also affected his popularity.
Latest figures indicate that the LDP will win a clear majority, together with its traditional ally, the New Komeito Party.
All 480 lower house seats are up for grabs in the election.
Polls opened at 07:00 and are due to close at 20:00.
Japan election: Key parties
Democratic Party of Japan, in power since 2009 but seen as inexperienced
Liberal Democratic Party, the giant that ruled Japan for half a century before being ousted by the DPJ
Japan Restoration Party, led by two right-wing leaders who say Japan needs a “third force”
Tomorrow Party, led by the Shiga governor who is campaigning on an anti-nuclear platform
All 20 children, 12 boys and 8 girls, who died in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, were aged between six and seven, according to an official list of the dead.
The state’s chief medical examiner said the gunman used a rifle as his main weapon, and all the victims appeared to have been shot several times.
The gunman, named in media reports as Adam Lanza, killed his mother Nancy before driving to the school and opening fire.
Six adults, all women, were also killed before the gunman shot himself dead.
The head teacher at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Dawn Hochsprung, is listed among the dead, along with adults Rachel DaVino, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Russo, Mary Sherlach and Victoria Soto.
The youngest child to be killed was Noah Pozner, who celebrated his sixth birthday only last month.
Most of the children who died on Friday were girls and nearly all were aged six.
Earlier on Saturday, Lt Paul Vance of Connecticut state police said the gunman had forced his way into the school, and had not been let in “voluntarily”.
He said investigators had gathered “good evidence” in the search for a motive.
President Barack Obama is to visit Newtown on Sunday to meet families and speak at a vigil.
After the attack, he urged “meaningful action” against gun crime in the US.
“As a country we have been through this too many times,” he said in an emotional White House address.
The gunman killed his mother at the home they shared before driving to the school in her car and opening fire. Reports say the guns used in the attacks were registered to her.
There are conflicting reports about whether she had worked at the school in the past.
Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner H Wayne Carver said the gunman shot all the victims at the school were shot with a rifle, at least some of them from close range.
Initial reports suggested that the killer had used two handguns which he also had with him.
The suspected gunman’s father, Peter Lanza, said his family was “struggling to make sense of what has transpired”.
“Our family is grieving along with all those who have been affected by this enormous tragedy,” he said in a statement.
Newtown residents have been holding candlelit vigils for Sandy Hook shooting victims
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy made a television address saying the children were “taken from their families far too soon”.
“What’s important right now is love, courage and compassion,” he said.
Friday’s killings took place in two rooms within a single section of the school, police have said. The shooting lasted just a few minutes.
As they heard the shots, teachers in other parts of the building tried to protect children by locking doors and ushering them into closets.
“I told them we had to be absolutely quiet, because I was just so afraid if he did come in, then he would hear us and just start shooting the door,” said teacher Kaitlin Roig.
“I said to them, <<I need you to know that I love you all very much and that it’s going to be okay>>, because I thought that was the last thing they were ever going to hear.”
Library clerk Maryann Jacob described telling 18 children to crawl into a storage room, before barricading the door with a filing cabinet.
“We set them up with paper and crayons,” she said.
All 20 children, 12 boys and 8 girls, who died in a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, were aged between six and seven
Dr. Jeannie Pasacreta, a nurse practitioner and psychologist who has been advising parents on how to talk to their children, says neighbors have been cancelling Christmas parties and taking down decorations.
Early reports named 24-year-old Ryan Lanza, of Hoboken, New Jersey, as the gunman, but unnamed officials later said his brother Adam was the suspect.
Ryan Lanza was questioned by police, US media reported, but has not been named as a suspect.
In a separate development, police in Oklahoma have arrested a teenager for allegedly plotting to shoot and bomb students at his school in Bartlesville. Sammie Eaglebear Chavez, 18, is said to have tried to convince other students to help him carry out an attack.
The attack at Newtown is the second deadliest shooting attack at a US school or university.
In 2007, a student at Virginia Tech university killed 32 people and injured many more.
Prepare the sprouts, removing the outer leaves. Trim the base, and cut a cross in the bottom of each, if you wish.
Cook in boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes until just cooked – don’t overcook! Drain, then stir-fry with some lardons of bacon until the bacon is crisp. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Variations: Toss the boiled sprouts in butter with chopped herbs such as chives and parsley; serve boiled sprouts with toasted almonds or chopped chestnuts; or serve boiled sprouts with a little grated orange zest.
The office party during the holidays or any other time of the year is a key professional opportunity to mingle casually with coworkers, impress bosses, and get to know people you don’t see every day.
Unfortunately, the office party is also a prime opportunity to ruin your professional reputation, alienate coworkers, and fail to capitalize on networking opportunities.
These are seven common office party blunders. Heed them. Some are missed opportunities, but some may cost you your career.
1. Drink too much at the office party
Drinking too much at the office party is the most egregious offense. It’s not just the drinking, though anything excessive is inappropriate at an office party, but the actions that result from over imbibing. With normal inhibition affected, drunken office party attendees have been known to make passes at coworkers, harass partners on the dance floor, and touch coworkers in inappropriate and unwanted ways.
The actions of employees who drink too much at the office party aren’t always aimed at coworkers. One executive, after drinking too many martinis, stripped naked and climbed his city’s water tower. Another ran into a pole while driving a company car that was only supposed to be used for business. Not sure what happened to the executive but the second employee was fired.
If you drink too much at the office party, make amends by apologizing to anyone you may have offended. Don’t ignore your behavior and hope people didn’t notice or that coworkers will have short memories. They did and they won’t. Your behavior will be that talk of the office until something more interesting happens. At best, coworkers will accept your apology and life moves on. At worst, you are charged in a sexual harassment complaint.
2. Dress suggestively at the office party
At a recent office party, I sat across the dinner table from a significant other with a dress that was cut half-way to her navel. Her clothing was distracting to every employee who interacted with her. In fact, I can imagine the conversations held in employee cars as couples discussed the evening. Is this how you want your significant other or yourself remembered after the office party? I think not.
Errors in clothing selection for the office party affect coworkers’ opinion of your judgment, credibility and competence. No matter how festive, the office party is a business occasion; professional, not sexy or suggestive, attire should rule the night. Does this mean you can’t dress up in your favorite party dress or pant suit? Not at all. Just use tasteful discretion in your selection of attire for your office party.
The office party during the holidays or any other time of the year is a key professional opportunity to mingle casually with coworkers, impress bosses, and get to know people you don’t see every day
3. Fail to attend the office party without a good reason
Your company schedules an office party to reward and recognize employees, to provide an opportunity for team building among coworkers, and to promote coworkers getting to know each other informally. The most common reasons involve the office party infringing on their personal family time; a dislike of small-talk and social events, in general; and a genuine family or personal event scheduled at the same time.
A couple of hours a year is barely worth a complaint. Let the boss know when a personal commitment precludes your attendance.
4. Flirt with coworkers or their significant others at the office party
Flirting, especially mixed with alcohol, is unwanted at a business event. It is unwelcome, unexpected, and usually unwanted. Flirting that involves touching can result in a sexual harassment complaint in a worst case scenario. At best, it annoys coworkers at an event that is supposed to draw people together and create a stronger team.
5. Bring children or uninvited guests to the office party
Bringing uninvited guests, or your children to an adult party, distracts you from the mission of the office party, adds to your employer’s expense, and may make legitimate attendees miss out on their share of the food, drink, employee gifts and company swag.
Most companies specify the expected attendees, the recommended attire, and the schedule of events in advance of the office party. You usually have all the information you need to comfortably attend your office party if you just read the invitation. Some may even specify that additional guests are welcome – but, most don’t – at significant annual office parties.
6. Forget that the office party is still a company business function
The office party is not the time to complain about your boss or your company. It is a time to get to know your coworkers more personally so you can work together more effectively in the future. It is also a chance to chat informally with the bosses and members of departments with whom you don’t work every day. With these goals in mind, watch that you listen as much as you talk; draw out your coworkers.
Leave your company complaints, grievances, off-color jokes, and negativity at home.
In fact, don’t talk about work at all. Talking about work leaves significant others out of the conversation. Know the goals of the function and cooperate to achieve them at the office party.
7. Be the last to leave the office party
No matter how much fun you’re having or how much you’re enjoying the band, when you stay too long at the office party, you may have over stayed your welcome. The possibility of drinking too much and committing other gaffes increases with the passing of time. Stay a couple of hours, talk to each coworker and the bosses, then graciously and gracefully excuse yourself. Let your reputation live to attend another office party.
These are your best opportunities to commit career suicide. Avoid them.
Jacintha Saldanha’s children have described at a Mass at Westminster Cathedral the “unfillable void” she has left.
Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found hanged days after answering a hoax call about Kate Middleton in accommodation attached to King Edward VII hospital last week.
Her husband, Benedict, daughter Lisha, 14, and son Junal, 16, attended a Mass at Westminster Cathedral.
In a joint tribute the children said: “We are shattered and there’s an unfillable void in our lives.”
“The house is an empty dwelling without your presence,” they added.
Catholics can request that a Mass be offered in the name of a dead person.
Memorial services have already been held at the hospital and in Bristol where her husband and children live.
Jacintha Saldanha’s funeral will take place at Our Lady of Health Church in the town of Shirva in Karnataka, India, on Monday.
In a tribute read out at the service, the children described their mother as “kind-hearted, generous and well-respected”.
They said: “You were the core of the family that kept us together. In times of difficulty, you showed us the way forward to happiness and success.
“Your priority for us was a good education and a bright future. You taught us right from wrong which we appreciate. You worked tirelessly to give us everything that we have today.”
Lisha Saldanha read out the following tribute after the service: “We love you Mum, sleep in peace and please watch over us until we meet again in Heaven. We will always love you and keep you close to our hearts.”
Jacintha Saldanha’s funeral will take place at Our Lady of Health Church in the town of Shirva in Karnataka, India, on Monday
Jacintha Saldanha was found dead eight days ago in London.
She had answered a call on 4 December from two Australian DJs pretending to be the Queen and the Prince of Wales wanting to speak to the pregnant duchess who was being treated for acute morning sickness.
Her husband, Benedict Barboza, said in his tribute: “My wife, you were the light in my darkness, who always showed me the way forward. From the day we met, you always stood by me in times of hardship and happiness. I feel a part of me has been ripped out.
“Without your beautiful smile and sparkling personality, the house is an empty place to live. Nineteen years of togetherness with a strong bond of affection and understanding will be cherished forever in my life. Your loss is a very painful one and nobody can take that place in my life ever again. I love you and miss you forever.”
Benedict Barboza thanked everybody who had offered support and comfort, including Prime Minister David Cameron, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and MPs Keith Vaz and Charlotte Leslie.
On Thursday an inquest at Westminster’s Coroner Court heard that Jacintha Saldanha was found hanged. She left three suicide notes.
The hospital has said that senior managers tried to reassure Jacintha Saldanha “on a number of occasions” that no blame was attached to her for putting the hoax call through to the duchess’ ward.
In a letter to MP Keith Vaz, which was released by the hospital on Friday evening, chief executive John Lofthouse explained the protocol in place for dealing with calls to “high-profile” patients.
“Part of our procedure is to take the name and number of the individual and call them back. This is in order to verify that the call is genuine. We also empower our staff to use their judgement.
“On this particular occasion, Jacintha believed that the call was genuine, and she felt it appropriate to put the call through. We stand by her judgement.”
The hospital has insisted that Jacintha Saldanha was not facing disciplinary proceedings – “because she had been the victim of a cruel trick.”
The letter also said she had been offered time off but she said she would prefer to continue working.
“Neither ourselves, her friends or family noticed anything to give cause for concern,” John Lofthouse said.
Reports have emerged that Adam Lanza had visited Sandy Hook Elementary the day before Friday’s massacre during which he was involved in an altercation with four teachers – three of whom are now dead.
The fourth teacher – and only survivor of the altercation – wasn’t at school on Friday and is currently being interviewed by investigators. It hasn’t been revealed what the argument was over or if it was reported to authorities.
The staff member’s testimony might be an “important piece of information” for discerning motive in this case, reports NBC.
While initial reports had suggested school principal Dawn Hochsprung buzzed Adam Lanza into the building – bypassing the newly-installed security system – police have confirmed that the shooter forced his way in.
Adam Lanza opened fire on Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which teaches children aged 5 to 10. He murdered 26 people at the school before turning the gun on himself, as well as killing one other person – his mother – at another nearby site.
Investigators said they have found “some very good evidence” to explain what drove gunman Adam Lanza, 20, to slaughter 20 children, including Ana Marquez-Greene and Jesse Lewis, and six adults at the Connecticut elementary school.
Adam Lanza had visited Sandy Hook Elementary the day before Friday’s massacre during which he was involved in an altercation with four teachers
“Our investigators at the crime scene … did produce some very good evidence in this investigation that our investigators will be able to use in, hopefully, painting the complete picture as to how – and more importantly why – this occurred,” Connecticut State Police Lieutenant Paul Vance told a news conference Saturday morning.
“We’re hopeful it will paint a complete picture,” he said.
All the bodies were removed from the school overnight and a medical examiner is expected to release the names of the victims on Saturday.
Police have assigned a trooper to support each victim’s family in the days ahead. Paul Vance asked reporters to respect the families’ grief and privacy.
“This is an extremely heartbreaking thing for them to endure,” said Paul Vance.
It is expected that investigators will take another two days to process the school crime scene where it is believed Adam Lanza fired as many as 100 rounds from his guns.
“It’s going to be a slow, painstaking process,” said Paul Vance.
The adult woman found at the secondary crime scene is believed to be the shooter’s mother, Nancy Lanza.
Nancy Lanza legally owned a Sig Sauer and a Glock, both handguns of models commonly used by police, and a military-style Bushmaster .223 M4 carbine, according to law enforcement officials who also believe Adam Lanza used at least some of those weapons.
Nancy Lanza was an avid gun collector who once showed him a “really nice, high-end rifle” that she had purchased, said Dan Holmes, owner of a landscaping business who recently decorated her yard with Christmas garlands and lights.
“She said she would often go target shooting with her kids.”
Grief-stricken members of the community tied white balloons to the sign for Sandy Hook school today in honor of all those who lost their lives.
Outside Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut, mourners left teddy bears, flowers and lit candles for victims.
Newtown was ranked the fifth safest city in America by the website NeighborhoodScout.com based on 2011 crime statistics.
“This wonderful town that we all love for its peace, beauty, the great schools – all of that – has become Columbine,” said Julie Maxwell Shull, a sixth-grade teacher at Reed Intermediate School, referring to the high school that was site of a 1999 shooting in Colorado.
Many people who live in the wealthy, wooded town commute to New York City, about 80 miles away.
Victoria Soto, a young teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School, displayed astonishing bravery and sacrificed her life saving as many children in her first grade class as she could after she came face-to-face with gunman Adam Lanza.
Victoria Soto, 27, had worked at for five years at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Her final moments were spent ushering her students into a closet when Adam Lanza entered her classroom and she tried her best to shield the children from the evil gunman.
She was a highly regarded young teacher who was popular with her pupils. One young student, Jacob Riley, said that Victoria Soto was known for chewing gum in class – something not usually allowed for teachers. He said he had often teased her about her habit and she had playfully teased him back.
“She took her kids, put them in the closet and by doing so she lost her life protecting those little ones,” Victoria Soto’s cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News.
“She was found huddled over her children, her students, doing instinctively what she knew was the right thing. I’m just proud that Vicki had the instincts to protect her kids from harm,” he continued.
“It brings peace to know that Vicki was doing what she loved, protecting the children and in our eyes she’s a hero,” he added.
Victoria Soto displayed astonishing bravery and sacrificed her life saving as many children in her first grade class at Sandy Hook Elementary School
A deeply distraught 10-year-old boy who is a former student of Victoria Soto described her as “really nice and funny”.
Three teachers were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School trying to save their students from gunman Adam Lanza, the son of Nancy Lanza, who worked at the school.
The other two teachers have been identified as principal Dawn Hochsprung, 47, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach, 56.
Twenty-eight people died in the shooting rampage, including 20 young children between the ages of five and ten, alleged gunman Adam Lanza, who took his own life, and his mother, who was shot before the school massacre.
Dana Martin, a New Mexico inmate, an ex-convict on probation and his nephew are under investigation for plotting to castrate and murder pop singer Justin Bieber, police said.
Their unsuccessful scheme called for targeting Justin Bieber and his bodyguard while in New York City in mid-November, and their motive grew from the inmate’s quest for notoriety and his infatuation with Justin Bieber, said a New Mexico State Police affidavit.
The inmate, Dana Martin, who is serving two life sentences for a 2000 rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Vermont, has a tattoo of Justin Bieber on his leg and had attempted to correspond with Bieber, who never responded, the affidavit said.
“This perceived slight made Mr. Martin upset and that, coupled with Mr. Martin’s perception of being a <<nobody>> in prison, led him to begin plotting the kidnap and murder of [Justin Bieber],” the affidavit said, adding that Dana Martin gave statements to investigators.
With Dana Martin serving as the mastermind, the plan called for the uncle and nephew to first kill two other people, in Vermont, the affidavit said.
But the entire scheme to kill a total of four people, including Justin Bieber, unraveled when the uncle and nephew missed their turn on a Vermont road and ended up heading toward the Canadian border on November 19, authorities said.
There, a U.S. Border Patrol agent at the Highgate Springs crossing arrested the uncle, Mark Aaron Staake, 41, because he was found to have an outstanding warrant for a felony parole violation out of New Mexico, authorities said.
The nephew, Tanner Ruane, 23, was released with their 1983 BMW, but he then spilled the beans about the murder plots when he called Dana Martin in prison the same day, New Mexico authorities said.
Prison guards were recording the phone call, and Ruane was later arrested in New York by state police, authorities said.
A New Mexico inmate, an ex-convict on probation and his nephew are under investigation for plotting to castrate and murder pop singer Justin Bieber
In the phone call, Tanner Ruane and Dana Martin spoke in code and referred to the victims as “dogs,” the affidavit said.
“Mr. Martin confirmed that the <<dogs>> would be castrated too, and Mr. Ruane not only agreed, but stated he himself was the one who was going to do the castrating,” the affidavit said.
The instrument for castration would be hand-held hedge clippers used for trimming roses, the court document said. The victims were to be strangled with a paisley tie “because that was what he [Dana Martin] had used previously,” the affidavit said, without elaborating.
“In response to Mr. Staake’s reluctance to follow through with the castrations, Mr. Ruane stated he was going to do it and get <<five large for each one I get>>. Mr. Martin confirmed that Mr. Ruane was going to get $2,500.00 per testicle,” the affidavit said.
The testicles were to be put in bags, to be hidden in a place such as the engine compartment, the document said.
When asked by CNN if that grisly plan would be applied to all victims, including Justin Bieber, Robert McDonald stated: “It would be safe to say they were going to do it for every one of them.”
None of the three men have been charged in the alleged murder plot against Bieber and his bodyguard, but the investigation is continuing, New Mexico State Police Lt. Robert McDonald told CNN.
New Mexico authorities are seeking the extradition of Mark Aaron Staake from Vermont and Tanner Ruane from New York, Robert McDonald said. Both men have Albuquerque addresses, police said.
Mark Aaron Staake and Tanner Ruane are now each facing two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and two counts to commit aggravated battery, and those New Mexico charges relate to their plot to kill two people in Vermont, Robert McDonald said. Authorities weren’t elaborating on that scheme and the two intended victims, Robert McDonald said.
Robert McDonald said: “We got to interview these [two] men and see what they say about this whole thing.”
The affidavit refers to Justin Bieber as “Victim 3” or “J.B.” who was the “ultimate target.”
Robert McDonald told CNN that J.B. refers to Justin Bieber.
A representative for 18-year-old Justin Bieber said: “We take every precaution to protect and ensure the safety of Justin and his fans.”
Justin Bieber rose to fame in 2009 with his hit single One Time. He was named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards in both 2010 and 2012.
Dana Martin and Mark Aaron Staake met while inmates in the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility after Martin was transferred there from a Florida prison in April, the affidavit said. Mark Aaron Staake was released and put on probation on October 22nd. Robert McDonald didn’t know why Dana Martin was in a Florida prison, he said.
“When asked how he was able to convince Mr. Staake to participate, Mr. Martin stated he [Dana Martin] was a very good manipulator,” the court document said.
Dana Martin also promised money and a Vermont farm as a hideout, the affidavit said.
He remains under investigation and is in fact named in the affidavit as a conspirator in the Vermont plot. The affidavit was filed in Dona Ana County for seeking an arrest warrant against Mark Aaron Staake.
But Dana Martin hasn’t been formally charged in any of the plots, Robert McDonald said.
“For us, there’s no rush [for charges] as far as Martin is concerned because he’s serving life sentences anyway,” Robert McDonald said.
Media across the world have been calling Robert McDonald.
“It’s been freaking crazy,” he said.
“But the good thing is we nipped this thing in the bud and we caught it before anyone was hurt.
“We’re definitely thankful – we owe it to the guard at the correctional facility who caught these phone calls and got on it right away. That’s how we were able to catch these guys,” Robert McDonald said.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fainted and had a concussion, the AP reports.
The State Department said an ill Hillary Clinton is now recovering at home after the incident, according to the AP.
CBS News’ Margaret Brennen reports Hillary Clinton was dehydrated from a stomach bug.
The US Department of State has released the following statement: “While suffering from a stomach virus, Secretary Clinton became dehydrated and fainted, sustaining a concussion. She has been recovering at home and will continue to be monitored regularly by her doctors. At their recommendation, she will continue to work from home next week, staying in regular contact with Department and other officials. She is looking forward to being back in the office soon.”
An aide, Philippe Reines, says Hillary Clinton will work from home next week, where she will be monitored by doctors.
Congressional aides do not expect her to testify as scheduled at congressional hearings on Thursday into the September 11 attack against a U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador.
“Secretary Clinton’s team contacted Senator [John] Kerry this morning to inform them of the Secretary’s concussion,” Jodi Seth, a John Kerry spokesperson, said Saturday.
“Senator Kerry was relieved to hear that the Secretary is on the mend, but he insisted that given her condition, she could not and should not appear on Thursday as previously planned, and that the nation’s best interests are served by the report and hearings proceeding as scheduled with senior officials appearing in her place.”
The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss Hillary Clinton’s status.
Hillary Clinton pulled out of a weeklong trip to North Africa and the Middle East because of a stomach virus this week.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fainted and had a concussion
Only days before, Hillary Clinton had said she was in excellent health during an interview with Barbara Walters.
At 67, detractors have claimed Hillary Clinton’s advancing age and health make her too old to realistically serve as a two-term president were she elected in 2016.
“I am, thankfully, knock on wood, not only healthy, but have incredible stamina and energy,” Hillary Clinton told Barbara Walters.
Hillary Clinton has a history of fainting, having a brief spell in 2005 during an appearance before a women’s group in Buffalo.
In that case, she recovered quickly and immediately resumed all scheduled appearances.
Dating manual The Rules by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider tried to guide a generation of 90s feminists back to the old-fashioned courting ways of the 1950s.
And now they’re back in the form of The New Rules – this time with Rules for Facebook, texting and more.
The authors who told you not to talk to a man first and not to talk too much are back with another helping of severe Rules for the digital age.
Marketed as the “time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right”, the controversial bestseller, first published in 1995, polarized opinion.
While Elle magazine described it as “one of the best self-help books of all time”, Jezebel called it “sexist garbage”.
The success of The Rules seems to be hit and miss, too.
They didn’t work for Blake Lively.
Image source Public Domain Pictures
Back in August 2011 she was rumored to have turned to the cult dating manual to hook Leonardo DiCaprio.
Not calling him, making him jealous and acting “busy” are just some of the commandments in the 1995 book that Blake Lively reportedly heeded to win Leonardo DiCaprio over.
A friend of Blake Lively’s told Now Magazine: “Blake loves dating book The Rules and has been following it to the letter.
“She knew Leo could have any girl he wanted and she figured she had to stand out from the crowd.”
The relationship fizzled, however, and the couple split after five months of dating.
For happily married Beyoncé, however, The Rules seem to have worked wonders.
Quoted on the back of their first book, the singer says: “It has worked for me.”
The authors say there are now even more ways to “unwittingly mess up your dating life”.
With the emergence texting, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, BBM, iPhones and online dating, Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider have added extra tips and chapters to guide Rules women through this type of communication and how to stick to The Rules.
Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider reinforce the principle that men thrive on being the aggressor and appreciate a woman who sets boundaries.
But critics say they are outdated, sexist, anti-feminist – and that they confuse and mislead men.
Rules Girls, say Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider are “savvy women who know how to return texts and emails to a man without seeming desperate, how to maintain a cool Facebook profile without giving away too much and how to spot cheaters and players, and avoid them like the plague”.
The Rules mainly preach the notion that women should play hard to get in order to get their Mr. Right.
TOP TEN RULES TO BAG A MAN
Be a creature unlike any other
Possess a sense of confidence and radiance that permeates your being from head to toe
Go to parties and events even if you don’t feel like it You won’t meet Mr. Right sitting at home
It’s a fantasy relationship unless a man asks you out If he never asks you out, he’s not interested
In an office romance, do not email him back unless it is business related You never know who has access to your emails
In a long-distance relationship, he must visit you three times before you visit him It’s the equivalent of three dates, so no sex or sleep-overs either
When placing a personal ad online, wait for men to respond to you Men should always pursue women first
If he does not call, he is not interested Bottom line
Don’t date a man for over two years You’ve already spent more than a year waiting for him to propose; do you have another year to wait?
Observe his behavior so you don’t end up with Mr. Wrong Is he cheap? Or overly critical?
Keep doing the rules even when things are slow
Take care of yourself, take a bubble bath and build up your soul with positive slogans like “I am a beautiful woman. I am enough.”
Police arrested prominent Russian opposition leaders at a rally against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow
Police arrested prominent Russian opposition leaders at a rally against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Blogger and activist Alexei Navalny said on Twitter he had been detained at the rally in Lubyanka Square, which was banned by the authorities.
Fellow opposition leaders Ilya Yashin, Ksenia Sobchak and Left Front head Sergei Udaltsov were also arrested.
Police eventually broke up the rally, one of several nationwide that marked a year of protests against Vladimir Putin.
Alexei Navalny later tweeted that he and the other opposition leaders had been released without charge.
In all, 40 people were arrested, police said.
Reports said police cleared the square by moving protesters towards a nearby metro station.
Alexei Navalny, who has been one of the most vocal anti-Putin campaigners, tweeted: “This is the traditional and not very original tweet from the police detention van.
“It’s raving mad. They snatched me out from the crowd.”
There was a large police presence for the rally, which took place in freezing temperatures outside the headquarters of the Federal Security Service, which is the main successor agency of the Soviet KGB.
Police arrested Ilya Yashin, a leading figure in the Solidarity movement and TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak as they made their way to the rally.
Ilya Yashin confirmed their arrest on Twitter, with a heavy dose of irony.
“Came with Ksenia Sobchak for a stroll on the Lubyanka Square. The police decided we were too cold and put us into a detention van,” he wrote.
Reuters reported that Sergei Udaltsov raised a fist in the air as police grabbed him under the arms and hauled him away into a waiting van.
The protesters had gone to place flowers on a small monument in the square to victims of Soviet repression.
They laid flowers not only to honor victims of the past but as a warning that repression is returning, he says.
Opposition “Freedom March” rallies also took place in other Russian cities on Saturday, Interfax news agency reported.
In St Petersburg, more than 25 people were arrested in a protest that had been allowed by city officials, Interfax said.
Other large rallies were reported in Tomsk and Yekaterinburg.
Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin used his annual state-of-the nation address to suggest that some opposition politicians were being paid by outside, foreign interests.
Legal action against opposition figures has increased markedly since Vladimir Putin was re-elected to a third term in March.
On Friday, Alexei Navalny was charged with fraud and money laundering – the second criminal case against him.
A tough new law has passed on public order offences and tight curbs have been placed on non-governmental organizations.
Last winter saw the biggest anti-government demonstrations in Moscow since the fall of the Soviet Union, with protesters accusing Vladimir Putin’s allies of rigging the parliamentary elections in 2011.
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, has had an operation to remove gallstones, a government statement says.
The operation was successful and Nelson Mandela is recovering.
Nelson Mandela, who is 94, was admitted to hospital last Saturday after suffering a recurrence of a lung infection.
Tests revealed the presence of gallstones and doctors treating Nelson Mandela decided to remove them once he had recovered from the infection.
The statement claimed: “This morning, 15 December 2012, the former president underwent a procedure via endoscopy to have the gall stones removed. The procedure was successful and (Nelson Mandela) is recovering.”
Nelson Mandela has had an operation to remove gallstones
A gallstone is an accumulation of crystals in the gall bladder. If left untreated, it can become life-threatening because of the risks of secondary infections such as pancreatitis.
Nelson Mandela is regarded by most South Africans as the father of the nation, having inspired them to fight for democracy.
He led the struggle against white-minority rule before being elected the first black president in 1994.
Despite being imprisoned for 27 years by the apartheid government, Nelson Mandela forgave his former enemies and urged South Africans of all races to work together and seek reconciliation.
Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Three teachers murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School all died heroes trying to save their students from gunman Adam Lanza who they recognized as the son of a kindergarten teacher there.
Authorities have identified principal Dawn Hochsprung, 47, school psychologist Mary Sherlach, 56, and 27-year-old Victoria Soto, a young first grade teacher, as three of the eight adults found dead on Friday.
Twenty-eight people died in the shooting rampage, including 20 young children between the ages of five and ten, alleged gunman Adam Lanza, who took his own life, and his mother Nancy, who was shot before the school massacre.
Victoria Soto sacrificed herself to save her students – throwing her body in front of the young children.
When Adam Lanza began started firing at the school in suburban Newtown, Connecticut, some teachers dived under tables – but Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach never hesitated.
They ran into the hallway to confront the danger – and were murdered execution-style as a result.
Victoria Soto sacrificed herself to save her students, throwing her body in front of the young children
The New York Times reports that Dawn Hochsprung buzzed Adam Lanza into the school, bypassing the newly-installed security system – recognizing him as the son of Nancy Lanza, a teacher there.
Little did she know that Adam Lanza had already killed his mother at the home they shared nearby. He took three of her guns and used her car to drive to the school.
Diane Day, a school therapist, told the Wall Street Journal that she and several other teachers were in a meeting with Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach when the shooting began.
“We were there for about five minutes chatting and we heard, <<pop pop pop>>,” she said.
“I went under the table.”
The principal and the school psychologist had other ideas. They jumped out of their seat and ran toward the sound of the gunfire.
“They didn’t think twice about confronting or seeing what was going on,” Diane Day said.
Rabbi Shaul Praver told MSNBC that Dawn Hochsprung and Mary Sherlach were killed execution-style.
Tributes for all educators poured in on Friday night.
A deeply distraught 10-year-old boy is a former student of Victoria Soto, who had taught at the school five years, said she was “really nice and funny”.
The woman’s cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News that police said the 27-year-old was trying to shield her students and usher them into a closet when she came face to face with the gunman.
“She put herself between the gunman and the children and that’s when she was tragically shot and killed,” Jim Wiltsie said.
“I’m just proud that Vicki had the instincts to protect her kids from harm,’ he continued.
“It brings peace to know that Vicki was doing what she loved, protecting the children and in our eyes she’s a hero,” he added.
Adam Lanza, a troubled 20-year-old loner with a history of autistic behavior, is the monster behind a horrific shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 people, including 20 children, dead on Friday.
Adam Lanza shot his mother Nancy, a kindergarten teacher, at the upscale suburban home they shared together and then took three of her guns and drove the Sandy Hook Elementary School about 9:30 a.m.
He used two semi-automatic pistols, a Glock and Sig Sauer, and reportedly wiped out an entire classroom of young children and shot several in a second class before taking his own life.
Witnesses say Adam Lanza was going from room-to-room shooting people after first killing the principal Dawn Hochsprung and psychologist execution-style after they confronted him in the hallway.
Parents who have not been united with their children are assuming the worst. One witness told WCBS: “Police just told us everyone presumed missing is in the school and they are dead.”
Students described being ushered from their classrooms hand-in-hand, with their eyes closed, to the safety of a nearby fire station as police converged on the school.
Adam Lanza’s brother Ryan, 24, who was originally thought to have been the shooter, is being questioned by police after he was arrested at his home in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Ryan Lanza was on a bus on his way home from work when he was being named as the gunman and posted on Facebook that it wasn’t him.
He told a friend he believed his mentally disabled brother did it. Adam Lanza is believed to be autistic.
Another relative told ABC Adam Lanza had been “obviously not well” and Beth Israel, tonight tweeted that her daughter went to school with him and he was “troubled for a long time”.
Alex Israel spoke to CNN about how she went to school with Adam Lanza and she described him as fidgety, and a quiet loner who kept to himself.
Adam Lanza is the monster behind a horrific shooting at a Connecticut elementary school that left 26 people dead on Friday
She also said he was a highly intelligent student, “above the rest of us”.
But she said he was never violent.
She tweeted earlier in the day that he was “crazy”.
The gunman’s father Peter Lanza, who is divorced from his wife, lives in Stamford, Connecticut, and declined to comment this evening after police performed a welfare check on him.
Neighbors said he recently remarried.
Peter Lanza learned of the tragic and senseless massacre by reporters who had flocked to his home.
He arrived shortly after police left and asked what the problem was.
The Stamford Connecticut said his expression shifted from patient to surprise to horror.
Newtown was once named one of the safest places to live in America and before this morning, there had been one murder in a decade.
The President addressed a stunned nation five hours after the shooting and openly wept as he spoke of the mindless shooting saying: “Our hearts are broken today.”
Seldom has a head of state expressed greater public emotion in modern times.
Barack Obama struggled for words, pausing several times as he wiped away tears saying: “This evening, Michelle and I will…hug our children a little tighter, and we’ll tell them that we love them.”
Adam Lanza is believed to have shot himself at the scene, according to the New York Times.
He was carrying three weapons including two handguns and a rifle and was wearing a bullet-proof vest, a mask and black military gear.
Three guns were found at the scene – a Glock and a Sig Sauer, both pistols – and a .223-caliber rifle.
The rifle was recovered from the back of a car at the school. The two pistols were recovered from inside the school. They were legally registered to Nancy Lanza.
A number of children were found hiding in closets in the school five hours after the shooting.
The two children named victims of the Newtown school massacre so far are two 6-year-old girls, Grace McDonnell and Ana Marquez-Greene.
Ana Marquez-Greene and her older brother had attended Linden Christian School nearby, before moving with their parents to Newtown in July and enrolling at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the fall.
Both she and her brother were inside the school when the shooter opened fire, Sun News in Canada reports.
Ana Marquez-Greene’s father is Canadian jazz musician Jimmy Greene.
Grace McDonnell has been described as “utterly adorable” and “full of life”.
She had eyes that were so blue and hair that was so blonde that friends thought she looked like a “little doll”.
But now after she was shot dead in the mass slaying her parents are going through “indescribable” pain.
The two children named victims of the Newtown school massacre so far are two 6-year-old girls, Grace McDonnell and Ana Marquez-Greene
In another chilling twist Lynn McDonnell, 45, a housewife, and Christopher, 49, a business executive, live in a $500,000 detached home in Sandy Hook, Connecticut that is just one street away from where alleged shooter Adam Lanza lived.
From their front window they can almost see the home where the man who allegedly murdered their daughter is said to have slain his own mother before embarking on the murderous spree.
The only consolation for the McDonnells is that they have another son, Jack, 11, who is alive and well.
Neighbor Dorothy Werden, 49, a stay at home mother, said: “I just choke up when I think about it. Grace was like a little doll. She was utterly adorable.
“I used to see her waiting for the school bus over the road from our house every day.
“She had blonde hair and blue eyes – she was like a little Barbie doll.
“When I saw Lynn and Christopher at the school with Lynn being held up by a nun I knew things were not good. I can’t imagine what they are going through.”
A male neighbor who declined to be named said: “What they are going through is indescribable. We are very close. It’s just awful.”
A memorial service has been held at the King Edward VII hospital for Jacintha Saldanha, who took a hoax call about Kate Middleton’s treatment.
Jacintha Saldanha was found dead last Friday, three days after taking the call from two Australian radio DJs.
A memorial mass also took place in Jacintha Saldanha’s adopted hometown of Bristol.
The hospital has defended its actions after the Guardian reported Jacintha Saldanha had criticized staff in one of her three suicide notes.
A spokeswoman said she had been given support by management.
Chief executive of the hospital, John Lofthouse, said: “King Edward VII’s is a small hospital, with a tight-knit team. Everybody knew Jacintha, and we were all left deeply shocked by her tragic death following the hoax telephone call.
“This service was a chance for everyone here to pay their respects and remember a dear colleague.”
A memorial service has been held at the King Edward VII hospital for Jacintha Saldanha, who took a hoax call about Kate Middleton’s treatment
Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old wife and mother of two, transferred the telephone call on 4 December to a colleague who then gave a detailed update on Kate Middleton’s condition to the hoaxers.
Kate Middleton, who is in the early stages of pregnancy, was receiving treatment at the hospital for hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness.
On Thursday, an inquest at Westminster’s Coroner Court heard that Jacintha Saldanha was found hanged in her nurse’s quarters in central London.
A hospital spokeswoman said she could not comment on the Guardian‘s report on the content of Jacintha Saldanha’s suicide notes as no-one had seen them.
She said: “Following the hoax call, hospital management offered her their support and told her that they considered her to be the victim of a cruel hoax, and that they stood by her actions.”
Labour MP Keith Vaz, who is representing Jacintha Saldanha’s family, has written to the hospital’s chief executive calling for him to release the “full facts” of what happened.
Writing in reply to Keith Vaz, John Lofthouse said: “Jacintha believed that the call was genuine, and she felt it appropriate to put the call through. We stand by her judgment.
“Following the hoax call, Jacintha was reassured on a number of occasions by senior management that no blame was attached to her actions and that there were no disciplinary issues involved, because she had been the victim of a cruel trick.”
In an earlier statement, the hospital said it had met her family earlier in the week and answered all of their questions in full.
“We are continuing to support the family in a number of ways,” it said.
On Saturday, a mass is also due to be held for Jacintha Saldanha at London’s Westminster Cathedral.
The mass will be offered “for the repose of the soul of Jacintha and her grieving family,” a spokesman said.
The piano that features in the classic 1940s film Casablanca has been sold for more than $600,000 at Sotheby’s auction in New York.
The upright piano appears in one of the film’s most iconic scenes, in which Humphrey Bogart’s character Rick utters the line: “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
It was sold to an unknown buyer at Sotheby’s in New York.
The piano had been offered for sale by its Japanese collector owner to mark the film’s 70th anniversary.
The piano that features in the classic 1940s film Casablanca has been sold for more than $600,000 at Sotheby’s auction in New York
It was expected to sell for as much as $1.2 million. The owner originally paid about $154,000 for the piano at auction in the late 1980s.
It is used in the film by pianist Sam, played by Dooley Wilson, to play the song As Time Goes By during a key flashback scene set in a Paris bar.
Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, delivers the famous line as he and Ingrid Bergman’s character Ilsa Lund lean on the piano, toasting with glasses of champagne.
The piano’s sale marks the 70th anniversary of the Oscar-winning World War II classic, which is largely set in the Moroccan port city of Casablanca, then part of unoccupied French North Africa.
Egyptians have begun voting on a new constitution endorsed by the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, which has divided the country and sparked deadly unrest.
President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood have campaigned heavily in favor of the draft document, which may define Egypt for years to come.
Opponents say it is poorly drafted and overly favors Islamists.
The opposition National Salvation Front coalition has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to rig the vote.
However, the ballot, which is staggered over Saturday and a second day of voting in a week’s time, appears to be going smoothly with indications of a high turnout.
Many people said they were voting for the restoration of stability in Egypt.
Saturday’s voting takes place in Cairo, Alexandria and eight other provinces, a week before the rest of the country.
Some 250,000 security personnel have been deployed to safeguard a referendum in which more than 51 million people are registered to vote.
Polling reportedly had to be spread out because few judges were willing to supervise the referendum but human rights groups have expressed fears the results from the first round could sway the opinion of those voting in the second.
Egyptians have begun voting on a new constitution endorsed by the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, which has divided the country and sparked deadly unrest
A constitution must be in place before elections can be held early next year.
Mohamed Morsi was elected president in June with just over half of the vote, more than a year after Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in a popular revolt in Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world.
The referendum is more than a vote on obscure clauses – it is about whether Egypt should be an Islamic country or a secular one.
The simple ballot paper just asks if Egyptians support or oppose the new constitution. Supporters include President Mohamed Morsi, who voted near the presidential palace in the Cairo district of Heliopolis, the Muslim Brotherhood and most other Islamists.
Opponents include liberals and others who want a more secular future for Egypt. Some of them say the new constitution would take away some of the new freedoms hard won in last year’s revolution.
Voters interviewed by Reuters news agency in Cairo were hopeful the vote would bring some calm to Egypt.
“I see this as a positive step for the country… a good base that we can start to work from,” said one, Ahmed Gindy.
In the northern port city of Alexandria, where there were clashes on Friday between rival activists fighting with clubs, stones and other weapons, Mohamed Ewais explained why he was voting “No”.
“I cannot accept a constitution with very limited, very limited actually, rights for minorities, rights for women, rights for even children,” he told the Associated Press news agency.
“It’s not suitable for Egypt, actually. We are taking about a country that has been in place for over 210 years as a modern state.”
Outside Cairo the situation has been calm amid high turnout:
In Alexandria, long queues formed at polling stations and voters complained about the waiting time
In Mahalla, a city in the Delta that has seen big anti-Morsi demonstrations, polling stations were heaving with people, with heated political discussions outside the voting booths
In Assiut, Upper Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood is popular, there was tight security from the police and military, including tanks guarding some polling stations
The violence in Alexandria reportedly broke out after a cleric at a mosque urged worshippers to vote “Yes”.
Clashes continued late into the evening, with police firing tear gas, and at least 15 people injured in the fighting.
President Mohamed Morsi has granted the army powers to arrest civilians.
Supporters of the draft constitution have accused the opposition of sowing “lies and discord” about the referendum.
The opposition National Salvation Front had vehemently opposed the referendum but this week said its supporters should go to the ballot boxes to vote “No”.
In a statement on Saturday, it expressed “deep concern… over the number of irregularities and violations in the holding of the referendum”.
This, it alleged, pointed to a “clear desire for vote-rigging by the Muslim Brotherhood”.
However, the Egyptian army’s chief of staff, Gen Sedky Sobhi, said he was satisfied with the situation inside and outside polling stations.
French mountaineering legend Maurice Herzog has died at the age of 93.
Maurice Herzog was famed as the first person to conquer a peak of 8,000 metres when he reached the summit of Annapurna in the Himalayas in 1950.
He told the story of the expedition, in which he lost his fingers and toes to frostbite, in a best-selling book.
Maurice Herzog died early on Friday, according to the president of the French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing, Pierre You.
He had also spent 25 years as a member of the International Olympic Committee and was a former sports minister in France.
Maurice Herzog was famed as the first person to conquer a peak of 8,000 metres when he reached the summit of Annapurna in the Himalayas in 1950
But he was best known for his historic Annapurna climb, made three years before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest.
A photograph of Maurice Herzog waving a French tricolor at the summit was published in newspapers around the world.
Responding to news of Maurice Herzog’s death, French President Francois Hollande said the feat had been “engraved enduringly in our collective memory”.
President Barack Obama today signaled he would push for tight gun control in the wake of the massacre of 26 at an elementary school in Connecticut, saying there had been “too many” mass shootings in America.
During a moving appearance, the president said the time had come to “take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics”.
Barack Obama struggled for words, pausing several times as he wept and described the “beautiful little kids between the ages of five and ten years old” slaughtered in the school massacre in Connecticut.
Seldom has a head of state expressed greater public emotion in modern times. White House aides held hands and also wept as they sat in the briefing room named after James Brady, the press aide wounded in 1981 when President Ronald Reagan was shot and who later became the nation’s leading gun control advocate.
Barack Obama was not the only one who showed deep emotion over the shooting. Parents lined up at schools across the country to pick up their children and make sure they made it home safely.
School administrators from Washington D.C. to Boston and Iowa issued statements assuring parents that they had stepped up security and that their schools were still safe.
In Charlestown, Massachusetts, Bob Carr showed up early at the elementary school his three daughters attend. He told the Boston Globe he wanted to be there when they got out of class.
Parents have already begun asking for more police officers and security guards to be posted at their children’s school.
In Washington, political meringue has also begun.
Behind the President’s emotion was a clear political message that Barack Obama, re-elected to a second and final presidential term, intended to limit the lawful possession of weapons, perhaps by pushing to reinstate the Clinton-era ban on so-called assault weapons.
“We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years,” Barack Obama said.
“And each time I learn the news, I react not as a president, but as anybody else would as a parent. And that was especially true today. I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.
“The majority of those who died today were children – beautiful, little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them – birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.
“So our hearts are broken today for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost.
“Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors, as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children’s innocence has been torn away from them too early and there are no words that will ease their pain.”
President Barack Obama today signaled he would push for tight gun control in the wake of the massacre of 26 at an elementary school in Connecticut
Again, Barack Obama repeated that such events had happened “too many times”, citing other mass shootings. Whether it is an elementary school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago, these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods and these children are our children.
“And we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.”
That was a thinly-veiled message to Republicans, as well as conservative Democrats, that support for the Second Amendment constitutional right to bear arms should not be allowed to stand in the way of banning certain types of weapons or limiting background checks.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a prominent advocate of gun control, issued a statement on Friday criticizing the president Congress for failing to take action on the issue.
“President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem,” Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
“Calling for <<meaningful action>> is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership – not from the White House and not from Congress.”
The gun control debate was reignited in the immediate aftermath of Friday’s shooting, as every major TV network gathered panels of journalists and gun control experts to discuss the political implications for Washington.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, named after James Brady and one of the largest national organizations promoting stricter firearm laws, was urging people on Friday to sign an online petition supporting their cause.
“Another day, another horrific shooting eating away at our collective peace of mind – this time at a school in Connecticut,” said Brady Campaign President Dan Gross.
“What matters is not what we do after the sensational tragedies. It’s what we do between them – to make the voice of the American public heard.”
Americans are split on whether the U.S. needs greater controls on the sales and licensing of guns.
In fact, since 1990, more and more Americans believe that gun control laws should be less strict.
“The percentage in favor of making the laws governing the sale of firearms <<more strict>> fell from 78% in 1990 to 62% in 1995, and 51% in 2007,” Gallup reported.
“In the most recent reading, Gallup in 2010 found 44% in favor of stricter laws. In fact, in 2009 and again last year, the slight majority said gun laws should either remain the same or be made less strict.”
Barack Obama was forced to address the issue of gun control during the 2012 election campaign after a lone gunman – former neuroscience graduate student James Holmes – opened fire on a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 70 others.
1. Virginia Tech – 32 dead plus the shooter
2007, April 16th, Blacksberg, Colorado
Student Seung Hui Cho, 23, killed two students in a dorm and then went through building of classrooms armed with two handguns, shooting at random before killing himself.
2. University of Texas – 16 dead plus shooter
1966, August 1st, Austin, Texas
Former Marine sniper Charles Whitman, 25, armed with an arsenal of weapons shot victims from the observation deck of the campus tower.
3. Columbine High School – 13 dead plus two shooters
1999 April 20th, Littleton, Colorado
Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire outside the school killing students and one teacher before shooting themselves in the library.
4. Red Lake High School – 9 dead plus shooter
2005 March 21st, Red Lake, Minnesota
Jeffrey Weise, 17, goes on a shooting spree at Red Lake High School killing nine people, including his grandfather, before shooting himself.
Virginia Tech massacre took place on April 16, 2007
5. University of Iowa – five dead plus shooter
1991 November 1st, University of Iowa
Gang Lu, 27, a graduate student from China killed five with a .38-caliber revolver. He was apparently angry because his doctoral dissertation had not been nominated for an academic award.
6. Amish schoolhouse massacre – six dead plus shooter
2006 October 2nd, Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania
Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, executes five girls aged 7 to 13 before killing himself in a small Amish schoolhouse
7. Jonesboro, Arkansas – five dead
1998 March 24th, Jonesboro, Arkansas
Mitchell Johnson, 10, and Andrew Golden, 8, took seven guns to school and pulled the fire alarm and shot students as they headed for the exits. Four died plus a teacher. The pair were sent to a juvenile detention center and released in 2005. 8. Cleveland Elementary School – five dead plus shooter
1989 January 17th, in Stockton, California
Patrick Edward Purdy entered a schoolyard and opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle at Cleveland Elementary School. Five children died and 30 others were wounded including one teacher. He then shot himself.
9. University of Arizona – three dead plus shooter
2002 October 28th, University of Arizona
Robert Flores, 40, a nursing student shot an instructor in her office before entering a classroom and killing two more teachers before committing suicide.
10. Kent State University – four dead
1970 May 4th, Kent State University in Ohio
National Guard troops killed four students who took part in anti-war protests on the campus of Kent State University in Ohio.
Maryrose Kristopik, a music teacher Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, managed to save 15 children during Friday’s shooting massacre by barricading them into a closet, while gunman Adam Lanza stood outside screaming “Let me in! Let me in!”.
Maryrose Kristopik has been hailed a “hero” by parents after herding the children to safety in a closet and barricading the door to prevent Adam Lanza, 20, from entering.
An unnamed mother, in her 40s, whose 9-year-old son was among the children said: “I want to thank her. She saved their lives.
“The shooter kept banging on the door screaming: <<Let me in! Let me in!>> but he didn’t get in.
“Now I have to explain to my nine-year-old son that his friends won’t be coming back. How am I supposed to do that?”
Brenda Lebinski said her 8-year-old daughter is safe thanks to the teacher’s decision to move all kids into a closet when a gunman had entered the building.
“My daughter’s teacher is my hero,” Brenda Lebinski said.
“She locked all the kids in a closet and that saved their lives.”
Alberta Bajraliu, 41, got a call from a friend who heard a gunshot at the school and told her to check it out.
Alberta Bajraliu’s 9-year-old daughter Venesa was at the school but her two other children are not.
She said: “I was one of the first there and they were bringing children out, carrying them out. One girl came out and her face was covered in blood and she had bits of meat from other people in her hair. It was terrible.
“Another girl just looked shocked. They brought one girl out and I thought it was my daughter. They asked me: <<Does she have black trousers?>> and I said no as Venesa had jeans.
“When I saw her I just felt so relieved. She has not spoken much about what happened. She said she was in an art class and the teacher closed the door and they were waiting until they could get out.”
Music teacher Maryrose Kristopik managed to save 15 children during Connecticut massacre by barricading them into a closet
Alberta Bajraliu also paid tribute to the school’s principal Dawn Hochsprung who is believed to have been killed. She said: “She would have done anything for her children.”
Josh Milas, 21, a former pupil at the school, also paid tribute to her and said: “She loved those kids. She was a great person.”
Another hero teacher was Kaitlin Roig, who barricaded her first grade students in classroom bathroom and locked the door when she first heard gunshots.
“The kids were being so good. They asked <<Can we go see if anyone is out there?>> <<…I just want Christmas…>> <<I don’t want to die, I just want to have Christmas>>. I said, <<You’re going to have Christmas and Hanukkah… I tried to be positive>>.”
Adam Lanza opened fire inside the Connecticut elementary school where his mother worked Friday, killing 26 people, including 18 children, and forcing students to cower in classrooms and then flee with the help of teachers and police.
The massacre is the nation’s second-deadliest school shooting, exceeded only by the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, which left 32 people and the gunman dead.
Parents flooded to Sandy Hook Elementary School, about 60 miles northeast of New York City, looking for their children in the wake of the shooting. Students were told to close their eyes by police as they were led from the building.
A photo taken by The Newtown Bee newspaper showed a group of young students – some crying, others looking visibly frightened – being escorted by adults through a parking lot in a line, hands on each other’s shoulders.
Students and staff were among the victims, state police Lt. Paul Vance said a brief news conference. He also said the gunman was dead inside the school, but he refused to say how many people were killed.
A law enforcement official briefed on the shooting said the gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that one of the victims was the man’s mother, a teacher. The official wasn’t authorized to speak about the investigation.
The attacker was a 20-year-old man armed with a .223-caliber rifle.
Robert Licata said his 6-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.
“That’s when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door,” he said.
“He was very brave. He waited for his friends.”
He said the shooter didn’t say a word.
Stephen Delgiadice said his eight-year-old daughter heard two big bangs and teachers told her to get in a corner. His daughter was fine.
“It’s alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America,” he said.
Danbury Hospital was the only hospital to take in victims from the shootings, admitting three patients. Doctors said at a news conference they cleared four trauma rooms to treat shooting victims.
Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and raced to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.
“Everyone was just traumatized,” he said.
Richard Wilford’s 7-year-old son, Richie, is in the second grade at the school. His son told him that he heard a noise that “sounded like what he described as cans falling”.
The boy told him a teacher went out to check on the noise, came back in, locked the door and had the kids huddle up in the corner until police arrived.
“There’s no words,” Richard Wilford said.
“It’s sheer terror, a sense of imminent danger, to get to your child and be there to protect him.”
Melissa Makris, 43, said her 10-year-old son, Philip, was in the school gym.
“He said he heard a lot of loud noises and then screaming. Then the gym teachers immediately gathered the children in a corner and kept them safe in a corner,” Melissa Makris said.
The fourth-grader told his mother that the students stayed huddled until police came in the gym. He also told her that he saw what looked like a body under a blanket as he fled the school.
“He said the policeman came in and helped them get out of the building and told them to run,” Melissa Makris said.
Ryan Lanza, the brother of the Connecticut massacre gunman Adam Lanza, defended himself in a series of bizarre Facebook posts after he was mistakenly named as the killer when his ID was reportedly found at the scene.
Ryan Lanza, 24, seemed unaware that his younger brother, Adam Lanza, had gunned down 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Newtown before taking his own life.
“Everyone shut the f*** up it wasn’t me,” Ryan Lanza insisted on his Facebook page on Friday.
“I’m on the bus home now it wasn’t me. IT WASN’T ME I WAS AT WORK IT WASN’T ME.”
The Associated Press said the mix-up came after an official mistakenly transposed the brothers’ first names, while a New Jersey reporter said Ryan Lanza told him the killer may have had his ID.
He is now being questioned by police in Hoboken, New Jersey, but police said he is not a suspect.
Adam Lanza, 20, was dressed in black military gear and a bullet proof vest when he opened fire in the principal’s office and then moving to a kindergarten classroom where his mother, Nancy, taught.
Sources told the New York Postthat Adam Lanza had “had a dispute with” his mother, who was found dead at her home. He then drove to the school in her car and gunned down her kindergarten class, Fox reported.
Adam Lanza died of a self-inflicted gun wound at the scene. TheNewtown Patch reported that he may have been developmentally disabled.
After Adam Lanza unleashed terror on the elementary school – the second biggest in U.S. history – the body of his father was reportedly found at their home in Newton at 2:00 p.m.
The Associated Press reported that Adam Lanza’s girlfriend and another friend are missing in New Jersey.
Ryan Lanza, the brother of the Connecticut massacre gunman Adam Lanza, defended himself in a series of bizarre Facebook posts after he was mistakenly named as the killer
Police surrounded a Hoboken apartment, believed to be the home of Ryan Lanza, on Grand Street on Friday afternoon.
According to sources, he drove to the scene of the shootings in his mother’s car and opened fire at 9:41 a.m. on Friday.
Three guns were found at the scene – a Glock and a Sig Sauer, both pistols – and a .223-caliber rifle. The rifle was recovered from the back of a car at the school. The two pistols were recovered from inside the school.
The identities of the other victims have not yet been released but include the school principal, Dawn Hochsprung, and psychologist. Two of the children died while on the way to hospital.
Robert Licata said his six-year-old son was in class when the gunman burst in and shot the teacher.
“That’s when my son grabbed a bunch of his friends and ran out the door,” he said.
“He was very brave. He waited for his friends.”
Stephen Delgiadice said his eight-year-old daughter heard two big bangs and teachers told her to get in a corner. His daughter was fine.
“It’s alarming, especially in Newtown, Connecticut, which we always thought was the safest place in America,” he said.
A dispatcher at the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps said a teacher had been shot in the foot and taken to Danbury Hospital.
Andrea Rynn, a spokeswoman at the hospital, said it had three patients from the school but she did not have information on the extent or nature of their injuries.
Mergim Bajraliu, 17, heard the gunshots echo from his home and raced to check on his 9-year-old sister at the school. He said his sister, who was fine, heard a scream come over the intercom at one point. He said teachers were shaking and crying as they came out of the building.
“Everyone was just traumatized,” he said.
The shooting is the latest in a series of high-profile gun crimes in American schools and colleges that is especially shocking given the age of the students involved.
