The La Gorce Country Club in Miami, Florida, reportedly kicked Michael Jordan off the links in the middle of his golf game and banned him from ever returning because he violated the club’s strict dress code.
Not even Michael Jordan, with his six NBA championship rings, reported half-billion-dollar fortune and worldwide recognition, could escape the policy at the golf course that demands a tucked in collared shirt and Bermuda shorts.
The New York Post reports that Michael Jordan was midway through his game when a country club employee approached him and said he had to return to the clubhouse and change into different pants.
“I’ve been there many times and no one told me a thing,” Michael Jordan told ESPN Chicago by text message.
“Then all of a sudden they come to me on the 11th hole and say I can’t wear cargo shorts. Wow! The round is almost over and you want me to buy shorts now? Yeah, right!!”
When the retired Chicago Bulls star refused to lose his cargo shorts, he was reportedly told to leave and that he would no longer be welcome back at the club.
The La Gorce Country Club in Miami kicked Michael Jordan off the links in the middle of his golf game and banned him from ever returning because he violated the club’s strict dress code
“We were not aware that he is not allowed to return to La Gorce. I guess it’s their loss – as MJ is a great golfer, and a great guest,” Michael Jordan’s publicist said in a statement.
The country club has not commented on the incident.
Despite endorsing a full line of clothing for Nike, Michael Jordan has become infamous for his fashion sense.
His appearance at the Ryder Cup in Chicago wearing faded bluejeans and blue puffy vest led to the creation of a blog devoted to his dubious choices in attire called “What the F*** is Michael Jordan Wearing?”.
Michael Jordan left the NBA for good in 2003. He is currently owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, one of the worst teams in the league.
However, Michael Jordan retains his star power and reportedly rakes in tens of millions of a dollars a year in endorsement deals.
After her arrest on Wednesday night Lindsay Lohan even appears to be falling out with her friends, with her assistant Gavin Doyle telling her to “get help” via Twitter after an altercation on Thursday.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, kicked Gavin Doyle out of her car after he bailed her out at the police station in New York Thursday morning, according to Gawker and The New York Post,who have posted video of the incident.
Gawker has published a transcript of the altercation which happened when Lindsay Lohan emerged following her arrest for allegedly punching psychic Tiffany Eve Mitchell at Manhattan’s Avenue nightclub.
After Gavin Doyle gets into the car, Lindsay Lohan is heard yelling: “Gavin get out of the car, get out of the car Gavin! Get him out of the car, now! Gavin get out! Gavin get out of the f***** car. Now.”
Gavin Doyle is alleged to have replied: “Okay. Never speak to me again,” before striding down the street with his jacket over his head.
Earlier, he tweeted under moniker SaveTheSociety: “@lindsaylohan after bailing you out last night I HOPE and PRAY you get the help you so desperately need. We are ALL rooting for you. Xxx”
He then added: “Life is NOT a movie it’s a reality that needs to be faced.”
According to Gawker, things may have become strained between the pair after his testimony to police about the car crash contradicted Lindsay Lohan’s story.
Lindsay Lohan was charged with “wilfully resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer in the course of their duties, providing false information to a police officer, and reckless driving”.
The actress told police that Gavin Doyle was driving the Porsche on the Pacific Coast Highway when it crashed into the back of a truck, insisting she was in the passenger seat.
Lindsay Lohan kicked Gavin Doyle out of her car after he bailed her out at the police station in New York Thursday morning
However, in a statement, the Santa Monica Police Department said they now believe this was not the case.
“During the subsequent investigation, information was developed that Lohan was the driver of the Porsche when the accident occurred,” the statement said.
According to a TMZ report published earlier this month, Gavin Doyle told police he was riding in the passenger seat during an interview with police post-crash.
Despite Gavin Doyles’s tweets on Thursday, things appeared to be fine between he and Lindsay Lohan back in September, when Lohan tweeted: “Can’t live without @SaveTheSociety he’s my BFF.”
Police charged Lindsay Lohan with the three misdemeanor counts stemming from the collision, hours after the troubled starlet was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault, for allegedly punching Florida psychic Tiffany Eve Mitchell at Club Avenue in Manhattan’s fashionable meatpacking district.
TMZ said Lindsay Lohan had been drinking heavily and lashed out in a stand-off over Max George, one of the members of British boy band The Wanted, who were also at the club after playing a concert in New York.
Lindsay Lohan is said to have a crush on Max George, 24, and attempted to get backstage to see the hunk after Justin Bieber concert.
Despite being banned, she met up with the boyband at the celebrity haunt, and the evening descended into chaos as Max George started chatting up another woman – not married Tiffany Eve Mitchell – riling Lindsay Lohan.
Max George split from his fiancée, British soap star Michelle Keegan, in August.
A band source said: “Max is a single guy, he is flirtatious, and a lot of women find him attractive. He’s free to play around.”
Max George tweeted “eventual night” on Thursday afternoon.
Lindsay Lohan and a friend joined Max George and his bandmates Jay McGuiness and Tom Parker at the club.
Apparently a fight broke out near where a riled Lindsay Lohan, a very drunk Max George and the Mitchells were partying – and it is not yet clear how it involved The Wanted singer.
BabyCenter released its annual global list of top 100 baby names for 2012, and Aiden took the top boys’ spot for the 8th consecutive year, while Sophia sits at the top for girls for the 3rd year in a row.
Aiden and Sophia may still hold the crown for “world’s most popular baby names”, but Mad Men’s Betty, several characters from Fifty Shades of Grey, and even Apple products are moving up the list, fast.
Several trending names made headway this year, including the Fifty Shades of Grey-inspired Anastasia, rising by 10%, Ana moving up 35 spots, and Grey rinsing by nearly 20%. Christian, however, actually declined in popularity.
BabyCenter’s global editor in chief, Linda Murray, told Today: “Earlier this year we heard moms telling us… <<this book is an aphrodisiac>>, and it’s helping them get pregnant. So it was not a surprise to see these names coming up the list.”
“I’m wondering how the moms are going to explain the inspiration for these names in a few years,” she added.
However, the biggest gain in the top 100 was the name Betty, up 54% this year thanks to Betty Draper’s character on Mad Men, coupled with a growing trend in old-fashioned names.
But BabyCenter also pointed out that technology, namely the iPhone, is also having a big effect on 2012 trending baby names.
Apple, the name of Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter, is up 15% for girls, while Mac is up 12%, and Siri, the name of Apple’s talking personal assistant, jumped 5% on the girls list.
Linda Murray explained: “This was a surprise to us this year. We hadn’t seen Apple rise when Gwyneth Paltrow named her daughter, but people love their technology.”
The top 100 name list is based on the names of 450,000 babies born this year to mothers worldwide registered with the BabyCenter website.
Filling the other spots on the top ten girls list are Emma, Olivia, Isabella, Ava, Lily, Zoe, Chloe, Madison, and making a debut in the list, Mia.
After Aiden on the boy’s top ten came Jackson, Ethan, Liam, Mason, Noah, Lucas, Jacob, Jayden and also making a debut this year, Jack.
BabyCenter released its annual global list of top 100 baby names for 2012, and Aiden and Sophia still hold the crown
Linda Murry said: “Moms really like feminine names and we see a lot of crossover.
“These names work for a lot of ethnicities, so I think that’s why they’re in the top ten.”
As for Aiden reigning supreme, she said: “Part of the reason it stays number one is you can spell it in 45 different way. Moms love it.”
The UK has also been a strong influence, with young royal names up in popularity.
Harry is up 57% from the 2011 list, and Kate Middleton’s sister, Pippa, increased by 35%.
Linda Murray said: “People love Harry and Pippa. They’re less in the spotlight than Will and Kate.”
Political names have always been popular, but this year’s election saw no boost to the names Barack, Mitt, Joe or Paul. Instead, past presidential names were favored, including Reagan for girl’s, jumping 46%, and Kennedy, Carter, Lincoln and Nixon rising in the rankings.
Chen Kegui, nephew of blind activist Chen Guangcheng, is being tried in a Chinese court for assaulting local officials who were looking for his uncle.
Chen Guangcheng escaped house arrest earlier this year and then took refuge at the US embassy in Beijing.
After he fled, his relatives’ homes were raided and his nephew, Chen Kegui, was detained by police, who accused him of attacking officials with a knife.
The activist has long expressed fears his relatives would face reprisals.
In the past, China has frequently punished family members of well-known dissidents.
Chen Guangcheng’s escape caused a diplomatic crisis when it emerged that he had taken refuge in the US embassy. It was finally defused after weeks of uncertainty when Chen Guangcheng was allowed to travel to the US for studies.
After he fled from his village, which was being guarded by government-hired guards, his relatives’ homes were raided.
Chen Guangcheng escaped house arrest earlier this year and then took refuge at the US embassy in Beijing
In an interview shortly afterwards, Chen Guangcheng’s brother and sister-in-law described being beaten by local officials.
But the authorities say that Chen Guangcheng’s nephew, Chen Kegui, hacked and wounded officials.
Family members say he acted in self-defence after the officials stormed his home and assaulted his parents.
He was originally charged with “intentional homicide” but the charge was later changed to “intentional injury”.
Human rights groups have expressed concern over whether the nephew will get a fair trial.
Chen Guangcheng, a self-taught lawyer, has campaigned against forced abortions under China’s one-child policy and was jailed for four years in 2006 for disrupting traffic and damaging property.
He was placed under house arrest after his release in 2010.
After he sought refuge in the US embassy, the Chinese authorities allowed him to leave the country with his wife and two children to study at the New York University School of Law.
In August, after meetings in the US Congress, the activist urged Washington to investigate his case and protect his family at home in China’s Shandong province.
Chen Guangcheng said Beijing had not fulfilled guarantees made to him about his own treatment and his family’s security when he left China.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund chief, has settled a lawsuit by hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo who accused him of sexual assault, US media report.
Details of the deal, said to have been struck at the Bronx Supreme Court in recent days, are expected to be subject to a confidentiality agreement.
DSK was held in New York in May 2011 after Nafissatou Diallo said he assaulted her in his hotel suite.
Prosecutors later dropped charges amid concerns about her credibility.
Nafissatou Diallo, 33, then opened a civil suit for undisclosed damages against Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
DSK, 63, called the lawsuit defamatory and countersued.
DSK has settled a lawsuit by hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo who accused him of sexual assault
Her case opened the floodgates to a slew of others sexual allegations against DSK, leading him to resign from his IMF post.
It was widely seen as having ruined his chance of becoming the socialist presidential candidate in his native France.
A court date between DSK and Nafissatou Diallo’s lawyers is expected next week, although a day has not been set, reports the New York Times.
She told police that when she arrived to clean his luxury Manhattan hotel room, DSK sexually assaulted her.
DSK admitted to a “moral failing”, but said it was consensual.
Earlier this year DSK separated from his wife of some 21 years, Anne Sinclair.
Sex cases against Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Civil case on sexual assault charge in New York – settlement apparently reached
Criminal case on sexual assault charge in New York – dropped August 2011
Police investigation linking him to suspected vice ring at luxury hotel in Lille, France – ongoing
Criminal case on attempted rape claims in Paris – dropped October 2011
Investigation on “gang rape” claims in Washington – dropped October 2012
Egypt’s Islamist-run assembly has backed a draft constitution, including a measure keeping sharia, or Islamic law, as the main source of legislation.
The draft will now be sent to President Mohammed Morsi, who is expected to call a referendum on the issue.
The move comes after the constitutional court said it would rule on Sunday whether to dissolve the assembly.
Egypt’s judiciary is in a stand-off with the president after he granted himself sweeping new powers.
Egypt has been gripped by protests since the decree was issued last week – more demonstrations are planned for later on Friday.
Mohammed Morsi says his decree should only apply for as short a time as possible.
Liberal, left-wing and Christian members of the constitutional assembly boycotted the vote, accusing the Islamists of trying to impose their vision.
The assembly backed all the 234 articles of the draft after a marathon session that began on Thursday and continued through the night.
Its aim was clearly to pre-empt any challenge by the courts, which are in a confrontation with Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood which backs him.
According to Egyptian state TV, the articles passed stipulate that Islam is the religion of the state, and the principles of sharia are the “main source of legislation”.
This is unchanged from the previous constitution under Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled as president last year.
Salafists and some members of the Muslim Brotherhood failed to have “principles” replaced by “rules”.
The draft also says that Christianity and Judaism will be the “main source of legislation” for Egyptian Christians and Jews, state TV reported.
The assembly also adopted a new article that al-Azhar mosque and university, authorities on Sunni Muslim jurisprudence, must be consulted on “matters related to sharia”.
The president will be limited to two four-year terms of office.
The opponents of the draft voiced concern that some clauses – such as the importance of promoting family values – could be used to restrict freedom of speech.
They also said that there was no specific article establishing equality between men and women.
Opposition figure and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa told Reuters news agency: “This is nonsensical and one of the steps that shouldn’t be taken, given the background of anger and resentment to the current constitutional assembly.”
Another opposition leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, said the document would be consigned to the “garbage bin of history”, and would only sharpen the current divisions in Egypt.
Lindsay Lohan has been arrested after allegedly punching psychic Tiffany Eve Mitchell at New York’s Avenue nightclub in the early hours of Thursday morning – in a row over Max George from The Wanted.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, was at Avenue in Manhattan’s trendy Meatpacking district, where she is believed to have punched Tiffany Eve Mitchell, 28, a blonde psychic card reader from Florida.
The flame-haired star is said to have a crush on Max George, 24, and attempted to get backstage to see the hunk after his chart-topping band supported Justin Bieber at Madison Square Garden.
Despite being banned, she met up with the boyband at the celebrity haunt, and the evening descended into chaos as Max George started chatting up another woman – not married Tiffany Mitchell – riling Lindsay Lohan.
Max George split from his fiancée, British soap star Michelle Keegan, in August. A close friend said: “Max is a single guy, he is flirtatious, and a lot of women find him attractive. He’s free to play around.”
Max George tweeted “eventual night” on Thursday afternoon.
Lindsay Lohan and a friend joined Max George and his bandmates Jay McGuiness and Tom Parker at the club.
Apparently a fight broke out near where a riled Lindsay Lohan, a very drunk Max George and the Mitchells were partying – and it is not yet clear how it involved The Wanted singer.
Lindsay Lohan has been arrested after allegedly punching Tiffany Eve Mitchell at New York’s Avenue nightclub in a row over Max George
But Tiffany Mitchell’s husband Wayne Stevens said outside their Upper East Side home: “We didn’t know it was Lindsay Lohan and it just kind of escalated because someone else had a brawl out in there.
“The bouncer was having a fight with someone else, and I grabbed my wife right next to me and my friends had their wives.
“Then there were girls behind us and after it was over, one of them went and pushed my wife pretty hard – I don’t know why she pushed her.
“About five minutes later she comes round and tells my wife <<I need space>> and then she just punched her.
“After that, the bouncer didn’t want to help, nobody wanted to help, and they said <<there’s nothing we can do>>, so I went and called the police myself.
“A bouncer told me they’re not throwing her out because she’s Lindsay Lohan – I said <<well my wife got punched by Lindsay Lohan>>. We couldn’t understand why the bouncers weren’t throwing her out.”
He added: “My wife is still very sore, she’s very distressed, her cheekbone is aching. She’s all mindboggled right now, I’m going to take her to the doctor.”
When asked about Max George, Wayne Stevens said: “I could see there was something else going on, but we had nothing to do with it. We were just caught up in something that was nothing to do with us.”
This morning, Lindsay Lohan – still clad in her tight green mini-dress and black heels from her night out – left a Manhattan police station with a jacket over her head, while Tiffany Mitchell, Wayne Stevens and a friend were also seen leaving another precinct.
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to grant the Palestinians non-member observer state status – a move opposed by Israel and the US.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the assembly the vote was the “last chance to save the two-state solution” with Israel.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, said the bid “doesn’t advance peace – it pushes it backwards”.
The assembly voted 138-9 in favor, with 41 nations abstaining.
Hundreds of Palestinians celebrated on the streets of Ramallah, in the West Bank, after the result was announced.
“Sixty-five years ago on this day, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 181, which partitioned the land of historic Palestine into two states and became the birth certificate for Israel,” Mahmoud Abbas told the assembly.
“The General Assembly is called upon today to issue a birth certificate of the reality of the State of Palestine,” he said.
Ron Prosor said “the only way to reach peace is through agreements” between the parties, not at the UN.
“No decision by the UN can break the 4,000-year-old bond between the people of Israel and the land of Israel,” he said.
Opponents of the bid say a Palestinian state should emerge only out of bilateral negotiations, as set out in the 1993 Oslo peace accords under which the Palestinian Authority was established.
Speaking after the vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, urged the Palestinians and Israel to resume direct peace talks and warned against unilateral actions.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the vote “unfortunate and counter-productive”, saying it put more obstacles on the path to peace.
“By going to the UN, the Palestinians have violated the agreements with Israel and Israel will act accordingly,” said the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Twitter.
The UK abstained from the vote, as did Germany. The Czech Republic, the Marshall Islands and Panama were among the nations voting with the US and Israel.
The Palestinians are seeking UN recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the lands Israel captured in 1967.
While the move is seen as a symbolic milestone in Palestinian ambitions for statehood, the “Yes” vote will also have a practical diplomatic effect.
It would allow the Palestinians to participate in debates at the UN and improve their chances of joining UN agencies and bodies like the International Criminal Court.
Last year, Mahmoud Abbas asked the UN Security Council to admit the Palestinians as a member state, but that was opposed by the US.
Mahmoud Abbas was much criticized by many Palestinians for remaining on the sidelines of the conflict earlier this month in Gaza and efforts to achieve a ceasefire with Israel.
His Fatah movement, based in the West Bank, is deeply split from the militant Hamas movement which governs Gaza.
Gaza’s Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh said in a statement that Hamas’ “support for the UN bid is based on the <<rule of non-recognition of the occupier>>… and the right of Palestinians to return to their homeland”.
Barack Obama has met defeated Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a private lunch at the White House.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney discussed “America’s leadership in the world” and how to preserve it, the White House said.
Mitt Romney left after just over an hour and the two said they would stay in touch.
Meanwhile, negotiations over a looming “fiscal cliff” seemed to falter in Congress.
House Speaker John Boehner said no major progress on a deal had been made.
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney dined on white turkey chili and south-western grilled chicken salad during Thursday’s lunch meeting.
White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters at a news briefing: “Governor Romney congratulated the president for the success of his campaign and wished him well over the coming four years.
“The focus of their discussion was on America’s leadership in the world and the importance of maintaining that leadership position in the future.
“They pledged to stay in touch, particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future.”
Barack Obama has met defeated Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a private lunch at the White House
Barack Obama is also said to have noted that Mitt Romney’s “skills-set” could help improve the workings of the government.
Mitt Romney has spent the past three weeks mainly at his family’s California home, making no public appearances, although he was photographed on a family trip to Disneyland.
On election night, 6 November, Barack Obama pledged to meet the former Massachusetts governor for talks on how to “move this country forward”.
The pair sparred in a bitter campaign and are said to have little rapport.
On Thursday John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, met Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to discuss the combination of tax rises and spending cuts due to take effect on 1 January 2013.
“No substantive progress has been made between the White House and the House,” John Boehner said after the meeting.
“I was hopeful we’d see a specific plan for cutting spending, and we sought to find out today what the president really is willing to do.”
Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said the Obama administration had taken a step “backward” away from consensus, after his meeting Timothy Geithner on Thursday.
Congressional Democrats countered that they had already outlined their party’s position, and said Republicans had not identified specific spending cuts.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said: “We’re still waiting for a serious offer from Republicans.”
Some Republicans have said they would consider increased tax revenue as part of a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.
But the White House believes that simply ending tax deductions would not generate enough new revenue to address the yawning budget deficit.
The fiscal cliff, which would suck about $600 billion out of the economy, could tip the US back into recession, analysts warn.
The measures were partly put in place within a 2011 deal to curb the yawning US budget deficit, but also include the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts for all Americans.
Charla Nash, the woman who lost her eyesight, lips, nose, and hands when she was mauled by a chimpanzee in 2009, has settled an undisclosed lawsuit against Sandra Herold, the animal’s now-dead owner.
Connecticut attack victim Charla Nash’s brother filed the lawsuit on her behalf in 2009 in state Superior Court seeking $50 million in damages from chimp owner Sandra Herold, who died in 2010.
Charla Nash was blinded, lost both hands and underwent a face transplant after being mauled outside Sandra Herold’s home in Stamford in February 2009.
Lawyers for Charla Nash’s twin brother, Michael Nash, accused executors of Sandra Herold’s estate earlier this week of withholding information needed to complete the settlement, according to a court document.
An attorney for Sandra Herold’s estate said today that his office has since provided the information and the settlement is nearly finalized.
He declined to elaborate and said the settlement will be confidential.
“The case is resolved,” said Brenden Leydon, a Stamford lawyer representing Herold’s estate.
“I think it was a fair compromise on all sides.”
Brenden Leydon had argued that Sandra Herold’s estate couldn’t be sued because Charla Nash was an employee of Herold and any claims were a worker’s compensation matter.
Messages were left today for Michael Nash and his lawyer. Charla Nash’s other brother, Stephen Nash, declined to comment.
Charla Nash, the woman who was mauled by a chimpanzee in 2009, has settled an undisclosed lawsuit against Sandra Herold, the animal’s now-dead owner
Charla Nash, 57, now lives in a nursing home outside of Boston. She had gone to Sandra Herold’s home on the day of the attack to help lure Herold’s 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis, back into her home.
But the animal went berserk and ripped off Charla Nash’s nose, lips, eyelids and hands before being shot to death by a police officer.
Travis had starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger and made an appearance on The Maury Povich Show.
The chimpanzee was the constant companion of the widowed Sandra Herold and was fed steak, lobster and ice cream. The chimp could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet and dress and bathe himself.
A month after the mauling, Charla Nash’s family sued Sandra Herold for alleged negligence and recklessness.
The lawsuit alleged Sandra Herold knew Travis was dangerous but failed to confine him to a secure area and allowed him to roam her property.
It also claimed Sandra Herold gave the chimp medication that exacerbated his “violent propensities”.
Travis had previously bitten another woman’s hand and tried to drag her into a car in 1996, bit a man’s thumb two years later and escaped from her home and roamed downtown Stamford for hours before being captured in 2003, according to the lawsuit.
Charla Nash’ family is also trying to sue the state for $150 million but is awaiting permission from the state claims commissioner. The state is immune from lawsuits unless they’re allowed by the claims commissioner.
She wants to sue the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which she holds responsible for not seizing the animal before the attack despite a state biologist’s warning it was dangerous.
“I hope and pray that the commissioner will give me my day in court,” Charla Nash told reporters following a hearing in August before Claims Commissioner J. Paul Vance Jr.
“And I also pray that I hope this never happens to anyone else again. It is not nice.”
Court documents obtained by the AP on Thursday show the settlement between Charla Nash’s family and Sandra Herold’s estate was approved on September 25 by the Stamford Probate Court and the two sides met on November 13 to finalize it.
A lawyer for Michael Nash, Matthew Newman, said in a court document filed on Tuesday that since November 13, “executors have failed and refused to provide information necessary to complete the settlement”.
Brenden Leydon said Thursday that Matthew Newman now has the needed information.
Lindsay Lohan has been arrested after allegedly punching blonde psychic Tiffany Eve Mitchell at New York’s Avenue nightclub in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, was celebrity club Avenue in Manhattan’s trendy Meatpacking district, where she is believed to have punched Tiffany Eve Mitchell, 28, leaving her face bruised and swollen.
This morning, Lindsay Lohan – still clad in her tight green minidress and black heels from her night out – left a Manhattan police station with a jacket over her head, while Tiffany Eve Mitchell, her husband and a friend were also seen leaving another precinct.
And her day has just got worse as it has been revealed the actress will today face four different charges on different coasts.
Tiffany Eve Mitchell comes from Palm Beach, Florida, where she owns Palm Beach Psychic Visions. Before that, she owned another psychic business and is believed to have only recently moved to New York.
She reads palms and tarot cards and according to the Palm Beach Daily News, she goes by the name “Ava”.
A police source told the New York Post that Tiffany Eve Mitchell and Lindsay Lohan were sitting in separate VIP sections when a fight broke out nearby and both women stood up to watch.
Tiffany Eve Mitchell and Lindsay Lohan bumped into each other and words were exchanged with onlookers claiming that Lohan said: “Give me my space”, but both returned to their seats.
Then Lindsay Lohan allegedly got back up and punched Tiffany Eve Mitchell in the face.
Police sources said Tiffany Eve Mitchell claimed the actress knocked her to the ground with a strong blow to the left side of her face, with sources saying Mitchell “suffered swelling and substantial pain to the face”, but refused medical attention.
Lindsay Lohan has been arrested after allegedly punching blonde psychic Tiffany Eve Mitchell at New York’s Avenue nightclub in the early hours of Thursday morning
Police were called, and Tiffany Eve Mitchell identified Lindsay Lohan as her attacker.
Lindsay Lohan had already left the venue but police later intercepted a car in which she was passenger and made the arrest.
As she was led away in handcuffs, the star is believed to have yelled: “Oh my God! I didn’t touch anyone!”
She kept repeating: “Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?”
Lindsay Lohan was later taken to the 10th Precinct Station House in Manhattan, where she was accused of misdemeanor assault.
She received a desk appearance ticket and will have to appear in court on January 11. She was described as being “visibly tired”.
Lindsay Lohan and a large group left several hours later around 7:30 a.m. with her head covered by a dark coat as they walked to a waiting car, as the actress was heard yelling at someone “get out of the car Gavin, get of the car now” several times.
“It’s become a pastime to use her name and fame and blame things on her,” said Gavin Doyle, a Lindsay Lohan assistant.
Earlier this morning, Tiffany Eve Mitchell, her friend and a man, believed to be her husband, left another police station in Manhattan.
While the women didn’t speak, the man said: “Lindsay Lohan got drunk and went crazy…hit my wife.”
Avenue nightclub does not even bear a sign at its front door.
The club boasts patrons including Rihanna and her on-off beau Chris Brown, who were seen at the nightspot together in July.
It is also where Katy Perry and ex-husband Russell Brand shared a kiss after meeting at the MTV music awards in September 2009.
Demi Moore and her ex-husband Ashton Kutcher have also partied there, while Fergie and will.i.am from the Black Eye Peas have DJd there.
It is owned by millionaire Noah Tepperberg, the ringmaster of a string of New York nightclubs including Marquee, as well as Lavo in Las Vegas.
It was the second time this week that Lindsay Lohan went to the club. She was spotted there on Tuesday night, as was Jennifer Lopez and Justin Timberlake.
The club is a small venue which offers mostly expensive bottle service. A drink alone is between $15 and $20 each. There is a small club downstairs and a more intimate lounge upstairs.
While champagne is carried out by stunning waitresses holding the bottles high through the air, with sparklers attached.
Former President George H.W. Bush is being treated for bronchitis in hospital in Houston, Texas, family and hospital officials have said.
George H.W. Bush, 88, has been in hospital for six days with a “lingering cough”, his spokesman Jim McGrath told CNN.
His condition is not considered life-threatening and the former president is expected to be discharged this weekend, reports say.
George H.W. Bush is the oldest living former president and a World War II veteran.
Former President George HW Bush is being treated for bronchitis in hospital in Houston
He was Ronald Reagan’s vice-president for two terms and president for one, serving in the White House from 1989 until 1993.
His chief of staff, Jean Becker, said President George H.W. Bush was admitted to Houston’s Methodist Hospital on Friday, after several visits in recent weeks, the Houston Chronicle newspaper reported.
His son, former President George W. Bush visited on Sunday with his wife, Laura.
Jean Becker added that there had been concerns George H.W. Bush’s condition might have developed into pneumonia and news of his treatment had not been made public “out of respect” for the former president.
Khloe Kardashian has revealed she was Photoshopped into her family Christmas card in 2011.
Khloe Kardashian was unable to attend the photoshoot for the annual Kardashian-Jenner holiday card, and so she and husband Lamar Odom, 33, had to be added in later with the help of some computer wizardry.
Appearing on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, Khloe Kardashian said: “We pretend that we’re always together. The powers of cameras and Photoshop.”
Khloe Kardashian’s younger half-sister Kendall Jenner, 17, had to be digitally added to the picture, too, as she was sick, as did Kourtney Kardashian’s partner, Scott Disick, 29.
Khloe Kardashian’s husband Lamar Odom – who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team – also missed last year’s dazzling 3D Christmas card shoot because he had a game.
She said: “That one we were all in but Lamar was Photoshopped because he had a game. It’s hard with his NBA schedule. Damn men with a career!”
Khloe Kardashian revealed she was Photoshopped in 2011 Kardashian Christmas card on Ellen DeGeneres show
When they are able to coordinate schedules, however, Khloe Kardashian says Christmas is always a big family affair, though it can get crowded in the Kardashian household.
She told Ellen DeGeneres: “Every Christmas, we’re always together. Step-brothers, sisters, everything. All 10 kids and then everyone’s extended girlfriend, boyfriend, this, that…”
Khloe added as the Kardashian siblings have gotten older and had more serious relationships, the cast of characters at Christmas largely remains the same – though she is surprised Scott Disick – who has children Mason, two, and 4-month-old Penelope with Khloe – is still a part of the family.
She said: “Now we’re sticking together. Who knew, I’m surprised Scott’s still around, but he’s here.”
Experts have warned that alarming levels of salt in cheese are contributing to an epidemic of high blood pressure responsible for strokes, heart attacks and thousands of early deaths a year.
Cheese can contain as much salt as junk food products, says Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH).
The campaigning group found a single portion of cheddar has a greater amount than a bag of crisps, while feta, halloumi and other popular types contain higher levels of salt than seawater.
CASH is calling for families to cut down on their consumption of cheese, and also demanding that the Government sets new guidelines for manufacturers to ensure lower levels of salt.
Cheese, which also usually carries high levels of saturated fat, is the third-biggest contributor of salt to the national diet, after bread and bacon.
Together, these alone are responsible for the recommended daily intake of 6 g – about a teaspoon – being exceeded by over a third. The average intake is 8.1 g a day.
Doctors say salt is a major factor in high blood pressure.
A survey of hundreds of supermarket products by CASH found that the saltiest option on the high street was Roquefort with 1g in a typical portion of 30 g.
Halloumi comes in at 0.81 g per 30 g, while feta has an average of just over 0.75 g per 30 g. All three are greater than seawater’s 0.75 g.
In an alarming warning for parents, processed cheeses, which are popular with children, also showed high levels.
Experts have warned that alarming levels of salt in cheese are contributing to an epidemic of high blood pressure responsible for strokes, heart attacks and thousands of early deaths a year
Iceland Cheese Food Slices carry more salt in one 20 g portion – 0.56 g – than in a packet of crisps.
However, CASH did find that it is possible for shoppers to switch to relatively low-salt or even salt-free cheese for a healthier option.
Director Katherine Jenner said: “It’s worth looking at the label and choosing a lower-salt version of your favorite cheese, or just use a little less next time you get the grater out.”
CASH chairman Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute in London, said: “We urge the Government to stop dragging its heels and set new, lower, targets for cheese manufacturers to work towards.
“Even small reductions will have large health benefits.
“For every 1g reduction in population salt intake we can prevent 12,000 heart attacks, stroke and heart failure, half of which would have been fatal.”
Director of the Dairy Council, Dr. Judith Bryans, said: “People have been being nourished by cheese sandwiches for many years.
“No one should eat too much of anything, but cheese and dairy are an important part of a healthy diet.”
Two winning tickets – bought in Arizona and Missouri – share a $550 million Powerball lottery jackpot, the second-biggest US prize ever, organizers say.
The jackpot swelled after 16 consecutive draws had failed to produce a winning ticket.
No-one has yet come forward to claim the prize.
Tickets had been selling at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide, but the odds of scooping the top prize had been calculated at one in 175 million.
Lottery officials said the winning tickets were sold in Arizona and Missouri, but it was not yet clear whether they had been bought by individuals or groups.
Statisticians calculated that a player had more chance of becoming US president, dying from a bee sting or getting struck by lightning than hitting the jackpot.
The numbers drawn late on Wednesday were 5, 23, 16, 22, 29 and 6.
The prize fund had apparently been boosted by late purchases by those who rarely play the lottery.
“I’ve been thinking about winning this money and what I’d do with it,” first-time ticket buyer Pat Powell told the Associated Press in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Let me just join the hype and just do it.”
Two winning tickets, bought in Arizona and Missouri, share a $550 million Powerball lottery jackpot, the second-biggest US prize ever
In New York, another player, Nelson Batista, told Reuters news agency that if he won: “Maybe I’d change my face and my whole body and I make myself more younger.”
Forty-two US states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands participate in the Powerball lottery.
Officials doubled the price of Powerball lottery tickets in January to $2.
Despite an initial drop in sales, revenue is reportedly about 35% higher than 2011 figures.
Lindsay Lohan has been arrested after getting into a fight at Club Avenue in New York City and allegedly punching another woman.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, was at the Club Avenue venue on Wednesday when she reportedly got into an altercation with a fellow female patron.
Police sources said the 28-year-old victim was at first involved in a scuffle with another woman before and altercation with Lindsay Lohan. The victim, described as a 28-year-old white woman, was left with bruising and swelling, according to the police.
Lindsay Lohan was taken to a nearby police station at around 4 a.m. local time accused of misdemeanor assault, and was seen emerging with a coat over her head later in the day.
The victim was not said to be in need of medical attention following the altercation.
But this is far from the Liz & Dick star’s only legal woe at present.
Lindsay Lohan arrived back in New York City from Los Angeles last week, and is expected to face a judge in the next few days where her probation is thought to be revoked.
According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan will reportedly be charged for lying to police about being behind the wheel during a car accident with a truck on the Pacific Coast Highway in June.
Although Lindsay Lohan originally claimed her assistant Gavin Doyle was the one driving her Porsche at the time of the crash, he later told police it was, in fact, her who was behind the wheel.
Lindsay Lohan has been arrested after getting into a fight at Club Avenue in New York City and allegedly punching another woman
Sources have told TMZ that the Santa Monica City Attorney will be ready to file a criminal case over the next few days, and it will then go to Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Jane Godfrey for arraignment, a legal procedure in which a person is formally charged with the crime.
The insiders said that once Lindsay Lohan is charged, Judge Jane Godfrey will revoke her probation and schedule a full hearing to about the alleged violation.
Sources previously revealed that Lindsay Lohan could face “significant jail time” after lying to the police.
Lindsay Lohan has been on probation since being found guilty of stealing a necklace in July 2011, for which she was sentenced to 120 days in prison and 480 hours of community service.
The actress recently cancelled an interview with Barbara Walters on the advice of her new PR team after a tough few months, which also saw her accuse mother Dina Lohan of taking cocaine and foil an intervention attempt by her father Michael Lohan.
In recent weeks. the actress has being doing a lot of promotion for her Lifetime TV movie about the life of Elizabeth Taylor – but has refused to answer any questions about the case.
Friends close to the star previously said she was “terrified” about her probation being revoked as she is desperately trying to get her life back on track.
Lindsay Lohan has a complex legal history that includes drink driving convictions and her infamous no-contest plea to the jewellery theft last year.
In May 2007, Lindsay Lohan was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and this led to her heading for rehab for 45 days.
And in July that year, Lindsay Lohan refused to take a sobriety test and was taken to a police station where her blood alcohol level was over the limit. She also had some cocaine in her pocket.
She later spent 23 days in jail after she was found guilty of violating her probation because she failed to perform her community service at a Los Angeles morgue.
In September, it emerged she was being investigated for allegedly hitting a pedestrian with her Porsche while on a night out in Manhattan, with the victim claiming she smelled of alcohol and had been slurring her words, and that she treated him like a “nothing”.
However, Lindsay Lohan recently admitted she was learning from her mistakes.
Speaking after the premiere of new movie Liz & Dick, she said: “You have life experiences, and I’ve had some very traumatic ones, very serious ones.
“You draw from experiences, that’s where I am right now. I’m drawing from the things I’ve seen and grown up with. I don’t want to go back.”
Keeping up with celebrity beauty trends can be an expensive business, but not every A-lister feels the need to splash thousands on a perfume or a pot of face cream that costs a fortune.
This week, television presenter Fearne Cotton admitted she loves Simple’s Kind To Eyes make-up remover, costing a purse-friendly £3.99.
Kylie Minogue, meanwhile, credits Ponds’ £4.49 cold cream with keeping wrinkles at bay.
Sienna Miller’s bargain lip balm
Retaling at £7.99 for a 9g tube (victoriahealth.com), Lanolips 101 Ointment certainly won’t break the bank. Along with banishing chapped lip and dryness, the 100% natural balm also doubles as a useful way to deal with minor rashes, eczema and sunburn.
The brainchild of Australian entrepreneur, Kirsten Carriol, the balm hasn’t been around for long but has already racked up a huge celebrity following including Danni Minogue and actress Sienna Miller.
Fearne Cotton’s cheap and cheerful cleanser
A supermarket staple, Simple isn’t the sort of brand you’d expect to grace an A-list bathroom – unless, of course, the celebrity in question happens to be the down-to-earth Fearne Cotton.
Fearne Cotton loves Simple’s £3,99 Kind to Eyes Make-up Remover (superdrug.com), which sweeps away even the stubbornest waterproof mascara, and contains soothing vitamin B5.
Keeping up with celebrity beauty trends can be an expensive business, but not every A-lister feels the need to splash thousands on a perfume or a pot of face cream that costs a fortune
Julia Roberts’ low cost body lotion
It’s not exactly a body lotion but Julia Roberts’ olive oil does exactly the same job – and for a lot less to boot.
Tesco’s home brand olive oil costs a mere £1.98 (tesco.com) and is packed with skin nourishing antioxidants such as vitamins A and E as well as rich emollients that soften tough skin.
Add a little lemon juice to deal with skin discoloration and to give your skin an additional shot of vitamin C.
Kylie Minogue’s cut-price cold cream
Pond’s Cold Cream, £4.49 (boots.com), is an old-fashioned beauty treat that’s still topping the sales charts thanks to its legion of celebrity fans.
Among them is singer, Kylie Minogue, who credits the 100-year-old cream with her skin’s youthful glow.
“It’s really changed my skin,” Kylie Minogue says.
“It’s all I really use to look after my skin. It’s such an old classic. My mum uses it and it really does work. It’s made such a difference.” Helena Christensen’s mark-down mascara
Not only does Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara cost a bargain basement £4.99 (superdrug.com), it’s won plaudits from beauty editors and celebrities alike.
Fans include Danish supermodel Helena Christensen, Ugly Betty actress America Ferrera, Amanda Siegfried and Brazilian model, Isabeli Fontana. If it’s good enough for all of them…
Jessica Alba’s economy nail polish
Instead of using the expensive likes of Chanel or Nails Inc, actress Jessica Alba’s top choice of polish is a brand you’ll find in high street stores such as Boots: Revlon.
At £6.49 (boots.com), Revlon Nail Enamel costs less than £10 and comes in 33 different shades, including last winter’s coolest hue, Grey Suede, and the perfect Hollywood red, Cherries in the Snow.
A new collaboration between the writer of a web comic and the company that developed bacon-flavored air has created a bizarre hot sauce-flavor lip balm.
Comic site The Oatmeal is now selling a lip balm that mimics the flavors of the popular Asian hot sauce Sriracha.
“Don’t you wish you could put the flavor of Sriracha on your lips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?,” the site wrote in a post announcing the launch.
“NOW YOU CAN!”
“The Oatmeal teamed up with J&D’s (creators of BaconSalt and Baconnaise) to create Sriracha-flavored lip balm.”
“Not only does it moisturize your lips and protect them from the harmful rays of the sun (it’s SPF 15), but it also bombards them with a delicious firestorm of red peppers and garlic.”
“It’s like making out with some tasty napalm,”The Oatmeal promises.
Comic site The Oatmeal is now selling a lip balm that mimics the flavors of the popular Asian hot sauce Sriracha
The Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman has written several times about his love of Sriracha, which has become so trendy it’s been written up by the New York Times and sold by artisan vendors in Brooklyn.
The site also offers I Heart Sriracha aprons, buttons, and flamethrower print.
Previous collaborations with J&D’s have led to the release of products like bacon flavored air.
A UN tribunal has cleared Kosovo’s former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj of war crimes from the 1998-99 conflict, after a retrial in The Hague.
Ramush Haradinaj, a rebel commander during the war, was accused of overseeing a campaign of torture and murder against Serbs and suspected collaborators.
But four years after the last acquittal the UN court ruled again that the prosecution had not proved the case.
Serbian officials reacted angrily, denouncing the UN tribunal.
President Tomislav Nikolic said in a statement that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was formed “to try the Serbian people”.
He said the verdict would increase euro-skepticism in Serbia.
Ramush Haradinaj’s 2008 acquittal was overturned and a retrial ordered after appeal judges ruled that there had been witness intimidation.
But the ICTY’s trial chamber once again cleared Ramush Haradinaj and co-defendants Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj of all charges.
A UN tribunal has cleared Kosovo’s former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj of war crimes from the 1998-99 conflict
The indictment alleged the three men had been involved in a joint criminal enterprise to establish Kosovo Liberation Army control in western Kosovo through detention camps.
Ethnic Serbs, Roma and Albanians who were deemed to have collaborated with Serbs were allegedly tortured and killed.
Judge Bakone Moloto said the evidence established that Serbs and their suspected supporters were beaten at a KLA compound in Kosovo, and at least one of them died of his injuries.
However, he said there was no evidence Ramush Haradinaj or his co-defendants were involved in the attacks or a conspiracy to mistreat civilians.
Ramush Haradinaj, who is the most senior ethnic Albanian indicted by the ICTY, has many supporters among the Kosovo Albanian community.
He served as prime minister for 100 days before he stepped down in early 2005 to deal with his first trial.
Crowds in the capital Pristina watched the latest verdict on a giant screen, and celebrated his acquittal by letting off fireworks and cheering.
Ramush Haradinaj’s lawyer, Ben Emmerson, said his client now wants to restart his political career.
“With the consent of the people, he will soon be resuming his rightful position as the political leader of the country,” Ben Emmerson told reporters at the court.
His face is splashed across vast billboards in Kosovo, accompanied by slogans like “the leader who keeps his word” and “forward with a clean slate”.
However, he is still considered a war criminal in Belgrade, and an arrest warrant has been issued against him by Serbia’s war crimes prosecutor.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has enlisted the support of ally Russia to block any move for international recognition.
Many Serbs feel there has been little accountability for crimes committed against them during the wars of the 1990s.
The 2012 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has been lighten for the first time on Wednesday, November 28th, with live and taped performances from 7–9 p.m., at Rockefeller Plaza, between West 48th and West 51st Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues.
Tens of thousands crowded the sidewalks for the event and hundreds of millions will watch it live across the globe. The Tree will remain lit and can be viewed until 11 p.m. on January 7th, 2013.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is a world-wide symbol of the holidays in New York City.
This year’s tree arrived at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday, November 14th, 2012.
During the time that the tree arrives, a giant crane hoists it into position in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Once the tree is in place, it is decorated with more than 30,000 multi-colored, energy-efficient LED lights, and crowned by a Swarovski star.
2012 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
For many people, the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center symbolizes the true beginning of the holiday season. The festive ceremony happens every year on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.
The tradition of the tree at Rockefeller Center dates back to the Great Depression when in the 1930’s the first tree, only 20 feet tall, was set up by construction workers. Since those early years, the tree has grown in size and spectacle until today’s tree which is roughly 80 feet tall and 50 feet in diameter.
The tradition of televising the ceremony began in 1951 and has been going strong for the 61 years since. This year telecast included performances by Mariah Carey, Trace Adkins, CeeLo Green, Victoria Justice, Rod Stewart, Chris Mann, and Il Volo. Christmas carols will ensue. There will also be appearances by Bette Midler and Billy Crystal. NBC and the tree lighting powers that be did an excellent job at zeroing in on nearly every demographic.
This year’s Christmas tree is estimated to be 80 years old, just as old as the tradition of Christmas trees at Rockefeller Center
A 1946 cartoon, produced by Disney in collaboration with Kotex, explains “the story of menstruation” – and as the first film to use the word vagina, it was played to 105 million students in health classes across the country.
Complete with a soothing-sounding narrator and plenty of wide-eyed illustrations, the film avoids all mentions of sexuality and reproduction, instead emphasizing the importance of sanitation and cosmetic appearance, because girls “shan’t let menstruation get you down”.
The 10-minute film expels myths about not being able to bath or exercise during menstruation, and assures viewers that they will be able continue their “usual” activities while on their periods, such as putting on makeup, completing house chores, and going on dates.
The film says: “There’s nothing strange nor mysterious about menstruation. All life is built on cycles,” which is shown over a heteronormative illustration of the cycle of an average woman’s lifetime at the time: Baby to toddler, to a young woman, to menstruation, to dancing with boys, to a white wedding dress, and then a baby.
Throughout the video, the Disney narrator debunks “the old taboo against bathing during your period”, saying, “not only can you bath, you should bath!”.
“As for the old taboo against exercise, that’s nonsense,” she adds.
“Exercising is good for you during menstruation. Extremes however, should be avoided.”
A 1946 cartoon, produced by Disney in collaboration with Kotex, explains the story of menstruation
The video also warns against the dangers of feeling down while on your period, which it explains can be remedied with cosmetic application.
It explains: “Some girls may have a little less pep, the feeling of pressure in the lower part of their body, or a twinge of a nerve. But don’t let it get you down.
“After all, no matter how you feel, you have to live with people, and more importantly, yourself. Once you stop feeling sorry for yourself you’ll find it’s easier to keep smiling and even tempered.
“It’s smart to keep looking smart. That well-groomed feeling will give you new poise, and lift your moral.”
Gynecologist Mason Hohn was hired as a consultant to ensure that the film was scientifically accurate, which gave a stronger emphasis on biology than previous health videos in the same vain.
However, it still skips the sex-equals-pregnancy talk, instead explaining: “If the egg is impregnated, which happens when a women is going to have a child, the egg will stay within the uterus and the lining with provide nutrition for the budding human being through the early stages of its development.”
It was one of the first commercially sponsored films to be distributed to high schools, and it came with a booklet for teachers and students called Very Personally Yours that featured advertising of the Kotex brand of products.
The booklet discouraged the use of tampons, because the market was at the time dominated by the Tampax brand of rivals Procter & Gamble.
According to a new study produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013, and the U.S. is just 16th.
The study says American babies will have a dimmer future than those born in Hong Kong, Ireland and even Canada.
The EIU, a sister company of The Economist, attempted to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in years to come.
People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life judged in terms of wealth, health and trust in public institutions, according to the analysis.
The Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a “quality-of-life” index highlighting where it is best to be born next year.
In 1988, the U.S. came top of a rank of 50 countries, though has not achieved the top spot since.
The index links the results of subjective life-satisfaction surveys – how happy people say they are – to objective determinants of quality of life across countries.
One of the most important factors is being rich, but other factors come into play – including crime, trust in public institutions and the health of family life.
In total, the index takes into account 11 indicators.
According to EIU study, Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013, and the US is just 16th
These include fixed factors such as geography, others that change slowly over time such as demography, social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy.
The index also looks at income per head in 2030, which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood.
Small economies dominate the top 10 countries, with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.
Half of the top 10 countries are European, but only one, the Netherlands, is from the euro-zone.
The crisis-ridden south of Europe, including Greece, Portugal and Spain, lags behind despite the advantage of a favorable climate.
Interestingly, the largest European economies – Germany, France and Britain – do not do particularly well.
Nigeria has the unenviable title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.
Despite their economic dynamism, none of the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – score impressively.
Brazil ranked 37, China came in 49th and India was 66th and Russia came in 72nd out of 80 countries listed in the index.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is living at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, has a chronic lung infection “which could get worse at any moment”, Ana Alban, Ecuador’s ambassador to the UK, has warned.
Ana Alban said Julian Assange, who is fighting UK efforts to send him to Sweden, was suffering from living “in a confined space”.
Ecuador previously sought assurances he would not be arrested if hospitalized.
The UK said then it would not prevent “any medical care that he requires”.
Australian Julian Assange, 41, who has taken refuge at the embassy since June, was granted asylum by Ecuador in August.
Julian Assange, who has breached bail conditions by staying there, faces arrest if he leaves.
He is wanted for questioning in Sweden over rape and sexual assault allegations, which he denies, and was arrested in the UK on an extradition warrant.
“Mr. Assange, as everyone knows, is in a confined space,” Ana Alban said.
“Not only does the embassy have few windows but the city is also dark at this time – we have very little daylight in London.
“He is exposed to any health consequences from this lack of sunlight and lack of fresh air.”
Julian Assange, who is living at the Ecuadorean embassy in London, has a chronic lung infection which could get worse at any moment
Ana Alban said Julian Assange received visitors after embassy staff finished work.
“We work until at least 05:30 in the afternoon and, afterwards, he meets with certain people who want to visit him for different reasons whether they be activists, supporters, lawyers or friends.”
The ambassador said Ecuador was “waiting for a meeting” with either UK Foreign Secretary William Hague or UK Home Secretary Theresa May to discuss Julian Assange’s future.
Last month, Ecuadorean ministers said Julian Assange had “visibly lost weight” and that his health was “beginning to be jeopardized”.
Julian Assange’s Wikileaks website has published leaked sensitive diplomatic cables involving various countries, including the US.
In 2010, two women accused him of committing sexual offences against them while he was in Stockholm to give a lecture.
Julian Assange says the sex was consensual and that he believes the case to be politically motivated.
He says he fears being passed on to authorities in the US if extradited to Sweden.
But Swedish prosecutors have dismissed Julian Assange’s claims their case is part of a wider political move to see him stand trial in the US over his work with Wikileaks.
A shocking video shows a grotesque bulge in a woman’s buttock apparently caused when her botched silicone implant “flipped inside out”.
Instead giving her a smooth, plump appearance, the implant has popped out and is left protruding in an ugly disc shape at the back of her cheek.
In the 20-second clip, the unidentified woman slowly manipulates it back into place while explaining: “This is my implant flipping backwards.”
She adds: “I don’t think an implant’s supposed to do that. It shouldn’t be able to flip.”
The video has been “liked” by 278 people on Facebook and shared nearly 20,000 times.
It is difficult to establish whether the video is genuine and no details are known about which clinic the woman went to or exactly what type of procedure she had.
But BAAPS Member Adrian Richards, a consultant plastic surgeon at Aurora Clinics in the UK, believes the clip is authentic.
He said the problem occurs when the implant is not secured firmly enough in a “pocket” the surgeon creates either between the buttock and the pelvic bone or on top of the gluteus maximus.
“It is a complication which is relatively common following buttock implants. It shouldn’t really happen because the pocket should be snug so the implant stays where it is.
“This lady’s implant is flat on the bottom and coned on the top, but this one has flipped over.”
He said it wouldn’t be painful, but would likely need to be removed or the pocket closed up to stop it shifting around.
A shocking video shows a grotesque bulge in a woman’s buttock apparently caused when her botched silicone implant flipped inside out
Buttock implants are popular in South America, where plump bottoms are regarded as sexually desirable.
In recent years, plastic surgery experts have been warning women not to have operations in unapproved clinics after a string of deaths and dodgy practices.
In April last year, a 42-year-old mother-of-three died after buttock implant surgery at a backstreet Las Vegas clinic.
Elena Caro’s family begged her not to have the operation, saying she was beautiful as she was, but she went ahead with the surgery.
She was found crying in agony and begging for help after an unlicensed Colombian doctor allegedly dumped her by the side of the road when the procedure went wrong and she died in hospital a short time later.
In December 2009, a former Miss Argentina who was obsessed with maintaining her youthful looks died following surgery to make her buttocks firmer.
Solange Magnano, 38, was rushed to hospital with severe breathing problems after the cosmetic operation.
She died from a blocked lung artery after spending three days in a critical condition in intensive care.
Atlanta woman Kimberly Smedley was jailed for three years in July after injecting customers’ buttocks with commercial silicone in hotel rooms and using glue and cotton balls to prevent the substance from leaking out.
Federal prosecutors believe Smedley made at least $1.3 million while operating her illegal practice out of hotel rooms in Baltimore, Washington, Detroit, Philadelphia and New York.
In cases where silicone jabs are used, the procedure can cause a blood clot to the lungs known as a pulmonary embolism.
Butt implants: how it’s done
To insert the implant, an incision is usually made where the cheek meets the back of the thigh or in the buttock crease where the scars are less noticeable.
The surgeon then creates a pocket large enough to insert the silicone either under the gluteus maximus muscle or on top of it.
Sometimes fat is taken by liposuction from another area of the body to enhance the shape of the buttocks.
The surgeon will then make sure both buttocks are symmetrical before stitching up the wounds.
But if the pocket is made too big, the implant can slip out.
The procedure is normally performed under general anaesthetic.
An alternative method involves injecting fat into the buttocks.
Jared Leto has revealed his shockingly skinny frame after starving himself for a month to play the role of a HIV-positive transsexual woman in the Dallas Buyers Club.
Jared Leto has shed a drastic amount of weight for the role – much like his co-star Matthew McConaughey.
However, while Matthew McConaughey has been on a slim-down mission for six months, Jaredo Leto has transformed his physique in little over a month after only recently getting involved in the project.
Jared Leto, 40, who has waxed his body hair and eyebrows for the movie.
This week, Jared Leto told Vultureabout how he has been suffering for his art, revealing he has essentially starved himself for the past month.
He said of the weight loss: “Your body goes through weird stages.
“Sometimes it’s hard to hold on to water. But for me, it’s not about the most weight I can lose, it’s more to represent the character.”
He went on: “Historically, people have done it for pursuit of self, to achieve a meditative state, so I’m hoping for that. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Jared Leto has revealed his shockingly skinny frame after starving himself for a month to play the role of a HIV-positive transsexual woman in the Dallas Buyers Club
Explaining his involvement in the Jean-Marc Vallée-directed movie – which marks his return to the big screen after 2009’s Mr. Nobody – Jared Leto said: “I’m playing a transsexual woman. I didn’t get involved in the project until a few weeks ago, three and a half weeks ago.”
Jared Leto has gained and lost weight before for film roles, notably piling on the pounds for Chapter 27 back in 2006.
The actor did not give details of how much he has lost for the Dallas Buyers Club, but his co-star Matthew McConaughey recently told how he has dropped almost 40lbs to play Ron Woodroof, a real-life electrician who smuggled illegal medication after contracting the disease.
