The remains of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat have been exhumed as part of an investigation into how he died.
Swiss, French and Russian experts will take samples to establish whether his death in Paris in 2004 at the age of 75 was the result of poisoning.
France began a murder inquiry in August after Swiss experts found radioactive polonium-210 on Yasser Arafat’s personal effects.
Yasser Arafat’s medical records say he had a stroke resulting from a blood disorder.
His widow, Suha, objected to a post-mortem at the time, but asked the Palestinian Authority to permit the exhumation “to reveal the truth”.
Yasser Arafat’s body lay in a stone-clad mausoleum inside the Muqataa presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The mausoleum was sealed off earlier this month.
Palestinian officials told the Associated Press that the remains were taken from the mausoleum to a nearby mosque, so that Palestinian doctors could take samples from the bones.
With the body removed from the tomb, the scientists will each take samples and then go to their respective countries to carry out tests for polonium-210 and possibly other lethal substances.
It is believed that the investigation could take several months.
The remains of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat have been exhumed as part of an investigation into how he died
Before the exhumation, the head of the Palestinian committee investigating Yasser Arafat’s death, Tawfik al-Tirawi, said no journalists would be allowed to observe the exhumation.
“Because [of the] sanctity of the symbol and the sanctity of this event, [the exhumation] should not be permitted to be in front of the media,” the former Palestinian intelligence chief said.
A reburial ceremony, with full military honors, is expected to take place later on Tuesday.
Many Palestinians continue to believe Yasser Arafat was poisoned by Israel, which saw Arafat as an obstacle to peace and had put him under house arrest. Israel has strongly denied any involvement.
There has also been speculation that he was suffering from HIV or cancer at the time of his death.
Yasser Arafat, who led the Palestine Liberation Organization for 35 years and became the first president of the Palestinian Authority in 1996, fell violently ill in October 2004 inside the Muqataa.
Two weeks later he was flown to a French military hospital in Paris, where he died on 11 November.
In 2005, the New York Times obtained a copy of Arafat’s medical records, which it said showed he died of a massive hemorrhagic stroke that resulted from a bleeding disorder caused by an unknown infection.
Independent experts who reviewed the records told the paper that it was highly unlikely that he had been poisoned.
A murder inquiry was launched by French prosecutors in August after an investigation by al-Jazeera TV, working with scientists at the Institute of Radiation Physics (IRA) at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, found “significant” traces of polonium-210 present in samples taken from Arafat’s personal effects, including his trademark keffiyeh headdress.
In some cases, the elevated levels were 10 times higher than those on control subjects, and most of the polonium could not have come from natural sources, the scientists said.
But the institute also said that Yasser Arafat’s symptoms – as described in his medical records – were not consistent with polonium poisoning.
The former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko died of exposure to polonium-210 in London in 2006. The UK authorities have accused Andrei Lugovoi, an ex-KGB officer, of poisoning his tea.
Angry farmers protesting at falling dairy prices in the EU have sprayed fresh milk at the European Parliament and riot police in Brussels.
Thousands of dairy farmers, accompanied by hundreds of tractors, descended on the Belgian capital on Monday for two days of demonstrations.
Disruption has continued, with EU officials hindered from reaching their offices by tractors blocking roads.
Farmers want an increase of up to 25% in their prices to cover costs.
EU milk is often sold at below production costs due to a drop in international demand and increased competition.
The European Milk Board (EMB), which is coordinating the protest, says small farmers are being forced out of business.
In Belgium, for example, the wholesale price for a litre of milk is 0.26 euros ($0.34) but the cost of producing it is 0.40 euros, the board said.
The EU is the world’s largest milk producer and in 2010 nearly 47% of its 123 billion euro budget went on subsidies and other forms of financial aid for farmers, including dairy producers.
Angry farmers protesting at falling dairy prices in the EU have sprayed fresh milk at the European Parliament and riot police in Brussels
Police guarding the European Parliament found themselves being squirted with jets of milk on Monday as protesters directed hoses at the building.
A trailer of hay was set alight on the nearby Place du Luxembourg, where a mock gallows was erected with what appeared to be a hanging dummy of a farmer.
“Politics are really killing us,” Belgian farmer Julien Husquet was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
“It has to change very quickly at the European level. The way it is going, we are in big trouble.”
“It’s very simple: you can’t live off milk anymore,” French farmer Leopold Gruget told AFP news agency.
“If I go on, it’s thanks to European aid… If they do it [phase out subsidies] there will be no more small and medium producers here in five years.”
Some of the largest farmers’ contingents have come from Denmark, France, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, the EU Observer reports.
Erwin Schopges, head of the EMB in Belgium, said Tuesday’s protests would be “symbolic” and calmer.
Lindsay Lohan’s performance as Hollywood great Elizabeth Taylor in new biopic Liz & Dick has been met with jibes and laughter by critics after sparking thousands of Twitter jibes.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, made her hotly anticipated appearance as the Oscar winner on Lifetime movie Liz & Dick, watched by a not-so impressive 3.5 million viewers, the network has revealed.
The movie covered the tumultuous 12-year love affair between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, whose famously volatile relationship saw them marry twice.
Despite violet-tinted eyes and a black wig, Lindsay Lohan failed to pull off a convincing performance – boasting an accent that seemed to owe more to her native Long Island than Elizabeth Taylor’s dulcet English tones.
Today, the Huffington Post reported Lindsay Lohan was “devastated” by the reaction to Liz & Dick as a close friend said: “She has got used to all the negative press around her personal life but this is the first time she has experienced it about her work. No matter how bad things were going for her personally, everyone would always agree that she was a great actress.”
Another source added: “Lindsay has already read her own press. She knew the script wasn’t strong but thought she would bring the role of Elizabeth to life. This is particularly heartbreaking as her acting was the only thing in her life that she knew was real. Now she is doubting that, too.”
Thousands of viewers tuned in and made fun of the made-for-TV movie on Twitter while it was on air – including, ominously for Lindsay Lohan, many high profile TV writers and producers.
Model Christine Teigen tweeted that Lindsay Lohan was better in her breakout role in The Parent Trap – filmed when she just 11.
The brunette, who is engaged to singer John Legend, added: “Poor John. I know I had to watch 30 hours of football but he doesn’t deserve this. No one deserves this.”
While writer Liz Meriwether, who is the creator of hit sitcom New Girl, mocked the scene where Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor faints upon hearing the news of Richard Burton’s death, tweeting: “Oh my God. I think that was the funniest thing I’ve seen in TV for a while and I write comedy for television.”
Elan Galen, producer of ABC’s The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor Pad, added: “Lindsay Lohan breaks new ground and shows her versatility in Liz and Dick by playing a chain-smoking emotional wreck pill-popping alcoholic.”
Writer Ben Widdicombe tweeted: “Can we have Hilary Duff as Grace Kelly next please? Maybe Snooki as Audrey Hepburn?”
However, one stood by Lindsay Lohan – Lady Gaga – who posted the message: “You did a beautiful job on Liz & Dick, Let no one bring u down, Liz didnt, they always try to knock the greats down a few pegs.”
This was despite the fact that Lady Gaga had not watched the show and is currently in Paraguay on tour.
Lindsay Lohan’s performance as Hollywood great Elizabeth Taylor in new biopic Liz & Dick has been met with jibes and laughter by critics
While Liz & Dick might have taken over social media during its Sunday night premiere, in terms of actual viewers the Lifetime movie failed to impress.
According to the network, 3.5 million viewers tuned in – a far cry from Lifetime’s revamped Steel Magnolias, starring Queen Latifah, averaged 6.5 million viewers in October.
This means that Liz & Dick clocks in as the fourth most-watched original movie premiere on an ad-supported cable network for 2012, behind Steel Magnolias, Drew Peterson: Untouchable and Abducted: The Carlina White Story.
To add insult to injury, Liz & Dick was panned by all critics, with The Hollywood Reporter’sTim Goodman calling Lindsay Lohan “woeful as Taylor from start to finish”, calling the movie “spectacularly bad” and a “classic of unintentional hilarity”.
“At one point, Lohan has to shout, <<I won’t live without you!>> and then run down a hall. It’s like a high school play,” Tim Goodman writes.
“By the time Lohan is playing mid-’80s Taylor and it looks like a lost Saturday Night Live skit, your body may be cramped by convulsions,” he says, before suggesting the movie was made for drinking games.
Meanwhile, TV Guide’s Matt Roush called the made-for-TV drama a |well-timed candidate for the TV Turkey Hall of Fame”.
He wrote: “Even deep breaths seem too much to ask of Lindsay Lohan these days, let alone capturing the essence of an exotic film goddess who reigned for years as a superstar sex symbol.
“The most authentic moment occurs when Liz informs Dick, <<I can’t tell you a thing about acting>>. Tell us something we don’t know. And later, during one of the many tantrums and benders that constitute a story line, Liz cries, <<I’m a joke!>> The joke is on anyone who tunes in hoping for a memorable TV train wreck.”
“You’ll find more exciting chemistry in a high-school lab than between Lohan and her Richard Burton, Grant Bowler.”
Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly called it a “peculiar, drab, damp little TV-movie”, adding: “When she opens her mouth, Lohan doesn’t speak in the high-register, almost girlish voice that Taylor was using well into her 20s – instead, we heard the raspy rattle familiar to anyone who’s seen Lohan on TMZ or in the ABC Family movie Labor Pains.
“No effort seems to have gone into Lohan’s preparation other than to have her eyes tinted Liz-violet.”
Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times referred to the dialogue as “laughable”, while Reuter’s Tim Molloy said it was “redundant and boring in a way no star could save”.
Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Clubadds: “Liz & Dick arrives on the small screen with a giant <<kick me>> sign rooted both in Lohan’s tabloid infamy and the sad overreaching of trying to chronicle an epic love affair that unfolded across continents and decades on a tiny television movie budget.
“It’s a testament to how badly Liz & Dick misses the mark that Taylor receiving news of Burton’s death inspires the film’s biggest unintentional guffaws. At least he has the release of being put out of its misery, a fate that should have befallen this misbegotten vanity project before shooting even began.”
While Jill O’Rourke at Crushable added: “Lohan portrays Taylor as a childish brat, like a teenager playing dress-up in her mother’s furs and jewels.
“It was reported that Megan Fox was also considered for the role of Taylor. After watching Lohan’s portrayal, I would love to see Fox take on the role. For that matter, I think they could have just given Grant Bowler [who plays Burton] a brunette wig, violet contacts and a beauty mark, and he could have played both roles. It still would probably have been better than what we got.”
Even Liz & Dick executive producer Larry Thompson admitted taking on Lindsay Lohan was a risk, telling Entertainment Weekly:“I want the best for Lindsay Lohan and anybody who ever hires her. But they have to know that making a movie with Lindsay Lohan is like jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet with a bolt of white nylon, a string, and a sewing machine. You’re building a parachute as fast as you can.”
Lindsay Lohan herself had seemed to be the only person who seemed to be proud of the project as she tweeted throughout the screening of Liz & Dick last night.
Although she never met Elizabeth Taylor, who died aged 79 last year, Lindsay Lohan said the star had sent her a ring as a gift.
Lindsay Lohan said: “I always admired and respected her….Beauty. Strength. Passion. Poise. Intelligence. She stood for ALL of it & did a great job!”
She added: “2 get 2 feel like 1 of the most amazing women in the world was a thrill all around & wearing the jewels wasn’t bad! “
Her father, Michael Lohan, also thought his daughter’s performance proved once again that she is right up there with Meryl Streep as he told the Huffington Post: “Due to the content, I had to step away from a lot of the scenes, but regardless of what some of these so-called critics, who don’t have an ounce of talent in their bones say, Lindsay proved that she is an amazing actress.
“This was a different role for her at a difficult time of her life. She still has what it takes to be the Lindsay Lohan that is one of Hollywood’s top actresses.”
Edward Archbold from Florida choked to death in October after eating dozens of live cockroaches in a contest to win a python, his autopsy report has revealed today.
The body of Edward Archbold, 32, tested negative for drugs and Broward County medical examiner ruled the death was an accident caused by “asphyxia”.
Edward Archbold collapsed and died soon after the promotional event at a pet store in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
No other illnesses were reported among some 30 competitors.
Edward Archbold died of “asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents”, the Broward County medical examiner’s office found, according to the Associated Press.
His airway became obstructed with “arthropod body parts”, the Miami Herald quoted medical examiner Craig Mallak as saying.
Edward Archbold from Florida choked to death in October after eating dozens of live cockroaches in a contest to win a python, his autopsy report has revealed
The grand prize for the contest winner was a python, and Edward Archbold had planned to sell the snake to a friend, according to the owner of the Ben Siegel Reptile Store.
“We feel terribly awful,” said Ben Siegel, the owner, said after Edward Archbold’s death.
“He looked like he just wanted to show off and was very nice,” he said, adding that Edward Archbold did not appear to be ill before the competition.
A lawyer for Ben Siegel said all the contestants had signed disclaimers “accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest”.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s main Islamist party, has called off a demonstration in Cairo, amid crisis over President Mohammed Mursi’s new decree.
The Muslim Brotherhood said it would not hold the protest on Tuesday, as originally planned, “to avoid clashes”.
Opponents of Mihammed Mursi and of the brotherhood have said they would hold their own protest against a decree giving the president sweeping powers.
Mohammed Mursi has been meeting senior judges in an effort to defuse the crisis.
Ahead of Monday’s meeting with members of the Supreme Judicial Council, he expressed confidence that a solution would be found.
“President Mursi is very optimistic that Egyptians will overcome this challenge as they have overcome other challenges,” spokesman Yasser Ali told reporters,
Later Yasser Ali said the president had reassured the judges that the scope of the decree would be confined to key matters of “sovereignty”.
There is no word so far from the judges.
Several prominent opposition leaders, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, have said they will not engage in dialogue with the president until he rescinds the measure, known as the constitutional declaration.
The decree, issued last week, says no authority can revoke presidential decisions.
There is a bar on judges dissolving the assembly drawing up a new constitution. The president is also authorized to take any measures to preserve the revolution, national unity or safeguard national security.
The decree has sparked violent protests in Cairo and across the country.
On Sunday teenager Islam Fathy Massoud died and 60 people were injured in clashes in the Nile Delta town of Damanhour between the president’s supporters and opponents.
His funeral was held on Monday, while in Cairo thousands of people marched through Tahrir Square for the funeral of another young activist killed in recent clashes with police.
Egypt’s stock market, which had seen a fall of almost 10% on Sunday, recovered some ground on Monday morning.
Specialists have warned of a “lack of knowledge” about the dangers of mixing some medications with grapefruit.
Grapefruit can cause overdoses of some drugs by stopping the medicines being broken down in the intestines and the liver.
The researchers who first identified the link said the number of drugs that became dangerous with grapefruit was increasing rapidly.
They were writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The team at the Lawson Health Research Institute in Canada said the number of drugs which had serious side effects with grapefruit had gone from 17 in 2008 to 43 in 2012.
They include some drugs for a range of conditions including blood pressure, cancer and cholesterol-lowering statins and those taken to suppress the immune system after an organ transplant.
Chemicals in grapefruit, furanocoumarins, wipe out an enzyme which breaks the drugs down. It means much more of the drug escapes the digestive system than the body can handle.
Three times the levels of one blood pressure drug, felodipine, was reported after patients had a glass of grapefruit juice compared with a glass of water.
The side effects are varied depending on the drug, but include stomach bleeds, altered heart beat, kidney damage and sudden death.
Dr. David Bailey, one of the researchers, said: “One tablet with a glass of grapefruit juice can be like taking five or 10 tablets with a glass of water and people say I don’t believe it, but I can show you that scientifically it is sound.
“So you can unintentionally go from a therapeutic level to a toxic level just by consuming grapefruit juice.”
Specialists have warned of a lack of knowledge about the dangers of mixing some medications with grapefruit
The report said: “We contend that there remains a lack of knowledge about this interaction in the general health care community.”
They added: “Unless health care professionals are aware of the possibility that the adverse event they are seeing might have an origin in the recent addition of grapefruit to the patient’s diet, it is very unlikely that they will investigate it.”
Other citrus fruits such as Seville oranges, often used in marmalade, and limes have the same effect.
Neal Patel, from the British Royal Pharmaceutical Society said: “Grapefruit isn’t the only food that can cause issues, for example milk can stop the absorption of some antibiotics if taken at the same time.
“Although some of these interactions may not be clinically significant, some may lead to more serious outcomes.
“Pharmacists are the best port of call for anyone concerned about how their diet may affect their medication. Information about any interactions would always be included in the patient information leaflet that comes with the medicine.”
Representatives of Israel and Hamas have begun indirect talks on ceasefire deal that ended the recent violence in Gaza.
The negotiations are being led by Egyptian intermediaries in Cairo.
Hamas is expected to press for an end of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, while Israel wants arms smuggling to cease.
At least 158 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed in the eight-day offensive which Israel said it launched to stop rocket-fire from the territory.
Under the terms of the initial ceasefire, agreed on Wednesday, Israel agreed to end all hostilities and targeted killings, while Hamas agreed to stop attacks against Israel and along the Gaza border fence.
The deal also called for the “opening the crossings and facilitating the movement of people and transfer of goods”, with the timing other details to be discussed “after 24 hours” of the ceasefire coming into effect.
Israeli negotiators are reported to be asking for an assurance that the smuggling of weapons under Gaza’s southern border with Egypt will end.
“Israel is proposing this, no doubt,” Hamas deputy political leader Moussa Abu Marzouk told the AFP news agency.
“But at no stage was it part of the understanding for a ceasefire. They proposed it in the media, but not during the talks,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal has telephoned the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, to say the Islamist movement “welcomed” his bid to have Palestine recognized as a “non-member observer state” at the United Nations.
The announcement by Hamas was unexpected. Its leaders have previously dismissed the UN approach as a waste of time.
Mahmoud Abbas has said he will push for a vote on the issue at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. If it is approved – as it expected to be – it will improve the Palestinians’ chances of joining UN agencies and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Currently, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the umbrella group which represents most Palestinian factions and conducts negotiations with Israel, only has “permanent observer” status at the UN.
Israel and the US have threatened financial penalties if the Palestinians press ahead with the UN bid, saying the only way to achieve an independent state is through negotiations.
Bitter cold, drying central heating and constant soaping to ward off winter bugs combine to create the perfect storm for chapped hands.
No wonder Waitrose reports that sales of hand cream have shot up 42% in October. But is there anything else you can do to ensure your poor hands don’t suffer with the seasonal chill?
“Cold temperatures, dry air and constant washing are dehydrating in themselves, but together they seriously sap moisture from your skin,” says hand and foot expert Margaret Dabbs.
“Fortunately, a little regular care can keep your hands healthy all winter.”
Let’s start with hand washing. Because we do this so often every day, it’s important to choose the right product.
“Use a soap with naturally occurring antibacterial plant extracts like Pears,” says Margaret Dabbs.
“It gets rid of just as many germs, yet doesn’t dry your hands like an alcohol-based anti-bacterial lotion would.”
Next up, hand cream. You need a lotion that seeps into skin, rather than a greasy balm that creates a barrier.
“Balms may protect externally, but only transdermal products – ones that pass through the skin’s outer layers – feed your skin internally,” says Margaret Dabbs.
“Look for products containing lanolin, as this is one of the most effective non-greasy hydrating ingredients.”
Bitter cold, drying central heating and constant soaping to ward off winter bugs combine to create the perfect storm for chapped hands
Try Lanolips Rose Intense for Hands & Nails, a bestseller in Waitrose. It contains pure medical grade lanolin, which is used in hospitals to aid healing and repair skin.
Apply extra cream to the backs of your hands where the skin is much thinner, and also to the spaces between your fingers where dry skin is prone to cracking and chapping.
As Madonna may well testify, dry or veiny hands can be a real age giveaway. If you want to splash out to avoid the tell-tale signs, Omorovicza Nourishing Hand Treatment (omorovicza.co.uk) contains shea butter to nourish skin.
The cold can also cause previously healthy nails to become brittle and flaky, so to prevent this, focus on your cuticles.
“The cuticle is a waterproof barrier that protects the nail from physical damage,” says Margaret Dabbs.
“As it dries out, the cuticle can become brittle and tear.”
Her Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Serum (margaretdabbs.co.uk) is made with a special blend of antiseptic tea tree oil to treat infections, and emu oil to strengthen, protect and hydrate.
For a slightly cheaper alternative, try the Body Shop’s Almond Nail & Cuticle Oil, which is dispensed using a pen-style applicator that tidies ragged cuticles while moisturizing them with sweet almond oil.
Margaret also recommends having varnish-free days.
“Nail polish adds to the dehydration of the nail,” she says.
“Paint your nails for the weekend, but remove the color for the week.”
Margaret Dabbs recommends using a removal product that doesn’t strip nails, like Boots Acetone-Free Nail Polish Remover.
For an at-home intensive treatment, apply hand cream before you go to bed, then pop on a pair of silk gloves (amazon.co.uk). You may look like a mad magician, but you’ll wake up with velvety-soft hands.
Alternatively, try Bliss Glamour Gloves, which soothe hands in 20 minutes. Doing all this should ward off the ill-effects of winter, but if your skin is already split, Margaret Dabbs suggests Compeed plasters, (Superdrug) the kind you normally use on blistered feet.
Finally, wear gloves to protect your hands when washing up or out in the cold. But make sure they’re two different pairs, or you’ll get some strange looks.
Jessica Simpson has battled with her weight for years but after giving birth to daughter Maxwell in May, she vowed to lose weight.
And now after sticking to a strict diet for four months, Jessica Simpson’s success is clear to see.
According to TMZ, Jessica Simpson, 32, has lost a staggering 60 pounds on a healthy eating plan filled with low-fat smoothies, protein and plenty of vegetables.
The nutritious plan, obtained by TMZ, was devised by her former private chef and adheres to the WeightWatchers point system where each food has a “points value” based on calories and fat content.
The plan, featuring dishes such as super low calorie egg white omelettes, chicken satays, whipped chick peas, soba noodles and shrimp skewers, has clearly worked wonders.
Jessica Simpson’s diet began in July with a 15-day smoothie diet consisting of five days of three smoothies a day, gradually working in snacks and meals over time.
She was spotted showcasing her trim new figure whilst helping her younger sister Ashlee promote her new clothing line in Tampa, Florida last week.
Jessica Simpson recently starred in a WeightWatchers commercial saying: “There is a lot of pressure to lose weight but I’m not a supermodel.
“I’m just Jessica trying to eat real food in the real world and I really just want to be healthy for my daughter so I knew WeightWatchers was the only way to go.
“It’s working, I’m on my way and it feels amazing. Really I just want to be a better version of myself.”
Jessica Simpson has battled with her weight for years but after giving birth to daughter Maxwell in May, she vowed to lose weight
Jessica Simpson’s weekend snack and smoothie diet
5 medium stalks of celery and 1 tbsp peanut butter
-50 calories, 5g fibre, 3g protein
-105 calories, 1g fibre, 4g protein
1 whole grain Ryvita crackers and 3 tbsp hummus
-70 calories, 4g fibre, 2g protein
-70 calories, 2g fibre, 3g protein
1 medium sized Apple and 3 slices turkey pieces
-95 calories, 5g fibre, 0g protein
-60 calories, 0g fibre, 11g protein
Maria Santos Gorrostieta, the former mayor of Mexico’s district Tiquicheo, had survived two assassination attempts which claimed the life of her first husband and left her with horrific wounds that never really healed.
But despite being a marked woman, Maria Santos Gorrostieta remained defiant to the very end.
With unimaginable courage, the 36-year-old stood up to the drugs gangs that had ravaged Mexico and Tiquicheo, the district where she once served as mayor. When some doubted that she had been shot, Maria Santos Gorrostieta bared the scars that riddled her flesh and swore she would never give in.
It was almost inevitable that she would eventually pay for her bravery with her life.
Her body – stabbed, burned, battered and bound at wrist and ankle – was found dumped by a roadside in San Juan Tararameo, Cuitzeo Township.
Maria Santos Gorrostieta left behind three young sons. Her second husband Nereo Delgado Patinoran, understood to have vanished at the same time she did, is still missing.
She had seen her government security team withdrawn in November last year, and then her police escort in January.
The decision has provoked much soul-searching in Mexico which has been torn apart by brutal drug cartels.
Maria Santos Gorrostieta had become an icon in Mexico for her work against the gangs and had been described as a heroine of the 21st century.
She was elected as mayor of Tiquicheo, a rural district in Michoacan, west of Mexico City, in 2008.
Almost immediately, she received threats. The first assassination attempt came in October 2009 when the car she was travelling in with her first husband Jose Sanchez came under fire from gunmen in the town of El Limone.
The attack claimed his life but Maria Santos Gorrostieta lived. An attempt had been made on Jose Sanchez’s life earlier that year, but he managed to escape the armed mob who came after him.
Maria Santos Gorrostieta bravely battled back from her injuries in the face of overwhelming tragedy, but she was not destined to know peace.
The next attempt on her life was just three months later, when an masked group carrying assault rifles ambushed her on the road between Michoacan and Guerreo state. The van she was traveling in was peppered by 30 bullets. Three hit her.
This time her injuries were more severe, leaving multiple scars and forcing her to wear a colostomy bag. She was left in constant pain.
A reporter was also wounded in the attack, as well as her press officer and brother.
In a famous act of defiance, she posed for pictures showing the extent of her horrifying wounds to draw attention to the brutality the drug gangs routinely mete out to their opponents.
In a statement to the public made at the time, the devout Catholic said: “At another stage in my life, perhaps I would have resigned from what I have, my position, my responsibilities as the leader of my Tiquicheo.
“But today, no. It is not possible for me to surrender when I have three sons, whom I have to educate by setting an example, and also because of the memory of the man of my life, the father of my three little ones, the one who was able to teach me the value of things and to fight for them.
“Although he is no longer with us, he continues to be the light that guides my decisions.”
She added: “I struggle day to day to erase from my mind the images of the horror I lived, and that others who did not deserve or expect it also suffered.
“I wanted to show them my wounded, mutilated, humiliated body, because I’m not ashamed of it, because it is the product of the great misfortunes that have scarred my life, that of my children and my family.”
“Despite my own safety and that of my family, what occupies my mind is my responsibility towards my people, the children, the women, the elderly and the men who break their souls every day without rest to find a piece of bread for their children.
“Freedom brings with it responsibilities and I don’t dare fall behind. My long road is not yet finished – the footprint that we leave behind in our country depends on the battle that we lose and the loyalty we put into it.”
Maria Santos Gorrostieta’s body, stabbed, burned, battered and bound at wrist and ankle, was found dumped by a roadside in San Juan Tararameo, Cuitzeo Township
After her ordeal Maria Santos Gorrostieta remarried and ran for a seat in Mexico’s Congress of the Union, but failed to gain the backing she needed.
Her family reported her missing on November 14 and her body was found three days later.
A murder hunt has been launched and police are still searching for her missing husband.
Mexico has been torn apart by murderous drug gangs since President Felipe Calderon launched his drug offensive in 2006.
More than 50,000 people have been killed in clashes between rival drug cartels and security forces and about two dozen mayors have been murdered.
The cartels have ruled the streets with fear for years, enforcing their authority with murders, bribery and torture.
But after decades of using force to combat the gangs, it is U.S. lawmakers who are the criminals’ biggest problem.
Legalization of marijuana, as recently voted for by Colorado and Washington states, may wipe billions of dollars from the cartels’ annual profits.
And it has left politicians in Mexico with a tough question: How can they continue to justify spending money – and lives – fighting drug distribution to America when it will be legal in some states from next month?
Mexico presidential advisor Luis Videgaray said in a radio interview last week: “Obviously, we can’t handle a product that is illegal in Mexico, trying to stop its transfer to the United States, when in the United States, at least in part of the United States, it now has a different status.”
From January to September last year, 12,903 people were killed in the country in drug-related crime, ranging from gang members, Mexican military and innocent victims caught up in gun battles.
The Mexican government claims they are winning the war on drugs, but few outside – or inside – the country believe that.
So corrupt are their police that they are rarely employed in combating the cartels. Instead, the country relies on its army to tackle the gangs while it attempts to rebuild its police forces.
Public support for the drug war continues to fall as the death toll rises and the cartels’ profits rise.
The business of trafficking drugs from Mexico into the U.S. is estimated to be a business worth between $13 billion and $49 billion, with 90% of all cocaine used in America originating from the country, according to a U.S. state report.
The U.S. Justice Department considers the cartels as America’s greatest organized crime threat, while conceding that it is U.S. dollars that fund the crime ravaging Mexico.
In 2009 a military assessment predicted that if the drugs war continued for another 25 years, Mexico’s government was at serious risk of collapse and the conflict would spread into America.
A year earlier, the U.S. Joint Forces Command suggested a similar time-scale of collapse in Mexico and warned American intervention may be necessary due to the implications for homeland security.
The problem of strengthening the Mexico/U.S. border even prompted President Barack Obama to deploy 1,200 National Guard troops in 2010.
The two major cartels in Mexico are now the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas.
The Sinaloa Cartel was formed when several gangs agreed to join forces in 2006 and is now led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
He is Mexico’s most wanted drug trafficker and is believed to be worth $1 billion. Forbes magazine even declared him the 55th most powerful man in the world in 2009.
Los Zetas were originally a mercenary outfit of former elite members of the Mexican army by the Gulf Cartel.
Consisting of Airmobile Special Forces Group and Amphibian Group of Special Forces members, they helped control parts of Mexico for the Gulf Cartel until its leader, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, was arrested.
Los Zetas took the opportunity to seize power for themselves and are now a 300-strong independent drugs and arms trafficking gang under the leadership of Heriberto Lazcano.
Maria Santos Gorrostieta was born in 1976 and graduated in medicine from a university in the city of Morelia.
She was elected mayor of Tiquicheo in 2008 and served until 2011. During that time she defected from the Institutional Revolutionary party to the left-wing Democratic Revolution party.
In January 2009 her husband Jose Sanchez Chavez was set upon by an armed group but escaped
In October that year Maria Santos Gorrostieta was attacked while she was with her husband as they drove along in El Limone. Jose died that day from gunshot wounds. She survived but was taken to a hospital in Morelia, the state capital.
On January 23, 2010, she was attacked by men with machine guns in Ciudad Altamirano Guerrero, on her way to an event at the City Hall. She was severely injured after being hit by three bullets, as well as receiving wounds in the crash after the shooting, and had to use a colostomy bag. Maria Santos Gorrostieta said her wounds left her in constant pain.
On Saturday November 17 her body was found by farm workers from San Juan Tararameo, Cuitzeo Township, who were heading to work. She was discovered on the property known as El Chupadero. The next day she was identified by members of her family.
Camille Grammer is reportedly locked in another legal argument with ex husband Kelsey Grammer after he threatened to move into a home they once shared.
Kelsey Grammer reportedly wants to move back into the Beverly Hills house, although he just brought a new home in the same area.
Camille Grammer “rushed to court”, according to TMZ, to try and get an emergency court order to stop the actor and his family moving in.
A source told the website: “There is an enormous mortgage on the property which is draining both Kelsey and Camille – and they have been trying in vain to unload the property.
“They currently have the house listed $16,000,000, having just lowered it by a million.”
According to sources, Camille Grammer is afraid if Kelsey moves in, the house will be even tougher to sell.
When the property is sold the pair will split the money.
Camille Grammer tried to get an emergency court order to stop Kelsey Grammer and his family moving into a home they once shared
The judge did not issue an order, but rather set a hearing for next month.
Kelsey Grammer is not having much luck with work as it was announced The Starz television network would not give the Frasier star another term as mayor of Chicago and was canceling the drama Boss after two seasons.
The show, which premiered to critical acclaim last year, stars Kelsey Grammer as tyrannical Chicago mayor Tom Kane.
Tapping into the zeitgeist as usual, cult cartoon Family Guy decided to take a swipe at pop sensation of the moment, Justin Bieber.
As Justin Bieber took to the stage in Toronto on Sunday night, to a chorus of boos, fans tuned in to see him being pummeled by character Peter Griffin on the hit Fox show.
In the episode, which also saw Johnny Depp make a cameo, reprising his role as Edward Scissorhands, Justin Bieber had to take a brutal beating from the father-of-three.
Entitled Lois Comes Out of Her Shell, the episode sees the sitcom’s matriarch start acting half her age, worrying the rest of the family.
She suffers a mid-life crisis during the episode and consequently dresses as a teenager to go and watch Justin Bieber perform live on stage.
After managing to sneak backstage and into his dressing room, Lois is confronted by an angry Peter Griffin , who accuses her of having an affair with the singer.
Justin Bieber pummeled by Peter Griffin in a new episode of Family Guy
Dealing with the situation in the only way he knows how, Peter Griffin starts punching Justin Bieber until he lays bruised and beaten on the floor.
Later, in one of the cartoon’s trademark cutaway gags, Johnny pops up as a wet nurse, to take care of a naive couple’s young child.
“Okay, I’m an excellent wet nurse, so you two get some much deserved sleep. Don’t worry about a thing. I’m going to take such loving care of this child. And when you two wake up your precious little baby will be smiling as bright as the sun,” he said.
While he was getting the beating of his life on screen, the real Justin Bieber wasn’t having a much better time during his performance at the half-time show at the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto.
According to reports, Justin Bieber faced a barrage of boos during his set, despite growing up just a few kilometers down the road from the stadium.
At least 14 people have died in a major fire at a workshop for disabled people in Titisee-Neustadt, south-western Germany, reports say.
Firefighters are still trying to rescue people and extinguish the blaze at the centre run by the Caritas charity in Titisee-Neustadt, in the Black Forest.
The workshop employs about 120 disabled people, German media report.
So far seven people are reported injured. It is not yet clear what caused the blaze, which broke out at about 14:00 local time.
About 50 people are reckoned to have been in the building at the time. The centre is used for woodwork and metalwork.
Arcelor Mittal is no longer welcome in France, Minister for Industrial Recovery Arnaud Montebourg has said, accusing the steelmaker of “lying” and “disrespecting” the country.
The multinational angered workers and the government when it announced a plan in October to close two furnaces at its steel plant in Florange.
It gave the government a grace period of 60 days to look for a new owner.
The Mittal family said they were “extremely shocked” by the comments.
“We no longer want Arcelor Mittal in France because they didn’t respect France,” Arnaud Montebourg told French business daily Les Echos.
The minister, who previously opposed the closure of a Peugeot factory, accused the company of “overwhelming lies” and said the Florange closure breaks a promise made by chief executive Lakshmi Mittal during Mittal Steel’s 26.9 billion-euro takeover of Arcelor in 2006, which was strongly opposed by French ministers.
The problem “isn’t the furnaces in Florange, it’s Mittal”, said Arnaud Montebourg.
Arcelor Mittal is no longer welcome in France, Minister for Industrial Recovery Arnaud Montebourg has said
Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian-born chief executive, is expected to meet with President Francois Hollande on Tuesday to discuss the group’s operations in France.
The talks come ahead of a deadline on Saturday which Lakshmi Mittal gave the state to find a buyer for the two idled blast furnaces in Florange, a traditional steel town in north-eastern France.
The government says it has received two offers, but only for the entire site. Lakshmi Mittal has refused to sell the full operation, which employs a total of 20,000 workers.
As a result, Arnaud Montebourg has said he is exploring how to seize the entire Florange site should Lakshami Mittal refuse his demands.
According to the French newspaper, Arnaud Montebourg’s idea “would be a partnership with a minor manufacturer, the time to stabilize activity” in Florange.
Jean-Louis Borloo, a conservative politician and a former environment minister, also supported Arnaud Montebourg’s efforts.
“France’s steel industry needs to live – there are 2,200 people on the site, 22,000 Arcelor Mittal employees in France and globally, there are 75,000 [employees involved in steel],” he told France Inter radio.
“And the idea that the government, along with its sovereign wealth fund and partners like Eramet and Ascometal (mining and metallurgical groups), reflect upon a temporary state control… does not seem inappropriate.”
The Mittal family said they were “extremely shocked” by Arnaud Montebourg’s attacks on the steelmaker.
One person close to the group said: “These are pretty violent comments towards a group that employs 20,000 people in France.”
According to researchers at King’s College London, smoking “rots” the brain by damaging memory, learning and reasoning.
A study of 8,800 people over 50 showed high blood pressure and being overweight also seemed to affect the brain, but to a lesser extent.
Scientists involved said people needed to be aware that lifestyles could damage the mind as well as the body.
Their study was published in the journal Age and Ageing.
Researchers at King’s College London were investigating links between the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke and the state of the brain.
Data about the health and lifestyle of a group of over-50s was collected and brain tests, such as making participants learn new words or name as many animals as they could in a minute, were also performed.
They were all tested again after four and then eight years.
Researchers at the King’s College London found that smoking rots the brain by damaging memory, learning and reasoning
The results showed that the overall risk of a heart attack or stroke was “significantly associated with cognitive decline” with those at the highest risk showing the greatest decline.
It also said there was a “consistent association” between smoking and lower scores in the tests.
One of the researchers, Dr. Alex Dregan, said: “Cognitive decline becomes more common with ageing and for an increasing number of people interferes with daily functioning and well-being.
“We have identified a number of risk factors which could be associated with accelerated cognitive decline, all of which, could be modifiable.”
He added: “We need to make people aware of the need to do some lifestyle changes because of the risk of cognitive decline.”
The researchers do not know how such a decline could affect people going about their daily life. They are also unsure whether the early drop in brain function could lead to conditions such as dementia.
Chris Brown has decided to delete his Twitter account following a foul mouthed attack on comedy writer Jenny Johnson who challenged him over his 2009 assault of Rihanna.
Before the deletion Chris Brown appeared to confirm reports that he is once more dating Rihanna, tweeting: “Just ask Rihanna if she mad??????”
Jenny Johnson, who has nearly 300,000 Twitter followers, had challenged Chris Brown by telling him: “Being a worthless piece of s*** can really age a person.”
Her comment came in response to his tweet: “I look old as f***! I’m only 23…”
In response to Jenny Johnson’s tweet Chris Brown let rip in a foul mouthed attack: “Take them teeth out when u Sucking my d*** HOE.”
An unrepentant Jenny Johnston corrected Chris Brown’s spelling, saying: “It’s <<HO>> not <<HOE>> you ignorant f***.”
Chris Brown then lost his temper and amongst his abusive tweets told her: “mom says hello… She told me not to s**** in ur mouth, wanted me to s*** right on the retina.”
And: “I should fart while ur giving me top.”
Chris Brown has deleted his Twitter account following a foul mouthed attack on Jenny Johnson who challenged him over his assault of Rihanna
Jenny Johnson, who lives with her husband in Texas, replied: “Your mom must be so proud of you.”
And she then ended her side of the conversation, explaining: “Okay. I’m done. All I got from that exchange with Chris Brown is that he wants to s*** and fart on me.”
And she added: “I have zero respect for a person who seems unapologetic for the terrible crime he committed and shows no signs of changing.”
In 2009, Chris Brown hit, choked and bit Rihanna during an argument in Los Angeles.
He later pleaded guilty to assault. Since then, Chris Brown has worked to repair his image, undergoing violence counseling and putting out a new album.
Chris Brown has a duet with Rihanna on her recently released record, Unapologetic.
Rihanna has denied reports that they are dating, but on Saturday night tweeted a picture of a shirtless Chris Brown sprawled on her hotel bed.
She spent Thanksgiving at Chris Brown’s gig in Berlin, downing shots with him before heading back to his hotel.
The Rolling Stones returned to the London stage on Sunday night in the first of five concerts to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood were joined by their original bass player Bill Wyman at the 02 Arena.
Music critics hailed the rockers’ return a success.
Reviews of the gig described the band as “still leading the pack” and “at the cutting edge of pop”.
“They have a combined age of 273, but the four Stones remain an extraordinary live proposition,” John Aizlewood wrote in the Evening Standard.
“Jagger, camp and louche, was a preening but energetic peacock; Richards was as cool as a man sporting a red hairband and turquoise jacket could possibly be; Ronnie Wood was a chirpy mascot and that ocean of serenity Charlie Watts showed the tiniest of drumkits can make the biggest noise,” he said.
Guest stars included Mick Taylor – was originally in the Stones from 1969 to 1974 – who played lead guitar on Midnight Rambler.
Mary J. Blige also duetted with Sir Mick Jagger on Give Me Shelter.
“It’s amazing that we’re still doing this, and it’s amazing that you’re still buying our records and coming to our shows,” the frontman said.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Mick Jagger also joked about the controversial price of the concert’s tickets.
“How are you doing up in the cheap seats?” he asked fans in the upper rows.
“Except they’re not cheap seats, that’s the problem.”
The Rolling Stones returned to the London stage on Sunday night in the first of five concerts to celebrate their 50th anniversary
The show began with a brief video tribute from stars including Sir Elton John, Iggy Pop and Johnny Depp.
The band played 23 songs including some of their rarely-played early numbers such as It’s All Over Now and their cover version of the Beatles’ I Wanna Be Your Man.
They also showed a video montage of their big influences such as Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash.
The Independent described Sir Mick Jagger as being “in good voice” and “impressively strident” in the opening song.
Reviewer Andy Gill was also positive about the guest appearances of Wyman, who he described as “stolid as ever” on It’s Only Rock’n’Roll and Honky Tonk Women, and Mick Taylor, whose “stinging lead lines” on Midnight Rambler combined well with the rest of the band.
“For seven minutes or so, the years fall away and it seems as if the group were still at the cutting edge of pop – something their two new numbers, sadly, never quite manage,” he said.
Writing in The Guardian, Alexis Petridis said the show was “liberally flecked with moments” which were “about more than mere nostalgia, where the band seems to suddenly hit its stride, when well-worn material comes alive”.
“Keith Richards’ Before They Make Me Run arrives with its screw-you swagger intact,” he added.
The band also played classics such as Paint It Black and Jumping Jack Flash, but they didn’t get to perform Satisfaction as they ran out of time.
Still, fans were happy with the performance.
“It was pretty special. It’s not very often you get to see something like that. It was incredible,” said one.
Another man who travelled from Australia for the concert said it was “amazing”.
“Mick Taylor… What a genius,” he added.
Music critic Neil McCormick said the music sounded as good as it did when he first started going to gigs in the early 1980s.
“They really did seem happy to be there,” he said.
“There were many moments when they went completely mad.”
The series of gigs marks 50 years since the band first appeared in a small London club determined to pay homage to the masters of American blues.
There will be one more concert in London on Thursday, followed by one in Brooklyn, New York, and two in Newark, New Jersey.
Voters in Spanish region of Catalonia have given a majority to parties seeking Catalan independence.
However, Catalan President Artur Mas, who called the early election and pushed for independence, lost seats.
His centre-right CiU remains the largest bloc, winning 50 seats out of 135, down from 62 last time.
The left-wing separatist ERC won 21 seats. However, despite their combined majority, the parties may be unable to work together.
Both the CiU and ERC want to hold a referendum on independence from Spain.
Artur Mas said he would consult the people on independence within the next four years.
“I am happy with tonight’s results, but not as happy as I could have been,” he said.
Artur Mas called early elections after a funding row with the central government in Madrid.
It has accused him of trying to exploit the economic crisis, saying Catalan nationalists were looking for excuses after nearly running out of money.
Voters in Spanish region of Catalonia have given a majority to parties seeking Catalan independence
Artur Mas says the wealthy and influential north-eastern region gets a raw funding deal from the central government. His centre-right Catalan nationalist coalition (CiU) argues a Catalan state would fare better as a member of the EU than a province of Spain.
The European flag was prominent at Artur Mas’s campaign rallies, and he says an independent Catalonia would quickly gain membership of the 27-member bloc.
However, the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), the Republican Left party, has more than doubled its previous share of seats – up from 10 in 2010 to 21 this time.
That has been seen partly as a reaction to Artur Mas’s resort to austerity measures to fight Catalonia’s debt.
CiU and the ERC have very different views of how to address the economic crisis.
The result may actually mean a referendum on independence from Spain is therefore less likely, because the political process has become even more complicated.
It was already far from straightforward.
A referendum would be illegal under the current Spanish constitution, and Spain’s ruling Popular Party is likely to block any attempts for constitutional change.
Other parties, such as the Ciutadans, the Popular Party of Catalonia and the Socialist Party of Catalonia are all opposed to Catalonia’s independence bid.
Ob River, a large tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG), is set to become the first ship of its type to sail across the Arctic.
Ob River carrier left Norway in November and has sailed north of Russia on its way to Japan.
The specially equipped tanker is due to arrive in early December and will shave 20 days off the regular journey.
The owners say that changing climate conditions and a volatile gas market make the Arctic transit profitable.
Built in 2007 with a strengthened hull, the Ob River can carry up to 150,000 cubic metres of gas. The tanker was loaded with LNG at Hammerfest in the north of Norway on 7 November and set sail across the Barents Sea. It has been accompanied by a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker for much of its voyage.
The ship, with an international crew of 40, has been chartered from its Greek owners Dynagas by the Russian Gazprom energy giant. It says it has been preparing for the trip for over a year.
“It’s an extraordinarily interesting adventure,” said Tony Lauritzen, commercial director at Dynagas.
“The people on board have been seeing polar bears on the route. We’ve had the plans for a long time and everything has gone well.”
Ob River, a large tanker carrying liquefied natural gas, is set to become the first ship of its type to sail across the Arctic
Tony Lauritzen says that a key factor in the decision to use the northern route was the recent scientific record on melting in the Arctic.
“We have studied lots of observation data – there is an observable trend that the ice conditions are becoming more and more favorable for transiting this route. You are able to reach a highly profitable market by saving 40% of the distance, that’s 40% less fuel used as well.”
But melting ice is not the only factor. A major element is the emergence of shale gas in the US.
The Norwegian LNG plant at Hammerfest was developed with exports to the US in mind. But the rapid uptake of shale in America has curbed the demand for imported gas.
Meanwhile in Japan, in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, there has been a growing interest in alternative power sources, especially gas.
“The major point about gas is that it now goes east and not west,” says Gunnar Sander, senior adviser at the Norwegian Polar Institute and an expert on how climate change impacts economic activity in the Arctic.
“The shale gas revolution has turned the market upside down; that plus the rapid melting of the polar ice.”
He stresses that the changes in climate are less important than the growing demand for oil and gas.
“The major driver is the export of resources from the Arctic region, not the fact that you can transit across the Arctic sea.”
There is an expectation that because of changing climactic conditions, sea traffic across the northern sea route will increase rapidly. 2012 has been a record year both for the length of the sailing season and also for the amount of cargo that has been shipped.
But Gunnar Sander says there are limits to the growth and some perspective is required.
“Nineteen thousand ships went through the Suez Canal last year; around 40 went through the northern sea route. There’s a huge difference.”
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined UBS $47.6 million for failings that led to trader Kweku Adoboli losing $2.2 billion.
The fine, the third largest imposed by the FSA, was for “system and control failings” that allowed Kweku Adoboli to trade in London well beyond authorized limits.
Kweku Adoboli was last week convicted of two counts of fraud and sentenced to seven years in prison.
UBS said it was “pleased that the chapter has been concluded”.
The FSA, which conducted the investigation into failings at the bank with its Swiss counterpart, Finma, said there were serious weaknesses at the Swiss bank.
It said in a statement: “UBS failed to take reasonable care to organize and control its affairs responsibly and effectively, with adequate risk management systems, and failed to conduct its business from the London Branch with due skill, care and diligence.”
The FSA’s director of enforcement and financial crime, Tracey McDermott, said faulty controls had allowed the losses to mount to what was the largest trading loss in the country.
“UBS’s systems and controls were seriously defective,” she said.
“As a result, Adoboli, a relatively junior trader, was allowed to take vast and risky market positions, and UBS failed to manage the risks around that properly.”
Kweku Adoboli, the 32-year-old Ghana-born son of a diplomat, joined UBS in 2003, becoming a trader in 2006.
He worked in UBS’s global synthetic equities division (GSE), buying and selling exchange traded funds (ETFs), which track stocks, bonds and commodities.
He was arrested in September last year.
The Financial Services Authority has fined UBS $47.6 million for failings that led to trader Kweku Adoboli losing $2.2 billion
Southwark Crown Court was told that he was “a gamble or two away from destroying Switzerland’s largest bank”.
The judge said there was “a strong streak of the gambler” in him.
But, during evidence, Kweku Adoboli said everything he had done was aimed at benefiting the bank, where he viewed his colleagues as “family”.
He said he had “lost control in the maelstrom of the financial crisis”, but had been doing well until he changed from a conservative “bearish” position to an aggressive “bullish” stance under pressure from senior managers.
Kweku Adoboli told the jury that staff were encouraged to take risks until they got “a slap on the back of the wrist”.
The fine was set at 15% of the revenue of the division where Kweku Adoboli worked and takes account of the revenue generated by the business area where the weak controls occurred.
UBS said it had made a number of substantial changes since discovering the losses, including fixing the weakness in its financial reporting.
The bank added it was retraining staff on the importance of risk management and had changed the way it evaluated and compensated employees.
UBS is changing its own structure to make itself a simpler organization.
The bank’s chief executive, Oswald Gruebel, left the company in the aftermath of the scandal.
His successor, Sergio Ermotti, announced a major restructuring last month to run down the large, risky parts of the investment banking division.
UBS said it had fully co-operated with the regulators’ investigations and that it accepted their findings and the penalties incurred.
UBS’s fine was discounted from the original level of $65 million for early settlement.
Switzerland’s financial regulator Finma said in a statement that it would also check whether UBS had adequate capital backing for its operational risks.
Finma said it had identified “serious deficiencies in risk management controls” and that it would appoint a third party to make sure proper measures were introduced.
UBS has been banned by regulators from making new acquisitions and it also needs to get prior approval from Finma for any new business initiatives.
Kim Kardashian is a touch jealous of little sister Kendall Jenner’s appearance on the cover of Australian Miss Vogue, at just 17.
Kim Kardashian, 32, tweeted a photograph of Kendall Jenner from the shoot, alongside the post: “Kendall’s legs… I’m jealous!”
Kendall Jenner wears a pair of black hot pants, leather jacket and a velvet shirt in one shot, before changing into a backless black midi-dress with large hat and black high heels for another.
She wears the same outfit on the cover of the magazine as Miss Vogue’s third ever cover girl.
Kendall Jenner is clearly proud of her achievement, tweeting a link to the magazine’s website, and re-tweeting a post from the shoot’s photographer Russell James, who wrote: “Congrats @KendallJenner on your Ms VOGUE cover. Rare few models make it Vogue ever-especially by age 17!”
She also poses in a Gucci black hat with feather detail teamed with a black Burberry belted jumpsuit, and an orange patterned strapless swimsuit with floaty cream blouse.
Despite her envy, Kim Kardashian tweeted how proud she was of her younger half sister, posting: “The Miss Vogue shoot @kendalljenner shot is stunning.”
Kim Kardashian appeared in an equally striking shoot for L’Uomo Vogue back in July, with the black and white cover showing her sporting a short dark wig, oversized sunglasses and being besieged by photographers.
Kendall Jenner appeared on the cover of Australian Miss Vogue, at just 17
And her older sister Kourtney Kardashian was equally proud, tweeting: “I AM OBSESSED WITH YOU KENDALL! WOW. Breathtaking.”
It has certainly been an eventful week for Kendall Jenner who celebrated her 17th birthday with a party at the family’s Calabasas home.
The statuesque teen spent the evening skating hand-in-hand with actor friend Jaden Smith, 14, on the freshly frozen Kardashian family swimming pool.
Kendall Jenner blew out her candles on a cake bearing a childhood snap, while a drag queen MC presided over the Winter Wonderland festivities at her Los Angeles home.
The Keeping Up with the Kardashians starlet also sported goofy glasses for a silly photobooth and participated in a conga line on the ice with her friends.
However, it must have been hard for mother Kris Jenner to top the $90,000 Range Rover she reportedly gave Kendall for her sweet 16 last year.
Meanwhile, Kendall and Kylie Jenner were voted one of Zimbio‘s 2012 Most Influential Women Under 30 in TV, thanks to their fast-growing fame and combined seven million fans.
Kendall Jenner recently made her acting debut on a November 5 episode of Hawaii Five-0 on CBS.
The Jenner girls soon plan to launch their own clothing line, and they’re also penning their first sci-fi novel, due out next summer, with the help of co-writer Maya Sloane for publisher Karen Hunter at Simon & Schuster.
Rihanna and Chris Brown are not shy about showing followers on their Twitter accounts that they were enjoying one another’s private company on Saturday, despite some fans expressing their opposition to the pair reuniting.
Rihanna was Unapologetic about posting an image of Chris Brown on a bed surrounded by The Simpsons memorabilia.
His cap and coat were tossed to the side of the unmade bed and Rihanna gave the snap a hash tag of #BartObsessed.
Apart from the fact that they have been seen together recently as he tours, Chris Brown’s identity was clear because of his eye-catching tattoos.
They did little to quash rumors as they spent Thanksgiving partying together in Berlin on Thursday.
Rihanna had attended Chris Brown’s concert in the German capital and joined him at the after-show party at a night club.
She was seen doing shots at the venue while Chris Brown puffed on a cigarette. They were later spotted getting into the same car.
Chris Brown was charged with assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.
The pair, who can be heard dueting on a song together on Rihanna’s new album Unapologetic, insist they are now just friends.
And while she has scotched claims they are an item once again, Rihanna recently described her former flame as “kinda alright”.
Rihanna was supporting Chris Brown on his Carpe Diem tour after wrapping her own tour, 777, which saw her perform in seven countries in seven days, after turning a jumbo jet into her own private tour bus.
A recent survey shows in-store retail sales on Black Friday, the “busiest shopping day”, dropped from last year.
Holiday shoppers spent $11.2 billion at stores across the US this Black Friday, down 1.8% from last year, according to a Saturday report from the Chicago-based retail technology company ShopperTrak.
Those lower in-store sales figures were apparently impacted by hundreds of thousands of shoppers hitting stores on Thursday (Gray Thursday) evening after filling up on turkey and stuffing.
“Black Friday shopping continues to expand into Thanksgiving Day and will impact the way we look at all of the <<Black>> weekend results, since more shopping hours allows for more shopping visits and a smoothing of sales across all of the days,” said ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin.
Big chain outlets including Sears, Target, Toys R Us and Walmart opened their doors as early as 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
A sharp rise in online shopping likely added to the drop in spending at brick-and-mortar stores this year.
E-commerce sales rose 17.4% on Thanksgiving and 20.7% on Black Friday, compared with last year, according to a recent IBM survey.
A recent survey shows in-store retail sales on 2012 Black Friday dropped from last year
Still, ShopperTrak said Black Friday foot traffic increased 3.5% this year to more than 307.67 million store visits – a sign that more people were browsing store shelves, if not making actual purchases.
“Black Friday continues to be an important day in retail,” Bill Martin said.
“This year, though, more retailers than last year began their doorbuster deals on Thursday, Thanksgiving itself. So while foot traffic did increase on Friday, those Thursday deals attracted some of the spending that’s usually meant for Friday.”
ShopperTrak estimated that foot traffic increased the most in the Midwest, up 12.9% compared with last year.
Foot traffic in the Northeast increased the least compared with last year, up 7.6% in regions that include those hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy.
ShopperTrak, which counts sales numbers from 25,000 retail outlets across the US, had forecast that Black Friday sales would grow 3.8% this year.
A separate survey from the National Retail Federation says holiday spending on both days combined will likely rise 4% this year.
Some positive signs of spending growth have been in the news in the past few months. U.S. consumer confidence rose to 72.2 in October, its highest level since February 2008 and up from 40.9 a year ago.
Yet many consumers are still worried about the slow economic recovery, high unemployment rates and a looming fiscal cliff.
Media mogul Alexander Lebedev expects to be jailed in Russia over a punch-up live on TV last year, his son Evgeny has said today.
Evgeny Lebedev said he feared his father could be killed in jail because of his anti-corruption campaign.
Alexander Lebedev owns two British newspapers and holds a major stake in Russia’s opposition Novaya Gazeta.
He is a critic of President Vladimir Putin. Moscow denies it is behind the criminal case against him.
If convicted for knocking another businessman off his chair during a heated TV debate in September 2011, Alexander Lebedev faces up to seven years in prison.
He is the owner of Britain’s Evening Standard and the Independent newspapers.
Media mogul Alexander Lebedev expects to be jailed in Russia over a punch-up live on TV last year
In September, Alexander Lebedev was charged with hooliganism and assault “motivated by political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred, or hatred of a particular social group” – the same offense that two members of Russia’s Pussy Riot punk group were jailed for earlier this year.
The 52-year-old former KGB agent – whose net worth was recently reported by Forbes magazine to be $1.1 billion – has reportedly signed an undertaking not to leave Russia.
