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Car made from painted human bodies by Emma Hack

Sonia Pantiss
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Car made from painted human bodies by Emma Hack

This car is made of 17 naked men and women who have been painted and positioned to create this bizarre work of art.

Body-painting artist Emma Hack etched colors and markings on her models and arranged their arms, legs and heads into the shape of a small hatchback.

She designed the car down to the smallest detail including alloy wheels and a number plate by covering each model in shades of blue, white, black and silver paint.

Emma Hack even made it look like the car had been pranged in a small accident by exposing the “engine” and leaving the front “bumper” hanging off.

Creative Emma Hack – who painted singer Gotye in his video for number one hit single Somebody That I Used To Know – spent 18 hours creating the car.

It was produced by advertising agency Clemenger BBDO for a road safety campaign by the Motor Accident Commission of South Australia.

Emma Hack said: “The inspiration of the design was a low-level speeding crash. The front of the car is quite affected but the back is still in slick condition. We had to make the car anonymous and generic looking.”

Creative Emma Hack spent 18 hours creating the car
Creative Emma Hack spent 18 hours creating the car

She started with a photo of a crashed car and planned her project by sketching the position of bodies over the top of it.

Emma Hack said: “Some were really obvious, such as the tyres, face as side mirror and the front bumper as the arm. Then I started piling up the bodies to create shape.

“At first we thought we would need 15 people to create the car but it turned out to be 17. That is five women and 12 men.

“I wanted an equal number of men and women but needed the strength and width from men to make the structure work. They were wearing g-strings.”

She added: “Technically, it’s probably the most difficult job I have ever done. It’s quite magical how it’s turned out.”

Emma Hack, from Adelaide, South Australia, used a make-up based paint with a brush and sponge to give her work a “genuine painted artwork feel”.

The job was completed in five stages, starting with the base colors and gradually adding more detail. Each time the models had to get back into exactly the same position, while being careful their paint did not smudge.

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Deadly clashes in Muammar Gadaffi bastion Bani Walid

Roy Siemens
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Deadly clashes in Muammar Gadaffi bastion Bani Walid

At least 22 people have died in days of fighting in Libya’s town of Bani Walid, state news agency Lana says.

It says that some 200 people were injured in the clashes between pro-government militia and gunmen in former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s bastion.

Libya’s new government has struggled to stamp its authority on a country awash with weapons.

Meanwhile, confusion remains about reports that Moussa Ibrahim, Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s ex-spokesman, has been captured.

The prime minister’s office said on Saturday that government forces had arrested Moussa Ibrahim south of Tripoli.

But Nasser al-Manaa, the prime minister’s spokesman, later said there was no proof of the capture.

A recording purportedly by Moussa Ibrahim later appeared on the internet denying the news.

And on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur said that the announcement about Moussa Ibrahim’s arrest had been made without confirmation of the news.

Pro-government militia, many of whom are from the rival town of Misrata, have been shelling Bani Walid for several days.

The government claims that Bani Walid is harboring a number of Gaddafi loyalists – a claim denied by the militia in the town, about 140 km (90 miles) south-east of Tripoli,

In addition, Misrata fighters are reportedly seeking to capture the men who allegedly kidnapped and tortured the man credited with capturing Muammar Gaddafi last October.

Omran Ben Shaaban, a fighter from Misrata, died last month after allegedly spending two months in detention in Bani Walid. His death enraged Misrata’s militia.

On Sunday, Bani Walid militia leader Abdelkarim Ghomaid said that “the attacks are continuing”.

“The shelling is coming from all sides,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The fighting comes around the first anniversary of Gaddafi’s capture in Sirte, on 20 October 2011. He was later killed near his hometown.

Interim leader Mohammed Magarief has admitted that one year on, the country has not yet been fully liberated.

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How McDonald’s fries are made

Nancy Clayson
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How McDonald’s fries are made

McDonald’s is revealing how a potato makes it from the farm to the fast food joint.

A new video chronicles the plants’ journey to become the tasty fried strip and aims to quash the rumors circulating about where the restaurant chain actually gets its food.

Scott Gibson, who works for McDonald’s Canada, stepped forward to explain the process and set the story straight.

“We’ve received so many questions about our french fries we thought we’d take you on a behind the scenes tour from the farm all the way to the fryer,” Scott Gibson, who works as a manager in the supply chain of McDonald’s Canada, said.

In the five minute video on YouTube, Scott Gibson explained the process and he answered questions from customers.

The first question asked was about where the potatoes actually came from and further inquired if the tasty fries were even made from real potatoes.

Scott Gibson enlisted the help of farmer Angelo Levesque, from Levesque Family Farm, a potato supplier for McDonald’s Canada.

Cameras accompanied Angelo Levesque as his team harvested the potatoes, sorted them and then shipped them to a processing plant in nearby Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

“The process of producing a Mac fry is relatively simple,” said Mario Dupuis, the production manager at the McCain Processing Plant, where the potatoes are processed.

McDonald's is revealing how a potato makes it from the farm to the fast food joint
McDonald’s is revealing how a potato makes it from the farm to the fast food joint

Upon arrival from the farm, the potatoes are received and washed to remove dirt and rocks. They are then peeled and pushed through a cutting machine where they become the standard strips.

The match-stick like strips are then pushed through a blancher, that removes the natural sugar from the fries that prevents a variation in color once they are cooked.

The strips are treated with a solution, so they retain their even coat, and lastly an ingredient is added to prevent the fries from greying during the process.

They are dried and then fried for 45 to 60 seconds.

Once cooked, they are frozen, packaged and sent to your local McDonald’s where they are fried until tasty perfection and served.

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Fifty Shades Of Grey becomes fastest selling book in French history

Sonia Pantiss
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Fifty Shades Of Grey becomes fastest selling book in French history

The French translation of British erotic novel Fifty Shades Of Grey was only released on Wednesday, but has already become the fastest selling book in French publishing history.

The astonishing sales figures – of around 75,000 every day – come after the book was panned by French critics as “crass pseudo-porn” that reads like a Mills & Boon novel.

One high-brow reviewer even wrote: “It’s as close to literature as Whiskas cat food is to gastronomy.”

But despite the torrent of critical abuse, E.L James bestseller has now overtaken the Harry Potter novels as France’s favorite book.

French high street giant FNAC said copies of the novel had been “flying of the shelves”.

A spokesman for FNAC – which accounts for around a fifth of all book sales in France – said: “It is amazingly popular. We have never stocked a book that has sold so fast.

“We sold 15,000 copies on the day it was released. In some shops there were just none left.”

But the scathing views of critics from major newspapers and magazines have not matched the huge popularity of France’s latest publishing phenomenon.

 

Fifty Shades Of Grey has become the fastest selling book in French publishing history
Fifty Shades Of Grey has become the fastest selling book in French publishing history

 

Daily newspaper Le Figaro wrote: “It has no intellectual construction. It is Fifty Shades of Boredom.”

The paper compared the book – first released in the UK in May 2011 – to French classic erotic writing by the Marquis de Sade and Anais Nin’s The Story Of O.

It added: “Alongside them, this is soda-masochism <<lite>>, full of insignificant, consensual and clichéd content.”

Les Inrocks music magazine said: “It is exposes the cultural gulf between the Anglo-Saxon hypocrisy and the old authentic sado-masochism of the French.”

News magazine L’Express wrote: “The female character’s multiple orgasms are laughably unbelievable. This crass, pseudo porn might prove to be a massive boost to the sex toy industry, but it’s got nothing to do with good writing.

“This may be what pleases the British public, who can identify with the character Ana’s conflict between her <<conscience>> and her <<inner goddess>>, but it remains to be seen if the French will regard the book with anything more than curiosity.

“Some couples may say it has helped their sex lives by reading it, but it’s as close to literature as Whiskas cat food is to gastronomy.”

And the 20 Minutes news website added: “It’s a load of Mills & Boon-style rubbish.”

Meanwhile, the French publisher JC Lattes has already ordered 500,000 copies – one of the biggest print runs of any French publishing house in recent years.

It has also become the fastest-selling book of all time, shifting more than five million copies in the UK and 40 million around the world.

 

Snooki shows off her trim figure eight weeks after giving birth to baby Lorenzo

Lisa.Felice
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Snooki shows off her trim figure eight weeks after giving birth to baby Lorenzo

Snooki is already back to her pre-pregnancy weight after eight weeks and she has posted a self portrait on her Twitter page.

The Jersey Shore star showcased a tiny waist and enviable legs as she pouted and posed for the camera.

Emphasizing her trim figure by putting her hand on her waist, Snooki, 24, already appears to have a figure most new mothers can only dream of.

And becoming a mum to baby son Lorenzo doesn’t seem to have held the star – real name Nicole Polizzi – back in the style stakes.

Snooki looked sexy and chic in a black military-inspired jacket with shoulder pads, a matching high-waisted miniskirt and a simple white vest.

The diminutive New Jersey resident completed her look with a gold belt, dramatic drop earrings, lashings of gold jewellery and a top knot hairstyle.

Alongside the photo, Snooki wrote: “Buntastic.”

Snooki is already back to her pre-pregnancy weight after eight weeks
Snooki is already back to her pre-pregnancy weight after eight weeks

Since welcoming her little boy into the world at the end of August, Snooki has made sure to keep her fans constantly updated with her progress when it comes to shedding her baby weight.

And the pint-sized beauty hasn’t been able to hide her delight at being able to fit into her clothes once again.

Snooki recently wrote on her Twitter page: “I fit in my skirts again WAHOOOO.”

Petite Snooki – who is engaged to Lorenzo’s father, Jionni LaValle – gained a healthy 35 lbs during her pregnancy but already looks to have lost most of the weight.

She told People magazine after the birth: “I’m definitely trying to eat healthier – grilled chicken and vegetables – and I can’t really work out for six week, but then I’ll start hard-core training.

“I’ll get a trainer or I’ll try a boot-camp or go back to hot yoga.

“I gained 35 lbs, but I’ve already lost 10. I’ll bounce back.”

 

Yash Chopra, Bollywood film-maker, dies aged 80

Sonia Pantiss
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Yash Chopra, Bollywood film-maker, dies aged 80

Yash Chopra, one of India’s most influential film-makers, has died from dengue fever in Mumbai, aged 80.

Over five decades, Yash Chopra, dubbed the King of Romance, gave Bollywood some of its biggest blockbusters.

His film studios Yash Raj Films helped establish some of Indian cinema’s biggest names, including Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

In his tribute, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described Yash Chopra as an “icon of Indian cinema”.

Yash Chopra will be remembered as the man behind some of Bollywood’s most watched films, known not just in India but around the world.

He died in Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital on Sunday and was also suffering kidney ailments, according to Dr. Prakash Jiyavani.

“It is sad news that Yash is no more among us,” close family friend Amit Khanna, chairman of Reliance Big Entertainment, told AFP news agency.

Singer Lata Mangeshkar said: “He made me sing in all his films. He was a jovial person… Even when he was angry, he simply kept quiet.”

Yash Chopra, one of India's most influential film-makers, has died from dengue fever in Mumbai, aged 80
Yash Chopra, one of India’s most influential film-makers, has died from dengue fever in Mumbai, aged 80

In his tribute, Prime Minister Singh said Yash Chopra had entertained many generations “with his rare creativity”.

“His flourish to essay romance and social drama was unmatched,” the prime minister said, adding that the filmmaker had established the international reputation of Indian cinema.

Yash Chopra started his film career working for his brother before establishing Yash Raj Films and going on to produce more than 40 movies – 12 of them as director.

Yash Chopra was behind major hits including Deewar (Wall), Dil To Pagal Hai (Heart Is Mad) and Chandni (Moonlight).

On his birthday last month, he said Jab Tak Hai (Till I am Alive) – being released next month – would be his last movie as a director.

 

George McGovern, former Richard Nixon’s challenger, dies aged 90

Diane A. Wade
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George McGovern, former Richard Nixon’s challenger, dies aged 90

Former Senator George McGovern, who stood as the Democratic presidential candidate against Richard Nixon in 1972, has died, aged 90.

George McGovern was in a hospice in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and slipped out of consciousness three days ago.

A liberal standard-bearer, George McGovern was a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War, but lost to Richard Nixon by a landslide.

He was first elected to Congress in 1956. During the World War II, he served as a US Air Force pilot.

“We are blessed to know that our father lived a long, successful and productive life advocating for the hungry, being a progressive voice for millions and fighting for peace,” said a statement released by his family.

George McGovern was admitted to hospice care earlier this month with a “combination of medical conditions, due to age, that have worsened over recent months”, his family said at the time.

His bid for the presidency in 1972 was marred by what later emerged as a dirty-tricks campaign by President Richard Nixon’s re-election committee, including the break-in at Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel, in Washington DC.

Former Senator George McGovern, who stood as the Democratic presidential candidate against Richard Nixon in 1972, has died, aged 90
Former Senator George McGovern, who stood as the Democratic presidential candidate against Richard Nixon in 1972, has died, aged 90

Richard Nixon, who already enjoyed an advantage throughout the campaign, won a second term in one of the biggest landslides in modern US history.

George McGovern had made two other brief attempts to obtain the Democratic nomination in 1968 and 1984.

At the time, he was seen as a leading voice of the Democratic party’s liberal wing.

After four years in the House of Representatives, he was one of the senators for South Dakota from 1963 to 1981.

George McGovern helped create the Food for Peace program, which sent US food overseas as a form of international aid, and became its first director in 1961.

Despite his failure to unseat Richard Nixon, he left an enduring mark on US politics: among his campaign workers in 1972 was a young Bill Clinton.

“I believe no other presidential candidate ever has had such an enduring impact in defeat,” Bill Clinton said in 2006 at the dedication of George McGovern’s library in Mitchell, South Dakota, according to the Associated Press.

“Senator, the fires you lit then still burn in countless hearts.”

 

Wissam al-Hassan funeral followed by violent clashes in Beirut

Roy Siemens
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Wissam al-Hassan funeral followed by violent clashes in Beirut

Clashes have erupted outside Lebanese government offices in Beirut after thousands attended the funeral of security chief Wissam al-Hassan who was killed by a car bomb on Friday.

A group of protesters tried to storm the HQ, after a new call for Prime Minister Najib Mikat to resign. Police fired warning shots and tear gas.

Friday’s attack also killed one of Wissam Hassan’s bodyguards and a woman nearby.

Opposition figures have blamed neighboring Syria for the attack.

Many have protested against Syria and its Lebanese allies amid fears the Syrian conflict could spill over.

The confrontation outside the prime minister’s office lasted for a few minutes.

Two former prime ministers – Saad Hariri and Fouad Siniora – intervened to urge their supporters to remain calm.

Lebanon’s religious communities are divided between those who support the Syrian government – including many Shias – and those mostly from the Sunni community who back the rebels.

Lebanon’s Shia militant group Hezbollah – a close ally of the Syrian government – condemned the bombing.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi called it a “cowardly, terrorist act”. He said such incidents were “unjustifiable wherever they occur”.

Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon in 2005 after a 29-year-long presence, in the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Wissam Hassan, 47, was close to the 14 March opposition and the Hariri family, part of the anti-Syrian opposition.

President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati – who has faced calls for his resignation over the killing – greeted Wissam Hassan’s coffin at an earlier ceremony at the headquarters of the Internal Security Forces (ISF).

Wissam Hassan headed up the intelligence branch of the ISF. The car bomb exploded close to its offices in the east Beirut neighborhood of Ashrafiya.

He was to be buried alongside former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Wissam Hassan led an investigation into Rafik Hariri’s assassination, which implicated Damascus.

He also recently organized the arrest of a former minister accused of planning a Syrian-sponsored bombing campaign in Lebanon.

A day after the bombing, Prime Minister Najib Mikati suggested the attack had been connected with that case.

Many mourners at Sunday’s funeral waved the light blue flag of the Sunni-based opposition Future Party, while others carried Lebanon’s national flag.

Many people described Wissam Hassan as a martyr who was killed trying to protect his country.

“We came for Lebanon’s future to show that we will not be scared,” said one of the mourners.

The prime minister offered to stand down as prime minister on Saturday, but President Michel Suleiman asked him to stay on in the national interest.

A prominent Lebanese opposition MP, Ahmad Fatfat, said the conflict could escalate into civil war.

“What Mr. Assad is trying to do now is transfer his problem to all the countries around Syria – to Turkey, to Lebanon, to Iraq, to Jordan, and Lebanon is the most fragile in this story,” he said.

“And maybe Assad will do what he can to transfer Lebanon into a hell situation so he can think later on that what is going on is a general war in the Middle East and not a revolution in Syria.”

Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi said he hoped the situation in Lebanon would be settled, with calm returning.

“It’s very delicate what’s going on and I hope the Lebanese, as usual, will be able to get through this difficult time,” Nabil al-Arabi said.

Wissam al-Hassan

• Head of the intelligence branch of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces

• Sunni Muslim born in the northern city of Tripoli in 1965

• Responsible for the security of former PM Rafik Hariri

• Viewed as being close to the Hariris and the opposition 14 March coalition

• Responsible for the August arrest of pro-Syrian politician and ex-information minister Michel Samaha

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Josh Chunn, Lindsay Lohan’s new boyfriend, says he is the best influence in her life

Lisa.Felice
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Josh Chunn, Lindsay Lohan’s new boyfriend, says he is the best influence in her life

After Michael Lohan hinted his daughter Lindsay had a new boyfriend earlier this week, fitness trainer Josh Chunn has confirmed the couple are dating.

Josh Chunn, 25, claimed with his clean-living lifestyle, he is the “best influence” on Lindsay Lohan right now.

Lindsay Lohan’s new boyfriend told the New York Daily News: “I’ve been trying to get Lindsay to focus. But how do you get her to focus with all the stuff going on around her? I can barely focus. She’s a strong girl. She’s cleaning up. I just want her to be OK.”

However, Josh Chunn admitted Michael Lohan put him in an “awkward place” when he attempted to stage a dramatic emergency intervention at Lindsay’s Beverly Hills home in the hope of persuading her to go to rehab.

After asking Michael Lohan to leave when police appeared on the scene responding to claims of trespassing, Josh Chunn explained he understands Lindsay’s father is “just out to help her”.

But the same cannot be said for the rest of Lindsay Lohan’s pals, in Josh Chunn’s opinion.

He said: “I think I’m the best influence on her. The deal is she is surrounded by a bunch of f**k-ups.

“I’m there for Lindsay. I listen. I work hard for my money. I pay my own bill when we go out. I have a schedule.

“That’s the problem with these kids in L.A., they don’t have a schedule. All they want to do is party.”

Lindsay Lohan, 26, and Josh Chunn first met at the home of a mutual friend, before bumping into each other once again at a recent party at the Chateau Marmont Hotel.

And it seems partying could be a thing of the past for Lindsay Lohan, with Josh Chunn explaining he is trying to encourage the actress to take on board his outdoor lifestyle and join him on fishing trips and hikes.

Lindsay Lohan and Josh Chunn first met at the home of a mutual friend, before bumping into each other once again at a recent party at the Chateau Marmont Hotel
Lindsay Lohan and Josh Chunn first met at the home of a mutual friend, before bumping into each other once again at a recent party at the Chateau Marmont Hotel

Despite his awkward meeting with Michael Lohan, Josh Chunn has apparently had the seal of approval from his girlfriend’s father.

Michael Lohan wrote on his Twitter page: “You are one of the best people that Lindsay has ever met! Sorry but the ones who care get it the worst.”

However, Lindsay Lohan recently claimed she is single.

Writing on her Twitter page, the actress said: “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have Chanel, Hermes and diamonds.”

Meanwhile, Lindsay’s mother, Dina Lohan, has slammed Michael’s attempted intervention.

Dina Lohan said in a statement to TMZ: “This sole act by my ex was not an intervention nor was this extreme antic sanctioned by any member of Lindsay’s family or her professional team of handlers.

“It’s all about her father obsessed with making a name for himself in the news once again. It’s sad and I hope he stops masquerading as her father in public and starts acting like one in private.”

Lindsay Lohan is expected to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday to answer charges that she fled the scene of a car accident outside a New York hotel on September 19.

 

Lakhdar Brahimi meets Bashar al-Assad in Damascus

Roy Siemens
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Lakhdar Brahimi meets Bashar al-Assad in Damascus

International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has met Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.

Lakhdar Brahimi, who represents the UN and the Arab League, is in Damascus to press both the government and the rebels to observe a truce over the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

On Friday, Lakhdar Brahimi met with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and opposition leaders.

There has been no sign of the violence abating, with an explosion reported in a Christian area of Damascus on Sunday.

The attack apparently targeted a police station in the Bab Touma district of the old city.

Unconfirmed reports say at least one person was killed and several injured.

 

Heavy clashes were also reported on the main road between Damascus and Aleppo on Saturday, particularly around the town of Maarat al-Numan.

The town has been in rebel hands for more than a week and is seen as strategically important to maintaining a supply route between Syria’s largest city Aleppo and the capital Damascus.

Civilians in Syria are desperate for a ceasefire but many doubt President Bashar al-Assad’s forces will agree.

A ceasefire that started on 12 April was soon broken and more violence prevailed.

Lakhdar Brahimi is calling for a ceasefire over the festival of Eid al-Adha, which begins on Friday and lasts over the weekend.

For much of the past 18 months, rebel groups have been fighting against Bashar al-Assad’s government and at least 30,000 people are believed to have been killed.

Repeated efforts by the international community to find a diplomatic solution have foundered because of a deep divide at the UN Security Council.

In videos posted online, one rebel group said it was willing to respect a ceasefire given certain conditions, while other groups have not made a decision.

 

Kateri Tekakwitha and six others named as saints by Pope Benedict XVI

Diane A. Wade
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Kateri Tekakwitha and six others named as saints by Pope Benedict XVI

Native American Kateri Tekakwitha and six others have been named as saints by Pope Benedict XVI at the start of a new drive to deepen the faith of believers.

The pontiff named the seven at a ceremony in St Peter’s Square at the start of a “Year of Faith”.

Kateri Tekakwitha, who lived in the 17th Century, impressed missionaries with her deep spirituality.

The other new saints include a nun who tended a Hawaiian leper colony and a French missionary killed in Madagascar.

In the Roman Catholic Church, a saint is a person who has been recognized officially as being in Heaven.

As the sun rose over St Peter’s Square on Sunday morning, Native American pilgrims in beaded and feathered headdresses sang songs to Kateri Tekakwitha, the Associated Press news agency reports.

In recent a years a miraculous intervention has been ascribed to Kateri Tekakwitha, who was born in what is now New York State and died in what is now Canada.

The Vatican believes she saved the life of a Native American child who was being ravaged by a flesh-eating bacterium.

This, the Church decided, was the final miracle required to qualify her for sainthood.

It is also felt that her elevation would give Native American Catholics an important boost.

They are criticized by some in their communities for retaining the Christian faith, regarded by some as an imposition by European colonizers.

Kateri Tekakwitha, who is sometimes known today as Lily Of The Mohawks, died at the age of 24
Kateri Tekakwitha, who is sometimes known today as Lily Of The Mohawks, died at the age of 24

Kateri Tekakwitha, who is sometimes known today as Lily Of The Mohawks, died at the age of 24.

The other figures who became saints on Sunday are:

• German-born Franciscan nun Maria Anna Cope who is known as Mother Marianne Of Molokai because she looked after lepers on the island of Molokai in the Hawaii archipelago

• French Jesuit Jacques Berthieu, who was executed by rebels in 1896 in Madagascar

• The Philippines’ Pedro Calungsod, a young seminarian who was killed on the island of Guam when he visited with a Jesuit priest to baptise a young girl

• German lay preacher Maria Schaeffer, who died in 1925

• Italian priest Giovanni Battista Piamarta, who in the late 19th century devoted his life to helping young people during the industrial revolution and founded a religious congregation

• Spanish nun Maria del Carmen, who also founded a congregation and worked to better the lot of poor women in the 19th Century

 

White House denies New York Times report on Iran nuclear talks

Diane A. Wade
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White House denies New York Times report on Iran nuclear talks

The White House has denied a report in the New York Times saying that Iran had agreed to one-on-one negotiations over its nuclear programme with the US.

The report, quoting unnamed officials, said Iran had agreed to the talks for the first time but would not hold them until after US elections on 6 November.

The White House said it was prepared to meet Iran bilaterally, but that there was no plan to do so.

Western states think Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, something it denies.

Iran has been a key foreign policy topic in the US election campaign.

President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney will hold their third and final campaign debate on Monday, on the subject of foreign policy.

The New York Times report said the US and Iran had agreed to one-on-one negotiations “in principle”.

But US National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement that it was untrue the US and Iran had “agreed to one-on-one talks or any meeting after the American elections”.

“We continue to work… on a diplomatic solution and have said from the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally,” he added.

Negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 negotiation group – which includes the UK, US, France, China, Russia and Germany – have stalled.

Western nations have used increasingly harsh sanctions in an effort to pressure Iran over its nuclear programme.

Mitt Romney has accused Barack Obama of being too soft on Iran.

Barack Obama opposes a near-term military strike by the US or Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but says he is determined to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb.

“The president has made clear that he will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and we will do what we must to achieve that,” Tommy Vietor said.

“The onus is on the Iranians to do so, otherwise they will continue to face crippling sanctions and increased pressure.”

 

Brazilian newspapers ban Google News from using their online content

Nancy Clayson
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Brazilian newspapers ban Google News from using their online content

Brazilian newspapers accounting for 90% of the circulation in the country have abandoned Google News.

Brazil’s National Association of Newspapers says all 154 members had followed its recommendation to ban the search engine aggregator from using their content.

The papers say Google News refused to pay for content and was driving traffic away from their websites.

Google said previously that the service boosted traffic to news websites.

“Staying with Google News was not helping us grow our digital audiences, on the contrary,” said the association’s president, Carlos Fernando Lindenberg Neto.

“By providing the first few lines of our stories to Internet users, the service reduces the chances that they will look at the entire story in our websites,” he said, in an interview with the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas.

The National Association of Newspapers, known by its Portuguese acronym ANJ, carried out an experiment with Google that began in December 2010.

This allowed Google News to carry the top line of news stories, to raise curiosity and get readers to click on the full story on the newspapers’ sites.

But the ANJ says the experiment has failed.

Among the 154 titles that have pulled out from Google News are some of the country’s most important news sites, such as O Globo and O Estado de Sao Paulo.

At a recent meeting of the American Press Association in Sao Paulo, Google defended its decision not to pay for the headlines from news websites.

“Google News channels a billion clicks to news sites around the world,” said Google’s Public Policy Director, Marcel Leonardi.

He compared the ANJ’s demands to taxing a taxi driver for taking tourists to eat at a particular restaurant.

Brazil’s newspaper association said that, despite leaving Google News, many of the news organizations’ internet portals will still be listed by the aggregator.

Internet users using Google – but not Google News – will still be able to find content from most newspapers’ sites.

 

Pippa Middleton party planning book: Celebrate. A Year of Festivities for Family and Friends

Nancy Clayson
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Pippa Middleton party planning book: Celebrate. A Year of Festivities for Family and Friends

Pippa Middleton is the younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge whose derriere became the surprise star of last year’s Royal Wedding.

Now – in her new party-planning book Celebrate. A Year of Festivities for Family and Friends – Pippa Middleton has acknowledged the “startling” reality that she has achieved worldwide fame because Kate married Prince William and because of the unexpected focus on her bottom.

Pippa Middleton, 29, admits: “It is a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30 on account of your sister, your brother-in-law and your bottom.

“One day I might be able to make sense of this. In the meantime I think it’s fair to say that it has its upside and its downside.

“I certainly have opportunities many can only dream of – but in most ways I’m a typical girl in her 20s trying to forge a career and represent herself in what can sometimes seem rather strange circumstances.

“I am by nature an optimist so I tend to concentrate on the advantages.

“One of the most attractive has been the chance to publish [this book] Celebrate.”

Celebrate: A Year Of British Festivities For Families And Friends is party-planner Pippa Middleton’s guide to home entertaining and goes on sale at the end of this month.

In Celebrate, Pippa Middleton acknowledges the effect her sister the Duchess of Cambridge’s fame will have on sales, saying: “I know many of you will pick up the book out of nothing more than curiosity.

“[But] I can assure you that it feels even stranger to me than it probably does to you to have seen so much written about me when I have done so little to paint a picture of myself.

“This is my first chance to do that and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

“The book is designed to be a comprehensive guide to home entertaining, based on my experience in my family’s business Party Pieces and work for London-based events company Table Talk.”

Pippa Middleton party planning book, Celebrate A Year of Festivities for Family and Friends
Pippa Middleton party planning book, Celebrate A Year of Festivities for Family and Friends

Last year it was revealed that Pippa Middleton – whose previous literary experience includes writing the online newsletter Party Times for the family’s business – had secured an almost unprecedented £400,000 ($620,000) deal for the book with publisher Michael Joseph.

Pippa Middleton’s recipes are accompanied by glossy pictures of the author along with a selection of anecdotes recalling her childhood growing up with Kate in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

Talking about Bonfire Night, Pippa Middleton says: “The unique sights, sounds, smells and tastes make this festival a particularly evocative one.

“I remember the noise of the bells ringing at school as the effigy of Guy Fawkes we’d prepared earlier was carried out on a canvas stretcher, hoisted on to the huge bonfire and set alight.

“Then the revelry would begin.

“My school friends and I would all have sparklers we passed around, lighting one from another.”

Pippa Middleton also reminisces about playing conkers at school: “We all used to get really competitive. The trick was to paint clear nail varnish on the conkers to make them very tough and less likely to break – outrageous cheating of course!”

 

Prince sues Capital Asset Protection for taking more than $100K from his bank account

Lisa.Felice
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0
Prince sues Capital Asset Protection for taking more than $100K from his bank account

Prince has turned the tables on Capital Asset Protection, filing a lawsuit against the Calabasas-based company for allegedly taking more than $100,000 from his bank account.

CAP was collecting the money for a lawsuit Prince, 54, previously lost over a music production contract, according to TMZ.

According to the suit, Capital Asset Protection made two withdrawals from Prince’s bank accounts in June, to the tune of $105,949.14 and $10,278.94.

In documents filed on Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, lawyers for Prince say a judge vacated that original judgement in October, 2011, thereby erasing his debt to the production company.

Prince is suing to get back his $116,228.12 plus interest.

The singer had an estimated net worth of between $100 million and $250 million in 2011, according to USA Today.

He was listed in TIME Magazine’s 2010 annual ranking of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”.

Prince has been in a relationship with protégée Bria Valente since 2007.

 

Google could disappear in five to eight years, say analysts

Nancy Clayson
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Google could disappear in five to eight years, say analysts

Analysts are already predicting Google’s demise as the world’s lead Internet search engine after it suffered a catastrophic nose-dive in its market value.

“[Google] could disappear in five to eight years and disappear in the sense that Yahoo used to be the king of search,” said Eric Jackson, the founder and managing member of Ironfire Capital, a technology-focused hedge fund.

“Now, for all intents and purposes, Yahoo has disappeared,” he said on CNBC Friday.

Google’s stock value plunged a hair-raising 10% this week – wiping out more than $24 billion from the company’s value – after its third-quarter earnings report, which revealed a 20 percent drop in profits over last year, was accidentally released three hours earlier than planned on Thursday.

The profit losses were driven by a decline in advertising revenue, according to its earnings report. The amount that advertisers paid Google on a click-per-click basis fell 15%.

Advertising revenues are falling – and will continue to fall – for Internet companies because consumers are increasingly migrating to mobile applications and advertisers aren’t willing to pay as much for a mobile ad.

“I keep saying Facebook isn’t the only one that has a mobile issue – Google does, too,” Colin Gillis, an analyst for Boston Consulting Group, told CNBC.com.

“If you are an investor in Facebook, mobile is priced into earnings. I don’t think mobile in Google is priced in.”

Google's stock value plunged a hair-raising 10 percent this week
Google’s stock value plunged a hair-raising 10 percent this week

Advertisers aren’t willing to pay as much for mobile advertising because the platform is not as effective as advertising on a desktop or laptop computer, analysts said.

Other companies, such as Apple, will get ahead of Google in attracting advertisers to their mobile applications and Google’s dominance will eventually start to shrink, Eric Jackson predicted.

“I think that there is a big opportunity right now for someone to step forward and assert themselves for a new way of getting people information for doing search in a mobile world,” Eric Jackson said.

“I don’t think typing in a blue box is the ideal format for a mobile world. And I think the best opportunity out there to displace Google in this area is probably Apple’s Siri.”

For now however, despite its drop in earnings, Google remains dominant in online advertising with a 74.5% share of the U.S. search ad market, according to data from eMarketer.

Shares in Apple, the only technology company larger than Google in market value, fell by around 2.8% during trading on Friday.

Facebook, which is another technology stock heavily dependent on advertising for its revenues, saw its shares fall by 0.5% during trading.

The Dow Jones index of trading on Wall Street dipped more than 200 points.

Google blamed its printers for releasing the results by accident. Speculation was mounting on Friday night that Google could make a legal claim against R.R. Donnelley, the company it pays to put out its financial results.

 

Adele welcomes baby boy

Lisa.Felice
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0
Adele welcomes baby boy

Adele and partner Simon Konecki have reportedly welcomed a baby boy on Friday night.

Adele, 24, is said to be “ecstatic” by the baby’s arrival.

A source is quoted as saying: “Adele and Simon are ecstatic at their new arrival.

“She was over the moon that they were expecting their first child together.”

Her spokesman said of Friday night’s reported birth: “We are not releasing a statement at this time. No comment.”

Adele and partner Simon Konecki have reportedly welcomed a baby boy on Friday night
Adele and partner Simon Konecki have reportedly welcomed a baby boy on Friday night

Adele announced her pregnancy back in June, writing on her official blog: “I’m delighted to announce that Simon and I are expecting our first child together.

“I wanted you to hear the news direct from me, obviously we’re over the moon and very excited but please respect our privacy at this precious time. Yours always, Adele xx”

Adele and Simon Konecki started dating last summer and moved in together earlier this year. Simon Konecki also has a 5-year-old daughter with his ex-wife Clary Fisher.

She has said of Simon in the past: “He looks after me. I don’t think I’d have got through the recovery from surgery if not for him.”

 

Recipe: Creamy leek and potato soup with crispy pancetta

Kathryn R. Bown
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Recipe: Creamy leek and potato soup with crispy pancetta

Try this simple, delicious and nutritious homemade vegetable soup for the chilliest autumn days.

Creamy leek and potato soup with crispy pancetta (4 serves).

 

INGREDIENTS

50 g (1¾ oz) butter

400 g (14 oz) Désirée potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) dice

1 onion, cut into 1cm (½in) dice

300 g (10½oz) leeks, very thinly sliced

1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock

150 ml (5 fl oz) double cream

125 ml (4 fl oz) milk

For the topping

The green part of 1 medium leek

2 tbsp butter

2 thin slices of pancetta

Creamy leek and potato soup with crispy pancetta
Creamy leek and potato soup with crispy pancetta

METHOD

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the potatoes, onion and leeks and stir them in the butter until coated. Season, then cover the pan and cook over a gentle heat for 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Pour in the stock and, leaving the pan uncovered, bring to the boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Purée in a blender until smooth, then season well. Pour the soup into a

clean pan and stir in the cream and milk. For the topping, finely shred the green part of the leek and melt the butter in a pan. When the butter is hot, gently cook the leek in it for a few minutes until softened. Place the pancetta under a medium grill and cook until crisp. Transfer onto kitchen paper. Reheat the soup to a gentle simmer (add some extra stock if it’s too thick), then pour into warmed bowls. To serve, top with a little pile of the green leek and broken pieces of pancetta.

 

Halloween baby costumes 2012

Nancy Clayson
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Halloween baby costumes 2012

Ketchup packets, Tootsie rolls and sushi are among some of the funniest and most imaginative baby costumes to go on sale for Halloween 2012.

While not to everyone’s taste, the wacky outfits will no doubt be a hit with parents who want their newborns to stand out.

This year Target has produced a whoopee cushion suit for toddlers, printed with a sketch of a woman exclaiming “Oops!”.

One review on the website reads: “This was such a cute costume. Everybody loved it! Since it was cooler at night it helped keep him warmer.”

While The Wishing Elephant suggests its California Sushi Roll ensemble is the perfect choice for toddlers this season.

The onesie, featuring flecks of orange and green, comes complete with imitation crab, carrots, avocado and rice.

Designer Carolyn Caffelle, who is based in Somersworth, New Hampshire, says: “Turn your toddler into a sushi roll for Halloween!

“Would you prefer a tuna roll? Salmon? Whatever the roll, I can accommodate.”

Halloween baby costume 2012
Halloween baby costume 2012

For parents looking for a more traditional look for their infant, there are plenty of seasonal wares to pick from. Little Bird Lucy, an independent store holder featured on etsy.com, sells a knitted pumpkin hat for newborns touted as an “instant photo prop”.

And One Step Ahead offers an eight-legged spider costume, complete with giant, jiggling legs and a velour top hat.

Foodie parents are in luck, as food-inspired wares are rife. Buycostumes.com sells giant Tootsie Roll and peanut suits for youngsters, while shop.com has an eye-catching hot dog disguise.

And on the fast-food theme, Target suggests parents squeeze their infant into a giant Heinz ketchup packet and Amazon serves up a baby taco outfit, complete with lettuce and meat shaped detailing.

As the Washington Post points out: “Dressing children up under the age of two is more for the parents and the show for friends and family than for the entertainment of the baby.”

It adds that comfort and safety are important to consider when selecting a child’s costume.

“While dressing up is fun, it can also be dangerous. Make sure that any costume you choose is appropriate for the age of your child.”

 

Moussa Ibrahim, Gaddafi’ spokesman, captured in Tarhouna

Roy Siemens
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0
Moussa Ibrahim, Gaddafi’ spokesman, captured in Tarhouna

Moussa Ibrahim, the spokesman for late leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been captured, according to the office of Libya’s prime minister.

The office said he had been arrested by government forces in Tarhouna, 65 km (40 miles) south of Tripoli.

Other Libyan officials say they are skeptical, as such reports have proved false in the past.

The prime minister’s office did not provide any photographic or video evidence of the reported capture.

“Moussa Ibrahim has been arrested by forces belonging to the Libyan government in the town of Tarhouna and he is being transferred to Tripoli to begin interrogation,” a statement issued by the office of Prime Minister Ali Zidan said.

Moussa Ibrahim, the spokesman for late leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been captured
Moussa Ibrahim, the spokesman for late leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been captured

Tarhouna is located between Tripoli and Bani Walid – one of the last strongholds of pro-Gaddafi forces in the closing stages of last year’s conflicts.

During the war in Libya last year, Moussa Ibrahim held regular press conferences in Tripoli at the Rixos hotel, which was used by many international journalists.

He was last seen there shortly before the fall of Tripoli in August 2011.

The reported taking of Moussa Ibrahim comes on the first anniversary of Col. Gaddafi’s capture. The latter was seized and killed near his hometown of Sirte.

Interim leader Mohammed Magarief said that one year on, the country has not yet been fully liberated.

Militia groups which helped to defeat pro-Gaddafi forces remain powerful in many parts of the country. There have been clashes between militias in Bani Walid in recent days.

 

Michael Lohan stages dramatic intervention at Lindsay’s home believing she suffered a relapse

Lisa.Felice
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0
Michael Lohan stages dramatic intervention at Lindsay’s home believing she suffered a relapse

Lindsay Lohan’s Los Angeles home was overrun by police on Friday after her father, Michael Lohan, attempted to stage a dramatic intervention.

Michael Lohan turned up at his daughter’s Beverly Hills home, believing the actress had suffered a relapse in her sobriety, according to TMZ.

The website claims the 52-year-old patriarch, who is estranged from his daughter, led a group of “several others” to the property in an attempt to force Lindsay into treatment.

A call was placed to Beverly Hills Police Department to report a trespassing.

Before leaving the property, Michael Lohan told the website his concerns for Lindsay grew after she failed to show up to carry out post-production work on her upcoming movie, The Canyons.

Lindsay Lohan told reporters at the scene: “Lindsay needs help. She’s around all the wrong people.

“They are a bunch of alcoholics and drug addicts.

“She’s around the wrong people and it’s getting worse and worse.

“I’m not going to stand for this anymore. She has to get better. I’m not going to watch my daughter die.”

Michael Lohan suggested his daughter’s “whole team”, referring to her army of managers, agents and publicists – supported his actions.

He also claimed Lindsay Lohan was “very resistant” to getting the help he claims she needs.

Michael Lohan said he only wanted to “talk some sense into her and get her some help”, adding, “that’s all we want. We want the best for her”.

But Lindsay Lohan has reportedly hit back at the claims, telling TMZ that she does not have a problem and does not require rehab.

The website reports she has not relapsed and believes Michael Lohan is trying to stage an intervention in reaction to her cutting him off after he recorded a conversation with her.

Lindsay Lohan reportedly believes her father is trying to feign interest in her welfare to try and get back in her good books.

Apparently Lindsay Lohan was at the house when her father and the team arrived, but someone claiming to be her boyfriend tried to make them leave.

The “boyfriend” allegedly told Lindsay Lohan’s father she was inside, but suggested that any problems she may have would not be solved by her father’s antics.

Later Michael Lohan revealed on Twitter he did not ask her mother for help because it would be like the “blind leading the blind”.

When asked on Twitter if Dina Lohan was involved in the attempted intervention, he wrote: “Aaah what do you think! That is like the blind leading the blind.”

He also tweeted personal trainer Josh Chunn – who he claims is Lindsay Lohan’s latest boyfriend – after the actress reportedly kicked him out of her house for attempting to help her dad.

Michael Lohan wrote: “You are one of the best people that Lindsay has ever met! Sorry but the ones who care get it the worst.”

However, Lindsay Lohan then insisted she is single, tweeting: “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have Chanel, Hermes and diamonds.”

Lindsay Lohan and her father Michael
Lindsay Lohan and her father Michael

The incident comes after writer Bret Easton Ellis accused the actress of skipping out on work for the movie The Canyons on Thursday.

Referencing his American Psycho character, Bret Easton Ellis, who penned the script, tweeted: “Patrick Bateman has just headed over to Lindsay Lohan’s hotel to confront her as to why she missed her f***ing ADR on <<The Canyons>> today…”

ADR is the technical term given to overdubbing lines after a scene has been recorded.

Lindsay’s spokesman, Steve Honig, rebutted the claims the actress missed work.

“Lindsay is busy right now promoting her new film Liz & Dick and [Canyons work] had to be rescheduled. That’s it,” he said in a statement.

Michael Lohan brushed off the explanation, saying the real reason was she was “around the wrong people doing the wrong things”.

He seemed to foreshadow his actions in a recent email he sent to the New York Post, in which he angrily derided the people his daughter has surrounded herself with.

Michael Lohan wrote: “I am very upset with the crowd around Lindsay. My advice to ALL the negative influences in Lindsay and my other children’s lives is, this time, you have crossed the line and bitten off a lot more than you can chew!

“My family will not be subject to your misguided morals and ways! There WILL BE changes!! Just watch.”

Lindsay Lohan claimed she was “done” with her father earlier this month after he released a recording in which she claiming her mother was “on cocaine” and spewing verbal abuse at her on their way home from a Manhattan nightclub.

She subsequently backtracked, and defended her mother after the dispute between the pair saw police called to the family’s New York home.

Lindsay Lohan has a complex legal history that includes drink driving convictions and her infamous no-contest plea to stealing a necklace in 2011.

 

Forbes Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities In US

Diane A. Wade
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Forbes Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities In US

For the fourth years in a row, Forbes.com has rated Detroit, Michigan, as the most dangerous city in the United States with a violent crime rate of 2,137 per 100,000 residents.

Detroit was once the industrial capital of the nation. But, decades of economic decline and a ruinous recession have turned the Motor City into America’s crime capital.

Many of the other places on the list are also declining industrial powerhouse cities that have been left ravaged by dwindling blue-collar jobs and rising unemployment.

Baltimore, Maryland, ranked number seven; Cleveland, Ohio, number nine; and Buffalo, New York, number ten; all share Detroit’s fate to one degree or another.

Seismic changes in the auto industry have left tens of thousands of people out of work in Detroit as automakers and parts suppliers shrank in size and began to rely more heavily on labor-saving technology.

The unemployment rate is currently 19.65, nearly two and a half times the national average.

Crime is so bad in Detroit that at a recent town hall meeting, Mayor Dave Bing was booed and heckled by his own police officers.

“What are you doing to stop the attack as far as blight, the drugs, the murder?” officer Marcus Cummings demanded, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Detroit has lost more than 200,000 residents in the last decade as citizens fled the blighted city for better-off suburbs with lower crime and better school.

Forbes pointed out that even with the population drop, there were 344 murders last year, compared with 395 in 2001.

The police department was forced to fire 200 police officers last year as the city struggled to cope with massive budget shortfalls from declining tax revenue as people left and businesses closed their doors.

Poverty and high unemployment figure prominently among the most violent cities in the nation. Each of them has higher unemployment rates than the rest of the nation.

Oakland, California, number three; Memphis, Tennessee, number four; Birmingham Alabama, number five; and Stockton, California, number eight; have all struggled with high poverty rates for many years.

Unemployment in Stockton, 17.8%, is only marginally lower than it is in Detroit.

St Louis, Missouri, number two, and Atlanta, Georgia, number six, both stand at the crossroads of major drug trafficking corridors and are plagued by especially violent drug crime. Stockton also lies on a key drug trafficking route – between the Mexican cartels and the Pacific Northwest.

Criminologists, and police chiefs in the cities themselves, warn that the data behind the ranking, the FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, offers shaky ground for comparing cities.

The FBI’s numbers depend on how thoroughly the local police departments record and report their own crime statistics.

However, most of the cities listed have been ranked among the most dangerous for years.

And most of them also have the highest murder rates — one crime stat that’s hard to fudge.

After all, as the saying goes, it’s possible for police commanders massage robberies to make them look like thefts, and downplay nonfatal shootings. It’s much more difficult to hide a body.

 

The ten most dangerous cities in the U.S.

The following is Forbes’ list of the ten most dangerous cities in the country, based on the violent crime rate, which lists the number of murders, rapes, robberies and assaults per 100,000 residents.

1. Detroit, Michigan – 2,137

2. St Louis, Missouri – 1,857

3. Oakland, California – 1,653

4. Memphis, Tennessee – 1,583

5. Birmingham, Alabama – 1,483

6. Atlanta, Georgia – 1,433

7. Baltimore, Maryland – 1,417

8. Stockton, California – 1,408

9. Cleveland, Ohio – 1,363

10. Buffalo, New York – 1,238

 

Silent No More by Aaron Fisher: Jerry Sandusky’s victim describes the ordeal of staying at the coach’s home

Diane A. Wade
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0
Silent No More by Aaron Fisher: Jerry Sandusky’s victim describes the ordeal of staying at the coach’s home

Aaron Fisher, one of Jerry Sandusky’s victims claims in his new book that Dottie Sandusky once called down to the basement while he was being attacked and Sandusky dismissed her by saying he was busy.

Aaron Fisher writes in Silent No More that Dottie Sandusky asked her husband to fix a table upstairs but that when he replied he was fixing an air hockey table she dropped the subject.

“Sarge,” Aaron Fisher wrote, using her nickname, “never went down to the basement”.

The basement, according to court testimony, is where Jerry Sandusky abused Aaron Fisher and other boys who stayed overnight at his home.

Aaron Fisher, who was known publicly for a year only as Victim 1, put aside anonymity Friday to speak about his ordeal as a child, telling ABC’s 20/20 he had contemplated suicide because authorities took so long to prosecute Jerry Sandusky, nearly three years after he and his mother first alerted school officials.

The Associated Press bought an early copy of Aaron Fisher’s book, which is being published next week.

Jerry Sandusky didn’t testify at trial but has repeatedly said he is innocent, and Dottie Sandusky has maintained she never saw him behave inappropriately with children.

Not only that, Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer Joe Amendola said Friday: “She said they had a freezer in the basement so she would routinely go down there go get stuff to make for dinner.

“She said had she thought Jerry was doing anything inappropriate, she said he wouldn’t have needed the judicial system.”

In the book, Aaron Fisher’s mother and co-author, Dawn Daniels, recounts meeting Jerry Sandusky after her son had spent a couple of summers at events held by his charity, The Second Mile.

“When Aaron introduced us, Jerry shook my hand, put his arm around Aaron, roughed up his hair and said, <<You got a good kid on your hands there>>,” she said, according to the book.

Silent No More by Jerry Sandusky abuse victim, Aaron Fisher
Silent No More by Jerry Sandusky abuse victim, Aaron Fisher

Aaron Fisher wrote that in an early warning sign, while swimming together he felt Jerry Sandusky’s hand on his crotch a “little too long”. During car rides, he said, Jerry Sandusky had him sit up front and would put his hand on the boy’s thigh.

He first reported the abuse in 2008, but he said the state attorney general’s office told him it needed more victims before Jerry Sandusky would be charged. Jerry Sandusky was arrested last November.

The delay, Aaron Fisher said, made him increasingly desperate.

“I thought maybe it would be easier to take myself out of the equation,” he told ABC.

“Let somebody else deal with it.”

Aaron Fisher, 18, testified at Jerry Sandusky’s trial, which ended with Sandusky convicted of 45 counts of abuse involving Fisher and nine other boys.

Jerry Sandusky, 68, was sentenced this month to 30 to 60 years in prison.

Aaron Fisher said he began spending nights at the Sandusky home in State College, about 30 miles from his own home in Lock Haven, when he was 11. He said kissing and back rubbing during those overnight visits progressed to oral sex. He said he tried to distance himself from Sandusky, to no avail.

He was 15 when he and his mother reported the abuse to a school principal, who responded that “Jerry has a heart of gold and that he wouldn’t do those type of things”, Fisher told ABC, repeating his trial testimony.

In the book, Aaron Fisher describes the moment when he told the principal and a guidance counselor Sandusky had molested him: “All the color when out of their faces. I wouldn’t give them any details, because it was so embarrassing to tell that kind of stuff to women.”

School officials reported Jerry Sandusky to Clinton County Children and Youth Services, which began an investigation and brought in state police.

The AP typically does not name sexual-abuse victims, unless they identify themselves publicly, as Aaron Fisher has done.

Joe Amendola said Aaron Fisher and other accusers were motivated by money, a claim he has repeatedly made.

On Thursday, Joe Amendola filed a document that is the first step in Jerry Sandusky’s effort to overturn his conviction, contending there wasn’t enough evidence against him and the trial wasn’t fair.

The post-sentencing motions attacked rulings by the judge, the closing argument by the prosecution and the speed by which he went from arrest to trial.

Jerry Sandusky wants the charges tossed out and/or a new trial, saying the statute of limitations had run out for many of the counts for which he was convicted in June.

The abuse scandal rocked Penn State, bringing down longtime coach Joe Paterno and the university’s president and leading the NCAA, college sports’ governing body, to levy unprecedented sanctions against the university’s football program.

 

Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy royal wedding

Lisa.Felice
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0
Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy royal wedding

Luxembourg is celebrating the marriage of its Crown Prince Guillaume to Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy – the biggest royal event in decades in the tiny Grand Duchy.

Europe’s royalty as well as ordinary citizens attended a service at Notre Dame Cathedral, a day after the couple tied the knot in a civil ceremony.

The festivities will culminate in a pop concert later in the day.

Crown Prince Guillaume, 30, is first in line to Luxembourg’s throne.

Limited-edition champagne, chocolates and china have filled the shop windows around the city of Luxembourg, with postcards and pins showing the smiling engagement photo of the couple.

Luxembourgers have a reputation for being calm and reserved, but there is a strong undercurrent of excitement sweeping through the cobbled streets of the city.

More than 120 international media organizations have requested accreditation for the event, including TV channels and newspapers from China, Morocco, Russia and the US.

Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy royal wedding
Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy royal wedding

Luxembourg City Tourist Office is organizing a three-day wedding-themed tour for royalty fans.

The official guest list for the ceremony includes the king and queen of Norway, the crown prince of Japan, and Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath of Jordan. Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex are representing the UK.

Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, 28, is an uncomplicated choice of bride for Prince Guillaume. They have known each other for years, started dating in 2009 after being reunited at a party and got engaged in 2011.

Stephanie de Lannoy is a member of Belgian nobility and is fluent in French, German and Russian after studying languages at the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium. In interviews with the Luxembourg press, she has spoken of their mutual love of cooking and her delight at marrying her “very own Prince Charming”.

The only controversy in the run-up to the ceremony has been the decision to grant her Luxembourg citizenship, avoiding a usually long and complex legal process.

 

Gaza-bound boat Estelle intercepted by Israeli navy

Roy Siemens
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0
Gaza-bound boat Estelle intercepted by Israeli navy

Israel has intercepted Estelle boat belonging to pro-Palestinian activists trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Finnish-flagged Estelle left Naples on 7 October with some 20 people of eight different nationalities aboard.

Israel imposed the blockade after the Islamist group Hamas seized control of the coastal sliver in 2007.

An IDF spokesperson confirmed the navy had boarded the ship and that no-one had been injured, but provided few further details.

The boat was boarded 30 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, activists said, and was then being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The Estelle, which is reportedly carrying a cargo including cement and medical supplies, is the latest vessel to try and break the Gaza blockade.

Estelle, which is reportedly carrying a cargo including cement and medical supplies, is the latest vessel to try and break the Gaza blockade
Estelle, which is reportedly carrying a cargo including cement and medical supplies, is the latest vessel to try and break the Gaza blockade

It comes two years after nine Turkish activists were killed in an Israeli navy raid on the Mavi Marmara, one of a flotilla of ships attempting to break the blockade.

Palestinians say Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip amounts to collective punishment to residents of the densely populated strip of land along the Mediterranean coast.

Israel says the blockade aims to stop the supply of arms or other items for military use, and to put pressure on the Hamas administration.

International pressure following the deadly 2010 interception led Israel to ease its blockade, allowing more food products into the strip.

The movement of people and construction materials – such as cement and steel cables – is still heavily restricted.

The importing of all weapons and military materials is banned, along with dual-use materials such as fertilizers and certain chemicals.

Fishermen may only operate in a strip of water up to three nautical miles from the shore.

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