Hollywood sign is saved at last minute by Hugh Hefner
April 27, 2010
The famous Hollywood sign has been saved from being spoiled by property development by a last-minute donation from Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner.
The soft-porn magnate gave $900,000 (£580,000) to the fund which was set up to stop the site being developed.
The sign is owned by the city, but the property around it belongs to a group of Chicago-based investors.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger described the news as “the Hollywood ending we hoped for”.
Governor Schwarzenegger said Mr Hefner’s donation and a $500,000 matching grant brought to an end a $12.5m fundraising campaign.
‘Hollywood’s Eiffel Tower’
It means 138 acres around the hillside sign will be protected from developers, who wanted to turn the land into high-price housing estates.
“It’s a symbol of dreams and opportunity,” Gov Schwarzenegger said.
The investors had planned to sell the land to developers, but agreed to sell to the trust for $12.5m if the money could be raised.
The sign was draped in a banner to raise awareness of the campaign
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Mr Hefner, who calls the sign “Hollywood’s Eiffel Tower”, said: “My childhood dreams and fantasies came from the movies, and the images created in Hollywood had a major influence on my life and Playboy.”
Donations came from all 50 US states, 10 countries and celebrities, including actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg.
In February, the sign was draped with a banner which read “Save the Peak”, to raise awareness of the campaign.
The Hollywood sign itself, which is set high up in the hills, was initially created in 1923 as an advert for a real estate development called Hollywoodland.
It never faced demolition, but campaigners were worried the famous vista would be ruined by the sight of properties towering over the four-storey high letters.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
If you smoke too much ‘blame your genes’, say experts
April 27, 2010
Smokers who find it hard to cut down or quit may be able to blame their genes, new research suggests.
Scientists identified three genetic mutations that increase the number of cigarettes people smoke a day.
UK launches competition to find cyber security experts
April 27, 2010
A national public competition has begun to find people with a talent for keeping computers and networks secure.
The competition aims to find those with relevant analytical, forensic and programmming skills using web-based games and challenges.
Detroit jet bomb suspect Abdulmutallab ’shown in video’
April 27, 2010
Video has emerged which appears to show the alleged Christmas Day Detroit plane bomber attending a desert training camp run by al-Qaeda in Yemen.
The video released by ABC News shows a man resembling Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab firing a rifle and making a “martyrdom” statement to camera.
Gunmen are shown firing at British, UN and Israeli flags or symbols.
Mr Abdulmutallab has been in US custody since being overpowered by passengers as he allegedly tried to blow up a jet.
A US intelligence official said the preliminary judgment was that the person in the video was indeed Mr Abdulmutallab, the Associated Press news agency reports.
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CHARGES AGAINST SUSPECT
 Attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction
Attempted murder within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the US
Wilful attempt to destroy and wreck an aircraft
Wilfully placing a destructive device in or near an aircraft which was likely to endanger the safety of the aircraft
Two counts of possession of a firearm, ie the bomb, in furtherance of violent crime
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The footage was consistent with the understanding that he was in training, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
ABC News says the video was produced by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
In the footage, the man resembling Mr Abdulmutallab accuses “the Jews and the Christians and their agents” of occupying Muslim lands, and says Muslims have the right to wage jihad (holy war) on them.
He also reads out several passages of the Koran.
Mr Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, received burns from the bomb allegedly hidden in his underwear but nobody else was injured during the alleged attempt to bomb Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit.
The suspect subsequently denied charges which included attempting to murder 289 people and trying to use a weapon of mass destruction.
He is said to be co-operating with US investigators, discussing his contacts in Yemen and providing intelligence in multiple terrorism investigations.
Source: bbc.co.uk/
David Beckham eyes November return from Achilles injury
April 27, 2010
David Beckham is targeting a November return from the Achilles injury that ended his dream of playing in the World Cup in South Africa.
In March, Beckham was ruled out for up to six months but the recovery appears to be taking longer than expected.
South Korean woman Oh Eun-Sun claims climbing record
April 27, 2010
A South Korean climber has reached the top of Annapurna in Nepal and claimed a record for becoming the first woman to scale the world’s 14 highest peaks.
Oh Eun-Sun was shown live on television planting a South Korean flag on the summit of the mountain.
Panama’s Manuel Noriega ‘to fight charges’ in France
April 27, 2010
Panamanian ex-leader Manuel Noriega will fight charges brought against him in France following his extradition from the US, his lawyer says.
Noriega will argue French courts do not have jurisdiction to try him due to his immunity from prosecution and because the statute of limitations has expired.
Parliamentary chaos as Ukraine ratifies fleet deal
April 27, 2010
Chaos has erupted in the Ukrainian parliament during a debate over the extension of the lease on a Russian naval base in Ukraine.
The chamber’s speaker had to be shielded by umbrellas as he was pelted with eggs, while smoke bombs exploded and politicians brawled.
Ash cloud chaos: Recriminations over Europe flight ban
April 22, 2010
There have been bitter recriminations over the almost week-long closure of large parts of European airspace because of volcanic ash from Iceland.
Airlines are seeking compensation from governments over the disruption, said to be the worst since World War II.
Actor son of Michael Douglas gets five years in prison
April 21, 2010
The son of Hollywood actor Michael Douglas has been sentenced to five years in prison for dealing methamphetamine and possessing heroin.
Cameron Douglas, 31, pleaded guilty to the charges in January after his arrest last year at a hotel in New York.