Put folic acid in bread to protect babies from devastating medical conditons, says study: Pressure grows on Jeremy Hunt to tackle 'avoidable tragedies'

White flour and bread should be fortified with folic acid to protect babies from devastating medical conditions, a major study concludes today.

It clears the way to add the vitamin to food to ensure babies do not develop illnesses such as spina bifida in the womb.

The research also puts pressure on the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to tackle what are described as ‘avoidable tragedies’.

An average of two women a day have abortions after discovering their developing baby has a neural tube defect.
And every week two children are born with the condition, which can lead to a lifetime of pain, paralysis and ill health.

Supporters of adding folic acid to flour suggest it would save between 165 and 500 lives a year, depending on how much is used.

The governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, together with official UK medical and scientific advisers, support the move.

Breaking: Glee star Mark Salling 'commits suicide' while awaiting sentencing on child pornography charges

American actor, Mark Salling, who was awaiting sentencing on child pornography charges has died of an apparent suicide

According to TMZ, the Glee star's body was found on Tuesday in the Los Angeles River near Sunland where he had a home. He was 35 at the time of his death.

Salling was awaiting sentencing after entering a guilty plea to possession of child pornography.

The actor had already made a suicide attempt last summer, when he cut both of his wrists, according to a report.

Salling is said to have 'freaked out' after hurting himself on August 22.

He is thought to have been taken to hospital after paramedics treated him in his Los Angeles home. According to TMZ, he had screamed for his roommate after cutting his wrists. The roommate then called 911 and helped him.

The actor was reportedly taken to be treated for psychological problems after he recovered.

Texas inmate executed for murder of ex-girlfriend

A Dallas man who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 1999 while he was out on parole was executed on Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute appeal, prison officials said.

William Rayford, 64, was pronounced dead at 8:48 p.m. central time (9:48 p.m. eastern), said Texas prison spokesman Jason Clark. He was sentenced to death for beating and strangling former girlfriend Carol Hall, 44.

Rayford apologized to the victim's family and asked for them to forgive him in his final words, according to Clark.

"I’m sorry, it has been bothering me for a long time. So I now pray and I will keep you all in my prayers. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me. I’m sorry," Rayford said, according to Clark.

ATM Jackpotting, a technique used by hackers to make cash pour out of ATM machines hits US, Europe and Asia

ATM Jackpotting, in which thieves/hackers use a variety of tools to hack into ATMs and cause them to dispense large amounts of cash on demand, has been a legitimate threat for several years now.

Until now however, jackpotting was mostly a threat in Europe, Asia, and Mexico. According to the Krebs report, the US Secret Service recently sent out a confidential alert to multiple financial institutions warning that the “targeted stand-alone ATMs are routinely located in pharmacies, big box retailers, and drive-thru ATMs.”

China reportedly spied on activities at African Union headquarters for five years from 2012 to 2017

In 2012, the African Union officially opened it shiny new headquarters, the magnificent structure was built and paid for by China as a gift to its "African friends". Unknown to African leaders, the Asian giant had left a secret backdoor in the computers which allowed it to snoop on their activities. In January 2017, the information technology unit at the African Union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa noticed something strange, according to a stunning investigation in French newspaper Le Monde.

Every night, between midnight and 2am, there was a strange peak in data usage – even though the building was almost entirely empty. Upon further investigation, the technicians noticed something even stranger. That data – which included confidential information – was being sent to servers based in Shanghai. The French newspaper wrote:

David Beckham awarded Miami MLS franchise

After years of wrangling and complications over potential stadium sites, David Beckham has finally been awarded a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, Florida.

The former Manchester United and LA Galaxy star appeared alongside MLS commissioner, Don Garber, at the Adrienne Arsht Center Monday where it was announced that the league's 25th franchise would be based in the city.
"Our mission to bring an MLS club to Miami is now complete, and we are deeply satisfied, grateful and excited," Beckham said in a statement released by the MLS.
Garber added that the league was "committed to bringing Miami the elite-level soccer team, stadium and fan experience it richly deserves."
The Beckham franchise will be backed by Cuban-American businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, CEO of Sprint Corporation Marcelo Claure, entertainment producer Simon Fuller and the founder of Japanese telecommunications firm SoftBank, Masayoshi Son.
There was no word Monday on the team's official name nor the colors it will play in. Similarly, there was no announcement about when the Miami franchise will officially join the league.
A statement released on the MLS website revealed that the team will play in a privately developed 25,000-seat stadium within the city.
Although no location for the stadium was confirmed, local media reports land in the city's Overtown district has been purchased by the Beckham ownership group.

Cristiano Ronaldo accused of sending 'late night texts' to glamour model Rhian Sugden

Real Madrid striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, 32, has been accused of sending 'late night texts' to British glamour model Rhian Sugden, despite being in a serious relationship with his Spanish girlfriend and mother of his fourth child, Georgina Rodriguez, 24.

It was reported the glamour model, 31, became friends with the dad-of-four on the London party scene, and ever since then he has been barraging her with texts since leaving Manchester United in 2009, sources claimed.

$530 million cryptocurrency heist may be biggest ever

A cryptocurrency exchange in Japan is coming under government scrutiny after it said hackers stole $530 million from its users.
The exchange, Coincheck, has promised to partially refund the 260,000 cryptocurrency investors affected by the theft, although it didn't say when it would do so or where it's getting the money from.

The hacking at Coincheck, which bills itself on its website as "the leading bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange in Asia," came to light over the weekend. If confirmed, it's expected to rank as the biggest such theft on record, eclipsing the estimated $400 million in bitcoin stolen from Mt Gox in 2014.

Coincheck said the hackers stole customer deposits of NEM, a less well known digital currency.

The exchange promised to use cash from its own funds to pay out ¥46.3 billion ($426 million) toward covering its users' losses. That's about 20% less than the total value of the virtual tokens that were stolen.

How and when to watch Wednesday's 'super blue blood moon'

The full moon on Wednesday will be the second in a month, making it a blue moon. It'll be at the part of the moon's orbit that defines a supermoon. And there will be a total lunar eclipse.
The total lunar eclipse is the most exciting for astronomers — it can give the moon a reddish tint, which is why it's sometimes called a blood moon.
To catch the eclipse, you'll need to look up at a certain time: early in the morning in the US, or later that night in other parts of the world.

Early Wednesday, those in certain parts of the world will be able to look up at the sky and see what you could call a "super blue blood moon."

A full moon at the part of the moon's orbit closest to Earth is known as a supermoon. The full moon on Wednesday will also be the second in a calendar month, commonly referred to as a blue moon by NASA and others.

Smoking e-cigarettes 'can harm your DNA and increase risk of cancer'

Smoke from e-cigarettes damages DNA and can increase the risk of cancer and heart disease, scientists have warned.

The battery-driven devices, which deliver an instant nicotine "hit" without burning tobacco, have been widely promoted as a safer alternative to cigarettes.

But findings from a new study suggest they are far from harmless, and could pose a serious health risk.

In laboratory tests, mice exposed to e-cigarette smoke had higher levels of DNA damage in the heart, lungs and bladder than those breathing normal filtered air.

Jose Mourinho sends heartwarming letter to 94-year-old lifelong Manchester United fan who suffered stroke

Jose Mourinho has offered support to a 94-year-old Man United fan who recently suffered a stroke in the form of heartwarming letter.

The avid United follower Frederick Schofield was personally contacted by the United boss, who offered him the club's support in his recovery.

"We have recently been advised about all your wonderful dedication to Manchester United," Mourinho wrote.

"I just wanted to write to you to thank you for your loyal support and devotion to the club. The enthusiasm of the fans continues to astound me.

Putin critic Alexei Navalny arrested after call for election boycott

Protesters gathered across Russia on Sunday to support opposition leader Alexei Navalny's call to boycott the March presidential election, and Navalny himself was arrested while walking to the Moscow demonstration.

Many of the crowds that turned out in generally frigid weather skewed sharply young, apparently reflecting growing discontent among Russians who have lived most or all of their lives under President Vladimir Putin, who came to power on New Year's Eve 1999.

"As long as I've been alive, Putin has always been in. I'm tired of nothing being changed," said 19-year-old Vlad Ivanov, one of about 1,500 protesters who assembled in St. Petersburg.

Navalny, Putin's most prominent foe, organized the protests to urge a boycott of Russia's March 18 presidential election, in which Putin is sure to win a fourth term. He was wrestled to the ground and forced into a police bus as he walked toward the demonstration on Moscow's Pushkin Square.

Drug dealers use celebrity app to target youngsters: Investigation finds cannabis and paraphernalia openly advertised

 

A trendy selling app popular with teenagers, models and celebrities is peddling bundles of drugs to children as young as 13.

Depop, a mobile app used to buy and sell clothing, mobile phones, jewellery, art and music, is now openly advertising cannabis and drug paraphernalia.

The alternative to eBay, which has been used by the likes of Philip Schofield, Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding and Kate Moss’s model sister Lottie Moss to flog old clothes, has been found to offer ‘smoking bundles’.

Hillary Clinton read an excerpt of 'Fire and Fury' in a Grammys skit mocking Trum

Hillary Clinton read an excerpt of Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury" book on the Trump administration in a skit at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
She joined artists Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled in the pre-recorded skit.

Hillary Clinton made an appearance in a pre-recorded skit at the Grammy Awards that mocked President Trump.

In the skit, the former Democratic presidential candidate read passages from Michael Wolff's controversial book "Fire and Fury" on the Trump administration. Music artists like Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled also read excerpts.

Grammy Awards 2018: Bruno Mars sweeps, Jay-Z snubbed

Grammys night was huge for Bruno Mars, who won three out of the four major categories (the fourth is best new artist), for "24K Magic" and "That's How I Like It." But Jay-Z, who was up for eight awards, was shut out.

James Corden hosted the 60th Grammy Awards from Madison Square Garden in New York -- the show's first return to New York in 15 years. The Grammys included a very emotional performances by Kesha and Logic, while Kendrick Lamar opened the show with a political set. The star-studded lineup of performers also included Bruno Mars, Cardi B, SZA, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, U2, Sam Smith and more.