Lack of Police Blamed for Crime Wave Gripping Egypt

CAIRO :- Gunmen kidnapped a grandniece of Anwar Sadat and demanded a ransom. In one southern city, robbers didn't bother to wait until dark to target pedestrians. In another, a brawl between two school children led to a gunbattle that killed five.

A police state barely three months ago, Egypt has seen crime soar 200 percent since Hosni Mubarak's ouster from the presidency. Murder, violent theft and kidnapping are leading the surge, security officials said.

In many ways, this country of more than 80 million has become a free-for-all for criminals taking advantage of a weakened police force and political uncertainty. The spike in crime has made some nostalgic for Mubarak days, when the mostly corrupt and now discredited police force used torture, intimidation and blackmail to keep crime in check.

The uptick in crime is part of a broader climate of anxiety and uncertainty gripping Egypt in the post-Mubarak era.

The youth groups behind the uprising fear that the generals who took charge from Mubarak are reluctant to dismantle the former president's legacy. They are frustrated over their lack of action five months ahead of a parliamentary election.

The economy has been hard hit by the uprising. Strikes, demonstrations and sit-ins for better pay and work conditions are hurting productivity and, together with the precarious security, are scaring foreign tourists away. The removal of Mubarak has also allowed militant Islamist groups to operate openly, feeding tensions with the country's Christian minority and moderate Muslims.

The persistent security vacuum in Egypt is the product of a chain of events associated with the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak's regime on Feb. 11. Three days into the revolt, the police withdrew from the streets in still-unexplained circumstances following deadly clashes with protesters in Cairo and across much of the nation.

On the same day, Jan. 28, the gates of several prisons were mysteriously flung open and thousands of criminals made a dash for freedom. Simultaneously, dozens of police stations around the country were stormed and set ablaze, with hundreds of detained suspects freed and firearms looted.

Last month, the new Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawy dissolved the country's hated State Security agency, a key demand of the youth groups behind the uprising. It was blamed for the worst human rights abuses during Mubarak's 29-year rule. But the time it will take to replace the agency gives criminals a window of opportunity.

Egyptian police were hated by the public for their use of excessive force and they were driven from the streets during the Jan. 25 to Feb. 11 revolt. Now they are back, but in lesser numbers. And they are much more timid in enforcing the law, especially traffic offenses, and shy away from confrontations.

With the police laxity, double and triple parking has become common on Cairo's already congested streets. Motorists recklessly drive the wrong way on one-way streets. Traffic police vanish after nightfall in most parts of the city, a sprawling metropolis of some 18 million, leaving inexperienced volunteers to direct cars.

"The police's morale is very low," Maj. Gen. Mohsen Murad, director of public security at the Interior Ministry, acknowledged at a news conference on Monday. "The psychological state of many officers is bad, their firearms have been looted and their stations have been torched."

The police and state security are under the authority of the Interior Ministry.

The ineffectiveness of the police force was on display Saturday when thousands of football fans invaded the pitch before the end of an African Champions' game between local club Zamalek and Tunisia's Club Africain. The hundreds of policemen on duty at Cairo International Stadium could not stop the violent invasion.

With police hardly visible in Cairo, masked gunmen in two cars kidnapped a grandniece of Sadat -- Egypt's president until he was assassinated in 1981 -- while she was driven to school on Sunday morning at the upscale suburb of Heliopolis. Zeina Effat Sadat's family car was intercepted by one of the gunmen who forced his way into the girl's vehicle. The kidnappers later beat the driver and forced the girl into one of their cars.

The 12-year-old was released Monday after her father paid ransom. Police later arrested six men for their alleged role in the kidnapping and found a briefcase in their possession with 2 million pounds (about $340,000), according to security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

They said the kidnappers, who included university graduates, had demanded 5 million pounds (about $840,000) in ransom. l

Many Cairo parents periodically keep their sons and daughters away from school because of a rise in the kidnappings of children. Armed robberies in the capital have also been increasing in Cairo's poor neighborhoods, outlaying areas and on highways.

Some of the malls that have been looted and torched have reopened but attract only a fraction of the shoppers that thronged them before the uprising. Some have taken off their shelves luxury items, fearing a repeat of the looting during the uprising.

Murad, the director of public security, called on Egyptians Monday to regain their trust in the police and send their children to school. He acknowledged, however, that crime has increased several fold in February and March over the same period last year. He did not have precise figures.

In the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, children are escorted to school by armed neighborhood watch volunteers to fend off kidnappers.

In Sohag, an impoverished Nile-side city south of Cairo, gunmen have recently taken to robbing pedestrians at the downtown area in broad daylight, according to residents and security officials.

Officials said a total of 2,000 cases of illegal construction were recorded in the past two months in Sohag province, with farmland owners taking advantage of the security vacuum to hurriedly build apartment blocs they sell at significantly more profit than growing crops.

On Monday, several thousand protesters angered by the police's perceived indifference to a gunbattle between two feuding Sohag families blocked the main railway track to Cairo for nearly two hours, causing delays to trains linking the capital to southern Egypt.

Further north in Assiut, a brawl between two schoolboys last week has turned into a deadly feud when gunmen from al-Quseir, the village of one of the boys, randomly opened fire on residents of Fazarah, the village of the other boy.

Fazarah gunmen later laid siege to the school, trapping 25 al-Quseir boys inside. Armored army vehicles went into the school to escort the boys out past the armed men and back to their home villages.

Al-Quseir villagers frustrated with the police's inability to maintain order have laid siege to their local police station since Wednesday to force all security personnel to leave the village.

Japan Nuke Plant Dumps Millions of Gallons of Radioactive Water Into Pacific

TOKYO:- Workers began pumping more than 3 million gallons of contaminated water from Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, freeing storage space for even more highly radioactive water that has hampered efforts to stabilize the reactors.

It will take about two days to pump most of the less-radioactive water out of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, whose cooling systems were knocked out by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

Radioactivity is quickly diluted in the ocean, and government officials said the dump should not affect the safety of seafood in the area.

 Since the disaster, water with different levels of radioactivity has been pooling throughout the plant. People who live within 12 miles (20 kilometers) have been evacuated and have not been allowed to return.

The pooling water has damaged systems and the radiation hazard has prevented workers from getting close enough to power up cooling systems needed to stabilize dangerously vulnerable fuel rods.

On Saturday, they discovered that some radioactive water was pouring into the ocean.

The less-radioactive water that officials are purposely dumping into the sea is up to 500 times the legal limit for radiation.

"We think releasing water with low levels of radiation is preferable to allowing water with high levels of radiation to be released into the environment," said Junichi Matsumoto, an official with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.

Workers need to get rid of the highly radioactive water, but first they need somewhere safe to put it. Much of the less-radioactive water being dumped into the sea is from the tsunami and had accumulated in a nuclear waste storage building.

The building is not meant to hold water, but it's also not leaking, so engineers decided to empty it so they can pump in the more-radioactive water. The rest of the water going into the sea is coming from a trench beneath two of the plant's six reactors. 

More water keeps pooling because TEPCO has been forced to rely on makeshift methods of bringing down temperatures and pressure by pumping water into the reactors and allowing it to gush out wherever it can. It is a messy process, but it is preventing a full meltdown of the fuel rods that would release even more radioactivity into the environment.

"We must keep putting water into the reactors to cool to prevent further fuel damage, even though we know that there is a side effect, which is the leakage," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan's Nuclear Safety and Industrial Agency. "We want to get rid of the stagnant water and decontaminate the place so that we can return to our primary task to restore the sustainable cooling capacity as quickly as possible."

Engineers have been using unusual methods to try to stop the more highly radioactive water leaking into the sea. 

They thought it was coming from a crack in a maintenance pit they discovered Saturday, but an attempt to seal the crack with concrete failed, and clogging it with a special polymer mixed with sawdust and shredded newspapers didn't work, either.

They dumped milky white bath salts into the system around the pit Monday to try to figure out the source of the leak, but it never splashed out into the ocean.

In the meantime, workers plan to install screens made of polyester fabric to try to stop some of the contamination in the ocean from spreading.

Although the government eventually authorized the dumping of the less-radioactive water, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said officials were growing concerned about the sheer volume of radioactive materials spilling into the Pacific. It is not clear how much water has leaked in addition to what is being dumped purposely.

"Even if they say the contamination will be diluted in the ocean, the longer this continues, the more radioactive particles will be released and the greater the impact on the ocean," Edano said. "We are strongly urging TEPCO that they have to take immediate action to deal with this."

Also Monday, a spokesman for the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, Sergei Novikov, told reporters that Japan has requested Russia send it a vessel used to decommission nuclear submarines, and that Moscow was considering the request.

"If the Japanese side arranges answers to the questions we sent them, it can be transferred ... within a very short period," Novikov said, according to a statement on Rosatom's website. The nature of the questions wasn't specified.

Novikov said the vessel, called the Landysh, was built with Japanese funds under the "Global Partnership" program to help dispose of liquid nuclear waste from decommissioned submarines.

The crisis has unfolded as Japan deals with the aftermath of twin natural disasters that devastated much of its northeastern coast. Up to 25,000 people are believed to have died and tens of thousands lost their homes.

The situation at the Fukushima plant has brought protests in Japan and raised questions around the world about the safety of nuclear power. Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told delegates at a nuclear safety conference Monday that the industry cannot afford to ignore these concerns.

"We cannot take a business-as-usual approach," Amano said.

General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, who was in Tokyo this week to meet with TEPCO's chairman, defended the industry when asked by a reporter if the Fukushima incident would cause global concern about nuclear safety.

"This is an industry that's had an extremely safe track record for more than 40 years," Immelt said. "We have had more than 1,000 engineers working around the clock since the incident began and we will continue in the short, medium and long term working with TEPCO due to this horrific natural disaster."

All of the plant's reactors were designed by GE, and Immelt offered assistance in dealing with the electricity shortage brought on by damage to the Fukushima Dai-ichi facility and other power plants. Japan is expecting a shortfall of at least 10 million kilowatts in summer, and Immelt said gas turbines with both short- and long-term capabilities are on their way from the U.S.

9/11 Mastermind, 4 Alleged Henchmen to Face Military Tribunal

WASHINGTON//  Yielding to political opposition, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged henchmen will be referred to military commissions for trial rather than to a civilian federal court in New York.

The families of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks have waited almost a decade for justice, and "it must not be delayed any longer," Holder told a news conference.

Holder had announced the earlier plan for trial in New York City in November 2009, but that foundered amid widespread opposition to a civilian court trial, particularly in New York. Congress passed legislation that prohibits bringing any detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the United States.

Monday, the attorney general called the congressional restrictions unwise and unwarranted and said a legislative body cannot make prosecutorial decisions.

Most Republicans applauded the turnabout, but Holder said he is convinced that his earlier decision was the right one. The Justice Department had been prepared to bring "a powerful case" in civilian court, he said.

In New York on Monday, the government unsealed and got a judge to dismiss an indictment in the case that charged Mohammed and the others with 10 counts relating to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The dismissal was because the accused will not be tried in civilian court.

The indictment said that in late August 2001, as the terrorists in the United States made final preparations, Mohammed was notified about the date of the attack and relayed that to Osama bin Laden.

Some 9/11 family members supported the change to military commissions.

"We're delighted," said Alexander Santora, 74, father of deceased firefighter Christopher A. Santora. The father called the accused terrorists "demonic human beings, they've already said that they would kill us if they could, if they got the chance they would do it again."

Republican lawmakers, who led the opposition to a trial in civilian court, welcomed the administration's shift.

"While it is unfortunate that it took so long to make this announcement, I am pleased that the Obama administration has finally heeded those who rebuked their decision and that the trial is being held where it belongs," said Senate Judiciary Committee Republican Jeff Sessions of Alabama.

New York Republican congressman Peter King, who has opposed trying the 9/11 conspirators in federal court, said Monday's decision is a vindication of President George W. Bush's detention policies. Some Democrats also said holding a trial in New York was the wrong way to go.

The American Civil Liberties Union criticized the administration's decision.

Cases prosecuted in military commissions now "are sure to be subject to continuous legal challenges and delays, and their outcomes will not be seen as legitimate. That is not justice," said ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero.

Holder said it is unclear whether the five men could receive the death penalty if they plead guilty in military court.

Shakira and boyfriend Antonio De La Rua splits after 11 years

Shakira is back on the market! The warbling, hair-flipping, booty-shaking Columbian crooner was with her boyfriend, Antonio De La Rua, for 11 years, even before she exploded into one of Latin America’s sexiest imports. But the rock-solid relationship showed its cracks when Shakira revealed on her official site that they had decided to take time apart. The private star, who kept the split under wraps since August 2010, stressed that the break wasn’t a break-up, saying it is “temporary.”

Justin Timberlake and Olivia Wilde Are Just Friends

Despite reports that Justin Timberlake and Olivia Wilde were rebounding with one another over the weekend, sources close to the pair insist they are just good friends and neither of them is ready to leap into another serious relationship.
"Justin and Olivia became close working together on 'Now.' They are both newly single and both want to get out and have fun with friends, but they are not an item," a pal assure.

Us Weekly first reported that the pair were dancing and getting close all night at the Roxbury in Los Angeles.

"They were dancing, whispering, he had his hand on her back and shoulders, and they were together all night," an insider told the mag.
Timberlake just split from Jessica Biel last month after four years together, and Wilde just filed for divorce from her husband Tao Ruspoli after eight years of marriage.

"Justin and Olivia just wanted to have some fun. But it wasn't romantic," our source insists.

Sure, it may seem soon for the two to be moving on from their respective long relationships, but in Hollywood, dating years are like dog years. We're sure they're just good buds, but we couldn't blame them for trying for something more. They would make an adorable couple. 

Chinese Fashionistas Embrace Personal Style

The Chinese repressed personal style during the Mao Years. Now they’re ready to express themselves with élan..

When Angelica Cheung was growing up in Beijing in China’s Maoist era, her grandma sewed her a pair of fitted black-and-white pants. She loved those pants—her grandma was a skilled seamstress—and proudly wore them to school. But her classmates taunted her, calling her “xiao zi, xiao zi,” or petty bourgeoisie. Cheung stopped wearing the beautiful pants because of the bullying. “Maybe that’s why I love black and white so much now,” she says, with an easy laugh.

These days, no one is denigrating Cheung over her fashion choices—as editor in chief of Vogue China, she’s an icon in the country’s fast--growing world of fashion and luxury. The magazine’s fifth-anniversary edition last September boasted 622 pages—a factoid that reflects the decade-long explosion of China’s luxury market, now on track to become the world’s largest by 2020. This isn’t just another case of the newly rich in a developing country embracing top-drawer brands from the West—though there’s plenty of that. Instead, China is becoming a destination in its own right for fashion’s elite.

< @fashion party by ENK International during Beijing Fashion Week>

Last week designer Diane von Furstenberg’s DVF label threw a Red Ball in Shanghai and launched an exhibition at Pace Beijing, the first big New York commercial gallery to open a branch in the Chinese capital. German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh just opened his first exhibition in China. Upcoming events on the mainland read like a fashion who’s who: Burberry, Lanvin, Armani.

A few decades ago, von Furstenberg’s dresses—with their fluid fabric and plunging necklines—would have stopped traffic in China. Today, her designs are popular among Chinese fashionistas. Von Furstenberg says she has long been fascinated by the Middle Kingdom and became convinced of the country’s potential as a huge fashion market. “I never doubted China would become grand, because it has been grand in the past,” she says. Four years ago DVF opened its first store in Shanghai, and in 2010 the designer made a New Year’s resolution: “I want to be known in China.” Last year she opened a second shop in Beijing, which quickly exceeded initial sales projections by 30 percent.

DVF’s Red Ball cemented China’s role as a venue for legendary fashion bashes. The designer held the event in a massive studio belonging to conceptual artist Zhang Huan, known for his use of ashes from Buddhist temples in paintings. The black-tie affair drew more than 500 partygoers, including actress Jessica Alba and high-end shoe designer Christian Louboutin, who plans to open a series of shops on the mainland. The event recalled the iconic “happenings” of Andy Warhol and New York’s art and fashion glitterati transposed onto the landscape of contemporary Shanghai. (Indeed, Warhol is among the artists on display in DVF’s Pace Beijing exhibition, which lasts through May 14.)

China’s love affair with Western fashion began back in the 1980s, with the introduction of post-Mao economic reforms. Yet even among those who could afford the new luxury items, something of the old collectivist mindset remained: there was a tendency toward being “brand slaves,” says Nels Frye, editor in chief of the bilingual LifeStyle magazine who also blogs on street fashion. But Frye has seen a decisive shift in the past few years in terms of a growing willingness to take fashion risks: “The big story emerging now is a move toward greater individuality, he says. “Today, individual identity and style are becoming more important than belonging to a group.”

hat’s a huge change for China. It’s difficult for Westerners to comprehend the extent to which personal choice was subordinated to the collective will in China’s recent past. The chaotic 1966–76 Cultural Revolution mandated that both men and women restrict their clothing styles to frumpy “Mao suits” in somber shades of army green, gray, or navy blue. In an extreme case of repression, former first lady of China Wang Guangmei—the elegant wife of President Liu Shaoqi—was tormented for wearing pearls and a form-fitting traditional Chinese qipao dress during a state visit overseas. Radical Red Guards persecuted Wang and subjected her to “struggle sessions,” forcing her to wear a “necklace” of Ping-Pong balls painted with human skulls to symbolize her “feudal” and “bourgeois” fashions.

Mao’s death in 1976 ended that era of madness. Almost immediately, women began curling their hair, wearing splashes of color, and begging friends to bring them fashion magazines from abroad. Fu Yuanyuan, a stylish 30--something who personifies the new Chinese consumer, remembers being in primary school when she first heard of a fashion brand—Australia’s Jeanswest. Even though she was too young to have suffered under Mao, Fu feels a vicarious sense of loss nonetheless. “I don’t have old family photos of my mom and aunties being glamorous,” Fu says. “My mom wore an Army uniform day in and day out … I would ask to see family heirlooms, pieces of vintage embroidery, or anything old, but it was all destroyed.” In terms of style, Fu says, China’s younger generation is “going through a process of self-education.” They are beginning to see fashion “fused seamlessly with art, architecture, design, even cars,” says Megan Connolly who offer tours of Beijing’s art and culture scene with her sister KC. “Many Chinese today simply want to be surrounded with stylish things.”

In contrast to Mao’s day, Chinese can now wear whatever clothes they can afford. That fashion freedom stands in contrast to other areas of self--expression—literature, media, popular music—where official restrictions and censorship remain. “There’s been a feeling of being hemmed in, of being frustrated,” says blogger Frye. “Fashion is one area where young Chinese feel they can be totally free.”

Yet at the same time, Chinese fashion tastes are still considered to be more conservative than those in the West, at least in Beijing (Shanghai fashions can be more revealing). Up-and-coming Chinese designer Lu Liu, who studied at Parsons in New York, has an explanation for the trend: “Surveys show that the top consumers of luxury goods in China are men—even if what they’re buying is for women,” she says. “And men don’t want their girlfriends being too sexy or too wild.”

There’s also an element of self--censorship that lingers among the wealthy. This may be due to a sensitivity in official circles about China’s rich-poor gap. Last week Beijing’s municipal government unveiled a new clampdown on advertising seen as encouraging conspicuous consumption. Yet this is unlikely to totally dampen the growing appetite for stylish status symbols among China’s increasingly affluent citizens. The Chinese are more and more confident that personal style is theirs alone to dictate—at long last..

'Bok Choy' aka 'Yokisoba'

"Bok Choy"

I love 'Bok..k.. Cho..o..yy',
I love it in stir fries, I love it in soups, I love it sauteed up with a little sesame oil. I don't love it raw, but I love it lightly cooked so it's crunchy and juicy and satisfying.

'Yakisoba' is one of the many ways I love to cook bok choy.

[This recipe is a favorite around my friends too. They love it and just tear into it as soon as I put the bowl in front of them.]

It's yet another recipe that originates by Cynthia Lair. I've made a few changes, including serving it over brown rice rather than soba noodles, using chicken broth/stock instead of water, and doubling it, but it's essentially her recipe. If you're avoiding gluten, be sure to get 100% buckwheat soba noodles (a little pricier than the regular ones) or substitute brown rice.

The version below is the doubled version. Cut in half if you're single and/or don't like leftovers.

Bok Choy and Buckwheat Noodles in Seasoned Broth (aka Yakisoba)

# Prep time: about 30 minutes

# Serves 8 (or 4 with plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day)

# Ingredients:

>1 pound soba noodles, prepared according to package directions (or 1.5 cups brown rice cooked in 3 cups water)

>4 T toasted sesame oil

>1 large onion, cut into thin half-moons

>4 to 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

>2 to 4 carrots, cut into matchsticks

>10 shiitake mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces

>8 c water or broth (I use 4 c broth and 4 c water)

>2/3 c tamari

>1 pound firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

>2 T freshly grated ginger

>1 bunch bok choy, rinsed and chopped

>4 scallions, sliced thin for garnish

| Heat oil in a 4-quart pot. Add onion and garlic; saute over medium heat until onion begins to soften. Add carrot and mushroom pieces; saute a few minutes more. Add water, tamari, tofu, and ginger. Bring heat up until mixture begins to simmer. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add bok choy and simmer until leaves are bright green |

*Serve this dish by placing a handful of noodles or scoop of rice in each serving dish. Ladle broth and vegetables over the noodles/rice. Garnish with scallions.

Darren Aronofsky Comes to Natalie Portman's Defense in Dancing Debate

In a case of he said, she said, 'Black Swan' director Darren Aronofsky is setting the record straight when it comes to Natalie Portman's Oscar-winning performance.

After allegations from Portman's body-double that Portman was responsible for only 5 percent of the dancing in the film, Portman's fiance and the film's choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, was the first to say that the majority of the dance sequences were, in fact, Portman.

Now the film's director, Aronofsky, is rushing to his leading lady's defense in a statement he released to Fox Searchlight, according to Entertainment Weekly.

"Here is the reality," he said. "I had my editor count shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film. 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. 28 are her dance double Sarah Lane. If you do the math that's 80% Natalie Portman ... Even so, if we were judging by time over 90% would be Natalie Portman."{Natalie's pic.}
 There you have it. But forget her Oscar in question, the mother-to-be needs to rest easy in anticipation of her real golden trophy.
But Aronofsky didn't stop there. He went on to say, "And to be clear Natalie did dance on pointe in pointe shoes ... That is completely her without any digital magic. I am responding to this to put this to rest and to defend my actor. Natalie sweated long and hard to deliver a great physical and emotional performance."

We had no doubt that Portman, who seems to be the ultimate go-getter perfectionist, put in the time to showcase her own dancing skills. Portman's future son sure has a mama to be proud of.

Sony CEO Accidentally Reveals Secret Details About iPhone 5

Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, accidentally told everyone in the world that his company will be supplying image sensors for Apple's iPhone 5.

In an interview w/ Wall Street Journal, the Sony chief was talking about earthquake damage to 15 of the Sony's factories in Japan, and inadvertently mentioned that a camera sensor made in one of those plants is on its way to Apple, and that sensor would be delayed because of the quake and tsunami.

Stringer didn't specifically say that Sony is building an 8-megapixel image sensor that will go into the iPhone 5, but since Sony is currently not manufacturing any image sensors for Apple, this confirmed that Sony plans to supply components of the iPhone 5.

This points to the distinct possibility that in the iPhone 5, Apple will no longer be using those OmniVision 5-megapixel image sensors currently inside the iPhone 4. This is supported by an analyst's report from February of this year saying that OmniVision might lose out on supplying cameras for the iPhone 5 because OmniVision's 8- megapixel sensor won't be ready for the iPhone 5′s rumored mid- summer launch.

Because Stringer was talking about the irony of supplying the company's best camera to Apple, we can only surmise that he was talking about an 8-megapixel sensor. Here's, what Sir Stringer's quote when reporting on its own event this morning:

Early on, he raised the irony of Sony supplying camera components for Apple devices. It "always puzzles me," he said. "Why would I make Apple the best camera?" It is unclear what devices he was talking about as Sony isn't known to supply key camera components, known as image sensors, to Apple; A Sony spokeswoman declined to comment and an Apple spokesperson couldn't be reached for comment.

Stringer's inadvertent slip also lends credence to the rumors of a delayed release of the iPhone 5.

So what do you think ? Is this enough evidence for us to bet on a Sony 8-megapixel camera going into the iPhone 5 ??

Maria Menounos Shares Her Living Well Secrets

Maria Menounos interviews Hollywood's biggest celebrities as a reporter for "Access Hollywood," "NBC Nightly News," "Dateline" and the "Today" show. While making a career out of talking to A-listers, Menounos has learned how to look like one on a limited budget.

Menounos has just penned the new book "The Every Girl's Guide to Life," in which she offers her advice on how to live a healthier, happier and more balanced life. Menounos shared a few of her diet and fitness strategies exclusively with That's Fit -- and believe it or not, she stays fit without a trainer.

Ques: What are your favorite healthy snack tips?
Maria Menounos: My days can be really busy, so when I grab a snack, I want it to work as hard as I am. I want it to give me energy, fill me up [and] fuel my body. I like to grab veggies, like baby carrots or a handful of almonds. I also look for snacks that are high in protein and fat free, like Greek yogurt, which has two times the protein of regular yogurt to help satisfy hunger. Blueberries and apples are amazing, too. I often take apple slices to work with me.

Ques: How did you learn your healthy eating habits?
MM: Much of it was trial and error. I grew up eating mostly fruits and vegetables grown from my backyard. My parents are Greek immigrants, and that's a major part of the core culture's diet. It's the reason my dad, a Type 1 diabetic of 40 years, is in such amazing shape. In college, however, I developed bad eating habits and gained 40 pounds. I came up with a simple yet effective way to lose the weight, which I go over in my book. I'm proud to say that it worked so well that I've kept the weight off ever since. I'm also lucky that through my work with "Access Hollywood" and the "Today" show, I've met and interviewed some of Hollywood's and the world's leading experts in weight loss. I share what I've learned from them in my book, too.

Ques: When are you most likely to snack? When you're stressed? When you need an energy boost?
MM: I snack a few times a day. When I'm stressed, I'm like everyone else: I crave foods that are high in fat and sugar. Our bodies are all seeking a quick jolt of energy, which is why we crave foods like these. They'll give us the jolt, but they'll also make us crash and be more tired later. In addition, they give us the calories and fat we don't need. For a true energy boost, fruits, veggies and almonds do the trick. Another trick I discuss in my book is simply sipping hot water all day long. It is soothing and calming, and it curbs your appetite. My friend Yogi Cameron Alborzian taught me the technique, and it really works.

Ques: What are some of your healthy lifestyle tips that you practice on a regular basis?
MM: Breathing in and exhaling deeply is something none of us do enough of. It really helps me. The key is remembering to do it. Doing 10 minutes of yoga in the morning is great, too. You really get to clear your head and start the day on a positive note.

Ques: How do you manage to eat healthy and practice a balanced lifestyle when you have such a busy work and travel schedule?
MM: It's funny you ask, because I actually dedicated an entire section in my book to travel workouts. I share my hotel room workout routine -- yes, out of necessity due to the amount of traveling I do with work, I created hotel room exercises using the bed, the desk, the wall. I also include my Lazy Woman's Workout -- another workout I created that I do when watching TV in bed. There's also a door gym I talk about that allows you to exercise all your body parts via resistance cables. It fits on the back of any door and costs under $40. Fifteen minutes on that three times a week before going to work will get you nice and toned. You don't need a lot of space or a lot of money or time to do any of them.

Eating healthy on the road can be difficult sometimes, but I just try to remember that food is my body's fuel: I load up on veggies and protein-packed snacks that will help fill me up. I love grabbing a Greek yogurt; it's a convenient, fat-free snack, plus there's 14 to 17 grams of protein in every cup. It's especially great before or after a workout.

Ques: Who or what inspired you to write a guide book for women?
MM: I wrote this book because I see so many friends, acquaintances and even strangers struggle in their daily lives. They struggle to look their best, get ahead, manage finances and manage their lives. I saw myself struggle and fail when I started out, too. It all frustrates me to no end as many of us struggle and fail when we don't have to. In "The EveryGirl's Guide to Life," I share experiences and practical tips that every girl, famous or not famous, wealthy or not wealthy, can apply daily toward achieving a more successful, prosperous and healthy appearance -- and, most importantly, a more successful, prosperous and healthy life.

Jenny Craig's New Spokesperson is Ross "the Intern" Mathews

Ross Mathews, better known as "Ross the Intern," is Jenny Craig's newest spokesperson, reports People.

The "Chelsea Lately" comic, who realized he needed to take control of his eating habits after finding that none of his shirts fit his 220-pound body, has lost 25 pounds and 13 inches since joining Jenny Craig in January -- a step that was largely prompted by his friend Sara Rue's 50-pound weight loss on the program.

Mathews told People that he was "a roly-poly kid," and "wasn't armed with the knowledge of how to eat." He just assumed that thin people were lucky, never realizing that most of them weren't consuming loads of junk food on a daily basis like he was.

While he has 15 more pounds to go before reaching his goal weight, Mathews is already feeling great about his progress -- and rightfully so. Not only did he feel confident enough to go snorkeling -- shirtless! -- in Puerta Vallerta, but the weight loss was even noticed by a certain supermodel.

"The hottest people in the world are everywhere I turn. It's been a little bit intimidating. But I saw Heidi Klum at the Elton John Oscar party," he told People. "She said, 'You look good. Have you lost weight?'"

Boyzone planning new album

Boyzone are set to release another album by the "end of the year".

The group released their last LP 'Brother' - which was dedicated to their late bandmate Stephen Gateley, who died of natural causes in October 2009 - in March 2010 but now want to start on the follow-up record after being astonished by the positive reception they received on their recent tour.

Singer Ronan Keating said: "We're in talks right now to do an album before the end of the year.

"We played in Glasgow the other night and it was incredible. Probably the best we've ever done. The tour's been absolutely amazing. We played about 20 nights in huge arenas.

"It's been new faces at every venue."

Before he can work on a new Boyzone album, Ronan is currently promoting his latest solo work, 'When Ronan Met Burt', covers of tracks penned by Burt Bacharach, who also produced the record.

The 34-year-old star felt "honoured" to work with the legendary songwriter.

Ronan said: "It was a great honour to be asked to work with him - and some of the best musicians in the world - on some of the best songs that have ever been written.

"He spends a lot of time in Europe, touring and collaborating with people, so he's paying attention. He's 82 but totally in touch with what's going on."

Toni Braxton Takes Part in Autism Charity Auction

R&B singer Toni Braxton arrived in New York City on Wednesday, March 30, to open bidding on the second annual Lindt Gold Bunny Celebrity Auction, a benefit for non-profit organization Autism Speaks.

Braxton joined fellow artists Fergie, Nick Cannon, Celine Dion and 84 other celebs in autographing the gold bunnies, which fans and collectors can bid on throughout the month of April, with 100% of the proceeds going towards Autism Speaks, a charity close to Braxton's heart.

"As a mother of a son with autism, this is a cause that I am very passionate about," Braxton said in a statement. "I'm excited to be a part of the Lindt Gold Bunny Celebrity Auction, and honored to have the opportunity to help raise funds and awareness for Autism Speaks."

The 2011 Lindt Gold Bunny Auction is almost twice as big as last year's event, which included 59 gold bunnies and raised $10,000 for Autism Speaks.

Melissa Peterman Brings 'Class' to Reba Tour

Melissa Peterman may be known best to Reba McEntire fans as 'Barbara Jean,' the husband-stealing nemesis to the singer's character on 'Reba,' but in real life the two are thick as thieves. Earlier this year, Reba guest-starred on Melissa's new CMT sitcom, 'Working Class,' and Melissa has been traveling with the country icon on her co-headlining tour with George Strait.

"The touring started when the 'Reba' TV show was over," Melissa tells The Boot. "I got a call from Narvel, Reba's husband, [who said] 'We have an idea: would you think about doing stand-up to open up for Reba at her concerts?' And I was like, 'Yep. Sounds great!' Then, it was one of those things were I hung up and thought, 'What did I just say yes to? Can I do that?'"

The actress soon got over her self-doubt. "I'd been writing forever and doing improv, and hosting things were you use a lot of your own material," she explains. "I thought, 'Yes. I can do this.' It was a great opportunity that forced me to do something I'd talked about doing way too much. It was a really natural fit, because the people who were a fan of Reba seeing her concert, you probably watched the TV show. I had a built in audience. It wasn't like they were hostile."

Despite Melissa's fears, the one tour lead to another and another. "It terrified me," she admits. "Stand-up is the scariest thing -- whether it's TV, movies, improv -- stand-up is the worst. I started with just her and it worked. I was opening for her, then Reba and Kelly Clarkson had their Two Voices tour and they asked me if I'd go along on that, which was amazing and fun. Then George, Lee Ann Womack and Reba came along and they were like, 'We can't have you do a half-hour show and open, but we can still do the fun 'Survivor' bit, when she's singing the 'Reba' show's theme song. And it works."

Even though 'Reba' has been off the air for almost four years, 'Barbara Jean' has not been forgotten. "We've mixed it up and have a blast," Melissa says. "It's a testament to the fans of Reba and the TV show. It is in syndication so people are still watching it and discovering it, so the bit still works."

The bit includes Melissa barging on stage and requesting 'Survivor,' singing along to it and generally annoying the superstar before performing it. It's a case of life imitating art ... or is it art imitating life? "A lot of it is that they love the chemistry of Reba and 'Barbara Jean,' but that's totally our chemistry in real-life when we're playing and teasing one another," Melissa explains. "You don't get that very often in your life. If people would have told me 15 years ago that my perfect comic partner was going to be Reba, I would have said, 'What?!' I can look at her and go 'I know that you're with me,' and she looks back and says, 'Gotcha!'"

Being on tour with Reba has also allowed Melissa to ever-so-gently plug her new show, 'Working Class.' "I've been able to get it in there," Melissa admits. "I was with Reba when the show premiered, so I ran out to her on stage and said, 'I just want to make sure you've got your DVR set, because tonight's the premiere of 'Working Class.' I try to fit it in whenever I can."

With fans loving 'Barbara Jean' as much as they do, has it been difficult for Melissa to bring a new persona, 'Carli Mitchell' from 'Working Class' to their attention? "It's been really fun, actually," she says. "I was nervous about it, though, because people love 'Barbara Jean.' I love that character. It was a defining moment in my career. I hope when I'm 80 someone still goes, 'Hi, Barbara Jean!' I was really nervous about doing another show."

That calm didn't come until the tour, though. "I was relieved being out on the road and giving 'Working Class' shout-outs, and people were really responsive," Melissa explains. "When I'd say, 'I know it's Friday night and you're all here at the Reba and George Strait concert, but I hope that when you get home you watch the new episode of 'Working Class,' people would just scream 'Yay!' and 'CMT!' That was a relief. You get nervous when you're identified with something that is really great and positive for so long. You don't want to not be that person but there are going to be other roles in your career."

Mariah Carey Is in Labor With Twins ... Or Is She?

Getty Images Mariah Carey is in labor, at least according to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. We sure hope this isn't an April Fool's gag.

According to Hilton, he calls in every morning to Nick Cannon's radio show, but today when he called he was told Nick had to leave in a rush to the airport because wife Mariah was in labor. Carey, who just celebrated her 42nd birthday last month, is in Los Angeles, and Cannon was said to be flying out to meet her.

We already know the couple are expecting twins after original reports suggested they were having a boy. This, of course, followed the news of their pregnancy after months of speculation. "Expecting is great," Carey said when they announced the news back in October, with Cannon admitting that he was "absolutely emotional" when he heard the news "The greatest gift on earth is a child."

Now the moment appears to be imminent. We'd like to say congratulations and good luck to the soon-to-be new parents.

Nicki Minaj in Talks to Open for Britney Spears

A Young Money MC may be turning Britney Spears' upcoming Femme Fatale tour a few shades pinker.

According to TMZ, the iconic pop singer is reportedly in "serious talks" to have Nicki Minaj replace Enrique Iglesias as her opening act. While nothing has been set in stone, lawyers are currently ironing out the details and are said to be reaching an agreement in the next few days.

The tour is scheduled to begin on June 17 in Sacramento, Calif., and will continue around the country through the summer. During the trek, Britney and Nicki would make pit stops in Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, Detroit and Boston before wrapping up the jaunt at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on August 13.

The troubled star recently made headlines with her tour after former opening act Iglesias pulled out mere hours after its announcement.

Nicki is currently on the road as one of the opening acts on Lil Wayne's I Am Music II tour, which also features performances from Rick Ross and Travis Barker. The North American venture kicked off at Buffalo's HSBC Arena on March 18, and will continue through April before finishing at East Rutherford's Bamboozle Festival on May 1.

Strong Earthquake Strikes Greek Island of Crete

ATHENS, Greece -- A strong earthquake struck the southern Greek island of Crete Friday, rattling buildings as far away as Egypt and Turkey. Local police said they had no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and struck off the southern coast of Crete at 4:29 p.m. (1329 GMT, 8:29 EDT), the Athens Geological Institute and the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany, said. The U.S. Geological Survey gave a slightly lower preliminary magnitude of 5.9. Magnitudes recorded by geological institutes often differ.

Police in Ierapetra, a town on the southern coast of Crete closest to the epicenter, said it was strongly felt but that they had no initial reports of damage or injuries.

The quake was felt as far away as Cairo across the Mediterranean Sea, and the Turkish news agency Anatolia said it also caused panic in the Turkish resorts of Bodrum, Fethiye and Marmaris.

"It was a strong earthquake in a region that is in the eastern section of area known as the Aegean Arc," said Manolis Skordilis, associate professor of seismology at the University of Thessaloniki in northern Greece.

"This is a very seismically active area that has seen more powerful quakes in the past. We are monitoring the post-earthquake activity, which so far is not intense," he said.

Greece is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, but the thousands of quakes recorded each year rarely cause severe damage or fatalities.

In June 2008, a 6.5-magnitude quake struck near the western port city of Patras, about 120 miles west of Athens, killing two people, injuring more than 200 and damaging hundreds of buildings. In 1999, a magnitude 5.9 quake near Athens killed 143 people.

Doll-Sized William and Kate Tie Knot at Legoland Royal Wedding

The royal wedding is still a month a way, but Lego is already offering the public a little taste of the festivities.

Model makers at the Legoland theme park in Windsor, England, have created a brick-by-brick model of Prince William and Kate Middleton's upcoming nuptials.

The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are all present at the miniature Buckingham Palace, which required approximately 160,000 Lego bricks and 550 hours of work, all to display Lego Prince William and Lego Kate Middleton as they grace the royal residence's famous balcony.

 

Each 4-inch miniature guest took roughly two hours and 30 to 40 Lego pieces to build.

"It's a perfect opportunity for us to showcase the skills of our fantastic model makers," Legoland divisional director Sue Kemp told The Telegraph. "We are only two miles from Windsor Castle, and with the royal wedding so close now, lots of people are very interested to come in to Mini-London and see the showcase for the royal wedding that we have."

Just like the real ceremony, the guest list for this model wedding is high-profile and star-studded.

Celebrities present include David Beckham and his pregnant wife Victoria, an extravagantly dressed Elton John with partner David Furnish, and Sir Paul McCartney, complete with signature Hofner semi-acoustic bass guitar and Sgt. Pepper attire.

And, of course, the paparazzi is present to capture the scene.

The attraction coincides with Legoland Windsor's 15th anniversary and opens to visitors on Friday.

Libyan Opposition Sets Conditions for Cease-Fire

BENGHAZI, Libya -- Libya's rebels will agree to a cease-fire if Moammar Gadhafi pulls his military forces out of cities and allows peaceful protests against his regime, an opposition leader said Friday as rebels showed signs that their front-line organization is improving.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the opposition's interim governing council based in Benghazi, spoke during a joint press conference with U.N. envoy Abdelilah Al-Khatib. After meeting government officials in Thursday, Al-Khatib was visiting the rebels' de facto stronghold of Benghazi in hopes of reaching a political solution to the crisis embroiling the North African nation. 

   Abdul-Jalil said the rebels' condition for a cease-fire is "that the Gadhafi brigades and forces withdraw from inside and outside Libyan cities to give freedom to the Libyan people to choose and the world will see that they will choose freedom."

The U.N. resolution that authorized international airstrikes against Libya called for Gadhafi and the rebels to end hostilities. Gadhafi announced a cease-fire immediately but has shown no sign of heeding it. His forces continue to attack rebels in the east, where the opposition in strongest, and have besieged the only major rebel-held city in the west, Misrata.

The city has been shelled by tanks and artillery for days, said a doctor in a Misrata hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. Many people have been killed, including eight since Thursday, he said. He said Gadhafi brigades control the port and a main street, but rebels control the heart of the city.

Abdul-Jalil said the regime must withdraw its forces and lift all sieges.

He stressed the ultimate goal was Gadhafi's ouster.

"Our aim is to liberate and have sovereignty over all of Libya with its capital in Tripoli," he said.

The U.N. said Al-Khatib arrived Thursday in Tripoli.

Forces loyal to Libya's leader of nearly 42 years spent much of this week pushing the rebels back about 100 miles (160 kilometers) along the coast. On Friday, the opposition showed signs of gaining discipline on what has often been a disorganized battlefield.

Fighters said fresh forces were coming in, mostly ex-military, but also volunteers with not quite a month of training. The rebels also appeared to have more communication equipment such as radios and satellite phones, and were working in more organized units, in which military defectors were each leading six or seven volunteers.

The untrained masses who have rushed in and out of the fight for weeks with no apparent organization were barred from the front line. They stayed to the rear, to hold the line temporarily in case Gadhafi's forces attempt to flank the rebels.

"The problem with the young untrained guys is they'll weaken us at the front, so we're trying to use them as a backup force," said Mohammed Majah, 33, a former sergeant. "They have great enthusiasm, but that's not enough now."

Majah said the only people at the front now are former soldiers, "experienced guys who have been in reserves, and about 20 percent are young revolutionaries who have been in training and are in organized units."

The rebels also had mortars Friday, weapons they previously appeared to have lacked, and on Thursday night they drove in a convoy with at least eight rocket launchers -- more artillery than usual.

The rebels' losses this week, and others before airstrikes began March 19, underlined that their equipment, training and organization were far inferior to those of Gadhafi's forces. The recent changes appear to be an attempt to correct, or at least ease, the imbalance.

It was not immediately clear where the front line was on Friday. On Thursday, the opposition had moved into Brega, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Ajdabiya, before Gadhafi's forces pushed them out.

Gadhafi's greatest losses this week were not military but political. Two members of his inner circle, including his foreign minister, abandoned him Wednesday and Thursday, setting off speculation about other officials who may be next. The defections could sway people who have stuck with Gadhafi despite the uprising that began Feb. 15 and the international airstrikes aimed at keeping the autocrat from attacking his own people.

Libyan state TV aired a phone interview with intelligence chief Bouzeid Dorda to knock down rumors that he also left Gadhafi.

"I am in Libya and will remain here steadfast in the same camp of the revolution despite everything," Dorda said. "I never thought to cross the borders or violate commitment to the people, the revolution and the leader."

Gadhafi struck a defiant stance in a statement Thursday, saying he's not the one who should go -- it's the Western leaders who attacking his military with airstrikes who should resign immediately. Gadhafi's message was undercut by its delivery -- a scroll across the bottom of state TV as he remained out of sight.

The White House said the strongman's inner circle was clearly crumbling with the loss of Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, who flew from Tunisia to England on Wednesday. Koussa is privy to all the inner workings of the regime, so his departure could open the door for some hard intelligence, though Britain refused to offer him immunity from prosecution.

Ali Abdessalam Treki, a former foreign minister and U.N. General Assembly president, announced his departure on several opposition websites the next day, saying "It is our nation's right to live in freedom and democracy and enjoy a good life."

Gadhafi accused the leaders of the countries attacking his forces of being "affected by power madness."

"The solution for this problem is that they resign immediately and their peoples find alternatives to them," the Libya state news agency quoted him as saying. 

US Workers Join International Team Tackling Japan's Nuclear Crisis

Who’s willing to kiss their family goodbye and fly halfway around the world into a radioactive cauldron, toiling at 12-hour shifts in potentially life-threatening conditions and surviving on emergency rations, all in the hopes of saving Japan from nuclear disaster?
More people than you might think.
Nuclear workers from the United States, France and other countries are heading to Japan to take part in the frantic operation to stop more radiation from spewing out of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. Three weeks after a 9.0-magnitude quake destabilized the plant and sent a tsunami rushing through it, some 400 Japanese nuclear workers are living and working at the facility, and an unknown number of foreigners are joining them. ..There’s even an American recruiting firm taking applications from people who want to go.

“About two weeks ago, we told our managers to put together a wish list of anyone interested in going to Japan,” Joe Melanson, a recruiter at Bartlett Nuclear, a Massachusetts staffing firm that specializes in nuclear industry jobs. The first batch of American workers are setting off for Japan on Sunday, he said.

Besides having nuclear experience on your resume, “the only requirement was that you have a valid passport,” Melanson said.

The gig also earns big pay, though the exact salary for a monthlong trip to Japan hasn’t been made public.
And the workers’ assignments once they land in Japan are largely unknown. Officials from the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which runs the Fukushima plant, are commanding the relief efforts, and foreign workers will go in under their ultimate command. Jobs include water purification experts, radiation monitors and spent-fuel specialists.