A giant, obvious misspelling on a New York City crosswalk has city, utility and school officials pointing fingers, and assuring that none will win a spelling bee.
Even worse, the misspelling is right outside a Manhattan high school, and involves the word "school."
The painted pavement on Stanton Street outside Marta Valle High School reads "SHCOOL X-NG," as seen here in footage captured by ABC News affiliate WABC.
The Department of Transportationclaims the mistake was made by a utility provider conducting repairs on the street, according to The New York Post, which first reported the glaring error.
City officials say utility providers and contractors are responsible for returning city streets back to normal after repairs.
But at least one city worker told the paper the blame lies not with the utility company or the city, but with the school.
"Regardless of who painted it, someone from the school should have been outside supervising, or noticed it by now," the city worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Post. "This is sloppy work."
The Post also reports that the neighborhood's residents said construction crews worked on the street over the summer, meaning the error has gone either unnoticed or unrepaired by both the city and the school for months.
"What's ironic is that the principal has probably painted the lunchroom and rooms inside over about five times since 2010," Marta Valle's PTA president Linda Surles told the Post. "She's probably spent $100,000 in paint doing and redoing the inside of the school, but she doesn't notice this right outside her door!"
Officials from Marta Valle High had no comment.
The Post's inquiries were enough though, it seems, to get the error fixed.
"We are contacting them to correct the error promptly," a DOT spokesman told the Post, referring to the utility provider the agency says is to blame. The mistake has since been corrected.
The YouTube sensation "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger" video has generated nearly 35 million views since first being posted last year. But until now, no one has known who exactly was behind the viral video's narration.
TMZ has caught up with the voice in question, though he is still concealing his full identity, choosing to only be identified by the name "Randall." In the video below, Randall explains his motivation behind the honey badger narration.
"I've always had a natural talent for narration, so I figured what better animal to start with than the honey badger. Seriously."
"Because in today's society, I think it's an animal that a lot of people can relate to. I think a lot of people want to be able to take what they want. And I believe firmly, and Harvey [Levin] can tell you this, everyone, inside of them, has a honey badger just waiting to get out. They don't care, they want to take what they want and now is the time to do it."
So, why is Randall stepping into the spotlight now? TMZ writes:
So, why go public now? Randall's in Hollywood hocking his new book -- yes, the Honey Badger can write too -- and there's even an animated TV show in the works. Guess he really is pretty badass.
You can watch the original honey badger video below. Warning, it does contain graphic language:
MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer came to greet President Barack Obama upon his arrival outside Phoenix Wednesday. What she got was a critique. Of her book.
The two leaders could be seen engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One's steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time.
Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said: "He was a little disturbed about my book."
Brewer recently published a book, "Scorpions for Breakfast," something of a memoir of her years growing up and defends her signing of Arizona's controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes.
Obama was objecting to Brewer's description of a meeting he and Brewer had at the White House, where she described Obama as lecturing her. In an interview in November Brewer described two tense meetings. The first took place before his commencement address at Arizona State University. "He did blow me off at ASU," she said in the television interview in November.
She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. "I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and this little kid knows what the problem is and I felt minimized to say the least."
On the tarmac Wednesday, Brewer handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border.
"I said to him, you know, I have always respected the office of the president and that the book is what the book is," she told reporters Wednesday. She said Obama complained that she described him as not treating her cordially.
"I said that I was sorry that he felt that way. Anyway, we're glad he's here, and we'll regroup."
A White House official said Brewer handed Obama a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The official said Obama told her he would be glad to meet with her again. The official said Obama did note that after their last meeting, which the official described as a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation between the president and the governor.
25 January 2012Last updated at20:00 ETBy Lucy AshBBC Radio 4, The Report
Khat is mainly used by older men in the Somali community but there are fears its use is spreading
The UK could become a hub for smuggling the herbal stimulant khat, European police and politicians have warned.
The Netherlands is the latest country to outlaw the sale of the plant, which is now banned in sixteen EU member states and Norway.
Khat is freely sold in the UK and observers say the UK's isolated stance could make it the main base for Europe's khat trade.
The British government has commissioned a new review of khat use.
Until announcing its ban earlier this month, the Netherlands was similar in its stance to the UK where the East African plant is legally imported, sold and consumed.
In 2005 the UK Home Office commissioned a report by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) which concluded that "the evidence of harm resulting from khat use is not sufficient to recommend its control."
In the UK, the drug is mainly consumed by people of Somali and Yemeni origin and the ACMD report concluded there was "no evidence of its spread to the general population."
'Social harm'
Gerd Leers, Immigration and Integration Minister in the Netherlands, says he already has enough evidence of social harm caused by the drug to support a ban, which will come into force from June this year.
Mark Lancaster, MP for Milton Keynes North, argued that khat should be outlawed in Britain in a speech he made in Parliament earlier this month.
But others say that making khat a controlled drug could lead to further problems.
"What worries me about the Netherlands is that once these legal Somali traders are criminalised and have their livelihood taken away from them - what are they going to do next?" says Axel Klein, an expert witness for the ACMD's 2005 report.
"They have contacts, trading skills, financial acumen so it is very possible that they will start trafficking the khat and then diversify into harder drugs.
"This is our main concern when looking at the UK as well.
"Do we really want to create the opportunity for an organised crime syndicate to start-up from nowhere with long term consequences by banning khat?"
Mr Klein argues that khat is chewed mainly by older men in the Somali diaspora and the practice will die out - rather like snuff has done in the UK.
But British-Somali Muna Hassan is not so sure. She blames khat use for inducing her younger brother's paranoid schizophrenia.
He has lived in the UK since the age of five and had a bright future ahead of him, studying at university, when he then started chewing khat.
"The Somali community has a unified voice on this," she told Radio 4's The Report.
"Those who argue against a ban don't know about the community and they can't see all the damage it is doing to families and individuals. We know," she says.
'Dangerous' drug
Eleni Palazidou, a psychiatrist who has worked with the Somali community in east London, agrees.
"For me it is a drug - no two ways about it.
"Every patient that I have seen who chews khat, I have seen them worsening and it is impossible to get their condition under control.
"What khat does to the brain is similar to amphetamines. I think heavy, regular use is dangerous.
I have no doubt that khat has a major adverse effect on people's mental health and does cause psychological problems," she told The Report.
The Netherlands' ban has been welcomed by Dutch citizens like Dagmar Oudshoorn, mayor of the village of Uithoorn, near Schipol, who says the khat trade has been a blight on her community.
"Four times a week 200 cars arrive with people who want to buy khat and they fight - we had stabbing incidents - and they leave rubbish everywhere.
"We want to refurbish our business area but because of the bad environment we lose investors and customers," she told the BBC.
Neighbouring states, where the drug has long been illegal, have also put pressure on the Dutch government in The Hague because they have seen a sharp increase in khat trafficking from Holland.
For Europe's Nordic countries, much of the khat arrives by truck across the Oresund bridge between Denmark and southern Sweden.
Swedish police estimate that 200 tonnes is smuggled into the country each year, with a street value of 150 euros (£125/$190) a kilo.
After years of lobbying, Swedish MEP Olle Schmidt admits he was pleasantly surprised by the Dutch move to ban khat.
"There is a shift in the Netherlands. They no longer want to be seen as a liberal country where tourists can come to smoke pot and buy drugs.
"Now, of course, khat will come more extensively to the London airports and then be smuggled to the rest of Europe, because you can earn a lot of money with this drug," warns Mr Schmidt.
Stefan Kalman, a senior detective in the Swedish drug squad, says customs officers catch smugglers on the border several times a week.
"The couriers often have accidents because they drive so fast", he says.
"Sometimes they shoot past the border controls without stopping because they are nervous - khat is quite bulky and you cannot conceal it like other drugs."
They are also in a rush because the drug has to be consumed when it is fresh.
Cathinone, one of the psychoactive agents in khat leaves, is highly unstable and loses its potency within three days of harvesting.
With the door slammed shut in Holland, smugglers will turn to the UK despite the longer distances says Detective Kalman.
"With the Eurotunnel you can get from London to Malmo in 15 hours. Britain will become the new hub in Europe that is for certain."
The British government has commissioned a new review of khat use - the date of its publication is still to be confirmed.
Both Sir Michael Somare (L) and Peter O'Neill are claiming the role of prime minister
Soldiers in Papua New Guinea say they have taken control of the military and ousted the defence chief, reports say.
The apparent mutiny, involving 12-20 soldiers, took place early in the morning in Port Moresby, Australian media and officials said.
The incident appears to be linked to the conflict between Peter O'Neill and Sir Michael Somare - the two men claiming the role of prime minister.
They have been wrangling over the role for six months.
The leader of the soldiers, retired Colonel Yaura Sasa, is a former defence attache to Indonesia.
He has declared himself commander after placing the head of the defence forces, Brigadier General Francis Agwi, under house arrest.
He has denied staging a mutiny and said instead that he was appointed by Sir Michael's government.
''My task is restoring the integrity and respect of the constitution and the judiciary," he said at a press conference at the military headquarters.
"I am now calling on the head of state to immediately implement Sir Michael's post as prime minister," he added.
Brig Gen Agwi backed Mr O'Neill as Papua New Guinea's prime minister.
According to the ABC report, the soldiers overpowered guards at Taurama barracks and took the commanding officer there captive.
They then moved to Murray Barracks, placing Brig Gen Agwi under house arrest.
Power tussle
The incident is the latest conflict in a power tussle between the two men claiming the South Pacific nation's top job.
Sir Michael left Papua New Guinea in March to receive treatment for a heart condition. In June, his family announced he was standing down from politics, a move he later said had been taken without consulting him.
He remained out of the country for five months and in August, MPs declared the position vacant and that Sir Michael was no longer an MP. Mr O'Neill was elected by 70 votes to 24, replacing acting Prime Minister Sam Abal.
A Supreme Court ruling in December 2011 then stated that parliament had acted illegally by electing Mr O'Neill prime minister. The court also ruled in a 3-2 decision that Sir Michael should be ''restored to the office of prime minister''.
Mr O'Neill, who is backed by the civil service and effectively running the country, refused to step down.
Last week, Sir Michael showed up in parliament waving court documents and demanding to be reinstated. A rowdy scene ensued, with Sir Michael being ejected.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a travel advisory to ''limit travel around Port Moresby today''.
"We urge that the situation be resolved as soon as possible, and that the PNGDF chain of command is restored," the department said in a statement.
Mr O'Neill has not made any statement on the situation, the Associated Press news agency reported.
However, Australia's High Commissioner in Port Moresby, Ian Kemish, has spoken Mr O'Neill, who said authorities were taking steps to manage the situation, said an Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson.
The Head of the Australian Defence Staff at the High Commission has also talked with Brigadier Agwi.
''We understand that discussions (are) underway within the PNGDF to resolve the matter,'' the spokesperson said.
The potential £1.3m cuts would be on top of £18m of savings already agreed
A police chief has said further cuts to his force's budget would take it to "a metaphorical cliff edge".
The mooted £1.3m in cuts for Gloucestershire police would be on top of £18m of savings already agreed.
The Superintendent's Association, Unison and the Police Federation have all sent letters of condemnation to the local Police Authority.
Chief Constable Tony Melville said he had never experienced an issue which had "galvanised" staff in such a way.
He said: "We are cutting much, much deeper than was ever intended or required by the CSR (Comprehensive Spending Review)."
'Significant pressures'
Chief Constable Melville said the strength of feeling in the county had made him feel "compelled to respond" and added: "Here in Gloucestershire we are potentially in the middle of a perfect storm."
He said: "The letters sent this week are written by bodies which represent every part of the constabulary - both officers and staff and spanning across all ranks.
"They air genuine concerns which I share and also worry could become a reality for this county."
Det Ch Supt Gavin Thomas, chairman of the Gloucestershire branch of the Police Superintendents Association, said in his letter the accountability held by the Police Authority was there "to ensure there is an efficient and effective policing service delivered to the people of Gloucestershire."
He said if the authority went ahead with its plans for further cuts of £1.3m it would "significantly increase the already significant budgetary pressures on the Constabulary, that is already making 'real' funding cuts of over £18m."
In his letter, chairman of the Gloucestershire branch of the Police Federation, Ian Anderson, said: "The county has already seen the closure of 19 police stations and a reduction of nearly 200 police officers."
He said the further £1.3m in cuts would "potentially result in further closures and reductions in police officer numbers."
'Deep concerns'
Rob Garnham, chairman of Gloucestershire Police Authority, said it faced the challenge of increasing its share of council tax by 2.9% for the next three years, or accepting a government offer of £1.3m this year in return for freezing council tax.
"However that cash sum this year will not be built in to the base budget for future years and if accepted we would need to set the constabulary the challenge of finding an additional annual saving of £1.3m," he said.
"The authority is fully supportive of the constabulary as it reorganises to meet the financial challenges it has been set - they are making outstanding efforts to cope with these challenges and we know how hard this has been.
"We understand the uncertainty that many in policing are feeling and their deep concerns."
Of the existing plan for £18m in cuts already agreed up on, Chief Constable Melville said: "It is a plan which can deliver a good quality of service to the public, whilst still making the savings required. But it is only possible to continue with that plan if this extra cut is not imposed.
"As chief constable, I will work tirelessly to provide the best policing possible with the money that I am given.
"However, it is quite possible that, in the future, it will look very different to what the public have come to know and expect from us.
"Never before in my 34 years of policing have I experienced an issue which has galvanised staff and officers in the way that this has."
A decision on the force's budget is due to be made at a public meeting in Cheltenham on 9 February.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has resumed her duties after surgery for cancer of the thyroid
Argentina's president has condemned the UK prime minister's claim last week that her government takes a colonialist attitude to the Falklands Islands.
Making her first public appearance after undergoing surgery for cancer, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner branded David Cameron's comment "nonsense".
A surgery scar was visible on her throat as she spoke at government headquarters in Buenos Aires.
This April marks 30 years since the start of the Falklands War.
"They are trying to paint us as bad guys, or violent guys and really, that is not who we are," Mrs Kirchner told a packed auditorium after 20 days of medical leave for thyroid surgery.
Mr Cameron outraged many in Argentina last week when he accused the country of having a "colonialist" attitude over the disputed islands.
Protesters marched on the British embassy in Buenos Aires on Friday, burning the Union flag, and demanding that diplomatic ties with London be severed.
Referring to Mr Cameron's comments, Mrs Kirchner said that people only talk nonsense when they do not have solid arguments.
Mrs Kirchner's comments came mid-way through her remarks to supporters at the Argentinian Presidential Palace.
Her remarks illustrate how potent the issue of the Falklands Islands remains across Argentinian society.
The wife of the captain accused of abandoning the capsized Costa Concordia cruise liner off the Tuscan island of Giglio says that her husband is not the "monster" that has been portrayed in the media and that he is being made a scapegoat.
Fabiola Russo, the wife of Captain Francesco Schettino, spoke out in a cover story in Oggi, an Italian weekly magazine, which hit newsstands today. In the interview Russo says that her husband is a "maestro," and that there was a reason he was entrusted with the helm of the Concordia.
"My husband is at the center of an unprecedented global media storm," Russo said in the interview. "I cannot think of any other naval or air tragedy in which the responsible party was treated with such violence. This is a man hunt, people are looking for a scapegoat, a monster. It's shameful.
In the interview Russo, 48, also addresses claims that 52-year-old Schettino, whom the Italian press has dubbed "Captain Coward," recklessly steered the Concordia to disaster.
"He knows how to do his job, but sometimes even those who know how to do their job can make mistakes -- if he did make a mistake," she said. "He is decisive, stable and lucid. He analyzes situations, understands them and knows how to manage them."
Russo did however admit in the interview that at one point Schettino was fined for steering a boat too close to the shore.
"Our shared passion is canoeing -- to paddle together you have to be in symphony, which is what Francesco and I are," she said. "But we got fined once, because we took a little motorboat too close to the coast."
The Costa Concordia capsized on January 13 when it hit rocks near Italy's Tuscan coast. The cruise liner had 4,200 passengers onboard.
Officials said Tuesday that another body was found in the ship's wreckage, which brings the total death toll from the Costa Concordia tragedy to 16, leaving 17 victims still missing, including a Minnesota couple.
Salvage operators are now getting in position to pump fuel off of the stricken ship, bringing a crane and other equipment to the scene.
Schettino, who claimed he tripped into the lifeboat and never meant to abandon the sinking ship, could face criminal charges, including manslaughter and abandoning ship. He told investigators earlier that his actions after the crash were competent and saved lives.
The CEO of the cruise line said that because Schettino did not tell them exactly what was going on in those fateful minutes after the crash, they did not send the proper response.
New transcripts leaked in the Italian press reveal a secretly recorded phone call that Schettino made from an investigators' office after his arrest. On the call, the embattled captain says that while his skill helped prevent an even worse tragedy, he feels that he is being scapegoated.
"I tried to avoid larger consequences ... but in the end I didn't manage to do it. I don't want to ever go back on a ship... I want to change my life because I don't see it ending very well," Schettino says.
The ship's chaplain said Schettino cried in his arms for 15 minutes after reaching the safety of shore.
"At around 2:30 a.m. I spoke to the captain," chaplain Raffaele Malena told the French magazine Famille Chretienne. He embraced me and cried like a child for about a quarter of an hour."
Russo told Oggi magazine that she and her husband pray for all of the victims and those still missing from the ship, and added that the ordeal has been difficult for the couple's 17-year-old daughter, who has seen the firestorm of negative press about her father.
In the interview Russo doesn't mention the mystery Moldovan woman her husband was reportedly dining with that night. That woman, who is still unnamed, claimed the captain was entertaining her at the time of the accident, and showing her photos of his daughter.
BOSTON (AP) — A small fishing boat lost off Massachusetts after its crew was thrown out in rough seas has been discovered near Spain more than three years later.
Scott Douglas and Rich St. Pierre were tossed off the 26-foot-long boat in August 2008 and forced to swim two hours to shore. The U.S. Coast Guard says the boat was left adrift because the seas were so dangerous.
But the Coast Guard said Wednesday that the boat was found 20 miles off Spain on Jan. 17. It was intact but covered in rust and barnacles.
The Coast Guard says the boat likely got into the Gulf Stream, then headed east with the North Atlantic Current for the 4,000-mile trip. The agency says such trans-Atlantic trips are rare, but not unheard of.
Study of mysterious skin illness uncovers its cause: It's all in the patients' heads: http://t.co/64fa2ACy
Utah cops are trying to determine what triggered a tiny replica cannon to fire something into the face of a 14-year-old boy, killing him.
"We're waiting for the autopsy," said Joyce Hansen, administrative assistant to the chief of police in Tremonton, Utah. She said it might take weeks, depending on the workload of the state medical examiner's office in Salt Lake City.
Robby Ostberg died Monday when the replicate 18th century cannon he was holding fired accidentally, a police press release said.
According to the release, Ostberg had been playing video games with his 16-year-old brother when the cannon erupted. He was dead when police arrived, the release said.
The release said the cannon was a .50-caliber weapon designed to be fired with black powder. Police did not know what type of propellant may have been in the cannon Monday or if there had been a projectile in it, police said.
Robby Ostberg often filled the cannon with black powder and fired tinfoil balls out of it, Cameron Kunsman, who called Robby his best friend, told the Deseret News.
Trever Steinlicht, a neighbor, said cannons like the Ostbergs' could send a projectile through a wall or kill "small game," ABC4 said. They are known to go off accidentally, he said. "All it takes is for something to slip and the hammer to drop on it and it will go boom," Steinlicht said.
There is legal confusion over whether the miniature cannons are decorations, toys or firearms, according to a blog post by legal scholar Jonathan Turley.
"Utah laws are silent on replica firearms and antique firearms," he notes. If the cannon that killed Ostberg was designed to fire a .50-caliber round, Turley asks, should it be treated as a firearm and should it come with warnings and a safety lock, he asks.
Ostberg's father, Allen Ostberg, was home at the time of the accident, the release said. A relative told ABC4 Salt Lake City that Ostberg was an Army veteran who had guns in the home, but he locked them and taught his sons gun safety.
A convicted murderer on death row in North Carolina wrote a taunting letter to his hometown newspaper about his life of "leisure" in prison and making a mockery of the legal system.
Danny Robbie Hembree Jr. was found guilty of murdering 17-year-old Heather Catterton in 2009 and was sentenced to death on Nov. 18, 2011.
Hembree, 50, is on death row at Central Prison in Raleigh, N.C., but he's not looking for any pity in the letter he sent to The Gaston Gazette.
"Is the public aware that I am a gentleman of leisure, watching color TV in the A.C., reading, taking naps at will, eating three well balanced hot meals a day," Hembree asked in the letter. "I'm housed in a building that connects to the new 55 million dollar hospital with round the clock free medical care 24/7."
He also asks if the public knows that the chances of his "lawful murder" taking place in the next 20 years, if ever, are "very slim."
Hembree has also been accused of killing two other women. One was 30-year-old Randi Dean Saldana, whose burnt remains were found near Blacksburg, S.C. in 2009. The other was 30-year-old Deborah Ratchford, whose body was found in 1992.
He admitted to taking drugs and having sex with Catterton and Saldana on the days they died, but told jurors he did not kill them or dispose of their bodies, according to ABC News' Raleigh-Durham affiliate WTVD. He is scheduled to go on trial for Saldana's killing in March.
Hembree confessed to killing the three women during recorded police interviews, but later said the confessions were an attempt to cover up a string of armed robberies, according to the Gaston Gazette.
In the letter, Hembree also mocks the judicial system.
"I laugh at you self righteous clowns and I spit in the face of your so called justice system. The state of North Carolina has sentenced me to death but it's not real," he wrote.
North Carolina State Representative Paul Stam told WTVD that the letter is a travesty of justice. He said that it is more likely that Hembree will die of natural causes than of the death penalty.
"His punishment does not fit his crime at all," Stam said.
Hembree tells the citizens of Gaston County, N.C., that they should petition that state and force them to carry out his "murder sentence."
The Gaston County District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
"I am a man who is ready to except [sic] his unjustful punishment and face God almighty with a clean conscience unlike you cowards and your cowardly system," Hembree wrote. "Kill me if you can suckers. Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Former President John Tyler, born 221 years ago, still has two living grandchildren. The one-term president isn't a well-known historical figure; he's probably best remembered for helping to push through the annexation of Texas in 1845, shortly before leaving office.
So, how is it possible that a former president who died 150 years ago would still have direct descendents alive today? As it turns out, the Tyler men were known for fathering children late in life. And that math is pretty outstanding when added up:
John Tyler was born in 1790. He became the 10th president of the United States in 1841 after William Henry Harrison died in office. Tyler fathered Lyon Gardiner Tyler in 1853, at age 63. Then, at the age of 71, Lyon Gardiner Tyler fathered Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. in 1924 and four years later at age 75, Harrison Ruffin Tyler. Both men are still alive today.
That means just three generations of the Tyler family are spread out over more than 200 years. President Tyler was also a prolific father, having 15 children (8 boys and 7 girls) with two wives.
Some context on Tyler's progeny: Jane Garfield (granddaughter of James Garfield) is 99, making her the oldest living grandchild of a former president, even though Garfield took office 40 years after Tyler.
Former Ambassador John Eisenhower is the oldest living presidential child, turning 89 this past August.
A few other Tyler tidbits:
He joined the South's secession efforts shortly before his death and was even elected to the Confederate House of Representatives.
Because of his Confederate ties, Tyler's is the only presidential death not officially mourned.
Tyler ascended to the presidency in 1841. Other things that happened that year: Canada became a nation; the United States Senate has its first filibuster, lasting nearly a month; the city of Dallas, Texas was founded.
Tyler was the first person to ascend to the presidency through succession as vice president.
A U.S. special operations team of Navy SEALs rescued two aid workers in Somalia Tuesday night, including a U.S. woman who had been held hostage for three months by Somali kidnappers and suffered from a life-threatening medical condition.
Jessica Buchanan, 32, of Bedford, Va., and Poul Hagen Thisted, 60, of Denmark, were abducted Oct. 25 by a band of Somalis while on their way to the airport in Galcayo, located in central Somalia. Both were working for the Danish Refugee Council's Danish Demining Group, and had just finished a training course for local Somali citizens when they were abducted.
In a statement released by the White House, President Obama said he had authorized a rescue mission Monday.
"Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home. As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts," Obama said in the statement.
The president said he spoke with Buchanan's father Monday night, "and told him that all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family.
"The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice. This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people," he added.
Obama made no mention of the successful raid during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, although keen observers noted an interesting exchange with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as he entered the House Chamber.
Obama pointed to Panetta and said, "Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight."
In a statement released today, Panetta said he was pleased that neither Buchanan nor Thisted was harmed during the operation. "This mission demonstrates our military's commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens wherever they may be around the world," he said.
Panetta described the rescue as "a team effort and required close coordination, especially between the Department of Defense and our colleagues in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "
The Danish Refugee Council also confirmed the rescue in a statement, saying, "The two aid workers from the Danish Refugee Council's demining unit, DDG, are both unharmed and at a safe location."
The rescue mission began around 2 a.m. local time as team of Navy SEALs parachuted into the area near the desert encampment where the two aid workers were being held, a U.S. official said. U.S. Africa Command said in a statement that the raid took place in the vicinity of Gadaado, Somalia.
As they approached the camp, the official said, there was a firefight and that there were no U.S. casualties. U.S. Africa Command said that the nine Somali captors were all killed in the firefight.
After freeing Buchanan and Thisted, the military team and the aid workers left the area via helicopter and were taken to Camp Lemonier, the U.S. military base in neighboring Djibouti.
Another U.S. official says that the rescue mission was prompted by a long-standing medical condition that had worsened during Buchanan's captivity and "it was at a point where it became life-threatening." The official did not identify the illness.
Few aid groups continue to operate inside Somalia because of the risks involved in conducting relief operations in one of the world most dangerous countries. The country has been ravaged by conflict for the past decade and an Islamic militant extremist group known as al-Shabab has been a focus of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in the country.
But, the U.S. official says, the Somalis who kidnapped Buchanan and Thisted were organized criminals and not members of al-Shabab. It's possible they might have had ties to the pirates who operate in the waters off of East Africa prowling for commercial ships to hold for ransom, making the waters off Somalia some of the most dangerous in the world.
Buchanan joined DDG as a trainee in May 2010 and by January 2011 had become an education adviser for the group.
Andreas Camm, a spokesman for the Danish Refugee Council, told ABC News that Buchanan "has been very strong during this crisis when we have received proof of life. Our impression has been she has done very, very well and been a very, very strong person. And we were happy every time we heard of that."
As for what kind of ransom the Somalis wanted from his group, Camm said, "We have told them, of course, that a humanitarian organization cannot pay."
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal jury has awarded $22 million to a New Mexico man who was kept in solitary confinement for two years and forced to pull his own tooth after being arrested for drunken driving in Dona Ana County.
Civil rights attorney Matt Coyte said the jury awarded Stephen Slevin, 58, the damages Tuesday after a six-day trial in Santa Fe.
Jess Williams, spokesman for Dona Ana County, declined comment other than to say the county plans to appeal.
"We have believe we have strong legal issues to raise with the appeal," he said.
Slevin was arrested while driving through the southern New Mexico county in August 2005. He ended up in solitary confinement because he was suffering from depression and someone checked a box on a form indicating he was suicidal, Coyte said.
Slevin was given some drugs for depression but never saw a mental health professional, Coyte said. He said his client wrote letters for months seeking help, but they were ignored.
"By January 2006, his last letter goes out looking for help. Then he falls into this delirium. He was there for the next 20 months," Coyte said.
Coyte said that in May 2007, Slevin was sent to a mental health facility in Las Vegas, N.M., for two weeks but then was returned to the Dona Ana County jail and solitary confinement.
"He immediately decompensates," Coyte said. "He sends off another letter at this point asking for medical care. ... He is forced to pull his own tooth. He rocked it back and forth over a period of eight hours before he was able to pull it out of his mouth."
Slevin was finally released in June 2007, Coyte said. He was never convicted.
"He entered this facility with overt symptoms of mental depression," Coyte said. "But that's not the issue. ... He was stuck in a 6-foot-by-11-foot cell with a concrete bench for a bed. And he sat in that cell. We had documentary evidence that he didn't get out for anything — for recreation, a shower — for months at a time."
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Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com
Study of mysterious skin illness uncovers its cause: It's all in the patients' heads: http://t.co/64fa2ACy
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — U.S. Navy SEALs parachuted into Somalia under cover of darkness early Wednesday and crept up to an outdoor camp where an American woman and Danish man were being held hostage. Soon, nine kidnappers were dead and both hostages were freed.
President Barack Obama authorized the mission by SEAL Team 6 two days earlier, deploying the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden last year. Minutes after the president gave his State of the Union address to Congress he was on the phone with the American's father to tell him his daughter was safe.
The Danish Refugee Council confirmed the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Poul Hagen Thisted, a Dane, were "on their way to be reunited with their families."
Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, were working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when gunmen kidnapped the two in October.
The raiders came in quickly, catching the guards as they were sleeping after having chewed the narcotic leaf qat for much of the evening, a self-described pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein told The Associated Press by phone. Hussein said he was not present at the site but had spoken with other kidnappers who were, and that they told him nine kidnappers had been killed in the raid and three were "taken away."
The hostage rescue was carried out by the same SEAL unit, SEAL Team 6, behind the operation in Pakistan last May that killed bin Laden, two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation.
One official said that the team parachuted into the area before moving on foot to the target. The raid happened near the Somali town of Adado.
New intelligence emerged last week that Buchanan's health was deteriorating rapidly, so Obama directed his security team to develop a rescue plan, according to a senior administration official who was not authorized to speak publicly. A Danish Refugee Council official, Mary Ann Olsen, said that Buchanan was "not that ill" but needed medicine.
"As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts," Obama said in a statement released by the White House. "The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice."
A Western official said the rescuers and the freed hostages flew by helicopter to a U.S. military base called Camp Lemonnier in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released publicly. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited Camp Lemonnier just over a month ago. A key U.S. ally in this region, Djibouti has the only U.S. base in sub-Saharan Africa. It hosts the military's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.
The timing of the raid may have been made more urgent by Buchanan's medical condition. The Danish Refugee Council had been trying to work with Somali elders to win the hostages' freedom but had found little success.
"One of the hostages has a disease that was very serious and that had to be solved," Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal told Denmark's TV2 channel. Soevndal did not provide any more details. Soevndal congratulated the Americans for the raid.
The Danish Refugee Council said both freed hostages are unharmed "and at a safe location." The group said in a separate statement that the two "are on their way to be reunited with their families."
Olsen informed Thisted's family of the successful military operation and said "they were very happy and incredibly relieved that it is over." Olsen said the two freed hostages were in Djibouti and would soon be moved to a "safe haven." She said Buchanan does not need to be hospitalized.
"One of the first things Poul and Jessica were able to do was to call their families and say they were freed," Olsen said. "They will be reunited with their families as quickly as possible," Olsen said.
The head of the Danish Refugee Council, Andreas Kamm, said he would have preferred to see the two hostages freed peacefully after working with Somali groups to win the pair's freedom, "but we're happy with the outcome. This is a day of joy indeed."
The two aid workers appear to have been kidnapped by criminals and not by Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. As large ships at sea have increased their defenses against pirate attacks, gangs have looked for other money making opportunities like land-based kidnappings.
The Danish Refugee Council had earlier enlisted traditional Somali elders and members of civil society to seek the release of the two hostages.
"We are really happy with the successful release of the innocents kidnapped by evildoers," said Mohamud Sahal, an elder in Galkayo town, by phone. "They were guests who were treated brutally. That was against Islam and our culture ... These men have spoiled our good customs and culture, so Somalis should fight back."
Buchanan lived in neighboring Kenya before Somalia, and worked at a school in Nairobi called the Rosslyn Academy from 2007-09, said Rob Beyer, the dean of students. He described the American as quick to laugh and adventurous.
"There have been tears on and around the campus today," Beyer said. "She was well-loved by all her students."
Buchanan graduated in 2006 from Valley Forge Christian College, a small suburban Philadelphia school. The school's president, the Rev. Don Meyer, said Buchanan taught at Rosslyn as part of her studies and "fell in love with Africa."
"Ever since Jessica was captured, we all as a community have been praying for her safety and for her safe release," Meyer said. "We are also grateful that our prayers have been answered."
Buchanan and Thisted were seized in October from the portion of Galkayo town under the control of a government-allied clan militia. The aid agency has said that Somalis held demonstrations demanding the pair's quick release.
Their Somali colleague was detained by police on suspicion of being involved in their kidnapping.
The two hostages were working in northern Somalia for the Danish Demining Group, whose experts have been clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East.
Several hostages are still being held in Somalia, including a British tourist, two Spanish doctors seized from neighboring Kenya, and an American journalist kidnapped on Saturday.
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Associated Press reporters Julie Pace in Washington, Jason Straziuso in Nairobi, Kenya, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Patrick Walters in Philadelphia contributed to this report. Houreld reported from Nairobi and Dozier from Washington.
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Follow Katharine Houreld at http://twitter.com/khoureld
Thaddeus Jimenez, 32, had spent nearly half his life in prison before being exonerated and released in May 2009. After being released, Jimenez then sued the city, accusing the police of ignoring evidence in his case, including a confession from another suspect, Juan Carlos Torres.
Nonetheless, Jimenez was tried and convicted twice and sentenced to 45 years in prison. More from the Chicago Tribune:
Years later, lawyers and students from the Northwestern University Bluhm Center on Wrongful Convictions and other attorneys reinvestigated Jimenez's conviction and found that two key witnesses recanted their original claims that he was the gunman. The state's attorney's office then agreed to reopen the case.
If the verdict stands, it will be one of the largest levied against Chicago in the city's history.
"The state's attorney's office … recognized an injustice had occurred and they corrected it," said Jimenez's attorney Jon Loevy. "They deserve a ton of credit for reopening the case … taking an honest look at it and correcting an injustice."
Jimenez is reportedly now working at a restaurant. "He's trying to figure out what to do for the rest of his life," Loevy said. However, last December, Jimenez was convicted on drug possession charges and could be headed back to prison for up to three years. He sentencing is scheduled for February 1, according to CBS News.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "We need a big rethink"
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has told the World Economic Forum that a "big rethink" is needed in the eurozone within the global economy.
"Structural reforms that lead to more jobs are essential," she told delegates at the Swiss resort of Davos. "Do we dare to be more European?"
The eurozone is still struggling with a sovereign debt crisis and is trying to agree reform to its political system.
But many want Germany and other nations to boost the size of their rescue fund.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) wants the eurozone to inject more cash into its rescue fund.
The IMF wants the sum available for bailouts to grow beyond 500bn euros ($647bn; £416bn) to ensure talks between private creditors and Greece do not grind to a halt.
The reserves could be bolstered by merging the temporary European Financial Stability Fund with the permanent European Stability Mechanism, according to IMF's managing director, Christine Lagarde.
IMF chief Lagarde wants eurozone governments to contribute more
"If the two together could make a common fund, it would be a very strong signal of confidence in Europe," she said.
The situation is urgent according to the IMF, which recently predicted that the economic growth rate in Europe could halve this year from an earlier estimate of 3.3% if the eurozone crisis remains unsolved.
Lessons learnt
Mrs Merkel disagrees with Ms Lagarde about what is needed.
"We have said right from the start that we want to stand up for the euro, but what we don't want is a situation where we are forced to promise something that we will not be able to fulfil," she said.
"Let us take a moment to reflect what lessons we have learned from the global financial and economic crisis.
"Is what we have learned sufficient? There's still room for improvement. There was a glaring lack of regulation that led to the predicament."
Mrs Merkel said that the austerity reforms being enacted - currently being felt from the Irish Republic to Italy - had to be balanced with reforms of how Europe is governed.
Last year, the 17 nations that use the euro agreed to adopt reforms that would allow European institutions to punish nations that exceed their budget deficit limits.
Mrs Merkel also acknowledged "tensions" between countries that have adopted the euro and those that have not inside the European Union (EU).
Permanent arrangement
At a summit in December, most of the EU vowed to add about 200bn euros to the IMF's resources - which in turn could be lent to stricken nations such as Greece or to the eurozone's bailout fund.
The UK decided not to take part in a new treaty, leading the other nations to agree a "fiscal compact" between themselves.
Mrs Merkel would like the arrangement to become permanent.
"The main message of this fiscal compact that we are working on - the fact that every country introduces a debt ceiling in its constitution and that the European Commission and the European Court of Justice can control this - the main message is: we are ready for more commitment. We are not talking our way out of it," she said.
Leading politicians and executives meet in Davos every year
Rather, Mrs Merkel said she would work to ensure the EU develops "political structures" to make the euro work properly.
"The message is that we are ready for more commitment. We are no longer making excuses," she said.
"That is important because otherwise we will continue to lose credibility.
"We have taken some steps closer to a fiscal union, but we can get faster, gain speed and become more decisive.
"I'm absolutely convinced that we will get out of this crisis."
The future of the world economy is high on the agenda as some of world's most powerful people gather in Davos.
They meet annually in the Swiss resort to discuss the state of the world.
Police say metal cables can be worth thousands of pounds to thieves
Anyone trying to sell scrap metal should have to prove their identity, a group of MPs has said.
The Transport Select Committee also said the government should test a ban on cash payments for scrap to try to tackle the problem of metal theft.
Thefts from railways caused disruption to 3.8 million passengers last year and cost more than £16m.
Rail Minister Norman Baker said it was considering new legislation to regulate the scrap metal industry.
The metal recycling industry is worth about £5.6bn and employs almost 8,000 people in the UK.
But there are concerns about the number of illegal sites and about dealers prepared to accept metal in return for cash without any information about its origins.
Aggravated trespass
The transport committee said the government must act with "more urgency" to tackle the problem and made a number of suggestions:
create a new offence of aggravated trespass on the railway to help deter cable thieves
give more powers to police to inspect both registered and unregistered scrap metal yards
reform the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 to require anyone selling metal to provide proof of identity before a transaction can take place
test the use of cashless trading in the scrap metal industry to make transactions of stolen materials easier to trace
The MPs said the scrap metal industry was the "weak link" in efforts to combat the crime, but also called on Network Rail to make cable more difficult to steal.
They said there should be greater clarity around compensation arrangements to make sure train operators cannot profit from disruption caused by cable theft.
And they called for more information on what efforts were being made to help passengers left stranded by cable theft.
Committee chairman and Labour MP Louise Ellman said theft was "made easy by the way in which stolen metal can be sold to scrap metal dealers".
"We need urgent reform to improve the audit trail generated by the scrap metal industry so that criminals selling stolen metal into the trade can be identified much more easily," she said.
Mr Baker welcomed the report and said many of its recommendations were already being implemented by the government and rail industry.
"The metal theft task force announced in the Autumn Statement is already getting under way to target the thieves and those who trade in stolen metal," he said.
"We are also examining other options, including legislation to tighten the regulation of the scrap metal industry."
'Working tirelessly'
Dyan Crowther, director of operational services at Network Rail, said: "We're doing all we can to protect our rail network - investing around £2m each year on mitigation measures, including funding extra [police] officers, using CCTV, forensic marking techniques and other technology.
"To an extent our actions can help us manage the crimes but, despite our efforts, they continue to increase.
"We believe that the only way to significantly reduce metal crime is to take away the illegal market and that more robust legislation and police powers are needed to achieve that."
Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, also welcomed the idea of new legislation.
"Train companies are working tirelessly with the rest of the industry to tackle the problem, and will continue to call for tougher measures to allow police to close down rogue traders for good," he said.
Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted (images courtesy of Danish Refugee Council)
Two foreign aid workers kidnapped in Somalia three months ago have been freed in a US military raid.
US officials have confirmed that elite US Navy Seals were dropped into Somalia to carry out the overnight operation, which resulted in a shoot-out.
Vice-President Joe Biden told ABC News that the mission had been approved because of the failing health of one of the aid workers.
The hostages - a US woman and a Danish man - were seized on 25 October.
American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Thisted, 60, were freed uninjured, although nine of their captors are said to have been killed. No casualties have been reported among US forces.
Health concerns
Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal told Denmark's TV2 channel that one of the hostages "has a disease that was very serious and that had to be solved''.
"Jessica's health was failing," Mr Biden said, referring to Ms Buchanan. "They concluded they should go at this time. The president gave the go."
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says Wednesday's rescue is the highest profile US action in Somalia since it pulled its forces out of the country in 1994.
A Pentagon official has confirmed to the BBC that the unit involved was the elite Seal Team Six, which killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan last May, although the same personnel were not necessarily involved.
Vice-President Joe Biden said the bravery of the special operations team "takes your breath away"
Seal Team Six suffered heavy losses last August in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan which killed 38 people.
US officials said the Somali kidnappers were "criminals" rather than Islamist al-Shabab militants.
More than 150 people are still being held hostage in Somalia - mostly sailors from ships seized for ransom by pirates.
They include a UK tourist, two Spanish medics and a Kenyan driver who were abducted in neighbouring Kenya.
Kenya blames al-Shabab for those kidnappings, but the group denies any involvement.
In recent months, the US has stepped up drone and naval attacks in Somalia, where the al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group controls much of the south and central regions.
A US special operations team killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, one of the most senior leaders of al-Qaeda's East Africa cell, inside Somalia in 2009.
'Chewing qat'
At the time of the raid, American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Thisted, 60, were being kept about 40km (25 miles) east of the town of Adado and 100km south of Galkayo.
A US official said the Seals parachuted from a plane into an area near the compound where they were being held.
The kidnappers had been chewing a narcotic leaf known as "qat" and were sleeping when the Seal team arrived, self-described pirate Bile Hussein told the Associated Press news agency.
He added that nine kidnappers were killed and three were "taken away".
US officials say shots were fired as the team approached the compound, but there were no American casualties.
The rescue team was on the ground for about an hour and the raid was over by 03:00 (00:00 GMT).
The freed hostages and the Seals left the area by helicopter for the nearby tiny Horn of Africa state of Djibouti, where the US has a military presence.
They were taken to Camp Lemonnier - where about 2,500 personnel are based as well as armour, fighters and drones.
The two had been working for the Danish Demining Group, part of the Danish Refugee Council, when they were abducted by gunmen near the north-central town of Galkayo.
The family of Ms Buchanan said her rescue was "an unbelievable answer to prayers", and her brother, Stephen Buchanan said: "It is a great day to be an American. We are very proud and very thankful to Seal Team Six."
'Message to world'
Jessica Buchanan attended Valley Forge Christian College in Pennsylvania, graduating in 2006.
During and after college, Ms Buchanan taught a school in Nairobi, Kenya, where she "fell in love with Africa", Valley Forge's president Rev Don Meyer told the Associated Press.
Barack Obama told Jessica Buchanan's father of the rescue
She moved to Somalia in 2009 with her Danish husband, Erik Landemalm, an aid worker whom she met in Africa, according to ABC News.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ms Buchanan is a regional education adviser with the demining group.
Correspondents say that since the 1993 killing in Mogadishu of 19 US soldiers and the wounding of 70 others, there has been no appetite for full-scale US ground operations in Somalia.
The country has been wracked by two decades of conflict and lawlessness, and has not had a functioning central government since 1991.
The current UN-backed interim government controls the capital, Mogadishu, thanks to the efforts of a 12,000-strong African Union force.
In a statement, US President Barack Obama said he had personally authorised the mission on Monday and that it constituted "another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people".
The BBC's Steve Kingstone in Washington says the first hint of the successful operation appeared to come from President Obama himself.
As he prepared to give the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, he turned to his Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and said: "Good job tonight."
In his annual address, the US president praised the US Navy Seals team who killed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan in May 2011.
Thousands of people remained in the square as night fell
Thousands of Egyptians have remained in Cairo's Tahrir Square after a rally marking the anniversary of the uprising which toppled President Hosni Mubarak.
Some have vowed to stay until another rally planned for Friday, news agencies reported.
Many of the protesters are demanding a speedy handover of power from the interim military authorities.
Others are urging patience and celebrating the success of Islamist parties in post-Mubarak elections.
The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) of the Muslim Brotherhood - banned under Mr Mubarak - holds the largest number of seats in the newly elected parliament, although this does not mean it will be invited to form a government.
Large rallies were also reported in Suez, several parts of the Nile delta, and in the Sinai peninsula.
Mr Mubarak, who fled the capital after less than three weeks of protests, has since been put on trial accused of ordering the killing of demonstrators. He denies the charges.
'Goals not met'
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Cairo, says the mood at the anniversary rally in Tahrir Square has been peaceful, resembling more a huge street party than a political protest.
The various groups are all competing to claim ownership of the revolution, he says, from the youth movement which began the protests a year ago, to the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf), which took power last February after Mr Mubarak stepped down.
Many of the protesters demanded an immediate handover of power.
"I am not here to celebrate. I am here for a second revolution," said unemployed Attiya Mohammed Attiya. "The military council is made of remnants of the Mubarak regime. We will only succeed when we remove them from power."
Chef Hala Rashad told AFP: "We will keep going to Tahrir to push for the goals of the revolution, no matter what.
"The military council has done nothing. They are behaving just like the old regime. We have not received our rights and the country is a mess."
Other groups chanted "Down with military rule" and "Revolution until victory, revolution in all of Egypt's streets".
But supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood said the protests should end and the new leaders be given time to move Egypt forward.
Teacher Alaa Mohammed said the military council had overseen the "cleanest elections ever" and protected the revolution.
Others said they had turned out to remember the more than 850 people killed during the Tahrir Square protests.
"We should not forget that there was bloodshed here. This is not a celebration, but it is a big event to send our condolences to our brothers who passed away between the 25th of last January and now," said Walid Saad.
'Thuggery'
On Tuesday, Scaf chairman Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi said the state of emergency, which has been in place in Egypt almost continuously since 1967, was to be lifted.
But Field Marshall Tantawi said the law would still be applied in cases of "thuggery", without giving any details.
The military has used the term "thugs" to justify the crackdown on people demanding a return to civilian rule.
An end to the much-hated law had been a key demand of the protesters. During his nearly 30 years in power, Mr Mubarak had repeatedly promised to lift the decree and then failed to do so.
Last year, the generals widened the scope of the emergency law to include labour strikes, traffic disruption and spreading false information.
The military council has also announced that more than 1,900 prisoners have been pardoned by Field Marshall Tantawi - they reportedly include prominent blogger Michael Nabil, who was jailed for insulting the armed forces.
Alex Salmond holds up his consultation document which he revealed to MSPs
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has set out the question he intends to ask voters in a referendum on Scottish independence.
The SNP leader said Scots would be asked: "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" in a ballot which he wants to hold in 2014.
But a consultation launched by Mr Salmond asks if voters favour a second question on more Holyrood powers.
He said the referendum could be regulated by the Electoral Commission.
In a statement to MSPs, Mr Salmond described the question as "short, straightforward and clear", saying the people of Scotland would be asked to make the most important decision facing the country in 300 years.
But Mr Salmond said people would also be asked their views on increasing the Scottish Parliament's powers, short of independence, which has been described as "devo-max".
Opposition parties in Scotland accused the first minister of obsessing about independence at a time of economic strife, while the UK government has urged him to hold the referendum "sooner, rather than later".
Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said there was "much to welcome" in the Scottish government consultation, but warned: "Any attempt to pass legislation for either an independence or 'devo-max' referendum would be outside the existing powers of the Scottish Parliament and liable to legal challenge.
"We have made it clear that we think the Scottish government would lose such a challenge.
"Clearly, the UK government still believes that it is in the interests of the Scottish people and economy to have a referendum sooner rather than later."
Mr Salmond said the referendum, expected to cost about £10m, should meet "the highest standards of fairness, transparency and propriety".
Mr Salmond told the Scottish Parliament: "The referendum will be held in autumn 2014 on the same terms as any Scottish election, to the same standards and with the same guarantee of fairness. We will decide our future in a vote which is beyond challenge or doubt.
"Our nation is blessed with national resources, bright people and a strong society. We have an independent education system, legal system and NHS. They are respected worldwide. I believe that if we connect the wealth of our land to the wellbeing of our people, we can create a better country."
A Referendum Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament early next year, could be passed towards the end of 2013, with the vote itself being held after the European elections in June 2014, and the Commonwealth Games, which are being staged in Glasgow.
The first minister said Scotland, under devolution, was currently limited in what it could do to create jobs, grow the economy and help the vulnerable.
The public consultation paper - Your Scotland Your Referendum - seeks views on what the ballot paper should say, what spending limits should be set and how the referendum should be managed and regulated.
Mr Salmond said he also wanted to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote.
The SNP leader was addressing parliament on the 253rd anniversary of the birth of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns.
Both Mr Salmond and Scotland's deputy first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, later held a press conference at Edinburgh Castle's Great Hall, attended by 45 journalists from 17 foreign countries.
Westminster ministers have already launched their own consultation on plans for the referendum, saying further powers need to be devolved to make it legally watertight.
SNP ministers have disagreed about the legal position, and have accused the coalition of trying to dictate the terms of the referendum, such as its time scale and the wording of what appears on the ballot paper.
The Scottish government said it would welcome the extra legal powers, but warned against them coming with "strings attached".
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie described the statement as more Shakespeare than Burns, saying it was "much ado about nothing".
"While independence dominates the work of his government, our country is gripped by unemployment and rising costs," he said.
"I, as a Liberal Democrat, want home rule within the UK family, sharing the risks and rewards in a turbulent world."
Johann Lamont, Scottish Labour leader, said: "The most important thing is that whichever side wins this referendum, it, and the process to it, is conducted in such a way that the day after it all Scots can come together to fulfil our national duty to make Scotland all it can be.
"Sadly, the first minister declined those talks, and this consultation paper has done little for those who fear this process is not a fair one.
"For all the poetry and the pomp, this, his fourth crack at a consultation paper, is one of political calculations and assertions."
'Wriggle room'
Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson said she was glad that Mr Salmond had set out his preference for a single question on independence.
But she added: "I notice that the first minister has left wriggle room for a second question in there. We believe that the question should be fair and decisive."
And the Scottish Green Party called for the coming months of civic debate to act as testbed for a more inclusive way of doing politics in Scotland.
Its leader Patrick Harvie said: "I welcome the move to accept the oversight of the Electoral Commission by the Scottish government.
From Democracy Live: Mr Salmond's full statement and questions on his consultation plans for the referendum
"Now it's time for Westminster to give ground and allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote."
"Any change in the constitutional status of Scotland is bound to have an effect not just on England but on Wales and Northern Ireland as well," he said.
"My focus will be on ensuring the UK is kept together - four different nations drawing strength from each other for the common good."
Scotland's Electoral Commissioner, John McCormick, added: "Our priority is to ensure any referendum is well run, transparent and focused on voters and we will share our experience and expertise in running referendums when we respond to both parliaments and governments on their respective consultations."
Mr Salmond said he looked forward to discussing this issue with Scottish Secretary Michael Moore and Prime Minister David Cameron "in the coming days".
The Scottish government consultation closes on 11 May.
Mr Mubenga was being escorted by staff from the private security firm G4S
Private security guards employed to forcibly remove people from the UK have used racist language and inappropriate force, a report by MPs has said.
The Commons' Home Affairs Committee said the UK Border Agency should challenge unacceptable behaviour by some of its contractors.
The report comes 15 months after a deportee died on a flight.
A spokesman for the UKBA said that all private security escorts are trained in approved restraint techniques.
Jimmy Mubenga, 46, fell ill and collapsed on a British Airways plane bound for Angola on 12 October 2010.
The MPs did not comment on the case, which is still being investigated by the police, but said that Mr Mubenga's death had triggered their own investigations into the way that the UK Border Agency managed the deportation of people on flights from the UK.
The UKBA contracts out the job of escorting people to their deportation flight. The contract has been held by Reliance since May 2011 and previously by G4S.
The MPs said found:
Inappropriate use of physical restraint, including some techniques that could be dangerous
Some contractors using racist language
Excessive numbers of security guards for some deportations
"It is a matter for serious concern that contractors should use racist language among themselves," said the report.
"That they were content to do so in front of not only UK Border Agency staff but also inspectors from HM Inspectorate of Prisons is shocking. It is possibly the result of a relationship between the Agency and its contractors which had become too cosy."
Restraint techniques
The MPs said that the UKBA's own staff should feel that they can properly challenge any bad behaviour by contractors - but it also criticised the practice of taking "reserves" to airports - people who may then find that they are not being removed from the UK after all.
Restrained: A volunteer in a scientific test suffered breathing problems during tests
It called on the government to allow independent monitors, people allowed into prisons and removal centres, to board removal flights.
The MPs said that they were not convinced that a potentially harmful head-down restraint position was never used, even though it was not authorised.
"We recommend that the Home Office issue urgent guidance to all staff involved in enforced removals about the danger of seated restraint techniques in which the subject is bent forwards.
"We also recommend that the Home Office commission research into control and restraint techniques which are suitable for use on an aircraft. The use by contractors of unauthorised restraint techniques, sanctioning their use, or failing to challenge their use, should be grounds for dismissal."
Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the committee, said: "The UK Border Agency must not wash its hands of responsibility for detainees just because the service is contracted out.
"People who are not entitled to remain in the country must be removed and there may be occasions when it is necessary to use physical force, but this must always be done only when absolutely necessary, and with proper respect for the dignity of the detainee."
A UKBA spokesman said: "All escorts on flights are trained to use restraint techniques approved by the Prison Service.
"We have no evidence contractors use head-down restraints and would take strong action against them if their conduct does not meet our standards.
"We are currently working closely with Noms (National Offender Management Service) to develop specific techniques appropriate to confined spaces."
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Bennett said the public should not approach Andrew Farndon
A prisoner is on the run after two officers were threatened at gunpoint on his arrival at hospital in Suffolk.
A man pointed a gun at the officers at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds at 18:50 GMT. They were forced to release the prisoner, believed to be Andrew Farndon, 26.
Police said they had begun a manhunt for both men, who ran off.
Officers were alerted by hospital staff who could see a man with a gun outside the accident and emergency department.
They said the man was pointing the weapon at two prison officers.
Run away
Moments later, police received a second call from the prison officers, from HMP Highpoint, who said they had a gun pulled on them by a man who had confronted them as they arrived.
Both the prisoner and the man with the gun had then run away across the car park. No-one was hurt in the incident.
Farndon is described as white with a shaved head, and was wearing a dark blue baseball cap and a light-coloured jumper that was padded on the right side due to an injury to the shoulder.
He is a Category C prisoner, a security classification which means he is unlikely to make a determined escape attempt.
The man with the gun is described as white, in his mid 40s, around 5ft 8in, of stocky build, possibly with a Scottish accent. He was wearing a white top and blue jeans.
It is thought they may have escaped in a dark-coloured car.
Do not approach
Police said they had begun a comprehensive search of the area, including the use of the force helicopter, and are liaising with other agencies and talking to witnesses.
Officers are asking anyone with information about the incident or where Farndon is now to call Suffolk Police as soon as possible - using 999 if necessary for sightings, or 101 to pass on information.
Police are advising members of the public not to approach either of the men but to call officers straight away.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said it was a matter for the police, but a full Prison Service inquiry would follow.
Police are not linking the incident with the escape of category A prisoner John Anslow, who was sprung from a prison van after it left Hewell Prison in Worcestershire on Monday.
Three masked men ambushed the van, smashing its windows with sledgehammers and punching the driver.
The van was taking inmates from the prison near Redditch to Stafford Crown Court.
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