First lady pushes Jay Leno to eat healthy foods

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — Jay ate the veggies.

First lady Michelle Obama cajoled Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the "Tonight Show," breaking his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet.

Leno once told a magazine he hadn't eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That didn't dissuade the first lady, who's promoting her "Let's Move!" campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits.

Earlier, Obama poked at him in a Twitter post, hinting she'd "get Jay to eat some veggies" on the NBC show.

He did.

"That does smell very good. I assume this is sausage-pepperoni," the comedian quipped as he eyed the pizza made with a whole-wheat crust.

She convinced Leno to dip an apple in honey made from beehives in the White House garden: "It will help it go down easier," she assured him.

"White House honey? That sounds bad," Leno told her. "You know, with a different president that could mean a whole different thing, 'a little White House honey.'"

The first lady is on a two-day swing through California where she'll promote her initiative while attending two events to help Democrats raise money for the upcoming elections.

She told Leno she's not doing anything special to prepare for what's expected to be a tough re-election campaign for her husband, President Barack Obama.

"You know, there's really no way to mentally prepare for it. You take each day as it comes," she said.

Republican Mitt Romney has been ridiculing the White House and might face the president in November, but the first lady graded the former Massachusetts governor's singing voice with something like a sly endorsement. Romney surprised supporters in Florida with an on-pitch version of "America the Beautiful" on Monday, and Leno asked the first lady for her opinion.

"It's beautiful," she said after a pregnant pause, with a laugh and raised eyebrows. "And it is America's song, and it's a song that's meant to be sung by every American," the first lady said in a taped appearance for the NBC show.

Leno told her, "That is right, regardless of political affiliation."

But she swooned over her husband's singing — Obama took a brief turn as a soul singer earlier this month at a New York fundraiser, crooning a bar from an Al Green classic. She says he does a little Marvin Gaye, too.

"He does have a beautiful voice, and he sings to me all the time," she told Leno.

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NBC is controlled by Comcast Corp.

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Man shot dead near Tube station

1 February 2012 Last updated at 13:25 ET

A man has been shot dead near a north London Tube station.

Scotland Yard said it was called to reports of a shooting in Langham Parade, near Turnpike Lane Tube station at about 15:30 GMT.

An air ambulance arrived shortly afterwards and a man thought to be in his mid-30s was pronounced dead at the scene, Scotland Yard said.

Police said one person had been arrested and efforts were being made to trace the dead man's next of kin.

Scotland Yard has appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

Turnpike Lane Tube station, which is on the Piccadilly line, is still open, but one exit has been closed, Transport for London said.

Langham Road was cordoned off by police while a number of officers, including forensics officers, remained at the scene on Wednesday evening.

Police said the victim had not been formally identified.

It is the second fatal shooting in the capital this year, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

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No change in Lawrence sentencing

1 February 2012 Last updated at 11:25 ET

Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted over the 1993 murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence

The sentences handed to Gary Dobson and David Norris for the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence will not be reviewed, it has emerged.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve said the sentences will not be referred to the Court of Appeal for a decision on whether they are "unduly lenient".

He said the minimum terms are "within the appropriate range of sentences".

Mr Grieve said the pair will not be released until, or unless, the Parole Board thinks they pose no further risk.

The pair were sentenced to life after being found guilty by an Old Bailey jury at the beginning of January.

Dobson was ordered to serve a minimum of 15 years and two months, and Norris 14 years and three months.

Explaining his decision not to refer the sentences to the Court of Appeal, Mr Grieve said: "This was a despicable and appalling crime.

"Justice was long delayed and I can fully understand why some people are unhappy that the minimum terms handed down were not longer.

"However, having considered the sentences carefully I have come to the conclusion that the minimum terms are within the appropriate range of sentences, bearing in mind the offenders' ages at the time of the crime, and therefore I have decided not to refer them to the Court of Appeal."

He stressed that the terms were the minimum periods that will actually be served.

"Dobson and Norris will not be released unless and until the Parole Board considers they do not pose a risk," he said.

Dobson, 36, and Norris, 35, were the first people convicted over the fatal attack on Mr Lawrence by a group of white youths near a bus stop in Eltham, in south-east London, on 22 April 1993.

Earlier this week it emerged that the men are to appeal against their convictions.

Continue Reading... Labels: change, Lawrence, sentencing

Winehouse coroner 'not qualified'

1 February 2012 Last updated at 13:01 ET

Winehouse had hits with Rehab and Back to Black

The family of singer Amy Winehouse have said they are "taking advice" following news that the coroner who oversaw her inquest has resigned.

Camden Council has confirmed that Suzanne Greenaway had stood down because she had not been a lawyer in the UK for the required five years.

The council said she had been appointed "in error" by her husband Andrew Reid, the coroner for inner north London.

Ms Greenaway ruled that Winehouse, 27, died from accidental alcohol poisoning.

She returned a verdict of misadventure.

The Office for Judicial Complaints has begun an inquiry into Dr Reid's conduct.

Letter of apology

In a statement, Winehouse's relatives said: "The Winehouse family is taking advice on the implications of this and will decide if any further discussion with the authorities is needed."

Ms Greenaway qualified in Australia in 1999 in September and was a member of the Supreme Court there but she had not worked as a lawyer for the required time in the UK, a Camden Council spokesman said.

The spokesman added that the Winehouse inquest verdict remained legal and would only be judged illegal if it was challenged and subsequently overturned by the High Court.

Amy Winehouse's father leaves St Pancras Coroners Court

Dr Reid said he was writing to all of the families affected to apologise.

He said: "While I am confident that all of the inquests handled were done so correctly, I apologise if this matter causes distress to the families and friends of the deceased."

He has offered to hold the inquests over again if the families of the deceased request it.

During her time as deputy assistant coroner, Ms Greenaway conducted 12 inquests in Camden, but mainly worked from Poplar Coroner's Court.

Coroners are appointed by the Ministry of Justice who then interview and appoint their own staff, including in the case of Dr Reid, his assistant deputy coroner.

Under the Coroners Act, he must then notify the local authority although it has no power of scrutiny over appointments, a Camden Council spokesman said.

The inquest into Winehouse's death heard she was more than five times the drink-drive limit when she died on 23 July.

Ms Greenway had said the "unintended consequence" of Winehouse drinking so much alcohol was her "sudden and unexpected death".

Three empty vodka bottles, two large and one small, were found at her flat, St Pancras Coroner's Court heard.

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Gun fight erupts in Libya capital

1 February 2012 Last updated at 11:42 ET

Armed groups leftover from last year's conflict regularly clash for control of parts of the city

Rival Libyan militia groups have fought a gun battle in the capital, Tripoli, officials say.

Exchanges of fire were heard and plumes of smoke seen coming from a district known as Tariq Al Shat in central Tripoli, eyewitnesses said.

A BBC reporter who drove past the area later said the fighting had ceased.

An interior ministry official told Reuters news agency the fighting was between militiamen from the city of Misrata, and a group from Zintan.

The two militia groups fought together to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi last year.

Several militias from outside the capital have set up bases in Tripoli and regularly clash as they fight for control of parts of the city.

The country's interim National Transitional Council (NTC) is struggling to reassert its authority.

The latest clashes took place near the coast, close to the Corinthia Bab al-Africa and Marriott hotels.

"Misrata controls a police academy building up the road and they are fighting with Zintan. We do not know why they are fighting," interior ministry Naji Awad told Reuters.

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Big freeze extends across Europe

1 February 2012 Last updated at 13:04 ET

Scenes of snow and cold weather around Europe

Heavy snow has caused disruption across Europe, carpeting much of Italy to the south and Turkey to the east.

The freeze that has swept south through the continent has caused at least 80 deaths, mainly in Ukraine and Poland.

Temperatures were so low that some areas in Romania along the shores of the Black Sea froze.

In central Italy, heavy goods lorries were barred from motorways and several top-flight football matches have fallen victim to the wintry conditions.

Ukrainian officials reported that the number of deaths attributed to the freeze had risen to 43, with 13 people falling victim to hypothermia in the past 24 hours.

Schools and colleges in the capital, Kiev, were shut on Wednesday because of the severe cold.

School closures were also reported in northern Greece, where temperatures of -16C (3F) were recorded.

Villages were cut off in Bosnia where temperatures fell to -10C

Several towns and cities in Bulgaria saw record lows, with -29C reported in Kneja in the north-east for the second day running. For much of the country an "orange" alert was in place, warning of dangerously low temperatures.

A 57-year-old man froze to death in a village in the north-west and 450 schools were closed across the country.

In Bosnia and Serbia helicopters were used to airlift supplies to villages cut off by drifting snow.

Seven more deaths were reported in Poland, bringing to more than 20 the number who have fallen victim to the cold snap. Five were said to have been homeless people.

German media reported that ice and sub-zero temperatures had led to the deaths of two women: a pedestrian froze after falling into a drainage ditch and a driver was killed when she lost control of her car on an icy road.

For a second night running, matches in Italy's Serie A were called off

In Turkey, three crew-members from a ship that sank during a storm in the Black Sea were pulled out alive by coastguard near the north-western port of Eregli but eight others were missing.

The bulk carrier Vera, with a crew of 10 Ukrainians and a Georgian, had been carrying a cargo of scrap metal from Rostov in Russia to Izmir in western Turkey.

Snowfalls were recorded as far south as southern Italy and Corsica, where at least 20cm of snow covered the centre of the Mediterranean island.

Italian rail services were reduced because of the wintry conditions. In Sicily, a one-year-old boy was fatally injured when his mother's car went into a stream swollen by torrential rain.

Several football matches in Italy's Serie A were postponed on Tuesday night and there were doubts that Wednesday's clash between Inter Milan and Palermo would take place. Workers cleared snow from the pitch at the Renato Dall'Ara stadium in Bologna but the match against Fiorentina was later postponed.

The cold snap, according to forecasters, is due to an area of high pressure that has extended across Europe from Siberia and is expected to reach its peak at the weekend.

BBC weather presenter Peter Gibbs said he expected the bitter weather to continue for several more days across most of Europe, with cold winds and snow also spreading further south to affect the Balearic Islands and parts of northwest Africa by the weekend.

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Continue Reading... Labels: across, Europe, extends, freeze

Redknapp: My mind was on Beckham

1 February 2012 Last updated at 11:24 ET

Mr Redknapp said he always pays his taxes

Harry Redknapp has told jurors he was more worried about David Beckham than dealing with his Monaco bank account.

Talking about a $100,000 cash transfer made in 2003 from Monaco to ex-Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric's US account, he said: "All I was thinking about was marking David Beckham."

He also denied having been "greedy" over his cut of transfer profits.

Mr Redknapp, 64, and Mr Mandaric, 73, deny cheating the public revenue over payments made to the Monaco account.

During his evidence at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Redknapp paused and shouted at a detective.

'Died in crash'

The football boss held his hands up and looked around at Det Insp Dave Manley midway through questioning.

He said: "Mr Manley, will you please stop staring at me. I know you are trying to cause me a problem, OK."

Speaking about the Monaco account, Mr Redknapp said: "When he [Mr Mandaric] first mentioned [the account] it to me he was on about making a million dollars - he said it was a disaster later on."

The Spurs boss told jurors he was "morally" due a 10% cut of a £3m profit from selling England striker Peter Crouch, despite his share of any transfer profits having been reduced from 10% to 5% when he moved from the director of football post to become manager at Portsmouth.

The prosecution alleges Mr Mandaric made an untaxed payment to Mr Redknapp linked to the Crouch deal, but Mr Mandaric told the court the payment "had absolutely nothing to do with football" and was an investment for Mr Redknapp.

Speaking from the witness box, Mr Redknapp said: "I've never been greedy in my life.

"Morally I was due the bonus, although, legally I wasn't - I always related it to that... It wasn't my Crouch bonus as it wasn't in my contract."

Mr Redknapp said he was told "to get on with my job basically" when he told Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie that Mr Mandaric had told him he was entitled to 10%.

The prosecution alleges Mr Mandaric made untaxed payments to Mr Redknapp

Mr Redknapp also described how he and Mr Mandaric spent a lot of time together when he joined the club as director of football.

He said: "I would be like his chauffeur... we spent hours upon hours upon hours together, I didn't get involved at the football club, on the training ground with the manager, it was me and Milan everywhere."

Mr Redknapp told how he had first became aware of Mr Mandaric in the 1970s when he played football in the US league.

"He had billion dollar companies, this man has made a fortune. He said he was going to make some investments."

Mr Redknapp said he was reluctant when Mr Mandaric suggested he opened a Monaco account.

'Best accountants'

Mr Redknapp said he flew out to Monaco with his wife Sandra, and came up with the name of Rosie for the account because it was his dog's name.

He said he had no further dealings with the account, adding: "It would be a waste of time giving me any forms because I would most probably have left it on the deckchair where me and Sandra were sitting."

Mr Redknapp later told the court how his wife thought he had been killed in a plane crash when police raided their home in a separate inquiry into alleged football corruption in 2007.

He was travelling back from a game in Germany leaving his wife at home.

Police and reporters swooped on the property leading Sandra to believe her husband had been killed.

Earlier, Mr Redknapp said he hired the best accountants in London to keep his books.

The Tottenham manager told jurors: "I have always paid my taxes. I've always gone to the best available people."

The pair are accused on two counts, the first being that between 1 April 2002 and 28 November 2007, Mr Mandaric paid $145,000 (£93,100) into a bank account held by Mr Redknapp in Monaco to avoid paying income tax and national insurance.

The second charge for the same offence relates to a sum of $150,000 (£96,300) allegedly paid by Mr Mandaric to the same account between 1 May 2004 and 28 November 2007.

The trial continues.

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