Police are interested in talking with Tiger Woods about his accident early yesterday morning. Meanwhile other news sources are claiming Woods and his wife had an argument over an affair.
The rumor mill has started swirling after the bizarre 2:25 a.m. accident Tiger Woods had on Friday November 27. Fox News and Foxnews.com are reporting multiple different story lines that tie Tiger Woods to an affair with a New York woman named Rachel Uchitel. Fox is citing the National Enquirer as having seen Woods and Uchitel in Melbourne during the Australian Masters tournament.
Uchitel told the Associated Press that she was in Australia two weeks ago but did not see Woods at all while she was over there.
TMZ, another celebrity gossip website, is claiming that Woods and his wife of five years had been in a fight. This is a fact that local police dispute. Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes stated that they are handling this as a traffic accident and nothing else, "We don't believe it is a domestic issue." Montes did say that two Troopers asked to speak to Woods Friday evening but his wife, Elin Nordegren, said he was sleeping and they agreed to come back on Saturday.
Florida Highway Patrol did not release the details immediately because the accident by their criteria was not considered a serious one, so media outlets were not notified. The question still remains where Woods was going at that hour. A brief statement was made on Woods' website thanking everyone for their concern and support. Both his agent, Mark Steinberg, and spokesperson Glenn Greenspan noted nothing else would be said further than what was on his website.
There are also conflicting reports as to the severity of the accident as it has been classified as not being extensive but also not being light either. They have ruled out alcohol as a factor in causing the accident. Just the same Woods was reportedly in and out of consciousness just after his collision. His wife said she heard the accident and come outside and used a golf club to smash the back window and pull Woods out of the vehicle. Police found her with Woods' body.
It has been announced that Tiger Woods will be holding a press conference on Tuesday at Sherwood Oaks Country Club. This really is the first time that Woods' private life has come under scrutiny and question.
China has executed a dairy farmer and a milk salesman for their roles in the sale of contaminated baby formula - severe punishments that Beijing hopes will assuage public anger, reassure importers and put to rest one of the country's worst food safety crises.
The men were the only people put to death in a scheme to boost profits by lacing milk powder with the industrial chemical melamine; 19 other people were convicted and received lesser sentences. At least six children died after drinking the adulterated formula, and more than 300,000 became ill.
Beijing is eager to show it has responded swiftly and comprehensively to eliminate problems in its food production chain that have spawned protests at home and threatened its export-reliant economy. The milk powder contamination struck a nerve with the public because so many children were affected, but was only one in a series of product recalls and embarrassing disclosures of lax public health safeguards.
Melamine, which is used to make plastics and fertilisers, has also been found added to pet food, eggs and fish feed, although not in levels considered dangerous to humans. The chemical, which like protein is high in nitrogen, fooled inspectors. It can cause kidney stones and kidney failure.
China has tightened regulations and increased inspections on producers and exporters in cooperation with US officials, who have noted a drop in the number of product recalls on Chinese exports.
But Beijing continues to struggle to regulate small and illegally run operations, often blamed for introducing chemicals and additives into the food chain. The country has 450,000 registered food production and processing enterprises, but many - about 350,000 - employ just 10 people or fewer. The UN said in a report last year that the small enterprises present many of China's greatest food safety challenges.
Zhang Yujun, the farmer, was executed on Tuesday for endangering public safety, and Geng Jinping for producing and selling toxic food, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Much of the phony protein powder that Zhang and Geng produced and sold ended up at the defunct Sanlu Group Co, at the time one of China's biggest dairies.
Xinhua said an announcement of the execution had been issued by the Shijiazhuang Municipal Intermediate People's Court, although a court clerk who answered the phone on Tuesday said he was unable to confirm the sentences had been carried out. Most executions in China are performed by firing squad.
Of the others tried and sentenced in January in the scandal, Sanlu's general manager, Tian Wenhua, was given a life sentence after pleading guilty to charges of producing and selling fake or substandard products.
Three other former Sanlu executives were given between five years and 15 years in prison.
There was outrage after news spread of the doctored milk in September 2008, both because of the extent of the contamination and allegations that the government prevented the news from breaking until after the Olympic Games in Beijing.
The cover up accusations were never publicly investigated, and authorities have since harassed and detained activist parents pushing lawsuits demanding higher compensation and the punishment of government officials. Families were offered a one-time payout - ranging from of 2,000 yuan ($A318) to 200,000 yuan ($A31,500), depending on the severity of the case - to not pursue lawsuits.
Tuesday's executions brought some comfort to Li Xinquan, who lost one of her eight-month-old twin daughters who was fed with melamine-tainted formula from Sanlu. Li has campaigned to force authorities to admit negligence and provide fair compensation.
"They deserved it. This is the punishment they have received from the government," said Li, whose other daughter survived because she was breast fed.
Another parent, Wang Zhenping, also voiced satisfaction with the executions, reflecting strong support for the death penalty in China, which executes more people annually than the rest of the world combined.
Wang, who said his two-year-old son appeared to have recovered from melamine poisoning, rejected the compensation offer and said he was growing weary of the struggle.
"I feel like it doesn't really matter now," he said.
US Consumer Products Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said last month that Beijing has made progress in increasing product safety.
The numbers of consumer recalls of toys imported from China had fallen from more than 80 in fiscal 2008 to about 40 in fiscal 2009, Tenenbaum said.
"Chinese suppliers and US importers are now on notice from both governments that it is a mistake to depend on good intentions and a few final inspections to ensure compliance with safety requirements," she told a conference in Beijing.
The Philippines proved again it is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, following the death of at least 24 people in Maguindanao, local and international media organizations said.
At least 12 journalists covering the filing of certificate of candidacy of Vice Mayor Ismael “Toto” Mangudadatu, and Mangudadatu’s wife Genalyn were among those killed.
“This incident not only erases all doubts about the Philippines being the most dangerous country for journalists in the world, outside of Iraq, it could very well place the country on the map as a candidate for a failed democracy,” the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines said in a statement.
Authorities have linked the murders to political rival Shariff Aguak Mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan, who has yet to give a statement to media outfits.
Among the journalists reportedly slain were Ian Subang (Dadiangas Times), Leah Dalmacio (Forum), Gina dela Cruz (Today), Marites Cablitas (Today), Joy Duhay (UNTV), Henry Araneta (DZRH), Andy Teodoro (Mindanao Inquirer), Neneng Montaño (formerly of RGMA), Bong Reblando, (Manila Bulletin), Victor Nuñez (UNTV), Macmac Ariola (UNTV), Jimmy Cabillo (UNTV), Bart Maravilla (Bombo Radyo, Koronadal) and lawyers Cynthia Oquendo and Connie Brizuela, according to a statement from University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC), citing reports.
“This is the darkest day in the history of journalism in the Philippines, which, outside of Iraq, has topped the tables of countries where journalists are most at risk in recent years,” said the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Reporters Without Borders also condemned the ongoing culture of impunity in Mindanao, a region more known for extremists and clan wars.
“We have often condemned the culture of impunity and violence in the Philippines, especially Mindanao. This time, the frenzied violence of thugs working for corrupt politicians has resulted in an incomprehensible bloodbath. We call for a strong reaction from the local and national authorities,” Reporters Without Borders said.
Philippines' Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility however reminded journalists to steer clear of any danger.
"We affirm that it is the media’s crucial task to provide the citizenry the information it needs so it can make such decisions as to who to vote for as well as others related to its well-being and safety. We reiterate, however, that no story is worth the life of a single journalist," CMFR said in a statement.
Journalism instructors from the UP CMC meanwhile lambasted the government for its supposed failure to disband local politicians’ private armies.
“The Department of Journalism of the U.P. College of Mass Communication holds the Arroyo government accountable for the continuing state of lawless violence in Maguindanao and other parts of the country,” the UP CMC added in a statement.
They said that “while the massacre was being perpetrated, the President’s chief political adviser was in fact shaking hands with the Ampatuans in Malacañang yesterday, even as the PNP chief for Maguindanao refused to respond when the victims were calling him up by cell phone.”
“We need a strong and urgent response from the Philippine government and the international community,” added Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.
LAS VEGAS – Manny Pacquiao staked his claim atop boxing’s mythical throne as the pound-for-pound best, using his lightning hand speed to beat and batter Miguel Cotto into submission Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Pacquiao knocked Cotto down once in the third round and again in the fourth, pummeled him repeatedly and easily lifted the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt from the Puerto Rican with a 12th-round stoppage. The time was 55 seconds into the final round, as referee Kenny Bayless leaped between the fighters to save Cotto a more savage beating and ignominious end.
Cotto came out strong and landed some hard punches, but Cotto couldn’t deal with the speed. Pacquiao was landing three shots for every two Cotto did early. After the knockdown in the fourth, Cotto’s offense was nonexistent as he spent most of the last two thirds of the fight fending off Pacquiao’s onslaught.
Cotto landed in single digits in power shots in every round from the fifth forward.
Pacquiao nearly had the stoppage after the 11th when Cotto trainer Joe Santiago walked onto the ring apron and waved his hand at Bayless.
It appeared he was going to stop the fight, but then Bayless and ringside physician James Game spoke and allowed it to continue. It was only extending the misery as Pacquiao poured it on in the 12th.
When the fight ended, the crowd began to chant, “We want Floyd!” It was a reference to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the other man with a claim to the top of the boxing pound-for-pound list.
Pacquiao, who has won championship belts in five divisions and beat the linear champion in two others, can no longer be knocked as a small man who was beating washed up fighters.
In Cotto, he took on an elite and powerful welterweight whose only loss came under suspicious circumstances to Antonio Margarito last year. There is suspicion that Margarito’s gloves were loaded for that fight, though it has never been proven.
But Pacquiao proved he was able to not only take a welterweight punch, but rock him repeatedly. It was a magnificent performance and will create public demand for a fight with Mayweather.
“I want to see him fight Mayweather,” Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said.
Santiago said Pacquiao hit harder and was stronger than expected. Cotto injured his left shoulder in the eighth.
At least one American soldier went on a shooting rampage on Thursday in a sprawling Texas military base killing 11 people and wounding 31 others before being gunned down, army officials said.
Two other soldiers were arrested after the shooting spree and were being held as suspects, said Lieutenant General Bob Cone, commander at Fort Hood, the largest US military base in the world.
The dead soldier, identified as Army Major Malik Nadal Hasan, opened fire with two handguns in a busy processing centre where troops go before being deployed on overseas missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cone told reporters the motive for the attack remained unclear. "We don't know that right now. Again, this is all under investigation," he stressed, adding he believed the incident was over.
US President Barack Obama, who had been kept informed of the shooting as the drama was tracked in the White House situation room, denounced the attack as "an horrific outburst of violence".
"My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded. And with the families of the fallen," Obama said.
"It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on American soil."
Texas senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said Hasan was about to be deployed to Iraq.
General Cone confirmed that 12 people were dead including the shooter.
"At approximately 1.30 today, a shooter entered what we call the soldier readiness facility, where soldiers getting ready to deploy go for check-ups and treatment. A shooter opened fire. That person was killed.
"As I said, the shooter was killed. He was a soldier," Cone said.
Cone added that after a manhunt on the sprawling base in Killeen they had "apprehended two additional soldiers who are suspects, and I would go into the point that there were eyewitness accounts that there may have been more than one shooter".
He said he had been stunned by the incident, adding "soldiers and family members and many of the great civilians that work here are absolutely devastated.
"I want to express my condolences to the soldiers, the families, and the civilians in this great community in central Texas. This is a tragedy, but we will work through it."
Fort Hood has been working to rehabilitate many soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, local congressman John Carter told MSNBC.
Fort Hood is the headquarters of the Army 3rd Corps, the 4th Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division. All those units have seen extensive duty in Iraq.
In May 2007, five men suspected of being Islamic militants were arrested by the FBI as part of a plot to attack the US base in Fort Dix, New Jersey. Four were sentenced in April to life imprisonment, and the fifth to 30 years.
KORSOER, Denmark – The world's largest cruise ship cleared a crucial obstacle Sunday, lowering its smokestacks to squeeze under a bridge in Denmark.
The Oasis of the Seas _ which rises about 20 stories high _ passed below the Great Belt Fixed Link with a slim margin as it left the Baltic Sea on its maiden voyage to Florida.
Bridge operators said that even after lowering its telescopic smokestacks the giant ship had less than a 2-foot (half-meter) gap.
Hundreds of people gathered on beaches at both ends of the bridge, waiting for hours to watch the brightly lit behemoth sail by shortly after midnight (2300GMT; 7 p.m. EDT).
"It was fantastic to see it glide under the bridge. Boy, it was big," said Kurt Hal, 56.
Company officials are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success. Five times larger than the Titanic, the $1.5 billion ship has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. It has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.
Accommodations include loft cabins, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot (487-meter) luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.
The liner also has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.
Oasis of the Sea, nearly 40 percent larger than the industry's next-biggest ship, was conceived years before the economic downturn caused desperate cruise lines to slash prices to fill vacant berths.
It was built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean International and left the shipyard in Finland on Friday. Officials hadn't expected any problems in passing the Great Belt bridge, but traffic was stopped for about 15 minutes as a precaution when the ship approached, Danish navy spokesman Joergen Brand said.
Aboard the Oasis of the Seas, project manager Toivo Ilvonen of STX Finland confirmed that the ship had passed under the bridge without any incidents.
"Nothing fell off," he said.
The enormous ship features various "neighborhoods" _ parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.
In the stern, a 750-seat outdoor theater _ modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater _ doubles as a swimming pool by day and an ocean front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-foot (10-meter) high-dive platforms. An indoor theater seats 1,300 guests.
One of the "neighborhoods," named Central Park, features a square with boutiques, restaurants and bars, including a bar that moves up and down three decks, allowing customers to get on and off at different levels.
Once home, the $1.5 billion floating extravaganza will have more, if less visible, obstacles to duck: a sagging U.S. economy, questions about the consumer appetite for luxury cruises and criticism that such sailing behemoths are damaging to the environment and diminish the experience of traveling.
It is due to make its U.S. debut on Nov. 20 at its home port, Port Everglades in Florida.
