UFO brought the streets of New York to a standstill... on the very day predicted by retired US Air Force general

Was it a bird? A plane? A flying jellyfish? Or just a set of balloons that had caught the sunlight?

A mysterious set of shiny objects sparked a UFO alert over Manhattan yesterday when they were spied drifting over the trendy Chelsea district.

Traffic ground to a halt and thousands of people stopped in the street to point at the sky and the cluster of dots hovering overhead.


Police and the Federal Aviation Authority were deluged with calls and despite mounting an investigation were unable to ascertain what it was.

The truth is up there: Traffic ground to a halt and thousands looked to the skies at the strange object whizzing over Manhattan

A cluster of tiny silver dots hover over Manhattan yesterday

Wife of cheating miner refuses to visit him in hospital

The wife of Chilean miner Yonni Barrios has refused to visit him in hospital after watching his reunion with his mistress on television last night.

It emerged while the 33 miners were trapped underground that two women were holding a vigil for buried Barrios, the 'medic' of the group.

Marta Salinas, 58, married the miner 28 years ago, but she was competing for his affections with Susana Valenzuela, 50, his long-term mistress.

The pair reportedly almost came to blows and had to be separated when they came face-to-face in the mine’s dining area at Camp Hope.

When he emerged from the Phoenix rescue capsule last night, 50-year-old Barrios was met by his mistress Susana, with Marta refusing to attend.

She has subsequently refused to visit him in hospital for the same reason.

‘If he wants to see me or talk to me he can come find me,' said Marta.

'Otherwise we will talk through our lawyers.

‘I have his belongings and all these gifts people have sent him – he is welcome to have them.’

Barrios initially became known as the group’s ‘doctor’ because he used knowledge gained from looking after his diabetic mother to work with medical teams on the surface to diagnose and help the men trapped with him.

But he soon became known for something less noble.

Incredible: Susanna appears unable to believe Barrios is safe as she cusps his face in her hands and clings to him in a long hug

Row: Marta Salinas, left, wife of trapped miner Yonni Barrios, did not greet him on his return to the surface after it emerged he was having an affair with Susana Valenzuela, right

Freed Chile miners pose together in hospital gowns to celebrate their great escape

Wearing hospital gowns and shades, 33 freed Chile miners plucked to safety from a living tomb today posed together for the first time.

The team, who spent 69 days trapped in a San Jose gold and copper mine, appear to have come through their ordeal remarkably well.

In a display of extraordinary courage, he risked his own life to save those of the 33 trapped Chilean miners.

And not only was mine rescue expert Manuel Gonzalez the first person down the shaft, he was also the last out.

The former professional footballer was strapped into the tiny capsule - nicknamed Phoenix - before plummeting 2,040ft to the 33 trapped miners at 1.55am yesterday.

He had vowed to stay until they were all evacuated - and stayed true to his word as all the miners and five rescuers made it to safety first.

 

Escape artists: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera poses with the 33 rescued miners inside the Copiapo Hospital

Teenager named world's shortest man

A Nepalese fruit seller's son with the body of a toddler has turned 18 and been officially declared the world's shortest man.

Khagendra Thapa Magar measured in at 26.4in, displacing the former record holder, Edward Nino Hernandez of Colombia, who measures 27in.

Cheers went up when Mr Magar was handed a world record certificate by Guinness World Records official Marco Frigatti. The ceremony was held in a hotel in Pokhara, Mr Magar's home town and a popular tourist destination west of Katmandu.

Sledgehammer gang's daring daylight jewellery raid foiled by 50 angry shoppers

A daylight jewellery store raid was foiled yesterday when members of the public wrestled a masked robber to the ground.

Five sledgehammer-wielding thieves arrived on motorbikes and smashed their way into the shop on a busy London street, grabbing armfuls of watches from the front window.

But as they made their getaway, passers-by pulled one from his bike and pinned him down until police arrived.

The four remaining robbers, who wore dark clothing and balaclavas, fled the scene and tried to hide in a nearby park, but three were caught.

Among the heroes outside the Ernest Jones jewellery store in High Street Kensington was Charlie Masud Riyahi, 51, who wrestles as a hobby.

 

Got him: The robber is pinned down by the crowd after smashing into the jewellery store in central London

Daylight robbery: A gang armed with sledgehammers smashed the windows of the Ernest Jones jewellery store in High Street Kensington before grabbing armfuls of watches worth around £400,000

Eye-witnesses told how a mob of more than 50 people tackled one robber as he tried to make his getaway in scenes of 'mayhem' similar to a medieval 'hue and cry' or a Hollywood film

China still at war over Nobel Peace Prize

One week on, and China is still smarting from the "hurt' it suffered when jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

"Can anyone expect a country to stay silent when its sovereignty and dignity are violated?" Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu demanded Thursday.

He told reporters that giving Liu the prize "is equivalent to encouraging crimes in China," and "a violation of China's judicial sovereignty."

And, just hours after Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan joined the ranks of world leaders, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama, calling for Liu's release, Ma questioned their motivation.

"I wonder what their true intention is?" he demanded. "Is it because they resent China's development path and hate China's political system?"

Protesters in Hong Kong show their support for jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was awarded the Nobel Prize last week. Beijing has expressed anger over the award.

'Depraved' gang leader who forced 91-year-old woman to perform sex act on her elderly carer is jailed indefinitely

A depraved gang leader who filmed himself humiliating a 91-year-old woman and her carer at knife-point has been jailed indefinitely for an attack that filled a judge with 'utter revulsion'.

Michael Lewis, 21, who led the Brixton Hill Blood gang in south London, is believed to have made the film as a 'trophy' to show other members.

The fiend broke into the 91-year-old woman's flat and filmed her carrying out sex acts with her elderly carer before cutting the phone line and threatening to return if they called the police.

Lewis, known as 'Joker 187 General' - 187 being the code for murder in the US - will serve at least eight years before he can be considered for parole after being branded a 'danger to the public'.

Health Minute: Chilean Miners Rescue - Locals cheer on Chile mine rescue - Live Drama: Last of 33 miners rescued, Chile wild with joy - Local Chileans cheer mine rescue

Chile's textbook mine rescue brings global respect

Chile's 33 rescued miners posed with the president and were poked by doctors on Thursday, itching to reunite with families and sleep in their own beds for the first time since a cave-in nearly killed them on Aug. 5.

Relatives were organizing welcome-home parties and trying to hold off an onslaught of demands by those seeking to share in the glory of the amazing rescue that entranced people around the world and set off horn-blowing celebrations across this South American nation.

President Sebastian Pinera posed with the miners, most of whom were wearing bathrobes and slippers, for a group photo, and then celebrated the rescue as an achievement that will bring Chile a new level of respect around the world.

The miners and the country will never be the same, Pinera said.



In this photo released by the Chilean Presidential Press Office, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera, fourth left front row, sits among the 33 miners freed from the San Jose mine during a visit to the hospital where they are undergoing a medical check up in Copiapo, Chile, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010. The 69-day underground ordeal reached its end Wednesday night after the trapped miners were hauled up in a cage through a narrow hole drilled through 2,000 feet, (700 meters) of rock


In this screen grab taken from video, Manuel Gonzelez, the last of six rescue workers who talked the 33 trapped miners through the final hours, takes a bow inside the San Jose Mine near Copiapo, Chile, before ascending to the surface Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010.


In this photo released by the Chilean Presidential Press Office, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera, center, greets rescued miner Omar Reygadas while visiting the 33 miners freed from the San Jose mine, at the hospital in Copiapo, Chile, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010. The 69-day underground ordeal reached its end Wednesday night after the trapped miners were hauled up in a cage through a narrow hole drilled through 2,000 feet, (700 meters) of rock.

India is back into the UN Security Council after 19 years

India's return to the United Nations Security Council is both a laudatory and a cautionary tale of diplomacy. The former because it has always been an embarrassment that a country that publicly aspires for a permanent seat to the council has not been ...

Kim Jong Il's eldest son attacks choice of his younger brother as North Korea's next leader

Kim Jong Il's eldest son has hit out at his father's choice of successor as his younger brother Kim Jong Un is prepared to take over as ruler of North Korea.

Kim Jong Un - said to be his father's favourite - has become the front-runner to inherit the mantle of leadership, despite his youth and inexperience.

Kim Jong Nam was once considered likely to succeed his ailing father but reportedly fell out of favor after being caught trying to enter Japan on a false passport in 2001.

And it was a Japanese TV programme - TV Asahi - which broadcast footage of Kim Jong Nam making the remarks in Beijing, in which he said he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to a third generation of his family.
 

Passed over: Kim Jong-Nam attacked his father's choice of successor

The chosen one: North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, left, and his son Kim Jong Un observe the huge military parade at the weekend

Meet Lindsay, the 6ft 9in model who makes her living as an Amazonian wrestler

Towering above her terrified opponents at 6ft 9in and with the ability to lift a man over her head before smashing him to the canvas, Lindsay Hayward presents an overwhelming sight.

The Amazonian 23-year-old - known to fans as Isis - has achieved minor celebrity status in the U.S. as a professional wrestler and model who can leg press an astonishing 50st.

Now Lindsay hopes to make an impact on Hollywood as only she can.

She said: 'I want to be that tough chick that strides in and beats the hell out of everyone.

Don't mess with Isis: Lindsay Hayward and a fan in New York. the 23-year-old wrestler wants to become a Hollywood star

Driving force: Lindsay shows her incredible strength

World's 'sexiest computer hacker' appears in court charged with $3m computer scam

Kristina Svechinskaya has been dubbed 'the world's sexiest computer hacker' after helping plot a $3million computer scam.

The Russian femme fatale has been compared to former Russian spy Anna Chapman for her role in helping to mastermind a multi-million pound bank fraud scheme.

The 21-year-old was arrested in New York this month for her role in a internet fraud ring who used computer viruses to steal more than $3 million from US bank accounts

World's sexiest computer hacker: Kristina Svechinskaya is accused of using the Zeus Trojan software to attack thousands of people's accounts

U.S. porn industry hit by HIV scare after adult performer tests positive for virus

The U.S. porn industry came in for severe criticism today as it was revealed that a XXX-film star had tested positive for HIV.

The adult 'star' tested positive for the condition at a centre in California's San Fernando Valley, nicknamed Porn Valley for the huge amount of adult titles produced in the area.

The disclosure drew criticism from health campaigners, who described the positive test as 'preventable' because porn stars often have unprotected sex on film.

Multi-million pound industry: Some U.S. adult film companies have suspended production in response to the news that an unnamed porn star had tested positive for HIV (posed by models)

Hungarian sludge firm CEO faces no charges

A judge on Wednesday dismissed prosecution demands that the head of a metals company linked to Hungary's devastating red sludge spill be charged with negligence and he has been released from police custody, his lawyer said.

Appearing after the closed court hearing reviewing the case, Zoltani Bakonyi's lawyer, Janos Banati, said the judge ruled in his favor after finding that prosecutors couldn't substantiate their argument that Bakonyi did not sufficiently prepare emergency warning and rescue plans in case of accidents like the sludge spill.

Banati said prosecutors were preparing an appeal.


An aerial view of Kolontar village covered by toxic red mud, 164 kms southwest of Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010 after the dyke of a reservoir containing red mud of an alumina plant in nearby Ajka broke eight days earlier, and over one million cubic meters of the poisonous chemical sludge inundated three villages, killing eight people and injuring over hundred.


An aerial view of Kolontar village covered by toxic red mud, 164 kms southwest of Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010 after the dyke of a reservoir containing red mud of an alumina plant in nearby Ajka broke eight days earlier, and over one million cubic meters of the poisonous chemical sludge inundated three villages, killing eight people and injuring over hundred.