George HW Bush, who served as US president from 1989 to 1993, has been admitted to hospital with pneumonia for the second time in three months.
The veteran politician, who was Republican commander-in-chief during the first Gulf War in 1991, "is going to be fine", his spokesman said.
Family spokesman Jim McGrath said the 92-year-old was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday "for observation due to a persistent cough that prevented him from getting proper rest".
"It was subsequently determined he had a mild case of pneumonia, which was treated and has been resolved," Mr McGrath added.
"President Bush is in very good spirits and is being held for further observation while he regains his strength."
Mr Bush spent more than two weeks at the same hospital in January after developing pneumonia - much of that time in the hospital's intensive care unit.
His wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, 91, was also at the hospital at the same time where she was treated for bronchitis.
Before his election as US president, Mr Bush had served as vice president to Ronald Reagan for eight years.
He is the father of ex president George W Bush and former Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
J025: Asteroid will be largest since 2004 to pass close to Earth
Stargazers will be looking to the skies on Wednesday as an asteroid up to a mile wide passes by the Earth.
The asteroid, known as J025, will be the largest to come this close to our planet for the past 13 years.
It will pass within 1.1 million miles - just five times as far away from Earth as the Moon is - a close pass in cosmic terms.
But we can all breath easy, as NASA says there is no chance it will hit Earth.
The object, discovered in 2014, will not be visible to the naked eye but it will be bright enough to be seen through a home telescope for one or two nights from Wednesday.
Scientists do not know exactly how big it is, but they have estimated it is between 600 metres and 1,400 metres wide.
Smaller asteroids routinely make closer passes to Earth.
"We know the time that the object is going to be closest within seconds, and the distance is known within hundreds of kilometres," said Davide Farnocchia, a mathematician at NASA's near-Earth object programme.
He said having several years of data of the asteroids trajectory meant they were able to confidently predict how close to the Earth it will come.
Mr Farnocchia said he and his colleagues have already moved on to tracking even closer encounters between the Earth and other asteroids in the future, such as the asteroid 1999 AN10.
In 2027, the half-mile wide asteroid is predicted to pass closer to the Earth than the Moon, coming within 236,000 miles of Earth.
In 2004, 3.1 mile-wide asteroid Toutatis passed within a million miles of Earth.
The asteroid, known as J025, will be the largest to come this close to our planet for the past 13 years.
It will pass within 1.1 million miles - just five times as far away from Earth as the Moon is - a close pass in cosmic terms.
But we can all breath easy, as NASA says there is no chance it will hit Earth.
The object, discovered in 2014, will not be visible to the naked eye but it will be bright enough to be seen through a home telescope for one or two nights from Wednesday.
Scientists do not know exactly how big it is, but they have estimated it is between 600 metres and 1,400 metres wide.
Smaller asteroids routinely make closer passes to Earth.
"We know the time that the object is going to be closest within seconds, and the distance is known within hundreds of kilometres," said Davide Farnocchia, a mathematician at NASA's near-Earth object programme.
He said having several years of data of the asteroids trajectory meant they were able to confidently predict how close to the Earth it will come.
Mr Farnocchia said he and his colleagues have already moved on to tracking even closer encounters between the Earth and other asteroids in the future, such as the asteroid 1999 AN10.
In 2027, the half-mile wide asteroid is predicted to pass closer to the Earth than the Moon, coming within 236,000 miles of Earth.
In 2004, 3.1 mile-wide asteroid Toutatis passed within a million miles of Earth.
George Osborne quits as MP ahead of snap general election
The former chancellor has announced he is stepping down as MP after the Prime Minister called a snap general election.
George Osborne has said he is giving up the Tatton seat he has held for 16 years but he will carry on "fighting for that Britain I love" in his new role as editor of the Evening Standard newspaper.
However, he hinted that he might make a return to the political front line saying he was leaving Westminster "for now".
:: Osborne has HOW MANY jobs?
In a letter to the Conservatives in his Tatton constituency, he said: "I am stepping down from the House of Commons - for now. But I will remain active in the debate about our country's future and on the issues I care about, like the success of the Northern Powerhouse.
"I want a Britain that is free, open, diverse and works with other nations to defend our democratic values in the world.
"I will go on fighting for that Britain I love from the editor's chair of a great newspaper. It's still too early to be writing my memoirs."
He had been under pressure to stand down over a conflict of interests between his job as MP and the many other roles he has taken on since he was sacked from the Cabinet by Theresa May.
An election made the idea that Mr Osborne could retain his role as MP at the same time as editing a newspaper untenable.
Sky News senior political correspondent Beth Rigby said: "Osborne was waiting in wings for Theresa May to fail on Brexit. A snap election makes that outcome a lot less likely. Bowing out for now makes sense."
Mr Osborne, who is due to take up his newspaper job on May 2, also earns £640,000 a year for one day a week's work as an advisor at fund manager BlackRock.
In the last year he has made £800,000 from 15 speaking engagements, including at City and Wall Street banks.
He also receives a £120,212 allowance as Kissinger fellow at the McCain Institute for a year and has an unpaid role as the chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
Mr Osborne is under investigation by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments over whether he received parliamentary approval to take on the Evening Standard role before accepting the job.
His decision has also triggered a review on MPs and second jobs by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
George Osborne has said he is giving up the Tatton seat he has held for 16 years but he will carry on "fighting for that Britain I love" in his new role as editor of the Evening Standard newspaper.
However, he hinted that he might make a return to the political front line saying he was leaving Westminster "for now".
:: Osborne has HOW MANY jobs?
In a letter to the Conservatives in his Tatton constituency, he said: "I am stepping down from the House of Commons - for now. But I will remain active in the debate about our country's future and on the issues I care about, like the success of the Northern Powerhouse.
"I want a Britain that is free, open, diverse and works with other nations to defend our democratic values in the world.
"I will go on fighting for that Britain I love from the editor's chair of a great newspaper. It's still too early to be writing my memoirs."
He had been under pressure to stand down over a conflict of interests between his job as MP and the many other roles he has taken on since he was sacked from the Cabinet by Theresa May.
An election made the idea that Mr Osborne could retain his role as MP at the same time as editing a newspaper untenable.
Sky News senior political correspondent Beth Rigby said: "Osborne was waiting in wings for Theresa May to fail on Brexit. A snap election makes that outcome a lot less likely. Bowing out for now makes sense."
Mr Osborne, who is due to take up his newspaper job on May 2, also earns £640,000 a year for one day a week's work as an advisor at fund manager BlackRock.
In the last year he has made £800,000 from 15 speaking engagements, including at City and Wall Street banks.
He also receives a £120,212 allowance as Kissinger fellow at the McCain Institute for a year and has an unpaid role as the chairman of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
Mr Osborne is under investigation by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments over whether he received parliamentary approval to take on the Evening Standard role before accepting the job.
His decision has also triggered a review on MPs and second jobs by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Adidas sorry over 'you survived Boston Marathon' email
Adidas has apologised for sending out a marketing email praising customers it said "survived" this year's Boston Marathon.
The subject line of the email, sent on Tuesday by Adidas Running, read: "Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!"
Customers reacted angrily on social media with one Twitter user writing: "Hey @adidas, not the best choice of words for subjects for email blasts to your members, you think? #BostonMarathon #BostonStrong #changeit."
In 2013 three people were killed, and more than 260 wounded, during the annual running event when two bombs exploded near the finish line.
The sports company quickly apologised, saying it was "incredibly sorry" for the "insensitive" subject line about Monday's race.
At least two survivors of the 2013 bombing participated in this year's event.
Adidas' full statement said: "We are incredibly sorry.
"Clearly, there was no thought given to the insensitive email subject line we sent Tuesday.
"We deeply apologise for our mistake.
"The Boston Marathon is one of the most inspirational sporting events in the world. Every year we're reminded of the hope and resiliency of the running community at this event."
The subject line of the email, sent on Tuesday by Adidas Running, read: "Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!"
Customers reacted angrily on social media with one Twitter user writing: "Hey @adidas, not the best choice of words for subjects for email blasts to your members, you think? #BostonMarathon #BostonStrong #changeit."
In 2013 three people were killed, and more than 260 wounded, during the annual running event when two bombs exploded near the finish line.
The sports company quickly apologised, saying it was "incredibly sorry" for the "insensitive" subject line about Monday's race.
At least two survivors of the 2013 bombing participated in this year's event.
Adidas' full statement said: "We are incredibly sorry.
"Clearly, there was no thought given to the insensitive email subject line we sent Tuesday.
"We deeply apologise for our mistake.
"The Boston Marathon is one of the most inspirational sporting events in the world. Every year we're reminded of the hope and resiliency of the running community at this event."
May's shock election move could crush Labour and destroy UKIP
In 1983, an unpopular Labour leader faced a female Prime Minister, already ensconced in Downing Street with expectations the Conservatives would win.
Mrs Thatcher did, Labour slumped to 209 seats and that leader, Michael Foot, resigned within days.
Could history be about to repeat itself 34 years later?
Well if (yes, if) the polls are correct, 2017 will be much, much worse for Labour.
A YouGov poll published on Tuesday gave the Conservatives a 21-point lead. It followed a ComRes one at the weekend which provided the same result.
On current projections that would see Labour win fewer than 200 seats, in a result not seen since 1935 (they only had 135 MPs).
Not a surprise, then, that Theresa May has acted to call that snap election.
And it is not just Labour.
Expectations are that this election will hit UKIP hard. Could it effectively kill them off?
The party currently has no MPs. It can't do worse in terms of representatives but following the referendum its electoral galvaniser of Brexit has disappeared.
Could the 3.9 million votes it got in 2015 collapse and thus diminish its position as a major political party?
What a political narrative. The Conservative leader who crushed Labour and destroyed UKIP - it is possible.
Opposition will still exist, though. The SNP might suffer a bit but will remain the dominant force north of the border.
And you have the Lib Dems. In 1983 the SDP-Liberal Alliance achieved 25% of the vote, yes 25% - though it only equated to 23 seats.
The Lib Dems this time around are only on 12%, according to the polls. It is very unlikely they will reach 25% but they are on the up.
The most vocal Remain party, they have won dozens of local by-elections and Richmond recently.
That winning streak is expected to continue in June, particularly among urban middle-class constituencies, harming the Conservatives.
And that is why, despite the 1983 comparisons, and despite the polls, this is still a risk for Theresa May.
Unlike any previous elections, this will not just be a battle between the political parties but a continuation of last year's referendum - it will be a Brexit election.
It will come down to individual constituencies: who holds the seat, did it vote leave or remain, will turnout fall?
Lots of questions. In 51 days we will know the answers. Hold on to your hats, folks.
Nigerian UN Worker Arrested For Robbing Four Banks In New York
United Nations headquarters employee was arrested on Monday for robbing four banks over a two-month span, The New York Post reports.
Nigerian national Abdullahi Shuaibu, 53, was charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery.
All robberies were committed during his lunch breaks at banks within walking distance of the UN headquarters.
Mr. Shuaibu committed the first robbery on February 27 when he walked into a Santander Bank and demanded that the teller hand him cash, threatening to shoot if the employee did not comply.
In March, he tried but failed to rob a Bank of America. Later that month, he successfully robbed a separate Santander Bank location.
On Monday, Mr. Shuaibu walked into an HSBC bank and passed a note demanding cash to the teller, who did not read the note and asked for identification. He then told the teller he had a gun and gestured to his hand in his jacket pocket.
After returning to work that afternoon, police arrested Mr. Shuaibu. A retired police officer working at the UN recognized the robber from a surveillance photo previously released by the New York Police Department and led the authorities to his arrest.
Nigerian national Abdullahi Shuaibu, 53, was charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery.
All robberies were committed during his lunch breaks at banks within walking distance of the UN headquarters.
Mr. Shuaibu committed the first robbery on February 27 when he walked into a Santander Bank and demanded that the teller hand him cash, threatening to shoot if the employee did not comply.
In March, he tried but failed to rob a Bank of America. Later that month, he successfully robbed a separate Santander Bank location.
On Monday, Mr. Shuaibu walked into an HSBC bank and passed a note demanding cash to the teller, who did not read the note and asked for identification. He then told the teller he had a gun and gestured to his hand in his jacket pocket.
After returning to work that afternoon, police arrested Mr. Shuaibu. A retired police officer working at the UN recognized the robber from a surveillance photo previously released by the New York Police Department and led the authorities to his arrest.
PM bites the bullet: Why is May calling a snap election now?
It's on. After nine months of denials and deflections, the Prime Minister has bitten the bullet and called a General Election on 8 June.
In dramatic scenes outside Number 10, Theresa May said "with reluctance" she would go to the country to get a firm mandate for delivering Brexit.
It's not easy - there's the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act to get around, but with her poll lead widening by the day Mrs May has calculated that the rewards are too good to miss.
Speculation has been running riot for months, as the Conservatives have widened their poll lead from the low teens to a staggering 21 points in two surveys over the past few days.
Image:Latest YouGov poll suggests Tories as most popular party
Mrs May's party is most trusted on every subject apart from the NHS, and even Labour supporters think she would make a better Prime Minister than Jeremy Corbyn.
Since entering Number 10 in the extraordinary circumstances of last summer, Mrs May has been dogged by the election question and the spectre of Gordon Brown bottling his chance and regretting it.
In fact, as the case for going to the country has only got more compelling, the denials from her team have only been more determined.
On 20 March, her official spokesman said to a question on whether it would happen before 2020: "It isn't going to happen."
In dramatic scenes outside Number 10, Theresa May said "with reluctance" she would go to the country to get a firm mandate for delivering Brexit.
It's not easy - there's the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act to get around, but with her poll lead widening by the day Mrs May has calculated that the rewards are too good to miss.
Speculation has been running riot for months, as the Conservatives have widened their poll lead from the low teens to a staggering 21 points in two surveys over the past few days.
Image:Latest YouGov poll suggests Tories as most popular partyMrs May's party is most trusted on every subject apart from the NHS, and even Labour supporters think she would make a better Prime Minister than Jeremy Corbyn.
Since entering Number 10 in the extraordinary circumstances of last summer, Mrs May has been dogged by the election question and the spectre of Gordon Brown bottling his chance and regretting it.
In fact, as the case for going to the country has only got more compelling, the denials from her team have only been more determined.
On 20 March, her official spokesman said to a question on whether it would happen before 2020: "It isn't going to happen."
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