These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| The former child star has been more famous for her run-ins with the police and the media than anything else in recent years, but a move to the UK and a London stage debut changed all that

 Sitting in the corner of the bar of the Connaught hotel in Mayfair, wide-eyed, sipping iced water, Lindsay Lohan is telling me in her cracked voice about the latest addiction she is having to suffer cold turkey from. “It was such a diligent thing,” she says, “the schedule was very ritualistic, so not to have that every day has been a really strange feeling. It’s been hard for me to adjust.”

 Her compulsion, now removed from her life, has been to appear on stage eight times a week for three months in David Mamet’s play Speed-the-Plow at the Playhouse theatre, a run that had come to an end a week before we met. Contrary to expectations, she didn’t miss a show (or a cue) and is finding withdrawal tough. She is still talking to the director Lindsay Posner every day, planning her next fix: she is desperate to do another Mamet play with Posner – Oleanna – as early as possible in the new year.

 Lohan, 28, has been acting on screen since her parents (of whom it was once observed “if they were any more low-rent they’d be a spring-break destination”) put her forward for auditions when she was three. The London show is only the second time she has appeared on stage, however – the other was a school production of Cinderella at 13 when, having been cast as an ugly sister rather than the lead (and already a real-life million-dollar-a-movie Disney princess) she walked out after a couple of performances. One of several great things about her latest commitment, she says, is that for three months it removed a question that has dogged her recent life: how to fill the evenings?

 “In LA I didn’t know what to do apart from go out every night,” she says. “That’s when my friends were free. And I would go out and there would be all these cameras there and that’s when it became difficult.” That obsessively documented “difficulty” is shorthand for the literal multiple-car-crash-of-a-life that saw Lohan twice imprisoned for driving under the influence, indicted for fights in nightclubs and for lying to the police, in and out of rehab for drug and alcohol addictions and on almost permanent probation for the last seven years: the ubiquitous cautionary caricature of celeb excess gone bad. At one point in 2011 Lohan was ordered to do a series of 12-hour shifts of community work in the LA county morgue. If the intention of that curious punishment was to give her a sense of her own fragile mortality, the talent she was throwing away, it has taken until this year to finally sink in.

 She herself puts her current sobriety down to a couple of things. Firstly, the intervention and example of the archetypal celebrity fairy godmother, Oprah Winfrey. In the curious double bind of Oprah’s friendship, the counselling sessions she gave Lohan were broadcast to a global TV audience and an intrusive five-part reality show about Lohan’s struggles with life lived in public was aired in the spring. Lohan remains grateful for the last of many “second chances” Oprah offered her. The second strand of her strategy to change her life around was perhaps braver and more radical, however: she moved to London.

 Lohan has lived in the capital for nine months now, has a lease for another year on her flat in the West End, and is currently planning to make it her permanent home. She can’t emphasise enough the liberation the move has given her. “I can go for a run here on my own,” she says. “I do every morning, early, and I think how my friends in New York would still be up partying at that time. I needed to grow up and London is a better place for me to do that than anywhere else.”

 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Lindsay Lohan (Karen) and Nigel Lindsay (Charlie Fox) in Speed-The-Plow at the Playhouse theatre in London. Photograph: Tristram Kenton

 The defining moment of this shift, she says, came on a holiday she took to Greece in the summer. “It was,” she says, still thrilled at the idea, “the first time I have ever just been on a vacation by myself. I just wandered about on my own! I turned off my phone. It was so extraordinarily freeing for me. Like another life.” The world, which had for so long reflected back to her an ugly image of herself, was suddenly just “out there”.

 “I won’t live in LA again, hell no,” she says. “My friends tell me shit when they come over I don’t want to hear. I don’t even know who got married and who got pregnant. You turn on the news in LA and it is all gossip about people. All the stuff that is going on in the world right now and this gossip is the news?” She laughs. “I love the BBC. I haven’t heard myself mentioned on TV since I have been here. That has been really weird for me, and great.”

 Having moved to London, there was, she says, quickly only one thought in her head: to do a play. She was encouraged to take on the role of Karen in Mamet’s Hollywood satire not only by the playwright himself but also by his friend, Al Pacino. The actor came to see Lohan a couple of nights into her performance and offered her advice throughout the play’s run.

 “He said I know you are going to love this, it will be such a rush for you. He helped me get a routine; I like to meditate a bit before I go on to stage. He warned me the adrenaline you have after is tricky, it’s late and you want to do something. I have let myself go eat, and then I have gone home.”

 The other thing she has learned was that all-important lesson of having to turn up. Having infamously stood up the American justice system on several occasions, she was determined to prove herself able to keep an appointment. “One time I was sick with a bug, I had been vomiting all day, but no way was I going to miss a show. I was sitting there beforehand seeing spots in front of my eyes. I had a plan: if I felt sick on stage I was going to faint, play dead, pretend it was part of the script. Didn’t happen fortunately.”

 The self-imposed disciplines made her feel good about herself for the first time since she can remember, since the early successes of The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, maybe. “Going on to a film set there have been times when I really hated it,” she says. “When I just wanted to stop and be home. I should have done that, because instead all the court stuff happened.”

 Lohan’s redemptive Hollywood journey from jail to stage would not be complete, of course, without a degree of 12-step wisdom. Oprah gave her a self-help book that has become her bible, The Untethered Soul, by Michael Singer. The book has helped her to shut down the destructive voice in her head, she says, the one that, against her first instincts, told her to get in the car drunk, or turn up late for the court appearance, or to have just one more. “There is a chapter called ‘The Rose and the Thorn’, you sit on a couch, and you imagine that voice in your head as a person next to you. You learn how to distance yourself from that person.”

 Part of her “intention-led” life has been to become involved in a charitable community project in London, the Red Route Cafe in Hackney, which helps young people find a sense of purpose through volunteering. “The kids there know me a bit now,” she says, “and they treat me the same as everyone else. That is so cool for me. In the past I got used to meeting people who would seem like genuine people but often they would have other intentions. There is less of that for me here now.”

 She hasn’t given up on movies, but the immediacy of the stage is something she will not give up lightly. Will we be seeing Lohan doing Shakespeare any time soon? “I would like to do a period piece at least,” she says. “I enjoyed having a British accent when I did Parent Trap so I guess I am halfway there. The way I see it,” she says, a threat and a promise, “the longer I live here the less of a choice you will all have not to hire me for plays… ”

Summary: – Those of you hanging around the Chateau Marmont hoping to catch a glimpse of Lindsay Lohan can go home. Lohan has been living in London for the past nine months, and in an interview with the Observer, she says she has no plans to return to the City of Angels. "I won't live in LA again, hell no," she says. "My friends tell me shit when they come over I don't want to hear. I don't even know who got married and who got pregnant. You turn on the news in LA and it is all gossip about people. ... I love the BBC. I haven't heard myself mentioned on TV since I have been here. That has been really weird for me, and great." She says London is one of the main reasons for her current sobriety (it's right up there with Oprah Winfrey's intervention). "In LA I didn't know what to do apart from go out every night," she says. "That's when my friends were free. And I would go out and there would be all these cameras there and that's when it became difficult." In London, she continues, "I can go for a run here on my own. I do every morning, early, and I think how my friends in New York would still be up partying at that time. I needed to grow up and London is a better place for me to do that than anywhere else." (In addition to an acting comeback, Lohan is attempting a fashion comeback.)


A day after police said two pipe bombs detonated in an unpopulated part of a mall in Lake Wales, Florida, the FBI now believes the incident was caused by a pair of marine flares.

 "There is no indication of any explosion at the mall and no pipe bombs were found," according to a statement released Monday by the FBI's Tampa field office. "It appears two items, believed to be marine flares, were ignited in a mall hallway, creating a large amount of smoke, and a backpack was located at the scene."

 Bomb technicians "examined the contents of the backpack and determined it did not contain any incendiary or explosive devices," the statement said.

 Any fears of terrorism have so far been ruled out.

 "There is no current indication of any terrorist connection to this incident," the statement added.

 A statement published on the Eagle Ridge Mall's website echoed the FBI, saying that "two signal flares triggered a fire alarm" and that it was open for business.

 It was a different story Sunday night, however.

 The reports coming from local authorities suggested the mall had sustained some kind of nefarious attack.

 Authorities said Sunday evening that two improvised explosive devices had detonated in the corridor of the mall.

 After Lake Wales police arrived, the mall was quickly evacuated and a perimeter established. No injuries were reported.

 Emergency personnel from surrounding counties responded to the mall around 5:30 p.m. Lake Wales Police Department Deputy Chief Troy Schulze said initially there was a "smoke alarm" inside a remote, unpopulated service corridor.

 When authorities arrived, "they determined that an IED, or a pipe bomb explosive, had detonated in the corridor," Schulze said.

 Cops soon made the determination that it was not just one pipe bomb that went off, but two.

 Then, Schulze said, authorities found a "backpack or book bag that contained five or six other IEDs that were not detonated," adding that those devices were "safely removed."

 "We had guys go in and do a cursory search to make sure there wasn't anything else suspicious or out of place," he said.

 Schulze said multiple witnesses told police about a middle-aged man -- with a "heavy/stocky build, wearing a gray shirt and gray hat" -- seen running from the area.

 "If anybody knows or hears anything we hope they would contact us," he said on Sunday.

 It's unclear if police or the FBI are still in pursuit of this person-of-interest given the new information.

 ABC News' Darren Reynolds contributed to this report. ||||| Sign in using you account with: {* loginWidget *}

 Sign in using your wftv profile

 Welcome back. Please sign in

 Why are we asking this?

 By submitting your registration information, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy .

 Already have an account?

 We have sent a confirmation email to {* data_emailAddress *}. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.

 Thank you for registering!

 Thank you for registering!

 We look forward to seeing you on [website] frequently. Visit us and sign in to update your profile, receive the latest news and keep up to date with mobile alerts.

 Click here to return to the page you were visiting.

Summary: – Police are hunting what they call a "person of interest" after two improvised explosive devices went off at a mall in central Florida Sunday evening, causing damage and a small fire but no injuries. Police in Lake Wales say the pipe bombs went off in a service corridor near the entrance of the Eagle Ridge Mall's JC Penney store, WFTV reports. The mall was quickly evacuated after the IEDs went off around 5:20pm, reports ABC News. Authorities say the devices caused damage to a drop ceiling and to the wall of a docking area where trucks load and unload cargo. A backpack was found at the scene. Police say the person they're seeking is a middle-aged white male with a heavy/stocky build who was seen wearing a gray shirt and gray hat. The Polk County Sheriff's Office, the State Fire Marshal, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad have joined the investigation, the Ledger reports. Lake Wales Police Department Deputy Chief Troy Schulze says the bombing could have been a lot more dangerous if it had hit an area where there were shoppers.


Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua have offered asylum to Edward Snowden, the US whistleblower who is believed to have spent the past two weeks at a Moscow airport evading US attempts to extradite him.

 The Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, and his Nicaraguan counterpart, Daniel Ortega, made the asylum offers on Friday, shortly after they and other Latin American leaders met to denounce the diversion of a plane carrying the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, due to suspicions that Snowden might have been on board.

 Shortly after, Morales also said Bolivia would grant asylum to Snowden, if asked. On Saturday, Venezuela's offer was given a warm reception by an influential member of the Russian parliament.

 In a tweet, Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the Duma foreign affairs committee, said: "Asylum for Snowden in Venezuela would be the best solution."

 The invitations from South America came as Snowden sent out new requests for asylum to six countries, in addition to the 20 he has already contacted, according to WikiLeaks, which claims to be in regular contact with the former National Security Agency contractor.

 Most of the countries have refused or given technical reasons why an application is not valid, but several Latin American leaders have rallied together with expressions of solidarity and welcome.

 "As head of state of the Bolivarian republic of Venezuela, I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young Snowden … to protect this young man from persecution by the empire," said Maduro who, along with his predecessor Hugo Chávez, often refers to the US as "the empire".

 The previous day, Maduro told the Telesur TV channel that Venezuela had received an extradition request from the US, which he had already rejected.

 A copy of the request, seen by the Guardian, notes that Snowden "unlawfully released classified information and documents to international media outlets" and names the Guardian and the Washington Post. Dated 3 July and sent in English and Spanish, it says: "The United States seeks Snowden's provisional arrest should Snowden seek to travel to or transit through Venezuela. Snowden is a flight risk because of the substantial charges he is facing and his current and active attempts to remain a fugitive."

 It adds that he is charged with unauthorised disclosure of national defence information, unauthorised disclosure of classified communication intelligence and theft of government property. Each of these three charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

 Describing Snowden as "a fugitive who is currently in Russia", it urges Venezuela to keep him in custody if arrested and to seize all items in his possession for later delivery to the US. It provides a photograph and two alternative passport numbers – one revoked, and one reported lost or stolen.

 Maduro said he did not accept the grounds for the charges.

 "He has told the truth, in the spirit of rebellion, about the US spying on the whole world," Maduro said in his latest speech. "Who is the guilty one? A young man … who denounces war plans, or the US government which launches bombs and arms the terrorist Syrian opposition against the people and legitimate president, Bashar al-Assad?"

 The Bolivian government, which has said it would listen sympathetically to an aslyum request from Snowden, said it too had turned down a pre-emptive US extradition request.

 Ortega said Nicaragua had received an asylum request from Snowden and the president gave a guarded acceptance.

 "We are an open country, respectful of the right of asylum, and it's clear that if circumstances permit, we would gladly receive Snowden and give him asylum in Nicaragua," Ortega told a gathering in Managua.

 So far, the countries that have been most vocal in offering support are close allies of Venezuela. Ecuador has also expressed support for Snowden, though the government there has yet to decide whether it would grant aslyum. It is already providing refuge for the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for about a year.

 Many in Latin America were furious when the Bolivian president's flight from Russia was denied airspace by European countries, forcing it to land in Vienna, where Morales had to spend more than half a day waiting to get clearance to continue his journey.

 Morales said the Spanish ambassador to Austria arrived at the airport with two embassy personnel and asked to search the plane. He said he refused.

 The Spanish foreign minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, acknowledged on Friday that the decision to block Morales plane was based on a tip that Snowden was on board.

 "They told us that the information was clear, that he was inside," he told Spanish TV, without clarifying who the tip was from.

 It is assumed the US was behind the diversion, though US officials have said only that they were in contact with the countries on the plane's route.

 France has apologised to Bolivia.

 Morales said when he finally arrived in La Paz: "It is an open provocation to the continent, not only to the president; they use the agent of North American imperialism to scare us and intimidate us."

 At a hastily called meeting of the Unasur regional bloc, many governments condemned the action against Morales plane.

 "We are not colonies any more," Uruguay's president, José Mujica, said. "We deserve respect, and when one of our governments is insulted we feel the insult throughout Latin America."

 The Argentinean president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, was also present, along with a senior representative of President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil.

 Regional support may make it easier for the country offering asylum to resist US pressure for extradition. But whether Snowden can make it to South America remains uncertain, as are his current circumstances. He has not been seen or heard in public since he flew to Russia from Hong Kong. WikiLeaks says it is in touch with him and that he has widened his search for aslyum by adding six new countries.

 In a tweet, the group said it would not reveal the names of the nations "due to attempted US interference". ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The presidents of Venezuela and Nicaragua explain their offers

 The presidents of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia have indicated their countries could offer political asylum to US fugitive Edward Snowden.

 Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro said it would give asylum to the intelligence leaker, who is believed to be holed up in a transit area of Moscow airport.

 Meanwhile Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said his country would do so "if circumstances permit".

 Bolivia's Evo Morales said Mr Snowden could get asylum there if he sought it.

 Mr Snowden has sent requests for political asylum to at least 21 countries, most of which have turned down his request. Earlier, Wikileaks said he had applied to six additional countries on Friday.

 The whistleblowing website said it would not name the countries "due to attempted US interference".

 But even if a country accepted the American's application, getting there could prove difficult, the BBC's Steven Rosenberg, in Moscow, reports.

 European airspace could be closed to any aircraft suspected of carrying the fugitive, our correspondent says.

 Earlier this week, several European countries reportedly refused to allow the Bolivian president's jet to cross their airspace on its way back from Moscow - apparently because of suspicions that Edward Snowden was on board.

 Mr Morales described Mr Snowden's actions as "a fair way of protesting" and described him as "persecuted by his fellow countrymen".

 "We are not scared [of reprisals]," he added.

 Speculation

 President Maduro made his announcement in a speech on Venezuela's Independence Day.

 "As head of state and government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young US citizen Edward Snowden so he can come to the fatherland of Bolivar and Chavez to live away from the imperial North American persecution," President Maduro said.

 The US wants to prosecute Mr Snowden over the leaking of thousands of classified intelligence documents.

 Earlier Mr Ortega said Nicaragua had received an application at its embassy in Moscow.

 "We are open, respectful of the right to asylum, and it is clear that if circumstances permit it, we would receive Snowden with pleasure and give him asylum here in Nicaragua," AFP news agency quoted the Nicaraguan president as saying.

 Image caption President Ortega said the asylum application was received in Moscow

 Daniel Ortega was a fierce opponent of the US during his first period as Nicaragua's president in the 1980s, after the left-wing Sandinista movement came to power.

 Bolivia, which had also suggested it could offer Mr Snowden asylum, saw its presidential plane barred from European airspace on Tuesday.

 There was speculation the 30-year-old was on the plane carrying President Evo Morales back from Russia to La Paz earlier this week.

 "Edward Snowden has applied to another six countries for asylum," tweeted Wikileaks, which has been helping the former CIA contractor.

 "They will not be named at this time due to attempted US interference."

 The US has been blamed for being behind the decision by France, Portugal, Italy and Spain to close its airspace to Bolivia's president, whose plane was grounded in Austria for 13 hours as a result.

 Earlier on Friday, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo admitted he and other European officials had been told that Mr Snowden was on board - but refused to say who gave out the information.

 He denied Spain had closed its airspace to the presidential plane, explaining that the delay in Austria meant the flight permit had expired and needed to be renewed.

 His comment is the first official recognition by the European states that the incident with Mr Morales' plane was connected with the Snowden affair.

 It has been widely condemned by President Morales and several other South American nations, who were critical of the US.

 Mr Snowden arrived in the Moscow airport from Hong Kong last month.

 He revealed himself to be responsible for the leaking of classified US intelligence documents that revealed a vast surveillance programme of phone and web data.

 The documents have also led to allegations that both the UK and French intelligence agencies run similarly vast data collection operations, and the US has been eavesdropping on official EU communications. ||||| President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela said Friday that he would offer asylum to the fugitive intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden, who has been stranded in a Moscow airport searching for a safe haven.

 “I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden,” Mr. Maduro said during a televised appearance at a military parade marking Venezuela’s independence day.

 Mr. Maduro said he had decided to act “to protect this young man from the persecution unleashed by the world’s most powerful empire.”

 It was not immediately clear, however, how Mr. Snowden could reach Venezuela or if Mr. Maduro was willing to help transport him.

 Also on Friday, Daniel Ortega, the president of Nicaragua, said he was open to taking in Mr. Snowden. “It is clear that if the circumstances permit we will take in Mr. Snowden with pleasure and give him asylum in Nicaragua,” Mr. Ortega said in Managua.

 Mr. Snowden has sought asylum from more than two dozen nations. Most countries have declined.

 The offers from Venezuela and Nicaragua appeared to be linked to outrage in Latin America over the treatment last week of President Evo Morales of Bolivia, whose plane was denied permission to fly over several European countries because of what Bolivian officials said were unfounded suspicions that Mr. Snowden was aboard. Mr. Morales was on his way home from a meeting in Moscow.

 Mr. Maduro had previously voiced sympathy for Mr. Snowden. He frequently bashes the United States, depicting it as an imperialist bully in Latin America. But at the same time he has shown a desire to improve relations with the United States, directing his foreign minister to start talks with Washington aimed at smoothing the rocky relationship with the top buyer of his country’s all-important oil exports.

 Earlier on Friday, WikiLeaks said in a post on Twitter that Mr. Snowden, who is wanted by the United States on charges of revealing classified government information, “has applied to another six countries for asylum,” following up on similar applications to about 20 nations last week.

 Supporters of Mr. Snowden clearly blame the refusals on pressure from the United States, and, as a result, WikiLeaks said it would not reveal the latest countries in which he is seeking shelter. “They will not be named at this time due to attempted US interference,” the group wrote on Twitter.

 In Russia, officials have expressed impatience over Mr. Snowden’s continuing sojourn in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo airport. On Thursday, a deputy foreign minister, Sergey A. Ryabkov, told reporters that Mr. Snowden should pick a destination and leave as soon as possible.

 Russia was apparently among the original countries to which Mr. Snowden submitted an asylum request, but a spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin, Dmitri S. Peskov, has said since that the request was withdrawn.

 On Thursday, Mr. Putin sent a telegram to President Obama noting the Fourth of July holiday and restating his commitment to holding a summit meeting in Moscow in September, ahead of the G20 conference, which will be in St. Petersburg. American officials have signaled that Mr. Obama is unlikely to visit Moscow if Mr. Snowden is still holed up at Sheremetyevo airport.

Summary: – He wasn't on that plane to Bolivia, but Edward Snowden may yet end up in Latin America. Venezuela and Nicaragua said yesterday they'd be willing to grant asylum to the NSA leaker, reports the BBC. Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega was a little less expansive, saying his country would do so if "circumstances permit," but Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro said his country would be proud “to protect this young man from the persecution unleashed by the world’s most powerful empire," reports the New York Times. Of course, even when Snowden picks a country, he still has to get there from Russia, and European countries have shown they're willing to shut down airspace to prevent that. WikiLeaks says Snowden applied to six more countries yesterday, reports the Guardian. He had previously applied to nearly two dozen nations, but diplomatic pressure from the US resulted in a series of rejections. Latin America has since united behind him, thanks in part to the treatment of the Bolivian president's plane.


Image caption The fragment of pelvis dates back to the period in history when King Alfred died

 A fragment of pelvis bone unearthed in Winchester in 1999 may belong to King Alfred the Great or his son Edward the Elder, academics have said.

 It was found at a previous dig at Hyde Abbey and has been dated to 895-1017 - the era the king died.

 Experts were originally testing remains exhumed last year from an unmarked grave at St Bartholomew's Church, where it was thought he was buried.

 But they were found to be from the 1300s, not 899, when the king died.

 The fragment of pelvis had been among remains stored in two boxes at Winchester's City Museum and was tested by academics at Winchester University after their study into the exhumed remains proved fruitless.

 Royal differences At first glance, the find appears similar to the discovery of King Richard III's skeleton beneath a Leicester car park. But there are a number of key differences between the two. DNA testing proved beyond "reasonable doubt" the bones thought to be Richard III's matched descendants of the monarch's family. Dr Katie Tucker, who analysed the bones found in Winchester, admits it will not be as easy to do likewise in this case. She said: "This is a path that may be worth pursuing but it's a very long way to go back, an extra 500 years to go back than Richard III, it's always going to be more of a difficult task to find a descendant." More tests and investigations are planned, but it could be a while yet before the Alfred the Great 'discovery' attracts Richard III levels of attention and drama. Who was King Alfred the Great? BBC Two: The Search for Alfred the Great

 The university and the community group behind the search, Hyde900, are now calling for further excavations at Hyde Abbey Gardens in the hunt for more remains.

 'Hard to prove'

 Experts said the bone, recovered from the site of the abbey, came from a man who was aged between 26 and 45-plus at the time of his death, leading them to believe it could be either Alfred or his son Edward.

 Dr Katie Tucker, whose examination of the bones will feature in a BBC documentary, said: "These are the bones that were found closest to the site of the high altar.

 "As far as we know, from the chronicles and the records, the only individuals close to the site of the high altar who are the right age when they died and the right date when they died would either be Alfred or Edward."

 The remains at St Bartholomew's Church, which carbon dating showed to be from the wrong era, were exhumed last year amid security fears after publicity surrounding the discovery of Richard III's remains under a Leicester car park.

 Dr Tucker said she was later made aware of the remains found at Hyde Abbey.

 No analysis of that find was conducted due to a lack of funding and because a bone discovered next to it was found to be from the 17th or 18th century, and it was not thought to be of any interest.

 Dr Tucker then arranged for tests to be carried out on the pelvic bone.

 She said: "The simplest explanation, given there was no Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Hyde Abbey, is that this bone comes from one of the members of the West Saxon royal family brought to the site.

 DNA match

 "Given the age at death of the individual and the probable male identity, the plausible candidates are King Alfred, King Edward the Elder, or the brother of King Edward, Aethelweard."

 Richard Buckley, co-director of the University of Leicester's archaeology services, led the search for Richard III.

 Image caption Dr Katie Tucker believes the fragment belongs to a member of the West Saxon royal family

 He said it would be "very hard to prove" the bone belongs to King Alfred.

 "With Richard III we had to build a case with lots of different threads, we knew historic accounts... including trauma on the skeleton, we knew he died a violent death," he said.

 "We got to the point with the balance of probability that it was him, with the DNA it meant we could say it was beyond reasonable doubt.

 "The difficulty with this bone is that it is only one bone, you're having to rely on historical accounts of only two males being brought and reburied there - Alfred and his son - it depends if any males may have been buried without documentation.

 "If they could find an articulated skeleton there could be other clues."

 The King Alfred team said it may be possible to extract DNA from the pelvic bone but the problem would be finding another DNA source to check it with.

 Dr Tucker said they tried to get a sample from Alfred's granddaughter, who is buried in Germany, but efforts failed as her grave was not well preserved.

 The investigation is the subject of a BBC2 documentary due to be broadcast on Tuesday 21 January at 21:00 GMT. ||||| King Alfred the Great's bones discovered in a MUSEUM: Remains inside box are thought to belong to Anglo-Saxon ruler

 Pelvis bone was stored at Winchester City Museum after an excavation in the late 1990s - but could also belong to Edward the Elder

 Remains of Alfred the Great were believed to lie in a grave in St Bartholomew’s Church in Winchester, Hampshire

 You wait centuries for the discovery of a royal body … and then two come along at once.

 A year after the remains of Richard III turned up under a car park in Leicester, archaeologists have found a piece of a pelvis that could belong to Alfred the Great.

 Experts are sure the fragment, excavated from the grounds of Hyde Abbey in Winchester, came from Alfred or his son Edward the Elder.

 It has been kept in a box in a storeroom at Winchester City Museum since 1999, but only now have historians realised its importance.

 The pelvis bone (right) of King Alfred the Great (illustrated left) is believed to have been found in a box stored in a museum, and not buried in an unmarked grave as previously thought

 They initially disregarded the find because it was found near other remains which were hundreds of years younger.

 But carbon dating has shown the bone dates from 895-1017, which scientists believe makes it unlikely to have come from anyone apart from the father or the son.

 Alfred is known to generations of schoolchildren for burning the cakes, but his rule of Wessex was hugely important.

 The king, who died in 899, held back the Viking invaders, established the foundations of our law codes and justice system, and safeguarded the English language and Christian religion.

 His son Edward the Elder, who ruled until 924, continued his work, driving the Danes north and unifying the kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia and East Anglia.

 Finding Alfred’s remains has long been a passion for historians, because his body was known to have been moved at least once after New Minster in Winchester, his first burial place, was demolished in the early 12th century.

 The bodies of Alfred and his successors were moved to Hyde Abbey in 1110, but the building was demolished during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and the graves were dug up when a prison was built on the site in 1788.

 Convicts building the prison looted royal jewellery from the coffins and stole the lead lining, before smashing up the bones and flinging them around the site.

 The search for Alfred’s remains has for decades been complicated by a false lead suggesting they were buried in an unmarked grave at nearby St Bartholomew’s Church.

 Three headstones mark the spot of the former Hyde Abbey, where a pelvic bone that could potentially belong to King Alfred the Great was found. Although the bone was discovered during an excavation in 1999, it is only recently that tests have led researchers to make a link between the bone and King Alfred and his son

 But historians who opened the grave last year found that the remains of six bodies inside, including at least one skull, dated from 1100 to 1500AD – much later than Alfred’s reign.

 After that disappointment Dr Katie Tucker, researcher at the University of Winchester, went back to bones stored in the city museum to seek other leads.

 To her astonishment, she discovered one bone was much older than those around it.

 Human osteology researcher Katie Tucker demonstrates the size of the pelvic bone which tests have discovered could potentially belong to King Alfred the Great or his son

 HOW WILL SCIENTISTS KNOW IF THE BONE BELONGS TO KING ALFRED? Dr Tucker said that it might be possible to extract DNA from the pelvic bone but said the problem was finding another DNA source to check it with.

 ‘There's a good chance of extracting DNA and comparing it to Alfred's granddaughter who is buried in Germany but they did try to get a DNA sample from her grave but were not able to because it was not so well preserved so we need to find someone else to compare them with,’ she said.

 She explained that it would theoretically be possible to check against a living ancestor, as had been done with Richard III, but the problem was identifying a definite descendant.

 She said: ‘We have had quite a number of individuals who have been contacting us, sending us their family trees, saying they are descendants of Alfred.

 ‘This is a path that may be worth pursuing but it's a very long way to go back, an extra 500 years to go back than Richard III, it's always going to be more of a difficult task to find a descendant.’

 The carbon dating range was wide enough to cover both Alfred and his son.

 ‘The range does cover the death dates of Alfred and Edward equally well, I would say it's likely to be one of them, I wouldn't like to say which one of them,’ she said.

 She said it might be possible to extract DNA from the pelvic bone but the problem would be finding another DNA source related to Alfred to check it with.

 Archaeologist Neil Oliver, who will present a BBC2 documentary about the find, said: ‘To find that Alfred the Great or his direct descendant has survived, literally by the seat of his pants, into the 21st century is astonishing.

 ‘It overshadows the discovery of Richard III’s remains. Alfred is one of the few great kings of England that most people can name. He’s a mythologised figure, almost like Arthur.’

 Alfred the Great ruled from 871 to 899 and is remembered for his social and educational reforms, military victories against the Vikings and of course his legendary bad cooking skills.

 The story goes that the Vikings sprung a surprise attack on Alfred and his men, causing them to go on the run and beg for food in the Wiltshire marshes.

 The wife of a swineherd gave the men food and asked Alfred to keep an eye on the baking cakes, which he famously burnt.

 Historians have suggested the tale might be a metaphor for the ailing health of the Kingdom of Wessex or a show of the king's humility.

 Dr Tucker was made aware of the existence of the bones after the skeletons exhumed last year turned out to be a red herring.

 She arranged for tests to be carried out on the pelvic bone, which not only dated it but found that it belonged to a man aged between 26 and 45 at death.

 Dr Tucker said: 'The simplest explanation, given there was no Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Hyde Abbey, is that this bone comes from one of the members of the West Saxon royal family brought to the site.

 'Given the age at death of the individual and the probable male identity, the plausible candidates are King Alfred, King Edward the Elder, or the brother of King Edward, Aethelweard.

 Alfred the Great ruled from 871 to 899 and is remembered for his social and educational reforms, military victories against the Vikings and of course his legendarily bad cooking skills where he burned cakes (an illustration is pictured)

 'All were buried in the abbey. However, historical evidence indicates that only the coffins of Alfred and Edward were at the site of the high altar.

 'The discovery of the bone in a pit dug into the graves in front of the high altar makes it far more likely it comes from either Alfred or Edward.'

 Dr Nick Thorpe, head of the department of archaeology at the university, said: 'The department of archaeology is extremely excited to have been able to plausibly link this human bone to one of these two crucial figures in English history.

 Archaeologists at the University of Winchester carried out an exhumation of the grave at St Bartholomew's Church in Winchester, Hampshire, last March in a bid to find the last resting place of the ninth-century king. They now believe the king's bones have been found inside Winchester City Museum

 Archaeologists carried out an exhumation of a grave at St Bartholomew's Church Winchester, Hampshire, (pictured) last March in a bid to find the last resting place of King Alfred the Great

 'We also believe that we are thereby helping the city to right a historical wrong done to the remains of these great kings, which began with the dissolution of Hyde Abbey in 1539 to be followed by centuries of neglect, destruction and disturbance up to the last antiquarian diggings in 1901.

 'Monks brought their remains to Hyde in 1110 because they wanted to preserve and honour them and this project enables us to do this once more.'

 The university is now going to work with local heritage charity Hyde900 on further investigations into the findings with further excavations being considered and a suitable resting place being planned for the royal bones.

 Professor Yorke said that Alfred was revered by the Victorians, partly because he was the only Anglo-Saxon king with a full biography and he was often accredited with many achievements which did not actually originate with him. In 1901, a famous statue of Alfred (pictured) was raised in Winchester

Summary: – Archaeologists may have uncovered a bone fragment belonging to Alfred the Great—in 1999. The English king, who ruled from 871 until his death in 899, made news last year when experts thought they had found his unmarked grave. Except the remains they found there turned out to be from the 1300s, so they turned to decade-old dig records from Hyde Abbey, where Albert's bones were said to have been moved, the BBC reports. Gathering dust in a storage box at Winchester's City Museum sat a fragment of pelvic bone that had never been examined, because funding on that dig ran out and because a bone found next to it was dated to the 17th or 18th century. Now, carbon dating places the fragment in the right time period: 895 to 1017, the Daily Mail notes. It was also determined to come from a man who died between the ages of 26 and roughly 45. "These are the bones that were found closest to the site of the high altar," an archaeologist says. "As far as we know, from the chronicles and the records, the only individuals close to the site of the high altar who are the right age when they died and the right date when they died would either be Alfred or (his son) Edward." Researchers now plan to break ground again near the spot the bone was found in the hope that more will turn up. (Click for news on another Great—this one felled by a bad batch of wine.)


Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia said he did "nothing wrong" as he left federal court in Boston Thursday afternoon, following his early morning arrest on charges that he defrauded investors in his company to fuel his "lavish lifestyle."

 The 26-year-old mayor, who pleaded not guilty to nine counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing false taxes Thursday, emerged from the courthouse with a smile and a message.

 "I've done nothing wrong. If you look at my track record as mayor all you see is positive results," he told media gathered outside in the rain. "I was elected and re-elected with 65 percent of the vote in Fall River and if you look at those bogus charges or whatever they're called there is not a single thing...I did wrong as the mayor of the city of Fall River."

 Correia was arrested by FBI and IRS agents at a home in Bridgewater at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Andrew Lelling, U.S. Attorney for the district of Massachusetts, alleges the mayor spent more than half of the money Massachusetts residents invested in his app SnoOwl on personal items.

 This included airfare, luxury hotel stays, adult entertainment, dating services, designer clothes, and a Mercedes, prosecutors allege in an indictment.

 Correia changed from the polo shirt and jeans he wore during his arraignment into a suit before exiting court to speak with more than a dozen reporters. He thanked the agents who arrested him for being "nice." He said he was not angry.

 "It's not my best Thursday. It's raining," he said. "I don't like to be out in the rain."

 He said he was headed straight to the office to "get back to serving the people of Fall River."

 Correia said he will not resign because the charges are not related to his work as mayor.

 "There is absolutely no reason," to resign, he said. ||||| Fall River Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II calls himself a “classic example of a Fall River kid made good” in an official biography, which highlights his rise from “youth of the year” in 2008 to being elected the youngest mayor in the city’s history in 2015 at age 23.

 But a federal indictment unsealed Thursday cast an ignominious shadow over Correia’s precocious political ascent with allegations that he stole more than $231,000 from investors in his tech startup and used the money on expensive travel, a Mercedes-Benz sedan, casinos, and adult entertainment.

 The stolen funds, equal to about six times the median household income in Fall River, were taken from investors in SnoOwl, which Correia founded in 2012, federal prosecutors said.

 Advertisement

 Correia is also charged with filing fraudulent tax returns in an effort to conceal the scheme. Prosecutors allege Correia stole about 64 percent of the $363,690 that SnoOwl’s seven investors contributed and spent it before becoming mayor.

 Get Metro Headlines in your inbox: The 10 top local news stories from metro Boston and around New England delivered daily. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here

 “Today’s arrest is a shock to many in the city which has prided itself on a tradition of honest government, hard work, and public service,” Harold Shaw, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston office, said at a news conference. “Yet its mayor was far from honest, selling out his friends and associates for his own personal gain. His actions were underhanded, shameless, and greedy.”

 FBI agents arrested Correia, 26, in Bridgewater at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday and brought him to Boston, where he appeared in a federal courtroom smiling and wearing leg irons with his hands cuffed behind his back.

 He pleaded not guilty to nine counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing false tax returns as Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley set unsecured bond of $10,000, a sum Correia would only have to pay if he fails to appear in court. After being set free, Correia changed into a blue suit, red tie, and Fall River lapel pin, and then denied the charges after leaving court.

 “I’ve done nothing wrong,” said Correia, a Democrat who was reelected last year by a wide margin. “If you look at those bogus charges, whatever they’re called, there’s not a single thing . . . that the US attorney’s office said in that 19-page indictment that I did wrong as the mayor of Fall River.”

 Advertisement

 He said he has no plans to resign.

 “I love the city of Fall River,” said Correia, flanked by his defense attorneys. “I’m going to go back to my office tonight and get back to work serving the people of Fall River.”

 One of his lawyers, Mark Berthiaume, said Correia established SnoOwl while he was an undergraduate student at Providence College.

 “This is a business dispute that has no business being in a federal, criminal court,” Berthiaume said.

 SnoOwl was developing an app that would connect businesses and consumers. The fraud unfolded, prosecutors said, when Correia falsely claimed in his pitch to potential investors that he already built and sold an app called FindIt Networks for a profit.

 Advertisement

 A prototype for SnoOwl was built, but the product never made it to market, despite representations Correia made to investors that the company was in good standing and their money was being spent on the app, US Attorney Andrew Lelling said at the news conference.

 None of the investors have received returns, and investigators believe Correia has spent their money, he said. Correia largely abandoned SnoOwl in 2015 when he launched his mayoral campaign, according to the indictment.

 “Despite the trappings of a company and whatever technical progress was made on the app product that SnoOwl intended to sell, the company was first and foremost a clever way to defraud well-intentioned investors and fund Correia’s lifestyle,” Lelling said.

 The first victim listed in the indictment is identified as an orthodontist whose son attended high school with Correia. In January 2013, he invested $50,000 in exchange for equity in SnoOwl. But about a month later, according to the indictment, Correia used $10,000 of that money to buy a 2011 Mercedes-Benz sports sedan.

 The orthodontist, who sunk a total of $145,000 into SnoOwl, declined to comment Thursday, as did a lawyer for another investor. None of the investors are named in the indictment, though some have come forward in The Herald News, a newspaper in Fall River.

 Lelling said authorities

 haven’t found evidence that Correia misused public funds while in office, but stressed the investigation is continuing.

 Correia also is accused of using $10,000 of the investment money to pay off student loans and finance his political campaign, while other funds paid for charitable donations in his own name, jewelry, restaurants, and designer clothing, the indictment said.

 While making his first run for mayor three years ago, Correia, then a city councilor, said his stewardship of SnoOwl was proof he was qualified to run Fall River, Lelling said.

 Former mayor Sam Sutter, whom Correia defeated in 2015, said he had information three years ago that SnoOwl was a failure.

 “One of the frustrating aspects of the campaign was that a lot of people thought he was a success and had been an entrepreneurial wizard,” Sutter said. “But the exact opposite was true.”

 Investigators said Correia tried to cover his tracks by filing false tax returns for 2013 and 2014. When Correia learned he was under federal investigation in spring 2017, he directed his accountant to file amended personal tax returns to account “for the diverted investor funds that he had previously failed to report as income,” Lelling said.

 In January, the Friends of Jasiel F. Correia II Legal Defense Fund was registered with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, records show.

 The fund has collected more than $76,000, including thousands of dollars donated by Correia’s campaign committee.

 Among Fall River residents, reaction to Correia’s arrest was mixed.

 “He’s a thief — that’s what he is,” said Eddie Perriera, 90, shaking his head as he sat with arms folded on a park bench. “This has been going on for years, and they’re just catching on.”

 Another resident, David Pacheco, 70, said he voted for Correia in 2015, but not last year.

 “I’m not shocked about this. Money does things to people,” Pacheco said. “At 26 years old, he had the world in the palm of his hand, and the people believed in him.”

 Some expressed support for Correia.

 “I love the man,” said a woman who gave only her first name, Lydia . “He’s done a lot of good things for this city that a lot of people aren’t noticing. He’s fixing the streets. He’s fixing the pipes. What more do people want?”

 A status conference in Correia’s case is scheduled for Dec. 6. As he walked away from the courthouse Thursday afternoon with his lawyers, Correia was followed by journalists shouting questions about reports that he was partying Wednesday night in a Seaport District nightclub.

 Travis Andersen of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Matt Stout contributed. Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi . Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at brian.macquarrie@globe.com ||||| FALL RIVER — A defiant Fall River Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II returned to City Hall Friday amid a call from Governor Charlie Baker to relinquish his post while his criminal case is pending and plans by city councilors to hold a special session to discuss the indictment.

 Baker, who renounced Correia’s endorsement Thursday, released a statement Friday urging the 26-year-old Democratic mayor to hand over the reins of power following his arrest on federal fraud and tax evasion charges.

 “Governor Baker and Lieutenant Governor Polito believe that in light of these serious allegations, Mayor Correia should act in the best interests of the people of Fall River and step aside until the case is resolved,” the statement from Baker/Polito campaign spokesman Terry MacCormack said. “Ultimately, it is up to residents and voters to decide who is best fit to lead the city.”

 Advertisement

 City Council President Cliff Ponte said he’s convening a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss the criminal case against Correia and any proposals from members “regarding the leadership of our city.”

 Get Metro Headlines in your inbox: The 10 top local news stories from metro Boston and around New England delivered daily. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here

 Correia was arrested Thursday morning and charged with stealing more than $231,000 from investors in his SnoOwl tech startup. Federal prosecutors said he used the money on expensive travel, a Mercedes-Benz sedan, casinos, and adult entertainment.

 He is also charged with filing fraudulent tax returns in an effort to conceal the alleged scheme. Prosecutors allege Correia stole about 64 percent of the $363,690 that SnoOwl’s seven investors contributed and spent it before being sworn in as mayor in 2016. He has pleaded not guilty to nine counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing false tax returns.

 Correia, back on the job Friday morning, insisted he would not resign.

 “I’m back at work and doing the people’s business,” he said as he walked out of his office and into an elevator. “I was elected to do the job, and it is my job to be the mayor, and, until such time as it isn’t my job, I’m going to continue to do the job.”

 Advertisement

 City Councilor Leo Pelletier said Correia should step aside, citing allegations that he spent ill-gotten gains on adult entertainment.

 “Some of the money he spent and the way he spent it is embarrassing,” said Pelletier, who has served on the council for 30 years. “He’s a college man. He should know better.”

 The city charter includes a recall process for elected officials and a mechanism for replacing the mayor “by reason of sickness or other cause.”

 The nine-member City Council has the authority to find Correia “unable to perform the duties of the office” and install its president, Ponte, as acting mayor with a vote of seven councilors, according to the charter.

 Pelletier, however, said he doesn’t believe enough councilors would vote to force Correia to step aside. The recall process takes too long, he said.

 Advertisement

 “You could probably squeeze five [votes] unless the people badger these other guys,” Pelletier said.

 If Correia is convicted, he would be ousted under the charter.

 Another councilor, Steven A. Camara, said Correia should decide whether to resign. He said he wouldn’t support a recall or any effort to force Correia to step aside and put an acting mayor in charge of Fall River.

 “One is innocent until proven guilty,” Camara said. “An indictment is an accusation.”

 City operations aren’t solely reliant upon Correia, Camara said, noting Fall River has a city administrator and department heads who run different aspects of municipal government.

 “The mayor is one person,” he said.

 In 2014, the city ousted Mayor William Flanagan in a recall election and voted in Samuel Sutter, who was then Bristol district attorney. A few months before the vote, Correia, then a city councilor, accused Flanagan of trying to intimidate him. He said Flanagan showed him a gun during a ride in Flanagan’s vehicle, after Correia signed a petition seeking the recall.

 Correia first ran for mayor in 2015 at age 23, defeating Sutter and becoming the youngest person elected to the post in Fall River’s history. Last year he won reelection by a wide margin.

 The state Democratic Party declined to say whether Correia should resign.

 “The charges against Mayor Correia are serious, and the people of Fall River deserve a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation,” Veronica Martinez, the party’s executive director, said in a statement.

 Asked Friday how he would respond to a city councilor who has called on him to step down, Correia chuckled.

 “Oh, come on,” he said. “City councilors always talk.”

 Correia said he has a full agenda and plans to attend events throughout the city.

 Then he let the elevator doors close, ending the interview.

 Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@globe.com . Follow him on Twitter @mlevenson . Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com . Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi

Summary: – Elected at age 23, arrested three years later: That's the latest on Jasiel Correia, the youngest-ever mayor of Fall River, Mass., and alleged defrauder of investors in a tech startup, the Boston Globe reports. Before turning mayor in 2015, Correia allegedly spent $231,000 in investors' money on everything from a Mercedes-Benz to pricey travel to adult entertainment—then filed fraudulent tax returns to cover his trail. "It's not my best Thursday," he said after pleading not guilty to 13 counts of wire and tax fraud in federal court in Boston, per MassLive. "It's raining. I don't like to be out in the rain." Correia also issued a public denial of sorts: "There is not a single thing ... I did wrong as the mayor of the city of Fall River," he said. Per a federal indictment, Correia lied to investors of the business app SnoOwl by saying he'd created a profitable app before. He then allegedly spent almost two-thirds of their money: $10,000 on a 2011 Mercedes sports sedan, another $10,000 to pay off student loans and boost his political campaign, and other funds on designer clothing, restaurants, jewelry, and charitable donations in his name. None of the seven investors have seen returns. "One of the frustrating aspects of [Correia's first mayoral] campaign was that a lot of people thought he was a success and had been an entrepreneurial wizard," says former mayor Sam Sutter, who lost to Correia in 2015. "But the exact opposite was true." Correia returned to work Friday at City Hall saying he would not resign, per the Globe.


Associated Press

 Yes, it was that time again, folks. Jobs Friday, when for one ever-so-brief moment the interests of Wall Street, Washington and Main Street are all aligned on one thing: jobs.

 The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that U.S. economy added 257,000 jobs in January, ahead of the consensus expectation of 237,000. Revisions showed that employment gains in the last two months of 2014 included 147,000 more jobs than previous estimated.

 Here at MoneyBeat HQ, we crunched the numbers, tracked the markets and compiled the commentary before and after the data crosses the wires. Now that we’re done, feel free to continue the conversation in the comments section. And while you’re here, why don’t you sign up to follow us on Twitter. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a vigorous 257,000 jobs in January, and wages jumped by the most in six years — evidence that the U.S. job market is accelerating closer to full health.

 In this Friday, Jan. 23, 2015 photo, job applicant Rafael Ferrer, 49, left, shakes hands with a representative of the Hilton Bentley Miami Beach hotel during a job fair at the Hospitality Institute, Friday,... (Associated Press)

 The surprisingly robust report the Labor Department issued Friday also showed that hiring was far stronger in November and December than previously thought. Employers added 414,000 jobs in November — the most in 17 years. Job growth in December was also revised sharply higher, to 329,000, from 252,000.

 Average hourly wages soared 12 cents in December to $24.75, the biggest gain since September 2008. In the past year, hourly pay has increased 2.2 percent. That is ahead of inflation, which rose just 0.7 percent in 2014.

 The sharp drop in gas prices in the past year has held down inflation and boosted Americans' spending power. Still, wages typically rise at a roughly 3.5 percent pace in a fully healthy economy.

 The unemployment rate in January rose to 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent. But that occurred for a good reason: More Americans began looking for jobs, though not all of them found work. Their job hunting suggests that they are more confident about their prospects.

 Strong hiring pushes up wages as employers compete for fewer workers. Job gains have now averaged 336,000 a month for the past three months, the best three-month pace in 17 years. Just a year ago, the three-month average was only 197,000.

 The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring wages and other job market data as it considers when to begin raising the short-term interest rate it controls from a record low near zero. The Fed has kept rates at record lows for more than six years to help stimulate growth. Most economists think the central bank will start boosting rates as early as June.

 Steady economic growth has encouraged companies to keep hiring. The economy expanded at a 4.8 percent annual rate during spring and summer, the fastest six-month pace in a decade, before slowing to a still-decent 2.6 percent pace in the final three months of 2014.

 There are now 3.2 million more Americans earning paychecks than there were 12 months ago. That lifts consumer spending, which drives about 70 percent of economic growth.

 More hiring, along with sharply lower gasoline prices, has boosted Americans' confidence and spending power. Consumer confidence jumped in January to its highest level in a decade, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. And Americans increased their spending during the final three months of last year at the fastest pace in nearly nine years.

Summary: – The US economy added 257,000 jobs last month, a full 20,000 more than economists had expected today's jobs report to show, the Wall Street Journal reports. The unemployment rate ticked up from 5.6% to 5.7%, but as the AP explains, that's partially because more Americans started looking for work, showing confidence in the economy. As Kevin Kingsbury writes for the Journal, "In this case, today’s increase is actually a good sign." But while the labor force participation rate did inch up to 62.9%, last month's 62.7% was a "multi-decade low." Paul Vigna's take: "So, that’s at least movement in the right direction, but it’s not much movement. ... It’s hard to get growth really going with so many people out of the work force." December's new jobs number was revised significantly upward from 252,000 to 329,000, and November's number was revised all the way up to 414,000—the highest total in 17 years. Plus, average hourly wages rose 12 cents to $24.75, the biggest gain since September 2008. In the past year, hourly pay has increased 2.2%. That is ahead of inflation, which rose just 0.7% in 2014. All in all: The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 2014, in which average monthly job gains were 258,000, was the best year since 1999 for jobs growth.


Nicolas Cage Bailed Out by Dog the Bounty Hunter

 Nicolas Cage received the help of an unlikely ally after being arrested in New Orleans Reality star Duane 'Dog' Chapman – aka Dog the Bounty Hunter – posted the actor's $11,000 bond after he was charged with domestic abuse and disturbing the peace Saturday in the French Quarter."I am a truly dedicated fan of Mr. Cage and will not be granting any interviews about my client as I wish to respect his privacy," Chapman, 58, told E! News in a statement."I performed my duties as a bail bondsman and not in connection with our show," the statement continued. "This is what I do for a living. There are two sides of my job: I release my clients after they have been arrested; and pick them up if they don't show up in court. I do not believe the latter will be the case for Mr. Cage."Cage, 47, is scheduled to appear in court May 31. ||||| Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage, jailed in New Orleans over an alleged outburst against his wife, police and a few parked cars, is free today after reportedly being bailed out by reality TV star Duane "Dog" Chapman.

 "I am a truly dedicated fan of Mr. Cage and will not be granting any interviews about my client as I wish to respect his privacy," Chapman, a bail bondsman and bounty hunter who parlayed his colorful personality to land a TV show, "Dog the Bounty Hunter."

 "I performed my duties as a bail bondsman and not in connection with our show," he said. "This is what I do for a living."

 According to the New Orleans Police Department, Cage, 47, was "heavily intoxicated and arguing with his wife Alice Kim, 27, in front of a home at 11:30 p.m. Saturday on Dumaine Street in the city's French Quarter, insisting that the house they were in front of was their rental property.

 Police said that Cage grabbed his wife by her upper arm and dragged her towards the property that he believed they were renting -- there were no visible signs of injury to Kim's arm.

 The actor then allegedly began to strike cars in the immediate vicinity and attempted to jump into a taxi, police said. At this point a police officer "immediately observed that Cage was heavily intoxicated and ordered him out of the cab, which prompted Cage to start yelling," according to police.

 Cage allegedly said to the police "Why don't you just arrest me?" gossip website TMZ.com reported.

 The police did just that, arresting him on one count of domestic abuse and one count of disturbing the peace.

 TMZ also stated that Kim is not a complaining witness, does not want her husband to be charged and that witnesses have said there was no physical contact between the two.

 Cage has been married to the former waitress Kim since July 30, 2004. The two had a son, Kal-El, in 2005.

 The actor has been nominated for an Academy Award twice and won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of an alcoholic spiraling out of control in 1995's "Leaving Las Vegas."

 Born Nicolas Kim Coppola, Cage changed his name to avoid the appearance of nepotism, as he is the nephew of legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola. Cage has previously been married to Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley.

 Nicolas Cage's Troubles Off the Screen

 Late last year Nicolas Cage -- who is known to fly off the handle in memorable performances in films such as "Moonstruck" and "Adaptation" -- made the news for his off-screen temper.

 While leaving a night club in Romania, where he was on location filming the sequel to his 2007 hit "Ghost Rider," the actor was filmed bursting into a rage during an altercation with a companion.

 Cage was taped screaming: "I thought we were brothers, man," and "I'll die in the name of honor!"

 TMZ has also previously reported that the actor is facing financial troubles. A federal tax lien from 2009 showed that Cage owes over $6.7 million in taxes for 2008.

 He's been forced to sell off some of his "national treasure" including a Bavarian castle, and a Rhode Island home sold earlier this month at a $9.5 million loss.

 "I mean everybody makes mistakes. It's part of being human," Cage said on "Good Morning America" earlier this year. "And when we make mistakes, I think sometimes it can be a great lesson because it puts you in to looking for something. Some people say you have to be a sinner before you can be a saint."

 Cage made news earlier this week when a missing mint copy of Action Comics No. 1 -- the comic book debut of Superman -- belonging to him surfaced in a San Fernando Valley, Calif., storage locker. The comic, which has been authenticated, was stolen from Cage more than a decade ago, according to Detective Don Hrycyk with the Los Angeles Police Department's Art Theft Detail.

 Cage accepted an insurance payout after the theft, so it is unclear if he will regain his missing comic.

Summary: – In a case of reality not imitating "art," Dog the notorious bounty hunter bailed actor Nicolas Cage out of jail. Reality star Duane "Dog" Chapman posted Cage's $11,000 bond after he was charged with domestic abuse and disturbing the peace over the weekend in New Orleans. "I am a truly dedicted fan," Dog, 58, said by way of explanation. "There are two sides of my job: I release my clients after they have been arrested; and pick them up if they don't show up in court. I do not believe the latter will be the case for Mr. Cage." Cage, 47, was busted after arguing loudly with his 27-year-old wife and dragging her down the street, said police. The actor, who appeared to be "heavily intoxicated" then began hitting cars, according to cops. He's due in court next month, reports People. Click for more details on Cage's French Quarter bust.


A Tennessee woman posted a heartbreaking tweet Friday of the last bouquet of flowers she would receive from her late father who promised to send her a gift until she was 21 years old.

 Bailey Sellers of Knoxville, Tenn., tweeted the photo of the purple bouquet along with pictures of a letter her father wrote to her and a snap of them together on the beach.

 FATHER CHARGED WITH RAPING, KILLING INFANT DAUGHTER, TENNESSEE COPS SAY

 Sellers wrote: “My dad passed away when I was 16 from cancer and before he died he prepaid flowers so I could receive them every year on my birthday. Well this is my 21st birthday flowers and the last. Miss you so much daddy.”

 The note, which she also received each year from her father, read: “This is my last love letter to you until we meet again. I do not want you to shed another tear for me my baby girl for I am in a better place.”

 Sellers’ father concluded he would be with her “through every milestone” and to respect her mother.

 TENNESEE MAN ARRESTED AFTER 3-YEAR-OLD SHOT 1-YEAR-OLD WITH HIS GUN, REPORTS SAY

 A social media user tweeted to Sellers her condolences and called the gesture “sad and heartwarming.”

 Sellers replied back that she looked forward to receiving flowers each year but this time was “heartbreaking.”

 Sellers tweet, which has received more than 715,000 likes as of Saturday afternoon, has gone viral on social media. Sellers retweeted a number of responses and tweeted that she was “thankful” that her father’ “thoughtful brought so many people happiness.” ||||| We've detected that JavaScript is disabled in your browser. Would you like to proceed to legacy Twitter?

 Yes

Summary: – After turning 21 on Friday, a Tennessee woman received a bittersweet gift from her father…who died five years ago. Bailey Sellers of Knoxville posted photos to Twitter of the last bouquet of flowers she’ll get from her dad, who paid to have them sent to her on her birthdays, Fox News reports. “My dad passed away when I was 16 from cancer” Sellers wrote on Twitter, adding that he arranged for her to receive flowers every year on her birthday until she turned 21. “Well this is my 21st birthday flowers and the last. Miss you so much daddy.” A card decorated with butterflies that accompanied the flowers had a beautiful message from her dad, who told her to respect her mother and that “I will still be with you through every milestone, just look around and there I'll be.” The heartbreaking post has since gone viral, with over 1.3 million likes and over 300,000 retweets by Sunday afternoon. Sellers responded with gratitude to the outpouring of responses on social media, writing, “I'm so thankful that my dads thoughtfulness brought so many people happiness.”


Although Joan Rivers went to Yorkville Endoscopy for a routine procedure, her time spent there was anything but routine.

 As RadarOnline.com has previously reported, Rivers’ female ear, nose and throat doctor stepped in once Dr. Lawrence Cohen, Rivers’ gastroenterologist, discovered something on her vocal cords. The ENT, who wasn’t authorized to perform any medical procedures at the clinic, took over and began a biopsy.

 PHOTOS: Celebrities Who Died In Bizarre Circumstances

 The biopsy was not authorized, as Rivers never signed a consent form. And once it began, her vocal cords began to swell, Anderson 360 revealed Tuesday night. But that’s not all. Not only was the ENT not supposed to be treating the comedienne, 81, at this time, medical staffers have also told investigators that the ENT snapped a selfie with the Fashion Police star while she was under anesthesia – a major violation of privacy, given she did not give her consent to have her picture taken.

 Dr. Cohen, who doubled as the clinic’s medical director, has since parted ways with Yorkville. The clinic confirmed his departure, stating, Dr. Cohen “is not currently performing procedures…nor is he currently serving as medical director.”

 PHOTOS: 10 Celebrity Spawn Who Look Just Like Their Famous Mothers

 As Radar has reported, Rivers’ daughter Melissa is now considering a lawsuit against the clinic and associated doctors.

 Story developing.

 What do you think about the new details that have come to light? Sound off in the comments below. ||||| See more of Susan Candiotti's investigation of Yorkville Endoscopy at 8 p.m. ET/PT Wednesday on "Anderson Cooper 360" on CNN.

 (CNN) -- The cardiac arrest leading to Joan Rivers' death happened as the comedian's personal doctor began performing a biopsy on her vocal cords, a source close to the death investigation told CNN.

 A staff member at Manhattan's Yorkville Endoscopy clinic told investigators that the doctor, who has not been publicly identified, took a selfie photo in the procedure room while Rivers was under anesthesia, the source said.

 Rivers, 81, was at the clinic for a scheduled endoscopy by another doctor, gastroenterologist Dr. Lawrence Cohen. That procedure, intended to help diagnose her hoarse voice and sore throat, involved the insertion of a camera down her throat.

 After Cohen, the clinic's medical director, finished his work, a biopsy was done on Rivers without her prior consent, according to the source.

 An ear, nose and throat specialist not certified by the clinic as required by law performed a biopsy on her vocal cords. The doctor is described by the source as Rivers' personal ear-nose-throat physician.

 Clinic: Vocal-cord biopsy did not kill Joan Rivers

 "Even though you are a licensed physician, you still should have, if you will, the checks and balances to get your approval to practice in that particular place," said Dr. Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

 Investigators believe that Rivers' vocal cords began to swell during the allegedly unauthorized biopsy, cutting off the flow of oxygen to her lungs, which led to cardiac arrest on the morning of August 29, the source said.

 Rivers, 81, was rushed by paramedics from Yorkville Endoscopy to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital a mile away, where she died a week later.

 Yorkville Endoscopy issued a statement last Thursday denying reports that any vocal cord biopsy has ever been done at the clinic, although federal privacy law prevented any patient information from being released.

 The day after the denial was issued, the clinic confirmed that Dr. Cohen "is not currently performing procedures... nor is he currently serving as medical director."

 The source said that at this time neither Cohen nor the ear, nose and throat doctor have been accused of wrongdoing by investigators.

 The clinic declined to respond to the source's comments about a biopsy or a selfie, citing federal privacy law.

 Timeline emerges in Joan Rivers' death

 See more about the comedy business at CNN Comedy.

Summary: – Joan Rivers' personal doctor not only performed an unplanned biopsy during a routine procedure—the ear, nose, and throat specialist snapped a "selfie" with the star while she was unconscious, a source close to the investigation tells CNN. The cardiac arrest that led to her death happened during the unplanned procedure, but neither Rivers' personal doctor nor Yorkville Endoscopy co-owner Dr. Lawrence Cohen have been accused of wrongdoing by state investigators, the source says. The New York City clinic says Cohen, who performed the routine endoscopy on Rivers, is no longer its medical director. Rivers' daughter, Melissa, is considering a lawsuit against the clinic and the doctors involved, Radar reports.


Pope Francis delivers his speech during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican , Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) (Associated Press)

 Pope Francis delivers his speech during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican , Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) (Associated Press)

 VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis accepted the resignation of a U.S. bishop Thursday and authorized an investigation into allegations he sexually harassed adults, adding awkward drama to an audience with U.S. church leaders over the abuse and cover-up scandal roiling the Catholic Church.

 The resignation of West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield was announced just as the four-member U.S. delegation was sitting down with Francis in his private study in the Apostolic Palace. Among the four was Bransfield's cousin, Monsignor Brian Bransfield, secretary-general of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

 Bishop Bransfield had been investigated for an alleged groping incident in 2007 and was implicated in court testimony in 2012 in an infamous Philadelphia priestly sex abuse case. He strongly denied ever abusing anyone and the diocese said it had disproved the claims. He continued with his ministry until he offered to retire, as required, when he turned 75 last week.

 The Vatican said Francis accepted his resignation Thursday and appointed Baltimore Archbishop William Lori to take over Bransfield's Wheeling-Charleston diocese temporarily. Lori said in a statement that Francis had also instructed him to "conduct an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of adults against Bishop Bransfield."

 No details of the allegations were revealed and his diocese said it had "no idea" where Bransfield was after the Vatican ordered him to live outside the diocese.

 Lori set up a hotline for potential victims to call, said the Vatican had instructed him to make the investigation public, and vowed to conduct a thorough study into what he said were "troubling" claims against Bransfield, who was a major fundraiser for the Vatican via the Pennsylvania-based Papal Foundation.

 The revelation was the latest twist in an incredible turn of events in the U.S. church that began with the June 20 announcement that one of the most prestigious U.S. cardinals, Theodore McCarrick, had been accused of groping a teenage altar boy in the 1970s.

 Francis removed McCarrick as a cardinal in July after a U.S. church investigation found the allegation credible. After news broke of the investigation, several former seminarians and priests came forward to report that they, too, had been abused or harassed by McCarrick as adults.

 The McCarrick affair — coupled with revelations in the Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing decades of abuse and cover-up in six dioceses — has fueled outrage among the rank-and-file faithful who had trusted church leaders to reform themselves after the abuse scandal first erupted in Boston in 2002.

 Outrage has also been directed at Francis and the Vatican and has fueled conservative criticism of Francis' pontificate.

 The head of the U.S. bishops conference, Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, had requested the papal audience last month following revelations that McCarrick had risen through church ranks even though the allegations of sexual misconduct were known in U.S. and Vatican circles.

 DiNardo requested a full-fledged Vatican investigation into the McCarrick affair, and said he also wanted answers to allegations that a string of Vatican officials knew of McCarrick's misdeeds since 2000, but turned a blind eye.

 A statement issued by DiNardo after the papal audience made no mention of his request for a Vatican investigation. It said that the Americans briefed the pope on the "laceration" that abuse has caused and that "we look forward to actively continuing our discernment together identifying the most effective next steps."

 The statement also made no mention of the Bransfield investigation. McCarrick was a co-consecrator when Bishop Bransfield was ordained a bishop in 2005 and the two were active in the Papal Foundation, the big U.S. fundraising organization that McCarrick co-founded and which has funneled millions of dollars to the Vatican over the years.

 Bransfield was president when the foundation was thrown into disarray last year over a revolt by its lay donors. They were incensed that the cardinals who run the foundation had agreed to a $25 million request from the Vatican to bail out a troubled Rome hospital. Under pressure, the cardinals pulled the plug on the funding mid-way through.

 Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston spokesman Tim Bishop said Thursday he couldn't answer questions about Bransfield's whereabouts or whether he has an attorney.

 "The Holy See has instructed him to live outside the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston," Bishop said. "I have no idea of his whereabouts."

 The Vatican hasn't responded to allegations by its former ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, that Francis effectively rehabilitated McCarrick from sanctions imposed by Pope Benedict XVI over allegations McCarrick would routinely invite seminarians to his beach house and into his bed.

 Francis has, however, responded to the overall scandal with a series of initiatives aimed at trying to convince the faithful that he "gets it" and is prepared to take measures to put an end to what he has called the "culture of cover-up" in the church.

 On the eve of the U.S. audience, Francis announced he was summoning the presidents of bishops conferences around the world to a February summit to discuss prevention measures and protection of minors and vulnerable adults.

 The surprise announcement was largely dismissed as a belated damage control effort by victims' advocates. Church historians questioned why such an urgent problem was being scheduled for discussion six months from now with the very bishops who are blamed for much of the scandal.

 "Where are the laity and others who might provide both new and uncomplicit voices and insights into the process?" asked Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history at Syracuse University.

 Even DiNardo's own record on protecting children has now come into question. On the eve of his audience with Francis, The Associated Press reported that two victims in Houston had accused him of not doing enough to stop a priest who was arrested this week on sexual abuse charges.

 The archdiocese issued a statement Wednesday confirming that both alleged victims had come forward to report abuse by the priest, the Rev. Manuel LaRosa-Lopez, one of them in 2001.

 The delegation of U.S. bishops announced no plans to speak to the media after their audience.

 ___

 AP writers Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and John Raby in Charleston contributed to this report.

 ___

 This story has been corrected to say that Lori is Archbishop of Baltimore, not bishop. ||||| FILE - In this April 8, 2010 file photo a cross sits on top of a church in Berlin, Germany. A leading German magazine says a report on sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Germany details 3,677... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this April 8, 2010 file photo a cross sits on top of a church in Berlin, Germany. A leading German magazine says a report on sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Germany details 3,677 abuses cases by Catholic clergy between 1946 and 2014. Spiegel Online wrote Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this April 8, 2010 file photo a cross sits on top of a church in Berlin, Germany. A leading German magazine says a report on sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Germany details 3,677 abuses cases by Catholic clergy between 1946 and 2014. Spiegel Online wrote Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018... (Associated Press) FILE - In this April 8, 2010 file photo a cross sits on top of a church in Berlin, Germany. A leading German magazine says a report on sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Germany details 3,677... (Associated Press)

 BERLIN (AP) — A report on sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Germany says 3,677 people were abused by clergy between 1946 and 2014, two leading German media outlets said Wednesday.

 Spiegel Online and Die Zeit said the report they obtained — commissioned by the German Bishops Conference and researched by three universities — concludes that more than half of the victims were 13 or younger and most were boys. Every sixth case involved rape and at least 1,670 clergy were involved, both weeklies reported. Die Zeit wrote that 969 abuse victims were altar boys.

 The report also says that the actual number of victims was likely much higher, according to the research by experts from the Universities of Giessen, Heidelberg and Mannheim.

 The German Bishops Conference said in a written response a few hours later that it regretted the leaking of the report, but that the study confirms "the extent of the sexual abuse" that took place.

 "It is depressing and shameful for us," Bishop Stephan Ackermann said. He didn't further elaborate on the findings of the report, but said the Catholic group would present the study as initially planned on Sept. 25 together with the authors.

 Die Zeit wrote that researchers weren't allowed to look at the original church files but had to provide questionnaires to the dioceses, which then provided the information.

 In their conclusions, the researchers write that there was evidence that some files were manipulated or destroyed, many cases were not brought to justice, and that sometimes abuse suspects — primarily priests — were simply moved to other dioceses without the congregations being informed about their past.

 The Catholic Church has been struggling with sex abuse by its clergy for a long time.

 In 2010, the German church was roiled by a sex abuse scandal triggered by the head of a Jesuit school in Berlin who went public about decades-long sexual abuse of high school students by clergy. Following that, a whole wave of victims who were sexually abused by clergy spoke out across the country.

 An investigation in the United States last month found rampant sexual abuse of more than 1,000 children by about 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania.

 Earlier this week, the Vatican said it is preparing the "necessary clarifications" about accusations that top Vatican officials including Pope Francis covered up the sexual misconduct of a now-disgraced American ex-cardinal.

 Also on Wednesday, the Vatican said it's summoning the presidents of every bishops conference around the world for a February summit to discuss preventing clergy sex abuse and protecting children.

Summary: – Pope Francis accepted the resignation of West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield on Thursday and authorized an investigation into allegations he sexually harassed adults, adding awkward drama to an audience with US church leaders over the abuse and cover-up scandal roiling the Catholic Church, the AP reports. Bishop Bransfield—a major fundraiser for the Vatican—had been investigated for an alleged groping incident in 2007 and was implicated in court testimony in 2012 in an infamous Philadelphia priestly sex abuse case. He strongly denied ever abusing anyone and the diocese said it had disproved the claims. He continued with his ministry until he offered to retire, as required, when he turned 75 last week. Baltimore Archbishop William Lori will take over Bransfield's Wheeling-Charleston diocese temporarily and investigate accusations against him. The revelation was the latest twist in an incredible turn of events in the US church that began with the June 20 announcement that one of the most prestigious US cardinals, Theodore McCarrick, had been accused of groping a teenage altar boy in the 1970s. Francis removed McCarrick as a cardinal in July. The McCarrick affair—coupled with revelations in the Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing decades of abuse and cover-up in six dioceses—has fueled outrage among the rank-and-file faithful who had trusted church leaders to reform themselves after the abuse scandal first erupted in Boston in 2002. In Germany, a new report on sexual abuse inside the church says clergy members in that country abused 3,677 people between 1946 and 2014.