Michael Schumacher still in critical condition

PARIS -- Seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher was in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery following a weekend skiing accident that has stunned drivers, fans and athletes around the world. 

The Grenoble University Hospital Center said the retired racing driver arrived at the clinic in a coma on Sunday and underwent immediate surgery for a serious head trauma. 

It was not clear whether the 44-year-old Schumacher was still in a coma but the hospital statement, which was signed by a neurosurgeon, an anesthesiologist and Marc Penaud, the hospital's deputy director, said "he remains in a critical condition." 

Schumacher fell while skiing off-piste in Meribel in the French Alps on Sunday morning and hit his head on a rock, according to a statement from the resort. Resort managers said he had been wearing a helmet and was conscious when rescuers first responded to the scene.

The Meribel resort initially said Schumacher had been taken to Grenoble for tests and authorities said his life was not in danger. 

But the situation began to appear more serious when the resort said that orthopedic and trauma surgeon Gerard Saillant had traveled from Paris to the hospital in Grenoble to examine Schumacher. German news agency dpa said it was Saillant who operated on Schumacher when he broke his leg during a crash at the Silverstone race course in 1999.

In an email to The Associated Press, Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm, said the champion German driver was on a private skiing trip and "fell on his head." 

"We ask for understanding that we cannot give running updates on his condition. He wore a helmet and was not alone," Kehm said. Schumacher's 14-year-old son, Mick, was skiing with his father when the accident happened, the resort said. 

ESPN F1 reported that Schumacher's wife and children were at the hospital, along with Jean Todt, his former Ferrari team boss and now president of motorsport's governing body, the FIA. Ross Brawn, who worked with Schumacher at Ferrari and Mercedes F1 teams, was reportedly also at the hospital, where a gathering of media and fans was swelling. 

As news of the accident spread, Formula One drivers used social media to wish Schumacher a quick recovery.

His former Ferrari teammate, Felipe Massa, who himself recovered from life-threatening head injuries sustained at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009, wrote on Instagram, "I am praying for you my brother!! I hope you have a quick recovery!! God bless you Michael." 

British former world champion Jenson Button said posted that his "thoughts are with Michael Schumacher at this tough time. ... Michael more than anyone has the strength to pull through this." 

Romain Grosjean of Lotus tweeted: "All our thoughts to Schumi and his family! Hope you will recover soon #legend #Schumi." 

Support also came from leading German sports personalities, ranging from the NBA to soccer. Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki said his thoughts were with Schumacher, while Lukas Podolski, who plays for Arsenal in the English Premier League, tweeted: "Bad news from Switzerland: please get well soon, Michael Schumacher. All the best for you, my friend! #getwellsoon #MichaelSchumacher." 

Boris Becker, the retired tennis champion now working with Novak Djokovic, posted: "Let us all pray for realschumacher michael for a full and speedy recovery!!!" 

In addition to the crash at Silverstone, Schumacher was hurt seriously in a motorcycling accident in February 2009 in Spain when he suffered neck and spine injuries. Those injuries prevented him making a shock comeback that year to stand in for the injured Massa, however he came back to the sport full time in 2010.

Schumacher is the most successful driver in Formula One history, with seven drivers' championships and 91 race wins. After initial success with the Benetton team, he moved to Ferrari and helped turn the Italian team into the sport's dominant force. After initially retiring in 2006, he made a comeback in 2010 and raced for three years with Mercedes

Michael Schumacher's 'fight for life' leads front pages

The Daily Mirror is one of a number of papers to lead with the news that Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher is "fighting for his life" in hospital after a skiing accident. The paper says he "hit his head on a rock" and is now in a critical condition in Grenoble, France, with his wife and children at his bedside.

BOMB SCARE Outside NSW Parliament Sydney Today!

BOMB SCARE: Dramatic scenes in Sydney earlier this afternoon with a man parked outside New South Wales Parliament, believed to be making bomb threats.

Several streets were closed in the two hour siege, before officers swooped in and arrested him. A device was found inside the car, however it is still being analysed.

More details in 9 News at 6.00pm on Channel 9.

‪#‎Bomb‬ ‪#‎Threat‬ ‪#‎9News‬

Philippines - Zambo town mayor, 3 others killed in NAIA 3 ambush

Zambo town mayor, 3 others killed in NAIA 3 ambush

By Dharel Placido, ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 12/20/2013 11:37 AM | Updated as of 12/20/2013 1:26 PM

Gunmen wore police uniforms?
MANILA (4th UPDATE) – The mayor of Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur and three others were killed in an ambush at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 Friday morning.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado said Mayor Ukol Talumpa and several others were shot at by unidentified gunmen at the loading bay area of NAIA 3 at 11:15 a.m., causing panic among the people at the terminal.
Talumpa, his wife Lea, and two others, 25-year-old Saripuddin Talumpa and 18-month-old Philip Thomas Estuesta, were declared dead on arrival at the Vilamor Air Base Hospital.
Four others were injured but Honrado refused to reveal their names. It was not yet established whether the four injured were included in Talumpa's party.
Honrado said Talumpa and his relatives arrived at the airport at around 10 a.m. He came from Zamboanga del Sur via Cebu Pacific flight 5J 852.
He said witnesses are now coordinating with investigators. He also appealed to others who witnessed the shooting to come forward, as he admitted that no closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera was installed to cover the site where the ambush incident occurred.
The MIAA chief, however, said a cellphone video captured the ambush incident and investigators are set to examine it.
Suspects wore police uniforms
Chief Supt. Jose Erwin Villacorte, director of Southern Police District (SPD), said police checkpoints have been established within 1.5-kilometer radius of the airport.
Villacorte said they received reports that the gunmen were on board a motorcycle and were in police uniforms.
"Magko-coordinate kami ng Aviation Security as to how the investigation will go. [There is] information na may riding-in-tandem in police uniform. Iyun ang information na aming na receive. Iyun ang aming ibinigay sa aming mga stations," he said.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) personnel are now processing the crime scene, where blood marks and the victims' luggage were seen.
The victim's other relatives who were at the airport, meanwhile, refused to comment on the incident.
Police are now investigating how the suspects managed to smuggle a firearm, said to be a .45-caliber pistol, inside the NAIA terminal.
Previous attempts
Today's shooting, apparently, was not the first attempt on Talumpa's life.
Last September 19, 2012, a police officer escorting Talumpa, then vice-mayor of Labangan, was injured after an unidentified suspect hurled a grenade at the official's vehicle.
Authorities said the grenade exploded near Talumpa's vehicle while it was parked outside a recruitment agency in San Pedro St., Pagadian City.
Talumpa was inside the vehicle with his wife and another relative when the explosion occurred.
PO1 Mohamad Mangumpara, who was still outside of the vehicle, was the only one hurt in the blast.
Talumpa also escaped a slay try in Ermita, Manila in 2010. – with a report from Dexter Ganibe, dzMM

Msg from 16 year old boy to parents doing it tough this Christmas - Must Read!

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE:  Here is a beautiful message for those who may be doing it a little tough this Christmas. It's from 16-year-old Ben Wilkinson on the Sunshine Coast. Very touching and something every parent should read.

"So I've been seeing a lot of posts about people having troubles around Christmas and them being worried about their kids getting presents. I am 16 and when I was a kid growing up my family didn't have lots of money and when my mum left my Dad we were living on nothing but centrelink payments, so as a result through my childhood money was always tight. I can tell you that my childhood was still amazing because it was never about the money or having fancy things, when Christmas came around my mum would rap everything up, new school bags, stationary and broken toys and me and my brother loved it! When your living rough and you are worried about what your kids think id like you to know some of my best memories are of broken chairs when the top didn't fit to the frame so it was an adventure to sit down, of couches that if you didn't sit on the frame you would fall through and of TV sets that you had to hit to get working and that had two channels. As long as you make sure your kids know you love them and all of you are still laughing your kids will remember their childhood as brilliant. I promise every parent it's not about the money it's about being a family so you should all stop worrying about whether you can get your kid the best present worth a $100. Christmas will always be amazing for your kids even if what you get them is from the 2 dollar shop. Everyone have an amazing Christmas and remember how great Christmas is -it isn't decided by how much you spend."

RAFF Personnel Home For Christmas!

Tears of joy as RAAF personnel come home for Christmas!

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS: Families of RAAF personnel have shed tears of joy as their loved ones return home from a seven month deployment in Afghanistan. 

The personnel returned in time for Christmas, excited and surprised to see family members travel from across the country to welcome them home.

Read the full story here: http://ninem.sn/862oaES

Queensland bikie gangs told police will arrest them if they gather for Christmas

Weekend raids by the anti-gang operation Taskforce Maxima result in 53 arrests and the seizure of cash and drugs

• Australian Associated Press
• theguardian.com, Monday 16 December 2013 16.40 AEST

A member of the Bandidos, one of the motor cycle gangs warned not to gather in Brisbane for Christmas. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Queensland police have vowed to arrest outlaw bikie gang members if they get together for Christmas.

Weekend raids throughout the state by officers in the anti-gang operation Taskforce Maxima resulted in 53 arrests and 100 charges laid.

Officers seized blank birth certificates, gold and diamond jewellery, $139,000 in old banknotes and almost a kilogram of pseudoephedrine, which is used to make methamphetamine.

There were raids, traffic stops and checks on tattoo parlours in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Mount Isa, Toowoomba and Townsville.

Two pythons were found in a tank at a Brisbane tattoo parlour.

Police say there will be an even greater push against criminal gangs during the Christmas and New Year period.

Detective Superintendent Mick Niland said officers would take every opportunity to use new laws that make it a crime for three or more criminal bikies to gather in public places.

"If they are at home, it won't be an offence," he told reporters on Monday.

"But on each and every occasion we will take action if we have the evidence."

Of the 53 arrests, 15 are alleged criminal gang members and have been refused bail.

They included members of the Bandidos, Hell's Angels and the Rebels gangs, Niland said.

The rest are alleged associates and have been released with notices to appear in court at later dates.

Detective Inspector Brendan Smith said he hoped bikies were frustrated by the ongoing crackdown.

"Until they learn to change their ways we will keep coming back," he told reporters.

"We are looking at all their criminal behaviour ... from traffic right through to drug trafficking and things like that."

He said police were also clamping down on friends of bikies.

"It cannot be socially acceptable to be a friend of a bikie," he said.

"You have to learn it is not on in Queensland."

WATCH: The Most Touching Mandela Tribute From The Least Expected Place!

One Of The Most Touching Tributes to Nelson Mandela We Have Seen!

A South African chain store has laid on one of the most touching tributes to Nelson Mandela we've seen in the past week – and it was in the form of a flash mob.

Woolworths teamed up with the Soweto Gospel Choir, who posed as shoppers and store workers at the Parkview store in Johannesburg.

The choir then began an "impromtu" rendition of Asimbonanga [We have not seen him], singing:

Asimbonanga [we have not seen him]
Asimbonang' uMandela thina [we have not seen Mandela]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'ehleli khona [in the place where he is kept]

Asimbonanga
Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina [we have not seen our brother]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'wafela khona [in the place where he died]
Sithi: Hey, wena [We say: hey, you]
Hey, wena nawe [Hey, you and you]
Siyofika nini la' siyakhona [when will we arrive at our destination]

The song was written during Mandela's incarceration as a call for his freedom. 

Watch it here:

Khloe Kardashian Files For Divorce

After months of speculation, Khloe Kardashian is ending her four-year marriage to Lamar Odom.

The reality TV star filed for divorce Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. She also wants her last name restored to Kardashian from Kardashian Odom.

The filing comes days after Odom pleaded no contest on Monday to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge.

The 34-year-old athlete was arrested last August after his Mercedes-Benz SUV was seen weaving on an LA freeway.

He seemed to address rumors of personal problems when he tweeted a cryptic message in September, saying he had been “Seeing the Snakes.”

Only the Kardashian family, Odom said then, was standing by him.

The 6-foot-10-inch power forward has been out of the NBA since going unsigned as a free agent after a miserable season last year.

Odom last played for the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2012-13 season, averaging a career-low 4.0 points and 5.9 rebounds. Clippers coach Doc Rivers met with him last month, but apparently nothing came of those talks.

Beyonce Releases Surprise Album Early This Morning!

I now have two words for Beyonce... "Marketing Genius"

Beyonce released a "Surprise Visual Album" at midnight last night. The album features her daughter Blue Ivy and husband JayZ. You can get the album right here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/beyonce/id780330041