Manila bus hostages killed by police.

From Orange:

A number of hostages shot dead during a botched mission to save them from a bus hijacker in the Philippines may have been hit by police fire.

The gunman - a disgruntled former police captain - was killed when police commandos stormed the vehicle in Manila, on August 23.

But eight tourists from Hong Kong died in the assault and three were seriously wounded.

Philippine justice secretary Leila de Lima said bullet trajectories and the hostages' wounds indicated some of the passengers may have been hit by "friendly fire".

She did not say whether any of the shots fired by police were fatal.

But Ms de Lima added that investigators will await a complete ballistics report before drawing any final conclusions.

China has criticised the rescue operation, suggesting the Philippine force was ill-equipped to handle hostage situations.

The new details of the investigation emerged as Philippines President Benigno Aquino III said he will stop apologising for the attack and focus instead on easing tensions with China and Hong Kong.

"Let me just say that this incident will not define this administration," Mr Aquino said.

The president added that he will wait for a report from a fact-finding committee before he fires any officials for the fiasco.

The Chinese Embassy said, in a statement, it expects the Philippines to come up with "a comprehensive and fair report, which tells the truth (and) upholds justice".

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Beans and hard cheese will give you a baby girl.

Beans and hard cheese will also give you gas. Item!

Cutting out salt and going on a diet of beans and hard cheese gives mothers a better chance of giving birth to a girl, research shows.

The right combination of food and the timing of sex are the key factors in determining whether it's a boy or a girl, the UK's Mail on Sunday reported.

Mothers should cut out foods containing sodium and potassium-rich food such as olives, bacon, salami, smoked salmon, potatoes, blue cheese, meats, bread and pastries.

The best foods are those rich in calcium and magnesium. Calcium-rich foods include yoghurt, hard cheese, rhubarb, spinach, tofu, almonds, oatmeal, broccoli and oranges.

Brazil and cashew nuts, whole wheat cereals, figs and beans are packed with magnesium.

The scientists, from Maastricht University in Holland, also say the chances of having a daughter are boosted if couples have regular sex but not on days immediately before or after ovulation.

The findings come after a five-year study involving 172 Western European women aged from 23 to 42 who had all previously given birth to boys but wanted girls.

When they were trying for a child again they were told to cut out salt and eat at least a pound of dairy products a day.

Almost 80 per cent of the women who stuck to the diet ended up giving birth to girls.

A spokesman for the scientists said: "The results show that both diet and timing methods increase the probability of a girl - the impact of the diet being the most pronounced.

"It shows a substantial success rate when both methods are applied correctly."

Transformers 3 extra in coma after accident.

Hopefully Transformers 3 doesn't cause brain damage for this poor woman as it will undoubtedly cause the audience. Item.

Indiana State Police say a movie extra was critically injured on the production set of a blockbuster sequel.

Spokeswoman Sergeant Ann Wojas said Gabriella Cedillo was in a critical condition, according to a family member in Chicago.

On Wednesday, she was driving her car through a scene of Transformers 3, filming in Hammond, Indiana, when a stunt for the scene went horribly wrong, MyFoxChicago.com said.

Witnesses said a cable snapped, whipping through her windshield and hitting her in the head. She is recovering from brain surgery at Loyola Medical Centre.

Neighbours said Ms Cedillo was excited to be working on the movie.
"It was a blessing to know she was going to be a part of it," Nate Smith told the TV station. "But then to find out she was part of the unfortunate accident, it set you back a few steps. ... Nothing you can do but sit and pray."

The last day of filming in Chicago had been scheduled for Thursday, but it was called off because of the accident.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Gabriela, her family and loved ones," the film production said in a written statement. "We are looking into what caused the accident."

State workplace investigators in Indiana also are looking into the accident.

Police say Ms Cedillo was an extra, not a stunt professional.

A hospital official said she had no information about Ms Cedillo.

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Belgium imploding.

Our waffles may never be the same... From Raw Story:

BRUSSELS — A top Belgian politician warned the country's citizens on Sunday to "get ready for the break-up of Belgium," as King Albert II seeks to relaunch knife-edge coalition talks.

Leading francophone Socialist Laurette Onkelinx, considered a potential successor to party chief Elio Di Rupo, who gave up on negotiations with separatist Flemish leaders on Friday, gave her prognosis in a newspaper interview.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that because if we split, it will be the weakest who will pay the heaviest price," she told La Derniere Heure. "On the other hand, we can no longer ignore that among a large part of the Flemish population, it's their wish.

"So yes, we have to get ready for the break-up of Belgium. Otherwise we're cooked.

"When I look at the letters I receive, loads of people think it's possible. (Our) politicians have to be prepared," underlined the current caretaker federal minister for health and social affairs.

Albert II tasked late on Saturday the respective speakers of Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders state parliaments to try once more to navigate seven-party talks aimed at securing some form of government, other than the existing day-to-day formation.

That came after seven weeks of efforts by Di Rupo, who says that the biggest Flemish party, the independence-minded New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), rejected the widest set of concessions towards full autonomy for Flanders in Belgium's tortured recent history.

Belgium, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union until the end of the year, adding a further layer to the pressure on the sovereign, has not been able to point to a stable government since June 2007.