Ex Bond Brosnan Stopped With Knife At Airport

Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan was stopped by security as he tried to board a plane at a US airport with a knife.

Brosnan, 62, was stopped by US Transportation Security Administration agents with the blade, reportedly a ten-inch hunting knife, in his hand luggage.

The actor was allowed to continue his journey through Burlington International Airport in Vermont after the issue was resolved, said Lieutenant Shawn Burke.

In footage showing the incident on Sunday, Brosnan, who starred in four Bond films, is seen removing his belt in the security area and speaking to staff.

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Kermit The Frog And Miss Piggy Announce Split

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, the once inseparable Muppets couple whose love seemed eternal in a jaded world of celebrity break-ups, have announced they have split.

After more than three decades together, the pair dropped the bombshell during a Television Critics Association (TCA) event in Los Angeles while plugging their forthcoming ABC mockumentary series.

Kermit said: "Piggy and I have gone our separate ways, romantically."

Miss Piggy wrote on Facebook: "After careful thought, thoughtful consideration and considerable squabbling, we have made the difficult decision to terminate our romantic relationship.

"We will continue to work together on television."

She added: "Our personal lives are now distinct and separate, and we will be seeing other people, pigs, frogs, et al.

"This is our only comment on this private matter...unless we get the right offer. Thank you for your understanding."

Miss Piggy first announced the pair were engaged to be married in 1979, but they apparently never officially tied the knot.

Kermit is now said to be already dating another pig named Denise, who works in marketing.

Miss Piggy put a brave face on the break-up on Tuesday.

The porcine diva told the audience at the TCAs: "Dating moi is like flying close to the sun.

"It was inevitable that Kermit would drop down to the ground while I stayed in the heavens."

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An image of Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, lying in her casket has reportedly been sold for a six-figure sum. TMZ claims the picture was auctioned off for more than $100,000 (£64,000) and was taken when family viewed her body the day before her funeral. The showbiz website does not say which media outlet has allegedly bought the photograph. The 22-year-old suffered irreversible brain damage after being found face-down in a bathtub in her Georgia home six months ago. She had been in a medically-induced coma, but died last week and was buried next to her mother on Monday.

A police report described the death as a drowning, but authorities are still investigating what happened.

A weekend memorial service for the 22-year-old was interrupted by the airing of a long-standing rift between the families of her parents.

Bobbi Kristina's father is R&B singer Bobby Brown.

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An image of Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, lying in her casket has reportedly been sold for a six-figure sum.

TMZ claims the picture was auctioned off for more than $100,000 (£64,000) and was taken when family viewed her body the day before her funeral.

The showbiz website does not say which media outlet has allegedly bought the photograph.

The 22-year-old suffered irreversible brain damage after being found face-down in a bathtub in her Georgia home six months ago.

She had been in a medically-induced coma, but died last week and wasburied next to her mother on Monday.

A police report described the death as a drowning, but authorities are still investigating what happened.

A weekend memorial service for the 22-year-old was interrupted by the airing of a long-standing rift between the families of her parents.

Bobbi Kristina's father is R&B singer Bobby Brown.

The families are now blaming each other for the picture, despite measures being taken to stop such a thing happening, claim TMZ sources.

Bobbi Kristina's death was eerily similar to the way her mother died.

In 2012, Whitney Houston's body was found face-down in a foot of water in her bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

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School Officer Sued For Handcuffing Children

A school security officer and a county sheriff's office have been sued for putting two Kentucky elementary school children in handcuffs.

The eight-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl, both of whom have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), had the handcuffs put around their biceps, with their arms locked behind them.

Distressing video footage shows the little boy crying and struggling as he sits on a chair.

In the video, which was captured by a school administrator, school resource officer Kevin Sumner tells the boy: "You don't get to swing at me like that. You can do what we've asked you to, or you can suffer the consequences."

The federal lawsuit claims the boy - who is 3ft 6ins tall and weighs 52lbs - was removed from class because he was not following the teacher's directions.

The boy then tried to leave the principal's office, but was physically restrained by school administrators until Mr Sumner arrived to escort him to the bathroom.

On the way back from the bathroom, he tried to hit Mr Sumner with his elbow, according to a report from the Kenton County Sheriff's office, and was then handcuffed.

The girl, who weighed 56lbs, was sent to an isolation room at her school last August for being disruptive.

School officials asked Mr Sumner to help after the girl tried to leave the room and was restrained by the principal and vice principal.

A report from the sheriff's office said Mr Sumner put the girl in handcuffs because she was "attempting to injure school staff".

The lawsuit claims the girl suffered "a severe mental health crisis" and Mr Sumner called for a "medical crisis team". She was taken to a hospital by ambulance for a psychiatric assessment and treatment.

Kentucky state regulations ban schools from physically restraining students that are known to have conditions like ADHD.

The lawsuit states that officials at both schools were aware of the students' ADHD, which is characterised by "impulsivity, difficulty paying attention, complying with directives, controlling emotions and remaining seated".

Susan Mizner, disability counsel for the American Civil Liberties Unionwhich released the video, said: "Shackling children is not okay.

"It is traumatising, and in this case it is also illegal."

Robert Sanders, a lawyer for Mr Sumner, said he put the children in handcuffs because "they were placing themselves and other people in danger of harm and that's what the book says to do".

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Line-Up Unveiled For First Republican Debate

Fox News has named the top 10 Republican candidates who will take to the stage for the first primetime debate of the 2016 presidential race.

As expected, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker are in the top tier of candidates for the showdown this Thursday at 9pm in Cleveland, Ohio.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul are also on the list.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Ohio Governor John Kasich were the final two to squeak through to the main stage.

The top 10 were chosen according to their ranking in five national opinion polls on Tuesday.

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania Governor Rick Santorum and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal were among those left out in the cold.

Senator Lindsey Graham, former business executive Carly Fiorina and former New York Governor George Pataki also failed to make the cut.

They have instead been relegated to a forum four hours before the main event, which pundits are dismissively calling the "kids' stage".

Mr Trump, who is leading the race for the Republican nomination out of a crowded field of 17 candidates, is expected to take centre stage.

The brash billionaire has been soaring in the polls since declaring his candidacy in June, despite courting controversy with a stream of invective aimed at everyone from his fellow Republican rivals to Mexican immigrants.

The real estate baron seems to have connected with conservative Republican voters disenchanted with his mainstream rivals.

Mr Trump and two other Republicans were absent from the stage in New Hampshire on Monday night when the rest of the candidates took part in a forum.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton's path to her party's nomination seems to have suddenly lost its lustre of inevitability.

Fifteen months out from the election, the race has been shaken up by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist.

The former Secretary of State's perceived vulnerability has stoked speculation in recent days that Vice President Joe Biden may enter the Democratic contest.

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High Street Shops May Open Longer On Sundays

Sunday trading on UK high streets could be extended under new Government proposals.

The plans give local authority chiefs the power to relax Sunday trading laws in targeted areas, to selectively boost economic growth.

Current rules limit shops with over 280 sq m (3,000 sq ft) floor space to six hours of opening time on a Sunday.

Ministers are reportedly writing to the Church of England urging it not to oppose the measures.

They argue it could be worth up to £1.4bn a year to the economy while ensuring high streets remain the "heartbeat of our communities".

The plans have been set out in a government consultation paper.

Authorities will decide whether to apply the new conditions throughout their area or limit them to specific zones where they want to encourage business.

Potentially, it could mean councils allowing longer Sunday trading in traditional high streets while excluding out-of-town supermarkets.

Communities minister Brandon Lewis said: "This Government is determined to devolve powers previously held in Whitehall to local people.

"We have already taken a range of measures to boost the Great British high street and now we are giving local areas another tool to encourage shoppers to the town centre and get shops to grow and thrive."

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RBS Shares Sold At £1bn Loss To Taxpayers

The Government has disposed of roughly 5.4% of its stake in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) for £2.1bn - a loss of around £1bn to taxpayers.

Monday's sale of 333,000 shares at 330p each is far short of the average 'in-price' of 502p paid by the Government went it bailed out the bank during the financial crisis.

The taxpayer lost £1.72 on every share sold, resulting in a total loss of £1,084m on its investment in RBS.

Chancellor George Osborne has argued that the bank was never bailed out with the idea of making a profit but was instead bailed out to safeguard the UK's financial security, he is therefore no longer prepared to wait for the shares to recover to what was paid for them.

City minister Harriet Baldwin defended the share sale, telling Sky News the bailout of RBS was "never an investment in the traditional sense".

"In terms of moving forward, clearly the governor of the Bank of England has advised that for the wider British economy it is really important that we start returning the bank to the private sector," she said.

"This is the start of a long process. As with the shareholding we have been selling in Lloyds over the course of the last few years this is the beginning of a process that will take some time."

The overall size of HM Treasury's economic interest in RBS has been reduced from approximately 78.3% to approximately 72.9%.

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Chris Leslie, the shadow chancellor,urged the Government not to sell at a loss, arguing it was not "an impossible objective" to recoup the £45bn investment.

"Why this rush to sell when the share price is so far below that paid at the time of the rescue? RBS had to be bailed out urgently, but it doesn’t have to be sold off at the same speed," he said.

Global banks Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and UBS orchestrated the share sale but have each been instructed by UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI)  and HM Treasury not to sell further RBS shares for at least 90 days without prior written consent from a majority of the other selling banks.  

In a report Osborne commissioned from Rothschild, the investment bank, his advisers concluded that disposing of the taxpayer's entire stake in the bank would crystallise a £7bn loss if fees paid to the Treasury since 2008 were taken into account.

Speaking at the Treasury Select Committee last month Osborne said: "there is an argument that by starting to sell now you might create more of a market for RBS shares and lift the price, but I am not banking on it". 

The Government also announced a further disposal of Lloyds shares on Monday which lowers its stake to 13.99%.

Unlike RBS, the taxpayer would make a £1.9bn profit from its Lloyds intervention assuming it would be able to offload its remaining stake at current market prices.

In early morning trading RBS shares were 0.5% lower at 336p.

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