– Police in New York City arrested a 27-year-old man tonight accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and injuring his 7-year-old playmate over the weekend, reports Gothamist. Daniel St. Hubert is in custody, the arrest made soon after police publicly identified him as a suspect. As the Daily News explains, the break in the case came when investigators matched DNA found on a knife left at the scene with the state's criminal database. Hubert has a long criminal record for offenses including assault and had been paroled on May 23, reports the New York Times. Police haven't called him a suspect in another fatal stabbing that occurred just two nights earlier, but the investigation is continuing. The same brand of knife—a model discontinued 10 years ago—was left behind in the slaying of 18-year-old Tanaya Copeland, and the man seen fleeing that scene had the same general description as Hubert. The 6-year-old boy who was killed, PJ Avitto, had gotten into an elevator with friend Mikayla Capers in their Brooklyn housing complex before being attacked. Mikayla remains in critical condition.

Expand this summary.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (Chris Robbins / Gothamist)

 [UPDATE: The suspect, Daniel St. Hubert, was arrested shortly after the press conference. See the bottom of this post] In an evening press conference, the NYPD, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams gathered to announce the name of the suspect accused of stabbing two young children in the elevator of their NYCHA building in East New York. They implored the public to contact 1-800-577-TIPS if they have any information about Daniel St. Hubert or call 911 if they see him. "No one should approach him," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

 "The public is crucial here," Mayor de Blasio added, imploring New Yorkers to call in tips via phone or on Crime Stoppers' website.

 "The human dynamic here is so deeply moving, so disturbing," he added.

 Chief Boyce described St. Hubert as a 27-year-old black male who is 5'9" and 210 pounds and resides in East New York. He has nine prior arrests and has been on parole since May 23 for a domestic violence incident. Boyce emphasized that St. Hubert is considered "armed and dangerous."

 "Right now we just have his violent nature,we don't know about his psychiatric history," Chief Boyce said.

 St. Hubert has been charged with assaulting a police officer and assaulting a Correction officer, which is the reason for his current parole status.

 On Sunday just before 6 p.m., the suspect stabbed Prince Joshua "P.J." Avitto, 6, and Mikayla Capers, 7, in a building elevator at the Boulevard Houses on Schenk Avenue. Both children, who were headed outside to get ices, were stabbed repeatedly. P.J. died at the hospital while Mikayala survivedshe is unable to speak, but she is responsive.

 "Forensic evidence" at the crime scene provided the link to St. Hubert. "We've said nothing about DNA," Commissioner Bratton told a reporter who asked whether the suspect's DNA was recovered from the knife.

 The officials also said that St. Hubert was scheduled to meet with his parole officer earlier today but did not materialize.

 Stabbing suspect's tattoo says Aries. pic.twitter.com/NQSOHY6DJv — Tina Moore (@NYDNTinaMoore) June 5, 2014

 While it's been reported that St. Hubert may be behind the Friday night fatal stabbing of Tanaya Grant Copeland, which was also in East New York's 75 Precinct, St. Hubert is only named as a suspect in the stabbings of the children, though Commissioner Bratton said St. Hubert has not been ruled out as a suspect in Copeland's death.

 It's believed that St. Hubert changed his appearance and currently looks more like the photo on the left (Chris Robbins/Gothamist)

 Commissioner Bratton said that they believe St. Hubert changed his appearance and shaved his head and facial hair, so he may resemble the photo on the left side of the poster. Mayor de Blasio said that P.J.'s parents just want St. Hubert to be arrested before he hurts anyone else, "I ask all New Yorkers to help in this investigation in any way you can. Do it for this grieving family, do it for all of us, so we can be safe."

 When asked about his vow to add more officers in and around NYCHA buildings, the mayor said, "I'll say broadly, the Commissioner has already been making some substantial moves to reinforce some of the percents that need additional help and some of those are areas where there are lot of public housing developments."

 The mayor added, "We're going to be working very closely with residents of public housing to keep them safe."

 Commissioner Bratton indicated that when the current crop of NYPD recruits graduate in July, "there will be a significant additional compliment of officers going into the housing developments going into the summer months."

 [UPDATE // 8:36 P.M.] The NYPD said they arrested St. Hubert in Queens. Per the release: "On June 4, 2014 shortly after 8 pm Daniel St. Hubert was apprehended by detectives in the vicinity of 145 Street and 133 Avenue in the confines of the 106 Pct." ||||| A cell phone trace and a DNA hit led cops to the Brooklyn butcher, sources said.

 A citywide manhunt ended in Queens late Wednesday with the arrest of Daniel St. Hubert, the man suspected of fatally stabbing Prince Joshua (P.J.) Avitto, 6, and critically injuring his playmate, Mikayla Capers, 7.

 “They got that bastard, and that bastard is going to hell,” said P.J.’s distraught mother, Aricka McClinton, 42.

 McClinton burst into tears when she heard police had nailed their suspect.

 “Prince said they were going to catch him. Last night my angel came to me and said, ‘Hold on, Mommy, they’re going to get him. Just hold on,’” she recounted.

 Despite her grief, McClinton made sure to stop at the 75th Precinct stationhouse to give thanks.

 “It feels like my baby can rest in peace,” she said, joining others from the neighborhood who celebrated outside the stationhouse.

 Police arrested Daniel St. Hubert shortly after naming him the suspect Wednesday night. (Tina Moore/New York Daily News)

 “Thank you, NYPD, thank you! God is good!" she cried out to the jubilant crowd.

 Cops used St. Hubert’s cell phone number to hunt him down. They pinged it to within a few hundred feet, recognized him from a photo and then collared him just after 8 p.m. in the vicinity of 145th St. and 133rd Ave in South Ozone Park.

 “When they tracked him down, everybody ran out of the different commands to go and capture this guy,” a police source said. The suspect had a knife on him when cops picked him up.

 St. Hubert, 27, has a history of violence, serving time for assault and attempted murder, according to police. He was released on May 23.

 “He’s a violent individual ... he’s assaulted a correction officer, he’s assaulted a police officer,” detectives said during a press conference Wednesday about 15 minutes before he was caught.

 Mayor Bill de Blasio, who attended the press event with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, had cautioned the public not to approach the armed and dangerous man.

 Here's a look at Daniel St. Hubert's criminal history. (New York Daily News)

 Police released his name along with several pictures, including one of a large tattoo of a satanic goat’s head with horns, etched under the word “Aries” that was on St. Hubert’s right forearm.

 Investigators first unearthed his name after getting DNA from the steak knife used in the East New York attack.

 Mikayla’s great-grandmother, Regenia Trevathan, said she was comfortable knowing St. Hubert’s fate was in the hands of the NYPD.

 “I believe in the justice system and justice will be done,” she said. “I have faith in the NYPD. I’m angry but I put my faith in God, and I put my faith in the city,” she said.

 P.J.’s dad, Nicholas Avitto, who lives in the Boulevard Houses where the children were stabbed on Sunday, said earlier that he told cops he believed the killer was a hulking homeless man “I used to see sleeping in my hallway.”

 The NYPD had a task force in the neighborhood working around the clock to find St. Hubert, who had a $69,000 price on his head when he was nabbed.

 NYPD detectives are seen awaiting a search warrant in front of the home of the mother of Daniel St. Hubert, who was arrested Wednesday night and is accused of stabbing both children. (Sam Costanza for New York Daily News)

 The bounty for the killer skyrocketed after the Western Beef supermarket chain kicked in another $50,000 to the existing reward money.

 Standing near a makeshift shrine of flowers, balloons, signs and candles before St. Hubert was picked up, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams urged residents to keep their eyes open — and warned them not to take matters into their own hands.

 “We want vigilance, not vigilantes,” said Adams.

 St. Hubert is only wanted right now in relation to the stabbing of the two children Sunday, but police also suspect he might be linked to Friday’s fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Tanaya Grant Copeland four blocks away from the Boulevard Houses.

 Police said the knives in the crimes were very similar. St. Hubert hasn’t been charged in Copelend’s murder.

 Copeland’s grieving mother said teenagers should beware.

 Nicholas Avitto (center), father of Prince Joshua Avitto, took his sons' backpack on a symbolic walk to school in Brooklyn on Wednesday. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News) A makeshift memorial for the children seen outside the Boulevard Houses on Wednesday. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News) Police secure the building where two children were stabbed on Sunday. 6-year-old P.J. Avitto died and 7-year-old Mikayla Capers remains in critical condition.

 “The message I have to every young one out there is one message: be aware, be aware of your surroundings,” Rochelle Copeland said.

 “A lot of young people walk around with their cellphones, not focusing on where they are going, and maybe in that one split second, if my daughter wasn't on her phone, maybe she'd have known that her assailant was there.”

 With much of East New York on edge, local pols had also asked the FBI to help search for the killer.

 P.J. and Mikayla were playing outside Sunday when they were told ices were waiting for them back in the building, police said. They were already in the elevator when the killer barged inside at 5:50 p.m., police said.

 The rotund ripper stabbed both children with a steak knife somewhere between the first and fourth floors after telling them to “shut up,” police sources said.

 When the elevator returned to the ground floor, the butcher fled, stumbling as he ran, police said.

 Despite being stabbed 16 times, Mikayla somehow survived and was in critical condition at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia.

 P.J. was found inside the blood-soaked compartment and died later at a local hospital. His parents are planning a Friday funeral.

 There were no security cameras in the elevator and lobby of the building where the kids were attacked despite NYCHA earmarking $27 million for the security gear.

 Community activist Tony Herbert, president of the National Action Network's East Brooklyn Chapter, said the entire borough was relieved to know a suspect had been caught.

 "(We) can breathe a lot better now that the person who we believe committed the heinous crime of stabbing three of our young people is now behind bars," Herbert said. "We owe the NYPD a great debt of gratitude for a job well done."With Kerry Burke, Christian Zhang and Thomas Tracy

 rparascandola@nydailynews.com

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 (CNN) -- North Korea fired a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday, according to South Korea's semiofficial news agency Yonhap, citing a South Korean military official.

 On Saturday, North Korea launched three short-range guided missiles into the sea, also known as the East Sea, off the Korean Peninsula's east coast, Yonhap reported.

 The missiles on Saturday were fired in a northeasterly direction, away from South Korean waters, the ministry said.

 South Korea has beefed up monitoring on North Korea and is maintaining a high level of readiness to deal with any risky developments, the ministry added, according to Yonhap.

 According to the Arms Control Association, a U.S.-based organization, short-range guided missiles are generally classified as those traveling less than 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles).

 Tensions in the region have eased since a period last month that included near daily North Korean threats of war.

 Opinion: What North Korea could learn from Myanmar

 U.S. and South Korean officials feared at that time that Kim Jong Un's regime was planning to carry out a test launch of longer-range ballistic missiles, believed to be Musudans. The South Korean government says they have a maximum range of 3,500 kilometers (2,175 miles).

 Andrew Salmon, a journalist and author based in the South Korean capital, Seoul, said North Korea's reported launch of short-range missiles Saturday should not cause the same degree of concern as the launch of a satellite or medium-range Musudan rocket.

 "It's a short-range tactical weapon. If any other country launched this kind of weapon, it's a routine test, nobody would be too worried. It's really simply because it's North Korea doing this that it raises concerns," he said.

 The situation is much less tense in the region than it was last month, Salmon said.

 "The North Koreans have significantly de-escalated their bellicosity and their rhetoric since the end of April," he said. "The South Korean government, I suspect, will not be strongly condemnatory of this test because right now they are very, very keen to get the North Koreans to the negotiating table."

 Orphaned and homeless: Surviving the streets of North Korea

 The recent tensions flared after the North's long-range rocket launch in December and underground nuclear test in February, both of which were widely condemned.

 Pyongyang's fiery rhetoric intensified in March as the U.N. Security Council voted to tighten sanctions on the regime following the nuclear test.

 Annual U.S.-South Korean military drills in South Korea also fueled the North's anger, especially when the United States carried out displays of strength that included nuclear-capable B2 stealth bombers.

 North Korea is demanding recognition as a nuclear power, something the United States refuses to accept.

 Last month's crisis resulted in the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

 How a North Korean camp escapee changed human rights

 CNN's Jethro Mullen contributed to this report. ||||| 1 of 4. South Koreans look at the North Korean territory (top) through binoculars at an observation post, just south of the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, in Goseong, about 330 km (205 miles) northeast of Seoul, May 19, 2013.

 SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a short-range missile from its east coast on Sunday, a day after launching three of these missiles, a South Korean news agency said, ignoring calls for restraint from Western powers.

 Launches by the North of short-range missiles are not uncommon but, after recent warnings from the communist state of impending nuclear war, such actions have raised concerns about the region's security.

 "North Korea fired a short-range missile as it did yesterday into its east sea in the afternoon, " South Korea's news agency Yonhap reported, citing a military official.

 A South Korean defense ministry official confirmed the Yonhap report, but did not provide any details.

 U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was concerned about North Korea's launch of short-range missiles, urging Pyonyang to refrain from further launches and return to stalled nuclear talks with world powers.

 Ban, who spoke to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti during a visit to Moscow, called Saturday's launch a "provocative action".

 Tension on the Korean peninsula has subsided in the past month, having run high for several weeks after the United Nations Security Council imposed tougher sanctions against Pyongyang following its third nuclear test in February.

 The North had for weeks issued nearly daily warnings of impending nuclear war with the South and the United States.

 South Korea's Unification Ministry criticized the missile tests as deplorable and urged the North to lower tensions and hold talks over a suspended inter-Korean industrial park in the North's border city of Kaesong.

 South Korea pulled out all of its workers from the industrial zone early this month after North Korea withdrew its 53,000 workers as tensions mounted.

 (Additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel in MOSCOW; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani) |||||

Write a summary.

– Just in case anybody missed the three short-range missiles North Korea fired off into the sea yesterday, Pyongyang launched a fourth missile in the same area today, reports CNN. That flies in the face of Western calls to cool it already, notes Reuters, after UN chief Ban Ki-moon voiced concern, calling yesterday's launches a "provocative action." Saber-rattling or no, the region is still decidedly calmer than last month, a Seoul-based journalist says. "It's really simply because it's North Korea doing this that it raises concerns," he said. "The North Koreans have significantly de-escalated their bellicosity and their rhetoric since the end of April." Seoul, which confirmed the launch today, "will not be strongly condemnatory of this test because right now they are very, very keen to get the North Koreans to the negotiating table."


Summarize this article:

Northern Ireland Minister of Justice David Ford speaks to the media outside Antrim Police station, Northern Ireland, Friday, May, 2 2014. Police continue to question the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams... (Associated Press)

 FILE- In this Monday, May 31, 1999 file photo, Helen McHendry and husband Seamus find the agonizing wait for the recovery of Helen's mother all too much as Irish police continue to search for the body... (Associated Press)

 The heavily fortified Police station in Antrim, Northern Ireland, Thursday, May, 1 2014. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been arrested and is being questioned at Antrim police station about the 1972... (Associated Press)

 Author and IRA expert Ed Moloney talks to reporters at his home in New York, Thursday, May 1, 2014. Moloney, author of the definitive "A Secret History of the IRA," argues that the police investigation... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, file photo, Helen McKendry holds a family photo with her mother, Jean McConville, at home in Killyleagh, Northern Ireland. Police in Northern Ireland arrested... (Associated Press)

 A woman and child make their way past a newly painted mural of Gerry Adams on the Falls Road, West Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday, May, 2 2014. Police continue to question the Sinn Fein leader Gerry... (Associated Press)

 A man passes graffiti on the Falls Road, West Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, May, 3, 2014, in reference to former Republicans who took park in the Boston college tape recordings. Police continue... (Associated Press)

 "Free Adams" is seen written on a wall on the Falls Road, West Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, May, 3, 2014. Police continue to question the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams at Antrim police station... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013 file photo, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams speaks to the media at Stormont Hotel, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland police say they have arrested Sinn... (Associated Press)

 FILE - In this Tuesday Feb. 19, 2008 file photo, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, right, carries the coffin of senior IRA commander Brendan Hughes, in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. Police in Northern... (Associated Press)

 Michael McConville, the son of Jean McConville who was murdered by the IRA, speaks to the media at the Wave Trauma centre in Belfast, Thursday, May, 1, 2014. Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is still... (Associated Press)

 Northern Ireland Minister of Justice David Ford speaks to the media outside Antrim Police station, Northern Ireland, Friday, May, 2 2014. Police continue to question the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams... (Associated Press)

 A police armoured vehicle passes a newly painted mural of Gerry Adams on the Falls Road, West Belfast, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland, Friday, May, 2 2014. Police continue to question the Sinn Fein... (Associated Press) ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Gerry Adams: "I have never dissociated myself from the IRA and I never will... The IRA is gone. It is finished"

 Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has criticised the timing of his arrest over the IRA murder of Jean McConville.

 Speaking after his release following four days of questioning, Mr Adams said there was a "sustained, malicious, untruthful campaign" alleging his involvement in the 1972 killing.

 A file will be sent to the Public Prosecution Service, police said as he was released.

 Mrs McConville's son said the family's fight for justice would continue.

 Jean McConville, a 37-year-old widow, was abducted from her Belfast home, shot and secretly buried.

 Her body was found on a beach in County Louth in 2003.

 "The McConville family is going to stay to the bitter end until we get justice," Michael McConville said.

 "These have been quite difficult days for the McConville family and they have been very stressful. We would like the people to know that the family is going to stay to the bitter end until we get justice for our mother.

 "We know it is going to be a long road, but we have already been fighting for justice for 40 odd years and we are not going to stop now."

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Michael McConville: "These have been difficult days for the McConville family"

 Speaking at a press conference in Belfast following his release on Sunday evening, Mr Adams said he had contacted Northern Ireland police two months ago about the McConville case.

 He said he had gone voluntarily to police last week and then been arrested. He questioned their timing in the middle of an election campaign and claimed they could have used discretion rather than arresting him. They did not need to use "pernicious, coercive legislation to deal with a legacy issue", he said.

 The Sinn Féin leader said police had conducted 33 taped interviews and detectives had presented him with old photographs of himself and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and with interviews conducted by people who were "enemies of the peace process".

 He added he did not go to Antrim police station "expecting special treatment", but said his arrest had sent out the "wrong signal".

 Mr Adams, a former MP for West Belfast and now an elected representative for County Louth in the Irish parliament, presented himself for interview by prior arrangement with detectives on Wednesday night. He was then arrested under the terrorism act for questioning about the IRA murder of mother of 10 Mrs McConville.

 At Sunday's press conference, he again said he was innocent of any involvement in her murder.

 He said Sinn Féin remained fully committed to the political process in Northern Ireland. "The IRA is gone, it's finished," he added.

 "I want to make it clear that I support the PSNI."

 Prime Minister David Cameron discussed Mr Adams' release on Sunday night during a phone call with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.

 Image caption Police officers and vans emerged from Antrim PSNI station but it was thought to be a decoy, as Mr Adams was taken out by another route

 On Sunday, as loyalists blocked the front of the police station, Mr Adams was taken out by a different exit.

 Later on Sunday night there were reports of disorder in the loyalist Sandy Row area of south Belfast.

 Other political parties have rejected claims that the timing of the arrest was political.

 Democratic Unionist Jeffrey Donaldson said: "There is nothing within the law of Northern Ireland or the UK that says that during an election campaign the police have to suspend the investigation of murder.

 "That would be absurd and would be political policing."

 Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: "Our thoughts are with the McConville family tonight. Their 42 years wait for truth and justice makes Gerry Adams's complaint over the 'two month' delay between him offering to speak to the PSNI and their response seem churlish to say the least.

 "Let us remember it was Gerry Adams who initiated this sequence of events."

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Gerry Adams left in a convoy that exited the rear of Antrim police station, as Jon Brain reports

 Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Alasdair McDonnell said: "I see the fact that Gerry Adams presented himself voluntarily to a police station. As the timing was his, I find it hard to justify when there would be an appropriate time to arrest a political leader."

 Northern Ireland Justice Minister David Ford of Alliance said he saw politicians from a variety of backgrounds seeking to interfere in policing.

 "I think politicians would be extremely well advised to steer out of allegations of political policing," he said.

 The Traditional Unionist Voice party said: "The release of Adams without charge raises serious questions as to how far the authorities blinked in the face of Sinn Fein threats and tantrums."

 Lawyers to decide

 The decision to release Mr Adams means that prosecution lawyers will decide if charges will be brought.

 The file sent by the police to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) will detail the evidence gathered.

 It will be up to PPS lawyers to decide if there is enough evidence to bring any charges and what those charges would be.

 Image caption Police officers in riot gear waited outside the station

 The test for prosecution is met if there is sufficient evidence that can be admitted in court to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction. Lawyers must also decide if the prosecution is required in the public interest.

 It could take some time for police to prepare the file for the PPS, with prosecutors then taking a further period to assess whatever evidence is presented.

 Northern Ireland's director of public prosecutions, Barra McGrory QC, is a former solicitor for Mr Adams and so will delegate a decision on the file to his deputy.

 Mrs McConville is one of Northern Ireland's Disappeared, those who were abducted, murdered and buried in secret by republicans during the Troubles.

 She was kidnapped from her home in Divis Flats in west Belfast in front of her children after being wrongly accused of being an informer to the British Army.

 Boston College tapes

 Last month, Ivor Bell, 77, a leader in the Provisional IRA in the 1970s, was charged with aiding and abetting the murder, and there have also been a number of other arrests recently.

 Image copyright AFP Image caption Jean McConville, a widowed mother of 10, was abducted and murdered by the IRA in December 1972

 The case against Mr Bell is based on an interview he allegedly gave to researchers at Boston College in the US.

 The Boston College tapes are a series of candid, confessional interviews with former loyalist and republican paramilitaries, designed to be an oral history of the Troubles. |||||

– Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, lately the very high-profile suspect in a 1972 murder, will go free without charge, Northern Ireland police officials tell the BBC. Adams has been questioned since Wednesday in County Antrim over allegations that he, as an IRA commander ordered the murder of a 37-year-old widow and mom of 10, Jean McConville. The AP confirms the report, saying that Adams will likely be freed today, but notes that police say they'll send an evidence file to their British counterparts.


Write an article based on this summary:

– New York City cops have literally turned their backs on Mayor de Blasio and jeered him in public, and, as the New York Post reports, they now seem to be engaging in a "virtual work stoppage" in terms of arrests. Some critics, however, say it's the NYPD that's in the wrong. At Gawker today, Andy Cush delivers this scathing assessment: The department "is too childish and entitled to deserve its privileged status, and too aggrieved and resentful to be called 'New York's Finest.' The New York Police Department is an embarrassment to the city of New York." De Blasio's main offense in the eyes of the NYPD came after the non-indictment in the Eric Garner case, when he said that his son needs to be especially careful around police because he's black. After the police union blamed the mayor for the subsequent murder of two officers, the New York Times made the case that rank-and-file officers deserve better from their union reps. "Mr. de Blasio isn’t going to say it, but somebody has to: With these acts of passive-aggressive contempt and self-pity, many New York police officers, led by their union, are squandering the department’s credibility, defacing its reputation, shredding its hard-earned respect," it says in an editorial. "They have taken the most grave and solemn of civic moments—a funeral of a fallen colleague—and hijacked it for their own petty look-at-us gesture." On the flip side, a New York Post editorial says de Blasio still owes the city an apology for "his public insinuations that the NYPD is a racist force." The mayor was meeting today with leaders of the five police unions to try to calm things down.

A ceremony at Madison Square Garden yesterday morning marked the graduation of 884 new officers into the New York Police Department. When Mayor Bill de Blasio took the podium to address the graduating class, praising them for their courage and determination, he was greeted like an unpopular high school principal: with boos, jeers, and the turning of backs. When he talked about the officers facing "problems [they] don't create," someone in the audience called back: "You created them!"

 Don't blame any incoming officers for the outbreak, however—they were only mimicking the hysterical fits their elders have been throwing in public for the past month. Two days earlier, at the funeral of officer Rafael Ramos, uniformed members of the force turned around en masse when de Blasio began to deliver his eulogy. (What other group comes to mind when you think about protests at funerals?) A week before, officers had turned their backs when de Blasio entered One Police Plaza after the shocking and senseless killing of Ramos and his partner, Wenjian Liu.

 Those symbolic displays of contempt were intended to demonstrate the department's lack of faith in its democratically elected leader. What they have communicated instead is that the New York Police Department is too childish and entitled to deserve its privileged status, and too aggrieved and resentful to be called "New York's Finest." The New York Police Department is an embarrassment to the city of New York.

 After the non-indictment of Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed unarmed Staten Island man Eric Garner, the department has embarked on an apparent mission to make itself look as juvenile as possible. In addition to the turned backs, the union representing NYPD officers recently pushed a petition to bar the mayor from attending cops' funerals, then all but instructed officers to participate in a work stoppage.

 Why? Because de Blasio had the temerity to admit in public that his son is at a higher risk of being killed by the NYPD because his son is black. Because de Blasio said out loud, as mayor of New York city, what American parents of black and Latino children have said in private for decades. (There was also an incomprehensible dustup about de Blasio's use of the word "allegedly.")

 Four days before Christmas, a man named Ismaayil Brinsley grabbed a handgun, shot his girlfriend, took a bus to New York City, and murdered Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos while they were sitting in their car on a corner in Bed Stuy. Shortly thereafter, Brinsley fled into the Myrtle-Willoughby G Train station and committed suicide. Brinsley had made his intentions clear in an Instagram post earlier that day: He was going to kill some New York City cops, and he was going to do so because of the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

 It's hard to imagine something that could have changed the dynamic of the ongoing popular protests against police brutality more: Two men lost their lives. Two families had their husbands, fathers, and sons torn from them. Thousands of NYPD cops lost their colleagues. The tragedy was an immediate and clarifying humanization of a profession whose incompetents and villains had dominated the news.

 But if the deaths of Liu and Ramos gave the police department a moment to solemnly reflect and an opportunity to reconnect with a citizenry it had alienated with abuse and violence, they were squandered within only a few hours, when Patrick Lynch, the head of the police department's largest union, told reporters that there was "blood on the hands" of the mayor and protesters. The willfully ignorant dolchstosslegende of de Blasio's culpability in the murders was ridiculous to anyone with even passing understanding of the story: Ismaayil Brinsley allegedly shot and wounded his girlfriend before the murder-suicide; he'd had a long list of past weapons and robbery charges; he was obviously sick and hurting.

 And so while Lynch brayed, the rest of the city kept moving. De Blasio, recognizing the gravity of the moment, called for a temporary halt to the public protests that have filled streets around the city all month. Protesters declined to heed de Blasio's call, and returned to the streets a few nights later, some singing "This Little Light of Mine" and paying their respects at an impromptu memorial for officers Liu and Ramos. In a tremendous showing of grace, Eric Garner's daughter Emerald visited the memorial, telling reporters, "I just had to come out and let their family know that we stand with them, and I'm going to send my prayers and condolences to all the families who are suffering."

 Not moving: The cops. Days before the murders, Lynch proudly said at a police union meeting that officers should respond to gentle criticism from the mayor and demonstrators by deliberately slowing down their patrols: "We're going to take that book, their rules and we're going to protect ourselves because they won't. We will do it the way they want us to do it. We will do it with their stupid rules, even the ones that don't work." Another PBA spokesman denied that Lynch was calling for a slowdown, but the union chief's language is clear enough.

 That apparent slippage in enforcement is addressed in a pair of New York Post articles published this week. According to the emphatically pro-cop tabloid, since December 22, tickets and minor summonses are down 94 percent and overall arrests down 66 percent compared to the same period last year. But instead of framing the lack of action in terms of Lynch's raging ego, the Post and its sources posit that the recent unrest and the Liu-Ramos murder have left cops feeling afraid of being hurt on the job.

 In truth, it's probably a little bit of both. Whether you're a good cop or a bad cop, waking up and starting your patrol in a city where two of your colleagues were killed on the job and where throngs of people express their displeasure with you every single night is surely a source of enormous anxiety and discomfort, and rightfully so.

 But fearful as it may be, this is the job the cops signed up for: to protect and serve, as the motto on the side of every squad car in New York says, with courtesy, professionalism, and respect. This is why the angle that Lynch's vituperative rhetoric is really about a union contract dispute is so unconvincing. Despite what the NYPD would have you believe, a police officer is not an oppressed minority, but a special, protected class of person—just look at what happened to Daniel Pantaleo after he killed a man on video for clear evidence of that. And if the pressures of being a police officer ever become too great, cops are welcome to relieve themselves of that special status by turning in their guns and badges and quitting the force.

 Eric Garner wasn't so privileged. When the pressures of being a black man in a racist police state became too great for him to bear, he didn't have the luxury of quitting. The greatest tool at his disposal in the moments before his death was his voice, and he used it. "I'm tired of it! This stops today," he pled with officers as they questioned him about allegedly selling a single loose cigarette. "Please, just leave me alone." For that simple request, he was executed in public without a trial.

 This is the truth that black and Latino and queer and otherwise disenfranchised New Yorkers have known for decades, if not centuries: The NYPD has never been "New York's Finest." The life-threatening danger that New York's police department poses to its citizens of color is so clear, so well-tread, that discussing it here would be tiresome if it wasn't so necessary and so agonizing. This year, there was Eric Garner, the unarmed father of six who was choked to death by a cop with an alleged history of aggressive misconduct toward black men, and whose death went completely unprosecuted. There was also Akai Gurley, declared "a total innocent" by NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, but only after he was shot and killed by a rookie cop in the hallway of his own apartment building; Denise Stewart, dragged nearly naked from her home by a dozen cops who mistakenly knocked on her door after receiving a 911 call from another unit; Rosan Miller, given a mercifully nonfatal chokehold for grilling up food on the sidewalk in front of her house (this is what mercy toward black people looks like from the NYPD: a chokehold that doesn't kill you). Last year, there was Kimani Gray, shot dead in the street at 16 years old, and before that, Tamon Robinson, Shereese Francis, Ramarley Graham, Alberta Spruill, Amadou Diallo. The list goes on and horribly on.

 But the world is changing. Stop-and-frisk has slowed, if not entirely ended. Thanks to collective action in the wake of Garner's death, outcry over the NYPD's brutality and recklessness became too loud for the department or the city or its white establishment to ignore this year. Mayor de Blasio's experience raising a son at high risk of NYPD killing makes him a compassionate and impassioned, if not always effective, advocate for change. His administration, the incisive editorials in the New York Times and the New York Daily News, and, most of all, the thrilling sight of people taking to the streets to demand justice have made New York feel like the city it wants to be—the greatest city in the world.

 The infantile response from the NYPD and the unions that represent it is not worthy of it. It is hardly worthy of a schoolyard bully who can't believe he's finally been called on his bullshit.

 Illustration by Jim Cooke ||||| Ever since the double murder of two of New York’s Finest, Mayor de Blasio has mostly been saying the right things about the police. The words are welcome, but it appears the cops aren’t buying.

 The latest example came Monday morning at a Police Academy graduation ceremony for 884 new officers, where de Blasio was heckled and booed.

 “You will confront all manner of problems . . . problems that you didn’t create,” the mayor said in his remarks.

 To which, one person yelled out, “You did!” The crack was met with laughter and applause, even though the mayor was trying his best to be respectful.

 Then again, not everyone on Team de Blasio seems to have received the memo about the new messaging.

 On Monday, The Post reported that Jason Reischel — a de Blasio campaign operative who now works as an analyst for the city’s Department of Education — blamed the mayor’s detractors for the murders of Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

 “All of you who are espousing hatred are just as guilty as the perp who pulled the trigger,” Reischel wrote. “Shame on you for propagating a culture of division . . . You disgust me.”

 Once The Post started asking questions, Reischel shut down his Facebook page and e-mailed the paper an apology: “I am truly sorry and remorseful for using bad judgment at a time when New York City needed and deserved better, especially from someone who is employed by an agency of the city.”

 He’s right about that. And it’s good to see an underling own up to his mistakes.

 But if this really is the new standard at City Hall, why is New York still waiting for the apology the city really needs — from the mayor, for his public insinuations that the NYPD is a racist force which needs to be retrained to respect black life? ||||| Mayor Bill de Blasio has spent weeks expressing his respect and admiration for the New York Police Department, while calling for unity in these difficult days, but the message doesn’t seem to be sinking in.

 When he spoke at a police graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden on Monday, some in the crowd booed and heckled him. This followed the mass back-turning by scores of officers when the mayor spoke on Saturday at the funeral of Officer Rafael Ramos; the virtual back-turning the day before by an airplane-towed banner (“Our backs have turned to you”), and the original spiteful gesture by officers on the night Mr. de Blasio visited the hospital where Officer Ramos and his partner, Wenjian Liu, lay dead.

 Mr. de Blasio isn’t going to say it, but somebody has to: With these acts of passive-aggressive contempt and self-pity, many New York police officers, led by their union, are squandering the department’s credibility, defacing its reputation, shredding its hard-earned respect. They have taken the most grave and solemn of civic moments — a funeral of a fallen colleague — and hijacked it for their own petty look-at-us gesture. In doing so, they also turned their backs on Mr. Ramos’s widow and her two young sons, and others in that grief-struck family.

 These are disgraceful acts, which will be compounded if anyone repeats the stunt at Officer Liu’s funeral on Sunday. |||||


– News Corp is in hot pursuit of British Sky Broadcasting, offering it $11.5 billion for the 61% of the British pay channel it doesn’t already own, according to the company’s own Wall Street Journal. That 700 pence-per-share offer was an improvement on the 675 pence-per-share reported last night, according to the Guardian, but Sky rejected it, saying it wouldn’t accept less than 800 pence-per-share. The two sides have, however, agreed to work together to acquire regulatory approval, and reach a mutually-agreeable price. Rupert Murdoch's son, James, is Sky's non-executive chairman, but won't participate in the talks. “I wouldn’t think News Corp. would enter into this if they didn’t think they were going to get BSkyB,” one analyst told Bloomberg. Sky’s price shot up 19% to 715 pence on the news, its biggest jump in 10 years.

Expand this summary.

News Corporation has increased its offer to take full control of BSkyB, which has again been rebuffed by the broadcaster, but the two companies have agreed to hold talks to find a mutually agreeable price and tackle regulatory issues.

 It emerged last night that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation had made a bid of 675p per share in cash to take control of the 61% in BSkyB the company does not already own. The offer was rejected by BSkyB's independent directors as undervaluing the company.

 News Corporation has raised its proposal to 700p per share in cash, which values the 61% stake at £7.8bn ($11.5bn), which prompted BSkyB's independent directors to call for talks "with the objective of achieving an agreed proposal for the mutual benefit of all shareholders".

 However, BSkyB said that the new proposal still "significantly undervalued" the company and that regulatory and pre-financing conditions added "considerable uncertainty to when and whether any formal offer could be made".

 BSkyB said it would accept a proposal from News Corporation if it "would deliver in excess of 800p per share".

 "News Corp and the BSkyB independent directors have been unable to reach a mutually agreeable price at the current time," said News Corporation in a statement. "However, both parties have agreed to work together to proceed with the regulatory process in order to facilitate a proposed transaction and, accordingly, we have agreed to enter into a cooperation agreement".

 News Corporation said that it intended to fund the deal with a "significant portion" of its cash reserves, which were $8.2bn at the end of March, and that taking full control would reduce the company's reliance on advertising and boost its global footprint.

 "Our increased proposal represents both an attractive valuation," said the News Corp deputy chairman, Chase Carey. "We believe that this is the right time for BSkyB to become a wholly-owned part of News Corporation with its greater scale and broader geographic reach. News Corporation will also benefit from increasing the geographic diversification of our earnings base, reducing our exposure to cyclical advertising revenues and increasing our direct consumer subscription revenues."

 News Corporation said that a "preliminary assessment" indicated that there were regulatory hurdles to the existing deal and that filings would be made as soon as possible.

 BSkyB said that it was putting together a committee of independent directors and executive directors "with authority to exercise all powers of the board in relation to the possible offer and any matters relevant to the proposal".

 "Based on careful review and advice, it is the unanimous view of the independent directors that there is a significant gap between the proposal from News Corporation and the value of the company," said Nicholas Ferguson, senior independent non-executive director at BSkyB.

 BskyB is being advised by Morgan Stanley and UBS. Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan Cazenove are acting as financial advisers to News Corp.

 BskyB's share price rose 21%, up by 126p to 726.5p, in early trading.

 • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.

 • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". ||||| Crawl performed by Internet Archive. This data is currently not publicly accessible. |||||


Image copyright TEK IMAGE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

 Following a Mediterranean diet might be a recipe for a long life because it appears to keep people genetically younger, say US researchers.

 Its mix of vegetables, olive oil, fresh fish and fruits may stop our DNA code from scrambling as we age, according to a study in the British Medical Journal.

 Nurses who adhered to the diet had fewer signs of ageing in their cells.

 The researchers from Boston followed the health of nearly 5,000 nurses over more than a decade.

 The Mediterranean diet has been repeatedly linked to health gains, such as cutting the risk of heart disease.

 These results reinforce our advice that eating a balanced and healthy diet can reduce your risk of developing heart disease Dr Mike Knapton of the British Heart Foundation

 Although it's not clear exactly what makes it so good, its key components - an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as poultry and fish, rather than lots of red meat, butter and animal fats - all have well documented beneficial effects on the body.

 Foods rich in vitamins appear to provide a buffer against stress and damage of tissues and cells. And it appears from this latest study that a Mediterranean diet helps protect our DNA.

 Telomeres

 The researchers looked at tiny structures called telomeres that safeguard the ends of our chromosomes, which store our DNA code.

 These protective caps prevent the loss of genetic information during cell division.

 Image copyright SPL Image caption Telomeres cap the end of our chromosomes

 As we age and our cells divide, our telomeres get shorter - their structural integrity weakens, which can tell cells to stop dividing and die.

 Experts believe telomere length offers a window on cellular ageing.

 Shorter telomeres have been linked with a broad range of age-related diseases, including heart disease, and a variety of cancers.

 In the study, nurses who largely stuck to eating a Mediterranean diet had longer, healthier telomeres.

 No individual dietary component shone out as best, which the researchers say highlights the importance of having a well-rounded diet.

 Independent experts said the findings were interesting but by no means conclusive.

 Dr David Llewellyn, senior research fellow in clinical epidemiology at the University of Exeter, said: "All observational studies have the potential to produce misleading estimates, and we should not assume that the association with telomere length is necessarily causal.

 "That said, this large well-conducted study is consistent with the hypothesis that dietary interventions may lead to substantial improvements in health."

 The British Heart Foundation said: "These results reinforce our advice that eating a balanced and healthy diet can reduce your risk of developing heart disease." ||||| Conclusion In this large study, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomeres. These results further support the benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet for promoting health and longevity.

 Results Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with longer telomeres after adjustment for potential confounders. Least squares mean telomere length z scores were −0.038 (SE 0.035) for the lowest Mediterranean diet score groups and 0.072 (0.030) for the highest group (P for trend=0.004).

 Given that fruits, vegetables, and nuts, key components of the Mediterranean diet, have well known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and that telomere length is affected by both of these processes, we hypothesized that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet would be associated with longer telomere length. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine the association between greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet and leukocyte telomere length in US women within the Nurses’ Health Study cohort. For comparison, we also evaluated the association between other existing dietary patters (prudent pattern, Western pattern, and Alternative Healthy Eating Index) and leukocyte telomere length.

 Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes that undergo attrition each time a somatic cell divides. 7 Telomeres prevent the loss of genomic DNA at the ends of linear chromosomes and in turn protect their physical integrity. 8 9 Telomere attrition has been shown to be accelerated by oxidative stress and inflammation. 10 11 Telomere length is considered to be a biomarker of aging; shorter telomeres are associated with a decreased life expectancy and increased rates of developing age related chronic diseases. 12 13 14 Telomere length decreases with age and varies considerably among individuals. 15 Studies suggest that telomere attrition is modifiable, as substantial variability exists in the rate of telomere shortening that is independent of chronological age. 16 17 18 Therefore, variability of telomere length may be partially explained by lifestyle practices, including dietary patterns. 19 As accelerated telomere attrition may underlie many chronic diseases, identifying modifiable factors that affect telomere dynamics is important.

 The traditional Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and grains (mainly unrefined); a high intake of olive oil but a low intake of saturated lipids; a moderately high intake of fish; a low intake of dairy products, meat, and poultry; and a regular but moderate intake of alcohol (specifically wine with meals). 1 Observational studies and intervention trials have consistently shown the health benefits of a high degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, including reduction of overall mortality 2 3 4 ; reduced incidence of chronic diseases, especially major cardiovascular diseases 5 ; and increased likelihood of healthy aging. 6

 We used multivariable linear regression models to determine the cross sectional association between leukocyte telomere length and adherence to the Mediterranean diet. We calculated multivariable adjusted least squares mean leukocyte telomere length z scores (and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals) across all dietary patterns score groups by using generalized linear models. Firstly, only age at blood draw was included in the models. Models were then additionally adjusted for other potential confounders (body mass index, smoking, physical activity, energy intake, and batch). Finally, other variables were included as potential covariates (for example, postmenopausal hormone therapy, history of hypertension, and socioeconomic status), but these were removed from the final models as estimates remained the same. All P values are two sided, and an α level of 0.05 was used. We used SAS version 9.2 for all statistical analyses. Reported STROBE guidelines have been the basis for reporting our results. 39

 Telomere length was assayed in various batches corresponding to each study. To minimize the impact of potential batch effect on leukocyte telomere length measurements across different studies, we calculated z scores of log transformed leukocyte telomere length by standardizing the leukocyte telomere length in comparison with the mean within each individual study. 18 19 38

 The average relative leukocyte telomere length was calculated as the ratio of telomere repeat copy number to a single gene (36B4) copy number. Leukocyte telomere length is reported as the exponentiated ratio of telomere repeat copy number to a single gene copy number corrected for a reference sample. In all nested case-control studies, the telomere and single gene assay coefficients of variation for triplicates were less than 4%. Coefficients of variation for the exponential ratio of telomere repeat copy number to a single gene copy number were under 18%. In the Nurses’ Health Study, the three year and 10 year interclass correlations for reliability were determined to be 0.80 and 0.60. Although this assay provides a relative measurement of telomere length, ratios of telomere repeat copy number to a single gene copy number highly correlate with absolute telomere lengths determined by Southern blot (r=0.677; P<0.001). 36

 Relative telomere length was determined using a modified, high throughput version of the quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction based telomere assay. 36 37 The quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction telomere assay was run on the Applied Biosystems 7900HT Sequence Detection System (Foster City, CA, USA). Laboratory personnel were blinded to participants’ characteristics, and all assays were processed in triplicate by the same technician and under identical conditions.

 In addition to age at blood draw, we collected information on factors potentially associated with Mediterranean diet and telomere length. Using the biennial questionnaires completed proximal to blood collection and a supplemental questionnaire administered at blood collection, we assessed various anthropometric, reproductive, and lifestyle factors, as well as factors that have been related to telomere length in the Nurses’ Health Study elsewhere: body mass index (kg/m 2 ), cigarette smoking (pack years), 33 34 35 physical activity (total metabolic equivalent hours of activity per week). 16 We calculated dietary factors, including energy intake (total calories), from the 1990 food frequency questionnaire.

 The Alternative Healthy Eating Index measures adherence to a dietary pattern based on foods and nutrients most predictive of risk for chronic disease in the literature. 32 The Alternative Healthy Eating Index ranges from 0 to 110 points. Each of the 11 components of the score (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, sugar sweetened drinks, nuts and legumes, red and processed meat, trans fat, long chain (n-3) fats, polyunsaturated fatty acids, sodium, and alcohol) has a minimum score of 0 (worst) and a maximum score of 10 (best), according to component specific criteria reflecting either the current dietary guidelines or associations reported in the literature. Details of component selection and Alternative Healthy Eating Index calculation have been previously described. 32

 We used principal component analysis of the food frequency questionnaires to identify prudent and Western dietary patterns. 30 31 The prudent dietary pattern is characterized by high intakes of fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish and other seafood, poultry, and whole grains; the Western dietary pattern includes high intakes of red and processed meats, butter, high fat dairy products, eggs, sweets and desserts, French fries, and refined grains. Details of the reproducibility and validity of dietary patterns assessed with a food frequency questionnaire have been previously described. 30 31

 Trichopoulou adapted the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score from the Mediterranean Diet Score to assess adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet. 2 The Alternate Mediterranean Diet score includes the following nine components: vegetables (excluding potatoes), fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, monounsaturated:saturated fatty acid ratio, red and processed meats, and moderate alcohol intake. The possible score range is 0-9, with a higher score representing a closer resemblance to the Mediterranean diet. We dichotomized each of the nine dietary components at the median. We gave participants with intake above the median 1 point each for vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and monounsaturated:saturated fatty acid ratio; we scored intake equal to or below the median as 0 points for each component. We scored red and processed meat consumption below the median as 1 point, with 0 points for intake equal to or above the median. Participants received 1 point for alcohol intake between 5 and 15 g/day; otherwise, they got 0 points. Details of the Alternate Mediterranean Diet scoring system are described elsewhere. 3

 In 1980 participants completed a 61 item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess their diet in the previous year. In 1984, 1986, and every four years thereafter, an expanded food frequency questionnaires containing 116-130 food items was sent to the nurses to update their dietary information. Participants were asked about the frequency of consumption of each food item of a pre-specified standard portion size in the previous year. The validity of these questionnaires has been previously described. 29 We calculated all dietary patterns and diet quality scores from self reported dietary data on the 1990 food frequency questionnaire, the closest to the blood draw (1989-90).

 Multiple nested case-control studies have been conducted within the Nurses’ Health Study blood sub-cohort to investigate the association between leukocyte telomere length and cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive function, among others. 23 24 25 26 27 28 The analysis reported here included data on 4676 women selected as healthy controls (free of major chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease) from nested case-control studies, with previously measured leukocyte telomere length and completed food frequency questionnaires at the time of blood draw.

 The Nurses’ Health Study is a prospective cohort study of 121 700 female registered nurses in 11 US states, aged 30-55 years at enrollment. The study was established in 1976; since then, participants have completed biennial questionnaires to update information on demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and newly diagnosed diseases. 20 21 Between 1989 and 1990 32 825 cohort participants provided blood samples. Details of the blood collection and archival methods have been described previously. 22

 Multivariable adjusted least square means of leukocyte telomere length z scores (and their corresponding confidence intervals) by diet score quarters. All dietary patters are represented: prudent pattern, Western pattern, Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) score, and Alternate Mediterranean Diet (AMED) score

 The figure ⇓ shows the association between other dietary patterns and leukocyte telomere length. Similar to the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score, a higher Alternative Healthy Eating Index (that is, healthy eating) showed a weak positive association with longer telomere length (P=0.02), but we found no statistically significant associations for the prudent (P=0.09) or Western dietary patterns (P=0.32) (fig ⇓ ). Additional adjustment for body mass index, pack years of smoking, physical activity, and total caloric intake did not alter the estimates.

 We also evaluated the association between leukocyte telomere length z score and each component in the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score (table 4 ⇓ ). None of the individual components was significantly associated with telomere length, even after adjustment for multiple confounders (age, body mass index, pack years of smoking, physical activity, total caloric intake, and mutual adjustment for other components of the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score) (table 4 ⇓ ).

 Table 3 ⇓ shows the association between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and telomere length. Higher Alternate Mediterranean Diet scores were associated with higher age adjusted mean leukocyte telomere length z scores (P for trend=0.02). The association remained statistically significant after inclusion of body mass index, pack years of smoking, physical activity, and total caloric intake in the models; the multivariable adjusted least squares mean leukocyte telomere length z score across Alternate Mediterranean Diet groups (≤2, 3, 4, 5, ≥6) was −0.038, −0.049, −0.010, 0.039, and 0.072 (P for trend=0.004) (table 3 ⇓ ). Additional adjustment for postmenopausal hormone therapy, age at menopause, history of hypertension, socioeconomic status, and case-control study set (batch), did not change the estimates (data not shown).

 Table 2 ⇓ shows the baseline characteristics of the study participants across Alternate Mediterranean Diet score groups. The highest score group (score ≥6) represents the closest resemblance to the Mediterranean diet. Compared with women in the lowest score group (score ≤2), those in the highest score group were older at blood collection (P<0.001), had slightly lower body mass index (P=0.01), smoked less (P<0.001), had higher intake of total energy (P<0.001), and were more physically active (P<0.001). As expected, women with the highest Alternate Mediterranean Diet score also had higher intakes of vegetables, fruits, grains, fish, legumes, nuts, and total fat, as well as lower meat intake.

 Table 1 ⇓ shows the main age standardized characteristics of the study population by quarters of telomere length. The mean age of the participants was 59 (SD 6.6) years, and the exact age range of the participants included in our study was 42-70 years. As expected, a statistically significant inverse correlation existed between age at blood draw and telomere length: younger women had longer telomeres (P<0.001). Moreover, women with shorter telomere length smoked slightly more (P=0.02). Distributions of main lifestyle factors between the study participants (n=4676), in comparison with the rest of the Nurses’ Health Study blood sub-cohort (n=32 825) after age standardization, were largely similar (results not shown).

 Discussion

 In this large cross sectional study of 4676 healthy middle aged and older women from the well characterized Nurses’ Health Study, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with longer leukocyte telomere length. Notably, whereas higher Alternate Mediterranean Diet score was significantly associated with longer leukocyte telomere length, none of the individual components showed an association with leukocyte telomere length, emphasizing the importance of examining the relation between dietary patterns, in addition to separate dietary factors, and health. This suggests that the association may be a consequence of the global effect of the overall Mediterranean diet. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index was also associated with longer telomere length; however, the strongest association was observed among women with greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet.

 The difference in telomere length for each one point change in the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score corresponded on average to 1.5 years of aging. A three point change in the Alternate Mediterranean Diet score would correspond to on average 4.5 years of aging, which is comparable to the difference observed when comparing smokers with non-smokers (4.6 years),35 highly active women with less active women (4.4 years),16 and women with high phobic anxiety scores with women with low phobic anxiety (6 years).17

 Comparison with previous literature To our knowledge, this is the largest population based study specifically looking at the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and telomere length in healthy, middle aged women. Our results are consistent with previously published literature on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, particularly diet, and telomere length. To date, only one study has assessed the association between telomere length, telomerase activity, and different adherence to a Mediterranean diet.40 The 217 older people in this study had a mean age of 77, and the upper age limit for reliable assessment of telomere length is 75.41 Using an older age group is considered inappropriate because of “survivor” bias42 43: people who live longer tend to be more resilient to chronic disease and possess longer telomeres. The authors may be capturing survivor bias rather than an association between telomere length and adherence to a Mediterranean diet. García-Calzón et al studied the association between telomere length and changes in adiposity indices after a five year intervention study with a Mediterranean diet,44 in the context of the PREDIMED-NAVARRA trial.5 In this particular study, the outcome was obesity, and the association between telomere length and the whole Mediterranean diet was not specifically examined. Only two studies have examined the relation between a healthy lifestyle pattern and leukocyte telomere length.19 34 Mirabello et al observed a positive association between a healthy lifestyle (defined by low risk factors including low or no smoking, higher intakes of fruits and vegetables, lower body mass index, and greater physical activity) and leukocyte telomere length in men.34 Similarly, Sun et al reported that a healthy lifestyle pattern (defined by five components: smoking, physical activity, adiposity, alcohol use, and Alternative Healthy Eating Index) was associated with longer leukocyte telomere length in women.19 One of the first studies to show a strong relation between physical fitness and telomere length in a large sample of patients with existing coronary heart disease was conducted by Krauss et al.45 They found that poor physical fitness was associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length in patients with coronary heart disease. Du et al reported, in the Nurses’ Health Study, that physical activity (even moderate amounts of activity) was associated with longer telomeres.16 Moreover, Ornish et al recently published an intervention trial on the effect of comprehensive lifestyle changes (diet, activity, stress management, and social support) on telomerase activity and telomere length in men with low risk prostate cancer.46 Results from this pilot study showed that a comprehensive lifestyle intervention was associated with increases in relative telomere length after five years of follow-up, compared with controls. Studies on the association between specific dietary factors and telomere length have yielded inconsistent results.34 47 48 49 50 Cassidy et al, for instance, reported a positive association between leukocyte telomere length and dietary fiber intake but an inverse association between total fat intake (particularly, polyunsaturated fatty acids) and leukocyte telomere length. No significant associations were observed for intakes of vitamin D or fruits and vegetables.50 These findings support the importance of examining an overall lifestyle dietary pattern, rather than individual food components. The Mediterranean diet score has been used to evaluate the association between the Mediterranean diet and overall mortality, as well as Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and cancer overall.2 51 52 53 54 55 Trichopoulou A et al evaluated the contribution of the nine widely accepted components, which are used to build the Mediterranean diet score, and reported an inverse association of this diet with all cause mortality in a population based cohort in Greece.56 More interestingly, they found additive associations among components. The authors report that one of the advantages of using a Mediterranean diet score rather than focusing on the food components is the generation of fairly consistent results with respect to health benefits, whereas studies focusing on the components or food groups are often contradictory. As summarized by Trichopoulou et al,56 chance, non-differential misclassification, and residual confounding may have more important consequences when individual food items are evaluated rather than a multi-component, unidimensional score. The benefits on health and aging from a greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet have been largely described. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet has been linked to lower all cause mortality, reduced incidence of major cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases, and greater health and wellbeing in people surviving to older ages.2 3 4 5 6

 Possible biologic mechanisms Oxidative stress and inflammation have been reported to accelerate telomere attrition.10 11 57 Moreover, given human telomere composition, these DNA regions are more sensitive to damage by oxidation.58 59 In contrast, high antioxidative capacity slows telomere shortening.58 60 61 62 The established protective effects of the Mediterranean diet on oxidative stress and chronic inflammation may explain the favorable influence of the Mediterranean diet on telomere length, pointing to a potential biologic mechanism behind the well known anti-aging effects of the Mediterranean diet. The lack of an association with individual components is not surprising. Studies have proposed a possible synergy among the nutrient rich foods included in the Mediterranean diet that fosters favorable changes in intermediate pathways of cardiometabolic risk, such as insulin sensitivity and resistance to oxidation and inflammation,5 63 supporting the role of the Mediterranean diet as a whole.

 Strengths and limitations of study The strengths of our study include the large and well characterized study population, detailed assessment of dietary habits as well as other sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, and validated food frequency questionnaires and dietary scores. However, potential limitations should be considered. The cross sectional design precludes us from establishing a temporal association between dietary habits and telomere length. Leukocyte telomere length was assessed using a single measure, preventing the estimation of associations between Mediterranean diet and telomere attrition rate; assessing this requires a prospective study with repeated assessments of leukocyte telomere length. Although all analyses were adjusted for multiple covariates, unmeasured or residual confounding could still be present. Validation of self reported variables potentially associated with telomere length, such as self reported diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, has been done previously.64 65 66 Finally, the Nurses’ Health Study population predominantly includes women of European ancestry, and telomere dynamics may differ among other ethnicities67 68 69; therefore, results may not be generalized. However, the homogeneity among Nurses’ Health Study participants strengthens the internal validity of these findings by maximizing the quality of reported data. ||||| Photo

 The Mediterranean diet — higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and olive oil, and lower in dairy products and meat — has long been cited for its health-promoting benefits. Researchers have new clues as to why.

 They found that the diet was associated with longer telomeres, the protective structures at the end of chromosomes. Shorter telomeres are associated with age-related chronic diseases and reduced life expectancy.

 Researchers used data on 4,676 healthy women, part of a larger health study, whose diets were ranked on a scale of one to nine for similarity to the ideal Mediterranean diet. Researchers measured their telomere lengths with blood tests and followed them for more than 20 years with periodic examinations.

 The study, published in the journal BMJ, controlled for body mass index, smoking, physical activity, reproductive history and other factors, and found that the higher the score for adherence to the diet, the longer the telomeres. The difference in telomere length for each point on the adherence scale, the researchers estimate, was equivalent to an average one and a half years of life.

 “Based on our data,” said the lead author, Marta Crous-Bou, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, “a three-point change in the adherence score is equivalent to 4.5 years of aging, a difference comparable to that between smokers and nonsmokers.” |||||

Write a summary.

– A new study finds that following the Mediterranean diet could add about 4.5 years to your life. Researchers found that the diet, which focuses on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and olive oil, is good for our DNA, the New York Times reports. Nearly 4,700 women were followed for more than 20 years, and those whose diets were more similar to the Mediterranean diet had longer telomeres—protective structures found on the ends of chromosomes that "are often compared to the plastic caps that prevent shoelaces from unravelling," as Larry Husten explains at Forbes. Shorter telomeres have been linked to shorter life expectancy and chronic diseases associated with aging. Chromosomes store our DNA code, and telomeres help to prevent the loss of genetic information—so the Mediterranean diet appears to "stop our DNA code from scrambling as we age," thus keeping us "genetically younger," writes Michelle Roberts at the BBC. But Husten cautions that, though the diet has been linked to other health benefits in the past, this study shouldn't be given too much weight. It appears to be "excellent" and "well-performed," he writes, but it was an observational study, and as such has limitations—for example, it's possible that there were already genetic differences between subjects who adhered to the diet and those who didn't.


A Broward Community Charter School teacher was arrested after police say she made a student clean a urinal with his bare hands. NBC 6's Justin Finch spoke with parents dropping their children off at the school.

 A South Florida teacher has been arrested after police said she forced a 10-year-old to unclog a urinal with his bare hands.

 Jennifer Forshey, 58, was charged with battery of a child by exposure to urine, according to a Coral Springs arrest report.

 Forshey was booked into jail Wednesday and later released on $1,000 bond.

 "I did not do anything illegal," Forshey said as she left the jail.

 Police said Forshey, a teacher at Broward Community Charter School, accused the boy of clogging the urinal with paper towels. She then ordered him to use his hands and a paper towel to remove all the paper from the drain, the report said.

 Officials noted the boy's hands were saturated in "what smelled like urine" from the urinal and that the bathroom had no soap in it.

 Forshey did not give the child safety equipment to clean the urinal, police said.

 The boy told police the urine was not his and that he did not know who had clogged the urinal.

 Forshey admitted to making the boy clean the urine, but she only thought what she did was wrong because she got in trouble, authorities said in the report.

 Broward Community Charter School issued a statement saying it acknowledges what occurred and that Forshey was reprimanded.

 The victim's mother, Jenay Roberts, did not want to provide a statement Thursday, but attorney Joshua Hertz released the following statement on her behalf:

 "The only reason we are bringing this story to the public is to find out if any other child has been treated in this way before. We want to protect this child and possibly any other children that may have been subjected to this form or corporal and unmoral punishment. My client wants to find out why a teacher would allow this to happen. She also asks for her and her son's privacy to be respected and wants her son to retain a normal life back at the school."

 Word of Forshey's release did not set well with some parents dropping their children off at the school Thursday morning.

 "That teacher should go back to jail. That's not cool," said parent Mark Henrice.

 Others believe it was a bad call made by an otherwise good teacher.

 "She used really bad judgement, but it's a really good school. I hope it doesn't reflect on the school," parent George Vitieri said.

 At Forshey's home Wednesday night, a close family friend and co-worker said Forshey was like a mentor to her.

 The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Debbie, said she loved walking into Forshey's classroom because it was so cozy. She also talked about her dedication to teaching.

 "She would literally spends nights at the library finding things to do, you know, fun things to do to interact, not just your boring way of teaching," she said.

 What Debbie heard on the news came as a shock. She said it's out of character for a woman who does so much for her students, including spend her own money.

 "She buys curriculum, she buys games. I mean, I've been with her when she buys all these incentives for the children," she said. "She was actually the main one to get us to like, you know, more positive reinforcement things like that." ||||| FEBRUARY 20--A Florida teacher was arrested yesterday and charged with battery for allegedly ordering a 10-year-old student to unclog a urinal in the bathroom of a Coral Springs elementary school.

 According to cops, Jennifer King Forshey, 58, ordered the child to use his bare hands to remove a wad of soggy paper towels from the urinal. The boy, who attends Broward Community Charter School, told cops that the paper towels were soaked with someone else’s urine.

 As detailed in a Coral Springs Police Department report, the child told investigators that Forshey, a third grade teacher, had accused him earlier this month of clogging the urinal. She then allegedly ordered him to “use his hands to remove all the paper towel product in the drain of the urinal.”

 The boy said that he held a dry paper towel in his hand as he sought to remove the soggy paper towels, but “the paper and urinal were wet enough to seep through the paper towel,” leaving his hands “saturated in what smelled like urine,” according to the report. The bathroom, the child reported, “had no soap in it.”

 A teacher interviewed by police said that he saw Forshey (seen above) instruct the boy to remove the paper towels from the urinal. The school’s principal said that the child “came to his office looking for soap because his hands smelled of urine.”

 Following her arrest yesterday for felony battery of a child, Forshey reportedly acknowledged directing the boy to unclog the urinal. “She only thinks what she did was wrong because she is in trouble for it,” cops reported. “Otherwise, she does not see anything wrong with exposing a child to urine.”

 After being booked into the Broward County jail, Forshey was released on $1000 bond. (2 pages) |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– A veteran teacher in Florida faces felony charges of battery of a child for meting out an unusual punishment. Police say 58-year-old Jennifer Forshey accused a 10-year-old boy of deliberately clogging a urinal with paper towels, and ordered him to get them out of the drain, reports NBC Miami. She didn't give him any tools or guidance, however, so he used his bare hands and a dry paper towel, and his hands soon reeked of urine—not his own, say police. To make matters worse, that particular bathroom had no soap, which led the kid to go to the principal's office looking for some, which led to the charges being filed. Forshey willingly caused the boy "to project his hands into a urinal with unknown persons (sic) urine expelled in it, causing his hands to absorb the urine," says the police report cited by the Smoking Gun. In other urinal news, a Pizza Hut worker lost his job after using his restaurant's kitchen sink as a substitute.