Pakistani girl shot by Taliban leaves UK hospital

LONDON (AP) A 15-year-old Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban for promoting girls' education has been released from a Birmingham hospital to live with her family, doctors said Friday. Photographs and a video released by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham showed Malala Yousufzai hugging nurses, waving and smiling shyly. Her steps seemed tentative as she walked down the hospital corridor talking to nurses, but hospital officials say she is strong and recovering well. Malala will live with her parents and two brothers in the UK while she continues to receive treatment, but will be admitted again in the next month for another round of surgery to rebuild her skull. Experts have been optimistic that Malala, who was airlifted from Pakistan in October to receive specialized medical care, has a good chance of recovery because the brains of teenagers are still growing and can better adapt to trauma. "Malala is a strong young woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery," said Dr. Dave Rosser, the medical director for University Hospitals Birmingham. "Following discussions with Malala and her medical team, we decided that she would benefit from being at home with her parents and two brothers." Malala was returning home from school in Pakistan's scenic Swat Valley on Oct. 9 when the Taliban targeted her for criticizing their efforts to keep girls from getting an education. The militants have threatened to target Malala again because they say she promotes "Western thinking." Pakistani doctors removed a bullet that entered her head and headed toward her spine. The decision to send Malala to Britain was taken in consultation with her family; Pakistan is paying for her treatment. Pakistan also appointed Malala's father, Ziauddin, as its education attache in Birmingham. The position, with an initial three year commitment, virtually guarantees that Malala will remain in Britain for now. Citing patient confidentiality, hospital authorities declined to say what her plans were to continue her education, though they acknowledge she is able to read in both English and Urdu. Her case won worldwide recognition, and the teen became a symbol for the struggle for women's rights in Pakistan. In an indication of her reach, she made the shortlist for Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2012.

13 Trends to Ditch in 2013

Hi-low hemlines aka mullet dresses
Celebs love showing off their legs, but this swooping hemline is having an identity crisis. Rather than a sexy mini or a flowing maxi, there's this weird, confused, hi-low monstrosity. It's like a rat-tail: we just want to snip it off!

  
Neon
This in-your-face trend has been popular for years, and when done in small doses (like the trim on a clutch) it can be playful and unexpected. But in 2012 people got way too comfortable wearing head-to-toe neon and outfits are starting looking like Halloween costumes. The clothes, the nail polish, the hair! Ahh, our eyes! We'd love to put these colors on mute.

 
Spike overload
We get it, Miley Cyrus, you are so tough and you've totally shed your Disney image. But you know what we'd really appreciate? An outfit that's composed of at least 60% non-metal. Really, ladies. The clothing, handbags, and shoes covered in spikes are overkill and truly an accident waiting to happen. Don't say we didn't warn you.

 
Top knots
Nicole Richie, you’re usually ahead of the style curve, but this ballerina bun is played out. Yes, top knots were our easy, go-to holiday style, and they’re prefect for days when there's no time to wash. They're also an ideal 'do for the gym, the beach, running errands, and pie-eating contests (we're just guessing). Grab a bottle of dry shampoo and experiment with a new style this year.

 
Tribal prints
From ikat to cevrons to everything in between, this year's music festival gear was like a vomitous explosion of tribal prints (and coordinating arm parties, of course). We yearn for simple, crisp stripes, or dare we say solid fabrics.
 
Fancy pajamas as clothing
Yes, Rihanna's silk PJs and robe is a far cry from grungy sweats or Snuggies, but we still think jammies have no business outside the home, let alone on the red carpet.

 
Pointy nails
Sharp talons like Fergie's are a little intriguing, kind of scary, and difficult to maintain. We prefer our neatly filed round and squoval nails, thanks.

 
Wedge sneakers
Dresses and sneakers don't quite compliment each other like a burger and fries (sorry Jordin Sparks, Kristen Stewart did it better). Designer Isabel Marant and countless imitators decided to put a wedge heel on their kicks in an attempt to make them more formal. Well, it didn't really work, and now the only footwear designed to be comfortable and good for your feet is anything but. That's a fail in our book.
   
Sheer outfits
Hey Sarah Jessica Parker, your bra is showing! Oh, it's on purpose? We felt like someone's grandma this year, wanting to go around and cover up all the women in sheer clothing. In 2013 we vow to leave more to the imagination.


The right style on the right girl is so flattering as it can slim the waist, hide a tummy, and enhance the hips. But not all trends are for everyone and we've seen too many peplums gone bad. Slapping a ruffle on the wrong place in a bulky fabric can actually add weight! Peplums are still hitting stores this spring, but let's avoid a fashion disaster.
  
Printed denim
Jeans are typically an investment piece you wear every day. But be honest: how often are you really wearing your jeans adorned with leopard print, stripes, flowers, or polka dots? And might those patterns be more flattering on, say, an accessory? Thought so.

 
Half-shaved heads
Even Ke$ha has moved on from the under-shaved hairstyle, so let's all just grow it out.

 
Illusion dresses
Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet were some of the first starlets to try Stella McCartney's "illusion" designs with strategically placed colorblocking designed to make women look thinner. Thing is, these ladies all have amazing figures to begin with, and up close those silhouette lines aren't fooling anyone. We hope this dress and all the knockoffs it spawned go the way of the ubiquitous Herve Leger bandage dress and slowly disappears.

Gun checks soar 39 percent, set new record: FBI

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of FBI background checks required for Americans buying guns set a record in December, indicating that more people may purchase one after the Connecticut school massacre stirred interest in self-defense and prompted renewed talk of limits on firearms, according to FBI data.

The FBI said it recorded 2.78 million background checks during the month, surpassing the mark set in November of 2.01 million checks - about a 39 percent rise.

The latest monthly figure was up 49 percent over December 2011, when the FBI performed a then-record 1.86 million checks.

Consumer demand for guns appears to have accounted for the uptick in activity. There were no changes in FBI background check procedures that would have affected the December numbers, FBI spokesman Stephen Fischer said.

December is typically the busiest month of the year for checks, however, due in part to Christmas gift sales.

The figures do not represent the number of firearms sold, a statistic the government does not track. They also do not reflect activity between private parties, such as family members or collectors, because federal law requires background checks only for sales from commercial vendors with a federal license.

Someone who passes a background check is eligible to buy multiple firearms.

FBI checks for all of 2012 totaled 19.6 million, an annual record and an increase of 19 percent over 2011.

The FBI system - known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) - "processed transactions following normal established protocols," Fischer said in an email.

The national debate on guns has grown more intense since December 14, when Adam Lanza forced his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and killed 20 children and six adults before committing suicide in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Lanza also killed his mother, the registered owner of the guns used in the killings, before going to the school.

SHOOTINGS LEAD TO SALES
Interest in guns tends to increase after a mass shooting, as customers fear for personal safety or worry that lawmakers might ban certain firearms.

President Barack Obama has committed to pushing new legislation, possibly including a ban on some semi-automatic weapons, this year.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for firearms-makers, estimates the size of the industry at $4 billion a year. A spokesman for the association did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Shares of gun maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp were up 1.2 percent at $8.54 at Wednesday's close, while those of Sturm Ruger & Co Inc were up 1.1 percent at $45.88, during a broad rally in which the Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 2.5 percent.

Neither company responded to requests for comment.

"The last eight years (have) been very good to be a handgun company. The market has expanded significantly, and long guns having done pretty good, as well," said Smith & Wesson Chief Executive James Debney at a December 12 conference for investors.

The pattern of gun sales rising after a mass shooting is disturbing, said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center, a Washington group that favors gun control.

"While the majority of Americans look for solutions to stop the next attack, a minority of gun owners runs to hoard the very guns used in the most recent" incidents, Sugarmann said in an email.

Even as gun purchases rise, the share of U.S. households with a gun has been falling for decades, from 54 percent in 1977 to 32 percent in 2010, according to the University of Chicago's General Social Survey.

Did North Korea's Mysterious First Lady Have a Baby?

SEOUL, South Korea - Experts on North Korea have long studied photos of the country's leaders trying to interpret the significance in the slightest change of body language, pose or position of hierarchy.

That intense scrutiny has now been turned on the wife of Kim Jong-Un in a celebrity-like guessing game about whether she had been pregnant and may have given birth. Or whether she simply gained weight and lost it again.

North Korea's first lady Ri Sul-Ju is believed to already have one child.

The secretive North Korean government has not confirmed any of these speculations.

The rumor mill started when North Korea's Central News Agency released photos taken on Oct. 29 at a musical performance. Ri was wearing a long yellow knit jacket with a feminine bow on her stomach and the little tummy bump has raised questions: did she gain weight or is she pregnant?

It was difficult to tell but taking into account her fashion statement during the summer and fall of last year sporting vivid colored fit dresses and high-heel pumps, the loose cut jacket caught the eyes of North Korea watchers.

The next appearance by the first lady was on Dec. 17 at a memorial ceremony for Kim's late-father Kim Jong-Il who died of a heart attack on 2011. She was wearing the Korean traditional black funeral costume. The form of the dress itself is supposed to be wide below the chest, but her swollen face and what looked like a tummy bump got the rumor swirling.

Then came the recent photo taken on New Year's Day, back to her signature Chanel-style round -neck pink jacket and skirt and a visibly slimmer waistline.

The buzz in Seoul is still split: birth, weight problem, or could have been just the form of the dresses.

Too-Skinny Model Ban Takes Effect in Israel

mages of models are in question.A controversial Israeli law banning too-skinny models went into effect with the start of 2013, prompting observers around the world to buzz about how much weight it will hold. The law, approved last March by Israel's legislating Knesset, requires models to prove they have maintained a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5 for three months prior to a fashion shoot or show. That means a woman who is 5'8'' tall can weigh no less than 119 pounds. It also requires advertisers who thin out a model's body with retouching software to make it clear that they have manipulated the images.
"This law is another step in the war against eating disorders," said physician and law co-sponsor Rachel Adatto (with Danny Danon) after a 2011 reading of the draft, according to the Times of Israel. Underweight models, she explained, "can no longer serve as role models for innocent young people who adopt and copy the illusion of thinness."
But critics of the law in this country say it and others like it—the Madrid Fashion Show's ban on women whose BMI is below 18, for example, and Milan's Fashion Week's ban on models with a BMI below 18.5—are misguided, focusing on weight instead of health. They also say the Israeli ban is bound to fail because of the muscle of the fashion industry.
"I think it's an approach that isn't going to work," eating disorder expert Susan Ice told Yahoo! Shine. Ice, vice president of clinical services at Renfrew Center, a pioneer in the treatment of eating disorders, worked with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to create guidelines for models which, rather than focusing on BMI, strive to educate the industry and foster a healthy working environment.
"I think that's a much more enlightened approach, a more likely-to-succeed approach, and an empowering approach," Ice says. Plus, she says, through working with the CFDA, "I've learned that designers are really artists, and we have free speech here. We can't tell anyone how to do their art….If designers want women to look like boys or if designers want women to look like 8-year-olds, you're not going to change that."
But a champion of the new law, Adi Barkan, a former fashion-model agent in Israel, told Tayla Minsberg of the Atlantic last year that he was drawn into the issue after meeting an aspiring model who looked like she needed to be hospitalized. "I became immersed in this world very quickly. I gave up the agency and photography and delved into the dark world of anorexics and bulimics," he said. "I realized that only legislation can change the situation. There was no time to educate so many people, and the change had be forced on the industry. There was no time to waste, so many girls were dieting to death."
Others in the industry around the world have agreed, including the organizers of the fashion shows in Italy and Spain. Years ago, the lower house of French Parliament voted in favor of a vague bill that outlawed "publicly inciting extreme thinness." And, in 2011, the UK banned a web-based ad that used a model with "highly visible" ribs, calling it "socially irresponsible." Vogue, at its magazines globally, instituted guidelines last year that enforce weight and age guidelines for its top models.
Still, wrote Ray A. Smith and Christina Binkley in the Wall Street Journal this week, "The efforts to regulate models' weight in Spain and Italy have not resulted in significant changes, in part because of difficulties in determining reliable methods of measuring weight and health."

Still, folks including Ice say there's no denying that images from Hollywood and the fashion industry can be difficult for young women to deal with. "Certainly I don't believe the modeling industry has caused the rise in eating disorders, but it makes it harder," she says. "It's a difficult recovery environment, worshiping thinness as the beauty ideal."