New York to install 1,500 security barriers after vehicle attacks*

*New York to install 1,500 security barriers after vehicle attacks*

The mayor of New York City has announced plans to install 1,500 steel street barriers to prevent vehicle attacks. Bill de Blasio said the protective barriers were part of a $50m (£37m) investment in security infrastructure. The move comes after two vehicle attacks in 2017 that killed nine people in total. The new permanent barriers will replace temporary concrete blocks that were put in place after the incidents.

"I want to tell you these are the most cowardly kind of attacks - when someone with a vehicle ploughs into a group of innocent pedestrians. It's disgusting," Mr Blasio said at a press conference in Times Square, near where one of the vehicle attacks took place. "But we know there are some out there who mean to do us evil and we will protect against it."

Temporary concrete blocks were installed in Times Square and Lower Manhattan in the last few months following the attacks in the city and others worldwide. "That was necessary to immediately secure those areas in light on these new trends we've seen," Mr Blasio said. "But we knew we needed long-term solutions, we needed permanent barriers."

Arsenal close in on Greek youngster Mavropanos*

*Arsenal close in on Greek youngster Mavropanos*

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos from PAS Giannina for a fee in the region of £2million.

The 20-year-old broke into the Super League side's first-team towards the end of the season before cementing his place in the starting XI this term, but has already attracted interest from Greek giants Olympiakos and the Premier League side.

And it is the Gunners who are closest to signing him in the January transfer window due their new chief scout Sven Mislintat having close links with the player's agent from his time at Borussia Dortmund.

Mislintat, who identified and scouted the player, is expected to focus heavily on bringing the best young players to Arsenal and Mavropanos' arrival is likely to see him immediately loaned out to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.

Mavropanos would follow his compatriots Panagiotis Retsos and Sokratis Papastathopoulos to Germany where the hope is that he develops into a ready-made Premier League player in the coming seasons.

Justin Timberlake Announces New Album Man of the Woods

*Justin Timberlake  Announces New Album Man of the Woods

More than four years after the release of his last studio album, the Grammy-winning crooner surprised fans with a big announcement: new tunes are coming soon.

With an earthy visual to accompany his news, the Tennessee native unveiled his new aesthetic to fans as he teased his fifth solo record, Man of the Woods, due out in February, just in time for his Super Bowl 2018 halftime show.

"This album is really inspired by my son, my wife, my family, but more so than any other album I've ever written, where I'm from and it's personal," the star is heard saying as a montage of him outside in the snow, water and grass, holding his son Silas in front of a campfire and embracing his wife Jessica Biel plays out.

While fans have a month left to go before the album drops two days before the Super Bowl on Feb. 2, Timberlake also has the perfect way to ring in the new year a few days late-with a single.

Berlin reels after nine inmates escape Plötzensee prison*

*Berlin reels after nine inmates escape Plötzensee prison*

Berlin authorities are the target of ridicule and disbelief after nine prisoners escaped or absconded from one prison in the space of five days. Six remain on the run from Plötzensee jail after four separate incidents. Last Thursday, four inmates used an angle grinder and hammer from the prison workshop to break through a ventilation shaft. They then crept under the perimeter fence.

Despite CCTV capturing the escape, it was 41 minutes before it was noticed. Two of the four prisoners - who were serving sentences for theft, aggravated assault and extortion - are reported to be still at large.

Berlin's Senator of Justice Dirk Behrendt has so far faced down calls for him to resign, saying he has assembled a commission of experts to eliminate vulnerabilities in the prison system.

*Liverpool are now open to negotiate for Philippe Coutinho*

*Liverpool are now open to negotiate for Philippe Coutinho*

Liverpool have changed the tune of their discourse over Philippe Coutinho and are now open to any eventuality: either selling the Brazilian playmaker in January or agreeing a deal for his transfer in the summer.

Agreeing a fresh contract with the 25-year-old appears at this stage to be the least likely of outcomes given Liverpool’s acceptance that the player has made up his mind to leave and the fact that Barcelona have made little secret of their desire to add Coutinho and Atlético de Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann to their squad as a matter of priority in 2018.

As things stand, Liverpool have yet to receive an offer from Barcelona over which to adopt a position. But it is in the post and will be worth 110 million euros up front with an extra 40 million in add-ons.

Josep Maria Bartomeu feels he has a moral obligation towards the player for the efforts Coutinho has made to force the transfer through: pressuring Liverpool with a supposed injury that caused him to miss the game against Burnley and will also see him absent for the FA Cup Merseyside derby against Everton on Friday.

On the other side of the coin, Luis Suárez and Leo Messi are extremely keen on the arrival of a player who will improve a squad in need of reinforcements.

Paris Hilton � Is Engaged 💍to Chris Zylka!*

*Paris Hilton � Is Engaged 💍to Chris Zylka!*

Paris Hilton is engaged to her boyfriend Chris Zylka!

Chris, 32, popped the question on a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado over the weekend! "I am so excited to be engaged to the love of my life and my best friend," the 36-year-old former reality star told People. "He is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairytales really do exist!"

The couple were first linked earlier this year, and Paris called Chris "the one" a few weeks later.