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Leicester players have been banned from using Twitter after Jordan Crane revealed he could be out for three months via the social networking site.

Crane, 24, injured his left ankle in Leicester’s 17-13 pre-season win at Munster last Friday night and then shared his disappointment on Twitter.

The Leicester No8, who suffered ankle ligament damage last season, initially wrote: “Ankle again bad times”.

Crane then followed it up on Monday with the message: “It’s a dark day and it will be three long months.”

The Leicester director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, said Crane has “a bit of damage” in his ankle but insisted they are still waiting on the results of yesterday’s appointment with a specialist.

Cockerill said: “He is banned from tweeting. The next time he does that I will break both his ankles. None of our players will be tweeting or Facebooking anything about Leicester Rugby Club ever again.”

Asked whether Cockerill was angry because Crane’s message was wrong or just because he did not like reading it, the Leicester captain Geordan Murphy stepped in.

“When you get an injury as a player you are always a hypochondriac. You always think the season is gone,” said the Ireland full-back. “Until you have had three or four scans and spoken to a specialist it is not fair to comment on anything. Potentially it could be two weeks, potentially you could be finished. Who knows? It is probably not worth him speculating.”

If Crane is ruled out for three months, he would join Leicester’s list of long-term injured forwards with the locks Richard Blaze and Geoff Parling not expected to see any action before November while Louis Deacon is struggling with a back problem.

The Tigers kick off their Premiership title defence against Northampton on 5 September and Cockerill insisted their position as reigning champions changes nothing.

“The Leicester board expects us to win the Premiership and do well in Europe. That is the same every year,” said Cockerill.

50 Cent is back on the attack — and he’s taking aim at Diddy.

50 Cent and Rick Ross had their war of words over a year ago, but the G-Unit boss’ animosity hasn’t died, it’s been redirected at Diddy.

On July 7, the rapper launched a Twitter-based petition through his affiliate site,BooBooTV, against Diddy, attacking the hip-hop mogul for what 50 called an exploitation of the late Notorious B.I.G.

“Enough is enough, Biggie’s name should never have become Diddy’s Black Card. Just check out his latest video ‘The Ghost of Christopher Wallace.’ Let Diddy know to let B.I.G. rest in peace.” 50 wrote in the petition, titled “R.I.P. B.I.G. — Stop @iamDiddy.” “When was the last time Diddy really was ‘biggin up his brother,’ not biggin up his bank?”

While 50 Cent’s petition was allegedly sparked by Diddy’s decision to align with Ross — who he recently signed to his new hip-hop group, The Dream Team — it wasn’t the first time he had thrown shots at the Bad Boy CEO. Back in 2006, 50 Cent released a mixtape titled “Hip Hop,” which accused the then-Puff Daddy of being too scared to avenge Biggie’s death. Since then, the “21 Questions” singer has continued to criticize Diddy for comparing Ross to the legendary Biggie Smalls.

US troops are to be allowed to use social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook following a review of internet use and security.

Defence department officials say the benefits of using social media now outweigh the risks to security. The ruling means that a number of sites blocked by the Pentagon in 2007 - including YouTube - will be unblocked. However, commanders will be able to temporarily block access to safeguard missions or save bandwidth. Correspondents say social media and the internet are becoming increasingly important for the US military. The web is used for recruitment, public relations and for communications between troops and their families, among other things.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said that social networking can help the Pentagon interact with US military employees, many of whom are in their early 20s and regular users of online services. Chief of tweets Among the military's higher ranks, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has a Twitter feed with more than 16,000 followers. The US Southern Command has also used Twitter for operational updates on relief activities in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. However, the US Marine Corps last year renewed a standing ban on accessing the microblogging service from its network. The US Army also maintained a list of banned social media sites. But the new policy says visiting websites for pornography, gambling or hate-crime is still banned on military computers. "We need to take advantage of these capabilities that are out there - this Web 2.0 phenomena," said David Wennergren, deputy assistant secretary of defence for information technology. "And what we had were inconsistent approaches. Some websites were blocked and some commands were blocking things. Mr Wennergren said it was more important that serving personnel were trained in how to use online tools effectively and learn about the risks of disclosing information. "The idea is be responsible and use these tools to help get the job done," he said. "There are two imperatives. One is the ability to share information. The other is about security - we need to be good at both," he said. The new rules will only apply to non-classified government computers, the Pentagon said.

Back in August 2009 we were reporting that social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are a big no-no on military networks. A Marine Corps order specifically prohibited access to such sites because they pose a security threat. Here’s precisely what the order said:

“These internet sites in general are a proven haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content and targeting by adversaries. The very nature of SNS [social network sites] creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries and provides an easy conduit for information leakage that puts OPSEC [operational security], COMSEC [communications security], personnel and the MCEN [Marine Corps Enterprise Network] at an elevated risk of compromise.”

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A lot of time has passed since August 2009 and during all this time it seems that the Department of Defense has made its peace with social networking services. On Friday, the 26th of February, the Department of Defense announced that it authorized the use of social networking sites Facebook and Twitter and other “Web 2.0” sites. As the Department of Defense explained, these sites continue to pose a security risk and the security concerns are valid; but the benefits of social media outweigh the security concerns. This change of heart has been made possible by the increased security measures taken to secure military networks and enforce regulations that are already in place.

“Today the Department of Defense released a policy memorandum regarding the safe and effective use of Internet-based capabilities, including social networking services (SNS) and other interactive Web 2.0 applications. Commanders at all levels and heads of DoD components will continue to defend against malicious activity on military information networks, deny access to prohibited content sites and take immediate and commensurate actions, as required, to safeguard missions," said the Defense Department in this news release.

I was a faithful fan of the program before Conan O’Brien took over. I loved Leno’s humor, skits and interviews. I looked forward to getting a good laugh each night before I went to sleep. Conan’s humor was too sharp and infantile. It was all about him. Leno has wider appeal and a milder, less caustic approach. That’s why David Letterman is also a weak substitute for Leno.

I am thrilled that NBC has returned Leno to his rightful place as host of Tonight Show. I feel like the shakeup is over. I can relax and enjoy my favorite late evening program. I’m unhappy that Bianco blasted it so hard.

Aim higher

It would appear that returning Tonight show host Jay Leno is attempting to make a splash through offering audiences a heavy does of sleaze.

His first-week guests included Adam Lambert, who brought television to a new low through his X-rated sexual exhibition during his appearance on the American Music Awards, and the cast of Jersey Shore, a group of dunces who are a disgrace to New Jersey and to those of Italian heritage.

I have always liked Leno, found him to be talented and funny, and have attended Tonight Show tapings of his on two occasions.

It is sad that he seeks to remake his mark by giving air time to individuals who are the lowest of the low, and who deserve to be ignored.

Upper Saint Clair, Pa.



News Corp. chief operating officer Chase Carey said the company is about to get a windfall of retransmission-consent revenue that could be one element in fixing the currently broken economic model for broadcasting, Multichannel News reports. Carey told investors that the company has two completed retrans deals for its owned-and-operated stations, with eight of the top 10 distributors to go. Without going into details, he called one of the deals, with Time Warner Cable, a "transformational event,” Multichannel reports. The revenues from retransmission consent could turn the tide in the broadcasting business if coupled with a well-run network, Carey said.

When Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp star KayCee Stroh first welcomed a wee 2-month-old beagle into her home last year, little did she know how this little lady would affect her life. "She's very spunky," Stroh tells PEOPLEPets.com. "She is really quirky and really has got some spice to her. Every day is an adventure." Stroh pondered naming the young canine after her grandmother, Pyper. But it wasn't until their first night home, when she and her husband, Ben Higginson, attempted to crate-train the pup, that they discovered the name fit like a glove. "That girl started screaming and howling," Stroh remembers. "We were like, you know what, Pyper it is. Because that girl's got a mean set of pipes on her!" And not only can Pyper make her voice heard in her new home, but she's also made quite a place for herself – in Mommy and Daddy's bed. "She has decided she likes to sleep underneath the covers," says the 25-year-old, who's best known for her breakout role as Martha Cox in the mega hitHigh School Musical. "She will tap you on the shoulder, make you lift up the sheets for her, and sleep in between your legs. She is like our little space heater." The cuddling is particularly poignant for Stroh — Pyper came into her life after a tragic year that saw the deaths of not one, but two family dogs. In what can only be described as a freak accident, the actress returned to her family's Utah home to find Ginger, her 8-year-old golden retriever, with her jaw stuck in the collar of their second dog, 4-year-old flat-coated black retriever, Kahlua. When the incident happened, authorities said Ginger tried to free herself, but the angled move broke Kahlua's neck. Then later in the year, Ginger, who had been diagnosed with cancer, died. Through the heartache, came a renewed desire to have a dog in her life. "I just missed little barks and toe nails scratching on the floor," Stroh says. "And the jingle of collars." And so came Pyper, who has been helping Stroh keep on track with her new Fit Club lifestyle. "The thing that really pushes me through is Pyper," she says. The energetic canine has developed a liking to daily walks around the neighborhood and the occasional hikes through L.A.'s Griffith Park. "I'm getting exercise, but it's for her," says Stroh. "It's unselfish love."

Longtime "Lost" fans were quite happy to learn that Daniel Dae Kim(Jin) and Emilie de Ravin (Claire) would be returning to the series in a big way this season after both being M.I.A. for a time. When we sat down with Kim and de Ravin recently, they joked that they had been off together, working on the show's spin off. But, in truth, the two were just biding their time until they could come back and learn more about what the deal with "Lost" really is. So what is the deal? Will Jin meet his baby sooner than later? Of course Kim wasn't going to reveal the answer (although he laughed when the question was asked), but de Ravin did let a little morsel slip, saying she's quite happy with the surprises that have come for her character this year: "I really get to play a whole other side of Claire, along with the old Claire though, which is pretty sweet, as an actor, to get that challenge of basically playing a couple characters at the same time."

As someone who is about to become a parent for the very first time in two short months, I can tell you that it's both really exciting and really scary. And nothing scares me more than the subject of vaccines. There has been so much written about the purported link between vaccines and autism that at times I feel I either have to choose between inoculating him again some pretty scary-sounding diseases or put him at serious risk for autism. Although the mainstream medical community — including the American Academy of Pediatrics— has already pretty much debunked the link between the mercury in vaccines and a link to autism, there's still so much contradictary anecdotal evidence floating around that it can give a parent-to-be like me the jitters. But today comes some information that gives me, and hopefully scores of other parents and soon-to-be-parents, a reason to breathe easier: The Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, has officially retracted a 1998 study suggesting a link between autism and the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. According to Forbes.com, the retraction comes just a week after the UK's General Medical Council, which regulates and registers doctors, declared that lead author Andrew Wakefield had brought the medical profession "into disrepute" by presenting his research in an "irresponsible and dishonest" way. Although Forbes criticizes the Lancet for its "incomprehensible" retraction not written in layman's terms, Lancet editor Richard Horton seemed quite unambiguous about their position when interviewed by The Guardian this week. "It was utterly clear, without any ambiguity at all, that the statements in the paper were utterly false," Horton said in reference to the General Medical Council's finding. "I feel I was deceived." So while this news might not satisfy the many who still believe in a link between autism and vaccines, at least it's one more well-respected journal to consider as we parents and parents-to-be muddle through all the information out there and try to make the best choices we can for our children.