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33,995 | 609b5ede2edef69d22aa0e3cb085ec49d2490385 | By . Ashley Collman . A homeless man who was saved from attack by an undercover cop earlier this summer received yet another gift this week from a Good Samaritan who paid for his flight home. John Boggs was panhandling outside a Plantation, Florida Walgreens last June when two teens approached him and started beating him up but were stopped from stealing his belongings when undercover Sheriff's Detective Vice Peterson intervened. When the story of Boggs rescue was televised, news of his whereabouts spread back to his hometown in Indiana where family and friends started a Facebook group to raise funds and bring him home. Scroll down for video . Welcome back: Florida homeless man John Boggs is . homeless no more after a Good Samaritan paid for his flight home to . sister Anna Fleenor, who he hadn't seen in 14 years (brother and sister . pictured embracing at the Indianapolis airport on Tuesday, above) Good deed: Family and friends in Indiana learned about Boggs (right) whereabouts last June, when news stations in Florida covered a story about his rescue from a mugging. Florida local Jonathan Fischer (left) heard the story and decided to help Boggs out. Pictured together at the Fort Lauderdale airport on Tuesday . 'We didn't know that he was in the situation he's in now,' Bogg's sister Anna Fleenor, of New Salem, Indiana said. But it was a Pompano Beach, Florida local who finally stepped in and made Boggs reunion with his sister possible. South Florida FedEx driver Jonathan Fischer heard the story, and decided to buy Boggs a plane ticket with the money he was saving to buy a new car. 'I have to help him out,' Fischer told WSVN. While Boggs was initially hesitant to accept the ticket home, he eventually agreed and boarded his first airplane on Tuesday. Thank you: Boggs and Fischer pictured embracing before he boarded his plane home on Tuesday . At Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Boggs said his goodbyes to Fischer, the man who gave him the gift of a lifetime. Just before entering security, the two hugged and Fischer gave his best wishes to the formerly homeless man. 'Hope everything works out,' Fischer told Boggs. 'You ever need anything, call me. You got my number.' That night, Boggs was greeted outside security at Indianapolis airport by his sister, who ran past the security barrier to hug the brother she hadn't seen in 14 years. 'I missed you so much,' Fleenor siad. Happy homecoming: Boggs and his sister pictured after his arrival back in Indiana . Days gone by: Anna Fleenor shared some pictures on Facebook of she and her brother when they were younger, growing up in Indiana . | South Florida homeless man John Boggs was saved from an attack last June by an undercover cop .
News of the story spread back to his hometown in Indiana where family and friends started a Facebook page to bring him home .
Pompano Beach, Florida FedEx driver Jonathan Fischer stepped up and offered to pay for Boggs' flight home .
On Tuesday, Boggs boarded his first plane ever and was reunited with his sister Anna Fleenor, who he hadn't seen in 14 years . |
46,446 | 82db20afa66acf98467bd1eedbbeacd9874c279d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 17:11 EST, 20 August 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 17:23 EST, 20 August 2012 . A police officer has described the horrifying moment his colleague lost control of a patrol car and careered into a cyclist. Jurors were told that British Transport Police Pc David Lynch, 31, was driving ‘dangerously’ at more than twice the speed limit when his van hit talented musician Joseph Belmonte, leaving him seriously injured. The court heard he was driving the marked police vehicle at speeds of up to 68mph in a 30mph zone as it approached a hump-backed bridge in Hackney, east London. On trial: Pc David Lynch, 31, pictured leaving Southwark Crown Court, has previously admitted careless driving but denies the more serious charge of dangerous driving . Eyewitnesses described seeing the vehicle ‘taking off’ and all four of its wheels leaving the ground as it sped over the bridge before slamming into Mr Belmonte on March 31 last year. Southwark Crown Court heard that Mr Belmonte, known as Pepe to his friends, was thrown on to the bonnet of the Mercedes Vito van before hitting a tree. A statement from Pc Gary Thomas was read out in which he described how the police vehicle had its lights and sirens on as it responded to the incident it was going to at around 3.40pm. As it approached the bridge which crosses Regent’s Canal he said it was not possible to see what was on the other side and whether there were any other road users or pedestrians beyond it. He said: ‘I believe we were approaching the bridge too quickly as I couldn’t see over the bridge and whether there were any hazards on the other side. ‘I was about to tell Pc Lynch we were going too fast and needed to slow down but we were already going over the bridge. ‘I believe all four wheels of the vehicle left the ground and we landed heavily in the middle of the road. ‘It caused me to panic as I thought something could be coming towards us.’ Pc Thomas said he then became aware of a cyclist who was travelling in the same direction as the police van, around one metre away from the kerb. His statement described a ‘loud bang’ as they hit him and he was thrown on to the bonnet and carried along until the van came to a halt and he was then propelled into a tree. Horror: Soutwark Crown Court, pictured, heard eyewitnesses describe seeing the vehicle 'taking off' and all four of its wheels leaving the ground as it sped over the bridge before slamming into Mr Belmonte . He went on: ‘The cyclist had no chance of avoiding impact with us as he was facing in a forward direction.’ Pc Thomas said he had gripped the handle of the door as it had sped along. After calling for an ambulance and further police assistance, he went to Mr Belmonte, who was lying on the ground groaning with visible facial injuries. Mr Belmonte remained in hospital for two weeks and has no recollection of the incident. Lynch, of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, has previously admitted careless driving but denies the more serious charge of dangerous driving. Mr Belmonte, 31, who was not wearing a helmet, was cycling to his girlfriend’s house in Newington Green and had travelled the route on many occasions before, the court heard. Lynch and his passenger PcThomas were on their way to an incident in the Old Street area when the collision occurred on Queensbridge Road on what was a dry and bright sunny day. Opening the case, prosecutor Sam Brown told jurors that Lynch had pleaded guilty to the careless driving charge. He added: ‘Through that admission he accepts that his driving on this day in March fell below that of a competent and careful driver. ‘The prosecution however allege that his conduct amounts to more than careless driving but that of dangerous driving. ‘And what is alleged in this case is that the defendant’s driving was to fall far below the standard expected of a competent and careful driver and that it would be obvious to a careful and competent driver that driving in that way would be dangerous. ‘These allegations represent serious, avoidable and ultimately criminal failures by a police officer.’ Witness Kathleen Coyle, who was standing on the pavement nearby, said she heard the police van as it approached with its sirens blaring. In a statement read out to the court, she described how the van lifted 18 inches above the ground as it went over the bridge, then landed heavily in the middle of the road and swerved left to avoid a traffic island in the middle. She said: ‘It looked as though the driver lost control. ‘It swerved first towards the middle of the road and then in the other direction.’ She said she saw the cyclist end up ‘wrapped around a tree’. She added: ‘He looked like a ragdoll. He looked like he was dead.’ A statement was also read out from Mr Belmonte. He said he had no recollection of the incident as he was heavily sedated. But he added that he was an experienced cyclist, was fully aware of the road at the time and did not have any headphones in. Sergeant Paul Tydeman, a senior collision investigator with the north-east London road collision unit, said he attended the scene of the accident at 4.20pm that day. He told jurors the police van had been travelling at 68mph as it approached the bridge but had then braked to 63mph as it went over it and reduced to 45mph as it hit Mr Belmonte. He also pointed to evidence that the vehicle’s wheels had left the ground as it went over the bridge and said that two gauge marks in the road indicated where it had then scraped the ground as it came back down. He said: ‘I’d say the driver was having to fight quite hard to control the vehicle at the point that contact was made with the cyclist. ‘Pc Lynch was responding to this call for assistance but in my opinion he misjudged the severity of the hazard that was presented by the bridge, approaching as he did at 68mph. ‘It was because of that speed he was unable to retain proper control of his vehicle as he approached the brow of the bridge. ‘It was while he was trying to keep or retain control of the vehicle that the collision occurred with Mr Belmonte.’ No details of singer-songwriter Mr Belmonte’s injuries were given in court. The trial continues. Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | British Transport Police Pc David Lynch, 31, has admitted careless driving but denies the more serious charge of dangerous driving .
Eyewitnesses described all four of vehicle's wheels leaving the ground as it sped .
over the bridge before slamming into musician Joseph Belmonte . |
75,121 | d4fba971b51e3ac1d84035c975070af71f092fce | Dutch side Feyenoord want to take Marko Arnautovic on loan from Stoke City. The Austria international has held talks with manager Mark Hughes over his lack of first-team starts this season and is keen to get his career back on track. Hughes does not want to lose the 25-year-old but is keen to bring in another forward in the January transfer window which could push Arnautovic further down the pecking order. Marko Arnautovic (left) is wanted on loan by Feyenoord but Stoke City are keen to keep hold of him . Arnautovic, who fractured his arm last week but played for Austria against Russia at the weekend wearing a plaster cast, has started just four Premier League games this term and just once since August. He said: 'It's not going the way I dreamed at the moment. I cannot say why the manager isn't picking me. I asked him what I needed to do, but that will remain between me and him.' Arnautovic, who joined for £2million from Werder Bremen in 2013, was watched by Feyenoord's scouts at the weekend and played for the club's coach Fred Rutten at FC Twente. The Austrian international (right) is becoming frustrated at his lack of first-team chances at Stoke . | Marko Arnautovic is becoming frustrated at a lack of first-team starts .
Dutch side Feyenoord want to sign Austrian on loan in January .
Stoke City boss Mark Hughes keen to keep hold of Arnautovic .
Hughes also wants to bring another forward to the Britannia Stadium . |
189,399 | 81461b56420a3d3b55bb4140ebfdb72fcaf1622e | By . Sarah Michael for Daily Mail Australia . and Amy Ziniak for Daily Mail Australia . New details about repeated calls made to Malaysian airliner MH370 shortly after it disappeared from radar suggest the missing plane turned south earlier than previously thought and may alter the planned search area. A year long deep sea search of the Indian Ocean is set commence in September, six months after the plane first went missing. Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the search area could be extended farther south based on analysis of the calls airline officials made to plane from the ground. Scroll down for video . In Canberra, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss (pictured right) met with his Malaysian (pictured left) and Chinese counterparts and said they were cautiously optimistic the aircraft will be recovered with a one year deep sea search to begin in September . Crew aboard the Australian defence vessel, Ocean Shield, as they look for the missing Malaysian airlines plane MH370. A year long search will commence in September . Investigators have only recently worked out a way to analyse the call data despite having access to it for months, Associated Press reported. Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan said he would meet with international experts next week to decide whether the 60,000 square kilometre (23,000 square mile) targeted search area should be extended or shifted further south based on the new analysis. 'We think we may extend that area farther south; that's the thing we're currently considering,' he said . The new analysis applies to satellite data from the first of two satellite phone calls Malaysia Airlines ground staff attempted to make to Flight 370's crew. In Canberra, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss (pictured left) met with his Malaysian (middle) and Chinese counterparts (right) and said they were cautiously optimistic the aircraft will be recovered. By the time the calls were attempted, the plane had become invisible to civilian radar. It had flown west without communications past Sumatra and beyond the range of Malaysian military radar. Mr Dolan said the new analysis suggested the jet was already flying south when the first phone call was attempted less than 20 minutes after the plane dropped off military radar. 'Previously, there was the possibility that it could have been quite a bit later, so we had to do our modelling based on a range of possibilities as to where the aircraft turned,' he said. 'We're now more confident that it turned comparatively early. That does make a difference to how we prioritise the search along the seventh arc,' he added, referring to the area where satellite information from a jet engine transmitter suggests the plane ran out of fuel and crashed. The southern part of the search zone will be prioritised looking for MH370 and will see towed vehicles equipped with sonar . and video cameras, dragged along the sea floor, off the coast of Perth. In Canberra, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss met with his Malaysian and Chinese counterparts and said they were cautiously optimistic the aircraft will be recovered. The 1.1 million square kilometres search zone remains the same size but authorities have been able to make refinements with satellite data. MH370 Underwater search areas planning map. A year long deep sea search for the missing Malaysian airlines plane will commence in September . 'The (data) expanded our knowledge of the area, indicating depths up to 1500 metres deeper than previously known, and . the identification of two underwater volcanos,' said Mr Truss. The expensive $52 million pricetag will be split between Australia and Malaysia. 'We have so far committed and spent about $15 million (AUD) and we are also going to match the Australians in the . tender cost for this search for MH370. We need to find the plane, we need to find the black box to come to a conclusion,' said Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai. Buzzfeed reported that Australia had budgeted up to $90 million over the next two years to find the plane but there's question over whether . it would be extended over that period. 'Malaysia’s pledge continued and unwavering support in response to the unprecedented nature and scale of this event through our financial commitment, technical expertise, equipment, and stamina in our search for answers,' said Mr Truss. But It's a race against time. More than 200 people have been employed by Dutch surveying group Fugro to get the job done as quickly as possible. They have a one-year deadline in which to find wreckage of the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, before they will be forced to move on by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). On board with the Fugro Equator as crews prepare surveying equipment for the next stage of the search for MH370 . Fugro must follow the lead provided by the ATSB. Forming part of its contractual arrangements is that the current search site is to be analysed for a maximum of 12 months. ‘We know the time frame we have is about a year, after that we’ll be working in a new box as provided by the ATSB – they’re always refining their data and if they decide before that it (the plane wreckage) may be further south or north, they can order us to move at any time,' said Fugro Managing Director, Steve Duffield. ‘There’s certainly no time to waste.' ‘We’ve got one year to search inside our designated box, if you like, before moving on.' The images (below) of the search process which have been provided to Daily Mail Australia by Fugro, give a sense of what the Dutch team is up against. The Fugro, which is 65 metres long, is highlighted by the small circle, dwarfed by the great expanses of the southern Indian Ocean. It has just returned to the area after a crew change. In a setback for the operation, Mr Duffield said the sister ship, Furgo Discovery, has had to be diverted via West Africa and away from the Suez Canal 'because we were worried about pirates, even though we went through the process of hardening the boat'. That included placing barbed wire right about Discovery to try and prevent any potential hijacking. It should arrive in mid-September, about 10 days later than expected. 'I’ve got guys visiting factories all around the world looking for the necessary equipment to make this a success,' Mr Duffield said. Surveying crews are working against time to give a more accurate account of the sea-bed ahead of sensors being sent down. In some cases there will be a drop of 5000 metres but there are differences of up to 500 metres in some areas which need to be mapped before scanning equipment is sent down. Using its advanced survey vessel, the Fugro Equator, fitted with state-of-the art multibeam echosounder equipment, Fugro is conducting a bathymetric survey of the search area. The seabed data obtained will assist in the production of maps of the seabed off Western Australia. Fugro will spend more than $52 million in the next year in the search for MH370. 200 personnel will work on the project and are 'finding equipment from factories all around the world' Mapping work continues in the area designated by the ATSB, as Fugro try to make the most of every possible minute. ‘They (the ATSB) have done most of the research and determined the suitable box in which we should operate,’ he said. That ‘box’ he refers to is in fact 60,000 square kilometres of the southern Indian Ocean, an area approximately the size of Tasmania, 1600 kilometres off the West Australian coast. ‘We are looking for a debris field at the end of the day and we’re basing it on a lot of methodology from previous searches,’ Mr Duffield said. Optimistically, he added that ‘we expect to see a debris field’. ‘We are also expecting, in a worst-case scenario, that we will see an engine because one of our proving tests shows that we can identify 2 metre by 2 metre cubed object. Inside the control room on board the Fugro Equator where teams will monitor the progress of search equipment scouring the sea bed of the southern Indian Ocean for debris from MH370 . The Equator with a new crew on board is now on its way out to the southern Indian Ocean for a third mission searching for the wreckage of MH370. Fugro has 200 people working on the project, around the world . ‘We’ll run over our proving range and start mowing the lawn, so to speak. That's when we tow our sensors along the bottom. 'That's very difficult because of what is down there and part of why the Blue Fins were unsuccessful - it's very deep water we're working in and there are variances of up to 500 metres or more in some places. ‘But our expectations coupled with the data we have gathered to date, is that it is sitting proud somewhere on the sea-bed. ‘I’m not really sure how this will search will end up, it’s a massive area about the size of Tasmania and the engine you could equate to the size of two big blokes – not an easy task.’ The search conducted by the Dutch firm Fugro will focus on a 60,000 square kilometre stretch of the Indian Ocean off the WA coast . Fugro CEO Rob Luijnenburg with a model of the two ships which are involved in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 . MH370 went missing on March 8 on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, including six . Australians and 153 Chinese nationals. Initial analysis of radar data and satellite communication messages following its disappearance indicated it most likely crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, 2,500km south-west of Perth. But despite an international search effort led by Australia and operated out of the Pearce Air Force base in Perth, no debris from the plane has been found. Troubled carrier Malaysia Airlines is set to be de-listed and made private as part of a major restructure following the twin disasters of MH370 and MH17 . The first phase of the search for the missing plane was a surface search of probable impact areas, conducted by an international fleet of aircraft and ships, which concluded on April 28. An acoustic search, accompanied by a search of the ocean floor in the vicinity of the acoustic detentions was then conducted, also without success. The ocean floor search was completed on May 28. As part of a major restructure, the Malaysian Government recently confirmed that the troubled airline will be de-listed and made private. Significant job losses are expected. The overhaul comes after three unprofitable years and the double disasters of MH370 and MH17. Mr Truss and Mr Lai also discussed ongoing recovery efforts for MH17 - the Malaysia Airlines jet downed by a missile . strike over eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing 298 people, including 38 Australians. | A year long deep sea search for MH370 to start in September .
New details about calls made to the airliner shortly after it dropped off radar suggest the plane turned south earlier than previously thought .
Officials are now considering shifting the search zone farther south .
$52 million search cost split between Australia and Malaysia .
New images show how Fugro crews will conduct sea-bed search for MH370 .
Vehicles will search sea floor, 1600km off West Australian coast .
Malaysia Airlines passenger plane, carrying 239 people, vanished in March . |
284,113 | fc19cf092fe9dc2c1ea837396014028ea904077d | A TV presenter in Serbia almost lost her job as a sports reporter because she was so attractive she was distracting the footballers she was reporting on. The organisers of the television show dedicated to the Serbian capital Belgrade's team Red Star had been looking for a presenter for the show and decided to employ 25-year-old Katarina Sreckovic. But they were less than impressed when her attempts to ask intelligent questions about the game fell on deaf ears with the footballers, who were apparently unable to concentrate on answering properly. Katarina Sreckovic pictured on the sideline at Red Star's home ground Stadion Crvena Zvezda . Sports reporter Katarina Sreckovic pictured in action for the Serbian club's TV show . Katarina Sreckovic admitted her attractiveness had been an issue but players have now grown used to her. Pictured right is a photo she uploaded to social media with a caption that loosely translates to: 'Come on Star!' She said: 'I admit it was a problem at the start but I think they've got used to me now. It was tough though because for a while it seemed as if they might not be able to work with me at all. 'I was also asked to go away a couple of times because I was a distraction on the pitch, and players complained that they couldn't concentrate.' But she said she had fought her corner, and insisted that the players would eventually get used to her, and they did. She said: 'I am really happy, because I am also a huge fan of Red Star and this is my dream job.' In the past she used to date a junior player, but nowadays she has an non-footballer boyfriend who nevertheless is also a huge fan of the same club. As well as being a passionate fan of football she is a graduate in Chinese and literature. Red Star used to be European Champions at the beginning of the 1990s. The club is now in a severe financial crisis, but is still one of the two most important clubs in the country and has the biggest fan base of supporters. Katarina Sreckovic has an non-footballer boyfriend who is also a huge fan of Belgrade Red Star. Here she is pictured in an official club t-shirt . Katarina Sreckovic kicks a football during a segment on the Red Star Belgrade TV show . The TV sports reporter pulls funny faces for the camera in a series of selfies uploaded to social media . Although her attractiveness was an issue at first, she insisted she wanted to continue working in the role and says her current position is her 'dream job' | Serbian TV reporter almost lost her job because she was so attractive .
Katarina Sreckovic, 25, works as a presenter for Red Star Belgrade TV show .
Bosses unimpressed when the team's players became distracted by her .
Initially it was a problem but players have now grown used to her presence .
Sreckovic is passionate Red Star fan and graduate in Chinese and literature . |
11,546 | 20d2aa5a8e5baa399739ec924a9e594e345a0522 | Dave Ki staged a dramatic return to the Rangers power battle on Friday in a move that places huge pressure on the current boardroom regime. The South Africa-based businessman purchased a near 15 per cent stake in the club by buying up shares held by fund managers Artemis and Miton. Former Ibrox director King is acting independently of the group comprising wealthy supporters Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor, who bought out Laxey Partners earlier this week to raise their total holding to 19 per cent. Dave King (centre) watches the Champions League clash between Liverpool and Real Madrid in October . However, the two parties share similar aims and could count on further support from various fan factions and other figures associated with the club who have a combined stake in excess of 10 per cent. Sportsmail believes that one of the parties may also have negotiated proxies from an institution to further increase an emerging power base that could force a New Year revolution. A call for an extraordinary general meeting aimed at removing current directors is now a real possibility. However, it was claimed on Friday that one shareholder has lodged a complaint with the takeover commission, believing King is working in concert with the Park consortium in a bid to seize control. Takeover panel rules dictate that if a consortium crosses the 29.9 per cent threshold it must make an offer to buy the rest of the company. King and the Park-Letham-Taylor group have 34 per cent between them but are adamant they are separate entities. King had previously spearheaded a £16million investment package that was rejected by the Rangers board in favour of a £2m loan from Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, subsequently raised to £3m. The Ibrox club is now facing a financial crisis, admitting on Friday that cash received from the £1m sale of Lewis Macleod to Brentford ‘will be used for immediate working capital’. Asked why he had moved, King told Sportsmail: ‘Because the board rejected my attempts to issue new shares to me and thereby get much-needed money into the club, which was my stated preference.’ Rangers captain Lee McCulloch applauds the club's travelling fans after their humiliating 4-0 defeat by Hibs . He stressed a willingness to work with any ‘like-minded’ group but stated he would ‘consult with other stakeholders before deciding’ future plans. King claimed his move was not influenced by the acquisition made by Park, Letham and Taylor but by ‘the availability of shares’. Of the decision to sell by Artemis and Miton, he added: ‘I believe they just lost faith in the present board and its ability to move the club forward.’ Subsequently asked whether an EGM was a likelihood in terms of bringing about boardroom change, King replied: ‘It may become necessary.’ Laxey Partners chairman Colin Kingsnorth said earlier this week that his firm had sold up to Park, Letham and Taylor to provide credible opposition to Ashley’s ambitions at Ibrox. The Sports Direct tycoon currently owns around nine per cent of Rangers and is limited to a 10-per- cent stake by a past agreement with the SFA. The governing body rejected a move for that to be increased to 29.9 per cent on Christmas Eve and Ashley’s next move is still awaited. He already has ally Derek Llambias in position as chief executive at Ibrox, while Sports Direct executive Barry Leach has been tipped to become finance director. However, asked how he viewed Ashley’s influence on the future of the club, King replied: ‘He has no real interest in the club — only in Sports Direct. I don’t view him as being significant going forward.’ King (third right), a former Rangers director, pictured at Ibrox with the league trophy in May 2010 . Second-placed Rangers are 15 points adrift of Hearts at the top of the Scottish Championship . A statement from Rangers to the Stock Exchange confirmed King’s share purchase and the vehicle he had used. It read: ‘The company was informed on 2 January 2015 that New Oasis Investments Limited, a company 100% owned by the Family Trust of Dave King, acquired 11,869,505 ordinary shares in the company on 2 January 2015.’ ‘Following the transaction, New Oasis will be interested in 11,869,505 ordinary shares in the company, representing approximately 14.57 per cent of the issued share capital.’ Ashley has previously received backing from a 26-per-cent shareholding block for which Sandy Easdale holds voting rights. The Rangers football board chairman could now find his position under threat, as could brother James — a non-executive director — and PLC chairman David Somers. Sandy Easdale and King became locked in a war of words after the latter’s investment offer was turned down. But Easdale family adviser Jack Irvine said on Friday: ‘Sandy is pleased Dave King has shown goodwill and bought these shares and he hopes it leads to further investment in the club.’ A Stock Exchange statement from Rangers earlier yesterday formally confirmed the purchase by Park, Letham and Taylor. Highly-rated Scotland Under 21 midfielder Lewis Macleod (above) is leaving Rangers for Brentford . | Dave King purchased more than 11 million Rangers shares on Friday .
The move was confirmed by the club in a stock market announcement .
King purchased the shares from institutional investors Artemis and Milton . |
214,912 | a23a7969a1d7d8dbabfaa7c2771b3a5a59ec29aa | By . Louise Boyle . David Wise, 52, is on trial at Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis for the alleged rape of his ex-wife . A mother-of-two has accused her ex-husband of drugging and raping her while she was passed out, then taking sordid videos of the attacks with his cellphone. The 36-year-old woman, who has not been identified, testified on Monday against her former husband David Wise, 52, at Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis. She has accused Wise of drugging her several times during their 12-year marriage and once, she woke up with a pill dissolving in her mouth. She told the jury that at times she woke up feeling like her body had been 'messed with', according to the Indianapolis Star. The woman, who barely looked at Wise, said that there were times that she woke up not wearing any underwear but had no memory of taking it off. She said that later she found three sex videos of herself on her husband's cellphone in 2008. She said that she recognized her husband's hand with his wedding ring in the videos. The couple divorced in 2009. Wise is facing rape and criminal deviate charges. The videos of his alleged assaults will be shown to jurors as part of the trial. The alleged rapes took place two-and-a-half years before the woman reported them to police. She said that she didn't report the attacks sooner because she didn't want her son and daughter to grow up without a father. Defense attorney Elizabeth Milliken said that Wise's wife was 16 years younger than him and liked to drink and smoke marijuana, going out regularly with her friends. Ms Milliken said that the jury should be skeptical of the authenticity of the videos. The prosecution also plans to provide evidence of letters and emails that Wise wrote to his ex-wife, admitting to taking advantage of her. The trial is expected to end this week. The mother-of-two testified during a jury trial at Marion Superior Court (pictured) in Indianapolis this week. She claims that her ex-husband raped her and took videos of the attack on his cellphone while she was unconscious . | David Wise, 52, is facing rape and criminal deviate charges in Indiana .
His ex-wife, 36, who has not been identified, told the court that she would wake up feeling like her body 'had been messed with'
She claimed to have found sex videos of herself on her husband's phone in 2008; the couple divorced the following year . |
118,544 | 251293e1ab5dbf1c1cc9916c9bfc3195f90209c8 | Twitter users have complained the service has been resending their direct messages and notifications. Users of Tweetdeck and the firm's apps say when they log in, they are being shown all of their notifications from the last 24 hours. Some also say their private messages have been resent. Hundreds of users have taken to the social network to complain abut the 'groundhog day' issue . The firm has admitted to the problem, tweeting 'Some users may be receiving delayed or duplicate notifications.' 'We're aware of the issue and are working on a fix.' it said. The problem is affecting both direct messages and the notifications Twitter sends users if they are mentioned in a tweet. For some users of the app, the are bombarded with all of these mentions when they first log on. It is believed the problems may even have affected Twitter's staff. An official Twitter account for the company's chief financial officer unleashed a barrage of spam posts on Tuesday in what may have been a hack or a glitch. Anthony Noto's account @anthonynoto for a brief time fired off terse, slangy missives inviting people to click on a link that promised funny video or other reward, depending on the post. The posts were quickly removed by Twitter. 'His account was sending spam Tweets,' a Twitter spokesperson told AFP. 'We've locked the account down and deleted the Tweets.' There was no indication any of Noto's account information was accessed, according to the spokesperson. Rogue posts in Twitter accounts could be the work of hackers, but they could also be caused by bugs in third-party applications intended to work with the one-to-many messaging service, according to the San Francisco-based company. Noto has been vexed before by his Twitter account. Late last year he accidentally shot off a public tweet about an acquisition the company was considering. | Twitter 'working on a fix' for the issue .
Hundreds taken to social network to complain abut the issue .
Believed bug affects both direct messages and notifications of mentions . |
88,986 | fc8ac64bc29f55cbcad364153f95679aedba0175 | By . Daily Mail . PUBLISHED: . 10:37 EST, 21 August 2013 . UPDATED: . 12:03 EST, 21 August 2013 . A Florida judge has declared a mistrial in a baby death case after the child's mother testified that her ex-boyfriend threatened to shoot her son in the face - information that was previously agreed upon as being inadmissible in court. Hillsborough Circuit Judge William Fuente reluctantly called off the trial of Tampa man Richard McTear on Tuesday, ruling Jasmine Bedwell, 22, had poisoned proceedings with the alleged threat and there was no way for the jury to ignore it. McTear is accused of murdering Bedwell's son, Emanuel Murray Jr., by throwing the three-month-old out the window of a moving car in 2009. Mistrial: Jasmine Bedwell, pictured center in 2009, made the claim on the stand on Monday despite a court order that it should not be mentioned at this trial as it is irrelevant . Bedwell's claim that her 25-year-old ex-boyfriend threatened to shoot her and her son and urinate on the child came up originally in a 2010 trial where McTear was found not guilty of battering her. Prior to the commencement of this week's trial, the court ruled the phone call should not be introduced because it was part of a previous trial - where McTear was ultimately acquitted for assault - and was therefore irrelevant in the murder case. But Bedwell, a key witness, gasped out the allegation amid tears as soon as she took the stand on Monday. 'The jurors heard testimony they should not have heard under any circumstances. In this court's conclusion, a mistrial is necessary,' Fuente said on Tuesday morning. 'I'll say this: I do this with extreme reluctance. I'm not suggesting that any counsel did anything inappropriate.' The mistrial ruling will require a new round of jury selection, which is unlikely to happen before December. McTear, who if convicted could be sentenced to death, will remain in jail as he awaits a new trial. Richard McTear (left) listens to attorneys talk with the judge in court today in Florida . On Monday, Assistant State Attorney Ron Gale had asked Bedwell about phone calls from McTear the day before Emanuel's death. Bedwell replied saying McTear had called her and 'told me that he was going to come over and shoot my baby in the face and p*** on him, in his face, and he was going to kill both of us.' Gale acknowledged Bedwell's testimony was 'clearly... a violation' of the court order but he said he had not expected her to refer to the phone call, which took place about six weeks before her son's death. Tragic: Three-month-old Emanuel Murray Jr. pictured, was killed after allegedly being thrown out of a moving car by McTear . However, he added that he had not specicially told her not to mentioin in their preparations for testimony. 'It did not come up,' Gale said. Legal experts applauded Fuente's decision, adding that proper trial procedure must be followed in death penalty cases because convictions are intensively reviewed on appeal. Monday was the first day of McTear's first-degree murder trial. McTear's lawyers argue that there is not enough evidence to show his client is responsible for the baby's death. Prosecutors claim McTear entered Bedwell's apartment by force in May, 2009 and beat her before . throwing the baby carrier against the wall while the child was inside . it, ABC Action News reported. He then allegedly drove off with the child and threw him out onto the motorway. An off-duty TV cameraman spotted the child's body lying by the side of the motorway in Tampa. Jason Bird said he thought it was a toy doll - until he saw the baby's eyes. A huge manhunt was launched for McTear who had previous convictions for domestic violence and other violent crimes. He was found hiding at a friend's house several hours after the incident and was arrested by police. Trial: Richard McTear (handcuffed center) was escorted into the courtroom for opening statements in his case on Monday in Florida . Shocked: Hillsborough Assistant State Attorney Ron Gale told the judge he didn't expect Bedwell to bring up the inadmissible conversation . Authorities in Tampa said Bedwell had called police to her home in the early hours of May 4, 2009. She alleged she was being attacked by McTear, who is not the father of her son. Bedwell, . who was then 17, told police her ex-boyfriend grabbed her son and threw . him down onto the pavement. He then picked him up in his carrier and raced off. Police were about to issue an Amber . Alert for a kidnapping when the baby's body was found by the side of . I-275, the main motorway leading into Tampa on Florida's Gulf Coast. TV . cameraman Bird, who was on his way to work for a local station, said: . 'Just out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw some trash on the . side of the road. But the more I thought about it, I saw eyes. 'It flipped me out, and I started shaking and said, 'It's a doll, a baby doll.' ' Police in Florida said Bedwell had sought a court injunction to keep McTear away from her family. Shocked bystanders gather near the spot where the baby was found in May, 2009, just off Interstate 275 in Florida . Jasmine Bedwell (pictured left in 2009) became pregnant again after losing her son but her second child was taken away by the state in 2012 . But after she failed to turn up for the court hearing the matter was dropped. McTear is known to police in Tampa and was arrested in 2008 on assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery. In 2010, Jasmine Bedwell found out she was pregnant again and gave birth to another son in September of that year. But . in January of 2012, she had her second child taken away by the . Department of Children and Families after a judge ruled the boy, A'Jon, . was in danger. Her boyfriend at the time had been convicted of cocaine and marijuana distribution and carrying a concealed weapon. | Florida judge William Fuente reluctantly called off the trial of Tampa man Richard McTear on Tuesday .
Jasmine Bedwell, 22, had poisoned proceedings with the alleged threat and there was no way for the jury to ignore it .
Bedwell's remarks had been ruled inadmissible because they had been part of a previous trial where McTear was ultimately acquitted for assault .
New jury will be selected but trial is unlikely to begin again until December .
Richard McTear allegedly beat his ex-girlfriend before driving off with her infant and throwing it onto a Florida Interstate .
He could get the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder . |
223,714 | ada7bc73d4c8efbbd5cbb97457d212add15e42fb | By . Chris Pleasance . A jealous boyfriend who stabbed his partner 83 times with four different knives after wrongly accusing her of having an affair has been jailed for life. Cornelius Brown, 23, tortured and killed 30-year-old Jade Riley-Ward in the kitchen of her house in Somercotes, Derbyshire, in September last year. Brown then called his mother and asked her to come to the house where, still covered in his girlfriend's blood, he begged her to kill him because he 'wasn't man enough to do it.' Cornelius Brown, 23, (left) has been sentenced to life in prison after stabbing his girlfriend Jade Riley-Ward 83 times with four different knives after she told him she 'wanted space' Nottingham Crown Court heard that Jade and Brown had known each other since childhood, as Jade had been his babysitter, and they started a relationship in January 2012. But Brown's 'jealous streak' soon became apparent and nine days before her death, Jade sent Brown a text message saying she 'wanted space'. In a jealous rage, Brown became convinced that Jade was having an affair behind his back. On September 22 last year Brown visited Jade's house with mutual friend Wayne Roberts who left before Brown began his attack. Sentencing Brown to life with 20 years before being considered for parole, Judge Jonathan Teare said: 'Your attack on Jade Riley-Ward was deliberate, vicious and prolonged. 'It would not be wrong to describe it as torture. You used up to four knives to inflict 52 individual cuts on her head, face, torso and back. 'She tried to defend herself to the point that there were another 31 defence wounds to her hands and arms. She tried to stop you and not one of those knife wounds killed her outright. She essentially bled to death at your hands.' Prosecutor Richard Thatcher explained that after the killing Brown had walked around the house, leaving bloody footprints on the carpet while smoking three cigarettes. He added: 'At 3.39pm the defendant made a call to his mother. The defendant had spent a little time walking around the property. 'The defendant's mother arrived at the house by taxi and emerged from it a short time later screaming. It was a tragic 30 minutes that ended with the horrific death of Miss Riley-Ward.' Brown was sentenced to life in jail after pleading guilty to the 'vicious and prolonged' attack . The court heard that during the attack a neighbour had heard a cutlery drawer rattling and the sound of Jade screaming, while a 16-year-old boy walking past had heard Brown shout 'don't make me do it'. Jade also tried to call Mr Roberts but he said the line was cut off and when he phoned her back, four calls went to voicemail. In Brown's defence, Patrick Thompson said: 'Nothing I can say can minimise the suffering and impact on Jade Riley-Ward's family and friends, who have lost a much-loved woman. 'The real mitigation is his guilty plea. He has never denied responsibility for the killing. 'This was an act carried out in the heat of the moment, there is no evidence it was pre-meditated and clearly he was emotionally immature. 'He lost his temper and committed the most dreadful, dreadful act. He bitterly regrets what took place, he did not try to cover his tracks and blame someone else.' Speaking outside court, Jade's mother, Maria, paid tribute to her daughter as a lively, vibrant and life-loving woman with many friends. She added: 'Since her death my life has been full of dark days that only the mother who has lost her only child can have. 'Nothing can bring my daughter back. Her life ended at the hands of someone who is evil and barbaric. | Cornelius Brown, 23, has been sentenced to life in prison for murder .
Stabbed girlfriend Jade Riley-Ward 83 times in September last year .
Wrongly accused Jade of having an affair before torturing her .
Brown then got his mother to come to the house where he asked her to kill him because he 'wasn't man enough to do it' |
274,083 | ef01597fa7bb5b6b344d8a064d2605d4672af291 | Atlanta (CNN) -- Jackie Gingrich, the first wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the mother of his two daughters, died Wednesday in Atlanta, according to the funeral home organizing her arrangements. She was 77. The Almon Funeral Home in Carrollton, Georgia, did not give her cause of death, but Gingrich had battled cancer for years. Jackie Gingrich never talked on camera about her marriage to the former speaker, which ended in 1980. Questions about their divorce have dogged her ex-husband for the past three decades, emerging again in late 2011 as he made a bid for the Republican nomination for president. Newt Gingrich married Marianne Ginther, a 28-year-old congressional staffer, six months after his divorce from Jackie was final. Jackie Gingrich was born Jacqueline May Battley on February 21, 1936, in Columbus, Georgia, the oldest of four children, the funeral home said. She earned a mathematics degree from Auburn College in just three years so her sister, Carol, could start college right after high school, it said. "Strong in her belief in God, she credited prayer, as well as medicine, for saving her life numerous times," the home said. "For decades, she served as a deacon and a volunteer at the First Baptist Church in Carrollton. She loved her church, her red hat ladies, bridge club, retired teachers lunch bunch and investment group." Jackie Gingrich taught mathematics at high schools in South Georgia and retired around the time her grandchildren were born so she could spend more time with them, the funeral home said. She spent her last year at an Atlanta retirement home. "Smart, spunky, determined, funny, a fighter -- she had sparkling blue eyes, a constant smile on her face and loved her family and friends. She was the first in her family to graduate from college and, at a time when math was considered by many to be a man's field, was often the only woman in her college math classes," the home said. People we've lost in 2013 . | New Gingrinch's ex-wife battled cancer for years .
She never talked on camera about their marriage, which ended in 1980 .
She taught high school math when it "was considered by many to be a man's field"
She was "smart" and "spunky" and "strong in her belief in God" |
283,587 | fb588a2ac142e6d0613586fdf0f516bf6caf76b6 | The family of a teacher killed in the Sandy Hook school massacre has applied to trademark her name in an attempt to stop others from misusing it on social media. Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who authorities have said hid students and tried to shield others from Adam Lanza, the gunman who killed 20 children and six women on December 14, 2012. Eleven students in her classroom survived. Jillian Soto says people have set up fake social media accounts using her sister's name, many of which promote conspiracy theories about the massacre, and some of which are used to harass her and other family members. Trademark: Jillian Soto, center, with sister Carlee Soto, left and brother Carlos Soto, the siblings of Victoria Soto has applied to trademark to Victoria Soto's name in an attempt to stop others from misusing it . Victim: Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who authorities said hid students and tried to shield others from the gunman who killed 20 children and six women . Conspiracy theorists: Carlee Soto (left) wants people to stop using her deceased sister Victoria Soto's (right) name for their own conspiracy theories . 'Vicki did a heroic thing, there are 11 kids that are alive today because of the actions of my sister,' she said. 'And we don't need anything negative to be tied to her name any longer.' She said the misuse of her sister's name also makes it harder for people to find links to the Vicki Soto Memorial Fund, which raises money for scholarships for aspiring educators. Ryan Graney, who helps the Soto family run its social media sites, said every time an abusive or unauthorized Twitter account appears, she has to fill out a form and send it to the company. Twitter then does an investigation and determines whether the account violates the company's policies and should be removed. She said the family applied for the trademark protection on Monday in the hopes of expediting that process. 'Now we can say, "Look they can't use this name, it has to come down right now,"' she said. The gunman: Adam Lanza shot 20 children and six women in the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012 . Victims: Pictured are the children who died at the hands of gunman Adam Lanza during the Sandy Hook massacre in December of 2012 . Nu Wexler, a Twitter spokesman, declined to comment in an email, but pointed to the company's impersonation policy, which says accounts can be permanently suspended if they are deemed to be 'portraying another person in a confusing or deceptive manner.' The Connecticut Attorney General's office said it has not received any formal complaints from Sandy Hook families about abuse on Twitter. 'We did follow up on complaints that families had made regarding Facebook pages, and did find Facebook to be responsive to our concerns,' said spokeswoman Jaclyn Falkowski. 'We would encourage families to contact our office about problems they're experiencing on Twitter so that we might be able to offer our assistance.' Horrifying moment: Following the massacre, a photograph of Victoria's sister Carlee was snapped as she screamed into her cellphone, the agony etched on her face, her hand placed over her broken heart . After the massacre: Donna Soto, right, hugs her daughter Carlee while mourning their loss with Victoria's other siblings, Jillian, far left, and Matthew Soto, second from left, at a candlelight vigil . Victoria Soto had worked at Sandy Hook Elementary for five years. Her final moments were spent ushering her students into a closet when Lanza entered her classroom and she tried her best to shield the children from the gunman. Following the massacre, a photograph of Victoria's sister Carlee was snapped as she screamed into her cellphone, the agony etched on her face, her hand placed over her broken heart. This is the moment she found out her sister Victoria was dead. This iconic image is one that has come to represent the horror of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, in which 20 children and six adults were killed. Now years later, Carlee is trying to protect her sister's name and image and ensure it doesn't get into the hands of conspiracy theorists who are using her sister's name for their own ill-informed gain. | Victoria Soto was a 27-year-old first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School who died while protecting 11 students .
Victoria Soto attempted to shield children from gunman Adam Lanza who killed 20 children and six women on December 14, 2012 .
Sister Jillian Soto says people have set up fake social media accounts using Victoria's name, many of which promote conspiracy theories .
Some even use accounts under Victoria's name to harass her family members . |
284,346 | fc6452b5309eb4bb5d93ead7d00d4e12c69e5086 | By . Ian Parkes, Press Association . Mercedes are to wait until this year's Formula One championship fight has been resolved before continuing new contract talks with Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff announced last month, following the confirmation of a new deal for Nico Rosberg, that negotiations had started with Hamilton about an extension to his own contract. But Wolff does not feel, given the intensity of the battle for this year's title between Hamilton and team-mate Rosberg, that it is right to be taking the Briton's focus away from his bid win a second drivers' crown by talking to him about a new contract. Talks: Mercedes have put discussions with Lewis Hamilton over a new contract on hold for now . Cruising: Hamilton shows off images of himself driving his Zonda through Monaco tunnel . Heated rivalry: Mercedes will not talk with Hamilton while he continues to battle team-mate Nico Rosberg . Mercedes are eager to retain Hamilton, despite the feud that has now erupted between the 29-year-old and Rosberg. On Sunday, Hamilton accused Rosberg of deliberately driving into him on lap two of the Belgian Grand Prix. He was forced to retire late on due to the damage to his car caused by the collision and is now 29 points adrift of Rosberg in the drivers' standings. The drivers and senior team management - Wolff and executive technical director Paddy Lowe - are expected to meet at the team's Brackley base on Friday in a bid to resolve some of the issues between the pair. VIDEO Rosberg rubbishes Hamilton's deliberate hit claims . Clash: Hamilton and Rosberg make collide during the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa . Relaxed: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff (centre) says Hamilton is not talking to any other teams . In terms of the Hamilton discussions, time is on the side of both parties as his current deal does not expire until the end of next year. When asked about the situation, Wolff said: 'We've been talking to one another daily. 'But at this stage things are very intense and you have to stay concentrated on the season. 'One thing is for sure, we are not going to talk to anybody else before having a very clear situation about how we can continue to work with Lewis. 'This is what we have said to each other, that we have no interest in having any other conversation with any other driver. 'We are not having any, and Lewis is not having any discussion with any other team, so this is why we trust each other. 'We feel at the moment we need to be concentrated on the championship and not get involved in contractual discussions, intense discussions, because it is something which is one and a half years in front of us.' | Nico Rosberg is currently battling with Lewis Hamilton for the title .
The Mercedes team-mates continued their fierce rivalry at the Belgian Grand Prix when Hamilton accused the German of crashing into him .
Toto Wolff admits Mercedes have been in talks with Hamilton over a contract extension .
But those discussions will now be put on hold until the end of the season . |
85,500 | f28264dcb4d12feaedb66b6388ec1fc83faf1352 | (CNN) -- Regional leaders meeting in Uganda on Saturday called on a rebel group in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to withdraw from a city seized by its fighters this week and to "stop all war activities." The M23 group must also "stop talk of overthrowing an elected government," said a statement issued by the regional leaders at the end of the Great Lakes region summit in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. It states the rebels should withdraw at least 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Goma and that the U.N. mission for DR Congo, MONUSCO, should monitor the buffer zone. The statement also calls on the Congolese government to listen to and resolve the grievances of the rebels, who took control of the city of Goma on Tuesday after days of fighting with government forces. Rebel leader in Uganda for Congo crisis talks . The M23 group was named for a peace deal reached on March 23, 2009, which it accuses the government of violating. Congolese President Joseph Kabila was among the leaders who attended the conference Saturday aimed at ending the crisis. Rwandan President Paul Kagame was scheduled to attend, but sent his foreign minister instead, Ugandan officials said. Kagame attended monthly community meetings Saturday where residents plant trees, according to his website. The Rwandan president met his Congolese counterpart Tuesday in Uganda. After the meeting, the leaders issued a statement calling on the rebels to pull out of Goma. Rene Abandi, a spokesman for the M23 group, told reporters on the sidelines of the conference Saturday that the rebels' main aim was to force the Congolese president to agree to talks. "We want talks over human rights and insecurity (involving) issues contained in the 2009 truce, which he, Kabila, has refused to implement," Abandi said. The outstanding issues include the sharing out of positions in the national army, an equitable distribution of resources and infrastructure development in eastern DR Congo, Abandi said. "If he (Kabila) does not agree talks now on how we get to implement the 2009 truce, then he will take full responsibility of what will happen later." On Wednesday, another M23 spokesman told crowds at Goma's stadium that his group would fight on. "President Kabila brought war planes and big guns, but he was unable to defeat us. That is a clear sign that we are part of God's plan, we were sent by God and this will not end here," Lt. Col. Vianney Kazarama said. "We will push on to Bukavu, then Kisangani, and finally take Kinshasa and overthrow the government." Rebel march continues in Eastern Congo . The United Nations and some donor countries have accused neighboring Rwanda of backing the M23 by providing it with arms, support and soldiers. Kagame has repeatedly denied the allegation. As the latest conflict flares, aid groups are warning of escalating risks of diseases and abductions facing victims fleeing the violence and uncertainty. International organizations, including Oxfam, World Vision and the United Nations, have been forced to abandon operations in eastern DR Congo. Their exit leaves the area susceptible to a humanitarian crisis, including spreading attacks and children at risk of kidnappings by groups such as the Lord's Resistance Army. "UNHCR is extremely concerned about the situation of displaced people in Democratic Republic of the Congo's North Kivu province, especially children and other vulnerable groups," said Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the world body's refugee agency. Edwards said his agency works in 31 displaced camps that host about 108,000 people in North Kivu. "The fighting has meant that we and our partners have not been able to access most of these areas," he said. "Only Mugunga III just outside Goma can be currently visited." Rebels threaten wider Congo conflict . North and South Kivu face the greatest risk. The Kivus are considered mineral-rich in a country known for its vast reserves of diamonds, gold and copper. The area's potential for wealth has been plundered by greedy warlords. Civil wars -- most recently in the 1990s through 2003 -- have left millions dead and displaced entire generations. On Tuesday, the United Nations moved all but a core team to Rwanda to avoid casualties and urged armed parties to ensure civilians' safety. "In Goma, there have been reports of 60 assaults on civilians to our partners," Edwards said Friday. "Our partners are telling us eight people have been killed, and houses and shops have been looted." Killings included six women, including one who was pregnant and an additional infant, according to Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. The fighting between M23 and the Congolese army has left the Kivus vulnerable to other armed groups, raising the possibility of the Lord's Resistance Army abducting children, said Marixie Mercado, a spokeswoman for the U.N. children's agency. "There are other groups operating in the area, which raises the likelihood of recruitment of children," she said. And the risks are not limited to violence. "Before the crisis started, there were already 27,000 cases of cholera reported in the country," she said. " Running water in Goma has just been restored. It had been shut off for over a week and there are huge numbers of children collecting water from Lake Kivu which obviously raises the risk of disease spreading." The U.N.'s refugee agency estimates that more than 589,000 people have been displaced in North and South Kivu since the beginning of the year. Oxfam estimates that 230,000 are affected by this crisis alone. Rebels seize control of Goma amid clashes . CNN's David McKenzie and Zarifmo Aslamshoyeva contributed to this report. | NEW: Spokesman: Rebels want President Kabila to implement a 2009 truce deal .
Congolese government must listen to the rebels' grievances, regional leaders say .
Rebels must "stop talk of overthrowing an elected government," regional leaders say .
Aid groups abandon operations, leaving eastern DRC susceptible to a humanitarian crisis . |
95,178 | 064cf89a4a9bd053d01c2fa8f4568193bebf9962 | A teen whose boyfriend stabbed her father to death said she was 'glad' he was dead and wished her dad's girlfriend had been murdered too, a forensic psychiatrist testified in court Wednesday. Morgan Lane Arnold, now-16, was in a state of active psychosis when she made the remarks about her father, Dennis Lane, Dr Neil Blumberg said, according to The Baltimore Sun. 'I'm glad he's dead,' Arnold said at one point after she was arrested, according to records read aloud by Blumberg, a witness in her defense, in Howard County Circuit Court. 'My fantasy came true. He disappeared,' she apparently said. Arnold is accused of asking her then-boyfriend, Jason Bulmer, to kill her father. She was 14 at the time of the killing and was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and other counts. No remorse: Morgan Lane Arnold, right, pictured with Jason Bulmer, showed no remorse after her father was murdered . Victim: Dennis Lane was stabbed to death in his home by Bulmer in May 2013 . However, her lawyers are now trying to get her case transferred to the juvenile system and Wednesday was the second day of testimony. Arnold and Bulmer were described as misfits who had an obsession with fantasy characters. Testimony focused on the teen's mental health history, revealing that she has been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, schizoaffective disorder, and Asperger's at various points in her life. According to The Baltimore Sun, mental health experts said Arnold regularly talked of a character named 'Nymeria' whom she said awoke within her and took over her body. Nymeria is the name of a wolf character on 'Game of Thrones.' Blumberg testified that the appearance of Nymeria suggested Arnold suffered hallucinations. However, other psychiatrists disagreed. Adolescent psychologist Kiu Eubanks told the court that Arnold is intellectually 'slow,' with her psychological age somewhere between 9 and 12. Arrest: Jason Bulmer was 19 and Morgan Lane Arnold was 14 when they were charged with murder . The hearing is scheduled to continue August 6. In . deciding whether she should be tried as a juvenile, Judge William . Tucker will take into consideration the girl's health, whether she has . the potential for rehabilitation, and whether she poses a risk to the . public. In February, 20-year-old Bulmer pleaded guilty to murdering Lane because Arnold was 'sick of him'. Bulmer . admitted stabbing the businessman and blogger several times with a . kitchen knife at the family's Ellicott City home last May. The court heard that Bulmer and his victim's daughter had been planning the killing on Skype for nearly two months. At his hearing, Bulmer, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in May, made no statements and only answered direct questions. Assistant state attorney, Danielle DuClaux gave an account of the murder, which took place at about 4am on May 10 last year. Target: Charging documents show Bulmer had intended to kill Denise Geiger, left, as well as Dennis Lane . Crime scene: Arnold is said to have left a door unlocked so Bulmer could slip into her home and kill her father . She read out conversations between . Bulmer and his teenage girlfriend, who is awaiting trial on five counts . including murder, conspiracy and solicitation of murder. According to DuClax, Bulmer told police that his girlfriend had told him to kill her father, the Baltimore Sun reported. He had also planned to kill Mr Lane's fiancée, Denise Geiger, who was in the house and called police as Bulmer began his attack. Charging . documents show that Bulmer claimed he was instructed by his girlfriend . to stab her father in the throat 10 times with a kitchen carving knife, . and Ms Geiger in the throat 15 times with the same weapon. When detectives asked why Miss Geiger was to be stabbed five times more , Bulmer, who was only in the 10th grade, told detectives that Arnold had said: 'I have my reasons, and I'll tell you later.' Bulmer was instructed to bring his own knife to the house, which Arnold, who has Asperger's syndrome and anxiety disorders, shared with her dad and Miss Geiger. He sent his younger girlfriend a photo of a kitchen knife in a text message, checking for her approval, charging documents showed. Plot: Bulmer and Arnold allegedly planned the murder over Skype, a court heard in Bulmer's case . Murder charge: Morgan Lane Arnold, who has learning difficulties, will likely be tried as an adult . Bond: Bulmer started dating Arnold, 14, after they met through an online game . Anxious: Morgan Lane Arnold has Asperger's and struggled to adapt to her school . She replied in such a way that 'indicated to Bulmer that this knife was satisfactory,' according to the charging documents. She sent a further message to say she would leave the door unlocked and . Bulmer let her know when he was getting close to the home. After the killing Bulmer had planned to flee to California with Morgan, who has special needs. The students, who both attended the same school, had met through online gaming. Arnold's anxiety had led her to retreat to online fantasy games, where she could control her interaction with others. 'Her electronic communication devices were her world,' her mother, Cindi Arnold, told the Baltimore Sun shortly after the murder. She said her daughter suffered from anxiety, which would cause her hair to fall out, and said that when the teenager was nervous she would growl and make animal sounds. Arnold had been having treatment, but it . was stopped after her parents separated and began a custody battle, as . they disagreed over the best way to raise their daughter. Mr Lane had struggled to accept his daughter's autism diagnosis, and believed his daughter needed more socialization, according to records. He 'expects more of Mogan in terms of emotional sturdiness' a report by Dr Cynthia Wilcox had stated. A sentencing hearing for Bulmer is due to take place on May 29. Arnold is still awaiting a court date and will be tried as an adult despite her special needs. | Maryland teen, Morgan Lane Arnold, was in a state of active psychosis when she made the remarks about her father, Dennis Lane, a psychiatrist said at a court hearing Wednesday .
Arnold's lawyers are trying to get her case transferred to juvenile court .
The teen, now 16, is accused of asking her boyfriend, Jason Bulmer, to kill her father, businessman and blogger, Dennis Lane, in May 2013 .
She was 14 at the time of the killing and was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and other counts . |
231,699 | b7fc5199b8f0c7428602e829a328e694e0cdf8b3 | He may be a future king but he’s certainly not as glamorous as his wife – and yesterday Prince William clearly felt the need to apologise. The Duke of Cambridge said sorry not once but twice for his presence on a two-day tour of Malta that was supposed to be Kate’s first independent overseas visit. Prince William told his hosts that his 32-year-old wife was feeling ‘so-so’ after suffering acute morning sickness and added: ‘She’s very disappointed she couldn’t be here… Unfortunately you have me.’ Scroll down for video . Prince William with the Maltese PM's daughters - The Duke of Cambridge earlier apologised for Kate's absence . Later, as he visited Prime Minister Dr Joseph Muscat at the Auberge de Castille he added: ‘I’m sorry you’ve got me instead of Catherine.’ Royal sources say the Duchess, who was due to deliver a message from the Queen to the people of Malta, was ‘absolutely desperate’ to make the trip but her medics advised against her travelling. She is believed to be resting at home at Kensington Palace with Prince George and his nanny. The Duke also joked it would be some time before he would bring the couple’s rumbustious 14-month-old son to the country. William watches a fireworks display with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . When the president said she would love to see Prince George and the new baby in Malta one day, William laughed: ‘Malta might not survive Prince George. There’s too many precious things around here.’ The Duke, who was celebrating 50 years of Maltese independence, said in a speech: ‘Catherine has asked me to say how very sorry she is that she couldn’t be the one to pass on the Queen’s greetings to you all. ‘She was looking forward to coming here enormously.’ The Duke of Cambridge watches a pageant in St George's Square . Officials involved in planning the trip say every effort was made for the Duchess to attend and that requirements for an ambulance to be on standby throughout, as well as access to facilities and a chair at all times, had been accommodated. The highlight of the visit was a fireworks display at Malta’s Grand Harbour last night where William delivered a message from the Queen: ‘Prince Philip and I send our congratulations to the President, the Prime Minister, and the people of Malta, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Independence. ‘Prince Philip and I are grateful to the people of Malta for always making us, and our family, feel so welcome. I send my warmest good wishes to you for your celebrations this week, and for the continued success and prosperity of Malta in the future.’ The Queen lived in Malta for two years after marrying Prince Philip while he served on HMS Chequers in the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet and considers it one of the happiest times of her life. | The Prince said Kate was feeling 'so-so' after suffering morning sickness .
He apologised to crowds in Malta saying 'you've got me instead'
The Duke of Cambridge helped celebrate 50 years of Maltese independence . |
199,927 | 8ed2bc399e9a61fe2681485b16eb01dd4b545ccc | By . Daniel Mills . Destructive Crusader's winger Nemani Nadolo claimed he was racially abused . Fijian-born Canterbury Crusaders' winger Nemani Nadolo claims he was called a 'chubby N*****' after the side's nail-biting loss to the Waratahs in Saturday's Super Rugby final. The 120kg winger, who has been described by his coach as a 'hulk of a man,' not only had to deal with the disappointment of the one-point loss but had to swallow the words of an unknown person who he alleged called him an 'UN FIT CHUBBY N****.' 'After all I've done to contribute to tis (sic) lovely city of Christchurch to be called an 'UN FIT CHUBBY N****.' is disappointing. #hurtful' he posted to Twitter in the early hours of Monday morning. The incredibly talented winger, who scored a try in the Crusaders' 30-31 point loss, said it was 'hurtful' he was called 'unfit' for the game after having given much to Christchurch. The Canterbury Crusaders has confirmed it is investigating the source of the comment. Nadolo has not given any indication as to who made the comment, but Crusaders Coach Todd Blackadder told Daily Mail Australia it was made during after-hours celebrations back in Christchurch. Nemani Nadolo responded to a racial taunt by posting the allegations on twitter . 'Nemani was out with the boys at drinks and someone made a really racist slur,' he said. He confirmed Nadolo had never met the person, he called the Christchurch's 'lowest common denominator' and the club wasn't investigating further. 'It is one of those really disappointing things shouldn't tarnish all . 'He did a bloody good job to react.' 'He took it on the chin didn't tell any of the Crusaders team mates.' The first they heard of it was when he tweeted it on social media, he said, and Nadolo has since tweeted to followers to thank them for their support since he publicly airing the comment. 'Thank u 2 all 4 the kind tweets. whatever has been said is said. I'm just blessed 2 b here. not gonna let one person ruin it. #movingon' Since his first tweet, many former union greats backed into his corner and gave their own words of encouragement. Former Auckland Blues player Ben Atiga said he was he was disgusted but "not surprised" by the abuse, 'One of my first outings there was quite similar,' while rugby league legend Monty Betham said the comment represented the 'blinded minority'. 'New Zealand loves you. You're the man and started the Crusader resurgence this year.' Nadolo scored a try in the nail-biting loss to the Waratah's and was arguably the best player on the night . The winger made a number of destructive runs down the Waratahs' right edge all night . Nadolo, a Fijian, has captained the national team the Fijian Warriors and spent one Super Rugby season with the Waratahs in 2009. Crusaders' coach Todd Blackadder said at the start of the season he was set to be one of the most exciting players in the 2014 Super Rugby competition, and he didn't disappoint. Nadolo was one of the star performers of the Super Rugby season, scoring 12 tries in 14 matches. 'He is an absolute hulk of a man, yet he can fly down the field like you wouldn't believe for a man that size.' The Crusader has been compared players like former All Black Jonah Lomu, and was one of five new faces to join the Crusaders' squad this year. | The Fijian-born player scored during the Crusaders' Super Rugby final .
Despite his performance he claims he was called a 'CHUBBY N****'
Canterbury Crusaders are investigating the source of the comment .
The winger took to Twitter on Monday to say he was 'moving on'
The Crusaders lost 30-31 against the Waratahs on Saturday . |
10,413 | 1d9eba6e5bf37ece8c2f7c70764fe2bef088171d | By . Adam Shergold . PUBLISHED: . 14:54 EST, 28 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:47 EST, 29 July 2012 . Last night, an audience of four billion people witnessed the lighting of the Olympic flame at the climax of a dazzling Opening Ceremony, marking the start of the 30th Summer Games in London. Athletes from all corners of the globe were cheered by a 60,000-strong crowd in a rapturous reception which will never be erased from their memories. While the majority of Britain's 541 athletes were present to enjoy the show, there were some who sadly couldn't be there. Triple sailing gold medallist Ben Ainslie lights the Olympic flame in a mini version of the Opening Ceremony held in Weymouth and Portland Harbour today . But Ainslie didn't stand on ceremony for long, taking part in the final Finn class practice race in Weymouth Bay. The white chalk horse of Osmington Hill can be seen in the background . The Great Britain sailing team for the Olympic Games. GB are the most successful nation in the history of Olympic sailing and their performance director has predicted that Britain should medal in all ten events . Finn - Ben Ainslie . Star - Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson . Elliott 6M - Lucy MacGregor, Kate MacGregor and Annie Lush . Laser - Paul Goodison . 470 Women - Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills . 470 Men - Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell . Laser Radial - Alison Young . 49er - Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes . RS:X Men - Nick Dempsey . RS:X Women - Bryony Shaw . But not wanting to miss out on the . magical moment the flame is lit, our sailors held their own mini opening . ceremony on the waterfront in Weymouth today. In . the real thing, the honour of igniting the cauldron was given to . Britain's athletes of tomorrow, but it was a superstar of the past and . present who did the honours here. Ben . Ainslie will begin his pursuit of an unprecedented fourth straight . Olympic gold medal and fifth medal overall tomorrow when he steers his . Finn onto Weymouth Bay. Success . at the quaint seaside resort favoured by King George III this week will . make the 35-year-old the most successful sailor in Olympic history. But . while most attention will be lavished on Ainslie, Britain boasts a . whole roster of potential medal winners in an event that is . traditionally among their strongest. The . whole squad lined up to welcome the Olympic flame under gorgeous blue . skies in Weymouth, before taking to the waves to run through final . practice sessions before the races begin. The seaside resort of Weymouth will offer a beautiful backdrop to the Olympic sailing events. Here, sunbathers on the sandy beaches watch Ben Ainslie in action in his final practice race . Annie Lush, Kate MacGregor, and Lucy MacGregor of Great Britain make sure everything is perfect before the Elliott 6m class races begin . Finnish Elliot 6m crew Silja Lehtinen, Silka Kanerva and Mikaela Wulff ride the waves of Weymouth . Team . GB sailing leader Stephen Park believes no other country can match . Britain's strength in depth and said there is every chance we will see . medallists in all ten classes. When rating Ainslie's chances, Park doesn't mince his words: 'I think that everybody expects Ben will win a gold medal. 'If . he sails his normal game, there is no reason why he shouldn't. He . dominated the recent world championships and I think the rest of the . fleet are racing for second.' Star crew Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki, from Poland, encounter some choppy waters in their final practice . Close combat as the American, Brazilian and Danish crews in the Star class jostle for position . The English weather was kind on the Brazilian Star crew of Bruno Prada and Robert Scheidt. The crystal clear blue skies of Saturday in Weymouth are unlikely to last all week, however . Ainslie just wants to get on with the proper business of racing after the long Olympic build-up. He said after practice today: 'I am ready to go. I am looking forward to racing and hope things go well. 'It was good out there today. It was a great breeze, perfect sailing conditions. 'It is an interesting course that medal race course. It is pretty tricky so tomorrow starting off will be a tough race. 'It . is cramped out there. I think you've just got to be more prepared for . the difficult conditions and know it won't be perfect. You've just got . to deal with it and prepare for a bit of a scrap.' Tomorrow's . two races in the Finn class will see Ainslie tackle the Nothe Course, . which is the medal race course, and then the Weymouth Bay West course. Fearless Danish pair Henriette Koch and Lene Sommer get close to the water in a 470 class practice . The French windsurfer Julien Bontemps leads the way from Byron Kokalanis of Greece (right) and Richard Stauffacher of Switzerland in the RS:X class . | Sailing team hold mini version of Opening Ceremony on south coast after missing out on last night's spectacle .
Last chance to practise on the water before the races begin tomorrow .
GB Performance Director tips podium finishes in all ten classes . |
268,534 | e7d5bcb8a147f18100be3a746ec619af652475c1 | With her shiny body and smooth curves, this £15-million superyacht is a real wealth symbol. The Adastra, unveiled today in China, is the new floating pleasure palace of billionaire businessman Anto Marden who commissioned its construction five years ago. Designed by Sussex-based yacht designer John Shuttleworth, the Adastra is so high-tech, it can even be cotrolled remotely at the touch of an iPad... as long as you don't get any further away than 50 metres. Space age: The trimaran yacht Adastra certainly made an impact during its launching ceremony yesterday in China . Marden, who is based in Hong Kong and . made his fortune in the shipping industry, will be able to sail the . state-of-the-art boat between the two islands he already owns off the . coast of Indonesia. Described as ‘one of the world's most amazing super yachts’, Adastra is 42.5 metres long, 16 metres wide and weighs 52 . tons. ‘It takes the power trimaran concept further than has ever been . attempted before,’ Mr Shuttleworth told Boat International. Owner: Anto Marden, who is based in Hong Kong, made his fortune in the shipping industry . ‘The challenge of turning this . concept into a viable luxury yacht has taken us to further research and . to develop new thinking on stability and comfort at sea for this type of . craft.’ It is the result of five years of planning and construction, and rivals anything owned by yacht-lover Roman Abramovich. The hull of the Adastra is built from glass and Kevlar and can house nine guests and six crewmen. The deck saloon has a panoramic view while the open cockpit has sofas on both sides. The open deck running aft also . has a door that hinges . out to create a bathing platform. Maximum speed reached by the yacht is 22.5 knots and her . range is an astonishing 4000 nautical miles at 17 knots. That is enough for a trip from the UK to New York. Boat International magazine said Adastra 'could spell the future for efficient long range cruising'. The yacht has an integrated ship monitoring system, and . can even be controlled with an Apple iPad within a 50-metre range. Adastra is powered by one Caterpillar C18 engine of 1150hp . at 2300 rpm and has 2 Yanmar 110hp @ 3200 rpm outrigger engines. Adastra's 16-metre beam features a saloon area on the main . deck with a lounge area, dining table, and navigation station. The deck at the rear of the yacht has a sofa and bar area to . port and a dining area to starboard. The main helm station, which has seating for two, is . positioned in a raised pilot house situated between the rear deck and the saloon . area and forms part of the cross beam structure. The Adastra is the latest in a long line of super yachts that compete to be the most high tech. Last year Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich bought a £300 million superyacht with two swimming pools, two helipads, a gym, hair salon, dancefloor and submarine. Eclipse has plenty of room to entertain friends, . with 15 double bedroom cabins all equipped with their own luxury . bathrooms and 6ft wide television screens. Parties on the 533ft yacht . are guaranteed to stay private, as it’s fitted with an ‘anti-paparazzi . shield’ that fires a laser beam of light at cameras to ruin photographs. The 20,000 sq ft interior also houses a sauna, steam bath and whirlpool to help guests wind down. The superyacht is 42.5 meters in length, 16 metres in width and weighs 52 tons . The Adastra was built in Zhuhai, China for a couple based in Hong Kong, at the cost of a cool $15 million . Five years in the planning and construction phase, the Adastra has finally taken to the water, much to the delight of boating enthusiasts . The superyacht has space for nine passengers and 5-6 crew, and can travel 4,000 miles without refueling . Huge: Eclipse, owned by Chelsea Football Club owner Mr Abramovich, has two swimming pools, two helipads, a gym, hair salon, dancefloor and a 007-style submarine . Length - 42.5 metres Beam - 16 mHull Draft - 1.12 m (1.6m to tip of rudder)Main engine - 1x Caterpillar C18 -1150 hp @ 2300 rpmOutrigger engines - 2x Yanmar 110hp @ 3200 rpmGenerators - 2 x 36 kw custom in the outriggers linked to 110 Hp Yanmar engines, and 1x 26 kw Northern lights in Main engine roomOwner and Guests - 9Crew - 5-6Displacement light - Fully equipped and full stores and crew, no fuel and no water - 49 tonnesDisplacement cruising max - (normal operational load) 15000 litres fuel - 64.8 tonnesDisplacement ocean passage max - (only for occasional long ocean passages) 32000 litres fuel - 77 tonnesSpeed max - 22.5 knotsRange at 17 knots - 4000 milesFuel consumption at 13 knots - 90 litres per hour.Fuel consumption at 17 knots - 120 litres per hour . | The Adastra is so hi-tech that you can even control it with your iPad .
Its range is 4,000 miles, enough to go from the UK to New York in a single trip without refueling .
The 42m yacht has a maximum speed of 22.5 knots . |
52,894 | 960998d9d0411202bb43a53b1c896e83accfdfca | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In case you hadn't noticed, Washington is in the midst of a revolution. A new president, an economic meltdown. President Obama needs to take another look at the rules on lobbyists, Gloria Borger says. And, in short order, the following solutions proposed and implemented: an extensive bank bailout, a huge plan to salvage the careening housing market, a gargantuan $787 billion economic stimulus package. Big news, bigger headlines. More quietly though, there's this side of the Obama revolution: a plan to rid Washington of the outsize influence of all lobbyists. Make sure they're not a part of that evil revolving door, running the government agencies they once lobbied. And also make sure that lobbyists left on the outside don't unduly influence the new folks running the place. Translated (à la campaign jargon) that means: The days of crony government are over. The insiders are no longer in charge. You are. Good for you -- except it's not. This side of the Obama revolution has fallen prey to the laws of unintended consequences: First, the administration is discovering it can't get itself up and running without calling on some people with much-needed expertise. (See also: vacancies in top levels of almost every department.) Next, there's a revolt brewing among lobbyists (including the so-called do-gooders) who say they're being denied both government jobs as well as the constitutional right to petition just because they have "lobbied" in the past. They're right. The insanity is that these rules are now dangerously close to creating a problem for effective governance. Here's the dirty little secret: Those who lobby on specific issues are often the most knowledgeable on those issues. And they're getting shut out, no matter which side they're on. That's why Dave Wenhold, the president of the American League of Lobbyists, sent out a call to arms to fellow lobbyists recently. Seems the president signed a memo that laid out restrictions on the contacts between lobbyists and government officials in connection with the stimulus package -- including restrictions on telephone calls and meetings about individual project proposals. The goal may be full transparency in government, but the result could be chaos. Sure, the president wants the stimulus money to go only to worthy projects, but why not be allowed to get some help in navigating the government bureaucracy? In the end, these groups say, the process could move slower, not faster. After all, why keep a mayor from turning to a lobbyist who knows the system for help? In a strange marriage, the American Civil Liberties Union has joined with the lobbyists to declare this all constitutionally unacceptable. As Wenhold writes, "There is an emerging pattern of industry segregation, discrimination, and actions that skirt the boundaries of our constitutional right to simply 'do our jobs.' Enough is enough!?" So the revolutionary president has a revolt on his hands. From Republicans and moderate Democrats, on policy -- and from the permanent citizens of Washington's bureaucracy, the lobbyists. Obama officials will tell you that it's what they expected; change is never easy, after all. And they stand firm, taking some solace in history: In 1981-82, the Reagan Revolution came and didn't turn the country around quickly. The GOP got crushed in the 1982 midterm elections, but the president won a landslide in 1984. And President Clinton overreached on health care in 1993, and his party was swept out of control of the House in 1994. But by 1996, he won re-election easily. Now comes Obama, who is rolling the dice, just as Clinton predicted during the campaign -- on everything. And now that his own revolution is in gear, it's caused even some of his most ardent supporters to revolt. Worse, yet, it's hurting the staffing of his own government. Sure, change is what Obama called for, and it's clearly needed. But even revolutions need to be recalibrated once in a while. How about now? | Gloria Borger: President Obama needs to rethink crackdown on lobbyists' influence .
Washington's dirty little secret: Lobbyists are knowledgeable on issues, Borger says .
Tough rules on lobbyists creating problems for effective governance, she says .
Borger: Administration can't get up and running without needed expertise . |
103,811 | 11eece7493c5c39aeaab8aeb4e13bad3240f34df | David Beckham may have retired from playing last year but there has been no let-up in his god-like physique, as he demonstrates in his latest photo-shoot for his new clothing range. Beckham is pictured modelling in his AW14 Bodywear collection for high street store H&M., showing off his chiseled abs and array of body art in a series of photographs that will leave the ladies swooning over the former England captain once more. The 39-year-old poses in black and white underwear and loungewear in several candid photos, with Beckham sporting stylish, wet hair and designer stubble as he promoted his latest collection. VIDEO Scroll down to watch raunchy Beckham video from earlier this year . Hot stuff: Beckham may have retired a year ago but he has kept himself fit after finishing his career . Model professional: Watson would invite David Beckham, who 'no one dislikes', to a dinner party if he could . Beckham said: ‘These new pieces for my Bodywear range at H&M have a real energy about them. I genuinely enjoy the creative process with H&M and we have had fun this time playing with colour and texture. I hope people like them as much as I do.’ It has been a busy week for Beckham after he treated his mother Sandra to a VIP trip to Wimbledon on Saturday, where they sat in Centre Court's Royal Box, watching on as Spanish star Rafael Nadal overcame Mikhail Kukushkin. David and his mother sat in their coveted seats just a row in front of another footballing legend - Sir Bobby Charlton – who was instrumental in encouraging Beckham’s development as a young footballer at Old Trafford all those years ago. The pair greeted the Wimbledon crowd with a warm waves before taking their seats to enjoy the action. Longer: Not all of Beckham's shots were quite so raunchy, although he still showed off his torso . National Icon: Beckham waves to the crowd as he joins his mother at Wimbledon's Centre Court . | Former England captain has been promoting his new H&M range .
Beckham sports stylish wet hair and design stublle .
He joined his mum Sandra in Wimbledon's royal box on Saturday . |
253,176 | d3b36dd2d991d25aa439b33cfb5dd740440b065d | (CNN) -- In a potential landmark case, a Massachusetts teenager is on trial this week after prosecutors say his texting while driving caused a crash that led to the death of a 55-year-old man. Aaron Deveau's trial got underway Tuesday in Haverhill, with opening statements and the prosecution beginning to present its case. The first few days of the trial included testimony by the victim's family and a crash survivor, the replaying of Deveau's original interview with police and a visit to the crash site, as the defendant looked on from afar. Almost exactly one year earlier, the then-17-year-old Deveau pleaded not guilty to a host of charges tied to the fatal February 20, 2011, crash, the Essex County District Attorney's office said in a press release at the time. Those charges were motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, being an operator under 18 using a mobile phone, being an operator reading or sending an electronic message, a marked lanes violation and two counts of negligent operation and injury from mobile phone use. Some 38 states ban text messaging for all drivers while 31 prohibit all cell phone use by "novice drivers," according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Yet Deveau's case is thought to be unique, in that his texting is being linked to another person's death. Prosecutors allege that Deveau was texting when his car crossed the center line and hit a vehicle being driven by Donald Bowley, a resident of Danville, New Hampshire. Bowley's girlfriend, Luz Roman, was in his car with him and suffered serious injuries. Haverhill Detective Thomas Howell testified this week that the two "were almost folded into the floorboards," the impact was so severe. Bowley died March 10, after he was taken off life support. "My brother received such head trauma that... there was no hope for him," Bowley's sister, Donna Burleigh, said this week in court. According to reports from several CNN affiliates, prosecutors claim that Deveau received and sent a total of 193 text messages on the day of the crash, including several around the time the accident occurred. During her opening remarks, Assistant District Attorney Ashlee Logan suggested that Deveau may have erased some of his texts or fibbed to police after the accident. "He states the last message that he received was at 2:33 (p.m.), and then shows the officer the next message is at 3:10," Logan said. "When records were received, it's learned: there are two (texts) missing." Deveau said after the crash in a taped interview with police, which was played in court this week, "I was tired. I was distracted. When I looked away for one quick second, I came too close to her and I was trying to hit my brakes." His defense lawyer claimed authorities set out from the beginning to link texting to the crash, a cause-and-effect relationship that he contends is not valid. Joseph Lussier, the attorney, furthermore urged jurors not to let the sad, gruesome nature of the crash and its effect on its victims cloud their determination as to whether Deveau's texting was to blame. "Please don't listen to the sympathies of the commonwealth when you're making your decision," Lussier said. | The trial of Aaron Deveau, now 18, began this week in Haverhill, Massachusetts .
Authorities say he was texting before a fatal crash, then erased some of the texts .
The defense argues authorities had an agenda in trying to link texting with the crash .
The teen had told police after the incident, "I was tired, I was distracted" |
135,859 | 3bc0e6c8e15fb970a38f2e73d2c65fbc8535bb5a | With their pantaloons and ruff collars, the Swiss Guards are not the most manly of personal armies. And while there is little cause for pope's elite bodyguards to take up arms, their culinary skills at least are in demand; they have now produced a book of favourite pontifical recipes. A new cookbook - Bon Appétit, Swiss Guard - reveals the favourite dishes of Pope Francis and his two predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. Egg and chips again? A soldier from the Vatican's Swiss Guards shakes hands with Pope Francis . The book compiled by David Geisser, a 24-year-old soldier from Zurich who originally trained as a professional chef, includes delicacies from the three popes' home nations of Argentina, Germany and Poland. Pope Francis seemingly has a sweet tooth and has introduced 'dulce de leche', a caramelised milk pudding popular in Argentina, to the Vatican menu, as well as traditional Latin American empanadas. John Paul hankered after the Polish favourite, Pierogi, a stuffed pasta dish, and demanded it while recovering from a 1981 assassination attempt. Benedict was keen on Bavarian dishes such as wurstel salad and baked cherries with cream. The recipe book, published this week in German, contains the recipes preferred by his colleagues in the guard as well as various popes and prelates. Recipes favoured by Vatican Secretary of State, cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the prefect of the Papal Household monsignor George Gainswein also figure in the collection. Papal choice: Pope Francis, left, has a penchant for traditional Latin American empanadas, right . Swiss Guard commander Daniel Anrig said 'A soldier can only fight and wage war when he has eaten well, and enough.' But he left no doubt as to where his loyalties lie. 'There is nothing like Italian cuisine, it is the best in the world,' he said. Swiss Guards are the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards of the Pope since the 16th century and are responsible for the security of the apostolic palace. They must be single Catholic men aged between 19 and 30, and at least 5ft 8.5ins tall. They swear allegiance to the Pope and are famous for their Renaissance-style uniform, with a plumed feather in their helmet, leggings and a high ruff collar. | Francis's favourite foods are empanadas and dulce de leche, book reveals .
Recipe book also contains meals preferred by the Vatican's Swiss Guards .
It has been compiled by David Geisser, soldier from Zurich and former chef .
The Vatican's Swiss Guards are all single Catholic men from Switzerland . |
175,857 | 6fa2ecd8b44a0b03a72fdadc394ee79950f3c3b3 | By . Tom Kelly . PUBLISHED: . 11:43 EST, 14 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 04:38 EST, 15 January 2014 . The diary of 'gifted' ballerina Tallulah Wilson, who threw herself in front of a train, has been described by police as 'dark and sad' A ‘beautiful’ teenage ballerina repeatedly scrawled ‘fat’, ‘ugly’ and ‘worthless’ in her diary before throwing herself in front of a train, an inquest heard yesterday. Tallulah Wilson’s obsession with her appearance – and her mistaken belief that she was overweight – was fuelled through people she met on social networking websites, a jury was told. The coroner described two sides to the 15-year-old – one a ‘confident, lively, engaged, lovely looking girl’ who was a gifted dancer, the other a troubled teenager who suffered from self-loathing and was wrongly convinced she was ‘extremely unattractive.’ She wrote dozens of messages about her depression and posted images of her self-inflicted injuries on photo-sharing website Tumblr, where internet users encouraged her to harm herself and share images of it, the inquest heard. Tallulah, who lived with her family in a £1million house in West Hampstead, North London, was found dead at St Pancras station in October 2012, a few hours after her mother saw her off to a dance class. DS Adrian Naylor of the British Transport Police, who investigated the death, said that diaries found at her home showed ‘disturbing writing relating to self-loathing and self-harm’. ‘It is pretty dark, pretty sad and pretty bleak,’ he said. ‘She had written “I am fat” repeatedly, over and over again’. On one page she wrote in large black-inked letters, ‘ugly’. Another page said, ‘what am I? You are nothing’ and repeated the word ‘worthless’. The court has heard that Tallulah had become so obsessed by the internet that she had created a fantasy cocaine-taking character in order to escape reality. The teenager moved from St Marylebone School in St Pancras (pictured) after suffering at the hands of bullies . The teenager had gained 18,000 . followers on sites such as Twitter and Tumblr after posting about . drinking and taking cocaine, and uploading pictures of herself with cuts . she had made. She regularly posted messages such as ‘I will never be . beautiful and skinny’. DS Naylor said there were a number of issues rather than one ‘specific trigger’ that may have led to her death. He said: ‘It could be a combination of . what appears to be relationship breakdowns with people on the internet, . concern about self-appearance and basically engaging with like-minded . people who seem to feed that obsession. It appeared from the diary that . Tallulah sadly had very low self-esteem.’ Mary . Hassell, senior coroner for inner London north, told the jury a . photograph of Tallullah showed her to be a ‘very beautiful, lovely . looking young woman’. Her . dance teacher, Peter Laycock, told the inquest that Tallulah was his . most confident pupil and a talented ballerina when she began her dance . GCSE course in January 2012. Tallulah moved to £11,000-a-year St Margaret's School in Hampstead (pictured) a month before her death . ‘She began as very outgoing and well-liked, she was the leader of the group’, he said. ‘Because . Tallulah was naturally very gifted at dance she also had a brilliant . sense of humour and in many ways she was the most able member of the . group.’ He said she did . appear to lose some of her ‘spark’ later in the year but appeared to . have improved again, producing some ‘brilliant work’ just a week before . her death. The inquest heard . she had been bullied at St Marylebone school in St Pancras, which she . attended until summer of 2012 when she moved to St Margaret’s School in . Hampstead. A teacher responsible for pupil welfare at St Marylebone said Tallulah never complained to staff about being bullied. Lindsay . Ancock said: ‘If she was, she certainly never used the word, and we . were not aware of it. ‘It was always her mother who used the word . “bullied”.’ The inquest continues. For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or click here for details. | Tallulah Wilson attended £11,000-a-year St Margaret's School in Hampstead .
Her dance teacher said she was 'gifted' and had a great sense of humour .
The teenager took her own life after posting images of self-harm online .
Police described her diary as described as 'dark', 'sad', and 'bleak'
A family friend described case as 'an escalating story of horror' |
117,417 | 23a000b2aca38ecdb52b4800412ace8aa4d99e76 | England delivered a comfortable 3-1 victory over Scotland at Celtic Park on Tuesday . Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finished off a sublime Jack Wilshere pass while Wayne Rooney's scored a double to go past Jimmy Greaves' England tally. Andrew Robertson's second-half strike gave the Tartan Army hope but Rooney's second came almost immediately after it to maintain the visitors' two-goal buffer. Sportsmail's Rob Draper rates all the players' performances. Wayne Rooney celebrates the first of his double against Scotland on Tuesday night . Jack Wilshere holds off Steven Naismith as he backs up sublime skills with some hard graft . ENGLAND . Fraser Forster - 7 . Didn't disappoint on his return to Celtic Park and on only his second England start. Strong and commanding. Nathaniel Clyne - 7.5 . Didn't falter in a big atmosphere and contained the pace of Ikechi Anya, one of Scotland's big threats, with poise. Nathaniel Clyne (left) performed well on the big stage and managed to contain the pacy Ikechi Anya . Gary Cahill - 6.5 . Rode out the first-half pressure well and held England together when Scotland had their early dominant spell. Chris Smalling - 6 . Better, though the odd miskick and aberration still makes you worry. In general, though, did the job required of him. Luke Shaw - 6.5 . Still raw defensively but when charging forward with the ball is an incredible threat. Needs to work on end product. Chris Smalling did what was asked of him but remains a worry with the occasional miskick . James Milner - 7 . Solid, as expected, and occasional flashes. But found if difficult to control the game in those first half periods in which Scotland impressed. Good delivery for free kick that led to second goal. Jack Wilshere - 7.5 . His growing adeptness to his deeper midfield role demonstrated once again with his delightful through ball for Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal. Rapidly becoming England's best player. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 7 . Always a threat and though he won't score many headers for England, he finished this one comfortably enough. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrates his deft header to score England's opener . Wayne Rooney - 8 . Always abuzz, appeared to be relishing the animosity as he busied himself at centre forward. Good reaction for first goal and sound finish for the second. Stewart Downing - 6 . Started brightly, combining well with Welbeck and Rooney but faded a little in the first half as Scotland's midfield grew. Danny Welbeck - 6.5 . Had and energy and ideas, stretching the Scotland defence - but should have done better with his early chance. Danny Welbeck shows his frustration after squandering a good chance in the first half . Kieran Gibbs (66) - 6 . Filled in well for Shaw, demonstrating England's surfeit of left backs. Phil Jagielka (HT) - 6.5 . Defended well and always likely to rise to an occasion such as this. Adam Lallana (HT) - 6.5 . Great cut back for Rooney’s second goal capping a fine year for England. Adam Lallana made an impact off the bench, providing the cut-back for the Rooney goal they're celebrating . Raheem Sterling (66) - 5 . Terrible in his defensive role in allowing Scotland back in the game. Had little chance to show his attacking strength. Rickie Lambert (80) - 6.5 . Contributed to England’s third goal in the short time on pitch. SCOTLAND . David Marshall - 7 . Collected Welbeck's early shot well and looked confident and sharp throughout - could do little with goal. Substituted at half-time. Steven Whittaker - 5.5 . Struggled against Welbeck and Rooney, who interchanged on the left wing. Couldn't impose himself. Andrew Robertson - 7 . Had done well enough but caught cold when ball bounced off him for Rooney's headed goal, but scored to give Scotland hope. Scotland's Andrew Robertson (centre) scores their only goal to give the hosts hope . Russell Martin - 6.5 . The better of the two centre halves attempting to hold together a creaky Scottish defence - but he did so in vain. Grant Hanley - 5 . Scotland's solid start was ruined when he somehow allowed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to drift in front of him and head home. Scott Brown - 6.5 . Lost the possession badly to present England with a first half counter attack - but they failed to capitalise. Otherwise did well in midfield. Grant Hanley (right) keeps close tabs on Wayne Rooney but was left standing for Ox's subtle finish . Charlie Mulgrew - 7.5 . Scotland's best player early on when he established control of the midfield and drove his side on. Shaun Maloney - 6.5 . His first half strike which flew over Forster's goal was a wasted opportunity which blighted an otherwise effective performance. Steven Naismith - 7 . Characteristically energetic performance causing England a few problems in the first half - but had little support to speak of. Steven Naismith lacked support from his team-mates in a characteristically energetic performance . Ikechi Anya -6 . Got little change out of Nathaniel Clyne and so one of Scotland's most potent weapons was neutered. Chris Martin - 5.5 . Worked hard holding the ball up and running channels but ultimately to little. Substitutes . Craig Gordon (HT) - 6 . Had barely taken the pitch before he was picking the ball from the net. After that did well enough. Darren Fletcher (HT) - 6.5 . Added some solidity to the midfield but the game had largely gone. Steven May (66) - 6 . Did his best to fill in but couldn’t prevent England’s third. James Morrison (HT) - 6 . Worked to get in game but Scotland could create little for him . Barry Bannan (66) - 6 . Unable to impose himself on game though worked hard . Johnny Russell (80) - 7 . Terrific run and cross for Scotland’s goal. Made a real impact . Managers . Roy Hodgson, England - 7 . Good end to a bad year which shows the team is with him. Gordon Strachan - 6 . Didn’t do much wrong tactically but Scotland were not good enough. England boss Roy Hodgson is given a warm welcome by his opposite Gordon Strachan before kick-off . VIDEO Hodgson praises attack as Rooney approaches record . Referee: Jonas Eriksson - 6 . Wasn’t the bloodbath people feared. Did well. | England defeated Scotland 3-1 at Celtic Park on Tuesday night .
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain flicked on Jack Wilshere's sublime ball for 1-0 .
Wayne Rooney headed England's second home early in the second half .
Andrew Robertson hit back for Scotland before Rooney's second came .
Rooney is the star man for England with a rating of eight . |
214,277 | a17dc5e46983c9f21154252768c7fbc8f839b170 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- When man first walked on the moon 40 years ago, it was not only a "giant leap for mankind" but also a boon for everyday items. A NASA-inspired tracking system is helping monitor endangered whale sharks. Sports shoes, for example, took a huge leap forward in the late 1980s when AVIA Group International, then a subsidiary of Reebok, turned to space technology to make them more flexible and durable. Freeze-dried food, artificial limbs, cordless vacuum cleaners and edible toothpaste were also developed using research that can be linked to NASA's forays into space. They are listed in detail in "Spinoff," a NASA magazine first compiled in 1976 as a definitive guide to the commercialized products whose development can be tied to space technology. "We are fairly liberal with our application of the term spinoff," said editor Daniel Lockney. "The product has to contain a component that was developed for NASA, some aspect of it or it could just be NASA's know-how that helped the commercialization of the product," he said. More than 1,660 articles on space-related products have been published since the magazine's first edition. Watch some of the spin-offs developed from space technology » . What you won't find on the list is the bright orange powered drink, Tang, or Teflon, or Velcro -- all products that have over time been erroneously linked to NASA's space mission. "Tang was developed by General Foods before NASA was even made a federal agency, but it was popularized during astronaut tasting experiments," Lockney said. "Velcro was invented by a Swiss engineer in the 1940s," he said, adding "Teflon was created by Dupont. It has many applications within NASA but is not a NASA technology." Infant formula makes the grade due to an ingredient discovered during NASA research into algae as a source of food supplements. "Different experiments led to the discovery of a nutrient substance that has previously only been found in breast milk. [This is] believed to be important in the development in the eyes and the brain." It's now in 95 percent of infant formula sold in the U.S. and in 65 countries around the world, Lockney said. It may have been 40 years since NASA put the first man on the moon, but the number of products that use space technology doesn't seem to be diminishing. "Spinoff" publishes articles on 40 to 50 new space-related products every year but receives many more submissions for inclusion. The next edition due out in October will feature a new tracking system for endangered animals, including polar bears and whale sharks, which was derived from an algorithm developed for tracking star patterns. "Tracing theses animals is something that previously a small core group of scientists would go out and do. We're now able to have ordinary citizens upload their pictures of these animals that have been spotted through Flickr and Facebook. Logging times and dates will significantly increase the level of monitoring of these endangered species," Lockney said. For more space-related products see NASA's "Spinoff" Web site. | Many common products can be traced back to research conducted by NASA .
Freeze-dried food, artificial limbs, edible toothpaste are among NASA spin-offs .
Contrary to rumors, Tang, Velcro and Teflon not developed for space travel .
It has been 40 years since NASA's Apollo 11 mission took man to the moon . |
170,586 | 68d231f673d6c99ee10bd5473d2ecc7ad66ad37a | By . Rebecca Evans . Saudi bomb maker Ibrahim Al-Asiri, who is described by a US official as 'an evil genius' He is Al Qaeda’s most valued bombmaker and the creator of explosives so dangerous only an ‘evil genius’ could have come up with them. Such is the skill of chemistry student Ibrahim Al-Asiri, who was born into a respectable middle class Saudi family, that his devices can be sewn inside a human body. And terrifyingly, because they contain no metal elements, they are virtually undetectable and can evade airport security. The master explosives-maker first tried out his chilling tactics on his willing younger brother, Abdullah. He implanted a suicide bomb inside the 23-year-old for an assassination attempt on a Saudi Arabian prince. Although the device went off as planned, Abdullah succeeded in killing only himself and not his target. Al-Asiri’s sinister creations have also been used on two high-profile terror attempts in the US, including the underwear bomb carried by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in his attempt to blow up a plane carrying 300 passengers over America on Christmas Day 2009. In 2010, his devices were found in printer cartridges on a cargo plane bound for the US. They were intercepted in the UK. In May 2012, US officials said they believed Al-Asiri had built an improved version of the underwear bomb, which was given to a Saudi-recruited double agent to blow up on a US-bound flight. After the discovery of the printer cartridge bomb, then US deputy national security adviser John Brennan said analysis of the devices showed they were made by the same person who was behind the underwear bomb. He said: ‘He’s a very dangerous individual – clearly somebody who has a fair amount of training and experience. We need to find him and bring him to justice as soon as we can.’ US congressman and former homeland security committee chairman Peter King said Al-Asiri was an ‘evil genius’, adding: ‘He is constantly expanding, he is constantly adjusting.’ Intelligence sources believe Al-Asiri, who is known as Abu Saleh, has been passing on his lethal bomb-making expertise from his base in Yemen to Syria, with plans to attack transatlantic flights. Al-Asiri's sinister creations have also been used on two high-profile terror attempts in the US, including the underwear bomb carried by Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in his attempt to blow up a plane carrying 300 passengers over America on Christmas Day 2009 . He is also feared to be training British fanatics in Yemen, where MI6 and MI5 believe extremists pose a real threat to the UK. All his bombs use a chemical fuse and a high-level industrial explosive known as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate. The same material was used in 2001 by British shoe bomber Richard Reid when he tried to destroy a transatlantic flight. Ben Friedman, a US expert in defence and homeland security, said the authorities were worried about bombs implanted inside people or explosives made from non-metallic elements. But he said it was important to remember that previous attempts to blow up planes had failed. ‘These guys are serial failures,’ he added. ‘It’s not like they have a track record of unmitigated success. It’s closer to the opposite.’ In May 2012, US officials said they believed Al-Asiri had built an improved version of the underwear bomb (pictured), which was given to a Saudi-recruited double agent to blow up on a US-bound flight . There have been several attempts on Al-Asiri’s life, including US drone attacks, but he has so far managed to stay hidden in Yemen, perfecting and sharing knowledge of how to make his bombs. The son of a soldier, Al-Asiri was born into a well-off family in 1982. In 2007 they were living in the Islamic holy city of Mecca when he and his younger brother disappeared. They surfaced in Yemen in 2009, where it emerged they had joined the newly-formed Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. In August of that year, Abdullah pretended to be an Islamist militant who wanted to reform, and was given an audience with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia’s top counter-terrorism official. Once stood next to the royal, he detonated the bomb, hidden inside part of his intestine. But the blast went straight downwards meaning Abdullah was torn in two and the prince escaped with minor injuries. Al-Asiri was named as one of Saudi Arabia’s most wanted terrorists in 2009 and in 2011 joined the US wanted list. | Ibrahim Al-Asiri was born into respectable middle class Saudi family .
He first tried out chilling tactics on willing younger brother, Abdullah .
In 2010, his devices were found in printer cartridges on US bound plane . |
213,883 | a100eba300f83ed24be92efcd7b39331dc280de2 | Tony Romo engineered a stirring second-half comeback to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a nail-biting 24-20 NFC wildcard win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday and a meeting with the Green Bay Packers. With a post-season record of 1-3 and haunted by a reputation as a big-game flop, Romo withstood a ferocious Lions defence, tossing a pair of touchdown passes to Terrance Williams, including an eight-yard strike with 2:32 to remaining to give Dallas their first play-off win since the 2009 season. After an 11-5 regular season it was more post-season disappointment for the Lions, who have not won a play-off game since January 1992, losing seven wildcard contests. Tony Romo inspired the Dallas Cowboys to a 24-20 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night . Quarterback Romo is embraced by Dallas head coach Jason Garrett after the Cowboys set up a clash with the Green Bay Packers . Romo throws a touchdown pass to Terrance Williams, one of two in the game, as Ezekiel Ansah of the Lions fails to halt him . Williams celebrates in the end zone after scoring during the second half of the contest at the AT&T Stadium . Romo, sacked six times by Detroit's top-ranked defence, would not be kept down, completing 19 of 31 passes for 293 yards while DeMarco Murray, the NFL's leading rusher, ran for 75 yards and a touchdown. The Lions shocked the home crowd at a packed AT&T Stadium, scoring on their first possession when Matthew Stafford hit Golden Tate with a 51-yard touchdown pass, then followed up with a 14-play, 99-yard drive capped by Reggie Bush scampering into the end zone for a 14-0 lead. Kept in check by a swarming Detroit defence, the Cowboys finally got the big play lift they needed when Romo hooked up with Williams with a 76-yard touchdown strike with less than two minutes remaining in the half but the Lions would answer back with 39-yard Matt Prater field goal to take a 17-7 advantage into the intermission. Williams, the Dallas wide receiver, celebrates after the Cowboys won 24-20 and returned to the divisional play-offs . Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford tries to pick a pass during the second half of the play-off game in Arlington . Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (second left) celebrates after sacking Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (below) Lawrence of the Dallas Cowboys sacks Stafford on the final play to ensure their victory . J.J. Wilcox of the Cowboys attempts to bring down Calvin Johnson as the Lions player sprints down the touchline . Stafford was intercepted by Kyle Wilber on the Detroit 19 in the third quarter but Dallas could not convert the turnover when Dan Bailey missed on a 41-yard field goal attempt. Having dodged a bullet, the Lions answered immediately with a 37-yard Prater field goal but the Cowboys would not throw in the towel. Trailing 20-7 Dallas turned to their top guns and another big play, Romo finding Dez Bryant for a 43-yard gain and Murray bulling over from the one. After a 51-yard Bailey field goal the momentum was squarely in the Cowboys' corner when Dallas linebacker Anthony Hitchens was called for pass interference only to have the penalty waved off and end a Lions drive. That was followed by a Detroit 10-yard punt with Romo taking over and engineering the game-winning drive. Â . | Tony Romo shook off his reputation as a big-game flop with two touchdown passes to Terrance Williams .
His eight-yard pass with 2:32 remaining secured a 24-20 comeback win for Dallas against Detroit .
The Cowboys' first play-off win since 2009 earns a meeting with the Green Bay Packers in divisional round .
NFL's leading runner, DeMarco Murray, ran for 75 yards and scored a touchdown . |
279,287 | f5d549e9a0232bb6e51fa6bbe35ecbe456a6260d | A British tourist's outdoor romp in the Nevada desert ended in disaster after the excitement triggered a heart attack - landing him with a $250,000 medical bill. Peter Cousins, 55, was travelling the world with his partner Dawn Reed when they stopped to work on a cowboy ranch in the middle of the desert. The pair had been trekking and were miles from civilization when they came across the beautiful natural hot spring and decided to have an outdoor tryst. Scroll down for video . Brit Peter Cousins (right) was staying at a ranch in the Nevada desert Dawn Reed (left) when the pair saw a hot spring and decided to have a romantic tryst . But the romance was shattered when Mr Cousins suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed. Around 60 miles from a phone signal, Ms Reed was forced to run three miles to flag down a trucker. Mr Cousins had to be airlifted to hospital where he underwent a life-saving operation. But the artist, who did not have any travel insurance, was in for another shock when he was presented with a staggering $250,000 medical bill for his five-day stay. If that wasn't bad enough, he was forced to return home and broke up with Dawn, who remained in the US to work. Despite his misfortune, Mr Cousins from Dorset, UK, insists his outdoor quickie was worth it. 'It was the most expensive sex ever,' he added. 'I haven't been able to pay it off and although it's always at the back of my mind, I have no regrets. 'Yes, I will never be able to forget that I owe so much money, but it was worth it for the sex. It's always worth it.' But the tryst ended in disaster when Mr Cousins suffered a heart attacks moments afterwards and had to be airlifted to hospital . Pictured at the Grand Canyon, the pair were 60 miles away from phone signal when Peter collapsed forcing Dawn to run three miles to flag down a trucker . Mr Cousins and his partner of two years Ms Reed were living in Portugal when they embarked on a round-the-world trip in April 2013. After months on the road the pair flew to America and started working as chefs on a cowboy ranch in the middle of the Nevada desert where they discovered the natural springs. Mr Cousins said: 'After we started working there, Dawn and I took a walk around and discovered these beautiful natural hot springs all over the place. 'We always used to sit in them and then one day we thought it would be romantic to make love in the pool. 'When I got up there were pains in my left arm and I just collapsed. 'We were miles from the ranch and even then, there was no phone signal to call anyone. I didn't know if I was going to make it, we were in the middle of nowhere. In hospital, pictured, Mr Cousins had life-saving stent placed in his heart, but after a five-day stay was presented with a staggering $250,000 medical bill . If that wasn't bad enough, he had to return home and broke up with Dawn (who he is pictured with at the ranch in Nevada where they were staying) who had to stay and work in the US . 'It was astounding how remote it was. There was no internet or cellular signal for miles and the nearest town was more than three hours drive away.' Ms Reed had no choice but to leave her partner alone while she flagged down the trucker who called the air ambulance on a satellite phone. Two hours later Mr Cousins was airlifted to hospital and had a life-saving stent placed in his heart. But after a five-day stay in Reno hospital he almost suffered another heart attack when medics hit him with a bill for a quarter of a million dollars - or £165,000. He said: 'When I woke up I was in A and E. Doctors fitted a stent and gave me lots of drugs to keep me alive. I was in there for five days before being discharged. 'As I was leaving the doctors asked me how I planned on paying the bill. I was thinking it would be around $5,000 but couldn't believe it when it all amounted to $250,000.' Happier times: The couple were travelling the world together before the incident . But Mr Cousins (left, in Reno) said his outdoor quickie with Ms Reed (right) was worth it insisting he had 'no regrets' Unable to pay the bill, Mr Cousins travelled back to the UK for further treatment while Dawn stayed on the ranch, and the couple split in October 2014, but remain friends. Mr Cousins is still negotiating with the hospital over the bill. He added: 'I'm just really hoping I will be able to get the debt wiped because it will affect my future. 'If the hospital decide I do have to pay back the full amount, I'll never be able to go to America again. That will hurt. 'Stupidly, I didn't have travel insurance and although I was expecting a big bill I had to do a double take when I saw it was a quarter of a million dollars. 'I was completely gobsmacked. I wasn't working at the time as Dawn and I had been travelling the world, so there was no way I could ever afford that. 'It's bizarre how things have turned out. I would be really upset if this meant I could never enter the country again.' | Peter Cousins, 55, was travelling the world with then-partner Dawn Reed .
They were in the Nevada desert when they had a spot of outdoor passion .
Peter suffered a heart attack and was airlifted to hospital for an operation .
But after a five-day stay he was presented with a $250,000 medical bill .
To make matters worse he broke up with Dawn and had to return home . |
3,695 | 0ab2c1d0d04904fdc38a81091ddd003012e6a241 | The report suggested that fears of abduction, traffic accidents and bullying are among the factors that explain why parents do not let their children walk to school . Only a quarter of primary school children are allowed to travel to school alone, a study shows. Examining how many pupils walk, cycle or take the bus to school unaccompanied, the report by the Policy Studies Institute revealed a dramatic fall from 86 per cent in 1971. It also showed a startling contrast with Germany, where 75 per cent of children travel alone. The report suggested that fears of abduction, traffic accidents and bullying are among the factors that explain the lack of autonomy for the pupils in England. Mayer Hillman of the PSI urged parents to encourage their children to be more independent in order to help their development. He said: ‘Wrapping our kids in cotton wool may seem like we are keeping them safe, but it makes growing up harder and less fun.’ In 1971, when the research by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) at Westminster University was first carried out, 86 per cent of UK primary pupils travelled alone between home and school. Now it is just 25 per cent, while in Germany, where children cycle, walk or take the bus to school alone years before British children, the figure is 75 per cent. Research fellow Ben Watson, who co-authored the study, said: ‘Independent mobility has been shown to be good for children’s wellbeing and development, yet our research shows it has dropped significantly in the last four decades. ‘The experience from Germany shows that this drop is not an inevitable result of modern life.’ he added. The PSI conducted studies on child mobility in 1971, 1990 and 2010 in primary and secondary schools in five different areas of England while colleagues in Germany did the same. The researchers found that the lack of independence for youngsters seen in the UK was down to a number of factors including fear of abduction, traffic accidents and bulling by other children. Cath Prisk, director of Play England, said: ‘This study confirms our own research that there are more barriers to playing out and travelling independently for children today than for previous generations. Interestingly, the research shows that children in other countries, such as Germany, are able to enjoy this basic right far more than their English peers. ‘Parents who want to buck this worrying trend should think about giving their kids the gift of independence at home, on the doorstep, in their neighbourhood and further afield.’ The surveys of children and their parents were conducted in 10 schools (five primary and five secondary) in five areas of England: Islington, Nottingham, Stevenage, Winchester and rural Oxfordshire. In Germany, Kvln Innenstadt, Witten, Kvln Chorweiler, Wuppertal-Langerfeld and Bochum were the locations surveyed. The children were asked whether they were allowed to cross main roads alone, uses buses and bicycles without an adult, come home from school alone, travel to other places on their own or with friends, and to go out after dark alone. | In Germany 75 per cent of children travel alone, according to report .
Fears of abduction and bullying are among reasons why parents will not let children walk to school . |
120,051 | 2727ea48680b8eb3c6aeb8b1f3ca54f9ffb2ac8e | (CNN) -- Imagine sitting at your desk at work and overhearing a co-worker sharing the good news about his or her latest raise, bumping his or her salary to $50,000. You have worked at the company five years longer, in the same position and your salary is $5,000 lower. On top of that, your sales have always been higher than those of your co-worker. Given the questionable history of some of the company's practices, you suspect that discrimination may be at the root of the pay discrepancy. You get together with your closest friends at the company, all share their salaries and decide that a pattern of pay discrimination based on gender may indeed be evident. The next week, you are fired because your boss found out that you were discussing your pay with your co-workers. Think your employer can't lawfully do that? You're wrong. This prohibition of talking about pay keeps discrimination secret and is an effective way to keep women and minorities from discovering they are being paid less than white male colleagues who work the same jobs. That will change if the U.S. Senate passes the Paycheck Fairness Act, expected to come to a procedural cloture vote on Tuesday. The Paycheck Fairness Act would prohibit employers from retaliating against employees who discuss their pay with co-workers. It would also close loopholes in the existing Equal Pay Act that deny victims of sex discrimination the same legal remedies as victims of discrimination based on race or ethnicity. To illustrate, returning to the scenario above, you later learn that two of your former co-workers still at the company are going to sue the company for pay discrimination. Although the company engaged in pay discrimination based on gender and race, your female co-workers cannot sue to recover the more lucrative compensatory and punitive damages, like people who sue over discrimination based on race or ethnic basis can. The Paycheck Fairness Act would ensure that victims of sex discrimination have the same legal remedies available to them as victims of racial or ethnic discrimination. Think we don't need the Paycheck Fairness Act because sex discrimination is a thing of the past? Just tell that to the women at Walmart who have been fighting the retail giant for more than a decade, with evidence of widespread sex discrimination in pay and promotion. The Paycheck Fairness Act would help prevent employers from paying women less for no other reason than because they are women. The pay gap is especially detrimental to low-income families and families of color who are more likely to rely on women's earnings to make ends meet or as the sole source of income. Women make on average 77 cents for every dollar men make. The wage gap is even greater for women of color. Black women earn 69.5 cents and Hispanic women 60.5 cents for every dollar earned by their white male counterparts. The average 77-cent pay gap results in a difference of almost $11,000 per year. This extra money could almost cover the average housing costs in 2010, such as rent or mortgage and property tax, of $11,223, or could completely pay for the average annual combined cost of utilities, food, transportation and broadband Internet access of $10,360. What family wouldn't benefit from this additional money each year? Over a lifetime, the lost income is staggering, estimated at between $400,000 to $2 million per woman. The Senate failed to pass this bill last year, coming two votes short. Don't let this happen again. It's time to put an end to loopholes that make it easy for employers to engage in discrimination that hurts women and families. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Mariko Chang. | Paycheck Fairness Act would keep employers from firing employees for discussing pay .
Mariko Chang: Secrecy keeps people from discovering they are paid less than others .
Act would prevent employers from paying women less just based on gender, she says .
Chang: The act would close loopholes that make it easy for employers to discriminate . |
259,261 | db9dc8604242e1d5c024c03562c5eb49384c6420 | I had to act. A frail 18-year-old Syrian refugee girl had pleaded: "Why have you abandoned us?" Her apartment in Homs, Syria, had been bombed, her family made homeless, her wheelchair-bound sister thrown out on to the streets with no shelter and no food but also no medical help and no schooling for the girls. I discovered that before the civil war the girl excelled in sport and chess, had led a youth group and sang with her church choir. Now she had lost her home and her school, and she was rapidly losing hope. She had written in a private letter: "Everything is lost. I feel like I should show you so you will believe me." And so because of recognition from the Syrian supporters in a school in Wales, she was offered the chance of a scholarship to study in the UK. She has now been here for six months and is thriving. She works hard because she dreams that one day she can return and make a difference to her war-ravaged country. Today, UNHCR figures show there are 3 million Syrian children displaced by the conflict, more than 1 million of whom have had to flee their country in what is now a disaster of biblical proportions. Some years from now the world will look back and ask why so many of us did so little, faced with a catastrophe that has made more people permanently homeless than in the world's worst recent natural disasters, like the Asian tsunami of 2004 and the Haiti earthquake of 2010. Of the 1 million exiled Syrian children, almost half of them in beleaguered Lebanon, and the mantra of 50 of the world's top anti-poverty advocacy groups and international institutions is simple. "Education cannot wait." On best estimates they are likely to spend 10 years in camps or temporary shelters. They need food not only when starving, shelter when destitute, medical drugs when faced with the risk of polio. They also need hope -- hope that there is a future worth preparing for. If they are not to lose their childhoods -- a loss that can never be replaced -- the one way to deliver hope is by ensuring they can resume their education. Amid the chaos there is a plan, a plan conceived in Britain. It puts existing Lebanese schools on double shifts -- starting earlier and finishing later to give more lessons for more pupils -- and offers all 435,000 refugees spread across the country the chance of formal education. The annual cost is $400 dollars per pupil which is cost-effective because we do not have to create new facilities. Proof that the double shift system works, albeit on a smaller scale, can be found in a north Lebanese village called Akroum. In a unique effort volunteer Syrian teachers, local Lebanese school heads and a small Scottish charity called Edinburgh Direct Aid, are operating the local school on a timeshare basis outside of normal school hours. Almost immediately boys and girls who have fled from burnt-down and bombed schools and who were a few weeks ago child laborers or even beggars have started to recover their lost childhood and now have hope that there is something to live for. The country-wide Lebanese plan can be operational within weeks. And what has been achieved for a few hundred children in Akroum can be now achieved for all 435,000 Syrian child refugees in Lebanon -- if we urgently adopt the plan. My frustration is that an idea conceived eight months ago, negotiated with the Lebanese Prime Minister six months ago and the subject of two in-depth reports -- one by the respected Overseas Development Institute and another by UNICEF and UNHCR -- is still sitting on a table waiting implementation while children spend a winter walking the streets begging, some now trafficked into prostitution and some even forced into marriage as child brides. This week the Lebanese prime minister, Najib Azmi Mikati, travels to London to make a plea for his nation and its people. One of the world's smallest countries, Lebanon has been left to shoulder the biggest burden of the crisis and it is unable to cope without international support. Almost 25% of its entire population are now Syrian refugees. It is the equivalent of 15 million refugees arriving on the shores of the United Kingdom. The U.S., Norway, Denmark and the UAE have backed the plan, which would cost $195 million dollars a year to secure schooling for the 435,000 children. Now with 50 of the world's top international aid agencies making an urgent plea, today all countries with aid budgets should come on board. An important principle is at stake. More than 100 years ago, the Red Cross established the principle that the right to health care transcends borders. Now we can establish that even in war zones children can learn. Some good can yet emerge out of the ruins. | More than 400,000 Syrian children have fled to Lebanon to avoid the civil war .
A new scheme extends school hours in Lebanon so more children can be educated .
Gordon Brown is urging governments with aid budgets to help fund the initiative . |
164,414 | 609c1db48fe9f6e5d162a1aafa88a0577e3ddab8 | These heartbreaking photos reveal the anguish of parents as they abandon their children in China's so-called 'baby hatches.' The images taken at a centre in Guangzhou - one of 25 such hatch facilities in mainland China, spanning 10 provinces and major cities - show the last moments before parents give up their infants often due to poverty or an inability to cope with disease or disability. Abandoning children is illegal in China, but the 'hatches' were introduced so parents could abandon infants safely rather than leaving them in the streets. Scroll down for video . A woman holding her baby, who has Down's syndrome, crouches and cries between security guards and a family member in front of the Guangzhou baby hatch . A mother weeps after leaving her child at the Guangzhou baby hatch, one of 25 such hatch facilities in mainland China, spanning 10 provinces and major cities . But critics argue it encourages drastic action and believe some parents may feel it is more socially acceptable to abandon their children. The hatch in opened in January, but staff were forced to shut the door just two months later after becoming overwhelmed with 262 abandoned youngsters - all of which were ill or disabled. 'My baby cannot take care of itself when it grows up. I just want my baby to survive,' said a mother reported the South China Morning Post. A mother cries as she intends to give up her child. Abandoning children is illegal in China, but the 'hatches' were introduced so parents could abandon infants safely rather than leaving them in the streets . A couple bring their child diagnosed with Pierre Robin syndrome - congenital condition of facial abnormalities in humans - to the centre . A man holding his baby cries in front of the Guangzhou baby hatch after the baby was refused because it is too old . In one of the photos an uncle is seen leaving his niece who he says is suffering from leukemia and her parents can not afford her medical bills. Another distressing image shows a man crying after being told his baby is too old to be accepted. A couple, whose child has Pierre Robin syndrome - congenital condition of facial abnormalities in humans - are also photographed walking to the centre to give up their child. A parent typically opens a door and places their infant in a small room, rings a bell and leaves before welfare services collect the child. Last month the welfare home's director Xu Jiu announced the suspension and told Xinhua news agency: 'I hope everyone understands the difficulties the welfare centre face.' Residents visit an abandoned baby lying in a crib at the baby hatch in Guiyang, Guizhou province . People walk past next to a baby hatch named 'baby safety island' at the Tianjin Institute of Children's Welfare, in Tianjin municipality . Abandonment has been encouraged by the one-child policy and a traditional bias for sons, who support elderly parents and continue the family name, leading to the abandonment of girls . A parent typically opens a door and places their infant in a small room, rings a bell and leaves before welfare services collect the child . 'We are temporarily closing the centre [to new babies] so that we can properly care for the infants already at the centre.' The centre, which also cares for orphans, has 1,000 beds. Some 10,000 children were abandoned in China every year, said Wang Zhenyao, president of the China Welfare Research Institute at Beijing Normal University. Media reports say many of these are girls and disabled children. Abandonment has been encouraged by the one-child policy and a traditional bias for sons, who support elderly parents and continue the family name, leading to the abandonment of girls. Even as China starts to relax the one-child policy, allowing millions of families to have a second child, it still penalises people who flout the rules. A Chinese care worker carries a young orphaned girl at a foster care centre pictured today in Beijing, China . China says it has 576,000 orphans in its child welfare system though outside groups put the number at closer to a million . In many cases an unwanted baby is never registered so the parents can skirt the one-child policy if they try for another . The parents who abandon them= children either cannot afford treatment or feel an inability to cope with raising a child who has special needs . A photo of a young Chinese orphaned boy hangs on the wall at a foster care centre in Beijing . Dinner time: Young orphaned Chinese children eat a meal at the centre. Even as China starts to relax the one-child policy, allowing millions of families to have a second child, it still penalises people who flout the rules . Uncertain future: A young orphaned Chinese girl lays on a changing table at the Beijing centre . A young Chinese orphaned boy crawls wearing corrective leg braces on the floor . Critics argue the centres encourage drastic action and believe some parents may feel it is more socially acceptable to abandon their children . | The images were taken at a centre in Guangzhou, southern China .
It is one of 25 such hatch facilities in mainland China, spanning 10 provinces .
Photos show the last moments before parents give up their children . |
255,272 | d66e422833dfac3f6e4080c1b82c158adfc1dee4 | England's clash with Slovenia hosted the biggest Wembley crowd since Roy Hodgson's World Cup nightmare but Pointless Celebrities had a bigger peak television audience than the Euro 2016 qualifier. ITV peaked during the broadcast at 6.3 million, while the BBC quiz show, which was on at the same time, peaked at 7.26 million just before Strictly Come Dancing. The England match averaged more viewers when the programmes went head-to-head, 5.6 million with a 27 per cent share of audience, while Pointless Celebrities averaged 5 million viewers with a 24 per cent share. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sportsmail's International Big Match Stats: England vs Slovenia . Viewing figures for Pointless Celebrities peaked higher than they did for England's clash with Slovenia . More than 6.3million people tuned in to watch England, but the BBC quiz show peaked at 7.26m . Former sprinter and hurdler Kriss Akabusi was one of the Pointless Celebrities taking part in the show . That means that over the 90 minutes of the match, more people watched Slovenia's demise than Kriss Akabusi's on the quiz show. And the Wembley attendance figures do at least suggest fans' faith in England is returning after a rocky post-World Cup period. More than 82,000 fans were inside Wembley (90,000 capacity) to watch the Three Lions come from behind in their Group E clash. A penalty from Wayne Rooney and a Danny Welbeck brace ensured the crowd went home happy. The crowd inside the stadium reached 82,000, more than double the amount that watched the Norway clash . The attendance was the third highest in a year, only games against Peru and Germany attracted more fans . Only 40,000 fans watched England beat Norway at Wembley, the smallest crowd since its redevelopment . It was the third time Wembley had hosted an international game since Hodgson's men crashed out of the group stages in South America, and each time the crowd has increased in size. In the friendly against Norway in September, just 40,000 fans attended the game - making it Wembley's smallest crowd since its redevelopment in 2007. The following game, a Euro 2016 qualifier against San Marino, saw a small rise. But at 56,000 Wembley was still only 60 per cent full. But Saturday's crowd saw a radical improvement, only May's 3-0 win over Peru and the 1-0 loss to Germany in November 2013 have drawn bigger crowds in the last 12 months. | Pointless Celebrities peaked at 7.26 million, England-Slovenia 6.3 million .
England match averaged more viewers when they went head-to-head .
More people watched England match than Pointless over the 90 minutes .
As England beat Slovenia 82,000 fans turned up, the largest attendance since May, and the third-biggest in the last 12 months .
Wayne Rooney scored a penalty and Danny Welbeck netted a brace . |
103,628 | 11aa4590fd45e9ebb548ae70bb20dec0ab96c79c | (CNN) -- Sebastian Vettel dashed Fernando Alonso's hopes of delivering a home victory for Ferrari at Monza with another commanding drive to win the Italian Grand Prix Sunday. The three-time defending champion secured his sixth win of the season after starting on pole position, relegating Spain's Alonso to second place. Vettel's Red Bull teammate Mark Webber finished third ahead of the second Ferrari of Brazilian Felipe Massa. The victory extended Vettel's advantage in the world title race over Alonso to 53 points with seven rounds remaining. Britain's Lewis Hamilton, who was forced to start from 12th after a poor qualifying session Saturday, could only manage ninth spot, but remained in third place in the standings, 81 points adrift. Vettel's only significant problem was self imposed as he flat spotted his front right tire after breaking too sharply into the first corner of the race. Under pressure from Massa, the 26-year-old German was desperate to hold on to his lead after the traditional flat out start at Monza. Two time champion Alonso, back in fifth on the grid after his difficulties in qualifying, quickly worked his way up to third before Massa gave way to him under team orders. Vettel was able to nurse his tires until the first and only round of pit stops for the leading contenders without coming under serious challenge. Alonso was briefly challenged by Webber until the Australian was ordered to back off because of gear selection problems, which were also problematic for the leader Vettel. But he took the checkered flag 5.4 seconds clear of Alonso to take an even firmer grip on the championship he has dominated for the past four seasons. Vettel was only too aware that his victory was unlikely to be welcomed by the tifosi diehards who had flocked to the circuit in northern Italy to support their beloved Ferrari. "It was a fantastic race, but you can hear the difference when you don't win here in a red suit," Vettel said. "But this means you have done well and beaten the red men! "The race was terrific for both of us as we had problems with the gearboxes at the end, but I was ok because I had a good cushion. It is a fantastic win." Alonso acknowledged there was little he could do to prevent the 32nd victory of Vettel's career. "Second place is good and to have this podium ceremony which is the most spectacular podium of the year," he said. "Hopefully we'll come back next year and have first place. Every time I am here this podium and this experience is more and more special." Outside the front runners, Germany's Nico Hulkenberg underlined his reputation as one of the most promising young drivers on the grid with an excellent fifth place in the uncompetitive Sauber. His compatriot Nico Rosberg finished sixth for Mercedes ahead of Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Toro Rosso, who will replace Webber at Red Bull next season. Romain Grosjean of Lotus held off the fast-charging Hamilton for eighth, while Britain's Jenson Button earned a single point for McLaren, who were celebrating their 50th anniversary as an F1 team. Hamilton, who had to contend with a slow puncture which meant an extra pit stop, conceded his title hopes were over. "It's awful when you are just empty of energy and have given everything for just two points -- and that's it for the championship now," he told BBC Sport. The F1 circuit will now depart Europe for the next round under the lights on the spectacular street circuit in Singapore with Vettel in prime position for a fourth straight title. | Sebastian Vettel wins Italian Grand Prix at Monza .
Sixth win of season for three-time defending champion .
Fernando Alonso finishes second for Ferrari .
Mark Webber joins Red Bull teammate Vettel on the podium . |
261,583 | dec50894c69f7765923f695fd90b64eb55b733cb | A mother bit off the end of a sex attacker’s tongue as he subjected her to a terrifying assault so that he could be brought to justice. Adele Barber, 29, was grabbed by the man as she walked along a deserted alleyway near her home. When he groped her and tried to kiss her, she bravely fought back and sank her teeth into his tongue. Scroll down for video . Adele Barber, 29, was attacked by a mentally unstable man who she fought off by biting his tongue . The alleyway in Dunstable where the attack took place in daylight as Adele walked home from the doctors . Although it didn’t stop him – he even seemed to take a perverse enjoyment from the pain – it provided vital DNA for police to analyse when she managed to escape. Two months later they arrested Ferdinand Manila, 28. It emerged that he had attacked a 55-year-old woman minutes after his assault on Mrs Barber. He has now been given an indefinite hospital order after being found guilty of three counts of sexual assault. A court ruled he didn’t have the mental capacity to enter a plea. Mrs Barber – who lost a rape case against another man ten years earlier – told ITV’s This Morning yesterday: ‘After the first assault I was a mess. I was really young and naïve and didn’t go to police straight away so they didn’t have enough evidence. ‘That made me more determined this time. I thought “I’ve got to get evidence and show this is not consensual. No one is going to do this to me again. I’m going to make sure this person gets the treatment they need”.’ The mother-of-three waived her right to anonymity yesterday to urge other sex assault victims to do all they can to help convict their attacker. Ferdinand Manila, 28, was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault . ‘Your body can freeze but, if you can, fight back and get evidence,’ she said. Mrs Barber was attacked in daylight as she walked home from a doctor’s appointment in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, in January last year. Manila brushed past her in the alleyway and moments later ran back towards her, pushing her up against a wall where he assaulted her. Despite the danger she faced, she had the presence of mind to realise he was ‘vulnerable’ as soon as he forced his tongue inside her mouth. ‘I wanted to get DNA and cause pain to get him off me. I didn’t think I would bite off his tongue, I thought I would just get his DNA on my teeth,’ she said. 'When I bit him and caused him pain, he enjoyed it. I knew then that something wasn’t quite right but I was relentless and got him off me.’ She ran a mile home with the piece of flesh in her mouth and immediately rang the police before explaining to her husband Paul, a laboratory technician, what had happened. Officers advised her to place it in a sterile pot and were able to match it to Manila when he was caught in March. He was convicted of two offences against Mrs Barber and another against the other victim when he appeared at Luton Crown Court on January 21. Adele urged victims of sexually assault to contact police straight away . The court heard he had been held in a psychiatric hospital where staff reported he made sexual comments to female employees and fantasised about peeling the skin off people. Judge Barbara Mensah commended Mrs Barber’s bravery, saying: ‘His first victim took a big risk when she bit off part of Mr Manila’s tongue. This was very distressing for her.’ Mrs Barber had a conditional place on a university course to study midwifery but lost it after taking time off to deal with the trauma of her ordeal. She has also been left anxious to leave home. Despite the terrible impact on her life, she has expressed her hope her attacker would get well. ‘Hopefully he can get the treatment he needs and then get out and start his life again,’ she added. Around 85,000 women are raped and 400,000 sexually assaulted every year in England and Wales, according to official figures. More than a quarter fail to report the attack. | Adele Barber, 29, from Dunstable, appeared on This Morning .
Revealed how mentally unstable Ferdinand Manila, 28, attacked her .
He pounced as she walked down alleyway .
When he stuck his tongue into her mouth, she bit off tip .
Then ran off with it in her own mouth so she could give it to police .
Determined they could identify him by DNA .
She'd been sexually assaulted in past but didn't have evidence to convict .
Manila was arrested and found guilty of three counts of sexual assault .
Judge gave him an indefinite hospital order . |
214,319 | a18a82b0f2e35483aa32c4b63dccf67f880b4308 | New York (CNN) -- Osama bin Laden's son-in-law was found guilty Wednesday in New York of helping al Qaeda terrorists conspire to kill Americans and providing material support to terrorists. Federal prosecutors said at Sulaiman Abu Ghaith's trial that the Kuwaiti cleric played a crucial role as the organization's principal mouthpiece and recruiter, helping "restore al Qaeda's trove of new terrorists" as deadly missions turned its members into martyrs. Abu Ghaith, wearing a dark suit, displayed no reaction as the verdict from an anonymous jury of nine women and three men was read. The jury deliberated about 5½ hours. As the defendant was being escorted out the packed courtroom, there was a slight smile on his face. "A jury unanimously found that Sulaiman Abu Ghayth not only conspired to provide, and actually provided, material support to al Qaeda, but also conspired to kill Americans," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a prepared statement. "He was more than just Usama bin Laden's propaganda minister. Within hours after the devastating 9/11 attacks, Abu Ghayth was using his position in al Qaeda's homicidal hierarchy to persuade others to pledge themselves to al Qaeda in the cause of murdering more Americans." Abu Ghaith's attorney, Stan Cohen, described his client as stoic and at peace. "He has confidence this is not the end, but the beginning," said Cohen, adding that the defense was confident about an appeal. Abu Ghaith, 48, faces life in prison at sentencing on September 8. The government did not allege that Abu Ghaith served an operational function or had a direct hand in carrying out the attacks. Bharara added: "Like the others who have faced terrorism charges in Manhattan's federal courthouse before him, Abu Ghayth received a fair trial, after which a unanimous jury rendered its verdict, justly holding him accountable for his crimes. We hope this verdict brings some small measure of comfort to the families of the victims of al Qaeda's murderous designs." In a statement, George Venizelos, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York field office, likened Abu Ghaith to "a consigliere for the mob or the chief of staff to a corrupt foreign leader" and said he was a "spokesman, confidant and senior adviser" to bin Laden's organization. Abu Ghaith "looked to better al Qaeda's reputation at every turn, offering advice and counsel to the organization's senior leadership. He encouraged others to abandon the true tenets of their faith, swearing bayat to the twisted ideology of al Qaeda," Venizelos said, using the Islamic word for allegiance. The trial was held blocks from the site of Manhattan's World Trade Center, and several survivors of the attacks and family members of victims attended. "Without people like him, al Qaeda dies with every suicide attack," Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cronan said in his closing argument Monday. Abu Ghaith testified last week that he never joined the ranks of al Qaeda and assisted bin Laden only as a speaker on spiritual topics. Known in the Persian Gulf region as a religious scholar and fiery orator, Abu Ghaith met the al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan in June 2001, according to testimony. He denied advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks but said he'd heard talk that "something big" was about to happen. He moved his family from Afghanistan to Kuwait days before the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Just after the attacks, the al Qaeda leader summoned Abu Ghaith to his remote mountain hiding place and asked him to help "deliver a message to the world" on the organization's behalf, the religious scholar testified. After his arrest last year in Jordan, activists and legislators sparred over where to try Abu Ghaith, with some calling for the case to be heard in a military courtroom at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Instead, the trial took place amid extra security measures in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The jury watched several videos produced after the meeting with the al Qaeda leader, of Abu Ghaith making passionate calls for further attacks on Americans, flanked by bin Laden on one side and an AK-47 rifle on the other. He called for fellow Muslims to "terrorize the infidels" and vowed the "storm of airplanes will not abate," a phrase he said on the stand was given to him in "bullet points" provided by bin Laden for the speeches. Cohen, the defense attorney, accused prosecutors of using 9/11 imagery in lieu of evidence of his client's guilt and told the jurors Monday he counted 172 references to bin Laden and 9/11 in the first half of the prosecution's closing argument. "It was intended to sweep you away in anguish and pain and to ask for retaliation. It was intended to make you look away from the evidence," Cohen told the panel. He said none of the government's witnesses conclusively tied his client to terrorism-related activities, including a terrorism specialist with the FBI and two cooperating former al Qaeda members. CNN's Ray Sanchez and Lawrence Crook III contributed to this report. | Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was found guilty of conspiring to kill Americans .
He aided al Qaeda as its main spokesman, prosecutor says .
But nothing ties Abu Ghaith to terrorism, his defense attorney counters .
Kuwaiti cleric faces life in prison at sentencing on September 8. |
42,390 | 7786920140be6360f5d3cc842324a31552577303 | Comedian Jimbo Bazoobi has been travelling around Australia for three years with his best mate Gary. Gary sits up the front of Mr Bazoobi's truck as they drive around the outback and watches him perform in pubs around the country. And while on paper it sounds like a normal friendship there's one catch: Gary is actually a goat. Scroll down for video . Comedian Jimbo Bazoobi (right) has been travelling around Australia for three years with Gary the Goat (left) Mr Bazoobi, who has been travelling around Australia for 10 years, drives in his truck with Gary sitting in the front cab next to him . Gary has had an online following ever since a bizarre incident in August 2012 which saw a police officer try to fine Mr Bazoobi because Gary ate flowers out of a garden bed near the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. But recently Gary's popularity has skyrocketed. In February the 'Gary the Goat' fan page on Facebook had 20,000 likes – now it's got more than 715,000. Mr Bazoobi, 44, puts it down to the videos of Gary he's been posting on the page for the past few months. 'It just hit off when I started putting videos up,' he told the Daily Mail Australia from Mataranka in the Northern Territory, about 420km southeast of Darwin. 'I think they can actually see his personality… They just go "S*** this is a cool goat." 'They can see I've not just cut and paste pictures of goats or whatever.' He recently purchased a GoPro camera, which he has nicknamed the GoatPro . In February the 'Gary the Goat' fan page on Facebook had 20,000 likes ¿ now it's got more than 715,000 . His and Gary's videos have also been improved by the purchase of a GoPro camera, which he has nicknamed the GoatPro. 'I got it about two months ago but it took me about two months to learn how to use it,' he said. 'I try to do a video each day, all I do is follow Gary around and he kind of writes the script.' Mr Bazoobi is from Sydney but he has been travelling around Australia doing stand-up comedy for the past 10 years. He acquired Gary for a case of beer in Western Australia three years ago and the pair have been inseparable ever since. Mr Bazoobi and Gary have spent the majority of their time together travelling around Western Australia, and have also been to New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Mr Bazoobi said his favourite thing about Gary is his sense of adventure . Gary made headlines in Sydney in January last year when he appeared in the Downing Centre Local court over the incident outside the Museum of Contemporary Art. 'A couple of years ago he got a bit of attention for that, he was kind of like the wacky news story for the day,' Mr Bazoobi said. 'It was a fun day taking a goat to court.' The magistrate dismissed the case. Mr Bazoobi travels in his truck with Gary sitting in the front cab next to him. 'I've always treated him as my mate and he is,' he said. 'He just understands a lot more than I ever imagined. 'He's just a relaxed, inquisitive goat who likes to do different things.' Mr Bazoobi said Gary is a relaxed, inquisitive goat who likes to do different things . Mr Bazoobi said his favourite thing about Gary is his sense of adventure. 'I lead him around half the time and he leads me around half the time and we just see where we end up,' he said. 'He gets a bit bored when I don't do things with him every day.' Gary receives a mixed reaction from members of the public, but as his online popularity grows it's getting more positive. 'Out in the bush they don't care as much, they basically just laugh I think,' Mr Bazoobi said. 'But a guy yesterday wanted to shoot him because he was eating his bush.' Mr Bazoobi added that he would never sell Gary. Mr Bazoobi will travel to Western Australia after he finishes road tripping around the Northern Territory and he has no plans to stop any time soon . 'I've had a few offers and stuff but as if I'm going to get rid of Gary, he's my mate.' Mr Bazoobi said he thinks people respond well to his and Gary's adventures because he is 'uncensored'. 'A lot of stuff is censored on TV, and just from 10 years of travelling around I'm really just talking the way people talk to their friends,' he said. 'I've got no producer or director or anyone telling me what to do so that helps. 'It's not like I'm waiting on someone to give me a second series, it's just a Facebook page.' Mr Bazoobi will travel back to WA after he finishes road tripping around the Northern Territory and he has no plans to stop any time soon. 'We're just going to keep going,' he said. 'I'm just glad he's only four years old so I've got another 11 years with him.' | Comedian Jimbo Bazoobi, 44, travels around Australia with Gary the Goat .
Recently Gary's popularity has skyrocketed, with his Facebook page growing from 20,000 likes to more than 715,000 in months .
Mr Bazoobi puts it down to the videos he's been posting on the page . |
182,845 | 78cbe4be51bf20a6c7c5ad246a514883d63f7cd4 | Alan Pardew will be in charge for Crystal Palace’s FA Cup clash with Dover Athletic on Sunday after Palace agreed compensation of £3.5million with Newcastle. Pardew was at the club’s Beckenham HQ on Friday, starting life as Palace’s boss, and the club are set to officially announce his appointment. Pardew is due to be in the dug-out for Sunday's visit to the non-League side. VIDEO Scroll down to see Keith Millen talk about Pardew's delayed arrival . Alan Pardew will manage Crystal Palace's FA Cup third round clash at Dover after leaving Newcastle United . Pardew was at Palace's training ground on Friday for just under 12 hours as he started life at his new club . Pardew will lead his first game with Palace after they agreed a £3.5million compensation deal with Newcastle . When discussions were ongoing on Friday caretaker manager Keith Millen said: ‘They’re still talking, but there are no problems. The lawyers are finalising the contract. The paperwork is taking longer than expected. ‘Alan has held a staff meeting when he spoke about a number of things. He spoke to the players, then we had training. ‘We’re preparing for the game on Sunday and I’m sure Alan will be taking the game. He’ll be taking training on Saturday. We’re hopeful the deal will be done for Sunday. ‘We’ve spoken about the team for Sunday’s game. He’s gone through the squad. He’s learning about the players, but he’s pleased with what he’s seen. He’ll pick the team. ‘Alan is excited because it’s Crystal Palace and the club means a lot to him, but it’s also exciting because of the players he’s inheriting.’ Caretaker boss Keith Millen took charge of Palace's 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on New Year's Day . Pardew will have to give late fitness tests to Damien Delaney and James McArthur ahead of the match against Dover. The pair picked up injuries against Aston Villa on New Year’s Day, while Mile Jedinak is on international duty with Australia. Meanwhile, chairman Steve Parish has admitted the summer appointment of Neil Warnock was a mistake. Eagles midfielder James McArthur (right) is a doubt for the match after injuring himself at Villa . Warnock became manager following Tony Pulis’s shock departure just days before the start of the season. ‘In the maelstrom that was going on then, I probably wanted to get someone in too much. I felt that what we had here (when Pulis left) we could just keep going,’ said Parish. ‘Neil is a very nice guy, a really nice guy. I would have loved him to be a success. ‘Things haven’t gone so well, with Tony (Pulis) going just before the start of the season. It causes upheaval. I probably didn’t get the right fit with Neil. I’ve got to take it on the chin for that one.’ Palace chairman Steve Parish admits the summer appointment of Neil Warnock (pictured) was a mistake . | Crystal Palace travel to Dover in the FA Cup third round on Sunday .
Imminent boss Alan Pardew was at Palace's training facilities on Friday .
53-year-old left his managerial post at Newcastle at the end of last month . |
114,744 | 20170e5463323b77a108080cf2cc9e854645ccc5 | (CNN) -- Tottenham Hotspur medical staff were putting Hugo Lloris' life at risk by leaving him on the field after he suffered concussion at Everton, the former head doctor at Chelsea has told CNN. Dr Ralph Rogers, the first team doctor at the English Premier League side between 2009 and 2010, believes Tottenham's medical staff erred in their treatment of the Frenchman at Goodison Park. "I don't want to be critical of the doctor in question but this is a time to reflect because next time, we have to ensure we get it right," said Rogers. Lloris suffered concussion after being accidentally hit in the head by the knee of Everton striker Romelu Lukaku late in the game, with play held up for nine minutes as he received treatment. To widespread surprise, Lloris -- who could not remember the incident after the match -- was allowed to continue after saying that he wanted to stay on the pitch. Both world governing body FIFA and the global players' union FIFPro criticized the decision-making progress employed by the Tottenham staff, who say they followed procedure when assessing the state of the France captain. "Once the relevant tests and assessments were carried out we were totally satisfied that he was fit to continue playing," Spurs' Head of Medical Services Wayne Diesel said on the club website. Local FA rules state that any player who leaves the pitch with a head injury should "not be allowed to resume playing or training without the clearance of a qualified medical practitioner" even if such an injury is sustained in training. Tottenham's medical staff have come under fire for their actions, which come 18 months after they were widely praised for saving the life of visiting Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba, whose heart stopped beating during a game at White Hart Lane. Nonetheless, Rogers is unhappy with the way in which Lloris was treated on the pitch, saying the goalkeeper was allowed to move too freely before a more comprehensive treatment had taken place. "Lloris could have died, he could have been paralyzed," said Rogers. "If knocked out with a head injury, he should have been carried off the pitch -- but first and foremost, they should have checked his spine." "He needed to have a collar put around his neck, blocks applied to either side of his head, to have been strapped in and then a spinal board placed underneath him in order to determine any injury to his cervical spine." After declining to specifically address Rogers' assertions, Tottenham referred CNN to the earlier statement made by Diesel. On Monday, the Professional Footballers' Association, the body that looks after the welfare of footballers in England and Wales, called for a change in the rules surrounding head injuries. "If anyone suffers a severe trauma to the head and loses consciousness, then they should be required to leave the field of play automatically," said PFA deputy chief executive John Bramhall. Chain of Command . After the match, Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas said he had taken the final decision to send Lloris back onto the pitch following consultation with his medical staff. For Rogers, such an admission lies at the heart of a weakness he believes exists within the game. "The problem is that no one knows who's boss at present on such an issue," he said. "Traditionally, it has been the physiotherapist but does he know more than the team doctor? If you go to hospital, it's not the nurse but the doctor who ultimately looks after you. A physio has fewer qualifications. "I strongly believe that the doctor should be the team leader above both the manager and referee. He has to be strong enough to make that crucial decision, because at the end of the day it's not about the club, it's about the doctor looking after the player. "If I had been in the same situation, I would have ordered Lloris' removal from the pitch, telling all concerned that if they didn't like my decisions, then they could fire me in the coming days." FIFPro backed Rogers' viewpoint on the chain of command in a statement which called the decision to keep Lloris on the pitch 'unacceptable'. "FIFPro condemns that the health and safety of players are let to coaches/trainers or even to players themselves," said the body's Medical Advisor Vincent Gouttebarge. "Medical professionals should be aware of any relevant medical guidelines and apply them in order to empower the health and safety on the field. The health and safety of the players should be the number one priority and should prevail against any other matters." The issue of concussion has become a major talking point in sports such as rugby and the NFL in recent times. Three months ago, the NFL reached a settlement worth $765 million with 4,500 former players who sued the organization over claims it hid the potential impact of concussion-related injuries. In rugby, Dr Barry O'Driscoll -- the uncle of Ireland star Brian -- quit his seat on the International Rugby Board's medical committee in protest at a new method of dealing with head injuries. New guidelines stipulate that a player can return to the pitch five minutes after injury if a medical inspection entitled the Pitch-Side Concussion Assessment determines he has not been knocked out. Once upon a time, the rules stated that a player had to wait three weeks before returning to the fray. Lloris was given less than ten minutes in a clattering that so badly damaged Lukaku's knee the Everton striker was forced off the field. Earlier this season, Lukaku was praised for finishing a game against West Ham despite suffering a concussion himself when scoring late on -- a difference in media coverage that Spurs fans may point to when considering the outcry over Lloris. | Former Chelsea team doctor critical of Tottenham's handling of Lloris concussion .
Spurs issue statement defending actions during match at Everton's Goodison Park .
British players' union calls for change in the rules to how head injuries are treated . |
51,433 | 9195913a328eeb8424467124f3d6199aca6056ef | By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 08:16 EST, 16 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:39 EST, 16 July 2013 . A violent prisoner has escaped for a second time in nine months after he was sentenced for absconding while serving time for robbery and actual bodily harm. Mark Donnison, 43, fled from Hollesley Bay yesterday morning despite a judge telling him he would not be released in the 'immediate future' when he was recaptured after absconding. He had been transferred in May to the open facility in Suffolk nicknamed Holiday Bay because of its 'relaxed' regime. Absconded: Violent Mark Donnison, 43, is on the run for the second time in less than a year after he escaped from an open prison in Suffolk . Donnison was arrested when he was recognised by police officers at a chip shop in Hull four weeks after going missing from North Sea Camp open prison, Lincolnshire, in August last year. He was put back behind bars by a judge at Hull Crown Court where he was told he would not be able to secure an early release when he was jailed for another four months. Judge Mark Bury warned him: 'You could have received a much longer sentence but the reality is, here is a serving prisoner serving a life sentence and the real punishment will come because you will not be able to secure any form of early release in the immediate future.' Donnison was warned that he could . spend life behind bars when he was jailed in 2007 as he would only be . released if it was considered he was no longer a danger to society. His . indeterminate sentence for carrying out a robbery in Hull stated that . he could only apply for parole after serving a minimum of three and a . half years. Donnison went on the run with another prisoner, Gary Lawson, 31, when he absconded from North Sea Camp on August 10 last year. Lawson was serving a life sentence for the murder of pensioner Alfred Wilkins, whose home in Grimsby was set on fire in 2001. Both . Lawson and Donnison were jailed in October at Hull Crown Court for four . months to run concurrently with their existing sentences. His second bid for freedom has sparked outrage with Humberside Police Commissioner Matthew Grove who said resources were being directed towards recapturing him. Missing: Staff at Hollesley Bay realised Donnison had absconded at around 8am on Monday morning . He said: 'I am concerned that a man who is serving a life sentence . for robbery and who escaped from an open prison in August last year has . been put back in another prison from which he has been able to escape . again. 'This news will rightly . raise questions in the minds of residents in Hull and Suffolk as to . what processes are followed by the prison service to ensure the risk of . prisoners escaping is mitigated. Anger: Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey has vowed to raise the issue with the Ministry of Justice . 'I . am sure residents will also be asking themselves why local police . resources will once again be spent on recapturing someone who chooses to . put two fingers up at the justice system. 'These . are questions I will be raising on their behalf with the Justice . Secretary, whom I intend to write to concerning this case.' Suffolk Coastal Tory MP Therese Coffey pledged to take up the case with the Ministry of Justice. 'It . is concerning that an offender with a history of absconding . is put in an open prison,' she added, before criticising the decision to . impose a concurrent jail sentence as punishment for Donnison's initial . escape. 'In my opinion, the sentence should have been . added to run consecutively and not concurrently,' she said. Peter Cuthbertson, from the Centre for Crime Prevention, which calls for tougher sentencing, said: 'The use of open prisons should be scaled back dramatically to prevent cases like this. 'They make a mockery of punishment, and in far too many cases lead to dangerous criminals avoiding justice. This puts the public at risk and wastes police time,' he added. A . spokesman for the Prison Service said: 'The number of absconds from . open prisons in 2011-12 was the lowest level since central records . began, and only those risk assessed as suitable for open conditions are . placed in open prisons. 'Those who do abscond will be returned to a more secure prison and may face further charges.' A spokesman for Suffolk Police said: 'Police are asking anyone who may have seen him or anyone with information about where he is now to contact officers. 'You should not approach him or take any further action. He has connections to the Bridlington and Hull areas.' Donnison is of medium build, around 5ft10ins tall, with tattoos of an eagle on his lower right arm and the name ‘Mark’ across his knuckles. | Mark Donnison, 43, vanished from Hollesley Bay open prison in Suffolk .
Last seen at the facility at around 8pm on Sunday night .
Moved to an open prison in May despite history of absconding .
Previously went on run from North Sea Camp open prison in Lincolnshire .
Serving indeterminate sentence for robbery and actual bodily harm . |
183,426 | 79995c71e77f06cc227260d56f2cec089042fd0b | Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has faced criticism for toasting champagne after signing a refugee deal with Cambodia, a country described as 'one of the poorest and most corrupt in the world'. The four-year deal, signed on Friday night with Cambodia's Interior Minister Sar Kheng, will allow Australia to send refugees currently detained on the Pacific island of Nauru to Cambodia. Mr Morrison said it would be up to Cambodia to determine when it accepts the refugees and how many but hopes voluntary resettlement will begin later this year. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison (left) has faced criticism for toasting champagne after signing a refugee deal with one of the world's poorest and most corrupt nations . The four-year deal, signed on Friday night, with Cambodia's Interior Minister Sar Kheng (right) will allow Australia to send refugees processed on the Pacific island of Nauru to Cambodia . The memorandum of understanding has been criticised as pointless and expensive, as Australia is required to provide support for housing, education and health as well as language training to refugees. Australia will give Cambodia $40 million in extra assistance over the next four years in return. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young described the deal as 'dirty' and a 'fundamental failure'. She said it was $40 million bribe to a corrupt government that will unleash human misery. 'On budget night we had Joe Hockey dancing, and now we have Scott Morrison popping champagne corks after signing a dirty deal with one of the most corrupt and poorest nations on Earth,' Senator Sarah Hanson-Young told reporters on Saturday. 'It's crass, it's sickening.' Mr Morrison brushed off criticism, saying the toast was standard protocol in Cambodia. 'I'm not going to disrespect my host,' Mr Morrison said. The opposition has labelled the deal a complete farce that will see only a handful of refugees resettled. 'It is no wonder Scott Morrison refused to answer questions (at the signing),' opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles said. The memorandum of understanding has been criticised as pointless and expensive, as Australia is required to provide support for housing, education and health as well as language training to refugees . Up to 1000 asylum-seekers currently on Nauru who are deemed to be genuine refugees will be given the opportunity to resettle in Cambodia . The United Nations refugee agency says it is 'deeply concerned at the precedent' and has urged Australia to reconsider. 'It's crucial that countries do not shift their refugee responsibilities elsewhere,' UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on Friday. Amnesty International said the agreement was a 'worrying departure from international norms', Sydney Morning Herald reported. 'In January the Australian government condemned Cambodia's human rights record at a UN human rights hearing, but will now relocate vulnerable refugees, possibly including children, to the country,' said Rupert Abbott, the Deputy Asia-Pacific Director at Amnesty International. About 100 people protested outside the Australian embassy. '(Cambodia) couldn't give humanitarian support even if we wanted to ... Cambodia is poor as hell,' Ou Virak, chairman of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, told AP. The condemnation comes just after the federal government confirmed that a 15-year-old asylum seeker girl who allegedly attempted self-harm was evacuated to Australia from Nauru detention centre. Mr Morrison was reportedly 20 minutes late to Friday's ceremony that saw Australia's Immigration Minister and Minister Sar Kheng toast to their deal, The Age reports. In a statement, Mr Morrison said 'a number of those found to be in genuine need of protection will now have the opportunity and support to re-establish their lives free from persecution'. Cambodian officials have said they might only start off with five refugees, but Mr Morrison downplayed such reports saying Phnom Penh had made a 'very strong commitment'. 'What Cambodia is saying, and we agree with them, is that you have to start off small, make sure the program is working, and then build it up over time,' he told the ABC on Saturday. In Australia, about 70 protesters chanting 'free the refugees' and 'freedom, azadi' gathered along the perimeter fence of the Brisbane Immigration Transit Centre at Pinkenba. UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said 'it's crucial that countries do not shift their refugee responsibilities elsewhere' The federal government has confirmed a 15-year-old asylum seeker girl who allegedly attempted self-harm was evacuated to Australia from Nauru detention centre . | Immigration Minister Scott Morrison signs four-year refugee deal with Cambodia .
The deal will allow Australia to send refugees processed on the Pacific island of Nauru to Cambodia .
U.N leaders and protest groups are 'deeply concerned' calling it a 'fundamental failure' that is 'crass' and 'sickening'
Cambodia is one of the world's poorest and most corrupt nations .
Mr Morrison was pictured toasting champagne with Cambodia's Interior Minister . |
7,570 | 157302e27fab22f0cb048f868065a932586006ba | MIT researchers have created a camera which can take images so fast - one trillion of them in just a second - that it can capture light as it travels across objects. Nothing can go faster than the speed of light, which thanks to the work of scientific legends such as Leon Foucault and Einstein, we know to be 299,792,458 metres per second in a vacuum. But developers at MIT have managed to catch up, with their camera taking so many images that, when you play them in sequence at super-low-speed, you can see a light beam as it travels from A to B. The fascinating video below was demonstrated at a TED technology conference in Edinburgh. It shows a burst of light traveling the length of a one-litre Coke bottle, bouncing off the cap, before then reflecting back to the bottle’s bottom. Scroll down for video: . What is this? It is the first micro-micro-micro second of light photons travelling into a Coca Cola bottle . The small beam of light - just a millimetre in length - travels further up the bottle, seen thanks to the trillion-exposure camera . While it is not an advert for Coca Cola, there is something very majestic as the famous slogan comes into focus thanks to the tiny light beam . The light scatters now it is inside the bottle, and illuminates the plastic from within . Specific: The video even shows the specific moment that the cap gets illuminated . Brief illumination: The bottle begins to darken again as the light scatters onwards . First of all pointing out that Coca Cola did not sponsor this experiment, Media Lab Associate Professor Ramesh Raskar explained the physics behind the experiment to the TED crowd in Edinburgh. The team used a laser, flicking it on and off in the space of a femtosecond - or a millionth of a billionth of a second. TED Talk: Media Lab Associate Professor Ramesh Raskar during his presentation . In order to get a grip on how short this time is, an oft-quoted example is that a femtosecond is to a second what a second is to about 32 million years. The laser, turned on and off, sends out a small beam of light, measuring in length just a millimetre. The light is directed at a Coca Cola bottle in a darkened room, and the camera then film the light as it (relatively) slowly enters the bottle through the plastic bottom, moves to the far end while scattering light within the bottle, and then bounces off the bottle cap. This is the first time light has publicly been filmed moving, and could have huge repercussions in everything from photography to medical revolutions to shopping. If the technology can become cheap to produce commercially, people could carry scanners to the supermarket and check the ripeness of their fruit and vegetable, as the scanner can beam light into, say, a tomato. If a tomato is ripe, light will be absorbed into the fruit and bounce around, causing a 'glow' in a super-slow video. Unripe or old fruit would not absorb the light. Media Lab postdoc Andreas Velten, one of the system’s developers, called the camera it the 'ultimate' in slow motion. He said: 'There’s nothing in the universe that looks fast to this camera,'. See the TED video here: . The system relies on a recent technology called a streak camera, deployed in a totally unexpected way. The aperture of the streak camera is a narrow slit. Particles of . light - photons - enter the camera through the slit and are converted . into electrons, which pass through an electric field that deflects them . in a direction perpendicular to the slit. Because the electric field is changing very rapidly, it deflects the . electrons corresponding to late-arriving photons more than it does those . corresponding to early arriving ones. The image produced by the camera is thus two-dimensional, but only . one of the dimensions — the one corresponding to the direction of the . slit — is spatial. The other dimension, corresponding to the degree of . deflection, is time. The image thus represents the time of arrival of . photons passing through a one-dimensional slice of space. The camera was intended for use in experiments where light passes . through or is emitted by a chemical sample. Since chemists are chiefly . interested in the wavelengths of light that a sample absorbs, or in how . the intensity of the emitted light changes over time, the fact that the . camera registers only one spatial dimension is irrelevant. But it’s a serious drawback in a video camera. How it works: A tiny laser pulse is fired towards an object, such as a coke bottle or a brick wall . Explanation: The tiny beam of light (pictured center) travels towards the wall . When the light hits an object, in this case a wall, it scatters in a thousand directions . To produce their super-slow-mo videos, Velten, Media Lab Associate . Professor Ramesh Raskar and Moungi Bawendi, the Lester Wolfe Professor . of Chemistry, must perform the same experiment - such as passing a light . pulse through a bottle - over and over, continually repositioning the . streak camera to gradually build up a two-dimensional image. Synchronising the camera and the laser that generates the pulse, so . that the timing of every exposure is the same, requires a battery of . sophisticated optical equipment and exquisite mechanical control. It takes only a nanosecond - a billionth of a second - for light to . scatter through a bottle, but it takes about an hour to collect all the . data necessary for the final video. For that reason, Raskar calls the new system 'the world’s slowest fastest camera.' After an hour, the researchers accumulate hundreds of thousands of . data sets, each of which plots the one-dimensional positions of photons . against their times of arrival. Raskar, Velten and other members of . Raskar’s Camera Culture group at the Media Lab developed algorithms that . can stitch that raw data into a set of sequential two-dimensional . images. | Even 'travelling at the speed of light' cannot defeat the 'world's fastest camera'
MIT researchers film a beam of light hitting Coke bottle and tomato, and slow the footage down for a slow-motion replay . |
88,354 | fac6cc4a214b935fdbee38074aec8c54ba61906e | By . Larisa Brown . PUBLISHED: . 16:21 EST, 31 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:35 EST, 31 January 2013 . A world-renowned art historian and former . head of education at the V&A museum died in squalor after a secret . battle with depression, an inquest heard today. Ronald Parkinson, 67, lived a hermit-like existence from the living room of his home in Tooting, south west London, surrounded by empty takeaway wrappers and piles of dirty clothes. Mr Parkinson was found dead, lying face down on the floor naked with some food, which had been left for him five days earlier, completely untouched. Ronald Parkinson, a world-renowned art historian and former head of education at the V&A museum, pictured, died in squalor after a secret battle with depression, an inquest has heard . Westminster Coroner's Court heard Parkinson, a noted author on the works of artist John Constable, drank heavily for more than 30 years and battled depression. 'He had a history of depression and alcoholism', said assistant deputy coroner Jean Harkin. 'He was referred to the community mental health team, but unfortunately the patient did not engage with this service.' Mr Parkinson's cousin, Colin Barrett, the last person to see him alive, said the depression was not known to the academic's friends and former colleagues. 'The doctor's report said he had depression, but this is a complete mystery to those of us in his family, he was the last person to be the suffering from that kind of ailment', he said. 'He was a renowned happy individual, he had happiness around him all the time and it rubbed off on other people. 'That's why he was greatly loved by his colleagues and friends, and those who knew him.' Mr Parkinson starting drinking heavily in the 1990s, the inquest heard. As a result he was transferred from his role in the education department at the V&A museum to a different role where a close friend could monitor his progress. 'The situation prevailed until 1998 when the civil service gave him early retirement', said coroner's officer Deborah Plant. 'In retirement, his drinking continued, and although his cousin kept in touch regularly, he gradually was not able to come to visit or receive visitors.' Mr Parkinson's long-term partner died in March last year, and his declining health and heavy drinking continued unabated. 'We didn't feel the condition deteriorated sharply after the death of his partner, it was an ongoing process of heavy drinking which had been going on for 30 years', said Mr Barrett. In June last year, Mr Barrett was called to Mr Parkinson's home and was shocked by his appearance and the state of the home. Westminster Coroner's Court, pictured, heard Parkinson drank heavily for more than 30 years and battled depression . 'He had lank hair which was matted and unwashed', said Ms Plant. 'His clothing was dirty, he was seriously underweight, and the flat was in disarray and appeared close to infestation.' Mr Barrett, who had previously kept in touch by phone with Mr Parkinson, began to visit frequently to ensure he was looking after himself, but the academic was in an increasingly frail state. 'On one occasion, he had fallen down the stairs and was found unconscious lying wedged in the door way', said Ms Plant. 'His hands were permanently shaking and he was fragile, he could have fallen down the stairs at any time.' Mr Parkinson was put on an alcohol dependency treatment course, but told workers in September last year he did not want any help. But when Mr Barrett returned from holiday and went to visit, on November 15, he found Mr Parkinson gasping for water after days of not drinking anything at all. 'I found him in a worse condition than before, the room was in more than a shambles, there was dirt, squalor and litter everywhere', he said. 'It appeared he had been living solely in this room. 'I don't believe he had been able to get out to order alcohol, and may not have been drinking for ten days.' - Mr Parkinson's cousin . Mr Barrett said his cousin gulped down a glass of water 'like he had been in the desert for days', left him with fresh food, and reported his concerns to Mr Parkinson's GP. But before community health workers could visit Mr Parkinson, Mr Barrett found his cousin dead on November 20 last year, barricaded into his living room with cushions and cardboard boxes. No alcohol was in his system when he died, and Mr Barrett said it was a 'miracle' that doctors found no evidence of liver damage from his drinking. Mr Parkinson studied art history at Clare College, Cambridge, before becoming a widely respected art author and seminal expert on Constable. He joined the V&A in 1972, holding various roles in the education department and latterly in art conservation, and also had a four-year stint as an assistant keeper at the Tate Gallery's British collection in the mid-70s. Mr Barrett described his cousin as a modest man who did not like to talk about his own achievements. 'He was always interested in you, and we didn't know about the extent of his publications until after his death', he said. 'His flat was filled with something in the order of 1,500 art books, ranging right across the art history spectrum. It was his passion right until he died.' Ms Harkin recorded a verdict of death by natural causes after hearing Mr Parkinson, of Tooting, had suffered from coronary artery disease. | Ronald Parkinson, 67, lived a hermit-like existence from living room .
Mr Parkinson was found dead naked with some food completely untouched .
'He had a history of depression and alcoholism', an inquest has heard .
His cousin said he was a 'renowned happy individual' and was 'greatly loved' |
104,229 | 127a0035d052ee46e079ce1d8db6be6bd29e5761 | Sergio Aguero is looking forward to seeing Manchester City fan Menelik Watson in action for the Oakland Raiders against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley this Sunday. The Argentine striker will be in attendance for the latest NFL International Series game to be played in London. The 26-year-old will take part in Manchester City’s Premier League clash against Hull on Saturday before heading to London for the clash between the Dolphins and Raiders on Sunday. Sergio Aguero poses with American Football helmets after training on Friday . City stars prepare for their trip to Hull, but for Aguero (centre) it is a sporting double this weekend . Aguero will travel to London in time for Sunday's NFL clash between Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders . Manchester City players stretch during their training session on Friday . The Raiders side features offensive tackle Watson, who was born in Manchester and in 2013 became the highest ever Brit to be selected in the NFL Draft, going to Oakland in the second round. Aguero said: ‘I hope that Menelik Watson can do his stuff for the Raiders. I know he’s a big Manchester City fan and that he’s very keen to see us play at Wembley again. ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing the big NFL game at Wembley,’ the City striker added. Aguero is a big NFL fan, and supports the Dallas Cowboys . Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany leads his team-mates in a warm-up . ‘I’ve always been a big fan of the Dallas Cowboys, but love to watch the game and I’m excited about seeing the Raiders and Dolphins in action.’ The Cowboys will head to London in November when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third and final game at Wembley this season. On October 26, the Detroit Lions will face the Atlanta Falcons in a 1.30pm kick-off - the first afternoon start since the International Series began in 2007. Aguero proves he is good with his arms as well as his feet as he practices his American Football technique . David Silva (centre) tries to win the ball from Edin Dzeko (left) during training on Friday . City goalkeeper Joe Hart will be hoping for his second clean sheet of the Premier League season on Saturday . | Manchester City players were in good spirits as they trained on Friday .
Manuel Pellegrini's side travel to Hull on Saturday afternoon .
After the match, Sergio Aguero will travel to London in time for NFL match .
Miami Dolphins take on Oakland Raiders at Wembley on Sunday . |
30,878 | 57bb51bda29ab039fe4df1b82e2f7cb00658fea3 | (CNN) -- Right now, it's nothing more than an empty plot of land, covered by just a few shrubs and the odd Neem tree. But within a few years, these grass plains just outside Accra, Ghana, could be transformed into a fertile breeding ground for world-class innovation. Earlier this month, Ghanaian president John Mahama launched Hope City, a $10 billion high-tech hub aiming to foster technological growth and attract major players in the global ICT industry to the West African country. The ambitious project is the brainchild of Ghanaian businessman Roland Agambire, head of local technology group RLG Communications. Smart and futuristic, the hub's sustainable facilities will include an assembly plant for various tech products, business offices, an IT university and a hospital, as well as housing and recreation spaces, including restaurants, theaters and sports centers. "What is lacking in the African continent is a place where you can have well-designed products, backed with concrete research and proper hardware and software developers to be able to create infrastructure for the telecoms industry," says Agambire, 39, whose company has acquired the land where the technopolis will be built. "So the inspiration behind Hope City is to have an iconic ICT park where ICT players from all over the world can converge to design, fabricate and export software and everything arising from this country," he adds. Read this: Why tech innovators are Africa's future . Construction is expected to begin by June 2013 and when completed -- within three years, if everything goes as planned -- the technology park could house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people. Agambire, one of Ghana's top businessmen, says his company is financing 30% of the project, while the remainder will be funded by a wide array of investors and through a stock-buying scheme. The entrepreneur says the IT hub has already attracted several partners, including Microsoft, with Microsoft corporate vice president Ali Faramawy among the guests at the Hope City launch event. Agambire adds that the Hope City project also has the support of the Ghanaian government, as it aims to create create thousands of jobs and help turn technology into one of the country's main economic drivers. "What we want to do is to create the environment and the human resource base for the technology industry to be able to use that [environment] and tap that opportunity," he says. "That's what has happened in China, that's what has happened in other places of the world." 'Africa's highest tower' Hope City will be developed in an area of about 1.5 million square meters, located some 30 minutes west of Accra's city center. Designed by Italian firm Architect OBR, the technopolis will be made up of six towers of different dimensions, including a 75-story, 270 meter-high building that is expected to be the highest in Africa. A system of bridges at different heights will link the towers together, creating a circular connection between the buildings' functions and public amenities. OBR co-founder Paolo Brescia says the project's goal is to create a living place of discovery and exploration that reflects the tradition and culture of local people in a contemporary urban setting. Read this: Africa's 'father of technology' To achieve this, the architects designed Hope City with Ghana's traditional compound houses in mind. Originally made of mud brick walls and thatched roofs, compound structures have been a prevalent form of housing in the country for centuries, built to promote communal life and mutual assistance. "We wanted to recreate, at a different scale, the same feeling of the compound house in a way that it could work as a compound cluster," explains Brescia. "This place is designed to keep people together," he adds. "We developed this idea, not as a campus, where you have buildings which are dedicated to single functions, but as a city which is developed in a vertical way so that everything could be interconnected." 'ICT revolution' The launch of Hope City comes just a few months after Kenya broke ground on its own flagship tech mega project; located some 60 kilometers southeast of the capital Nairobi, Konza Techno City is being touted as "Africa's Silicon Savannah," a major IT hub that aims to create some 100,000 jobs by 2030. Kenya has already experienced a major IT boom in recent years, spurred in part by a surge in the number of innovation centers, such as Nairobi-based iHub, which enable young coders and aspiring entrepreneurs to collaborate, network and develop their trailblazing ideas. Read this: How 'Afropreneurs' will shape Africa's future . Similar spaces have also mushroomed across Africa in recent years, from Egypt and Nigeria to Tanzania and Madagascar. In Ghana, one such center is Accra-based Mobile Web Ghana, a vibrant tech space with more than 300 members. Florence Toffa, director of Mobile Web Ghana, welcomes the launch of Hope City. "This city hopefully will bring the tech companies together and spark a new ICT revolution in Ghana," she says, adding that the project could equip local techies with the necessary skills to develop apps that would solve community problems, as well as provide a platform for tech companies to find new talent and opportunities to invest in. For Agambire, this is a project that will position Ghana at the forefront of African technology. "Africa is hungry for development," he says. "Want to make sure that in three years down the line, Hope City will be a reality and will be one of the biggest dreams that Africa has ever seen." | Hope City is a planned high-tech hub outside Accra, Ghana .
The technopolis will house 25,000 residents and create jobs for 50,000 people .
Construction is expected to begin by June and to be completed within three years . |
163,547 | 5f79964054a5198cecd14e5acb47921ee75eeadd | SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO... X Factor finalist Rachel Crow, 13, made an emotional exit from the competition last night in scenes that made for uncomfortable viewing. The 13-year-old was devastated after she was sent home from the competition after judge Nicole sent the vote to deadlock after she picked Rachel to leave over finalist Marcus Canty. Once presenter Steve Jones announced she had received the lowest number of votes from the public, the youngster dramatically slumped to the ground and collapsed in a flood of tears upon realising her X Factor dream was over. Her worried mother rushed onto the stage to comfort her screaming daughter who looked even younger than her 13 years. And as she tried her best to reassure her that everything would be okay, in heartbreaking scenes Rachel wailed: 'Mommy you promise me?... Promise me?.' Devastated: Young X Factor hopeful Rachel Crowe was at the centre of uncomfortable scenes last night as she sobbed uncontrollably at being dumped off show The X Factor USA . Overcome: The tenn slumped to the floor as she heard the news, wailing uncontrollably as presenter Steve Jones and finalist Marcus Canty - who survived - looked concerned . Stepping in: Simon Cowell made his way up onto the stage to scoop up his act up as presenter Jones dithered . The teenager's reaction appeared to paralyse presenter Jones, who looked flustered and failed to act. As judge Nicole Scherzinger burst into tears, presenter Jones floundered . around the heartbroken young singer. It was left to head judge Simon . Cowell to take charge, as he rushed onto the stage to pick the sobbing . teen off the floor. Former Pussycat Doll Nicole also arrived onstage still weeping, and stood awkwardly behind Rachel. She could have saved the teen but instead threw the vote to a tie, meaning the final decision was left to the public vote. The show's cameras appeared to hastily cut to Jones as an inconsolable Rachel was comforted by Cowell and her mother. Mother knows best: While her mother tried to comfort her Rachel screamed at her clearly distraught with the news she was going home . Oh dear: As Rachel bawled her mother came out on stage to try and comfort her while the judges and Steve looked concerned . X Factor USA relaxed competition . rules to allow younger performers to bid for stardom, while in the UK . the age limit is still fixed at 16. But even in the UK some industry insiders have voiced concerns that it is still too low. On the UK show popular contestant Luke Lucas, 16, was axed after a disastrous performance during the judges' houses round leading judge and Take That star Gary Barlow to declare 16 too young for the show. The 16-year-old had wowed during the . initial stages but buckled under the pressure in LA, disappointing Gary . with an out of time and off-key performance of Shontelle's . Impossible. Luke broke down in tears and had to be comforted by a crew member, which . led the UK X Factor's head judge to voice his concerns with . the show's age limit. Barlow said: 'Sixteen is just too . young to be in a competition with this kind of pressure.' Comforting words: As Simon tells the teen she has a career ahead of her Nicole is seen crying behind them . As the cameras cut to the montage of her time on the show Nicole also appeared inconsolable and held her hands up to her face. When Steve asked her if she had anything to say she simply turned away, adding to the emotional tension present on stage. Nicole didn't want to pick between Rachel and Marcus Canty and turned to the other judges to seek their advice as she said: 'I can’t make this decision I’ve been up there and I know how that feels.' But with Simon and LA Reid both opting to save their own acts and Paula choosing to save Rachel, Nicole was left with the final decision. Thanks for voting: Rachel managed to compose herself to say thank you to her fans and told them it wouldn't be the last they see of her . Call for peace: Rachel tweeted after the show for people not to be angry with Nicole . Foreboding: Cowell tweeted that he had a 'weird feeling' shortly before the show . After a drawn out pause she reluctantly chose to send Rachel home, thus putting the pair to deadlock, but it was revealed the teen had failed to attract as many votes as Marcus, and the exuberant little girl was clearly shattered by the news. When she managed to compose herself Rachel fought back her emotions to say a few words. I can't : As Steve asked Nicole if she had anything to say she couldn't control her own tears, holding her head down before turning away . Speaking through her tears she gushed: 'I just love you so much, everybody, for voting for me even though you didn't and thank you for giving me this because without you I am nothing.' I hope this is not my ending, you know what I know it's not. Lowest votes: Rachel was in the bottom two with Marcus Canty but the thrice-lucky singer received more public votes than the teenager . Simon, who only has one act left in the competition said: 'I want to thank everyone that's voted for this young girl. I believe she went out on the highest she could have gone out on. Like I said, from the very first time I met you, we're going to be hearing a lot more about Rachel Crow, I give you my word on that.' Nicole also appeared to be devastated by the public decision and was seen with tears streaming down her face and Paula Abdul got up to wrap her arms around her in an attempt to offer comfort. What have I done? Nicole looked distraught as she learned that Rachel would be going after she sent the decision to the public vote . Singing for their lives: Crow took on Ella Fitzgerald's I'd Rather Go Blind, while Marcus performed Rose Royce track I'm Going Down . While Josh Krajick and Chris Rene were told they were through to the semi final at the start of the show, Simon Cowell was put under pressure when Melanie Amaro had to wait with Rachel and Marcus to learn her fate. She was put through and it was down to the energetic teenager and religious man Marcus to perform their save me songs. I love you: Chris Rene showed his love to the audience as he was told he was through while Josh was seen picking up his mentor Nicole . Tense: Backstage Melanie Amaro joined Rachel and Marcus to find out who was in the sing off . As Rachel learned she was in the bottom two signs of the strain were obvious . Crow took on Ella Fitzgerald's I'd Rather Go Blind, while Marcus performed Rose Royce track I'm Going Down. As well as the highly emotive live show viewers were treated to two guest performances. Star guests: Mary J Blige took to the stage in a figure-hugging white dress to perform a demure rendition of Need Someone from her new album My Life II. Rocking out: Lenny Kravitz kicked off proceedings with with a medley of his tracks Rock Star City Life and Are You Gonna Go My Way? Lenny Kravitz kicked off proceedings with with a medley of his tracks Rock Star City Life and Are You Gonna Go My Way? Mary J Blige later took to the stage in a . figure-hugging white dress to perform a demure rendition of Need Someone . from her new album My Life II. With . Rachel gone, Marcus joins Melanie, Josh and Chris are left to battle it . out in the semi-finals next week in the next stage towards becoming the first X Factor USA winner. Great show: Both acts got a standing ovation from all four judges . | Tearful Nicole Scherzinger sends vote to 'deadlock'
Shocked Rachel then learns she got less votes than Marcus Canty .
Simon Cowell now only has one act left in the race . |
243,094 | c69d5cae2a93083817701da46e5cdce9eabf9c93 | In a galaxy far, far away he was one of the most feared crime bosses in the universe, with a particular distaste for plucky hero Han Solo. But now the infamous Jabba the Hutt has appeared in our own galaxy - at least, in an animation showing weather patterns on Earth. In the map, the face of the criminal overlord can be made out, with vortices representing his eyes and wind creating scaly, green skin. Scroll down to use the interactive animation . Tokyo-based software engineer Cameron Beccario has created a weather map (shown) that looks like the infamous Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt. The animation shows wind speeds and weather patterns around the world. In the image Jabba's 'eyes' are represented by two vortices . The familiar pattern arose in an animated map showing global weather conditions called earth.nullschool.net. Created by Tokyo-based software engineer Cameron Beccario, the image garnered considerable attention on social media networks when observers noted the similarity to the Star Wars character. He said the wind map was a personal project used to learn how to develop web visualisations. ‘I originally found the image while playing around with the site, which I then posted on the site's facebook page,’ Mr Beccario, 39, told MailOnline. According to meteorologist Tyler Hamilton from The Weather Network, the eyes represent ‘stationary vortices that are common during the winter months.’ The mouth is the ‘intertropical convergence zone’ (ITCZ), which is an area that circles Earth near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds come together. The pink eyebrows are high-speed winds moving more than 155mph (250km/h) in the upper atmosphere, while the other green lines show the motion of wind elsewhere in the world. Light green shows the lowest intensity winds, moving up to red and then pink. ‘The combination of high altitude winds, colours, and equirectangular projection caused this humourous face to appear, and I couldn't stop laughing. He noted that he thought it looked 'more like Oscar the Grouch' than Jabba the Hutt, but the resemblance to both characters is uncanny. ‘Of course, it's 100 per cent an artefact of the site's calculations,' he added. 'The website shows global wind data over a number of different altitudes, updated every three hours, from data made available by the US National Weather Service.' 'This particular image shows wind velocity at a pressure level of 10 hectopascals, which is roughly 26.5km [16/5 miles] up, as forecast by the US NWS on 19 January at 12.00 UTC. 'The colors vary with wind speed, as does the motion of the particles, which get faster as the wind speeds up. Note the projection introduces distortion, too.' Mr Beccario told MailOnline that he thought the animation looked 'more like Oscar the Grouch' (shown right) than Jabba the Hutt (left), but the resemblance to both characters is uncanny . Above is the interactive animation that looks like Jabba the Hutt, which you can scroll and zoom to view wind speeds and weather effects in different parts of the globe . According to meteorologist Tyler Hamilton from The Weather Network, the eyes represent ‘stationary vortices that are common during the winter months.’ The mouth is the ‘intertropical convergence zone’ (ITCZ), which is an area that circles Earth near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds come together. The pink eyebrows are high-speed winds moving more than 155mph (250km/h) in the upper atmosphere, while the other green lines show the motion of wind elsewhere in the world. Light green shows the lowest intensity winds, moving up to red and then pink. Of course, this map isn’t designed to replicate faces of famous movie character in weather patterns on Earth. It’s actually a visualisation of global weather conditions that have been forecast by supercomputers. The weather is updated every three hours, while ocean surface currents are updated every five days. It uses data from the Global Forecast System (GFS), National Centres for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). ‘I originally found the image while playing around with the site, which I then posted on the site's facebook page,’ Mr Beccario, 39, told MailOnline. Here Jabba is seen in a scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi . | Tokyo-based software engineer Cameron Beccario has created a weather map that looks like the infamous Star Wars character Jabba the Hutt .
The animation shows wind speeds and weather patterns around the world .
In the image Jabba's 'eyes' are represented by two vortices .
His mouth is an area that circles Earth near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds come together .
Mr Beccario told MailOnline he 'couldn't stop laughing' when he saw the face appear in his visualisation . |
23,695 | 43452ec703abce128006448543d74c52c0fbc61d | Editor's note: This post was created for your reading pleasure as a collaborative effort between the editorial staffs of BuzzFeed and CNN. (Buzzfeed/CNN) -- The world has been exposed to the romantic escapades of eccentric rapper Kanye West and tabloid darling/reality star Kim Kardashian, willingly or not, since they made their relationship public in April 2012. Yo, we're gonna let you finish, but let's take a look back at the long road that led these two crazy kids to one of the most talked-about hook-ups of all time. 2007: Kim and Kanye are photographed together at the grand opening of the L.A. fashion boutique Intermix. At the time, Kim was dating then-New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush. "We met almost a decade ago. I've known him for a very long time. We've been friends for six or seven years," Kim revealed of her relationship with Kanye in an exclusive interview with Oprah in June 2012. 2008: Kim and older sister Kourtney publicly cross paths with Kanye again at Flaunt Magazine's 10th anniversary party in L.A. This time, Kanye was dating model Amber Rose. Amber and Kanye would call it quits in 2010 after a two-year on-again, off-again relationship. 2009: Kanye West appears on Keri Hilson's song "Knock You Down" with a guest verse that many cite as a direct reference to his infatuation with Kim. The key line, according to Hollywood gossip site TMZ, comes towards the end of the song: . "You was always the cheerleader of my dreams / To seem to only date the head of football teams / And I was the class clown that always kept you laughing / We were never meant to be, baby we just happened." After a brief split and reconciliation in 2009, Kim and Bush (presumably the "head of football teams" West mentions) ended their three-year relationship once and for all in 2010. March 2012: After not being spotted together publicly for a few years, Kimye, as they are frequently called, show up together at Paris Fashion Week. April 2012: The couple is seen together in New York at the opening of RYU, the Japanese restaurant owned by Kourtney Kardashian's boyfriend, Scott Disick. (This was the same night Kanye was famously photographed pulling his pants up.) April 2012: That same month, Kanye drops the song "Cold," featuring DJ Khaled, which references Kim by name: . "I got respect for ... Wiz / And I'll admit, I had fell in love with Kim / Around the same time she had fell in love with him / Well that's cool, baby girl, do ya thang / Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team / La Familia, Roc Nation." The lyric appears to be a direct reference to both Amber Rose's relationship with fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa and Kim's short-lived relationship with Kris Humphries, who played for the New Jersey Nets at the time. Kanye's friend Jay-Z owns a minority stake in the team, now called the Brooklyn Nets. May 2012: Kim and Kanye are photographed canoodling at a series of Lakers games. July 2012: They attend the BET Awards together, sitting next to Jay-Z and Beyoncé. August 2012: Kim and Kanye show up in comedian Kevin Hart's promo for the MTV Video Music Awards. The clip shows the couple lounging in a hotel room. Hart suggests that he could be close friends with the couple and that they could even start wearing matching outfits and be the "the new 'it couple" known as KevYeKim. December 30, 2012: Kim announces on her blog that she's pregnant: . "It's true!! Kanye and I are expecting a baby. We feel so blessed and lucky and wish that in addition to both of our families, his mom and my dad could be here to celebrate this special time with us. Looking forward to great new beginnings in 2013 and to starting a family. Happy New Year!!! Xo" December 2012: That night, Kanye confirms it during a concert in Atlantic City, calling Kim his "baby mama." May 2013: Kim and Kanye show up on the red carpet for the Costume Institute Gala's "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Which inspired a few unfortunate jokes online: . June 2013: In the eighth-season premiere of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," Kim and mom Kris Jenner learn that Kim and Kanye are having ... A girl! The announcement came a day before Kim and her husband of 72 days, Humphries, jumped the last legal hurdle in their much lengthier divorce process, which began in 2011. | All eyes have been on Kanye West and Kim Kardashian since they went public .
The couple is expecting their first child this summer .
Kardashian revealed the gender of their baby on her family's reality show . |
129,219 | 32ff5595d7c66401909c974b9cb23fb83d7fa47b | The estranged wife of a pastor from suburban Chicago has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to poison her three daughters and stabbing two of them so they could 'meet Jesus Christ.' Pamela Christensen, 47, from Montgomery, was ordered held on $1million bail Thursday in connection to the September 25 knife attack. Police officers who responded to the Christensens' home in the 2300 block of Patron Lane after getting two 911 hang-ups were met at the door by the mother of three, whose white shirt was splattered with blood. Mother charged: Pamela Christensen, 47, is accused of trying to stab two of her three teenage daughters after a failed attempt to poison them . Grisly welcome: When police responded to the family's home in Montgomery, Illinois (pictured), they were met by Mrs Christensen in a white shirt drenched in blood . The 47-year-old dropped to her knees in front of the officers and told them she had tried to kill her daughters, according to court documents. Two of the girls were found upstairs with stab wounds to the chest. Their mother also knifed herself in the chest and abdomen. Mrs Christensen was taken to an area hospital for treatment, where she remained until Wednesday. Following her release, the married mother of three was charged with first-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery and aggravated restraint. She is due back in court October 16. Court records obtained by Chicago Sun-Times indicate that during her interview with police, the woman admitted to making a poisonous cocktail containing dishwashing detergent, which she was hoping to give her daughters so they would fall asleep, but the girls refused to drink the concoction. Rapture: Pamela Christensen said she had received messages from her estranged husband, Pastor Vaughn Christensen, telling her the end of the world was near and instructing her to get her kids ready to meet Jesus . When interviewed by police, Christensen’s daughters, ages 12, 16 and 19, told investigators that their mother held them at knifepoint and asked if they accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Two of the three girls suffered knife wounds. According to court documents, Pamela Christensen said she was sending her children to 'meet Jesus Christ.' When police discovered the children just before 11am on September 25, all three were dressed in white. The girls were taken to a hospital for treatment and later released. Pamela Christensen told detectives that her husband, Pastor Vaughn Christensen, had left messages on her phone telling his wife that the end of the world was coming and instructing her to prepare their children to meet Jesus. According to court records, the couple are in the midst of a messy divorce. In August, the wife obtained an order of protection against her clergyman husband, claiming that he had become erratic and increasingly violent towards the family, threatening to harm the children, as well as himself. Police said they had received several calls from the Christensen residence over the past few months about suicide threats. The Christensens’ three daughters have been released into the custody of Pamela's father. Man of God: Mr Christensen, seen here delivering a sermon at Heritage of Faith Church, is allegedly in the process of divrocing his wife, who had obtained an order of protection against him citing violent behavior . | Pamela Christensen, 47, charged with first-degree attempted murder .
Mother of three met police at home in a shirt covered in blood and said she had tried to kill her children .
Two of the daughters suffered knife wounds to the chest; the mother also stabbed herself in the chest and stomach .
Mrs Christensen allegedly tried to poison the girls, ages 12, 16 and 19, with toxic concoction, but they refused to drink it .
The woman said she had received messages from her pastor husband telling her to prepare their kids for the end of the world . |
279,649 | f6464b4fbe85a43affadf7c69609458064fbe59f | By . Emma Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 08:54 EST, 4 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 12:06 EST, 4 January 2014 . Nadine Dorries made nearly £4,000 for appearing on a TV quiz show for charity - but the good causes she went on there to raise money for received £1,000. The Tory MP, who was suspended from the Conservative Party in 2012 for appearing on ITV's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, took part in the channel's The Chase gameshow. Bedfordshire MP Ms Dorries appeared on the celebrity episode with darts player Eric Bristow, Emmerdale actress Sammy Winward and comedian Ed Byrne. Charity: Nadine Dorries made nearly £4,000 for appearing on a TV quiz show for charity - but the good causes she went on there to raise money for received £1,000 . But she only managed to answer three out of nine questions correctly and she left with her appearance fee of £3,000 plus £1,000 winnings which she donated to the Bedordhsire and Luton Community Trust so they could support young carers. Ms Dorries didn't know who sang Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours and she couldn't remember the French word for race track. I'm a Celebrity: The Tory MP was suspended from party in 2012 for appearing on ITV's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here . She also didn't know Jenny Agutter was in the Railway Children and said Daniel Craig had appeared with a bulldog rather than a corgi at the Olympics opening ceremony. A register of member's interests shows she was paid £3,800 for appearing on the show which was screened at 7pm on Saturday, November 30. The cash was paid to a company called Averbrook which she set up for her outside earnings, reports the Mirror. For her controversial appearance on I'm a Celebrity, she was paid £6,960 for 12 days in the jungle and also earned £13,268 for TV appearances, interviews and photoshoots in connection with the popular show. The 56-year-old also picked up £1,440 for an appearance on Have I Got News For You.In . November, Ms Dorries was ordered to apologise to Parliament for . refusing to say how much she earned as a contestant on I'm A Celebrity . Get Me Out Of Here. Speaking . today, the MP said she uses money earned for TV appearances to fund her . personal expenses rather than claim from the taxpayer. She said: 'I don't claim expenses so I use my outside earnings to subsidise my role as MP. 'I don't claim any expenses, I pay for my travel costs, I don't claim personal expenses. I did win £1,000 for charity on The Chase which went to the Bedford and Luton Community Trust and it was given to young carers in the area. 'Everybody gets lots of questions wrong. Sammie (Winward) did the same thing and she went out with £1,000.' Have I Got News For You: The 56-year-old picked up £1,440 for an appearance on Have I Got News For You . The maverick backbencher failed to . inform the Commons authorities about the money she received for eight . media appearances, including taking part in the ITV reality show a year . ago. Despite accusing . investigators of a 'witch hunt' she told MPs she apologised 'fully and . unreservedly for what was a genuinely inadvertent breach of the rules'. She has been censured by the Commons Standards committee, which also complained about her attitude towards the investigation. The Mid Bedfordshire MP caused a storm in Westminster when she jetted off to Australia without getting permission from Tory party bosses in October last year. She claimed she would be able to reach an audience of millions, discussing important policy issues like lowering the abortion limit. Ms Dorries insisted the money had been paid to her company, Averbrook Ltd, and did not need to be declared. She said she had 'no obligation to answer for what payments are made by whom to Averbook' and would only register earnings if Averbook paid her anything. But the committee said it was 'hard to believe' that she would have been asked to take part in the show if she were not an MP, and as a result the earnings were linked to her role in parliament. | Nadine Dorries appeared on ITV's The Chase quiz show and won £1,000 .
Tory MP was suspended from party in 2012 for I'm a Celebrity appearance .
Ms Dorries says she doesn't claim any expenses so uses money for travel . |
26,305 | 4a921d8363bcc1f604e9eb56dab630ee58545936 | (CNN) -- Every day, the federal government's partial shutdown brings more tragic and disheartening news to America's veterans, troops and their families. This week, the Department of Defense announced it would be unable to pay the $100,000 death gratuity benefit to support families of the fallen -- news that is insulting to those who serve and their families. For a government that readily claims to support America's troops and veterans by spending billions on service members and veterans, legislators failed to notice that this particular lack of funding, a mere fraction of the Defense Department's budget, would be cut off, causing needless pain to grieving families. The news drew quick condemnation from pundits, the military and veterans community, and members of Congress. Politicians from both parties, displaying a sense of urgency yet to be seen on the notion of ending the shutdown, rushed to condemn the decision and quickly called for the benefits to be reinstated. Fortunately, the military charity Fisher House Foundation has stepped up and will cover these benefits for the Pentagon until the problem is solved. The strong words and overwhelming bipartisan support on death benefits and veterans funding issues makes veterans wonder why Congress can muster such sharp and decisive action on a limited basis, especially when it involves veterans and the military community? Veterans and military families are left to wonder if the pledges of support are genuine, or do they just conveniently provide a symbolic fallback issue for legislators when governing in Washington gets tough? As part of shutdown politics, members continually retreat to the veterans community, to the point that they start tripping over each other to be first in front of the camera. This behavior was on display last week as well when members of Congress attempted to gain the upper hand in the public relations battle over the closure of the World War II Memorial. For "the greatest generation," the World War II Memorial is more than pillars and a fountain; it is a shrine to the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in lands far away from the United States for ideals that we still fight for every day in this country. It is a solemn place of remembrance for men and women who endured hardship, tragedy and suffering on levels that many of us simply cannot fathom. Once the government shutdown began, the site was supposed to be off-limits to everyone, including World War II veterans. But on the day the government shut down, 92 World War II veterans visiting from Mississippi made headlines by breaking through the barricades and paying homage to their fallen comrades. Suddenly, a war that ended more than 65 years ago became current a few hours into a government shutdown. The image of World War II veterans breaking through yellow tape and metal barricades went viral, and members of Congress from both parties quickly attached themselves to the fight. This shutdown has generated a style of bandwagon politics in the last week that is getting stale. Rather than focus on solving the problems that resulted in the shutdown, politicians are conveniently highlighting veterans and military families without doing the one job that will really help: Ending the shutdown. The threat for veterans and military families is all too real. A denial of some services and lingering doubt about the future will only add more financial and emotional anguish to a community that's already endured war for more than a dozen years. On social media via #Shutdownstories and calls to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America case managers, we hear from veterans in the Veterans Affairs backlog who will have to spend more time waiting for a claims decision than they spent in combat zones. Veterans who make up 27% of the federal workforce are now furloughed. National Guard drills are being rescheduled or canceled in many states, affecting troop readiness and pay. On base, services that military families count on are now closed. Veterans who rely on disability and GI Bill benefits are facing the very real possibility of not getting their benefits next month, as Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testified Wednesday. Photo-ops, shouting matches and gimmicks will not help veterans and military families who are hurting during the shutdown. These political events provide no long-term benefits for the military community and get us nowhere closer to ending a shutdown that is inflicting real pain on the men and women who fought for our country. The political games and posturing need to end. Make no mistake that veterans and military families appreciate compliments and expressions of support and gratitude -- but what we need most right now are solutions. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Nick McCormick. | Nick McCormick: Death benefits were cut off to families of the fallen .
He says a temporary fix doesn't fully undo impact of the partial government shutdown .
Members of Congress rush to denounce cuts in veterans' services to score PR points .
McCormick: What we need is action to end shutdown, not political posturing . |
59,170 | a7f450f2d5f9df1630d12b442e2a5e3974d7fdea | (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors say they have broken up a major effort to ship parts for fighter jets and helicopter gunships to Iran in violation of U.S. arms export laws. In a raft of indictments announced Thursday, the Justice Department accuses executives from companies in Florida, Illinois, France and the United Arab Emirates with illegally supplying components for U.S.-built aircraft to Iran. An Iranian company and its top officers also have been charged in the case. "Through coordinated law enforcement efforts, we have cut off more than a branch of this illegal supply tree; we have cut off the tree at its trunk," Michael Moore, the U.S. attorney in Macon, Georgia, said in a statement announcing the charges. The Florida-based company, The Parts Guys, kept a warehouse in Macon, according to the indictments. The company and its president, Michael Todd, have already pleaded guilty to violating the U.S. Arms Export Control Act. The other U.S. company, The head of the other U.S. company named in the charges, Hamid "Hank" Seifi, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison on Wednesday, prosecutors said. Both American firms are accused of supplying parts for 1970s-vintage warplanes and helicopters to Iran through the French company Aerotechnic and Emirates-based Aletra General Trading. Both of those companies were named in the indictments along with top executives from each, none of whom were in custody Thursday. The parts were meant for F-4 Phantom II and F-5 Tiger jets, Huey helicopters and Cobra helicopter gunships. Iran purchased those aircraft before the 1979 revolution that toppled Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, a U.S. ally. The charges disclosed Thursday include conspiracy to violate U.S. arms export laws and sanctions on Iran, as well as fraud, money laundering and making false statements to investigators. | Prosecutors release charges against U.S., French, Arab and Iranian companies .
The heads of two American companies already have pleaded guilty .
The parts were meant for aircraft Iran bought before the 1979 revolution . |
236,421 | be059b5f7dc0abdc68e5a1d5a99b642bb918cbcc | President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would 'work with Congress to ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and a brutal dictator.' But the central theme of his foreign policy-heavy address was that American strength would continue to come by working through international coalitions. Obama called for diplomacy and 'multilateral action' in the face of global threats. His prepared remarks, distributed by the White House, replaced that phrase with the words 'collective action.' Receiving . tepid applause and a short standing ovation from less than one-quarter . of the audience upon his introduction, Obama argued for a contradictory . foreign policy that relies on NATO and the United Nations while . insisting that 'America must always lead on the world stage.' 'If we don’t, no one else will,' he insisted. But 'we require partners,' he said, using the words 'partner' or 'partnership' 16 times in his speech. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . I'm NOT WEAK: The president argued for a contradictory foreign policy that insists on American exceptionalism while he delegates authority to international coalitions . NO SALUTE: Top graduates saluted Obama as they received their diplomas, but the president offered handshakes in return . Tension: protesters gathered outside the gates of the United States Military Academy, arguing against continued military involvement overseas -- as Obama pledged to work through the UN and NATO . The president told the jubilant corps of graduating cadets that the U.S. remains the world's most indispensable nation, even after a 'long season of war,' but also argued for military restraint and a greater reliance on foreign nations . Not just fighting men: About 17 per cent of West Point's student body is female cadets . His . speech, delivered during the graduation ceremony at the U.S. Military . Academy at West Point, indicated a softening of the White House's . reluctance to put American military resources in the hands of Syrians . fighting against Bashar al-Assad. 'We will . step up our efforts to support Syria’s neighbors,' he said, making sure that 'those countries, and not just the . United States, are contributing their fair share of support to the . Syrian people.' But . he also said he would rely on other countries including Jordan, . Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq to 'confront terrorists working across Syrian . borders.' White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to West Point that 'we look at the Syria conflict as part of a broader counterterrorism challenge.' 'That is why we're going to continue increasing our support to the moderate opposition, who offer the best alternative to both the murderous Assad dictatorship and the extremists who have exploited the crisis.' It's not clear what form that support will take, or if the U.S. will offer any of it on its own. He did say that America 'will use military force, unilaterally if necessary, when our core interests demand it – when our people are threatened; when our livelihood is at stake; or when the security of our allies is in danger.' But 'when issues of global concern that do not pose a direct threat to the United States are at stake – when crises arise that stir our conscience or push the world in a more dangerous direction – then the threshold for military action must be higher,' he said. 'In such circumstances, we should not go it alone.' President Obama handed out diplomas to the graduating class, which consisted of about 1,100 soon-to-be-commissioned officers in the U.S. military . Dress uniforms on future fighters: Obama told happy graduating cadets that they might never be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan . 'Multilateral action: Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin (top, arm raised) and China's deputy U.N. Ambassador Wang Min (bottom, arm raised) voted in the UN Security Council against referring the Syrian crisis to the International Criminal Court for investigation of war crimes . Obama's remarks came at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He proposed a $5 billion fund to help other countries fight terrorism . Not a G.I.: The civilian commander-in-chief put his hand over his heart during the National Anthem on Wednesday, while active-duty military saluted the U.S. flag . Indeed, Obama's central foreign policy argument on Wednesday was that while he . 'believe[s] in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being,' American leadership in his administration will continue to consist of . working through international coalitions. 'This is American leadership, American strength,' he said. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce slammed Obama for bringing about 'a general loss of U.S. credibility, making successful foreign policy nearly impossible' 'Of . course, skeptics often downplay the effectiveness of multilateral . action,' he allowed. 'For them, working through international . institutions, or respecting international law, is a sign of weakness. I . think they’re wrong.' He . told West Point cadets that 'in the course of your service, you will . work as a team with diplomats and development experts. You will get to . know allies and train partners.' 'You will embody what it means for America to lead.' 'By most . measures,' the president said, 'America has rarely been stronger . relative to the rest of the world. Those who argue otherwise – who . suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership . slip away – are either misreading history or engaged in partisan . politics.' Republicans . in Congress have consistently argued that Obama has weakened the United . States. Polls in Europe and elsewhere indicate that citizens of foreign . nations have lowered the opinions of the United States since he took . office. Rep. Ed Royce, a California Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement after Obama's speech that the president has made foreign policy 'assurances' since taking office in 2009, '[b]ut too often, strong words have been followed by weak actions, or no actions.' 'The result has been a general loss of U.S. credibility, making successful foreign policy nearly impossible.' 'The Obama Administration has consistently underestimated the threats we face,' he said, citing Iran, North Korea and al-Qaeda. Applause: During his speech, a broad defense of his foreign policy, Obama took a moment to recognize the former West Point cadets who are serving in uniform in the Middle East . Matthew Mayeaux, the 2014 class "goat" who had the lowest GPA, holds up a bundle of money from his classmates -- $1 ion cash from each -- after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point . Obama continued the tradition of presidents and vice presidents addressing West Point graduating classes with a contradictory foreign policy speech that argued both for American strength and for 'multilateral action' overseas . Supporting Syria's neighbors: Syrian citizens who live in Lebanon gathered on Wednesday as Obama was speaking -- shouting slogans, and carrying portraits of Syrian President Bashar Assad as they walked to the Syrian embassy to vote in presidential elections . Terror in Syria: A barrel-bomb attack his the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on May 26; the city is split into opposition and regime-held territories . He drew cheers from graduating cadets – far more robust applause than his speech itself – by announcing a symbolic pardon for those who were 'on restriction due to minor conduct offenses' as students. As they graduate, cadets are released from those punishments automatically. The president's biggest applause line was not for a policy position, but in praise of a former West Point cadet who was wounded in Afghanistan. Gavin White 'lost one of his legs in an attack,' Obama said. 'I met him last year at Walter Reed. He was wounded, but just as determined as the day that he arrived here. He developed a simple goal. 'Today, his sister Morgan will graduate. And true to his promise, Gavin will be there to stand and exchange salutes with her.' | 'I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being,' the president insisted .
Yet he used the words 'partner' and 'partnership' 16 times in his speech at West Point, outlining a contradictory foreign policy .
Obama replaced the phrase 'collective action' – in his prepared remarks – with the words 'multilateral action' several times .
Working through NATO and the UN will dominate American foreign policy, Obama said: 'This is American leadership, American strength' |
153,974 | 5300f374e812551d76b07a527c16b1a19570129b | Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- Superjumbo, the world's largest passenger plane, has finally conquered the world's busiest airport. Korean Air kicked off its double-decker Airbus A380 service this week from Seoul to Atlanta, which celebrated Friday with a spectacular ceremony. Shortly after touching down, Flight 035 slowly taxied to its specially modified gate under a towering arch of water cannons. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport, which handled some 95 million passengers last year, is now the seventh U.S. airfield able to handle this ginormous aircraft. But nearly six years after the Superjumbo entered service, it's unclear whether bigger is necessarily better. Atlanta's airport spent about $30 million in passenger fees for runway, taxiway and jetway modifications, which enabled Bumshick Ehm -- one of Flight 035's approximately 350 passengers -- to easily exit the aircraft after a 13-hour, 7,100-mile nonstop journey. Vine video of the Korean Airlines A380 taking off Friday . Ehm was returning home to Atlanta with his 3-year-old daughter after visiting family in Seoul. "Inside, when you're flying, it really doesn't feel that different from any other plane," said Ehm, 33. "But when you see it from the outside, you're reminded how huge it is." More floor space and quieter engines . Air travel is projected to explode in the coming decades. Airlines are looking to freshen their fleets, while aircraft makers are pitching their new planes as the wave of the future. The A380 boasts quieter engines and lightweight construction to save fuel. And it's roomy -- with 50% more floor space than its competitor, the relatively new Boeing 747-8, which seats 400 to 500 passengers. #ATL24: Behind the scenes at the world's busiest airport . More than four decades after the original 747 Jumbo Jet, it's hard for any giant airliner to avoid comparisons to the enormously successful icon. Korean Air has taken some of the Superjumbo's floor space and created a "Celestial Bar" lounge hosted by a bartender. Also aboard is a "duty-free showcase" where passengers can shop for cosmetics, perfumes, liquor and accessories. Upstairs, they can find luxurious Kosmo First Class suites and lie-flat sleepers spaced 6 feet apart. First class takes up the forward part of the lower floor with economy filling up the rear. Upstairs, it's all business class, offering comfy seating but less privacy. "The cabin is really modern," Ehm said. "I liked the duty-free shop, and the lounge made me feel like a VIP." A cruise liner in the sky . "The reality is that if you're on the upper deck, you don't know there's another deck below you," says Brett Snyder of Crankyflier.com. Â "And if you're on the lower deck, it's like sitting on a 747." In 2007, at the A380's American coming out party at New York's JFK airport, the plane was compared to a cruise liner in the sky. But the A380's reputation hit a rough spot in 2011 when a taxiing Air France Superjumbo clipped a smaller plane at JFK so hard it turned it 45 degrees. Clearly Boeing didn't think bigger is always better. In the 1990s Boeing briefly partnered with Airbus to collaborate on a new wide-body four-engine airliner before backing out. Instead, Boeing chose to build on its previous success. The newest version of the 747 -- the 747-8 entered service in 2011 with room for 51 extra passengers than its previous version -- falls short of A380's capacity, although it is longer. Boeing's new 747 warmed the hearts of countless aviation geeks who still crush on the plane's distinctive front bulge. And it's not just geeks who like it. A recent poll of 1,000 fliers by airfarewatchdog.com showed Boeing's 777 and 747 beating out the A380. Both Boeing and Airbus have suffered through mechanical problems with new aircraft -- the A380 with wing cracks and the 787 Dreamliner with overheating batteries. Seven U.S. airports can land the A380 . Nonetheless, after two years in business, Boeing's 747-8 has received more than 100 orders. Snyder points out that Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, which seats up to 300 and has been in service for two years, has surpassed 900 orders. Compare that to the A380, which has been in service six years and has yet to crack 300. So now Atlanta joins six other American cities where travelers can fly the A380: Miami, Houston, New York's JFK, Washington's Dulles, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Is the A380 opening new routes? Not really, says Snyder, although the Superjumbo has "enabled airlines like Emirates to put more seats on existing routes at a lower cost." The 787, however, is opening new routes that traditionally haven't worked because of cost issues or range limits, he says, including United's from San Francisco to Chengdu, China. Â Or British Airways' from Austin, Texas, to London. In the end, which will dominate long-distance flight? Will we regularly soar above the clouds in four-engined, double-decker hotels? Or will travelers prefer single-floor planes with two engines and fewer perks? For Ehm and his daughter as they come to the end of their trans-Pacific journey, that's not really at the top of their agenda. They're just glad to be home. | Atlanta's becomes 7th U.S. airport where the giant A380 airliner can land .
The A380 seats up to 853 passengers compared with Boeing 747-8's 400 to 500 .
The Superjumbo has 50% more floor space than any other airliner .
Are bigger airliners better? Passengers, airline experts weigh in . |
194,455 | 87b69656092fbf487f1f41646863dc6383652068 | KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A British soldier was killed on New Year's Day by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Friday. A British unit on patrol in Helmand province's Garmsir district, where another soldier has died. The soldier, who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province when he was killed, the ministry said. "It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died while helping to provide security in southern Helmand," said Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand. "His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss -- our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time." Britain suffered its worst year of losses in Afghanistan in 2008, with 51 British troops killed. It was more than in any other year since the mission began in October 2001, the defense ministry said. | British soldier killed on New Year's Day by blast in Afghanistan .
Soldier served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles in Helmand province .
He was on patrol in Garmsir district when he was killed . |
62,020 | b0312e46a33892115f5afa666cd2c03fc71968fe | Former Arsenal frontman Gervinho has claimed manager Arsene Wenger showed no faith in him during two seasons with the Gunners. The Ivory Coast international flopped at the Emirates but has thrived since moving to Roma last summer. The 27-year-old believes his current employers have shown confidence in him, allowing him to show his full capabilities, something which he claims was not the case at Arsenal. Gervinho has thrived at Roma since leaving Arsenal and has claimed the Gunners showed no faith in him . The Ivory Coast international claims Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger didn't have confidence in him . Speaking ahead of Roma's Champions League clash with Manchester City on Tuesday, Gervinho said: 'I feel like a new player in Italy. It is very hard to have confidence in yourself when the coach does not have confidence in you - and it's clear at Arsenal that confidence was not shown in me. 'At Roma the coach and the staff showed confidence in me from the first day - and because of that I have been able to show exactly what I am capable of. ‘I don't feel like I have anything to prove in England. I think the proof of what I can do is shown by a coach that has confidence in me. 'Maybe Arsenal now think they should have shown more confidence in me - but that is not my problem. All my concentration is on a successful season with Roma.’ Gervinho scored 9 Premier League eague goals but was deemed a flop during his two seasons with Arsenal . Having helped Roma to a second-placed finish in Serie A last season, Gervinho is confident the Italians can progress from a Champions League group which includes Premier League champions Manchester City and Bundesliga title winners Bayern Munich. 'I can't think of any good reason why we should be scared of Manchester City - I don't see why we should fear Bayern Munich either,' said Gervinho. 'The way we are playing this season - there is no reason to think we can't beat anybody. The only team that we need to concentrate or think about is ourselves. After beating CSKA Moscow 5-1 in their Group E opener, Gervinho revealed Roma will be looking to beat City and will not go to the Etihad looking for a draw. Gervinho, pictured against Parma on Wednesday, is confident Roma can progress in the Champions League . Gervinho and his Roma team-mates trained at the Etihad on Monday ahead of the clash with Man City . ‘It was important in such a difficult group that we won our opening game - but we will not be looking for just a point at Manchester City. 'The pressure is on them after losing their opening game - and we hope to take full advantage of that pressure - and leave Manchester with 3 points - which will put us in a great position to qualify.' ‘We want to win this group. We understand with the quality in the group that it will not be easy to win - but with the form that we are on anything is possible. Not just to win the group - but also to win The Champions League. 'There is a lot of belief in this team at the moment - and we feel it is something we can achieve.' Like our Arsenal Facebook page. | Former Arsenal frontman Gervinho claims Arsene Wenger showed no faith in him during his two seasons in north London .
Ivory Coast international believes he has been able to show true capabilities at Roma .
Gervinho and Roma take on Man City in the Champions League on Tuesday night . |
185,987 | 7cda5534794145174db626be07d1f4b2d93237ba | Louis van Gaal has given himself the chance to claim his first trophy at Manchester United just three weeks into the job. And to add to the intrigue, it will be United’s most-detested rivals Liverpool trying to stand in his way. Winning the International Champions Cup, a glorified pre-season tournament in America, may not be the main reason United turned to Van Gaal after 12 months of David Moyes, but it’ll still be a nice start to the Dutchman’s time at Old Trafford if his side win the final in Miami on Monday. United qualified for the showpiece game by defeating Real Madrid in front of a record crowd in Ann Arbor on Saturday night and will now face their north-west neighbours who topped the other group in the eight-team competition. Scroll down for video . United's hero: Ashley Young struck twice to help his side beat the reigning European champions Real Madrid . Packed to the rafters: 109,00 spectators watched the match unfold at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor . In focus: The two teams line up in front of a capacity crowd at the Michigan Stadium in Detroit . Having a good time: Two United fans cheer on their team during the Guinness International Champions Cup . Not impressed: Ronaldo started the match against his old side on the bench for Real Madrid . Watching on: The former United star looked keen to be involved as his side went behind early on . MANCHESTER UNITED (3-4-1-2): De Gea 7; Keane 5.5, Jones 7, Evans 6 (Blackett 45mins 6); Valencia 5.5 (Lingard 61mins 6.5), Herrera 7 (Cleverley 45mins 6), Fletcher 7.5, Young 7 (Shaw 45mins 6.5); Mata 6.5 (Kagawa 61mins 6.5); Welbeck (Zaha 41mins 5.5), Rooney 6 (Hernandez 61mins 7). Goals: Young 20, 37, Hernandez 80. REAL MADRID (4-1-4-1): Casillas 6; Arbeloa 6 (Ronaldo 73mins 6), Pepe 6, Ramos 6.5, Fernandez 7; Alonso 7(De Tomas 55mins 7.5); Carvajal 6.5, Illarramend 6, Modric 6, Bale 7; Isco 6. Goals: Bale (pen) 27. Booked: Arbeloa, Isco. Referee: Hilario Grajeda 7. Man of the match: Darren Fletcher. Ashley Young was United's unlikely hero with two goals against Real where the other main source of interest was the size of the attendance inside the University of Michigan’s American football stadium, 109,318. It was the biggest crowd ever seen for a “soccer” game in America and represented the largest attendance for any United match since 1957 when they travelled to Real’s Madrid’s Santiago Bernabueu in the fledgling European Cup. On this occasion, Real were without their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo until the closing stages and looked a pale shadow of the side that lifted the Champions League in May. Gareth Bale was clearly their best player, winning and scoring a penalty to briefly make the game 1-1. But their manager Carlo Ancelotti never got to grips with the 3-4-3 formation Van Gaal is using to try and get the best out of his array of attacking players. Breaking the deadlock: Young opened the scoring for United with a crisp finish past Casillas . Celebrate: Young's team-mates rush over to congratulate him after he put United ahead in the first half . Burst of pace: Gareth Bale draws a foul from Michael Keane inside the penalty area . Cool customer: The former Spurs man made no mistake with his penalty that brought Madrid level . Calm reaction: The Welshman celebrates after firing his penalty past David de Gea . The setting was worthy of arguably the two most glamorous teams in world football, and star names like Bale and Wayne Rooney. The giant cavernous arena, an hour outside Detroit, is known locally with good reason as The Big House and United’s skipper Darren Fletcher admitted before kick-off: ‘You think you’ve done it all with Manchester United and all over the world, but this is going to be a unique occasion.’ There was some disappointment that Ronaldo wasn’t fit enough to start because of his knee injury picked up at the World Cup. Capacity crowd: Two former Southampton players jostle for the ball as Luke Shaw shields it from Bale . Dictating play: Rooney put in a good performance for Van Gaal's side as they upset Madrid in Detroit . Friendly: Danny Welbeck and Pepe challenge for a cross as United have the best of the early exchanges . Acrobatic attempt: Gareth Bale forced David de Gea into action with an ambitious overhead kick . Nice turn: Welbeck spins away from Alvaro Arbeloa for United during the first half in Detroit . Spanish armada: Juan Mata, left, and Xabi Alonso, right, watch the run of the ball during the match . In flight: Dani Carvajal heads the ball to a team-mate after wanting it more than his opponent Young . But it didn’t stop thousands of fans drinking beer and enjoying barbecues around the stadium in the hours leading up to kick-off. Despite the numbers attending, what followed still felt like a pre-season friendly, but United would have been heartened to see red shirts greatly outnumber white on all four sides. United had already beaten Roma and Inter Milan in the competition and knew a draw would be good enough to see them through to Florida. The goal that gave them the lead after 21 minutes was good enough to grace any competition, a superb team effort involving six different players. Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia began the move inside their own half and Fletcher then carried the ball towards the danger-zone, playing a one-two with Rooney and advancing to the edge of the Madrid penalty area via a clever back-heel from the England man. Fletcher thought momentarily about a shot but instead slid a pass across to Welbeck. It proved the right call, Welbeck played in Ashley Young on the overlap and while his low finish wasn’t particularly well-placed, it was struck firmly enough to beat Iker Casillas. Despairing dive: Casillas did not expect Young's cross to bounce past Rooney when United went 2-1 up . Back in front: Rooney points to Young after his cross evaded Casillas and bounced in at the back post . Bright start: Rooney congratulates Young after his cross inadvertently put United back in front against Madrid . Without Ronaldo watching from the sidelines, it was up to Bale to provide the spur. And he did just that after 27 minutes. The super-charged Welshman, the world’s most expensive player at £86million was far too quick for Michael Keane, not for the first or last time. And as the United defender put out his arm to try and hold Bale back, the Madrid No11 didn’t need much encouragement to hit the floor. After a couple of moments of deliberation, referee Hilario Grajeda pointed to the spot. Bale trotted up as if he was in the local park rather than in front of a six-figure audience, and calmly sent David de Gea the wrong way from the spot. Suddenly the game was easing through the gears, and United restored their lead after 37 minutes. Cometh the hour: Ronaldo made a surprise appearance against his old employers but had little impact . Star turn: The Portugal captain did not push himself too hard as he continues his preparations for the season . Still a threat: Shaw and Tyler Blackett keep a close eye on Ronaldo as he dribbles with the ball for Madrid . Young, one of those deemed under threat in the new Van Gaal regime, scored again. Wayne Rooney tried to head his left-wing centre and even though he didn’t make contact, the striker did enough to distract Casillas and allow the cross to trickle inside the far post. Rooney held up his hand in celebration, confusing the stadium announcer who thought he might have scored, but the player indicated to Young it was the winger’s goal. As often happens on these occasions, the second half was affected by a mass of substitutions. Van Gaal took off his two most potent forwards Young and Rooney, and Madrid fought hard to level. Bale set up Isco with a scorching run but the Spaniard couldn’t convert. Bale was then denied by a fine save. The crowd came to life when Ronaldo, who hadn’t played since the World Cup because of a knee injury, came on for the last 16 minutes, looking every inch the Hollywood star. Heading home: Javier Hernandez beats Casillas to the ball to make it 3-1 to United at the Michigan Stadium . Praise the provider: Hernandez points to Shinji Kagawa after heading home the Japan international's cross . All smiles: Shinji Kagawa hugs Javier Hernandez after he scored United's third and final goal with his head . Respect: Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos congratulate Hernandez after his goal in the closing stages for United . But he didn’t have much of an impact. Instead, his former United team-mates scored a third goal after 80 minutes when Shinji Kagawa floated in a delightful cross which Javier Hernandez bravely headed in from close range. Eyebrows were raised when United appointed Moyes because he had never won a trophy. For Van Gaal to start work on July 23 and pick up silverware on August 4 would be impressive, even if Liverpool will have something to say about that. Celebratory tweet: United's sponsor Chevrolet posted a message of support with a picture of the players . Full: The Michigan Stadium was jam-packed for United's exciting win against the European champions . | Young opened the scoring for Louis van Gaal's side with an impressive finish .
Madrid were level shortly after when Bale won and scored a penalty .
But Young put Van Gaal's side back in front with a cross from deep that bounced past Iker Casillas .
Ronaldo was introduced in the 74th minute against his old side .
Before the game he said he would never rule out a return to United .
Javier Hernandez added a third for the Red Devils in the 80th minute .
The match was played in front of 109,318 people at the Michigan Stadium . |
243,026 | c68c45b3c5b551f80beefd8d8b95736d193c04f5 | The best of British design has been chronicled in a list with London's iconic Tube map and the E-type Jaguar among the country's most quintessential exports. Royal Mail's First Class stamp and a God Save the Queen poster were also included in the list put together by Reader's Digest. One less conventional entry is the Big Brother logo, designed to illustrate the all seeing eye described in George Orwell's 1984 and made famous by Channel 4 in 2002. Going places: London's iconic Tube map was ranked as one of Britain's most quintessential exports . Among items on the list of the best British designs is the E-type Jaguar designed in 1961 by Malcolm Sayer . The controversial Join the ATS poster (left) was withdrawn from circulation after being deemed unsuitable by politicians. The God Save the Queen Sex Pistols album cover (right) also made the list . It is the most recent of the images on the list, with Harry Beck's tube map the oldest at 83. Designed in 1931, the basis of the map is still used by Transport for London. Unlike those before it, Beck's map disregarded the distance between stations and based the diagram on those he drew for his job as an electrical draughtsman. Also on the list is a controversial poster advertising for the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1941. The poster was an attempt to spruce up the previously dull propaganda used by the ATS, but was criticised for its use of a 'blonde bombshell'. It was withdrawn from circulation after being deemed unsuitable by Parliament. An image of The Queen features twice on the list, in a Sex Pistols poster for God Save the Queen, and in a more-refined profile on the Royal Mail's First Class Stamp. The E-type jag and Kodak's 1968 Instamatic camera also made the list. Daniel Eatock's Big Brother eye is the most recent entry, made recognisable in 2001. Of the logo, Reader's Digest writes: 'Whatever you think of the programme, the Big Brother logo stays lodged in the brain, symbolising the all-seeing Orwellian eye but in this case staring back at the viewer.' Controversial choice: The all-seeing eye used in Big Brother was the most recent British icon to make the list . Kodak's 1968 Instamatic camera, a Christmas present for thousands of Britons, also made the list . The Royal Mail First Class stamp (left) and 1998 iMac, displayed by Steve Jobs (right) were also mentioned . The London Underground map, 1931 - designed by Harry Beck . Join the ATS poster, 1941 - designed by Abram Games . E-Type Jaguar car, 1961 - designed by Malcolm Sayer . First-Class postage stamp, 1967 - designed by Arnold Machin from a photo taken by Lord Snowden . Kodak Instamatic 33 Series camera, 1968 - designed by Kenneth Grange . God Save the Queen poster, 1977 - designed by Jamie Reid . iMac computer, 1998 - designed by Jonathan ‘Jonny’ Ive . Big Brother logo, TV series, 2002 - designed by Daniel Eatock . | List of best examples of British designs published in Readers' Digest .
Royal Mail's First Class stamp and God Save the Queen poster included .
Big Brother logo, made famous in 2001, was also mentioned on the list . |
36,781 | 683866a3b6c0126e8243decb67f4f07ac2a422c5 | A growing number of women are dismissing the career-driven conventions they were raised with, saying no to full-time work; believing instead that every household needs one primary caretaker - the mother. One year ago, Kelly Makino, 33, quit her job running a program for at-risk children to stay home full time, because, she says, women are better at that job than men. The mother-of-two and self-described 'flaming liberal' and feminist, told New York magazine: 'The feminist revolution started in the workplace, and now it’s happening at home.' Feminist housewife: A new breed of women believe that managing and raising their family is is a woman's highest achievement . Mrs Makino, who has a Masters of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, and struggled to balance long hours with caring for her children 'properly,' said that no amount of professional . success could compare to her happiness knowing her two children, Connor, five, and Lillie, four, were being looked after by her - not a nanny. Her sacrifice of a salary pays her family back in ways Mrs Makino believes are priceless, and she is not alone. A new breed of young, educated, and married mothers are finding . themselves untouched by the notion of 'having it . all.' For the first time since the . downturn of 2008, the percentage of stay-at-home mothers rose between 2010 and 2011 - and some of the . biggest increases have been among younger mothers, aged 25 to 35. Mrs Makino is now able to be present for her children no matter what - cooking healthy meals, helping patiently with homework, and . most importantly, devoting herself to teaching them life lessons, from manners to good habits, that she believes every child should know. Patricia Ireland, left her job as a wealth adviser three years ago after her third . child was born, and she has no plans to go back to . work. Rather than a a sacrifice, she feels it is a privilege to oversee 'not . just what they do, but what they believe, how they talk to other . children, what kind of story we read together. That’s all dictated by . me. Not by my nanny or my babysitter.' Her husband, who also works in fiance, deposits his monthly paycheck in their joint . account. 'I’m really grateful that my husband and I have fallen into . traditional gender roles without conflict,' Mrs Ireland said. 'Family is what is . important in life - not pushing papers at some crap job' 'I’m not . bitter that I’m the one home and he goes to work. And he’s very happy . that he goes to work.' Meanwhile Facebook COO and mother-of-two, Sheryl Sandberg, in her new . book, Lean In, argues . that a generation of tougher, stronger and more strategic women are needed to equalize U.S. workplaces. But . Mrs Makino and Mrs Ireland are among those who view managing their . children's lives, and their household, as their highest achievement. They believe they are better equip for the job than their husbands, and . are blissfully happy in their decision. 'Some days I just have to pinch myself,' Mrs Makino said. 'It’s so easy, it’s so rewarding to live this way.' She also believes women are conditioned to . be more patient with children, to be better multitaskers, and to be more . tolerant of the daily grind of childcare. Working mom: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg argues that tougher women are needed to equalize U.S. workplace in her new book, Lean In . 'Women keep it together better than guys do,' she said. 'Women are raised from the get-go to raise children successfully. When we are moms, we have a better toolbox. 'I want my daughter to be able to do anything she wants. But I also want to say, "Have a career that you can walk away from at the drop of a hat."' One woman on . the UrbanBaby message boards recently wrote: 'I was blessed with the patience to truly enjoy . being home with my kids and know that in the end family is what is . important in life - not pushing papers at some crap job.' New York . University sociologist Kathleen Gerson, author of The Unfinished Revolution: . Coming of Age in a New Era of Gender, Work and Family, noted in 2010 that a quarter of women would still choose a . traditional domestic arrangement over the independence that comes with a . career, despite all . She said more mothers believe 'that only a parent can provide an . acceptable level of care' and that 'they are the only parent . available for the job.' Mrs Makino explained: 'I feel like in today’s society, women . who don’t work are bucking the convention we were raised with... Why . can’t we just be girls? Why do we have to be boys and girls at the same . time?' Stacy Morrison, editor-in-chief of BlogHer, a network of 3,000 blogs for and by women, added: 'What these women feel is that the trade-offs now between working and not working are becoming more and more unsustainable. 'The conversation we hear over and over again is this: "The sense of calm and control that we feel over our lives is so much better than what is currently on offer in our culture." And they’re not wrong.' In her much-discussed Atlantic piece, Why Women Still Can't Have It All, . Anne-Marie Slaughter called for better workplace programs: . more parental leave, more part-time and flextime options. But even she admits this new breed of women could be on to something. 'Are there . characteristics inherent in sex differences that make women more . nurturing and men more assertive?' she asks in Lean In. 'Quite possibly.' As they mature, women earn less than men and are granted fewer responsibilities at work. Since Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique fifty years ago, women still earn 77 cents to the male dollar, representing just a small portion of corporate and government leaders. Despite bowing out of this fight for gender equality in the workforce, Mrs Makino said she is convinced she made the right decision. 'I know this investment in my family will be paid back when the time is right,' she said, referring the option of someday, when her children start college, figuring out what she will peruse next. 'You have to live in the now. I will deal with later when later comes. I’ll find a way. Who knows? Maybe I will be home for ever and ever. Maybe I will have the best-kept lawn on the block for the rest of my life.' | A new breed of women are turning their backs on Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg's new .
book, Lean In .
She wants tougher, stronger and more strategic women working full-time to equalize U.S. workplaces .
But stay-home mothers say managing and raising their family is their highest achievement . |
8,510 | 180642a2ddfce93ceaf3ee3ec4779400fe67ae1e | (CNN) -- High-flying acrobats. Death-defying leaps. Bright lights and performance tents filled with adoring fans. It's the stuff of which dreams are made. After all, who doesn't want to run away with the circus? But for Joe Putignano, it wasn't as simple as running away -- it took a lifetime of dedication and a battle against addiction to get where he is today: dangling from the 40-foot-high catwalk above the Cirque du Soleil big top. The house lights are off, and one lone spotlight shines upon Joe's reflective mirror-ball suit. He is tethered at the waist, head tilted back, arms reaching behind him to grab his foot, which is quickly flexing up toward his head. He starts to spin -- literally because that's what his character is supposed to do, and figuratively, because of the searing pain he's feeling in both shoulders as he contorts into this position. Though it may seem that Cirque characters are superhuman, they too can get injured. Joe is a real human being with real muscles, bones, connective tissue and joints. And for Joe, it's not just high-flying acrobatics that cause him pain. "It's sort of mundane things," he says. "Sleeping hurts a lot, because I'm rolling over on my shoulder. Just drinking a coffee. Washing my hair hurts a lot." After nearly 1,000 performances of "Totem" and a lifetime of gymnastics training, Joe has finally hit a wall. "I need to have surgery," he says matter-of-factly. "I really wanted to see if I could continue on, and just kind of manage it, do a lot of physical therapy, and get out of this pain. But we've done that, and we're kind of out of options." Cirque du Soleil star: Why I fear pain . Joe has what's called a superior labral tear from anterior to posterior -- a SLAP tear for short -- in his right shoulder. His biceps tendon is also torn, and he has a third tear in the subscapular area underneath his shoulder blade. His left shoulder has just the one injury -- another SLAP tear. That one needs to be operated on as well, and soon, before he has permanent damage to the joint. And surgery has to be done in a way that preserves Joe's abilities to perform. "I suppose there's always a risk that when they do fix it, that it will destroy my flexibility," Joe says. "I'm useful in this industry because of my flexibility." Now this contortionist is headed to another arena with bright lights, where all eyes are focused on him: the operating room. Surgery is scary for anybody, but for Joe, it is potentially the most terrifying thing he's ever encountered. Joe is a recovering heroin addict. He's been clean for more than five years, but the thought of anything affecting his sobriety -- particularly opioid painkillers after surgery -- is something he isn't willing to risk. "Opiates made me feel like I was the greatest human being possible. Protected, cared for, loved -- all internally," he said. "So I started my path on opiates and abused them, which ultimately lead me to heroin." "I'm terrified that if I have an opiate, will it trigger this kind of sleeping demon inside of me?" Joe's fears aren't unfounded. "I recently met a woman who was 10 years sober, and she had breast cancer," he said. "She was given Percocet for the pain, and she ended up relapsing. Why does that have to be our reality?" He's determined to not let it become his reality, both for his own benefit, and to show other addicts they don't have to fear a day where they need surgery. In 2009, 605,000 Americans who were 13 and older reported abusing heroin in the preceding year, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. That same year, 16 million Americans "misused prescription pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants or sedatives for nonmedical purposes," according to that same report. Most of these nearly 17 million Americans will need surgery someday, and many of them will be prescribed opioid painkillers to combat post-operative pain. "We don't have exact numbers of the percentage of former addicts that are going back for surgery, but this is definitely a growing problem in America," said Dr. Boris Spektor, assistant professor of anesthesiology and pain management at Emory University and the person who will be managing Joe's pain throughout the process. "As more and more people are using opioid substances for nonmedical reasons, and using them for medical reasons out of proportion for the dosages that they should be prescribed, it's something we're going to see a lot more of." Joe's specific plan for post-operative pain management has several facets, the first of which is a pre-operative nerve block. "It's a way of giving some numbing medication directly to the nerves that are going down to the shoulder," said Spektor, "and we'll do that for as long as possible, because with each passing day, the pain is going to get better." There is one problem -- Spektor says nerve blocks are usually inserted while the patient is awake to make sure they're placed properly. Typically they would also give the patient a sedative to help with the pain and anxiety of the procedure, but Joe has abused all three of the medications they use for sedation. So he'll be fully awake as Spektor pokes around in his shoulder to place the nerve block. Step two of Joe's pain-management plan involves a cocktail of medications -- none of them drugs of abuse -- intended to reduce swelling, turn down the nerves' pain signals and reduce Joe's stress-response to pain. Step three involves going to Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings regularly before and after surgery. During step four, Joe will see a psychologist the day after surgery and regularly after that to ensure he stays on the right mental path. And just to add insult to injury, Joe has to go through this intense process twice -- once for each shoulder. "In my head, it's like -- OK, we're going to go and visit hell, not just once, but twice," he said. "I feel like it's somewhat of a cosmic joke on me." But will these efforts pay off? Will the plan work? "I think every patient is unique," Spektor says. "But I think Joe has an incredibly good psychological framework going on. He's got a psychologist that's definitely on board with him, he's got a group of friends that are on board with him. He's got NA and AA meetings that he goes to, and we have a medical framework that's here for him." "With that combination, I think the likelihood of success is pretty good, but none of us known for sure." Today marks the first day of the rest of Joe's life. He's dropping into a new type of circus, possibly as you read this. Today he rolls into the OR for the first of his two surgeries. "I'm fearful; I'm scared; I don't know what's going to happen. I'm jumping into a freezing cold pool, and I don't know how I'm gonna react," he said days before the surgery. "I can tell you what I'm going to do, how I'm going to think -- all of it's untrue, because I won't know until I'm there. When you're met with pain, only then you'll know how you'll react to it." Read more about Joe's fears leading up to surgery . | Joe Putignano's career as an acrobat has left him in need of surgery .
Putignano is a recovering addict and fears pain meds after surgery will lead to a relapse .
A four-step pain management plan has been put in place for the contortionist . |
188,017 | 7f7af1a29761c3aacca1a79c453eb36dc6ceed29 | (CNN) -- It's like a stunt from the latest James Bond movie, only this isn't a movie. Adorned in a designer suit and sunglasses, a sailor sprints up the 30-meter mast of a boat as it plows ahead at a 60-degree angle. Hopping over ropes and rigging it takes him just 16 seconds to reach the mast's peak. There, he checks himself, removes his sunglasses, pops them in his top pocket and dives into the ocean nine meters below him. "It's the most stupid thing I've ever done," is Alex Thomson's frank assessment of his stunt. "It wasn't safe at all," adds the yachtsman more used to solo circumnavigating the globe. "Only looking back do I really appreciate how dangerous it actually was." The stunt was carried out without a harness, just a water resistant suit, although the risk was reduced thanks to the work of a stunt co-ordinator and two days of preparation on the water. For Thomson's daredevil performance to succeed he also needed a wind speed of exactly 18 to 20 knots and for the boat to be traveling at 10 knots (a little under 20 kph). The 37-year-old and his team began their search for the perfect wind speed in Palma, Mallorca, but were forced to switch to Tarifa in southern Spain because conditions weren't right before eventually shifting to Cadiz where the stunt was eventually performed. "At the end of the first day, I had to sit down on shore and calm down," says Thomson. "I was appreciating perhaps it wasn't safe at all, and there were some hairy moments when we were practicing. I remember one time I was halfway up when the boat suddenly tacked and I was just left hanging from the mast. "Obviously falling from that height from the mast onto the deck isn't advisable," he quips. "The ramifications wouldn't have been great." On the day itself, with stunning skies above, the stunt went pretty much perfectly, which had a lot to do with the man driving the boat, Ross Daniel. "His was the harder, more nerve wracking job as he had to keep the boat just right," says Thomson. "Ross works for me and he's a good mate so obviously he was conscious he didn't want things to go wrong. "I'm not sure if he was relieved come the end of it but he was certainly happy man with how it went." As for Thomson's starring role in the escapade, he's conscious that he came very close to really hurting himself. "Now the top of a mast isn't really designed for a man to dive off but I went for it and it held up," says the yachtsman. "As for the dive itself, I slightly over-egged. There was some quite impressive editing work on that as I landed head first very close to my back. "It was quite close to a back belly flop and, while I wouldn't have killed myself, I certainly would have had some nasty internal injuries. "Diving wise, I'd always wanted to dive but wasn't sure until I got to the top whether I'd have the guts to do it. "I'd been up a 10-meter board at a pool in training but never dived off it. So this was a first and, once I was up there, I sort of thought I might as well go for it." As he pondered that stomach-churning dive, Thomson says he felt surprisingly calm. "As a sailor I'm used to hoisting myself up the mast and you get well versed at reading the wind and the waves so I was quite aware if there was suddenly going to be a change in the boat's course," he explains. There wasn't, he duly hit the water and quickly returned to the surface to the relief and cheers of his team. Even now, Thomson, who has a penchant for being something of a daredevil, is not entirely sure why he performed the stunt. "I did a keel walk a while ago and we did a video for that, which got over two million people watching which I was flabbergasted by," he admits. "So we got talking about doing something else and this seemed a bit of fun really. "I'd taken to running up the mast -- although not necessarily to the top -- for a while, mostly when entertaining people on the boat to, say, take pictures of them on the deck. "So, going the whole way up and jumping off seemed a good idea. "It's a bit like the Vendee Globe (the race to circumnavigate the globe). You sort of agree to it not thinking it will necessarily happen, and then suddenly the day comes for it." Having done a keel walk two years ago and now a mast walk, Thomson is at a loss to consider what might complete a hat-trick of sailing stunts. "That was the same after the keel walk. I'd never planned to follow that or do something like this, it just happened. So when I'm asked what I might do next, I literally have no idea." | Sailor takes on death-defying stunt of charging to the top of his boat's mast and diving off .
Alex Thomson decided to do the stunt on a whim but later called it "stupid"
The feat was carried out without a harness and with him wearing only a designer suit .
As for the future, he has no idea what stunt he might next perform... watch this space . |
228,505 | b3df48c917c0fe9b3c760507f22bb9ac2743524a | (CNN)The dissident Russian punk band Pussy Riot has dedicated its first English-language song, "I Can't Breathe," to Eric Garner. "This song is for Eric and for all those from Russia to America and around the globe who suffer from state terror -- killed, choked, perished because of war and state-sponsored violence of all kinds -- for political prisoners and those on the streets fighting for change," the band said Wednesday. "We stand in solidarity." Garner, an unarmed black man, died in New York in July after a white police officer put him in a chokehold. A grand jury in December decided not to indict the officer, Daniel Pantaleo. Garner's last words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for protests over police treatment of minorities in the United States and inspired Pussy Riot's latest song. The band recorded the track in New York in December, amid the protests following the grand jury decision not to indict Pantaleo. They released two different videos for the song Wednesday. One is a compilation of footage filmed at the site of Garner's death on Staten Island. It shows memorials and demonstrations after the grand jury decision and features members of Garner's family. "It was a cold and militarized winter, a time of grief and outrage," the band said. The other video shows Pussy Riot's two highest-profile members, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, gradually being buried in a grave. They're wearing blue Russian riot police uniforms, which the band said was a reference to "the violent clashes of police and the protesters fighting for change in Russia." As clumps of soil drop onto the women's bodies and faces, the song's main refrain repeats over and over, "It's getting dark in New York City." The camera then rises up from the filled-in grave as a voice reads a transcript of the final sentences Garner said to the police officers who approached him. That video also includes a reference to the Ukrainian conflict, showing a pack of "Russian Spring" cigarettes in its opening moments. "'Russian Spring' is a term used by those who are in love with Russia's aggressive militant actions in Ukraine, and the cigarettes are a real thing," the band said. | The band says the track is for Garner and all those "who suffer from state terror"
One video has footage from New York protests after grand jury decision .
The other video shows two band members being buried in a grave . |
89,115 | fcf1ee444209d518368ba5854812bd1d06905468 | By . Julian Robinson . More than 2,500 people have been left stranded during flash floods and mudslides in California – including 500 children and adults at a Christian campsite. Around 1,500 residents of Oak Glen and another 1,000 residents at Forest Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains have been cut off amid torrential rainfall in southern California. Hundreds of youngsters and adults are unable to get out of a mountain campground in Forest Falls after roads in the area were covered with mud, rock and debris. Scroll down for video . A van lies submerged in mud and rock following flash floods and mudslides close to the Forest Home Christian Conference Center in Forest Falls, California. More than 2,500 people have been cut off during the thunderstorms . Rock, mud and debris covers a road in the San Bernardino mountains where freak storms have cut off communities . Fierce storms have already claimed the life of one person after a car was swept into a rain-swollen creek in Mount Baldy and overturned, San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Chris Prater said. Bulldozers have already been used to try and reach the campground in a bid to rescue the Forest Fall campers, who arrived on Sunday morning. Kyle Hauducoeur, from the county fire department, said: 'Our concern is that they're isolated at that campground and no longer have access out of the mountain.' Authorities made reverse 911 calls to urge residents to stay put while crews attempt to clear the roads. Amateur footage has emerged of dry land at Forest Falls quickly turning into a rampaging river of flood water in the wake of a fierce thunderstorm. Within seconds, water comes crashing down a valley, taking logs and boulders with it. The amateur footage captured the moment flood water came crashing through trees, taking tonnes of debris, rocks and mud with it . Flash floods: A dry valley area became a raging river within seconds at Forest Falls after a fierce thunderstorm in the mountains above . Before long, a surge of flood water had come crashing through woodland and out into a valley . Volunteers . hand out food to stranded campers in the San Bernardino mountains in . southern California. Bulldozers are being used in a bid to reach cut-off . communities . Many routes are 'impassable' with thick debris flows cutting off access to mountain communities in the area. Some roads are covered with up to eight foot of rock, creating arduous conditions for emergency crews. Several people have already been dramatically rescued during the flash floods. Mr . Hauducouer said a woman in Mt. Baldy was rescued from her house before . it was buried in mud while four other homes in the Bear Creek area were . damaged by the debris flow. Near . Mount Baldy, a group of five hikers and a dog were airlifted to safety, . according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokeswoman said. This two-lane road near Valley of the Falls in the San Bernardino mountains has been covered with rocks and mud during freak storms in the area . Fire crews from San Bernardino County Fire helped rescue two people from the Arrowhead area in the mountainous region . Monsoonal moisture has brought brief but fierce storms to mountain, desert and inland areas. In and around Palm Springs, knee-deep water flooded city streets and stranded vehicles. In the city of Redlands, the storm downed a tree and caused power black-outs in a number of communities. Officials have asked residents to stay inside their homes and call emergency services if they need to be rescued. Two 'swift-water rescue crews' have been put on alert in the area. The downpour dumped as much as 3.5 ins of rain on Forest Falls, and nearly 5 ins of rain on Mount Baldy, the National Weather Service said. Around 1,500 residents of Oak Glen and 1,000 at Forest Falls, both outside San Bernardino, have been cut off. The areas are around 50 miles from Los Angeles . | Thousands stranded after rainfall in southern California sparks mudslides .
Those cut off include 500 children and adults at a church camping ground .
One person has died after car was swept into rain-swollen mountain creek .
Roads in San Bernardino mountains blocked by up to eight foot of rock . |
233,119 | b9cdbd666491e479427559bde6e0c18e93a2887a | By . Larisa Brown . PUBLISHED: . 08:49 EST, 26 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:51 EST, 26 September 2012 . A McDonald’s waitress has claimed she was unfairly sacked for sprinkling too much chocolate on a McFlurry dessert. Sarah Finch, 19, was fired for gross misconduct for giving extra chocolate topping to a colleague for the 99p ice cream. She is taking the company that owns the McDonald’s restaurant where she worked to an employment tribunal. Sarah Finch, 19, claims she was sacked by a McDonald's because she gave too many flakes of chocolate to someone buying a McFlurry . Before sacking her from her £180-a-week job, McDonald’s described Miss Finch as as an 'exceptional employee'. Her bosses then accused her of giving her away food without payment. The teenager said in a statement: 'I was dismissed on the grounds of gross misconduct. I was accused of stealing food. 'The matter was trivial, in that I provided a fellow employee, who was purchasing a dessert, a generous sprinkling of chocolate pieces. 'There is no standard for such measures - they are always imprecise and will vary among customers. 'My colleague had asked me: “Make it a nice one”. Miss Finch said she was asked to make the McFlurry a 'nice one' for her colleague who was buying it . 'So the measure I gave erred on the side of more than, rather than less than, the mean.' Miss Finch worked at a McDonald’s in Carmarthen, west Wales, for 18 months. She said: 'The issue was that I had done this in response to a specific request for someone I actually knew. 'Had it not been in response to a request, or it was someone I did not know, then I do not believe there would have been even a warning.' Miss Finch, of Kidwelly, Carmarthen, said it was common practice for managers at the McDonald’s to give away food to unhappy customers. Her application for unfair dismissal is against franchise company Lonetree who run a string of McDonald’s restaurants. She has submitted her claim at the employment tribunal in Cardiff. A full hearing is due at a later date where she is represented by her mother Tessa. Managing director Ron Mounsey confirmed he backed his manager’s decision to sack Sarah who is being represented at the tribunal by her mother Tessa. Mr Mounsey, a renowned supported of youth employment schemes, refused to comment today. But in a letter to Sarah’s mother, he said: 'I am aware of the circumstances of your daughter’s dismissal, where she has admitted giving away food to someone without receiving payment. 'This is classed as gross misconduct as per my employee handbook, the consequences is dismissal. 'My managers acted correctly according to my policies and I fully uphold their decisions. McDonald's restaurant in Carmarthen, west Wales, where the teenager claims she was unfairly sacked . 'You may feel it is trivial, but with 740 employees in my business, if my management team were just to overlook such incidents then quickly it would become a free for all. 'This is and always has been a dismissable offence in my business. 'There are reminder notices in every one of my staff rooms reminding employees of this policy as well as the Employee Handbook. 'Employees are aware of the risk they take should they decide to do this. This will continue to be the case.' | Teenager Sarah Finch is taking her case to an employment tribunal .
She was fired for gross misconduct for giving away food without payment . |
7,438 | 15147df3499d96904ae991042f5a54a02988f6df | By . Matt Blake . PUBLISHED: . 05:51 EST, 29 June 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:18 EST, 29 June 2012 . Trouble ahead? Stephen Hester, the CEO of RBS, will face the same tough questions as his Barclays counterpart Bob Diamond, who has come under increasing pressure to resign in the wake of the scandal . Royal Bank of Scotland is set to be fined about £150 million for participating in market manipulation offences similar to those engaged in by Barclays, it has been revealed. Sources said RBS admitted guilt of offences similar to those committed by Barclays' traders, though at RBS they were more isolated and less serious. The news comes after a sacked RBS trader accused his bank bosses of colluding with staff to rig the financial markets to maximise profits in an explosive set of court documents revealed today. The bank is thought to have accepted that it will probably have to pay about half as much as the £291 million in fines imposed on Barclays, according to the Times. Any settlement with the various regulatory authorities is thought to be several months off, the Times said. Stephen Hester, the CEO of RBS, will now face the same tough questions that have bombarded his Barclays counterpart Bob Diamond, who has come under increasing pressure to resign in the wake of the scandal. Barclays . agreed on Wednesday to pay a record $453 million fine to US and British . regulators for attempting to manipulate the London Interbank Offered . Rate in 2005-08. Britain's banking woes deepened today as the Financial Services Authority said it had settled with four banks - Barclays, RBS, HSBC and Lloyds - after finding evidence they mis-sold products to protect small businesses against a rise in interest rates. Compensation could run into the hundreds of millions of pounds, lawyers have said, although Lloyds said the cost for it would not be material. The FSA said from 2001 to date, banks sold around 28,000 interest rate protection products to customers, although it did not did not say how much it would cost the banks. Guilty: RBS admitted guilt for offences similar to those committed by Barclays' traders, though at RBS they were more isolated and less serious . A string of mis-selling cases has rocked the financial services industry for over two decades and banks are already likely to pay upwards of £9 billion in compensation for mis-selling loan insurance. The Libor mis-selling scandal is expected to draw in many banks globally, but Diamond has found himself first in the firing line after U.S. and British authorities fined Barclays $450 million on Wednesday for manipulating the London interbank offer rate (Libor). Under fire: The Libor mis-selling scandal is expected to draw in many banks globally, but Barclays boss Diamond has found himself first in the firing line . Prime Minister David Cameron said Diamond - who was running the investment banking arm Barclays Capital when the rigging occurred in 2005-2009 - and other bosses had some 'big questions to answer'. Britain also called in the fraud squad to investigate possible crimes. 'Politicians . have already been baying for blood and calling for the head of Bob . Diamond, especially as he was in charge at BarCap at the time,' said . Stephen Peak, manager of the Henderson UK Alpha and European Absolute . Return funds and a shareholder in the bank. 'We . feel that the Barclays board will instinctively wish to resist this, as . Diamond is clearly the architect and leading light of Barclays, but . feel that the pressure may be too great.' Earlier, Tan Chi Min, a former head of delta . trading for RBS’s global banking and markets division in Singapore, . alleged that managers at RBS condoned collusion between its staff to set the . Libor rate artificially high or low to maximise profits. He . named five staff members he claims made requests for the Libor rate to . be altered and three senior managers who he said knew what was going on. He also says the practice 'was known to other members of [RBS]’s senior management'. Mr Tan, who was eventually sacked for gross misconduct, worked for RBS from August 2006 to November 2011and alleges that senior members of staff knew about Libor fixing, and that the behaviour started while Fred Goodwin was chief executive . During his dismissal case he accused Brevan Howard, one of Europe's largest hedge funds, of asking RBS to change the Libor rate. He accused the fund of telephoning the bank on in August 2007 asking if they could change the bank's Libor submission. Investigation: The ex-RBS employee alleges that senior members of staff knew about Libor fixing, and that the behaviour started while Fred Goodwin was chief executive . Banks submit their rates to Thomson . Reuters which then calculates the Libor rate and distributes it on . behalf of the British Bankers' Association. The fund was not named in the court case and was not being sued for any wrongdoing. Tan alleged that it was in fact common . practice among senior RBS employees to make requests to the bank's rate . setters as to the appropriate Libor rate. In . the court papers filed in New York as part of a class action, Mr Lin . also implicates hedge fund bosses who have given thousands of pounds to . the Conservative Party. It . is claimed that hedge fund Brevan Howard asked RBS to fix financial data . by making false submissions. The fund donated £10,000 to the Tories and . spent £3,542 on flights for George Osborne to attend a conference in . 2008. RBS said it was confident of mounting a successful defence against Mr Tan’s claims. It filed a response to the court in . January saying Tan was dismissed after being found guilty of gross . misconduct. Delta trading is usually conducted by investment banks, . using derivatives to track a basket of securities. | RBS admit guilt of offences similar to those committed by Barclays' traders .
The bank is thought to have accepted .
that it will probably have to pay about half as much as the £291 million .
in fines imposed on Barclays .
But a settlement could be several months off . |
119,281 | 2610d187163ed2daa57dd0edd87af637ac636880 | By . Graham Smith . Last updated at 2:35 PM on 20th October 2011 . Illegal immigrants in the U.S. are being sent home in record numbers, with those who pose a public safety risk or national security threat being deported first, the homeland security secretary said last night. Janet Napolitano defended the Obama administration's new policy of deciding which illegal immigrants to remove from the country first. The government is deporting record numbers of illegal immigrants, she said. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the Obama administration's new policy of deciding which illegal immigrants to remove first . The new priority system is a shift from the Bush administration's enforcement strategy, Mrs Napolitano said in a speech at American University in Washington, D.C. Republicans say making it a priority to deport those immigrants amounts to a back-door way of granting amnesty to other people who are living in the U.S. illegally but haven't committed crimes. Yet to immigration advocates, the administration is still deporting such illegal immigrants. Mrs Napolitano said policies inherited from the Bush administration 'allowed as many resources, if not more, to be spent tracking down and deporting the college student as were spent on apprehending criminal aliens and gang members.' Authorities would conduct large raids at companies without consistently punishing the employer or targeting individuals who posed a threat. 'Public safety wasn't enhanced by . these raids, and they sometimes required hundreds of agents and . thousands of hours to complete,' she said. Now, . she said, the Department of Homeland Security is using fingerprints . collected from those held in local jails to identify and deport . criminals and repeat immigration violators. On the move: Mexicans are the largest group of . illegal immigrants in the US and numbered 6.5million, or 58 per cent of . the total across the nation, in 2010 . Advocates for an immigration overhaul say this program, known as Secure Communities, has resulted in the deportation of people accused of traffic violations or other similarly low-level offences. Several states have said they don't want to participate, arguing that immigration is a federal, not state, responsibility. Mrs Napolitano denied that the program had led to more annual deportations and didn't give police immigration authority. She did acknowledge missteps. For example, participation at first was thought to be voluntary, but department officials later made it mandatory. Under fire: Republicans have criticised the Obama administration's overall approach to enforcement . She said: 'But as flawed as the beginnings of this program were, it has already helped accomplish a great deal toward ensuring that we use our enforcement resources where they do the most good.' She also said the administration was committed to comprehensive immigration changes. Congressional Republicans have said the government must first secure the border before discussions can turn to an overhaul and have criticised the Obama administration's overall approach to enforcement. Neither side was satisfied with yesterday's speech. Republican Lamar Smith of Texas, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the administration's immigration policies don't make sense. 'There is nothing smart about it - seven million illegal immigrants work in the U.S. while 14million Americans are unemployed,' he said in a statement. 'Work site enforcement activities are down 70 per cent. The Obama administration has abandoned work site enforcement, allowing illegal workers to take jobs that should go to American workers.' Ali Noorani, executive director of the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum, said the government needs to move faster in fulfilling promises to target criminals and others who pose a safety threat. He said: 'Fast, sound implementation of the department's deportation prioritisation is needed now. In this time of scarce dollars and budget crisis, our government should not waste billions on haphazard and unfocused enforcement.' Homeland Security officials have been promoting the criminal targeting effort since Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced the arrests of nearly 3,000 criminal illegal immigrants in week-long, nationwide sweep last week. Those people will now face deportation proceedings. | Government is deporting record numbers of illegal immigrants, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said . |
225,762 | b0543e49d31c086cb627459a6475209c80eeca63 | (CNN) -- Rutgers quarterback Philip Nelson has been dismissed from the football team, the school's coach said Tuesday. Nelson had been arrested Sunday and charged in connection with an assault that apparently left Isaac Kolstad -- a former linebacker for Minnesota State University, Mankato -- in critical condition. "The Rutgers football family's thoughts and prayers are with Isaac Kolstad and his family," football coach Kyle Flood said, referring to the young man whom Nelson is accused of assaulting. Nelson, 20, faces one count of first-degree assault and one count of third-degree assault. Authorities in Minnesota also arrested a second person in connection with the assault, a Mankato, Minnesota, city spokeswoman said. Trevor Stenner Shelley, 21, was arrested Monday afternoon. He is charged with first- and third-degree assault. Officers found Kolstad, who graduated in December, near a downtown intersection. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. Kolstad, 24, was in critical condition after suffering a severe head injury, his family said. Nelson was a recent transfer to Rutgers. A native of Mankato, Minnesota, he played at the University of Minnesota, according to Rutgers' website. Nelson never played a down for Rutgers before his dismissal. CNN's Mariano Castillo and Dana Ford contributed to this report. | NEW: A second person is arrested .
Quarterback Philip Nelson is dismissed from the Rutgers football team .
He was arrested over the weekend and charged with assault .
The assault left a man in critical condition . |
190,665 | 82e1f2235cc41db6870e5c2ac2d5dee85a48663a | Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A senior Pakistani intelligence official told CNN Friday that U.S. military personnel have left a southern base said to be a key hub for American drone operations in the country's northwestern tribal areas. It is the Shamsi Air Base in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, from which drones are said to take off and where they are refueled for operations against Islamic militants. The development comes amid a public furor over American drone attacks, which have killed civilians. A suspected U.S. drone strike Friday in the Pakistani tribal region killed 25 people, including eight civilians and 17 militants, a Pakistani intelligence source said. This came after another strike on March 17 killed 44 people, most of them civilians. Yet a U.S. official disputed the Pakistani contention that civilians died in Friday's drone strike. "There is no evidence to support that claim whatsoever," the U.S. official said. Another senior Pakistani intelligence official, who did not want to be identified discussing a sensitive issue, confirmed that the Americans had been using the base as a center of operations for launching drone strikes. He was not able to confirm the Americans had left. While the first official was able to confirm that American personnel were no longer operating out of the base, he could not say whether they had left voluntarily or at the request of the Pakistani government. The operation of the base -- not publicly acknowledged by the American government -- has always been presumed to have occurred with tacit Pakistani military consent. It was not clear from the Pakistani officials when the presence there began or when it ended. A U.S. military official who did not want to be identified told CNN: "There are no U.S. forces at Shamsi Air Base in Balochistan." He did not respond at the time or in writing to queries as to whether U.S. personnel had been based there in the past. The departure of American personnel -- if confirmed -- would be significant because of increasing strain between Islamabad and Washington sparked by the continuing drone attacks and by the Raymond Davis affair, in which a CIA contractor fatally shot two Pakistani men in a Lahore neighborhood. It has always been unclear how many drone bases the United States operates in or near Pakistan. But the Friday attack in North Waziristan that killed 25 people would indicate the United States maintains the capability to strike tribal areas with drones. Carl Forsberg, research analyst at the Institute for the Study of War think tank, said he doesn't think the alleged move will affect the effort using drones to target the Haqqani Network and other militant groups holed up in the tribal region. That's because many strikes have been conducted from closer bases, such as those across the Pakistani border in eastern Afghan provinces. He said the Pakistanis could be making the alleged move to appease a populace angry at the United States. The southern air base, he said, doesn't appear to be integral to the tribal area fight and is probably a supporting base. "It's not like the Pakistanis shut down the program," he said. "It's possible they want to do this as a means of pre-empting drone strikes in Balochistan," where there is a Taliban presence. "The United States has an interest in going after the Taliban in Balochistan" he said, and in an ideal world the United States would like to target Taliban sanctuaries in that region with drones. Also, he said, it's possible the Pakistanis are using pressure on the United States to offset any U.S. pressure on them. He said it's no coincidence that the development emerged after Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Islamabad. In an interview that aired Wednesday on Pakistan's Geo TV, Mullen spoke forcefully about the Haqqani Network, which he said "very specifically facilitates and supports the Taliban who move in Afghanistan, and they're killing Americans." "I can't accept that and I will do everything I possibly can to prevent that specifically," he said. Then Mullen said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence "has a longstanding relationship with the Haqqani Network. That doesn't mean everybody in the ISI, but it's there." "I also have an understanding that the ISI and the (Pakistani military) exist to protect their own citizens, and there's a way they have done that for a long period of time," Mullen said. "I believe that over time, that's got to change." A senior Pakistani intelligence official responded by saying, "We do have a relationship: that of an adversary." "We have made our resolve very clear that (the Haqqani Network) is an enemy we need to fight together," said the official, who did not want to be identified discussing intelligence matters. The Pakistani intelligence official told CNN that "we have our hands full" fighting other Islamist militant groups along the border with Afghanistan, notably those under the umbrella of the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, "and once we are through with them we can turn on the other (the Haqqanis). We do not have the capacity to undertake simultaneous operations." The official said the "onus of providing proof of this" relationship was on the Americans and it was not up to the ISI "to start providing clarification." Asked if offense was taken from Mullen's remarks, the intelligence official said: "Not personally, no." In Friday's attack, a drone fired five missiles on a hideout in Mir Ali of North Waziristan, one of the seven districts of Pakistan's volatile tribal region bordering Afghanistan, two intelligence officials said. The officials said the militants, who were staying in the hideout, were planning to move into Afghanistan for an attack against coalition forces. The militants were local Taliban members from Orakzai agency, another district of Pakistan's tribal region, who were trained for war, the officials said. The intelligence officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media. But the attack also killed at least three women when one of the missiles hit a house next to the targeted compound, officials said. The Pakistani intelligence source identified the civilians killed as five women and three children. Friday's drone strike was the 20th this year compared with 111 in all of 2010, based on a CNN tally. The strike comes two days after Pakistan issued a strongly worded statement condemning deadly suspected U.S. drone strikes in the country's tribal region. "Drone attacks have become a core irritant in the counterterror campaign," a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. "We have repeatedly said that such attacks are counterproductive and only contribute to strengthen the hands of the terrorists." CNN's Joe Sterling and Pam Benson contributed to this report. | NEW: A U.S. official disputes a Pakistani claim that civilians died in a drone strike .
U.S. military personnel depart a Pakistan base, a Pakistani official says .
The location is a hub of drone activity, another official says .
The news comes amid public furor over civilians killed in drone strikes . |
180,285 | 7567965f802ff9bf0a851a2d37b36b7d106be812 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:31 EST, 13 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:21 EST, 14 April 2012 . Nadeem Hussain has been jailed for 10 months after he carried out a road rage attack on a horse called Merlin and its rider . A white van driver who rammed his vehicle into a horse and rider has been jailed. A judge branded Nadeem Hussain a bully and said he had used his vehicle as a weapon. Hussain was driving along a country lane when Charlotte Watmough signalled for him to slow down. Instead, the father of five skidded to a halt and got out of his vehicle. Words were exchanged before Hussain got back into his van and drove forwards a few feet, past the horse and rider. He then slammed it into reverse and drove into Miss Watmough's mount, Merlin, pushing him into a wall. The animal panicked and reared up, causing the rider to lose her stirrups and have to fight to stay in the saddle. Merlin, a 12-year-old Anglo Arab, was later seen by a vet, who found he had suffered bruising to his fetlock. Miss Watmough, 20, who has ridden regularly since she was three, was left traumatised, with a sore arm, shoulders and neck, caused by the force with which she had to hold on to the horse. Hussain, 31, drove off after the incident in Baxenden, Accrington, Lancashire, but the rider noted his registration number and he was later arrested. Hussain, of Accrington, admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for ten months at Burnley Crown Court. He was also banned from driving for a year and must take an extended retest. Speaking afterwards, Miss Watmough, of Rossendale, Lancashire, said she was delighted with the sentence and urged drivers to show more respect to riders. 'I couldn't sleep': Lancashire student Charlotte Watmough, pictured with Merlin, was traumatised and suffered pain in her arms, shoulders and neck, while her horse was left bruised . She said: 'It's just brilliant, when I . got the news I couldn't believe it. I never expected him to go to prison . for that length of time. 'It will hopefully give him time to think about what he did.' The student, who is due to begin a course in primary school teaching, added: 'Because Merlin was rearing up, I just hung on trying to control him. 'I was screaming at the top of my voice, I thought I was going to fall off and get run over or be squashed by Merlin. Thinking back, it was really, really dangerous. I could have been paralysed. 'It was just so random, I was so shocked - it wasn’t provoked, I’m always polite. 'I’ve never come across anyone like that out on the road. 'I didn’t think he would stop until either I or Merlin was on the floor. 'I couldn’t sleep for about a week afterwards. I just kept waking up crying and I was referred to counselling by my doctor. It still upsets me and I’m nervous when I go out riding.' Sarah Johnston, prosecuting, said . Miss Watmough described herself as an experienced rider, having ridden . almost every day for 16 years. She had been wearing a specialised hat and a high visibility vest when the incident occurred. She was riding her horse on Back Lane, in Baxenden, on June 26 last year when Hussain's van came round a bend in front of her and, instead of slowing down, approached her at some speed. The prosecutor told the court that . Miss Watmough had put up her right hand, with her palm out flat, to . signal to the driver to slow down, but he made no effort to do so and . skidded to a halt. Terror: Rider Charlotte Watmough, pictured with 12-year-old Anglo Arab Merlin, had to fight to stay in her saddle. She said she 'could have been paralysed' in the run-in with Hussain . She had tucked Merlin in as far as possible and was effectively looking down on the van roof. At the time the horse was not frightened, as he was used to vehicles and traffic. Hussain got out of his vehicle, words were exchanged and he was said to have threatened to ram the horse with his van. Miss Watmough was scared and explained all she had intended by her gesture was to invite him to slow down. The defendant got back in his van, drove forward ten to 12 feet, slammed on his brakes and then reversed towards the horse, pushing him into a wall, before driving off. Defending, Martin Hackett, said . Hussain accepted there had been an 'altercation' but denied getting out . of his vehicle or reversing into the horse. He claimed Miss Watmough had . hit him with her 'riding stick'. Hussain agreed that reversing towards the animal and rider was dangerous and likely to frighten the horse, but said that he did not deliberately aim for the animal. Judge . Beverley Lunt told him he had intended to frighten the horse and rider . and his actions could have had very serious consequences. She continued: 'You behaved like a bully. You used your vehicle to intimidate and threaten. That's like using it as a weapon. 'People . who lose their temper and use their cars to threaten and intimidate, . and where they cause fear and harm, must understand the consequences . will be severe.' Justice: Charlotte Watmough described her delight after hearing Nadeem Hussain had been jailed over the confrontation in Baxenden, Lancashire . | Nadeem Hussain jailed for ten months after using vehicle 'like a weapon'
Traumatised rider, 20, says 'I could have been paralysed' |
13,491 | 264c2aff49e843a05d3ba3253fe4e8defc5656bc | (CNN) -- Parts of the Eastern United States on Friday fended off freezing rain and snow as a powerful winter storm lumbered through the Great Lakes, driving thunderstorms eastward. The National Weather Service predicted the storm would affect the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and the Northeast, with blizzard conditions in Minnesota and Iowa and strong winds across a portion of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. Severe storms -- with wind and large hail -- were possible from Boston to Miami, said CNN meteorologist Sherri Pugh. Frozen conditions may have been a factor in a crash early Friday in Maine that left a driver dead. An SUV driver lost control of the vehicle while it was traveling on a snow-covered stretch in Somerville and slammed into a big rig, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said. Several New York-area airports -- LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark in northern New Jersey -- were experiencing ground delays as of 6 p.m, due to limited visibility, the Federal Aviation Administration reported online. The wild weather also brought strong winds to parts of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic, though that threat was over by evening. Before then, the weather service reported two possible tornadoes early Friday afternoon in south-central Georgia, including one in Johnson County that damaged 12 buildings, including ripping the front doors off a fire station. There was also an EF0 tornado -- indicating 65 to 85 mph winds lasting three seconds or more -- in Compton, Maryland, 60 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. Heavy winds also downed trees in Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, while up to quarter-size hail was reported on Florida's Atlantic coast around St. Augustine. This all came on the heels of severe storms that struck Illinois late Thursday afternoon, knocking out power, damaging buildings and spawning floods, the National Weather Service reported. On Thursday night, storms and high winds swept across Tennessee, pelting Nashville with rain and hail and leaving thousands in the dark. In Illinois, damaging wind and golf ball-size hail were reported overnight. About 24,000 people in the state lost power, according to utility Ameren Illinois. Effingham and Champaign counties in Illinois reported flooding. "We have some power lines down and a little water in the road in some places," said Pam Jacobs, director of the Effingham County Emergency Management Agency. John Dwyer, emergency management coordinator for Champaign County, reported road flooding and standing water in farm fields. He said the flooding was caused by 3 inches of rain Thursday coupled with the snow melt. The National Weather Service said radar indicated rainfall of 3 to 4 inches per hour. The Illinois State Police reported that fog caused a wreck on Interstate 57 in northeast Illinois, involving at least 27 vehicles. Authorities said they received reports of injuries, none of them life-threatening. As the storm moved eastward, winds knocked down dozens of trees in Nashville, reported CNN affiliate WSMV-TV. The station said trained weather spotters reported 1-inch hail and 95-mph winds. CNN's Ed Payne, Greg Botelho and Ralph Ellis contributed to this report. | NEW: Low visibility causes ground delays at three New York-area airports .
NEW: Possible tornadoes touch down in Georgia, Maryland .
NEW: High winds strike parts of the Southeast, mid-Atlantic .
Storm is expected to affect the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast . |
50,173 | 8de8464614ed62e71df2c699e35ffdd979984950 | (CNN) -- Michael Jackson's impact on pop culture is indelible. But perhaps his biggest legacy will be how he changed the music industry. Jackson's impact on the music business still reverberates today. "As a performer he changed history ... his singing, his songwriting, his choreography, his dancing, his business acumen," said Howard Bragman, a public relations expert who worked with Jackson to launch the singer's shoe line with L.A. Gear. "He rewrote the history of the entertainment industry in his time," Bragman said. Jackson crossed color lines and broke down barriers between musical genres. He followed in the footsteps of Elvis and the Beatles to create a transnational fan base that prefigured the era of globalization. And Jackson became a canny power broker who helped lead artists from stage performers into major boardroom players. "That gets lost in the last five and 10 years, with all the litigation battles -- what he did the first 30 years to set the landscape for these other artists," said James Walker, an entertainment attorney. "Michael transcended race before Michael Jordan, before Oprah, before Tiger Woods, before Barack Obama. "You can't underestimate what his did for black artists -- and artists as a whole -- as a business man," Walker added. His 1982 album "Thriller" has sold more than 50 million records worldwide -- a record that, considering the decline of record sales in the wake of new media, is likely to stand for some years to come. "Records just don't sell that much anymore. The industry has changed. ... Now it's in shambles because of technology," said Gideon Yago, head of the IFC Media Project and a former correspondent for MTV News. Videos that accompanied the album became landmarks that set the industry standard, as MTV and cable television began to proliferate, creating ready outlets for a growing marketing tool. At the time, Jackson's label had to fight to get onto MTV, which then featured only rock artists. "Walter Yetnikoff (former president of CBS records) drew a line in the sand and said, 'We believe in this guy and you're going to play his videos or we're going to pull all our videos,'" Walker said. "What he did was so cutting-edge regarding videos; he defined the video age as we know it," said Tommy Mottola, who succeeded Yetnikoff as head of CBS. Though his personal finances were in disarray at the end of his life, Jackson made some canny business decisions at the height of his power -- most notably buying half the Beatles music catalog in 1985 for $47.5 million. "When you look at his royalties and his copyrights, he's probably got a half a billion to a billion (dollar) catalogue," Walker added. The current value of his estate is unclear. His debts stood at about $500 million, according to a Wall Street Journal story earlier this month. As the music industry model moved more toward live events in the face of dwindling album sales, two billionaire businessmen stepped in to bank on Jackson's comeback with a series of concerts scheduled in London. Tom Barrack, head of hedge fund Colony Capital, teamed with Philip Anschutz, owner of AEG Live, to plan a third-act comeback for Jackson, with a sold-out 50-date stand at AEG Live's O2 arena scheduled to begin next month. Future business plans included a world tour, a Broadway musical and even a "Thriller" casino. "You are talking about a guy who could make $500 million a year if he puts his mind to it," Barrack told The Los Angeles Times in an article last month. "There are very few individual artists who are multibillion-dollar businesses. And he is one." Billboard magazine estimates $85 million in ticket sales from the sold-out concert series. Additional packages, merchandise and secondary market sales could have raised the total to $115 million. AEG Live declined to comment. "There will be a process put in place for ticketing (refunds). I don't know what it is at the moment," said Lucy Ellison, spokeswoman for O2 stadium. "We'll leave it for his family to say what they want to say before we discuss ticketing information." Jackson was expected to earn $50 million from the London shows. CNN's Pauline Chiou contributed to this report . | Jackson transformed the role of artists as power brokers .
Estate includes ownership of half the Beatles catalogue .
Bragman: "He rewrote the history of the entertainment industry in his time"
Report: Debts estimated at $500 million at the time of his death . |
225,110 | af82db2e8a71b01dd9ca0b06d9083d597205c637 | Harry Redknapp was a worried man when he drove back down the A1 after QPR lost a pre-season friendly at Peterborough. Many were expecting his team — with a wage bill bigger than Borussia Dortmund’s and with a plethora of Premier League stars — to run away with the Sky Bet Championship and return to the top flight. But after a 1-0 defeat by the League One side, Redknapp feared they would tumble down another tier. ‘It was a concern,’ he admits. ‘At Peterborough, when I drove down after the game, I thought we’re going to have a difficult season; I didn’t like the look of us. So, when we started well in the league it gave everyone a lift. VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Harry Redknapp on the play-offs . Concern: Harry Redknapp admits he was worried about how QPR would fare in the Championship . Tall order: The QPR boss knew he needed around two points per game to beat Burnley to finishing top . ‘But I couldn’t see us running away with it. People always said Burnley would fall away. I didn’t think they would. I thought for us to finish above Burnley we’re going to need 86-87 points — and winning two points a game is never easy.’ Despite Redknapp’s fears, QPR have not been outside the top five all season. They are three games away from winning promotion, starting with the first leg of their play-off at Wigan on Friday. But, including loans, 25 players have left the club since last summer. ‘A lot of them were good, players you’d love to have here,’ he says. ‘We couldn’t keep them all. Their wages were too high. If Loic Remy had stayed, we’d have got promoted. He’d have got you 25 goals. Stephane M’Bia has played for Seville in the Europa League semi-final. He’d’ve been a big player. Adel Taarabt is playing at AC Milan. They’ve not exactly gone to bad clubs.’ Redknapp says he is in the dark about the financial future if QPR don’t win promotion this year. But he is confident they will not lose their star players, with top-flight clubs monitoring Charlie Austin, Joey Barton and Bobby Zamora. Squeaky bum time! QPR reached the Championship play-offs after finishing fourth in the league . Goal getter: Had Loic Remy stayed, QPR would have been automatically promoted, claims Redknapp . Hands off! Redknapp is confident of keeping hold of his star players, including Charlie Austin . The conversation turns to England. The 67-year-old was the man-in-the-street’s favourite for the job, before Roy Hodgson was chosen. Had he been picked, Redknapp would have been preparing for a World Cup in Brazil, instead of a Friday night in Wigan. ‘That seems years ago. It’s way gone,’ he says. ‘I like Roy. I get on well with him. I wish him every success. I don’t live my life like that.’ Even so, he will be watching back home on television. ‘I think we’ll get out of the group,’ he says. ‘I don’t think it’s as hard a group as everyone says. ‘The draw was decent. Uruguay have got Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, the boy Diego Godin, but they’re not overloaded. It’s not a great Italian team either. We’ll have a decent run. ‘I wouldn’t say we’ll win it, I think one of the South American teams will; the best European bet is Germany. But we’ll make the quarter-final and maybe even the semi-final.’ It will make more enjoyable viewing for Redknapp if he is plotting a season in the Premier League. What could have been: Redknapp was touted to become England manager before the FA went for Roy Hodgson . There can be only one: Uwe Rosler insists QPR are under more pressure than his Wigan side . Meanwhile, Wigan manager Uwe Rosler has claimed QPR owner Tony Fernandes will be feeling ‘massive pressure’ to see his club seal an instant return to the Barclays Premier League, ahead of tonight’s play-off first leg at the DW Stadium. But after chuckling at Redknapp’s assertion that Wigan were favourites to follow Leicester and Burnley into the Barclays Premier League, Rosler suggested Fernandes could ill afford another season in the Championship after racking up a wage bill that’s ‘three times bigger than ours.’ With a Wembley date against Derby or Brighton at stake, Rosler said: ‘What we have is pressure bingo. You are under pressure, no you are, and so it goes on.’ Sky Bet want to hear your funny superstitions — and give you a chance of winning shirts and balls signed by your favourite players. Go to www.skybet.com/skybetboost or tweet your superstition to SkyBetFL with #SkyBetBoost. | Harry Redknapp had serious reservations of winning promotion with QPR .
Rangers finished fourth and face Wigan in the play-off first leg on Friday .
London club would be promoted if Loic Remy stayed, says Redknapp .
Redknapp is confident of keeping star players like Charlie Austin, Bobby Zamora and Joey Barton .
Former Spurs boss, who missed out on the England job, expects Roy Hodgson's side to have 'a decent run' at the World Cup . |
165,031 | 6166374dc92986360997c9fea687eef1ed239114 | Santa Monica, California (CNN) -- Santa Monica College officials in California have launched an investigation into a raucous student protest at a board of trustees meeting in which campus police used pepper spray on demonstrators, sending three of them to a hospital, the college president said Wednesday. The students weren't allowed into the overflowing meeting room Tuesday evening and were demonstrating in a hallway against a summer pilot program creating two tiers of tuition when the pepper spraying incident occurred, said Paul Alvarez Jr., the multimedia editor for the campus newspaper who videotaped the incident. Three people were taken to a hospital, and about 30 other students needed treatment for pepper spray, said Santa Monica Fire Department Capt. Judah Mitchell. The fire department set up a decontamination unit that consisted of a fire hose with clear water, Mitchell said. Santa Monica is a coastal city adjacent to Los Angeles. A number of the protesters "engaged in unlawful conduct," such as setting off fire alarms, but campus police "exercised restraint and made no arrests," college President Chui Tsang said in a statement. He said the protesters in the corridor chose not to enter an overflow room. In all, about 100 people protested the board meeting, he said. "When some of these demonstrators used force to enter the board room proper, and had overrun the door and the personnel stationed at the door, there was one discharge of pepper spray used by a SMC police officer to preserve public and personal safety. Unfortunately, a number of bystanders, including college staff, students and other police personnel were affected," Tsang said. "Santa Monica College regrets that a group of people chose to disrupt a public meeting in an unlawful manner," he added. In March, the the two-year college's board approved a summer session pilot program to self-fund extra courses in an effort to increase total classroom seats and provide a way for students to take courses they need, Tsang said. The program augments 700 regularly scheduled state-subsidized classes at $46 per credit unit for California residents, he said. About 50 extra self-funded classes will be offered at actual cost, which translates to $180 per credit unit, or $540 for a typical three-unit course, he said. That cost "is far below the tuition rate at the state's other public educational systems," Tsang said. "The college's action comes at a time when SMC is confronted with the greatest budget crisis ever to face higher education in California." California has been grappling with a budget deficit that promises to result in massive cuts to higher education and course cancellations. Tuition for the California State University system rose 21% this year, to just over $9,000 for in-state residents. Gov. Jerry Brown's office has forecast a shortfall of $9.2 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, while state budget analysts warn the problem could be billions worse. Brown's budget for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins in July, includes more spending cuts, particularly to social services. If his plan to put a temporary tax increase before voters in November fails, education funding would be cut again. Two students who said they were pepper-sprayed described campus police as overreacting. "Insanity. Overreaction. It started out just chanting and we're getting our point across," said Christine Deal, 20, who said an officer grabbed her neck. "Things escalated with the campus police, and kids got pepper-sprayed and put in choke holds and thrown on the ground -- sent to the emergency room." "I think if they were going to pepper-spray that we should have been given some kind of warning," she added. Kayleigh Wade, 19, said she was protesting the summer tuition pricing because "It's very classist." "It's making the classes divide, and it's going to cause more problems in the long run so it's preposterous to me that this is even being considered a solution," Wade said. She said the pepper spray incident, as well as the summer tuition plan, damages the school's reputation. "It prides itself on being this diverse, progressive campus or whatever, and this completely stifles that reputation," Wade said. Alvarez, the student journalist at The Corsair campus newspaper, called the spraying incident an injustice. "That made everything more chaotic than it should have been," Alvarez said. A 4-year-old girl was among those stung by the pepper spray, Alvarez said. CNN's Mary Snow contributed to this report. | "Insanity. Overreaction. It started out just chanting," one student says .
Santa Monica College campus police pepper-sprayed student protesters .
College president: Protesters "engaged in unlawful conduct," but no arrests were made .
Students were protesting a tuition increase under an experimental summer program . |
169,442 | 673eb47f53d93dfebe49dcc607bad75891a04a40 | A police officer whose ballistics evidence forms a key element of the murder case against Shrien Dewani has been exposed as having presented misleading evidence to court. South African forensics officer Sgt. Pieter Engelbrecht was said to have provided Shrien Dewani's murder trial with two contradictory explanations of how his wife was shot. The first explanation - provided in a statement of fact to court called an affidavit - claimed Anni was shot with a bullet from a 38mm calibre, American-made revolver type gun, Dewani's trial heard. A police officer whose evidence forms a key element of the murder case against Shrien Dewani has been exposed as having presented misleading evidence. Pictured, Shrien Dewani, 30, with murder vicitm Anni . The officer examined the car in which Anni's body was found with a gunshot wound to the neck . The second explanation - provided in another affidavit commissioned by Sgt. Engelbrecht and submitted to the same court - claimed Anni was shot from a 25mm calibre, Chinese-made semi-automatic pistol. While Shrien Dewani's defence team conceded that Anni was shot with the Chinese pistol, they argued that Sgt. Engelbrecht's apparent willingness to provide contradictory stories indicates bias against their client. As defence barrister Pieter Botha explained, 'affidavits' are not only meant to be legally binding statements of unambiguous fact, they should also be unique. Anni Dewani was shot dead on her November 2010 honeymoon to South Africa when the taxi cab she and her husband were travelling in was hijacked . But aside from the type of gun, both Engelbrecht's affidavits, the barrister claimed in court, are identical, even down to the positioning of the two documents' signatures. What's more, the digital 'metadata' contained in an electronic version of one of the documents indicates it was created some 19 months after Sgt. Engelbrecht claimed it to have been. 'Is it possible', the lawyer Botha asked the policeman, 'that one is a photocopy of the other? Could I put it to you that one crucial aspect was changed in one document and a copy of it was made? That is what happened here.' Sgt. Engelbrecht said he could not comment on this allegation. The twin affidavits were not the only pieces of questionable evidence Sgt. Engelbrecht struggled to explain on the witness stand. The officer - who said he examined the car in which Anni's body was found - was asked about his evidence to the 2012 murder trial of Xolile Mngeni, the now dead hijacker found guilty of shooting Anni Dewani. Engelbrecht agreed that while he had earlier told a court that Mngeni was likely to be Anni's killer, he did not have any conclusive data to support this conclusion. 'How could you give your opinion when you were unaware of the necessary facts to say so?' Dewani's lawyer asked. 'Maybe I did not understand', Engelbrecht replied. 'You would agree that your answer could have misled the court?' the lawyer went on. 'Yes.' Engelbrecht replied. Anni Dewani was shot dead on her November 2010 honeymoon to South Africa when the taxi cab she and her husband were travelling in was hijacked as it passed through Cape Town's dangerous Gugulethu township. Sgt. Pieter Engelbrecht was asked about his evidence to the 2012 murder trial of Xolile Mngeni (pictured), the now dead hijacker found guilty of shooting Anni Dewani. So far three local men - including the taxi's driver - have confessed to taking part in the murder plot, but they all claim they did so at Shrien Dewani's behest. Mziwamadoda Qwabe, the only one of these three men present at the moment of Anni's killing claims she was shot by his accomplice Xolile Mngeni from the cab's front left passenger seat. Giving evidence yesterday, Sgt. Engelbrecht initially confirmed that, in his opinion, Qwabe's story holds true and that Anni was likely to have been shot in the front passenger seat. Under cross examination, however, the officer conceded that he based this opinion partly on measurements taken from a different car to the one used in the hijack and one in which the seats were positioned differently to the way they were during the hijack. Shrien Dewani denies any involvement in the murder of his wife. The case will not sit tomorrow in order that both Anni and Shrien Dewanis' families can celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali . 'What on earth did you, an expert, hope to achieve when you took measurements of a vehicle where the distances are nothing to do with the car in this case?', Dewani's apparently incredulous barrister asked the policeman, to an ambiguous response. Later, when Sgt. Engelbrecht refused to acknowledge that one of his own photographs - taken on Tuesday this week and submitted as evidence later the same day - proved him to have taken inaccurate measurements, the lawyer Botha went further. 'You are miles away from being an objective witness', Botha chided the policeman. 'You do not want to concede that which an objective person - even a child - can see to be true.' 'It is patently clear that your previous evidence is false', to which Sgt. Engelbrecht replied: 'It is not a matter that I wanted to mess up the case'. Shrien Dewani denies any involvement in the murder of his wife. The case will not sit tomorrow in order that both Anni and Shrien Dewanis' families can celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali. It is set to resume next Monday. | Sgt. Pieter Engelbrecht was said to have provided Shrien Dewani's murder trial with two contradictory explanations of how his wife was shot .
The forensics officers' explanations detailed different murder weapons .
Anni Dewani was shot dead on her November 2010 honeymoon to South Africa when the taxi cab she and her husband were travelling in was hijacked .
Shrien is on trial for her murder but insists that he was not involved . |
3,206 | 094af36b3d54db5bba958154ed1fd725a2f4ceb2 | (CNN) -- Real Madrid sealed a record-extending 32nd La Liga title after Wednesday's 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao maintained an unassailable seven-point lead over arch rivals and defending Spanish champions Barcelona with two matches to play. Goals from Gonzalo Higuain, Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo wrapped up the clinching victory for Jose Mourinho's men at San Mames. Mourinho has now won league titles in Portugal with Porto, England with Chelsea, Italy with Inter and Spain with Real, who broke Barcelona's three-year La Liga reign. "This one has been the toughest. I've won seven league titles overall and I know what it feels like," Mourinho told the club's website. "Barcelona won all their games, as befits the great team that they are. They've been winning to the very last day. They are a club with great tradition that knows we deserved to win this title." Earlier on Wednesday, Barca thrashed fourth-placed Malaga 4-1 to keep up the pressure on Real as Lionel Messi scored his eighth hat-trick this season and broke Gerd Muller's record for a European season. Argentina's three-time world player of the year now has 68 goals in 2011-12, going past the mark Germany legend Muller set in 1972-73 for Bayern Munich. It took Messi's tally in La Liga to 46, two more than Ronaldo, but his efforts have proved in vain. Real's trip to the Europa League finalists looked a tough one, and when Ronaldo saw an early penalty saved by Gorka Iraizoz, their small band of supporters might have been worried. But Argentina striker Higuain settled nerves with a fine strike before Ronaldo played in Ozil for a second to make it 2-0 at halftime. Early in the second half the Portugal star netted his 44th in the league this season with a close-range header, and Bilbao's last hopes of salvaging something from the game ended when Javi Martinez was sent off for a second yellow card. At the finish Mourinho was hoisted high by his players as they celebrated the club's first championship since 2008. "We have to celebrate this championship. We have to continue working after tomorrow because next season will also be tough and we have games to play still in this campaign," the 49-year-old said. "This team deserves even more emotion and affection, and I expect the Bernabeu to give it to them in our match against Mallorca." The Dutch title was also decided on Wednesday as Ajax Amsterdam beat VVV Venlo 2-0 with goals in each half from Siem De Jong. It is Ajax's second straight title under Frank de Boer and came after a late-season charge with 13 straight wins. Ajax were eight points behind joint leaders PSV Eindhoven and AZ Alkmaar in mid-February before their unstoppable run. In Serie A, Juventus' lead was cut to a single point after being held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Lecce. Second-placed AC Milan beat Atalanta 2-0 to revive their hopes on a night Juve could have clinched the title if results had gone in their favor. Sulley Muntari put Milan ahead in the San Siro and Robinho sealed a vital victory in injury time. In Turin, Juventus appeared to be cruising to a routine home win when Claudio Marchisio scored in the first half. Lecce's hopes appeared over when Juan Cuadrado was sent off for a second booking early in the second half, but the leaders wasted a string of chances before Andrea Bertolacci took advantage of a horrible error by home keeper Gianluigi Buffon to level. In other action, Inter Milan's Champions League chances receded with a 3-1 loss at Parma which left the 2010 European titleholders three points behind Napoli and Udinese in the race for third place. | Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to clinch La Liga title .
Lionel Messi sets scoring record in earlier Barcelona win over Malaga .
Ajax clinch Dutch title with 2-0 win over VVV Venlo .
Juventus lead cut to one point in Serie A with 1-1 draw against Lecce . |
238,437 | c09e1c30ee6c95b7ef8284ddbf8dca250e8ac62d | (CNN) -- Kevin DuBrow, the lead singer of the 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot, has died, CNN has confirmed. He was 52. Kevin DuBrow and Quiet Riot hit No. 1 with "Metal Health" in 1983. DuBrow died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to TMZ.com. The Clark County coroner's office was examining the body to determine the cause of death, according to TMZ. "I'm at a loss for words. I've just lost my best friend," Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali told CNN. "Out of respect for both Kevin and his family, I won't comment further. There's going to be a lot of speculation out there, and I won't add to that. I love him too much." Quiet Riot hit the top of the charts with its 1983 album, "Metal Health," considered by some sources as the first heavy metal album to hit No. 1. The album was driven by the group's cover of Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize," which hit the Top 40. The band's other hits included "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" and another Slade cover, "Mama Weer All Crazee Now." The band formed in the mid-1970s behind DuBrow and guitarist Randy Rhoads, who later joined Ozzy Osbourne's band and died in a tour accident. After several years, during which time the band disbanded, regrouped and built an audience, everything came together for "Metal Health," which put Quiet Riot in the vanguard of the Los Angeles heavy metal movement. But the band's rushed follow-up, "Condition Critical," didn't do as well, and DuBrow started taking shots at other L.A. bands, such as Motley Crue and Ratt, according to Allmusic.com. Within a few years, the band had mutinied (leaving DuBrow at a hotel in Hawaii while other members returned to California, Allmusic's Eduardo Rivadavia observes) and taken on a new lead singer. The bad blood prompted a lawsuit from DuBrow. By the 1990s tempers had calmed and the band got together again, putting out a live album in 1999 and a new studio set, "Guilty Pleasures," in 2001. The group's most recent album, "Rehab," came out last year. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this story. | Kevin DuBrow died in Las Vegas home, according to TMZ.com .
DuBrow was lead singer of Quiet Riot .
Band hit No. 1 in 1983 with album "Metal Health" |
53,732 | 9866569ef58413cf4b303714aab0707abf2d7f62 | By . Freya Noble . An Australian comedian working for YouTube has staged an extravagant proposal which might just be up there with the best . Jehan Ratnatunga secretly flew back from Los Angeles to Melbourne and went all-out for his now fiance, incorporating all of Vishanti's favourite things into one huge song and dance proposal. The proposal begins when one of Vish's friends shows her a video of her most-loved Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse recreating her favourite Bollywood song. Scroll down for video . Comedian Jehan Ratnatunga proposed to his girlfriend in an extravagant performance inspired by all of her favourite things . Jehan learned to dance to form part of an epic Mickey Mouse troupe . Vish was initially led outside to sit in the driveway by Jehan in disguise . She's then told in the video to answer the doorbell, where she is met by a life-size Mickey Mouse who leads her out to the street and instructs her to sit down on a seat in the driveway. From there, a troupe of Mickeys breaks out into a full-on medley of Michael Jackson and Beyonce songs, while Vish cries and laughs her way through the entire performance. Jehan had been working for Youtube in California, but flew back in secret. He had also been taking dance lessons with The Secret Garden of Dance in Victoria, and recruited a whole heap of his friends and family to make the proposal happen. She was then treated to song and dance medley of her most loved Michael Jackson, Will Smith and Beyonce songs . Vish spends the entire time laughing and crying at the spectacle . At the end of the performance Jehan removes his Mickey Mouse head, surprises Vish and leads her out into the middle of the street . The comedian then proposes to his now fiance, who through tears manages to say yes . The dance wraps up and all the Mickeys scatter except one, who takes his costume head off to reveal it's Jehan underneath. He leads Vish out to the middle of the street to the tune of Hey There Delilah, gets down on one knee and proposes to his girlfriend. The tears of happiness are so loud you don't hear Vish say 'yes', but it's pretty clear that's her response. Jehan then shouts 'She said yes!'. Jehan is a successful comedian whose YouTube channel has over 100,00 subscribers, and the proposal video is already making its way around the world with almost 70,00 views. | Jehan Ratnatunga surprised his girlfriend Vishanti when he flew home to Melbourne in secret .
He staged an extravagant proposal with all her favourite things .
A troupe of men in Mickey Mouse costumes dance to Michael Jackson and Beyonce .
Jehan then takes off the head of his costume and proposes to Vish . |
234,948 | bc1ef1309196686e91a8034b57f9f56e50b7c9ab | New York (CNN) -- An inferno spread across a flooded neighborhood of Rockaway Peninsula in Queens early Tuesday, torching at least 80 homes as a potent mix of weather blasted the region. Some 200 firefighters battled the six-alarm blaze in Breezy Point, which was fed by high winds and made more perilous by downed electrical wires, according to witnesses and local authorities. "The winds were just devastating, blowing from one building to another," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference. By daybreak, emergency personnel and local volunteers could be seen sloshing through flooded streets to put out patches of remaining flames while others assessed what had been lost. Waking up to floods, fires and darkness after Sandy . Fire authorities reported three people were injured by Superstorm Sandy, though all injuries were considered minor. "It was terrible," said Steve Mastrandrea, a Breezy Point resident and volunteer firefighter, who said he was "trying to give a helping hand and ... got trapped." "We couldn't help anybody," he said. "I couldn't even help myself." Floodwaters engulfed Mastrandrea's home and began to rise from his basement as the fire raged outside. "We couldn't tell if the fires were 100 yards or a mile away," he said. "It was just so bright. I couldn't tell where it was. "I thought we were going to have to jump in the water," he added. Mastrandrea's home was largely destroyed as he fled with his family to higher ground. "There's nothing here," he said. "Our homes can always be rebuilt. As long as we have our lives and we're safe." The National Guard and other emergency personnel fanned out across the neighborhood. It's not clear what started the fire. People rescued from roofs of trailer homes in New Jersey . "I'm not sure where to go from here besides calling the insurance company," said resident Richard Kohlbrecher. "I've been down here most of my life. Through 'the Perfect Storm' ... the water got deep, but nothing like this." The "Perfect Storm" is a reference to a 1991 "nor'easter" that got absorbed in Hurricane Grace, which then wreaked havoc along the East Coast and killed about a dozen people. Meanwhile, some described the scene in Breezy Point as one of "total destruction." "There is nothing in this one cluster of homes," resident T.J. Gilmartin told CNN. "And every house along the side that's still up is damaged. ... Even the sidewalk is ripped up." Among the 80 homes destroyed was that of Bob Turner, a New York congressman. "I, along with many other Breezy Point residents, lost our homes last night and I am grateful that my family and I are safe after this destructive storm," Turner said. " I hope you will join me in lending a hand to those who were less fortunate and keep everyone impacted by this storm in your thoughts and prayers." In September, the same area endured severe weather as a powerful cold front brought heavy rain, high winds and a tornado into the beachfront neighborhood of New York City. CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report. | Among the 80 homes destroyed was that of New York Rep. Bob Turner .
"The winds were just devastating, blowing from one building to another," mayor says .
"It was terrible," resident Steve Mastrandrea says .
Powerful cold front brought rain, winds and a tornado to same area in Queens last month . |
137,063 | 3d4cf69d16cfd8eb504c6f567d7afc8bc93de94c | By . Sportsmail . Thierry Henry faces an emotional reunion with Arsenal and . he's getting in the mood by teaching Gunners stars to play basketball. The Gunners legend's New York Red Bulls side face Arsenal in . a friendly on Saturday as part of the club's USA tour. And Henry is already larking about with his old team's . stars, getting the likes of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey on the basketball . court. However, it was youngster Gedion Zelalem who stole the show, . trumping the senior stars by netting a perfect basket first time. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Gedion Zelalem score an amazing basket . Benched: Thierry Henry with Wilshere, Rosicky, Ramsey, Gibbs, Jenkinson and Zelalem . Manager Asene Wenger has said that the club's World Cup winning contingent will miss the start of the season. Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil's seasons technically only finished two weeks ago ad Wenger says they will be given extra time to recover. The Gunners will play New York Red Bulls on Saturday before heading home to host The Emirates Cup. This year Arsenal will be joined by Monaco, Benfica and Valencia. Wenger's side will then face Manchester city in the Community Shield at Wembley on August 10. Taking aim: Gedion Zelalem lines up his shot while Henry watches on . 3-pointer: Zelalem's shot sails in right in front of the Arseal fans . High-five: The German teenager celebrates his effort with Henry . Laugh: Henry and Carl Jenkinson share a joke as the Gunners relax on tour . The Master: Thierry Henry shows the Arsenal lads how it's done . | Thierry Henry joined the Gunners to play basketball .
Gedion Zelalem scored with a long-range effort .
Jack Wilshere, Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Ramsey, Keiran Gibbs and Tomas Rosicky were also present .
Arsenal are in New York as part of their pre-season tour . |
124,366 | 2cc65e178d282581fc3547bb0e4d68c5bd776b3c | Joseph Wilcox, 31, was shot dead by white supremacist couple Jerad and Amanda Miller on Sunday after he confronted them in a Las Vegas mall . The civilian shot dead by a white supremacist couple on Sunday after he confronted them in a Las Vegas mall has been hailed a hero for his fearless bravery in attempting to protect others. Joseph Wilcox, 31, was shopping in Wal-Mart when Jerad Miller and his wife Amanda Miller entered. The couple had just killed two police officers and in the store, Jerad Miller fired one round and told everyone to get out. Wilcox, who was legally carrying a concealed weapon, told his friends he was going to confront the gunman - not realizing that he had an accomplice. Wilcox went from the checkout area to Jerad Miller and pulled his concealed firearm. But before he could fire, Amanda Miller shot him in the ribs and Wilcox collapsed. ‘Joseph died attempting to protect others. His death is completely senseless,’ said Sheriff Doug Gillespie. 'He had no idea the wife was walking behind him,' a police official told the Las Vegas Review Journal. 'This guy (Wilcox) was not some idiot with a gun. To me, he was a hero. He was trying to stop an active shooter.' At the time of his death, Wilcox was unemployed. Ironically, he had applied to the Metropolitan Police Department a few years earlier, but hadn’t been accepted. Police have confirmed that Wilcox was not able to get off a shot before he died. Amanda and Jerad Miller ran into a North Las Vegas pizzeria on Sunday morning and shot dead two police officers, before then killing Joseph Wilcox . Jeremy Tanner, a friend, was with Wilcox at the Walmart before the shooting started. ‘Joseph . had the option to go left and exit the store to safety, but he instead . went into the store and chased after the gunman,’ he told CNN. ‘I wanted . to tell him: “Don't do this. Come with me.” But I also felt that he's . possibly going to be saving some lives.’ Wilcox's sister, CJ Foster, said her brother was pro-gun and believed that people kill people, rather than guns. ‘He did a very brave thing and I'm very proud of him. I'm proud to call him my brother,’ she said. His uncle, John Wilson, told the Las Vegas Review Journal that, 'He wasn’t political. But he definitely believed in the right to bear arms and the right to defend yourself and others.' A poster with the images of the police officers - Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo - that were killed is shown at a memorial at CiCi's Pizza during a vigil outside the restaurant on June 9, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada . On Sunday, the two Las Vegas police officers were having lunch at a pizza buffet in an aging strip mall about five miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip when the Millers fatally shot them. The attack at a CiCi's Pizza killed officers Alyn Beck, 41, and Igor Soldo, 31, both of whom were husbands and fathers. Jerad Miller fatally shot Soldo in the back of his head. As his partner tried to react, Miller shot him once in the throat. Amanda Miller then pulled her own gun and both shot Beck several times. Police believe that while the Millers wanted to target police, the choice of Soldo and Beck was random. Pulling the mortally wounded officers from the booth, they took their guns and ammunition and put a yellow Gadsden flag featuring the phrase "Don't tread on me" and a swastika on Beck's body. The flag, with its roots in the American Revolution, is a symbol for anti-government groups. Cheri Rasmussen cries while looking at a makeshift memorial at CiCi's Pizza created to honor two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers who were killed . Police said they believe the swastika . was intended to paint police as Nazis, not necessarily as an expression . of the Millers' own white-supremacist views. The couple also told restaurant patrons that their act was 'the beginning of the revolution,' the same message as a note they left at the restaurant. The couple went next to a Wal-Mart about a block away, where Jerad Miller entered, fired one round and 'told the people to get out and this was a revolution and that the police were on the way.' In the frenzy, shopper Joseph Wilcox decided to confront Jerad Miller - not realizing that Amanda Miller was his accomplice. But before he could fire, she had shot him in the ribs. By now, police had arrived, and two five-officer teams entered the massive store. Near the back, one team confronted the Millers, and exchanged fire. Eerie: One of the many bizarre pictures the couple posted online . At one point, Jerad Miller tried to . blast a rear emergency exit door open with a shotgun, but police had . blocked it with a car and he could not escape. By looking at the store's surveillance camera feeds, an officer saw that Jerad Miller had built a makeshift barricade around his wife. As police closed in, Amanda Miller shot her husband several times with a handgun, killing him. She then shot herself in the head. When officers arrived, she was still breathing, and was taken to the hospital. She later died. Police found hundreds more rounds of unspent ammunition in the Millers' bags. Villains: The couple regularly dressed as Batman villains The Joker and Harley Quinn, neighbors said . | Joseph Wilcox, 31, was shot dead by a white supremacist couple on Sunday after he confronted them in a Las Vegas mall .
Amanda and Jerad Miller had just killed two police officers when they entered the Wal-Mart store and Jerad fired one round .
Wilcox, who was legally carrying a concealed weapon, told his friends he was going to confront the gunman .
He hadn't realized that Jerad had an accomplice and Amanda Miller shot him in the ribs before he could fire a shot .
Police officers have called Wilcox a hero for confronting the couple .
Ironically, he had applied to the Metropolitan Police Department a few years earlier, but hadn't been accepted .
Wilcox's sister, CJ Foster, said her brother had been pro-gun and that she was very proud of his actions .
A vigil was held on Monday night for the dead, which also included police officers Alyn Beck, 41, and Igor Soldo, 31 . |
215,057 | a26838a648926ade09faa81412d2db7b251b22bc | (CNN) -- Mainz made it seven wins out of seven in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they overcame 10-man Hoffenheim 4-2 at the Stadion am Bruchweg. The win equals the record -- held by Kaisterslautern and Bayern Munich -- for most wins at the start of a Bundesliga season. Tunisia striker Sami Allagui opened the scoring for Mainz after just two minutes. Hoffenheim hit back before half time with a strike from Demba Ba, but Hungarian striker Adam Szalai restored the home side's lead two minutes into the second half. Midfielder Lewis Holtby added a third before 19-year-old striker Andre Schuerrle added a fourth from the penalty spot after Josip Simunic was shown a red card for bringing down Holtby in the 73rd minute. How Germany's 'Carnival Club' is finding success . Mainz, who beat Bayern Munich 2-1 last week, face Hamburg in their next Bundesliga fixture and will be hoping to create Bundesliga history by claiming their eighth straight win. But coach Thomas Tuchel says he's not interested in records. "During the game, I didn't even think about records, for me it is not even an issue," Tuchel said, AFP reported. Ex-England boss Steve McClaren was denied a fourth straight win as Wolfsburg drew 1-1 with Moenchengladbach. Danish midfielder Thomas Kahlenberg gave Wolfsburg the lead after 27 minutes but Thorben Marx tied the scores with a 65th minute strike. Freiburg moved up to fourth place in the table after a 3-2 home win over Cologne, while Hamburg are now seventh after they came from behind to beat Kaiserslautern 2-1. Schalke went down to their fifth defeat of the season losing 2-1 to Nuremberg, leaving last year's runners-up languishing in second to last place in the table. Sunday's fixtures see Bayern Munich travel to second-placed Dortmund, bottom-placed Stuttgart host Frankfurt and fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen take on Werder Bremen. | Mainz their 100 percent record in the Bundesliga with a 4-2 defeat of Hoffenheim .
Mainz need one more win to secure record for most wins at start of Bundesliga season .
Wolfsburg held to a 1-1 draw with Moenchengladbach; Hamburg beat Kaiserslautern 2-1 . |
284,152 | fc268a299ed9be3af7b416ee09fca8f8167c7f86 | By . Dan Bloom . Dramatic footage has emerged of the moment a Chinese ship sparked a diplomatic stand-off by crashing into a much smaller Vietnamese fishing boat. The vessels were in disputed waters in the South China Sea - where China has erected a giant oil rig - when they collided last week, ramping up tensions between the two nations. Now Vietnam has released footage of the incident which it says proves the sinking was a deliberate act - but China still disagrees over what it shows. Scroll down for video . Dramatic: Vietnam has released this footage which it says shows the moment a Chinese ship sank a much smaller Vietnamese fishing vessel in a disputed part of the South China Sea. China denies being the aggressor . Evidence: The video was played to a press conference and further stokes tensions between the two countries . State television broadcast the dramatic video today and it was played to journalists in a press conference. Shot from a nearby Vietnamese craft, it . appears to show the Chinese ship steaming towards two smaller . Vietnamese vessels - leaving one of the fishing boats capsized in its . wake. At the moment of impact, one man on the boat from where the footage was filmed yells in Vietnamese: 'Oh! The boat's sinking.' 'Look, it rammed and sank it!' another shouts. Vietnamese . fishing boats nearby rescued the 10 fishermen from the sunken . vessel on May 26 - and Hanoi officials said the Chinese ship made no effort to help. A . new report on Vietnamese state network VTV said: 'The latest images . recorded by Vietnamese fishermen at the time when fishing ship DNa-90152 . was sunk by a Chinese ship serve as irrefutable evidence of the . inhumane actions of China against Vietnamese fishermen.' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, meanwhile, said it was the Vietnamese ships that were being aggressive. Approach: The video appears to show the Chinese vessel (left) chasing the red Vietnamese boats (right) Catching up: The larger boat moves closer to the smaller red boats until it is just a few feet away . Controversy: The moment just before the impact, which left one of the fishing boats capsized in its wake . 'In these seas. China's ships were in a defensive mode,' he said. 'Who was it who took the initiative for the clash? Who was it who created tension on the scene? This is very clear.' Accounts of the incident from each country have been wildly disparate. Last . week, Hanoi officials said around 40 Chinese fishing boats had . surrounded the Vietnamese craft before one of them rammed it and it . sank. But China's official . Xinhua news agency, citing a government source, had said the vessel . capsized after 'harassing and colliding with' a Chinese fishing boat. Scores . of ships are still squaring up despite several collisions after the . platform was towed to the area last month, sparking anti-Chinese riots . in Vietnam in which at least four workers were killed. Remains: The fishermen who escaped from the boat were rescued by nearby vessels, according to Vietnam . Back to harbour: The Vietnamese boat, DNA 90152, was towed to the central coastal city of Danang . Damaged relations: The boat after it returned to port. The airing of the footage has stoked further tensions . Admiral Ngo Ngoc Thu, vice commander . of the Vietnam Coastguard, said today China had 'up to 140 ships' around the rig including 'six military vessels and many military . planes'. He claimed China has already damaged 24 Vietnamese ships. The rig, Haiyang Shiyou 981, is drilling between the Paracel islands occupied by China and the Vietnamese coast. Each country claims the waters as its own. Vietnam . said today the rig had moved position, but was still in its . 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf. China . insists it is operating within its waters. The superpower claims about . 90 percent of the South China Sea, displaying its reach on official maps . with a so-called nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime . heart of south east Asia. Drilling for oil: This picture taken on May 14, 2014, from a Vietnamese coastguard ship, shows a Chinese coastguard vessel (left) sailing near the gigantic rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea . The . Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to . parts of the area, which many believe is rich in natural resources. Today . the Philippines accused China of pursuing an 'expansion agenda', saying . it had evidence that Chinese ships were circling two disputed reefs. 'We . are again bothered that there seems to be developments in other areas . within the disputed seas,' said President Benigno Aquino. 'It . looks like there are movements of ships,' he added. 'The pictures that I . saw were just ships that can be used for reclamation.' | China has erected a gigantic oil rig supposedly in Vietnam's waters .
Tensions came to a head last week when a small fishing boat capsized .
Now footage appears to show Chinese ship steaming towards the vessel .
China insists it is not its fault - claiming Vietnam had 'created tension' |
279,703 | f656031d7708eb0d5878447469b07da112bea83f | By . Jill Reilly . This dramatic footage shows a gang of axe-wielding raiders executing a daytime smash and grab raid at a jewellers. Dressed in blue boiler suits and black balaclavas at least two members of the gang can clearly be seen attacking the shop window with axes while the others push in the protective glass, before escaping with number of watches. As an alarm sounds in the background one bemused shopper can be spotted milling near the four-man gang as they struck Lister Horsfall jewellers in Ilkley, West Yorkshire at lunchtime on Thursday. Scroll down for video . This dramatic footage shows a gang of axe-wielding raiders executing a daytime smash and grab raid at a jewellers . According to a witness, at one point one of the thieves used an axe to threaten a police officer who approached the scene. The gang then sped off in a silver Honda Civic, which had been driven on to the pavement in front of the jewellers, narrowly missing a car and pedestrians. The getaway car, which was driven by a fifth gang member, was quickly abandoned and set alight in a nearby street. According to a witness, at one point one of the thieves used an axe to threaten a police officer who approached the scene . The men raiding the Lister Horsfall jewellers in Ilkley, West Yorkshire . Lister Horsfall's managing director Nicholas Horsfall praised the actions of his staff who stopped the robbers escaping with a big haul by activating the security shutters . One witness said: 'It really shook me up. 'They were wearing blue jumpsuits and they had black coverings over their heads.' Lister Horsfall’s managing director Nicholas Horsfall praised the actions of his staff who stopped the robbers escaping with a big haul by activating the security shutters. He said: 'I don’t think they managed to get away with a lot. 'The quick thinking of the staff managed to avert a major loss. The shutters went down, the blinds went down and they were stripping the stock from behind the window to stop it being taken.' He said the staff on duty were uninjured but were shaken by the incident. The gang then sped off in a silver Honda Civic, which had been driven on to the pavement . The getaway car, which was driven by a fifth gang member, was quickly abandoned and set alight in a nearby street . It is the third time in two years the jewellers has been targetted by armed robbers - it was previously raided in June 2012 and September 2011. A West Yorkshire police spokesman said robbers took 'a number of watches' before making off. He has urged anyone who saw something suspicious before or after the robbery to contact police on the non-emergency number 101. | Four-man gang struck at lunchtime on Thursday in Ilkley, West Yorkshire .
The getaway car was driven by a fifth gang member and was later dumped .
Witness: Thieves used an axe to threaten a police officer who approached .
Police spokesman said robbers took 'a number of watches' before escape . |
230,547 | b68ea4ecdb15b202fb4a367440015ca513f194d2 | Final preparations were underway at Nasa today as the space agency's Curiosity rover began its final approach to the red planet ahead of its expected landing on monday morning. Mission scientists explained how the seven cameras aboard the rover are set to capture the martian surface as we have never seen it before. However, the rover still has one massive hurdle to overcome before it can even begin work - the much anticipated 'seven minutes of terror' as it hurtles through the martian atmosphere, before (hopefully) being gently placed onto the surface by a floating 'air crane'. Scroll down for video . Speaking martian - Scientists comment on the seven cameras aboard the Curiosity Mars Rover during a media briefing at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena - but have to explain each acronym first . Today the leading scientists behind the project explained exactly what will happen - and admitted that explaining the project has been tough due to the huge number of acronyms used. Names and descriptions are often reduced to acronyms and abbreviations, which are faster to string together in a sentence but can end up sounding downright martian to the outside world.. Curiosity is loaded with the most . sophisticated instruments to study Mars' environment — with convoluted . names to match. 'Mastcam' refers to the pair of 2-megapixel color . cameras on the rover's 'head'. 'SAM', short for Sample Analysis at . Mars, is the mobile chemistry lab designed to sniff for carbon . compounds. 'ChemCam' stands for Chemistry and Camera, otherwise known as . the rock-zapping laser. 'RAD' is the radiation detector. 'EDL' is the entry, descent and landing, or as NASA has come to call . it: Seven minutes of terror. 'DSN' is the . Deep Space Network, a worldwide network of antenna dishes that . communicates with interplanetary spacecraft. Nominal means A-OK. Not so . for anomaly (translation: Houston, we have a problem.) 'It's kind of our own slang,' explained Michael Watkins (above), mission manager of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars project. 'It's a shorthand way to talk about these very complicated systems.' He added: 'Even folks from other missions have no idea what we're talking about." Even the rover's name can be complex. In the halls of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it's called MSL — short for Mars Science Laboratory. Spacecraft typically have technical names before being rechristened by the public through naming contests sponsored by NASA. For example: the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity that landed in 2004 were known as MER-A and MER-B for the longest time (MER is shorthand for Mars Exploration Rover.) MSL did not become Curiosity until 2009 when a sixth-grader from Kansas proposed the nickname. Still, there are some hard-cores who continue to use the scientific moniker. The dizzying naming system even extends to time. It takes Earth 24 hours to spin on its axis — the definition of a day. Mars spins more slowly than Earth — taking 24 hours and 39 minutes. To distinguish between Earth and Mars time, a Martian day is called a sol, Latin for "sun." Yesterday on Mars is yestersol. Newcomers often find there's a steep curve to master the technical language. 'It takes some time to pick it up,' said Ken Farley, a professor at the California Institute of Technology who is participating on his first space mission. Luckily, Farley said new shorthand words are added to the mission's internal website. Before Spirit and Opportunity launched, cultural psychologists worked with scientists to come up with a better way to communicate. The rules of Mars-speak put in place back then still lives on today. JPL scientist Deborah Bass, who worked on that mission, said it's important to talk with precision. But she said it's also essential not to alienate fans. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission members work in the data processing room beside Mission Control at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena . 'We're so jazzed about what we do,' Bass said. 'We can forget that not everybody has the same fundamental background as we do.' However, the team admit that while nowhere will extraterrestrial . vocabulary fly faster than in the JPL mission control room on landing . day, for the casual observer there is one simple tip - just look for the cheers or . tears. To reach its intended touch-down zone in a deep equatorial crater, the Curiosity rover must enter the atmosphere at a very precise point. A slight course correction - the fourth since launch - was made last Saturday, and mission scientists said the latest analysis indicates Curiosity will be no more than a kilometre from going straight down its planned "keyhole". The team is so confident it may abandon a planned final course correction on friday. 'We are about to land a small compact car on the surface with a trunk-load of instruments,' said Doug McCuistion, the head of Nasa's Mars programme. 'This is a pretty amazing feat getting ready to happen. 'It's exciting, it's daring - but it's fantastic," The $2.5bn mission is due to touch down at 05:31 GMT (06:31 BST) Monday 6 August; 22:31 PDT, Sunday 5 August. Engineers work on a model of the Mars rover Curiosity at the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena . It will be a totally automated landing, as the vast distance between Mars and Earth means there is a 13-minute lag . in communications, making real-time intervention impossible. The team has devised a rocket-powered, hovering crane . to lower the rover to the surface in the final moments of its descent. The first black-and-white images of the surface taken by Curiosity . should be returned to Earth in the first hours after touch down, but the . mission team do not intend to rush into exploration. 'This is a very complicated beast," said Pete Theisinger, Curiosity's project manager told the BBC. 'The speech I made to the team is to recognize that on Sunday night at . [22:32 PDT], we will have a priceless asset that we have placed on the . surface of another planet that could last a long time if we operate it . correctly, and so we will be as cautious as hell about what we do with . it.' Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Lead Flight Director David Oh in the Mission Control room ahead of the landing of the Mars rover Curiosity. The team has also been experimenting using a full size replica of the rover, and has even created a 'martian park' in Pasadena so they can replicate the surface of the red planet. In mission control, the banks of screen scientists will use to monitor the landing were today unveiled, giving a unique glimpse into the mission. Ryan Mukai, telecommunications engineer, monitors the progress of the Mars Curiosity mission at NASA's Mars Science Laboratory . | Mission scientists reveal dizzying array of acronyms used in mission control .
Unprecedented insight into the technology used in the $2.5bn million to look for life on the red planet .
Amazing photos show the scientists at work as final preparations get underway in Pasadena .
First black and white images expected hours after landing . |
127,575 | 30e613f56f5537a42a0f5ea54dc10783bd7300c4 | Stan Collymore, who attracts more controversy away from football than any other mainstream pundit, appears at Warrington magistrates court on Thursday morning charged with four driving offences. Collymore, talkSPORT’s lead football expert, drove his Porsche at around 10mph in excess of the various speed limits. He already has three points on his driving license according to court documents and risks a long driving ban. Scroll down for video . Stan Collymore will appear at Warrington magistrates court on Thursday charged with four driving offences . However, Collymore, who recently incited a protest from South Atlantic war veterans by making a crass tweet about the Falklands, is being represented by celebrity solicitor Mark Haslam, who specialises in road traffic cases and has a number of footballers as clients. It is expected Collymore will follow the example of Freddie Flintoff, who escaped a driving ban last August by claiming it would seriously hamper his charity work. The footballer-turned-pundit already has three points on his driving license and risks a long ban . The latest of almost daily revelations emanating from Leeds United is that former club owners GFH Capital claim to have sworn witness statements by bank compliance officers that the former Leeds managing director David Haigh deposited around 100 false invoices for over £4m into four accounts held in London, Dubai and Manchester. A spokesman for Haigh, who has spent 136 days in prison in Dubai, said: ‘David continues to maintain his complete innocence.’ Former Kent captain David Fulton summed up the game’s low opinion of the ECB’s decision to charge Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale with racist abuse. In his speech at the Cricket Writers’ Awards, Fulton (right) parodied what Gale said to Ashwell Prince, saying: ‘If there are any Australians in the room, can you f*** off back to your own country.’ Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale was charged with racist abuse towards Ashwell Prince by the ECB . lt is hard to fathom why the RFU have given England manager Stuart Lancaster and his coaching staff extended six-year contracts until after the 2019 World Cup when everything depends on how they do in the tournament on home soil in 2015. Fears that they may be poached or a desire at Twickenham for long-term continuity will be irrelevant if England fail to get out of their difficult World Cup group. And the RFU will not reveal whether the contracts have get-out clauses. Chief executive Ian Ritchie, who made the contract recommendations that the board approved, said: ‘We are not going into the details. There is ongoing assessment about the team’s performance, but we have absolute faith in Stuart and his team.’ England head coach Stuart Lancaster has signed as new contract until after the 2019 World Cup . Royal St George’s Golf Club look certain to follow the example of the R&A, who have voted to admit female members for the first time. The Sandwich-based club, who hosted the Open in 2011, when former Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson led the chorus of disapproval of their male-only membership, have already canvassed members’ views ahead of an official ballot at the start of next year. It is understood the vast majority agreed when consulted that women should finally be allowed in after 127 years. Club secretary Tim Checketts said: ‘I imagine that to be the case, but we need to hold a proper ballot and consider all the ramifications.’ Darren Clarke won the 2011 Open held at the Royal St George’s Golf Club held in Sandwich, Kent . The opinions of Rio Ferdinand have been given extra credence since the FA revealed they may put him forward next year as the English candidate for the vacant British vice-presidency on the FIFA executive. And Ferdinand neatly summed up the main obstacle to English success at international level in the Facebook-launched excerpt from his new book #2sides. Rio writes: ‘The Premier League is completely detached from the ideas and vision of the FA and vice versa. The barrier has to be broken down. The big clubs have very little interest in the national team. All they care about is what benefits them and they think mainly in terms of money. The FA is not strong enough to decide a policy and dictate from the centre.’ Rio Ferdinand may be the FA's English candidate for the vacant British vice-presidency on the FIFA executive . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Stan Collymore will appear at Warrington magistrates court on Thursday .
Footballer-turned-TV Pundit faces charges of four driving offences .
Collymore already has three points on his license and faces lengthy ban .
RFU have awarded head coach Stuart Lancaster a new six-year-deal .
Royal St George’s Golf Club likely to admit female members for first time .
FA may put forward Rio Ferdinand as their English candidate for the vacant British vice-presidency on the FIFA executive . |
183,529 | 79be5a7978ef9b09f60bb989c80048378c3e8b2d | By . Daily Mail Reporter and James Nye . PUBLISHED: . 23:05 EST, 12 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:24 EST, 14 October 2012 . A 29-year-old aspiring model and actor who is also believed to be a martial arts expert with a black belt in karate has been charged with the killing of 19-year-old University of New Hampshire student Elizabeth 'Lizzi' Marriott. Although her body has not yet been found, police announced that Marriott is believed to be dead, Assistant Attorney General . James Vara said on Saturday. And today, Seth Mazzaglia, 29, of Dover, was charged with the second-degree murder of the missing student as her distraught family were tragically told to call off their frantic search. University of New Hampshire student Elizabeth . 'Lizzi' Marriott vanished on her way to visit a friend on Tuesday - . police now believe she is dead . Last night hundreds of friends and family members attended an emotional candlelit vigil for Lizzi at the Bay State Commons. Her devastated father Robert Marriott and best friend Meghan Hoyt were among those pictured at the solemn evening held in tribute to the young student. Aspiring actor and model Seth Mazzaglia is scheduled to appear on Monday morning at Dover District Court on a second degree murder charge. Grief-stricken: Lizzi's father Robert Marriott is consoled by former co-worker Paul Campaniello at a candlelight vigil last night at the Bay State Commons . Vigil: Devastated Robert Marriott holds a candle for his daughter Lizzi, a University of New Hampshire student, who disappeared earlier in the week . During a press conference today to . announce Mazzaglia's arrest, Assistant Attorney General James Vara said . that the Dover Police Department have gathered enough credible . information to believe that Marriott is dead - although they have not . located her body. Together . with Porstmouth and state police, authorities in Denver have been . searching the area around Prescott Park and Pierce Island since around . 7.30 p.m last night. 'We are continuing to search for her body in the area by Pierce Island,' Vara said to Foster's Daily Democrat . 'We have information we are investigating at this point.' Heartfelt tribute: Meghan Hoyt, Lizzi Marriott's best friend (left), and Sue Gendron, both of Westboro, shed tears at last night's candlelight vigil . United in grief: A young woman cries for Lizzi Marriott, who is believed to be dead . The assistant attorney general also announced that Marriott's car, a 2001 tan coloured Mazda tribute had been located and in addition Vera confirmed that there were no threats in existence to other students at the University of New Hampshire. 'I want to confirm there are no threats to the other students at UNH,' he said. 'This is unrelated other than the fact she's a student at the university.' Claiming that the ongoing . investigation precluded him from discussing details, Vera admitted that . Marriott and Mazzaglia knew each other. 'This is still an active and ongoing investigation,' said Vara. 'We will continue with any and all resources available to us.' Seth Mazzaglia (left and right) of Dover, who is . a struggling actor has been arrested and charged with the murder of . missing student Lizzi Marriott . The announcement of the arrest and declaration that Marriott was in all probability dead came at 1 p.m., and family members were informed that they should 'stand down' their search for their loved one. Marriott's aunt, Rebecca Tyning, confirmed that authorities told them to stop their search before the afternoon announcement. In a phone interview with Foster's Daily Democrat, Tyning called the announcement of her niece's death 'surreal.' Marriott was a marine biology major who lived with her aunt in Chester. She was a 2011 graduate of Westborough High School in Massachusetts. She had attended a class at the university on Tuesday night and made plans to visit a friend in Dover. Police tracked down the friends, who said Lizzi never arrived that evening. Hunt: New Hampshire Associate Attorney General Jane Young holds a 'missing' flyer of Lizzi on Friday . Authorities have also analysed her cell phone records - and those of her friends - and discovered she texted a friend at 10.11pm on Tuesday, saying she was on her way to Dover. But that was the last activity on her phone and her bank accounts have not been accessed since. The suspect, Seth J. Mazzaglia is listed as living at apartment 341 in the complex of 1 Mill St. in Dover. His website indicates that he is an 'experienced actor, writer and fight choreographer' who stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds. He claims that his 'special skills and talents' include a third degree black belt in Okinawan karate and that he is proficient with a samurai sword, butterfly swords and other hand held weapons. Robert Modee, who is a Kittery, Maine, martial arts instructor, confirmed that Mazzaglia is an expert in karate and that he trained with the suspect for almost 20-years. 'He's been with me, training with me, since he was probably 10 or 12 years old,' Modee said. Indeed, just before his arrest, Mazzaglia had been giving martial arts lessons to children at the Kittery Community Center said Modee. 'I don't understand what's going on right now,' Modee said. 'I'm completely floored with all this. I don't even know what to think.' Scene: She was last seen at an evening class at the University of New Hampshire before driving to Dover . As well as his expertise in hand to hand combat, Mazzaglia claimed to have performed in 17 theater productions between 2000 and 2010. In 2005, Mazzaglia played the role of Richie Valens in a July performance of 'The Buddy Holly Story,' at Seacoast Repertory Theatre. One former cast member, Brett Wulfson said she remembered Mazzaglia as a pleasant man, 'very involved with self-defence.' In addition, Mazzaglia claims to have a 750 hour certification in massage therapy awarded by McIntosh College in 2007. Marriott was a 2011 graduate of Westborough High School in Massachusetts. She lived with an aunt in Chester and commuted to the Durham campus. A message seeking comment was left with her parents, Robert and Melissa Marriott of Westborough, Mass. Plea: A missing poster describes Lizzi and her car, before Seth Lazzaglia was charged with her murder today . Before today's tragic news Lizzi's grandmother, Susan Marriott, had been desperately tending the phone's at the Chester home where her granddaughter lived . while other family members were out handing out fliers and searching for . her. 'She . is a good student and she's hard-working,' her grandmother said. 'She . is a person that doesn't have a multitude of friends but she has good . friends, a small group of good friends.' | Police have announced that University of New Hampshire student Elizabeth 'Lizzi' Marriott is dead and have arrested 29-year-old Seth Mazzaglia for her murder .
Mazzaglia is an aspiring actor, model and trained martial arts expert who is thought to have known Marriott .
Police have not recovered the 19-year-old student's body - but have instructed her family to cease their search .
Hundreds of friends and relatives attended an emotional candlelit vigil last night . |
151,830 | 503a684d683761610793fc95896006c486e347ad | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:09 EST, 23 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:23 EST, 23 May 2013 . Ann Curry was sporting a new look when she returned to live TV tonight for the first time since she was axed from the Today show. With her hair cropped short and wearing a crisp white blazer, Curry looked happy to be back in the anchor chair as she hosted the NBC Nightly News, filling in for Brian Williams. The beloved journalist tweeted a picture of herself preparing for the broadcast, which prompted a flood of praise from excitable Curry fans. The 56-year-old has appeared on NBC a handful of times since her awkward departure from the network's flailing morning show last summer. She's back: Ann Curry, pictured, was sporting a new look when she returned to live TV on Thursday for the first time since she was axed from the Today show . However, the appearances have mostly been pre-recorded segments for Williams' show Rock Center. After tweeting 'From the set.. Getting ready to anchor @NBCNightlynews,' user chefbigham was quick to respond 'WooHoo!!!! You are the only reason to watch the news' while another fan, saseesandee wrote '@anncurry YeeHaw, so lovely to see u back!' Curry's noticeably shorter hair reportedly got her in trouble with network executives, after she lopped it off without permission from NBC, in what was labelled an act of defiance. Amidst criticism over the journalist's physical appearance by her former Today bosses, Curry 'just decided to cut it,' according to RadarOnline.com. Twitter: The beloved journalist's tweeted a picture of herself preparing for the broadcast, which prompted a flood of praise from excitable Curry fans . Live cross: The appearance was Curry's first time in an anchor chair since Today . 'Ann was always told by her bosses that . her hair had to be long, and she just didn’t like to wear it at that . length,' a source revealed. 'She is a no-fuss gal, and doesn't want to spend a ton of time . styling her hair. (So) she just decided to . cut it.' They continued: 'It’s a much shorter style, and doesn’t take as long to do. Ann . didn't tell her bosses she was going to do it beforehand.' Like many other networks, any NBC on-air . talent is required to notify management before changes are made to their physical appearance. But Curry was often the victim of . jokes at the hands of Today show executive . producer Jim Bell, according to New York Times reporter Brian Selter's new book, Top Of The Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. Before and after: In what has been called an act of . defiance, Ann Curry debuted a new, shorter hairstyle on NBC News without informing the networks executives . Stelter reported that Bell was an instigator to 'a . general meanness on set' toward the former Today co-host. In the months leading up to her teary-eyed departure from the morning show last summer, Curry is said to have been 'tortured'. In one instance, a yellow dress Curry wore on air was pictured next to Big Bird, and was captioned, 'Who Wore It Best?' | Ann Curry was sporting a new look when she returned to live TV tonight for the first time since she was axed from the Today show .
With her hair cropped short, Curry anchored NBC Nightly News filling in for Brian .
Williams .
The beloved journalist was ousted from NBC's morning show last summer . |
27,243 | 4d45f66fc7dc4f495d67f77e04ab7acdd866ba9a | By . Robin Cottle for MailOnline . Mario Gotze and Franck Ribery goals ensured Bayern Munich kept up their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season. World Cup winning goalscorer Gotze gave Bayern the lead from the edge of the penalty area just before the half hour mark before Ribery sealed the three points in the last five minutes. But Bayern's victory was marred by a knee injury to defender Holger Badstuber. VIDEO Scroll down to watch goals and highlights of Bayern Munich 2-0 Stuttgart . Off the mark: Mario Gotze looks to the heavens after scoring for Bayern Munich . Finish: Gotze fires Bayern into the lead from the edge of the penalty area . Good job: L-r Gotze is congratulated by Xabi Alonso and Jerome Boateng . The 25-year-old has twice injured his anterior cruciate ligament in less than two years. The Stuttgart clash was only his third appearance since December 2012 and the Bavarians will be hoping lightning hasn't struck for a third time. One bit of good news for Pep Guardiola's team was the return from injury of Ribery - the winger came on to replace goalscorer Gotze for the last 20 minutes. And it didn't take him long to make an impact on his return to the Allianz Arena, slipping the ball past Stuttgart goalkeeper Sven Ulrich from a tight angle to kill off any hopes they away side had of snatching a point. Instant impact: Franck Ribery came off the bench to clinch the points for Bayern . Injured: Defender Holger Badstuber is down with yet another injury . Substitution: Badstuber trudges past Pep Guardiola as he is taken off . On the head: Bayern new boy Alonso beats Christian Gentner in the air . Champions Bayern started the season with a 1-1 draw at Schalke after beating Wolfsburg 2-1 on the opening weekend of the season. And they will now go into Wednesday's big Champions League opener against Man City full of confidence but Stuttgart are still seeking their first win of the season and stay third from bottom on a solitary point. Eyes wide shut: Oriol Romeu, on loan from Chelsea, challenges Gotze in the air . Embrace: Managers Guardiola and Armin Veh share a joke before the game . | Gotze gave Bayern a first half lead with a low drive .
Champions unbeaten after three matches in Bundesliga .
Winger Franck Ribery returned from injury, clinching the points with a second goal off the bench .
But win overshadowed by serious-looking injury to Holger Badstuber .
And no Arjen Robben or Bastian Schweinsteiger in the Bayern squad .
Pep Guardiola's team play Man City in the Champions League on Wednesday . |
86,992 | f6e5c13e08e2e41f695af065a90436492868844d | By . Ryan Gorman . More chilling details have emerged about the 17-year-old honor student planned to bomb and shoot his way through a . Minnesota high school to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the . Columbine massacre, authorities claim. John . David LaDue’s plan to use pressure cooker bombs, Molotov cocktails and . multiple firearms including an assault rifle to kill his parents, set . fire to a field and go on a killing spree through Waseca High School was . foiled Tuesday by an alert citizen, police said, and those who know him are shocked. The woman who called 911 says she thought he was acting suspiciously, 'trying not to be seen' and even appeared to be breaking into the storage locker where police began to piece together his horrifying intentions. Court documents show that officers found seven firearms, 400 rounds of ammunition and three homemade bombs in the teen's bedroom, and three more completed bombs, ball bearings and chemicals in the storage facility where he was arrested. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . Armed to the teeth: John LaDue had seven guns, six bombs and chemicals to expand his deadly cache - authorities believe he planned to carry out the attack within only a few weeks . Caught: John David LaDue was arrested this week and charged with four counts of premeditated murder before he could carry out his horrifying plan to bomb and shoot his way through Waseca High School . LaDue’s . plan first unraveled when a person near the self-storage unit where . he made his bombs called police to report a suspiciously acting teen, a . police official said during that news conference. Chelsie Schellahas, who lives near the storage facility, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune the teen was cutting through her backyard when she first noticed him. 'He walked through the puddles when there was a perfectly good road he could have walked on,' Schellhas told the paper. 'It just didn’t seem right to me because we see people come and go with their trucks, and they don’t come on foot and cut through people’s back yards.' 'It was like he was blatantly trying not to be seen,' she continued. 'That’s why I thought it was odd.' LaDue took 'some time' before opening the door, appearing to be breaking in, the vigilant woman explained. Able to see into the locker, she noticed shopping bags and trash that 'didn't look right.' He then closed it behind him, cops said, and Schellhas called 911. Officers responding to the storage locker around 7:30 p.m. immediately noticed a . significant amount of bombs and bomb making materials, police said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. Court documents cited by the Star Tribune say the unit was illuminated with several small lanterns, and littered with boxes of ammunition, a scale and red zinc oxide packages commonly used to make bombs. ‘If you can guess what I'm doing, I'll tell you everything,’ he told investigators, according to KEYC. When told to guess what LaDue was doing, the cop asked if he was making a bomb. ‘Yes,’ the teen replied, and then admitted to placing the bombs near a local . elementary school that were uncovered when snow began melting last . month, officials said. He . then admitted to wanting to shoot the police officer but having only a . knife in his possession when confronted at the storage unit, according . to the Mankato Free-Press. High school horror: The teen planned to terrorize Waseca Junior and Senior High School and kill as many people as possible, officials said . Officials declined to confirm at the press conference whether he intended to shoot the cop. Further questioning led to LaDue chillingly saying that he planned to kill 'as many students as he could' before the SWAT team gunned him down, according to the Star-Tribune. He also admitted to being fascinated with other school shootings and idolizing the Columbine shooters, said police. LaDue’s arsenal included an SKS assault-style rifle, a .22-cailber rifle and a Baretta handgun, according to the paper. He planned to use the .22 to kill his family because it makes less noise than the other firearms. ‘A great catastrophe and tragedy was averted,’ Waseca Mayor Roy Srp said at that same news conference. He also had made six bombs and had the components to make many more, police said. ‘I’m . very disturbed by the amount of items he had,’ said Waseca Police . captain Kris Markeson, later adding that ‘he intended to do a great . amount of harm... the amount of thought and preparation he put into this, it’s very, very complete.' Markeson later said LaDue 'intended to set off numerous bombs during the lunch hour and kill the school resource officers and set fires and shoot students and staff.' Police . found a notebook detailing minute by minute how he planned to carry out . the plot – starting with gunning down his parents and sister before . setting fire to a field to distract authorities while he stormed the . school. The plan itself involved placing pressure cooker bombs similar to the ones set off last year at the Boston Marathon inside recycling boxes in the cafeteria and shooting the school liaison officer dead before he could stop the rest of the assault, he told police. It was apparently first written in the notebook June 24, 2013, and while the semantics of the terror plot were tweaked over time, the original idea remained in tact - to kill his family, the school liaison officer and as many students as possible, the court documents revealed. End of the line: The Waseca storage facility where LaDue was arrested Tuesday night . Hartley Elementary: Bombs were found in melting snow at this school earlier this year, and LaDue admitted to making them, police said . They also did not elaborate on how he was able to obtain the guns despite being a minor. LaDue . was characterized by school superintendent Tom Lee as a quiet, . reserved, music playing kid who was on the honor roll and never got into . trouble. ‘He . had never been in trouble in school,’ said Lee. ‘I do think that people . are quite disturbed and shocked… it’s a disturbing thing.’ Classmates and other locals were shocked by the allegations. 'This little boy was shy, he never talked, always followed the leader,' Bailey Root, 19, who went to school with LaDue told the paper. 'I’m absolutely amazed. 'It was like the outcast friends kind of thing, but he had plenty of friends, she added. 'I don’t think they got bullied at all, not that I saw.' Ryan Lano, the troubled teen's guitar . teacher who posted the now infamous video to Facebook, said LaDue was . 'normal in every way... courteous' and 'polite.' 'He seemed like a good kid,' math partner Lucas Hagel told WCCO. 'You’d never expect it from him.' Best friend Eddie Persell told KMSP that even trips to the shooting range didn't hint at what LaDue was plotting. 'It's unfortunate he had to be thinking that way. I hope he gets the help he needs,' Persell told the station. 'He’s a real close friend of mine. He's real smart. He has a lot of things going for him, unfortunately he took a wrong path, I guess.' From his Facebook page: LaDue posted little online, but this post from 2012 came with remarks chiding a commenter that she did not understand what it meant but that 'people my age do' Multiple neighbors told the paper LaDue often spent time throwing knives and axes into a tree in his front yard - often enough that the bark has been stripped away. Shelly Simon originally thought he was practicing some kind of sport, now she calls the actions 'disturbing.' The . attack was originally planned by the high school junior to happen on . the 15th anniversary of the Columbine killings, but April 20 fell on . Easter Sunday this year. He intended out the attack 'within the next few weeks,' said Markeson. Police believe he acted alone, and have not uncovered any evidence to suggest otherwise. Markeson was unable to confirm or deny if the teen suffered from any mental illness. LaDue . has been ‘very cooperative,’ Markeson said before declining to comment . on whether a church window possibly blown out by a bomb earlier this . year was caused by the troubled teen. The bombs . found in melting snow at Hartley Elementary school were made with CO2 . cartridges and posed no threat to students, said Markeson. ‘One had been previously lit and could not be ignited.’ The . guitar-playing teen has admitted to setting bombs off around the small . town for months ‘to perfect them’ before carrying out what would have been a . horrific attack. Court hearing: The teen appeared at this courthouse Thursday to be charged with 10 counts . He instead faces four counts of . premeditated murder among the 12 total charges brought against him and is sitting in a juvenile detention facility far . from the weapons he planed to use to cause mass destruction in a rampage on his high . school. The would-be-gunman reportedly made 'homicidal statements' to staff at the first juvenile detention facility he was housed at and had to be transferred to a more secure one. He is due back in court May 12. A . person identified only as Cathy who answered the phone at the storage . facility said the locker was not rented by him but was is in good . standing through May. The . agreement will be revoked by the end of the month, 'as soon as I can . get the paperwork together... because I don't feel comfortable [with the . person keeping the locker],' said Cathy. She . would not disclose if the storage unit was rented by a family member or . a friend outside of saying only that it was someone over the age of 18. Authorities repeatedly praised Schellahas, despite not naming her, for 911 in the minutes before the arrest. ‘A citizen did what they should do,’ said Srp. ‘Be vigilant and pay attention to take care of each other.’ | John LaDue planned to kill 'as many students as he could' in a commemoration of the Columbine massacre .
He was busted after police were called to a self-storage unit he was seen walking into and closing the door behind him .
Cops uncovered an arsenal of seven guns, six bombs and the materials to make several more .
LaDue admitted to setting off several bombs around the small town about 80 miles south of Minneapolis .
A few of his bombs were uncovered at an elementary school playground by melting snow .
He .
faces 12 separate counts, including four charges of premeditated murder .
for planning to kill his family prior to going on the rampage . |
165,989 | 62a486cd6ef4fb57da4bde15b60e7ce543857f27 | Hong Kong (CNN)During an exhibition in Hong Kong, Lee Ching proudly poses with her top prize winning creation -- a bright green clutch stitched together using an old nylon rice bag and a bottle top. The 31-year-old Lee happily shows off her winning display, telling visitors how much fun she had making the bag with her partner, a local design college student. "The hardest part was sewing the bottle cap on," she said. "I researched different types of bags. Sometimes you need a bigger bag if you want to put more things inside." Walk around the room and the exhibition is full of discarded items -- wine boxes, CD covers and straws -- now reborn as pen holders, notepads and lamps. In a sense, Lee and the 15 or so people involved with the project have been "neglected" in one way or another by Hong Kong society, all of these people have struggled to get by because they all have intellectual disabilities. Despite the pride she has for her daughter, Lee's mother worries about her. "Her character is too simple and warm. I'm worried she will get hurt and sometimes she has to be careful about what she says." People living with Down Syndrome are often stuck with menial jobs. But this exhibition -- run by the local Salvation Army -- gave Lee and others the chance to learn a new skill, partner with a local student to reinvent "trash" into treasure -- all in an effort to raise disability awareness. In Chinese superstition, people with disabilities have been associated with bad luck -- that the disability was a punishment for the wrongdoings of an ancestor. Many lived in hiding, encountering discrimination and slurs, advocates say. But increasingly, people are finding ways to counter misconceptions and bring people with disabilities into the mainstream. It's an experience that Heidi Hui, a social work professor at the University of Hong Kong and mother of a daughter with Down Syndrome, knows well. Hui explains that traditionally disabled people are seen as "an outcast, something [that is] no good." "There is a Chinese saying that it must be the family who is doing something wrong... in the older days they were saying that it's a kind of punishment." Hui recalled that when she and other parents of children opened their first center for the Down Syndrome Association more than 20 years ago, the windows were broken and they couldn't use the elevator because neighbors didn't want them there. The group responded by holding workshops with residents to explain and dispel myths about Down Syndrome. A few years later, the group was finally allowed to use the elevator and the workshops no longer became necessary. Although information about disability is now widely available, some of that stigma exists today. Catrin Anderson is a 15 year-old with cerebral palsy who requires round-the-clock care. She can't move but she can see and hear. She often has to deal with strangers talking about her in front of her. Her mother Kim Anderson, originally from Britain, said: "The difficult thing with Catrin is that if she is in company and people are talking about her, she's understanding everything they're saying." To combat this problem, she made a sign in English and Chinese telling people she can see and hear. For Anderson, the key to change in attitudes is integration. "That's maybe what we're still not doing enough of in Hong Kong, maybe in schools and getting people like Catrin... out and about in society, because until they're in society, society is not going to fully understand or appreciate them." The Census Department estimates that about 10% of the city's population has physical or intellectual disabilities, based on on figures from 2014. At another photo exhibition featuring people with disabilities, Calib Lee, a 19-year-old with Down Syndrome, strikes a Taekwondo pose in his green belt. His father, Peter Lee said he believes attitudes are changing. "More and more people with disabled child or children, [the parents] will take them outside to encounter the whole world, let them learn, let them go to school and not just hide the disabled child or children in Hong Kong. Nowadays, more and more parents love or like to do that." Frank Freeman photographed Lee and other young people with Down Syndrome as models for his exhibition entitled "The Purest People." He photographed young people showing off their hobbies such as acting, dancing and swimming. There have been efforts around the globe to be more inclusive of people with Down Syndrome, including Target ads in the United States featuring child models and a TV ad by British department store, Marks & Spencer's. Two years ago, Freeman started volunteering with the Down Syndrome Association and realized part of the problem was that people didn't know how to talk to those with the condition and that they were often treated as patients, instead of people. He said that the aim of the exhibition was to show a more playful side of people with Down Syndrome. "They just want to love and be involved in making people happy," he said. | Hong Kong exhibits attempt to bring awareness of people with disabilities .
People with disabilities and advocates counter cultural superstitions . |
97,646 | 09b4ee910b209d065bbac9b3583060d7a10733b6 | (CNN)The terrorist who gunned down four people at a kosher market in eastern Paris earlier this month recorded the attack on a camera, a U.S. intelligence official told CNN on Friday. The information backed up a report by Eric Pelletier, a national security reporter at the French magazine L'Express, who wrote that Amedy Coulibaly recorded seven minutes of the attack, including the moments when he killed three people. Citing a French source close to the investigation, Pelletier reported Friday that Coulibaly was able to use a computer at the market to email a copy of the attack video before he was killed by police. Coulibaly was carrying the GoPro camera on his torso during the January 9 attack and subsequent standoff, the source told L'Express. French investigators have viewed the recording, said Pelletier, who shared details of his reporting with CNN. But a second police source told L'Express Saturday that it could not yet be determined whether Coulibaly had managed to email out the video. "There is a strong probability that this video may have been transmitted to a recipient and not to a traditional media outlet," an investigator told L'Express. The investigator expressed his fear to see that video surface online one day. The source said French investigators have examined computers recovered from the grocery store and are looking into what accomplices Coulibaly may have connected with around that time. Several survivors said Coulibaly tried to connect to the Internet on his own computer but failed. He then went to a second computer in the store after forcing a hostage to help him. He inserted his memory card into the computer and appeared to be manipulating video or image files on the computer. Coulibaly reportedly had proclaimed his allegiance to ISIS. He is believed to have killed a policewoman a day before the market attack. Officials said they believe Hayat Boumeddiene, Coulibaly's widow, may have played a role in the plans and has fled to Syria. Two days before Coulibaly was killed, brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi attacked the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people and injuring 11. They died the same day as Coulibaly as police moved in to end a separate siege. | Amedy Coulibaly killed four people at store .
Source tells French journalist that the terrorist emailed video of the attack .
Fear is the video, which shows three killings, will pop up on jihadist websites . |
223,728 | adae4eb8916f7d2fe565f39e78a246b377345609 | Mind-bending ‘psychotronic’ guns that can effectively turn people into zombies have been given the go-ahead by Russian president Vladimir Putin. The futuristic weapons – which will attack the central nervous system of their victims – are being developed by the country’s scientists. They could be used against Russia’s enemies and, perhaps, its own dissidents by the end of the decade. Fire: Putin, seen using a traditional pistol, has new weapons in his sights . Sources in Moscow say Mr Putin has described the guns, which use electromagnetic radiation like that found in microwave ovens, as ‘entirely new instruments for achieving political and strategic goals’. Mr Putin added: ‘Such high-tech weapons systems will be comparable in effect to nuclear weapons, but will be more acceptable in terms of political and military ideology.’ Plans to introduce the super- weapons were announced quietly last week by Russian defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov, fulfilling a little-noticed election campaign pledge by president-elect Putin. Plans to introduce the super- weapons were announced quietly last week by Russian defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov . Mr Serdyukov said: ‘The development of weaponry based on new physics principles – direct-energy weapons, geophysical weapons, wave-energy weapons, genetic weapons, psychotronic weapons, and so on – is part of the state arms procurement programme for 2011-2020.’ Specific proposals on developing the weapons are due to be drawn up before December by a new Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. Research into electromagnetic weapons has been secretly carried out in the US and Russia since the Fifties. But now it appears Mr Putin has stolen a march on the Americans. Precise details of the Russian gun have not been revealed. However, previous research has shown that low-frequency waves or beams can affect brain cells, alter psychological states and make it possible to transmit suggestions and commands directly into someone’s thought processes. High doses of microwaves can damage the functioning of internal organs, control behaviour or even drive victims to suicide. Anatoly Tsyganok, head of the Military Forecasting Centre in Moscow, said: ‘This is a highly serious weapon. ‘When it was used for dispersing a crowd and it was focused on a man, his body temperature went up immediately as if he was thrown into a hot frying pan. Still, we know very little about this weapon and even special forces guys can hardly cope with it.’ The long-term effects are not known, but two years ago a former major in the Russian foreign intelligence agency, the GRU, died in Scotland after making claims about such a weapons programme to MI6. Sergei Serykh, 43, claimed he was a victim of weapons which he said were ‘many times more powerful than in the Matrix films’. Mr Serykh died after falling from a Glasgow tower block with his wife and stepson in March 2010. While his death was assumed to be suicide, his family fear there was foul play. Last night the Ministry of Defence declined to comment. | Could be used against Russia's enemies and perhaps its own dissidents . |
7,916 | 16646db7d51a0863351f9151f428750ffdb9b9cf | By . Harriet Arkell . PUBLISHED: . 10:44 EST, 16 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:11 EST, 16 December 2013 . Glennis Brierley, 64, was found stabbed to death at her home in Littleborough, near Rochdale . Detectives investigating the killing of a respected marriage guidance counsellor were quizzing her son on suspicion of murder today. Psychotherapist Glennis Brierley, 64, was found with stab wounds inside her terraced cottage after police received a call from a phone box saying she had been killed. Officers later arrested her 45-year-old son over the death and he is being questioned on suspicion of murder. A police spokesman said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with Mrs Brierley's death. Mrs Brierley, who is said to have lived alone in Littleborough, near Rochdale, was a qualified and experienced psychotherapist with a masters degree in Gestalt psychotherapy, a branch of therapy which focuses on personal responsibility. She was also an artist specialising in watercolours and sketches of plants and flowers. Mrs Brierley's body was discovered at midnight on December 13, after police received a 999 call saying that a woman had been killed. Her unnamed son was arrested eight hours later. Greater . Manchester Police said a post mortem was being carried out to establish . the cause of death but said she was discovered with visible stab . injuries. Superintendent Chris Hankinson said: . 'This woman has been murdered in her own home and our focus is on . ensuring justice is done and the perpetrator is brought to justice.' Murder scene: An officer stands guard outside Mrs Brierley's house in Littleborough, near Rochdale . He added: 'I also want to reassure them and the wider public of Greater Manchester that we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this woman’s murder.' Regulars at the King William IV pub near Mrs Brierley's home said she was often there for the Tuesday night quiz. One local said: 'She was a lovely, lovely woman and she will be deeply missed. Although she had a job which meant her engaging with many members of the public and exploring their private lives, she kept her own private life very much to herself. 'It's such a shock - this is a really tight-knit community.' From her consulting room on the top . floor of her home Mrs Brierley charged couples £50 an hour to advise . them on difficulties in their relationship and issues such as anxiety, . depression, loss, guilt and shame. On . her website she wrote: 'I provide a safe non judgemental space in which . to explore your concerns. As well as being non judgemental and . supportive, sometimes you might need me to be more challenging. I can do . this too - we can talk about all of this.' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Glennis Brierley, 64, was killed at her home in Littleborough, near Rochdale .
Her son, who has not been named, was arrested eight hours later by police .
He is now being questioned and detectives are not looking for anyone else .
Counsellor Mrs Brierley, who was attacked on Saturday, was a keen painter . |
71,993 | cc17db1ad63c039dcb14f4b8fee373c68d6b8705 | By . Lucy Buckland . Last updated at 10:20 AM on 14th October 2011 . For someone who had an affair with her husband's brother, Natasha Giggs should really stop her mudslinging. Especially when it's directed at the woman she betrayed - that woman being her sister-in-law Stacey. After a blazing row in the street between Natasha, Stacey and her Manchester United player husband, Natasha took to her Twitter page to make horrible comments about his long-suffering wife. Twitter insult: Natasha (left) called Stacey a 'lapdog' on her page on the social networking site after they argued as they ran into each other for the first time since Giggs' cheating was exposed . Natasha, who is estranged from husband Rhodri, Ryan's younger brother, wrote that Stacey was a 'lapdog', presumably in reference to the fact that she has decided to stick by her cheating husband after news of his affairs broke. She wrote: 'That awkward moment when you bump into the one person you never thought you would see again... with his lapdog!!' And Natasha, who revealed her affair . with Giggs after it was alleged he cheated on his wife with former Miss . Wales Imogen Thomas, continued: 'Had a blazing row in the street he is . such a t*t!!!' Online brawl: The scathing row continued on twitter with Natasha branding Giggs a 'tit' and his wife Stacey a 'lapdog' Earlier this week, Ryan, Stacey and Natasha bumped into each other outside a . Manchester restaurant andit soon turned into a public slanging match. Eyewitnesses, who said it was like a scene from Shameless, said drivers stopped their . cars to look at the blazing row as the Manchester United player's wife . screamed 'you s**g' at her former sister-in-law, The Sun reported. Giggs shot back at Natasha: 'You do realise I never cared about you, it was just sex to me', The Sun reported. Tirade: Ryan Giggs, pictured at Manchester airport on Tuesday, went berserk after running into his former lover Natasha . As the argument outside Tung Fong Chinese . restaurant in Worsley, Greater Manchester, continued Giggs, 37, told . his wife Stacey, 34, to wait in the car as he lambasted Natasha for . selling her story. Natasha, 29, who was married to . Ryan's younger brother Rhodri, laughed and just told the footballer she . used the six-figure sum to pay for breast implants, according to the paper. The trio had not seen each other . since June, when news of the affair - including how mother-of-two . Natasha aborted Giggs's child - broke. Betrayal: Natasha was married to Giggs brother Rhodri . They . had carried out their affair, which began in 2003 - the same year Giggs . married wife Stacey Cooke, 32 - in a string of hotels and worked it . around the Premiership fixtures list. The risky behaviour meant the pair were . almost caught by their spouses and family and friends became suspicious . about the nature of their relationship. Two weeks after Natasha claims she had her termination she married Rhodri, 34, in Las Vegas. Gagged: Big Brother star Imogen Thomas was slapped with an injunction by Giggs as he tried to hush up their affair . The newly married couple then threw a belated reception in September for family and friends in Manchester. Ryan was not invited because of an ongoing feud with Rhodri. Instead the footballer, who is estimated to be worth £34million, went clubbing in London. This was the night he met Big Brother star Imogen Thomas and allegedly began the affair which would ultimately lead to his family man image being shattered. Giggs was named as the footballer who had taken out an injunction to silence the Welsh glamour model in May. | 'I never cared about you, it was just sex to me' Ryan Giggs yells at his sister-in-law .
He lambasts her for selling the story of their affair .
'He's such a t*t,' Natasha later tweets . |
82,479 | e9d71ad099b39459d1f609140322faf73a5e06d2 | By . Tom Latchem . Everywhere she goes, EastEnders actress Danielle Harold turns heads - but not, she insists, because she's one of soap's most glamorous stars. 'I get a lot of attention because my hair's so bright - I'm like a human light bulb,' laughs the bottle-blonde youngster, who plays puffa jacket-wearing loudmouth Lola Pearce. 'I'm really not sexy at all.' But hang on, Danielle's up for Sexiest Actress at next month's British Soap Awards. 'Oh, can we not talk about that please,' she blushes. Scroll down for video . Danielle's up for Sexiest Actress at next month's British Soap Awards. 'It's so embarrassing. I'm at work so much I can't get my nails or hair done, and my roots are now down to my ears! When I heard I'd been nominated I just laughed.' Danielle insists landing her 'dream job' in the soap, let alone being nominated for awards, is remarkable. After missing much of her final year at school due to a serious bladder illness, and ending up as a waitress, the 21-year-old Londoner admits her lifelong acting ambition seemed to be slipping away. But she had a slice of good fortune when she spotted an advert asking for volunteers for a new Channel 4 show, Jamie's Dream School. Danielle appeared in the 2011 show - Jamie's Dream School (circled) The documentary series, which aired in 2011, saw Jamie Oliver enrolling struggling teens into a very special school. Lessons were taught by celebs such as Dr David Starkey (history) and Simon Callow (English). Danielle applied and was accepted. 'It was either continue waitressing or do Jamie's Dream School. I worried quitting my job would be a mistake but it turned out to be the best decision I've ever made. Jamie was lovely.' Danielle thrived on the show and won scholarship money to further her career, which she spent on a drama teacher. An introduction to an agent led to her first audition... for the role of Lola in EastEnders. Danielle with her on screen family, Grandpa, Billy Mitchell and daughter Lexi . 'I was terrified,' she recalls. 'I didn't have a clue how to do an audition. I didn't think I'd get the part, and I was just happy being on set. Afterwards I cried because it was such a relief to get it over with. And when I heard I'd got the job I couldn't believe it.' A year later, Danielle was at the centre of the special 2012 live episode, when Lola gave birth. And this week she's in the thick of the action again - Lola gets run over by Ronnie Mitchell, and soon Lucy Beale, sister of her on-screen boyfriend Peter, will be murdered by a mystery killer. 'We're all trying to figure out who it is,' Danielle reveals. 'Even the person who does it doesn't know. I thought people would be worried about it being them, but everyone's just really excited.' But what about Danielle - isn't she worried about getting the axe? 'Not in the slightest. I've had a great time here and when it comes to an end, it comes to an end. 'With this being my first job, and because it was so crazy how I came here, I just take life as it comes. Whatever happens, happens. I like that.' Pizza or pasta? Pizza. I’m a big fan of Two for Tuesday at Domino's! Everyone loves a bargain! Nightclub or bar? I like a nice cocktail bar in the West End – if I go clubbing I get a bad hangover. Red Bull or coffee? I drink about three Red Bulls a day! I’m renowned for it on the EastEnders set - though I know it’s really bad for me. Holidays - America or Europe? America, because there are so many places and the buzz is amazing. Die Hard or Love Actually? The Die Hard films may be really old but they’re still fantastic action movies. Party Wright Around The World or Educating Joey Essex? Educating Joey Essex - it was so funny, and I’m hoping it’s more than just a one-off. | Danielle Harold landed her part as Lola in EastEnders in 2011 .
It all stemmed from her appearance in Jamie's Dream School .
She says she still finds it remarkable that she's landed her dream job . |
22,100 | 3eba5495808e60e43d21a84fe0cd311fefb67d53 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 18:07 EST, 2 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:54 EST, 2 October 2012 . President Barack Obama has ordered the CIA and the Pentagon to hunt down the terrorists who attacked the US consulate in Libya. It's unclear what the president plans to do once the perpetrators of . the September 11 assault in Benghazi are found, but he has mobilized the . military's Joint Special Operations Command to help carry out the . mission. JSOC and the CIA teamed up to send Navy SEAL commandos into Pakistan in 2011 for a raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The White House plans for retaliation come after it was revealed that security officials missed key signs that the consulate and US Ambassador Chris Stevens were in danger. Scroll down for video . Deadly attack: The consulate, located in the city of Benghazi, was reportedly bombed twice in the months leading up to the attack, which occurred on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks . Stevens, a member of the foreign . service and two former Navy SEAL bodyguards were killed after terrorists . overran the consulate and set fire to it. Stevens was the first US . ambassador to die in the line of duty since 1979. The terrorist plot stunned America on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. The New York Times . reports that Obama has now ordered intelligence operatives to gather . 'target packages' on the perpetrators and track them down in Benghazi or . wherever they might have fled. 'They are putting together . information on where these individuals live, who their family members . and their associates are, and their entire pattern of life,' one US . official said. Once the targets and their locations . are confirmed, Obama could order any number of actions -- from drone . strikes to commando raids to joint operations with the Libyans. The Times reports that the operations is focusing on at least a dozen targets, though the exact number is not known. As with the bin Laden raid, Obama would likely make the final call on an raids or strikes to kill or capture the perpetrators. The consulate, located in the city of . Benghazi, was reportedly bombed twice in the months leading up to the . attack, which occurred on the 11th anniversary of the September 11 . terror attacks. The Daily Beast reported that various whistleblowers have come forward since the attack to testify about prior attacks and a series of threats, which are described in a letter from Rep Darrel Issa and Rep Jason Chaffetz to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The letter, obtained by the site, says that both the consulate and Stevens were prime terror targets because threats had been made against both on Facebook. One such post mentioned the route that Stevens took on his morning jog, prompting the diplomat to briefly stop running for his own safety. Destruction: A man walks in the rubble of the consulate after the attack that claimed four Americans . The letter also mentions two separate . bombings on the consulate - one on April 6 (when two former security . guards hurled improvised explosives at the building) and another on June . 6. Neither attack resulted in deaths or injuries. The revelations came as the White House announced it was pulling all U.S. personnel out of Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city. Bomb attacks on the facility on April 6 and June 6 . Specific threats on Facebook threatening Ambassador Chris Stevens . Officials initially claimed that attack was a protest gone wrong, despite clues that it was a planned terrorist act . White House admitted last week that it knew the attack was terrorism, despite first statements on Benghazi assault . State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told The Washington Post: 'Everybody who was in Benghazi and posted there has been withdrawn.' Yesterday, new evidence suggested that there were obvious clues that terrorism was involved in the attack, despite initial claims by officials that it was a protest gone wrong. Stevens and three other Americans - Sean Smith, Tyron Woods and Glen Doherty - perished in the assault. Confusion over what sparked the Benghazi violence may have stemmed from the CIA, which distributed 'talking points' to top officials on September 14. The unclassified documents, obtained by The Daily Beast, said in part: 'The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi and subsequently its annex.' 'There are indications that extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.' Likely working off the CIA document, . government officials like UN Ambassador Susan Rice and White House Press . Secretary Jay Carney, said there was little evidence the violence was . planned. However, the document went on to say that the 'assessment may change as additional information is collected' and that the investigation is 'on-going.' Flames: The White House has admitted they knew the deadly assault, pictured, was an act of terrorism within 24 hours . Additionally, The Daily Beast reported that an intercepted phone call between a local militia group called Ansar al-Shariah and al-Qaeda's north Africa arm, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), indicated that the two factions worked and planned the attack together. On Saturday, the Obama . administration admitted that it knew within 24 hours that the strike . was a pre-planned terrorist attack and not by crazed protestors enraged . by an anti-Islam film. Senior U.S. officials have now . confessed the government privately labelled the attack a terrorist act . almost immediately after it happened, and even knew that the . perpetrators had links to al-Qaeda. Assault: The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was burned during a protest by an armed group on the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks . Shawn Turner, a spokesman for . Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, said that as U.S. intelligence subsequently learned more about the attack, 'we revised our . initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a . deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists.' Turner said it remained 'unclear' if . any individual or specific group commanded the attack. U.S. agencies . nonetheless believe that some of the militants involved in the attack . were 'linked to groups affiliated with, or sympathetic to al-Qaeda.' Rep Peter King, a senior Republican from New York, demanded last week that Rice resign over her statement that the Benghazi attack was not premeditated. Connection: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said last week that there was an explicit link between al-Qaeda and the September 11 attack on the consulate in Benghazi . The State Department rejected King's call this afternoon, defending Rice and saying she has done 'a superb job.' Last week, Secretary of State Hillary . Clinton admitted there was an explicit link between the al-Qaeda network . in North Africa and the deadly attacks that killed Ambassador Stevens as well as information management officer Sean . Smith and security personnel Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.. Speaking at a Security Council . meeting at the United Nations, Mrs Clinton said an Algerian-founded . branch of the al-Qaeda network was situated in the area, using their . location to plan and execute attacks, like the one in Benghazi on . September 11. | Letter from lawmakers to Hillary Clinton indicates that consulate was bombed twice months before the September 11 attack .
White House pulls all U.S. personnel out of Benghazi .
Libyan president Mohamed Magarief said that attacks were 'pre-planned'
U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens was killed along with fellow Americans Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty . |
158,719 | 593590af926e7c5aa5ef607dc401967f0bff8c59 | By . Nina Golgowski . PUBLISHED: . 10:20 EST, 26 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:34 EST, 26 September 2012 . At least three tornadoes touched down in Southwestern Illinois on Tuesday evening with reports of golf ball-sized hail and strong winds ravaging several communities. At least two semis were reported toppled from strong winds on I-64 near Okawville, hospitalizing two, with several roofs, buildings and at least three homes also damaged throughout Washington County, KSDK reports. The trucker in one overturned rig was slightly injured, Okawville Police Chief Steve Millikin said, with two taken to Washington County, Illinois hospital. Any additional injuries from the storm have not been reported. Scroll down for video . Touching down: At least three tornadoes touched down in Southern Illinois on Tuesday evening while five or six funnel clouds were additionally spotted . Strength: A funnel cloud is captured from a highway, one of several spotted whose strong winds in all would tear off roofs and turn over at least two semis . Building: Tornado warnings were in effect in Eastern Washington County until 6.15pm and Jefferson County until 6.45pm as the residents braced for the worst . Bracing: Residential homes are pictured awaiting the storm that would rip steal beams from farm roofs and level at least one house under construction . Toppled: At least two semi trucks toppled from the strong winds, sending two to the hospital including one driver who was slightly injured . The National Weather Service confirmed three of the tornadoes while five or six additional funnel clouds were spotted but never touched ground. Chief Millikin says the tornado he videotaped on his dashboard camera clipped the northern edge of his 1,400-resident village on Tuesday night about where the storm leveled a house under construction. With in some cases golf ball-size hail reported by residents, KTVI captured one woman's back window of her car shattered by hail while driving down Interstate 64 in Okawville. Of the three tornadoes KSDK reports one touching down near Damiansville while moving east at approximately 25 MPH. Shattered: A woman's back windshield is pictured after she said large hail caused it to shatter while driving along an interstate . Hail: Most of largest sized hail reported by residents was the size of a golf ball while others got as large as a tennis ball, pictured . Comparisons: Residents were quick to post photos of the hail sizes found in their communities that accompanied 4 to 6 inches of rain . Freshly fallen: A resident photographed this chunk of ice, fresh from the sky while compared in size to some citrus produce . A second was confirmed near Addieville sending fire fighters in a frenzy over reports of fires and a gas leak. 'We've had some damage out on 177 from some barns ... had a gas leak out there as well that's been terminated as well. At this point, responding to a transformer fire also this point so, a lot of debris,' Addieville Fire Chief Ryan Wiewilt told KTVI. The intensity, path and length of all three twisters have yet to be determined though Eastern Washington County was under a tornado warning until 6.15pm and Jefferson County until 6.45pm. Spreading: Dark clouds are seen spreading near some roadways with one twister reported moving approximately 25MPH . Taking over: Residents are seen driving before the storm's heavy wall as it begins to encompass the town's sky . Threats: In addition to strong winds, hail and lightning, a gas leak as well as a transformer fire also kept firefighters busy in Addieville . The weather service says parts of southern Illinois also received 4 to 6 inches of rain since Tuesday night. Approximately 40 miles west of Okawville, however, flooding was reported closing westbound lanes of Forest Park Parkway in St Louis, Missouri well into early Wednesday morning. Two elementary schools were also closed today in the St Louis area due to power outages that knocked out power to thousands of Ameren customers. Residents are being told their power will be returned by mid-day. Watch the video here: . | At least three tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service .
Five or six funnel clouds were spotted though never touched down .
Storm damage rippled into St Louis, Missouri, approximately 40 miles west, closing two schools and flooding streets .
No serious injuries have been reported . |
143,503 | 4594cfe1d1cb5dcb41d78e788aceebd2c715cf60 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Revenge porn: Blogger and mother of two Melissa Esplin was shocked to find herself on a 'revenge porn' website . Melissa Esplin is a blogger, a calligrapher and a proud mother of two - and if you believe everything you read on the Internet, she also poses for nude, sexually explicit photos on the Internet. Esplin is one of hundreds - if not thousands - of victims of a new extortion scheme where 'revenge porn' websites take innocent, fully clothed photos of women and crop their heads onto another woman's naked body. They then post the photos on their websites with the woman's full name, city and other contact information. If the woman complains, the owner of the website will often charge her a fee - oftentimes hundreds of dollars - to remove the photos. In Esplin's case, she didn't realize that her image appeared on a porn website until she woke up one morning with an inbox full of emails from men around the world propositioning her for sex. 'I was like, what's going on? This is kind of ridiculous,' Esplin told KSL. She was shocked when she found her photos and her contact information on a 'revenge porn' website - and even more shocked when some very PG photos she posted on the Internet had been turned into pornography with her face on the nude body of someone else. Esplin, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and two young kids, contacted the website and asked that the photos be removed immediately. She says she was given the option to have the photos removed, but that she would have to pay $400. Happy family: Esplin says someone took innocent, fully clothed photos of her she posted on the web and cropped her face onto nude bodies . Blogger: Esplin runs a successful crafts blog and has uploaded several photos of herself onto her site - thinking they were safe . Esplin, who operates a successful craft blog and has an online calligraphy business, relies on the Internet for much of her livelihood. She says the 'revenge porn' phenomenon is something she'd never be a part of. 'That's not an aspect of the Internet that I ever interact with,' Esplin . told KSL. 'And it's just -- I hate seeing the underbelly of the . Internet.' She's also concerned that appearing on a porn website could hurt her business - as well as her reputation. 'The fact that possibly my name had been sullied and my name is my image and my image is my business,' she said. Take action: Esplin says anyone who finds themselves the victim of a 'revenge porn' scam should immediately call the FBI . Esplin has refused to pay the fee and reported the website to the FBI. However, because the site is registered overseas - and through shadowy companies - there isn't much the FBI can do. Stateside, Utah is one of many states addressing 'revenge porn' websites - an anti-revenge porn bill just passed in both houses of the state's legislature and is awaiting a signature from the governor. Other states with 'revenge porn' legislation in the works include Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. Esplin's advice to anyone who may fall victim to one of these websites: 'When it does happen, don't let it waste your time. Contact authorities, get on it right away and move on.' | Melissa Esplin was stunned when men from across the world started emailing her propositioning her for sex .
Esplin discovered her face was cropped onto a nude body and posted on a 'revenge porn' website .
When she asked to have it removed, she was told she would have to pay $400 .
The mother of two runs a crafts blog and has an online calligraphy business . |
205,216 | 95a67ce2c1749fc7eebf4776aada3ee11f1a5050 | By . Fiona Macrae . Stars such as Kurt Cobain, formerly of hit grunge band Nirvana, are more likely to die young, according to new research . Fame really does have a price, research shows. An analysis of the lives and deaths of almost 1,000 successful people found that pop stars, sportsmen and actors were more likely to die young. The price of fame equated to up to seven and a half years of life, with military top brass living on average almost eight years longer than sports stars, singers and other performers, a medical journal reports. The idea that musicians die young has long been a source of fascination, with the deaths of the likes of Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison still fodder for books and films decades later. Using information from New York Times obituaries, the Australian researchers proved the trio to be far from from the exception to the rule. They took obituaries published between 2009 and 2011 and pulled out information such as age of death, cause of death and occupation. It was assumed that those deemed worthy of an obituary in the newspaper had had a successful career. The analysis showed that performers, including actors and singers, died the youngest. Their average age of death was 77 years and one month. In contrast, military personal were the longest lived, clocking up 84 years and 8 months, on average. Sportspeople also fared badly, dying on average at the age of 77 years and 5 months. Writers and other ‘creatives’ weren’t far behind, with an average lifespan of 78 and a half. In contrast, businesspeople and politicians tended to join army-types in living in to their 80, the article in QJM: An International Journal of Medicine reports. Early deaths were linked to accidents and infections, including HIV and cancer. Lung cancer deaths, which the researchers said were an indication of long-term smoking, were most common in those whose career was performance-based. Elvis Presley died in 1977, grossly overweight and addicted to drugs. In his prime he was the biggest music star the world had ever seen . The study’s authors said that young people considering chasing fame may face the choice of fulfilling their career potential or living longer. They added that while the results don’t prove anything, they raise some interesting possibilities, from pop stars indulging too much while famous, to them self-medicating afterwards. Professor Richard Epstein, of St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, said: ‘First, if it is true that successful performers and sports players tend to enjoy shorter lives, does this imply that fame at younger ages predisposes to poor health behaviours in later life after success has faded? ‘Or that psychological and family pressures favouring unusually high public achievement lead to self-destructive tendencies throughout life? Too soon: Best-selling novelist Ernest Hemingway was just 61 when he killed himself . Waste: American rocker and musical pioneer Jimi Hendrix was just 27 when he died, apparently from an overdose. His career in the musical mainstream lasted just four years . ‘Or that risk-taking personality traits maximise one’s chances of success, with the use of cigarettes, alcohol or illicit drugs improving one’s performance output in the short term? ‘Any of these hypotheses could be viewed as a health warning to young people aspiring to become stars.’ Another recent analysis of rock and pop stars found that many of those who died young had been abused when young. The British researchers said that the trappings of a rock and roll lifestyle may be especially attractive to those who have had an unhappy childhood. | Analysis of successful people found those in the public eye died younger .
Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and more did not realise their potential .
Young people considering chasing fame 'may face early death' |
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