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100,326 | 0d43698c43b7da206a236a2b3f573b7d9a681c94 | By . Jack Doyle, John Stevens and Vanessa Allen . PUBLISHED: . 03:36 EST, 15 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:05 EST, 15 July 2013 . A double killer is believed to have murdered again within hours of being freed early – for the second time. Ian McLoughlin, 55, went to the home of a paedophile he had met in jail and allegedly stabbed a neighbour to death after a row broke out. Last night, as police hunted the ‘dangerous’ fugitive, relatives of one of his earlier victims demanded to know why a ‘monster’ had been freed allegedly to murder again. And the widow of the latest man to die said: ‘I’ve lost my rock.’ Family man: Graham Buck, 66, who died int he latest killing, is circled in a family photo . Police looking for double killer Ian McLoughlin in connection with a suspected murder in a quiet village have released this image . Wanted: Ian McLoughlin is believed to have met convicted paedophile Francis Cory-Wright, 88, in prison . McLoughlin, who also used the name . Baker, was freed from jail on day release on Saturday morning and by the . afternoon had apparently stabbed to death a Good Samaritan who caught . him robbing a neighbour’s home. On his first day of unsupervised . release, McLoughlin is said to have targeted the £1million home of Old . Etonian Francis Cory-Wright, 87,a convicted paedophile he got to know . while the two were in prison together. He is believed to have been . interrupted by a neighbour, named yesterday as grandfather and . father-of-three Graham Buck, who overheard shouting and went to help. McLoughlin is suspected of grabbing a . knife from the kitchen and repeatedly stabbing Mr Buck, 66, a retired . businessman, before fleeing with thousands of pounds in cash. The killing has disturbing . similarities to his first two killings, both of which were followed by . the theft of the dead man’s belongings. In 1990, McLoughlin forced his . landlord, Peter Halls, to lie down on the bed then stabbed him through . the neck and stole luxury goods worth thousands of pounds. Forensics officers today worked at Cory-Wright's stone house in the village of Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire . Victim's home: A statement released by Mr Buck's family today said: 'We were all in such a happy place as a family... We cannot get over that we have lost him' That brutal murder took place only 17 months after he was released from a five-year jail term for another killing. At the time, Mr Halls’s sister Pamela . condemned his release from jail in the first place, saying: ‘McLoughlin . should not have been released after he committed this sort of crime the . first time.’ Yesterday, when it emerged that he was . granted day release from an open prison as part of his . ‘rehabilitation’, she branded the justice system ‘a joke’. The 71-year-old mother-of-two from . Brighton said: ‘This monster has struck again and has been allowed to . strike again because he has been freed to walk the streets just as he . was with my poor brother. ‘Justice in this country is just a . joke. How can this man keep being released to kill again? He was given a . life sentence and that should have meant life. If it did it looks like . this poor chap in Hertfordshire would still be alive. ‘I pray he is caught soon. Nothing can . change men like McLoughlin, he is evil and should have been left . rotting in a prison cell where he deserves to be, not free to kill and . kill again.’ Company director Graham Buck, 66, left, died after he went to help neighbour Francis Cory-Wright, 87, right . She said she had spent more than 20 years trying to come to terms with her brother’s killing. She said: ‘I have tried to put Peter’s . killing behind me but you never forget. Now all the terrible emotions I . felt have come back to the surface. ‘McLoughlin has never shown a scrap of remorse for what he did to Peter. I would be happy if they gave him a lethal injection.’ Mr Buck leaves a wife, two sons, a . daughter and two grandchildren, and a wife from a previous marriage. His . wife, Karen, a 55-year-old nurse, said: ‘I’ve lost my rock. I wouldn’t . be able to do half the things I’ve done since being with Graham if it . wasn’t for him. He and his family have always been there for me in . difficult times. I don’t know what I’ll do without him.’ In a statement, his family added: ‘We . have no words to express how much Graham will be missed. We were all in . such a happy place as a family. We were all so settled, with growing . numbers of grandchildren whom he adored being around. ‘We haven’t seen him happier than being around his grandchildren, he was so proud. We cannot get over that we have lost him.’ Police and forensics officers worked on the houses belonging to both Mr Buck and Cory-Wright today . Idyllic: Police officers today guarded the house of stabbing victim Graham Buck in the quiet rural village . McLoughlin first killed in 1983 aged 25. After crashing his car while drunk he admitted to police he had done a ‘bad thing’. They went to the home of Len Delgatty, . 49, from Stoke Newington, North London, and found his body upside down . in a cupboard, with the skull smashed in seven times with a hammer. The . house had been ransacked for cash. McLoughlin was charged with murder but . was found guilty of manslaughter, after he claimed he had attacked . Delgatty – who had served time for having sex with teenage boys – only . after he told him of a fantasy for under-age sex. He was released after . only five years after behaving as a ‘model prisoner’, but within 17 . months he had killed again. He was sentenced to 25 years for . murdering Mr Halls, his Brighton landlord, and was not eligible for . parole for another three years. The house of the dead man, who was in his sixties, was cordoned off by police officers after the attack . Police guard the home of Cory-Wright in the sleepy Hertfordshire village of Little Gaddesden, near Berkhamsted . But early on Saturday, McLoughlin, who . also used the name Baker, was let out of Spring Hill open prison in . Grendon Underwood, Buckinghamshire, for 12 hours unsupervised. He was . due back at 7pm. He made his way to the quiet village . of Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire, less than 30 miles away, to the . £1million home of Corey-Wright, a former Lloyd’s underwriter whose . grandfather, Sir Arthur Cory-Wright, was High Sheriff of Hertfordshire. The Oxford graduate returned home last year from a 30-month sentence for indecently assaulting a ten-year-old boy 35 years ago. Mr Buck, who lived two doors down, had . been watching the Ashes cricket at home. At around 3.30pm, he overheard . shouting and went to help. Detective Chief Superintendent Jeff . Hill said McLoughlin went to the property for a ‘purely financial . motive’. He warned the public that McLoughlin is ‘extremely dangerous’ and should not be approached. Paying tribute to Mr Buck, he said he had . ‘paid the ultimate price for intervening at the home of an elderly . neighbour’. Cory-Wright, who suffered injuries during the attack, was discharged from hospital yesterday. Police today issued a wanted poster as they said they were launching a 'massive manhunt' for the suspect . Ian John McLoughlin, also known as Ian John Baker, has been described as ‘astonishingly bright’, with an IQ of 140. Born in Lancashire in 1958, he spent much of his youth in care homes and picked up a string of convictions for petty theft and burglary. By his early 20s he was a drifter, reportedly earning money as a rent boy and sleeping rough when his cash ran out. He briefly married at 25, but his marriage collapsed under the strain of his heavy drinking and his continued involvement in crime and prostitution. In October 1983 he was stopped by police after crashing a stolen car in London while drunk. Kept in a cell to sober up, he demanded to see the custody sergeant and told him: ‘I’ve done a bad thing.’ McLoughlin had killed a gay man, Len Delgatty, smashing his skull seven times with a hammer before strangling him with a towel. At his trial, McLoughlin told the jury that Delgatty, 49, – who had previous convictions for sexually abusing teenage boys – had played him an audio tape describing a graphic sexual fantasy of having under-age sex with a teenage boy. McLoughlin claimed he had ‘panicked’ and repeatedly struck out at Delgatty. He said he had thrown the tape away. The jury convicted him of manslaughter, not murder, and he was sentenced to 13 years, reduced to eight on appeal – he was released in 1989 after serving only five years. Seventeen months later he stabbed gay barman Peter Halls, 55, through the neck at his home in Brighton. In July 1992, he was convicted of murder and given a life sentence, with a minimum tariff of 25 years. McLoughlin’s 25-year minimum term would have meant he was eligible for release on licence in 2017 but he was moved to a Category D ‘open resettlement prison’ so he could prepare for life outside. | Police hunt Ian McLoughlin, 55, after suspected murder in quiet Hertfordshire village .
Neighbour Graham Buck, 66, had his throat cut when he went to help convicted paedophile Francis Cory-Wright, 87 .
Cory-Wright served time alongside McLoughlin while pair were in prison .
Police say 'extremely dangerous' McLoughlin is on the run from Spring Hill open prison near Aylesbury and could be armed .
McLoughlin, who is 22 years into a 25-year sentence, first killed in 1983: Len Delgatty, 49, who drowned in his own blood .
In 1990 he killed gay publican Peter Halls in Brighton, stabbing him in neck, and should still be in prison as a result . |
73,891 | d18041e2d2e7651576b8f698eb23938fc72618bb | By . Becky Barrow, Business Correspondent For The Daily Mail . Concerns: Frances O'Grady spoke of a pay gap . A generation of young graduates are stuck in low-paid jobs such as working as baristas in coffee shops, the Trades Union Congress leader warned yesterday. Frances O’Grady voiced fears about the ‘generational pay gap’ between older workers and their children and grandchildren. She said it was ‘clearly’ wrong to suggest older people were over-paid, but ‘it doesn’t look like a very bright future’ for a generation of young workers trapped in dead-end jobs. Graduates under 25 are doing jobs that are ‘well below their talent’ following ‘a shift away from the jobs and industries which used to pay well to these low-paid service sector jobs,’ she added. Last year, more than 1,700 people applied for just eight jobs at a new Costa Coffee shop in Nottingham, which paid between £6.10 and £10 an hour. Miss O’Grady said: ‘Many young people will end up as a barista who in the past would have ended up in a manufacturing job – high quality, high value, good prospects. That is not the case if you are a barista.’ Her comments came after the Employment Minister insisted young people should be prepared to take lowly jobs in the service industry and work their way up. Esther McVey said: ‘You could be working at Costa. But in a couple of years’ time you might say, “I’d like to manage the area”, or might even want to run a hotel in Dubai.’ Miss O’Grady’s comments came ahead of the TUC’s annual conference, which begins on Sunday. She also took the opportunity to slam wealthy politicians, saying many have ‘a touch of the Marie Antoinette’ and cannot understand the plight of ordinary Britons. Many members of the Cabinet attended top public schools, including the Prime Minister, who went to Eton College, and the Chancellor, who went to St Paul’s. Miss O’Grady, who attended a grammar school which became a comprehensive, and earns a basic salary of £106,333, said: ‘I don’t personally care what background people come from ... but it does seem to me to be a failure of imagination to think that ordinary working people can keep taking pay cuts. ‘Some politicians need to get real and understand most of us don’t have an inheritance to rely on.’ A recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies said that since the Second World War, each generation has been wealthier than the previous one, but that this trend ‘may be coming to a halt’. | Frances O'Grady voiced fears of 'generational gap' causing dead-end jobs .
Last year more than 1,700 people applied for eight Costa jobs in Nottingham .
She also slammed wealthy politicians who have 'a touch of Marie Antoinette' |
200,178 | 8f284cacc14ac1aec990257858fd9eacf50bd134 | Phil Taylor clinched his sixth Grand Slam of Darts title on Sunday and dedicated the victory to his ill mother, who is in hospital with a lung infection. The Power needed to be at his best to see off Dave Chisnall in the final and eventually ran out a 16-13 winner in Wolverhampton. He told PDC.tv: 'I'm going to take the trophy up to the hospital with me and leave it at my mum's bedside - she'll be asleep when I get there but it will be a nice surprise for her when she wakes up tomorrow. Phil Taylor beat Dave Chisnall to win the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton . The Power dedicated the victory to his ill mother, who is in hospital with a lung infection . 'It's been very tough recently with her being in hospital, but this week's been a little bit of escapism. My mind goes blank for that two or three hours while I'm playing, and I've loved it.' Taylor went through the group stage in Wolverhampton unbeaten before seeing off Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Mervyn King en route to Sunday's final. 'I'm chuffed to bits,' Taylor said. 'It was very, very tough and Dave didn't give up - he showed that he's an incredible player. Taylor prevailed 16-13 in Wolverhampton to complete an unbeaten week . Chisnall stayed with Taylor all the way before finally succumbing to The Power in Wolverhampton . 'If he'd started off the game like he finished it then it would have been a different kettle of fish. I don't know what he did but he turned the tables, and the next thing I knew it was ten-each. 'In my mind I knew I was far ahead but Dave kept coming back at me. When it got to ten-each his confidence was sky high, but I didn't think he could keep doing it. 'He put me under so much pressure but I had to slow down, take a deep breath and I managed to get there in the end.' Runner-up Chisnall said: 'I'm happy with my performance over the last week but the final got away from me at the beginning. You can't give Phil Taylor a 5-0 lead, and even though I've been further behind this week Phil was too good in the end. Taylor said he will take the trophy to the hospital and leave it by his mum's bedside . 'When I got to ten-all I thought I could take the win, but I missed a double to pull back to 12-11 and when it got to 15-10 it was a struggle. It was never over until he hit the final double and I kept fighting hard, but the better man won.' | Phil Taylor beat Dave Chisnall 16-13 in final in Wolverhampton .
Victory clinched The Power's sixth Grand Slam of Darts title .
Taylor dedicated win to his ill mother, who is in hospital with lung infection . |
266,273 | e4e003782c1b8fc1fb23a595287b3c53949109a7 | The Queen joined forces with Dame Penelope Keith for a meeting of the Women's Institute (WI) this morning. Resplendent in a silver tweed coat, the 88-year-old monarch was all smiles as she arrived for the event at West Newton village hall close to her Sandringham home. Her Majesty, who is patron of the WI, joins members for a post-Christmas meeting every year towards the end of her annual winter break. Scroll down for video . The Queen arrives at a WI meeting near Sandringham, dressed in heeled loafers and a power blue skirt . Her Majesty is a patron of the WI and attends a meeting in Norfolk every year . Dame Penelope, who also starred in the TV series To The Manor Born as well as The Good Life, was guest speaker at the event. Wearing a light grey checked overcoat. The Queen was welcomed by the group’s chairwoman, Yvonne Browne, and members sang the National Anthem as she entered. Before the meeting, Dame Penelope said: 'I’m a little bit nervous but it’s a great privilege to be invited to do this. 'I have had the pleasure of meeting the Queen before but this is a great honour because I’m a great admirer of hers. The Queen was all smiles as she arrived at the event which was also attended Dame Penelope Keith (right) 'I am never quite sure what to speak about - people expect actors to just have a torrent of words coming out of them. 'What I like to do is answer questions so we’ll see what people would like me to talk about.' As part of the meeting, the Queen judged competition entries from members. Afterwards, she returned to Sandringham House. She and the Duke of Edinburgh will remain at Sandringham, which is in Norfolk, until the beginning of February. The Queen wore a gorgeous silver coat for the event with black gloves to keep out the cold . | HRH is a patron for the WI and attended an event in West Newton .
Joined forces with Dame Penelope Keith to host the event .
Dame Penelope described the occasion as a 'great honour'
Spoke of her nervousness of entering into conversation with the monarch . |
148,177 | 4b96971ea387c4fd7fcd23864a6d1b1b5882bf15 | (CNN) -- When Matt Jones missed a six-foot putt last year, it cost him a coveted place at the Masters. The Australian golfer made up for it on Sunday, clinching the last spot in the field for Augusta next week after snatching his first PGA Tour victory in 156 starts at the Houston Open. While his lip-out at the BMW Championship in August denied him a spot at the Tour Championship, which guarantees entry to the following year's opening major, this time the 33-year-old made sure in dramatic style. He drained a 46-foot birdie putt to force a playoff with longtime leader Matt Kuchar, and then sunk a 42-yard chip on the first extra hole while the American could not match it from the greenside bunker. Jones will make his Masters debut alongside fellow Australian Steven Bowditch, who last week clinched entry when he caught Kuchar with nine holes to play at the Texas Open and also went on to win his first PGA Tour title. That makes four winners from the southern hemisphere continent this year, with Jason Day having won the World Match Play Championship in February and John Senden the Valspar Championship last month. Compatriot Adam Scott, who will be defending his Masters crown, was third at the Arnold Palmer Invitational the week after Senden's win after blowing a big lead on the final day. Jones shot 66 while Kuchar -- who blew a four-stroke overnight lead -- carded 72 as both finished on 15-under 273. Spain's Sergio Garcia was two shots back after a 70, with Cameron Tringale fourth ahead of fellow Americans Shawn Stefani and Rickie Fowler. Former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy showed form ahead of Augusta with a seven-under-par 65 that left him tied for seventh in a group including fellow two-time major winner Retief Goosen of South Africa, who closed with 70. "I wanted to shoot something in the 60s at least today to give me some positive vibes going into Augusta," McIlroy said. "I couldn't be in a better mood getting on the plane and heading over (to Augusta) tonight." American veteran Phil Mickelson confirmed his fitness ahead of his bid for a fourth Green Jacket at Augusta as he finished tied for 12th after a final-round 71, alongside former world No. 1 Lee Westwood and 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis. "I'm a little nervous heading into next week," said Mickelson, yet to win in 2014 and battling injury setbacks. "I haven't had the results, I haven't been in contention, I haven't won this year, so I'm certainly nervous about my chances, but it's my favorite week of the year." South Africa's Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters winner, was tied for 19th. | Australian golfer Matt Jones wins final Masters place with sensational finish in Houston .
The 33-year-old catches leader Matt Kuchar at final hole and chips in during playoff .
It is the second successive Sunday that Kuchar is beaten by an Australian .
Jones' first PGA Tour win makes up for lapse last year that cost him Augusta spot . |
42,240 | 7737ff78f12713da2d6b955c0050d59ae1b5e3ed | One month after his owner died and willed him to be killed and buried with her, Bela the German shepherd had a new home where he can live out the rest of his life in peace. Bela arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah this weekend after staff from the shelter drove him more than 1,700 miles from Aurora, Indiana - outside Cincinnati, Ohio. Bela was rescued after animal lovers rallied to his defense and got a stay of execution for him early this month. Scroll down for video . Saved: Bela arrived at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah this weekend after making the 1,700-mile cross-country journey from southern Indiana . Bela will be allowed to live out the rest of his life at the shelter, where he will be given special care and attention by the Best Friends handlers . Best Friends says Bela has a history of 'intermittent aggression,' but that he is otherwise a sweet, friendly dog . When his owner, Connie Lay, died on November 25, she said that he should be either sent to the Best Friends shelter or put down, cremated and his ashes mixed with hers. Ms Lay's attorney, Doug Denmure, said Ms Lay didn't have enough money to send her pet to Utah - so the only option was to euthanize him. News of Bela's fate was widely reported and sparked a #saveBela campaign on social media. Following outrage from the community, Best Friends stepped in and said the shelter would take Bela and have him transported to Utah. Mr Denmure now claims it was never his intention to have the dog put down. 'It was this lack of information and the unfounded social media backlash about Connie Ley, myself, and the provisions in her will about her pets, that caused the delay in resolving Bela’s future,' he said, according to a blog post from Best Friends. Bela was scheduled to be euthanized early this month but got a stay of execution following an outcry from animal lovers . Under Indiana law, Bela is considered property and his fate was entirely up to his owner Connie Lay . Bela was picked up by Best Friends and driven 1,700 miles to Utah after Christmas . However, Mr Denmure never contacted Best Friends and the shelter learned about Bela's fate from media reports. Mr Denmure had previously told WCPO-TV that Bela was Ms Lay's property and was hers to 'dispose of' as she wished. 'The dog was owned by my client and now it’s part of her estate,' he said. 'And those are her wishes, as far as the future of the dog is concerned. Outsiders don’t have the grounds to rewrite the provisions of my client’s will and impose what they want.' Best Friends say Bela has a history of 'intermittent aggressiveness' and will need some special care. 'Bela’s situation is a poignant reminder that our animals are our family, and families need to plan for their pets who survive them,' the shelter's co-founder Francis Battista said. Cruel fate: Bela was due to be euthanized after his owner stipulated that he should be with her for eternity after her death last month . | Bela arrived at Best Friends Animal Society over the weekend after he was driven 1,700 miles from Indiana to Utah .
His owner Connie Lay died on November 25 and stipulated in her will that her dog be euthanized, cremated and his remains mixed with hers .
Animals are considered property under Indiana law and owners can decide whether they live or die . |
104,185 | 126c48c28d36bc24c258ab16d5e9a78e8d844808 | A man wanted in the killings of an elderly Ohio couple and in armed robberies in three states was arrested early on Thursday in Arizona after a high-speed chase and nationwide manhunt that lead to three police cars catching on fire. An FBI spokeswoman in Cleveland said 29-year-old Robert Clark was arrested by the Mohave County sheriff's office in Kingman. One of his companions, 26-year-old Tabatha Hazel, a suspect in the armed robberies, was arrested with him. A third companion, 28-year-old Jeffrey Caley Jr., fled and is still being sought by authorities. Scroll down for video . Arrested: Robert Clark, wanted in the killings of an elderly Ohio couple and in armed robberies in three states, was arrested early on Thursday in Arizona after a high-speed chase and nationwide manhunt . Dead: Robert Clark is wanted for the murder of Doyle, 88, and Lillian Chumney, 79, who were found dead in their burnt vehicle on a remote dirt road 30 miles away from their burglarized home last month . Escape van: The chase began when police spotted the suspects’ green 2003 Dodge Caravan and tried to conduct a traffic stop which led to a chase when Robert Clark did not stop . Fox 8 reports that the chase began when police spotted the suspects’ green 2003 Dodge Caravan and tried to conduct a traffic stop. The suspects did not stop but instead tried to evade police. The suspects' van eventually turned onto a dirt road where it became disabled, and the suspects fled on foot. During the chase, three police cruisers pulled up on brush and desert debris and caught on fire. As smoke and flames filled the air the deputies were able to arrest Clark and Hazel, but during the fire, Caley was able to escape. Clark has been charged with one count of murder in the deaths of 88-year-old Doyle Chumney and his 79-year-old wife, Lillian. On the run: One of Robert Clark's alleged companion Jeffrey P. Caley Jr.(left)is on the run and being sought after by authorities after he fled on Thursday but police managed to nab 26-year-old Tabatha Hazel (right) Crime Spree: This surveillance footage shows the suspects at the Donalsonville Gas Station on February 2 where then men believed to be Robert Clark (left) and Jeffrey Caley stole $8,000 . Robbed at gunpoint: Surveillance video from shows Robert Clark holding a sawed-off shotgun and Jeffrey Caley holding a pistol at the gas station . Their remains were found inside their torched car on a country road January 22, the day after they were reported missing from their home. The Chumneys had four children. Their daughter Diane Enama, who found her parents' home ransacked January 21, declined to comment on Thursday. The FBI had offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Clark's capture. It wasn't immediately clear Thursday whether anyone could claim the money. A second suspect in the slayings, 21-year-old Jeffery Stewart, was arrested Saturday. He is charged with one count of murder and is being held on $2 million bond. Authorities have said Stewart implicated himself and Clark in the killings. Clark, Caley and Hazel are suspected of being involved in the armed robberies of gas stations and convenience stores in West Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia on Saturday and Sunday. No one was hurt in the robberies. The trio was last seen during a robbery in Donalsonville, Georgia, on Sunday night, said Tom Couts, a Coshocton County sheriff's detective. Surveillance video shows Clark holding a sawed-off shotgun and Caley holding a pistol as a clerk walks in front of them. Hazel went inside the store before Clark and Caley entered, Couts said. Caley and Hazel were not involved in the Chumney slayings, Couts said. It appears that Clark and Stewart knew each other through a landscaping service where they had worked, Couts said. Clark was released from prison in May after serving a 4 1/2 -year sentence for robbery and other charges. Couts said authorities believe the Chumneys were driven to a country road in Coshocton County where they were shot before their car was set on fire. Authorities received a break in the investigation after surveillance video was released to the public that shows Clark's van at a gas station where Stewart bought a gas can and filled it, Couts said. Stewart called police after seeing the video. He was arrested on a traffic warrant and provided statements implicating himself and Clark, Couts said. Accussed of murder: Jeffery Stewart. Stewart, 21, was arrested on Saturday January 31 and charged with murder in the slayings of Doyle Chumney, 88, and his 79-year-old wife, Lillian . Burnt outline: This is the burnt outline of where the Ohio couple's car stood with their torched remains inside . Burglarized: Police at the Ohio couple's burglarized home after it was ransacked and they were allegedly murdered by Robert Clark . | A man wanted in the killings of an elderly Ohio couple and in armed robberies was arrested early on Thursday in Arizona .
An FBI spokeswoman in Cleveland said 29-year-old Robert Clark was arrested by the Mohave County sheriff's office in Kingman after a car chase .
One of his companions, 26-year-old Tabatha Hazel, a suspect in the armed robberies, was arrested with him .
A third companion, 28-year-old Jeffrey Caley Jr., fled and is still being sought by authorities .
During the chase three police cruisers caught on fire .
Another suspect in the slayings, 21-year-old Jeffery Stewart, who was arrested on Saturday, charged with murder and is on $2 million bond .
Caley and Hazel were not involved in the Chumney slayings, saidTom Couts, a Coshocton County sheriff's detective . |
207,798 | 990aba45dfccf8f4ce1174a99a494602e7238cf0 | He has been declared America's "first gay president." But President Barack Obama's evolution to that title hasn't been easy. His positions zig-zagged over almost two decades. His advocacy of same-sex marriage began well before his White House years, tracing back to his early political service in Illinois. The effectiveness of his leadership, however, will be determined by the U.S. Supreme Court as it considers a California ban on same-sex marriage. 1996: While running for the Illinois Senate, Obama signs a questionnaire for a gay Chicago publication saying he favors legalizing same-sex marriages. He later wins the race. 1998: He alters course and answers "undecided" on same-sex marriage when questioned in another survey. 2003: In his campaign for the Illinois Senate, Obama says in a questionnaire that he is against repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 federal law that states for federal purposes, marriage is defined as only between one man and one woman. 2004: When running for the U.S. Senate, he notes he is "a Christian" and that "marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman." He wins the race. The new Obama has his heart on his sleeve . 2009: Obama signs a memorandum granting some benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. February 2011: The Obama administration instructs the U.S. Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in court. June 2011: White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer says President Obama's 1996 questionnaire was "actually filled out by someone else, not the president." Obama "has been against" same-sex marriage, but his and the country's position was evolving on the matter, Pfeiffer says. "I can't tell you when that evolution will continue." 2012: Obama endorses same-sex marriage, the first such statement by a sitting president. The legal decision should be up to the states to determine, he says. January 2013: Obama becomes the first U.S. president to mention gays and lesbians in an inaugural address and champions same-sex marriage. March 2013: Obama personally reviews and OKs his administration's amicus or "friend of the court" brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court as it weighs the constitutionality of California's 2008 Proposition 8 referendum banning same-sex marriage. 2013-2017: Will Obama's next evolutionary step seek change in the 41 states that currently define marriage as between one man and one woman? As a second-term president, he certainly has the clout. Obama on same-sex marriage: Everyone is equal . | President Obama, "the first gay president," zig-zags on gay marriage over time .
In 1996, he endorses same-sex marriage in a survey .
But in 2011, a White House adviser says someone else filled out that survey .
Today, he is the first sitting president to endorse same-sex marriage . |
61,130 | ada3626bdcdefab5ea09d49b7042e2382f276e7b | Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nigerian aviation authorities suspended Dana Air's operating license Tuesday as torrential rain hampered recovery efforts after a deadly weekend plane crash. "As soon as we have concluded the recertification of the airline, if they are capable, then their license will be reinstated," said Sam Adurogboye, a spokesman for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Authorities have recovered the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, which are expected to help investigators determine what caused Sunday's crash that authorities say killed at least 153 people aboard the plane and at least 10 people on the ground. Rescuers have recovered 153 bodies, including those of a woman and the baby she was clutching. But a downpour and a building on the verge of collapse impeded recovery efforts Tuesday. Rescuers said they hoped to resume work Wednesday morning. Seven U.S. citizens were aboard the flight, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday. Officials were working to notify relatives of the dead. Two sisters from Texas, Connecticut family perish . Dana Air's Flight 0992 slammed into a two-story residential building in a densely populated neighborhood of Lagos, Nigeria's largest city. "The plane pushed the wall of our building in, and it hit everything," said Kingsley Okeke, who was inside at the time. "There was fire everywhere." The pilot declared an emergency as the plane was on final approach to Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and witnesses said it appeared the plane was having engine trouble, said Oscar Wason, Dana Air's director of operations. Wason identified the pilot as Peter Waxtan, an American, and the first officer as Mike Mahendra, from India. Waxtan had joined Dana Air on March 26. He was a captain for Spirit Airlines based in South Florida from 1997 to 2009, the airline said. He also flew for Falcon Air Express, a charter airline in Miami, CNN affiliate WPEC reported. Sisters Jennifer and Josephine Onita of Missouri City, Texas, were among those killed in the crash. They were on their way back home after attending a wedding, said their sister, Christiana Onita-Olojo. Also among the dead were six Chinese citizens who were on the plane, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria said Monday. According to witnesses, the passenger plane appeared to be approaching the vicinity of the airport in Lagos high, its nose tilted upward, when it crashed 11 miles (18 kilometers) north of the runway, hitting the ground tail first, Wason said. The flight, which had originated in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, crashed at 3:43 p.m. in the neighborhood of Iju Ishaga, according to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. iReport: Images from Lagos . The airplane was 22 years old and had been purchased from Alaska Airlines. It had undergone routine maintenance checkups after every 200 hours of flight, and it had been inspected three days before the crash, Wason said. Dana Air says its fleet comprises Boeing MD-83 aircraft. Boeing's website says that model can carry 155 to 172 passengers, cover up to 2,504 nautical miles and has a fuel capacity of 7,000 gallons. The airline, which is privately owned and based in Lagos, began operations in 2008. CNN's Jill Dougherty and Devon Sayers contributed to this report. | Seven U.S. citizens died in the crash, the State Department says .
Nigerian aviation authorities suspend Dana Air's license .
153 bodies have been recovered from the crash site .
Pilot Peter Waxtan, a former Spirit Airlines captain, joined Dana Air in March . |
121,591 | 29256a22a04978699628af9ef33a38d492251d7b | Police in Texas have arrested a teen for posting a photo of a replica gun pointed at a police car along with a caption reading in part: 'Should I do it?' Montrae Toliver, 17, was arrested on Monday for allegedly making a terroristic threat. Fort Worth police say he posted a photo on Twitter of a pellet gun pointed at the front of what appears to be a parked police car in the distance. Montrae Toliver, 17, of Fort Worth, Texas, was arrested on Monday for allegedly making a terroristic threat . A separate tweet from the same account said the gun is an Airsoft replica, which was confirmed by Fort Worth officers investigating the photo, department spokeswoman Tamara Pena said. Someone saw the photo on Twitter, took a screenshot and submitted it to Fort Worth police's Facebook page, she said. 'Either way, it's a threat,' Pena said. 'And so it's going to be looked into.' The message accompanying the photo read, 'Should I do it? They don't care for a black male anyways!' The killings of two unarmed black men by white police officers in Missouri and New York this summer touched off protests and a national debate over police conduct that intensified after grand juries declined to indict the officers. Fort Worth police say Toliver posted this photo on Twitter of a pellet gun pointed at the front of what appears to be a parked police car in the distance. The message accompanying the photo read, 'Should I do it? They don't care for a black male anyways!' Tensions escalated further after two New York City police officers were killed last weekend by a man who suggested in online posts that their slayings were in retaliation for the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City. Pena did not know if Toliver had received a bond, and his name was not yet listed in jail records Thursday evening. A phone number for Toliver's family could not be found. The photo in the tweet was taken on the 1100 block of Mustang Ridge Drive. Teens and parents in the neighborhood confirmed Toliver was a student at Northwest High School, where he is involved in athletics. | Montrae Toliver, 17, was arrested on Monday for allegedly making a terroristic threat .
He posted a photo of a replica gun pointed at a police car in Fort Worth, Texas .
The message accompanying the photo read, 'Should I do it? They don't care for a black male anyways!'
Someone saw the photo on Twitter, took a screenshot and submitted it to Fort Worth police's Facebook page . |
137,512 | 3dd6d9d60efad658da0b6a90ef82e29835d40246 | By . Damien Gayle . Passengers used their smartphones to capture the terrifying moment an emergency chute inflated inside their jet as they flew across the Mid-West. The huge inflatable chute, usually used for escaping the plane after a crash landing, burst into the cabin as the jet soared 40,000ft over Kansas. Passengers described hearing a loud bang followed by a hissing noise, and seeing flight attendants recoil in horror, as the incident unfolded on the domestic flight from Chicago to Los Angeles. Scroll down for video . Terrifying: The scene aboard United Airlines Flight UA1462 when the escape chute inflated in mid-air . Witnesses described hearing a bang and a hiss as the chute inflated, blocking access to the rear doors . The United Airlines flight no. 1463 . was diverted to Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita, Kansas, although . safety workers insisted the jet never lost cabin pressure. United said the cause of the opening was unclear, but kake.com . reports that account contradicts an initial report from 911 operators . that someone aboard the jet had tried to open an emergency door. Flight 1463 had taken off from Chicago . O'Hare Airport with 101 passengers and crew and was bound for John . Wayne Airport, near Los Angeles, when the chute inflated. It landed at Wichita at 10.30pm last night, local time. No one was hurt. A FlightRadar24 map showed how Flight 1463 had reached an altitude of 40,000ft when the incident occurred. It . had actually flown past Wichita when its pilot made the decision to . make the emergency landing, forcing the jet to make a U-turn to return . back to the Mid-West city. Emergency landing: The United Airlines flight no. 1463 was diverted to Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita after the inflatable suddenly opened - although safety workers insisted the jet never lost cabin pressure . Flight attendants inspect the inflatable chute inside the jet after determining that the doors had not opened . 'Scariest flight of all time': Emergency workers are pictured on the jet after it was forced to land in Wichita . Turn around: This map from FlightRadar24.com shows how the jet was forced to make a mid-air U-turn . Passenger Taylor Martinez, a mobile app entrepreneur and former University of Nebraska football star, tweeted to describe his experience as the 'scariest flight of all time.' Michael Schroeder, who was sitting near the front of the jet when the slide opened, told The Wichita Eagle: 'I heard a kind of loud pop and hissing noise. 'I . turned around to the back and that slide that would normally go outside . the plane so you can slide down in an emergency had for some odd reason . deployed inside the plane while we were flying. 'Fortunately nobody was back there.' He said the pilot immediately took to the intercom and said he was going to land as soon as he could 'figure out where'. 'A few minutes later he said, "We're going to Wichita,"' said Mr Schroeder. A United Airlines Boeing 737: A similar jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Wichita after its escape chute opened inside the cabin as it flew from Chicago O'Hare to John Wayne Airport near Los Angeles . A second passenger, interviewed by KWCH12, who didn't give her name, said: 'You just heard a big bang and a hiss and [the cabin crew] just had a panicked look. 'They quickly took the carts and they ran backwards to the front of the plane and we all turned around and the back cabinet, [the] part of the plane where they sat, was full of the chute. 'The first thing that went through my mind was that the chute opened and it probably popped out of the door which meant that we would probably lose pressure immediately. 'Luckily that didn't happen, it just inflated inside.' United said all passengers were seated at the time of the incident and added that earlier reports that a passenger had attempt to open the door in flight were false. The airline said in a statement seen by kake.com: 'The flight diverted to Wichita, Kansas, after the emergency evacuation slide accidentally deployed. No one was injured and the flight landed safely. 'We are flying in another aircraft to resume the flight and get our customers to their final destination as quickly as possible.' It said its maintenance team would inspect the aircraft to determine what happened. In the meantime, passengers were offered hotel rooms for the night before a connecting flight could be arranged. Boeing referred requests for comment back to United Airlines. | United Airlines flight 1463 was forced to land in Wichita, Kansas .
It had been bound for John Wayne Airport near LA from Chicago O'Hare .
The cause of the malfunction is not yet clear .
Passengers describe hearing a loud bang and hissing noise when it opened .
Cabin crew ran back from the inflating chute in terror, passenger says . |
250,030 | cf911a136d904032e1e4a67bfb943d2ea79c137c | An ultra-conservative Jewish newspaper has digitally removed female politicians from an iconic image of world leaders marching through Paris, following last week's terror attacks. Israel's The Announcer airbrushed out German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo - and cropped the front-page picture to completely exclude Danish Prime Minster, Helle Thorning-Shmidt. It's believed the women were removed from the historic image, taken on January 11, so the newspaper would not offend its highly devout Orthodox readers. Scroll down for video . Remembrance: The original picture, taken on January 11, shows all three female leaders marching in Paris . Removed: The altered picture on the front page of Israeli newspaper, The Announcer, excludes German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo - while only the hand of Danish Prime Minster Helle Thorning-Shmidt makes the picture . 'Airbrushed out': This before and after picture shows how the three women, Helle Thorning-Shmidt (below, left), Anne Hidalgo (below, centre) and Angela Merkel (below, right) were digitally removed from the photo. Swiss President, Simonetta Sommaru, has been left as a blur behind a crowd of faces, while the EU's foreign affairs and security chief, Frederica Mogherini, was left out entirely. The women were among 40 world leaders who lined arms with their male counterparts to lead a million people through Paris, in a statement of international solidarity following the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Six of the magazine's journalists, killed by two masked gunmen, were among 17 innocent people to lose their lives in a wave of terror attacks in Paris last week. French newspapers have blasted The Announcer's 'hypocritical' front page, which they believe disrespects 'the unity of the march'. One reader in Israel said: 'They are not protecting women from leering men, or men from illicit thoughts. They are telling their community that women have no place in society outside the home. Very sad and very disturbing.' Three years ago, another orthodox Jewish newspaper, Di Tzeitung, sparked anger in the US by removing then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, from a 2001 image of the White House situation room during the raid which killed Osama Bin Laden. While The Announcer - known in Hebrew as HaMevaser - has refused to print the names of female members of the Israeli parliament. Solidarity: The female politicians were among 40 world leaders taking part in a march through Paris . Deleted: Danish Prime Minister, Helle Throning-Shmidt (right) - seen here with French President Francois Hollande - was one of the female leaders digitally removed from the image . 'Hypocrisy': Paris' own mayor, Anne Hidalgo (right), was airbrushed out of the images as her city mourned 17 deaths in a wave of terror attacks . German Chancellor, Angela Merkel (pictured, centre), seen here at a community rally condemning the Paris terror attacks, was removed from the iconic image . It has allegedly defended the removal of Angela Merkel and other women leaders from this week's front page for 'reasons of modesty' and its stance not to depict women in the media. According to another Israeli publication, Haaretz, removing women from such pictures is nothing new. They also claim that Israeli parties representing the ultra-orthodox electorate openly ban women from running for the Knesset - and female images are completely absent from media outlets and advertisements aimed at that demographic. The photograph's manipulation was first spotted by a regional reporter on the Hebrew news website, Walla, who said: 'The paper didn't blur out Merkel's image or white it out, but completely re-edited the photograph and moved the images of the participants around, so that you could never tell that Merkel was ever there.' The Announcer was founded by Meir Porush, a former member of the ultra-orthodox United Torah Judiasm party. | German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, one of the woman digitally removed .
Paris Mayor and Danish Prime Minister also edited out by The Announcer .
Allegedly altered its front page so as not to offend 'ultra-orthodox' readers .
Israeli newspaper says the women were removed for 'reasons of modesty'
They were among 40 world leaders who led a million people through Paris .
17 innocent people died last week in wave of terror attacks on the city . |
54,701 | 9afbc555fd6d2933900ac8a64775cb354624815a | Jerusalem (CNN) -- An American man has been arrested in Israel for allegedly acquiring explosives stolen from Israel's military that he planned to use to attack Muslim holy sites, Israeli authorities said Tuesday. According to Shin Beit, Israel's internal security service, Adam Livix, 30, was arrested in November under suspicion of possessing explosives with the intent of using them in a terrorist attack. He was taken into custody with "various types of ammunition and explosives stolen from the IDF" and admitted under interrogation that he had made preliminary surveys of potential targets, Shin Beit announced Tuesday. Livix had come to the region in 2013 from his native United States, where he was been wanted for suspected drug felonies, the Israeli security service reports. The Christian man lived in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank communities of Hebron and Bethlehem, where Shin Beit claims that he rebuffed a Palestinian activist's solicitation to assassinate President Barack Obama during the U.S. leader's visit to Israel. Livix then moved into Israel -- spending more than one year there illegally, since his entry permit expired in September 2013, according to prosecutors. In Israel, Livix "falsely presented himself as a Navy SEAL" -- an elite U.S. military special operation unit -- and "dealt with various criminal activities and came up with ideas for a variety of terrorist attacks," Shin Beit said. Livix also "expressed ... his negative opinion of the Arab population of Israel and his wish to harm sites in Israel holy to Islam," Israel's Justice Ministry said. The ministry added that, in October, the American man asked his roommate -- an Israeli soldier -- to get him explosives, even paying the soldier for them. When police were notified and went to search the residence, Livix tried to escape by jumping from a seventh floor window to a balcony a floor below, the ministry said. The Israeli agency added that an Israeli court ordered that Livix undergo a psychiatric examination, at his lawyer's request. The U.S. State Department was aware of the reports that an American had been arrested in Israel, but declined to comment on this case. CNN's Amir Tal and Ben Wedeman reported from Jerusalem, and Greg Botelho reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report. | Shin Beit: American arrested with "ammunition and explosives stolen from the IDF"
Adam Livix came to region in 2013, lied about being a Navy SEAL, Israeli agency says .
He surveyed possible terror targets for attacks on Muslim holy sites, Shin Beit adds . |
189,999 | 820184d67c1468232c537a1c57aaba6fa7776682 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 23:52 EST, 28 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:40 EST, 29 August 2013 . 'Catastophic' collapse: Sam Harper Brighouse, 23, who died after collapsing during the Brighton Marathon . A fit and healthy young man died following a 'catastrophic and unsurvivable' collapse as he ran a marathon, an inquest has heard. Sam Harper Brighouse, 23, from south-east London died, fell ill around 16 miles into the race as he competed in the Brighton Marathon in East Sussex on April 14 this year. The biology graduate had embarked on the 26-mile running challenge to raise money for the Arms Around The Child charity which supports Aids orphans. Although he had asthma, he was . considered fit and his respiratory problems had not contributed to his . sudden collapse, an inquest at Brighton County Court heard. Instead, . Mr Harper Brighouse, of Forrest Hill, died after suffering from . ischemic bowel disease, which can cause up to 75 per cent of blood flow . to be removed from the bowel. Dr . Mark Taylor, consultant pathologist at Brighton's Royal Sussex County . Hospital, said the condition is initially reversible but can progress, . leading to fatal circumstances. Dr . Taylor told the hearing: 'We know that up to half of people who run . marathons develop symptoms relating to their gastro-intestines. 'They . can be minor stomach cramps, diahorrea, but on the other end of the . scale, ischemic bowel can be exhibited in endurance exercise.' He . added: 'When it gets to that critical stage, depending on how much of . the bowel has died, depends on whether the person can survive. 'Unfortunately in Sam, it was catastrophic and unsurvivable.' It . was initially thought that Mr Harper Brighouse had suffered a heart . attack, and attempts were made at CPR as he laid in the road. But . Mr Harper Brighouse went into cardiac arrest and his death from . ischemic bowel, described by Brighton and Hove coroner Veronica . Hamilton-Deeley as 'extraordinarily rare and unusual', was confirmed at . 2.30pm. Event: Runners compete during this year's Brighton Marathon. Mr Harper Brighouse, 23, fell ill around 16 miles into the race . Dr . Taylor said: 'I think when someone collapses in a marathon, the most . common thing to think is that they have had a heart attack. 'The . initial reaction would have been to do CPR and that was started . rapidly. If he had been taken to hospital immediately, might it have . made a difference? I don't think so. 'I . believe all his bowel was dead at that stage and even if (medical . staff) thought of ischemic bowel, it wouldn't have been any help at all . at that stage.' Mr . Harper Brighouse probably did not notice he had ischemic bowel as its . 'non-specific' symptoms, such as pain and discomfort, may have led him . to believe they were linked to his running. Gastro-intestinal . problems suffered by people associated with endurance sport were being . increasingly examined in studies, Dr Taylor added. Attempting . to reach Mr Harper Brighouse amid the crowds of marathon runners and . spectators was difficult, a senior South East Coast Ambulance Service . (Secamb) staff member said. Although Mr Harper Brighouse had asthma, he was considered fit and his respiratory problems had not contributed to his sudden collapse . The . marathon had its own medical team but Andrew Parker, Secamb's medicines . management lead and paramedic practitioner, said clearer identification . would have helped to distinguish who was who on site. He . also told the inquest of a 'communication confusion', with marshals . unable to tell him where Mr Harper Brighouse was as he ran for about 500 . yards through the large crowds carrying equipment. 'When I asked a couple of the marshals 'Where's the incident?', they said 'I don't know'.' As Mr Parker went on to the race track, he could see people waving at him, alerting him to Mr Harper Brighouse's position. Mr . Parker said: 'In reality, it only took me minutes, as I did run as fast . as I could, but obviously minutes in any cardiac incident is crucial.' He . said the problems could have been helped by having more markers along . the race route, rather than ones that marked every mile. Ms . Hamilton-Deeley suggested a possible solution: equipping runners with a . gas canister-activated buoy which would rise above the crowds in an . emergency. She said: 'This could mean that you are looking up rather through a sea of people.' Despite the difficulties, Mr Parker praised the level of care Mr Harper Brighouse received from the medical team, saying it was to a 'high standard'. And he did not think the access problems he encountered ultimately affected the patient. Speaking about Mr Harper Brighouse, he said: 'He had no heartbeat, no pulse and no breathing. 'From the small amount of history at the event, it was a sudden collapse. I don't think he would have known anything about it.' The inquest is due to last until Friday. | Sam Harper Brighouse fell ill around 16 miles into the Brighton Marathon .
Although he had asthma, he was .
considered fit and healthy .
Paramedic had to run 500 yards through large crowds to reach him . |
92,777 | 0357442d39ef02aaafe695b4213302010f5513b1 | By . Deni Kirkova . PUBLISHED: . 05:02 EST, 9 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:53 EST, 9 October 2013 . One misdirected email led an American writer to fall in love with and marry a British archaeologist. Adele Geraghty, 61, sent a message containing a writing sample to lecturer Phil Sidebottom, 66, when his email address was wrongly given as a contact in a call for submissions in her local newspaper. The simple mistake led her on an incredible journey to a new life with Phil in Sheffield, more than 3,000 miles away from her native Brooklyn, New York. Adele and Phil pictured in 2002. She sent an message containing a writing sample to lecturer Phil when his email address was wrongly given as a contact in a call for submissions in her local newspaper. She said: 'It's amazing to think how different our lives would have been, were it not for the incorrectly printed email address. And not just our lives, but our children's lives, and the lives of our friends.' The advert in newspaper should have directed writers to submit their work to an email address beginning 'author45', but instead gave the address as 'author54' - Phil's personal account. Adele recalled: 'I received a reply the next day. 'It was from Phil. He said he was not the person I was seeking, and was worried that his email had been given out illegally because he received a few emails from people he didn't know. 'I thought it was only polite to offer a full apology, and a full explanation. I think he was quite impressed that I had taken the time to write back to him properly, and that began a conversation.' Intrigued, Adele looked up Phil online and discovered he was an archaeology lecturer at the University of Sheffield. Adele and Phil pictured in 2005. After Adele's first email the couple would talk online for five hours a day . The couple pictured in 2006, a year before their wedding . The couple soon struck up an intense cyber friendship, chatting online for up to five hours a day, swapping to voice messaging when Phil bought a computer with a microphone. Adele said: 'We talked about everything - our families, what we studied at university, and how we both liked to write. We could both express ourselves clearly, which allowed us to become in tune with one another. It was as if we were learning everything about each other.' Then, seven months after Adele's first email, Phil suffered a devastating heart attack. The setback only strengthened the bond between them. Adele said: 'I waited by my computer all night for an email from him. In hospital, Phil asked where he could get internet access so he could send me a message to reassure me that he was alright. 'Later that month, I suffered an injury to my back. Even though I couldn't move, I asked my son push my bed closer to my desk so I could keep in contact with him.' Finally Adele, who has six children from a marriage which ended in divorce in 1985, decided to take the plunge and visit England for the first time. Adele and Phil pictured at their wedding in 2007 . She said: 'My son thought I had lost my mind. He was worried that my relationship wasn't real, and that I was setting myself up to be scammed. My daughter was more enthusiastic - she thought it was a great romantic adventure.' Phil, who has an adult son and daughter, was in the process of getting divorced when Adele arrived at Heathrow airport. He said: 'I wondered whether we would recognise each other - whether Adele would be left to wander around the airport lost. 'As soon as I saw her, I stood there beaming. I couldn't believe she was actually real.' Adele said: 'It might be cliche, but it was love at first sight. He was even better looking than he was in pictures on the internet.' Phil was in the process of getting divorced when Adele arrived in the U.K to visit him for the first time . Adele and Phil pictured at Adele's naturalisation ceremony in September 2012, a 'dream realised' Adele emigrated to England permanently in 2005 and the pair married in 2007. In September 2012, Adele realised a dream when she became a naturalised UK citizen. She said: 'I feel at home in Yorkshire. My family emigrated to America from there in the 19th century, and even up until the 1930s members of my family were speaking with British accents. 'To become a UK citizen was a very special moment in my life.' The couple have launched a publishing venture combining their love of literature and archaeology. They have named their independent publishing house 'Between These Shores', to reflect their amazing love story. A collection of Adele's work, entitled 'Skywriting in the Minor Key' was published in late 2010. Reflecting on the twist of fate which brought her together with her husband, Adele said: 'Were it not for those two numbers in the email address being swapped, none of this would have happened. 'It was such a small mistake, but it's had an enormous effect. I'm so glad it happened.' | Adele Geraghty, 61, accidentally sent Phil Sidebottom, 66, a writing sample .
Soon they were speaking online for five hours a day - and she went to visit .
Brooklyn writer moved more than 3,000 miles to Sheffield . |
248,142 | cd1963a149444974c34e9b52fb416b2bb42f0ef5 | (CNN) -- In travels this week -- to Boston, Chicago, New York -- friends and strangers alike have said the same thing: They are turned off and tuned out of the sequestration mess in Washington. To a person, they are sick of the antics of those to whom they have entrusted enormous power. In times past, a president has usually risen to the demands of leadership when a Congress has stubbornly resisted tough choices, such as the upcoming mandatory budget cuts that are called sequestration. That's what Lyndon Johnson did in persuading key Republicans to help pass the civil rights bills of 1964 and 1965. And that's what Bill Clinton did in working with a Republican House led by Newt Gingrich. People forget how hostile House Republicans were to Clinton -- hell, they impeached him -- but he nonetheless worked with them to pass four straight balanced budgets and an overhaul of welfare. Obama signs order activating "dumb" budget cuts . In other times, Congress has displayed serious leadership when a president has lost his way. That's what Congress did to curtail overseas military ventures after two presidents in a row got us into a quagmire in Vietnam. And that's what top congressmen like Sam Ervin and Howard Baker did when Richard Nixon went off the tracks in Watergate. But today, we have a rare moment when both Congress and the president are retreating from their responsibilities. It's hard to recall a time when we were so leaderless. One of the foremost duties of Congress is to pass a budget: It has failed for four straight years. Republicans, especially in the House, have continually refused to meet the White House halfway. Meanwhile, a president who promised to be a solution has become part of the problem. Ever since his re-election, Barack Obama has seemed more intent on campaigning than governing. A new Washington Post/Pew poll gives some measure of how the public is turning away. Only one in four Americans is following news of the sequester. And as Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake wrote in Tuesday's Post, "Not only are most people paying very little attention to the sequester, they also have only the faintest sense of what it would do. Fewer than one in five, or 18%, in the Post-Pew poll say they understand 'very well' what would happen if the sequester went into effect." Cillizza and Blake argue that far more people paid attention to the fiscal cliff because their taxes might go up. Fair enough, but in my conversations, people were mostly fed up with the soap opera. What to do? Last weekend in Italy, voters were so disgusted with their politicians that an upstart political movement led by a political comedian won the most votes of any single party. Is it time to draft Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert? Perhaps, but in the meantime, the president and the Congress have one solemn and urgent responsibility: Having created this mess, they must -- stress must -- work together to minimize the disruptions and hardships that they are promising will happen. It is insane that a series of cuts that represent only 2.5% of all federal spending and 5% of the budgets of most federal agencies will be allowed -- according to the administration -- to create havoc with airplane flights, bring grinding slowdowns to meat inspections, force an aircraft carrier to stay in port ... the litany goes on. To anyone who has been through numerous short shutdowns of government in the past, this sounds suspiciously like the "Washington Monument syndrome": the tendency of federal bureaucrats faced with budget cuts to shut down the most visible services first, causing screams and forcing the cuts to be rescinded. Administration spokesmen say their hands are tied by the sequestration law because it requires even, across-the-board cuts. But if that is the case, change the law. Everyone knows it is a stupid piece of legislation. Fortunately, some senators on both sides of the aisle -- Republican Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Democrat Barbara Mikuski of Maryland among them -- are working on legislation that would give the administration flexibility in making the cuts so that disruptions can be kept as small as possible. So far, the White House and Majority Leader Harry Reid are saying no. The White House has made the argument that minimizing the effects would make people too complacent about what comes from reducing spending. In reality, what they are trying to do is to make Republicans look so bad that they will cave in. This is a terrible way to govern: Washington politicians should not turn citizens into suffering pawns in order to get their way. Meanwhile, Republicans like John McCain are objecting that such a correction to the sequestration law would cede too much power to the president. The concern about excessive power is legitimate, but surely a way can be found so that the White House and Congress would share power and any other arrangements be strictly limited in time. Perhaps, if wisdom once again rears its head, this mess will be so awful the president and Congress will get back to the bargaining table and come up with a long-term solution. But in the meantime, Obama and Congress have a duty to lead -- and that means to pass a bill that will minimize disruption and pain. By the way, speaking of comedians as politicians, Al Franken has turned out to be a pretty darn good senator. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Gergen. | David Gergen says everyone he talks to is turned off by mandatory budget cut mess .
Gergen: We are leaderless; neither Congress nor president is taking responsibility .
Most Americans have no idea of what "sequestration" means or what it will do, he says .
Gergen: All sides are using this as a political scare tactic; they have a duty to pass a bill . |
48,377 | 888fdf71dd5090a7cc2f9f14a6bb87b488f6a78e | An advertising agency has hit upon a unique way of catching the attention of people living in ad-saturated Tokyo - use women's thighs as a living billboard. Consumers in the Japanese megalopolis are notoriously hard to reach because of the sheer abundance of billboards, neon signs and huge TV screens pumping out commercials, so the WIT agency decided to put ads on a place men are happy to pay attention to. 'It's an absolutely perfect place to put an advertisement as it's what guys are eager to look at and girls are OK to expose,' said Hidenori Atsumi, the CEO of WIT. Scroll down for video . Thigh finance: Girls in Tokyo are renting out their thighs as advertising space . The CEO of the ad agency says women are comfortable with exposing their thighs and men like staring at them . And it's proving popular - so far more than 3,000 women have signed up to the scheme, which uses temporary tattoos of products or company logos. One of them is Miho Matsumoto, who says she is comfortable with the unusual marketing method. She said: 'I wouldn't do this of they put it on my belly or other places I'm embarassed to expose but if it's on my chubby thighs then what's the problem? ITV reports that in order to be a walking billboard, participants must be 18-years-old and are required to have at least 20 friends on social media networks. A pair of attractive Japanese women walk around Tokyo with the ads on their thighs . Leg man: The unorthodox marketing scheme is the brainchild of Hidenori Atsumi, a public relations consultant . Products are emblazoned on the women using temporary tattoos . The girls can wear what they like, but WIT suggests that participants wear short skirts and high socks in order to draw attention to the ad. They can earn up to £65 per day. American rock band Green Day and the Seth MacFarlane film 'Ted' have already been seen thigh-high in the Japanese capital, and many more companies are believed to be interested. Selling ad space is nothing new. In 2005, American Karolyne Smith was paid £6500 by GoldenPalace.com, an internet casino renowned for outrageous advertising, to permanently tattoo its website address on her forehead. She said that she did it to raise funds for her son's private school tuition. The girls can wear what they like, but are encouraged to don short skirts and high socks in order to draw attention to the ad. They can earn up to £65 per day . No problem: Miho Matsumoto says she is happy to have the ad on her thighs . American rock band Green Day and the Seth MacFarlane film 'Ted' have already been seen thigh-high in the Japanese capital . | Agency says unusual idea is perfect for ad-saturated Tokyo .
The women earn up to £65 a day to show products on their body .
They are encouraged to wear short skirts and high socks . |
95,127 | 063a3e5fec85a6b062d9d65c5a03d00462b30cd0 | Washington (CNN) -- Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 made drastic changes in altitude and direction after disappearing from civilian radar, U.S. officials told CNN on Friday, raising questions for investigators about just who was at the controls of the commercial jetliner that went missing one week ago with 239 people on board. The more the United States learns about the flight's pattern, "the more difficult to write off" the idea that some type of human intervention was involved, one of the officials familiar with the investigation said. The revelation comes as CNN has learned that a classified analysis of electronic and satellite data suggests the flight likely crashed either in the Bay of Bengal or elsewhere in the Indian Ocean. The analysis conducted by the United States and Malaysian governments may have narrowed the search area for the jetliner that vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, leaving little trace of where it went or why. The analysis used radar data and satellite pings to calculate that the plane diverted to the west, across the Malayan peninsula, and then either flew in a northwest direction toward the Bay of Bengal or southwest into the Indian Ocean. The theory builds on earlier revelations by U.S. officials that an automated reporting system on the airliner was pinging satellites for up to five hours after its last reported contact with air traffic controllers. Inmarsat, a satellite communications company, confirmed to CNN that automated signals were registered on its network. Taken together, the data point toward speculation of a dark scenario in which someone took control of the plane for some unknown purpose, perhaps terrorism. That theory is buoyed by word from a senior U.S. official familiar with the investigation that the Malaysia Airlines plane made several significant altitude changes and altered its course more than once after losing contact with flight towers. The jetliner was flying "a strange path," the official said on condition of anonymity. The details of the radar readings were first reported by The New York Times on Friday. Malaysian military radar showed the plane climbing to 45,000 feet soon after disappearing from civilian radar screens and then dropping to 23,000 feet before climbing again, the official said. The question of what happened to the jetliner has turned into one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history, befuddling industry experts and government officials. Suggestions have ranged from a catastrophic explosion to sabotage to hijacking to pilot suicide. The sabotage theory got a boost Friday from The Wall Street Journal, which reported investigators increasingly suspect the plane's communications systems were manually switched off. Investigators are trying to determine whether the satellite communications system that pinged for hours stopped functioning because "something catastrophic happened or someone switched off" the system, the newspaper reported, citing an unnamed person familiar with the jet's last known position. The pings stopped at a point over the Indian Ocean, while the jetliner was flying at a normal cruising altitude, according to the newspaper. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: What we know and don't know . Movie-plot theory . Then there's the theory that maybe Flight 370 landed in a remote Indian Ocean island chain. The suggestion -- and it's only that at this point -- is based on analysis of radar data revealed Friday by Reuters suggesting that the plane wasn't just blindly flying northwest from Malaysia. Reuters, citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation, reported that whoever was piloting the vanished jet was following navigational waypoints that would have taken the plane over the Andaman Islands. The radar data don't show the plane over the Andaman Islands, but only on a known route that would take it there, Reuters cited its sources as saying. The movie-plot theory seems more complicated and unlikely than one in which the plane -- its flight crew perhaps incapacitated -- simply flew on until it ran out of fuel or faced some other problem. But it's one that law enforcement has to check out, former FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom said. Timeline of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 . Aviation experts say it's possible, if highly unlikely, that someone could have hijacked and landed the giant Boeing 777 undetected. The international airport in Port Blair, the regional capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, has a runway that is long enough to accommodate a 777, according to publicly available data. But the region is highly militarized because of its strategic importance to India, Indian officials with knowledge of the operation tell CNN, making it an unlikely target for pirates trying to sneak in an enormous airplane with a wingspan of more than 200 feet. Denis Giles, editor of the Andaman Chronicle newspaper, says there's just nowhere to land such a big plane in his archipelago without attracting notice. "There is no chance, no such chance, that any aircraft of this size can come towards Andaman and Nicobar Islands and land," he said. The Malaysian government said Friday that it can't confirm the report. And a senior U.S. official offered a conflicting account Thursday, telling CNN that "there is probably a significant likelihood" the plane is on the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Among the things being considered is whether lithium batteries in the cargo hold, which have been blamed in previous crashes, played a role in the disappearance, according to U.S. officials briefed on the latest developments in the investigation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media. If the batteries being carried on the plane caused a fire, it still doesn't fully explain other anomalies with Flight 370, the officials say. What is a transponder? Details of the search . Malaysian officials, who are coordinating the search, said Friday that the hunt for the plane was spreading deeper into both the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. India has deployed assets from its navy, coast guard and air force to the south Andaman Sea to take part in the search, the country's Ministry of Defense said Friday. Indian search teams are combing large areas of the archipelago. Two aircraft are searching land and coastal areas of the island chain from north to south, an Indian military spokesman said Friday, and two coast guard ships have been diverted to search along the islands' east coast. Indian officials are also including part of the Bay of Bengal in their search, officials said. As of Friday, 57 ships and 48 aircraft from 13 countries were involved in the search, Hishammuddin Hussein, the minister in charge of defense and transportation, said at a news briefing. China, which said it would be extending its search, said crews have searched more than 27,000 square miles (about 70,000 square kilometers) of the South China Sea without finding anything. On Friday, the United States sent the destroyer USS Kidd to scout the Indian Ocean as the search expands into that body of water. "I, like most of the world, really have never seen anything like this," Cmdr. William Marks of the U.S. 7th Fleet said of the scale of the search. "It's pretty incredible." "It's a completely new game now," he said. "We went from a chess board to a football field." Malaysia Airlines: The pilots of the missing plane . Other developments . • "Seafloor event": Chinese researchers say they recorded a "seafloor event" in waters around Malaysia and Vietnam about an hour and a half after the missing plane's last known contact. The event was recorded in a non-seismic region about 116 kilometers (72 miles) northeast of the plane's last confirmed location, the University of Science and Technology of China said. "Judging from the time and location of the two events, the seafloor event may have been caused by MH370 crashing into the sea," said a statement posted on the university's website. However, U.S. Geological Survey earthquake scientist Harley Benz said Friday that the event appeared to be consistent with a naturally occurring 2.7-magnitude earthquake. • Malaysian response: Authorities continued to defend their response to the crash. "A normal investigation becomes narrower with time, I understand, as new information focuses the search," Hussein said. "But this is not a normal investigation. In this case, the information we have forces us to look further and further afield." However, Bob Francis, a former National Transportation Safety Board official, is one of several experts who have questioned how Malaysian authorities have handled the situation. "The Malaysians are not doing a superb job of running this investigation," he said. "And they apparently give you some information, and then they withhold information. How much are they relying on and listening to the Europeans and the NTSB who are there with more expertise? I don't know, but I think you know we've got a mixture of a very strange situation that happens to be in an environment, a regulatory environment, that really isn't capable or isn't running an investigation the way it should be run." How you can help find the plane . Barbara Starr reported from Washington, Chelsea J. Carter wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Jethro Mullen, Michael Pearson, Evan Perez, Jim Sciutto, Mike M. Ahlers, Pamela Brown, Aaron Cooper, Brian Walker, Harmeet Shah Singh and Karen Chiu contributed to this report. | Report: Investigators suspect communications were manually switched off .
More investigators learn, "the more difficult to write off" human intervention, official says .
Malaysian military radar shows drastic altitude changes, an official says .
A classified analysis calculates the flight crashed into the Indian Ocean, CNN learns . |
215,163 | a28c2815223f89026b6a198415a1291cd67eca0a | A three metre decomposed whale head has washed up on a Perth beach, forcing authorities to close the area amid fears the carcass could attract sharks. The head, believed to belong to a sperm whale, was found at Sorrento Beach on Monday morning. The carcass is three metres long and 1.5m wide. Scroll down for video . Washed up: A decomposed whale head was found at Perth's Sorrento Beach on Monday morning . Beach closed: Authorities shut the beach amid concerns the carcass could draw sharks to the area . Department of Parks and Wildlife said the head was from a mature sperm whale and it most likely died from natural causes. The remains are located about 800m north of the Marmion Angling and Aquatic Club. Authorities will remove the whale head on Monday afternoon and the beach remains closed. Decomposed: The carcass is three metres long and 1.5m wide and belongs to a sperm whale . Department of Parks and Wildlife pictured here preparing to remove the carcass, said the mature sperm whale most likely died of natural causes . | Three metre whale head has washed up on Perth's Sorrento Beach .
Wildlife authorities believe the head belongs to a mature sperm whale .
Sorrento Beach remains closed amid fears sharks could be drawn in . |
58,004 | a45f52db99ee7a0f607652646394f77104a55bb6 | After releasing a slew of more exotic flavour combinations, the makers of Pot Noodle have dialled things down a notch with their latest flavour, the Sausage Casserole Pot Noodle. Departing from the realms of Sticky Rib, Brazilian BBQ Steak, Bombay Bad Boy, Jamaican Jerk and Piri Piri Chicken, makers Unilever were inspired by classic British supper for their latest creation. The new flavour will be launched in April 2015 and is accompanied by a £3m advertising campaign. Pot Noodle's newest flavour is a classic British suppertime staple, sausage casserole . Unilever marketing manager Monique Rossi said to The Grocer: 'Pot Noodle Sausage Casserole will appeal to both male and female consumers looking for a satisfyingly simple snack with excellent taste credentials.' Classic suppertime dish sausage casserole . As well as their fancier offerings, the student staple is famous for more conventional flavours such as Chicken and Mushroom, Original Curry and Beef and Tomato. Last year the brand worked with inventive celebrity chocolatier Paul A. Young, who devised the Marmite truffle, to launch Choc Noodle for 2014's National Chocolate Week. The flavour – will took only four minutes to make – consisted of noodles in a creamy chocolate sauce and bite-sized chunks of butter fudge, milk choc chips and maple-covered pecans for added crunch. A thoroughly British brand, Pot Noodle was established in 1979 in Wales. In 1992 the company introduced their famous sauce sachets to each pot. By 1995 around 300,000 Pot Noodles were being eaten every week. Hot Chicken Curry and Barbecue flavours arrived in 1996, which also saw the introduction of And Christmas limited-edition Turkey and Stuffing flavour . In 2000 Unilever acquired Pot Noodle as one of its brands, and kicked things off with the mighty King-size Pot Noodle. In 2002, the factory in Crumlin factory was producing 175 million pots per year. Pot Noodle’s spiciest flavour Bombay Bad Boy was launched in 2002. It is estimated that five Pot Noodles are being wolfed down every second. Posh Noodle made an appearance in 2003 with three Thai flavours: Oriental Sweet and Sour, Spicy Chicken and Spicy Chilli. The following year Seedy Sanchez Mexican Fajita pots were launched and Southern Fried Chicken was added in 2005. The strapline ‘Fuel of Britain’ was born in 2006. The brand’s new adverts featured a Pot Noodle mine in Crumlin, where a stream of ‘Noodle Fuel’ had been discovered by miners. The miners in the ad were the genuine Pot Noodle workforce. In 2008 Harrods in London sold a limited-edition luxury Pot Noodle. The swanky Poulet and Champignon flavour was £29.95 and proceeds went to Action against Hunger. Pot Noeldle, a Christmas Dinner flavour, was launched in Christmas 2010. The lid could even be used as a bauble. The Pot Noodle GTi range was launched in 2011 with three varieties: Chilli Beef, Spaghetti Bolognese and Chicken Tikka. Chilli Beef was added to the regular Pot Noodle range in March 2012. Piri-Piri Chicken flavour is currently the hottest Pot Noodle and was launched in 2013. Last year saw the appearance of Brazilian BBQ Steak flavour . | New flavour arrives in April, accompanied by a £3m advertising campaign .
Four-minute noodle brand famous for Bombay Bad Boy and Classic Curry .
Recent flavour combinations include Brazilian Steak and Jamaican Jerk . |
204,086 | 94362391505c9798ebc94425c1f38a31fab9ece4 | Filmmaker Boris von Schoenebeck became more and more confident in the company of two cheetahs who had made a habit of climbing on his jeep while he filmed in the wilds of the Serengeti in Tanzania. But one day he got a little too close, and the young male of the pair let him him know with a gentle swipe with his right paw. Thankfully for 47-year-old German Boris, the cheetah's strike wasn't the kind it would usually reserve for prey, and when he locked his jaws on something it was his GoPro camera rather than him. A cheetah on the roof of a jeep in Serengeti, Tanzania, is captured on the roof of a vehicle by a GoPro camera . The bold cheetah stares down the barrel of filmmaker Boris von Schoenebeck's camera before taking a swipe at his camera . Boris's colleague, working for production company Earth Touch, isn't perturbed as the big cat jumps on the bonnet of their car . In the process of filming cheetahs for a documentary, a mature female and the young male had become increasingly comfortable with Von Schoenebeck and his assistant, so much so they had become regular visitors to their vehicle. 'Almost every day we would come across these two cheetahs who would climb on top of our vehicle,' he said. 'They use our vehicle as a place of higher ground.' As the weeks went on I edged further and further out of the vehicle and we actually discovered that the cheetahs weren't that interested in us. 'At one point I got a little bit close to the male on the top of the roof and he took a swipe at the GoPro, and then he proceeded to chew on it. Filmmaker and photographer Von Schoenebeck became increasingly comfortable with the pair of cheetahs who visited his car . The older female of the pair was a little more circumspect but the young male had no hesitation in jumping on the roof . Von Schoenebeck films the young male from up close before the moment he gets a little too close for comfort . Von Schoenebeck, who's spent most of his life in South Africa, said the cheetahs' presence on his vehicle eventually attracted safari guests. 'Tourists would often see us and within five minutes we would have 20 vehicles around us and we would have to stop filming - suddenly we would become the viewing point,' he said. With such interest not conducive to filming his documentary about the world's fastest land animal, he took the chance to become more familiar with the cats. One cheetah climbs onto the car via the spare tyre on the back before using the car as a vantage point to look over the grass plains . Boris got closer and closer to the cheetahs as their regular visits became more and more regular . The filmmakers became the attraction as tour guides brought safari tourists to see the cheetahs on their car . The majestic cats, the world's fastest land animal, make the most of the vehicle to get a view of their flat, expansive habitat . The visiting cheetah has had enough for the day and leaps gracefully from the roof of the vehicle . 'It was just amazing to be able to get so close to two cheetahs, and for them to be so comfortable with us,' he explains. 'Normally we're looking at them 300m away.' After the male cheetah got its nashers into his GoPro, one of many photographic devices at his disposal, Boris didn't seem too bothered. Though he did admit: 'Maybe we need a new lens.' Danger is no stranger to Von Schoenebeck, whose previous feature film Black Mamba Kiss of Death concentrated on the lives of the deadly snake that can deliver enough neurotoxins in a single bite to kill 15 men. | Filmmaker Boris von Schoenebeck is shooting a documentary about cheetahs in Tanzania .
The German-born, South Africa-based photographer enjoyed regular visits from two big cats .
He got so close to one of the cheetahs that it swiped his GoPro from his hand and chewed on it . |
222,691 | ac495dd06ab81b8f0c26a9b99fc902158331b238 | By . Alex Ward . PUBLISHED: . 04:42 EST, 27 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 04:43 EST, 27 July 2012 . Accused: Frank Saucier allegedly enticed children into his postal truck to 'play house' A postman has been accused of sexually assaulting children in his delivery truck after enticing them into his vehicle to ‘play house’. Former US Postal Service (USPS) worker Frank Saucier, 44, was arrested on April 26 in Manchester, New Hampshire after children told their parents he had invited them inside his truck, police said. The postman allegedly assaulted several children while on his postal route on the west side of Manchester. In the games, Mr Saucier would allegedly play the ‘dad’ and sometimes pretend to be driving the parked vehicle according to The Manchester Union-Leader. Mr Saucier was originally arrested for allegedly smacking a 10-year-old boy inside his truck and as investigations continued, more charges involving other children, aged seven to ten-years-old, came to light. Originally charged with assault, police investigators have now accused the man from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts of several charges including six counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, one felony charge of indecent exposure and one charge of sexual assault. On his postal route: Mr Saucier allegedly assaulted several children while working . Yet to be convicted: Mr Saucier, who was working in Manchester, New Hampshire when the alleged incidents occurred, is expected to front court again in August . The USPS released a statement in response to the allegations on the day of Mr Saucier’s arrest. It reads: ‘This isolated incident is not representative of the honesty and integrity of postal employees serving our nation today. ‘The Postal Inspection Service will continue to enforce the laws that protect and prevent the American people from criminal acts. ‘Even with today’s arrest, the individual charged is entitled to a presumption of innocence until he or she has been convicted in a court of law.’ Mr Saucier fronted Hillsborough County Grand Jury last Friday to hear the charges and an arraignment date expected to be set sometime in August. | Frank Saucier, 44, was arrested after allegations he had smacked a 10-year-old in his postal truck .
The former postman now faces several charges including aggravated felonious sexual assault .
Police allege he enticed children into his truck to 'play house' while on his postal route . |
83,182 | ebdc9f3b832e2e6c625fa285460ae12be05ccaf6 | By . Rob Waugh . PUBLISHED: . 05:07 EST, 25 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 05:26 EST, 25 July 2012 . Disease hub: New York's JFK airport is the worst possible place for a traveller infected with a new illness to travel through, according to a new study . New York's JFK airport is the worst possible place for a traveller infected with a new illness to travel through, according to a new study. Travelling through JFK would mean the largest possible likelikhood of a global epidemic resulting from infected travellers. Public health crises of the past decade — . such as the 2003 SARS outbreak, which spread to 37 countries and caused . about 1,000 deaths, and the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic that killed about . 300,000 people worldwide — have provided girim reminders hat new viruses or . bacteria could spread quickly across the globe, aided by air travel. The MIT study used mathematical modelling to predict which airports would play the largest role in spreading disease. Small airports such as Honolulu can play a disproportionately large part - others Los Angeles, Honolulu, San Francisco, Newark, Chicago (O'Hare) and Washington (Dulles). ‘Our work is the first to look at the . spatial spreading of contagion processes at early times, and to propose . a predictor for which 'nodes' — in this case, airports — will lead to . more aggressive spatial spreading,’ says Ruben Juanes, the ARCO . Associate Professor in Energy Studies in CEE. ‘The findings could form the basis . for an initial evaluation of vaccine allocation strategies in the event . of an outbreak, and could inform national security agencies of the most . vulnerable pathways for biological attacks in a densely connected . world.’ Spreading the sickness: Police officers wear masks at Cairo airport, as a precautionary measure against influenza A (H1N1), commonly referred to as swine flu in 2009 . 1.New Yorks JFK . 2 Los Angeles, LAX . 3. Honolulu . 4. San Francisco . 5. Newark, Chicago (O'Hare) But a new study by researchers in MIT's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) shifts the focus to the first few days of an epidemic, determining how likely the 40 largest U.S. airports are to influence the spread of a contagious disease originating in their home cities. This new approach could help determine appropriate measures for containing infection in specific geographic areas and aid public health officials in making decisions about the distribution of vaccinations or treatments in the earliest days of contagion.Unlike existing models, the new MIT model incorporates variations in travel patterns among individuals, the geographic locations of airports, the disparity in interactions among airports, and waiting times at individual airports to create a tool that could be used to predict where and how fast a disease might spread. Existing models typically assume a random, homogenous diffusion of travelers from one airport to the next.However, people don't travel randomly; they tend to create patterns that can be replicated. Using González's work on human mobility patterns, Juanes and his research group — including graduate student Christos Nicolaides and research associate Luis Cueto-Felgueroso — applied Monte Carlo simulations to determine the likelihood of any single traveler flying from one airport to another. Spreaders of disease: The new study looked at which of 40 U.S. home airports would have the worst impact on spreading disease . ‘The results from our model are very different from those of a conventional model that relies on the random diffusion of travelers … [and] similar to the advective flow of fluids,’ says Nicolaides, first author of a paper by the four MIT researchers that was published in the journal PLoS ONE. ‘The advective transport process relies on distinctive properties of the substance that's moving, as opposed to diffusion, which assumes a random flow. If you include diffusion only in the model, the biggest airport hubs in terms of traffic would be the most influential spreaders of disease. But that's not accurate.’For example, a simplified model using random diffusion might say that half the travelers at the Honolulu airport will go to San Francisco and half to Anchorage, Alaska, taking the disease and spreading it to travelers at those airports, who would randomly travel and continue the contagion.In fact, while the Honolulu airport gets only 30 percent as much air traffic as New York's Kennedy International Airport, the new model predicts that it is nearly as influential in terms of contagion, because of where it fits in the air transportation network: . Its location in the Pacific Ocean and its many connections to distant, large and well-connected hubs gives it a ranking of third in terms of contagion-spreading influence. | New York's JFK ranks first out of 40 U.S. airports .
Mathematical model of disease spread created by MIT team .
Could help contain next H1N1 or SARS outbreak . |
168,537 | 65fff0ea9ac0570bb4936b01bca64dfa440952e6 | As shark sightings and beach closures continue across the country, swimmers have found another way to keep themselves entertained on the sand. Selfies have emerged on social media of the fearless and brave beachgoers posing in front of a shark warning sign looking seemingly happy as they smile for the cameras. It comes after hundreds of swimmers were forced to dash for the shores at Manly and North Steyne beaches on the Northern Beaches of Sydney after a shark was spotted in the water on Sunday. Instagram photographs show beachgoers and local residents posing alongside the ‘Shark sighted today – Enter the water at your own risk’ signs as they strike a pose. Scroll down for video . One woman was spotted looking afraid and screaming for help in front of the warning sign. She captions: 'Hanging with the sharks of oz. #sharksighting #manlybeach #straya #aintskeerd' Despite the warning, a young boy posted a selfie with a caption saying that he still entered while other swimmers were spotted in the background casually enjoying their day in the water. One woman shared a cheeky photograph of herself with the warning sign in the back, as she appears to look afraid and it seems she was screaming, presumably for help. Others smiled happily as they pointed at the sign to capture the moment while others said the shark scare didn't stop them from entering the water. The selfie craze follows as a procession of sharks alerted swimmers and surfers out of the water at the weekend as beachgoers continue to upload their selfies of the sign as a keepsake. Not even a shark sighting deterred one man from entering the water. He captioned: 'Needless to say, I still entered #nofear #manlybeach #sharkscare' Two women were spotted with the warning sign as they happily smile and pose at the camera . This woman captioned: '#Fact: Most shark attacks occur in less than 5 feet of water! Did that stop me from going in the ocean at #ManlyBeach? NOPE!' While Newcastle beaches have reopened on Monday after being closed for a record of 10 consecutive days following the sighting of a great white shark off the coast. A five metre shark was first spotted off Merewether beach on January 10, prompting the closure of all six beaches across the coastline of NSW as several jet skis and speed boats scoured the water. Several other sharks, including tiger sharks feeding on dolphins were seen along the coast but authorities have reopened the beaches after jetski patrols found no sign of the sea creatures. Last Friday, a 17-year-old boy was bitten on the hand by a shark after he went spearfishing off Mollymook beach on the South Coast of NSW. Sam Smith was taken to Milton Ulladulla hospital where he is in a stable condition, and later flown to Sydney for specialist treatment. One woman posed under the sign as swimmers are spotted in the water, despite the warnings placed in front . While this man played by the rule books, captioning: 'I might just stay on the sand today #manly #sydney #australiatravel #manlybeach #shark #sea #australia' This swimmer making a memory for himself by posing with the shark alert sign . While this man contemplates whether or not he should jump in the water. He captions: 'Let's go to the water?' | Beachgoers have taken to social media to upload 'shark signs selfies'
Other swimmers were spotted swimming at the beach despite the warning .
It comes after hundreds of swimmers were forced to evacuate on Sunday .
The selfie craze follows as a procession of shark sightings across NSW . |
152,736 | 51625f94066c0106f539507da31e26fd99e65f51 | (CNN) -- Germany's Nico Rosberg ushered in Formula One's new era with a dominant victory in the Australian Grand Prix Sunday as defending four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and polesitter Lewis Hamilton were forced to retire. Rosberg finished 24.5 seconds clear of Australia's Daniel Ricciardo, with rookie Kevin Magnussen in third, the first Dane to occupy a podium spot at a grand prix. But just hours after Australia's Ricciardo had celebrated a stunning debut for Red Bull in front of his home crowd, his dreams came crashing down. Ricciardo was excluded following a decision by the FIA, the sport's governing body, that he had breached fuel consumption rules. McLaren's Magnussen moved up to second and his teammate Jenson Button was promoted to third. Red Bull said in a statement: "Inconsistencies with the FIA fuel flow meter have been prevalent all weekend up and down the pit lane. "The team and (engine supplier) Renault are confident the fuel supplied to the engine is in full compliance with the regulations." Ricciardo's teammate and world champion Sebastian Vettel suffered a sorry opening to the season. The German slipped back through the field after starting from 12th on the grid, unable to engage full power in his car before pulling out on lap six of 57 at Albert Park in Melbourne. The same fate also befell Hamilton, who was passed by his Mercedes teammate Rosberg off the start and retired after only three laps. A crash on the first corner saw Kamui Kobayashi's return to F1 with Caterham come to abrupt end, taking out an unhappy Felipe Massa in the Williams. Massa's teammate Valtteri Bottas showed the car was competitive, charging through the field until he brushed the wall on the 10th lap. Debris from the crash meant the safety car was deployed, although Finland's Bottas was able to recover to finish a fine sixth. All the while the unflappable Rosberg was never under any serious challenge as he raced to his fourth career F1 victory. He was quick to praise his team for giving him such a dominant car under the radical new regulations deployed for the 2014 season. "What a car you have given me, what a car," he said on race radio as he celebrated. Rosberg, whose father Keke won the 1982 world title, summed it up during the podium celebrations: "I took off from the start like a Silver Arrow and after that the car was really quick today." Outside the podium positions, Jenson Button underlined McLaren's early pace by finishing immediately behind his teammate Magnussen in fourth, with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso battling for fifth for Ferrari. Bottas, who lost lost his right rear wheel in his earlier crash, was able to limp back to the pits for new tires and worked his way back again to claim three more points than Williams managed in the entire 2013 season. Veteran Brazilian Massa may well have also been prominent, but was left fuming by Kobayashi's early antics which left both of them in the gravel. Japan's Kobayashi immediately took to Twitter to apologize for "messing up" but Massa was calling for a "big penalty" over the incident. Race officials later blamed the crash on a serious brake problem with the Caterham and said they would be taking no further action against the driver. On a day when up and coming stars such as Ricciardo and Magnussen were able to challenge the established F1 order, a new record was set by Daniil Kvyat of Russia. His 10th spot for Toro Rosso meant at 19 year, 10 months and 18 days he became youngest driver to claim points in a grand prix, a mark previously held by Vettel. Other points were taken by Nico Hulkenberg for Force India in seventh, with Kimi Raikkonen crossing eighth in his Ferrari and Jean-Eric Vergne in ninth, just ahead of teammate Kvyat. McLaren has the early lead in the constructors' title after the sterling performances of Magnussen and former world champion Button. Despite his early exit, Vettel took comfort from the performance of Ricciardo after Red Bull's early season testing had been blighted by difficulties. "Although we have started on the back foot we have learned an awful lot, and when the package comes together we will be competitive," said the 26-year-old. Hamilton knows his Mercedes is capable of racing at the front of the grid, but warned that all the teams were grappling with the big changes to the cars. "This is a new era, this is what is happening. You can't expect us all to finish the race without a few problems," said the Briton after his retirement. A total of 14 drivers out of 22 were officially classified in the race results, but all the teams will be working frantically before the second round of the championship in Malaysia in a fortnight. | Nico Rosberg wins F1 season-opener in Australia .
Daniel Ricciardo finishes second but excluded .
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel retires early .
Polesitter Lewis Hamilton also fails to finish . |
12,491 | 2361b4990f78a4d977f5923f45497b41a22f04c5 | Swansea have been told St Etienne target Franck Tabanou is going nowhere by the Ligue 1 club's president Bernard Caiazzo. It emerged on Tuesday that Swansea were keen to sign the versatile former France Under-21 international, who can operate on either the left side of defence or in attack. Tabanou's agent Philippe Lamboley said: 'The two clubs are in discussions, but I cannot confirm a bid has been made.' Swansea want to sign Frank Tabanou but St Etienne president Bernard Caiazzo is adamant he won't leave . But St Etienne president Caiazzo has dismissed talk of Tabanou making a £3million move to south Wales and says the player will be staying put at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard to help the club's push for Champions League football. St Etienne currently lie fourth in Ligue 1, four points behind third-placed Paris St Germain. 'Tabanou will not leave this winter', Caiazzo told Eurosport. Tabanou's side are currently fourth in Ligue 1 but he may find it difficult to turn down a move to Swansea . 'Even if we receive a good offer, he will stay at the club for sure.' Swansea, who sold top scorer Wilfried Bony to Manchester City in a deal which could climb to £28million through add-ons, are still looking to strengthen their defence despite the £5m capture of full-back Kyle Naughton from Tottenham last week. Manager Garry Monk wants to provide competition for Neil Taylor as the Wales defender is the only recognised left back at the club and he has also been linked with a January move for Norwich's Swedish international Martin Olsson. Garry Monk is looking at add Tabanou to his squad to provide competition for left back Neil Taylor . The Welsh club signed full back Kyle Naughton from Tottenham but Monk still wants to strengthen his defence . | Swansea have been chasing St Etienne's Frank Tabanou in January .
French clubs president Bernard Caiazzo says 'he will not leave this winter'
Tabanou is a versatile player who can operate at left back or left wing .
Manager Garry Monk wants to provide competition for Neil Taylor .
Follow all the latest transfer news here . |
116,836 | 22d20256c981ca21441a0faa061d62931326a826 | By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 09:32 EST, 3 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 13:40 EST, 3 December 2012 . David Oliver Relin, the co-author of the best-selling novel Three Cups of Tea, has committed suicide at age 49, a year after details of the book were called into question. Relin killed himself in the Portland-area town of Corbett, Oregon on November 14 and died of a blunt force head injury, medical examiners said. They declined to provide any further details. His family said the married author and humanitarian journalist 'suffered from depression' and that a police statement providing more information would be released this week. Relin co-wrote Three Cups of Tea with Greg Mortenson, which recounts how Mortenson built schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Relin suffered . emotionally and financially after readers and critics doubted facts in . the book. Scroll down for video . Tragic: David Oliver Relin (right), who co-wrote the best-seller Three Cups of Tea with Greg Mortenson (left), about how Mortenson set up schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, has killed himself, aged 49 . The book, which has sold four million copies since it was published in 2006, came under scrutiny in April last year when '60 Minutes' and Jon Krakauer claimed it contained numerous fabrications, and even sparked a court case. The book had been conceived as a way to raise money and tell the story of the . Montana-based Central Asia Institute, which Mortenson co-founded in 1996 to build . schools. But readers alleged that some of the schools Mortenson's charity, the Central Asia Institute, claimed it had set up either did not exist . or were built by other charities. Also doubted was Mortenson's account that he stumbled into the village of Korphe in Pakistan after trying to climb a mountain, and decided to build a school there after the residents saved him. His previous writings had made no . mention of his being lost or wandering into Korphe, and he also . previously indicated that he originally planned to build the first . school in another village. Award-winning: Relin, right, enjoyed a stellar career as a humanitarian journalist throughout the 1990s . Troubled: But Relin suffered emotionally and financially after readers doubted facts in the book . Another claim, that he was kidnapped by Taliban on a visit in July 1996, was said to be untrue. Mansur Khan Mahuud, allegedly pictured as one of his 'Taliban' captors, is the research director of an Islamabad think tank and told 60 Minutes that the men were not kidnappers, but protectors: 'This is totally false and he is lying. He was not kidnapped.' Scrutiny: The authors came under fire for allegedly fabricating parts of the best-selling book . And there were also claims that his charity . had mismanaged funds and that a chunk of money had been used to promote . the book, rather than support his schools. In April, a judge rejected a lawsuit . by four people who bought the book, who claimed the authors, the . publisher, and the charity had conspired to . make Mortenson into a false hero to sell books. U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon . called the claims overly broad, flimsy and speculative. Mortenson . had denied any wrongdoing, though he has acknowledged there were 'some omissions and compressions' in the book. He agreed to repay the charity more than $1 million . for travel and 'personal charges' he made as he promoted the book. Relin did not speak publicly . about the charges, but he hired a lawyer to defend himself in the lawsuit. The book's agent, Elizabeth Kaplan, said that the relationship between Relin and Mortenson had been difficult from the outset, the New York Times reported. Mortenson was often hard to contact as he travelled to remote areas, and Relin also spoke publicly about how Mortenson should not have been named as a co-author. And, as Mortenson address critics of the book during an April 2011 interview with Outside magazine, he attempted to direct the blame away from himself. He said that Relin did 'nearly all the writing' and that the two collaborated to create 'the narrative arc'. 'What happens then is, when you re-create the scenes, you have my recollections, the different memories of those involved, you have his writing, and sometimes things come out different,' he said. Scrutiny: The book follows the adventures of co-author Greg Mortenson, pictured in Wakhan, northeastern Afghanistan in 2009, as he set up schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan . 'In order to be convenient, there . were some omissions. If we included everything I did from 1993 to 2003 . it would take three books to write it. So there were some omissions and compressions, and... I don't know, what that's called?' The . legal wranglings came after Relin, who was born in Rochester and lived in Portland, had . enjoyed a stellar career as a humanitarian journalist committed to . telling stories about young people in need. He . also reported from East Asia, and spent two years writing about . Vietnam's growing educational and financial stability after he spent a . year traveling through the country on bicycle in 1992. According to one online biography, he won more than 40 national awards for his work. 'He felt his causes passionately,' Lee Kravitz, the former editor . of Parade who hired Relin for various publications throughout the 1990s, told the New York Times. 'Dishonest': But critics claimed some parts of the book had been fabricated and Mortenson, left, later admitted some facts were wrong. Relin suffered emotionally and financially in the aftermath . 'He . especially cared about young people. I always assigned him to stories . that would inspire people to take action to improve their lives.' He leaves behind his wife, Dawn, 47, his mother, his stepfather and two sisters. He had also completed a new book, which will be published in the spring, about two doctors working to cure cataract-related blindness in the developing world, the Times reported. Mortenson, 52, lives in Montana with his wife, a clinical psychologist, and their two young children. His biography describes him as 'a living hero to rural communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he has gained the trust of Islamic leaders, military and militia commanders, government officials and tribal chiefs from his tireless effort to champion education, especially for girls.' VIDEO: David Oliver Relin delivers college commencement speech . | Relin died from blunt force trauma injury on November 14 .
Family said he suffered from depression .
Co-wrote Three Cups of Tea with Greg Mortenson about Mortenson setting up schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan .
Four readers brought lawsuit alleging authors and their charity had lied in the book to boost sales and donations - but it was dismissed .
Mortenson admitted there were 'omissions and compressions' in book . |
234,240 | bb3d7a1759c4f1ff8a129f8553646e2583870c22 | A pro-democracy demonstrator has threatened to throw himself from a bridge in the latest dramatic protest scenes to hit Hong Kong. Police armed with pepper spray and batons clashed with demonstrators in the Mog Kok district, in Kowloon, overnight. Tens of thousands of people, many of them students, have poured into the city's streets in the past week to peacefully protest China's restrictions on the election for the city's top leader. But the area has been witness to violent clashes between pro-democracy student protesters and their antagonists over the weekend. The demonstrator shouted and waved to crowds below, threatening to throw himself off the bridge as he protested against the blocking of the roads near the Government Complex. Protesters are calling for open elections and the resignation of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who last night agreed to hold talks with the protest leaders in a bid to calm the growing unrest. Scroll down for video . A man threatens to throw himself off the bridge as he protests against the blocking of the roads near the Government Complex in Hong Kong. Thousands of pro democracy supporters continue to occupy the streets surrounding Hong Kong's Financial district . The demonstrator shouted and waved to crowds below, threatening to throw himself off the bridge as he protested against the blocking of the roads near the Government Complex . Protesters are calling for open elections and the resignation of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who last night agreed to hold talks with the protest leaders in a bid to diffuse the growing unrest . As the standoff between the protesters and the government entered its eighth day, tempers flared and patience was waning among residents who oppose the occupation of the streets and the disruption it brings. Police said they had to disperse the crowds with force early this morning because they provoked officers with verbal abuse, while the students accuse police of failing to protect them from attacks by mobs intent on driving them away. The students claim that police had allied with criminal gangs - including triads - to clear them, but the government has vehemently denied it. The city's top leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, appeared on television last night to once again urge everyone to go home, saying key roads paralyzed by protesters need to return to normal by Monday. People clean the face of a protester after he was sprayed with pepper spray during a pro-democracy protest in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong last night . Policemen surround a man who unsuccessfully attempted to damage a tent set up by pro-democracy protestors and then fell after claiming to have been hit by the activists . Anger: Members of a crowd gathered around a tent set up by pro-democracy protestors shout and gesture. The area has been witness to violent clashes between pro-democracy student protesters and their antagonists over the weekend . Fierce clashes broke out in the Mog Kok district, in Kowloon, between officers armed with batons and pro-democracy protesters . Fresh clashes broke out in Mongkok overnight as police deployed pepper spray and batons against angry crowds of pro-democracy protesters who accused officers of failing to protect them . A pro-democracy protester recovers after he was pepper sprayed by police in Mongkok, Hong Kong. Tens of thousands of people, many of them students, have poured into the city's streets in the past week to peacefully protest China's restrictions on the election for the city's top leader . Two police officers shout at pro-democracy demonstrators. The protests are the strongest challenge to authorities in Hong Kong - and in Beijing -since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997 . 'The government and the police have the duty and determination to take all necessary actions to restore social order so the government and the 7 million people of Hong Kong can return to their normal work and life,' Leung said. On Sunday, the atmosphere on the streets was tense amid fears police may use pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the protesters, as they did last weekend. The University of Hong Kong, among others, warned students to leave the streets. 'I am making this appeal from my heart because I genuinely believe that if you stay, there is a risk to your safety,' said Peter Mathieson, the university's president. 'Please leave now: You owe it to your loved ones to put your safety above all other considerations.' Fashion statement: A woman displays the word democracy on her leg at a pro-democracy rally near the central government offices in Hong Kong today . People attend a democracy classroom next to a barricade of pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. Beijing has promised that the city can have universal suffrage by 2017, but it says a committee of mostly pro-Beijing figures must screen candidates for the top job . Pro-democracy protesters take a rest on the occupied road during the ongoing protests of mass civil disobedience campaign Occupy Hong Kong . Student leaders called off planned talks with the government until officials respond to claims that police tolerated attacks by alleged mobsters . The protests are the strongest challenge to authorities in Hong Kong - and in Beijing - since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Beijing has promised that the city can have universal suffrage by 2017, but it says a committee of mostly pro-Beijing figures must screen candidates for the top job. The protesters are also demanding Leung's resignation, but he has refused. The next steps are uncertain, after student leaders called off planned talks with the government until officials respond to claims that police tolerated attacks by alleged mobsters. Police had earlier arrested 19 people in the brawls in Mong Kok, including eight men believed to have backgrounds linked to triads, or organized crime. 'In the last week we have seen the police have cooperated with gangs and triads. They are no longer law enforcers. I don't think they deserve our respect anymore,' said accountant Tony Chan, 26. Pro-democracy protesters rest against a roadside barrier on a street outside the Hong Kong Government Complex. Thousands of pro-democracy supporters continue to occupy the streets . On Sunday, the atmosphere on the streets was tense amid fears police may use pepper spray and tear gas to disperse the protesters, as they did last weekend. The University of Hong Kong, among others, warned students to leave the streets . The government said today it was happy to talk to the students, and that it hoped protest leaders would cooperate and allow the reopening of the roads outside the government's headquarters. Thin streams of protesters were gathering Sunday in Admiralty, a key ground for the movement, following a massive rally lasting hours Saturday. The arrival of three police vans at the protest ground outside Leung's office sparked tensions, as protesters worried the vans carried arms that could be used against them. Police negotiators tried to persuade protesters to let the vans through and said they carried only food and water for officers. 'I believe there will be lots of people who want to stop the police clearing this place. But if the police use rubber bullets, or real bullets, there will be many people who will leave the place because it will be too dangerous,' said Jack Fung, 19, a student. Fung said he supported allowing civil servants to go back to work Monday, but he believed protesters should block Leung from entering his office. In Mong Kok, the violence calmed later Sunday but rowdy crowds kept up loud and heated street arguments. Many residents and business people are fed up with the disruption, saying they want to return to normal life as soon as possible. Police officers carrying guns patrolled the area, and at least one officer was seen carrying tear gas canisters. Johnson Cheung, 26, was among about 60 of the movement's opponents. He said he supported the freedom of expression, but complained that the protesters are driving away tourists and income for businesses. 'This is a public place, people need to use this road, people need to live here,' said Cheung, who works in a duty free shop. 'The students don't need to make a living, their parents pay for them. But we have jobs, we have to live.' In Admiralty, an unidentified man who opposed the protests drew media attention when he stood on a footbridge as if to jump. Firefighters opened an air cushion beneath him as he demanded the students leave. 'You've been out here a whole week. I have three kids who need to go to school and I need to go to work,' he shouted at the crowd. | Man threatened to throw himself from bridge as he protested against the blocking of roads near Government Complex .
Police armed with pepper spray and batons clashed with demonstrators in Mog Kok district, in Kowloon, overnight .
Protesters are calling for open elections and the resignation of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying .
Chun-ying last night agreed to hold talks with the protest leaders in a bid to head off the growing unrest . |
184,732 | 7b484c6dff93b1f69ecab9572c4303dfbed0a257 | By . Matt Chorley, Mailonline Political Editor . PUBLISHED: . 09:13 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 10:23 EST, 27 January 2014 . David Cameron today warned if Labour was put in the nation’s driving seat it would repeat the mistakes of the past and drive the economy ‘into the same wall’. The Prime Minister took a swipe at the opposition, after Ed Balls suggested he would borrow more and reinstate the 50p tax rate for highest earners even if it brought in no extra money. Mr Cameron warned increasing the tax rate from 45p may be ‘politically convenient’ but would be ‘very, very bad for our economy’. Scroll down for video . Prime Minister David Cameron used a speech to the Federation of Small Business to warn increasing the top rate of tax would cost jobs . Shadow chancellor Mr Balls announced at the weekend that he would restore the 50p rate for earnings over £150,000 as part of an economic plan to balance the books, run a budget surplus and cut the national debt if Labour is returned to power in 2015. He denied that the deficit left by Labour was a problem and e even boasted that if he had his time in power again he would have spent even more money in some areas. Mr Cameron told BBC Radio 4: ‘You saw what Ed Balls said yesterday, which as far as I can see was that if he had his time over again, he would probably spend even more. ‘I think these people who seem to have learnt absolutely nothing from what went wrong with our economy, that the problems were based on too much borrowing, too much spending, too much debt, and they’re really saying: “If you gave us the key to the car, we would drive it in exactly the same way into exactly the same wall”.’ Mr Cameron later met small businesses including boat builder and restorer John Watson at Lots Ait Boatyard in Brentford, west London . Mr Cameron later told a conference of the Federation of Small Businesses in London that the Labour proposals may be ‘politically convenient’ but would be ‘very, very bad for our economy’. ‘We've cut the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p. I think it was the right step to take. I always knew it wouldn't be particularly popular but I thought it was the right thing to do because I want to take steps in this country that are going to encourage investment, going to encourage jobs, going to encourage growth, going to encourage business to invest more,’ said the PM. The plan to increase the top rate of tax sparked a ferocious response from business leaders, with 24 warning in a letter to the Daily Telegraph it would ‘put the economic recovery at risk’ and cost jobs. Mr Cameron added: ‘From all the reaction I've seen over the last 48 hours since Ed Balls and Labour made their announcement, it only confirms me in that view. ‘We've now got former Labour minister after former Labour minister alongside a huge number of people in business to say that putting up the top rate of tax would cost jobs, cost investment, it is an anti-business, anti-enterprise, anti-growth measure. ‘I would argue that, just as I think what George Osborne and I did was right for the economy but politically difficult, Labour are now doing something that's politically convenient but is very, very bad for our economy’. Mr Cameron warned Labour was putting political point-scoring ahead of what was good for the economy but Labour's shadow chancellor Ed Balls insisting taxing people earning more than £150,000 would help to bring down the deficit . However, increasing the rate of tax rate for the highest earners is hugely popular with voters. Mr Balls told BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine that the Prime Minister and Chancellor George Osborne ‘know in their heart of hearts they can't justify a massive tax cut to the richest when everybody else is worse off and paying more tax’. ‘I think a fair approach to deficit reduction means those with the broadest shoulders need to bear their share of the burden,’ he said. ‘I don't think this is an anti-business move, I don't think it's bad for Britain. I think it is a fair way to get the deficit down.’ Asked if it was not already a fair share that the top 1 per cent of earners paid 29.8 per cent of all income tax, he said their proportion was so high ‘because people are earning huge amounts of money, and rightly so in some cases’. The 50p rate had raised £10 billion more than expected, he said, and the subsequent cut to 45p had cost the Exchequer £3 billion and given top earners an average £10,000 tax cut. | Prime Minister claims opposition would borrow more to keep spending .
Ed Balls announced Labour would increase top tax rate from 45p to 50p .
But Cameron insists it is 'politically convenient' but will not raise money . |
216,245 | a3f19e4d3bf5c13864e73eaa2cf16494525372dc | Steve Bruce is aiming to cause an upset in Saturday's FA Cup final, and it will make a welcome change from his last visit to Wembley, if he does. The upset then was on a purely personal level, and he was on the receiving end after a ruthlessly blunt message from Sir Alex Ferguson an hour or so before kick-off in the 1996 final against Liverpool. Traditionally turned out in a specially-tailored Cup final suit, Bruce was soaking up the atmosphere with his Manchester United team-mates when Ferguson took him aside and told him he wouldn’t be in the team. Not that afternoon, not ever again. All smiles: Hull manager Steve Bruce is hoping Saturday's FA Cup final can erase his Wembley misery . Road to Wembley: Hull take on Premier League rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup final on Saturday . Tough to take: Bruce was told his Manchester United career was over shortly before the '96 FA Cup final . A brief spell at Birmingham followed, but ask him to reflect on a glittering playing career, and Hull City’s manager will pinpoint that brief conversation on the Wembley turf as the moment it all ended. As he prepares to lead Hull out against Arsenal, he hopes his return to a rebuilt Wembley will provide him with the sharpest of contrasts, emotionally. Asked about the pain of losing to a Paul Rideout goal against Everton in ’95, the former United skipper said: ‘The ’96 final was worse, when Fergie told me on the pitch I wasn’t playing. That’s when I found out. It was about half-one. I’d had a hamstring and had missed the previous three weeks, but, even so, it wasn’t easy to accept. ‘He just told me there and then. To be fair to him, it was his way of saying: ‘"Steve, thanks very much, this is it for you." Sure enough, it was. It was the most disappointing thing for me, the most disappointing moment of my career. A couple of years earlier, I became the first English player to lift the double, which was a brilliant moment for me personally, but this was the other extreme. Red Devil: Bruce, pictured playing against Blackburn in 1995, spent nine seasons at Old Trafford . ‘He left it that late for a reason, and it is something I have taken into management. If you name your team at the beginning of the week, you are going to have 11 ecstatic players and 11 absolutely destroyed for the rest of the build-up. He would always leave it late for big games, and that was his way of keeping everyone on their toes until shortly before kick-off. Mind you, it has taken me 20 years to get over it! ‘Looking back, it was his way of breaking it to me that I wasn’t just missing the Cup final. He was saying your time’s up, mate. For me, that was the end of my career. I stood there, and it began dawning on me that I was finished at Old Trafford. It was a case of saying to myself: “Look Steve, you’re 36, you’ve had a fantastic innings, but that’s it.” I had to try and take all that in, but it wasn’t easy. ‘Eric Cantona scored the winner late on, but I couldn’t even tell you whether I got a medal. Apparently I did, but I don’t regard it as the same, because I didn’t take part in the final. I suppose if you play in the earlier rounds, you deserve it, but everyone wants to be involved in the final. That’s just human nature. Match-winner: Eric Cantona celebrates after scoring against Liverpool in the '96 final but Bruce admits he couldn't say whether he received a medal or not . ‘I’ll have to do the same to some of my players, and tell them they’re not in the team, and I’m not looking forward to it. It doesn’t matter whether you put them in an office, a room somewhere or out on the pitch, it’s something they won’t want to hear. If they’ve got any professional pride about them, which these boys have, they are going to be desperately disappointed. ‘From a personal perspective, much as my last visit hit me hard, this one could more than make amends. Without question, there is more pride and satisfaction from going to Wembley as a manager than as a player, and if we can win, it would be the highlight of my career. ‘Somehow, it has lost its glamour over the past 15 years, but when you get to the semi-final and final, it is still something to enjoy and savour. Behold the beauty of the FA Cup is upon us. Mighty Arsenal against tiny Hull. That, for me, is what makes it great.’ Special day: Hull City's players at Humberside Airport en route to London ahead of Saturday's FA Cup Final . Waiting game: Hull players stand and wait with their luggage before boarding a flight to London . Bruce provided an insight into his relationship with controversial owner Assem Allam and revealed that he thought long and hard before accepting his job offer. ‘After what happened at Sunderland, the next job was always going to be crucial to me, and when this one came up, a lot of my pals said: “Steve, are you sure?”,’ he recalled. ‘They were a mid-Championship side at best, and when I went to the chairman’s house, here in Hull, he offered me a salary which I think I was earning in 1984! But I actually found that quite endearing. I said: “Do you want me to do it for nothing?” There was almost a bit of naivety about him, and I just thought that was terrific after some of the things I’d experienced as a manager. Giving: Hull City chairman Assem Allam gave a local hospital in Hull £7million last week . ‘What can I tell you about him? He doesn’t have a mobile phone, for one thing. In fact, he hasn’t got anything new-fangled, really. He considers a mobile an intrusion in his life, but at least it means I can’t get sacked by text message. ‘He has been here 50 years and lives three miles away, and he gave the local hospital £7million last week. He has given more to this community than probably anyone has, and he is a genuinely nice man. ‘I don’t think he could ever envisage we would reach an FA Cup final, but then none of us could. I’m delighted for him, just as I am for the players and supporters. But the job’s not done yet. It’s only a great day at Wembley if you win. That’s the challenge we face, finding a way of beating Arsenal.’ | Steve Bruce leads Hull City into the FA Cup final against Arsenal on Saturday .
Tigers boss hoping to erase previous Wembley misery .
Former Manchester United defender was told his Old Trafford career was over shortly before the 1996 FA Cup final against Liverpool . |
131,365 | 35e01cce9e722390e8dff12d5591fcbab3dc68db | By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 04:33 EST, 26 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:57 EST, 26 April 2013 . Victimised: Sadia Raza, 49, was harassed by her boss Graham Holland at a Christianity retreat centre . A former housekeeper from Asia has won £43,000 compensation after being asked 'is that how they run hotels in Pakistan?' as she felt harassed by her boss at a Christian retreat centre. The comment to Sadia Raza, 49, was made after general manager Graham Holland was unimpressed by the way she had made up a room. The single mother was chided and abused in front of colleagues for no reason at the Whirlow Grange Christianity Centre in Sheffield, a tribunal heard. On another occasion, Mr Holland picked up a cheesecake dessert in the staff canteen and said: 'If I drop this plate Sadia will lick it up off the floor.' Mr Holland, who is married with three children and a keen motorcyclist, also asked the Pakistan-born worker while in the kitchen: 'Do you fancy a ride?' Not realising this was a smutty double entendre, Mrs Raza replied: 'Oh yes, whereabouts?' Mr Holland then said: 'How would you like something red hot and throbbing through your legs.' Mr Holland also told Mrs Raza she should have a relationship with an Indian-born security guard at the centre saying: 'He wants to stay his visa has expired.' Once he reduced her to tears when he told her to 'f*** off' as she attempted to wipe clean spilled tea on a lunch table in front of him. And on another occasion he told a tradesman: 'Oh here she is. This is who gives free hugs to . people.' The tribunal ruled that Mrs Raza had been 'upset and humiliated' by Mr Holland's behaviour. Mrs Raza told the tribunal Mr Holland was 'aggressive and insulting' towards her as if he was 'speaking to an errant ten-year-old child.' She won her claim for unfair dismissal and victimisation and partly succeeded in a harassment claim following a three-day hearing in Sheffield. However, her claim of race and sex discrimination were rejected. Mr Holland and Mrs Raza's employers had denied all the allegations. The incidents all happened while she was working part-time for 16 hours a week at the residential conference and spirituality centre in Sheffield where the Archbishops of York and Canterbury have stayed in the past. After she got a second job as a care assistant at a Leonard Cheshire home to boost her income she was sacked after just a fortnight there because of a poor reference from Whirlow Grange management. She then took out employment tribunal proceedings against Whirlow in February 2012. Abuse: Mrs Raza, 49, was victimised and unfairly dismissed from Whirlow Grange, in Sheffield, the tribunal ruled . She was hauled before a disciplinary meeting and two months later sacked for gross misconduct - over allegations that she sexually harassed four men at the centre. Abuse: Married father-of-three Graham Holland who made crude remarks about his motorbike . Management claimed she pinched the bottoms of the male employees, cuddled and flirted with them, even suggested to one man that they go up to his flat. But none of these witnesses were produced at the Sheffield tribunal and Employment Judge Philip Rostant said 'the tribunal draws an inference that the allegations are not true in their substance or at any rate amount to gross exaggerations of the experience of these men with the claimant.' Whirlow Grange and Mr Holland, who lived in Chesterfield, claimed Mrs Raza 'conducted a number of acts of . gross misconduct' involving sexually harassing the head chef and bar . supervisor and was sacked after a 'reasonable' internal investigation. The tribunal ruled several other claims made by Mrs Raza were 'outlandish' and that she could be 'irritating' towards Mr Holland on occasions. But Mr Rostant said she had suffered 'appallingly unfair treatment' during the disciplinary procedure and the panel accepted she was 'upset and humiliated' by Mr Holland's behaviour. After winning compensation the single mother who is divorced and has a 17-year-old son said: 'Mr Holland told other staff he was a born Christian but his behaviour towards me was hardly Christian-like.' Mrs Raza, from Sheffield, a British Asian who came to the United Kingdom 18 years ago, had worked in a Citizen's Advice Bureau, for a letting agent and as a cleaner before taking the job at Whirlow Grange in November, 2009. Christian centre: The Archbishops of York and Canterbury have stayed at Whirlow Grange in the past . She earned just £93 a week in her job which involved cleaning, helping in the kitchen and general household duties. Since she was sacked she has lived on £71 a week Job Seekers Allowance and has suffered ill health which requires her to see a psychiatrist once a month. She claims her former 'sunny disposition' was wrecked after her dismissal and blames Mr Holland, who left Whirlow Grange in September last year, for her plight. Her doctor says she is suffering from 'enormous stress' and is currently unfit for work. She is practically penniless and still has a mortgage and bills to pay and represented herself at the tribunal after running up legal bills of £2,500. She said: 'I was accused of flirting with everybody from the chef to the gardener. It was all rubbish just to fabricate a claim of sexual harassment against me. 'In the beginning I thought Graham Holland was a good person. Then he started bullying me to the point where I used to cry at work. He barked at me like a bulldog and swore at me for no reason. 'He treated me like a piece of dog dirt. He didn't speak to any other member of staff like that. He couldn't stand me for some reason and made my life hell.' Whirlow Grange and Mr Holland jointly have to pay the £43,000 compensation. He is liable to pay £3,000. A spokesman for Whirlow Grange has not yet responded to a request for comment. | Single mother Sadia Raza, 49, was harassed by manager Graham Holland .
He said if he dropped a cheescake 'Sadia will lick it up off the floor'
She says Mr Holland's behaviour was 'hardly Christian-like' |
118,396 | 24dd8e18713760d869bf7651d4f5b53b3b484e58 | By . Peter Allen . The head of one of Monaco's richest families has died from gunshot wounds following a suspected Mafia hit. Hélène Pastor, a 77-year-old heiress who was close to the royals who run the Mediterranean principality, was hit by a hail of bullets on May 6. She and her chauffeur were attacked outside L'Archet hospital in the French city of Nice, which is a short drive from Monaco. Forensic experts investigate the car in which Helene Pastor was critically injured on May 6 . It is believed Mrs Pastor has been visiting her son in hospital before the shooting happened . Now Mrs Pastor has died in Nice's St Roch hospital, where medics had carried out a number of operations. Her driver, 64-year-old Mohammed Darwish, also succumbed to wounds in the face, neck and stomach – dying on May 10. Investigators suspect two of Italy's most notorious crime syndicates, the 'Ndrangheta and the Camorra, of carrying out the double assassination. Both crime gangs are said to be building property portfolios on the French Riviera as they expand their field of operations. Mrs Pastor's family own buildings worth billions in the area, and detectives believe the Mafia were trying to muscle in. Mrs Pastor had been visiting her son, Gildo, who runs a car hire company, at the Nice hospital when a solo gunman struck. Witnesses said the gunman used a large pump-action shotgun in the suspected 'hit' Reports suggest Mrs Pastor's driver may have been the main target of the shooting . Prince Albert II of Monaco issued a statement expressing 'deep support' for the Pastor family . In a classic Mafia-style hit, he shot both Mrs Pastor and her chauffer in the head and stomach with a pump-action shotgun through their car window. Following the attack, the hit man jumped into a waiting getaway car drive by another man, and then sped off. A witnesss said: 'I saw the gunman turn back towards me with his big gun and a bag. I thought he was coming for me. I was terrified for my life.' French MP Eric Ciotti expressed his 'extreme shock' at the double assassination, while Prince Albert II of Monaco issued a statement expressing 'deep support' for the Pastor family. Mrs Pastor was the sister of Michel Pastor, the former chairman of AS Monaco football club who died in February. The Marseille prosecutor has now opened a judicial enquiry into the double murder, parts of which were captured on CCTV. 'We are studying frozen images of the attack in an attempt to identify the attackers, and witnesses,' said an investigating source. He said that an alleged blackmailer had been contacting the Pastor family, and was currently undergoing 'psychiatric tests'. The source said: 'He claims to know the background to the attack, but his version may be based on what he has seen in the media.' Mrs Pastor's grandfather was an Italian immigrant who developed large part of Monaco before handing his business over to her father, Gildo Pastor. The principality is a tax haven which is regularly linked with organised crime gangs, as well as prominent individuals who want to keep the source of their wealth a closely guarded secret. | Hélène Pastor shot when gunman opened fire on her car on May 6 .
Both her and her chauffeur were hit in the head and neck in the attack .
Now heiress Mrs Pastor has died in Nice's St Roch hospital .
Her driver, 64-year-old Mohammed Darwish, also succumbed to wounds .
Police say the attack may have been ordered by Italian organised crime .
Pastors control a multi-billion pound property empire on southern France . |
49,964 | 8d4992a7b1f0af615fb14e6657fdf189d66c2d29 | England have been training ahead of the autumn international fixtures against New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Samoa at Twickenham. With a new gym complex and Dasso pitch at Pennyhill Park in Surrey, England's players were put through their paces on Tuesday morning. However, having added nine players to his squad, England head coach Stuart Lancaster has admitted it is unlikely Luther Burrell will be fit for the opening Test with New Zealand after the Northampton centre sustained a hand injury. England head coach Stuart Lancaster instructs as his players are put through their paces at Pennyhill Park . England pair Billy Twelvetrees and Owen Farrell pass the ball during Tuesday's training session . Burrell, who has seven caps, was withdrawn shortly after half-time of Northampton's European Champions Cup victory over the Ospreys with an injury to his right hand. Burrell is still to join up with England's squad and will see a specialist on Tuesday to discuss a scan, but time is running out for him to face the All Blacks, the reigning world champions, at Twickenham on November 8. 'I think it would be tight for New Zealand, if I'm being honest,' Lancaster said. Luther Burrell is set to miss England's clash with New Zeland after sustaining a hand injury for Northampton . The centre is still to join up with England's squad and will see a specialist on Tuesday to discuss a scan . 'He's not been in camp this week at all. He's seeing the specialist and it will probably unfold over the weekend. 'He's still in the equation further down the line. He's definitely not out the series. We'll see how he goes. 'If the specialist is positive, then potentially he could come back into camp next week, but he won't have done any of the work. Samesa Rokoduguni passes the ball during the England training session . England trained in Surrey where the team's brand new gym complex and Dasso pitch are located . 'It would be a big step to put him in (against New Zealand).' Burrell is more likely to be involved in the Tests with South Africa (November 15), Samoa (November 22) and Australia (November 29). Lancaster added: 'We'll have to wait and see what the specialist says. A little bit more optimistic than originally, certainly no surgery at the moment.' | Stuart Lancaster admits Luther Burrell is likely to miss New Zealand clash .
Northampton centre sustained a hand injury .
England team were put through their paces at Pennyhill Park on Tuesday . |
10,828 | 1ecc3d64a2663f206e42154ab1bdc6d622424ec2 | By . Mia De Graaf for MailOnline . A former Morgan Stanley executive was caught on tape admitting he filmed sex acts with three women for his own enjoyment, a report claims. John C Kelly, 32, has denied unlawful surveillance, claiming the cameras were simply there to monitor his puggle. But his defense could take a blow as one of his victims is said to have recorded the moment she confronted the financier. Confession? John C Kelly denied secretly filming three women perform sex acts and claimed he was monitoring his puggle Maddy (pictured). But one of his victims allegedly recorded his confession . The recording watched by the New York Post hears Kelly allegedly stammer: 'I'm not innocent, I've said exactly what I've done. 'I lied about having sex with someone else and I videotaped it for my own watching enjoyment. Which is weird but...' His 37-year-old victim, an Ivy League graduate, hits back: 'I didn't know that you were filming it and I trusted you'. Emotional, Kelly continues to take the blame: 'It was once. And I had totally forgotten about it. Like I never had watched it.' The woman, who is Indian, then calls on Kelly to explain why the video was titled 'India Research'. After imploring him to apologize, she is then shouted down with the words: 'Big f–king deal. I never showed anyone.' 'I videotaped it...which is weird': The 32-year-old former financier allegedly confesses all to his victim in a tape . The confrontation is said to have come before Kelly was arrested at his Manhattan apartment last November - around the time he was fired by Morgan Stanley for writing bad checks. He was accused by prosecutors of recording sex acts with three women dozens of times between May 2011 and December 2012, charged with unlawful surveillance and attempted unlawful surveillance to which he pleads guilty. But Kelly blamed his dog for the videos - claiming he had set up cameras in his Manhattan apartment to keep an eye on his pooch, but the device accidentally caught his sexual escapades. 'It’s on and sometimes stays on. So I accidentally recorded myself having sex because it’s always recording,' police say Kelly told them February 26, 2013. Kelly, son of civil attorney John Q Kelly, also allegedly recorded the women at their own apartments, setting up his open laptop facing the bed and claiming he needed the computer to respond to work emails, the New York Post reported in June. Disgraced: Kelly, the son of a top lawyer, was also fired from Morgan Stanley for writing bad checks . A lawyer for one of the victims says he uploaded at least some of the videos to video sharing sites YouTube and Vimeo. Attorney Daniel Parker, who represents one of the women at the center of the case, argues the X-rated recordings were made using such a sophisticated surveillance system featuring a hidden camera, a webcam and a phone application that it could not have been an accident. Victims ‘did not consent to such images being recorded and defendant did not have permission or authority to record or possess such images,’ prosecutors stated in his arraignment. The breasts, buttocks and vagina of one of the victims could be clearly seen in the video, officials said. The case has been adjourned until December 11. | John C Kelly, 32, is accused of filming sex acts with three women .
Former Morgan Stanley executive claims he was monitoring his puggle .
But one of his victims, an Ivy League graduate, 'recorded him confessing'
Kelly was fired from the bank for writing bad checks last November . |
170,132 | 68320e319356a6527645b0953f771f88969d3cd8 | By . Paul Milligan and Mario Ledwith . PUBLISHED: . 21:35 EST, 4 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 15:35 EST, 5 January 2013 . A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and two others detained after shots were fired at police in Belfast during violent protests. A water cannon was fired at a group of more than 100 protestors, who attacked police officers with bricks, smoke bombs and fireworks in the eastern area of the city. Unionist demonstrators have been protesting following a decision to limit the number of days on which the Union flag is flown at Belfast City Hall. Arrests: A 38-year-old man has been arrested in Belfast on suspicion of attempted murder after shots were fired at police in the city during violent protests . Cannon: Fire fired a water cannon at demonstrators during violent protests in East Belfast . Bombarded: A group of protestors fired bricks, fireworks and smoke bombs, pictured, at riot police during violent protests in Belfast . Violence: Police in riot gear were called in to deal with protests but were bombarded by bricks and fireworks . A further four men have been charged with a number of public order offences and will appear before at Belfast Magistrates' Court tonight. Three of the men were arrested on Friday night, while another was arrested following rioting this afternoon. Two other men remain in police custody. More than 1,000 demonstrators had . marched on at the landmark earlier in the afternoon, but despite tense . scenes the rally passed off without major incident. There . was a heavy police presence, including officers in riot gear with dogs, . stationed within city hall itself and on surrounding side streets. But as the flag-waving crowds dispersed, ugly scenes erupted on the Newtownards Road in the traditionally unionist east of the city. A section of the Newtownards Road - between Bridgend and Hollywood Arches - was shut down because of the sporadic disorder. There were no immediate reports of any police injuries. 18 people were arrested after nine . police officers were injured in Northern Ireland last night as part of the protests. There were also reports on TV that shots were fired. More than 30 petrol bombs, along with . fireworks, ball bearings and masonry, were hurled at police officers in . a sustained attack on officers in east Belfast last night. Up to 300 . people were involved in the disturbances. Rioting . began a month ago after a vote by mostly nationalist pro-Irish . councillors to end the century-old tradition of flying the British flag . from Belfast City Hall every day unleashed the most sustained period of . violence in the city for years. Response: The police water cannon is used to douse smouldering debris on a street in Belfast . Under fire: Police officers came under fire in East Belfast, according to reports . Demonstrations: More than 1,000 people marched outside Belfast City Hall earlier today without incident . Destruction: Burning debris blocks the Newtownards Road in East Belfast . Three attempted vehicle hijackings . were made in the Beersbridge Road area. A business premises on the . O'Neill Road was also broken into by several masked men, who damaged the . property and stole a sum of money. The PSNI said they will be seeking . further arrests in the coming days in relation to the disorder and have . appealed for witnesses. Conall . McDevitt, SDLP policing spokesman, said those organising the . demonstrations on social media must be held fully responsible for the . resultant violence. 'I . appeal for calm today and over the weekend and ask people taking part in . protests to reflect upon the violence and ask themselves if they want . to be associated with that violence and if that is the best way that . they feel they can have their voice heard,' he added. 'Nobody is in doubt that some . paramilitaries are exploiting these illegal protests to destabilise the . situation and ultimately bring violence back on to our streets.' Flare: Officers in riot gear gather by a police Landrover with the remains of a petrol bomb, thrown by protesting Loyalists in east Belfast . Spark: Rioting began a month ago after a vote by mostly nationalist pro-Irish councillors to end the century-old tradition of flying the British flag from Belfast City Hall every day . Flag protests: Several police officers were injured during loyalist violence in Northern Ireland over the right to fly the Union Flag . Attack: Police in east Belfast were dealing with serious public disorder in the Castlereagh Street and Templemore Avenue areas last night . Last night, Stormont First Minister . Peter Robinson said violence against the police was a 'disgrace' and . those behind days of unrest were playing into the hands of dissident . republicans. On Thursday 10 police officers were . injured in East Belfast during a demonstration against the decision to . reduce the number of days the union flag is flown from Belfast city . hall. 'All right-thinking unionists will . want to channel their energies into political activity and to support . the cause of finding political solutions to the problems that we face,' Mr Robinson said. 'In Northern Ireland the ballot box has primacy and is the only vehicle for choosing the people's representatives.' Police . in east Belfast were dealing with serious public disorder in the . Castlereagh Street and Templemore Avenue areas last night. No notice: A police officer in riot gear walks past members of the public at a bus stop in central Belfast . On guard: PSNI officers on patrol as protestors make their way towards the Shankill Road . Isolated: Armour-plated police Jeeps are attacked by youths throwing petrol bombs . Gathering: Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson said violence against the police was a disgrace and those behind days of unrest were playing into the hands of dissident republicans . | 38-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder .
Two other men detained after reports of gunfire directed at police officers .
Four others charged with a number of public order offences .
Crowd of demonstrators hurled .
fireworks, bricks and petrol bombs .
1,000 loyalist demonstrators marched at Belfast City Hall earlier today . |
185,329 | 7c0e9d90c17af31231c80ddbf73ab14e77eb91df | Hong Kong (CNN) -- Japan's Toyota Motors has revved ahead of U.S.-based General Motors in 2012 to reclaim the title of world's biggest auto manufacturer. This week, Toyota announced global sales of 9.75 million vehicles, even beating its own forecast of 9.7 million. GM earlier this month had announced global sales of 9.29 million vehicles for 2012 -- about 460,000 fewer vehicles. The gap is "fairly sizeable...about 5% or so," says Chris Richter, CLSA Senior Analyst, Japanese Autos in Tokyo. However he sees Japan's return to the top in 2012 as simply "going back to the natural order of things" after Asia's second largest economy was devastated by the 2011 quake and tsunami. "It's not that General Motors did anything right. They got a free pass in 2011 because the other team (Toyota) wasn't on the field. What we saw in 2012 was a more normal situation in terms of pecking order of global sales." "In 2011, Japan had too many negative events which led to a shortage of (vehicle) supply," agrees J.P. Morgan's Kohei Takahashi, a Tokyo-based auto analyst. "If there were no such kind of events, Toyota should (have been) number one (that year)." With Toyota's return to the top, the question remains "how does it manage to succeed" just as its tech cousins in Japan have become infamous for hemorrhaging billions of dollars in losses. Panasonic in 2012 reported a record loss of $9.68 billion, while Sony reported a record $5.7 billion loss in last year's fiscal year through March. Meanwhile, Sharp Corp owes $31 billion to the banks. While a perceived lack of creativity and innovation plagues Japan's tech industry -- as well as a yen hitting post-WWII highs last year -- "it has a lot to do with a difference in the nature of the auto and tech industries" and a traditionally stronger emphasis on reliability and quality in the former, says CLSA's Richter. With tech products "consumers are very price motivated. They expect a television to work for several years but when they want to change it they'll chuck it in the bin. But if you buy a new car, you expect it'll work every day you own it and when you resell it you want it to hold its value," he adds. For Japanese automakers, "perfection and quality of the product matter a lot." Toyota and GM . In the United States, the world's second largest auto market after China, General Motors is the country's top-selling brand, while Toyota is number three, after Ford Motor. But domestically in Japan, Toyota is number one as U.S. automakers have little penetration in the country. That likely will not change, says CLSA's Richter. "American automakers wouldn't invest in Japan because it's already very crowded and very competitive." With profit margins in the "low single digits," Richter adds that Japanese automakers don't make much money in Japan as it is. "Ford wouldn't go in" and any idea that Japan makes it difficult for American automakers to enter the Japanese market is just a "political smokescreen to attract government help from Washington." Richter says the U.S. auto market provides for profit margins in the "high-single" or "low-double digit" range. Toyota and Volkswagen . While Toyota and GM claimed the top two spots in 2012 global market sales, Volkswagen Group sold 9.09 million vehicles to pull in at number three. Last year was the first time Western Europe's most dominant automaker broke the nine-million vehicle barrier. Volkswagen passed that milestone not because of stellar sales in Europe but because of BRIC countries, including Brazil and China, where it enjoys growing market share, says Richter. Europe is a place where "global automakers go to lose money" because "current economic conditions are bad," he says. Just earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its forecast for the eurozone, predicting the region's economic activity would contract for a second consecutive year. "To the advantage of Japan's automakers, they don't have a large presence in Europe. For European automakers, it (the economy) is a big millstone around their neck in deep water," he adds. Toyota only has a 5% market share in Europe, says Kohei of J.P. Morgan. Toyota and Hyundai . While the shadow of successful South Korean tech firms -- like Samsung which posted a record $6.6 billion profit last week -- continue to loom large over their loss-making competitors in Japan "over the next two to three years, Japan will outperform South Korean automakers in terms of sales volumes," predicts Kohei. South Korea's Hyundai, the country's largest automaker, has recently seen strong demand with supply barely keeping up. And between 2007 and 2012, auto website Edmunds.com revealed the average price for a Hyundai vehicle rose more than 10%, beating the 7.5% industry average rise. "A couple of years ago, Hyundai went through a very powerful product cycle," says Richter. The Sonata became Hyundai's answer to the Toyota Camry; Hyundai's Elantra to Toyota's Corolla. But that has now changed. "Japan is at the peak of their product cycle (and) is recovering from the 2011 disaster. We had a new Camry about this time last year. We had a less expensive version of the Prius -- the Prius C as it's marketed in the U.S. We've had new Lexus launches, relaunches of the Avalon and RAV 4." "In terms of durability, Japan is still better than Korea," adds Kohei. They (Japan) spend lots of money on R&D. In some design and marketing, Korea is better than Japan -- Honda has even started to benchmark Korea as an index of design. (But) Korea's improvements are not a sustainable trend." Toyota's sales volumes will be the highest in Asia over the next few years, concluded Kohei. And depending on growth in China, it may continue to be tops in the world. | Toyota reclaims title of world's biggest automaker from GM in 2012 .
'GM didn't do anything right in 2011; Toyota just wasn't on field,' says CLSA's Richter .
Japan quake, tsunami in 2011 devastated country's economy, supply chains .
'Japan to continue to outperform' over next few years, says J.P. Morgan's Kohei . |
130,655 | 34f9cb46b27beb9bb00257c0fcfd33a0248bfe45 | President Barack Obama spent last weekend on the golf course and on vacation in Palm Springs, California while his National Security team took charge of monitoring the increasing unrest in Iraq, it was revealed on Monday. According to reports filed by journalists on the trip of the president's comings and goings, President Barack Obama spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday at exclusive resorts playing golf with White House aides. Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and her team were tasked with coming up with a plan to stop al Qaeda linked terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from overtaking Baghadad. Some U.S. embassy workers were also evacuated from Iraq on Sunday while the president was out golfing. President Obama also gave the University of California-Irvine commencement address during his trip to California. Here is screaming the student chant 'Zot, Zot, Zot,' as he makes the symbols of the Anteater, the school's mascot . White House spokesman Josh Earnest assured reporters in a series of statements over the weekend that president Obama was calling Rice every evening and every morning during his trip to get an update on the ongoing bloodshed in a Iraq and the measures the U.S. could take to counter the Islamic extremist group's violent ascension to power. 'The President asked her to continue to stay in close touch and provide additional information as necessary,' Earnest said in statement on Sunday. President Barack Obama, greets members of the military at before leaving Los Alamitos, California, to head back to Palm Springs on Saturday . The president briefly met with the troops at their families before jetting back to Palm Springs . On Friday evening President . Obama traveled to Palm Springs, California, with First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia . for a Father’s Day weekend getaway. The first family stayed at a private residence in the gated community of Thunderbird Heights in Rancho Mirage with White House decorator Michael Smith and his partner, James Costos, the American ambassador to Spain, during their three-day stay. Early Saturday morning President Obama left Palm Springs to make a short side trip to Laguna Beach to appear at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser, where 25 of the president’s supporters donated up to . $32,400 a piece to participate in a hour-long meet and greet with Obama. Obama then gave . the commencement speech for the University of California-Irvine at Angel Stadium before returning to Palm Springs by way of Los Alamitos Army . Airfield in Los Alamitos, California. There he spent a few minutes meeting with locally stationed troops and their families before jetting back to Palm . Springs to play golf at the Sunnylands estate with White House aides Joe Paulsen and . Marvin Nicholson. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave to people gathered on the tarmac, as they depart Air Force One at the Palm Springs International Airport in Palm Springs, California on Friday . The first couple was greeted on the tarmac by California Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., second from left, and her husband Stewart Boxer, left . Obama again went . golfing on Sunday, Father's Day, with Nicholson and Paulsen at the 246-acre Porcupine Creek Estate. The president and his crew spent five hours on the golf course before retiring back to Rancho Mirage on Sunday afternoon. The President's holiday was met with indignation by Republicans who felt his attention ought to be on keeping Iraq from falling into the wrong hands. 'Well, this is a crisis. It does call for a response, not going to Palm Springs for a fundraiser, House Homeland Security committee chair Mike McCaul said Sunday morning on ABC News. 'I am glad Obama likes Palm Springs,' former California Rep. Mary Bono Mack tweeted. 'Just wish he would enjoy it after he . retires but stay focused now on the perils in the Middle East.' South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham called Obama 'delusional' and 'detached' for not taking the situation in Iraq seriously enough. 'If Baghdad falls, if the central government falls, a disaster awaits us of monumental proportions,' he said. As of Monday morning ISIL had not taken Baghdad, but it had conquered the northwestern Iraqi city of Tel Afar. President Barack Obama is taking flak for spending his weekend out on the links instead of figuring out how to save Iraq from destruction. There are no pictures available of his golf outings on Saturday and Sunday, but here is a picture of the president playing golf at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course earlier this year while on vacation in Hawaii . Concern over the rising tide of violence in Iraq reached a tipping point on Sunday afternoon, and the State Department announced that it was relocating some of its staff stationed at the U.S. embassy in Iraq. 'Overall, a substantial majority of the US embassy presence in Iraq will . remain in place and the embassy will be fully equipped to carry out its . national security mission,' State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. Pentagon press secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, said on Sunday that the State Department had called on the military to provide additional security at the U.S.'s diplomatic facilities . in Baghdad. On Saturday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel dispatched an aircraft carrier and two ships carrying missiles to the Persian Gulf region. President Obama said on Friday that the U.S. was considering an . airstrike on militant groups, but he had not yet made a decision at that . time on whether or not he intended to proceed with military action. The . first family is scheduled to leave Palm Springs at 10am local time . today and will arrive back at the White House tonight at 5:30 EST. | Over the weekend the violence in Iraq reached a tipping point, forcing the State Department opted to evacuate some some of it's staff and put in a request for military assistance .
Islamic extremists continued ransacking Iraq and executing civilians and Iraqi troops as they battled their way to Baghdad .
President Obama left National Security Adviser Susan Rice and her team in charge of monitoring the situation and coming up with an appropriate solution while he went on vacation .
Obama spent Saturday afternoon and a large part of Sunday at posh golf courses in Palm Springs, California .
White House spokesman Josh Earnest says the president called to check in with Rice at the start and end of his days . |
204,565 | 94d5ca3c062dfd1175223f2d8642f4a4bdf70a3c | The Guinean village widely viewed as Ebola's Ground Zero, where the first proven patient, a two-year-old boy, fell ill and died in December last year, has been cracked to the core. Meliandou, a small village at the top of a forested hill reached by a rutted red earth track, is known throughout the world as the birthplace of the most recent Ebola outbreak. Today villagers here are in debt, stigmatized, hungry and still angry and deeply suspicious about who or what brought the disease that has devastated their lives. A young girl plays with hair in the Guinean village of Meliandou, some 400 miles south-east of Conakry, Guinea, believed to be Ebola's ground zero . Children listen to the village chief in the communal room in Meliandou, where villagers are in debt, stigmatized, hungry and still angry and deeply suspicious about who or what brought the disease that has devastated their lives . Meliandou, a small village at the top of a forested hill reached by a rutted red earth track, is notorious as the birthplace and crucible of the most deadly incarnation of the Ebola virus to date . In Meliandou, as in many other villages in areas in West Africa affected by Ebola, the disease is shrouded in mystery, surrounded by suspicion and rumors. People here still believe that Ebola was disseminated by white people seeking the deaths of blacks, including through a measles vaccination campaign; by a laboratory testing bats to create a vaccination against the virus; by politicians from a rival tribe bent . It is a question scientists have yet to answer conclusively, although they have come to Meliandou to test great apes and bats as possible sources. When 2-year-old Emile Ouamouno caught a fever, started vomiting, passed blood in his stool and died two days later, nobody knew why. Now Emile is widely recognized by researchers as Patient Zero, the first person to have died in the latest Ebola outbreak back on December 28 last year. Etienne Ouamouno's son, Emile is widely recognized by researchers as Patient Zero, the first person to have died of Ebola back on December 28 last year . Children carry sanitization kits supplied by UNICEF in the Guinean village of Meliandou . A group of young girls return to the village of Meliandou, home of Ebola's Patient Zero . Women gather in Meliandou to prepare grains as life goes on beyond Ebola in the little village . In the meantime, Ebola has left Emile's grandfather, 85-year-old Kissy Dembadouno, without hope. Dembadouno has locked the room in his house where the child died. 'Eight people died in that room. It must remain closed,' he said. 'All that is left for me is to wonder why God gives me any more days on this Earth.' Meliandou is a village of about 400 people — down from 600 last year, after dozens of young men abandoned it in the belief that the Ouamouno family or the entire village was cursed, according to the village chief. The village doctor, Augustin Mamadouno, was among the first to flee, and the clinic is shuttered and shunned as a place of death, not healing. Those left here are gaunt, skin stretched tightly over their bones, with the only false signs of fat being the cruelly bloated stomachs of malnourished children. Families crowd into two-roomed houses built from home-made mud bricks. Their 'kitchens' are open fires outside marked by three blackened stones. Etienne Ouamouno, Emile's father, hugs his arms to his chest, as if for comfort, when he talks about the many deaths in his family, especially that of his only son. 'I was so traumatized by the deaths,' said Ouamouno. 'I think we still are.' Like most of the villagers, he's also broke. When Ouamouno took his son to the village doctor, he had to pay 20,000 Guinea francs ($2.75) for medication. It did no good. More expensive and useless trips to the clinic followed as Ouamouno's 4-year-old daughter died, then her mother, eight months' pregnant, followed quickly by the grandmother, an aunt and the midwife who delivered his wife of a stillborn baby. Ouamouno had no money to pay for the burials and feed the many mourners who came from other villages to perform a mass funeral rite. So he borrowed 1 ½ bags of rice and 250,000 francs (about $35) — more cash than he sees in a year — and killed his last goat. He says it will take him a year to pay back his debt. A child grabs food from a woman in a poor village that has become even poorer in the wake of Ebola . Village treasurer Facine Ouamouno said everyone contributed to the village coffers, but that borrowing to pay for all the burials in Meliandou has emptied the communal chest . Bernard Kamano, the village's health assistant, is the only health worker left from the epidemic that killed the village's three midwives, known here as 'wise women' Even the little he had was lost, when everything was burned to avoid contamination. As he complains of the chilly nights, he puts his arm around one of his surviving children, 6-year-old Marie, who snuffled from a cold as snot ran down her nose. 'I don't own a blanket to cover myself at night,' he said bitterly. 'I don't own a goat ... What I carry is a weight of sorrow.' Before the Ebola outbreak, village treasurer Facine Ouamouno said, everyone contributed to the village coffers to give them a cushion in case of an emergency. But borrowing to pay for all the burials in Meliandou has emptied the communal chest that once held 8 million francs ($1,100). 'This was a catastrophe,' he said. 'Now we have nothing.' Worse than nothing — some of those indebted to the village fund have themselves died of Ebola. In a tragic irony, the burials that bankrupted the village only helped to spread the disease. When people died, their bodies were washed by relatives, in line with tradition. They found out too late that this is one way to pass on Ebola, which can be caught only by direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person. Meliandou — whose name in the local Kissi language means 'This is as far as we go' — has also been left isolated, as neighbors in other villages turned on it. 'People are very, very angry with us, saying the disease started with us,' said village chief Amadou Kamano. Kissi Dembadouno sits in his home in the Guinean village of Meliandou, some 400 miles south-east of Conakry, Guinea. Demnadouno lost his wife, daughter and two grandchildren to the deadly disease. He is Etienne Ouamouno's father in law . Isaac Ouamouno sits in Meliandou, where as in many other villages across Ebola country, the disease is shrouded in mystery, surrounded by suspicion and rumors . Villagers wait for a distribution of sanitization supplies from UNICEF in the school Meliandou . People here still believe that Ebola was disseminated by white people seeking the deaths of blacks, including through a measles vaccination campaign; by a laboratory testing bats to create a vaccination against the virus; by politicians from a rival tribe bent on killing off the forest people; by white miners looking to exploit a nearby mountain of iron ore . Mourners who came to Meliandou refused to eat any of the food or drink the water. Eventually they stopped attending village funerals altogether, a slight that cuts deep in African culture. At one point, they isolated Meliandou for days, Kamano said. They smashed the bridge that leads to town, cutting off access to the only working well and the main road. People in Meliandou have even lost one of their few sources of protein to Ebola. After the virus was officially recognized in Guinea at the end of March, villagers were warned to stop eating 'bush meat' — the fruit bats, cane rats and monkeys that provide protein but that scientists suspect are a reservoir for viruses like Ebola. Without protein, the villagers are less healthy, said the village's health assistant Bernard Kamano, in a country where UNICEF estimates 50 percent of child deaths are related to malnutrition. Kamano is the only health worker left from the epidemic that killed the village's three midwives, known here as 'wise women.' 'They were the ones called to care for people when they became ill,' said Suzanne Leno, who speaks for the women of Meliandou. 'Who will care for us now?' on killing off the forest people; by white miners looking to exploit a nearby mountain of iron ore. Meliandou does have one hard-won victory to be proud of — Ebola is gone, at least for now, and the village is still standing. Kamano is thankful, and credits some of the doctors who came. '(Otherwise) this whole village would be dead,' he said. 'It would have disappeared from the maps.' | The recent Ebola outbreak believed to have started in Meliandou, Guinea .
Emile Ouamouno, two, who died of Ebola last December is 'Patient Zero'
The Ebola outbreak has left the small village and its residents broke .
Many still do not understand what Ebola is and why it has hit their home . |
157,348 | 5771518e8f202ec0ba19df275c041231c478c7ef | Former Premier League footballer Jimmy Bullard has touched down on Australian soil ahead of his appearance on ITV reality show 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' Snapped by photographers as he left the airport with his luggage, Bullard was in high spirits ahead of his latest television appearance. He will be joined in the jungle by former Superbike champion Carl Fogarty, as well as Irish lingerie model Nadia Forde, who is rumoured to be the ex-girlfriend of World Number One golfer Rory McIlroy. VIDEO Scroll down for Jimmy Bullard reveals his best pranks and wind-ups to Sportsmail . Jimmy Bullard was happy to speak to reporters upon his arrival in Australia . Bullard looked relaxed ahead of his appearance on the ITV reality show, 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here' His most famous celebration came in the form of a mock team-talk he gave his Hull team-mates in 2009 . Bullard has raced to the top of the popularity stakes ahead of the show's launch on Sunday, and is 2/1 favourite with bookmakers Coral. Other celebrities taking part include TOWIE's Gemma Collins, rapper Tinchy Stryder and actor Craig Charles. Bullard had a stop-start footballing career, suffering from a number of serious injuries throughout. Despite this, he was always prominent in the dressing room, widely acknowledged as the joker in the pack. Carl Fogarty and Nadia Forde have also both landed in Australia ahead of ITV show I'm a Celebrity . The Irish model said on her arrival that she had come prepared by packing 'lots of bikinis' Forde, pictured modelling Mimi Holiday lingerie, is ready to take part in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! ITV bosses will be hopeful of pranks aplenty from the ex-footballer while he is in the jungle, and Bullard follows on from a host of ex-sportsmen and women who have appeared on the show. Perhaps his most famous celebration came in the form of a dressing-down he gave his Hull team-mates at the Etihad in November 2009. After scoring a penalty for the Tigers, Bullard grouped his fellow players into a circle, before recreating an on-the-pitch team-talk that manager Phil Brown had dished out previously. Forde was reportedly dating World Number One golfer Rory McIlroy, but they have now split . Bullard celebrates scoring from the penalty spot for Hull, against Arsenal at the KC Stadium . | Jimmy Bullard will take part in 'I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' 2014 .
He has arrived in Australia in the lead-up to the show starting on Sunday .
Bullard was immediately installed as bookmakers' favourite to win .
Other celebrities include Superbike legend Carl Fogarty, and Nadia Forde . |
180,888 | 762f02ae17b540c85a1046fb4cd4e122593b10c3 | By . Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 16:18 EST, 1 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 16:18 EST, 1 February 2014 . A college student from Baltimore has turned cruel, anonymous messages that she received on Tumblr 'selfies' into an art project. Photography major Lindsay Bottos, 21, posts pictures of her artwork and the occasonial selfie on her Tumblr page. It was the images of herself that drew . the most vitriol, with internet trolls telling her she was fat, too . thin, ugly, stupid, a slut - and one told her they wanted her to die. The project, entitled Anonymous, features images of Bottos with screen caps of the hateful messages posted over the top. The project calls attention to the harsh words people feel emboldened to say about others - especially women - in an online environment, things that they would most likely never say to someone's face. 'The anonymonity allows people to say whatever they want without any consequences,' Bottos told the Baltimore Sun. 'They want to get a reaction, to bring you down.' Bottos says the hurtful messages are clearly related to her gender. 'I almost exclusively get [cruel anonymous messages] after I post selfies. The authority people feel they have to share their opinion on my appearance is something myself and many other girls online deal with daily. Selfie: Images like this of Bottos have garnered hundreds of negative comments from Tumblr trolls . Take down: Bottos says that people feel compelled to bring others down when they appear confident . Mean: Messages like this one are posted on Bottos Tumblr account by anonymous users constantly . Hateful: The taunts are almost always about Bottos physical appearance . Turning the tables: By using the comments as the basis for art, Bottos has started a conversation about the way women are treated in online environments . Cyber bullying: Anonymous Tumblr users spew venom at others in a phenomenon known as trolling . Hypercritical: Some tell Bottos she's too fat, others imply she starves herself and is too thin . Compulsion: Being anonymous gives people the feeling that they can say anything without the threat of being found out . Sticks and stones: Bottos says she's been dealing with online trolls since she had a MySpace page at 13 . Ugly words: Here, Bottos appearance is yet again derided and the anonymous user hopes that the college student dies - all because she posted a picture of herself . | Lindsay Bottos, a photography major, used screen caps of cruel anonymous messages on her Tumblr page to create a series of photographs .
The negative messages come almost exclusively when she posts a picture of herself .
They reference her appearance - saying she's to fat, too thin, ugly and pimpled . |
119,657 | 269650a50b3a0c5fd83b6978d1bc477b33b41152 | Kate tried her hand at table tennis while Harry joined the basketball court and William took to the football pitch . By . Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent . Her husband and his brother are the sportsmen of the family. But yesterday the Duchess of Cambridge beat them both hands down. While Prince William’s shot at goal on the football pitch was wildly inaccurate and Prince Harry missed all four basketball hoops he attempted, Kate picked up a table tennis bat and showed the menfolk exactly how it was done. She was described as ‘unbelievably talented’ by a coach – despite playing in heels – while trying her hand at the sport as the three young royals attended the launch of a project in South-East London that aims to train the next generation of sports coaches. Scroll down for video . Princess of ping pong: The Duchess of Cambridge plays table tennis as she visits Bacon's College to launch the Coach Core programme yesterday . Hidden talents: Onlookers said Kate was a 'dab hand' at the sport as she ably took on an opponent from the club . Known for her sporting prowess, Kate recently impressed members of the British hockey team too when she took to the pitch to show off her dribbling skills . On the football pitch William . sweated in the heat as he kicked a ball, dribbled it through some cones . and then wildly mis-timed a shot at goal. Prince Harry missed his four shots at goal in the . basketball but Kate looked calm and she played table tennis. Kate looked the picture of summer . perfect in a patterned white and beige Hobbs summer dress, low beige . wedges and with her trademark blowdry. Kate's 'Wessex' dress cost £35 in the sale from High . Street store Hobbs but is sold out. Later on she . changed into more appropriate wear – a white polo shirt and slender blue . trousers – to join William and Harry again to welcome the Olympic flame . at Buckingham Palace. The Duke was joined by Michael de . Giorgio, chief executive of Greenhouse, and chatted to some of the . coaches who were taking the lessons. But William could not resist joining in and lined up with a group of youngsters for shooting practice. The royal shimmied through some cones . then passed the ball to a trainer who returned it for the shot, but . William hit it just wide of an empty goal. With . his head bowed he trudged back to the middle of the pitch but a few . minutes later had the chance to redeem himself when the students were . asked to volley the ball into the net. As William ran forward the trainer . threw the ball into the air and shouted 'keep your eyes on it' but the . royal sent it just over the bar but received the encouraging comment . 'much better' from the coach. In a short speech about Coach Core . William jokingly likened himself to being a 'giraffe on ice skates' on . the football pitch and ribbed his brother Harry about 'cheating' to . become the fastest man on earth - a reference to his legendary race . against Usain Bolt in Jamaica earlier this year'. But he charmingly described his wife, Catherine, as being ' a sight to behold with a tennis or hockey stick in her hand'. The . Coach Core programme is being piloted by the organisation Greenhouse . and will train 16 to 19-year-olds to become qualified coaches and . mentors for their schools and communities. The . hope is that the talented young sportsmen and women will be able to . inspire their students and build a future for themselves in sport. Forget your kit, Kate? She may not have the right attire, but a very game Duchess of Cambridge attempts to dribble a football wearing her Pied-a-Terre wedged espadrilles . If . it proves successful, the foundation aims to roll out the initiative to . other sectors where inspirational young coaches can become role models . for and inspire young people. 'The . Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry . wanted to develop a sports programme in recognition of London hosting . the Olympic Games and developed the Coach Core concept with Greenhouse . charity,' a spokesman for the three said. William made a speech and thanked . John Martin, the Headteacher, the staff and pupils of Bacon's College . for hosting the event and giving himself, Kate and Harry such a warm . welcome. 'Over the next . month, the eyes of the world will be on Great Britain. For us to hold . the Olympic and the Paralympic Games here in London is a great moment . for our Nation, which itself is steeped in sporting history. 'Therefore, . for Catherine, Harry and me there could be no better way of starting . this epic time than being with you here in Rotherhithe, so close to the . heart of London 2012, to launch Coach Core,' he said. The young Royal told of how important coaching is within the sports field. He . said: 'Coaching is a vital part of any sport. Being properly coached, . really knowing about your sport – how to play it, how to train for it, . how to compete - allows you to enjoy it to the full and gain most value . from it. Being properly coached is also the key to success, over the . next few weeks we just need to look over the river to see the power of . coaching. . The Duchess of Cambridge tried her hand at judging a judo match - but stopped short of actually joining in with the contact sport . 'Coach Core will offer 16 to 22 year olds the . opportunity to become first class coaches, taught and mentored by . professionals in their field and in turn passing these skills on to . other young people. Once this year’s pilot scheme is successfully . completed, we hope over the next few years to train hundreds, then . thousands, of young people to become coaches - and in time, transform . the sporting potential, aspiration and enjoyment of many thousands more . across this Country. . 'A . special thank you to all those here today who have already signed up for . the project. Catherine, Harry and I wish you every success in your new . careers as sports coaches.' William and his brother were dressed . equally casually - well, for male royals - in open neck shirts and . chinos. Harry sported a distinctive patterned African belt and brown . suede shoes. He walked onto the five-a-side football pitch where dozens . of school . children were practising shooting, dribbling and passing skills, and . made two attempts on goal after running through a series of plastic . cones. He . put the first shot 6ft wide and the second over the top of the bar. He . later joked with one girl: 'Obviously it was the shoes.' William and Harry asked a group of about a dozen boys and girls which team they supported. Many answered Arsenal or Chelsea. One boy told William he supported the duke's favourite team, Aston . Villa, to which William replied: 'Good man, good man.' Another boy said . Xavi, the Barcelona and Spain midfielder, was the best in the world. William said: 'He is good, isn't he.' The Duke and Duchess prepare to join in a football games, in which William attempts to score - but blames his shoes when he misses. RIGHT, sharing a joke with Harry . We're game! William and Kate discuss tactics ahead of their appearance on the pitch . The Duchess of Cambridge chatted with the children undergoing sports training at the Rotherhithe college, and RIGHT cheered on the games . William, Kate and Harry chatted to the young athletes before he made a speech emphasising how important sports coaching is . William took to the football pitch, while Kate showed her hand at table tennis and Harry played basketball . Basket case: Prince Harry tried his hand at basketball during the visit . Kate looked the picture of summer style in a patterned white and beige Hobbs dress, low beige Pied-a-Terre wedges and with her trademark blowdry . The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry arrive at Bacon's College in Greenwich for the launch of a new sports project . In a short speech about Coach Core William jokingly likened himself to being a 'giraffe on ice skates' on the football pitch . The Duchess of Cambridge arrived by car with William at Bacon's College London . Kate wore a Hobbs dress and her favourite wedges whilst William went for a simple, yet smart look in a white shirt and black trousers . Sport physique: Kate with William as they greet the arrival of the Olympic torch at Buckingham Palace . Meanwhile, at a press conference in Greenwich park, Zara Phillips deflected questions about her Royal connections, saying they had nothing to do with her Olympic pass . Forget the forecast, we Britons only truly know it’s summer when the . Duchess of Cambridge swaps her trusty LK Bennett Sledges for a pair of . Pied-a-Terre wedges - and today she appeared in her summer favourites - . the purse-friendly Imperia (£80). A dressed-down Kate, William and Harry appeared at Bacon’s College in . South-East London today to launch an initiative to help young . sportspeople become coaches. Clad in a customised grey Hobbs 'Wessex' dress (you can pick one up for £35 in the sale at John Lewis), Kate . looked every inch the frugalista. Until, that is, you reach her . immaculately glossy and luxuriously expensive-looking blowdry which . stayed perfectly in place and completely frizz-free as she played a . quick game of table tennis and refereed a judo match. Heatwave? What heatwave? When it comes to chic summer style, Kate takes gold. | Kate tried her hand at table tennis while Harry joined the basketball court and William took to the football pitch .
Prince Charles and Camilla in Tottenham to witness Olympic torch relay before it arrives at Buckingham Palace where it will be greeted by young Royals . |
94,651 | 05a0b195a51479e08904885e6237cdb2cbaca24b | A San Francisco Giants fan brutally beaten and left for dead . outside Dodger Stadium more than two years ago has been . forced to return home to be cared for by his family after his insurance company refused to continue paying for his medical care. Father-of-two Bryan Stow was returning to his car after the opening day game between the L.A. Dodgers and the San Fransisco Giants in March 2011 when he was viciously attacked. He spent months in a medically induced coma after being punched in . the head, kicked and slammed to the ground outside Dodger Stadium. Scroll down for video . Bryan Stow has been forced to return home to be cared for by his family after his insurance company refused to continue paying for his medical care . Bryan Stow, center, has been forced to move back to live with his parents where he is being cared for by his mom Ann, second left, and father Dave, at the back in a blue baseball cap . Stow, a paramedic from Santa Cruz, California, suffered brain damage and was left permanently disabled. He has spent the past year at the Centre for Neuro Skills (CNS), a live-in rehab facility in Bakersfield, where his progress has been slow, but steady. ‘Let us clarify something very . important - Bryan could have benefited greatly by staying at CNS . longer,’ writes Stow's sister Bonnie and mom Ann on a blog dedicated to telling his story and raising funds for his future care. ‘We are so glad to have him home, but as prepared as we thought we were, it was a difficult transition.’ Bryan Stow with his ex-wife Jackie Kain and his two children Tyler, 14, and Tabitha, 10 . Stow has spent the past two years in a series of hospitals and rehab centers since the brutal attack in 2011 . Back in Santa Cruz, Stow is being cared for by his parents and caregivers hired by his family. They are attempting to provide the around-the-clock care they claim he needs, but that his insurance company have decided is no longer necessary and are refusing to cover. 'We are now the ones administrating his medical care, scheduling all his . appointments, and preparing all his meals. We are not complaining… we . have Bryan home! 'At first look and during . conversations, Bryan appears to be doing better, cognitively. But to be . with him as much as we are, we see what others don’t. 'The memory problems, the use of . words that do not belong, the pain he is in and the stiffness in his . body that prevents him from being able to do things on his own. Bryan Stow pictured with his two kids prior to the brutal beating which has left him permanently disabled . Before the incident Stow was a paramedic, left, while after the accident he spent months in a coma . 'Due to a huge cut in therapy . coverage, Bryan has physically experienced a big setback. We do what we . can at home, but he needs the five days a week that he grew accustomed . to. We just don’t know how to get that for him.' Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood were . arrested for inflicting great bodily injury on Stow, 'causing him to . become comatose due to brain injury and to suffer paralysis,' according . to court documents. They were arrested and charged in the attack following a Los Angeles police investigation. Investigators describe the assault as . the culmination of a string of confrontations they had with randomly . selected Giants fans at the stadium. Last June, Sanchez and Norwood were ordered to stand trial on charges stemming from the . attack. Both men have pleaded not guilty. Video: Bryan Stow's long journey home. Click here to watch full-length video . Louie Sanchez, left, and Marvin Norwood deny inflicting great bodily injury on Stow . Stow returned to Dodger Stadium for one of the Giants' world series games last year . | Bryan Stow was viciously attacked as he returned to his car after a game at Dodger Stadium .
He suffered brain damage and was left permanently disabled .
More than two years after the attack his family say he needs 24-hour medical attention but his insurance company are refusing to pay .
The divorced father-of-two is back living with his parents in Santa Cruz . |
132,707 | 379ae132a5edfc5c1a5426b90e0d6ddd241e01fe | The sheer pride, joy and passion that Wayne Rooney felt the moment he secured England's win over Scotland was clear for all to see. And Sportsmail photographer Andy Hooper caught all the raw emotion as the Three Lions captain proved it was far from just another international friendly for him. Scroll down and sink in Rooney's cartwheel celebration for his second goal and England's third as Roy Hodgson's men won 3-1 in Glasgow. Wayne Rooney scores his second goal of the night and England's third as Scotland lost 3-1 at Celtic Park on Tuesday night . England captain Rooney runs away in celebration after scoring his second goal against Scotland on Tuesday night . The England captain runs away in celebration and prepares to do his cartwheel after scoring his second goal against Scotland . Rooney goes down to start his cartwheel celebration after restoring England's two-goal lead against their fierce neighbours . The Manchester United and England striker scored twice against Scotland as he moved closer to becoming their new top goalscorer . Rooney mid-cartwheel against Scotland during England's 3-1 win over their neighbours on Tuesday night at Celtic Park . Rooney pulled the cartwheel celebration out of the bag after securing his brace against Scotland on Tuesday for England . Rooney shows off decent enough form as he makes his way through a cartwheel celebration during the 3-1 win . England captain Rooney scored in the 85th minute against Scotland to secure the 3-1 win in the so-called international friendly . Rooney prepares to land back on his feet after his cartwheel celebration against Scotland as Roy Hodgson's men won 3-1 . Rooney gets ready to punch the air after making it 3-1 against England's rivals Scotland at Celtic Park . Rooney celebrates in front of the visiting England fans as Adam Lallana joins the Three Lions captain after going 3-1 up . Rooney went wild along with the visiting England fans after it was made 3-1 to cap a good night for the Three Lions in Scotland . Rooney celebrates with true passion after scoring his second goal of the night for England to make it 3-1 . VIDEO Hodgson praises attack as Rooney approaches record . Rooney and Lallana celebrate with Sportsmail photographer Andy Hooper getting close to the action . England won 3-1 at Celtic Park over Scotland on a chilly night as Hodgson's men secured the bragging rights . Rooney took a step closer to England's all-time top goalscorer record with two goals against Scotland on Tuesday . | Wayne Rooney doubled England's lead with a header from close range against Scotland in the second half .
Sportsmail photographer Andy Hooper caught Rooney's cartwheel celebration frame-by-frame .
The Three Lions captain became the third-highest goalscorer for England with 45 goals, overtaking Jimmy Greaves .
Rooney re-established England's two-goal advantage in the 85th minute to secure the 3-1 win over Scotland . |
216,754 | a49bfc67e498fee4d14cde6434817ed632a7447d | Hong Kong, China (CNN) -- Hong Kong police said they had arrested two men in connection with an acid attack that injured six people last month. The pair -- ages 18 and 23 -- were taken into custody on Wednesday for questioning in the attack, which involved corrosive fluid being thrown from a building in the Causeway Bay shopping area. A man and five women were injured in the attack, according to police. By Thursday, the younger man was released on bail, while the other was still detained, said Michael Kwan, information officer for the Hong Kong police. Authorities did not say whether the two were being investigated in other similar attacks in Hong Kong, and it was not clear whether the attacks involved a group, individuals or copycats. Police are offering rewards totaling HKD $1.7 million ($219,000) for information leading to arrests in recent acid attacks in five areas of Hong Kong, including the shopping district of Mong Kok. Hong Kong Security Secretary Ambrose Lee on Wednesday said that if an object is dropped from a building and injures someone in public, the culprit could face six months in jail and a HK $10,000 ($1,300) fine. The throwing of corrosive fluid or manslaughter could result in life imprisonment, he added. | Two men arrested in connection with Hong Kong acid attack last month .
Man and five women were injured in the attack in bustling shopping area .
Younger of the two arrested was released on bail . |
169,592 | 677a4bb73da9e87181f393c80378287c0463e712 | By . Associated Press Reporter . A Utah mother accused of killing six newborn babies was addicted to meth and didn't want the responsibility of being a parent, police said. Megan Huntsman is facing six first-degree murder charges after her estranged husband Darren West found a tiny body in a sealed container. DNA results confirmed on Tuesday that West was the father of the six babies believed to have been strangled or suffocated, as well as a seventh believed to be a stillborn. Scroll down for video . Claims: Megan Huntsman, who is facing six murder charges, was allegedly addicted to meth and didn't want to care for her babies, police say . Tests: DNA results show Huntsman's estranged husband Darren West fathered the babies. He is not a suspect . Huntsman, 39, allegedly said she had not been concerned about her babies' health, and didn't want to care for them, authorities told AP. Pleasant Grove police captain Mike Roberts said the 39-year-old was addicted to meth at the time the babies died, from 1996 to 2006. Police had previously declined to discuss a motive in the alleged murders. All seven babies were found in a garage at Huntsman's home, and had been carried to full term. DNA results from the FBI also revealed the sex of the babies, confirming that five had been girls and two were boys. Huntsman, who told police she strangled or suffocated six of the babies, is in jail on $6 million bail. She has not entered a plea. Her husband, West, is not a suspect in the case. Crime scene: The bodies of seven newborn babies were found in the garage of Huntsman's home . Investigation: Police search the garage where Huntsman's husband found one of the seven bodies . He had been living with her during the decade the babies were killed, but from 2006 to January he was in federal prison on drug charges. It was West who discovered the first body after opening a small white box covered with electrician's tape on April 12. Documents state that West also told police he . discovered the baby in a plastic bag with a strong chemical odor . emanating from it. West said there was no decomposition smell, just a chemical odor. Police in Pleasant Grove discovered the six other dead babies after obtaining a search warrant for the house. They were in boxes throughout the garage, wrapped in shirts or towels, documents show. Huntsman . told police in a phone conversation on the day the first body was found . by her husband that the baby was stillborn, and she had been afraid to . go to police or a hospital, the search warrant affidavit says, . She didn't say why she was scared. Grim: Huntsman, pictured in court on April 21, told police she had strangled or suffocated six of the babies . Authorities reported finding bloody leather gloves and women's underwear in the garage, and infant booties and clothes in the master bedroom. Police took stained sections of a mattress in the master bedroom as evidence. During a brief first court appearance in Provo, the shackled Huntsman mostly kept her eyes focused downward as she was informed of the charges. Defense attorney Doug Thompson told reporters afterward that he has spoken with Huntsman and she seemed fine, though he declined to provide details on her state of mind. The FBI had been brought in to help analyze DNA results because no labs in Utah were able to examine the type of DNA taken from the small corpses, police said. | Megan Huntsman, 39, is facing six charges of murder .
DNA results prove her estranged husband, Darren West, was the father .
West, who is not a suspect, discovered the first body in April .
Documents show one of the babies was covered in a chemical .
Six of the seven children were born alive and Huntsman has admitted to either strangling or suffocating them all, court documents say . |
157,023 | 5706f3466623c694fe219f315586cd3ecdb18bb1 | By . Lizzie Parry . A man's scalp was stretched to the size of a grapefruit using an inflated balloon to cover a bald patch left when surgeons removed a tumour and 23cm of skin. Surgeons used the groundbreaking procedure to stretch Chris Stoyanov's skin over his scalp after 17 years of operations to try and remove the tumour tissue. A special bag was inserted underneath Mr Stoyanov's skin and doctors gradually filled it with fluid until it reached the size of a grapefruit. The 30-year-old from Worthing in Surrey had to live with the large growth of six months, taking great care to ensure it did not burst. Surgeons stretched Chris Stoyanov's scalp using an inflated balloon beneath the skin (left). The groundbreaking procedure allowed doctors to cover a patch of baldness left following surgery to remove a tumour. Today, the 30-year-old has a full head of hair after the successful procedure (right) The builder said it had been difficult, especially when it came to sleeping. But the procedure, performed by plastic surgeon Niall Kirkpatrick was a success, and the skin on the back of Mr Stoyanov's head stretched enough to cover his entire scalp, meaning he no longer has the bald patch. Mr Stoyanov said: 'It was very uncomfortable and as it got bigger I had to be more and more careful that it didn’t burst. 'It was a difficult six months but I managed to take things very slowly and carefully and it’s proved a huge success.' The procedure was performed after Mr Stoyanov endured 17 years of operations to remove a tumour. When he was 13 a fatty cyst appeared on the crown of his head. Despite numerous operations in Bulgaria, doctors were unable to remove it completely. Mr Stoyanov said: 'After a few years, it just grew back again. I went back and forth from hospital. 'Surgeons would keep removing the tumour and the skin around it. They had to use skin grafts from my legs to cover the patches and my hair never grew back so I spent nearly seven years in baseball caps.' For 17 years Mr Stoyanov had numerous operations to remove a tumour which began to grow on his scalp when he was 13 years old. After moving to the UK surgeons removed the final tumour tissue, but had to remove 23cm of the 30-year-old's scalp in the process. It left him with a huge bald patch, pictured . Doctors gradually inflated the balloon in Mr Stoyanov's head over six months (left). Plastic surgeon Niall Kirkpatrick was then able to stretch the expanded scalp to cover the bald patch, creating a new hairline (right) Mr Stoyanov finally gave up on treatment in Bulgaria and moved to the UK in 2009. Two years later he consulted his local GP who referred him to specialists in London. Alarmingly, he was told that if the tumour was left to grow untreated it could eventually pierce his skull and prove life threatening. Mr Stoyanov said: 'I had never thought it could be so dangerous and it was quite a shock when I was told what could happen if I just left the tumour to grow. I knew something had to be done.' Surgeons discovered that previous operations had failed to remove all the tumour tissue, leaving it to grow back. Mr Stoyanov pictured following the surgery to create his new hairline . In order to remove all the tissue, . doctors had to remove 23cm of skin from Mr Stoyanov's head, replacing it . with a skin graft from his thigh. But while removing the tumour, it left Mr Stoyanov with a huge bald patch and the prospect of the hair never growing back. But a year later, surgeon Mr Kirkpatrick came up with an innovative solution to his problem. Mr Kirkpatrick said: 'Tissue expansion is a well established technique in plastic surgery but it is very rare to use it on such a large defect of the scalp. 'It was most important to restore all Chris’s missing hair to his previous hairline which effectively meant making half a head of hair makeup a full head of hair. 'Placing the expander in the correct position and inflating it enough so that the scalp would move to the right position without bad scars or wasting any hair took careful planning. 'I know that it was a pretty tough six months for Chris but it is great to see his self confidence as restored as his hairline.' The balloon was gradually filled with 950ml of liquid through a tube inserted over Mr Stoyanov’s right ear. He said: 'I had to be really careful that I never hit my head so I certainly wasn’t allowed to work on any building sites because it was too risky. 'As the lump got bigger I tried to hide it with hats - which was a bit difficult because it was the middle of summer and it was boiling hot.' After six months the skin was stretched from the back of Mr Stoyanov’s head and stapled in to place. His hair started to grow back after just over a month and today Mr Stoyanov has a full head of hair. The procedure means that he will never go bald - because the hair that is growing comes from the back of his head, an area that isn’t affected by hair loss. Mr Stoyanov said: 'I had begun to think that I would be in and out of hospital forever and that I would have to buy an endless supply of baseball caps to hide my scalp from everyone. 'But this has really changed my life. It really is unbelievable and I’m so grateful.' | Chris Stoyanov endured 17 years of operations to try and remove a tumour .
Surgeons were forced to cut away 23cm of scalp to remove the lump .
It left the 30-year-old with a huge bald patch at the front of his head .
Plastic surgeon Niall Kirkpatrick inserted a balloon under his skin .
It was inflated to the size of a grapefruit in six months stretching the scalp .
Mr Stoyanov had to take care not to burst the balloon while he slept .
Then Mr Kirkpatrick was able to cover the bald patch creating a new hairline .
Mr Stoyanov said: 'This has really changed my life. It really is unbelievable' |
258,613 | dab33423c1287eba137b36343403df922a1574fe | There are thought to be seven billion people living on our planet and this number is set to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, according to UN figures. This population explosion is largely attributed to better healthcare and farming practices, with some experts arguing that industrialisation in the 18th and 19th centuries was the tipping point that allowed more humans to thrive. However, one social scientist claims the human population explosion has its roots as far back as 2,000 years ago. There are thought to be seven billion people living on our planet in crowded cities (stock image) and this number is set to reach almost 10 billion by 20150, according to UN figures. A social scientists says that roots of the human population explosion lie 2,000 years ago, instead of in the industrial revolution as popularly thought . Aaron Stutz, an associate professor of anthropology at Emory’s Oxford College in Georgia created a new model of demographic and archaeological data to show when humans thrived. In a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, he claims that political and economic reforms helped to create more stable families, and therefore enabled more people to thrive. ‘The Industrial Revolution and public health improvements were proximate reasons that more people lived longer, Professor Stutz said. ‘If you dig further in the past, however, the data suggest that a critical threshold of political and economic organisation set the stage 1,500 to 2,000 years ago, around the start of the Common Era. ‘The resulting political-economic balance was the tipping point for economies of scale - It created a range of opportunities enabling more people to get resources, form successful families and generate enough capital to transfer to the next generation.’ Professpr Stutz said: 'The Industrial Revolution and public health improvements were reasons that more people lived longer...however, a critical threshold of political and economic organisation set the stage 1,500 to 2,000 years ago, around the start of the Common Era.' An mock-up of a Victorian cotton factory is pictured . Humans have used up the natural resources the world can supply in a year in less than eight months, campaigners warned last month. The world has now reached 'Earth Overshoot Day', the point in the year when humans have exhausted supplies. This includes natural resources such as land, trees and fish, and means today we have outstripped the planet's annual capacity to absorb waste products such as carbon dioxide. For the rest of the year, the world is in ecological debt, with food stocks and forests being depleted, land degraded and carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere. The problem is worsening, with the planet sliding into 'ecological debt' earlier and earlier. This means the day on which the world has used up all the natural resources available for the year has shifted from early October in 2000 to August 19 in 2014. Around 86 per cent of the world's population lives in countries where the demands made on nature - the nation's 'ecological footprint' - outstrip what that country's resources can cope with. The Global Footprint Network, which calculates Earth overshoot day, said it would currently take 1.5 Earths to produce the renewable natural resources needed to support human requirements. The network warned that governments that ignore resource limits in decision-making are putting long-term economic security at risk. Population dynamics have been a hot topic since the late 18th century when English scholar Thomas Robert Malthus published his controversial essay claiming that population booms in times of plenty will inevitably be checked by famine and disease. His Malthusian Catastrophe theory was penned just before the global census size reaching one billion in around 1800. Just 120 years afterwards, the human population topped two billion and during the last 50 years it has surged to almost eight billion. While thriving has lead mankind to diversify and achieve incredible feats, some worry that too many of us sharing a limited amount . of resources, will one day lead to a worse standard of life and even . starvation. Professor Stutz describes the population explosion as ‘mind-boggling’. ‘The human population has not behaved like any other animal population. We haven’t stayed in any kind of equilibrium with what we would consider a typical ecological niche,’ he said. Economic historians and demographers have focused on societal changes that occurred during the Industrial Revolution as the explanation for the exponential population growth, but Professor Stutz thinks the reason for the explosion lies far earlier. He found that the potential for the human population to flourish despite environmental degradation, conflict and disease, could be traced to a subtle interaction between competition and organisation. At a certain tipping point, this interaction created opportunities for individuals to gain more control over their lives and prosper - opening the door to economies of scale. He said that the Roman Empire, which spanned 500 years from just before the Common Era to 476 AD, is a good example of passing through this threshold. It is known for its economic and political organisation, literature and advances in architecture and engineering. But for individuals, life was often hard, with labourers often dying young, having produced goods for trading and empire building. Large numbers of young men also had to serve in the military, potentially shortening their life expectancies. Professor Stutz said: ‘The vast majority of people who lived under Roman rule had a life expectancy into their late 20s or early 30s.’ ‘A huge swathe of the population was feeding, quite literally, on the dynamism that was taking place in terms of economic and political development. Despite fighting (illustrated) and many people dying young, Professor Stutz said that the Roman Empire is an example of a period when interaction between competition and organisation created opportunities for individuals to gain more control over their lives and prosper . ‘Their labour increased the potential for providing more democracy and competition on the smaller scale. That, in turn, led to a more complex, intergenerational dynamic, making it possible to better care for offspring and even transfer resources to them.’ The tipping point had been reached, Professor Stutz explained, and the trend continued despite the collapse of the Roman Empire. ‘The increasingly complex and decentralised economic and political entities that were built up around the world from the beginning of the Common Era to 1500 AD created enough opportunities for individuals, states and massive powers like England, France and China to take advantage of the potential for economies of scale,’ he said. His research, examining human population dynamics, could lead to better understanding of how economic and political organisation is affecting modern-day society. Professor Stutz warned: ‘We might wind up being back in a situation where a growing part of the population is basically providing labour to sustain a minority. You could certainly point to the sweat shops in the developing world.’ | Scientist from Emory's Oxford College, Georgia, claims the population explosion began 2,000 years ago - long before other estimates .
The potential for the human population to flourish can be traced to a subtle interaction between competition and organisation, he said .
At a certain tipping point, this interaction created opportunities for individuals to gain more control over their lives and prosper .
Political and economic reforms helped to create more stable families, and therefore enabled more people to thrive .
The Roman Empire is an example of a time when this happened . |
274,030 | eef1de6097c1d441a77f5fc3d963a212899312f9 | By . Martin Robinson . An 88-year-old veteran left furious after a known prostitute was banned from his sheltered accommodation punched the council worker who stopped her visits, a court has heard. Former soldier Allan Thipthorpe was livid after officials secured an ASBO stopping Terri-Lee Pearce, 31, from visiting his room and says they are just 'jealous'. Swindon Borough Council says the ban was imposed for his own safety after they claimed he spent £5,000 of his savings paying her. But Mr Thipthorpe, who insists she is also his 'carer', has been charged with assault after being caught on CCTV punching council solicitor Francis Maples. Row: Former soldier Allan Thipthorpe punched a council worker after visits by known prostitute Terri-Lee Pearce were banned at his sheltered housing . The pensioner will also appear as a defence witness when Pearce goes on trial this summer accused of breaching the ASBO by continuing to visit him. He said: 'This is just a load of nastiness - the council don't want you to enjoy yourself. I can do what I like, it's my money. 'It's jealousy. She's young and she's got nice legs. 'I've not got long to go, have I? I'm still attracted to ladies. 'I got that young girl to try to do me a job as, you know, my carer. I think I'm entitled to that.' The prostitute says she gave up sex work two years ago and agreed to be Mr Thipthorpe's carer after they met in a cafe. But the police and council responded to complaints from residents at Elizabeth House in Swindon, where Mr Thipthorpe lives. Other residents have said they are 'alarmed and distressed' by her presence and one elderly lady is so terrified she locks her doors and windows whenever she is there. At Swindon Magistrates Court last July, Pearce admitted she had been with Allan when he had made several large cash withdrawals but claimed they were as payment for her services as a carer. A judge imposed an indefinite ASBO banning Pearce from going near the OAP or entering any of the 32 council-run sheltered housing schemes in the town. 'Vulnerable': Former soldier Allan Thipthorpe, whose wife died two years ago, said he should be able to 'do what he wants' with his own money . 'I have moved on': Pearce, seen left and right . outside court in Swindon in 2003 after a red light district ban, claims she's turned her back on her . old life and her relationship with Mr Thipthorpe is one of patient and carer . Mr Thipthorpe has now been before the same court over the assault, . Rob Ross, defending, told the court: 'You'll probably be aware of Mr Thipthorpe. 'He's an 88-year-old man involved in Asbo proceedings when a young lady was made an Asbo in relation to not seeing him. 'He objected to that and the long and short of it is he ended up hitting Mr Maples.' Mr Ross told the court his client had admitted the assault in police a interview and would not be contesting the offence. He added: 'I would ask the crown why it's necessary to leave an 88-year-old man with a record, why no mind was given to cautioning him?' Ban: A district judge granted an Asbo barring Pearce from Elizabeth House in Swindon after complaints from other residents . District Judge Simon Cooper agreed to adjourn the case to May 28 for the caution to be issued, but warned the prosecution would go ahead if no action was taken. In a separate development, Pearce appeared at Swindon Crown Court this week accused of twice breaching her ASBO in February. The court heard that Allan will appear as a defence witness. The case was adjourned until August 7 at Chippenham Magistrates Court, which has wheelchair access. In 2004 Pearce was given a three-year ASBO banning her from any of the 'red light' areas of Swindon. | Terri-Lee Pearce banned from entering sheltered accommodation by judge .
Swindon Council applied for Asbo to safeguard Allan Thipthorpe, 88 .
Authority convinced he withdrew £5,000 to pay the 31-year-old .
Thipthorpe admits he punched council solicitor in attack caught on CCTV .
'This is just a load of nastiness - the council don't want you to enjoy yourself. I can do what I like, it's my money,' he said . |
57,328 | a26fc2818a67dcd491e1a1d5cef2aa15e6c51413 | Miami, Florida (CNN) -- From the custom-made, hand-beaded white dress to silver-studded high-heeled shoes, diamond jewelry and tiara, Jenny Ferro is preparing for a day she's dreamed about since she was 3 years old. "I'm really excited," says Jenny, eagerly nodding her head. "Really, really, a lot!" She isn't getting married. The 15-year-old is preparing for her quinceañera, a coming-of-age ritual in Latin culture, marking a young girl's entrance into womanhood. The centuries-old tradition began as a ceremony to introduce girls to society on their 15th birthday and signified that they were ready for marriage. Today, many quinceañeras have become much more elaborate. Jenny and her mother, Marlene Ferro, have worked out every detail of the party well in advance, from the rehearsal to the reception to the flower girl and the music. The theme of the party is bedazzled. First, there is the dress, which Marlene had designed specially for her daughter. It cost about $800. Then there are the shoes, high-heeled and silver to match the dress. During the party, the high heels will be ceremoniously slipped onto her feet to replace her flat shoes -- a symbolic transition of her journey from childhood to womanhood. "It makes her look like a princess," gushes Marlene Ferro. Quinceañeras are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. One reason for their popularity is a greater acceptance of Latin culture in America, according to Michele Salcedo, author of "Quinceañera!" a comprehensive guide to the celebration. "The 15th birthday, culturally, is a milestone. It doesn't have to be celebrated with a party at all, but it is generally marked by something quite special," Salcedo says. Experts believe the quinceañera is rooted in Mayan, Aztec and European traditions. Today, many coming-of-age ceremonies resemble lavish "Sweet 16" celebrations. Beyond the elaborate apparel, food and festivities, modern quinceañeras often feature a court of 15 people, typically consisting of family and friends. As the event continues to grow in popularity, the makeup of the court has also changed. "It has gone beyond Latinos, so that a lot of Latino girls will have not only family members in court but they will reach out to non-Latino friends," says Salcedo. "So it's a way of reaching out and extending social ties and bringing people in who might not otherwise have an opportunity to know a Latino family and to know the culture." Family plays the largest role in the quinceañera, leading up to and during the party. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and godparents can spend years preparing a night to remember for the young girl. The tradition is just as important to the family as it is to the young woman. The large, extravagant celebrations often symbolize a family's hard work and success. How has America changed Latinos? Marlene Ferro, who emigrated from Cuba as a child with her parents, says Jenny's quinceañera was a gift to both of them. The 43-year-old, single mother of three, saved for years and estimates that she spent at least $20,000 on her daughter's quinceañera. "I was able to accomplish something that I had been looking forward to for 15 years," says Marlene Ferro. The parties can be as big and expensive as a family can imagine and costs can escalate into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Salcedo. She recommends that families manage expectations before the party planning even begins. iReporter Alexis Fernandez's quinceañera was a big event in Alaska . "Sometimes people go way overboard and [spend] much more on the celebration than they can afford and that's the downside of the quinceañera," says Salcedo. "Because when it's done right it can be a beautiful family celebration and a celebration of a milestone that a young girl goes through." Quinceañeras have changed over the years. Even though her tiara was taller than her daughter's, Marlene says her quinceañera was simple. It was a small gathering at her sister's apartment with family and friends. She wore borrowed jewelry from a family member, had a homemade cake and danced with her father. Marlene Ferro's 15th birthday present was a telephone in her bedroom. "I didn't have a big quince party. I chose to have a small party with my friends," she remembers. "My dress was really easy ... I didn't have an option. It was this one or that one. Now, we give our kids the option." iReporter Diamond Ramirez's mother, grandmother never had quinceañeras . There's a spiritual element to these celebrations as well, says Salcedo. The church plays a role in helping to prepare teenage girls for this transition to womanhood. Ceremonies and classes before the coming-of-age celebration teach the young women that with adulthood come certain responsibilities, both physical and spiritual. "When it's done in the spirit that it probably should be, the girl has certain responsibilities and by the end of the process, she's met them and she has showed her mother that she can, in fact, be responsible and she does acquire ... a bit more maturity then she [had] before," says Salcedo. As the celebrations become more popular in the United States, they also offer an opportunity for more Americans to participate. "It's a way to push back a lot of the negativity that a lot of Latinos feel is directed at Latinos," says Salcedo. "It is a way for people who have recently arrived, or maybe not so recently arrived, to say 'I have done well here' ... I'm throwing this party for my daughter and I'm inviting all of you to partake of my generosity so that you can see exactly how well we've done." | Quinceañeras, or 15th birthday celebrations, mark a girl's transition to womanhood .
Jenny Ferro, 15, has been preparing for her celebration since she was 3 years old .
Marlene Ferro estimates she spent $20,000 on her daughter's quinceañera .
Expert: The elaborate parties are a way for Latinos to say 'I have done well here' |
99,935 | 0cc459545961a2f4a4da18b48b2de2be2b77ae48 | By . Rob Cooper . Laura Farrell, 41, (pictured) died in the car crash after Sherri Torkington ran a red light . An angry woman driver killed a wife in a car crash while driving 'aggressively and recklessly' following a screaming row with her boyfriend, a court heard today. Sheri Torkington, 32, was so angry she jumped a red light at speed and hit Laura Farrell's car as the victim was taking her husband to work in the early hours of the morning, a jury was told. Mrs Farrell, 41, a HSBC bank worker, suffered fatal injuries in the accident in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and died at the scene. Her husband Norman, 52, was left with a broken neck, nine broken ribs, a broken collar-bone, three fractures to his pelvis and a punctured lung. In the minutes before the crash, a witness told the court she saw Torkington 'shouting, screaming and yelling' at her boyfriend Philip Holt at 3am. The defendant then allegedly got into her Ford Fiesta and drove 'recklessly and aggressively' before crashing less than half an hour later. 'We say the row she had had contributed to the reckless way in which she drove afterwards,' said Darren Preston, prosecuting at Bolton Crown Court. 'This defendant drove a Ford Fiesta through a traffic light which was on red and had been on red for some seconds, at a major and complicated junction, without slowing down or apparently looking at all. 'We say that was driving well below that which would be expected of a reasonable and careful driver and was therefore dangerous. 'Her driving caused a collision between her car and another car, driven by Laura Farrell, which had proceeded through a green light from another side of that junction. 'That collision was of sufficient force that, unfortunately, Laura Farrell lost her life. It was, we say, the dangerous driving of this defendant which caused her death.' Joan Haslam told the court she woke up on the day of the tragedy, June 29, 2011, to see Mr Holt arguing with a woman for around 10 minutes. Seriously injured: Mrs Farrell's husband Norman, 52, suffered a broken neck in the crash. Torkington, 32, right, denies causing death by dangerous driving . She said they were shouting at each other although she did not know what they were saying. Mr Preston said: 'She heard shouting and screaming coming from outside. She looked out her window and there she saw a male and a female. 'We say that the female was Holt's girlfriend, the defendant. Mrs Haslam saw her get into the car after Holt walked off and she drove off at speed.' A second witness, Shaun McGuinness was also at home in bed and heard the argument. He also recognised Mr Holt and also saw the woman speeding off in her car, not slowing down as she drove through the residential street and on to the main road. The prosecution lawyer added: 'It is clear from this evidence we see that the defendant was angry and aggressive because of the argument she had had she was driving aggressively and recklessly as a result.' Mrs Farrell was in her black Ford Focus taking her husband to work at a cheese distribution factory where he worked night shifts. Tragedy struck at 3.25am at the junction on Turton Street, Bolton with the A666 St Peters Way . Mr Farrell who had been in a relationship with Laura for 23 years, but were only married for seven added: 'Laura took the car out of gear, coasting up to the lights which were on red - we must have been travelling at 10mph. Torkington drove like she was on a 'suicide mission' before ploughing into Mrs Farrell's car at Turton Street, Bolton (pictured) 'The lights started to change as we were about 10 to15 metres away from the lights. I looked to the right and by the time I looked left all I could see was grey and a crunching noise and that's all I remember.' Mr Farrell woke up in Bolton Royal Hospital to be told his wife had died in the crash. He was in hospital for over a month and now has abscesses on his brain, liver and lung. He told defence lawyer David Toal that although he was running late for work, his wife was not speeding . 'It's not a possibility that the lights were red. She was the perfect driver', added Mr Farrell. Another witness, Robert Johnston, who saw the collision as he was cycling home from his shift at a bakery in Horwich, said he saw the black car, driven by Mrs Farrell, proceed through the green light.' He said he then saw Torkington's car arriving suddenly, driving at around 35-45 mph, coming straight through the red light in the middle lane and smashing into the victim's car. Torkington's car pushed Mrs Farrell's vehicle into the crash barrier and then spun into the middle of the dual carriage way. The cyclist flagged down a taxi and an ambulance was called. When police arrived, Torkington was still in her vehicle, slumped over the steering wheel but came to screaming her name and that her legs were hurt. Torkington, of Bolton, who only started driving in September 2010, later denied being angry at the time of the crash. She told police she had watched Mr Holt play pool at a pub, before heading to another. They returned home around 10.30pm and had a 'minor disagreement' after which she drove him to his daughter's house. She said that as she approached the traffic lights, they were on amber. Torkington denies causing death by dangerous driving. The trial continues. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Sheri Torkington, 32, 'crashed into Laura Farnell's car at a junction'
The bank worker died instantly while her husband suffered a broken neck .
Torkington allegedly got behind the wheel minutes after having a row .
She denies causing death by dangerous driving in Bolton . |
61,174 | adbf2d8741e6087393e08e7b3da4d7f2e809fa91 | Roy Hodgson has revealed that England striker Danny Welbeck will be fit to face Italy in England's World Cup opener on Saturday. The Manchester United forward had limped out of training on Wednesday with a slight thigh injury. Hodgson said: 'Danny Welbeck is fit. Even after four weeks, the only player not available is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. No complaints on that score.' VIDEO Scroll down to watch Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge learning the capoeira . Fit: Danny Welbeck (centre) takes part in England's final training session before their match against Italy . Available: Welbeck is fit to face Italy on Saturday, according to England boss Roy Hodgson . Warm-up: The England players go through some stretches ahead of their training session in Manaus . Ready: Roy Hodgson seemed in a relaxed mood during his last press conference before the Italy match . Worry: Welbeck had been a doubt for the Italy clash after complaining about a thigh strain on Wednesday . The 66-year-old also thanked the people of Manaus for the fabulous welcome they have afforded England but his players had abandon a stroll in the park yesterday because they were mobbed by well wishers. Hodgson said: 'Our trip to the supermarket... the shopping mall, I mean, we thought it might be nice for the players to get out and see the place, but the mobbing was so much we had to abort the trip.' Captain Steven Gerrard added: 'There wasn't any shopping getting done. We went for a morning stroll, that's all, mixing with the locals. But the serious stuff starts now.†. | Danny Welbeck will be fit to face Italy in England's World Cup opening game on Saturday .
Roy Hodgson reveals only player to miss Italy through injury will be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain . |
276,657 | f26a64973f8b9b35ffac64a9542e88c97f1a861e | By . Tara Brady . Air France plans to cancel a number of flights as a result of possible national strike action throughout May. The month-long strike is because France's biggest pilots' union is unhappy about the rules surrounding their right to strike. Air France has said it believes the delays and cancellations could threaten its recovery. Air France plans to cancel a number of flights as the result of possible national strike action throughout May . The strike is being organised by the union SNLP France Alpa and will last between May 3 and May 30. A spokesman for the airline said in a statement: 'This strike action is unusual both for its significance, lasting nearly a month, as well as for its methods which will penalize Air France flights at two peak times of day.' France's largest pilots union is calling for strikes for two hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon and most of the affected flights will be cancelled, Air France said in a statement. Unions want a law repealed that forces pilots to inform their companies that they intend to go on strike for 48 hours before the walk-out. This is because airlines need to get information to affected passengers in advance. Connections at the Charles de Gaulle Paris airport, north of Paris, would also be affected . However, unions believe this law undermines the impact of their industrial action because it allows airlines to draft in pilots from other countries. A recent EasyJet strike did not result in any flight delays or cancellations despite the fact that 85 percent of pilots walked-out, according to the union. Air France CEO Frédéric Gagey has sent an open letter to the president of the union calling for him stop the strike. 'To avoid this situation and out of respect for its customers, Air France will be forced to cancel the majority of flights operated by striking pilots. 'Only a very limited number of flights will be rescheduled,' it said. | Pilots' union unhappy about the rules surrounding right to strike .
The strike is being organised by the union SNLP France Alpa .
Unions do not think companies need to be informed 48 hours staff strike .
This is so airlines can get information to affected passengers in advance .
Unions believe this law undermines the impact of their industrial action . |
251,530 | d1961d2b51a9c75441b8823e5f8a6ad72715bafe | By . Julian Robinson . Rebecca May, pictured, needed an urgent transplant after her liver turned green and swelled to twice its original size . A teenager was left with yellow eyes and a green liver after developing a disease so rare that experts still have no idea what is wrong with her. Becky May, from Plymouth in Devon, first noticed a problem when her eyes went a funny hue. She went on to visit hospital every week for six months as doctors tried to work out what was wrong. Medics discovered the 19-year-old's liver had swelled to twice its size and turned green, immediately putting the teenager on the transplant list. Liver specialists, who performed the operation, are still baffled by the mystery illness. She said: 'I went to my GP about something else but had noticed my eyes were yellow. 'The doctor was pretty concerned that I might have hepatitis and did a blood test straight away. 'I went to a special jaundice clinic where they tried to investigate the most obvious reasons why my eyes might be yellow. 'When they first mentioned the word "transplant" I was terrified. The thought of being operated on freaked me out. 'Because I didn’t really know what was wrong with me I didn’t know if the transplant process would be the same as for other people.' Finally it was decided that she should be put on the organ donor list - and her listing was backdated six months. After first being listed on December 5, 2013, she received a phone call on December 29 to say there was a liver waiting. The teenager said: 'The caller said an ambulance would be round in an hour to pick me up, but it was there within 10 minutes. We actually beat the liver to the hospital in the end. 'The liver was split - which means I got the large right lobe and a child was given the smaller left lobe. They both grow to become fully functioning livers.' She was taken to King’s College Hospital, in London, where the seven-hour operation began at 7am on December 30. Her liver was green because of all the bile she wasn’t managing to process. Becky remained at King’s for 12 days, and then was transferred to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. She said: “The first few days I wasn’t allowed to get up and couldn’t eat. When someone has a split liver they can’t eat for four days to protect the connection. 'When I left hospital it was a case of trying to get my strength back, but it took me a while because I had lost most of my muscle mass and slept so much in hospital. 'But I realised how lucky I am - I just though that I could be dead - so I’d better get up and do stuff. Becky May was transferred to Derriford Hospital, pictured, in Plymouth after having her liver transplant. Doctors say they still do not know what has caused the 19-year-old's illness . 'I’ll be on immune support medication . for the rest of my life to make sure the liver doesn’t reject, and I . have just come off steroids which they give younger people to make sure . it doesn’t reject. 'I don’t really know how I managed to get through it all. I wanted to protect my family and friends so I tried not to talk too much about it. 'My friends were 17 when I got ill and I thought that they might not be able to deal with it, but my boyfriend Sam got most of my moaning.' The 19-year-old, who will begin a degree at Plymouth College of Art in September, said: 'I’m really looking forward to starting at university - this time last year I didn’t think I would be able to. 'I got ill just before my 18th birthday so I couldn’t go out and have a drink to celebrate. 'It's more important to me now to get what I want out of life and not just plod along' 'But I’m never going to be able to do that now, which bothers me, but when you put it in perspective it doesn’t really matter.' Becky said the experience had inspired her to make sure she has a successful future and refuses to lead a 'mediocre' life. She said: 'It’s more important to me now to get what I want out of life and not just plod along. I don’t want to be mediocre anymore. 'I’m in the process of writing a letter to thank my donor’s family and show them that I’m making the most of it. I’m so thankful - I’m only alive because of someone else. 'And a family that are grieving - that they could think of someone else at that time is amazing.' Katie Ramos, 35, is a liver transplant and HCC nurse at Derriford Hospital, and has worked closely with Becky throughout her treatment. She said: 'It took so long to work out what was wrong with Becky basically because she is the first one to have it. We still don’t really know what it is because it’s so rare. 'She has been remarkable the way she has dealt with everything, and the donors should be thanked for their gift to people like Becky.' | Becky May's condition so rare doctors don't know what's wrong with her .
Teenager's eyes turned yellow and her liver green after falling ill last year .
She had to visit hospital every week for six months for examinations .
Liver had swelled to twice its size and she had to have transplant operation . |
118,293 | 24bc9cb7e543a13eb1059a192ce72611ea3c5dab | A specialist unit is being set up by the British government to hunt down paedophiles who are using a hidden part of the internet known as the 'dark net' to share child pornography. The National Crime Agency and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) will use the latest technology to crackdown on users of the so called dark net, or deep web. Prime minister David Cameron said the new unit is aimed at 'shining a light on the web’s darkest corners' as he announced a package of measures to tackle online child abuse. Scroll down for video . Dark net use in the UK has risen faster than in any other country in the world according to a recent report by the National Crime Agency and now a special unit is being established to crackdown on those using the sites . He said it had become necessary to target the dark net as paedophiles were increasingly using it to communicate with each other and to disguise their identities. The new unit will use new advances of analysing images and communications to trace the 'digital footprints' left by the users who share them. The dark net is a subsection of the deep web - the part of the internet that does not show up in searches or on social media. Most of the information on the web is far down on dynamically generated sites, unable to be found or seen by traditional search engines, which are rather like dragging a net across the surface of the sea, missing much of the information in the depths. The dark net is used as a way of sharing information and trading goods, but the anonymous and encrypted nature of it has attracted large amounts of illegal activity. The Silk Road website and its successor that were recently shut down was used to sell drugs in exchange for bitcoins, the electronic currency. Other dark net sites allow users to share pornographic photographs, hacked information, credit card numbers and other illegal goods. The Silk Road used an underground computer network known as the The Onion Router (TOR), which is a matrix of encrypted websites and servers that disguise the identity of users. It uses numerous layers of security and encryption, hiding the IP address and the activity of the user. Just 0.26 per cent of the daily internet traffic from the UK accesses this hidden part of the internet. The National Crime Agency estimates that around 20,000 people from the UK use secret or encrypted networks each day. The dark net consists of a network of encoded websites that sit behind the publicly available websites and cannot be found with normal search engines. It came to prominence in 2012 when the FBI made a series of raids on Silk Road, an online marketplace described as the 'eBay for illegal drugs'. Mr Cameron said: 'The so-called "dark-net" is increasingly used by paedophiles to view sickening images. 'I want them to hear loud and clear, we are shining a light on the web’s darkest corners; if you are thinking of offending there will be nowhere for you to hide. 'Every time someone chooses to view an online image or a video of a child being abused, they are choosing to participate in a horrific crime.' The new unit is intended to focus on the most prolific users of the dark net to begin with. Figures compiled by the National Crime Agency suggest that use of the dark net rose by two thirds in 2012. Hidden capabilities that enable users to email and host file storage through encrypted and anonymous networks are provided by services like the The Onion Router (TOR). TOR users currently represent 0.18 per cent of the total number of internet uses in the UK. However, in a recent investigation, GCHQ and the NCA were able to track down a British man who had been maintaining chat rooms and websites in the Far East and Eastern Europe that were used to share child pornography around the world. He was also offering advice to other paedophiles about how to hid their behaviour and was using software to keep himself anonymous. David Cameron unveiled the new unit to target the dark net at the #WeProtect Children Online summit . Analysis by experts at GCHQ allowed them to trace the man and he was later sentenced to three years in prison for making and distributing indecent images of children. Mr Cameron announced the establishment of the joint NCA and GCHQ unit at the #WeProtect Children Online summit in London, which brought together delegates from 50 countries and 26 technology firms to discuss how to tackle child abuse online. He unveiled new technical solutions that the internet industry will use to support the new special unit. Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Twitter and Yahoo will use the digital fingerprints, or hash values, of thousands of known child sex abuse image to prevent them from being viewed or shared. Technology companies and law enforcement agencies from 30 countries around world have agreed to work together to tackle online child abuse, which is to be supported by a £50 million child protection fund . Google has also developed new technology that allows child abuse videos to be identified and blocked and is to work with Yahoo to pilot it. Microsoft, Google and Mozilla have also said they will investigate ways of placing restrictions within their browsers to block people from accessing child pornography. Google and Microsoft have both also introduced a number of changes to their search functions not only the UK but across the world. Google claims to have seen a fivefold reduction in the number of searches for child abuse images since these changes were made. However, these changes are thought to be partly responsible for driving much of the trade in child pornography into the dark net. | GCHQ and National Crime Agency to use latest technology to track down dark net users who are sharing child pornography over secret networks .
David Cameron claims unit will 'shine a light' on the web's darkest corners .
Experts will use digital fingerprints left on dark net to hunt paeodophiles .
Google and Facebook will deploy new technology to fight child porngraphy . |
86,103 | f43d313569e38f5a71b4de4778e955d4cbd0302b | By . Tom Gardner . A retired welder has described how he came within hours of an agonising death after contracting all three deadly forms of bubonic plague from a cat bite. Paul Gaylord, 61, relived in vivid detail how the horrifying symptoms of the Black Death began to take over his body - gradually turning his hands black. Mr Gaylord, who lives in a remote part of Oregon, 12 miles from the small town of Prineville, spent nearly a month attached to a life support machine as his body battled to fight the deadly illness. Paul Gaylord, of Prineville, Oregon, spent nearly a month on a life support machine as he battled bubonic plague . The plague began to consume his vital organs - causing his long to collapse and his heart stop beating. Doctors had discussed switching off his life support machine the day before woke from his coma, he said as he revealed how close to death he had come. Now on the mend following the infection, he told the Guardian about the moments after he was rushed to hospital. He said: 'Hooked up to a dialysis machine, I had collapsed lungs and at one point my heart stopped... Technically, I shouldn't be here.' 'My doctor told me I had developed all . three stages of the plague: bubonic (the least lethal form, which . infects the lymphatic system), pneumonic (which infects the lungs) and . septicaemic (the bloodstream). Some people have survived bubonic plague, . but not all three, apparently.' Horrifying: Mr Gaylord's symptoms included his hands and feet swelling up and turning black as the infection killed his flesh . Gaylord was infected in June, 2013, . when he tried to remove a mouse from the throat of a choking cat. The . plague-stricken animal bit him. Within 48 hours he began to suffer flu-like symptoms. Soon his skin started to turn grey and the glands under his arms swell to the size of lemons. Recent research suggests that the bubonic plague is on the increase in affluent communities in the U.S.. It used to be associated with squalor, unsanitary conditions and rodent infestations. But as more people move to natural environments where carriers such as ground squirrels and woodrats live, infection increases . The disease is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis that is spread through flea bites. About 11 cases of plague a year have occurred in the U.S. since 1976. 17 people have been infected by the disease in Oregon since 1934. Mr Gaylord is still coming to terms with how serious his illness was and how miraculous his recovery has been. Told . he faced a life of dialysis because his vital organs were too badly . damaged, Mr Gaylord underwent one treatment before his body regained its . functions. But it was too late to save his long-dead fingers, which surgeons have now amputated. 'I . still have my hands and part of my thumbs. They took off all the toes . on my left foot, and about a third of my right foot is gone', he added. 'It's . hard to believe it happened to me, but rather than feel depressed, I've . always felt positive and happy to be alive.' Mr Gaylord retired as a welder and now spends much of his free time indulging in his hobby making knives in his garage. Although the plague is generally connected to the Middle Ages, the woman is the 18th person sickened by the disease in Oregon since 1934. A seven-year-old girl, Sierra Jane Downing, also contracted the disease while on a camping trip in Colorado this month. Video Source Thedoctorstv.com . Recovery: Paul Gaylord, 61, who lost all his fingers and toes and the top halves of his thumbs after contracting bubonic plague from a cat bite, works on making a knife at his home workshop near Prineville, Oregon . It is believed she caught it from a dead squirrel, who she had asked her parents if she could bury. They said no, but she knelt beside it and doctors believe fleas could have jumped on to her sweater. Days after they returned from the trip, her parents found her in the bathroom having a seizure. She was rushed to hospital and treated with antibiotics once doctors realised what it was. She will make a full recovery and has been released from hospital. Without treatment the plague kills around two thirds of infected humans within four days. It causes an infection that kills cells, causing gangrene which also often results in amputation. Symptoms of the plague in humans, which typically appear within four days, include fever, chills and a bloody or watery cough. In animals, it presents itself with enlarged lymph nodes under the jaw, as well as fever and tiredness. Research suggests that the bubonic plague, which used to be associated with squalor, is on the increase in affluent communities in the U.S. As more people move to natural environments where ground squirrels and woodrats live, infection increases. The disease, associated with the medieval period and made famous by historic etchings, similar to the one below of a London town crier in1665 calling for plague victims to be brought forward, is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis that is spread through flea bites. Symptoms usually appear between two and five days after exposure to the bacteria. They include gangrene of the extremities such as toes, fingers, lips and tip of the nose; fever; muscle cramps; seizures; lymph gland swelling. Other potential symptoms include heavy breathing, continuous vomiting of blood, aching limbs and extreme pain, usually caused by the decay of the skin while the person is still alive. Without treatment the plague kills around two thirds of infected humans within four daysAbout 11 cases of plague a year have occured in the U.S. since 1976. | Paul 'Steve' Gaylord's developed flu-like symptoms after a bite from his cat .
Glands under the arms of Mr Gaylord swelled to the size of lemons .
The welder, of Prineville, Oregon, was in a coma for 27 days .
He spent nearly a month on life support as his family braced for his death .
Symptoms included his hands and feet swelling up and turning black .
Doctors discussed switching off life support machine before he woke up .
Mr Gaylord staged a miraculous recovery from the deadly illness . |
11,993 | 22091ffb39d7c7e54dc9ef20ad8263fa50415237 | By . Associated Press . The Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa is 'totally out of control' and doctors are stretched to the limit in their attempts to respond to the disease, a senior medic said today. The current outbreak has caused more deaths than any other on record, said an official from the Doctors without Boarders charity. Ebola has been linked to more than 330 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to the latest numbers from the World Health Organization. International organizations and the governments involved need to send in more health experts and increase public education messages about how to stop the spread of the disease, Bart Janssens, the director of operations for the group in Brussels, said on Friday. Scroll down for video . People protest outside a hospital as Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf visits the area as reports suggest hundreds have died from Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia. Senior medics have called for more health experts to be flown in and for public safety messages to be increased . 'The reality is clear that the epidemic is now in a second wave,' Janssens said. 'And, for me, it is totally out of control.' The outbreak, which began in Guinea either late last year or early this year, had appeared to slow before picking up pace again in recent weeks, including spreading to the Liberian capital for the first time. 'This is the highest outbreak on record and has the highest number of deaths, so this is unprecedented so far,' said Armand Sprecher, a public health specialist with Doctors Without Borders. According to a World Health Organization list, the highest previous death toll was in the first recorded Ebola outbreak in Congo in 1976, when 280 deaths were reported. Because Ebola often touches remote areas and the first cases sometimes go unrecognized, it is likely that there are deaths that go uncounted, both in this outbreak and previous ones. The multiple locations of the current outbreak and its movement across borders make it one of the 'most challenging Ebola outbreaks ever,' Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization, said earlier in the week. The outbreak shows no sign of abating and that governments and international organizations were 'far from winning this battle,' Unni Krishnan, head of disaster preparedness and response for Plan International, said Friday. A Liberian nurse at the Redemption Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia where a nurse reportedly died of Ebola virus . But Janssens' description of the Ebola outbreak was even more alarming, and he warned that the governments affected had not recognized the gravity of the situation. He criticized the World Health Organization for not doing enough to prod leaders and said that it needs to bring in more experts to do the vital work of tracing all of the people who have been in contact with the sick. 'There needs to be a real political commitment that this is a very big emergency,' he said. 'Otherwise, it will continue to spread, and for sure it will spread to more countries.' The World Health Organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Tolbert Nyenswah, Liberia's deputy minister of health, said that people in the highest levels of government are working to contain the outbreak as proved by the fact that that Liberia had a long period with no new cases before this second wave. The governments involved and international agencies are definitely struggling to keep up with the severity of the outbreak, said Krishnan of Plan, which is providing equipment to the three affected countries and spreading information about how people can protect themselves against the disease. But he noted that the disease is striking in one of the world's poorest regions, where public health systems are already fragile. 'The affected countries are at the bottom of the human development index,' he said in an emailed statement. 'Ebola is seriously crippling their capacities to respond effectively in containing the spread.' The situation requires a more effective response, said Janssens of Doctors Without Borders. With more than 40 international staff currently on the ground and four treatment centers, Doctors Without Borders has reached its limit to respond, he said. Empty hospital beds at the hospital after nurses and patients fled the hospital due to a number of deaths. 330 lives have been claimed following the outbreak . 'It's the first time in an Ebola epidemic where (Doctors Without Borders) teams cannot cover all the needs, at least for treatment centers,' he said. It is unclear, for instance, if the group will be able to set up a treatment center in Liberia, like the ones it is running in in Guinea and Sierra Leone, he said. For one thing, Janssens said, the group doesn't have any more experienced people in its network to call on. As it is, some of its people have already done three tours on the ground. Janssens said this outbreak is particularly challenging because it began in an area where people are very mobile and has spread to even more densely populated areas, like the capitals of Guinea and Liberia. The disease typically strikes sparsely populated areas in central or eastern Africa, where it spreads less easily, he said. By contrast, the epicenter of this outbreak is near a major regional transport hub, the Guinean city of Gueckedou. He said the only way to stop the disease's spread is to persuade people to come forward when symptoms occur and to avoid touching the sick and dead. 'There is still not a real change of behavior of the people,' he said. 'So a lot of sick people still remain in hiding or continue to travel. And there is still news that burial practices are remaining dangerous.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Ebola outbreak in West Africa is 'totally out of control', medics say .
Disease linked to more than 330 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia . |
44,351 | 7d153da45b58a5c284faea34d68da7d0c071d3bc | This is the moment a giraffe crashed to the ground after being shot by a tranquilliser dart to free it from a trap left by poachers. The giraffe was treated by a team of vets and rangers after it was caught by the wire snare in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. There are 130 armed rangers patrolling Murchison Falls who are leading the fight against poaching. The giraffe crashes to the earth after being shot by a tranquilliser dart in the Murchison Falls Park in Uganda . The giraffe was shot to avoid it being trapped in a poacher's snare (pictured) that cause a painful death . Two Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers working to conserve the giraffe try to seek out the poachers' snares . A ranger points a tranquilliser gun at the ailing giraffe to remove the snare and then treat resulting wounds . A team of vets, aided by the rangers, work to treat the giraffe caught by a poacher's deadly wire trap . The African giraffe is an endangered species and its population has been decimated by about 40 per cent . Snares mean that giraffes often die lingering and painful deaths as they develop wounds that don't heal . Hunting and poaching have decimated Africa's giraffe population by about 40 per cent. There are now only 80,000 animals currently in the wild. As recently as 15 years ago, there were around 140,000 giraffes in Africa, according to a Giraffe Conservative Foundation study. Fewer than 300 'West African giraffes' remain in Niger, and only 700 'Rothschild's giraffes' left in Uganda and Kenya. Dr Noelle Kumpel, from the Zoological Society of London told Mail Online: 'The threats are local. It's loss of habitat and increasingly it's poaching not for the international trade, but bush meat hunting.' 'Traditionally they get caught in snares by the poorer local people just looking for food,' she said. 'But those hunting higher profile animals have the firearms and automatic weapons which make it simple to kill the noticeable giraffe.' Giraffes are mainly caught in crude snares, 'which pull tight around their necks or legs, causing strangulation and horrific wounds,' according to Richard Bonham, the Director of Operations for the Big Life Foundation in Kenya. As the noose gradually tightens, it can take some hours if not days for them to pass away, he added. 'Snares are cruel. Animals often die lingering and painful deaths or they might break the snare and develop festering wounds that just don't heal,' said Dr Stephanie Romanach of The African Wildlife Conservation Fund. 'Poachers frequently set large numbers of snares and forget where they set them or just leave them in the bush and what's the result? Large numbers of animals killed unnecessarily.' Only 700 'Rothschild's giraffes' (pictured) are left in Uganda and Kenya as they are easily targeted by hunters . The snares pull tightly around a giraffe's neck or legs, causing strangulation and horrific wounds . Known for their sweet meat, commercial hunters trap and butcher them, before selling the produce in markets . Meat from the creatures can sell for as little as 30p per pound in markets and stalls in some African countries . Trapped in a crude snare, a dead giraffe lies prostrate with its head removed in Africa . The veterinary team at the Uganda Conservative Foundation, together with 130 armed rangers at the Uganda Wildlife Authority, work to conserve the endangered species. The poachers are hauling in record numbers of giraffes because many believe the animal's meat and/or bone marrow is an HIV cure. Giraffe skin is also thick, durable and suitable for a range of purposes such as making clothing, shoes, bags, belts, hats and covers for drums. Their hair is used to make bracelets, necklaces and other jewellery as far back as ancient Egypt. The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers have in the last year alone removed more than 7,000 wire snares from the Park but still some giraffe are caught by the snares. Once a giraffe is darted, the rangers and vets are able to remove the snare and treat the resulting wounds. Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda's largest and oldest conservation area, hosting 76 species of mammals and 451 birds. | Giraffe shot by tranquilliser dart to free it from a trap put down by poacher .
Snares pull tightly around neck or legs, causing horrifically painful deaths .
Poaching has decimated Africa's giraffe populating by about 40 per cent .
Commercial hunters sell sweet tasting meat in markets or roadside stalls .
Many also believe the giraffe's meat and/or bone marrow is an HIV cure . |
101,191 | 0e6944af0f083323be905e7626b29fe466d58352 | (CNN) -- Life had not quite worked out the way Fuad Ibrahim had planned. A few years ago the whole world was laid out at the 21-year-old American striker's feet. Ibee, as he is known by his coaches and teammates, was considered one of the most naturally talented players ever to emerge in U.S. soccer. He was quickly brought into the national team set up, playing in every game at the Under-17 World Cup finals. At the age of 16 he was the second youngest player ever to be drafted into the MLS. Perhaps prophetically, the youngest was Freddy Adu, a name that has become a euphemism for talent unfulfilled. Luck, nerve, injury, temperament: no one could explain Ibee's decline after being called up to the U.S. Under-20 squad. But decline he did as he went from Dallas to Toronto and then to his hometown club, the Minnesota Stars in the NASL -- the second tier of U.S. soccer. The decline appeared terminal when he was released at the end of last season.. And then out of the blue an email arrived from the country of his birth -- Ethiopia. "It said that Ethiopia would like to invite me to play for the national team," Ibee told CNN, speaking from his hotel room in the capital Addis Ababa. Africa calling . Ibee had left Ethiopia with his parents when he was eight. He only remembers blurry snippets from his life there, while he does not speak much of the language, just a few words and phrases. He still does not know quite what to make of how things have turned out. His entire life had been geared towards one day playing for the full U.S. men's national team. Now there was another potential future on the Horn of Africa. "I didn't think they wanted me to go right away but then they kept emailing me," added Ibee. "Eventually I replied back, thinking it might be something for the future. A couple of times we had contact over the phone. Then I realized they were serious." Soon Ibee was flying to the high altitude of Addis Ababa and into Ethiopia's squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, a biennial tournament considered one of the toughest, and most entertaining in world soccer. The Story of Libya's Rebel Soccer Team . Ethiopia had once been champions of Africa. But a devastating series of famines and wars killed millions of people in the 1970s and 80s. Soccer took a back seat until last year when the Walya Antelopes came from nowhere to qualify for their first Africa Cup of Nations in 31 years. Coach Sewnet Bishaw has masterminded their shock qualification -- Ethiopia having somehow made it through after losing 5-3 against Sudan in their first match. But Bishaw knew that, in a continent that provides some of the best players to the best clubs in the world -- with top African players playing for the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and Barcelona -- experience in foreign leagues would be needed. Eventually that trawl led to the MLS and to Ibee, who was handed his first start in a warm-up match against Tanzania. He scored. "It was a special moment to score," Ibee said of his first-half strike in a 2-1 victory. "It will live with me for the rest of my life." A Minnesota winter . After emigrating to the U.S. the Ibrahim family settled in the wintry climes of Minnesota. His father made a living at a driving school, while Ibee soon discovered that he had a talent at soccer. "It was the United States, the land of opportunity, so it was a chance to be raised in a better environment to have that opportunity in life," he said of the family's reasons for emigrating. "But for any kid growing up in Africa, soccer is the first sport they play. I was never really serious but I started playing club teams, I was doing good and realized I should stick with it ... everything for me then was all about playing for the States." He tried his hand briefly at American football -- as a kicker his record for a field goal was 34 yards -- but soccer was always his first love. It was after Ibrahim had been called up to the MLS residency program at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida that Ibee started to dream of the world stage. "I always wanted to play for the US national team," he said. "I got an Under-15 invite to stay in Florida and from day one it was special, playing pre-season against MLS teams. I realized I could make it. We were already playing professional teams. I thought, I could be there one day. I wouldn't be where I was today if wasn't for U.S. soccer." Ibee graduated seamlessly through U.S. soccer's national youth teams, playing at the Under-17 World Cup in South Korea before being called up to the Under-20 team, the last step before becoming a full international. "Ibee was one of the most talented players to come through the U.S. Under-17 and 20 teams," said Thomas Rongen, the current youth academy director at Toronto, who was coach of the Under -20 U.S. national team at the time. "But [he] was not able to make the step to the highest level. [Ibee] signed as one of the youngest players in the history of MLS, only Freddy Adu was younger. Technically very sound ... but [he] was not able to adapt to the professional game at the highest level." The next big thing? What went wrong? "I'll be honest, I didn't have any injury when I was at Toronto and I'm not someone to blame other people for things in the past," explained Ibee. "I was doing good but as time goes, growing up with so many coaches -- Toronto FC has had eight coaches in five years -- it effected my playing time. "When a new coach came in I'd get a rhythm, they'd get fired and then a new one came in. All of a sudden you have to rebuild trust. It kind of kept happening." After Toronto Ibee tried to get his big break in Europe, but that did not work out either. "I was here and there in Austria and Denmark. I didn't find a place where I really fitted in. It didn't go the way I wanted. But this is life. You have to live with it and learn." Then came the call from Ethiopia. "The weather was very difficult especially coming from the cold and suddenly I'm in high altitude," he said of his arrival in Adidis Ababa, whichat 2,355 meters above sea level is the fifth highest capital city in the world. "It was tough in the first week. But I've got used to it. It was time to play for my country, the country I was born in." Young Americans . Ibee is not the only American soccer player that has made the move to a different national team. During qualification for the 2014 World Cup, national teams from Haiti, Palestine and Afghanistan, among others, have scoured U.S. soccer's talent network looking for second and third generation immigrants to bolster their teams. An American Soccer Star Playing For Palestine . "There are a growing number of Americans playing for other national teams but it's almost a second choice," said Brian Sciaretta, a New York Times blogger, who runs Yanks Abroad, a website detailing the foreign adventures of American soccer players. He has seen a huge number of players coming through the U.S. system before turning up in the most unlikely of places from Ethiopia to Tajikistan. As many as 400 play in Europe alone. "There's so many different ethnically diverse people in the States. Soccer is new but we've always been athletic people. We have state-of-the-art fitness and dieting. It's quite attractive to foreign coaches," he said. "If soccer can make it work in this country it could have revolutionary effect on global football." Now Ibee has the chance to put his career back on track. Currently a free agent, a good Africa Cup of Nations could secure him a contract back in the U.S. or even in Europe. First there is the task of negotiating a tough group containing reigning champions Zambia, former champions Nigeria and Burkina Faso. "Technically they are very, very talented," Ibee said of his teammates. Although he cannot speak Amharic, he communicates with Bisaw in English. "They have a different style of playing. They can shock anybody. No one thought Zambia would win the Africa Cup of Nations last year but they shocked everybody." Shop window . True life did not quite work out as expected for Fuad Ibrahim. But sometimes that is not necessarily a bad thing. Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger recently argued that the Africa Cup of Nations is the last tournament in world football where unknown players and teams can emerge to be stars. "This time in South Africa you will have Ethiopia," he said. "If I ask you to name five Ethiopian players, I am sure you will have a problem." Wenger's quotes have been used by Bishaw to motivate his team further. But the chance to play against some of the best players in the world, and get his career back on track, is motivation enough for Ibee. "It's a great opportunity for me," he said. "Soccer can change the the way rest of the world view Ethiopia and Ethiopian soccer. After the goal I scored people recognize me in the street. I hope I do that on the big stage." "Only God knows. I'll leave it up to God." | This weekend sees the start of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa .
Former winners Ethiopia have qualified for their first AFCoN in 31 years .
In the squad is former U.S. Under-20 international Fuad Ibrahim .
The 21-year-old raised in Minnesota before being picked up by Ethiopia . |
197,574 | 8bb9577298ada7d2993568f5fbf2ce566da6485c | By . Chris Pleasance . A six-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother have been abandoned at a kindergarten centre in China after their parents said they cannot afford to take them home. Lin and her brother Yan were left at the playgroup in Luoyang city, Henan province by mother He Tuan, 32, and father He Liu, 37, with enough money for two weeks of teaching and board. But two months later the couple have not been back to collect the children, and police say they are powerless to act after the parents disappeared recently. Lin, six (right) and her brother Yan, three (left), have been abandoned by their parents at a kindergarten centre in Henan province, China, for the last two months . Workers at the centre say mother He Tuan, 32, and father He Liu, 37, dropped the children off with enough money for two weeks teaching and board, but have not been back since . Repeated calls to the parents have produced no results, with authorities saying the duo always come up with a reason why they cannot take their children back. A police spokesman added: 'They say they cannot afford to take them back.' In the meantime staff at the kindergarten group are taking it in turns to look after the children at their homes at the weekends, a leaving them at the centre during the week. Lee Zhang, the owner and operator of the nursery, said: 'The two parents owe the kindergarten thousands. I don’t anticipate they will pay it back, I just hope that they can take their kids home.' Police have spoken to the parents, but they say they are too poor to take the children back and officers say they are powerless to act . Nursery workers have been taking it in turns to let the children stay at their houses on the weekends when the centre is closed, but leaving them there during the week . One day Zhang bumped into the two parents in the street and asked them . to take their children home. The parents promised that they would go to . pick them up that day - but disappeared again. Zhang . reported the case to police. According to police’s investigation, the . two parents once sent their daughter to a kindergarten and owed that . kindergarten about 2,000 RMB (£190). The two parents live in a rented . flat and are known to be behind with the rent. Under China's draconian one-child policy parents must pay for their children's schooling if they have more than one baby, which can amount to many times the average salary . 'We have . great financial problems,' the mother told Zhang. 'We do not intend to abandon . our children forever, but we cannot afford to look after them by . ourselves now. 'They are in the best place. I promise we will pay all . the debts in the future.' Under China's draconian one-child policy, parents receive free schooling and childcare for their firstborn, but if they have a second baby, they must pay for both, which can cost many times the average yearly salary. | Lin, six, and Yan, three, have been at kindergarten centre for two months .
Mother He Tuan, 32, and father He Liu, 37, are refusing to collect them .
Couple say they cannot afford to take the children home with them .
Police say they are powerless to act after the parents disappeared . |
48,834 | 89dcf222fb871d3e96c1bb7abfe65056eade25b3 | The mother of Trayvon Martin says she's disappointed that federal prosecutors decided not to charge a neighborhood watch volunteer with a hate crime for killing her son three years ago. Speaking with The Associated Press on Wednesday before the third anniversary of her 17-year-old son's death, Sybrina Fulton says she still believes George Zimmerman got away with murder. 'He took a life, carelessly and recklessly, and he shouldn't deserve to have his entire life walking around on the street free. I just believe that he should be held accountable for what he's done,' Fulton said. Scroll down for video . Heartbroken: Trayvon Martin's mother says she's disappointed that federal prosecutors decided not to charge a neighborhood watch volunteer with a hate crime for killing her son three years ago . Dead: George Zimmerman shot dead unarmed teen Trayvon Martin three years ago and deemed him suspicious because he was 'wearing a hoodie' Zimmerman claimed he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense after confronting Martin while volunteering for his neighborhood watch group. A jury acquitted him of second-degree murder the next year. The case sparked a national conversation about race, bias and crime in part because Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, was not immediately arrested after shooting Martin, who is black. The US Justice Department announced Tuesday that it found insufficient evidence to establish that Zimmerman willfully deprived Martin of his civil rights or killed him because of his race. 'The Justice Department is the top of the line here,' Fulton said. 'But what they found just wasn't enough.' Zimmerman, for his part, is relieved the case is closed, according to his attorney, Don West. 'This cloud he was under has been lifted,' West told the AP, adding that he finds it misleading to suggest that charges weren't filed only because the legal standard for federal hate crime is so tough to meet. 'There simply was never any compelling evidence that this was a federal hate crime. Race played no role in it whatsoever,' West said. Seeking justice: The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton want thei son's death to be justified somehow and if not in law then in future decision making practices . Walking free: The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that it found insufficient evidence to establish that George Zimmerman willfully deprived Martin of his civil rights or killed him because of his race . The February 2012 confrontation began after Zimmerman spotted Martin walking through the neighborhood, returning to his father's home after buying candy and a soft drink at a convenience store. Zimmerman called 911 to report a suspicious person, and got out of his car to confront Martin despite being warned by the dispatcher to stop. Zimmerman did not testify at his trial, but he told investigators he feared for his life as Martin straddled him and punched him during the ensuing fight. Wearing a T-shirt bearing a black-and-white image of her son in a hoodie, Fulton said she still longs for Zimmerman to be held responsible. 'I want to see people held accountable for what they're doing. It's just upsetting to know that a person can shoot and kill someone and justify it,' Fulton said. Changing the future: Parents Martin and Fulton, pictured at a press conference on Wednesday, have flown around the country to speak to media, youth groups, and lead rallies against racial profiling and gun violence . Fulton now channels her grief into work with The Trayvon Martin Foundation, which reaches out to other families who have lost children to violence, awards scholarships and collects school supplies for poor students. She's also watching to see how the Justice Department handles other high-profile killings of unarmed blacks. Decisions are pending on whether to charge police in New York and Ferguson, Missouri with depriving the victims of their civil rights by using excessive force in the course of duty. 'What we want is accountability, we want somebody to be arrested, we want somebody to go to jail, of course,' Fulton said. 'But ... we have grand juries and special grand juries; they're making a decision to not even arrest a person.' 'Of course we were devastated by the decision not to charge the murderer of our son,' said Trayvon’s father Tracy Martin at a news conference on Wednesday. CBS reports that Martin and Fulton have flown around the country to speak to media, youth groups, and lead rallies against racial profiling and gun violence. 'Just the work we’re doing with the foundation is helping us heal. This is our life. This is our purpose in life,' said Fulton. 'I will continue to fight for my son. I will continue to fight for your sons. Our work has not stopped, this is not halting us. This is going to make us push even harder because we have a lot of work to do,' she added. | Trayvon Martin's mom Sybrina Fulton says she still believes George Zimmerman got away with murder .
Zimmerman claimed he shot the unarmed teenager in self-defense after confronting Martin while working neighborhood watch .
A jury acquitted him of second-degree murder in July 2013 .
On Tuesday the US Justice Department announced investigators had insufficient evidence to establish the shooting as a hate crime . |
78,089 | dd5dc457ba9fdf2212a7d8f5bc2ebbe799a405e2 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 13:34 EST, 19 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:03 EST, 20 August 2013 . Former Disney star Lee Thompson Young has died aged 29 after suicide. There was no official cause of death, but Young's manager confirmed Monday that the Famous Jett Jackson actor 'tragically took his own life.' 'Lee was more . than just a brilliant young actor, he was a wonderful and gentle soul . who will be truly missed,' said Paul Baruch. 'We ask that you please respect the privacy of his family and friends as this very difficult time.' Scroll down for video... Passed away: Former Disney star Lee Thompson Young was found dead on Monday morning in his LA home from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound, pictured in LA in 2006 . Young's body was found at his North Hollywood home by police Monday morning after he failed to show up for work on TNT's crime drama Rizzoli & Isles, police Officer Sally Madera said. The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned and pronounced him dead at the scene, she said. LAPD robbery-homicide detectives and the Los Angeles County coroner office were investigating because it is a high-profile death, she said. Madera had no details about the cause of death. According to TMZ, the actor died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Tragic: A Los Angeles County coroner vehicle was seen parked outside Young's LA apartment on Monday . Young's death remains a mystery because he did not leave a suicide note, TMZ reported, and although the actor did have a diary none of the writings explain the reasoning behind him taking his own life. In addition, Young was last seen on Saturday and law enforcement officials believe that the star may have committed suicide that same day, the website also reported. Young's death is the second high profile suicide in a week following Bachelor star Gia Allemand's hanging last Monday and subsequent death Wednesday, also at the age of 29. Young made a name for himself as the title character in Disney's The Famous Jett Jackson, which ran from 1998 to 2001. He then went on to play running back . Chris Comer in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights, before landing the lead . role on Rizzoli & Isles for the past three seasons as Boston police . detective Barry Frost. Investigation: A police car was also seen parked outside the building . Earlier Monday, TNT announced it was renewing the series that stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. 'We are beyond heartbroken at the loss of this sweet, gentle, good-hearted, intelligent man. Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him, both on- and offscreen, for his positive energy, infectious smile and soulful grace,' TNT, studio Warner Bros. and series producer Janet Tamaro said in a joint statement. They sent condolences to his mother and other family members. Dream role: Young was currently playing Detective Barry Frost in the TNT show Rizolli & Isles . According to a biography from TNT, Young was inspired to pursue acting when, at age, 10, he played Martin Luther King Jr. in a play in Young's hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. Young followed his stint at Disney it with roles in TV series, including The Guardian, Scrubs and Smallville and in the films Akeelah and the Bee and The Hills Have Eyes II. Young joined Rizzoli & Isles when it debuted in 2010. Making a name for himself: The 29-year-old starred as footballer Chris Comer in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights . Young said in 2011 that he valued his start as a child star. 'It's always a really great feeling when I talk to people who watched Jett Jackson, because we were the same age,' he told EW.com. 'We were all kids. I was 13 when I started working on that show and that was part of my childhood. And it's kind of like we have that in common. 'It means a lot to me when people enjoyed it and when it was a part of their childhood,' he added. 'It's cool when you see people revert back for a quick second to middle school, and they're like, "Oh, man! I remember..." It's really great to me that our work is still with people after 10 years.' Young, a graduate of University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, was an avid photographer, traveler and student of martial arts, according to his biography. A host of stars took to Twitter to post their condolences: . Gabrielle Union: 'I had the pleasure of working w/ #LeeThompsonYoung on Flash Forward & he was an extremely talented beautiful soul. My thoughts & prayers are with his loved ones. #RIP.' Solange Knowles: 'Very very sad to hear about Lee Thompson Young. He was always very kind, and such a light.' Glee‘s Jenna Ushkowitz: 'My deepest thoughts and love to the friends and family who knew Lee Thompson Young.' Tia Mowry: 'My heart goes out to Lee Thompson Young. RIP. These child stars are leaving us too soon! My heart is aching…'Donald Faison: 'This breaks my heart. RIP Lee Thompson Young.'Harry Shum Jr:: 'Feeling incredibly sad about Lee Thompson Young. My heart goes out to his family and friends. #gonetoosoon.' Amber Riley: “Man…RIP #LeeThompsonYoung #Jett Jackson…Everything that glitters isn’t gold. You just never know, that just tore me up a little. Man…” Lee's show Rizzoli & Isles' official Twitter page said: “We’re devastated by the news of the passing of Lee Thompson Young. Lee will be cherished and remembered by all who knew and loved him.” Shocked: The celebrity world was rocked by the former Disney star's sudden passing . First starring role: Young found fame playing the title role in the Disney series The Famous Jett Jackson . | Slew of stars take to Twitter to post their condolences . |
229,514 | b5326e96926a09d360786cc83cfcb612113e541a | By . Mail On Sunday Reporter . Britons staying in areas of the Kenyan coast have been warned to leave unless they have an essential reason to remain. The Foreign Office alert comes after a spate of attacks by militant Islamist group Al Shabaab which have left at least 87 dead. Last week 22 people were killed in raids in the village of Hindi in Lamu county and the Gamba area of Tana River county, the Kenya Red Cross said. Warning for tourists: Last week 22 people were killed in raids in the village of Hindi in Lamu county and the Gamba area of Tana River county . And last month an attack by gunmen in the coastal town of Mpeketoni left 65 dead. The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Lamu county and parts of Tana River county north of the Tana river itself. Its advice adds: ‘If you are currently in an area to which we now advise against all but essential travel you should consider whether you have an essential reason to remain. If not, you should leave the area.’ In May ten people were killed when two explosions hit the capital Nairobi. It prompted tour operators Thomson and First Choice to cancel all flights to Kenya until October 31. In May, hundreds of tourists were evacuated from the coastal region fearing further terror attacks . | Last week 22 people were killed in raids in the village of Hindi .
An attack by Al Shabaab gunmen left 65 dead in the town of Mpeketoni .
Home Office advice suggests people should remain only if it is 'essential' |
129,371 | 3336c0e05d80179f80274254c8cc53e666b543db | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:43 EST, 25 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:40 EST, 26 June 2013 . It was built to be an icon of communist achievement - and to reach a towering height of 440 metres. But the building was never finished and it has become iconic for another reason. For the Yekaterinburg TV Tower is believed to be the tallest incomplete structure in the world. Construction work began on the tower in 1983 but in 1991 the project came to a dramatic halt with the collapse of the USSR. A view of the historical square from the dam on the Iset river in the centre of Yekaterinburg, Russia . The tower - which now stands at around 220 metres - has a slight lean due to engineering mistakes made in its construction. But according to kuriositas.com the list does not mean the tower is due to topple over at any point in the near future. It is known by the city's residents as the 'fun tower' or the 'suicide tower'. Until the year 2000 it was illegally used for buildering and BASE jumping but after several fatal accidents, it was sealed off. Local politicians hope the tower, which has 26 floors and no lift, meaning anyone using it must climb up the concrete stairs, can still be renovated. Construction works started in 1983 but were halted at the beginning of the 1990s with the collapse of the USSR . The tower was built to be an icon of communist achievement - and to reach a towering height of 440 metres . The Yekaterinburg TV Tower is believed to be the tallest incomplete structure in the world . The building - which was used for extreme sports - was sealed off in 2000 after several fatal accidents . They have launched an international competition for new designs for the building and hope to be able to secure the finance for the winning entry. | Tower in Yekaterinburg believed to be tallest abandoned structure in world .
Construction work began in 1983 but came to a halt in 1991 .
TV tower has 26 floors and stands at around 220 metres tall . |
192,696 | 85724bdc8f17e7df9ea14988891c9064681f4fbc | On the booze: A dishevelled Gazza openly carries a bottle of gin in the street before his collapse . Looking dazed and occasionally breaking into tears, a frail Paul Gascoigne is led to an ambulance after being found wandering the streets clutching a four-pack of lager and a bottle of gin. The former World Cup hero’s latest downward spiral ended in a hospital near his home in the expensive Sandbanks area of Poole, Dorset, where he woke up yesterday after once more falling spectacularly off the wagon. In the most shocking chapter yet of his long and often very public battle with alcoholism, onlookers had dialled 999 after finding him slumped tearfully against a wall with his head in his hands at around 2.30pm on Thursday. Shortly before the ambulance had whisked him away, at 3.05pm, the former England star was seen calling a friend to plead: ‘I’m in trouble, please can you come and help me?’ Gascoigne, who looks far, far older than his 47 years, was believed last night to be in Poole Hospital. He had been observed drinking in public on several occasions in preceding days, and at lunchtime on Tuesday was videoed by a passer-by in what appeared to be an inebriated state, in central Bournemouth. ‘You could smell the booze on him. He was hanging on me to stay up. He was absolutely battered,’ said an onlooker. When he was taken into care 48 hours later, he appeared to still be wearing the same T-shirt. On his feet were a pair of blue slippers, which he’d worn to walk to an off-licence, where he’d purchased the alcohol and a packet of cigarettes. Gascoigne, who only months ago flexed his biceps while posing for pictures after a visit to the gym, looked weak and malnourished. His hair was unwashed, his skin blotchy, and he seemed barely able to open his eyes. Markedly pale, a gold cross hanging from his neck and tattoos showing on his right arm, he seemed a mere shadow of the man he was even a year or two ago. Comparisons with his athletic physique in his prime are even more shocking. The once muscular legs are painfully thin (there is a small wound on his left shin). The arms that once helped to force him past defenders are now wasted. Compounding his misery, he is feared to be facing homelessness after being told that he must leave his £3 million rented penthouse apartment in the coming weeks. ‘His lease will run out on September 13, and the landlord will not be renewing the contract as he wants the flat back,’ says Christopher Eales, the director of the management firm which runs the exclusive property overlooking Poole Harbour. Neighbours are said to have made many complaints about noise from the flat, where Gascoigne lives alone. The former Spurs and Lazio star’s sister Lindsay said on Facebook yesterday: ‘This illness is so tragic, and there is no cure, and [it] has shown its ugly head again. So in among my heartbreak . . . please leave us alone to grieve and pull together as a family as always to help save a great man.’ But, of course, we’ve been here plenty of times before. Gascoigne was first packed off to rehab . by Middlesbrough manager Bryan Robson in 1998, having been found . unconscious after drinking 32 shots of whisky. His life since has been . an ongoing struggle with drink, drugs and mental health issues. Helping hand: The confused star is gently guided to a waiting ambulance by a policeman . For the past four years, Gascoigne has been living in Poole, where he is an occasional patient at nearby Bournemouth’s rehabilitation centre, The Providence Project. But in between stays there, his condition has appeared to spiral out of control. Months ago, he had to leave another rented apartment in Sandbanks after a series of disturbances. Friends have frequently attempted to rally round. Last year, his former team-mate Gary Lineker clubbed together with DJ Chris Evans and ex-England cricketer Ronnie Irani to pay for him to stay at an Arizona clinic. Troubled: Paul Gascoigne's tormet is etched into his face making him look older than 47 years . ‘I can honestly say we’ve supported him over the years,’ said Lineker at the Edinburgh TV festival yesterday. ‘Lots of people have — Tottenham have, his friends have. And I just wish him well.’ But, he added, responsibility for any future recovery ‘has ultimately got to come from Paul’. A close friend says: ‘Paul’s not just an alcoholic. He’s got OCD, ADHD, and Tourette’s Syndrome. He’s bulimic, anorexic, he’s an obsessive exerciser. As long as he had football, the structure of a club and the public adulation, his conditions were manageable. But since his career finished there’s been a hole he really can’t fill.’ Hunter Davies, who co-wrote Gascoigne’s 2004 autobiography, agrees. ‘Football saved Paul from himself. He was ill long before it came along, and for those 20 years, it helped him to manage those illnesses. Drink certainly didn’t ruin his career like it did for George Best. He was still playing in the Premier League in his 30s. He won 57 caps. But when the football ended, things spiralled. ‘He doesn’t even like alcohol. He hates the taste of it,’ adds Davies. ‘I’ve been with him when he’s poured it into flower pots, because he finds it so revolting. But then he will get depressed, and just want to get obliterated.’ Since leaving the game, Gascoigne has made a living on the back of his enduring fame. A friend says: ‘He has always done his best to provide for Sheryl and the children.’ Sheryl, whom he divorced in 1999, is the mother of his son Regan and step-children Bianca and Mason. Bianca yesterday tweeted to well-wishers: ‘Thank you for your kind words.’ In recent months, however, there have been signs that Gascoigne has fallen increasingly upon hard times. Superstar: Former Spurs and Lazio star Gazza, playing for England in 1990 . Neighbours yesterday claimed he has even resorted to charging fans to take ‘selfie’ photographs with him on their mobile phones. ‘I’ve seen Gazza ask for a fiver for a selfie from some tourists,’ said one. Today, more than a decade after quitting football, most of the diminishing circle of people he feels able to trust come from within the game. One is Harry Redknapp, the QPR manager who lives a corner kick from Gascoigne’s flat. He offered yesterday to give him a coaching role. ‘He could do some coaching with the kids, I would love it if he would. ‘I love Gazza, he has got a heart of gold,’ he added. ‘Everyone has tried to help him, but the only person who can help him now is himself.’ Additional reporting by Ryan Kisiel and Larisa Brown . | Gazza's latest downward spiral ended in hospital near his home in Dorset .
Onlookers had dialled 999 after finding him slumped tearfully against a wall .
On his feet were a pair of blue slippers, which he'd worn to the off-licence .
Ex-footballer reportedly charges fans for a selfie as he struggles with money .
His sister said on Facebook that illness was 'tragic' and there was 'no cure' |
107,204 | 16443e8e64e6462fa59f3b26c55d1a303dfc1294 | Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed in Texas Wednesday evening for his involvement in the infamous dragging death of a black man 13 years ago. Brewer, 44, was one of three men convicted for involvement in the murder of James Byrd. He was executed by lethal injection at 6:21 p.m. local time (7:21 p.m. ET) Wednesday , according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Brewer ate a huge final meal, according to Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark. It consisted of chicken fried steaks, a triple-meat bacon cheeseburger, a cheese omelet, a bowl of fried okra, barbeque, fajitas, pizza, and a slab of peanut butter fudge with crushed peanuts. After the meal, Brewer was given time to make phone calls to family and friends. Brewer and two other white men kidnapped the 49-year-old black man on the night of June 7, 1998. They chained him by the ankles to the back of a pickup truck and dragged him for 3 ½ miles down a country road near Jasper, Texas. Byrd died when he was decapitated after he hit a culvert. Prosecutors said the crime, which they described it as one of the most vicious hate crimes in U.S. history, was intended to promote Brewer's fledgling white supremacist organization. During his 1999 trial, they called Brewer a racist psychopath. Brewer was a former "Exalted Cyclops" of a racist prison gang affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. He spent most of his adult life in prison for burglary, cocaine possession and parole violations. During the trial, Brewer took the witness stand and contended that he was a bystander, not a killer. He tearfully admitted being present when Byrd was dragged to his death but, he said, "I didn't mean to cause his death. I had no intentions of killing anybody." Brewer said accomplice John William King initiated the killing by fighting with Byrd. He also said the third defendant, Shawn Berry, slashed Byrd's throat and then chained him to Berry's pickup. Brewer admitted kicking Byrd and spraying Byrd's face with black paint. But he said it was a reflex action taken to try to break up the fight between Byrd and King. When Brewer was sentenced to death in 1999, Jasper County District Attorney Guy James Gray said that, while he did not personally favor the death penalty, it was necessary in Brewer's case. "This is a situation where if you don't give the death penalty to this man, he will kill again," said Gray. To impose the death penalty, the jurors in Brewer's trial had to answer three questions under Texas law: . -- Would Brewer be a threat to society in the future; . -- Did Brewer mean to kill Byrd; . -- And, were there mitigating circumstances that would warrant sparing Brewer's life? To sentence Brewer to death, the jurors voted unanimously on each question -- answering the first two yes and the last no. The execution was the 11th this year in Texas, the most active death-penalty state. King also was sentenced to death and is awaiting the outcome of an appeal. The third man, Berry, was sentenced to life in prison. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed into law expanded hate crime legislation that was named after Byrd and Mathew Shepard, a gay Wyoming man who died after being kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998. | Lawrence Brewer executed in Texas at 7:21 p.m. ET .
Brewer was sentenced to die by lethal injection for killing James Byrd .
Byrd was chained to a truck and dragged to death .
A prosecutor described Brewer as a racist psychopath . |
277,556 | f3947840b61c21b6e17fb0aff25ac096ce114e6f | Ed Miliband suffered a fresh blow today – after 'staunchly Labour' TV stars Ant and Dec attacked his leadership and questioned whether they could vote for him. Declan Donnelly, 39, said he had always voted Labour but was unimpressed with Mr Miliband. He said: 'I'm not sure I could picture him [Ed Miliband] as prime minister.' His Britain's Got Talent co-star Ant McPartlin – also 39 – said the pair were 'staunchly Labour' but didn't know if they could vote Labour under Mr Miliband. 'Staunchly Labour' TV stars Ant and Dec attacked Ed Miliband's leadership and questioned whether they could vote for him . The remarks appear to echo public concern over Mr Miliband's leadership, with just 80 days until the election. According to the latest polls, more than half the public think Mr Miliband is doing a bad job – with less than a quarter happy with his leadership. His overall approval rating has slumped to minus 29. This is stark contrast to David Cameron – who splits opinion down the middle, according to the pollsters Opinium. The PM has a net approval rating of minus one. Despite Mr Cameron's personal advantage, Labour continue to be ahead by two points in the polls – on 35 per cent, compared to the Tories who are stuck on 33 per cent. Ant and Dec, speaking to the Times, said they followed politics 'keenly', but were disillusioned with Labour and the Tories. Mr McPartlin said: 'I voted Labour all my life. But last election I voted Tory because I was thoroughly disillusioned with the Labour government. 'Now I'm thoroughly disillusioned with a coalition government. I feel we're both staunchly Labour and would vote Labour if we could, but I don't know what their philosophy is any more.' Ant McPartlin said he had voted Labour all his life until the last election when he backed David Cameron's Tories . Mr Donnelly added: 'I'm not sure I could picture him [Ed Miliband] as prime minister.' The pair dismissed the idea of hosting a political programme. Mr Donnelly: 'The problem is people want to watch people they like. It's very hard to make politicians likeable.' Mr McPartlin: 'If you're a family in Middlesbrough and you're watching grown men arguing on the TV, you're not going to know what the parties stand for, just two men trying to get the better of each other. I can't stand it. No wonder people don't relate.' The Geordie pair have previously opened up about politics. Mr McPartlin has previously admitted his decision to vote Tory at the last election would make his family in the North East 'very angry'. | Labour voter Declan Donnelly says he 'could not picture' Miliband as PM .
Ant McPartlin says the pair would vote Labour 'if we could' but is not sure .
McPartlin said he had voted Labour all his life until the last election .
The Geordie pair said they followed politics 'keenly' but were 'disillusioned' |
231,623 | b7e2357c5c41bd8bc5358b6f8cc755ea5013e943 | The elder Boston marathon Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in a secret midnight service at an undisclosed location after a mystery benefactor came forward - ending weeks of controversy. According to federal officials the body was taken from the Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlor and entombed under cover of darkness outside of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, where his remains have laid since last Friday. The burial location was approved by Ruslan Tsarni, the terror suspects outspoken uncle, who has been attempting to find a cemetery that would accept his nephew for burial. Scroll down for video . Tamerlan Tsarnaev has finally been buried at an undisclosed location outside of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts . 'As a result of our public appeal for help a courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide the assistance needed to properly bury the deceased,' said Worcester police in a statement this morning. 'His body is no longer in the city of Worcester and is now entombed.' The body was finally buried one day after Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme pleaded for help in burying Tsarnaev - who was killed in a firefight with police on April 19th in Watertown, just outside of Boston. 'There is a need to do the right thing,' said Gemme said. 'We are not barbarians. We bury the dead.' The statement did not say where his body now rests . Peter Stefan, the director of the funeral home had previously expressed his strong desire to find a proper burial site for Tsarnaev despite protests outside the funeral home and the refusal of Cambridge to take his body for burial. Worcester police Sgt. Kerry Hazelsays a 'courageous and compassionate' individual came forth and helped to provide a burial spot for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev . (From left), Lisa Taurasi, Lucy Rodriguez and Luis Barbosa, all of Worcester, Mass., hold protest signs as they stand across the street from Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors in Worcester, Mass. on Sunday evening . Police keep watch outside Graham, Putnam, and Mahoney Funeral Parlors in Worcester on Monday, where the body of killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was kept . Ruslan Tsarni, (right), uncle of killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, enters the Graham, Putnam, and Mahoney Funeral Parlors, in Worcester, on Sunday, May 5th . Ruslan Tsarni, (right), uncle of killed Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, prepares to speak with reporters as funeral director and owner Peter Stefan, (left), stands nearby . Before today's announcement, a retired Vermont school teacher, Paul Keane had yesterday offered up his family's plot in Hamden, Connecticut. He intended the offer to be a tribute to his mother, who taught him to, 'love thine enemy.' Keane told reporters that he didn't withdraw the offer, even after he received hate-mail - but no one from Worcester contacted him. And the firm responsible for digging graves at the Mount Carmel Cemetery told the MailOnline that they have dug no fresh graves this week. And on Monday, the founder of the organization that built Colorado's largest mosque is offered to bury suspected Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a Denver-area Muslim cemetery. Sheikh Abu-Omar Almubarac said he would pay for a traditional Muslim burial - no headstone, monument or casket - at a plot at a Muslim cemetery in Denver or Bennett. Almubarac refused to say which one out of concern for 'undue publicity.' He said he would bury Tsarnaev as long as his family can get the body to Denver. It is not known whether the family of Tsarnaev took him up on that offer. Fiona Gilley, (left), and her sister Nairi Melkonian, both of Worcester, hold signs urging compassion while they stand on the other side of the street from protestors in Worcester . Peter Stefan, funeral director and owner of Graham, Putnam and Mahoney Funeral Parlors confirmed his funeral home will handle funeral arrangements for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev . Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst with the . Worcester police force said the body was no longer in Worcester and is . now entombed. She did not disclose where the body was taken. Tsarnaev’s body had been at the Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors for a week. Meanwhile, . Tsarnaev’s widow continues to face questions from federal authorities . and has hired a criminal lawyer with experience defending terrorism . cases. Katherine Russell added New York lawyer Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her attorney Amato DeLuca said Wednesday. Dratel . has represented a number of terrorism suspects in federal courts and . military commissions, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee David . Hicks, who attended an al-Qaida-linked training camp in Afghanistan. Dratel’s . 'unique, specialized experience' will help ensure that Russell 'can . assist in the ongoing investigation in the most constructive way . possible,' DeLuca said in a statement. He . said Russell, who has not been charged with any crime, will continue to . meet with investigators as 'part of a series of meetings over many . hours where she has answered questions.' Providence-based DeLuca and Miriam Weizenbaum have been representing Russell, who is from Rhode Island. They specialize in civil cases such as personal injury law. An FBI spokeswoman wouldn’t comment when asked Wednesday whether Russell is cooperating. DeLuca has said Russell had no reason to suspect her husband and his brother in the deadly April 15 bombing. Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, ethnic Chechen brothers from southern Russia and living in Massachusetts, are accused of planting two shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs near the marathon finish line, killing three people and injuring about 260. Dzhokhar, who was captured hiding in a tarp-covered boat outside a house in a Boston suburb, was charged with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill. Their mother has said the charges against them are lies. In Washington, the first in a series of hearings was planned Thursday to review government’s initial response to the bombing, what information authorities received about the brothers before the bombings and whether they handled it correctly. Sheikh Abu Omar Almubarac, a prominent member of the Denver-area Muslim community offered to bury Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a Denver-area cemetery on Tuesday . The hearing on Capitol Hill comes less than three weeks after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s arrest. The FBI and CIA separately received vague warnings from Russia’s government in 2011 that Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his mother were religious militants. Russell, Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s wife, had wanted his body turned over to his side of the family, which claimed it. Nineteen days after his death, cemeteries still refused to take his remains and government officials deflected questions about where he could be buried. On Wednesday, police in Worcester, west of Boston, pleaded for a resolution, saying they were spending tens of thousands of dollars to protect the funeral home where his body is being kept amid protests. 'We are not barbarians,' Police Chief Gary Gemme said. 'We bury the dead.' It is unknown if Katherine Russell, widow of Boston Marathon bomber suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, (left), was at the burial - but Ruslan Tsarni (right) approved the site . An expert in U.S. burial law said the resistance to Tsarnaev’s burial is unprecedented in a country that has always found a way to put to rest its notorious killers, from Lee Harvey Oswald to Adam Lanza, who gunned down 20 children and six educators at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school last year. Peter Stefan, whose funeral home accepted Tsarnaev’s body last week, said Tuesday that none of the 120 offers of graves from the U.S. and Canada has worked out because officials in those cities and towns don’t want the body. | Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in an undisclosed location outside the city of Worcester, Massachusetts .
An anonymous individual came forward to offer assistance to bury Tsarnaev .
The burial came one day after Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme asked for assistance in burying the terrorist .
He was killed in a firefight with police on April 19th in Watertown, outside Boston . |
262,140 | df870c3f1837ad8ad5f5dd5c86db121b47025459 | Ahead of this weekend's Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for Southampton's home clash with Everton... Southampton vs Everton (St Mary's) Team news . Southampton . Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Dusan Tadic are amongst a host of players unavailable for Southampton's Premier League match with Everton. Schneiderlin and Wanyama, along with Florin Gardos, are suspended for Saturday's match, while Tadic and Jake Hesketh join long-term absentees Jay Rodriguez, Sam Gallagher and Jack Cork on the sidelines. Graziano Pelle and Steven Davis are doubts for the match, while Harrison Reed is set for a first Premier League start. A number of Under-21s players have been called up to the squad. Provisional squad: Forster, K Davis, Cropper, Clyne, Bertrand, Targett, Alderweireld, Yoshida, Fonte, McCarthy, S Davis, Gape, Flannigan, Ward-Prowse, Reed, Mane, Isgrove, McQueen, Mayuka, Long, Pelle, Seager. Southampton will hope Graziano Pelle can return to goalscoring form against Everton this weekend . Everton . Midfielders Darron Gibson (knee) and James McCarthy (hamstring) are both rated 50-50 to be fit for the trip to Southampton. Forward Kevin Mirallas will be missing after sustaining ankle ligament damage on Monday while Leon Osman (ankle) is unlikely to return this weekend. Midfielder Gareth Barry returns from suspension. Provisional squad: Howard, Coleman, Distin, Jagielka, Baines, McCarthy, Gibson, Barkley, McGeady, Naismith, Lukaku, Pienaar, Robles, Hibbert, Stones, Garbutt, Alcaraz, Eto'o, Kone. Steven Naismith celebrates scoring for Everton against Queens Park Rangers last weekend . Kick-off: Saturday 3pm . Odds (subject to change): . Southampton 23/20 . Draw 12/5 . Everton 9/4 . Referee: Jonathan Moss . Managers: Ronald Koeman (Southampton), Roberto Martinez (Everton) Head-to-head league record: Southampton wins 23, draws 18, Everton wins 39 . Key match stats (supplied by Opta) Southampton won this Premier League fixture 2-0 last season courtesy of two own goals (Alcaraz and Coleman). That defeat ended a run of eight games unbeaten for Everton against Southampton in the Premier League (W4 D4). Southampton have won two and lost none of the last five Premier League games against Everton at St Mary’s. If games ended at half-time this season, Everton would be third in the Premier League table with 28 points. However, if only the second-half of matches counted, Everton would be 14th with 17 points. Steve Watson celebrates scoring the game's only goal during Everton's last win at Southampton which came in an April 2012 Premier League meeting at St Mary's . Dusan Tadic has not scored or assisted a single goal in his last eight PL appearances; this after having a hand in seven goals in his first eight PL apps (six assists, one goal). Nevertheless, Tadic has created the most goalscoring opportunities from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season (42). Steven Naismith has scored five goals from just eight shots on target in the Premier League this season. Ronald Koeman has made just 38 of the 48 substitutions available to him in the Premier League this season; no club has used as few. Southampton have seen six players start every single Premier League game this season; more than any other side. | Southampton host Everton at St Mary's Stadium (Saturday 3pm)
Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Dusan Tadic unavailable .
Darron Gibson and James McCarthy are both 50-50 for Toffees .
Saints won this Premier League match 2-0 last year through two own goals . |
112,311 | 1ce13bde890d16c637c367fac53b79b1b2fcec6a | By . Keith Gladdis . UPDATED: . 03:22 EST, 5 March 2012 . Overjoyed: John and Chenphen Powell with Jasmine . The news could hardly have been more devastating for policeman John Powell. Diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 32, he was given only six months to live and told that aggressive chemotherapy would leave him infertile. That was 21 years ago – and now he and his wife are celebrating the arrival of a daughter.Mr Powell had a sperm sample frozen before he began the treatment and, when he was finally given the all-clear after two decades, it was used to create baby Jasmine. ‘We couldn’t be happier – she is a wonder of medical science,’ said Mr Powell at home with wife Chenphen in Orpington, Kent. ‘I look at little Jasmine and think she is nothing less than miraculous. I honestly didn’t believe she was real until the moment she was born and I saw her face. Now I hold her and think she is part of me from 20 years ago, before I had chemotherapy. ‘It’s astonishing that something as beautiful and perfect as Jasmine could come out of a time that was so painful and difficult.’ For Mr and Mrs Powell, the birth of their daughter on February 20 is even more of a wonder because they had enough money to fund only one cycle of IVF. They were also fighting against the clock because strict rules meant Mr Powell’s sperm would have had to be destroyed when he reached the age of 55. Medical staff at the Bridge Centre in London, where they underwent the treatment, believe it is a British record for 20-year-old sperm to be successful in its first cycle. Trevor White, an engineer from Manchester, became a father in 2004 after his sperm had been frozen for 21 years. However baby Daniel was conceived after four separate rounds of IVF. ‘I never thought we would be lucky enough for it to work,’ said 53-year-old Mr Powell, a former superintendent with the Metropolitan force. ‘I didn’t allow myself to believe it had been a success until the moment Jasmine was born.’ Mr Powell already had a daughter, now 23, with his first wife when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1990. They split a few years later and after a period alone he visited Thailand, where friends introduced him to Chenphen. Diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 32, Mr Powell¿s sperm would have had to be destroyed when he reached the age of 55 making the birth even more remarkable . They married in March 2008 but only after he warned her that they could probably not have a family. Mrs Powell, 36, said: ‘John explained to me that his cancer meant we were probably not going to be able to have a baby. ‘Obviously I was upset but I loved John so much that all I could think about was our future life together, if that was without children then that was okay. ‘But we knew there was a chance of having a baby with the frozen sperm. I knew we only really had one chance of it working so I didn’t really believe it would. ‘It was so unexpected when we found out I was pregnant, John had a huge smile on his face and it was obvious how happy he was.’ Mr Powell, a keen runner who has coached athletes to world championship level, had the sperm sample frozen in April 1991 and it was exactly 20 years later when his wife found she was pregnant. He is the first Briton to survive a pioneering treatment. Bone marrow was drained from four holes drilled into his pelvis at Guy’s Hospital in London before he was given extremely high doses of chemotherapy. Months later the bone marrow – which had been frozen – was transplanted back into his body and his long road to recovery began. Mr Powell kept a diary throughout the whole traumatic period of his treatment. He said: ‘I was confronted with the prospect of having just six months to live or having a chance of survival if I took the new treatment. I was determined to fight. It was a terrible time and it has only been since we were expecting Jasmine that I have been able to look at the diary again.’ The couple plan to fly to Thailand in September to show their daughter off to Mrs Powell’s mother. ‘She was crying down the phone when I told her Jasmine had been born,’ said Mrs Powell. ‘It is her first grandchild. I don’t know how she is going to wait until September.’ | Mr Powell had a sperm sample frozen in 1991 before undergoing chemotherapy .
Rules meant his sperm was due to be destroyed in two years time when he reached 55 .
Couple only hand enough money to fund one IVF cycle . |
211,485 | 9ddb51f7b0be9d4b68d65155344d17439451884f | (CNN) -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 on Sunday night in a race delayed six hours because of weather. He crossed the finish line about 11:30 p.m., giving him his first Daytona win since 2004. The track has special meaning for Earnhardt because his father, the legendary Dale Earnhardt, was killed in a wreck during the 2001 race. The race was stopped around 2 p.m. when rain forced drivers to pit road. The 150,000 fans were told to evacuate the grandstands and take necessary precautions after weather radar indicated conditions were favorable for an imminent tornado. The rains came and went, crews worked to dry the track, and full-speed racing resumed just before 9 p.m. During the delay, fans tuning in on Fox Sports were shown a replay of last year's race, causing some confusion. Jimmie Johnson won in 2013, edging out Earnhardt and a host of others down the stretch. "I hear I won the #Daytona500? Haha! I also have friends confused and texting congratulations to me," he posted on his Twitter account. Bleacher Report: Confusion rains down on Twitter, Fox News . Fox News also apologized Sunday for erroneously reporting on its Facebook page that Johnson had won this year's race. "We sincerely apologize to our viewers and readers for this inaccurate report," the network said. After the midafternoon storm, the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, later canceled the tornado warning for parts of Volusia County, including the area around the Daytona International Speedway. "The safety of our race fans is always a primary concern. We have a detailed plan in place to monitor weather and if necessary, communicate to our fans," said Lenny Santiago, spokesman at Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt won his first race in 55 tries going back to 2012. CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report. | NEW: Fox News apologizes for erroneously reporting this year's winner .
Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins race, Denny Hamlin finished second .
Fox Sports showed a replay of last year's race, causing some confusion .
NASCAR officials told fans to leave the stands because of the potential for a tornado . |
209,519 | 9b519ed72c08ea4a10667a49f1e755bd59954127 | A US Air Force veteran has broken down while describing his experience at being the latest victim of the dangerous 'swatting' trend, where hackers report a bogus emergency with the goal of mobilizing a SWAT team. Joshua Peters, 27 - who returned from service in Kuwait on a medical evacuation - was playing browser games from his home in St Cloud, Minnesota, and live-streaming himself online, when 10 armed officers stormed the house. The hoaxer had found Peters' address and called the local police, reporting that someone had 'shot their roommate and now they were pointing their gun at them', according to The Guardian. Police also heard two gunshots ring out before the call ended. Victimized: Joshua Peters, 27, a returned US Air Force officer, is the latest gamer to be targeted in the 'swatting' trend sweeping the streaming world, where hackers report a bogus emergency with the goal of mobilizing a SWAT team . Emotional: Peters was live streaming a game of RuneScape when he was swatted, with about 60,000 watching it unfold online. He later addressed the camera about what happened and broke down (pictured) Peters said his siblings were home at the time and his 10-year-old brother answered the door. He currently lives with his parents, and his mother was also home. The team of police forced Peters face down to the floor. By this time he had realized what was going on and tried to explain to police he had been streaming the popular games RuneScape and Clash of the Clans. The cops assessed the house and realized Peters was telling the truth. He returned to his computer about 15 minutes later. The camera had been streaming the whole time, with about 60,000 watching the incident unfold. An emotional Peters then addressed the situation, saying he had been swatted. Vet: Joshua Peters returned from service in Kuwait due to a medical evacuation . 'I had police point a gun at my little brothers because of you,' Peters said through tears, with a video of the stream since uploaded to YouTube. 'They could have been shot, they could have died. 'Because you chose to swat my stream. 'I don’t give a s--- about what you have against me, or what I did to you. 'For that I am at a loss for words. 'Your gripe is with me. 'But do not involve my family in this. 'They don’t deserve it.' Gamer: Peters was playing the popular browser games Clash of Clans and Runescape when the attack occurred, scaring his family . In an interview with The Guardian after the swatting incident, Peters said he believes the attack was random. In other swatting attacks, gamers have been able to track down the addresses of people streaming using available information online, and then prank them. 'There’s no possible persons who I can think would do something like this to me,' he said. 'Before I knew it, my face was on a tile on the ground, hands wide open and a bunch of police officers with assault rifles.' Peters added that he has witnessed other streamers being swatted. St Cloud police are investigating what happened to Peters. They hope to track down the person who staged the emergency call. Sadly, swatting is not new to the gaming world. The dangerous prank, where hackers report a bogus emergency with the goal of mobilizing a SWAT team, first surfaced around 2011, as streaming became increasingly popular. | Joshua Peters, 27, was live streaming browser games RuneScape and Clash of the Clans at his home in St Cloud, Minnesota .
10 armed police stormed the house and forced him to the floor .
They received a call someone had been shot and a man had a gun .
The call was a hoax known as 'swatting'
Hackers report bogus emergencies trying to mobilize a SWAT team . |
103,440 | 116400600a43526a23bcc38c4febcd606243a9f3 | Wales hooker Ken Owens has undergone a scan to gauge the extent of a neck injury suffered during training. Owens missed the Scarlets' Guinness PRO12 victory over Treviso four days ago. The Scarlets have now announced he has been assessed by their own medical team, while consultation has also taken place with specialists. Scarlets and Wales hooker Ken Owens is to see a neck specialist following an injury . 'We have undergone a thorough process of consultation with specialists over the last few days in regards to Ken's injury, and will decide on the best course of action in the coming days.' Scarlets head of performance Andrew Walker said. Owens, 27, has started Wales' last three Tests, including both summer tour games against South Africa, and is an integral part of national coach Warren Gatland's plans. He made his international debut during the 2011 World Cup and has gone on to win 26 caps, vying for the number two shirt with Richard Hibbard. Wales kick off their autumn Test schedule against Australia on November 8, before tackling Fiji, New Zealand and the Springboks. | Owens has undergone a scan to gauge the extent of the neck injury .
Training injury ruled him out of PRO12 game against Treviso .
Wales' autumn Tests start on November 8 with game against Australia . |
85,887 | f394b19ebccb907c048980139bb1d507624b49f6 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:59 EST, 4 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:44 EST, 5 October 2012 . A Chihuahua was left fighting for its life after being brutally savaged by a fox for the second time in four years. The seven-year-old dog was left for dead after being attacked in its garden when it was found by his owner Vicky Neophytou. The Chihuahua, who was close to death when found, is now nursing his injuries and recovering from severe blood loss after being set upon for the second time on Sunday. Petrified: Mrs Neophytou found Pepe covered in blood in her garden after brutal attack . Typically weighing less than three kilograms, the Chihuahua was left with only one eye when he was first attacked by a fox in 2008. Mrs Neophytou, of Sutton, Surrey, was first to the scene after the attack. She said: 'It was 11.30am and I was cutting my son’s hair in the kitchen. I could hear squeaking, I thought the cat had a bird in the garden. 'I went out and Pepe was just lying there on the patio with the fox over him and there was blood everywhere.' Mrs Neophytou was quick to react and tried to scare off the fox before attending to the helpless dog. 'I shooed the fox away, but he didn’t go far. He saw all this blood, that Pepe was close to death and obviously thought he was going to be his lunch. 'It was awful, I couldn’t talk on the phone. I was hyperventilating. I was so glad the vet was open. 'I didn’t think Pepe was going to survive in the car.' Protected: Terry Woods from Foxagon 'Foxes are a natural fauna, we can't clinically destroy something just because we don't like it.' During the ordeal, Pepe suffered three broken ribs and several puncture wounds. He remains at the vet in North Cheam and is not expected home for another three days. Still aware of the potential danger of the fox, Mrs Neophytou has been advised to keep her dog flap closed, but has another dog and a cat at home. She said: “I don’t know what to do. If I keep the dog flap closed the dogs will only be able to go out when I open the door but that means the cat can’t come and go. Savaged: Pepe the Chihuahua is recovering from his second fox attack in four years . 'I’ve contacted Foxagon (fox deterrence service) to see if they can take the fox away but they said it is illegal as it is the foxes’ territory.' Terry Woods from Foxagon said he had advised Mrs Neophytou on how to fox proof her garden. He said: 'Foxes are a natural fauna, we can’t clinically destroy something just because we don’t like it.' This is just the latest in a series of fox attacks on both animals and humans over the past couple of years. In 2010, Princess, a two-year-old Chihuahua, was savaged to death when she was snapped up by the jaws of a large fox which crept into its owner Toby Khanna's property in broad daylight. The attack was witnessed by his devastated young children as the 38-year-old chased after the intruder. In one of the most horrific fox attacks, nine-month-old sisters Isabella and Lola Koupparis were savaged by a fox as they lay innocently in their cots. The attack left the young girls with 'life-changing' injuries. In this case, a fox had gained entry to the girls' parents' £800,000 house in East London, on the night of Saturday, June 5. The girls' parents Nick and Pauline, both 41, heard their daughters' cries over a baby monitor and dashed upstairs to find the girls with wounds that looked like they had been caused by a 'cheese grater'. Tragic: Sisters Isabella and Lola Koupparis were left with 'life-changing' injuries after a fox attacked them in their own home . | Chihuahua left fighting for its life after second savage fox attack .
The small dog was left with three broken ribs and severe blood loss .
Previous attack in 2008 had left it with only one eye . |
224,050 | ae20dd19e15c5d266dcb4b1f1262d7224d6a12a6 | By . Associated Press . The Montana Supreme Court will censure a state judge and suspend him without pay for 31 days for saying a 14-year-old rape victim was 'older than her chronological age.' Justices said in Wednesday's opinion that Judge G. Todd Baugh of Billings eroded confidence in the court system with his actions in the case of convicted rapist and former teacher Stacey Dean Rambold. Baugh was ordered to appear before the court July 1 for a public censure. Montana Supreme Court will censure a state judge G. Todd Baugh and suspend him without pay for 31 days for saying a 14-year-old rape victim was 'older than her chronological age' Former teacher Stacey Dean Rambold stands in a courtroom after sentencing by Judge G. Todd Baugh in Billings, Mont., for the rape of a 14-year-old student . The judge sent Rambold to prison for just 30 days last year after he pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse without consent. Rambold was 47 years old at the time of the assault. The girl, a student in Rambold's class at Billings Senior High School, . committed suicide while the case was pending trial. After . prosecutors from the state Department of Justice appealed, the high . court ruled unanimously in April that Rambold's original sentence was . illegal under a state law that says he should have served a minimum of . two years. Rambold's lawyers . filed a petition seeking a new hearing in May, arguing in part that it . was appropriate for court to factor the girl's conduct into his . sentence. The girl, a student in Rambold's class at Billings Senior High School, committed suicide while the case was pending trial . A brief, . one-paragraph order said the legal issues raised by Rambold already were . addressed in the court's April ruling. Under Montana law, children . under 16 cannot consent to sexual intercourse. Department of Justice spokesman John Barnes said the agency was pleased that the court denied the request for a new hearing. Rambold . has been free since last fall after serving out his original sentence — . 15 years in prison with all but one month suspended — from Baugh. After his release, Rambold registered as a . sex offender and was to remain on probation through 2028. A new judge will be selected to resentence him. Baugh has apologized for his actions. He plans to retire when his term expires in December. | Officials said Judge G. Todd Baugh eroded confidence in the court system while trying convicted rapist Stacey Dean Rambold .
Rambold, then a teacher, sexually assaulted a teen student .
Rambold initially sentenced to only 30 days before sentencing was changed .
Victim committed suicide as case was pending . |
28,032 | 4f7112828bf860255431795b203bac40c4df00e5 | By . Associated Press, Reuters Reporter and Laura Cox . PUBLISHED: . 11:10 EST, 14 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:30 EST, 14 May 2012 . Best Buy Co Inc founder and Chairman . Richard Schulze is stepping down after being accused of covering up an affair between former Chief Executive Officer Brian Dunn and a colleague. He failed to tell the company board about the disgraced CEO's elicit relationship that violated company policy. The woman involved in the scandal has been reported in local news as being 19-year-old Dayna Cline, the Leadership Institute Coordinator at Best Buy's leadership training institute in Richfield. Scroll down for video . Dayna Cline . (pictured), the Leadership Institute Coordinator at Best Buy's . leadership training institute in Richfield is reportedly the employee . Dunn was having an affair with . Her identity came out after Thomas Lee, a reporter from the Star Tribune, tweeted Dunn to ask for a response to the allegations, citing Cline's name. Lee meant to send a private, direct . message, but accidentally pressed the wrong button, sending her name out . into the public domain. He quickly spotted his mistake and deleted the accusatory tweet but reporters from the City Pages blog had already noticed the revealing post and printed a publicly available photograph of Cline online. Best Buy spokesman Bruce Hight said the company would not comment on the identity of the woman involved. Messages sent to Cline were not responded to. In the wake of the scandal Dunn resigned from his position, taking home a hefty payoff of $6.6m to his wife and three sons. Dunn's golden parachute is made up of a $2.85 million severance payment, his previously earned bonus of $1.14 million for fiscal 2012 . and previously awarded stock grants, valued at $2.54 million, as well as unused vacation time. The only catch for the dad-of-three, who last year earned more than $10.2 million, is that he must not work for a competitor for three years, up from the . standard one year that is Best Buy's policy. Best Buy said an investigation by the board had found that the . relationship 'negatively impacted the work environment', but involved no . misuse of company resources. The investigation report detailed how the employee spoke openly in the office about her relationship with Dunn, who gave her tickets to at least seven concerts and sports events, according to the New York Times. They pair met several times for lunches and drinks, both during the week and on weekends. Dunn, a Best Buy veteran, worked for . the company for 28 years, following in the footsteps of his mother, . Ethel, who was an accountant there, Smart Money reported. He had worked in grocery stores since . he was 14, never having gone to university, and made the switch to Best . Buy at 24, according to the New York Times. He took over as CEO in 2009. Richard Schulze, (right) resigned as Chairman of . Best Buy after failing to tell the board that Brian Dunn (left) was . having an affair with a colleague . Out: Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn abruptly called it quits in April during an investigation into his 'personal conduct' that found he had had an affair with a female colleague . Schulze is also married. He and his . wife Sandy founded the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation in 2004 to . help families with medical costs. On the foundation's website is . written: 'The Schulze family has been impacted by cancer and type 1 . diabetes and understands the challenges families endure while battling a . disease. His daughter, Susan Schulze Hoff, is the founder of Fantesca Estate & Winery founder in the Spring Mountain District AVA of Napa Valley. Schulze will be succeeded by Hatim Tyabji, chairman of mobile . network software company Bytemobile and chairman of Best Buy's audit . committee. The change takes effect at the end of the company's annual . meeting on June 21. Dunn's departure and ensuing revelations about the board investigation . come as the company struggles to fend off rivals like Amazon.com Inc. Best Buy is still in the midst of what it expects to be a six-nine month . search to replace Dunn, with board member G. Mike Mikan acting as . interim CEO. 'It's been clear that the company hasn't taken an aggressive . enough measure to offset the competitive and structural pressures they . face,' Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy said. 'Taking a clean slate and . beginning with not only a new director, chairman but also with a new CEO . is just what the company needed.' Schulze will become chairman emeritus, an honorary position, and serve . out his term as director through June 2013, the company said. 'In December, when the conduct of our then-CEO was brought to my . attention, I confronted him with the allegations (which he denied), told . him his conduct was totally unacceptable and contrary to Best Buy`s . policies and everything I, and the Company, stand for,' Schulze said in a . statement released by the company. 'I understand and accept the . findings of the Audit Committee.' At the time of his departure the company said that it was a mutual decision and that it was time for new leadership given the challenges the company faces. Best Buy said that it has created a search committee to choose a new CEO. Internet outage: Best Buy has been trying to revamp its business in the age of the internet, where the retailer is facing strenuous competition with Amazon.com and other online rivals . Analysts say it's going to be a big . challenge to find a CEO to lead the company in this new era. Up until a . few years ago, Best Buy had been the big bully on the block, pulling . shoppers away from small electronics stores with its massive offerings. Now, in the age of the Internet, those offerings look paltry. In response, Best Buy has been trying to revamp its business. Earlier in April, Best Buy unveiled a . restructuring plan that calls for closing 50 of its U.S. big-box . stores, opening 100 small-format stores focusing on its burgeoning . mobile business which focuses on cell phones. It's also cutting $800 . million in costs over the next five years. 'Best Buy faces an uphill battle to find the right CEO,' said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush. 'Mr. Dunn's replacement must be prepared to manage the transition from big . box to small box format. A CEO with this experience will be difficult to . find'. The abrupt departure of Dunn, 50, ends a . Best Buy career that spanned nearly three decades. He stated as sales . clerk at a store in Minnetonka, Minn. in the mid-1980s. At the time, the chain was losing sales due to the recession. Best Buy officials were hoping to benefit from the liquidation of the company's main competitor Circuit City, which had was overcome by the growing competition in the sector. But Best Buy never regained its footing. Veteran: Dunn has been with Best Buy for 28 years, and has been its CEO since 2009 . Revenue at stores opened at least a year . - a key measure because it excludes results from stores that open and . close within the year - has declined in three of the past four years. In the most recent fiscal year ended March 3, revenue at stores opened at least a year fell 1.7 per cent last year after having fallen 1.8 per cent in the prior year. The chain lost $1.23billion, or $3.36 per share, compared with a profit of $1.28billion, or $3.08 per share, in the prior year. Its stock also has taken a beating. Best Buy's shares were at $19.67 in morning New York Stock Exchange trading on Monday after initially climbing higher on the CEO departure. Best Buy's shares have lost more than half of their value since April 2006, when they were trading at $56.66 per share. Once the bread-and-butter of electronics retailers, sales of TVS, digital cameras and video game consoles have weakened. Meanwhile, sales of lower margin items like tablet computers, smartphones and e-readers have increased. And Best Buy's largest vendor Apple Inc., has become a fierce competitor as its products like iPads have hurt overall computer sales and sucked up shoppers' dollars earmarked for other electronic purchases, says Jefferies & Co. analyst Daniel Binder in a recent note. Adding to that, Best Buy, like other . big-box retailers, is finding that those hulking stores are no longer . attractive to consumers looking for one-stop shopping. Instead, . more people are using them as showrooms to browse for products and then . going online to Amazon.com and other rival sites to buy at a lower . price. Over the past year, Best Buy has made some inroads in shoring up its business. In the community: Dunn is pictured with the first shoppers in line at an Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Best Buy store on Black Friday last year . The company has cut its square footage by 15 per cent in about 43 stores. It did that by either subletting the space to other merchants or giving it back to the landlords. But analysts and industry watchers say Best Buy hasn't moved fast enough to reduce its large foot print. And, they say, Best Buy should close even more stores and take advantage of its fast-growing mobile business. Gary Balter, an analyst at Credit Suisse, says Best Buy's mobile business makes up nearly one-third of the retailer's profits but accounts for less than 10 percent of the overall square footage. Watch video here . | He is married with three sons .
Chairman Richard Schulze failed to tell the board about the affair .
The woman is alleged to be 29-year-old Dayna Cline . |
283,696 | fb84a961354194756f9449a452fd5e47734c0167 | The Keystone XL pipeline represents a big step toward true North American energy independence, reducing our reliance on Middle Eastern oil and increasing our access to energy from our own nation and our closest ally, Canada, along with some oil from Mexico -- to 75% of our daily consumption, compared with 70% now. That decades-long goal for our country is finally within reach, but we need to stay focused on the big picture, and we need to act. This $7 billion, 1,700-mile, high-tech transcontinental pipeline is a big-time, private-sector job creator, and it will also hold down the gas prices for consumers and reduce our energy dependence on an unstable part of the world. Finally, it will do so with good environmental stewardship. That's why I, along with 44 of my colleagues from across the nation, introduced new legislation to move the project toward approval and construction after President Barack Obama's rejection of the project last month. Another view: Ted Turner on the case against the Keystone XL pipeline . The Hoeven-Lugar-Vitter amendment to the highway funding bill, which we are now working to pass, authorizes TransCanada to construct and operate the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to the Midwest and Gulf Coast, transporting an additional 830,000 barrels of oil per day to U.S. refineries. This includes 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana. That's key to my state, because providing pipeline capacity and gathering systems for that much North Dakota crude will take as many as 500 trucks a day off of roads in the oil patch. That's a win-win for producers, state revenues and most importantly, public safety on our Western highways. The Keystone XL project is good for North Dakota, but it is vital for the nation. Some 75% of the pipe for the Keystone XL pipeline will be made here in North America, 50% of it in Arkansas. Some 90% of all other construction materials will come from companies in the United States and Canada. From an environmental perspective, the project has been under review since September 2008, more than three years, and the State Department's environmental review, completed in August 2011, found "no significant impacts on most resources" providing environmental restrictions are met. Further, our new legislation includes all federal and state safeguards and sets no time limit on Nebraska's ability to further review the pipeline's route through the state, the only portion of the route in contention. Additionally, 80% of the new Canadian oil sands development is being developed "in situ," meaning, it has a similar carbon footprint and emissions as conventional oil wells. If the Keystone XL pipeline isn't built, Canadian oil will still be produced -- 700,000 barrels a day of it -- but instead of coming down to our refineries in the United States, instead of creating jobs for American workers, instead of reducing our dependence on a turbulent part of the world, that oil will be shipped to China. It will have to be carried there on large oil tankers, creating more carbon emissions, and it will be processed at facilities with weaker environmental safeguards. Finally, it's important to point out that the Keystone XL pipeline is nothing new. Thousands of pipelines crisscross our nation, delivering refined products to fuel our cars, heat our homes and power our industries. In fact, the original Keystone pipeline, which became operational in 2010, runs from Alberta through my state of North Dakota. Contrary to claims by critics, the pipeline itself has never leaked. The leaks happened at fittings and seals at above-ground pumping stations, which were properly and promptly fixed. I have worked toward approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, first as governor of North Dakota and now as a U.S. senator, because I believe it helps our nation on so many levels. It is just the kind of project that will grow our economy and create jobs in the right way -- through private-sector investment. The Keystone XL pipeline will also help to wean us from our dependency on oil from volatile regions of the world and help us move toward a true energy independent future. It will make our nation safer and stronger for the American people. Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter . Join the conversation on Facebook . | Keystone XL pipeline would take crude oil from Canada through Midwest to Gulf Coast .
John Hoeven: It will create jobs, help lead to North American energy independence .
Hoeven-Lugar-Vitter amendment would allow TransCanada to build the pipeline .
State Department reports it will have little environmental impact, Hoeven writes . |
245,626 | c9ec2302970f053a223f4211e13897b32b64ed4f | Moscow has today denied that its planes approached a Canadian warship on a NATO mission in an incident that officials in Ottawa denounced as 'unnecessarily provocative'. The Russian defence ministry said a Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft and an Antonov An-26 transport plane were carrying out 'planned flights over neutral waters of the Black Sea near the Russian Federation's state border'. 'The flight path of the planes of the Russian airforce ran through an area where the HMCS Toronto was located, without approaching the foreign military vessel,' Major General Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. Aerial threat: ASukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft of the type alleged to have intimated the Canadian warship . He insisted that the Russian jets were behaving 'strictly in line with international rules'. Canadian Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said on Monday that a Russian military plane had made the 'unnecessarily provocative move' of circling over the Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto. The incident took place in the Black Sea where NATO and Ukraine are currently holding naval exercises. Mr Nicholson said that the Russian aircraft 'did not in any way pose a threat to the Canadian ship'. But he added that 'their actions were unnecessarily provocative and risk escalating tensions even further' in the region. MIssion: The Canadian frigate HMCS Toronto left port in July to join the NATO exercise in the Black Sea . A Russian Air Force Antonov An-26 transport plane was also among the group said to have circled over the ship . The HMCS Toronto left Canada's Atlantic coast at the end of July with 250 sailors and Sea King helicopters on board to join the NATO mission. Russia and the West are locked in a dramatic standoff over a crisis in Ukraine where Kremlin-backed separatists are battling against pro-Western Kiev authorities. Ukraine said on Monday it had launched three-day naval exercises with US-led NATO forces in the Black Sea aimed at guaranteeing its security. Mr Nicholson said Canada and its allies are taking part in reassurance measures as a 'direct result of the Putin regime's military aggression and invasion of Ukraine'. | Moscow said planes were carrying out 'planned flights over neutral waters'
Insisted the Russian jets behaved 'strictly in line with international rules'
Canadian officials said aircraft did not in any way pose threat to the ship .
But they added that the actions 'were unnecessarily provocative'
Canada and NATO allies are taking part in reassurance measures as a 'direct result of the Putin regime's military aggression and invasion of Ukraine' |
207,260 | 9859825e38d3c68ae6a10d4dd6bb0e4ee5cbdded | (CNN) -- Coach Luciano Spalletti has parted company with Roma following the Italian club's poor start to the Serie A season, with former Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri replacing him. Luciano Spalletti has ended his four-year tenure at Roma after coming under attack from fans. Speculation had been rife that the 50-year-old Spalletti would quit following Sunday's 3-1 home defeat by Juve, which followed the 3-2 opening day loss to Genoa. Spalletti met with the capital club's president Rosella Sensi on Tuesday morning before confirming his resignation to reporters. "I offered my resignation and the club has accepted it," he said. Roma confirmed on Wednesday that former Juventus, Valencia and Chelsea coach Ranieri would take over ahead of the club's next match against Siena on September 13. He has signed a two-year contract. Ranieri, who began his playing career at Roma in 1973, earlier confirmed that he wanted the job. "This is a great satisfaction for me," he said. "This is a dream come true as I follow a professional journey that began many years ago. I am honoured and convinced I will be able to do and give the best for Roma." Spalletti joined Roma in 2005 after guiding unfancied Udinese to fourth place in Serie A and qualification for the Champions League the previous season. He turned around Roma's fortunes, winning two Italian Cups and providing the main opposition for Italian champions Inter Milan following the match-fixing punishments handed out to Juventus and AC Milan. However, last season's sixth placing was the worst of his reign in the Eternal City, and he came under fire from fans after a lack of major summer signings and then the club's poor start to the 2009-10 campaign. Midfielder Alberto Aquilani was sold to English club Liverpool, while defenders Nicolas Burdisso and Marco Motta joined from Inter Milan and Udinese respectively. Roma are drawn with England's Fulham, Swiss side Basle and CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria in Group E of the second-tier Europa League. | Coach Luciano Spalletti has parted company with Italian club Roma .
Spalletti resigned following his side's second successive defeat on Sunday .
The 50-year-old was criticized by fans after failing to make major signings .
NEW: Former Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri is taking over at the Serie A club . |
31,486 | 59902e60d6107aa4abc3561cc8b165439d24f62e | Phillip Hughes, the NSW batsman who has died from a brain injury two days after being struck in the head by a bouncer, was a spirited young cricketer who some said 'had the world at his feet'. The son of banana farmer from the northern NSW town of Macksville who was dropped from the Australian Test team five times, but who never gave up is being remembered for his defiant attitude in the face of adversity. As cricketers, friends and family gathered around his bedside at St Vincents Hospital for the 48 hours following his injury, the prayers and tributes for Hughes - as a cricketer, a mate and a great bloke - poured in. 'Hughesy' or 'Hugh-dog', as he was nicknamed, was an immensely likeable and also humble, understated and hardworking team mate for the Australian, South Australian and Adelaide Strikers squads. Hughes' achievements as a young cricketer - he was due to celebrate his 26th birthday this Sunday - include making 26 first class centuries; as WA coach Justin Langer pointed out this week while flying back to Sydney to see Hughes, at his age, Langer had only made one. Scroll down for video . The world at his feet: Phillip Hughes has died three days before his 26th birthday and a week before he was due for possible Test selection to play against India and 'was about to come into his own' say fellow cricketers about the popular young player known as 'Hughesy' and 'Hugh-dog' Larrikin and fighter: Phillip Hughes, son of a banana farmer from the tiny NSW North Coast town of Macksville, is pictured in Durban, South Africa, in 2009 where he made his Test debut, aged 20, with the stunning score of back-to-back centuries . Team player: Phillip Hughes (centre, front), photographed by his father Greg in his whites at a match as a junior player, was immensely likeable and also a 'humble, understated and hardworking team mate' says Cricket Australia . The boy who became a Test player: A young Phillip Hughes (pictured) grew up on his parents, Greg and Virginia's banana farm in Macksville, northern NSW, where his Dad cleared a patch for the keen young cricketer to practise his batting . Golden year: Phillip Hughes (pictured centre) with fellow Australian Test debutantes Marcus North and Ben Hilfenhaus are photographed after being presented with their baggy green caps ahead of day one of the first Test against South Africa on February 26, 2009, in Johannesberg. Hughes cap was Baggy Green No. 408 . Heart and drive: Phillip Hughes, pictured, left, in 2008 during the Under 19s World Cricket Cup in Malaysia, and, right, in July, 2013, when he was playing for Worcestershire, England . Mates: Rugby league star Sonny Bill Williams and boxing trainer, Khoder Nasser (pictured in 2012 in New Zealand) were friends of Phillip Hughes who supported him by attending his cricket matches . Hughes made a total of 15,789 runs in his first class career and many of those were ones or twos - as he laughingly recalled some years ago, he wasn't a big scorer of fours or sixes. The left-handed opener was the son of Greg Hughes, who cleared a patch on his farm for young Phil to practice cricket, and mother Virginia, who is of Italian origin. Growing up with sister, Megan, and brother, Jason, as a teenager he often helped out hauling heavy bunches of bananas for the family business. As a schoolboy, he was also a talented rugby league player who played alongside another Macksville boy, the future Rabbitohs star Greg Inglis. Seven years ago almost to the day, just before his 19th birthday, Hughes made his debut in first class cricket scoring a spot in the NSW side. As a 20-year-old, he won the the Bradman Young Player of the Year, accepting the award in Melbourne during the Allan Border Medal presentations in February 2009. Hughes at 20: Phil Hughes stands before the Australian flag for a portrait during a Cricket Australia players camp at Coolum Beach, on the Queensland Sunshine Coast in August, 2010 . In the steps of a legend: Phil Hughes poses with his award after being named Bradman Young Player of the Year in Melbourne during the Alan Border Medal presentations in February 2009 . In the nets: Phillip Hughes waiting to take his turn to bat in the nets at a practice session at the WACA in Perth in December, 2010, ahead of the third Ashes Tests against England . The fall: Phil Hughes was 63 not out when he was bowled a bouncer at the SCG on Tuesday and struck in the head, falling to the ground with a brain injury from which he died on Thursday. His death has shocked Australia and the cricket world . Grief: Cricket players embrace at St Vincents Hospital after visiting their mate, Phillip Hughes, as he lay gravely injured in the Intensive Care Unit following his tragic head injury while playing the game he loved . Since Hughes' stunning 2009 Test debut at the age of 20 in South Africa, he had been dropped five times, which might have defeated a less determined player. But despite controversies over his style, technique and his off-field activities with the friends he keeps, Hughes always plugged on, taking on the verbal bouncers along with those on the field. He was friends with Anthony Mundine, the controversial boxer's colourful manager, Khoder Nasser and rugby league player Sonny Bill Williams, who all have attended his matches to support the young opener. In return the cricketer sat ringside at Mundine's fights. Phillip Hughes (pictured) walks out of the SCG dressing room on Tuesday to open the batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield innings which ended when he was fatally struck in the head . Prone to periodic run droughts due to a perceived inability to deal with the short ball, Hughes test average was 32.65. In 2009, after being presented with the Australian Baggy Green cap No. 408, he stepped up to the crease for his first Test match, in South Africa. In that Test series, Hughes became the youngest Australian player in cricketing history to score back-to-back centuries in his debut, which he achieved in the Durban Test. Hughes was selected to play the 2009 Ashes Test series in England, but was dropped when the English bowlers pitched short balls to him in an effort to exploit his weaknesses. But what he may have lacked occasionally in technique, he made up for with heart and drive. In the 2010/2011 Ashes series, selectors ignored him except as an injury replacement for Simon Katich in the final test; he toured Sri Lanka in late 2011 and scored 126 in the third test. But in the New Zealand tour that summer, poor performance saw him dropped and he signed a contract to play county cricket for Worcestershire in England and work on his technique. In January 2011, Hughes was stunned to be accused of 'cheating' by English cricket legend Sir Ian Botham after being bowled a bouncer in the Sydney Test by Alastair Cook and staying on the field after what was initially thought to be a catch. That year, Hughes decided to make the wrenching decision to transfer away from his friends and his family in NSW to South Australia for the good of his game - and it paid off. Sonny Bill Williams, Anthony Mundine and Khoder Nasser (left to right, pictured) were good friends and supporters of Test cricketer, Phillip Hughes, who has died two days after he was struck in the head by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG . In 2012, he was the Sheffield Shield's highest run scorer and was selected for the 2012/2013 Sri Lankan tour of Australia. He was rumoured to be up for a $1 million Cricket Australia contract and in January last year he became the first Australian batsman to score a debut century in One Day International cricket. Last October, Hughes made his Twenty20 international cricket debut for Australia in the United Arab Emirates. Before his injury at the SCG on Tuesday, he was up for selection in next week's Test against India at the Gabba in Brisbane. He had played 26 Test matches and Australian selector and cricketing legend Rod Marsh described Hughes as 'a hell of a good batsman'. As cricketers, legends of the game and mates said after the news came on Thursday afternoon of Phil Hughes' death: 'his time was just around the corner ... he was about to come into his own'. | Cricketer Phillip Hughes has died in hospital two days after being struck in a cricket match .
The 25-year-old died from a brain injury just three days before his 26th birthday .
Hughes was on the verge of Test selection to play in Brisbane next week .
The left-handed larrikin batsman had a career of ups and downs .
He was friends with boxer Anthony Mundine and Sonny Bill Williams .
Hughes is the son of a banana farmer from Macksville, NSW .
He always showed heart and determination despite career setbacks . |
214,403 | a1a58c5eeb786e21f669aeecbbe6cfa1266b5e24 | Comedian Larry Wilmore didn't pulling any punches when he launched into a scathing attack on Bill Cosby and the growing number of sexual assault allegations against him in the second episode of his new show. Wilmore, host of The Nightly Show which has just replaced Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central, began Tuesday's episode by telling viewers that the show would be all about Cosby. 'Tonight we are talking about Cosby,' Wilmore said. 'We're answering the question, did he do it? The answer will be yes.' Scroll down for more . Comedian Larry Wilmore didn't pulling any punches when he launched into a scathing attack on Bill Cosby and the growing number of sexual assault allegations against him in his new show . 'There's a statute of limitations on the charges, but there's no statute of limitations on my opinion, and I'm telling you, that motherf***** did it,' he added. Wilmore joked about Cosby's ill-advised decision to name his tour Far From Finished and then posed a question about the allegations that has baffled him the most. 'Why aren't people listening to these women?' he asked. 'Is it because most of this allegedly happened so long ago? Is it because some of them went into Cosby's hotel room alone? Is it because there are no Polaroids? Is it because he's so famous? Or is it just because they're women?' Wilmore said 35 women have since come forward to allege Cosby had sexually assaulted them. Wilmore joked about Cosby's ill-advised decision to name his tour Far From Finished . 'Really folks, how many do we need?' the 53-year-old late night host asked. 'Let's understand this number. That's like if Bill Cosby drugged and raped every single U.S. president from George Washington to John F. Kennedy!' The Emmy-winning writer also said he felt it was in 'poor taste' for Cosby to continue with his tour. 'The worst place for him to address these allegations is the stage,' said Wilmore. Wilmore then ran a clip of Cosby getting heckled during one of his recent shows in Canada. From the stage Cosby can be heard meekly answering back: 'Stop it. Stop it. That's right…shh…shh. No clapping, nothing. That's all right.' 'Are you trying to quiet a heckler or is that your pillow talk?' joked Wilmore. Nightly Show contributor Mike Yard then joined in. 'I've been doing comedy for 20 years. I've seen a lot of alleged criminals on stage. That doesn't mean your act has to be sloppy,' said Yard. 'If you can't handle a Canadian heckler, it's time to get out of the game.' Wilmore also took a moment during the show to reflect on the possibility that the allegations against the entertainer could be false. 'Let's consider for a second that Cosby didn't do it,' he said. 'OK, we're done.' | Wilmore launched a scathing attack on Bill Cosby and the growing number of sexual assault allegations against him .
He joked about Cosby's ill-advised decision to name his tour Far From Finished .
Emmy-winning writer also said he felt it was in 'poor taste' for Cosby to continue with his tour .
Played footage of Cosby's meek response to a recent heckler and said: 'Are you trying to quiet a heckler or is that your pillow talk?' |
264,525 | e29e19125c1a70aff8849fa15c3fcd36949c6fff | Washington (CNN) -- With approval in hand to arm and train Syrian rebels to fight the ISIS terror group, President Barack Obama said Thursday the plan keeps with "the key principle" of U.S. strategy: No American combat troops on the ground. "The American troops deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission," he said in televised remarks from the White House. "Their mission is to advise and assist our partners on the ground. ...We can destroy ISIL without having our troops fight another ground war in the Middle East." Obama said more than 40 countries, including Arab nations, have offered assistance in the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which calls itself the Islamic State. The developments came as ISIS advanced its grip on portions of Syria and Iraq, seizing 16 predominantly Kurdish villages near the Turkish border. The move by ISIS was just one in a series of developments that saw new reports of atrocities emerge and the release of a video of a captive British journalist criticizing the American and British governments. Citing the Sunni terror group's brutality, from beheading civilians -- including American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff -- to the mass execution of its opponents, Obama said the United States will not back down. "With their barbaric murder of two Americans, these terrorists thought they could frighten us or intimidate us or cause us to shrink from the world," Obama said. "But today they are learning the same hard lesson of petty tyrants and terrorists who have gone before, as Americans we do not give into fear. When you harm our citizens, when you threaten the United States, when you threaten our allies, it doesn't frighten us. It unites us." The question now appears to be not if, but when the United States will strike ISIS in its stronghold in northern Syria. The U.S. military has everything it needs to strike ISIS targets in Syria, a plan that officials told CNN is still waiting on Obama's signoff. ISIS, meanwhile, is modifying its behavior, from the way it communicates to the way it conceals itself, in response to potential U.S. airstrikes in Syria, U.S. military officials told CNN. The officials expressed confidence the airstrikes would be effective. As top U.S. military leadership approved a plan to strike ISIS in Syria, the Senate on Thursday gave final congressional approval to Obama's proposal. The House approved Obama's request on Wednesday. U.S. military on deck . At the same time, U.S. lawmakers have been debating the best way to stop ISIS. In testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said America's top military leaders have developed a plan to hit ISIS targets in the terror group's stronghold in northern Syria. Obama has been briefed on those plans, which were approved by Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For weeks, U.S. intelligence and military targeting specialists have been working around the clock on a list of potential targets in Syria. The list is expected to be shown to Obama one more time, U.S. military officials said. An analysis of the risks of bombing inside Syria will be included, as well as an assessment of how the destruction of the targets could degrade ISIS, they said. Carrying out airstrikes against ISIS in Syria would be a continuation of the U.S. military operation in Iraq, where American airstrikes are being carried out against the group. U.S. airstrikes on Thursday struck an ISIS training camp southeast of Mosul, the group's stronghold in Iraq, the U.S. military said. Another strike southeast of Baghdad damaged an ISIS ammunition stockpile, according to the military. Read more: U.S. ready to strike ISIS, officials say . French air support . In his remarks, Obama said the United States is building a "broad international coalition." As part of that coalition, France will join the air campaign in Iraq, he said. Read more: Who is doing what in the coalition? France carried out its first airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq on Friday morning, President Francois Hollande announced in a statement. It used Rafale fighter jets to attack a logistics warehouse used by the group in northeastern Iraq, the statement said, adding that the target had been "reached and completely destroyed." Further operations will be conducted in the next few days. Hollande said Thursday that there had been French reconnaissance flights over Iraq this week. When officials "identify targets, we will act" in a short time frame, he told reporters in Paris. Hollande thanked the United Arab Emirates for allowing France to use an air base there. Hollande stressed that France "will not go beyond" air support and will not send ground troops into Iraq. Iraq: More than 1,000 soldiers MIA . ISIS captured 16 predominantly Kurdish villages in northern Syria over the past 24 hours, a Syrian opposition group said. ISIS fighters used artillery and tanks against the villages along the Syria-Turkey border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Just as in Syria, the crisis in Iraq continues to unfold. Iraq's Human Rights Ministry said Thursday that 1,095 Iraqi soldiers still are missing after an ISIS attack in June on a military base formerly known as Camp Speicher. ISIS says it killed 1,700 Iraqi troops in the attack. The Iraqi government hasn't released a number of those killed; Human Rights Watch says ISIS executed hundreds of soldiers. The news came as ISIS released a video of British hostage John Cantlie criticizing the American and British governments for their failure to negotiate for the hostages as other governments have done. In a video posted online, Cantlie -- wearing an orange shirt and seated alone at a desk with a black backdrop -- says he is sending what will be the first in a series of messages on behalf of the group that calls itself the Islamic State. Since Cantlie is delivering ISIS propaganda and makes clear in the video he is speaking under duress, CNN is not showing the video on its platforms. In recent weeks, ISIS has drawn growing attention for spewing brutal propaganda across social media -- messages meant both to terrify and recruit Westerners. The group appears to have a well-funded, well-organized social media and video production effort. Its videos are slickly produced, with high production values, experts say. The anatomy of ISIS: How the 'Islamic State' is run, from oil to beheadings . Friends of Alan Henning plead with ISIS to let him go . Inside the mind of an ISIS fighter . Barbara Starr reported from Washington, and Chelsea J. Carter wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN's Holly Yan, Ashley Fantz, Elise Labott, Deirdre Walsh, Ted Barrett, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Marion Lory contributed to this report. | NEW: French President says France has carried out its first airstrikes against ISIS .
President Barack Obama says more than 40 countries have offered assistance .
The U.S. military has approved a plan to strike ISIS in Syria, officials said .
ISIS captured 16 villages in northern Syria in the past day, opposition group says . |
258,849 | db037ddc60b99a11cfe2dbeca9e0fcc847202f7f | (CNN) -- For some people, Wednesday was a day to celebrate. Thursday, they get back to work. Advocates of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights say they've gained fresh energy and hope after twin Supreme Court rulings advanced efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. They want to ride that momentum for as far as possible -- making inroads on issues ranging from workplace discrimination protections, immigration reform to bully-free schools. "This is absolutely historic, it's monumental," said Jody Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG. "It may very well be that tipping point." For people such as Huckaby, who heads a group with more than 360 chapters nationwide, what happened Wednesday was thrilling, but not totally surprising. Supreme Court strikes down DOMA . Yes, most states still bar same-sex marriage, many thanks to the passage of popular referendums. Yes, the federal government and most states don't protect gay, lesbian or transgendered workers. But public opinion is moving in the direction of LGBT rights. In the 1970s, polls showed most Americans believed homosexual relationships between consenting adults were morally wrong -- a belief that persisted into the first few years of the 21st century, according to CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. In contrast, the most recent CNN/ORC International survey shows 55% of Americans back same-sex marriage, up 11 percentage points from 2008. Voters in three states approved measures legalizing such unions in November 2012. Numerous corporations have adopted policies barring discrimination based on one's sexual orientation -- contrary to the laws in most states, where a person could still be fired if they are found out to be gay. Two of America's most watched TV shows, "Modern Family" and "Glee," feature openly gay characters. Wilson Cruz had been a pioneer of sorts in the 1990s, when he played a gay teen on ABC's "My So-Called Life." California Prop 8 appeal dismissed . Times have changed since then, he said, as Americans get to know more gays and lesbians -- whether they are cousins, neighbors or characters on TV shows. The Supreme Court decisions striking down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and clearing the way for same-sex marriages in California could accelerate the movement even more, according to Cruz. "I really do believe this is the domino that is going to tip over the rest of the dominoes," he said. "Do not get in the way of this train, because it will run you over." Same-sex marriage still illegal in most states . Teddy Witherington can now make wedding plans. He and his partner live in San Francisco, where same-sex marriage will (once again) be legal. Witherington, who is British, has lived in the United States legally for the past 16 years, first as head of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration, and now as chief marketing officer for Out and Equal Workplace Advocates. What occurred Wednesday gave him pride to live in his adopted home. "As an international citizen, (it) gives me so much gratitude because I see the very best that exists in this great nation," Witherington said. "... It's truly a beautiful thing." Historic rulings on same-sex marriage . Still, while he and other LGBT advocates characterized the court rulings as victories in their fight for equal rights, that doesn't mean the fight is over. Some 70% of Americans live in the 37 states where same-sex marriage is not or will soon not be legal. In his ruling opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy said one reason the federal government is obliged to recognize gay and lesbian marriages that are legal in some places is because it is up to individual states to decide marriage law. That's more likely to happen now than a few years ago, said Michael Cole-Schwartz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign. LGBT advocates have learned to make their campaigns more about people wanting to be together than people wanting to get rights and benefits, he said. "We have really focused on the reasons why they want to get married: because they love each other," Cole-Schwarz said. "That's really helped change the nature of the conversation." Daughter of interracial couple fights to validate her same-sex marriage . Workplace a battleground in LGBT fight . The Civil Rights Act makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against people based on their race, color, religion, sex or national origin. But not their sexual identity. That means, under federal law, there's nothing to prevent a worker from failing to hire or firing someone because they are gay or lesbian. Ruling opens doors for immigration for same-sex spouses . There are 21 states that do offer such protections, which leaves 29 that do not. In 34 states, there's nothing to prevent a person from getting fired if they are transgendered. Activists are working to change that. Witherington points to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act working its way through a Senate committee, calling now a "crucial moment" for politicians to change federal policy. The measure has 53 cosponsors, short of the 60 votes that bills typically need nowadays to pass if it's opposed by the Republican minority. If it does pass, it would then have to be passed in the GOP-led House of Representatives. Selisse Berry, the founder and CEO of Out and Equal Workplace Advocates, says she's "very hopeful" a bill that includes protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people will pass. The larger movement in the society is a big reason why, she says. "Any time people get to know us as human beings, it makes a huge difference," Berry said. "More and more people, all the time, are coming out. When that person has a relationship with others, it moves the dial forward." Map: Same-sex marriage in the U.S. Washington could take its cue from corporate America. On their own accord, most Fortune 500 companies already bar gays, lesbians and transgendered from being treated any differently than any other employee. Why? Because they realize the importance of retaining the best people who perform well on the job, irrelevant of their sexual identity, according to Berry. "It's about the bottom line, essentially," she says. Activist: Gay rights' causes 'not insurmountable' Other issues are on LGBT advocates' agenda as well. They want immigration reform measures being mulled in the Senate and House, for instance, to treat same-sex partners much like heterosexual spouses. They want safer schools, so youngsters aren't threatened, hurt or otherwise victimized. Photos: Same-sex celebrity couples . And they are also mindful that transgendered people have "not seen as many gains as the gay and lesbian portion of our community," says Cole-Schwartz of the Human Rights Campaign. "The way the media talks about transgendered people is in terms of violence and suicide rates, but those aren't the only stories," adds Cruz, noting that parts of America still don't know or understand them. In other words, even after Wednesday's Supreme Court decisions, there's a lot that these activists' still want to do. Opinion: How youth led change in public attitudes on same-sex marriage . And to do it, Huckaby says, means harnessing "the collective energy" of people of all sexual persuasions who share the same values. That kind of movement could take place not just in the halls of Congress, but in stores and coffee shops on Main Street. "I know the power that there is in individual messages from the people who are willing to speak out," said Huckaby, who grew up in Louisiana and has seven siblings -- three of whom are homosexual, like he is, and four of whom are straight. "These (challenges) are not insurmountable." T.J. Williams is eager to put himself out there, partner with others, work hard and make an impact. In his last year at Garrett Theological Seminary, he is working to combat poverty, address gun violence afflicting parts of Chicago and promote fair education. "What I am most interested in is creating unity among everyone who seeks justice and equality," he said. For him, these issues and promoting LGBT rights are all related. Opinion: Fight for gay rights must continue . CNN's Jen Christensen contributed to this report. | LGBT advocates hail Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage as "historic"
Still, same-sex marriage remains illegal in most states .
Activists are also fighting for workplace protections for gays and lesbians .
These and other issues are "not insurmountable," an advocate says . |
2,977 | 08a434ffcfdf20aef15d1f45298c0f4682dbdd55 | By . Michael Marot . Spain’s Marc Marquez kept his perfect record intact Sunday by winning his 10th straight MotoGP race and becoming the first back-to-back Indianapolis Grand Prix winner. Marquez beat Jorge Lorenzo of Spain by 1.803 seconds on Indy’s reconfigured 2.591-mile, 16-turn road course. Italy’s Valentino Rossi was third. It’s the fourth straight year that Indy’s pole winner reached Victory Lane. He's done it again: Marc Marquez celebrates his 10th MotoGP win in a row at the Indianapolis Grand Prix . Winners spoils: Marquez is congratulated by a group of promotional models after his win . The defending world champ shattered the series’ previous record for the youngest driver to win 10 in a row. Mike Hailwood was 24 years and 86 days old when he did it in 1964. Marquez is 21 years, 174 days. Marquez gave up four spots with a bad start, and then rallied to take the lead before giving it right back. When he regained the lead a second time, nobody got close to him again. Close run: The Repsol Honda rider twice gave up the lead before beating the field to the line with ease . | Jorge Lorenzo of Spain was beaten by 1.803 on 2.591-mile course .
Italy's Valentino Rossi finished third on 16-turn road .
It is the fourth year straight that Indy's pole winner reached Victory Lane .
Marquez gave up four spots with bad start but rallied to make it back .
He then lost the lead again before allowing nobody to get close . |
204,566 | 94d6157c116909fd7865415e936817689d244389 | Rory McIlroy knows he will be the man with a target on his back at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles next week… and he can’t wait. The world number one was responding to American captain Tom Watson’s comments that he wants his team to ‘take down the top dogs,’ a reference to McIlroy and Ian Poulter. ’It’s a massive compliment whenever the opposition are talking about you,’ McIlroy told Sportsmail. Rory McIlroy is determined to accept the responsibility of being Europe's leading man at the Ryder Cup . World No 1 was in London to launch Santander's 123 World in front of Tower Bridge . McIlroy can't contain his laughter while watching London Mayor Boris Johnson taking a shot . ‘I know what a huge fillip it would be for them if I lose but it is up to me to make sure it doesn’t happen. I’m a double major champion this year and it’s important that I embrace that and step up and take on the responsibility. 'I know I will have a target on my back but I love that and I am going to play up to it as much as I can. ‘Whoever they want to send out against me, it’s no problem to me. I want to lead from the front and by example, and I’m confident enough in the way I am playing right now to do that.’ Game on, then. McIlroy wants to emulate Europe's success from the 2012 Ryder Cup, the so-called 'Miracle of Medinah' US captain Tom Watson has called for his team to go take down Europe's 'top dogs' McILroy and Ian Poulter, playing together at the 2012 Ryder Cup, are regarded as Europe's danger men . McIlroy addressed a number of pertinent topics during a sponsorship day to help launch Santander’s 123 World against the fabulous backdrop of London’s Tower Bridge on Thursday. He laid to rest any lingering questions regarding his formidable Ryder Cup partnership with Graeme McDowell and hinted at a possible fourballs pairing with French rookie Victor Dubuisson. The 25 year old also gave his first public comments regarding the actions of the judge who intervened this week in McIlroy’s increasingly bitter legal dispute with his former management company and ordered the two sides to get together to try to thrash out their differences. ’We welcome what the judge had to say,’ explained McIlroy. ‘It’s what we have been trying to do for the last six months but it’s been like arguing with a brick wall, so it’s great he has ordered the two sides to get together. It needs resolving, because it has gone on for far too long. It’s the one distracting thing I have left behind the scenes although, thankfully, I’ve made sure it’s not been that distracting. But when that’s gone, that’s everything.’ McIlroy insists his legal dispute with former management company Horizon will not influence his relationship with Graeme McDowell (L) The Northern Irishman shakes hands with Billy Horschel after losing out in the FedEx Cup play-offs . McIlroy has hinted that he may play four-balls at Gleneagles with French rookie Victor Dubuisson . McIlroy’s old management company Horizon also looked after McDowell – that contract has also just ended, albeit amicably - and the latter confessed the dispute had placed a strain on his friendship with the former. But McIlroy dismissed any notion it was long-lasting or should give Europe captain Paul McGinley any cause for second thoughts about pairing them once more next week. ‘I’d love to play with G-Mac,’ said McIlroy. ‘I think everyone can see the chemistry we have together and there’s no reason why it can’t be the same this time. This whole thing about our friendship has been blown up so much. We were both playing in Denver two weeks ago and went out to dinner together. There’s no problem between us.’ The 25-year-old poses with the Claret Jug after winning the Open at Hoylake this year . McIlroy won his second major of the year by claiming the PGA Championships with a one-stroke victory . It’s a partnership we’re more likely to see in foursomes than fourballs, though. As for the latter, there has been some talk on the practice ground that McIlroy is keen on the idea of shepherding a rookie, and there was one particular debutant he was happy to throw into the mix. ‘Of all the guys in our team I guess I know Victor the best because we grew up playing amateur golf together,’ said McIlroy, about the gifted but enigmatic Frenchman Dubuisson. ‘I’m not close to him but I’ve known him a lot longer, so if Paul wants to throw him into the deep end with me, I’d have no qualms about that.’ After eight tournaments in ten weeks, McIlroy looked remarkably fresh, despite only having a day at home. He returned to Northern Ireland last night, but will fly back to London on Saturday evening for the George Groves fight, before heading up to Gleneagles a day earlier than the rest of the team. ‘I’ve got a full day planned with Steve (McGregor, his fitness guru) and Michael (Bannon, his swing coach),’ he said. McIlroy will be pleased that Tiger Woods, pictured together on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, will not be competing for the US team at Gleneagles . Europe fans will be hoping to witness McIlroy holding aloft the Ryder Cup again at the end of next weekend . Before our chat, McIlroy played a few stunt shots to a target situated in the Thames in front of the curious thousands who lined the embankment in beautiful autumn sunshine and, naturally, hit it effortlessly. Which was more than could be said for London’s game Mayor Boris Johnson, who showed he is no golfer. Asked if he gave Boris a lesson, McIlroy smiled. ‘He certainly needs a few,’ he replied. When he finally got one airborne, the Mayor was sharp enough when someone asked if he had made a good swing. ‘Never mind me. We need the right swing tonight,’ he said, referring to Scotland’s independence referendum. As for McIlroy, all Europe will be counting on him making plenty of right swings there next week. Rory McIlroy was interviewed at the launch of Santander 123 World . McIlroy admitted that London Mayor Johnson was in need of a few golf lessons . | Rory McIlroy is Europe's leading player for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles .
US captain Tom Watson has called for players to 'take down the top dogs'
McIlroy and Ian Poulter are regarded as Europe's danger men .
Northern Irishman insists legal dispute will not affect friendship with Graeme McDowell .
World No 1 hints he will play four balls with Frenchman Victor Dubuisson .
McIlroy was taking part in Santander's 123 World with Boris Johnson . |
228,445 | b3cc5dc106309c0d9837e80420c37080deef3ec3 | When Kina Webb-Owens, 33, was diagnosed with terminal heart disease, she found solace in knowing that her husband, Adrian, would be there to raise their three children. But on October 29, Adrian Webb, 34, was killed in a head-on collision en route to his second job in Indianapolis. If Mrs Webb-Owens succumbs to her illness, which could happen at any moment, her children, 16-year-old Kenya, 6-year-old Adrianna and 2-year-old Kyle, will become orphans. Scroll down for video . Tragic couple: Kina Webb-Owens, 33, is terminally ill with heart disease. Her husband, Adrian Owens, 34, was killed in a head-on crash October 29. Here the couple are pictured in their last photo together . Uncertain future: The plan was for Adrian to raise their three children (pictured) on his own after Kina's death, but now they will be orphaned . '[Doctors] didn't give me long to live, but I am still here. Grace of God,' the deeply devout widow told the station WTHR. Kina's only hope now is to undergo a heart transplant, but so far doctors have not been able to find a match for her. When Adrian Owens was tragically killed in the crash on Fall Creek Road, his heart was not damaged in the collision, giving his family a small glimmer of hope that he might be a match for Kina. But medics quickly determined that they will not be able to transplant his heart into her body. Still, Kina was determined to give the gift of life to others by donating her husband's organs. Living on borrowed time: Kina Webb-Owens is on a wait list for a heart transplant, but her prognosis in not hopeful. Her husband's heart was not a match for her . His heart, which sadly was of no use to his terminally ill young wife, went to a man in Indiana. ‘Take good care of it. You are getting an awesome heart. It's a hard-working heart,’ Kina said. Another Indiana patient received Adrian’s lungs and a kidney, and a Florida teenager got Adrian's other kidney. Kina Webb, a beauty salon owner, and Adrian, a construction worker, had been together for a decade. In September 2010, the couple got married, with their two oldest children on hand to celebrate their union. Paying it forward: Kina was determined to give the gift of life to others by donating her husband's organs . On Friday, Kina, her three children and their loved ones came together to bid a final farewell to Adrian. Kina's family and friends have set up a GoFundMe fundraising website to help with her husband’s final expenses, his wife's medical costs and care for the couple's three children. | Kina Webb-Owens, 33, a mother of three from Indiana, suffers from heart disease and is on transplant wait list .
Her husband, Adrian Owens, 34, was killed in October in head-on crash .
His heart was not a good match for his wife, but it gave an Indiana man a new lease of life . |
82,601 | ea33e2f9e11cfbef475f8f54fd106d22903f6b8c | (CNN) -- More than 2,000 students in Southern California laid 65 miles of pennies on a speedway track Thursday in an attempt to set a world record and help schools in the area. Mason Gonzalez is ready with pennies. Dodgers tickets were prizes for collecting the most pennies. THINK (Teaching, Helping, Inspiring & Nurturing Kids) Together didn't meet its original goal of laying out 100 miles of pennies at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, but group spokeswoman Nadia Flores said the group is happy with the results. "We raised twice what we were able to lay down," she said. "I think the energy and the vibe from having so many kids and volunteers present made it really fun." Flores said the group ran out of time in its attempt to get all 100 miles laid out, but she added that they're confident they have the record anyway. Guinness World Records, which would certify the record, said Thursday it had not yet received documentation from the group. The current record for pennies laid out is 40 miles. The money -- about $84,500 -- will go to the nonprofit program that provides free after-school care for students at more than 200 elementary and middle schools in at-risk communities in four California counties -- Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino. Flores said the idea for "Miles of Change" came after group members saw students at a school in Kansas make a 40-mile chain of pennies in July 2008 to set the world record. Flores said her group, based in Santa Ana, California, wanted a program that would unite the counties involved -- and set a record. The pennies were collected by 35,000 students in the after-school program and were laid in loops around the two-mile track in Fontana, California. Flores said every penny must be touching the next penny in order to qualify for the Guinness world record. Documentation will include aerial photos, she said. Each student took home tubes to collect the pennies. Students who collected the most got tickets to future Los Angeles Dodgers games, Flores said. The effort also is meant to honor Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the introduction of the Lincoln penny. | Southern California students want to break 40-mile world record set in Kansas .
$84,500 collected will go to program that provides free after-school care .
More than 2,000 kids lay out loops at speedway track .
Guinness World Records will verify if record was set . |
34,416 | 61d3f61b1bbb0b37fc6de31710b2cdc194e293ec | By . Michael Zennie . PUBLISHED: . 13:25 EST, 27 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:31 EST, 27 August 2013 . A judge has denied bail to a woman who admitted to giving birth in a the bathroom of a Pennsylvania sports bar, killing the infant and then stuffing his body in the tank of the toilet. Amanda Catherine Hein, 26, returned to her friends at at Starters Pub near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on August 17, after giving birth - despite being covered in blood. She then proceed to go outside to smoke a cigarette than sat with them for an hour watching pay-per-view wrestling. Hein was arrested Monday and charged with a single count of murder. Because she killed a baby, she could face the death penalty, if convicted. She will be held in jail while she awaits trial, a judge ruled on Tuesday. Scroll down for video . Held: Amanda Catherine Hein, 26, will remain behind bars while she awaits trial for killing her baby son moments after he was born healthy and alive . Horror: This is the toilet where the baby was found wrapped in a trash bag and hidden in the tank . Starts Pub sports bar was crowded with wrestling fans watching a major pay-per-view match when Hein gave birth in the bathroom . Day day after Hein gave birth, a janitor found the child wrapped in a plastic garbage bag, submerged in the tank behind the toilet seat. The Lehigh Valley Express-Times reports that an autopsy found that Hein had given birth to a healthy, full-term baby boy. The child suffocated to death. Hein said she realized she was pregnant in May or June, but did not tell anyone. None of her friends who were with her the night she gave birth knew that she was carrying a child. They also did not know she had gone into labor on August 17. That night, Hein and three male friends reserved a booth at Starters bar to watch the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view wrestling match. Hein said she realized she was pregnant in May or June but never told anyone about it . Hein is charged with murder and could face the death penalty if convicted because of the age of the baby . The grisly find at a popular pub shocked residents of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania . Her friends told police she was complaining of back pain and spasms during the match. When she excused herself, she was gone for so long that they began to send her text messages. After she allegedly killed the baby, she stayed at the bar for another hour. She had blood on her clothing, but refused to go home until the match was over. After the discovery of the child in the toilet, the waiters at Starters told police they remembered having to clean up blood at one of the booths on August 17. Managers at the bar were able to look up who reserved the booth - which led detectives to Luis Rivera - one of Hein's friends. Charged: Amanda Hein, 26, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has been charged with murder after admitting to killing her live newborn son . Starters Pub: A fetus was found in the bathroom of the busy restaurant and pub . Rivera led police to Hein. When she was questioned by officers, she admitted that she had given birth to a live baby and that she had killed him and hid him the toilet after wrapping him in a plastic bag she took from the bathroom garbage can. Because of the age of the child, Hein could be sentenced to death, if convicted of murder. Bar owner David Rank said his staff were extremely upset by the grisly incident. He allowed . those who wished to go home, others opted to stay and Rank opened the . pub to customers at 1pm, two hours later than usual. 'My biggest concern is for my employees, the mother, the baby,' said Rank. 'I just want everyone to say prayers for them.' | Employees at Starters Pub near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, found a dead baby inside the tank of the toilet in the women's bathroom August 17 .
Police say Amanda Catherine Hein, 26, of Allentown, admitted to giving birth to a live baby and suffocating it .
She said she had known she was pregnant for months and did not tell anyone about pregnancy or going into labor .
After allegedly killing her baby, Hein smoked a cigarette and continued watching pay-per-view wrestling for an hour until she went home .
She could face the death penalty, if convicted . |
81,577 | e7227ed440771cb51edddc888c09fd5c8625415c | By . Amanda Williams . A new bus timetable is giving commuters a real pain in the neck - because it has been placed 7ft up a lamppost. The sign, on a street in Rowley Fields, Leicester, is so high up that it it completely out of sight for some passengers. Howard Parker, who spotted the sign, said the information board was so high up it was almost useless. Bus users have been left with a pain in the neck after a bus timetable has been positioned seven feet up a lamppost . Anyone hoping to read the top of the sign would need the help of a foot stall or ladder. Mr Parker said the position of the sign was 'useless'. The 62-year-old said: 'I am about 5ft 9in and have pretty good eyesight, but I find it hard work to see the bus times. Howard Parker, who spotted the sign and is 5ft 9, said the information board was so high up it was almost useless . 'After studying it for a while I got a real crick in my neck. 'You would have to be 7ft tall not to have to crane your neck. 'I don’t know how anyone smaller than me or with worse eyesight is going to be able to see any of the information. 'The timetable is the normal small print and is going to be very, very hard for anyone to read if the information they need is at the top of the timetable. 'I really don’t know why anyone would put an information board up so high on a lamppost. 'It just doesn’t make any sense at all. 'The timetable is supposed to be there to help people but it’s not going to be much help if people can’t read the information, is it?' Mr Parker spotted the notice when he was helping to cut the hedge at a church in the street. He said he thought the shape of the lamppost, which has a 'bulge' on the lower part, might be the reason behind the placement. However, he said: 'If they can’t put the timetable on any lower because of the shape of the lamppost, then surely it is better not to put it on at all. 'It is just no good to anyone as it is.' Keith Myatt- spokesman for Arriva Bus - said the company had an occasional problem with people moving timetables on lampposts. 'It sounds as if someone has pushed the timetable up the lamppost,' he said. 'I shall send out a team to reposition it at a more sensible height and tighten the brackets to make it more difficult to move in future.' | The sign, on a street in Rowley Fields, Leicester, can barely be seen by some .
Howard Parker, who spotted the sign, said timetable was almost useless .
But Arriva Bus say it may have been 'moved up the post by a vandal' |
47,751 | 86bf77eea9f54ed1370bf73e24e84d8244d46b54 | By . Mark Nicol . PUBLISHED: . 19:30 EST, 11 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 19:31 EST, 11 January 2014 . Two senior ministers in Tony Blair’s government are facing a possible criminal probe over the alleged torture and unlawful killing of hundreds of Iraqis by British soldiers. Former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and ex-Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram have been named in an application to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate claims of abuse in Iraq from 2003 to 2008. Lawyers representing Iraqi victims have submitted a 250-page dossier to the ICC, including at least 1,200 allegations of war crimes, based on witness statements and evidence from the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations. Former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon (left) and former Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram (right) are accused in the dossier of failing to do enough to prevent 1,000 torture cases and 200 of unlawful killing . The application calls for an investigation to be opened into the crimes and the apparent role of senior British officials, ‘in particular Geoff Hoon and Adam Ingram’. Last night, Phil Shiner, of Public Interest Lawyers, said: ‘We have got over a thousand cases of torture and about 200 cases of unlawful killings, many of them took place in custody. ‘Every way you look at it this points to the very top, and that means Geoff Hoon and others.’ The application, presented to the ICC at its headquarters in The Hague on Friday, accuses Mr Hoon and Mr Ingram of failing to prevent British troops mishandling prisoners and using outlawed interrogation techniques. Mr Hoon and Mr Ingram were unavailable for comment last night, but an MoD spokesman said ICC action was unnecessary because matters are being investigated by the Government. They added: ‘We reject the suggestion that the UK’s Armed Forces, who operate in line with domestic and international law, Have systematically tortured detainees.’ Dossier: A application has been made to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, pictured . | Former Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon is named alongside ex-Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram in dossier to International Criminal Court .
It alleges 1,200 war crimes on behalf of hundreds of Iraqi victims .
Ministers are accused of failing to prevent troops mishandling prisoners . |
66,110 | bb9c5ab0f9b9346359105fa5a9b44b071e3f3fc1 | By . Ted Thornhill . PUBLISHED: . 05:28 EST, 14 March 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 13:27 EST, 14 March 2014 . Tragedy has struck the family of murdered schoolgirl Holly Wells again with a court hearing how her cousin was killed when he smashed into gipsy horses running loose on a road. Thomas Allen, 23, was driving home with his girlfriend to see his family on Christmas Eve 2012 when he struck horses that had escaped from their field near Ipswich. He was rushed to hospital but died on Christmas day. Tragic: Thomas Allen (left), 23, was killed when he ploughed into stray gipsy horses near Ipswich on Christmas Eve 2012 while pictured right is his wrecked car after the accident . It was the second devastating tragedy to hit the family after Holly, 10, was brutally killed by evil Ian Huntley in August 2002 in a crime which stunned the nation. The horses belonged to gipsy Stacy Humphrys, 27, who was jailed for 28 months on Thursday for failing to keep the animals secured despite being warned that they posed a danger. Thomas, who would have been just 13 when Holly was murdered, ploughed into the beasts in pitch darkness on the A14 at 10.20pm. Holly’s parents, Kevin Wells, 50, and his wife, Nicola, 47, went to court to support Thomas’s devastated family. Judge John Devaux told Humphrys his horses had escaped repeatedly in the weeks before the tragedy and he had been warned they were a danger. Thomas was driving along the westbound carriageway of the A14 at Sproughton, near Ipswich, Suffolk, with his girlfriend when his car hit one of five stray horses. Critically-injured Thomas, of Soham, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, was taken to Ipswich Hospital but died on Christmas Day. Story that shocked the nation: Holly Wells (left) and her best friend, Jessica Chapman, both 10, were murdered by Ian Huntley in 2002 . Guilty: Stacy Humphrys, 27, was jailed for 28 months for failing to keep his horses secured . In an emotion-charged victim impact statement read to Ipswich Crown Court, his mother Lesley Allen described the heartache of having to tell her 14-year old daughter on Christmas Day that her big brother had died. But Mrs Allen, sister of Nicola Wells, said that they were proud that four seriously-ill people had received life-saving transplants as a result of the family’s brave decision to donate Thomas’s organs. Humphrys, of West Meadows gipsy site, Ipswich, admitted causing a public nuisance by allowing his horses to stray on to the A14. Judge Devaux accepted that fencing at the disused British Sugar site at Sproughton, where the animals were kept, could have been tampered with. But he told Humphrys that people who kept horses had a ‘general duty of care’ to keep them secure and prevent them getting out and running amok. Judge Devaux told the traveller: ‘This is not a case of being wise after the event. ‘You were well aware from previous and recent escapes that the site was unsuitable for keeping animals.’ He said Humphrys had been warned by police following earlier escapes but he’d done nothing. ‘You were warned they were a hazard and this was an accident waiting to happen,’ declared Judge Devaux. Family bond: Holly's mum and dad, Kevin and Nicola (left) were in court to support their relatives, Graham and Lesley Allen (middle) As well as Thomas’s death, six people were injured, three horses were killed and four vehicles badly damaged in the carnage. Nick Staite, prosecuting, said Humphrys had kept a herd of between 30 and 50 horses that had been ‘fly-grazing’ close to the A14. Mr Staite said a number of drivers had seen horses galloping along an unlit stretch of the A14 narrowly missing shocked motorists just before the deadly Christmas Eve tragedy. Paul Donegan, defending, said Humphrys had expressed ‘remorse’ for the horror smash and had co-operated with the authorities. Life sentence: Ian Huntley is serving a sentence of at least 40 years for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman . Mr Donegan said he’d since acted to make the site more secure. He told the court: ‘He can’t say with certainty how and when the horses escaped but he accepts they did and that the responsibility lies with him and no-one else.’ Thomas’s shattered family said in a statement after seeing Humphrys jailed: ‘There is no relief or happiness here today, our loss is just as strong as it was on Christmas Day 2012. ‘Nothing can take away the total devastation and pain we feel. ‘Our lives will carry on but they will not be as we had planned. ‘Thomas is not with us any more and he should be here living his life and fulfilling all his goals and dreams. ‘This accident should never have happened.’ They added: ‘Tom was not doing anything wrong - he was just travelling home to his family for Christmas and sadly he never arrived. ‘All we, his family, have now are cherished memories of him. ‘Tom’s future has gone and ours has changed and nothing can make that better. ‘We will carry on rebuilding our lives without Thomas and at least now we have some kind of closure.’ Sgt Bob Patterson, of Suffolk Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Team, said after the case: ‘This was a truly horrific collision which resulted in the loss of a young man’s life. ‘It was compounded by the fact that a family lost their loved one on Christmas Day. ‘I hope that Stacy Humphrys’ guilty plea and sentencing will provide some comfort to Thomas’s family who have waited over a year for this day to come.’ Thomas was just 13 when his younger cousin Holly Wells was murdered along with her friend Jessica Chapman, also 10, in August 2002. Popular schoolgirl Holly lived near Thomas in the little village of Soham and they grew up together in a tight-knit family. Ian Huntley, a caretaker at Soham Village College, was convicted in December 2003 of the girls’ murders and jailed for at least 40 years. Gipsy community: Humphrys lived at West Meadows travellers site near Ipswich . Crash scene: The tragic accident happened near Ipswich, close to Humphrys' gipsy site at West Meadows . Heartache: Nicola and Kevin Wells pictured taking part in a news programme about Holly in 2002 . | Thomas Allen, 23, was killed on Christmas Eve on a road near Ipswich .
He was cousins with Holly Wells as their mothers are sisters .
He ploughed into one of several stray gipsy horses in the pitch black .
He was rushed to hospital but tragically died on Christmas Day .
Horses belonged to gipsy Stacy Humphrys, who was jailed for 28 months .
Ipswich court found Humphrys guilty of failing to keep the horses secured . |
2,367 | 06ead64f4887b354c684e25f806e12242945c498 | By . Stephen Wright . Last updated at 12:09 PM on 13th September 2011 . Priorities: Bernard Hogan-Howe joins the Metropolitan police at a time of change and difficulty . A plain-speaking police chief renowned for his ruthless obsession with cutting crime was yesterday appointed head of the beleaguered Metropolitan Police. Bernard Hogan-Howe, 53, vowed to put fear back in the minds of criminals after winning the race to become commissioner at Scotland Yard. Britain’s new top officer faces an enormous task trying to restore morale in the Met in the aftermath of the phone hacking scandal, widespread criticism of the force’s handling of the London riots and concerns about burglary and robbery figures. He will also assume overall responsbility for counter-terrorism in the run up to next year’s Olympic Games in London. Mr Hogan-Howe is the force’s third chief appointed in six years following the controversial exits of his two predecessors, Sir Ian Blair and Sir Paul Stephenson, making it the hottest seat in British policing. He was handed a five-year contract after convincing interviewers he could lead a ‘new, more transparent’ era for the force. The former Merseyside chief constable could not disguise his delight at landing the job. ‘It’s the highest accolade that any police officer could have,’ he said. Outlining his targets, he added: ‘The idea is to make the criminals fear the police and what they are doing now.’ One of Mr Hogan-Howe’s priorities will be ensuring the Olympic Games pass off peacefully at a time of unprecedented police funding squeezes. He is expected to run a tight ship at the Yard and will move quickly to shake up the Met’s senior management team. Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick is tipped as a strong contender to be his deputy. Mr Hogan-Howe beat off a strong challenge from Sir Hugh Orde, the much respected but outspoken president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, to land the £276,000 a year job. The other contenders were acting commissioner Tim Godwin, who now reverts to being deputy commissioner but who is expected to leave the Met in the next few months, and Strathclyde’s chief constable Steve House. A number of members of the Metropolitan . Police Authority were keen for Sir Hugh to be appointed but Home . Secretary Theresa May, who has been angered by Sir Hugh’s attacks on . government policy, was never likely to sanction such a move. Announcement: Bernard Hogan-Howe, centre, was chosen by Home Secretary Theresa May, left, and Mayor of London Boris Johnson, right, to be the new Scotland Yard Commissioner . Resignations: Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul . Stephenson, left, and deputy commissioner John Yates, right, both left . the force in the wake of the News of the World phone hacking scandal . Unsuccessful: Sir Hugh Orde had been widely tipped for the top job . She said: ‘Bernard has an excellent track record as a tough single-minded crime fighter. He showed that in his time as chief constable of Merseyside, and I’m sure he’s going to bring those skills and that ability to fight crime to the Metropolitan Police here in London.’ London Mayor Boris Johnson said: ‘It was a very strong field but I think the Home Secretary and I were agreed that Bernard’s performance was outstanding, and he really commended himself above all by his relentless focus on building on the work of Sir Paul Stephenson and Tim Godwin in driving down crime.’ Mr Hogan-Howe was parachuted into the Met as acting deputy commissioner after Sir Paul and Britain’s anti-terror chief, assistant commissioner John Yates, quit in quick succession. The surprise move was a clear indication that he was in line for the top job on a permanent basis. He had previously been working for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. Untouchable: Hogan-Howe has been compared to legendary U.S. lawman Eliot Ness (pictured as played on TV by Robert Slack) Bernard Hogan-Howe is an advocate of zero tolerance policing and waged what he called a ‘total war on crime’ against the gangsters and villains of Merseyside when he was chief constable there. It worked. During his five years in charge, from 2004 to 2009, crime was reduced by almost a third and anti-social behaviour by 25 per cent. A force which had once been rated the worst in the country for public confidence became one of the country’s best. Everyone from vandals to drug-takers to fare dodgers was targeted. And, when Mr Hogan-Howe was unhappy with the sentences they were given by the courts, he was not afraid to say so. He has been nicknamed Eliot Ness – the legendary lawman in Prohibition America whose hand-picked team of Untouchables brought down Al Capone – for his zero-tolerance on gun and knife crime. Mr Hogan-Howe led his officers in Merseyside as they investigated some of the most sensitive and appalling crimes of recent years, including the racist killing of Anthony Walker, a black student, with an ice axe and the gun murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones – the innocent victim of a gangland feud. The Rhys Jones investigation, considered incredibly challenging because of the culture of silence attached to gangs, saw officers cleverly recruit a teenage supergrass as their main prosecution witness in order to crack the case. Such experiences will stand him in good stead at the Met, where tackling the gang culture blamed for last month’s riots will be one of his most important jobs. He will also need all his experience of handling delicate racial problems in the wake of the fatal shooting which proved the trigger for widespread destruction. The married 53-year-old, an avid football fan who is a tough-tackler on the pitch, began his career in his native Sheffield in 1979. Identified as a high-flyer, he was sent to Oxford University by the police. He has an MA in law from Oxford, a diploma in applied criminology from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from the University of Sheffield. If that sets alarm bells ringing – the very politically-correct Sir Ian Blair had a similarly academic background – Mr Hogan-Howe is said to have drawn experience from another ex-Met Commissioner: Sir John Stevens. As an assistant commissioner at the Met from 2001 to 2004, he watched as Sir John ran the force with an iron-grip, leaving his officers in no doubt of what was expected of them. He will need a similarly robust attitude to bring order to the Met now. But few who saw him in action in Merseyside doubt he is up to the challenge. | Bernard Hogan-Howe is the Met's third chief in six years .
Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick tipped as strong candidate for deputy . |
92,352 | 02c6cc13c0731bec6ac69338295aeef3c631c805 | Many footballers manage to keep just a fraction of the keepsakes from their medal-laden careers. But Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben has come up with a novel idea to ensure nothing important gets forgotten. The former Real Madrid, Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven star has announced he plans to build a museum to house all his memorabilia in his own home once he calls time on an illustrious career. 'When my wife and I are settled in our house, I dream of collecting all my things and building a private museum. It will be for me, my family and my close friends,' the Dutch international told Bild. Arjen Robben plans to build a museum at home to house the many souvenirs from his illustrious career . The Dutchman is determined to ensure than 'nothing is lost' from his time at some of Europe's top clubs . Robben won a La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup during his time at the mighty Real Madrid . 'I have so many souvenirs - shirts of other players. I kept the ball from the 2013 Champions League final (Bayern beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 and Robben scored a late winner). 'There are boots that I have worn at European Championships and World Cups. The idea is to pull everything together so that nothing is lost.' Robben (top, middle) celebrates the first of two Premier League titles he won while he was at Chelsea . The Dutchman (centre, left) joins in the party atmosphere after Chelsea's triumph in the 2007 Carling Cup . | Arjen Robben to build a museum at home to house his numerous career honours and memorabilia .
The Bayern Munich star plans to build this private museum once he has retired .
The Dutchman has also played at Real Madrid, Chelsea and PSV Eindhoven in a trophy-laden career . |
51,560 | 91fbf9a93c98e6729f656ee740edd5f7b67c1ce7 | It is a measure of what Diego Simeone is achieving at Atletico Madrid that when they beat Real Madrid on Wednesday night it was their third consecutive derby win and it is the first time they have managed that in 65 years. This is the club that went 14 years without beating their richer capital rivals. Fernando Torres had never beaten Real before but then he had never tried with Simeone on the touchline barking orders, conducting the crowd, celebrating with son Guiliano who was ball-boy for the night. Atletico’s manic manager can do no wrong. He watches Thibaut Courtois, Diego Costa and Felipe Luis leave for Chelsea in the summer – no problem, he just builds another indestructible side. He rests key players because he knows he has Barcelona away on Sunday – no problem, the Atletico B defender Lucas, previously out of favour Mario Suarez, and second choice keeper Oblak all do fine. Atletico Madrid manager Simeone issues instructions from the sidelines at the Vicente Calderon stadium . Diego Simeone embraces Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti before their sides clashed on Wednesday night . He brings back 30-year-old Torres – no problem he runs around for an hour like a 21-year. Simeone could probably bring back Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Christian Vieri and that would work out too. How does he do it? There is an energy and an intensity about the man that transmits to his team but it would be doing him a disservice to reduce the magic to fist waving and shouting. Simeone’s teams are very difficult to beat. The well drilled defence is protected by a wall of four tireless midfielders and often one of the front two. They press in packs when they have to take the game to the opposition and they defend deeply and impenetrably when they have the lead. Diego Simeone's youngest son Giuliano can't hide his joy after Atletico Madrid take the lead on Wednesday . Simeone hugs his son after his Atletico Madrid side doubled their lead in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey . The Argentine is also the master of setting the agenda. Last season he repeated his ‘one game at a time’ mantra to such an extent that the huge pressure on the team – mounting as they came ever closer to what at the start of the season looked like an impossible league title – shifted to the coach and his obsession with this partido-a-partido phrase. He regularly used Jose Mourinho-style ‘little-horse’ kidology in that monumental battle with Barcelona and Real Madrid and it was both more believable and more effective. And like Mourinho he has a strong team around him with Mono Burgos, his former Atletico team-mate is his loyal number two, and Oscar Ortega is the fitness coach who drives that intensity in training that Simeone demands during games. Atletico Madrid's Raul Garcia wheels away after opening the scoring with a second-half penalty on Wednesday . There is a togetherness created by the coach that carries Atletico clear of the more divided dressing rooms at the bigger wealthier clubs. His preference for players to all eat around a big table rather than in cliques at various tables, and his tactic of speaking to them individually before they turn in for the night before games – almost as if he wants them to dream those final match day instructions play a part in his very particular method. He says he is still learning and improving. He perhaps let his heart rule his head in last year’s Champions League final by playing Costa from the start only to have to substitute him injured. And he then lost his head, taking to the pitch in the second half after the ball was kicked in his direction. But even the weaknesses add to the legend because they are born of his passion for winning. The former Argentina international, talking to an official, is regularly animated on the touchline . Would he win elsewhere should he move on? The communion he has with the supporters as a former player and captain would be hard to replicate and part of his success in Spain comes from Atletico being a physical force that teams in the Premier League might be more able to cope with than some sides in La Liga. But it would be fascinating finding out. His English is limited but he is driven enough to change that if the right opportunity came along. For the time being it’s difficult to see how anyone would be able to tempt him away from the team he is building on the banks of the Manzanares. Antoine Griezmann, Koke, Saul Ñiguez and Jose Giminez are all very young players – the basis is there for the team to keep moving forward at least until 2017 when Simeone’s contract runs out. The Argentine national job would be the obvious next step. But the cue of Premier League owners making sure things do not follow a logical path gets that little bit longer ever time his side turns over a Spanish superpower in front of a global audience. Real Madrid last night… Barcelona up next on Sunday. | Atletico Madrid beat city rivals Real Madrid 2-0 in the Copa del Rey .
Raul Garcia and Jose Gimenez struck for last 16 first-leg lead .
Diego Simeone celebrated both goals by embracing his youngest son .
Simeone's side are one point off Real Madrid at the top of La Liga .
The former Argentina international's contract runs out in 2017 . |
284,432 | fc838205d61a9e348ab836cb8e1698ea4e80f10b | A U.S. doctor is has warned people against taking health supplements, saying they could pose a risk to health. Dr Paul Offit, who has written a book called 'Do You Believe In Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine', said that very few alternative health supplements are of any benefit and could in fact carry health risks. He added that people often believe that supplements are harmless but that this simply isn't true - particularly in the case of super-strength supplements which are becoming increasingly popular. Scroll down for video . Eat it, don't pop it: Dr Offit said there is probably a good reason that we don't find super high levels of certain nutrients in nature, and that taking a concentrated supplement is dangerous . 'When you take large quantities of vitamins - 5-fold, 10-fold - greater than the [recommended daily allowance], I think the data is clear - it increases your chances of heart disease, cancer and can shorten your life,' said the doctor in an interview with CBS This Morning. The doctor, who is based at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, went on to explain that he had recently seen a television advertisement that told viewers you would need to drink two gallons of orange juice to get as much Vitamin C as was in the supplement being promoted. He said that there's probably a good reason why nature doesn't provide that much Vitamin C ni one hit. The UK market for vitamins and supplements was estimated to be worth £385million last year, up 2.7 per cent on the previous year. Dr Offit said that certain supplements such as folic acid can be very useful however . Dr Offit went on to explain that he didn't think that multivitamins would do any harm however, although it is not really known whether or not they actually do any good. When asked if he thought it was worth taking any nutritional pills, he said that there were four cases. He recommended pregnant mothers to take folic acid to prevent babies developing spina bifida, a condition that causes the spine to become deformed. He said that Vitamin D was important for babies, particularly in those who are exclusively breastfed and do not get much exposure to sunlight. Elderly women should take calsium and Vitamin D and calcium to help prevent bones thinning and he concluded that omega-3 fatty acid oils might be beneficial to heart health, but that current studies are inconclusive. Dr Offit also blasted the term 'alternative medicine and said: 'There's no such thing as alternative medicine - if it works it, is medicine. If it doesn't work it's not an alternative' When asked what his views on alternative therapies such as acupuncture were, he said that it could be helpful but not because the needles were inserted into the skin. he added that the 'ancient Chinese didn't know anything about the human anatomy'. Finally he said that Apple found Steve Jobs might be alive today if he has sought expert medical help sooner. He explained that the type of pancreatic cancer Jobs had - a neuroendocrine tumour - is cured in 95 per cent of patients by undergoing surgery, but that his choice of esoteric therapies including bowel cleanses and acupuncture ultimately cost him his life. | Dr Paul Offit, who has written a book about 'alternative medicine', says that the trend for super-strength supplements are dangerous .
Said that multivitamin pills are unlikely to do harm but may be of no benefit .
But pediatrician added that in certain cases, such as during pregnancy, certain supplements, such as Vitamin D, can boost health .
Said that Apple founder Steve Jobs might be alive today if he hadn't used 'alternative therapies' as 95% of those with his cancer survive with surgery . |
75,862 | d71fba5874da90ad8936bea9c8cf31d9fc57ed70 | A plan to force mobile phone giants to share masts to plug signal blackspots could put the fight against terrorism at risk, Theresa May has warned. Barely 24 hours after being accused of being 'uncollegiate', it emegred that the Home Secretary is opposing Tory Culture Secretary Sajid Javid's attempts to eliminate poor signals that leave millions of us unable to make calls or use the internet. He wants to force the four major networks – EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three – to act through a change in the law. Home Secretary Theresa May has come out against a plan by Culture Secretary Sajid Javid to force mobile companies to share masts to boost por signals . Mrs May has written to the Prime Minister and other senior ministers to warn that the proposals could have a 'detrimental impact on law enforcement'. The letter, leaked to The Times, said the plans could interfere with the police's ability to listen to calls and read emails, which she said is ‘vital to protecting the public from crime and terrorism’. The rift between Ms May and Mr Javid - both seen as potential future Tory leadership candidates - comes just months after a major row between the Home Secretary and Michael Gove, the then education secretary over radicalism in schools. Yesterday Lib Dem minister Norman Baker quit the Home Office, claiming working with Mrs May was like 'walking through mud' and her management style 'did not make for good relations'. Mr Javid is considering a system of ‘national roaming’ that would allow phone users to hop between different networks. It would mean a phone call is transferred to the nearest mobile phone mast, even if it is run by a rival company to the one the caller is signed up to. This is similar to what already happens when you use your phone abroad. Another option is to force so-called ‘infrastructure sharing’, which would allow mobile networks to put transmitters on each other’s masts. The Government is also to consider imposing a new legally binding coverage obligation, requiring networks to cover a certain percentage of the UK. So-called ‘not spots’, where there is no signal at all, are mostly in remote, rural communities. Partial not-spots, where one provider might provide a signal, but others do not, are much more widespread – affecting 20 per cent of the country in terms of geography. Mr Javid will also suggest reforms to packages sold by companies such as Tesco and Virgin, who currently agree access to a single network and then sell mobiles to consumers. The Government could ensure third-party firms are able to offer devices that can access all four networks. However, the proposals in the consultation will trigger an angry backlash from mobile phone companies, who say they have funded the costs of erecting masts themselves and do not want to share them with rivals. A new study by Open Signal shows that in some areas users have a 3G phone signal barely half of the time . Mr Javid said: ‘I see this as a national utility that we should all be able to use. It’s not just about lifestyle, it’s absolutely vital for a modern economy. ‘In the UK, at a national level, we don’t have roaming. So a French person coming to Wales gets a better signal that someone does as a local. It is such a big problem that something needs to be done.’ Under the plan, phone users would switch between the masts of different companies to ensure they keep a signal . Ms May's letter, sent to David Cameron and other Cabinet ministers, said two of the proposed options, including national roaming, ‘could have a detrimental impact on law enforcement, security and intelligence agency access to communications data and lawful intercept’. She also raised objections to the option of allowing Tesco to sell phones that access all four networks, and called for further studies to make sure that the changes do not stop police from accessing ‘information that is crucial to keeping us safe’. Ms May argues that their ability to listen to calls and read emails is ‘vital to protecting the public from crime and terrorism’. The Home Secretary does not spell out the technical issues that could undermine interception of calls but it is thought that roaming would significantly complicate agencies’ ability to track suspects. So-called ‘not spots’, where there is no signal at all, are mostly in remote, rural communities. Partial not-spots, where one provider might provide a signal, but others do not, are much more widespread – affecting 20 per cent of the country in terms of geography. Last night a spokesman for the Home Office said they did not comment on 'leaked letters'. Meanwhile, the speeds of the new ‘super-fast’ 4G mobile phone services have slowed dramatically since they were launched two years ago, it has been revealed. So many people have signed up, often at a premium price, that the system has become congested as users try to surf the web. Despite mobile phone companies promising they would be five times faster, Britain’s 4G speed is less than three times faster than the current average for the 3G network, according to a report by consumer group Which? and industry experts at OpenSignal. Mobile phone firms have been trying to increase the capacity of the 4G system by putting up thousands of masts. | Culture Secretary Sajid Javid to unveil plans to force major networks to act .
Phone giants EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three to be told to share masts .
Ministers want to solve problem of signal blackspots affecting fifth of UK .
Home Secretary Theresa May warns it could risk fight against terrorism .
Leaked letter highlights need for police to listen to calls and read emails .
4G mobile phone speeds have slowed dramatically since launch in 2012 .
So many people have signed up that the system has become congested . |
81,691 | e7809716cfc362bdcc69468fcc51790b0e627e41 | (CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid closed the gap on Barcelona to seven points at the top of La Liga with a 4-1 home win over Real Sociedad on Sunday. Defending champions Barca went 10 points clear on Saturday night after their record breaking 16th consecutive victory -- Lionel Messi's hat-trick defeating Atletico Madrid 3-0 and ensuring Pep Guardiola's side overtook the winning run set by the great Real Madrid side in the 1960-61 season. But Real looked determined to close the gap and took a seventh minute lead when Kaka slotted the ball home after a poor clearance from Gorka Elustondo. Ronaldo had come under some criticism after going four matches without a goal, but he ended that streak with a first-half double. First the Portuguese international turned a defender on the edge of the area before firing home and he then headed in a corner for his 25th goal of the season, overtaking Messi at the top of the scoring charts in the process. The visitors pulled a goal back when Raul Tamudo's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Iker Casillas -- but the rebound cannoned off Alvaro Arbeloa into the net. However, Real Madrid finished the job when Emmanuel Adebayor netted his first league goal for the club following his loan move from Manchester City. Meanwhile, Valencia maintained their recent impressive run of form with a 2-0 success over Hercules, to move to within a point of third-placed Villarreal. Goals from Aritz Aduriz and a Tino Costa free-kick gave Valencia their sixth win in seven games and closed the gap on Villarreal, who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to lowly Levante on Sunday. Elsewhere, Sevilla are now six points off a Europa League place after being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom side Malaga in the Andalusian derby. | Real Madrid close gap on Barcelona to seven points at the top of La Liga .
Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice as Real Madrid defeat Real Sociedad 4-1 .
Emmanuel Adebayor scores his first goal since joining on loan from Manchester City .
Sevilla lose ground in the race for a Europa League place after a 0-0 draw with Malaga . |
117,505 | 23be1390b7b2c8966cb44dc68359a1df1a080887 | President Barack Obama will embark on a previously planned two-week vacation to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow regardless of the violence in Iraq and Gaza. Even as the first military airstrikes he authorized in northern Iraq were carried out Friday, Obama did not cancel the trip. The White House said Thursday Obama would come back . to Washington midway through the getaway to attend meetings but he will . rejoin his family at the vacation spot later that week. This Aug. 12, 2013 photo shows President Barack Obama as he steps onto a tee while golfing at Vineyard Golf Club in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard, during his vacation there last summer. The White House says the president plans to return to Martha's Vineyard tomorrow regardless of the situation in Iraq . He is scheduled to arrive on the wealthy island off the Massachusetts coast on Saturday and return to Washington a week later, on Sunday, Aug. 17. After the meetings, plans call for Obama to return to the Vineyard on Aug. 19 to resume the vacation, which ends five days later on Aug. 24. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama would meet with staff, but he declined to say who else would participate or what the meetings are about. 'This is an opportunity for the president to do some in-person meetings here at the White House, just for a day or two, before he returns to Martha's Vineyard,' Earnest said Thursday. Earnest sought to contain mounting speculation about the vacation, saying the meetings aren't related to 'an emerging situation.' Later that day President Obama announced in a presidential address that the U.S. had made air drops of food and water to some 40,000 Iraqi refugees trapped on a mountain. And on Friday morning the U.S. launched an air strike against Islamic extremists threatening to eradicate them. 'When we face a situation like we do on that mountain - with innocent people facing the prospect of violence on a horrific scale . . . and when we have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye,' Obama said Thursday night. 'We can act, carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide,'he said. 'That’s what we’re doing on that mountain.' President Obama appeared to be full steam ahead with his vacation on Friday. Earnest told reporters this afternoon he did not have an update on the president's meeting schedule, however, he said he wouldn't be surprised if some were about Iraq. 'But again the president had planned to return to the White House before this announcement,' he said, referring to this morning's air strikes. President Barack Obama, left, and his daughter Malia Obama ride a bike during a vacation on Martha's Vineyard last August. Obama and his family will take another two week vacation there, starting tomorrow. The president will return to Washington for a few days part of the way through, however . Outside of Iraq there are several . other issues brewing that could require Obama's urgent attention, . including fighting between Israel and Hamas militants and Russia's . buildup of troops along its border with Ukraine. A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended this morning after Israel refused to adhere to the terror backed group's demand that it end its seven-year blockade of Gaza. Toward the close of the 72-hour window Hamas fired at least 10 rockets, ending the longest ceasefire since the fighting began a month ago. Israel retaliated with strikes of its own, hitting several 'terror sites' in Gaza. Meanwhile, Russia placed a one-year, 'full embargo' on the bulk of food imports from the West on Thursday, including beef, pork, fruit, produce, poultry, fish, cheese and milk, in response to enhanced sanctions on its country by the U.S. and its allies over Russian-backed separatists' occupation of eastern Ukraine. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also threatened to ban Europe and U.S. airliners from making transit flights to the Asia-Pacific region through Russia. Even so, Obama has not cancelled his vacation. Obama rarely forgoes getaways or fundraising trips based on global or domestic crises. His . advisers often appear to take pride in resisting calls from Republicans . for the president to return to Washington or from fellow Democrats . nervous about the appearance of Obama either vacationing or tending to . what some may consider less urgent matters. 'He . travels with an array of communications equipment and national security . advisers that will allow him to perform all of the functions that are . required of America's commander in chief,' Earnest said. 'That's true of any trip that he takes, and it will be true of the trip that the president takes this week.' In 2009, Obama remained on vacation in his native of Hawaii after a man aboard a Detroit-bound flight tried to detonate a bomb on Christmas. Obama also continued on with Martha's Vineyard vacations in 2010 as rebels in Libya were on the verge of ousting their government, and last year when Egypt's military overthrew the country's first democratically elected leader. Just last month, Obama resisted calls while on a fundraising trip in Texas to visit the U.S.-Mexico border to witness the surge of unaccompanied children arriving there. Pressed about the appearance of ignoring a humanitarian crisis, Earnest declared at the time: 'We're not worried about those optics.' Obama has upended his travel plans on several occasions, however. He has canceled three trips to Asia, including one in 2013 because of the U.S. government shutdown. His late-December departures to spend Christmas in Hawaii frequently have been delayed because of late action on Capitol Hill. In 2012, he returned to Washington from a Hawaiian vacation to deal with 'fiscal cliff' negotiations. Obama's public appearances while on vacation typically are limited to stops at local merchants and dinner out with family and friends. But in another unusual twist this summer, the president plans to attend a Democratic fundraiser on Martha's Vineyard on Monday. The Obamas stay in Chilmark, on the western part of the island, and have rented a seven-bedroom, nine-bath, 8,100-square-foot house along the island's Vineyard Sound side, far off any main roads. The Martha's Vineyard Times reported earlier this month that the 17 room home sits on 10 acres of land and is worth upward of $12 million. The property also features a pool, hot tub,and a dual tennis-basketball court. Obama has vacationed on the quaint island every summer of his presidency except during the 2012 re-election campaign . | Obama is scheduled to leave tomorrow and won't return to Washington until August 17 .
After two days of meetings in D.C., Obama will return to Martha's Vineyard to finish out his family vacation .
Even as the military carried out air strikes in Iraq on Friday morning, Obama did not cancel the trip .
Obama said Thursday the situation in Iraq was nearing 'genocide' |
234,276 | bb47826831059ea98a03f606acd3af0eb11546eb | (CNN) -- Call it a bigger, bolder version of the deadline-driven congressional stalemates over taxes and spending that have come to define Washington dysfunction of the past two years. The latest edition of political "blinksmanship" pits President Barack Obama and Democrats against Speaker John Boehner and Republicans on how to avoid the fiscal cliff -- automatic tax increases for everyone and deep spending cuts including for the military that will be triggered in the new year without an agreement. While the focus now is on a possible agreement in coming days or weeks, anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist told CNN on Monday that the nation should gird for long-range battle. "This is a long fight. It's four years of a fight. It's not one week of a fight," said Norquist, who has threatened to mount primary challenges against Republicans who violate a pledge they signed at his behest against ever voting for a tax increase. Financial planners: How to survive fiscal cliff . With neither side showing any sign of blinking, however, the battlefield will probably shift to the Senate this week after GOP disarray in the House stymied any progress before Christmas. Congress and the president are taking a holiday break, with plans to return to work Thursday to try to find a deal in the final five days of the year. Economists warn that failing to avoid the fiscal cliff could spark recession, and stocks opened lower Monday amid no sign of the Washington impasse ending. According to multiple Democratic and Republican sources, no weekend conversations occurred between the White House and Senate leaders from either party or their aides. The main dispute continues to be over taxes, specifically the demand by Obama and Democrats to extend most of the tax cuts passed under President George W. Bush while allowing higher rates of the 1990s to return on top income brackets. Republicans oppose any kind of increase in tax rates, and Boehner suffered the political indignity last week of offering a compromise that his colleagues refused to support. While both sides say they want to avoid the fiscal cliff, signs are emerging that a deal would come after the new year to blunt the harshest impacts. Under that scenario, legislators would vote to lower taxes from the higher rates that will go into effect in January when the Bush cuts expire, with the new top rates staying intact. The sources described to CNN three possible options for moving ahead, all resting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. One would be to amend a House measure passed in July that extends the Bush tax cuts for everyone. The changes would return to higher rates on top brackets, which Obama defines as family income up to $250,000, and also could include the president's call to extend unemployment benefits and some of the fiscal cliff spending cuts. Read more: Clock ticking on mortgage tax break for struggling homeowner . A second possibility would involve a Senate measure that Democrats passed in July with no Republican support. It calls for the Obama plan of extending the current tax cuts on family income up to $250,000. However, the Senate version has a constitutional problem because by law, measures that raise revenue must originate in the House. Boehner said Friday that the Senate plan has a "blue slip" problem, which refers to an objection that it is unconstitutional and therefore remains lodged in the Senate. While one Democratic source said the Senate version could get taken up in the House if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell or Boehner don't raise a blue-slip objection, Republican sources rejected that scenario. Reid also could take a different revenue-raising bill from the House and rewrite it as a tax and spending measure to address fiscal cliff issues, the sources explained. With Republicans holding filibuster power in the Democratic-majority Senate, at least seven GOP senators would have to join Democrats on such a plan before the end of the year. With McConnell up for re-election in 2014, he is considered unlikely to risk angering the party's conservative base by supporting a compromise or allowing one to pass on a simple majority vote that would need no GOP backing, sources said. In the new Senate that will convene in early January, the number of Republicans needed to pass a deal would be five because of Democratic gains in November, when Obama won re-election. According to a senior administration official, the president is still holding to his promise not to sign a short-term bill that extends Bush-era tax cuts across the board to buy time for a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. So, absent a deal that includes increasing income-tax rates for wealthy Americans, the country is still headed for the cliff. But the administration official told CNN it's still possible to resolve the impasse: "The unanimous desire to avoid the fiscal cliff will hopefully animate everybody," the official said. According to a Senate Republican leadership aide, Republicans reject Obama's $250,000 threshold for tax cut extensions. Meanwhile, a Senate Democratic leadership aide lamented McConnell's apparent unwillingness to negotiate. "We're going to be here New Year's Eve," retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," adding that it was likely the nation would go over the fiscal cliff. Failing to meet the year-end deadline on striking a deal would amount to "the most colossal, consequential act of congressional irresponsibility in a long time," said Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who caucuses with Democrats. "Maybe ever in American history, because of the impact it will have on almost every American." However, Norquist called the situation part of a longer process. "This is not a fight that begins and ends the first week of January," he said, predicting "a regular fight" when Congress needs to authorize more government spending and raise the federal debt ceiling in coming months. "There the Republicans have a lot of clout because they can say we'll let you run the government for the next month, but you've got to make these reforms," he explained. How might the "fiscal cliff" affect you? Obama spoke separately Friday with Boehner and Reid to try to salvage a fiscal cliff deal by the end of year, then delivered a previously unscheduled statement to reporters at the White House. He acknowledged what has become obvious: The broader deficit reduction deal he seeks will probably come in stages, rather than in the so-called grand bargain he and Boehner have been trying to negotiate. In particular, Obama called for Congress to come back after Christmas and work with him on a limited agreement to prevent tax hikes on the middle class, extend unemployment insurance and set a framework for future deficit reduction steps. Boehner's spokesman said the speaker will be "ready to find a solution that can pass both houses of Congress" when he returns to Washington, as now planned for Thursday. The GOP opposition to any kind of tax rate increase has stalled deficit negotiations for two years and led to unusual political drama, such as McConnell recently filibustering a proposal he introduced and Thursday night's rebuff by House Republicans of an alternative tax plan pushed by Boehner, their leader. Boehner said at a news conference Friday that his Republican colleagues refused to back his plan, which would have extended all tax cuts except for income of more than $1 million, because of fears of being blamed for a tax increase. The negotiations with Obama on a broad deficit reduction agreement hit an impasse last week when both sides offered their "bottom line" positions, Boehner said. In what was considered as progress just a week ago, the president and speaker made major concessions but remained a few hundred billion dollars apart. Reid and other Senate Democrats say House Republicans must accept that agreement will require support from legislators in both parties. He insisted that the Senate-passed plan with Obama's $250,000 threshold, which polls show is strongly supported by the public, would pass the House if Boehner would allow a vote. Some House Republicans have said they would join Democrats in supporting the president's proposal in hopes of moving past the volatile issue to focus on the spending cuts and entitlement reforms they seek. The possibility of a fiscal cliff was set in motion over the past two years as a way to force action on mounting government debt. Now, legislators risk looking politically cynical by seeking to weaken the measures enacted to try to force them to confront tough questions regarding deficit reduction, such as reforms to popular entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Polling has consistently shown most Americans back the president, who insists wealthy Americans must pay more, rather than Boehner and his Republican colleagues, who have balked at tax rate hikes and demanded spending cuts and entitlement program reforms. A new CNN/ORC International survey last week found that just over half of respondents believe Republicans should give up more in any solution and consider the party's policies too extreme. The two sides seemingly had made progress early last week on forging a $2 trillion deficit reduction deal that included new revenue sought by Obama and spending cuts and entitlement changes desired by Boehner. The president's latest offer set $400,000 as the income threshold for a tax rate increase, up from his original plan of $250,000. It also included a new formula for the consumer price index applied to some entitlement benefits, much to the chagrin of liberals. Called chained CPI, the new formula includes assumptions on consumer habits in response to rising prices, such as seeking cheaper alternatives, and would result in smaller benefit increases in future years. Statistics supplied by opponents say the change would mean Social Security recipients would get $6,000 less in benefits over the first 15 years of chained CPI. Liberal groups sought to mount a pressure campaign against including the chained CPI after news emerged this week that Obama was willing to include it, calling the plan a betrayal of senior citizens who had contributed throughout their lives for their benefits. CNN's Brianna Keilar in Hawaii and Dana Bash in Washington reported this story, which was written by Tom Cohen in Washington. | Who will blink first in Washington's fiscal cliff showdown?
Without a deal, everyone's taxes go up next year .
Senate Republicans reject a tax plan already passed by Democrats .
President Obama pushed his campaign stance on taxes . |
35,336 | 646f1574b2b1c8c7fc467ef85aa5f53cfad60471 | A man who turned permanently blue after self-medicating for a skin condition has died. Paul Karason was 62 when he died Monday at Washington hospital, NBC Today reports. He was admitted to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. He later contracted pneumonia and had a severe stroke. Karason shot to Internet fame several years ago for the blue color of his skin, which was a side effect using a silver compound for more than a decade to treat a bad case of dermatitis on his face. Scroll down for video . Paul Karason, pictured in 2008, talks exclusively with NBC News' 'Today' about turning permanently blue after using colloidal silver . He led a very seclusive life until going onto NBC's Today Show in 2008 to discuss his condition, known as argyria, which is caused by the use of dietary supplements. To try and counteract the coloring in his skin, Karason had also begun self-administering doses of colloidal silver, which is a suspension of silver in a liquid base. His skin coloring earned him the nickname 'Papa Smurf,' which his estranged widow said he welcomed when it came from kids. Paul Karason was 62 when he died Monday at Washington hospital . 'That was a nickname he didn’t . appreciate, depending on who said it,' she told Today. 'If it was a kid . who ran up to him saying "Papa Smurf," it would put a smile on his face. But if it was an adult, well ….'Silver has antibacterial properties and has been used to fight infection for thousands of years. But it went out of use when penicillin, which is far more effective, was developed. It continued to be used in some over-the-counter medicines until 1999, when the FDA banned it because it causes argyria, which is a result of the silver reacting with light the same way it does in photography. The silver collects in the skin and other organs and does not dissipate. | Paul Karason was 62 when he died Monday at Washington hospital .
He was admitted to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. He later contracted pneumonia and had a severe stroke .
Karason shot to Internet fame several .
years ago for the blue color of his skin, which was a side effect using a .
silver compound for more than a decade to treat a bad case of .
dermatitis on his face . |
86,380 | f5310c6005985e934a64ab2794086bbcb214e3e4 | Many STD's are curable and all of them are treatable - but most people don't even know realize they are infected or, more commonly, are afraid to have it checked. And that's what First Derm is hoping to capitalize on. Eliminating the arduous process of booking an appointment, going to the doctors, dropping your pants and anxiously awaiting results, the new app allows users to anonymously send a photo of their problem parts and receive a diagnosis within 24 hours from a certified dermatologist. According to TechCrunch, the startup has had 10,000 downloads since launching in January and has delivered 4,000 diagnoses. Too shy to show the doctor? A new dermatological app allows users to anonymously send photos of a skin condition - from potential STD's to warts - to a doctor and receive a response within 24 hours. The service costs $40 each time . Users submit an online form that includes some details of the affected area, as well as two pictures . The form is sent off without any personal information, such as email or Facebook log-in . First Derm guarantees a reply from a certified dermatologist within 24 hours, with most responses reportedly coming within a few hours . Users fill out an online form via their smartphone or android and then upload two pictures - one close up and one from far away - of the affected area. One form costs $40. While the app is not restricted to STDs - with warts, moles and other skin conditions one might typically seek help for all welcome - they are among the bulk of submissions. Founder Alexander Borve told the website that 70 percent of their queries are 'below the waist'. The First Derm homepage claims over 70 percent of conditions can be treated with over-the-counter medications and 30 percent recommend someone gets professional treatment. They guarantee a response within 24 hours, with most coming in a matter of hours. The app does not ask for any personal information. It was first launched in Sweden in 2009 specifically to service STDs. The app started in Sweden specifically to treat STDs, but has since relaunched as a broader dermatological service so as not to isolate their market . The company that owns it, iDoc24 - which lists its owners as Sebastian Suchanowski, Nick Hu and Alexander Borve - then decided to rebrand it, believing a 'STD app' was isolating them from certain consumers. They brought on more dermatologists specializing in other areas and relaunched as First Derm. News of the app coincides with a BBC report of a Los Angeles study, which found gonorrhea and chlamydia were more common in gay men using apps such as Tinder and Grindr than in those meeting in clubs or online. | First Derm launched in January and allows users to send photos of a skin condition, such as a potential STD, and receive a response from a dermatologist within 24 hours .
The service costs $40 per submission .
The app claims to have delivered over 4,000 diagnoses .
Originally developed in Europe to treat STDs, it has expanded to cover all worrisome skin ailments .
Promoted to parents with young children and people in isolated areas .
A recent study found that gonorrhea and chlamydia was more common among gay men who used dating apps like Tinder and Grindr to find sexual partners than those that met in clubs . |
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