Unnamed: 0
int64 0
287k
| id
stringlengths 40
40
| article
stringlengths 117
14.7k
| highlights
stringlengths 37
3.97k
|
|---|---|---|---|
200,585 | 8fa851e53392cdf538be7b9ea6cfc36cda92c5b1 | By . Amanda Williams . PUBLISHED: . 12:44 EST, 18 December 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 02:48 EST, 19 December 2012 . A UK Independence Party candidate has sparked outrage by calling for discussion on whether unborn babies with Down's syndrome or spina bifida should be compulsorily aborted. Geoffrey Clarke, who will stand for Ukip in Kent County Council elections, has come under fire over his personal 'manifesto' which holds controversial views on disabled people, Muslims and immigration. Mr Clarke, who is also standing for Gravesham Borough Council in a by-election on Thursday, called for a Government review into NHS expenditure on his website. The review should 're-examine the . pregnancy abortion time limit. Consider compulsory abortion when the . foetus is detected as having Downs, spina bifida or similar syndrome . which, if it is born, will render the child a burden on the state as . well as on the family'. A local Ukip candidate (not pictured) has come under fire over his personal 'manifesto' which seems to hold controversial views on disabled people, Muslims and immigration. The party, led by Nigel Farage (pictured) has condemned the statements . It should also look into medical treatment for people over the age of 80, which the 66-year-old says is 'extraordinarily costly' to the NHS. This row will come as an embarrassing blow to the party, as polls show support for Ukip at a record high of between seven per cent and 14 per cent of the vote. But Mr Clarke said that he does not actually endorse the provocative statements on his website.'I do not endorse these ideas,' he said later. The views expressed by Geoffrey Clarke are a horrific reminder of the science of Eugenics. It advocated the use of practices which aim at improving the genetic make-up of a population, generally a human population. People who believe in Eugenics advocate for the improvement of human hereditary traits through the promotion of higher reproduction of more desired people. A reduction in reproduction of less desired people and traits is encouraged. Eugenics was at its most popular in the early decades of the 20th Century. It was practiced around the world, with governments, influential institutions and individuals promoting it. A number of countries introduced eugenics policies and programs which included genetic screening, birth control and marriage restrictions. Those targeted included the poor, mentally ill, disabled or promiscuous women. In some cases entire racial groups were targeted. An extreme case of this was the mass extermination of Jews by Nazi Germany. Eugenics was largely abandoned by the end of World War 11. 'They are for the commission to consider how best to cut service levels if it is decided to do so.' Learning disability charity Mencap questioned whether the candidate is fit for office after he made the comments on his website. Chief executive Mark Goldring said: 'Mencap is disgusted and horrified by the manifesto of Kent County Council Ukip candidate Geoffrey Clarke who has proposed the compulsory abortion of any foetus with Down's syndrome or spina bifida. 'Much has been written about the Paralympics this summer changing attitudes towards disabled people for the better. Yet in the very same year, a council candidate has proposed forced eugenics against disabled people. 'It is abhorrent that Geoffrey Clarke sees disabled people solely as a burden when people with a learning disability lead full lives and make valuable contributions to their communities and families. We question if he is fit for public office.' In his manifesto, Mr Clarke also says same-sex marriage is an 'abhorrence'. Population, immigration and threats to Britain's green belt are the three issues closest to his heart. A Ukip spokesman said they had now suspended Mr Clarke and if he was successful in the election he would not be representing them. He said: 'This is a personal manifesto. It is more of a shock to us than to anyone. 'He has now been suspended and will not be representing us in the unlikely event that he wins.' | Geoffrey Clarke, who will stand in Kent County Council elections, also appears to have controversial views on Muslims and immigration .
He labels same-sex marriage an 'abhorrence' in his personal manifesto .
Ukip, recently enjoying a popularity high, confirmed it has now suspended the candidate .
Mr Clarke said he does not 'endorse statements on his website' but they were for consideration . |
147,150 | 4a43abdff8a94929aa8352ac9ba94944e42243b8 | By . Martha Cliff for MailOnline . In a world of constant complications sometimes the simplest solution can be the most effective, at least that's what one woman believes. Jane Hanson was so haunted by the escalating conflict in Syria growing unrest at home and globally that she was desperate to find a way to help bring peace to the world again and for her it was as simple as singing. Jane, who has sung in choirs for years, has witnessed the power that singing had on groups of people as a reporter for BBC World Service in numerous countries around the world. Jane Hanson hopes that by singing, members of the public can focus on harmony on World Peace Day . Inspired by the simple notion of singing as a group, Jane set up the One Day One Choir initiative, a global choral project for peace. The One Day One Choir project runs on the simple idea that singing as a group is one of the most unifying and harmonious activities known to mankind. Singing releases endorphins which help us to feel physically and mentally better and singing together makes people feel more connected. The project takes these basic principles and applies them to peace, at all levels. One Day One Choir.org simply asks people, of all ages and locations around the world, to sign up and sing in choirs, on Peace Day on 21 September. One Day One Choir are asking schools to dedicate songs or hymns in assemblies to peace . International Peace Day was established by the UN in 1981 as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace within and among all nations and peoples. The idea behind the choirs is to help people to focus on peace, not just world peace but peace at home, at school or work, in the community and around the world. The initiative is hoping to involve as many people as possible. The project is asking schools to dedicate songs or hymns in assemblies or classrooms on the 19th, churches can dedicate their hymns on the Peace Day itself which is a Sunday. Mosques and temples can dedicate their chanted prayers on Friday, Saturday or Sunday and people anywhere else who are already singing or want to join in can just dedicate their rehearsals or performances. Jane has always believed that singing as a group is one of the most uplifting activities and can make people feel united . Fittingly for World peace the project is not confined to the UK with 16 different countries having already signed up to sing. By the centenary commemoration of the end of the war to end all wars in 2018 One Day One Choir is hoping to have the biggest choir in the world, singing for peace. Jane, who sings regularly with the London Philharmonic Choir hopes that the project will be both enjoyable but also focus people's minds. 'I was compelled to do something focused on peace. Something that would somehow be simple, uplifting and engaging, and that anyone, anywhere, regardless of age, belief or ability, could be a part of, together and have a voice in.' Raise your voice and join them by signing up to sing at www.onedayonechoir.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. | Jane Hanson created One Day One Choir .
She hopes the harmonious activity will help the public to focus on peace .
She has called for singing groups to dedicate their songs to peace .
The event will take place on World Peace Day on 21 September . |
206,497 | 975a60535c95a06ce0c4b5f4eadb4af45fa6cc96 | Subway service was again free today, but still no service below 34th Street . By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:54 EST, 2 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 07:08 EST, 3 November 2012 . The commute home for millions of New Yorkers has been a slow, protracted process, with many stuck in one of the outer boroughs, unable to find a way out. More subway and rail lines started operating again Friday, and the Holland Tunnel into New York was open to buses. But that did little to assuage the massive transit nightmare that has been the past week, as Superstorm Sandy shut down subways, buses, and commuter rail; those braving the mass transit system were today forced to over-crowd into buses and crawling trains. Gridlock: Traffic is gridlocked on the Long Island Expressway after Hurricane Sandy . Commuters formed long lines along Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street as New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) resumed only a bus service throughout New York but no subway service . Traffic backs up on Skillman Avenue near the Queensboro Bridge, New York, on Thursday . The MTA re-opened parts of two lines, the M and 7 trains, which go from Queens into Manhattan. In addition, limited Amtrak service resumed. Subway service was again free today, though there was still no service below 34th Street. In addition, Long Island Railroad trains were running very limited hourly service on four lines, including the Port Jefferson branch, Ronkonkoma branch, and Babylon branch. The roads and byways of New York were eerily empty as fuel reserves dwindled, though some two million barrels are expected to be distributed to gas stations around the tri-state area as quickly as possible. Commuters were also seen forming long lines along Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street as they waited for buses . Though the MTA did not charge bus fare, without the subway service, commuters found packed buses and long lines and delays along their commutes . Yellow cabs were few and far between as they ran out of petrol and were forced to curb their cars. In lieu of subways, buses ran along the subway lines, in addition to those running their routes. As with yesterday, massive queues formed around hubs like Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center and Manhattan’s Grand Central. Despite the crowds, New Yorkers seemed uncharacteristically good-natured as they rode buses taken them from the darkness of downtown. The MTA has no exact timeline for restoring service. | Massive queues formed around Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center and Manhattan’s Grand Central .
Subway service was again free today, but still no service below 34th Street . |
193,038 | 85ef2a710507009710b892d4feacbe29ed941d95 | Will plug into 3D TVs to show off videos . To be unveiled in Barcelona in February . Successor to hit handset that propelled Galaxy past iPhone . By . Rob Waugh . Last updated at 3:57 PM on 4th January 2012 . The sharp AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S2 will be upgraded to a 720p hi-def screen capable of 3D visuals, and able to plug into a TV to play 3D content, according to Korean reports . Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S3 handset is set to 'go 3D', according to leaks from the company's native Korea. The handset could display 3D films and games on its screen, and even plug into 3D televisions to 'play' 3D content such as photos. The handset is due to launch in February, and will sport hi-tech features such as an AMOLED screen capable of 720p hi def. The phone will also have 2GB of RAM, said the leak, reported by Korean news site ET News. Rivals such as LG and HTC already offer 3D handsets - using glasses-free technology to make objects 'leap out' of the screen, and armed with dual-lens 3D cameras. But the lack of games and videos that use 3D has meant that neither handset has been a huge seller. Samsung's cult Galaxy handsets are a different matter. The existence of a Galaxy S3 is an absolute certainty after the runaway success of Samsung's Galaxy S2, which sold 10 million units at last count, helping to propel Samsung's smartphone sales past Apple's in the third quarter of 2011. The new handset will launch at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February. 'Samsung’s Galaxy lineup has been one of the most sought after smartphone lines worldwide,' says Boy Genius Report. 'The Galaxy S II became the company’s fastest selling smartphone ever, selling threemillion units in just 55 days.' 'Moreover, Samsung sold more than 30 million Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones worldwide as of October. There is no question that consumers are interested in the Galaxy.' Samsung has yet to comment on the reports. | Will plug into 3D TVs to show off videos .
To be unveiled in Barcelona in February .
Successor to hit handset that propelled Galaxy past iPhone . |
40,279 | 71aec4daf52566113ebe9e028b0541dc5c9dd704 | What do you do if you want to film the iconic story of Phileas Fogg, the intrepid Jules Verne character who takes a bet to prove that a man can circumvent the globe in 80 days? Sure, you can follow Fogg's trail around the world and start shooting in different locations -- or you can spend most of your time in Serbia. Starring Pierce Brosnan as Fogg, the 1989 TV adaptation of Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days" was mainly filmed in and around the Balkan country -- then part of Yugoslavia. Thanks to its diverse landscape and impressive architecture, Serbia represented a total of 18 countries in the mini-series, while the city of Belgrade served as the backdrop for seven world cities. "[Serbia] has a very long tradition of film making," says Ana Ilic, executive director of the Serbia Film Commission. "Back in the 1970s and 1980s, there were so many huge co-productions that were made here." And now, filmmakers are taking notice once again as Serbia steps up its efforts to raise its profile as an important player in international filmmaking. From medieval castles to jagged mountains to modern cityscapes, it seems that every corner and crevice in Serbia can make the cut in Hollywood. International hits shot at least partly in the country include the film adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Corolianus," starring Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler, the 2012 period thriller "The Raven," with John Cusack, while recently Pierce Brosnan returned to the country too to film spy action thriller "The November Man." "Serbia has done some really great productions in recent years," says Ilic. "It has proven to be a really good competitive high-quality service filming destination -- it is quite hot now." 'Serbia, NOT Siberia!' Serbia's renewed focus on building an impressive reputation in international movie production is benefiting several local industry players. One of them is film producer is Andjelka Vlaisavljevic, who is matching her movie-making savvy with a meticulous approach to budgets to win more and more big budget films. She says that it wasn't always that way. "They would say, 'Siberia,' no way, we are not going there, it's cold!' And so, it's like 'no no no, it's Serbia!' [You] can you imagine what the reaction to Serbia was," jokes Vlaisavljevic, founder of Work in Progress Productions. "That's changed completely now," she continues. "The buzz is out that here it's not just very good crews and all that, but it's a good time that you have working in Belgrade. And again, everybody has such a low expectations when it comes to us, then they get pleasantly surprised and so they like it here." Resilient industry . But it's not just movie producers taking advantage of Serbia's bid to emerge as a key force in international filmmaking. Bojan Peric is a Serbian actor who's found success at home, and went on to appear at "Lockout." He says he's proud not just of his own accomplishments but of the talent and skill of the crews and production teams he works with. "During all those bad times that happened in the past an industry that did not fall back was the film industry," he says. "That's important for the culture of the people and I believe that a country makes its image through culture." Read this: The ancient craft of Pirot carpet weaving . Read this: Serbia's rise to tennis powerhouse . More from On the Road Serbia . | Serbia is stepping up efforts to build its reputation in international filmmaking .
Diverse landscape, varied architecture and experiences crews are advantages .
Films shot in the country include "The November Man" and "Coriolanus" |
161,375 | 5ca34c14c21d6c4c9aed60c98ae0c970c0402164 | (CNN) -- Clipped wings no more, the Blue Angels are soaring again. The blue and gold jets are returning to the sky after being grounded much of last year because of forced spending cuts. The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron kicked off the 2014 air show season with its first show Saturday, March 15, at Naval Air Facility El Centro in California. The nation's best military fliers halted their iconic aerobatic performances in April 2013. But aerospace and military fans are rejoicing as the Blue Angels return this year for more dynamic aerial demonstrations. The team is scheduled for 68 performances at 35 locations between now and November 8. | The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels are back after being grounded last year .
Federal forced spending cuts led to cancellations .
Their first performance was on March 15 in California . |
56,974 | a15b60e64220c573bbb5f7a1b059452eac254c12 | Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has held tryouts for a North Korean basketball team while on a visit to the communist state. Rodman watched as a few dozen players showed off their skills for a chance to be selected for a match against an American team to mark dictator Kim Jong Un's birthday on January 8. But while Rodman is close to picking 12 Korean players for the game - who will each receive two new pairs of shoes - he admits he's struggling to convince some of the Americans to come. Former Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman has held tryouts in North Korea for a basketball team to play a match against former NBA athletes to mark dictator Kim Jong Un's birthday . Rodman spent his first day in the secretive state watching a few dozen local players show off their skills . Speaking after the tryouts, Rodman said: 'You know, they're still afraid to come here, but I'm just telling them, you know, don't be afraid man, it's all love, it's all love here. 'I understand what's going on with the political stuff, and I say, I don't go into that venture, I'm just doing one thing for these kids here, and for this country, and for my country, and for the world pretty much.' Wearing a pink button-down shirt and puffing on a cigar, Rodman asked one player, Kim Un Chol, why he liked basketball. Chol said it was because he had seen it on TV and knew it was a favourite of Kim Jong Un and his father Kim Jong Il. When Rodman asked the other players if they felt the same, they all nodded with enthusiasm. While Rodman is close to picking his starting 12 for the match, he admits he's struggling to convince the Americans to come as they fear for their safety . Wearing a pink shirt and puffing on a cigar Rodman explained to the players that if they get picked they will each be given two new pairs of shoes . In the spirit of unity the January 8 match will be played with Americans verses Koreans for one half, but with mixed teams for the second half . 'I want you guys to do one thing for your leader,' Rodman then told them. 'It's his birthday. It's a very special, special day for the country.' It is less than a week since Kim's powerful uncle was dragged from office and executed, but Rodman has refused to comment on the issue, or on the detention of American Kenneth Bae for allegedly committing anti-state crimes. Instead his focus has been on sport and the basketball game which he hopes will be without political or nationalistic undertones. In aid of that goal, North Korea will play against America in the first half, but for the second half the teams will be mixed. Rodman has said he will not ask his 'good friend' Kim about the execution of his uncle just over a week ago . When Rodman asked the players why they liked the sport they all agreed it was because it was favoured by their leader and his father, Kim Jong Il . Rodman added: 'It's not about win or loss. It's about one thing - unite two countries.' If all goes well Rodman says he will be planning another game in July. Rodman, 52, a former Chicago Bulls player, has been fiercely criticised by both Americans and North Koreans for his relationship with Kim who has imprisoned and murdered thousands of his own impoverished citizens. The bizarre friendship between the two which began while Rodman was filming an HBO series about the Harlem Globetrotters in February. Dennis Keith Rodman was born on May 13, 1961, in Trenton, New Jersey. His father left home while he was young, and according to his website his mother disowned him after he was accused of stealing watches while working as a janitor at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. However in his late teens Rodman found success as a basketball player and quickly established himself as one of the NBA's most unique talents. He famously spent a period of his life cross-dressing, appearing at various celebrity events dressed in women's clothing, and decided to hold several interviews from inside gay bars. He had high-profile relationships with Madonna and actress Carmen Electra, before deciding to settle down Rodman-style by marrying himself while wearing a white silk dress. He also became very well known for his numerous tattoos, facial piercings and multicolored hair. However following retirement Rodman had a series of high-profile court appearances with his ex-wife Michelle over refusal to pay several hundred thousand dollars of child support. He was also sentenced to 104 hours of community service in May 2012. Since then he has become an unlikely quasi-political figure, appearing at the Vatican after the retirement of Emeritus Pope Benedict to try and elect the world's first black Pope, before striking up a weird and much-criticised friendship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Rodamn met the communist leader in February this year while filming an HBO show about the Harlem Globetrotters and has since visited the secretive state several times. Despite his insistence that he will not involve himself in diplomacy, he referred to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as 'a**holes' after one visit in which he failed to convince his 'good friend' Kim to 'do me a solid' and release American prisoner Kenneth Bae. | Dennis Rodman has spent his first day in North Korea holding basketball tryouts .
He will pick a team of 12 to face other former NBA stars in a match next year .
The game will be held to mark Kim Jong Un's birthday on January 8 .
Rodman is due to be in the communist country until Christmas eve . |
225,304 | afc1a5a0cdf245f1536056e5d20dc2e9d8022adb | BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's Constitutional Court Tuesday fired the country's prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, for violating the constitution by hosting a TV cooking show while in office. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej talks with a market vendor on Monday in Udon Thani province. Tuesday's ruling against Sundaravej, who has faced weeks of violent street protests, also forces the resignation of his cabinet. Ministers are barred from working for private companies, and Samak's opponents filed the case hoping that a conviction will compel him to step down. In theory, analysts say, Samak can return as prime minister in days -- if the ruling coalition nominates him again and a parliament vote is taken. Samak appeared in court Monday, and argued that he had not violated any rules. His work for the television company, he said, was as a freelancer and not an employee. Further, he said, the show was not on the air any more and that he received just $2,300 for his appearances. The 73-year-old Samak continued to appear sporadically on the show "Tasting while Grumbling" after he became prime minister in February. On the show, he served up personal favorites and dished on topics that struck his fancy. Watch CNN's Dan Rivers on latest crisis for Thai PM » . Soon after taking office, he told CNN that he was no reason to halt his participation. "Somebody says as a prime minister, I have time, but I should not do such a thing like that. I said, 'No, I checked the constitution already. There's no obstruction with that,'" he said. Professor Suchit Bunbongkarn, an expert on the constitution, said the document clearly bans prime ministers from being employed by a private entity. "It depends on the constitutional court to decide whether receiving money to appear in the programs on the television could be considered an employee of any employer or not," he said. The court case is another attempt by Samak's opponents who have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at him. Samak was already facing charges of corruption, appealing a three-year prison sentence for defaming a deputy governor and dealing with an election commission decision last week that his party committed electoral fraud in the December elections and should be dissolved. In addition, thousands of protesters have camped outside the Government House, the government's headquarters -- blocking Samak from entering since August 26. The protesters are demanding that Samak step down. They accuse him of being a proxy for his ousted predecessor, Thaksin Shinawatra. Samak has strongly denied the allegation and has refused to resign. On Tuesday, he declared a state of emergency in the capital city of Bangkok after overnight clashes between his supporters and anti-government demonstrators that wounded 40 and left one person dead. The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) -- which is heading the protests -- contends Samak is trying to amend the constitution so Thaksin does not have to face charges. Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in 2006, returned to England last month just as he was to appear in court in a corruption case. CNN's Dan Rivers contributed to this report. | Thai court fires PM Sundaravej for violating constitution .
Sundaravej participated in television cooking show .
Ministers in Thailand are barred from working for private companies . |
188,542 | 802cb86ad612e87450b0ac54d0f0b4fe5178e6d0 | Whitney Houston's only child opened up Sunday about her late mother in her first interview since the singer's death last month. Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, told Oprah Winfrey she can still hear her mother's voice sometimes and feel her spirit, urging her to "keep moving." "She's always with me. I can always feel her," Brown said during the interview that aired on Winfrey's network, OWN. On the same show, Winfrey also spoke to Houston's sister-in-law and friend, Patricia Houston, and her brother, Gary Houston. Whitney Houston, 48, died February 11 in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the day before the music industry gathered for the Grammys in Los Angeles. The famed singer won six Grammys and sold 170 million albums, singles and videos during her career. But in recent years, her struggles with drug addiction overshadowed her accomplishments. When asked whether she feared drugs would one day take her friend, Patricia Houston told Winfrey she "would be kidding" to say otherwise. "The handwriting was kind of on the wall." Recently, she said, she observed Houston "chasing a dream, looking for love in all the wrong places." Houston was married to singer Bobby Brown from 1992 until 2007. Bobbi Kristina was born in 1993. "I'm her daughter. I gotta keep moving. I gotta carry on her legacy. ... I still have a voice," Brown told Winfrey. Whitney Houston toxicology reports pending . The grief comes in waves still, Brown said, and sometimes it doesn't seem real that her mother is gone. "I'm getting through it. I'm doing as good as I possibly can," she said. "Just trying to keep going." Sources close to the investigation into the singer's death told CNN on Friday that officials were looking to speak with her daughter before closing the case. They said it was unclear whether Bobbi Kristina would agree to be interviewed. She was interviewed briefly by Beverly Hills police the day her mother died, but she was too distraught to offer helpful information, the sources said. She was taken twice to a Los Angeles hospital briefly after her mother's death, a source close to the family said last month. Investigators have wrapped up the logistical part of their inquiry by having contacted all physicians and pharmacies with ties to Houston, and nothing so far appears criminal, the sources said. Authorities are reviewing additional medical information that will be used in the final ruling on cause of death, and Houston's toxicology report should be complete "on or around" March 23, the sources said. Last month, officials with the Los Angeles County coroner's office said the singer's body had no visible signs of trauma and foul play wasn't suspected. Her cause of death was listed as "deferred," officials said. More official details on the investigation haven't been released because the Beverly Hills Police Department was granted a "security hold" on the case, the coroner's office said. Common in high-profile cases, the hold restricts the release of information. Authorities have said that police and fire officials were called to Houston's hotel room after her unconscious body was found in the bathtub, just hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammy party. A coroner official last month downplayed the suspicion that drugs had played a major role in Houston's death. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said that "not many prescription bottles" were found in the singer's hotel room. "I know there are reports that she maybe was drowned or did she overdose, but we won't make a final determination until all the tests are in," he said last month. | Houston's sister-in-law says the late singer was "chasing a dream"
She and Bobbi Kristina Brown, Houston's only child, speak to Oprah Winfrey .
Daughter says she can still hear her mother's voice and feel her spirit sometimes .
Houston, 48, died in her Beverly Hills hotel room last month . |
232,595 | b9296eb5fd77b37c2ce9e586dd983550e0bfb5e9 | Lucky her! The Queen has received hundreds of gifts in her Diamond Jubilee year - from jewellery to a Corgi dog bed in the shape of a crown . She is, surely, the woman who has everything. So just what should one have given the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee? The answer, it turns out, is anything from 60 pieces of onyx and ancient Yemeni silver jewellery to a dog bed for her corgis in the shape of a crown. There was also a 1950s Tiffany compact from US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, two park benches courtesy of the Royal Engineers Association – and a baby llama, which is now happily residing in a zoo somewhere. The details were included in a list, obtained by the Daily Mail, of gifts presented to members of the royal family last year. While some given to the Queen were distinctly weird and wonderful, two presented to Prince Andrew are likely to raise eyebrows for the wrong reasons – a valuable ornamental sword and a box of caviar, courtesy of the billionaire despot who rules Azerbaijan. The prince formed close links with president Ilham Aliyev through his role as a trade envoy. The disclosure will add to growing disquiet over the prince’s relationships with leaders of dubious regimes. While Andrew resigned from his post as a trade ambassador in 2011, he attended several previously arranged engagements last year – and received some generous gifts as a result. Prince Faisel Bin Abdullah bin Mohammed of the Saudi royal family gave him a painting, while the president of Mongolia gave him an ornamental gold string instrument. Giving and receiving gifts is considered to be an important part of the royal family’s work in developing good relations with other countries. Courtiers are supposed to discourage the offering of presents of high monetary value – although this often doesn’t work in reality. Last year, as befitting her Diamond Jubilee celebration, the Queen received several lavish pieces of jewellery and valuable trinkets. But many of the hundreds of gifts she received came unsolicited from members of the public, including a wickerwork throne and a model of the state coach made from an ostrich egg. Not your usual birthday presents: Elizabeth II was given a box of Olympic medals by President of IOC Jacques Rogge and a baby llama by a member of the public . In all, according to Buckingham . Palace, members of the public gave her 436 books, 235 CDs and DVDs, 81 . pieces of embroidery or knitting, 78 self-portraits, 40 digital . photograph books, 28 wall hangings, 19 tea towels and nine jigsaws. The Duke of Edinburgh didn’t miss out, . either. He received – rather oddly – a set of Swarovski binoculars for . his 91st birthday, among other gifts. The lists released yesterday do not . include those of Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall or the Duke and . Duchess of Cambridge, who compile theirs separately. From the President of Mongolia there was an ornamental gold string instrument and from the President of Kuwait three boxes, once again descriptions of which are not included. Feather headdress and a gold sword: The Countess of Wessex, left, and Duke of Edinburgh were also lavished with gifts - but royals are now strictly barred from selling or exchanging presents . Helpfully, given his love of the game, . he was also gifted a golf pitch repairer from an admiring member of the . public and a luxury Aspinal iPad case worth around £250. The . Queen receives dozens in the course of her official duties but most are . of historical value or small, well-meaning gifts from members of the . public. Last year, as . befitting her Diamond Jubilee celebration, she received several lavish . pieces of jewellery and valuable trinkets including two silver café au . lait pots from Mappin and Webb, a Jaeger-LeCoultre wrist watch and a . boxed set of gold, silver and bronze Olympic medals – as well as her own . laminated Olympic park security pass. Many . of the hundreds she received, however, came unsolicited from members of . the public including her own wickerwork throne, a model of the state . coach made from an ostrich eggs, and a knitted tea cosy featuring . herself and the corgis. In all, according to Buckingham Palace, members of the public gave her: 436 books, 235 CDs and DVDs, 81 pieces of embroidery or knitting, 78 self-portraits, 40 digital photograph books, 28 wall hangings or bunting, 19 tea towels and nine jigsaws. Other gifts included honorary ownership of a baby llama and the adoption of a baby Asian elephant. The Duke of Edinburgh, bizarrely, got a set of Swarovski binoculars for his 91st birthday, while Princess Anne received, among hundreds of relatively small gifts, a set of spurs and a horse blanker. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester picked up an I Play The Songs CD by Dick Clark on a trip to San Francisco and complimentary membership of Godalming Leisure Centre in Surrey. The Countess of Wessex, who the Mail revealed was controversially given two lavish sets of jewels by the despotic Bahraini royal family in 2011, was once again on the receiving end of some fabulous pieces. The Amir of Kuwait gave her a necklace, earrings and a ring last November while her husband, Prince Edward, was given a designer watch. Officially, the jewels are not considered to be her personal property, even if she wears them regularly. If they were, she would have to pay tax on them. On her death they must, ostensibly at least, be passed on to the monarch, who will then decide whether they should be handed over to the Royal Collection or lent to her successors. Regulations regarding the classification of royal gifts were brought in after it emerged that Prince Charles had personally pocketed £23,000 from secretly selling on a number of the gifts he received from wealthy benefactors through his trusted valet Michael Fawcett, dubbed Fawcett the Fence. It also emerged that he regularly handed over less valuable items to members of his household, who also went on to profit from them. Since then, members of the Royal Family have been barred from selling or exchanging gifts. Each one received must be logged and either used by the receiver, displayed in one of the Royal palaces or stored in one of their warehouses and should be traceable at all times. Mangoes and crocodile teeth: Royal presents received this year . Share certificate featuring painting of the Queen . | Royals are banned from selling or giving away presents so all are recorded .
List of gifts given to the family includes sword, mangoes and artworks .
Duke of Edinburgh received Swarovski encrusted binoculars . |
85,892 | f3966e570de87f3719a06862a066d6e9da156437 | By . Dan Bloom . PUBLISHED: . 05:02 EST, 23 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:58 EST, 23 November 2013 . A mother-of-four has been stabbed to death in her family home. The body of Aisha Alam, 49, was discovered after a man - understood to be her husband - walked into a police station yesterday to report her killing. The 52-year-old man is being questioned on suspicion of her murder by Manchester police. Stabbing: Forensics officers outside the home in Levenshulme, Manchester, where Aisha Alam was found . The body of Mrs Alam was found at her home shortly after noon yesterday. She has four children . Friends said Mrs Alam, who had three daughters and a son, was a teaching assistant at a school for children with special education needs. She moved to England from Pakistan and had been living in her home in the Manchester district of Levenshulme for 25 years. Officers discovered her body just after noon yesterday after a man, understood to be her husband, walked into Longsight police station to report she had been killed. He was held in custody and was still being questioned at 11.30am today. A post mortem which took place last night said Mrs Alam died of multiple stab wounds. Police have named her formally. Mrs Alam's family were too upset to speak last night, but neighbours spoke of their shock. Tragedy: Taped off by police, the house where Aisha Alam's body was found just after noon yesterday . Murder: Police kept a close watch on the house in a quiet street in Levenshulme, Manchester . Friend Saima Baber, 34, said: 'She was a very, very nice person. 'She was quite quiet and kept herself to herself but was such a lovely lady. Forensics officers enter the terraced house in Manchester yesterday . 'I would always stop and say hello and chat and I would do the same with her daughters as well who are lovely. We are all very shocked and scared by what's happened. I saw her daughter at about 8am and everything seemed fine. 'I went shopping in Longsight and I got back and there were police here asking if I had heard anything next door. 'I asked what had happened and they said that Aisha had died and it was very serious. We are just so, so shocked.' Mrs Alam raised her family in the terraced house and two of her children were believed to still be living at home. Gerry Hill, 50, who lives opposite, said: 'I've been here five years and there has never been anything remotely like this before. 'It's a massive shock to everyone. 'It's very sad and my condolences go to the lady's family.' Crime Scene Investigation teams spent most of yesterday combing the house for clues while officers carried out door-to-door enquiries. DCI Colin Larkin said: 'A woman has been killed and our thoughts are with her family and friends at what is obviously a totally devastating time for them. 'I want to reassure her loved ones as well as those in the local community that we have a team of highly skilled detectives already working on this case but if anyone has any information please call us.' Police are still questioning a man understood to be Mrs Alam's husband after he walked into a police station. DCI Colin Larkin said: 'We have a team of highly skilled detectives already working on this case' Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Aisha Alam found dead at her house in Levenshulme, Manchester .
She had four children and was described as 'such a lovely lady'
Man understood to be her husband walked into police station after death .
A 52-year-old man is now being questioned on suspicion of murder .
Post mortem finds she died of multiple stab wounds . |
44,692 | 7dfd5d5f0bee39f67719afe396f4b461e78858e2 | By . Daniel Martin . PUBLISHED: . 17:17 EST, 17 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:21 EST, 17 October 2013 . Paedophiles could find it easier to prey on teenagers online after Facebook changed its rules to allow under-18s to share pictures with anyone on the internet. Until now, all Facebook users aged between 13 and 17 have been barred from making their posts visible to all users. They have been restricted to those they had already decided to link with on the social networking site and were allowed to share posts only with ‘friends of friends’. But, following what it claims are demands from teenagers themselves, that protection has been removed and Facebook will allow children to share their images and videos with the entire public. 'Disaster': Campaigners have condemned the move by Facebook. They say it will lead to pictures of teens ending up in the wrong hands. Picture posed by a model . The move has been condemned as a ‘disaster’ by campaigners, who warn that explicit self-portraits taken by youngsters could fall into the wrong hands. The change brings Facebook in line with other social networks such as Twitter, which allows all users to post publicly. Another change means teenage users will be given a default setting of ‘friends only’ – meaning that to post publicly they will have to change the setting themselves. Technically, Facebook is open only to those aged 13 and above, but in fact thousands of children younger than that have become members of the site by lying about their age. Facebook does not carry out an age verification check. It means that thousands of children under 13 could also be at risk of seeing their photos fall into the hands of paedophiles. Helen Goodman, Labour’s media spokesman, said Facebook’s change of policy would be a ‘disaster’ for teenagers. ‘This is a very foolish development,’ she said. ‘Many young people do not understand that photographs which can be put into the public domain can be taken and used by paedophiles. ‘And we know from experience that young people are groomed and bullied on social media, sometimes with tragic consequences. I’m just appalled about this and I really do urge Facebook to think again before we have any more tragic episodes.’ Claire Lilley, of the NSPCC, said the charity was pleased that Facebook has made ‘friends only’ the default setting for 13- to 17-year-olds, but she attacked the decision to allow them to share posts publicly. No age check: Facebook doesn't carry out an age verification check . ‘It’s simply not acceptable for Facebook to expect children to take 100 per cent responsibility for managing not just their settings but their levels of risk too; teenagers aren’t always going to be careful about what they post,’ she said. Earlier this week, the Mail revealed that tens of thousands of explicit pictures shared by teenagers are stolen and end up on websites viewed by paedophiles. A search of only 40 hours by analysts at the Internet Watch Foundation, which takes down child abuse images, found more than 12,200 self-generated pictures and videos of teens on paedophile websites. A survey by the charity ChildLine has found that more than half of teens have been pressurised into sharing intimate photos, either via their mobiles or on sites such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. Simon Milner, director of policy for Facebook in the UK, said: ‘One of the requests we hear direct from teenagers most often is the ability to share things in a public way, just as they can on other services. ‘Teens are among the savviest people using social media, and they want to be heard.’ He said the changes were designed to ‘improve the experience’ for teenagers. ‘They’re expert at controlling who can see what they say and do on Facebook,’ he said. As a protective measure, Facebook will warn minors opting to be more open that they are exposing themselves to a wider audience. This will repeat before every post, while the settings remain on ‘public’. Kathryn Montgomery, professor of communications at the American University in Washington, criticised what she described as a money-making move by Facebook. She said that allowing teenagers to share more about themselves will enable advertisers to collect more personal data about them. Facebook denied the move would enable it to make more money. | Until now 13 to 17-year olds barred from making posts visible to all users .
But Facebook removed that protection and images can be shared publicly .
Move condemned as a 'disaster' by campaigners . |
183,590 | 79cffec0086838b2f32a0f78b2a3afec7f1f1e62 | (CNN) -- This year's session, with fiscal cliff negotiations and lively nomination controversies, is anything but lame. But it's still a lame-duck Congress. Just how did a meeting of one Congress that occurs after a new one is elected but not yet sworn-in get that name? We're slow roasting the answers to those questions and serving them up by the numbers: . What is a 'lame duck'? 18th Century - The term "lame duck" originates in Great Britain to describe a bankrupt businessman. 1830s - The term "lame duck" arrives in the United States, but is used to describe politicians on their way out of office, rather than businessmen. 85 - The number of current members of Congress who are lame ducks. History . 17 weeks - The length of time between November elections and inauguration on March 4th, prior to the 20th Amendment being ratified in 1933. This led to many problems, such as President-elect Abraham Lincoln being unable to deal with the secession of seven states during the long gap between his election and inauguration. 2 - The number of times a lame duck House of Representatives chose the president and vice president in disputed elections. This occurred in 1800 and 1824. 1932 - The year that humorist Will Rogers said: "An awful lot of people are confused as to just what is meant by a lame duck Congress. It's like where some fellows worked for you and their work wasn't satisfactory and you let 'em out, but after you fired 'em, you let 'em stay long enough so they could burn your house down." The 20th Amendment . 1923 - Senator George Norris of Nebraska proposes the 20th Amendment, moving the start date of Congress from March 4th to January 3rd. The Senate passes it 63-6. 1932 - After nine years of delays, the House also passes Norris' amendment, 336-56. 1933 - The 20th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified. 19 - Number of lame duck sessions of Congress since the ratification of the 20th Amendment. Prior to the ratification of the 20th Amendment, every second session of Congress from the first to the 73rd was technically a lame duck session. 10 - Number of these sessions from 1940 to 1992. 9 - Number of these sessions from 1994 to 2012. There was no lame duck session in 1996. 1 day - The shortest lame duck session, which took place on December 31, 1948. 58 days - The longest lame duck session, which took place in the Senate from November 7, 1940 to January 3, 1941. Noteworthy lame duck sessions . 1954 - The year the Senate holds a lame duck session to censure Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy. 1974 - Nelson Rockefeller is confirmed as vice president. 1982 - The House votes to give its members a retroactive pay raise. The lame duck session is especially contentious, leading Senator Edward Kennedy to say, "We have accomplished precisely nothing of any value." Representative Leon Panetta also remarked, "Frankly, we all look like fools." 1994 - Congress passes legislation on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). 1998 - The House of Representatives holds a lame duck session and votes to impeach President Bill Clinton. 2002 - The Department of Homeland Security is established. 2010 - A compromise tax bill is passed, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is repealed, and a new START treaty with Russia is approved. | 1830s - The term "lame duck" arrives in the United States .
1998 - The House votes to impeach President Bill Clinton during a lame-duck session .
2 - The number of times a lame duck House chose the president and vice president in disputed elections .
1982 - The lame duck session in which the House votes to give members a pay raise . |
60,971 | ad3314e3aaa8f7770326c1fae7b8a1e15435ba67 | By . Simon Jones . Olympiacos are interested in re-signing Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou on loan. The Greek international signed for Fulham for a club record £12million in January but has only started one game and the west London club are prepared to let him leave. Fulham would prefer to sell the striker but it is more likely that he will move back to his former club on a season-long loan. VIDEO: Scroll down for Felix Magath's plans to build the team around Fulham's youngsters . Flop: Kostas Mitroglou has made just three appearances since his January switch to Craven Cottage . Discussions have proved complicated so far and it is understood that Olympiacos want Fulham to pay some of the 26-year-old’s wages. Mitroglou featured in all three of Greece’s World Cup group games in Brazil but failed to score and was dropped for the last-32 defeat to Costa Rica. The striker was also left out of Fulham’s opening day Championship defeat to Ipswich last weekend. Out of favour: Felix Magath has made it clear Mitroglou doesn't feature in his plans this season . Happier times: Mitroglou's form for Olympiacos earned him a move to England in January . | Greek star has been plagued by injury-problems since switch to England .
Mitroglou has managed just three appearances for the Cottagers .
Felix Magath is keen to move on the frontman as he overhauls his squad .
Olympiakos ready to offer 26-year-old an escape route back home . |
278,190 | f4601b48a52c7acef85d196bd0e1c7db4a316f15 | FACETIME: Ferit Sahenk, Chairman, Dogus Holding . One country that has tapped into Russia's market of 142 million consumers is Turkey's Garanti Bank. With operations in the country since the early 1990s, Marketplace Middle East sat down with Ferit Sahenk the CEO of the bank and chairman of its parent company Dogus Holding and asked him about doing business in Russia. IN FOCUS: Arab-Russian Ties . Historically ties between Russia and the Middle East have been largely focused on the political sphere, but this week Marketplace Middle East finds out how the region has the potential to warm up with the Siberian economy. Showtimes Marketplace Middle East airs weekly at the following times (all GMT): Fridays: 0845, 1645, Saturdays: 0615, Sundays: 0515, 1745, Mondays: 0045 . | This week MME takes a look at the relationship between Russia and the Middle East .
Plus Facetime with Turkey's Garanti Bank CEO -- Ferit Sahenk .
Could ties between the two regions change from political to economic? |
57,664 | a36b69e39ce2cd4a265d433410e770a811d34959 | By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . The lineage of huge meat-eating dinosaurs that transformed into agile flying birds were able to survive because they shrank over 50 million years. This is the conclusion scientists came to after constructing a detailed family tree of dinosaurs and their bird descendants, mapping their unlikely transformation. The tree showed that the branch of theropod dinosaurs, which gave rise to modern birds, were the only dinosaurs that kept getting smaller. The lineage of huge meat-eating dinosaurs that transformed into agile flying birds were able to survive because they shrank over 50 million years. This is the conclusion scientists came to after constructing a detailed family tree of dinosaurs and their bird descendants, mapping their unlikely transformation . Theropods, meaning ‘beast-footed’, were a group of dinosaurs which include the carnivorous dinosaurs - Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor and Spinosaurus. 'These bird ancestors also evolved new adaptations, such as feathers, wishbones and wings, four times faster than other dinosaurs,' said co-author Darren Naish, a palaeontologist at the University of Southampton. 'Birds evolved through a unique phase of sustained miniaturisation in dinosaurs,' added lead author Associate Professor Michael Lee, from the University of Adelaide. 'Being smaller and lighter in the land of giants, with rapidly evolving anatomical adaptations, provided these bird ancestors with new ecological opportunities, such as the ability to climb trees, glide and fly. The study, which 'weighed' hundreds of dinosaurs, suggests that shrinking may have helped the group that became birds continue exploiting new ecological niches. This evolutionary tree shows major events in dinosaur body size evolution . The branch of theropod dinosaurs, which gave rise to modern birds, were the only dinosaurs that kept getting smaller. In this artist's impression, early birds (Longirostravis) preen one of their large theropod relatives, Yutyrannus. Both species lived 120 million years ago in what is now northern China . The feathered dinosaur Microraptor pounces on a nest of primitive birds, named Sinornis. Being smaller and lighter in the land of giants, with rapidly evolving anatomical adaptations, provided these bird ancestors with new ecological opportunities . The first birds evolved after the feathers of a group of dinosaurs received a burst of colour, a recent study shows. Research . has found that, as well as giving birds their appearance, the pigment . chemicals in feathers readied their dinosaur ancestors for flight. These same chemicals may have helped change the metabolism of early birds so they could stay in the air during flight. The study focused on small, meat-eating maniraptorans, which lived 150 million years ago and had many early vestiges of birds. Scientists . compared the hair, skin, fuzz and feathers of living land vertebrates . including birds, mammals and reptiles with fossil specimens of ancient . lizards, turtles, dinosaurs and pterosaurs. They . were surprised to discover maniraptorans and living mammals and birds . shared the evolutionary development of variety in the shapes and sizes . of melanosomes - chemicals that provide the colour in tissues, hairs and . feathers. ‘Ultimately, this evolutionary flexibility helped birds survive the deadly meteorite impact which killed off all their dinosaurian cousins.' Researchers examined over 1,500 anatomical traits of dinosaurs to reconstruct their family tree. They used mathematical modelling to trace evolving adaptions and changing body size over time and across dinosaur branches. The study found that the dinosaurs most closely related to birds are all small, and many of them - such as the aptly named Microraptor - had some ability to climb and glide. It concluded the branch of dinosaurs leading to birds was more evolutionary innovative than other dinosaur lineages. 'Birds out-shrank and out-evolved their dinosaurian ancestors, surviving where their larger, less evolvable relatives could not,' said Professor Lee. The research follows a separate study which also concluded that shrinking may have helped the group that became birds continue exploiting new ecological niches. An international team, led by scientists at Oxford University and the Royal Ontario Museum estimated the body mass of 426 dinosaur species based on the thickness of their leg bones. The team found that dinosaurs showed rapid rates of body size evolution shortly after they appeared around 220 million years ago. However, these soon slowed and only the evolutionary line leading to birds continued to change size at this rates. This continued to happen for 170 million years, producing new ecological diversity not seen in other dinosaurs. On the left a ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) hovers above the tooth of a massive dinosaurian predecessor. On the right, a broad-billed hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) in front of a tooth of a massive dinosaurian predecessor (the 6-tonne Carcharodontosaurus) Archaeopteryx, the first bird, was a small dinosaur weighing only 2.2lbs (1kg). Small size might have been key to the evolutionary success of birds. This line kept experimenting with different, often radically smaller, body sizes - enabling new body 'designs' and adaptations to arise more rapidly . ‘What we found was striking,’ said Dr David Evans at the Royal Ontario Museum. ‘Dinosaur body size evolved very rapidly in early forms, likely associated with the invasion of new ecological niches. In general, rates slowed down as these lineages continued to diversify. ‘But it’s the sustained high rates of evolution in the feathered maniraptoran (a theropod) dinosaur lineage that led to birds – the second great evolutionary radiation of dinosaurs.’ This evolutionary line kept experimenting with different, often radically smaller, body sizes - enabling new body ‘designs’ and adaptations to arise more rapidly than among larger dinosaurs. Other dinosaur groups failed to do this, got locked into narrow ecological niches, and ultimately became extinct. Tyrannosaurus rex weighed 7 tonnes and was the largest land predator of all time. Dinosaur groups that failed to change in size got locked into narrow ecological niches, and ultimately went extinct . Dinosaurs evolved into a huge range of shapes and sizes over 170 million years. small body size might have been key to maintaining evolutionary potential in birds, which broke the lower body size limit of around 2.2lb (1kg) seen in other dinosaurs . | Theropods, ancestors of birds, were only dinosaurs that got smaller .
They evolved feathers and wings four times faster than other dinosaurs .
They were more evolutionary innovative than other dinosaur lineages .
Separate study found shrinking may have helped the group that became birds continue exploiting new ecological niches . |
266,265 | e4ddcd98a5312f5e019956478e00f6356f35d73b | The man accused of strangling his girlfriend and posting pictures of her dead body on 4Chan, went drinking in a bar just hours after the killing. David Kalac is accused of brutally murdering Amber Lynn Coplin in her home in Port Orchard, Washington, before going on the run and leaving her 13-year-old son to discover the body when he came home from school. The 33-year-old walked into a Portland bar and spent hours chatting to customers and drinking beer and vodka before handing himself over to police in Wilsonville, Oregon, last Wednesday. Scroll down for video . Killer: David Kalac, 33, pictured after his arraignment, visited a bar in Portland and spent hours drinking beer and vodka, shortly after allegedly strangling his girlfriend and posting pictures of her dead body online . Ryan Stowe, owner of The Know bar in Portland, said Kalac drank three cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a Vodka with Red Bull. Kalac spent at least four hours drinking in the bar, 'chatting with customers and spilling a beer before leaving a generous tip,' NY Daily News reports. 'It’s weird that he was just hanging out here, knowing police were looking everywhere for him,' Mr Stowe said. 'He wasn’t worried about anyone seeing him or anything.' Following an alleged handwritten confession from Kalac prosecutors have increase the charges from second-degree murder to first-degree murder. Murdered: A coroner's report has found that the injuries on Amber Coplin's body is consistent with manual strangulation, and Kalac has confessed to the killing . Arrest: Kalac, 33, pictured after he handed himself over to police shortly after leaving The Know bar in Portland, has been charged with first-degree murder . Horror: The body of Amber Coplin was discovered by her 13-year-old son and her estranged husband . The new charge includes a domestic violence enhancement and an aggravated circumstance of having 'a destructive and foreseeable impact on persons other than the victim,' said Kitsap County sheriff's spokesman Scott Wilson said . Kalac was arraigned on the charges in Kitsap County Superior Court in Port Orchard, west of Seattle, Friday afternoon. Kalac's lawyer asked to have the plea postponed and his next court date is Friday, November 14, with bail set at $2million. Earlier in the day, the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office filed a probable cause certificate that detailed the new evidence that supported the tougher charges. According to the document, when Kalac emerged from the woods near Portland, Oregon, and surrendered Wednesday, Clackamas County deputies found a note admitting to the crime. It read: 'I killed Amber Coplin. I strangled her with my hands, then a shoelace. Scene: She was found murdered inside her Port Orchard, Washington home, pictured, on Tuesday afternoon - just half an hour after the killer apparently posted grisly images of her naked body online . Sick: Kalac, her boyfriend, also allegedly left messages scrawled inside her bedroom, including 'she killed me first' on a picture and 'dead' across the driving license, which was found near her head . 'I had No reason other than I was Drunk and she pissed me off. Running from the cops was so fun. DK.' The color of the ink and the writing style were consistent with messages authorities say Kalac left at the crime scene, the sheriff's document said. It also quoted from notes authorities say Kalac posted online with the images of Coplin. A quote from one site said: 'Check the news for port orchard Washington in a few hours. Her son will be home from school soon. 'He'll find her, then call the cops. I just wanted to share the pics before they find me.' Another post said that he learned that she was having an affair with another man and that made him angry. The sheriff's document said the Kitsap County coroner's office had determined the cause of death was 'ligature strangulation with blunt force trauma to the head,' and the forensic pathologist said Kalac's hyoid bone, under the chin, was fractured. 'Based on my training and experience this is consistent with manual strangulation,' Detective Chad Birkenfeld said in the document. | David Kalac, 33, visited bar just hours after allegedly killing girlfriend .
He drank beer and vodka and chatted to guests for four hours .
Kalac has admitted to strangling Amber Coplin, 30, in her own home .
Her body was found by her 13-year-old son and estranged husband . |
121,492 | 2906be124b8b40385c93988ce55468066622c69a | (CNN) -- Serena Williams stayed on course to become the first woman to win the Miami Masters six times but only just, after surviving a major scare against Dominika Cibulkova. At one point, the 13th seed from Slovakia led 6-2, 4-1 and seemed to have one foot in the quarterfinals until Williams, 31, displayed the fighting qualities that have made her one of the greats of the game. The world No. 1 rallied to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and so book her place in the last eight, where she will take on China's Li Na, the fifth seed. "I just thought to myself, 'Well, I've been down worse. It's nothing new. Just keep fighting'," Williams -- whose five crowns are equaled only by Steffi Graf -- told reporters in Key Biscayne. "I never give up. It doesn't matter whether it's in life or on the tennis court -- I keep fighting." "I was playing a really good opponent who plays really well. She's a good fighter and a great player," added the American, who is seeking her first Miami title to add to those won in 2002-2004 and 2007-2008. Unfortunately for Cibulkova however, the defeat marked the second year in a row where the 23-year-old has led the world's best by a significant distance in Miami only to fail to make it over the finish line. In 2012, the right-hander led Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 5-2 before succumbing to defeat. Meanwhile, Na was unconvincing as she made 39 unforced errors in a straight sets defeat of Spanish teenager Garbine Muguruza (7-6, 6-2). Playing her first tournament since injuring her ankle at January's Australian Open, Na let both a 5-1 lead in the first set -- and then a 6-1 lead in the tie break -- slip before dismissing the 19-year-old who had knocked out Caroline Wozniacki and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska also had trouble making it through as the fourth seed recovered from losing the first set before seeing off the challenge of rising talent Sloane Stephens with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win. Next up for the Pole is Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens, who saw off Croatia's Ajla Tomljanovic 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 to continue her best start to a season -- as she reached her fourth quarterfinal of the year. In the men's section, second seed Andy Murray saw off the challenge of Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets (7-6, 6-3) after the Bulgarian also let a decent lead slip. The 21-year-old had the chance to win the first set when serving at 5-3 but three double faults handed the Scot a lifeline. It is the second time in as many tournaments that Dimitrov has cracked when serving for a set against a top-ranked player, having served four double faults when leading world No. 1 Novak Djokovic 5-3 at Indian Wells earlier this month. Murray will face Italy's Andrea Seppi in the quarterfinals. | Serena Williams rallies from 2-6, 1-4 down to beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia .
World No. 1 to face Li Na of China in quarterfinals .
Andy Murray also through after Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov crumbles against Scot . |
15,810 | 2ce6025ecd39e602caebe9897d41cb82a96ed2b1 | Former Arkansas Governor and presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee sparked outrage across the country this week for his offensive remarks about women and birth control. But the real problem isn't what he says -- it's what he and too many other politicians believe, and it's the policies they would advance if they have the chance. In a speech to the Republican National Committee, Huckabee said that it was wrong to give women access to no-co-pay birth control under the Affordable Care Act -- that by doing so, women were being told "they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of government." Of the thousands of types of medical care covered by insurance companies -- somehow he and a lot of other politicians have focused like a laser on birth control -- on taking coverage away from women. Indeed, Huckabee's remarks were no "gaffe," as too many pundits have called them. This is a speech he's made before, and his remarks are a look inside the playbook of politicians who appear to have no idea how birth control works and why it's so important to millions of women as a basic, preventive health care. They ignore the fact that women use birth control for a whole host of medical reasons -- and that's their business, not Mike Huckabee's. In Huckabee's vision, every boss in America would be empowered to decide whether his or her female employees should have access to birth control the way they do for any other prescription medication. Huckabee is joining a battle being waged cross the country. Over 40 for-profit companies have filed lawsuits against the birth control benefit of the Affordable Care Act, and the Supreme Court will hear arguments in two of those cases in March. If the court rules in favor of the for-profit companies, employers for the first time ever could have the right to dictate to their employees the type of health care they may have access to. Meanwhile, 20 state legislatures have moved to exempt certain employers and insurers from allowing their employees access to birth control without a co-pay. In Kansas, pharmacists are allowed to refuse to fill a prescription for birth control if they have a moral objection -- even if there's no other pharmacist in the area that a woman can go to instead. And while the states are individually waging separate battles, on the national front the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment a few months ago to roll back the birth control benefit. The politicians behind these moves disregard how important birth control is for women and families. It allows women to take control of their health and economic security and to take personal responsibility for their family planning decisions. Many women also need birth control for medical reasons. For example, it can help relieve painful menstrual cramps, and help avert infertility by addressing the symptoms of endometriosis. Access to birth control is also an economic issue. Until now, the cost has been expensive, with many women paying an average of $600 a year -- but sometimes much more -- for contraceptive protection. The Affordable Care Act enables 27 million women to receive their prescription birth control without a co-pay. Birth control also allows women, who make up nearly two-thirds of minimum-wage workers, to remain in the labor force. For a woman working for minimum wage at a retail store, or for tips at a restaurant, the birth control benefit is tremendously important. For many women, it means the difference between taking birth control regularly and not being able to -- between getting pregnant and not getting pregnant. As we look toward the midterm elections later this year, it's increasingly clear that access to birth control will be on the ballot. Mike Huckabee's remarks this week underscore what's at stake -- and why women will not allow out-of-touch politicians to take us back to the 1950s. | Cecile Richards: Mike Huckabee caused uproar with clueless comments about birth control .
He said women told they need goverrnment "Uncle Sugar" to pay for their birth control .
Richards: His words show political agenda to deny women contraceptive coverage .
Richards: Birth control key in women's lives, health. Next election, issue will be in balance . |
71,459 | ca892f1ea773a51a406dc3bdc37e3f8f0777aab9 | By . Kate Lyons . Tobacco companies have seen a dramatic profit increase in the last year despite the introduction of plain packaging legislation. The profits of three major Australian tobacco companies increased by 30 percent last year due to cigarette manufacturers raising prices before anti-smoking rules were introduced. According to data obtained by The Australian Financial Review, profits for Australia’s three major tobacco companies have more than doubled to $2.2 billion over the last five years. Scroll down for video . Profits for major Australian tobacco companies have increased since plain packaging laws were introduced due to companies driving up the prices of cigarettes . These record profits are despite the grim predictions of the tobacco industry about the effect the plain packaging laws would have on their business. While tobacco excise duty increased 24 cents per pack of 25 cigarettes, between August 2011 and February 2013, tobacco companies increased their prices and increased their revenue. The three major companies – British American Tobacco Australasia, Philip Morris Australia and Imperial Tobacco Australia – normally increase their prices above the rate of excise increases, but prices jumped significantly in mid-2011 when the federal government indicated it would introduce plain packaging laws. Data compiled by Cancer Council Victoria shows that the average price of one cigarette increased by 34 cents from 43.9 cents in 2008 to 78.2 cents in 2014. A pack of Winfield 25s went from $16.55 in August 2011 to $18.75 in February 2013. Of this $2.20 difference, the Australian Financial Review reported that 44 cents was excise and GST and the remaining $1.56 was profit for the company. The increased profits are despite Treasury data released late in June that showed cigarette sales have dropped since plain packaging became mandatory in December 2012, with 3.4 percent fewer cigarettes sold in 2013 compared to 2012. These profit increases are despite the grim predictions of the tobacco industry about the effect the plain packaging laws would have on their business . | Profits of Australian tobacco companies increased by 30 percent last year .
Increase is despite introduction of plain packaging in December 2012 .
High profits due to tobacco companies dramatically raising prices . |
154,244 | 5355da59cf9a5ebdcb13e85386070abaef27da44 | By . Simon Cable . PUBLISHED: . 17:03 EST, 14 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 17:11 EST, 14 October 2013 . Ordeal: Anthony Horowitz feared he would never be able to read or write again . He is one of Britain’s most prolific and successful novelists. But Anthony Horowitz has revealed how he feared having to give up his lucrative writing career after a serious eye condition threatened to leave him blind. The bestselling author was warned by one specialist that he would have to stop writing after developing cysts at the back of both of his eyes. He admitted that he briefly considered stopping after his vision deteriorated, but concluded that ‘writing is my life’ and that ending his career early would be ‘ridiculous’. He then met with several further specialists, who have said there ‘is nothing that can be done about it’. The 58-year-old, who has penned more than 45 novels and 11 TV series during an illustrious 34-year writing career, told the Lady Magazine: ‘It’s been a very choppy year, health-wise. ‘My South African book tour got cancelled because of a disk in my neck. And now there’s a cyst on the back of my right eye – and a smaller one in my left eye, which is damaging my central vision. ‘Fortunately, they haven’t grown any bigger, but there is always the spectre of this getting worse and worse. I could even go blind in one eye. ‘It has been frightening. The first specialist I saw told me to stop writing. 'But I very quickly realised that writing is my life and to stop would be ridiculous. 'So I went and got second and third and fourth opinions, and they said actually it has nothing to do with reading and writing. 'Nothing can be done about it, though. 'Fortunately, I have two eyes.’ Horowitz has sold more than 16m copies of his books in the English language alone since his first novel in 1979. Blockbuster success: Horowitz's books have been a hit in the cinema, like the Alex Rider series, Stormbreaker . Among his most popular are the Alex Rider children’s spy series, while he also wrote the Sherlock Holmes novel, House of Silk, which was released in 2011. He has also written the scripts for ITV series Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Midsomer Murders and Foyles War. However, Horowitz has also revealed that due to a series of other health scares in recent years, he now compiles a series of detailed notes about the books he is working on, and which he hands over to his assistant so they can finish the book in case he dies before he finishes. He reveals he works 11 hour days and has just completed his latest Alex Rider novel, Russian Roulette, while working on his second Sherlock Holmes novel and his latest series of Foyle’s War. He added: ‘People say that once you pass the age of 50, all you’re doing is dodging ailments. I don’t think I’m particularly old yet at 57, but these things happen and it just makes me work harder. ‘I do have a funny habit, though. I always leave notes for my assistant on how my books finish, so if I drop dead in the middle of one someone else can finish it. ‘The solution to my new Sherlock . Holmes book is so pleasing that if I died, my last thought wouldn’t be . about my wife and my children but: “Who’s going to finish this book?” Horowitz . has also opened up about how he feel children and teenagers, who many . of his books are aimed at, are being deprived of proper childhoods . because they are ‘stuck indoors, with computer games’. ‘Our children are an unfortunate generation in many ways. Critically acclaimed: The author has been a permanent feature in book shops since his first novel in 1979 . 'There are also all the health and safety issues. If a child falls over and bangs his or her knee, the immediate instinct is to contact the nearest lawyer and try and sue. At least they can still have adventures in books. ‘When my children were younger, we had a house in Suffolk, and they would run around having adventures and escapes and japes, while my wife, Jill, and I were reading the papers in bed. 'And we often used to think: “If anything bad were to happen, we would be on the front page of every paper, as negligent parents.” ‘But I don’t regret it. I think that it was great that my children had that wonderful opportunity to have adventures and use their imaginations. If society can’t sustain that anymore, what has it become?’ Read the full interview in Friday’s edition of The Lady. | Anthony Horowitz was warned he would have to stop end his career .
He has cysts at the back of both eyes that threatened to get bigger .
They have stopped growing but 'it's been a very choppy year, health-wise' |
286,446 | ff256ef7c4dfe69ba9d8c7125371de4b058bcaa3 | (CNN) -- A line of fast-moving storms and possible tornadoes stretching from the Gulf Coast states to Illinois left at least six people dead Friday and caused widespread damage to homes and businesses, as forecasters warned of more potentially severe weather. Three people died in the small northwestern Arkansas town of Cincinnati, which reported power outages after the strong storm went through, said Ann Upton, Washington County's emergency management deputy. Two additional fatalities occurred in Dent County, Missouri, according to Salem police spokeswoman Wanda Suhr. While a sixth storm-related death happened at a home just north of Rolla, Missouri, about 106 miles southwest of St. Louis, said Phelps County Emergency Management spokeswoman Sandy North. The storm injured residents and destroyed some 25 homes in Phelps County after it earlier left more than a dozen people hospitalized in northwestern Arkansas, medical officials said. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency. "We have three confirmed deaths today. We have some other people with some significant injuries and that's why I declared a state of emergency. Our state emergency management folks are up and operating to assist the locals and provide whatever support is necessary," he told CNN. The governor, who is expected to tour the affected areas Saturday, said officials are still working to access the damage. In Arkansas, Washington Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Terry Fox said several people were also reported trapped under fallen debris in the storm's immediate aftermath in Benton County. Six homes and four chicken production facilities were destroyed, while five homes suffered moderate to heavy damage, said Matt Garrity, Benton County's manager of emergency services. A fire station, three buildings and one store were also damaged, said Garrity, and an airport that serves northwestern Arkansas was closed due to debris in the area. "We are in part of tornado alley," he said. "So even a small storm does a lot of damage." Emergency crews are currently surveying the extent of the damage and "making sure that no one is trapped," he said. In Mississippi, a storm system knocked out power to nearly 20,000 homes in the central part of the state, said Mara Hartman, a spokeswoman for Entergy Corporation. Elsewhere, the fast-moving storm caused injuries and damage in Pulaski and Laclede counties in Missouri, knocking out power at Fort Leonard Wood, a U.S. Army post that took a direct hit from a suspected tornado, accordingto Laclede County Emergency Management spokesman Gail Teter. Four people at the base were treated for minor injuries after the storm hit, the army said. The tornado cut through several miles from the training areas into where families live. The series of storms that moved through Oklahoma and into northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri have reached speeds of 40 mph and passed through more populated areas in St. Louis, Missouri, and the surrounding municipalities. Search and rescue workers were deployed to assess the storm's damage in St. Louis County, where there were reports of injuries, according to Mark Diedrich, the county's emergency management acting director. CNN affiliate KMOV on Friday broadcast images of heavy damage -- including destroyed homes and overturned vehicles -- in Sunset Hills, Missouri, approximately 15 miles southwest of St. Louis. "It's causing havoc," said Sunset Hills police spokeswoman Donna Palasky. The storm also left heavy structural damage to buildings in its wake -- including a popular shopping center and Catholic church -- in the town of Fenton, some 18 miles southwest of St. Louis, said Fenton Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Heidbreder. Emergency crews are surveying the damage, he said, but there were no reports of injuries. In the nearby town of Ballwin, police spokeman Jim Heldmann said the storm caused heavy damage to homes and buildings, but no injuries were reported at this time. The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management issued a tornado advisory as bad weather lingered in the state, instructing residents to seek shelter in their home's interior rooms or on its lowest floor. "When a tornado is sighted, the most important rule is to get low and stay low," the statement said. The threat of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes will continue through Friday evening across the Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley states, according to Greg Carbin, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. CNN's Mark Bixler, Reynolds Wolf, Tom Laabs, Erica Henry, Aaron Cooper and Shelby Erdman contributed to this report. | Missouri governor declares a state of emergency following storms .
25 homes were destroyed in Phelps County, Missouri .
Midwest storms have left at least six people dead, officials say .
Storms caused heavy damage in the region surrounding St. Louis . |
8,214 | 173ff70b759680740e77cb4b71d69d1df460dcc0 | By . Martha De Lacey . PUBLISHED: . 08:25 EST, 16 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 08:25 EST, 16 October 2012 . If you consider Matt Groening responsible for the wackiest hairstyles this side of Pluto, think again. Models presented some exceedingly unusual hairdos at the 30th Alternative Hair Show, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London over the weekend. But it seems with their their gravity-defying dos, hair stylist were indeed paying homage to characters from Groening's The Simpsons - as well as to industrial amounts of hairspray. Homage? A model sports a gravity-defying hairdo at the Alternative Hair Show, left, resonant of that worn by Marge Simpson, right . Some of the models' crops bore resemblances to those worn by Marge Simpson, Lisa Simpson, and Marge's sisters, Patty and Selma Bouvier. Stylists exhibiting these larger-than-life creations at the show included Dmitri Vinokurov, Saco, Mario Krankl, TIGI, Mahogany, Pino, Dmitry Vinokurov, David Murray and Helen Reavey. The . Alternative Hair Show, first held in London's Camden Palace . in 1983, is a charity fund-raising event in aid of those suffering from leukaemia. The first show drew £7,500, donated . to Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, and since then the event has . raised over £8.5m for leukemia charities in the UK, Austria, . Italy, Japan, Russia and USA. Spiky sisters: A model wearing her hair in large sectioned spikes, left, harks back to the yellow starfish style worn by young Lisa Simpson . Founders Tony and Maggie Rizzo, who lost their firstborn child to leukaemia when he was two in 1983, said: 'Fighting leukaemia is our mission. We will do everything we can to hasten the day when all children . survive. The . 2012 Alternative Hair Show - entitled Legends - also paid a tribute to . one of the legendary hairdressers, Vidal Sassoon, who was global patron of the show. To mark the 30th . year of the charity event, Tony Rizzo, also a hairdresser, set up The . Alternative Hair Charitable Foundation in January.He said: 'The . foundation wants to build upon the success the Alternative Hair Shows . have achieved over the last 30 years by establishing a focal point for . hairdressing, a profession renowned for its qualities of caring and . generosity, to achieve yet more in fighting leukaemia.' Puffy and proud: Two models present voluminous creations by hair stylist Saco at the show . Swapped at birth: Patty, left, and Selma Bouvier, right, sisters of Marge Simpson, have hair that looks as though it was styled by Saco . Going up? A model waits backstage at the 30th anniversary of the Alternative Hair Show at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 14 October . Knitted and nutty: A model presents an elaborate creation by hair stylist Mario Krankl . Comparing notes: Two of Mario Krankl's models work on maintaining the balance of their their futuristic crops backstage . Poor deer: The TIGI creative team work backstage to mount antlers onto a model's head in the TIGI dressing room . Ready for Halloween: Five models present weird and wonderful (and often ghoulish) creations by hair stylist TIGI . Fairyland: The hairstyles sported by the models are, in most cases, not exactly ready-to-wear . Performance art: Models dressed in black bodysuits present smart, colourful bobs by hair stylist Mahogany . Red hair will give you wings: A model presents a creation by high-flying hair stylist TIGI . Glory time: Hair stylist Mario Krankl, left, stands with two of his models at the 30th anniversary of the Alternative Hair Show at the Royal Albert Hall . Take a break: A model for the hair stylist Pino waits backstage . Fabulous colours: A model presents a number of extravagant and colourful creations by hair stylist Dmitry Vinokurov . Gaga lookalike: A model with dramatic zebra-stripe hair and dark face make-up poses for cameras backstage at the show . Need a hairbrush? A model presents an elaborate creation by hair stylist David Murray . Golden girl: Stylist Helen Reavey used actual gold leaf top paint the hair and scalps of some of her models at the show . A heavy burden: A model with an enormous and angular Mario Krankl hairstyle sits among the Amy Winehouse-style blonde beehive wigs backstage . | The 30th anniversary show was held at London's Royal Albert Hall .
Hair stylists included Dmitri Vinokurov, Saco, Mario Krankl, TIGI, Mahogany, Pino, Dmitry Vinokurov, David Murray and Helen Reavey . |
42,236 | 77355c22771b32561b6f490732a341438919aaa5 | Hong Kong (CNN) -- More rain was forecast for flood-hit Beijing Wednesday, as residents continued clearing debris from the weekend deluge amid signs government censors were doing their own mop-up job on social media. On Saturday, the heaviest rain in 60 years overwhelmed Beijing's drainage system, submerging cars, houses and provoking online anger over the government's lack of preparation and response. Early Wednesday, it appeared that the disaster may have claimed the jobs of two of the city's most senior officials. However, neither resignation of the Beijing mayor or vice mayor were officially linked to the flood response. Torrential rain kills at least 28 in southern Japan . In fact, observers said the resignations could be part of routine leadership reshuffle. Media reports said the city's legislature is now in session and its agenda includes appointments and dismissals. However, soon after state media reported the resignation of Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong and vice mayor Ji Lin, comments about their departure on China's Sina Weibo were being blocked and deleted. Beijing flood victims fume at response . State media gave no reason for the resignation of vice mayor Ji Lin. However, it said mayor Guo Jinlong had stepped down following his election as secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on July 3. Wang Anshun, the vice Party chief of Beijing, has been appointed as vice mayor and acting mayor, Xinhua said. The departure of two of Beijing's most senior officials comes just four days after the heaviest rain in 60 years submerged large parts of the Chinese capital. Extreme weather: Get ready to see more of it, scientists say . On Sunday, state media put the official death toll in Beijing at 37. However, amid the barrage of online criticism about the government's response to the disaster, speculation swirled that the figure could be much higher. Across the country, 111 were declared dead and 47 missing. Nine million people had been affected, state media said. On Tuesday, spokeswoman Wang Hui told reporters that the government was not concealing the true death toll and that updated figures would be released as soon as they're known. "I want to say I hope everyone will not speculate that the Beijing government is hiding the death toll," said Wang, according to the Associated Press. "Doing the inspection work is not easy. Do believe us that we will speak the truth," she said. "If there are new figures we will immediately tell you." In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, comments on Weibo exposed the anger many Beijingers felt about the inability of their city's infrastructure to cope with the downpour. Devastating India floods leave 95 dead, millions homeless . The Beijing-based media group, Caixin wrote: "Why is this happening once and again? Year after year Beijing faces the same challenge, not even hosting the Olympics can provide a solution. That's how vulnerable our capital city can be." Another user, chuntiangushi, wrote: "We can host the most luxurious Olympics and send satellites into space but can never seem to fix this drainage system. What a shame." Others were angry that there were no emergency warnings, nor government shelters or special hotlines to offer flood advice. Their ire was further stirred by an announcement Tuesday that Beijing would launch a "large" fundraising campaign, to which local citizens would be encouraged to donate for disaster relief. "Donation again? I won't give them a penny. I'm already paying tax. What did you do with my money?" one user wrote. Another said: "Chinese government is wealthy enough to help Africa, the Philippines and North Korea but they don't have the money to help its own people get over the disaster." Mourning, search for answers as Russian flooding death toll climbs . More rain was forecast to hit Beijing late Wednesday to Thursday morning, Xinhua reported, adding that more than 50 millimeters of rain could fall on the eastern parts of the city. A yellow alert -- the third highest on a scale of five -- had been issued for the districts of Fangshan, Mentougou, Huairou, Pinggu and Shijingshan, as well as Miyun county, which are at risk of mudslides and cave-ins, Xinhua said. Saturday's downpour caused chaos across Beijing, submerging 84 cars along a 900-meter stretch of the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau expressway. The road reopened to traffic around midday Tuesday after hundreds of rescuers spent two days pulling the cars out. A team of 10 divers worked for 10 hours straight to check the cars for occupants, Xinhua said, adding that they found three bodies. Disaster relief efforts were still underway in the worst hit district of Fangshan Wednesday, according to state media Xinhua, which published images of upturned cars and mud-soaked homes. Extreme weather and a changing climate . CNN's Shao Tian, Steven Jiang and Corinna Liu contributed to this report. | More rain forecast as Beijing cleans up after weekend downpour .
Wednesday morning state media announces mayor, vice mayor have resigned .
No official link was made between the resignations and flood fallout .
Official death toll stands at 37 in Beijing, 111 across country . |
200,252 | 8f3ce4eeaacb58cbb75812101a6d5318fcbc7b05 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . UPDATED: . 10:28 EST, 16 September 2011 . Silvio Berlusconi hired more than 30 women, including actresses and prostitutes, to attend his private parties, Italian investigators allege. They said they had intercepted more than 100,000 conversations and telephone calls following a two-year probe into the allegations. There are reports the calls involve . Berlusconi himself talking about nights spent with the escorts and . commenting on their performances. The investigators said at least 30 women were invited to his parties, and than many 'prostituted themselves' with the leader in return for cash and other gifts, the Daily Telegraph said. PM's girls: Sara Tommasi, left, and Barbara Guerra, right, have been named by investigators as being among those who attended Berlusconi's private parties . They now want charges to be brought against . eight people said to have supplied the Italian Prime Minisiter with . women for parties he hosted at his official residences in Rome, Milan . and Sardinia between 2008 and 2009. Some of the women were from South America and Eastern Europe. Italian actress Manuela Arcuri was allegedly promised the . chance to host the annual San Remo musical festival in exchange for . sleeping with Mr Berlusconi, but turned down the offer. Investigators say Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi recruited more than 30 women for his parties . Others named in the list leaked to the Italian press - who have dubbed it 'a harem' - included Patrizia . D'Addario, a self-confessed call girl, Ioanna Visan, a Romanian showgirl and underwear model Francesca Lana. Aspiring showgirls Sara Tommasi, Barbara Guerra and Barbara Montereale were also on the list. Berlusconi has always denied any . knowledge that the women were escorts and that he paid for sex insisting . he could 'never understand people who pay for sex as there is no thrill . of the chase.' His legal team are said to be frantically trying to have the intercepted calls ruled out as evidence in any potential trial. In Italy, wiretaps and listening devices are used extensively as part of prosecution cases and investigations. Among the eight people who could face charges are businessman Giampaolo Tarantini, who is already under investigation for his part in an alleged blackmail plot against Berlusconi. He is said to have paid him more than £660,000 in hush money so as not to reveal details of the prostitutes. Besides . Tarantini there is also Sabina Began, 36, a German actress who calls . herself the 'Queen Bee' when it comes to Berlusconi and who earlier this . year claimed in an interview that the under pressure politician had . 'helped her find God.' Investigators will now ask a judge to formally charge the eight people in connection to 28 offences ranging from procuring prostitutes to criminal association. Sabina Began, said to the 'queen bee' of Berlusconi's girls, allegedly recruited three women for a party he hosted in Rome . The inquiry began in 2009 after . Tarantini's name hit the headlines when it emerged he had arranged for . the escorts to attend parties Berlusconi hosted at his residences in . Rome and Sardinia and photographs of the women in one of his bathrooms . later emerged. Patrizia D'Addario, 42, said she was . paid to spend the night with the media tycoon and later went on to write . a book in which she praised Berlusconi, 74, for his sexual performance . adding that he deserved a 'place in the Guinness Book of Records.' Investigators say that Tarantini, Began and the others were in charge . of recruiting the women for the parties and were paid for their efforts . or had other favours in return such as contracts for business ventures. In separate but linked cases prosecutors are looking into allegations that drugs were also supplied. Barbara Montereale has been named as one of the women who attended parties held by Berlusconi . Italian escort girl Patrizia D'Addario, left said she was paid to spend the night with the media tycoon, while Moroccan call girl Karima Keyek was apparently paid to attend 'bunga bunga' parties . Details of the allegations and telephone calls were revealed in official prosecution documents deposited at the main court building in Bari and which a judge will now go through to decide if there is enough evidence for the charges to be be brought against the eight people named. In a statement the Bari prosecutor's office confirmed the investigation had officially closed and said: 'This case began in the summer of 2009 and since then more than 100,000 telephone calls and other intercepted conversations with listening devices have been transcribed and those that have been deemed relevant form part of the file asking for charges to be brought against eight people.' The files revealed how Miss Began had allegedly recruited three women for a party Berlusconi hosted at his Rome residence Palazzo Grazioli. Italian actresses Manuela Arcuri refused the offer to sleep with Berlusconi . Earlier this summer Miss Began, who has a tattoo dedicated to Berlusconi on her ankle, told an Italian radio show about her relationship with the politician and said: 'He loves God, he speaks to God. He is a believer and thanks to him I have become religious as well. 'He is a very spiritual man. He has helped me to find faith and his home is decorated with crucifixes. He is very spiritual and he has put me on a spiritual path.' Berlusconi himself is not suspected or accused of any wrong doing in Bari case which is different to the infamous 'bunga bunga' investigation which has led to him being accused of having sex with an underage prostitute. The pharse 'bunga bunga' is said to refer to crude after-dinner sex games played at Berlusconi's home near Milan by female guests who were invited there. Among them a then 17-year-old belly dancer called Karima El Mahroug who, prosecutors say was paid in cash and jewellery along with 32 other women who attended the parties. In Italy the age of consent is 14 but paying for sex with a girl below 18 is seen as under-age prostitution and carries a maximum three year jail sentence. As part of the same case Berlusconi is also accused of abusing his position as prime minister, using his influence to secure Miss El Mahroug's release from police custody after she was arrested in connection with a 3,000 Euro theft. Berlusconi denies all over the charges. | Many of them 'prostituted themselves' at parties held by Italian PM .
Eight people placed under investigation for allegedly aiding and abetting prostitution . |
214,093 | a1445fd3b6b4e7d50cf532d690fa9ae5e7ab8339 | If you’ve ever wanted to break into your partner’s email, or access a friend’s Facebook account, you can now pay a hacker to do it for you. A controversial website named Hacker's List matches hackers with members of the public who need help accessing sensitive information. On the anonymously set up site, a so-called 'employer' posts what task they need carried out and hackers then bid for the work. Hacker’s List (pictured) is believed to be registered in New Zealand. It lets hacker’s bid for assignments posted by other users, called ‘employers’. An employer describes what hacking task they need doing, as well a budget, and hackers bid for the work. The identities of the people who found the site have not been revealed . It adds a new spin to the current trend of freelancing sites on which people can offer services such as DIY, copywriting, data processing, and more in exchange for a fee. All members are listed anonymously, but have to provide an email and physical address during the registration process. However a user could, in theory, get round revealing their identity by using a PO Box address and an alias, for example. All members are listed anonymously, but have to provide an email and physical address during the registration process. Although a user could, in theory, get round this using a PO Box address and alias, for example. Jobs range from logging into school and university databases to change grades, hacking into email and Facebook accounts to see if someone is cheating, or removing defamatory blog posts and images. When a user registers, they choose to be either a 'hacker' or an 'employer.' An employer describes what hacking task they need doing and a budget. Registered hackers then bid for tasks, and an employer selects who to work with. The site explained that it has dispute resolution specialists if a job fails, that all payments are discreet and it uses ‘strict privacy controls’. It added that it reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor for illegal requests, and that it doesn't 'endorse or condone' such activity. Jobs range from logging into school and university databases to change grades, hacking into email and Facebook accounts to see if someone is cheating, or removing defamatory blog posts and images. Hacker’s List also has a Twitter account, using the handle @hackerslist, where it posts new hacking assignments. One assignment on the site reads: ‘Seeking authentic professional with capabilities for two things: Remove content and image from online, or de-index online report. 'Either of these will be acceptable. ‘This assignment is very, very crucial to me and as such only individuals with experience and capabilities should contact this ad.’ This employer is offering between $300 (£198) and $4,000 (£2,640) for the job. Another reads: ‘Defamatory blog post removal de-indexing: A blog comes up on Google. 'It quoted defamatory information from 20 years ago and [is] now costing me jobs, business and my kids to be bullied. ‘Need this permanently solved by being dropped from [number one] on search.’ The site said: ‘Hiring a hacker shouldn't be a difficult process. ‘At Hacker's List we want to make the process simple and worry free. ‘We want to make everyone as comfortable as possible when it comes to payments, privacy and quality of work.’ Some of the jobs being posted on Hacker’s List are illegal, such as accessing email and Facebook accounts without permission, but the site told the New York Times that it is 'insulated from any legal liability because [it] neither endorses nor condones illegal activities.’ The specific laws under which they are governed depend on the country in which the activity is taking place. And its terms and conditions say use of the service ‘for any illegal purposes, including, without limitation, prostitution and/or solicitation’ is forbidden. Jobs range from logging into school and university databases to change grades, hacking into email and Facebook accounts to see if someone is cheating, or removing defamatory blog posts and images. Hacker’s List also has a Twitter account, using the handle @hackerslist, where it posts new hacking assignments . Adding: ‘We reserve the right, but have no obligation, to monitor all interactions between you and other users of our service and to take any action in good faith to restrict access to or the availability of any material that we or another user of our service may consider to be illegal, obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing or otherwise objectionable.’ The legitimacy of the jobs being posted, and bids, have also not been verified, and there are numerous spelling mistakes across the site. But the site explained it has dispute resolution specialists if a job fails, that all payments are discreet, and it uses ‘strict privacy controls’. Some critics believe the site could also be a hoax. Raj Samani, EMEA chief technology officer at Intel Security said: 'The introduction of Hackers List is further evidence that today’s cybercriminals require no technical knowledge, as the necessary technical skills can easily be outsourced. 'Regarding this particular site there have been question marks regarding its authenticity, but it does clearly demonstrate the general demand in hiring hackers.' Computer security expert Graham Cluely told MailOnline: ‘It's clear from a quick perusal of Hacker’s List that although there are, without doubt, some ethical hackers and penetration testers up there who are acting within the law, it is also a thriving marketplace for computer crime. ‘Hacker's List is a site for those with no ethics and no IT skills.’ He said that he gets emails from internet users asking how to hack their way back into accounts, and some ask how to hack into their partner’s accounts. ‘Of course, all of these activities are illegal and offences under computer crime laws,’ continued Mr Cluely. ‘Hacker's List's acceptable use policy claims that you cannot use its services for any activities which breaks the law, it relies on users reporting abuse rather than actively policing and vetting postings. ‘Of course, it shouldn't be forgotten, Hacker's List makes money every time a job is completed. ‘If hacking Facebook accounts and attacking websites are among the most common listings on the site, they may be very tempted to turn a blind eye to such activities as it helps the site's owners earn cash.’ Meanwhile, Raj Samani, EMEA chief technology officer at Intel Security said: The introduction of Hackers List is further evidence that today’s cybercriminals require no technical knowledge, as the necessary technical skills can easily be outsourced. 'Regarding this particular site there have been question marks regarding its authenticity, but it does clearly demonstrate the general demand in hiring hackers.' David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab added: 'There’s a whole cybercrime eco-system that underpins the development of malicious code - a criminal reflection of the legitimate economy. 'So it’s no surprise that there’s a ‘human resources’ aspect to this too, made up of people looking for people to write code and coders looking for jobs. 'This type of site isn’t new, although typically such activities take place ‘below the radar’, rather than using web sites that are plainly visible. 'For this reason, it’s likely that this site will draw the attention of law enforcement agencies keen to try and prevent illegal activities that are based on the exchanges taking place via the site.' Computer security expert Graham Cluely told MailOnline: ‘It's clear from a quick perusal of Hacker’s List that although there are, without doubt, some ethical hackers and penetration testers up there who are acting within the law, it is also a thriving marketplace for computer crime. ‘Hacker's List is a site for those with no ethics and no IT skills.’ Penetration testing is carried out by websites, for example, to test how secure their sites are. Firms will hire hackers to attempt to infiltrate their networks and highlight flaws. As long as the request comes from the site owner, this is legal. Mr Cluely added that he gets emails from internet users asking how to hack their way back into accounts, and some ask how to hack into their partner’s accounts. ‘Of course, all of these activities are illegal and offences under computer crime laws,’ he continued. Some of the jobs posted on Hacker’s List are illegal, such as accessing email and Facebook accounts without permission, but the site said it doesn't endorse or condone illegal activities. It is also against the site's terms and conditions to post illegal tasks, but the site is 'under no obligation', to monitor for such activity . ‘Hackers List's acceptable use policy claims that you cannot use its services for any activities which breaks the law, it relies on users reporting abuse rather than actively policing and vetting postings. ‘Of course, it shouldn't be forgotten, Hacker's List makes money every time a job is completed. ‘If hacking Facebook accounts and attacking websites are among the most common listings on the site, they may be very tempted to turn a blind eye to such activities as it helps the site's owners earn cash.’ An online search reveals the domain is registered by someone called David Harper, listed in ‘Wellington, CO’, which suggests the site is based in Colorado, but the country is listed as New Zealand. The address is a PO Box and the phone number is not active. The IP location, on the other hand, is shown in Los Angeles because the registrant is using Cloudflare and Google-hosted mail services. A blog post from a site called Hackerslisted has described its attempts to identify the founders, and the confusion about where the site is based. MailOnline has contacted Hacker’s List for more information, in particular how listings and users are verified and the site's legal stance. | Hacker’s List lets hacker’s bid for jobs posted by users called 'employers'
An employer describes what hacking task they need doing and a budget .
Registered hackers bid for tasks and an employer selects who to work with .
All members are listed anonymously, but have to provide an email and physical address when registering .
Site said it does not 'endorse or condone illegal activities'
It is believed to be registered in New Zealand, but the founders have not revealed their identities .
Security expert said the site is for people with 'no ethics or IT skills' |
8,810 | 18d4d5ba16676577f7e41cdfb405ca45aa91dc23 | (CNN) -- The Iranian navy fired four missiles into the Persian Gulf, sinking a target the size of a warship, the country's military said, according to state-run Press TV. The missile drill comes as the United States and other military conduct massive minesweeping exercises in the Arabian Gulf. The U.S. military says these exercises are strictly "defensive," but the show of force in light of Iran's threats to mine the Strait of Hormuz is hard to ignore. The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps fired the missile simultaneously at the large target, which sank in 50 seconds, Navy Cmdr. Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi said, according to Press TV. Fadavi pointed out that Iran's missile systems can reach the entire Persian Gulf, including past where U.S. bases are located, Press TV reported. In reference to the minesweeping drill, Fadavi said Iran is keeping a "moment-by-moment watch on every move of the Americans." "Over the past years, we have not neglected to enhance our naval capabilities, particularly in the field of mines, and these capabilities are unimaginable to the Americans," Fadavi said, according to Press TV. The Pentagon did not immediately confirm if such a missile test was carried out. | Iran says a drill included the launching of four missiles .
The missiles struck and sank a target the size of a warship, commander says .
The test comes as the United States and others conduct minesweeping exercise . |
279,453 | f6069020ac31e46c76e042a43015ba8545905c9d | Britain has David Cameron enthusing about his date nights with wife Samantha. America has the Obamas happily puckering up for the kiss cam at a baseball match.And North Korea – well, North Korea has the announcement that its leader has a wife. The country’s official state broadcaster made the revelation after weeks of speculation over the identity of a woman who has been seen accompanying Kim Jong-un at recent engagements. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and his wife, named as Ri Sol-ju, visit the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang in these undated pictures . It named her as ‘Comrade Ri So-Ju’, and she is believed to be in her twenties or early thirties. By the notoriously secretive standards of the communist state, it’s practically a Hello magazine world exclusive. The announcement is the first insight the world has had into the private life of Kim, 28. State television said Miss Ri took part in a ceremony marking the completion of a Pyongyang amusement park. A smiling leader and his wife at the amusement park. It has not been confirmed how long the couple have been married . It released a photo of her walking alongside Kim, wearing a red polka dot jacket and smiling nervously. North Korean watchers in South Korea . had previously said the woman might be Hyon Song-wol, a former singer . with the Bochonbo Electronic Music Band. Intelligence agencies had suggested . Kim and the pop singer first became romantically involved ten years ago, . after he returned home from his studies at a private academy in . Switzerland. It was claimed that Kim’s late father, . Kim Jong-il, had ordered him to end the relationship, and she ended up . marrying an officer in the North Korean army instead. Kim Jong-un visit the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, which is nearing completion. It is the latest move in the young leaders bid to be more like his grandfather rather than his father Kim Jong-il . Other educated guesses suggested the mystery woman might be a younger sister. South Korea’s unification ministry . said yesterday that it appeared Miss Ri was the woman who had been . pictured several times at Kim’s side at public events in recent weeks. Photos aired by state television . recently showed her standing beside Kim during a visit to a . kindergarten, smiling as he hugged and talked to children. Kim, the world’s youngest head of state, became leader last December following the death of his father. Married: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with Ri Sol-ju, the woman state media have confirmed is his wife . | Named by state broadcaster as Ri Sol-ju .
The naming of his wife silenced the rumours that his mystery woman was a married pop-star with whom he reportedly had an affair .
His wife is also a performer, it is alleged, with YouTube videos where the woman pictured with the leader performs . |
72,871 | cea47ac52cd4ae13d60891a888198e3fe8711ea4 | London (CNN) -- Police launched a murder investigation Tuesday after a woman's body was found on Queen Elizabeth II's estate in Sandringham, in the English county of Norfolk. Officers were alerted Sunday by a member of the public who found the remains while walking in the woods by the village of Anmer, near the town of King's Lynn, Norfolk police said. Police said the area had been sealed off while forensic investigations are carried out. An autopsy conducted Tuesday revealed the remains were of a young woman and had been at the site for between one and four months, police said. The pathologist "believes it is highly unlikely the death was through natural causes," the police statement said. "There is no evidence of accidental injury, damage due to firearms or bladed weapon." Police should have a DNA profile within the next 24 hours, the statement added. Investigators said they would be looking at cold cases as part of the probe. Sandringham House, at the heart of the 20,000-acre rural estate, is where the royal family traditionally gathers to celebrate Christmas. It's been the private home of four generations of British monarchs since 1862, and is one of two private residences used by the queen. Part of the estate is a 600-acre country park open to the public. A Buckingham Palace spokesman told CNN Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip "are in residence at Sandringham from mid-December to the end of January. "It is a private residence, we cannot confirm whether or not the queen has been informed or not," the spokesman said, referring to the murder investigation. Prince Philip has been recuperating at Sandringham since he was released from the hospital a week ago after having a coronary stent implanted. He attended a service at the church on the estate Monday. Sandringham House and its gardens are open to the public from April to November. CNN's Alexander Felton and Max Foster contributed to this report. | NEW: Police say the young woman's body has been at the site for between 1 and 4 months .
The remains were found by a member of the public in woods on the huge estate .
The queen and royal family spend Christmas at Sandringham .
Buckingham Palace has not confirmed whether the queen is aware of the grisly find . |
47,707 | 869ca6636dfe98eaec685e17374723c2180a222a | (CNN) -- Unexpected space debris came flying close to the International Space Station on Tuesday, prompting its six astronauts to take shelter inside two Soyuz capsules, NASA said. Russia's Interfax news agency said preliminary data on "the dangerous approach" shows that the "trash" came within about 250 meters (820 feet) of the station. NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries said it was not immediately known how close the debris came, but that 820 feet was the closest it could have come, according to NASA's projections. Officials at NASA are investigating what the debris was, NASA spokesman Joshua Buck said. By the time it was spotted, it was "too late to make an avoidance maneuver," so NASA ordered the six crew members to "shelter in place," Buck said. About 7:30 a.m. ET, the crew members climbed into the two Soyuz capsules positioned at the station. NASA determined that the debris would come closest to the station at 8:08 a.m. ET. Three minutes later, at 8:11 a.m. ET, the all-clear was sounded and astronauts were allowed to exit the capsules, Buck said. Buck described the debris as an "unknown object of unknown size." -CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this report . | NEW: The debris comes within about 820 feet, Interfax reports .
NEW: A NASA spokesman says the exact distance is not yet known .
The debris was spotted "too late to make an avoidance maneuver," NASA says .
Officials are investigating where the debris came from . |
252,209 | d268f6011ee26d62973a227bcd478ca465aedda2 | LONDON, England (CNN) -- From the fingerprints and digital imaging stored on e-passports, to iris scanners set up at airport immigration, biometrics are a growing part of the traveller experience. Biometrics are a growing part of the traveller experience. It is estimated $7.3 million will be spent on them by 2013. Though some of the technology might seem like the stuff of science fiction fantasy (or nightmare, if you take the view of many civil liberty campaigners), the economics are very real. According to a recent study by market research firm ABI, investment in biometrics will drive global spending in the field to $7.3 billion by 2013, up from around $3 billion this year. The use of biometrics (broadly defined as technologies that identify people via physiological characteristics) has expanded rapidly in recent years. Almost every major hub airport has either begun using the technology, is trialling it or else has plans to do so. Biometric passports are fast becoming the norm with some countries like Germany storing fingerprint scans in chips on all new ones issued. In Britain, iris scanners have been introduced at a number of airports, including all five Heathrow Terminals to allow travellers to bypass normal border controls. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to extend a program to fingerprint all foreign nationals entering the country. They are trialling it at Washington's Dulles airport and plan to roll it out to all international hubs by the end of the year. The concept of biometrics has existed for some time - the first commercial application of a fingerprint reader dates back to 1984. So why the sudden interest? It has been due in part to security concerns prompted by terrorist atrocities like the September 11 attacks in New York, and in part because of major advances in technology. "In the last couple of years the technology has leapt forward in terms of its reliability, its accuracy and its robustness," says Nick Morse, from UK Biometrics, a supplier of biometrics technology to the British market. Certainly there is a dizzying amount of new technology being developed for the market. Iris-recognition scanners may eventually be superseded by retina scanners, which experts say provide a more accurate measure of identity. Meanwhile, fingerprinting scanners, which critics have blamed for inaccuracies, are being refined to scan below the skin, meaning that anyone wearing fake latex fingerprints would be detected. Other emerging technologies are palm and finger vein readers. Already in use in the banking sector in Japan, these scanners are thought to be more accurate than fingerprinting since a person's fingerprint alters in childhood whilst palm and finger vein patterns remain unchanged from the womb. The idea of having your identity tagged from birth brings many of us out in a cold sweat, and is the reason large swathes of the public remain vehemently opposed to the concept of biometrics. John Verdi, from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a civil liberties NGO based in Washington, says one of the biggest concerns about biometrics is the risk of identity theft. "The difference with biometrics and the reason it presents a substantial threat is that if your passport is stolen, the government can reissue you a new passport number and you can move on with your life," he tells CNN. "If your biometrics are stolen, short of hacking off your finger there's no way for consumers or travellers to reacquire their identity." Morse, from UK Biometrics, on the other hand, insists that much of the fear is borne out of a misunderstanding of the technology. Fingerprint scanners, for example, which his firm specializes in do not store fingerprints on a central database where they could be snooped on by governments and other agencies. The fingerprints are stored in a cryptic format on a standard PC, which he insists could not be reconstituted to create the actual print. Fears of Big Brother aside, the use of biometrics in air travel faces other more pressing logistical problems. Creating a harmonized system that speeds up rather than impedes the immigration process remains the biggest challenge. There have already been major teething troubles. According to the UK Border Agency, the new iris-recognition scanners installed at UK airports should get you through immigration in around 20 seconds. However, problems with their introduction, not least many more fliers than expected registering, have meant queues for the so-called "fast-track" scanners have often exceeded normal immigration. With so many different technologies being used to varying degrees by airport authorities around the world, getting everyone to adhere to a single global standard is another major obstacle. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the U.N. body that oversees air travel recognizes facial recognition as its primary biometric standard, with iris and fingerprints accepted as the two optional identifiers. Tony Concil, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) admits that implementing this global standard will not be easy. "What we need to do is try and get these elements talking to each other, and also to start thinking of it as a complete process," he says. Morse believes this is easily achievable in the next few years and then, like it or loathe it, he says the age of biometrics will truly be upon us. "I think the day of the almost totally biometric airport is very nearly with us." | Biometric technology identifies people via physiological characteristics .
It is fast becoming a reality in most major airports worldwide .
Civil liberties groups say biometrics increase the risk of identity theft .
Facial recognition is accepted by the U.N. as the global biometric standard . |
208,952 | 9a96866c4776137e8b453b8cf6d3a0e6a13f2272 | By . David Kent . Rory McIlroy's new potential love interest was lucky to escape serious injury after flipping her car six times in a serious motorway crash. Nadia Forde has been spotted out with McIlroy in Dublin following his split with world number 15 tennis star Caroline Wozniacki but was lucky to walk away unscathed after a wet weather smash in Warwickshire. The 25-year-old model lost control of her Fiat 500 in rainy conditions on the M40 before crashing into the motorway's central reservation and flipping the vehicle six times. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Rory McIlroy try a different approach to playing over water . Lucky escape: Rory McIlroy will be relieved to hear that his new love interest Nadia Forde is safe and sound . Interruption: McIlroy, seen here at the Scottish Open, has been preparing for the start of The Open . Just friends? Forde has tried to cool talk of a relationship despite being seen spending time with McIlroy . Forde was taken to hospital as a precaution in the early hours of Sunday morning due to a blow to the head but was later discharged. Her spokesman said: 'Her guardian angel was working overtime. It was a real scare and the car was a complete write-off, but she is fine.' The singer is expected to take time out from promotional work for her new single as she recovers from shock. McIlroy is busy preparing for The Open, which he begins as third favourite on Thursday. When asked about the crash he said: 'I saw she was [in car crash]. If anyone's in a car crash you're glad to see they're ok. She's ok and that's good.' Top form: McIlroy will go into The Open as third favourite on Thursday . Write caption here . | Rory McIlory split with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki in May .
He has been seen out with 25-year-old model and singer Nadia Forde .
She says they have 'been in each other's company'
Forde lost control of vehicle in heavy rain on M40 in Warwickshire .
Her Fiat 500 veered into the central reservation before flipping .
Forde walked away from the crash after a quick hospital check .
McIlory's preparations for The Open may have been interrupted . |
83,803 | edb18171b1f3e0b6b0d54c63bec4f0c8311aeb1e | By . Associated Press . and Zoe Szathmary . A transgender girl who allegedly assaulted two people on Saturday night at a psychiatric center was transferred to a juvenile home for boys. The 16-year-old girl, known only as Jane Doe, assaulted another youth and a staff member at Children's Psychiatric Center in Middletown, Connecticut, the Department of Children and Families said Sunday. The girl also destroyed property, the agency said. Officials said there is no 'suitable place' at the psychiatric facility 'that can ensure the safety of youths and staff.' She is now in a single room at the Juvenile Training School - the only secure facility for delinquent boys - which is also located in Middletown. Assault: The Department of Children and Families says a transgender girl assaulted a youth and a worker at Children's Psychiatric Center, pictured . Gary Kleeblatt, a spokesman for the agency, said the unit at the psychiatric center where the girl had been held is the only secure, all-female facility run by the agency. He said he could not release details of the alleged assault. The DCF statement said state police had been notified. 'We are confident they will take whatever action they deem is appropriate,' the agency said. Her lawyer, Aaron Romano, criticized the agency and Commissioner Joette Katz for issuing a news release rather than notifying him or other lawyers representing the girl. 'I am shocked and disappointed at the commissioner,' he said. 'I question whether the commissioner should continue to be in her position if she believes in this litigation in the press.' Transfer: The girl was moved to Juvenile Training School, a facility for boys . Romano accused DCF of breaking promises to get therapy for his client and seek foster care. 'Nothing has materialized,' he said. Romano earlier said the girl had been physically and sexually abused throughout her life. The girl had been detained in the Connecticut adult women's prison without criminal charges and was moved last month to the psychiatric center. The Hartford Courant reports the girl earlier assaulted two workers at other facilities - one in Connecticut and one in Massachusetts - and that assault charges were filed in the former. She had been in DCF custody before being sent to jail. DCF officials said she was too violent for them to handle and asked a state judge to transfer her into Department of Correction custody as authorized by a seldom-used state law. The judge approved the request in April. | The 16-year-old girl, known only as Jane Doe, assaulted another youth and a staff member at Children's Psychiatric Center in Connecticut, the Department of Children and Families said .
The girl also destroyed property, the agency said .
Officials said there is no 'suitable place' at the psychiatric facility 'that can ensure the safety of youths and staff'
The girl is now in a single room at the Juvenile Training School - the only secure facility for delinquent boys . |
140,865 | 4225ef54ffa052a82902e961ca7747760019ba62 | By . Richard Spillett . Rolf Harris arriving at Southwark Crown Court this morning, where he denies 12 counts of indecent assault . There is 'no independent evidence' that proves Rolf Harris was at events where he allegedly groped two women, a court has heard. Jurors at Southwark Crown Court were told that despite searches of newspaper archives, no trace of the entertainer having appeared at a community centre near Portsmouth in 1969 or an event in Cambridge in 1975 could be found. One alleged victim, then aged 14, claims Harris, 84, groped her bottom outside a Celebrity It's a Knock Out event in Cambridge. She said he was acting up for a crowd by barking at a dog before he grabbed her. Sonia Woodley QC, defending Harris, told senior investigating officer Gary Pankhurst: 'There is no independent evidence of any kind to put Mr Harris in Cambridge in the year of 1975.' The detective sergeant said that the alleged victim had not been entirely sure of the date, but '1975 was clearly she felt the most certain'. Another woman claimed Harris touched her intimately when she was seven or eight after she queued to get his autograph at a community centre near Portsmouth in 1969. Again, despite searches of local newspaper archives, council records and letter drops appealing for witnesses, no confirmation could be found that Harris had been there. This included looking at copies of the Portsmouth News between January 1967 and May 1974, the court heard. When the allegation was put to Harris, he told police: 'I would simply never touch a child inappropriately.' The artist and entertainer is accused of 12 counts of indecent assault on four alleged victims between 1968 and 1986, all of which he denies. Mr Pankhurst, from sex crime inquiry Operation Yewtree, was taken through parts of the prosecution evidence this morning. He confirmed that three weeks after the inquiry was launched in October 2012, officers received a referral from the NSPCC. A counsellor claimed that they had been dealing with someone since 1998 who had alleged they had been abused by Harris as a child. Harris arrived at court with his daughter Bindi (left) and niece Jenny (right) ahead of today's hearing . The next day, October 25 2012, the woman herself came forward, but only agreed later to give officers her name. The following month Harris's Bray home was searched by police while he was out of the country, but his daughter Bindi was present. They seized exhibits and Harris agreed voluntarily to speak to police. In his first interview he gave a prepared statement about Bindi's friend that said: 'I categorically deny having had any sexual contact with the complainant whatsoever while she was under the age of 16. 'The allegations she has made have . shocked and distressed me. They are absolutely without foundation and I . deny them in the strongest possible terms.' Rolf Harris in police interview . 'I accept that I did have a consensual sexual relationship with the complainant when she was an adult. I finished the relationship and she was extremely upset.' He accepted writing to the alleged victim's father begging for forgiveness, adding: 'I express my genuine regret as to one; that I had an affair as a married man which I know to be wrong, and two; that the complainant was upset by my actions, and I was very sorry if I had done anything to upset her.' The alleged victim did not make her claims public and the first time they were made publicly known was at the opening of Harris's trial, the court heard. Another alleged victim, Tonya Lee, who has waived the normal right to anonymity in sex cases, was interviewed by British police in Australia. They spoke to her separately from her boyfriend Fian McDaid, because he was 'controlling', the court heard. Mr Pankhurst said: 'He was very suspicious of us and appeared to want to manage the whole situation.' Ms Lee gave a magazine and a television interview to Australian media in return for a fee, the court heard, leading Harris to question her motive for coming forward. A jury at Southwark Crown Court heard there was 'no independent evidence' to prove Harris was at events where his alleged offences took place . He said in a police statement: 'The allegations she has made have shocked and distressed me. They are absolutely without foundation and I deny them in the strongest possible terms.' The entertainer went on: 'I'm afraid that her actions do suggest that she may be motivated by a desire for fame and financial reward.' Later McDaid, who served a jail term for assaulting Lee, claimed that she had invented her allegations, the court heard. The two remaining victims came forward before Ms Lee's media interviews were made public, jurors were told. The court heard that council records showed there was a planned lottery event with 'a big-name celebrity' dishing out prizes in Cambridge, on the green where the alleged victim said the assault took place. However, police had been unable to confirm who the famous figure was. After reading a series of agreed facts to the jury, Ms Wass confirmed that the prosecution case is now finished. The jury was sent home until Tuesday, when Harris's defence is set to begin, and is expected to start with the entertainer giving evidence. Harris, of Bray, Berkshire, denies 12 counts of indecent assault. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Jury hears there is no proof he was present at time of two alleged offences .
In a police statement he completely denied all of the allegations, court hears .
Harris suggested one of his accusers may have been motivated by money .
He says letter written to another alleged victim's father 'expressed regret that I had an affair as a married man which I know to be wrong'
Court hears her boyfriend told police that she had invented her claims .
Harris denies 12 counts of indecent assault. The trial weeks, continues . |
38,918 | 6dfbc3c431f3f3f1dffbd235140b3445f6a2024f | The heroic 15-year-old lone survivor of the Texas shooting spree that wiped out her family earlier this week paid a visit to a community event in her hometown Saturday, just hours after being released from the hospital. Cassidy Stay, 15, was discharged from Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital Friday in good condition after being treated for minor injuries. The teenager survived the Wednesday shooting that claimed the lives of both her parents and all four siblings by playing dead after a bullet grazed her head. Scroll down for video . Stay Strong: Cassidy Stay, the lone survivor of a family massacre in Texas, speaks during a community memorial at Lemm Elementary School on Saturday, July 12, 2014, in Spring, Texas . Overcome with emotion: Cassidy Stay, right, wipes her eyes as she sits next to her uncle Drew Lyon during the celebration of life dedicated to the family . Feeling close: A supporter, second from left, greets Cassidy Stay, touching her cheek to the girl's hand . video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player . Cassidy has been hailed a hero or having the presence of mind to call 911 and alert police that the shooter, Ronald Haskell, may be planning to kill her grandparents. On Saturday, Cassidy and her grandfather Robert Lyon attended a celebration of life organized in Spring to remember their slain loved ones. After taking a deep breath, a smiling Cassidy mounted the stage to address more than 400 people who came out to pay tribute to her parents and siblings, as seen in a video of the event recorded by Click2Houston. The 15-year-old began by thanking those people who have been praying for her and the entire Stay family, and the first responders and medical personnel who took care of her. With her voice slightly cracking, Cassidy said: 'I'm feeling a lot better and I'm on a very straightforward path to a full recovery.' Savior: Roger Lyon, Cassidy's grandfather, credited the 15-year-old with saving his life and the lives of as many as 20 people by dialing 911 after the massacre . Unbreakable: Wiping away tears, Cassidy, a big Harry Potter fan, quoted a line from the Prisoner of Azkaban about having the ability to find happiness in the darkest of times . No rest for the weary: The 15-year-old attended the event just hours after being discharged from the hospital . Touching gesture: Cassidy took part in a balloon release honoring her mother, father and four brothers and sisters . Sight for sore eyes: Balloons released in honors of the Stays fly skyward over the town of Spring . Before continuing her prepared remarks, the brave young woman drew another deep breath and then proceeded to quote from one of her favorite books in the Harry Potter series. 'In the Prisoner of Azkaban, Dumbledore says, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest times if one only remembers to turn on the light,”’ she told the audience, wiping away tears. In a voice filled with emotion, Cassidy Stay then told those in attendance she is certain that she and her family will be reunited someday. 'I know that my mom, dad, Bryan, Emily, Becca, and Zach are in a much better place, and that I'll be able to see them again one day,' she said. Cassidy then flashed a smile and exclaimed, 'Stay Strong,' which has become a rallying cry for the girl's family and the Spring community. Before the event at Lemm Elementary School, Cassidy helped release 600 colorful balloons into the air - 100 for each slain member of her family. Those who wish to help with the victims' final expenses and Cassidy's medical bills can do so by donating money to the Cassidy Stay Fund on GoFundMe.com. So far, more than 4,300 people have given just shy of 216,000. The goal now is to raise $300,000. Silver lining: Cassidy, pictured far left with her entire family, said that one day she will get to see her mother, Katie, father, Stephen, and siblings Bryan, 14, Emily, 9, Rebecca, 7, and Zach, age 4 . Unspeakable crime: Six of the seven members of the Stay family were tied up and shot execution style in their suburban Houston home . Inseparable: Katie Stay operated a jewelry business online with her daughter, Cassidy . Sweet charity: Brandy McSherry, 27, places a flier for the Cassidy Stay fund on the Stay home in Spring . Before she addressed the crowd, Cassidy was introduced by her grandfather, Robert Lyons, who credited his courageous granddaughter with saving his life and possibly the lives of many others. 'Without her courage and quick thinking, we might be mourning the deaths of 20, yes, I said 20, people today, including myself and nearly all of our children and grandchildren,’ Mr Lyon said. The grandfather then recalled a conversation he had with Cassidy in the hospital, where the teenager told him that she felt like the angels of whom she has learned in Sunday school were with her Wednesday, putting their hands on her mouth and whispering her to stay still. 'I was quiet when I needed to be quiet,’ Lyon quoted her as saying. Katie . Stay, 34, her husband, Stephen, 39, and four of their five children . between the ages of 4 and 14 were shot dead in their suburban Houston . home on Wednesday. Ronald Haskell, 33, has been charged with capital murder in connection to the massacre. During his first court appearance Friday, a disheveled-looking Haskell with handcuffs on his wrists collapsed in twice as a prosecutor read out details of the crime. The heavyset man had to be lifted into a wheelchair and removed from the courtroom. Authorities . have said Haskell was searching for his ex-wife, Katie Stay's sister, . Melanie, when he came to the Stays' home in Spring. 'Killer uncle': Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, pictured in court Friday, has been charged with capital murder in the killing of his ex-wife's family . Unsteady on his feet: The murder suspect collapsed twice and had to be helped to his feet by three deputies in court Friday before he was wheeled away . He tied up . the family and put them face-down on the floor before shooting each in . the back of the head, according to investigators. The family had refused . to say where Haskell could find his ex-wife. Investigators . have said that Cassidy Stay suffered a skull fracture from a bullet . graze but survived by playing dead to call 911 and warn police that . Haskell planned to shoot other relatives. Haskell was eventually cornered in front of the home of Cassidy's grandparents and taken into custody. Al . Barker, the lawyer who represented Melanie Lyon in her divorce from . Haskell, has revealed to MailOnline that Haskell's ex-wife believes . their split after 11 torturous years of marriage was to blame for the tragedy. The attorney relayed a conversation he had this week with Melanie's mother, who told him that after learning the news of her sister and nephews' deaths her daughter said: 'She had to pay the ultimate price for freedom.' Dramatic arrest: This image shows the moment law enforcement officers surrounded Haskell Wednesday after a long standoff, prompting him to raise his hands and sink to his knees . Revenge plot: Investigators say Haskell, pictured here with his ex-wife and three of their four children, went to his sister-in-law's home to try and get her to reveal the whereabouts of Melanie Haskell . Those who knew the Haskells have said that the couple had a rocky marriage, and that Melanie was desperate to get away from her husband who allegedly beat her in front of their children. Haskell pleaded guilty to simple assault in a domestic violence-related incident in 2008, according to Utah state court records. Court documents show that both Hasekll's mother and sister had requested restraining orders against him following domestic violence incidents that took place in November 2013 and as recently as last week. | Cassidy Stay, 15, and grandfather Roger Lyon attended a memorial event at Lemm Elementary School in spring, Texas .
It marked Cassidy's first public appearance since the Wednesday tragedy; she was released from the hospital Friday .
Mr Lyon credited his granddaughter will possibly saving the lives of 20 relatives by calling 911 after the shooting .
Ronald Haskell, 33, Cassidy's ex-uncle, charged with capital murder in connection to the massacre .
Haskell is accused of tying up and executing Katie and Stephen Stay, and their four children ranging in age from 4 to 14 . |
173,127 | 6c0bd378a8121928fbed4ee218ff4e721122f6af | By . Candace Sutton for Daily Mail Australia . The charge of murder against Gold Coast man Gable Tostee has been described as 'weak' and 'difficult' because the 28-year-old was not on the balcony when Warriena Wright plunged to her death from his Surfers Paradise apartment last month, a judge has said. Considering Tostee's bail application in the Brisbane Supreme Court, Judge Debra Mullins asked Crown Prosecutor Sarah Farnden, 'The prosecution case is that the applicant wasn't on the balcony that Ms Wright fell from?'. 'That appears to be the most likely scenario,' Ms Farnden said. Tostee has been in custody since mid-August when he was arrested and charged with murder. Scroll down for video . New Zealand citizen Warriena Tagpuno Wright was on a two week holiday in Australia when she plunged 14 storeys to her death, after organising to meet with Gold Coast man Gable Tostee through dating app 'Tinder' Police documents allege that an audio recording from Tostee's phone reveal the sounds of a struggle, during which someone is choked and taunted. Tostee has been charged with Ms Wright's murder. Police documents have been filed in the Supreme Court ahead of Tostee's bail application on Monday . 'If your client was not on the balcony, it makes the murder case a lot more difficult,' Justice Mullins told the accused's barrister, Anthony Kimmins. 'But in the context of what happened in the apartment, I would think a manslaughter case is not weak.' Justice Mullins postponed the bail application, requesting more information after she read sworn statements by police, Tostee and Tostee's parents about his autism diagnosis. Emergency crews at the scene of Ms Wright's death at the foot of the highrise Avalon apartments in Surfer's Paradise in Queensland, where Tostee resided. She said his previous diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum was referenced in the Crown's material, but was not addressed in defence documents. She said a diagnosis of autism on Tostee could have a bearing on how the court viewed what allegedly happened inside his apartment on the night of August 8, when Ms Wright fell 14 storeys to the pavement below. 'It just struck me that it may not be an irrelevant matter,' Justice Mullins told Mr Kimmins. Mr Kimmins replied that he wasn't sure when Tostee last visited a specialist, and sought more time to find out. Tostee's high-rise apartment is investigated by detectives. The secret recordings ultimately led the police to arrest Tostee on August 15. Police have opposed bail for Tostee, saying he contacted more than 250 girls on Tinder in the months before he allegedly murdered Warriena Wright. Police say Tostee would immediately go back on Tinder if released and contact young women and, given his 'propensity of violence' would pose an 'unacceptable risk' to the community. A document filed in the bail application in the says an examination of Tostee's mobile phone 'has identified that he has been in contact with over 250 female persons using the Tinder application since March 2014'. 'Police hold a strong belief that if Tostee is granted bail, he will recommence his using social media,' a document filed in the court said. 'Police believe Tostee's blatant disregard for human life and his propensity of violence displayed in this instance would place the safety of the community at an unacceptable risk.' Documents filed to the Supreme Court claim the Gold Coast man charged with murdering his New Zealand Tinder date told the young woman 'you're lucky I haven't thrown you off the balcony' before she plunged 14 storeys to her death. An audio tape made on accused murderer Gable Tostee's phone inside his Surfers Paradise apartment on Queensland's Gold Coast, there is a choking sound, the 28-year-old taunting Ms Wright as she gasps for air, a door sliding open and her screaming, 'no, no no' and 'just let me go home' before he says, 'I would but you have been a bad girl' - and 26 seconds later the sound of a fading scream. The documents, filed in the Supreme Court ahead of Gable Tostee's bail application hearing, alleged a recording on Mr Tostee's phone captured three hours and 19 minutes of audio from the night that Warriena Tagpuno Wright died. Ms Wright was a 26-year-old, visiting Australia for a two week trip to attend the wedding of friends . Tostee maintains his innocence and will fight the charge, after he was arrested on August 15 for Ms Wright's death on August 8. The document claims the recording started at around 1am. Tostee, 28, has been charged with the murder of Ms Wright, 26, who suffered a fatal fall from the Surfers Paradise balcony in Queensland on August 8. Police say they decided to arrest Tostee on August 15 after finding the recordings. The documents assert that an fight erupted at around 2.13am. A male tells the woman she is being too rough during sex, according to the police document. Police claim a male accuses the woman of 'beating him up.' The male voice is also reportedly heard saying, 'I will do what you want, I will be your sex slave.' A struggle is heard, during which a male voice allegedly says: 'This is f***ing b***s***, you are lucky I haven't chucked you off my balcony you goddamn little psycho b****'. The woman tells him, 'no, no, no'. The man allegedly replies: 'I would, but you have been a bad girl.' A phone call is then reportedly made to a lawyer. Police claim that CCTV captures Tostee leaving the building. It is alleged that the Gold Coast man then ordered pizza within an hour of Ms Wright's death. Neighbours earlier reported hearing an altercation and the sound of a woman screaming at around 2:30am. Ms Wright and Tostee contacted each other through dating app Tinder and met in Cavill Mall in Surfers Paradise, before returning to Tostee's apartment. Ms Wright lived in New Zealand's Lower Hutt region and was in Australia for a two-week holiday to attend a wedding. Tostee maintains his innocence and says he will fight the charge. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. | Police say Gable Tostee contacted 250 women in four months on Tinder .
Police have opposed the Gold Coast man's release on bail .
If released, police said he would go back on Tinder and pose an 'unacceptable' and violent' risk to young women .
Tostee, 28, is charged with the murder of Warriena Tagpuno Wright .
New Zealand citizen Ms Wright plunged 14 storeys to her death from a Surfers Paradise apartment balcony on August 8 .
Tostee is a diagnosed autism sufferer, court documents reveal . |
235,535 | bceae24d1ea201ecbbcb82bf85edb7c8eacb153b | Buried beneath the Turkish city of Sardis, archaeologists have discovered what is believed to be an ancient lucky charm, designed to ward off evil spirits. Despite being buried around 2,000 years ago, the two pots are relatively intact and one contains the remains of a perfectly preserved, fragile eggshell. The region was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 17 and it is thought the egg was a ritual offering, used to protect the area from future disasters. Buried beneath the ancient Turkish city of Sardis, archaeologists have discovered two pots dating back 2,000 years. The pots, pictured, are relatively intact and contain the remains of a perfectly preserved eggshell which may have been used to ward off evil spirits . There have been many reports of eggs . being used in ancient rituals, with particular reference to ‘uncrossing’ and warding off demons. Uncrossing is the act of undoing . curses, or reversing bad fortune. The U.S. archaeologists believe the . residents of Sardis would have placed the eggs in the ground to . reverse the bad fortune the earthquake had subjected on the region. It may have also been seen as an . offering to the gods, to help ward off demons and evil spirits that . would want to harm the region. Eggshells were additionally used in so-called ‘demon traps’ in modern-day Iraq and Iran to disarm evil forces. Whole eggs were used to place curses on enemies. Residents of Sardis rebuilt the region following this earthquake, and the settlement remained for centuries until it was finally abandoned in the 1402. The discovery of the pots was made by archaeologists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Missouri in partnership with the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis. The artefacts were found buried beneath what would have been an elite building in the city that was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. In addition to the eggshell, the researchers also found small bronze tools and a coin. The eggshell had been deliberately pierced, to allow the insides to flow out, but the rest of the shell had remained in one piece. There have been many reports of eggs being used in ancient rituals, with particular reference to ‘uncrossing’ and warding off demons. The Sardis region was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D 17 and archaeologists claim the egg was a ritual offering, used to protect the area from further disasters. The eggshell has been deliberately pierced, to allow the insides to flow out, and was found alongside small bronze tools, pictured . Sardis was the ancient capital city of Lydia, in Turkey's Manisa Province, pictured. Its location and wealth made it an important city in the Persian Empire, as well as into the Roman and Byzantine eras . Uncrossing is the act of undoing curses, or reversing bad fortune. The U.S. archaeologists believe the residents of Sardis would have planted the eggs into the ground to prevent another earthquake in the region. The artefacts were found beneath what would have an elite building in the ancient city, remains pictured . Eggshells were also used in so-called ‘demon traps’ in modern-day Iraq and Iran to disarm evil forces. Elsewhere, the coin features a symbol believed to be the goddess Cybele. Cybele was linked with the earth, and in particular the mountains, and this offering may have been to appeal to her for protection. Elizabeth Raboult from the University of Missouri told Live Science that the objects give a unique insight into how the earthquake would have affected the residents of Sardis. She said: ‘It's one person's way of coping with the uncertainties and tumultuous events of that period’ and added that the find was ‘really fantastic.’ Sardis was the ancient capital city of Lydia, in Turkey’s Manisa Province. Its location and wealth made it an important city in the Persian Empire, as well as into the Roman and Byzantine eras. The Sardis settlement, found in . modern-day Sart, was situated in the middle of Hermus . valley, at the foot of Mount Tmolus. Excavations have previously uncovered a bath-gym complex and a synagogue in the region. In A.D 17, under the reign of Tiberius, Sardis was destroyed by an earthquake and the whole area had to be rebuilt. The Sardis settlement is in modern-day Sart, pictured, and is situated at the foot of Mount Tmolus . In addition to the eggshell, the researchers found a coin, pictured, inside the pots. The coin features a symbol believed to be the goddess Cybele. Cybele was linked with the earth, and in particular the mountains, and this offering may have been used to appeal to her for protection . | Two pots were found buried in the ancient city of Sardis, in Turkey .
Inside, archaeologists found a pierced eggshell, bronze tools and a coin .
Eggs were said to have been lucky charms and used to ward off evil spirits .
Region was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D 17 and the eggs may have been used as ritual offerings to prevent future disasters . |
236,140 | bdafaf79256dfee64f0901f57551f7a5f9cac79b | Compared with the splendour of the pyramids or the majesty of the Taj Mahal, it may appear a fairly modest creation. But a field of stone monuments in Wiltshire has been named as the second best heritage site in the world. The collection of Neolithic stones in Avebury has been placed ahead of much more recognisable sites including the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and the Forbidden City in China. Heritage: A visitor gets up close and touches one of the stones that form the largest stone circle in Europe at Avebury, Wiltshire. The site has been rated as the world's second best heritage site by travel experts . Special: Aerial view of Avebury village and neolithic henge stone circle . Ancient: The stones at Avebury are thought to date back to 2600BC . Experts at Which? Travel magazine placed Mexico’s ancient city of Monte Alban in first place. The panel used criteria including the preservation of the site and appeal of the local region as a place to take a holiday. The three stone circles at Avebury . outscored more famous historic landmarks because of a high score on the . overall visitor experience. Chart-topper: Monte Alban, Oaxaca, in Mexico is the world's best heritage site according to travel experts from Which? magazine . Number seven: Avebury's neolithic monument was rated higher than the iconicTaj Mahal, in Agra city, India . Number ten: The ancient Pyramids, Giza, Cairo, Egypt . The site, which attracts more than . 250,000 visitors a year, was praised because tourists can wander freely . between the stones, unlike the more famous Stonehenge, also in . Wiltshire, where the formations are roped-off. Avebury, near Calne, beat the pyramids . of Egypt partly because rural Wiltshire was considered a nicer place to . visit than the Sahara desert. Visitors to the greener parts of the . county enjoy beautiful rolling hills and quiet, picturesque villages. Which? Travel magazine described the Unesco World Heritage site as ‘the . best-preserved and most impressive complex of prehistoric sites in . Europe’. Reacting to the news, Stuart Wheeler . of Wiltshire Council said: ‘We have always known we have a wonderful . piece of history on our doorstep and now we have official confirmation.’ Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument . comprising of three stone circles. The monuments, thought to have been . constructed around 2600BC, are the largest stone circles in Europe, and a . place of great importance to pagans. Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust . archaeologist at Avebury, said: ‘Our dedicated team of staff and . volunteers work year round to ensure that it remains a source of . inspiration and delight. ‘It is wonderful to see that the very special qualities of Avebury have been recognised in this way.’ | The Wiltshire monument has been recognised by travel experts from Which?
Mexico's ancient city of Monte Alban named world's best heritage site . |
37,512 | 6a406e8f48d4397dec936463aa4f6b15b30dc660 | (CNN) -- How did Shannon Reynolds make it through several layers of security unquestioned and end up on the tarmac at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport? That's what Delta Air Lines, the Transportation Security Administration and the Atlanta Police Department are trying to figure out. Around 5 a.m. on February 23, Reynolds was simply trying to park at an off-site parking lot in time to catch a flight on Spirit Airlines, she told CNN. She didn't notice she was pulling into a Delta employee parking lot, where she said she was waved through two security checkpoints and allowed to park. Wearing a sundress and carrying her suitcase, she got on a Delta employee shuttle without being asked for identification. None of the employees on board was wearing a uniform, she said, so she said she didn't realize it was for employees only. "When I got to the airport, I looked around and I realized this is not where I was supposed to be. It was the tarmac with a big airplane sitting there," Reynolds said. Reynolds alerted the shuttle driver, but she was still allowed to get out of the bus onto the tarmac. A ramp agent used his badge to take her up the stairs into the airport passenger area. "Here I was sitting in the middle of the C Terminal without having to go through security or do anything," Reynolds said. The airport employee who let her into the secure area told her to go downstairs and go through security as she normally would, Reynolds said. Inside the terminal someone finally stopped her and asked for her identification. That started the investigation into how she had made it so far without being checked. (In a police report on the incident, the ramp agent she followed into the concourse said he assumed she was an employee because of all the checkpoints she had to pass.) "Airports are responsible for implementing security programs that restrict access to secure areas," said TSA spokesman David Castelveter in a statement. "TSA is conducting an investigation to determine how an individual without proper credentials accessed the secure area of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport via an airline employee parking lot." Delta is re-emphasizing the checking of employee identification at Delta employee parking lots, according to the airline. "We have taken aggressive action with our security vendors at the parking lot to emphasize that all security procedures, especially verification of credentials, are strictly adhered to," said Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant in a statement. The police report states that Reynolds "was transported back to her vehicle and allowed to move her car" from the parking lot, noting that the delay caused her to miss her 6:30 a.m. flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, then on to Costa Rica. Reynolds told CNN she was able to catch a later flight to Costa Rica, from where she recently returned. | A traveler trying to make an early-morning flight accidentally parked in a Delta employee lot .
She says she was allowed to get on an employee bus without being asked for identification .
Transportation Security Administration is investigating how incident happened . |
15,514 | 2c1cce37cd2dfdba4c985f164cdb9cdd8d644084 | (EW.com) -- Martin Lawrence could be coming back to prime-time TV next fall. CBS has given one of the "Bad Boys" actor-comedian's projects a pilot order. The untitled project stars Lawrence as a widowed father of two teenagers who, after losing his job in construction, decides to go to the police academy and become a cop at the age of 46. You could see why CBS would be drawn to the concept. This is a network built on cop dramas. Why not get a cop comedy going too? Mike Lisbe and Nate Reger ("Just Shoot Me," "$*#! My Dad Says") will write and executive produce, with Michael Green and Sam Maydew from the Collective as EPs. See the full article at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | The untitled project stars Martin Lawrence as a widowed father of two teenagers .
He eventually decides to go to the police academy and become a cop at the age of 46 .
Mike Lisbe and Nate Reger will write and executive produce . |
124,647 | 2d1b03f026de13605ebe72113651567f0dbd28cd | Florida police say they will continue to investigate the drowning deaths of two young sisters who were tragically pulled from a canal at the back of their home on Tuesday night. The girls - two-year-old Louidjiena Louima and four-year-old Louidline Louima - were reported missing by their father about 5pm in Margate. Louigens Louima told a 911 dispatcher the pair were playing in the front yard of the house when he went to 'change his clothes', but then couldn't find either of them when he returned. According to NBC Miami, the youngest of the two was found unresponsive in the canal at the back of the house on the 5900 block of NW 27th Street by a diver. Scroll down for video . Tragic: Louidjiena Louima, 2, and her older sister Louidline Louima, 4, were pulled from the deep canal behind their home in Margate, Florida, on Tuesday night after their father claims to have lost track of them . Locked: The victims father, Louigens Louima, said he keeps the back gate to canal locked using wire (pictured) and does not know how the two managed to get out of the backyard . Anguish: The girls' mother, Merline Gaspard, screams out in pain following the death of her two children . Father: Louigens Louima told authorities he went to change his clothes, and then couldn't find either of his daughters when he got back . Scene: Emergency crews load one of the girls into an ambulance after both were discovering by divers in the lake out back of their home. Both of them were reportedly unresponsive when they were pulled from the water . Footage taken by a news helicopter at the time showed the second girl being pulled from the water by a diver several minutes later. She too was unresponsive. Both girls were pronounced dead at Northwest Medical Center. The girls mother, Merline Gaspard, was captured by local news crews crying out in pain in Creole following the incident. The girls father, Louigens Louima, said he keeps the back gate that leads out to the canal locked with wire, and that they could not have gotten through. He believes the pair must have gone into the neighbors yard and through their fence to the water. 'Two kids, I've lost two kids,' Louima told NBC Miami. 'Man, it's no good.' Mr Louima said he spent at least 15 minutes looking for his daughters before calling police. One of the girls' shoes was found at the waters edge. Drowned: Two small girls died in a tragic accident after they were left unattended. Louidjiena Louima, 2, and Louidine Louima, 4, were pulled from a canal in back of their family's home in Margate, Florida, on Tuesday . Parents: Merline Gaspard and Louigens Louima say they cannot afford a funeral for their daughters . Scene: The incident occurred on the 5900 block of NW 27th Street in Margate, Florida . Police say they will continue to look into how the girl's got into the canal. A medical examiners report will conclude exactly how they died. The parents say they cannot afford to bury their daughters or hold a funeral. They are attempting to set up a charity fund at a local bank. On Monday, the bodies of a grandmother and her four-year-old granddaughter were recovered from a lake in Miramar, a nearby gated community. Laura Fleming, 59, and her granddaughter Leila were on a walk to feed ducks from the family home. However they were reported missing when they failed to return. Both their bodies were pulled from the water about midnight. It is not known what happened to the pair, but The Sun-Sentinel reported the grandmother was very doting and that neither of the could swim. | Louidjiena Louima, 2, and her older sister Louidline Louima, 4, were pulled from the canal behind their home in Margate, Florida, on Tuesday night .
Their father, Louigens Louima, reported them missing about 5pm .
He said he left them playing while changing his clothes and then couldn't find them .
A diver spotted one of them in the canal at the rear of the home .
Divers then found the other girl .
Police say they are investigating what happened to the pair .
An autopsy will determine their cause of death . |
212,461 | 9f1eb8a7b96bd262ad9a937bb0a44178fbddffe8 | By . Daily Mail Reporters and Associated Press . PUBLISHED: . 19:15 EST, 29 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:23 EST, 30 July 2013 . A Maine man who was terrifyingly dragged from his tent and attacked by a polar bear while camping in Canada has serious injuries but is improving in a Montreal hospital, according to his wife. Matthew Dyer was attacked by a bear that crossed an electric fence designed to protect members of his group in Torngat Mountains National Park at the northern tip of Labrador on Wednesday. The mauling ended when members of his group drove the bear away by firing flares. Dyer has a broken jaw and neck injuries. Lawyer: Matthew Dyer addresses a court in Maine in June. He is now recovering from a terrifying polar bear attack in Canada on Wednesday . The group had been advised to hire an armed guard to protect against such attacks but decided against it, a Parks Canada spokesman said. Officials said they were investigating whether the portable electrified fence was working properly. A helicopter took Dyer to a trauma center before he was transferred to Montreal General Hospital, his wife said. 'My husband has received incredible care in Canada and at the Montreal General Hospital; I believe that's why he is still alive,' Jeanne Wells said in a statement. Ordeal: Dyer was attacked by a bear that crossed an electric fence designed to protect his group . Wells told the Sun Journal newspaper of Lewiston that Dyer, of Turner, has retained his sense of humor even though he remains immobilized and cannot speak. Dyer's neck remains immobilized to keep the fractures stable, and a breathing tube is in place to ensure that swelling doesn't interfere with breathing, she said. Dyer, a lawyer with Pine Tree Legal Services, was attacked on Wednesday. As of Sunday, he remained in critical but stable condition. The hospital had no further updates Monday. Dyer was part of a seven-man group on a guided tour of Torngat National Park on the northern tip of Newfoundland when the attack happened. The area is well known for polar bears and visitors sleeping in the park are equipped with an electric fence which is supposed to shock the animals if they touch it. Dyer’s group was sleeping behind . their protective fence when the single polar bear attacked them at about . 1:30am on Wednesday morning. The bear dragged Dyer from his tent and was mauling him when his friends fired flares to scare the bear which dropped him and ran off. It then took several hours for the group to could contact the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A . helicopter stationed at Saglek Fjord, about an hour flight away, was . sent to the area and then took Dyer to a trauma clinic in Quebec. He was later transferred to Montreal . General Hospital. Torngat National Park is a 3,700-square-mile Canadian National Park in Newfoundland and is home to seal-hunting polar bears, caribou and remnant glaciers . Wells was informed of the attack on Wednesday afternoon and flew to Montreal. ‘The Canadians did an amazing job of getting him transported. There was a doctor in the group who took care of him right from the start,' she told the Bangor Daily News over the weekend. 'He is in very stable condition. He will make a full recovery and that is a testament to his strength.' Authorities are investigating how the attack happened and if there was an issue with the group's protective fence. A spokesperson for the park said this is the first time an attack like this has happened since it opened in 2005. Torngat National Park is well known for polar bears and visitors sleeping in the park are equipped with an electric fence which is supposed to shock the animals if they touch it (stock image) 'There are high densities of bears in the park and you are at very high risk of encountering a bear. That said, this is the only incident we have had of this seriousness since the park was established,' said Peter Deering, manager of resource conservation for Parks Canada in Western Newfoundland and Labrador. Torngat National Park is a 3,700-square-mile Canadian National Park located on the Northern Labrador Mountains in Newfoundland and is home to seal-hunting polar bears, caribou and remnant glaciers. | Matthew Dyer has a broken jaw and an immobilized neck but is recovering after the vicious attack on Wednesday .
He was part of a group sleeping in the Torngat National Park, Newfoundland .
An electric fence was supposed to protect them from wild animals, but Dyer awoke to find himself being dragged from his tent .
His friends fired flares at the bear to get it to drop Dyer and run . |
128,856 | 327c3cd83c9b3d056d563c4143a6c990990b788f | By . Anna Edwards . PUBLISHED: . 13:11 EST, 15 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 16:38 EST, 16 February 2013 . Three fraudsters who deliberately caused a crash in which a woman died were jailed for a total of more than 30 years yesterday. The trio had planned to make bogus claims for personal injury and damage to their vehicle in the attempted £20,000 scam. But motorist Baljinder Gill, 34, was left stranded in the fast lane of a dual carriageway on the A40 near Denham, Buckinghamshire, after she was caught up in the planned collision. She received fatal injuries and became the first person to have been killed in Britain in a deliberate ‘cash for crash’ collision. Scroll down for video . CCTV from A passing coach shows horrified passengers as they saw the fatal smash caused by the crash for cash scam gang . A group of Polish men involved in a botched 'crash for cash' insurance scam which led to the death of an innocent motorist have been found guilty . Baljinder Gill was reaching into the back of her car when she was fatally hit . A jury at Reading Crown Court found . Radoslaw Bielawski, Andrzez Skowron and Jacek Kowalczyk guilty of . causing Miss Gill’s death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to commit . fraud. Miss Gill was not the intended victim . of the fraud. The business van in front of her had been targeted because . the gang knew it would have valid insurance. The experienced driver of the van . managed to stop safely despite the gang’s attempt. However, Miss Gill’s . Ford Fiesta rammed into the back of the van. She left her car with its . hazard lights flashing but when she went back to retrieve possessions . it was hit by another van and she was left fatally injured. During the trial the jury heard how an . Audi A3 driven by Skowron swerved in front of a Volkswagen Passat . containing ‘co-conspirators’. The Passat, driven by Kowalczyk, braked sharply, causing the shunt. Bielawski later admitted to police that the collision had been staged. High Court Judge Mr Justice Sweeney . said the death of Miss Gill had an ‘absolutely devastating’ effect on . her family who shortly afterwards lost one of her brothers to cancer. Relatives of Miss Gill, who lived in . Stanwell, near Staines in Surrey – little more than a dozen miles from . the crash site – were in court to see the men, all from London, jailed. The family said Miss Gill was ‘the innocent victim of a cold-blooded and calculated incident’. Jacek Kowalczyk (left) and Andrzez Skowron (right) was jailed for his part in the crash, after he plotted to claim insurance money in the smash . ‘Our family will never recover from . this tragic event which took the life of our beautiful daughter, sister . and truly loved member of our family from us,’ they said. Kowalczyk, 32, Bielawski, 24, and . Skowron, 26, were each jailed for ten years for causing death by . dangerous driving in the pile-up. Each was banned from driving for five . years and will have to retake a test before they drive again. Kowalczyk . and Bielawski were also ordered to serve a further three months in jail . for perverting the course of justice. Noel Lucas QC, prosecuting, said . figures from the Insurance Fraud Bureau revealed that cash for crash . fraud costs the industry £1.7million a day. Mr Justice Sweeney told the . three men that this type of fraud was affecting everyday policy holders . through increased premiums to pay for an annual £392million. Van driver Colin Lee (left) who collided with the woman's car, was not part of the scam, which involved Radoslaw Bielawski . Devastated: Baljinder Gil's heartbroken family slammed the 'heartless' cash-for-crash scammers . He said the sentence was given to . deter others planning the fraud. Van driver Colin Lee, 34, who was not . part of the fraud, was jailed for 12 months after being convicted of . causing death by careless driving. Mr Justice Sweeney said that he had . been inadvertently caught up in the fraud but he should have been able . to prevent a collision with Miss Gill’s stricken car. Arthur Okrutny, 23, was not involved . in the incident but was at a party at home in Norbury, London, when he . said he received phone calls from Bielawski, a childhood friend, . offering him £300 to tell police it was him who had been in the car. He was jailed for 12 months after a . jury found him guilty of perverting the course of justice but was . cleared of any involvement in the fraud. | Trio had planned to swerve in front of an insured car, causing them to crash .
They schemed to claim compensation for the crash they would cause .
Innocent motorist Baljinder Gill was killed .
Baljinder's family said they will 'never recover' from their 'beautiful, much loved' daughter's death . |
23,973 | 44062c3a932a5bb42d1d6214b2ed4d40715b0dbe | Washington (CNN) -- A woman on the wrong end of a love triangle received a measure of support from the Supreme Court on Tuesday in an unusual case involving a domestic dispute, global agreements and local sovereignty. At issue is whether Congress may criminalize conduct -- under its treaty ratification power -- that is otherwise the domain of the states. Carol Anne Bond was given a long prison sentence in the federal system after being convicted of violating an international agreement on the use of chemical weapons. She would have gotten a much shorter sentence under state law. The case of toxic love has soap-opera elements, but Bond's lawyers argued she was being treated like a foreign terrorist instead of someone caught up in a domestic dispute. Beyond this fact-specific dispute, the case touches on larger concerns about the strength and purpose of the Constitution's 10th Amendment, designed to preserve state power. It is also a question roiling the current political debate, especially among tea party conservatives in this post-9/11, security-conscious environment. The justices are using this case to explore the limits of congressional and presidential authority, with timely, far-reaching implications. "It would be deeply ironic that we have expended so much energy criticizing Syria," for its government's alleged use of chemical weapons in an ongoing civil war, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, "when if this court were now to declare that our joining or creating legislation to implement the treaty was unconstitutional. We're putting aside the impact that we could have on foreign relations." Professor accused of poisoning wife . "I just would like a fairly precise answer whether there are or are not limitations on what Congress can do with respect to the police power," Chief Justice John Roberts asked of the Obama administration's top lawyer. "If their authority is asserted under a treaty, is their power to intrude upon the police power unlimited?" Bond, a native of Barbados, lived outside Philadelphia and worked as a microbiologist. As a federal appeals court succinctly summarized the relevant facts in the case: "Bond was excited when her closest friend, Myrlinda Haynes, announced she was pregnant. Bond's excitement turned to rage when she learned that her husband, Clifford Bond, was the child's father. She vowed revenge." The woman, known to her family as Betty, struck back by stealing dangerous a chemical -- arsenic-based 10-chloro-10H-phenoxarsine -- from her company. She also obtained potassium dichromate over the Internet. Both substances in heavy doses can cause toxic, even lethal harm with very little physical contact. The 42-year-old then tried to poison Haynes some two dozen times over several months, secretly sprinkling small amounts of the chemicals on an apartment doorknob, car door handles, and a mailbox. While suffering no more than a chemical burn on her thumb, Haynes grew suspicious -- one of the chemicals was a bright orange powder. After getting little help from local police, in 2007 she called postal inspectors, who set up surveillance cameras. Bond was videotaped stealing mail and placing chemicals inside the mailbox and a car muffler, court records show. She was soon arrested. Bond admitted her guilt early on and claimed she never meant to kill Haynes, but only wanted to cause her "an uncomfortable rash." The defendant also said her friend's betrayal caused an "emotional breakdown" that made her respond in such a shocking fashion. Instead of being charged with simple assault, which may have gotten her six months to a year or two in state prison, Bond was indicted in federal court on two counts of mail fraud and -- the bombshell -- two counts of violating a federal law and international treaty on the possession and use of "chemical weapons." When a judge denied her motions to transfer the case to state court, Bond pleaded guilty and immediately appealed. She received a sentence of six years behind bars and nearly $12,000 in fines and restitution. She was released in August 2012. Did Utah doctor kill his wife? During Tuesday's lively hour of arguments, Bond's lawyer, Paul Clement, called the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act an "odd statute" that clearly exceeds congressional authority. He said the treaty was designed to deal with "warlike" behavior, not "ordinary" poisoning cases. "I don't think that nation-states poison romantic rivals, attempt to commit suicide, or try to get rodents out of their houses" using chemicals that might have everyday non-criminal uses, he said, like vinegar. Justice Elena Kagan was unconvinced. "You are imagining a world in which judges day-to-day try to get inside the head of treaty makers," where judges might say: "We understand that there's a national interest in regulating sarin gas, but we don't think that there's a sufficient interest in regulating some other chemical down the line. It seems to me a completely indeterminate test" for judges to delineate "what is in the national and international interest." Solicitor General Donald Verrilli agreed, defending the treaty and law by saying, "There can't be a 'too local' exception to the treaty power." The Justice Department says federal law broadly prohibits a person from knowingly using a chemical weapon in a way that can "cause death, temporary incapacitation, or permanent harm" to another person, which prosecutors said Bond admittedly did. Verrilli dismissed a "parade of horribles"-- hypothetical suggestions that a sweeping treaty could be authorized giving the federal government complete police power over the states. "It seems unimaginable that a convention of that kind would be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate, which it would have to be," he said. "It also seems unimaginable that you would bring this prosecution," against Bond, said Justice Anthony Kennedy. "But let's leave it at that." The remark brought laughter in the courtroom, but Kennedy clearly was not joking. Test your knowledge of the U.S. Supreme Court . Justice Antonin Scalia used the issue to delve into another controversial issue. "Let's assume that an international treaty is approved by two-thirds of the Senate and the President, which requires states to approve same-sex marriage. All right?" he said. "Now, if that were a self-executing treaty, same sex marriage would have to be approved by every state. If it is not self-executing, however, it will be up to Congress to produce that result, and Congress would do it by having a federal marriage law." The conservative Scalia said to do so would be "dragging the Congress into areas where it has never been before." "If you told ordinary people that you were going to prosecute Ms. Bond for using a chemical weapon, they would be flabbergasted," said Justice Samuel Alito. "This statute has an enormous breadth -- anything that can cause death or injury to a person or an animal. Would it shock you if I told you that a few days ago my wife and I distributed toxic chemicals to a great number of children? On Halloween we gave them chocolate bars. Chocolate is poison to dogs, so it's a toxic chemical under the chemical weapons convention." Again there was audience laughter, but no smiles from the bench. Justice Stephen Breyer also worried about the scope of federal power. "In principle your position constitutionally would allow the President and the Senate, not the House, to do anything through a treaty that is not specifically within the prohibitions of the rights protections of the Constitution," he told Verrilli, citing a 1920 high court precedent giving Congress the power to enact treaties, even if it steps outside its traditional constitutional authority by usurping state laws. "And I doubt that in that document the Framers (of the Constitution) intended to allow the President and the Senate to do anything." "I am worried about that and I think others are, too," the left-leaning Breyer added. Among those attending the arguments was former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Justices prepare for hot-button cases - and hot internal rhetoric . There are about a thousand treaties signed by the United States currently on the books. Many academics and lawmakers hope the majority right-leaning bench will use this opportunity to delve further into the scope of the 10th Amendment, which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." In the broader political context, a bipartisan sphere of Americans worry the federal government and Congress have been overly aggressive in staking claims to disputes they believe are best left to states, especially in the criminal arena. And it is not just felonies. Areas like gun ownership, zoning laws, environmental regulations, taxation, health care, and education standards all could be re-examined in the wake of this high court decision. Some of Bond's supporters argue that some federal prosecutions are novel and the penalties are often more harsh, creating conflict and confusion with local efforts to ensure public safety. They see Bond as an unexpected hero in the fight to return "the power back to the people." "The proposition that the Treaty Clause is a trump card that defeats all of the remaining structural limitations on the federal government is not a proposition that is logically defensible." Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said last week. Bond had won an earlier Supreme Court appeal, with a unanimous ruling she had "standing," or legal authority, to pursue her claims in the courts. That allowed her to continue trying to have her federal conviction tossed out, which is the current issue before the justices. Her lawyers say she had been trying in recent years to repair her shaken marriage, and has come to terms with her husband's betrayal. The case is Bond v. U.S. (12-158). A ruling is expected by the spring. | Carol Anne Bond is challenging her conviction on a federal chemical weapon charge .
She used poisons to try to get back at a woman who had an affair with Bond's husband .
She received a measure of support from the Supreme Court during oral arguments Tuesday .
The case touches on the conflict between federal and state powers in the 10th Amendment . |
200,219 | 8f32e4caba85ea6c3ad1bdb5ef6cc23353ab3764 | It could be a godsend for games fans - and make iPhone games even more addictive. A newly unearthed patent application reveals plans for a spring loaded home button that pops up to become a joystick when needed. The 'multi-function input device' shows an iPhone or iPad home button that changes into a small joystick for gaming. It is believed the button would retain the current Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and that a single click would cause it to pop up and transform into a slightly elevated thumb joystick. A simple push of the elevated home button back into a flush position with the body of the iPhone would return it to its original state when done gaming, the patent diagrams show. It is believed the button would retain the current Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and that a single click would cause it to pop up and transform into a slightly elevated thumb joystick. It is believed the button would retain the current Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and that a single click would cause it to pop up and transform into a slightly elevated thumb joystick. A simple push of the elevated home button back into a flush position with the body of the iPhone would return it to its original state when done gaming, the patent diagrams show. 'The multi-function input device is operable in at least a first mode and a second mode,' the patent says. 'In one example, the multi-function input device may have a button mode and a joystick mode.' Diagrams included in the application show a very low-profile joystick. 'The input device head may not project outward from the surface when not being used as a joystick, thus avoiding compromising aesthetic appearance of the electronic device, preventing potential damage to mechanisms utilized to project the input device head, and/or keeping the input device head out of the way when not being utilized as a joystick.' Apple also admits that for some games, a touchscreen is not ideal. 'Touch screens (which may be well suited to applications such as an Internet browser application) may offer some advantages for operating game applications on portable devices, but they may also have shortcomings. 'For example, a user's finger may need to cover part of the screen while the user is controlling the game. A simple push of the elevated home button back into a flush position with the body of the iPhone would return it to its original state when done gaming, the patent diagrams show. 'This may interfere with the user's ability to see what he is controlling and/or other portions of the game display. 'Additionally, a touch screen may be unable to provide tactile feedback and the ability to provide tactile feedback during a game may enhance the user's game experience. 'Some gamers hold the opinion that realistic game play cannot be fully experienced without joysticks and/or tactile buttons.' | Button would pop up to reveal a small thumb joystick .
Could include Touch Is fingerprint sensor and work on iPad and iPhone .
Buttons could also vibrate to offer tactile feedback to players . |
36,334 | 6705047cc825041429626568663ff587d00d054d | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 12:31 EST, 21 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 03:00 EST, 22 November 2012 . Artist's impression of a prehistoric bird embryo dating from time of the dinosaurs. Feathers were initially developed to keep birds warm and not for flying, a new study has claimed . Feathers were initially developed to keep birds warm and not for flying, a new study has claimed. Researchers found feathers on prehistoric dinosaurs, which later evolved into birds, were arranged in multiple layers to act as insulation and preserve heat. The study from the Universities of Bristol, Yale and Calgary found that prehistoric birds had a very primitive version of wings, and it was not until millions of years later that they began to evolve for display and camouflage, and then finally to allow the dinosaurs to fly. Instead of flexible, aerodynamic feathers the creatures had rigid layers which acted as simple airfoils and could be used for limited gliding. But over millions of years natural selection modified these into highly-effective feathered wings which could rapidly change their span, shape and area. Dr Jakob Vinther, from the schools of Biological and Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol, said the research showed an intricate picture of how feathers and birds evolved. He said: 'We are starting to get an intricate picture of how feathers and birds evolved from within the dinosaurs. 'We now seem to see that feathers evolved initially for insulation. 'Later in evolution, more complex vaned or pinnate feathers evolved for display. 'These display feathers turned out to be excellent membranes that could have been utilised for aerial locomotion, which only very late in bird evolution became what we consider flapping flight. 'This new research is shedding light not just on how birds came to fly, but more specifically on how feathers came to be the way they are today - one of the most amazing and highly specialised structures in nature.' The research, published in the journal Current Biology, looked at two different pre-historic species, the Anchiornis huxleyi a dinosaur, and the Archaeopteryx lithographica, a Jurassic bird, thought to be 155 million years old. Plumage: An artist's impression of the feathered ornithomimid dinosaurs found in Alberta, Canada . Both species involved a combination of dinosaur and bird characteristics and allowed the scientists to investigate their feathers. They found that the wings differed greatly from modern day birds and were composed of multiple layers of long feathers. The individual feathers were relatively weak due to slender shafts, the layering is likely to have produced a strong airfoil, early experiments in the evolution of the wing. But the study revealed however the inability of pre-historic birds to separate their feathers suggested that taking off and flying at low speeds may have been limited. Instead scientists suggested that the wings were primarily used in insulation, or when needed in high-speed gliding or flapping flight.The research also found that once the feathers had evolved by natural selection the basic wing configuration remained almost the same for 130 million years. As the role of aerodynamics and the mechanics of flight becoming more apparent, birds developed wings which included a layer of long, asymmetrical flight feathers with short covert feathers on top. This meant they were able to separate and rotate them to gain height, change direction and even hover. Dr Nicholas Longrich of Yale University added: 'By studying fossils carefully, we are now able to start piecing together how the wing evolved. 'Before, it seemed that we had more or less modern wings from the Jurassic onwards. 'Now it’s clear that early birds were more primitive and represented transitional forms linking birds to dinosaurs. 'We can see the wing slowly becoming more advanced as we move from Anchiornis, to Archaeopteryx, to later birds.' | Study from the Universities of Bristol, Yale and Calgary found that prehistoric birds had a very primitive version of wings .
They were arranged in multiple layers to act as insulation and preserve heat . |
3,492 | 0a1ad82d161d90d758240407cb8c8fcebff4a212 | Washington (CNN) -- Noisy protests at military funerals, immigration reform and violent video games were among the issues on the Supreme Court's docket as the high court began its new term Monday. The term also marks the debut of Justice Elena Kagan on the Supreme Court and the first time three women are serving on the nine-justice panel. Roughly 52 appeals are currently on the high court's schedule. About another two dozen are expected to be added in coming months. But Kagan, 50, will recuse herself from at least 24 cases already on the docket. That means she will not sit in oral arguments or vote on the outcomes. As the former Solicitor General in the Justice Department, it was Kagan's job to supervise all pending appeals at the high court, and she has withdrawn from those cases in which she was involved or which might present a conflict of interest. The caseload for the term is usually settled by February. Other controversial appeals that might get added to the high court's docket cover issues related to same-sex marriage, terrorism and health care reform, among other things. Here are some key cases the Supreme Court is scheduled to tackle in its 2010-2011 term: . MILITARY FUNERALS - Snyder v. Phelps (arguments on Wednesday, October 6) AT ISSUE: A balancing test between the privacy rights of grieving families and the free speech/assembly rights of demonstrators, however disturbing and provocative their message. THE CASE: A small Kansas church has gained national attention for protesting loudly at funerals of U.S. service members, promoting their anti-homosexual message. Albert Snyder, the father of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq sued after members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church conducted an angry demonstration at his son's burial service. The family of the Marine won a $5 million judgment from the protesters. The ruling, however, was later overturned by a federal appeals court, which said the protest did not directly refer to the lance corporal, and therefore was protected speech on an issue of national debate. THE ARGUMENTS: The church, led by pastor Fred Phelps, believes God is punishing the United States for "the sin of homosexuality" through events including soldiers' deaths. The marchers say they obey local rules over where they can gather to protest. The Snyder family says their son was not gay, and the emotional wounds from the protest have yet to heal. They have the support of a number of members of Congress, 48 states and the District of Columbia. THE IMPACT: The court's ruling could set new guidelines on a broad range of speech-related events, including protests. Several states have attempted to impose specific limits on when and where the church can protest. The justices may be asked to address how far states and private entities like cemeteries and churches can go to justify policies meant to silence or restrict demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights in a funeral setting. DEATH PENALTY- Skinner v. Switzer (09-9000) (arguments Wednesday, October 13) AT ISSUE: A Texas death row inmate claiming innocence is demanding authorities conduct more thorough DNA testing of evidence gathered at the crime scene. THE CASE: Henry "Hank" Skinner, 47, was convicted of the New Year's Eve 1993 killings of his live-in girlfriend and her two adult sons. The justices issued a stay less than 30 minutes before his scheduled March 24 execution. THE ARGUMENTS: In a recent death row interview, Skinner told CNN that if he loses this appeal, an innocent man will be put to death. He claims that new analysis of certain untested DNA samples would clear him and determine the real killer. The state says he is not entitled to testing of evidence that was not analyzed before his 1995 trial. It also claims the wealth of forensic evidence available -- evidence reviewed repeatedly by various state and federal courts -- points to his undeniable guilt. IMPACT: What if an executed prisoner is later found to be innocent? Other inmates have recently pushed "actual innocence claims," prompted by growing use of DNA testing on old evidence. A court ruling could make such claims easier or harder to pursue in the future. VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES - Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants (08-1448) (arguments on Tuesday, November 2) AT ISSUE: A free speech dispute over a California law banning the sale of violent video games to children. THE CASE: A 2005 state law -- designed to strengthen the current industry-controlled rating system -- would have placed an outright ban on the sale or rental of games deemed excessively "violent" to those under 18. As defined by California, such interactive games are those in which the player is given the choice of "killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being" in offensive ways. Retailers could be fined up to $1,000 for any violation. The law is in limbo pending the high court's ruling. THE ARGUMENTS: Video game makers said the ban goes too far against their free speech rights, and the existing industry-imposed, nationwide voluntary ratings system is an adequate screen for parents to judge the appropriateness of computer games. The state says it has a legal obligation to protect children when the industry has failed to do so. THE IMPACT: The motion picture industry has its own self-monitoring ratings system, imposed decades ago after complaints that some films were too explicit for the general audience in what was seen and heard. A high court ruling allowing greater government control over the evaluation of expressive content could be applied to other media. The Supreme Court in recent years has thwarted repeated congressional attempts to protect children from pornography, saying such legislation went too far in limiting adult access to lawful but explicit sexual content on the internet. The court has also said in various contexts that minors enjoy a variety of free-expression rights. SCHOOLS-RELIGION- Arizona Christian School Tuition Org. v. Winn (09-987); Garriott v. Winn (09-991) (arguments Wednesday, November 3) AT ISSUE: A lawsuit challenging Arizona's tax breaks for donations to private school scholarships. THE CASE: The 13-year-old program provides dollar-for-dollar income tax writeoffs for donations to organizations providing aid covering school tuition. Some Arizona taxpayers have challenged the program as unconstitutional, because religious organizations award most of the scholarships and require children to enroll in religious schools. THE ARGUMENTS: The suit says the program amounts to an unconstitutional state endorsement of religion. But in 2002, the Supreme Court upheld school voucher programs, and supporters of the Arizona measure say it is no different from a Cleveland, Ohio, program permitted eight years ago. In both cases, the government does not direct any money to religious schools. THE IMPACT: Taken separately, disputes over education and religion are among the most contentious issues the high court faces. This case has become a hotly contested political and legal fight. The program's supporters call it "private charity," saying it has been a boon to school choice; contributions have risen to the tens of millions of dollars. Opponents call it a government spending program, and claim that private schools serve as willing state surrogates. IMMIGRATION REFORM - Chamber of Commerce v. Whiting (09-115) (arguments Wednesday, December 8) AT ISSUE: Do federal immigration laws trump state efforts to crack down on businesses that hire illegal aliens? THE CASE: In 2007, Arizona passed the Legal Arizona Workers Act, allowing the state to suspend the licenses of businesses that "intentionally or knowingly" violate work-eligibility verification requirements. Companies would be required under that law to use E-Verify, a federal database to check the documentation of current and prospective employees. THE ARGUMENTS: In its lawsuit, the Chamber of Commerce argues federal law prohibits Arizona and other states from making E-Verify use mandatory. The state argues its broad licensing authority gives it the right to monitor businesses within its jurisdiction. The Obama administration recommended review. IMPACT: This case could serve as a bellwether to a larger, more controversial state immigration law from Arizona. That statute was tossed out by a federal judge in August and is currently pending at a federal appeals court. It would, among other things, give police authority to check a person's immigration status if officers have a "reasonable suspicion" that individual is in the country illegally. Kagan has withdrawn from the E-Verify case after her earlier involvement in the appeal process while serving as the solicitor general in the Obama administration. Last week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) proposed legislation that would allow a retired Supreme Court justice to sit on the high court if an existing justice recuses himself or herself from a case. "Under the proposed bill, the active justices of the Supreme Court would be permitted to vote to designate a retired Supreme Court justice," a statement on Leahy's website says. "The proposed legislation would also allow the Court to preempt potential 4-4 split decisions, in which the decision of a lower court stands." CNN's Kate Bolduan contributed to this report. | About 52 appeals are on the Supreme Court's schedule for the 2010-2011 term .
Issues include immigration reform, violent video games and military funerals .
Justice Elena Kagan will recuse herself from at least 24 cases .
Lawmaker to propose bill allowing retired Justice to sit in on cases of recusal . |
114,905 | 204a27b7ab2f7e768a505ebc55c485e43180075b | Mesut Ozil has complete trust Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger can help make him a better player. The Gunners' record signing is currently recovering from a knee injury suffered at the start of October, and is not expected to feature again until early 2015. Ozil has been criticised for perceived inconsistent displays, with questions raised over whether the former Real Madrid playmaker can cope under the physical demands of the Barclays Premier League. Mesut Ozil has been regularly criticised for his performances since joining Arsenal from Real Madrid . Wenger, however, retains complete faith in the £42.5million midfielder, who is in no doubt he is at the right club and under the right manager to move his game forwards. Speaking to Esquire magazine, Ozil said: 'He (Wenger) knows what he wants and I know he can bring me a step forward; he trusts me in that way and I trust him, completely. 'For a team, it (a trophy) is the biggest thing to get and we got it (last season with the FA Cup), but as a player, there are other things - being the best player in the world, other cups, the Champions League. The German World Cup winner is currently out with a knee injury and isn't expected back until January . 'For now, I am not making any plans for after my career. I am just really happy to be here.' Ozil will not let the constant debate over his consistency cloud his focus. The 26-year-old added: 'I have been in this business so long now, I have been a professional since I was 16, 17. 'I don't care what the press thinks about me as football changes from day to day. 'You can play well one day and badly the next. I'm used to it.' Arsenal will resume their Premier League campaign on Saturday at home to Manchester United. Ozil revealed he has complete faith in manager Arsene Wenger's ability to get the best out of him . The Gunners are down in sixth place and in need of a response having lost 2-1 at Swansea before the international break, which followed on from the draw against Anderlecht in the Champions League when they threw away a 3-0 advantage. England manager Roy Hodgson has allayed fears over the fitness of Danny Welbeck. The Arsenal forward, signed on deadline day from United, was substituted during the second half of the friendly against Scotland in Glasgow, but only as a precaution after a 'slight stiffness' in his hamstring. | Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is out with a knee injury until 2015 .
The World Cup winner has been heavily criticised for his form this season .
Ozil says he has complete faith in Arsene Wenger to help him develop . |
211,730 | 9e2ee7456fc1b63c664bb37d989b49d6181ca2cb | London (CNN) -- Singer Robin Gibb has "confounded" his doctors by emerging from a coma just days after they thought he might not survive it, his physician said Sunday. Days ago, Bee Gees star Gibb was in a coma and battling pneumonia, the latest turn in health issues that include a recent battle with colon and liver cancer. Now he is "fully conscious, lucid and able to speak to his loved ones," Dr. Andrew Thillainayagam said in a statement. "He is breathing on his own, with an oxygen mask. He is on intravenous feeding and antibiotics. He is of course, exhausted, extremely weak and malnourished. Our immediate goals are to ensure that Robin's swallowing mechanism is safe enough to allow him to eat and drink, and that he recovers enough strength to breathe effectively, without needing high levels of oxygen by mask." When that happens, he may be moved out of the intensive care unit at the London Clinic, the doctor said. "It is testament to Robin's extraordinary courage, iron will and deep reserves of physical strength that he has overcome quite incredible odds to get where he is now," Thillainayagam said. The good news comes just three days after Thillainayagam warned Gibb's family "that I feared the worst.," he said. "We felt it was very likely that Robin would succumb to what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles to any form of meaningful recovery. As a team, we were all concerned that we might be approaching the realms of futility." "The road ahead for Robin remains uncertain but it is a privilege to look after such an extraordinary human being," Thillainayagam said. Gibb's wife Dwina and children Robin-John, Spencer, and Melissa have been at his bedside every day, the doctor said. Robin Gibb's twin brother, Maurice, died in 2003 of a twisted bowel. His brother Andy died at age 30 from a heart infection in 1988. The Brothers Gibb -- calling themselves the Bee Gees -- soared to renown as one of the most successful British groups after the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever" starring John Travolta was built around the group's disco songs. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, the Bee Gees have sold more than 200 million albums, and their soundtrack album to "Saturday Night Fever" was the top-selling album until Michael Jackson's "Thriller" claimed that distinction in the 1980s. While often in the background as brother Barry sang lead vocals, Robin Gibb stepped forward on several top tunes, including "I Started a Joke" and "I've Gotta Get a Message to You." He also recorded several solo albums during his career. | Gibb is fully conscious and lucid, his doctor says .
3 days ago, the doctor told Gibb's family he feared the worst .
The road ahead is uncertain for Gibb, the doctor says .
The Bee Gees were one of the most successful British music groups . |
127,338 | 309a9f3859015e6e9e41d7b137dd59c4f9362fe3 | (CNN) -- Floyd Mayweather Jr will have to pay Juan Manuel Marquez a reported $600,000 after weighing in two pounds too heavy ahead of Saturday night's welterweight showdown in Las Vegas. Floyd Mayweather Jr, left, faces off with Juan Manuel Marquez ahead of Saturday night's fight. Fight promoters Golden Boy confirmed after Friday's weigh-in that there had been a contractually agreed weight of 144 pounds for Mayweather's comeback bout, and that the American would pay a stipulated -- but undisclosed -- amount for every pound over that amount. As it was, Mayweather tipped the scales at 146 pounds and Mexican Marquez, whose usual weight is around 135 pounds, was weighed at 142 as he stepped up from lightweight for the fight. The maximum for a welterweight is 147 pounds. "The fight was contracted as a welterweight fight with an agreed upon weight of 144 pounds. However, there were pre-negotiated weight penalties built in," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com. The website also reported sources who stated that each extra pound would cost Mayweather $300,000, thus giving Marquez an additional $600,000 on top of his $3.2 million guarantee for the fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The 32-year-old Mayweather, who returns to the boxing ring for the first time since December 2007 when he beat Ricky Hatton to retain his WBC world welterweight championship, has a reported minimum guarantee of $10 million before pay-per-view TV revenues are added. Mayweather is undefeated with a career record of 39-0, while the 36-year-old Marquez, who holds the WBA and WBO world lightweight belts, has 50 victories from 55 fights, 37 by knockout. Meanwhile, Nikolai Valuev will defend his WBA heavyweight title against British boxer David Haye in Germany on November 7. The fight, originally announced in July, had been in doubt as American John Ruiz lodged a legal challenge claiming that he was the giant Russian's mandatory challenger. However, the 36-year-old's promoters have clinched a deal with Ruiz, meaning the bout can go ahead as planned at Nuremberg's Arena Nurnberger Versicherung, where Valuev beat Sergei Liakhovich in February 2008. The 7' 1" Valuev, the tallest and heaviest boxing champion of all time who has a record of 50 wins from 52 fights, will dwarf the 6' 3" Haye, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion. | Floyd Mayweather weighs in at 146 pounds, Juan Manuel Marquez at 142 .
Mayweather had agreed to pay the Mexican for every pound over agreed 144 .
Reports say that the American will have to stump up an extra $600,000 .
Mayweather has $10 million guarantee, Marquez has $3.2 million for fight . |
274,129 | ef0ff331844cc835517fd6196d831fd07e3b7876 | By . Reuters . A mystery woman, who apparently tried to hide her identity by removing her fingerprints, has been identified as Ann Marie Miller, a disbarred lawyer from Virginia pictured here in this undated handout . A mystery woman, who apparently tried to hide her identity by removing her fingerprints, on Friday was identified as a disbarred lawyer from Virginia, said investigators in a case spanning at least four states. The woman, jailed in Ohio since July 9, was arrested after trying to use a fake birth certificate to obtain a state identification card under the name Julia Wadsworth. While booking her in jail, authorities discovered that her fingerprints were gone. 'There was no ridge detail whatsoever. Just smooth, like a baby's butt. They're never going to come back,' said Allen County Sheriff Samuel Crish in northwestern Ohio. On her computer, investigators found she had researched information on how to remove fingerprints and how to determine if someone was being investigated by a federal agency, he said. She was identified after Crish's office contacted police in southwest Florida, where the woman mentioned she had spent time caring for an elderly man. An article and photos in the Fort Myers News-Press led to an anonymous tip late Thursday identifying her as a former lawyer who faced charges in Virginia, Crish said. He said the woman's name is Ann Marie Miller, 40, who practiced law in Roanoke until her license was revoked in 2009 by the Virginia Bar, records show. Her attorney confirmed on Friday that Ann Marie Miller is the woman's true identity. Miller earlier this week pleaded not guilty to a charge in Ohio of tampering with state records, a third-degree felony punishable by up to three years in prison, said attorney Stephen Chamberlain, who declined to comment further. Miller also previously faced several charges in Virginia related to a love triangle with a male attorney and a female paralegal, Crish said. On her disbarment notice in Virginia, Miller's address was listed as in Colorado. Crish said she is also wanted there on multiple charges, including burglary and trespassing. 'In 30 years, I've never seen anyone go to this extreme, ever,' he said. 'I really thought the worst.' | The woman, jailed in Ohio since July 9, was arrested after trying to use a fake birth certificate to get a state ID card under the name Julia Wadsworth .
On her computer, investigators found she had researched information on how to remove fingerprints .
An article and photos in local press led to an anonymous tip identifying her as a former lawyer who faced charges in Virginia . |
47,585 | 863be013c6e27c67d16162d9e28c848674750208 | Lindsay Lohan was hospitalized this week, according to a new report. The 28-year-old had contracted a rare mosquito borne virus called Chikungunya while on a break in French Polynesia over the Christmas holiday in December . And according to TMZ the actress is still battling the illness and was subsequently admitted for treatment at King Edward VII's Hospital. Scroll down for video . In hospital: Lindsay Lohan contracted a rare mosquito borne virus called Chikungunya while on a break in French Polynesia over the Christmas holiday in December . The gossip website reports that Lindsay was released later on Wednesday after her fever broke. Doctors at King Edward have reportedly referred the star to a specialist to manage symptoms related to the virus. In addition her mother Dina is said to be flying to the UK to support her daughter. Mail Online contacted Lindsay Lohan's reps for comment. In treatment: The actress is currently being treated at King Edward VII's Hospital . Wet and wild: The 28-year-old posted this Instagram snap of herself having fun on a jet-ski, linked to a tweet saying, 'Before I got chikungunya. use Big spray please. God bless' (sic) in December . At the time of her contracting the virus Lindsay did not seem to take the illness seriously posting on Instagram and Twitter: ‘I refuse to let a virus effect my peaceful vacation (sic).' And added a snap of herself jet skiing in a bikini with the caption: 'Before I got Chikungunya. Use big spray please. God bless'. Chikungunya is a virus transmitted from mosquitoes to people, according to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, joint pain and swelling or rash. There is no vaccine to prevent the virus or medicine to treat it with once infected. Before the storm: The star pictured before she contracted the illness in December . Though Chikungunya is rarely fatal, according to the World Health Organization, 'in some cases pain may persist for several months, or even years,' according to the Oh No! They Didn't! website. However, WHO also states that the majority of patients fully recover. At the time of her contracting the virus, the star did not reveal how severe her symptoms were. Lindsay has three films in pre-production at the moment: Life Travelers, Six Gun Dead and Soul Carriers. | Lindsay was later released from King Edward VII's Hospital after her fever broke as she continues to suffer symptoms from Chikungunya virus . |
130,252 | 3460f89eef011fe5432ec2f22e2818960d8c0d7e | In the fight against obesity, counting up the calories in every chip, biscuit or stick of celery can be a faff too far. However, a US company claims to have developed a smart wristband that does the adding up for you - by measuring changes in the glucose levels and liquid in the skin cells. The HealBe GoBe wristband is the latest twist in the wearable technology revolution, most of which is built on a theme of improving health. Scroll down for video . The HealBe GoBe wristband (pictured) was designed by a team of Russian developers and product managers led by Artem Shipitsyn and George Mikaberydze. The wristband uses an algorithm that analyses data collected by three sensors, designed to monitor changes in the body through the skin . It was designed by a team of Russian-based developers and product managers led by Artem Shipitsyn and George Mikaberydze. The wristband uses an algorithm that analyses data collected by three sensors. These sensors monitor changes in the body through the skin as people go through their day, walking, eating, sitting and sleeping. The wristband uses an algorithm that analyses data collected by three sensors. These sensors monitor changes in the body through the skin as people go through their day, walking, eating, sitting and sleeping. There is a pulse sensor which measures blood flow and heart rate, plus an accelerometer which measures body movement and activity, such as the number of steps taken. The third is called a bioimpedance sensor, which the company claims can give a good measure calorie intake. The theory is that when people eat, carbohydrates are turned into glucose or sugar in their blood. Cells absorb the glucose and use it for energy, displacing liquid in the process. The bioimpedance sensor measures this change using patented software to translate this into the number of calories consumed, which are shown on the band’s screen. There is a pulse sensor which measures blood flow and heart rate, plus an accelerometer which measures body movement and activity, such as the number of steps taken. The third is called a bioimpedance sensor, which the company claims can measure calorie intake. The theory is that when people eat, carbohydrates are turned into glucose or sugar in their blood. Cells absorb the glucose and use it for energy, displacing liquid in the process. The bioimpedance sensor measures this change using patented software to translate this into the number of calories consumed, which are shown on the band’s screen. As well as coming up with a figure for calorie intake, the other information collected by the sensors gives a total for calories burned, which allows the wearer to see whether they have done enough to lose weight during the day. The information on the pulse is used to deliver a stress level measure, while the device can also measure whether you have slept soundly or been tossing and turning through the night. While the theory sounds remarkable and useful, there are questions about whether there is sound science to back up the calorie count claims. The device initially launched on Indiegogo, and raised more than $1 million dollars - 10 times its target. Following the launch of the campaign, doctors and nutritionists disputed the claims made by Mr Shipitsyn, saying that even if the sensors could accurately measure the energy changes, it wouldn't be a reliable guide to calorie intake. At this week's Consumer Electronics Show, BBC reporter Leo Kelion was given the opportunity to test the company's claims. The built-in pulse sensor measures blood flow and heart rate, plus an accelerometer measures activity. The bioimpedance sensor measures calories. The theory is that when people eat, carbohydrates turn into glucose. Cells absorb glucose and use it for energy, displacing liquid in the process . The bioimpedance sensor measures changes in glucose using patented software to translate the levels into the number of calories consumed. This is then shown on the band’s screen and app (pictured). The other information collected by the sensors gives a total for calories burned, letting users compare the figures . During the test, Mr Kelion ate half a cheese and turkey sandwich (125 calories), a small Snickers chocolate bar (220 calories), and drank a bottle of apple juice (210 calories), giving a total of 555. The wristband started adding up the calories after 15 minutes and following an experiment lasting two and half hours, it came up with a figure of 515 calories. The US manufacturer, HealBe, said the science behind the wristband has been verified by studies. An independent report, published in September, gave an accuracy rating of 84 per cent to 93 per cent - but only involved five volunteers. If that error margin is correct, the wristband, which will go on sale through the company’s website later this year with a $299.99 (£196 plus international postage), may be of limited use for calorie counting. The device initially launched on Indiegogo, and raised more than $1 million dollars, but was soon criticised by doctors and nutritionists . While the theory sounds remarkable and useful, there are questions about whether there is sound science to back up the calorie count claims. The device initially launched on Indiegogo, and raised more than $1 million dollars - 10 times its target. Following the launch of the campaign, doctors and nutritionists disputed the claims made by Mr Shipitsyn and his team, saying that even if the sensors could accurately measure the energy changes, it wouldn't be a reliable guide to calorie intake. The US manufacturer, HealBe, said the science behind the wristband has been verified by studies. An independent report, published in September, gave an accuracy rating of 84 per cent to 93 per cent - but only involved five volunteers. At this week's Consumer Electronics Show, BBC reporter Leo Kelion was given the opportunity to test the company's claims. During the test, Mr Kelion ate half a cheese and turkey sandwich (125 calories), a small Snickers chocolate bar (220 calories), and drank a bottle of apple juice (210 calories), giving a total of 555. The wristband started adding up the calories after 15 minutes and following an experiment lasting two and half hours, it came up with a figure of 515 calories. | HealBe GoBe wristband was designed by a team of Russian developers .
Wristband uses an algorithm that analyses data collected by three sensors .
The theory is that when we eat, carbohydrates are turned into glucose .
Cells absorb glucose and use it for energy, displacing liquid in the process .
GoBe's sensors track these changes through the skin, and translate it into calorie intake and output .
But doctors have disputed the claims, saying the technology isn't reliable . |
54,331 | 99eb66b72cc434f8beafda5cd6dfd3e91938de49 | (CNN) -- A federal grand jury indicted a man arrested last week in connection with a mysterious case of exposure to the deadly biological agent ricin, prosecutors said. Authorities found ricin, weapons and an anarchist manual in Roger Von Bergendorff's Nevada hotel room. Roger Von Bergendorff, 57, was indicted on charges of possession of a biological toxin, possession of unregistered firearms and possession of firearms not identified by serial number, said Natalie Collins, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bergendorff was hospitalized for two months with suspected ricin poisoning, and was discharged before his arrest. His initial court appearance was last week, Collins said, and he did not enter a plea. An arraignment is scheduled for May 2. Bergendorff was hospitalized in February complaining of breathing difficulties. Two weeks later, Thomas Tholen, a cousin who went to Bergendorff's Las Vegas hotel room to recover his belongings, discovered what turned out to be ricin. Authorities also said a search of the room found four guns, the book "Anarchist's Cookbook," a collection of instructions on poisons and other dangerous recipes and castor beans, syringes and beakers. Ricin is extracted from ground-up castor beans. Tholen was charged earlier in April with failing to report the commission of a crime. A federal grand jury indicted him for allegedly concealing the knowledge that production and possession of a biological agent -- a felony -- was being committed. Bergendorff previously lived in Tholen's home in Riverton, Utah, just south of Salt Lake City. After the ricin was discovered, the FBI searched that home as well as storage units Bergendorff used in Utah. Authorities said FBI agents searching the storage units found castor beans, chemicals used in the production of ricin, a respirator, filters, laboratory glassware, syringes and a notebook on ricin production. If convicted as charged, Bergendorff would face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. E-mail to a friend . | Roger Von Bergendorff indicted on ricin possession charges .
Bergendorff had been hospitalized with suspected ricin poisoning .
Authorities found ricin, guns in Bergendorff's Nevada hotel room .
Thomas Tholen, Bergendorff's cousin, also faces charges . |
155,787 | 555f8153610015c133e5f43f9fc26f697b667930 | There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the world, but new research has revealed that the climate may have played a role how each one developed. Scientists have found that humidity in different areas may have influenced the way languages evolved there. They found that languages with complex tones - those that use one or more contrasting tones to give meaning to words like Cantonese - tend to occur in humid regions of the world. This map shows the regions where languages with complex tones have developed (red dots), clustered in tropical humid areas, while those languages that do not use complex tones are marked with blue dots . Languages with simple tones, like many European languages including English, are found in drier regions - either in the colder north or in arid deserts. A leading linguist claims that within a century 90 per cent of languages around the world will die out. Ever increasing globalisation, international travel and access to the the internet is expected to lead to just 600 of the current 6,500 languages surviving. Already more than 2,000 of the languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers, with many on the verge of dying out altogether. Dr John McWhorter, a linguist at Columbia University, said those languages that do survive will be less complicated than they are today - especially in the way they are spoken. Lesser known cultures and their unique languages will struggle to survive, leaving widely spoken languages such as English and Chinese to swallow them up and in turn wipe them out. The researchers say that this is because inhaling dry air can dehydrate the vocal cords and make them less elastic, making it harder to produce complex tones in words. Instead languages that evolved in dry climates tend to have imprecise pitch and varying intensity. Most European languages are thought to originate from a common ancestral tongue called Proto-Indo-European that was spoken 6,000 years ago by people living on the relatively dry Pontic Steppe north of the Black Sea. This dry climate may have led to the evolution of the modern non-tonal languages that exist here today, according to Dr Caleb Everett, a linguist at the University of Miami who led the research. He said: 'It does not imply that languages are completely determined by climate, but that climate can, over the long haul, be one of the factors that helps shape languages. 'More broadly, this suggests another non-conscious way in which humans have adapted to their very different and harsh environments.' Dr Everett and his colleagues, whose research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined more than 3,700 languages. They found 629 languages with complex tones, with most in tropical regions throughout Africa and Southeast Asia, but also some in humid regions of North America, Amazonia and New Guinea. Vietnamese, being written by the Hmong schoolgirl in the image above, uses complex tones when spoken . The humid climate in Burma, shown above, is thought to make the human vocal cords more adaptable . Languages like Vietnamese, Burmese, all of the Chinese languages and most languages from Sub-Saharan Africa like Nigerian and Congolese are considered tonal. Languages like Mongolian, Egyptian and Amdo Tibetan all developed in drier and more arid climates. To produce speech the human vocal cords, which are a vibrating valve that chops up the airflow from the lungs, need to flex in length and tension to tune the pitch and tone. It is also thought to be why learning a new language can be difficult at first and require the muscles that control the vocal cords to be trained to make new sounds. If the new research is correct it would also suggest that people who live in drier climates may find it harder to make the sounds needed to pronounce words in tonal languages. Dr Everett added: 'Also, there may be some health benefits to certain sound patterns in certain climates, but more research is needed to establish that in a satisfactory way.' The spoken languages in China all use complex tones and are thought to have developed due to the humid climate in much of the country, particularly in the south, where the moist air helped vocal cords to be flexible . | Linguists from the University of Miami examined 3,700 different languages .
They found languages with complex contrasting tones like Cantonese, Vietnamese and Congolese are mainly found in humid areas of the world .
Humidity makes the vocal cords more flexible and able to produce tones .
Non-tonal languages like English, Egyptian and Mongolian originate in drier climates where vocal cords dehydrate and become imprecise . |
162,937 | 5eb1deb65d21600e60fc145d83d350f839822864 | Most 13-year-olds resort to farcical excuses to avoid handing in homework. Why not hack your school's online system and take the answers directly? And if it's going to take months of filling your piggy-bank to buy the newest Xbox game, why not hack an online store and lower the price to whatever you see fit? Those are of some of the prospective antics of Wang Zhengyang, an adolescent who's been dubbed China's 'hacking prodigy'. Scroll down for video . Wang Zhengyang (pictured) is an adolescent who's been dubbed China's 'hacking prodigy,' and has developed a profile in the Chinese media . Tsinghua University in Beijing, where Zhengyang is already affiliated, despite being only 13-years-old . The junior high student is already working with Tsinghua University in Beijing, and has developed a public profile in China. But the media have accused Zhengyang of using his hacking prowess for mischief. Zhengyang addressed these reports when he spoke at the 2014 Chinese Internet Security Conference in Beijing. Despite online hackings nefarious reputation, Zhangyang says he wants to use his powers for good. 'You have to attack the websites first to find its weaknesses,' he said, and explained that the school website he hacked was not for his own class but the high school students at the same school. And as for changing the price of an item on an online store from 2,500 yuan to 1 yuan, Shanghaiist reported that 'He notified the online store of the security breach and did not make the purchase.' In April, the teenager contacted a popular Beijing-based software called company called Qihoo 360 about a potential system flaw that could affect over 100 educational institutions in the country. 'I think those who hack all day for profit are immoral,' Zhengyang said at the conference. 'It is interesting to look for website security risks and I am overwhelmed with joy when I find one. But I will not use my talent for something illegal.' In April, Zhengyang contacted a popular Beijing-based software called company called Qihoo 360 about a potential system flaw that could affect over 100 educational institutions in the country . | Wang Zhengyang has been dubbed China's 'hacking prodigy'
The junior high student is already working with Tsinghua University in Beijing .
Zhengyang spoke at the 2014 Chinese Internet Security Conference .
He says 'you have to attack the websites first to find its weaknesses'
The teenager has contacted a popular Beijing-based software company about potential system flaws . |
60,798 | acc43a4a331cc455c800961da655acaf3b01632c | (CNN) -- Taliban advances in Pakistan are raising concerns in Islamabad and capitals as far away as Washington. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson looks at how the Taliban spread and what could be done to help Pakistan. Students in burqas in Buner district . How is the Taliban extending its influence in Pakistan? It has extended its influence considerably over the last few years moving northwards along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, from South Waziristan to North Waziristan to Bajur and across now to Swat and Buner. But the Taliban has also extended its influence because it is now involved with several Punjab terrorist groups that have affiliated themselves with the border Taliban and have helped commit some attacks such as one on a police station in Lahore. The Pakistan government has been cutting deals with the different elements that were Taliban or became Taliban since 2004-2005. Those deals have enabled the Taliban to extend themselves. Is Pakistan going to fall or fail? The overall answer to that is no. But the Taliban is further destabilizing an incredibly unstable situation. There is a weak government that faces challenges, not only from the Taliban but also from almost every political party in the country. It faces challenges from across the border with its old enemy India, which means a large percentage of the Pakistan army is tied up on that border rather than fighting terrorism. The Taliban is not going to take Islamabad, but its attacks and advances are going to weaken an already unstable government and make an already dangerous situation even more volatile... and that will mean the Taliban will be able to wield more influence in the future than they do today. What options are open to the Pakistan government and other countries? Pakistan could form a broad-based government of national unity and appeal for more international support in terms of encouraging financial aid and having trade restrictions lifted so they can improve the economy. The international community could help Pakistan resolve issues with India. It would help the economy and help the government focus on its own internal problems and better influence the situation in Afghanistan. What the Pakistan government would also need to do is convince its people that outside support and help is in their best interests to deal with terrorism and stabilize the country. To do that the government would also have to win the support of its large Pashtun minority, from whom the Taliban draws a lot of its support ... and that is difficult particularly as the U.S. -- which would need to be a principle supporter of Pakistan -- continues to bomb targets in Pashtun areas leading to civilian casualties. | Taliban influences in Pakistan has developed over years .
Pakistan government weak and could be weakened further .
Pakistan has options to deal with Taliban, but they come with problems . |
214,495 | a1bef0d48d1785f1371e830db73d0b5c6613a489 | By . Lucy Crossley . PUBLISHED: . 15:28 EST, 24 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 17:38 EST, 24 February 2014 . A Victorian church where Sherlock Homes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tried to contact the dead has gone up for sale. The Cedars Spiritualist Church in Ipswich, Suffolk - once a hotbed of British spiritualism - is on the market for between £500,000 and £700,000. In the 1920s it hosted packed meetings where psychics would try to contact the spirits of people who had passed on. On the market: The Cedars Spiritualist Church in Ipswich, Suffolk, where Sherlock Homes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tried to contact the dead has gone up for sale . Spiritualist: One regular visitor to the church was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was one of the most famous spiritualists of his day . One regular visitor was writer Doyle who was one of the most famous spiritualists of his day, finding solace in the practice after losing his wife Louise in 1906 and his son Kingsley just before the end of the First World War. Records show that Ipswich Psychic Society - as the church was once known - hosted popular garden parties and talks that attracted as many as 1,000 people. Kandi Munson, The Cedars' president, said the imposing Victorian property was originally bought for £800. Attraction: Records show that Ipswich Psychic Society - as the church was once known - hosted popular garden parties and talks that attracted as many as 1,000 people . On the move: Church leaders have taken the decision to sell up as they want a property more suited to what the church now offers, including activities such as yoga and meditation, as well as regular services . She added: 'We had our own mediums, Joan Brown and Dorothy Abraham, who lived here in the flats above the church for many years. 'They talked about people arriving in horse and carriages from London, visits from and to Native Indians in Canada and, of course, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who came to society meetings on a number of occasions. 'We've got all his books on spiritualism - all first editions which he gave us. They are locked away but they won't be sold as part of the house. Creation: Conan Doyle was the man behind the famed literary detective Sherlock Holmes, played in the BBC series Sherlock by Benedict Cumberbatch . 'They are too precious and will be coming with us to our new home.' Church leaders have taken the decision to sell up as they want a property more suited to what the church now offers, including activities such as yoga and meditation, as well as regular services. Auctioneer Tim Golding said: 'It's a special property and not just because of its history.' The Cedars will be going under the hammer at Goldings Auctions at Wherstead Park next month. Beliefs: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle found solace in spirituality and the belief in being able to contact the dead after sinking into depression following the deaths of his wife Louisa and son Kingsley, as well as his brother and other relatives. Kingsley Doyle had died in October 1918, just before the end of the First World War, after contracting pneumonia while recovering from an injury inflicted during the Battle of the Somme. The year after his youngest son's death Doyle attended a sitting with a Welsh medium in which he claimed Kingsley had spoke to him, and that he had also seen his mother and nephew. He became a leading voice in the spiritualist movement, even writing a Professor Challenger novel The Land Of Mist on the subject, while his 1922 book The Coming Of The Fairies revealed he was apparently convinced that the Cottingley Fairies photographs were real. Doyle's staunch belief in spiritualism even brought about the end of his friendship with magician Harry Houdini, who began to speak out against spiritualism after the death of his mother. Houdini insisted that mediums used trickery and illusions to fool grieving relatives, but was unable to convince Doyle this was the case. Just after the author's death in July 1930 at the age of 71, a spiritualist meeting was organised at the Royal Albert Hall to enable Conan Doyle to make one final appearance. Thousands of people attended including his second wife Jean and some of his children, and even though the author did not appear, some in the audience claimed they had felt his presence. | The Cedars Spiritualist Church in Ipswich, Suffolk is up for sale at auction .
In the 1920s the building hosted psychics who tried to contact spirits .
Thousands attended parties at the Ipswich Psychic Society .
Sir Arther Conan Doyle was a regular visitor to the meetings .
The author was one of the most famous spiritualists of his day . |
6,633 | 12d0816cd35e654752cf27892217ed9af425e6f5 | A local council has created controversy by asking non-Islamic women to wear hijabs in a 'social experiment' to increase awareness and education. The City of Greater Dandenong Council in Victoria to wear the religious headdress for three hours today, as part of its plans to celebrate 'National Youth Week.' The event, which will also be filmed, has been designed to 'provide awareness, insight and education' for the community. Scroll down for video . A local council has created controversy by asking non-Islamic women to wear hijabs in a 'social experiment' to increase awareness and education . However, critics of the plan said it will create further division in the community, according to the Herald Sun. 'If we're going to have people dressing up as Muslims for three hours, why doesn't the council encourage people to dress up as Christians,' Institute of Public Affairs executive director John Roskam said. Mr Roskam also said recent events prove that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, not Muslims. 'This doesn't encourage integration, this encourages separateness. This is not what multicultural Australia is all about,' he said. 'What the council should be encouraging is allowing people from any walk of life and any religion to integrate.' Islamic Friendship Association president Keysar Trad said the project would be attacked, but it was a way for people to positively engage with the Muslim community and gain a different perspective. Institute of Public Affairs executive director John Roskam said 'This doesn't encourage integration, this encourages separateness. This is not what multicultural Australia is all about' Islamic Friendship Association president Keysar Trad said the project would be attacked, but it was a way for people to positively engage with the Muslim community and gain a different perspective . The Greater Dandenong council has previously held public pool sessions for Muslim women. The event follows ugly incidents last week that saw anti-Islamic protesters clash with anti-racism activists. Police were forced separate Reclaim Australia supporters and opposing protesters by forming a wall at separate rallies in Melbourne. A Federation Square spokesman estimated 3000 people went at it noisily for more than three hours. Two men and a woman were arrested during the protests. A small group of protesters burnt an Australian flag during the rally. About 3000 people clashed at opposing protests in Melbourne between an anti-Islamic group and 'anti-racism' activists . An Australian flag was burnt by anti-racism protesters in Melbourne . Police were forced to form a wall between the opposing groups at the Melbourne rally . About 200 people turned up at the rally in Sydney, which was held in the pouring rain in Martin Place. A rally in Brisbane was attended by controversial One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who declared she was not a racist and that 'criticism is not racism'. She told the crowd she is a proud Australian fighting for the country's democracy and way of life. Reclaim Australia organised a number of protests in cities across the country opposing 'sharia law, halal tax and Islamisation'. | Council asks non-Muslim women to wear hijab to promote understanding .
'Social experiment' planned by Greater Dandenong council in Victoria .
Critics say it will only create further division and 'encourage separateness'
Controversy comes after ugly protests at anti-Islamic protests last week . |
35,901 | 65efeaf0f88689efad48b0c11769113e1aedfeb4 | Zimbabwe has defended its decision to send 62 baby elephants to zoos in China, France and the United Arab Emirates, saying the country is 'overpopulated' with the animal. Buyers from China want 27, the UAE 15, and France between 15 to 20, in deals that conservationists have described as 'ethically unconscionable'. Jerry Gotora, head of Zimbabwe's parks and wildlife management authority, said its elephant population was not sustainable. The country had 80,000 elephants, but only had a 'capacity' for 42,000, he said. Zimbabwe has defended its decision to send 62 baby elephants to zoos in China, France and the United Arab Emirates, saying the country is 'overpopulated' with the animal . Frank Pope, from the charity Save The Elephants, said elephants are among the 'most intelligent and socially conscious' in the animal kingdom and the effects of taking babies from their mothers are 'awful to contemplate' According to The Times, Walter Mzembi, Zimbabwe's tourism minister, has said money from the sales would help to fund the country's national parks. The volume of sales pale in comparison to the 30,000 elephants that are killed illegally each year to meet China's demands for ivory. But the sale has further highlighted the stark differences of opinion in the wild animal trade. South Africa, is campaigning to legalise the trade in rhino horns. The country is home to 73 per cent of the world's wild rhinoceroses and claims that the existing ban has failed and if the trade was legalised it would poaching less attractive. Conservationists claim that would only increase demand in Asia for illegal sales, something they claim happened after the Convention on International trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) authorised two one-off sales in ivory in 1999 and 2008. Frank Pope, from the charity Save The Elephants, said elephants are among the 'most intelligent and socially conscious' in the animal kingdom and the effects of taking babies from their mothers are 'awful to contemplate'. Cynthia Moss, director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants said separating baby elephants from their mothers was 'despicable'. Walter Mzembi, Zimbabwe's tourism minister, has said money from the sale of the baby elephants would help to fund the country's national parks . South Africa, is campaigning to legalise the trade in rhino horns. The country is home to 73 per cent of the world's wild rhinoceroses and claims that the existing ban has failed and if the trade was legalised it would poaching less attractive; pictured above is some ivory tusks confiscated at Nairobi International Airport . At least one of the elephants calves exported from Zimbabwe in a similar shipment two years ago lives alone in a cage in Taiyuan zoo, China. Trading in African elephants is prohibited as the animal is critically endangered. Zimbabwe is one of four countries, with South Africa, Botswana and Nambia, that were granted an exemption by Cites in 1997. Cites told the newspaper that they do not consider African elephants in Zimbabwe to be 'threatened with extinction'. Since 1997 Zimbabwe has been allowed to 'trade in live animals to appropriate and acceptable destinations'. | Zimbabwe says it has 80,000 elephants, but only has capacity for 42,000 .
The country has been allowed to trade in wild animals since 1997 .
China wants 27 elephants, the UAE 15, and France wants 15 to 20 . |
97,050 | 08e421f349912f11d9782577bcfcff6353f2d7a4 | By . Deborah Arthurs . PUBLISHED: . 11:46 EST, 11 June 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:28 EST, 12 June 2013 . The Countess of Wessex was the latest Royal to pay the Duke of Edinburgh a visit in the hospital as she arrived at the London Clinic earlier this afternoon. Looking glamorous and in good spirits, Sophie Wessex waved to assembled photographers as she entered the building where Philip has been staying since late last week. She carried what appeared to be a small cool bag - giving rise to suggestions that she was bearing some sort of edible gift for the Duke. Sophie's visit came after visits a day earlier from the Queen and Prince Edward, who arrived at the hospital on Philip's 92nd birthday yesterday bearing greetings cards. Bearing gifts: Sophie carried what appeared to be a cool bag as she arrived at the London Clinic earlier today . Chic: Sophie looked glamorous in a pale yellow print silk dress and navy blazer . The Queen left at about 7.30pm after a half an hour visit. Prince Edward was the first member of the Royal Family to visit the Duke and said he was doing 'well' after his visit. His visit lasted 20 minutes and as he left he was asked by the waiting press how his father was and replied: 'Well, thank you'. The family had good reason for their seemingly elevated mood. Yesterday Buckingham Palace described the Duke of Edinburgh as 'comfortable and in good spirits' following an exploratory operation. Well groomed: Sophie looked radiant as she arrived at the hospital . The Queen was pictured holding an envelope addressed to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh . The Queen smiled as she was greeted by staff during the visit to the London Clinic on the Duke's 92nd birthday . Prince Philip, pictured last week before his operation, spent his 92nd birthday in hospital . The Duke is progressing well following his operation on Friday. Once out of hospital he will . spend two months convalescing, said the Palace. The Queen arrived shortly before 7pm at the London Clinic where her husband is being treated. In a short statement the Palace said: . 'His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is progressing according to . plans at this early stage. He is comfortable and in good spirits. 'He will remain in hospital for up to . two weeks, and it is expected he will then be taking a period of . convalescence of approximately two months.' The Palace confirmed the Prince is due to resume public engagements in the autumn. The Duke has already received the . good wishes of the Prime Minister on his birthday and gun salutes have . been fired across the UK to mark the milestone. David Cameron took to Twitter to send . a birthday message to Philip: 'Wishing the Duke of Edinburgh a very . happy 92nd birthday as he recovers in hospital today.' All's well! Prince Edward waves to onlookers as he leaves the London Clinic after visiting his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, to wish him a happy 92nd birthday while he recuperates from an abdominal operation . Good son: Prince Edward arrives at the London Clinic to visit his father Prince Philip on his 92nd birthday . Welcome party: A member of staff greeted the Earl as he stepped from the vehicle and she curtseyed to the royal before walking into the building with him . Prince Edward arrived at the central London hospital in a Land Rover Discovery shortly after 3.30pm. A member of staff greeted the Earl as he stepped from the vehicle and . she curtseyed to the royal before walking into the building with him. The . police presence around the hospital increased ahead of Edward's arrival . and broadcasters and photographers sprung into action to capture the . moment. Following the Duke's operation on . Friday, Buckingham Palace said he was 'progressing satisfactorily' and . was 'comfortable', but has not released any further updates. Edward's visit indicates the Duke is well enough to see callers but he did not stay long, leaving after 20 minutes. Prince Philip had been too tired to accept visits but the Queen's arrival is a good sign of his recovery. Prince Charles and . Camilla were at Birkhall, their private residence at Balmoral. Bringing cheer: A man delivers flowers and birthday balloons to the London Clinic, where the Duke of Edinburgh is recuperating following an operation on his abdomen . 'Doing well': The Duke was admitted to the London Clinic for the pre-arranged operation on Thursday evening, following a garden party at the Palace that day . Gun salutes were fired yesterday to mark his birthday. The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41-gun royal salute at noon to mark Philip’s birthday. The . Palace has not revealed what prompted the exploratory surgery but . sources said doctors ‘picked something up’ during a routine health . check. The Duke was then admitted to the London . Clinic ahead of Friday's pre-arranged operation on Thursday night, following a garden . party at the Palace that day. The surgery, known as a laparotomy, . was performed on Friday under general anaesthetic. He was visited by the royal doctor, Professor . John Cunningham, on Saturday and the results of the operation are . expected later this week. Royal honour: King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fire a 41-gun salute in Green Park to celebrate the 92nd birthday of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh in London on Monday . Marking milestone: The 41-gun salute took place in Green Park at noon, followed an hour later by a 62-round salute by the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London . The Duke is likely to remain in hospital for up to two weeks in total . while he recovers. Royal-watchers said it was not unusual . for members of the Royal Family not to visit the duke in hospital, . because he disliked ‘fuss’. The duke’s latest admission is the fourth time in 18 months that he has needed hospital treatment. In . 2008 he was admitted for four days with a chest infection but refused . to receive any well-wishers, instead catching up on his paperwork. His . eldest grandson Peter Phillips said last week that the family was kept . informed but added: ‘He’s one of those people who wouldn’t want you to . stop just because he’s gone into hospital.’ The Queen has continued with her royal engagements and visited the BBC Broadcasting House on Friday . Last August he was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary to be treated for a recurrence of a bladder infection while staying with the Queen at Balmoral. He was in hospital for six days and was not visited by any members of the Royal Family, following doctors’ orders for the elderly Duke to rest. Two months earlier he spent five days convalescing at London’s Edward VII hospital after being taken ill following the Diamond Jubilee pageant along the River Thames. And in 2011 he spent Christmas in hospital after he was rushed to Papworth Hospital in Cambridge with chest pains on December 23. He underwent an operation to clear a blocked artery. | Sophie arrived at the hospital following visits yesterday from Queen and Prince Edward .
Countess of Wessex spent an hour at the London Clinic .
Duke had exploratory abdominal surgery on Friday and is progressing well . |
270,585 | ea730c7f4e8245cd44e5c929d7d659c2fa441a49 | (CNN) -- One morning about 25 years ago the telephone rang at home. "Is this Charles Kaiser?" "Yes." "Oh. Well, this is Mike Nichols, and this is one of those weird Sunday morning phone calls. You gave such a great speech at Luis' funeral. I just wondered if we could have lunch sometime." "Yes we could!" I replied. Luis was Luis Sanjurjo, a remarkable character and a good friend of mine who had been an agent at International Creative Management. When he died of AIDS in 1987, Sanjurjo's clients included Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Kopit, Wallace Shawn and Benjamin Netanyahu. Before that, he had been Nichols' executive assistant. Apparently Mike had never had a chance to say a proper good-bye to our mutual friend; our lunch would be sort of a stand-in for that missing farewell. A luncheon invitation from one of the most exciting people in show business was irresistible. This was a man who had been a star of stage and film continuously since he had helped to inaugurate an eye-opening decade in 1960 with his celebrated two-person show with Elaine May on Broadway. Eventually he would win nine Tonys for his theater work, plus various Oscars, Emmys and Grammys. A few weeks later, I biked over to Nichols' house on the East Side and we went around the corner to a little Italian restaurant--and stayed there from 2 o'clock until 6 o'clock. Mike bummed one cigarette after another from the waiters, as we talked above love, sex, drugs, show business and our friend Luis. His romance with Diane Sawyer was still new, and he explained how they had met over the Atlantic on the Concorde. Sawyer was then a correspondent for "60 Minutes," and she had called him a week later to ask if she could profile him for the TV show. "No," said Nichols. "But we could have dinner." And then they were off. The prolific director of theater and film was especially pleased when I told him how much I had loved "Streamers," the David Rabe play about young men going off to Vietnam that he had directed at Lincoln Center 10 years earlier, and "The Real Thing," Tom Stoppard's great play about love and marriage, which won Nichols one of his Tonys for its direction. As he was for so many people my age around the world, he had been my hero since he had held up a brilliant mirror to our generation with "The Graduate" in 1967 (for which he won an Oscar) and before that with his astonishing debut as a film director, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"-- "a directing debut like few others in the history of American film," as Frank Rich wrote on Thursday. "Did Elizabeth Taylor give her finest performance in 'Woolf' because she was playing herself?" I asked, over the rigatoni. "Oh no." Nichols replied. "She's not a person! It's not her fault--she's been a movie star since she was 10!" The strange thing about our lunch was, Luis Sanjurjo was gay, and I was gay, and Nichols knew that. But he peppered the conversation with odd, homophobic remarks like, "Most gay people you know aren't really all that smart." When we finally said good-bye after four hours of repartee, I felt I had to challenge him. "I didn't really appreciate all those homophobic remarks," I said. "Well," he replied, with that permanent twinkle in his eye, "I could have made a pass at you instead." "Well," said I, "that would have been much worse!" After that I ran into him here and there--most recently at Nora Ephron's funeral--and he was always friendly. But we never had lunch again. Fast forward to the Golden Theatre last July. This was where Nichols had opened half a century ago in "An Evening With Mike Nichols and Elaine May." In this partly improvised tour de force, the two of them imitated everything from a mother pillorying her scientist son for neglecting her to a clueless nurse in a feverish emergency room. This time he was there to be interviewed onstage by Broadway director Jack O'Brien for an HBO documentary being produced by Frank Rich. O'Brien and Nichols had already done several hours of filmed interviews, but without an audience, and there hadn't been much sparkle. Only when he was in front of the packed theater did the director with the soul of a performer suddenly come alive. Nichols looked thin and rather frail, but his words were mesmerizing, and for an hour and a half his audience was spellbound. He picked up where we had left off at lunch, telling amazing stories about "The Graduate" and "Virginia Woolf": how Simon & Garfunkel had become the soundtrack for "The Graduate" because his brother happened to give him one of their albums while he was filming it, and he suddenly realized that several of the songs were a perfect fit for some of the scenes he had already shot. Eventually he told the singers they would have to write one song just for the movie. They demurred for just a moment, then launched into a rousing version of "Mrs. Robinson." "How did you do that?" Nichols asked. "Well," Paul Simon replied, "I'd been working on a new song: Here's to you, Mrs. Roosevelt!" Nichols said he had only realized late in life that the plot of "The Graduate" was really "Phèdre," the 17th century masterpiece by Jean Racine: "a story that comes back in every generation." He had also decided that there are only three kinds of scenes in any drama: "seductions, negotiations and fights." He had had to fight Jack Warner, who wanted "Virginia Woolf" to be made in color. But Nichols knew it had to be black and white. The most important lesson he had learned from the first movie he made was "how beautiful black-and-white is. It's not literal. It's a metaphor automatically, already saying, this is not life, it's about life. I was excited about that." He said one reason he had never written anything about his life was that he only knew how to print; he had never been able to write script. But he was always happy to be interviewed about his many accomplishments. When I got home that night I sent Nichols an email: "Having had that experience once before for four hours, I knew you would be amazing. But you were more than amazing this evening. Not just a once-in-a-lifetime night in the theater: a lesson in life." I was delighted when he wrote back: "Thanks, Charles, for your extremely kind words. It was tricky talking about self but Jack was so generous and loving he made it ok. Glad you enjoyed it." It turned out to be his final performance. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Charles Kaiser. | Charles Kaiser recalls two encounters with legendary director Mike Nichols .
He says Nichols understood the role of performers because he had been one himself .
Kaiser: Nichols held a brilliant mirror up to baby boom generation with "The Graduate" |
132,591 | 37780db2e74d78789a6162c7cb1f2648183d9976 | By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 11:56 EST, 31 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:57 EST, 1 November 2013 . Gruesome: A woman suffered terrible headaches after unwittingly wearing a human hair weave reportedly filled with maggots that burrowed into her head (file picture of unconnected hair weave) A woman claimed she was plagued with blinding headaches after she was fitted with a human hair weave reportedly filled with flesh-eating maggots that burrowed into her head. Irene Myangoh, a personal assistant at a law firm in Nairobi, Kenya, paid a salon for the hair piece which doctors believe may have come from a corpse. After two weeks, she started suffering from severe headaches which painkillers did little to ease. When blood tests and a brain scan also . came back negative, she went back to her doctor who examined her scalp . and reportedly found maggots eating into her skull. The . doctor said the maggots had likely hatched from eggs contained in the . hair which she believed came from a dead body, it was reported by . African internet TV station iReportersTV. No further details were given about the maggots and the doctor could not be reached for comment by the station. The . manager of the salon said she had fitted ten weaves from the package . where Miss Myangoh's came from, adding that she had sold 150 pieces from . the entire batch in less than two months. The . woman, who did not want to be named, said: 'I am shocked to hear this . because this is the first time such a thing is happening to my clients. 'I will get more information from my supplier because we import these weaves from the UK, USA and India.' She . said the supplier may have sent her rejects from a factory and promised . to compensate Miss Myangoh, who had to shave her hair and take . antibiotics for two weeks after her ordeal. Dr CK Musau, a surgeon at Nairobi hospital, told iReportersTV that he had dealt with ten similar cases in the last six months. He added: 'It is unfortunate how the West has influenced Kenyan youth, especially ladies. 'They should stick to their natural African beauty as opposed to trying to ape what they see.' | Legal assistant Irene Myangoh bought hair piece from salon in Nairobi .
She was forced to shave her hair and take antibiotics after her ordeal .
Salon manager says she has fitted ten weaves from the same package . |
153,492 | 525853564896abd304af65a285cda282f5c2e65b | Washington (CNN) -- Astronomers have discovered a new planet that just may be able to support life in a nearby solar system a mere 20 light years from Earth. It's called Gliese 581g and is located in the constellation Libra. It circles the red dwarf star Gliese 581. According to a research that is set to be published in the Astrophysical Journal, the planet is "squarely in the middle of the habitable zone of the star" which offers a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet around a very nearby star. When a planet falls in the "habitable zone" it means that it orbits the star at a distance that allows for the planet to have both liquid water and an atmosphere, two conditions that are considered important for life to exist. "Our findings offer a very compelling case for a potentially habitable planet," said Astronomy Professor Steven Vogt of the University of California Santa Cruz who lead the research along with Astronomer Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institute. To scientists a "potentially habitable" planet is not one where humans would want to live, but rather one that could sustain life. The scientists believe the new planet has a mass three to four times that of Earth and orbits its star approximately every 37 days. It's likely rocky planet, according to Vogt. Size is another factor in determining the likelihood of a planet to be able to support life. It has to be large enough to hold an atmosphere, but not so large that it becomes an "ice giant" like Neptune or Uranus. "If we discover life outside our planet, it would perhaps be the most significant discovery of all time," said Ed Seidel of the National Science Foundation. "This is clearly one of the most exciting areas of science these days." The report can be found at http://arxiv.org/list/astro-ph.EP/new. | Gilese 581g is 20 light years from Earth -- a near neighbor by galactic standards .
Soon-to-be-published research says body is in "habitable" zone of its solar system .
Scientists believe Gilese 581g has a mass three to four times that of Earth .
A habitable planet has to be a rocky planet large enough to hold an atmosphere . |
111,867 | 1c4421cd802ff112919f932c32c158a611641961 | A rare and ancient trove of coins and jewellery has been found buried near Temple Mount in Jerusalem dating back to the 7th Century. The haul includes a total of 36 gold . coins etched with images of Byzantine emperors and a 10cm medallion etched with a Menorah, Shofar made from a ram's horn, and a Torah scroll. Among the unprecedented find, made by Dr Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, was also a 3,000-year-old earthenware jug inscribed with what is believed to be the earliest example of written text ever discovered in the region. Scroll down for video . A 10cm medallion etched with a Menorah, Shofar made from a ram's horn and a Torah scroll, (pictured) was found at the same site as the earthenware jug inscribed with the wine label. However, the medallion dates from the 7th Century, unlike the older wine container . A total of 36 gold coins etched with images of Byzantine emperors, pictured, were also found in the Ophel region between the City of David and Temple Mount. Many of the coins featured emperors ranging across a 250-year period including Constantine II to Mauricius . The Ophel treasure was found by archaeologist Eilat Mazar, pictured, from Hebrew University . Dr Mazar told the Times of Israel: 'I have never found so much gold in my . life! I was frozen. It was unexpected.' The discovery was made in the ruins of a Byzantine public structure located in the Ophel region - between the city of David and around 50 metres from the southern wall of the First Temple. Temple Mount is considered one of the most religious sites in Jerusalem and is where two biblical Jewish temples once stood. It is also a site of Muslim interest site known as the Haram as-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary. This area is thought to be part of an ancient city wall in Jerusalem dating back to the 10th century BC, possibly built by King Solomon. The trove was found in a section of this wall that is 70 yards long and six yards high. The discovery was made in the ruins of a Byzantine public structure located in the Ophel region between the city of David and the southern wall of the First Temple, (pictured). This area is thought to be part of an ancient city wall of Jerusalem dating back to the 10th century BC, possibly built by King Solomon . Ophel is an area of Jerusalem between the City of David and the southern wall of the First Temple. Dr Eilat Mazar uncovered part of an ancient city wall around 50 metres from the temple, and dating back to the 10th century BC in 2010. The section is 70 yards long and six yards high. Uncovered in the city wall complex was an inner gatehouse for access into the royal quarter of the city, a royal structure adjacent to the gatehouse, and a corner tower that overlooks a substantial section of the adjacent Kidron valley. Mazar uncovered the section in 2010. She found an inner gatehouse for access into the royal quarter of the city, a royal structure adjacent to the gatehouse, and a corner tower that overlooks a substantial section of the adjacent Kidron valley. Many of the coins found featured emperors ranging across a 250-year including Constantine II to Mauricius. As well as the Byzantine gold, pottery discovered at the site is believed to date back to the 10th Century, around the time of King David. There were six ceramic jugs found in total and one had an ancient inscription engraved onto the side believed to be the earliest written text ever found in Jerusalem - predating the existing earliest engraving by around 250 years. Uncovered in the city wall complex, pictured, was an inner gatehouse for access into the royal quarter of the city, a royal structure adjacent to the gatehouse, and a corner tower that overlooks a substantial section of the adjacent Kidron valley . Ophel, marked here by A, is an area of Jerusalem between the City of David and the southern wall of the First Temple . The inscription is written in an ancient language called Canaanite - originally spoken by a group of Biblical people before they were conquered by the Israelites in 1000BC. The language was later revived among certain groups living in the region. It consists of a letters that appear to translate to m, q, p, h, and n. Although the meaning and full translation has not been carried out yet, Mazar believes the inscription could be the name of the jar's owner. Mazar told the Times of Israel she believed the artefacts formed part of a 'communal treasure meant to help the sparse Jewish community survive hard times or rebuild what the Jews hoped would be a free community under Persian rule.' | Discovery made in an area called Ophel at the base of Temple Mount .
Excavators discovered 36 gold coins and a Jewish Menorah medallion .
Artefacts are thought to date back to the 7th Century Byzantine period .
A 3,000-year-old jug was also found inscribed with the earliest written text ever discovered in Jerusalem . |
218,094 | a65e300190a545574eacff46552efb4178db30e8 | Disbarred lawyer, Ann Marie Miller, 40, will be extradited to Colorado to face charges that she swindled two elderly men out of their homes . A former lawyer who removed her fingerprints to hide her identity will be extradited to Colorado to faces charges that she swindled two elderly men out of their homes. Ann Marie Miller, 40, has been charged with 14 counts of theft, forgery, conspiracy and attempting to influence a public servant. The disbarred bankruptcy lawyer, who burned off her fingerprints with chemicals, will go on trial next month in Allen County, Ohio, on a felony tampering charge. Lynn Kimbrough, spokesman for the Denver District Attorney's Office, said prosecutors will file extradition papers to move her to Colorado after she is tried in Ohio. Miller came to the attention of police when the siblings of an elderly man who suffered from dementia tried to sell their brother's home after his death. They found he no longer owned the property, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Prosecutors accuse Miller of filing a fraudulent claim to the house days before the man died, transferring ownership to her alleged accomplice, a paroled sex offender. Investigators were made aware of a second victim, an elderly man whose will was allegedly forged by Miller, revoking his previous will and deeding his house to her. Miller was arrested after trying to use a fake birth certificate to obtain a state identification card under the name Julia Wadsworth. While booking her in jail, authorities discovered that her fingerprints were gone. 'There was no ridge detail whatsoever. Just smooth, like a baby's butt. They're never going to come back,' said Allen County Sheriff Samuel Crish. On her computer, investigators found she had researched information on how to remove fingerprints and how to determine if someone was being investigated by a federal agency. She was identified after Sheriff Crish's office contacted police in southwest Florida, where the woman mentioned she had spent time caring for an elderly man. Miller practised law in Roanoke until her license was revoked in 2009 by the Virginia Bar, records show. The former lawyer previously faced several charges in Virginia relating to a love triangle with a male attorney and a female paralegal. | Disbarred laywer Ann Marie Miller, 40, will be extradited to Colorado .
She has been charged with 14 counts of theft, forgery and conspiracy .
Prosecutors say she swindled two elderly men out of their homes .
Miller burned off her fingerprints with chemicals to hide her identity . |
24,786 | 463d0964f86e1f6e43764037d7e21591c12fe46b | By . Emma Innes . PUBLISHED: . 12:50 EST, 7 February 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 14:33 EST, 7 February 2014 . Stephanie Sanpher, 13, died of meningitis after paramedics took two hours to get her to hospital . The grieving mother of a teenage meningitis victim says more could have been done to save her daughter’s life after paramedics took two hours to get her to hospital. Stephanie Sanpher, 13, collapsed on January 31 after staying off school with a sore throat. Her mother Joanne, 36, saw red marks on her body and called an ambulance when she started to vomit. A rapid response car arrived at their home in Dersingham, Norfolk, after four minutes - but an ambulance did not turn up until 84 minutes after the 999 call, Ms Sanpher says. Ms Sanpher says by the time the ambulance arrived, Stephanie, who had epilepsy, was critically ill and medics at hospital could not save her. She said: ‘They didn’t help her in time and that left her brain damaged. ‘The hospital did a great job, but it was too late by the time she got to the hospital, she was already brain damaged.’ She added: ‘We loved her so much. She was absolutely our world. She was the most kind and understanding girl. ‘She never judged anybody, was just an angel and no trouble. She loved the TV series Hollyoaks and the band, One Direction. ‘She was one of those girls that everybody loves. She could go into a room full of strangers and they would immediately take to her.’ Stephanie’s brother Alex, 10, said his sister was ‘always helpful and played games’ with him. An East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) spokesman confirmed it had a call from Stephanie’s mother at 12:07pm but says it has not received a formal complaint from her. Ms Sanpher says a rapid response car was on the scene within four minutes but an ambulance did not arrive until 1.31pm. Stephanie's mother, Joanne, says Stephanie had already suffered brain damage by the time she reached Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn. Despite their best efforts, doctors were unable to save her . She added that Stephanie did not reach the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, until 2.03pm - two hours after her initial call. The seven mile journey from her house to the hospital takes 13 minutes. The call was classed as ‘red’ - the highest priority. The EEAST’s policy states red calls should be responded to within eight minutes 75 per cent of the time. Early warning signs of bacterial meningitis - the more serious form - include pain in the muscles, joints or limbs, unusually cold hand and feet, shivering and pale or blotchy skin. The next symptoms to develop are often a severe headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and feeling generally unwell. As the condition develops the patient may suffer drowsiness, confusion, fits, a fear of bright lights, a stiff neck, fast breathing and a blotchy red rash that does not fade when a glass is pressed against it. In babies and young children the symptoms include being floppy and unresponsive, becoming irritable and not wanting to be held, unusual crying, vomiting, pale and blotchy skin, loss of appetite, a staring expression and being very sleepy. Source: NHS Choices . Stephanie was transferred to . Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge by the Children’s Acute Transport . Service (CATS) from Great Ormond Street Hospital but she died four days . later. Dr Anthony Marsh, EEAST Chief Executive, said: 'We’re extremely saddened to hear that Stephanie died following her collapse last Friday, and send the family our condolences. 'Our first paramedic on scene did everything possible we would expect from an initial response, but clearly Stephanie’s condition deteriorated and an ambulance should have been with her more quickly for which we apologise. 'The Trust is in the process of recruiting 400 student paramedics and has taken immediate steps to increase ambulance cover in Norfolk.' Cases of bacterial meningitis have halved in the past 25 years but it still affects 3,200 a year. One in ten of those who contract the illness die. Stephanie’s headteacher Jon Goodchild, at Smithdon High School in Hunstanton, Norfolk, said: ‘Stephanie was a kind and caring girl. Staff and students remember her beautiful singing voice and really valued her friendship - she was often the one who would bring a smile to friends’ faces when they needed cheering up, and try to make things better. ‘We are all so very sad and our thoughts are with Stephanie’s family - we can only offer them our most sincere sympathy, love and support.’ The case has been described as an ‘isolated incident’ by Public Health England. Dr Giri Shankar, consultant in communicable disease control at Public Health England Anglia and Essex, said: ‘Parents of children at the school have been advised they are not at an increased risk as a result of this case and should not be absent from school. ‘However, it is important for everyone to be aware of the symptoms of meningitis, particularly in young children. If you notice any of these, seek medical advice straight away.’ Tragedy: Last March three-month-old Bella Hellings died when paramedics took three times the target time to reach her . This incident follows a catalogue of errors and ambulance delays by the EEAST. Last . March three-month-old Bella Hellings died when paramedics took three . times the target time to reach her after getting lost twice and then . stopping en route to refuel. The same month an ambulance took two hours to reach a pensioner who had suffered a fall just four miles away from their base. And in August last year another blunder led to the death of teenager Elouise Keeling, 14, who died when she had an asthma attack on an Army Cadets sports day. On that occasion paramedics took twice the target response time after they drove to the wrong address and a second ambulance had to be sent. Norman Lamb was attacked in the House of Commons by Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham on Wednesday for being complacent about the EEAST’s shortcomings. | Stephanie Sanpher collapsed on January 31 after suffering a sore throat .
Her mother noticed she had a red rash and called an ambulance .
Rapid response car arrived in four minutes but ambulance took 84 minutes .
It then took another 32 minutes to get her to the hospital by which time her mother says she had suffered brain damage - she died a few days later . |
224,563 | aec17b6a1d74a25cf75545665ab40d1a816d7ccf | By . Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 05:33 EST, 3 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:02 EST, 3 September 2013 . Deep space can be a lonely place. But what if astronauts could beam their favourite HD videos from Earth? Or create their own 3D films for us to see? That's exactly what Nasa hopes to achieve by testing a system that could replace primitive radio transmissions, which are currently used in space, with laser-based communication. The agency claims the technology will make it possible to eventually send huge amounts of data to deep space. However, its first step will be to establish a two-way laser communication with the moon to prove that the technology is possible. Scroll down for videos... Nasa is planning to ditch primitive radio transmissions and start communicating with lasers in space. The experiment is part of the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) mission which will be hosted aboard LADEE satellite (pictured) The experiment is part of the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) mission which is scheduled to launch on Friday. As well as HD video it could, for instance, also allow humans to remotely control machines for tasks such as asteroid mining or building structures on the moon. LLCD is Nasa’s first dedicated system for two-way communication using laser instead of radio waves. ‘The goal of the LLCD experiment is to validate and build confidence in this technology so that future missions will consider using it,’ said Don Cornwell, LLCD manager. VIDEO: An overview of the LLCD mission . ‘We can even envision such a laser-based system enabling a robotic mission to an asteroid,’ he added. ‘It could have 3D, high-definition video signals transmitted to Earth providing essentially “telepresence” to a human controller on the ground.’ Since Nasa first ventured into space, radio frequency (RF) communication has been the communications platform used. But it is now reaching its limit as demand for more data capacity increases. According to Nasa, laser communication would be less likely to suffer from interference, another limitation of radio frequency (RF) signals. ‘LLCD is designed to send six times more data from the moon using a smaller transmitter with 25 per cent less power as compared to the equivalent state-of-the-art radio (RF) system,’ said Cornwell. A primary ground terminal at Nasa's White Sands Complex in New Mexico will receive and transmit signals . ‘Lasers are also more secure and less susceptible to interference and jamming.’ The LLCD experiment is hosted aboard Nasa’s LADEE: a 100-day robotic mission designed, built, integrated, tested and will be operated by Ames. The LADEE spacecraft will take 30 days to reach the moon because of its flight path. LLCD will begin operations shortly after arrival into lunar orbit and continue for 30 days afterward. LLCD’s main mission objective is to transmit hundreds of millions of bits of data per second from the moon to Earth. This is equivalent to transmitting more than 100 HD television channels simultaneously. LLCD receiving capability will also be tested as tens of millions of bits per second are sent from Earth to the spacecraft. An MIT team designed, built, and tested the terminal. They will be responsible for LLCD's operation at that site . There is a primary ground terminal at Nasa’s White Sands Complex in New Mexico, to receive and transmit LLCD signals. An MIT team designed, built, and tested the terminal. They also will be responsible for LLCD’s operation at that site. There are two alternate sites, one located at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, which is for receiving only. The other is being provided by the European Space Agency on the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the coast of Africa. It will have two-way communication capability with LLCD. VIDEO: In January, an image of Mona Lisa was transmitted to Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft orbiting the moon . 'Having several sites gives us alternatives which greatly reduces the possibility of interference from clouds,' said Cornwell. Nasa engineers believe this technology is even more exciting for communications beyond Earth’s orbit. In the past, Nasa has experimented with sending low amounts of individual pulses to cameras on far-away space probes near Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury. Recently, an image of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, the Mona Lisa, was transmitted to Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft orbiting the moon. ‘But this was done at only hundreds of data bits per second,’ said Cornwell. ‘LLCD will be the first dedicated optical communication system and will send data millions of times faster.’ | 'Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration' mission will launch on Friday .
It aims to send hundreds of millions of bits of data from the moon to Earth .
In the future, this could pave the way for HD video transmissions, or allow humans to remotely control robots for asteroid mining missions . |
140,542 | 41bca211f6789f3b17967d25f3bd9f54ed8d7bec | (CNN) -- Traversing the infamous Northwest Passage was an experience unlike any other I've been through. During a grueling 14-day expedition through the ice-strewn Arctic, our seven-man team faced challenges that not even the intense training we went through beforehand could prepare us for. It is one thing being told what the Arctic is like: seeing it and living it firsthand is quite another. The only one among us with adventure experience was Bear Grylls, our unflappable expedition leader, but by the time we finished we all felt like hardened veterans. From our start point in Pond Inlet, to the pride and relief of reaching Darnley Bay a fortnight later, the journey covered 5700 nautical miles. And if you're imagining us in an ice-breaking ship, think again. This was all done in a rigid inflatable boat, making us the first crew ever to navigate the Passage in such a vessel. As if creating that piece of Arctic history wasn't a thrilling enough prospect, the encounters the journey threw up -- from rescuing a fellow explorer (and his dog) from an ice choke, to stumbling across the possible remains of legendary Arctic explorer Captain Franklin -- made the expedition truly unforgettable. Both those incidents, however, were reminders that in the excitement and adrenaline of adventure, it is easy to forget the all-too-real dangers that the Passage has for centuries presented to those who take it on. Ice chokes, growlers (floating icebergs) and freezing winds during the day, and turbulent seas when night fell (with a member of a team knocked unconscious during a particularly heavy storm) served as a constant reminder that we were very much at the mercy of the environment. Standing guard with a shotgun during an overnight stop at Ross Point, scanning the horizon for grizzly bears, certainly brought that feeling home for me. Perhaps the most frequent emotion I felt, however, was amazement at seeing up close the reason that brought me to the Arctic in the first place. The expanses of ice-strewn water in the Passage are an incredible sight, but they are also a brutal reminder of the climate change that has so changed this landscape. There is a certain irony that the isolated seas of the Passage, the very outer limits of the populated world, should represent a universal concern for the world as a whole. In embarking on the trip, we each knew the challenges that we would personally confront, but in the shifting ice we saw a vivid metaphor for maybe the biggest challenge facing all of us. It is now almost unanimously acknowledged that industrial development and rapid population growth has modified the environment in which we live, and some of the changes in global climatic conditions are already obvious. Nowhere is this more poignant that the Northwest Passage. Until 30 years ago this series of very deep channels that wind through Canada's Arctic Islands was frozen all year round. In the last few years, however, changing climate has caused the ice to thin and melt, and during the summer months it is now possible to cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific. In 10 years, the legendary Passage could be open sea . This is why Future Capital Partners decided to back the expedition. Whilst raising awareness about the effects of global warming and fundraising for charity, we hoped we were also able to promote the role of businesses in reversing -- or at least slowing down -- the global warming process. Crossing the Northwest Passage you understand why this is just the beginning of what has to be done. | Expedition through Northwest Passage showed declining glaciers .
Journey through islands north of Canada covered 5700 nautical miles and lasted 14 days .
Changing climate has melted ice making it possible to cross from Atlantic to Pacific during summer . |
190,514 | 82a69104717f940a54f182b4d1629bccaaea8f9b | By . Travelmail Reporter . Standing in a beautiful 365-acre forest, with birds chirping and a massive, shimmering lake, it's hard to believe I'm less than an hour outside of London. This is Woburn Forest, Center Parcs' latest holiday park – just 45 minutes from St Pancras by train; the perfect playground for those living in the capital. MailOnline Travel is one of the first in the country to stay at the new complex, nestled in the heart of Bedfordshire, which opens to the public on June 6. Subtropical: Woburn's new swimming pool, which is 5,200sq metres in size and cost £28m to build . Out of London: The stunning lake, surrounded by 365-acres of forest at the new Center Parcs complex . It is the brand's fifth park in the UK joining Sherwood, Longleat, Whinfell and Elveden - and this is the closest one to London. For Center Parcs aficionados, there’s all the usual trimmings you would expect to find; the vast, family-friendly complex boasting pretty much every outdoor – and indoor - activity you could want. There are also a few surprises and twists in store to keep this new site, which cost £250m to build, fresh and exciting; including £12m spa, Center Parcs’ largest Subtropical Swimming Paradise, and a gift shop selling £2,000 watches! As well as 625 self-catering lodges in the traditional Center Parcs style, there’s also a new, 75-room luxury hotel, for those who prefer someone else to do the cooking. Grand tour: There are more than 100 activities available at the new park - including Segway rides . Luxury accommodation: Inside one of the self-catering lodges at the new holiday park in Bedfordshire . Shooting range: Glyn and Callum trying their hand at clay pigeon shooting . With my husband Glyn and son Callum, we check-in to our New Style Exclusive cabin, which has three bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen, and a lounge as well as a Jacuzzi in the ensuite. It even boasts a traditional wood sauna, a rainforest shower in the garden, and daily maid service. 'This is the life,' my eight-year-old says cheekily as he packs his bag ready for the day's first activity. The park is perfect for kids, with non-stop activities – from archery, canoeing and laser combat, to falconry, pottery painting and tennis. We’re packing him off for a three-hour slot of Princesses and Pirates - an afternoon of dressing up, songs and crafts with other children. My husband and I opt to check out the Aqua Sana Spa – we’ll get our fill of the great outdoors afterwards. And relax... The infinity pool at Aqua Sana spa, which cost £12m to build . Open plan dining: The lounge area inside an Executive Lodge at the new £250m holiday park . Dining out: A nighttime view of some of the 13 restaurants and cafes on offer at the new park . Inside is a range of hot to ice-cold rain rooms, saunas, steam rooms, relaxation areas and sensory rooms, where we spend two hours relaxing, inhaling wonderful fragrances from herbs and essential oils. Fully pampered, and Callum still racing with energy, the three of us hire bikes and cycle carefree around the park, safe in the knowledge that cars are banned other than on Mondays and Fridays – guest change-over days. The 5,200sq-metre Subtropical Swimming Paradise - which cost £28m - is our next stop. Inside there is a wave pool, flumes, slides, Wild Water Rapids, Lazy River, Wild Water Rapids and three water rides – as well as nearly 5,000 stunning tropical plants that were rescued from areas threatened by deforestation in South East Asia. With snorkel in hand and flip flops on our feet we set about deciding what to go on first. Water activities: The boating lake surrounded by the 365-acre Woburn forest . Water slides: The new £28m subtropical swimming pool boasts tubes, rapids and waves . I find myself lining up for the Tornado – the ‘family’ raft ride. The life guard assures me it’s fine and not too scary. After what feels like a sheer drop at high speed, my legs go to jelly and I decide that I may well just stick to swimming for the rest of the day. Callum’s happy floating around the rapids, and my courage builds enough to try the Twister and Tornado rides on a double inflatable ring – embarrassingly, I end up screaming louder than the children. As the Tarzan call sounds, signalling the start of the waves, everyone rushes into the pool to be thrashed about. I find a quiet corner to recover and relax. In the evening, there are a range of 13 restaurants and cafes to choose from, serving cuisine from around the world including high-street chains such as Strada, Cafe Rouge, and Starbucks. Also on offer is the chance to have a meal prepared for you and delivered to your cabin, giving guests the opportunity to put their feet up after a hard day on the rapids. Non-stop activity: Bikes are the best way to get around the new Center Parcs in Woburn . There’s also evening entertainment suitable for young ones, and I find myself being wrapped up in tissue paper for the ‘Mummy’ game – and that was before the cocktails. The following morning there’s still lots of activities - 100 in total - on offer. Callum and I find ourselves on a spontaneous roller skating session – but he fares better than I do. Then we jump on our bikes again, overtaking a group of Sedway riders who are exploring the vast park as well. Our last stop is the Outdoor Activity Centre for a spot of Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting. Glyn and Callum are excited at playing a real-life PlayStation game, while I laze in the sun, safe in the knowledge that the drive home is only going to take us an hour. Our first family stay at Center Parcs has been a whirlwind experience – and I know my son is going to be begging me to come back again. And when it's a £250m playground that's right on your doorstep, it's that much easier to say yes. A stay at the new Woburn Forest Center Parcs (08448 266266; centerparcs.co.uk/woburn) costs from £399 for a four-night midweek break in a two-bedroom Woodland Lodge, from £799 for a four-bedroom Executive Lodge, or £1,399 for a top-of-the-range four-bedroom new-style Exclusive Lodge. | Bedfordshire holiday park is 50 minutes by train from St Pancras .
New complex boasts £12m spa and £28m Subtropical Swimming Pool .
Opens luxury hotel with 75 rooms - plus 625 self-catering lodges . |
6,897 | 13899572286722dd8f6d90ca698eee43744c6e74 | A lunar light show circled the globe Saturday, rewarding many moongazers with bright, crisp detail of the full moon's craters and basins. Called a "perigee" moon by scientists, the phenomenon occurs once a year. NASA said the moon appears about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons. See views of the moon from around the world . That's because it will be as close to Earth as it will get for a while -- just over 221,000 miles away. CNN iReporter Halldor Sigurdsson snapped the yellowish-ochre orb perched on the shoulder of a mountain overlooking Reykjavik, Iceland. "The colors were spectacular," wrote Sigurdsson, 47. "The weather here for viewing the moon rise could not have been better." Residents of the mainland United States received similar conditions at 11:34 p.m., ET, the peak of this year's "super moon." The best time to see the event is just as the moon crosses Earth's horizon. The moon always looks biggest then, although the reason why is a bit of a mystery. Viewing the moon behind buildings and trees creates an optical illusion so it appears even larger, making it a perfect time to try to grab some beautiful pictures. So why is this full moon so super? As the moon makes its elliptical orbit around Earth, there are specific times when it is closest to and farthest away from our planet. Apogee occurs when the moon is farthest away from us, and perigee occurs when it is closest. Experts say viewers may not notice a noticeable size difference, given there are no reference points when the moon is high overhead. "'Super moon' is a situation when the moon is slightly closer to Earth in its orbit than on average, and this effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon," James Garvin, chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, said in 2011. "So, the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times." Share your big moon photos . Among those staying up late Saturday was Beth Wade of Lake Wylie, South Carolina. She took "test" photos of the moon Friday and early Saturday. "I love nature," said Wade, 31, who has a corporate day job and an online vintage clothing shop."We live on the lake and I love taking photos of the sunset, so anything that is that beautiful, that natural and prominent is great to see. The super moon is a natural phenomenon, and that is what is so awesome about it." Shari Neluka Atukorala, an iReporter in Kandy, Sri Lanka, said the moon "was so bright that I could really see the markings on it quite close ... and yet so far." Not everyone was wowed. Ben Jason Tesiorna, 41, of Davao City, Philippines, took a photo of the moon peeking through clouds. 'I was actually expecting a much larger moon, considering scientists are calling it a super moon," he said. | "The colors were spectacular," writes CNN iReporter in Iceland .
Mainland U.S. experienced perigee at 11:34 p.m. ET .
Full moon appears about 14% bigger and 30% brighter .
The moon was at perigee, about 221,802 miles away, late Saturday . |
241,463 | c48ac9551d904f4829daed5bd17a2ee467e558c5 | (CNN) -- America's top technology companies have approval ratings that most politicians can only dream of, according to a new poll. And Google, not Apple, is the ultimate object of our digital affection. A robust 82% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Google, and 53% have "strongly favorable" thoughts about the Web titan, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released last last week. The reigning king of Web search, Google has expanded its empire in the past few years, adding its Android mobile operating system and Google Plus networking site to already popular features like Google Maps and Gmail. Only 9% of respondents to the poll, conducted from March 28-April 1, held an unfavorable view of Google, while 10% had no opinion. Google's results put the company squarely ahead of Apple which tallied an impressive 74% favorable rating in their own right. At 13%, Apple's negatives were slightly higher than Google's. In an analysis of results, pollsters noted that "the time is ripe for this sort of assessment, given these companies' envied positions in the marketplace." While phones running Google's Android system represent the majority of the world's smartphones, no single phone has come anywhere near the popularity of Apple's iPhone. And the iPad -- the latest incarnation of which went on sale last month, continues to dominate the tablet computer market. Both Google and Apple fared best with wealthier respondents. In fact, in households earning more than $100,000 a year, 93% of respondents expressed a favorable opinion of Google, 91% of Apple. The results suggest that recent public-relations dings that both companies have taken haven't soured large chunks of their audiences. Over the years, Google's near omnipresence online has prompted privacy concerns. Most recently, critics, including some federal regulators and U.S. Congress members, objected to a revamped Google privacy policy that pulls user-activity data from the company's multiple products together to create a single user profile. And while Apple raked in a record $46.3 billion last quarter, some have complained that virtually all of its products are manufactured in China. Most notably, Foxconn, the manufacturing partner that makes the iPhone and iPad, has been hit with complaints of harsh working conditions. In an increasingly tech-centric culture, the poll results suggest consumers may be willing to overlook negative news -- even news that impacts them directly -- if they're happy with their digital experiences. "The services in question, after all, aren't just services; they are, at this point, everyday and intimate components of people's lives," wrote Megan Garber of The Atlantic. "They are, increasingly, implicit." Facebook, the near ubiquitous social network, didn't fare as well as the top two companies, although with 58% favorable responses, it still has enough votes to get re-elected. But 28% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Facebook -- twice as many as Apple and nearly three times as many as Google. And for all its popularity among celebrities and in tech circles, Twitter limped in a distant fourth. Just 34% of respondents viewed Twitter favorably, with 36% holding unfavorable views and 31% having no opinion of the micro-blogging site. The poll was conducted by landline and cell phone among a random national sample of 1,007 U.S. adults. Results have a margin of error of 3.5 points. | Poll: Google more popular than Apple, but both are well-liked .
82% of Americans have favorable view of Google, according to survey .
Apple = 74% favorable, Facebook = 58%, Twitter = 34% . |
131,508 | 360ce26a7764ea8a65d4115b41dd9e3f8e4986bb | By . Anthony Bond . PUBLISHED: . 10:12 EST, 19 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:34 EST, 19 July 2013 . A British man has been kidnapped by armed gunmen shortly after arriving in Nigeria, it emerged today. Gunmen attacked a four-wheel drive car at . around 7.30pm GMT on Tuesday after it left Lagos airport's . international terminal. Security sources say the man was returning to a . residential area of Lagos when he was taken. The Nigerian driver of the vehicle was shot but survived. Taken: A British man has been kidnapped by armed gunmen shortly after arriving in Nigeria, it emerged today . The British High Commission (BHM) said in a statement today: 'The . BHM is working closely with others to secure the release of the . hostage. 'Because of . the nature of this incident, the BHM is not going into further detail . about it.' Many major companies with British connections operate in . Nigeria including oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, British Airways, Unilever . and PricewaterhouseCoopers. it is not known where the . kidnapped man was employed. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said it was working with authorities in Nigeria. The spokesman said: 'We are aware of reports of a missing person and are liaising with Nigerian authorities.' Worrying: Security sources say the man was returning to a residential area of Lagos when he was taken. This is a file picture of Lagos . A spokesman for the British . Consulate-General, Wale Adebayo, said diplomats are working with . Nigerian authorities on the kidnapping. He would not say what day it occurred or give any other information, citing the 'sensitive nature' of the issue. Kidnapping of expatriates by armed gangs . seeking ransom has long been rife in Nigeria's oil producing southeast . but is rarer in Lagos where most foreigners live. A British . businessman was kidnapped in March in an upmarket district of Nigeria's . commercial capital but was released four days later. It was not clear if . a ransom was paid. In Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, kidnappings of . foreigners for ideological motives by Islamist groups have taken a . deadlier turn. Islamist group Ansaru killed seven foreign hostages in . March, authorities from some of the affected countries said. Kidnappings for ransom are relatively common in oil-rich Nigeria - both of foreigners and wealthy Nigerians. The son of a state legislator and four Chinese nationals in two different states all have been reported kidnapped this month. Some cases are not reported because of fears for the safety of the hostages. Most are released unharmed after ransoms have been paid, though people have been injured and killed if they resist. | Unnamed man was returning to residential area of Lagos when he was taken .
Diplomats now working with Nigerian authorities on the kidnapping .
Many major firms with British connections operate in .
Nigeria . |
1,111 | 032525b310cac7d9a4501f68b5cd43d9c8a6ecb3 | Chelsea Clinton’s much-hyped debut as an NBC reporter last night was today slammed as 'monochromatic', 'nervous' and showing 'no charisma'. The 31-year-old former first daughter chatted with Rock Center host Brian Williams on the NBC sofa and did a segment on a non-profit organisation. Some reviewers gave her the benefit of the doubt for first-night nerves but one suggested she could be ‘one of the most boring people of her era’. Scroll down for video . Boring: Chelsea Clinton's much-hyped debut as an NBC reporter last month was slammed as 'monochromatic', 'nervous' and showing 'no charisma' Presenter: Her report was a feel-good piece from the Topps Center in the poverty-stricken Pine Bluff in Jefferson County, Arkansas . Dressed in a plain claret dress for . the studio part, she was decidedly low key as she talked about the . non-profit story and how she came to NBC. She said: 'For most of my life, I did deliberately lead a private life and inadvertently led a public life.' She credited her late grandmother, . Dorothy Rodham, for convincing her to come out of the shadows and into . the spotlight, reported Politico. Miss Clinton said: 'She recently had . been cajoling me and challenging me to do more with my life, to lead a . more of purposely public life. 'Clinton... seems like a very nice young woman. She is obviously bright, although we already suspected she was that as well. Otherwise, there was nothing else that necessarily dismissed charges (mostly by TV critics, although they were not alone) that she got this job because of that name'(Verne Gay, Newsday) 'The former first daughter appeared poised and well-prepared, though a bit nervous'(Caitlin McDevitt, Politico) 'Chelsea doesn’t "pop" off the screen, to use an industry term - her demeanour is reserved, she doesn’t project her voice like a broadcaster. Not that most viewers probably cared'(Howard Kurtz, Daily Beast) 'What was surprising to see on Monday night’s show is how someone can be on TV in such a prominent way and, in her big moment, display so very little charisma - none at all. Either we’re spoiled by TV’s unlimited population of giant personalities or this woman is one of the most boring people of her era'(Hank Stuever, Washington Post) Chat: Miss Clinton was filmed making cornbread and interviewing founder Annette Dove, left, about the 500 children and young adults they serve . Interviews: Sources say Chelsea's debut didn't go off as well as expected and she may not resign again . ‘(She said) that being Chelsea Clinton . had happened to me and that I had a responsibility to do something with . that asset and opportunity.' 'For most of my life, I did deliberately lead a private life and inadvertently led a public life' Chelsea Clinton . Her report was a feel-good piece from the Topps Center in the poverty-stricken Pine Bluff in Jefferson County, Arkansas. Miss Clinton was filmed making . cornbread and interviewing founder Annette Dove about the 500 children . and young adults they serve. The report was part of the network's . Making a Difference series. While her debut went smoothly it wasn't met . with enthusiasm by many. First show: Brian Williams interviewed Chelsea Clinton on Monday night's Rock Center as she made her debut as an NBC 'special correspondent' Mixed reception: Some reviewers gave her the benefit of the doubt for first-night nerves but one suggested she is 'one of the most boring people of her era' Hank Stuever, writing for the Washington Post, said she displayed 'so very little charisma - none at all.' 'Either . we’re spoiled by TV’s unlimited population of giant personalities or . this woman is one of the most boring people of her era' Hank Stuever . He wrote: 'Either we’re spoiled by . TV’s unlimited population of giant personalities or this woman is one of . the most boring people of her era.' He notes that after degrees . from Stanford, Oxford and Columbia, she is now doing feel-good . journalism - ‘one of the easiest tasks on the planet’. Meanwhile . Howard Kurtz of the Daily Beast said she had a 'reserved demeanour' and . did not 'project her voice like a broadcaster'. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy . | Former first daughter did piece on Arkansas non-profit .
Also chatted with Rock Center host Brian Williams .
Reviews were mixed but said she was rather bland . |
126,186 | 2f18a562f78bc1a0392dbd68b1de94c7143f4a9a | By . Daily Mail Reporter . Troubled Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who was arrested last month on DUI charges, has now been linked to the drug overdose of a woman whom he purchased a house for in August. The Indianapolis Star cites a source familiar with NFL operations as saying that Irsay could be questioned about his relationship with the local woman who died two weeks before his arrest in a $139,500 townhouse he gave her. On March 16, the Colts boss was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated along with four preliminary counts of possession of a controlled substance. According to police, the 54-year-old billionaire also had $29,000 cash stashed inside a metal briefcase, two laundry bags and his wallet. He promptly checked himself into a treatment facility. On March 2, Kimberley Wundrum, 42, died of a suspected drug overdose. She was known to have a history of substance abuse. Troubled man: James Irsay, owner of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, was jailed early March 17 on DUI and drug possession charges . Overdose death: According to the Indianapolis Star, two weeks before Irsay's arrest, a woman named Kimberly Wundrum, pictured, died of a suspected drug overdose at a townhouse given to her by Irsay last August . The Star's report states that the . Traders Point townhouse where Wundrum's body was found was purchased by . an entity called '2009 Blue Trust,' which was administered by Colts . executives, in June 2013. The . trust transferred ownership of the property to Wundrum at no cost just . weeks later. Irsay, who is worth $1.6billion according to Forbes, owns . the team outright. MailOnline reached out to Irsay's spokeswoman Myra Borshoff Cook for comment but has not yet heard back. According to the Star, Wundrum's sister Rhonda Wundrum worked as Irsay's personal masseuse. In an email to the newspaper, she described her client and her sister as 'former friends.' 'I . cannot speak for them, and Kim cannot speak for herself,' Rhonda . Wundrum told The Star. 'My sister was a kind, loving and gentle person . who had a long struggle, and her attempts to rise above her struggles . were not successful.' Kimberly . Wundrum was arrested twice on drug charges in the seven months before . her death - once on August 30, 2013, in Miami County, Ohio, and a second . time on January 4, 2013, in Boone County. In . both cases she was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated . and possessing drugs. In the latter she was also charged with criminal . recklessness, accoridng to the newspaper, because she almost hit a . police car while driving the wrong way on an interstate. Detectives searching the death scene found an 'orange plate (with) white powder, straw, razor' and photographs of Irsay. Struggle: Wundrum, pictured left and right, was described as a 'former friend' of Irsay. She had long struggled wit drug addiction . Gift: The Star reports that the Traders Point townhouse, pictured, where Wundrum's body was found was purchased by an entity called '2009 Blue Trust,' which was administered by Colts executives, in June 2013 and then transferred to her at no cost two weeks later . Colts . Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward told The Star that the Blue Trust . related to Irsay's 'personal life,' and refused to comment on it. Irsay's . ex, Meg Irsay, filed in November for divorce from her husband of 33 . years, citing an 'irretrievable breakdown' of the marriage. A . joint statement issued by the couple said Jim Irsay would retain full . ownership of the Colts and his other business interests. The couple, . who married in 1980, have been separated for a decade and are the . parents of three adult daughters. Irsay was pulled over March 16 in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel. He . had the $29,000 stashed inside a metal briefcase, two laundry bags and . his wallet, along with a shocking amount of prescription medicines, . authorities said. The arrest report shows a dozen items listed as prescription drugs, but does not offer any further information, according to the Indianapolis Star. The arresting officer forced Irsay to . sit on the hood of his car while the Toyota Highlander was being . searched because he was unable to stand up, according to the report. Irsay took a breathalizer, but the results were redacted, and the cop said he 'believed Irsay to be intoxicated on a substance other than alcohol,' the Star reported. Social-media butterfly: Irsay is known to often interact with fans on social media websites like Twitter . Teetotal: Irsay, pictured leaving jail on March 17, told Twitter followers that he hasn't had an alcoholic drink in 15 years last October . Jailed: Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, right, was jailed overnight after his DUI arrest last month . In . an inventory of Irsay's vehicle, 'multiple prescription drugs were . discovered in pill bottles,' police said. 'These Schedule IV . prescription drugs were not associated with any prescription bottles . found in the vehicle.' The . billionaire has been in and out of rehab over the years and has said he . kicked his addiction to prescription painkillers - but sources close to . the businessman say otherwise. Friends say Irsay has been battling his drug problem for some time, and that his arrest could be a blessing in disguise. 'He's a sick, sick man,' one source told the Indy Star. 'He desperately needs help.' According to the Star, Irsay's recent dramatic weight loss - he went from 235lb to 165lb - has raised red flags among his friends and acquaintances. The . night of his arrest, Irsay drove at a slow speed, stopped in . the roadway and failed to signal a turn before police stopped him, . Lieutenant Joe Bickel of the Carmel Police Department said in a release. 'During the course of the investigation, Irsay subsequently failed several roadside field sobriety tests,' Bickel said. Irsay, who frequently interacts with fans . of the NFL team on Twitter, wrote an October 2013 tweet saying 'I don't . drink...haven't in over 15 years.' Irsay acknowledged in 2002 that he had become dependent on painkillers after several years of orthopedic operations but said he had overcome the problem after undergoing treatment. Marion County prosecutors said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigated how Irsay obtained the painkillers. Federal authorities wouldn't confirm any investigation was taking place. Prosecutors at the time said they saw no reason to charge Irsay. A plastic surgeon who wrote painkiller prescriptions for Irsay later surrendered his federal permit to prescribe narcotic drugs. League spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail to USA Today Sports that Irsay, if found guilty, would be subject to league discipline, the same as a player would. 'The league's Personal Conduct Policy applies to all NFL personnel,' Aiello said. Irsay, who lives in Carmel, became the Colts owner in 1997 after the death of his father, Robert Irsay and a lengthy legal battle with his father's second wife. Along the way, Jim Irsay held virtually every job from ball boy to general manager. Forbes magazine estimated Irsay's net worth at $1.6 billion. Since taking ownership of the team, Jim Irsay has made a reputation for himself by buying the scroll manuscript of Jack Kerouac's beat poem 'On the Road. 'for $2.43 million and often takes to Twitter to post comments ranging from the Colts' inner workings, popular music, and idle thoughts. | The Indianapolis Star reports that Jim Irsay could be questioned about his relationship with Kimberley Wundrum .
Wundrum died March 2 of a suspected overdose in a $139,500 townhouse he gave her in August .
On March 16, the Colts boss was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated along with four preliminary counts of possession of a controlled substance .
The Star reports the Traders Point townhouse where Wundrum's body was found was bought in June 2013 and transferred free to her just weeks later .
According to the Star, Wundrum's sister Rhonda Wundrum described the pair as 'former friends' |
117,376 | 2393317096ee97cf1583b4a061ed5705aac2eaf6 | Haul was hidden in 31 duffel bags along with cash, coins and a handgun . By . Daniel Miller . PUBLISHED: . 04:38 EST, 9 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:43 EST, 9 January 2013 . Haul: Career burglar John Suddard was arrested at a pawn shop. Police . later discovered 31 duffel bags stuffed with jewellery at the home of his . brother-in-law . A career burglar has been found with a stash of 30,000 items of jewellery after being arrested trying to sell stolen goods at a pawn shop. John Suddard, 39, who has served three prisons . terms for burglary since he was 19, was arrested in the Albany area on December 31 attempting . to pawn jewellery and coins which he is believed to have stolen a day . earlier in nearby Hudson Falls, Vermont. New York State Police later discovered the haul which included pearl necklaces, gold chains, bracelets, coins, silverware and other valuables hidden in 31 duffel bags along with cash, coins, a handgun and game tokens. The duffel bags were found on the property of Suddard's brother-in-law, who is cooperating with the investigation. Police believe most of the items were . stolen since Suddard's last release from prison in 2007. He operated mostly . in the cluster of three counties around Hudson Falls, though it's not . clear how far Suddard traveled. He also spent some time in other . Northeastern states and in Florida. Suddard is being held in jail without . bail on charges of possessing stolen property. It wasn't clear whether . he had a lawyer and he declined a phone interview from jail. In an attempt to find the owners of the stolen items police in Hudson Falls near the Vermont border, will tonight put the items on display at the local high school. Burglary victims will be invited in, and an officer will escort them around tables set up in the cafeteria to see if any of the items are theirs. Stash: A small selection of some of the 30,000 items of jewellery discovered by police including pearl necklaces, gold chains, bracelets, coins, silverware . One of Suddard's possible victims Francesco . Venturiello, whose Schenectady home was burglarized in May lost cash . and roughly $75,000 worth his wife's jewelry, including irreplaceable . pieces bought in Italy. He said: 'I swear to God, if we find anything in there, I'm going to have to call an ambulance. My wife will faint.' Career criminal: Lt. John Durling of the New York State Police shows a picture of Suddard, who has served three prisons terms for burglary since he was 19, during a news conference at Hudson Falls Village Court . Hudson Falls Police Chief Randy . Diamond said items recovered so far link Suddard to 24 burglaries, . though there could be many more. Police say the burglar's method of operation was basic: Wait until people leave their house, break in and search for cash and jewelry. He worked mostly in colder months, when the sun sets earlier. He struck whether the homeowners were gone for weeks or minutes. He kept burglar's tools and a camouflage ski mask in his car, police said. 'Seldom did he actually encounter anybody in the house,' Washington County Undersheriff John Winchell said. 'There were a couple of times when he was spooked - people showed up and he had to run out the back door. ... Generally, his crimes went unnoticed for days.' The suspect pretty much stole 'anything somebody would throw in their jewelry box,' Winchell said, and then some. 'One of the bags I went through actually had an adult molar,' Winchell said, 'right down to the roots.' Chief Diamond said it appears that Suddard pawned the most expensive items and may have held on to the remaining booty to sell later. Of the items recovered, a small number have inscriptions linking them to victims. The display at Hudson Falls High School on Wednesday is for the items that can't be identified. The viewing is restricted to people who reported a burglary and have a police report. 'Victims will not be allowed to take identified items home just yet, because they are still potential evidence. Search: Police in Hudson Falls are taking the novel step of displaying the items at the local high school tonight in an attempt to find their rightful owners . Diamond said the department has been inundated with calls from as far away as New Jersey and New Hampshire, some from callers missing cars, boats and other items clearly not involved in this case. With interest so heavy, police plan to do at least one more display after Wednesday.'We've caught this guy; we need to link him to what we can and return the property that we can,' Diamond said. | Items on display at local high school in an attempt to find rightful owners .
John Suddard, 39, arrested trying to hawk stolen goods at a pawn shop .
He has served three prisons .
terms for burglary since he was 19 .
Haul was hidden in 31 duffel bags along with cash, coins and a handgun . |
194,675 | 87fe29f403e740336b73464157cabc793edb1f66 | Sir Elton John is undoubtedly Watford's most famous supporter, and his contributions to the club as a fan and owner were recognised before the club played Wigan on Saturday. The musician, who is life president, is at Vicarage Road not only to see his beloved Hornets in action in the Championship, but also for the unveiling of 'The Sir Elton John stand'. John has been owner of the club on two occasions from 1976-87 and 1997-2002. Watford defender Sebastien Bassong (left) uploaded the above picture to Instagram with Sir Elton John (right) John also features on the front page of Watford's match programme for the game against Wigan . Watford tweeted a picture of the Sir Elton John stand, named in tribute to the musician . John took to the pitch on Saturday before the game against Wigan kicked off . John acknowledges the support from fans, who he spoke to before the stand named after him was unveiled . John was clearly humbled by the reception he received before the game against Wigan began . The singer posed with defender Sebastien Bassong before kick-off, who uploaded a picture of the pair to his Instagram page with the caption 'What a honour to meet such a legend!! Thanks for the support #eltonjohn #watfordfc #Hornets'. John also featured on the front of the Watford match programme with the quote 'It's in my blood, in my soul, it's a huge part of my life.' Watford are currently sixth in the Championship and will be overwhelming favourites to take three points from Wigan, who are 23rd and second last in the table. | The musician is at Vicarage Road for opening of 'The Sir Elton John Stand'
John had two spells as owner of the club from 1976-87 and 1997-2002 .
He had a photo with Sebastien Bassong before the game against Wigan . |
216,338 | a410c7de7df5f07b11245c56a2d55c9dc2e6b5e2 | Miami, Florida (CNN) -- For Marco Rubio, life was simpler when it was tea time all the time. When he was gunning for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Florida, the former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives aggressively courted the state's conservative Tea Party activists. That strategy worked. Rubio was suddenly a Tea Party favorite. His stunning rise in the polls forced Florida's more moderate governor, Charlie Crist, to bolt the GOP primary to run as an independent. But the race is now more complicated, with Rubio competing in a three-way battle royal against both Crist and the Democratic nominee, South Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek. Rubio's grass-roots campaign has put together a team of high-powered Washington and Texas-based GOP consultants. Over the summer, this son of Cuban exiles distanced himself from Tea Partiers on one of the conservative movement's key issues, Arizona's tough anti-illegal immigration law. "The original law allowed for racial profiling. I don't think they intended that. I don't believe they did. But the original language in that law allowed for racial and ethnic profiling. And they changed that, to their credit, a week later. They passed a bill that changed that," Rubio said. Still, Rubio doesn't want even the amended Arizona legislation to become the law of the land. "I don't think the Arizona bill should serve as a model for the rest of the country," he added. In an interview with CNN, Rubio blamed both parties for the nation's problems and said he plans to be his own man if elected to the Senate. "I represent the things I stand for," Rubio said. Tea Party activists in Florida still support Rubio. But one of the movement's leaders, South Florida Tea Party Chairman Everett Wilkinson, says he will be watching Rubio's moves closely. "When you send a politician to Washington, you're always worried whether you're going to get the same guy back," Wilkinson said. One of the biggest worries among Tea Partiers is that Rubio will be another Scott Brown. The Massachusetts Republican had the backing of the Tea Party in his race to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. But as a senator, Brown has shown his own independent streak and has voted on occasion with the Democrats. Not to fear, says Rubio, who is set to speak at a Tea Party rally in Florida later this month. But the 39-year-old Republican nominee has good reason to consider a move to the political middle in this swing state. Crist's new ads tout the governor as a fresh independent voice, forcing both Rubio and Meek to defend their respective political bases. That's created a fascinating sideshow in this three-ring political circus: an alliance of sorts between the Tea Party-backed Rubio and Meek. Nearly every day, both the Rubio and Meek campaigns send out e-mails blasting Crist. One of Meek's e-mails showcases a recent newspaper editorial in Florida that slammed Crist as a "campaign chameleon." "Charlie Crist is trying to be indefinable in this race. And that has an expiration date on it. And that date has come and passed," Meek said in an interview with CNN. Crist declined to be interviewed for this story. "I think people deserve to know what the next U.S. senator from Florida is going to be about," Rubio said. "The last thing we need in Florida is a political opportunist." | Marco Rubio's rise in the polls was fueled partly by Tea Party activists .
Crist decided to run as an independent, complicating the race for Rubio .
Rubio's grass-roots campaign managed by high-powered Washington and Texas GOP consultants .
Both the Rubio and Meek campaigns send out e-mails blasting Crist . |
145,198 | 47cc5401ddd36c0d6652038dff5713f5a5a919fd | (CNN) -- Canada officially renounced the expiring Kyoto Protocol on Monday, a day after international negotiators agreed to extend the treaty's limits on carbon emissions blamed for a warming climate. Environment Minister Peter Kent said Ottawa would keep working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and help negotiate a new framework for a global pact. But in a statement to reporters on his return from last week's climate conference in South Africa, Kent said that for Canada, Kyoto "is in the past." Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government has long opposed the Kyoto protocol and has refused to implement it since taking office in 2006. Ahead of the decision, the opposition New Democratic Party accused his government of "standing up for big polluters" at the expense of ordinary Canadians and risking the country's reputation by abandoning the 1997 treaty. Kent said Kyoto's goals were unworkable because the United States and China -- the world's two largest sources of carbon emissions -- never agreed to Kyoto, and that a new pact is needed to address emissions from rapidly growing economies including those of China, Brazil and India. Special: The Road to Durban . The government announced in 2010 that it would fall well short of the treaty's target of a 6% cut in emissions below 1990 levels by 2012. Kent said the previous government signed onto the treaty "without any regard to how it would be fulfilled," and that Canadians faced "radical" cuts or financial penalties equivalent to $1,600 per family as a result. He said Canada was "well on our way" to reducing emissions by 17% over 2005 levels by 2020, but critics say that self-imposed goal is well below the Kyoto targets. Nations in the Durban talks agreed to extend Kyoto's efforts over the weekend and launched an effort to set up a broader pact with a legal format to curb carbon emissions. The talks also launched a Green Climate Fund, which would essentially channel about $100 billion by 2020 to vulnerable countries to help them deal with the effects of climate change. | Environment minister says Canada will still work to reduce greenhouse emissions .
He says previous government should not have agreed to Kyoto .
Kyoto's goals unworkable without the United States and China, he says . |
242,827 | c64916fd82ffa06be62dcd0f53f362cc97122c3d | Cairo (CNN) -- Egyptians exulted Wednesday over the detention of their ailing former president and his two sons in a probe exploring the killing of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the center of the country's dramatic uprising earlier this year. Former President Hosni Mubarak and his sons, Gamal and Alaa, were taken into 15-day detainment Tuesday in connection with the protesters' deaths, according to Ahmed Hemeida with the Justice Ministry. Mubarak has decried accusations of his responsibility in the deaths, saying the probe is aimed at tarnishing his reputation and that of his family. The detention and questioning of the former authoritarian leader is unprecedented in the modern Arab world. Saddam Hussein, Iraq's late leader, was captured by U.S. troops and put on trial after his regime was toppled more than eight years ago -- but Mubarak's case is different because his detention didn't involve the West. In contrast to Hussein's case, the government made the arrest amid domestic demands that Mubarak be held. People on the street in Cairo saw the arrest as a positive sign. One smiling taxi driver stopped in traffic, crossed his wrists in front of himself as if he was handcuffed and yelled "Mubarak 'cuffed!'" in Arabic. Mahmoud Amreya, who cooks chicken and beef shawarma sandwiches over a hot grill, beamed. "I am very happy," he said. Ahmed Abdulsalem, an accountant in a coffee shop, said Egypt "has taken a big step forward" with people regaining their dignity. "In the previous regime corruption gave way to more corruption, and it was survival of the fittest," he said. "Corruption. The country was spiraling downwards from bad to worse, in all cases. What we are living today is much better than what it was under the oppressive regime." The developments came a day after the former president -- who earlier was summoned for questioning on corruption allegations -- was admitted to a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after complaining to his doctor he felt unwell. Egyptian state television reported Mubarak suffered a heart attack during questioning over possible corruption charges. Egypt's health minister later said Mubarak's condition was stable enough to allow prosecutors to resume questioning at the hospital, according to the state-owned Al Ahram newspaper. A man who said he was the head doctor from a Ministry of Justice team assisting with Mubarak's questioning said late Wednesday the former leader had heart palpitations and was able to walk with assistance. The doctor, Dr. Ahmed El Sabaaei, told Egypt's opposition Al Hayat El Youm TV that Mubarak was still at Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital in stable condition. However, Alla Mahmoud, an Interior Ministry spokesman, told CNN that Mubarak was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Cairo on Wednesday. The younger Mubaraks have been transferred to Cairo's Tora Prison, Hemeida said. Mubarak and his family were believed to have been living on his estate in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh since February 11, when he stepped down and handed power to the military. In response to accusations that his family had grown wealthy at the expense of the Egyptian people, Mubarak, in a brief audio message aired Sunday, promised he and his family would account for everything they own. He said he agreed to allow the prosecutor to contact governments around the world to take "proper legal steps" to reveal whether he or his family own any property or real estate outside Egypt. Mubarak was brought to Cairo for questioning last month, and Egypt's attorney general issued an order to freeze the assets of him and his family, and prohibited them from leaving the country. Mubarak had back surgery in Germany in 2004 and returned for more surgery there in March 2010. It was widely reported the 2010 operation was to have his gall bladder removed, but El Sabaaei said Mubarak had actually been suffering from prostate cancer and went to Germany to have his prostate removed. Mubarak had largely withdrawn from public view in recent years, until this year's uprising prompted him to make televised speeches. He ruled Egypt for nearly three decades before his regime was toppled by a groundswell of popular protests that began January 25. On the street, meanwhile, Mohamed Gafar, a taxi driver, said that because of Mubarak's detention he is seeing a wellspring of joy from his perch, what he called "happiness beyond imagination." "The man that used to put people in prison is now behind bars." he said. "They were the rulers of the country and today, with God's will, where are they? In prison. In prison. Oppression has an end. Every oppressor has an end." CNN's Samson Desta, Caroline Faraj, Ivan Watson and journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report . | Mubarak and two sons are being held for questioning in the killing of protesters .
The questioning of Mubarak on corruption allegations already had begun, the military says .
Egyptian state television reports Mubarak had a heart attack .
Mubarak stepped down on February 11 . |
132,640 | 3785ccf112e57e7929a5f3736e083e19a63d41db | By . Rob Cooper . PUBLISHED: . 06:35 EST, 23 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:43 EST, 23 April 2013 . Accused: Leeds United youth player Simon Lenighan is standing trial over the alleged rape of a woman in a city centre hotel . A Leeds United youth team footballer raped a drunk woman in a hotel after a night out and filmed the attack on a mobile phone, a court heard. Simon Lenighan, 18, is alleged to have carried out the sex attack on the woman with another man, Nathan Campbell, 23, in the Etap Hotel in Leeds. Leeds Crown Court heard the woman, aged in her 20s, was woken by a chambermaid the next morning and had no idea where she was how she got there. The court heard yesterday that Lenighan and Campbell had left and her mobile phone and money were missing. Police were contacted and video footage was found on Campbell's mobile phone, the court was told. Robin Mairs, prosecuting, said: 'What we say is both Campbell and Lenighan used their video phones to film (the woman) while she lay naked in bed.' Mr Mairs said the men were laughing on the video but did not want to be seen on camera. He added: 'This video, the Crown says, is more than simply a sordid souvenir of what happened in that hotel room. It is more than a lack of decency.' Lenighan, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, denies three charges of rape and one of perverting the course of justice. Campbell, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, denies three charges of rape, one of sexual assault and perverting the course of justice. Mr Mairs said Lenighan and Campbell met each other for the first time on the night of the alleged incident, August 29 last year, when they were drinking in the Tiger Tiger bar in Leeds. The woman, who knew Lenighan, had also been drinking in the bar and agreed to go back to the hotel with the two men. Mr Mairs said the girl had been drinking vodka and friends had been concerned for her safety because she had so much to drink. Attack: The rape is alleged to have happened at the Etap Hotel in Leeds city centre . The jury heard staff at the Etap, which is now the Ibis hotel, noticed that the woman was 'particularly drunk' and the two men appeared 'more sober' when they checked in at 4.15am. One worker was so concerned that he followed them to the room and listened at the door but couldn't hear anything and left. After they were arrested both men claimed the woman was a willing partner in the sexual intercourse that took place between them. Mr Mairs said: 'If someone becomes so intoxicated, so drunk, that they no longer have the capacity to choose, then there cannot be any meaningful consent.' The case continues. Young star: Lenighan, 18, is a youth team player for Leeds who play at Elland Road (pictured) Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons. | Simon Lenighan, 18, allegedly raped the woman in a Leeds hotel .
He is standing trial with Nathan Campbell, 23 . |
180,147 | 75412e1942855df326212b876915c76bae89f138 | A black civil rights activist was 'tortured and murdered by militant members of the American Indian Movement' in the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee, newly released FBI documents claim. Hundreds of pages of reports provided to Buffalo, New York, attorney Michael Kuzma shed new light on the 40-year-old case of Ray Robinson, an activist and follower of Martin Luther King Jr. The father of three from Bogue Chitto, Alabama, traveled to South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in April 1973 to stand alongside Native Americans in their fight against social injustice. Tragic: This 1971 photo provided by the Robinson family shows civil rights activist Ray Robinson with his two oldest children, Desiree, left, and J. Marc at the family's farm at Bogue Chitto, Alabama. FBI documents have confirmed he was killed two years later at Wounded Knee . The 71-day standoff between AIM members and federal agents at Wounded Knee left at least two tribal members dead and a federal agent seriously wounded. The occupation is credited with raising awareness about Native American struggles. He never returned and his body was never found. Kuzma sued the U.S. Justice Department in June in an effort to help Robinson's widow, Cheryl Buswell-Robinson, and their children get some closure. Buswell-Robinson, of Detroit, said her husband's nonviolent approach conflicted with the violent situation at Wounded Knee, and it's possible AIM members suspected he was a federal informant. The personable, 6-foot-2 black man with a deep baritone voice would have stood out on a Midwest American Indian reservation, she said. Robinson's family just wants to bring his remains home for a proper burial. Fighter: Ray Robinson, 40, pictured left and right, was an activist and follower of Martin Luther King Jr. Similar cause: The father of three from Bogue Chitto, Alabama, traveled to South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, pictured in April 1973, to stand alongside Native Americans in their fight against social injustice . 'My daughter Desiree wants a place to go so she can sit and talk to her father,' Buswell-Robinson told The Associated Press. 'She remembers him. She's the oldest.' According to the FBI documents, an unidentified cooperating witness told agents that 'Robinson had been tortured and murdered within the AIM occupation perimeter, and then his remains were buried "in the hills."' The location of Robinson's remains is a mystery, and any search or excavation attempts would likely be complicated by the reservation's sovereign status. Buswell-Robinson and her two daughters traveled to Wounded Knee in 2004 to walk in an area rumored to be Robinson's possible resting place and the site of the Denby bunker, where witnesses say Robinson engaged with AIM members. Another witness told agents that Robinson was in Wounded Knee for about a week and seemed to have difficulty adjusting to the conditions of having no food, the area constantly being under fire and unilateral AIM command. That witness said Robinson immediately wanted to open discussion in the bunker about AIM's strategies but no one listened or took him seriously. Family: In this April 26, 2004 file photo Cheryl Robinson, center, and her two daughters, Desiree Marks, left, and Tamara Kamara read a map outlining various landmarks at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. FBI documents released this week confirm Ray Robinson, Cheryl's husband and Desiree and Tamara'a father, was killed at the site during a 71-standoff between the American Indian Movement and federal agents in 1973 . Tortured: According to the FBI documents, an unidentified cooperating witness told agents that 'Robinson had been tortured and murdered within the AIM occupation perimeter, and then his remains were buried "in the hills."' This image shows a monument in the town Wounded Knee, where Robinson went to help . The witness said Robinson got into a heated exchange with another person and was taken to a house by a security team. When Robinson grabbed a butcher knife from a table, security formed a full circle around him, according to the witness. 'The next thing, I heard a loud bang and saw Mr. Robinson's lower leg spin from the knee and rotate outward as he started to fall forward,' the witness said. 'His eyes rolled up as he went down.' Buswell-Robinson, 69, questions that account and believes Robinson was in the Wounded Knee occupation area for hours, not weeks. She said the most likely account of her husband's death is one passed on to her by Barbara Deming, a writer and political activist who was asked by Buswell-Robinson in the mid-1970s to look into the killing. She relayed the story to Buswell-Robinson in letters years after the disappearance. According to Deming's account, Robinson was eating oatmeal one day but hadn't yet checked in with an AIM leader. He was ordered to report to the leader immediately but said the check-in had to wait until he was done with the meal. He was then shot, according to the story. 'Ray did not respond well to that authoritative direction,' Buswell-Robinson said. Other parts of the documents relate to the knowledge of the incident by leaders of American Indian Movement, which was founded in the late 1960s to protest the government's treatment of Indians. For decades, AIM leaders have denied knowledge of Robinson's death. One witness told agents that AIM leader Vernon Bellecourt expressed knowledge and awareness of Robinson being killed during the occupation. The witness said Bellecourt 'made a statement to the effect that AIM had "really managed to keep a tight lid on that one" over the years.' Bellecourt died in 2007. | Hundreds of pages of reports shed new light on the 40-year-old case of Ray Robinson, an activist and follower of Martin Luther King Jr .
Robinson traveled to South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in April 1973 to stand alongside Native Americans in their fight against social injustice .
He never returned and his body was never found .
The papers were handed over after Buffalo, New York, attorney Michael Kuzma sued the U.S. Justice Department in June .
He is working to help Robinson's widow, Cheryl Buswell-Robinson, and their children get some closure . |
120,912 | 284903f6d94a627659892694d76f829e2c2a3e3c | (CNN Student News) -- September 28, 2012 . Media Literacy Question of the Day . How could you use medical information provided in a news report? Where would you go to get more details on the report? * . * . Know Your News -- The following questions relate to events that were covered this week on CNN Student News. Write your answers in the space provided. Click here for a PDF version of this Newsquiz. 1. What U.S. city is home to the headquarters of the United Nations (U.N.)? * . * . 2. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the leader of what Middle Eastern country? * . * . 3. What country is home to eight of the ten highest mountains on earth? * . * . 4. What event on September 22 marked the first day of fall, when day and night were about the same length? * . * . 5. On September 25, 1981, who became the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court? * . * . 6. What Jewish holiday is known as the Day of Atonement? * . * . 7. Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue are all known for their achievements in what game? * . * . 8. What professional sports league reached a tentative agreement with its referees, ending a lockout? * . * . 9. Who is the U.N. secretary-general? * . * . 10. In what European capital did strikes and protests shut down public transportation on Wednesday? * . * . | Use the weekly Newsquiz to test your knowledge of stories you saw on CNN Student News .
Write your answers in the space provided .
Today's Newsquiz includes the Media Literacy Question of the Day . |
199,616 | 8e6751e5c22bb2ef3ea36b4d1b9a514a5f275dfd | Manchester City fans will be eagerly anticipating the return of striker Stevan Jovetic after seeing the 25-year-old showcase his keepy-uppy skills at City's training base - with an American football. Jovetic posted a video on Instagram of him freestyling with the football on Thursday, showing some impressive footwork during the short clip. The Montenegro striker is currently sidelined through injury with fellow strikers Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero also out, giving Manuel Pellegrini real selection problems in attack. Stevan Jovetic shows off his tidy footwork at Manchester City's training ground on Thursday . Jovetic is currently out injured but will be hoping to be back as soon as possible . The 26-year-old showed off his keepy-uppy skills in an video he posted on Instagram . Jovetic is one of a number of high-profile forwards Manchester City have on their books . Jovetic, who signed for £22million over 18 months ago, is still yet to complete a full 90 minutes in the Premier League for City. But judging by these tekkers he has displayed, the forward will have no problem getting plenty of minutes on the pitch between now and the end of the season. City take on Crystal Palace on Saturday as they look to cut the three-point gap on leaders Chelsea. | Champions Manchester City host Crystal Palace on Saturday .
Stevan Jovetic will be one of a host of players missing from the squad .
The 25-year-old showed off his keepy-uppy skills at training on Thursday .
The Montenegro striker uploaded a video on to Instagram of it . |
26,483 | 4b33fe31111cdd7e1189435f2ce8aef64aca4170 | A man has been charged with a federal hate crime in connection with what authorities say was a racially motivated "knockout" assault against an elderly black man, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday. Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, of Katy, Texas, has been charged with one count of violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. According to the federal complaint, Barrett attacked the 79-year-old man "because of the man's race and color." He will next appear in court Friday afternoon for a detention hearing. The suspect made a video of the attack November 24, the complaint said. In the video, he allegedly commented that "the plan is to see if I were to hit a black person, would this be nationally televised?" He then allegedly "hit the man with such force that the man immediately fell to the ground. Barrett then laughed and said 'knockout,' as he ran to his vehicle and fled." The victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for several days, the complaint said. Barrett's attorney, George Parnham, told CNN the affidavit does not "pull back the layers of mental health." His client has bipolar disorder and takes medication, Parnham said in an earlier call. Parnham said he could not state whether his client carried out the attack, but, "mental health issues definitely played a part in anything that occurred." Barrett "is very sorry for this person," Parnham said, adding that he and his client haven't had much opportunity to discuss the facts of the case. 'Knockout game' a national problem . The "knockout game" is an assault in which an assailant aims to knock out an unsuspecting victim with one punch. According to the Justice Department complaint, there have been "knockout game" incidents, some of which have been called other names, as long ago as 1992. New York police previously charged suspect Marajh Amrit with a hate crime in the alleged attack of a white Jewish man as part of a "knockout" game. Similar cases have been reported recently in several states, including Illinois, Missouri and Washington. "Hate crimes tear at the fabric of entire communities," U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels said Thursday in a Justice Department statement announcing the charge against Barrett. "As always, the Civil Rights Division will work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to ensure that hate crimes are identified and prosecuted, and that justice is done." Barrett, who is white, allegedly recorded himself on his cell phone attacking the man and showed the video to others, the department said. "The complaint alleges Barrett made several videos, one in which he identifies himself and another in which he makes a racial slur. In addition, Barrett had allegedly been working up the 'courage' to play the 'knockout game' for approximately a week." The victim's face was swollen on one side, and he has had to use a straw to drink, a nephew, Joseph Lewis, told CNN affiliate KTRK-TV in Houston. The station reported that Barrett faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. Barrett told an off-duty police officer what happened and shared a video, saying he felt bad, the affidavit said. In other videos on his phone that police confiscated, Barrett used the N-word and said that African-Americans "haven't fully experienced the blessing of evolution," according to the criminal complaint. "It is unimaginable in this day and age that one could be drawn to violently attack another based on the color of their skin," said Special Agent in Charge Stephen Morris of the FBI's Houston office. "We remind all citizens that we are protected under the law from such racially motivated attacks, and encourage everyone to report such crimes to the FBI." New York case . In a separate case, New York City police on Wednesday searched for a man who allegedly punched a 33-year-old woman in the back of the head in Brooklyn in what may be a "knockout" assault. Despite that and other cases, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said last month that city officials haven't seen evidence of a trend, though they are not ruling out the idea. "The press has named it the so-called knockout game. We don't discount that that exists. It's a possibility. We've investigated and will continue to investigate," Kelly told reporters in late November. Possible 'knockout' game victim: 'The whole group of kids just laughed' Police keep close eye on reports of disturbing 'knockout' game . | Alleged attacker will be in court Friday afternoon for detention hearing .
His attorney says his client has bipolar disorder .
Victim suffered two jaw fractures and was hospitalized for days, complaint says .
In separate case, New York police charged a knockout suspect with a hate crime . |
249,164 | ce6a65bf1e268b6bbc5223350a4d8be2156d7e82 | (CNN) -- How do you swipe $7 million in toys, electronics and other stuff without anyone noticing? Apparently, in Mom's flowing black dress, according to federal prosecutors who have charged three members of an Illinois family with transporting stolen property across state lines. They'd been at it for a decade, prosecutors said. Prosecutors say Lela Bogdanov stuffed merchandise in the blue lining of her big black dress, then walked out of the stores -- often with family members staging a diversion to draw the attention of employees. The family -- Lela Bogdanov, her husband Branko Bogdanov, both in their 50s, and daughter Julia Bogdanov, 34 -- then sold many of the items to a fence who unloaded them on eBay, prosecutors claim. The alleged fence is cooperating with authorities and was not named by prosecutors. The couple netted more than $4 million from the sale of stolen goods with a retail value of more than $7 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago. The Bogdanovs' decade-long scheme began to unravel, prosecutors say, when loss-prevention experts at Barnes and Noble and Toys R Us noticed huge amounts of merchandise had gone missing. They found an eBay account selling the same items in similar quantities as those allegedly stolen from their stores. Secret Service agents arrested the trio Wednesday at their Northbrook, Illinois, home. They'd just returned home from a trip to Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, during which prosecutors say they stole more items. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and restitution. | Three Illinois family members accused in decade-long shoplifting ring .
Prosecutors say they stole more than $7 million in goods .
How? By concealing the goods in the mom's big black dress .
They face up to 10 years in prison, fines, restitution, if convicted . |
227,726 | b2dc577cd3e46b56553f0860735635762059cf54 | I’m ready for the challenge, so I’ve officially applied for the job. I want to be the next manager of Peterborough United. But Darren Ferguson’s sacking at the ABAX Stadium at the weekend shows how incredibly difficult it is to make it in football management in this country. Less than a year after winning a trophy at Wembley, with three promotions under his belt, Ferguson was axed. Darren Ferguson left Peterborough at the weekend following their 3-0 defeat at MK Dons . Ferguson with the Johnstone's Paint Trophy after Peterborough's Wembley win in March 2014 . He’s had to sell top players, but still sustain a challenge in those circumstances. This season results have been terrible since October, but three of his key signings – Jon Taylor, Marcus Maddison and Jack Baldwin – have been injured for large chunks of the campaign. Peterborough is not a football hotbed. Attendances at London Road, the home of Peterborough United, are awful. Under 6,000 was the average last season, and in the Championship the previous season it was just over 8,200. That income isn’t enough so Posh have to make their own money by signing players on the cheap, and selling them for big profit. If this is successful, the policy works, and the club flourishes. Ferguson’s sacking is unfathomable when you put it into the wider context, when you take time to look beyond a run of shocking results since October, and indeed examine the reasons behind that poor form. His success at making players better, making them worth large sums of money, helping them develop the talent and mentality to play for bigger clubs at a higher level, has proved his undoing. In the last 24 months Ferguson has lost players like George Boyd, Dwight Gayle, Lee Tomlin, Tommy Rowe, Mark Little, Craig Alcock and Britt Assombalonga. That lists includes two captains, well over 100 goals, and several promotions. Boyd is the classic example: he produced his best-ever performance for Posh at Millwall in a 5-1 win in February 2013. A few days later he joined Hull City and Posh were relegated. Now-Burnley winger George Boyd celebrates scoring against Manchester City earlier in the season . Tomlin scored a hat-trick as Posh completely outplayed Reading in a 6-0 win in August 2013. Four days later, he refused to play for the club in a home defeat by Crawley and demanded they let him leave. He eventually joined Middlesbrough the following January. Posh flopped in the play-offs. Striker Assombalonga had a brilliant first season at Posh bagging goals galore. Last summer he was with the squad for the pre-season training camp in Portugal. Fans were told he wouldn’t be leaving, the manager was under the same impression. Yet hours before the start of the season he joined Nottingham Forest for a record fee. Posh have never recovered and struggle to score. Key summer signings Taylor and Maddison were brought in to provide and score goals – both have been injured for huge chunks of the season. In one of the rare games they played together, Posh absolutely destroyed Crawley 4-1 away from home to go second in the table. I was there that day and Posh could have scored 10. Under Ferguson this season one of the club’s talents from the academy Joe Newell has blossomed, and proved many of his noisy doubters wrong. Credit to the manager for sticking by his player when most of the fans thought he was a no-hoper. Ferguson has made mistakes: he cannot spot a good goalkeeper; he trusted the wrong man – Jack Payne - to be captain of the club this season – he’s not a leader and his game crumbled under the pressure; he discarded a club legend Grant McCann brutally and unnecessarily; and his ability to change a game that’s hurtling towards defeat has consistently been woeful. This is about how incredibly difficult it is to succeed at unfashionable clubs in the lower leagues. Last season's top scorer Britt Assombalonga left for Nottingham Forest back in August . Posh are a small club in the Fens with a loyal but tiny fanbase. If I get the job I'll bring 24-hour energy, expertise drawn from 40 years watching football and over 25 years reporting on it, picking the brains of some of the best and worst coaches and players in the game worldwide. I’ll play old-style wingers, overlapping full backs, I’ll ask my centre halves to be beasts, I’ll ask my two central midfielders to be creative and destructive at the same time. Hit the wingers as often as possible. Get forward!!! My policy will be to score more goals than the opposition: it might not always work, but when those players come off the pitch win, lose or draw, the fans will know they tried to entertain and went for the win. Wives, partners and families of players and staff will be well looked after, with the aim of providing a network of friendship and support within the Posh family. Ferguson with Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony back in August 2012 . My only foreseeable problem is winning the trust of the players, a sceptical bunch who are falling over themselves to apologise to Ferguson for getting him and his staff the sack. I’ll do a deal with every single one of them individually, the terms of that deal will remain private, it won’t involve money, but it will involve an incredible amount of support and goodwill both ways. I’ll expect them to run through brick walls for me - because they know I’ll do the same for them. It’s a tough place to succeed in the lower leagues. I get on with chairman Darragh MacAnthony, which is a bonus, and I have a love/hate relationship with director of football Barry Fry which I think will work out perfectly. He’ll be pulling one way, I’ll be pulling the other, but I know how to get round Barry, no problem. Give me the job, because if you don’t you’ll never know how brilliant it could have been. | Darren Ferguson was sacked by Peterborough United at the weekend .
Ferguson won three promotions and the Johnstone's Paint Trophy .
But Peterborough are 15th in the League One table .
Sportsmail columnist and Posh fan Adrian Durham has applied for the job . |
105,167 | 13a57aaa9a7bb7a928a28d484bf88cc496d93dd1 | By . Lucy Waterlow . PUBLISHED: . 11:51 EST, 15 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:21 EST, 16 July 2013 . Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and girlfriend Kim Sears have jetted off to the Bahamas for a relaxing break following his historic grand slam victory. The tennis ace tweeted earlier today: 'Just got off flight... nice five day . break coming up before training starts again next Saturday... Going to . eat a lot and do very little else!' But while Andy was meant to be enjoying a break from tennis he still had time to indulge his racquet skills as he was pictured with a beach bat and ball. Scroll down for video . Life's a beach: Kim laughs as she plays beach bat and ball in the Bahamas . Still practising: Andy Murray kept up his racquet skills even while on holiday . Giving her tips? The couple pause for a chat during their rally on the tropical shoreline . The couple laughed as they had a rally on the shoreline beside the tropical aquamarine water and rather than a traditional handshake, ended their match with a hug. Kim wore a Ted Baker dress over a yellow swimsuit and tied her famously voluminous hair back in a ponytail. Champion: Andy showed off his racquet skills as well as his toned physique . Debating a point? The playful champ looks like he's trying to move his girlfriend's position... or push her into the sea . Stylish: Kim wore a Ted Baker dress over a yellow swimsuit . Meanwhile Andy showed off his athletic physique in long, blue swimming shorts. After their game of beach ball the happy couple then raced one another back up the beach with big grins on their faces. Andy, 26, has had plenty to smile about recently after becoming the first British man in 77 years to win at Wimbledon. The historic win is set to net him a fortune in endorsements. One high-end brand already rumoured to be keen to snap the sportsman up is Burberry. Love all: The couple ended their game with a hug . A ring for Kim? Andy said after Wimbledon that he hadn't thought about proposing to his girlfriend of seven years yet but added 'you never know' The Mail On Sunday reported yesterday that creative director Christopher Bailey is keen to sign both Andy and Kim, 25, up on a modelling contract to appear on new billboard adverts. It is thought Murray’s manager Simon . Fuller, who also looks after the Beckhams, has been instrumental in . orchestrating talks, although there has not been an official . announcement. ‘Andy may not seem like the obvious choice for a . fashion campaign, but he has proven he can scrub up incredibly well,’ said a source. ‘He is in great shape and has that great bone structure which Burberry loves. Kim is gorgeous and has amazing hair.’ The pair certainly looked every inch the model couple during their Bahamas break. Race you: The smiling couple were seen running up the beach armed with their Frescobol Carioca bats . Sporty: It looks like Kim has the edge as they speed away from the sea . Many might wonder if Andy will use the romantic setting to finally pop the question to his girlfriend of seven years. The couple live together in Surrey and have two dogs. The question of marriage is one Andy faced continually following his Wimbledon win against world number one Novak Djokovic. When asked in the press conference following the match if he planned to propose he replied: 'No… I haven’t thought about that yet.' He was then pushed on the matter again by TV presenter Holly Willoughby the next day and he retorted: 'I only met you like ten minutes ago so I wouldn't be telling you first.' Dream come true: Andy and Kim celebrate as he became the first British man in 77 years to win the trophy . The couple at Burberry's London Fashion Week show earlier this year: It's rumoured they could become models for the British brand . But he coyly added: 'You never know'. Speaking of his relationship with Kim he explained: 'It has been getting close to eight years that we have been together. She has been with me since the second time I played Wimbledon, just after the first summer I played. 'It has been good because her dad is a tennis coach and he still travels on the tour. She understands the sport well and is used to being away from her dad from a young age. She understands that sort of distant relationship, and yes it works well.' Now he has won Wimbledon Andy has said he has no plans to rest on his laurels. Following his holiday he'll be back in training with the aim of winning more grand slam trophies, starting with defending his U.S. Open title in New York next month. | Pair enjoying five day break in paradise .
Couple laughed as they played beach bat and ball .
Ended game with a hug .
Kim wore Ted Baker print dress over yellow swimsuit .
Both are rumoured to become models for Burberry . |
122,525 | 2a598221a6fb286972ba31f7a22e2a07c4f802f6 | (CNN) -- When President Barack Obama addressed the nation the day 20 children were killed in Newtown, Connecticut, he told the nation "that we are praying for them." The moment "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts announced she had to undergo a bone marrow transplant, many prayers were directed her way. So why is it that sports fans are upset and bothered that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis consistently invokes God and Jesus, and recites Bible scriptures? We saw a lot of criticism toward Tim Tebow for the same thing. Criticize him aplenty for not being able to throw the football, but hating on him because of his faith? Please, sit down. Amid 'storybook' ending, Ray Lewis is still controversial . Olympian Lolo Jones was on ESPN's "First Take" Friday and she said that it's interesting that someone else will get more positive attention for releasing a sex tape while she is ridiculed for saying she'll remain a virgin until she gets married. I'll be honest, a lot of the criticism comes from individuals in the media who see religious people as weird and kooks. No, not all members of the media, but I can say in my experience as a reporter for 21 years that I have heard a lot of anti-religious, and especially anti-Christian, stuff from my media brothers and sisters. In individual discussions working at newspapers, radio stations, TV and online outlets, folks have ridiculed the religious for having convictions that don't line up with others' political beliefs. Yet what is so funny is that when those same individuals encountered a health crisis, had marital problems or issues with their children or were about to lose their job, they were the first ones to seek the Bible believer out for prayer. This really shouldn't come as a shock, because that's how a lot of Americans are. When we don't think we need to have a relationship with God, we'll blow off praying or going to church. Just let the good times roll, huh? But just wait until something bad happens. Man, we'll flock to the nearest church, mosque or synagogue; break out the prayer beads; and blow the dust off of the Bible in order to be comforted. Remember the night of September 11, 2001? You would have been hard-pressed to find a seat in a house of worship. We were a prayer nation on that day, when nearly 3,000 of our brothers and sisters were killed in terrorist attacks. It doesn't bother me one bit to see an athlete choose to be public with their faith. God bless 'em. And if another player makes the decision to not be as public, God bless them, too. The ridicule with being a strong person of faith comes with the territory. Heck, if Jesus was mocked in his day, it's no shock Ray Lewis, Tim Tebow or anyone else today will be ridiculed. But the key is to remain steadfast and strong. Jesus told his followers in Matthew 28:19 to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." Opinion: Who is God backing in the Super Bowl? Now before there was a Ray Lewis, there was a Reggie White. Just like Ray, Reggie was trashed for his religious convictions. He was told to just shut up and play football. But if God gave Reggie the gifts to do what he did, why not give Him the glory? As a devout Christian, I will not bend, and will stand strong in the faith when it comes to my religious convictions. Afraid to say Jesus on TV? Nope. In fact, the first four specials I hosted on CNN in 2007 were all religious specials. We may lose jobs, money, fame and public glory, but as long as my relationship with God stays intact, I'm not bothered by the haters. Does God want the Ravens to beat the 49ers because of Ray Lewis? No. Are you betting on the Ravens because you think Ray plays on Team Jesus? You better recognize that God is no bookie. We can all appreciate every player for what they bring to the table, and if they are believers in the faith, then God bless them. Win or lose. Ray Lewis and other players of faith have a tremendous platform. More than 100 million people will probably be watching on Sunday. If someone makes a decision to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior because they were inspired by Ray Lewis exhortation of his faith on Super Bowl Sunday, great. If someone just wants to watch the game, no problem. But I will be thankful that a man who is undaunted by his critics will be unapologetic in professing his faith. Ray Lewis has faced the depths of evil in his past, and like Saul he went through his own Damascus Road Experience and has been transformed. No matter the faith or the occupation, there is nothing wrong with emerging from darkness and becoming a shining bright light. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland Martin. | Roland Martin: Why do people criticize Ray Lewis for invoking God?
Martin: It's because some individuals in the media see religious people as weird .
He says but if something bad happens, those same people in the media will seek God too .
Martin: We should not ridicule athletes who choose to be public about their faith . |
215,851 | a3660f13bc713c30951d973c0656b4c9399d23db | Two people have died and 16 have been hospitalized in North Carolina after contracting a superbug which led to the deaths of two patients in Los Angeles. Eighteen people have contracted carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, in the state so far this year, officials have confirmed. Kevin McCarthy, a spokesman with the Carolinas HealthCare System, told CNN 15 of the patients had CRE upon admission to the unnamed hospital in Charlotte, three acquired it in the hospital. Scroll down for video . Concerning: Health officials give a news conference outside the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center of Los Angeles after seven people contracted a killer superbug. Eighteen people have also been diagnosed with the deadly strain in Charlotte, North Carolina . It comes after two people died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center last week after routine endoscopic procedures. Seven people, including an eighteen-year-old man, were diagnosed with the superbug and has been linked to surgical tools used on as many as 500,000 patients. Officials warned that as many as 179 people who had endoscopies at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center may have been exposed to the so-called superbug. The procedures were done between October 3 and January 28. All five of the confirmed infected patients who remain alive are under treatment, said UCLA spokeswoman Dale Tate. The infections all occurred during procedures in which a specialized scope, known as a duodenoscope, was inserted down the throat to diagnose and treat pancreatic and bile duct diseases. The outbreak has raised questions about whether methods for cleaning the endoscopes were adequate. The 18-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was among those infected by CRE, said attorney Kevin Boyle, a member of his legal team. The man went to the medical center in mid-2014 for a pancreatic ailment and received an endoscopy, Boyle said. The man became ill and was hospitalized a short time later. By November, he had been diagnosed with CRE. The youth spent 83 days in the hospital, mostly in the intensive care unit, the attorney said. 'It's definitely a severe infection,' he said, adding that the infection had landed the young man back in a Los Angeles hospital. The 18-year-old was not in the intensive care unit but was under 24-hour monitoring. 'The (man's) prognosis is unknown,' Boyle said on Saturday. He would not give the name of the hospital where the young man is being treated. Deadly strain: The patients were infected with the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae bacteria (artists impression). It has been linked to an endoscope used in routine procedures . Further details on the conditions of the five infected patients have not been disclosed, and details on the circumstances of the two deaths have not been made public. Officials have said there is no broader threat to public health, and that hospital officials have called and sent letters to at-risk former patients. All of them are at home, rather than at a hospital, Tate said. No further infections have been reported. Corey Egel, a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health, said the short-term risk window for additional CRE infections among the patients who came into contact with the scopes was over. There remains, however, a possibility of future infections if the organism was able to colonize inside any of the patients. 'Any person who is colonized with any multi-drug resistant organism is at some increased risk in the future of developing an infection with that organism,' he said. The medical center has said that it had been sterilizing the duodenoscopes implicated in the infection, which it began using in June, according to manufacturer standards. It has said it now uses a more rigorous process that exceeds national standards. The two infected scopes were immediately removed from use for return to the manufacturer, Olympus Medical Systems Group . Olympus did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Hospitals across the United States have reported exposures from the same type of medical equipment in recent years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it was working with other government agencies and scope manufacturers to minimize risks to patients. California's public health department said no other hospitals in the state have seen a similar outbreak. | 18 people diagnosed with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae .
Comes after pair died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center last week .
Seven people were diagnosed with the infection after routine procedures .
Officials say 179 people who had endoscopies could be at risk .
Two endoscopes used at the hospital had been infected with bug . |
188,631 | 804e382e238b599ea9f7ba94d99c332737627786 | Probes sent to Mars usually use a soft landing system that causes them to bounce several times before coming to a standstill. But Nasa needs to be more accurate when it comes to putting humans on the red planet, and it is hoping Space X's Falcon 9 rocket could help. The space agency recently teamed up with Elon Musk's firm to record thermal footage of the Falcon 9 rocket as its first stage pulled away and burned through the atmosphere. Scroll down for video . Nasa recently teamed up with Elon Musk's firm to record thermal footage (left) of the Falcon 9 rocket (pictured left at launch) as its first stage pulled away and burned through the atmosphere . The first stage is the part of the rocket that is ignited at launch and burns through the rocket's ascent until it runs out of propellant. At this point it is discarded from the second stage and returns to Earth. According to Nasa, its descent back to Earth presents Mars-like conditions, which means data collected could help plan a future mission to the red planet. With an failure rate of 66 per cent, the entry, descent and landing phase of the Mars mission is the key part of any mission to the red planet. Mars' surface pressure is less than one per cent of Earth’s, which is not enough to slow down an aircraft from its entry speed of more than 12,000mph (19,000 km/h). The upgraded Falcon 9 v1.1 has engines that are 60 per cent more powerful than previous versions . Private spaceflight company, SpaceX, successfully launched the first of its newly-improved Falcon 9 rockets in September. The nine-engine rocket is its most powerful to date and designed to test the viability of using fully reusable launch vehicles for future missions. Currently, after delivering their payloads into orbit, booster rockets tumble back toward Earth and essentially explode mid-air before crashing into the sea. This is a costly operation causing the price of launches to top £280 million. Space X, however, is attempting to develop rockets that can make soft landings back on Earth so that they can be recovered and recycled. During September's launch, three first-stage engines were reignited, to see if they could bring the first-stage of the rocket segment down through the atmosphere intact. Another engine was then used to try to slow the stage still further just before it touched the water. 'Nestled inside the rocket's new 17-foot (5-metre) diameter nose cone was a small Canadian science satellite called Cassiope that initially was to fly on SpaceX's now-discontinued Falcon 1 . The most revolutionary thing about the new Falcon 9 is the potential ability to recover the boost phase, which is almost three-quarters of the cost of the rocket,' Musk added. The upgraded Falcon 9 v1.1 has engines that are 60 per cent more powerful than previous versions, longer fuel tanks, new avionics and software intended to boost lift capacity and simplify operations for commercial service. To record the descent of Falcon 9, the agency equipped two planes with infrared cameras and had them film the controlled flight which took place in Cape Canaveral in September. On launch day, the planes reached their observation locations about 50 miles (80km) from the projected rocket trajectory. Video footage from the planes revealed the thermal energy given off by the rocket as it fell to Earth at supersonic speeds. 'Because the technologies required to land large payloads on Mars are significantly different than those used here on Earth, investment in these technologies is critical,' said Robert Braun, principal investigator for Nasa Propulsive Descent Technologies (PDT). Mars' surface pressure is less than one per cent of Earth’s, which is not enough to slow down an aircraft from its entry speed of more than 12,000mph (19,000 km/h) 'This is the first high-fidelity data set of a rocket system firing into its direction of travel while traveling at supersonic speeds in Mars-relevant conditions. Nasa chiefs have said that sending a manned mission to Mars is 'necessary if the human race is to survive'. The space agency is currently developing the capabilities needed to capture an asteroid by 2015 and send humans to by 2030. As well as making the daring 34-million-mile journey through space, once at Mars astronauts will have to contend with the cold, barren landscape of Mars. The planet has violent winds with dust storms that engulf the planet for months at a time. It never rains and temperatures drop to -90°C at night. | Footage captured Falcon 9 rocket as its first stage fell back to Earth .
First stage is the part that is ignited at launch and is later discarded .
Its descent back to Earth presents Mars-like conditions, says Nasa .
Agency will analyse data to help understand how to land on Mars .
Nasa says it is hoping to send humans to the red planet by 2030 . |
26,718 | 4bda212879b9a5023be979d55ca16c9cbc3f8acc | A female referee was knocked to the ground after being hit square in the face from a free-kick during a game in Argentina last weekend. Salome Di Lorio was refereeing a match between lower league sides Liniers and Centro Espanol when the incident occurred and forced her off the pitch. Di Lorio had just blown for a free-kick when the ball hit her straight in the face - with players from both sides and medical staff rushing to her aid. Referee Salome Di Lorio feels the full force of the ball after being hit straight in the face from a free-kick . The players are worried for the safety of Di Lorio after she is knocked to the floor from the free-kick . Onlookers check to see if the referee is ok after the nasty blow to the face . She immediately regained her senses and stood up but was understandably unable to continue refereeing the match. Di Lorio was taken to hospital as a precaution following the incident, but thankfully suffered no long-term damage. Di Lorio, 34, also works as a lawyer. She refereed the 2009 final of the women's Copa Libertadores and was one of the officials during the women's tournament at the 2012 London Olympics. | Referee Salome Di Lorio was hit square in the face by a free-kick .
The incident took place in last weekend's clash between lower league Argentinian sides Liniers and Centro Espanol .
De Lorio was forced off the pitch and taken to hospital as a precaution . |
132,354 | 372660653280dbb244188fa1783253481b21fde2 | By . Steve Doughty . Updated: . 00:37 GMT, 30 November 2011 . Declining: Less than half the adult population in England and Wales are now married, according to figures . Less than half of the adult population is now married, figures confirmed for the first time yesterday. The watershed for marriage is the . culmination of 30 years during which cohabitation has become the norm . and successive governments have ceased to offer tax breaks, legal . privileges or state approval to the married. Figures from the Office for National . Statistics showed that 21.6million of the 44.9million adults who live in . England and Wales are married – 48.4 per cent of the population. The number of those who have never tied the knot has doubled since the 1970s. The statistics also highlight the rise of the so-called freemale, revealing that almost one in three women have never wed. Nearly eight million women live the . single life or opt for informal cohabiting relationships rather than . have a husband and family. The ONS said many of the freemales were women . in their 20s and 30s, who have achieved a better standard of education . than boys and have gone on in ever greater numbers to pursue careers. Married people first appeared to fall . into a minority three years ago, but ONS analysts insisted the numbers . were misleading, saying they failed to take into account large numbers . who marry abroad. A graph shows how those who are single, divorced or widowed are now outnumbering the proportion of married adults in England and Wales . Further data shows that the number of adult females who are widowed has increased at a much higher rate than males . The new count, however, which sets out . the married population in the middle of last year, does include . estimates of those who married before migrating to Britain, or while . living as expats abroad, or as tourists away on holiday. The ONS presented the decline of . marriage as less swift in England than elsewhere. ‘The proportion of the . adult population of England and Wales who are married is one of the . highest in Europe,’ it said. The estimates said 21,643,000 are . husbands or wives, while there are just under 16million single people . who have never married and just over 3.1million divorcees. The remainder . is made up of widows or widowers. The combined count of never-married . and divorced people amounts to nearly 46 per cent of the population and . at current rates will overtake the married population within a few . years. Cohabitation is fuelling the . destruction of the family while separations and divorces have brought . suffering and loneliness, the Vatican said yesterday. It declared that . Catholic couples should not set up home together before marriage. | Just 48 per cent of UK adults now married .
Trend follows pattern of decline in marriage since 70s .
Trend towards 'freemales' choosing careers over family . |
168,907 | 6683a227357073382b3b4587d693c269c4e44d01 | By . Tara Brady . PUBLISHED: . 02:29 EST, 21 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 05:44 EST, 21 May 2013 . A British mountaineer has reached the peak of Everest for a record-breaking eleventh time. Kenton Cool scaled the mountain as part of a challenge to reach three summits in one continuous climb. The 39-year-old, who lives in Quenington, Gloucestershire, is the first person ever to achieve the feat reaching the three peaks in three days. Scroll down for video . Mr Cool: Kenton scaled Everest as part of a challenge to reach three summits in one continuous climb . The three peaks he scaled were Everest (8,848m), Nuptse (7,861m), and Lhotse (8,516m). All three form what is called the Western CWM - a wall of rock and ice that is part of the route to Everest. An update yesterday on his Facebook page said he and climbing partner Dorje Gylgen were 'feeling strong'. At noon he tweeted: 'KC Update: Lhotse has been summited. Descent hard. 3 summits in 3 days. Finishing line in sight.' Reaching new heights: The three peaks Kenton Cool scaled were Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse . The treble: Kenton Cool and Dorje Gylgen in their tent in Everest . The climbs have been described as a fitting tribute to Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who reached the 29,035-foot summit of Everest on May 29, 1953, becoming the first people to stand atop the world's highest mountain. This week will mark the 60th anniversary of the ascent. Mr Cool last year took one of the 1924 Olympic medals to the summit of Everest to fulfill a pledge by one of the Everest pioneers - 1922 expedition deputy leader, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Strutt. Kenton Cool last year took one of the 1924 Olympic medals to the summit of Everest . He said: 'In 1894 Baron Pierre de Coubertin reconstituted the modern Olympic movement and made a deliberate choice to include our sport of climbing. 'He felt so strongly about climbing's inclusion that in 1924 he personally awarded the first ever Olympic gold medals for mountaineering, and in 2012 I fulfilled the subsequent promise made by Great Britain to Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the IOC to place one of the 1924 mountaineering Olympic gold medals on to the summit of the world's highest mountain 'for all humanity'. 'Climbing is the very essence of everything Baron Pierre de Coubertin meant when he wrote the Olympic motto of 'higher, faster, stronger', and it was there on the very first day of the modern Olympics. 'May 29, 2013 will be a momentous day for climbing. It is the 60th anniversary of the first successful summit of Mount Everest and it is the date the IFSC will present their case to the IOC. I'm backing the bid.' Climbing in the Olympics would be different to scaling Everest - competition climbing takes place on man-made walls and the IFSC is proposing a multi-discipline 'triathlon' of speed, lead climbing and bouldering. The bid is also being supported by Dame Kelly Holmes. She said: 'The proposed triathlon format for Sport Climbing's bid for the 2020 Olympic Games sounds like a great concept. 'I know climbing is very popular with young people and the format fits perfectly with the Olympic motto of Faster, Higher and Stronger. 'I know the case for inclusion in the Olympic Games is becoming tougher all the time, it could go down to the wire when the final choice is made by the IOC in September. Hopefully the general public will see that Sport Climbing has a big future ahead.' | The 39-year-old, from Gloucestershire, is the first person to achieve the feat .
The three peaks he scaled were Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse .
The climb has been described as a fitting tribute to Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who first climbed Everest 60 years ago this week . |
99,974 | 0cd2b35d61f9d0f3c08e809bc65e92a0a9235fe3 | MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A restaurateur has gone to great lengths to tackle the spread of the H1N1 virus in his eatery, including taking staff's temperatures before they start work and preventing them from touching plates directly. Kitchen staff at Silk and Soya restaurant in Spain wear face masks and gloves while preparing food. Silk and Soya, a Thai-themed restaurant in Madrid, Spain, implemented the measures to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, in the upscale locale. "We implemented these measures so that our employees would serve only food, not a virus," restaurant owner Cipri Quintas told CNN. As well as employees having their temperatures taken before starting their shifts, windows are opened to aerate the restaurant before meals. Each table is set at least one meter -- 3.2 feet -- from any other table. Any member of the kitchen staff involved in food preparation must wear a mask and gloves, and waiters are required to hold napkins when carrying plates to avoid touching them directly with their hands. Upon entering the elevators leading to the top-floor restaurant, customers find an automatic disinfectant gel dispenser. At each table, diners find a packet of gel next to their silverware. The restaurant's restroom doors are propped open, the lights turn on automatically and the faucets are hands-free -- measures intended to keep customers from having to touch surfaces after they've washed their hands. Similar initiatives are under way around the world. Last spring, during the peak of the scare in Mexico City, restaurants were closed for 12 days. When the restaurants reopened, the government ordered owners to put extra space between the tables and not to allow more than half of seats to be filled at any given time; cooks and waiters were mandated to wear surgical masks. The World Health Organization's Web site states that hand-washing is one of the best ways to prevent infection and provides instructions with drawings that can be printed and posted in public places, such as restaurants. Silk and Soya's Quintas started his anti-H1N1 measures in August and has already proved popular with some customers. Simona Savin, who was having lunch, told CNN, "These are measures you don't see everywhere. Here you have everything. They are great because there's a need for hygiene." Another diner, swimming coach Fernando Barea, said, "We came to the restaurant because we heard good things about it and I wanted to see these measures against the H1N1 flu. These measures should be used by other restaurants." Quintas predicted they soon will be. "People from other businesses like hotels and theaters have called us asking, 'What have you done? Can we come see your setup?' There's been a big response," said Quintas. He insisted that his goal is not solely to garner publicity, but to protect his customers and staff -- a responsibility, he said, that the business community at large should undertake. One expert on the disease applauded the efforts and recommended they be broadened. "They should implement them every winter against all respiratory diseases," said Dr. Tom Jefferson, a medical epidemiologist with the Cochrane Collaboration. The international organization reviews health care interventions and "promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions," according to its Web site. As of September 13, the WHO had tallied more than 296,000 cases worldwide, 3,486 of them fatal. | Thai-themed restaurant in Madrid implements anti H1N1 flu measures .
Employees have their temperatures taken, windows are opened, gel provided .
Restaurant owner says there is "a big response" from other owners . |
178,717 | 735f7b3e6fd3698489072be7c90c687010d6199a | By . James Daniel . PUBLISHED: . 21:36 EST, 17 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:54 EST, 18 August 2013 . A mother and her teenage daughter from Connecticut who were facing the prospect of being made homeless, have been saved after the girl blogged about the family business on Tumblr. Danielle Walters, 14, found out her mom had been laid off from her job working in a bank, so she took it upon herself to try and boost the small craft business ran by her mother in her spare time. In a desperate heartfelt plea to generate some interest, and allay fears that the two could lose their home, she posted about the company, Suffield Sundries, which sells artisan candles and soaps. Business partners: Danielle David (left) wrote a Tumblr posting encouraging users to visit her mom Noelle's (right) website. The business ran out of stock within days after more than 200 orders were placed . Cry for help: The original posting complete with business card and website address that led to so many orders being placed . 'My mom recently got fired from her job, my step-dad moved out and we don't have enough money to keep living where we are. She has a small business where she sells candles, soaps and soon body spray,' the posting began. ‘All I want is for [my mother's] business to get big and noticed a lot more,’ Danielle wrote. 'This is what she wanted to do when she was younger, and even today. Make candles, soaps, etc. She loves this. She hated her old job as a banker and she hated retail. I want her to be happy.' 'Buying from her website would mean a lot but I am not asking you too (sic)' Selling out: Danielle's mother's small online business, Suffield Sundries, sells artisan candles and soaps and is hosted on the e-commerce crafts site, Etsy . Unknown influence: Noelle, Danielle's mom, had no idea her daughter had made the heartfelt online plea. Orders were coming in by the minute and soon the company ran out of stock . On the hunt: Despite the spike in orders, Mrs Walters-Davis says that after being laid off from her job in a bank she is still looking for a full-time position to help look after her four kids . The post included a snapshot of the . business card, and requested that others reblog the picture to ‘help my . mom's business get out there.’ To . begin with, there weren’t many responses but within a week her mother . Noelle Walters-Davis, sold her entire stock of 200 soaps with up to . 10,000 customers viewing her website each day. Speaking . to the Daily Dot, Mrs Walters-Davis said she didn’t know anything about . her daughters PR efforts until she was told about the girls . thoughtfulness on the company’s Facebook page. ‘We were both shocked at how things blew up on Saturday. Orders just kept coming in one right after the other, and she and I would just look at each other in amazement.’ Despite selling out of her stock and with orders coming in for yet more cute soaps and smellies, Mrs Waters-Davis says that she and her four kids are not yet ‘in the clear’ and she is looking for a new full-time job. Since launching her store three years ago Mrs Walters-Davis said that sales had been 'pretty much non-existent' averaging only one Etsy shop view daily and with never more than two shoppers at her store at the same time. Now she has had more than 12,000 people view her online shop and at one point had 600 potential shoppers visiting at once. She has also acquired 1,800 fans on the store's Facebook page. Showing her gratitude at the level of interest in her company, Mrs Walter-David posted a message on her page: 'I am beyond grateful for the out pouring of kindness and support from the Tumbler (sic) community! My heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to each and every one of you!' | Mother lost her job at a bank so daughter decides to post info about her mom's business on Tumblr .
More than 30,000 users re-blogged the posting and hundreds of customers purchased items .
Business has now run out of stock because of the demand . |
124,184 | 2c8a591d1ade53a29d6cf3b925080a2581d1bfa0 | By . Nina Golgowski and Helen Pow . PUBLISHED: . 21:21 EST, 25 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:17 EST, 27 March 2013 . Attacker: Police identified Leon Raymond Walls, 41, as the man they say held the teen as a human shield before repeatedly stabbing her in the store . A deranged homeless man has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed a teenaged girl to within an inch of her life and injured four others in a Pittsburgh Target store on Monday. Leon Raymond Walls, 41, has been charged with attempted homicide after the vicious attack, which ended with several customers wrestling a bloody kitchen knife out of his grasp and calling police. Witnesses said Walls grabbed Allison Meadows, 16, by her hair and repeatedly stabbed her with the knife in front of her family as they stood in line at an East Liberty store. 'He just kept screaming, "I'll stab her again," a witness who says he helped fight off the man just after 5.30pm told WTAE. 'He kept stabbing her. Me and like . four or five other guys, they ran and tackled him... He cut the one . guy's lip almost off. The other guy’s finger was, like, hanging off,' he . recalled. The high school sophomore from . Silverdale Baptist Academy in Tennessee, visiting family on spring break, suffered a collapsed lung and several . wounds to her arm and her back. She underwent surgery on Monday night . and is expected to make a full recovery, according to her school's . Facebook page that identified her along with her family. Police said Walls, who was wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service for an unspecified probation violation, ran into the store after a fight with several men down the street. Shortly afterward, the knife-wielding . man was seen chasing one of his pursuers from a Target restroom, according to police spokeswoman Diane Richard. Critically injured: Allison Meadows, 16, was critically stabbed by a crazed man in a Pittsburgh Target store on Monday afternoon while visiting relatives on spring break . Ruthless attack: Miss Meadows was stabbed multiple times in her arm and back after grabbed by her hair while standing in line to the horror of her family around her . Walls then allegedly ran toward the . checkout lanes with the knife and grabbed the girl 'as a shield,' according to a police report obtained by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. 'It looked like he was holding her hostage,' said 21-year-old Target shopper Dominique Gomez to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Gomez said the man kept screaming that he had been robbed. Walls said 'you come close, I'll stab . her,' before jutting his knife twice in her back with the knife, . according to the police complaint. 'That little girl, he just kept . stabbing her. I just couldn't stand there and watch that,' the witness . speaking to WTAE who didn't want to be identified said. He said he used a baseball bat to help disarm and subdue the man until police arrived. Improving: Miss Meadows suffered a collapsed lung and several wounds to her arm and her back but said to be doing fine by her family after surgery on Monday night . Timing: The sophomore at Silverdale Baptist Academy in Tennessee was visiting her family in Pittsburgh for spring break when the crazy man ran into the store, stabbing four others as well . It's unclear if this man was one of . the two men police say were the first to chase Walls inside the store. One of those men were described as already carrying a baseball bat at . the time. One shopper Chris Jones told KDKA he had heard a commotion and women screaming upstairs. 'What I decided to do was run upstairs and help anyone that needed help,' he said. - witness who helped fight off attacker . By the time he got upstairs Jones said that other customers had detained the suspect. 'He was getting his tail whooped with a bat, with fists,' Jones told KDKA. 'He was getting tore up and I think he deserved it.' 'Everybody was screaming,' another witness told the station. 'It was crazy in there. That was horrible. That was something you don't want to see again, ever,' the unidentified witness said. Police used pepper spray and a Taser to subdue Walls. According to the criminal complaint, . the stabbing spree started when Walls attacked a man named Jobe Wright . at a nearby construction site. Attack: Witnesses said the stabbing appeared to be random and the suspect first stabbed someone on the street before entering the Target store, seen on Monday evening . Staying positive: Just before 9pm on Monday Miss Meadows was able to Tweet this message of thanks out to her family, friends and supporters . Police said Walls ran down the street and into the Target, with Wright and Tyrique Walker following closely behind. The two men called 911 to report the crazed man, and another man, Roland Smith, grabbed a baseball bat, according to police. Walls entered the store at around 5:30 p.m. and when he saw Walker, he 'attempted to stab him with a large swing at his neck area,' the complaint read, according to WTAE. Walls missed his target then hurried over to the checkout area where he began to stab additional victims, including the teen. 'I took a peek at the top of the steps, and the guy was chasing the dude around with a long, long knife. It was a long, long knife. He was chasing him around through the aisles,' a witness told the station. In all five people were stabbed, according to police, with six in total taken to a hospital. One of those was a police officer who was treated for pepper spray exposure along with the suspect. Chaos: One shopper Chris Jones said he had heard a commotion and women screaming upstairs before seeing the attacker being beaten with a baseball bat . This Target employee said she led people out of the store through the emergency exit . Screams: Witnesses to the scene overheard a bunch a screaming on one level of the store, leading to the horrific scene near the registers, some of the store's aisles pictured . The girl was taken to Children's . Hospital in critical condition, but police later said she had been . upgraded to serious condition. A man originally reported by police as a bystander was transported after complaining of chest pains was also taken to a hospital. He's listed in stable condition. Witnesses said the stabbing appeared . to be random and that the suspect first stabbed someone on the street . before entering the Target store. Walls is currently being held at the Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bond. He's being charged with criminal attempt homicide, aggravated assault, REAP, unlawful restraint,possessing instruments of a crime, simple assault and resisting arrest. Silverdale Baptist Academy headmaster Becky Hansard told Channel 4 Action News on Tuesday that Meadows' lung was 'working well' after surgeons managed to inflate it. 'She doesn't need any medical assistance or equipment at all, so we're very, very pleased about that,' said Hansard. 'I truly believe that God used that conditioning and athletic body that Allison has to really help her come through this very well.' | Leon Raymond Walls, 41, has been charged with attempted homicide after the vicious attack .
Stabbing spree allegedly started with an attack on a man at a construction site around the corner from the Target store .
Allison Meadows, 16, was visiting family for spring break when witnesses say she was grabbed by the knife-wielding man in front of her family .
High school sophomore was repeatedly stabbed in her arm and back, suffering a collapsed lung . |
53,741 | 986a0daceb8b94809ae18bd54854fa34e33476dd | (CNN)ABC's "Fresh Off The Boat," the first sitcom to feature an Asian American family in two decades, has run into renewed controversy a week before its debut. While the show has been praised for its potential to rebut stereotypes, its social media team flubbed when it tweeted a graphic featuring caricatures of different races underneath the phrase "We're all a little #FreshOffTheBoat." If anything, the ad reinforced tired imagery: One Asian figure wore a pointy bamboo hat; another Latino figure wore a sombrero with a curly mustache. Story creator Eddie Huang, whose memoirs the sitcom is based on, was furious. "This is plain offensive and ridiculous," he tweeted. "Someone please reverse this... at least they didn't do the Native American with chicken pox blankie lol" "Point isn't whether we in fact wear kufis and rice hats but it's reductive," he added. Wall Street Journal columnist Jeff Yang, whose son Hudson stars in the series, tweeted that the ad was "awful." The controversy came just weeks after Huang publicly slammed the show's producers in a lengthy New York Magazine piece, accusing the network of distorting his memoir into a "cornstarch story about Asian-Americans resembling moo goo gai pan" in order to make it more appealing to white audiences. But he later backed off the comments in a panel discussion on the issue, saying he didn't have a problem with the show's executive producer and felt his memoir, published in 2013, was portrayed "fairly." There was also an awkward moment at the discussion when a journalist asked the show's cast whether the sitcom would involve "chopsticks." The ad also restarted online debate over another contentious part of the sitcom: its name. The phrase "fresh off the boat," typically shortened to the acronym "fob," is a loaded phrase many young American immigrants will recognize. Depending on who you ask, it's either a slang term or a slur used to label minorities, often Asian American, who haven't fully assimilated with the mainstream. Huang deals with the term in his memoir -- also named "Fresh Off The Boat" -- recalling a moment he heard it being used to insult his father. "He never forgot it," he writes. "We weren't Americans like everyone else. We'd always be the other in this bullshit country." Arissa Oh, a history professor at Boston College, says the term is painful because "it aligns with Asian Americans always having to negotiate the fear of being perceived as a perpetual foreigner. Because the consequences can be anything from bullying and ostracism, to violence or internment." But Huang and Yang have argued that naming the show "Fresh Off The Boat" is an expression of immigrant pride, and can help to "reclaim" the term as something positive. "It's a term whose claws should and can be removed," Yang tells CNN. "But only if we have an honest and open discussion about what it means to be American, and why a nation of immigrants remains so hostile toward those who are newly arrived." Concerns over the phrase aren't new. When the show was announced last May, some Asian Americans worried openly -- what if the show inadvertently encourages people to toss the phrase around in an offensive way? What if, instead of deepening America's understanding of the immigrants' difficulties, the show simply gives people another opportunity to mock them? Perhaps, some argue, these thorny issues only get harder to untangle when they're thrust into the mainstream. As Oh explains, "I sort of feel like 'fob' is a family issue, you know -- like internal to Asian Americans? We need to reclaim it or something first before we put it out there in front of other people." But the show is stepping into the spotlight next week. And even its strongest supporters are nervous. "We're all hoping that this works," says Yang. "Because 20 years of wandering in the wilderness is damn well enough." | Upcoming ABC sitcom 'Fresh Off The Boat' draws fire after tweet depicting racist stereotypes .
Story creator Eddie Huang said tweet was "plain offensive" and asked for it to be deleted . |
80,547 | e4541e7f28403380cb8380a840d5ee06e2d6d12f | An alleged Florida fraudster charged with stealing dozens of people's identities in order to file fake tax returns pleaded with a court for a lighter sentence, saying he has turned his life around. Derek Denesevich, 26, of Lauderhill, paid a Broward Clerk of Courts employee to steal drivers identities from a state database in 2011 and 2012, in a scam that netted him $57,238. Despite a raft of distinctive facial tattoos and piercings - including the logo for luxury car dealer Bentley across his forehead - Denesevich was still able to pretend to be other people, filing about 80 fraudulent income tax returns, according to WPTV. He was facing four and a half years in prison and has a long list of prior convictions, including illegal possession of an alligator, robbery, firearm and drug offenses. Reformed: Derek Denesevich, 26, pleaded for a lighter sentence on crimes of aggravated identity theft, saying he has turned his life around, starting with the attempted removal of his facial tattoos . However Denesevich said he is actively trying to reform, starting with several months of tattoo removal treatment to rid his face of ink. He has also gone undercover for the FBI to help catch a team of identity and tax fraudsters. Denesevich wore a wire as part of the plot, which lead to the arrest of six people who had stolen more than 1,200 identities. At his sentencing hearing on Friday, the court heard how Denesevrich fled to Canada in 2012 after police approached him over his crimes. However he returned to South Florida following the birth of his son. 'I came back here for my son,' Denesevich told the judge, according to WPTV. 'I'm extremely sorry to my victims.' FBI agents also appeared in court to corroborate Denesevich's work for them. Before: Derek Denesevich's attorney declined to comment on his client's decision to get the luxury car tattoo, however the Florida father is now having all his facial ink removed . Scene: Denesevich paid a woman at the Broward Clerk of Courts (pictured) to steal the identities of drivers . As a result he received a sentence of one year and three months, following by three years of supervised release. However he must pay back the $57,328 he stole as part of his tax fraud scheme. Part of the money will be paid by Porscha Kyles, the Clerk of Courts employee who helped him with the scam. She is serving three years for her crimes. Although he is trying to erase his facial tattoos, Denesevich is said to have a tattoo on his back featuring his own face, complete with the Bentley logo on his forehead. | Derek Denesevich, 26, of Lauderhill, Florida, was facing four and a half years prison on charges of aggravated identity theft in 2011 and 2012 .
On Friday he was sentenced to one year and three months .
Denesevich managed to pretend to be different people despite his facial tattoos in a scam that netted him $57,238 .
However he proved he caught his attempts to reform, including working for the FBI .
He is also trying to have his tattoos removed . |
143,021 | 44f53e0422773afad47f28a586d6893a11984b99 | By . Associated Press . Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway, has been moved to a remote Peruvian penitentiary after authorities said he threatened to kill the warden of the prison where he was serving a 28-year term for murder. Peruvian prison spokeswoman Janeth Sanchez told The Associated Press that the 27-year-old Dutchman was moved Sunday to Challapalca, located high in the Andes near the Bolivian border. He previously was held at a prison north of Lima. Van der Sloot was the last person seen with Holloway, who vanished while on a graduation trip to Aruba. He is imprisoned for killing Stephany Flores, a 21-year-old Peruvian business student in 2010. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Relocated: Joran van der Sloot is imprisoned for killing Stephany Flores,21, and is the prime suspect in the Natalie Holloway disappearance . Being moved: Joran van der Sloot has been moved to a remote Peruvian penitentiary after he threatened to kill the warden of the prison where he was serving a 28-year term for murder . New prison: Joran van der Sloot is being moved to Challapalca in a remote area located high in the Andes near the Bolivian border . He married his pregnant Peruvian girlfriend in a prison ceremony last month. Prison officials prohibited video and photos during the midday nuptials and none of the groom's relatives attended, said his attorney, Maximo Altez. Wearing a tailored suit and dress shoes sent by his mother, Van der Sloot told his bride, who is eight months pregnant, that after he is released from prison, 'I want to marry you again,' and she told him the same,' said John Barrera, who officiated the wedding as mayor of the city of Ancon, where his former prison is located. The blushing bride showed off her growing baby bump in a conservative white ‘mullet’ dress paired with a matching shawl. To complete her wedding day look, Figueroa wore a flower in her hair.Van der Sloot met and fell in love with Figueroa while she was selling goods inside the prison, according to his attorney. Speaking to reporters outside the prison, Altez showed an oil painting given to him by Van der Sloot depicting a tall, solitary woman in a red dress on a palm-studded beach under a radiant sun. Newlywed: Joran van der Sloot married his pregnant Peruvian girlfriend in a prison ceremony last month . The bride: Van der Sloot met and fell in love with Figueroa while she was selling goods inside the prison . The attorney, who acted as a witness during the ceremony, was one of only four people in attendance, among them another lawyer and the bride’s mother. Van der Sloot was the last person seen with Holloway, who vanished while on a high school graduation trip to Aruba. No charges were filed against Van der Sloot. In 2011, he confessed to killing Stephany Flores, a 21-year-old business student, five years to the day after Holloway's disappearance. Van der Sloot is expected to remain in prison until 2038 and then be extradited to the United States to face charges of extortion and fraud for allegedly falsely promising to lead Holloway's mother to the girl's body in exchange for payment. The newlyweds met at the prison, where Figueroa, an accountant by training with a young son from a previous relationship, sells candy and cigarettes to inmates. 'They became friends and spent a lot of time together in his cell,' Altez told CNN earlier this year. 'Unlike the United States, here in Peru, loved ones or relatives can see inmates inside their jails.'Figueroa is due to give birth to Van der Sloot's child in September. All prisoners at the penitentiary are allowed conjugal visits, explaining Figueroa's pregnancy. Joran van der Sloot is in prison for murdering Stephany Flores (left), and was last seen with U.S. teen Natalee Holloway (right) before her 2005 disappearance . Prime suspect: Joran van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of U.S. teen Natalee Holloway . Peruvian media have floated the possibility that Van der Sloot decided to get married to avoid extradition to the U.S. at the end of his prison term. But his attorney has dismissed the suggestion that the nuptials were a calculated move.‘He's getting married because he's in love and is having a child,’ Altez said in May. ‘There are no hidden agendas.’ Leidy Figueroa told CBS News' Crimesider earlier this year that she usually visits Van der Sloot twice a week and brings him home-cooked meals. According to the bride, the convict has become a new person and is enjoying his prison arts and crafts classes. Van der Sloot is currently in prison for confessing to killing 21-year-old business student Stephany Flores at a Lima casino in 2010. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2012. Van der Sloot is also suspected of killing 18-year-old Holloway, who vanished during a high school graduation trip to Aruba in 2005 and was last seen with him and another man. The Alabama teen's body has not been found and Van Der Sloot has denied involvement in her disappearance. More than two decades from now, Van der Sloot will face charges in the U.S. for accepting $25,000 from Holloway's mom to lead her to the girl's body, something he never did.Van der Sloot has been spending his sentence teaching English to other inmates and painting. | Joran van der Sloot,27, has been moved from a prison in Lima, Peru to Challapalca, located high in the Andes near the Bolivian border .
He is imprisoned for killing Stephany Flores, a 21-year-old Peruvian business student in 2010 .
Van der Sloot was the last person seen with teen Natalie Holloway, who vanished while on a graduation trip to Aruba .
He married his pregnant Peruvian girlfriend in a prison ceremony last month . |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.